Thursday, April 7, 2011

Weekly Wrap-up: Days 138-145 On the Island

 With the passing of my Grandma on March 21st, I filled a Bean backpack with some school work and a laundry basket with clothing and headed to my parent's house 200 miles away with the kids. How fortunate we are to be have the flexibility to be with family when they need us the most!

The Harbor at Sunset
My family lives on a small island off the coast of Maine. It's a fishing town with lobster pots piled in yards, big trucks lumbering down bumpy roads, a few convenience stores (that close by 8:00pm), and the smell of salt water and mud flats in the air. And where everyone knows your name and your parent's names and your grandparent's names...Check out my Snapshot Summary: Scenes from an Island here!
Beachcombing Finds - Lobster Tail and Claw, Limpet, Clam, Mussel, and Snail Shells, and Sea Glass
J at the Beach
Cousin N Throwing Rocks into the Water for her "Siblings"
Highlights From Our Visit
  • With my sister, BIL, niece, and their puppy, we took a brisk, early evening walk along the Atlantic, seeing lobster boats floating in the ocean, seaweed swaying in the current and beautiful summer homes
  • We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant before spending the afternoon with my sister and BIL and visiting a horse rescue farm to get fresh eggs
  • C learned to tie square knots and made Friendship Bracelets for all of us
  • J and I played many hands of Skip-Bo and Scrabble Slam!
  • We went to a total of 5 dental appointments (with the hope of not going back for a while)
  • C and J made new friends and spent several afternoon playing with them, mostly in the woods building forts
  • I tried out several new recipes, including 2 crockpot dinners and muffins. (Check out the muffin recipe and see a photo here!)
  • We spent a warm afternoon "beachcombing" on the rocky coast, finding sea glass and different shells, searching in tide pools for ocean life, throwing rocks into the ocean, and climbing granite boulders 
  • C made us all pancakes for breakfast, on her own 
  • S stayed overnight with my sister, BIL and niece N; his 2nd overnight without me 
  • J finished up 2 Mods in Apologia General Science and several lessons in Pre-Algebra and Grammar; C finished up 2 lessons in Apologia Zoology III and several  lessons or days in Daily Grams, Saxon 54 and Handwriting Without Tears; And S continued on with Houghton Mifflin addition, Handwriting Without Tears, Days of the Week, and reading 
  • We went to Pizza Hut with my sister and niece, shopped at the pet store and then saw Hop 
J and S at the Beach
C's Square Knot Bracelet...Yup! Taped to her Math Book
That was our last couple of weeks! How did your week go? Check out other homeschooling families at the links below!
 

    9 comments:

    1. I'm so sorry to hear about you Grandma. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
      So glad you were able to go and be with your loved ones!

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    2. So sorry about Grandma. I hope things are going better for your mom. What a beautiful island.

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    3. The knot bracelet (a.k.a. friendship bracelets) with the Math book looks like a picture from my own house!

      What a wonderful experience for a visit. So much beauty to behold and learn about. Good for you!

      Hope you have a wonderful weekend. I hooked up from Jen's.

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    4. Sorry to hear about the passing of your Grandmother. It is awesome that homeschooling allows us so much flexibility!

      You had a really wonderful week :) Thanks for linking up and have a great weekend!

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    5. Despite the sad circumstances surrounding your trip, it sounds like you had a lovely time with lots of memories made!

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    6. How wonderful you could be with your family...my prayers go out to you.

      We have friends that just moved to Chebegue Island (sp?) and love it! Is that where your family lives?

      I am new to your blog and will follow you now!

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    7. I am sorry for your loss! I am so glad that you got to go back and spend time with family.... and it looks like you still had a great week. I will be praying for you and your family.

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    8. I am sooooo jealous! I've always thought I'd like to live on an island....a small, private one...LOL....and hey for about $1,000,000 I probably could. Now to find that rainbow with my pot of gold at the end.

      Looks like you all had a great time. I just didn't realize the visit was around such sad circumstances!

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    9. Hope things work out with your grandma. Lovely pictures and looks a great time with family was had.

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