Mason Moments - Homeschool Blogger

Pretty Onions

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:55:00 -0600

I haven't blogged for awhile and I was thinking today that it would be much easier if I blogged the way I do facebook -- just a thought or event every few days or so. Not necessarily with picture, as I prefer, but just keeping up with our life and remembering odds and ends. This afternoon we worked on the farm down the road packing boxes for delivery. The season is coming to a close and we are only working every other week now. While the boys were trying to be the fastest, Missy Blue, who was putting a red onion in each box was taking her sweet time. She insisted on taking the flaky outer layer off of each one. We kept telling her that she did not need to do that but after 100+ boxes the ground around her was colorful with purple onion skins. I asked her afterwards why she wanted to peel the onion and she said, "They were much prettier that way". :) Of course, whatever was I thinking? Boys race while girls make things pretty. Sounds good to me!

My Baby Boy is 2!

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 18:14:00 -0600

Today my Baby Boy turned 2 years old and oh, how I am enjoying him! This is the first time I have ever had a child this age and not been pregnant or having a baby within days or weeks. This is the first time we aren't contemplating a move to a big bed so as not to need two cribs. This is the first time my back gets so sore from carrying a two year old around because with the others I mainly carried a newborn and could not lift a toddler anymore. I cannot tell you how much I am relishing my time with Baby Boy, who now that he has turned two, can no longer really be called a baby. He will now be called "Seppy" on my blog as that is what he is called around here and while my brother-in-law may try to call him "dozer" that just is not sticking.

Seppy is a ball of energy. He almost always has a smile on his face and is quick to laugh and to give love. He seems to be picking up on speaking faster than I recall a few of my others doing and I am amazed at the things he knows. For example, when we are sorting laundry into piles he knows what shirt belongs to who. How that is, I do not know because even John doesn't know that! Seppy still loves to cuddle and I enjoy that immensely. He loves his Daddy and his face lights up and he gets so excited as he runs to hug him when he comes home from work.

Seppy adores his sister (for the most part) and enjoys playing whatever she enjoys and has no problem dressing up and having a tea party. Of course she also can really irritate him as well. Everyone enjoys teaching Seppy new things and getting him to say various words. He is always bringing a smile to our faces.

Of course in the past few weeks I have noticed a shift in the tide as we have drifted into the "testing twos" and he is beginning to test the waters to see how far he can go. I think we have learned enough lessons with the other children that we are ready to make sure we stop certain behaviors before they really begin. He can get rough with the others but will turn around and be so sweet and gentle always rubbing our hair. Sometimes I think he enjoys hitting someone so that he can then say "I saw-ee" (I'm sorry) and hug the victim looking at them with his sad puppy dog eyes.

This is one of my favorite pictures, although it is rare to see Seppy look so serious. I am so thankful for my fifth little boy -- unique and special just as God created him to be.

My Latest Birthday Cakes

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:16:00 -0500

I really enjoy making birthday cakes, although I wish I would be a little better at it and am contemplating signing up for a class seeing as I taught myself. I have perfected a few things after 10 years but I have a hard time not modifying recipes and that is not always a good thing. I thought I'd share the three cakes I made in the past month. I typically find all of my ideas in books or online and then do what I want with them.

The first cake was for my good friend's daughter's 13th birthday. I made flip flops that turned out so cute that Missy Blue thought she wanted that for her party as well.

The next cake was what Missy Blue had really been asking for for months and that was a doll cake and of course in pink. At first I did not want to make that one as I don't care for the doll top, but alas, I gave in. My Mom had made this same cake for me and so I used her pan and the top that came with it. In attempting to make her a little more flat chested I ended up making her look a little heavier in the waist which one of my boys was quick to point out. I made sure to explain to him exactly why I do not care for those type of dolls. I inadvertently made the frosting more pink than I prefer thinking it needed as much coloring as blue does but pink needs only a little bit. Of course Missy enjoyed the bright pink.

The last cake was simple as can be and I was thankful I made it as Baby Boy celebrated his birthday with Missy. I may have found the idea on Family Fun or some such place but instead of doing a dirt cake I made it a trifle cake using my standard chocolate cake, adding chocolate chips, cutting it into chunks, and layering it with whipped cream, chocolate pudding, and toffee bits and put it into his birthday gift -- a new dump truck. For some reason I could not find a nice truck any smaller than this thing so it wasn't as full as I envisioned but that was okay.

Next batch of cakes comes in January. Pete and Re-Pete already have their order in and thankfully they want the exact same cake so this year they will share! Although I still have to find the idea for what they requested.

Birthday Girl

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:50:00 -0500

Today Missy Blue turned 4 years old! She is our little sweetheart (and has taken to calling her baby brother "my sweetheart" in a sing songy voice). She most certainly is a girly girl but will get right in there with her big brothers. If they play war, she plays along but with her pink gun. If they play with cars, she will too driving the cars that are pink or purple. Thankfully they include her in most everything they do, except for maybe legos which is probably why she has asked for the pink box of legos for her birthday. :)

Missy can be a little bossy and Baby Boy gets the brunt of that but she is also is very loving and nurturing. Missy loves music, always bouncing up and down to the beat and makes up her own songs. She enjoys shopping which I am so thankful for, although, she is even slower than I am when it comes to looking at everything and that is not a good thing. We all enjoy the differences our little girl brings to our household of many boys and are so thankful that God blessed us with Missy Blue!

