Celebrate Autumn @ Calloway's Nursery Free Fall Harvest Festival

Don't forget that this Saturday, October 6th, the Fall Harvest Festival takes place at all Calloway’s and Cornelius Nursery garden centers.  It's free! 

Your little ones can decorate pumpkins, draw in the chalk garden, plant pansies, and lots of other things.  There's also a make-it-and-take-it workshop at 2:00.

Y'all be sure and go check it out.  Sounds like fun!

The World Would Be A Lot Better Place Without MOSQUITOES

What good are mosquitoes anyway?  All they do is transmit diseases, parasites & viruses.  These pesky things have been around for over 30 million years, so it looks to me like we're not going to get rid of them any time soon.

You've probably heard on the news lately all the talk about West Nile in Tarrant and surrounding counties.  West Nile Virus is really rampant this year.  Some even say the incidence of West Nile virus cases in North Texas has reached epidemic proportions.

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/07/18/156615/west-nile-case-levels-in-texas.html#storylink=cpy

Someone my husband knows was hospitalized recently with something similar to West Nile - something called St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV).  It too is transmitted to humans via infected mosquitoes.

Did you know that most people bitten by a mosquito infected with West Nile Virus or SLEV never experience symptoms of the virus?  I didn't know that.  Also, the virus cannot be spread from person-to-person.  It's only spread by infected mosquito to person.

The virus can also affect animals such as horses.  West Nile Virus in pets is rare.  Click here for more information about WNV and your dog or cat. 

You should get to the doctor immediately if the following symptoms persist for more than a few days.  Symptoms of West Nile Virus, according to the Mayo Clinic, are:

Fever
Headaches
Body Aches
Fatigue
Skin Rash (Occasionally)
Swollen Lymph Glands (Occasionally)
Eye Pain (Occasionally)

The Mayo Clinic also says that less than 1% of people infected with West Nile Virus will experience serious neurological infection.  That can include swelling of the brain (encephalitis) or the membrane surrounding the brain (meningoencephalitis).  It can also include meningitis or inflammation of the  membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.  Signs and symptoms of a serious neurological infection are:

High Fever
Severe Headache
Stiff Neck
Disorientation or Confusion
Stupor or Coma
Tremors or Muscle Jerking
Lack of Coordination
Convulsions
Pain
Partial Paralysis or Weakness
Altered Mental State

According to the Mayo Clinic, signs and symptoms of West Nile Virus could last for a few days.  But signs and symptoms of encephalitis or meningitis could last for weeks and neurological effects could be permanent.

According to the CDC, the symptoms for SLEV are similar to West Nile.  It takes 5 to 15 days after the bite of an infected mosquito to develop symptoms of SLEV.  With West Nile, the onset of symptoms is usually 3 to 14 days.

With all that being said, the best thing you can do is hibernate in your house and become a hermit.  Just kidding.  The best thing you can do to prevent getting these viruses is to try and not get bit by mosquitoes.

If at all possible, wear clothing that covers most of your body.  (Not likely in the middle of a Texas summer.)

Wear clothing that blends into the background.  According to How Stuff Works, female mosquitoes, which are the only mosquitoes that bite you, their visual sensors aren't very keen, but they can see you moving if you are wearing clothing that contrasts the background.

Use a mosquito repellant that contains DEET at a concentration of 7.5 percent to 100 percent.  Lower concentrations are sufficient for most outdoor protection, and a 15-percent concentration is recommended for children.  This is what's recommended by the website How Stuff Works.  Tarrant County Public Health recommends we use an insect repellant that contains up to 20% DEET.

Eliminate sources of standing water in your yard.

Stay inside at dusk and dawn.

The City of Grapevine suggests treating standing water that can't be drained, such as in creeks and bar ditches, with something called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis.

Also, if you see a dead bird, you might want to call the Texas Department of Health Regional Zoonosis Control Office.  You can find phone numbers here for the regional office in your area.  Their website says their testing of birds is mainly restricted to crows, bluejays, and hawks.  Never handle a dead bird with your bare hands.  Dead birds can carry many more diseases other than just West Nile or SLEV.

Click here for more information from Tarrant County Public Health.

