Never Stop Learning

 Today my daughter posted this on my Facebook wall, which is what prompted me to blog about homeschooling.




We haven't homeschooled in awhile, but I'll always think of myself as a homeschool mom. The one thing homeschooling taught me is that you're always learning, and that's something I think has gotten lost in the modern school system. School has become a thing to dread, instead of something to be excited about. It starts pretty young, too. By the time kids are in second grade quite a few of them only want to go to school to see their friends. When I told people we were switching to homeschooling due to the bullying happening at school and the horrible effects it was having not only on my children's self-esteem but on their capacity to learn, one of the most common reactions was that they had to "tough it out" or "well, no one likes school". Somehow learning and school have become two different things in our society, and I'm extremely grateful I had the opportunity to try something different that worked so much better for our family.

Katrina representing local homeschool group at the regional spelling bee.

 My daughter, who is a Junior at UWEC, educates her fellow classmates about homeschooling all the time and tells people it's not what they think it is. When we were out and about people would find out we were homeschoolers and would ask me about it. I would tell them that my favorite thing about homeschooling is that there is something for everyone, there is no "right" way to homeschool, and that each family has an amazing opportunity to learn more about the world, about what they are really interested in learning, and most of all about each other. We developed our own curriculum that was heavy on reading, real world experiences and writing papers to prepare for college, but many homeschoolers pool together and form a co-op to teach each other's children, and other families may learn through an online academy or order a complete curriculum much like their school district is using. What matters is that they learn at their own pace and gather confidence and a life-long appreciation for learning. I don't regret for a single moment that we stepped outside the box and found that the hardest part was making the decision to do it. Once it was decided and we were in it, the hardest part was convincing others of its value, which got easier with time and when our own confidence in our abilities grew.

Democracy in action, attending the
Kerry for President rally in Madison.

Touring the U.S. Capitol with
one of Paul Ryan's interns.

4H was a huge part of our curriculum,
teaching many life skills such as leadership
and record keeping as well as being a
great place to meet others and socialize.

Katrina experienced a lot through figure skating,
including the opportunity to meet Olympic champion Sarah Hughes.

Cory wasn't interested in sports, but for awhile he enjoyed learning fencing at the Rec Center.

Homeschooling and full-time rv'ing have a lot in common. They are both pursuits that mainstream society has trouble understanding and there isn't any one way to do it right. Sharing our experiences with others broadens acceptance and understanding and also encourages others to be more open to trying new things. So, today, a reminder to us all to never stop learning...about life, about acceptance of other people's differences and most importantly of all about ourselves!

Puelicher Butterfly Wing at the Milwaukee Public Museum

We both had the day off on Friday this week so we decided to take a drive out to the Milwaukee Public Museum to see the butterflies at the Puelicher Butterfly Wing. It didn't take long for me to get yelled at...you know how it is when you're behind the camera, it's easy to forget where you are and that there might be rules! I tried to step up onto the fake rocks and was chastised immediately. Sure looked like a stepping stone to me!





 

  

We lingered a long time with the butterflies, but eventually the humidity got to us and we moved on. We took a quick walk through the rest of the museum but we've been here so many times with the kids when we were homeschooling that it's kind of lost its luster! I don't know about anyone else, but I was a little disturbed to see the humpback whale decorated with lights. Does anybody else find this disrespectful?

 

We're heading out to tour different parts of North Carolina in April from Cape Lookout National Seashore to the race attractions in Mooresville to the Biltmore Mansion to Smoky Mountain National Park and I'm looking forward to stopping in to some new museums. Anybody have any recommendations of any unique museums or attractions we should see?

Winter in the Midwest

I can't believe that January is over...mostly because it felt like it never began! Normally January is the month I dread, the month of hardly leaving the house due to snow, wind and subzero temperatures. This year January felt like early December in the Wisconsin-Illinois stateline area, maybe even like early March! We've still only had snow 3 or 4 times, and I don't think we got more than 2 inches from any of those "storms". Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but it's making me a little uneasy. What does this mean for the rest of the year's weather to be so off from normal? I haven't been out to take any winter photos this year due to the lack of snow, and I don't even know where half of my winter clothing is in the closet because I haven't needed to drag it out. So, I'll post a few winter shots from last year hiking in Chain O' Lakes State Park in Illinois and count my blessings as February begins and spring gets another day nearer.

