Family American Style

Family American Style Continues 2013 - 2015

2013-02-19T09:24:00.001-05:00

It seems as though I ran out of Picture memory through Blogger. I had to come up with an alternative method of posting. I created a blog called Family American Style Continues . You can go to the link above to see more.

Pinewood Derby

2013-01-28T10:21:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend The Cub Scouts had our anual Pinewood Derby race. The Cisco Kid came in third place. His car is eligable to race in the District Pinewood race.

The Cup Song for the Cub Scouts

2013-01-18T08:54:00.001-05:00

The Cub Scouts Blue and Gold Banquet is just around the corner and this year the boys must learn a skit. We decided to do the Cup Song. I wanted The Cisco Kid to make a video demonstrating the cup song real slow so the other scouts can practice it during the week. The second video is of him demonstrating the Cup Song for the 5th time. Every time he did a take he altered something. The video shows him totally not wanting to do another take. The first video is of me demonstrating it in slow and fast motion and that is the one I had to send out to all the scouts.

I will show this video to every girlfriend he will ever have.

Our new family member

2013-01-17T08:03:00.003-05:00

The Cisco Kid has been wanting a pet for a very long time now. We finally got him one. On Sunday we went to PetCo where they have shelter animals up for adoption. We went there for a kitten and they had many kittens and cats to chose from. But there was only one with the personality that fit our family. When The Cisco Kid walked up to his age the kitten stuck his paw out and tried to touch him. We then had him hold the kitten and in that second he felt the kitten purring. The Cisco Kid said it feels and sounds like a motorcycle vibrating. We adopted to kitten and named him Comet. He is now a new member of our family.

He is not afraid of the water. The way he acts he thinks he is a dog.

Christmas 2012

2013-01-02T21:17:00.002-05:00

Our Christmas Card for 2012

Santa really loaded The Cisco Kid down.

Its always nice to have Grandma and Grandpa up for Christmas

Its a very Happy Thanksgiving 2012

2013-01-02T21:10:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I start to prepare the food a couple of days before. so the ending result is relaxing and enjoyable.

The Antapasta... We start eating the antapast around 11:00 a.m.

Vegetable cream cheese stuffed celerity.

Mozzarella cheese and tomato with kalamata olives.

Dessert Table with bread puding, cheese cake, chocolate cake, pecan pie, nuts, cherries and pineapple.

Dinner was the traditional honey brown sugar baked ham, Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes corn, beans, brussles, turkey gravey and cranberry sauce.

Grandma and Connor resting after a hard day of eating.

Cub Scout and the Showman pin

2012-11-16T07:41:00.001-05:00

Another achievement completed. This one is called the Showman. They had to make a sock puppet, give the puppet a name, give the puppet a character and write a part for their puppet. They also had to write the play and decorate the set. Open the link to see the show.

At the Pack meeting they performed their show for everyone. They got big laughs. General Camo Is The Cisco Kid.

http://youtu.be/yK_yeFxC_vY

A night at the Museum

2012-11-11T10:42:00.003-05:00

Last night we went to MOSH and had a Cub Scout Camp - In. The boys were all so excited spend the night at the Museum. It was a great experience. We had the whole Museum to our selves. We had scheduled events. First the boys had some play time, then we saw a planetarium show, followed by pizza. After Pizza we all went up to the roof top and looked through a telescope at Jupiter. The views up there were really great. Next stop are the animals. They had the turtles and possum running around for the boys to pet them. Then off to the science room. This was really fun. It was called thunder and lightning experiment. The scientist showed how lightning is charged and how it travels, how clouds are made using boiling liquid added to liquid Nitrogen, the impact of thunder using a Hydrogen filled balloon and making it explode when heat is applied. Then there was some free Museum time and the boys ran all over playing. At 10:30 p.m. they played the movie…Night at the Museum II. After watching the movie a couple of boys got a little spooked. The Cisco Kid was seeing lights flash on him and he got scared. One other boy got scared of the life size astronaut suit that was in the museum. The movie really got to them.
They finally went to sleep at around 1:00 a.m.

