For me, busy = good

I seem to be happiest when I am busy, I enjoy my children more when we are out and about rather then in our home.  I also like to go out and forget the messes and chores that await me at home.  On Thursday the kids had the day off school for a teacher development day, and so I cooked up a plan for the whole day.  We started off with a trip to the gym because I teach on Thursday mornings.  My kids love going to the gym, even though they fight getting pulled away from their snuggley morning cartoons in PJ's, they always have an excellent time.  While there they not only got to do a craft but they also got to get their faces painted.  They loved that.  Then we headed over to the park with our lunch that I had packed before the gym.  I had also called a few friends, and invited some at the gym, so that each of my kids would have a few friends to play with while at the park.  We were so happy as each friend arrived, they had such a good time having lunch and exploring the park, playing tag and hide and go seek together.  It was SO much fun!  After the park, I took the kids to Royal Farms for a slurppie, which they LOVED!!  Then we headed home for Katie's nap, which was cut short by a change in plans.  Liza has piano lessons on Thursdays, and we were planning to go with the Jensens to Lifetime Fitness for open swim after lessons.  We were invited to do piano lessons a little early and then head have dinner with Jensen's and then go swimming.  So we went with that plan and were at the pool by 6pm for a swim.  After swimming I was ready with shampoo and soap and PJ's so they were all ready for bed as we left the gym.  OF COURSE they were all STARVING as we left so I went through the drive through and bought them each a small fry.  They munched all the way home, brushed their teeth and went to bed.  Phew, what a day, but what fun we had!

Today was all scheduled out too.  I had agreed to help with Liza's field trip today to the Howard County Conservatory.  I love doing Field Trips for the older kids, it is so much more relaxing then field trips with little ones.  I always take my camera and talk photography with a Craig (Lindsey's dad, who goes on every field trip).  I get to take a little time on every trip to take some photos.

The kids got to play a game in the field that was basically the circle of life, where 1/2 of them were deer and the other half resources, and they had to turn their backs to each other, and then pic what they needed (deer), or what they were (resources) then they turned around and had to find each other, if a deer was left w/o a resource they had to die, and then turn into a resource, and the resources who did get used got to become deer.  It was interesting to see the surge in populations that caused lack of resources.  What a fun way to teach the concept.  Here they are dying all over the place...
Then they got to go and pull up weeds and talk about soil and planting... here are some pics of the gardening gals...

Then we went on a nature walk, where 3 out of the 6 girls in my group did nothing but complain the whole time and walked looking down at their feet and missed a fox hole, a carcass, a red tail hawk, and I am sure a lot if flowers and other wild life.  It was really too bad that they chose to miss out.  I was just glad that Liza wasn't in on the complaining and she really enjoyed herself.  

I got home from the field trip in time to prep for hosting babysitting Co Op tonight.  I got these great paint your own pots at Christmas Tree Shop  for $.50 each!  They came with their own little pots of paint and a brush.  The kids had a blast with these and spent 30-45 minutes painting them.  They loved it!

Then while the paint dried we had Dirt and worms for snack. The kids loved this and thought that the worms were really cool...I had to post this one of Micah, isn't it SO funny.   



Then after the paint dried the kids got to fill their planter with dirt and poke holes for daisy seeds.  They got to take 3 pinches of daisy seeds each and then they got to water their little seeds.  Everyone loved it, and to my surprise the little girls were rather jealous.  I thought they wouldn't care much and would be easily distracted.  They weren't throwing fits or anything, but you could tell that they knew they got left out :-(  Sorry girls.  Next time I will count you as big kids.

What a fun day.. and tomorrow is the nearly new sale!!! OOoooh so fun!  I have to be up early, so I better go.  :-)