Spring Break Chronicles 2013 - Day 6

Day 6 was Thursday and you know what they say, the family that plays together stays together.  The Gambles family loves to play together and have fun.  This was the first day that we did not watch any TV or play any games when we woke up.  We all ate breakfast, and cereal was the choice of the day.  We all chatted while we ate and after that got dressed and ready to leave the house.  Today we were taking a family field trip together to the Challenger Learning Center.  As it states on their website, "The Center is the K-12 outreach facility of the Florida A&M University - Florida State University College of Engineering and uses aerospace as a theme to foster long-term interest in math, science, engineering and technology; create positive learning experiences; and motivate students to pursue higher education and careers in these fields. "  They have a space mission simulator; which  we have not had the pleasure to enjoy yet, an IMAX theatre, and a planetarium/digital dome theatre.  We were  going to see a show in the Digital Dome Theatre called Perfect Little Planet.

When we first got there we had to find parking so the patriarch of the family dropped off myself and the boys and went to find parking.  While we waited for him to park and come meet us, along with the youngest member of the family, we picked up our show tickets and then the boys played outside by the fountain.  They had an urge to try and pull pennies out of the fountain, but I persuaded them to throw one in instead.

Finally, my daughter and husband met us in front of the Challenger Learning Center, but it was for a brief moment.  I had our change and he had to walk back to put quarters in the parking meter.  After all, we would hate to get a ticket from the meter maid.  While we waited my daughter got into the act of playing by the fountain.

After we watched our show we walked around The Center for awhile and  then left to head towards the park.  We went to our favorite spot, Tom Brown Park.  The kids played on the playground for awhile before we decided to take our usual hike through the woods.  We generally walk to this lookout point where they have a covered bench for you to sit on.  The view is amazing and it is very peaceful.

 On the walk back the boys always like to play with whatever is along the trail.  This time they saw a tree that appeared to be partially uprooted and thought they could uproot it the rest of the way.  We had a talk about leaving things in nature and how even things that die in nature can be useful to the living plants and trees around them.  After that they decided to walk away and leave the tree in the ground.

My daughter ended up in her usual spot towards the end of our walk, and that was on her daddy's shoulder's.  We try to walk away when she starts pushing to jump on his back, but she is very persistent and always wins in the end.

 

When we got home I mentioned that we might want to get some wood ready because it was going to be a cooler night.  The hubby tried the small electric saw but that piece of wood was thick and it said no.  We had to find another alternative to try and split the wood.

 Option #2 was to use good old-fashioned elbow grease.  So he took a mini-sledge hammer and end piece of an axe, positioned it in the right spot, and started pounding away.  Eventually both of the boys got into the act and took a swing at the wood.  After awhile the battle between humans and wood yielded a win for Team Gambles and the wood was split into three useful pieces for the fireplace.  It is hard to believe that you would need to use a fireplace in Florida in March, but stranger things have happened.

The end of day ended in the typical way, and by now you know what that is.  Dinner, movies, and a lot of fun; all done the Gambles way.

Spring Break Chronicles 2013 - Day 5

Wednesday was day 5 of spring break and it was decided we would take a little outing in nature today.  Day 5 started off with the usual breakfast, morning movie, and playtime.  There was a slight break in the morning routine this day because my oldest had a dentist appointment.  I took him to his appointment while the other two stayed home with daddy.  I am not sure what they did while they were home but I am sure they had a good time.

