Monday, July 2, 2012

Alaskan, Catholic, Homeschooling Family with Kids with CF ~

Or, our entire family went camping this weekend.  It dawned on me, while awake and freezing in the tent the second evening because I switched sleeping bags with Clare and she got my down one, that this trip embodied my subtitle, which is My Life.



ALASKAN:

We live in a gorgeous place and when we drive a few hours south to Seward, on Resurrection Bay, it's gorgeous-er (if that's possible).  Behold ~
From the top of Mount Marathon, which Ken, Rees, and John decided to hike/run at the last minute.  Sounded fun, they said.  OK.





Lots of other people thought it'd be a good idea, too, so they asked someone to take this shot.  Thank you, Stranger!





It really was hot, on the washout plain of Exit Glacier, but Ken left his warm-weather clothes at home and Luke wanted to dress like Ken.




This was usually all we saw of Clare: hunched over, staring intently at some small something.  Or running. 




Like a cat, Ian found a patch of sun for the chilly, early morning.  Meow.





CATHOLIC:


One of the children was grounded.  I know, I know, grounded on vacation?  But it was either that, or cancel the whole thing and by golly, I wanted to be close to the ocean because I grew up in SE New England and I missed it.  Here is where it is wonderful to be Catholic.  It packs a whole lotta more punch to answer a belligerent child with, "...because all I care about is the salvation of your eternal soul!" than with, "...because you're rude."  If the salvation prayer, said at 4 years of age guarantees Heaven no matter how disobedient or naughty or rude, than you don't get to yell gently admonish, "Proclivity to venial sin leads to mortal sin and over my dead body are you going to Hell!"  


It all ended up just fine.  Marvelous, really;  all was well about half-way through.  Thank you for your prayers, dear Saints Augustine, Terese, Anne, and Our Blessed Loving Mother!   (See, Catholic again.)




HOMESCHOOLING

When one homeschools loosey-goosey, as we do, a trip like this is golden.  See stuff; exclaim over it; take a photo; ask leading questions even if you don't know the answer; and google more information at home.  I present :

A Stellar's jay, noticed and photographed at Primrose Creek; identified at home with our books.





Exit Glacier's washout plain play led to map-reading and rock-skipping.


Which led to this discovery at home, while looking up the physics of it all:







Bingo!  School.




 WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS


Oh yes, can't forget CF.

The flutter valve and baby percussor and pills-in-ziplocs and water bottles and applesauce are small enough to fit in any baby carrier or backpack, so easy-squeezy to take care of anywhere.  Rees fired up the van in the early morning and evening in order to plug in a converter and nebulizer for his lung chores.  He and John played cards together.  I no longer ask what in the world they talk about.  It's all good.




*I just realized that I got the order wrong between the subtitle and this post title, but my quiet time here at the computer is over, so oh well.*


Happy Alaskan, Catholic, Homeschooling, CF-ing (That sounds bad, but you know it's not.  Well, it is but you know what I mean...) Summer~

Love, Allison 


In direct defiance of Michelle O's nutritional directives, the Howells toasted Twinkies over our fire.













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