Hopefully you all remember our cats. Just in case you don't - There is Captain Hooks, we call her Captain. She is named that because she is a Hemingway cat, she has 6 toes. There is Biscuit. Now how she came about that name is a long story. Biscuit is the litter mate to Captain. Then along comes Tigger. He got his name because he is stripped like a Tiger but acts like Tigger from Winnie The Pooh. We call him Tiggie. And last but not least come Dusty. He is our big fat yellow tabby cat. He was named Dusty because he always looks smutty.
It was either Friday or Saturday that we noticed that Captain and Tiggie were getting a little too darn friendly. Oh they were just all smoochy, smoochy. Ok - no more cats. Not gonna have it, no way, no how. Since then we have been putting Captain in our bedroom and letting Tiggie have run of the house. Then we would put Tiggie in one of the boys bedrooms and let Captain have run of the house. Every now and then someone would leave a door open and we would all run into each other trying to grab cats. Kinda like a cat scramble. It was a sight for sore eyes.
Saturday I called the vet, made the appointment that was long over due. Yep! The one to get Captain, Biscuit and Tiggie fixed (Dusty was done several years ago). Not only are we getting them all fixed, but we are having their front paws de-clawed. I know the de-clawing is a touchy issue for some and I understand. But think of it this way.
Our cats never, ever go outside. And when they all get to running and playing, you can sometimes find them about 4 foot up the wall. No joke! They will jump up and grab on to the wall. They just kinda hang there like a squirrel and look around as if to say "can you see me now?". The walls were not made for cat claws.
The vet gave me a total on the phone when I made the appointment. To get the 3 cats done, the total was $550. I thought, shoot, that's not bad. This afternoon I called to check on them and they were all doing just fine. I'm sure they are all really mad at me right now but they are well and that's what counts most.
Oh yeah - And The Total Is...$689.00
Biscuit had an infection in her uterus. Why or how - we don't know. She will be on antibiotics for a few days. I really am looking forward (NOT) to giving a cat (especially Biscuit) a darn pill every day. That's where a sling shot comes in handy. LOL Get your husband to sit in his very favorite recliner, put the cat in his lap and ask him in your most sweetest voice - "Darling, will you pleeaaassssseeee hold Biscuits mouth open", then you load the pill into the sling shot and take your very best aim. Now - fire away!
Ok, so we know that's not gonna happen. Just suck it up and give the darn cat the pill. Yep, that's what I gotta do.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Fall Like Weather
All of the professionals say that Fall is not in the air. Well, I am a native Floridian and I say Fall is in the air. At least we are having Fall like weather. I think it may be from several of the storms that have come and gone from the Atlantic and from the Gulf of Mexico. Today we had some much needed rain, which our family always welcomes.
Here in Florida, we don't have to much of the leaf changes. One day the trees have leaves and the next they don't. That's pretty much the extent of our leaf changes. I did notice today that the Sycamore trees have really turned their leaves to some pretty colors. We've had a breeze for the past couple of days too and that has been really nice. This is the kind of weather that I love to be at the barn in.
I love the smell of the barn. Hay all stacked up and it has such a country smell. The smell of the compost pile is so earthen. The smell of the horses when they visit me at the barn.
It may not be Fall yet - but we sure are having Fall like weather.
Here in Florida, we don't have to much of the leaf changes. One day the trees have leaves and the next they don't. That's pretty much the extent of our leaf changes. I did notice today that the Sycamore trees have really turned their leaves to some pretty colors. We've had a breeze for the past couple of days too and that has been really nice. This is the kind of weather that I love to be at the barn in.
I love the smell of the barn. Hay all stacked up and it has such a country smell. The smell of the compost pile is so earthen. The smell of the horses when they visit me at the barn.
It may not be Fall yet - but we sure are having Fall like weather.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Living in the Real World
We all know that once the weekend is gone that Monday comes along. It's a fact. Not one that much of us like but it happens. And once again I find myself asking - where did the weekend go? I wonder where the weekends go because we stay busy. We always seem to run from here to there and back again. I'm not so much the runner in the family, it's more Superman than me. The boys are all fine with staying home or being on the go. I really think they prefer to stay home than running from here to there. However, there are times when they will ask if we are going anywhere. I try to post our schedule (appointments) on the calendar and I do a pretty good job of it. I just don't post things like buying groceries or horse feed or things like that.
Yes, it's Monday. I used to really dread Mondays. That's when I worked in the real world. Now that I am a SAHM (stay at home mom) and a WAHM (work at home mom), I don't dread Mondays anymore. Funny how I said the real world. What exactly is the real world?
For me the real world consist of rolling out of bed at a decent hour, doing the brush teeth and make bed thing. Next I'm trying to get things a little organized for our daily school lessons, while I am waking the boys up and reminding them to get their chores completed. They're pretty good with their chores, so that's the easy part. Doing this and that for all the critters, such as feeding, cleaning the litter boxes, opening gates for horses and so on... Next, I'm giving a bottle to our baby squirrel while making sure that the boys clean the table and do their dishes after they eat breakfast. Then we're off to school where we talk about Columbus sailing the ocean blue, counting from 1 to 200 and figuring out what number comes before and after. We work on growing plants, examining plant cells, work on cursive writing, figure out the plot, setting and characters of a story. We work on spelling words and telling time. We do addition, subtraction and we multiply and we divide. We do fractions and we count beans. We draw and we color. I think it would have been easier to just say there isn't anything that we don't work on.
Some days we all walk to the mailbox together. Some days we run errands and read road signs. Everyday we laugh! No matter how bad the day is - we still find something to laugh at.
