After doing some tie dye on our camping trip a couple of weeks ago, I suddenly got the urge to dye something.  So, I poked around the Dharma Trading Co. website (which I have drooled over many times in the past, but never ordered from) and was thrilled to see that they offered silk scarves and wool roving!   Play silks get more use than any other toy in our house, so we can always use more and the Girl Child uses tons of wool roving for her needle felting projects :)  Turns out it is much cheaper to buy white and dye it yourself than to purchase the already dyed types! 

Cost breakdown: 
                                            Store bought                                                                                                  
Pre-dyed Playsilks                            $10-$12 each                                                                                    
Pre-dyed wool roving                        $4/oz average          
Total cost for                                      $164-$208, not counting tax/shipping
12 playsilks &
16 oz wool roving

                                           Home made
                  
White wool roving                      $1/oz for basic
White playsilks                            $3.79 each
Dye packet                                   $2.99 each
Total cost for                          $108 with shipping & tax
12 playsilks &                                
16 oz wool roving          

Savings:  At least $56, possibly even $100 or more and that isn't taking into account that I still have enough dye left over to make 2-3 more batches of the same size.  Plus, I could have used kool aid or food coloring and saved on the dye.


Here's how it was done:

Every year for the last 10-15 years, I've gone camping the last week of June.  After I moved out of the house, I'd go with my mom as soon as my little brother got out of school.  Last year, it rained on us soooooo much that we decided to camp later in the summer, and made reservations for a week in August.  I was ok with this change--in fact I probably encouraged it.  But when the middle of June hit this year, I started to get an urge to camp. 

Waiting until August seemed impossible, so I decided to be spontaneous and book a short trip for the following week.  It was too late for a weekend trip and too late for the state camp yurts we usually stay in so I decided to give KOA a try and, very bravely of me, decided to take the kiddos midweek, while the Spouse was at work.

I felt a little bad about going on a vacation without him until I realized that if he ever took the kids away and left me home alone, I would be THRILLED.  I was a little scared because I've never been alone with both kids overnight without his help but I was also feeling like I needed to stretch my independence a bit.  I've gotten tired of feeling like I need so much help and was a little curious about how I would do on my own with the kids.  I did get a little cranky the first night because I hadn't had  any time to myself, but overall I think we did ok.  I think it helped that we were out in nature, breathing in the ocean air and away from all the distractions of home.  

The KOA was lots of fun.  Not as pretty as the state park across the street, but there were a TON of activities for kids, a free pancake breakfast every morning, an indoor pool and "kamping kitchens" with stoves and sinks to make cooking super easy.  Just the kind of accommodations I needed without any other big people along to help ;)  

All in all, it was a good trip and I am looking forward to more travel just me and the kids in the future (the Spouse is invited if he can take the time off, of course, but I'm not waiting for that to happen).And now for the pictures!

 

 

 

Our home for the stay--very rustic but much more comfortable than a tent!



Home sweet home <3



Our street



One of the 3 playgrounds on site



 Giant Chess set at the campground



on site mini-golf



The jumping pillow---an inflatable trampoline-like thing :)



Another playground



An indoor swimming pool!



Silly in the pool



KOA had daily craft activities, usually free (though we had to pay for the tie dye supplies)



View of the South Jetty--very windy!



Ft. Stevens Military Museum (we didn't go in, but we explored the grounds)



Ft. Stevens Military Museum



Playing in the battery



Peter Iredale shipwreck



A beautiful day on the beach--just perfect!

trains & buses & the monorail; sleeping on daddy's shoulders; fancy historic hotels; sunset from space needle;  flying fish, local cheese-makers, smoked salmon & fresh produce at the market; double-sour sourdough; otters & jellyfish at the aquarium; bumping into people from the past (what are the chances?!); heated outdoor pools in chilly evenings; giant arcades; Pioneer Square; the international district; Uwajimaya
<3 Seattle

Long time no see--I was a little worried LJ would delete my account or something ;)  The last year or 2 has been very busy and stressful for us.  We have had to let lots of things go.  Plus, FB consumes most of my online-social energy.  BUT, hoping to get back into the blog thing,  especially since Silly is now interested in her own journal.  Will see if I can keep it up!

