Wandering Wednesday: The Great Jack-O-Lantern Blaze

I'm sure anyone who ever taught with me would be completely unsurprised by the fact that all of our family outings are strategically planned by me. I used to get teased for always have my lesson plans done early; it wasn't so much that I was conscientious as it was that I really enjoy planning. Since I no longer have lesson plans, I have to get my jollies where I can - family outings and vacations.

Hot Guy cheerfully indulges me and I like to think it's not just because I become an unhinged freak if I don't have a plan.

Anyway, my latest plan involved finally going to The Great Jack-O-Lantern Blaze. I have been dying to see the 5000 hand carved pumpkins on display at Van Cortland Manor since we moved back to the area, but it wasn't until this year that I thought all 3 kids could handle an evening outing without it getting ugly.

First we went to dinner at the Umami Cafe. Actually, first we picked up the kids from school and got our flu shots, but I didn't take any pictures of that. Which is probably good, seeing as this year Hugmonkey totally flipped out.

Anyway, the cafe was very kid-friendly, casual and had really interesting food.

They look so sweet and well-behaved here. 

I don't know the story behind the fish. 

The kids were very pleased with the menu. 

I have no idea what Hugmonkey was looking at. 

Homemade potato chips. Totally puts a breadbasket to shame. 

What Lovebug does while waiting for his food. 

What Hot Guy does while waiting for his. 

The place if very "Blaze" friendly, so they made sure we got to our 6:30 start time with plenty of time to spare. 

First there was pumpkin-inspired art. That one was made out of Lego. 

Loved the lights on this. 

I don't really get the pumpkin in this sculpture. 

Pumpkin/Chicken house! 

Every light you see is from a hand-carved pumpkin. 

Awesomeness. 

Stacked pumpkins. 

Pumpkin/flower garden. 

Van Cortland Manor. 

Graveyard. 

Pumpkin spiderweb. 

Witches. 

Tunnel of love. 

Dragon. 

There were also dinosaurs, but my camera decided to die just then. And my pictures really aren't doing the Blaze justice. If you get a chance to go (they are open after Halloween too), it's totally worth it. 

Wandering Wednesday: Back to the Center

The Environmental Center, that is.

For a short hike in between the town poster painting contest and the open house at the fire station. I would share pictures of those events, except that then I would have to blur out the faces of all the people we know who are also in the pictures and that seemed like a lot of effort when I have pictures like this:

This is the kind of stuff we hide far away from our turnpikes and interstates so that more people don't move here.

The kids had a blast. Of course, it helped that there were some geocaches there.

Getting ready to start the search. 

That's a fox in the cage behind them. 

There must be a silly pose. 

But I like the pensive ones better. 

See?

This way my kids can't complain that we're never in the pictures, which is what I say to my parents all the time. 

More searching for clues. 

Hugmonkey was "mining" in the dirt. Thanks, Minecraft. 

Friday I'm In Love: Haircuts

Ever since the kids were small, they've gotten haircuts at the local cheapo hair chain - with occasional (abysmal) trims by me. But the truth is, Lovebug has thick, wiry hair that requires actual skill to cut. Especially now that he no longer wants it buzzed supershort. Ironflower's hair is challenging, thanks to the wave and the length. And Hot Guy needed a good haircut for some stuff he's got going on in the next few weeks. So Hot Guy took the kids to an actual hair salon. It was slightly less than double the price of el cheapo, but. . .

They even straightened her hair for her. She'll probably be stealing my hair dryer before I know it. 

I finally got Lovebug to look at the camera! I really don't care that we were in the middle of Gamestop when it happened. 

You can't even really see Hugmonkey's haircut in this picture, but this is his go-to pose now. I couldn't convince him to change it. 

Ironflower modeling her dance company warm-up jacket. There are enough crystals on the back to please a Las Vegas showgirl. She loves it.

We're going to have to keep going to the nice hair salon, aren't we? My kids haven't had such neat hair in years.