Weekly Happenings: In Which We Move Barns and Gear Up for a BIG Weekend

This week was hectic! Both girls had their annual check-ups on Monday (everyone is fine), and Tiny Girl's equestrian trainer also moved into her new barn. We helped move stuff on Monday afternoon: trunks, horse blankets galore, saddle pads, girths, etc. A high note (which would have been issued by my mouth if I'd seen it) was the scurrying rat in the storage room, irritated that its home under the blankets was ruined.

We were at the new barn every afternoon. The girls and I spread fresh shavings in the stalls. I shoveled shavings into a large wheelbarrow and then dumped four loads into each stall; the girls spread them out. This is a big, dusty job.

Miss Priss spreading shavings. 

We helped get the horses settled in: three ponies and one horse, who paced all afternoon at the gate of his turnout. The ponies revelled in their large, grassy turnouts, galloping, even bucking a bit, whinnying. No pacing for them!

Max grazing in his turnout.

Today, Tiny Girl and I leave for our Girl Scout Camporee. (Have I mentioned it's raining here? It hasn't rained like this -- a slow, steady rain -- in weeks. But today....) Miss Priss has a musical theatre production, A Tribute to Broadway, tomorrow night and is not able to join us. She has dress rehearsal tonight from 5:00 til 9:00 and has to be at the venue tomorrow at 3:00. Happily, Tiny Girl and I are going to be able to attend the show; the Camporee location is only 10 miles from the theatre venue. However, Himself is in charge of Miss Priss and her costumes, props, schedule, food, transportation, etc. He'll handle it beautifully, as he always does, but he's grousing a bit. "Wait. Do we have to go to the after-show 'party' at IHOP? That's not necessary!" Yes, they have to go.

Tiny Girl and I are looking forward to a fab weekend canoeing, letting arrows fly on the archery range, boating on the lake (pontoon), a luau pool party, s'mores, the whole nine yards. We may be sporting those plastic-wrappy Dollar Tree rain capes, but we'll be having a great time. Woo hoo!

We managed to get some schoolwork done. This week, we mixed up our math a bit. Miss Priss went back to Life of Fred Fractions, which she understands better since we spent some time with Ck12's sixth grade math program. Tiny Girl asked for a break from MEP, so she's been working in her Math Detective workbook (a Critical Thinking Company publication). I would normally post links, but my computer's been locking up (someone's coming this morning to take a look at it) and I don't want to take the chance since it's working well at this particular moment. I'll try to add them in later.

A peep at our some of our readings:

• This Country of Ours: the battle of Gettysburg. I've ordered the (epic) movie from Netflix for us to watch as a family.
• Story Book of Science: the power of steam
• Oliver Twist: our hero's on the lam. He's hooked up with the Artful Dodger and made his way to London.
• A Passion for the Impossible: Lilias meets John Ruskin in Venice
• Plutarch's Lives, "Brutus": Brutus goes to Greece and raises an army when he hears about Rome's troubles between Octavius Caesar and Antonius.

Those are highlights from our week! How was yours?

When you have a moment, take a look at parts one, two, and three of my series on Enjoying Poetry with Your Children. There's more to come, including resources!