Skip to main content

Catching Up, Remembering and Collage Friday

Remembering today those people who lost their lives 14 years ago.  
#911neverforget


We are SO hanging on to summer here at The Joys of Home Educating.  

If you have been a blog follower for a while you know that each year I take the children to The Jersey Shore (#jerseystrong) at the end of the summer.  We USUALLY go the week after Labor Day because, duh, the crowds are far less. This year, since Labor Day was late, we went the week OF!  gasp, I know!

We were pleasantly surprised that it was not THAT busy.  We enjoyed the ocean, boardwalk, ice cream, mini golf, dinners out, hotel pool and most of all, DADDY went with us this year!  A first! 

A great time was had by all! 


As soon as we got back, we hosted our Newell Family Backyard Campout (it had been since 2012 since our last one)  Seven families came, pitched their tent, shared a meal, bonfire and sang songs with us.  The children were up until the wee hours of the follow day as well as most adults.  Let's just say dawn came WAY too fast after my head hit the air mattress! 


We had a friendly competition this year. We asked the families to create a Family Flag/Crest that represented their family. I was SUPER excited that each family did one and the picture of the kids above, displays them all!



The pool picture and the girls (face painted) were taken on Monday at a friend of ours.  We were invited (rare!) to a bbq and swim all day. We were there 7 hours (time flew) and we had a great time!  (best smoked salmon EVER!)


Even though we have not started back (full time) to our school schedule, we have been easing back into many subjects.  Art is a BIG one in our home, with our daughters. Molly enjoyed the hummingbird pastel tutorial over at Hodgepodge.  In addition she worked on a new Doodle Crate and Sammie continues to kick butt in her Tae Kwon Do Class. (3 nights a week)  

Over the summer the children took enrichment classes at a local elementary school.  Sammie picked a Silly Science class...here is a video from her class erupting her volcano!

Enjoy!






Linking up to Mary over at Collage Friday (Homegrown Learners) and Hearts for Home Blog Hop


Labels:

Comments

Mary Prather said…
Melissa, your family is blessed with the most fun times!!! The backyard campout looks like so much fun! Wish I lived closer ;-)
7:37 AM
Phyllis said…
Wow, Melissa, there are so many wonderful things I could comment on in this post. We love the ocean, too and also went to Jersey this year, although not to the shore. The family reunion looks fantastic. I wish we could have a family reunion, but I am afraid that I must wait for my kids to have families first! It really does look like you guys are hanging onto summer. I congratulate that!! Sounds like a great beginning to your school year as well. We also have been easing back into school.
3:39 PM
Dawn said…
I love the idea of a family camp. That sounds like so much fun. Of course, we would have to do it earlier in the summer. We are starting to have bear visits in our yard now. What an awesome week.
Blessings, Dawn
7:41 AM
Melissa N. said…
Thanks Mary 8) Wish you lived closer too!

Thanks Phyllis. The "Family" campout was not a reunion but rather 7 families who love the outdoors and came to camp with us in our backyard 8)

Dawn - our bears will be out in a few weeks - after our HUGE Halloween party they are in abundance eating all the left over peanuts that end up on the ground throughout the yard..lol...we have strict rules during the campout that no one is allowed any food in their tents at all...that helps 8)
7:55 AM
Unknown said…
Looks like you've been having some great times! I want to fit more camping into our schedule, but we are always so darned busy.
10:00 AM
claireshomeeducation said…
It all looks so much fun!! I'm shuddering at your's and Phyllis' comment about bears. Yikes! We're from uk where the only bears here live in zoos!
7:20 PM
Hodgepodgemom said…
Love, love that hummingbird!!
9:38 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

National Chocolate Chip Day

May 15, 2012 is National Chocolate Chip Day Today is National Chocolate Chip Day! Chocolate chips are an essential ingredient in dozens of delicious baked goods—chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate chip brownies, chocolate chip bagels, and many more. You can even find chili recipes that call for these sweet morsels! In the 1930s, Ruth Graves Wakefield created the original chocolate chip cookie at her Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. Ruth intended to bake chocolate cookies for her guests, but she ran out of baker’s chocolate. She substituted with chopped up semi-sweet chocolate morsels and discovered that the pieces did not melt into the dough as she expected. Her cookies were an instant hit. Today, 25% of all the cookies baked in the United States are chocolate chip! To celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day, pick up a bag of chocolate chips at the supermarket and bake something yummy to share with friends and cowor...
1 comment
Read more

Two Giveaways!

I am cleaning out the homeschool supply and curriculum closet!  I am teaming up with Jolanthe over at Homeschool Creations for her and other homeschoolers for the: I have two different giveaways to bless 2 families with!   (FYI - these are all great resources and we happen to have duplicates of all the books we are giving away and recommend them all - we will only be able to ship to the US due to the weight of these boxes, thanks) Number 1:  Preschool - Kindergarten Level  Here is what 1 lucky follower will win: (all except 1 book are brand new and never used) Supplies: 8 pencils 1 package of Alphabet Stamps Package of Sight Words flash cards Student Addition Table (works like a slide ruler) Books: Curious George - The Boat Show - Level 1 Scholastic Science Vocabulary Readers - Cave Homes  Scholastic Science Vocabulary Readers - Colorful Leaves Scholastic Science Vocabulary Readers - Fantastic Bats Scholastic - Polar Bears (level 1 reade...
258 comments
Read more

Fall Curriculum Clean Out - Giveaway

It's that fun time again where we get to help each other out!  I am participating in the  Curriculum Clean Out (over at Homeschool Creations)...you see that little box on the right...yup, that's the one!  I am offering up two packages for the Curriculm Clean Out party going on! Package A This total package is for the 2 nd – 5 th grade reading levels.  New Books by Scholastic: Ricky Ricott’as Might Robot Vs. The Mutant Mosquitoes from Mercury Dog at the Door The Flying Flea, Callie and Me The Boxcar Children – The Pizza Mystery Pet Trouble – Bad to the Bone Boxer Just my Luck – embarrassing moments and the girls who survivie them Shark Tale (Movie Novel) Star Wars – Adventures in Hyperspace The Magic School Buss – Blows Its Top The Magic School Bus – See Stars Games:  Folder Game – Fast Phonics DVD: Carlos Caterpillar – No Prize Surprise – a lesson in thankfulness and appreciation – watched 1 time perfect shape Supplies: (all new) Teachers Grade...
90 comments
Read more