Birthday trip, Part One-The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

This year, Santa Claus brought the entire family annual passes to Universal Orlando!  This was a real surprise as we would not have been able to afford this on our own!  If you live in Florida, visiting the theme parks in Orlando is just one of the things you do. The admission prices are ridiculously expensive even with the Florida Resident discount.  The annual passes are a much better deal, especially if you live within driving distance.  I have noticed though, that the older I get, the less impressed I am with this sort of thing!  On the other hand, this is not the case with my kids!  Nathan has been begging us for several years but we wanted to wait until the kids were old enough to be able to enjoy it.  They are definitely at that age NOW!

We got up really early Thursday morning and drove down to Orlando (about a 2.5 hour drive).  We stopped along the way for breakfast.  I anticipated it being much warmer once we got down there, but it was freezing!  I believe it was in the low 40's for most of the day! We layered our clothing pretty well and bundled up! 

Let me start off by talking about the parking situation.  It's $15 for regular parking and $20 for preferred.  We opted for the regular because we thought we could find something else better to do with that extra $5....I mean, how bad could it be, right?  Well, what they don't tell you in any of the commercials, brochures or newspaper ads is that it's about a mile from where you park your car to the entrance to either of the two parks (Islands of Adventure or Universal Studios)!  All I can say is THANK GOD for moving sidewalks!
Warning:  If you decide to use the moving sidewalks...STAY TO THE RIGHT!  Otherwise, you will get mowed over by people who are in a HURRY to get to wherever it is they are going!

Once you are beyond the "getting out of the parking" area, you come upon something called City Walk!  This is where you find lots of restaurants (including famous ones like Bubba Gumps, The Hard Rock and Emeril's), bars, nightclubs, stores and a movie theater.  Visually, it's very over stimulating. Since it was early in the morning...nothing was opened and we moved right through this pretty quickly.

At this point, you come to a "Y"....to the left is Islands of Adventure and to the right is Universal Studios.  Incidentally, I had no idea that these two parks are in NO WAY associated with Disney!  Truthfully, I thought the entire city of Orlando was owned by Disney...but I was wrong!  Apparently, they are competitors in the movie making business as well as the theme park business. MGM Studios is the equivalent for Disney.  But I digress.

On Thursday, we opted for the Island of Adventure side as this is where the Wizarding World of Harry Potter lives.  Since we got there early, we were thinking that it would be best if we went to see the HP stuff first so we could beat the crowds.  Guess what?  Thousands of other people had the same idea!  I must say though, they did an awesome job with the construction of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.  Here are a few photos....

This is the view when you first enter Islands of Adventure!  Quite impressive!

Entering Hogsmeade Village

It was actually a good thing that the weather was cold!

Hogwarts Express

Nathan

Dan in front of the Three Broomsticks Restaurant

Inside Hogwarts where the pictures come alive!

I would say that probably 80% of the visitors in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter were wearing H.P. scarves.  They were selling scarves from Gryfindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff.  Each were $34.95!  Can you believe that?  People PAID that much for a scarf!  Nathan really wanted a wand from Ollivander's, but they wanted $29.95 for them and I told him OVER MY DEAD BODY!  Besides, the line to get into Ollivander's was over 2 hours long!

We tried a Butterbeer and visited Zonko's and Honeydukes!  We attempted to get into some of the other stores in Hogsmeade but the stores are very small and they were just too many people inside!  The butterbeer wasn't that great.  It reminded me of root beer only much, much sweeter....kind of butterscotchy!

As far as the rides go....the girls weren't tall enough to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and although he won't admit it, Nathan was too scared.  As always the line was fairly long and we had to decide if we wanted to wait or not, we opted to "come back later" and then never did.  But, the good news is that we have the annual passes and will come down again soon for the day.  There was no pressure for us to see and do everything to get our money's worth. 

All in all, I was very happy with our Harry Potter experience!  I look forward to our next visit when we can explore more of Hogsmeade.