We eat lunch and we clean up our mess. We add some more and count some more beans. We count coins and we try to talk in Spanish. We run, we jump and we sword fight. Some days I'm toting a cat like a baby trying to get them out of the bathroom while answering 900 questions. Some days I'm feeding the baby squirrel while trying to wash my hands. One just never knows around here. LOL
Schools out and we all run our separate ways. Me to the barn and then to the kitchen. The boys? Oh they scatter in all different directions.
We all sit down to supper and we laugh and giggle and we talk about our day. We all do the cleaning up from supper and then we all scatter again. The boys scatter off to get their showers and do any homework that they have. Then they find us and hopefully we all can sit down to a movie or to another family conversation or even for some quiet time to read a book.
Bedtime. For everyone except me. Of course I am the one that has the most problem going to sleep. I take the time that everyone is asleep as my quiet time, my time to relax and finally read my emails, clean off my desk, do a little dusting, maybe even some laundry. Now I'm thinking, just how many hours are in the day anyway. LOL
In the morning we start all over again. That brings me to another question. Isn't it time for me to get some sleep? Yeah - I think so!
Goodnight all!
Yes, it's Monday. I used to really dread Mondays. That's when I worked in the real world. Now that I am a SAHM (stay at home mom) and a WAHM (work at home mom), I don't dread Mondays anymore. Funny how I said the real world. What exactly is the real world?
For me the real world consist of rolling out of bed at a decent hour, doing the brush teeth and make bed thing. Next I'm trying to get things a little organized for our daily school lessons, while I am waking the boys up and reminding them to get their chores completed. They're pretty good with their chores, so that's the easy part. Doing this and that for all the critters, such as feeding, cleaning the litter boxes, opening gates for horses and so on... Next, I'm giving a bottle to our baby squirrel while making sure that the boys clean the table and do their dishes after they eat breakfast. Then we're off to school where we talk about Columbus sailing the ocean blue, counting from 1 to 200 and figuring out what number comes before and after. We work on growing plants, examining plant cells, work on cursive writing, figure out the plot, setting and characters of a story. We work on spelling words and telling time. We do addition, subtraction and we multiply and we divide. We do fractions and we count beans. We draw and we color. I think it would have been easier to just say there isn't anything that we don't work on.
Some days we all walk to the mailbox together. Some days we run errands and read road signs. Everyday we laugh! No matter how bad the day is - we still find something to laugh at.
We eat lunch and we clean up our mess. We add some more and count some more beans. We count coins and we try to talk in Spanish. We run, we jump and we sword fight. Some days I'm toting a cat like a baby trying to get them out of the bathroom while answering 900 questions. Some days I'm feeding the baby squirrel while trying to wash my hands. One just never knows around here. LOL
Schools out and we all run our separate ways. Me to the barn and then to the kitchen. The boys? Oh they scatter in all different directions.
We all sit down to supper and we laugh and giggle and we talk about our day. We all do the cleaning up from supper and then we all scatter again. The boys scatter off to get their showers and do any homework that they have. Then they find us and hopefully we all can sit down to a movie or to another family conversation or even for some quiet time to read a book.
Bedtime. For everyone except me. Of course I am the one that has the most problem going to sleep. I take the time that everyone is asleep as my quiet time, my time to relax and finally read my emails, clean off my desk, do a little dusting, maybe even some laundry. Now I'm thinking, just how many hours are in the day anyway. LOL
In the morning we start all over again. That brings me to another question. Isn't it time for me to get some sleep? Yeah - I think so!
Goodnight all!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Field Trip
Everyone loaded in the car and away we go, one little squirrel in tow. After JD's doctor appointment on Friday, we all headed to my mom's where she jumped in the car with us and we were off for a 1 hour drive. Have you every heard this "Are we there yet"? Of course you have, especially if you have kids. They are so funny.
Ok so back to the field trip. Yes, we took our baby squirrel with us. Why? Because no one was going to be home to feed him. It was pretty cool though. MJ has a neat little bag that Granny Karen gave him. I think it's some type of camera bag. I was able to put a towel in it and then put in the squirrel and carry a baby bottle.
I toted the bag with the squirrel all cuddled up inside all day long. I had to stop from time to time and feed the little guy, but that wasn't difficult at all. I just unzipped the bag and stuck the bottle in and he nursed until he was full. Once his little tummy was full, he snuggled up in the towel and was fast asleep. There was one time when I was feeding him that a group of kids saw what I had. About 10 kids wanted to see the little guy, so I did a short show and tell. It was pretty darn neat.
Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. It has been many years since my first visit to this park. During the summer the boys went with their 4H day camp. JD didn't want to go again, and his reasoning was that there were too many kids and they were rude. I explained that it was just us going this time. I mean there would be other people there, just not in our group. He thought about it and decided that it just may be fun. And it was!
We took a boat ride. We even rode a tram. We walked and walked and walked some more. My poor mom, at times I kinda felt sorry for her. She was a trooper though. And a very good one too!
At Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, there is a Hippo, bunches of Alligators, Birds all all sorts, Manatees, Squirrels, White Tail Deer, Key Deer, Florida Black Bear, Bobcat and so much more. There is something they call the fish bowl. You go underwater in a building and you can see the fish swimming all around. We saw Sheepshead, Red fish, Snook and more. The boys were all excited! They actually said that it was much more fun with me than with their 4H group. Awwwww!
I know - Pictures! You will all be please to know that the love of my life bought me a new Cannon camera today. It's fancy and I have no idea how to use it. LOL I am off to bed for now but there will be lots more pictures in the days to come.
Ok so back to the field trip. Yes, we took our baby squirrel with us. Why? Because no one was going to be home to feed him. It was pretty cool though. MJ has a neat little bag that Granny Karen gave him. I think it's some type of camera bag. I was able to put a towel in it and then put in the squirrel and carry a baby bottle.
