Review: Donjoy knee brace

I have a troublesome knee. It is a service connected wear and tear issue for which there is no fix. Most of the time this knee isn't a problem, but when I want to chase after the kiddos or do something like water aerobics, I am guaranteed to have pain. The pain got so strong after attending some water aerobics classes that I thought I might have torn a meniscus. The MRI came back with no tear (yay no surgery! Boo pain w no clear fix).

I really enjoy the water sports aerobics class I take, led by a former Army lady. But it was causing me pain. I decided to try a brace.

My searches both on line and peer to peer didn't have results for which brace is good for the pool. A good brace isn't so cheap that one can do a trail and error test! Finally I used the live chat feature on the Donjoy web site. The representative said any of their braces could be used in the pool, and recommended the reaction knee brace.

I first got accustomed to the brace out of the pool. Then after a month took it to the aqua sports class. It worked beautifully. I still had a range of motion that allowed me to work out and I could feel the weight being distributed away from my knee/pain center.

Since I had a hard time finding a recommendation, I wanted to share mine.i wasn't compensated or anything- I just have fou d a food thing and wanted to share.

App review: Toca Boca's Tailor

Y'all, I haven't even let Ranger try this one yet. Not because he won't like it- the exact opposite! I have been having run with this app and haven't shared! This is so much better than paper dolls or sticker dolls or even those magnet dress up toys.

My only complaint is that the options for gender neutral or boy accessories (shoes, for ex) are very limited.

Review: Scancafe

I had every intention of scanning all of the photos I took possession of when my mom moved into a care facility.

And I even started.

But I found looking at the pictures too emotional. Seeing my mom's youth and my childhood, under the circumstances -especially after my mom was gone- was too much for me.

I remembered seeing a scan service through Snapfish (Scancafe) and I sent some of my photos, many already made electronic, as a test run. I found the process so easy that I sent a batch of 500 family photos.

I really like this service. I put the photos in a box - I didn't but I could have grouped them if I wanted. I printed out a shipping form and took the box to a UPS store. I got a tracking number and regular emails letting me know where in the process my photos were. Obviously it is not a fast process, but before long they sent an email notifying me that I could go to Snapfish and view my photos. A week or so later my originals came neatly packaged and with a CD inside.

This isn't the cheapest solution to making your photos electronic, but they have regular deals. I recently purchased another batch at nearly half off. In fact I overestimated how many pictures were left and am collecting photos from E's family to fill in the gap.

I still want to go back and label the pictures so that any notes that are on the back of the photos are captured, but that will take time and emotional energy. In the mean time the photos are there for family members to see.

PS
I wasn't compensated for this. I just wanted to share something that worked really well for me.

App review: Toontastic and Toontastic jr

A long time ago- maybe last year (which in the digital age IS a long time ago), I was looking for a way to tell our own made up stories with ease. Like a puppet show but digital. I tried a few of the apps available at the time and was just disappointed. The user interface was too complicated, the program buggy, or both.

Recently a friend who works with Launchpad clued me in to two apps, Toontastic and Toontastic jr. Toontastic is more for kids older than Ranger but the idea is the same.
There is also a free "lite" version you can try out before committing to the full access version.

Toontastic divides stories into sections. You can add scenes if you want. Ranger is a little young to understand this - even the jr version with its beginning middle and end sections is a little out of range for him. He creates a mini story for each part.

You pick the setting. In the full access version you can draw your own! You can also use the camera to make your location the setting. I see many possibilities there!
The jr version has a slot wheel style wheel for the three settings. I found it a little annoying but Ranger didn't bat an eye at the user interface.

The selection of characters is awesome. In the jr version the characters are preselected.

Finally you can select the music for your scene.

This app gives you to ability to load the finished product to their site. You will get an email asking for permission to post the video. Once posted you can share share share!

click HERE to see our video!

One thing I have noticed is Ranger is fascinated by hearing himself playback. He spent a good portion of the day making stories up and watching the movies.

There are three versions of this app, Toontastic full access, Toontastic lite, and Toontastic jr. The full access is almost $13 and includes many features that we immediately were glad to have: more characters, settings, and fun stuff.

I totally recommend giving this app a try.


Ps. I wasn't compensated for this review. It was brought to my attention and I liked it enough to share.

Local awesomeness: review of Oliloli

When we lived in Manhattan, there was place I took Ranger to for painting ceramics. I was sad to lose that activity when we moved, but now we have it again through a new local business, Oliloli. Usually they are closed on Monday, but they open when schools close, so Ranger and I had a mommy/son activity while E and the baby stayed home.

