If I think of our family in terms of a business enterprise, I see myself as the CEO. My husband of course would be on the board of directors making all the most important decisions and providing the financial backing for the whole operation. His is a vital role of which I fully support. Mine however is different although also equally important. As CEO, I'm in charge of the day-to-day operations. I set the schedule, choose the curriculum, oversee the menus (or lack there of), purchase necessities, organize vacations, manage the home's cleanliness, etc. The list goes on and on (for both us actually).
So this week as CEO, it was my job to register the kids for their yearly standardize test and then get them to said test - preferably a little early, but at least on time. I set the alarm, made breakfast, shouted the appropriate commands, made empty threats, and then ushered them all into the van being just a wee bit behind schedule.
Traffic wasn't too bad as we zoomed along the highway traveling a touch (ok a lot) over the speed limit. [Side note: I think getting kids to particular locations at particular times has to be one of the CEO's least favorite and most challenging things done on a daily basis. It's stressful to say the least, and dangerous at it's worst.] Anyway... I monitored the clocking continually knowing that we would definitely not be there 15 minutes early as recommended Upon taking the appropriate highway Exit, it was quickly apparent that the road we needed to take was closed. Uggh! The detour wasn't too bad; however, and we were quickly back on track. But then there was a red light - and another - and another. Time ticked on as my stomach continued to knot up. Finally we pulled into the parking lot with literally no more than one minute to spare. I jumped out of the car and hurried across the parking lot because to me, I get graded on these things. No one fills out an official report card, but I know if I pass or fail. It's partially a peer review (think of moms staring at you as you are the last one rushing in) and partially a self-evaluation as you consider how you could have left 10 minutes earlier to avoid the whole issue.
Strangely enough, no one was there to offer disapproving looks. As a matter of fact, no one was there AT ALL. Now I really started to panic. I had no extra time to figure out where to go. I had been there the previous year so I had not even considered that it might be held in a different area of the church. I found a security guard who knew nothing of the test that was supposed to be going on. I pulled out my paper and read the information: Calvery Baptist Church, Whickham Rd, Melbourne. "This is Calvery Chapel," he informed me. At the precise same moment I saw the street address and knew instantly that we were not on "Whickham Rd", and just for extra effect, my phone starting ringing. "Hello, is this Mrs. LeRoy? Are your children coming to testing today?" Eeeek!! Major CEO fail!
The mistake was quickly sorted out and thankfully the correct church was not too terribly far away. The kids missed the first section of testing but were allowed to jump in at break time and make up the rest as they went on. The test proctor showed me a huge helping of grace which made the whole experience a little less painful. Even still, it's a horrible feeling knowing that you were in charge and you blew it. It's more than just that... it's knowing that it was not only a hassle for you personally, but your mistake affected your kids, inconvenienced three classes, three proctors, and countless people on the road driving too slowly. It's not the end of the world, but I'd rather not be the cause of other people's stress. I would say that my job as CEO was in jeopardy that day, but thankfully I know someone on the board of directors who's quite unlikely to fire me. :)
Post Script: The rest of the afternoon I spent at home waiting for my new washing machine to arrive. (Mind you we have several days worth of dirty clothes as our machine broke a week ago.) Around 5:00pm, I called Lowes and asked if it was still coming. "Ahhh... Mrs. LeRoy," a women said on the other end, "There's been a mistake. We thought it was supposed to be delivered next Thursday. Our employee accidentally entered the wrong date." Grace flows both ways I thought. Deep breath. "That's okay," I said, "Just deliver it tomorrow."
Friday, April 11, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Field Trips (aka Breaks from Reality)
Although we have not attempted any lengthy family trips as we did during the last school year, we have gone on several local field trips and taken short breaks which have made this year really fun. I mean think about it... who doesn't want as many "breaks from reality" as possible?
Our first field trip of the year was to Medieval Times in Orlando. The older two had recently studied the Middle Ages so it fit in perfectly with our curriculum. There was plenty of entertainment, average tasting food, and a creepy yet educational museum featuring medieval artifacts.
Our next adventure took us out of state to Buffalo, NY. The kids were desperately missing snow so we decided to find the coldest jetBlue city we could (not really, but that's about how it turned out). In the morning we saw Niagara Falls.
In the late afternoon/evening we went sledding at Kissing Bridge, NY.
The next field trip brought us to the Cocoa Post Office. It wasn't the most exciting of places to visit, but anything you do for the first time is usually pretty interesting. We saw behind the scenes where the mail is sorted by route. Unfortunately it wasn't our local Post Office so we did not see any mail for us.
Our next adventure was more of a break than a field trip. For the first time ever, our family went tent camping at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground. We went with another family who kindly loaned us their tent. Not only did the kids have such a great time hanging out, but us adults also got to relax and enjoy some uninterrupted conversation. Spoiler Alert: We had such a great time with our friends that we have already planned our next trip together. Look out for another camping blog in a few months.
Next trip took us to a place I always wanted to go to as a child: Marineland. Located just south of Saint Augustine, Marineland used to be a dolphin show theater complete with stadium and animal entertainment. As a kid I remember looking at the brochures and begging my parents to go. After hurricane Charley in 2006, the facility closed with no harm to the dolphins but much damage to the stadium and surrounding buildings. It is now reopened as an education center focusing on dolphin conservation and education. The kids got to touch and feed the dolphins, learn about their anatomy and habits, and finally go on a "Behind the Seas" tour featuring a history of the place along with several aquariums. Here are some of the pictures we took.
