Melissa's Idea Garden

Well, the SCUBA training definitely took a big chunk of our trip. We were originally signed up to participate in training Saturday afternoon and most of the day Sunday and more than 1/2 the day Monday. Well, we arrived on Saturday. First thing we had to do was pass our swim test. I was worried about that because of my knee. Last summer, I wasn't able to do much swimming. I was thrilled when I completed my five laps without any pain in my knee and then we had to do 10 minutes floating/treading. That was a piece of cake for me. I am an excellent floater.

Then the dive instructor came out and informed us that because Daniel had checked that he had had sinus surgery and I had checked about knee problems, we had to have written notice from our doctors to go further. WHAT!? We had both talked with our physicians and been cleared, but we had missed the part that the clearance had to be in writing. Of course the doctors weren't in the office on Saturday. Well, we were able to do a little of the pool work. I was having trouble with clearing my face mask (I kept trying to breathe through my nose the minute the mask was off) and I was having trouble controlling my flippers, they floated better than I did, plus they were bulky. That night, Jack and I mutinied and said we didn't want to go back, but Daniel talked us into it.

Then on Sunday, we completed three of the five chapters of the book work (review with the instructor). I also spoke to the instructor regarding my mask anxiety and she suggested that I practice wearing it around the house to get used to breathing in and out of my nose. She also recommended different flippers to try. I went through about five different kinds before I found ones I liked.

Monday, we didn't get to do anything. Daniel's doctor got back with him right away. Mine wasn't in the office on Monday. So, we made plans to return on Tuesday to finish up the book work and do more pool time, assuming the doctor's fax came. Well, it did and we did. As we entered into the deep part of the pool, Jack decided that was not for him and refused to come down. It was getting late, so we took a break. We also found that we wouldn't be able to go on the Wednesday dive because the boat was booked up, but that was just as well. Jack was definitely not ready, I still wanted to work on my mask clearing and Daniel had a couple of things he wanted to work on to.

On Wednesday, we went back for some pool work with a different instructor. On this third time, Jack finally conquered his fear of the 10 foot section and went down to the bottom with the rest of us. He was doing much better with all the other tasks than Daniel and I were and it was awesome to see him on the bottom.

Thursday, we went back for more pool time and arranged for our dives on Friday. Jack told us he was not diving in the ocean and we told him we still wanted him to come out on the boat. We also booked passage for Ashley and Katrina, thinking they could keep him company when we were diving and that maybe with them there and other people talking about the fun they were having, he would give it a try. He had all the skills. We all passed our book work part.

Friday came and off we went. We left dock about 12:30. By the time we had reached the dive site (the Civil War Sherman), I was looking like those sea sick characters in the cartoons! And feeling way worse! Three of us came down with pretty good cases of seasickness due to the five foot swells we were battling through....All the rest of the week, the ocean had been calm....figures!

So Daniel dove, the kids tried not to be too bored and I tried to care about all of it, but all I could muster was the strong effort not to throw up.

Daniel now has to complete two more dives and he will be certified. Jack and I have to complete four dives, but I am not sure Jack will do it.

And that's how that part of our beach vacation went...Overall, I am glad I did it. I plan to do my other dives and get my certification. I learned a lot and once I got the hang of things and relaxed a bit, I found myself enjoying it. Special thanks to Marguerite, Jeanie, Russ and Mike!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:17 PM | Permalink

Well, another beach trip under our belts. Boy, I had forgotten how crowded the beach becomes in the summer time. The last couple of years we went to Myrtle Beach, we went in late May. Which is great crowd wise, but the very last time, was a bit on the nippy side...

One of the things I have done over the years is to keep a daily record of trips. I have some trips written down in journals, some on my blogs and some I missed writing down for one reason or another. I didn't keep track of this trip daily. I was too worn out most of the time. So instead of a day by day journal, I am going to divide this entry up into sections of things done. Also, if you want to see photos of our trip, I have uploaded them to Flickr. That way I don't fill up my blog with a lot of photos and you get to see more!

Okay, beach time. We were gone for 9 days. We were split up a lot of the times doing different things. But actual on the beach time during that five days for the majority of us occured five times. Two sunrise walks on the beach and three playtimes for 2-3 hours each. Frisbee throwing, shell collecting, and playing in the waves were the preferred past times.