Dear Mommy,

I really love you super lots.  You are pretty.  You are cute.  I love you so much that here's a great big card.  Daddy and R love you too.  I love you.  I think you like our house.  I like our house too.  I think daddy likes our house and R too.  I noticed you got tired of gardening.  I hope you get lots more gardening done.  I hope next year on Valentines day you get a super big styrafoam heart.  I hope its pink, yellow, purple, and green.  When I start growing my very own garden I will plant roses and pick one just for you.

Love L

It's been sooooooooooooooooo long since I updated, just wanted to let y'all know that we're still alive and haven't had much time on the computer.

I've discovered Facebook ;)

And we're opening a business you can see some pictures here. 

Also, just got involved with this project.

Will post kid pictures soon!

Commenting, acknowledging, and praising children for their
achievements and other well-intended interventions foster dependency
on external validation and undermine the children's trust in them
selves. Children who are subjected to endless commentary,
acknowledgment, and praise eventually learn to do things not for their
own sake, but to please others.

When we intervene with praise, wants, advice, and rewards, doubts
sneak in and shake loose our children's trust in themselves and in us…
they perceive that we have an agenda - that we are manipulating them
toward some preferred or "improved" end result…As educator John Holt
has said of children, "They are afraid, above all else, of failing, of
disappointing or displeasing the many anxious adults around them,
whose limitless hopes and expectations for them hang over their heads
like a cloud." In short…the happiness we see (as a result of praise)
is not pleasure, but rather relief that another pleasing act has been
accomplished, securing parental approval (emotional survival) and
concealing a feeling of deep loss.

- Naomi Aldort

OMG, poor girl.  It sickens me that young people have no rights in our society.

Court to hear case of teen strip-searched for ibuprofen
By Bill Mears
Supreme Court Producer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A 13-year-old Arizona girl who was strip-searched by school officials looking for ibuprofen pain reliever will have her case heard at the Supreme Court.

The justices accepted the case Friday for review. They will decide whether a campus setting gives school administrators greater discretion to control students suspected of illegal activity than police are allowed in cases involving adults in public spaces.

Arguments are expected to be heard in April.

At issue is whether school administrators are constitutionally barred from conducting searches of students investigated for possessing or dealing drugs that are banned on campus.

A federal appeals court found the search "traumatizing" and illegal.

Some parents say older children deserve the same constitutional rights as adults, but educators counter that a school setting always has been treated differently by the courts. They say a ruling against them could jeopardize campus safety.

The case involves Savana Redding, who in 2003 was an eighth-grade honor student at Safford Middle School, about 127 miles from Tucson, Arizona. Earlier that day the vice principal had discovered prescription-strength ibuprofen pills in the possession of one of Redding's classmates. That student, facing punishment, accused Redding of providing her with the 400-milligram pills.

The school has a zero-tolerance policy for all prescription and over-the-counter medication, including the ibuprofen, without prior written permission.

Redding was pulled from class by a male vice principal, Kerry Wilson, escorted to an office and confronted with the evidence. She denied the accusations.

A search of Redding's backpack found nothing. Then, although she had never had prior disciplinary problems, a strip-search was conducted with the help of a school nurse and Wilson's assistant, both females. According to court records, she was ordered to strip to her underwear and her bra was pulled out. Again, no drugs were found.

In an affidavit, Redding said, "The strip-search was the most humiliating experience I have ever had. I held my head down so that they could not see that I was about to cry."

With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, Redding and her family sued, and a federal appeals court in San Francisco, California, ruled against the school.

The court wrote: "Common sense informs us that directing a 13-year-old girl to remove her clothes, partially revealing her breasts and pelvic area, for allegedly possessing ibuprofen ... was excessively intrusive."

The court said the school went too far in its effort to create a drug- and crime-free classroom. "The overzealousness of school administrators in efforts to protect students has the tragic impact of traumatizing those they claim to serve. And all this to find prescription-strength ibuprofen."

In its appeal to the high court, the school district said requiring a legal standard of "probable cause" to conduct student searches would cast a "roadblock to the kind of swift and effective response that is too often needed to protect the very safety of students, particularly from the threats posed by drugs and weapons."

The high court has had a mixed record over the years on students' rights. The court could now be asked to clarify the extent of student rights involving searches, and the discretion of officials over those for whom they have responsibility.