Driving in a Winter Wonderland

Today we woke up to ice. It's 7 degrees outside here in Victor, ID. Thank goodness we followed the Boy Scout motto to "Be Prepared" and bought ice melt for the driveway and chains for the tires! It snowed yesterday so we spent the better part of the morning shoveling to make sure it was as clear as possible for today. Our hard work paid off and the driveway is still clear and dry.  Because today was our original departure date, and it seems to be the only window in a series of snow storms here in the Grand Tetons, it's now or never!

The valley below our house

The trailer before we shoveled

We all pitched in!

A job well done

Both the house in Alaska, and the house here, have these grates outside the front door. It's for getting the snow off your shoes and letting it melt in the dirt below instead of tracking it in the house. The dogs hate it. Like the pajama pants? ;-)

Dealing with freezing temps brings on a new series of things to consider. For example, how did the glass jar of jam I packed in the trailer yesterday fare in the deep freeze? Am I going to have to deal with a shattered mess of glass when I get out there? How will the car handle the icy roads with the added weight of the loaded trailer? Did we bring enough blankets for the chilly RV park overnights until we reach AZ? Things like that.

I have time to write this short update because we've decided to wait until the sun is completely out and it warms up a smidge before leaving. We'll head out around 10am mountain time and will probably be in Utah tonight. Next time I post, we'll be all settled in at the new house in Sedona, Arizona! Until then, it's so long, Idaho (or more accurately where we've been, Driggtor, Wydaho)! Thanks for the memories! And a very special thank you to the family who runs Daydreams Espresso for the best chai, breakfast burritos, and muffins around! Keep spreading the good news! :-)

Have a fantastic week!

- Jen

An Update From The Kids

Next Friday we leave for Arizona and the third leg of our adventure (didn't we just get here?!). I'll try to post an update from the road. As for today, our family sends a big thank you to all the veterans who have served our country!

Since we left home we've received a lot of support, and also a lot of questions. One question we get often is "But what do the kids think?" Good question! Let's ask them. After our presidential election this week, I think we're all ready for something new to read.

Everything from here on out is all them. They like to keep it real. ;-) Also, keep in mind this is their first time away from the traditional school environment.

Enjoy!

- Jen

Oldest son (15- Freshman): "I am not a big fan of the trip in most ways, however I'm glad I got to fly a plane in Alaska. I am looking forward to going to Disney World in Florida in a couple of months. What I'm really looking forward to is going to high school in Washington when I get back because so far I've noticed that normal school is more fun than homeschooling. Plus, I get to see my friends."

Daughter (13- 7th Grade): "At first, I thought this trip was awful! Then we went to Chena Hot Springs in Alaska, which was exciting. Now this trip is tolerable. Chena Hot Springs was probably the best part of the trip so far because I rode a horse named Coby on a trail.

Since we had a family emergency while here in Idaho, we haven't seen everything. But if you do come to Victor or Driggs, here are places we went that I would recommend:

- The Corner Drug Store- It has a soda fountain.
- The Spud (I think that's it's name)- It's a drive-in theater.
- The Library
- Wildlife Brewing Company- It has awesome food!
- Or just going for a drive- The houses on the way to the dump (Yes, the dump!) look really cool and I think you would like them too!"

Youngest son (10- 4th Grade): "We've sort of been having fun in Idaho. We had fun at the Museum of Idaho. We went to the movies to go see Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children in Idaho Falls. We went to Driggs for groceries (my brother calls it Drugs). We also went to Blackfoot to drop off our dogs while we were in California. The house here in Victor seems like part of a mansion."  

We took the 101...

Okay, so that blog title is mostly a joke. ;-) We really did grow up in California, but unlike the SNL skit, have never used "the" when talking about freeways, highways, interstates, or any other roads. Then again, we grew up in Northern California so that might be a regional difference. SoCal's, any insights? On that note, we did take 101 and it was a beautiful drive!