Splash Park Time: One of the cool things at Kingston Plantation is the little water park they have. And we were right next to it this time. They have a lazy river (but in June, it's not very lazy, it's more of a race track), a bucket that dumps water over you periodically, and a huge area for children to splash in the water and have water poured over them and slide down the water slides. We went to the Splash Park two times as a group. I think Katrina and Ashley went a couple of times on their own (Ashley is our babysitter who came along on the trip to hang out with Katrina while we were SCUBA diving.) It was fun, it was crowded, I got to read books.

Pool time. As a group, we hit one or the other of the many pools, three or four times for varying periods of time. The kids enjoyed playing, swimming and splashing around. I was pleased that I got to read 2 1/2 books. And I splashed around some too.

Activities:

1. UP in 3-D. We went to see UP and it was excellent! Beautiful to watch and a movie to touch the hearts of all who watched it. It is good for everyone in your family and a movie that the grandparents will love!

2. Mt. Atlanticus - miniature golf at its finest. We always play a game of Putt-Putt every year and we still haven't played at all of the places there are at Myrtle Beach. Mt. Atlanticus was very cool with lots of neat things to look at and the course was one of the tougher ones we have been to. I won...as usual;)

3. NASCAR go-kart racing - This is something Jack and Daniel enjoy doing, though both prefer it in May when they can ride rides over and over again in a short amount of time. This time, they were there for three hours and got to ride 5 rides...

4. Ripley's Aquarium - A favorite of Katrina's, this is where Ashley, Katrina and I went while the boys were on Go-Karts. The aquarium was also packed and not quite as enjoyable as I remembered - whether it was the expense for what we saw or the amount of people, I am not sure. I did enjoy their new exhibit about incubators, both manmade and natural and we got to see a baby duck right after it had been born.

5. Parasailing - Daniel, Katrina and Ashley went parasailing one morning. They said it was awesome, not at all scary and very peaceful.

6. Crabby Mikes - This restaurant has an awesome seafood buffet and I 'found' it a couple of years ago. I always look forward to going, but again, with the hour long wait that came with the summer visitors, the hour and 15 minute drive to get there because of summer traffic, and the fact that the food wasn't as well prepared due to the huge volume of seafood they were pumping out, it wasn't as an enjoyable experience as it had been previously. But we did really enjoy the hula hoop contest out front and the fact that there was an hour long wait should tell you that it is a place that people love.

And then there was the SCUBA classes...but that will have to go in the next post!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In the spring of 2000 we were looking to move. We had been looking at West Virginia. Great real estate prices, more snow, and an airport nearby so Daniel could get out to travel for work. I was also very pregnant. Katrina was born in April. Around that time, Daniel stumbled on a beautiful 200 year old, 16,000 sq foot plus home, Willow Wall, which was up for sale.

Over a 4-6 week period, Daniel made three trips to Willow Wall. Once on his own with Bruce, once with my father and Uncle Jimmy and lastly with me. This home was beautiful. And the history. We have pictures and videos that we took and made during our forays there. My father told me yesterday that when he and Uncle Jimmy met with Colonel Ivan Harris at 10 a.m., they broke briefly for lunch, then the tour continued on until 3 p.m. Not only was the current owner, Colonel Ivan, in love with this house and its history, he passed that on to my husband. Daniel became driven by his desire to own this house. He read about McNeill's Rangers, and he dreamed of what it would be like to live in this beautiful home with all of its history.

I, unfortunately, am the more practical of the family. The house was expensive, 325,000 in 2000 and our house payments would be way more than what we were used to. I was also concerned that it would be a life long project and with Daniel traveling, I would be in charge of the project and lastly, I was concerned about lead. I had a brand new baby to think about and a 3 year old son.

We qualified for the loan (through some of the most creative financing known to man by the banks). Daniel assured me, that I would not be left alone to deal with the repairs. But the lead report came back that there was lead everywhere and I put my foot down. Two months later, Daniel's contract ended and there was no more work for 18 months, so in hindsight, the lead probably saved us from utter ruin. But we still talk about the house and I know Daniel still dreams about it.

Here are some pictures. First a picture my father handed me yesterday that he took just a couple of weeks ago while taking a trip to West Virginia.

Next is a photo of the back, to give you some idea of the "U" shape. This photo was taken 9 years ago.

This next photo gives you a small idea of what the interior rooms looked like...the trim, the sheer size...

And here is a photo of a painting of Daniel McNeill done in 1838 that would have been ours had we purchased Willow Wall. Obviously done towards the end of his life.

