Thoughts, Adventures, & Daily Life of a Home-Schooled High-Schooler

Decided to post a draft that I had typed from this summer. I didn’t feel like posting it the time… so enjoy it now🤷‍♀️ Somebody made the comment to me recently that my life seems so glamorous and full of adventure. *cue a very shocked expression on my face.* My life glamorous? Full of adventure? People, don’t think for a second that I find mountains of laundry, cleaning, and cooking very exciting.  Quality of life depends so very much on your attitude towards whatever comes your way. And I’ll be honest, sometimes my attitude towards everyday, mundane life just stinks. . . . But if you need an idea for an every day adventure…. 1) find at least 5 children under the age of 12 (the more the better😅) 2) a grandmother or another person dedicated solely to come along and photograph the adventure  3) locate a pick-your-own orchard 4) a ton of patience and laughter Let me warn you that you will have to inspect every single peach before it’s picked, (otherwise they will all be green o...

 Several weeks ago I was asked to do a presentation on basic First Aid during our annual homeschool Fire Prevention event.      I complied and gave some basic tips on First Aid. Managing a bleed, giving support for a broken limb, and, because it  was  fire prevention: how to treat a burn. One of the moms snapped this photo and later sent it to me.      Many children were fascinated by all the tools I have on my uniform. I explained that my stethoscope is used on every call to take blood pressures or listen to lung sounds. On my belt, I have my trauma shears and pager. The battery on my pager will last about 3 days before I need to put it on the charger. Once on the charger, it will reach fully charged in less than 20min.       My wristwatch is also used to take vitals; counting a pulse and how many breaths a patient is taking in a minute.       In my calf pocket I have several pens, a flashlight, and di...

The Wal-Mart didn't open until 7:30am. Mom & I made a list of food items we needed, while dad and the older boys tackled the starter problem. To their dismay, they realized that the wrong size part had been purchased the night before and they needed to bike to O'Reilly's and make the exchange. Meanwhile, Martina & Elissa accompanied me on our grocery shopping expedition. Its a strange feeling to only buy enough food for a few meals. I'm used to buying 3 or 4 gallons of milk at a time - not a half gallon. Yogurt? Only enough for breakfast 'cuz more than that won't fit in the fridge! We finished our shopping and trekked out to the far end of the Wal-Mart parking lot where our motorhome was parked. Dad and the boys were back.  Under the motorhome they were trying to replace the faulty starter. Mom & I got breakfast for the little children and cleaned up all the bedding. Finally the starter was changed, but the problem wasn't fixed. The stubborn beas...

Wednesday morning Dad had a hard time getting the Motorhome to start. This was becoming a trademark of our trip - turn off the engine for more than 30min, have lots of fun trying to get it to start! A google search revealed an O'Reilly's in Rapid City, about 45 minutes away. Off to Rapid City we went - hoping to buy something to fix our ailing method of transport. The clerk came out with a nifty little machine, hooked it up to some random places in the engine, and told Dad he thought it would require a new battery. Dad purchased a new battery and he and the boys installed it in the parking lot while mom took several smaller children on a walk. Hoping our RV problems were over we continued to Mount Rushmore. After viewing the monuments and battling the crowds of other tourists, we decided to ride a coaster which was similar to an Alpine Slide. We spent 4 hours at this mini amusement park. That was an enjoyable afternoon.  Hoping to see some buffalo, antelope, and maybe some mule...

* All these posts were written from my phone and I've been slowly uploading them now that we are home. I'm sure you will find many grammar and spelling errors. I will edit these posts as I am alerted to errors* Tuesday morning Dad & Mom made breakfast over our little propane range. After breakfast, we walked around and looked at the different displays until the visitors center opened. We decided to take a covered wagon ride around the property. Several of us got to try driving the team that was pulling our wagon. At the school, our tour guide have us a history lesson, and then took us to church. When the wagon ride was over, several wanted to go on the pony-cart ride, while the rest of us went back to the motorhome and packed up a few last-minute items. The motorhome had to be given much encouragement to start. Finally the engine submitted, and we were on our way. Just after leaving the Ingalls Homestead, we stopped at Loftus Store in De Smet. Because of the name, I was kin...

Its been a strange week.  The week started off with a drive-in Easter Service at Green Ridge. We stayed in our vehicles and the preacher spoke from the bed of a pickup truck. After the service concluded we left as directed, waving to our friends, and then dropping the offering into the red bucket. I spent a good portion of Monday studying. I had my EMT test scheduled down in Chambersburg on Wednesday (more details on that later in the post) and wanted to be well studied and prepared.  Returned numerous calls and answered questions from interested (and disappointed) puppy customers.    Made Bacon Ranch Chicken Casserole for lunch. Yummy! Tuesday was also spent in studies, and in the evening Brian and I left for Harrisburg. We participated in our EBI class discussion on monasteries (We all decided that while there are some virtues for monasteries, none of us would be joining!). On Wednesday morning I awoke long before my alarm was to...

We arrived around 12:30. The crew except for me, who was taking the picture:) Observing the goat competition. Those handlers had a lot of patience with their goats. I wish our dog would obey as well as the goats! Corncob darts. . . Checkout all those smiley veggies! "This cow gives water!!!!!" Suddenly we must have an inspection crew to see if he is correct. By 2:30, every thought it was time to tryout the fine food the Farm Show offers. The bins of corn provided quite a bit of entertainment Several people thought it was great to be able to have front row seating while the carriages went around. We arrived home about 8:30 with a vanload of sleepy folks. Several people, as my grandma said, "You smell like a cow!"

Hello! I'm Dr. Weaver. Do you have any concerns that a hug can't fix? OK, now I'd like to listen to your heart. Gloves can go. They don't fit properly anyway and hinder my finger movement.  My patient is surprised to find out that my knowledge concerning the positioning of the heart is greater than his. (I, of course, don't care to enlighten him that I just learned how to properly auscultate a heart rhythm  this week. After all, I just graduated with my Toddler Doctorate degree!) Back in my office I find something more exciting: a pager! Maybe I don't want to be a doctor after all. Gloves on again. (Its more professional) Thanks for coming today! There is no fee because I obtained all of the medical instruments and training from a family member Note: Please don't ever take seriously the medical advice given by toddlers (or anyone else that doesn't really know what they are talking about!).

       My last post talked a little bit about one of the different things that you might come in contact with when you work with people. Little did I know what would happen a week later. On the other hand, maybe it was good that I didn't know! **********************************************************************************       It seems that when the people in charge leave, the most bizarre things happen. One of Dad's cousins was getting married on Saturday, and they decided to go to the wedding. Sheri was also off, so Brian and I stayed home (we weren't invited anyway) to help Jamison run the shop.       The drama started about 10:30. Customer Abe* came in and wanted to shoot a bunch of bows. However, we only had one bow set-up at the poundage he was comfortable with. So, Jamison started setting up bows for him to try. As I was running register for another customer, Tom* walked in the door. He wa...

 The above title mentioned pile of peels. That's the biggest pile of banana peels I have ever seen. BUT, I normally don't go about my days looking for piles of banana peels to photograph. Now, enter the reason those banana peels are in one big pile. . . .        Mom was getting a few bunches of bananas at market this morning, and the seller offered her the whole box for the same price of a few bunches, and she readily excepted. Now, what are we going to do with all those bananas? About half the box was. . .um, er, well. . .  we'll just say getting to their prime. I promptly froze most of the bananas for later use. The end of the banana story.  *********************************************************************************** The two newest residents around our place, Summer and Bear.       Some of the younger children thought that they would enjoy having rabbits over the summer months, and the Small An...