Click here to get the latest information from Tarrant County Public Health regarding numbers of people infected and ZIP codes where they live.  This page also lists the the location of mosquito pools and whether or not they tested positive for West Nile.

Tin Can Planting @ Calloway's Nursery

Today we went to Calloway's Nursery so my kiddos could participate in something they call Callie's Kids.  I wrote about this free event last month.

 

Today the kids got to decorate a tin can and then plant tomato seeds in it and then take it home with them.
 
Look how proud they are of themselves - Little Stinkers!!

I can't go to Calloway's and not take pictures of the pretty flowers they have there, so indulge me for just a sec.

Ice Plant

Bluebells

There...I feel better now.

Calloway's next event is August 15th.  It will be the last event of the summer and it's all about beautiful butterflies.  Go check it out if you get a chance.

As a side note:  On our way out, we saw this sucker -

It's my favorite kind of Cicada Killer - a dead one.

Our Fort Worth Herd Cow Camp Experience

Since I posted something about the Fort Worth Herd's Cow Camp a while back, I thought it would be fun to go check it out for myself.  We went this past Sunday when it was, like 5,728 degrees outside.  Not really.  It was closer to 100.  But I came prepared with cheapy handheld electric fans, sweat-rags, and a bottle of water in my big ol' mom-purse.

Cow Camp is held every Saturday and Sunday from 1:30 -2:30 from Memorial Day until Labor Day.

Cow Camp is held in the Fort Worth Stockyards.  Driving down North Main, we turned east down Exchange Avenue and parked in the northeast parking lot there which is free.

We walked west down exchange, and Cow Camp is held behind the Livestock Exchange Building which is on the north side of Exchange Avenue.

Luckily this camp is held in the shade.  They have bleachers there for you to sit on.  Let me warn you that you probably shouldn't wear some cute white shorts because your buns will be covered in about 50 shades of dirt after sitting on those bleachers.  Cows and horses and humans kick up a lot of dirt that winds up on those bleachers so be prepared to get a little gritty.

It started off with one of the cowboys explaining a little bit about life in the 1800's.  The cowboys and cowgirls asked if any kids in the audience wanted to volunteer for a demonstration.  The kids that volunteered got to wear hats and vests and wild rags.  The herd cowgirl explained the importance of each of those pieces of clothing.  The little volunteers also got to pass around ropes and show them to the audience.  At the end of the presentation, the volunteers were presented with a really, really cool special gift.  (My oldest didn't want to volunteer because she thought it was going to make her hot with all that clothing on - not true though!)

The herd cowboys and cowgirl told us about spurs and saddles and branding and how each of those are used.  It really was very informative.

They really took their time and explained each and every thing in a very entertaining way.  My favorite part was this:

That whip was LOUD!  I think I might purchase one so I can scare the youknowwhat out of my kids.  How fun would that be?!!??!

It really was a fun experience.  I think my oldest child learned quite a bit.  Heck, I learned quite a bit and I'm 39 years old and have lived in Cowtown all my life!  I'm so glad there's things like this to go see and do in this great city.  Go check it out.  Be sure and leave them a donation on the way out.  They don't ask for much and the experience is worth way more than their suggested donation amount.

Also, while you're in the stockyards, be sure and check out Stockyards Station where your little one might get a pat on the head from a stiff ol' cowpoke who's looking for work.

Be sure and stick around until 4:00 where you can see those cowgirls and cowboys you met during Cow Camp move the Fort Worth Herd.

AWESOME!

Staycation in Cowtown - Tour Fort Worth Stockyards On The Cheap

I don't know about y'all, but there is no way in the world we're going to be able to take a vacation this year.  With my husband being on strike for two months, we just do not have the funds to go anywhere.  I've done everything in my power to not let that two-month strike affect my children.  I've taken them to free events and cheap events and we've had the best time.

I read somewhere that if you're low on funds but want to do something fun, you should consider having a staycation - you know, vacation in your own hometown - walk around your own town like you're a tourist.  I think we've got the best town to have a staycation in - so much history in this here Cowtown.

What better way to learn about this great city of ours than this GPS-guided tour of the Fort Worth Stockyards?  It normally costs $12 per person.  But you can get this 2 for 1 deal from Dealsaver.

Be sure and click here to watch a preview of the tour.

