Our trip to the "Jungle"

Jungle Jim's, that is...

Most everyone who lives in the greater Cincinnati area has been to Jungle Jim's at least once.  When I lived in Fairfield, OH, I went at least once a month.  This is not your average grocery store.  Jim's is a local treasure, boasting food from around the world, in addition to having lots of entertaining attractions for the whole family. A trip to Jungle Jim's was on Isabel's summer "bucket list", and we finally went yesterday.

(You know you're a blogger when you bring your camera to the grocery store, and make your family pose in the parking lot for a great picture for your post :)

You also know you're a blogger when you pointedly ignore the sign that says no cameras are allowed in Jungle Jim's.  Hello, why on earth have all this fun stuff inside if you won't let people photograph it?  (I'm such a rebel...)

A must-see if you go:  the restrooms.  The doors are real port-o-let doors, which open up to a regular (and award-winning clean) bathroom.  Gabe REFUSED to even go in there, knowing it had to be "very stinky in there!".  Elijah and Isabel were both brave enough to testify that it actually smelled just fine.

Jim is known for having all kinds of food that can't be found anywhere else in Cincinnati.  The candy section alone was good for thirty minutes and an entire bag full of treats for our whole family.  The weirdest find:  liquid candy "blood", complete in a Red-Cross like bag...  Isabel's choice was the "Emergency Chocolate Bar".

Seriously?  Who would buy a "whole, bone-in rattlesnake" for over $100?!  What on earth does rattlesnake taste like?  Chicken?

My kids are such good sports, letting me take their picture no matter where we are.  Elijah thought he was ruining the shot by being silly, but it turned out to be one of my favorites!

Lately, Gabe has been way into sharks and sea creatures of any kind (he found "Jaws" on Netflix and has watched it several times).  The seafood section was one of his favorites, and when he spied this shark hanging from the ceiling, I HAD to "take a pitcher" of it :)

Oysters, mussels, clams, tubes of calamari, even baby octopus...we looked, but did not buy.

Saying goodbye to the Jungle, until next time...

Despite the mind-dizzying assortment of food from the world-over, the strangest thing we bought was the Emergency Chocolate Bar.  Although I am a little curious about that rattlesnake...

Have you ever shopped at Jungle Jim's?  Any stores like it in your area?  What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?  Did it taste like chicken?

How are YOU feeling today?

Like this?

Or like this?

("Look at me, Mom, I'm an OLD MAN!")

I am almost recovered from my long stint at work...I'm thinking I am maybe somewhere between these two.

What about you?

Processing

my thoughts...

There was a full moon this weekend.  

I worked three 12-hour nights shifts in a row, during said full moon.

Suffice it to say that the hospital was CRAY-ZEE, with codes, deaths, screaming patients, altercating staff, unhappy doctors, upset nurses, etc.  When you're the one and only administrator present (during the night shift, this is me), every single drama gets laid at your feet.

I handled it all pretty well, but I am exhausted, physically and mentally.

No rest for the weary, though, because I had to wake up early today to study for my chemistry mid-term.  And in true procrastinator fashion, I decided to blog about it first while drinking my coffee and getting the old brain cells and synapses to start firing.

Anybody up for tagging along with me to class today?  You could help me name this structure:

'Cause I'm certain that when dealing with the aforementioned dramas of hospital life, knowing this reaction and it's component names will be essential...

NOT.

Please wish me luck, send me some prayers, think happy organic-chemistry-midterm thoughts this afternoon at 4pm.  Thanks :)

Lego Mania

Since the age of three, Elijah liked Legos.  He would sit quietly and follow the directions, putting together his Lego sets and setting them up on his bookshelf, where they remain to this day.

When Gabe was three, he would just dump the Legos all over the floor and call it a day.

When he was four, he would throw the Legos at his siblings and the pets and call it a day.

Since turning five, he has turned into a Lego Creator.  He builds the most amazing ships/houses/guns/buildings you have ever seen.  He will sit for hours, not following any directions except those in his own head.  His current dream is to own a Lego store and design his own Lego sets.  For now, I have to take photos of his creations to send into Lego magazine:

While we played euchre with the in-laws, Gabe kept himself entertained by building a huge Lego pyramid.  He quickly got bored with that, though, and turned the pyramid into a sphinx.  All by himself.  From a picture that was in his head.  We were pretty amazed.  Can you tell this is a sphinx?

