Dear (white) America, I just can't with you right now.

Dear (White) America,

I just can’t with you right now.  I was not prepared for the range of emotions that I would feel with this election result.  They have vacillated from snarky to angry to downright heartbroken.  I was more optimistic than I realized. I thought we were better than this.  After a cursory look at social media on Wednesday morning, I realized I needed to stay away.  There were too many things that I just couldn’t hear from those who would select a reality tv star to run our country.  There are some things that I don’t ever want to hear again.

1)      Please don’t say we are a Christian country.  Stop lamenting that there is a war on Christmas.  Don’t post your favorite Bible scripture and tell me to trust in God.  God’s greatest commandment is to love one another.  You just elected a man that has repeatedly disrespected and disregarded giant swaths of our population – anyone that is other to him.  Your vote validated his words.  I don’t want to hear that you love everyone.  Your actions speak louder than your words and I hear you screaming at me right now.  You make a mockery of Christianity.

2)      Please don’t tell me not to be fearful.  We live in a country where one in four women can expect to be sexually assaulted in her lifetime.  I have four daughters.  Which one should I be prepared to comfort?  I have lost count of the number of times this year that some (white) man has raped a women and gotten a slap on the wrist because we’d hate to ruin his chances at a great life. My daughters deserve a great life too. You just elected a man that bragged about sexually assaulting women.  How much more emboldened will rapists be to attack my daughters when the President of the United States thinks it is just fine?

3)      Please don’t tell me that we need to put aside our differences and work together.  It is our differences that make us special.  This guy ran a campaign that said different is bad and something to be feared.  Why are you so fearful of difference?  Why can’t we celebrate the different people that make up our country?  Why can’t we demonstrate compassion to those who don’t look and worship like we do?  When you tell people who are different from you to put aside their differences, you devalue them.  You demonstrate through your actions that you don’t believe people of color, people who worship differently than you, people who weren’t born here, people who are different from you have anything of value to give to you.

4)      Please don’t tell me that it is time to make America great again.  The only group that the America of the past has been consistently great to is white men.  At what point in time were we great?  I need to know, so I can know what treatment I can expect from you.  I need to know, so I can be prepared to stand by and use my privilege to protect those who have traditionally been oppressed – people of color, religious minorities, LBGT, and women.  It’s time for you to wake up and realize that greatness is not only contained within white skin.  Until we celebrate the greatness of every individual in our country, we will never be great.

On Wednesday morning, my girls asked me what we are going to do now that Trump is going to be president.  I told them we are going to keep doing what we’ve been doing.  We are going to love one another.  We are going to be kind to others.  We are going to stand beside our friends who might look different than us and feel afraid right now.  We are going to work to make sure everyone feels valued because we are truly stronger together.

Oh, Henry!

Yesterday, Charlotte and I were out doing some grocery shopping.  We were contemplating some frozen food at Aldi, when this young boy about Charlotte's age comes up to me and engages in conversation.

Boy (very enthusiastically): Hi, I'm Henry!  What's your name?

Me: Hi, I'm Kristina.

Henry: I'm Henry. Do you like me?

Me: Well, Henry, I don't know.   I just met you.

Henry: Well, I'm Henry!  Do you like me?

Me: Well, you seem like a nice kid.

Henry: Can I give you a hug?

Me: Sure.

So, Henry gives me this really tight hug.  At this point, Henry's caretaker comes up. It didn't seem like it was his mother, but I guess it could have been.  She says that Henry doesn't recognize social boundaries.  She tells him to come on.

Me: Thanks for the hug, Henry.  That was very kind of you.

And it really was the sweetest little hug.  Kind of random encounter in the grocery store, but it really made my day.  Charlotte was amused with the whole thing.  I kind of thought it was important to show kindness because, above all else, don't we all just want to be liked?

The Clement Girls on Slavery

So, last week, we were driving across town to pick up my car from the mechanic.  I'm not sure what sparked the interest in the topic, but we got into quite the conversation about slavery.  It went something like this:

Emma (certain the answer was no): Mom, does slavery still exist?

Me: Actually slavery does still exist and there are even people who are in slavery in Georgia. [This is what you get when you have a mom interested in social justice issues and knowledgeable about human trafficking and the fact that Atlanta is one of the top cities in the country for human trafficking.]

Charlotte and Emma (completely shocked): Huh? What?