What can I personally say about Willow Wall? The home was huge. It was beautiful. The attic alone was bigger than the house we live in now. There were wine cellars, old fireplaces complete with cooking iron (the thing that you swing out of the fireplace that holds the iron pot), wall paper in the entry hall that was 200 years old, rooms that were huge and airy, and nooks and crannies galore. I loved the house, but it terrified me to think of all the work that needed to be done and I wasn't sure I was up to the task. But somewhere, in a parallel universe, we made the decision to buy the home and we live there still, I am sure.

Here are some links and information that you might be interested in.

The application for National Registry of Historical Places (which Willow Wall is on).

An image on Flickr

When we met with Colonel Harris, we were given information on Willow Wall. I thought I would share it here.

"Original records and research indicate that the farm was originally purchased by Major (later Colonel) Abraham Hite by Land Grant from Thomas Lord Fairfax, in 1762. Colonel Hite was a four term member of the Colonial Virginia House of Burgesses in Williamsburg and later served with General Washington in the Army of the Revolution. Washington's diary states that on September 27, 28, 1784, he spent two nights at Hite's home near Ft. Pleasant. This is the only time that the adult George Washington visited the South Branch Valley being then 52 years of age. He never returned. 1787 Colonel Hite sold the farm to Captain Daniel McNeill, a trustee of the Town of Moorefield and it was McNeill's son who began construction of Willow Wall in 1804. After severn years of construction, Dan McNeill, II, his wife, MArgaret Renick moved in with their 13 children in 1811.

Willow Wall was the Headquarters for Confederate Generaly Bradley T. Johnson on August 6, 1864. Johnsons brigade camped in front of the major house in the Old Fields flats. Having just burned Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the Union Army was in hot pursuit and surprised the exhausted Brigade at dawn August 7, resulting in a significant defeat of the Confederate forces.

This exceptional Federal manor house was placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1973. The bronze plaque and certificate attesting to that hangs in the Willow Wall library. The National Park Service directed that architectural drawings be made for the Historic Buildings Survey and were completed in 1977. The Smithsonian Institution in 1981 photographed the interior and exterior of Willow Wall and the dependencies. These photographs are on file at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The property was continuously in the hands of the McNeill family for seven generations until it was sold in 1980 to Colonel Lynn Moore for $100,000.00. Colonel and Mrs. Moore never resided at Willow Wall and it was sold to Colonel W. Ivan Harris in 1884 for $135,000.00. Vacant for the seven years, major repairs and updating were required. Time and materials for these improvements exceed $100,000.00. As the home is entirely hand made, the furnishing and decoration of the home was undertaken to include only hand-made, hand-forged, hand-woven, and hand-painted items in order to portray the home in the time period of the builder."

Hope you have enjoyed this little bit of insight about a beautiful home!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:54 PM | Permalink

In the spring of 2000 we were looking to move. We had been looking at West Virginia. Great real estate prices, more snow, and an airport nearby so Daniel could get out to travel for work. I was also very pregnant. Katrina was born in April. Around that time, Daniel stumbled on a beautiful 200 year old, 16,000 sq foot plus home, Willow Wall, which was up for sale.



Over a 4-6 week period, Daniel made three trips to Willow Wall. Once on his own with Bruce, once with my father and Uncle Jimmy and lastly with me. This home was beautiful. And the history.  We have pictures and videos that we took and made during our forays there. My father told me yesterday that when he and Uncle Jimmy met with Colonel Ivan Harris at 10 a.m., they broke briefly for lunch, then the tour continued on until 3 p.m. Not only was the current owner, Colonel Ivan, in love with this house and its history, he passed that on to my husband. Daniel became driven by his desire to own this house. He read about McNeill's Rangers, and he dreamed of what it would be like to live in this beautiful home with all of its history.



I, unfortunately, am the more practical of the family. The house was expensive, 325,000 in 2000 and our house payments would be way more than what we were used to. I was also concerned that it would be a life long project and with Daniel traveling, I would be in charge of the project and lastly, I was concerned about lead. I had a brand new baby to think about and a 3 year old son.



We qualified for the loan (through some of the most creative financing known to man by the banks). Daniel assured me, that I would not be left alone to deal with the repairs. But the lead report came back that there was lead everywhere and I put my foot down. Two months later, Daniel's contract ended and there was no more work for 18 months, so in hindsight, the lead probably saved us from utter ruin. But we still talk about the house and I know Daniel still dreams about it.



