Camp Blanding Museum

They say you get what you pay for so I wasn't sure what to expect when I discovered there was a free musuem on the Military base only 10 mins away from my house. But I figured for very little gas and no money it was worth checking out. So Friday afternoon we packed a picnic lunch and headed towards Camp Blanding Museum.

Tripp was excited about going because he was excited to check out some weapons. We were pleasantly surprised for when we got there outside was already an awesome display of tanks, military vehicles, helicopters and airplanes! This created even more excitement to go check things out. 

As we walked into the museum were greeted by some very nice men who knew their facts! They were eager to share what they knew with the children and I. Which I personally love because it just makes the whole experience more enriching.

The museum was very intriguing. They had a ton of original artifacts from WWII...like a Hershey bar and a military dinner in a box! It was interactive and the kids really enjoyed checking things out!

They had mannequins all over dressed in different uniforms depending on what part of the world they were serving in. We learned about how they handled medical challenges while on the battlefied and why the medic was everybody's friend.

There were tons of weapons, guns, machine, guns and tank replicas. We learned about the woman's role during WWII and they even had a replica of the barracks. 

After spenidng about an hour inside we headed outside to eat and check out the big tanks, trucks and airplanes.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day at the Camp Blanding Musuem. We met vets who shared their stories and taught the kids how they used to have to climb in and out of the tanks because there were no doors. We saw many memorials for the troops that served at Camp Blanding and were humbled by how many people have served to protect our freedoms. 

This was one of those rare occasions where you definitely did not get what you paid for. It was over and above what I was expecting and if you are ever in the area I would recommend stopping by and checking it out! It won't cost you one cent but it will enrich you in a way that is priceless!

Gone Fishin'

This year for Christmas we decdied that we were going to mostly get fishing and camping equipment. We were getting tired of saying we wanted to do these things, but never having the resources to follow through. So the kids got sleeping bags, fishing poles, camo hats, tackle boxes and mud boots so we could be fully prepared.

It is a rare weekend when my husband is home both Saturday and Sunday, and this past weekend was one of those gems! So we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and try out our first family fishing outing!

So we packed up the car and headed to Ronnie Van Zant Park. We heard this was a good place to take the family fishing, so we thought it would be a good place to start!

We got lucky and found a dock all to ourselves. After a few minutes of preparation we were fishing!!

The scenery was beautiful. The weather was perfect. The geese were loud and playful. The mallards swam peacefully around, while the rest of the ducks were praying for food.

Unfortunately though, no one caught any fish. So we tried out a few other spots around the lake, but with no luck. So although we left empty handed, we left satisfied after spending a few hours outdoors and most importantly spending a few hours together as a family! It was a wonderful day! We can't wait to get out and try some other spots and catch our first fish.

What do you and your family do for family time? Do you go fishing? I would love to hear what you are up to ! Be sure to leave me some love! Like and follow my blog to keep up with my latest post! Hope you have a great day!!

Being Present

Oh my it's been a while since I posted! Ever since my lap top broke it has been hard to get into the swing of writing. But now that I have taken a break from Facebook, I have decided to get back into my blog. I think it is the perfect way to share what is going on in our lives with loved ones and friends while maintaining the balance of being present and active as a parent.

Facebook is such a distraction! I did not realize how much time I wasted on Facebook until I actually felt myself bored on Monday afternoon after a full day of schooling, housework, prayer time and exercise...it was a great place to be!!

I have felt so present since I have decided to limit my time browsing my newsfeed. I think many of us tend to forget that  Facebook is not the real world and No matter how much time we spend on it clicking the like button and leaving commemts, it doesn't foster true relationships the way spending time with one another does. Without spending time with people how can we really get to know them?

Now we do live in the modern world and I don't think Facebook is horrible or the root of all evil, I am just in a season where I want to remove the distractions so I can develop and deepen my relationship with God and deepen the relationships God has blessed me with. I want to put down the phone and pray and interact with my husband, my kids, my parents and my friends face to face. I'm  even working on taking less pictures. I don't need 50 shots of the same thing. I need to be present.

And yesterday I was! School went smoothly and was so enjoyable I had to snap a few shots to document God's glory. LOL

Sometimes it is easy to forget how enjoyable life can be. But when we remove the distractions and become intetional and present it can become clear how wonderful life can really be.

Sink or Swim Today Will End!

Its 4:54 pm and I just laid the baby down for another nap mostly because I can't figure out what he wants. We are totally off schedule and I feel like I am drowning this week. We haven't done school since before Thanksgiving. Last week we had three field trips and while it was a blast I have fallen so behind on school and house chores it feels stressful. And now the household has caught a cold Ugh! And I almost forgot to mention unless I am yelling like a maniac my kids just don't seem to want to listen this week.

I need a day to plan, get some things done and reset. But let's face it, that is not happening any time soon, especially with a sick baby! As much as I love the holidays i see now why this time of year is so stressful for parents!!

Today I wish Santa was real. I wish magic elves would come and clean my home and cook some food and take away some of the chores so I could focus more on the fun stuff.

Do you ever feel completely torn between needing to keep up with things and trying to just be in the moment?

I hate feeling like I am the complete opposite of the mom I want to be. UGh!! so glad today is almost over, this is one of those days where keeping the kids alive and fed is going to have to be enough ... I'm going to go cry now while the baby sleeps for 20 mins and regain some strength 😭😭😂😂😂 #buildingmommymuslces #gainingpatience #isitbedtimeyet

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I can't believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving already! I love this time of year! There are so many fun things to do.  But there is also a lot of thought and preparation required in order to pull it all off. There is so much to get done today, and yet I agreed to take Tripp back to the dentist today...what was I thinking? LOL  So today my to do list left as of 10:03 am is :

Fold the towels,  finish the little ones laundry, wash Tripp's sheets for my in laws coming into town tonight, vacuum, clean up the bathroom, take Tripp to his appointment, stop at the grocery store to pick up ingredients, bake a pumpkin cheese cake,  I'd love to get in a 20 minute workout,  and there are a few other things I'd like to get done if I get there.

