Wrapping Up October/On to November

Dunedin

     We spent a day in Dunedin with my mom and dad while they were visiting. They have been to Dunedin on a previous trip and liked it. And it's one of our favorite places, too! The little kids and I had a birthday party in New Port Richey to attend. It was for one of my best friend's daughters. Ryan, the boys, and Mom and Dad got an early start in Dunedin, and we met them there. Ryan took this photo of Googie and Tornado at the marina.

    walking through lovely Dunedin to our car

    Dunedin is a fun place to shop. We especially love the tea & spices store. At the end of our day we got snacks at the newish Nature's Food Patch downtown, and then ate at a brewery across the street. Something my dad (and now the kids) like to say (when we are in Dunedin and "done eating") is "Well, we're DUNEDIN." haha

Homeschool Academy

  

I love their school pic previews!

     The following week after my parents' trip, it was Halloween week and time to dress up at school.

Halloween

     It seems like most people in Florida sit outside their homes to give out treats on Halloween night. The kids wanted to trick-or-treat of course, but they also always want to experience the other side. We bought 2 or 3 big bags of candy, so these three could have fun meeting all of the early trick-or-treaters. They even added a little decor to the stool with the candy bowl. Our street was so busy, it was gone in 30 minutes!

     We had lots of big plans to dress up as a group again like we have done in years past. But...money was a little tight this year because of buying the house. So Ryan and I wore things we already owned. He was a Storm Trooper like he was two years ago. Ninja requested this because he wanted to match him.

     And I was Waldo, a costume that has been used by both Tornado and me during book parades at his old school.

Aaaaand...Tornado was a very awesome shark.

     I never let the kids be really scary things for Halloween. However, Dash was 13 this year, so I finally let him.

He was a super scary Grim Reaper!

     Sis, as a sweet little pink bunny, helped offset the scary!

     It's fun to trick or treat directly from your house in an active neighborhood. The streets had a big flow of people. There were a few AMAZING haunted houses/mazes at houses/in yards/garages. I so admire these people who go all out and help make it festive for everyone around. There were some really impressive set ups.

    Captain Rex was with us to protect us, though!

Field Trip

 

I took these two on a field trip with a group of my friends and their kids to the corn maze at Harvest Moon Fun Farm.

   There was this huge place to bounce,

a big slide,

vehicles to ride,

     (I love this pic of Sis with Ninja and some of his besties. I feel like it so perfectly describes them.)

Tug-of-War,

and other fun activities and games.

     My friend from Missouri and I both commented how nice it was to spend a day like this in a setting that felt more like "home."

     Our big group attempted the corn maze, which was fun but made a little more difficult with all of the younger kids with us and mostly the ant hills that a few of them unfortunately stepped in. There was a little mayhem after that occurred, but overall it was a lovely, successful outing.

Tampa Bay Veg Fest

     It was time for one of our favorite Tampa events: Veg Fest. This year it was held in a park we had never seen, a bigger space for this popular, ever-growing event. THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of people were there.

     We shared this coconut water, which was super fun.

     Although we did sample lots of yummy food all day, I think the heat caused us to enjoy the drinks most of all. These natural slushies were soooo delicious.

     The slushies were my second favorite thing of the day. My very favorite thing was getting to listen to Captain Paul Watson of Sea Shepard fame. He was great! Ryan and I have been big fans of his since we used to watch the television series, Whale Wars. He was a very inspiring speaker. It was a good reminder about we are all capable of doing SOMETHING to help the world.

Election Day

     November 6 was a very festive day for us. It was Tornado's first time to vote! I had helped him register a couple of months before, and we spent a lot of time talking about the different issues and candidates. Our polling place was close to our house, there wasn't a long line, and the whole process was so smooth. He did great! I have a sort-of adult child, agh!!! I am very proud of him. We were especially proud to be able to vote to stop greyhound racing. (We won!) I was also able to show him how important our votes were - how every vote counts - since there were some very close races, including the one for Florida governor.