Share the Adventure: January 2022

Monday, January 24, 2022

1st week of Bible in 90 Days

8 days down, 82 to go! I'm on a journey leading up to Easter where I'll be reading the entire Bible in 90 days. I've never read the Bible this quickly before (and it's a little intimidating!), but it's been great so far! These were some of my initial thoughts before I got started:

Have you ever tried to read the entire Bible before? Why or why not?

Yes. I've done it 7 times, my first two being in college and my next being over a decade later (there wasn't a lot of Bible reading happening in my 20s). I wanted to read the whole Bible, not just here and there.

If you have tried to read the Bible in its entirety, what challenges did you face in fulfilling your desire? Where did you start? How far did you get?

I've done a couple reading plans, but I prefer doing my own timetable so I don't feel behind. My first time, I just started tracking when I finished a book. I did it out of order and finished with Ezekiel.

What have you found to be difficult and what have you found to be rewarding in your attempts to read the Bible regularly?

Sometimes it can get boring or tiresome. The more I read and memorize, though, the more familiar I am with overarching themes and individual passages. I love doing cross-reference treasure hunts!

If you have successfully read the entire Bible before, what were the circumstances? What motivated you to keep at it? How satisfied were you with your accomplishment? In college, I realized that I had never gone through the whole thing. It helped not using a Bible reading plan -- just reading a book at a time.

If you have started to read the Bible but never completed your reading goal, what really kept you from finishing what you started?

The times I failed were because I'd get behind and then overwhelmed by all I'd have to do to catch up.

What most excites you about the prospect of reading the entire Bible in 90 days? Zoomed out perspective. Seeing connections that I wouldn't have seen if I were reading a few verses at a time.

Why do you believe it is important to read the entire Bible? What do you expect to discover in terms of practical living, spiritual growth, knowledge of history, or other areas? It's living and active -- He can teach me something new every time. We need the "whole counsel" of the Word.

Friday, January 14, 2022

Poetry Prompts

I've carted this little spiral around for too many years to count -- from one move to another, from one classroom to another, just waiting for the day when I would put it to use. I assumed I'd be using it for its intended purpose -- in the classroom. A couple weeks ago, though, as I was sorting through the never-ending piles in my laundry room, I stumbled upon it. I really should just get rid of this. I'm never going to use it. All it is is clutter. But then I decided to give it one more chance. To use the prompts for poems of my own this year. It will get me out of my non-writing funk and out of my always-writing-the-same-thing funk.

Prompt- You have been invited to a party for poets only. The invitation requests that you respond in the form of a poem. Write a short poem accepting the invitation.

(poem written on 1-2-22)

An invitation for poets, you say?

For dreamers and wishers

and hopers and thinkers?

For word-weavers

and insight-illuminators

and bridge-builders

and thought-tinkerers

For those who precipitate poems

when their heads get too heavy

and their minds get too muddled

and the only remedy

is pen to paper

to soak and nourish the ground

and the roots below

When it has been too long,

the roots cry out for reflection

the stems plead for sustenance

And this cycle

of thinking and mulling and writing it out

of evaporating and condensing and precipitating

is woven into my very fibers

That's who you're talking about?

Then that's me.

I accept your invitation.

Please reserve a seat.

~~I'm coming.~~

Indeed, I'm on my way.

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

We, the Class of 2022, ...

In 2012,

2022 seemed far away,

but as the calendar turned to 2022,

I think back to my first-ever class

where, daily, these third graders would recite together (complete with motions):

We, the class of 2022,

will do our best

so we will get good grades

so we will get to college

We will have fun

but get the work done.

It was their mission statement

that we crafted together

and it sounds good as an end-in-mind

but our daily reality was far from it.

That first semester of teaching was the darkest season of my life.

I was a shell of a person,

barely putting one foot in front of the other,

anxious when every weekend would inevitably wind down,

dreading yet another Monday

where I was failing as a first-year teacher

I had zero control of my classroom,

and there was very little learning taking place.

In many ways,

I failed them.

And, ten years later,

in this, their graduation year,

I wonder how many of them have "made it"

I wonder about Michael, Lindsey, Jamarion, Alora, Dewey, Shantel, De'Myah

Are they still in school?

