Crazy Fall Schedule

So I should know better by now. I've been homeschooling for 9 years and I always tell people to be really careful that they don't overschedule themselves when they first start out to homeschool. It's so easy to say yes to so many great things since there are many wonderful opportunities for homeschoolers. There are classes, lessons, field trips, exhibits, co-ops, playdates, park days, meetings, focus groups, study groups, and the list goes on. I love that people think homeschoolers just sit home all day and do work at the kitchen table. I wish we could stay home more and just be. I'm going to be much more careful when putting our spring schedule together.

One of the great opportunities Justin has been fortunate to be able to do is Horse Care at Sienna Ranch. Sienna Ranch is a small ranch run by homeschoolers and they offer classes that involve ranch animals and nature. Justin goes every week and spends two hours caring for horses and learning to ride as well. They brush the horses, clean out their stalls and learn all about the different horses. He absolutey loves his horse care class. This week I went and took pictures because I really wanted to see him ride a horse. They had a visiting cowboy teaching roping lessons and he let them ride his personal horse. What a wonderful horse he had. He was so gentle and well behaved. Justin did great on the horse and I know this is time well spent.

Garden Harvest

Well, after figuring out that in order for my garden to be successful I have to water, water, water, I finally was able to grow things. I actually leave the hose on the plants and it drips continuously so that they're always being watered. Once I started doing that things started to grow and produce. For some reason Bryan's grapes grow without having to water them. We finally were able to harvest them and my dad and Marcus ate them. Breanna ate some too and we took some to Bill and Kathleen. The sad thing is, we got about two days of grapes and it was over. We did get a lot though on those two days, enough to last us a few weeks. My tomato plants have done well and they taste so yummy. I do have a few tomato plants that were given to me from an organic farm but they're taking longer to produce. I forgot to stake them so the branches are laying all over the ground. Lesson learned, stake your tomatoes early. We have 17 pumpkins on the vine and Breanna and I have named them all. We have Bob (he was our first pumpkin), Barry (his little brother), Petie, Stevie, Josie, Carly, Gary, Jerry, Larry, Pumpkin Pie, Sweetie Pie, Cutie Pie, Bow, Peep, Suzy, Chloe and I can't remember the last one. Breanna wrote out their names on popsicle sticks and put them in the ground next to the pumpkins so we would remember their names. It was a good lesson in writing for her and she enjoyed it. We're going to keep 3 of the pumpkins for ourselves and give away the rest. My roses have done really well too. The soaking has really helped and I think this has been my best year ever for roses. I've had a ton of zucchini and made zucchini bread, muffins, and grilled zucchini. I've been able to give some away too which I love to do. The chickens have been producing eggs and we've even been a little backed up with eggs. I have to find people to give them to. It's a lot of work and I have to constantly be out there working on the yard but it's worth it.

Guinea Pigs!

My friend Marie asked me at church one Sunday if I wanted guinea pigs. She had three that she wanted to get rid of and offered them to me. It was funny because on the way to church that morning I was just thinking I'd like guinea pigs. I took some time to think about it, asked the kids and of course they said yes and then approached Bryan. We already have 10 pets with the 4 chickens, 2 bunnies, 2 frogs, a gecko and a cat so adding three more pets was a big deal. All the animals have to be fed and everyone poops. It takes time and money to care for so many animals. Plus, guinea pigs can be stinky and you have to change their cage bedding at least once a week. We found out that guinea pigs eat the same food as the bunnies so I wouldn't have to buy different food and the kids would help clean out the cage. There is no reason why I should have to feed and care for all these animals by myself especially since we have all these animals for the kids. I love having them and I don't really mind taking care of them but I don't want to do it by myself. So after some convincing, Bryan agreed, I'm sure not willingly though. Marie brought them over, cage and all and the kids and I fell in love. They are so sweet. You can put them on your lap and pet them while you watch TV. They will pee on you so you have to put a towel down first but they sure are cute. Their cage does get a little stinky but that's part of the deal. Justin helped me clean it out the other day and it's almost time to do it again. It almost needs to be done twice a week in order to keep it really clean and nice. They love fruits and vegetables so I try to give them something every day. We put them out in the bunny run yesterday while Marcus was practicing drums because I was afraid he would give them a heart attack from all the noise. They liked the grass but it was getting really warm so we brought them back in. Their names are Bugsy (black and white short hair), Isabel (black and white long hair), and Flower (brown). Isabel was named Oscar but we just couldn't call a girl that so Justin renamed her. It's so fun to have my mini farm. I really do love it.