This is What a Feminist Looks Like

I finished reading a book tonight loaned to me by my amazing 21 year old daughter who is majoring in Women's Studies at UWEC.  While I agreed heartily with everything between the covers of "Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture" by Ariel Levy and felt that it exposed a topic more people needed to take a deeper look at, I felt uncomfortable broaching the topic on Blogger or Facebook. I decided that the very fact that I felt uncomfortable bringing it up was a pretty good indication that I probably should!

The author explores the new "raunch" culture, where "empowered women" bare all for Girls Gone Wild, pursue casual sex as if it were a sport, and embrace behavior that once would have been considered the domain of male chauvinist pigs. She argues that what women are promoting as liberating is actually sending women's rights backward and leading our young women on a path that can lead nowhere good. She covers the beginnings of the women's movement and how she thinks we got from there to here. How did Sex and the City, Paris Hilton, little girls wearing thongs, Playboy bunnies, strippers and the porn industry come to represent what young women of today aspire to become? Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"...It can be fun to be exceptional..to be an honorary man. But if you are the exception that proves the rule, and the rule is that women are inferior, you haven't made any progress."

"If you start to think about women as if we're all Carrie on Sex and the City, well, the problem is: You're not going to elect Carrie to the Senate or to run your company. Let's see the Senate fifty percent female; let's see women in decision-making positions - that's power. Sexual freedom can be a smoke-screen for how far we  haven't come."

"In 2004 our forty-second president, George W. Bush, the leader of the free world, proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to forever ban gay marriage - which was already illegal. If half this country feels so threatened by two people of the same gender being in love and having sex that they turn their attention - during wartime - to blocking rights already denied to homosexuals, then all the cardio striptease classes in the world aren't going to render us sexually liberated."

"If we believed that we were sexy and funny and competent and smart, we would not need to be like strippers or like men or like anyone other than our own specific, individual selves."

It's easy to believe the war for equality has been won. Sometimes we need someone to remind us that it's still worth fighting for. My daughter does that for me, I hope today maybe I did that for someone else!

Bucket List

I was surfing blogs and came across someone's post about their RV'ing bucket list. There are so many places we want to go and things we want to do that twice I've wasted a whole snowy afternoon mapping out a first year on the road. This also had the advantage of figuring out mileage, camping costs, entrance fees and so on so that we could get an idea of what we might spend in an ambitious first year on the road. I was delighted to find out that we would actually spend less on gas and go less miles traveling the country than we do now! My husband has a long commute every day, so we currently average $400 or more a month on gas expenses between us. Between the 2 main vehicles we also travel 50,000 miles per year! At least when we're RV'ing we'll have something to show for all those miles we travel.

As for a bucket list...here's what I came up with:

• Yosemite National Park - Wayne's top destination wish! I can't wait to hike Half Dome!
• Hang gliding in San Francisco area - this one is all about me...Wayne plans to keep his feet firmly on the ground!
•  Vancouver Island -  this one has been on our list long before I read Rick and Paulette's descriptions on their blog. We also have a few family members in the Vancouver area that it would be great to visit.
•  The Wave - a photographer's dream!
•  Glacier National Park - got to get there before there are no glaciers left.
•  Joshua Tree National Park - another place in danger of losing its namesake feature.
• Oregon coast - wasn't on our list before, but I've really enjoyed all the bloggers' descriptions and can't wait to see it for myself.
• Hike to the Great Gallery in Canyonlands National Park
• Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park
• Mesa Verde National Park
• Antelope Canyon
• Mono Lake
• beignets at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans - I can thank my daughter for this one popping up on the list!
• Snorkeling in The Keys
• kayak Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve- got this idea reading the blog at Carolina Footprints.
• The Freedom Trail in Boston
• Albuquerque Balloon Festival
• And if I get really ambitious...maybe the Other Half half marathon  in Moab!