Are they getting good grades?

Are they persevering and rising above their challenges?

Sadly, I feel that, instead of helping them rise above,

I gave them yet another obstacle to overcome.

(poem 1-7-22)

(This was one of my first days of teaching, back when I was hopeful and idealistic. It was the calm before the storm.)

Friday, January 7, 2022

Reflections of our Week of Homeschooling

I feel like I'm constantly shifting gears when homeschooling -- tweaking routines, swapping or dropping curriculum, prioritizing one thing over another...

This was our first week "back" after winter break and also our first week starting the next level of curriculum. Since we started EP All-in-One last May, we finished in December (with a final push of craziness -- do these 20 language arts lessons this week!). So now Carter is starting fifth grade language arts/reading/history/science (and sixth grade math) and Calvin is starting second grade language arts/reading/history/science (and third grade math). A whole other post could be written about the unique pace and leveling of homeschooling. So much in public school depends on your grade level, but it's so little a factor in homeschool that I often forget what "grade" my kids are in.

We've set a pace to complete 9 lessons a week in each subject, which will have us finishing by Memorial Day, with a week off for spring break.

Overall, the week went really well (perhaps our best week together yet!), so I wanted to reflect a bit while everything is fresh in my mind.

Our schedule this week:

6:00-7:00ish - snuggle and read and play games quietly with whoever wakes up first

7:30ish - wake up Carter
8:00ish - morning time. This includes Bible/Scripture memory time, our hymn of the month, history, science, and sometimes specials (MWF - music, art, PE/health). The little boys are welcome to join us at the table, but they have to be quiet. If they can't/don't want to be quiet, they can play together in the living room.
9:30ish - independent time. Carter goes to his bedroom to work on the laptop, while Calvin goes to my bedroom to work on the desktop. Their online work is for reading, language arts, math, and any specials/history/science that they need to finish from morning time. This is when I play and read with Cooper and Colson.
11:00ish - go outside. We try to go outside every day before noon, but it doesn't always happen.
12:30 - lunch. I used to have them fend for themselves every day, but it really goes better if I make the food for them and keep it all the same.
1:00 - Colson takes a nap; Cooper has "Cooper time" in the play room. The older boys usually have a chore and read-to-self time (Carter - 30 minutes, Calvin -25 minutes).
3:00 - snack, more outside time or free play time.

What went well this week:

morning time! We've done morning time the past several months, but it went smoother this week because I was more prepared and because I didn't force the little boys to sit with us.
doing history and science! We...um...have done very little history and science since August. I threw in a quick Good and Beautiful science unit before Christmas because I felt guilty (oh, the homeschool guilt!). Starting a new level of curriculum helped. For science, I chose zoology, and we have read books and articles about the types of vertebrates and invertebrates. Calvin worked on a lapbook, and Carter had some additional assignments. For history, we're doing modern history (instead of starting with ancient or explorers or early America), and I love it! We read a biography about George Washington Carver (so fascinating!) this week, and we played an interactive game about the transcontinental railroad. We've moved on to Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison.
doing specials together. I used to have them do the specials classes on their own, but this semester, we'll do music, art, and PE/health together. In music, we learned about Hans Pfitzner (Carter kept saying "Pittsburgh"). In art, we learned about the art nouveau technique and made sculptures using curvy lines. We also checked out a drawing website that was helpful and easy-to-use. For PE/health, we played Follow the Leader, discussed the importance of drinking water, and did some GoNoodle videos together. On Tuesdays, they'll do Computer, and on Thursdays, they have Thinking Skills on their own.

reading, reading, all the time! I'm constantly reading to them -- during early morning snuggles before everyone is awake, during morning time, during spare moments on the couch, outside when they're bored, during snack and mealtimes, while in the van (audiobooks). We read Who Was George Washington Carver? and read the first several chapters of Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose. And I've read some poems from Where the Sidewalk Ends after listening to my family's audiobook version.
we were back at co-op on Monday afternoon, which was fun for the boys. We usually do a fieldtrip of sorts on Fridays, but I anticipated that we might be snowed in (we were), so we went to a park on Wednesday instead. We took a long walk from one park (Cardinal Run South) to another (Harrods Hill), played on the playground, and tried out our new hammocks from Christmas.

