Camping With DadToCherubs - Part 1

Indian Boundary Lake with the mountains in the background.

Another beautiful view of the scenery.

The Cherubs making S'Mores ... YUMMY !!

Cherub 4 caught a little lizard - now we have to look him up in our books to identify him. (Thankfully he did NOT come home to live here, but was left in his forest home. YEAH !)

DadToCherubs and the 6 Cherubs at the entrance to the Indian Boundary Park, wayyyy up in the mountains (an hour's drive from our house).

Tuesday @ 4:00pm: DadToCherubs and the children arrived home this evening from their Adventures at Indian Boundary (TN) - aka their Camping Trip. The were filthy, hungry

Cornerstone Of History

These past few days have been most interesting few days as we have been studying United States history. I have prepared a mini lesson about the Mayflower (and the other ships & voyages too), and have as well prepared some material concerning the United States capitol. Our children LOVE these mini-lessons that come up from time to time, so they will be pleased. Regarding the Capitol building itself, I have personally visited this building on many occassions (I grew up in Maryland so we visited DC often), and hope to take our children for a visit later this year to see it for themselves in person. Enjoy !

(Side Note: I finished painting the kitchen last evening, and today am cleaning up. The kitchen looks WONDERFUL !! This afternoon DadToCherubs and the children will be home ... it has been SOOOO quiet here ... and rather lonesome. I can barely wait to see them !!)

It was on this day in 1793 that President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol building. It was designed as a much smaller building than the one we know because the senators and representatives had no offices, they simply worked at their desks on the floor of the House or Senate, and the public area under the dome was a flea market, where people sold everything from silk to light machinery. The wings were later extended, and then a larger dome was installed in proportion to the wings. The building as we know it was finished in the middle of the Civil War. Some people opposed spending money on a construction project in the middle of a war, but Abraham Lincoln thought the Capitol was a symbol that the Union would be preserved.

Today In History

It was on this day in 1620 that the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, England, bound for the New World. The passengers were mostly members of a Protestant congregation who believed that the only way to practice their religion freely would be to separate themselves from the Church of England. They called themselves Separatists or Saints, but today we call them Pilgrims.

They originally commissioned two boats for the journey: the Speedwell and the Mayflower. But when they set out for their journey, the Speedwell began to leak. They returned to England and tried to repair the Speedwell, but it was not fit for travel. So on this day in 1620, they set sail in the Mayflower, leaving the Speedwell behind. They were behind schedule, so the weather wasn't as good. With strong cross currents, the Mayflower averaged only two miles an hour. The passengers had to spend most of the 66-day journey below deck, away from the rain and cold.

There were no sanitary facilities, and there was little fresh water for washing. Many of the passengers became seasick. They ate cold food — cheese and fish or salted beef. They also ate a lot of something called "ship's biscuit," which was a kind of bread that had been baked three times in order to drive out all moisture. It could last for up to five years and had to be dunked in water to be eaten.

On December 21, just over three months after they left England, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, their new home. Only half the colonists and crew survived that first winter. But when the Mayflower returned to England in April 1621, none of the colonists chose to return with it. They all remained committed to building the colony they had started. An estimated 35 million people are direct descendants of those Mayflower Pilgrims.

Copied From: The Writers Almanac (daily email message)

Work & Play

What do CAMPING and PAINTING have in common ??

Well, this weekend they will certainly have A LOT in common.

DadToCherubs is taking our children camping up in the mountains for 2 1/2 days and 2 nights. Yes, all by himself ! He is taking our 6 children ages 13y, 11y, 10y, 9y, 7y, and 4y CAMPING IN THE WOODS, really ! There is much talk of surviving solely on hotdogs and s'mores, with probably other junk food thrown in as well ... oh, and eggs with bacon cooked over the campfire. They are going to hike and swim, climb to the top of the water falls, scale tall trees like moneys gone wild ... and get absolutely filthy in the process. Oh, and the younger boys have informed me that they do not intend to bathe until they get home (although I highly doubt DadToCherubs will allow this, because even though he enjoys camping, he also prefers CLEAN children atleast at bedtime - HA !). The children DO want to take their Nature Journals and sketch pencils (and nature guides to look up what they have found), and of course they HAVE to take the digital camera too. Everyone here is really excited ! (and MomToCherubs began praying the moment this idea was hatched.)

