Here is Hayden playing some Tball this summer. He really knows how to hit that ball! Last Thursday he hit on over every body's head! We are s proud of our little athlete!

My newest artwork that is going on the wall! I am printing it on a 10x20 metallic canvas!

This Post is my personal opinion--which I am entitled too!


Every weekday between 11:30-12:00 you will not find me and the boys at the Park a half block away. This use to be a great time to go to the park right before Carson's nap but now its awkward and frankly makes me angry. Why?

The School District is providing free meals to anyone under the age of 18 through a program funded by the USDA. This is an addition to providing breakfast and lunches to any student who is just willing to go to any of the schools that provide a meal. 6 schools in our district have both meals for free and 2 have a small cost. In addition to this they also serve breakfast at 1 community site, lunch at 10 sites and an afternoon snack at 6 sites. In an article published by the Superior Telegram the Food Service Director is quoted on saying "Helping parents meet the nutritional needs of their children is the strength of this program." Well shouldn't we then be teaching parents what the nutritional needs are? Shouldn't we be spending our tax payer money on something more useful then a bag lunch? Do parents even know what they SHOULD be feeding their children? How hard would it be to educate the children too?
At our site, a woman sits on the park bench for the half hour and gives out the bags and pushes the lunches on to anybody else that is there. Can't she easily go over the food pyramid or hand out nutritional recipe cards? Teach and Preach. Nobody should be given something free, make this a teachable moment. I have seen mothers with their children that I know have jobs as do their spouses getting free lunches for their small(not yet in school) children everyday. This is wrong. Feeding starving children in Milwaukee is different, even feeding those who need it in Superior isn't wrong, but when children start going to the park to eat and not play, that is disturbing. When my child wants to know why he can't have a bag of fruit snacks and every other kid can at the park, what do I tell him?
When did the world become more responsible for my children than me. Isn't my job, my #1 priority to make sure my children are taken care of, feed, bathed and clothed? I know that I do need to have money, by having a job and saving money for the times when I do not work. I work hard on finding nutritional, low cost meals for my family and you know what I am proud of that. Its great to sit down as a family to a home cooked meal that I spent time planning and preparing, it is rewarding. People need to take appropriate actions for their families. If you are a hard working individual and you get laid off and need assistance that is one thing, to take it, use it wisely and be done with it when you return to work. We don't need people milking the system their whole lives and living off me the tax payer.

Note: I am not cold hearted nor do I like to see hungry children, but this isn't not the long term answer. Educating parents how to feed and take care of their children is.

Happy 14th Month Carson!

You've started talking more and more!(finally!!) You say "here" pronounced "ere' when you hand stuff to me. You shake your head "No" rather frequently, you sure the heck know what you don't want! You say "what's this" at any animal or something that really sparks your interest like water and buses. You say "Mamamamama" when you whine especially when you are tired. You say "Wheeeeeeeeeeee" when you are swinging or riding on your rocket too!

You still love to be outside, we spend most of our long summer days outside in the yard or at the park. You love to go down the slide and climb the stairs and do it like such a big boy. You love to play in the sand...mostly dumping it on yourself but occasionally getting it into the bucket. You love, love the water just like Hayden. We stayed at Craguns in June and you were such a little fish, swimming in the kiddie pool and always trying to get into the lake, even in your clothes.

You are such a boy and have discovered your love for basketball and golf. Anything that even slightly resembles a golf club is used to hit one of the 1,000,000 balls we have lying around the house. You love when Daddy holds you up to the big basketball hoop and you make a basket, you even clap for yourself. You love to play with your Little People Farm and your Retro Rocket making little car sounds on it.

You are sometimes a little stinker! You are strong willed and determined, those aren't bad qualities to have if you use them usefully, please, please remember that!

Weight was exactly 24 pounds and length was 31.75(i think!) You are wearing size 4 shoes(you just got super cute leather Sandals from Nana, you love them bringing them to me to put on when you find them) Clothes are 12 months and 12-18m. Diapers are a 4!

We love you Little Monkey!

Taking care of a sick baby is a lot of work. Poor Carson caught yet another illness! He had a barky cough, running nose/eyes and a low grade fever over the 4th weekend. And since this Mama is not a fan of Urgent Care we waited until Monday to go in...yup Dr was closed on Monday for the holiday! Grrrrr. So Tuesday morning bright and early we made our way to favorite doctors the Kundels(love them! =) ) Carson has some "lung infection" Dr Ray didn't go into details just gave Carson some strong 5 day antibiotics and called us good! Carson finally came back to life last night, Thursday a whole week after it started. I have been tired, not sleeping and cranky too! Jason has one of his FOR's coming up and working long, longer, longest hours every! So I am so burned out! Thank goodness for getting better!

Book Review!

September Fair by Jess Lourey

When finding books for our CSI class who reads 1 fiction book relating to murder, mystery, forensics etc it gets a little difficult to find books that our good choices for our high school students. So when I read a book review on this title I knew we had to get it. Being a MN author and curriculum used book, I felt like it would be a sure win, boy was I right! I am going to go use my rest of my BN gift card to get the rest of the series, since I read the 5th book in the series. The school is going to need them too! She is witty, and writes with so much detail to us "Locals". This book takes place at the Minnesota State Fair and she describes it to a T. Using the street names and other markers that only people who have been to the fairgrounds would appreciate. Her mystery also had a good storyline. I think she writes much like Janet Evanovich, one of my favorites. A funny mystery book sounds wrong, but she got it right!
Her website....http://www.jesslourey.com/