Bible time went well. We're singing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" this month. I've also decided to work together on memorizing the book of Jonah this semester. This week, we worked on the first two verses with a song. The boys especially love walking around the table while I sing and then switching directions when I say "switch!" We watched the Bible Project video as an overview of Jonah. We also read devotions from Louie Giglio's How Great is our God book.
outside time. We're a little behind what we usually get outside, but we've spent some quality hours outside this week!

What could improve next week:

starting right at 8:00. This is weird for me, of all people, to say because when I was teaching in a traditional classroom, I purposely didn't have a clock because I didn't want my students tied to certain times. But, the morning goes better when we can start as close to 8 as possible. This also frees us up to be able to go outside earlier, once independent work is finished.
I really want to be more consistent with doing piano lessons with the boys. We have a couple of stuck keys on our keyboard (right in the middle!) which isn't helping anything.
I also need to be more consistent with assigning chores and having them all pitch in to help tidy at night.
I would like to come up with a plan for checking over their work. Often, I'm lazy and don't look at what they've done.
I'd also like to be more intentional with Cooper and Colson. I feel like they get the short end of the stick. I have a simple, play-based preschool curriculum to use with them, but I haven't kept up with it.
I'd like to use our Scripture memory box to more systematically review the verses we've learned. And maybe incorporate the catechism into it?

Eating outside to get some more hours!

The play dough morning was a hit!

Backyard time on Tuesday! (shorts on Tuesday, 9 inches of snow on Thursday!)

Taking turns chopping the ice that filled various containers in the backyard

Finding a geocache along the fence line at the park

A beautiful day for a walk!

The boys requested that I join the pile-up in the tube slide

Using the Seek app, we realized that these are called Isabella tiger moths, which made Calvin happy!

Making snow cream!

All bundled up! So much work to get everyone out the door!

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Our 1061 hours outside in 2021

(This is a super long post. It's a documentation of our 1061 hours outside during 2021. Here's a reflection of some of the highlights and what I learned).

1/1/21 - I’ve been an outdoors wannabe. I like it until it gets too cold. Or too hot. Or when it’s too difficult to get all 4 boys out the door. COVID helped us spend more time outside than ever before. I’ve decided to take on a challenge this year to let (and sometimes make) the boys play more outside. Today was an easy day with sunshine and 60 degree weather. 2 hours down, 998 to go...

Here's a link to the website with some of the rationale of why 1000 hours outside.

I'm keeping track on here to keep myself accountable (and to have a record to look back on)

JANUARY - 51 hours (51/1000 total)

1/1 - 1 hour ABC walk, 1 hour yard
1/2 - 1 hour yard, 2 hours Dogwood Park

1/3 - 1 hour forest
1/4 - 1 hour yard/forest (HS), 2 hours Mary Todd Park

1/5 - 1 hour Shillito Park, 1/2 hour Hill-n-Dale

1/6 - 1 hour yard (HS)
1/7 - 1 1/2 hours yard/forest, 1 1/2 hours Harrods Hill
1/8 - 1 hour yard/forest
1/9 - 2 1/2 hours Yuko-En, Suffoleta
1/10 - 2 1/2 hours Stonewall Park, Crank and Boom
1/11 - 1/2 hour yard, 1 1/2 hours Lansdowne-Merrick
1/12 - 2 hours Raven Run

1/13 - 1 hour yard (HS), 2 1/2 hours Burley, Duncan Parks
1/14 - 3 hours Masterson Parks (Hills, Station)

1/15 - 1 1/2 hours Belleau Woods, Gainesway Parks
1/16 - 1/4 hour walk around street
1/17 - 0
1/18 - 1 hour yard/forest (HS), 1 1/2 hours Jacobson Park
1/19 - 3 hours Southland, Lou Johnson, Elizabeth Street Parks
1/20 - 1/2 hour yard

