A Magical Day on the Farm

I am sad to say that our Farm/Animal theme has come to an end for this month at "Camp Leong." We had a fantastic trip to Cherry Crest Farm, a tour and lots of kisses from furry alpacas at Silkies Alpaca Farm. Who knew there was so much to know about Alpacas! And today - today was magical. (Do I exaggerate too much? Nope.) Brian, Hope (and I KNOW KNOW KNOW Gavin, too) spent a colorful, crisp Fall afternoon outside at Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines. 

It was founded in the 1800s by Anne Waln-Ryerss who is described as a small but mighty woman who had a large and powerful passion for animals. She was especially drawn to maltreated animals and would sometimes convince the owners to allow the horse to "rest and recuperate" on her farm... where it would often stay for the remainder of its life. When she died, she left instructions to create and maintain a farm where horses that were maltreated, injured or faithful family horses could spend the rest of their years in style. This is like the ultimate "Assisted Living" for your favorite horse! People purchase a tiny pony and immediately call Ryerss to secure the ponies future retirement there. Isn't that the best review?! 

Anyone can go to visit and walk the fence line petting noses, talking baby talk, giving kisses - and sometimes getting them, too. The farm is breathtaking - especially this time of year in Pennsylvania as the leaves change.

Visitors can even come late in the afternoon when the horses are back in their stalls for the night. 

There you can continue the earlier baby talk (is it just ME???) and even offer some treats if you donate an easy three bucks for a bag.

Horses are special. If you know, you know. I thought I knew until Gavin took therapeutic riding and it was a total game changer. I'll never forget those days in the stable with him. He was so proud and you could tell. He stood taller, he walked more, he was more verbal... it was like he had this bond with the horse that was beyond me. 

Way beyond. 

Brian and Hope laughed when they found out there was a horse named Dim Sums. We had to meet him, obviously. 

But there were a few MVPs who really stole my heart. There was Ben, the very handsome miniature donkey. 

We had a clear connection.

And we all fell in love with ol' Rubarb, the Pot Bellied Pig. Until then, none of us had ever pet a pig! His hair looked like porcupine quills! He loved getting scratched and was very friendly.

I asked the kids to tell me some interesting facts they walked away with. One cool thing we learned was what "run in sheds" are. They are built to offer protection from the sun to horses out in the pasture. But the "fun fact" we learned was that they should always face a certain direction on a farm. Do you know what that direction would be?

It's South! This way the sun will rise and set on the sides and it will remain shady underneath!

Hope liked learning what a "bank barn" is. This is a type of barn built into a hill. It looks like this:

It allows ground access from both levels. Typically, farmers will store equipment on the top floor and livestock in stalls below. 

All three of us were amazed at how much goes into a working farm. This is one of the reasons I love getting to do this with them - we get outside of our pretty sheltered cul de sac life in the burbs and learn little things to enrich our lives. Most people - or at least people who know farm life - would be laughing at the things that amazed us. "There are farm sized giant generators?" "Woah - you just pull this string and water goes into the bucket in each stall?"

Some field trips will be boring, for sure. Some will be cool, but we'll forget about them in time. This field trip left a mark. I'm feeling like Ryerss will see us again. And again.

This month our "Camp Leong" theme is History! I may only be able to pull off one field trip, but it's going to be pretty epic. And the first marking period is just ending at PALCS, the kids new school this year. I'll be posting next about what our school life has been like since September and answer the questions you've sent me.

Thank you, as always, for caring about our family! 

Silkies Farm Agritour

The kids and I had another fun "Camp Leong" field trip last week when we had a personal agritour of Silkie's Farm in Chester Springs. Agritour, as we learned, is the fancy Nancy way of saying farm tour. I found the farm because I discovered several local online homeschooling groups and joined them. They have the BEST ideas!! I know I'm technically not a homeschooler. I think I checked the (non-existent) "I'm the fun field trip Mom" drop down box. It was in one of those groups that I learned of Silkie's and immediately booked three tours.

First of all - this is not a promotion for Silkie's Farm. But let me be clear - this is TOTALLY a promotion for Silkie's Farm - or ANY Alpaca farm where you live - because we are now completely obsessed with everything Alpaca. I mean, look at this face.

