Family Vacation :: Part Three

Sorry for the silence.  With officially homeschooling the boys, trying to sleep train baby girl, and then working on a pretty big project for someone my "free" time just isn't there much.  Although, if I didn't care so much about the "news" and other Internet ramblings I could probably have a bunch of time to commit to this blog. 

 

I have often wondered how my parents raised four kids without the Internet.  It's so nice to be able to turn to Dr. Google when something comes up.  The down fall to the Internet is that it's a time trap! I spend way too much time on it.  With looking up home school ideas or curriculum.  To free toddler girl clothing patterns.  To pinterest for birthday ideas and themes.  Need I saying anything about the resources for shopping and finding deals??  Sometimes I feel like my time on the Internet could last days and I still wouldn't be satisfied with everything I would want to read. 

Onto the official post of the evening.  It's been three months since we took our family vacation/road trip to Louisiana and I have one last post to finish up our trip for you. 

 

I guess you could say this vacation was a two-parter.  The first part being in Louisiana with family and the second part was spending time in Oklahoma. 

 

We are not sure if or when we will go this far east again so we figured we should check out Oklahoma while we were over in that general area of the United States.  We didn't have any plans to speak of but we did have some general ideas on what we might like to see or do.  It's not easy to plan a trip when your mode of transportation is 40' long. 

 

We were told the Oklahoma City Zoo was awesome so we figured we wanted head there.  I can tell you we were not disappointed at all!  It was big but not overwhelmingly big like the San Diego zoo.  Through out the zoo there were several playgrounds for various ages and misters to help cool you off, a splash pad, merry-go-round, and even swan paddle boats.  I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone going through OKC to stop at their zoo. 

 

 

 

Once we left the zoo in O.K.C. we headed for Clinton, Oklahoma.  We found that in Clinton there was an indoor water park connected to an RV park.  This little ol' water park was the hit of the whole trip for the boys.  To this day Bug still asks to go back there. 

 

The boys riding their bikes at the RV park. 

 

 

Bug using his serious cowboy look to show off his new boots we picked up for him in O.K.C.

 

Bug, by far, had the most fun at this water park.  He was tall enough to ride on the three water slides.  On one in particular he could go solo and really enjoyed the privilege of being able to do so.  The park was big enough to not feel crowded but it wasn't so big that you would get lost so I had no problem letting Bug do his thing.  Of course I would keep a good eye on him but I trusted him and the situation. 

 

 

Just before we arrived in OKC the Daddy-O could no longer deny that he wasn't sick.  By the second day at this water park Squishy was the next confirmed victim so he kind of had a second rough day there.  We had hoped to stay longer our second day there but with two of the five sick and long, long drive home we felt it was time to get the show on the road. 

 

Our two day drive home was a rough one.  When we left Clinton for home I thought I just had just  two sick with a cold however that night when we landed in Roswell, New Mexico Bug came down with a stomach bug and was sick.  We spent a few hours there before we packed up and traveled on.  We were afraid of being stranded somewhere with everyone sick so we wanted to get home as fast as possible.  After an hour or two on the road the Daddy-O had to pull over for some much needed rest.

 

Off the side of the road in somewhere in New Mexico was this pretty little spot.  Squish, Annie and I tried to make the best of the situation with ourselves while the Daddy-O and Bug rested in the RV.

 

 

 

Now it's been three months since this trip and my mind is a little fuzzy but I believe it took us somewhere around 12+ hours to get home that day from Roswell, New Mexico to Tucson, Arizona.  The Daddy-O had to pull over several times for power naps.  Sometimes I just needed a break but we finally did make it home.

 

I was pretty over this trip when we finally walked in our house that night but now I am able to look back on it and miss this time.  My memories are now mostly of all the good times and not of all the trials we experienced.

