Beating the Winter Blues at the Beach

While the snow, sleet and ice are falling in Charlotte, we are hiding out at the beach :)

Today we took the girls to MagiQuest.  MagiQuest is an interactive attraction where by "using a magic wand that knows you by name and remembers everything you accomplish, you explore a world filled with amazing creatures and characters where you gain skill and knowledge and rise to untold levels of bravery."  In essence, you choose a "quest" which has clues for 4 or 5 items that you have to find throughout the kingdom in order to complete the task.  There are 12 or so quests at the first level.

The girls had a blast and Michael and I had a great time too.  Ramsey completed 9 quests and Bradey completed 6.   

You also have the opportunity to "duel" against someone.  Bradey and Ramsey went against each other (of course).  It was the one time when the parents encouraged you to duel with your sister.  Bradey won the first time and Ramsey won the second time.

Now we're back warm and cozy at the condo.  We're waiting for Papa Johns to deliver dinner and then we're settling down for a movie.  Tomorrow, we hope to take a stroll along the beach and see what shells we can find before heading home, back to reality...and probably snow :)

"I have to think" - Bradey

Okay, I had to take a quick moment out of our school morning to share a quote from Bradey :)  I asked her if she was finished with her math lesson because it was taking her a while.  Now, even though Bradey knows what lessons she is to do for the day in each subject, sometimes she will sit there when she finishes a subject and act like she doesn't know what to do next and is waiting for me to tell her.  So, I thought maybe she was just sitting there finished.  However, she informed that she was not finished yet.  She said, with a great sense of exhaustion, "it's hard and I have to think!".

Now, I do not know if that means that she usually doesn't have to "think" when she does her school work or if it just means that this particular lesson was just a bit more challenging.  But, just to be safe, I think that I'll make them all a little more challenging so that she doesn't sneak through a school day without having to think :)

Ramsey didn't want to be left out, she's practicing piano right now:

 

Our day is going great, hope yours is too!

Spelling Bee

Home Educator's Regional Spelling Bee

Ramsey finished in 5th place in the spelling bee today!  This was her first spelling bee experience and we are so proud of her!  She did wonderful, didn't seem nervous at all and showed great composure when she mispelled her word (not everyone did). 

We wanted her to have this experience of preparing for the bee, getting up in front of a crowd, keeping a clear head, etc. 

She was the youngest in the top 5 and will be a competitor to reckon with next year :)

 

Treats for the Troops

As a family, we collected boxes full of goodies for "Hands on Charlotte" to send to troops overseas.  We had a great time filling each box with the goodies that had been donated.  Both Ramsey and Bradey really "got" who we were sending the boxes to and as we filled them we talked about where they might be, what they might be experiencing, how their family might feel with them being away, etc.

When we got to the drop off point, it was really wonderful to see all the boxes that had already been donated.  The final count was 533 boxes!

We had such a great time putting the boxes together that Ramsey asked if we could do it again next year :).  Actually, boxes can be sent anytime.  If you are interested in sending a box or two to our brave men and women overseas, check out this website:  http://www.anysoldier.com/.  My disclaimer, we did not go through this website when we sent ours, however, I found it when I was looking for a way to send more boxes on our own.  I couldn't find any negative press on them, so, so far it looks legit.

We're picking an organization/charity each month to volunteer with as a family , so, stay posted for next month's adventure!

  

Ramsey's Winter Piano Recital

Ramsey had her first piano recital back in December.  She did wonderful!  I LOVE the music academy that she goes to.  It is a much different experience than the one I had with the lady from church when I was her age :)  Ramsey has to research and write a short composition on a different composer each week, as well as, has a music theory component to her lessons, etc.  If you are in the Charlotte area and looking for instrument or voice lessons, I would suggest Charlotte Academy of Music on Idlewild Road http://www.charlotteacademyofmusic.com/ . 

If you are looking for voice or piano lessons specifically, see Heather Brunner!