Ghostly Adventures in the Gorge...

My oldest son Phoenix and I both share a love for ghosts. Now...I've never seen a ghost and still hold a little skepticism but all in all I think the "idea" of ghosts existing is pretty cool.  Phoenix on the other hand swears up and down that he's seen a ghost. He calls him the "terrible terror" and no matter how many times he tells the story, it never changes. That's pretty important given the fact its the recollection of a 7 year old.

This year for his 8th birthday we were talking about what he wanted to do. He's really been stuck on visiting a ghost town. I found one that would be perfect to visit but given the fact that it's nearly four hours away, a trip there would require a little planning. So we needed something close and immediate. Lucky us...we live in the Columbia River Gorge where history runs deep. Knowing there had to be somewhere local with a reputation for haunting I set out to find our first ghost hunt.

Main building no longer houses guests.

The location that was eventually chosen was the Carson Mineral Hot Springs. The hot springs is one of the longest running hotels in the state of Washington and is reported to be super haunted. The worst haunting stories take place in the bath house but since Phoenix is not 18 we cant go in there...bummer. Other haunting reports come from the second floor of the main building but due to age, the current owners had to shut down that portion of the building because they couldn't keep it up to code. There are however cabins that run along the side of the main drive in that are still open and functioning. These cabins are great because, although not original, they sit in the very same spot that cabins have sat since the hotel opened.

The main reason that the hotel is haunted or reported to be haunted is the fact that the original owner Isador St. Martin was murdered on the property during a fight. His wife died shortly after him from heart break. The wife is the one reported to be on the second floor of the main building. As for the bathhouse, no one knows who haunts that spot. The only reports are that it is incredibly eery and slightly negative. 

I figured that this would be a really great location for our first ghost hunt and made reservations. I have also purchased Phoenix a tape recorder (for EVP's) and an EMF detector. Our plan is to record our little adventure on the two video cameras that we own and take tons of still images as well. We will then put together our own little ghost show for our family and friends to watch.

There is a part of me that hopes we don't find something cause I'm a pretty big chicken and then there is another part of me that wants Phoenix to have an awesome birthday and he seems to want the experience. (To each their own.) All I have to remember is that I am the adult and no matter how much we freak ourselves out, I have to be the one to offer comfort. Overall though I am really looking forward to the adventure. If nothing else Phoenix and I will have spent some really great bonding time together and will be able to share the memory of our first ghost hunt together. Memories are what matter.

Here is a link to a longer blog post about the Carson Mineral Hot Springs and it's ghosts...
http://www.thegorge.com/carson-hot-springs/



Rachel B.

NAKED EGGS!!!

I am a HUGE fan of all things science. Because of that I am constantly trying to instill in my boys a love for the subject. So far I have been hugely successful. Yay for Team Mommy! Every once in a while we break out in scientific fever and must experiment on something. Yesterday we decided to try out the naked egg experiment. If you are not familiar with the naked egg experiment you can read about it or watch a video here or watch the following video:

If you want to try this experiment here is what you need:

Egg
Jar
Vinegar

Yes...its that simple!

Pour the Vinegar into the jar and then place the egg inside. Let that sit for 12-24 hours and then dump out the vinegar and enjoy your super awesome naked egg!

What exactly is happening in this experiment?

Well...egg shells are made out of calcium carbonate. Vinegar has in it a substance called acidic acid. By putting the egg into the vinegar you are creating a chemical reaction. The way I explained it to my boys was that the acidic acid "eats" calcium carbonate, so you could say that the vinegar is eating the eggs shell. Because the egg has a "skin" inside called a membrane, it holds everything together when the shell is gone, creating a naked egg...an egg that you can see through. The guy in the above video says it takes 5-7 days but that's not the case. Ours was in the vinegar for less than 24 hours and it turned out great. There is another really great video in the other link provided that explains why the egg actually gets bigger once the shell is gone...(hint: osmosis!)

They absolutely loved this experiment and had a blast doing it from start to finish. Take a look at our pictures and then try it out for yourself!

Phoenix's egg before

Gryphon's egg before...he looks a little worried

Vinegar and our containers...gotta love Mason Jars!

The bubbles is the vinegar eating the shell...

Mesmerized!

The next day...the foam is the shell

Soft and squishy...eww...

Naked eggs are bigger than the regular egg

Squish!

Gryphon impaling his egg with a skewer

A popped naked egg: the membrane looks like pacman. lol

Phoenix holding up the membrane

Gryphon stirring up the left overs.

Happy Experimenting!

Rachel B.

A mothers rant about education today...

Trending on MSN today there is an article titled "Academic thinks there's no need for kids to lern how to spel anymore." Yesterday, I saw and read a longer, more in depth version of this article. Oh buddy! Did this story get me all worked up! To have a teacher, one who is actually very well known for his ability to advance education around the globe, come out and say something like this is mind blowing. Whats next...oh you don't really need to know basic math. That's what calculators are for. Are you kidding me?! Please tell me he's kidding!

Today's kids are probably well on their way to becoming our dumbest generation ever. Why? Because of stupid adults like this who think its okay to let technology think for us. The sad thing is, its not the kids fault either. We adults are allowing this to happen. Spelling, math, reading, all of those subjects are core to a basic education. Without them we are setting our children up for failure. As a mom, this is extremely painful to watch.

