Day 30

Seeing the day number on today's post is crazy! I can't believe we've already been on the road for a month until I take a minute to think about all we've done. Then it seems like three months!

Today we were just trying to waste time until my car was expected to be ready so we stayed up late the night before watching gymnastics. The floor routines have always been my favorite and the kids chins dropped when they saw some of the things those girls did. Once the USA was winning gold and silver for sure we decided to call it a night.

We all slept in until way past 7 then headed down to breakfast. The kids had thirds again while I started laundry and packing. The kids came upstairs to catch up on their journals while I folded laundry and finished packing. The day before I'd reserved a factory tour for this afternoon Laney spotted, so after a quick stop at Walmart for more photos and snacks we were on our way.  Brayden wanted me to add this very neat soda display to the blog we saw.

As with all the tours we've done, there were no cameras allowed so I didn't get any pictures besides this one on the drive in!

Yep, we were touring another potato chip factory. Apparently this place is only in the mid-Atlantic states and has been since the 1960s. We learned all about the process of making pretzels, chips, and all the flavors they have and have tried over the years. We watched as thousands of pounds of potato chips rolled through 26 machines and straight to the bagging and boxing area.  The kids' favorite part was when we got to taste chips freshly made pulled right from the line. At first the kids were bummed they had to wait for everyone else since we were at the end of the line. That is until our guide handed me the tray and said we could finish the rest. You'd have thought my kids hadn't already had three breakfasts and a snack on the way. I felt like I was being attacked by vultures!

At the end of the tour everyone got two bags of chips and we were ushered into the gift shop. There were tons of bags of chips in there that were only 17 cents because of mislabeling or misweighing so we made sure to grab a few of those. After seeing the the pretzels being made we definitely wanted to pick up a bag of those and Brayden was very excited to taste all the wacky flavors like dill pickle, bacon, and ketchup.

With plenty of snacks for the road we headed to the dealership to pick up my car. I'd received a phone call earlier in the day to say it was ready but since I'd already scheduled the tour we decided to still go. It was a big pain to try to fit everything back in my smaller car once we'd gotten so spread out in the minivan, but we made it work.

When the rental car finally dropped us back off at my car we were finally off to our next spot - Wharton State Forest back in New Jersey.  Dave wanted to meet up with us on a weekend so we were basically just hanging out here until he flew in three days later.  We hit a bunch of traffic and roadblocks on the way so we didn't end up in the area until well after 7pm.  My gps and my phone were sending us all crazy places so we didn't end up getting there until 8:30.

The kids quickly set up the tent while I got some cereal for them for dinner. We were all excited to get back to ready together so as they ate I read two chapters of our book. It's getting better and all of us are enjoying it more.

I'd checked the weather before we left and the area was expecting some rain overnight so the kids brought some activities into the tent in case they couldn't sleep if there were thunderstorms. I'm not sure how she finagled this, but Ryan would be sleeping with me for the next three days after being with me the three days at the hotel. It was a good thing though with the storms coming.

Day 29

The night before I'd researched about 8 tour options for the Pennsylvania Amish Country. While I'm fascinated by the culture, I try to be sensitive to invading the privacy of the people. I decided on an experience that would show the kids how a typical family might live including a bus tour.

The kids slept in again while I got everything ready for the day. I'm beginning to think I need to send the kids down to breakfast 30 minutes before me because they take so long to feast! Once they were finally finished with their three breakfasts, we got on the road to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. This community boasts the second largest population of Amish in the world.

We arrived at the property just in time for the house tour. The house on the property was built in 1805 and was occupied by an Amish family at one time but now was simply a museum. We were taken around the house as our guide described the customs and culture of the Amish people.

We learned about the typical dress of all ages of boys and girls, ladies and men for work days, church days, and wedding days. We learned the history of the culture, how they typically make a living, and the reasons why some are moving out of the area. Once the house tour was over the kids couldn't wait to go see some of the animals on the farm. 

We met the donkey, miniature horse, travel horse, baby goats, chickens, quail, and peacock. The kids would have loved to stay with the baby goats for the rest of the day. I have to admit they were pretty adorable and loved the attention.

With the promise of returning we hopped on the bus for a 90 minute tour.  Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area as well as the Amish culture. We heard some of what our home guide had told us but much more about their work, life, and farms.  There were many farms where the men were working on the buildings, with the animals, or in the field. We passed several horse and buggies along the way full of families.

About 30 minutes after we left we stopped at an Amish roadside stand with all kinds of interesting things to buy. A young boy offered us a pretzel sample and we made sure to be first in line for our own. These pretzels were the best I have ever had in my entire life. They were warm and just melted with each bite. Sorry, I hope you're not reading this at lunch time!

Our next stop was at a quilt shop that had some stunning designs. The lady running the shop has about 75 Amish women making quilts and other items for her to sell. This was the only instance where we saw any kind of wire coming to the property for a telephone outside the office. The families didn't use the phone as it was only there in case a liability issue with tourists occurred.

