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We are trying a very small aquaponics system before we move back to Minnesota where we plan on building a really BIG system. Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (soilless plant growing). In this small system we are going to have lettuce and goldfish. At home we plan on raising fish to eat and all the veggies we can.
Lava rock for drainage.
Two rubbermaid agricultural tubs--50 gallon and 100 gallon. The fish will go in the bottom tank which has a pump that will pump the poo water up to the header tank. A siphon will then dispense just the right amount of water to the growbed. It floods for a minute and then will drain back to the fish tank.
We used a half piece of tile to guard the drain holes.
This is the inside of the header tank. the hose comes from the fish tank and the PVC is the back of the siphon.
Here is my daughter with the completed system. We have to wait two weeks before we add fish. We also need to get some good bacteria started in the growbed before adding fish and plants. |
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Today we also made two homemade earth boxes out of Rubbermaid-type tubs. The kids did a lot of the sawing and drilling. It was quite fun, but a lot of work.
Cutting the fill tubes.
Drilling aeration holes in the part that will hold soil above and water beneath.
Drilling holes in the "wicking bucket". This bucket is filled with soil below the water line. It will wick water into the rest of the soil in the box.
Completed, but empty, growing boxes! |
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We made Essene bread today. This bread has nothing but sprouted wheat in it. Sprouted Wheat
Ground sprouted wheat for 2 - 3 minutes in the food processor.
We kneaded it for 5 minutes or so to make sure the gluten developed.
This is the finished loaf. It has to sit in the fridge for a couple of days. This will make it nice and moist. We have six cups of wheat sprouting for the next batch! |
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As tax day looms I once again watched this movie and wondered if the truths found here will ever reach enough people to really ELIMINATE the IRS. What would happen if 200 million of us knew the truth all at the same time? |
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I am putting this here so that I can keep record of it.
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Here is what we learned today. I was totally shocked. This explains why foreign oil is so important---but it certainly wasn't what I was expecting. I love the internet and how easy it makes homeschooling!
If you are trying to teach your children why things are the way they are please watch this video with them. This man is putting his life on the line for our good. It is worth your time. |
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We are studying the Constitution for the next few weeks. I am so excited that people are finally catching on that our personal freedoms are daily being attacked. Yesterday our right to bear arms and our veterans were attacked: Now republican canidates that stand for the Constitution are "not electable"!! ???
If we can't count on the constitution we may as well give up and just become the peons to a one world goverment. That is where all the other canidates will take us. I for one am a citizen of the U.S.A! The more I teach the constituion the more on fire for it I become.
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I am a mom and a soldier's wife. This song is wonderful. It is by a Muslim country singer. I don't know about you, but I am tired of hate, slander, and warmongering. No body will ever win people to Christ through war or hate. Do we win the love of our children through war or hate? Protect our people--yes, kill 100,000 people who need the love of Christ--NO!!! If we really had true, individual liberties as defined by the Constituion we would not be in the mess we are today. I am tired of this war and I'm really tired of POLITITIANS PROMOTING IT!!! I used to be a conservative Republican who voted for Bush twice. I am so, so sorry that I did. Trouble is either side is horrible--and all run by the same people and organizations. Return to the Constitution---Vote RON PAUL!!!!
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I watched this movie and it changed the way I did everything this Christmas. How many times to we buy STUFF because we feel we have to? "Kids A, B, and C all need to have the same amount spent on them or they will be mad... or "I can't make them a present because that is never going to fly." or ""The bottom of the tree will look so BARE if I don't buy more...." I realized that I have been CONDITIONED to think this way and that--IMHO---God never intended us to propagate a system such as is exemplified in the story below. On some level I knew it already--I think most of us do, but agained we are conditioned to think another way. Afterwards, I only bought heirloom boardgames that my children will hopefully pass on to their kids--along the all the great memories they will have to pass along too. I am so glad I didn't fall for buying that Wii the kids wanted. How long before that ends up out dated and obsolete? I have to confess here that the Waldorf-method teacher in me feels creeped out a little by all technology thrown at us every year. So I hereby admit I am personally biased :) Watch this movie and let me know what you think.
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Ok, I am all for moms making money. I would much rather buy decent products from people who I am aquainted with and stay home with their kids. I wouldn't mind selling something myself and have been researching hundreds of them. Trouble is, everyone is trying to recruit and I can't seem to get the true stories. Like, "Do you really make money?" or "Is it really worth the time or the trouble?" "Do your husbands support you?" Are there any moms out there willing to give me the real scoop? So.... who out there sells products through party plans? Please be HONEST, HONEST, HONEST! I have looked into and considered strongly: Jockey Person to Person---there clothes look better (and as comfortable) as the sweatpants I live in Simply Fun--because we always play games after evening devotion Norwex--I clean without chemicals already and they claim water and their wash cloth can rid acne.
Ok, One more question: What would you buy and seek out even if you didn't sell it? That was a lot of questions, but I just want to get some real insight and not a sales line. I am all for moms buying from moms. It is a great way to support each other! |
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Our Balancing the Sword Bible study came yesterday and I am so excited! We have been looking for something like this for a long time. We are home-churching this year and I have found that daily bible study is necessary to really make worship a habit as opposed to an obligation. We get out the auto harp and sing a few songs then study. This study is just perfect. It has zero denominational bias which I love. Basically, you are finding out what the word actually says, not what people think it means. They have a myriad of verses to look up as cross references and on their website www.balancingthesword.com they even have click through verses so you can speed up the process. We have each kid look up one passage and the computer gets us through the rest. We are going to try to do lessons every day. So far it is great! |
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I absolutely love this program. I wanted to have my kids learn Hebrew, as I feel it will be important in their futures to not only have a familiarity with this biblical language, but also be able to eventually read the bible in the original language. I have recently been learning about the fact that so many Messianic prophesies and New Testament figures are hidden in the Hebrew Scriptures. It has really cemented my desire to finish this program and use it to it's full potential. Anyway, I searched long and hard for a way to teach them (and myself) without it being incredibly hard or boring. I have definitely found it. At Home with Hebrew is a software program that teaches in a very user-friendly way. My kids are all enjoying it immensely. To them it has become a huge secret code they are eager to crack. They work for about 20 minutes each day and the program keeps track of their progress---a big plus for me. Personally, I have them work on a lesson until it is really easy for them and then have them move on. Consequently, they have learned quite a bit in a short time. I would wait until reading and writing in English is well established. My six year old started to write his English sentences right to left and it dawned on me that it may be confusing to study English and Hebrew at the same time. This is a very traditional Jewish resource and as such does not focus on Messianic prophesy or connections to the New Testament, nor does it teach the pronunciation of the sound of YHWH. http://www.hebrewresources.com/viewpage.php?page_id=57
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Some kids may have no problem with this at all, but just a heads up in case your child has reveral problems.|
We just completed our move to Huntsville, AL to a military post. We went from Florida to Minnesota and now back south to AL. I have almost gotten over my fear of driving. I guess you have to in order to log those kinds of hours in the car. The kids did really, really well with all the changes and chaos. This is our 11th move in less than six years so I guess they are pros. I have internet back after way too long. When we were farming in MN there was no internet or phone that had reception (cell). It was pretty isolated where we were. I feel so much more on top of things. I'm practically giddy that there is a target within five minutes of us now. At home in MN Wal Mart is the only thing close and that is 50 min or so. The kiddos have been keeping up with their studies quite well.
Combining with Dad
Farm cats are always a hit.
This is what my kids did when we stopped at 11pm at night (moving from FL to MN). Yeah, they were really ready to go to bed after 10+ hours in the car. :)
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Well, we are back to our farmhouse on the prairie and my husband is happy to play farmer again...for a while at least. Still no word from the military on our future, but for the time being we are very content. The kids are crazy happy about all the land to run around on and the cool, crisp, autumn air is such a blessing after the sweltering sticky heat we've been accustomed to. The only problem is the bugs! In FL we saw a few bugs a day, but here we are bombarded with thousands of these stinky, yucky lady bug look alikes. They were brought over from China I think and because they have no real predators they are EVERYWHERE. I even ate one when it landed on my Nut Goody. EWWWW! Thy smell bad and taste worse. We do not have a computer hook up in our rual area, so I am plunking this out at my MIL's. We won't get connected until we find out if we are staying here or not. They only have dial up at our house unless we get Hughes Net, which requires a contract. |
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Here is a video of me playing Edelweiss with my kids. I look goofy, but I had to close my eyes just to remember what keys to play. I was listening to my three year old sing! :) They just love that song. Oh, A (the one in pink) is playing with her six year old brother's finger knitting. She would love to do it, but I have to do it for her on her fingers. Anyway, D rather forcefully took back his knitting just as the song ended. |
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Here is our version of a U-Haul. :) It really is a smart choice because since M, who is in dark blue, is in third grade he is learning all about building. This lovely box is going to be recycled into a tree house when we get to the farm. Hopefully, it will get done before snowy weather takes over. That box, by the way is full to the brim. Here Dad is fixing a place where A (3) decided artwork was even better on wood.
We are just about ready to move now. I have to go wipe out cabinets. It's handy to have a husband who builds furniture for a living too. |
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Ok, I have been tasked to fill the beautiful--HUGE--plywood box my husband built on our car trailer and FILL IT, now please. So I have been crazy busy and have realized that my very-mother-involved teacher style was not going to cut it this week. So I have decided to let them run free as the wind. Kind of. My oldest son is busy writing a comic book:
My second son is busy going through his drawing lessons for the second time:
My youngest son is also drawing and reading Hop on Pop for the hundreth time. He is also coloring and writing stories written phonetically. It is driving me batty that I can't help him with all the spelling errors, but he is trying so hard, but it is cute and all the other boys did that at that age. I am getting ready to say goodbuy to the view:
Oh, I am going to miss the pelicans and sea gulls and that salty sea smell. I will not, however, miss our lovely "backyard":
Last night I destressed with a great crayon drawing book---I just love beeswax crayons!
Ok, I must go pack and...clean, yuck. |
This one I did last night.