The Haunted Cornfield

We (meaning Bruce, Erica, Stephen, Hannia, and myself) all headed out to
Briley's Haunted Farm last night .
It really is a lot of fun, and oh my Lord the number of people there. There was a line for the haunted cornfield that was a mile long. Well, I don't know if it was actually a FULL mile, but it was really, really, really LONG!!!! We bought a combo ticket, meaning we went through both the haunted cornfield AND the un-haunted corn maze, so we got to avoid the lines AND the wait. A word of advice...its is so worth the combo ticket. Our waiting was minimal. And that made it way more fun, because seriously? I imagine those people waiting in line for just the haunted cornfield probably had to wait for several hours. Maybe more. This attraction has become very popular around here, apparently.

Anyway, this year the haunted cornfield was LOOONNNGGG. It felt like we hiked a couple of miles through the corn. Various creatures, monsters and goblins jumped out at us, waved screaming chain saws at us, chased us, and even mocked us. Well, one monster mocked ME! I giggle like a girly school kid when I get nervous, and I just couldn't help it. He followed me around and every time that I giggled, he giggled in a mocking way right back at me. How dare that little creepy guy!!!! LOL.

The scariest parts, though, played on my own personal claustrophobia. There is this one little building that you have to go through where the walls are a parachute type fabric (like those blow up decorations that people put out in their front yards). The walls are being blown in from both sides with a heavy-duty fan/blower, and you literally have to squeeze your body through it in pitch black darkness, with no clue as to how long it is before you reach the end. I got about halfway through it and felt a tremor of panic deep in my soul.....but I managed to hold it together and make it through without freaking out (too badly), wetting myself, or dying.

And the second scariest thing was the maze at the very end. Its a building with walls that form narrow corridors that twist and turn, and it goes on FOREVER. I thought we would be lost in there forever. Its completely dark, you have to feel your way through it, finding the right turns or left turns by touch. I ended up at the very end of our group, and I heard something shuffling along behind me several times. Which made me want to push forward to get away from the shuffle monster, but the rest of my group was slowly trying to feel their way through the darkness, and there was no hurrying about any of it. Also? Its hot and airless in there, so claustrophobia sets in early on.

But we emerged intact, and laughing, so then we set off to the corn maze. That one is not haunted, or scary, but it IS large and elaborate. Luckily, we brought flashlights and we able to read the map that they give you....(ok, not me, I wasn't able to read the map, but I was a good follower...its a talent). You have to find 12 different check points to punch the numbers on your card, and it takes quite a while. Its dark, and the paths through the corn are really twisty and confusing. The whole thing has a creepy "we might get lost forever" kind of vibe, but it is fun. And while you don't win a prize for completing the whole maze, and finding all 12 check points, there is a sense of accomplishment. We had an excellent night out there.

And for the faint of heart, there is also a petting zoo, and a large pumpkin patch market area....they had gourds of every imaginable kind, including some of those strange albino white pumpkins. You should go out there. It ends on Halloween night, so its only open for 1 more week!

Children and Responsibility

Do you "help" your kids with their homework? Do you take charge of their assignments and monitor every move to make sure it gets done? I know parents who agonize over homework every single night, and I just don't get it. Maybe our family was the odd duck, I really don't know. But I do know that from about 2nd grade onward, my children were solely responsible for keeping track of their assignments, doing the work, and turning it in. I provided the tools, the workspace, and the atmosphere to study. But I did NOT do the work, I didn't nag them to get it done, and other than helping call out questions or vocabulary words before a test or a quiz, I didn't have a big part in it. I finished school. It wasn't my responsibility.

Luckily my kids were smart, responsible, and wouldn't have wanted to get behind or suffer the shame of not turning in an assignment. They did it because they wanted to. They did it for themselves. For the most part that strategy of making them responsible worked perfectly. The only time we had a glitch was once when Stephen was in 7th grade. I did monitor grades, and progress reports closely so that I could intervene if a problem surfaced. That one time, I saw that his vocabulary test grades were really slipping. I investigated. It turns out that he was copying the words down wrong from the board, so even though he was studying, he was studying them WRONG. Poor kid. I started going over his list as soon as he brought it home every Monday afternoon so we could make corrections before he started studying. And we also got an eye exam right away. He needed glasses. It fixed the problem completely.

