Just where does the time go? It seems like I look up and another week has flown by! We are busy doing school, 4-H, some pet sitting and all the other dailies of life. Life whizes by.

Travis went to a shooting competition with 4-H last Saturday 4/26/08.  He did well in Trap, he shot a 44 out of 50. But not high enough to place.  Skeet wasn't good. He shot a 32 the lowest he has shot in some time. 5-stand, well what can I say. He shot a 19 out of 35.

We have our county shoot that we are hosting this Satuday. I pray he does well. He is so hard on himself.  It isn't about the placings and he knows that, it is about having a good time and having fun with his friends and making new friends.

On the home front, the garden is coming up. I'm a little disappointed that Im not seeing as much as I thought I had planted. Maybe they need more time. I needed to have started earlier or started seeds in doors. This is our second attempt at a garden so we are learning. I still have herb seeds that I want to try. Got to get some good garden soil. I think we will get some vegetables, just not sure how much.

"Oh next year".  This and that we will do next year!  UG!  I do want to try my hand at some winter vegetables too. But wait!, spring just got here!  Sorry... getting ahead of myself.

Now to order the chicks. I am going to place my order this week in hopes we will get them at the end of May.  Six months waiting time before they start laying, that will put us in October/November. Since we don't have extremely cold winters I hope we can have some eggs through the winter. We shall see. This too will be something TOTALLY NEW to us. We are excited!

I'm thinking about trying my hand at bees as well. My boys went balistic!  I have always thought about trying them. Don't know enough right now to say yes or no.  But need to do some research on beekeeping.

Homeschooling: We are winding down. Kinda like a clock that needs to be wound. Our strikes are long and drawn out!  We are trying to stay focused, but it is sooo hard with the beautiful weather!  Usually by now we have full blown summer weather. This year is the first "spring" weather we have had in a long time. It's VERY nice!

The boys and I are going to do a Homeschool School next year and I am going to teach science. I think it will be good for all of us. Kinda makes me sad in some ways. I wanted to do "our school" for the long haul, but I think we will all benefit from this journey. The school meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The instruction and work is given there and they complete the rest at home. (college style schedule). They will continue in the same Math curriculum and it is self paced, which I am very happy about!

Travis wants to try some football, so this will give him the opportunity. My next challenge is to figure out how/when and where we will do our violin lessons. We may have to change instructors. We are going the opposite direction for this school and with fuel costs! Whew!  I can't drive 80 miles round trip in two different directions 3 days out of the week. Yikes!

Well, I better get the pizza out of the oven for lunch break, which has been a little extra long today.

Just where does the time go? It goes by faster each and every day.  I tell ya, I'm not the best at keeping up with this blog, but I am trying and my hope is that I will get better at this and in time figure out how to add "friends" more easily and all that fancy stuff some of you others have on your blogs.

Contentment: Hummm this topic has come up several times lately and I even read an article two nights ago in a magaizine about the emperor penguin and contentment. I am beginning to think the Lord is trying to get my attention on this topic.

 I have to admit I stuggle at times with being content. Our busy world and society tells us every minute of the day practically not to be content. More, more, more! It is never ending. But I if I will just wait and be still. Just eating slower and actually tasting your food, you will realize you become "content" quicker! 

My husband and I (even the boys) look around and notice all these things we need to do around the house and the yard.  Of course it is a good thing to keep your home and yard looking nice. However, some of these things are just that, THINGS.  Do we NEED them? NO.  We WANT them.  And they aren't bad things either.  A deck around the pool, screen in the back patio, add a chicken house to the barn for chickens (we want to have hens for eggs). But of course all these things take $$$$ and time.

Now as a family we have decided not to go any further into DEBT.  So we must save up for these items. Now your talking testing our patience and being content no matter what and where you are. This has been a little harder to achieve these days (the waiting part) since fuel costs have sky rocketed are making us wait a little longer.   

It takes a little longer to save for these items. I don't know about anyone else, but the income isn't raising as quickly as fuel cost and everything thing else to keep the "home" running.  I mean where else can you cut?  I have it down to NO extra anything.  This week we are playing "Survior".  Try to eat what you got in your pantry, frig, freezer.  I mean we need to go through it anyway, but nothing extra, no chips, no "goodies" . This isn't easy for the kids and it isn't easy for me either!  Talk about having to be creative!  I am not a creative person.  (disclaimer: I am not starving my children. there is plenty of food, just not always what they want)

So... we have planted our garden and hope to have a great yeild this year. I will learn how to put foods by.  (I think that is how they say it) In hope that this will help a little on the food costs. We look forward to having chickens and fresh eggs but will have to wait until they are 6mo old. And that is when we get them!  We have to start saving for them as well! 