We were given our tour by a woman named Adrianne who might possibly be related to me in some way. She has to be. Her short story - she came for a tour and left with alpacas but she lived in a townhouse. Her alpacas continue to live at Silkie's and she is now a devoted and passionate tour guide there! She can see her Alpacas and picked up a fun hobby!

After I learned that Adrianne had a rug made from her very own alpaca's fleece, I could see the look of fear on my kids' faces. The "Oh no. This may happen." I mean, after all - I met my doppleganger.

I asked the kids just now if they could remember some of the cool facts that they learned about alpacas. Here you go:

Alpacas are herbivores - they eat hay, plants and grass.

Their fleece is sheared once a year and different than wool in that wool contains lanolin. And alpaca fleece is extremely warm.

Alpaca pregnancies last almost a full year! And baby alpacas are called crias. 

(Cree-uhz)

When people buy alpacas, they never buy just one. These sweet, gentle animals could literally die from loneliness! You have to see this video - Hope and Brian were swarmed with adorable, fluffy, gentle alpacas that wanted to sniff and kiss them!!

Silkie's has other animals, too, including chickens. Did you know that the color of the chicken's earlobes tells you what color their eggs will be?? 

Did you even know that chickens had earlobes?!? I am here to say I never gave thought to chickens and whether they had earlobes.

We also met "Squirt" the tortoise. Squirt was malnourished in his former home. We learned that his shell should actually be flat and smooth. 

The peaks that you see are the sign that he is not in optimal health. Yet! He has a great home now!

After the tour, we stopped in the little shop on the property. I am always cold - and I burn through slippers so I made a beeline for the sock section. I live in slippers and I'm super fussy about them. They can't be too hot. They can't be too thin. They don't need to be expensive - they just need to be warm. Well, I decided to bring home a pair of alpaca slipper socks with grippers on the bottom shaped like alpaca hooves. I'm here to report back after a week of daily wear - these are the warmest, coziest slippers I have ever owned. I know what everyone on my Christmas list is getting this year! Surprise!!

This was such a fun field trip and we will absolutely be back to Silkie's. They have Yoga with Alpacas... you can take felting lessons... paint the alpacas... it's just cool and quirky and fun. And I'm so, so grateful for my life - that having the kids in a virtual charter school allows me to learn by their side - and also beat a lot of crowds during the quiet weekdays.

Watch this space for our next outing!

Down on the Farm

Hey! You came back! I'm so excited! I hope I don't bore you.

I'm kind of shocked that Fall weather is here and we're almost through our second month of virtual school at PALCS. The kids have settled in well. Brian is enjoying his classes and what they're covering so far. The middle school teachers he has are constantly communicating with each of the kids with feedback or encouragement which makes it all feel more personal. He's thrilled that his first "virtual" field trip  is a live African safari! I believe they will resume "in person" field trips after COVID is tamped down enough. We are more than happy to be patient for that.

Hope is also enjoying her new "life of leisure." When she isn't in a live zoom for math, reading, music, art or gym we are learning about social studies or economics, practicing spelling and vocabulary words, and taking play breaks, bunny breaks, snack breaks, doggy breaks, gymnastics breaks, ipad breaks... you get the idea. We get it all done!

One of my favorite things so far about our new virtual school is the flexibility it offers. Last week we worked ahead so we could take a random day off. The kids and I spent a fun, sunny day at Cherry Crest Farm in Ronks, PA. We had been there for a school field trip a couple years ago, but there were so many things we still wanted to do and vowed we would go back one day.

 We were very tempted to sit in these swings longer than normal people would. I mean, I can get behind this kind of school day!!

I decided that each month will have an educational theme - or something we can do together. This month is dedicated to farms and animals, hence this field trip. Whether we visit places or watch something or read up on a subject - it will be fun to discover things together. Like these ducks Hope and I discovered. We couldn't stop laughing at them - in the nicest way, of course. They are crested ducks and look like they have toupees on their little ducky heads! We also learned a little bit about bee keeping which we really want to learn more about. Watching a colony of bees in a honeycomb is mesmerizing.

