The Parent's Rap

A Facebook friend shared this video on Facebook and I re-shared it (not sure if "re-shared" is actually a word, but I am using it anyway).  But then I realized that many of those who read my blog aren't Facebook users and this is just too good not to share it with you.  My kids have watched it at least 20 times and are trying hard to memorize all the words. I find myself singing it or laughing about it, even if I haven't listened to it recently.  It is all so true - except in my house, I am the eyebrow raiser!  - You'll understand what I mean after you watch it!

Enjoy!

Time to start thinking about Christmas...

Christmas Cards, that is!

Christmas Cards for Unsponsored Children, to be specific!

Sponsors may again write Christmas cards for unsponsored children this year. 

Unsponsored children who are registered in Compassion programs will receive a Christmas gift, but Christmas cards are a great way to send a personal blessing to children without sponsors to let them know there is someone who cares for them.

Christmas cards will be mailed to the field by the Sponsor Correspondence team

Cards should be received by Compassion by November 5, 2012 to be mailed to the field before Christmas. Cards received after November 5 may be held until next year.

An individual sponsor may send up to 25 cards without attachments (i.e. photos, stickers, etc.).
 

Cards should be mailed to:
Compassion International
Attn: Suzanne Hall
12290 Voyager Parkway

Colorado Springs, CO 80921-3668

And, if you know other sponsors, be sure to pass the word on.  It would be great if every unsponsored child could receive a Christmas card!

Hershey Park - Part 5

The Finale! Aren't you glad we didn't go for a week! I may still have been blogging about it until next year!

So we got to bed really late on Thursday night.  I had a little more trouble getting to sleep, but finally nodded off a little after midnight.  But at 3 a.m., I was awoken to what sounded like a hurricane coming through.  I looked out the window and it looked like a hurricane too!  The trees in the courtyard were bending and swaying at unbelievable angles, lightning was flashing continually, thunder was booming, and rain was coming down so heavy I could barely see our van in the parking lot just below us.  I checked the internet to see if there were any tornado warnings and woke Josh to see if we should do anything.  Surprisingly, the kids were sleeping through all of it.  It began letting up after about 30 minutes, so I drifted back to sleep.  When we woke up in the morning, the sun was shining and the sky was a beautiful blue.  But when we went down to breakfast, one of the trees that had stood in the courtyard was now laying across the courtyard.  Luckily, it fell away from the parking lot and not toward, so the vehicles were saved.

After breakfast, we let the kids get in the pool at the hotel, while Josh went up to the room for a while.  The pool looked great from far away, but once we got in, it was not as pretty.  I tried to ignore the cloudiness and the little bits of stuff floating in it, because the kids were oblivious to it!  So we didn't stay in long and I made sure the kids showered as soon as we got back to the room!

As we were were driving away from our hotel, it looked like a disaster area.  There were car ports flipped over, awnings ripped off, trees down everywhere. There were huge cherry pickers all over the areas of the park that we drove by, trying to clear the downed trees and branches away from the rides.

We decided to go to "Amish Country" in Lancaster County for the day.  We stopped at a KMart and got a GPS, since we had no directions.  We just typed in a restaurant called "Good n' Plenty" that someone had suggested we try.  We had thought previously about getting a GPS, so this seemed the perfect time to get one!  We found Good n' Plenty pretty easily.  We were planning on eating family style (Basically a buffet, but in bowls on your table like at Thanksgiving, instead of the window-covered troughs at a regular buffet restaurant.), but it was going to be $60 for the four of us!  So we went to the other part of the restaurant and ordered from the menu.  The food was basically the same and we would have never gotten our money's worth at the family style.  It was very good and very homemade - but we discovered the Wilson's are not a fan of real butter, which is what was in the corn and a couple other things. 

We were going to try to go to see a live performance of "Jonah" at the Sight and Sound Theater.  We had no idea that the shows sell out weeks in advance!  So we just rode by and saw the outside of the theater, which was beautiful.

I was not impressed with "Amish Country" in general.  I felt like it was way over commercialized and I felt like it was like prostituting a people group!  The Amish there have to deal with suffocating traffic and gawking spectators and while there are Amish making their livelihood off tourism, it is definitely not an ideal situation. Tourists can pay to go on buggy rides around Amish Country and stop at farms and have Amish snacks and see animals, etc.  The point that I had reached my fill of "Amish Country" was when I saw a certain passenger in one of these buggies.  Sitting beside an Amish man with a grey beard and his conservative black suit was a black lady who was decked out in an electric blue,  short, strapless, satin dress that looked better suited for clubbing than vacation.  Her outfit was completed by long, decorated acrylic nails and hair extensions.  I had to wonder what that man was thinking as he sat beside this woman who seemed to be the polar opposite of him.  To say she stuck out was an understatement!