Emma: What about the 13th Amendment?  They can't just ignore the 13th Amendment.  That's illegal.

Me: Well, I'm pretty sure they don't care about the 13th Amendment.  These are not good people.

Charlotte (absolutely indignant): Just because Lincoln is dead doesn't mean they can not obey his law!

Me:Yeah, well, these are not people who care about obeying laws.  It's not the same kind of slavery that you learn about in school...like on plantations in the 1800s. These are people that are being forced to work without pay in people's homes and businesses....maybe being held against their will.

Charlotte: Are there light skinned and brown skinned slaves?

Me: Yes.

Charlotte: Slaves used to be different.  Kind of like in Harry Potter.  You know how they call Hermione half-blood....no Mudblood?  It was like that.  The light skinned people thought they were pure bloods or something.  (Exasperated.)  I mean I have friends that are African Americans.

Emma: Me too....like Maya, Rocky, etc...etc.... (Pause.)  Actually, I think most of my friends are.

Charlotte: This is just wrong.

Emma: I know.  I mean the 13th Amendment...(shaking her head)

I thought it was interesting that Charlotte used the Harry Potter example because I read an article not too long ago that said that kids that read Harry Potter were more understanding and accepting of difference.

When I'm President

Last night, Charlotte was moping in her room because her bike wasn't working properly.  In an effort to cheer her up, I invited her to come on a walk with me.  While we were walking, she was going on and on about how much she hates school because it is so boring.  She told me that she just wants to be home schooled because it will be so much better.  She wouldn't stop asking me why she had to go to school, so I finally told her it is against the law for her not to go to school.

Me: Why do you hate school so much?

Char: Because school is all this is this and that is that.  I hate school.  When I'm president, I'm going to break the law and not go to school.

Me: Well, to be the president you need to understand the laws and stuff that you learn in school.

Char: So, if I'm president, I can just break the law?

Me: Well, just because you are president doesn't mean you can break the law, but you could try to amend the law.

Char: Amend?  What does that mean?

Me: Well, that's why you need to go to school, so you can learn what words like amend mean.

Char (Exasperated!): OOOOOOOOOOOOHHH! C'MON!

Me: Amend means to make some changes.

Char: Well, when I'm president, I'm making some changes to the law, so you don't have to go to school if you don't want to.

Before We Were Born

I've read on more than one occasion that family dinners are a great way to build relationships and keep your family intact.  I have to say that for us, family dinners are a source of amusement and great stories.  Here is a snapshot of the conversation at our dinner table last night.

Emma: I have this dream that I have like once a week.  I keep dreaming that I am in heaven waiting for God to find the perfect parents for me.  Charlotte is there too and we are best friends -

Charlotte: Yay!  We're best friends.

Emma: It took so long for God to find the perfect parents for us.

Kristina: Seriously! We were waiting for a long time.

Emma: Yes, but it was okay because we got the best parents in the world.  [Bonus points for Emma!]  When I finally came down the chute, I was so happy to have you as my parents.

Charlotte: Yeah, but when you left, I was like waaaahhh, I'm all alone now.  Then, I finally got sent down.  Before I was born, I was like, aaaaahhh, I'm in the belly of some giant beast.  Then, I came out and was like, waaahhh, I can't walk and these people are giant.

Kristina: Geez, Charlotte, thanks a lot.

Charlotte: Well, I didn't know you then.  Being born was like an earthquake and everything was so scary.  I love you now.

Jesus, Take the Wheel

I never imagined yesterday when I was leaving my office a little before 1 p.m. that I wouldn't get home until after 1 a.m. When I initially left the office, I went to my car and sat in the same exact spot for almost an hour before giving up and going back into my office.  An hour later, I tried again and the streets were not quite as gridlocked as they were during my first attempt.  When I went back to my car at 3 p.m., I was able to drive straight to the bottom of the deck and exit out onto the street in just a few minutes.  In less than ten minutes, I was on the connector headed northbound.  This first part of the trip was totally fine.