My son has actually brought work home from school that was given out in class that he did not finish. Didn't finish! Yet, he got a passing grade on it and earned top grades in all of his subjects, including the ones he routinely did not finish work for. This has lead to the new rule for this upcoming school year that if you don't finish it in class, you will finish it at home, in addition to any homework you bring home with you. Sorry but I don't want lazy kids. I want kids who know the value of hard work. I expect my children to get a good education whether that is at home or at school and I expect them to work at it. They are not going to want to take education seriously if the adults around them do not.

I think one of the biggest wake up moments for me came during college while I was interning at a local high school. I was in a science class where 9th and 10th graders were performing an experiment to find out the calories in a peanut and a marshmallow. I was grading papers and found myself actually having a hard time focusing on the task. I was distracted by poor grammar and poor spelling. On over half of the papers the words peanut and marshmallow were spelled wrong. Don't even get me started on the handwriting. The sad thing was when I mentioned it to the teacher they said that they are not an English teacher. It is not appropriate for them to mark up students work for spelling and grammar. They are there to teach and grade science work. What! Your a teacher...who cares what subject you teach. I realized in that moment that me becoming a teacher was probably a bad idea. If I was going to become a science teacher and have to grade papers like that without commenting, I was going to have some serious issues loving my job.

That's not saying I'm perfect. I'm not. But I know the value of a good education and I want my children to have that knowledge as well. This is why we are very active in our children's education. My husband and I are both on the PTA. We both attend every single parent teacher conference and we actually make our kids do their homework. If they fail to finish their homework, we walk with them into class and stand there to make sure they explain correctly to their teacher why their homework did not get finished. (Teaching accountability) If they are struggling in a subject we ask for extra work for them to do at home or we create our own work for them to do. Is it a little on the harsh side? I don't know. Compared to how involved my parents were (not at all) its certainly at the other side of the spectrum. Do we hover over the kids as they do their work or do it for them? Absolutely not. They have to do it themselves. I guess you could say I want my kids to know that I am there watching and making sure they are doing what they need to do to be the best student possible.

So in regards to the article the incited my anger, if I were to ever hear that the schools were going to stop focusing on spelling and grammar while my children are there...you can bet your bottom dollar I will be raising some serious fuss. Not to mention my kids homework load would just get bigger because I absolutely refuse to allow them to not know the basics.


Rachel B.

Dog Days of Summer

For a few years now my husband and I have talked about getting a dog. Sometimes we would start looking and then decide no, we're just not ready yet and then put it on the back burner. Recently, however, we decided we were finally ready to take the leap. Our children are older and more mature. They have interacted with a variety of animals in many different settings so I am confident of their ability to handle the upcoming addition to our family. Once we made the decision I excitedly got on petfinder to see what possibilities were out there. Although we love dogs of all sorts we did have some very specific things we were looking for.

First off, we live in an apartment so they would need to be small. Second, our boys are still young and we want them to have the opportunity of growing up with one dog instead of getting a bunch of old ones that will pass on every few years, so they need to be young. Because I work full time and William is in and out of the house at all times of the day, we really needed a pet who could handle being home without us for a couple hours at a time and was crate trained. Next we obviously wanted it to be house trained. I also thought it would be a great idea to have a dog who had lots of energy because it was going to have to keep up with the boys and not only that would have to love kids. Finally, I really really want a running buddy so not only does it need to have energy but it needs to be active!

I got on petfinder knowing that the odds of finding a dog that fit every single one of our criteria was going to be next to impossible. I figured I could find one that was close and we could train from there. I typed in our preferred breed (did I mention we had one of those too) and there she was...our doggy soul mate. I can't even begin to tell you how lucky we got! It was like I personally wrote her description.

"Hi I’m Kona, a JRT/Boston Terrier/Pit Bull Mix! I’m lots of dog rolled up in one cute little package. I love to snuggle and spend time with you and pay attention to you best when I’ve had my exercise. Of course, that’s only because I’ve got lots of terrier energy and need to burn some of it off so I can give you my full attention. I’m crate trained, sweet and playful. I’m good with kids and even get along ok with other dogs. If you’re looking for someone to cuddle up with please consider me. I am 1 1/2 years old and weigh 27#."

Holy cow batman!!! She's perfect! And the pictures they posted of her just made my heart melt. Needless to say I filled out an adoption application immediately and sent it off. It took a while to hear back because she was being offered through a placement agency but after a week I got a message saying we were approved! Sometime towards the end of this week we will finally get to meet her in person. Her current handlers are out of town. I understand that its not completely final yet. We have to feel shes a good fit for us and her owners have to agree. I am nervous that there is a chance it wont work out but on the other hand I am confident it will. In preparation for her homecoming we went out and bought her some fun stuff to make our home more welcoming. Even if things don't work out we will at least be prepared to bring another dog into the home. But I really want her so I'm trying not to think of that now. 

Hopefully the end of the week will roll around and we will go and meet her and bring her home with us! Until then I am sitting here, being hands down the most impatient human being imaginable. I have been waiting a long time for this and am finally excited to have the opportunity! Here's hoping we can call her ours! 

Rachel B.