We looked around a few of the little shops, but the temperatures were over 100 and I was feeling so conflicted by being a tourist in that environment, that we only stayed for about an hour.

So we set our new GPS and headed for home.  The kids did great on the way home and the trip was pretty enjoyable, until we hit hurricane-like weather about 1 1/2 hours from home.  We kept debating whether we should pull over or keep going. During the drive, we were hoping that we were not going to come home to water in our basement. It finally started letting up about 20 minutes before we got home and we were thanking the Lord that we got back safely.

When we got back, I went into the basement and found no water.  I was so happy!  Josh had gone to put his car in the driveway and when he returned, I said, "Good News, our basement isn't flooded." and he said, "Bad News, our siding is torn off the side of the house."  We had no idea just how bad the storm had really been until the next day when we were seeing news reports.  We again thanked God that we made it home without incident.  We were also thankful that Josh's car had been parked in the garage, since it is normally in the driveway. It could have been hit by flying debris - like our siding!

SO THAT IS FINALLY THE END OF OUR TRIP!!!! If you made it through, I commend you!  If we go on vacation next year, I may have to plan to write a book! 

Hershey Park - Part 4

We had decided to go to the water park first the next day.  The hotel offered breakfast, so we got the kids in their swimsuits and headed over to the breakfast room.  We had considered letting the kids get in the pool that morning, because we brought 2 suits for them for this purpose, but since we slept until 8 (which is sleeping in to our kids!) we decided to forgo a trip to the pool that morning.  We then let the kids watch t.v. while we got our stuff packed up and sunscreen on. The park opened at 10 and we wanted to get the full benefit.

This picture was taken on the trolley from the parking lot.  Can you tell from Bella's face that it was already HOT!  We were thankful that we were going to be at the water park during the day.  I couldn't imagine what it would have been like to be at the non-water rides on this day!

The evening before, I wanted to try one of the new big roller coasters and Elias was still too short to go on it, so Josh took the kids on the monorail while I tried it out.  So as soon as we entered the park, the kids wanted me to go on the monorail with them, because they had loved it the evening before.  I can tell you that I was not a big fan of the monorail.  Remember how I said that if I am up high I like to to be going fast?  Well, not only was this thing moving very slow, there were no buckles for the kids and there was just one metal bracket holding us onto the pole above.  But I enjoyed sharing the experience with the kids - especially since they were enjoying telling me all about their trip the evening before and were the "experts".

After this ride, we went straight to the water park and rented a locker.  We don't have a single picture of the water park, because we didn't want to take our camera or phone into the water park.  We saw all these people with nifty waterproof pouches to hold electronics in and they were selling them in the gift shops, but we didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on them.  By the middle of the day, we sort of wished we would have just gotten them to begin with.  Not only did we not get any pictures, every time we separated, we had trouble finding one another. It was so hard to keep track of the kids on the water rides anyway because there were so many kids and so much water swooshing and splashing that we couldn't hear them or they us, so to not always be able to get in contact with Josh made it even more nerve racking! What did parents do at amusement parks before cell phones?

Josh, Elias, and I all wanted to try the "Tidal Force".  It is a log jammer ride, where you go up really high and then come flying down into the water and it splashes over you.  Bella did not want to try it, but we talked her into it.  Well, she got soaked and it really freaked her out, so she vowed to never go on it again.  Elias wanted to go on it again.  Since it was right beside the lockers, we'd decided that Josh or I would go on it again right before we left, but when we returned, the line was huge, so we only got to try it once.  Elias and Josh tried a surfing ride, which was really funny to watch, but they said it wasn't as fun to do.  Josh took the kids to the splash pad while I tried the "Roller Soaker".  It was a really long, hot wait in line and I barely got wet, let alone soaked and it was barely even a roller coaster.  Josh and Elias were supposed to go on it after me, but I told them not to waste their time.

We had planned to get lunch at the park that day.  I had $28 after we had paid for our locker.  I had thought I had brought more, but accidentally had left some in my pants pocket from the day before. I knew that it would probably take the full $28 to eat, but thought that would still be plenty.  I was so wrong!  We had to get really creative about how we bought our meals!  We did manage to get enough to eat, but we were definitely not stuffed, by any means! 

We spent a few more hours at the water park and then headed out of the water park right before dinner time.  We decided to ride a couple of the rides that were near the water park before we left, so that when we returned, we wouldn't have to go back to that side of the park.  That was when we went on Bella's favorite ride of the trip - the Ferris Wheel.  It was one of those circular ones that we were all able to sit in.  It was really fun for all of us to be able to ride together and see all of the park from above - but did I mention that it was HOT!

This is the only picture I have of the water park portion of our visit.  A man saw me taking the first picture and was nice enough to ask us if he could take a group shot of us.