Our first field trip of the year was to Medieval Times in Orlando. The older two had recently studied the Middle Ages so it fit in perfectly with our curriculum. There was plenty of entertainment, average tasting food, and a creepy yet educational museum featuring medieval artifacts.
Our next adventure took us out of state to Buffalo, NY. The kids were desperately missing snow so we decided to find the coldest jetBlue city we could (not really, but that's about how it turned out). In the morning we saw Niagara Falls.
In the late afternoon/evening we went sledding at Kissing Bridge, NY.
The next field trip brought us to the Cocoa Post Office. It wasn't the most exciting of places to visit, but anything you do for the first time is usually pretty interesting. We saw behind the scenes where the mail is sorted by route. Unfortunately it wasn't our local Post Office so we did not see any mail for us.
Our next adventure was more of a break than a field trip. For the first time ever, our family went tent camping at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground. We went with another family who kindly loaned us their tent. Not only did the kids have such a great time hanging out, but us adults also got to relax and enjoy some uninterrupted conversation. Spoiler Alert: We had such a great time with our friends that we have already planned our next trip together. Look out for another camping blog in a few months.
Next trip took us to a place I always wanted to go to as a child: Marineland. Located just south of Saint Augustine, Marineland used to be a dolphin show theater complete with stadium and animal entertainment. As a kid I remember looking at the brochures and begging my parents to go. After hurricane Charley in 2006, the facility closed with no harm to the dolphins but much damage to the stadium and surrounding buildings. It is now reopened as an education center focusing on dolphin conservation and education. The kids got to touch and feed the dolphins, learn about their anatomy and habits, and finally go on a "Behind the Seas" tour featuring a history of the place along with several aquariums. Here are some of the pictures we took.
So that wraps up January - March. This week is technically our Spring Break, but with all the great trips we've taken lately we thought we'd just spend some time at home and work on some much needed projects around the house. For me as a homeschooling mom of three, it sounds like another great 'break from reality'. :)
Sunday, January 26, 2014
How do we get this far, this fast? [The Lost Blog Entry]
As I was working on my blog this week, I realized that one of the reasons I'm so far behind is that my last entry was never published! Ooops! Here's what I should have posted last year!
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Once again the end of the year is upon us and looking back on my blog I realize more and more weeks pass in between entries. Are we doing less? Not a chance. I have more material than ever... just less time to write about it. Here's a quick update:
Birthday: Yes I turned 45. Yikes! It was actually a very nice day. The kids made me breakfast in bed and later that afternoon my husband took me to Melting Pot for afternoon happy hour with cheese fondue.
Vacation: Denny and I went to Nashville. We spent the first day and evening with his sister and family and then drove east to Rock Island for little hiking. It was a short three day visit, but a much needed break from the kids and the regular day to day stuff.
Thanksgiving: The whole family flew back up to Nashville to celebrate with the LeRoy side of the family. It was great to see the cousins all together and we had ample time to catch up with everyone. In addition, Becky and Mark invited several members of their small group at church so we had really festive and lively bunch.
One of the highlights of our time was a family outing to the Parthenon in Nashville. This is really cool replica of the original surrounds by a beautiful park. We took lots of pictures.
Before our time was over we made sure to get a professional cousins picture. I think it turned out really well and it was certainly a lot easier than it had been when they were younger.
Field Trips: We took plenty of field trips over past few weeks. Some of them include: An AM radio station, a college TV station, and the Planetarium. All of them were interesting and as usual, I think I learned as much as the kids did.
Theater: Kat made her acting début in a winter showcase performance inspired by The Polar Express. Her part was small, but she hit every line and got quite a few laughs. We couldn't be more proud of her and can see a real talent blooming. Most importantly, she really enjoyed it and wants to do more.
_________________________________________________________
Once again the end of the year is upon us and looking back on my blog I realize more and more weeks pass in between entries. Are we doing less? Not a chance. I have more material than ever... just less time to write about it. Here's a quick update:
Birthday: Yes I turned 45. Yikes! It was actually a very nice day. The kids made me breakfast in bed and later that afternoon my husband took me to Melting Pot for afternoon happy hour with cheese fondue.
Vacation: Denny and I went to Nashville. We spent the first day and evening with his sister and family and then drove east to Rock Island for little hiking. It was a short three day visit, but a much needed break from the kids and the regular day to day stuff.
Thanksgiving: The whole family flew back up to Nashville to celebrate with the LeRoy side of the family. It was great to see the cousins all together and we had ample time to catch up with everyone. In addition, Becky and Mark invited several members of their small group at church so we had really festive and lively bunch.
One of the highlights of our time was a family outing to the Parthenon in Nashville. This is really cool replica of the original surrounds by a beautiful park. We took lots of pictures.
Before our time was over we made sure to get a professional cousins picture. I think it turned out really well and it was certainly a lot easier than it had been when they were younger.
Field Trips: We took plenty of field trips over past few weeks. Some of them include: An AM radio station, a college TV station, and the Planetarium. All of them were interesting and as usual, I think I learned as much as the kids did.
Theater: Kat made her acting début in a winter showcase performance inspired by The Polar Express. Her part was small, but she hit every line and got quite a few laughs. We couldn't be more proud of her and can see a real talent blooming. Most importantly, she really enjoyed it and wants to do more.
