June Twitter Travels (so far)/Tien päällä

Since June first, we have been on the road again. And I haven't blogged. This is a travel (/homeschooling/family blog). Lame. Once we get to Maine I will try to post some pics of our travels. Until then, you can follow our travels via Twitter (I can tweet from my phone, but haven't mastered blogging from my phone yet).

To catch up on June tweets, I copied and pasted them here. At the moment we are in Pennsylvania Amish country, and I will tweet along as we travel. You can see the tweets on the sidebar of our blog, or click here to follow along. I occasionally post photos and maps, too.

(Olemme olleet tien päällä koko kesäkuun, valitettavasti en ole saanut laitettua tänne meidän reissusta.. Mutta twitterin kautta voi seurata reissuamme, klikkaa täältä.)

1 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

So, in a list of odd things I've ever done, last night is one: we slept in our #RV in the service bay of Camping World service dept..

3 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

Happiness!! We are in one place for the next 3 nights. Heaven <3 #RVing #airstream #camping

3 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5enie

My heart is full. I love the #beach. http://pic.twitter.com/NWAFaDTJ

7 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

An extra day in paradise + a slow morning this am = bliss! Time to get up & head out. Goodbye, beach..

7 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

Super cheap way 2do Disney: stay @their FortWcampground, do singalong w/C&D, movie, smores, pool, but stay & cook in r own #RV & skip park:)

8 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

“@HipHmschoolMoms: Last question for the night #hiphomeschool moms - using one word how would you describe your day?//wet

10 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

The Mothership is on the road, headed North again. GPS is set to my sister's house, yay! #RVing #airstream

10 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

Goodbye, Florida... Hello, Georgia! #RVing #airstream

10 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

South Carolina!

10 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

So groggy. Just woke up from post dinner nap. #droolonchin #RVing #airstream

10 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

@wishfulme Stopped to enjoy crockpot chicken dinner near Savannah & continued on. We'll push as far as we can tonight. #RVing

10 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

@marymakesmusic Yes, it will help tonight if theCapt feels like driving 2VA tonight. GPS says 1:40 arrival. He'll need me 2keep him awake.

10 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

Well done, Captain, we are in North Carolina!! Kids have traveled soo well, it has been a good traveling day. #RVing

10 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

@marymakesmusic We've been driving up east coast. Taking a break to stretch our legs & change into jammies:) #RVing http://pic.twitter.com/PgDLQpfS

11 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

We made it to my sister's!!! #thatisall

13 Jun MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

Our trip continues. Sad to leave my Sis&fam.. Had such a wonderful visit (always too short), everyone :-(. Next stop: Pennsylvania. #RVing

20h MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

Crossed into Delaware! #RVing

18h MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

Almost to PA, will stop overnight at an RV park in Amish country (have to dump & hook-up). Tomorrow a biz meeting in PA. #RVing

18h MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

We have done no #roadschooling this trip. Have to finish our year when we get to Maine. #homeschooling #RVing

16h MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

I might have strep throat :-( Need to look for clinics to stop in.. #RVing

15h MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

Strep throat - yes or no to antibiotics? We are #RVing, not sure I want to stop at Urgent Care?

1h MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

@wishfulme @ChristinWrites Thank you!! I actually feel a bit better today. Decided to get back on the road, we can always stop if need to.

1h MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

@ChristinWrites @wishfulme And I totally diagnosed myself, but I have had strep throat many times b4 & know the symptoms..

15m MothershipAdventures ‏@5ennie

What a pretty Pennsylvania town! #RVing http://pic.twitter.com/nGIrVZmZ

PS. I started this blog post when we had internet, but lost it. So the times on my tweets are off as I was unable to publish it after finishing the post.

On the Road & At the Beach

How do you like the Captain's office (top collage, picture on right)?
Our homeschool classrooms have been looking a little different lately, also:)



At the moment we are sitting in Lazy Days waiting room, getting school and work done (while we are getting a new refrigerator). The kids have been squeezing two or three days of school into one, so we can play some more. We are so close to getting 7th grade all finished (Little Miss has finished her kindergarten, already)! We think homeschooling and roadschooling is the way to go!