When we got back home I noticed that the boats we made the previous day were in the trash can.  I guess a day of floating around in our bathtub was enough.  We spent the afternoon in the typical Gambles fashion: lunch, playtime, reading, and a little bit of Pokemon.  After awhile we made the younger two get dressed so we could go to the park.  The park of choice today was one that is more situated in the woods.  The kids got to play on the playground and then we went for a walk on the trail.  This park's trail is a little different because there is a bridge that goes over a small body of water.  The crazy thing is that before you step foot on the bridge there is a sign that states there was once an alligator spotted in the water so be careful and it warned you not to feed an alligator if you saw it.  Now I don't know about you, but I seriously doubt that I would come anywhere close enough to an alligator to feed him unless he was drugged, tied down, and certified knocked out.  He won't get me or my babies.  Although I suspect that my boys would have the urge to inch as close as they could get if they saw one.  They are already talking about being like the Kratt Brothers in Be The Creature and living in nature to study bears, and other animals.  They have even taken to eating pieces of the wheat grass in our fridge.

While we were on our walk we saw turtles in the water, the reason we went to this particular park in the first place.  I forgot the cereal to feed them with, but had some other snacks in the car I was willing to part with so we could give the turtles some goodies.  It was interesting seeing them all head towards the food once it was dropped in the water.  There was a little competition with some of the fish, but for the most part the turtles got the bulk of it.  While gazing at the turtles we even saw a fight.  One turtle was flapping their flippers at another trying to turn them in a certain direction.  Not sure why, but that was a first for us.  After feeding the turtles we continued on our walk.  Unfortunately it got cut short because we felt it start to sprinkle so we headed back towards the car.

On the walk back to the car we noticed some trees right next to the parking area bearing fruit.  I have never known what these fruits were called, but I remember when I was younger having a tree by the street almost in between our house and the neighbors that we used to pick them from and eat them.  We did the same thing with this tree in the park.  It was a nice sweet little treat before departing.  We went home and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon and evening together in the typical Gambles fashion.    As spring break rages on we will continue to enjoy every minute.  As stated in previous posts, the Gambles are as thick as thieves and I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Spring Break Chronicles 2013 - Day 4

By now it is safe to say that each morning of spring break starts off the same way.  We all wake up, get our bodies going, we eat, maybe a morning movie, and then perhaps play a little bit before lunch and an afternoon of fun.  Tuesday was Day 4 of spring break and it brought out the crafty side in all of us.  Last week I purchased some paper plates for the sole purpose of using them for crafts and today we used some of them.  First the kids cut out holes in the middle of some plates and made hats for everyone in the family.  The youngins wore theirs for a little bit while I wore mine all day long.  Next we made pictures with the plates.  After we all made pictures the kids decorated some plates that would be turned into tambourines.  Once decorated I placed dry beans between the two plates and stapled them together so the kids could become musicians.

After the crafts with the paper plates myself and the boys made some boats using egg cartons.  Each one of us had a different kind of boat and they were tested in the bathtub.  They floated pretty well.  It was a lot of fun.  It may seem silly to some, but we enjoyed using our creative minds and just letting the well of ideas flow.

Malcolm II showing off his boat with a mast made from a pencil, a flag sail made from paper, and a wheel made from cardboard and a Popsicle stick.

Malik showing off his motor boat that has a shell for the seat and an x-shaped motor on the back

The family boats floating in the bathtub.

After crafts we just let the rest of the day flow as it wanted to.  We didn't make any plans.  We played outside, we watched movies, we read books, and fell asleep in our usual way by watching movies together as a family.  Every minute that I have to spend with my family is a blessing.  I have learned from my husband to try and let the day flow and just be free.  I don't always listen, but when I do the best things happen and the greatest memories are created.  The Gambles Five continue to enjoy our spring break together and we will continue to look back on the memories for years to come.

Spring Break Chronicles 2013 - Day 3

Monday, day 3, and the Gambles are still going strong.  We are as thick as thieves and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Our day started off a little bit earlier than the last two as we woke up before 8:30 am.  Cereal was the breakfast choice for the morning as I did not feel like cooking.  The morning was filled with playtime, movies, and games.  After lunch we had a field trip to the library.  For those who do not frequent their local library you don't know what you are missing.  Our local library has books, movies, CD-ROM games, books on tape, computers for internet use, and more.