Continuing On and Starting Fresh
Every time I check my blog page I think, Yup...it's still true that I haven't written since Halloween. My next thought is: Gee, I really should do something about that. And then my next: There's so much to write about...maybe tomorrow I'll tackle it. And that's how one ends up being three months behind. Uggh!
Obviously I'm not going to reflect on the end of the year with any degree of detail and substance other than to say, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Nashville, TN and a fabulous Christmas and New Year's here at home.
I felt like we stopped our homeschooling for the year at a reasonable place. I can't say we finished everything, but I did not feel panic when we closed the book; however, I did feel some stress at the beginning of 2014 not knowing exactly how the second semester would look. After much research (crammed into two or three days) I made the final selections.
For my 9th grader:
Continuing on: Math-U-See Algebra I, Notgrass World History, Biology 101, Analytical Grammar (finishing soon), 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, and ice skating lessons
Starting Fresh: Excellence in Literature, The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-fiction in High School, Art of Argument, and Biology Lab (co-op class)
For my 8th grader:
Continuing on: Math-U-See Algebra I, Notgrass World History, Biology 101, AG (finishing soon), 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, and tennis lessons
Starting Fresh: 8th Grade Literature (making it up as I go), The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-fiction in High School, Art of Argument, and Biology Lab (co-op class)
For my 5th grader:
Continuing on: Math-U-See Epsilon (and sometimes Life of Fred, Liver), Apologia Swimming Creatures, Spelling Power, Proverbs (Notgrass drawing/devotion), flute lessons, and Acting III
Starting Fresh: Composition for the Reluctant and Eager Writer, Reading/Literature (making it up as I go), German lessons (given by friend), voice lessons, and musical theater
So, if you have any questions about these curriculums, I'd be happy to give you my two cents worth. We're about three weeks into it and so far so good.
We still have several field trips planned, a winter formal dance next month, and we will continue to do monthly archery lessons and weekly park day with other homeschoolers. I think the only thing I'd like to see more of is physical fitness. Aside from the odd lesson here and there, it's really hard to find the time and the desire to have a regular physical fitness type of event. I think maybe I need to add one more thing to the schedule... a morning running class. I think I'll have them start that tomorrow. :)
Obviously I'm not going to reflect on the end of the year with any degree of detail and substance other than to say, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Nashville, TN and a fabulous Christmas and New Year's here at home.
I felt like we stopped our homeschooling for the year at a reasonable place. I can't say we finished everything, but I did not feel panic when we closed the book; however, I did feel some stress at the beginning of 2014 not knowing exactly how the second semester would look. After much research (crammed into two or three days) I made the final selections.
For my 9th grader:
Continuing on: Math-U-See Algebra I, Notgrass World History, Biology 101, Analytical Grammar (finishing soon), 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, and ice skating lessons
Starting Fresh: Excellence in Literature, The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-fiction in High School, Art of Argument, and Biology Lab (co-op class)
For my 8th grader:
Continuing on: Math-U-See Algebra I, Notgrass World History, Biology 101, AG (finishing soon), 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, and tennis lessons
Starting Fresh: 8th Grade Literature (making it up as I go), The Power in Your Hands: Writing Non-fiction in High School, Art of Argument, and Biology Lab (co-op class)
For my 5th grader:
Continuing on: Math-U-See Epsilon (and sometimes Life of Fred, Liver), Apologia Swimming Creatures, Spelling Power, Proverbs (Notgrass drawing/devotion), flute lessons, and Acting III
Starting Fresh: Composition for the Reluctant and Eager Writer, Reading/Literature (making it up as I go), German lessons (given by friend), voice lessons, and musical theater
So, if you have any questions about these curriculums, I'd be happy to give you my two cents worth. We're about three weeks into it and so far so good.
We still have several field trips planned, a winter formal dance next month, and we will continue to do monthly archery lessons and weekly park day with other homeschoolers. I think the only thing I'd like to see more of is physical fitness. Aside from the odd lesson here and there, it's really hard to find the time and the desire to have a regular physical fitness type of event. I think maybe I need to add one more thing to the schedule... a morning running class. I think I'll have them start that tomorrow. :)
Saturday, November 2, 2013
A Happier Halloween
I've made no secret of the fact that I don't like Halloween. Of course I did when I was a kid because who doesn't want to dress up and get lots of candy? In those days Halloween was just a night in October where we dressed up in our costume pj's - yes, Sears used to sell costumes that doubled as pj's - and we drove around to a few houses that we knew and got a small amount of candy. Here are some pictures of my sister and I.
As we got older we would go to a family friend's neighborhood, which was much better suited for walking, and stock up on treats there. Either way, the holiday was a minor event. The scariest costumes were that of a witch with a pointy hat or possibly a kid dressed up as a ghost with a sheet over his head. This is not true today.
My true dislike for Halloween began a few years after Emily and James were born. They were about 3 and 2 respectively and we were on our usual morning trip to our local grocery store in early October when all of a sudden both of the kids started crying and cowering in the grocery cart. I looked over to see one of the creepiest scariest Halloween displays on the aisle next to the baby food and diapers. Seriously?? Halloween wasn't for several weeks and this display was something I would expect to see in a horror movie, not a grocery store. For the rest of the month I had to find ways to avoid several stores, displays, and even decorated houses. I know some people love the "scary stuff" but my kids did not and neither did I.
