{Look what was waiting for me}

I am so excited to share this with everyone! I love to read blogs and do tend to enter give-a-ways when I can and I know I probably won't win and rarely do, but I enter anyways. Well let me tell you that Peppermint Plum was having a give-a-way last week and guess who won? ME! I was so excited because the items were from IKEA - my all time fav place to go when I can. I miss not having one close to me.

Peppermint Plum is done by two sisters, Tammy and Annie. They claim to be NORMAL but really if you know me you know I don't stalk normal blogs only those that are extra UN-normal. Check out their blog and guess what, they are on Facebook too!

This little beauty was waiting for me - it includes cups, coasters, napkins, straws & a cute ice tray plus the sweet basket!

{A gift from our Cats}

This is what my lovely cats left on my front porch this morning. Of course the kids see it first and Ruth is horrified and extremely sad that our cats would "kill something so cute" and told me "you need to keep the cats in because they are killers and are bad!" as if it's my fault the cats hunt small animals.

I had a nice discussion with her while driving them to school and let them know it is just what cats do and if the animal isn't something we bought at a pet store then we don't want it lurking in or around our home and the cats will make sure that the unwanted animals, such as this poor mouse, will probably be killed which is a good thing because wild small animals tend to bring disease that could make us sick.

By the time we got to school I think Ruth understood but I am not sure if she did or not...poor girl.

{Park Play}

After the Discovery Center and the kids had lunch, I took them to a park I have been wanting to try out before heading back home. It wasn't too hot out and the kids needed to let off more energy so of course we stopped and the kids just had a blast!

Images taken with my "work horse"....Enjoy!

Aaron helped give the girls a nice spin

isn't this a cool play structure?

The girls enjoyed a nice swing but it was in the hot sun so it wasn't for very long

The other kids kept "clogging" up the slide but that didn't stop Sam from climbing his way over the clog 

Sam was all sad and wouldn't let me take is picture so I made him take them with me

I am not choking him, the little stink!

Well maybe I am, NOT

finally the clogs stopped happening and everyone got to go down the slide

One last twist before heading home

What, we have to go home now??

{DIscovery Center}

I am not sure what I was thinking taking 4 kids (ages 5 up to age 10) and a baby out all by myself but I did it and ya know what, despite my splitting headache at the end of the day, the kids and I both had fun!

William stayed at home to play his role playing game with his friends and one of his friends brought his middle girl (who is around Ruth's age) and I packed all the kids into the car and headed off the Discovery Center.

When we got there the kids wanted to scatter but I kept them pretty well in site and the kids went to town playing and discovering all the wonders of science, energy and how machines work! I took my "work horse" with me and captured a few moments.

Below is what happened at the Discovery Center...Enjoy!

The girls were trying to figure out the controls for the robots

Sam got it figured out pretty easily

Pulling yourself up is pretty easy when you have a rope lever to pull you

The girls trying to figure out which disc rolls the fastest

Soon the boys made it a race

How many Sam's can one Mom handle?

a Giant magnifying glass

a two way mirror, see the other kids on the other side...

A giant pin game

The faster you moved on the bike the faster the skeleton moved on his bike

I loved the skeleton's glasses and hat, ya know 'cause it's summer!

Ruth making the face move and laugh

The girls loved the magnetic dust

giant bubble blowing

MJ is helping the Animals in the Animal hospital

Aaron is looking at the x-ray films to determine what's wrong with the raccoon

Sam's a doc

Ruth was waiting to hear what Dr. Chloe thought was wrong with her sick puppy

Soon all the kids were trying to figure it out

Aaron gave MJ a rabies vaccine, just to be safe

Aaron was trying to hear MJ's heart, but she was having none of it!

So he listened to his own instead

Discovery Center of Idaho!