Tighten our belt

Since I have returned to being a stay-at-home mom, I've been trying to cut back on our expenses.  It feels funny to say that after just writing two checks this week to the plumber for over $5K total as we had a new furnace and air conditioner installed yesterday. The temps are in the 80's outside today, which is warmer than usual for this time of year in Pennsylvania, and I have to say I am very grateful to finally have air conditioning after having gone without since we returned from Aunt Janet's  house in early July. We could have paid less than we did, but we went with a heat pump, which is not something we had before. This means that now our furnace will only be used when the outside temperature is below 35 degrees. We are hoping this means we'll pay less for natural gas for the furnace in the coming years. Thankfully it's very rare for us to be spending that much money in one fell swoop. Some categories (like clothing) I don't feel I can be much more frugal than I already am because almost everything the kids wear comes from a yard sale, and Paul and I hardly ever buy any new clothes or shoes. Some financial changes have already been put into action. Others won't go into effect until 2020. Here's what I've come up with so far:

1. Next year I'm hoping to cut back the "kids" line item of the budget by at least $2K. This category includes camps, classes (art, chorus, ice skating, etc.), Upward basketball, textbooks and supplies for homeschooling, and food/bedding for the guinea pigs. For example, the kids won't be attending horseback riding camp next summer. Nadia really wants a cat, dog, or rabbit, and Ian would like a gerbil, cat, or dog. At this point I haven't figured out a way to include another pet in our budget, but I am trying to work on that as it would be a great gift for her at some point. Considering I am preferring a slower paced lifestyle these days, the desire to spend less money works well with staying home more because many activities outside our house cost money. 

2. Next year we should be able to cut the vacation line item by at least $1K, but in 2020 I think we'll spend quite a bit more than we did this year since we're hoping to go out west.

3. The mortgage was paid off this past spring, which means 2020 will be the first full year we won't have any mortgage or rent payments.

4. The last several years we've only had cable television for 4-6 months a year. This year to try to cut back further on that expense, we only signed up for the local channels which means we're paying less during those months we have cable. 

5. I've decided to only get my hair cut three times a years instead of four times a year. I cut Paul, Ian, and Oliver's hair. Nadia gets one haircut a year.

6. We had to make changes in our charitable giving. I did not enjoy making these reductions, but it was necessary.

7. We already have begun to make significant cutbacks in the "entertainment" line item. This is for restaurants, tickets, admission fees, etc. When we got take-out pizza, we used to get two large pizzas. I recently have switched to only getting one pizza. Some events are pricey (like our tickets to Sight and Sound) so I'm trying to spend less than $13 a week at restaurants. Last Friday the comedian Ken Davis was at our church. We skipped that, and we also skipped going to the Bloomsburg Fair to hear Amy Grant and We are Messengers sing on Sunday night due to the cost involved. Thankfully if Nadia and I volunteer to help with Compassion, we can get into some concerts for free.

8. In terms of the house, we have paid for some things over the past three years that were appreciated but not absolutely necessary like a new kitchen faucet, replacing the deck, and replacing some flooring. For the foreseeable future I think we need to just stick with needs rather than "wants" in terms of home improvement in part because some of the "needs" are rather pricey such as a roof that will need to be replaced in the not so distant future.

9. We have already overspent in the gas line item for 2019, and the year isn't over yet. EEK! We have no control over the price of gas. I am going to try to be more careful about how much I drive the van. Paul's car doesn't get as good gas mileage has his previous car (Prius), and he drives at least 600 miles a week, but there's nothing we can do about that aside from moving closer (which we're not planning to do). 

10. Although I try to shop frugally when it comes to grocery shopping, I have a goal to try to do better in this category in 2020. The past three years we spent $4,600 a year for food, paper products, cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc. This year we are going to exceed that amount. I'm hoping in 2020 to get us back to $4600 if at all possible although since we're not buying as much pizza it means I'm cooking one more dinner most weeks than I used to when we got 2 large pizzas. I have stopped buying Hot Pockets on a regular basis. I'm just buying them as a special treat a few times a year. A hot pocket usually costs $1 each (sometimes a little less) whereas it costs a lot less than $1 to make a PBJ sandwich, bologna sandwich, egg and toast, or a hotdog. Nadia is not at all crazy about this change. I wish that there was an Aldi closer to us. That would be a great help, but I'll try to do the best I can with the stores that I usually frequent.

11. I'm not planning to send out Christmas cards this year. The postage stamps I would have used for those cards are now being used by Nadia for letters to her pen pal. We also are cutting back in the "gifts" category of our budget. Paul and I hadn't really spent much of anything on gifts for each other the last few years, but this past Christmas he got me a ring. I really like the ring, but for now I think we need to go back to not buying each other gifts. There are other ways I am planning to save money in the gifts category; that's just one example.

12. I'm trying to return to couponing at CVS once or twice a month. I'm also trying to remember to use Rakuten or a similar website when I'm doing online shopping. I have always paid attention to which credit card is earning a 5-10% rebate in which category each quarter, but this year (for the first time) I've actually been buying gift cards to the gas station or grocery store to max out the benefit during the quarter and then use those gift cards in another quarter when we would only earn 2% through the credit card. Since we spend very little money at restaurants (the Discover category that is earning 10% rebate for this quarter), I'm grateful that they also included PayPal this quarter. I usually don't use PayPal, but I've been using it for online purchases whenever possible this quarter to maximize the 10% rebate. For example, since Priceline takes PayPal, I booked our room for one night in Richmond today using PayPal since the quarter ends in two days.

