But I Thought Everyone Had Google....

So apparently, at least around here, if you mention HOMESCHOOLING, people immediately get it mixed up with the old but newly-trendy term HOMESTEADING, most likely because 9 out of 10 popular homeschool blogs also claim to be homesteaders, of the desiring self-sufficiency type, that is.

 Could we do it?  Sure, if we WANTED to.  It's a fantastic concept and takes a lot of hard work and dedication and is a wholesome family opportunity.  But what I'm annoyed by is that people seem to think that just because we're choosing to homeschool, that we're now turning into farmers.  Two totally different terms! And beyond our annual veggie and herb gardens, we don't have the time or space to do it right.

Courtesy of Wikipedia -

"Broadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It is characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of foodstuffs, and it may or may not also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craftwork for household use or sale. Pursued in different ways around the world — and in different historical eras — homesteading is generally differentiated from rural village or commune living by isolation (either socially or physically) of the homestead. Use of the term in the United States dates back to the Homestead Act (1862) and before."

"Homeschooling or homeschool (also called home education or home based learning) is the education of children at home, typically by parents or by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school. Although prior to the introduction of compulsory school attendance laws, most childhood education occurred within the family or community,^[1]homeschooling in the modern sense is an alternative in developed countries to attending public or private schools. Homeschooling is a legal option for parents in many countries, allowing them to provide their children with a learning environment as an alternative to public or private schools outside the individual's home"

I had a woman the other day smile and say, "So you're going to get cows and stuff?  Right here in town?  That's amazing!"

For starters, EVEN if I WANTED a cow, it would eat my yard's grass for BREAKFAST and then starve to death.

Here's another one, "Well, if you want to cheat, I saw they sell bread-making machines at the thrift shop."

I don't even remember quite what I said to that.  We went from "homeschool" to "cheating" on making bread.... just like that.  It's fun to make bread, not difficult, and delicious, too.  But we don't eat a lot of bread!  (a separate post on that later...)

And then there was a woman who actually said to me, "Homeschool?  I don't think you can do that anymore."

I don't think you can do that anymore?  As in, it WAS legal once and now it's not?  As in, TV's use to be square-y, but now they're flat?

And, "Oh, I've always wanted to raise chickens."

Why is it always about chickens?  SCHOOL is in the word.  SCHOOL  -------->  CHICKENS?  I must be missing something.

And for the record, here's some solid reasons why we're not looking to be homesteaders at this point in time:

1) I'm allergic to furry things.   I can tolerate a lot, like being at a house where there are cats and dogs.  But sometimes when I touch something very furry, the backs of my hands break out in an angry red color with raised welts and a feeling like they're on fire. Sometimes I have to put topical benadryl on my hands to stop the burning and take a pill to make the shortness of breath go away.  So although I love animals and would love taking care of them, I wouldn't be able to bond with them and care for them as I would like.

2) I also have a pretty bad ragweed/pollen seasonal allergy.  Eating local honey and staying away from certain inflammatory foods helps a little, but the allergy symptoms are uncomfortable enough to make me stay away from things that make me itchy and sneezy.  As far as animals go, if it's not the dander ON the animals, it's the pollen IN the hay or the straw that farm animals require that gets me.  Boo.  :(

3) Time and Energy.  Right now, anything that doesn't go to the kids, goes to the biz.  Roger's business is (thankfully) in a growing phase, and needs all the time and energy it can get.

4) Space.  Having grown up with a big yard and acres of woods at my disposal, I already feel like every square foot of grass in our yard is precious.  It took me about 2 years to stop referring to this township as "the city" when I first moved here.  I ain't giving up our running room for some furry thing that's going make my nose run and my hands itch!


So back to HOMESCHOOLING, there's been some naysayers, some supporters, some that mutter things about socialization.  But the other day I ran into a homeschooling mom of 6 at a store, we got to talking only because RJ was making raspberries at her for no apparent reason.  As we waited in line, the conversation turned to my family, our schedules now, and that we were homeschooling next year, with freedom from the schedule being on the list of reasons for doing it.  And she says to me that it's so easy to get discouraged if you read blog after blog about how difficult and crazy it is to have all your kids home.  But in her opinion, it's actually easier, it's just that the bloggers write about the crazy days more than the routine ones.  She swears that having all 6 of her kids doing their work at the same time, and having the freedom in their schedule to do things together without rushing is 100 times easier than trying to manage 3 or more school schedules, plus homework, friends, activities, etc.  She praised ME for getting through this year, with 3 schedules and a toddler in tow, and smiled and said that once we figured out what works best for us, it would be gravy.  And it was so nice to hear that from the source.

Other news from the block -

Thought RJ fractured his finger, after waiting OUTSIDE the world's fullest waiting room for nearly two hours to see a hand specialist, it wasn't.  Phew!

Riley Rides the Redneck Rollercoaster.  Say that 5 times fast... 

Dad had a birthday!  

RJ poses in headband.

Check out this tot-sized Rock Star.  Does she look like a celebrity's little brat or what?

Jamming two kids into one seat is how we ride the pay-rides!

When clothes are on clearance, they gonna match.  Good thing they enjoy that right now.

Riley feeds the birds at her preschool zoo trip.

Quitting is for Losers!

And I'm a big loser!  

We've been quitting EVERYTHING lately.  

Indy quit baton (she didn't want to go, the session was over, and it was a GIANT pain in the ass to load up and get her there at Super-Traffic Rush-Hour Time, uphill in our bare feet both ways).  

Chase quit Science Olympiad a while back.  There were 100 kids staying after, and only one team was selected to represent the school and so the other kids were just given busy work... who wants to stay after school for THAT?  

I quit doing the Mom's Club newsletter, and I quit going to events, and when my membership is up at the end of summer, I won't renew.  I really liked being the newsletter editor.  But it took too much of my time, there was much less member participation than previously, meaning that to produce a good product I had to research and put in much of the "fluff" myself.  Additionally, the dynamic has shifted a bit in the group and the current "active" members all seem to have the requisite 2 kids, who are approximately 3 and 5, so they are not dealing with baseball schedules, "real" friends (meaning not mom-scheduled playdates), & no insane toddler in tow (so they can SIT while at the park, or do extra volunteer stuff for the club, or actually have a conversation uninterrupted).  Nothing wrong with all that, but trying to match up my life with theirs is like trying to match up a square and a circle. 

Then, there are a bunch, save for a few, that seem to have a mentality that also doesn't match up with mine, that is, make your home HGTV perfect first, teach/discipline/pay attention to/play with your children second.  I've found some very nice, down-to-earth, attentive and caring moms that I connect with and meet up with on occasion.  But I have no energy to put up with the type who talk non-stop about the cost of this and the cost of that, whilst their children behave like monsters.  Then they complain, about their children, who behave like monsters, probably because they are attention-starved and living in a sterile environment.  

So, yeah.  I've got some digits of some cool peeps, who have cool kids, but I don't need to meet any more like that.  

But the biggest thing we're quitting is school.  Yes, you heard me right.  We're quitting school.  My ex and I both have the opportunity and the ability to teach our kids, and so we're going to try it.  We believe it to be the best option at this time for our soon-to-be 6th and 3rd graders, who have been in public school so far and will make the transition home.  Our school district is GREAT.  We live in one of the best district's in the state.  Test scores are high, teacher ratios are awesome, spending per child is excellent and our school's state rating is in the top ten for Pennsylvania.  Both kids are at the top of their respective classes, and although we haven't pushed all that much, there is really not much for the school to offer them besides busywork.  So, as a result, the smart kids who follow directions get MORE schoolwork and get to "help" the other kids in the class.  I totally get that the school has to construct a system to attempt to benefit every child, and that includes the ones that need more help.  But I don't think my kids should have to sit and wait until that last kid has mastered the concept.  

Riley, who was my first kid to attend preschool (and only as we needed the time to build our business) will be home as well.  Honestly, I love her preschool and her teachers, they are fantastic.  The schedule sucks tho (get her there at 9, pick up at 11:30, or stay for lunch until 1:30) meaning you basically plan your day around that.  And, there's nothing for her to learn.  Identifying letters and counting to ten?  Covered at age 2, not because we forced her, because she wanted to.  The countless art crafts are cute, but nothing we don't do at home.  Songs and friends?  Definitely a benefit.  She gained one awesome BFF (who also happens to have an awesome mom!) from being at school.  Bad, manipulative, and violent behavior exhibited by other kids?  Yeah... we can do without that.  And being 4 next year means 4 days of that?  I don't think so.  Her reading and math skills are high-kindergarten/low-first grade.  Our state doesn't have compulsory attendance for school until age 8, so there's no official portfolio to keep and show anyone, just something for me to have as a record.  At age 4 she only has to learn what she wants to.  But she is in general thirsty for information.  She knows I have access to print worksheets off the computer, and asks for them frequently.  She has always said she can't wait to read.  She's in the middle of the list of kindergarten sight words.  She has memorized most of her books.  When she gets bored in the car, she counts to 100 and sometimes further.  She asks questions that are full of insight, and has a fantastic memory.  She is a pretty smart and resourceful kid and hopefully can grow as an independent learner in the next few years.  

