Teach your children

This article went live a while back and I missed posting about it:
Teach it to your children

That was, in part, because my family took a little jaunt to Calgary.  The professor was helping run a conference at the University of Calgary.  We went along because none of us had ever seen the city.  I was pretty nervous about managing for several days in a new place with two six year olds, but it all worked out fine.

First, I planned the heck out of it...and in our spare time, both boys chased jack rabbits around the university campus. :)
  We went to Heritage Park on Sunday, the Calgary Zoo on Monday, Custom Woolen Mills and the Carstairs park/splash pad on Tuesday, and then Dad (The professor) joined us after his conference was over to go to The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller- to see dinosaurs on Wednesday,  Then we did a day trip from Calgary to Banff and back to see the Rockies and a good puppet show on Thursday.  On Friday, we flew home.  You should have seen the mountain of laundry...it seemed like the view in Banff, actually.

The boys and I had fun, and oddly, some things turned out to be better at home.  ("We like our zoo better than this Calgary one, Mommy!"  And--"We like your food at home, Mommy!"  All that was heartening)

And---Yes, I'm pretty beat, thanks for asking!

Since then, we've had a lot of appointments, errands, and chores to fit around 'free play' until school starts.  We've got the bubbles, the wading pool in the front yard, and Mommy's spinning basket available to wile away the afternoons.  (Knitting is not as portable as spinning on a spindle while chasing little boys...)

I am thinking a lot about those poor folks in flooded-out Houston and trying to read news reports when I can.  We were emailing with some old friends who have two kids, 4 and 7, earlier this week as the storm began, but haven't heard anything in a while.  I am trying not to worry about it too much--as they are surely busy with much bigger concerns right now...but like most everyone else I encounter, I am keeping those Texans in my thoughts.
    
I am also either hopelessly behind on all my work or I guess some people would say I'm on vacation.  (Hah.)  I imagine my vacation will start right about the time that Grade 1 starts next week?!