I know both of my kids were very self-motivated. But I think it also helped them to have faith in their own abilities, to know that I trusted them with something as important as their schoolwork. I really do believe that kids become (or CAN become, but honestly some kids really do overcome even the worst parenting) what your expectations are. If you are a hovering, double-checking, over-protective parent who believes your child is incapable of dealing with things on their own, that is exactly what they become. But what happens when they grow up? Will they have enough confidence to succeed in life if they are used to Mommy taking care of everything? I don't know. I know all kids are different, and I guess some children really do need higher levels of monitoring. But some kids really could learn a valuable lesson if they were given a chance to take care of their own schoolwork. Yes, its true that they might actually fail an assignment or two. But eventually, once they realize that Mom or Dad will not pick up the slack, wouldn't that kid finally, out of some feeling of self-respect, or desire to learn or succeed figure out how to take care of these things on their own?

I don't have the answers to those questions. I know what worked for us. And I never ran around exhausted and complaining about "ALL THE HOMEWORK", because it wasn't MY homework. I did all of mine like 30 plus years ago. I guess what I'm saying is that you have to allow a child to suffer consequences sometimes. If not now, then its just a delayed reaction later. Fail an assignment now, or fail at a career (or a relationship, or at life) later. I know which one I would choose.

Halloween is on its way!!!!

I love Halloween. And fall. It might be my favorite time of the year. The weather is nice, the decorations are everywhere. Its just a nice time to relax with a cup of hot cider, and a bowl of trick or treat candy and just take a moment to catch your breath before the whole Christmas hoopla begins. A break between the scorching heat of summer, and the cold of winter.

Anyway, I am getting so excited to go on this cruise. We leave a week from this Monday. I am so ready to get away for a little while. In the meantime, let's celebrate the season with some pictures that I "borrowed" from around the internets.

3 ways to decorate with Pumpkins:

1. Cute Pumpkin




2. Scary Pumpkin





3. Elegant Filigree Pumpkin

Finally, I feel human again

Well, it took almost 2 weeks, but I am finally feeling well again. I don't know what that bug was, if it was a cold or a flu or what, but it really did kick me in the rear end. I was beginning to think I would never be able to shake it off. But it seems to be over. I am grateful, because being sick is never easy.

I got well just in time to have some fun this weekend. Bruce went down to Chris and Jessica's place at the river for a whole weekend of male bonding. Their friend Jeff came in from Washington (state), and there was a whole group of guys having a weekend long party. To escape the craziness, Jessica came up and spent Saturday night with me. There was eating out, a bit of shopping, and a night of sitting around, talking and playing cards. Stephen and Hannia came over to keep us company, and I had a really good time. I like Jessica a lot. We have a lot in common and we always have fun when we see each other. The problem is that its not all that often. She only lives an hour away, but we both have hordes of animals that make leaving home for long periods of time really difficult. Apparently the solution is to get the guys to stay in one place and babysit one set of animals, while we hang out in the other place with the other set of animals....LOL.

Anyway, I haven't written much, but I have just been too sick and too exhausted lately. Nothing has been going on other than work and trying to get myself well.
We head out on our cruise in 2 weeks, so I am just biding my time, and looking forward to getting away for a week. Erica is coming down to spend time with her brother, and to house sit/babysit the cats, dogs, and goats. I am so happy about that, because although it makes me a little jealous that she will be home and I won't be here to see her, I will feel so much more relaxed on the cruise knowing that someone is here in the house with the pets. It gives me a real peace of mind, and while I know she can't do it every time we go away, for now its a real blessing.

Listen to me!!!

I have almost completely lost my voice. And that sucks. I can't talk!!! At least I don't have to sing an opera this weekend or something. Jeez. I started getting sick on Tuesday. Its been the weirdest thing. I kept having tightness in my chest, and I had stop and think through all the information I know about having a heart attack. You know...in case I was having one. But it wasn't that...after a while it progressed to feeling like an asthma attack. I guess. I have never had asthma so I can't actually KNOW what it feels like, but I was having trouble breathing. I was at work, and just plowing through trying to act like nothing was wrong, but in the back of my mind all I could think was "What the Holy Hell IS this?"

