Sep. 5, 2009 - 2 weeks down
So, we've been underway for 2 weeks, and so far, so good!
I've given all the dc more independent work this year (especially with the Tapestry of Grace stuff--we did a lot more reading aloud and doing stuff together, but I've been gradually turning more and more over to them). They've done GREAT with our Friday discussion times this year so far. They've really risen to the challenge.
I didn't have everything planned for the first week, but got most of it added in by week 2, and the remainder is set to go for this week.
We are taking Monday off for second son's birthday party (he'll be 14 on Tues), and then most of Tuesday as well, since I give them their birthday's off. But they still have to do all the TOG reading for the week so we don't get behind on that.
It's been harder with the very active, very into everything 2 1/2 year old this year, but she's starting to get used to the new routine (and not having her big buddies available to play as much). She has been watching way too much tv, but hopefully now that we are starting to get in the groove, I can change that and be able to play more in the morning with her. (she is not very good at playing alone--I guess she's never really had to).
So, how about that? Two blog posts in just a couple of weeks! Maybe I'm getting better, lol.
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Aug. 20, 2009 - Back to school soon
So much for good intentions about blogging. Ah well, try, try again.
Today was the first day of trying to get into our morning school routine. We start on Monday (the 24th), so my goal was to get up and get the dc up, have breakfast, and be ready for school by 8.
We almost made it. I was out of the shower and ready to go by 8:10. They were NOT happy about being awakened early, though. LOL. Earlier bedtimes tonight, I think.
I am frantically trying to finish lesson planning. Some were easy--I use Edu-Track and I purchased the dowloadable lesson plans for those, or I was able to copy from a prior year. Others, like Introductory Logic, have been exceedingly hard. Some courses may have to get folded in as we go along.
We've switched to TT for 2 of the children--Pre-Calc and Pre-Algebra. The 9th grader will still be using Math U See for Geometry, only because I couldn't afford 3 TT levels at once.
I most need to get done the Tapestry of Grace plans, though. I've gone through all the book lists, checked my library for what they have, and ordered some of the rest I still need. But I need to order the others (at least those I will use in the first semester), and get the plans finalized and in Edu-Track.
We will be using IEW this year as well, and I need to somehow figure out exactly how we will be doing that.
Our homeschool this year consists of dc in 11th, 9th and 7th grade, along with the 2 1/2 year old. Thankfully more of my courses are student directed this year than last, so I will have more time to spend with the toddler. I am also making use of video tutors for the first time with Teaching Textbooks and Introductory Logic.
Feeling excitement about the new year, but also trepidation on how it will all go with a busy toddler, and a work from home business.
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Feb. 25, 2009 - I feel like multiple people in one body
One me wants to have my dh and dc around constantly--keeping them close, hugging them, playing games.
The other me wants everyone to go away and leave me alone.
One me wants to jump back into my routine--cooking, cleaning, taking care of things.
The other me wants to climb in bed and pull the covers over my head and never come out.
One me wishes it were 2 weeks from now, and I had my energy back and we were starting to figure out our new 'normal', and things weren't so raw.
Another me wishes it were 2 weeks ago, and I was still pregnant, and taking pics of my growing belly and thinking up names with dh and the dc.
Another me wants it to stay right now--where memories of our little one are still fresh and on everyone's mind.
One me wants to put it all in a box--the feelings, the memories, the hurt, the tears--and pretend it never happened.
The other me wants to replay it, think about every moment of the pregnancy, the loss, the days after, and never, ever forget.
One me is soooo tired of crying for no apparent reason (I really hate to cry).
The other me wants to just sob my heart out.
But all the me's just really want my baby back. I feel empty and alone, even when everyone is around me.
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Feb. 25, 2009 - Catch up post
Seems I lack blogging skills. I haven't posted in a LONG time. A quick catch up, the baby I was pg with is now 26 mos and a busy little girl. She is such a joy.
I just miscarried on Feb 20 and am recuperating from that.
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Aug. 31, 2006 - A Sound I haven't Heard All Summer
The lawnmower! We've had such a terrible drought, that the boys haven't had to mow since early June. NOTHING has been growing. Well, we finally got a bit of rain 3 weeks ago, then another shower 2 weeks ago, and last weekend, it rained 3 days in a row! The grass is beginning to get a green tint again, and the weeds are growing up where the grass was killed.
So dh has the boys out mowing to even things up and get it all off to a good start growing for fall.