PS. Can you spot something new and different from one of the pictures in one of the collages? If you already know what it is, don't spoil the fun:)

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Kotikoulukonferenssin jälkeen olemme olleet rannalla ja tien päällä, leikkien, tehden töitä ja kouluhommia. Tällä hetkellä istumme huoltopaikan odotushuoneessa tehden koulutöitä sillä välin, kun saamme asuntoautoon uuden jääkaapin. 7. luokka on melkein saatu loppuun, jee! Pikkuneiti saikin jo eskarin tehtyä. Kotikoulu kannattaa:)

PS. Löydätkö yhden kollaasin yhdestä kuvasta jotain uutta ja erilaista? Jos tiedät jo vastauksen, ethän paljasta!

At Homeschool Convention

Our family had a wonderful few days last week at the FPEA homeschool conference.



It was a perfect mix of fun and learning. The hotel was great, the pool area a big hit, and the programs at the conference educational and helpful. It was the first homeschool conference our whole family attended. The Captain and the big kids were able to attend a number of sessions, and Little Miss and I wandered around the exhibition hall, looking at various curricula. Everyone agreed - this was a fantastic few days!!

Linking this post to Sunday Snapshot at Ni Hao Ya'll and Hip Homeschool Hop.

The photos were taken with my 4G iPhone. Top photo is SOOC (only added watermark on Phonto app), taken in the atrium of the hotel. The collages were made with Photogene app.

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Olimme viime viikolla koko perheen kera kotikoulukonferenssissa. Kiva hotelli, upea uima-allasalue, mielenkiintoista kotikouluohjelmaa niin lapsille kuin aikuisille - mahtava ja antoisa viikko!

Kuvat olen ottanut iPhonen kameralla, eka kuva on suoraan kännykästä, laitoin vain vesileiman Phonto app'illa, ja kollaasit tein Photogene app'illa. Ni Hao Ya'll-blogista löytyy muita Sunday Snapshot kuvia.

Mothership Adventures Is On the Move

We started out in Maine, leaving our "almost ready" camp on May 17th. We were in a hurry to catch a ferry (the Captain, of course) and a plane (my mom), so leaving a couple hours later than planned was not a fun way to start the trip. We also had one of us fall down stairs and hurt their knees, one threw up in the car, and a flight was canceled! It was all figured out, and everyone got to go where they were supposed to, and we even briefly saw the Captain's family on our way down as we made a short pit stop.



While the Captain spent the weekend on Nantucket Island, the kids and I visited with (some of our) friends all weekend long in New Hampshire (not enough time to see everyone, sadly). We even drove down Memory Lane to pass by our old home, and while it was bittersweet, it didn't produce all the waterworks that were expected. We loved our visit(s) to Beech Hill Farm, our favorite New Hampshire hang-out place!



And on Monday our crew flew to Florida, back to our beloved Mothership Airstream RV. Our flight down went well, and the RV had survived the winter months nicely. The Captain washed the dust off, and he and Missy ended up cleaning the fridge/freezer, also. We had left some food in the freezer as the RV was plugged in the whole time, but somehow the freezer had stopped working, and the stench of spoiled food was so horrid it activated my gagging reflex. We had a late night, but we were able to get settled at a campground for the night after cleaning, making beds and grocery shopping.



Today we did our usual Florida first-full-day-errands, but after it all we took a refreshing dip in the campground pool. It is so nice to be back in Florida! Weather forecast: sunny and warm:)

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Lähdimme melkein viikko sitten reissuun, jättäen Mainen taaksemme. Kapteeni meni viikonlopuksi Nantucketin saarelle, äitini lensi takaisin siskoni luokse, ja me muut vietimme viikonlopun New Hampshiressä ystävien luona. Torstain matka oli ihan kaamea: lähdimme pari tuntia myöhässä reissuun, yksi lensi kirjaston portaat alas (viime tingan kirjojen palautusta) ja satutti polvensa, yksi oksensi autossa, ja äitini lento oli vielä peruttu kaiken huipuksi. Mutta kaikki kuitenkin pääsivät minne piti, ja kaikki oli hyvin. Matkalla jopa pysähdyimme Kapteenin vanhempien ja siskon luona pikaisella pysäkillä.

