Medieval History in Texas

 

We’ve been studying medieval history this year. My boys have been fascinated with stories of Vikings, battles and the knights. A friend told us about a medieval style castle built right here in Texas, and not too far from us. With some friends, we took the day off of school to visit this place and boy was I glad we did.

Newman’s Castle was built by Mr. Newman in Bellville Texas. The castle is his personal residence but he regularly gives tours and allows for special events on his beautiful property. In fact, while we were there, a couple was arranging the final details for their wedding to be held at the castle in just a few days.

The boys had a blast on this trip. Mr. Newman dubbed them all knights and made them swear to protect the castle as he gave them all wooden swords ( much to their mothers dismay). He guided us around his creation which included a working catapult, draw bridge and dungeon!

It was a beautiful day to roam around the castle. After our tour, we were served lunch and the most delicious cookies from the bakery. Mr. Newman let a few of the boys fish off the drawbridge in the moat. What little boy wouldn’t be proud to say he did that?

If you’re in Texas and want to see a little bit of medieval life, check out Newman's Castle. You won’t regret it!

Field Trip Fridays

I have to admit, as much as I love taking my three little boys out for fun adventures, it is not always a priority to plan to attend field trips. When we get busy, as we usually are, the choice between accomplishing tasks and goals for the day are more appealing to me than spending half a day on a field trip.

However, a wise homeschool friend once encouraged me to enjoy the eagerness of the younger years and take advantage of field trips. "When you feel you're too busy and you have a choice to go on a field trip, do it while they are young and enjoy it" she said. It's hard to look into the future and know what to anticipate with the older years of school so I am thankful for any shared tips from experienced moms.

So we took her advice and joined up with a planned field trip with some friends from church. And, I'm so glad we did. It was nice to have a full week of school behind us and then, get to enjoy and learn about God's creation at the Wildlife Park.

At the Wildlife Park, the animals are essentially roaming free (in their designated areas).

You board a tram that takes you around a trail through the park. Of course, the big boys like to sit up front, in hopes of getting the most action. Then, the mom's crowd into the inside, hoping they don't get swarmed by the animals.

Austin was very unsure about these "free" animals that could just come up to him. So he spent the beginning of the ride like this...

If I don't see them, they don't exist!

Jacob and Nathan were super excited though.

The park guide gives you a bucket of food to feed the animals and the ride begins. Once Austin figured out he could throw pieces of food, he enjoyed the rest of the ride...

Camels, emus and ostrich...oh my! We got to feed/see/pet all kinds of animals but here are few...

We even fed a deer...the guide did not provide the pb&j!

And last but certainly least (this part was not my favorite), the petting zoo. 

Thanks to the wonderful ladies who coordinated this field trip! It's my goal to utilize more of these opportunities and enjoy the precious moments with my boys.

Cowboys and a Cowgirl...

Every year in March, the big to-do in Houston is the Houston Livestock and Rodeo show. There are parades, concerts, carnivals, cook-offs and of course rodeo competitions. For a whole month, the whole city turns it's center of attention to all things cowboy!

We went to the rodeo they very first year we moved to Houston. We were excited to see what the big deal was about. After spending a million dollars in tickets and rides, shoving our way through endless crowds and spending overnight in our car trying to leave the parking lot, we promised NEVER to go to the rodeo again! (Our first mistake was planning to go on a Friday night.) The only thing we knew we would be missing were those ridiculous fried Twinkie's!

All that changed this year when we received FREE tickets and found friends that were able to go during the weekday. After some encouragement from friends to skip the over-priced carnival rides and head for the livestock show, we were skeptical but optimistic.

I'm glad to say, we found a much better way to enjoy the rodeo!

We got to see cows and their day old calves...

Big fat pigs and their piglets...

The kids got to plant sunflower seeds and take them home to germinate...

Pet fluffy little rabbits...

Patiently wait and watch for cows to be milked (frankly I'm surprised they still drink it after that demonstration)...

And because we're the meanest mom's in the world and wouldn't pay $20 for a ride at the carnival, their favorite ride of the day was the...

ESCALATOR!!!!