The list could go on and on...and on, but the lyrics from "This Land is Your Land" say it best "...from the Redwood forests to the Gulf Stream waters, this land for made for you and me"! I'd love to hear about everyone else's bucket list destinations they haven't made it to yet, too, because there's always room for more great places on our list.

Newfoundland 2010

I was inspired to upload some of my favorite photos from our last trip to Newfoundland by Judy  and her picture of last season's pitcher plants. We flew there in September 2010 for a long overdue visit with relatives and had the opportunity to see some beautiful sights and enjoy the fall weather. We drove up to "Site Sam" which is where the radio tower is at the former U.S. Navy base in Argentia. Argentia is where I was born and is also where the ferry terminal is located for RV'ers who are considering a trip to this beautiful island.

My son Cory on top of Site Sam

 While in the area we stayed at Wayne's mother's home in Placentia. The town of Placentia was established as a fishing settlement and the British and the French waged war over this area for centuries.  It was also a valuable military port due to its strategic narrow harbor entrance. Castle Hill  features the remains of the military fortifications built to protect the harbor, and is always worth a visit.

Wayne looking out on Placentia from Castle Hill

Wayne's brother Harold's boat

 I took a few early morning walks while in Placentia, and loved reconnecting with this place where I spent many happy times with my mother's family.

Ambrose Shea lift bridge

 My son Cory and I also walked from Placentia to Freshwater one afternoon. Freshwater is where my mother's family mostly lives, and the best part of walking to my grandmother's house is going up Old Settlement Hill. Your legs burn by the time you reach the top!

Freshwater wharf

 On another afternoon we walked down the hill to First Beach with my mother and my Uncle Ronnie. No sun and sand to be had at this beach, but still worth a trip, especially if you need some exercise.

My mom on the road to First Beach

Cory finds a moose track on the beach

 We scoured the shore for treasures, finding mostly seaweed, rocks, and barnacles, but also a few starfish in the tidepools and even spotted a seal offshore and watched him for awhile.

Plovers

Tide pool treasures

 Cape St. Mary's bird sanctuary is within a reasonable drive so we made a stop out there one afternoon also.

Cape St. Mary's

gannets

 Another daytrip we made was to Salmonier Nature Park. Wayne had been here before, but it was new to me and I was quite surprised by the wide variety of native animals in natural surroundings. The enclosures are scattered along a boardwalk trail and one of the plants I photographed was the Pitcher Plant which is the province's official flower.

Pitcher plant

If you're visiting Newfoundland and you take a trip into St. John's, don't miss Signal Hill where the first transatlantic wireless signal was received in 1901.  We skipped the tower and hiked down the North Head Trail to get a great view of the harbor and the Quidi Vidi Battery and Lighthouse.

North Head Trail

It was berry pickin' time and so I took my great-niece Emily out to pick blueberries on the bog.

I filled my bucket too!

 In addition to picking...and eating...lots of blueberries we got to see lots of ponds...and more pitcher plants.

 There's much to see and do in Newfoundland, and I hope I've inspired some of my fellow travelers to consider it for their next trip!

Volo Bog

I saw online that America's State Parks were offering  "First Day" hikes. Unfortunately in our region today, highs were in the low 30's with gusts of wind over 40 mph! I doubt they had much of a turnout at Kettle Moraine today! If the wind hadn't been so bad I would have gladly taken a short drive over to Volo Bog in Illinois and gone for a short hike. I've been there a few times and would have loved to hike again on the Tamarack View Trail which is 2.75 miles long and winds around the bog.When I went last spring I was lucky enough to be able to spy on a family of Canada Geese for awhile from the level trail.

After completing the easy loop hike I decided I might as well add the 1/2 mile interpretive trail that is mostly constructed of floating sections of boardwalk and platforms.

As I was finishing up my stroll...I spied some muskrats in love! I loved the little squeaks they were making!
 

 

 So, a hike in Volo Bog in winter will be a new experience...but I think I'll wait for some snow and a nice calm day! Happy New Year!