 

In sharing the highs and lows of this trip with some friends recently they commented that they felt like this wasn't a good trip and I think maybe they even used the term awful.  I was sad to here that.  Yes, during times of this trip it did feel a bit awful.  The last day coming home was beyond AWFUL but we survived it and it is now that I can smile and think back on this trip with some very fond memories.  I am very thankful that we did this road trip with three little ones in our RV.  I am thankful for every experience we faced, good and bad.  And, I am just beyond thankful that we are blessed enough to be able to take on these challenges and trips for our kids.

ten months & a family update

Our baby girl is ten months old.  With each baby we have had it seems the speed of time accelerates.  My baby girl was just born yesterday and now I am planning her first birthday party!  My little girl is growing up!

 

 

 

Having her is not only a joy to us all but it's so fun for me to experience the difference between boys and girls. 

 

At ten months of age baby girl....

 

....has three teeth.

...can take a few short steps unassisted.

...says "mama" and "dadda".

...beyond adores her brothers.

 

 

Home school is under way. 

 

Excuse me while I pause and admire just how handsome my boys are. 

 

As I always tell them..."I am raising you to be respectable young men" and I hope it shows.

 

 

At the end of last month we went to the White Mountains for a long weekend.  I love, LOVE, it up there but it also makes me sick for Idaho.

 

Thanks to Aunt Kissy and Uncle Dude who let us borrow their toy we had lots of muddy fun!

 

 



A big change is coming....

My oldest is five and I have been asked several times when and where he will be attending school this year.  I know I have mentioned a time or two (or three) about our desires to home school but that has been it....a mention, a time or two (or more).  I thought I would (try) to take the time today to discuss with you a bit more about our plans. 

 

First: 
Why homeschooling?

 

For us there was never another option.  Way back in the day when the topic of starting our family was brought up we knew two things: One; I would be a SAHM and two; we would home school.

 

We feel like any and all raising of our kids would be done by us.  For us this is our job and our priority. 

 

Second:

I know this will find offend most however we don't want our kids to get the type of socialization that comes from putting 25-30 kids in an institution for 7+ hours a day.  I read this bit over at another blog confessions of a homeschooler and I really like how she put it.....

 

....I think I misunderstand the word socialization as that the notion that spending time with 30 other 6 year olds is in some way ‘socializing’ my child. I read this in an article by Manfred B Zyskthis: “Go to your local middle school, junior high, or high school, walk down the hallways, and tell me which behavior you see that you think our son should emulate.” LOL! I looked up the word ‘socialization’ and found some disturbing things. I do not want to ‘convert or adapt my children to the needs of society’. I do want them to be able to function in our society, but that does not mean they need to be assimilated into society like the Borg. We are in this world, but not of this world.

And third:

I need the re-education.  Honestly.  I went through the public school district and I didn't do as well as what I was capable of. 

 (Part of our un-schooling: culinary classes with Mama!
Yes, both my 5 and 3 year old know how to use knives)
 

 

Our Plan:

 

Really since the days my babies were born I've been homeschooling them.  Once they reached the age to where they could sit still for 10 minutes and not want to munch on the book I would read to them.  They each get a book read to them at nap and again at bed time.  There bottom shelf of their closet is lined with books.  My mom loved books and she raised us to love them too and this something that I have passed down to my kids.  Reading books is an activity that they love and enjoy.

 

I have tried to sit down several times with my oldest, Bug, to start some informal preschool but he never showed much interest.  He loves learning but the brakes are quickly applied once it's put into a formal setting.  I never wanted to push the issue and make learning a miserable experience.  Now that he has reached the magical age of five and by the standards adopted here locally he should be starting kindergarten this year.

 

My goals for the rest of this year are to take it light.  I want to get our feet wet but not so wet that we become overwhelmed and have a bad experience.  I know first hand that when an education is enjoyable it's desired and I want this to go well.  Come the start of 2015 I hope to ramp things up a bit more.

Currently, the boys go to my mom's house on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30ish to 3:00ish.  We will do our school work on Mondays and Wednesdays with Fridays having a focus on more hands on science activities.  Come the first of the year they will stop going to my mom's house on Tuesdays but will still have their Grammy time on Thursdays. 

