Mardi Gras!

My Cajun heritage is full of rich traditions, one of my favorites that I am excited every year to have my kids participate in is Mardi Gras. Now I know that it is just a giant party that happens before lent, and I'm not Catholic. Much of Cajun culture is, and who doesn't love a big party, even if you don't observe the religious traditions that follow it?

Galveston attempts to have Mardi Gras celebrations, but if you want the real deal, you go to Louisiana. The media representation is that all the parades are crazy drunk boobie flashing people. I usually get a shocked look when I tell people I'm taking my kids to Mardi Gras. So let me dispel the myths. Mardi Gras in Louisiana is a safe family friendly event if you remember two things: Day time parades and Not downtown New Orleans.

For the last two years, our parade location of choice has been the 12:30 parade in Houma. Also for the last two years, the Saturday parades have been rained out so we got double the fun on Sunday with back to back parades. That's basically 3 solid hours of bead throwing, music, dancing, toys, glittering costumes, and tons of fun!

Enjoying some pre parade snacks and toys. Thanks nanny for the little truck, Ian loves vehicles!

The "silly nanny" shot.

Dad's bead pickers he uses to pick up all the uncaught beads and toys from the ground. He's pretty quick with those things! 

Zoey got the most stuff when Brandon raised her on his shoulders and took her up to the floats.

Uncle Ricky had the same idea to float Denver along until he got something. 

After about 10 floats or so Ian was done, tired and ready for a nap.

With some help from maw maw, Ian perseveres through two parades with over 20 floats in the first and over 30 floats in the second.

Zoey droppes off some of her goodies...

Into the rapidly filling wagon.

Those floats just keep coming!

The kids hauled in about 40 lbs of beads, toys, and candy! After a long drive home after the parade, the kids woke up the next day completely thrilled to play with their spoils all day long. What fun we had, I can't wait to go back next year!

Aquarium of the Americas

When I was a kid I think we went to the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans maybe once. That once really stuck with me, I remembered LOVING it and thinking it was just so awesome. I've been wanting to go back for a really long time. This last weekend, I finally made it a point to schedule it in to our annual trip to Louisiana. I figured the kids were old enough to enjoy it and I was right. They were so amazed and thrilled to see all the aquatic life! Both of them were completely mesmerized at each tank.

First a couple coins to make a wish at the fountain at the entrance. Ian threw in a smushed souvenir coin on his way out, my attempts to stop him were futile.

The aquarium tunnel, the thing I remember the most, just brimming with life, it's amazing to walk through it and have fish swimming all around you. The kids really liked this.

On our way upstairs Zoey took a pretty nasty spill down the escalator and tore up her cheek and arm pretty good. She put her hand up on the side to balance herself and instead it pulled her over backwards since only the hand rail moves. She had a few tears but moved on like a trooper and still enjoyed the rest of the aquarium.

This was Ian at every tank, just mesmerized, we had to really push him along because there was so much to see we would have been there all day if we let him take his own pace.

A ray comes by to offer some kisses on the tank wall. pretty neat.

Stop for a picture in the giant shark mouth. The kids weren't too thrilled and were ready to get away from those teeth!

The frog section was near the end and the kids were getting pretty restless. They had lots of little frogs, but they were hard to see in their habitats so the kids' interest was not kept.

This was my favorite tank this time. It was an artificial reef modeled from an oil rig. The room was really dark and they played some really soothing music and had risers to sit on and just watch the fish swim by in their schools. Sooooo relaxing. While Brandon and I rested a moment, the kids went wild running around, it was good for them to get some energy out.

On the way out we picked up some sea turtle souvenirs and headed out to the hotel. We got to the Aquarium about an hour after it opened and it was just the right time. There were no crowds and we found parking nice and close. Now when we left it was late afternoon and Mardi Gras was starting to ramp up, it was a bit of a challenge getting out of New Orleans. Way fun overall, if you're ever there, stop by and check out the Aquarium! Brandon says the aquarium in Baltimore is better....we may have to see about that.

