God's Joy

Last week’s performance of Jennifer Hudson on American Idol was mind-blowing. I did not know she could deliver a song with such power and raw emotion. For me the best line of her song of “Where You At” is when she sings “And I stood there... in the freezing cold! And I waited for you, but you never showed.”

It gave me a deep realization that when all is said and done, we will all come to experience that feeling of abandonment. But at the same time---when we place God first, He will never abandon us. I am so happy also because last Saturday I felt an overwhelming rush of warm emotions cursing through my body. My wife, our daughter and I went for a 3D ultrasound of our second child. Seeing our baby’s tender face made everything worthwhile. I am elated with love and awe. God has always been so good to me. I told my wife the other day---I am the most blessed man in the world--to have you, our daughter and now our boy. Thank you God for all the blessings. Through all the trials and tribulations we’ve endured we can’t wait to see the birth of our newest baby.

Orlando Family Vacation to Seaworld Part 2: Tips and Tricks

In the first part of our family vacation which you can read here, I expounded on our experience what we went through in getting ready to come to Florida.  But just not Florida.  This was Orlando, Florida!  Our destination was to visit SeaWorld and see the Shamu/Orca show.

Before flying, I went online to purchase our tickets.  I bought the entry tickets with the All Day Dining Deal promo.  For $99 per person we could eat all day within an hour.  I thought it was a scam, but it was not.  It was very true and I think it is a very worthwhile investment.  Below are some of my other tips if you are planning to travel with your family.

ARRIVAL AT SEAWORLD

First thing we noticed when we drove to SeaWorld in our rental car is that the entrance was hard to find.  So please follow your directions very carefully.  If you enter the wrong way you may get your tires puncture.  Look for the signs that read, "Do not enter".  If they read that, please adhere to their warning. Once you find the main entrance standard parking is $25 dollars.

You can bring water to the park.  You may even bring a small cooler.  Other parks discourage you from bringing anything to drink.  Not SeaWorld.  And it is a very good idea because summer time is very hot.  Water and drinks are very expensive.  The first day we did not bring our own water.  The second day we did.  Also come dressed for the occasion.  I took regular jeans and closed toe shoes.  It was a very bad idea.  After 20 minutes of walking I could feel my feet sweating profusely and my tenders felt like they were gasping for air.  The park is actually very large.  In less than ten minutes my children were complaining of getting tired. So I rented a stroller for $25 bucks and I pushed them all through the park.  They also rent motorized chairs for $50 dollars each I believe.  But I can't quite remember.  These are good for overweight people or those that may be handicapped.

As soon as we got to the park we went to eat.  Take a map of the park.  Sit down and plan how you will explore it.  Here is a list of the restaurants that currently serve food for the all day meals promotion.  (Some of the other restaurants in SeaWorld do not.)

All Day Dining Deal Restaurants

• Voyager's Smokehouse
• Expedition Cafe
• Seaport Pizza
• Captain Pete's Island Treats
• The Spice Mill
• Seafire Grill
• Mango Joe's

We first ate at the Seafire Grill and then we ate at the Expedition Cafe.  When we went to the Expedition Cafe I noticed that just for that meal it totaled over $68 dollars for the four of us.  So it was worth it. The food was also very good and tasted fresh.  The deserts were also very awesome!

SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS

We did not do any rides.  But they looked like fun and scary.  We did not do the rides because my eight year old was afraid, and I don't like to be frightened.  All the shows and exhibits are included.  Except for some.  So please check the SeaWorld Website for more information.  Here is a list of the places we visited---

Dolphin Encounter---I bought our tickets online and had them emailed to me.  Before we went to the show we had to redeem the voucher at the information desk.  This was the second most fun activity we did.  For about 15 minutes the trainers talk to us about the dolphins and what they do.  Expect to touch them, get wet and take a picture with them.  For $25 bucks you can take the photo with you.  We also had a chance to feed them.  We paid $35 dollars each for the experience.  This is the least expensive of the dolphin encounters.  If you want to swim with a dolphin you have to pay $200 dollars per person.  Something that we did not do.

Feed the Sharks--For $10 dollars you get the chance to throw fish at sharks and see if they feed on them.  They actually don't.  Most of the 15 fish my kids threw were eaten by the fish.  The sharks in the pool were not too hungry.  But my kids enjoyed throwing food at the fish even if the sharks did not eat any.