It really looks like a lot of fun, and 12 bucks ain't gonna break the bank I don't think.

Click here to purchase 2 GPS-guided tours of the Fort Worth Stockyards for $12.  You have until Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at midnight to purchase this deal.

Story Time at Fort Worth Libraries

My, my, my how story time has changed at my local library.  Just a few years ago, I took my oldest child to story time at the East Regional Library where the librarian read a book and then the kids got to color a picture.  I wasn't too impressed, so I never went back...until today.  I'm so glad we went back.

Paper Lanterns

Today my children, along with about 20 more kids, got to sing songs, dance, go on a "bear hunt".  The librarian read three stories to them.  Then the kids got to color, make a firework necklace and make a paper lantern.

Firework Necklace

Firework Necklace

Go here to see what time your local library offers story time and then go check it out.  I think you'll be glad you did.   

And if you want to make the paper lanterns, go here and check out this tutorial.  If you want to make the firework necklace, this post will give you an idea on how to make those.

Fort Worth Herd's Cow Camp

Tomorrow, June 30th, from 1:30 to 2:30 you and the kiddos could have a hands-on, interactive experience with equipment used during the Cattle-Drive Era.  You'll learn about roping, sorting, saddling and you'll hear chuck wagon stories and see a cattle drive demonstration.

Come on out and see The Herd and meet some real-life cattle drovers and learn a little bit about a tradition that's the backbone of this great city we call Fort Worth.


Cow Camp is held directly behind the Fort Worth Livestock Exchange Building at 131 East Exchange Avenue.  This is a free event but donations are greatly appreciated.

Fort Worth - The Mayor's Summer Reading Challenge

Have y'all heard about The Mayor's Summer Reading Challenge?  I heard about it before but never participated.  I never participated because I thought I couldn't because my children didn't know how to read yet.  Well, guess what?  That doesn't matter.  As long as you read to your child, you and your child can participate.

Go to your local library and tell them you'd like to register yourself and your children (no matter what age) for The Mayor's Summer Reading Challenge and they will hand you a red card for yourself and a white card for your child.  Fill out your information.  Each day as you read to your child, fill in the date you read and the amount of time you read.  You can get a new card every 14 days.

After you've filled out your card and read to your child for at least 14 days, you then turn your card back in to the information desk at your local library.  Those completed cards will then be sent to the Central Library downtown where a drawing will be held on August 12th. You could win prizes including iPads, netbooks, Kindle Fires, books, gift cards and more.  You do not have to be present to win.

When you turn in your completed cards for the first time, you will also receive a nice big, bright green bag that you can use to carry around all those books you'll be reading.  You will also receive a voucher good for one premium infield or dugout box ticket for any Sunday-Thursday Cats game in the month of November.  Your children will receive the voucher for the Cats game AND a voucher for one free child exhibit admission to Grossology at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History AND each child who registers for The Mayor's Summer Reading Challenge will also be given the opportunity to join Kinsler's Kids Summer Reading Club and could possibly earn a ticket to enjoy a free Ranger game on July 29th - check with your local library for specifics on how to earn the ticket.

The Summer Reading Challenge isn’t just about reading — the library has fun programs too.  Throughout June and July, all the libraries around Fort Worth will be offering different programs where you and your children can learn about anything from recycled art to courageous cowgirls.

Be sure and attend the Grand Celebration on Sunday, August 12th at the Central Library from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.  The event is free and open to everyone.  They will have face painting, live music, crafts, storytelling and refreshments.  They will also have the grand prize drawings with special guests Deborah Ferguson from KXAS-TV, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, and Bob Ray Sanders from the Star Telegram.  Parking will be free in the garages and on the streets.  

Go today to your nearest library and register for The Mayor's Summer Reading Challenge.  You'll be glad you did!

Free Family Fun - Calloway's Nursery Kids' Events

Callie's Kids

Throughout the year, little gardeners ages 5 to 10 can join Calloway's Nursery for free children's events and learn more about nature and gardening.  Kids get to take a completed project home with them.  It's called Callie's Kids.

Following along as the story is read.

June 20 - The Prince/Princess and the Pea - Have story time and plant a seed or two -- (We attended this today and we heard the story of the Princess and the Pea and then the children got to plant a Sweet Pea in a cup.  They also got to decorate the cups and then take them home.)

