Memorial Weekend Fun with Gramps and Laverne

This past weekend was Memorial weekend.  My husband's dad and step mom drove in from Houston  for a visit over the long weekend.  They arrived Thursday afternoon.  Thursday evening, we all went to Gabriel's last band concert of 7th grade.  I tried to post the video I took of it, but it's WAY too long, so it wouldn't upload.  Gabriel is the one and only bassoon player in the whole school, the whole school district actually!  During the concert, the band director gave out awards.  Gabriel won best in section for the beginning band woodwind section!  He was so surprised when she said, "...goes to our one and only bassoonist, Gabriel Craig."  We are so proud of him!  And he was so proud to have us all there for his last concert.  (His dad was over seas when he had his first concert, back in October, so it was just his little sister, little brother and me at that one.)  He will go on to symphonic band next year, and he's really looking forward to that.  I'm so proud of him, and so happy that he is doing so well and loving band so much. 



They always put him in the corner of the stage, wedged between the wall and the podium. 

On Friday, we went to Daytona Beach. Steve's dad and step mom are big Harley Davidson fans. They both have bikes, and they love them. There is a giant Harley Davidson superstore just north of the city of Daytona Beach, so we took them there. I think they were pretty pleased with it, because we were there for quite some time while they looked around at all the bikes and accessories. After that, we went to the beach. (You can't go to Daytona Beach, and not go to the beach!) The waves were big and wonderful, and even though they didn't have their bathing suits, the kids got in those waves and had a blast!   (Little did we know that the waves were being produced by tropical storm Beryl, who would hit us two days later)

Nathan can't wait until he's big enough to go out there with his sibs!

Soaking wet, and sandy, but it was worth it!

Gabriel with his Gramps and Daddy.  Three generations of Craig men.

On Saturday, we all loaded up and drove up to the north part of Jacksonville to visit The Catty Shack Ranch.  http://www.cattyshack.org/  This place is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!  We were there in the middle of the afternoon, which is to the cats, what the wee hours of the morning are to us.  Naturally, they were all sleeping.  However, it was the seventh birthday of one of their male lions, so they woke him, and the tigers around him up so they could give him his birthday cake, and we could all sing happy birthday to him.  It was fascinating to see the owner of the ranch go into the habitats and wake up the tigers, and a full grown male lion.  Freddy, the lion who's birthday it was, was so funny.  When the owner walked into Freddy's habitat and called his name, Freddy woke up and lazily padded over to him, then plopped down in front of him and turned over on his back so the owner could give him a belly scratch.  I want to do that!!!  The owner was playing ball with one of the tigers, and scratching him on the head at one point too.   Don't get me wrong, he was ALWAYS very cautious in everything he did with the animals, but you could absolutely tell that these animals were not only used to this man interacting with them, but that they loved him too, (and that the feeling was mutual).  Our tour guide made it a point to tell us that these cats are not now, and never will be 'tame'.  There were some habitats that the owner did not enter.  There was a small door in the fencing, big enough for him to put his hands through, and he would scratch the residents head through that.  It's all about getting to know each animal individually, and getting to know their personality traits.  Not unlike dealing successfully with humans.  The next time we go, we are going to go to a night time feeding.  All the cats will be awake and animated at that time.  If you go to the link above, there are videos you can watch of the animals, and you can see how well taken care of they are, and how happy they are.  Each one of those animals was rescued from a place that was not taking good care of them.  If you are ever in the Jacksonville area on a weekend, you really should check this place out.  They only have public tours on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and most Friday nights.  Those tours are also fund raisers for the ranch.

This is Freddy

This is the owner scratching a tigers head through the fence.

This is the owner playing ball and scratching the head of one of the tigers.

Playing ball

The only white tiger

The only leopard that's not all black

Sleeping cougar

Tiger cub

Sweet baby!

Look at the size of those paws!

Pretty girl

"Can I help you?"

Black leopard

On Saturday evening, Annalise didn't look very good.  She was running a fever.  On Sunday, she was still running a fever.  There was also a tropical storm bearing down on us by then.  Sunday and Monday were spent inside, playing Mexican Train and monitoring Leesie's fever.  On Monday afternoon, amid the wind and the rain, we decided to take Leesie to urgent care.  She tested positive for the flu.  What a yucky way to end a great weekend! 