DadToCherubs and the children went last evening and bought a new tent (ON END-OF-SEASON SALE which is even better!!) which is pictured above. The tent is really cool - it has curtain room dividers, sleeps 9 comfortably, and is 7'4" tall in the center .... it will be like having a COTTAGE rather than a tent. They also have a big cooler on wheels for food storage. (YEAH !!) We already have a big water cooler for drinking water, plenty of sleeping bags and flashlights, and cooking supplies that are suitable for campfire-cooking .... just add junky clothing, hiking shoes, some ratty towels ... and toys and bikes ... and a string of exterior Christmas lights for "style" of course ... and VOILA ... a vacation that will delight each child and make memories to last a lifetime. (Plus I am adding a small first aid kit, extra soap, & extra toothpaste with toothbrushes too just in case !) Today they are going to gather firewood to take with them just in case it is difficult to find near camp, and this evening they will pack and get everything ready to load into the van (after church tomorrow).

And while all of this FUN is occuring, MomToCherubs is going to be at home, working hard for 2 1/2 days ... painting the kitchen, and painting the exterior doors. We have not painted at all in this new house, and several rooms are in much-need of a fresh coat. And since we spend a lot of time in the kitchen (and because it NEEDS a fresh coat of paint the MOST), I am going to "start" there (and DadToCherubs agreed whole-heartedly on starting there, but he HATES to paint, so it is left to me. HA !!) When the going gets tough, apparently the tough go CAMPING. (hee hee hee !) I am also going to paint 2 of the Exterior doors to this house while everyone is gone as they "were" white but are stained by a few years of "Tennessee clay" dust and dirt, plus MANY handprints and paw-prints too (orange stains that refuse to come off, no matter what we use to scrub). This way, the doors can be dry and ready-for-traffic when the family returns from their adventure. Painting the exterior doors has always been a challenge as "someone" always seems to forget which door they can / can not use ... despite WET PAINT signs and strong warnings. So .... this is much simpler .... to do the most family-challenging jobs while everyone is gone.

You ask ... why combine camping and painting ?? It's quite simple, you see .... with our big family, if the kitchen is out-of-service, our lives are literally a mess for days. And exterior doors -well, above you can read how that usually works out. So, the idea is that the family will go have a fun weekend (without Mom , so the added bonus is bonding with DAD) while kitchen can be closed completely, and while the doors do not HAVE to be used ... the kitchen will get painted from top to bottom (primer, 2 coats of paint on each wall, and trim work) .... the doors will be fresh and clean AND dried complely. This will make the Painter's life (aka Mom's life) easier because there will be no one here to "need" for anyone to eat or get a drink or be IN the kitchen during the painting process, nor will anyone need to come in / out (every 5 minutes - ha !). We have learned much over the years .... normally when the kitchen is out of service (for painting) we have to either eat out 3x per day (around $100 per day probably) OR we have to stop painting and re-assemble the kitchen to eat, and then take it all apart again to keep painting (not to mention meal prep and clean up). And we have also learned that painting doors is a job best done when no one is home except the painter to prevent smudges and smears. So this time, for the rest of the family, they will not have to avoid said room (or doors) while the paint is wet (thus avoiding a stressing, and possibly grumpy-because-overtired Momma saying "don't touch the wet paint" and "don't make a mess" and such things). HA ! What a grand idea, I know. I only wish I could take the credit ... but it was DadToCherub's Grand Plan.

Please pray for DadToCherubs and the little Cherubs as they head out "to the wilderness" (complete with a bathhouse and electric plugs - HA !) ... that they remain safe and sound, and that their time together is blessed and full of love and fun ... and snacks. HA ! And also please keep me in your prayers as I scale the tall ladder with roller and brush in hand in hopes of transforming the kitchen in record time as I soooo want to me completely finished with painting and the re-assembly of the kitchen before the family returns.

