I need to get a few things off my mind...

and since I have little adult interaction in my life, the blog will have to do.

First, it is raining again. It hasn't really rained all summer, but of course, as luck would have it, it rains TWO of the FIVE days Jackson is signed up for summer camp. They have a no refund for rain policy, but I am still pretty bugged. I feel jipped, not to mention I have to figure out what to do with Jackson all day when I thought that was taken care of. He can be so high maintenance.

Second, my TV remote is MIA. I have searched all the usual places and it is gonezers. I feel irritated at the kids because they take care of nothing, but I also went through tons of tubs of kids clothes and finally got the basement back in order. For all I know they set it in a bucket of clothing never to be found until baby boy grows to that size. Why oh why don't remotes have some sort of alarm on them.

Speaking of children....sometimes I just really want a break from being a mom. It is exhausting. Jackson can be so pleasant when he wants, but typically he doesn't want and EVERYTHING is an arguement. EVERYTHING. I feel angry and depleted by breakfast. How do I get this to stop??

And Paige, man that child is impossible. It doesn't matter what the consequence is, if she wants to do it, she will. I told her yesterday, while I laid down to nap, that she could have a snack, but that she HAD to eat it at the kitchen table or she would get no snacks at all for a few days. What did she do?? She ate a whole pint of blueberries and a bag of nuts downstairs. Really?? And, when I picked the couch cushion up yesterday to check for remotes I found piles of cereal that she oviously snuck out of the pantry and ate on the couch. Ideas anyone?? I am out of them.

So, there you go. I just needed to get all that off my chest. I am a little worn out and exhausted by this whole single parenting bit. I can't imagine how people do it all the time. I am grateful for a partner who shares the load and recognizes my need for a break. I can't wait for him to be home...just a few more weeks.

Off to feed the troops. I am hoping it miraculously stops raining. Even then, it is so wet that summer camp will be interesting. With buckets of money I would just sign him up for another week. He has loved it.

Tuesday and Wednesday in St. Louis...

Tuesday we went to the St. Louis Science Center. My museum pass got us into the kids center and planetarium for free. Hooray. Did I mention that I love my museum pass. It got us into free all over the place! The planetarium was a BOMB with the kids. I wish I could have enjoyed it and learned more, but shock of all shockers, Paige was not having it.

We got tickets to the kids discovery center there too. They loved it. They had 45 minutes and there were tons of educational toys and things to do. Unfortunately my stomach pain was REALLY acting up this day. I was miseable and could not wait to get back to the apartment. There is nothing worse than feeling junky and being away from "home".


Paige loves any of the dr. offices at kids museums. She spent 90% of her time here.

On Wednesday we met up with my photographer friend , Yvonne, and her daughter Lilly. It was our first time meeting, but it was like we were old friends picking up where we left off. We went to Grant's Farm, a cute little place where you ride a tram around and look at animals and then end up in an area where you can feed goats, watch shows, eat, etc. It was fun and the weather was so nice!!

For $1 a bottle the kids were able to feed the goats. The goats were so aggressive. They literally would knock the kids over and fight over the bottle. They would bite the kids clothes. It was pretty funny.









You could brush them too.



This is Lilly on the carousel. Paige had to ride. I didn't even take a picture of her since we have been on so many carousels in the past few months!

You could feed the camels too. They were in the process of shedding their winter coat. It was kind of gross. The were so slobbery and foul. Yuck.


We got to see the Anheiser Bush Clydesdales, get shaved ice and pretzels and enjoy good company. We went out to lunch afterwards. It was a very fun day and fun not to do it alone!

St. Louis, in picture...

We arrived in St. Louis in Saturday evening. Douglas lives just down the street from a fun, downtown area in University City. We walked downtown and went to eat at Blueberry Hill which, I guess, is a pretty popular restaurant in the area. We got back and got settled in for the night. There was a double bed and a fouton and Douglas slept on the fouton and I slept on the bed. The bed is too soft for the two of us...like sleeping on a hammock which is never fun with two people. Oh, I should mention as well, that the AC wasn't working in Douglas' apartment when I got there...another reason we did not share a bed! The kids sacked right out. It had been a long drive and they were wiped out.

The next day was Sunday. We got up early and headed out to the branch that Douglas goes to. They meet in an old funeral home. It was a small ward and very diverse. I always think it is hard to go to other people's wards, but I want to set an example for the kids, so we go.

