Summer School schedule

The family has taken about six weeks off to to visit family and friends, but it is now time to get back to our schooling.  We school year round, although I keep a much looser schedule for the summer.  My goals for the next two months are pretty simple, I think!

Science:  finished up our human body unit, we still need to completed the endocrine and human reproductive system.  I also want to talk to the children about drugs and alcohol.

Math:  each child will be continuing to work on their Math U see books

History:  We are continuing with our American history currently working on the gold rush, and the antebellum years leading up to the civil war.

Language Arts:  we will continuing with our IEW work, along with spelling

Computer:  Both kids are working on a computer programs, microsoft word and excel

Firedrake decided she wanted to have art lessons this summer so we have hired an art teacher to stop by once a week to provide weekly art lessons

Mariofan decided he wanted to try a summer camp for a week that concentrates on sports.  This will be the first time he has tried attending a camp program!

And that is about the extent of the school I expect for the summer months.  We will continue to take days off here and there to go swimming, bowling, six flags (we have season passes),  or trips to the zoo!

We will move up to our next grade level in September which is when I will post our new school schedule and expectations for the new school year.  We are going to be trying lots of new things for both children.

Road Trip part 2 New Orleans

My husband and I took a week long trip while my kids were visiting with my parents.  We decided to visit New Orleans as it was a place neither of us had been and both wanted to explore.  My husband for the music and me for the architecture!

Our first stop was Bourbon street.  We wanted to hear some good music and have always heard this was the place to go in New Orleans.  I have to say I was disappointed as it was very seedy and filled with sex shops and sex clubs:(  not at all what I expected.  Although we did find a few gems in the area

Catholic cathedral

Louisiana state museum which is the historical  building in which  it was the site for the transfer of the Louisiana  purchase took place in 1803

Lots of street museums, fortune tellers and art sold throughout the area

I loved the old building 

many balconies had unique markings and some had amazing gardens on their balconies which I would think gave the owners some privacy

Bourbon street and the streets off to the sides definitely had some interesting sites to see

We stopped at a voodoo museum where I was surprise to see how closely related to Catholicism it was 

ON day 2 we visited the WWII museum which was huge.  We got their when it opened and stayed until it closed!  Lots of great exhibits and I wish the kids could have gone with us to see this!

We took a behind the scenes tour of a PT boat that the museum is renovating.

Day 3 we took a boat tour of a swamp and had an excellent guide who explained the swamp and the importance of it to the state

We saw lots of wildlife...the tour guide feed the alligators

We also saw snakes, birds, turtles...only thing we didn't see were the wild pigs we kept hearing about in the swamps

Saw how crawfish are caught 

Saw a swamp village and learned how these folks lived

At one time it was a thriving community of about 400 now less than 80 families live in the area

One evening we stumbled upon a music in the park where we heard Erma Thomas who is known as the soul Queen of New Orleans!

Day 4 we took a ground of the garden district, which I absolutely loved!

We visited Lafayette cemtary and learned the burial customs of the area

We toured and saw some of the amazing houses in the area and learned where some of the rich and famous lived!

Day 5 we visited a Plantation outside of the New Orleans area 

This plantation is where 12 years a slave was filmed 

no pictures were allowed inside the home

and of course we eat lots of the cuisine from the area...I especially enjoyed the chicken and shrimp gumbo!

and the beignets which are found everywhere!

My husband and I had a lovely get away and continue to love traveling together and learning about this great country!  While we would have loved to share the trip with the children we knew they were having a grand time with their grandparents instead!

Road trip part 1

My parents have taken the kids to their house for a short period for a summer break, which gives my husband and I some time to reconnect as a couple.  My parents did this last year and I was so hesitant and nervous about it.  This year however I was excited for the chance to have some alone time and of course some couple time with my husband.

My husband and I decided to take a week long road trip!

My husband is a huge music fan so we had to stop at the crossroads and get a few pictures!

Next we stopped at the Delta Blues museum, no pictures were allowed inside but it was a great museum

across the street we were told Morgan Freeman co-owes this restaurant so we stopped by for lunch.  I have never seen so much graffiti in my life as what was in this restaurant which I guess is part of the charm.  Food was good though.

Next stop in town was the Rock and Blues museum which is privately owned by a Danish man who is an American citizen.  He had an amazing collection of albums and memorabilia dating from the 60 until the early 2000!  My husband was so impressed with this man's collection sort of makes his 500 CD collection look like child's play.

How many of you remember what this is?  we saw this now art work on the side of a building!

While traveling thru Mississippi we followed the Blues trail and came across on old  Po' Monkey joint.  A place where folks gathers to play and dance to Blues music!

Next we stopped at an Old Plantation that used to be in these parts.  It was self containing plantation which provided its workers with everything such as a church, store, school, hospital, housing, post office, and cemetery.  We were told this plantation was actually well maintained and did not take advantage of its workers by charging exorbitant prices.  Other low income workers were not so lucky and many of these types of set ups exploited their workers making it impossible for the workers to ever leave once signing on to work.

The farm is no longer operational but the building are in excellent condition

The overseers house was the only house in deplorable condition.  

Next we stopped at Vicksburg Civil War Park and cemetery.

Taking a look at the map and how the Mississippi river has changed

Getting a first hand look of the river

We took a tour of the battleground which is considered one of the best preserved in the nation for the position of the union and confederate forces

Only union forces are buried here as confederate forces were considered traitors, so they were buried elsewhere.  It was Memorial day weekend when we drove thru so it was nice to see all the flags at the gravesite

Throughout the cemetery were markers that had parts of the poem "Bivouac of the Dead" by Theodore O'Hare

The USS Cairo can also be found in the National Park

This ship was sank in in 36 feet of water on Dec 1886 in the Yazoo river 

It was raised in 1960 and found in remarkable condition

The paddle wheels were incased inside the ship

There are 7 guns on this iron class ship

There was a small but very informative museum about this wonderful ship!

Next post is about our stay in New Orleans, Louisiana as we continue our week long couple get away!