Hopefully by making these changes (and others that might come to mind in the future), we will be able to save enough money for things like Ian's braces, replacing the roof, replacing our vehicles, replacing the oven, replacing the garage door, etc.

You've Got Mail

Romantic comedy is definitely not Paul's favorite genre of movies, but I remember many moons ago that we both enjoyed watching the movie "You've Got Mail" together. Nadia has been very interested in what arrives in our mailbox each day now that she has been corresponding with a girl in Illinois. Both girls are pretty prompt at writing and mailing a response to each letter they receive.

The homeschooling group we belong to has been scheduling quite a few field trips lately. We've skipped some of them due to scheduling conflicts or because of the driving time involved. For example, last week we missed the tour of the state police barracks, and next month we're not planning to join the tour of a courthouse/ sheriff's office or of a 911 emergency center. Last week we went on a tour of a wastewater treatment plant, yesterday we toured a Post Office, and next month we're scheduled to tour a bank, landfill, and Keystone Potato Products (industrial tour). At the Post Office yesterday our tour guide gave the kids several opportunities for hands-on experiences. They were able to put on a bag containing mail to see what it feels like for those who deliver mail by walking door to door.  At another point they were each allowed to cancel the postage on one piece of mail. At the package station they used a handheld scanner to scan a package, and then when the letter and number showed up on the computer screen, they carried the package to the correct bin. She also had all the kids get on the scale together to see how much their weighed. They weighed a little less than 1,000 pounds. The kids got to listen to some of the live mail. For example, one package contained a live bird.

The only time we left the house yesterday was for our 1 hour tour of the Post Office, and today we are staying home until we go to AWANA/ choir this evening. We enjoy field trips, but we also enjoy time at home!

Thankful Tuesday

1. Last Monday I went to a different grocery store than I usually go to while Nadia was in choir rehearsal. It was a pleasant surprise to find that I could buy up to 5 pounds of grapes at 99 cents a pound, and they were exceptionally tasty grapes! Also, I bought a couple of boxes of their store brand's instant oatmeal that are flavors I've never tried before. I absolutely love the cranberry pecan oatmeal! I want to buy more of it. Yummy!

2. There were a couple of days last week that the temperatures dropped SO much at night that the house was 67 degrees in the morning. I actually opened the blinds for the first time in months to let light in, which was heavenly. The temps have gone back up since then (it was in the low 90's outside on Sunday) so the blinds are closed again, but soon I know letting more light into our house will become the norm again. One perk of not being able to use an air conditioner is our electric bill has been much lower than it typically is for this time of year. The plumber contacted me yesterday, and he plans to pick up the check to pay for the equipment tomorrow and plans to install it this Friday (and the labor portion of the project will be due that day). The days of our house getting up into the 80's are coming to an end. It's also time to schedule an appointment with the piano tuner!

3. Last Tuesday we enjoyed the time we spent at Hershey Gardens. The kids were most looking forward to the (free) ride at Chocolate World, especially as they give each person a little piece of candy at the end (Hershey bar this time). As far as Hershey Gardens, we attended three programs, walked around the gardens, the kids participated in a scavenger hunt in the arboretum, made a few crafts, and walked through the butterfly atrium. We spent at least three hours at Hershey Gardens. IT was my first time there. The kids favorite parts were #1 the program where they learned how to calculate the age of a tree (when you can't count rings), #2 the program that featured three owls, and #3 the butterfly atrium. One butterfly landed on Oliver's head, but it was on there for such a brief moment I didn't get a picture. I did get a picture of one on Nadia's foot. I think it was attracted to her shiny flip flops. One of my favorite parts was the fact that we picked my friend, Cheri, up at her house on the way down to Hershey which meant we were together for several hours. I was also thankful that the weather was so lovely that day.

4. My choir rehearsals resumed last Wednesday. I am grateful for this opportunity to sing. Nadia said when she's in 9th grade she's going to join me and sing in the adult choir. That sounds lovely to me! She currently sings soprano in the two choirs she is in at the moment (Susquehanna Valley Youth Chorale and the middle school chorus at Meadowbrook Christian School). I'm an alto.

5. Ian is doing a fabulous job playing the piano lately. He has caught up to Nadia in one book and is very close to catching up with her in the other book. He practices more often than she does, and thus he has progressed more quickly. Oliver really enjoys his piano lessons thus far. If I forget to do it with him, he is quick to remind me!

6. We had three field trips last week. The kids were not very excited about the wastewater treatment plant tour, but that is something they didn't really know anything about. We all learned more about it that day! Most of the people in our homeschool group live 45-60 minutes south of where we live, which means many of the field trips that they organize are down that way. The distance is what stops me from signing up for some of them. I recently passed on tours of a bank, police barracks, 911 center, etc. Then other times I go ahead and decide to make the trek. Today we are touring a post office in a town 30 minutes from our house. There have been other post office tours posted in the past, and I decided it was time to do it as that was another place we've never had a tour of before. Last week we didn't have ANY stay-at-home all day days because we had field trips on Tuesday and Saturday and Oliver had a make-up gymnastics class (from Labor Day) on Friday. Thankfully this week we should be home on Friday and Saturday except for going to some yard sales in our own town.

7. I enjoyed teaching the 1st/2nd grade girls' class this past Sunday. I won't be teaching a kids' class for awhile because I am signed up for a small group that will meet during the second half of the second service on Sundays (after the choir goes down off the platform). We had signed up to attend a small group on Thursdays from 6:30-8:00, but it's challenging for Paul to get home that early from work so we bowed out of that one, and I signed up for the one that will meet around 11:15 on Sundays. The small group started this past Sunday, but I missed the first week because I had already committed to teaching during the second service. It would have been nice to do it with Paul, but I like that we're not adding another regular evening commitment to the schedule.