The cows will sure be happy to have something green to eat again. We've been feeding them hay for the past month and a half.
It's been so nice temp-wise I've even been able to open my windows the past 2 days. Quite a change from the 100+ temps we had just over a week ago. Ahhh, a little sneak peak to fall.
I don't even *really* mind the sore throat that appears to be heralding in a summer cold (due to the sudden temp swing maybe?).
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Aug. 29, 2006 - We watched a callf be born tonight!
Usually, this happens in the pasture in the middle of the night, so it's unusual to actually get to see the event (unless the cow's in trouble and we are helping to pull the calf). But this evening, the cow we had in the barn lot so we could watch her in case she had trouble, went into labor.
She was bred to a bull that has had a history this year of siring 2 humongous calves (that died during the birth, nearly crippling the heifers trying to have them). This is not a large cow, so we were concerned should she also have a big one.
Dh came up around 3:30 saying she was in labor. He was busy and couldn't go back down to check her, so I went around 4:30 to see how she was doing . It was chore time, so the dc did their chores and then came too. Since she was a little further along (part of the amniotic sac was out), we decided to stay and watch a while. Now, these things can take a LONG time, so I wasn't confident we'd actually get to see the birth. But, we made ourselves comfortable on a haybale, and waited.
It wasn't 15 minutes later she started pushing pretty strongly, and we suddenly saw a hoof! I knew right away this was a MUCH smaller, finer boned calf than the ones that caused trouble earlier, so breathed a sigh of relief. But, still only saw one hoof, so wasn't sure yet I wouldn't need dh. As she continued to push, and made a bit more progress, I sent oldest ds around her other side to get a better look, and he said he could, indeed, see 2 feet--one was slightly under and back of the first (like the calf was diving out, LOL). Whew!
She really got down to business, and soon we could see the nose. The sac was still intact over the head. Then we saw the eyes, and could see the baby blinking. The head was out to the ears, and then before we knew it, the front shoulders were out. I was concerned about the sac not rupturing--if the cord was severed before the calf's head was clear, it could suffocate. But I didn't want to approach the cow to soon and have her get up before the calf was fully delivered either. Fortunately, with one more push, the rest of the calf slipped out. I was then able to go to the calf, and rupture the membrane with a finger, removing it from the nose and face. Took a quick peek and saw we had a little heifer (girl). Then used some pieces of hay to tickle the calf's nose and mouth to stimulate breathing and sneezing. The mama knew JUST what to do, and started licking her baby dry immediately. It was a good thing we were there though, since mama started cleaning on the back end, and by the time she would have gotten to the nose to clean off the sac, the baby might have been dead.
We hung around awhile to see if she'd get up and find her first meal, but she seemed pretty content to just lay there and receive her bath. After about 20 minutes, I decided to try to see if I could help her up. Sometimes, they just need a little nudge. Well, she wanted no part of that! I tried to lift her hind end, but she wouldn't put any weight at all on her legs. Being 6 months pg, I didn't think it wise to try too hard to accomplish this. I did stick my finger in her mouth to check her suck reflex, and it was good and strong.
I decided to just leave them be for a bit, and went back to the house to fix supper.
Dh was done with his business, so he went down while I was cooking. I was worried he might need help, so when everything was in the oven, I gave the dc instructions for watching the timer, and went back to the barn. Dh was just getting ready to leave and said, "Nothing to be done here." Apparantly, the baby was up when he got there, he pointed it in the direction of the mama, and instict took over. She got on no problem and went to town!
It was a good birth, and a great experience for the dc to witness up close. Homeschool science at its best! It also provided wonderful opportunities to discuss the similarities for when OUR baby will be born. Of course, my dd made the understatement of the year when she asked, "Aren't you glad you don't have to lick us dry, Mom?"
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Aug. 13, 2006 - This and That
We've got 2 weeks of school under our belts, and are starting to find our groove again. It'll get a bit interrupted this week, since I have a doctor's appt Monday (and because of the distance, it's pretty much an all-day affair), and we will take another day off to go to the Fair. But that's ok, when I'm gone, the dc will still do independent work, and the fair can count for school (at least some of it).
I'm starting to get the hang of using Edu-track for planning, and I'm liking it more the more I use it. I keep getting asked why I still have planning to do, since this was supposed to save me all kinds of time, but it is pretty time intensive up-front. So, I'm not realizing a huge time-saving yet, except when it comes to figuring up our weekly hours (which is done automatically based on a bit of easy data entry).