Right away I felt welcomed into the airy and well lit store. (That is my red bag on the table).

Ranger picked out a dinosaur and I picked a small vase. One big difference between Oliloli and the store in Manhattan (Make Meaning) is Oliloli charges per piece but does not appear to have a charge for being there. If I recall the Manhattan prices correctly, the prices are about the same otherwise.

We had a nice time and I really want to take advantage of their punch card; I saw several things I would love to paint. Plus, I would love to try the glass fusion craft!

Oliloli takes credit cards (I loved the iPad check out process!) and for two pieces of decent size, we spent around $35. We were there under an hour, and even this was more than my three year old's attention span. I let him play with my phone while I completed the projects. Also available to help younger artists stay occupied while others in their group craft is a large chalkboard wall, and plenty of crayons, paint, and paper.

The only thing that might be annoying is there isn't a lot of transportation options to get there. You can take a bus (I know the Q23 stops nearby) or walk or drive. If you drive be aware you will need quarters and that you are limited to four quarters (one hour) at a time.

One year at the Y

A year ago we were just beginning a discussion on picking a school type program for Ranger. Both of us had our misgivings about starting him in a program. He had been two for only two months! But this particular program was coming highly recommended from extended family. 

When E and I visited the Samuel Field Y (SFY) last year we walked in believing we were looking for something to start in the fall (nine months away). Ranger was not saying too many words at this point, and didn't sit still for Gymboree- we felt he needed time yet.

You guys, WE were the ones not ready. He has not only adapted to everything - starting from two days a week to five days a week- he is thriving with each new challenge. When we recently decided to add Tuesdays and Thursdays, his Monday Wednesday Friday class was full, so we decided to enroll him in a different classroom on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Some three year olds might have had difficulty with two different classrooms/teachers/peer sets but Ranger didn't miss a beat. And during this new schedule he was also adjusting to being diaper free!

The teachers and staff have been excellent in every class he has been in. They have helped Ranger gain vocabulary and skills at great speed and with great confidence. I cannot say enough about how awesome they've been. If you have a child 2 or older and live near Little Neck you should check them out. They didn't sponsor me or compensate me - it is just an outstanding program.

I find myself trying to catch up to whatever new skill set Ranger has acquired. There are songs he sings I have not heard before but suddenly find caught in my head (or quizzed on "now your turn mommy, you sing it"). This week they are learning about hibernation and migration. I don't remember learning these things before Kindergarden!

I just registered Ranger for five day a week, 9am - 2 pm days, full summer session summer camp. We are upping the hours in preparation for his attending Universal Pre-Kindergarden next year. After the seeing the progress made this past year, I think the SFY will have Ranger ready for his bachelor's before he can shave.

PS. I wrote a nice review for SFY on Yelp. But it seems Yelp has some sort of wicked "spam filter" wherein they filtered EVERY SINGLE GOOD REVIEW and not the one bad review. Filtered reviews' stars don't compute in the overall business star rating, so this amazing Y shows up with one star. If you want to see the good reviews you have to know where to look and enter a captcha. I used to trust Yelp reviews/star ratings. Now I know it is total bunk.

App review: Train World

This app is almost more fun for me than it is for Ranger. He likes watching the trains move around the tracks. But the boundary limitations makes it so he can not yet lay down the track. I like to lay out the track so it is a win win.

Pros:
three ways to view the train
Several background options, three train options.
No solid objects are obstacles.

Cons:
With just three tracks to chose from and rigid boundaries, it can be a challenge to creat a track that meets up with itself or doesn't run through solid objects.
There is only one-extremely slow-speed.

Pick your train. Granted, there really isn't too much of a difference in appearance.

Lay down track. Buildings, animals, trees, vehicles, water- all are a guaranteed giggle from Ranger when the train passes through them.

Then press play.
I am having trouble adding the video, so here is my YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj1pnmevLYE&sns=em

Review: Nomadbrush

I have been looking for an artistic stylus to use in the art apps on the iPad. After seeing a few featured on Mashable, I selected Nomadbrush. For a stylus it is pretty expensive, but it is much less expensive than the real world's full collection of artist's brushes.

