University of Maine Museum of Art Field Trip.

Last month, Eva Wagner and I coordinated a field trip to the University of Maine Museum of Art for the Penobscot County Homeschoolers. Eva is the Education Coordinator for the museum. She is amazing, gentle, and brilliant. And I am sort-of the "creator" of the homeschool group ... which I think I created mostly to take advantage of getting together for fun field trips. This trip was one of my favorites so far. It was such a lovely, well designed, engaging and informative visit for all ages ... thanks to Eva.



Kids who attended ranged in age from 6-17 years old ... and at one count, I believe there were at least 16 kiddos. It was a great turn out ... and several new relationships formed.

Eva designed a couple of interactive activities that took the kids through the museum exhibits ... helping them to engage with the art displays. During the first activity, she had the entire group try to figure out the media used in the artwork of Richard Haden. This was particularly trying, as each piece literally looked liked discarded junk. But each piece was intricately cut wood sculptures formed to look similar to items that we toss away ... or "junk". This was a hit with the kids ... who tried hard to figure out the artist could possibly cut wood to look like a deflated basketball.

The next activity had the group try to figure out the theme of one of the installations. This particular installation was curated by the Young Curators group that meets at the museum on a regular basis. These kids aged 9 and up come together to create exhibits from works that are owned by the museum ... each time coming up with a different theme. Our group was pretty good at guessing what the theme was ... their observations were quite impressive. 

The third activity was likely the most popular, Eva passed out adjectives to individuals and groups of kids ... encouraging them to find a piece of art that they thought exemplified the word they were given. Once all the kids found their art piece, and placed their given word underneath it, we went around the museum, listening to the kids tell us why they had chosen that particular piece to go with their word. It was wonderful and enlightening to see what they chose and to listen to their reasoning.

I was beaming when I listened to Isaac explain his choice. There is so much to be learned about your child by discussing art with them ...

All of the kids had such great insights into the art that spoke to them. It was an absolute pleasure to watch children so engaged with the art around them. The enthusiasm was more than I expected. And much appreciated.

Lastly, it was time to gather in the classroom for making some art of their own. For this exercise, the group was introduced to the three-dimensional works of Chris Natrop and then given the tools to create their own three-dimensional piece. At the beginning of this exercise (and long beforehand) Isaac had decided that he does not make art and will therefore not participate. This has always been an issue between us as he knows I am dying for him to create with me. But I found the secret to getting his creative juices flowing ... have him join his friends to create art! He now proudly displays the work he created this day on a wall in his room. Progress!

What a perfect field trip. Truly. I can't say enough about Eva Wagner, The University of Maine Museum of Art, the donors that make it possible for the entire community to attend for free, etc. Do yourself a favor and take a stroll through Bangor's own Art Museum. And bring the kids!

Love,
Jodi

Our Summer in Review: Maine State Aquarium

What a great summer. So great, in fact, that I was never able to sit long enough to write a blog post ... all summer long. So it got me thinking about how much fun material I can use to write about now ... throughout the slower paced fall days. Wait ... who am I kidding??? Fall is just as crazy ... days filled with homeschooling ... and all of the scrambling to get ready for the winter and the holidays. Well, there are some wonderful highlights to our summer that I want to be sure to log here ... so here is to giving this a shot.

As many of you know, I am wild for sharks. Absolutely mad for them. I even see them swimming through my mind in daydreams ... daydreams that happen at least twice a day ... and sometimes occur when you think I am paying close attention to what you are saying. (Whoops.) And although we have travelled to the Boston Aquarium to pet the sharks and rays in their latest exhibit ... I have always wanted to visit our state's Maine State Aquarium in West Boothbay Harbor.  And after watching this commercial, I knew I couldn't wait to bring the family to this ocean side jewel on one of our summer excursions. So I did ...

 

First, might I say that Boothbay Harbor, is hands down ... the most beautiful harbor I have ever seen. And after 15+ years of living in Maine, this trip was the first time I had ever laid eyes on it. I was shocked. I know my New England coastal areas ... from Cape Cod to Lubec. And somehow Boothbay escaped me --- likely because it is not on Route 1 ... and takes some purposeful planning to get to ... apparently more planning than I was willing to take till this point. But wow ... I was missing out. I might have gotten married here instead of Bar Harbor had I known about this place (sorry Bar Harbor).