Justin the Artist

Justin is so creative and sometimes he amazes me. He went online and watched several utube vidneos on how to make your own Halo helmet. First he took paper and made a pattern and then he cut the pieces out of cardboard from old shoe boxes. Then he taped the pieces together, found some plastic from his predator figure box to make a shield and then he spray painted it red. It looks really good and he spent the whole day working on it. He loves to draw and create things and he has real talent. Marcus loves to draw too and so does Breanna. They get that from Bryan's side of the family.

Pumpkins!

My volunteer pumpkin plants bloomed while we were in Maui and now we have a few little pumpkins forming. It' s fun to see them grow and I keep checking for more. I've been soaking a plant in the yard each day and it's really starting to show. I know my pumpkin grew overnight and I see new growth on all the plants. The plants haven't been wilting in the afternoon like they usually do either. I need to cage the tomato plants and the pepper plants that I got from the organic farm that we toured in Pleasanton two months ago. I planted them really deep like the guy told me and they took a while to grow but they look really full and healthy after a few days fo soaking them. The other tomato plants are doing okay. The leaves are turning yellow and getting crispy but we do have tomatoes on the vines and a couple are starting to turn red. I've harvested 3 cherry tomatoes and 1 little roma tomato. They sure were good. The grapes are still growing strong but they aren't ready to pick yet since it hasn't been warm enough. The corn didn't do so well. I have one really good stalk and everyone who grows corn knows that you have to have several stocks close together so they can polinate each other. My watermelon plants are the same size as the day I brought them home from the nursery and planted them in the ground. I have been soaking them too everyday and I think I see some growth. My lettuce plants are huge and really need to be harvested. Those were volunteer plants too so they aren't spaced correctly. The pumpkin plants are taking over and I love seeing all that green in my garden.

It's Summer!

I finally feel like summer is here. We left for Maui June 9th and came back June 24th. We had a great time and it was so nice to be on the beach and stay in a condo and not have much to do. As soon as we came home we went to an A's game, went to the fair, bought a new car, saw friends, did laundry and got the house and yard back in order. Then we had the 4th of July weekend to get ready for. Justin went to church camp last week and since one of the boys was gone I didn't feel like I had to do school with them. We're doing school through the summer because I feel behind on things. We got so busy during the school year doing other educational things that we never got to the things I had planned. Anyway, I've been able to stay up late, sleep in late, move slowly during the sunny day, clean, organize, sew and run errands. We even had a garage sale today and I finished a book I had started a while ago. It feels like summer. Marcus left for scout camp today and I miss him already. He does so much around the house and he doesn't need that much from me. He's fun to have around and that boy grows every day. I'm enjoying watching him grow into a young man. He's forming his ideas and opinions and is willing to listen to what I have to say. He joined a boy scout troop in February and we've really been struggling with some fo the issues that come from a group like this-communication, organization, expectations, disappointments, confusion. We're making progress and Marcus said he would give it until after camp to decide wether or not to stay in scouts. I hope he has a good time. The weather was strange today-well, hasn't it been strange for a while? I was sitting in the living room and the school house out back looked pink so I looked at the sunset and it was beautiful . Here is a picture.