One Ocean---We are so glad SeaWorld Orlando still has the orcas show.  I don't agree with everything PETA does.  SeaWorld does a lot of good.  They have improved the care of the big whales so much.  The first day we went, they cancelled the show because of inclement weather.  My son was very sad.  This was the whole reason why we came to Orlando.  But the next day we returned to see if we could get back in.  Apparently when a dolphin or orca show is cancelled you can get a rain pass.  But you must request it the same day, otherwise you take a chance of not getting in.  Thankfully my wife spoke to the manager and he gave us passes to watch the show the next day.  Both the dolphin show and killer whale show are free with the purchase of a single day ticket.  Just get there early to beat the crowds and get a good seat.  Also expect to get wet!!

Overall our experience was a pleasant one.  If we ever go back we will go either in the spring, fall or winter.  Hopefully by doing that there will be less crowds and there will be less oppressive heat.  If we do go back we will take umbrellas or rain ponchos.  The weather is unpredictable.  It may be sunny in the morning, but in the afternoon there may be a shower or two.

Our Orlando Family Vacation Part 1

We have returned from out three nights, four days family vacation to Orlando, Florida.  It was quite an experience to say the least.

AVOIDING THE TIMESHARE SCAM

In this first part I will describe what happened to us and what we did to overcome some obstacles.  One of the first obstacles was that when I first made reservations with the Holiday Inn Resorts Hotel, I did not know they were part of a grand scheme dealing with timeshares.  Be very careful about "resorts" or hotels that do that. If you are not careful they will sweet talk you into signing a long term agreement that you will not be able to get out.  They first lure you in with a very low price hotel stay.  They quoted me for $250.  And then they told me that the money would be returned to me in cash if I went to one of their presentations to their resorts. Then they sugared it up by upgrading my stay by giving me two free tickets to Seaworld.  Seaworld was our destination anyway because our son loves sea life and whales.  It was too good to be true.  The scheme unraveled when I asked them if they would be picking me up to go to their resort.  They told me that they would not. (Although they led me to believe that they would.)  This is when the first red flag popped up.

Holiday Inn Resort, Orlando Florida.  I cancelled my reservation to avoid their timeshare presentation.

I was upset when they told me that so I did some research.  I found out that timeshare sellers do that to unwary vacationers.  I read so many horror stories where participants are kept in their presentations for up to four hours, until they are convinced to signup. They told me it would only take two hours.  But reading these accounts made me call them and cancel my reservation with them.  They returned part of my money but not all of it.  No way would I loose four hours of vacation time and drag my wife and two kids into this.  So we made another reservation with another hotel.  I thought I would be free from these type of schemers but I was not.  Stay tuned to find out what happened with our second hotel.

GOING TO THE AIRPORT

Crowne Hotel Shuttle.  These are the good guys where I parked out car.

Since this was our first trip outside of our beloved city of Chicago I had no clue how we were going to get to the airport.  So I found out that the easiest way would be to rent short term parking with a hotel that offered free shuttles.  And that is is what we did.  It was very convenient.  For four days I spent around 60 bucks.  My car would be parked in the hotel parking lot and when we got back from our trip, we would drive back home.  This was more sensible for us than getting an Uber or Lyft car.

ARRIVAL IN ORLANDO AND MAIN HOTEL STAY

The flight from Chicago to Orlando was a little less that two hours and twenty minutes.  Before our trip, I was actually thinking of driving to Florida.  But my brother, who had driven to Florida before discouraged me.  He told me that it took him a total of 18 hours to get there.  And he also told me that it is very scary to drive up the mountains.  So we took a flight instead.  When we arrived in Florida we opted to rent a car.  I am glad we did because although the Westpark Hotel granted us free shuttles to Seaworld, when we got there, they told us that we had to book it one day in advanced.  Having our own car meant we did not have to depend on them.  We were free to roam Florida any time we wanted.