Last week we joined my husband in California to finish settling the estate of my Father-in-law. Then we caravanned to Washington for work and to bring a few things home. It was a long drive, especially with no relief driver in the car, but we made it! It ended up being fun in spite of the pouring rain. The kids were especially excited when we went over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Fun fact: My husbands grandmother marched across the Golden Gate with her school band when it opened in 1937! Their family has a long history in California.

San Francisco also has a lot of cool murals and beautiful architecture.

We made sure to visit Chandelier Tree (the drive-thru tree) and stamped our Parks Passport at Redwood National and State Park. Close to the Oregon border you will see gorgeous coastal views. I definitely recommend going if you're ever nearby!

Fortunately for the kids, we were able to get home in time to go trick-or-treating, which was exciting. A big thank you to our wonderful friends for taking them while we sorted everything out! This week has given us a chance to visit the orthodontist and to get a few other things taken care of. Mostly though, it's just been nice to visit with friends and be home for a tick.

Our unexpected detour ended up adding three states we weren't planning on visiting this year- California, Oregon, and Washington. Who knows? We may need to hit all 50 now just to say we did!

Tomorrow we head back to Idaho. I'm sure the dogs will be excited to see us again! They've been at a kennel while we've been gone. Then we start preparing to head down to Arizona for the next leg of our trip in a week or two. Is it really almost time for the third leg of our adventure?!? I guess what they say is true, time flies!

- Jen

Taking Our Time

Please forgive me. With all that's been going on, time completely got away from me and I forgot today is Friday.

We've been in the process of settling the affairs of my dear Father-in-law, and haven't had much time for anything else.

We'll be back to blogging next week after we return home for a few days. Then we'll resume our adventures and discoveries around North America.

Until then!

- Jen

Grieving

We lost my Father-In-Law this week. In honor of his memory, we will be dedicating this post to him.

Thank you for your love and support during this difficult time.

- Jen

Ernest R. Schmidt

1947-2016

Beloved Son, Father, Grandfather, and Friend

Eagle Rock and Square Ice Cream

The weather has eased up a little over the past week or so, which is the opposite of what many of you are experiencing right now. I hope everyone is staying safe and dry!

It took us a little longer than I would have liked, but last weekend we finally made the drive through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks! We've visited before but the kids were much younger then, so this was to be the trip they all remembered. Word to the wise, if you have a fourth grader, be sure to print out their National Parks Foundation pass. It will save you a ton of money if you plan to visit the parks at all over the course of the year. 2016 is the National Park Service Centennial, so now is the perfect time to go!

I grew up singing that song, "Home on the range" and specifically the line "where the deer and the antelope play." Well we've seen plenty of deer and antelope (or pronghorns, as they're called here) but we've also seen a lot of buffalo. Actually, that's not entirely true. Technically, buffalo only live in Africa. Here in North America, we have bison. And believe me, we've seen a ton! Yellowstone has quite the population roaming about. One word of advice though, don't get out of your car to take a selfie with one. We saw several people do just that despite the warning that they were risking their own lives. Do yourself a favor and buy a camera with a zoom lens instead. Trust me. Taking that risk just to be in a picture with a wild animal is just asking for a place in the Darwin Award Hall of Fame!

These people pulled over to the side to get a better look. That's fine as long as you stay in your vehicle. If you look closely, you can see someone starting to get out....

We made sure to stop so we could see Fountain Paint Pot with the kids. Wow is it strange to see the ground boiling like that! And the colors! So amazing! The ground is unstable, so they've built platforms you can walk on. Steam flows all around you on a cool day.

And of course, we had to visit Old Faithful!

After that, one of our littles had a meltdown, so we decided to keep the activities to a minimum and drove through to Grand Teton National Park. The two parks are connected and you cross a gate to get from one to the other. We crossed the Continental Divide several times that day also, so now our kids are well versed in what that means.

This week we celebrated the 13th birthday of our daughter and had a few regular visitors in the back yard. It's really cool to be able to see these massive animals up close but they are very dangerous. That makes taking the dogs out challenging....

Here's momma up close.

We've also had some phenomenal sunsets this week.

Today we drove into Idaho Falls and ended up at the Museum of Idaho.

