Well, we survived camping this weekend!! The kids did great and all in all it was a very relaxing weekend. We did learn to bring lots of supplies for the WHAT IFS that might happen....like having extra blankets for those FRIGID nights, or extra diapers AND diaper rash cream for when little Allie's body start to do weird things! And heck, while you're doing that extra packing...through in some sleeping pills! I tell you what, I LOVE my bed. I just cannot sleep in a camper. The first night was really cold and Evan woke crying because he was freezomg. Then the next night, it took forever to get Allie to settle down and snooze, then it stormed...complete with thunder, lightning, and a monsoon. After the storm the humidity spiked. The good news is that I've slept awesomely the past three nights! LOL
This week I've started doing some schooling with Evan and it's going well!
I'm also starting an experiment with my chickens to get them to lay more eggs....I'm wondering if they are getting enough direct sunlight since their pen is in the shade. So, today I let them free range and I'll see if a couple days of running free will increase egg production. I have 7 hens who SHOULD be laying 1 egg per day...and I've been getting 1 lousy egg each day from faithful Fancy. I may get 2 eggs on a good day. And since the reason I got the darn chickens in the first place was for eggs, they'd better start laying or they'll be going to the swap meet next weekend! So...we'll see if threatening them helps their motivation a bit! LOL I'll keep you posted because I know you're dying to know! Heck, if I get enough, I may even invite you over for scrambled eggs sometime....or egg burgers, or egg kabobs, egg gumbo.......
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
My New Idea...
Well, somehow I came across a blog for a family and thought that this would be a great way to keep in touch with everyone. I've tried Myspace and I just didn't have the time for it. So hopefully this will be a bit less time-consuming!
Let me update you on what's going on in our family...the kiddos are growing taller and smarter with every passing day! It's crazy, but also amazing to see the changes in them from week to week! It's like we've blinked and our little "babies" are growing into kids. I can barely remember when Evan was little...now he's 7! And Kailyn is now talking in complete sentences that sometimes blow me away because they sound so grown up! And Allie is starting to talk more too! She's always been our chattering baby, but now she'll say momma, dadda, bubbub, and sis sis....and my favorite of her words is Lello while holding the phone to her ear! For those of you who don't know, she took a spill this summer and broke her arm. She was in a hot pink cast for 4 weeks and she did awesome with it! You'd never even know she had it on. Now it's off and I don't have to watch her every move in case she might plunge her arm into water (namely toilet water)!
Our biggest news is that we have decided to homeschool Evan this year! This past year was the big eye-opener for us...he started bringing hom some words from school and asking what they meant...words that no 1st grader should even be hearing. So with much prayer, we've decided to enroll him in the Ohio Virtual Academy. It's a public charter school. Mainly it's a school without a school building if that makes any sense! He will be schooled here at home with me as his learning coach, but he will have a certified teacher that we will check in with on a weekly basis or whenever we need her. I can't tell you how excited I am for school to start! The OHVA really stresses making learning a LIFESTYLE for children....not just something they do from 9-3. And when you start to adapt to that concept, there's potential for learning all around us! Just today I read a post about how a homeschooling mom is planning to incorporate the Olympics into her children's lessons in EVERY subject! What a great idea! I have a feeling that schooling Evan from home will really make us think outside of the box. The possibilities are endless! Evan is excited when we talk about it because I told him that some days we could take his schoolwork to the park, or to the couch, or even to grandma's house! Of course we've encountered some opposition to our decision, which has been one of the hardest obstacles to deal with to date. It's hard to convince someone that this is the best choice for your child, however I'm praying that those people will see for themselves through the changes in Evan. I know homeschooling goes against the "norm" and people have fears...and I have them too. Yet, God has given me a tremendous peace about this and I really believe that I'm doing the right thing. I know there will be days when I will second guess my decision, but all in all I think it is going to be an amazing thing to see my children learn and grow at home.
What else has happened this summer? Our addition in up and waiting to be finished! The next step is the wiring and insulation, then drywall, paint, and carpet and our new living room will be complete! We've gone to Cedar Point and gotten rained out after riding only 2 coasters (but stopping at Friendly's on the way home made up for it). We've cooked over the firepit and we've camped in our front yard! We went to COSI and had a blast. We've gone to a petting zoo in Berlin. We've watched baby chicks hatch out of their eggs in our own incubator. We hosted a Summer Fun Day here at our house with 14 children!! Evan has gone mud-running with his dad at the strip mines and taken a quad ride along the Rails to Trails. It has been a busy summer and we've had a blast! Tonight we are taking the camper over to Long Lake to camp with friends for the weekend and I can't wait to make more memories! I'll let you know how it went!!
Let me update you on what's going on in our family...the kiddos are growing taller and smarter with every passing day! It's crazy, but also amazing to see the changes in them from week to week! It's like we've blinked and our little "babies" are growing into kids. I can barely remember when Evan was little...now he's 7! And Kailyn is now talking in complete sentences that sometimes blow me away because they sound so grown up! And Allie is starting to talk more too! She's always been our chattering baby, but now she'll say momma, dadda, bubbub, and sis sis....and my favorite of her words is Lello while holding the phone to her ear! For those of you who don't know, she took a spill this summer and broke her arm. She was in a hot pink cast for 4 weeks and she did awesome with it! You'd never even know she had it on. Now it's off and I don't have to watch her every move in case she might plunge her arm into water (namely toilet water)!
Our biggest news is that we have decided to homeschool Evan this year! This past year was the big eye-opener for us...he started bringing hom some words from school and asking what they meant...words that no 1st grader should even be hearing. So with much prayer, we've decided to enroll him in the Ohio Virtual Academy. It's a public charter school. Mainly it's a school without a school building if that makes any sense! He will be schooled here at home with me as his learning coach, but he will have a certified teacher that we will check in with on a weekly basis or whenever we need her. I can't tell you how excited I am for school to start! The OHVA really stresses making learning a LIFESTYLE for children....not just something they do from 9-3. And when you start to adapt to that concept, there's potential for learning all around us! Just today I read a post about how a homeschooling mom is planning to incorporate the Olympics into her children's lessons in EVERY subject! What a great idea! I have a feeling that schooling Evan from home will really make us think outside of the box. The possibilities are endless! Evan is excited when we talk about it because I told him that some days we could take his schoolwork to the park, or to the couch, or even to grandma's house! Of course we've encountered some opposition to our decision, which has been one of the hardest obstacles to deal with to date. It's hard to convince someone that this is the best choice for your child, however I'm praying that those people will see for themselves through the changes in Evan. I know homeschooling goes against the "norm" and people have fears...and I have them too. Yet, God has given me a tremendous peace about this and I really believe that I'm doing the right thing. I know there will be days when I will second guess my decision, but all in all I think it is going to be an amazing thing to see my children learn and grow at home.
What else has happened this summer? Our addition in up and waiting to be finished! The next step is the wiring and insulation, then drywall, paint, and carpet and our new living room will be complete! We've gone to Cedar Point and gotten rained out after riding only 2 coasters (but stopping at Friendly's on the way home made up for it). We've cooked over the firepit and we've camped in our front yard! We went to COSI and had a blast. We've gone to a petting zoo in Berlin. We've watched baby chicks hatch out of their eggs in our own incubator. We hosted a Summer Fun Day here at our house with 14 children!! Evan has gone mud-running with his dad at the strip mines and taken a quad ride along the Rails to Trails. It has been a busy summer and we've had a blast! Tonight we are taking the camper over to Long Lake to camp with friends for the weekend and I can't wait to make more memories! I'll let you know how it went!!
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