I was so excited to give this new toy a try. Unfortunately someone noticed me taking my first strokes and would not be distracted until he had his turn. On the bright side, this brush did not immediately lose its shape when held too firmly against the medium. That was the unfortunate fate of most of my real...er... Nondigital brushes. (they do have a specific brush for children)

The ability to zoom on the iPad means it is fairly easy to use the short brush as a pencil. I did have some difficulty adapting to the short end's specific angle and pressure needed to create a response on screen. With the longer end I had no troubles and several times forgot what my medium was (ie, tried to use my pinky finger to brush at the drawing to achieve a specific look).

I made few pictures, experimenting with shading and pencil lines and anything else I could think of. Admittedly not a one of them is a masterpiece, but it will take time to get familiar with using the brush and the Sketchbook app.

This was a lot of fun to play with and I look forward to learning how to best "paint" with it.

PS I was not comp'ed to write this review. All opinions are my own.

Orbeez- they're colorful, slimy, bouncy, and squishy. AKA Fun

These little thingy-ma-jigs are a lot of fun. (If you are playing with them in the right place. Like the balcony.) They're colorful, slimy, bouncy, and squishy - all attributes sure to make them a hit with toddlers.

 I have a few things that are balcony only toys and this set up is one of them. The first time we played with them was in my mom's old place- in the kitchen with tile floors. I would bet the people who bought the house found little colorful specks of indeterminate origin all over...under the fridge, in corners.

These little buggers are hard to keep hold of, easy to squish, and they bounce (a lot). So I was lamenting to our sitter how much Ranger had liked the darn things but how impossible it would be to play with in our apartment. She suggested the balcony. Smart woman.

Ranger calls these "blue orange" because the first time we used them here at home I let him pick two colors and he picked blue and orange. THEN came the hard part- waiting for them to "grow." So he had a solid three or four hours to sing/whine/beg for "blue orange" PLEASE MOMMY!

They start off tiny.

You are supposed to grow each color separately. I didn't follow the directions after the first few batches. It didn't make much of a difference.

Now we have a sealed box of them out on the balcony. We lose about 20 or so each time we play with them, so we have a lot. I occasionally will add in new colors, when I feel like we need a new look.

PS. I am still waiting for Ranger's brother. We are also still trying to come up with a internet handle for him. I want something cool. Preferably something that sounds militaryish to pay tribute to our military backgrounds.

A review of Dinosaur Zoo

This app sent my 2 1/2 year old into spontaneous hysteria. At a restaurant. Note to self, new apps might *sound* like a great way to distract the kiddo, but some apps cause more of a disturbance through hysterical laughter than the whining that prompted the iPhone/iPad rescue to begin with.

What was it that Ranger found funny? Some of these dinosaurs are programmed to appear to break your glass if you mess with them long enough. And it does take a little while so just when you think, oh, this one must not do much...WHAM! It "rams" into the "glass" or smacks its tail against it and cracks appear (quick to fade so you can start over again). Cue historical toddler laughter.

Some of the dinosaurs are not quite as smash happy- one sneezes on the glass...another will poop (think large dinosaur here- but thankfully *just* far enough away that it's the sound you notice first...then the pooping). So far there were only a couple that didn't generate a reaction from Ranger.

This app has two additional packs you seem to get for free but have to download from within the app. I'm not sure if they intend to charge in the future, or add more, but the two free packs are worth it.

I don't particularly like the pooping dinosaur (we WERE at dinner after all) but the target audience is not people like me. What I know about dinosaurs I learned from Dinosaur Train. In fact, the names used in this app greatly confuse me because what looks *to me* to be the spiky tank like creature that in Dinosaur Train world is called a...um...Ankylosaurus is called something else... Euoplocephalus... Maybe they're in the same family or something.

Great app and looking forward to updates that I can surprise Ranger with...

A review of Curious George Zoo app.

We have transitioned to a new generation of iPads, and with this change came apps that now work! I have several of these to tell you about, but decided I would take them one at a time.

Curious George Zoo
This app was a featured app and has a lot of great reviews. Ranger liked this app a lot at first, but there are some things in the app that seem designed to frustrate him. For instance, you can wash an animal, but it is hard to tell how long you need to do each action and even I thought there were times the animal was ready for the next step but the app wouldn't go forward until the first action was done (appearances to the contrary). The same applies to "waking up" an animal. Sometimes an animal is easy to rouse, but other times nothing we do wakes it.

The sticker portion is awesome, and Ranger really liked the different scenes and the option to have Curious George take a picture of the sticker scene.

There are games to play, and those are just beyond Ranger's ability to play, but he likes to try anyhow. Lately though selecting the games feature crashes the app.