I toted the bag with the squirrel all cuddled up inside all day long. I had to stop from time to time and feed the little guy, but that wasn't difficult at all. I just unzipped the bag and stuck the bottle in and he nursed until he was full. Once his little tummy was full, he snuggled up in the towel and was fast asleep. There was one time when I was feeding him that a group of kids saw what I had. About 10 kids wanted to see the little guy, so I did a short show and tell. It was pretty darn neat.
Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. It has been many years since my first visit to this park. During the summer the boys went with their 4H day camp. JD didn't want to go again, and his reasoning was that there were too many kids and they were rude. I explained that it was just us going this time. I mean there would be other people there, just not in our group. He thought about it and decided that it just may be fun. And it was!
We took a boat ride. We even rode a tram. We walked and walked and walked some more. My poor mom, at times I kinda felt sorry for her. She was a trooper though. And a very good one too!
At Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, there is a Hippo, bunches of Alligators, Birds all all sorts, Manatees, Squirrels, White Tail Deer, Key Deer, Florida Black Bear, Bobcat and so much more. There is something they call the fish bowl. You go underwater in a building and you can see the fish swimming all around. We saw Sheepshead, Red fish, Snook and more. The boys were all excited! They actually said that it was much more fun with me than with their 4H group. Awwwww!
I know - Pictures! You will all be please to know that the love of my life bought me a new Cannon camera today. It's fancy and I have no idea how to use it. LOL I am off to bed for now but there will be lots more pictures in the days to come.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Meetings and Fieldtrips
I am really loving going to out homeschool group meetings now. I don't know why but I am. Maybe it's the I don't have to if I don't want to thing. Today was a good day for all the boys, which makes it a good day for me.
There wasn't anything planned today for our weekly outing, we just played it by ear. And believe it or not, things worked out well by doing it that way.
There were several people at the springs that was fishing. One gentleman caught a very small bream and gave it to WW and everyone looked at the little bream and then WW was able to release the little guy. When you release a fish, you can't just throw him in the water and expect him to swim off. WW held him in his hand and supported him upright until the gills went to working and then the fins started working and then he slowly started to swim and then he swam off in a hurry. What a cool thing for kids to do.
One of the kids caught a very small Snapping Turtle. It wasn't much bigger than your thumbnail. I didn't know they were orange on their underside - but I know now. Snail eggs - not just any snail eggs, but Apple Snail eggs. The snail eggs had not been laid very long, they were still shinny and slimmy looking. Pretty darn neat if you ask me. Oh there were other little critters to explore and enjoy too. We look and we leave. Look at the critters, enjoy what you see and then leave them alone. The kids really like to pull the Water Lettuce out of the water. It is such an invasive plant that we try to pull some everytime we go. Another invasive plant is the Water Hyacinth. And yes we pull these too. They really do have some awesome flowers but they are killing our water resourses.
For some time now, I have been interested in learning Spanish and French. I just didn't have anyone else that was interested in learning it with me, so I just put it off. Ah Ha - the boys are interested in learning with me. Finally, someone that is interested. Tonight me and all 3 of the boys sat down and started on our Spanish. We started with Rosetta Stone. I don't know how we are going to do, but at least we are willing to try. WW seems the most interested in learning, well besides me. MJ sits with us and he tries so hard, I think that he may just get the hang of it. JD shows a little bit of interest, but who knows, maybe he'll come around. And maybe Spanish just isn't his thing. Maybe he will be more interested in French.
Tomorrow we are off on a field trip. Wow this has really been the week for trips, two days in a row. Actually, kinda neat. Our field trip tomorrow will find us at Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. My mom is going with us and we are all excited about getting out of the classroom again.
I know you all want pictures, but please bear with me on this. I really hate my digital camera because it is so picky and is very old. Hopefully within a couple of weeks I will be able to buy another one. We are looking at a Canon and a Sony. So be patient and bear with me please.
There wasn't anything planned today for our weekly outing, we just played it by ear. And believe it or not, things worked out well by doing it that way.
There were several people at the springs that was fishing. One gentleman caught a very small bream and gave it to WW and everyone looked at the little bream and then WW was able to release the little guy. When you release a fish, you can't just throw him in the water and expect him to swim off. WW held him in his hand and supported him upright until the gills went to working and then the fins started working and then he slowly started to swim and then he swam off in a hurry. What a cool thing for kids to do.
One of the kids caught a very small Snapping Turtle. It wasn't much bigger than your thumbnail. I didn't know they were orange on their underside - but I know now. Snail eggs - not just any snail eggs, but Apple Snail eggs. The snail eggs had not been laid very long, they were still shinny and slimmy looking. Pretty darn neat if you ask me. Oh there were other little critters to explore and enjoy too. We look and we leave. Look at the critters, enjoy what you see and then leave them alone. The kids really like to pull the Water Lettuce out of the water. It is such an invasive plant that we try to pull some everytime we go. Another invasive plant is the Water Hyacinth. And yes we pull these too. They really do have some awesome flowers but they are killing our water resourses.
For some time now, I have been interested in learning Spanish and French. I just didn't have anyone else that was interested in learning it with me, so I just put it off. Ah Ha - the boys are interested in learning with me. Finally, someone that is interested. Tonight me and all 3 of the boys sat down and started on our Spanish. We started with Rosetta Stone. I don't know how we are going to do, but at least we are willing to try. WW seems the most interested in learning, well besides me. MJ sits with us and he tries so hard, I think that he may just get the hang of it. JD shows a little bit of interest, but who knows, maybe he'll come around. And maybe Spanish just isn't his thing. Maybe he will be more interested in French.