After doing years and years worth of research I think our style of teaching will be somewhere between traditional and the un-schooling method.  I feel both boys already know so much because the Daddy-O and I are constantly seeking out those "teachable moments" and using them to our advantage.  The traditional schooling will be used to sort of "fill in the blanks" if you will.

(In the kitchen my boys are learning science and math)

 

My Curriculum (thus far) for the remainder of this year are:

 

Fortunately, I have an older sister who has paved the way for me on this and has given me a ton of advice and resources.  You can buy a complete curriculum for lots of money that may or may not work for each child or you can piece one together which is the route I am taking. 

 

Mind you I am no expert because this is all new for me but based upon the advice from dear older sister and with many days searching the Internet here is my curriculum:

 

Bug:

Reading:  All About Reading

Penmanship: Confessions of a Homeschooler
General education reinforcement:  Leap Frog Kindergarten Skill-Builder Workbook

 

Squish:
I am not going to push Squish into anything but I know he will have an interest just because Bug is doing "school work".  So for him there will be

General education:  Kumon, My First Book of Tracing
I have also printed several other things for him to work on through these following websites:

http://www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/index.html
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/

Hopefully, come the first of the year I will share with you the additional items I'll be adding to our school year.

Our Annie is 9 months!

My baby is nine months old!!!

 

 

She celebrated the day by getting her first tooth! 

 

I am sure you have noticed that I stopped taking the weekly pictures of Annie.  It became too difficult to manage every week so instead now I am taking them monthly.

 

So what is my Annie like at nine months?

 

She is....

 

...crawling.

...standing up without support.

...cruising furniture.

...squealing like a girl. 

...self-feeding with big people food.

...saying "mama" and just this morning "dada."

...chasing after her brothers as fast as she can.

...playing peek-a-boo!

...clapping.

 

Annie is just a big ball of fun and cute-ness.  She is such an amazing blessing.

 

 

Her nine months stats are:

 

Weight:  15lbs 12oz  =  12th percentile

Height:  27"  =  26th percentile

Head:  44.5cm  =  70th percentile

 

 

 

Family Vacation Part:TWO

In the first post I did about this epic ten day, six states, family road trip we traveled through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and then into Louisiana.   We left Pineville, Louisiana Monday, June 9th and traveled over to Natchez, Mississippi.  Our goal was to stop somewhere near the Mississippi river so we could get out and explore the area.  There is a good chance we might not ever go this far east again and although our kids are young and may not remember much they can at least say they've been there, done that. 

 

 

There is about a 40' problem when doing RV road trips without any tow....it's almost impossible to find a spot to park!  So, with one kid sleeping, the other crawling around trying to find something to put in her mouth and the oldest not seeming to care we just rolled through the bridge twice while I took pictures from the passenger seat. 

 

State five done!

 

Once we left Natchez we traveled on I-20 into Monroe, LA.  West Monroe to be correct.  Our Buggy Boy is a fan of the Duck Boys over at Duck Dynasty so we thought we would make this stop for him.

 

After a nasty down pour we continued on our journey to Shreveport. 

 

 

 

 Here we all are chill-laxin' on the boardwalk at the Red River. 

 

 

Once we explored the great wonders of the Bass Pro Shop we set up shop for a bit in the parking lot to let the kids run around and ride their bikes.

 

Somewhere in small town Oklahoma we stopped for a break because Mama had enough. 

(I just dug through all of our receipts from this trip and I can't find the one for the restaurant we ate at across from this stop).  This little park and its little train kept our boys very busy and happy!

 

 

 

Alright.  Perhaps I'll stop here so you don't get bored and overloaded.  I'll work on a final part three post for you soon!



Pity Party....or not!