What can I personally say about Willow Wall? The home was huge. It was beautiful. The attic alone was bigger than the house we live in now. There were wine cellars, old fireplaces complete with cooking iron (the thing that you swing out of the fireplace that holds the iron pot), wall paper in the entry hall that was 200 years old, rooms that were huge and airy, and nooks and crannies galore. I loved the house, but it terrified me to think of all the work that needed to be done and I wasn't sure I was up to the task. But somewhere, in a parallel universe, we made the decision to buy the home and we live there still, I am sure.



Here are some links and information that you might be interested in.



The application for National Registry of Historical Places (which Willow Wall is on).



An image on Flickr.



When we met with Colonel Harris, we were given information on Willow Wall. I thought I would share it here.



"Original records and research indicate that the farm was originally purchased by Major (later Colonel) Abraham Hite by Land Grant from Thomas Lord Fairfax, in 1762. Colonel Hite was a four term member of the Colonial Virginia House of Burgesses in Williamsburg and later served with General Washington in the Army of the Revolution.  Washington's diary states that on September 27, 28, 1784, he spent two nights at Hite's home near Ft. Pleasant. This is the only time that the adult George Washington visited the South Branch Valley being then 52 years of age. He never returned. 1787 Colonel Hite sold the farm to Captain Daniel McNeill, a trustee of the Town of Moorefield and it was McNeill's son who began construction of Willow Wall in 1804. After severn years of construction, Dan McNeill, II, his wife, MArgaret Renick moved in with their 13 children in 1811.



Willow Wall was the Headquarters for Confederate Generaly Bradley T. Johnson on August 6, 1864. Johnsons brigade camped in front of the major house in the Old Fields flats. Having just burned Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the Union Army was in hot pursuit and surprised the exhausted Brigade at dawn August 7, resulting in a significant defeat of the Confederate forces.



This exceptional Federal manor house was placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1973. The bronze plaque and certificate attesting to that hangs in the Willow Wall library. The National Park Service directed that architectural drawings be made for the Historic Buildings Survey and were completed in 1977. The Smithsonian Institution in 1981 photographed the interior and exterior of Willow Wall and the dependencies. These photographs are on file at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The property was continuously in the hands of the McNeill family for seven generations until it was sold in 1980 to Colonel Lynn Moore for $100,000.00. Colonel and Mrs. Moore never resided at Willow Wall and it was sold to Colonel W. Ivan Harris in 1884 for $135,000.00. Vacant for the seven years, major repairs and updating were required. Time and materials for these improvements exceed $100,000.00.  As the home is entirely hand made, the furnishing and decoration of the home was undertaken to include only hand-made, hand-forged, hand-woven, and hand-painted items in order to portray the home in the time period of the builder."



Hope you have enjoyed this little bit of insight about a beautiful home!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

We had fun last week. On Wednesday, we met with some homeschool friends at a nearby park. The kids never get tired of running about or riding their scooters around. Afterwards, one of the homeschool families had invited us to their home for snacks and a tie dye shirt/sock session. I have always wanted to do tie dye, so I was tickled to get to go! All we had to bring were shirts.

We arrived at their home and immediately got to work. First, Ginger told us how to tie up our shirts with rubber bands to get different designs. I chose a polka dot design. Jack, Katrina and Katrina's friend, Kaley, all chose the swirl design. So after we put on the rubber bands, then we put the shirts in a soda ash solution. Ginger didn't say, but I think that was to help the material take the dye better. While the shirts soaked for about 30 minutes, we enjoyed a hotdog, chips and cookies.

Then it was back to shirt making. after the solution had been squeezed out, we began putting dye on. After we had dyed them to our satisfaction, we put them in ziploc bags to bring home. Then Thursday morning, we rinsed them off with the hose, and put them in the wash. They turned our beautifully. I'll have to get my hubby to take a photo of me and the kids this coming weekend so I can show you what it looks like.

Then on Thursday, we had lunch with my mom and stepfather. It was an early birthday celebration for my mom and Father's Day celebration and early birthday celebration for my stepfather. They will be out of town for my mom's birthday and I am not sure if I will be in town for Jim's birthday.

