ElCloud Homeschool: Walking In His Ways

Jul. 24, 2008

Silly frog jokes and riddles to share with your kids

These were given to us at an event we attended  awhile ago.  It was fun to read them to my kids ... thought you might like to, also.  Q:  What happens if a frog parks in a bus stop? A:   He gets toad away! Q:  Why are frogs always happy? A:   Because they eat whatever bugs them! Q:  What happens when two frogs catch the same fly? A:  They get tongue-tied! Q:  What do you get when you cross a pig with a frog? A:   A ham-phibian! Q:  What kind of frog do you find on a farm? A:  A bull frog! Q:  What kind of frog lives in a tree house? A:  A tree frog! Q:  What do you get when you cross a frog with a rabbit? A:   Ribbits! Q:  What do you get when you cross a frog and a potato? A:  A potatoad! Q:  What do you get when you cross a frog and a toaster? A:  A Toadster! Q:  What do you get when you cross a frog and a popsicle? A:  A hopsicle! Q:  What do you get when you cross a frog and a pigeon? A:  A pigeon toed toad! Oh, goodie!  Tiredmom added more frog jokes in the comments!!  So read the comments for more corny frog jokes to share with your kids. Trusting in Him, April

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Jul. 21, 2008

A fun birthday weekend for me ...

We had a great weekend this weekend.  I was able to spend Saturday at church, in ladies fellowship.  First, I spent 4 hours scrapbooking with a couple ladies, and then I attended an ice cream social with even more ladies from church.  It was an enjoyable time, and it was good to get to know the ladies in our new church better.  I came home and Steve took the oldest four to Teens For Christ.  When they got home, they quickly made the Duggar's Ice Cream Cake for my birthday, and stuck it in the freezer.  Then Steve and I watched a movie and went to bed way too late. Sunday, I went to church with the oldest four children, and Steve stayed home with 4 yo M (chicken pox) and 2 yo L (hates nursery and will get chicken pox soon).   Since we couldn't eat out together as a family for my birthday, Steve called in an order for Pizza Hut pizza toward the end of church service, and we picked it up on our way home.  After we at our lunch, the kids and Steve presented their gifts to me.  And then we showed the children our surprise.  Pictures of the Sheltie dog we'll be getting soon.   We found her via freecycle and are hoping to get her brought home soon.  There's some distance involved between where she currently lives, and our home.  The children are thrilled as they have wanted a dog for a very long time. I spent the early part of the afternoon washing clothes and hanging them out on the line while Steve mowed and the kids played in the sprinkler.  I talked to two of my sisters on the phone during that time, too. We ate the Duggar's Ice Cream Cake (scroll down the page to find the recipe) mid-afternoon.  It is double layered in a 9x13 pan, and we only ate 1/3 of it.  It was very easy, and delicious!  It sounds really rich when you read the ingredients, but it wasn't any richer than an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.  Steve calculated our cost this time to be $12 ... which is probably half of what we'd pay at DQ for a similar size cake.  It definitely costs more than a baked cake, but it's nice for the occasional summer birthday treat.  We used crushed chocolate cream-filled cookies (like Oreos) instead of a crushed candy bar.  When we make it again, we'll try to lower the cost by shopping for the ingredients on sale, well in advance. Steve grilled brats and hot dogs for our supper, which we ate with grapes, and chips.  Then, he and I began working on cleaning out one of the kennels for Molly the dog.  We do not intend to kennel her all the time, but want to have one ready for nights, and times we go to town.  This will likely be most important when she first arrives, so she doesn't decide to wander away. The kennel is in good shape, but there were lots of shrubs and small trees trying to grow up around it that we cut down.  And Steve needed to trim overhanging branches that were reaching into the kennel too far.  Some dead branches needed to come down for safety, as well.  Now, we're in the process of removing leaf and branch debris from the floor.  Then we'll wash down the cement floor, and clean out the dog house.  I'm not sure if we'll add any bedding materials yet (other than a couple blankets) or if we'll wait to add straw/pine chips once it cools off and she needs them for warmth.  My parents called while we were working, so I talked with them while we worked on cleaning up the floor.  We came in at dark, and put the children to bed.  We followed them not too much later.  I was really tired this morning, and went back to bed after Steve left.  I slept until 8, when my sister called.  Then after she hung up, I crawled back into bed to nurse 2 yo L, who was waking up.  I stayed there dozing until 9:00, when kids began to wander in to talk to me.  I didn't get up again until 9:30.  I don't do that anymore, so I felt guilty ... but it felt so nice to get that rest.  Maybe I can stay awake to read this afternoon now.  *giggle* I'm still doing laundry today, so I need to go hang up my first load and start a second load.  Then I think I'll get the children to come outside with me, and work on cleaning up the kennel floor some more.   We're having a variety of leftovers for supper tonight, so I don't need to cook.  But I should start thinking ahead to tomorrow's supper plans. Edited to Add:  M is doing well with his chickenpox.  It seems to bother him less than the poison ivy did.  He didn't get many pox, and he's scabbing up today.  Unless more pox appear, he'll likely be non-contagious and able to go out in public again on Wednesday.  Trusting in Him, April

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Jul. 18, 2008

Oh, my! Chickenpox, not strep!

4 yo M told me he had a sore bug bite on his ankle yesterday.  So I looked, and it had a big blister surrounded by red.  I initially feared poison ivy, and checked the other ankle and his legs up to his knees.  Both ankles had blistered spots, but they didn't really look like poison ivy, which is usually streaks.  I showered him down, just in case, to remove the urushiol oil.  That's when I began to notice lots of other "bug bite" spots.  And then it dawned on me that his Monday symptoms could have been the onset of chickenpox.  Sure enough, this morning the other "bug bites" are now blistered.  It's chickenpox.  I guess I don't have to wonder what his strep culture will show today.  I bet it's negative.  LOL!! Fun, fun, fun!  Well, I guess 2 yo L will get it.  I think the older four all had it 4 or 5 summers ago, though.  It was light for all of them except 12 yo A, but her spots were all very tiny blisters.  So, I still have some doubts.  It's possible they could ALL end up with it now, I guess.  But at least it should be GONE before the baby arrives. Trusting in Him, April

