Las Vegas -- Part 3

Last year I found a Natural History museum off the beaten path. The kids liked the hands-on exhibits and we enjoyed learning about Egyptian mummification. We thought we'd head back there this trip and start from the opposite end, but we never made it. Instead we found the Springs Preserve thanks to some clever billboard advertising along the interstate.

This place was incredible. There were at least three museums on-site that we were able to see: the Origen Museum, the Nevada State Museum, and the NV Energy Sustainability Gallery. The Origen was about the origin of Las Vegas. There were some hands-on exhibits for the kids like a Pueblonian stone grind to make flour and a mock-flash flood where they stood on a platform and got their feet wet.

The Nevada State Museum was definitely hands-off, but very interesting nonetheless. The kids got to stand next to a mammoth skeleton, stand under stalactites, watch holographic miners talk about life in the mines, and listen to atomic bomb testing. This wasn't necessarily their favorite museum, but they appreciated it and they were very well behaved.

The Energy Sustainability Gallery was incredible. There was so much to see and do and so much to learn about green living. The gallery specifically related to Nevada, but it was enlightening nonetheless. I really enjoyed learning about how much gas and energy is used to produce glass versus plastic and how much energy is used to recycle them. The girls enjoyed playing in the life-size kitchen replica and with all the energy arcade games. I'm hoping they learned by osmosis, although much of it was over their heads. It was really a hands-on museum for adults.

We spent 6 hours exploring the Preserve in total. We did eat at their Springs Cafe, which is run by the Nevada Culinary Institute. The food was delicious.

Next time we head back to Las Vegas I would love to see the remainder of the Preserve: the Desert Gallery and the Gardens. It's well worth the visit and so beautiful.

Las Vegas -- Part 2

I wanted to make sure the kids got to see some amazing sights on the strip, nudity and drunks not included, so I researched the different casinos to see what they might like. It was too hot for anything outdoors during the day so I decided on the Bellagio Gardens and Fountains. The kids enjoyed the giant snails and birds, while we adults enjoyed the displays and the variation of flora.

There were two giant snails which were each covered in 1500 cut flowers. There was a lot to look at and enjoy despite the small area. The gardens change every season and I'm sure it's beautiful.

Afterward we endured the 104 degrees to watch the fountain dance in the moonlight for just a few songs. Then Alyssa started to melt so it was back to the resort for some ice cream.

Las Vegas -- Part 1

We took our second Girls Only vacation to Las Vegas--four generations: my girls, me, my mom, and my grandma. It was a great, low-key week. 

This time my mom and I decided to break up our driving by stopping overnight in Bakersfield. We figured the kids could play in the pool and then crash. It was a 3.5 hour drive to Bakersfield and then another 4-4.5 hours to Las Vegas. It was such a terrific idea and really did take away a lot of the stress of driving 10 hours with two little kids. We made it Las Vegas around check-in at 4:45.

We borrowed a family friend's time share at the WorldMark Tropicana. It slept 6 and had a really nice open floor plan. The kids really liked the breakfast bar. 

Me and my girls dressed up for our night out.

When we stay at a resort/time share we come prepared. We had each meal, including breakfast, planned and prepared. We brought two ice chests (big and small) and came home with them nearly empty. It saves on expenses and ensures that the kids eat well. We did eat out for lunch in Las Vegas once, but we saved our big bucks for Michael Jackson ONE.

This is the second Cirque show my girls have seen (they're 5 and 8) and absolutely loved it! There is so much to see during a show and it keeps them interested the entire show. This time we got there extra early and they got special treatment--6-inch booster seat and ear plugs. There are no bad seats in the house. 

The girls loved the music and the dancing so much they've been playing "Michael Jackson" since we got home. They dressed up like the Cirque dancers and then danced to MJ Wii. And my grandma loved the show too. There was definitely something for everyone and every age.

There is so much to do in Las Vega that doesn't involve gambling and partying. It can be a very fun place with kids.  

I love reading home decor blogs. I'm attracted to spaces that are kid-friendly, practical, and pretty, which can be a difficult combination to achieve. Our dining room was repurposed a couple of years ago when we decided to make it work for us.

We opted for a couple of doors on our bookcases to hide kid clutter. One of those bookcases hides coloring books and all related accessories. However, the mess started to grow and the doors weren't
closing, not to mention I was tired of picking up half broken crayons.

Still working on my chalk finesse

I liked the idea of a see-through container for crayons and markers. I found two cookie jars at Target and filled them with new crayons and markers. Suddenly my girls were coloring for hours every day because they could see the colors and they weren't hidden from view.

