Nothing could stop Dad. After he was put on disability for a bad back, he bought a small farm in the country, just enough to grow food for the family. He planted vegetables, fruit trees and even kept bees for honey.

    And every week he cleaned Old Man McColgin's chicken house in exchange for manure(肥料). The smell really burned the inside of your nose. When we complained about the terrible smell, Dad said the stronger the manure, the healthier the crops, and he was right. For example, just one of his cantaloupes filled the entire house with its sweet smell, and the taste was even sweeter.

    As the vegetables started coming in, Dad threw himself into cooking. One day, armed with a basket of vegetables, he announced he was going to make stew(炖菜).Dad pulled out a pressure cooker and filled it up with cabbages, eggplants, potatoes, corns, onions and carrots. For about half an hour, the pressure built and the vegetables cooked. Finally, Dad turned off the stove, the pot began to cool and the pressure relief valve sprayed out a cloud of steam. If we thought Dad's pile of chicken manure was bad, this was 10 times worse. When Dad took off the lid, the smell nearly knocked us out.

    Dad carried the pot out and we opened doors and windows to air out the house. Just how bad was it? The neighbors came out of their houses to see if we had a gas leak!

    Determined, Dad filled our plates with steaming stew and passed them around. It didn't look that bad, and after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell, it didn't offend the nose so much, either. I took a taste. It would never win a prize in a cooking competition, but it was surprisingly edible, and we drank up every last drop of soup!

    Our room was on the second floor but you could still hear the roar of the ocean and see the stars at night. I used to take long walks along the water. The food in town was wonderful and the people were very friendly. The area was very quiet and peaceful, and fairly deserted.

    The last evening of our vacation, however, we all heard strange footsteps following closely behind us as we were walking up to our room in the holiday centre. We turned around and noticed a fairly young man moving very rapidly across the beach and getting closer to us. He was tall and wore a baseball cap. We couldn't see his face and he was approaching us very rapidly. The man's actions made my dad very nervous. Dad warned us that we'd better try to make it to our hotel room as quickly as possible. I didn't like my dad's voice; I could hear fear in it. It was late and we were all alone. We didn't have any cell phones on us. I never saw Dad as worried as he was then and I knew that something was terribly wrong. The sense of fear started to overwhelm Mom and me. We had had such a good time in town. Now, the night was rapidly turning into a dangerous situation.

    We could hear the man's footsteps getting closer. Dad's face was almost pale. The so-called intruder (侵入者) had moved nearer and nearer when all of a sudden, the nearby vending (自动贩卖) machine started going crazy and spitting out cans of soda! The noise actually scared the intruder and he ran out of sight. My parents were shaking, but we all turned around to see who had put money into the vending machine downstairs, and actually saved us, but no one was around at all. Not a soul.

    It's one vacation I will never forget.

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    What do Tom Sawyer and jumping frogs have in common? Stories about both of them were created by one man：Mark Twain. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Mark Twain was his pen name. When Twain was 4, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, lying on the west bank of the Mississippi. Twain grew up there and was attracted greatly with life along the river - the steamboats, the big wooden boats, and the people who worked on them.

    The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country is one of Twain's best-loved short stories, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of his most famous novels. Both these works are celebrated by events held during National Tom Sawyer Days. There's also a fence-painting competition to see who can paint the fastest. The idea for this competition comes from a scene in Tom Sawyer, in which Tom has been told to paint the fence in front of the house he lives in. It's a beautiful day, and he would rather be doing anything else. As his friends walk by, he persuades them to paint with him for fun, and they all join in the "fun". By the end of the day, the fence has three coats of paint!

    Although the story of Tom Sawyer is not true, it's based on fact. If you go to Hannibal,, you'll see the white fence, which still stands at Twain's boyhood home.

    Poet William Stafford once said that we are defined more by the detours (绕行路) in life than by the narrow road toward goals. I like this image. But it was quite by accident that I discovered the deep meaning of his words.

For years we made the long drive from our home in Seattle to my parents' home in Boise in nine hours. We traveled the way most people do: the fastest, shortest, easiest road, especially when I was alone with four noisy, restless kids who hate confinement (限制) and have strong opinions about everything.