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Jul. 17, 2008

Getting ready for the baby, some of my nesting

A few weeks ago, I spent a day or two sewing.  I made our traditional double-layered flannel baby blanket with the satin blanket ribbon binding.  And then I converted some flannel receiving blankets into double-layered burp cloths.  We also have diaper service quality prefolds that we use as burp cloths. I've also been admiring these teeny tiny pocket diapers that are waiting for baby.  I've never had size small pocket diapers before, so I'm looking forward to using the 3 I have.  Two of them are small FuzziBunz, and the blue snowman one was made by my friend Tina of Heartland Dreams.  The majority of our cloth diapers for the baby are Mother-Ease diapers, though.  We have one small Sandy diaper (the whale tag), and a drawer full of their One-size diapers (on the left).   We started using these when 9 yo C was a baby, and we have acquired a large supply of them since then.  We love how soft they are and that they fit our babies from the time they are a few weeks old, until they are 2 yo.   I like the Sandy's, too, but we mostly use the One-size diapers.   The One-size diapers fold down for smaller babies, and have lots of snaps for adjusting the fit.  Steve loves that he doesn't have to pin them.  I love that they don't have complicated washing instructions.  This last picture shows how small they can be (and yes they are loose when we first start using them), and how big they can be.  Although you can stretch them larger than this picture shows, and this isn't the loosest snap setting, either.  Mother-Ease also sells small liners we use as baby gets bigger, and once we can stop folding the front down, there are snap-in liners to make the diapers thicker.   These diapers are fitted diapers, and do require covers (unlike the pocket diapers I first shared).  We really like using Mother-Ease Airflow PUL snap covers, but we keep some Dappi Nylon Pull-On Pants (NOT VINYL!) around for backups, as well.  We use the Dappis more with our little babies than older kids, though.  They're very soft, and don't leak. (The Mother-Ease link I've enclosed isn't working for me at the moment.  But I was just at their website a month ago, so I'm hoping the link will be working again soon.) Anyway, I was just in the mood to look at my baby items again, and decided to do some blog-nesting ... it's more fun than the closet cleaning nesting I really should be focusing on. Trusting in Him, April

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Jul. 16, 2008

Moving on up, and out ... the history of our guinea homes

Since Momofsix asked, I'll share what we did with our guineas since we got them.  I have friends who use refrigerator boxes, laid on their side, with the top side removed, and netting over them.  But I didn't acquire one of those in time, and we made do with what we had. First, they came home and were placed in a very small plastic container.  There were only five of them, and it worked ... for a few days.  You can't see all of the tote, but the waterer is in one corner, and the feeder in another corner.  Obviously quite small.  When they started hopping and fluttering their wings, we had to move them quickly. So I went to Walmart and bought the largest plastic tote they had.  I don't have a picture of the keets in the larger tote, but it was a 45 gallon tote with wheels on one end.  They only lasted in that for a little more than a week, before I realized they were flying up onto the top of their feeder and waterer.  It would only be a short hop/fly from there to the top of the tote box and out into the basement.  So, finally, we had the idea to put them into one of the built in cages we have in our basement.  Steve's grandparents had used it as a kennel for some of the small dogs they bred.  It likely was for puppies or a pregnant mama dog, about to have her babies.  One of the cages was double-wide, with a floor at my hip level, and was caged all the way to the ceiling.  Perfect!   We put cardboard down over the metal mesh floor, and put the pine chips over that.  We did have one keet escape from this, we think through a 2 inch gap between the roof and the doors.  But that was the only escape, and it was just a day or two after putting them in. They were about half-grown, or more, when we finally finished the outdoor enclosure for them.  We used an old dog pen, just south of the house.  It already had chicken wire around the sides.  We had to fix one end of the pen, patch a few areas, and then we added chicken wire mesh/fabric over the top to keep them from flying out, and to keep owls from snatching them up. There is fencing on that right side, but it is a different type than the left side and didn't show up in the picture.   But this gives you an idea of the size, plus you can see the "roof" we put on it, and the doghouse that was in it already.  And here's another picture of the guinea keets on their first night in their new home (Sunday).  Um, this next picture shows where we ran out of chicken wire and had to temporarily finish the roof with netting I had bought to cover their 45 gallon tote (but couldn't because the heat lamp interfered with it.) We have 3 white guineas and 2 lavender guineas.  I have no clue what boy/girl ratio we have, though.  We don't intend to keep them in this enclosure very long.  We do want them to be free-range on the property, eating ticks and any other bugs they want.  But until they're full-grown, we'll keep them in here.  It shouldn't take long ... they grow amazingly fast!  At the moment, they still seemed overwhelmed with the space, and spend all their time clustered together, even when browsing around for bugs. It isn't a pretty enclosure, but it works!  And it will work for guinea keets and chicks in future years, too. Trusting in Him, April

