Geography Fair and Sylv's first scout campout

April 14, 2019

I know it has been a LONG while since last posting. The original hinkypunks are all out of the house but  the young ones are thick in the midst of adventures.  Here are some highlights from the week:

We attended a home school geography fair. There were dozens of tables with great displays.  Everyone had a small food sample  from the country as well.  Ephraim liked the cookies from Germany and Norway best.  I liked the stuffed grape leaves from Jordan. Sylvia's favorite was poppyseed kolache form the Czech Republic (I got the recipe from the ladies great grandmother afterwards!)

Ephraim letting his inner viking shine.

Ephraim loved the life like baobab tree and map at the Madagascar table.

Sylvia and her friend, Finn, listening to a mom talk about Italy.

After the geography fair, we met with our home school 4-H group to put together hygiene kits to send overseas for refugees.  I bought out all the nail trimmers and wide tooth combs that Wal-mart had, and almost all their washcloths.  We made a dozen kits to that will likely be shipped to Europe through International Orthodox Church Charities.

Ephraim helping take combs and nail trimmers out of the packaging.

The assembly line.  Finn helped the younger kids get exactly 10 band-aids in their bags.

It was good to find a hands on project the younger kids could help with.

    After the meeting we went with some of our friends to a German/European food market "The Bavarian Sausage House".  They were picking up specialty meat for a German dish "rouladen" served with "spaetzel".   I decided to get some as well, and try making it the next day for dinner.   The rouladen are thin slices of beef, smeared with mustard, onions, pickles and bacon, then rolled up and held together with skewers while it cooks.  You make a gravy with the drippings and pour it over the spaetzel (a type of squiggly egg pasta).  It was delicious. 

Perfectly browned and then steamed "rouladen".

Now one of my favorite meals.

      Sylvia joined Scouts last month.  This weekend was her first camp out.  They did "Snooze at the Zoo" in Madison.   I was soooo nervous about her going.  It made me remember to when I would stress out about Asher and Mattias going when they were younger.  ("Drink your water!"  "Wear your hats!" "Can you repeat our phone number?")     I could always think of some bit of advice they might need to know that might save their lives.. right up to the moment I dropped them off.   It was the same with Sylvia.

Hauling the gear for the first time!

Embarrassed by mom shooting pictures of it all.. not for the last time!

She had a great time.  Zoo keepers gave them a hands on presentations about a blue skink, and then gave them a tour behind the scenes, to see where animals like goats and skunks slept at night.   The girls stayed up late giggling and whispering, then tried to get to sleep around midnight. 

Unfortunately, they were sleeping right next to the nocturnal animals (swooshing bats, sugar glider lemur with glowing eyes, and moths.)   Every time a bat would swoop down in the glass case, right by their heads, it would make hissing sound.  Still, she said it was better being on that half of the room than the side where the boys were sleeping.   The boys were set up over by the cochroaches, who often escape their containers.  They picked up 5 on the floor, along the wall before they put their sleeping bags down, and had to shake out their gear in the morning to check for more that escaped during the night.  They found found three!

Siri, Raegen, and Sylvia on the ride to Madison.

Sylvia's favorite part was eating breakfast in the Arctic Glacier Cafe. (Pancakes, sausages, etc.)   She had a window seat, and a polar bear was pacing back and forth the whole time, trying to nose in and steal their breakfast.

Raegen at breakfast, with the polar bears.

After breakfast, they did some morning rounds with a keeper. Sylvia loved the porcupines best. They had two, named Flora and Fauna.  They were very friendly and loved eating biscuits the scouts fed to them.

The friendly porcupines. No we are not getting any for pets.

 This week, I loved reading a trilogy of books this week by LDS author, Jeff Wheeler.   I love his "Wretcheds of Muirwood" series.  It made religion and the battle between good and evil seem epic. Sean says his favorite part was playing our Sherlock Holmes game at the Cinema Cafe on Main St.  downtown this weekend for our date. Of course we had some of their superb ice cream.  All in all, an epic week. 

Cave of the Mounds: A Excellent Adventure Day!

    There is an area about 40 minutes west of the town we live in called Cave of the Mounds.  The boys both went there when they were in cub couts.  I had always wanted to go see it, but was unwilling to pay for tickets for our entire family to go in (it is a bit expensive).  Now that just Sylvia, Ephraim and I were having our own "Adventure Days" this summer, it seemed like the perfect time to visit.  We weren't dissapointed!

   On the surface, it looks like usual Wisconsin hills and farmland.

  The caves below were accidentally discovered when a man was blasting a new shaft in his lead mine almost 200 years ago.  Now there is a small path you can take down into the caves, as a guide ponts out different features.   They are really beautiful. 

 

  It was really peaceful underground. Nice and cool for a July summer day. These were formations that looked like potatoes and gravy.

  There was one rock they allowed people to touch, to show what would happen if everybody touched the rocks.  Sylvia thought it felt a little "slimey and bumpy".

  Ephraim was happy to be snug in his sling on me for the whole trip.  He did not trust this underworld adventure in the least.

   They did a good job tucking lighs away in places you couldn't see them. It gave just enough light to appreciate the rock formations, without being over the top.  I thought it was a really peaceful and elegant place.  I'm so glad we went.