Supplies for project

My daughter found this roly poly on the ground.  She considered it a bonus.

July 18 - Tin Can Planting - Pot a tomato seed in a tin can
August 15 - Beautiful Butterflies - Learn about wildlife pollinators
October 6 - Fall Harvest Festival - Pumpkin decorating, children's shows, potting stations

Pretty Gerber Daisy @ Calloway's Nursery

Click here to register your kids to attend any of the fun activities listed above.

My daughter said this one smelled like maple syrup.

According to Calloway's website, if you join the My Texas Garden Club and become an email member, you'll receive updates about upcoming events and you can earn points and redeem them for gift cards.  You'll also receive a welcome email with a link to a $5 garden gift card good toward your next visit to Calloway's Nursery. (Note:  I joined yesterday, but haven't received an email with a link yet for the gift card.  I did receive a confirmation email and it said I should receive my first email in 3-5 days.)  Promotion has expired.

Beautiful Moss Rose - One of my favorites

Her favorite of all - Mandevilla

Thank you, Calloway's Nursery, for this free, family fun activity.  We'll be back next month!!

Free Family Fun - Kids at The Sid

Yesterday I took my girls to the Sid Richardson Museum for Kids at The Sid.  We got to tour the museum and learn about all the beautiful western artwork that is displayed.  The girls got to participate in somewhat of a scavenger hunt or hide-and-seek game that the museum calls an "Animal Art Safari" where the kids have to search the paintings for creatures that are on a piece of paper the museum provides you.

The kids were also given a sheet of paper which explains to them the importance of preserving and protecting all the paintings - some of which are over 100 years old.   That paper also lists different clues that the children have to find the answers to, either in the painting itself or the labels next to them.  The docents at the museum were so very nice and made this activity very enjoyable.

After they finished that activity, we went to another part of the building where the girls both got to draw and paint on a canvas.  The museum provided western-type stencils that you could trace with a pencil on the canvas and then the girls got to paint it.  We got to take those home.  The museum even provides a box for you to carry the wet artwork home in.

With all that being said, I will most definitely be taking my oldest daughter who's 6 1/2 back on June 20th; however, I will also most definitely be leaving my 2 1/2 year-old daughter at home with my husband.  I was sooooo super-duper worried that the little one was going to, like, run up and high-five one of those 100-year-old paintings that I couldn't really relax and enjoy the whole activity.

Worth noting:  The Sid Richardson Museum will validate parking in all of the Sundance Square parking lots and garages.  I parked at the garage on Commerce and it was a short walk.  (We also visited the 150 Years of Fort Worth Exhibit that's in Fire Station No. 1 which happens to be at the bottom of that parking garage - I'll tell you about that in another post.)

So go check out this free, family fun activity at the Sid Richardson Museum, but you might want to leave the little bitty ones with a sitter if you really want to enjoy it to the fullest extent possible.

Free Family Fun - Lowe's Build & Grow

I'd heard about Lowe's Build & Grow a while back but I never signed my kids up because, after all, they're girls and all, and little girly girls don't like swinging hammers or building things, y'all...yeah, right!  

 

My girls loved it.  I'm so glad I signed them up to do this.

 

Lowe's offers this free, family fun activity every other weekend.  Last Sunday my girls made the Madagascar Monkey Plane.  

Isn't it cute?

It's easy to register for one of the projects.  Just click this link and click on register.  Click the project you want them to do, click the store you want to go to and then register your kiddos.  You'll have to enter your email address, but I've never received any spam or emails from Lowe's other than the confirmation email.  You'll have to print a waiver out and sign it and bring it with you.

Thank you, Lowe's, for offering this free, family fun activity!

Things That Should Be In Your 72-Hour Kit or Bug-Out Bag

I am, like, obsessed with this blog I found recently.  It offers so much useful information that I could sit and read it for hours. It's called Homestead Survival. 

One of their recent posts is about 72-Hour Kits or bug-out bags.  If you've watched any of the Doomsday Prepper shows, you'll know what they're talking about.  I think it's better to be safe than sorry, whether it's for doomsday or a natural disaster.

