On the Way Back -- CT and PA: The Crayola Factory

So we stayed in Vermont a day longer and decided to skip NYC.  We were sad, but it was a good choice.  We stopped in West Haven, CT for the night. The kids swam, we ate, we slept.  Right as we got there the skies opened up and there was an insane storm.  The hail sounded like someone was throwing boulders at the car.  Luckily there was no damage.  From CT, we drove to PA... through the Bronx Cross Express...It took us no less than 2 hours to make it 5 miles.  It sucked!  But we got to PA and realized that we should book it to the Crayola Factory instead of going to the campsite first.  I should mention that because of the possible horrid weather that was supposed to happen this night, we called and arranged to stay in a camping cabin.  ANYWAY, it was on to the Crayola Factory.  If you are ever in or near Easton, PA, I TOTALLY recommend this place.  It is an incredible factory of fun!  The 2 hours we had there was not even remotely long enough.  The price, which admittedly isn't THAT cheap, was TOTALLY worth it!  Upon entering you are given a bag, 4 tokens, and a map.  It's four floors of Crayola.  So off we went:

We started on the 2nd floor.  They had these little black pieces of paper and "special" markers that revealed the colors underneath.  

From there we went over to this little car where they had the dry erase crayons.  When we first came to the floor there were two employees washing the car off... I wondered briefly how often they had to do this and if it was their only job.

Then into the "How It's Made" show.  It was really cool to watch this part.  We got to see how crayons and markers were made... live.  There are TV screens around the room to show you what the guy is doing behind the glass...

And then you get a crayon, hot off the presses!

And then a marker as well.  I will say that there were some older kids that had no manners at all and pushed my kids out of the way, I almost went all mama bear on them, but my kids were patient and didn't seem to mind.

Then onto puzzle making.  You got a thick piece of paper and could find a table with markers and stencils and whatever.  You draw a picture and then take it to some workers and choose between 6 and 12 pieces and they make your creation into a puzzle and give you a nifty little envelope to put it in.  That little bag started to come in handy.

On our way to the next thing was a little dancing place.  You moved to the music and your image was thrown up onto a screen showing your movement in shadow and color.  Elijah had no desire, but Grace would have stayed for hours.

Both Grace and Elijah did this thing.  Grace did the Cinderella one and Elijah did a Spiderman one.  You go behind that screen and have your picture taken and then out comes a coloring page with each kid and the character.  Elijah sat down and immediately colored his.  Grace thought it was SO cool to have a picture with her and a princess in it.  heh.

There was a younger kids' play area.  you pick up the balls and take them over to an elevator thing and it drops them onto a track that brings it over to this wall.  Interesting and fun... but there were kids much older than 5 in the play area and they were OBNOXIOUS... so Grace and I played for a few minutes and moved on.

to painting.  (we are STILL on the 2nd floor) You choose the animal print you liked and set to work with the water colors.

After this, you put your picture on a huge dryer oven thing.  (I can't believe that I didn't take a picture of this... cause it was really cool!)  Then you brought it back in and the workers helped you make binoculars out of your painted paper.  (Also no picture... but they still have them, so we'll see if I can get a pic later.)  ONTO Model Magic (we walked through the glo room where you could draw on the walls with glo markers  and Sidewalk Chalk Lane... where you could draw on the floors with sidewalk chalk.)  I mentioned that we all got 4 tokens at the beginning, the kids used a couple of them earlier to get a small pack of crayons and a marker... But here you could get a pack of Model Magic.  So the kids set to work playing and making things.

Time was getting away from us, so mom took Grace to the 3rd floor and I stayed with Elijah to do melted crayon painting.

Then booked it up to the 3rd floor to play with mom and Grace.  They made Jungle bags.

Mom ran to do something and we RUSHED into the water play area.  Here you had to wash all the Crayola fun off your hands and then were given a boat.  You move the boat from Farmtown to, um, the end...(the announcer kept giving a countdown to the place closing and asking everyone to move to the exits so we were moving through REALLY fast... I don't think the locks have ever moved that fast before!) through working locks and other devices, picking up coal on the way...

We then moved to the gift shop.  I forgot to mention that in our little bag was an empty 4 pack of crayons.  Throughout the factory there were kiosks for them to collect the four crayons they needed for their box.  At the end (at the END of the cashier line) was a certificate of completion.  Amazing marketing.  ALSO in the gift shop is the world's largest crayon, it's blue.

Mom bought the kids a little souvenir and we left the Crayola experience.  I really would like to go back.  It was SUPER fun and I would like to spend more time there.  The whole place is made to be interchangeable with different things brought in.  If we lived near there I would TOTALLY have season passes.  

On the way back to the car we passed:

loved that movie!!!

Onto the camping cabin.  Must say that I'm glad that we got to this campsite in the day light... We would have seriously gotten lost if it had been dark.  heh.

Playing on the playground!

and the swimming pool.

And in the cabin.  The kids used this rug as a hopscotch game.

I love that the kids entertained themselves and played together SO well!!

It POURED rain almost all night.  Elijah woke up once and had to pee, so we tromped through the rain to the bathroom in our ponchos... but SO Much better than sleeping in the pouring rain...on the ground.  I am NOT that hardcore of a camper.  Not even a little.

THEN off to Washington DC!!!!

