Weekly Wrap-Up: The One with the Impromptu Field Trip
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Another Friday, another week closer to summer vacation! We’re down to two weeks now and I’m not entirely sure we’re going to make it. I feel myself slipping into summer mode already, staying up later, sleeping in more. But we can see the finish line!
It’s been a nice week and we’ve enjoyed a spring that feels more like summer. Well, we’re not necessarily enjoying that “feels more like summer part.” Just yesterday Brianna and I were agreeing that we enjoy weather in which you can decided whether you’d like to wear jean or shorts, short sleeves or long sleeves, and feel comfortable either way. It’s certainly not like that here right now. It’s “wear shorts (or Capris…I don’t subject anyone to me in shorts yet) and still sweat” weather…but I’ll take it over cold winter weather any day!
Monday wrapped up the weight-loss program through Chick-Fil-A and the Y. We went to the final event where Brianna and I got gifts for participating and they handed out goodies to family members in attendance. Between the five of us, we wound up with:
- Two t-shirts (a Y shirt and a CFA shirt)
- Six CFA water bottles
- Thirteen coupons for free Chargrilled sandwiches
- 3 coupons for free Chargrilled and fruit salads (my fave!)
- 8 coupons for any salad other than the Chargrilled and fruit
- 5 or 6 free parfait coupons
In addition to all that, the Y waived the joining fee for those who wanted to join, which we did. We definitely recouped the $15 fee to join the three month program! I lost 25 pounds during the course of the program, in addition to what I’d already lost when I started. As of this week’s weigh-in, I’m at 47 pounds lost. I’m sincerely hoping to hit 50 in the very near future.
Tuesday and Wednesday, we just hung around the house and did schoolwork — nothing terribly exciting. By Thursday, I couldn’t take it anymore and we just had to have an impromptu field trip! We loaded up and went to a beautiful creek with a walking trail in our city where we sat on the rocks, took photos, and sketched. Brianna pulled out the magnifying glass and burned a small leaf. I didn’t really think it would work, but it did, so there was a mini science lesson for the day.
Afterward, we went to a church-turned-history-museum nearby. The church building was used as a hospital during the Civil War and has several interesting little physical and historical tidbits. One of those most interesting to me is the fact that the wooden floor has patches that are still stained a darker color by the blood that was spilled during surgeries. The older gentleman who oversees the place — a fascinating man with a wealth of stories and information to share — told us that the stains are in the spot where they used to do the amputations.
The church is also reportedly the place where the hymn, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” was sung for the first time. We were also shown the pews marked by horses’ teeth where they were pulled outside and used as feeding troughs while the church was serving as a hospital.
One of the most difficult things to explain to my kids was the Ku Klux Klan robe on display. I’m not sure if it was a good or a bad thing that they had no clue what that was. Good in the sense that they don’t understand that kind of hate; bad in the sense that I guess they should know about it so that they are prepared to combat it.
The lady at the museum did share an interesting bit of history concerning the beginnings of the Klan. She said that, originally, it was much less malevolent than it has come to be. She was telling us that it started out as a group of men who would go homes of (white) men who refused to work and care for their families or who were known to be cheating on their wives. She said they would burn a cross in their yard as a warning to get their act together.
We wound up having some very interesting discussions, on the way home, about some of the historical facts about our area and things we’d learned at the museum…and little tidbits about my grandparents and my growing-up years since a conversation with the gentleman at the museum revealed that he had gone to school a couple of years behind my grandfather. All in all, it was a very pleasant day.
Today, we’re enjoying a lighter school day. The kids are working on their boxes and I am sitting out on our screened in deck on my laptop. My kind of day!
How was your week? Be sure to post about it and sign up on the linky list. If this is your first time to join us, be sure to read the Weekly Wrap-Up guidelines.
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Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
I love your "by Thursday I couldn't take it any more and had to go on a field trip!" Sounds like you all learned a bunch that day! My eldest son would love the leaf burning too!
Nice field trip! Loved the pics.
But I have to toss in my two cents … The Ku Klux Klan did NOT have a benign beginning. I know you went to a history museum and the lady said that, but from what I've read and seen, the beginnings were not as well-intended as she said. Last year, I saw a documentary about the KKK on the History Channel. The roots may not have been as exceedingly violent as they were, but it didn't start out for philanthropic reasons.
It's so hard to talk about this sort of cruelty and racism to children, isn't it? It's so hard for my children, who know all people to be God's people, to hear about groups or leaders that did not know that and judged others by skin or creed.
Love your field trip and the way your spending today!! My boys would love to actual ge to burn a leaf like that. I think I am going to have to let them do that very soon!! The field trip sounds wonderful. Very interesting what you learned about the KKK, if that is true to bad they didn't stay that way instead of going off the deep end like they did.
Vee,
I find it hard to believe that the KKK started so benignly, as well. She did have some source documentation there, but, honestly, I didn't read it. Really, it was hard to talk about, read, or concentrate on anything because she wouldn't quit talking!! The gentleman was very interesting. The lady was just annoying. 😉
That sounds like a wonderful week! I think that church sounds awesome and I never knew that about the KKK. That's fascinating! Congrats on your weight loss, you really are doing an amazing job!!
WOW- that church is MY kinda field trip- when my kiddos are a tad older. Blood stains- CRAZY!!!
Thanks again for hosting. We had the same idea with a unexpected field trip….we just got back from ours and it was glorious.
Have a great weekend.
I like your impromptu field trip – what a lot of great information you received! This is my first time linking up… thanks for hosting this! 🙂
Sounds like a great field trip. This weather is definitely calling for more time outdoors. Thanks for sharing!
Impromptu field trips are often the best, sort of like impromptu nature study. If you plan too much, it can turn out to be a disappointment!
I gave you a bloggy award! Stop by and pick it up here: https://www.jennifersikora.com/2010/05/sunshine.html
Thanks!
Jennifer Sikora
I live 2 miles from that museum and have never been. I should go visit. :)And that creek sounds wonderful right now too.
Awesome field trip!
What a neat field trip!
oh. too late to link up my wrap-up AGAIN. i thought it was still sunday, but i see it's monday. drat. can i cheat and do this?
https://goodbadotherstuff.blogspot.com/2010/05/weekly-wrap-up-in-which-we-have-our.html
Gotta love those impromptu field trips! Sounds like yours was great! I had no idea about the KKK, how interesting.