A Few Fun Things...

My iPhotos have been extremely messed up...  For some reason photos are not moving over automatically like they are supposed to.  And then, when I have time, I'll sit down and make it happen and I realize how much stuff we have done, and how much time has passed...  I realize that I missed things like Easter!  and Memorial Day!  and a couple of fun activities!

It is kind of relief to realize we are NOT as boring as I thought we were!  

In March (or was it April?)  we enjoyed a quick trip to Texas!  We enjoyed going to Homeschool Convention there this year,  visiting the zoo and seeing our cousin!  

We found an In-N-Out and, of course, stopped for lunch to see what the hub-bub was about...

Texas Visitor's Center...

We found a Five Below!  A favorite place to shop! 

The Zoo was great! 

In April (or was it May?) we went to St. Louis for Maggie's visit with her doctor and we were so disappointed when we discovered that The Magic House was closed!

So we ended up at the science museum instead and it was a fantastic visit! 

And admission was FREE!  Who doesn't love free?

The girls LOVED the planetarium! 

I have found a lot more pictures hiding in the Cloud so I will have to pots a few more updates when I have some time...  Thanks for reading! 

Homeschool Safety Week {Field Trip!}

We decided to take some time off last week to enjoy a Homeschool Safety Week!  We had a great time...  We used The Good & The Beautiful Safety Unit as a jumping off point and discussed the importance of everything from Internet Safety to Stranger Danger and Fire/Evacuation, etc. 

The Jenny Phillips units have been great for all ages and the .pdf download is only $10! 

Thanks to Papa for being instrumental in the Fire Safety day!  

(No children were harmed in these activities...LOL)

After intense lecture we went out "into the field" to test our skills.

Each girl needed to feel confident about getting their window open, screen removed, and escaping from their room.  Kayley is on a 2nd floor so this was a little tough, but once she was out the window, she kicked off successfully and landed quite comfortable on the ground.  We really felt that, in the event of a true emergency, she would know with certainty that she COULD do it. . 

Maggie's was a bit easier but still exciting to give it a try... 

They also had to escape the house blindfolded (smoke) and get to the front door.   

We also discussed propane and natural gas and had them give it a sticky whiff so they would know what they were smelling. 

We finished out our week with a trip to Springfield's Annual Safe Kids Day expo...

We learned about putting babies "back to sleep" with Mercy. 

Identifying chemicals and drugs from candy and juice.  

It was tougher than you would think!

We goofed off with the highway patrol... 

Learned about electrical line safety... 

And toured an ambulance.   

Learned basic CPR.

I didn't get nearly enough pictures, but we had a great time and enjoyed a week of learning about the importance of being safe!

Thanks for Swinging By!

Wonders of Wildlife Museum - Bass Pro Shops, Springfield MO

We had a great time visiting the brand new Wonders of Wildlife Museum located at the Bass Pro Shops in Springfield.  I had heard people grumbling that the museum was quite pricey...and it was...but it was so amazing and so well done that I really thought it was worth every penny.

The girls with a statue of "Uncle Buck."

Of course, this being the wonders of wildlife you can expect to see lots of different types of animals.  Not too mention, in pure Bass Pro style, you can see LOTS of antlers.

The Conservatory. 

They had penguins! 

And also amazing dioramas of animals in other countries.

The aquarium is a second portion of the museum and requires a separate entry. 

They have divers doing live shows. 

And a touch pool. 

We were really quite impressed.  I think the thing that really amazed me the most is how family oriented the museum is.  Everything is focused on creating and maintaining strong family relationships and you can just feel it throughout the museum.

We really felt that the museum is competitive with any that you would find in a "big city."

We are also excited to see that they will soon be offering educational classes for kids, including homeschool classes!

We bought annual passes to the WOW museum and can't wait to go again and again.