I see a lot of people online talking about how awful Southerners are driving in the snow.  When I was on the connector, the snow was falling pretty heavy, but the roads were perfectly fine.  People were driving cautiously.  The roads were so congested, we were all going slowly.  I didn't seen anyone driving like a maniac in the snow.  We were all just scooting along like any other rush hour in Atlanta.  It took me about an hour and a half to get to I-285 and off onto the surface streets to my house.  That is where the nightmare began for me.  I guess I was lucky in that I-85N didn't have any accidents.  I really think it is because the roads weren't icy at that point.  There was snow accumulating, but not really sticking because of all the traffic.  When the sun went down and the temperatures plummeted, the roads started icing over quickly and that is when things got bad.

When I turned on to Buford Highway, things slowed down, but it wasn't until I made the turn onto Jones Mill Road to head towards Holcomb Bridge Road that things basically began to creep.  It was four hours later when I made it to the QT and decided to take a pit stop.  I'm so glad I did or I likely would have burst before I made it home.  What I know now is that there was a truck overturned on Holcomb Bridge Road that basically meant no one was ever going to be able to take that road.  It would have been nice to know there was an accident ahead to avoid that road totally, but I am guessing the hundreds of accidents in the metro area were too much to track online.

We were moving at a rate of .2 miles an hour.  While I sat on Jones Mill Road, the hours were ticking by and I was amazed to see school buses dropping off kids after 8 p.m.  This is when the roads started to get pretty treacherous for me.  At the top of the road before turning on to Holcomb Bridge Road, the road was covered in ice and I got stuck on a patch of ice trying to get up the last bit of hill before the intersection.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do.  All these cars were passing me and I was sitting there feeling a bit helpless.  Then, two teenagers, a guy and girl, offered to push my car for me and I was able to get off the ice and turn on to Holcomb Bridge Road.

In hindsight, I wish I had gone straight across as I had been contemplating earlier, but I tend to think that everything happens for a reason.  (I read online later that the road I eventually ended up taking had a number of accidents earlier in the night.)  In the next four hours, I would go less than a mile.  I was amusing myself by checking in on Facebook and following friends who were trying to get home as well.  About hour seven, I started to get a little overwhelmed by the whole situation and shed a few tears.  It was so frustrating inching along.  I was on the phone with my sister, Mary, who was telling me that where I was headed was "red" on google maps.  It was very disheartening to learn I was in the "orange" area considering how little movement there was on the road.

It was around 11 p.m. when I was approaching the intersection of Holcomb Bridge Road and Spaulding Drive.  I had already decided that I was going to try to get home a different way by detouring down Spaulding Drive and eventually hooking up to Peachtree Parkway.  At one point, I tried to cut through a parking lot to get onto Spaulding Drive. Unfortunately, there was a hill and I couldn't get my car over the hill.  I got to the top and was stuck.  Then I started sliding backwards and ended up putting the car in reverse and going back down the hill and into the traffic again.  For the longest time, I was just a few cars from the turn on to Spaulding.  There were two teenagers that were walking down the street handing out bottled water and granola bars.  They shared with me the news of the overturned truck ahead and solidified my resolve to attempt a detour home.

At midnight, I was finally able to turn right onto Spaulding Drive!  When I turned and was able to hit 20 mph, I felt like I was flying.  I tried to continue straight on Spaulding to Peachtree Parkway, but the road was covered in a thick sheet of ice and it was difficult to get any traction.  There were two cars stuck in the ice.  For awhile, I was sliding on the road and finally ended up on the curb.  I sat there for a minute seriously praying that I could get out.  Eventually, I was able to get the car in reverse and go back towards Peachtree Corners.  The road was icy, but I was able to move slowly along it until I could almost see the turn onto Peachtree Parkway.  At this point, I hit a patch of ice and the car started spinning around the road.  I couldn't even figure out where to steer or what direction I was even headed at this point.  My goal was to just stop the car from spinning and sliding because just ahead of me was a car facing me in my lane.  My heart was racing a mile a minute when I finally slammed the car into the curb and stopped it from sliding down the hill into the SUV in front of me. I just sat there for awhile afraid to try to go again because I didn't want to end up in a head on collision with the SUV.  I don't even know how long it was before the SUV was able to get off the ice and out of my way.

When the SUV finally moved, I eased back into the road, sliding a bit, but still making forward progress.  I was really nervous at this point because hills were difficult for my little Civic and I had to go uphill before I could get on Peachtree Parkway.  The road was covered in ice, but I eventually made it on to Peachtree Parkway.  From here, I was basically home free. I think Johns Creek had put something out on the roads.  I was able to take Peachtree Parkway to State Bridge Road to Jones Bridge Road without any major incident.  There were still a number of cars on the road, but everyone was being cautious.

