Home School Field Trip - part 2

Beginning where we left off:

After the Leigh Yawkeye Woodson Art Museum, I wanted to take the boys out for a special treat.

Sweet Lola's is a cupcakery in the square in downtown Wausau.

I really love the square. The city developers and the business owners have done a great job of making the square a cool place to dine, shop and find entertainment.

Back to Sweet Lola's. 

The boys have never been a to a cupcakery before. I loved watching their faces as they perused the baked goods through the case.  Seth and Wyat changed their minds at least once.

It was even better watching these boys of mine devour their sweet treats.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm. . . . .

Mmmmmmmmmm . . . .

 Mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!

It's obvious that he enjoyed his cupcake by the evidence on his face.

 I enjoyed mine too. (Although I tried to keep it off my face)

It was worth every calorie.

I got the chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting.

(Please excuse the blurry photo.  Tate is still working on his photography skills.) 

The cupcakse were good to the last bite. 

We all cleaned our plates and then licked the rest of the frosting off of them. (you would too)

Of course we couldn't enjoy all this deliciousness and not bring any home for Troy.

Fortunately, they have really adorable to-go boxes.

Thanks for the treat Sweet Lola's.

We'll be looking forward to our next visit.

Oh, I brought a cupcake called Irish Car Bomb home for Troy.  He was sweet enough to share it.

Let's just say, the frosting was divine.

If they are serving Irish Car Bomb next time I go, that will be the one I get.

I'll be having sweet memories of this home school field trip.  Who wants to join us next time?

Home School Field Trip

On Friday, the boys and I decided it was the perfect opportunity for us to go on a field trip.

This is another wonderful aspect of home schooling. We can pick when and where we want to take our field trips.

Over in Wausau, there is an Art museum called the Leigh Yawkeye Woodson Art Museum.
This museum is a hidden treasure.  They bring in new art exhibits every few months, but what really makes them a gem is their passion for making art, kid friendly. They even have a room in the basement designated just for kids and to play.  One of the best things about the museum, besides the activities they plan for kids around the current art exhibit, is the fact that there is no admission fee.

So let me spell it out clearly for you, they love kids, and it doesn't cost anything.

All this equals a perfect field trip opportunity.  Especially because of the current art display:

Does this book look familiar to anyone?  The artwork inside it is truly spectacular.  Very colorful,  full of imagination and whimsy, and extremely detailed. The art exhibit was all about the paintings that are the originals for the illustrations in the book. The artist, James Turney, really put a lot of time, planning, and creativity into his art. The art work is really spectacular.

I was especially interested in taking the boys to this exhibit because my boys have liked dinosaurs for a long time. Tate especially went through a serious dinosaur phase, where I'm sure he had most of the names of the dinosaurs memorized, even though he could hardly speak well enough to pronounce them.  I saw this as a perfect opportunity to expose them to an art museum, but with the ability to keep it interesting for them.

The museum also has a wonderful garden full of statues located along the paved walking path. Unfortunately both times we've been at the museum, the weather has been poor and we haven't really been able to enjoy it as much as we could.  We need to plan a trip when the flowers are in bloom and the weather is fair.

The kids really enjoyed the museum.  They liked the dinosaur paintings a lot. It was a good opportunity to draw their attention to different styles of art. It also gave me the opportunity to build into them a little appreciation for art and to inform them of many of the steps that go into the creation of a painting.

After our foray into the arts, I wanted to take the boys for a special treat. 

I had just the place in mind:

Sorry, but you'll have to wait for the next blog post to get the details.

It's Fun to Play at the YMCA!

Last week we decided to make our own field trip (just one of the many blessing of home schooling). We really wanted to go somewhere we could burn some pent up energy since the winter weather keeps us indoors more than we are used to.  I get to the point where I just can't handle the kids running wild through the house anymore.  So I called up my sister and asked her what our options were down in the Fox Valley, where she lives. She discovered that the YMCA sells a day pass for $14.00 a family (plus the lady at the desk let my sister, mom, and I all count as one family!). You can even use the day pass at all of the YMCA locations in the valley area, there are 3 of them. Woot! One of the Y's has a gymnastics room. That's where we decided to go first and spend most of our time. Let me just tell you, it was so much fun!!!! The boys LOVED it. Plus it was really fun to watch them experience all of the fun gymnastics equipment. They had never had an opportunity to jump off of a trampoline into a foam pit, swing on the bar, run and jump on a spring board, and the spring floor, well, it was more fun for me than for them. The kids wouldn't stand still long enough for me to take a picture that didn't turn out fuzzy.
It was a great way to spend the morning, and even more fun because my sister, her kids, and my mom joined in the fun too. Then in the afternoon we went to another Y and let the little kids play in a fun indoor play park while the bigger kids went to the splash pad.
Let me just tell you, those kids slept GOOD that night.
We are definitely going to have to go back at least one more time this winter. I was pleasantly surprised to see Bible verses posted on banners and on the t.v. screens through out the buildings.  I didn't realize that the Y promoted their Christian foundation so boldly. Yay!
Next time, I am going to spend more time jumping off that trampoline into the foam pit. I felt like a kid again. And the spring floor, well, let's just say, my inner gymnast really wanted to bust out. I may have let her if I wasn't sure it would result in some serious sprains or even a broken bone or two.
Whoo Hoo!