The Infamous Cancelled Trip to Cave of the Mounds

Yesterday was a great day with #TeamSlap and I hope to post about it on Slapinions soon. Today however  . . . we aborted a trip to the Cave of the Mounds National Natural Landmark (or Cave of the Mountains, if you ask Junie) a quarter of the way there when the kids were awful in the car. We diverted to a Walmart in Waukesha to do some school shopping and unofficially give the kids a chance to cool down and shape up. Instead, they were "that" family you see at Walmart and then post about on Facebook.  Sigh. #notEverydayisawinner

The 31st Grandpa's Day

We're here celebrating the 31st anniversary of Grandpa's Day with the kids at Stonefire Pizza

Grandpa loved all the time he spent with his grandkids.I know what it means. The following year me and you did it to remember your grandpa.love u  - Mom

That was 30 years ago today Ma :)

The Father's Day Hike 2014

On the day before Father's Day my handsome son accompanied me on a Father's Day hike at Hawthorn Glen, a nature preserve here in Milwaukee. 

The guide was a father/son team too!

At the conclusion of the hike the group BBQ'd over an open fire, and ate up some wild onions we'd picked along the way!

Smiley had a great time. He was super affectionate and declared it the best Father's Day ever, and something we should do every year. I couldn't agree more!

Here are the cardsI got for Father's Day itself:

And my gifts. A firesafe

A boxing magazine

And a GREAT boxing glove keychain with a Polish eagle, which Lisa and Lu had bought for me at Polish Fest. 

What a great Father's Day!

@ Alice Chester

Lauren Bacall

RIP Lauren Bacall, age 89. Say hi to Bogey for us.

College for Kids 2014

If you do even the most basic of searches here on Slapinions you'll find near annual posts about College for Kids at UW-Milwaukee. I'll skip the usual recitation of accolades about the program - all deserved - and just go over this years experience. 

Here was this year's lineup: 

Discovery Camp 3

Junie: 

9AM  Creating with Recycled Products

11:30AM  Plants around the world

2PM  Navigating Africa

Smiley:

9AM  Food Chains

11:30 AM  Blueprints to Buildings

2PM  Plants around the World

YaYa:

9 AM  Royalty

11:30 AM Ethics

2 PM  Kinetic Creations

LuLu:

9AM Royalty

11:30 AM  Ethics

2 PM Blueprints to Buildings

**NOTE: Due to scheduled appointment’s both Smiley and YaYa will miss at least one class, and possibly two, during the week

Discovery Camp 2

Junie: 

9AM  Japanese

11:30 AM  #10 and Beyond

2 PM Puppet Storeytime

Smiley:

9AM  A Capella 

11:30 AM  Music of the World

2 PM Japanese

LuLu : CANNOT ATTEND – PRIOR COMMITMENTS

YaYa:

9AM  Geocaching

11:30 AM  Japanese

2 PM The Writer’s Den

There were some changes along the way. That A Capella class of Smiley's was an error on UWM's part and he had to go into Puppet Storytime, the only class with an opening in his age group. He was SOOOO Angry, but in the end he loved the class (as did Junie, who took the later time). The teacher was great, and the class was mainly about puppet making itself, with the kids actually sewing their own puppets! (He thinks they should change the name to make it more appealing though!)

All the kids enjoyed Japanese, where they learned some basics of the language and wrote their names in Japanese script. 

YaYa didn't enjoy the teacher from the writing class but enjoyed the course. 

LuLu actually wound up taking a single morning class (geocaching with YaYa) in the second week. We then picked her up to take her to a 3 day dance intensive class out on Brown Deer Road. 

Royalty was loved by Lu, and enjoyed (but not to the same extent) by YaYa. 

Surprisingly, both of the girls really loved Ethics class. They learned the six pillars of ethical behavior and engaged in daily debates on controversial subjects. They couldn't stop talking about the class on the morning we asked about it!

Anyway, part of our tradition is a visit to Eeyore's house, a downed tree in Downer Woods that resembled the famous character's home. I say "resembled' because nearly a decade has passed and time and weather has knocked it apart. 

I took the kids on a hike from the Union to Downer Woods to keep up the tradition. 

Here's the house: 

I love these pics of the kids of TeamSlap!

Another great year! What a great program!