Spring has sprung with the wisteria blooms a fragrant memory and the magnolia trees about to burst forth in magnificent white fragrant blooms. I tend to mark time passing in the spring by the fragrance in the air, and there's no better surprise than a wonderful scent wafting in the air as I ride by on my bike. Of course, the downside to all these blooms is the amount of pollen in the air--or actually on my car. The poor silver thing has taken on a distinct greenish cast, which literally screams out to any passerby, "Wash me, please. My owner keeps waiting for the rain to do it--and it ain't happening." In fact, we are about five inches short on rain this spring, and even when the forecast calls for an 80% chance of rain, we receive nary a drop. Still, it's been good weather for bike riding and hope springs eternal that one of these days the weather forecasters will be successful and it will actually rain when predicted. Until then, I'll enjoy every breath, especially when not accompanied by a pollen-induced fit of wheezing. 

Pictured above is a most enormous female golden-silk spider (body about 22-25mm) that the kids and I happened upon when we ventured into the woods behind our fence to retrieve a baseball. Not a horribly bad photo, but what was even better was the funny dance the photographer, yours truly, did in order to get in close for the shot. Good thing this is not one of our famous jumping spiders. I guess when it comes to photographing spiders, I’m the jumpy one. LOL

Nine ducks ready for a swim. But, wait! What are those three chickens doing in line? Do they think they can swim, too? Why not? After all, the ducks and chickens do everything else together. They eat, drink, play, and even sleep together, so why not swim?

It's funny. Sometimes I catch myself running my homeschool that way. I mean, my kids eat, drink, and play together. They often even choose to sleep in bunk beds in the same room, so doesn't it make sense that they would share all the same academic and life skills, too? If one curriculum works for my 1G9, shouldn't I just be able to teach my 2B6 the same way?

I suppose not. Even children who share an environment and much of the same DNA, can and probably will have learning styles as different as chickens are from ducks. Parenting.com had an interesting article on this very phenomenon, and while this is most certainly not new information to most seasoned homeschoolers, it is certainly worth a review. I don't know about you, but sometimes I get struck with a case of back-to-school Alzheimer’s, and forget to really look into my own children's strengths and weaknesses--and consider how they really best learn.

Tagged by Trinity Prep School

1) ONE HOMESCHOOLING BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED
Homeschooling for Excellence

2) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN’T BE WITHOUT

3) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT

4) ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR

5) ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING NEXT YEAR

6) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY

7) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED

"How to Clean and Organize Your Home While Sleeping"

8 ) ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOGUE YOU ENJOY READING

I don't read any.

9) ONE HOMESCHOOLING WEBSITE YOU USE REGULARLY

Homeschoolblogger Friends

10) TAG FIVE OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS
Consider yourself tagged if you read this and want to join in! I'm too tired to run after you.

"How did I manage to miss tax-free day this year? It somehow breezed by me without notice, and for the first time ever, I missed that wonderful golden opportunity to stock my shelves without lining Uncle Sam's coffers. Now I'll either have to suck it up and pay taxes on underwear, or allow my kids to continue wearing their "holy" ones--even if it's not Sunday. What if they get in a car accident? What will the EMTs think? "Imagine, letting those kids goof off all day without any interaction with other human beings--and wearing ratty underwear to boot." That mother should be ashamed!"
 

I'm also wondering what those yellow buses are doing chugging up and down the streets anyway? Maybe they're just testing the brakes, and making sure that they're in mechanically tip-top shape for when school really starts. That doesn't readily explain the presence of bleary-eyed ladies on every street corner wearing florescent orange vests, holding stop signs, and scowling at passing cars. And, what about all of those unruly little people wearing backpacks more than twice their size? Are they extras brought in for rehearsal, too?  

OK, so I'm really skilled at denial--especially when reality involves some sort of effort on my part. Time for a deep breath now, while I face up to the truth. SUMMER IS OVER! What a summer it has been, too, for our family--what with tedious train travel, ugly wood borers, unwelcome visits from zoning inspectors, and moving my Mom out to her new place in the country (far away from rotten neighbors and nosy zoning inspectors).

It sounds like a regular roller coaster ride, doesn't it? Actually, we did do a bit of that too, at Hershey Park, so we did manage to mix a lot of good times in with the bad. Still, in the balance, I suppose I'm glad that summer is over, and I find myself looking forward to returning to the comfort of an ordinary routine. My faithful readers are probably looking forward to some more regular postings, too. Thanks for hanging in there with me. It's been one wild ride of a summer! 
       

Since the weather was hotter than blazes, 110 degrees in the shade, Mom and I decided to take the kids a mile down the road to swim with the gators and water moccasins in the local river. We had no idea what other wildlife we would run into there. Suffice it to say, it’s a WHOLE ‘nother world--filled with all sorts of really interesting folks. With double first names. Cute little fellows with fishing rods, just chompin’ at the bit to tell you the latest water moccasin yarn. A four-foot long one spotted under the rocks right about where you’re standing. Ha! Made ya’ jump!

So what are ya' waitin' for, don your old cutoffs, grab a bag of Doritos and come on in. Just be sure and hold the bag way up in the air so’s the chips don’t get soggy. Everything tastes better standing in the river. Then after you’ve eaten your fill, toss the bag, and swim over to the island and raise a ruckus swinging off the rope swing into the water.

I left my camera at home, so I missed a great photo op of my kiddos standing in the river enjoying an RC Cola and a Moon Pie—the quintessential southern treat. I’m surprised they still make ‘em. I bet they do just so’s folks like me can relive their childhood. My kiddos loved the moon pies, which are basically marshmallow and graham cracker sandwiches with a chocolate coating. Super-duper sweet! I hadn’t tasted one since I was a kid. Blech! It must be true what they say about babies and children having extra sweet receptors on the inside of their cheeks. Now I can rest easy that my young’uns are truly southern.

 What a bast we had! And not a gator in sight. Of course, the locals all informed us that the gators can be found a few hundred yards up or downstream—but NEVER where we were swimming. Uh-huh. Now, the water moccasins, on the other hand—they’re everywhere! And, according to one little fellow water moccasins and cotton mouths aren’t the same ‘t’all—"Cotton mouths, when they bite you, give you cotton mouth. Water moccasins, though, their bite’ll kill ya’ in a hurry." I think I need to get my snake lore from someone over the age of ten. What d’ya think?