First Day of School - 5th Grade!!!

We officially started 5th grade today!!!  Hunter is very excited as we are working with several new curriculum this year. Hunter's subjects include: math, world history, spelling, logic, grammar, writing, Mandarin, bible and computer programming. He will be taking science, reading, world cultures and art at a co-op in Asheville once we get moved down.

Should children under 12 be allowed to set their own bedtime? Response from Hunter Atwood;

I think kids under twelve should TOTALLY get to choose their bedtime because I think kids have the freedom to set their bedtime to whenever they would like. I think this helps because, first of all, they get to have some time without Mom and Dad. This helps kids get a visual on what it's like to be an adult. As kids mature, they get their own independence and can set their own bedtime. Now, will you be smart and let your child set his/her bedtime or be overprotective and choose their bedtime for them?
*****************************************************

 You know summer is just around the corner when you can start meeting friends at the swimming pool!! We would swim all day, but for the fact that we need to finish school before we head off for an amazing summer vacation in two weeks.

 We were able to spend time with our friends, the Fowlers, for the Kentucky Derby. We all picked horses for the race - Hunter's horse I"ll Have Another won - he got $10.00. It was a great night!!

We had a chance to tour The Hermitage, home of Andrew Jackson. I will say personally that I enjoyed Mount Vernon a little better, but you can't go wrong with either. It was a beautiful estate and the kids learned a lot from the audio tour.

Hunter's first restaurant review - Slow Joe's - NOC - Wesser

If you ask me, NOC's new restaurant Slow Joe's is super top notch. I ordered a hotdog with chips and I loved it! Here is how the food tasted. The hotdog had a very fresh bun with great smoked meat inside. The bun was not hard or crunchy either. It also wasn't like Wonder Bread where it is too soft. It was just perfect. Thinking of not going because the chips are cheap? Think again! They had nice crispy chips that were as classic as you could get. I've been to places like Disney World where they serve cheap chips like Lay's and Fritos. I have noticed that over the years Frito Lay has gotten really cheap; but not here. I would strongly recommend Slow Joe's to anyone in town.

Hunter Atwood

 Hunter and I spent a long weekend in Asheville with Terry. We spent a couple of days at Wesser watching a Freestyle Kayaking competition. It was a blast!! Hunter played the entire time either in the water or the surrounding woods. Hunter was under the impression we were going to let him take off in a Kayak down the rapids - not so fast! First he needs to get through Kayaking camp this summer.

We took our fist hike on the Appalachian Trail. We only got about a two mile hike in. Hunter spent the entire time hunting for Sasquatch. This entailed hitting a stick or rocks against tree trunks and yelping nonstop - the Sasquatch call. Keep in mind, there is no record of the call ever successfully working .

Our favorite treat was seeing three bears foraging for berries in the woods close to the Grove Park Inn. It was amazing! They were three very healthy bears.

Jackson, Laney and Hunter at Andrew Jackson's grave

 Today we had the pleasure of going to the Hermitage with some other homeschool friends. The Hermitage is the home of former Pres. Andrew Jackson.

Outside Andrew Jackson's home

We learned a ton of info about Jackson's life. Probably the most interesting part of his life involved his duel with Charles Dickinson. Charles died as a result of the duel, Andrew Jackson survived; however, he was left with a bullet imbedded in his chest. This caused him problems all of his life.

We also learned about his role in the Trail of Tears....very sad; especially since we are very close to the Cherokee reservation in Asheville.

Hunter received his Webelos II patch

On Monday, Hunter received his Webelos II patch. As part of the ceremony, he received blue paint on his face. Terry and I are so proud of him. It has been a lot of work. We will continue working towards the Arrow of Light over the next 6 months, and then he moves up to Boy Scouts!!!

My Spring Break - by Hunter Atwood

I had an awesome time on my spring break this year. First we drove to Seagrove, Florida to stay with some friends at the beach. I loved the hot weather and all the cool trees and stores. My favorite thing was riding the waves on my bogey board because it felt so good when the water splashed on me. Then I flew up to Colorado. I got to hang out with Ryan and Jack. My favorite thing there was looking for my Easter basket. I really enjoyed my spring break this year and would love to go to these wonderful places again some time.

Playing in the ocean with Jack Fowler

Hunter with Jack F. and Sarah F.

Ryan, Hunter and Jack

At Garden of the Gods - Colorado Springs, CO

YeeHaw!!! One more year of homeschooling!

Recently, Hunter decided to head back to a traditional classroom for school. We have spent the last several months getting him ready to get back to the classroom. However, he has recently decided to take one more year to homeschool so he can spend some time enjoying the outdoors. I think the below photos will help you to understand why.

 Terry took Hunter, his friend Jackson and I to visit the burial place of Meriwether Lewis. It was a wonderful drive on the Natchez Trace to his burial site. We discussed out theories on Lewis' mysterious death. Hunter is convinced the innkeeper was drunk and shot Lewis, thinking he was an intruder. As the day went on, the theories grew more and more bizarre.

We hiked down to one of the waterfalls on Little Swan Creek. Hunter had a blast walking behind the waterfall and exploring. It took all his might to stand under the waterfall. The water was COLD.