And the Cow Jumped Over the Moon???

OK.. So, you've noticed it's been a week since I've posted. Sigh... I'm researching providers... cross your fingers! So much has happened this past week, but I think I'll start by updating what happened this morning!

When you homeschool - you can't always be prepared for a dulldrum type of day, especially while living on a "Gentleman's Farm!" Ha! I say that TIC (tongue in cheek, so you won't have to google that one, Aimo!) So, this morning we're sitting at the dining room table (which also serves as our 'desks', our animal surgical table, our breakfast and lunch table... it's actually a beautiful piece of furniture - despite the many 'hats' it wears!) Anyway, we notice that the cows and horses are looking really, really odd out in the pens. At one point Hannah notices a 'person' walking behind our barn. And an hour later, Kellar is up in his room, 2d floor, and yells out, "The cow is out of the fence and in our neighbor's back pasture!!!"

This sends us moving! We throw on our outdoor gear and grab a bucket of sweet feed. Sure enough, Dory - Moo's daughter (will be significant in another story) is out there eating the tall, green grass on the other side of the fence. After 45m of coaxing her, she decides to follow Grace back to the pen for some hay!

Meanwhile, we searched the whole fence line and NOTHING is down. There are no broken fence posts, wires, or E-wire. We can only surmise that she literally jumped over the common fence - which is about 5 feet in height! Something that would be genetic, handed down from her mother! She's not even a year old! Sigh... it's time for this gene pool to be eliminated! Honery - honery critter!!! We'll have to go look again to see if we can find black cow fur hanging off the barbed wire!!!

So, in case you look out tonight and see a black cow - stunningly beautiful (yes, she truly is!!!) jumping over the moon - most likely, it will be our Dory!

Semi-Off Line

Hello to my devoted readers.... as you may have noticed, I haven't kept current on posting or commenting with you. Reason is... we're on dial up... with ATT... & my dh HATES ATT with a passion. So, we've been searching to find another internet provider - but we've found that we're considered 'out in the country.' And despite all those so-called 'out in the country' provider's commercials - they lie!!!! We're 6 miles from town... 15 miles from the state capitol and we can't get anything but ATT hi speed.... I hope you hear the frustration in my voice.

So, here I sit at the local library typing to you all. If anyone has any tho'ts or suggestions (that are affordable) - LMK!!!

All in the Day of a HS'er!

So.... as you all know, we've added Jode, another furry friend, to our family. He came to us as an intact male, and as of Monday, has been made an 'it'! Yes y'all, right there on our kitchen table with a throw-away table cloth! I happen to have a friend who has a license to perform these types of operations. So, all other academic courses were postponed for the day, while we all helped out! It was quite cool. Charlie and Kellar were so amazed by it. They each got to hold a leg tied off with horse hay rope, as did Hannah and I. Grace was right in there too! Nothing bothers her in the least! Jode's no worse for the wear and can be found in his usual spots curled up napping... in the chair next to where I sit at the 'puter, inside the barn amongst the hay, or found on my lap purring contentedly. So, I guess all is forgiven (at least until he finds out this spring that he doesn't work that way anymore!) Somehow in high school I missed out on the frog dissection! But hey... we're more hi-tech nowadays!

KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS part I

Kellar, our son, is our resident comedian and expert comic relief! He can come up with the craziest, most unbelievable stories and weave them so intricately that they really sound plausible! (I'll add his prior stories on slow days!) The ones that occurred yesterday goes like this:

We're at pot luck after church. It's Emily's b-day - her actual b-day! So, her mom asks Kellar how old he is, to which he replies, "I'm six AND A HALF and my b-day is July 30." So, Tammy states, "Wow, that means you were born the same year as Emily, 2001! Right?" And Kellar looks at her and states, "No, Silly! I just told you my birthday is July 30." So, she saves composure and suggests he come and ask me what year he was born, because he just wasn't buying that his birth date was "2001"! Imagine my relief that he didn't call her anything else!

So fast fwd to her telling me the above story and then adding the following:
Kellar also told Tammy that he was so sad because he's lost three things: his tooth, his cat, and his go-cart. Tammy asked him how he "lost" each item and gets to the go-cart, wondering how in the world he could loose something so large. So he states, "Well, I didn't actually loose it. I just don't have one yet. Nobody will buy it for me!" (thanks for showing him them, mom and dad!) Let's get him riding the dirt bike and learning safety on that before we unleash him with a go-cart!

BIRTH OF SNOWBOARDING!

OK Folks! The weatherman predicted accurately. We did get about 8" of snow! Light - fluffy - white snow! The most snow our kids have seen to date (at one setting!) First thing this morning, they rushed down - packed on their snow gear - grabbed the saucer and plastic sled and headed for our slopes! OK - so, it's probably the equivalent of a bunny slope, but still. They decide to snowboard down the slope on the sled, instead of laying or sitting on it! How in the world did they think of this??? I'm telling you, Don and I were bustin' a gut watching and filming them. For those of you who don't know me ---- I DON'T DO COLD AND I DON'T DO SNOW! So, I'm staying in and filming, so there were no still shots taken today. Someday when I'm courageous I'll attempt to upload the video. Anyway - Kellar was awesome. You'd think he was the one who invented Snowboarding! He hunched right down and moved w/ Mother Earth! Charlie and Grace were pretty good too! And Hannah was definitely getting it!

Some neighbors walked over (cuz the snow was too thick down our 1/3 mile drive) and the dh snowboarded, as did my dh, Don! Too funny watching these 40-somethings strut their stuff! What great laughter we had! The wife was a hoot taking the saucer down and grabbing air over the 'jumps' the kids made down the saucer slopes! Good times... great memories!

Whoddathunk that not only can we roll out of bed and end up at the pond fishing - but that we could hit the slopes too! I see seasonal ski passes in our future!