I've bee very pleased with the dc's attitudes regarding school so far this year. The boys have finally gotten through the time where I needed to practically sit on them to keep them working. They are able to take their assignment sheets and books off to a quiet corner, and when they come back, their work is actually done! (I'm not talking about dd here because the dawdling has never been as big of an issue with her).
We are enjoying Tapestry again so far. Our project this week was to make mosaic pictures after studying Byzantine mosaics. They are still not finished, because the dc have really gotten into making them very detailed and precise. I love seeing them take such pride and care in their work!
It's been so hot this summer that our pool has sure gotten a lot of use (and I keep forgetting to enter those PE credits!). We are expecting a bit of rain later today, and actually got a shower on both Monday AND Thursday of last week! The drought this summer has been quite severe.
Yesterday's project was to plant our fall garden, so the dc and I headed out early before it got too hot, and managed to get that taken care of in no time. Hopefully, it will fare better than our spring garden, which didn't produce much of anything (except shoulder high weeds and dusty, cracked ground).
Baby's kicks are getting stronger, and we were all giggling in Sunday School this morning because he/she was VERY active. The dc were all vying for a chance to put their hands on my belly to get a good thump. It was pretty funny.
Better get back to my lesson planning so I can enjoy my family later on.
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Aug. 3, 2006 - Movement
The dc felt the baby move yesterday! They have been waiting and waiting--not so patiently-- for contact with their new brother or sister. I was relaxing on the couch in the afternoon, and baby got busy. Each of the dc had a chance to put their hand on my belly and get a good 'thump'. They were able to watch my tummy 'dance' with movement as well.
DS10 said it's harder waiting for this baby to come than it is to wait for Christmas.
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Aug. 1, 2006 - Our First Day of School!
Went very well. Well, not without some gliches--dd didn't want to sit down and kept interrupting, but I expected some attention problems right at the start.
We worked for just over 2 hours, and had some good discussions. Mainly a review of where we'd been last year, and where we are going this year in history, and why we study history. Read a bit from our literature book. Then the dc filled in blank maps of the continents and oceans. They each had a bit of independent reading to do too.
I found some glitches in our new assignment sheets from Edu-Track, so worked on revising/adding to those this afternoon.
A friend came over to peruse some of my homeschool materials this afternoon--she and her dh will begin homeschooling their oldest 2 boys this year--YAY! another hs'er in the ranks. This is actually our Pastor's wife--so now we aren't the only homeschoolers in our church! Oh, and another young mom is starting her dd3 on the path to homeschooling because she's very advanced and begs for school. She's been asking me for advice on materials and methods as well.
I love influencing others to this wonderful way of life!
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Jul. 31, 2006 - Finally - my dc's Course of Study for the coming year
I've been working hard to get this finalized, and here it is! We will be starting school tomorrow, but only with the assignments that come from Tapestry. We will add in a couple of other subjects next week, and then be up to full speed the following week.
DD8 – 4th grade 2006-2007
Language Arts:
Spelling: Spelling Power
Grammar: Shurley grammar Level 3
Writing: Tapestry Assignments using Write Away handbook
Institute for Excellence in Writing
Reading/Literature: Living Books from Tapestry
Critical Thinking: Building Thinking Skills Book 1 - finish
Math: Math U See Intermediate (finish)
History/Geography: Tapestry of Grace Yr 2
Fall of Rome – American Revolution
Map work with history studies
Which Way USA state books
Science: Considering God’s Creation
Farm work
Interest Led studies
Art: Art History, hands-on projects with Tapestry
Crafts, Artpak 2 (finish)
Cooking: Help in the kitchen
Music: Gift of Music; composers
Recorders
Maybe piano lessons
DS11 - 6th grade 2006-2007
Language Arts:
Spelling: Spelling Power
Grammar: Shurley grammar Level 6
Writing: Tapestry Assignments using Write On Track handbook
Institute for Excellence in Writing
Reading/Literature: Living Books from Tapestry
Upper Grammar Lit. study guides (maybe)
Latin: Matin Latin II
Math: Saxon 76
History/Geography: Tapestry of Grace Yr 2
Fall of Rome – American Revolution
Map work with history studies
Science: Apologia General Science
Art: Art History, hands-on projects with Tapestry
1-2-3 Draw
Learn to Draw Now
Music: Gift of Music; composers
Recorders
Typing: Type-it
Computer: Computer Basics
DS13 – 8th Grade 2006-2007
Language Arts:
Spelling: Spelling Power
Grammar: Parsing and diagramming sentences from Latin work
Writing: Tapestry Assignments using Write Source 2000 handbook
Institute for Excellence in Writing
Reading/Literature: Living Books from Tapestry
Critical Thinking: Critical Thinking Book I and II
Latin : Wheelock’s Latin
Math: Math U See Algebra
History/Geography: Tapestry of Grace Yr 2
Fall of Rome – American Revolution
Map work with history studies
Science: Apologia Biology
Art: Art History, hands-on projects with Tapestry
Music: Gift of Music; composers
Recorders
Typing: Type-it
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Jul. 20, 2006 - It's that time of year
Time to start doing some nitty-gritty planning for the upcoming school year. I will begin on Monday laying out the first few weeks of lesson plans for each dc. I got a new planning program (Edu-Track) this year, and I'm anxious to see how it helps. Up till now, I've done everything by hand, and it's very time-consuming. With one approaching high school, the promise of easy transcripts was a key selling point, as was the automatic logging of hours, and grade computation.