The kids and I walked down to the pond on the property to see the pair of swans. They came right up to us expecting to be fed but alas I only had a quarter. They were so elegant as they spun around in the water in front of us.

The fact that the Amish live without electricity is true. They do not want to be connected to the outside world. They have lights fueled by propane or kerosene. They have propane stoves and refrigerators. There are no radios, tvs, cell phones, or ipads. There are no cars or modern farm machinery. They have indoor plumbing sometimes pumped by windmills or water wheels.

Their simple lifestyle is fascinating to me and their emphasis on closeness of the family is something I believe we all could strive for. I especially love how the family all lives together and takes care of each other as older family members do not go into nursing homes.

We walked around the farm a little while once we got back and made sure to stop by the one room school house. It's always interesting to the kids how other kids learn. We also got to test out the "push and go" scooters the kids rode to get around. We'd seen a bunch parked at the roadside stand and several older kids riding them down the streets. I do believe they liked these better than their own scooters!

After milking the "cow" we walked through the gift shop to pick up a few things then headed home. The kids were excited to finish their olympic races and watch possibly our last night of Olympics. Lucky for us we made it just in time for chocolate chip cookies! We had to wait out a storm before swimming, but we did make it out there with plenty of time for fun. 

Day 28

Today we slept in until 7:30 and had a hotel breakfast. It's the little things I appreciate when we've been on the road for so long! Now that Grammie's gone I'm back on my own for a week until Dave meets up with us so this is wonderful!  Have I mentioned my kids eat like horses? I think they all ate three separate breakfasts while we were sitting there. They love the ability to pick whatever they want for a change. They have such a tough life!

We got on the road to Valley Forge pretty early in order to make the first park ranger talk. It is usually a hike but with the heat everything outdoors was canceled for the day. We had to have a family meeting in the parking lot because of the tone and attitude the kids were giving each other as well as me. It seems we have reached the years where arguing is the first form of conflict resolution.

We walked in just as the talk was starting so the kids got an excellent introduction to the history and purpose of the park. We talked with another ranger afterward to get a map of the park as well as junior ranger books.  A favorite at most visitors centers is the movie about the park and this one did not disappoint. It gave more background about the park especially detailing the struggles of the soldiers residing in the encampment.

When the movie was finished the kids got to work on their junior ranger books. The excitement of completing all the activities is stressful for me as the only helper but the kids have learned a little bit of patience and a lot of teamwork can go a long way. They learned a lot about the life of the soldiers as well as the reasons why George Washington made the decisions he did.

They all were excited to see actual "pieces of eight" from several of the field trips we'd been on. Many of the colonists used these coins for currency before the country had established its own monetary system.

             


Once the kids completed the activities related to the displays we got on the road to the sites on the driving tour to learn a bunch more. Laney was my navigator once Brayden became completely oblivious to where we were. Not only did she do a fabulous job, she also read us the history about each stop!

The brigade huts were our first stop. These were reproductions of the original huts built in mere days on this same sight. Apparently, George Washington had offered a reward for the fastest hut built to standard when they arrived in December 1777. These huts housed up to 12 men through the entire winter. The kids couldn't even imagine living in that small space with just the four of us!




Not only were the living conditions very close, the encampment was rampant with disease and had serious problems with supply. Many of the soldiers were inadequately clothed and most were lacking sufficient nutrition. Even with all that, they marched out of Valley Forge in June and ended up occupying Philadelphia again and marching on to Yorktown.



Our next big stop was the National Memorial Arch to honoring then General Washington's arrival at Valley Forge. It was completed 100 years ago and is enormous!  See my little people down there?





















Our last and longest stop was George Washington's headquarters. A train station had been converted into a museum with great displays on the history of the headquarters since it was built in 1773. We were able to walk through the stable and the house to see replicas of the furnishings of the time period. The kids all agreed it was pretty cool to walk around the same house and up the same stairs that George Washington did more than 200 years ago.

We finished up our trip by stopping back by the visitor's center to turn in junior ranger books and take the pledge they almost have memorized!

On the way home we were treated to some major traffic issues. It took quite a bit longer than we expected to get home as I couldn't even go anywhere close to the speed limit!  About 5 miles and an hour later traffic started moving like normal with no reason for the delay.

We jumped in the pool when we got home to cool off.  The kids have been inspired by Michael Phelps to race each night. It's been so nice not to have to settle for tidbits and highlights this year!  

Day 27

I woke up with the sunrise to be sure not to miss Grammie leaving. It was a nice little sunrise on the top floor of the apartment over the roof tops.

Once Grammie was ready and struggling to get her suitcase closed, I woke up the girls as she protested. They sleepily came up the stairs to give hugs and just a minute later Brayden slunk in too. I had to get one more picture and Brayden suggested I use the timer and get one for everyone. I wasn't expecting a picture with my bedhead, just theirs!

Once we walked her out for final hugs I started up and down the stairs for our packing process. While I do enjoy having the cargo space of a minivan for a short time, I still don't enjoy packing!  We tried to eat all the leftover breakfast food from the fridge and I cooked up some pancakes for quick reheating in the excessive temps we were having.

