Sabbath School

 

 Yes, we have completed the first six weeks of school and are taking this week off- a Sabbath week.

Named after the day of rest that the Lord commanded in the Bible, a Sabbath week of school is just that- a week off to rest and regroup after six weeks of school.  Give or take a week! ;)  For example, the next six weeks will bring us to just a week shy of the week of Thanksgiving, which I prefer to take off.  Therefore, our next grouping of school weeks will actually be seven, rather than six weeks, before the next break. shhhh, don't tell!

 

WHY DO SABBATH SCHOOLING?

For several reasons-

We tend to not take many breaks otherwise.  Unlike traditional school, I do not take a day off for things like President's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday etc.  We do address those holidays as a mini history lesson of why they are observed, but I do not feel they all necessarily are due a day off.

We like the idea of work hard and then play hard.  I try to plan a few fun activities over our week's break to celebrate our hard work and give us time to work off steam.

Fewer little breaks allow us bigger breaks when it counts.  Like a week at Thanksgiving, often 3-4 weeks at Christmas, a week of vacation, etc.  At one point our girls were in college and we would schedule our Sabbath breaks around their school breaks so we could just spend time together as a family when they were home with no school books around.  Now that my husband teaches at a University, we will schedule breaks around his school schedule to maximize "vacation" time. 

It gives me a built in teacher planning time.  I like schedules and tend to plan way ahead.  Taking a force time out after six weeks or so allows me to assess what we have been doing, and what has worked or not worked, and then plan ahead accordingly.  Let's face it, sometimes the most well planned plans can go south and changes need to be made.  (Like the year I went to online ABeka Academy for my sanity!)

It allows us to school year round with fewer stress.  Yes, I am THAT mom who schools year round.  Each summer looks a little different depending on our past move schedule or vacation time, but we tend to do some form of school in the summer.  But taking a week off here and there makes it more bearable.

No matter what schedule you decide to follow, don't become a slave to it.  Make it work for you, be flexible, and allow your children to take breaks when needed.  It makes for a more relaxed student, a less stressed teacher, (that's YOU!) and a better school year!

What does your schedule look like?  How have you made it work for you?

Blessings,

Have School, Will Travel

I know, can you believe it?  Two posts in one week!  I am on a roll!  It is hard to imagine I am sure, but there was a time in the life of this blog that I posted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  No matter what.  Yeah, those were the days.

Anyway, I digress...

You may remember that my sweet hubby took a job about two hours from where we live.  Typically he leaves on Sunday night or early Monday morning, and returns home Thursday about dinner time.  It could certainly be worse, but at this stage of our lives, and after spending much our married life apart, it is not what we would choose.  It is where God has us for now and we are grateful he is loving his job and settling in to teaching.

None the less, after a busy week prior and having to put down our 16 year old dog on Friday, I decided the boys and I could use a break.  Well, I am sure the girls could too, but hey, they have jobs!  Thankfully, as a homeschooler, and now that football is done, we have the freedom to come and go, and so GO we did!

Packed up school and a few clothes and headed out the door.

Very early!

We are currently enjoying the sweet Air BNB life my husband has during the week, exploring the area, and just being still!  I could get a tad spoiled!  I was even smart enough to bring along the crock pot since we have limited cooking capabilities here, and the place smells so good when we get back in the evening.  If you haven't tried that before, I highly recommend it!  Not only does it save money, but it is a warm welcome when you come home tired after a busy day.  Not sure what the maid service thinks about us when they come in to clean our rooms in a hotel, but oh well!

Here's praying you, too, can find moments of rest during your busy week!

Blessings,

Disney Days

A quick family update, because some do come just for that! Crazy, right, but when you live far away from family, it is the way many of us keep in touch.

Riley our college senior arrived home last Tuesday.  Yay us!  We gave her one day to acclimate to the house (she only saw the new house when we were house hunting), and then we headed to Disneyland for a few days.  Since it is only a 6 hour drive we knew we couldn't pass up the opportunity.  With our kids getting older by the second, we know our family vacation days are numbered.

There is so much a could share with you but I will keep it short for sanity's sake.

• The Pleasants do theme parks like a military mission!  Go, go, go, go, GO!  Some things never change.

•  Riley is a great leader.  She told us where to go and what to do, and we just went along for the ride.  That girl belongs there! 

• Disneyland is much more laid back than Disneyworld!  Love both, but seriously, this vacation was actually relaxing!
   
