“By the time Darrell got to school, he was a B student but never an A student. “Even when we were little kids,” Ronnie said, “I got all the praise for doing really well at school, and Darrell became really good at cleaning the house. Nana in particular would just lavish praise on him about how well he cleaned the house. Darrell had to find a different light under which he would shine, a different way than school to distinguish himself in the family. So kids fall into roles in the family and maybe in some families only one can be a star. ” – From The Formula written by Ronald F. Ferguson and Tasha Robertson
When we decided to homeschool I thought that teaching a child to read was the most important and the hardest thing you can teach. As a result, I put the most emphasis on reading with our son Peter. Once he read proficiently and used sophisticated words I praised him a lot. I believe this fueled him to keep getting better.
When Esther was little she had a hard time pronouncing words correctly. She loved working with her hands. I also went to college full time so Esther learned to help take care of her two younger sisters. She also learned to cook and clean. She got praised by everyone for being such a wonderful hard worker and for baking so well.
We raise kids all the same way is actually a myth and it’s actually better that it is a myth because our children are all different so we need to adjust our parenting style and do what works best for each child.
Lolo Hot Springs
Lolo Hot Springs is not only a place to stay but also a historic location. When you stay in the cabins here, you also get to soak in the hot springs and hot breakfast with your cabins. For the hot springs you get a hand wrist and you can come and go throughout the day. You also get tickets for breakfast and each of these tickets is worth eight dollars. If the item is more expensive then eight dollars then they will simply knock eight dollars off the total amount. They also have a disc golf course here so you might want to bring some frisbees here. The hot spring is the most important spot though. Lewis and Clark visited in the year of 1806. So while your here you get to bathe in the same water source that they did.
Located at 38500 Hwy 12 W Lolo, MT 59847
Fort Owen State Park
Fort Owen State Park is where Montana began. Fort Owen was built beside the first settlement in Montana. Which was the original St. Mary’s Mission. Fort Owen was never really used as a fort but rather as a trading post. It was established in 1850 after buying the land which St. Mary Mission was on. This was the first land transaction in Montana. The east barracks is the only original structure still standing. They did recreate the structure of the fort for visitors to see. Fort Owen’s State Park is only one acre and the rest is surrounded by farmland and is private land. It’s also open every day of the year since they don’t have park rangers here.
Located at 99 Fort Owen Ranch Rd, Stevensville, MT 59870
Travelers’ Rest State Park
Travelers Rest is both a state park and a national historic site. The part before the bridge is state and after the bridge it is federal which seems a bit complicated. Now there are good reasons for this to be a National Historic Site. It’s a place where The Lewis and Clark Expedition rested. Originally they had this site in the wrong area but by studying the journals of the letter they found where it was at. They first found the remains of a fire with lead from gun repairs. They then looked for the latrines which were usually 300 feet away from the fire. We never knew what a latrine was before but now we know it’s a hole in the ground for disposing of bodily waste. They found the location by finding mercury because two members of the party were sick and given pills with mercury which is deadly and toxic. It supposedly cleans out the body of illness in 15 minutes due to being so strong. This story is actually pretty bizarre but totally makes sense. One of the more interesting places we have visited.
Located at 6717 US-12, Lolo, MT 59847
Historic St. Mary’s Mission
The Historic St. Mary’s Mission is the first European settlement in Montana. It was established in 1841 to minister to the local natives. It was originally where Fort Owen’s is now but as time went on they got through four churches with the fifth one being in use. The first, second, and third are all gone. The interesting thing is that the natives referred to the Catholic priests as black robes. This was due to natives from other areas telling the local natives here about what the Catholic missionaries did for them in their area. Pierre-Jean De Smet happened to have doves on the property for the purpose of food which we found interesting.
Located at 315 Charlos St, Stevensville, MT 59870
Daly Mansion
The Daly Mansion is a wonderful example of how the rich and powerful lived in early Montana. Marcus Daly was a copper man having been an superintedant of The Anaconda Copper Mines which like most forms of mining was not good for employees. Hundreds died in his mine hardly making profit but giving much of it to Daly. All the waste from to mine was run through the Anaconda Smelters which we have written about in the past only to also pollute the area around the smelters till this day. The Daly Mansion is by all means impressive having been designed by A.J.Gibson who was an architect for many important building in Missoula. The property is large and so is the home. It existed for the purpose of being a summer vacation home. This mansion is extremely innovative for it’s time. It had electricity very early and was always following trends that occurred among the rich. Eve and Elizabeth were walking around the home declaring rooms for themselves. They were imagining that they were back in time and came to stay with the Daly’s. There are pillars all around the exterior while the interior is completely done with custom trim work. The guide was able to answer all of the questions we had and helped us understand this location much better.
Located at 251 Eastside Highway Hamilton, MT
Thank you Lolo Hot Springs for hosting our stay.
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