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Jul. 16, 2008

Summer Colds, Strep, the Guineas, and the Baby

Steve and a couple of the children are fighting light summer colds.  They would tell me it isn't that light, but compared to many of the colds they've had, it really is light.   I'd suspect allergies, except Steve is taking allergy medicine daily and still fighting it off. 4 yo M is sick with what I suspect is strep again.  He had strep in late April, although it took us 5 days to realize that was what it was.  He told me Monday afternoon that he didn't want to eat lunch, didn't feel well, couldn't pinpoint how he didn't feel well, but didn't think he was going to throw up.  He then proceeded to sleep all afternoon long, running a fever just over 100*.  While he slept, he was holding his head, as if it hurt.  One of the few times he woke up, he did tell me it hurt.  I asked him if his throat hurt, because he acted this same way last time he had strep, and he said no.  That evening, he woke up, but didn't want to walk anywhere, and threw up once.  Yesterday, he woke up without a fever or headache, but by afternoon, he told me his throat hurt.  I looked down his throat and saw some very swollen tonsils, and suspected strep even more.  Today he's still feverless, headacheless, and up and around ... but his tonsils are still swollen and it still hurts to swallow.  He did the same thing last time.  Fever and sick for 1-2 days, then acted fine for a couple days, then the fever returned with a rash, tummy ache, and headache.  We took him in, with no clue what was going on, and the doctor said strep.  I have an appointment for him later today, although he is acting fine at the moment.  But I'm afraid if we wait, he'll have the fever, upset tummy, headache, and rash return like last time. We finished our guinea enclosure on Sunday, and moved them outside Sunday night.  Except for one roll of chicken wire fabric, we were able to scrounge most of our materials from the outbuildings.  I managed to catch all 5 of them and move them outside one at a time that evening.  It wasn't exactly easy, but it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be.  I didn't get pecked or scratched, for one thing, and none escaped ... although two almost escaped.  Once they were released, they each stood there somewhat stunned and actually let Steve and the boys pet them.  They've never let me pet them before!  Steve went out later that night and caught them each to put them inside the dog house we hope they'll use as shelter from rain.  They were calmer then and he didn't have too much trouble catching them.  They're all doing fine now, although I think they're still adjusting to the wind, as we often find them huddled together in corners of the enclosure.  Our wind usually comes strongly from the south, and that is where we no longer have a tree-line or wind-break.   We need one, but it was cut down several years before we bought the house.  Our enclosure is on the south side of the house, so they get the full brunt of the wind. I'm 31 weeks and 1 day pregnant today.  Just 62 days to go. My due date is 2 months from today.   It's fun to count down.  Baby is active, and growing well by the looks of me.  My prenatal for this week had to be rescheduled until next week, but I'll update after that.  I think I'm handling the summer without air conditioning fairly well for a pregnant woman.  I pray I can continue to handle it well, graciously, and calmly.  I don't want to turn into a complaining grouch.  I know many people live without air conditioning, but it has been so many years since I have lived without it.  My kids have never been without it. I'm still able to carry laundry baskets up and down the basement stairs, and out to the clothesline.  I'm achy some days and evenings, but I just keep going.  I want to stay as active as possible, because I believe it will be better for baby and me in the long run.  I know muscles that are fit and used to working can work better to deliver a baby than muscles that just sit around too much. I've been acquiring a collection of Dr. William Sears' books on pregnancy and parenting from Paperback Swap to add to my permanent bookshelf, as well as several books on natural childbirth (specifically using the Bradley method of relaxing and working with your body instead of fighting the contractions).   I'm refreshing my memory and practicing the relaxation techniques.  The last two births (fifth and sixth births) were very intense.  As I look back on them, it seems as if I was not as calm or relaxed as I was with my third and fourth births.  I'm trying to sort through the hazy memories and figure out how much of that was my own fault, and how much of that was just birth differences.  It's confusing, but I'm praying about it.  If there is anything I can do differently this time, I want to do it.  It's possible that time has just made the 3rd and 4th births *seem* less intense than the 5th and 6th, but they really weren't.  I should ask Steve if he can remember, and what his perception is. We are winding down school this week.  Just two days left.  The children's minds are already on "vacation" it seems, and it is taking lots of prodding to get the last little bit accomplished.  I have begun doing some planning for next year.  I have all the curricula for each child listed on paper ... along with some stuff I'd like to add in.  Now I just need to figure out how much we really can add in, and what's most important.  I don't want to bog everyone down by trying to use too many homeschooling methods and curricula.  So, I need to find a good balance that covers all subject areas without being overwhelming. We have two flat-faced Persian kittens ready to sell, and I need to get them to the vet this week or next for their shots and a health check so we can start advertising them.  We'll miss them when they are gone, but it will also be nice to return to just our 3 adult cats.  It's possible that our younger female is pregnant for the first time, but I am not sure yet.  We're hoping for more kittens in August, though. And that's life here in the ElCloud Homeschool at ElCloud Homestead.  We're winding down our summer reading programs, and enjoying Vacation Bible School each Wednesday night.  The kids seem to be staying out of the poison ivy now, and all is basically well.  What a blessing! Trusting in Him, April

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Jul. 11, 2008

How did *I* end up with this job?!?!

I am not a country girl.  I was raised in towns and on military bases.  I have never been in 4-H and I have never raised poultry.  Our pets were limited to fish, one bird, cats, and dogs.  But now we have guinea keets.  And even though Steve did live on a farm for part of his childhood, and did raise poultry, and was in 4-H ... they have been my job.  I researched what we needed to start keets or chicks.  I picked them out, and captured them in the store.  I released them into their little tote when we got home.  A week later, I moved them into a larger tote.  I've fed and watered them daily.  And when they outgrew the larger tote, I moved them into the built-in cage on the basement wall that had once been a dog kennel.  I even caught the escaped keet two days later (still not sure how he escaped) and put him back. But now it's time to move them outside.  It's a little past time, to be honest, but we were warned that owls would snatch them up if we didn't give them some protection outside for awhile longer.  So, we've been waiting to finish a fenced (and covered) area for them to be safely moved to. And every day when I go down to feed them, I wonder how in the world I'm supposed to catch these guinea keets to move them outside.  They're fast!  And they fly!!  And they're in a cage that starts at my waist, and goes up to the ceiling!!  I'm not that tall, and I have a baby belly that comes between me and the cage anyway.  And I'm not a farm girl.  I've never captured or held a full-grown chicken or guinea (although these are only half grown) before. Suddenly our cool built-in cage is looking less cool.  Maybe that wasn't such a great idea after all.  Maybe we really should have moved those poor tiny defenseless keets outside a little earlier.  I can just imagine half-grown guineas flying in my face, escaping into the basement, and never making it outside at all!!  How did *I* end up with this job?!?!  And yet, it's my job.  I don't want to wimp out on Steve and demand that he do it.  I really do want to try.  So, sometime this weekend, we'll be moving them outside.  I think I need some prayer ... and any tips you might have. Nervously trusting in Him, April

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Jul. 11, 2008

The picture of me using the mei tai, as promised

Here I am at 30 weeks pregnant, with 2 yo L on my back in the mei tai at the county fair.    (Now remember, this was a hot humid day, and we'd been walking around for quite awhile already, so the part of my hair that escaped from the clip in back has gone all curly and wild.  But at least 2 yo L has left her pony tail in.  Oh, and my 11 yo took the picture, so it's a bit fuzzy.) I'm looking forward to using this as a chest carrier and back carrier with the baby.  It's very versatile, but I think it will work even better with someone smaller than my 2.5 yo.  If you looked at the links I shared previously, you can see it has two sets of very long straps that can be criss-crossed  and tied in many different ways to carry different sized/aged babies on your front or back. I still like my slings (especially the unpadded ones) but this is even more hands-free and distributes the weight of the baby differently. I'll have to get a better pregnant belly picture posted later. Trusting in Him, April