One day there was a fire burning really close to our house, and I was so worried that it was going to reach our house that I just started throwing anything and everything in my car.  It would have been much easier to just have all the important, necessary stuff in one spot instead of me running all over the house gathering stuff like a chicken with my head cut off.

Here's a list of that important, necessary stuff.  Each member of your family should have their own kit.

 

Thanks, Homestead Survival, for all the awesome information you provide.  Keep up the good work.

Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Junior Agricultural Mechanics Project Show

This is pretty awesome.  Can't wait to see what everybody makes.  Info here at Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Facebook page

Hey, I Love These People, Y'all! Hey, I'm Serious! Hey, I Mean It!!

I just can't get enough of those Robertsons. I'm kind of partial to Si but all of them crack me up.


(And yes, I labeled this as educational because I think kids these days could learn a lot from these folks.)

Frontier Forts Days - Come Out & Get Your Frontier On!!!

From the Stockyard's Station Website:  A free, two-day heritage event where the Stockyards National Historic District is transformed into an authentic representation of Texas frontier life.  There will be fort camps, artillery demonstrations, military parades, Native American exhibitions, live music and a train robbery!

Best of all, this event is free.  According to the Fort Worth Stockyards Facebook page, this event is Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12 from 9 to 5 at the Stockyards Station, of course.  Your kids can march with the soldiers and learn about life on the frontier.  Sounds like fun to me!  Giddy-up!

Button Art - Great Gift For Toddler

Button Art

We bought this for our little Abby last year for Christmas.  I think it's one of the best investments we've ever made.  It comes with 10 different pictures and 46 chunky buttons.  Little ones match the color of the button to the color of the opening and it makes different pictures.  It's very cute.  It helps them with hand/eye coordination and learning their colors.  All of the buttons and the pictures store easily in the container it comes in, which is an important selling point for me.

It's on sale right now at Amazon for $14.85 which is 33% off the retail price.  I think I paid a little less than that at Christmastime, but I still think $14.85 is a good price.

Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine, Texas

Did you know that 75% of the nation's bird species either live in or visit the Galveston Bay region sometime during the year, including the recovering endangered brown pelican? That's just one of the things I learned while visiting Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine, Texas.


We ventured out to this cool spot last Thursday, August 4 and, boy, was I ever thankful that I pre-purchased tickets online a few days prior! That's probably the most helpful information I can give you - BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE before you go! We were told by one of the Sea Life employees that people who had not pre-purchased their tickets had been waiting in line for an hour and a half - no joke - and this was a Thursday at 1:00 in the afternoon! When you pre-purchase your tickets, you not only pay 15% less than you would at the door, but you get to stand in a much shorter, fast-moving line.

From the Sea Life website: Prepare for astonishingly close views of everything from humble starfish and seahorses to graceful rays, to get any closer you would have to get wet!

• Amazing 360° Underwater Ocean Tunnel
• 30 Incredible Displays
• More than 5,000 Sea Creatures
• Take the Shark Walk if you're brave enough!

They have something called the Kid's Quiz Trail. At the beginning of the tour, one of the Sea Life workers hands you a card with, I think, nine questions on it and three possible answers you can scratch off. Throughout the building there are "Fin Facts" posted on the walls. There are also questions posted throughout the building as well. All you do is find the correct answer and scratch off the appropriate color on the card. At the end of the tour, whether you got all the answers right or not, you turn that card in at the gift shop and the kids get to either pick a sticker or a tattoo (and let me tell you that tattoo stays on a lot longer than any other fake tattoo I've seen).

The thing I was most impressed with was the ocean tunnel (pictured above). That was really neat. It felt neat because the floor is see-through.

I've heard that they'll be getting a sea turtle soon that was injured by a boat and can't use his back legs but uses his front legs to swim. Fun fact about sea turtles: Did you know that sea turtle mamas will travel thousands of miles across the oceans to lay their eggs on the same beach where they were born? That's amazing.

At the end of the tour there's something called the rockpool. That's where the kids can actually touch a starfish, sea urchin or crab.



So if you get a chance, head on over to Sea Life Aquarium at Grapevine Mills Mall but be sure and buy your tickets before you go! And take your time going through the exhibit - don't let someone bully you into moving along if you're not ready to. Remember to relax and enjoy this time with your kids!