Oct. Field Trips

We've been busy little bees this fall & I took very few pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it. I started school a bit early on the same day w/ another friend. A promised playdate was motivation to wrap up our first school day successfully & we went to her house to play. She & I were thrilled, all of the children kind of underwhelmed. "Meh. School." I didn't let that bring me down, we've been in a looser but on track schedule than ever. This is my 4th formal year as homeschooling mom & I am just now kind of feeling like I know what I'm doing. We had 2 field trips in Oct. that were fun, low budget & broke the monotony. The historical society has a bunch of 18th century re-enactors who put out 12 real neat informative booths for grade schoolers about mountain life during the Revolutionary War. The Overmountain Man March is our county's historical pride. I disremember all of them, but they showcased blacksmithing, traditional music, weapons, textiles, a play, crops, tanning & some others. There were 12 stations, that I know. We rotated by sound of musket fire. Leora picked that week to potty train herself. (I swear I didn't initiate, she's spooky smart.)So I had to run her stroller back & forth to the porta potty (YUCK for a baby!)& she was holding her muscles EVERY SINGLE TIME. It's not convenient out of the house, but I do enjoy 1 load of nap & night diapers as opposed to 3 all day intermixed w/ poo's. No more scrubbing! She just pats her hip & says "Oh!" in a certain tone I've come to recognize. Our second trip was the RenFaire; the children loved it, especially Victor who has not had his hair cut in almost a year in an attempt to grow it our "mid-evil style." Again, home school passes at $9.00 a ticket rather than the usual $21.00. The girls loved the clothes (we were all dressed up, save Mike). Victor liked the jousting best. Mike & I enjoyed bread bowels of soup like we used to eat at Busch Gardens & the glassblowing demonstrations. I became a goodwyfe rather than a housewife (same thing + or - 400 years.) I got to wear my hoopskirt & other things I rarely wear & got comments of approval from professional faire riggers. I aimed to fit in w/ the peasantry, & might have been the only one; everyone loves to deck out in finery but my sewing skills are not up to it.