From Summer to School Year

Another summer vacation come and gone, with a treasure trove of memories and pictures to remember how amazing it was! We spent this past weekend celebrating the end of summer with a special dinner out at a grown up restaurant, taking the kids to Vetro 1925 here in town for what was definitely their fanciest dinner experience with the parents to date:

Sunday was the last ditch effort at soaking up some sun; I took the kids to the pool for a couple of hours because that's what you do in the summer, right? Given yesterday was the last day it was open for the season (what happened to weekends until Labor Day?!), it seemed like the thing to do.

Last night, though, lights were out by 8:00, because today was the first day of school for the kiddos; back to Holcomb Elementary for another year of learning and growing.

By the end of the summer, I think most kids are ready for a new school year, with their bright new backpacks and shiny new sneakers, with the possibilities of renewing friendships and making new ones in their classrooms for the year. Summer vacation was cut short by one week thanks to the crazy number of snow days we had in the 2013-2014 school year, but we did our best to make every single day in the ten weeks of summer vacation count. I mean, really count.

There was, of course, the Great Western Adventure and the trip home to Houston that followed hot on its heels (so hot, in fact, I haven't had time to capture it in words, but hopefully one of these days I'll get to it!). There was the summer reading program, sessions at the Botanical Garden, and a few trips to the pool. There was church camp and tennis camp and swim lessons, and there were days to just hang out at home and play with stuffed animals, Hot Wheels, or ride bikes around the neighborhood.

There was the Coussoule Curriculum, scaled back this year to allow for travel but also to avoid the meltdowns that accompanied the plethora of worksheets from the year before. There weren't too many sibling squabbles that turned into full blown fights, but there was plenty of annoying-little-brotherness and know-it-all-big-sisterness to go around.

I know a lot of parents are 100%, fully ready for school to start by the time it rolls around every year. I'm appreciate our predictable routine during the school year, but unlike the last couple of summers, I'm not quite ready for the kids to have a firm 8 o'clock bedtime or for the dreaded hurry-up-and-eat-your-breakfast screaming match on the occasional morning.

Here it is, though, ready or not - and just like the long days of summer, we are going to make the most of every day of this school year.

Let's see whatcha got, second grade. Saddle up, fourth grade. The Coussoule kids are ready to take it on and make it count!

The Coussoules' Great Western Adventure: Day One

It's finally here!! We have been waiting, anticipating, planning and counting down the days to the summer vacation we planned over spring break. And here we are, Day One travel complete - we have officially embarked on The Coussoules' Great Western Adventure driving tour!!

Eight states (nine if we make it to Idaho!), fourteen days, two kids, two parents, and a van full of suitcases and bags - a trip of a lifetime for all of us. The initial kernel of inspiration came on my drive to and from Steamboat Springs last fall for my cousin's wedding. I came home telling Justin that I really wanted to go out west and spend some time; the drive was awe inspiring and the beauty of the plains and the Rocky Mountains was breathtaking. The next little nudge came when we were visiting my family over the Christmas holidays and my mother was talking about trips she'd like to take and places she'd like to go. At one point she said: "I've never seen Mt. Rushmore. I've always wanted to see it, and I'm not getting any younger." Finally, the last piece of the puzzle fell into place as I made my New Year's Resolutions, and crossing items off of my life list was a goal for the year.

We took a family vacation to DisneyWorld a couple of years ago, but last summer was spent doing things locally and within driving distance. This year over Spring Break, Justin and I decided that it felt like a good time to plan another big vacation, and with the trifecta of inspiration in my head, we looked west. Starting with the assumption that we would be driving, we checked into the cost of renting an RV. It didn't take long to discover that was wildly expensive, so Plan B - going in the family van - was quickly arrived at as the next best thing!