The above was taken before the grocery store experience, but you can see on James's face he was having none of it!
As the years past we found several church functions to attend and the kids dressed up in many adorable costumes. We tried to avoid the objectionable aspects to the holiday and found clever ways to thin-out their candy loot so they wouldn't eat too much junk.
Once they started elementary school it was even more difficult to shelter them from what was now clearly the "Season of Halloween". Starting on October 1st the teachers decorated the classroom and bulletin boards with witches and ghosts, read scary themed books, and planned parties and costume parades. While Christmas displays became more and more controversial, Halloween displays became something to truly celebrate. When the kids asked about the origins of Halloween, my husband and I started reading up on it. Nothing we read about brought honor and glory to God. I knew we weren't practicing paganism, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't right either. From that point forward we started to differentiate Christmas and Easter, which are holidays that our family celebrates to honor God, from Halloween, which although has pagan roots that we don't celebrate, we do participate in some of the harmless traditions like dressing up and Trick or Treating.
Now that we homeschool and the kids are older, they really seem to understand that there is an ugly side to Halloween that we shun but also a redeeming side where we can outreach to the community through church events as well as on our own by meeting neighbors and fellowshipping with friends.
I haven't always felt this way, but thanks to a reminder from one of my good friends who invited us to Trick or Treat with them this year, I realize that the holiday is what you make of it which can be either good or bad. Having said that... it didn't start out so well.
Costume + teen = drama. This year I was adamant about not spending a lot of money on store bought costumes. My youngest had several choices of previously worn costumes (never seen by this group), but those weren't good enough. "Who wants to dress up as the same thing twice?" she argues. " I want to be Little Red Riding Hood," she declares. My son had a very reasonable suggestion of being a cowboy this year. He doesn't have a hat or boots, but I didn't think that would be too hard to get. My oldest wanted to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She had a blue dress that with some tweaking would work. All we needed was some shoes and a few accessories. Off we went to our local Halloween store.
Spirit: nothing. Goodwill: nothing. Target: nothing but an expensive red cape that was too big. Walmart: nothing. So we drove 20 minutes to another area. Party City: a few items, but expensive. Halloween City: a cowboy hat for $20. Not happening. Salvation Army: nothing. Out of desperation we went to Hobby Lobby for fabric. I figured maybe I could make something, but there were two problems. First, I don't sew all that well and second, fabric is expensive. I left the store with the girls in tears, James exhausted (although a good sport), and me fuming mad because I had wasted several hours and we had nothing to show for it.
The girls, recognizing my disgust and realizing they weren't going to get what they want this year, quickly became creative and starting putting together 50's outfits from clothes they already had. Brilliant! Use stuff we have and make the best of it! What a novel idea! Soon we had James on board and eventually they convinced Dennis and I to join in the fun. We didn't have the best costumes this year, but it was good enough and we spent very little.
We met up with our friends at a local park and we took so many pictures you might think we were photographing famous kids. The girls had no problem striking poses, but the boys just stood there biding their time.
Of course us moms got in on the action too.
The rest of the evening was really quite nice. The kids ran from house to house while us adults got to hang back and socialize. Aside from a swarm of mosquitos at dusk and a few wrong turns it was truly a wonderful evening. I think the kids had a great time too. They definitely landed a lot of candy which a large portion of will be "bought back" by us and then donated to the troops overseas.
All in all, this was a much Happier Halloween!!
As we got older we would go to a family friend's neighborhood, which was much better suited for walking, and stock up on treats there. Either way, the holiday was a minor event. The scariest costumes were that of a witch with a pointy hat or possibly a kid dressed up as a ghost with a sheet over his head. This is not true today.
My true dislike for Halloween began a few years after Emily and James were born. They were about 3 and 2 respectively and we were on our usual morning trip to our local grocery store in early October when all of a sudden both of the kids started crying and cowering in the grocery cart. I looked over to see one of the creepiest scariest Halloween displays on the aisle next to the baby food and diapers. Seriously?? Halloween wasn't for several weeks and this display was something I would expect to see in a horror movie, not a grocery store. For the rest of the month I had to find ways to avoid several stores, displays, and even decorated houses. I know some people love the "scary stuff" but my kids did not and neither did I.
The above was taken before the grocery store experience, but you can see on James's face he was having none of it!
As the years past we found several church functions to attend and the kids dressed up in many adorable costumes. We tried to avoid the objectionable aspects to the holiday and found clever ways to thin-out their candy loot so they wouldn't eat too much junk.
Once they started elementary school it was even more difficult to shelter them from what was now clearly the "Season of Halloween". Starting on October 1st the teachers decorated the classroom and bulletin boards with witches and ghosts, read scary themed books, and planned parties and costume parades. While Christmas displays became more and more controversial, Halloween displays became something to truly celebrate. When the kids asked about the origins of Halloween, my husband and I started reading up on it. Nothing we read about brought honor and glory to God. I knew we weren't practicing paganism, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't right either. From that point forward we started to differentiate Christmas and Easter, which are holidays that our family celebrates to honor God, from Halloween, which although has pagan roots that we don't celebrate, we do participate in some of the harmless traditions like dressing up and Trick or Treating.
