Puddle Jumping...Or More Accurately:The Puddle That Almost Swallowed Me

We had THE MOST FUN yesterday at The Wild Things Farm in Pocola, OK! And we almost didn't. Our homeschool group had this field trip planned for several weeks and then it turned out to be a Very.Rainy.Day. Very.

So, being the neat-freak that I am and not enjoying being damp in my clothing, decided that maybe that meant our field trip was cancelled, or at least postponed. But when our fearless leader said *Come on anyway and enjoy the mud!*, I thought *Well, maybe...* It really wasn't cold, just wet. Because wet AND cold would've definitely been a deal breaker:)

So...we went for it. And I'm so glad we did! Even though my jeans were soaked and caked with mud all the way to the knees by the time we left and the kids were soaked to the skin from jumping in puddles. It was totally worth it! A day we will always remember.

On the hayride

Lovely, even on a wet, gray day

On a mission in the corn maze

Picking some corn along the way

Choosing just the right pumpkin

The perfect pumpkin

What are these funny, adorable animals?!

Rubber duck races

Feeding those crazy goats

And now I must show you just how brave/wet/crazy of a mama I was at the farm. Behold, the progression of the mud:

Beginning the corn maze

A little further into the corn maze

No longer even trying to not step in puddles~there was nowhere else to step!

That crazy mud nearly sucked my shoes right off my feet! I didn't have any cool rain boots like my kiddos. I'm putting those on my Christmas list:)

The Making of an Egyptian Death Mask

We are learning all about the ancient world this year with Story of the World I and loving it! We've been learning a lot about Egypt, of course, which is completely fascinating. Most recently we have studied the New Kingdom of Egypt, which includes the story of King Tut. So we decided making an Egyptian death mask in the style of King Tut's would be a fun project. First since it was too cold at the time to paper mache in the garage (it probably would have frozen instead of dried-ha) and it was too messy to do it in the house, we decided to pick up a couple of cheap craft masks at Hobby Lobby. Next we cut out cardboard shapes to complete the shape of the death mask, attaching them with hot glue. Vince even put a little detail on the *beard* with the hot glue per The Princess' request. Then the kiddos started to paint them with this metallic gold tempera paint. It worked okay for the cardboard, but would not coat the plastic of the mask. We thought maybe a second coat ...

Arkansas' Crimson Clover

One of my favorite things about Spring is the crimson clover that grows along the highways and interstates here in Arkansas. I say Arkansas because this is where I first grew to love it. We actually saw some in Mississippi on our way here and I saw it in our town in Alabama for the first time this year. But it spreads like that, each year it grows and looks even more beautiful. I'm not sure who decided to plant it in the medians of the interstates , but it was genius! It seeds itself and just comes back more lush the next year. I always want to take pictures, but of course it's almost always in the median of a very busy interstate~which is a little dangerous for photography. However, the other day I found the perfect patch of it on the side of a not-too-busy highway, so Vince obliged me and pulled over:) Isn't it beautiful? I just had to share it with you...

One Way I Refresh During the Summer as a Homeschool Mom

As our homeschool takes some time off this summer, my mind almost never stops thinking of and planning ahead for the upcoming school year. This is probably because I'm Type A and an obsessive planner...lol Whatever the reason, I do enjoy this season of planning. But I also need to be refreshed as a homeschool mom. Homeschooling can be incredibly exhausting and all-consuming. It's not easy and it's a lot of responsibility. And I take that very seriously when I am researching curriculum and planning toward the next school year. So also taking some time to rejuvenate and refocus myself is very important. How do I do this? Each summer I take some time to read something inspiring and motivating that speaks to me as a homeschool mom. Some of my fave reads from past years--that I have nearby on my shelf and refer to often--are Educating the Wholehearted Child, The Well-Trained Mind, The Charlotte Mason Companion, A T...

my blessed life

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