Our journey through homeschooling, homesteading on a very small scale, devotion to St. Michael and Our Blessed Mother, and giving all glory, honor, and praise to Our Lord. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Fri, 9 Oct 2009 07:25:00 -0500 Fri, 9 Oct 2009 07:25:00 -0500 I can't beleive it is October already!  What happened to the summer?  Or should I day What Summer?  As it was BELOW normal tempurature wise here this summer.  We may have made 90 degrees three times.   Now I have to get rolling on autumn organization and preperation.   I like to stock up on food and household neccessities in case of ice storms, snow, etc.  I have already purchased tylenol, ibuprofen, rubbing alcohol, bleach, white vinegar, frozen juices, some small books as a surprise for Bun in case we get hit with any of the flues going around.   Bun currently has strep throat.  ALthough she has been schooling right thru it, a regular trooper.  I am ready to spend the day in bed with my respitory infection.  With both of us coughing my dh says it sounds like he lives in a TB ward.  Yes, he has a warped sense of humor.   Max, our border collie is in the house today as it is raining.  Raining and cold.   I am almost tempted to start up the coal stove.  My dh has it all ready with kindling.....   We have to run out this morning to drop off paperwork and then it is home for us.   A good day to spend ion the couch with tea, books, and a cat.     http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/734612/ Fri, 9 Oct 2009 07:25:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/734612/ I just finished burying a 'probably rabid' according to the Game Commision raccoon.  Bun and I were down at the pond in our front yard swimming with friends when a raccoon came out of the woods across the pond and all the way around then was chargeing at us.  My DH came out of the house when he heard us yelling and then shot the raccoon.   I phoned the Game Commission and the officer told me that they would not pick it up to test as it bit or scratched no one.  I was informed to bury it and pour clorox over it.    My sisterinlaw who lives about 20 miles away is getting a series of rabie shots as they had a rabid skink attack her kittens and they took the kittens inside and the skink was shot and tested and rabid.  If she would have left the bitten kittens outside she would have been ok but she took them in and was feeding them with a bottle and as they were bitten and mauled they had to be put down and hence the shots for her and the kids.   I was surprised that they didn't want to test it as there have been a few cases in our area.   Well the smoke alarm is going off so that means dinner is done. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/717420/ Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:02:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/717420/ Wow!  July already--and the end of July at that!  Bun and I have been running around like crazy since school was out in June.  I parked the bus in June and just jumped in the car and took off.  We have been to Great Wolf Lodge,  Barnaget Light onLong Beach Island, Seven Springs Resort,  Philadelphia,  Point Pleasand Beach, a Wurst Festival at Shawnee Mountain in the Poconos, Horse Camp, 4H Camp, and several fishing trips.    I have NOT made a dent in the house cleaning/organizing at all.  This week we are going to spend a day at Hershey Park as a treat from Aunt Mary for Bun's birthday.  Then on Saturday we are leaving for Long Beach Island again, only this time we are staying for a week in Harvey Cedars.  We rented  house with my nephew and his family.  It will be quite an experince as we will have a total of 11 people!   Bun won't know how to act!     My nephew and his wife and I have made up a list of daily menus listing all ingredients and if we have them in our pantries or if we have to buy them and who is bringing what.   Then we have lists for beach stuff,  then lists for clothes, then lists for other essentials such as toilet paper and spray disinfectant and bathtub cleaner.  Cds for the car trip down and books for the beach and rainy days.   I used to like making lists but I think I m now listed out.   I'm trying to get the bathroom, dining room, and kitchen cleaned up and sparkling before we leave on Saturday.   I would like to come home to a clean home because I think this holiday is going to be  working one with the three babies.  Not to mention the three teenagers....have I ever mentioned how I don't  "get"  teenagers?    Especially these three.  I have never met three such selfcentered, manipulative teens.    My friend in Maryland tells me that that is just how most teens are.   The only teens I have dealt with in the past ten years have been my friends who homeschooled them.  Those teens were for the most part respectfull, cooperative, and pleasant to be around.  Jan's son was a bit tricky to deal with for a few months but he even wasn't that bad.    So, please friends, pray for me and for the teens on this vacation.  That we may grow closer to each other,  but more inportantly closer to God, especially the teens. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/709832/ Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:40:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/709832/ On Sunday afternoon we went to see the arena production of Walking WIth Dinosaurs.  It was fantastic!  The dinosaurs looked so lifelike.  The lighting and sound was terrific also.  Of course we ended up buying a small stuffed dinosaur, I wasn't going to but my dh said "get her what she wants".  So if we end up with a spoiled brat in a few years it is all his fault!! lol!!   Tomorow is the LAST day for driving the bus for this year!!  I can't wait to park it at the garage.  To celebrate we are going to Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos in the beginning of the next week.  And the weather here has been so lousy with rain almost everyday for two weeks, we need a little pick me up.  It doesn't seem like almost summer at all.   My nephew and his wife are adopting my younger brother's three children!!   A Due to the mental health and addiction issues with my younger brother and his grilfreind, this is best for the children.  It is hard for me not to get angry with them but I am feeling so much better now knowing that the children will be adopted and have permanance in thier lives.    The oldest is "Ed" he is three and a half.  Then comes "Lily" who is 2 and then is "Roseabud" who is a mere 8 months.   Ed loves dinosaurs.  Lily is a little princess--who is extremely smart, she can count up to 30, knows her abc's and sings all the songs from The Sound of Music movie.  Roseabud is the happiest baby I have ever seen.  If she is fussy there is a definate problem somewhere.  I love to cuddle all threee of them.   My nephew and neice who are 39 and 44, have four other children.  They range in age from 15  down to 12.  My nephew's two spend one week with him then one week with thier mother and back and forth.  His wife's two children don't see thier father at all as he is in another state completely and hasn't been in contact with them at all.   This summer we have rented a house all together at the beach.  So I have been making lists of what we need to take along because if I don't write it down I forget it!!  I also have to get a bed made for the tomatoes and green beans this weekend.  I'm a little behind with my garden this year. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/698068/ Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:35:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/698068/ I have been trying to get the school year finished up.   Bun's cyber school had thier Central Discovery Days with Science Fair last weekend in Harrisburg.  She did an experiment on filling bubbles with fog.  She used dry ice and adapted a plastic bucket and filled the soap bubbles with the fog resulting from the dry ice and warm water.  She took third place in her grade group.    Over the summer we will work on her with the basic math fact memorization.  The plans for the OT fell through due to the end of the school year so she won't get that service until September when school starts again.  The OT will work on improving her short term memory to long term memory in an effort to help with the discalculia.    We will be attending the SPAC conference in Pittsburg this summer again.  Statewide Parent Advisory Council---it is a three day learning conference for parents giving them ideas for working with thier children.  In the past I have attended classes on math games, study skills, bullying, getting parents invovled in thier children's schools, etc.  I always come away with lots of tips and ideas to do with Bun in her school work.  It is geared towards parents with  students in public schools but works out fine with her cyber homeschooling.   I would also love to get a house on the shore in Long Beach Island for a week with my niece and her family.  Bun wants to go to Williamsburg as she is reading the AMerican Girl stories, specifically Felicity.  But I think we will be visiting Williamsburg in the Fall with a stop at Mount Vernon and Monticello.   We have a two hens that have gone broody on the same nest.  When one hen gets up to eat the other hen jumps on the nest then the first hen comes back and stands there forlornly for a few hours.  It is really rather sad to see her standing there but she won't take to another nest.   Right now two other hens are squawking away as they have laid eggs and like to tell EVERYONE what they have accomplished.    It's time to get ready for Church so I hope eveyrone has a blessed day!       http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/696668/ Sun, 7 Jun 2009 06:30:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/696668/ We are home from a whirlwind weekend trip!  On Saturday morning we drove to New Jersey and took the train into NYC.  Bun had been saving for Felicity, an American Girl doll for two years.  As she had the amount saved up it was time to go and make her purchase.  Since this was a 'luxury purchase' our deal is she saves up the full amount then she gives half of that amount to her choice:  the Pro Life Center, our Church, or some other organization.  I then make up the difference for her purchase.   She loves Felicity.  