My plan is to start school on July 30, at least our Tapestry of Grace subjects. Usually, we wait until later in Aug. But with the baby due in Dec, if we start early, I can get the first 2 units of Tapestry done by the end of Nov, allowing me to take all of Dec off if needed for recuperation from birth. We will then add math, grammar, science, etc in the week or 2 following. I like starting slowly and ramping up to a full schedule over a couple of weeks. Not such a shock to the system that way (mine or theirs).
Most of the other subjects are done by the dc rather independently, so they can start them later, and continue into Dec since any input needed by me is minimal. With this schedule, we can still finish up by the end of May next year.
I started a painting project this week (the dc's bathroom), that I will finish tomorrow morning. Then I have 1 more dc's schoolwork from last year to finish going through, sorting and filing away. That's on the list for tomorrow afternoon.
I'll post our curriculum plan for each dc next week.
Hope all of you are getting excited for a new year of learning!
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Jul. 18, 2006 - Adventures in Unschooling
Let it be said upfront, that we are not unschoolers. I have nothing against unschoolers, in fact I admire them greatly. But my dh prefers a somewhat more traditional approach, and I do better with more of a schedule/routine as well. We typically follow a traditional approach to math, language arts, Latin and the like. Yet use a living books/literature/classical approach to history using Tapestry of Grace (which is really so much more than just history).
But, we received our new microscope yesterday, and it's been like Christmas! DS13 will be using Apologia Biology this year, so we invested in a GOOD quality microscope. We've had for years a cheaper 'toy' version that is so-so, and therefore rarely got used.
Well, after setting it up and looking at a few of the prepared slides with the Biology kit, the dc decided to collect their own "specimens". One neat thing that came with the cheap scope was some great side pieces for collection purposes. So, out they went to scout the farm for things they wanted to see close up.
Some things they learned:
-Pond water has critters in it
-Pool water doesn't (thank goodness!)
-Crickets have hairy legs
-whole insects don't work very well, but parts of them do
-dryer lint looks grayish blue when it's in a bunch, but you can see the individual fibers and colors up close.
-Mom's gray hairs are coarser than dd8's brown ones
-salt and sugar are crystals, but pepper isn't
They repeated the activity this morning. So, all told, they've probably spent 4-5 hours on science in the past 2 days, without any prompting from me at all.
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Jul. 12, 2006 - Fun in the sun
Well, all the ruffles from yesterday seemed to have been smoothed, and we had a GREAT time with our friends. They have a neat little cabin/home on the lake, with a wonderful dock. The moms sat in the shade on the dock, and the dc did their best imitations of fish. They swam for a couple of hours, taking a break for snacks of fruit, chips and cookies about halfway through.
With a diving board, high dive and water slide off the dock, in addition to water balloons and squirt guns, a good time was had by all.
Of course, I forgot my camera, but our hostess took several pics, so I'm sure she'll share. The dc are already asking when we can go back. I'm sure they'll sleep well tonight!
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Jul. 11, 2006 - He's got a mean right hook
We were at church this morning helping to put together crafts for vbs. I took the dc along so they could play with the other moms' dc. Most of them were boys, my ds13 was the oldest, the youngest boy was 7. Out came the light sabers, and a 'war' was commenced with teams. Except one team kept making rules, and then not following them, but insisting the other team had to. My boys were on the 'other' team. Now, if there is one thing my competitive, stick to the rules oldest can't abide, it's unfair play. He got more and more frustrated, and SHOULD have left the game and walked away.