Then we went to visit some other homeschool friends that we hadn't seen in several months. We had a lovely afternoon. Then, we got to hang out at home Friday and Saturday. I like visiting, but it is nice to be at home too.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I watched Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor a couple of days ago.  I don't know a lot about Benedict Arnold, except his status as a traitor during the Revolutionary War. I am not sure how close to the truth that this movie was, but I had read an article at some time in the past that really made it sound like Arnold had been pushed against the wall by his own country men. His achievements were overlooked, he was not paid his salary, and another jealous general tried to take credit for his courageous deeds. On the other side of the story, it appears he mishandled funds, but I was unclear whether that occurred before or after a lack of pay caused him financial distress. At any rate, I am not trying to condone his behavior, as there were ample other soldiers during the Civil War who were not getting paid and they didn't turn traitor.



At any rate, Arnold started out by giving his all for his country. But then after feeling slighted and running into financial difficulties, his 2nd wife began pushing him towards turning traitor. He resisted some, but in the end, he gave up and did as she asked/goaded him. The movie was well-acted and it made me feel a bit sorry for Arnold (of course, since the plot was foiled, it is easier to feel sorry for him).

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:56 AM | Permalink

You know that I love animals! Well check out this interesting little fellow!

Is that the most interesting thing ever or what? It's body parts remind one of a mole, a pig, a porcupine, and an anteater! And one of his legs resembles a human foot to me! This shy little guy is only found in the rainforests of New Guinea and a few surrounding islands.

One thing that makes him neat is that he is one of three living species of mammals that lays eggs to reproduce (these mammals are called monotremes).

Scientists say they can learn a lot by studying this little guy...when they are able to catch up with him!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I have two close relatives in my family with diabetes. As a person who has a tremendous sweet tooth and is overweight, I worry about my own likelihood of becoming diabetic. There was a lot I didn't know about Diabetes, so I pulled up Google and did some research.  I do need to make some changes in my diet and exercise and the sooner, the better.



Diabetes in itself is difficult enough to live with, but then it affects so many other things (like your nervous system and organs), that it would be best to avoid it all together if possible.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 3:31 PM | Permalink

Today I have been busy. I spent this morning working on Daniel's and my new start-up business idea. I also spent some time answering some emails and doing some other odds and ends. Then it was eat lunch and out the door. I had to go by UPS and mail our XBox 360 back to Microsoft. Daniel won it a few years ago and we haven't played it a lot, but the other day we turned it on and got three flashing red lights. We figured we were just out of luck.  But my oldest son told me that this was a problem Xbox had early on and that Microsoft had created an extended warranty for it. So we checked and sure enough, after about 10 minutes online, we were set up with a prepaid UPS thing. All we had to do was pack it up and send it off. I think that is awesome!



After we did that, we had to take a water sample from the hot tub by the Pool place and have it checked out. 



Then it was over to piano lessons. While the kids were there, I ran to Walmart and exchanged some pants I had picked up for Jack (I had gotten a size too big) and I picked up a few items for making supper for a friend. Then we went to a produce stand and picked up some yummy looking tomatoes. Picked up the kids, then headed home. I got home and made some lasagna and a salad for a friend who had surgery on her back today.  I also got them some cake and some garlic bread and took them some paper plates, bowls and salad dressing. I have had sugery before and I know how wonderful it was to have someone show up with a meal ready to eat and with little work to do for clean up.



Once it was ready, Katrina and I took it over there. Cindy had just gotten home and the surgery went well. There was a mass that had to be removed, it appears to have been a calcium buildup.  Once she is recovered from that, they will have to do another surgery to help straighten out the vertebrae.  She has been in pain for several months, so hopefully this will get things situated for her. Katrina stayed to visit with her daughter for awhile.



I love days when lots gets done, don't you? Now I am watching the movie Hitch with Will Smith. I had never seen it. It's pretty good!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 2:02 PM | Permalink

We had a lovely visit with Daniel's family this weekend. His mom and stepfather are up from Florida visiting and we had a cookout so everyone could get together and visit. Our guests included my sister-in-law and her family, our two oldest sons and their significant others, Daniel's uncle and aunt, and our next door neighbor. Everyone began arriving around 1 and some stayed as late as 9.

We always are happy when we get to spend these times with Tess and Johnny. None of us are getting any younger and we count each time we are able to see them, a blessing. Their age makes us more aware of their mortality, but you know the same is true for anyone of us that was there. It is so important for us to appreciated the moments we have with those we love, because there are no guarantees that there will be another. Just think how different the world would be if we all thought about that when we were dealing with family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. I think the world would be a nicer place.