15th Anniversary - The Reason for Insanity

This coming August will be Steve and my 15th anniversary.  Back in February, we decided that we were going to do something big, and fun, and special this year.  We've never done anything big, or fun, or special on any of our anniversary's because we've always been so flat busted broke.  Even our honeymoon sucked out loud because we were so broke.  This year, for whatever reason, we happen not to be so broke, so we decided it was a good time to start celebrating our anniversary properly. 

What do you do for your 15th anniversary if it's the first time you've ever been able to do something?  Do you go to an all inclusive resort on a Caribbean island?  Do you drive down to Ft. Lauderdale and check out the scenery?  Do you go to the mountains and hike, and maybe take a zip line back down?  Do you go to NYC and check out Broadway shows?  What do you do??   You cruise!

I researched all inclusive resorts.  WAY too expensive!!  I researched staying in Ft. Lauderdale, all the way down to Key West.  Not what I was looking for.  I'm not a huge fan of mountains.  They are cool, and hiking is fun, and zip lining looks super cool, but I wouldn't want to spend all our time in the mountains.  I would love to go to NYC some day and see some shows and go on an historical tour, but Steve is not a fan of NYC. 

Someone mentioned going on a cruise, and I said, "NO WAY!!"  I'm terrified of deep, dark water.  I'm the only person in the country who's never seen Titanic, and I never plan to.  I know how it ends, they all die in the deep, dark, freezing cold water!  I love the beach.  I mean I LOVE the beach!!  But I don't like being in a boat, on the water.  Why would I go on a cruise?? 

I was at a loss one day while I was researching places to go, so I typed Cruises into google.  I started looking at all the things they have for you to do on the ship.  I looked at all the things you can do on land at each port of call.  I looked at the prices.  A fraction of the cost of an all inclusive resort?  Broadway shows included on the ship?  All meals included on the ship?  Room service included on the ship?  Zip lining and rock climbing on the ship???  Central Park on the ship????  This isn't a boat! It's a floating city of awesomeness!!  And then there are the shore excursions!  Everything from sight seeing, to beach bumming, to snorkeling, to scuba diving, to horseback riding through Mayan ruins!  Those cost extra from the all inclusive stuff on the ship, but it's still not nearly as expensive as an all inclusive resort, and you get to explore multiple islands!  Sign us up!!

I started telling Steve about it and he loved the idea!  He's always wanted to go on a cruise, but I've never wanted to because of the whole deep, dark water thing.  The more we looked into it, the more we wanted to do it. 

About a month ago, we picked a cruise on Royal Caribbean, and we booked it! 

 http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/cruiseDetails/itinerary.do?packageCode=OA07E054&sailDate=1120908&selectedCurrencyCode=USD

We are going on a seven day Eastern Caribbean cruise at the beginning of September.  We will be spending time in Nassau, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; and Philipsburg, St. Maarten.  We've picked shore excursions to go on at each port.  Snorkeling, hiking, zip lining, beach bumming!  Our ship, Oasis of the Seas, is the biggest, most decked out ship class in Royal Caribbeans fleet.  You wouldn't believe the things they've got on this ship!  They've got an ice rink and you can go skating, and you can watch live ice shows!  We aren't big skaters.  We are both very uncoordinated, so that would just be embarrassing.  However, we love live shows!!  Our ship also has three other theaters, no wait, maybe four, where they have different live shows, concerts, stand up comedians, oh and the aqua theater where they have aquatic shows!  We are going to be at show after show after show while we're on the ship!!  They've got the Broadway production of Chicago on this ship! 
We were told that there were two 'formal' nights in the main dining room on our ship.  What that means is that ladies have to wear a cocktail dress, or something like that, and men have to wear either a suit and tie, or a tux.  Our travel agent (who is also the avionics secretary at Steve's company) told us that we don't have to attend these, we can have dinner wherever we want, but she said that it's kind of fun to get dressed up once in a while.  Steve owns one suit, and it has never fit right.  We are totally jeans and t-shirt people.  I happened to find a long cocktail dress that is absolutely beautiful!  Covered in sequins and beads and gorgeous!  Plus, it was marked down from $288 to $34!!  WOO HOO!!  SCORE!!  I was looking for suits for Steve.  Suits are ungodly expensive!!  But guess what?  We can rent a tux from the ship!  For $85 Steve can be all tuxed out!  It's going to be like prom, except fun!!  Not only that, but our travel agent told the cruise line that it's our anniversary and they are going to do something special for us that night for our anniversary!  Steve told me that I can have a spa day during the day that day, and have them do my hair, nails, and makeup if I want.  I WANT!!!  I'm going to look like a princess!  So between princess-prom and the spa day, the shore excursions, all the shows on ship, the zip lining on ship, the rock climbing on ship, room service, all the other restaurants, and central park on ship, I don't think I will even notice that we are in deep, dark water!  And if I do, I doubt I'll even care! 

