Lowes Build and Grow

I am some what handy, my dad made sure I knew what the different screw drives are.  I want to kids to  know how to take care of things for when they move out.  I have started looking for projects and things to do that allows me to teach the kids basic skills. Lowes offers build and grow clinic, the best part is it's all free!!!! So the kids got aprons and little hammers with googles.  Our first project was Iron man's Jet and they turned out amazing. We did not take pictures as we made the project because it was 3 kids to the 2 of us and one of them were in constant need of help. Maybe one day as they feel more comfortable  and we can take pictures from the beginning. But for now I will just tell you how much fun it was and the after picture. It is also a solid project and simple enough for the kids to figure out the only thing was hammering was difficult for them but once they get use to it I think it will be a breeze.

Cub Scouts :)

I have spent the last few weeks getting ready for our Packs first real recruitment. I was prepared for a huge group of people and ready to entertain children while my husband talked to parents.

Sadly this ended up being a dry run for us. Although we did not get anyone signed up we generated interest, which is just as important. 

We also made new connections. The local paper wants to talk to us about bring back the pack. 

We set up an amazing display of fun. 

The Paper airplane launcher and its' target was a success and will be used a lot more. 

 Our amazing Display of Uniforms before Justin fixed the sash for me. 

Justin was adjusting the marble track. 

Some of the many patches Justin has floating around the house was also brought along for show. 

The major focal point was the derby track. Anyone who was a scout even for a short time period remembers doing the cars. I learned this after a few parents told me some interesting stories about their cars and the cars they made with the kids. 

After awhile I decided to walk around and take a few pictures. Some times I end up getting easily distracted and walking away from things. 

There was even hors drawn carriages. 

I took maybe 20 pictures of just horses before remembering I committed to helping my pack. 

But she quickly became my new BFF. Here is hoping for better results next time around. 

Hidden gems: Canandaigua Lagoon

Canandaigua once had a theme park and hid many things in the ground. Over the last several years they have been going through some huge cleaning project and creating a space that is just amazing to visit. 

One of my favorite places to walk is right behind Wegmans. It is a beautiful secluded areas that you do not expect to turn out as amazing it is. 

 Justin and I went for a walk after dropping the kids off at a sleep over. We walked these paths on our dates and still after all this time we still find really cool and interesting things.

 I am pretty sure Justin was annoyed with my need to take a hundred pictures of the snails trying to get that perfect shot. 

This is a perfect place to fish if you are into that kind of thing. 

This was the first time we have ever seen a beaver and we had no clue there were beavers in that area. I spent 15 minutes chasing the beaver before it slapped its tail and scared me because I was not expecting it.

Gems in the Finger Lakes

Creek
Clifton Springs, NY

The Finger Lakes region is known for it's many wineries and beautiful scenery.  In this series we will be looking at the scenery aspect and hopefully show some things that people may not know about.

 Lagoon Park
Canandaigua, NY

From natural wonders to museums we explore anything in the Finger Lakes that is even remotely interesting.  It does not matter how big or small our goal is to show everything that the Finger Lake has to offer.

Paleontological Research Institution and Museum of the Earth
Ithaca, NY

 Please join us on our journey and feel free to suggest any places you would like us to explore.

Paleontological Research Institution and Museum of the Earth
Ithaca, NY

It has been way to long...

Things were all over the place for awhile and it got overwhelming but we are back and we are more organized and in a better place. 

                                                     

I want to start with we completed our first year homeschooling with Yasser and it was a long crazy year. We combined first grade with kindergarden because she was comfortable with kindergarden before the year even started. We are starting second grade this year. She is also bridging into Brownies with our girl scout troop. I am very proud of my little lady because she worked hard to earn all of the pins and patches she could. We are also in to works of losing our first two teeth!!! I really have no clue how I feel because it does not feel that long ago she was depending on me for everything.

                                                                        

Gill-G had huge changes in his life. For starters we have the official Autism diagnose but he also has apraxia with anxiety and horrible allergies. The good news to it all we were able to start putting together plans to help him work around stuff. Now we are in a much better place and starting to see the unusual child emerging. It is honestly nice to see. We finally got rid of our gross green blanket and don't spend day and night upset. We are starting Kindergarden this year after catching him doing his sisters school work for her ( he just turned 4 so I didn't want to push but he can do math in his head and basic reading). Lessons were learned and now we are in for a really great year. 

                                                                          

Hulk man well he is just Hulk man with more mysteries than answers but we have either been learning how to accept and deal with more or he is getting better. I really have no clue anymore. But we love him and plan on another great year except this time we with be keeping up with our blog. Even Justin agreed to start typing and writing more. My weekly schedule has a blog typing section blocked off every week :) Thank you everyone for not giving up on me and checking every so often. 

Hidden Gems: Sonneberg

When I tell people I live in Canandaigua NY first people think I live in NYC. I do not. Also I would never want to, there is way to many people and I can not have all of the pets I want. The second thing people think of is wine country. People are correct on the wine country thing but they fail to see or even know about all of our hidden gems. One being Sonnenberg Garden. I can only picture how gorgeous it was back in the day. It is still pretty but I wish the state would restore the bath house and fix the gardens further from the house.

It's Pan!!

I hope to get pictures for the moon light stroll soon. 

If you are in the area check it out:

 Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion

151 Charlotte Street • Canandaigua, NY 14424 (585) 394-4922 • (585) 396-7433 Fax: (585) 394-2192

Business/Administration Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm www.sonnenberg.org