I wasn't sure what to expect but it was fantastic! There's currently an American Revolution exhibit with artifacts from private collections on display. When you pay for admission, each person is given a card with a name. You are to find the exhibit about that person and find out what role they played during the Revolution. My daughter was a thirteen year old boy who was arrested and almost hanged before the sentence was changed to prison time. When he grew older he worked on a ship and was arrested again! Each of us had really interesting stories.

I wish I could have taken pictures to show you everything but photography was forbidden. I will tell you that everything was interactive. We were able to smell tea bricks like the ones thrown into Boston Harbor. We were able to play the drums like a drummer boy would have had. We were able to write with a feather pen and ink. We saw authentic clothes, weapons, toys, and documents and were able to get close to them. And that was just in the "Rebels with a Cause" Exhibit!

The rest of the museum has exhibits about the history of Idaho Falls, or should I say "Eagle Rock". That was it's previous name. We learned about the history of nuclear power in the area and there was a complete "city street" you could walk through and look in shops like they would have been in different time periods. I loved the children's discovery area where the kids could make animal prints in sand, or climb "under the water" and see what a fish would see. It was really well done.

At the end of our time at the museum, each of us took a turn "voting for the next President." We stood at the booth, filled out our ballot, and dropped it in the box. The kids were able to get a taste of what the process is really like, which is perfect for the upcoming election.

We capped off the day by driving by the Farr Candy Company where they make "Idaho Spud" and several other types of candy. Then we went through Swan Valley on the way home and had square ice cream, also made by Farr. The flavor I got was "Cookie Monster."

It was a busy, fun day! See you next week!

- Jen

Q+4=3Q-6

I always "knew" I was a mediocre student. I was never "advanced enough" to participate in programs like G.A.T.E (Gifted And Talented Education) and AP classes. At the library, the Dewey Decimal System might as well have been a foreign spy language as far as I was concerned. It took me two years to get through Algebra 1 in high school, and even then I didn't pass! I found creative writing difficult and it became one of those things I believed was only for the "gifted kids." In other words- not me.

As I grew older, my behavior went downhill and I stepped into the roles of "class clown" and later "rebel" because that's were I felt like I fit best. After all, I wasn't sporty, my family couldn't afford the trendy clothes, and I wasn't a "smart kid." What was left? Sounds like a pity party, right? My reasoning was flawed, to be sure. Fortunately, my perspective began to change when my sophomore science teacher saw my potential. He recommended me for a one-day event for "Future Leaders" that you were only invited to if a teacher submitted your name specifically. This one vote of confidence completely changed the trajectory of my life. I wish I could tell him how profoundly it impacted me.

My behavior and aspirations improved after that but it wasn't until after I had graduated from high school and was a few months into my new job that I started to break free from believing the lie that I was just "mediocre". I began to realize the standards I felt trapped by in school were not the same standards of the outside world. People began to ask me to do things- and I did them well! So well, in fact, that I was quickly promoted several times over. I started to realize that I am intelligent. I am capable. I am able. I really can do the things I set my mind to!

After this initial epiphany, the world seemed to open up. Education took on a whole new definition. No longer was it a prison that I was confined to until graduation- instead it was an opportunity and a gift. I suddenly felt empowered and confident in taking on the role of leader in many of the organizations I had joined. I was making connections with people I respected and admired and was no longer intimidated by them and their "superiority". Instead, I saw that we were just "differently abled" and all our abilities worked together to compliment each other.

I wish that kind of realization happened for everyone. The truth is that we all have things we excel at. The trick is finding the right tools and mentors who will take the time to help us explore those things. Take the math problem in the title of this post. At one time I would have told you "Math is hard" and "I can't do that." Defeated-sounding statements, right? Well, you won't hear those words from me anymore! Because of the learning we're doing this year, I know that I can, and my kids can, learn and excel in subjects that once eluded us! Sure, my blog posts are coming a little later in the day now, but it's a small price to pay for helping them reach that "a-ha moment" and having that same moment, myself!

Since we began this adventure I've been asked, "How are you going to teach that subject if you don't have a degree?" Because of my earlier experiences I may have been daunted by this question. Fortunately for me, there are people who do have degrees, and the passion for teaching, who have put together curriculum specifically designed to be easily understood. This makes learning just about anything you want attainable and user-friendly, which empowers us all.