I recommend this app...but suggest you wait until they have a new version out. There are several planned additions so hopefully they will make things a little more responsive and less glitchy. UPDATED: 5/25/12 we tried the updated version and were pleased to find the bugs ironed out! So much more fun now!

Disappointed with Freight Train App

Y'all, Ranger LOVES the book Freight Train, so when I saw there was an app for it, I jumped to surprise him with seeing one of his favorite books become interactive.

I should have tested it first, before saying "oh look, there is a new train app!" -lesson learned I suppose. I opened it and we got past the opening song and to the yellow hopper car and the app became nonresponsive. I closed it out completely and reopened it, only to have it immediately crash. In fact, we tried and tried and could not get more than a few pages in before it froze or crashed. I had to delete it because Ranger kept trying to make it work and was getting frustrated.

He then swiped the device's pages looking for the app, and cried about not finding it. Still crying, he went and found the hard cover book and held it next to the device. He can say - in the toddler adorable way- freight train, and I had to deal with his real disappointment.

When I had first looked at the rating, I just saw three stars and figured it was because the app seemed like it wasn't aiming for a "wow" factor. When I read the reviews later, many were 1 star reviews for constant crashes. What confuses me is the four star reviews saying it worked great. Because it didn't on any device I tried.

iPhone apps

You might have noticed I haven't posted any app reviews of late. It's because my poor generation 1 iPad is so uncooperative- it selectively/randomly- closes everything fun out within seconds of opening it.  (A real first world problem, I know). I might be able to open Facebook, but try to read a link? No deal and back to the home screen. Same with Twitter. These are not huge apps, they shouldn't be freezing out my system, but as I understand it, the software upgrades made it so the hardware struggles with even the simple things. So I mostly don't use my iPad.  In fact, I can't even to go the app store unless I am downloading updates- every other tab shuts the program down.  So- yeah, no fun apps working with any consistency. Try explaining that to a toddler when his favorite app closes out randomly.  I've taken to deleting from the iPad the worst offenders, but he still experiences the frustration of being in the middle of something fun and then *poof* back to home screen.

 To say that I am excited to be getting the newest iPad is an understatement.

In the mean time, there are a couple of iPhone apps I'd like to bring to your attention.

Dr. Seuss's Oh Say Can You Say Dinosaur is a hit with Ranger. He loves all things dinosaur. He has some difficulty turning the pages, the sweet spot for it is a little difficult for him to find. On the other hand, any image he touches in the book is verbally identified (fossils, thing 1, etc). I am not as familiar with Cat in The Hat and it took about a week for me to realize that yes, I was hearing an app say a word that I would in other circumstances be shocked to hear...but was fine in the context of a boy named...well, I don't want my web page to get spammed with bad stuff, so let's say former vp Cheney goes by the same first name as the boy in the book.

Both of Juno Jr's apps, the ABCs and Shush are awesome. Ranger is particularly drawn to Shush and specifically to the train sounds song. Frankly, the music Juno Jr produces is on par with the best live musicals I've heard, and I found myself returning to the train sounds song just to hear the characters sing their parts. You can also find the Juno Jr. songs on the app Kid Mode, but you have to sort of look a little since there are no groupings or keyword searches in the Kid Mode app.

Outside of the kid app realm, I have recently enjoyed using an app simply called Cards. I have used it to turn art Ranger has made into cards- physical cards- that I then can send to my mom, using my contacts info (rather than having to type it in).  At $2.99 a card- which includes shipping- it's cheaper than buying and sending a card from the store (unless you're getting the $.99 ones).  It takes a few days to get printed and sent, but everything is handled through the Apple store and I get an email letting me know when the card has been shipped. You can use photos of anything- I just chose Ranger's art because photos of him are sent regularly to family via email and or Facebook.  There is currently a limited selection of preset templates, but I have found I can pick any template and change the wording to anything I want it to be.

Turboscan is an app that will soon make our all-in-one printer a thing of the past (at least the scan function). I can use my phone to scan anything I'd scan on my all-in-one, can adjust the darkness or lightness, and can pdf the result and email it to myself or save it to my phone.

RedRover is an app similar to Foursquare, but what I recently heard about- and the reason I downloaded it- is there is an option to text an emergency message to up to five preset numbers with the touch of maybe two buttons. You can use the default emergency message that will be received or make one of your own. I might not use the other functions of this app- given that I already use Foursquare, but this emergency text thing...I like it.

toddler apps- what we like, what we don't

It's been some time since I last posted a batch app review. But Ranger recently had a birthday, and with that came some new apps....plus like I said, there's been some bit of time between my last review and this.  In case you missed them, I did review Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App and Zoo Train (both are favorites).

