For about 4 months now I have been researching homeschooling curriculums...and it is very overwhelming. It could seriously be a full-time task...reading all there is, interviewing people, viewing cataloges on the internet.. and it is very overwhelming..especially someone that is new to all the homeschool lingo...
CC--Classical Conversations
CM--Charlotte Mason
Unit Study
Living Books
ABeka
Lap Books
Classical Approach
Worldview
Evaluations
Test Book
Co-op
Life Group
Copy Work
Rhetoric
Dictation
Recitation
Saxon
and the list goes on and on....
So here is what I know so far about what we may and may not do, what I do and do not like, and what I have come up with so far.
I don't think we will be doing a co-op...at first I was all about it but now after researching the ones out there, I find that they are there for social interaction and the ones that aren't and actually do lessons well,...I think i can do at home...and I'm not sure I want to teach other people's kids...I'm not sure that is what I imagined when I decided to homeschool. Now I would be intersted in a field trip kind of science/nature study group...because then we could also do research at home about what we saw outdoors. I would also be interested in a book club type of thing so that Emily can talk/discuss books with her peers.
Math-I'm doing staight up, everyday math...something repetitive and tried and true...Most likely Saxon for third grade.
Science..we are going to do some type of nature study because that's what I like...we will be outside exploring and then bring that inside to do research and reading. I think I like living books so we will read about nature using living books...maybe use some of Charlotte Mason type stuff...
History/Geography is where I am waivering...a book called Story of the World has been recommended to me by several people and they said to start using Volume one and use the Bible alongside that. Sounds cool to me. I, myself, have always been intrigued with how the Bible intertwines with our History...The Bible is our History! But sometimes it is hard to see the timeline...I have a book calle the Bible Timeline written by one of my best friends' mom..it is amazing! I want to incorporate this in our study and then I figured we could use that to incorporate Geography. The problem I see is this: It will take us forever!!!!! to get to say American History...and I am super interested in that too...we would be studying ancient history for forever...still figuring on this!
Grammer/spelling/language arts--Emily has a very solid foundation in these areas. I may stick with ABeka for this because I have someone that has offered me free books...again ABeka is tried and true and usuer friendly. Although, I had someone just today say that another curriculum for spelling/grammer is amazing and I will be checking that out.
The pioneer woman recommended some books to study art history in which I am interested in.
John and I did decide that a part-time option at CCS or the Boulware school is not for us at this point...maybe later on.
I have been reading a book called 100 top picks in homeschooling curriculums and it explains the different philosophies and curriculums...I came out scoring high in Unit Study, Classical, Charlotte Mason, and Ecletic...those were my top four when I took a quiz about my views, ideas, likes, dislikes, needs...
I think I will end up in the ecletic category but my only fear with that is that when I am pulling from all these different resources that I am shooting too high and I will get bogged down...I mean, Can I really do all of this! I need some sort of plan, guide, etc.
From what I understand...when you follow a curriculum by the book....(ie: buy 3rd grade ABeka) then the teacher manual gives you your plans.."read this page and do this work sheet on this day"type of thing...That seems so boring to me and one of my favorite things about choosing to homeschool is that I can be flexible and pick and choose and we can spend more time of studying art history if that is something Emily finds exciting but I feel the need to complete and move on and have a means to the end...so I am getting advice and have just this week visited some curriculum websites to start maybe purchasing a book or two....I'm sure this will all change over time and our needs as a family will change. John warned me when taking my "quiz" in the book to grade myself fairly and accurately on who I really am and not on a fictitous woman that I think I should be..good advice honey!
Emily will continue with ballet and piano. We will most likely sign her up for an art class and she may do Petite Players during the year. She will continue to do church choir and if she wants, I wouldn't mind signing her up for a sport at CCS but she will have to pick art or sport (take turns)...We have lots of friends that homeschool and we spend a lot of time with friends so I am not worried about the social part at all....
We will also do Bible as a family ....so excited about this (John is in charge of this)
This all sounds great but oh so overwhelming and I know its not all doable at once...and I know that the nice perfect picture I have in my mind will be scribbled on in no time....most likely Day 1 of homeschooling!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Who ya gonna call.....????
So John left today to hike the Appalachian Trail with his buddy Jeff Brewer. They left at 6 am from Madison and drove to Woody's Gap in North Georgia which is actually where their end point will be. A guy named "cool breeze" is picking them up at Woody's Gap and taking them to Amicolola Falls at the base of Springer Mountain where they will start the hike. Apparently the approach trail to the start of the Appalachian Trail is wicked! They went back and forth about whether to do it or not...even my Dad knew of its torture! The approach trail does not technically count as part of the AT so they can't count it on their "miles logged on the AT" if that sort of thing is important to one...which it is to John and Jeff. To a hiker, outdoorsy type like my husband...the AT is very cool and kind of a status thing! So once at Springer mountain they will hike everyday, all day, with a very heavy pack on their back (I couldn't even lift John's). They will sleep on the side of the mountain, cook their freeze dried food with water that was boiled on a little mini burner, eat plain rice, granola, and purify their own water from the stream. They even have bio wipes for pooping in the woods!
At the very same time my beloved husband is out of town, my parents are riding on a Baptist bus with a bunch of other Prime Timers from our church headed to Savannah, GA to visit the historical district and eat at some awesome restaurants. They have never done anything like this and I'm so excited for them....
But how dare they all leave me at the same time!!! I mean who am I going to call if my car breaks down, the AC at our house blows up, we have a huge leak that I can't stop, the car won't start, etc etc.....the choices left being my 87 year old grandparents, John's Dad who just had heart surgery, or my brother who would certainly do anything he could do to help me but his car is too small to carry my whole family and I'm pretty sure he doesn't know how to change a tire (no offense...that's just not his thing) although I will add my brother is great at getting a bird out of the house...been there done that with his help!.....so it got me thinking about who I would call in the above circumstances...because I am a helpless woman that does not want or desire to be a single mom or a "I am woman, hear me roar" type of girl....John was trying to teach me something the other day...and I said to him, "I don't want to learn how to do it, I just want you to do it!"
