Polar Plunge

What better way to start off the new year than with an audacious leap into a wintery lake??

The crazy crew!

   Cheri Knighton, Ross Terry, Carol Gregg, Mark, Faith Higgins, Lauren Terry, Lauren's neighbor & her daughter, Leah Terry

I was happy as a clam holding towels and taking the video!

Advent - Day 1...A plague on both your houses!!

 Today is the day! 

The advent begins and it's finally Everly's turn to pick out first. This secures her rights to pick out on Christmas day. I have kept meticulous records of which child has been bestowed this honor each year. I can say for certain that Everly hasn't had a turn in the last 4 years. I'm confident it would hold up in court...you know, in case one of the kids decides to sue. 

She read the little slip of paper (she can read this year!!) and it said that she got to open her special gift. She's been really hoping to get some makeup to play with and so she unwrapped a little lipstick and mascara. She was looking pretty fabulous all day. 

I cannot say the same for myself. 

I was reminded in a big way that I'm allergic to pine sap. So I kicked off the year with a full blown rash on my face, neck and arms. I tell you what, I'm pretty sure a plague of boils was the only box left to fill in the psycho game of cosmic bingo that this nightmare year has been. 

CHECK ✔

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm pretty thrilled that I get to wear a mask today. 

Homeschool Life

Things have not gone as anticipated. 

School was supposed to begin on August 13th. The governor pushed it to September 8th and the school board agreed. We were just a little glad, because we would have missed the first week due to our Florida trip and the 14 day quarantine required after returning. 

We were given the choice to either enroll our children as "in-person" or "remote" learners for the fall semester. It wasn't an easy decision. The details of either plan were foggy, at best. Kids going in person would be returning to a new reality...masks, social distancing, intense cleaning procedures, no singing, no playing, no talking. It didn't sound great. But the remote sounded even worse. Kids on laptops all day, no friends and no free time for mom. 

We chose in-person. 

They told us our decision would be final until the second semester. And then they changed the game. New mandates came out. Kids would be required to mask all day, no breaks...even during recess. Answers to old questions on the district website were revised without notifying the parents. The health board released gating criteria that made it clear that it would be unlikely for any of the kids to see the inside of a classroom this year. The board made new decisions, parents got angry, parents got organized and then the decision got revised. 

Again. 

And again. 

And again. 

After we were told that the kids would be masked all day, even during recess, I switched the little girls to remote learning. The very next day, I pulled them out completely. 

And now I'm a homeschooler. 

We have started the process every homeschooling family goes through. We've revised the schedule 14 times. (this one is ancient history)

We are constantly reinventing ourselves...our work stations, our standards, and our emergency napping needs. Someone cries over something everyday. 

The laundry is neglected and meals leave a lot to be desired. 

But there's an upside too. 

The dogs are in heaven. 

I know exactly where my kids are. They are safe. They aren't exposed to all the harmful elements of public school....and I'm not talking about the coronavirus.

PE is a highlight of the day....(Mark's in charge!)

We have time for crafts and cooking and science experiments!

Now, let's all hope and pray that the older kids will be allowed to go back to school when the board meets again on Sept. 22nd. Poor Laney is going to have carpel tunnel if something doesn't change soon. 

Or maybe we'll just invite her to be a homeschooler too. I think I can handle it. I just need to schedule an additional nap in between recess and our cow milking lessons.

This homeschool mom doesn't shy away from the lactation unit!

First day of something

 I know we do this every year. And I hated to leave a gaping 2020 gap in this tradition, so I essentially bullied the kids into taking "First Day of School" photos on the front porch.

But it was weird, y'all.

We came out, took our photos and went back inside to get started on school.

In our house.

Not only did we not feel like dressing up...we really never got around to buying new clothes...maybe because we knew we weren't going anywhere or seeing anyone. Maybe because the goshdarn fitting rooms are still closed. Whatever it was...we weren't really feeling it.

Ever found a cute dress and hit her cutest pose. She's a second grader!

Anna was actually ticked before school and refused to take a picture. I have finally learned not to push her...she almost always comes around.

See? 4th grade never looked so good!

Laney was excited to use her new school-issued Surface Go....and look...her shoes match the front door! She's hoping her 7th grade year wont' be spent in these for walls for long.

Megan is a sophomore this year. I didn't realize until later that the wreath made it look like she has a lion's mane of hair.

Sorry, Meg. I'm not at my best.