After much Googling of "best driving tours of the west"; reading reviews on TripAdvisor; checking hotel rates; looking for discount codes; and consulting friends who've done much traveling, we had our plan:

• Colorado Springs
• Denver
• Fort Collins
• Grand Teton National Park
• Yellowstone National Park
• Cody, Wyoming
• Mt. Rushmore National Monument
• Then the looooong drive home

Over the course of the months between my initial hotel / excursion bookings and actually leaving, Justin refined the plan, finding specific things to do in each place and trying to find any other amazing sights to see along the way. We figured, this is literally a once-in-a-lifetime trip, so we'd better make it count. In the last month, we decided to try and add the Little Big Horn Battlefield, Devils' Tower, and we added one more day to our stay in South Dakota after seeing how much there is to do in the Rapid City area. Who knew??

You can see the whole plan HERE

The original plan was to leave the house on Thursday morning, July 10th, and drive straight through to Colorado Springs. The more Justin thought about it, that was a tough way to start our vacation, so we decided we'd leave on Day 1 Minus One to get to Wichita and stage the troops four hours closer to the destination! 

Turns out that was a great plan for more than the obvious reasons; when we woke up this morning at the hotel and saw the weather report, turns out it was pouring rain on the route we had just driven the night before. What a blessing to have already made our way through southeast Kansas!! We had a good breakfast at the hotel, packed up the car, and it was time to leave on the official first day of our trip. Here we go!!

The drive started out by reviewing the kids' worksheets on Kansas - thanks to the summer curriculum, they were academically prepared, and shared interesting facts about the state and its people. After going through the 25 Fun Facts for Kansas (compliments of Daddy, who did his own pre-trip research!), it was time to watch a movie in the backseat and listen to an audiobook in the front. We watched the beautiful Kansas prairie roll by, eating up the miles as we were on our way. 

It wouldn't be a Coussoule summer road trip without a stop for lunch at a rest stop and deli sandwiches; the difference between the Kansas rest stop and our standard at the Texas / Oklahoma border was the WIND!! Holy wow was it windy - but it was a beautiful, sunny summer day, so we enjoyed our picnic and the break from the car despite having to hold onto our lunch with two hands!

We rolled along I-70, cracking up at some of John's answers to questions from 5 Second Rule and playing License Plate Bingo. We managed to find over 30 states the first day - so fun for the kids! On John's blank map of the U.S., he colored in the states from which we'd seen plates, and it was so cool to hear him say, "WOW - New York is a long way from Colorado!" Mom win - learning is fun! 

Only one more stop between lunch and arriving at our hotel; the kids are at an age where road trips are actually fun, and we aren't stopping for the bathroom every two hours. The timing of the one pit stop was pretty good - we hit the Colorado rest stop just over the Kansas line, and Daddy found maps and guide books to keep him entertained along the way. Oh, and coffee. FREE COFFEE!! Everybody wins!

Colorado stretched in front of us, but there was no complaining, no "are we there yet" as John dozed and Caroline looked out the window. It was a thrill for each of us when Daddy pointed out the front windshield and said, "There's Pike's Peak!" Their first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains, and though it wasn't my first glimpse, it's impossible not to be struck by the majesty of the mountains.

We had forgotten about the change from Central to Mountain time (win!!), so we pulled into The Academy Hotel parking lot in Colorado Springs at 4PM on the dot. Excellent!! Settled into our room, and of course, time to blow off some steam - kids into the pool!! 

Dinner at a place called Drifter's, which is supposed to be the best burger place in town, and then Glacier Homemade Ice Cream to top off the day. I think we'll all be ready for bed tonight so that we can get up and get going in the morning. Places to go, sights to see, fun to be had, and more to come on our Adventure!

Friday Feature: Summer Journaling

It's hard to believe that June is almost over; just like every year, the long summer days go by in the blink of an eye. Around here, though, we're all starting to get very excited about our upcoming epic summer vacation, which I hope to share day by day on my blog once we hit the road.

