This past year and a half have blown by so quickly my head is spinning! I haven't had time to blog or visit my favorite blogs recently, but hopefully, all that will change soon. Until then, though, I just wanted to update my blog. More later.

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?

Well, as if our nightmare of a train trip weren't enough, when we returned home, our pesticide guy came out to perform our annual termite inspection. The good news? We don't have a termite problem. The bad news? Our garage and the apartment above is infested with wood borers. And, these little wood-boring beetles are chewing their way out of dormancy at an alarming rate. The ugly? Our house must be fumigated at a cost of around $4,200. That's right $4,200--and that's with a favored customer discount (I'll bet I'm this guy's favorite customer, as I'm the one paying for his next Mediterranean cruise.) It's mind boggling to think of the beautiful kayaks I could have bought for that amount of money--for the whole neighborhood.

Instead of spiffy new kayaks and grateful neighbors, we are presented with the unique opportunity to create a neighborhood spectacle and eyesore by having our home completely covered with plastic tarps, accompanied by brightly-colored signs posted in the front yard that say "Set foot on this property and you will become mutants just like the folks who ordinarily live there, but are temporarily lodging elsewhere--for three fun-filled days and nights. Feel free to treat them as pariahs when they return and mutter things under your breath about toxic waste, and how the problem was undoubtedly caused by all those blasted barnyard animals they keep over there."

So, if you were wondering what happened to us after our L-O-N-G train trip to and from Pennsylvania, about which all I can say is, "BLASTED CELLPHONES in the middle of the night", please rest assured that we are still remotely recognizable as members of the human race. Enough so, that if we should decide to take a dip in the local river while "vacationing" at my mom's, an alligator would certainly recognize us as a potential next meal--if, perhaps, not the most appetizing one.

Now,  I'm off to remove everything from the cupboards and shelves of our home that might be considered ingestible.  Thank heavens we no longer have a toddler or I'd be packing up the entire contents of the house, including the palmetto bugs.  Ewwww!  Gross! For those of you uninitiated to the delights of southern living, a "palmetto bug" is the quaint, low country term for really enormous American cockroaches with wings. They are also sometimes referred to as water bugs--and if you're not careful they may carry you off in the middle of the night if you aren't forthcoming about the exact location of last night's dinner leftovers.

Anyway, on with the clearing of the pantry. Apples-check, oatmeal-check, last year's Halloween and Christmas candy-check. Oh, no, wait! Ewww, gross! Toss those candy canes. I don't think the plastic wrapper would ever come off those. Cheerios-check, dehydrated veggie chips-What? Are those considered even remotely edible by anyone? And who put those in my shopping cart anyway? What on earth should I do with them? I think I recall reading something about it being illegal to throw toxic stuff in the garbage. Well now, let me think. Aha! The rose bushes could use a little mulch underneath. Might kill 'em, though...

Anyway, I'll be back at my keyboard sometime soon, even if I am typing with a couple of extra digits...

I'm a Lotus Elise!

You believe in maximum performance and minimum baggage.  You like to travel light and fast, hit the corners hard, and dance like there's no tomorrow.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

The only thing that kept me from being a Ferrari 360 Modena, though, is the question, "Are you high maintenance?" I submit that the answer is no, thus making me a Lotus Elise; however, my husband would probably say I'm the Ferrari. LOL  I had a friend tease me once about being high maintenance (at least I think she was just teasing) for suggesting that the maple syrup should be warmed before pouring it on freshly made pancakes. High Maintainence? You decide.

To prepare for our LONG train ride home, we decided to purchase a couple of mini Nintendo games to keep the kiddos occupied. They had enjoyed playing with their cousins' games, so we figured it would be a good investment for our peace of mind. Maybe then, we would only be queried as to our arrival time every fifteen minutes instead of every five.

We were fortunate enough to run into a very chatty and informative Nintendo Rep. at Walmart who informed us that the new DS Lite was the newest technology--and definitely the way to go for our kids. She also recommended a game called "Animal Crossing" for my 1G9, a groovy little virtual world filled with animals. We then, searched high and low for two of these very hard to find little units and the age-appropriate games, and ended up with a substantially flatter wallet, but two very happy munchkins--and a victory for peace. Or so we thought.

Right away, my 1G9 began busily setting up her virtual world and meeting her new "neighbors". Imagine our surprise when she informed us that our trip to a local amusement park had to be delayed because she had an appointment with one of her new neighbors that she simply had to keep. After all, "Moe is rather a cranky sort, and gets very angry if you stand him up." Ah, the priorities of today's nine year-olds! Fortunately, my 1G9's parents' priorities won the day. Who would ever have thought that virtual appointments would take on such importance? Now I wonder if I could have one of her virtual neighbors make an appointment to see her real-world room? Perhaps that would induce her to spruce things up a bit.    