When I finally made it to our subdivision, the intersection was totally iced over.  For those who have been to my house, you know how hilly our street it.  I made it to the first stop sign, but couldn't get my car to go up the hill at that intersection.  I decided I was done with driving and would just walk home.  I wanted to be home so badly.  I parked the car on a side street and started walking home.  I had a tearful moment when I got out of the car.  My legs were so sore from sitting for so long.  I was so happy to know that I was just a short walk from home.  I called Brian to let him know that I was in the neighborhood and he said he'd come meet me.  It was cold outside and my teeth were chattering in no time.  I was thankful that my walk was short compared to people who walked miles.  I've never been so happy to be home.  It was about 1:15 a.m. when I made it to our house.

While I still feel a bit traumatized by the whole experience, I am incredibly thankful that I was able to make it home safely.  I sincerely appreciated all the prayers and words of encouragement from friends and family on Facebook and over text message.  It kept my spirits up and I felt all the love from everyone. It is really exhausting and overwhelming to experience something like this and have no control over your situation.  What is hard to explain to people not stuck in the situation is that there really wasn't an option to seek shelter somewhere.  It wasn't like I could decide that since Target or Home Depot were taking in people that I would just go there instead. The traffic was absolutely gridlocked.  I had about the same chance of getting to shelter as I did to getting home.  I would have had to abandon my car and walk a good distance to get somewhere taking in people.  If I abandoned my car, I would be further adding to the travel problems on the roads.

Overall, I was really proud of the people around me in traffic and the strangers who were willing to help me out.  I guess we all realized the severity of the situation and were trying to do the best we could to get home. For those still dealing with the craziness, I pray they get home.  For now, I'm enjoying sitting in front of the fireplace and I can't get "Jesus, Take the Wheel" out of my head!

Count Your Penny Blessings

This morning, I was out walking Maggie with Charlotte.  We were about halfway up the hill from our house, when Charlotte spotted a penny on the ground.  Ten steps later, she found a nickel.

Me: Wow, Charlotte, you're rich!

Charlotte: Well, if I lived in pioneer times, I could buy something at the Oleson's Mercantile.

We walk a little farther and Charlotte found two more pennies.  Then, I spotted a penny on the ground and picked it up.  So, we were up to nine cents.

Me: You know, when I'm out running, I always see pennies and I think I should pick them up so I can be rich.

Charlotte (proceeding delicately):  Well...you probably wouldn't be rich with money, but you would be rich in blessings!

We walked all the way to the end of the neighborhood and turned around to head back home.  On the way back, Charlotte spotted another penny and then I found a dime.

Charlotte: You know, there is no need to go to the bank for money, when you can just pick it right up off the ground.  Who needs a bank!?

All in all, it was a profitable walk and I was reminded that Charlotte is just one of my many blessings!

Kid Conversations

I have a feeling that one day I will be sad that the kids are all grown up and out of the house.  I will have to rely on others to amuse me with their funny kid stories.  In the meantime, I enjoy the conversations I overhear the girls having with one another as well as the funny things they are compelled to tell me.  Here's just a sampling of some of the things I've heard in the last week.

Exhibit A:  Emma and Charlotte telling jokes in the car

Charlotte: What do you get when you have a witch at the beach?
Emma: A...bitch?  [Brian and I were dying in the front seat.]
Charlotte: No, a sandwich.

Exhibit B: Unsolicited conversation with Cristina at 6 a.m.

Cristina: Mom, did you know that mermaids have really bad memories?  When they see a stick with points on the end, they call it a bangerhopper.  They're not like humans who know it is a fork.  They just think it is something you use to brush your hair.  That's why humans and mermaids are so different.

Exhibit C:  After dinner conversation with Charlotte

Charlotte: Mom, I just can't decide which I should be.

Me: Which what?

Charlotte: I can't decide if I should be part of the population that doesn't get married and have kids or be part of the population that helps the population by getting married and having kids?  Why did you decide to have kids?

Me: Well, I always wanted to be a mom and have cute kids.

Charlotte: Well, I guess if you had decided to be a part of the other population, then I wouldn't be here.

Me: Pretty much.

Exhibit D: Emma and Charlotte discussing weekend plans on Thursday night

Emma: Did you know that we have Monday off?

