Choosing Family Friendly Campgrounds

I’m excited to share that my article, What to ask when Selecting a Campground for your Family is featured today at  RVParking.com as part of their series on RVing with Kids. While you’re visiting RVParking.com make sure you check out their current contest, whoever writes the most reviews wins a portable solar power pack and the people who submit the two best reviews each win a $50 gas card. Hurry this contest ends October 15!

What to ask when Selecting a Campground for your Family

When it comes to selecting the perfect campground for your family, chances are we won’t be looking for the same amenities even though we both have children. As a mother of teenagers, a campground with a playground and scheduled activities is no longer an option we consider important. Give my kids good cell phone reception and Wi-Fi access so they can brag on Facebook about what a great time they are having roasting marshmallows over the open fire and they’re pretty content.

Setting the age of our children aside, selecting a campground really boils down to preference. Personally, I prefer to stay at campgrounds that offer large sites, clean bathrooms and friendly campers. What I don’t want is to arrive at our site for what we hope is a relaxing weekend and find ourselves right smack in the middle of a major drink fest with obnoxious neighbors loudly proclaiming obscenities and staggering around the camp until they pass out on their picnic table. Unless you are that person, chances are that’s not your idea of fun either.

You can head to RVParking and read the rest of my post and make sure you don’t miss the first post in the series The Joys of RVing with Children.

When you want to Quit Homeschooling & Creative Lunch Ideas for your Homeschool

In addition to taking a break from blogging here, I also accidently took a break on The Company Front Porch when I forgot to turn in my article last week!  This week I wrote about some of the techniques I incorporate when homeschooling gets to be just a little bit too much.  Hope this can encourage you if you ever find yourself in a similar place.  

When You Feel Like Throwing in the Towel 

Let’s face it; homeschooling isn’t always the easiest task in the world. Personally, if my husband and I hadn’t had such a strong conviction that this was the path our family was to follow through completion, I would’ve given up years ago. There have been times when I just didn’t think I could homeschool one more minute of one more day.

Homeschooling has not always been joyful. I’ve not always been patient, encouraging or kind. I’ve shed tears of frustration, anger, sadness and remorse. I’ve had my share of regrets. My children are now in high school and I don’t have many years left to homeschool. Sometimes I wonder how we ever made it this far.

Read the entire article,  When You Feel Like Throwing in the Towel on The Company Front Porch. 

Don’t miss The Homeschool Panel discussion this week where I (and the other wonderful panelists) share how we handle lunches in our home. You may also be interested in joining in the link up tomorrow and sharing your favorite lunch ideas. 

 

Change is in the Air

I can’t believe the two weeks I took off of blogging are already over! I’m embarrassed to admit that the time just sped away from me and I didn’t get a thing done, that you can see anyway.

I may not have made many visible changes, but I have given a great deal of thought about how to continue with my blog. So, on that note, I have a few announcements.

1. I’d really love for my blog to be more interactive. I’d like to hear from more readers. In order to do this, I’ve considered adding a Blog Frog community. How does that work for those of you that have them? Are any of you interested in communicating this way? Tell me what YOU think, I’m all ears!

2. I’ve also thought for several months how I’d love to highlight some of your blogs more. I really enjoy and sharing links that I find helpful so I’m trying to decide how to best add this in. Have you taken a look at The Homeschool Village? They have a Village Visitor that is highlighted each week- I really love that idea.

3. I’d love, love, love to have some guest bloggers. If you’re interested in guest posting here at Live the Adventure, please leave a comment below or shoot me an email at thetravelingpraters at gmail dot com.

4. I will be moving to self-hosted Wordpress in the coming weeks. I’ve known since I returned from the Savvy Blogging Summit that I a move to Wordpress was eminent. Right now I’m researching hosts, themes, and trying to decide how I want everything designed and laid out. The move shouldn’t really affect my readers any since I already purchased my domain name. I anticipate a fairly easy and smooth switch when the time comes, of course I’m open to tips and advice of anyone that has been there and done that can offer. 

5. I will continue to place a couple advertisements here but I don’t want to turn my blog into a billboard. Personally, I appreciate it when I come across a product that a fellow blogger recommends when it is from someone whose opinion I value and I hope I can do that for you. In the coming weeks I plan to share why I have chosen to place advertising on Live the Adventure from certain companies. I will only advertise products or services that I am familiar with, have used personally, and feel are a good value to my reader.

6. Finally, I will be adding sponsors to my sidebar. If you have a 125 x 125 button that you would like to have displayed, please let me know. Since this is new to me, I’m offering a low introductory rate of only $10 for three months. I’d like to kick these off soon so once again, send me an email if you’re interested. If you don’t have a button, I can help out if needed.

I also plan to give my blog a fresh new look and update it a bit since we are no longer traveling in our motor home but that change will have to wait until I move to Wordpress. 

Well, what do you think? Do you find it easy or overwhelming to accomplish what you want on your blog? 

Weekly Wrap-Up: A Week we Narrowly Survived

I’m so bad. Before we started school I was determined that I would faithfully link up to the Weekly Wrap-Up.  I had hoped that by announcing to the world all the really cool things we accomplished in our homeschool each week I could kind of hold myself accountable to actually getting things done. How funny is that?

Well I’m a bit late but I’m trying to get on the ball.

Monday we took advantage of the discounted prices at the Tennessee Aquarium for their Homeschool Day. We’d only visited a few months ago so I really wanted to go and take a behind the scenes tour which prices were also discounted. I was disappointed to learn that the tours had sold out early but we’re hoping to work something out next time we go.  You can see some of the pictures my daughter took while we were there on my Facebook page.         

Tuesday we had a great day and began making a replica of the Mayan temple we saw in Mexico. Apparently my kids are getting a bit old for this type of project because they certainly did not enjoy it as much as I thought they would.  They actually came around a bit when they realized that I wasn’t going to force them to use paper mache, but had actually bought rigid wrap for the occasion. We’ll work on finishing it next week. 

Wednesday was my daughter’s birthday. My baby is 14. Of course since it was her special day, she felt that she was entitled to a day off school work. I felt inclined to allow it. It’s not like the kids didn’t do anything- they all curled up with books and read ALL DAY. I’m not allowed to mention the struggles that we’ve had in reading (per my children’s request) but let’s just say that seeing my boys read and enjoy it is answered prayer and makes this mama very happy.

Thursday my daughter wanted to go to the nearby botanical garden and put her birthday present, a new camera, to use. Since I have two boys that are practicing their driver’s skills I figured it wouldn’t hurt to fit in a little drivers’ ed. Oh my, were we in for a wild ride! All was well until my son excited the freeway onto the service road and applied the brakes. Good so far, right? NO! The brakes failed. I was literally scanning the lanes of traffic ahead searching for somewhere to crash other than the massive truck it looked like we were going to slide under. Remember a few months ago when my son lamented the fact that he’d never been able to lay skid marks? Well, now he has and believe me, he’s not in a hurry to do so again. All I can say is that the Lord certainly answered our prayers because we stopped just in time. 

At home we continued our book work before finishing our read aloud,  Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise J. McGraw.  It was an excellent book and one we could hardly stand to put down each day. Finally we couldn’t stand it any longer and the read the remaining five chapters.

Friday I had a ton of errands to run that were totally out of the ordinary. In the old days, when the kids were younger, I would have had to pack them up with some books on tape and other car friendly learning tools, but now that they are older it’s nice to be able to allow them to stay home and work on their studies.  

After the brake fail fiasco, I’m so thankful we survived this week uninjured. Next week we’re looking forward to our first nature study/Charlotte Mason co-op and making some new friends and heading out of town for another fun field trip.  

Don’t forget to stop by Weird Unsocialized Unschoolers to read more Weekly Wrap-ups! Until next week ~ Happy Homeschooling!  

How was your week?

FREE Learning Resources for Homeschooling Families

 

I’m excited to let you know that Adori Graphics has collaborated with My Personal Tutor to produce a set of learning resources for younger children that she is offering FREE of charge at her site today.

Just pop on over to Adori Graphics to download this cute bundle for your child.

Don’t forget to leave a comment telling Louise that I sent you and if you have any ideas for what you’d like to see her create in the future, she’d love to hear your suggestions. Make sure you let her know what types of resources would be helpful to you in your homeschooling endeavors.