Maybe not the best advice.

"An American woman who respects herself," said Mrs. Westgate, turning to Beaumont with her bright expository air, "must buy something every day of her life. If she can not do it herself, she must send out some member of her family for the purpose."

from An International Episode, by Henry James

Perhaps this was okay for the Mrs. Westgates of that time period, those women who were born into and married into such fabulously wealthy families. Not too long ago we American women were expected to do the same thing - magazines and tv showed us the fashionable outfits that were steals at just $500 (not counting the shoes), how our households should be decorated like a showroom, and the latest technology we could not live without.
For a short while we were expected to buy nothing but the absolute essentials. That could not last, not in our commercial society. While well-meaning people have shown us the DIY way of life, the way of recycling, the simple life, I do not expect to find Americans taking those suggestions anytime soon. Life is not hard enough for most of us, and we are not apt to suffer if we do not need to do so.
Even so, I will go out and plant my garden in the coming weeks. I will sew up clothing for my family, and will cook my own meals. I will recycle and re-use. In short, I will live as I have always. The current economic crisis has not hit my home.

Industrious Baltimore

The Baltimore Museum of Industry has been tempting me for awhile. It seemed like it would be very interesting to visit, but the price of admittance was a little high. Thankfully, they schedule a few homeschool days a year, with lower prices! We visited this past Wednesday afternoon for a tour entitled "Running Errands." The focus was on the circa 1900 druggist store and grocery store. The kids were taught about some of the local businesses (Domino sugar, Esskay meats, McCormick seasonings) and inventions (Noxzema, Bromo Seltzer). They were given a list of era-appropriate groceries and sundries and told they had a $5 budget - and they "ate" well with that for more than one meal. The day finished out with craft time - a collaged paper grocery bag.
The kids really enjoyed running around the museum, checking out all the displays. They could get up close and personal with some really dangerous looking machines (complete with neatly printed paper signs that warned of that danger)! It reminded me of why living history museums are so popular, and why we probably won't be returning to this museum anytime soon (at least at normal full price). It was just too tempting to touch!
Aside from the danger, there was a lot of interesting stuff to see. Part of me wants those "good old fashioned days", and part of me is thankful for all our modern conveniences!
See more photos HERE.

History Field Trip

Later this spring we will be going on vacation, and one of the places we want to visit is Biltmore House. We were a little concerned that it might be tricky with an energetic five-year-old boy. We decided to do a trial run closer to home.
Just north of Baltimore sits Hampton National Historic Site. The house recently reopened after being retrofitted with fire suppression and air quality systems. I highly recommend taking a trip there, if possible. The house is beautiful, and filled with original period furniture. The grounds are spacious and lovely to walk, though the gardens need a lot of work to be returned to their former glory. The rangers are friendly and informative, leading tours on the hour at the house. There is a good balance between the hands-off visual beauty of the house and the hands-on, physical beauty of the grounds. Thankfully, they also have a kid-friendly, hands-on display at the farmhouse.
Jamie did fine; we let him run around on the grounds prior to the one hour tour of the house. We just might be able to make it to Biltmore after all.
See more photos HERE.

Finally, a snow day!

When March arrived on Sunday, we were commenting on how things were getting green in our yard. Even some of last year's lettuce was growing again! However, it wasn't to last. A winter storm warning was in effect for that evening.
We got somewhere between 4-6 inches of light, fluffy snow. Some of the surrounding counties got more, though, and it seemed as if everyone proclaimed it a snow day! Even Jim got the day off! (We still had school... homeschoolers don't really get snow days!)
After a bit of shoveling, Jim and I joined the kids for some fun in the snow. Check out the photos HERE. For now, enjoy this bit of a spill with Jamie: