Homeschooling from a hotel room

As many of you know, we've been in Paducah, KY with Hubby as he's been here for work (training Nurses). It's been so nice to be with him. Living in a hotel room has been nice in some respects & challenging in others. We do have a 2 room suite so that helps but you still feel like you are on top of each other all the time. Makes me thankful for my house!

Even though we are at a hotel, we are still doing schoolwork. I brought a crate with our spelling, math, writing, phonics & other workbooks. I also brought a bunch of Halloween/Fall coloring & worksheets I printed out from various websites for fun! The kids have actually been pretty good about doing their schoolwork. In fact, David finished his Phonics K book & will be starting Phonics 1 when we get home! He's so excited!

We've had lots of PE class! Jamie swam from 1 end of the pool to the other for the first time. David has learned to swim underwater & Jessica is learning to swim also. We are so proud of them.

We also were able to take some field trips.

On Saturday we were able to go to the Paducah water front (Ohio & Tennessee Rivers). We also went to the Lloyd Tilghman Civil War Museum and the River Discovery Center. The kids loved going to these places & even Hubby & I learned some new things!

On Sunday, we went to Land Between the Lakes Federal Recreation Area. We visited the Homeplace, an 1850s working village. The kids learned about spinning wool, making tools & even got to pet some sheep. Then they got to dress up in period costumes! We also visited the Bison & Antelope prairie but did not spot any animals. We were all disappointed in that.

So, while schooling on the road is challenging in some respects, it has been a great learning experience. We have gotten to visit some places we wouldn't normally have went - Who goes to Paducah, KY on vacation? The kids have gotten lots of exercise - swimming almost every day. Most importantly, we've gotten to be together as a family for 2 weeks straight.

Pumpkin Day

Today was pumpkin day in our house. We had 6 pumpkins from my dad's garden which I needed to puree before they went bad. So I turned it into a learning opportunity.

So, we guessed which pumpkin weighed the most. Then we weighed them. They weighed 9 1/2 lbs, 9 lbs, 5 1/2 lbs, 5 lbs, 4 lbs & 3 1/2 lbs. Then the kids drew pictures of the pumpkins. Next we guessed which would have the most seeds. Then the fun began. I cut the pumpkins open & the kids took out the seeds. Later I counted all the seeds. We have a total of 2,861 seeds. The biggest pumpkin did not have the most seeds, the 2nd biggest one did.

Then my work began. I cut, peeled, cleaned, cooked, pureed & bagged the pumpkin. I also boiled the seeds & put them out to dry. Tomorrow we will roast them.  We got 28 cups of pumpkin puree. The kids were disappointed that I did not make something with the pumpkin tonight!

Praise

I've noticed my last few post have been complaint filled. So this one is one of praise! I'm just going to list reasons I have to praise God!
What I praise God for:
-for being God! The alpha, the omega, the beginning, the end.

-for forgiving me! I don't deserve His Love or His Grace! Yet He sent His Son to die for me so that I might live. So that my sins might be forgiven!

-for His creation! The plants, the flowers, the animals, the stars, the clouds, the moon, the sun, the trees, the bugs, the people!

-for creativity! How diverse yet so similar is our world! Only God could create a sky full of stars. A world of snowflakes with each one different!

-for my Hubby! God orchestrated my path & his path to collide. I couldn't have picked a better husband. I am truly blessed with a hubby who loves me, who spoils me, who protects me, who desires me, who loves me!

-for my kids! My oldest who is so logical & deep. She remembers everything she sees/hears. She looks at life through God! I pray she never loses that! My son who is so loving! He has such a tender heart yet he is all boy! He's not afraid to ask questions - such an inquisitive mind! My youngest who is full of gusto! She's full of joy & playfulness. She walks to the beat of her own drum!

-for my parents who showed me who Jesus was by living their faith. Always supportive & helping others. Always loving me no matter what I did or said. Encouraging me to seek God always!

-for my in-laws. No one could ask for better in-laws! Always there to support us & always loving us! I truly feel like I am their daughter!

-for my brother & sister-in-law. My brother is so smart & talented. He is an awesome example for my kids of what a diligent worker is! My sister-in-law is so loving & gives my kids an example of love in action! She loves God's creatures & encourages that in my kids!

-for a wonderful church & church family. I never dreamed we'd find a church that Teaches the Bible and is so friendly. They truly are family. They support us, they love us & our kids.

So this is just a little of what I praise God for! So what are you praising God for today?? I'd love to hear your praises!

From one health problem to another....

So, I finally got my blood pressure under control & now I'm dealing with a fissure! Ouch! I've been in pain most of the last 3 months... The last 3 weeks have been really bad and I have fibromyalgia & am used to dealing with pain...

I'm so tired of hurting & being sidelined by pain. Physically, I've had to deal with worse pain. BUT this time it seems harder. I know I'm being harder on myself. I'm so frustrated with the fact that I'm having trouble taking care of my hubby & kids. Mind you, they aren't complaining as my hubby has taken awesome care of me and my kids have pitched in & helped a lot. It's just that I know my purpose in life at this stage is to love God, love my husband, love my family & take care of them! I have a house to clean, laundry to do, meals to fix, yardwork to do, school to teach, hubby to be a wife to! ;-)

And the frustration at not being able to fulfill those duties has hit me hard. I know God has a reason for all this, but I can't see it right now. And that's where Satan has me... He used that to eat away at me & tell me I'm useless, worthless & too much of a bother. Why do I listen to him? I know he just wants to pull me away from God & to fill me with despair. Oh God, help me! comfort me, lift me up & help me to withstand the temptation to give in to the pain & despair.

From this moment on Lord, I praise You for this pain. I don't understand it, but I praise You for & in this pain. Use it! Use me! For Your ultimate Glory!! For I know that You love me & that You work all things for Good!!

Sidelined by health problems...

So, If you've followed me on twitter or Facebook, you know about my sudden onset of high blood pressure & headache while in Colorado. If not, here's the short version. Thursday I had the worst headache of my life & had Jeff take me to an urgent care center we were passing on way to airport to come home. I ended up in ER with Blood pressure of 212/142. After meds & CT Scan & Spinal Tap, my BP came down & I was sent on my way. Of course, we had missed our flights & ended up driving home the next day.

When I got home, I took my BP & it is up. I've not had Blood pressure problems outside of pregnancy, so now I am taking it easy (staying on the couch) until I get into see the doctor tomorrow.

Taking it easy is the hardest thing in the world when my house needs cleaned, my kids need taken care of, my hubby needs taken care of & meals need fixed. It is so hard to stay down & let hubby take care of me. BUT I know I need to until we figure out why my blood pressure is up & we get it under control. WHy is it so hard for a wife/mom to take care of ourselves? Why do we feel guilty when we need to take it easy to be healthy for our families? Just a few of the questions I'm pondering while stuck here on the couch...