Winners (apps worth the purchase) somewhat categorized by type


ABC Food and ABC Go - What Ranger likes about these apps is the number of examples given for each letter. AND I learned about an Xtropolis, which is some sort of train. Of course his favorite part is the imbedded YouTube videos given with some of the words.

Alphabet (by piikea st) is along the same lines as (but not quite as awesome as) Alpha Tots.

First Words Vehicles - Ranger is totally into anything that goes. This app has letter tiles the user matches under the image. The idea is similar to another app Ranger likes (the BOB Magic books), but much simpler.

Tally tots  Let's count to twenty! Ranger and I both like this numbers app (just like the Alpha Tots is tops in our app list).  The only complaint I have is number 13 drives me nuts, which I suspect Ranger enjoys.  It asks the player to tap the 13 eggs to hatch chicks, and each chick chirps, and continues to chirp, until all 13 are found.

Goodie Words I found Goodie Words through a site that reviews kid's apps (the link here goes to their site). The app presents concepts such as strength, balance, and dreams, and explains the concepts before providing a related activity. I am not sure how much Ranger gets from the explanations, but he clearly enjoys playing the app, and the new app from the same developers: (for which I cannot find a link- sorry) Gazilli Shapes

Make it Pop is a newer app for us but based on the number of times Ranger has played it since we got it a few days ago, I'd say it's a hit.  Shapes, Letters, Colors, and sizes are presented in interactive and entertaining ways.

Things that Go  Like I said, Ranger likes things that go. This app is basically a book. I also think Ranger likes it because there is a bird involved. It's one of the words he's got down pat ("burd!") so he likes being able to point out the "Burd" on every page.

ClickySticky Trains Ranger should have shirt that says "I heart trains" - because it's nearly at obsessive levels. Ok, not really. He takes breaks from playing with his train set/watching train Youtube videos/playing train iPad apps/reading train books/playing with a strip of cardboard as though it's a train to do other things, like chase the cat or rough house with me.

More from the "Talking" friends- Talking News Ranger just likes seeing the dog and cat annoy each other. And that probably doesn't make him any different from any other user of this app, regardless of age.

Elmo's Monster Maker with this app you can start with a base monster and put on headgear, eyes, and a nose, then have it interact with Elmo (interactions are preset). I have a half million images on my iPad from Ranger using the "take a picture" feature where the newly created monster is pictured with different backdrops.

Kid Mode this is an app that gathers up kid friendly Youtube type videos and puts them at your kid's fingertips. You don't have to worry that an inappropriate video might slip in, and unlike all the other filtering systems I've tried, it doesn't slow down the video feed. (Updated: The Kindle Fire also has this app, with a modification that I find somewhat annoying. They mixed the videos with games so it's harder to find your favorite videos).

Here are some books that Ranger has liked:

You can pretty much bet that anything by Sandra Boynton is going to be a hit: Red Hat Blue Hat and Barnyard Dance

Pete and the secret of flying- a cute rendition on how birds came to fly.

Monster at the end of this book and Another Monster at the end of this book - just. fun.

BB Magic (BOB Books) #2 - we loved the first one, wished for more, and got our wish. The minor complaint I have on this one is that the names they give the characters can be confusing to someone just learning to read, for example, naming a boy Red when the user is just learning colors is a little confusing.

Little Engine that could- there is another one listed below in the not worth it list- make sure you get this one or another that makes it clear the original storyline is intact. Unless you're looking for different.


Apps Ranger likes that he wont/can't do on his own

Elmo loves ABCs my son absolutely completely totally loves this app, but is not at the point of tracing letters, so he needs my help. That doesn't stop him from going through each letter while in the car seat where I can't help him out, or from playing through each of the alphabet renditions.

Memory Train (by piikea st) train. 'nuff said as far as Ranger is concerned. But the memory portion is a bit more than he's ready for (which is actually why I got it, for him to grow into).

Go George Go Ranger really likes this app, and can do the first half no problem. I imagine he will eventually be able to navigate the maze on his own- he is starting to try, but doesn't quite get the concept.

Harold and the Purple Crayon - just like the book, but interactive. Ranger hasn't been able to "get" the interactive part, which is sort of like coloring in the lines. He does like me helping him with it, and will often pop in and out of the tutorial on his own, as though he might some how figure it out.