So I thought and thought and decided I would call Paul Connell...the very trustworthy husband of my friend Ann...he is a deputy and a "save a girl in her time of need" type of guy and I'm pretty sure my friend Ann would lend him to me in an emergency....I am also pretty sure he is fairly handy....for goodness sakes he is babysitting my two oldest tonight along with his three oldest while Ann and I go to a homeschooling thing...Hopefully, he woudn't mind helping a gal out and at least that makes me feel better while the two most dependable men I know are out of the state! And John Daniel told me he would take out the compost for me.....because he knows I hate that! It smells!
At the very same time my beloved husband is out of town, my parents are riding on a Baptist bus with a bunch of other Prime Timers from our church headed to Savannah, GA to visit the historical district and eat at some awesome restaurants. They have never done anything like this and I'm so excited for them....
But how dare they all leave me at the same time!!! I mean who am I going to call if my car breaks down, the AC at our house blows up, we have a huge leak that I can't stop, the car won't start, etc etc.....the choices left being my 87 year old grandparents, John's Dad who just had heart surgery, or my brother who would certainly do anything he could do to help me but his car is too small to carry my whole family and I'm pretty sure he doesn't know how to change a tire (no offense...that's just not his thing) although I will add my brother is great at getting a bird out of the house...been there done that with his help!.....so it got me thinking about who I would call in the above circumstances...because I am a helpless woman that does not want or desire to be a single mom or a "I am woman, hear me roar" type of girl....John was trying to teach me something the other day...and I said to him, "I don't want to learn how to do it, I just want you to do it!"
So I thought and thought and decided I would call Paul Connell...the very trustworthy husband of my friend Ann...he is a deputy and a "save a girl in her time of need" type of guy and I'm pretty sure my friend Ann would lend him to me in an emergency....I am also pretty sure he is fairly handy....for goodness sakes he is babysitting my two oldest tonight along with his three oldest while Ann and I go to a homeschooling thing...Hopefully, he woudn't mind helping a gal out and at least that makes me feel better while the two most dependable men I know are out of the state! And John Daniel told me he would take out the compost for me.....because he knows I hate that! It smells!
Friday, April 23, 2010
This Week
John went back to work on Wednesday night and guess what happen Wednesday morning......we noticed the hot water heater was leaking...which is the second time we have had this happen. John said he guessed it was time to get a new one. Time for me to freak out!!!! I was leaving for work. John had to be at work at 6:30. UGH! But it all worked out and it didn't cost us an arm and a leg....just an arm! John and Molly went to home depot bought a new one and stuffed it in the van....
When I got home from work, John drained, detached and took out the old one, pulled up some old tile that was around it, pulled the new one out of the van (I helped but dang those things are heavy!), got it ready to go in, and when John's Dad got off work he came and helped get the new one installed....We had hot water when the kids and I got home from church! I was prepared though to give them what I call and pits and privates wash! So thankful for my husband that didn't sleep for over 28 hours to get that done!
John Daniel lost his first tooth this morning...he was brushing his teeth and spit it in the sink, luckily it didn't go down the drain!
Emily attended "take your child to work day" with John (who may I add had not slept the day before due to putting the hot water heater in, all night due to working, and then stayed up to join her back at his work all day to do promo and stuff for the event). John said she did great, had to speak in front of a group, helped Daddy with a demonstration, and even helped and assisted with getting kids in and out of the ambulance during a "tour"...she is usually so shy that it surprised John when she started ordering kids around and telling them what they could and could not touch!
I'm taking Emily along with Ann and her girls to CCS's production of Little Women tonight. Should be a great time and I love that book!
I just spent $200 at the grocery store but bought some really healthy stuff, whole foods, and some organic....cooking, cooking, and cooking!
When I got home from work, John drained, detached and took out the old one, pulled up some old tile that was around it, pulled the new one out of the van (I helped but dang those things are heavy!), got it ready to go in, and when John's Dad got off work he came and helped get the new one installed....We had hot water when the kids and I got home from church! I was prepared though to give them what I call and pits and privates wash! So thankful for my husband that didn't sleep for over 28 hours to get that done!
John Daniel lost his first tooth this morning...he was brushing his teeth and spit it in the sink, luckily it didn't go down the drain!
Emily attended "take your child to work day" with John (who may I add had not slept the day before due to putting the hot water heater in, all night due to working, and then stayed up to join her back at his work all day to do promo and stuff for the event). John said she did great, had to speak in front of a group, helped Daddy with a demonstration, and even helped and assisted with getting kids in and out of the ambulance during a "tour"...she is usually so shy that it surprised John when she started ordering kids around and telling them what they could and could not touch!
I'm taking Emily along with Ann and her girls to CCS's production of Little Women tonight. Should be a great time and I love that book!
I just spent $200 at the grocery store but bought some really healthy stuff, whole foods, and some organic....cooking, cooking, and cooking!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
My yummy semi-organic dinner!
I thought what we were eating was Organic but come to find out....I have been deceived..(no surprise there)..the labeling of some of my products was confusing to my simple mind but it was so yummy and very healthy....the pictures really don't do it justice. I am in the process of trying to break my camera so John has to buy me a fancy camera to take pictures for my blog like the Pioneer Woman does....
Lean (vegetable fed) beef, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, onions, carrots, water chesnuts, asian whole wheat noodles in organic (not sure about that but that is what it said) Hoisan Garlic Sauce. The kids asked for seconds!