UPDATE Tuesday September 18th: The kitchen painting was completed last evening. So today I will clean up the debris and reassemble the kitchen. After painting the kitchen, I am encouraged to paint the other rooms as they will look so fresh, and will look more like "our" home as we personalize it ... but, BOY OH BOY is this a big house (it was certainly a BIG kitchen !!) so it will take a while to get it all finished. The kitchen looks so nice. Bright and clean, warm and inviting. I painted the top half a warm creamy white (almost tan) called Navajho ... and the bottom of the walls are painted a dark rich brown called Buffalo, which should be very "practical" for our large family as well as looking very nice. The colors remind me of a fresh cup of coffee, before and after the cream is added. HA ! I am very pleased with the outcome .... and am looking forward to the next project (after I get some rest - did I mention that this kitchen is GIANT ?!?!)

Oh - and the front and back doors are freshly painted and should be ready for use when the family returns this afternoon. I touched up the screen doors which are black (and needed some touching up due to general wear and tear, plus lots of scratches) ... and the front and back exterior doors were white (stained orange and brown with many dings and scratches), and now are a shiny black which looks lovely with the black screen doors. The darker colored doors should (hopefully) prove to be quite a bit more serviceable than the original white.

What Color Crayon Are You ??

http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorcrayonareyouquiz/

Should We Make Him Welcome ??

Humberto is coming ... the remnants of the Hurricane, Humberto, rather ... and he is supposed to bring us 1 - 2 inches of steady RAIN beginning possibly tonight (50% chance), or definately tomorrow (100% chance). He is also speeding up a "cool front" according to the weather channel, so perhaps we will not see the 90-100 temps return that have plagued us for much of the summer.

The children were giggling ... "Maybe we should make some WELCOME signs and hang them all over the outside of the house ?" They thought these signs might be nice to welcome Humberto to our drought-riden area with OPEN ARMS, of course, as he is bringing MUCH needed rain. And that maybe with such a warm reception he might like to stay a bit longer than just 1 day ... we certainly would welcome his rain (but we will be certainly thankful for whatever we get) !!

WELCOME TO TENNESSEE,

HOME OF THE VOLS,

HUMBERTO !!

UPDATE Friday 9/14 @ 2:29pm:

It has been raining since midnight and it is STILL RAINING. YAHOOOO !! So far we have between 1/2 - 3/4" in our Rain Gauge (we have been watching it ALL day - HA !) .... it is a nice cool steady rain so little is "running off" - it seems nearly every drop is almost INSTANTLY absorbed into our parched ground. Praise the Lord for the RAIN !! We did have to cancel Soccer Practice this evening, but we are not complaining at all ... I think we might have a movie & popcorn night tonight to "celebrate' the rain !! THANK YOU LORD ... and of course, Humberto too !!

Blog Responsibility

I found this interesting article on the Focus On The Family website concerning Blog Responsibility ... as bloggers, readers, and commenters.

http://www.family.org/entertainment/A000002701.cfm

Homeschool Science

This is a photo of Cherub 1 doing another experiment from his Apologia Physical Science course. This course, by the way, is his MOST FAVORITE subject. (He is REALLY "into" science this year !!)

While working on this lab, he was outside in the driveway, as you can see. (afterwards, I found out that this was REALLY because there was a possibility that the glass jar may break in this experiment - GOOD THINKING CHERUB 1 !!).

And when I went out to check on him, I curiously asked why he was also doing the Follow-Up Readings, note taking, and his "final" Lab Report while laying on the hard concrete driveway ? To this he replied (with a HUGE mischievious smile), "THIS is the beauty of homeschooling - I get to work on school AND be outside at the same time !" HA !

Today, by the way, is absolutely delightful - there is a light breeze, moisture in the air from yesterday's rain, and only in the low 80's ... SPECTACULAR WEATHER TODAY !!

Back to the topic ... This GREAT science course (and several others) is by Apologia Educational Ministries ( http://www.apologia.com/ ), and can be seen here: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3

Behold - An Indian Princess

Our 3 younger children are reading POCAHONTAS (By: Ingri & Edgar d'Aulaire) and are apparently REALLY enjoying this particular study .....