Now that we homeschool and the kids are older, they really seem to understand that there is an ugly side to Halloween that we shun but also a redeeming side where we can outreach to the community through church events as well as on our own by meeting neighbors and fellowshipping with friends.
I haven't always felt this way, but thanks to a reminder from one of my good friends who invited us to Trick or Treat with them this year, I realize that the holiday is what you make of it which can be either good or bad. Having said that... it didn't start out so well.
Costume + teen = drama. This year I was adamant about not spending a lot of money on store bought costumes. My youngest had several choices of previously worn costumes (never seen by this group), but those weren't good enough. "Who wants to dress up as the same thing twice?" she argues. " I want to be Little Red Riding Hood," she declares. My son had a very reasonable suggestion of being a cowboy this year. He doesn't have a hat or boots, but I didn't think that would be too hard to get. My oldest wanted to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She had a blue dress that with some tweaking would work. All we needed was some shoes and a few accessories. Off we went to our local Halloween store.
Spirit: nothing. Goodwill: nothing. Target: nothing but an expensive red cape that was too big. Walmart: nothing. So we drove 20 minutes to another area. Party City: a few items, but expensive. Halloween City: a cowboy hat for $20. Not happening. Salvation Army: nothing. Out of desperation we went to Hobby Lobby for fabric. I figured maybe I could make something, but there were two problems. First, I don't sew all that well and second, fabric is expensive. I left the store with the girls in tears, James exhausted (although a good sport), and me fuming mad because I had wasted several hours and we had nothing to show for it.
The girls, recognizing my disgust and realizing they weren't going to get what they want this year, quickly became creative and starting putting together 50's outfits from clothes they already had. Brilliant! Use stuff we have and make the best of it! What a novel idea! Soon we had James on board and eventually they convinced Dennis and I to join in the fun. We didn't have the best costumes this year, but it was good enough and we spent very little.
We met up with our friends at a local park and we took so many pictures you might think we were photographing famous kids. The girls had no problem striking poses, but the boys just stood there biding their time.
Of course us moms got in on the action too.
The rest of the evening was really quite nice. The kids ran from house to house while us adults got to hang back and socialize. Aside from a swarm of mosquitos at dusk and a few wrong turns it was truly a wonderful evening. I think the kids had a great time too. They definitely landed a lot of candy which a large portion of will be "bought back" by us and then donated to the troops overseas.
All in all, this was a much Happier Halloween!!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Holy Land "Experience"
This week's homeschool field trip took us to Orlando's Holy Land Experience... and "experience" it was. I want to be careful here lest I sound blasphemous, but never before have I treaded so closely to a line while meandering through this Bible themed tourist attraction. Here's what I mean...
We waited outside the main entrance which was modeled after the Damascus and Jaffa Gates of Jerusalem. This was pretty neat.
Once inside we made our first stop the restroom. This photo was taken inside the Ladies Room. Strange, but okaaay. I was puzzled by the chairs and not sure if the intention was to make us feel like queens or to be a preview of restrooms in heaven? See... I'm close to the line.
Inside the "Jerusalem Street Market" there were vendors dressed up in beautiful costumes. I really don't know if they were authentic or not. The women actually looked a little more Hindu than Israeli to me. Either way we proceeded on to find this...
I don't know what to say. It's a Tammy Faye Bakker full life-size cardboard cutout... and my husband posing with her. The kids, who naturally don't know who she is, inquired if she was someone from the Jersey Shore show. We laughed and moved on before anyone could see the expressions on our faces.
Next up was a rock structure which Kat started climbing on and asked to have her picture taken. She did not notice what was behind her nor did I as I was just 'taking the picture'. Once the photo was snapped and I looked more closely to see that it was a whipping post similar to what Jesus might have endured. Understanding the gravity, I felt bad for taking such a frivolous shot.
Moving on quickly... we entered the Temple Plaza which featured a replica of the Temple of Jerusalem during the reign of Harod, 66 A.D. It was majestic for sure and really quite amazing to think that it might have looked similar in those days.
Inside the temple is a room housing some replicas which were truly fascinating. Here's one of the Ark of the Covenant. This room afforded many historical conversations.
Just when we started to get excited about the content of this field trip, we then wondered into a room of wax figures which were bedazzled, bejeweled, and basically over-the-top decked out. They were posed to depict several of the stories of Jesus.
On one hand they were beautiful... like pieces of art. On the other hand, there was something "over-the-top" about the whole thing. Here's James checking it out.
The wax figure room (as many of the other areas) always ends in a gift shop. The kids and I were drawn to the merchandise and started browsing around. After a few minutes of surveying the room, it became apparent that there might be something wrong. I'm not saying there was, I'm just saying that I didn't feel right about the "branding" of Jesus merchandise. Bedazzled cross shirts and handbags, pens, pencils, magnets, hats... anything you want with either the Holy Land logo or something 'religious' on it. I know it's the world we live in... and in some ways I really liked the stuff, but in others it just felt like it cheapened the experience. Inside the shop were these chairs. Again, is this what shopping will be like in heaven?
Also inside the shop was a miniature replica of Jerusalem. This was an excellent display allowing us to get a real feel for the layout, size, and scope of the city. I had always wondered in my mind what they meant by inner and outer walls. This display really helped us understand how the city was organized. From there we headed out the door and happened upon this scene...
