All My Children... in the Corn

Stephen King novel fan? Yes, I am.
Stephen King novel to film fan? Yes, I am.
Soap Opera fan? Well, I was until they cancelled it.... not homeschool related, just wanted to whine for that one sentence. Yes, I'm done.

I adore and appreciate when local businesses have a "Homeschool Day." We really try to take full advantage of what each place tries to do for our (semi)small community.
Last week, the Cajun Country Corn Maize had one of their two annual Homeschool Days. With a lower entry price and a chance to beat the crowds, we definitely wanted to be there. I personally have never been to a corn maze. The very idea of entering a field of corn (which are few and far between in South La) in the last 15+ years has left a slight chill up my spine. Thank you Stephen King!
Our stroll was uneventful, in that we did not come across any small children with white hair and creepy eyes, but we did have a great time.

Our adventure begins!

The brave ones who came along with us.

We chose the longer of the two routes through the maze. The Cow Man (owner, organizer) handed out a map along with questions to answer and designated points to help you out along the way. Wrong answers lead you in a winding path right back to the same question. Fun, until you answer one wrong. And of course we did... but only once.
Our adventure was much more than just the corn maze.
The kids really enjoyed the corn crib. Getting them out of there was the hardest part of the day.

"Bury me! You know, like at the beach."

Duck races, giant pillows, petting farm animals, hay rides, cow riding (train style) and of course the free ice cream were also highlights of the day.

As close as they will get to riding a school bus.

My little plastic duck will beat your little plastic duck if I pump hard enough!

Buckled in? Yes, Mom. Hold on, ok? Yes, Mom.

That's a mighty haul for a tractor build during WWII!

Cow Man explaining the maze.

Hopefully next year, Daddy can come with us. Maybe we will venture into the Haunted maze next year... but I'm probably much too chicken for that.

Consistent Affirmations

I'm not a very ritualistic person. Besides the obvious daily routines (eating, sleeping, hygiene, etc), there aren't too many things that I do everyday.
I get bored with repetition.
We never have the same thing for dinner more than once a month.
I like to add or remove ingredients when I cook.
I buy a different flavor of creamer almost every time... boring coffee takes so much longer to drink... which of course makes our day drag on. (confession: my mornings revolve around the amount of coffee I can consume before school starts)
This is something that I am trying to change (a little).
At the end of each school day, I try to think of something positive to remind myself that we are making the best choice for our family. I'll admit that some days it's not nearly as easy as I would like it to be. There are days where I am just too tired to think of anything that went the way I had planned for the day.
Then there are days like today. Today was a great day. And it's not even over yet!
Some moments in life you can't duplicate, even the best storytellers would have a difficult time.
I'm going to try to describe to you what may seem like a minor, run of the mill, everyday type of event that made my heart smile and giggle.
W (my 1st grader) was on his way to his room to finish the last of his chores for the day. He stops at the pantry door, walks in, and closes the door. This is not a "walk-in" style pantry. It's merely a closet. A small, small closet.

"W, what are you doing?" - me

Ding...Ding...Ding...Ding. (coming from behind the door)

"Come out of there son." - me

The door opens to a curly haired 6 year old with a huge smile on his face. You know that guilty smile they give you when they are trying to make you laugh. Yeah that one!

"What are you doing?!" - me

"What floor is this ma'am?" - W

"Huh?" - me

"The elevator stopped on this floor. I guess that means I need to get off." - W

Off he went, with a huge smile on his face and a swagger in his step, to his room to finish his chore.

I stood there for what seemed like an hour. (it was really only about 2 minutes, max)
Confusion was replaced with amazement. Amazement replaced with overwhelming joy.
If he were enrolled in a B&M school, he would have been sent to the principal's office and reprimanded for a stunt like that. Instead, he made his mother smile and feel all warm and fuzzy when she was all set to fuss.


So why am I so happy that he was being so silly? He used his imagination (and his sense of humor) on a whim. The end result was joy and laughter. You don't see that everyday in a 1st grade classroom.