I'm the blessed wife of My Honey of 14 years, and Momma to eight wonderful Lambies aged 13 and under. We live in Central CA, and use Ambleside Online for our curriculum. I'd love to meet you , so browse a while and feel free to leave a comment! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:04:00 -0600 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:04:00 -0600 Each year, the Monterey Bay Aquarium hosts "Homeschool Days" when admission is free and additional clinics and workshops are available to the kids.  We participated this year and had a wonderful time!  The best area, in my opinion, was the Seahorse Exhibit.  I've always been fasinated by these beautiful creatures.  Look at how cute this is: I could have spent all day looking at these: Isn't our God so wonderful?!  What a beauty! After the aquarium, we went to the beach for a BBQ with friends.  We ate, played, and played some more.  There was a stairsrace: Get ready....get set....GO! The beach was white and had an abundance of small shells to collect and compare. Make sure not to get your pants wet! And there was a rock wall..a real rock wall! We had a wonderful day! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/744386/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:04:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/744386/ What a month!  We were busy with school,of course.  I really should take some pictures of the Lambies at work, shouldn't I? We harvested the remainder of the tomatoes and tore them out.  Our friend Tammy blessed us with plenty of her pet llamas manure to enrich the soil for our winter garden. We plan to have carrots, lots of varieties of greens, garlic and maybe some peas. GirlofGod and Trixie went camping with Daddy and Grandpa. Sadly, Daddy forgot to take any pictures. Trixie broke her arm (you can go to her blog for more about that; she'll blog soon). Getting costumes ready for Halloween took the rest of the month.  I'm hoping November will allow more time at home. I love the Thanksgiving season!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/741276/ Sun, 1 Nov 2009 18:10:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/741276/ http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/734874/ Fri, 9 Oct 2009 22:22:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/734874/ Have I told you about my favorite herbal products yet?  My friend, Mother Of Blessings, makes her products with all-natural and organic ingredients and they are just great!  I have used her Immune Booster for several years.  Along with a healthy diet, I credit it with keeping us cold and flu free for a LONG time!  I have also personally used the Boo-Boo Cream.  I use it almost daily, truthfully.  It goes on any scrapes, bug bites, rashes and dry spots, that happen so frequently around here. Go visit The Colestead on Etsy and try a product.  You won't be sorry! The Colestead http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/734158/ Wed, 7 Oct 2009 16:14:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/734158/ I have transferred many recipes from my old recipe blog to my new one, Feeding the Crew.  Go and check it out! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/733247/ Sun, 4 Oct 2009 21:17:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/733247/ Momma: Was hitting your sister worth all that time in the corner? The unrepentant four year old: Yes. Momma: Was hitting your sister fun? Troubles: Yes. Momma: You won't hit her again? Troubles: Yes, I will. Momma: Back in the corner. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/731398/ Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:46:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/731398/ Jack, seven and a half years old to Troubles, four years old: "What's three plus three?" "Six" "Nope, thirteen!" Momma: "Don't teach him math anymore, Jack!" http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/730824/ Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:07:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/730824/ I love day-trips!  Very little planning and preparation and a wonderful day ensues.  We are blessed only have to drive less than an hour to get to this glorious place, full of new spots to explore every time we go. Do you see what we saw? Look at those studious Jr. Rangers. Wading about was fun! Why does he always look like BigFoot? Daddy and Troubles during an apple break. I hope to get up for another trip or two before the snow starts falling up there. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/729930/ Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:02:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/729930/ Her's a new snapshot of my ongoing cross-stitch project.  It's called "Innocence". I have this large row to finish, then another row about 2/3 of the size to finish up the bottom of her gown, her feet and the ground.  That might take as long as a year or so, depending on my facebook usage.    When I began this project, I estimated it would take about five years to complete.  I really should have written down when I began it, but alas, I did not.  I have video of Troubles when he was very little that has the stitching frame in the background, so I estimate that I started stitching sometime in early 2005. Therefore, I declare myself right on track. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/729923/ Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:48:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/729923/ My friend, MotherofBlessings raises chickens for meat and eggs, and also allows me to purchase some and she raises them for me.  She blesses us so much!  When butchering time comes, we come out and help with all of them.  This year, we used a different approach to the butchering and just skinned and pieced the birds.  It was quicker since we didn't have to scald or pluck the birds, or mess with gutting them. However, since they weren't scalded, we had to prepare the feet at home.  I took pictures, so you could learn how to prepare feet for using in broth.  They really are the secret ingredient for a truly mineral-rich broth! Here's my plate of feet before processing: First you need to scald the feet in boiling water.  Boiling water loosens the outer layer of scaly skin. Next, remove the feet and let them cool just a bit.  I only scalded two at a time, since they need to be hot for the next step. Rub the foot and leg briskly with your thumb and forefinger.  The thick yellow layer should peel off very easily. Also, remove the sheaths that cover the claws.  You didn't know the Lord made removable covers for chicken toes, did you?  Everything that touched the ground while the chicken walked comes off and you are left with a sparkling clean foot. The white thing on my ring finger is a toenail sheath. Repeat till you have a plate of clean, ready-to-use feet.  Some people clip off the toes with a sharp knife to allow more gelatin to escape.  This is optional.  I get a great, solid broth without that step. To make broth, follow the directions on my recipe blog. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/728761/ Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:17:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany/728761/