Apple shooting at targets was hilarious fun! They got to shoot targets with paintballs, too

 

Brian and Hope worked together to walk this round bale racer back and forth.

The three of us went down the giant slide together with me filming. Can I get credit for not dropping my phone?!?

Brian was thrilled to share his knowledge of gems and minerals with Hope as they both did the mining experience.

And he was kind enough to label all of Hope's "precious gems" when they got home. He was excited that she now had her first collection!

I'm collecting the questions that came in about our new school and all that goes with that life and I'll answer them in a future post. I am always happy to share - and equally happy to hear from you what ideas you have or things you may have done with your own family. Next month's theme will be History so I am open to all suggestions for fun field trips or learning experiences! 

Sleeping In is the new Morning Rush

You know when you put something off and put something off and the longer you put it off the bigger and more insurmountable it seems? That's what this entry has felt like. For a couple of years! There is just way too much to catch up on and I've lost way too many nights' sleep. I mean, the two aren't connected - but still. 

So let me catch you all up to speed on the Leongs and what we're up to. I hope (truly hope!) that, like us, you have had a healthy few years. COVID - and all the baggage it arrived with - really affected me. I know first hand what it is like to experience something weird or rare or never heard of - so when they said "Global Pandemic" and the whole world was locking down - my Mama Bear instincts kicked in. I was built for these moments. But boy - it got dark fast in the USA.

It has been truly depressing how many times I've found myself saying how relieved I am that Gavin isn't here for this. It was a challenge to protect him from illnesses and we changed our lifestyle, our house rules and had our own extra precautions that we took when we were out in public to protect him. Generally, no one fought us on anything we asked - things like removing their shoes or not coming to our house if you were sick. I would just explain to them that Gavin being sick affected so much - he would miss important therapy sessions, playtime with Brian, and he would often regress. Not to mention I may have PTSD from seeing him through deeply scary medical issues and procedures. I suppose it's not a huge shock that I see things through a filter that is strongly shaded with Gavin memories.

We kept Brian and Hope home all year. Hope's first grade and Brian's 6th grade experiences were entirely virtual. They had a handful of classmates in each of their grades joining them at first. Eventually, all but a few went back in person. We feel extremely grateful (and very blessed) that we had the luxury to keep them home. Ed was able to work from anywhere so the four of us have been together this entire time. While understandably virtual school was difficult for some - my kids came to enjoy it. They loved being home and getting to sleep in, have snacks and water delivered to their desks and have lots of free time to play. We spent a lot of time at the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey which did NOT stink. And all year round, thanks to technology, the kids were still able to facetime friends to talk and play games together. 

I'm sure it will come as no surprise to anyone that we have been extremely cautious when it comes to COVID. Ed and I were vaccinated almost immediately when it rolled out. And as soon as they announced that 12 year olds were eligible Brian was ready to go. If you have followed us for a while you'll know that if something "out there" or seemingly far fetched is going to happen... it's going to happen to me. Or to us. It has already - numerous times. So given the options of getting a vaccine that scientists have been working on and preparing for many years - staying home to stop the spread as much as possible - and wearing masks whenever we are anywhere - versus POSSIBLY getting a virus that could MAYBE take one of us away from Brian and Hope? You know which one we'll choose. Watching a child slowly lose brain function on a ventilator will do that to you. We will never risk losing another Leong if we can help it.

And while I'm talking about this can I just get something off of my heart? It has been so hard for me to reconcile peoples' angry reactions to wearing a mask to protect others. I've seen and experienced things that you just can not unsee or unlearn. I've seen children with weakened immune systems who have chronic illnesses or have a terminal disease. The protections that are put in place around those children force others to accommodate. They may wear masks or a gown - they may be asked to wash their hands or not bring certain kinds of items around them. I've seen children and adults recovering from an organ or tissue transplant. They are in a most fragile state - hoping to protect this gift of life they've been given. I've seen my own child wheeled in to surgery to donate his own organs. My mind and my heart immediately thought of those people. I still think about those people every single day. They must be terrified. Imagine your loved one waiting for years for an organ transplant - finally getting one - only to be exposed to a virus and die because someone unmasked was carrying the virus and didn't know. Because of these and many other reasons, we decided to do everything we could to help stop the spread. I couldn't live with myself if I learned I exposed someone I knew... or even someone in my community that I don't know. I've lived long enough to know that we are all connected. 

