Vacation

Chery

Back from a wonderful vacation with my family. The first part of our vacation was with my sister. What an amazing trip it was. Spending time with my sister and my handsome nephews. It was also the first time I have driven from Maine to Florida!!! I let my sister handle the kids since that is normally my job when we go some where and she is always driving for work. Was a nice change. We met up in CT and left early the next morning making our first days travel as far as Santee, SC 772 miles with 5 kids!!! Got a hotel room there that fit all 7 of us and was not overly priced and was nice inside. Up early again the next morning to make it to Kissimmee, FL, another 403 miles. Made a stop just outside Dayton Beach to visit a friend that i have not seen since I was like 9 years old. Was so good to see her and her parents. Then on to the resort. Arrived there got checked in and met up with our cousin that I have not seen since my Gram had passed away 8 years ago. All this seeing people was awesome but let me back up just a little, I had left Maine just 2 days prior where we had over 5' of snow on the ground and it was bitter cold. The best part when we got south of PA was not just that it was sunny but it was warm. Oh how I love warmth.

Waking up in SC in 60 degree weather was so nice. I got out of bed and stepped outside in bare feet and it was WARM. My kids all came out and said, "yes, t-shirt and shorts!" By the time we go to Daytona the only thing I wanted to do was put my toes in the sand if only for a minute it was going to be nice. So we did. We parked at a hotel that said no parking unless you were staying there and walked out to the beach and put our toes in the sand.The sand was warm and the water was great. But we had our cousin Lisa waiting for us so we got back in the car and off to the resort. We got settled in and spent some time at the pool and visiting and the kids we playing outside and my son loves animals had a grand time catching the anoles. We enjoyed our stay at the resort for the next couple of days in the beautiful sunny weather.

Next it was on to the mountains in North Carolina. after being in 70+ degree weather I didn't want to leave but my sister had booked this awesome vacation and didn't want to spend to much time in one place. We love to explore. So another 8 hours(579 miles) on the road to Lake Lure, NC. Here we stayed at another resort that was more for people who Golf. Was a beautiful resort and we enjoyed our time here as well but it was not as warm and not as much going on at the resort but it was nice to just sit and relax. We took the kids on one awesome hike up Chimney Rock. The views were beautiful and the steps were evil!!! LOL we did all 829 steps (it is like 1 giant stair case) My husband Jeff met up with us there on Friday.

 My sister and I have not been on a vacation alone ever. It was so great to spend time together like we used to when we were kids. Just the 2 of us and kids being able to have all those sisterly talks. It was a bitter sweet end to the week when we had to part ways. I love the time I had with my sister and nephews. My kids got to spend some good quality time with their cousins. And we all were able to survive that long time in a car together!!




My sister headed home and we were on our way to Myrtle Beach!!!! This was our planned family vacation. A vacation on the beach where we could relax and explore all there was to explore on the beach. And that is just what we did. Pretty much every day we walked on the beach. We did go swimming and laid out in the sun and oh the looks we got. To the people who lived there it wasn't warm enough but the water was about the same temperature as it is here in Maine during the midst of the summer. LOL We all got a nice burn/tan. Nothing serious but enough to enjoy. We found a ton of awesome things on the beach including sting ray tails, star fish, jelly fish, sea urchins and a ton of cool shells. As the week came to an end none of us wanted to come home to Maine as we knew there was still feet of snow back home and cold. So we made our trip home an interesting one.

Leaving Myrtle Beach to go home most people just hit the high way and hammer down. Not this family we are nomads/ gypsies. We took more of a coastal root. Saw some beautiful country and saw some awesome things! We crossed the Chesapeake Bay tunnel Bridge, we have done this a few times before and it never gets old. Then it was on to Assateague Island with the wild horses. My husband and I had been there before we had kids on a trip to NYC! LOL that is another story (we were only going to NYC for the day and ended up at VA beach). If you ever have a chance to go here I highly recommend it. You are not to get close to the horses but to see them wild and free is beautiful. It is also a camp ground and even that is beautiful. We have not camped there YET!!!! From there we were off to Philly. We stayed just out side of the city and headed in the next morning to see the Liberty Bell and the Betsy Ross house. When we woke up that morning it was rather cold and all we had brought with us was sweat shirts. But my awesome kids went with it like they always do. We found a parking garage and took to the streets not seeing all that we wanted to but enjoying what we did see. But what else is in Philly???? IKEA!!! What is a girl to do with one so close? Go for a walk around IKEA of course! Kids don't enjoy this until we are inside and they can check out all the cool rooms and touch all the stuff! The next stop was not one I think many people have been to but well worth the trip. The Tear Drop Memorial in NJ. The wind was bitterly cold and I was disappointed in the fact that it looks like some one just chose a spot out of the blue and that there are not many signs telling you that it is there. You go out this long road where you can get on cruise ships and through a few ware house yards and finally you are there. I think they could advertise and make it easier to see. Anyway what a beautiful memorial from Russia. We unfortunately didn't spend to much time there because of the bitterly cold wind coming off the sound. Then it was back into the car and off to CT. But i love to challenge my husbands driving and patients!!! LOL took him right into Lower Manhattan! He doesn't care though he is so laid back and easy going. Also it is not the first time that we have been in the city just the first time in this part. Drove right through Chinatown, must go back and explore there!!! Then we were on the FDR Drive and what to do know but stop and go but we got a chance to look around at all the beautiful art on the buildings and enjoy the views of the East River. Made it to CT to spend the night with Nancy, she is like a second mother to me. Oh but the cold we so didn't want to continue on home it was so cold compared to the 70+ we had been in. But we did the next morning we headed out to make a surprise visit to the in-laws house. We had a nice visit there and were able to meet our newest niece. About 5 hours later we were home.