She read the book that came with the doll on the train back to New Jersey.    We had lunch at Mars 2112.  It was neat, it could have been done better, the food coudl have been better or at least a larger portion for the amount we paid, but this is NYC.  However I did feel guilty spending so much.  I felt like God was looking at me shaking his head in disappointment!   We stopped at little souvenir shop where Bun got a magnet with dh's name on it with the Statue of Liberty in the background.   Also two iron on NYC patches for her worn out jean quilt.    The highlight however was Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.  When we are in NYC we always stop here.  Absolutely beautiful!  However, Mass could be distracting as people are wandering around taking photos during the Mass.  It is awesome being there thinking of all the people thru the years praying countless prayers right there where I was kneeling and praying myself.    We arrived back in New Jersey late so we stayed overnight at a Hampton Inn.  Very clean, nice staff, I was impressed.  Then today we went to the beach!  With about half the population in New Jersey!  I was surprised that so many people were there!  We ran along the edge of the waves where our feet were numb from the cold water.  Picked up shells and smooth polished stones, and built sandcastles.  Sat on our blanket and watched the waves and thanked God for creating something so beautiful and making it possible for us to visit there.    We had never been to this beach before and I liked it alot.  It was not horribley long where by the time you get to the water you have hiked across a mile of beach and are ready to drop!  Also the changeing rooms and restrooms were nice and clean.  We will go back there again this summer.   Now I am ready for bed!!!  Good night and God Bless you all! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/683142/ Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:47:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/683142/ I have been making my own laundry detergent for the past year or so.   I even scent the detergent with essential oils.  Lavendar for the bedding, rose for Bun's clothes, no scent for me and my dh.   I hated to give up fabric softener because I really dislike hard scratchy towels and stiff jeans.  So we lived with the stiffness until last week when I read about white vinegar being good for rinsing the soap out of your laundry and softening it.  I did a load of towels and gave it an extra rinse with the vinegar added.  What a difference!  Soft and no smell except freshness.  I have a load of jeans in now and will add ivinegar to the rinse cycle.   I'll let everyone know how it turns out! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/681284/ Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:21:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/681284/ We received the report from the psychologist yesterday that Bun has a specific learning disability in mathematics calculation.   In a way it is a relief that we know.  I was getting really frustrated with her looking at me as if I was from outer space when we go back over a concept that I thought she learned a few days ago.  Now we will learn how to deal with it and learn with it as I want her to surmount this and not use it as a crutch.   We hit two great museums lately.  The Academy of Natural Science in Philadelphia.  Buns favorite museum of all time.   The dinosaur fossils are amazing and they have a live butterfly exhibit that you walk into and the butterflies land on you occaisional and no I didn't remember my camera!!!   However we will be going back in a few weeks.    The other museum was the North Museum in Lansdale.  A small but really great place.  They have a planetarium although we didn't see the show as my sisterinlaw was argueing with her children and ended the trip before the show time. (I learned that Bun and I go to museums alone or take my other nephew with us--we leave this family out).  There is also a huge bird exhibit, a mineral and rock exhibit, and large cases with tons of beetles, bugs, crabs, etc it is great to study these things.   We are planning a trip to the DaVinci Science Center soon.  That is in Allentown, so it is a day trip for us. I was surprised to learn that most of these museums have summer day camps for the kids.  I would love to enroll her in the Academy of Natural Science daycamp.  If I can find an inexpensive place to stay for a week down near Philadelphia I want to enroll her.  I wish I coudl attend these camps they look fun!!     http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/676716/ Tue, 7 Apr 2009 05:05:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/676716/ Just when you think winter is over it rears it's now ugly head!  We are getting more snow now.  Yuck!   I'm more than ready for 80 degree weather with sunshine and swimming!   Fresh tomatoes from the garden and tall glasses of iced tea with beads of water running down the outside fo the glass.   We had a few lovely days the last week or two with the tempurature hitting 47 degrees and now we are back to the 20's.  Oh well, I keep telling myself it is almost over.   