Nevermind. Sorry

I'm giving an update for those that are interested :001_smile: I did end up contacting the business manger and thanking him for the party and all the fun stuff he did for the kids and then asked him what his intention for the cards was and he said pretty much what I expected. The cards were for all the kids and he went so far as to tell me he gave cards to kids who weren't able to finish the final project and kids who were not in the organization but helped out in some way or were sibling of kids who were and happened to be at the party! He said there had been a lot of confusion about the subject and I got the impression that maybe we weren't the only family that the coordinator called to chide/shame. :eek: I'm still unsure whether I'm going to complain, if I do I will go over the coordinator to her supervisor. To add more aggravation it's unclear who her direct supervisor even is. I did give my kids warning though that if we have any other weirdness from this lady we will be pulling out of this activity even if that means quitting in the middle of the year. After both kids and I got to talking about some of the things that I felt were bad juju from this lady Kid B told me of some other dismissive and shaming kind of things that she had had said/done that they hadn't told me before. :cursing: As an introvert this just confirms why I never join clubs or such. There's always that ONE person :001_rolleyes:

Thanks bolt. You've given me something to consider.Maybe I am defensive because I don't share her philosophy on project finishing. :P I do think that's probably what her reaction would be....but one thing gives me pause and makes me consider making a bit of a stink with her and those above her is that she is not a volunteer for the organization she's an employee. Her job is to coordinate and facilitate for the kids in the organization. :sad: If it weren't for my kids enjoying it so much I would just say WTFever :seeya:

Thanks all. I was taken aback that she was so upset that she decided to call after so much time had passed. I have had a nagging feeling about this person since I first met her at the beginning of the year and every encounter I've had with her has left me with a bad taste in my mouth and the tone of the newsletters for the organization is very threatening. I wasn't sure if my own feelings about her were clouding the issue. Thankfully the contact we have with the coordinator is only occasional because kid A really loves participating in the organization. I think I will be asking her by email ;) whether the purpose of the organization is the final project or if the organization is about youth development like it says it is. Thanks for the head check :)

This got kind of long. :001_smile: Some of you may be able to guess the name of the organization from my description but I would rather not mention the name here in case of searches. Thanks. Kid A(14) and kid B(12) joined an organization this last year that involves monthly meetings, several community service projects, doing some work to earn money for the organization and just generally helping with events and an individual end of year project. Kid A and B willingly and cheerfully did all of of those things throughout the year but kid B did not complete the end of year project. After the end of year project was over a local business put on a pizza party for the kids in the organization. Both kid A and B attended the party and it was announced as a surprise to everyone(including the coordinator of the organization) that the manager of the business would like to meet all the kids in the organization and give them all a $25 gift card from the business. Both kids went through the line to meet the manager and kid B told the manager that they had not completed the final project but was still offered the card and accepted it with thanks. Fast forward 3 weeks and the coordinator of the organization calls me to say that she was very disappointed that kid B had joined in the line to meet the manager and had accepted the card since they had not completed the final project. I then asked the coordinator what she would like to see done. Coordinator said she would leave it up to me. I am unsure if the manager of the business was upset or it was only the coordinator. I do plan on calling the business manager and asking what the intention for the gift cards was, only for those who completed projects or all the members of the organization? Was kid B supposed to know they were supposed to refuse even though it was not clear to even the adults whether the cards were only for those who completed projects?(and still isn't) WWYD?

Thanks all! That helps.

If you do concessions, how many items are on the menu? I helped with concessions yesterday at the county fair and kind of felt like the menu was overcomplicated and bloated. I think there were 5 or 6 different hamburgers, BBQ sandwiches, Meatball Subs, Hot Dogs, Chili Dogs, Nachos, Frito chili pie, Baked potato with butter,bacon,cheese, and sour cream, Loaded baked potato with chili and cheese and a lot of other things like candy and chips, breakfast foods, burritos etc. that I can't even remember or that people didn't order :willy_nilly: I would like to suggest that the menu be pared down next year to make it easier for the kids and also for the parents. :o Also do you keep running tabs for people? How are things priced? Rounded off to the dollar? Do the kids handle money? TIA

I typed up a response and it got lost:( But this subject is important enough to me that I will type it up again. lol. We have it on musabi sometimes or in fried rice, though ham is better. I also make it like I am going to make musabi and then freeze to be ready to eat in my ramen with veggies. Yum :-) We use maybe 3 cans a year though. It is quite salty. Does anyone remember that dried beef stuff they used to sell in a little glass jar with the other canned meat type products? My friends mom made gravy to put on biscuits for breakfast with it and it was so very salty. My mom made hambuger or sausage gravy so that stuff was a real shock.

For myself 70 is definitely not a good swimming temp! The kids have been swimming in our pond the last few weeks but I think it's over 70 in spots though some areas feel pretty cold, but it's in the 80's outside so that does make a difference. If it's hot outside they seem to tolerate colder water. We'll bring our swim shorts and rash guards and sweats I guess :001_smile: They can at least splash around.

Several of you have mentioned swimming, I had assumed it would be too cold for that. Will the water be warm enough for swimming in mid-October?

Now I really will have a hard time deciding what to do! @Dawn-I love museums but we will just not have enough time. We'll only have 5 days and two of those will be travel days :( Keep the suggestions coming! I'm enjoying looking these places up! Even if we can't visit them all.

Thanks to those who have replied! I will bump this and check back later. :)

There is talk here of going to Disneyland with extended family in October. I would also like to take my kids (14 and 12) to an aquarium and the beach because they've never been to the ocean and we will be there so close it would be a shame not to. I'm looking online at the Aquarium of the Pacific and Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.(Sorry no links as I'm on my phone) Aquarium of the Pacific looks like a neat aquarium and looking at google maps there is a beach near but the Coastal Park at Cabrillo looks to be more than just a beach and could show them different habitats and such that they couldn't see otherwise. I have fond memories of visiting the Monterey Bay aquarium and surrounding areas including beaches and tide pools at around 13 y/o. Monterey Bay is too far away though. :( Does anyone here have any experience of these places or any nicer places that are within 30 min to an hour's drive from Disney and preferably close to one another so I wouldn't have to do a lot of extra driving? I probably won't be able to check back in until the A.M. but any help would be greatly appreciated as I am not much of a traveler. Thanks. :)

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a set similar to this.http://www.samsclub.com/sams/wolfgang-puck-stainless-steel-cookware-set-18-pc/prod3650088.ip?navAction= I've been happy with them and I love that the skillets don't have non-stick. The only thing I would change is to have more sauce pots.