We went to McDonald's for dinner. McDonald's hadn't tasted that good in a long time! After our day in the sun and heat on our feet, it felt so good to sit down in AC!  Plus, after our costly lunch, when the kids asked for an ice cream and it was only $2, I thought how cheap it was in comparison! We were planning on letting the kids get in the hotel pool for an hour before we went back to the park, but we had little time by the time we got back and they seemed content to just watch a little t.v. and rest for 30 minutes after they had changed their clothes.

We then headed back to the park to ride on the non-water rides again.  I thought Elias would want to go on more coasters, since he had been so excited about his experience on them the night before.  He also had said he wanted Josh to go on the Wild Mouse with him.  But after riding a few of the smaller rides and asking him if he wanted to go on any of the coasters, it became apparent that he was content to just stay on the smaller rides for the rest of the trip.

These driving rides were favorites of our kids as well.

We went up into the kissing tower that gives you a panoramic view of the park and the surrounding city.  While up over the park, we saw a boat ride that was like riding a log through a river and had two drop offs that seemed pretty mild.  We saw people leaving the ride and they didn't seem very wet, so we thought it would be fun.  Bella was leery after her experience on the Tidal Force, but finally was talked into trying it.  She did great and said it was fun.  Both kids said they wanted to go on it again.  Since there wasn't a line, the workers said we could, but at the last minute, Bella decided against a second trip.  Josh said that the picture on her face on those pictures they take during the rides looked like she was pretty scared!  The second time I went, I sat in front, where she'd been and I realized that the front seat was much scarier than the seats in the middle and back!  So I was proud of her for not being more scared.

By 9 p.m., I was getting a little bummed that I had only rode one coaster.  Josh is not a huge coaster fan - he could take them or leave them - so he said he would stay with the kids while I went on a couple coasters.  He had went on one at some point, while I stayed with the kids and said that was enough for him.  So I left, thinking I would get to ride 1, maybe 2 before the park closed.  But the lines were so short that I got to ride 3 and probably could have ridden another, but we had agreed to meet at 9:45, so we could be together before the park closed.  It made me feel like I got my money's worth out of my ticket!  Josh wanted to get some type of drink from a particular food vendor (can't remember what now), so he left and I actually had time to let the kids ride one more ride.  Then before we left, we let the kids buy one of those light up things from vendors that walk around the park.  That was the only souvenirs we bought.  (I am sort of anti-souvenirs.)

We went back to the hotel, showered and were in bed in less than an hour!  It was 11 p.m., so I thought the kids would be extremely grumpy the next day!

Hershey Park - Part 3

We found out that with a purchase of a next-day ticket, you are allowed to enter the park at 7 p.m. the evening before for a "preview".  So we took our nifty coupons, bought our tickets and headed into the park.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous.  It was mid-70s with low humidity - a perfect evening to be outside.  As soon as we walked in, a piece of candy walked up to us.  Bella was a little afraid of it, but Elias thought it was really cool.

If you ever go to Hershey Park, definitely take advantage of the preview! We felt that we got two days at the park for the price of one, even though it was only for 3 hours. The lines were so short (some rides had no line at all) that we rode twice as many rides as we could have ridden during the same span of time in the middle of the day.

The kids got their desire to ride something out of the way right away with the carousel. Josh and I were trying to get the "lay of the land", so we could plan our day tomorrow, but the kids just wanted to ride, ride, ride!  We went on almost every kiddy ride that evening.  And Elias had his first experience on a roller coaster!  We went on the Wild Cat first.  It is a wooden coaster and it was SO rough.  I felt like my head was being jolted off my neck and that my teeth might crack!  I warned Elias that wooden coasters were rougher before we went on, but I had forgotten just how much.  I was actually sort of surprised that Elias wanted to jump right on another as soon as we got off the Wild Cat.  The Wild Mouse was right beside the Wild Cat, so we basically got right on.  I was not a fan of this coaster either.  It takes you up high and then you sit upright and go quick and then slow in a zig-zag pattern that whips your neck back and forth.  Again, I thought I was going to need to see a chiropractor after this ride too.  Now, I love roller coasters and am willing to try any of them, but I like my coasters to go fast, so I don't have to think about how high up I really am or how little metal is actually keeping me from hurling to the ground!  So the fact that this ride took you up high and then went slow was also not an enjoyable aspect for me.  Again, Elias loved it. He wanted to ride another coaster, but there was no time before the park closed.  Because Josh stayed with Bella while I took Elias on the coasters, we have no pictures of Elias' first coaster ride.

We stayed until the park closed and the kids took one more ride on the carousel before leaving. The weather was still beautiful and the kids were being troopers, despite the fact that it was way past their bedtime.  We got back to our hotel, where I had set out pajamas and tooth brushes and had prepared the beds before we left at dinnertime.