1/21 - 2 1/4 hours Kenawood, Dixie, Eastland Parks
1/22 - 2 1/2 hours yard, Kirklevington, Meadowbrook Parks
1/23 - 1 hour yard
1/24 - 1 hour yard

1/25 - 0
1/26 - 1 hour Beaumont Preserve/Rosa Parks, 1 1/2 hours Preston Springs
1/27 - 0
1/28 - 1/2 hour yard
1/29 - 1 hour yard/forest
1/30 - 3/4 hour Thoroughbred, Northeastern Parks
1/31 - 3/4 hour Woodhill, Johnson Heights Parks

FEBRUARY - 38 hours (89/1000 total) This month was brutal. We had three winter storms in a week and a half's time, and the temperatures were often very cold. We're trying to learn to embrace the outdoors in all seasons, so we went to parks and played outside even in the ice and snow. This was also the month when we finished our Lexington Parks challenge -- visiting all 87 parks in a Covid year. Because of this, we hit up a lot of parks, many of them small where we didn't spend much time.

2/1 - 1/2 hour Tandy, Phoenix Parks

2/2 - 1 1/2 hours Green Acres, Martin Luther King, Marlboro Parks

2/3 - 1 1/2 hours Armstrong Mill, Gainesway Parks

2/4 - 1 hour walk (Mamaw and Papaw's neighborhood)

2/5 - 1 1/2 hours yard/forest

2/6 - 1/2 hour yard

2/7 - 2 1/2 hours yard, back neighborhood

2/8 - 1 hour Coolavin and Elkhorn Parks

2/9 - 1 hour yard, 2 hours Oakwood, Highlands, Southend Parks

2/10 - 1/4 hour yard

2/11 1 hour yard

2/12 - 1 hour yard

2/13 - 1 hour Waverly Park

2/14 - 3/4 hour Mapleleaf Park (ice picnic!)

2/15 - 0 (ice and cold)

2/16 - 1 hour yard (snow)

2/17 - 1 hour yard/forest

2/18 - 1 hour yard, school (more snow)

2/19 - 1/2 hour yard

2/20 - 1 3/4 hours sledding in Memaw's backyard

2/21 - 2 1/4 hours Gratz, Charles Young, Isaac Murphy Parks

2/22 - 1/2 hour Douglass and Brucetown Parks

2/23 - 3 hours with Daddy

2/24 - 3 hours Speigle, Thompson Road, Cardinal Run North Parks and McConnell Springs

2/25 - 1 1/2 hours Kenwick, Clay's Spring, Lakeview Parks

2/26 - 2 1/2 hours Hisle Farm Park (LAST ONE!!!)

2/27 - 2 hours front yard

2/28 - 1 hour yard (rain)

MARCH - 65 hours (154/1000 total) . This was when tracking our hours got a little tricky and cumbersome. In the winter, we usually go out together for one block of time. Now that it's warmer, though, different combinations of people are in and out all day. Some of these are approximations. We also had finished our challenge of visiting all 88 parks in Lexington, so I was lacking motivation from not having something to work towards. Oh, and we had our first campout of the season! We waited for a dry, warm-ish night. Carter, Calvin, and I bundled up to sleep in the tent. The last time we tried sleeping in the backyard, we didn't make it all night. I counted half of the hours we were asleep.

3/1 - 2 hours yard

3/2 - 2 hours yard

3/3 - 2.5 hours Veterans Park, 1 hour yard

3/4 - 1 hour yard

3/5 - 1 hour yard

3/6 - 1 hour yard

3/7 - 0.5 hour yard

3/8 - 1 hour yard

3/9 - 2 hours yard

3/10 - 4.5 hours yard, 2 hours (tent)

3/11 - 3 hours (tent), 1.5 hours yard

3/12 - 2 hours yard

3/13 - 2 hours (Jon)

3/14 - 1 hour

3/15 - 1 hour yard

3/16 - 3.75 hours Castlewood

3/17 - 3.25 hours Southland

3/18 - 2 hours Shillito and Harrods Hill, 1 hour yard (rain)

