Reason #84 Why We Homeschool...

...a Friday Family Field Trip!

When Reed told me several weeks ago that his monthly region meeting in his line of work was at Itasca State Park, I knew it was an opportunity for a Field Trip.

We were all eagerly looking forward to it and I prayed that the weather would be autumn-crisp and perfect.

Friday's weather was just that.

We awoke the kids earlier than usual to make our way out on our almost 2 1/2 hour trek. The sun shone and the kids were all in unusually chipper moods to start out our journey.

Hubby made it in time for his meeting and headed in. I knew we potentially had almost two hours to kill before meeting up with him at lunch time. We found the nearest source for a printed map, hit the restrooms, checked out the gift shop and made our way back outdoors to explore.

There were so many trails to choose from and we wandered a bit trying to find the correct one to lead us to the observation tower. Apparently, while map skills are normally a strong suit of mine, they aren't so much when I am trying to use a feeble, pregnant brain.

We did, however, find this fella:



And the swingset/play area:



In the end we finally asked a worker for some directions! About to head on the correct trail, Reed happened to text me letting me know his meeting was finished. Already!! Perfect timing (I guess we wandered for so long for a reason, after all)since we were still close enough to the lodge for him to catch up.

We set out to find the 100 foot, old fire observation tower. What wonderful hiking we experienced and enjoyed as a family! We couldn't have asked for a better day, weather-wise.



We made it!



The big kids headed to the top with daddy. Mommy stayed on sure ground with sleeping Gianna in the stroller. Who am I kidding? I probably wouldn't have made it all the way to the top any way.

The adventurous three at the top:



Some of the view:



A look at mommy from the top of the tower:



After that we hiked on back to the lodge for lunch, relishing every step and marveling at the beauty that surrounded us.

Lily and I, stopping for a quick photo(Every once in a while mommy does actually get in a photo):



After an excellent lunch at the lodge restaurant, it was time then to drive 5 miles and make our way to the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Not too long of a walk on the trail to find what we had set out to see. I was surprised to see actually how small of an area the water covered to begin the Mighty Mississippi. I don't know what I expected, but I guess maybe a bigger body of water. Either way, it was fun to say we saw it.



Crossing the rocks with daddy:





Can you see their faces below? They say "We love fun family outings!!"



Another day of precious memories and beautiful moments, all of us together.

Summer Is For Adventure

We are having a couple days reprieve from the heat and boy am I grateful. Seriously, that is NOT my kind of weather and it was wearing on me. Throw in a teething four month old and it was a recipe for lots of crabbiness all around.

Thankfully we all start each day anew and hopefully refreshed.



The breeze and sunshine gently beckoned us outdoors for the entire afternoon yesterday. That was just enough to get my kids' imaginations going again and with a little help from branches, sticks and lots of mosquito repellent, they returned to their beloved spot, the enchanted forest. Due to the mosquito invasion they endure, it's not often in the summer that they can go to that small grove of trees next to the driveway, but when they can it is where their ideas soar.

Yesterday they were building their habitat (that's what they kept calling it) and were Native Americans trying to survive. They rigged up their 'pot' over the 'fire' and filled it with fresh rhubarb (see photo of Jonah above)to cook. They also used the big rhubarb stems and leaves to make their place to sleep. They acquired more branches and made a 'trap' for intruders and as a way to disguise their habitat.



What a blessing to have a sibling to enjoy a lazy summer day alongside of you. What a blessing to be at home with my children and watch them play and imagine endlessly.

These are the days that go on file in my Mommy brain. These are the days I'll miss one day. These are the days that my children will reminisce about when they are older. These are the days to treasure.

There's nothing quite like getting grubby, dirty and making memories.

Friday Favorites

aka 'We've been busy this week and I haven't had time to blog, so here's some photos instead'

Last Friday, the circus

Jonah enjoyed his Sno-Cone most of all

We took a mini vacation Sunday-Tuesday and hit the trails and gardens at an arboretum near our hotel.