Name Game

OK - So, I'm a copy-cat! But this was just too fun to not copy! And since we're about to be snowed-in - why not have some fun! This has obviously been going around cyberspace in many forms - so I tho't I'd post mine. I'm hoping to be able to figure out another blogger component! Stay tuned for that! So - for those of you who have noticed and mentioned... yes, I've FINALLY figured out how to include photos inside my post! Keep warm... Total Maple! (see #12)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car):

Trinka Excursion



2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe):

Gold Medal Ribbon Birkenstock



3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal):

Green Cat



4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born):

Lynn Mesa



5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name):

Casch



6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink):

Purple Dr. Pepper



7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers):

Camden Arthur



8. STRIPPER NAME ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent,favorite candy):

None Dove



9. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter):

Brown Boston



10. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower):

Spring Lilly



11. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing rightnow):

Blackberry Sweats



12. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree):

Total Maple

Ol' Man Winter Meet Young Girl Sunshine

Well - soccer season has officially started, but it appears that we're still seeing Mr. Winter! So much for Grace's soccer game this weekend! They're predicting up to a foot of snow! woo hoo!!!! That'll be awesome for a family of former desert dwellers! So, while PS kids get 'snow days'.... mine still have to crack the books! (I know, Mean Mom! I win!) However, my kiddos still get plenty of time for 'recess' as seen above, and they don't have to make up for loss of school for snow days! You'll find me observing them from the warmth of my living room, sipping homemade hot chocolate with a spritz of peppermint! ummmm yummmm!

(ps... to my fellow work-out buddies.... I'm staying the course! keep on, keeping on!)

"Socialization" Part I

As homeschoolers we often get the question regarding "what about socialization?" Hello - we're a family of 6... we live with each other day in and day out! We are around people of all walks of life, from all demographics... from piano, to therapies, from church services, to soccer practices & games, from helping out with neighbors, to caring for the elderly, from weekly library visits, to eating out, from shopping, to --- you get the point! We have 5 cats and 2 dogs - all indoor/outdoor (obviously)! So - we're not lacking for opportunity! Thankfully we're not 'forced' to stay within the confines of people in our own age bracket! So - what's the concern?

I can honestly say that most of my dear friends are older than myself! These seasoned friends have lived life; they have much to impart to the rest of us! They've BTDT - they generally have no pretenses! I also have friends who are around my age or at least in the same place in life (ie: got kids!?!) This group reminds me that I'm not alone in my quest of raising up the next generation of leaders. And lastly, I have friends that are younger than me: in age, maturity (some may beg to differ), and place in life. This would be the group that keeps me young and current - or should I say "hip"! This is what makes real society - this is what represents true social life - this is where we all get true socialization.

Besides that... if not for homeshooling, where else could you attempt to do academics with a cat trying to be the center of attention! If learning came thru osmosis of sleeping on books, then Baby would have to be the smartest cat who ever lived! His sister, Lucy, would be next!

Work Out!

Don & I decide to do something for our hearts this past Valentine's Day, so we got a Treadmill. We've been bustin' tail on it for the past few weeks and I can say that I've built up some stamina and done some toning. As I sit down to type this up, Kellar decided to hop on and proceed to run 1.33 miles - yes - miles in less than 10 minutes - without really breaking a sweat. Can I just say that I can't walk 1.33 miles in 15 minutes! As he shuts it off, he walks away saying, "Wow, Mom, I feel like a brand new man!" (snort... and now I feel really really old and decrepit)!



One of my blog buddies from Get Stronger Stay Stronger threw down a challenge to the cheering section to maintain our goal for the week and reward ourselves for a job well-done (read: no cheating on the goal!) So - for purposes of being held accountable for my end of the bargain, I'm laying it on the line: 4x of 30min Treadin' w/ minimum 6 min of running included, and 2x of Yoga with my dh! My reward: not getting out of bed til 9a on Saturday! (may sound lame to some of you... but to me.... sleep is wonderful for the insomniac!)



For once in my life I can say that the # on the scale isn't my big concern. Instead, it's how rapidly I'm approaching 40 and can feel the years aching away on my body! I need to be in the best of health - for myself, for my hubby, for my kids, and for the Lord! I come from a long line of women who die at an old age... I don't want to die "old".... so, it's up to me to make the change!



Here's to YOGA tonight!

How Easter is Determined

I thought some of you might be interested in this trivia. I got this on one of my homeschooling (hs'g) loops. The date of this coming Easter is quite early this year, and I tho't most of you would find it interesting to learn how it is determined.

Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Usually Easter falls after Passover, however, this year Passover is April 20. Therefore, Easter can't come after Passover, as an additional full moon comes full cycle.

Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

Here's the facts: 1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!). 2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it anyearlier than this year!

Spring is in the Air

Can I just say that today is the first day we have seen the sun in days and days... who knows, perhaps over a week even! Not that I'm too keen on the sun, as it just gets in your eyes anyways! (I have light sensitivity... thus the black background on my blog!) But it's great - more so, because we have warmer temps - around our seasonal norm! FINALLY!!! Don's been out planting the beginnings of our orchard: 3 different apple varieties, 2 peaches, a plum and the pecan! So, in a few years we should be harvesting and canning some yummy, healthy, organic! treats! The boys have been out helping him - along with taking the dirtbike out for a drag! Charlie is so cute flying up and down the long drive. Kellar is still timid about it - but I'm thinking this will be his year! So, I'm outta the basement - off the 'puter - and into the wild blue yonder! Happy Springing! (ps... the meteorologist stated that we may be in for the worst snow storm ever this weekend, anticipating 20" of snow... well... I've got my books lined up and my chocolate in reserves! and the kids are ready to sled)