I decided that we would stay at the library for an hour because my youngest did not have her nap and it was a little bit later in the day.  The boys were given 30 minutes to play on the computers in the youth section while I took my toddler to the book room for kids her age.  We looked at books, took a ride in the rocking chairs, and played with a few of the toys that were in the room.  Finally the 30 minutes was up and the time had come to try and tear my little one away from her favorite place in the library.  Mind you it was a challenge to get her back into her stroller.  Ultimately I had to bribe her with the chance to hold my car keys.  When I told her that she got right in her seat without a fuss and we went to go collect the boys.  As usual they didn't want to get off the computers, but I did not want to stay there all day for them to play games.  It was a library after all so it was time to look for books.

We looked at the movies and books in the junior section.  The boys found several movies and books they liked.  The book selections on this day were:

- The Revenge of Ishtar, retold and illustrated by Ludmila Zeman
- Langston's Train Ride, by Robert Burleigh and illustrated by Leonard Jenkins
- Dogs on Duty, by Dorothy Henshaw Patent
- Rain & Shine: A First Look At Seasons, by Sara Lynn & Diana James and illustrated by Joe Wright
- Highlights High Five Magazine: December 2012
- Henry and the Cannons, by Don Brown
- Groundhog's Burrow, by Dee Phillips
- Chipmunk's Hole, by Dee Phillips
- Noah Webster & His Words, by Jeri Chase Ferris and illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch
- Stardines Swim High Across The Sky: and other poems, by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Carin Berger

Obviously my kids really love reading and that is great.  The best part about it is that we get to experience all of these new stories together because I believe in knowing what my kids read so if I don't read it before them I am sitting with them when they read it.  I never knew there were so many stories and adventures within them until I had kids.  As for the movies, they each got a couple of Pokemon DVD's; which they are crazy about, and a few other choices.  Each one also selected a nature movie because we love to learn about nature and a couple of random selections.  Needless to say our library adventure was a lot of fun.  After we returned home the boys started to dive into their movie selections while I cooked a simple dinner consisting of chicken, mashed potatoes, salad, and fruit.

The evening ended the same as the night before...falling asleep to a movie selection.  It was another fantabulous day (yes I know that is not a word I made it up).  I continue to look forward to the adventures that await us the rest of the week.  As I stated in the beginning, the Gambles are as thick as thieves, and by being so we have great fun together!!

(Top Image Credit: http://hadassahsabomilner.com/2010/03/15/wwyd-lost-library-book/)

Spring Break Chronicles 2013 - Day 2

Sunday was day 2 of spring break and it started off pretty much like day 1.  We relaxed, we ate breakfast, and we did a few things around the house.  I had some grocery shopping to do so I took care of that while the kids played outside in the backyard.  It was St. Patrick's Day so I made sure to bring home some green marshmallows that were flavored like key lime and some cupcakes.  We all completely forgot to wear green, but we did have something green to eat; including some green beans, broccoli, and spinach with dinner.  It was decent weather outside so we made the decision to go for a walk before the rain started to fall.  We got our daughter's Power Wheels jeep out to ride on and took a stroll around the neighborhood.  As usual she ended up getting off the truck and wanting to walk, and eventually carried, so the boys rode around and had a ball.  There is a pond towards the front of our sub-division and we went up there and played for awhile before some drops started to fall and we went home.  Once we got home we ate lunch, the boys fixed their leprechaun trap, and we settled in for the the rest of the evening because the weather would not permit us to go outside the rest of the day.  That evening we watched Wreck-It Ralph for our family movie selection.  After that movie was over with the kids went in their room to watch some movies on old school VHS tapes (yes they still exist), and the adults watched the movie Looper.  At the end of the night we all fell asleep while engaged in one of our favorite past-times; movie watching.  It was another great day because any day that I have to spend with my family is fantastic.  Don't waste any moment and cherish every memory you make with your loved ones no matter how big or small.