Stay tuned for Birthday Trip-Part Two!

What I've learned about homeschooling!

I need a vacation!  You know the kind...the CALGON TAKE ME AWAY kind!  I am very rarely away from my family, because frankly, I don't like it!  On the few occasions when I've been somewhere without them, I usually spend a good bit of time thinking of, worrying about, and wishing I was with them.  Still, there are times when I need SOME SPACE!  Do you ever feel like that with your family?

Our first few months of homeschooling have been, well, challenging to say the least.  All of the areas that I worried about have turned out to be non issues.  The one thing that I worried about the least, has turned out to be the "bite-me-in-the-butt" issue that gives me nightmares!

Even with only four and a half months of homeschooling under my belt, I've managed to learn a few things...painful as they've been:

1.  The grass is rarely greener!  Part of me honestly thought that homeschooling was going to instantly transform my kids into treating their siblings with love and compassion....into the quiet, spiritually introverted children that I just knew God had created them to be....and into the most angelic, halo wearing, obedient children I had ever seen!  Where did I get that notion in the first place???  Honestly, I expected this miraculous transformation to happen over night!  I think I have a screw loose someplace!  I have since been whipped into submission learned understood come to humbly realize that this doesn't happen right away.  As a matter of fact, it takes years!  Even longer for those of us who have experienced traditional schools.  My kids have to learn how to be with each other 24/7 just like I have to learn how to be with them.  They are who they are...wonderfully inquisitive, incessantly energetic, compassionate, loving, eager to learn sponges!  Why would I want them any other way??

2.  Be flexible!  I anticipated this one to a certain degree.  However, I was not prepared for just how OFTEN I would need to be flexible!  Try...EVERYDAY!  I knew I would need to be willing to change up the schedule some.  If you know me, you know that my life is full of wrenches ready and waiting to be thrown at my day!  I'm pretty good at adapting to that, I swear!  I just wasn't ready for the MOOD CHANGES (including my own) that would require manipulating the schedule!  Why did none of my homeschooling friends tell me about this one?  I wasn't aware that even the slightest mention of starting a math lesson could cause Mt. Vesuvius to erupt and therefore causing the rest of the house.....to cry!  Sigh!

3.  Do not, I repeat, do NOT compare yourself to other homeschoolers!  Too late!  Been there done that!  Here's a question for you.....If I was going to compare myself to other homeschoolers.....WHY OH WHY did I choose homeschooling families that have been at this soooo much longer that I have??  These other families had to learn all the same lessons that I'm learning, it's just that they learned them eons ago and can now look at me and say..."Oh yes, I remember when....."!  The good news is that THEY SURVIVED and I will too.  I think.  I hope.  I pray.

4.  I'm so glad my kids are home!  Even with all the hard knocks I've come to realize over the last few months, I wouldn't change it (yet)!  Although I'm pretty much removed from all the goings on at our parish school, every now and then I get tidbit of information about things going on (bullying issues, teacher issues, cliques and such) that I am so thankful I don't have to deal with anymore!  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE our parish school, I really do!  I think they do a wonderful job of instilling Catholic values and academics into the students!  I just don't like all the peripheral crap that goes on!  It seems so burdensome and unnecessary.  It can get to a point where you spend too much time dealing with all of that and less time on actual learning.

5.  God's grace is endless!  The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way:  (2221) "....The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute.  The right and the duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable."   (2223) "Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children."  (2224) ".....Parents should teach children to avoid the compromising and degrading influences which threaten human societies."  (2225) "....Parents should initiate their children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith of which they are the "first heralds" for their children."  (2226) "Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child's earliest years.  This already happens when family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel.  Family catechisms precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith.  Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God."  Clearly, the education of my kids is extremely important to God.  But how can I do this?  What if I fail?  What if I blow it so bad that someday my kids do the unthinkable....leave the Church?  What if one of my kids ends up taking a gun to a U.S. congresswoman's outdoor meeting at the parking lot of a grocery store and starts shooting?  What if...what if....what if?  The thing is, God doesn't ask me to attempt any of this alone.  These are HIS children, not mine.  He's entrusted HIS children to me while they are here on this earth...but they BELONG to Him!  He would never ask me to do something that He has not first equipped me to do.  He will give me what I need WHEN I NEED IT!  Not one second sooner!  His grace, love and compassion are infinite. 