We were getting Elias showered and when I walked back into the main room, I found Isabella laying over the bed on her stomach, with her feet still on the floor, fast asleep.  Needless to say, she didn't get a shower that night!  I finished getting her in her pjs and into bed.  Again, thanking Josh for the choice to get 3 beds, since Elias was still wide awake from his thrilling ride on the coaster!  But as soon as we turned the lights out, he was asleep too.  We all slept so well because the room was so quiet, dark, and evenly temperatured.  It was a good thing, because we had a long day the next day and it was 11 p.m. before we got into bed!

The girl on the ride with Bella was a stranger, but to see them chatting away during the ride, you would have thought they were best friends!

Check this out!

September is Compassion blogging month, so you'll hear a little more about Compassion than usual possibly.

As a Compassion blogger, I enjoy telling people about my sponsorship experiences, but I am officially giving you the request to go to Compassion's "Sponsor a Child" page and pray over the children who are still waiting to be sponsored.  Also, while you are there, you can use it to teach your kids about other countries and cultures that the kids pictured live (Google is an amazing thing!). 

Hershey Park Vacation - Part 2

So after we got settled into the room and hopped in the van and headed over to Hershey's Chocolate World.

We didn't really know exactly what they had there or how much everything cost, but we did know that you could make your own chocolate bars.  We took the free riding tour of the "factory" and how chocolate is made.  The kids really enjoyed it.  They had singing cows and the smell of chocolate was in the air everywhere, so how could they not?

After the tour, we went to the "Create your own chocolate bar" counter to get tickets for the kids.  But there was a problem.  They wouldn't allow kids under 8 to go in by themselves.  The tickets were a little pricey, so we were scrambling to decide whether to just let Elias go in by himself and the other three of us just hang around outside and wait, or to pay for either Josh and I to go in with the kids and the other just sit outside and wait, or just forget the whole thing.  Elias really didn't want to go in alone, even though Bella was surprisingly okay with not doing it at all.  But after just a couple minutes' deliberation, we decided that it was a family vacation and that we all really wanted to do it together.  So we all had to get in our beautiful protective wear to go in.

It was pretty neat.  You first had to go to a computer screen to make your selections of how you wanted your bar made. I didn't get a picture of this set of computers, because there were people waiting behind us, so we had to hurry - especially since the kids changed what they wanted to do to their bars about 2 or 3 times each!  You first had to select white, milk or dark chocolate as your base. Then you were allowed to put 2 fillings in them and then decide if you wanted sprinkles on top. Josh got the most adventurous with a white chocolate base, butterscotch and chocolate chips and then sprinkles on top. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have more filling choices, but it was still a lot of fun.
After you made your selection, you then went and watched the chocolate bar get made.

 After the bar got all its fillings, it then ran under a milk chocolate bath.  The end result was a candy bar that was about 3 times the width of a regular hershey's bar and VERY chocolatey! After the candy bars go through this final step, they have to dry.  As they dry, we were told to go design our packaging at another set of computer screens.

The last picture is the bars getting put in boxes by the machine before they exited and were then packaged in our designed packages in tin collectible containers. I neglected to get a picture of our final products.  But you could choose from designs and colors schemes they had and just add your name or you could get as crazy as you wanted to be and completely design your own. Josh again, got the most creative with his packaging. I was overwhelmed by the choices and felt a little rushed by the people milling around waiting to use the computers and was busy helping the kids too, so mine was pretty basic.

After we finished making our candy bars, we headed up to a Hershey Kiss packaging station that is part of the free exhibits.

The kids are waiting patiently for their turn in their "Factory Worker" hats.

First they had to fill their containers by using a machine that dropped them into the container.  Bella is still wearing the apron from the chocolate bar making.

Then they had to shake the candy down, which was quite a production.

Then they were told to kiss them goodbye as they ran through the packaging machine.

You could pay to have Factory Worker ID badges made and also have their picture put on the Hershey Kiss container, but since we had just paid for the chocolate bars, we had them leave their Hershey Kiss Containers goodbye after we took this picture.  The pictures that they took were really cute and the kids wanted the Hershey Kisses and the containers, but a few minutes after we left, none of us thought of them again!

We went outside and sat on benches and let the kids eat a bite of their candy bars.  It was pretty messy because they were already still a little warm from being made and it was hot outside, but they were really good.  We had a really good time at Chocolate World and it was a good start to our trip. 

We were all getting pretty hungry and we had to go on the search for food in the town nearby.  Since we wanted to go back to our hotel anyway to drop off stuff and get a breather, we just grabbed a pizza from Pizza Hut and took it back to our hotel.  This was definitely a really cheap option for eating too.  Since we already had drinks and chips, it only cost us $10. The kids got to watch t.v. while they ate and Josh and I got to rest a little before we prepared for the next part of the day - a preview evening in Hershey Park!