8. On Saturday we enjoyed our first visit to T and D's Cats, and as an added bonus, my friend Cheri met us in Lewisburg and joined us for the rest of our drive and our time seeing the animals.

9. My mom used to make a dump cake from time to time. I haven't made it in years. I'm generally not a fan of cake, but this cake I like. It doesn't have any icing but it has pie filling in it. The kids picked peach. They liked it too even though they were hesitant to try it at first. My mom typically made it with cherry or blueberry pie filling. Yum!

10. I'm thankful that we are only paying about $15 a month to have the local channels of tv. We added it to see football games. I thought the kids and/or Paul would also watch some of those channels at our times, but they prefer to watch Amazon Prime or Hulu. Paul watched the Giants' first game. He missed the second game because we were at Antietam, and his game wasn't aired yesterday because it was the 4:30 game and CBS had the double header (and his game

was on Fox). So we've had cable (local channels only) for a month and barely used it. I was explaining to the kids that some people don't have to pay for the local channels, but we do because we live in a rural area. Then I was telling them how years ago I used to send 1-2 football games per week via a webcam to Uncle Joe (Eagles) and Grandpa (Steelers). To which they asked, "What's a webcam?". Technology has changed so rapidly lately that it's easy to feel *really* old around kids! I decided I wasn't going to watch football this year. I just wasn't in the mood following the passing of my brother. Well I picked a very good year to give it up as I heard that our QB is out for the season and we've started the season 0-3. I haven't missed anything good. Paul's team started out 0-2, but they did win two days ago. We don't have plans to travel on Sunday for the next few months so hopefully he'll be able to see most of the rest of the games this season, and hopefully he'll see a fair amount of wins!

11. The kids REALLY got into "mismatch" day at AWANA last Wednesday. Nadia helped them pick out their outfits right after breakfast. They ended up shedding part of it during the day and then putting it back on right before AWANA. Nadia said 1/4 of the verses in her AWANA book last Wednesday! She has been working on it very diligently. I'm thankful all three kids are involved in another year of AWANA. The kids memorize verses each week for AWANA, we're all memorizing verses each week for church on Sunday morning (Core 52 plan), and Nadia also memorizes verses for her Bible study on Sunday nights at the Methodist Church.

12. Oliver got into big trouble last month for a very inappropriate interaction with a neighbor. Of my three kids he has always been the most challenging in terms of coming up with a negative consequence because he's so easy going and doesn't have a favorite toy. He rolls with the punches so easily that if you say something like no dessert or no electronics, which would be very effective with the other two, he just shrugs it off as no big deal to go without. So we decided this time to tell him he couldn't play with any kids in the neighborhood for an extended time. The downside of choosing that was we were also sort of punishing some of his friends. Karyss keeps asking when she can play with him again. Hopefully this consequence was effective for Oliver and he'll never do what he did again. He certainly has been counting down the days until he can resume playing with his friends, and that day is TODAY!!! I am very relieved that his "confinement" is over. He loves to play with kids in the neighborhood, and I'm glad he can resume doing so today.

13. My kids have been sleeping in lately - often getting up around 8am. That Nadia sleeps that late is not surprising, but it is surprising for the boys. We shall see what happens after the clocks "fall back" an hour. It means we don't finish schoolwork as early as we used to, but I love that homeschooling is flexible and we can let them wake up on their own most of the time. I watch the neighbors walking to the bus stop while my kids are still sleeping and am thankful for this particular perk of homeschooling. There will be enough years of their life that they will have to get up at a certain time. I'm glad while they are kids that doesn't have to happen too often.

14. Oliver learned how to tie his shoes a few days ago! Yahoo! There are so many milestones during infancy and the toddler years - learning to sit up, stand, walk, talk, potty trained, etc. Now that Oliver has learned to read, ride a bike without training wheels, and tie his shoes, it's hard to think of many other such milestones the kids will pass in the coming years. All I can think of at the moment are Oliver learning to write in cursive (next year) and all three kids learning to drive a car (that's a scary thought!!!). Those types of milestones are fewer and farther between as the kids get older.

15. Aunt Millie gave us some yummy sticky buns last week. Nadia is not a fan, but Ian, Oliver, and I enjoy them. Oliver ate the majority of them because we discovered Ian couldn't eat them because it turns out in addition to pecans he's also allergic to walnuts. I would think of labeling his allergy as "tree nuts" as he is definitely fine with peanuts, peanut butter, and cashews, but he also has done fine with almonds, which is a tree nut. I have to say I am very hesitant to let him try any other nuts though because we don't own an epi-pen. I think for now we'll just avoid all tree nuts except for almonds. Paul and I love nuts. Ian loves the ones he's not allergic to. Nadia and Oliver don't care for nuts. I'm thankful none of them have a severe peanut allergy that seems to be so common these days.