.... because Miss Daisy (who is EVER SO patient and tolerant) was transformed today by Cherub 5 and Cherub 6 to be the Indian Princess, POCAHONTAS, with a custom-made head-dress. They included MANY details from the story (which is quite long for this age group) - it was too amazing !! And it was also explained to me that rather than the white ceremonial turkey-feather dress, the princess was wearing a very unique GOLD dog-feather dress. (yes, they did know that dogs do not have feathers - they were trying to be consistant as they could not figure out quite how to get Daisy covered in white feathers like Pocahontas in the story - THAT could have been ugly. HA !)

I just LOVE Charlotte Mason's methods .... and this was by far my most favorite "narration" given after a book is completed.

RAIN ... GLORIOUS COOL RAIN

We had a 40% chance of rain yesterday, yet none came. Again last night, we had a 30% chance ... but nothing.

And today we have a 60% chance of rain all day. And it is now 12:55p .... THE RAIN IS HERE ... we live just on the front side of this system. See the greens and yellows .... that's all rain ... and it's coming HERE ... it started approximately an hour ago and looks like it will continue for most of the afternoon at least as this storm system seems to be moving VERY slowly.

The children are soooooooo excited .... they are taking turns running outside to splash in the puddles .... it has been SOOOO long since we had rain that the grass is dead and the BIG trees (giant oaks, maples, and hackberries) are rapidly dropping crunchy brown leaves. I have to admit that I am nearly GIDDY over this rain ... because I am thinking of our well, our flowers, and all of God's creation that is SOOOOOOOOOO thirsty for this refreshment.

HOORAYYYYYYYYY !! Thank you Lord for sending this SPLENDID rain ....

UPDATE 626pm: We received a full 1/2 inch of rain. HOORAY !!

Today We Remember ... And Shall Renew Our Commitment NEVER To Forget ...

September 11, 2001

(photo collage copied from EspressoRoast blog site. THANK YOU !)

Site To Share

This is a wonderful site I stumbled upon ... first looking for Cooking-For-A-Month type info (cookbooks there too !) ... then reading the Courtship and other "traditional" articles. How refreshing and encouraging this site is INDEED !!

http://www.homemakerscottage.com/

For Our "Big White Van"

We thought one of these decals would be FUN to personalize our new "Big White Van".

Want to make your own for your family, or maybe just play a little ??

http://www.ourstickfamily.com/

ONE WHOLE MONTH

This past Friday marked 1 month since we began our 2007-2008 school year together .... a whole 4 weeks ... not a missed day nor a missed "lesson", despite a few hectic days and some minor isolated illnesses. All in all, we have to say that these 4 weeks have been extrememly productive for us ... and have also brought a much missed "order" back into our lives that has been missing since last spring. Thank you Lord !!

Please pray for us and for our school year ... it is only with God's Grace and Mercy that we make it work. He has certainly blessed us beyond measure !! These milestones are important to us as we have a LONG school year ahead of us ... we will be working until the end of July this year to make up for last spring's abrupt stop (because of the fire), and we will continue to set our eyes on Him and work, work, work ... and learn, learn, learn too.

ONE MONTH OF SCHOOL IS ALREDY FINISHED !!
HOORAY !!

Post-Soccer Lunch

After soccer, we went to Sonic for lunch to CELEBRATE ... and of course Daisy came too. She was EXHAUSTED after the games (as were her humans) and needed a good COLD drink. A Frosty Paws treat might have been nice too, but Sonic does not sell those - BUMMER !. And of course, even at Sonic, a few pets and some love are never "unwanted" by Daisy.

After her big outing this morning, Daisy has eversince been sound asleep in the air conditioning .... it definately took a lot out of her, but I think she loved every minute of being out with her family AND being loved by everyone she met.

Girls Soccer News

THIS is what makes Cherub 5 "famous" on the soccer field - she shows NO FEAR and will literally steal the ball from anyone, no matter how big ... and when she steals it, she ZIPS away with it, down the field. HA !

Cherub 5 waiting not so patiently for a throw in by her teammate - see her "I'm Open" signal ??

