It's Field Trip Season!

Spring is in the air and we are all itching to get out and enjoy it. Open High School had a great field trip to Antelope Island on Thursday. Siblings were more than welcome to come along.



It was a wonderful adventure. The long drive was worth it. The Naturalist made the information she gave so very exciting to listen to. And she did a great job getting the kids to ask questions. I think my youngest (10 years old and not in the class) asked more questions than anyone. He was so interested in the Bison.



It was beautiful out. The Great Salt Lake was in the background of the Bison grassing out in a distance. April is a great month to go because the bugs haven't come out yet! Big plus.

Great words from April General Conference

L. Tom Perry:

Teaching in the home is becoming increasingly important in today’s world,
where the influence of the adversary is so widespread and he is attacking,
attempting to erode and destroy the very foundation of our society, even the
family. Parents must resolve that teaching in the home is a most sacred and
important responsibility. While other institutions, such as church and
school, can assist parents to “train up a child in the way he [or she]
should go” (Proverbs 22:6), ultimately this responsibility rests with
parents. According to the great plan of happiness, it is parents who are
entrusted with the care and development of our Heavenly Father’s children.
Our families are an integral part of His work and glory—“to bring to pass
the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). On God’s eternal
stage, it is usually intended that parents act as the central cast members
in their children’s lives. Fortunately, there are understudies involved in
the production who may step in when parents can’t. It, however, is parents
who have been commanded by the Lord to bring up their children in light and
truth (see D&C 93:40).

Parents must bring light and truth into their homes by one family prayer,
one scripture study session, one family home evening, one book read aloud,
one song, and one family meal at a time. They know that the influence of
righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily parenting is among the most
powerful and sustaining forces for good in the world. The health of any
society, the happiness of its people, their prosperity, and their peace all
find common roots in the teaching of children in the home.

(April 2010 General Conference)

College requirements Arrggghhh..they're a changin'

I discovered this week that BYU's admissions requirements are going to be changing. Yes, it is going to be even more difficult to get in. No longer will a simple 4.0 GPA get you in. They will be looking for service in the community, organizations you were a part of, etc. Matter of fact, it will be the new requirement.

After looking into different ideas we came across a fun activity for Shelby to participate in. www.missuoteen.com or Miss Utah Outstanding Teen.

I know you are thinking...no way! Not a beauty pageant! But this one isn't your average pageant. It is service and academic oriented. The judges look at service you have done that is related to your platform. And they also want someone who is doing very well in school. There is a separate award for academics. Shelby is so excited about it. We certainly don't expect to win. But look forward to participating in a great program that will not only inspire us to work on more service, but will look good on transcripts.

You can help us think of a catchy name for Shelby's platform. It is a program to help young kids want to read more.

The light at the end of the tunnel

April is here already! Time to check what needs to be finished and bring out some fun things to replace the things that are completed.

Thanks to all the people out there who post ideas, websites, opinions, opened their home for classes, etc., and that have helped us along our journey of homeschooling.

There was a great article in the Washington Post. If you have a chance read it. It will make you feel good about pioneering this great movement of parents choosing a better education for their children. http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/washington-post-lets-move-learning-online/ .

We decided to have our 9th grade daughter participate in an online High School Program this year. It was the schools first year. For the most part it has been wonderful. There have been issues with some content that I have voiced my concern about. Pictures that went with the text that I deemed inappropriate. Videos that were used as part of the "learning experience" that I thought my 13 year old didn't need to watch. Surprisingly I caught a lot of heat for my dissension.

I don't think that that schools should take all the heat for poor education in this country and for the decline of values. Parents who don't demand change or just let the status quo continue are to blame. The boat needs to be rocked if the strokes being taken are taking you and your family on the wrong path.

I know everyone wants OHSU to be successful. But ignoring issues doesn't make it a better place. Voicing concern in programs will only make it better.

At the end of the year I can put my stamp of approval on

Apologia Science books. - best curriculum. We learned so much and had a blast.

Draw Write Now - Great writing tool. My kids loved drawing and then looking up more facts.

Open High School of Utah - Opened a lot of doors of discussion. Look forward to adding their math program next year. Teachers were very attentive and responded quickly. They seemed more concerned on learning the material than deadlines. I really appreciated that. But you need to watch content. Videos and pictures might be more worldly than you would like. But if you are involved you can have great discussions.

We are still looking for that great Math program. We don't think one program fills in the gaps. So we will continue to change it up and use various tools in teaching in this area. Saxon is good - but dry. Aleks.com is wonderful - but the kids don't like everything online.

K12 has a great History program. We really enjoy the teaching of true History. American History had nothing deleted. History is History. Deleting facts and not teaching them doesn't change the fact that they happened. If we don't learn about our past we will just make the same choices and not learn or get better.

See my post on teaching Mediocrity.