Click the three links below to see some Youtube videos from the Science experiment.
http://www.youtube.co/watch?v=dQqCq44QSCU

http://youtu.be/9nDHot4ZzAc

http://youtu.be/kaDEzPI3w88

This was the only dinosaur left at MOSH. All the other are gone. They have a recycling exhibit in place of it.

Roof Top Views

Patriots Point Charleston South Carolina

2012-11-02T09:54:00.000-04:00

We took the weekend and went to patriots point South Carolina. We talked about going with the Cub Scout as a vacation campout and all the parents and boys were so excited to go. The Chief wanted to go up there and do some recon before we had the whole Cub Scout group go up there, just to make sure everything would go smoothly. We were able to walk and explore every little nook and cranny of the carrier, USS Yorktown, and the destroyer USS Laffey along with the USS Clamagore submarine.

The Cisco Kid cannot wait to Camp out on the carrier with his Cub Scout buddies. This was a boys dream. Not a Mothers Dream. I will not be camping out on this ship. The dad's and boy's can have this campout on this ship all to themselves. The ship still carries this remarkably pungent smell of thousands of sweaty military men and all their bodily odors, along with oil. All the mothers and me included are going to the nearest resort to stay. We will very content with Mani and Pedi’s all around.

The Bridge

A look out to the flight deck.

The Chief looks at home, sitting in that chair, gazing into the ocean.

He was able to sit in the cockpit of a plane that was on board.

The Engine Room. All these gears, wheels and gages were one of his favorites.

His little nine year old imagination was going crazy.

The Cisco Kid was obsessed with all the hatches. Most of them were lock and he could not get in. This one was open and you would have thought he struck gold.

Hard to believe that a grown man could fit down that hole.

Halloween

2012-11-01T14:49:00.000-04:00

The Cisco Kid is obsessing about the Titanic and he was dying to be a ship captain. He loves being so official.

Working on the Showman pin and Having a Halloween Party

2012-10-26T08:43:00.001-04:00

This is our third Webelo pin we are working on. The first two were Aquatics and Readyman. Now on to the Showman pin. This week the boys had to make a sock puppet. They had to give them a name and a personality. Next week we will write a play and they will have their puppets perform.

I had them bring in their socks and I brought all the decorations. I had yarn for hair, colorful eyes, feathers, pipe cleaners, and felt for clothes. The boys really came up with some great characters. The Cisco Kid's sock puppet's name is Camo, and his character is in the military.

Now to get the boys all sugared up for the Halloween celebration.

I made some chocolate cupcakes with Oreo cream butter cream icing. I put a cookie on top for the tomb stone. Of course all the boys went crazy for the chocolate cupcakes including the dads.

As predicted the moms all went for the cupcakes that were an apple spice with a caramel butter cream topping.

Then they made their own chocolate covered apples with many different kinds of toppings.

Second camp out with the Cub Scouts

2012-10-16T16:38:00.003-04:00

The weather was perfect for the outdoors. The Cisco Kid loves playing and running around in nature. I think he looks forward to climbing trees with his friends. The first night we roasted some marshmallows and made smores. The second day we had many activities to do. We completed Compass and map, ultimate Frisbee, BB gun, Archery and basketball achievements. The Cisco Kid also got a jump on the Arrow of light requirement.

Arrow of light requirements. Learning how to make certain knots.

BB gun range

Retiring a US flag

These boys where willing to climb anything that was at least three feet off the ground.

Our food section.

Fire Station Den Meeting

2012-10-15T14:11:00.000-04:00

Now that the Cisco Kid is a Webelo he must work on some requirements along with the rest of the Den. Part of the readymand requirements is first aid so I took all the boys to our local Fire station. They are a hazardous material station as well as a rescue station. The fire men were all so helpful in giving all the boys so much information about first aid and how they handle hazardous materials.

Showing the boys how to stop bleeding and tie a tourniquet.

Showing the boys how to do the Heimlich maneuver.

They went through the whole truck telling the boys what all the equipment was used for.

The full medical and medicine case.

The equipment used to ground an area of all electrical charges. They do this when the area has explosive materials around.

This was a great learning experience and now the boys can receive their redayman pin completing the requirements.

Yes.... it is my Birthday!