Samantha suggested I do like we'd seen on Pinterest and paint a chalkboard label on the jars that said crayons and markers. (Smart kiddo.) My mom then suggested that we paint a mailing label with chalk paint and stick it on the jar so we could change our mind and color whenever. It worked really well.

When we bought our house the instructions to the original fireplace were still hanging in the firebox. The house was about 10 years old and the fireplace untouched. We used that fireplace religiously until Samantha was a year old and she started to get bronchitis. The box was so small that the only way to get heat out was to first, buy walnut because it burned easier than oak, and to leave the doors open. (Not exactly child-safe.)

When neighbors were moving we bought a fireplace insert from them. It was still in the box--they never got around to installing it and weren't about to leave it with the new owners. We bought it for around $300 and thought it was a steal because the unit costs approx. $1500. It took us 4 years to get a contractor to install it because no one wanted to touch a unit that wasn't purchased from a dealer. Turns

out there was a reason for that. 

The contractor started in January and was done within a week, but the unit wouldn't stay lit. So we had to figure out what the issue was: flue venting, piping, etc. And we had to buy more parts because the unit came as itself. There was no remote to turn it on, there was no interior vent, the flue venting needed adjustment. And meanwhile we refused to pay the contractor because the fireplace didn't work properly. (The contractor wasn't at fault it was the wholesale unit!)

Finally, after forking out $800 more in parts and a three-month wait for the contractors to finish another job, it was installed. By then it was mid-April and the temperature was in the 70s! 

Three months later I'm still staring a drywall hoping that we get it tiled and finished before next April. 

Earlier this week we saw the ENT and ruled out an adenoidectomy--I think. The doctor said Samantha's adenoids were a 2+ and surgery is typically at a 4. He does want her to use a nasal spray for one month to see if that reduces them further. I used that excuse to push out the endoscopy a bit longer.

I'm finding the entire thing a bit overwhelming because there are a lot of things to be checked off in the next few months. I need to mentally prepare for it so I can be the best advocate for Samantha. I don't want to be sitting in the hospital sobbing because I don't have control over my anxiety. These procedures are necessary and will likely change her life for the better.

But first I need some structure: normal dinner times, family time, and my own health managed so that I can care for her. Without structure everything in my head seems to fall apart. And then I resort to crazy things like moving around all the furniture in the house so I can control something.

I once read in a book about Feng Shui how changing 20-30 things can help clear the mind. And it's certainly been true for me for a number of years. I've already switched the kitchen and dining room tables and a handful of other small things that have helped me settle some of this internal anxiety.

I figure that I'll be ready for the endoscopy in a month and by then hopefully Samantha will be so occupied with school that she'll have forgotten she needs to have it done.

Sometimes you find books at the thrift store that you wouldn't normally seek or that you didn't know existed on subjects you didn't know you wanted to read. Case in point--parenting books.

I have "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen," but it's a bit to philosophical for me. I haven't been able to stick with it for the five or so years I've had it so I doubt it will do me any good. But my mom handed me one that had me giggling in the first five minutes: "How to Behave so Your Children Will, Too!" (Hey, the kid peed in the fridge!)

I've been trying to change my own pattern of yelling at the kids and succeeded (once) for two weeks. Big feat! I can certainly do better.

Some days I'm so tired and I give the kids instructions like "Go put your pajamas on and brush your teeth." Ten minutes later they are giggling and half undressed and still haven't brushed their teeth. I don't want to get up to walk across the house to sternly tell them they should be doing X or Y. I just yell, "Hey, you aren't doing what you are told." It's a pattern and it's not pretty. I'm sure the neighbors get sick of hearing me. I don't yell anything cruel or mean or angry, it's just annoying. And if I'm annoying myself . . .

And then there is the discipline part that is challenging. We have the most behavior problems with Samantha because she pushes the limits with her little sister (as all kids do). We often resort to taking away technology, but that is starting to feel ineffective.

I thought about putting a consequence jar together so that the punishment would be that they'd have to pick a simple chore--sounds good.  But then I thought that maybe we should be reinforcing the good behavior with a reward jar instead. I already expect my kids to help with chores like cleaning the bathroom and folding laundry. Of course, I haven't implemented either.

I did notice, however, that when I was able to stop yelling for those two weeks, my kids were more gracious toward each other, they were more loving and helpful all around. So we'll see what this book has in store. If I get one simple, even minuscule, thing out of it and it works in my house then it will be worth the read.

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Coincidentally, I ran across this article just after writing this post . . . "Noticing the good in our kids"