Bee~ Journal of then...

[Beekissed]

Maps are good...... I love my plastic maps of the states. So sturdy and you can write on them and spill food on them and leave them in the muddy floorboards and they survive! Love em!

 

[Henrietta23]

I love maps!

One of my "favorite" kid stories to make you cringe was from a friend who had three children. The youngest, a boy, when he was in 6th grade was doing miserably in school. It was near the end of 6th grade. He bragged that he hadn't done homework since he was in 4th grade. His birthday was coming and he wanted nothing other than an ATV. This kid was fresh to his parents, in trouble at school and had failing grades because he wasn't doing any work. He came home from school and played video games and watched TV. He did nothing to help around the house. His mother's argument for getting him the ATV was that if he didn't have one he'd be the only 6th grade boy who didn't. It was one of a few conversations I've had with her when I've just shaken my head and walked away. I had no clue what to say to that. His father went along with it with the agreement that it wouldn't be used to bribe the boy. "Do your homework or you can't ride your ATV" When he graduated high school they tried to get him to contribute around the house and pay rent. He got mad and moved out. He lived in his car for a few months then moved in with his grandparents. When they kicked him out he moved into a local cheap motel then with his girlfriend's parents. He's now in his early 20s with a lousy job, no real home and no real prospects. And his mother wonders where she went wrong.

 

[big brown horse]

Hen.23

It is stories like that that make me so happy that I didn't give in to my daughter's every whim and desire. She has to earn everything all by herself. I also do not accept excuses and I never let her turn into "the victim"...never. We have a wonderful mother daughter relationship.

Bee, have a wonderful time on the rapids, I'm so envious!!

 

[Henrietta23]

Hen.23

It is stories like that that make me so happy that I didn't give in to my daughter's every whim and desire. She has to earn everything all by herself. I also do not accept excuses and I never let her turn into "the victim"...never. We have a wonderful mother daughter relationship.

You can probably tell that I've kept that story in mind. 10 years have passed and I still remember. I last saw this son on Mother's Day at church. I looked down at my own son and renewed my vow not to given to every whim.

 

[lorihadams]

I try not to give my kids everything they want....I make them spend their own money and we have made a point to our 4 yr old especially, to think about what he chooses very carefully. Now it is not uncommon for him to put something back on the shelf and say, no I don't need that. My parents and grandparents constantly complain about how spoiled they are but THEY are the ones that keep spoiling them!

One of the reasons I don't want my children going to a public school is for the simple reason that the social demands on children these days are staggering! I'm not saying that I don't want my kids to have a life but I don't want them so tired and burnt out that they can't enjoy their lives.

I want my children to be grateful for what they have....we have a wii system, and we hardly play it, it was a gift from my MIL to my DH. We didn't ask for it, we always ask for money in lieu of gifts so that we can save up for what we need. Everyone says that they don't want to give us money, that's no fun. But what is the purpose of giving us all this stuff that we don't use and takes up space in the house?

Hand-me-downs. My parents and grandparents hate that most of the clothes I have for my daughter come from my BF's daughter. I'm going over to her house tomorrow to go through 8 TUBS that someone else passed on to her! Why spend money on clothes when you can get them for free? My granny keeps going and buying her all these new clothes because "she deserves to have something new of her own that didn't belong to someone else first".

I just think that kids need to be grateful, heck, everyone needs to be grateful for what they have. I'll get down off my soapbox now.


Bee, I can't wait to hear all about the rafting trip! I'm sooooooo excited for you!!!!!!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

.we have a wii system, and we hardly play it, it was a gift from my MIL to my DH. We didn't ask for it, we always ask for money in lieu of gifts so that we can save up for what we need. Everyone says that they don't want to give us money, that's no fun. But what is the purpose of giving us all this stuff that we don't use and takes up space in the house?

Hand-me-downs. My parents and grandparents hate that most of the clothes I have for my daughter come from my BF's daughter.

Just a suggestion, you don't have to keep it just because they gave it to you. It's yours to do as you wish with, so if you don't want it/play it, post that puppy on eBay and tuck the $ you make on it back for something you need.

Handmedowns are great! Why buy brand new if you can get for free or for less than $1????

 

[Beekissed]

Okay....what did I miss? Anything?

I shot the rapids of the Lower New River and am here to tell about it!

Because even the nine year old boy along on the trip was safe as a house.......

Forget everything you ever heard about the dangers of whitewater rafting, folks. I would say that in an extreme, unusual incident of just everything going wrong at the wrong time and place....maybe, just maybe someone could be seriously injured or die....but its highly unlikely.

First, these guides are very capable and safety conscience. Second, you are wearing enough safety gear that you will either bounce off of or pop to the surface of any dangerous object, be it rocks or water.
Third, there are about 20 other rafts filled with people right beside you, beyond you or coming up behind you that will scoop you up if you fall out. There were several folks who DID fall out.....they just scooped them up and we went on. The rapids are very short-lived and are interspersed with long stretches of calmer water. In these stretches everyone jumped out of the rafts and swam or floated lazily down stream.

It was an overcast day, so I didn't get as much sun as I would have liked and the water wasn't as beautiful as it could have been with the sun glinting off the surfaces......but it still ROCKED! The water was warm and clear and heavenly!

We had fun and it was a great experience! I think everyone should try it, especially as a family. There were several families doing it and they seemed to be having a great bonding experience. It was thrilling to challenge the rapids, it had a hint of danger and one could imagine getting roiled under all that powerful water....but the guides are very skilled in making sure that the absolute dangerous whirlpools are avoided and all the rapids are approached in such a manner as to eliminate possible rafting upsets.

It had just enough feeling of danger to give it thrill and spice and just enough security to feel like you were inner tubing down your home river. I would have liked to have been able to take off the life vests during the swim times and also the helmet but it was against the rules. The bigger rapids were like a very wet roller coaster....I almost fell out of the raft three times! One of our guys did fall out.....he was from Chicago.

My muscles all ache and I feel kind of guilty about spending money on splurges like the trip, the motel, the eating out.....and I feel GREAT about the splurges like the trip, the motel and the eating out. Because I've worked hard for years without any vacations, I never spend money on stuff like this, and I soooooooo needed to get away and spend money on myself. A gal has just gotta pamper herself sometimes! Especially when you don't have a man to take you out and treat you......

Eli had a great time also and thanked me several times, told me he loved me several times and I think it really helped him to enjoy the whole experience by thinking about boot camp coming up in about 6 days!

The drive there and back was through some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen~ both days of the drive was stunningly beautiful 78 degree weather with big, fluffy clouds in a baby blue sky. We passed beautiful homes and farms, cute rural towns and amazing vistas of green valleys and far blue mountains.

The hotel was a Comfort Inn and it was clean, comfortable and quiet. It was right close to several choices of restuarants, stores and even Wally World.

The rafting place was easy to find and was a pleasant experience. Met people from all over!

I give it 4 stars....... ****

I think I will go again in October during the peak colors, so I can take my youngest rafting also! I'm sure the water will be colder but the New River gorge will be ablaze with color and I will need to splurge again by then....I'm just sure of it!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Sounds like a BLAST, Bee! I'm so jealous! lol

 

[keljonma]

Congratulations on actually getting away and having a vacation! It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I think there is nothing better than time off to relax to make one realize how wonderful God's world really is..... Welcome back home!

 

[big brown horse]

What a wonderful experience!!!

Thanks for sharing!