Random Tid Bits

1. Next week I have the whole week off. I mainly took it off to take the boys to and from camp. It's about a 25 to 30 minute drive to their next camp. The camp that they will be going to is at Lake Zorinsky. They will be canoeing, fishing, going on hikes, swimming, doing archery, and more. I think it will be fun! Some firsts for the boys with fishing and canoeing. Travis hates fishing, so it's not anything we've done.


2. The camp the boys wrapped up is Fine Lines. It's an We're not taking a vacation this year. We're just doing fun things on the weekends. It was a writing camp for all ages. I have to be honest that I was a little nervous because there was construction all over the area where it was at - including inside the building. I had the boys meet me outside. I was also a little anxiety driven over the fact that it was for all ages. I knew little Isaak would be one of the youngest campers. They did pretty good. We got on Mica about writing better, and he wrote a pretty good story. 


 Our Meeting Spot








3. Our hot water heater has an issue. We won't have hot water until Monday. :( 


4. A person passed away here this week due to an asthma attack. I've been having issues with nocturnal asthma for about 4 weeks now. 5 or 6 o'clock rolls around, and I'm wheezy and coughing up a storm. I hate spraying in my inhaler. I get every side effect listed. I'm thankful that it's there to save my life if needed. 


5. I'm so down about all the shootings lately. Words can't express the sorrow that victim's families must feel right now! I thought by having a president that is part black that racism would get better.
   
   There seems to be 2 sides: People that love guns and people that want them banned.
   
   Then there's the other 2 sides: People that hate blacks, and people that hate cops.
   
   There's bad and good in blacks, whites, cops...
   
   I like the idea of freedom to bear arms because one of those gun owners could save lives in a mass shooting situation. People should be able to protect themselves. The flip side is that guns do get into mentally unstable people's hands. A mentally unstable person could do damage in other ways besides using a gun.
   
   I don't know what the answers are. It would be nice if I could wave a magic wand and say, Ok we all have to play nice now.
   
   I'd love it if families would go back to 1 person staying at home. I think it's sad that kids raise themselves to an extent. We're too busy to fix meals, grow our own food, keep a clean house, and play with our kids. It wouldn't have to be the mom that stays home. Playing video games, watching tv and eating crap can't be good for our kids. We're limiting recess, and many creative outlets from our education programs. When I say "Our Kids" I'm talking about the world's children. I limit a lot of screen time for Mica and Isaak, but I'm not perfect. 

By one of my favorite artists -  James Victore. I don't like his work because it's "pretty". I like it because his work speaks the truth. His podcasts on YouTube are just as truthful.

Something Pretty - Artist Unknown

This one is just ingenious. It's a poster by Milton Glaser. He's famous for the I Heart NY logo, the Bob Dylan poster, and he designed all of Brooklyn Brewery's stuff.

Techno Gears Marble Mania Dual Speedway 2.0 Review

My boys really loved reviewing: Techno Gears Marble Mania Dual Speedway 2.0. It isn't every day that they get things in the mail just for them. 

Dual Speedway 2.0 is the child s creation of twisting and turning racing tracks. With dual launchers your kids can race against each other and see who crosses the finish line first. I do love that they have more than one track. It makes it fun for the kids to race.

There are more than 300 pieces that will create an exciting marble speedway. If your child likes to set things up like Legos or K'NEX building sets, they will love this toy. Part of the fun, and challenge in Mica's case was setting it up. 

The toy is for ages 8 and up. Mica just turned 9. He's usually really good about setting Lego sets up, but something went wrong with this. It had to be disassembled, and reassembled with Daddy's help. In Mica's defense Isaak was pestering him the whole time he was setting it up. Isaak wanted to play with the track. Mica's concentration was lacking.

When Daddy helped, they had no trouble at all.

At this stage I asked Mica, "What size of batteries do you need?" Mica replied back saying, "Energizer will do." Not the reply I was needing. On the box it told me what size of batteries I needed. It requires two AA batteries and two button cell batteries.

The boys showing you how it works.

Mica insisted at the end of the video that they would shake hands. They shake hands in jiu-jitsu after any meet.

The bottom line:

The boys love this toy. I think they'll play with it for a long time. The racing factor is what makes it fun for them.

An older kid does need to set it up, but may loose interest in playing with it. Isaak who is 6 loved playing with it once it was together. Do not let kids that are really young play with this. They say under 3, but Isaak still put stuff in his mouth when he was 4.

You can get Techno Gears Marble Mania Dual Speedway 2.0 on Amazon for $59.99 and it's on sale for $46.18. This toy is compatible with all Techno Gears sets. Like always I'd like to get more of their sets to make this one more fun. They can work together, and be configured different ways.

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Racing

The boys love this race track at Bass Pro Shop!

They couldn't wait to get their hands on the remotes!

Once they did, they were full of...

Sound Effects

Crazy Expressions

And Determination. 

Maybe if Mica sticks his tongue out really far, that will make his car go faster than Isaak's.