Apps that weren't worth it
Little Engine that Could - you might like the changes to this classic. I didn't.
Rise of the urban eagle - spoiler alert- they kill off the dad pigeon.

Don't let the Pigeon Run this App: a review

We just got this app today. 

I am a huge Moe Millems fan, and I just knew we'd love this Pigeon app.

Ranger and I spent a good hour playing with it (in toddler minutes, that's almost a whole day!) and then he played with it with his daddy just before bedtime.

There are three story types to chose from. The first one is basically like any book (except each time you go through some of the nouns will have changed, like the pigeon promising to play dress up one time, but the next time soccer). The second type allows the reader to pick these nouns, and the third one is more MadLib in that you can pick anything!

You can also learn to draw the pigeon, and your "artwork" becomes part of the story. 

Here's a little bit of Ranger making selections.

And more of him playing with it:



I am tickled pink with this app. I am so looking forward to more apps like this!

Our Florida adventure, review: People at Play

This past weekend the family and I went on an adventure to to St. Petersburg, Florida, which is near Tampa (we flew in there).

If it seems like an odd time to vacation, let me recommend it to you. Since school aged children are in school, most touristy places are going to be quite open this time of year. 

What prompted this vacation was a gift from my mom to E. When she called months ago and asked if I thought E would like to drive construction equipment, the idea sounded appealing. Frankly though we were both unsure of how much fun it would be. We tacked on a couple of days to enjoy Florida, got a great package deal from JetBlue and practically forgot all about going away until the week before.

Suddenly it was time to get our construction crew experience on! Enter People at Play (Facebook, twitter, web). My mom saw a segment on the Today show and just knew E would love something so far flung from his lawyer's duties.


When we drove up to the site, on a dirt road of course, right away it looked like fun! (plus, knowing we would be going on a dirt road *encouraged* us to upgrade our rental to a Ford Escape, which was totally unnecessary given that the road was hard packed and pretty flat.)

Alisa Bennett (owner, along with her husband), met us in the lot and let me tell you, she is great. Even filling out the paperwork was relaxed and not at all intimidating. (OK, E was filling out the paperwork and I doubt he gets intimidated by legalese. you know, since it's his job and all). Also, you have to love anyone who takes an instant liking to your child.

watching the safety video

The day was absolutely perfect for playing in the dirt!


The area was wide open with plenty of spots to watch from, and plenty of room for Ranger to roam. (In the future they may have a kids' play area so that the little ones can have their own play in the dirt experience while dad or mom is on the equipment).

viewing area

real worksite, complete with port-a-lets!

vrrmmmm and yes, we left with a new toy, though not this one

E met the rest of the team and out they went for the first bit of fun.
 

Getting in is harder than it looks

Participants get to know the equipment for about 20 minutes before an obstacle course.

I didn't get too many pictures of the obstacle course because *someone* made a run for it. He got a good ways down the driveway before I caught up to him. I distracted him with some toys.

Then I chased after him again (this time nearly into the surrounding brush) and pulled him into some nice, fresh dirt and told Ranger to have some fun (come on, how many times does a mom get to say, "go play in the dirt"?). That lasted all of five minutes. Of course, if I had said, "no you may not play in the dirt," he would have done it longer. Instead he wanted to play in the "office" area. You know, the one place in the entire 100 yard radius that wasn't entirely kid friendly.

When E was in the obstacle course, we got freshly moved dirt to play in!

yup, that's my man!

After finishing the first challenge course, E got acquainted with this sucker:



















What he told me is these machines are much more precision tools than he expected. In the above  picture he is knocking tennis balls off of traffic cones without knocking over the cone. He got all of them!



You have to forgive me a little for all these close up shots. I discovered my husband makes a good looking construction worker.


In this obstacle, E was knocking over and catching soccer balls and putting them into a bin. This one was pretty hard.



.


There were a lot of great tasks on the courses, and E had a ton of fun. I really enjoyed watching him work through the challenges- it took quite a bit of problem solving on his end. My favorite was the last one, stacking three huge tires on a pole.

We all had an absolute blast, and I cannot say enough positive about this experience.

Thank you, mom, for the gift, and thank you People at Play for a memorable day!







ps. People at Play was an innocent bystander here- my mom gifted us the experience. The opinions expressed are my own without any compensation or bribery.

pps. More to come on our adventures in Florida.