This is a full water fountain show set to a very loud rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus blaring from the speakers above. If you are wondering what it is in front of Kat, it's a life size cardboard cutout of Jesus walking on water. Yup. Jesus. Cardboard. Water. If you think that might be a bit tacky, you should know that we saw the real Jesus (well, a man dressed up as Jesus) walking along the path complete with people following him and a young child walking by his side. If you could suspend reality there's something inside that stirs you up and makes you wish you could join them. But being a practical person, I know this is just an actor playing a part and for some reason it kind of creeps me out seeing him followed as if he really is Jesus.
It's hard to see in this picture, but the people on the left are listening to him give the Sermon on the Mount speech.
Our next (and final) stop was the Scriptorium. This was worth the price of admission! It is a narrated 55 minute long tour explaining how we got the Bible. It included authentic and ancient artifacts from around the world. We saw tablets, scrolls, and very old bibles. There were a few wax animated figures such as Tyndale, Wycliffe, and Gutenberg, but most of the focus was on the texts themselves. We really appreciated the historical significance of the works on display and learned a lot about the history of the Bible. I would highly recommend this exhibit to anyone. (Cameras and Video are not allowed in the Scriptorium or else I would have taken plenty!)
The Holy Land Experience offers many live shows and performances which we did not take advantage of. I'm sure you would need an entire day or two to see everything. After a few hours we felt like we had had our fill so we headed to the parking to devour our P.B. & J sandwiches we packed for lunch.
As to my overall impression... like I said... it was a fine line between being respectful of the seriousness of what was being portrayed and being in awe of the authenticity in some areas, and yet also poking fun at the hokeyness [a new word I just made up] of mass marketed Jesus merchandise, cardboard cutouts, bedazzled costumes, and a real-life person walking around as Jesus. I kind of wish they would have stuck to a more historical "real" feel to the whole thing.
Bottom line, I'm glad we went. We learned a lot. We had a great time, but no... we won't be going back. Once in a lifetime is probably enough for this attraction.
We waited outside the main entrance which was modeled after the Damascus and Jaffa Gates of Jerusalem. This was pretty neat.
Once inside we made our first stop the restroom. This photo was taken inside the Ladies Room. Strange, but okaaay. I was puzzled by the chairs and not sure if the intention was to make us feel like queens or to be a preview of restrooms in heaven? See... I'm close to the line.
Inside the "Jerusalem Street Market" there were vendors dressed up in beautiful costumes. I really don't know if they were authentic or not. The women actually looked a little more Hindu than Israeli to me. Either way we proceeded on to find this...
I don't know what to say. It's a Tammy Faye Bakker full life-size cardboard cutout... and my husband posing with her. The kids, who naturally don't know who she is, inquired if she was someone from the Jersey Shore show. We laughed and moved on before anyone could see the expressions on our faces.
Next up was a rock structure which Kat started climbing on and asked to have her picture taken. She did not notice what was behind her nor did I as I was just 'taking the picture'. Once the photo was snapped and I looked more closely to see that it was a whipping post similar to what Jesus might have endured. Understanding the gravity, I felt bad for taking such a frivolous shot.
Moving on quickly... we entered the Temple Plaza which featured a replica of the Temple of Jerusalem during the reign of Harod, 66 A.D. It was majestic for sure and really quite amazing to think that it might have looked similar in those days.
Inside the temple is a room housing some replicas which were truly fascinating. Here's one of the Ark of the Covenant. This room afforded many historical conversations.
Just when we started to get excited about the content of this field trip, we then wondered into a room of wax figures which were bedazzled, bejeweled, and basically over-the-top decked out. They were posed to depict several of the stories of Jesus.
On one hand they were beautiful... like pieces of art. On the other hand, there was something "over-the-top" about the whole thing. Here's James checking it out.
The wax figure room (as many of the other areas) always ends in a gift shop. The kids and I were drawn to the merchandise and started browsing around. After a few minutes of surveying the room, it became apparent that there might be something wrong. I'm not saying there was, I'm just saying that I didn't feel right about the "branding" of Jesus merchandise. Bedazzled cross shirts and handbags, pens, pencils, magnets, hats... anything you want with either the Holy Land logo or something 'religious' on it. I know it's the world we live in... and in some ways I really liked the stuff, but in others it just felt like it cheapened the experience. Inside the shop were these chairs. Again, is this what shopping will be like in heaven?
Also inside the shop was a miniature replica of Jerusalem. This was an excellent display allowing us to get a real feel for the layout, size, and scope of the city. I had always wondered in my mind what they meant by inner and outer walls. This display really helped us understand how the city was organized. From there we headed out the door and happened upon this scene...
This is a full water fountain show set to a very loud rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus blaring from the speakers above. If you are wondering what it is in front of Kat, it's a life size cardboard cutout of Jesus walking on water. Yup. Jesus. Cardboard. Water. If you think that might be a bit tacky, you should know that we saw the real Jesus (well, a man dressed up as Jesus) walking along the path complete with people following him and a young child walking by his side. If you could suspend reality there's something inside that stirs you up and makes you wish you could join them. But being a practical person, I know this is just an actor playing a part and for some reason it kind of creeps me out seeing him followed as if he really is Jesus.
It's hard to see in this picture, but the people on the left are listening to him give the Sermon on the Mount speech.