Many Faces of Molly
This is Molly frustrated
This is serious Molly
This is throwing a fit Molly
This is silly, spitting out food Molly
This is her newest look....wrinkled brow....like she is about to cuss someone out!
This is my silly happy girl
And this is Molly for the majority of the day...all smiles!The Green eyed monster!
I am writing this as a type of confession but a challenge to myself as well....this is a little embarrassing but in a good sort of way because it shows how much God can work in your life if you allow him.
Everyone sins and one of my perpetual sins in the past has been the following...covetousness, jealousy, and envy. I really have struggled with this over the years....being jealous of what my neighbor has, envious of someone having something that I don't, jealous of friends and their relationships, etc. Most likely John is the only one that may know how it was a weed that kept growing and it would really bother/infect me sometimes...I specifically remember praying about it many times..."Why God does this give me a bad feeling, Why can't I be truly happy about such and such happening to a friend, etc" Well over the years, God has worked on me and I am sooo much better! It will always be a struggle but he gave me 1 Corinthians 13:4, James 3:14, and Galatians 5....through the Grace of God, I can be happy for a friend, not worry when I am not included, not take things so personally, and I do not envy and covet what my neighbor has. Amen!
Recently, I have been shown through my wonderful daughter that I need to love like a child...We have lost/unchurched neighbors on either side of us and, shame on me, but the only thing we have ever done is take them cookies....We did this big Summer of Service within our family last summer where we picked a service project every week and did it together as a family...and it was great and it helped us all to step out of our box and take the initiative to do some things that we wouldn't ordinarily do but it was still all very convenient...I have been shown by Emily that God doesn't want us to do things for others to get approval from anyone, to get a pat on the back from others, out of convenience or self righteousness....Our neighbor girl, Shayna, loves my kids and honestly sometimes I have a really hard time when she walks over because its one more kid to watch out for, one more kid asking questions, I have to be close by to make sure things are appropriate and protect my own kids and on and on.....She lives with an older brother and a single mom. They are different (northerners..ha ha ha)...honestly I wouldn't want to be friends with them on a normal basis..but my Emily has been "playing" church with Shayna now for about a week or so...they are quoting scripture, singing songs, and Emily pretty much has asked Shayna (who is 10 years old) if she believes in God...
My 8 year old is witnessing and sharing and showing God's love and I'm just annoyed that I have to take care of one extra, not so lovable kid....I'm being very honest here! You know, it's easy to do "service projects" when we are serving those that are like us or likable or when we can still hold the people at arms length...
A girl in our S.S. class, while reading our book Crazy Love, was sharing how her mom was one of those moms that always had the back door open...eveyone was welcome...she took everyone to church... fed everyone etc...And I realized that John and I sometimes talk a big talk but then when Shayna (who is not shy at all) asked if she could come to church with us on Wednesday night....honestly my first thoughts were..."well I will have to feed her, its always rushed on Wed nights, then I'll have to go work everything out with her mom, and she is kind of annoying sometimes"....oh my goodness...then I realized that here my daughter loved her neighbor, told her about God and then the neighbor asked to actually come to church with us and I had to actually think twice about it and then even had ugly thoughts on top of that...ugh...I'm so ashamed of myself...I have certainly had to ask forgiveness. So, my newest plea with God is this....show me where you want me to serve...even if its not convenient, and change my heart to be more like you! And Shayna will be going to church with us on Sunday if I have anything to do with it!
Everyone sins and one of my perpetual sins in the past has been the following...covetousness, jealousy, and envy. I really have struggled with this over the years....being jealous of what my neighbor has, envious of someone having something that I don't, jealous of friends and their relationships, etc. Most likely John is the only one that may know how it was a weed that kept growing and it would really bother/infect me sometimes...I specifically remember praying about it many times..."Why God does this give me a bad feeling, Why can't I be truly happy about such and such happening to a friend, etc" Well over the years, God has worked on me and I am sooo much better! It will always be a struggle but he gave me 1 Corinthians 13:4, James 3:14, and Galatians 5....through the Grace of God, I can be happy for a friend, not worry when I am not included, not take things so personally, and I do not envy and covet what my neighbor has. Amen!
Recently, I have been shown through my wonderful daughter that I need to love like a child...We have lost/unchurched neighbors on either side of us and, shame on me, but the only thing we have ever done is take them cookies....We did this big Summer of Service within our family last summer where we picked a service project every week and did it together as a family...and it was great and it helped us all to step out of our box and take the initiative to do some things that we wouldn't ordinarily do but it was still all very convenient...I have been shown by Emily that God doesn't want us to do things for others to get approval from anyone, to get a pat on the back from others, out of convenience or self righteousness....Our neighbor girl, Shayna, loves my kids and honestly sometimes I have a really hard time when she walks over because its one more kid to watch out for, one more kid asking questions, I have to be close by to make sure things are appropriate and protect my own kids and on and on.....She lives with an older brother and a single mom. They are different (northerners..ha ha ha)...honestly I wouldn't want to be friends with them on a normal basis..but my Emily has been "playing" church with Shayna now for about a week or so...they are quoting scripture, singing songs, and Emily pretty much has asked Shayna (who is 10 years old) if she believes in God...
My 8 year old is witnessing and sharing and showing God's love and I'm just annoyed that I have to take care of one extra, not so lovable kid....I'm being very honest here! You know, it's easy to do "service projects" when we are serving those that are like us or likable or when we can still hold the people at arms length...