Bronwen is busy working on her dental health month poster and earlier she was working on her story to enter in the Reading Rainbow Young Writers Contest.  She is writing about 'her new horse', that is the title of her story.  She ahd started writing it before Christmas with no intention of entering it in any contest, but we found this one this morning and now she wants finish her story and enter it in the contest.  She also has to illustrate it so she is having alot of fun.   Since I am basically whiney about the weather I should sign off and do something constructive to get my mind off of it. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/659667/ Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:01:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/659667/ I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions as I never keep them.  They last for about 45 minutes.  The longest was about three days.   And it's not that I don't need improvement----I need LOTS.   However this year in an effort to grow closer to God and try to see and do His Will in everything in my life, I resoved to tithe and  make a concentrated effort to 'pray continually'.    By that I keeping my thoughts pure and 'holy' (how pompous does that sound?!).   WIth my depression, it is easy for me to think 'bad' thoughts about people easily.  Such as if someone cuts me off driving I would think 'drop dead' or  "I hope you get a speeding ticket".  VERY unChirstian.  Very, very unChristian.     So, when someone 'does' something to me as last week at the laboratory when I was waiting to have a blood test for my cholesterol, when it was my turn a woman pushed her way infront of me and went ahead of me.    I was disgruntled but tried to let go.   I admit I was thinking unkind things about her and then grudgingly asked God to Bless her.   As I was sitting there waiting I thought how familiar she looked.  Then later that afternoon I saw her again.  She is on the custodial staff at the High School and she walks infront of my bus everyday I am there to pick up the students in the afternoon.    So everyday during the week I see this woman for about a minute and a half as she walks from her car to the front door of the school, and everyday the stirring in my chest of resentment is less as I ask God to Bless her.  I hope to get to where I REALLY mean the Blessing I am asking for her with my whole heart.   Satan makes it hard to let go of resentment over the silliest, small things doesn't he?   It didn't change my life having to wait a few extra minutes but I was affronted that soemone would be so rude.   Where is my humility?   Anyway, two years ago I took out a loan for my brother and his wife of $7000.   WIth the understanding that they would pay if off in a few months as he was making $1000 a week at the time.  Needless to say they made only about 8 payments in two years and I ahven't had any money from them since May '08 wehn they gave me $150 which wasn't even a full monthly payment.   Then they would get mad at me if I asked for a monthly payment especially if Bun and I were going on a little trip that we take all the time.   So, alot of resentment has been burnign in my chest over this.  Since January whenever I would think about this I would consciencely let go of the resentment and ask God to Bless them.  Do you have any idea how HARD this was?  But I looked on it as a very valuable lesson that I learned.    A very expensive lesson.   However, a few nights ago my sisterinlaws dad phoned me asking me to stop by his home as he had a check for me for the balance of the loan.  He is in very bad health and is trying to  'tie things up' as he wants my brother and his daughter to be debt free and he is getting them out of debt prior to them getting any inheritance.  He told me he thinks they would just blow them money instead of paying debts off.   He feels at least this way they may have a chance, but he highly doubts it.  I hope that for thier sake they get on thier feet and stay there without running up debts over frivulous stuff.   So my sisterinlaws dad cleared up the loan, I will never lend/borrow money for my brother or sisterinalw again, and it is so easy to ask for Blessings for thier family again.   And actually mean it from my heart.  I also pray for my sil's dad.   He needs heart surgery and his chances of survival aren't good.   He is a very niceman and I think his only fault was spoiling his children to the point of their feeling they deserve everything handed to them.     Now I just have to work on forgiving and asking for Blessings for my other brother, Jack's widow.   This I need lots of prayers for.   I read a book that the Amish wrote on forgiveness after the Nickels Mines school tragedy.  The last line of the book was  "When you forgive someone you set a sinner free, and that sinner is you".    I wrote that out and it is over my computer and on my bathroom mirror.   So I see it everyday, somedays it is easy to forgive and others pride gets in the way. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/658968/ Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:28:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/advancedmaternalage/658968/