Traveling is my peace. It is my soul. I will never stop traveling and I can't wait to do it full time.

Dyslexic

When you realize that the way you are teaching just isn't working. Not saying that every child has this issue but after so much research I have realized and have been told before that my daughter is dyslexic. This only means that i need to change how I teach her and nothing else. So while she is working i am trying to figure out what works best for her. Although i wish it was just stamped on her! 

Background: If you ever struggled with reading or spelling or can relate on how this all feels. I was so mad at my mother when she held me back in 3rd grade because I was not a good reader. Although I realize know that, that year i was determined to figure out how to read better and with the extra help in school I did learn ways that helped me. I have watched enough shows on how dyslexia affects people in different ways that I to am dyslexic. No i have never been diagnosed nor do i wish to pay someone $$$$$ to tell me I am. I have also realized and my husband has realized that he to is affected. He was great in school as long as he didn't have to write or keep notebooks. I was opposite the only way i could remember was to keep notes and highlight in many different colors and rewrite my notes each night that i had taken that day. For those of you who are reading this you may say well a lot of people do that and this is just one example of how i coped. 

Today: So we have started some programs with our daughter and have seen some great gains in a day. But i feel like it is always 1 step forward and 2 steps back. Just because she learned it today doesn't mean she is going to remember it tomorrow or even in 20 minutes from now. So we do a lot of work over and over and over again and then we break and go back to see just how much she has remembered. We are hopefully that one day she will learn ways to help herself when she is struggling on something new and we are hoping that we can help her train her brain so both the left and right side work together. 

She is one amazing and loved kid no matter how hard it is for her to learn and no matter how much we have to do things again and again. 

For those of you out there with kids with dyslexia hang on it is a journey. It is not always easy but you have to keep trying. I will never give up on my daughter or any of my kids. I hope they know just how much I love them and try to do the best for them!

Vacation

Everyone deserves a little time away now and then! We try and go on vacation at least once a year. Thanks to my sister having a time share that we are able to use, it makes it a lot easier to vacation. A place to sleep is your biggest cost then eating out. We have always been very frugal or cheap! When we are traveling we normally stop at a grocery store and buy bread, sliced meat, cheese and a bottle of ranch dressing. That is just one way we save. This year we are going to Myrtal beach. Our 3 kids will be more then happy to spend every day at the beach and in the resort pool but because we homeschool I try to find something educational to do on the cheap. This year I am not overly worried about it though because with a ocean just feet from our resort there will be plenty to learn. Another way we save is by driving not flying. Most people think this is crazy to ride with kids for 15+ hours in a car but we load up with books on tape some great movies and there is always binder work! So in the next few weeks look out for some pictures of ocean views. Also, a few suprise pictures from other places along the way!

Phase 2 update!

Ok so I last left you in 2015's big project which was putting in insulation and plywood. Here are a few of the finished pictures!

This is a clear view of the fact that we didn't have much insulation! 

The only reason the wall does 

on the left does is because that is the bathroom we redid.

Yeh!!! Shout for joy the plywood is all up!!!

We have a beautiful view, I must say!

Was time to rebuilt the platform that you step onto when coming through the front door!

Completely rebuilt and plywood for the floor I can't seem to find the finished picture!

Thoughts for the bathroom because we love

 how it looks at the front door!

No completed yet!!

We built this 5 years ago. Time has come!

It looks so empty with out the car port! 

Oh my things are about to get real!!

 Moved out of the back bedrooms and time to fix the foundation!
H A Higgins & Son Inc workers took 1 week to dig pour and back fill!

We are ready for some concrete! 

Phase 1: footing poured!!

Now to fill that empty space and 

reward my husband for putting up with my 

wild dream!

A foundation for a garage what more do men want!!

Oh that's right where we live they want it heated!!

Back to the house because we can't have

that big gaping hole all winter!! Phase 2 getting ready to pour the 

wall!!

Here come the trucks! I think there were 2 or 3 just

for the garage that day!!

Walls are done and now for hauling in 

that stone and pouring the slab!

Now it is time for the back filling 

but first the drainage!

Getting the yard back into shape with a drain!

Cement is poured in the house!

Slab is dry and the week is through! 

Crew is gone and now it is time for me to start building!

Husband is at work and it is summer vacation for the kids. This girl is out building a garage! 30' x 32'!

Was a long couple of day's putting walls together and finding help to stand them. I couldn't really help as I had hurt my back earlier in the year. Thanks to all of you who were here to help us lift these walls. 

A break from the garage while we add some extra insulation to the back wall 2" foam. I am also patiently waiting on my windows for the bedrooms at this point! 

Mind you this was a dance hall and we we were cutting the wall for a window we found palm trees!

Still waiting!

Mean while the garage is getting rafters!!

Good thing my husband is NOT bothered by heights like I am!!

Time to call in the monkey's who are not afraid to be up there! Thank you to our best man in our wedding 

for coming to help till after dark! Also to another who was there to walk the nail gun back and forth! 

To tired to cook for anyone time to go out to dinner! Then when we got home we remembered we didn't have a picture of it done so here is the first picture with it this far!

Roofing going up. I am used to this part, we did the roof on the house one summer! I get to stand on the man lift!!!

Believe it or not this was the roofing on the house 

and we recycled it for the garage I just love that it looks like one of them really old barns!

Time for some fun and sunsets out to the lake!

 What a long summer it was!!

Next post will have less pictures but talk about all the fun we had last summer and what we are up to know! 

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