3/19 - 2 hours yard

3/20 - 2 hours

3/21 - 2 hours

3/22 - 2 hours

3/23 - 1 hour

3/24 - 2 hours

3/25 - 2.5 hours

3/26 - 3.5 hours

3/27 - 2 hours Sally Brown Nature Preserve

3/28 - 1 hour Lexington Cemetery

3/29 - 1 hour

3/30 - 2.5 hours yard, Riley

3/31 - 0.5 hours Parker

APRIL - 67 hours (221/1000 total). This was a fun month! We spent a week in New Castle at the beginning of the month. We had a long weekend at an AirBNB in McKee near Flat Lick Falls. We had a big day in Frankfort, KY at a sculpture park, the capitol, and Cove Spring Park. And we cashed in our membership at the Cincinnati Zoo and went for the first time.

4/1 - 1 hour Baker

4/2 - 1 hour (Indiana)

4/3 - 3 hours Memorial Park, campfire

4/4 - 3 hours yard, Westwood

4/5 - 3 hours Arts Park, Baker

4/6 - 1 hour yard

4/7 - 1 hour

4/8 - 1 hour

4/9 - 1.5 hours Harrods Hill

4/10 - 0.5 hour

4/11 - 0.5 hour

4/12 - 2 hours Wolf Run, Addison

4/13 - 3.5 hours NorthEast, Kenawood

4/14 - 0

4/15 - 4 hours Frankfort (Sculpture Park, Capitol, Cove Spring)

4/16 - 5.5 hours Cincinnati Zoo

4/17 - 2.5 hours Stonewall

4/18 - 3.5 hours Clays Mill, Hill n Dale

4/19 - 2.5 hours Pleasant Ridge, 2.5 hours Sondra

4/20 - 3.5 hours Daddy

4/21 - 0.75 hour Shillito (snow)

4/22 - 2 hours Jacobson

4/23 - 1.5 hours Lexington Children's Theatre - Alice in Wonderland

4/24 - 0.5 hours McKee AirBNB yard

4/25 - 4 hours Gray Hawk Park, AirBNB

4/26 - 4 hours Flat Lick Falls

4/27 - 3 hours cows, playground, yard

4/28 - 4 hours McConnell

4/29 - 1 hour yard

4/30 - 3 hours Meadowbrook

MAY - 90 hours (311/1000 total). Another great month! Two more trips to the zoo. A couple extended outdoor times in Mamaw and Papaw's backyard. I had a 5-night solitude retreat, so I don't have good records of what the boys did outside on those days. We also got a family membership to Evans Orchard and went several times. I realized that although we've been outside more than usual this year, we're way behind in our goal of 1000 hours. Hopefully, we can rack up more in the summer with vacation, camp, and sunny weather. Some limiting factors -- hassle of sunscreen and fear of ticks, snakes, and poison ivy.

5/1 - Thoroughbred and NE Parks, Derby party at Mamaw and Papaw's

5/2 - 2 hours Wellington

5/3 - 6.5 hours Zoo

5/4 - 2.5 hours yard

5/5 - 3.5 hours Evans Orchard

5/6 - 1 hour

5/7 - 1 hour

5/8 - 1 hour

5/9 - 1 hour

5/10 - 1 hour

5/11 - 4 hours yard, Wolf Run

5/12 - 3.5 hours Evans, yard

5/13 - 3 hours yard

5/14 - 2 hours yard

5/15 - 1 hour yard

5/16 - 1 hour Lansdowne

5/17 - 3.5 hours yard

5/18 - 4.5 hours Evans, yard

5/19 - 3.5 hours Bernheim Forest

5/20 - 4 hours yard, flower planting

5/21 - 3 hours Veterans

5/22 - 4 hours Mamaw and Papaw's house

5/23 - 2 hours walk to donut shop

5/24 - 3 hours McConnell

5/25 - 2 hours front yard

5/26 - 3 hours Evans

5/27 - 3 hours yard, pool

5/28 - 5.5 hours Zoo (rain)

5/29 - 2 hours yard (chilly)

5/30 - 1 hour verse recitation, Shillito picnic

5/31 - 6 hours Waveland, Southpoint, walk to snow cones

JUNE - 189 hours (500/1000 total).