50 Nifty United States

Thus far our kids have actually done something in fourteen states (PA, MD, CA, VA, OH, FL, NJ, MA, CT, RI, IL, NY, NC, and SC) plus one province (Ontario) and the District of Columbia. I've been doing some planning lately to see how many other states and provinces we might be able to add to their list before leave the nest. As a child we visited quite a few states and most of the provinces of Canada during our family vacations. My favorite Canadian province was Nova Scotia although it was hard to top Prince Edward Island since I love Anne of Green Gables so much. Some of the places I would love to take my kids some day are places I have already been such as the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Petrified Forest, etc. Some places on the "bucket list" are ones I've never been to before such as Mount Rushmore, Hawaii, the redwoods in California, etc. Other places on our bucket list are ones that Paul really wants to see some day - mostly battlefields south of Virginia. Of the 16 "states" we've been to thus far (I'm lumping Ontario and DC with the states although I'm fully aware they are NOT states), I hope we return to most of them as there are still things we'd like to see in those states. Although we have field trips planned for the last three months of this year (including a few days in Virginia), I don't believe we'll add any more states to our list this year. The two we added this year were North Carolina and South Carolina.

Before I share some of the plans I've come up with, I should say #1 I fully realize that none of these might actually happen. It was only six months ago that our trip to NYC was scratched because we traveled to Maryland for my brother's funeral instead. Also, #2 I should mention that I really, really enjoy vacation planning. In some ways I take after my dad, but in this regard I definitely take after my mom. She also really, really enjoyed planning vacations. So why make these hypothetical plans? Now that I am using the meal planning app, I am cooking a much wider variety of meals. I think it's easy to get in a rut when you don't make long range plans. We went to Florida three years in a row at one point. Florida is nice, but there are SO many other places to visit. In making the plans, I have tried to keep the budget in mind. I only have two trips that involve airfare, and although the prices of airfare might drastically change between now and then, the cost of a RT ticket to Salt Lake City is about $200 per person, and the cost of a RT ticket to Atlanta is about $100 per person. If money were no object I'd love to include plans to visit Hawaii, the Caribbean, England, etc. Maybe those will be possible at some point. I should also add that my husband probably thinks I'm nuts to put thought and time into possible vacation plans a few years in advance! As they say, opposites attract. :)

In 2020, I'm hoping we add five states and one province to our list. In April 2020, we're planning to visit Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan in conjunction with our trip to Chicago. The plans at the moment are to visit the Indiana Dunes National Park, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, Discovery World Center for Public Innovation, Henry Ford Museum, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Underground Living Museum, Greenfield Village, First Ladies National Historic Site, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago Children's Museum, and Art Institute of Chicago on that trip.

In May or June (2020), I'd like to take a two day (one night) trip to Longwood Gardens, Rehoboth Beach (DE), and the Air Mobility Command Museum (DE). Originally I had planned a week long trip to Baltimore and Philadelphia for March 2020. I had talked with Maurice about those plans earlier this year, and we were both looking forward to that week together. In light of his passing, I don't think I'm going to be up for spending time in Philadelphia in the spring of 2020. The only place I still want to take the kids that was in the original plan for March 2020 is Longwood Gardens as the timing is perfect given our study of botany in science in the spring. Longwood Gardens is near but not actually in the city of Philadelphia. I thought instead we could add another state to our list by spending a day in Delaware. I have fond memories of going to Rehoboth Beach as a child, and Paul and I went there once for an anniversary getaway.

In August 2020, we're planning a trip to Canada in which we should add one state (VT) and

one province (Quebec) to their list. During that seven day trip we're planning to visit the Museum of Science and Technology (NY), Fort Stanwix (NY), Parliament Hill (Toronto), Canada Science and Technology museum, Basilique Notre Dame, Montreal Science Centre, La Citadelle (Quebec City), Plains of Abraham, Montmorency Falls, Echo Leahy Center (VT), Ben and Jerry's factory tour, Springfield Armory (MA), and the Martin van Buren National Historic Site (NY). 

In October 2021, we're thinking about taking a trip out west as Oliver will be in fourth grade, which means our family will get into national parks for free for the last time that school year. I'm assuming we'll fly in and out of Salt Lake City and possibly visit the following places during a two week trip: Natural History Museum of Utah and Clark Planetarium, Utah Olympic Park, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park Mesa Verde National Park, Four Corners National Monument,  Shiprock (NM), Petrified Forest National Park, Painted Desert National Park,  Lowell

Observatory, Cathedral Rock (Sedona), Grand Canyon National Park (south rim), Lower Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe bend, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Snowbird Ski Resort, Lava Hot Springs, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Bear World, and Craters of the Moon National Monument. As it stands, we'd be adding New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah (six states) to their lists in 2021. This trip will exceed the current vacation budget. I had been thinking that when it becomes time to trade in our 2012 Sienna that we'd get a Honda Odyssey, but to save money (on gas) and also make it possible to afford this trip (and other expenses), I'm now thinking maybe we should get a CR-V instead as they are much cheaper and get better gas mileage. When we bought our minivan in 2012 we knew we still had a frozen embryo and our family *could* have expanded to include four children, but since I miscarried that little one in 2013, we know our family is complete and we will be fine with a vehicle that seats five rather than one that seats up to eight.

In the spring of 2022 I'm thinking we could add two more states to the list (Kentucky and West Virginia) as we visit the Ark encounter, Clay Center, Shaker Village, Mary Todd Lincoln House, Creation Museum, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati Museum Center, William Howard Taft National Historic Site, National Museum of the US Air Force, Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, COSI, and Hopewell Culture National Historic Park. This would mean by the end of 2022 the kids would have been to thirty states, two provinces, and DC. 

We went to New England in 2016, and I'd like to return in the fall of 2023. This time I'd like to visit the PEZ Visitor Center (CT), Newport Mansions and John Brown Museum (Rhode Island), Old Sturbridge Village, Freedom Trail (Boston), Minute Man National Historic Park, Louisa May Alcott's Orchard house, SEE Science Center (NH), McAuliffe Shepherd Discovery Center, Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, whale watching cruise, and Wadsworth-Longfellow House (ME). The kids would add two states to their list on this trip - New Hampshire and Maine as they've already been to MA, CT, and RI. 