    Road trips felt risky, so I would drive fast, stopping only when I had to. We would stick to the freeways and arrive tired.

    But then Banner, our lamb was born. He was rejected by his mama days before our planned trip to Boise. I had two choices: leave Banner with my husband, or take him with me. My husband made the decision for me.

    That is how I found myself on the road with four kids, a baby lamb and nothing but my everlasting optimism to see me through. We took the country roads out of necessity. We had to stop every hour, let Banner shake out his legs and feed him. The kids chased him and one another. They'd get back in the car breathless and energized, smelling fresh from the cold air.

    We explored side roads, catching grasshoppers in waist-high grass. Even if we simply looked out of the car windows at baby pigs following their mother, or fish leaping out of the water, it was better than the best ride down the freeway. Here was life. And new horizons (见识).

    We eventually arrived at my parents' doorstep astonishingly fresh and full of stories.

    I grew brave with the trip back home and creative with my disciplining technique. On an empty section of road, everyone started quarreling. I stopped the car, ordered all kids out and told them to meet me up ahead. I parked my car half a mile away and read my book in sweet silence.

    Some road trips are by necessity fast and straight. But that trip with Banner opened our eyes to a world available to anyone adventurous enough to wander around and made me realize that a detour may uncover the best part of a journey—and the best part of yourself.

    Here are some events in the following months. Have a look and pick out your favorite.

    AVCS Informational Tour

    Aliso Viejo Christian School, a highly rated private school, which serves children in grades, invites potential families to its annual AVCS informational tour. Come and see its facility, meet its staff, check out its curriculum and amazing programs. The tour would love to share the school with you and answer any questions.

    Location: AVCS Campus

    German Immigrants Exhibition

    German immigrants played a huge role in shaping Indianapolis through the 19th century. They brought educational reform, political activity and greenhouse farming. In addition to produce, these immigrants also kept their communities full of flowers and trees, know about this part of history in October.

    Location: Indiana Historical Society

    Whale Watching

    Gray whales migrate (迁徙) annually along the west coast of North America. They can be seen from the Orange County coast from December through early April. Summer and fall bring the giant blue whales. They can be seen from June through September. Since the gray whales migrate just a few miles off the coast, simple sail from Newport Beach enables you to see these spectacular creatures in their natural habitat.

    Location: Newport Beach

    Sunday Brunch(早午餐)

    Sunday brunch is a wonderful way to enjoy your weekend. At View Restaurant, Sunday brunch is always accompanied by champagne, spectacular views and unique atmosphere. The menu includes traditional breakfast foods and lunch favorites like barbeque and fresh fish selections. You can also choose to view sporting events in the restaurant. With enough variety to satisfy every appetite from kids to adults, this is one Sunday brunch you'll keep coming back to!

    Location: View Restaurant

    I can't remember the first time one of my children told me, "I hate you." I can, however, tell you that it still happens occasionally, but it doesn't bother me. As their father, I often say things that are unpopular. If they hate me once in a while, I know I'm doing a good job.

    There are three other words that I won't allow in my house, however. Last week, I was watching my older son play with a paper airplane. After he accidentally threw it into a wall and it came apart, his eyes welled up with tears.

    "I hate myself," he said. It wasn't the first time he'd said it, and I was concerned that he'd started to actually believe it.

    I knelt down next to him and made him look into my eyes. I told him that I never wanted to hear those words again, and that he needed to respect himself.

    The difference between your kid telling you they hate you and them saying they hate themselves is that, five minutes later, they've already forgotten they "hate you". Self-hate is much more potentially poisonous and for young people, it can linger into the rest of their life.

    Kids who start to believe they hate themselves sometimes struggle to form new friendships. As teenagers, they avoid the chance to connect with a potential love interest, because they assume they'll be rejected. And as adults, they might choose not to apply for the dream job because they assume it won't work out.

    I know this is true, because I didn't have a high opinion of myself as a child. I found myself struggling in many areas, and I'd hate to see my children suffer the same fate.

    Sometimes, words are just words. But some words can make the kind of impact I'd very much like to avoid for my children. I don't fear strong language; I fear language that makes us weak.