 

Anywhere, there are other sights to show you about this beautiful, working harbor. But for now, I want to show you the aquarium. It was a bit off the beaten path ... and took some finding ... but when you find it, it is surrounded by a lovely picnic area that overlooks the west side of the harbor. Absolutely gorgeous.

 

We ate our Subway sandwiches by the sea ... then headed in to pet sharks! As soon as we walked in the door, we all headed straight to the shark and ray touch tank. And oh the cuteness! I'll let the pictures tell part of the story:

 



 

So much fun to just watch these guys - let alone get an opportunity to "pat" them. Apparently, we came too late to see/hear their daily shark talk. But because the staff was incredibly helpful ... and appreciative of a fellow shark enthusiast, they gave another talk just for us. This "talk" ended up being more of conversation and a sort of gush fest over all sharks in general. It was fun ... and I immediately fell in love with both Aimee Roderiques (the director - whom I felt like I have known my whole life) and fellow employee and shark lover, Patrick Burnham. I cannot imagine that place with more enthusiastic people at the helm. In fact, although I did not get every one's names ... the entire staff was enthusiastic and helpful ... and obviously in love with our Maine coastal animals.

 

My favorite picture of the day??? This sweet little shark ... I just want to give it a kissy ... don't you?

And ya know, there are other exhibits too. Halis reminded me of this, as I was spending much too much time for his taste with my friends the sharks. It turns out the other exhibits were pretty amazing too. For a nice tourist video of most of the exhibits, check out this video.

The touch tank here is one of the best I have seen ... with much variety of the animals you can find all along the Maine coast. I love to touch everything in the sea ... obsessively really ... so this was another great exhibit for me. And Isaac very much enjoyed it as well. We learned much from the young man overseeing the tank ... here are a few science nuggets for you all ...

This is a scallop that wants to escape from me ... so it open and closes its shell ... trying to force water out of itself in order to propel it backwards. It sometimes uses this method to detract predators. Both of these actions can be seen in the following videos here and here. Also ... see those little black spots all along the shells ... both upper and lower? Wait for it --- those are eyes! Yes. How cool is that. Sure, they aren't traditional eyes like those of a mammal ... but eyes none the less.

Horse shoe crabs are not crabs at all ... but are more closely related to spiders. Can you see how/why? Interesting. Spiders of the sea ...

Sea Anemones are just plain cool looking. But have you seen their mouths? They look much like the beaks of an octopus ...



 

Crabs, are well, just plain crabby. And I love this about them. I love to try to catch them without getting snapped at. It challenges me ... and probably just ticks them off ... but I swear, I do it in love. This little guy rocked my world ...

 





 

We also learned that sand dollars have a skeleton and "arms" that help to move them around. I wish I had thrown my macro lens on for a better look. The details of a live sand dollar are amazing ...

 

 

Then there was the hermit crab. The little bugger would not cooperate ... even though I loved him so (and told him too).

 

 

For a small aquarium, they have some really interesting specimens. Most of which I did not photograph ... as it is not easy to photograph through glass in low light situations ... but I did get a few fun pics ...

 

 

Halis made fun of this Lump fish ... which wasn't really nice ... but I enjoyed his well, his, "uniqueness" ...

 



 

There was this really interesting exhibit, which I have never seen before, even at the bigger aquariums ... where you can see through the egg sacks (mermaid purses) of sharks and rays and watch as the embryos grow inside them. It was fascinating.

 

 

Many lobster fishermen bring their unusual catches to the aquarium ... to share with the community. Some of them are absolutely amazing. Bi-colored, multi-colored, blue, and this white/blue one was most interesting to me. How it avoided predators to this point is beyond me ...

 

 

I am not at all sure what kind of fish this next guy is, but he/she made for a pretty good picture ... so I took it ...

 

 

And then there was this guy ... We made a love connection. It's true. See the way he stares into my eyes? He wanted to join my aquarium at home, I know it. But there are rules that kept us apart. I told him to live long and prosper ... and that we will always have this memory ...

 

 So, that was our visit in a nutshell ... awesome exhibits, shark touching, crab holding, learning new things ... etc. But wait! Was that it? Nope ... it got more awesome!!!

Aimee, the director of the Aquarium, and I had such a great time talking. She is so interesting and fun ... and as I mentioned before, full of enthusiasm. Much to my surprise, she invited Isaac and I into the "underground lair" that is the inner workings of the aquarium! She showed us things that most people don't get to see ... and it blew my mind and made me so very happy!