Well, school is drawing to a close and I'm ready to call "school is out" really quick.  I think I have summer fever worse than the kids.  And spring break wasn't that long ago!     Again, another area to be content.

I will leave you with Phillipians 4:11 ".... for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:...."

It's been some time since I started this blog. As I read back on my past entries I am sorry that I sounded so negative. But enough of that, today is a new day and a beautiful one! I think I might delete those!

The weather has been just absolutely the best ever!  We are actually having a "spring!"  Usually we skip this and go right into HOT, HUMID weather = summer.  But not lately. It has been cool and crisp in the mornings and a light jacket needed at night. 

On the homeschooling front: we are doing well. Trying to finish up some math and books. Throughout this homeschooling journey (4yrs now) I have focused on math and reading. Not much of the other stuff. My poor kids! I am a science major and haven't done nearly enough science with them. I don't know why.

So, this week we decided to do more science.  Had an experiment Monday with yeast and sweetener. We had 3 water bottles: one with yeast and water only. one with yeast, water and sugar and one with yeast, water and molasses.  (this is the quick version) each had a balloon on the bottle and in 15 min increments you watched and measured the size of the balloon.  Well the molasses created the most gas.  I wouldn't have thought.  My boys have never seen or tasted molasses and we then mixed up the recipe for ginger bread on the bottle of molasses. It actaully tastes good! We were all surprised.  So we got two experiments out of one!

Homesteading: I have my garden planted and put down seed this year again. This garden is bigger than last years as well.

I have planted corn, tomato, okra, bush beans, black eye peas, yellow squash, zuchini, cucumber, several kinds of peppers and some sunflowers for the fun of it. So now the wait and anticipation of the emerging plants.  I did however, buy some tomato plants and ordered asparagus crowns.  Just got them in yesterday and need to re-do my bed.  I didn't quiet have it prepared the way it is supposed to be prepared. This too will be something new and a neat project.  The downer is that it takes a good 2-3 years to reap the rewards.

I am excited about this new garden and hope to learn how to can as well.

I'm still wanting to learn how to make bread and my first 2 attempts were really sad. So I haven't tried again yet.  I think I need a lesson and a visual aid. 

we are also going to add chickens to the mix this year and plan on getting them ordered ASAP!  However, it will be 6months before we get any eggs.  But a good friend of mine has eggs so we will shop from her son for now.

Until next time.

Well, I don't know why we have to go through low times, but God is good to bring us through them. I have refocused and things are much better today.

I do realize that we all feel burnout now and then. I guess it hit me. Also, why is it that moms have the "guilt" feelings?  I will stand firm on the Lord, He will direct my ways. Time and time again He whispers in my ear and tells me that relationships are important. Yes so is academics, but not instead of cultivating who He wants us to be.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone could catch the vision of homeschooling? But what then? It's still frustrating when people look at you like your some wierdo. But oh well.

We are going to follow the Ididatrod starting March 1st. I really enjoyed the article in TOS and we are excited about this.  Well, as the morning is passing by, I must get my boys doing up and get us focused on our day.

This is the day that the Lord hath made I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Well, for someone who isn't much of a writer this will be very interesting! I have a drawer full of half filled jounals or rather 1/4 filled journals that I have started on various occasions but never stick with it.  I have lots of things in my head, but getting them down or out of there is another thing.

I am excited about this blog and homeschoolblogger. I love the Old Shoolhouse magazine and the many wonderful articles I have read over these years.  I also enjoy the e-newsletter(s).

I read an entry earlier that really caught me and thought wow, that is me! My eight year old is barely reading and just doesn't have much use for it yet.  He is perfectly content with me reading to him and doing his math!  He loves math. Both my boys love science too and I keep saying we will do more, but for some reason I keep doing all the other stuff and put it off for last or not at all.  Why is that?  I guess I am continually fighting that old tape that says we have to be doing "x", keeping up with "x" and the typical public school way of things.  That dirty word just poped out of my mouth! Yikes, but old habits die hard.  Especially since I actually taught in ps. 

I need find a way to just do it! I can't believe that we are already half way through January! My time is running out. I have changed curriculums more than I care to admit. So what to do?  I guess I figure that at least they are getting something.  Surely my youngest will learn to read well one of these days!  Right Lord?

Well, I have much to do and better get to doing it! I hope to meet a lot of you guys and enjoy reading others blogs.  The hard part is not spending too much time here on the computer!

Take Care