Marcus' 13th Birthday Party

Since I did Justin's birthday on here I figured I'd better do Marcus' birthday too especially since he turned 13 this year. Our kids are now 5, 10 and 13. It's crazy but it's here. I love their ages though. Breanna is so much more independent and wonderful, Justin is great and Marcus is changing by the minute. He gets taller and more handsome each day that passes. It's weird and great at the same time. We had his party on Saturday May 9th but his real birthday is May 7th. He wanted a football themed party (again with the theme, I know). I made the invitations (that's another thing that I always do) and they were really cute. Then I made a football field cake with football players and goals. Bryan made the goals out of pipe cleaners. That man is amazing with pipe cleaners. I love homemade cakes and its always fun to get creative and match the cake with the theme. The last two parties I haven't had any cake leftover. That usually doesn't happen. He invited a bunch of people since I didn't put a limit on the number an I figured everyone would be really busy in May on a Saturday so a lot of people wouldn't be able to come. Well, I was a bit wrong. We had a great turnout and I counted over 14 boys over the age of 10 and a lot more little kids plus lots of parents and family. We usually invite the family too because otherwise I end up having several parties to cover everyone. I like it better that way anyway. We had hotdogs and football food-chips, dip, finger food. I tried to make whatever I would have made for Superbowl Sunday. I forgot how much teenage boys eat and we ran out of food pretty fast. The soda was gone in an instant and I had to resort to lemonade and water. After they had all eaten and were starting to run around Bryan took all, and I mean all, the kids to the school that's behind our house. I assumed someone went with him to watch the younger kids who were playing at the playground. I was wrong. I did look over the back fence and saw Bryan with all the older boys playing a very organized game of football and then realized that all the little kids were playing by themselves at the playground. Shea and Alyssa went over to the park so all was well. I managed to sit down and enjoy the quiet and realized that this was the best party ever! We couldn't see, hear or smell the kids and we were at a kids birthday party. Well, that didn't last but it was nice. The kids all came back and we did presents and cake. I didn't do party favors for this party either and I feel a little bad but again, do the kids really care? I don't think so. Marcus had a great time and that's all that matters. Is he really 13? How did this happen? It's all good though. I'm falling down in the picture taking too. I usually take so many pictures of their parties but I haven't lately. I do regret that and I plan on working on being better at that. I don't have a good picture of Marcus at his own party but the cake looks good.

Justin's 10th Birthday Party

We had Justin's 10th birthday party at our neighborhood pool on Saturday May 3oth. His birthday is actually June 3rd but that's a Wednesday and it's hard to have a party on a Wednesday if you want everyone to be able to come. We've lived here for 9 years and this is the first time we've ever had a pool party. I usually let them choose the theme of their party (if you know me, you know I have to have a theme for every party) and this year he chose a pool party. I usually make the boys share a birthday party since their birthdays are only one month apart but since Marcus turned 13 this year he got to have a special party. I ended up letting Justin have a party too since it is his first double digit year. Alot of kids came and we had pizza and soda. None of the adults swam because it was so cold and windy but all the kids did and they seemed to have a really good time. Kids don't care, they just want to swim. I feel a little bad because I didn't go all out like I usually do. Just pizza and soda and a homemade cake. No decorations, no extra food, no goodie bags. Do the kids really care? I don't think so. I think they just want to have their friends over, eat yummy food and open presents. Mission accomplished.

Down on the Fake Farm cont.

Look close. You can see one of the first carrot sprouts. It's a strong one so hopefully one day we'll eat it!!

Down on the Fake Farm

Things are happening here on the fake farm. I had to replant all the cucumber, lettuce, carrots and corn because as soon as I planted them in the garden bugs ate them. It is fun to check everyday to see what has sprouted and if you look closely you will see something. It's been a good lesson in patience because you have to wait for the seeds to grow and there are several days when it seems as if nothing is happening. There's a part of you that doesn't believe that something is going to grow and you're amazed when you see that first little green sprout peeking through the dirt, then another, then yet another. We planted all the seedlings in empty egg cartons and set them in the dining room next to the sliding glass door so they would get the light they need, we could watch them and make sure they had plenty of water.

We planted 6 tomato plants in pots since they did way better last year in the pots than in the garden. I love home grown tomatoes and so does everyone else so we decided to grow alot. We also have about 6 strawberry plants in the garden that we've had for several years but haven't ever really produced a good supply of strawberries. I found out that strawberries are like corn, they need to be close together and there needs to be alot of them. I'll be heading out this week to get more strawberry plants to fill in the holes between the plants. I love strawberries.

We went to a Civil War Reenactment today at Forest Home Farms here in San Ramon. Forest Home Farms is a historical farm that has been preserved and is open to the public for various events such as this one. Marcus is very interested in the Civil War and we thought it would be fun to go as a family. It was so nice to have something so close to us. The costumes were great and the cannons were extremely loud. Sometimes you could see a ring in the sky from the cannon and if one went off and you weren't ready it rocked your whole body. They had several tents set up and various displays but the one that caught the boys attention was the hospital. They had fake hands and feet laying on the ground under the table and a tarp that looked like it was covering those who didn't make it. I feel sorry for the guys who had to endure that type of surgery. It was very moving to see how some of the combat was done and how close they were to each other while fighting. After the battle we were able to get up close to the cannons and talk to some of the guys who were "soldiers". This particular cannon weighs about a ton and sometimes they move them around on the battlefield. Marcus wore his Civil War hat and I dressed Breanna in her prairie dress and braids. The weather was beautiful and it was a very fun day. I'm glad we got to go.