I read an article once that said one of the ways to make an upcoming vacation better is to enjoy the anticipation. With the kids getting older and better able to conceptualize time, we told them not long after we made our plans in the spring about the summer vacation. The first few weeks of the summer curriculum have been focused on subjects that have helped us get excited, too - the Presidents on Mt. Rushmore, books about the western states we'll be visiting.

The journaling topics helped them both use their imaginations, too. One of the recent journaling topics was:

"What do you most hope we'll see on our trip?"

Caroline's narrative

John's illustrated answer

Summer's Coming, and so is Coussoule Curriculum 2014

Despite the lengthening of the school year by a week due to the crazy number of snow days we had this year, it is, in fact, only three weeks until the final bell rings and Caroline and John are home for the carefree, sunny, lazy days of summer.

Well, sunny at least. While the kids will have plenty of time to have fun, play with friends, go to the pool, and generally goof off, just like last year they'll also have summer curriculum courtesy of Mom. Add in the worksheets with Dad, the summer reading program at the Fayetteville Public Library, swim lessons and tennis camp, and it should be a jam packed ten weeks.

Last year, we had weekly Bible verses to memorize, three journaling prompts per week, an art project, a science topic with hands on learning, and a recipe for Mommy to try. We were triumphantly successful in Bible verse memorization; the journaling results were priceless; the art projects were fun but toward the end of the summer got a little bit overwhelming; and the science projects were hit or miss, at best. I managed to get all but one of the recipes made, learning along the way that the cookbook I had identified for my life list effort was less than gourmet (or less than edible, a couple of times), so I'm giving myself a break this summer until I find a more reliable source of new family meals.

I have had it on my list for weeks now to get this year's summer curriculum written, but for reasons ranging from legitimate (job transition took most of my excess mental capacity for several weeks) to really lousy (I still have three Candy Crush lives left!) it was left undone, a blank slate, until this morning. Thanks to the early-spring-like weather we are having, my morning bike ride plans got pushed to this afternoon, so I sat down at the computer to knock it out:

Given the hit-or-miss nature of some of the pillars of last summer's curriculum, and with another year of the kids' learning and growing behind us, I tweaked the pillars of study this summer to give us more flexibility and to make it a little bit different and challenging. The Bible verses are still there; in fact, they're already written and ready to go for each week:

The journaling prompts are a staple for every summer to come - last summer I came up with probably half of the ideas myself, but this year I asked The Google for some help, and found a fantastic website that has me thinking this could be a year-round possibility for us.

Gone are the art projects; gone are the science experiments. In their place are the combined History, Science, Geography lessons, and a new pillar on Money Management. My dearest wish is that by the end of the summer, Caroline and John never again say "well we can just go buy one!" about whatever toy or object their fickle hearts desire at the moment.

While not a formal part of the 12 weeks of 2013 summer learning, we also read several children's classics together last year, and I hope to do the same again this summer. We need to finish up one book that we started last year, but there are a few new ones on the list, too. Good readers make good writers, and good writers are hard to find, so I hope to equip my children to stand out with their ability to punctuate, capitalize, use appropriate verb tenses, write complete sentences, and all of the other things that this English nerd Mom loves to see.

The biggest difference between last summer and the one to come is the two week summer vacation we're taking out west. I can't WAIT - there are sights to be seen and natural wonders to behold and Rocky Mountain states to be explored. There will be plenty of fun learning on that trip, including (I hope) Mark Twain audiobooks along the way. Those western states are awfully big, and there will be a lot of driving, and there are only so many movies I can responsibly let them watch in the back of the van. Keep your fingers crossed for me that they like Audible as much as I do!

It's an ambitious curriculum, but I hope it's a balance between keeping the kids inside too much and preventing "I'm bored!" by the third week of June. Summer isn't here yet, but we're ready to hit the ground running when it arrives, barefoot, in our shorts, and ready to learn all at the same time.