• We picked awesome dates to visit.  Not sure if was the weekday choices or the specific week, but we had SHORT wait times (10-20 minutes) the whole time.

•  Max pass is a gift from God.  Ok, maybe a slight exaggeration, but seriously, worth the extra pennies. 

• I am thankful that we walked 5-8 miles each day, because Disney food is yummy.  Just saying! 

Riley turned 21 while were there!  Can't think of a more perfect place for her to be for a special day!

A few just for fun!

We had such a great time and are thankful we were able to sneak in a quick trip.  If you haven't been- add this to your bucket list.

Blessings,

Great Britain Vacation

Yes, my two girls went.  No, I did not!
But I thought you might enjoy seeing some pictures anyway! ;)

Thanks to the generosity of their grandparents my girls just returned from a 10 day tour of England and Scotland.  They had a blast and we have had so much fun living vicariously through them.  The stories have been entertaining and they made enough memories to last a lifetime.

Edinburgh Castle in Scotland

Westminster Abbey, no pictures allowed inside, but it was as stunning as the outside!

the girls, their grandparents, and the tour group!

You can also see all of Riley's photos here!

They are busy dreaming of their next trip- where would you go?

Blessings,

Return to Reality

Years ago our family made the decision to save up and go on a family vacation once a year.  When the kids were younger we surprised them each year at Christmas time with the destination.  Now that they are older, it takes a bit more coordinating, so we plan together.  With our second daughter in college now, it takes a even more planning as we have to go when she is on break.  Because she is in school not so close to us, this year we decided to pick her up and just keep heading south, ending up at the beach.  Ironically, it is the same place she was born 19 years ago.

 Yes, we were at the beach for an entire week.  I forgot how much I love the beach.  I forgot about the clear water and the white sand!  You see, Colorado is by far my favorite location we have lived.  There is something about the mountains that just makes my heart sing.  But I grew up spending summers at the beach and spent a lot of my early adulthood at my father's places at the beach.  We have a lot of beautiful memories of the beach, but we haven't been there in a while.

It was nice to see the surf and sand again!  To breathe in the salt air and listen to the waves- it has a way of relaxing your whole body.

We really did NOTHING except on one of our colder days, on which we went to the Gulfarium in Destin to see the animals.

Despite the fact that the first few days were colder that I had hoped, we had a fabulous time.  Some friends came to stay with us a few nights, and we got to reconnect with a few other friends as well.  It was a time of rest, healing, and fun in the sun!

Counting the days until we can go back!

Blessings,

MIA

In case you were worried, I didn't want you to think I was MIA!

It's just that I had forgotten how much I loved this place. 

I may not go home.
Just saying!

Blessings,

Florida's Treasure Coast Homeschool Reivew Crew Review- and Our Upcoming Trip!

It is always an honor to review for stellar homeschooling companies, but sometimes it is also just a lot of fun.  Amazingly, it also seems to be perfect timing in many cases, based on our needs or life circumstances.

That is exactly what happened when we heard about our most recent review from By the Way Book Series.

You see, we are headed to Florida in a few weeks for our yearly family vacation and guess what?  One of By the Way Book Series is...wait for it... Florida's Treasure Coast- Here We Come.

Seriously?!  Could it have been more perfect timing?!

Our family had the privilege of living in Florida years ago and we have been to Disney a few times, but otherwise our youngest has not had much time in or knowledge of this magical state.  At his age, (4th grade) it is not in our current curriculum to do specific state studies, so this book is not only a great tie-in to our trip, helping get us all excited about the things we could see and do, but also a good resource for a state study!

About the book-  In Florida's Treasure Coast- Here We Come, author Joy Budensiek tells the story of two children, siblings Alex and Lexi, as they join their grandparents in Florida for a much needed vacation from the cold temperatures where they live.  From the minute they step off the plane to the minute they go home, Alex and Lexi get to experience the beauty of Florida.  They learn about the tress, the animals, the history and more, shown to them through a Biblical Worldview.  While conversational and engaging, the story is like a history, science, Bible, and geography lesson all rolled into one.  When a new subject is introduced in the story, there is always a separate fact area on the corresponding page labeled Did You Know?  In those sections, you will find additional facts on the subject.  For example- technically, a palm tree has no branches, mosquitoes have 47 teeth, and only one side of a whale's brain sleeps at a time.  Who knew?