But he didn't. :sigh. One rule change too many, and a tug of war ensued over one of the 'weapons'. Ds let go, causing the other boy to crash into a wall. Said boy 'came at ds', who proceeded to haul off and hit him in the face. Another boy (the pastor's son) started trying to kick ds (but missed), ds had better aim and left a large red spot on the boy's thigh.
I was stunned at the suddeness and the violence. My ds was the oldest there, and was acting like a 3 yo. He was in tears of frustration, and I think even surprised himself at his reaction. And I was embarrassed that here my *homeschooled* oldest was behaving like a playground bully.
I made him stay with me the rest of the morning, and when he calmed down he actually was a big help in getting things cut out and bagged up. I must admit, I was frustrated that the other moms said NOTHING to their dc involved, even though we discussed that there was 'plenty of blame to go around'. I didn't find out the whole story (the other boys' involvement) until on the way home, but the Mama Bear in me was growling! My ds was definitley wrong--and we talked about at which point he should have simply left the game and walked away--and I punished him by not allowing him to play the rest of the time we were there; but he wasn't the only wrong one there, and he felt the unfairness of that as well (another teachable moment about not being able to control others, only ourselves).
He apologized to the boys; one accepted, the other walked away without saying anything. Tomorrow, we will see them all again at a swimming party at the lake home of a friend. At least I won't be otherwise occupied and can supervise more closely. If I'd been paying more attention, I could have helped ds notice when he was getting to the boiling point and stepped in sooner. (NOT that his aggression was my fault, but that I could have used the opportunity to help him diffuse his anger in an appropriate way).
A good reminder why we like limited, controlled, well-supervised social involvement with other dc.
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Jul. 7, 2006 - Between 2 Worlds
I've been meaning to blog these thoughts since the conference, but just didn't get the time.
It was an interesting dichotomy going to the conference, and yet staying at my Mom's. My 15 yo niece was at Mom's too, and on Monday night, my brother and 17 yo nephew came by for supper. These dc are both ps, traditional teens. Dn was wearing a spaghetti strap top in some gauzy material, and dn had his baggy jeans dragging the floor with the crotch 1/2 way to the knees. He proceeded to tell us of the 'cute girls' in the Firebird who pulled up next to he and his buddy at a stoplight, and they got their phone numbers and 'hung out' for a while. "They were really nice." UGH! (Meanwhile, I'm wanting to take my dc and our food to another room). Dn's clothing gets worse rather than better through the week--short shorts, belly baring, tight shirts--typical teen girl stuff).
So, I go to the conference, where I see clean-cut young men, feminine young ladies, and a respectful air between the 2. I see young men holding doors for young ladies. Mostly, the groups stay fairly segregated. Speakers are discussing modesty, purity, femininity. And one even expressed her desire that her daughters "radiated virginity"! (Imagine!).
I leave this atmosphere to go back to my dn in her getup that radiated exactly the OPPOSITE (even though I'm fairly sure she is still a virgin at this point--we've actually discussed it. But you'd never know by looking at her).
It was sort of surreal to be bouncing back and forth between these worlds for a couple of days. I was glad when we could get back home, to our refuge and shelter from the worst of what's out there. I discussed with my dc what they had seen and heard while there; and was pleased that they were disgusted by it. My boys even said they wouldn't let their sister out of the house if she tried to dress like dn. lol.
Anyway, I'm sure this was tame compared to what's out there, but it was a shock to my system none the less. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to homeschool and shelter!
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Jul. 2, 2006 - Back from the homeschool conference
I attended a conference/curriculum fair in the city we used to live in (where my mom still lives) this past week. Not only did I get the benefit of the conference, I got to visit with my Mom, as did the dc. They always enjoy this week with Mema--she takes them lots of fun places, and they get to swim in her pool.
I didn't attend a lot of the speaker sessions--seemed to be a lot of repeat of things I'd heard in previous years, but the ones I did go to were good. I was able to buy most of the materials I need for next year (always a great savings on shipping--although the gas to get there really negates that, if it weren't for the side benefit of seeing Mom and lots of old friends).
But most of all, it is a time of refocus for me--of gearing up for the new year and getting excited about what is to come.