Missy at 1 year old.

A snow cone to match her beautiful eyes.

The boys liked this one as her hair was flying through the air as she walked toward me.

Blogger of the Week

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:27:00 -0500

We are halfway through the week already and I am finally getting around to posting. I found out that I am the HSB blogger of the week but have been busy with in-laws visiting, birthday parties, raising a litter of kittens, and the normal day-to-day that I haven't really acknowledged that.

If you are new to my blog -- WELCOME! As of late my blog has kind of taken a backseat to life as probably many of you can relate to. I very often have ideas to post but then never do get around to posting it until it is a month past and then what is the point. I began blogging as sort of a journal of our lives and to keep in touch with family and friends I don't talk to on a daily/weekly basis. There are many moments in our days that I do not want to forget.

I am a stay-at-home Mom to 6 blessings, five boys and one girl and I can't imagine my life any different! Our oldest turned 10 this July and our youngest will turn 2 in two weeks. We live in the Midwest and are enjoying beautiful color this fall, although below normal temps which is not my favorite. I love the heat which is something we did not experience enough of this summer. We live on close to 5 acres in the country with the state forest practically right out our door. It is the perfect place to raise our energetic boys with many places to explore and play and imagine. Our little Miss enjoys doing everything with her brothers although she is still very much a girl.

On the homeschool front I mainly use the Charlotte Mason method reading a lot of books and doing hands-on things. For history we are using Mystery of History. We are part of a homeschool group through an area church that is growing each year and offering more and more options of classes and field trips. I have found this year that while there are so many things that I want the kids to be involved in and while they are great opportunities, we can't do them all. We did join the Physical Ed. class that meets twice a month and on that same day are also meeting with a group of homeschoolers that are going through the book "Exploring Creation Through Astronomy" where we do the projects as a group.

Once a month we are part of a Nature Club that meets at various nature centers in our area. We are encouraged to take nature walks and journal what we discover. Last month we were able to go wading in a river catching various water bugs and fish and I also enjoyed putting on waders and trying my hand at catching something. Of course I caught nothing but my boys made sure to show me how it was done. :)-

Through our own church we are involved twice a month in an art class that as parents we take turn teaching. This year we are hoping to do more with an Usborne Art book that is full of wonderful ideas, although I have also found some websites with step-by-step projects that are beautiful. Today we will be finishing up a mixed media project and I can't wait to see the results! It involved watercolor and making a mosaic with painted eggshells.

That is part of our life and homeschooling in a nutshell. Please come back and visit! I love to get to know bloggers and have found through homeschool blogger many like-minded "friends" who I would enjoy knowing in real life.

Have a Wonderful Day!

--Amy

Show & Tell Friday -- Mom T-Shirts

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:02:00 -0500

While I am not a big t-shirt wearer I do enjoy a nice t-shirt that expresses some sort of sentiment or shows how I feel about something/someone. I found Mommy t-shirts online that I really liked but alas they only went up to "Mommy of 5" and so in searching more found another t-shirt that I enjoyed. I thought maybe this would help in deterring the question, "Are they all yours?" And after my dear friend (and Pastor's wife) gave birth to her 10th child last month I thought it was the perfect time to get a t-shirt for her and for myself. (They also were on sale which was perfect timing).

If you want a Mom t-shirt of your own and they have many varieties check out Couture Moms.

To see more Show & Tells visit Mary at Raising 4 Godly Men

Racing -- End of Season

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:19:00 -0500

John completed this trying season of racing labor day weekend and he finished well! The Crandon race in September is always one of my favorites as it is festive with a parade on Friday and lots of celebration and fireworks at night. The only downside is that there are tons of people and it is a little crazy that way. It is a small town but for this race they estimated 45,000 people there! John wanted to end the season on a good note being that it has been such a struggle. He looked good at practice and we were happy about that.

The first race he started in the back row and was not able to get the holeshot making it harder to get to the front. He ended up finishing fourth and we were thankful that he finished!

Sunday's race we were excited for but it was also a little emotional as John had just sold his car (I'll tell you more in another post). All I wanted at that point was for him to get on the podium. This time he was able to start in the front row as he finally had enough points to earn him the spot but was on the inside making it harder to push ahead. There was a lot of carnage this race and thankfully John was able to avoid that even when there was a spinout right in front of him. It was an exciting race and John came in 3rd! The kids and I raced to try and see him on the podium one last time but could only really see him on the big screen as there were way too many people.

And so, we are done for the year and we'll see what the future holds.

Always a winner to me! Getting out of his Pro Super Buggy one final time...