Finally, I'm thinking we could go to the southeast in the spring of 2024 and add Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi to their list, which would bring the total to 36 states (plus DC, Ontario, and Quebec). I thought we could fly to Atlanta and then visit the Georgia Aquarium, Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic Site, Andersonville National Historic Site (GA), Tupelo National Battlefield (MS), Shiloh National Military Park (TN), US Space and Rocket Museum (AL), Chicakmauga and Chattanooga National Battlefield Park, Andrew Jackson's Hermitage (TN), Mammoth Cave (KY), Titanic Museum (TN), Great Smoky Mountains National Park (TN), Biltmore Estate (NC), and Stone Mountain Park (GA). The states that the kids would NOT have visited yet would include: Louisiana, Texas, Washington, Nevada, South Dakota, Montana, Hawaii, Alaska, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Oregon, North Dakota, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas. I'm thinking one trip would be to the northwest US to include northern California, Washington state, and some other states in addition to another province or two in Canada. I've listed below some particular places it might be nice to visit  - some at states the kids haven't been to yet and others are particular places they haven't been to although they've already been in that state (or we already have plans to visit that state but not that particular site). Paul in particular keeps lobbying to return to Orlando. I am open to that, but that definitely will be another budget buster as the tickets for those parks are ridiculously expensive.

Of course many of our field trips are within the state of Pennsylvania, but there are still many sites here in our state that they haven't been to yet that I hope to take them in the next few years. Some are very simple like last week we toured a wastewater treatment plant and this week we're touring a Post Office and others involve more driving like the Mercer museum, Fonthill Castle, etc. I've owned my time share for 20 years, and I've gotten a lot of good use out of it. This year we used it in South Carolina and I was able to help two friends each spend a week in Williamsburg and Orlando through my time share. It's been a blessing to our family and also others, but in light of the fact that the future vacations do NOT seem to be the kind where we stay in one place for a week, I'm wondering if I should bring an end to the time share??? I need to do more research into that before making a decision. The time share would come in handy if we went to some locations (ex. Hawaii) but for the vast majority it wouldn't be helpful as we're only spending 1-2 nights in a place before driving to the next place. In reality I prefer the kind of vacation where you just stay in one place. I've had that opinion since I was a kid, but when you go out west, you really can't see much if you stay in only one place. I don't think we can afford to make umpteen trips out west! Here's to hoping we make many precious memories as a family on any future vacations we might take in the coming years.

Other places to possibly plan a trip to visit at some point:

1. Louisiana - Laura Plantation, Honey Island Swamp tour, Jean Lafitte National Park, and Whitney Plantation, National WW II Museum
2. Texas -Alamo, Space Center Houston, Schlitterbahn Water Park, and San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, see a rodeo
3. Washington - Mount St Helens
4. Nevada - Hoover Dam, Lake Tahoe
5. South Dakota - Mount Rushmore
6. Montana - Glacier National Park and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
7. Hawaii - Dole Plantation, Pearl Harbor, beaches, waterfalls, Volcanoes National Park, attend a luau, coffee farm, 
8. Alaska - Alaska Native Heritage Center
9. Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands National Monument (NM)
10. Assateague Island (VA/MD)
11.  Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite National Park, and Alcatraz (CA)
12. Universal Studios, Epcot (FL)
13. Mackinac Island and Fort Mackinac (MI)
14. USS Alabama (AL)
15. Vicksburg National Military Park, Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, and Old Court House Museum (MS)

Lions, Tigers, and Bears

Life is full of SO many choices. In terms of activities, there are many times when two things are happening at once that seem appealing, and a decision has to be made which to do. Had we been at home last weekend, our church had special activities after the worship services - hayrides, outdoor concert, free lunch, etc. I had no knowledge of that event when I scheduled our trip to Uprise Festival and Antietam Battlefield. Today I vacillated between #1 stay home all day (because we hadn't had any days like that this week even though we sometimes have up to three days like that per week), #2 go to T and D's Cats, and #3 go to Knoebels because if you bought a handstamp today they would give you a voucher for a free handstamp any day the park is open in May 2020. We did *very* little in terms of amusement parks this summer. Nadia rode 2 rides at Knoebels, the boys got 2 hours of riding rides at Knoebels, and we all spent one day at DelGrosso's. That was it - FAR less than usual. I could not seem to muster up the energy for a day at an amusement park albeit the weather was perfect today. Plus we are needing to cut back financially, and I didn't think it was prudent to spend that much on amusement park tickets this month. I had sent my friend, Cheri, a list of upcoming field trips, and she had picked this as one she wanted to do with us. If it hadn't been for that, I probably would have gone with #1 stay at home. It was a beautiful day for having a guided tour of the animals. It's not a "zoo" per se. The animals we saw either had physical problems and unable to survive in the wild, were illegally owned, were a part of a zoo or circus that closed, etc. Because of our WVIA membership, the kids got in free. The trip cost me $11 - $10 for my admission and $1 for a bottle of water at the end because we were thirsty and only Ian had brought a water bottle with him. It meant I saw my friend, Cheri, twice in one week. Wow! I sometimes go many months without seeing her so that was a treat. I think Ian enjoyed it the most of my three kids. He kept asking me to take more pictures. Certain animals reminded us of other people such as thinking of my Dad when we saw the tigers (the mascot of Princeton, where he graduated from college), thinking of Maurice when we saw many, many foxes (one of his most favorite animals), etc.

