Rocky Ledges

31 January 2012

We cleaned the house today, every last nook and craney. I even managed to get all the laundry put away and hung up and my room cleaned and Ember's room cleaned and cleared of the boxes that had been abandoned there. I am so proud of my kids (and myself!). It was a big task, but it needed doing and now that it is all clean it will be easier to keep it that way if I can just stay on top of it.

I finished The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'amour. Very excellent book. If you haven't read it, do so. I spent more time reading Charlotte Mason and reviewing some of the TJ Ed stuff. I am going to give myself a day before I start reading the next book, Little Britches by Ralph Moody. I am so glad I am doing this. Reading brings a whole new level of understanding and judgement to my daily interactions with my children, husband and others.

We drove out to Antelope Island again after lunch, I packed us a dinner this time. We drove to one of the beach locations and walked out on the half frozen sand for quite a distance before we were stopped by the water. The kids played there for a little bit then we drove around and read some of the plaques around the island and hiked up a trail to an overlook. It was fun, if not a bit nerve wracking having my kids up on the tops of rocks like that so close to an unforgiving drop. I just had to keep telling myself that the best way for them to learn safety was to experience places where caution was required. I knew they wouldn't fall, and if they did it wouldn't have been very far, most likely slip a few feet is all, but it was still nerve wracking.

Everyone made it back to the car safely and after taking a picture for a couple who had apparently been waiting for us to come back down the trail for just such a purpose, we climbed into the car and ate dinner. I gave the kids their journals again and they made their entries for the day.

At home we settled down on the couch and I read them stories, first from the Bible and then a few of their picture books. What a pleasant way to end the day!

Where the Buffalo Roam

30 January 2012

I feel like Charlotte Mason and Oliver DeMille hit me over the head with a frying pan of inspiration. I took the kids to Walmart today and we bought a bunch of craft items. Quiet activities they can do while I read to them at night so they don't bother each other and I can get through more than a few minutes of reading. The things I bought are as follows:

Popsicle Sticks
Lanyard (boondoggle depending on where you are from)
Friendship Bracelet Thread
Yarn
Knitting Needles
Crochet Hooks
Colored Pencils
Crayons
Watercolor
Paper (white and construction)
Drawing/Writing Journals
Pencils
Beads
Pipe Cleaners
Glue
Scissors

I am sure I forgot something(s) on that list, but that gives you a good idea. We also bought fruits and vegetables we could eat without having to prep (apples, oranges, celery etc) and drove out to Antelope Island which is only a five minute drive from where I live. I had never been there before. Don't get me wrong here, I have only lived here since November, so it's not like I have had a ton of opportunities to go there. Anyways, I decided to pay for the annual pass since I plan on going there often since it is so close and it lets me into all of the other state parks in Utah.

We went to Lady Finger Point and walked/climbed up Lady Finger Trail. The kids had a blast running through the brush and climbing up the rocks. We looked out to Egg Island were the seagulls go to roost. We got a pretty good look at just how big the island is from that vantage point. After we had our fun there we drove up to the Visitors Center and had a look around. Ra was a bit disappointed that it wasn't more extravagant than it was. Ah well.

We saw our first bison sitting around outside the Visitors Center, just south of the parking lot. We got back in the car and had something to eat then drove the 11 miles to the Garr Ranch on suggestion from the folks at the Visitors Center. It was really cold and I had only had the kids bring sweatshirts so by the time we got there and had a potty break the kids were ready to call it a day.

On our way back to the causeway I saw a lookout point we could drive to so I took a small detour there and had the kids pull out their journals we just bought and draw a picture about the island and write something about it as well. All three of them did a wonderful job. Ra drew the landscape scene from where we were parked, looking out over the Great Salt Lake. El drew the causeway leading up to the island and our car on it. Ca drew . . . well I couldn't make it out but he explained it to me and said it was dead fish that the animals killed. Ahhh boys.

I think we should spend the rest of the week at Antelope Island, at least a few hours a day. What a great experience and there is still so much to do and see there.