A girl in our S.S. class, while reading our book Crazy Love, was sharing how her mom was one of those moms that always had the back door open...eveyone was welcome...she took everyone to church... fed everyone etc...And I realized that John and I sometimes talk a big talk but then when Shayna (who is not shy at all) asked if she could come to church with us on Wednesday night....honestly my first thoughts were..."well I will have to feed her, its always rushed on Wed nights, then I'll have to go work everything out with her mom, and she is kind of annoying sometimes"....oh my goodness...then I realized that here my daughter loved her neighbor, told her about God and then the neighbor asked to actually come to church with us and I had to actually think twice about it and then even had ugly thoughts on top of that...ugh...I'm so ashamed of myself...I have certainly had to ask forgiveness. So, my newest plea with God is this....show me where you want me to serve...even if its not convenient, and change my heart to be more like you! And Shayna will be going to church with us on Sunday if I have anything to do with it!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Egg
John read this last night:
The egg is the single most perfect food for protein aside from Breast Milk.
The egg is the single most perfect food for protein aside from Breast Milk.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Time with Grandparents
My parents took the kids to walk in the March of Dimes Walk/run in honor of a family my dad knows at work. I love this picture.....looks like my kiddos are having the best time with their grandparents!
All giddy but can't explain it!
So I went to this Homeschool symposium on Saturday that was suppose to give me insight on curriculum, choices, options, etc. regarding our homeschool experience. I was pure GIDDY when I left....I couldn't wait to talk to John (and boy did I talk his ear off on our 1 hour drive to Madison to visit some friends) and I couldn't wait to call my homeschooling friend Ann...
I can't really describe it...Maybe only John can understand because we are sooo on the same page right now (which by the way is a really great feeling in marriage...when you actually feel like your husband and yourself are walking the same road)....it just feels good to be headed toward something that you feel like God has told you to do, you've prayed about, and you feel like there will be freedom in your decision!
Quite honestly, I was a little nervous...I really really wanted my friend Ann to be there as a security blanket but she couldn't go. I thought I would be sitting amongst women that had no makeup on, wore very modest and uncool clothes, had multiple children dressed alike in homemade clothes, etc etc.....all the typical stereotypes of course BUT I was wrong of course. There were about 50 or more women there...looked pretty normal, some wore make up, most were very chic dressed, they looked normal!!!!!! And I didn't even see any homemade matching clothing on any of the kids that, may I add, sat quietly in the back of the room :).....and I sat right next to Pete Boulware! I am making fun of course ( I do not mean to offend by any means) but it just goes to show that there are so many stereotypes out there and all of us have stereotypes that are unwarranted...and I'm not just talking about homeschoolers. It was an awesome experience. I had to pay a babysitter $40 to watch my kids while I went as John slept in the back room after getting off at 7 am but if I had missed it, it would have been a great disservice to my family!!!!
These women were so intelligent.....talking about things that I can't even begin to speak of because my brain has become mush! I was so taken by their level of spiritual and world view knowledge. They spoke of legislation and laws and leadership and character and science and grammer and integrity and on and on and on!!!! The CCS principal was there to share about the school's options for homeschoolers and I went up and spoke to her (she knows of our decision to homeschool and has been very supportive). She said hi and then she said, "This is all SOOOOO interesting!" Which I thought was funny coming from the principal of a school that is losing families to home education (there were 3 of us CCS parents there)...but when she did her speech, she said that CCS has worked very closely with homeschoolers and they support that decision and have homeschoolers in and out of CCS all the time over the years!
One of the things that I loved was this...there were so many different ideas and passions in the room full of mothers that are excited about teaching their own children but they are all so supportive of one another....I have been astounded by all the different choices and options there are for home education and it is evident that most home educators are very passionate about their philosophy of education but again, they are so supportive of each other and willing to lend a hand or give some advice if needed.
John and I have been reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and it offers up the question of WHY NOT? Meaning why not go out on a limb...if God is calling you to do something...why try to fit yourself in a box...do what everybody else is doing....LIFE IS A MERE VAPOR! We are only here for such a short period of time.....Why not drop what you are doing a go help your 90 year old neighbor rake his yard! So my prayer this week will be to help me be a person to step out of the box and do some of those things that make me feel uncomfortable....and I am Giddy with excitement over using our homeschool experience to answer the question WHY NOT....and take action...I'm excited that it will give us that freedom and flexibility...
I can't really describe it...Maybe only John can understand because we are sooo on the same page right now (which by the way is a really great feeling in marriage...when you actually feel like your husband and yourself are walking the same road)....it just feels good to be headed toward something that you feel like God has told you to do, you've prayed about, and you feel like there will be freedom in your decision!
Quite honestly, I was a little nervous...I really really wanted my friend Ann to be there as a security blanket but she couldn't go. I thought I would be sitting amongst women that had no makeup on, wore very modest and uncool clothes, had multiple children dressed alike in homemade clothes, etc etc.....all the typical stereotypes of course BUT I was wrong of course. There were about 50 or more women there...looked pretty normal, some wore make up, most were very chic dressed, they looked normal!!!!!! And I didn't even see any homemade matching clothing on any of the kids that, may I add, sat quietly in the back of the room :).....and I sat right next to Pete Boulware! I am making fun of course ( I do not mean to offend by any means) but it just goes to show that there are so many stereotypes out there and all of us have stereotypes that are unwarranted...and I'm not just talking about homeschoolers. It was an awesome experience. I had to pay a babysitter $40 to watch my kids while I went as John slept in the back room after getting off at 7 am but if I had missed it, it would have been a great disservice to my family!!!!
These women were so intelligent.....talking about things that I can't even begin to speak of because my brain has become mush! I was so taken by their level of spiritual and world view knowledge. They spoke of legislation and laws and leadership and character and science and grammer and integrity and on and on and on!!!! The CCS principal was there to share about the school's options for homeschoolers and I went up and spoke to her (she knows of our decision to homeschool and has been very supportive). She said hi and then she said, "This is all SOOOOO interesting!" Which I thought was funny coming from the principal of a school that is losing families to home education (there were 3 of us CCS parents there)...but when she did her speech, she said that CCS has worked very closely with homeschoolers and they support that decision and have homeschoolers in and out of CCS all the time over the years!