Tomorrow we are off on a field trip. Wow this has really been the week for trips, two days in a row. Actually, kinda neat. Our field trip tomorrow will find us at Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. My mom is going with us and we are all excited about getting out of the classroom again.
I know you all want pictures, but please bear with me on this. I really hate my digital camera because it is so picky and is very old. Hopefully within a couple of weeks I will be able to buy another one. We are looking at a Canon and a Sony. So be patient and bear with me please.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Signing a Petition
Have you ever signed a petition? Have you ever spoke up for something that you believe in? Have you ever wanted to speak up for something that you believe in and never did? Make a difference now and sign a petition.
You can help Stop Dog Fighting. You can tell your friends and family about this petition and ask them to send a message to their representatives in support of the Federal Dog Protection Act?
Stop Dog Fighting
Thank you!
You can help Stop Dog Fighting. You can tell your friends and family about this petition and ask them to send a message to their representatives in support of the Federal Dog Protection Act?
Stop Dog Fighting
Thank you!
Calling All Parents
Ok - I have to admit, I really need some advice.
My middle son, JD, is 12 years old and he hates school. Yes, with a capital H. Some days he will do his work with very little complaints and other days - well there other days. Days that he complains about everything. He hates his chair, he hates his desk, he hates the clothes he is wearing. He hates to read and even refuses to read. Every lesson he starts to do is dumb. Ask him to add 2+1 on those days and he will tell you he is confused. He can come up with any excuse and every excuse to get out of his school work. He will say that no one can make him do his school work.
Instead of looking in the material he has read for the answer to a multiple choice question, he will just pick an answer. He will say that he doesn't care if he gets it wrong. He will say that the answer is not in the material he just read. He will say that the answer isn't where he is looking or where he looked. He will say that I never help him. When I am sitting less than a foot away from him, he will ask me to tell him what page the answer is on. Then he will want you to tell him what paragraph it is in. And then he wants to know what sentence it is. I mean it just goes on and on.
He will say so many other things too. All the things that he says is negative. We all try to work with him. We all try to help him. There is a limit to helping someone before you actually are doing it for them.
I am hoping that someone who has experienced something like this can please give me some ideas or suggestions that may help us out. At this point, I sometimes think a root canal would be more pleasant.
My middle son, JD, is 12 years old and he hates school. Yes, with a capital H. Some days he will do his work with very little complaints and other days - well there other days. Days that he complains about everything. He hates his chair, he hates his desk, he hates the clothes he is wearing. He hates to read and even refuses to read. Every lesson he starts to do is dumb. Ask him to add 2+1 on those days and he will tell you he is confused. He can come up with any excuse and every excuse to get out of his school work. He will say that no one can make him do his school work.
Instead of looking in the material he has read for the answer to a multiple choice question, he will just pick an answer. He will say that he doesn't care if he gets it wrong. He will say that the answer is not in the material he just read. He will say that the answer isn't where he is looking or where he looked. He will say that I never help him. When I am sitting less than a foot away from him, he will ask me to tell him what page the answer is on. Then he will want you to tell him what paragraph it is in. And then he wants to know what sentence it is. I mean it just goes on and on.
He will say so many other things too. All the things that he says is negative. We all try to work with him. We all try to help him. There is a limit to helping someone before you actually are doing it for them.
I am hoping that someone who has experienced something like this can please give me some ideas or suggestions that may help us out. At this point, I sometimes think a root canal would be more pleasant.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Side Tracked
I can get side tracked online so bad that I loose track of time. No joke. Especially since I started blogging. It's horrible. Kinda funny too. If I could just wean myself from the computer like I did with TV, then things for me would be ...well they just would be. LOL
Laying all jokes aside, I found some pretty interesting things today. And, I have just skimmed the surface. Of course we all know that there is so much interesting stuff online that we could read all day and all night for a long time and never get done.
Here are a few things that I found today...
Everyday Art Curriculum, classroom teachers and homeschoolers can find resources for teaching art, including classroom art projects for kids and guidelines for class discussion. These children's art lessons are open ended to stimulate creativity, and are flexible enough to work with a wide range of ages and abilities.
I entered another Blog Carnival and my article was picked. WoooHoooo! I love the Blog Carnivals. Mom On Wheels hosted the Carnival of Family Life this week. I'm tellin ya - if ya blog, you really should check out a Blog Carnival.
Now this really gets my hair standing up on end. I mean to the point that I look like a rabid bull dog with my teeth showing, foaming at the mouth and the hair on my back raised up and ready to attack.
Go Green and Get Sued, his veggie oil bumper sticker caught the attention of local law enforcement and he was fined $1000 for not paying motor fuel taxes. And that's not the end of it either.
Laying all jokes aside, I found some pretty interesting things today. And, I have just skimmed the surface. Of course we all know that there is so much interesting stuff online that we could read all day and all night for a long time and never get done.
Here are a few things that I found today...
Everyday Art Curriculum, classroom teachers and homeschoolers can find resources for teaching art, including classroom art projects for kids and guidelines for class discussion. These children's art lessons are open ended to stimulate creativity, and are flexible enough to work with a wide range of ages and abilities.
I entered another Blog Carnival and my article was picked. WoooHoooo! I love the Blog Carnivals. Mom On Wheels hosted the Carnival of Family Life this week. I'm tellin ya - if ya blog, you really should check out a Blog Carnival.
Now this really gets my hair standing up on end. I mean to the point that I look like a rabid bull dog with my teeth showing, foaming at the mouth and the hair on my back raised up and ready to attack.
Go Green and Get Sued, his veggie oil bumper sticker caught the attention of local law enforcement and he was fined $1000 for not paying motor fuel taxes. And that's not the end of it either.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Our Newest Addition
Nope - we're not making the house bigger. Even though we need too. LOL Our newest addition just happens to be another critter. A baby squirrel! He's about 4 weeks old, maybe closer to 5 weeks old. He is the cutest little thing too. Just look at him!