Here's where Insanity comes in.  I want to look and feel amazing when we go on this cruise!  I want to be able to swim and go snorkeling, and hiking up mountains without getting tired, or worn out.  Last, but not least, I want to look beyond amazing in that dress!  It already looks pretty good, but I think I can make it look even better if I get rid of a few bulges and extra curves.  I'm determined to push though Insanity and look and feel amazing by the beginning of August!

Insanity

No, I'm not going to write more about my mental health problems, although that's what the title clearly indicates.  This Insanity is a work out program that I just started yesterday.  Well, I did the Fit Test yesterday, and the first real work out today.

http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/insanity.do

After my beloved Krav Maga class was cancelled, I signed up for the six week boot camp class at the same gym.  At about four weeks into boot camp, I realized that I needed more than just two work outs a week, however, taking more than one class at the gym poses a child care issue.  So I was faced with a decision.  Either replace my jogging stroller and start running intervals again, or get a home work out program that will make me work most of the days of the week.  Guess which one I chose?  Yep.  The work out program. 

I've learned two things in the two days I've been doing Insanity.  The first is, DO NOT take all your vitamins and supplements an hour and a half before working out.  This will make you so nauseous you won't be able to do anything except try to swallow it all back down again.  Not good for work outs.  Take all that AFTER you're finished punishing your body!
The second thing I've learned is that they weren't kidding when they tell you that you need a good pair of CROSS TRAINING shoes to wear during the work outs.  Yes,  my muscles are sore after only two days of this program, but not nearly as sore as my feet!  The only thing I've ever done that has given me sore feet is hike in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado with my dad.  I guess running shoes don't give you the side to side stability cross trainers do when you are doing this type of activity.  That will be my next big purchase.  I just hope my feet can last that long!
I'll keep you updated on my Insanity progress.  I'm not going to post any before pictures until I have some after pictures to post with them.  I will, however,  post a pic of Nathan helping me out and being my work out buddy.  Notice that perfect form!

Summer 'Places To Go' List

We are in the second week of May.  My kids have four weeks of school left.  It's time to start planning some activities for the summer.  Yes our house has an in-ground pool, and believe me, it will be used!  And yes, we are a little more than an hour drive from the beach, and we will be going there as well.  I'd also like to do some other things with the kids this summer. 
Last week I bought my first Groupon.  It was a one year family pass for the MOSH (Museum of Science and History), so that is top of the list. 

http://www.themosh.org/Home.html

There are three other museums in the Jacksonville area that I'd like to take the kids to as well.  They are The Museum of Contemporary Art, The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, and Hands On Children's Museum. 
The Museum of Contemporary Art doesn't sound like a great place to take kids, especially a toddler, but I found out that on the fifth floor, they have the ArtExplorium Loft.  This is a place where kids can have hands on experiences with all sorts of art mediums.  Sounds much more kid friendly now, doesn't it?

http://www.mocajacksonville.org/family/loft/

The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens has a similar situation.  Sounds boring for kids, until you learn that there is a hands on place where they can go and create! 

http://www.cummer.org/education/art-connections

The last museum is the Hands On Children's Museum, and it doesn't sound boring for kids at all! 