To learn more about the available options, you can visit your state's local homeschool conference. We went to the one presented by the Washington Homeschool Organization. It's a big convention that happens once a year where you can take classes, meet with other homeschoolers, and browse the booths. People present everything from ways to learn with Minecraft, to standardized co-ops, to Amish plain books with minimal pictures. Even if you attend a school and just need a little extra help, resources are available for you. Math was the more difficult subject for me, so I decided to focus on finding a curriculum for that subject first. Math-U-See by Demme Learning was what the kids and I ended up agreeing on. 

This is my daughter doing her work with our dog, Jasper, affectionately known as "The Little Professor."

This particular curriculum is very logical and you only move on to the next lesson or book when you're well versed in the previous one. That way every student has a firm grasp of the basics before they move on to the more abstract problems. For us, this makes EVERYTHING easier to understand. I'm actually finding math to be fun and it's a joy to watch my kids "get-it" without frustration and tears. We have the ability to work on each lesson until it "clicks" instead of racing through everything to keep up with the lesson plan. I feel confident that they are learning and that I'm doing just fine teaching them. It's exciting!

Here's a snapshot of what we're working with in case you're interested. If not, you can skip to the pictures below.

Student:
- 1 Textbook per subject  (Example: Algebra)
* Lessons are broken into short sections (Example: A, B, C, D, E, F) and an optional extra page if everything else in that lesson was understood easily and the student is ready for something a big more tricky before taking their test.

- CD with a teacher teaching each lesson on screen. You choose the lesson from a scene selection list.

- Manipulative blocks that can be used with every lesson so the student is able to watch the lesson, use the manipulatives to actually see what that problem looks like with real objects before writing down their answer. This reinforces everything they're learning and helps it "stick." As you move on to fractions and decimals, you get a new set of manipulatives that accompany the first set.

Teacher (me):
- 1 teacher book containing a short section on how to teach each lesson and the answers for all the lessons and tests.

- 1 test book containing a short test for each lesson and unit.

- Phone number for support if you have gone through everything and still don't completely understand how they came to the answer in the teacher book.

That's it! And so far, I'm happy to report that everything is going great!

Along with all our travels to new regions, we've started visiting galleries to check out different kinds of art. Jackson Hole has quite a few galleries, so last weekend we started exploring them.  At one we even met a featured artist! Here are a some examples of what we saw.

"Femme au Chapeau" 1962 by Pablo Picasso.

"Edudes 1945" by Pablo Picasso

 I love this series! It's what the rain looks like when it's crossing the valley in front of our house. This painting is HUGE!

These two are right up my alley! Vintage Yellowstone and Tetons.

The kids were able to look up information about paintings at a digital kiosk in one of the galleries.

 This mixed-media collage by Kaoru Mansour called "Bottle Brush #116" is beautiful!

I'm a sucker for Norman Rockwell. The detail in his paintings is amazing! Here are a few pieces we saw at Heather James Fine Art. You can find more information on their website here. I was really excited to find out they were still on display!!

"Girl Scouts" Life Magazine Cover 1924

 "Two Old Men and Dog (Checkers)" 1950
Those expressions look like me and my husband playing games!

This one is called "Pregnant Woman Drinking Tea" 1958 but I must be missing some cultural reference from the time because nothing about her says "pregnant" to me. Do you see a bump?

Dodge Brothers Motor Cars ad "Couple's 25th Wedding Anniversary" 1925

These two speak to me. I know, I'm a sap. I just love them.

"The Violinist and his Assistant" by J.C. Leyendecker

 Oh, the details!

The weather has continued to surprise us. We spent part of Monday evening in the furnace room because of a tornado warning. The temperatures have also plummeted and the snow has made an appearance. In celebration, the younger two made a mini snowman while the older one became the fire master.

With the current national weather, I hope everyone is safe and sound! Have a great week!

- Jen

P.S. The answer to the title is "5"- the amount of people in our family. :-)