Eilen lensimme Floridaan, ja tällä hetkellä majailemme asuntoautossa leirintäalueella. Päivä meni aika lailla hoitaen juoksevia asioita, mutta illalla menimme kaikki uimaan leirintäalueen uima-altaaseen. Pyykkiäkin sain pestä:) Kiva olla takaisin Floridassa! Sääennuste on lämmintä ja aurinkoista:)

Virginia & Back/Virginiaan ja takaisin

Craziness!! Our poor blog is getting neglected because of plain craziness. Better do a quick recap:

- Two weeks ago my mom flies in to Maine from my sister's to visit us
- April 30th we get the floor folks to come in and start working on the floors in the main lodge
- May 2nd The Captain and I drive into NH to fly into Virginia {to my sister's}
- May 3rd we rent a U-Haul and fill it 1/2 way with our furniture from my sister's garage {with the help of her two pastors ~ thank you!!!}
- May 3rd we start driving north, make it only to Delaware, first sleeping in the truck, then at a motel
- May 4th we drive through Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts into New Hampshire
- & Stay the night at our friends' house
- May 5th we pick up a dishwasher & double oven
- May 6th we fill the rest of the truck with furniture from my in-laws' house where we've been storing it this past year (barely making a dent)
- & May 6th arrive back in the sticks, floor is not dry yet



Since then the floors were finished, dried, and we've started bringing furniture in. Some rooms are still under construction, but we are finally getting there!!! Today we got an oven, yay!

This all, of course, is on top of trying to finish our homeschool year, and trying to be organized to leave Maine. Yes, we are leaving Maine and flying to Florida next week! Craziness!!!

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Täällä on ollut ihan hulluutta vaan. Äitini tuli meille kaksi viikkoa sitten, ja siitä lähtien on taas ollut ihan hullunmyllyä koko elämä. Kyllä pistää miettimään, että Kapteeni ja minä teemme elämämme niin hankalaksi kuin mahdollista:) Viime viikolla lensimme Virginiaan, vuokrasimme rekan, ja toimme huonekalujamme siskoni autotallista pohjoiseen, sillä välin kun pohjoisessa hiottiin, petsattiin ja lakattiin lattioita. Matkalla poimimme mukaamme astianpesukoneen ja uunit, sekä anoppilasta lisää huonekalujamme. Siitä lähtien olemme siivonneet ja sisustaneet, vaikka remontti jatkuu osissa taloa. Tietty kotikoulun ja muun arjen ohessa, ja ensi viikolla on myös lähtö Mainestä takaisin Floridaan. Hulluutta!!!

Missy

A minute after Mr. D was born, Missy came to this world. Thirteen years and four months ago.

For the first eight years of her life, she was the only girl (besides mama) in our family, surrounded by boys who loved noise, action, and wrestling. For about five of those years she kept asking for a little sister.

And so, on her eight birthday, we signed the adoption papers for Little Miss, in China, and her prayers were answered. {{Ours, too!}}

Missy is a wonderful big sister, and a sweet sweet daughter. She loves arts and crafts, reading, homeschooling, and time with friends. It has been so special to watch her grow into a teenager (where has the time gone??).

We are so impressed how talented you are, Missy, and can't wait to see how God is going use your gifts and your life for His Kingdom. We love you, Missy!

I am linking this post to Stefanie's Sunday Snapshot. Check her blog for more entries!

I used our Nikon D-80 to take the pics, and edited them using PicMonkey.







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Missy on toiseksi vanhin nelosistamme. Hän syntyi kolmetoista vuotta ja neljä kuukautta sitten Mr. D:n jälkeen. Ensimmäiset kahdeksan vuotta hän oli ainoa tyttö kolmen veljeksen keskellä, ja pian hän alkoikin pyytämään pikkusiskoa. Kahdeksanvuotissynttäripäivänä, allekirjoitimme Pikkuneidin adoptiopaperit Kiinassa, ja Missyn rukoukseen vastattiin. (Meidän myös!)

Missy onkin ihana isosisko, ja suloinen tytär. Hän rakastaa käsitöitä ja taiteita, lukemista, kotikoulua, ja ystävien kanssa olemista. On ollut hienoa katsoa hänen kasvamistaan, nyt jo teiniksi! (Mihin aika on mennyt??) Jännittävää nähdä kuinka Jumala tulee käyttämään taitavaa tytärtämme Hänen Valtakuntansa työhön!

Otan tällä postauksella osaa Sunday Snapshot-kuvablogihaasteeseen. Pikkukuvaa klikkaamalla voit käydä katsomassa muiden osallistujien kuvia myös.

Firstborn/Esikoinen

Mr. D is our firstborn. He is older than Missy by one minute. He is older than Mr. A by two minutes, and older than Mr. T by three minutes. (If you are new to our blog, yes, we have thirteen year old quadruplets. I know. Crazy. Moving on.) He is older than Little Miss by seven years.

He totally has the firstborn personality. He is responsible, hardworking, and organized. He has leadership qualities, also, although all our kids tend to want to lead at times, making life very interesting, to say the least. He is pretty easygoing, but has a temper when his buttons are pushed (and oh, yes, especially his brothers know where those buttons are.)




