Field Trips

Somedays I feel like we could spend a year doing just field trips and still have plenty of places I would want to go. Yes, my ideal field trip is to the beach. There is so much to study there - ocean animals, seaside biomes, lighthouses, tides, etc. But there is more to life than just the beach (so they tell me).

In planning our trip to NJ, I am planning "lay-overs" to visit family outside Baltimore and Washington, DC. The possibilities for field trips at these two locales seem endless. How do I pick just 2 or 3 things to see in each city? Afterall, we are supposed to be there to visit family - which is another thing I love to do. (Any talk of a family reunion at a beach would be A-okay with me!!)

Then I picked up something about the Appalachain Mountains at a NC Welcome Center. Turns out to be Geotourism MapGuide put together by National Geographic. It lists hundreds of places of interest along the mountains. Battle sites, places to ride steam engine trains, art centers, farms, caverns - the list goes on.

Tomorrow, we are going to the Discovery Place Museum in Charlotte. So today, I am getting ready. I have made extra sandwich rolls to bring with us so we can picnic for lunch. I have made PB Oatmeal cookies for us to snack on. I have washed our field trip outfits (red polo shirts, jeans, yellow sweatshirts - you can't miss us of you try). I have ironed demin dresses and white headcoverings for Sarah and me. It's 2:30pm and I'm ready to go to bed.

I think the idea of taking a year just for field trips is intriging. I think the best way to do it is in an RV. Oh, and bringing a maid would help too! LOL

Homeschool Curriculum

For the first few years of homeschooling, I used the Five in a Row curriculum. It worked well for us. However, my older children are too old for basic FIAR and I don't want to be doing 2 unit studies every day. So I am trying to find something new.

I believe the Lord is leading me to Heart of Wisdom Unit Studies. However, I tend to be impulsive, so I am trying to research this a bit before I buy. Of course, they are having a sale ending March 15th, so I am trying to research quickly. So here is what I have found so far:

Pros:

• Bible-centered curriculum (This alone should get it ++++!)
• Unit Study that can be adapted for multiple ages
• Well reviewed by the reviews I read.

Cons:

• May need more prep than I am used to. I like to prep, but don't always remember to prioritize it.
• May be expensive, but then again we have our tax refund. I don't want to waste it on something we won't use, but will happily invest it in my children's education and spiritual grounding.
• No one on the Homeschool message boards I frequent seems familiar with it. (I did find a review by "Mary Arnold". I have e-mailed the Mary Arnold I know from the FIAR Boards to see if this is her.)

So I pray, consult my husband, and continue to research this.

BTW, I put a picture of my family on my profile page. We are not happy about the composition of the picture - we look like we are about to fall out of the left side of the picture. Also, John should be in back to minimize his, well, you know. And I should have put belts on the boys. But they still are cute, aren't they?

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Trip Planning

I love to plan trips! Of course, I only really enjoy them if I get to go on them. Otherwise, what was the point?

Our next trip is to NJ, Lord willing. We are hoping to go in June - warm enough to not need heat a t night, but not so hot we melt. The motivation for the trip is my father wished to be interred in the garden where my brother is interred. My brother will be taking care of that. Hopefully our trips will coordinate, but his schedule is hard to plan around. So, I have pick some dates and am planning on them until further notice.

I am planning for us to leave June 10th. The first day, we hope to drive to Ellicott City, MD. John's sister just moved to that area. We hope to camp at Patapsco Valleey State Park. We will visit with the cousins and go to church with them. SIL's dh has recently started pastoring a church there - it will great to hear him preach again. We might go to Baltimore while we are there, possibly to the Aquarium.

On Tuesday, we will drive to Glen Gardner, NJ. We hope to camp at Voorhees State Park. We have friends to visit in the area and also hope to visit NYC and the Jersey Shore. On Sunday, we will go to the church John attended growing up - Covenant Chapel. After church we plan to drive to Fairfax Station, VA and visit with John's brother and family, maybe do DC, before driving home on the 20th.

Because of my family's food sensitivities, I will need to plan all our food in advance and bring much of it with us. This should keep me busy for a few days!

I'll try to post more as our plans become more concrete.

My father

My father died 12/21/05. He had been sick and we knew the end was near. Still, I was very sad when my brother called to tell me he had died in his sleep. I had always wanted to have one more chance to see him and tell him Iloved him, as I had done just the saturday before his death.

My mother decided to wait a month for the memorial service, to avoid ruining anyone's holiday. The memorial will be this Saturday. My mother and brother met with the pastor last week to discuss the service. The pastor asked that I e-mail him and thoughts I had to help him with the service. Here is what I wrote:

Dear Pastor,

My brother Greg told me you would like me to e-mail you the things I am grateful to my father for. I hope the following will help you in preparing for Saturday’s Memorial Service.

I am grateful to my father for instilling in me a love of the English Language. I was taught to use precisely and to enjoy its nuances. I was also taught an appreciation for the humor it contained, mostly in the form of very bad puns.

I am grateful to my father for giving me a love of music. God has used music to give me joy, solace, comfort, and strength. My father also gave me the courage to use my gift of singing to bless others.

Mostly, I am grateful to my father for the years of wonderful memories I have of him. I was blessed to know him not just as a father, but as a friend and traveling companion. I will miss his joy at singing along to a good song. I will miss his laugh at hearing a good joke. I will miss his smile and I will miss his hugs.

In closing, I would like to share with you two of my father’s favorite quotes. In speaking of jokes, my father would often tell us, "If you have to explain them, they’re no good!" And the advice I wish I would always remember, "Make sure brain is in gear, before mouth is in motion."

Thank you for the source of comfort and strength you have been to my family during this hard time.

Just a quick note

I have two little blond haired boys sitting by me. One has darker blond hair in unkempt curls. He is quiet now, having just woken up from a nap. He has made a "bed" by my feet with his Maya (blanket), Pony, Baby (doll), and DDY (stuffed dog). He is wearing his new hat from grandmother, knitted with red yarn and with a bell on top.

The other is cranky and loud, having not napped or even eaten his lunch (dreaded potatoes!). His white blond hair has darker undertones. He lies on the couch asking if he can get up yet with his new red hat beside him. It has a silver button on the top.

Blue eyes stare up at me. Some are peaceful, some are red-rimmed. Both fill my heart with love and joy. Two sets of red lips - one making the sucking motion of a tired toddler, one trembling and pouting.

Button noses, chubby cheeks, curly-Q ears, peaches and cream skin. "Children are a blessing of the Lord" Ain't that the truth!

My first post

I have created this blog in hopes that by putting my life out there in cyber-space, I will be more accountable. I am hoping to use you, my viewing audience, to motivate me to do the things I hope to do - have devotions, lose weight, teach school, and be a better Mommy and "Beautiful Bride".

So far today, I have done one thing well. I went shopping at Bargains. 2 carts of groceries for $86. Not bad. The groceries are mostly put away. I'm avoiding the cabinet that has ants in it until dh gets that taken care of.

The dc are now watching Croc Hunter Movie while the youngest naps. I guess their school today is learning about animals in Australia.

More soon.