Daddy and the kids

Mommy and the girls (photo credit: Jonah)

A round of mini-golf

Content little nap for Gianna at the waterpark

Gianna's first time at the pool

Lots of geocaching this week while on vacation and with friends Tuesday evening

Finally, a bluegrass/christian music concert outdoors last night.

It's summertime here and we are enjoying every day to its fullest!

Have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!

The Thrill Of The Hunt

So, we're either really big nerds or cheap. Well, it doesn't matter to me. You can call us both, I don't mind.

We headed out last week on one of the nicer days we've been given so far this spring. Have I mentioned that it's been cold, windy or rainy most every day for weeks? We're taking advantage of any days that the sun even peeks out and the wind isn't blowing us away!

Any way, Reed took the afternoon off last Friday for a little family field trip. Well, it wasn't really a field trip but we called it that any way. Remember last fall when I mentioned our new family activity we tried, geocaching? Well, we're at it again! Except now we are better equipped since Reed used his birthday money and Amazon gift card to buy the Magellan Explorist GC.



We used my in-laws Nuvi GPS last time, which worked but we agreed that our own GPS specifically for geocaching may be a little more accurate. We found out that this Magellan is VERY useful when geocaching and the accuracy is pretty much spot-on or within a couple feet, rather than somewhere within 20 feet accuracy with the Nuvi.

Yes, the little Explorist is a bit of an investment. However, if you are intending to make geocaching a family hobby then it's worth it and really that is about the only cost in geocaching.

Once again, the kids loved hunting and exploring to find the hidden item.



It's even better now that they can take turns holding the GPS that has an arrow that lights up different colors if you are going in the correct or incorrect direction, along with counting down the feet to your destination.



Look high, look low, you never know where someone else hid the cache.



As I predicted, it's baby friendly too!



I was quite excited when we checked out the geocaching website and found that within an hour drive of our home there were well over HUNDREDS of hidden caches waiting for us to find! The kids are even looking forward to putting out a few of our own for others to find as well.

It may be a little nerdy to find this much excitement in geocaching, but we are all over it. If we can get outdoors, enjoy nature and some family time, it's right up our alley.

Go check out geocaching.com and see how many caches are hidden in your area!

Sunday Geocaching

Inspired by a spark of curiosity while recently reading the Boxcar Children book The Box That Watch Found, Lily and daddy checked out geocaching online. What a fun hobby!

Borrowing my in-laws GPS, we downloaded a couple of nearby locations and went on our adventure. It was cold out there today, but we didn't get any accumulating snow yesterday so we figured we'd better head out while we had the chance.

What a hoot!! We went to three locations and at least were able to locate one of them. It was a lot of fun as a family though and I'm pretty sure we just found a great family activity to do next summer that will also be baby friendly. We can't wait!

Bundled up and ready to go

On our way

Some of us searched

While others played

Daddy found it!

Have you ever tried geocaching? If not, give it a try. Our family highly recommends it.

Wordless Wednesday

Garden Tour

Over at Pinewood Castle last Friday, Tracy shared her garden photos and invited anyone to join in. I thought it would be fun to snap some photos and join her this week. Feel free to share yours as well. Leave a comment if you do, I'd enjoy seeing how your garden grows!

First, I thought I'd show you a few of my flowers not necessarily in gardens, but just around our yard:

In case you missed it in my Daybook, this one is by the swing set

Under a tree

By the playhouse door

In an old corn planter

Begonias & Spider plants in pots; Astilbe & Jacob's Ladder planted


The Gardens:

Front Terrace

Hosta, Hardy Geranium, Daylily & Salvia

Columbine

Perennial (Natalie's) Garden

Cranesbill

Spiderwort

Box Perennial Garden

The Dead Nettle is spreading like crazy. I just planted it last year.

Hosta/Mum Garden (newest addition)

Vegetable Garden

Yellow & Green Beans are up!

Tomatoes & Green Peppers


Thanks for coming along on my little tour! I hope to post more throughout the summer as my gardens grow and blossom.