One of the things that I loved was this...there were so many different ideas and passions in the room full of mothers that are excited about teaching their own children but they are all so supportive of one another....I have been astounded by all the different choices and options there are for home education and it is evident that most home educators are very passionate about their philosophy of education but again, they are so supportive of each other and willing to lend a hand or give some advice if needed.
John and I have been reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and it offers up the question of WHY NOT? Meaning why not go out on a limb...if God is calling you to do something...why try to fit yourself in a box...do what everybody else is doing....LIFE IS A MERE VAPOR! We are only here for such a short period of time.....Why not drop what you are doing a go help your 90 year old neighbor rake his yard! So my prayer this week will be to help me be a person to step out of the box and do some of those things that make me feel uncomfortable....and I am Giddy with excitement over using our homeschool experience to answer the question WHY NOT....and take action...I'm excited that it will give us that freedom and flexibility...
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Soccer Pro
A cute little story to finish my blog catch up!
Emily came home and said that her teacher asked the students to write an essay about their favorite cartoon. Emily said she raised her hand and said to Mrs. Smith that she didn't watch cartoons at her house. So Mrs. Smith said, well do you watch movies, you could write about your favorite movie...to this Emily replied, "my favorite movies are Mary Poppins and Sound of Music." YES!!!! That was a proud mommy moment! Yay for not watching crappy cartoons! So after reading my latest blogs you probably think we have gone plum crazy....to this I say...I just painted my fingernails a very deep blue color and I think they look fab, I watch Dancing with the Stars via atenna religiously, I am going boutique shopping with a friend tomorrow, we still eat chick-fil-a, I bought milk from the Circle K yesterday after a long day of work and running errands, we listen to country music in the car and I listen to booty music on my ipod when I run, I'm addicted to diet coke, and I still use zip-loc bags to pack the kids sandwiches in...NOW do I sound like a regular ole American!?!?!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Going a little Granola
I call it granola but I guess you can call it green or natural...whatever it is...its fun learning about new things. I guess it all started back when we finally decided to start recycling. This decision came after I decided to quit being lazy and John got over his 10 year old grudge against the recycling man. Then John decided he wanted to have fresh eggs. John has a co-worker that has chickens and their fridge is overrun with eggs so he gives them to John (we've tried to pay him)....they are the prettiest, best tasting, brown eggs. Once we started researching food and talking to people...the garden idea came up. We don't have sun in the backyard, so the front yard seemed logical. John built the cutest little garden with okra, cucumbers, zuchinni, and tomatoes. I have some strawberries in a hanging contraption and some herbs in a pot. John then decided he wanted to compost so he built a compost container using a big yard garbage can...(got that idea off the web)...we now have a list of 163 things that you can compost on the desktop of our computer. Did you know you can compost post it notes?!?!?! Then, he decided that the run off from the roof was going to ruin the garden so he has invented a drainage system that collects the water into another huge garbage can that we can use for watering. He decided this would be better than buying the $100 water barrel from Home Depot. (Do I have an unconventional farmer on my hands?) The yard and garden look so pretty! We have done all this while remodeling the extra bathroom! Its because we got the cable turned off you know!!! (ha ha) The kids and I made a "scarebaby" today to keep the squirrels out of the garden..its dressed in Molly's clothes! We are still intrigued with the chicken coop in the backyard but that is a work in progress. Rick and Amy (previous post) said they would sell us some chicks for laying eggs and teach John how to build a small coop! We will see....the kids have already named the chickens...Henny Penny and Waddle. We are interested in touring some other farms like Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville. They milk goats and make their own cheeses. What a great pre-homeschooling experience we are having!
check out this list of compost materials:
http://www.plantea.com/compost-materials.htm
check out this list of compost materials:
http://www.plantea.com/compost-materials.htm
Phebe and Pat
I work with Phebe...she is a nurse in Urgent Care with me...I think we have worked together for 5 years now and do you know I have never asked her details about her family's business...shame on me! Her husband is a rancher in Gadsden County. They own about 100-200 heads of cattle (steers) that they sell to be fattened and then butchered. I asked her after watching the Food, Inc movie what she thought about eating organic...she said it was a fad and a farse...I guess after looking at her in a perplexed manner, she decided to explain...
She said that eating organically is a fad brought on by movies like Food, Inc. She said it is a great concept but she believes that it is impossible to do in America 100%. She said that there isn't enough land to grass feed enough animals to feed all the people in America if Organic Eating became a #1 priority for all. She said it all sounds wonderful but the logistics of it aren't feasible unless we can all do our own gardening etc. and it just isn't possible. She quoted the FDA website and said there are percentages to how many people vs how much land etc in the United States and the numbers don't work...you can't produce that much grass fed, organic meat. Americans just eat too much! She said that their cows are fed organically up until they are weaned from their mother at about 600 lbs and then they sell them to the feed lots...where they can not control what happens. Yes, they are fed corn there and given antibiotics because you have cows from all different parts of the country coming together in one tight place like a bunch of humans coming together for a big concert...she said cows get sick like humans...runny noses and all. She said of course, they don't want their cows treated poorly and given food they aren't suppose to eat, etc but unless you can match one cow up with several families and know that those families are going to buy that cow's meat then it is very hard for a farmer to not sell the cows to be fattened to a feed lot because once a steer reaches a certain age, weight...if it isn't butchered for meat then it isn't good for anything...so it puts most ranchers that do this for a living in a bad place. In the end, Phebe and Pat are looking into other farms, ways to do things, etc but Phebe said she buys her meat at Publix like the rest of us. She also doesn't believe that when something says organic...it neccessarily mean organic...how far does that go back..she asks...the animal, the feed you give the animal, the grass its eating, the ground the grass grows in...etc. They also every now and then give their cows antibiotics because as I wrote earlier, cows do get runny noses, and she said that doesn't mean they aren't good to eat anymore. They do not give growth hormones though. When talking about this with Phebe, she stated in not exactly these words.....The world is just not at that place anymore when land, organic eating, and such is possible for everyone...she said, and I agree, it makes you think about the end times and how things may get and what all will happen with our food sources...hmmmm...very interesting! So I loved talking to someone who is actually in the business. She said I did spur her on to thinking about getting back into gardening herself...she said they would love to be able to produce these healthy, organic cows and sell them off to families and see where the fruits of their labor are going. I'm glad I finally asked her about her business!