This was a big month of outdoor adventures, big and small! I really wanted to get caught up and reach half of our goal at the halfway point of the year. And we did it! We discovered an awesome park in Winchester with a tall turf slide/hill that the boys LOVED. Since we're still avoiding crowds, I purposely picked a rainy day. We spent a week in Indiana with my parents and spent lots of time in the yard, on walks, and at parks. I had asked Lucas how many nights we would need to spend in our 2-3 person tent to justify purchasing a bigger one. He said 7, so that became our goal. We spent a night in the backyard at Mimi and Pa's, one at the Cornerstone campground (so fun!), and a couple in our backyard, including a solo night for Carter. I started counting all our sleeping hours outside, too, partly out of desperation for more hours and partly because it really is different than sleeping indoors. At the end of the month, we headed to Georgia for a VRBO vacation with Mamaw and Papaw, Dan and Megan and the cousins! The house had a pool in the backyard and a nature preserve across the street, so we got lots of outside time there.

6/1 - 3 hours Wolf Run, vegetable stand

6/2 - 4.25 hours Legacy Grove

6/3 - 4 hours yard, walk (rain)

6/4 - 4 hours Asbury trails, Centennial

6/5 - 5 hours Mamaw and Papaw's house (dinner), Wendy's

6/6 - 2 hours Colson party

6/7 - 4.5 hours front yard

6/8 - 3 hours Hill n Dale walk, rain van

6/9 - 3 hours Baker, Riley

6/10 - 6 hours Susan's farm, bubbles, sprinkler, Sunnyside, DQ

6/11 - 5 hours Summit Lake

6/12 - 4.5 hours yard, airplane, Baker Park, splash pad

6/13 - 13 hours 3 meals outside, Arts Park, tent

6/14 - 10 hours tent, Memorial Park, yard

6/15 - 11 hours tent Cornerstone Campground

6/16 - 18.75 hours Cornerstone

6/17 - 4 hours Rushville, yard

6/18 - 6 hours yard, reading

6/19 - 1 hour pool rain (Georgia vacation)

6/20 - 6 hours pool, nature preserve

6/21 - 6 hours pool, nature preserve

6/22 - 7.5 hours pool, nature preserve

6/23 - 7 hours pool, nature preserve

6/24 - 2.5 hours drive back from Georgia

6/25 - 6 hours High Bridge

6/26 - 6 hours tent

6/27 - 10.5 hours tent a.m., read, Wellington, ice cream

6/28 - 10 hours Carter tent, Pleasant Ridge, tree down

6/29 - 9 tent with Calvin, reading front

6/30 - 6 hours Evans Orchard

JULY - 129 hours (629/1000 total).

Another fun month! We kicked off the month by stomping in the rain at Shillito (we've only gone there on bad weather days). The little boys stayed with Daddy while I road-tripped with the big boys to Scripture Memory camp in Louisiana (my 41st state!). We ate our meals outside, canoed on the lake, rode the zipline, and learned how to play carpet ball! We also spent the night in Arkansas on the way there and back and even climbed a mountain! We used our new tent for the first time (Camp Nelson RV Park) and enjoyed (well, most of us!) a sunflower field. We finished the month with a family Olympics competition.

7/1 - 1 hours Shillito (rain)

7/2 - 4 hours Southpoint, Waveland, Shillito

7/3 - 2 hours yard

7/4 - 3.5 hours Jubilee AirBNB (Arkansas!)

7/5 - 3.5 hours (Scripture Memory Camp - Louisiana)

7/6 - 6.5 (Scripture Memory Camp - Louisiana)

7/7 - 8 hours (Scripture Memory Camp - Louisiana)

7/8 - 7 hours (Scripture Memory Camp - Louisiana)

7/9 - 1 hour camp, 2.5 hours Pinnacle hike, 1 hour park/hot tub

7/10 - 0.25 (long drive)