We Went to the Animal Fair

but no birds or bees were there! There happened to be a small Circus in town on Monday and so we took the kids to have a little fun. I can't ever remember going to the Circus as a kid so perhaps I wanted to go more than the kids. I always kind of had this thought all circuses were huge like Barnum and Bailey, but this was definitely small scale, one ring. Zoey and Ian got to ride some ponies. This was Ian's favorite activity.

Zoey also got her face painted. Which she freaked out quite a bit at because the lady was painting so close to her eyes. The other guy that was also doing face painting was a way better artist, but Zoey only wore it for a few hours anyway so I guess it didn't matter. She wasn't so sure if she liked getting her face painted until on our way home she could see herself in the rear view mirror.

After much convincing, Brandon rode the Elephant with Zoey. Ian seemed like he wanted to go but when I tried to put him down, he freaked out, but he liked watching the elephant a lot.

We weren't allowed to take pictures of the actual show but we saw funny clowns, balancing acts, gymnastics, musical performances, trained animals including ponies (my favorite), dogs, and elephants, and appearances of some transformers and a lemur.

Overall if you didn't expect too much it was pretty great. I think I expected too much because I just kept thinking about how much the internet has ruined shows like the circus. I kept expecting them to light something on fire or juggle with chainsaws or sword swallow or do some other amazing and mind boggling feat, but while I know the skill involved was pretty amazing, it seemed a little boring. The only acts that kept Ian's limited attention were the animal acts, the rest of the time he just wanted to kick off his shoes and run around in the stands and bother people. Zoey liked the roller skate routine and the animals.

I'd do it again, except I probably wouldn't pay $5 for some cotton candy and $10 for face painting again. Zoey still talks every day about going to the circus again so she liked it and that makes me happy.

Respect for Your Elders

I've been thinking about this post for a while but I couldn't decide if it made me seem too crotchety old lady, but I think I'm gonna be there at some point anyway so I figure what the hey. Growing up when I was introduced to an adult who was a member of the Church, they would refer to themselves or whomever was introducing them would say this is Brother or Sister LastName. That was then how I would always address that person. Adults would address each other or kids by their first names or Brother or Sister LastName.

In my Singles and Married Ward at BYU we all referred to each other by our first names because we were all peers and adults. When we moved back to Texas, I still referred to all the people I knew as a kid as Brother or Sister LastName. It was just too weird to try calling them by their first name even though it seemed acceptable to do so since I was now an adult.

I don't know if it's just our ward or if it is a growing trend among young families in LDS culture (or maybe everywhere?), but just about everyone I encounter introduces me as Mrs. Melanie to their kids. It just seems weird to me. I mean even if we weren't members of the same church I could see it a little more acceptable. I always remember as a kid, if that adult was not a member of the church they were still Mr. or Ms. LastName. The only adults I ever remember calling by their first name were family members, like Aunt Mandy or Uncle Mike or very close family friends, who were practically family, Ms. Crystal.

Maybe it's just me, but I'd still rather people introduce me to kids as Mrs. Masten or Sister Masten. I will typically introduce and refer to myself or others in that traditional manner. Aunt Mel(anie) suits me just fine for family and close friends.

So am I just being lame about this or is there really a decline in traditional respect in the addressing of elders among children? Adults to blame, they're teaching the kids that way. I mean what happens when they become teenagers and they just drop the title all together. I definitely think that can get disrespectful fast.

Yeah, I'm old fashioned like that!

Stating the Obvious

Today on the way to Petco to get dog food for Lowla, Zoey was kicking the back of my seat. I asked her several times to quit.

Zoey: Why?
Me: It's not very nice.
Zoey continues kicking the seat
Me: Zoey please stop!
Zoey: Why?
Me: I'm the driver and..
Zoey cuts me off: I'm the girl kicking the seat and I like kicking.
Me: *sigh* I give up.

It was annoying and amusing to me. Thankfully we just pulled into the parking lot.