I had planned on Sleeping In when this little guy was introduced to me. He is between 4 and 5 weeks old, and his eyes haven't opened yet.
His favorite place to be is in a shirt pocket. This picture reminds me of a tree frog. You can see that he is pretty strong by the way he is holding on to my shirt.
PetSmart has the bottle, syringes, nipples and formula to feed him. It's not very expensive either. I spent less than $20 on the things I needed for the baby squirrel, 5 Comet Goldfish and a live plant for our aquarium. Not bad.
Freedom! That's what we call this little guy. Why Freedom? Because that is what he will have once he gets old enough and mature enough to be set free. Just like we did with the Baby Blue Jay. We don't try to save these critters so that we can keep them. We want them to survive so that we can enjoy them in their natural environment. The experience of raising the Blue Jay is one that the boys will never forget. There are many times that we see a Blue Jay feather and it reminds us of the one that we saved and returned to Mother Nature. It just makes for wonderful memories.
Sleeping In
Finally Saturday! I had some really awesome plans of sleeping in. Notice I said "I had"? There really is no telling around here what time one will get woke up or even how one will get woke up. It could be calm and gentle or it could be wild and wicked. Usually if you have plans on sleeping in, then you can pretty much plan on getting woke up by wild and wicked. Either one is ok in all reality, just as long as you are woke up. Because you sure don't want to miss the action.
Speaking of action.
Superman was going to get up early (not as early as usual for him) and he was going to take the boys and do a little welding. WW and MJ were the only ones allowed to go because JD just couldn't behave in class during the week. And you know my plans - yeah - sleeping in. So I'm laying in bed in my own little special dream land and in my sleep I hear "MOM!". I open my eyes and I see 3 boys standing beside my bed and JD is holding something. I hear "MOM, LOOK WHAT MJ FOUND"! Oh yes, they are all excited, I mean to the point that they might as well have just caught a leprechaun, except for the fact that it wasn't St. Patricks Day. Now I'm kinda squinting my eyes to get them to focus from being jolted awake. I see what's in JD's hands. It's a baby squirrel. No joke! I wouldn't have been anymore shocked if had been a leprechaun. The squirrel started hollering at that point. JD handed me the squirrel and I laid him by my neck, he crawled closer to me and just snuggled up to me and there he went to sleep. I talked to the boys about the squirrel and where MJ found him.
I laid there for about 15 more minutes and I just couldn't stand it any longer. I had to wake up Superman. I called his name once and he woke right up and I told him to look at my neck. My gosh - did he see a leprechaun too? Me - now I've raised a baby squirrel before and of course I was excited but not even close to the excitement that Superman and the 3 boys were feeling. I think I was more into the save it's life mode. Keep it warm and get it fed.
After Superman and I (with the baby squirrel) managed to crawl out of bed, we all went about our daily routine of brushing teeth and getting our other little chores done. Me with a squirrel in the pocket of my t-shirt. Superman, WW and MJ went off to weld and JD and I went off to PetSmart.
Speaking of action.
Superman was going to get up early (not as early as usual for him) and he was going to take the boys and do a little welding. WW and MJ were the only ones allowed to go because JD just couldn't behave in class during the week. And you know my plans - yeah - sleeping in. So I'm laying in bed in my own little special dream land and in my sleep I hear "MOM!". I open my eyes and I see 3 boys standing beside my bed and JD is holding something. I hear "MOM, LOOK WHAT MJ FOUND"! Oh yes, they are all excited, I mean to the point that they might as well have just caught a leprechaun, except for the fact that it wasn't St. Patricks Day. Now I'm kinda squinting my eyes to get them to focus from being jolted awake. I see what's in JD's hands. It's a baby squirrel. No joke! I wouldn't have been anymore shocked if had been a leprechaun. The squirrel started hollering at that point. JD handed me the squirrel and I laid him by my neck, he crawled closer to me and just snuggled up to me and there he went to sleep. I talked to the boys about the squirrel and where MJ found him.
I laid there for about 15 more minutes and I just couldn't stand it any longer. I had to wake up Superman. I called his name once and he woke right up and I told him to look at my neck. My gosh - did he see a leprechaun too? Me - now I've raised a baby squirrel before and of course I was excited but not even close to the excitement that Superman and the 3 boys were feeling. I think I was more into the save it's life mode. Keep it warm and get it fed.
After Superman and I (with the baby squirrel) managed to crawl out of bed, we all went about our daily routine of brushing teeth and getting our other little chores done. Me with a squirrel in the pocket of my t-shirt. Superman, WW and MJ went off to weld and JD and I went off to PetSmart.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Don't Tell Dad
Yeah right! LOL We all skipped school today. We were supposed to go to our home school group meeting but the weather just wasn't quiet right. It was extremely cloudy and it rained almost all day yesterday. The boys just knew they were going to get to go swimming after our meeting today and they really wanted to go swimming. We've all had this summer cold thing going on and I really don't think they should swim right now.
When I told the boys that we weren't going to the be with the group - Whoa and behold! I thought I was going to have to fight them off of me. Ok - Ok! Here's what we'll do...We will go to Walmart and pick up a few things and we'll see what the weather is like. They were ok with that until we parked in the Walmart parking lot. Once again - here I am...defending myself and fighting them off. LOL I used the beep beep phone and called Superman. He agreed with me (of course) that it would be best if we wait at least one more week on the swimming thing. Ssshhewwww! I barely got through that.
Once inside the store the boys wanted to walk around while I shopped. I don't usually allow that with out our little walkie talkies. I said ok but you must mind your manners and stay together. I was free! Yeah for a whole total of 10 minutes. But that's ok with me. When they are with me, I know that they are safe and that is the most important part. We did our little bit of shopping and I had to buy some pencils. On the pencil isle, JD spotted some of the felt coloring things. I thought - what the heck...we missed drawing today at our group meeting and the boys can't go swimming - so why not just buy them each one. They all 3 picked out the picture they wanted to do and we were outta there. Easy as that!
Everything put away and now Art class begins. Skipping school - ha - that's what they thought. When we were driving home, I starting singing a little diddy about skipping school. Just something I made up off the tip of my tongue. WW commented that he didn't want to skip school. JD said we could get in trouble for skipping school. I just had to say that we couldn't get in trouble when mom was with us. Me, of course. Then I hear "Don't tell dad". It was really cute! Then the JD and WW say "Mom, you already told dad because you called him when we were at Walmart". They know that their dad and I talk about everything. There are no secrets in our house. In all reality, I think the boys like that about us.
Just remember, when you skip home school...Take mom (or dad) along with you. That way you have a driver and someone to keep you out of trouble.
When I told the boys that we weren't going to the be with the group - Whoa and behold! I thought I was going to have to fight them off of me. Ok - Ok! Here's what we'll do...We will go to Walmart and pick up a few things and we'll see what the weather is like. They were ok with that until we parked in the Walmart parking lot. Once again - here I am...defending myself and fighting them off. LOL I used the beep beep phone and called Superman. He agreed with me (of course) that it would be best if we wait at least one more week on the swimming thing. Ssshhewwww! I barely got through that.
Once inside the store the boys wanted to walk around while I shopped. I don't usually allow that with out our little walkie talkies. I said ok but you must mind your manners and stay together. I was free! Yeah for a whole total of 10 minutes. But that's ok with me. When they are with me, I know that they are safe and that is the most important part. We did our little bit of shopping and I had to buy some pencils. On the pencil isle, JD spotted some of the felt coloring things. I thought - what the heck...we missed drawing today at our group meeting and the boys can't go swimming - so why not just buy them each one. They all 3 picked out the picture they wanted to do and we were outta there. Easy as that!
Everything put away and now Art class begins. Skipping school - ha - that's what they thought. When we were driving home, I starting singing a little diddy about skipping school. Just something I made up off the tip of my tongue. WW commented that he didn't want to skip school. JD said we could get in trouble for skipping school. I just had to say that we couldn't get in trouble when mom was with us. Me, of course. Then I hear "Don't tell dad". It was really cute! Then the JD and WW say "Mom, you already told dad because you called him when we were at Walmart". They know that their dad and I talk about everything. There are no secrets in our house. In all reality, I think the boys like that about us.
Just remember, when you skip home school...Take mom (or dad) along with you. That way you have a driver and someone to keep you out of trouble.
Family Life
What in the world has happened to the family life? What every happened to sitting at the table every night for supper? Well at our house, we have family life. We all sit at the table for supper at least 6 times a week. The other day that we don't sit together at the table is because the boys have youth night at church, Superman could be late getting home from work or maybe one of the boys is spending the night with one of their grandparents. Not only do we sit down at the table as a family, but we discuss things as a family. We talk about our day, no matter what we did. Superman shares stories from his work and we share stories about school, grades, critters, field trips and more.
Television - better known as TV. I can honestly say that I have not watched TV since 1994. I am extremely proud that I am not programed by TV. Superman hasn't watched TV since 2001. We have a TV in our home but we don't subscribe to any programming. It's way to expensive and there is more junk on it than anything else. If I were to watch TV, I would either watch the Discovery channel or the History Channel. I actually wish that we had those 2 programs for the boys to watch. I would be very selective in what they watched on them though. I just think that TV is way over rated. Way to many people spend so much time being a zombie to the darn thing.
I remember when I was a kid only having 2 channels to watch. It was ABC or PBS. I remember watching PBS more than anything else. PBS is the channel that me and my sister liked to watch the most. We would watch Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. I grew out of that way before my sister did. At 4pm every weekday we always watched Dialing For Dollars. They would have a 2 hour movie on and during the breaks the host of the show would call a phone number, if the person that answered the phone knew the dollar amount then they would win that money. If they didn't know the dollar amount then it would roll over to the next call. I don't remember how much money it was or how the jackpot grew. I know that we didn't have a phone, so it really didn't matter to us. LOL
I believe that homeschoolers are bringing back the family life. I believe they are bringing back the values and the morals that every family needs and wants. Material items have become more important in day to day life. Not in our family. Family life is the most important to us.
Keep the Family life home fires burning!
Television - better known as TV. I can honestly say that I have not watched TV since 1994. I am extremely proud that I am not programed by TV. Superman hasn't watched TV since 2001. We have a TV in our home but we don't subscribe to any programming. It's way to expensive and there is more junk on it than anything else. If I were to watch TV, I would either watch the Discovery channel or the History Channel. I actually wish that we had those 2 programs for the boys to watch. I would be very selective in what they watched on them though. I just think that TV is way over rated. Way to many people spend so much time being a zombie to the darn thing.
I remember when I was a kid only having 2 channels to watch. It was ABC or PBS. I remember watching PBS more than anything else. PBS is the channel that me and my sister liked to watch the most. We would watch Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. I grew out of that way before my sister did. At 4pm every weekday we always watched Dialing For Dollars. They would have a 2 hour movie on and during the breaks the host of the show would call a phone number, if the person that answered the phone knew the dollar amount then they would win that money. If they didn't know the dollar amount then it would roll over to the next call. I don't remember how much money it was or how the jackpot grew. I know that we didn't have a phone, so it really didn't matter to us. LOL
I believe that homeschoolers are bringing back the family life. I believe they are bringing back the values and the morals that every family needs and wants. Material items have become more important in day to day life. Not in our family. Family life is the most important to us.