I have always, always, always wanted to become a Marine Biologist. It was my life's dream as a little girl ... and still calls to me today. I took a different path, as we often do in life ... and am glad for it. But boy does that ocean call to me - daily. Well, people like Aimee, who see their passion through, really inspire me ... and I was thrilled to have a tour of the inner workings of the aquarium as well as to spend some of that time getting to know her better. It was a wonderful gift! And probably more than she will ever realize. (Thanks again, Aimee.)

I took a quick picture of her and Isaac (who has decided not to smile for pics anymore).

 She was so lovely. The aquarium was wonderful. Boothbay was stunning. Enjoying the day with my family was/is always priceless. I am so grateful for our day spent there ... and am sure we will return next season.

If you plan a trip to coastal Maine, be sure to include Boothbay ... and the Maine State Aquarium. And when you do ... please send my love to the sharks.

Love,
Jodi



Isaac's Italian Stallion Lemonade Stand.



photo by Krysten Noyes

Isaac is amazing. If you know him, you already know this. If you don't, please allow me to illuminate his awesomeness (as well as the awesomeness of the community we live in). On Sunday, June 3rd, Isaac set up his Italian Stallion Lemonade Stand in West Market Square in Downtown Bangor as part of National Lemonade Day. It was a HUGE success. He raised over $800 in 4 hours and has raised an additional $400+ in the days after. And this is how it all came together ...

Months ago, I received an e-mail from Bangor Parks and Recreation about National Lemonade Day. I asked Isaac if he wanted to participate, and as is his usual, casual style, he simply said, "Sure". We went to the parks & rec to sign up and receive our lemonade stand starter kit. We read through the materials together ... which provided tips on setting your goals, creating your business plan, seeking investors, marketing your biz and everything else that one needs to start a new business venture.  The materials were very comprehensive, easy to understand, and really got Isaac thinking about how to proceed. But first ... what was his goal? The materials provided stories about some fictitious kiddos who wanted skateboards, bikes and other goods ... and how they put together lemonade stands in order to achieve their goals. I read these stories to Isaac and asked him what he would like to shoot for ... a skateboard? A swing set? Legos? He said, (and I am pretty sure this is a direct quote): "I don't really want anything more than I want a little brother." And there it was - his goal.

Isaac wants a little brother. He has for a while. He even asked Santa. But Santa was not able to deliver such a treasure this past year. So, Isaac began to take matters into his own hands. He is adopted. He knows his adoption story very well and is fully aware that adoption is the means by which our family grows. He also knows that the adoption process can be quite expensive. And he wants this little brother so badly, that he is willing to put in the work needed to raise as much money as possible. And he is very serious about this.

Where to start? Well, Isaac learned that it often takes money to make money. We read about seeking out possible investors to help with his starting costs (stand, lemons, sugar, marketing materials, etc) ... and then compiled a list of people to ask to invest in his project. I felt it was very important that Isaac go and talk to these investors on his own. He needed to look them in the eye, shake their hands, tell them about his project, ask them to help, and then ask them what he could do for them in return. Because he is 7 - and I was not sure whether he could pull this off on his own - I wrote to each potential investor ahead of time to summarize what Isaac was hoping to speak to them about. This turned out to be somewhat unnecessary. Isaac was a pro. His first meeting was a bit rocky (he was somewhat tongue tied) but the rest were smooth sailing. He set up meetings with area business folk ... and each and every one of them negotiated terms with him and invested in his project. Some invested money, others invested supplies, while others invested marketing tools, etc. And all simply wanted some lemonade in return.

((( This is where I give a big shout out to those investors! Metropolitan Soul, Nocturnem Draft Haus, Giacomo's, Monahan Design, Hannaford's, Pigeon, Paddy Murphy's, and Winterport Boot Shop. These businesses know what it means to be part of their larger community - please reward them for their generosity! )))

Once the funds were secured, we researched lemonade stand plans via Google ... then Halis (aka Daddy) came up with his own design. Isaac and his Dad built and painted it together ... and the results are pretty cool ...

with storage!

A very important part of this business venture was pulling together the theme for the stand. This also proved to be the most fun (for me at least). Isaac knew early on that he wanted a "Rocky" theme for his biz. We decided on the name: Isaac's Italian Stallion Lemonade as well as the slogan: This Lemonade Really Packs a Punch! Isaac is a huge fan of the Rocky series ... and thinks of Rocky Balboa as a true hero. His Dad and I agree. Rocky was a self-made man ... with a heart of gold ... and determination to see his dreams realized. What better theme for this venture?!

