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Everything I learned about homeschooling boys, I learned from the book
"Farmer boy". Well, okay, not really...but I'm thinking that would be a good post title/subject.

I read the book for the first time last year, I know shocker...somehow as a ten year old girl-the book just did not capture me, and I skipped it. sshh, don't tell Laura.

Anyhow, (bear with me, I'm typing the way my mind works/uh wanders...Sky is actually used to this, but I sometimes wow him) I picked up on some thoughts while reading Farmer Boy, at the time we were struggling with how to help our bonus student, Teddy.
The two central ideas of work-and plenty of it, and self-control jumped out at me like bright red flags during my reading.

I remarked to Sky that we needed a big farm, post haste to properly grow us some men.

We don't have a farm, and obtaining more land here in Orange County is kind of out of our reach..just a little! Here is our attempt at work-plenty of it: behold the garden. Each of the kids has a little plot. Here is Josie on her plot, planting some strawberries.
Here is Josie's blueberry plant, and look! -blueberries on it! This is actually a big, big deal-because many of the berries you think of when thinking 'farm', need cold spells and do not grow well here in So. California. We have a few varieties around our house that are supposed to do well here, but so far production has been disappointing. I am still waiting for my apple tree and currant bush to produce...
You might have noticed the deer fencing in the photos. No, we don't have a deer problem, we have a hen problem. Our fencing of the garden has evolved each year. We finally graduated this year to a six foot deer fence. If this doesn't keep the hens out, I don't know what will...

Notice the girls already looking for a way in...

Books on gardening with kids we enjoy here at Home;

*Learn and Play in the Garden by Meg Herd

*Roots shoots Buckets & Boots by Sharon Lovejoy

*Dk- The Gardening Book by Jane Bull

*Linnea's Almanac

Labels: garden, homeschool

Tammy wrote about the recent Supreme court case regarding strip-searches at public school. Yes, you read that right, and no, this one case is not the first time it has ever happened.
**I homeschool because I believe my children have human rights ---yes, what she said.

Labels: homeschool

The Home crew went on a little field trip, we joined the National Tea Party. We were able to bike to downtown, which worked- out wonderfully.
*Notice Amie's civic-fortitude on the far left of this photo...

I love this flag! Texas just embodies what American freedom and independence are all about.

I am pretty proud of the composition of this photo, it just works.
Totally an accidental shot, but I am still proud of it...


The crowd was very well-behaved, the signs were fun, lots of people dressed-up. I captured a lot of fun pics for my fb page. Meg was captivated by the bevy of mounted police folk...she went over and chatted with them. (they looked very bored, with such a tame crowd)
-I guess I can count that as career planning. She discovered one of the horses is stabled at the stable she works at, the policewoman thought she recognized Meg.

A sign of our times, perhaps, or most likely a sign of how little I think of televised media...when I got home I checked FB and googled to see what was going on with the Tea Parties nationally, but it did not even occur to me to turn on the t.v. news. Maybe not having a t.v. for 6 years contributed to that, too. I just thought that was really funny, when in the evening, Sky finally switched on the cable networks.

I enjoyed hearing about the tea bags thrown over the fence at the White House, hee-hee. The new national security's report calling we peaceful protestors possible right-wing terrorists was very insulting and maddening. A reminder to not think too hard about politics, eh?

We are currently reading Johnny Tremain, in anticipation of our up-coming trip to Boston with the kids! We haven't gotten to the Boston Tea Party yet, but I am really excited about all the connections that will surely follow.

Well, that is my excitement for the year...

How was your tax-day?

Labels: field-trips, homeschool

It's spring break here at Home!

So, what does that look like? A bit of exciting mixed with just hanging out...

Here is part of the crew on Monday, having lunch at Rubios. Hey, when
you have to buy for 5 kids...eating out is exciting!
(long gone are the days when 2 kids would share a small burger...now they all desire their very own kid's meal...sigh.)


We went bowling at the super-swank, uber-expensive bowling alley near us. I weighed the cost vs. going farther to an unknown alley, and the weird smells/icky shoes...and caved and went to the cool alley.

Surprise bonus, they are running a special this week, lunch and bowling, for much less than usual. Very cool. We already had lunch. Not cool. They gave us dessert instead, very cool!

My new i phone takes great photos, unfortunately they are small... live and learn!

Happy Spring, Everyone!!


Bonus links for today:

*Susan Boyle- I loove an under-dog! Click over to watch a roomful of patronizing young things drop their jaws, it's a sweet moment.


*When jumping-jacks fail...what happens when your kids are deprived of group P.E. classes... (click over, you will have a good laugh!)

First,

THIS is a feast for my eyes! The only way he could have made this entrance any better would have been to balance a bag of Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips, a homeschool curriculum catalog of some kind, and a Pride & Prejudice dvd right on top of the diet coke there....

Let's see, we've got my leading man, Sky...check! Faded construction-guy jeans..check! Construction-guy work-boots...check! A case of diet coke, drink of the gods...check!

it was a really, really good day.



