The Mothership is on the move again/Matkassa taas

We left our camp a week ago - suddenly a day early, in a typical Mothership fashion:) We spent a wonderful few days on Nantucket Island with family and friends (a separate blog post), before starting our travels out west.




Remember our July trip? We were headed to South Dakota when we broke down in Indiana, and ended up spending our week there at an RV center. We are now on our way to Denver, and have a few days to explore, so guess where we are headed? Today?

Yes - South Dakota!! (That is our plan, anyway - you never know how God directs our way:)

(Pictures above are from our drive from Maine to Cape Cod.)




We left Nantucket on Sunday, and drove to upstate New York. On Monday we drove from New York through Pennsylvania and Ohio to Indiana (a very loooong travel day - and road schooling).




(Little Miss in the Mothership Monday night.)

On Tuesday (yesterday) we drove from Indiana through Illinois to Iowa. We needed to stop at the Apple store in Iowa, and had a great stop: the teens were able to attend their geometry class online at Barnes and Noble, and the Captain, Little Miss and I had a great dinner date at one of my favorite restaurants - Cheesecake Factory!

We have limited internet on our travels, but I try to post quick updates on our Facebook wall, so you can follow our travels that way. And when there's internet, I'll get blog posts up, too!


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Viikko sitten lähdimme mökiltämme - päivää suunniteltua aikaisemmin, mikä on hyvin tyypillistä meille (emmekä tietenkään olleet valmiita). Ensin ajoimme Cape Codille, ja menimme lautalla Nantucketin saarelle muutamaksi päiväksi (erillinen blogipostaus).

Sunnuntaina takaisin tien päälle ja ajoimme New Yorkin osavaltion pohjoiseen osaan, ennen kuin pysähdyimme yöksi. Maanantai oli pitkä ajopäivä, pidimme kotikoulua tien päällä, ja ajoimme Pennsylvanian ja Ohion osavaltioiden läpi Indianaan, ja yövyimme siellä.

Eilen ajoimme Illinois-osavaltion läpi Iowaan - missä en ole koskaan ennen ollut, ja vietimme iltapäivän ostoskeskuksessa, sillä Kapteenin piti päästä Apple-kauppaan. Teinit osallistuivat netissä matikantuntiinsa kirjakaupan nettiyhteyden kautta, ja Kapteeni, Pikkuneiti ja minä kävimme treffeillä yhdessä lempiravintolassani. Oli loistava päivä!

Eilen päätimme, että vaikka matkamme on kohti Coloradoa, meillä on muutama ylimääräinen päivä, ja suuntaamme sinne etelä-Dakotaan, minne yritimme mennä jo kesällä. Sinne siis tänään - jos Herra suo - me suunnittelemme näitä reissuja, muttei ne aina mene niin kuin me päätämme:)

Mutta kiva olla reissussa:)

Netti on mitä on, mutta facebookin kautta pystyy seuraamaan matkaamme jotenkuten, koska sinne voin laittaa päivityksiä kännykän kautta.

Mr. D Math for High School Geometry

Last year we really struggled with math, and ended up using three different curricula for Algebra I for our four 9th graders. Crazy! Even though we have four teens the same age, their learning styles are different, and what works for one (or even two), doesn't work for everyone.

Mr D ended up using a Thinkwell Video Course, and Missy used Time4Learning Algebra I, which neither course was really working great for them. (They had used AOP Monarch math for middle school, and that wasn't a good fit for them, either - even though Monarch overall had been a great curriculum for us, and we still recommend it.)

Mr T and Mr A were doing fine with AOP Monarch Algebra I, and quite frankly I saw no reason to change their curriculum.

But we needed to find something better for Mr D and Missy. Again.

At the FPEA Homeschool Convention in Orlando, FL, this May I was a homeschool mom on a mission. I checked out every high school math program there. I had had Missy (from Finland!) check out various websites and watch demo videos or math programs, and dragged Mr D from his convention teen program to visit booths that looked promising to me.

