Yesterday, our family took a field trip to a historic site in a nearby town.  We had a wonderful time and took lots of pictures.  My husband took a couple of pictures of some flowers that would be great for a nature study.  Can you name that flower?

I also snapped this picture of an ant hill.  You could have your children do some research on how ants build their homes.

We continue to adjust to our new changes in homeschooling.  I still don't find much time for blogging yet.  So I don't get around to visiting blogs like I used to.  My posts are few and far between right now it seems.  But everything in its time.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

I know it's been quite awhile since I last posted.  We've changed directions with our home school curriculum and approach.  So I've spent the last several weeks working many hours putting everything together and getting it ready for the beginning of school.  We now have school underway and are adjusting to the changes.  I like the changes we've made.  It does require more out of all of us.  But that's a good thing.  We recently had a field trip to an apple orchard in the area.  My husband took some fabulous pictures.  One I just have to share with you because it looks like it belongs in a field guide or nature book!  Look at this awesome picture he took:

Here's a great picture of some of the apples:

They enjoyed the field trip and brought back some wonderful apples as well.  We have several field trips planned for the year among which are touring a news channel station, attending an orchestra performance, and potentially seeing a Shakespeare play.  It is wonderful living here.  We have so many  more opportunities to participate in things.  We found a great homeschool group and our children get to take regular P.E. classes at our local community center.  Our home school is blossoming with so many opportunities and I find it quite refreshing and exciting. 

I may not blog as much in upcoming months but I hope to continue to share little snippets from daily life and school.  I look forward to sharing things from our nature walks and field trips.  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

This morning it is rather overcast outside.  I believe rain is in the forecast.  We are in need of some rain in our area.  So I hope we see at least a little rain. 

It has been hot the last couple of days.  It was in the ninety's yesterday and I believe it is supposed to be the same today.  However, I do believe we will see the eighty's tomorrow.

Apples of Gold Ministries is hosting a great give-a-way for some childrens books.  Here are the titles of each book in the give-a-way:

God Loves Me More Than That
When God Created My Toes
God Gave Us Heaven

If you'd like to enter the give-a-way, simply click on the graphic at the top of this post. 

Wow - it has been a VERY productive day!  My older daughter and I got quite a bit of school work done.  Sugarplum took a pretty long nap late this morning so I was able to do some things.  I got more work done on my home management binder.  I was able to get more of the school binders done.  Woohoo!  My older daughter worked on getting her room straightened up.  That's the first step in getting the girls' room clean. 

This afternoon, my daughter made homemade bread for our dinner meal.  I stood in the kitchen with her and still had to give some instruction here and there.  She remembered my previous instructions pretty well.  I think a couple of more times with me in the kitchen with her and she'll have it down! 

I've been working on the changes I'm needing to make in our school curriculum today.  I've found a couple of things that look like they are going to work better for the specific subjects they are.  We've already started giving one a test run and my hubby definitely likes it better.  He's the math man so he does the math instruction with our teenage son.  He has not been pleased with the program we bought for this year.  However, this new FREE program I found is one he likes a LOT better.  He said it is easier to understand.  Yay!!!!

Hope everyone has had a wonderful day!

The day started with a wonderful temperature.  It was perfect walking weather!  So walk we did - my Mom, myself, and my two daughters.  My Mom, myself, and my older daughter try to walk together at least 4 days a week (sometimes more).  When it's too hot outside, rainy, etc. we walk at our local community center.  But we much prefer to be able to walk outside in the fresh air.  We've been blessed to be able to walk outside a couple of times last week and both yesterday and today. 

After such a wonderful temperature this morning, it's actually around 90 degrees this afternoon.  I haven't been outside since this morning so I don't know if it's humid or not.  I can see outside my window that the sky is pretty clear!  There's plenty of sunlight coming through our front window.  I love that!  I know that closing the blinds in the summer time when the sun is shining through the windows helps cut back on cooling costs.  But I need to have sunlight coming in!  If I kept the blinds closed all the time, it would be dreary and down right depressing for me!  So one of the first things I usually do each morning after the sun has come up is open up the living room and kitchen blinds.

Well, I've come along quite nicely on my list of things to do by Wednesday night.  I've gotten part of the bills organized and filed.  I also have some of the school binders organized (for now!).  The laundry is almost caught up (well, as of tonight anyway LOL).  Our bedroom is straightened up.  Woohoo!  I'm on my way!!!

I'm still working on adding some things in our new school curriculum.  Our children actually began their new school year several weeks back.  We're finding that some things are not working out well for our older son (he's high school age) so I am adding things in and redoing what needs to be redone.  One thing I don't see a lot of in the grammar course he's taking this year is the reading of literature.  So I am adding novels in myself including a lot of classic readings.  Among some of things I plan to have him read are: 

Ivanhoe
The Prince and the Pauper
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Hunchback of Notre Dame
Age of Chivalry
A Tale of Two Cities.......
and more.

He is actually beginning a book this week.  I also want him to read Pilgrims Progress.  I am actually going to read a condensed version of this classic to my oldest daughter (elementary age).  She and I also began Pollyanna tonight.  We're reading it together.  She reads some out loud and I read some out loud.  So it is both for her reading as well as a read-a-loud.  Her grammar program was lacking in literature as well.  My daughter loves to read and check out books at the library.  In fact, just today she checked out several books including a couple of the Dear America series and American Girl series. 

I have to tell you, it seems like the day flies by and I think to myself that I want to get in bed before 11:00pm.  Before I know it, it's 11:00pm and I'm just settled down from doing things around the house.  Some nights, by the time I sit down to wind down and do something relaxing before bed, it's almost midnight!!!  And tonight is no exception.  So, I'm off to my recliner to wind down, relax and go to sleep!