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Jul. 9, 2008

Eyeglasses, scoliosis, and the county fair

Today I took the last of the 6 children in for their physicals.  It's been a couple years since each child had a physical, so we decided to do that now that we have better insurance coverage.  Today, it was 12 yo A's visit.  As expected, we learned she needs glasses.  My Dad, 2 of my sisters, and myself got glasses around age 10 and in 5th grade.  We had A's eyes checked at age 10, and they were fine.  But in the past 6 months, she'd expressed that she could not read signs that others in the car could read when we were out and about.  We knew we needed to get her eyes checked again.  Today she tested at 20/70 in one eye.  So, we'll get her in to see an actual eye doctor and get a more thorough examination, and get glasses for her. The surprise of the visit (although I am not that surprised) is that she also has scoliosis.  Since I was also diagnosed with it in junior high, I wasn't too surprised.  So we had x-rays done of her back today to verify the degree of the curvature, and she is supposed to see an orthopedic surgeon in September.  We'll have to go to another town for that visit, though.  I know they won't do anything at this point.  Hopefully, she will be like her Dad and I, and her spinal curvature will remain too small to need any treatment at all.  But we will be discussing how to take care of her back.  I injured mine badly in high school when trying to do 100 situps and crunches daily to "get in shape" for school.  It was then further aggravated by carrying my backpack to and from school.  I don't want her to go through the pain I went through for over a year, so we'll have to teach her proper ways to lift and carry things.  At least she won't have heavy backpacks to carry to school daily. It's county fair time here.  We went last night to watch the mutton busting and do a hay bale maze.  There weren't any animals yet, but it was nice to get acquainted with the fairgrounds when it's less crowded.  We saw some neighbors, and church folk, which was nice.  We'll be going back tonight so the boys can participate in the pedal tractor pull, and we can see the animals.  Last night at the fair, I was an interesting sight, I'm sure.  I was carrying 2 yo L on my back in a mei tai baby carrier (pronounced "may tie").  I had one strap tied above my 30 week pregnant belly, and the other strap tied under it.  I'm not sure they've ever seen anyone using a mei tai at the fair here before, let alone a woman as pregnant as I am.  I will probably be using it again tonight, and I'll try to get a picture this time.  A friend gave me the mei tai (one she had made) to use with the new baby, but I've also found it handy for putting  L on my back.  She likes getting "piggy backs" from Mom this way.  Mom doesn't carry her "piggy back" most of the time.   I usually use a Maya wrap baby sling to carry my babies and toddlers around in these settings, but I was hoping the mei tai would distribute her weight better.  I really think it did help to have her weight on both shoulders, my back, and my waist instead of all on one shoulder.  This was the first time I'd used it out of the house, and the first time I'd used it with a big pregnant belly.  Since I didn't have a mirror or counter or couch to back up against to help position her, I did get help from Steve or one of the older kids to be sure I had the body of the mei tai between her legs and not twisted, and to take her out when she wanted out.  When I tried it out at home several months ago, I was able to do it alone. Now, I think I'm going to try to get a little nap with 2 yo L before we need to fix supper and head to the fair.  And I'll try to get back here later with a picture of me with L in the mei tai. Trusting in Him, April

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Jul. 7, 2008

That probably wasn't a compliment

I'm thinking it's probably not a compliment when you arrive at church, and the first thing someone says to you is "When are you due?"  You tell them mid-September, and they say with surprise, "OH!  You still have quite a ways to go then!"  Hmm.  Does that mean I look larger than 29 weeks and 5 days? And then after church when another lady rushes up to you and asks, "How are you?!?!  Are you ready?!?!"  A question usually reserved for the last few weeks.  So, then you reply, "Well, I'll probably be more than ready before baby gets here, but I'll only be 30 weeks on Tuesday, so I still have 10 or more weeks to go."  A not-so-subtle reminder that you really aren't that close to your due date yet. I was excited that on Tuesday I'll be approximately 3/4 of the way through this pregnancy, with 10 weeks left until my due date.  But now I'm just wondering how big that outfit made me look yesterday.  Maybe that blouse and skirt aren't as flattering as I thought.  LOL!!  Or maybe I really am huge for 30 weeks.  I don't feel huge.  I think I'm about normal for being this far along.  It had to be the outfit.  I'm just used to being told I still look small, until the very last few weeks.  Although I do have to remind myself that this is a new church and a new community.  They don't know what I look like 7, 8, and 9 months pregnant yet.  But they will soon enough.  But then again, maybe I should remind myself of how big I got with both my boys.  If this truly is another boy, I'm likely going to be larger than I was last pregnancy ... and I'm likely going to get many more comments like those. Edited to add:  I am not upset about these comments.  I found it surprising, but also funny.  It did make me take a second look at that outfit when I got home, though.  Trusting in Him, April

