The One Where They Learn About Meteorology

Austin has always been fascinated by weather. He loves watching the sky. He loves seeing the effects of the weather. He loves reading books about weather patterns. On occasion, we have been able to chat with my brother's friend Patrick Hammer. Patrick is a meteorologist with KSTP in Minneapolis. When he found out that Austin is interested in meteorology he invited us to visit the KSTP studios to see what he does.

When we arrived at the studios Patrick took us to his work station. We were surprised to see that he actually works right on the news set. He showed us the programs that help to create his weather models. He demonstrated how he predicts the weather and creates a forecast. He was preparing for the 11am news broadcast, so he actually updated the forecast for us as he explained how everything works.

When Patrick was finished with the graphics he was preparing for the TV audience, he invited us to stay to watch the 11am broadcast. He introduced us to Trish, the assistant producer. She seated us just a few feet away from the cameras in the Channel 45 news desk to watch the action. Austin and Noah watched in fascination as the cameras rolled and the show began. Watching Patrick broadcast the weather forecast he had prepared a few minutes earlier was especially interesting for Austin. Noah had his share of fun watching the camera guys at work.

My day was made when Vineeta Sawkar commented to my boys that their mom was a great teacher for taking them on cool field trips!

The One With All the Shooting

What event combines lots of noise, power, and adrenaline? Gun shooting. We had an amazing afternoon full of all three when my Uncle Bob and Aunt Maggie visited from Davenport, Iowa. Uncle Bob came bearing arms and lots of ammunition. He came prepared to give the boys a fun afternoon of entertainment. Mission accomplished!

As an Army Ranger, Uncle Bob gained a lot of experience in both handling weapons and training in them. He has a .22 pistol and a 9mm pistol. He started us off with the .22 and moved us to the 9mm. I officially lost my status as the best shot in the family. Austin handled the 9mm like a pro! Noah and I each shot a round, then backed off. It was too much power for us. We stuck with the .22 after that. Mark also had his share of fun unloading a round on the 9mm.

Our day with Bob and Maggie will be talked about for a long time to come!

The One with a Bunch of Minnesota History

This weekend we found ourselves with a free Saturday. What does one do on a beautiful Minnesota Saturday? You visit an indoor museum.

In order for you to understand our decision to visit museums you need to know something about me. I'm the kind of person who likes to zag when everyone else is zigging. I avoid crowds whenever I can. I have a name for the hordes of people who descend on the State Fair, Zoo, Valley Fair, and Disney World: "Them". I like going to all of those places. I just don't like going with "Them".

We had to ask ourselves what "They" would be doing on a beautiful Saturday. We decided that we didn't want to go to the State Fair or Como Zoo with "Them", so we decided to head to the James J. Hill house in St. Paul.

Noah was excited to see the James J. Hill house because he's never seen a mansion, I was excited because we were zagging, Mark & Austin were just excited that I was happy to avoid "Them." We all had fun learning about the history of this amazing house built by the railroad tycoon James J. Hill. It was very impressive to see the craftsmanship in this 36,000 square foot home on Summit Ave. The boys were excited to hear that the Hill children were all homeschooled for a portion of their lives. There was even a bona fide school room in the mansion!

When we were done with the mansion tour, we took a little time to stop at the Minnesota History Center. We have a family Minnesota Historical Society membership. We get free admission to many state history locations such as the James J. Hill house and the History Center. It makes it a lot easier to just make a quick visit to any of these locations. I highly recommend purchasing a membership. We pay for ours over and over again throughout the year.

We made a quick stop at the History Center's weather exhibit. The boys are always impressed with experiencing the mock tornado. We also visited the Greatest Generation exhibit. This was the first time we had visited this particular exhibit. They focus on the 30s and 40s with an emphasis on WWII. We were able to see a tank and go through a flight simulator as para troopers. The whole exhibit left an impression on us all. It made me so grateful for those in the military and all they've done for our country.

The One With the Impromtu Youth Party

Sometimes the best things in life are unplanned. Last night's events proved to be one of them. Fusion Youth Ministry is the name of our church youth group. They had a big bash planned at the home of another church member, but a mosquito plague forced the host to cancel the plans at his home. When Mark heard this, he volunteered our home for the event.

