Road Trip, Days 9-12

Onward and eastward, to Atlanta.  We arrived in the evening, just in time for dinner.  We had dinner with my mom and spent as much time as we could with her (Grandma Carole) during our visit!

We ended up booking our hotel on Hotwire (or Priceline...I can't recall) and I got a Holiday Inn and Suites near the airport (which was near my mom).  BUT, when I called to request 2 doubles, they were quite rude about it...so, I mentioned it when I checked in and they upgraded us to a suite (thankfully, because apparently regular rooms do not have a fridge and microwave...we didn't eat out a lot AND had groceries...so this was a major blessing).  There were other problems at the hotel (I am thinking maybe they were newer?) which led to them forgiving my parking fees and my extra night's stay.  The worst one was that they came into our room while I was changing and my children were in plain sight; and THAT is NOT OK. The housekeeper left before I could get dressed and I called about that one immediately!  The staff was always bending over backwards to make sure I was happy, after the fact.  But, all in all, everything ended up to be a blessing.

We are always in search of great organic grocers (even better when it's a co-op!).  We found Sevenanda Foods in this kitschy little neighborhood in Atlanta and got some groceries (and then headed to Whole Foods for some meat...not realizing it was a vegetarian store...oops!).  We spent the afternoon cooking (me) and playing (the boys) at my mom's house. 

The next day, we went to the Georgia Aquarium.  It is famed to be "the best in the country".  It was REALLY neat...but, this is the most expensive attraction we visited on our entire trip (average $40/person with no extras).  Special mention goes to the beluga whales and the tiger sharks!  Really large, really cool viewing tanks throughout.  Very nice...but, hard to swallow the price of admission. 

This turned out to be a perfect day.  Mom met us and we took the Marta Train to downtown.  When we were calculating the fees and how many cards we would need (at the airport depot), THREE people stopped, giving us cards they would no longer use (they are $1/card without fare), with one of them giving us one with $5 still on it!  Southern hospitality = sweet!  Then, we headed downtown, where we walked to the aquarium.  We ate the lunch we had brought on the way, in Centennial Park (really nice), and listened to some live music we happened upon; and, then we continued to the aquarium.  We enjoyed 3 hours there and (almost) saw everything.  Then, we had to find a place for dinner and found a highly rated gluten free pizza place right near a Marta stop on our way back to where we were staying (perfect!) AND my mom had been there and really liked it (except I can't remember the name now). 

The next day, after deciding not to continue to Pensacola (instead heading straight to Charleston), we decided to stay one extra night in Atlanta, went shopping for some essentials, mailed a postcard to my husband (thanks for the idea, Aunt Brenda!) and met my brother (who lives in Athens) and his family for dinner.  Thanks for the memories...on to Charleston, SC!

 

 

Road Trip, Days 4-8

I had planned to do something our first day in Louisville.  But, basically, all we did was check into our hotel, unload our stuff, and find someplace gluten free for dinner (we had pizza at a restaurant in a mall, just outside of town).

The next day, we went to the Falls of the Ohio State Park (http://www.fallsoftheohio.org/), which was actually a beautiful setting (even inside, they have a Chihuly sculpture hanging).  Even though it was loud when we arrived (the interpretive center is not very large and there was a school field trip present that day), we still enjoyed learning about it in a video, exploring the interpretive center, playing in the children's area, and THEN digging for fossils (there were signs all over saying not to take the fossils; but, the people at the desk said we could take fossils...I asked twice!).  We had to maneuver through flood "rubble" (lots of washed up trees and majorly uneven terrain); but, both boys found some fossils (and some rocks my 5yo LOVES to throw into the water).  This place apparently has been the source of the most (and the most intact) fossils in the world, having to do with how the sediment formed on the river basin.  It was pretty neat to see the history involving Lewis and Clark.  I believe the center is actually built on land that one of those families owns/owned.

