Josh has been spending ALOT of time researching "green" transportation. He REALLY wants us to turn the Saturn (the car he'll get when he turns 16 - and Dad gets a new one!) into an electric vehicle. So far, Dad hasn't been convinced that the savings will offset the cost involved. :-)
Josh also has started a lawn care business. So far it's just one other lawn plus ours, but he has plans and goals! The name (fittingly enough) is Electric Yardworks. Last summer, when our old mower died a painful death, Darren and Josh went mower shopping. Of course, Josh wanted one with all the bells and whistles. Darren wanted one... cheap. After letting Josh know that he'd pay for one with the added features, but that Josh would pay for the gasoline... Josh decided the rechargable electric one was a much better purchase! He also bought a rechargable weedeater (that can shift into an edger too)...so Josh's "green" lawn business was born.
He's sent off for business cards and plans on creating a flyer to pass around the neighbors to see if he can drum up about 3 more yards.
Anyway, he thought that having a trailer to attach to his bike would be a better idea than pushing the mower down the sidewalk so he spent ALOT of time researching bike trailers that could haul a mower and weedeater. All the ones he found to purchase were more than he was willing to spend so he decided to build one himself. He found some on-line that people had built and they gave advice, and directions to build your own.
Hours, days and weeks were spent on planning out the "build", accumulating all the materials (again, at the least cost possible) and actually putting it all together. I am so proud that he was creative enough to find items that were waiting to be trashed to use in this build.
Well, yesterday was the big day. They actually worked out the final kinks and got the trailer built... but when the weight of the mower was put on it and he set out for a test drive - the trailer's poor little wheels collapsed under the weight. When I got home from the grocery I saw the trailer out by the curb... and my first thoughts were "Uh oh... do I even want to go inside?" But his spirits weren't broken and he has since removed the wheels and saved the base for future use. Oh, and he also decided that the three houses he'd really like to work on getting are the three older folks that live within a house or two either direction of us so a trailer might just not be necessary right now anyway! :-)
I think in all, under $40 was spent on the build... and so much more was learned that it was certainly worth the expenditure. He did almost everything himself. Darren was nearby to assist with how to use some of the tools, but all the ideas were Josh's own. What a great experience!
Oh, and they went today to visit a guy in Prairie Village who does conversions on vehicles to turn them into EV's! Josh said it was "really cool." Perhaps we WILL have an EV in the not too distant future.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Summer craziness
I was hoping for a quiet relaxing summer. It's been anything but.
Josh was away for a week at camp, the same week Ellie had day camp at Ernie Miller Nature Sanctuary. She had a ball - came home needing a major bath almost every day. Definitely the measure of a good time in Ellie's standards. She made a new friend - that we still need to contact in order to get them together to play.
Rylie is dancing 7+ hours a week - 2 ballet classes, a jazz class, musical theatre, leap and turn plus jazz company. Ellie also decided she really wanted to give dance another try so she has pre-ballet/pre-jazz with Miss Michelle once a week. Oh, and Rylie also has vocal lessons and helps out with a Creative Movement class (she's only been peed on once so far!)
Josh is busy with mowing lawns and Parkour practicing. He likes to head down to the park down the street and practice jumping and leaping. Fortunately, with having his cell phone I feel a bit better about him going there alone.
We also try to make Wed afternoons at Loose Park with a group of homeschoolers. Josh also is now "officially" a teen and has joined the secular teen group - which meets weekly on Wed nights at a local coffeehouse. We've compromised - with the cost of gas at almost $4 per gallon, we're alternating going to the park and going to coffee. Next week we might hit both though... they will be leaving for CO and I think Josh really wants to hang with his buddies for awhile before leaving.
Somewhere in all that chaos, I also fit in working for Dad and at the Y. It's crazy... but it's our life and I wouldn't give it up for anything!
Josh was away for a week at camp, the same week Ellie had day camp at Ernie Miller Nature Sanctuary. She had a ball - came home needing a major bath almost every day. Definitely the measure of a good time in Ellie's standards. She made a new friend - that we still need to contact in order to get them together to play.
Rylie is dancing 7+ hours a week - 2 ballet classes, a jazz class, musical theatre, leap and turn plus jazz company. Ellie also decided she really wanted to give dance another try so she has pre-ballet/pre-jazz with Miss Michelle once a week. Oh, and Rylie also has vocal lessons and helps out with a Creative Movement class (she's only been peed on once so far!)
Josh is busy with mowing lawns and Parkour practicing. He likes to head down to the park down the street and practice jumping and leaping. Fortunately, with having his cell phone I feel a bit better about him going there alone.
We also try to make Wed afternoons at Loose Park with a group of homeschoolers. Josh also is now "officially" a teen and has joined the secular teen group - which meets weekly on Wed nights at a local coffeehouse. We've compromised - with the cost of gas at almost $4 per gallon, we're alternating going to the park and going to coffee. Next week we might hit both though... they will be leaving for CO and I think Josh really wants to hang with his buddies for awhile before leaving.
Somewhere in all that chaos, I also fit in working for Dad and at the Y. It's crazy... but it's our life and I wouldn't give it up for anything!
Long break
It's been way too long since I last blogged. Since I'm doing this purely for my own benefit (I never was good at journalling or writing in a diary!) I really should try to get to it more often.
We've had much too busy a summer. We ended the "school year" with an annual recognition ceremony. It was a small group that attended this year, but we really had a good time. The location was wonderful (aside from a few missing street signs...) and the slide presentation was fabulous. The kids really enjoy this each year and start asking in early April when we'll be doing it.
I was hoping for a slow, easy mellow summer...but no such luck. We are busier than ever. I switched my hours at the Y to "daytime" hours - 8:30-10:30 AM. It's nice to be up and going each morning, but it seems like it didn't add hours to my day, we still have too much to fit in each day for the most part. I had forgotten that summer brings day camps, volunteer projects and things that get us up and out of the house much earlier than during the school year. Oh well...with some creative driving arrangements it's all working out.
Josh went to his first sleep-away camp. Cub Creek Science Camp. He had a great time. This is a truly awesome camp. I think he's interested in attending again next year, and I know Rylie is - if we can figure out how to make it work with her theatre schedule.
We've had much too busy a summer. We ended the "school year" with an annual recognition ceremony. It was a small group that attended this year, but we really had a good time. The location was wonderful (aside from a few missing street signs...) and the slide presentation was fabulous. The kids really enjoy this each year and start asking in early April when we'll be doing it.
I was hoping for a slow, easy mellow summer...but no such luck. We are busier than ever. I switched my hours at the Y to "daytime" hours - 8:30-10:30 AM. It's nice to be up and going each morning, but it seems like it didn't add hours to my day, we still have too much to fit in each day for the most part. I had forgotten that summer brings day camps, volunteer projects and things that get us up and out of the house much earlier than during the school year. Oh well...with some creative driving arrangements it's all working out.
Josh went to his first sleep-away camp. Cub Creek Science Camp. He had a great time. This is a truly awesome camp. I think he's interested in attending again next year, and I know Rylie is - if we can figure out how to make it work with her theatre schedule.
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