I can do this homeschooling thing!  I CAN!  God is with me every step of the way!  It is His desire that Dan and I be their educators.  He will help us do this.  It might be hard...it might be tiring....it might even give me a twitch on some days, but I know that I know that I know, it's what we've been called to do!

Incidentally, Santa Claus brought us a family Christmas present this year (Santa sent it via my Uncle in CA!)....annual passes to Universal Orlando/Islands of Adventure!  Thursday morning, my 46th birthday, we will be heading down to Orlando for our first visit to the likes of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter , The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and, The Cat in the Hat!  I'm hoping for no crowds since this is technically the "off season"!  This is a benefit of homeschooling....getting to take off on a family outing during the week!

So much for my Calgon vacation!

Our Trip - Part Three....The End!

Before we left on our trip to Tennessee, I packed a backpack full of things to do for each of the kids. I must say, this was a lifesaver for us! It was 12 hours in the car, each way! I packed coloring books with a new small pack of crayons, an age appropriate puzzle/activity book, tissues, bottle of water, crackers, a dry erase board (similar to these), stamps/pad/paper and an iCarly toy. We also had a portable DVD player borrowed from my nephew as well as Nathan's Gameboy. Can I just tell you right now, the big hit was the dry erase boards and the iCarly toys!! The best part was that I got it all at the DOLLAR STORE!

I kept a notebook of our week and here are some of the things I kept track of.....

What We Did in the Car
Listened to The 39 Clues, Book #3 on CD
Colored
Gameboy
iCarly, Sam & Freddie dolls
Drew on dry erase boards
Had breakfast at McDonald's outside Savannah
Looked for state license plates
Stamp pads & paper

DVDs watched
Land Before Time I & II
The Secret of Nim
H.P. & the Prisoner of Azkaban

Plants & Nature (that we saw)
Lots of pine trees (tall & skinny, big & fat)
Beautiful low-lying mist/fog
Cotton fields ready to be picked
Crape Myrtle Trees
1000's of pine cones
Georgia red clay/dirt
Tallulah Gorge/Falls
Smokey Mountains National Park
Mountain streams running along Highway 441
Cades Cove
Red Maple Trees
Sweet gum Trees
Tons & tons of flowers
Lightning/thunder
rain

Places We Visited
Atlanta (very special visit w/Aunt MaryJo)
Gatlinburg
Pigeon Forge
Townsend
Cades Cove
Holy Cross Catholic Church
The Dinosaur Walk Museum
Hollywood Wax Museum
Corky's BBQ
Go-Cart Track
The Old Mill
Cracker Barrel
The Pancake House
The Food Shop (grocery store)
Lots of gas stations & rest stops

Animals/Insects
Raccoons
Huge steer
Cows
Hummingbirds
Butterflies
Ducks/Geese
Deer
Black Bear (yes, we really saw one!)
Spiders
Katydids
Bees/Wasps
Centipede
Mosquitoes
Grasshoppers
Crickets
Beetles (it was dead)

State License Plates
Florida
Georgia
North Carolina
Tennessee
Kentucky
Louisiana
Missouri
Maryland
Texas
Virginia
Arizona

Phew! I'd say that was a lot in one week! We have fully recovered from our trip and are back to the old routine and schedule. Starting school again was hard. I have a new found respect for teachers on the days following a long weekend or spring/winter breaks! I think all of us (including myself) have had a hard time refocusing on things like timetables, handwriting and the respiratory system. But we're getting there.

Here are the last few photos of our trip:

Cades Cove (I wish my kitchen window had this view!)