As summer came to an end, we waited to see what the kids' school would announce. We were hoping for virtual due to the Delta variant - at least until Hope could be vaccinated. But if we learned it was important to the kids we were open to allowing them to go back in person if the school required masking. At least until more of the virus was slowed down. The school did require masks but - plot twist - we decided not to go back! 

We were sad to pull them from the school we've been with since Brian was in Kindergarten, but we left with love and they left their door open for us! I am not homeschooling - but something even BETTER that, to me, feels like my dream come true. We enrolled them in an online charter school called PALCS or Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. Basically, the kids have REAL teachers (not me, YAY!) and I get to be the fun field trip Mom, come up with extra educational activities, I'm the homeroom Mom and the lunch lady and I haven't even told you the BEST part yet. The best part is - I get to be actively involved in their days. I've already had cool discussions with Brian about what he's learning in World Studies or Science when it's fresh and not at the end of a long day when all the details get less exciting to retell. The school is very flexible and allows the kids to choose electives that meet their interests. Brian chose Computer Science, Coding and a language which shocked even his Dad: Chinese! He decided on his own to learn Mandarin. Since Ed likes to say he only speaks "menu" Brian is kinda on his own! 

This is definitely an experiment this year - with Coronavirus being the impetus. I can see this going really well - with us traveling in the future and allowing the kids to "see the world" while we can still do it together. The benefit of being older parents with young kids. But I can also see them wanting to go back to a brick and mortar school and we are open to returning. So far, so good though as both Brian and Hope are thoroughly enjoying all that this school has to offer - freedom, flexibility, more time in their day and the idea that they can do school mostly on their terms. No more waking up before the sun or arriving home with little time to play before homework. Their school work IS their homework. And our new family motto? "Sleeping in is the new morning rush." They have dedicated live zoom times for certain classes, but if we have plans as a family they can also watch a recording. Hope is loving her new school and lifestyle! Her first question and biggest concern was if she could go to this new school with blue chalk streaks in her hair. Need I say more? I am with Hope 90% of her school day and facilitate much of her learning online. I won't lie to you - the hardest part of all is being patient. Sometimes I feel like my main job is to try to keep a buttered noodle stuck to a chair. But hey - I can go with the flow! So we have ELA on the couch and Math at the desk. Art in the basement and Social Studies on the porch. I try to make it fun because she will still need to be accountable and show what she knows to her teachers.

I'm sure, like we did, you have a bunch of questions about this new school and life. I'll attempt to answer them all. We are very happy. We love that one day we are attending Hope's art class in our basement at home... two days later we are heading to Ocean City for a long weekend because we were able to work ahead in our own time and have two extra days off! It's a different life... not for everyone... lots of chatting all day long and add in two doggies, two bunnies and one hamster who travel with us. Oh, wow - just reading that back. I might need professional help. What was I thinking?

I don't always feel like I have time - or at least time that is strung together in a long enough bunch to form a coherent sentence. So I promised myself that I'll write when I'll write. It will be as long or as short as it will be. It will have pictures or it won't. I have to be cool with myself about this or I'll never make myself do it. I'll tell you about our experiences with charter school, the good and bad. I'll tell you what extra stuff we do - field trips or excursions. Maybe someone will get something out of it all - that would be cool. 

I'll leave you with this.

Having lost Gavin, we realized how fragile life is.

Having thought I lost all of my writings - Gavin's entire life story, I realized how important KNOWING your story really is. And how having it is such a gift. I hope these words will be received as gifts one day to Brian and Hope. I hope they can feel my love for them in every decision I make.

Thanks for finding me again, friends!

Fourteen Years of Chasing Those Rainbows...

 I know what you're thinking.

"Wait. I thought you lost all your writing? Your entire blog? You said it was put up for auction!"

