When Nature Angel Went to Chicago
This is one of my favorite photos from the Chicago trip. It suits her so perfectly!
Sir Walter Scott and Nature Angel headed out on her 1-year-late-but-better-than-never 16th birthday celebration. Her older sisters all had really fun parties to celebrate their 16th birthdays, but Nature Angel is her own person, and she didn't want a party.
So she got a trip!
(Eventually)
After much discussion, we decided that a father-daughter trip would work out best for everyone concerned, and the plans were laid . . .
and finally executed!
 |
| Waiting for the boat tour of Chicago architecture |
 |
| Walking along Lake Michigan |
 |
| This is one of Sir Walter Scott's favorite pics. He told me he liked how her hair would blow in the wind from the train arriving. 🥰 |
 |
| There was construction around The Bean, but they got as close as they could. |
 |
| Waiting for their turn at 360° Chicago. No pics were allowed from the actual tilting windows. |
 |
| Spring! |
 |
| This is an old library-turned-office-building. I wish it were still a library!! |
They stopped at a famous spot for Chicago dogs; Nature Angel says the meal filled her for the rest of the day!
In the evening, they watched Art on the Mart. (Not their favorite, but at least it was restful after a day full of walking!!
 |
| Killing time, waiting for the Art Institute to open |
 |
| Headed for Nature Angel's favorite hours of the whole trip! |
They spent 6 hours in the museum. Sir Walter Scott just followed her lead, letting her wander and sketch as the spirit moved her.
When I ask her about the experience, she glows.
 |
| Deep dish pizza at a highly recommended restaurant--it did not disappoint! Nature Angel says the waiter was hilariously prompt about replacing their empty glasses-- before they were even empty! |
They walked to the Navy Pier after their heavy dinner, and they considered another activity or two, but they were tired, and their metro passes were expiring shortly, so they headed back to their vrbo to pack up and get ready for an early departure for home.
Meanwhile . . .
Back at home, I had school with the younger 6 every day. We finished up our book about Sequoyah and how he invented the written word for the Cherokee. The kids wrote their biographical narrations about what they learned, too.
In place of that book, we started this one:
It was written in the early 1960s, so there have been a few advances since then, but what it covers is accurate enough for my elementary/middle schoolers.
We coped with torrential rain several of the days.
Oh! And hail, too!
We stayed (mostly) dry because there were a few occasions when the kids ran out to dance in the rain and check on our crazily roaring creek. Otherwise, we did school, watched a couple of movies, and checked on the garden plants.
On Tuesday, we had our youth camp fundraiser. It was a very, very busy day with kids getting picked up and dropped off at various locations for cooking, setting up, and serving all afternoon and evening.
We got quite good at organizing who got actual seats in the rental minivan and who had to sit on the floor because renting a van large enough to fit our family would have cost triple what we're spending on the minivan.
Because Nature Angel wasn't able to attend the fundraiser, she contributed to the auction with these darlings:
 |
| Not pictured: the goose I included in a previous post |
It hurt my heart to put them on the auction tables because they are so, so, so darling, and I knew how much work went into them, and I was so worried they wouldn't be valued.
But my worry was in vain, because they sold for $45-$75 each, and they went to homes where they are absolutely loved!
Now we sit on pins and needles, hoping that enough money was raised to at least cut all of the kids' camp fees in half.
We've started harvesting from our garden!
It's not a lot, but we've gotten 9 radishes and enough lettuce to supplement store-bought lettuce for two salads. These first 3 radishes were so young that the greens were tender enough to wash and throw in the salad. The next half dozen were older by just a couple of days, but the greens were tangibly tougher, and I sauteed them in the fat leftover from frying hamburger patties.
They were so good!
Now I want to plant a bazillion radishes so that we can have enough greens for the whole family.
Today I'll be seeing how much spinach I can add to a salad--hoping there will be enough home-grown greens to create side salads for all 10 of us at home.
We got chicks this week, too!
 |
| Everyone jockeyed for spots to watch the new babies. |
 |
| They were a little weirded out by the trip home, but they've settled in nicely, and they're very interested in the outside world. They might get to play in the yard this week because temperatures are rising! |
I opted for buying 2-3 week-old chicks at the local feed store instead of buying day-old chicks online. The day-old chicks are to die for cute!! But they are more fragile, and the older chicks were on sale because they are older. The older chicks had been fed by the store for those 2-3 weeks, and that puts us 2-3 weeks closer to having eggs. So I sacrificed a few days of cuteness for practical purposes.
This week included the final rehearsal and two performances of Newsies.
.png)
My kids aren't in any of these pictures because they were members of the stage crew. Our friends on stage did a great job, and they all thanked the stage crew for being quiet and quick.
We can't afford to join this homeschool program and be on stage, but my kids have been invited back to be stage crew again this fall, and they are delighted!
For all of the fun the kids had, I definitely noticed an uptick in emotional outbursts. The late(r) nights and excitement took a toll on my crew, and they struggled. Just last week, I was feeling so bad that I can't afford to join more groups for my kids, but this week, I'm realizing that our budget restraints really are a blessing because we have to carefully protect our routines and white space.
Comments
Post a Comment