The day before at Constitution Hall the kids mentioned wanting to go to a hands-on elections exhibit they had that I decided not to buy tickets for. They weren't open until noon so we had a snack and learned more about the Underground Railroad at the visitors center until it was time. I wasn't sure they would let me buy these add-on tickets only, but it turns out he let us in for free! Since it was just opening everyone buying tickets was heading to the live show so we had the "Headed to the White House" exhibit to ourselves for awhile.






They were to learn about the election process and first up was campaign speeches. The read from a teleprompter a speech they selected from either Ronald Reagan or John F. Kennedy. They were all pretty convincing!

They decorated campaign buttons and learned about debates. Then I gave them a topic and they debated! They were not very convincing at all. When asked how they would pay for different programs, two of them were hopeful that donations from taxpayers could cover billions of dollars. If only we could solve our country's problems that easily!







They worked on campaign commercials and emailed them to themselves. They weren't thrilled I made them only do positive ads.











Next they shook hands with a lot of people and pretended to kiss a baby. What fun training for politics!

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you, three presidents of the United States!






Ryan had to stop back by to play the politics game again. I'm not sure who won as I was booking a hotel at the time. Temperatures were only to get down to 90 for the night so I was not thrilled about sleeping in the tent for three days. I got us a place pretty close to where we would have been staying so we could still do the same activities but sleep in the cool. I'm all for camping in a tent, but not when I can't sleep!


We made a quick stop at Walmart for photos for journals and made our way to the hotel. The kids were super excited to swim in a pool in the 115 degree day.  Luckily I had remembered from a deep sleep at 2am that the swimming bag was in my getting-fixed-car at the dealership so we could grab it before we left town.

The pool was refreshing and even a little too cold for me! While the kids goofed around I was on the phone a good portion of the time because there was a glitch that was making a reservation in my name at the hotel every 30 minutes. By the time we got it fixed I had 12 rooms reserved in my name!


Once we got back to the room we at sandwiches, relaxed watching Olympics and I planned our next two days. We were all pretty sleepy and the alarm clock just happened to be an hour fast so I tricked talked the kids into going to bed at 9:30 (really 8:30) and we were all snoring within seconds.

Day 26

For our last full day in Philadelphia we decided to tackle a few more museums. After a filling breakfast of Grammie's french toast we drove to Independence Center and headed toward the museums. On the way we stopped by the beautiful cemetery where Ben Franklin is buried and dropped our pennies of respect.

  

This was the day of no photography as two of the museums didn't allow much if at all.  It seems we are destined to not see the U.S. Mint in action as they had shut down due to the heat earlier this morning. We still walked through and learned the way coins are made again. The girls didn't really remember much so they had a good refresher.

We then walked next door to Constitution Hall for a wonderful interactive experience. After doing the kids' presidential portraits (Ryan's looks more like a mugshot!), an inspiring live presentation first about the history of the country. Upstairs there was a beautiful display of the articles of the Bill of Rights above us etched in glass. There were tons of artifacts and videos about different important events in history below them.


The kids' favorite part was the presidential trivia game Ryan wanted to play. Ryan and Brayden teamed up against me and Laney for a Jeopardy-like game. I let Laney try if she thought she knew them and to give the other team a fair shot. There were some I didn't even know though! Laney and I still did manage to eek out a win 140-110. We all learned a little bit in the process!

I was finally allowed to pull out my camera in signer's hall among bronze statues of the signers of the Constitution. We walked around the room looking at the brilliant men who created and signed one of the documents that shaped our nation. Ryan sat in Ben Franklin's lap, Laney played London Bridge with two man, and Brayden thumb-wrestled Nicholas Gilman of New Hampshire.

The kids really enjoyed being able to sign the Constitution and email it to themselves!















While I was refereeing and argument, Grammie found us a little cafe for a snack as we were all a little hungry with plans for dinner far away at 6pm. On our way back to the car we stopped by the visitor's center for a photo Laney had been asking for of another sculpture.  We write "xoxo" to each other all the time so this one she especially loved.


Our next stop was the Philadephia Museum of Art for a children's art program the owner of our apartment let us know about. The kids had a blast making their own stamps to make repeating prints. They got ink everywhere, but had so much fun creating. They also enjoyed completing many, many drawings using architect tools and learning how many buildings are made in Africa.


The highlight though was definitely the interactive art strings they could walk through.



We checked out a few more of the art rooms then headed out to meet up with old friends for dinner. It just so happened our Boffin friends from Italy were in town the few days we were so we made a date to meet for dinner!  The kids had a blast playing after we ate and we closed the place down!

After a lot of catching up, we headed home and started pre-packing to be ready for the next day. Grammie would be leaving early in the morning so the kids said goodbye just in case they missed her, but secretly two of them were adamant that I wake them up no matter what. I stayed up checking the weather and updating the blog as I wouldn't have wifi for about a week. I also started some laundry in hopes it would hold us for another week. Laundry takes a while when you can't do 3 loads at once!