Charlotte: Yes, everyone knows that.

Emma: Well, I didn't know until Miss Felton told us.

Charlotte: We have it off to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.

Emma: Well, I know what I am going to do. I'm going to sleep!  [Side note: Martin Luther King, Jr. has a better chance of showing up at the King Center than Emma has of sleeping past 6 a.m.]

Charlotte: Oh, no, you are not!  We are going to be celebrating Martin Luther King, not sleeping.

Fast forward to Monday when Charlotte finds a party popper in the house.

Charlotte: Mom, can I use this?

Me: Sure.

Charlotte: Okay, everyone, it is time to celebrate Martin Luther King!  Hold your ears.  (Pulls the party popper and confetti flies out.)

She was beyond thrilled at her personal celebration.

Are You Santa Claus?

I'm pretty sure that if you had asked me a few months ago, I would have thought that talking to my kids about sex would be worse that talking to them about Santa Claus. Now, having recently had both of these conversations, I can say for a fact that the talk about Santa Claus is far worse.

Yesterday, I took each of the girls out shopping for Christmas gifts for each other.  Emma and I went out around lunch time, so we stopped at Qdoba for lunch before shopping.  So, I'm sitting there enjoying my quesadilla when she decides we need to have this serious conversation.  If I had known what was about to happen, I would have perhaps picked a more secluded table and not a booth next to the soda fountain.

Emma: Mom, are you the Tooth Fairy?

Me: Why do you think I am the Tooth Fairy?

Emma: Well, remember when I lost my last tooth.  When I woke up, there wasn't anything from the Tooth Fairy.  I was pretending to sleep and I saw you come in and put money on my bed.  [Side note: Brian forgot the night before to play Tooth Fairy.]

Me: Well, sometimes  Moms and Dads have to help out the Tooth Fairy because she gets too busy, she just can't make it to all the houses in one night.

Emma: Well, she is just one little fairy, although, I thought there was more than one.  Well, are you the Easter Bunny?

Me: The Easter Bunny?!  Why would I be the Easter Bunny?

Emma: I need you to tell me the truth.  Are you Santa Claus?

Me: Do you think I am Santa Claus?

Emma (tearing up): I don't know that's why I am asking you.  You're an adult and adults can't lie, so you have to tell me the truth.

Me (tearing up): Are you the only kid in your class that believes in Santa Claus?

Emma (on the verge of tears): Yes.  No one else believes, not even Hannah.

Me: What about Alexa?

Emma: I don't know about her.  Do you have the letter that I left for Santa last year?

Me (tears flowing and unable to answer)

Emma (crying): I think you are Santa.  Why did you lie to me when I asked you the other day?  I guess I shouldn't have written those letters to Santa, Mrs. Claus and the Elf.  You know, I've already written them for this year. [Insert knife in my heart!] I even made the envelopes.  I put glue on them, let it dry, and then licked them.  I guess I can just throw them away.  You lied to me and you are so mean.  I wanted to believe in Santa.

Me: If you want to believe in Santa, you can.  He is real, if you believe it.

Emma: You're Santa.  You're the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.  You lied to me.  Every time I asked you, you lied to me.  Why did you lie to me?  I do want to believe in Santa.  [Poor kid is looking absolutely heartbroken and going back and forth between wanting to believe and being shocked that I lied to her.]

At this point, I am at a loss for words and about to break out in a major sobs in the middle of Qdoba. Meanwhile, people are filling up their drinks and looking at the two of us like we are crazy.  I try to explain that Santa was about the spirit of Christmas, love, and giving and all that jazz, but I am doing an awful job.  I am so heartbroken for Emma and she is so visibly upset about Santa and her lying mother.  Then, I remember this letter to a kid about Santa that I read once on Pinterest, so I decide to show it to Emma.  (Yes, I was really in over my head at this point.)

The letter is really sweet about Santa and needing to believe in things that you can't see.  Blah...blah...blah.  Emma reads it and says, "Well, now I know and I want to forget.  I am just going to go over here and beat my head against the wall."  I felt so awful for her.  The thing that I absolutely love about Emma is she is such a great kid who doesn't generally get caught up in the latest trends, but really just enjoys being a kid. She isn't interested in the clothes, makeup and pop stars like many of the other tweens.  She is happy to play with her dolls and dream about being a pioneer like Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I really hate that kids are forced to grow up so fast that even when they have a kid's heart, you can't protect it.