Cherub 5 had her BIGGEST fan at the fields today !! Daisy came to watch, and WATCH she did indeed. She also enjoyed all of the love and attention she received from everyone that saw her there.

Running after the ball ... after our goalie did a drop-kick from the goal box.

Cherub 5 had her first game of the Fall season today too, although it was hardly her first game. This is her 7th season I believe. (she is the little blond in the PINK SKORT with a white jersey in the photos - white socks, and black cleats with pink laces.)

Her team, the Wildcats, played VERY hard this morning .... EVERY SINGLE PLAYER gave their absolute best ... ultimately ending with a final score of 3-4 favoring the other team (they scored at nearly the very last minute, breaking the tie).

Cherub 5 can really hustle with the ball ... dribbling down the field very quickly ... zipping around opponents ... it makes most people tired just to watch her GO GO GO ! She seems to never tire, and truly has a LOVE of the game !!


Cherub 5 scored 2 solid goals for her team, and had atleast 2 others that just barely missed the goal.


At the end of the day, she played hard along with each of her team members ... and everyone learned a little ... everyone showed GREAT sportsmanship ... and (most improtantly) had A LOT of fun !!



HOORAY CHERUB 5 !!! And HOORAY Wildcats !!

First Soccer Game ... EVER !

Cherub 6 and his new friend Mr. "D".

Cherub 6 just after scoring his 2nd goal (teammates in background.).

The team stretching to get warmed up - just after this exercise we flew like AIRPLANES !!

Cherub 6 is playing soccer this fall for the very first time. And just this morning he participated in his VERY FIRST game ever. (That's him in the RED socks.)


He was soooo nervous ... and extremely excited.


And at the end of the day he played with honor and good sportsmanship ... he played hard and never gave up putting forth his BEST effort .... and ....


He scored 3 goals ... and has another 2 shots where he was just a little too far, so it rolled past (touching the post nearly) instead of INTO the goal.


HOORAY CHERUB 6 !!!!!

And HOORAY LIONS - we won with a score of 9-4 !!!

Travel Preparations: Step 1

We are planning a few "road trips" this fall and winter and more than a few next spring & summer. This fall we are planning a 2-week trip to New England (MD & CT) to see family & friends AND to sight-see a little. And this winter we are planning atleast one 3-4 day weekend trip to Ski, but 2 of these trips are likely.

We loved the Ford Expedition we had (bought last January) ... UNLESS ... we needed groceries (and everyone was in the car together) ... or UNLESS we had to head to soccer practices with bags of soccer balls and such (DadToCherubs and I coach) ... or UNLESS we had to travel, which required a BIG top carrier, packing as lite as possible, and still possibly pulling a small tow-behind trailer. And ... as we are planning to buy a Travel Trailer (hard shell camper), our Expedition was not rated to pull anything nearly as heavy as we needed (we found this out when we started looking at campers).

So ... the CAR HUNT began ... mostly because not many cars that seat a minimum of 8 persons HAS an engine the size we required. Ultimately we found the passenger vans and some big SUVs, but after testing more than a few, we LOVED the size of the passenger vans. So, we selected one (the only downfall to it was that it is WHITE - yuck - always dirty ! But it had literally everything else we wanted.) and DadToCherubs haggled a bit with the dealer (his specialty since he sold cars once upon a time) ... then the bank details (with our family bank, Citizens, which is by far the BEST bank there is !!) ... then this morning we went to pick up our new Ford E350 XLT Super Duty Passenger van. We got a SUPER deal, and are pleased ... this was by far the EASIEST car-hunt we have ever had, once we had found what we really wanted.

The new van seats 12 persons AND has a large trunk too .... this will be fantastic for traveling, soccer, groceries, and other "space" issues we have encountered.

We also had a SUPER trailer hitch installed (this morning actually) by the dealer, so we can pull up to 8,000 pounds now (HINT: camper preparations) with ease. And for traveling, we will pull out the last seat, makign the van seat 8 PLUS the biggest trunk we could hope for.

