Top 5 places to take your kids to around Southwest, Missouri

I love summer! It the best time to spend with the kids. Just click on the name and it will take you to their website. There are a lot of great places to go so here are my top 5 places to take my kids during the summer:

1.)    CarouselPark in Joplin, MO. - This is like a mini theme park it has lot, s of great things like: the only go carts in the area, jumping pillow, bumper boats, mini golf, batting cages; then there are the theme park rides like bumper cars, Ferris wheel, train, elephant ride(spinning ride), go gator roller coaster, mermaid (another spinning ride), carousel, tiger terror roller coaster, a ride called the light tower, the tilt a whirl, and a crazy ride called the whirlwind.

2.)     Splash Country or Grand Country Inn- Both names are the same place and they are located down in Branson, MO. The kids love the indoor and outdoor water park. I love that we can stay at a hotel and not have to drive in the traffic to go somewhere to keep the kids happy. This place is awesome they have everything. You can stay at a cheaper motel and go here or stay the night here. I love the fact that you have both options, and the kids love the water parks!

3.)    BransonScenic Railway – I think every child should know what a train ride feels like! I love it the kids love it. This is definitely a fun for all I get to sit back and relax for this one hour 45 minute trip that takes passengers through tunnels, over trestles, and through the southwest Missouri or northwest Arkansas wilderness that is still home to much wildlife and to the ruins of long-ago communities now named only on railroad maps. It’s a must!

4.)    DickersonPark Zoo – Who doesn’t love the zoo? We love going to the zoo, plus you can get membership bonuses.  Members of Friends of the Zoo help make Dickerson Park Zoo a first-class facility. FOZ helps care for the animals, construct new exhibits, provide fun, meaningful education experiences and makes possible participation in Species Survival Plans that are saving animals from extinction – all while giving members the time of their lives at the zoo! What you get with the membership is: Free admission to Dickerson Park Zoo for one year; free subscription to the zoo magazine, WildTimes; Free admission to the members-only preview of Halloween SPOOKTACULAR and half-priced admission on the other nights of the event; two one-day admission passes for your friends. Invitations to "members only" events; Discounts on education programs and children's birthday party packages. 10% discount at the SAFARI TRADING COMPANY gift shop. And, free or discounted admission to more than 100 zoos across the United States and Canada.

5.)    Worlds ofFun and Oceans of Fun -Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun are two adjoining theme parks with roller coasters, shows, water shenanigans, and attractions for people of all ages. A world of Fun is the premier amusement park destination in the Midwest -- offering 175 acres of excitement and fun for every member of the family. For thrill seekers, an impressive line-up of seven world-class roller coasters and dozens of thrill rides offers dips and loops ranging from big too small. Here’s one review of the Parks: World's of Fun is the majoramusement park here in Kansas City, Missouri. Set in a comfortable, usuallyshaded, grassy and tree lined park, the atmosphere is wonderful. The ridesaren't all smooshed together, there are plenty of benches for the ole fuddyduddies, and most of the lines for rides are through a covered area which isgreat on a 100 degree day.Roller CoastersThe newest of all coasters is the Boomerang! It is pretty good, but a ratherlong wait for such a short ride. You climb into the "train" just likeall other roller coasters, but instead of sending you on your way you findyourself being dragged backward up a hill. Once at the top, you are released,moving very quickly past all the people still waiting their turn, up into atriple loop, and then shoot up the next hill ... catching at the top. Once itreleases you from this end, you are sent reeling backward through the tripleloop and back up the other hill, finally settling you back with your waitingfriends. It is definitely a rush ... but the short timing just wasn't worthstanding in line again for another 20 minutes.The Orient Express and the Mamba are the other two steel roller coasters. TheOrient was KC's first to have complete loops ... the Mamba boasts the highestroller coaster around. Both are great rides, of course the best time to get anyof the coasters is in the morning before everyone gets there.The Timber Wolf is KC's only wooden roller coaster. Although a lot of peopleenjoy the viciousness of an all-wood roller coaster, I don't ride this one veryoften. With as much as you are thrown side-to-side, you may end up with aheadache for the rest of the day.The Wet Rides!The Viking Voyager is one ride that I think all amusement parks have. The logride that takes you and a few of your friends through a river of twists andturns, making it's way upward all the time, preparing you for the drop down,splashing into the lake, thereby leaving everyone soaked.I prefer the Fury of the Nile on hot days .. relax while you and 5 of yourfriends gently float down a river, cool, refreshing, and very surprisingly WET!That is if you get hit with any of the fountains, but even if you somehow missthose, it's really hard to miss the waterfall you are sent through.Other Cool RidesSome of my favorites would have to include the Detonator (sit in a chair and berocketted 10 stories straight up); the Finish Fling (get stuck against the wallof a rotating barrel as the floor drops out from under you); and the Zulu (itjust goes around in circles ... from a horizontal circle into a vertical circle- but very nauseating!).Don't Like The Rides ... Try a Game of Skill (er, chance)Like all parks, seeing the guys win stuffed animals for their pretty girlsisn't anything new here. My son won a blow up hammer, and both my daughters wonstuffed spider monkeys. My hubby didn't win me anything!You can throw balls into hoops, milk cans, and barrels, or try tossing ringsaround coke bottles. Although these games are possible to win, I wouldrecommend just heading for the good ole gift store and purchasing the one youreally like, and just pretend you won it! :-)How About a Show?Ok, so you can't do hours and hours of beating your body up by trying everyride 3-5 times? Check out one of the shows in the park. There are two insidestage shows (great for cooling off); an aquatic arena (which could be quitecooling if you site in the middle of the front three rows); and a shaded areawhere they show off the parrots.Stax of Wax is probably my favorite. The singers dance to oldies but goodies,working their way up through the modern music too. I took my one year old nieceto this show in hopes of getting her cooler and calmer, she just sat on my lapthe entire time clapping her hands and jiggling her butt!What Can The Younger Kids Do??Great question... We spent part of our time at Bernstein Bear Country which isdesigned for the youngest of the park visitors. Most of the rides here requireyou to be less than 48" tall, so finally, they get to play and you get towatch.They have small roller coasters, the boats that go around in circles, and alarge indoor scientific museum. This museum is a hands on experience of howthings work and you'll usually find a lot of the dads playing with thecomputers and whack a frog too!