From Garden to Garden

I've been doodling with the idea of learning to compost for a while. It seemed intimidating, although on a level I was already doing it since I would throw garden scraps and yard waste behind the electrical box in our yard and it was composting away happily back there. I was going to have Brandon build me a three stage composting box just so he would have a project. To get really good compost fast you have to aerate and turn the pile often, which is a lot of work. I might do it in the summer when its nicer outside, but chances are if it was too much work I'd stop doing it. I did some research and decided to buy some compost tumblers to make the whole process easier. I decided on this one: Envirocycle Compost Tumbler

It was reviewed well, seemed big enough for what I needed, easy to rotate and collects the compost leachate I can use in my garden sprayer instead of miracle grow. Win win win! I decided it would be necessary to get two of them, one to be adding matter to actively, and one untouched to allow to cook. Amazon two day shipping and they're here and I love them already!

Just arrived, I knew they were big, but somehow they just seem huge once they got here. Capacity of 7 cubic feet each, about 52 gallons.

Zoey is excited to start composting. I don't think she really gets it yet, but she knows I'm throwing stuff inside of there. Before I put a significant amount of stuff in the thing Ian was able to rock it off the base and roll it around the yard.

Added some greens, garden and kitchen scraps, and some browns, shredded newspaper and credit card offers. Gave the whole thing a good tumbling and its ready to sit for a while. It's only about 1/4 full right now, so I've got another half of filling to go before I let it sit and cook. The instructions say 4 to 6 weeks to finish. I hope I'll have some in time for my summer garden. We'll see

Here's the pair. I put them pretty close to the back door. most reviews said they didn't smell (shouldn't if you compost right) and didn't have problems with critters. I wanted them to be easily accessible from the house and the garden so I wouldn't be a bother to add scraps and give them a turn. I hope to update in a couple weeks on how well they work!

The Price of Things

What's the price of 15 more minutes of sleep in the morning?

A bed full of granola bar crumbs. Was it worth it? Sure was. I enjoyed every minute of staying in bed sleeping while Ian crunched away happily next to me. Better still when he was done he was happy to get out of bed and go play by himself for a while.

Happy Birthday Brandon!

Brandon turned 31 yesterday and although he had to work, we did celebrate together as a family when he got home. We went out to eat at Monterrey's Little Mexico. Spinach Enchiladas were really good! We thought we would be able to get into Pappasitos at 5:30 but just from the looks of the amount of people waiting outside the door it was probably an hour or better wait to get a table. When we got home we had a little party. Zoey helped me make a cake. Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles. Lots of sprinkles, mostly right in the center of the cake.

The kids are intensely intrigued by the lighting of the candles. Zoey was really anxious to help Brandon blow out the candles. I wasn't sure I would have enough candles since when I pulled out the ones I had, I found that most of them had been chewed up. I assume they were wrongly identified as candy.

Zoey also helped me wrap a few gifts for Brandon. He got a nice heavy bench plane and a circular saw guide to make straight cuts without a table saw. Am I pushing for more wood projects? Maybe. Or it could be that those are just tools he doesn't have and everything else he wants, he just buys when he wants it.

The kids still have room for cake and ice cream. Brandon and I were stuffed. Mom came by at 7 to babysit so we could go out to Dave and Busters and play games. That was a lot more fun when you're not constantly keeping tabs on two little ones trying to keep them interested. Bran's favorite game was Deal or No Deal. He never takes the deal. I think our biggest ticket win on that one was 270. My favorite game was a kind of block stacker sort of tetris game. Each time I played I was basically guaranteed 200 tickets. We amassed 3078 tickets, one giant stuffed horse and two smaller plush animals, one of which Brandon gave to a guy with a little boy and the other some random person stole from us while we were playing Deal or No Deal. So we picked some prizes with our tickets for the kids and came home. I think it was a nice way to spend the evening. I love spending time with my Husband, he's the best. Happy Birthday Bran!