Incidently, during our "running about" this morning to the bank (where we did some school work while waiting in the lobby - the Bank CEO was very excited to see this BTW) and car dealer (more school here, but we sat in teh new car to "test it out"), the children decided to bring along some school work ... working first in the Expedition, and then in the new van ... they said WOW - I HAVE ROOM TO MOVE MY LEGS (big kids) .... WOW - I can open my notebook without hitting or bothering anyone with it .... Hey Mom, we can get in and out of this van without stepping on anyone, or accidently kicking them ! Needless to say, the children are even MORE pleased than MomToCherubs and DadToCherubs.

All that is left is to get a full set (plus spare) of new tires and the running boards installed. Those parts were ordered today (as part of the "purchase deal") and will be put on the new van on Tuesday ... then we are all set to begin planning our itinerary for our fall trip.

So ... in preparation for our travels ... Step 1 (bigger vehicle, lower miles, comprehensive extended warranty for 5 years, etc) is COMPLETE.

To conclude ... we are VERY pleased with our purchase ... and now we are moving on to Step 2 now (planning our first trip, and stepping up the "hunt" for a Travel Trailer) ... LOOK OUT ROADS, HERE WE COME !!!!

UPDATE September 14, 2007: Our new tires and our shiny new running boards were put on just this morning by the Ford dealership. We will certainly feel safer with the new tires, considering the rain today. But to be honest, we were all MOST excited about the running boards because we are all "vertically-challenged" in this family (shhhh !! BIG SECRET) so now we do not have to "launch" ourselves into the van from the ground, banging knees and elbows along the way. HOORAY !!

About The Blogger Reflection Award

We are honored to have received the Blogger Reflection Award. And now, according to instructions AND to careful consideration …. We, now, award this Blogger Reflection Award to the following:

1.) MamaLion at http://shadybrookacres.blogspot.com/
As we have learned much from her blog through the years – her reflective style and willingness to share is amazing. We enjoy seeing this family’s dedication to finding and walking “the old paths” as God instructed.

2.) To Mama Squirrel at http://deweystreehouse.blogspot.com/
As she is most willing to assist other homeschoolers and to share experience both in family life and with regard to schooling.

3.) To Harmony Of Art Mom at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/HarmonyArtMom
As we are inspired by her creativity and we are inspired to “create” more here at Beck’s Bounty.

4.) To Kris Correira at http://cmlivingscience.blogspot.com/
For her dedication to CM Style learning with her MOST INFORMATIVE (and interesting !) Living Science blog.

5.) And lastly to Lindafay of http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/
From which we have learned SO much since finding her blog, and OH the variety of posts is just amazing.

We have, by the way, never "met" such extreme Lord Of The Rings fans as these – very interesting. Anyway, be sure to check out the history of this award here (and instructions for recipients):
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Jocelyndixon/338180/

Trip To The Fair 4: General Photos

Cherub 4 waiting for the Bumper Cars to begin.

Cherub 5 and Cherub 6 awaiting "take off" on their jetplane.

I still cannot believe Cherub 1 and Cherub 3 rode this CRAZY ride - my tummy knots just thinking about riding it. YIKES !!
Cherub 1 and Cherub 2 apparently rode the SKAT 2 times in a row ... I am amazed they were not ill afterwards. HA !
Cherub 5 and Cherub 6 went up to on the Big Slide ... Cherub 5 KINDLY helped Cherub 6 get settled and take off, before speeding down the slide herself. Now, THAT'S PROGRESS !!

Trip To The Fair 3: Archery

TWRA had a booth set up for beginning archery ... they would teach a person how to use a bow & arrow properly, and then allow them to target practice. Well, at first it was the boys who were interested ... then the girls did not want to be outdone by the boys .... and then MomToCherubs "shamed" DadToCherubs into trying it too since neither had tried it before. It was a very interesting lesson !! Afterwards we asked the children (teasing) ... Hummm ... was this SCHOOL ... or the FAIR ... or SCHOOL ... or the FAIR ?!?!?

Trip To The Fair 2: Climbing The Rock Wall

The Wall was actually sponsored by the local National Guard unit. We stopped by this booth so that DadToCherubs could speak to a few old friends from his Guard unit. Then the children asked permission to try the Rock Wall .... Cherub 1 and Cherub 3 made it to the TOP to ring the bell ... and everyone had a grand time giving it their best try.