Since the name includes "cats" it makes sense that they have more than 50 felines (lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, bobcats, servals, and lynx). We saw several active tigers and two sleeping lions. Ian was disappointed that we didn't see any of the bobcats. There were many other types of animals - primates, deer, racoons, bears, cavies, foxes, coyotes, etc. It was our first time visiting this place, and it's only 45 minutes from our house. I had made plans to visit here for several years, but those plans were always cancelled. I'm glad we finally went!

Day in the Life

 

This school year is significantly different from the last two years since I am homeschooling the kids five days a week (instead of on average three days a week) and I am unemployed. Naturally our schedules vary from day to day. We don't have any regular commitments on Tuesdays, Fridays, or Saturdays. We have church on Sunday morning, AWANA and choir rehearsal on Wednesday night, and a Bible study on Thursday night. On Thursday afternoons Nadia and Ian have art, and Nadia also has chorus at Meadowbrook. For eight more weeks Nadia and Ian will have chorale rehearsals on Monday nights. Field trips alter our schedule. Yesterday, for example, we went to the homeschool day at the Hershey Gardens and also did the ride at Chocolate World. If I had known about this field trip when I was doing lesson planning this summer, I wouldn't have scheduled any other school work for September 17, but since I had done so much advance planning, I rearranged things so that they each only had two things to accomplish when they came home. All three did some math, Nadia and Ian also wrote a paragraph about caring for

the ill during the colonial time period, and Oliver did a little bit of spelling. Nadia and Ian read some in the van. Nadia finished the third Harry Potter book. A field trip turned a day that is typically a "stay at home all day" kind of day into a "we were gone for eight hours straight" day. Since I was contemplating how full my schedule is even though I am not longer earning an income, I thought I'd write about our day on Monday this week.

1. I usually get up sometime between 6-7am, but I got up a little later than usual because we had been up so late on Saturday night. Sleeping in is something I don't take for granted as last fall I was getting up before 6 AM due to teaching an 8 AM class. I got a shower while Oliver looked at photobooks in our bedroom. After I got dressed, I called Nadia downstairs as the boys were already up. We ate breakfast while listening to The Hobbit. I typically have oatmeal and a banana, Nadia and Ian have cold cereal with milk, and Oliver either eats a bagel with cream cheese or a bowl of dry cereal with a glass of milk.

2. For the next approximately three hours we did schoolwork. We do science, Bible, Life of Fred, and history together. Some subjects the kids can do independently such as grammar (Nadia and Ian), reading (Nadia and Ian), math (Nada) and handwriting (Ian and Oliver). one-on-one with the kids for other subjects such as spelling (all three), reading (Oliver), math (Oliver and Ian), piano (all three), photography (Nadia), and sign language (all three). Oliver plays some when I am busy with working with someone else. All three kids recited the verses they are learning for AWANA to me.

3. Sometime between 11-12 we listened to more of The Hobbit while eating lunch. After lunch we returned to our schoolwork. Nadia usually finishes by 1pm. On this particular day Oliver finished before Ian. By 3pm the kids had all finished their schoolwork and their chores. Because we had been away on Saturday and Sunday, we had more chores than usual to do on Monday. I had the boys clean up the Lego room so I could vacuum that carpet. Oliver and Ian did some dusting. Nadia cleaned the bathroom sinks and

counters and mopped the kitchen floor. Throughout the day I did a variety of chores including: cleaning the microwave, wiping down the kitchen table and the kitchen counter, vacuumed the dining room, swept the kitchen floor, and mopped the foyer and three bathroom floors. I also called Penn Medicine because they have continued to sent me a bill for $130 even though I mailed them a copy of the death certificate. The man I spoke with said it was an error on their part as yes they did have record of having received his death certificate. Nadia helped me make a batch of sugar cookies.

4. Around 3pm the kids started watching part of Mulan 2, a DVD they had checked out from the library. While they were watching that movie, I made beef stroganoff, vacuumed out the van, took out the garbage and recycling, tidied up the garage, and swept the garage floor. Around 3:50 we started eating dinner. We have to eat early on Monday because we need to leave around 4:30 for gymnastics and chorale rehearsals. Oliver and Nadia had no trouble finishing their dinner

in a timely manner, but Ian had to finish his dinner when we got home around 7:45pm. The kids said they would have liked the beef stroganoff if I hadn't included any mushrooms. This day was far from typical in terms of the fact Paul ate all three meals with us. That was a treat! Paul enjoyed the beef stroganoff.

5. We dropped Ian off at the church where chorale rehearsals are held starting at 5:00 pm, and the rest of us then went to the library for a bit before taking Oliver to his 5:30 gymnastics class. After dropping him off, Nadia and I did some shopping at CVS before taking her to the church at 5:55 pm so that she could try on dresses to find the one she would be renting for the concerts. While Ian and Nadia were being fitted, I worked on a grocery shopping list while looking at the meal planner app on my phone. Ian and I picked Oliver up at 6:30 and then went to a grocery store. After we finished our grocery shopping, the boys and I picked Nadia up and then we all drove home. When we got home the kids watched a little more of the Mulan 2 movie while I did the dishes and folded some laundry. Finally at 8:05 pm I was able to sit down and open my laptop computer for the first time that day. I was seated on the couch for about 10 minutes before it was time to have family devotions and tuck Oliver into bed. We began reading Core 52 in our devotion time that day, which is a book our church is working through together over the next year. We also reviewed our memory verses that we are learning for church.

