Veggie Conundrum

OK I haven't said much about the plants lately, but they continue to take over!

We are currently at two large buffet tables..

and had to move the herbs, tomato bucket and onions to the floor under the table!

Oh yeah and we have strawberries growing in a basket from the ceiling!

Every time I think we are in the clear with the weather we get another cold blast,

this can't go on much longer!

Anyway this morning we awoke to a conundrum, KM came rushing in my room to report that the cauliflowers were dying!

Don't know why but for some reason it appears as though she may be right. About half of the cauliflower plants are wilting away. They are still pretty small for the most part compared to some of the other sprouts we have going, but they have all been getting the same treatment, water, as much sunlight as possible, rotation, and praise ~KM likes to chat them up quite often, she says it keeps there spirits high. Don't know what we are doing wrong. I have been told that cauliflower and brocolli can be difficult to get started, so maybe they are just testing us and we should be glad that there are any left still surviving!

A Wonderful Week In Review!

We had a very busy week and I apologize for not posting much, but her is a recap:

Monday

Math in the morning right after breakfast, then we headed out for the last "Monday Funday" class until the fall! KM really enjoyed the music class she took. She diligently practiced her recorder and has gotten pretty good at it! I feel so lucky to have found this wonderful group of families to be involved with!

In the afternoon we trekked to the indoor gym to spend the afternoon with DD and SR since she had a half-day from school! We were SOOOOO exhausted (DD and I that is), but we had some really good laughs and the kids had fun.

Then we headed home to pack the car and get ready for 2 field trips on Tuesday!

Tuesday

We spent the day on 2 field trips that were organized by the FRC!

In the morning we went to the Orchard House where we were taken back in time to meet Louisa May Alcott's family! KM really enjoyed the layout of this tour. They split the kids up into three groups and then they went through stations. For the first station we went into the study and played a very interesting board game. At the second station the kids got to collaborate on a story. The third station was KM's favorite. The kids each got a bag with an object in it. They were not allowed to look into the bag but had to feel the object and try to draw what they thought it was. The kids all did a really good job! (there are no pics as we were not allowed to use cameras in the orchard house) ~ I also learned something that made me love Louisa May Alcott even more - she was a pioneer in American fantasy fiction. Of course I had to get the collection of her fairy tales and fantasy stories! Can't wait to read it with KM & SC!!!

In the afternoon we went to Walden Pond where we had a picnic and went on a guided tour to learn about Henry David Thoreau. The guide there was incredible! He did a great job engaging the children and keeping their attentions. He was also very patient with there questions and was honest when he didn't know the answer to one question.

KM with her friend and the life sized statue of Thoreau! She was amazed that such a "studious" man was so short~
As we walked along the path the erosion was at eye level and was making such intriguing shots!

The day was perfectly clear and just the right breeze ~ the only down side were the SWARMS of midges!

On the ride home KM began complaining about her feet hurting, so I decided to stop at Olympia Sports. We are going to be doing weekly hikes and I couldn't remember when she had gotten a new pair last so I figured we should have her measured. Well come to find out the sneakers she was wearing were a size and a half too small!!! How was I suppose to know! The girl at the store said that so many kids come in and are in a totally different size then their parents thought they were. Anyway of course she is in the funny size ~ 4 in girls, but 6 in womans ~ and they don't have ANYTHING in this size! Luckily Kohl's was right next door, so we go in there and take a look around. It took us nearly an hour to find a pair that she liked that they had in her size. Isn't that always the way. The size you need is the same as everyone else that week!

Wednesday

We had a busy day of recouping from field trip prep! Lots of chores to be done ~ baking, dishes, laundry, vacuuming, pretty much everything - but it was so nice out!

KM did her math, it was funny because she was thinking that since she didn't do work on Tuesday she was going to have double to do - she didn't realize I planned around it!

We got an unexpected visit from MC and SC, what a great distraction they are sometimes! SC is always so confused when her mom brings her over as her dad is the one who drops her off in the mornings. She watches MC constantly to see what is going on and where she is. So we ended up out in the sun with all the animals! Dogs chasing kids and cats chasing snakes! Yes, one of the cats caught a snake! Luckily I got him to drop it before it did any damage, KM was NOT happy with Oreo!

After SC and MC left we decided to bring the laptop outside to study the results of the French and Indian War! I love wireless!

Thursday

It was SOOOOOO gorgeous out! We did math first thing to get it over with and get outside!

After lunch it was so warm out we decided to take our books outside and started reading Johnny Tremain while SC took a nap in the sun!

Off to Chorus and Yoga in the afternoon!

Friday

We started the day off with a slight problem KM wanted pancakes, SC wanted her bottle ~ so we compromised! KM gave her the bottle while I made the pancakes.