Wednesday Evening - Trip To The Fair 1

On Wednesday evening, we went to the fair ... here is a photo that a kind gentleman took of the whole family ... DadToCherubs, MomToCherubs, Cherub 1-6, AND Grandpa.

A Labor Day Picnic

For Labor Day this year, we had our normal "Monday" school day ... then we went to the home of some friends to swim and play together in the afternoon. We had a grand time.

Important School Lessons

Doesn't everyone learn to blow bubble-gum bubbles in school ?!?! Well, so did Cherub 6 ... today.

An Award

MommaOfMany awarded our family blog the "Blogger Reflection Award" via her blog http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Mommaofmany

Thank you MommaOfMany for this thoughful gesture.

Now ... am I supposed to do anything else ?? (from a blogger who is a bit slow on the "blog world".) If so, someone please let me know.

They're Everywhere ... They're Everywhere ...

Imagine this .... you have gone to bed early, as did the children. All is quiet ... all is well. Then, you roll over and THINK you hear someone "YELLING" and perhaps banging. So you wake your husband to tell him ... and you both sleepily walk out of your room, to discover that the "noise" is coming from the front door. So you stumble together to the front door ...

And when you arrive in front of it (forgetting to turn on the lights because you are not yet awake), you see a man with a BRIGHT flashlight shining through the doorglass YELLING "Sheriff's Department !!". So you of course open the door.

The door is opened after fighting with the lock that seemed to stick ... and the Sheriff starts talking "a mile a minute". So, what did he want, you ask ?? He started talking very excitedly .... "they're everywhere" ... "some are headed up the road to the north, and down the road over to the south" ... "we saw some near the pond on the next farm "... "there's about 50 head of cattle roaming all over that we counted" ... "they're everywhere" (he said THIS several times in a MOST excited voice.) ....

Well, it was not our imaginations NOR was it a crazy dream ..... this exact thing happened to DadToCherubs and I just last night .... at 3am !!

It seems the cows from this farm were out ... wayyyy out ... and more than a few of them. They were heading up Route 11 into McMinn County, and down Route 11 into Monroe County .... about 50 of them !! And since we live in the "big house" on the farm, the Sheriff assumed we were the Farm Owners. (This would be a good time to remind everyone that we are not "farmers" and have little Cow experience between us.)

So - we called the Farm Manager who did not answer (he was asleep). We called the Farm Owners - who also did not answer (because they were asleep.) We left lots of voicemails and then gave the Sheriff the numbers to keep trying ... and DadToCherubs and I set out to "ROUND UP THE CATTLE" as best we could. (Bear in mind again we are NOT, nor have we ever BEEN farmers ... we know almost nothing about cows .... but we are Yankees and with a bit of ingenuinity we can do most anything - HA HA !!)

It seems a car hit one cow and injured her pretty badly, according to the sheriff ... we did not SEE her but the Sheriff thought she headed back up into the farm early in the "game". But otherwise it was fairly easy to "herd" them back onto the farm and up the driveway - arms up and waving we walked, talking ever-so-nicely to each "lady".

Finally, the Farm Manager and the Owner came .... we had just finished herding all of the cows we could find (with the help of 2 sheriff's).

Upon inspection for "where exactly" they had gotten out, it was discovered that 2 gates to the main pastures were OPEN ... someone had deliberately opened them and had let the cows out. People can be soooo mean ... apparently there have been a few disgruntled ex-employees this summer who were suspected.

Side note: when the sheriff and I were waiting for the owner & manager to look at the gates, he started giggling. We began talking about Animal Farm (By George Orwell) .... that the cows had staged a coup d' etat ... that somewhere hidden was Major the pig who was orchestrating the whole affair ... it was very funny !!

We continued driving around and walking on foot .... looking for rogue cows until a little after 4:00am, when the Owner decided to call it a night. He was very thankful for our help, esp since he could not be reached right away - he said most people would not have cared about his cows.

So - we were back in bed at 420am ... but the giggles (about the whole situation) kept us up a bit longer.