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Jul. 3, 2008

Ending our school year, and planning our next year

Due to our rather long moving break last Fall, we are still finishing up this school year.  We would have finished it next week, but our oldest 3 girls went with their aunt to a family reunion at my parents home this week.  It was a last minute decision, so we still have 2 more weeks of school when they return this weekend. I had originally thought we'd have more of July off (that's what you get for planning without consulting a calendar) and that we could resume school at the start of August to get 6 weeks under our belt before the baby is due.  But, when I actually looked at a calendar yesterday, I realized that with the extra week we just added on, that would only give us a 2 week summer break.  Steve and I decided that wasn't enough.  So we're going to aim for starting school again on August 18 or 25, and getting 3-4 weeks of school completed before the baby arrives.  Then we'll be able to take a 4-6 week break, and only have to extend our school year a few weeks longer next Spring.  We may still finish later than most schools, but we're used to that. Of course, all that is subject to change.  There have been past pregnancies where I was just not mentally up to continuing school in the final weeks.  We were using a different curriculum then, though, so we'll see how it goes. In addition to planning when to start again, and working around the baby's arrival, I've been trying to acquire our curriculum needs for next year.  I've been able to acquire several of the books we'll use in Tapestry of Grace from Paperbackswap.com, although we will still rely on the library each week.  I also have requested, and will be receiving soon, some early handwriting workbooks for the boys from paperbackswap.com.  A friend loaned us the Apologia's Exploring Creation with General Science that we needed for 12 yo A (who will soon be 13, and will be in 8th grade next year).  She also gave us a copy of Saxon Algebra 1, although we won't be using that yet.  I am supposed to be receiving Saxon 87 for 12 yo A, which we found on the FreeHomeschoolTools yahoo group, but media mail can be so slow. We are actually using a copy of Tapestry of Grace, year 3, that someone gave me a few years ago.  It's not complete, but it has the parts we use most of the time.  When we return to this in 4 years, with high school students, we will need to purchase a new set that's complete.  We will need those missing parts at that point. At the moment, each of our children is in the middle of their current math book.  We'll have to order math workbooks for 9 yo C and 7 yo J late next Fall, when they move up a level in their Horizons Math.  We have the teacher's manuals already, and we have the Saxon texts that the older girls will need when they each move up.  I bought Ray's Arithmetic set from a friend last year, and have intended to use it for occasional group oral lessons in mental math.  But I haven't yet. My four students are each working on handwriting copywork we downloaded free from Currclick.com during their free weekly offers over the past couple years.  12 yo A and 11 yo R have graduated out of  the italics workbooks we usually use, so they are just using the copywork to learn about traditional cursive handwriting.  They are trying to decide which method of cursive they prefer.  In the end, their writing may be a blend of the two styles.  A & R are both still in the middle of their Easy Grammar workbooks.  We'll replace those when they are closer to finishing them.  I'd like to add in Daily Grams, at some point, but will wait until we order the math and grammar workbooks, most likely.  Although earlier this week, I was considering supplementing with Simply Grammar again.  I also bought Primary Language Lessons and  Intermediate Language Lessons from a friend last month.  They are great language arts books with Charlotte Mason style lessons.  I need to figure out how to incorporate them into our lessons.  The girls are still using Spelling Power for their occasional spelling lessons.  We need to be more diligent with that, although the oldest two girls are progressing nicely each year.   We also need to work on our writing more this year, as well as the spelling. The oldest two girls are each still completing their logic workbooks.  I'd prefer to replace their Building Thinking Skills books with The Fallacy Detective when the time comes.  We'll have to consider that before we make a curriculum order in the fall. 11 yo R is reading the final Christian Liberty Nature Reader.  When she finishes it, she'll work her way through the creation science book, It Couldn't Just Happen, as 12 yo A did this past year.  She'll probably make that transition this fall.  9 yo C is also working through the Nature Readers.  7 yo J isn't reading well enough for them yet, but will hopefully begin them this next school year.  I need to use my Handbook of Nature Study with them more, as we observe the nature around us on our property. Next year, we will have 8th grade A (13 yo), 6th grade R (11.5 yo), 4th grade C (9 yo), 2nd grade J (7.5 yo), preschool M (4.5 yo), busybody distraction L (2.5 yo), and snuggly baby ? (newborn).  Wow!  It hardly seems possible that they are all that old.  I still have work to do in planning our year.  I need to figure out how to add in the new things we've bought, how to schedule our lesson subjects into each week, and how to develop certain weak areas  in each child.  But, we're making progress, and we have what we need to begin the year. Trusting in Him, April

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Jun. 28, 2008

"May the Words of my Mouth"

We sang this in church on Sunday, and I was so touched by the words.   It became a prayer, my prayer.  And being an emotional pregnant woman, I cried, to the amusement of my family.  I was going to highlight the lines that spoke to me most, but each part is so powerful.  I wish I knew how to add music to my blog, because I'd add this song. "May the Words of my Mouth" (Psalm 19) by Tim Hughes May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart Bless Your name, bless Your name, Jesus And the deeds of the day and the truth in my ways Speak of You, speak of You, Jesus For this is what I'm glad to do It's time to live a life of love that pleases You And I will give my all to You Surrender everything I have and follow You I'll follow You Lord, will You be my vision, Lord, will You be my guide Be my hope, be my light and the way And I'll look not for riches, nor praises on earth Only You'll be the first of my heart I will follow I will follow I will follow You "Lord, please let every word of my mouth, every thought, and every action bless Your Name and speak of Your presence in my life.  Help me to live a life of love, and not selfishness.  Help me to focus on serving You, and those You have placed in my life, without thought for gain or praise.  Change my priorities, Lord.  Help me to follow You, and put You first in my life.  May my husband, my children, and my neighbors see You in me.   Forgive me for all the times my words and actions have not blessed Your Name, for the times they have grieved You.  Change me, Lord, and make me more like You.  Amen." Trusting in Him, April

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Jun. 21, 2008

I wish I had something profound to say ...

But I really don't.  Life is good, and ordinary, and we are blessed. At the moment, my biggest frustration or problem is that my little Persian kittens seem to know what part of the house to "go" in, but rarely "go" in the actual litter boxes.  They seem to prefer the floor next to the litter boxes.  I should be thankful they are confining themselves to one small area, but I'm tired of cleaning up messes.  And we need them to figure it out before we can really sell them.  Patience ... I just need more patience. Not just with them ... but with my kids.  Kids who are perfectly normal, and like any other child would rather play a computer game, read a book, or watch a movie than do their chores.  They seem to be in a slump, and I don't have as much patience or grace to deal with it as I usually do.  Pregnancy hormones and hot humid days haven't helped.  They usually do better.  I suppose the heat could be affecting them, too.  That and the end-of-the-school-year doldrums, most likely.  We only have 2 weeks of school left ... but we won't get much of a break, unfortunately, before we need to start again.  I wanted to get 6 weeks of school in before the baby's due, so we can take 6 weeks off afterwards.  I'm starting to wonder if it might be better to aim for only 3-4 weeks before his birth, and then just plan to go an extra couple weeks next Spring to finish making up for the time off.  And we might end up not taking a full 6 weeks off.  Hmm.  I'll have to talk that over with Steve. I probably should also think of ways to make these last two weeks more interesting, to break up the doldrums.  I'm afraid I'm in a rut, too. Trusting in Him, April

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Jun. 18, 2008

You might have outgrown your maternity capris if ...

(instead of a redneck joke, it's a maternity clothes joke) You might have outgrown your maternity capris if ... ... every step you take, you feel them wiggle lower on your hips and belly.  ... they pull your underwear down as they wiggle down. ... every 5 minutes (or less) you have to stop and hitch them up. I started out this pregnancy with practically no summer maternity clothes.  I had several short sleeve maternity t-shirts, 2 short sleeve maternity dresses, and one pair of maternity coverall shorts.  That was it.  I had some skirts I could probably wear through most of the pregnancy, but without air conditioning this summer, I wasn't sure they'd be very comfortable, because they are a heavier fabric. I quickly acquired one pair of capris that are the under belly style ... size large denim.  I got them from freecycle, along with a pair of snug shorts, snug jeans, and loose pajamas.  I knew I wouldn't be able to wear the capris the whole pregnancy, based on them being a tad tight-fitting to begin with.  Think ... must wear with really long maternity shirt snug.  They also didn't come very far below the knee and had a slimmer fit through the thighs than I like. But the only other pair I had was a pair I bought from an internet friend.  They were XL and supposed to come mid-waist.  But they are too BIG!!  Even trying to pin the waistband, they wouldn't stay up.  I set them aside thinking maybe I'd grow into them later in the pregnancy.  I probably will. Anyway, I put the snug ones on this morning, and every step I took I could feel them wiggle lower.  The small pockets wouldn't stay tucked in ... white kept showing from the lining.  And I kept having to hitch them back up ... WITH my underwear!!  I hadn't worn them since COMamaBear and her family visited us on May 31 ... I didn't think I'd grown that much in those 2.5 weeks ... but apparently JUST enough to outgrow these capris.  I took them off.  I'll be putting them away (along with the snug jeans and shorts they came with).    I will not wear them to the Dr. office, or anywhere else, for that matter.  I won't even wear them around the house ... I like my pants and under things to stay in place.  I don't like feeling like a redneck with a beer belly hitching his pants up all the time.  At least God blessed me with three more pair via yard sales in the previous two weekends (May31 and June 7).  The first pair is a very loose pair of long khaki capris that have a draw string waist that goes OVER the belly.  Very modest ... cost me $2.  The other two pair are denim ... also longer loose-fitting capris that go OVER the belly ... but their elastic is a bit too loose and I have to use a diaper pin to tighten it up a bit.  $.25 each.   And apparently, the new capris came JUST in time!!  Thank You, God!! Rejoicing in Him, April

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Jun. 16, 2008

PaperBackSwap.com for homeschool books

I am probably dense, and y'all may have already heard about PaperBackSwap.com, but I am excited about it.  A friend of mine just told me about it, and how she was using it to get some of her curriculum needs for next year.  I signed up using her referral, and started listing books yesterday.  First, I listed my mandatory ten books to get my first 2 free credits (each credit equals one book trade). Today I worked on creating a wish list there, and looking for books that I've wanted to buy.  Most of them weren't currently available, so I put them on my wish list.  Some were, so I put them on my reminder list to shop from once I have more credits. But then today, I started listing more books, and I've already got 5 of my books requested.  Once I mail them, I'll get a credit for each book.  Since I paid for and printed my delivery confirmation at the Paperbackswap.com website, I'll get my credit as soon as my post office scans the delivery confirmation.  If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't get credit until the recipient went to the website and marked the book as received. So, I pay postage to mail out the books I'm swapping, but I pay nothing to receive books that I request from others.  I have two books already requested that we will need to use on an ongoing basis for Tapestry of Grace this upcoming school year.  Once I receive more credits, I'll be able to get more books.  So, for the price of media mail postage, and delivery confirmation, I get books I need sent to me.  I couldn't buy a decent copy of most of these books for that price, let alone ordering it from the internet and paying for the book, plus postage. So, I'm thrilled to get to swap books I'm not using for books that I need!  And my girls are excited, too.  They have been hovering over me all day long as I list books, look for books, and package books to mail. The sad part is that I think I've seen this discussed on several email lists I'm on.  But I didn't realize it was for anything but paperbacks, and I didn't realize curriculum could be swapped.  So, I just ignored it, and didn't even bother to really read the emails.  Oh well!  Better late than never. If you're interested in signing up for PaperBackSwap.com and would like a referral, just use my "Email Me" link in the right column under my picture.  I'll send a referral to you.  Once you sign up, and list 10 books, you'll get 2 free credits, and I'll get 1 free credit.  Then every time someone requests a book from you, and you mail it, you'll receive another credit.  You can even buy credits for $3.95 each, if you haven't earned any and want a book ... which is still a bargain on many books. Well, that is the end of my advertisement, but I was excited about how this is helping me, and wanted to share it with others.  The more homeschoolers that participate, the more of us that will be able find curriculum to swap with others.  Rejoicing in Him, April