By Tuesday evening, I had my answer. I had a really nasty cough that felt like it was ripping my chest apart, and made my throat feel like I had swallowed a bunch of razor blades. That continued right on until today. I had today off for a Dr. appointment. That didn't happen. Is it possible to be too sick to go to the Dr.? LOL. My appointment was for a thyroid blood test. I didn't feel like giving blood today. All of the congestion has moved from my chest into my head. I can't breathe still, but now its out of my nose. Damn it....I just want to be able to draw a normal breath for a change of pace.

Ok, just a whine because I can't actually whine out loud. Its just a really nasty cold and will be over soon. I am off until Monday, so hopefully I will mend up nicely before then. I wanted to spend my weekend decking the halls with Halloween decorations, but.....that might not happen. Whatever. If I can just get better I will consider that a victory.

Where have I been? Ask the Liger....

I know its silly, but I have been totally tied up with a couple of Facebook games. It will pass, eventually. The novelty will wear off. But right now, its a whole lot of fun. I am really into Mafia Wars. Part of the fun is that its one of the first games that my husband (who is much more of a gamer than I will ever be) is playing too. What? You can't picture me as a ruthless mobster? LOL. It really is a lot of fun though. I just made it to Moscow where I get to be a KGB agent turned crime lord.

This weekend was "Tiger Loot" weekend for the Mafia. Jobs and fights are randomly dropping special "loot" like tiger assault rifles, tiger tanks...etc. There are 8 items. I have 7. I am obsessively playing just trying to get that 8th item, the "Liger". Did you know there really is such an animal? Its a cross between a male lion and a female tiger. The offspring tend to be sterile, but it makes for a lion-looking animal with muted tiger stripes that likes to swim. Did you know that tigers swim, but lions hate water? Google is an amazing tool. If only I would use it for more than trivial curiosity. Oh well. I still have until Monday at midnight to try and get my freaking Liger. Oh yeah....Bruce already got one, so the pressure is ON!

The second game that is taking up all my spare time is this:



That's right, in my time off from the mob, I farm. Quite successfully, too, if I do say so myself. Farmville is my son's favorite, so he is way ahead of me. But I have goals, and I keep growing my crops, harvesting my fruit trees, and taking care of the animals. Whew....I tell you...if things keep on like this, I am going to have to quit my day job just to keep up with my other activities. Haha. Whatever, mock me if you must, but it is fun.

Lapse of a couple of hours......

I finally got him! I got a Liger! My life can resume some sense of normalcy now.
Well, not that I am ever actually "normal", but....relatively speaking.
Isn't he awesome????

My Birthday in pictures

My birthday went on for days and days, which is particularly wonderful, and yet very bad for your diet. Jeanne, and her friend Malia, Delaney, and Casey came up on Friday.
Dad and Barb also came down. We had Parker's for dinner and Barb brought a birthday cake:



I wish I had pictures of the girls, and Malia, but somehow all of those pictures must have ended up on Barbara's camera. Notice the message on the cake!!! LOL!

Then on Saturday night, Bruce and I, Dad and Barb, and Hannia and Stephen had a wonderful dinner at Chef's 505. This is my birthday kiss: (also note the haircut...I got all my hair cut off just for something new and different to start my new year)



I don't know if you can see it very well, but that is crab stuffed tilapia on my plate and it was delicious.

Afterwards, we had yet another cake. Stephen and Hannia had this one made at a specialty bakery here in town called "A Perfect Cake". The cute animals are edible, and the cake is chocolate with raspberry filling. I can't even begin to describe how yummy it is. And there is still a lot of it left. Stop by and have a slice, cuz we are all gaining alarming amounts of weight with all of this birthday eating. LOL.





And just for the pet lovers, although this has nothing to do with my birthday, here is Vixen in her "devil" halloween costume:



And Omen in her "witch" halloween costume:




And just for Erica, because Shep looks like he is smiling:



He is probably smiling because the cats were forced to wear those goofy costumes, and he didn't have to. LOL.