After months of searching, I finally decided on a new blog site.  Those wishing to continue to read up on what's going on, feel free to visit me at www.myhomeschoolplace.com/herc

I found this site increasingly difficult to use, and did some research, took a break from blogging in general, and decided that in order for me to get the most out of my blogging experience, I needed to move on.  I am thankful for homeschoolblogger.com for getting me started in the blogosphere, and will always remember my roots.  I hope to see some old friends and new ones at the new blog location, wish all of you luck with your HSing adventures, and bid thee farewell (LOL)

Cari

Yeah, I'm not too sure about all the changes happening around here either, friends!  I'm too old-fashioned, and it worked most of the time before - and it's not too user-friendly around here anymore unless you want a crash course in page design and html(-ing).

We're continuing our studies, well into 1st grade if you feel the need to keep track (she's a year ahead of her PS peers), and well into 2nd grade for math - because IMHO, she's a genius.

Unit study-wise, we're still learning about our bunny, Luna.  She's going thru those terrible teen years (well, relative to bunny age, at any rate, LOL) and needs corrections and gentle leadership if she's not going to become a nipper.  We've got the water bottle out, and use 2 fingers to the neck to prevent those adorably sharp teeth from sinking into our flesh when she gets in the mood to play rough! (just a tap, it doesn't take much to deter a bunny!)  She's a playful one - loves to veg out, and is a bit of a diva, with wanting all the attention when she's out.  She's likely to nudge you when she is in the mood, and she'll hop on you if you're not looking at her all the time! We even got a cute video of her 'attacking' a beanie baby-style giraffe, it's just hilarious.

We're also learning about stages of pregnancy, week by week kind of thing.  She's looking forward to being a big sister, and we're taking on bits of baby care before the baby gets here.  How to swaddle, change a diaper, what kinds of toys can a baby play with, that sort of thing.

She also knows the PG version of what happened to Tara Grant.  We're near where all this happened, and it's gained national attention, so I thought it best to give her the watered-down, age appropriate version, told with love for her, so nothing was too difficult on her - no details. (the husband was mad at his wife, so he killed her and tried to hide it.  The bad man had kids around your age, and now those kids don't have a mommy or a daddy, because when someone does something that horrible, they have to go to jail.) and she said to me, "That's not right, because even if he was mad at her, he should have just taken a break and gone to his room!" (brief pause) "That daddy should have loved his kids more, because now they have to live in a new home, without all their toys and clothes and stuff!"  I told her the kids would do fine with relatives, and told her they most likely have all the important toys with them by now.  She was relieved to hear that part, LOL.  She was also told what would happen to her if we were to die, and with whom she would most likely live - toys included!  It was a good way to open that door for that type of discussion, for our family, anyhow. 

I couldn't believe that sort of evil existed around here.  I mean, I knew it was a possibility, but it's just always so hard to realize it's REAL, and it was in our stomping grounds, you know?  Just eerie...

We've had quite a time lately!  We've had car troubles, then borrowed car troubles, then we were hemmoraging money into a rental before FINALLY purchasing a newer minivan!  I tell you, the stress has been unbearable.  I'm 19 weeks along (ALMOST at the halfway point). 

I've decided to keep most of the pregnancy stuff to myself in a private, old-fashioned journal.  See, there are just some things that really don't belong on the internet, IMHO, and it'd be silly to assume everyone in cyberspace cares. Those who know me, and want real pregnancy updates and all that, already use my email or phone.  I feel it's just TMI if I go on and on about my cravings and aversions to (no offense) total strangers.  So this blog will not contain any more pregnancy stuff, but will at least ATTEMPT to be a record of what we're covering in our HSing adventure.

We're reading more than anything.  We just recently obtained a baby bunny, who is the exact same colors of the moon (average moon, not pink or blue, ) so we named her Luna.  And, for those Harry Potter fans out there, we all know Luna's nickname is Looney.  Looney Tunes has Bugs BUNNY, bunnies tend to BE looney, so the name works on SO many levels.  She's a great bunny so far, and we're BOTH learning a lot about how different bunnies are from our other creatures.

Our black and white dog, Bella, (the previous sicko, if you remember) gets SO fixated on the bunny, it's SCARY.  She's in need of some serious dicipline regarding that bunny - it's NOT FOOD!  K dog is fine with the bunny, she remembers the buns we've had in the past, and knows how to respect the pets in the family.

Things we didn't know about bunnies last time: 

- the cage should be the 'safe haven' and no one should reach in and grab the bunny.

 - bunny love IS the nibbles on the clothes and hair

 - litter training will take a LOT longer with a baby (the last buns were adopted as adults!!! I've never had a baby bunny!) and I need to be VERY PATIENT (good practice for a Buddhist anyhow, LOL)

- bunnies don't like to cuddle all the time, and won't LIKE to be touched, pet, kissed, etc. all the time.  The best way to be with a bun is to just hang out together doing nothing (why is it everyone speaks of a DOG as the 'ultimate buddhist' when it's really the BUNNY, ha ha ha!)

- bunnies actually recognize play, and will shake their head, kick up their heels, and invite you to play some more!  The more laughing at the bunny, the more it 'performs' for you!

The rest of care and husbandry of bunnies, we already knew.  We're learning that it IS possible to train a bunny, but takes patience and bunny needs to be at least 6 mos old before it'll really take to the training.  Besides, the way to train a bunny is strictly positive reinforcement, with food rewards.  No amount of bunny psychology, dicipline techniques, or ESPECIALLY NOT PUNISHMENT will get a bunny to do what you want.  So we need to get to know Luna as a bunny, discover her favorite treats, and still need to assess what kind of bunny she'll be - cuddler? aloof? playful? before we can teach her things.

MCREST starts today.  K dog and I are going to keep the guys company and break the ice.  MCREST is a program to help homeless men in our county by putting them in a month long program, to help them find jobs and transportation, feed them and give them a "home."  Different churches take the guests on for a week at a time.  The men have to pass drug tests and a nightly breathalizer test in order to stay in the program.  My job (as I'm pregnant, and can't help with heavy lifting, and still have some major food aversions so I can't help cook or serve w/o gagging!) is to visit with the guys and help them feel at home and just talk with them.

Hopefully, K dog is mostly over her irrational fears of men, and will work in a therapy dog capacity in order to heal the men in ways medicine cannot.  Last year, I took Bella, and she got fearful after a loud noise.  She left a present in the dining area, and I banned her from coming back.  I worked with K dog for a year getting her used to different people and situations, and a few weeks ago, I took her to the church to reassess her degree of fear with strange men.  She accepted all of the men I introduced her to, with no barking.  Once she goes more than once, she'll remember the guys and look forward to all that attention, instead of being fearful.  My goal is mainly to help the men feel at home.  My secondary goal is to help K dog heal as well.  There's a chance I'll have to leave her at home, but I'm going to use all my experience as a trainer/behaviorist and create the picture in my head of the perfect MCREST visit.

Daughter will not assist in MCREST until she's 16, regardless of the restrictions placed on the guests, there are just too many opportunities should any of them be a child predator, and I'm not going to compromise her saftey.  IF she participates next year it's in a setup capacity, either with cleaning or cooking for the guests before they arrive.

Daughter passed a milestone (she's 5 1/2)!  She actually READ TO ME this time.  She sounded out the words, and needed help with only 2 of them (those funny phonics combos that don't make sense, lol).  It was a Biscuit book we haven't read before, so I really KNEW she wasn't doing anything from memory!!! WOO HOO!!!