The End!

I am not sure I am happy about leaving this class. I love the venting blogs or getting to ramble about my life and then getting comments from unknown faces. This semester the blogs have made me feel better about things in my life and I have gotten lots of great feedback from people I don't even know what they look like. I have to say this doesn't feel like an online classes. It feels like a real class because I have made friends and passed notes(lol). I mean homework was the best! You learned to write different types of term papers, lean about things going on right now in our lives, and you get to write a blog about anything you want. If every online class was this fun, educational, and interactive I would look forward to school work more. I hate writing this blog because I feel like I am loosing friends, feels like high school graduation all over again. So, to my many faceless class mates I say good bye, enjoy the summer (I know I will), and good luck in the future. To our wonderful professor Holly Chism, please stay as wonderful as you already are and please tell me how you can make an online class feel like a real class.
Thank-you all I have enjoyed reading your blogs and my two cents are gone with the wind.

Is there another funeral in my future?

Okay so my last two weeks have stunk! I keep trying to think positive but I can’t. My friends mom Died R.I.P Lynn and then two days later my grandma passed away R.I.P. Virginia Wilson, then two days after that my mother-in-law had a heart attack. I have been staying up in Kansas City with her and have not done any homework so now I am way behind. She just got out of the hospital yesterday. She was at KU, but, the worst part is that the doctors said we might as well start planning another funeral. Most married people don’t get along with their in laws and I for one was one of them and to some I am still am but, this woman who ten years ago I would not cared if anything happened to her has become a wonderful mother-in-law to me and she has always been a wonderful grandmother. Well, I care! I am scared I don’t want her to die! My husband has been gone these past three weeks in an unknown location with the military and I just got to talk to him yesterday and let him know what is going on. He is completely devastated and now we are going to meet at her house on Monday. It is so hard sometimes. I know that both good and bad things come and three’s but, this hurts so bad. I have been to my wonderful therapist 8 times in two weeks. She actually thought I made the whole thing up till I showed her the obituaries and showed her a picture of my mother-in-law in the hospital.


