MOPS

I have been part of this exciting thing lately.  I say exciting because any amount of outside the home activities are considered excitement for me.  A family member mentioned this group called MOPS once, I was like mops?  What is that?  Mothers of Preschoolers she says.  I shrug it off and forget about it.  Then I start seeing a friend post on Facebook all this fun stuff she is doing with her MOPS friends.  Play dates, outings, picnics, meetings, fundraisers, so I start snooping around.  I first googled it and found their website here - http://www.mops.org/.  Then I watched this video:

House faery thefts

Since my husband and I were married, we have been plagued by a mischievous house faery.  Missing rings, lost pendants, money gone astray, disappearing paperwork.....of course WE would never misplace anything.  Nobody else to blame but the house faery!

Homemade powdered laundry detergent

Fresh smelling, clean, more money in your pocket and safe for cloth diapers!!!  Low sudsing recipe that works for high efficiency machines too!  This recipe is over two decades old and still going strong.

The Carnival Series ~ Chapter IV: Carnival rides, games, other unique attractions and Mark, who is Mark???

Trashcan covers! Creepy....

This is the part where I wish that I had taken photos.  Back then you could not take photos with your cell phone.  Lots of people didn't even own a cell phone!  I would have loved to show you photos of our games, but my colorful descriptions will have to do.  JB had been doing Wax Hands for quite sometime before I came along and he felt it was time to take his business on the road.  After September, Ocean City Maryland slows down, waaaaaaay down.  Living there year round is hard, not many jobs, not many tourists.  Many residents or summer inhabitants flee, until the next season starts again.  JB would take on house painting jobs to hold his family over the winter season, until he met us. 

The Carnival Series ~ Chapter III: The layout

The layout is carny lingo for the time-tested pattern of a typical full-featured carnival designed to draw crowds all the way through the entire carnival and maximize their spending. The carnival was always laid out in the shape of a horseshoe. The crowd would enter the gate, and by natural instinct would proceed up the right leg. Games were the first joints they would encounter along the outside of the right leg of the horseshoe. Rides would be located down the center column, with the carousel always being the first ride beyond the front gate. After the games the crowd would find the shows and the the penny arcade. Across the back of the horseshoe would be the major rides, including one or more Ferris wheels. Then along the left leg of the horseshoe-shaped map, other shows and then more sales joints and games all the way to the front gate.

The Carnival Series ~ Chapter II: On the road

 
Imagine.........Driving all night starting around midnight and finally reaching your destination three to five hours later (depending on pit stops, traffic and construction).  Pulling your trailer in and looking for a hotel room to crash.  Waking up before noon and setting up the rest of the day.  When I say setting up, I am referring to giant metal poles, heavy plastic awnings and then the game itself!  First you have to get the super, mega, heavy metal frame together, then attach all the large, cumbersome, tent awnings, next you can start setting up your actual attraction.  Only then, after everything is setup, do you get to rest (sometimes it takes until nightfall - more on this later).  The next six days you work from 3PM to midnight or later.  Then its time to tear everything down, pack it up and get back on the road.  It's extremely exhausting work......

The Carnival Series ~ Chapter I: How it all started.....

Blinking lights, roaring coasters, men calling out - Guess your weight! Guess your age! and the smells.......ohhhhh the smells!  Buttery, caramel popcorn.....sweet, freshly spun cotton candy........hot french fries.........funnel cakes........oh my!  Sounds of laughter, mixed in with happy shrieks, all a part of the carnival experience.  In this series I will write about my travels with the carnival, the good, the bad - both fall seasons I spent with this huge family of sorts.  But we must start at the very beginning.