6. After Oliver went to bed I had time to work on a blog post, edit pictures, get caught up on email, etc. Ian went to bed at 9:00, Nadia went to bed at 9:30, and I went to bed around 10:00. I went to bed tired, and I hadn't actually accomplished everything on my to do list for the day (hadn't cleaned the toilets, mirrors, or bathtub as I hoped). I went to bed thankful that I am a stay-at-home mom right now because my "plate" feels full, but I no longer feel like I'm drowning as I did the past two years. After this school year is complete, Oliver will only have ten years left before he graduates from high school. Ten years is NOT a long time. I know it's going to fly by, and I want to savor each moment as much as I possibly can. Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of homeschooling our three precious children.

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Thankful Tuesday

1. Nadia changed her mind several times over the past year regarding whether she was going to attend the middle school youth group at our church on Wednesday nights or attend AWANA at the Alliance Church for one last year. This would be her 9th year in AWANA. This summer she had been leaning toward attending the youth group, and then at the beginning of this month she came up with the idea of alternating, which I thought was an excellent compromise. She said she'd memorize verses every week so that she could still finish the book even though she wouldn't be attending every week. She attended AWANA the past two weeks and has at least for the moment decided to keep going to AWANA and hold off on beginning to attend the middle school group on Wednesday nights. I was content with leaving the decision up to her because they are both good choices, but Paul and I were both hoping she'd pick AWANA. We are thankful she is staying in AWANA while in sixth grade!

2. Oliver was well enough to make-up his gymnastics class on Wednesday, and none of the rest of us caught the GI bug he had last Monday. PTL!

3. Nadia enjoyed attending chorus for the first time at Meadowbrook on Thursday. Although she's loved being in Mrs. Pizzuto's art class the last two years, she wasn't as enthusiastic about art on Thursday because it turns out there are kids from 6-12th grade in the class. She was hoping some of her friends would be in that class, but they are in an art class on Friday. Hopefully she and Ian will have a good year in that art class even if many of the students in the class are in high school.

4. I got my haircut on Friday! Nadia wishes I would let my hair grow longer, but I like it shorter.

5. When I picked up a grocery order at Walmart last Monday, they gave me a coupon for 10% off an online order (not groceries). I decided to order toilet paper and guinea pig food, which are two things I often buy at Walmart. We had a LOT of toilet paper delivered to our

house on Friday. The order was for about $199 and then they took 10% off. I clicked through Rakuten, and they gave me a refund of $3.50 on that order for having done so, and I used my Discover card via Paypal because Discover is giving a 10% rebate, which means in the end I'll pay $158 for my order. I've never kept track of how much toilet paper we go through in a month so I don't know how many months it will be until I need to buy more, but I think it's going to last quite awhile as I bought 144 Mega rolls (which would equal 576 "regular" rolls - although honestly does anyone sell "regular" rolls of toilet paper any more???). Anyhow I am thankful there are ways of stacking discounts.

6. Paul took the day off on Saturday, and we left our house around 11:00am to drive to a Christian music festival in Shippensburg. The weather forecast was NOT good for the early evening (90-100% chance of rain), but thankfully the weather forecast was incorrect! We brought ponchos, umbrellas, and jackets, and we didn't use any of them. PTL! The kids enjoyed the kids' tent. Oliver particularly loved the inflatables and the donut eating contest in which he and others were eating donuts covered in Hershey syrup and marshmallows without using their hands. Nadia loved the petting zoo. She spent quite a bit of time holding goats, rabbits, and chickens. She would love it if we got a rabbit, cat, or dog for our next pet. The kids had balloons that were made to look like a

sword, bunny, etc. Nadia had a panda painted on one of her cheeks. They all ended up with a lot of candy that they picked up during a candy scramble. They enjoyed watching a show that featured juggling, spinning plates, riding a unicycle, etc. There were several stages, but we had our chairs at the main stage. We heard one speaker and listened to a few concerts - Jordan Feliz, Mac Powell, For King and Country, Crowder, and a rapper. Paul, Nadia, and I would have loved to have skipped the rapper, but he was the second to last concert, and we were trying to stay for the last one (For King and Country). The last concert was supposed to start at 9:45, but it didn't actually start until 10:20. Ian, Oliver, and I were really tired so we only stayed for the first three songs of the last concert. We also were trying to get our car out of the parking lot before we were in a line of hundreds of cars trying to do the same thing. Nadia and I helped collect an offering and also helped pass out brochures for Compassion. Because of our service, the two of us got in free. Originally the reason I had said we'd go to Uprise was so Oliver could see Skillet, but Skillet was on Friday night. I don't know that we'll ever come back, but I'm glad we went once. It was actually my first time at a music festival. Nadia was at Creation in June so it was her second one. We stopped for lunch at a Dunkin

Donuts using a gift card Oliver received for his birthday, and we had dinner at the fairgrounds. In hind sight, I should have brought some food and drinks to the festival. Oops! Thankfully though of our two trips the last two weeks, we only paid money for one meal - the one at the festival. We used gift cards for all the others.