10 on Monday

• My parents arrived last week on Thursday.  They have tried already 2 times this month to make it down here.  AND this time they almost didn’t make it.  They had to take their car in to get the tires realigned from hitting a pothole.  After that, the car was still shaking.  SOO, they took it somewhere to leave and went and got a rental to drive down. I think had I not had a doctor’s appointment on Friday and in dire need of their help, they would have postponed AGAIN… So glad they didn’t!!
• Prior to their arrival my parents ordered us a new vacuum.  I should have taken pictures at how well the vacuum  cleans!!  I love it!!  I know it’s weird to love an appliance (is that what a vacuum is considered?)  but I enjoy cleaning things AND to be able to see what I have cleaned.  Love it!
• The weather sucks.  It was nice on Thursday.  Kinda nice on Friday and Saturday, and downright crappy on Sunday and today.  Alas.
• Jerry and I went on a much needed date.  We went to a movie and out to dinner.  Sigh.  The movie SUCKED!  Dinner SUCKED!  The only saving grace was the company and the fact that we didn’t have the kids with us.  Sunday afternoon we went to an open house for grins and giggles, and then went to Target and Lowe’s to meander.   So Sunday made up for it.
• The doctor’s appointment went well on Friday.  Right now we are seeing if I have any food allergies.  Then we will go from there.  We did rule out my gall bladder.  So that’s good.
• Grace CAN.NOT wait to go to school.  Every night the kids get to ask one question each.  She asks (every.single.night.) “When I wake up will I go to kindergarten?”  Time is a foreign concept to her littleness.  She will attend preschool next year, but she has a bit to wait until it’s time for kindergarten.
• Elijah was an acolyte at his school today.  He’s always so serious when he is asked to do something for school.



• For Lent I gave up caffeinated soda.  I have taken to occasionally drinking a Green Tea.  It is NOT the same.  Alas.  I think it’s better for me, but I miss it.  We’ll see if I go back after Easter.
• We are hitting the mountains for Easter.  I’m glad that Easter is later this year.   It will hopefully be warmer up there than it is now.  It will be a nice break. 
• I am writing this on a new computer.  We have 6 computers in this house and none of the work.  As I need one for work and need to work for a new computer, my parents generously bought us a new one as an early birthday present for me.  Very nice to have something that works.  Hopefully, this means that we can get rid of the other ones.

This winter weather…

heh.  Usually I am. NOT. a. fan. of February.  But this year, so far, I’m okay with it.  Maybe it’s because I threatened the life of the groundhog did his predication of Spring not come to fruition…  not that I have any control over what the weather does.  And, quite frankly, I must say that I still don’t have my hopes too high.  We have been here long enough to know that just because you get some warm weather early on doesn’t mean that it won’t freeze in the second week of April rendering your nice healthy garden…dead… and forcing the strawberry farmers to flood the fields, thus making the first crop of strawberries watery.  BUT right now, I’ll take it.  It snowed 3 times in January and as a beach dweller, that was more than enough.  We like the snow, but I don’t live where it is SUPPOSED to snow.  There are no hills here… so bleh.  ANYWAY… lately it has been AWESOME weather.  I’m feeling more and more confident with the kiddos at the beach.  So we went a few times as a family and a few times with just me and the kids.  Both kids will be ecstatic this summer to spend the day at the beach.  They already are sad to go.  I, a mountain girl at heart, am in the process of successfully raising beach bunnies!  I’m glad they like the beach.  I like it… but I need my mountains.  Ah well.  Luckily, we get to have the best of both worlds!  So here are some photos from our exploits at the beach:
The kids start by playing in the sand and running around…
 
Then, under the pretense of getting water for a sand project, they head to the water…
 
to, eventually, abandon the buckets and such to play in the (47 degree!!!) water!!

Ending with wrapping up in a towel and running up to the changing area to change into nice warm, dry clothes!
That day was about 65.  I was rather chilly, but the kids really didn’t seem to mind.
The next time we went it was 76..but WINDY!  Elijah hadn’t had school and I had spent the majority of the day empting out the storage unit.  A bit of work with two kids in tow, but doable!  As a treat for being so good, we went to the beach after nap.  I offered to take their kite…they wanted to take their boogie boards.  I made them choose, and carry what they chose…

There were tidal pools this time around and that ROCKED!!!
 
 
See….very windy, so maybe the choice of boogie boards was a good one, as they turned into kites… Don’t think that the kite would have worked as a boogie board!

Elijah REALLY wants to learn to surf.  His balance is quite good, but he needs to work on his swimming first.  We did look into surf camp today at a camp fair… he has to be 8 before he can go… which I think is a good age!!  Still I’m totally okay with him practicing/pretending on his boogie board.
Grace really liked jumping into the various pools… and “swimming” in them.  I’m glad that she is feeling better about the water.  We will try swim lessons again this summer.
Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be in the mid 70s again, so we will hit the beach again.  Next week we have to start paying for parking (sigh), but it is supposed be colder…not cold… just colder.  Maybe March is coming in as a lion?  I’ll take it if it means that it will turn lamb-ish quicker.  The pollen is already bothering me and the kids, but we will push through.  The Barlett Pear Trees and the Cherry trees are already starting to pop out and that makes me happier than anything else.  The lush green and beautiful pink… It’s a sure sign of spring and not just a tease!!