Grandma's Birthday!

 

Colorado History Museum

 Three parenting wins. Or fails- you pick.

1. Teacher: "Class, pull out your phones and look at how much screen time you use each day." Students: "6 hours." "7 hours." "5 hours"

Audra: "4 minutes." Teacher: "Wait, Audra, what?"

2. Teacher: "Today we are going to learn the phrase 'Keeping up with the Jones'". Teacher explains term. Audra thinks to herself, "oh, my family definitely doesn't do that."

3. Audra has day off school. Three days before she says, "Mom, can we please go to a museum on my day off?"

So we did.

(Notes: My parents own a 1927 Model T Ford. We insist that is more fun to ride in than the museum model.

We got to "see" Anjali, our friend who is Time's first ever kid of the year and on display at the museum. When people say there's no hope for our future, I look at her and then look at my kids and their friends and I say they are wrong)

They had a section honoring the rodeo that the girls enjoyed playing in.

Yay! There's Antjali!

We got to put our quotes on a huge wall, too.

Mom: "I care about equality and I want to live in a world where empathy replaces profits, love overcomes apathy, and building bridges is more desire than building walls."

Camille: "I care about climate change and I want to live in a world where we aren't destroying our planet."

I didn't know Colorado was involved with the Civil War, but we were. Thankfully, on the Union side. This is the flag that they carried as went and defeated the encroaching Confederates.

The ski jump- the closest they have ever been to skiing!

Ben came with us and we had a great time. I think Audra was happy to do something homeschool normal for once.

Negotiation

 Me: Ben, come here- I have something to show you.

Ben: Oh, yay- I'm excited. I hope it's what I think it is!

Me: (Pulls up slide show of why I should go to WDW with my podcast friends next year)

Ben: This isn't at all what I thought it was.

(watches slide show and hears my reasons for going to WDW)

So, you want to go to Walt Disney World without your children?

Me: No, but they don't want to go with me, so I'm left with no options.

Ben: If you go to Disney World, I should get a new computer.

Me: You're right. You should. Disney brings me joy, gaming brings you joy. You should absolutely get a new computer.

Ben: OK.

Me: WHAT? This is a YES??? There's no going back if you say yes!

Ben: I say yes.

And so, my friends, after 17 years of marriage I now know how to talk so he will listen: PowerPoint presentations.

Being married to a software engineer is not for the faint of heart.

Flat Christina Takes On Walt Disney World!

 Almost exactly a year ago I needed something light and fun to think about. Somehow I landed on Disney and found a couple of Disney podcasts- Geekin' on WDW and The Disney Crush- and they brought me hours of happiness.

While my new podcast friends were at WDW for a huge podcast meet-up this past weekend, I made myself a Disney throw blanket (aka "My Happy Blanket") and watched as @toriehunt took Flat Christina all around Walt Disney World so I could be a part of the trip.

It was such a fun weekend to almost be at Disney, and I'm grateful for the joy these groups have given me this past year. And for Flat Christina. She's adventurous, fun, and only a little bit sassy- basically, way more awesome than the original.

Someday I'll make it to G3, Crushers and Geeks!

My friend Torie

Flat Christina is much more adventurous than 3D Christina and tried bone marrow. Yikes!

Sledding!

 Luckily there was still a little bit of snow on the ground so the kids could go sledding with friends. It was a good day!

The Denver Post/Pro-Teacher Rally

My girls are famous! They were super nervous about being interviewed by The Denver Post. I'm proud of them. Knowing they might get interviewed, I prepped them on the way down about things they could say if interviewed. Sure enough, we were there about 30 seconds when the reporter came to talk to them.

We had a great time at the rally to support teachers/kids and save public education yesterday. It was an awesome turn out.

Tonight at the "Special Meeting" the new boards' true agenda will be revealed as they fire a well respected 26 year veteran who everyone loves in order to put in a private school loving puppet.

News flash: It was NEVER about kids (or masks) and ALWAYS about privatizing schools, siphoning tax payer money from neighborhood schools to go toward private schools (schools that discriminate against my kids because they aren't the "right kind" of Christian) via vouchers. Tonight is the first step.

Tonight the dismantling of neighborhood schools begins. Don't say I haven't been sounding the alarm for the past 13 years.

Here I am with Marisa who also joined us. Her sign says, "You can't put kids first if you put teachers last."

There were close to 2,000 people. It was really cool to be surrounded by so many like-minded people.

Sew Day!

 We got about a foot of snow, so Audra had no school! We knew the storm was coming and expected a day off, so I've been talking up a Sew Day for awhile.

Today we started on the girls' 4H projects: Baby Grogu, sloth, a tree skirt, and I am working on a fun Disney quilt- I'm calling it my "happy quilt."

Camille's fabric is super slippery. I said, "I know it's hard to work with, but isn't it beautiful?" and Camille said, "It's quickly becoming my worst nightmare."

We got a lot done, and the girls also had fun playing outside. It was freezing, so Audra and Claire didn't last long, but Camille stayed out with her neighbor friend for a couple of hours.

Galaxy's Edge

 We finally finished the Christmas gift that Stephanie got us. I'm pretty sure I did at least 75% of it, but we did all work on it, and I'm glad it is done. I think it turned out really well. 

Here it is just getting started:

Working on it on Christmas Day:

Finished Picture:

Here's the original: