{SQT} Latta Plantation Civil War Camp

1. Sunday Festivities

We had the most lovely family day on Sunday, with no photos to show for it. After Mass, the homeschooling boys had their once monthly basketball game, wearing team jerseys, using an adult referree, and keeping score and everything! It's loads of fun. Meanwhile, the parishioners had a potluck to which probably 200 people showed up! The priest invited everyone in advance to bring in their holy items to be blessed, causing the people to cover four entire lunch tables with treasured objects. Lastly, there was a pro-life film being screened upstairs: "Unprotected: A Pope, the Pill, and the Perils of Sexual Chaos" by Ignatius Press. We ended up buying a copy and I wrote my review on my movies page.

2. Packing

Now that school planning is mostly in the books, I put in more time packing boxes this week.

3. Latta Plantation Camps

Meanwhile, the oldest three were off to Civil War Soldiers camp and Latta Lasses camp, this being the first year for Margaret (8) and the last year for John (12--max age). John wishes to be a counselor-in-training/"sargeant" next year.

We are accustomed to doing a lot as a family, so Joseph (6) was nearly beside himself with grief to be parted from his beloved Margaret that first day (and lonely subsequent days). I ended up taking the three little boys to play at a playground for distraction, which was very fun until David (almost 2) tripped and got his first big knee scrape. For days now, he has been recounting to me, "Scrape! Ouchie! Blood!"

4. Gardening

Chris is in charge of innumerable details preparing the new house for us to move in and preparing the current/old house to list for sale. He is hiring many contracts for big repairs and doing many small repairs himself.

One thing I tried to do is add color to the front of the home.

• Caladium ('Royal Flush,' 'Heart of Jesus')
• Coleus
• Setcreasea pallida ('Purple Heart,' 'Wandering Jew')
• Hypoestes thyllostachya (Polka Dot Plant 'Hippo Pink')
• Heuchera (Coral Bells 'Autumn Leaves')

The deer ate my purple coleus in the center of my bed of creeping jenny, so now there is no color contrast like there should be. So, I bought five purple, deer-resistant Setcraesea in the middle of the bed to create some variety of color and shape.

Before picture

After picture

After picture

I planted three new color spot pots . . .

. . . and three purple coral bells at our side entrance. The deer never go to that part of our yard, so I hope they will be safe from deer there; however, in the two days since I've planted them, I think even the few hours of direct sun they receive is way too much. I may have to move them to save my investment!

I was the one who sweltered and dug in the 90-degree heat for several hours, but David watching me from the shade is the one who fell asleep.

5. Company of Little Boys

My week was quite different than usual because I had the company of only my little trio, 6, almost 4, and almost 2.

We had great times and I also tried to let them shine as they asked, "Let me do it! Let me try!" With no bigger siblings around, they helped me pack boxes, plant new plants and water them daily, Joseph washed dishes on his own, fold the towels . . .

. . . make lunches and snacks, including Thomas peeling his own apple.

In our house, my husband takes my van out to fill it with gas, and now if I get stuck having to do it myself, I can have my 12-year-old son do it for me if he's with me. Well, this week, I let my begging 6-year-old start to learn how to do all the steps so that he can do it independently soon enough!

6. Latta Plantation Final Battle

The three children had a great time this week at camp. That said, they were utterly exhausted and crabby while at home, and it was nigh impossible to have them do any chores or music practice. I thought often about kids in school-school and wondered how the families manage the fatigue. Even as homeschoolers, we are doing school from 8:00 till about 3:00 or 4:00 and we have events numerous times weekly, but that doesn't cause anything like the psychic and emotional fatigue of the commute twice daily and being around so many people, doing so many activities, every day. Hats off to those parents who can manage all that and still have their kids doing daily chores, music practice, whatever homework is assigned, and get in some family time and prayers! It made me grateful for our homeschooling lifestyle.

Itinerary of camp

On Thursday, the whole family went to Latta Plantation in the afternoon to watch the Latta Lasses perform their country dances and the soldiers to perform their final Civil War battle.

Waiting for the dance

Last year, I thought I remembered more girls wore historic or old-fashioned dresses, and I know both leaders did, and I wished I'd seen more of that this year. The charm of wearing historic clothing to a historic reenactment camp was really enjoyable last year.

Then the soldiers came out to reenact a battle between the Union and the Confederates. This year, many more soldiers "died" dramatically on the field, which added humor to the event.

Girls' graduation

Boys' graduation

I did not escape the gift shop without picking up a new book just "up my alley": a compilation of letters strung together with historic description from a local family in the 1800s.

7. Thomas Turns 4

See my earlier blog post celebrating our cheerful Thomas turning four years old!

On Friday, we took a day trip to Tweetsie as a joint birthday gift to the two littlest boys: click here to read about our trip!.

For more 7 Quick Takes Friday, check out This Ain't the Lyceum.