After church we got changed and headed over to Forest Park. It is this HUGE park just down the road from where Douglas is living. The Zoo is in the park, if that gives you any idea of how large it is. I bet it is 5 miles square at least. Interestingly enough, there are no playgrounds though. Strange. So, we just parked and walked around and played. The kids had a great time. I was hot. I was grumpy. Coming from Douglas' hot apartment to the hot outdoors didn't bode well with me. I tried to be happy about it, but finally I just sat on a bench and let Douglas walk around with the kids.

One great thing about the midwest is that everything is green. I love that. Of course, with green comes bugs and mosquitsos, but I guess you just deal with that.


There is a lot of water in the midwest too...lots.





Douglas and I find the same things funny. We laughed and laugh when we drove by "non park". What?? It really was a "non park".

with really weird benches.

On Monday I decided I would get the zoo over with. I assumed it would be hot, so why not just do it. Of course, Monday ended up being significantly hotter than any other day. Figures. The zoo was free, but we were able to buy a pass (half price with my AA museum membership) to go to the sea lion show, ride the train, go on the 3d motion thing. I told the kids that if we hiked in (probably a 1/2 mile once we found a spot) that we could ride the train. I get so cheap about things like $15 parking. What a rip. They were great sports about it.

As soon as we got into the park I gave the apartment management company a jingle about the AC situation. It was nice and cool when we got home from the zoo. I felt like a good wife...taking care of business.

cutest baby giraffe. Honestly, my kids aren't huge zoo fans. I enjoy it much more than they do. They look for a milisecond and are ready to move on. Oh well.
I mean, come on, that little giraffe is the cutest thing ever.

This peacock was so cool. He was standing in the middle of the walk way and just spread his feathers as soon as we got close!

gorgeous!

Sea Lion show. I always enjoy these. J was disappointed that he didn't get wet. This isn't the whale show at Sea World, sorry to say!


Paige LOVES carousels. J, not so much. I guess it is better than standing and watching. The carousel was also included in our ticket pass.



And what amusement park or zoo is not complete without cotton candy. I think I am growing up. I didn't even take a bite. I found it kind of repulsive.

Petting the Blue Tongued Skink.



My two little sea otters.

They had a little splash pad. It was so hot so we spent a good chunk of time just running around. I wish I had gotten in too. Paige especially loved it.
J sitting in the hippo mouth. They have a fun kids area at the zoo...also included with our pass. I love getting my money's worth!



Onto more later!

Henry Ford Museum

Paige's preschool friend, Ethan, invited us to go to the Henry Ford museum with them. Surprisingly enough, my daughter, who has no use for boys, became very chummy with Ethan even calling him her "best friend". I really enjoy his mom and dad as well, so it is a good set up. Paige and I went over with Ethan, his brother, Aiden, and his mom, Helen. We had a fun time.

The Henry Ford museum is really interesting. We didn't go through much of the museum. We saw the locamotives...they had a few full size cars. The have a lot of old autos, furniture, etc. etc. Since the kids don't really enjoy the whole museum thing, we spent the majority of our time at "Greengate Village" which is the outdoor portion of the museum. They had a bunch of kids activities going on and the kids had a lot of fun. There are a bunch of old buildings...school rooms, churches etc. that have been brought from all over the US.

To top off the day, I got totally sunburned on my chest...sunscreened everywhere, but forgot there. I still have the lines to prove it.

The kids played on the locomotive for a while.
Paige loves carousels. We stood in line far too long to get on this one.


Paige and Ethan riding in the kid cars. There was drama (what, with Paige?) over the car she got. She really felt entitled to have a pink one. She kept her eyes on them and the second a kid started to get out, she was there waiting for it.

End of the school year...

It is hard to believe that Jackson is a 1st grader now. It was a good year and I was ready for it to be over...mainly because I was tired of the early, busy mornings. J had an awards ceremony the second to last day. Of course, I got there and my camera battery was dead and my phone died, so I got only a few shots of the day. Ms. Sangeorzan made each of the kids a time capsule to be opened on their graduation from high school. It has a letter from Douglas and me as well as his handprint and a few other goodies.

Jackson did really well this year. He finished up reading at a 2nd grade level and had passed off all of the skills that they want kindergarteners to pass off. He is a smart little cookie! I can't wait to see what he learns next year!