We have a traditional summer break around here (I need it and look forward to it as much as the dc do!). Once school is out, it is so nice to just put it all away and not even THINK about it for a bit. But, there comes a time (usually before I am ready) to pull stuff out, finish up last year's filing, and start planning for the coming year.
The conference seems to be that mark for me. Since we'll be starting earlier than usual this year (to allow time off for baby in Dec), I have the month of July to wrap up last year, set up my new computer program for next year (I bought Edu-Track to help with the recordkeeping), and plan the first few weeks of Tapestry. The plan is to do a little each day to avoid the last minute all out push at the end of the month.
We're planning to start the first week of August. Tomorrow I get busy!
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Jun. 25, 2006 - Missouri Stem Cell Initiative
An amendment will appear on the Missouri ballot in Nov. purporting to ban human cloning. The wording of this amendment is appallingly deceptive.
The “official summary” that will appear on the ballot will include the words, “No person may clone or attempt to clone a human being.” Sounds great doesn’t it? But what people won’t see are the definitions behind those words.
“’Clone or attempt to clone a human being’ means to implant in a uterus or attempt to implant in a uterus anything other than the product of fertilization of an egg of a human female by a sperm of a human male for the purpose of initiating a pregnancy that could result in the creation of a human fetus, or the birth of a human being.”
It does not prevent cloning—scientists can create clones all they want using the technology of somatic stem cell transfer*—they just can’t allow those cloned human beings to live. Cloning is not defined as the creation of a human being; it is defined as the implantation of an already cloned human being into a uterus. There is a distinction made in the scientific world between “reproductive cloning”—cloning to create a human being—and “therapeutic cloning”—creating an embryo for the purpose of harvesting its stem cells for research in treating various diseases (thus destroying the embryo). But the distinction is really an artificial one. Once the somatic cell is transferred to the egg and tricked to grow, you have produced a new human being. The only question that remains is what to do with it—destroy him or her for the stem cells or implant him or her into a womb.
It is imperative to understand that “therapeutic cloning” does NOT prevent the formation of a human being. It in fact dictates that that human being be destroyed.
This amendment would enshrine in the Missouri constitution the mandated killing of a certain class of human beings, based on the circumstances of their conception. It only bans “reproductive cloning”. It does nothing to ban or limit in any way “therapeutic cloning.”
Many will vote for this amendment, thinking they are voting to outlaw cloning—the creation of clones—while not realizing the true meaning of what the amendment does.
It is misleading at best, and deceptive at its worst. But, the proponents of this amendment know that the overwhelming majority of Missourians are AGAINST human cloning in any form. And by wording this amendment to appear to ban the procedure, they will, in effect, dupe millions of people into voting for exactly the opposite of what they think they are voting for.
I even received a phone call tonight urging me to support the initiative. When I stated I would be voting against it, the caller’s response was, “You know that it will ban human cloning don’t you?”
It is so important to get this information to anyone you know who lives in Missouri. Urge them to vote NO to this amendment. You may not live in MO, but this vote will have ramifications for many states, as they are awaiting the outcome of this proposed constitutional amendment.
To find out more about the Missouri proposed amendment, go to www.NoCloning.org or call 636-536-9877.
*Somatic stem cell transfer (SSTC)– First, the nucleus is removed from a human egg cell. Next the nucleus from a body or somatic cell of the person you want to clone is transferred into the egg. This nucleus contains all 46 human chromosomes. The egg is then stimulated and ‘tricked’ into thinking it has been fertilized. Growth and development begins, and if this tiny human is implanted in a womb, it will continue to grow as if it had been created in the usual way. This new person would be the genetic twin of the person from whom the somatic cell was taken.
Because SSCT is asexual (doesn’t use an egg AND sperm), many pro-life people (including our Mo governor) are coming out in favor of this amendment, claiming that the resulting blastocyst is not human, since no sperm were used in fertilization. But, that single celled organism, if allowed to grow, would produce nothing BUT a human being.
Most of the information herein was taken from materials produced and distributed by Lutherans for Life.
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Jun. 18, 2006 - We have a heartbeat!
I had an appt. with the midwife on Thurs (I was one day shy of 14 weeks), and my main goal for the appt was to hear this little tyke's heartbeat. Mission accomplished! The stinker tried to hide, but the mw was persistent and finally found him. (I do not know, nor will we find out the gender of this baby, so I will switch pronouns from him to her, rather than trying to remember to use him/her).