Then, we found a little lunch place that offered gluten free sandwiches (Bread and Breakfast) just across the river from Louisville.  They had great fresh ingredients; but, they were lacking something in the preparation department...something was missing...in service, as well.

We decided to go to downtown Louisville after that.  We ended up on "museum row".  But, we did not have enough time to pay admission for the science museum.  And, the boys passed on the Slugger Museum and Factory; but, we took a picture by the giant bat for posterity.  We did walk by some GIANT art sculptures that had the boys laughing (anatomically correct sculptures); and, we did not realize we were in front of the 21c Art Museum and Hotel (which I had read about in advance).  The boys said an emphatic "YES!" when I asked them if they wanted to go inside the art museum (it's free!).  We all really enjoyed the modern art gallery there!  They had some really neat interactive exhibits...even the bathrooms had art in them!

BTW, everywhere on this trip, from Indy to Louisville to Nashville to Atlanta to Charleston to the Outer Banks to Asheville to Knoxville (and many places in between), EVERYONE let us use their bathroom.  With the exception of ONE, in Louisville, along the river walk, the tour boat visitor center would not let us use their bathroom (FYI).  I am not sure if it was my pregnant self or just genuine hospitality; but, I was SO GRATEFUL every time they said yes!

Then, we walked a LOOOOONG way along the river, thinking we would eventually get to the park we had seen along the way driving by the day before; but, we got to a fence, with a sign pointing to the park (inside the fence somewhere), with an admission fee to some kind of festival, that we decided not to go to.  So, we found some trees to climb, watched some people, and walked the LOOOONG way back to our car through the city (with my 5yo sometimes piggyback on my 8yo...it was sweet).  Then, we picked up some roasted chicken and salad to eat at the hotel and get ready for bed, our last night in Louisville. 

The next day, we got up, got packed, and headed to Mammoth Caves (http://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/gocavetours.htm) on our way to Nashville!  The bonus here was (again, I forgot the time changed BACK to CST), we "sort of" gained an hour that day.  We were fortunate that we got to the caves in time to eat our lunch we brought, get onto a tour that wasn't too laborious (The "Domes and Dripstones Tour" had only 500 steps to climb up and down...this did not seem hard while doing it; but, my pregnant calves were aching for 3 days!), and leave in time for a snack before hitting the road again.  We were 250 feet below ground and learned the history of the caves, including previous owners (interesting), saw a bat, sat in pitch darkness for a minute (weird); and, we all loved it!  Moving through the caves was pretty easy on the tour we selected...not too tight (for pregnant bellies) and not too much (for short legs).  It was interesting to learn that a one inch "drop" of stalagmite (or "tite"? both, I guess), takes about 1000 years to develop. So, imagine how many years you are looking at with a 10 foot stalagmite!!!

Then, onto Nashville!  We got in town just in time to meet our family for dinner (Aunt, Uncle, Grandma, Sister and Niece).  We mostly visited with our family on this leg (my brother and his wife and their two kids came up from GA and my cousins came back to town for our visit).  But, we DID go to the Nashville Farmers Market (on Saturday; but, they were also having a race downtown that day so it was harder than normal to get around downtown) and enjoyed the many splendid offerings of the FOOD TRUCKS (why do they not have food trucks in every town?).  The only thing I did NOT enjoy was paying $13 for some artificial color/flavor laden sno-cones (my silly self thinking I was getting something natural, made with real fruit, like Italian ice...that's what that's called!) and, taking it back because it tasted GROSS and they did not apologize or offer a refund.  My poor kids!  I definitely should have opted for a second helping of the gf cupcake we enjoyed!  Live and learn.  On Monday, my aunt and uncle and cousins returned to work/school, my brother had left for GA on Sunday and my sister and I (with our kiddos) went to the Opry Center (?) mall.  I got some maternity clothes (that I did not think I would need) and we spent some time avoiding the rainstorm.  We enjoyed one more night with family and then got ready to depart for Atlanta on Tuesday morning.