Friday Feature: Religious Ed

Caroline has such a wonderful heart, and she is growing to be a Godly and faithful young lady. She truly has the faith of a child, and it is a blessing as a parent to see that every day. She looks forward to religious education every Sunday morning, and now that she's in 3rd grade, there aren't many crafts that come home from class. This past week, though, she proudly showed us what she made in class:

I think along with Bible verses, we'll incorporate memorizing the books of the Bible into our Coussoule curriculum this summer. I always loved Bible verse drills in Vacation Bible School, and given John's competitive nature, maybe that will get him as excited about the Word as Caroline already is.

Ready, set, Joshua 1:9!

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Friday Feature: Sewing Cousins

Final week of the summer, and the Coussoule Curriculum clearly stated Medium: Sewing. Project: Pillows. Seriously, Amanda... where did I come up with this stuff? But on the schedule it was, so we bravely forged ahead.

This week's feature has a guest appearance by my niece Kira, since we were in Houston for a visit. But again - vacation or no vacation, sewing was on the schedule!! Onward!! Machine was packed with patterns and remnants, all conveniently fitting in the sewing machine case I never, in a million billion years, I thought I'd actually use as a case for transport. You just never know...

I have a TON of fabric remnants from projects I've done in the past, and I also have a pattern for letter pillows that I have just been waiting to find the right project for, and voila. Here we go.

I did my best to let the girls do everything they could, and I was pleasantly surprised to see them both throw themselves into the project enthusiastically. I unfortunately did not get any pictures of either of them at the sewing machine (Mom/Aunt fail), but I promise, they did the machine sewing. Despite protests and repeated assertions that they prefer sewing by hand.

STEP 1: CUT THE LETTER ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN

STEP 2: SEW (Okay, okay, I know, no pictures. But it's step 2, and it feels weird to leave it out.)

STEP 3: STUFF THE LETTER PILLOW

STEP 4: HAND SEW THE FINAL SEAM

STEP 5: POSE LIKE A ROCK STAR WITH FINISHED PROJECT

 

So cutting, sewing, stuffing, and finishing done, we have two new letter pillows that I have every confidence will find a place of honor on two little girls' beds in the near future. This project may not have encouraged them in future sewing endeavors, but I bet it will make them think of each other whenever they see those pillows. And that, my friend, is a true work of art.

Friday Feature: Caroline's journaling

The natives are restless... Caroline's journaling for the week starts out just fine, but takes a turn toward revolt with the rant about the worksheets!!

Maybe it's a good thing school starts a week from Monday. The summer Coussoule Curriculum seems to have lost its novelty appeal!!

Friday Feature: John's journaling

A couple of my favorites from the last two weeks:

Topic: Write about a time when you were brave.

Translation: "I was brave when I went on a roller coaster in the dark with creepy mannequin people! I thought they were creept! Very creept!!!!! I had to close my eyes. At the end it was water spraying. Fun!!!"

Topic: What is your favorite thing to help around the house with? What is your least favorite thing to help with?

Translation: "My favorite thing to help around the house is washing the dishes. My least favorite is sweep. My favorite is because it is easy and sort of fun. My least favorite is because I don't like finding the crumbs!!!"

Friday Feature: Up, Up and Away!

Hot Air Balloon

I saw a hot air balloon flying over my house:

Most of the time, it was quiet as a mouse,

But, every so often, its burners suddenly roared,

And higher, up into the sky, it suddenly soared.

My excitement, I found hard to keep at bay,

As, a hot air balloon, you don't see every day.

A passenger balloon floating through the air,

For me, is so special, as the sight is so rare.

The sight of the balloon, filled me with delight,

And I stood watching it, until it flew out of sight.

My eyes were stuck to the balloon, just like glue,

As it floated across a sky of cornflower blue.

I wonder what it's like to float through the sky,

Wathing the world down below gliding on by.

I've always wanted to ride in a hot air balloon:

I hope I will one day, and I hope that it's soon.