She said that eating organically is a fad brought on by movies like Food, Inc. She said it is a great concept but she believes that it is impossible to do in America 100%. She said that there isn't enough land to grass feed enough animals to feed all the people in America if Organic Eating became a #1 priority for all. She said it all sounds wonderful but the logistics of it aren't feasible unless we can all do our own gardening etc. and it just isn't possible. She quoted the FDA website and said there are percentages to how many people vs how much land etc in the United States and the numbers don't work...you can't produce that much grass fed, organic meat. Americans just eat too much! She said that their cows are fed organically up until they are weaned from their mother at about 600 lbs and then they sell them to the feed lots...where they can not control what happens. Yes, they are fed corn there and given antibiotics because you have cows from all different parts of the country coming together in one tight place like a bunch of humans coming together for a big concert...she said cows get sick like humans...runny noses and all. She said of course, they don't want their cows treated poorly and given food they aren't suppose to eat, etc but unless you can match one cow up with several families and know that those families are going to buy that cow's meat then it is very hard for a farmer to not sell the cows to be fattened to a feed lot because once a steer reaches a certain age, weight...if it isn't butchered for meat then it isn't good for anything...so it puts most ranchers that do this for a living in a bad place. In the end, Phebe and Pat are looking into other farms, ways to do things, etc but Phebe said she buys her meat at Publix like the rest of us. She also doesn't believe that when something says organic...it neccessarily mean organic...how far does that go back..she asks...the animal, the feed you give the animal, the grass its eating, the ground the grass grows in...etc. They also every now and then give their cows antibiotics because as I wrote earlier, cows do get runny noses, and she said that doesn't mean they aren't good to eat anymore. They do not give growth hormones though. When talking about this with Phebe, she stated in not exactly these words.....The world is just not at that place anymore when land, organic eating, and such is possible for everyone...she said, and I agree, it makes you think about the end times and how things may get and what all will happen with our food sources...hmmmm...very interesting! So I loved talking to someone who is actually in the business. She said I did spur her on to thinking about getting back into gardening herself...she said they would love to be able to produce these healthy, organic cows and sell them off to families and see where the fruits of their labor are going. I'm glad I finally asked her about her business!
Rick and Amy
Because I am going to homeschool next year, my great friend, suggested I subscribe to the Tallahassee Homeschooling Site...basically homeschooling moms share ideas, sell stuff, brainstorm, share prayer requests, ask for ideas...anything from schooling to basic medical questions to political talk. It has been interesting but I have used it to sell some stuff, get some ideas, etc. I get like 20 emails a day but I scan through them quickly, delete what is not interesting to me, and use what I need. For the most part, homeschoolers are frugal people so I have found out about some great family days at different attractions that are free, family field trips to go on, etc etc. One of the moms posted that she had two baby lambs that were rejected by their mom and if anyone wanted to come and see them, let their kids play with them, or take pictures...they welcomed it. Well, I thought how neat!!! So I contacted her, read her blog and realized that they had a farm in Monticello and that they sold their produce and meat to buyers...it was all natural, organic, and sustainable. HMMMM...very cool...so I started to probe and we set a date to go visit. This past Saturday we drove out to Monticello and visited Heavenly Homestead...