Our next (and final) stop was the Scriptorium. This was worth the price of admission! It is a narrated 55 minute long tour explaining how we got the Bible. It included authentic and ancient artifacts from around the world. We saw tablets, scrolls, and very old bibles. There were a few wax animated figures such as Tyndale, Wycliffe, and Gutenberg, but most of the focus was on the texts themselves. We really appreciated the historical significance of the works on display and learned a lot about the history of the Bible. I would highly recommend this exhibit to anyone. (Cameras and Video are not allowed in the Scriptorium or else I would have taken plenty!)
The Holy Land Experience offers many live shows and performances which we did not take advantage of. I'm sure you would need an entire day or two to see everything. After a few hours we felt like we had had our fill so we headed to the parking to devour our P.B. & J sandwiches we packed for lunch.
As to my overall impression... like I said... it was a fine line between being respectful of the seriousness of what was being portrayed and being in awe of the authenticity in some areas, and yet also poking fun at the hokeyness [a new word I just made up] of mass marketed Jesus merchandise, cardboard cutouts, bedazzled costumes, and a real-life person walking around as Jesus. I kind of wish they would have stuck to a more historical "real" feel to the whole thing.
Bottom line, I'm glad we went. We learned a lot. We had a great time, but no... we won't be going back. Once in a lifetime is probably enough for this attraction.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Picture [not so] Perfect
What is it about professional picture taking that sends shivers up my spine? Well, if you're a mom of more than one child you probably already know. As a matter of fact, you could probably write this blog for me. You've been there, done that. I have too, yet I choose to do this to myself once or twice a year. This year was no different.
Since the birth of my first child, I've been on a quest to have her picture professionally taken every few months and then later once a year. I don't really know why I do this because with today's technology her every move has been documented in multiple formats. Trust me, if you want to know what she looked like at 16 months and 3 days, I have pictures. It all started so innocently... a coupon to Sears (our closest portrait studio at the time) for a baby picture. How could I say no? I bought a really cute outfit for her and made an appointment. During this experience I learned some things I never considered.
1. Babies puke (a lot). Outfits don't look so cute when they are stained with wet milk, so multiple outfits will be required and they can not be dressed until the last second.
2. Babies sleep (a lot). Waking up a sleepy baby is not good so from now on appointments would have to been timed very carefully.
3. Babies cry (a lot). They do not smile on cue no matter what faces you make or how much you plead. They don't care how much effort you made to get there or how many people are waiting in line behind you. Speaking of that, even the most carefully timed appointment will never start on time chiefly because of the reasons stated above.
All experienced mothers know these things yet something inside us [or maybe it's a grandparent's urging] compels us to seek out professional photography. In a portrait studio the lighting is just right (no red eyes), the background is carefully chosen (no toys on the floor), the outfits are coordinated (no stains), and the hair is styled complete with curls, bows, etc. (rather than unkempt). We can attempt to control the environment, but the one thing we can not control is the image that gets captured on the screen. That's the part which feels more like rolling the dice. Will they smile naturally or will we get one of those 'forced' grins? Will their personality shine through or will it look like someone we hardly recognize? And that's the crux of it isn't it? We want their pictures to genuinely reflect how we perceive our kids looking. I made several photographers cry when I've said, "No, that really doesn't look like them. Can we try it again?"
Emily's first professional picture. She set the bar high. This remains one of my all time favorite pictures. What you don't see is how covered with spit up I was while getting ready for our turn.
As we moved through toddlerhood and then on to school-age, the photography events got easier in some ways (no more spitting up and napping) but much harder in others. I remember chasing Emily around the studio trying to get her to stand in one place, pleading with James to wear a nice shirt (and not use it as a napkin), and bribing Kat with ice cream, toys and many other things.
The top picture is Emily and bottom one is Kat. Just to make things more difficult, I dressed them in the same dress. What you may not notice is that Emily would not stand still. This is the only picture actually in focus.
Complicating matters, now there was not only individual pictures but group photos as well.
In this picture James' sensitive area was literally being crushed. I had no idea until they stood up and he burst into tears. I can't even look at this picture without thinking of how much pain he was in. Poor boy!
Add in Christmas family pictures, cousins' pictures, and the ever dreaded school pictures (which we rarely purchased since there were too many variables out of my control - think closed eyes, goofy grins, hair standing up, etc.) and you have an event worth sheer dread/loathing/distain... take your pick.
I have no idea what James was thinking here, but clearly "say cheese" did not motive him to smile. The rest of us look decent, so this is the one we went with. Makes me laugh when I see it though.
A few weeks ago I purchased a Groupon to JC Penny's for one of their photo packages. I knew it'd be time for school pictures soon and given that at least two of my kids are teens now, I thought it would probably be easier than ever. Wrong. So wrong. My first mistake was waiting till the day of to get my 14 year old's hair cut. Drama. Mistake number two was not planning coordinating outfits (not matching... those days are long over). Drama. Mistake number three was assuming I could just find something quickly at the store where the pictures were being taken. More drama. The studio kindly pushed my appointment time back so we could shop a little longer but that did not help at all. That just allowed time for more stress, a few tears (Emily's mascara running), hungry stomachs (James and I didn't eat lunch), and pouting about not having the right shoes (Kat wearing boots and Emily in sandals). Ugggh!