I love this Lego Maniac of mine!

Say what?

Have you ever been browsing through blogs or cruising through cyberspace, only to come upon something that makes you say "WHAT?!"?

I woke up way too early this morning, unable to fall back asleep.  The house was dark and quiet, so I gave up trying, made myself some coffee and logged onto my computer.

Somehow, someway, I ended up here:

Can you even guess what these are photos of?

I may be out of the loop, but even being the healthcare professional that I am, I was pretty grossed out by these ideas.

Still guessing?

These are from an article about Things you can do with your placenta (click on the link if you are desperate to learn more...)

Oh.My.Word.

Your placenta, ground up and encapsulated so you can enjoy the benefits of ingesting it without the mess.  A teddy bear stitched from a salt-cured placenta.

Um, yuck.

I can tell you that I went through natural childbirth with all three of my babies.  No drugs or epidurals for me.  Joe and I went through Bradley classes when we were expecting Elijah.  I had a birth plan (in my head, not written down).  I liked the idea of having a home birth, but was too chicken to actually do it.

That being said, I never considered doing anything with my placenta, other than push it out and forget about it.  I remember joking about keeping it to bury underneath the old oak tree, but it was a joke!

Now I'm curious...did any of you do anything crazy with your placenta?  Does the mere idea of a teddybear placenta gross you out, or do you think it's cool?  I am dying to know!

Sum-sum-summertime

(making up for the lack of photos in the last post, just to warn you...)

Checking off our summer to-do list, one activity at a time:

Hiking at a new park, Sugarcreek near Dayton, OH...

(Gabe took this one; not too bad, other than

cutting off Daddy's head)

(The Orange Osage tree tunnel, in full bloom.)

(Isabel loved these cool teepees!)

Gabe didn't have it on his list, but he has been dying to be old enough for his first sleep-over.  His best little friend, Jonah, came over and they played Legos, watched movies and slept on our sofa bed.  Gabe was over-the-moon happy!

This was a top-five winner on Elijah's list, and something we all wanted to do...go to a Cincinnati Reds' game.  Mamaw and Papaw came, too, and although we baked on the third base line in the 95 plus degree heat, we still had a great time.  The best part:  when Gabe asked if Elijah was going to play with the Reds (Elijah wishes!).

(Isabel decked out in Reds gear, down to her matching bracelet!)

(Gabe loved his souvenir of a bat and ball!)

We have a little over four weeks left until school starts, with a few things left to do on our lists.  I am loving this summer!

Against the grain.

I have this thing about doing a post sans photos.

It just goes against the grain.

Right now, though, I have to just let it go.  I have so much to do this week, and so little time to do it.

Genetics mid-term, work, baseball party, summer birthdays to celebrate, in addition to the everyday stuff.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being busy.

I just don't like when it gets in the way of my blog :)

What about you?  Do you feel the need to include photos with your posts, or have you learned to "let it go"?  What's keeping you busy this week?

Goofing off...

This foursome is made up of two brother-sister pairs.

The boys get along great.  The girls get along great.  The siblings get along great (most of the time).

This makes for some great fun when they all get together.

Great, goofy fun!

So many great (and goofy) summer memories in the making...

Garden update

July is here, and my garden is in full swing.

My first tomato was nearly an orgasmic experience.  I sliced it, salted it, closed my eyes and could actually taste the color of red.  If you're a tomato-lover like me, you know exactly what I mean.  If not, you have no idea what you're missing.

The pole beans are growing up the lattice, and the butternut squash has nearly taken over...

Gabe loves the look of these little guys...VeggieTales, anyone?  "If you like to talk to tomatoes, if a squash can make you smiiiile :)"

Next to the tomatoes, these are my favorite.  The blackberries started turning dark purple this week, and every morning we can get a bowlful to eat with vanilla yogurt for a delicious breakfast.  Not enough for a cobbler, yet, but I'm hoping.

Last but not least, Isabel's pride and joy, started from seed, nurtured in a pot then transplanted to the garden; her sunflowers are gorgeous, and attracting all kinds of birds (two adorable yellow finches are our favorite).