    After the underground tour, we did a self-guided walking tour of the area above the caves. We could see the sinkholes that had been pointed out while we were underground.  This is where we watched rainwater dripping in just a while earlier below the surface.

  The gift shop was a hit.  The kids had a great time running their fingers over the beautiful rocks, and marveling at all the amazing crystal items for sale.

   On the way home, we stopped at the Bavarian Sausage store, a place we had hear great things about.  The reports were true.  I found shelves and shelves of Scandinavian imported food.  We came home with a large bag of goodies.  We took this picture to show Sean when we returned home, to see if he would cry.  (Because we got to go there and he didn't).  He had a quivering lip, but somehow managed to hold off the deluge of tears. Sylvia was dissapointed in the lack of waterworks. :)

It was a great trip!  I loved seeing something new and beautiful that I had wanted to see for years. Sylvia is wonderful company.  I love having her with me on our Adventure Days!

July 4th (AKA The Epic Water Fight of 2015)

    Being away from family on the 4th of July is always tough for me.  I know they are playing in water, eating great food, and blowing up lots of things.  So, we try to recreate some of those adventures here in Wisconsin during those years we can't travel back West.  This year, the pile of squirt guns led to an epic water battle.

  It started out simple enough, loading the guns with water from the turtle swimming pool with the younger kids.

 Enter... the Big Boys.

Threats were made, guns were pointed, and things escalated quickly.

Mattias tried to use the turtle cover as a shiled, as others blocked him from gaining access to the water.

 The shield works well... but he is unable to fill his own gun with the double sided onslaught from Sean and Asher.

  He decides to take matters into his own hands.  Braving the streams of water, and using his amazing muscles, Mattias lifts the pool, and dumps the entire resevoir - instantly shutting down any attackers!

  This leaves him free to go and turn on the neighbors hose, for a distance attack, which Asher counters by turning on our hose.  At this point, mom intervenes, and bans the use of hoses.

  The water fight became more creative, as various mixing bowls were brought into play, and buckets found in the shed for furture water storage options.  Sylvia and Ephraim used this time to try out a Slip and Slide we got.

Sylvia decided it was time for her to make a statement and get into the water battle.

     She might look innocent, but she was very sneaky and accurate with her aim.  She made enemies fast.. as you can see Asher aiming a picture of water at her below.

   It ended with her antagonizing  Sean, and all the boys ganging up on her.  She didn't stand a chance.  She will have to wait until Ephraim is older and convince him to be her ally.

   Ephraim got cold and was turning blue.. so we called it quits with the water and put on some dry clothes. Asher introduced him to the world of "snaps" while Mattias started a fire.

    Mattias is the best fire starter in our family. He has amazing patience to blow on coals until they leap into a blaze.  Ephraim, of course, wanted to help as much as possible.

  The s'more lineup was impressive.  It was like a facotry production line.

Asher,  showing us how a perfect marshemellow should be roasted.

He creates his signature item, the "Double S'more".

Watching him eat it all at once ( to see if he could get it all in his mouth at the same time) was not a sight for the faint of heart.

  While waiting for s'more sticks, Sylvia showed Ephraim how to dance through the smelly clouds of smoke bombs.

    It was a lovely afternoon, complete with some very tasty hamburgers and potato salad.  Although our thoughts turned often to family back in Idaho, it was good to be with the kids.  I doubt there will be another epic water battle like this for many a year to come.  It felt wonderful to laugh together, in our soggy wet clothes.  I love these guys.

The Beginning of Adventure Days

     Since Sean took on a big freelance project for the summer, we didn't travel anywhere exotic.  Instead, I tried to have an "Adventure Day" once a week with Sylvia and Ephraim so they would feel like the summer was something exciting.

   Adventure Day number one was on my birthday in June.  Sylvia took a horseback riding lesson in the morning with a friend.

Ephraim enjoyed petting the horses, and even got to sit on top of one for a while. 

We ate lunch in the car and drove up the the Wisconsin Dells, where we took a ride on the famous Dells Army Ducks.

I thought it was really fun, there was some beautiful scenery to see along the trails as well as in the water.

  
 
     The following week, we went to the zoo in Madison.   Ephraim rode his first time on the carosel without being held.  He wasn't sure about it though.

 Sylvia showed him the secrets of goat feeding.  (Holding your hand flat, and how to scour the edges of the fence for food other people had dropped.) 

 He was a confident goat-feeder by the end.  He really loved it.

    The next week, "Adventure Day" was more local.   We walked down to the Stoughton fair and watched the 4-H kids  wash  the animals in preparation for showing them to the judges.  It was a great day!  One of those perfect days that are so rare.
      Ephraim loved watching a baby calf nurse right in front of him, dripping milk everywhere.  Both he and Sylvia enjoyed wandering around watching people giving haircuts to the cows and sheep.  We watched the rabbits and chickens get judged. They also got to practice their milking skills.

     We enjoyed looking at the cake displays and flower displays.  Even though this cake only got a 2nd place ribbon, it was our favorite.  We are going to try it sometime!

     Sylvia went on rides the next day with her friends.  They did all the crazy big rides with the teenagers.  These younger siblings grow up fearless!