Enjoying Math for a change

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:07:00 -0500

We loosely started school last week doing the things that we have on hand and beginning new things as they arrive in the mail. This summer seems to have gotten away from me and I never did get a chance to plan and order until I absolutely had to. Anyway, George's new math program arrived last week and I LOVE IT and so does he! He has never really enjoyed math and even though it is not his strong point he has done fine with it .

We began George using Saxon which went well but it was very repetitive and I don't think he caught onto some concepts very well. Last year we tried Math-U-See which starts off good and gives a different way to look at math problems (which I needed) but not one of the boys enjoyed it. Once in awhile I think part of George's problem had to do with my lack of patience when he didn't "get it" and I thought he should. So, when a friend of mine told me about Teaching Textbooks and how well it was working for her son I looked into it and ordered it for George this year. It is a wonderful program written for homeschoolers. I like the fact that he can do everything on the computer and it reads the problem to him and so it is visual and auditory. When he answers if it is correct it gives him an encouraging comment (something his Mother can learn from!) and if it is incorrect it will allow him to try again and always will show the solution so he knows for next time. It also grades each lesson and quiz so all I need to do is check how he did and can see the problems he missed.

Now instead of the groaning when I tell George it is time for math he is actually asking me if he can work on math and will keep going rather than just doing one lesson. That in itself is worth the more pricey program! The only downside is that the other boys really want to do math on the computer also but the program does not have their level out yet. Hopefully next year!

If you have a child who dreads doing math and it isn't alway clicking for them check out Teaching Textbooks. They have Math 4 - Pre-Calculus.

Motor Home Living

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 17:13:00 -0500

I was asked awhile ago where we all sleep in our motor home and so now that we are getting ready to put our motor home in storage before the snow flies, I am finally getting around to telling you. Our motor home is a Coachman Class C - 30 feet in length (if that makes any difference to you). We mainly use it during race season to tow the race trailer and then we stay at the track. We have used it at campgrounds from time to time.

John and I sleep above the drivers seats. He is near the front window as I get claustrophobic being closed in on all sides. There is a curtain that we can close but again, I don't like to be blocked in. We have a set of bunk beds in the back bedroom and that arrangement has changed from year to year. The big boys used to be in there but this year we put the three youngest in the back to hopefully let them sleep longer in the morning. That doesn't really happen though as it is quite bright in the mornings and no one is ever quiet.

We had two eating areas - one in the back bedroom that we only use for sleeping and the other eating area John removed this summer to make room for the boys to sleep up front on the floor. Now we try to eat outside on a portable table. It is cramped but it works, especially seeing as we only really sleep in it. Fortunately this season we did not have any race weekends with rain otherwise we might have been stuck inside.

The nice feature is a walk-through bathroom which means it is larger, not just a tiny room you get stuck in. Although we tend to use the portable toilets at the track since we don't have sewer hookups there.

Now that racing is over, at least in the near future, John is contemplating selling it, but we'll see. Just another decision to make. Ideally, if we want to continue this mode of travel, one bump-out would be really helpful as with constantly growing children, we won't fit much longer.

George is on the couch, Pete on the floor and Re-Pete on the cushions from the eating area.

Pack 'n' Play on the folded down table. Missy on the bottom and Tank on top. We used to have a blockade to use for a baby/toddler on the seating area but that doesn't work as well as they can climb out.

More kittens!

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 19:14:00 -0500

You may recall that at the beginning of June our cat Jumper had kittens and within two weeks they all had died. Now I wanted to get her fixed right away after that and knew I only had a window of opportunity but didn't realize just how small that was. In finding out the price the vet charges my friend had recommended the humane society that does it for a reasonable amount. The only problem being that they couldn't get her in right away. By that time I knew she was probably expecting and she had noticeable signs early on or maybe I just knew what to look for. Sure enough, she got bigger and bigger and I began to wonder how many kittens were in there as she looked ready to burst! I had figured her to be due the first week in Sept.

Jumper ended up giving birth Aug. 22nd which happened to be the day that George had friends over to celebrate his birthday (a little late). Again, I missed the birth but the boys alerted me that she had her kittens as she came out with her tail wet and was now skinny. Thankfully we were able to find them shortly after. The day before I had been walking around our yard with Jumper and she disappeared for awhile into a heap of wood behind our shed. I figured that was where she went and sure enough there were the kittens beneath the wood in a grassy area. She had nine kittens but two were not alive. This time we had two black and six orange and they seemed to have a better start than the previous litter that had been born stuck in an old couch. Jumper had cleaned them all off and taken care of them as she should.

George's friend who loves animals helped get the kittens moved into an old desk cabinet with blankets we had ready. Jumper also seemed more confident in feeding them. We lost one kitten a day later that had been the runt. I wasn't sure what to expect this time around but so far all is well. The kittens are now 17 days old and getting bigger every day. They grow amazingly fast! We are able to handle them a little more although can't wait until their claws retract so they aren't getting stuck on us. They each look so sweet with their eyes open, although a few are crusty the past few days so I am gently cleaning them. The kids are enjoying these little bundles of fur and are helpful in taking care of them. Next week they should be walking around more which will be fun to watch!

Anyone interested in a kitten???