A Day on the Farm

Today began a bit overcast but soon the sky cleared and the sun warmed up quite nicely. The boys and I headed about 45 minutes outside town to spend the day with my friend Rachel and her children on their 40 acre farm. What an adventure we had. I can't decide what was more fun, so I will not even try. Instead I'll tell you all about it and let you decide.

We arrived later than planned after making an unexpected detour to the dentist this morning. I won't bore you with the details, but luckily the visit didn't last too long. As we headed south and east of the city we watched as city streets gave way to lush green fields. Our first view of the nearly 200 year old farm house and the surrounding beauty brought whispered "wow's" from both IJ and JJ. I had barely stopped the van when we were greeted by the two oldest boys and their dog Patty. The boys had not seen oneanother for quite awhile, nearly a year, and all four were thrilled to be together again. The moms were quickly forgotten as my boys were whisked away to explore the grounds of this haven our dear friends are blessed to call home. Take a look at some of the cool things they saw and did.

Picking muscadine grapes

Checking out the chickens
Riding the zip line

I really thought I didn't have a favorite, but every time I look at this picture I feel joy from head to toe. My boys were having an absolutely awesome time swimming in the pond with the dog and all of the catfish, bass and brim. They were able to catch a couple too.
Earlier in the day they went hunting, bow and arrows in hand, for wild dogs and whatever variety of snake they could find. Luckily they didn't find any dogs and only one snake that they all swore was a copperhead. Yikes! Whatever it was no one was injured, so I was quite happy about that. On the downside, IJ and Rachel's oldest son found themselves on a fire ant hill and came running inside to soak their feet in soothing baking soda water.

My tour of the farm included a garden chock full of wonderful produce. Rachel is such a lovely person and generous beyond belief. We walked through the garden picking tomatoes, squash, banana peppers and muscadines.

After depositing those goodies we grabbed another basket and headed to the orchard to pick apples and pears. The branches of the pear tree were so full they hung to the ground.

The result: I came home with bags of freshly picked produce untouched by pesticides and memories of a day with a great friend.

Great Visit

You know what they say, all good things must come to an end. Mom was here for 2 wonderful weeks. We were able to do quite a bit while she was here. Shopping is always high priority, so we did a little of that. On her first Saturday evening we went to an outdoor concert where we enjoyed singing along to some wonderful music. On her birthday we went to my friend Jane's house. We also did a little house shopping. Did I mention that Mom is falling in love with this wonderful southern city? I would be beyond ecstatic if she decides to make the move. One of my favorite activities was our trip to a local historical site where we watched rifle and cooking demonstrations set during the 1845 Mexican-American conflict.

The ladies of the sites cooking guild were preparing lunch while we watched. Spinach salad, asparagus stew with bacon and fresh bread were on the menu. Everything was made authentically over an open fire in the cookhouse. I spoke with the ladies extensively and learned when they meet to practice recipes. I was invited to watch them at their twice monthly meetings, and perhaps join the guild in the future when a spot opens up.

Here are the boys outside the cookhouse. Below is a gentleman doing some woodworking. I never did find out what he was making, but he sure did have some sharp tools. This was a really great local treasure. It just further solidifies my belief that learning happens all the time...even when you're on spring break. I will share more about Moms visit in the next post.

They Really Listen

Have you ever questioned your response to a situation? Did I do the right thing? Did I say that in the right way? These thoughts are always on my mind because well, I'm a mom. God has given "J" and I some amazing gifts (our boys) and an awesome responsibility (raising up Godly men). We don't take this lightly. If you are a parent then you know that what you teach your children early in life will greatly affect their world-view and their walk with God. I say this because on Friday the boys and I went to a museum of natural history. We wanted to go a few months back, but were unable to for some reason. We explored rocks, animals, Native American culture and our states regional resources. As you can see below, the boys were being "chased" by a brown bear. Aaaaaggh!


There was an evolution exhibit which I opted to skip. Well, wouldn't you know that we ended up having to deal with this warped idea anyway. One of the main reasons for our trip was to visit the planetarium. I had not been to one in years and I remember it being really cool. Unfortunately, I did not thoroughly check out the particular movie they would be showing. It included the idea the the first men were unintelligent beings and also the "big bang" theory. I was very uncomfortable to say the least. A couple of other families left. We sat for a bit longer, but once the "big bang" lie was presented I couldn't sit any longer. My boys and I left to explore the gift shop and began talking about what we had seen. I must say, I was very pleased with their take on the whole thing. My children knew that this was nowhere near the truth. "IJ" just kept asking, "how could anyone believe that the earth was made by a big bang?" Well, they couldn't wait to tell Daddy about it and Granny and anyone else who would listen. In fact, this morning "IJ" was drawing on our white board and this is what he did.



I'm kind of patting myself on the back. It feels good to see the fruits of my labor and to see the beginnings of the glory my young men will bring to God throughout their lives.

Aviation Exploration

For the past two weeks we've been studying air, airplanes and how they fly. I got to see how much I missed in school. Science was not my strong point, but I'm enjoying it so much now. I think we did 6 experiments in one day. First the boys had to find out if air takes up space (blow up a balloon). Then they explored whether or not air has weight by balancing the full balloon on one end of a ruler and an empty balloon on the other. Two of the most cool experiments were also done that day.

Cool experiment #1

Stretch a balloon over the top of an empty water bottle. Put the bottle into a bowl of hot water (we boiled ours). What happens? Why?

The boys discovered that hot air expands and rises. "JJ" took it a step further and said "I bet if we put it in cold water the balloon will go down." He then repeated this experiment for "J" when he came home, explaining what happened and why. This from the child who often has a difficult time getting his thoughts and words to go together. I was so proud of him! This is discovery learning at it's best.

Cool experiment #2

You will need a peeled hard boiled egg, an empty quart size glass milk jar (opening should be just big enough for the egg to sit in), and a half sheet of paper. Roll the piece of paper and light with a match. Immediately place in the upright glass jar. Wait for all of the fire to go out. Set the egg on the opening of the jar. What happens? I won't tell you. Just think, vacuum.

From there we learned about the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart and Baron Von Richthofen (The Red Baron). Do you remember the song Snoopy vs the Red Baron?

"IJ" thought it was unpatriotic to sing about him, since he was the enemy, but the tune got stuck in his head and he can't get rid of it. HA, HA! Lots of paper airplanes were made and most of them crashed shortly after take off, prompting us to try again and again to perfect our designs.

The most fun came last Friday when we joined a group of friends for a field trip to a local aviation museum. We saw everything from fighter to passenger planes as well as several helicopters. The real fun came when the kids were given the opportunity to be the crew on a Boeing KC-97. The pictures show "IJ" as co-pilot and "JJ" as flight engineer. Our tour guide, a retired teacher, was very knowledgeable and great with keeping the kids interested.

This was a great unit. Keep reading to hear about our next learning adventure.