The Dentist

The kids had dentist appointments this morning--ya know, the 6 month cleaning and check-up. I'd like to report that there were no cavities, but I can't. And this isn't the first time I can't say that. I always hesitate to mention that my kids have cavities, because I always feel judged. "My kids don't have cavities, but then, they don't drink soda" as their child downs their second juice box in half an hour. Or "Really? I am 40 and still don't have cavities! But I brush my teeth really well." These are actual statements I have heard when people find out my kids have cavities.

Yep, my kids don't drink soda either, they get a glass of juice with breakfast, and maybe when they have a cold they get a little more. Sugary snacks? not really. Brush their teeth? Yep, we still brush their teeth for them (on the dentist's recommendation, apparently the dexterity to do such things on their own isn't present for another few years). Floss? Yep, daily.

They just have cavity prone teeth. I don't know where it comes from (and please, don't guilt me about my nutrition during pregnancy--that is long past, I can't go back in time and fix that, if that even is what the problem is!) What I do know is that I feel bad enough. I don't need anyone adding to my mother's guilt.

And I am grateful. We live an a place where we have the ability to get the teeth repaired. We have dental insurance that covers some of the cost. Our dentist only does white fillings, so there is no way to tell that the kids have had fillings--unless you look closely...

I'm not looking for an answer to why. I don't need any judgment. I just have to get my kids through the appointments. Maybe a unit on dental health is in our future...

Le Duc Historic Estate--Friday History Field Trip #7

(This post is part of the back log I am working on. If you are getting it in a reader, I apologize, things will be out of order!)
This week's Friday History Field Trip was to LeDuc Historic Estate in Hastings. I am having so much fun finding these sites! I love that my kids are enough into history that they enjoy it, too. Even though Kutey says she doesn't like history.



William LeDuc and his wife Mary moved to Minnesota in the 1850's. They originally moved to St. Paul, but eventually moved Hastings. They had farms in the area, and LeDuc was involved in many other ventures as well. LeDuc House was completed in 1865-66 and is fairly unaltered since that time. The timing of the house is interesting, because William LeDuc, the builder, was a Civil War officer. While he was off at war, his wife was back in Ohio with her mother. The house was built largely in their absence. It is also very early in the history of Minnesota as a state. They were building the house at a time when the area was largely wilderness. As such, it is a massive house. It also apparently cost a a small fortune when built. They thought it might cost as much as $5000, a great deal of money at the time. When completed, however, it was 6 times that much--$30,000. It took the family years--and an inheritance--to finally get back on firm financial footing.



LeDuc tried many things to make his fortune, held many positions. Most notably, he was the Commissioner of Agriculture under President Rutherford B. Hayes. The LeDuc's also hosted the first presidential visit to the State of Minnesota, too. Rutherford B. Hayes, of course.



The house is based on an Andrew Jackson Downing design that Mary found in a book entitled "Cottage Residences." It is the Headley House in the Hudson River Valley. Mary LeDuc reversed the plan by holding it up to a window and tracing it. The windows are also not quite as long as they should have been. Mary LeDuc wanted them to go all the way to the floor, but the builder convinced her that in Minnesota that would be a poor choice, so they end 15 inches from the floor. Still very large.



At LeDuc you go on a guided tour, which is what Kiddo prefers. He likes that he can ask as many questions as he needs. I like that I don't need to know anything when I go in. I am learning with the kids. Our LeDuc tour had only one other couple on it, which was wonderful, too. I am not always sure what people think when I show up with a 7 year-old and a 4 year-old. This couple complimented us at the end, told Kiddo he asked good questions, and commented on how good they were. I know these things, but it is always nice when others recognize them, too!



We also wandered about outside the house for a bit, and found some favorite things there. First up, Chickens!

Ever since our visit to St. Augustine in May, Kutey has had a thing for chickens, particularly for feeding them! So we spent a bit of time feeding the chickens bits of grass. There was a whole list of things you could find around the yard that the chickens like to eat (along with what you SHOULDN'T feed them!). So close to the end of the growing season here in Minnesota, however, we were lucky to find grass!

Second, LIGHTNING RODS!

Kiddo's favorite Ben Franklin invention. We look for them often, but honestly, this one sort of snuck up on us. It is a lovely example however.



Want to go on your own tour of LeDuc? You can! I love this site. They have a virtual tour on their website! It even shows the basement and the third floor, areas that are not available for tour in person. 200 photographs and 50 interactive 360 degree panoramics. They won't be open again for tours until Spring (we literally hit the last Friday), but the virtual tour is good! And if you aren't from the area, the virtual tour will give you a bit of an idea of what we got to see!

Go here and watch this!

Team Ra-Ras Kicks Breast Cancer

From the site: The Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, teaming up with over 130 NFL Alumni Philadelphia Chapter Cheerleaders and UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania, invite the world to help "Team Ra-Ras Kick Breast Cancer." To encourage viewers to share the video with others and increase breast cancer awareness, UnitedHealthcare will donate ten cents ($.10) per view to The Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure


It is for a great cause, one important to me. Give 4 minutes of your life to support the cause. Thanks!

Pokemon??????