2012-10-10T18:40:00.003-04:00

But that does not stop me from cooking up a storm. I have been cooking all day. I started at 9:30 this morning and I just sat down at 6:15 and had my first glass of soda. I was so bussy I forgot to eat lunch. Hummmm! That should happen every day. Not the cooking part but the forgetting to eat part.

I am cooking for our Cub Scout Pack that is going camping this weekend. There are 84 people going so we need lots of food. I am preparing a full breakfast, a full dinner and a light breakfast just before we leave the park.

I just got done making seven trays of my Breakfast Bake. We are also going to have Tatar Tots, yogurt, cereal, granola bars, bananas, milk, chocolate milk, oj, and coffee.

I also prepped eight pot roasts so it could marinade over night.

Dinner is going to be pot roast, brown gravy, mashed potatoes, Mac & cheese, carrots, string beans & hotdogs,

Of course a campout is not a campout if there are no smores. Smores will be served Friday and Saturday evenings.

I use the backing bags. I love these things. They make the meat cook so fast and keep’s it moist. I added one package of Lipton beef & onion soup mix, one can of Cream of Mushroom soup and two cups of veggie broth. It will marinade eight 4 lb roast's over night and put it in the oven for two hours tomorrow.

Camping with the Cub Scouts

2012-09-29T21:29:00.003-04:00

Last week was our first Camping trip this year with the Cub Scouts. The boys had so much fun. They played on their bikes, they played games and sports, they received some belt loops and they ate lots of smores. They were absolutely very happy.

In February the Camp Master went on to the Boy Scouts with his son. We were in needed a new Camp Master. No one wanted to step up to the plate because it is a huge responsibility. The camp master is in charge of scheduling all the camping trips and we try to do at least five a year. He is in charge of getting everyone signed up and paid for camping. He is responsible for keeping the camping trips within a budget. He is in charge of making sure the Scouts receive some belt loops through games and sports played during the camping trip. He is responsible for the Pack trailer and all its contents. He is responsible for transporting the trailer to and from the campouts. He is responsible for setting everything up at the camp sight and taking it down. He is also responsible for feeding the Pack three meals. Now you can understand why no one wanted to step up to the plate. Since no one was willing to even entertain the idea, I talked to the Chief about us taking on this responsibility. After talking about it for many nights we decided to take The Camp Masters job on. We did not want the boys to go without something they loved to do so much.

We got to our camp site around noon on Friday. The Chief and I worked to get the camp all set up. The Chief worked so hard and did a lot of the heavy lifting.

I had to leave at 2:00 p.m. to pick up The Cisco Kid from school. I left the Chief there so he could finish setting up our personal camp site. By 5:00 p.m. everything was all set up and we were able to finally sit.

Around 8:00 p.m. we started a camp fire and we were getting ready to roast some marshmallows for our smors when it started to rain cats and dogs. It rained so hard it flooded some of the camper’s tents with about four inches of water. Needless to say they went home that night and came back the next morning. As soon as they told me they were going home, it took me all of about two seconds to think that was a great idea. In the truck we went and into a nice cool house we slept.

We got back to the campsite around 7:00a.m. the next morning and served breakfast to the Pack. There were 75 people that we needed to feed breakfast too on Saturday. We also served dinner and Breakfast on Sunday. After Saturday’s events every muscle in my body hurt. I decided to leave the Chief and the Cisco Kid at the campsite to sleep and I went home and covered every inch of my body with Icy Hot. HO!!! GOOD TIMES!!!

Having our morning flag ceremony

Later that afternoon my Den went on a hike. We are working on our Readyman pin.

It's all about first aid. I wanted to show the boys what they could do in case of an emergency while they were on a hike. They were given a list of items that were mandatory to bring with them. Like water, rope, map, compass, whistle, pocket knife and a small first aid kit. I also asked them to bring a large plastic garbage bag and a small plastic grocery bag. The first thing they were taught was to plan their hike and hike their plan. And always leave a copy of their plan with someone back home and how long it would take them to complete the hike.

They used the plastic grocery bag to make a sling.

They used the garbage bag to make a poncho. They were taught that keeping dry will help with keeping their body worm so they would not suffer from hyperthermia.

They learned how to make a tent in case they needed to stay put.

They were taught how to make a gurney out of sticks and rope.