Westpark Hotel in Orlando where where we finally stayed

However, when we got to check-in to the Westpark Hotel, to my utter disgust, this hotel was also a timeshare establishment.  I think that a lot of hotels in Florida are like that.  As soon as we checked in the clerk steered me into another front desk.  The person in this other desk smiled politely, but she had the look of a shark.  She told me she wanted to give me an unsolicited package and a free breakfast for the following morning.  Second red flag!!  The look of my face changed.  And they all noticed I was pissed!  I told them, "NO!"  I was not interested.  Then that same lady said, "We have other free giveaways to give you if you come to our resort presentations."  I was still more pissed and repeated myself to her. Suddenly, what appeared to be the security guard and a third front desk person, slipped a singled sheet agreement for me to sign.  I read the form but I screamed and told them I would not sign it because they had not asked me to sign it at the end of my check-in.  This was another of their ploys to have them call me and bother me with the buying of a timeshare during my stay.  But I returned their paper and took my luggage to our room.  I do want to say that as far as I know the Holiday Inn Resort Hotel and the Westpark are not related.  However, like I said previously, I believe many hotels in Florida operate this way.  So please be aware!  Once this ordeal ended we were free to begin our vacation. 

We Are Heading to Florida!

If you are like us and most families across the United States, going on a long trip vacation is kinda hard.

Things can be expensive and logistics can be a nightmare.   Do you take an airplane or road trip?  Once you get there what kind of hotel do you book?

We have pretty much done staycations. Meaning we tend not to go far.  The last few summers we have been too the Mall of America and Wisconsin Dells, which are locations close to Chicago, IL where we live. However, this time we were able to book a cheap hotel in Orlando, Florida, and I believe we are taking them family to Sea World.  My youngest loves sea animals and he has been dying to see the orcas.  So today I will make the preparations for us to undertake that trip.  We are all excited and we post a second update soon.

SUPER TOY Store ADVENTURE--lookin' for the Polar Express Train! Part 1

Manila Beauty Pageant

Ride Sharing Filipino Style (Wait Until the END)

UNBOXING SQUISHIES! SUPER WOW!

Here is what I am talking about.  I had to revise the original video because YouTube felt it did not comply to its policies to appease advertisers.  There was nothing bad about the video, other than a reference I made about my sister having such a hard time getting them.  She was "sick to death" (had the flu) and she drove to the house to drop them off to my daughter.  YouTube's algorithm does not recognize figurative language.  Yet they allow true trash like Logan Paul to continue to trend on their platform.  YouTube bans videos of cute animals but they allow real trash to make money for them!  I'm sorry. Our channel showcase my kids' activities.  Innocent fun.  I guess I am a little upset.  Anyways.  I do hope you enjoy this revised version.  And please continue to subscribe and share.  We have until February 20, 2018 to get 1,000 subscribers.  Thank you.

New Batch of Free Teacher Printables

Hello,

Thank you for visiting my teacher worksheets blog.  If you are interested in getting the worksheet(s) below please visit my Teacher Pay Teachers Page!  Thank you for your support!

This worksheet I used to have students create their own imaginary creature.

I used this worksheet for students to use the new myon tools and functions.

Research in the Library

My second grade students recently did research on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for African-American History Month.  The online education program we used was pebblego.com.  For students from kindergarten and 2nd grade this is a good resource.  Students can have access to different biographies and read articles about famous historical figures.  They can also have a chance to watch videos. When watching one of these videos we came across some footage featuring.

George Washington Carver

I was surprised to see this because I did not know there was a movie about him working in his lab. The site has its limitations, but for basic research where students can get basic facts about the the person or topics, it is very good.  Other African-American biographies suitable for children in this age group are:

Harriet Tubman

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

With the research my students did we were able to make our February bulletin board.  Below is the final product for a bulletin board idea.  I hope you like it and if you do please comment and share.  God bless....

Hungry Like a Bug

After we read one of Eric Carle's most famous books I did this lesson with the kindergarten through 1st grade students. 

Some of Eric Carle's most famous books we read in class, and children love very much are:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Busy Spider

The Very Quiet Cricket --(This book makes a chirping sound when children open the pages!)

There are a number of variations of this lesson.  But pretty much it goes like this: I bought a box of bow ties, shells and spiral pasta. I bought pinto beans because the store was out of the white ones. I also bought round paper plates.  At the school we had the glue and I pre-cut the leaves.  I also printed the labels for each of the stages of the butterfly. Here is what I discovered.  The kindergarten students will have a harder time to do this project.  They have a hard time placing the labels with the right step.  The first graders had no problem at all.  The best part is that they all loved their work.  It was hard for me because I teach four kindergarten and four first grade classes.  But in the end it was all worth it.  The students really enjoyed doing this. This project is in continuation of the Life Stages of a Butterfly lesson plan which can be found in this same blog.  Below are the pictures of our actual student work.  Enjoy.  And if you liked it, please share it with your friends and leave a comment below.  God bless.