I have to say here that one of our favorite drives was from Nashville to Chattanooga (so pretty!).  We even stopped at one of the scenic outlooks and had a snack!  Atlanta, here we come!

Road Trip, Days 1-3

The Monday after Easter, we started from our home as early as we could (8:30, if I recall), after I had packed and my husband had loaded everything.  The last thing I packed was our fresh food.  I had an assortment of cooler bags (I don't like big, bulky coolers and I can't haul them anyway) and an iceless refrigerator cooler that plugged in (a gift from a friend!).

We headed to Springfield, IL; and, my husband headed to work.  It rained that day, off and on (more on).  We got caught in a couple of downpours; but, drove out of the worst of it after a bit.  It was drizzly in Springfield; and, we quickly found our destination:  The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum (http://www.lincolnlibraryandmuseum.com/lincoln-tour.htm).  We parked our car and crossed the street to an old train depot, where we used the bathroom, looked around a bit and decided to eat lunch in the shelter of the pavilion.  Then, we went to the museum.  It was neat; but, not a destination alone.  My 8yo did not learn much that he did not already know.  My 5yo was not engaged and kept asking to leave (but, his favorite part was the "theatre":  they did a "show"--behind glass to protect the archived items--and, they told a story where they made the actor a ghost from the Civil War).  What was interesting (and unknown) to me, was how disliked the President and Mrs. Lincoln were.  Some books we have read only alluded to that fact, but never really to the extent they enacted at the museum.  Another neat thing is that they occasionally put a real, loose penny in the center of the floor, under the dome.  Each of my boys found one at different times of the day.

So, my goal was to leave by 3:00.  We were running late; but, that is not why this was MISTAKE #1.  It is because I FORGOT that we were traveling to Indiana that night, where they are on EST!  AND, I estimated it would take 2 hours to get there, not 4 hours and not in the rain!  Oh my!  Great start, Melissa!  We made sure to give my youngest enough snacks to tide him over because I knew he would fall asleep in the car.  We ended up getting to my niece's house at about 9pm EST (UGH!); and, her fiancée was kind enough to get me some ingredients to top the gluten free pizza crust I had prepared and brought with (and had planned to buy before we got there). 

My gracious niece had everything ready and even made some chocolate covered strawberries for the boys.  We carried in what we needed the next two nights (and my sleeping son) and made dinner, visited for a bit and went to sleep (exhausted!).  The next day, we decided to go to the Indianapolis Children's Museum (http://www.childrensmuseum.org/) with my niece and her daughter.  It was fun and very big.  The best part may have been the ramp that goes to each floor, which my boys loved running up and (especially) down.  The other neat thing was that the lab was working on some dinosaur fossils; and, they had the windows open and said, "Please, touch".  So, we did!

My niece also found us this great place near her house called, "INgredients" (all healthy, majority local, yummy food, more info at, http://ingredientsindy.com/)...we perused there a bit and got some chocolate/spinach/almond milk shakes (YUM!).  We stopped at Trader Joes on the way back and got dinner fixings and some things for the road the next day.  We enjoyed this leg with family and found Indianapolis spread out and similar to St. Louis in some ways.

The next day, we headed down to Louisville.  We had planned to do more in Indy; but, frankly there was not much more I could find that was cheap/free and on our way (MISTAKE #2:  I thought their Earth Day Fair was ON Earth Day, but was in fact the following Saturday).

Road Trip 2014, Post #1

So, last fall, I had planned to take a month-long road trip, visiting family in the Southeast and ending up somewhere on vacation.  But, that did not work out.  Then, we got pregnant.

But, I decided I was still up for the trip this spring.  We traveled during weeks 21-25.  We stopped every hour or so (chiropractor's and midwife's orders), even if it was just to get out of the car and stretch (but, most of the time, one or all of us had to use the bathroom).  The easiest "travel days" were about 4 hours.  The hardest one was from Charleston, SC to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, when we did not arrive until late at night to our vacation rental.  Thankfully, my husband had joined us by then (he flew into Charleston and enjoyed it with us for a couple of days before we headed up).