What we liked- ALL of it!  It is not often that you can find a book, fiction or non fiction, that is written from a Biblical worldview.  Joy does an amazing job of this and her obvious love for the Lord and His creation shines through.  Illustrated by Stephanie Robledo, the pictures are fun and engaging and will hold the attention of even the younger kids in your life. 

There is a lot of information packed into this 48 page hardback book!  Because of that, I think you would find it challenging to read in one sitting if you used it as a read aloud.  My 9 year old (4th grader) did read it in one sitting but it took him a while and he was highly motivated considering our upcoming trip.  Since then, he picks up the book often and just flips to a few pages he wants to look at or read again. This is often what I find at bedtime!

Places we now want to visit in Florida-  Everywhere!  But not like you would think.  Unlike your usual tourist brochure, the By the Way Book Series is not a specific destination book.  Instead, the intent is to focus on God's creation!  I love that Scripture is quoted throughout the book and the characters continually praise God for what they see.  It is refreshing and encouraging.

If you are interested, there are currently several other books in this series with many more to come!  We have already chosen the next one we want to own- Colorado-By the Way!  Colorado is another state we have lived in and it holds a special place in our heart, so we look forward to adding this one to our library!  New York City is also on the upcoming list, and I know someone that will be perfect for!

Colorado, Anyone?

If you know me well, you know this shirt speaks to me.  My hubby went to college in Colorado and we lived there for three years later in our career.  As my daughter says, it is our heart land. Something deep inside me just seems to settle when I see those mountains.  I don't know if we will ever go back there for good, but when we are there, even for short times, our souls are refreshed.

We were able to join some dear friends in the moutains for several nights over the 4th of July holiday. We had not seen some of them in more than several years and it was great to reconnect!  Don't you love when you can pick up with old friends like you never skipped a moment?

Getting there proved to be a little hard, but a few monsoons and a flat tire later we settled in!

Campground life is amazing settled in those mounatins.  Even when you are camping in a local hotel and just a guest for the days!  We miss our RV, and the kids are on a mission to talk dad into getting a new one now!  

And of course, it would not be the same fun if it weren't for old friends and new buddies!  Not to mention a pool, a bike parade, and rafting trips!

We even got to see an old fashioned parade in the little town of Silverton.  Kind of puts the 4th in perspective!  Not to mention the kids loved getting sprayed by the firetrucks!  It was one of Colby's favorite things.

One of the hero's favorite things?  A quick stop at Rudy's Bar-B-Q, of course.  If you know him, you know that yes, this place is an obsession of his.  I mean really, people ship him this sauce and meat for Christmas presents!  Or a "welcome to Colorado" present, just saying!  After driving 13 hours each way, we thought he deserved it! ;)

All in all, a great trip, great memories, a great break, and great friends!

What more could you ask for?

Other than more Rudy's! ;)

Blessings,

Do You Wanna Build With Legos?

I couldn't resist.  And now I will be singing the new version to THAT song all day!  It is by far better than the snowman version I think.  Especially for those of you who have been inundated with more snow than you care to shovel right?!

Anyway, moving on...

Did I mention that we also went to Legoland while in Florida on our DISNEY vacation?  It is most certainly not Disney but Colby was convinced it was his dream come true.  He even told me that as we made our way into the park.  A deserted park, none the less.

 
 

Seriously!  I do not know if it was just that particular Monday or if the Legoland in Florida is always slow, but we practically had the place to ourselves.  No lines,  It was an eight year olds' idea of heaven.

It has been many years since we visited the Legoland in California, and Colby had only seen pictures of his older siblings there so he begged to go to Legoland while in Florida.

Have you seen the price of tickets?  They are expensive.  $ 67.00-$82.00 a ticket to be exact.  I had almost written the idea off when a friend told me to check out if there was a homeschool day in January.  Why, yes, there was- on the exact day we had planned on going.  Kid you not!

$12.00 a ticket for kids who are homeschooled and only $25.00 for accompanying adults.  Yes, you read that right.  6 of us attended for the price it would have cost two of us normally.

Sold!  And off we went.

Colby had a great time.  He is 8.

The older kids....well, let's just say after the thrill of Disney not much else can compare.  Rides especially.  But they are good sports and were reminded of the fun they had YEARS ago.  There was a lot of giggling and eye rolling but they made it through.

One thing that DID impress us all is the miniature area.  The buildings and such are truly works of art and it easy to appreciate the time and talent it must take to build them.

And then there are the numerous stores!  Legos, legos and more legos!

What could better?


Only Disney, maybe! ;)

Blessings,