Rick and Amy have 5 boys..They live on 5 acres in the very woodsy Monticello, Fl. They have goats, ponies, chicken, chicks, pigs, 2 steers, dogs, and rabbits. When we drove up, we didn't see anything or anyone...a very old looking house and wooded land. We kind of waited around and then saw movement in the barn...John yelled out...Rick came over and introduced himself...he was more or less expecting us. Rick is the Dad/Husband. He was a quiet type, had a cowboy hat on and work clothes...he had been under the house doing some fixin. Amy was at the grocery store. John being the talkative and friendly type started asking questions as we headed for the barn to see the lambs. John said, well I guess you grew up farming and stuff huh...Rick said, No, not at all...I lived in the city. He didn't offer much else but John kept on. In the end I learned that Rick was a very smart and imaginative man with many well researched views but was not the type to try and lead anyone in his direction...he would never try to convince you of his kind of life....John continued asking questions...Rick basically said that he read a book by a unconventional farmer and liked what the guy had to say and decided to find some land...Rick said that he wanted a place for his kids to be able to run out of the house, and he not have to worry about them.....Wanted them to be able to fix and build things.....try new things etc. So they found this land with a old, small house and decided to make it work. After asking more questions...we found out he works in Tallahassee (a real job) and the farming is his expensive, time consuming hobby :) So the goats were precious. Rick said that he was going to go inside and make their bottles...When Rick returned, he had a baby (human that is) on his back in a sling...The baby (later we found out his name was Quin and he is 1 year old) looked as if he rides on Daddy's back a lot as Daddy continues with his farm chores. It was like out of a Amish movie or something...very unconventional I guess. Rick tried to let my kids feed the lambs but the lambs knew Rick as "Daddy" and they were a little shy...Rick continued to feed the lambs, give them medicine, tell us about his chickens (more than I knew there was to ever tell about chickens) all while Quin quietly watched from the sling. So we found out that there are many different kinds of chickens...some for eating and some for laying eggs. You can have egg laying hens in the city as long as you don't have a rooster. All of his animals are organic. He tried pigs for the first time and sold everyone of them to families like us. Johnston's Meats in Monticello takes care of the butchering and prep for him. We looked at chicken coops and talked prices of meat and learned a lot! Rick was very hospitable. Amy came home from the store and I found out that she is the talkative one....we talked homeschooling and then did a little more farm talk all while their 2 year old son drove J.D. around in his John Deere Motorized Truck...this 2 year old could drive and shift gears!!!!! I asked if they could feed the family off what they have on the farm...she said they don't buy meat but their garden isn't huge. They are looking into buying more land. She said they had a little bit more pork left if we wanted it....and now there are two broiler hens running around their yard with our name on them...just getting fat until they are ready to be eaten...I can't wait to cook and eat my organic free range broiler chickens! Amy said if there is anything we ever wanted to ask, they would love to talk. They were very nice and so interesting! It looked like a lot of work.....and it is a full time job that reaps great benefits. Their house was certainly no dream house but they were doing what they want to do and you have to respect that! The kids left wanting ponies, I left wanting land, John left wanting chickens and pigs, and Molly just wanted to pet their big dog! John drove us to crump road and we sipped on Homemade Fresh Strawberry Milkshakes at Ali's Farmers Market while sitting on their porch swing as we planned our own farm! John has googled chicken coops and how to raise chickens...yes can you believe it...!!!!
Here is the link to their website:
http://heavenlyhomestead.com/shop/welcome
And here is what John wants our chicken coop to look like:
Rick and Amy have 5 boys..They live on 5 acres in the very woodsy Monticello, Fl. They have goats, ponies, chicken, chicks, pigs, 2 steers, dogs, and rabbits. When we drove up, we didn't see anything or anyone...a very old looking house and wooded land. We kind of waited around and then saw movement in the barn...John yelled out...Rick came over and introduced himself...he was more or less expecting us. Rick is the Dad/Husband. He was a quiet type, had a cowboy hat on and work clothes...he had been under the house doing some fixin. Amy was at the grocery store. John being the talkative and friendly type started asking questions as we headed for the barn to see the lambs. John said, well I guess you grew up farming and stuff huh...Rick said, No, not at all...I lived in the city. He didn't offer much else but John kept on. In the end I learned that Rick was a very smart and imaginative man with many well researched views but was not the type to try and lead anyone in his direction...he would never try to convince you of his kind of life....John continued asking questions...Rick basically said that he read a book by a unconventional farmer and liked what the guy had to say and decided to find some land...Rick said that he wanted a place for his kids to be able to run out of the house, and he not have to worry about them.....Wanted them to be able to fix and build things.....try new things etc. So they found this land with a old, small house and decided to make it work. After asking more questions...we found out he works in Tallahassee (a real job) and the farming is his expensive, time consuming hobby :) So the goats were precious. Rick said that he was going to go inside and make their bottles...When Rick returned, he had a baby (human that is) on his back in a sling...The baby (later we found out his name was Quin and he is 1 year old) looked as if he rides on Daddy's back a lot as Daddy continues with his farm chores. It was like out of a Amish movie or something...very unconventional I guess. Rick tried to let my kids feed the lambs but the lambs knew Rick as "Daddy" and they were a little shy...Rick continued to feed the lambs, give them medicine, tell us about his chickens (more than I knew there was to ever tell about chickens) all while Quin quietly watched from the sling. So we found out that there are many different kinds of chickens...some for eating and some for laying eggs. You can have egg laying hens in the city as long as you don't have a rooster. All of his animals are organic. He tried pigs for the first time and sold everyone of them to families like us. Johnston's Meats in Monticello takes care of the butchering and prep for him. We looked at chicken coops and talked prices of meat and learned a lot! Rick was very hospitable. Amy came home from the store and I found out that she is the talkative one....we talked homeschooling and then did a little more farm talk all while their 2 year old son drove J.D. around in his John Deere Motorized Truck...this 2 year old could drive and shift gears!!!!! I asked if they could feed the family off what they have on the farm...she said they don't buy meat but their garden isn't huge. They are looking into buying more land. She said they had a little bit more pork left if we wanted it....and now there are two broiler hens running around their yard with our name on them...just getting fat until they are ready to be eaten...I can't wait to cook and eat my organic free range broiler chickens! Amy said if there is anything we ever wanted to ask, they would love to talk. They were very nice and so interesting! It looked like a lot of work.....and it is a full time job that reaps great benefits. Their house was certainly no dream house but they were doing what they want to do and you have to respect that! The kids left wanting ponies, I left wanting land, John left wanting chickens and pigs, and Molly just wanted to pet their big dog! John drove us to crump road and we sipped on Homemade Fresh Strawberry Milkshakes at Ali's Farmers Market while sitting on their porch swing as we planned our own farm! John has googled chicken coops and how to raise chickens...yes can you believe it...!!!!
Here is the link to their website:
http://heavenlyhomestead.com/shop/welcome
And some pictures from our visit
Food Inc.
So our friends the Brewers and the Cliburns and some of my co-workers got us to watch the movie, Food Inc. Well I must say that I believe it has an agenda but you cannot watch that movie without feeling like you want to change and do better. I won't go into everything about the movie although, I must say, I think everyone should watch it....but here are the things that John and I came away thinking more about..