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Jun. 12, 2008

Double Digits, Turkeys, Poison Ivy, Bugs, and Does

I am in the double digits for days counting down to my estimated due date.  96 days to go!  (or a bit more, or less)  I just realized today that I'd dropped to less than 100 days.  Yay!   So far, everything is going really well.  I feel pretty good, although I do have some aches and pains that come and go.  I'm healthy so far, and hoping not to have blood pressure problems this pregnancy.  I see the Dr. next week, and I'll update again after that.  I'll be 6 months pregnant next week, and am excited to be getting close to my final trimester. Yesterday, we went into town for a checkup for two of the girls.  As we pulled out of our driveway onto the gravel road, heading toward the paved road, we realized a turkey was running along in front of us.  We went slowly and watched him run faster and faster down the gravel and attempt to fly over the paved road into the woods on the other side.  I'm glad there weren't any cars on the paved highway, or they would have hit the turkey.  Those turkeys don't fly very well.  It was funny yesterday.  The Dr. walked into the exam room, where all 6 kids and I were waiting, took one look at the boys and said, "Oh, poison ivy!"  7 yo J wanted to know how she knew.  I told him I was pretty sure she'd seen lots of poison ivy before.  *wink*  Most people don't know what has happened to the boys, though, and think it's scrapes, burns, or who knows what they think?  We've had to explain it over and over, it seems. While we were in town, we went to the library.  The kids collected their prizes for the summer reading program, which has a bug theme.  They love being in the summer reading programs, and are happily reading each day.  We have lots of bugs here at the "farm", and thankfully, the kids are taking more of a curious interest in them than a fearful avoidance.  Although we could all do without the ticks and the gnats that keep congregating in the bathroom.  Gnats, not ticks.  There aren't ticks congregating in the bathroom.  Some of the bugs we can't identify, though.  Like the odd green-toothed furry spider 12 yo A found that we think might be a jumping spider.  We aren't certain, although when A released it, it did jump at her.  I wish I'd seen her and 11 yo R run off screaming after that. This morning, around 10 am, the kids and I all gathered around my bedroom window (we moved from the kitchen window so we could see better) and watched a doe eating in the trees by one of our outbuildings.  She spent 15 minutes just under the edge of the trees, moving back and forth, before she walked further into the trees and out of our sight.  2 yo L and 4 yo M both called her a camel, though.  *giggle*  I guess the color and long face are somewhat similar.  I had just watched a doe cross Grandma's pasture and disappear into a different set of trees before the kids woke up this morning.  And last week, while the girls washed the supper dishes, we saw one walk across our back yard into the same trees we were watching together this morning.  Then something spooked her and she ran across our yard, into the pasture, and into the other trees I was watching alone this morning.  I wonder if it has been the same doe all 3 times. We're finishing our final week of Tapestry of Grace, year 2, at the moment.  We're studying the constitution, its creation, early American government leaders, and a bit of the French Revolution.  Next week, we will start Tapestry of Grace, year 3, and continue on with early American history and the French Revolution, as well.  12 yo A has dragged her feet about reading The Scarlet Pimpernel for history/literature study.  She kept begging me to find her novels and was so excited to reach the French Revolution.  I couldn't figure out why she just wasn't wanting to read this book.  Yesterday, I picked it up to decide just how boring it was, and if I should let her give up on it.  I read the chapter she'd just finished, and then sat down and finished the whole book.  It was so exciting!  But we rushed out the door for the Dr. appt. at the last minute, and I didn't realize that 2 yo L had covered herself and ME with orange stains from her cheese curls she ate with lunch.   I told 12 yo A when I was done that the book was very exciting and she should hurry up and finish it.  She did ... staying up after we prayed even (sneaky thing) to read at bedtime.  I guess it just had a slow start.  But hopefully this will be a lesson to her about giving a book some time and not giving up too quickly on a book. We've had lots of stormy weather all around us lately, including tornadoes, but thankfully most of the storms (and all the tornadoes) have passed us by.  That's just a little random update on our family.  We're all doing well, and life is just merrily rolling along. Trusting in Him, April

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Jun. 10, 2008

Crockpots and Guinea Keets

No, the guinea keets are not in the crock pot!!  Those are just my two latest projects.  I'm trying to use my crock pot more often, for several reasons.  Mainly, it won't heat up the kitchen like the propane oven and stove top do.  We have no air conditioning, and it's an adjustment for all of us.  But, when I use the crockpot, I also have to decide on what I'm cooking earlier in the day.  Which means I'm not staring blankly at my refrigerator or into my cupboards at 5 pm, and finally serving hot dogs because it's the only thing not frozen.  Besides, the crockpot makes my kitchen smell yummy all afternoon. I found a neat crock pot recipe blog today, and was perusing it for ideas earlier.  She also has links to other recipe blogs, or blogs that do the Slow Cooking Thursday meme.   A Year of Crock  Potting  I actually saw a link to her blog on another blog last week, but didn't click on the link to open it.  Then the original blog was lost and I couldn't figure out where I'd seen the link.  I finally used google to find "crock pot, gluten free, blog" and it came right up.  Yay!  We don't eat gluten-free, but her recipes are yummy, either way. We also have 5 guinea keets, as of Saturday.  We didn't get chicks this year, although 2 yo L thinks these are chickens.  She tells us "I go batement, see chickens."  They are cute!  They arrived in the store on Thursday, we bought them on Saturday, and by Monday they were already getting their wing feathers in.  I think they're taller already, too.  They either eat alot, or they just waste alot of food by scattering it around the floor of their little tote.  We have to clean out their waterer 2 times each day, because they manage to get food and wood shavings in it.  I know three of them are white guineas, but I'm not sure about the other two. Two of them are white with gray markings on their back; the other 3 are completely white. We can't wait to set these little ones free outside to eat the bugs and ticks!  They are so fun to watch.  Once when I was down there, one of them stepped into the waterer, and came out dripping water off his chest.  Another keet was leaning over and looking intently at those drops of water hanging off his feathers ... you could just see him wondering what they were.  Today, when I was down there, one of them was picking up wood shavings in his beak, and another one was chasing him trying to get it away.  Such a special treat ... those wood shavings.  I wanted to take a picture of them, but the flash on my digital camera is broken.  I do have two that one of the girls took this weekend, so they will have to do. Trusting in Him, April

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Jun. 10, 2008

Every day with every child brings new joys and new challenges ...