RJ will just get to be RJ.  He teaches himself a lot, trust me.  Currently, he's majorly into Thomas the Train, and just the fact that he can create his own track is pretty darn good.  He is interested in letters, and pulls my painted foam letter box out of the cabinet often.  He counts to 3, especially when he fills in the "2, 3" when I've gotten to "1" when he's in trouble. 

So that's our story.  We're quitting everything, and starting on a path that will hopefully bring us closer as a family, allow the children to learn at their own pace and go in the direction they want to go, to allow them to properly form the foundations that will benefit them as adults.  We'll be able to stay on topics that we love, and spend time outdoors, and not rush to keep up with 4 different schedules (middle school, elementary school, preschool and naptime!).  We'll get to learn history from visiting historic sites.  We won't have to ask permission to take off on a road trip to visit family.  We won't have to wait for anyone else to sit up straight, listen to the teacher, stand in line, or learn their times tables.  We are so lucky to have this chance, to see what our possibilities are, and to make them happen.  

And just for the record.... no, we are not going to start making our own bread (not conducive to cutting down carbs anyway!), slaughter our own chickens (eww), or dress like Little House on the Prairie.  Go on and get all those stereotypes out of your head.  We're just going to be US, without having to go somewhere between 8 and 3 every weekday.  

A Day in the Life

Just when we were on the other side, the DONE side, of RJ's crazy allergy-madness, Riley got a fever that wouldn't go away.  7 days, low in the AM, high by 6pm.  Then she was better.  Great, right?  Then, 3 days later, she got the fever again... strange, right?  She also complained of a bellyache.  An "all-over" bellyache.  She's a pretty straight-forward reporter, and not a dramatic type, and she still had the bellyache, so much she stopped walking, playing, running, even during the ultimate test of cousin-fun, or playground-availability.  Our doc gave her a blood-test for a bunch of stuff (she did great, read a book about sharks and didn't even look at her arm) which came back all good.  The bellyache went away.  But it was a very strange and worrisome time.  She's good now.  Went to preschool yesterday.  Back to being a normal 3.  

Here's some of our week other than that: 

How my kitchen table looks at any given time

My first grocery delivery - Freshdirect.com - I got $100 off my first order!!  Could not even believe it.  Everything was fresh and yummy.  

Kiddos liked the boxes it came in best.

RJ demands the keys for the digger on a daily basis.

First, we must crush our food.  Then, we wear it.  Then, maybe, we'll eat it.  

If you're too small for the tire swing, just ride on your brother.  And yes, he is wearing a bona-fide Guns N' Roses T-shirt!

Making an inch worm habitat.

3 groups of 3 grapes makes 9!  Riley does multiplication with grapes and subtraction with raspberries.

You're only cool if you sleep half-in, half-out of bed. 

Mom is tried of the layout in the boys' room, the crib gets the boot.  We de-LEGO the room, not because he'll eat them, but because in "playing" with them, he inadvertently destroys them.  RJ is no-nonsense at naptime and goes right down.  Yes, it looks like he is in jail because he is underneath Chase's jail cell loft bed, designed and built by Roger with the wall painting by my artsy sis, Chelsea.  He is my oldest-aged toddler to graduate out of the crib at 21 months.  Believe you me, he was entirely NOT ready prior to this, and it's only day one... only time will tell if he's really ready. He is finally somewhat trustworthy, able to follow some basic age-appropriate rules, communicate in full sentences (he still signs a LOT, about 15-20 words) knows when to STAY (which is a great milestone in the safety category) and (most of the time) responds correctly to standard redirection (rather than his previous response of laughter... ahem...).  Well, he's up now, playing with those Hess cars on the table you can see up there... Catch you later! 