1. We should all want to know where our food is coming from.
2. Americans/humans eat way too much!!!
3. Eating whole foods, non processed is best.
4. Buying local is best.
5. Organic eating in its rarest form is impossible in America now days....its a fad....and because there isn't enough land, Americans eat too much, its pretty much impossible to do Organic all the time, for everyone..
6. Big Business and Government ruin it all anyway! :) This is kind of a sarcastic comment but watch the movie!
7. I feel like I have been poisioning my children their entire lives.
Now I just started couponing so eating organic, to me at least, and trying to save money don't coincide but I did figure out if we would actually eat the foods that we were suppose to eat and the portions that we are suppose to eat then it really might not cost all that much more. Basically, I didn't want to be one of those people that jumps on the latest Hollywood bandwagon so I started doing my own research and talking to people that are actually in the business (farming, ranchers). I happen to work with several people that either live in the country and farm or ranching is their lively hood. My next posts are going to be about some of the people I have come in contact with and some of the things we have learned. It's amusing to me that I am intersted in this....but I have sooo enjoyed learning new things and meeting new people and find it also very bizarre that I am sounding much like the more liberal persons that I know and love....I mean I am recycling, composting, and eating more green now...could it be that liberals and conservatives actually mesh in thinking when all is said and done...My brother and I are actually agreeing on some issues.... :) I think my parents think we are about to move to the country, raise hogs and chickens, and continue to spit out babies.....I mean I did just tell them I am going to homeschool....I am chuckling as I write this because it is very funny to me! I want to add in the end though....this.....I believe that the earth is in the shape it is in because of sin...I do not believe we humans can fix this earth...It's in turmoil due to sin and will continue to be until the coming of Christ. I just studied in Revelation 6...the earth, waves, trees, oceans, etc are in bondage and until God speaks, they will not be redeemed...the earth groans to be redeemed and we will see the turmoil, earthquakes, tsunamis, heat, cosmic disturbances,etc until the 2nd coming....
For your reading enjoyment:
http://www.eatwild.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0F8x4i5GYE
http://www.foodincmovie.com/
p.s. I am not an alarmist and I actually get really annoyed with people that worry about everything but on my hunt and task at trying to know where my food comes from...eating locally is really the best way to go. Just yesterday at work...we had two separate patients walk in our door, they did not know each other, they had bizarre symptoms...vision blurry, yellow tint to their vision, low blood pressure, dizziness, and tingling in their face....upon evaluation, we found out they had both eaten lunch at the same restaurant, started having the same symptoms about one hour after lunch, and ate the exact same fish....that most likely was infected with ciguatera toxin. A fish was being served in the restaurant that they got from a local Seafood Distributor....but the kind of fish that was eaten was not a local fish...most likely a yellow tuna type fish from the carribean...Anyways, it was all very interesting and once again made me want to send John off on fishing trips to bring back fresh grouper.
So this is my latest soapbox...wonder how long it will last :)
1. We should all want to know where our food is coming from.
2. Americans/humans eat way too much!!!
3. Eating whole foods, non processed is best.
4. Buying local is best.
5. Organic eating in its rarest form is impossible in America now days....its a fad....and because there isn't enough land, Americans eat too much, its pretty much impossible to do Organic all the time, for everyone..
6. Big Business and Government ruin it all anyway! :) This is kind of a sarcastic comment but watch the movie!
7. I feel like I have been poisioning my children their entire lives.
Now I just started couponing so eating organic, to me at least, and trying to save money don't coincide but I did figure out if we would actually eat the foods that we were suppose to eat and the portions that we are suppose to eat then it really might not cost all that much more. Basically, I didn't want to be one of those people that jumps on the latest Hollywood bandwagon so I started doing my own research and talking to people that are actually in the business (farming, ranchers). I happen to work with several people that either live in the country and farm or ranching is their lively hood. My next posts are going to be about some of the people I have come in contact with and some of the things we have learned. It's amusing to me that I am intersted in this....but I have sooo enjoyed learning new things and meeting new people and find it also very bizarre that I am sounding much like the more liberal persons that I know and love....I mean I am recycling, composting, and eating more green now...could it be that liberals and conservatives actually mesh in thinking when all is said and done...My brother and I are actually agreeing on some issues.... :) I think my parents think we are about to move to the country, raise hogs and chickens, and continue to spit out babies.....I mean I did just tell them I am going to homeschool....I am chuckling as I write this because it is very funny to me! I want to add in the end though....this.....I believe that the earth is in the shape it is in because of sin...I do not believe we humans can fix this earth...It's in turmoil due to sin and will continue to be until the coming of Christ. I just studied in Revelation 6...the earth, waves, trees, oceans, etc are in bondage and until God speaks, they will not be redeemed...the earth groans to be redeemed and we will see the turmoil, earthquakes, tsunamis, heat, cosmic disturbances,etc until the 2nd coming....
For your reading enjoyment:
http://www.eatwild.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0F8x4i5GYE
http://www.foodincmovie.com/
p.s. I am not an alarmist and I actually get really annoyed with people that worry about everything but on my hunt and task at trying to know where my food comes from...eating locally is really the best way to go. Just yesterday at work...we had two separate patients walk in our door, they did not know each other, they had bizarre symptoms...vision blurry, yellow tint to their vision, low blood pressure, dizziness, and tingling in their face....upon evaluation, we found out they had both eaten lunch at the same restaurant, started having the same symptoms about one hour after lunch, and ate the exact same fish....that most likely was infected with ciguatera toxin. A fish was being served in the restaurant that they got from a local Seafood Distributor....but the kind of fish that was eaten was not a local fish...most likely a yellow tuna type fish from the carribean...Anyways, it was all very interesting and once again made me want to send John off on fishing trips to bring back fresh grouper.
So this is my latest soapbox...wonder how long it will last :)
Mommy and her Boy
Daddy and his Girls
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