A few posts back I mentioned joining a local homeschool group. Last Friday we went on our first field trip with them to the Mayfield Dairy in Braselton.
As a new homeschooler I suddenly felt the pressure to make sure my kids were up to par. Prior to the trip we went to the library to check out some books on dairy farms. There were 2 excellent choices so we got them both and spent the next 2 weeks reading all about where dairy products come from. I certainly didn’t want anyone (*cough*my husband*cough*) thinking the field trip was a way to get out of school for the day. I was determined to make this an educational experience!
Confident in our knowledge of dairy’s, I began to worry about other things. Mainly…behavior. We would be making a first impression after all.
Not that I expect my kids to be bad. They are usually fine. But how does “my fine” measure up to “vetran homeschool mom fine”? That was yet to be determined.
In my mind I pictured the likes of Michelle Duggars (minus 3/4 of her kids) happily walking along with her well behaved children discussing pasteurization while mine whined the entire tour about wanting something from the gift shop. I was a little nervous to say the least.
On Friday morning I went over some guidlines before leaving. Just the basics really. Everything from “let’s be on time” to minding our manners and being obedient. Then we were off.
Before the tour began, they sat us all in a room to explain the history of the Mayfield Dairy. Then they took us back in groups of 20. Me and mine were in the 3rd group so we had some waiting to do. The tour guide passed the time by asking for song requests.
The little boy next to us said he wanted to sing “Jesus Loves Me”. After we were finished singing, she said “Anyone else?” That’s when Savannah jumped up and shouted, “I WANT TO HEAR JINGLE BELLS, BATMAN SMELLS!”
Aaannnndddd…there it was. Our first impression.
But it wasn’t a bad impression. It was typical of my crew and nobody refunded my yearly dues because of it. So I figure we’re good to go.
The rest of the field trip went very well. We saw how Mayfield milk is processed from the truck to the famous yellow carton. We ate strawberry ice cream. And in the end, we got to hang out and take pictures with a gigantic cow. Thankfully everyone else had gone home by the time Emery took a hold of the enormous teets and laughed hysterically!
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