Mathew rocked his wrinkly white t-shirt and basketball shorts. He has one semester left and he graduates. He can't be bothered to put on shoes for this sorry excuse of a school year.

I figured I'd snag a photo...this is my first day as a homeschool mom. Might as well capture the moment. We were seconds away from our first emotional breakdown.

Don't worry. We've been through worse than this. 2020 has been a wild ride, but we are Huffords.

We can outlast this mess!

Missouri Road Trip...Johnson Shut-ins

We woke up early this morning so we could get to the Shut-ins by 8, right when they opened. We heard that they only let 100 cars in to the park at a time, so we wanted to be sure to snag a spot.

6:30 am when you are on vacation counts as 4:30 am anywhere else....

We were operating as a well-oiled machine and we were out the door at 7:30 sharp!  We were the proud recipients of #9....booyah.

(#9 ticket pic)

The park was established and clean and really beautiful.

We grabbed our life jackets, a water bottle and headed down to find the shut-ins.

The shut-ins are so cool.  Because it's mid-July, the water if very low and it was easy to maneuver between the rocks and through the pools. I'm not sure how we would do it during June. I get twinges of fear just thinking about it!

The kids got right to it. They clambered down and started exploring the pools and passageways.

Mathew found a spot where he could jump down into a deep pool of water. In true mom fashion, I was totally freaked out and I took a video and cheered for him. It's what we do.

We eventually made our way down to through a natural canal and to some great rocks that were perfect for cliff jumping. Mathew and Larrin were in heaven.

This higher spot Mathew was jumping off of was set back in the rocks quite a bit. It required you really launch yourself out and towards a deep area of water.

Aim was really important.

I admit, there were a couple times I was super nervous about how precise they needed to be when jumping off. I didn't want to call Mark with the news that Mathew had missed his landing and would no longer be using his legs.

Anna really wanted to jump. She climbed up a couple times and stared into the water.

I knew she would do it eventually. She just has that drive to be daring.

Laney went for it too!

Mathew and Larrin climbed up and had a timely conversation about how to create the biggest splash.

Before too long, it started getting really crowded and there were teenagers climbing to sickening and restricted heights to jump off. I honestly couldn't stick around to watch. I don't want to see someone hurt themselves just to impress their friends. Besides, we were sunbaked and starving. It was time to head back and whip up our corn dogs and Shells and White Cheddar. We pulled in to the bungalow and the girls ended up hopping right out of the car and into the little pool in the center of the property. Mathew and Megan went in and fixed the lunch while I kept my eyes on the littles. Not a bad gig, sitting on the big porch and playing a bit of sudoku, chatting with the Wadas.

Eventually they all gave in and we went in for movie and nap time. And would you believe it...I GOT A NAP.  And actual-totally-asleep-had-a-dream....nap. The kids eventually came in to check my pulse. I think the kids watched two movies while I was out.

We popped on our shoes and headed over to Thee Abbey Kitchen for some dinner. I'm not gonna lie. It was pure pandemonium. The kids were everywhere, everyone was starving, conversations and questions and decisions over the menu....and the poor waitress was on her first day. Poor thing. It took us forever to get our food and even then it came out in waves. Anna got hers just as the rest of the kids were finishing up.

Look at the poor waitress's face....that says it all.

Megan was overstimulated and battling some anxiety. She found an old piano near the restroom and got a little music therapy.

But, you know, it was still so fun! The Wadas are very easy to be with. The kids are rambunctious, but not irritating. They are kind and chill parents and I like spending time with them. They laugh at the absurdities of predicaments and I love that. What else is there to do? Get mad? What's the point?
They are great travel buddies.

When it was time for the check, I am not exaggerating, the waitress brought us no less that 4 versions that were incorrect. Missing items, extra items, duplicate items, items we ordered but they never brought out. It was kind of funny...I would have laughed, but I think that poor girl would have started crying. She was not having her best day. Eventually a more experienced waitress helped sort us out and we were able to pay the bill.

We walked across the hall and got some ice cream for the kids. I grabbed a loaf of bread and a massive cinnamon roll to take home to Mark and Ethan. I also got my apron! Oh...and they had this cool antique bread slicing machine...we couldn't resist.

Back to the bungalow and, you guessed it, more swimming! Their energy knows no bounds.

Tomorrow we get up and hike around Elephant Rocks. Then we drive back home and give Mark and Ethan a squeeze!!