In March we took a walk at one of our local county parks.  We have one just a few miles from our house, and actually another just a few miles the other direction too.  While we were there I picked up a brochure to see how long the trails were.  There was a website listed so I decide I would check out the other park close to us and see if where they had other parks with walking trails.   Boy was I surprised!

I came across an 'events' page and on there was a home school outdoor ed link.  They offer 1.5 hour outdoor ed classes once a month for home school families!  WOW!!  We signed up for both the April class and the May class.  They also have a whole slew of other events for families, for kids, for everyone!

The April outdoor ed class was on the life of a stream - what lives in Ohio streams, how to tell if a stream is healthy or not and they had a lot of fun looking in the streams and learning if it was healthy or not.  The May class was on microscopic life, so they spent time out by the lake then in a room with microspopes, learning about the small life that exists in our world! 

While there I picked up a brochure for the Young Naturalist Camp (2 hours a day, 4 days) for this summer and we picked our top three choices and got our registration form sent off.  They will be doing:  Critter Crafts (making homes out of nature stuff like beaks, string, etc like animals do), Native Americans that lived in our area (will have to do some pre-teaching about things they might say as far as 'millions' of years ago and religion factors), and Water World.  Then we will do a 'night class' on the Creatures of the Night.  Both this program and the Outdoor Ed classes are free programs thru the parks department!  What an awesome resource right here in our own back yard (so to speak).

I also went back to the website and we picked a few things to do over the summer.  The girls will be doing a butterfly one - learning aobut butterflies that are in our area and when is the best time to spot them and then they will all do a reptile one (snakes, turtles, lizzards), and to end the summer we will do the cocoon and catepillar one!

DH & I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary yesterday.  I have been blessed with a great man who is a wonderful husband and a great father!   Since our anniversary fell on a Sunday and on Mothers Day at that, we will go out in a week or so to celebrate officially! 

We have a great marriage and for that I am very thankful!  We have been blessed with a wonderful 18 years and though some of them were rocky and we have had our ups and downs, we are thriving in our marriage.  So many around us are having problems.  Even within our church and others around me that we know. 

I know I have done alot of changing over the last few years to try to make our marriage a better one.  My outlook on what a wife and mother is suppose to be based on Biblical standards instead of worldly standards has changed.  I have done several of Elizabeth George's books and studies and have began to realize that I can be more like the Prov 31 woman and the Titus 2 wife/mother!  We do not have to base how we live our lives on what the world says a woman should be!  It is ok to stay home and raise your family and be at home!  There is no place I would rather be than home with my children, and making our house a real home and a place of refuge for my husband.

I have also been in several of Cindy Rushton's Bible studies and am learning more and more of how to be a Godly Woman!  My desire is to raise my daughters to have a head start and learn these things much earlier than I did!

The children were all involved in the spring musical for the kids choir.  RJ was not going to do it because he is in 7th grade now but the director asked him to do a specific part for her.  They have been practicing since the beginning of the year and have all worked hard on their parts, learning songs and motions.

The musical was done on Mothers Day during our morning service at church.  RJ had a main speaking part as a 'host' of the tv show 40/40 Power.  Brandi was a 'field reporter' so had most of her parts pre-recorded and shown on the screen.  It turned out excellent!  Rachel got to do a dance part - which thrilled her! 

It turned out really well and all the children in the musical did a wonderful job with their parts.  Now we take a break then it will be time to start the Christmas musical before we know it!  There has been some talk about a summer musical but I haven't heard any 'real' details on that yet!

We are wrapping up school for the year.  RJ is done already with his main subjects.  We will do some stuff over the summer above and beyond, just to work on a few problem areas and to kinda keep them in the mode of school/structure!  The girls both have some things to do in the main subjects but will finish soon. 

We have had a good year and the children have worked hard.  I have decided to switch some curriculum for the upcoming year.  We will be using ABeka for language arts/english and for math.  We are going to continue in Story of the World for history - the children are all enjoying that!  We will also add in Ohio State History for them since Rachel has to learn that in 4th grade and I hope to do alot of field trips and hands on things for that to make it more fun!  RJ will also be doing ABeka hisory (Land I Love).  And we are going to do Answers in Genesis "Gods Design for Science" for our science curriculum this coming year.

I excited to get our books and start planning out our year.  We will continue art at the library each month and we will do some things thru our local park department both over the summer and thru the school year.

I did something this past weekend that I have never done before!  I went to Time Apart for Ladies with our church!  The sessions were great, the sermons were great, the worship was great and the fellowship was great! 

It was a great time to refresh and learn some things!  I picked up several books by Joanna Weaver.  One is called "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" and the other one is called "Having a Mary Spirit".  Both of them look excellent and I can't wait to dig into them!  I tend to go-go-go-go and do for everyone and don't often take time just to sit at the feet of Jesus and rest in Him.  I am hoping to learn how to change that a little and to be more like Mary.  :)

My friend & I both went and we have both agreed that we need to do it again next year.  I think it is important for us, as moms, to get refreshed and renewed when we can and what better place than a Ladies Retreat!

All three children will be playing ball this year.  We will be in for one busy season! 

RJ is playing with the same team he has been on the last two years.  This will be his last year with them before he has to move up a league.  He has really grown in his ability and team leadership over the last two years.

Brandi will be playing fast pitch softball!  She is alittle nervous.  She didn't play last year and when she played the year before it was coaches pitch so it is a whole new ball-game (HAHA).  I hope she will enjoy it.

Rachel will be playing coaches pitch.  She didn't play last year either but is excited to play this year.  Next year I believe she will have to move up to regular fast pitch (not coaches pitch) but I am not sure.

Say a prayer for Mom and Dad as we juggle three practice schedules, three game schedules and try to balance all that as well as our normal life stuff!

I am so excited!!  We are starting a mom's support group at church for home schooling moms!  There is about 14 families in our church that homeschool so it will be great to connect with some of them and just have time out with other moms each month.  There will be field trips and a few times of family get togethers but the moms will meet more often for fellowship, support and just helping each other out!

Can you tell I don't get out much! HAHA!