There has been one constant nagging issue in my life for the past five or so years.  Most times when I have the blues it's over this one issue.  No, it's not the Daddy-O.  Life in that department is amazing and beautiful with no complaints.  I wanted to do a "Dear Diary" posting of sorts to help clear out my mind but also to give you a bit more of a glimpse on who I am and what makes me tick.

 

However, after blindly being pointed to these words over the past few days I think He has other plans for me.....

 

Proverbs 13:3  

 

He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

 

From the book  ONE YEAR THROUGH THE BIBLE :

 

When you are ready to give up hope on yourself or others, remember that God can work a complete change in even the most selfish personality.  Think of the self-centered people in your life.  Pray for them....

 

So instead of a "Dear Diary" about this ongoing problem in my life I will instead pray.  I will pray for others and I will pray for myself.  I will ask Him why He has me walking on this path. 

 

 

Perhaps He is telling me that all I need to focus on can be found here with me under my roof.

 

 

 

Family Road Trip

** Sorry for the long delay.  I have tried many of times to complete this update.  First we were all sick for awhile.  Daddy, then Squishy, then Buggy, then me and finally Annie.  We all fell sick within a few days of each other.  So, although I was only down and out for a little over a week it felt a lot longer since we all were sick during different times.  When we were finally all better it was time to go to the lake to recover from the all-out, no-stopping, road trip and then from the nasty cold/virus we all had.**

I mentioned in the last week post that we arrived home from our road trip with all of us sick.  This turned out to be a whopper of a cold or virus.  It knocked me out for a week.  I generally never get sick or when I do it's never bad but not this time.

 

So here is the skinny on our road trip:

 

We've been talking for some time about taking another road trip.  We were either wanting to head back to Idaho, take a camping trip in Colorado, or head back to Louisiana to visit with some extended family who are getting up there in age.  The decision was made for us when we found out that the family in LA would be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary and had invited us for the celebration.  The Daddy-O I had been back there together once before ten years ago and then just the Daddy-O again four years ago.  We know this family and the southern hospitality means so much to us that we felt it was important for our kids to experience it before it became too late. 

 

We packed up and headed east on June 3rd  Our goal was to make a two day mad-dash drive to LA.  We planned for a slight detour in Texas to visit with some family.

(Bug & Annie with great-grandma)

(Buggy)

 

While there it was determined that our dog developed a bladder infection during our dash to Texas so our stay there was extended by a few extra hours so she could be seen by a doctor.

 

We finally made it to LA mid-afternoon of the 6th.  The weather of course was hot and humid but once I accepted the fact that I would no longer need my curling iron because we were all going to look like a hot mess then I was fine. 

 

The folks that we are visiting with are on my husbands late grandfather's side of the family.  So this makes it the Daddy-O's great uncle and aunt.  Their property is just as amazing and breathe taking as it was ten years ago...

 

 

The boys enjoyed playing with their extended cousins, this tire swing and of course, the fishing!

 

  

 

Great Uncle Leon was a bit smitten with our baby girl. 

 

Before we left she finally became a little smitten of him.

 

On our last night in Pineville, LA the family came together for a crawfish boil.  Of course with the intense humidity it really felt like a family boil but we survived.

 



 

 

(My boys are like their daddy....you can always find them near a tractor or a pretty girl)

 

In this family there isn't many boys left to carry on the last name.  There are our two and then only one biological.  I tried a few times to get a good picture of the generations but never got a good shot:

 Here: at the 60th wedding anniversary celebration....

 

Here: while trying to find some fishing worms.....

 

 Here:  while on the hunt for good worm soil....

 

Here:  on our last day with family....

 

 

We left LA with exactly everything we had hoped for:  A heaping dose of good, authentic southern hospitality.  All of the "Yes, Ma'ma" and "No, Sir's" we could have asked for.  All the love and feelings of feeling like a close family that never spends a day apart but rather years apart.  Feeling the love from a man & women who represent and embody what grandparents are like even though they are not our own.  Feeling a true appreciation for just being us!

 

That is part one of our trip.