My husband and I are looking into other routes to income to support our family. He has been away for the last 18 months. We do see him every other weekend and we did spend a good part of the summer with him last year, but it is just not enough. We want to find someway that he can make a decent income and do it from home. So we have started creating microsites. I will be sharing links to them from time to time here. Stop by, or not, it is up to you. We are trying to choose topics where we can provide useful information to others and possibly pick up some of the advertising dollars that are floating around out there at the same time.

One of the sites we have created is What is Diabetes?. This one held a lot of appeal to me because it is something I needed to learn more about. My great-grandmother had diabetes and one of my father's brothers has diabetes. I have the additional risk factor of being overweight and I have a sweet tooth that won't shut up. So researching the information for the What is Diabetes website made me feel more informed and is prodding me to do something about those pesky risk factors. Stop by if you are so inclined to see why I haven't had as much time to blog as I used to.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I borrowed Fool's Gold from Netflix and it came this week. It's been in my queue for awhile. I didn't have very high expectations of it, but thought it would be a fun romance/adventure movie and I wasn't disappointed. It was actually better than I thought it would be (having low expectations can be a blessing). I can never get over how much Kate Hudson looks like her mother (Goldie Hawn).

At any rate, the story is pretty typical, but everyone seems to be having fun with it. What I enjoyed most watching were the diving scenes since we are taking SCUBA Diving lessons later this month and we have been studying our SCUBA diving manuals.

I give this movie 3 stars for being fun!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

First, this movie definitely deserves it's PG-13 movie rating and in my opinion, probably R. The things people say and that others think 13 years are okay to hear, just boggles my mind. But enough about that.

This movie is excellent! A real tear-jerker chick flick. But it would be great if you could get your hubby/significant other to watch it with you. It starts out with a fight scene between a young married couple, followed by them making up, followed by his death. It grabs your attention from the first moment, especially if you are part of a couple because you can relate to what is going on between these too. And the love they obviously have for one another in spite of the tensions is very apparent.

After her husband's death, Holly, played by Hillary Swank, goes into a tailspin of mourning until she receives a gift from her deceased husband. From there, she goes on to receive 10 letters that help her to grieve and to live again. It is a wonderful movie!

I give it 4.5 stars!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This past weekend we went to see Night in the Musuem: Battle of the Smithsonian. I hate sequels...they never quite capture the magic of the first. We enjoyed the movie, and I think the shouting Pharoah, the bobble-head Einsteins, and Amelia Earhart, were definitely wonderful characters. We laughed and we enjoyed the story, but it just didn't capture our hearts the way the first one did.

We give it three stars.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We went to see Race to Witch Mountain at the Dollar Movies this week. I liked the Witch Mountain movies that I watched as a child and so was looking forward to seeing this. This movie stands on its own. There were a couple of nods to the original movie (they ended up in a RV and Ike Eisenmann who played Tony in the original movies, played a sheriff in this one).

The movie was fast paced, fun and kept all of our interest throughout the film. If you take it for what it is...a fun, kid friendly movie, then your family should enjoy this Disney creation!

We gave it 4 stars.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:17 AM | Permalink

It is hard for me to believe that we started homeschooling 7 going on 8 years ago... My son, Jack, will be entering 8th grade next year and Katrina will be entering 4th grade. Where does the time fly to? I was recently looking through some old photos which reminded me of numerous field trips, group events, and just plain fun we have had over the years. Each year, our routine is a bit different. The last two years we have become very involved in a 4-H Homeschool group that meets twice a month and completes other activities as well. We miss the meandering park days from when the children were younger and periodically, some of us will try to set those up, but the need of homeschoolers now seems to be different than it was just 7 years ago.

Sometimes, I can't help but wonder if that is really a good thing? I mean, in the beginning people seemed more carefree about teaching their children and not pushing them so much. Now it seems like everyone wants to get their kids involved in this activity or the other. Are we truly homeschooling our children, or are we busy trying to keep us with the Public School kids that come to visit?  I think it is wonderful for children to have opportunities, but I think we should all remember that the best opportunity of all that we should make sure they have is the opportunity to be children.

When the life expectancy was 30, then children had to grow up much more quickly. Now average life expectancy is around 70 or so. Which means that once a child reaches adult hood (arguably somewhere between 18 and 21), they still have another 50 years ahead of them for work and following their interests. So, don't forget to let your kids be kids now while they still can, because those grown up days are coming soon enough!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:43 AM | Permalink