Such disdain amongst such beauty....

This has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. That said, we had an awful time here.


Miles and miles of tulips with the most amazingly vivid colors.


We (Eric and I) tried to make the best of it. I mean, how could we not. It was like looking across the fields in heaven.

But this image says it all. She wanted to pick and stomp the flowers. She was difficult to reason with(to say the least).




So we tried the "clog train".
Maggie was happy at first but then it started. I have no idea why people think it's fun riding through mud and HUGE bumps. Apparently neither do my children.





But we still kept trying. It was just so beautiful. We asked them if they wanted to leave and if you had been a passer-by, you would have thought I flicked them in the ear (like my mother used to do). It was an honest question. They didn't seem to be having fun despite all of the "kid" activities to do.


They DID NOT want to leave. OK then!! We stayed. I have to give credit where credit is due.... Eric was in a far better mood then the rest of us(even after getting kicked in the groin, having no coffee, chasing Maggie all over the farm and getting a fly up his nose and not being able to get it out for a good five minutes). He's the best partner/daddy in the entire universe!





So we stayed. We played chase and tossed horse shoes and bounced in the bouncy house.


We found all kinds of cools things to look at. I love how they used nutshells to line the pathways, and there were a lot of pathways. Who ate all those nuts?


Any way, looks can be deceiving. The grass is NOT alwasy "greener on the other side"....

...but not in children (at least not mine) Their faces never lie!!

Facebook Question....

This is a question asked by my friend (yes,a real friend) on Facebook and my response to all the negative pro spanking responses she received such as "I would not only have removed my child, they wouldn't be able to sit comfortably for a while after it either" and this one which starts off good...but goes to shit real quick! "I always gave my children the "option of the bathroom". We would either discuss their mis-behavior....or they would get a smack on the bottom. They never knew what they were going to get". Needless to say,my blood is boiling and fully expect that I will not be hearing the end of it any time soon.

Q. "O.k., I have no little ones, but how many of my parent friends would like to give an opinion......would you let your child sit in a crowded establishment and let you child scream bloody murder and throw a fit, without soothing the child or removing them from the dining area....keep in mind this went on for over twenty ...minutes........just curious on opinions, it almost caused a brawl at the place we ate tonight".


A. "It amazes me that most of the comments assumed that the CHILD was "mis-behaving".Most children "behave" like children (crying and wiggling) when forced to act like adults. Being in a restaurant is BORING to children. Maybe the PARENTS were mis-behaving and should have thought about the type of place they were taking their child before forcing them to "behave"(like an adult).If the child was screaming and the parents were not comforting the child or making any attempted to help the child through what emotions he/she was having (being neglectful) then maybe the child was responding to the obvious shitty parenting he/she is forced to endure on a daily basis and needed someone to intervene. I absolutely believe that hitting a child is WRONG. None of us would walk up to a grown person who was in obvious distress and tell the people they were with that they should "go smack them" so they will "behave". Children are people too, and as deserving of the same respect we would offer to someone our age. Maybe someone could have asked the staff if they might go offer some assistance (crayons,crackers etc.) or like you Lisa, choose not to dine there again. It is up to the parents to decided where to eat and if the place they choose is suitable for children. If you, as the diner, do not want to be around potentially "mis-behaving" children then steer clear of "family restaurants", and try a pub or go for a "fine dining" experience. http://www.raisingmyboychick.com/2009/10/dancing-between-the-tables-on-the-personhood-of-children/


The link I posted on FB was written by one of my all-time favorite Bloggers. Her blog is "Raising My Boychick" and you can find her on Twitter as @RaisingBoychick . I absolutely love her writing and the subjects she writes about.