Emma: I don't understand how you can be Santa.  I mean, you're always broke, right?

Me: Pretty much.

Emma: Well, last year, Santa brought two American Girl dolls, a bike, and a ride on toy for Ella.  That must have been $400.  How can you afford that? (Pause.)  Mom, did you steal that stuff from the store?  Maybe you just help Santa.  He does have a big sleigh and wouldn't need as much help as the Tooth Fairy.  Santa must have helped you some because there is no way you could buy all that stuff.

I had to laugh at that last part, but the rest of the conversation left me feeling a little heartbroken.  I feel like it knocked the Christmas spirit right out of me.  I never imagined before what it would be like to tell the girls about Santa, but it feels awful.  It's like stealing someone's joy and seeing their childhood dreams come crashing down all at once....all that sweet, innocent and adorable imagination of childhood.

Yep, I would gladly talk about how babies are made over Santa Claus.

Top Ten Road Trip Hits

I promised I would report back on the all the fun games and activities I put together for our road trip.  Here are the things that were hits with the kiddos.

 #1 I highly recommend the cookie sheet for the kids.  I bought these at the Dollar Tree and used a paint pen to decorate them with the girls' names.  They loved being able to use it as a flat surface for coloring, eating their snacks, or playing with the different activities.  Towards the end of the trip, Ella was asking for it when we got in the car.  I have to say it was a lifesaver in keeping crayons and other little things in her reach throughout the trip.

#2  The girls really liked the Road Trip Rodeo cards.  We didn't do as many as I thought we would during the trip because we didn't need as many pit stops as I thought we would on the drive.  The girls thought these were so funny and loved completing the tasks.  Emma and Charlotte took turns reading the cards and instructing everyone on what to do. They liked taking charge.

#3 The magnet squares I made were definitely a favorite with the girls.  Emma and Charlotte used them to spell out words and Emma even tried creating a crossword puzzle.  Ella was entertained lining them up along her cookie sheet and played with them for a long time on more than one occasion.  

 #4 This isn't very creative, but I bought a handful of different movies and wrapped them in tissue paper.  The girls got to pick a new mystery movie and unwrap it.  They thought this was fun and the new movies were a good distraction on some of the 10-12 hour driving days.

 #5 I'm going to be honest here and say that I was a bit envious of these glitter bags I made for the girls.  They had so much fun doodling designs or just mashing their hands in the gel.  Something about them was very soothing.  After about a week, a few of the ziplocs started to leak a little, but nothing insane.  It was worth it for the time these amused them in the car.

 #6 Part snack - part activity, the marshmallows and toothpicks were a lot of fun for the girls.  They built all kinds of different contraptions out of them and ate a few along the way.  This is a very cheap activity - a bag of mini marshmallows and a box of toothpicks is about $2.

 #7 These little magnet activity boards that I picked up for $3 at Michaels were a huge hit.  I regretted not getting one for Ella because she was extremely envious of the other girls' magnet boards.  They played with these for days and they are still around now.

 #8 Ella enjoyed playing with her busy book.  I had to control my urges to instruct her on how to engage with each page and just be happy that she was entertaining herself with it.  She enjoyed shoving her hand as well as all the pieces in the book into this glove that I sewed on to one of the pages.

 #9 Another really cheap and easy activity was the handful of pipe cleaners I gave each of the girls.  In no time, they had created an assortment of crowns, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and other things.

 #10 One of the last things I gave the girls were some sticker books that I found for $1 at Walmart.  They had fun putting the stickers on the different pages as well as on each other, the car windows, and anything in sight.  I wasn't so thrilled with the car windows, but I was pretty thrilled with the quiet time.

Just in case you are wondering, Charlotte and Cristina did get all these things too!  They sit in the far back seat in the minivan, so it was hard to get a clear picture of them engaging with the different activities.  Ella sits right behind me in the car, so it was easiest to get pictures of her.

In terms of things that didn't go over as well, the girls weren't too excited about games where they had to engage outside of the car.  While I love the license plate game and the alphabet game, they weren't that interested.  They preferred things that kept their focus in the car, although they did enjoy when I gave them the camera and they were able to take pictures of things we passed along the way.