Cades Cove - Butterflies drinking up the minerals in the dirt

A baby landed on my foot!

Cades Cove - Nathan

My reasons for living!

Deer

Nathan's first time driving a Go-Cart!

Our Trip - Part Two

Our cabin was right between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  This meant that we didn't have to drive far to get to the gas station or the grocery store.  However, it was a very treacherous road with many "S" curves and switchbacks.  I'm thankful that no one was car sick!

As much as I like this area, it was way more "touristy" than I thought it would be.  We did lots of research before we left and decided a head of time what attractions we would visit.  We knew we wanted to visit Cades Cove and The Dinosaur Walk Museum as well as do some Gem Mining.  We did all of those things and the kids had a blast!  We also visited a Wax Museum in Gatlinburg. 

Here is the second batch of photos:

Prehistoric Alligator (& Nathan)

Oviraptors

Deinonychus

T-Rex & Friends

I think this T-Rex need a dentist

T-Rex foot

Giganotosaurus

Parasaurolophus

Triceratops

Megaledon Jaws

Amelia & Genie

Rocky

Bella & Edward (I think they did an excellent job on Bella, don't you?)

Arrgggh  Matey!

Beam me up!

We're queens of the world!

Men in black (& white)

Spiderman

Nathan's favorite...Ghostrider!

Frodo (Amelia's head is covering his furry feet!

We are starting school again tomorrow after our 2 week break (boy do I love homeschooling)!  I'm very excited to get back into it.  I spent the afternoon preparing & planning for the weeks ahead.

I'm waiting patiently for some Fall weather to appear.  I don't have high hopes.

Stay tuned for Part Three!

Our Trip - Part One!

We had a wonderful time on our recent family vacation to the Smokey Mountains!  I can't even express to you in words how much we needed this time away!  The week went by so fast!

As many of you know, I'm originally from the West Coast.  Specifically, I'm from Northern California...the San Francisco Bay Area.  I grew up with mountains!  The Bay Area is situated right between the ocean and the mountains.  The Sierra's were within a 4 hour drive for us and we made this trip often.  Our favorite place was Lake Tahoe.  It was a beautiful drive and we spent our summers water skiing and our winters snow skiing.  I miss the mountains...terribly!

Florida offers very little in the mountain department.  Actually, Florida offers NOTHING in the mountain department, especially here on the coast where we live.  It is flat, flat, flat!  Oh yes, I know, you can drive to the middle of the state in the Ocala National Forest where there are "hills"  or what I like to call "inclines".  But, you won't actually find a mountain.  As a matter of fact, Florida's highest point is only 345 ft above sea level!  So, when we had the chance to go to some real mountains, I was ecstatic!

I love everything about the mountains!  The air is thinner, crisper and cleaner.  There is no humidity (with the exception of fog and morning mist)!  The foliage is rich with native plants, flowers & trees, most of which change color with the seasons.  The rain sounds, feels & smells different.  Thunderstorms are more spectacular as the thunder echoes off of the mountains.  The dirt is dirt!  Although the Smokey's have a high concentration of clay in the soil, there is NO SAND!  I could go on and on!  Suffice it to say, the mountains are HOME to me.  I'm truly happy there. 

Here are some pictures of our trip:

Olivia in her "spot".

Nathan

Amelia

Tallulah Gorge, Georgia

Tallulah Gorge, Georgia

The Falls at Tallulah Gorge

Blackberry, Blueberry & Raspberry Cider

Daddy

The biggest rosemary bush I've ever seen.  The fragrance was divine!

Wow...the Great Wallenda!  Who knew?

My first view of the Smokey's

Oh my!

My family!  Thank you, God!

So, this is why they call them the Smokey's!

Our piece of heaven for 7 days!

A Katydid

Kids on the back porch (they are patiently waiting to get into the hot tub)

Perfect

This is where I got to drink my morning coffee!

This is why I have gray hair.

Our home away from home.

Cabin decorations.  Cool but creepy.

Stay tuned for Part 2......