Every child is different from the one before it.  Every pregnancy, every birth, every recovery, every postpartum babymoon, and every stage of that child's life is different than the ones that came before it.  Raising each child (and homeschooling them) continues to bring new joys, new challenges, new experiences, and new lessons.  Someone asked me just yesterday about homeschooling, and if we had homeschooled from the beginning.  When I said we had, they commented that we must have it all figured out and under control by now.  I told them that every child is different, and teaching them brings new experiences and challenges.  With each child, we learn something new and deal with different issues.  I don't think anyone ever really becomes an "expert" at this.  Every time I think I've got it all figured out, I get thrown a curveball that takes me by surprise. And it's more than just school.  Each child matures differently.  Each child reacts to illnesses differently.  Each child needs something different from me at certain ages.  Each child responds to difficulties and frustrations differently.  Each child speaks a different love language, or combination of love languages.  With each child, I am faced with something new.  2 yo L is no different.  With her, we faced breathing troubles and breathing treatments for the first time.  With her, we have faced early tooth decay for the first time.  And now I am wondering how to get a 2 yo to cooperate with a dentist for tooth exams and extractions.  I would prefer to do this in-office, and in town ... but we may have to go to a specialist dentist out of town, and possibly even into the hospital setting ... depending on how she handles it.  I've been through dental issues with a 4 yo, and a difficult 6 yo, but never a 2 yo.  But with her, we've also had new joys.  She delights us when she sings "Jesus Loves Me" to her dolls, or marches around the living room singing "I'm in the Lord's Army!  Yes, sir!"  Her hugs and kisses and snuggles are all her own.  Her smiles, her personality, and even her pouts, are uniquely hers.  Her voice, her words, and her laugh are so cute and special.  Watching her interact with her siblings is different than any other sibling interaction ... because she is unique, and her siblings are at ages they've never been at with a 2 yo sibling before. I still have lessons to learn.  I still have challenges to face and overcome.  But I also have new joys to look forward to.  It's hard to remember who I was, or what I was like when I only had 3 little girls, all under age 5.  So many lessons learned since then.   And someday I'll look back at this season and not be able to fully remember what I was like "back then".   I try to remember, because it helps me to understand others and encourage them ... but it's just so fuzzy sometimes.  Certain days and moments stand out so clearly, but the day-to-day realities are harder to recall. This new baby will bring new experiences, lessons, joys, and challenges, too.  When it joins our family, we will all have to adjust to the new reality of a 7th child, a 9th family member.  Life will not revolve around the baby, but there will be adjustments for everyone to make.  Although we are all looking forward to this baby's arrival, I am mentally preparing myself for the reality that the first few weeks will likely be messy.  Things will not go as planned.  There will be challenges I'm not expecting.  But, the blessings will outweigh the challenges, and we will all adjust to the new reality for our family. Trusting in Him, April

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Jun. 7, 2008

Poison Ivy Update

We are slowly making progress here.  We've even identified where the poison ivy is spreading out into the grassy mowed yard area.  We're researching ways to kill it, and instructing children to avoid this section of the yard.  This means they can not come to me when I hang clothes on the line. The boys' rashes/reaction seem to have stopped spreading.  After more research, and lots of people sharing their personal experience (online and in real life), I've learned that it is not uncommon for it to spread, even without any more of the urushiol oil present.  It can (especially with heat) move to other areas of the body.  Also their reaction of fever and vomiting is not too uncommon, either.  I've learned about some of the myths associated with poison ivy.  Breaking the blisters does not cause it to spread.  The blisters have no urushiol oil in them, only white blood cells helping the body to heal and fight against the poison ivy.  There is no way to speed up the recovery, unless you seek a corticosteroid prescription from your Dr. for a severe reaction.  It's just a matter of keeping the person comfortable, stopping the itching so they don't scratch (which can cause scarring and infection), and avoiding infection if the blisters pop.  In our experience, the small blisters that are close together seem to morph into one giant blister ... and no matter how careful you are with those giant blisters, they will eventually pop. Benadryl at night seems to help them fall asleep and sleep more soundly, without being awakened by the itching.  We used Aveeno anti-itch lotion and cream (which has oatmeal, calomine lotion, and something else in it), and we also tried a natural calendula cream.  The boys preferred the calendula cream for soothing their rashes.  Even when the rash didn't itch, it just hurt. They don't look any better yet, and will be quite a sight at church tomorrow, but it isn't spreading anymore.  And that is progress. Trusting in Him, April

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Jun. 5, 2008

I'm getting crash courses in botany and first aid ...

Poison Ivy!  It is driving me crazy.   I have never in my life had poison ivy.  To be honest, I wasn't sure how to recognize it other than the saying, "Leaves of three, leave them be."  Well, thanks to my two boys getting mild rashes of it, I started trying to learn about it.  Half-heartedly.  Until they got a second rash, which has been much worse.  This time, it has blistered up.  This time it just keeps spreading to new areas.  Well, I now know what it looks like ... although that was hard to figure out since pictures on the internet varied.  (By the way, it's very sad how the simplest words and most innocent search can bring up garbage on the internet.)  But I figured it out, and I found where it is in our yard ... three areas, at least.  I showed the children where it is and warned them to stay out of it.  But in the meantime, we're researching what constitutes an extreme reaction, and what is a normal reaction.  I was ready to haul both boys into the Dr, thinking they were having an extreme systemic reaction ... with fever and vomiting and migrating rashes.  But, little 2 yo L has the same fever, and I didn't think she had poison ivy.  Now she does have bug bites that seem to be spreading, although she was only outside for about 5 minutes yesterday, and seemed to have gained a lot for that time period.  And today she has a light rash in her diaper area that was not there last night.  I joked the other day that we had chicken pox, and poison ivy.  Now, I'm not finding it funny at all.  Just frustrating and confusing. So, do I assume we have poison ivy with severe reactions in 3 kids?  Or poison ivy in 2 and some unknown virus in those 2 plus one more?  Or do we really have 3 kids with chicken pox, and 2 of them also have poison ivy?  I DON'T KNOW!!  I just want the poison ivy to stop spreading!!  I've washed their sheets.  I've washed their bath towels.  I've showered them.  Now what?  Why does it keep spreading?  I'm having a hard time separating myth from truth.  One person swears it's spreading because the blisters are popping ... but the websites I found on the internet all claim that's a myth.  One website claims that it can travel UNDER the skin and appear in other places.  Most websites say it only spreads by contact with the urushiol oil being passed from body part to body part, or inanimate object to body.  But we've washed them and it's still popping up in new places daily.  And if it's on something in the house, how am I supposed to figure out what piece of furniture or toy or whatever has it? 4 yo M had a large cluster of blisters on his elbow area that formed into a giant blister.  It was bumped and popped, as I knew it would be eventually.  But the skin peeled back, and now we've had to bandage it with antibiotic ointment and a large non-stick gauze pad.  7 yo J has it on his face!  His cheek blistered up and just popped, so I need to apply antibiotic ointment to it.  But he has it above and under his eyes, and I'm dreading those blistering, and especially popping. If I was confident the Dr's office could tell me what was going on, I'd take them in.  But I expect the Dr would be just as confused as I am.  At least 4 yo M and 2 yo L both are over their fevers, and no one is throwing up anymore.  Although 12 yo A just showed me a suspicious area on her leg.  Please pray that my kids get better, and no one else gets it.  Frustrated but Trusting in Him, April

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