We are home now and have almost everything put away.  And, I can honestly say I really enjoyed it!  I would totally do it again!  I would love to take a camper or RV to the Northwest.  I would also take a road trip (or camper) to the Northeast.  Heck, while we are at it, we might as well plan a trip to the Southwest, too!  I have visited Texas, Arizona and Nevada a few times; but, the rest of my family has not (and I would love to explore Colorado, Utah and New Mexico). 

Anyway, we learned a few things for when we do it again. 

Lesson #1:  I packed too many clothes.  I am so thankful for being able to wash clothes at the homes of my family, at the hotel in Georgia (a Holiday Inn, no less!), and, at 2 of the 3 vacation rentals.  I don't like packing clean and dirty clothes together, either.  We brought enough for 8 days and for between 40 and 90 degrees.  We could have done with 5 days of shorts and shirts and just two extra pants/warm shirts and a jacket/sweatshirt.

Lesson #2:  My kids ALWAYS bring more than they will play with/read.  They rarely play with what they bring when we visit a new place.  They either get a souvenir they like much more or they are too interested in our surroundings.  We also got gifts from our generous family!  Next time, just one bin with toys and books and backpacks (if we are in the car).

Lesson #3:  It is IMPORTANT to be flexible.  We ended up not visiting family in Pensacola, instead heading from Atlanta to Charleston.  This cut out three total travel days and enabled us to relax more.  Since we made the decision late (and, it is hard for us to eat out a lot with all of our allergies, not to mention the expense), we looked for a vacation rental last minute.  Not only did they give us a deal because of the last minute booking; but, it ended up being one of our favorite places (we stayed at Seabrook Island, near Charleston; so, we got to enjoy the beach every other day!).  Also, we (I)sometimes make mistakes (like, not booking us anywhere the night of May 13); and, that ends up being a blessing.  Even though we wanted to stay one more day at the beach on the Outer Banks, we decided it would be better to stop in Raleigh (Hotwire.com!) on our way to Asheville (to avoid another loooong travel day).  The hotel we got was right downtown and some people we met at the beach recommended a great free museum in Raleigh -the Museum of Natural Sciences.  It was the COOLEST museum any of us had every been to.  The boys got to work in a lab, meet some live animals and go through a butterfly conservatory; and, there was so much more to see (but, we had to get to our next destination...shucks!).  We were impressed with Raleigh and will return!  And, heading home after Asheville, we decided to go to Louisville (instead of visiting family in Nashville).  This put us closer to home for our final travel day (and, we did not change time zones until the day we arrived home...which, "kind of" gave us an extra hour; but, more importantly enabled us to readjust when we were already home).

Lesson #4:  I remember why I like traveling in the "shoulder season".  Before kids, my husband and I often traveled in May and September, to take advantage of the nice weather, but avoid the crowds.  For some reason, we got away from that (my husband's company, Edward Jones, often offers travel in December, March/April and June/July/August, to accommodate families and school schedules...so, I am guessing that is the biggest reason we have gotten away from that).  Thankfully, with homeschooling our children, we can travel during other months.  Another blessing!

I look forward to describing our travels in detail to you over the next few weeks!  It was a lovely trip and I hope to share some of our special memories!

13 Weeks

It's true!  We are expecting our third child sometime around September.  Our boys are ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED it is a girl.  I hope it is a girl; but, I know we will all love and adore whomever comes.

We are so grateful we ALL got to hear her/his heartbeat at our first prenatal appointment last week.  The next morning, my 4yo said to me, "mom, when I heard that heartbeat, it sounded like a girl".  He's probably right, you know.  My boys are crazy-intuitive.  But, like I said, totally OK either way!