In the end we did find something to wear and I must say the kids were very cooperative during the picture taking part. Praise God for that! They even waited patiently while the pictures uploaded and were also easy going about the selections. That part is always harder for me. The coupons never really give you exactly what you want. Plus they're always so sneaky about putting collages together that look adorable but aren't part of the package. And still a concern is whether the expression captured really reflects your child as you see them. Add in a husband or grandparents' opinion and it really gets complicated. I've been known to either walk away from pictures I wish I had purchased as well as purchased some I really shouldn't have. It's not an easy task, at least for this mama. I've said "never again" more than once, but when I look back at each picture I'm not just remembering a moment in time, I'm really remembering an experience. Some of them more difficult than others, but definitely all worth while.
These pictures will represent their 9th, 8th, and 5th grade year. You may see typical kid smiles, but I see a whole afternoon worth of drama. I wonder what they'll remember of this day when they grow up. My meltdown? Their new clothes? Being really hungry?
Since the birth of my first child, I've been on a quest to have her picture professionally taken every few months and then later once a year. I don't really know why I do this because with today's technology her every move has been documented in multiple formats. Trust me, if you want to know what she looked like at 16 months and 3 days, I have pictures. It all started so innocently... a coupon to Sears (our closest portrait studio at the time) for a baby picture. How could I say no? I bought a really cute outfit for her and made an appointment. During this experience I learned some things I never considered.
1. Babies puke (a lot). Outfits don't look so cute when they are stained with wet milk, so multiple outfits will be required and they can not be dressed until the last second.
2. Babies sleep (a lot). Waking up a sleepy baby is not good so from now on appointments would have to been timed very carefully.
3. Babies cry (a lot). They do not smile on cue no matter what faces you make or how much you plead. They don't care how much effort you made to get there or how many people are waiting in line behind you. Speaking of that, even the most carefully timed appointment will never start on time chiefly because of the reasons stated above.
All experienced mothers know these things yet something inside us [or maybe it's a grandparent's urging] compels us to seek out professional photography. In a portrait studio the lighting is just right (no red eyes), the background is carefully chosen (no toys on the floor), the outfits are coordinated (no stains), and the hair is styled complete with curls, bows, etc. (rather than unkempt). We can attempt to control the environment, but the one thing we can not control is the image that gets captured on the screen. That's the part which feels more like rolling the dice. Will they smile naturally or will we get one of those 'forced' grins? Will their personality shine through or will it look like someone we hardly recognize? And that's the crux of it isn't it? We want their pictures to genuinely reflect how we perceive our kids looking. I made several photographers cry when I've said, "No, that really doesn't look like them. Can we try it again?"
Emily's first professional picture. She set the bar high. This remains one of my all time favorite pictures. What you don't see is how covered with spit up I was while getting ready for our turn.
As we moved through toddlerhood and then on to school-age, the photography events got easier in some ways (no more spitting up and napping) but much harder in others. I remember chasing Emily around the studio trying to get her to stand in one place, pleading with James to wear a nice shirt (and not use it as a napkin), and bribing Kat with ice cream, toys and many other things.
The top picture is Emily and bottom one is Kat. Just to make things more difficult, I dressed them in the same dress. What you may not notice is that Emily would not stand still. This is the only picture actually in focus.
Complicating matters, now there was not only individual pictures but group photos as well.
In this picture James' sensitive area was literally being crushed. I had no idea until they stood up and he burst into tears. I can't even look at this picture without thinking of how much pain he was in. Poor boy!
Add in Christmas family pictures, cousins' pictures, and the ever dreaded school pictures (which we rarely purchased since there were too many variables out of my control - think closed eyes, goofy grins, hair standing up, etc.) and you have an event worth sheer dread/loathing/distain... take your pick.
I have no idea what James was thinking here, but clearly "say cheese" did not motive him to smile. The rest of us look decent, so this is the one we went with. Makes me laugh when I see it though.
A few weeks ago I purchased a Groupon to JC Penny's for one of their photo packages. I knew it'd be time for school pictures soon and given that at least two of my kids are teens now, I thought it would probably be easier than ever. Wrong. So wrong. My first mistake was waiting till the day of to get my 14 year old's hair cut. Drama. Mistake number two was not planning coordinating outfits (not matching... those days are long over). Drama. Mistake number three was assuming I could just find something quickly at the store where the pictures were being taken. More drama. The studio kindly pushed my appointment time back so we could shop a little longer but that did not help at all. That just allowed time for more stress, a few tears (Emily's mascara running), hungry stomachs (James and I didn't eat lunch), and pouting about not having the right shoes (Kat wearing boots and Emily in sandals). Ugggh!
In the end we did find something to wear and I must say the kids were very cooperative during the picture taking part. Praise God for that! They even waited patiently while the pictures uploaded and were also easy going about the selections. That part is always harder for me. The coupons never really give you exactly what you want. Plus they're always so sneaky about putting collages together that look adorable but aren't part of the package. And still a concern is whether the expression captured really reflects your child as you see them. Add in a husband or grandparents' opinion and it really gets complicated. I've been known to either walk away from pictures I wish I had purchased as well as purchased some I really shouldn't have. It's not an easy task, at least for this mama. I've said "never again" more than once, but when I look back at each picture I'm not just remembering a moment in time, I'm really remembering an experience. Some of them more difficult than others, but definitely all worth while.
These pictures will represent their 9th, 8th, and 5th grade year. You may see typical kid smiles, but I see a whole afternoon worth of drama. I wonder what they'll remember of this day when they grow up. My meltdown? Their new clothes? Being really hungry?
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