No Phone, No Internet, No TV

November 15, 2007

Nature Walks, Homemade Pasta & Reading Out Loud

Well the phones and the internet have been pretty spotty since we got here to the KOA (and especially this week), and I have started limiting the amount of TV Abby can watch, so we've had to think of things to do instead. It's definately harder than it sounds! Plus, add in the rain almost every day and the fact that all her campground friends have moved on, and you've got the recipe for LONG days. Yesterday I even found myself hanging out in the campground store answering phones when I wasn't even scheduled to work! I'm so used to having 15 hours of work to do each day that I just don't know what to do with myself. I've thrown myself into the homeschooling, but you really can only read so much on teaching kindergarten and Abby can only spend so much of the day learning new things. Oh, by the way, she's now sounded out and read 5 easy readers by herself. It's still very new, but she is so excited that she can "read"!

The Bee Movie

November 8, 2007

A Surprisingly Educational Film!

I wasn't too thrilled about seeing this movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the movie entertaining for both kids and adults, but it was actually very educational. Abby learned all about bees, hives, worker bees, pollination and what would happen if there were no bees (all vegetation dies!) and how things are all tied together. I went onto Scholastic when I got home and got these lessons, if anyone wants to use them- Scholastic Bee Movie Lesson Plans

Washington DC with Friends

November 5, 2007

This is WAY to fun to be school!

The Museum of Natural History, the Art Museum, Jefferson Memorial, feeding the pigeons in the park, Washington Monument, White House, popcorn from a street cart, Reflecting Pool, WWII and Vietnam Memorials, a train ride, Arlington Cemetery, watching the changing of the guard, dinner at a Blues BBQ place on the way home - this was way too much fun to call school!

Eddy, I, and Abby and our friends Rita & Pete and their 7yo twins, Dylan & Christian, took to the city today for a fun, but very educational adventure. We rode the train in (Abby's first train ride - she was so excited), caught the Tourmobile to see some of the sights and explored the rest of the city by foot. Truthfully, I hated the cemetery and the War Memorials, but that's just me. The changing of the guard was really cool though. I had never seen anyone move in such a regimented way. You seriously would have thought that they were mechanical! The rest of everything was great too! I bought Abby a camera a few weeks ago, and she went crazy with it - especially in the Art Museum. It seems she loves art! and I got the chance to see some really famous pieces!

My Movie Premier

November 4, 2007

I got to be in a MOVIE!

So I was just hanging out, working in the store here at the campground, and turns out a film crew is suppose to shoot a horror movie here (because of the Haunted House I guess) and a couple of the actors didn't show so they asked Eddy and Me! I am the barmaid and Eddy plays one of the monsters. You only see his costume, but I got a pretty good part with lines and everything! You just never know what will happen next in around here!

Working in the Haunted House

October 31, 2007

Working in the Haunted House

What a great time we are having here!

The Hagerstown KOA is known for their Haunted House and I was so glad that we got to be a part of that again this year. I played Mabel, who is a main character in the plot, and Eddy was the new character this year, Guts. Abby was suppose to hang out in the snack bar, but she decided to stay with Eddy instead. We all had a blast scaring everyone!

It is so nice to be able to see all John & Judi again, plus all of the old friends we left behind when we left here to buy the campground. John & Judi are such great people. Before we bought Tall Pines Campground in NY we worked here in 2004. What they taught us has been irreplacable! We came here hoping to find out some of the basics of running a campground and walked away not only with the knowledge of the business, but with great friendships as well. This trip down has been especially great since we not only got to visit with old friends, but made new ones as well - Rita & Pete and their 7yo twins. They are also full-time RVing and homeschooling and our families just clicked!

Hitting the Road

October 28, 2007

Jump Aboard! This bus is leaving!

Finally! Tall Pines Campground is now officially closed for the winter and we are ready to roll! It was such a fun year at the campground, but I can't say that I'm not ready for a vacation! I have finally gotten through the list of 10,000 things that all need to be done to get the campground ready and to get us packed up into the RV for the next 6 months. It is amazing how much there is to do so that we can leave- winterization, security, packing, and the million other things that somehow show up all in the last days before you leave. This will be our official first year of homeschooling Abby so in addition to our clothes, office stuff, toys, and books, we had to save 3 cabinets just for homeschool stuff and games. I signed her up at the beginning of the month for the online homeschool Time4Learning but I have so much more stuff that I want to do with her than just the computer.

Well, Here We Go! First Stop Maryland

Our Family's Travel Blog

Welcome to our Family's Travel & Homeschool Adventure Blog

We are Eddy, Gayle & Abby - the Campin' Family. From May until October we reside in NY state where we own Tall Pines Campground (www.TallPinesCampground-NY.com) and from October until May we hit the road in our RV for what Abby calls "Our Journey". We invite you to come along with us for our "Off Season Adventures" as we enjoy what the U.S. has to offer, meet new people, try new things, and using the world as our classroom road school Abby.

Grab your bags, the RV is waiting!