7. We checked into the Sleep Inn in Hagerstown MUCH later than usual - 11:30pm! We brushed our teeth and got into bed. The room was much nicer than the one we stayed in last week in New York, and in addition to two queen beds there was a sofa bed, which meant Nadia didn't sleep on the floor. The kids woke up around 7:30. We swam for about an hour (indoor pool and jacuzzi) before enjoying the free hot breakfast buffet. We left the hotel around 9:30. The hotel was about 12 minutes from the battlefield. We spent more than five hours there. The Junior Ranger badge booklets were more challenging than Saratoga, but all three kids earned them. During our time there we attended a 45 minute program about music during the Civil War, went on a one hour hike with a park ranger to the

Sunken Road part of the battlefield, watched the movie, and the kids made little wooden people. Nadia made three women, and the boys each made two soldiers. It was a warm, sunny day. We packed a lunch, and stopped at DD again on the way home. Paul waited until we got home to have dinner as he had eggs for breakfast and didn't want to have it twice in one day. Nadia was a few minutes late for the Middle (the Bible study she attends at the Methodist church on Sunday nights).

8. Oliver was disappointed last Wednesday that he didn't climb the rock wall in gymnastics, but he was very happy that he got to do that last night.

9. Today we're driving to Hershey Gardens for a homeschool day event. Paul took the kids there two years ago. I've never been. Two years ago the program focused on insects, which is what we were studying that semester in science. They offer the program twice a year. We are studying botany in the spring and so I wanted to go there once this school year. Knowing that the program in the spring could have focused on animals, I decided to go this fall

because the focus will be on trees today (and a little bit about owls). Since we just drove awhile on Saturday and Sunday the thought of driving again today isn't at all appealing, but the reason I am following through is because my friend is joining us. I am looking forward to spending several hours with her today! The kids are most excited about the tour of Chocolate World (free ride that includes a free piece of chocolate).

10. Yesterday we finished The Hobbit. The kids aren't as crazy about A Savage Thunder (which is a non-fiction account of the battle of Antietam), but I hope to finish that book today. Even Oliver enjoyed The Hobbit! Nadia hopes to finish the third Harry Potter book today. The fourth one is over 700 pages long; that one will take her a bit longer to finish!

11. Paul and I enjoyed watching a new movie about the apostle Paul that we got on DVD from our library. I would recommend it!

12. Yesterday morning Paul got up, put on his work

clothes, and made his lunch. I was very surprised when I came down about an hour later to find him in the family room. The internet connection at the plant is not good so he had decided to work from home. Now that Wendy has taken Maurice's desktop computer, Paul set up his laptop on the desk in our bedroom. He stayed up in the bedroom and worked yesterday, but this meant he came down and ate all three meals with us. What a treat! Usually the kids and I don't see him until about 7:45pm on Mondays. We didn't see Paul much in July or August, which makes me appreciate that we've seen him a lot more thus far in September.

13. My plate still feels very full, but I no longer feel like I'm drowning. Yesterday the first time in the day I had to sit down and open up my laptop (meaning my first moment of leisure that didn't involve homeschooling or housework), was 8:05pm. I thought how did I possibly juggle a FT job in addition to all of this?!?! Although it wasn't our choice, I'm very grateful to no longer be drowning. I'm cooking a much wider variety of meals. One

thing that particularly puts a smile on my face is the kitchen counter is being kept MUCH less cluttered. This had been a goal of mine for years, and it's finally being achieved for the first time. Yahoo!

The Usual

I worked the first shift at McDonald's in 1990 (6:00am to 2:00pm), and several of the customers during those hours were regulars. Some senior citizens enjoyed free coffee and free newspapers each morning. Some of them would buy one thing (cost less than 75 cents) to go with their free coffee - either a biscuit or an English muffin. Some of my customers would walk up to the counter and ask for "the usual," which made me realize I needed to memorize what their "usual" was. I've never frequented any restaurant often enough to expect any serve to know what my "usual" is even though there are some places I always order the same thing (ex. at Dunkin Donuts my choice is egg and cheese on an everything bagel), but when it comes to getting my haircut, if I have been going to the same hair stylist for a period of months or years, then I might ask for "the usual." A month ago I started wanting to get my hair cut, but in order to save money I decided I shouldn't go more than 3 times a year so I told

myself to wait one more month as the last time I got a haircut was in early May. The hairstylist I have been going to answered the phone yesterday, and I asked for an appointment with her, but it seems she didn't hear the "with her" part of my request. When I showed up today only one stylist was present, a new one I had never met. So I scrambled to think of how to explain how I wanted my hair cut because "the usual" means nothing to someone you've never seen before. It might turn out to be a blessing though because the woman I had been going to was very, very slow. This woman today took less than half the time the other one takes, and considering I walk into the salon with three children, taking a shorter amount of time is appreciated, if I am still happy with the haircut.

Tonight the kids and I went to church, which is not something we usually do on a Friday night. Our church occasionally has Friday night services. The new youth pastor and his wife shared some of their testimonies. She was born and raised in a small village in Thailand that had no electricity and her family sacrificed chickens and pigs in their worship of ancestors. Her story is quite amazing. She and her husband met when he was on a missions trip in Thailand when she was 18. We are usually at church on Sunday mornings, but we won't be this Sunday due to visiting Antietam. The rest of 2019 we don't have any plans that should keep us away from church on a Sunday morning, but when I realized we'd be down that way for the Uprise music festival and it's also the anniversary weekend of the battle at Antietam (and we're studying the Civil War right now) it seemed to be a good plan. I'm hoping it doesn't rain too much tomorrow considering it's an outdoor music festival. Nadia and I are getting in free as we're passing out brochures for Compassion (trying to find sponsors for kids).

Since we've been studying the states of matter this week in science, we made some Non-Newtonian liquid today (aka cornstarch mixed with water). Nadia took the first two pictures in the post, and I took the last two. Photography is one of her subjects in school this year.