Keep the Family life home fires burning!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Fun Things
I found a couple of things that you just might be interested in. And if you aren't interested in them - well - that's ok too.
Halloween Survival Guide, not just a survival guide but fun things to do for all ages.
Something else that I came across today and I really don't even remember how I found it. Superman and I have considered buying the LifePac Bible curriculum for our boys. Why haven't we already bought it? Cost. Yep, plain ole money. We talked about it and thought that once we got the boys going on their regular class studies and all of the required by State stuff that we would start some type of Children's Bible Studies. Here is what I found today that is absoutely free! Bible Study Planet. Yes, I said FREE! All you have to do is print the lesson plans out from Adobe. Easy enough for me.
That's all for now, I'm off to read a little more in my book. We have our homeschool meeting again tomorrow and we are all looking forward to it.
Halloween Survival Guide, not just a survival guide but fun things to do for all ages.
Something else that I came across today and I really don't even remember how I found it. Superman and I have considered buying the LifePac Bible curriculum for our boys. Why haven't we already bought it? Cost. Yep, plain ole money. We talked about it and thought that once we got the boys going on their regular class studies and all of the required by State stuff that we would start some type of Children's Bible Studies. Here is what I found today that is absoutely free! Bible Study Planet. Yes, I said FREE! All you have to do is print the lesson plans out from Adobe. Easy enough for me.
That's all for now, I'm off to read a little more in my book. We have our homeschool meeting again tomorrow and we are all looking forward to it.
Inspiration
Last week at our home school meeting, our fearless leader brought a few books that we were all welcome to borrow. She suggested a book for me and tonight I finally had the chance to pick it up and flip through the pages. Now I am having trouble putting it down.
"The First Year Of Homeschooling Your Child" by Linda Dobson.
I have read and read and read things about homeschooling. I never had any doubt that I couldn't do it or that I shouldn't do it. On the other hand, Superman did have a little doubt about us homeschooling. He was really concerned about the social aspect of it all. That is always the least amount of my concern. Teach your children good manners and those manners will follow them into the world. Ok - that's my opinion and my view, but when you think about it, it really does make sense. Once I talked to Superman about the benefits of homeschooling and he thought about it, then he was convinced. His idea now - Public school is not an option.
In this book that I'm reading, I came across something titled "What I wish someone had told me during my first year of homeschooling." Well let me go on and share this with you. Why? Because if you have read any of my other post about our defiant middle son, then you will understand. If you haven't read any of those post, then the word defiant explains it all. LOL
"First, I wish someone had explained that every day would not be perfect but that they all have value. Actually, I heard this basic message in a few different places, and read nearly the same words. But no on I knew seemed to experience any low moments, so even though I understood deep down that we would not have magical moments every day, I felt really bad when we had a less-than-stellar day."
"I felt especially sensitive to this on days when I was finding myself trying to explain homeschooling to someone who didn't quite get it. Or after I read lots of anecdotes in books and magazines about amazing things that other homeschoolers are doing."
"Lately I have tried to find something to cherish in everyday, even if it is simply a hug or kiss from my kids. I have found that as I worry less about having picture-perfect days, I am more able to enjoy good days and live with bad ones. I am also better able to see that my kids are learning even when things don't go smoothly." Deb Baker, Bellevue, Washington
Ok - that really hit home with me. I thought - "Alta, here's your sign". How many more writings on the wall do I need to let me know that what I am doing is ok? It just takes a little inspiration from someone or something else to let us know that "This too shall pass".
"The First Year Of Homeschooling Your Child" by Linda Dobson.
I have read and read and read things about homeschooling. I never had any doubt that I couldn't do it or that I shouldn't do it. On the other hand, Superman did have a little doubt about us homeschooling. He was really concerned about the social aspect of it all. That is always the least amount of my concern. Teach your children good manners and those manners will follow them into the world. Ok - that's my opinion and my view, but when you think about it, it really does make sense. Once I talked to Superman about the benefits of homeschooling and he thought about it, then he was convinced. His idea now - Public school is not an option.
In this book that I'm reading, I came across something titled "What I wish someone had told me during my first year of homeschooling." Well let me go on and share this with you. Why? Because if you have read any of my other post about our defiant middle son, then you will understand. If you haven't read any of those post, then the word defiant explains it all. LOL
"First, I wish someone had explained that every day would not be perfect but that they all have value. Actually, I heard this basic message in a few different places, and read nearly the same words. But no on I knew seemed to experience any low moments, so even though I understood deep down that we would not have magical moments every day, I felt really bad when we had a less-than-stellar day."
"I felt especially sensitive to this on days when I was finding myself trying to explain homeschooling to someone who didn't quite get it. Or after I read lots of anecdotes in books and magazines about amazing things that other homeschoolers are doing."
"Lately I have tried to find something to cherish in everyday, even if it is simply a hug or kiss from my kids. I have found that as I worry less about having picture-perfect days, I am more able to enjoy good days and live with bad ones. I am also better able to see that my kids are learning even when things don't go smoothly." Deb Baker, Bellevue, Washington
Ok - that really hit home with me. I thought - "Alta, here's your sign". How many more writings on the wall do I need to let me know that what I am doing is ok? It just takes a little inspiration from someone or something else to let us know that "This too shall pass".