This summer will be filled with Math and Reading, summer camp programs, an exchange student from Germany, 4th of July celebrations,EFY, and some relaxation.

Wow! Our Spring Vacation was over in a blink. What wonderful memories we made together. I'm not sure which one is my favorite.

It was a joy to feel the excitement before we left. Did we pack everything? Would we have a ride to the airport? It was great. We did forget a few things. And we had a last minute change in who drove us to the airport. But we worried for nothing because in the end it didn't change our experience. It made for great stories afterwards.

I found a new found hope in Mankind on our trip. We found kindness in the most unexpected places.

Our first day was spent in Ft. Lauderdale. We had the most amazing hotel. The staff there was so cheerful and helpful. On an outing that day to pick up sunblock and drinks we had a frustrating event. The bag holding all our drinks ripped open. You can imagine where all the drinks ended up. Yep..busted open on the pavement. In my frustration I didn't display the best decorum. But in the midst of the chaos a young man came along and joked with us and helped us pick up the drinks that hadn't busted open. With a smile and a few jokes he had brightened our day.

On our cruise Rick and Ricky picked up a basketball game with a family from Germany. The young boy was a little older than Ricky but it turned out to be a new friend. We seemed to run in to the family almost everywhere we went. It was fun. The young boy was learning English and found it refreshing that Ricky enjoyed talking to him. At the end of the cruise the family asked us if we would be willing to host their older son as an exchange student this summer. We were quite flattered. We'll see if that works out. Some logistics...like there son is the same age as my daughter.

I love the Caribbean. It must be the weather. I had the best time in Nassau with my sister and my husband. We just walked the streets window shopping. We found some local police who were willing to stand with us and take pictures. We have been there more times than I can count, yet I find it one of my favorite places to visit. Shelby went with her uncle and cousin and they rented scouters and road around the island for the day. The straw market is always fun. I get a kick out of bargaining with them. Found a few purses, a wallet, and a few necklaces for the girls. Paid what I wanted. So much fun. Great memories.

The first few days my kids and their cousin (who is older than them) hung out and played video games together. By the end of the second night they had made friends in their kids groups and were off doing their thing. It is so nice to have cousins who love my kids. Even though there is an age difference they appreciate the kids and have always been loving and generous with them.

Our excursion we had planned in the Caymans was canceled because of bad weather. It turned out to be a great blessing. Instead of going by ourselves we spent some fun time with the whole family eating lunch and the kids got to play in a pool and dance with Grandma. We then got a taxi and went to "Hell" and a turtle farm where we got to hold turtles. The kids also got a kiss from a dolphin. All this was with my sisters family as well. Shelby was able to spend some great quality time with grandma by herself. Grandma Susie can always make her smile.

Roatan, Honduras was beautiful! We had never been there. We stood on deck as we entered the chanel to dock. It looked like paradise. Rick and Shaun took the oldest kids diving. We were a little late so they did have to wait. But once they got there and were able to dive it was a magical experience. Rick has dreamed of one day taking his kids diving. And that day arrived. Shelby had a panic attack. But all was well and she did fabulous from then on. Their cousin Brandon had never been either and he was a natural. Taylor had a wonderful experience. The diving teacher even held her hand as they swam.

Cozumel is one of my favorite places. As many times as we have been there, there is always a new adventure. This time we wanted to experience the island. We didn't want to do the tourist stuff. So we rented a jeep and drove around all day. It was the best part of the trip. We got lost. But the people were great and got us on track to see the ruins. It helps that Rick speaks spanish. wink. Rick had another dream come true. He was able to take the kids to see the ruins. We then drove to the beach on the other side of where we docked. It was awesome. As we passed people on the road they waved and we yelled Buenas! Just laying on the beach were big shells and we even picked up some brain coral. They had seen it on their diving adventure so it meant a lot to see it on the beach. We even stopped at a local restaurant to have some authentic tacos.

Grandma Susie threw Ricky a birthday party in her cabin. She ordered him two cakes and we sat and enjoyed the company and had a very memorable time. Grandma also spoiled the kids with tokens to the arcade each day. I don't think we could give her enough hugs and kisses.

When the cruise was over it was very sad. We would miss our time together with Kim, Shaun, Brandon, and Grandma and Grandpa.

I can even say it was fun standing with Kim waiting for Rick to come with the car rental. Some good jokes were told. Even the bad experience at dinner with the rude waiter was a memorable time. We stood together and stood up for what was right.

We then drove to our "hometown" of Oviedo and visited some of our best friends. The kids have been friends since they were babies. It is wonderful to be able to stay friends and visit. Dina and Scott made us feel like family while were there. Scott took the kids out on the boat, and Dina made sure we all were comfortable. When I forgot to pack shoes for the kids for church..Dina found them some. When Shelby needed a bathing suit Dina found her one. Dina even bought us our favorite drinks.

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. - Albert Schwietzer