With the help of Brett Settle at Giacomo's, we came up with our own recipe for a fruit punch style lemonade (it was delicious ... and contained raspberry Torani syrup!). We gathered boxing motif goods and a print of the Italian Stallion himself and created what we think was a gorgeous stand. (Isaac's grandparents stopped by during business hours to drop off a punching bag they picked up that day at a yard sale - thus completing the motif). We even had Rocky music (from all 6 films) playing from speakers inside the stand!

Because Isaac was determined to raise as much money as possible, we also set up with baked goods (made by me), houseplants (grown by Isaac and I), and farm fresh eggs (laid by our hens). These were all very well received by his customers. He sold out of baked goods and eggs in very short order.

The day of the event (his grand opening, if you will) was a seriously rainy day. The kind of rainy day that keeps you home cuddled in bed. But thanks to a good friend, Donna Allen, we were prepared with a tent ... and ready for business.

And the rain did not deter anyone! We spent quite a bit of time marketing his opening day (as well as spreading the word about National Lemonade Day) ... and it truly paid off. Monahan Design created our fliers (see above) that we shared throughout the community. We also posted the event on Facebook ... and invited over 1,000 community members. From there, the word quickly spread throughout Bangor. And friends at the Bangor Daily News spread the word as well.

The day of the event was nothing short of amazing! Droves of people came out to support Isaac. There were lines of people waiting for lemonade - in the rain! There were hugs, laughs, dancing ... and generosity beyond my wildest hopes. Some friends drove right up to West Market Square simply to run out of their cars to hand Isaac some cash for his efforts. Strangers came by with their families to support the young man who wants a little brother. Area business folks came over to give Isaac kuddos for his enterprise. It was four hours of pure joy and enthusiasm. And Isaac worked it! I mean, he was quite the business man --- with excellent customer service (we spent the night before watching videos on the subject).



photo by Matt Chabe

Isaac was so very focused on doing this well. He met every customer with a smile and a "Hi. What can I get for you today?" or a "Would you like some lemonade?" followed by "Can I get you a garnish with that (a lemon slice)?" and "Please help yourself to some pastries." And he always ended transactions with a shy but sweet "Thank you." He would break from his work only to hug his friends or pose for pictures ... otherwise, he was fully engaged in making the lemonade, cutting the lemons, pouring, organizing, cleaning, etc. His Dad and I were so impressed. We figured we might have to occasionally get him re-focused throughout the day, but we were wrong. At just 7 years old, he had more discipline and determination than I could have expected.

Toward the end of his shift, a local Bangor Daily News reporter as well as a local WABI camera man dropped by to interview Isaac about his fundraising campaign. Again, he impressed the heck out of us. So mature, so kind, so focused. His television piece can be seen by clicking HERE. His news article can be read HERE. (Thank you to both venues for giving this some attention).

In the end - wow - what a day! I spent most of it near tears at the generosity of our community. Bangor is truly the best place to live on earth. Or at least we think so. And the Lemonade Day program is genius. Such a great way to show kids how to live the American Dream ... how to set goals and how to see them through to their fruition. We were so glad to participate in this event in the community that we love. (A hearty thank you to all!)

Isaac worked hard to raise $868 on Lemonade Day. His goal was $1500 - the cost of an adoption application/home study at the Good Samaritan Agency in Bangor. And though he was very happy to raise over half of his goal that day, he was over the moon to discover that our mailbox was full of envelopes from around the country throughout the following week. Folks who read the article online sent him funds from as far away as Alaska. Friends who couldn't make this opening day sent funds as well, by mail and through Paypal. By the end of the week, he had another $400 toward his goal. Imagine that! Over $1200 toward his goal. Amazing.



these girls are continuing to raise money for Isaac - such lovely ladies

I have no doubt that Isaac will find a way to bring another child into our family. And in short order. We have plans to set up his lemonade stand at various venues this summer, throughout Bangor. He also has some other fundraising ideas in mind. And though his parents have other thoughts about this, he is determined that his little brother's name will be Gabriel. I have no doubt that Isaac will be the best big brother to sweet little Gabriel. We can't wait to meet him.

Again, thank you to all involved. We will keep you posted on this progress via this blog.

For those who would like to contribute to Isaac's efforts, we will post his address/paypal in the comments section of this article.

Love and Peace ...
Jodi
(aka proud Mama)

postscript: Isaac has since earned nearly $3,000 in adoption fundraising events as of 2/10/14. :)