I am trying to understand. Kiddo has been introduced to Pokemon. His cousin is into it, has been for over a year. We spent a lot of time with his family over the weekend (for our annual fall camping trip), and Pokemon was present. Kiddo has no cards. Up until this weekend I don't think he knew much about them at all, except for the little bit cousin C explain in previous short encounters. But now. Well, now he knows. He hasn't asked for any cards of his own (Thank goodness!), but he is creating his own characters, drawing them, talking about damage points, powers, etc. I don't understand any of it (admittedly I have not tried). Here is my question: is there any thing redeeming about Pokemon? Will it help him with, say, math? Logical reasoning? Is there a reason I should stop ignoring it?

Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

It is a rainy, blustery day here, which has me sitting inside planning. And thinking. Way to much. My current rumination of choice is how to avoid doing too much.

It is a conscious effort for me this year, avoiding over-scheduling. It isn't easy. Every option out there sounds wonderful! In this week already, I have had to turn down the opportunity to go to two different Halloween activities. Then there are the activities that come through our local homeschooling groups. There are so many! You could literally never be at home. I know, there are weeks when we aren't! Add to all the homeschool activities all the after school and evening activities for school-age kids. I view evenings as family time, so I limit those activities.

So I am being vigilant. But I feel guilty, too. What if I am skipping activities that my kids would find enriching? Are we attending enough activities so that they are making enough social connections? Should I just go to every activity I think my kids might possibly enjoy? What about the other stuff, ya know, like reading and math?

I don't remember there being this many options when I was young! Maybe my parents just did a better job of picking for us. I don't feel like I missed out, either. I didn't attend more than one or two theater productions in my elementary years (and I couldn't tell you what they were! Very memorable, no?) We probably went on two field trips a year. As a family we went to the zoo once or twice a year, maybe. We hit a few other sites, maybe one site a year. I know I have been to Fort Snelling more times in the last year and a half than I had been there in my entire life prior to that. And I did not feel deprived as a child.

Yet...

How do you choose? How do you avoid over-committing, especially when everyone around you seems to be doing so much more?

Marine Mill Site--Friday History Field Trip #6, On Saturday

(This post is part of the back log I am working on. If you are getting it in a reader, I apologize, things will be out of order!)Every year our family joins my family of origin and some extended family members for a 4 day camping trip in October. We go to William O'Brien State Park, which is close to the Twin Cities metro area. That allows those who don't want to camp to come out for a day or two. The park is coincidentally just down the St. Croix River from our last Friday History Field Trip--Folsom House.

Because we were camping this weekend, I chose a site close to the campground for our Friday History Field Trip--the mill site at Marine on St. Croix. Since Friday was a big day of visitors--there were 9 children 7 and under--we chose to wait a day and go on this particular field trip on Saturday.



The site is basically interpretive signs marking the ruins of of what was the first commercial saw mill in Minnesota. It was built in 1839, prior to Minnesota becoming a state, and closed in 1895. Seems like a short lifespan, but the raw lumber was farther away by then, I am sure. All that remains are the stone foundations of some of the buildings. The signs help you to envision how much actually stood here, though, over 115 years ago.



Marine on St. Croix is a cute little town, too, so some in our group ventured into the little shops--getting coffees and hot cocoas and $2 chocolates.



Across the street from the actual mill site there is a cabin marked with a historical marker sign as an "Early Settler's Cabin." We went and read the sign, viewed a mill pond (at least I am pretty sure that is what is was, I didn't photograph the sign, so I can't remember for sure). It is a restored cabin, you can see in the picture where the original logs are (the grey at the top).



The sites are small and easy to see in a short amount of time. We managed to squeeze them in between rain showers (so it was really wet, but not bad). This field trip did, however, prove to me that it is sometimes better to go alone than with a group. The other 7-year-old was not as interested in history. Kiddo was torn between running ahead with the him and going slower and soaking it all in. Thankfully it is an easy site to revisit, maybe in the summer!

Glacial Potholes

After our trip to Folsom House, we had a little time. My grandfather is buried in Taylors Falls (he grew up there), so we headed to the cemetery for some genealogy. The hosts at Folsom house encouraged us to look for Folsoms in the cemetery as well. We spent some time walking around to view the stones of our ancestors. We also noticed a number of very old stones, read the years, and talked about what was happening in the area at the time. There are many that date from the 1860s to 1880s.



After that we headed down to the St. Croix River and Interstate State Park. I am told I have been here before, but I have little recollection of it. It is a very interesting park geologically speaking. There are at least 10 different lava flows visible in the park and 2 distinct glacial events. There are also glacial potholes.



These holes were formed by the Glacial St. Croix. Here, fast moving waters ground rocks in whirlpools against the rock, wearing it away like sandpaper. The park contains more potholes in a smaller area than anywhere else in the world. These potholes are also some of the deepest known in the world, and they are found right here in Minnesota! There are trails that let you walk amongst them, and one you can even go into--at the bottom, where the rock was worn away at the side, too.



The kids were fascinated by the holes (but they like rocks in general, so I wasn't surprised). The unfortunate part was that there wasn't enough time to explore as much as they would have liked. I will be adding this park to our list of places to visit again next summer!



For more information:
There is a video walking tour of the potholes here. It is meant to be loaded onto a video player and carried through the area, but it gives a information and photos of the potholes. There is a nicely done pdf of the formation of the area here. General information about the park can be found here.