Oh, we are loving summer!

Now, who needs some squash?

And the winner is...

Yep, you were right (although I liked Suzann's idea of Joe giving me $600 to go shopping).

It was my 600th post.  And the winner of the prize (right again; hand-crafted cards made by moi) is:

Here are your random numbers:

9

Stephanie from "this blessed life", you win!  I don't think I have your address, so email me, okay?

Congratulations, and thanks for playing!  Here's to 600 more posts!

600

Can you guess what this post is about?

Hint:  it's a contest.

Leave your guess in the comments.  If it's right, you win!  If lots of you are right, then I'll pick a winner randomly.

Guess what the prize will be...

You can leave that in your comment as well.

Check back this weekend to see if you're the winner.

Good luck :)

Marriage tip...

Marriage counselors say it all the time.

You should do it weekly.

If not weekly, at least monthly.

Write it on the calendar.

Make a plan.

Do it as a couple or with a group of friends.

Doesn't need to be fancy or expensive (but it can be), as long as you are spending the time reconnecting.

What am I speaking of?

Date night, of course (where was your mind?!).

Joe and I have good intentions of making this a monthly event, but time just gets away from us.  This past Friday night, though, all the stars were aligned, Kay was available to babysit, and we had a plan.

Dinner at a new restaurant (Stone Creek in Montgomery...delicious!).  Tickets to a comedy club (Go Bananas...hysterical).  Margaritas at a new Mexican restaurant on the way home (yum).

As always, at the end of the evening, we look at each other and wonder why we don't do this more often.

What about you?  How often do you have date night?  What's your date of choice?

Happy Independence Day!

Hope your holiday is filled with sparkler-y fun...

and cousin-ly love...

but not so much fun that you end up ignoring the firework display in tears on a blanket because you're so tired that you can't even stand yourself...

(Our little town celebrates on the 3rd of July, so we're spending today recovering from the festivities :)

Blog-trotting...Tips for Traveling with Kids

For our Blog-trotting post today, we are sharing tips for traveling with kids.  These are mine:

I have been traveling with kids since I was a 13-year-old babysitter, going on roadtrips with a van full of three, then four, then five little kids.  I tagged along to help their mom, who had the BEST ideas of how to not only survive such a roadtrip, but to make each trip a truly memorable experience.

Fast forward (23 years, omg how has it been that long ago?!) to today.  We have been taking roadtrips with our kids since Elijah was six weeks old, and while some have been memorable in a not-so-good way (usually related to car issues), most of them have been quite enjoyable.  Here are some of my tips:

1.  Make sure the vehicle has plenty of room.  If you have more than four people, get a van.  If you must, rent one.  Totally worth the cost.  Have every kid bring their own pillow and a blanket.  For summer trips, I use beach towels for blankets...works very well.

2.  Make sure you have a AAA card and your insurance card before you leave your driveway.  Peace of mind goes a long way.  You just never know when you might have a roadside emergency...

3.  Take a nap in the late afternoon (hire a babysitter if you have to).  Leave in the evening and drive while the kiddos sleep.  You might be a little tired the next day, but the ease of driving in the night without a screaming baby in the backseat will be well worth it.  We travel at night for any trip over 8 hours in length, whenever possible.

4.  Research the best rest areas on your route, and use them to your advantage.  We always bring a ball, some bubbles, a change of clothes in an accessible bag and change for snacks, then plan where the nicest rest areas are located.  The state of Tennessee has the CLEANEST rest areas we have ever seen, and a beautiful lawn to let the kids run around in, getting good and tired.  You can google "interstate rest areas" and click on the state to see where they are.  Whenever in a rest area, though, BE CAREFUL.  We try to only visit those that have a security guard on premises, especially at night.

5.  Have a positive attitude!  This is part of the adventure, and a big part of the memories you are making together as a family!  Get some books on CD (Junie B. Jones, Magic Treehouse, Harry Potter) that you will all enjoy listening to.  Visit www.momsminivan.com and print out some cool pages to keep little minds occupied during those long hours.  Make an itinerary, but be flexible whenever possible.

And when all else fails, drink a Red Bull, pass around the Benadryl and Dramamine to the kiddos, and set the cruise at 90mph.  You'll be there in no time :)