Return from the Funny Farm and Food Allergy Fun, Part 3

Hey, you can't start here... that's like cheating!  This is the 3rd installment of a 3-part series... try:
Bumper Sticker Moms and Food Allergy Fun, Part 1 

and 

A Texas Road Trip and Food Allergy Fun, Part 2.  

If you've done that, then read on...!

So after we traveled back from the deep south, back into spectacularly low temperatures and snow (what were we thinking??), we unpacked, got out our winter gear, found our routine again and I promptly realized that I had signed up to work in Riley's classroom... every Thursday in March.  RJ's allergist is only in our local office on Thursdays.  Bah.  

So I moved the peanut challenge appt, from days away, all the way until the end of the month.  I had taken him to our primary right after we got back, his weight was down nearly 2 pounds, doesn't sound like a lot, but when you only weigh 24 pounds to begin with, it makes a bit of a difference.  We discuss the confusion.  We totally love our primary, I always say I wish she would just go back to school and become every kind of specialist we need.  But we still have no answers, and she's not qualified to give them. 

I'm glad I pushed off the challenge appt, it doesn't sound right to me, something's still missing, and I sort of need a break.  

We're still cautious about peanuts, but not as much, meaning peanut butter is back in our house and I don't check every label with a magnifying glass.  Gluten is back in, we as a family have been discussing carbs and sugars for some time, and cutting back on both of those slowly, so we focus more on that as a whole rather than having to watch what RJ eats.  He still hasn't had any of the 3 things from that day he went to the hospital - apples, peanut butter, or cantaloupe.  

2 weeks later, I can't wait any longer.  Mama Rebel has moved in, and she has a plan.  I decide to start in order of less scary to potentially scary.  

March 16 - RJ gets sliced apple for lunch.  I take a picture of him eating, then at 5 minutes, 20 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour and later than night.   Nada.  

March 18 - RJ gets cantaloupe for lunch.  I do the same thing with pictures, and low and behold, Dr. Mom gets an answer.  

I feel validated... there IS actually something going on, I'm not crazy!  I also feel sad, that my little boy reacts like this.  And I feel scared, what else could make this happen to him?  And most of all, how bad can this get?  

Dr. Google isn't much help, cantaloupe allergy seems quite rare, and most google answers have to do with Oral Allergy Syndrome, which his symptoms are not representative of.  I, of course, in my mad googling, happen to stumble on the few blogs of moms whose severely-allergic kids have had near-death experiences, which only manages to further scare the shiz-nits out of me.  (I sort of wish those blogs didn't get so popular, I think they end up fueling the food allergy issue, especially the false positives, not to mention scaring parents everywhere... )

March 20 - Just to round out my data, since he DID react to cantaloupe, all testing was negative, and I KNOW he's been accidentally exposed without a problematic reaction, I give him a fingerful of peanut butter with his lunch.  I was still nervous, as the hospital staff and allergist's office staff's reactions and their sureness that it was peanuts was still engraved in my brain, and peanuts can be such a scary allergy. 

**PLEASE NOTE HERE - I AM IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, ADVOCATING THAT ANYONE EVER TRY THEIR OWN FORM OF ALLERGY TESTING IF THEY SUSPECT THEIR CHILD HAS AN ALLERGY, ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR.** 

RJ had no reaction to the peanut butter.  

With data in hand, I compiled a 7 page document, starting with the day in the hospital, red fingers and cheeks at Chuck E. Cheese, arm welts after a party, all the way up to and including my Rebel Tests.  Dates, times, descriptions, labels and pictures.  My husband said I was insane.  But I thrive on data.  

I waited a few days and called the allergist's office.  I politely explained to the receptionist that I sort of did my own testing... "yes, I know the doctors don't like that... yes, I had benadryl and an Epi-Pen...yes.... ok... well...so, what I need is to change that challenge appt to a regular follow-up....yes... ok, good, thanks."  

We go to the appt and I hand the nurse a copy of my 7-page report.  When the doctor comes in, she is nearly speechless... "I've...I mean, I've never, ever, had anyone come in so prepared...this...this timeline... with pictures... this...this is great," she says.  I really can't tell if she's actually impressed or if she's mocking me.  Or maybe she just knows that I made her job easy.  I have no idea.   