Spring has finally arrived in Maine, too, and the lake looks so delicious without the ice. Mr. D wasn't quite ready to go swimming with me a week ago, but yesterday he jumped in, also. Today he decided a quick cooling head dip was all he needed.

What a nutty, silly, wonderful firstborn I have! I love you, Mr. D!

I am linking this post to Stefanie's Sunday Snapshot, for the first time with the new format and rules. Check her blog for more entries!

I used our Nikon D-80 to take the pics, and edited them using picmonkey (after picnik closed their doors this week - boohoo).

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Mr. D on meidän esikoisemme. Hän on yhden minuutin vanhempi kuin Missy, kaksi minuuttia vanhempi kuin Mr. A, ja kolme minuuttia vanhempi kuin Mr. T. Ja seitsemän vuotta vanhempi Pikkuneitiä. Vaikka hän on yksi nelosista, Mr. D:llä on täysin esikoisen luonne. Hän on luotettava, ahkera ja organisoitunut. Hänellä on johtajankykyjäkin, mutta valitettavasti kaikki meidän lapsemme haluavat johtaa monta kertaa samaan aikaan. Hän on rento, mutta osaa myös tulistua, etenkin kun veljet taitavasti tietävät miten se onnistuu:)

Eilen Mr. D heitti talviturkkinsa järveen, tänään totesi, että riittää kun kastelee päänsä. Kaheli ihana esikoisemme - rakastan sinua!

Otan tällä postauksella osaa Sunday Snapshot-kuvablogihaasteeseen. Pikkukuvaa klikkaamalla voit käydä katsomassa muiden osallistujien kuvia myös.

Ice Out/Jäät sulivat!

Last week the lake was still completely covered with ice (as seen in the top left photo). Then the weather warmed up over the weekend, and all the sudden the ice was almost gone!

And that meant it was time for the First Dip of the Year! Which is becoming a tradition (see April 28th, 2011). Yes, it is crazy. No, we still don't have a sauna. But it is so amazing! Especially the feeling soon after you get out of the water - there is a rush that is hard to describe. You stop feeling cold, and actually want to go back in the water for a second dip. So I did:)

Mr. A came with me yesterday, too. No ice anymore - ice out was Monday for us, but it still gave us both a thrill. Want to join us? You don't have to be a crazy Finn to do it:)



Sunset last night. The loons have come back to the lake, too. We've seen them, and the Captain reports he has heard their call. I haven't yet.

Maine sure is a special place.

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Tulimme viikonloppureissulta kotiin sunnuntaina, oli lämmin päivä, ja jäät miltei sulaneet. Ei muuta, kuin uikkarit päälle ja heittämään talviturkkia pois! Aivan kuten viime vuonnakin. Aah, kuinka ihana tunne uinnin jälkeen! Menin kaksi kertaa veteen, ja eilen uudestaan Mr. A:n kanssa, tosin ilman jäitä, sillä maanantaina jäät lähtivät.

Kuikat saapuivat tällä viikolla myös, olemme nähneet heidän uivan ohi, ja Kapteeni on kuullut kuikanhuudotkin jo, minä en vielä.

Ihana paikka tämä Mainen osavaltio.

Spring Homeschool Update

Biggest news first: Little Miss finished her Kindergarten work this week! We read through What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know, and Little Miss completed her math and phonics workbooks. We used various online resources, and honestly will continue to use them, even though she is officially done. A lot of our work and fun are filed under 'Kindergarten' activities*, so we'll still be plenty busy. We'll continue to read, read and read, go to the library, do a lot of arts and crafts at home, and be outside as much as possible.

Our 7th graders keep working on Monarch, our online curriculum. We use Monarch for almost everything: Math, Language Arts, Science, Bible, History & Geography, and they each have an elective as well. We also tried using Apologia's Who Is God for Bible, but as great as it was, it wasn't a good fit for our students. I am learning they really do best having their subjects online. This year we have also tried various ways to do science, and one of our favorites has been Science Jim's online classes on CurrClick. (Any suggestions for online 8th grade science, anyone?)

We like Monarch for so many reasons. Just to name a couple: my students can each work at their own pace, and now that I needed to check where we are on school work, I was able to pick their last day, and reschedule all remaining lessons.

If Mr. T continues to work at the pace he has been working (six Monarch lessons a day), he can finish school by May first (yay!). If Missy, Mr. D and Mr. A work at the five to six Monarch lessons a day pace, they should be able to finish school by mid-June.