Science Unit Studies seem to be the way to go lately...she is not liking the "boring" time4learning science lessons. She likes everything else on that site, but for some reason doesn't like the science ones. I broke down and got the Efantasmic package and we are really liking it. It is unique I think because it covers so much and can be converted for the different age levels.

Lunch early and off to volunteer at the library! She really enjoys working with the librarian and helping the younger kids doing the crafts. SC loves the music in between the stories!

Quick trip to the health food store to grab some ear candles, we will be trying them this weekend and it will be interesting to see how they work!

Then we headed home to take a geometry test! She was very nervous, but she got a B+!

Well that was our wonderful week in review!

Did you do anything interesting this week?

I hope you at least got to enjoy the weather a bit!

I do, I do, I do believe in fairies!!!!

This afternoon was filled with Fairies!

We read a story about Fairy Lantern and then built some:

Created KM her own little Fairy Haven :

And made some real Fairy-size creations:

We LOVE Shrinky-Dinks!

I don't know what it is about fairies, but I love them! Really nearly everything about them! KM has decided that she is going to use her other shrinky-dink paper and make all sorts of things to go in the fairy lanterns...you see Tink would not be happy if she did not have a pot to fix! I am so happy that she has found her imagination again. I was starting to wonder if it had gone forever, but since she has been home more she has had time to find it again. She really "plays" with her toys, we even had to go get clothes for one of her dolls a few weeks ago because she had decided last fall that she wasn't going to play with them anymore. It had made me very sad to think that she really felt that way, but she did and we donated A LOT of stuff to a local shelter. I am so glad to have her playing and still getting to be a kid.

Hope you all had a great weekend!!! Feel free to share anything you may have done or link to your blog!!!

NO MEDS!!!

So it has been nearly a month since KM was taken off of all her asthma and allergy medications by her specialist.I had asked him to reevaluate her since she was showing no symptoms at all since she was taken out of PS. He is such a great doctor, he called today to check in and see if she was doing alright and still not on any medications. She has continued to show no signs of even the slightest sniffle! Yippee!!!
He said he wasn't surprised and had been seeing more and more children that appear to be allergic to the strong cleaning chemicals used in most households, daycares and schools. I had been questioning for a while what the cause of her asthma could be. KM was diagnosed at 3 after a very difficult winter of three bouts of bronchitis and two cases of pneumonia. KM nursed til she was 2 1/2 and had never even had a cold! Just before she turned 3 she had started preschool and it was all down hill from there. She had all sorts of testing done and they had said she was allergic to a wide array of weeds, molds, dusts and pollens. I was adamant with her doctors that I only wanted her on medications that she HAD to be on. So every so often we would try to ween her off different ones. The thing that really confused me was that most people with allergies have it the worst in the spring and summer when all the trees are pollinating and blooming, however KM would go off her medications in late May and would not need anything including her emergency inhaler all summer. Usually near the end of September, early October she would start to get sniffly and we would get her right back on her meds to avoid any real problems with bronchitis again. I never understood how this could be caused by seasonal allergies when she didn't have the symptoms at the peak season.
A light went off this winter. KM was sick one time before she was taken out of school and then wasn't the least bit stuffy for the rest of the winter. We use almost all organic cleaners, except for laundry, dish and dishwasher detergent. So I asked the doctor if he thought it could have anything to do with the cleaners. He said she was a prime example of what a lot of respitory specialists are beginning to notice more and more. There is no test to prove that this is the case as who wants to be tested to check if you are allergic to breathing in bleach or other harmful chemicals. However the pattern is the same in all these kids, they started to get sick in mid-fall when the teachers start closing the windows in the classrooms and using more and more disinfectants to prevent the spread of germs and illness. They are on meds and/or dealing with severe illnesses all winter and through the start of spring, until it gets warm enough to open those windows again and let the fresh air in. Seems a bit coincidental to me!
It is one less thing to drive me crazy though - having to remember to have her take the meds, calling in refills in time, but not too early and remembering to pick them up and the thought of putting all those chemicals in to KM. I am also wondering if this is part of the change in her attitude and attention span that I have seen as well.
Just thought I would spread a bit of awareness and share a happy triumph!

So Much Better Than TV!

She has been obsessed with windows lately! So while I did the dishes and KM did her math lesson, she very happily looked out the window!

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!!!

I have never been really big on April Fool's Day jokes but this was going around all over our local lists and I got my brother GOOD!!! DD almost kept him home from PS to go see it!!!

Sorry PR! I thought for sure you would have seen right through it!

http://www.wickedlocal.com/orleans/archive/x1565507553

Have a favorite April Fool's Day Prank...share it in a comment!

If anyone hears if anything actually went on down there today let me know, if it wasn't so yucky out I may have taken the drive just to see how many people showed.

You have to check this out!