http://handsonchildrensmuseumjax.startlogic.com/

Now, I don't want you to think that I'm going to keep the kids inside, going from museum to museum all summer!  What fun would that be??  However, It's nice to have a list of places to go, and things to see and do that are inside on days when it's just too hot to do anything outside, (or if it's raining).  Yes, even the pool doesn't cool you off anymore by the end of July, beginning of August!
There are a couple of outdoor places I am planning on taking them as well.  Hot or not, some things are way too cool to not do!  Of course we will visit the zoo, and the alligator farm, but there are other fun things to do outside too.  Like horseback riding, for example! 
There is a really nice place to go horseback riding that is about two hours away from here.  The thing I like the best about this place is that Nathan will be allowed to ride with me. 

http://www.north-florida-family-fun-guide.com/jnb-horse-haven-farm.html

There are a bunch of places that have go karts and water parks and things like that around here.  We aren't going to those.  Nathan is too little to do anything at any of those places and it would be very unfair to take him somewhere where all he can do is sit with me and wait for the big kids to finish having fun. 
I think that with this many places to visit, plus the pool and the beach, we will have a very good summer!  If ANYONE says, "I'm bored" I will have to put my foot in their.....

Two Spring Projects

Most of you know that we are renting, (will hopefully buy soon), a house in Florida that has an awesome back yard.  It's about 1/4 acre of land, and has an in ground pool, and a screened in porch.  It also has two raised beds for gardens just outside the kitchen window.  This will be our second spring, and summer in this house.  Last spring and summer, I was in no mood to do any outside work, so the raised beds grew weeds, and the screened in porch was a disaster, but I kept the pool clean so the kids could swim.  This spring, I'm in the mood for outside projects.
At the end of February, I bought some seeds, and at the beginning of March, Annalise and I planted them in little flats.  About two weeks ago, I planted most of the seedlings in one of the raised beds, and some of the other seedlings in pots behind that raised bed.  The other raised bed is being used as a compost area. 
The giant cabbage is Annalise's. Every student in the entire third grade at her school got a tiny seedling back in February.  It's a contest to see who can grow the biggest cabbage.  So far, of all her friends, hers is the biggest!



Do you not LOVE these little frogs??  I wish they had had one for each plant.

The other project, Steve and I did together.  It needed engineering, and I don't do that.  The problem with the pool is that my children and their friends leave wet towels and bathing suits on the floor of their bedrooms.  The only carpeting in the entire house is in their bedrooms, and they leave wet stuff on it.  This irks me to no end!!!  After posting this complaint on facebook shortly after we opened the pool for the season in March, my very wise friend, Ginny, suggested creating a place they could change that was outside, and that had hooks for them to hang wet stuff on.  Enter the 'Changing Cabana' on the screened in porch.  Steve constructed the frame, and the towel bars and hooks out of PVC, and attached the rope lighting.  I hung the curtain panels.   The kids and Steve have used it, and it works really, really well, (but only if they remember to change INTO their suits out there too!).  I'm pretty happy with it, I must admit.  If there was a way to install a toilet, and shower in there, it would be perfect!

  As you can see, the screened in porch is no longer a disaster.  Special thanks to my great friends, Harold and Heather, for giving us the patio chairs.  Our next projects will be to recover the cushions, and pressure wash the floor in there.  Now, since I've spent so much time outside lately, the inside of the house looks like a landfill.  One thing at a time. 

Mental Health Day, Take 2

I told you in my last post that my psychiatrist prescribed a drug called Adderal for me to take to combat my slug side.  A very good friend of mine informed me that Adderal is the legal form of meth.  No wonder it needed prior authorization, and she wanted me to call my PCP and tell him about it.  Man, there is no way in hell I'm taking that stuff!!  Good lord almighty!  What the heck was she thinking??  Now, I know it may seem stupid that I refuse to take a mind altering drug when I am, in fact, already taking two mind altering drugs, three if you count the Stratara.  To that I say, I have to draw the line somewhere, and here it is.
________________________________________________________________________________

With that line being drawn, I will duke it out with my slug side the old fashioned way.  I'll give myself a shot of caffeine in the mornings if things get really bad.  Luckily for me, one cup of coffee, or one glass of pop, or tea will keep me buzzing all day long.  And buzzing is what I feel like I do on caffeine.  Can you imagine what I would do on meth??