My dh who does not like to fly thought it might be quite an adventure for the kids to travel to our relatives up north by train this summer. It sounded like a good idea to me, so I booked the tickets for what ought to have been a rather long thirteen hour trip up the east coast. Upon arriving at the train station we were advised that our train was a "little behind schedule", so we hung around the train station, playing every sort of time-killing game I could think of. Finally, we boarded the train--a mere three hours later than scheduled.

All through the LONG night, the train kept getting more and more behind schedule. The kids slept fitfully, the adults hardly at all, as every time I would nod off, the train would stop moving, and I'd wake up. At long last, the dawn broke, and the kids and I grabbed some hot cocoa and coffee and played what seemed to be endless rounds of card games--and stared out the window a lot. We saw a lot of historic houses, quite a few ambling rivers, and even a beaver swimming busily in a creek.

Finally, we arrived in Phildelphia and switched to a commuter train to the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country--arriving at our destination exactly 24 hours after our departure. Next year the kids and I will fly and send Dad on the train--at least that's the solution my 1G9 came up with. Sounds good to me , too.

We are fortunate to live in a neighborhood where the whole family can get out and safely ride our bikes. Still, I would sure like to see more U.S. cities construct separate bike paths that actually go someplace useful such as the supermarket or other shopping, bike paths such as those found in many European cities and villages. With the skyrocketing price of gas and the climbing obesity rate, it seems like a sensible solution to both problems would be to encourage biking, not just for exercise on a fitness trail, but as part of a healthy, environmentally sound lifestyle.

Although we can't go many useful places on our bikes where we live, we can at least bike over to visit with friends or relatives, or even our local horse farm. To encourage the kids and myself to ride more frequently, it helps to have bikes that are in good repair, properly-sized, and fun to ride--and if they're brand spankin' new, so much the better. For my 1G9's birthday, we ordered her a new mountain bike from our local bike shop. I highly recommend purchasing a bike from a local bike shop staffed with knowledgeable staff that can answer your questions and help you select the correct size and style of bike for you.

When we picked up her bike, I decided that it was time  to look into a new bike for me, too. My mountain bike with the retrofitted cruiser handlebars is not the most comfortable bike for the long rides of 15-20 miles that I typically do a few times a week. I've had my eye on a beach cruiser bike for some time now, and so I decided to try some out. I settled on the Townie Electra cruiser, pictured above, which has a lightweight aluminum frame and 21 gears—most of which I’ll never use. What I love about it, though, is the patented “flat-footed” riding position, with a lower to ground seat and a slightly forward peddling position for more torque. The handlebars are really comfortable. My retrofitted cruiser handlebars on my old mountain bike were not, and they put a real strain on my wrists at an odd angle. As icing on the cake, this bike's got flowers all over it. I love my "girlie" bike! So, if you see us out on the road, be sure and wave--and give us plenty of room!

     

While living with a couple--no three--Lego fanatics, my feet have often experienced the sharp pain from stepping on a stray block or five--when they were supposed to have been picked up. The kids play with the Legos, but it's always me wearing out the knees in my pants, kneeling to pick up the stray ones. Legos do seem to blend in so well with our carpeting, that it really is quite easy to miss one or two during pick-up. Mr. French, my robotic vacuum, told me in no uncertain terms that if any Legos were left on the floor, he would without discrimination confiscate them, and into the garbage they would go. I won't even mention the embarrassment I have suffered when someone pops by for a visit and sees what appears to be the entire contents of the Lego catalog strewn across my floor. This always happens when there is not a kid in sight to clean them up. Well, no more since I made our handy-dandy Lego mat. This nifty little thing provides a place to play, easy storage, and portability—all in one convenient package.

Construction is really quite simple. Even the craft and sewing-challenged like me can have success with this project. Here are the basic instructions:

Using either a 45" or 60" width fabric, cut off the corners to form a circle. Serge or sew around the outer edge to form a 1" channel for your cord, leaving two openings for the cord to be pulled out. I sewed these as a buttonhole. I use contrasting thread to serge the channel edge when using a solid fabric, as it provides a visual cue as to which side should face up.

Alternatively, you could use two fabric circles and sew them right sides together, leaving a space for turning (like a pillow). After turning it right side out, stitch up the opening. Then stitch around the perimeter of the circle 1" or so away from the edge to form the channel for the cord. Make two openings for the cord. Then insert the cord, knot the ends together--and voilà no more Lego messes!