If you haven't read the John Gatto book "Dumbing Us Down" this video sums it up wonderfully!!!

http://www.momisteaching.com/dumbing-us-down/

Thought to live by!

I am not really a "Thought for the day" type of person, but I am on a group where we get them each morning and todays really shouted at me:

Do not compare yourself with others. You may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. . .
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the
grass. . .-Excerpts from 'Desiderata'

So many people are always trying to live up to "the Jones" without getting a clear look at what they really go through!

To me this is a thought to live by rather than a thought for just one day!

Growing a Farmer!

We are not only growing the vegetables...which have already needed transplanting again!!!

But the "Farmer" to take care of them as well!!!

**No worries, I haven't lost my mind! She is wearing clip-ins!**

Quick Note

I had a wonderful dinner out with LP last night. I love spending time with her! She is such an amazing woman and a lot of what she does reminds me of Noni. I feel so blessed to have her in my life! We have a difficult time finding time to spend with each other as our schedules are both soooo crazy. This note however is about what happened when I got home.
As I was leaving the restaurant I called home to see if CJ wanted me to pick up anything at Dunkin Donuts for him. (I have a serious hot chocolate addiction lately.) He said no and that was that until I got home. When I came in I brought in some bags from shopping I did prior to dinner and put those away and then went in to tuck KM in. I walked into her bedroom and she was sobbing. I asked her what was wrong and she replied "I was worried you wouldn't tuck me in when you got home!" ---Hmmm, she has never done this before. She does sleepovers with no problem, the only time she had a real problem was once when she was suppose to spend the weekend with her friends in Maine, but that was a few years ago. So of course I started thinking and freaking out - am I doing something wrong? Is she reverting back and losing her independence now that she is homeschooling?
Then I took a deep breathe and said - "What's up? Are you nervous or scared about something?" She replied, "No, but Dad wouldn't let me call you, because you had just called and said that you were on your way home, but I was afraid I would fall asleep before you got home and I sleep better when you tuck me in!" -ooohhh
Well I am not sure what is going on, but I am not going to freak out about it. I will reluctantly admit that it kinda made me feel good. One of the things that I was really worried about when I was thinking about homeschooling was that she would get sick of being with me so much - Guess I can wipe that worry off my list!

Running Out of Room

Sprouts, Sprouts and More Sprouts everywhere I turn!

Sunflowers!

KM was amazed at the seeds staying on the sprouts until they were out of the soil!

Beef steak Tomatoes

Sunflowers swaying toward the sun!

Zucchini and Summer Squash can be seen in the background.

Roma Tomatoes - sprouted in 24 hours! "Mom where did they come from?"

Cayenne Peppers Popping Up!

Can't wait to make the salsa!

Cauliflowers sprouted 2 weeks early!!!

We are trying to figure out how we can possibly make more room in the kitchen for transplants... I think we are going to have to use totes, for the root system. I knew there was a reason we were saving all those totes in the garage. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

Random Strangers

Socialization - one of those words that most homeschoolers dread to hear - not because we are afraid of it, but because most people totally and completely misuse the word.

Here is the definition that I found on http://www.wordcentral.com/home.html the Merriam-Webster's children's site.

Main Entry: so·cial·ize
Pronunciation: s-sh-lz
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -ized; -iz·ing
1 : to make social; especially : to make fit for a social environment
2 : to take part in social activities -
so·cial·i·za·tion /ssh-(-)l-z-shn/ noun - so·cial·iz·er /s-sh-l-zr/ noun

I would also like to share the definition of the word friend:

Main Entry: friend
Pronunciation: frend
Function: noun
1 : a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another
2 : a person who is not an enemy
3 : a person who aids or favors something

I know that I have blogged about this topic recently, but I really felt that I needed to revisit it because I was speaking to my father over the weekend and I found myself explaining to him (a 60 year old man) how to make friends. He moved to Florida a few years ago and has not adjust really well down there. My step-mom and him like it but they went down there with these huge expectations of having all sorts of things to do and money to do them with - the grass is greener complex is the best way to explain it. (It amazes me how many people I know that have just packed up and moved to other parts of the country with very little research on the place and expected it to change their lives! - but that is for another blog)

So Dad and his wife are now both retired and finding that they have plenty to do in their community during the winter when the "snowbirds" are there, but come about this time each year all the groups start meeting less and less frequently. Neither of them has any idea how to meet people unless they are in a "group" setting.

As I mentioned before KM has always decided who her best friend is based on who is in her class that year. However she is very good at going up to other children at playgrounds and asking if they want to play with her. This makes me wonder what would have happened if I had left her in Public School. Would she have lost that confidence? We are all programmed to only engage with people if we KNOW that there is a common thread. I understand that people get along with others generally based on common interests, but sometimes you have to dive deeper to find those common interests. I also have friends that I never thought I would have ANYTHING in common with, but somehow we seem to fill some unknown void within each other.