Public Service Announcement from Emma

I found this picture that I took of Emma's persuasive essay for third grade.  I thought I should help spread the message, since she spent a great deal of time researching for this major assignment.  I love how she clearly states her opinion on smoking in the United States.

For goodness sake, people, think of the cilia!  Don't kill the cilia.

Pollution

I'm glad to know that my girls care about the environment.  The following conversation occurred on the way from my office to the parking garage.

Charlotte (horrified):  Emma!  Emma!  Look at this...pizza on the ground.

(The girls walk a few more steps forward.)

Charlotte (about to blow a fuse):  EMMA!  Will you look at this?  More litter.  There is just trash and litter all over the ground.

Emma (shaking her head):  Teenagers are just so stubborn.  All they care about is skateboarding and makeup. They don't care about the animals that have to live with this pollution.  I hate school, but even I know not to screw around in school.  I listened when they talked about pollution.  I know not to pollute.  Well, I don't really hate school.

I really got a chuckle out of Emma talking about stubborn teenagers.  They were blaming the littering on the college students, but don't realize that there are lots of people walking through the campus and hanging about the outskirts all the time.  It's hard to say who was responsible for all that pollution.

Epic Road Trip - The Final Day!

On Sunday morning, we left Tulsa at 8:30 a.m. to head to our last destination before home - the Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri.  As we were driving through Missouri, Emma says, "Who would want to live in a place called Misery?"  I said, "It's Missouri."  Emma said, "Missouri, Misery, who would want to live here?"  The drive there was pretty miserable as we encountered our first major rainfall of the trip.

The Rocky Ridge farm is the place where Almanzo and Laura settled once they left South Dakota and it was where they both died.  I enjoyed the museum which housed a number of artifacts from the Ingalls family.  Most notably, Pa's fiddle is there.  If you've read the Little House on the Prairie books, you know what a big part Pa's fiddle played in Laura's stories.

When we were walking up to the house, Cristina asked me, "Does Laura live in this house?"  She seemed to be a bit exasperated with Laura!  I guess it must be a little confusing for a kid to see all these houses that belonged to Laura, but to never actually see Laura living in any of them.   I explained to her that Laura used to live here, but she was dead.  She then proceeded to ask me, "Does Pa live here or is he dead?  Does Ma live here or is she dead?  Does Carrie live here or is she dead?"  Poor kid was disappointed that the whole family was dead.

The white farmhouse was built room by room by Almanzo.  Everything in the house was made to accommodate Laura's short height.  She was only 4 feet 11 inches.  Almanzo made several pieces of furniture and a whole rack of different canes.  He had to use a cane due to complications from an earlier illness.

 I discovered on this trip that I have an affinity for fields of haystacks.  I loved to see the hay all piled up in fields in Nebraska, South Dakota, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas.  Below is the hayfield on the Rocky Ridge Farm.

 The girls hanging out on the steps of the rock house that Rose had built for her parents.  We were waiting on a tour.

 Crossing over the Mississippi River on our drive back to Georgia.  We ended up logging 4203.6 miles in all on our epic road trip and had such an amazing time.  Having the opportunity to see another part of the country was truly a blessing.  We're not sure what we can do to top this trip in the future.

Epic Road Trip Day Ten

On Saturday morning, we decided to drive up to Independence, Kansas to see another Laura Ingalls Wilder spot.  There was a small replica cabin, one room school house and an old post office on the site of the Ingalls home in Independence, which was the setting of the book, Little House on the Prairie.  We didn't stay at this location very long.  There wasn't much to see and the woman running the place was extremely rude.  It was such a surprise to meet someone so unpleasant because at all the other locations, the workers were super friendly and excited to share stories.

 Charlotte taking a nap in the house with a rag doll.

 After we left Independence, we drove back to Tulsa and took the girls to the 41st Street Plaza of River Parks in the downtown area next to the Arkansas River.  Too bad we couldn't bring along some of the rain from Atlanta to help fill up their river!

 The park had a lot of fun water elements and the girls got drenched running in the fountains and skipping through the different areas.

 I love this picture of Charlotte in her bonnet hopping over the shooting water arcs.

 Once again, Ella was delighted by the WA-TER!  She loves to grab handfuls of it.

 After splashing around for a bit, Ella found this little hammock and rested in it happily until it was time to head back to Jeff and Laura's place.