One of the ones Missy was very interested was - ironically - something called Mr. D Math. The name made me chuckle, and I immediately thought this could be very confusing on our blog:)
We browsed the website, and my Mr D and I visited Mr. D Math's booth, and talked to Mr. D himself. (Haha:)

We had decided our criteria for math to be:

- Online classes, preferably live and recorded (in case we couldn't make it to live class due to our travels)
- Teacher needed to be able to hold student's interest, and explain things well
- Website that isn't too difficult to navigate
- A separate parent's online section to see grades etc.
- Yet independent learning - parent not needing to be too involved
- Contact with teacher

Mr. D Math seemed to have all of the above, so we decided to give it a try this year.

And we are so glad. Mr. D Math is really fantastic! So fantastic, all our four students are taking Mr. D Math this year.




Once a week our students log-in to their live classes. Mr. D Math offers high school Geometry twice on Tuesdays, and so far our teens have split their classes, two and two. Because of internet issues, they share a computer. There is also homework, tests, and additional instruction videos. If the students can't make it to their live class, they can watch the recording later (a must for us, as we are starting our traveling again).

Today during class one of our students had expressed difficulty in grasping the concept they had been talking about, so Mr. D continued teaching and tutoring after the one hour live class (Thank you, Mr. D!). He can also be reached via phone and email during the week, as needed.

We also appreciate the easy website navigating, as well as an easy internet classroom experience. The teens had no trouble figuring it out, and Mr. D Math sent out instructional videos for us parents, too. The parent section at the Mr. D Math website lets parents view grades and progress.

At dinner time today I told our teens I was writing up a blog post about their Geometry class, and asked if they had any feedback. Mr T shared Mr. D makes Geometry easy and fun. He had also told me earlier he is really enjoying this program better than anything he has used in the past. Everyone agreed.


I am so grateful. Homeschooling is so awesome, but sometimes math (and science) are the weak links. Definitely not the case in our homeschool this year, thanks to Mr. D Math.


Make sure to check out Mr. D Math website, Facebook page and YouTube accounts. Mr. D Math offers many different math classes, one-on-one training, as well as SAT boot camps, and a six-week class on Life Skills.


All opinions expressed in this blog are purely our own. Occasionally sponsors and advertisers will provide products at no charge so they can be reviewed on this site. We only agree to feature a product that the Our Mothership Adventures crew wants to use personally and that we feel would benefit our readers. No exceptions! We are thrilled to be working with Mr. D Math this year!

Learning Finnish/Suomen kielen opettelua

Little Miss and I added a new subject to our homeschool day this week. Finnish! We don't have a great track record of speaking or learning Finnish at home (fail), but we felt inspired to give it another try through Mango Languages.

Our Florida library offers Mango for free, so make sure to check if your library does, too. You can learn many different languages through it. You can read more on Mango Languages' website, and even sign up for a demo (even without your library). They also have an iPad app for the program.



This is not really an official review, but I wanted to post this tip if anyone else was looking for a foreign language resource. Little Miss finished her first lesson, and learned to say (and understand):

"Hi! I'm Henna. And you?"


"Moi! Olen Henna. Entä sinä?"

"Nice to meet you."
"Hauska tavata."

We'll see how it goes:)

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Kun me olemme olleet niin surkeita suomen kielen puhumisessa ja opettelemisessa, päätimme yrittää taas. Kirjaston kautta voimme ilmaiseksi opiskella suomea (tai muita kieliä) Mango Languages-ohjelman kautta. Saimme ensimmäisen oppitunnin tehtyä, Pikkuneiti oppi esittelemään itsensä. Josko tästä tällä kertaa?

Weekend with Friends/Viikonloppu ystävien kanssa

Our oldest (and I'm not talking about age here!) and dearest friends from New Hampshire came over for the weekend last week. Friends we met as newlyweds way back when. We babysat their girls, they babysat our kids, their girls babysat our kids.. When we found out we were expecting four babies, we stopped by their house to cry rejoice and to pray together.