To that I say, all true. Well, true-ish. I'll write up an explanation at the bottom but for now there's something WAY more important.

Today is Gavin's fourteenth birthday. Seems impossible but true. We spent the day as a family trying to do things Gavin would have loved. Our original plan was to be in Ocean City, NJ but thanks to a nail in my tire and a flare of my Rheumatoid Arthritis that had me in bed for two days, we created a Plan B! As it turns out, Plan B was pretty awesome. 

We took the kids to a big arcade called "Round 1" in the middle of the day! Going to places like this is something we haven't done in so long due to the pandemic. I'm so grateful we were only with three other customers in the entire place! It allowed me to relax and imagine Gavin's face watching Brian and Hope play. I'm sure he laughs all the time watching these two goofs. 

The most important part of our birthday celebration came next. Today Hope's 2nd grade was celebrating "Random Act of Kindness Day" at school! And Brian is involved in a "Service Project" event in his grade. And I hoped for us as a family to do something meaningful to honor Gavin's special day. So we decided to have a Winter Pajama Drive for foster children in our area! Hope's bestie from pre-school has incredible parents who have fostered - and also fostered to adopt. Adrienne and her business partner run an organization called Fostering Hope in Limerick, PA. Please check out their website if you have ever thought about fostering. They would be happy to talk to you about their experiences!

Fostering Hope has a "Foster Share Closet" where they house donations of clothes and diapers and equipment and bottles - things that people might need if they get a last minute call to foster. No family should feel unprepared or unsupported as they take in a child. Their closet is currently in desperate need of new WINTER pajamas - from newborn to teen. So Ed and Brian and Hope and I went shopping and filled our arms with piles of pj's in honor of our own snugglebug, Gavin. We'd love it if you could join the pajama party!

Our hope is to help Fostering Hope fill their closet with brand new Winter PJs in all sizes from newborn to teen for both sexes. But secretly we do hope that we can just empty their wish list on Amazon. It would not only be a HUGE blessing to families and children - but it would continue to spread Gavin's ripple of hope further and wider.

I created an Amazon "registry" of pajamas called "Gavin's 14th Birthday." You can pick out one or twenty pairs and they will be shipped directly to Adrienne from Fostering Hope.  It will remain open until October 6th and you can get to that registry for Gavin's birthday HERE.

(My favorite brother pj picture - and it was SO worth searching for tonight!!!)

Click HERE if you'd like to see the Fostering Hope Wish List on Amazon and help us clear it in honor of Gavin! Brian and Hope would FLIP if we did it.

We love you, Gavin!! Fourteen years as parents - and Daddy and I are so grateful we learned first from you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now - here is what happened to my blog!

Is it possible for me to make this a short explanation? Doubtful, but I am going to try. I'll make it in bullet points to help me try to be brief!!

1. 2020  (Although I could stop here, I will offer up a more detailed explanation.)
2. Wasn't writing.
3. Don't check Gmail so didn't realize my blog bill went unpaid because our credit card changed and I forgot to change it online.
4. They put my blog up for auction because I was a deadbeat.
5. BUT - it was just my blog ADDRESS that I lost! All my content was still on "Blogger" and I just needed to purchase a new domain. So bookmark or write down the new address. www.kateleong.net instead of .com

I had a true hero save the day. My cousin's husband reached out hoping he could figure out how to help me. He was the ultimate detective and I owe him a HUGE debt. The relief that washed over me when I saw our family life story come trickling back was indescribable. If you are from my area - or maybe even further, thanks to the pandemic - you might recognize my hero's name. Bill McMenamin from McM Entertainment. He has a Trivia/Music/Bingo/Entertainment company and let me tell you something - he and his family helped a LOT of people get through quarantine. Check out this great article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about that time. Thank you, Bill!! And thank you to everyone who reached out with suggestions and to tell me about the Wayback Machine website! And to those who offered me a virtual shoulder... that was a devastating month or so!!

BUT I'M BACK!!!!!!! And we have a LOT to catch up on. Stay tuned. And thank you, as always, for loving my family like you do!!