New Kid on the Block!

This is Ansen.  He's a friend of my sons Kody and Jesse, and he is going to be staying with us for the school year.  Ansen is kind of like an exchange student, only better, because we already know him, we already love him, and he speaks English!  Welcome to the family Ansen!

Jesse & Ansen

New Additions

Meet Dandy and Lion...or Daisy and Duke...or Samson and Delilah...we don't really have names for them yet, but we're open to suggestions.  What are they, you ask?  They're baby bearded dragons--a high-red Italian leather-back and a Sandfire x citrus, to be exact.  Why do we have them, you ask?  Because Sam loves them...and we love Sam.  Happy 12th birthday, Sam!

Little Mama

On August 21, Alice hatched three sweet little chicks.  Way to go, Alice!

Curriculum

One of the most common questions I get as a homeschooling mom (right after the look of shock and awe) is, "What curriculum do you use?"  The answer is, "A little bit of everything!"

For many years, we have not been able to afford much in the way of curriculum, so I have looked to borrow the bulk of our homeschooling resources and purchased only the "consumables".  At this point I must admit to being a "bare-bones homeschooler", concerning myself only with the three Rs: READING, 'RITING, and 'RITHMETIC, and for several years, I used A Beka for all three.  Then I got bored and switched to ACE (Accelerated Christian Education)...but we didn't last long (Sorry Annette!), so it was back to A Beka for reading and 'riting and forward to Math-U-See for 'rithmetic.  But then, two years ago, I was feeling a bit saucy, and I decided to try WAVA (Washington Virtual Academy) for language arts.  It was a fairly positive experience, but I didn't like being as dependent on the computer as I became, and I found myself gravitating back to A Beka.  Unfortunately, "familiarity breeds contempt", and I'm bored again, so now it's time for something new.  Enter Columbia Virtual Academy...

Columbia Virtual Academy (CVA) is similar to WAVA in that it is a public school program implemented in the alternative learning environment (ALE) of your home.  It differs from WAVA in that WAVA uses the K-12 curriculum, whereas CVA allocates funds with which to purchase the curricula of your choice.  For the homeschooler with limited funding like me, this is a GODSEND!  Are there some hoops to jump through?  A few.  Are there any restrictions on curriculum choice?  Some.  Is it worth all the hassle?  We shall see...but while I'm figuring it out, you are welcome to take a look at what we're planning to do this year.  And for those of you who are concerned about my poor children and their "bare-bones" education, I am pleased to announce that we will be adding history, science, and art this year...WOOHOO!  God is good!  We'll see if CVA is as well... 

2010/2011 CURRICULUM

READING:  Veritas Press assorted classics and comprehension guides, A Beka Phonics* (Asres only... I can't quite get A Beka out of my system!)

'RITING: Language Lessons (Queen Homeschool Supplies),  Apples Daily Spelling Drills

'RITHMETIC:  Singapore Math

SCIENCE:   Apologia Astronomy* and Botany*, Private Eye loupes for nature study

HISTORY:   Story of the World Vol. 1 Ancient Times

ART:  Artistic Pursuits K-3 Book 1: Intro to Visual Arts (We're new to art, and art is not my "thing", so we're starting at the beginning!)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE:  Powerspeak Spanish 1 (Olivia only)

PHYSICAL EDUCATION:  Seasonal physical education via community based instruction (CBI) including gymnastics, ice skating, ice hockey, football, soccer, baseball, and softball (CVA pays for community based instruction...YAY!)

FIELD TRIPS:  Seasonal musicals, plays, symphony, art and/or cultural exhibits, museum tours, and zoos, etc.  (CVA pays the entrance fees for pre-approved field trips...DOUBLE YAY!)

* Items marked with an asterisk must be purchased with personal funds.  CVA does not pay for faith-based materials.  (Remember those restrictions I mentioned?  This is one of them.)

Dylan, Hayley, and the "Terrible Turtle"

Dylan & Hayley

As I mentioned before, the day wasn't over yet.  Not long after the "Great Bathroom Rescue", I heard screams of horror coming from Sam's room, but before I can explain the screams, I must go back to the beginning of the day.  

Early this morning, (those of you who know me well understand that this could be anywhere from 9am to 11am) Duane (favorite uncle) arrived with a bucket of tadpoles that he had saved from a rapidly drying mud hole.  Three of my children were away at summer camp, another was at grandma's, and the remaining two were still sleeping, but my "extras" and I lovingly transferred the new family members from their big, yellow bucket to their "Sterlite" tote in the shade, and all was well with the world...until we heard the screams...

The Terrible Turtle

"Kelley, Kelley!  The turtle is eating the tadpoles!"   What?  "THE TURTLE IS EATING THE TADPOLES!"  Huh?!  The turtle is in the house, and the tadpoles are outside.  How is this possible?  I decided that I had better investigate, and much to my horror, I discovered that the turtle was indeed eating a tadpole!  At which point, I started screaming...  "Who put the tadpoles in with the turtle?!"  No response.  "SAM...?!"  "It wasn't me!" came his reply.  Then I noticed a funny look on my husband's face (you know, the dude who hasn't quite given up flexing).  He appeared to be trying to hide behind his laptop screen.  I turned my death glare on him and shrieked, "DID YOU PUT THE TADPOLES IN WITH THE TURTLE?"  He blanched.  "FIX IT!"  I screamed.

