Category: Trips We’ve Taken

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A Tour of Jamestown, Virginia – Fabulous for Kids!

On our way back from the Outer Banks, we decided we would spend a day at Jamestown.  This is a reconstruction of the first permanent settlement by the British in the New World. We first saw the film and toured the museum — which was just fabulous!  The kids spent a lot more time reading and browsing through the museum than I thought they would (I guess they’re growing up!!)....

Wild Horses and Light House Tour – Outer Banks, NC 0

Wild Horses and Light House Tour – Outer Banks, NC

One afternoon last week, we decided to do a couple of tours.  First, we stopped off at the Currituck Beach Light Station.  It is 162 feet and has 220 steps.  Construction on it began in 1873 and it was first illuminated in 1875.  It still serves as an aid to naviagation, lighting up every 3 seconds and off for 17 seconds throughout the night. The exterior of this lighthouse was...

Fun in the Blue Ridge Mountains (VA) 0

Fun in the Blue Ridge Mountains (VA)

We had two weeks of school and then almost immediately put things on hold to go to a timeshare (thank you, Grams!!!!) with our homeschool friends.  We do lots with this wonderful, inspiring family. The kids all had fun together and I can’t tell you how amazing it is to spend countless hours talking about homeschooling, good books, our past, the news… and just about anything that comes to mind!...

Garden of the Gods – Manitou Cliff Dwellings (Colorado Springs) 0

Garden of the Gods – Manitou Cliff Dwellings (Colorado Springs)

We love traveling and really try to the make the most of any trip we take.  As I mentioned several posts ago, Hubby’s cousin got married up in the mountains near Crested Butte, Colorado.  After the wedding, we stayed with Hubby’s sister (husband and son) who live in Colorado Springs.  Joined by his other sister (husband and 2 kids) and Hubby’s parents, it made for a lot of kids, a...

Olympic Training Center and Ghost Town Museum — Colorado Springs 2

Olympic Training Center and Ghost Town Museum — Colorado Springs

I have been super busy since we returned from our trip, but I’m going to wrap up our trip in the next post or two.  Hubby’s sister and family lives in Colorado Springs and we spent about a week with them.  We had a lot of fun visiting some of the sites in that area. Olympic Training Center: One afternoon we visited the Olympic Training Center and took the tour of...

Renaissance Festival – Fun Family Day (Maryland Season Opens Soon) 1

Renaissance Festival – Fun Family Day (Maryland Season Opens Soon)

Have you ever been to a Renaissance Festival?  We went to one in Colorado a couple weeks ago and there’s one starting up in Maryland next weekend (details at the bottom of this post). I’ve always heard about Colorado’s Renaissance Festival, but never made it there. It was a lot of fun to go with the family!  Lots and lots of people were dressed up in costume and it was...

Arches National Park — A Must See for Families! 1

Arches National Park — A Must See for Families!

When we arrived in Colorado, we had a couple of days before we had to be at the family wedding. Looking at the map, we decided to do a quick road trip to Arches National Park in Utah.  We set off through the mountains, enjoying the change in landscape from the east coast woods.  At one stop, there was a prairie dog town — which the kids just loved!! We...

Back From Our Trip Out West! (Colorado at 10,000 Feet) 1

Back From Our Trip Out West! (Colorado at 10,000 Feet)

Some homeschoolers pack everything and travel around the country or around the world for a year or so.  We dream of doing that, but have to be content (for now?!!) with shorter trips.  We got back late Saturday night from an amazing two-week trip out to the Colorado area. It was such a fabulous trip! We headed out there because Hubby’s cousin was getting married up in the mountains near...

Pretty Pacific Northwest (Washington State) 0

Pretty Pacific Northwest (Washington State)

I was born in Seattle, Washington and both sides of my family are from there. In fact, many of my mom’s relatives were among the first settlers in the region!  One of Hubby’s best friends now lives in Seattle.  They planned a hiking-reunion weekend and they spent several days hiking around the beautiful mountains out to the west of Seattle. The scenery was so beautiful, I definitely hope to plan...

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Be a Weekend Paleontologist – Fossil Collecting Trips

A few years ago, I heard about a fossil collecting trip that another homeschooling family had gone on (I came across it on a blog somewhere). It sounded so terrific, I tucked in the back of my mind and kept an eye on the trips offered by Cathy at Fossil and Nature Trips. She organizes fossil collecting trips up and down the east coast.  I had my eye on one...

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The Outer Banks, NC – A Terrific Family Destination

As you probably gather from yesterday’s post 10 Reasons Why Time Off is Important, our family was on holiday last week at the beach.  There are so many things to do at the Outer Banks (Southern Shores/Kitty Hawk/Nags Head area), I thought I would share some of the things our family has done there. I know it’s a popular family destination. Here are some things your family might enjoy in...

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10 Reasons Why Time Off is Important

1. It allows you to open your eyes to the beauty around you 2. It puts the focus on love, family and being together   3. It lets you try new things   The kids went kayaking for the first time last week. 4. It’s soothing, relaxing and you can switch off.   5. It allows you to experience someone else’s passions Hubby and LD played endless rounds of card games...

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So, How Is Homeschool Life Going? – A Visit to Antietam and More

Dear Friends, I thought I’d spend a post just talking about our homeschool life in general. I find it therapeutic to write about how things are really going since single-themed posts (you know, about commas or slavery) don’t really give a thorough picture of life on the home front. It’s 10 pm on Wednesday evening. I’ve finally left LD’s room and the kids are in bed.  Whew! Hubby is currently in Australia and...

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Field Trip! Visiting the Global Village at Heifer International

As I mentioned yesterday, the kids are raising money to buy some livestock for Heifer International.  When I looked on the map, I saw that the Heifer has various learning centers around the country.  We called and made arrangements to visit Shepherd’s Spring in Maryland. Oh my goodness, what an amazing trip we had!!! The program director was so engaging with the kids and she led us on a 3+...