7/11 - 4 hours yard, Stonewall

7/12 - 4 hours yard

7/13 - 3 hours yard

7/14 - 6 hours walk to Papaw's, yard, tent

7/15 - 7 hours Calvin tent

7/16 - 1.5 Riney B, 1.5 backyard

7/17 - 1.5 hours

7/18 - 3 hours walk to donut shop

7/19 - 3 hours Kenawood

7/20 - 5.5 hours yard, back neighborhood

7/21 - 3 hours Arboretum, front yard

7/22 - 3.5 hours downtown parks

7/23 - 1.5 hours reading

7/24 - 12.5 Camp Nelson tent and pool

7/25 - 13 Camp Nelson tent and pool

7/26 - 3.5 hours yard, deck pool

7/27 - 5.25 hours yard, pool, Wendy's

7/28 - 3.5 hours

7/29 - 3 hours sunflowers, Paris

7/30 - 3 hours yard, Lansdowne-Merrick

7/31 - 1.75 hours yard, Olympics

AUGUST - 122 hours (751/1000 total).

We spent over a week in Indiana while Daddy finished up his magazine. We played at Summit Lake and the local parks and then we camped at Cornerstone, nabbing our first 24 hour day outside! We also stopped at the Cincy Zoo on the way home.

8/1 - 1 hour yard

8/2 - 4.5 hours walk to Southland

8/3 - 3 hours

8/4 - 3.5 hours yard, Rushville park (Indiana)

8/5 - 5.5 hours yard, Arts Park, Riley

8/6 - 5 hours Summit Lake

8/7 - 11.5 Cornerstone camping

8/8 - 24 hours Cornerstone camping

8/9 - 14 hours Cornerstone camping

8/10 - 3.5 hours Baker, yard

8/11 - 4 hours Memorial Park

8/12 - 4 hours (w/ Mimi)

8/13 - 4 hours (w/ Mimi)

8/14 - 5 hours (w/ Mimi)

8/15 - 4 hours Cincinnati Zoo

8/16 - 1.25 hours yard

8/17 - 2.5 hours yard

8/18 - 3 hours yard

8/19 - 3 hours yard (rain)

8/20 - 3 hours Evans Orchard, Memaw

8/21 - 2 hours yard, deck

8/22 - 1 hour Mamaw and Papaw's

8/23 - 1 hour yard

8/24 - 1.5 hours yard

8/25 - 1 hour yard (HOT)

8/26 - 1 hour yard (HOT)

8/27 - 2.5 hours Jacobson, Hill n Dale

8/28 - 1 hour

8/29 - 0.25 hour

8/30 - 0.5 hour

8/31 - 1 hour yard (rain)

SEPTEMBER - 101 hours (852/1000 total).

We took some walks this month, to Wellington and to Wendy's and enjoyed the orchard. We camped for two nights at Summer Shoals Retreat on the Cumberland River. It was primitive camping with only a (clean!) porta-potty, but the land and the price were unparalleled! We also took Mamaw to the Louisville Zoo for her birthday.

9/1 - 1 hour yard

9/2 - 4 hours front/back yard, Wellington, bike

9/3 - 3 hours Yuko-En, Evans Orchard

9/4 - 1 hour yard

9/5 - 1.5 hours yard

9/6 - 1.5 hours yard, forest

9/7 - 2 hours yard

9/8 - 0.5 hour yard

9/9 - 0.5 hour yard

9/10 - 10.5 Summer Shoals camping

9/11 - 24 hours Summer Shoals camping

9/12 - 12.5 hours Summer Shoals, waterfall

9/13 - 1 hour yard

9/14 - 2.5 hours yard

9/15 - 1.5 hours Charles Young Park

9/16 - 1.5 hours yard

9/17 - 1.5 hours (Lucas took them)

9/18 - 0.5 hour Shaker Village

9/19 - 0.5 hour

9/20 - 0.5 hour

9/21 - 0.5 hour

9/22 - 0.5 hour (rainy, chilly)

9/23 - 6 hours Wendy's walk, yard

9/24 - 5 hours Louisville Zoo

9/25 - 1 hour

9/26 - 3 hours

9/27 - 4 hours, chalk

9/28 - 4.25 hours yard, photography Waveland

9/29 - 3 hours yard, walk from library to Harrods Hill

9/30 - 2.25 hours

OCTOBER - 68 hours (920/1000 total)

We spent time playing at Bi-Water Farm and Evans Orchard, hiking in the Gorge, and exploring the Kentucky Children's Garden. Carter and I took a quick one-on-one trip to Virginia (so he could mark it off his list). We also went to Indiana for a week, but it was cold and we were unprepared. We bundled up and went to Jacob's Orchard and the Fort Wayne Zoo. We also spent a lot of time outside at Mamaw and Papaw's house on Halloween.

