Recess

As a homeschool family, we still try to get Jack to do 20 to 30 minutes of exercise daily ,if the weather is beautiful that is just a bonus.  Well turned our 1.25 mile walk into a learning and nature walk as well. We discussed why the leaves change color and fall. We discussed chlorophyll and photosynthesis too. We talked about different types of clouds as well. Here in Kentucky, we are used to seeing pine cones, acorns and walnuts.  We have these bug green ,bumpy things that fall from the trees (I wouldn't want to get hit in the head by a falling one) called horse apples. Jack is fascinated with them so of course I Googled and looked at wikipedia to learn more.  They are called Maclera  pomifera also known as hedge apples. They are from the Osage orange tree. We watch a lot of Discovery Channel and survival shows, so of course my first question, was is it edible or poisonous.  They are not toxic however have made a certain type of horse and ground sloth extinct because they are so dense and fibrous that they get lodged in the throat and the animal chokes. Often if one breaks open during it's fall from a tree ,squirrels will eat the seeds. They say that they can be used as insect repellent but be careful if you are allergic to latex, the inside sticky liquid is liquid latex.  The tree itself has very durable wood and was used to make weapons ,especially bows and fences.  The burns a long time to but needs to be monitored because it sparks a lot when it is burning.  I like learning about my new Kentucky home.  I wasn't raised here like my husband was.  I love that Jack was so curious about something too.

Gluten free cooking doesn't have to be difficult

I finally got the hang of this gluten free cooking. This was my dinner last night:grilled tilapia ,asparagus,  and a baked potato.  Tonight for dinner I had pulled pork sandwiches (we like Kinnikinnic bread) leftover asparagus and strawberries.  Here is the recipe for the pork tenderloin in the crock pot then we shredded with a fork. I used:
A 3 pound pork tenderloin
1 cup of gluten free chicken broth
Half cup of apple cider
1 Tbsp of gluten free soy sauce
1 Tbsp of gluten free worcestershire sauce ,I used Lee and Perrins
1 Tbsp of honey
Half teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Half teaspoon of garlic powder
Then I cooked on low for 8 hrs. You don't have to cook but 6. I was just really busy.
Then shred with fork. I added the meat to gf bread then put gf sweet baby rays barbecue sauce on it. Was soooo yummy. I don't have a picture of the pork as it was devoured pretty quickly.

Busy is my middle name

Friday we went to Jack's old public school for the fall festival , he saw a lot of old friends.  Then Saturday Jack called me a funny name.  Supermom is what Jack called me today, after everything we did.  People who know me, know that I love free stuff ,fall weather and getting out and exploring with Jack. My husband also likes this because he gets a break from working his job and homeschooling our son.
Our super fun Saturday started with the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk. They host an annual walk at the Ballpark to raise money and awareness for Down Syndrome.  They even opened up the Buddy House a few years back: with a ton of activities and events for people with Down Syndrome such as speech, zumba, club 21 if your over 21 and much more.  I have volunteered there a few times.  It is a great place with great support. We started the day at the Buddy Walk, they had a ton of booths and freebies, free inflatables, Halloween candy at every booth and even characters to take pictures with.  Jack just had to have his picture with the ghost busters and a storm trooper. Fun was had by all and they raised more money this year than they ever had before. When we left the Buddy walk heading to our next destination, we took Aiden with us, he is more or less my nephew or will be when they eventually marry.
We headed to the Covington park, where we ate a picnic lunch and played on the playground for about 20 minutes.  Then we headed to the library for free Halloween themed comic book day.  Angry Bird zombies ,sure ,why not. Then we went to our next destination the homeschool fall festival.
With Jack being an only child and home schooled , I get him out and socialized as much as I can.  The local homeschool group is huge.  I think there is over 400 people in this group.  They do field trips , parties, P.E. ,co-op classes, their own sports teams.  They had a fall festival at the park close to my house which was convenient.  If you are new to the group you don't have to have a booth. There were several families there with booths such as magnetic darts ,ring toss ,throwing tennis balls in the mouth of a cardboard pumpkin, bowling ,baseball, throwing a football at a target  , shooting the little air soft pellet plastic gun at cups with tissue paper on them and trying to break the paper. They had hot cider and caramel apples too . After Jack and Aiden did all the booths several times they then went to the playground and played. They played in a huge pile of leaves. Then we built a vegetable racer. I love the picture of Jason building a cucumber car (the boys named Mr cucumber, he has such a serious look on his face. Mr. cucumber won twice and then lost cause he started falling apart. Jack and I even won door prizes. I won coffee and Jack won neon sidewalk paint.
Then we headed across the street for a friend's trunk or treat and hot dog and chili supper at their church. The boys were just excited to see old friends and make new one's.  They mainly played pretend mine craft with sticks and ate food. Aiden painted a pumpkin and Jack did a dizzy bat relay race. Needless to say ,Jack slept like a baby that night.

Sunday we met family at Lost River Cave to hike ,learn , explore and let the kids play. We took a picnic lunch.  It was absolutely  gorgeous weather for October. I think it got to 78 degrees. Then the boys put on their Halloween costumes and went trick or treating at the Ballpark and got to bounce on the bouncies too. Aiden came over to our house for supper and we watched my all time favorite Halloween movie "Hocus Pocus". It was a great weekend with great friends and family and beautiful weather.  I am truly blessed. 

Friend time

I went to the gym with a friend yesterday ,Jack had recess with friends at the park and after school he had dinner and went to Lego club with a friend. I love the flexibility of homeschool and the fact that my bosses show horses and take off 6 weeks out of the year.  Now that we homeschool , I get to see my husband and son so much more.  I didn't know our marriage could get stronger but it has , we both respect and support each other so much. I have the next week and a half off , so we are tag team teaching in order to give each other breaks. I urge people if they homeschool to please check out your local library . There are so many great programs, resources, educational computer programs and our library has science centers too. 

Sunday funday

We met my Dad for lunch in Hendersonville today at the streets of Indian Lake shopping mall. We got there early so we could shop a little early.  We picked up some really fun children's history books with our 10% off teaching discount.  I love that my husband is surrounded by books and magazines and his purchases are for homeschooling our son. Then we ate lunch at Red Robin, it's not very often that I can go to a restaurant and order a gluten free hamburger with an actual gf bun. They usually would just bring it out sandwiched between two pieces of lettuce.   Then after lunch we went to the mall where they were having a free fall festival in the courtyard. Jack got to watch a magic show and he was even a part of the show.  There were a lot of bouncy houses and even a little bouncy haunted house. He had a blast.

We love fall

Another beautiful sunny day. We went to the hay ride at Jackson's Orchard and the corn maze. Jack bounced a little , then we went to Lost River Cave. We love the trails out there. They put up fun Scarecrows the month of October.