A few hours later the big New Life Church bus lumbered into our driveway and out spilled about 30 kids. Our yard is big enough for a group to spread out. Some roasted hot dogs & marshmallows. Some played football. Some played Ultimate Frisbee. Some took turns giving rides on the funky swing Mark made. Some watched a movie in our rec room.

It was fun for Austin to have his friends over in a large quantity. He loves his youth group. This party was one more confirmation of it.

The One With the Bobcat

Noah has been asking for a bigger trail for his dirt bike. Yesterday was Noah's "Gotcha Day", Mark used this as an excuse to rent a Bobcat to spice up our trails. Noah and Mark worked together all morning. They widened the trails we have, made a few new trails, then made a few new jumps. Noah is thrilled with his new playground!

The One Where They Go Bowling

Tonight we had a bowling night courtesy of Mark's parents. Wes and Bev are always up for any kind of game. They came over at 2:00 and played a few board games with the kids and I. When Mark got home they took us to Zimmerman Lanes. Wes & Bev are good bowlers. Mark is a good bowler. The kids and I have some room for improvement.

While the 3 "good bowlers" racked up their scores and tried to best each other, I sat and belted out the 80's tunes that were playing in the bowling alley. My turns pretty much consisted of hitting a few pins on round 1, and missing the rest on round 2. Maybe it was because I was trying to moonwalk when "Billie Jean" came on.

After our scores were tallied and our rented shoes turned in, we decided to venture over to the adjoining restaurant for dinner. We enjoyed burgers and fries over the din of patrons buzzing about the upcoming BINGO game. We were glad that our meal was nearly complete when the caller began calling out the numbers. There just wasn't much audio space left for normal conversation. You know you live in a small town when the only restaurant that isn't fast food also serves BINGO cards!

In spite of our unusual surrounding, we still had a great dinner. We made some fun memories today. My boys are so blessed to have wonderful grandparents!

The One Where It's Box Day

I love getting ready to start a new year of school. Yesterday our box of new books came from Sonlight Curriculum. The people I know who use Sonlight affectionately refer to the day our books arrive as "Box Day". Some families celebrate Box Day with great fanfare. The kids delve into the box and eagerly look at each book with anticipation of what adventures it holds.

My boys look at the box and groan. They only see work and loss of summer fun. So, I have my own Box Day party without them. New books make me happy. I love to open them and smell each book. "New book" smell is even better than "new car" smell. I love putting color coded stickers on each book to identify the curriculum package it covers. I love putting together my Instructor's Guide and carefully placing each week's assignment into tabbed binders.

To start my Box Day party I carefully unpacked the contents of the box. It excites me to see the sheer volume of books that we will cover this year. The new books I order each year are always for Austin. Sonlight is a literature rich curriculum. We rarely use consumable workbooks, so I can always re-use Austin's books with Noah.

After I get the color coded stickers on the binding I am ready to put them on their shelf. I love looking at our shelf and seeing our whole school year lined up for us at a glance. I am tempted to open one of the books and begin reading it. I don't. I love to share the new adventure of each book right alongside the boys.

I love standing back and looking at all of the books I've gathered over our 9 years of homeschooling. The giant bookshelf in our room is big enough to hold books 2 layers deep. There are actually double the amount of books on the shelf than what you can see in the picture!

I spent the week before Box Day tidying up our much neglected school room. During the summer months it becomes the catch-all for homeless items. Getting the room organized and in order is such a peaceful feeling. I love having all of our books for the upcoming week lined up on the table with the Instructor's Guide nearby. It makes me feel ready.

I love our school room. I love the art projects the boys have done. I love the ceiling tiles they have painted. I especially love the NASA posters. My Aunt Connie stood in line for her entire lunch hour one day at a NASA convention to get them for us. Austin is especially interested in all things sky related. We were thrilled to add these awesome posters to our walls.

Monday starts a new era for us. I will be homeschooling a high schooler this year. Austin will be in 9th grade. The sheer impact of what that means can be terrifying. This is when it really counts. Noah will be in 5th grade. It is such an awesome feeling to know that I get to be there to share their educational journey. I am grateful!