As much as there is to do, I enjoy doing it. I enjoy creating memories and traditions with my kids.  Last night we hung up the Christmas lights.

Yesterday we went to a home school Thanksgiving feast with our friends.

On Monday we spent some time learning about the first Thanksgiving. We read a few books and as we read we talked about what it meant to be thankful and talked about things we are thankful for.  We talked about the differences between the Pilgrims and native Americans. Then we made these fun and simple headbands and talked about the differences in what they wore. It also opened a discussion about patterns and colors.

My favorite Thanksgiving day craft this year are our Turkey hand prints! They turned out really well and I even got Reid to make one!!  This is his first art project!!

Well break time is over,  it's time to get the kids ready and head to the dentist where I can edit and add pictures while we wait!

Thank you all for stopping by!  I really appreciate the love and support! Let me know you we're here by dropping me a comment, I love hearing from you. 😆 God bless and Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🦃🦃

Hiccup in the Road

So by accident my children broke my lap top. Tripp had placed it on the kicthen chair just in time for Reid to crawl along and grab it's cord. Luckily it missed his head as it slammed onto the kitchen floor but unfortunately it broke pieces off of my computer. Needless to say when I went to turn it on nothing happened!

Luckily Google is amazing and I'm able to blog from my phone, but it is a big adjustment. So bear with me as I learn how to share everything I like to share from my phone. And prayerfully soon I'll have another laptop!

So here we sit in the Dentist office waiting for Tripp and I'm practicing blogging on my phone. Which is extra interesting with a squirmy 8 month old in my lap.  LOL it feels different, but I love the photo editor on my phone so maybe this won't be so bad after all!

What hiccups are you facing right now?  Life is always throwing distractions our way and it can be so easy to get mad and give up.  Part of me is writing this post simply so I don't just give up my blog.  I am truly enjoying sharing about our home school journey,  but I almost didn't even write this because I simply like writing from my lap top better and blogging this way simply feels different.

In that moment though I realized how easy giving up would be. I thought to myself this is what the enemy would want.  For me to just simply give up. He comes to seek , kill and steal our joy. Maybe it is challenging and it feels different at first but in time I will get used to blogging this way. And I'm thankful to have this option! If I just give up I'll never know what could have been!

And it's a good reminder for this time of year. With Thanksgiving just days a way it's good to be able to find things to be grateful for! So as we approach this Holiday I leave you with this:

It's not happy people who are thankful.
It is thankful people who are happy!

Happy Thanksgiving!  🦃🦃🦃
And God Bless!

❤ ,
Heather

Nothing Good Comes Without a Little Sacrifice

Part of being a grown up is understanding that sacrifice is a part of life. You don't question it or fight it you just figure out what can and can not be sacrificed and make it happen.  As a home school mom I have the freedom and responsibility to create our schedule. Knowing when to sacrifice certain activities for the good of education or vice versa is hard to balance.

Sometimes it just feels easier to just stay home in our own bubble and not go anywhere just so we can get our school work and to-do list done. But then the kids get stir crazy and I miss interacting with other people. So I'll go through a season of less formal schooling and focus on field trips and socializing. Its like a see saw.

I have had to learn to find the balance between wanting to be laid back while expecting things to get done.  I wish I was more type A and organized but I'm just not lol!  So i have to work hard to make sure socializing doesnt take over lol. It is hard to say no, its so easy to get distracted.

On my third year of home schooling I've finally found the curriculum that really works for us.  We have been using Heart of Dakota and I love it! It help keeps me organized while also giving me freedom to do things my own way. For example I love the suggested science book. Its amazimg but the curriculum was skipping through it so I decided to do it my way and start at the beginning. If I like the scince suggestion for the day I can still use it. But for science class this year we are going through the text in chronological order.

While it let's me be laid back it also keeps me accountable, let's me know exactly where we are and what we have and have not done.  It reigns me in before I get too far out there!

One way I try to keep the balance is by generally taking one day a week for a field trip or a park day.  Which then gives me 4 days to do school and get housework done.  I like to keep Saturdays open to either go do something or relax in a clean home lol.  And Sundays are for worship and family time.

Home schooling has definitely been challenging for me because the schedule rarely stays the same.  I have really had to learn to go with the flow while remaining focused. Some days the baby naps well others he hadly naps at all.  One Thursday I'll run out of diapers or need wipes and have no choice but go to the store.  Another week my husband will take a Tuesday off ... And when he is home it distracts me the most lol. You just never know... So some weeks we won't have a park day ... Some times we just can't and I have to reluctantly decline an invite to the zoo.  (Twice I've had to do that this year!)

At the end of the day it is my job to educate them and make sure they are where they are supposed to be. Every time we complete a school day I feel accomplished knowing I did what I was supposed to. Their success is my success and there is nothing I enjoy more than watching my children learn,  explore and have fun. And this is what motivates me. It doesn't come without sacrifice from both my husband and I. But God is faithful and whatever it is we may be sacrificing He is giving us more than our share and beyond what we need!

Hope you have a blessed day!

I'd love to hear from you!  Be sure to follow, like and share my blog!  Thanks ! Xoxoxo

Heather