10/1 - 6 hours Bi-Water Farm

10/2 - 2 hours yard, ABC walk

10/3 - 1.5 hours yard, Wellington

10/4 - 2.5 hours yard

10/5 - 3 hours yard

10/6 - 0.5 hour yard (rainy)

10/7 - 0.5 hour yard (reading)

10/8 - 3 hours Gorge hiking

10/9 - 2 hours yard

10/10 - 1.5 hours walk, yard

10/11 - 3 hours yard

10/12 - 1.5 hours yard

10/13 - 1 hour yard

10/14 - 1.5 hours yard

10/15 - 2 hours Evans Orchard, Memaw

10/16 - 3 hours yard

10/17 - 0.5 hour (drive to Virginia)

10/18 - 1 hour (hike Breaks Interstate Park)

10/19 - 1.5 hour yard

10/20 - 4 hours KY Children's Garden

10/21 - 1 hour yard

10/22 - 0 (cold, rainy)

10/23 - 4 hours Lowe's Park, yard, downtown (Indiana)

10/24 - 0

10/25 - 1 hour yard

10/26 - 5.5 hours Jacobs Orchard, Baker Park

10/27 - 5.5 hours Ft. Wayne Zoo, Goggin farm, fire

10/28 - 1 hour yard

10/29 - 1 hour yard

10/30 - 0 (cold, rainy)

10/31 - 3.5 hours Halloween

NOVEMBER - 80 hours (1000/1000 total) .

Carter wanted to visit all of Kentucky's surrounding states before he turned 10. So, as a family, we drove to his last one -- West Virginia. The fall colors were ideal although the weather was not. We went to Evans Orchard on a few days as well as Veterans Park and Legacy Grove. On a particularly cold day, we set up our small tent to huddle inside. We experienced the holiday decorations at the Zoo (although we didn't stay for the evening lights). We dug up a slide in our forest, potty-trained Colson outside on a warm day, and dug a hole for our new mailbox. On the last day of the month, we finished 1000 hours at one of our favorite parks -- Valley Park.

11/1 - 5 hours Veterans Park, yard

11/2 - 0.5 hour (West Virginia - backyard)

11/3 - 0.5 hour (WV)

11/4 - 3 hours yard

11/5 - 2 hours yard

11/6 - 1 yard

11/7 - 1 yard

11/8 - 3 hours yard

11/9 - 5 hours yard, walk to Wendy's

11/10 - 2.5 hours yard

11/11 - 2 hours backyard

11/12 - 4 hours Evans Orchard, walk to Dominos

11/13 - 2 hours forest, backyard

11/14 - 1 hour front yard (cold, drippy)

11/15 - 2.5 hours front yard

11/16 - 6.5 hours yard (potty training)

11/17 - 6 hours yard (potty training)

11/18 - Phil, dig up slide

11/19 - 3 hours Legacy Grove

11/20 - 3 hours front/back yards

11/21 - 0 (cold, rainy)

11/22 - 6 hours Burnet Park, Cincinnati Zoo

11/23 - 3 hours backyard, Stonewall

11/24 - 3 hours Evans Orchard, yard

11/25 - 0

11/26 - 2.5 hours front (snuggle inside tent)

11/27 - 1.5 hours front

11/28 - 1.5 hours front

11/29 - 1.5 hours

11/30 - 2 hours Valley Park

DECEMBER - 61 hours (1061/1000 total) .

I was surprised we got as many hours as we did in December, but for the most part, the weather was very mild. Like always, we had forest time and yard time and park time. We also experienced some night time outside -- fire station lights, Southern Lights at the Horse Park, and a fire and luminaries to celebrate the winter solstice. We used the luminaries in the wood for the boys' first night hike. They didn't really like it!

12/1 - 2 hours walk (Wellington, Crank and Boom)