If Mr. T finishes that early, I am thinking he could pick an elective (possibly high school level?) he is interested in, and work on that while his siblings work on Monarch. Or maybe I'll have him work with Little Miss on reading skills ;-) Missy has been helping me do Kindergarten with Little Miss this past month, which has been a huge help.

Another nice thing about Monarch is that as a teacher (and admin) I can go and remove extra projects, and even review lessons if I think they are not necessary. Quite honestly I will probably need to go do that before we are done with 7th grade.

Fortunately we are finished with our extra curriculum activities, and don't plan to do spring sports this year because of our traveling schedule, which will help us complete our remaining school lessons. Missy did both tap dance and jazz dance this year, and loved both. We had the dance recital this past weekend, so we are all done with that. (It was beautiful, Missy did a wonderful job!) We are finished with skiing, also. We didn't schedule other activities, since up here in Maine our kids stay very busy with all the snow activities, plus our selection is somewhat limited:)



We are planning to be back in Florida this fall, and there we have trouble limiting our activities as so much is offered. Our favorite is definitely homeschool co-op at church - so many wonderful classes to choose from! The boys are looking forward to Forensics Lab, Outdoor Adventures, or Rocket Science classes, and being with friends, too. Missy loves their art and sign language classes, and this coming year Little Miss can join in, also - for first grade! So exciting.

I can't believe I'm looking at starting our fourth homeschool year in the fall. I'm sure anyone who knew me a few years ago can't believe it either ;-)

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* A random list of our Kindergarten activities:

- Atelier Art with Missy
- Mrs. Brown's Art
- Library visits (wherever we are)
- Weekly K-2 Library Club up North
- Reading books daily: (favorites: Berenstain Bears series & Mercy Watson series)
- Going through book: What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know
- Sunday School at church (wherever we are)
- Explode the Code online (not a favorite for Little Miss)
- PBSkids.org, freshbeatband.com, nickjr.com, disney.com, starfall.com, readingeggs.com, K5learning.com
- PE our daily walks + almost weekly hikes in the fall
- Winter PE: sledding, playing in the snow, skiing, ice skating, snowmobiling
- Learning to ride a bike
- Our school workbooks
- Playdough
- Various puzzles at Aunt S', including patterns, short words, maps
- Alphabet stamps
- Paper dolls (cutting)
- Cooking and baking (math, measuring)
- Field trips & travels

 

Linking this post to Hip Homeschool Hop.

Happy Resurrection/Hyvää pääsiäistä!

Jesus is risen! He is risen, indeed! The empty tomb is so significant - without it, we would not have the hope we have. Jesus conquered death as He took our punishment on Himself. We are free! We are free to come to God, our sins have been washed away, as we have been redeemed by the Son of God. Thank You, Jesus!

Our family traveled down to southern Maine to spend Resurrection Sunday with family. We had a wonderful day, as we had Bible study and a meal all together. (Thank you!)

The cousins had baked delicious pumpkin pies that were decorated especially for Easter (so special!). The deviled chicks I put together (mostly with my left hand) made me realize I better not quit my day job to become a caterer. Even the cupcakes had a second batch of chocolate in them as I burned the first. Oh well. Still yummy.

Most people have been posting pictures of their children, cutely dressed in frilly dresses and t-shirts, looking for eggs in the midst of beautiful spring flowers. Well, not here. This is northern Maine on Saturday. Are you ready?



Yes, still cold and muddy in northern Maine. The lake is still iced over (it snowed again, today!). Be careful where you step as you look for eggs, and what you pick up. (The first picture below has a pile of deer droppings on it.)






Happy Easter 2012 from Our Mothership Adventures!

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Hyvää pääsiäistä! Jeesus on ylösnoussut, ja kuolemalla kuoleman voittanut! 
                              Sinun ja minun puolestamme.


Meidän perheemme vietti pääsiäislauantain täällä pohjoisessa, ja perinteisesti teimme munajahdin lapsille. Onneksi oli sen verran kylmä päivä, ettei ihan joka paikassa uponnut mutaan.. Sunnuntaina ajoimme etelä-Maineen. Vietimme kivan pääsiäisen sukulaisten kanssa, ja illalla ajoimme takaisin pohjoiseen.

Good Friday

Mud Season/Mutakausi

There are hardly words.

 (Name that movie!)

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Ei sanat riitä... Mutakausi on alkanut.