We talk.  For a while.  She says page 5 (that's my testing and the cantaloupe pics) does look like a reaction. She gives me a few options.  I walk out of there and get in the car and get home, and I'm like, wait a minute... what just happened?  Give him food and see what happens?  Give him claritin every day just in case?  Umm, no.  Not really sure how I walked out of there without an answer, but I did.  Now I'm mad again.  Mad and staying away from the fruit bar.  

In the next few weeks we try honeydew... nothing... watermelon... nothing.  Just the bad, evil, cantaloupe so far.  I happen to be talking to a friend one day, who's just come back from taking her kids to a new allergist, a new allergist who tells her that her kids actually have no allergies, this after having her son over-tested, plus not being informed about high rates of false-positives (especially in young patients), and basically misinformed about the occurrence of true food allergies.  Listening to her describe this new doctor's matter-of-factness... I like him already.  Turns out he's in the same practice, but I'd have to travel about 25 minutes away to a different location.  I make an appointment pronto.  

He is everything I hoped he would be.  Matter-of-fact, direct, no sugar-coating, no iffyness, and he comes with a great bedside-manner and some humor.  According to him, no one should be just openly tested for everything.  False positives on skin tests are around 40% or higher, based on all kinds of factors.  Many people that react on skin tests can still be exposed regularly, or eat the foods (if it's a food test) and not have a problem.  He himself gets a giant skin reaction for peanuts, but eats peanut butter every morning.  I silently wish all the Bumper Sticker Moms could meet this guy so he can tell them how it really is.  He looks over my 7 pages of data, and asks if I want a skin test for cantaloupe.  

Absa-friggin-lutely. 

The skin test is negative.  It's slightly red, but not big enough to count.  I'm confused.  Really, I am.  The doc comes back in and gives me the facts.  Skin Tests have a high false positive rate, as mentioned, but only a 1% false negative rate.  As he looks over all my data, he tells me that some people get hives with a virus.  It can come and go for hours, days, weeks.  It can have welts with it, too.  It can appear just like allergy hives, and present just like anaphylactic hives.  Some kids are just hive-makers, he says.  It's not anaphylaxis, and usually isn't a problem.  I wonder out loud why no one, no doctor especially, has told me this before?  Why I haven't been given this as even a "maybe" from the hospital or other doctors?  Why I've been made to believe in full that my kid was allergic to something, and have spent the last 2 months going batty and worrying and wondering what in the hell he is reacting to?  He lets me vent, and says only that I should have came to him in the first place, this he says with a grin.  

And after I vent, then I say, "So... look at page 5, are you saying that he just happened to react to a virus randomly after eating cantaloupe at two different times?"

He grins again, "Nope.  Not at all."  He goes on... he has a handful of cantaloupe-allergic patients.  At least one of them falls in that 1% that doesn't react to the skin test, so it's still possible, and we can make sure.  He says I can challenge at home and call with results, or I can come back next week and challenge in the office.  Although I was brave before, with the knowledge that I've seen him react to the cantaloupe plus the fact that he can't communicate to me what he's feeling, I opt for the office challenge.  And this way, there'll be some doctor's notes either way!  

Today, May 1 - We go in, armed with a container of cantaloupe, for RJ's challenge.  I am nervous.  I know we'll get something, I've seen it with my own eyes.  But I don't know how bad it can get, or whether the doctor can even tell me how vigilant we'll need to be in the future.  I just want to know.  And what if we get nothing?  Then what?  I hate unknowns.  

He eats 3 small pieces.  15 minutes go by.  Nothing.  He eats 5 small pieces.  Thank the Lord he is cooperating.  We've brought Thomas trains, Mickey books, coloring books, his picture flash cards that he loves and the iPad.  He blowing through my stash of ideas right fast.  But he's eating the darned cantaloupe.  

15 more minutes.  Nothing.  

7 more small pieces.  15 minutes.  Nothing.

The nurse asks about a small red spot on his face and calls the doc.  He says it's nothing.  I'm less nervous, but more confused than ever.  Great.  So he's not allergic.  BUT THEN WHAT THE HELL MADE HIM ALL RED??