They were taught how to make a splint.

So many children today have allergic reactions to so many different things. It seems as though everyone knows what an anaphylactic shock is and is familiar with an epi pen. Since the Cisco Kid goes into anaphylactic shock when bitten by fire ants, I thought it would be a good idea for all his friends to know how to use an epi pen just in case he is with his friends and I’m not around. A Scouts fathers works in the emergency room and he is demonstrating how to use the epi pen. Of course the first thing he said was if there was help very nearby. Get help first! It is worth everything if these boys can take just one thing away from this lesson and that is knowing what to expect when a friend goes into anaphylactic shock. Knowing what to expect will keep them from panicking in the face of danger, because we all know that when someone panics, that is when serious injuries or even death accurse.

They had so much fun playing.

Our next camping trip is in two weeks, OH MY!!!!

What a diference a year makes!!!

2012-08-20T20:02:00.001-04:00

I came across this picture of The Cisco Kid's first day of school last year. The amount of change he went through in one year is CRAZY!!!

2011-2012 school year

2012-2013 school year.

First Day As A Fourth Grader!

2012-08-20T11:10:00.003-04:00

Seems like yesterday he was a third grader and now he is a fourth grader, Fifth grade is just around it corner. Pretty soon I will be saying OMG! He is off to College.

Gosh!!!! He doesn't look like he is nine year old.

We are leaving for School.

I'm ready to drop him off. This is new for me. Since Kindergarten I have always walked him to his class every day for the first week. Now he is on his own.

Strawberry Tiramisu

2012-08-18T19:24:00.000-04:00

I have made the traditional Tiramisu before but since the Chief does not like coffee I had to try my hand at Strawberry Tiramisu. It is a delicious alternative to coffee and chocolate. The Strawberries are so delicious with the cream and to add that extra special delight I added chocolate shavings to the top to finish it off.

Click for the traditional Tiramisu recipe.

Strawberry Tiramisu

1/2 lb. Mascarpone cheese
1 pint of heavy whipping cream
3 eggs
2 packages lady fingers
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons of powdered sugar or Splenda
2 shots (2 oz) Amoretto or Brandy
12 fresh strawberries (sliced)
1 can of strawberry pie filling
1 square of semi sweet chocolate

Place one package of Lady Fingers on the bottom of your glass tray. Spread a thin layer of strawberry pie filling over the lady fingers. Set aside.

Mascarpone cheese mixture:
In mixing bowl beat egg while tempering them, add sugar until creamy white. Let cool completely then add mascarpone, 2 shot of Amoretto or Rum and mix until blended. Refrigerate until you are ready to assemble.

Prepare your heavy whipping cream by beating until it becomes stiff and then add powdered sugar or Splenda. Fold in the mascarpone mixture and set aside.

Fold the Mascarpone and whipped cream together. Then device in half.

Take 1/2 cup of the strawberries pie filling and add it to half of the mascarpone cream mixture and blend.

Assembly: Get the tray of Strawberry covered Lady Fingers and spread the strawberry mascarpone cream on top. Then add another layer of Lady Fingers. Take the sliced strawberries and place on top of the Lady Fingers. Then take the remaining mascarpone cheese and cover the fresh strawberries. Give it the finishing touch by grading some semi sweet chocolate on top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Serves 12 to 15

Ice Skating for the first time on the Cruise

2012-08-01T11:38:00.000-04:00

Who would have thought that a Florida boy would go ice skating for the first time on a Caribbean cruise.

On to the Cruise Ship!

2012-07-30T14:03:00.001-04:00

Immediately as soon as we walked on ship it was a whole new world. We sailed with the Royal Caribbean Cruise line and the ship we boarded was the Allure of the seas. This is known as the largest ship in the world and let me say it is spectacular. The main lobby is this massive Mall. They have all kinds of stores for shopping and many restaurants. They have a car sitting in the middle of the Mall. All the parades are held on this deck. This ship also has a deck dedicated to what they call “Board Walk” it has a carousel, restaurants, games, two rock climbing wall’s, Aqua theater with two very large TV screens. They have another deck dedicated to what they call “Central Park” it is set up just like a park, complete with trees, park benches, birds singing, walkways through the gardens, restaurant’s and café’s. There is another deck dedicated to sports. They have everything. Miniature golf course, ping pong, basketball, zip lining, Ice skating, a one mile walking/jogging track. Another deck dedicated to water sports. They have two flow riders. This is used for surfing and boogie boarding. They have the main pool, beach pool, sports pool, water park, with water cannons and a lazy river pool. They also have so many whirl pools, I lost count. This ship holds six thousand people and we did not have to wait for anything we wanted to do. There were no crowds gathered for anything other than the parades. They had everything so organized and scheduled that people were dispersed all over the ship.