We had been trying for many months.  This wasn't normal for us.  We were fortunate before.

When things weren't "working", we tried not to worry.  We made some changes.  I was worried my health was affecting our probability.  My husband was worried about his health!  Some red flags went off.  My dad moved out at the end of August 2013.  Then, some space in my head cleared a bit.

I realized that we had always had our Culligan water filtration system working for our other pregnancies (it broke 3 or 4 years ago...was fixed and broke again).  Soooo, I bought a special shower filter and a "bath ball" filter to make sure we weren't getting harmful chlorine in our bodies (which, especially after flooding last year, smelled worrisome strong).  We have always filtered our drinking water and I don't know why I did not think of the shower filter sooner...(btw, I am looking for a new drinking water filter and would prefer a portable one...any suggestions?)

After my vitamin debacle (who knew vitamins could be so...harmful!), I decided to follow the FODMAP diet very closely and not eat ANYTHING that might cause problems for me...and, something worked.  Last November, I had a really good month!  I need a "repeat" button, however.

Also, my husband and I were trying to make sure everyone got a good night's sleep (and weren't thinking about our hormones aligning); so, my husband was sleeping in our son's room and would move our younger son to sleep in our bed with me.  We talked to our boys about it; and, it took a lot of ups and downs and adjustments before we were all sleeping well again.  But, we did it! 

And, lo and behold, we conceived after making these changes (and, we will never know if any of them made a difference; but, we are grateful everything aligned).  27 weeks to go!  We are so EXCITED!

Raise the Minimum Wage

This is something I feel strongly about.  Because I believe in a world that treats people well.  And, I believe it is up to each of us, in each decision we make, to make our world better for those that come after us.  For me, I think of my children and (possibly) grandchildren.

I believe our state and our country should raise the minimum wage.  The argument I have put together (below) is based on Illinois raising their minimum wage from $8.25/hour to $10.00/hour (to more closely match the rate of inflation; but, is still not, in my opinion a "living wage").  This is not a "utopian" viewpoint, as I am sure some people may argue.

The #1 argument is that it costs employers more, especially small business owners, right?  Let’s say a business makes $100,000/year.  Let’s say they have 2 FTE (80 hours/week), that’s $7,280/year if the minimum wage was increased (many SBO have more than 2 employees; but, are likely a mélange of PT).  BUT, that employer is not going to want to lower their income; so, they will raise prices based on what the market will bear.  THUS, NOT ONLY enabling more people to AFFORD their goods/services BUT ALSO not reducing their own income. 

It’s just a fear of the unknown.  And, I get it, no one wants to lose money.  But, seriously, there should not be SO MANY poor people in our country and SO FEW rich.  SO CRAZY.  Everyone can do their part to change this.

This argument has been played out over and over throughout history, ever since the Fair Labor Standards Act of the last century (1938!), I imagine.

Let’s put ourselves also in the shoes of a large business owner, with profits well into the millions.  Those corporations (and possibly their stockholders) would likely easily have $1 million saved somewhere--sitting in some investments (or even offshore accounts), not REinvested into our American economy, really.  Imagine that same $1 million spread out among 1,000 people.  Each of those people would have $1,000, that they WOULD likely SPEND and THEREFORE boost our economy AND our tax base! 

There is no argument here.  It makes sense to raise the minimum wage to (get closer to meeting) the rate of inflation.

Another argument COULD be that teenagers are the ones that would be making more money.  But, REALLY, there are a LOT more people making minimum wage that are NOT teenagers.  But, for argument’s sake, let’s say our teenagers make more money.  THEY ARE OUR BIGGEST SPENDERS!  THEY HAVE THE MOST EXPENDABLE INCOME, percentage wise!  They are always a consideration when new businesses are looking for possible consumers! 

 

Let’s BOOST the economy AND leave the world a little better, one step at a time!!  It starts with raising the minimum wage.