Fall in the Air
For the last couple of weeks we have been able to really feel fall in the air. It has been cool in the morning, then warming during midday and then a cooler in the evening. Well I have felt it anyway. Superman says it just started like on Sunday. Yesterday and today there was no mistake that you can really feel Fall in the air. It even has a distinct aroma. I love this time of year. Usually it's hot this time of year but not right now. The weather people say there is some type of front that could or will cause some type of El Nino that will dump lots of water on us this Winter. Even enough to end our drought conditions. Well it better be a lot of water if it's gonna bring our water table back up to the normal range.
On top of our water table being really low, I read in our local paper yesterday that some important people or company wants to create a huge pipe line that will send our water down to South Florida. Hmmm...Now exactly what are we going to drink when this happens? I guess they aren't thinking about that. Shoot, most of the swimming holes and fishing holes that were full when I was a kid are all pretty much dried up now. Will Florida become the next dessert? It kinda looks like it.
Today we have had a light drizzle of rain. The horses were running around all frisky and playful. They are so beautiful to watch. The weather means the boys have to play inside a little more, but that's ok too. They still get to play outside but not when it's cool and raining.
I'm off to do a little surfing and a little reading. I have more news to post, so don't run off.
On top of our water table being really low, I read in our local paper yesterday that some important people or company wants to create a huge pipe line that will send our water down to South Florida. Hmmm...Now exactly what are we going to drink when this happens? I guess they aren't thinking about that. Shoot, most of the swimming holes and fishing holes that were full when I was a kid are all pretty much dried up now. Will Florida become the next dessert? It kinda looks like it.
Today we have had a light drizzle of rain. The horses were running around all frisky and playful. They are so beautiful to watch. The weather means the boys have to play inside a little more, but that's ok too. They still get to play outside but not when it's cool and raining.
I'm off to do a little surfing and a little reading. I have more news to post, so don't run off.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Long Long Day
When class starts and 9:30 am and ends around 5pm, it certainly makes for a long, long day. And get this - class really didn't end at 5 pm, it's just that I had had enough. I couldn't take the whining or complaining anymore. JD can certainly takes hours and hours to whine and complain but he can't take 15 minutes to do his work. I think that for some reason that he believes that if he complains enough that I will just let class go and not do it, or he won't have to do his work. I have showed him time after time that no matter the amount of complaining that he does, he will still have to do his work. How in the world can I get him to understand? And even if he doesn't understand right now, if I can just get him to comply.
I know that some of you may have experienced what I am going through with getting JD to understand, sit still or just simply do his work. What can I do? He wanted my help today with math, no problem - but - the whole time I am explaining the division problem to him he is using his pencil as a car and even making car sounds. How much of this can a person take? I stopped and ask him to stop making the sound and to please put his pencil down. Oh yes - it worked for about 15 seconds. I know - take what is given to me. But the whole 15 seconds he is complaining that he doesn't understand. Well for goodness sake, I guess he doesn't understand if he won't listen.
I suppose some days I am just at a lose. Tonight we discussed his behavior at supper and he had to have a talk with his dad. He certainly doesn't like having those talks with his dad.
MJ is about to move on to Unit 2 of his History and Geography studies, he is also about to move on to Unit 2 in his Language Arts studies. He is really working very well and comprehending what he is reading.
I told WW that I am not holding him back and waiting on JD anymore. Tomorrow he will be able to pick up his books and do his studies by himself. I ask him to come to me with any questions that he has and I will check him from time to time.
Other than it being a long, long day, it was an ok day. Hopefully JD will get some really good rest tonight and we will be able to move him along.
I know that some of you may have experienced what I am going through with getting JD to understand, sit still or just simply do his work. What can I do? He wanted my help today with math, no problem - but - the whole time I am explaining the division problem to him he is using his pencil as a car and even making car sounds. How much of this can a person take? I stopped and ask him to stop making the sound and to please put his pencil down. Oh yes - it worked for about 15 seconds. I know - take what is given to me. But the whole 15 seconds he is complaining that he doesn't understand. Well for goodness sake, I guess he doesn't understand if he won't listen.
I suppose some days I am just at a lose. Tonight we discussed his behavior at supper and he had to have a talk with his dad. He certainly doesn't like having those talks with his dad.
MJ is about to move on to Unit 2 of his History and Geography studies, he is also about to move on to Unit 2 in his Language Arts studies. He is really working very well and comprehending what he is reading.
I told WW that I am not holding him back and waiting on JD anymore. Tomorrow he will be able to pick up his books and do his studies by himself. I ask him to come to me with any questions that he has and I will check him from time to time.
Other than it being a long, long day, it was an ok day. Hopefully JD will get some really good rest tonight and we will be able to move him along.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Game Day
It was so much fun! For 2 and a half hours there were about a dozen kids, ranging from 5 months to 14 years old, all playing educational games together. All playing and getting along without any problems at all. What a wonderful thing!
Today was our first "Game Day" meeting. Our group leader planned it all and put it all together. We all (well all that could attend) met at one of our members churches (in the fellowship) hall. There were educational games for all of the children to play. It gave us all time to sit and chat with each other and actually put some things together on paper for our group. I think this group is really gonna do very well. We do have a website that is in the process of being built and when it's all done, it will be totally awesome. We are also about to put together a yahoo group so that we can all communicate with each other without the mass email thing.
So now I am off to take care of creating the yahoo group where we can all post away until our little fingers get really, really tired.
Today was our first "Game Day" meeting. Our group leader planned it all and put it all together. We all (well all that could attend) met at one of our members churches (in the fellowship) hall. There were educational games for all of the children to play. It gave us all time to sit and chat with each other and actually put some things together on paper for our group. I think this group is really gonna do very well. We do have a website that is in the process of being built and when it's all done, it will be totally awesome. We are also about to put together a yahoo group so that we can all communicate with each other without the mass email thing.
So now I am off to take care of creating the yahoo group where we can all post away until our little fingers get really, really tired.
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