We always color Easter eggs on the Saturday before Easter. This year we tried to go a little more natural and use food coloring and vinegar. Well, I didn't have regular vinegar. All I had was apple cider vinegar and I was too tired to go to the store so we just used it. The colors turned out so vibrant and they were instantly colored. We didn't have to wait the usual 10-15 minutes checking our eggs over and over to see if they were colored. We were done dying our eggs in less than 15 minutes. Now that's a record for us! The brown one in the lower corner was a mistake. We tried to make purple but it obviously didn't come out right. Oh well, we're still happy with our eggs.
The family came over after church on Easter Sunday. We had a great time eating, hiding and finding eggs, taking family pictures and playing the Wii. Bill, Kathleen, Randal, Alyssa, Lauren, Lizzy, Sami, Alan, Verena, Shea, Anna, Ava, my dad and Aunt Peg were all here. We love being together and we are so fortunate to have such a wonderful family. We had ham sandwiches, potato salad, macaroni salad, fruit salad, cookies, chocolate and Verena's famous trifle. A great time was had by all.

Spring has sprung down on the fake farm

Spring has definitely sprung around here. The lavender was the first thing to bloom, okay the only thing to bloom but it was so nice to look out our living room window and see color. The grass is so green, the roses are growing fast, the grapevine is sprouting new leaves every day, it's all so much fun. This lavender plant is just outside the classroom out back. We planted our seeds on Friday March 27th and we notices our lettuce was sprouting this Wednesday. That was fast. This morning we noticed our corn was sprouting. It's so fun to watch things grow hour by hour. We planted corn, lettuce, watermelon, cantelope, carrots, cucumbers, and pumpkins in egg cartons in the dining room. I've planted seeds in the garden before but I always forget to water them and then when they did manage to come up out of the ground they were promptly eaten by bugs in the night. This way they're protected and we can watch them as they grow.

Chickens at the Back Door

We felt bad for our chickens being all penned up in a muddy, dark area of our yard so we're back to letting them free range during the day in our backyard. They make such a mess but they're so much happier. I did some reading on chickens and one way to make their pen more comfortable during the winter is to lay down saw dust and lots of hay. They can also have some of our composting but I have to be careful because chickens are not supposed to eat certain things. They peck at everything. I'm working on setting up the chicken pen/coop so we can again keep them penned up so I can get the yard under control again. In the meantime we have chickens at our back door. They come up to the door and act like they want to come inside. These are our three americana chickens that lay us blueish green eggs. One of our black chickens died last month and and it was very tragic. She was fine the night before and then she was just dead the next morning. Being a farmer can be very sad at times. I felt so bad for her and we still don't know why she died. So now we're down to four chickens. The other black chicken wasn't at the back door when I took this picture but she's alive and well.

Sorry we haven't posted in so long. We were busy with Thanksgiving, Christmas, chickens laying eggs, Breanna's birthday, you name it. Now all of that is over, except for the egg laying, and we're getting back to a normal routine. The chickens are all laying everyday so we get about 5 eggs a day and we finally filled an egg carton from Costco. The kids have been eating eggs alot more and Marcus has discovered omlets. Our Americana chickens are laying green eggs and our black chickens are laying white eggs. They look so pretty in the carton and they taste so yummy. We finally had to pen up our chickens because they were destroying our backyard and trying to fly over the fence. One of them did managed to fly over the fence and the neighbor's dog thought lunch had arrived in his backyard. She was attacked by the dog but managed to escape. The only thing she lost were her tail feathers. I'm not sure if chickens have any pride or if they are smart because that same chicken was back on the fence by the end of the day. I guess they don't have a very big brain for memory storage. Our chickens are very sweet though and love to follow us around the yard. They "talk" to us when we go out in the backyard and I never knew chickens could be so loud. I know they want out of their pen so they can scratch and dig and poop and fly over the fence. Our yard looks so much better now and you don't have to watch your step as much any more. We're learning alot by being fake farmers. I hope we're not bothering our neighbors too much and just in case we are, I brought one of our neighbors some fresh eggs yesterday.