I have to mention, throughout the week there were several play's and they all were amazing. The Aqua theater plays were amazing with all kinds of dance, aerial acrobatics and stunts. Another play was called the Blue Planet. It was also an amazing interpretation of life on our planet through song, dance, aerial acrobatics and gymnastics. Dream works is also part of the ships theme. They have several character appearances, plays, and shows as well as character breakfasts. The main characters were Kung Fu Panda, How to train your Dragon and the cast of Madagascar. So needless to say were busy with all the activities. Thank goodness we had three days out of seven at sea so we could enjoy the ship.

I am going to put many pictures of our seven day vacation, from beginning to end.

Enjoying our room with the ocean view!

The Chief talking to his parents before we left the pier.

Our first port was Bahamas. We have been to the Bahamas so many times that there was nothing we really wanted to do there. We decided to stay on the Ship and explore it while ninety percent of the passengers were off the ship. Just hanging around the ship and relaxing, enjoying some private family time!

The ship is all computerized. These large computer touch screens are all over the ship. It tells you what is going on at what time. It gives you a map of your location and where you would like to go. It gives you all the dining options. Because my two men are computer techies this was right up their alley.

The Ice Game's Show!

The theme was about the game Monopoly. With the rolling of the dice they performed a skate act to the space they landed on.

This show inspired The Cisco Kid so much that the next day he went on the ice and stayed there until he was able to skate. I was amazed at his perseverance. He must have fallen a dozen times and still would not give up. I can tell you his elbows and knees are badly bruised. There will be some pictures and video of him skating.

The Rock Wall!

Our second port was St Thomas. We decided that we wanted to see more than what the ship to shore excursions had to offer. We decided to rent a car in St Thomas. First I want to say that they drive on the left side of the road. The Chief did an amazing job driving around the island. The driving was an adventure all in its self. The roads are very narrow and all of them are either going up these very steep hills or down the very steep hills. The Chief and I both said that we made the right decision in renting a car because the Taxi’s there are absolutely CRAZY! They are open air Taxi’s and these drivers are all petal to the metal. We were following one of the Taxi’s up to the top of the mountain and the passengers were holding on for dear life.

Megans Bay

Look to the bottom right of the picture and you will see these gigantic Iguanas that inhabit the island. They are all over the place just like lizards are to Florida.

After we were done driving around and seeing all the sights we headed down to Megan’s Bay to do some snorkeling.

The Cisco Kid and the Chief found this turtle. They also saw the Mom and they said she was as big round as a man's chest. By the time I got there to take a picture the baby was still there eating. The baby was still very large. It was the size of the Cisco Kids chest.

Third Port St Martin

We rented Segways and drove along the beach. The Chief and The Cisco Kid took to it like they were born on them. Me on the other hand was a little bit shaky, but still had a great time.

After we rode the segways we went back to the ship and had lunch. We then changed into our bathing suits and went to the beach. It was all so easy to get around. We took a water taxi from the ship right to the beach. Perfect!

Leaving St Martin the US Coast Guard leads this ship out to sea. The Chief remembers those good old days when he worked on those boats.

As soon as we got back on ship the shows start again. This is the Ocian Aria show.

The Broadway show Chacago

Every evening our housekeeper made a towel animal for The Cisco Kid.

The Character Breakfast started out with a tray of Danish. The menu was definitely designed with a child in mind. It featured chocolate chip pancakes and waffles and to drink was hot chocolate and chocolate milk shakes. The adults had the normal breakfast choices.

His first time Ice Skating and the boy would not give up until he could skate. I will post the Movie tomorrow.

Madagascar water show.