Homeschooled children seem to have a self-confidence that is so rooted within that nothing can really budge it. Not that I think they are invincible superheros or anything. I know that they do sometimes get their feelings hurt, but they are so much more willing to put themselves out there.

We are all put into these different categories our whole life and that is how we tend to make friends - maybe as adults we need to just walk up to random strangers and ask if they want to play with us.

Truly A Natural

I had a discussion with KM this afternoon and am a bit impressed by it.

Here is the history behind our discussion:

Prior to our homeschooling we did what a lot of families call "afterschooling". In essence this means we did extra work in addition to her schoolwork because she needed and wanted to be challenged. During school vacations and summer we would do one or two things each day. When we were on vacations away from home we would also do different workbooks, crosswords, learning games and of course always threw in an educational field trip or two. That is just how our family worked. I never understood why the system continued to have summer vacation, I don't know too many families around here who need the kids help on the family farms anymore. IMHO - it really just leads to three months of "refresher" from September to late November, just in time for them to have another vacation before they really start learning in January so that they can take the MCAS starting in March.

So today KM said - "What are we doing this summer?" I was a little surprised at first because we pretty much always do the same things - camping, lots of park and beach trips, swimming, friends houses, she goes fishing with CJ a lot - ya know summer things - so I was a bit confused as to what she meant.
"Am I going to have to do school EVERYDAY ALL DAY?" was what she had meant to ask.
So I was unsure as to how to answer this question because I really hadn't thought too much about it as we are really just getting things in a good comfortable groove.
"What do you think we should do?" I asked her - I often get her opinion on things for input but also to give me an extra few seconds to think before answering her.
"Well I think that we have had enough change lately. I think we should keep doing our work over the summer just a little bit less than usual," she replied with a very serious look on her face, as if she had been really thinking about it for awhile. "I think that is the best use of our time."

I was shocked, floored, awed, and amazed! As I have been sitting here thinking and typing about it, I have been trying to think about the last time we did something where she wasn't learning...I honestly don't know when that was. Lately everything she watches has been educational, nearly all the games she has been playing have been educational, her nose is in a book whenever I turn around and it is ALL by her choice. Even right now as I type she is playing in the backyard and trying to figure out a way to make her doll's zip-line go faster. She truly loves to learn and discover and I feel we are all blessed that she now has the opportunity to be a true natural learner.

After removing the rings from the swing set to add SC's toddler swing, this is her ingenious use of spare swing set parts!!!

Emergency Transplant!!!

We got up this morning and had a leisurely breakfast, after KM had gotten her basket of goodies. Then CJ decided to check the little sprouts I was talking about yesterday and discovered that the plastic egg crates were just NOT going to work.

The roots of the seeds were wrapping themselves around the bottom and forcing the seeds to the top. Luckily I had over purchased - as I mentioned I have NO CLUE what I am doing - and bought a bunch of peat pots. So we had an "Emergency Transplant" session, which was really cool because while we were tenderly transplanting them a few really unique things happened.

First KM got to see a lot of different stages of the germination process as each seed had gotten a little further along.

Second, as we were diligently transplanting KM was making up conversations with the plants. She feels they will be much happier not being so isolated. Each had been in it's own little egg hole and now they were two by two in the peat pots.

Third and finally, she made a realization that everything in nature moves at its own pace. Although we planted each of these seeds in the same soil, at the same time, placed them in the same spot, and watered them all at the same time, they were all growing at different rates! (Hhmmmm some homeschool philosphy thrown in there.)



You may have noticed, when we switched to the peat pots, we had to switch to a larger table!!!
I know it will be worth it, it is not forever, I will get my reading corner back eventually!

Germination

For a while now we have been collecting different egg cartons and small containers in preparation for our big planting, gardening and farming unit. It was suppose to be just a few plants, but when we went to get the seeds it was apparent by all the things KM wanted to grow we would be trying a small garden. When we got the things for the small garden home, we realized that is was going to be more along the lines of a small farm and CJ went and found some equipment on craig's list we needed for the "garden" - really an excuse to get some more tools around here!

We have been planting like crazy this week! We have a plant growth study journal going on and KM is recording everything!

It is taking over a section of the house & we haven't even gotten everything seeding yet.

We are using several different kinds of containers to see if this effects germination or growth.

I am not a planting person - if it doesn't make noises I tend to forget about it. However everyone has been telling me that all that we are doing will be worth it this summer when we have fresh veggies from the garden.

I think it was worth it just to hear KM's excited squeals when she saw the first sunflower popping up this morning 4 days before the estimated germination date!!!
My daughter is actually enjoying science...wow what a concept!!!

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!!!!!