With the speed of a man who has recently had reconstructive knee surgery, my dear husband hoofed it into Sam's bedroom.  My extras, Hayley, the reptile lover (who, when I referred to the tadpoles as reptiles this morning, corrected me by saying that they were amphibians) and the youngest, Dylan, were extremely distraught and pleading with us to do something.  What they wanted was for us to stop the carnage.  What they got was my husband's best Darwin impression (survival of the fittest and all) and a helpless shrug, because the remaining tadpoles had taken cover under a rock and could not be reached by the rescue net.

The Tadpole With Legs

My husband retreated to his laptop.  I remained with the children and tried to explain food chains and survival of the fittest, etc., while Hayley sobbed about the "terrible turtle".  Then I saw him...the tadpole with legs.  How could he?!  I thought.  The tadpole with legs?!  What was my husband thinking?!  Incredulity gave way to resolve.  The tadpoles MUST be saved!  Out came the rescue net, and I am pleased to report that, after a brief "water rodeo", all of the tadpoles were saved...well...all except that one...

Our hero...?

Dakota aka the "Sexy Beast"

I have six children ranging in age from eight to eighteen.  In addition to my six children, I babysit four others ages three to nine.  Some might say that I'm clinically insane, but kids are fairly easy for me...feed them, stop their bleeding, read a story, feed them, wipe what needs wiping, break up an argument,  feed them, shell out some money, negotiate curfews, feed  them. Easy...*yawn*.  Today, however, has been a bit more exciting than most.  We'll start with the bathroom...

We have a bathroom.  Notice I wrote a bathroom.  This was no mistake.  I know that it may be difficult to believe that a family of eight, living in America, would have only one bathroom, but we do, and that bathroom does not have a proper lock.  (I heard that gasp!)  As untenable as the situation may seem, so far it has worked for us.  The fact that the male to female ratio in our family is 5:3 helps, because we also have a backyard and a park with a public restroom, if one must do more than the backyard will allow.  Enter the "extras", the kids that I babysit.  I honestly don't know how many bathrooms they have in their house, but their male to female ratio is 2:4, and I'm pretty sure that their bathroom has a proper lock.  

Jaelyn

Now let me introduce Jaelyn, the youngest female of the kids I babysit.  Jaelyn just turned six, and she's as feisty as they come!  Since the day she entered our home, she has always been a bit uncomfortable with the lock situation and will declare quite loudly that she is going to the bathroom and order us not to let anyone in.  Apparently today there was no one to hear her declaration, so she did what any privacy seeking six year old would do...she used the little red stool (Why, oh, why is the little red stool even in there anymore?!) to reach up and lock the door herself!  But I thought you said you didn't have a lock on your bathroom door...  No, I said that we didn't have a "proper lock" on our bathroom door.  What we do have is a flip lock designed for child proofing and burglars!

Enter Dakota (aka Kody).  Kody is our strapping eighteen-year-old son, affectionately referred to as the "Sexy Beast".  Why?  Well...because he is.  He spends as much time as possible shirtless and flexing, and girls dig him.  I'm sure he will outgrow the shirtlessness someday (my husband did), but probably not the flexing (my husband didn't).  When Kody heard the cries from the bathroom, he did what any eighteen year old would do in such an emergency...he busted in the door.  Our hero!  Fortunately for all of us, the door remained on its hinges and the only real casualty was the lock, which actually fared pretty well.  It's only a little bent.  (So much for "bathroom security"!)

After everyone had finished congratulating Kody for his heroics, he noticed that I was giving him the "stink eye".  He looked at me incredulously and said, "Well, Mom, what would you have done?"  To which I replied, "If she can lock it, she can unlock it.  I would have talked her through the process!"  Brawn vs. brain...go figure! Now, what to do with that little red stool...?

PS:  The day's not over yet...stay tuned for more "Adventures in Babysitting"!

Alice is on the nest...

Alice is on the nest.  Well, actually, Alice has been on the nest for weeks, but finally, rather than shooing her off, I decided to let her keep some eggs.  Alice, our tiniest hen, is an Ameraucana that occupies the lowest rung on the flock's social ladder.  Except for color, Alice is the antithesis of Big Mama, our huge Buff Orpington that went broody in January.  Alice is shy, timid, and frail.  Big Mama is bold, buxom, and brassy.  I had no doubt that Big Mama would be able to handle the rigors of brooding, bring her clutch to hatch, and guard her chicks with her life, but Alice...Alice is an entirely different bird.  When Big Mama went broody, I was afraid of her, not for her.  But Alice, poor, sweet Alice, is just a wisp of a thing.

Although Alice has been struggling to keep eggs for weeks, Saturday was different.  When I went out to collect eggs on Saturday, Alice had puffed up bigger than I thought possible (which still wasn't very big at all), and she had a fierce look in her eye.   The broom and I tried to reason with her, but finally, I took pity on her and decided to let her keep the three eggs she had gathered.  In fact, I rewarded her tenacity with four more.  Alice and her clutch of seven have since been moved to the "broody box" in the vestibule.  Will Alice be able to go the distance in this heat?  Only time will tell.  My prayer is that she doesn't end up paying the ultimate price in her bid for motherhood.