-- Angela Wybrow

Paper mâché is a mess, but man, did we have fun with it. I put this on the curriculum calendar this summer knowing it would be a mess and a lot of work, but with the hopes that it would be so much fun, the mess would be totally worth it. I remember as a girl doing a paper mâché craft with my Brownie troop, and clearly it was a highlight of my artistic career. So for this craft, I joined in the fun. 

There are a lot of steps to a paper mâché hot air balloon:

Blow up balloon
Mix up paper mache mess
Dip torn strips of paper and layer onto balloon

Taking her time, covering up the whole balloon and
keeping it smooth to paint later

Step one - Done!

Let it dry for a few days, then paint a
base coat of white

And make a monkey face
while painting 

Definitely the best part

Finally - time to paint the design on!

Given drying time, my work schedule, and missing key materials like pipe cleaners and yarn, we did it a bit in stops and starts. I think the final results, though, were definitely worth the mess.

Caroline's

John's

Mommy's 

Up, Up and Away!!

Friday Feature: Journaling Homework

What would you do if you had a million dollars?

When I was a kid, that was an almost unfathomable amount of money. Now that I'm a grown up, working on a business managing almost half a billion in retail sales and over $60 million in trade funds (that's right - over the course of a year I write checks for $60 million dollars - not bad for an English major), a million dollars doesn't really seem like all that much money.

But then again, maybe it's because those $60 million dollars aren't my dollars.

When our office pool won $10,000 in the lottery, I was straight up giddy. And that's a couple of zeros short of a million dollars. So when I really, truly think about it, there's still that little kid in side of me saying - A MILLION DOLLARS!!! WOWEEWOWOW!!!!

Since I want the kids to have fun as much as I want them to learn this summer, several of the journaling topics are intended to be just that: fun. And in a world where your allowance is only about $2 (and that comes sporadically when Mommy remembers), what's more fun than thinking about how to spend a million dollars?

If I had a million dollars... I'd be rich.

Disaster Strikes! (aka, my attempt at homemade bread)

Everything has been going so well with my new recipes this summer... until last Sunday. When I got home after being gone for almost a week, I was suddenly struck with the impulse to STAY CAUGHT UP on my one new recipe a week this summer! Hurry, hurry! Must make Herb & Cheese Bubble Loaf!

I apparently have a budding cook/chef/baker in my son, as I learned that while I was gone he was Handy Helper in the kitchen. I'm all about it - a man who can cook makes a fine husband, speaking from experience - so future wife of my son, you're welcome.

Now, bread is a tricky thing - I had a bread maker years ago that I successfully made pizza crust in approximately three times. Most expensive pizza crust EVER. Beyond that, my bread experience primarily consists of cornbread. No yeast, about six ingredients, and a family recipe from Aunt Lurlene.

The bubble loaf, though - lots of ingredients. Including yeast. And no thermometer in the kitchen to check the temperature of the liquid before I add it to the dry mixture. But I have a Kitchenaid mixer!!! Doesn't that make everything come out right??

Note the bread hook. I'm practically a professional.

Follow the recipe; measure the ingredients; do everything in the right order. Check, check, check. 

Knead the dough. Everyone wants in on this part.

Then we came to the let it rise part. This was where I got my first indication that maybe, possibly, potentially, everything wasn't as it should be. I maaaaaaybe killed the yeast. Because it really didn't rise much.

Did that stop me? NO!! Drive on!!!!

Roll it out, cut the dough, form into dough balls to make the bubbles.

And here... here is where the train picked up speed going over the cliff. The recipe calls for the dough balls to be rolled in the butter and herb mixture before put into the dish for baking. Oregano, marjoram and parsley, to be precise. Three seemingly innocent herbs just waiting to be mixed with butter to make my recipe of the week delicious.

The final product:

Yuuuuuuuuuck. Yes, I know the bread didn't rise. Yes, I know I'm not a master baker by any means. But that's not my final assessment. This is.

Curse you, oregano.