Hb was strong and steady, around 148 bpm. What a relief! I've never had to wait this long for a hb, and it was a real test of patience. Of course, the early movement I'd felt was sporadic and I hadn't been feeling hardly anything in the past week to give me reassurance. So it was also a test of faith and of resting in the Peace that our Lord can give. I can't tell how many times I had to redirect my thoughts, and place the well-being of this baby back in the Father's hands (where it rightfully belongs), and trust in His perfect will, whatever that might be.
The rest of the appt was routine. Bp was 112/70. I've gained a total of 7 pounds, which I think is pretty good.
Morning sickness seems to be resurging a bit--I was hoping that was subsiding, but it appears not yet. It's not debilitating, so I'm grateful for that.
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Jun. 18, 2006 - Harvesting Wheat - the old fashioned way
Friday we had an interesting experience. My dh is working to renovate one of our smaller pastures, and the first step last fall was to disk in the old sod, and plant winter wheat. His main purpose for this wheat was to cut it as hay (while it was still green and before the grain had formed much) as feed for our cattle. But we also thought it would be fun/interesting/educational to keep a small part of it standing and let it mature.
So, Friday was the day to finally bring it in. Dh used a sickle to cut it, and the dc and I gathered it up in bundles and tossed it in the back of the pickup. I shouldn't fail to mention that it was at least 90 degrees, with a suitable amount of humidity to boot! But we did have a nice breeze, so it was tolerable. Once we got the pickup loaded, we drove back to the house and unloaded it onto a plastic sheet layed in the garage. Then went back for the second (and thankfully last) load.
Next we had the task of trying to figure out how to get the grain out of the heads, and the hulls off the grain. We tried a variety of fixtures, rubbing the heads between 2 boards, beating them with bats, etc. But found the most effective (if also the most time-consuming) way, was to simply rub it between our palms. This proved to be a little tough on the hands, so dh ran to town and got us all new gloves (our work gloves were too filthy to be considered for something we will eventually eat).
My MIL came down to help, and we spent the rest of the day hulling wheat. As it got close to stopping for the night, we decided to separate the chaff from what we'd already collected. We had a perfect breeze, so used the simple method of pouring the grain and chaff from one bucket to another, letting the wind blow the chaff away. It really worked!
We managed to get through about half our pile, and ended up with about 15-20 pounds of wheat berries to show for it. I will need to borrow a friend's grinder before it can be made into bread, but we are all anxious to try it.
We found it interesting how many Bible stories took on new meaning for us as we were working. We all thought of Ruth, as we were stooping and bending, picking up the stalks of wheat, and then noticing what was left, that the gleaners would have had available to them. And what a hard job it would have been to get what was left. And also what a favor Boaz had done by instructing his workers to leave extra behind for her.
Another that came to mind was when Jesus and his disciples were walking through the grain fields pulling off the heads of grain and eating them. (Interestingly enough, that was our Gospel reading in church today). We had all popped a few berries into our mouths to try them, and realized that this was what they were eating that long ago Sabbath.
As much work as this has been, I'm not sure it will be something we will repeat, but it sure has been fun/interesting/educational to do it once.
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Jun. 14, 2006 - Adopt a calf
One of our cows that lost her calf might get to be a mama after all. Our older full-blood cow had her calf yesterday. This cow has a horrid udder (we bought her that way-knowing the trouble she'd cause, but she was CHEAP), and has not raised her own calf since we got her, and lost the one she had just before we bought her.
Anyway, she is a BEAR to work with (and a little dangerous because she is SO protective of her baby). Poor dh almost lost an arm and a couple of teeth trying to milk her one good quarter yesterday to get the calf some colostrum. Because she's had mastitis so many times earlier in her life, her udder gets VERY tender and she kicks anytime you (or a calf) get near it.
So, we decided to see if the cow that lost her calf on Memorial day still had milk. She is so docile, she'll just stand in the headgate and let you milk her, no problem. Well, she does, but not much.
So, the next task was to see if the calf would nurse from her (and if she'd allow it). Got the calf up to her, and NO PROBLEM! The calf has great instincts, and the cow stood quietly (restrained in the headgate still). The calf will be much better at stimulating her to come back into milk than we ever could.
So, we'll have to restrain her for a week probably as we work on getting the 2 of them to think of each other as mom and baby, but it'll be MUCH better than having to bottle the calf twice a day (and a calf always grows better with a mama than on artificial milk).
So, we'll see how it goes.