Really special friends.




Us girls spent most of Saturday doing art and play dough, while (most of) the men went off to do their own thing(s).




When the men came back, they started cooking!




Dinner was ah-ma-zing!

(We also had bear meat for the first time! For breakfast. So yummy!)





(Group photo credit to our friends. I turned it black and white because of some serious skin tone issues:)

And the company the best... We love you guys!

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Meillä oli ihana viikonloppu vanhojen ja rakkaiden ystäviemme kanssa. Eikä siis iän puolesta vanhojen ystävien - vaan he olivat ensimmäiset ystävämme New Hampshiressä silloin joskus kauan sitten, kun muutimme sinne vastanaineina. Hoidimme heidän lapsia, he hoitivat meidän, heidän tytöt hoitivat meidän lapsia myös! Ja kun kuulimme sairaalassa, että kannan nelosia, ajoimme suoraan näiden rakkaiden ystäviemme luokse itkemään iloitsemaan ja rukoilemaan.

Upeaan viikoloppuumme kuului taidetta ja miesten juttuja, sekä aivan mahtava ateria, jonka miesväki valmisti. Aamulla saimme myös karhunlihaa - ensimmäinen kerta meille. Nam!

Ihanat, rakkaat ystävät.

September Foliage/Syyskuun ruskaa

Last week the girls and I took a quick trip to New Hampshire. Up north the foliage was/is already at peak!



On our drive we had to pull over quite a few times to take pictures.



And once we crossed into Maine we were in for a neat surprise:



A moose! We saw it really close (see the car window on that last photo), but not so close we were in any danger. Nevertheless, all photos were taken from the safety of the car, with a zoom lens:)



We've had some beautiful fall days in Maine. Little Miss and I have been taking walks - Little Miss on her bike - every day. Usually right before math:)



The loons are still up here. Will the migrate south before we do?



It seems to me the peak foliage has been earlier this year.



It really is gloriously beautiful. Thank you God!



Psalm 19

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.


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Ruska on ollut kauneimmillaan jo viime viikosta lähtien. Tyttöjen kanssa kävimme New Hampshiressä viime viikolla, ja pysähdyimme useamman kerran valokuvaamaan tätä värien loistoa. Kotimatkalla näimme myös hirven! Läheltä, muttei liian läheltä:)

Ja täällä meidänkin kotiseudulla ruska loistaa, ja olemme niin nauttineet näistä kirpeistä syyspäivistä.  Ennen kuin on aika taas lähteä asuntoautolla reissaamaan.

Psalmi 19 tuntui oikein sopivalta tähän postaukseen.

Corn Starch and Hair Conditioner Play Dough

Yesterday I told Little Miss I needed her help. She came right over. We measured four cups of corn starch and almost two cups of hair conditioner, and she started mixing.




It felt weird.




And wonderful! Our mixture smelled so clean and good!




And felt so smooth.




We soon had everyone (at home at the moment) come over and play with our silky play dough.

(It felt amazing!!!)




Little Miss used food coloring to make different color dough.




(((Toes!)))




So simple, so so fun. I loved how much Little Miss (and we all!) loved this craft.




Some of our masterpieces.

I saw this 'recipe' on Kids Activities Blog, and it sure was a winner! Cleanup was easy too, just needed to vacuum the floor and wipe the surfaces. We are storing the dough in ziplock bags, as it seemed to harden when left out.

Two thumbs up!

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Maailman paras itsetehty muovailuvaha!! Kaksi osaa maissijauhoa (ehkä perunajauho ajaisi saman asian?) ja yksi osa hiusten hoitoainetta. Sekoitettuna yhteen, ja halutessa voi myös värjätä muovailuvahan elintarvikeväreillä. Tämän pehmeämpää ja silkkisempää muovailuvahaa ei löydä - ja se tuoksuu ihanalta myös (minä saan migreenin kaupan muovailuvahan hajusta). Pikkuneiti (ja me kaikki!) nautimme!