Okay really bad thing is I don’t understand hospitals. If she is bleeding internally don’t you think it’s your job to find where she is bleeding and fix it? Also, they say her heart still is not working right and that two valves are plugged and not working. Yet; they sent this woman home! Told her she could only drink two liters a day and if she gained more than 3lbs in a day or could not wake up, move, or something to that affect to bring her back. I think they should have just kept her and made sure she was okay and fixed everything. Okay so I am like two test behind with finals next week and also I didn’t write my 4th paper for this class; so I am pretty sure my eyes are going to see very bad grades, or the fact that I might fail a class or two now. That leads to lose my FASFA or even be put on academic suspension. I am not sure what the bright side is but, if I find one I will let you know. Alright I am off here and back to Kansas City Monday hopefully with enough prayers everything will be alright and I might pass this semester of classes.

Trump For President? Give me a break!!

Okay so I give it that Donald Trump is some kind of celebrity, but do you really think he is right to lead a country? Well, I for one like the show celebrity apprentice, but I sure and the heck would never vote for a celebrity to become president! I have heard everybody say oh he would make a good president because he is very intelligent with money. He has great business sense. Okay but, where does it say he has the qualifications to run for president. Has anyone thought of where he is going to come up with the money to help out are National Deficit? He is a man that gets people to give him money! So, as Americans the people are you going to be willing to open your pocket book and hand him money to pay off our national debt? I for one am not; and if you are willing to give money to help with our national debt then start helping now it shouldn’t matter who is in office. Either you’re going to help or you’re not!


Everybody thinks it is a joke that Donald Trump is telling about running for president but, “appearing on The O'Reilly Factor, Bernie Goldberg reported that, according to his source, Trump really is going to run.”I spoke to someone today, Bill. Someone who was in a position to know and that person tells me that Donald Trump has made up his mind and that as of today, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will, he will run for the nomination of the Republican nomination for President of the United States. That's as of today. And that's barring any unforeseen circumstances."” So, there you have it he is going to run. Yea! NOT!

I for one am concerned after reading an article on CNN it said: What most observers picked up from this small moment was: A) Trump would not be a poll-tested, talking point candidate. B) He would be willing to challenge audiences in front of him, caring less about their applause and more about speaking his own mind. C) There is an authenticity to him. There was something about his speaking up for a newly respected America that rang honest and sincere -- and most importantly, was needed. Okay so the man knows how to talk and con people but, he has no knowledge in politics. If he wanted to run for president maybe he should have went to college then became a senator, then a governor, and then ran for president. I think when people look or refer to Donald Trump all they see is a wealthy business man, but won’t they don’t think about is that him being wealthy means he is the opposite of Robin Hood instead of stealing from the rich and giving to the poor he is going to still from the poor and give to the rich. He is only running for president because that is the highest point on the totem pole.

I agree with what Huff Post has to say about Donald Trump running for president. They say: Donald Trump continues to parade himself around the media as if people in this country actually care about his potential candidacy in 2012. I don't think they do. This is a circus and it's fake.


Trump gives public service a bad image. It's not about flash, it's not about wealth, and it's not about hairstyle. It's about doing something for people and being an advocate for the community you represent. Trump, well, he's done none of that... ever.


Donald Trump is no more a serious candidate than me going back to North Dakota in an attempt to get a Senate run going. And I must say, at least they asked me.


Who has shown any interest in Donald Trump being the next president of the United States other than Donald Trump? Nobody.


The Republican Party isn't banging on his door, and the hilarious part of this is that he's trying to court the tea party through the birthers.


Trump is screaming to the public, "Please, pay attention to me! I'm important! I can get on any show I want! I could be president! And I'm thinking about it!"


You know what I say? "So what?"


Have you noticed in all of the interviews he has been giving, that he never has any solutions, no real answers other than verbal bomb throwing?


I'd like to know, Mr. Trump, what's your plan for 15 million Americans unemployed in this country? How about the 50 million uninsured Americans when it comes to health insurance? How about the poor, do you have a plan for them?


Trump doesn't talk about that stuff -- he continues to harp on the fact that he screwed somebody in a land deal and that's proof he can do a great job in foreign relations.


But when it comes down to the devil in the detail of dealing with the issues of the people and making real change, Trump, you don't have it. You've never had it. Money is not a measure of a man's character or success in the arena of public service.


I'm curious, where do you stand on the farm bill? Do you know anything about it? I'd like Donald Trump to tell the American people what state he thinks he can win. Maybe with all his money he can create a state.


Mr. Trump, stop embarrassing yourself.

Amen to the man who wrote this article in the newspaper! Please people I am begging you think before you vote! We only get one vote and I hope you make yours count and vote for anybody but this man!