Road Trip to Alaska

http://ataleoftwovagabonds.tumblr.com/

This should take you to a blog I made just for the road trip my brother & I are taking to Alaska. I have a journal that I'm getting people we meet to sign & answer questions in. Itms been great. I hope you enjoy.

Letter from a 5th Grader (or 15)

I was taking my field group on a hike & told them several times that they would have to listen if they wanted to go on the trail I had planned for them. It had begun drizzling, so I knew the trail would be slippery & it's already one of our more dangerous routes especially if the students aren't paying attention.

Once I saw that they still weren't listening, I took them to a different trail that I had planned to end on. They still weren't ready to go on the original trail (even though they had improved, at least temporarily), so we did some team-building games. It was a little frustrating, but (as one of my students wrote in a P. S.) "I think the trip was still great fun."

However, their chaperone that was with us told their other teachers who had them each write me an apology. The fact that it was forced doesn't really take away from how much I enjoy reading them. They could not have bestowed their handwritten letters on a more grateful person! :)

P. S. May the Fourth be with you!

Birthday Gift from Grandpa

I found this in my grandpa's journal after he died. It's been fun getting to know him even more through his journals now that I can't learn from him in person anymore. I thought this was so sweet even though he spelled my name wrong at first. :)

Written 24 years ago today

Extreme Multitasking!

A few days ago, I came across an offer for a free ebook on a blog that I had "liked" on facebook. It was called 100 Indoor Activities for Kids (TV not included) and was full of suggestions for things to do on those really wintery days when it's too cold for the kids to go outside. Now, we haven't had many of those cold days this year, but there was one suggestion that really caught my attention and caused me to not want to wait for a cold day. Activity number eighty was to pour "a little" water on the kitchen floor, add in some dish soap, and let the kids get in their swimsuits and I would find myself with "kids who not only think mom is cool, but a sparkling kitchen floor too!" It was simply too much to resist!

Those of you who know me, know that I am an all or nothing type person, so it probably won't surprise you that I didn't stop at "a little" water...or soap. I did have the forethought to put towels at the edge of the kitchen floor to protect the carpet, and the kids suggested adding towels around the bottom of the refridgerator, oven, and dishwasher. Thank God for kids. After moving the table and chairs into the livingroom, I told the kids to get their bathing suits on for the slip and slide. The looks on their faces were priceless as they watched me dump a small bucket of warm water on the floor and ask Grace to add a squirt of our lavendar dish soap. My husband made a few comments about it being dangerous and then put headphones on and didn't look our way again til it was over.Whenever the water got too cold, we'd just add another bucket of warm water and a few more squirts of soap. The kids were having a blast and looked like little penguins zooming across the floor in all directions. The sliding looked like so much fun, so I decided to try it. It didn't work in sweats and a t-shirt. That's all I'm gonna say, and I hope Megan doesn't post that video anywhere.

[I tried. I really did try, but the video wouldn't upload. I'll try putting it on Facebook because it's worth seeing. I have to settle for some pictures for now, though. -Megan]

So, I promtly put on my swimsuit and joined in the fun! I don't regret it--even with the reminders in the form of scabs on my elbows from the "rug burn" I got from sliding across the entire length of the kitchen floor on my tummy so much. I want to say, "you should've been there" but I'm really glad you weren't. I will suggest that if activity number 80 catches your attention as it did mine, go ahead and go all out. There are numerous reasons to do so. First, your children will think you are awesome...even if your husband thinks you're crazy. Second, you will get some good exercise without even realizing it (I was sore for days). Third, you will get to be a kid again for awhile and not be worried the whole time about making a mess, which brings me to my next reason. You will have a sparkling floor when it's all over! I couldn't believe it. Everytime I walked into my kitchen with my socked feet (once we had gathered up all the towels in the house and soaked up all the water), I exclaimed, "Wow! My floor has never been this clean-not even when it was brand new!" I could barely stand up because my socks just slid around unhindered by the usual sticky spots. That's four good reasons-I highly recommend this form of extreme multitasking! [She forgot to mention the 5th reason: It's a bath for all!]

If you do take my advice, I have several suggestions to offer:
1) Be sure to put plenty of towls around bottom of appliances.
2) Be extra sure to cover air conditioner vents with plenty of towels (and maybe plastic wrap first).
3) Be sure to sweep very well and alternate positions (sitting, on your knees, on your tummy, etc) to prevent "rug burn".
4) Wear swimsuits or other material that is conducive to slipping and sliding. Like I said, it doesn't work in sweats and a t-shirt. ;)

-Kristi

After the kids got tired of it, I joined Kristi & had a blast. I learned that sliding down from a standing position was not a great tactic; it was much better to sit & push off of the wall with your feet. I slid so fast, I slammed against the dishwasher. Several times. I am the only one who did not get "rug burn" as Kristi called it even though their was no rug. Then we even had fun scrubbing the walls & cabinets & baseboards. I don't think I'll ever clean mine another way. :)

In other news, I got my fingerprinting done, and now am just waiting for it to go through along with my substituting license. Then I'll be put on the list. I also just got back from a Made to Crave (There's a short video that gives a more details.) meeting which is hard to describe because "health program" & "Bible study" have so many different connotations that just don't fit with it. I went with Kristi, & the  lady gave me the book to read (3 chapters a week) as we go through the 6 weeks of meetings. Even though I don't struggle a lot with diet & exercise, the content still helps me channel my cravings (for anything wether it's comfort & peace or joy and significance) into loving God & learning about Him & spending time with Him. That's definitely something I struggle with...spiritual eating disorder. It's very encouraging & insightful. I've gone to some of the meetings when my sister led it, & I've watched some of the videos with my mom. It really makes you think of practical ways to make yourself a better person. So I'm very excited.

I've also begun a YOLO (You Only Live Once) journal of quotes that I love as I come across them. And now that I've got a new job, that means a new address just in time for all those Valentines & then birthday cards 2 weeks later. To assist you in preparing to bombard me with mail, I'm giving you my new address about 3 weeks early. :) You're welcome.

Megan Starbuck
Nature's Classroom
679 County Road 614
Mentone, AL 35984