 When we were in Independence, we bought a little bonnet for Stella and attempted to get a picture of all the girls in their bonnets.  It is hard enough trying to get a good shot with four girls and it was next to impossible with five!

Epic Road Trip Day Nine

On Friday, we got out to see some sites in Tulsa.  In the morning, Laura took us to one of her favorite spots, Turkey Mountain, for a two mile hike.  The girls were a little whinier than normal, but managed the distance without too many complaints.  

 Cristina had to stop for a few breaks along the way.  Maybe if she had chosen more sensible shoes the hike would have been a little easier?  Just a guess.

 Cristina had the camera for much of the hike and I have a lot of pictures of people's footprints.

 After the hike, we had lunch at Subway.  During lunch, Charlotte lost her second tooth.  She was quite excited about it.

 When we were planning the trip to Tulsa, Brian wanted to check out the new Woody Guthrie museum.  After spending time at a few museums during the trip, I figured that the last thing that the kids would want to do is spend the afternoon looking at instruments and musical lyrics.  Brian discovered there was a children's museum in Tulsa and we decided to divide and conquer.  Brian and Jeff had a kid free tour of the Guthrie museum and Laura and I hung out with the girls at the Discovery Lab, Tulsa's Children's Museum.  The main centerpiece of the museum were these giant tape tunnels that went across the main room.  I was really surprised when Ella climbed up in them and went all around by herself with no problems.

 Ella playing with the ball chutes at the museum.

The girls channeling their inner artists at the creation station.

 Charlotte laying on a bed of nails.

 Emma and Ella coming down the slide.  I'm pretty sure those are Cristina's legs in the background.

 Emma and Charlotte built a house out of cardboard boxes.  Charlotte directed all the kids where to put the blocks, so it turned out to her liking.

While we were watching the kids play, Brian was snapping pictures of Woody Guthrie's fiddle, which survived two bombings when he was part of the merchant marines.

 Back at Jeff and Laura's house, the girls had fun playing with Stella and taking turns holding her.  Stella looks like she'll be as big as Cristina in no time!

 I'm pretty sure Charlotte's favorite thing about Laura's house was playing with the dogs, Jack and Coogee.  She is such an animal lover and attracted animals wherever we went during our trip.

 Cristina was thrilled to have the chance to feed Stella.  I don't think she was fast enough for Stella's liking, but she did a good job.

Epic Road Trip Day Eight

On Thursday, we were all pretty happy to just hang out with Jeff, Laura and Baby Stella. The ride to Tulsa wiped us all out.  In the afternoon, their neighbor, Lyle, invited us over to swim in the pool.  The girls were excited to go swimming - one of their favorite activities of all time. Baby Stella showed off her swimming skills from her Diaper Dolphin swim class.  Meanwhile, Emma showed off her floating skills.

 I'm not really sure what possessed Cristina to bite a chunk out of this pool noodle.  I was so embarrassed when I realized what she was doing.

 Ella decided on this trip that she likes swimming pools.  She was more than happy to have Emma take her around in the pool.

 Emma and Charlotte love to create pool races.  Emma challenged Jeff to a race back and forth across the pool.  I don't think he had any idea of the competitive spirit of the Clement girls.

In St. Louis, Emma taught Charlotte how to float in the pool.  Here she is showing off her new skill. 

After swimming in the pool, the girls had fun playing with Stella and pulling her around the house in her wagon.  

Epic Road Trip Day Seven

On Wednesday morning, we decided to let the girls ride the horses one more time before leaving the homestead and heading for Tulsa.  We didn't realize that the horses didn't come out until after 10 a.m., so it set us back on our plans for an early start.  The girls amused themselves again in the church and barn on the property.  Cristina and Ella really enjoyed the stagecoach. Ella kept grabbing the reins and yelling, "Hi-yaw!"

 Finally, the horses came out and the girls took one more spin around the property.  Just as we were walking away, Ella decided that she was finally brave enough to ride the horses.  She enjoyed her ride around the barnyard on Star.

 On our way out of town, we did a quick driving tour of some of the sites mentioned in the books by the By the Shores of Silver Lake, Little Town on the Prairie, and These Happy Golden Years.  Below is the Surveyors' House that they lived in the winter before they moved out to the homestead.  The other house is the house that Charles Ingalls built for Caroline when he gave up farming and moved into town to become a carpenter.

I was a little sad to leave De Smet.  It was my favorite stop on our road trip.