Homeschooling mom of two daughters, Ashley (15) and Adrienne (11), wife of dear hubby, Jim. I live in Maine in our home we bought six years ago and it has been our project since. We also adopted some fur babies, 3 cats and a boxer. We are new to homeschooling, yet we have been unschooling, in a sense all of our lives. My girls are avid readers and love to learn new things all the time and so do my hubby and I. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:57:00 -0500 Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:57:00 -0500 Well Ashley got her first job! She is working at the ice-cream parlor in the center of town and she loves it! We, of course, took a pic of her first paycheck..lol! She has set some goals for herself and so far is doing a great job holding to them. She has saved the most of her wages and has called about beginning Drivers Ed in August.  Ohhhhh it seems tooo early for her to be driving... kids grown so quickly! It seems impossible for her to be grown enough to drive! Savor every moment while they are growing and learning... I sure am glad I have done just that! Though doing it, it still seems, that life does fly past us so quickly! She is sooo proud of her first official earnings! She has worked sooo long volunteering and enjoyed it very much but she really loved working and getting paid for her efforts! What a girl! I am soo proud of her! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/364746/ Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:57:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/364746/ I guess times does fly when you are having fun!! I have been busy with the kids, the garden and the chickens! The kids have been putting time in volunteering still! Ash just got approached by the Historical Society now--where will she fit it all in?! She does!! We had the Rose girls over for a "Camp Nite" last weekend! That was soo fun! We had a nice campfire and roasted marshmallows and the works--we did have to fight off the rain for a bit and it was successful! Yaayy! Can't forget the 'lil one dozing in the chair! The chicks have been fun too! They are five weeks old now! I can't believe they are that old now and soo big too! They went from: To this:   I am having soo much fun and so are my kids!! Life is soo great!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/342873/ Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:51:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/342873/ We found some wood frog eggs in the vernal pools down by our house. We are going to watch them develop and release them back into the vernal pool we captured them from. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/321055/ Sun, 29 Apr 2007 07:05:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/321055/ Welll we attended the annual Big Night this past week! We usually go out on our own road every year but this time decided to go with the group from LEA! It was so much fun to be with others and see what everyone found! The peepers were so loud. BTW, Big Night is a night in the spring when it warms and all the amphibians begin to migrate in great mass to lay eggs in vernal pools. For more info on vernal pools, you can read more here: http://www.vernalpool.org/ We moved many peepers and only one salamander, a red eft. It was so much fun! Adrienne is housing a salamander at this time. It is a female red back. She is on the hunt for a male, so that she can compare the differences in the two.   At the LEA building, waiting for all to show up! Everyone on site at the road end with Police blocking roadway for us! Peeper Saved! Adrienne transporting a peeper to safety! Ashley releasing a peeper on the egde of the roadway safely! A Red Eft saved from the roadway! What a beauty!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/321053/ Sun, 29 Apr 2007 06:49:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/321053/ Here are pics from the Tea Party and Sleepover that we enjoyed with the Rose girls. We had a blast! Ashley stated that next time we defintely know to make sure we are rested when we know they may comefor a visit!! She was worn out when they left. She idd say it was a good tired though!! :-) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/319543/ Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:36:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/319543/ Ashley was slammed with a Horrid experience this past week.  She  attended her first funeral and wake.  She lost a dear friend of hers and father to the two sweet little girls she babysits regularly, who are 3 and 6 yrs old, and wife to a very sweet woman who I have known for quite some time.  It was a tragic car accident that took his life instantly and VERY unexpectedly. Ashley was very shook up as she was babysitting for the couple the very day it happened. He was expected home that evening and she was just discussing his arrival with the children and their mother  that afternoon. Ashley took it very hard, yet very well. I was more nervous about the whole event in concern for her reaction to it all. She showed much maturity through the services and was very sensitive to the family during this time. She went to the florist and bought flowers herself and decided on a live one that the girls could plant outside and watch bloom.  She was told later by the oldest girl late last week after all the services were over, that that was just what she wished for to have a flower she could plant and Ashley felt so warmed. She hugged her and told her she was glad that she wanted that too.  It was very tough to go through and heart wrenching to see. Ashley asked lots of questions following everything about life and death and life again. We talked for a long time over it all.  She is healing well from it and so is the family doing well, considering the situation. Ashley will be having the little girls over tomorrow for a tea party and to bake cookies! We are all excited to spend time with them for a few hours. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/312666/ Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:20:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/312666/ Well the girls have decided that they want chickens! Sooooo, I took them down to the local farm supply and we talked to a gal about what it takes to raise chickens and what we need to supply. we also asked what kinds are best for what we want to do with them. we brought home an order list and got online and researched all the different types of chickens they offered for laying hens, which is what the girls decided they wanted to do with the chickens.  So laying hens it is!! We will have fresh eggs...yumm! The girls have had some experience with collecting the eggs at their friend's house, so they feel ahead of me on that note. I told them they will be guiding me some in this adventure and they agreed tohelp me out! So, anyhow, Jim was opposed to the idea at first, feeling they were jumping in head first. I explained to him that sometimes that is what needs to happen for them to learn what to do differently another time, with different situations. Actually, I think they did their research as to what needs to take place and how they will do it. So Jim was convinced quickly to get the supplies needed for the chicken coop and up it went (well most of it, till we got slammed with more than a foot of snow). The girls agreed to help with it and they got together the brooding box and a list of what needs to be purchased before the chicks come, so that they are ready. We are getting only 6 to start and if it goes well, they will put in an order for 6 more in June. If this works out, the next subject for pets that came up was GOATS--Yikes! What are we getting into here?!!! Not sure what we are facing, but whatever it is--it's sure fun right now!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/312650/ Thu, 5 Apr 2007 07:11:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/312650/ Adrienne was showing quite an interest last spring in the African Grasslands and I got her a book about it and she borrowed some of the animals that inhabit it from her grammie. She took some large drawing paper and made a map/ playpad for her animals last week, since she is once again picking them up and playing with them some more. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/302173/ Tue, 20 Mar 2007 09:41:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/302173/ Ashley loves being a member of the hospital guild. She is now working Tuesdays and Thursdays and recently added Fridays. She fills in some on Mondays when needed as well. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/302168/ Tue, 20 Mar 2007 09:29:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/302168/ We have been using the DDR as we are approaching spring and getting the FEVER!! ...lol We use it often anyhow but lately Adrienne and I have put our profiles to workout mode and watching the calories being burned away. How fun to exercise when it doesn't seem like work!! hehe http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/302166/ Tue, 20 Mar 2007 09:21:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ashade/302166/