The puppy litter we are waiting on was born April 1st. Did I already tell you that? We were the 3rd family asking for a female puppy, and there was 3 females and 5 males. We are waiting to find out if we will be getting a black or creme puppy. I am trying hard to not develop a preference! They are supposed to be able to come home around June 25th. We are all very, very excited...and yet, I feel very close to how I feel when I am very pregnant- this panicky feeling of 'oh no, what have I done? I can't dooo this! I can't un-do this!' ...um, now's the point when you all tell me you've had that feeling before too, and that I'm uh, normal...!

a-hem, where was I? oh, yes, puppies! I am really glad that the Obama family chose a portuguese water dog, I didn't even realize that Labradoodle was in the running until I read it on a news article. If they had gotten a Labradoodle, it would have made them very 'in' dogs- and then hard to get, and very expensive. Whew! Soo, First Family, A water dog...good choice!! Applaud!

My box day came, and went. I was at Irish dance class and missed the fed ex truck, which was just as well, the delivery guy was spared thinking a crazy mom lived here... So, my beautiful mountain of books sits on our little table...and they are still there, because Sky and I got terrible colds and have been incapacitated all weekend. So, I will be putting them away, uh, tomorrow.
Meg and Josie have begged several times to be allowed to start in on a few of the books- lovely, lovely Sonlight moment to have! I said 'no books for you!!" in my best soup-nazi voice. They read so fast that I don't want them to zip though the core and then not be interested when the assignment comes up...

a small political rant here, (indulge me, since I rarely get political on the blawg here...) I cannot think of very many things that make a mild-mannered homeschool mom spitting, fighting mad, then to be at a drug-store, late at night, and to have to hand over your driver's license..have them enter in your information, as well as swipe the strip on the back...and then have you sign for it...all because you have sick people in your house and need to buy some Sudafed!! I can't believe our state legislature wasted their time crafting such a foolish bill. Oh wait, they also made it impossible for me to buy an asthma nebulizing machine..except thru one authorized dealer who now charges 4 times what it retails for in other states...so, yes, I guess I can believe they did this. Oh my stinking blue jays!!! I gotta stop now!....

oh yes, I will be at the Tea Party April 15th!!!! I'll be the mad, red-haired homeschool mom on a bike with 4 kids....wearing lipstick.... throwing cold medicine....
*here's a link to the facebook page for the OC Tea Party

okay, rant over...please excuse me, whew!

We are on Spring Break this week!! How about you?

have a good week, blawg friends!

Labels: Jen's world

And then, this- is enough to make my heart skip a beat every single time I see them do this. It's a pretty steep drop, the photo almost does it justice. I'm sure there is a skater-term for this here skill, I just don't know what it is...
And then, I had to share a pic of Elsie...the girls regularly take over parts of Sky's garage. Nevermind that Sky built them very similar nesting boxes in the chicken coop, for actual nesting. They ignore those and lay eggs in various secret locations. Everyday is an egg hunt here, which is kind of fun.

We are enjoying bee-yuu-tee-full weather here in So. Ca- the kids are playing in roving packs outside...it's actually a roving homeschool pack, a novelty. This year the family across the street pulled their kids from school and began homeschooling- we now have 3 families homeschooling on our little street. I never dreamed we would have neighbors who homeschool- well, I hoped, but didn't really think it was so likely. I am loving it!

The puppies are hee-ah! (I keep channeling my inner Cruella Deville when I think/say that!) The litter we are waiting on was born April 1st. There were 8 puppies, 3 are girls- and we are the 3rd family on the list for a girl. 2 puppies are black, and 1 is creme colored...one family requested a black puppy, so we don't know which we will be getting. It's very exciting. I don't know which I'd prefer, and I'm afraid to have a preference..so we will just have to see what we get. I am busy reading books on puppy training, and enjoying leaving things on the floor while I can.

And, Pioneer Woman's cookbook is available for pre-order over at Amazon!!
PW, you rock.

Now, most important- I am sitting here waiting for the Fedex truck to bring me my Sonlight order. Today is box day!! I looove getting packages in the mail. I love the anticipation of hearing the UPS or Fedex truck roll to a stop in front of my house...and the hold your breath moment of "is it something for me?". I love, love, love it. It's the major reason I order anything online. I need an intervention, maybe?

So, back to my story- today is boxday, and I know that my order is coming today, thanks to the miracle of modern tracking technology...soooo, I am afraid to leave my house lest I miss the truck rolling to a stop in front of my house. Sky just offered to go to the store for me, to pick up chicken for dinner, because he knows it will kill me if I get back and the truck has come and gone.
I know, I need an intervention.

Just another day at Club Jen.

Labels: Jen's world, starting with Sonlight

Hun, I just spent $500 on books!

April's fools!

Hun, jk (just kidding)...not April's fool but that was sure fun

Mild-mannered homeschool moms have to get their kicks somehow...!

So, what do I do for fun after the adrenaline rush from clicking the 'buy now' button- wears off?

Labels: curriculum, homeschool, starting with Sonlight

Labels: nature