The Character Parade

I can’t end this post and not mention all the food. The food was amazing. The desserts were amazing. There was every kind of food you could imagine. The food could satisfy a broad spectrum of palate’s. They had everything from hamburgers and hotdogs to prime rib and lobster. And remember it is an all you can eat all day long in many different locations throughout the ship. These pictures are of the buffet dining room. They have four very large islands of food with so many different choices it is unbelievable.

The morning of Disembarking the Ship. This is the last picture that I took before leaving our very memorable cruise.

First leg of our Eastern Caribbean vacation

2012-07-21T20:45:00.003-04:00

This afternoon we decided to drive half way to Ft Lauderdale. Tomorrow we only have a short drive to the cruise port to catch our ship for a seven day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. Tonight we are staying at the Residence Inn in New Port Richie. Very Nice Hotel!

The Cisco Kid loves a good hotel room. Tomorrow we will be on the ship by 12:30.

first Jacksonville Suns Baseball Game.

2012-07-21T11:44:00.004-04:00

Last night the guys went to their first Suns Baseball Game. The Cub Scouts has three summer events and if the scout attends all three events they will receive the activity Pin. This is the pin they will receive.

This pin is spacific for Bears.

Since this was the Cisco Kids first baseball game he had the full experience. He brought a baseball to the game and had the Suns team sigh the ball. Because he was the first 2000th person to arrive he received a full pack of player cards. He got to meet the teams mascot "Southpaw", play on the slides and of course the Chief had to get him one of those #1 fingers to waive and a very large bag of cotton candy.

Kitz Art Camp

2012-07-20T14:27:00.004-04:00

For the past week The Cisco Kid and his friend have been going to Kidz Art. The Theme was Circus. Every day they used different techniques to their illustrations. The used Markers, Colored Pencil's, Oil pastels, watercolor Crayons & chalk pastels. They also worked with clay. So this week was packed full with techniques and paintings. Today was the last day and all the students put on an Art Show. The room was set up like an art gallery for all to see.

The Clay Clown is The Cisco Kids favorite art piece.

Games and Popcorn - He used markers.

Clown Collage - He learned how to outline and embellish the clown with all kinds of colorful things.

Circus Elephant- He learned how to use the tecnique "batik" Batik is an ancient way of dying fabric using melted wax. Wax is applied to the fabric in various designs and is then dyed. The wax is then removed, leaving a beautiful design. They used waxy crayons as the resist in this drawing and brushed a watercolor wash over the drawing to demonstrate how wax reacts with paint.

Circus Jester- He learned how to Stroke color with markers.

Seal with a ball- he learned how to blend chalk pastels.

Lyon- This is done with water crayons.

Carnival Days- They used colored pencil's

Lion Tamer- he used Oil Pastels.

The Art Teacher

Having fun with the markers.

Summer + Friends + Pool = FUN

2012-07-18T15:14:00.001-04:00

Summer is all about having friends over for a fun day. These two boys have known each other since they were three years old.

As much as I protested, Mrs. K insisted on bringing lunch for everyone. That was so kind of her to go out of her way. She brought us Publix subs with a salad and dessert. We love Publix subs.

It is amazing how much a pool can entertain children for hours on end.

After swimming they were hungry and the dessert that Mrs. K brought where these M&M Ice Cream cookies. YUMMMMM. Thank You Mrs. K!

Scuba diving with the Cub Scouts.

2012-07-18T14:48:00.000-04:00

Since I am the Den mom of the Cub Scouts I try to give them adventures they will never forget. This summer we are working on our Aquanaut requirement.

The Boys learned three different ways to rescue someone from the water.

The first way was.... swimming to the distressed person with a flotation device. Making sure they grab on to it correctly and bringing them to safety.

The second way was..... laying on land belly down and reaching for the distressed person with a branch, walking stick or rowing oar. Then pulling the distressed person close to land.

The Third way was.......two boys sit in a row boat and row out to the distressed person. The scout sitting in front grabs the distressed person and hangs on to them as the scout in back rows back to land.

They also learned how to do some swimming strokes.

The adventure they will never forget was being able to suit up in diving gear and go scuba diving in the pool.

A boys favorite adventure at any age is zip lining.

The mom's also enjoyed the zip line.