   The nurse pops in and says just 15 more minutes and you can go.  By now we're done with the toys and books and trains and singing and have now discovered that standing on the chair and flipping the light on and off is just fantastic.  I'm just plain confused and waiting.  I've accepted that I look like a jackass, and that maybe it's not the cantaloupe.  But it still doesn't make any sense!  

The nurse comes back in after 15 minutes and after a fight with RJ to leave the light on... his arms are red.  Totally red.  His ears are red, his pinky finger is red where he grabbed the fruit off the fork, his cheeks are red.  We take off his shirt, and he is RED.  Splotches all up and down his tiny little back.  

Hallelujah...and WTF, all at the same time.  I am tired of having my opinion being flip-flopped!  I allow myself to feel slightly validated, again.  Finally, a nurse AND a doctor to SEE what happens to my kid when he eats cantaloupe.  It's not just me sounding like a looney-tunes.  

But I am mad, once again.  I do not want Food Allergies!  

My new fave doc returns, takes stock, and tells me that he's having a histamine reaction... of the non-allergic type.  

Explain, please.  

Some people do this, he says.  They react to components of different fruits (the body is confused), with a histamine reaction that makes them all red, but it's not the anaphylactic, life-threatening, Epi-Pen kind.  Many adults react like this to wine.  (I know lots of these!)  Young kids are not bothered by it, but sometimes teenagers and adults are self-conscious and so they avoid certain fruits.  Or go around telling people they are "allergic."  

He may have it forever, he may grow out of it.  He may react like this to other fruits someday, he may not.  

Ok.  I am OK with this.  It's an answer.  It's SOMETHING.  (And... I'm NOT crazy...!)  And it's not terrible.  I instantly feel sorry for all the moms that DO have to deal with real and scary and terrible food allergies, because even having the smallest taste of that, the thought, the idea of it happening to MY kid, was God-Awful.  And shame on those who think it's a trendy club, a reason to point out THEIR kid, something that makes their kid special, because they have no idea what it's really like. 

Before we leave the office, the only thing I want to know is... is this something that is known to turn into the true, scary type of allergy?  Honestly, this is all I ever wanted to know.  How worried do we need to be, on a daily basis, now, ever?  

Doc says that the data say No.  Not typically.  Not to say that it can't, or won't.  But not typically.  

And I thank him.  For answers.  For being forthcoming with information.  For not just shooing me aside, for going further and pushing the envelope until we had an ANSWER.  For doing his job as a DOCTOR.  I mean, shit, this is what he gets paid for, right?  

Stumpity-Stump-Stump

What to do when you have a big ole' stump in your front yard just sitting and looking all ugly, reminding you daily that you USED to have a really cool, 9-trunked birch tree, but the ice storm from 3 years ago totally killed it?   Oh, and if you tried to dig it up (with a massive machine) you would probably have to rip out roots from your ENTIRE yard?

Well, the answer is obvious - you let it go for years on end, then you plant flowers in it.

Can't take responsibility for the dandelions, but they add to the charm.  Going to look really cool when it all grows in. 

Dusty miller, purple verbana, deep rose alyssum, grass spike, white daisies, pansies, trailing licorice plant. 

Since the wood crates (curb find!) were stacked, I planted a few repeats in the lower corner.  Then I tucked some alyssum in between the slats and in the bottom of the stump center.  I added some fieldstone rock (dug up from the back yard) for effect. 

Tucked something into every open corner. 

__________________

Also, Chase and I went to BrickFest this past weekend.  Santa had brought tickets so he and Mom could have time together without short people clinging to her legs.

One of  our favorite set-ups was this military display, this is only about 1/4 of it.  We tried on purpose to keep the cameras in our pockets and just enjoy the scenery.  People there were actually taking professional photos and videos??  Of Lego displays.  I continue to be amused by the human race.

Our company got a new toy machine, Roger told me to learn how to use it if I wanted to expand my garden.  Here's Roger giving RJ a ride.  The kids are nutso about this thing.  I'm a bit concerned about my yard as we practice...

But here's what the yard looks like anyway, sand and water table on the pad, pile of dirt near the door specifically located to track as much dirt as possible inside my house, trampoline in the same circle of dirt that it made last year, a cardboard tunnel made by Daddy out of cabinet-boxes from a kitchen job, slides lined up on the hill, playhouses here and there, a picnic table with lined-up zoo animals, and the skid steer digging up some dirt in the back.  So. Much. Fun!