Ahhhh ... the joys of farm life.

Labor Day

Today is Labor Day, and is a regular school day for us. Later this afternoon we are heading to a picnic / pool party. The idea - have a school day AND a holiday all in the same day. And the children do not mind a bit either - it saves a good vacation day for later use.

This morning our younger children asked "what is Labor Day" .... which of course many people have wondered themselves but do not know either. WHAT IS LABOR DAY ABOUT ?? (The information below is from Writers Almanac email service)

Today is Labor Day, first celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882. The holiday was the idea of the Central Labor Union in New York City, which organized a parade and a picnic featuring speeches by union leaders. It was intended to celebrate labor unions, call for the eight-hour workday, and to recognize the achievements of the American worker.

Many of the labor laws those early activists wanted were passed in the 1930s, including the eight-hour workday and the 40-hour workweek. Most sociologists predicted that in the coming decades Americans would work steadily fewer and fewer hours. But in fact, the opposite has happened. Today, more than 25 million Americans work more than 49 hours each week. And 11 million spend 60 hours or more at work each week. Americans also take fewer vacation days than employees in any other industrialized nation, making Americans the hardest-working (or most overworked) industrialized nation on the planet.

Enjoy !!

ARGGGG - Fractions !!

Cherub 1 has always been very strong in Math ... and has worked more-often-than-not completely solo (as he prefers) with great success ... until very recently.

And what plagues him NOW, you ask ???? F-R-A-C-T-I-O-N-S .... and the mere mention of the word brings YUCK or OH NOOO from his lips, along with a frown bigger than I have ever seen before. Even cooking has lost it's joy for him ... MORE FRACTIONS he mutters.

So, in seraching online and asking for the help of other Ambleside & House of Education Mom's ... this link was sent to us. (THANK YOU ANNE WHITE from HEO for this particular resource, and thanks to the other ladies who sent other very useful resources too !!)

WOW ... a teachers manual and 2 workbooks that focus SOLELY on fractions ... FREE AND PRINTABLE ... so we are off today to get a binder and another print cartridge (just in case our printer runs low) ... then we will be back this afternoon to print these off. And for the next few weeks we will take a minor DETOUR from his Saxon lessons, and instead focus on these materials ... and get these fractions MASTERED once and for all.

We thought this resource may benefit others struggling with these pesky "pieces and parts" too - please check it out.

http://jumpmath.org/publications/fractions

Our Saturday Morning Routine

Saturday mornings on Beck's Bounty start early .... breakfast and prayer, dressed, teeth brushed, hair brushed, faces clean ... junky clothing REQUIRED. Then we turn on some music.

We start upstairs where there are the children's bedrooms and a bathroom, and a foyer area. We all work together, sorting toys and stripping beds (washing and remaking later in the day) .... we clean windows (inside and out as ours "flip" in - what a great feature !) .... we dust and use a drymop for cobwebs (these seem to be MOST prevalent in this old house) .... we clean out and straighten closets and dresser drawers, toy bins, and shelves .... and in the end we sweep and MOP the floors. The result - sparkling clean rooms. After this, we put away all of the clean laundry (childrens and bathroom towels) ... and then we scrub the bathroom. TA DA !!

Next, we have a mid-morning snack ... to keep our energy UP. We tackle each room downstairs in the same manner ... TOGETHER ... deep cleaning every crevice and crack, dusting, putting "left" things away, scrubbing trashcans, cleaning out under furniture cushions, dusting and de-cobwebbing, cleaning windows .... this takes the rest of the morning and usually finshes around lunchtime with 1 more room left to do ... the kitchen.

So we have lunch .... and turn the music volume up a bit (and maybe select music that is a bit "faster" to keep us going) .... we rest for a little while (30 min or so) ... and then we dive into CLEANING THE KITCHEN. This includes cleaning out the refrigerator, scrubbing appliances, cleaning out and straightening drawers and cabinets, wiping down inside and outside cabinets, scrubbing exterior doors .... the WORKS, which ends ultimately with sweeping and really SCRUBBING the floor.

And then, usually around 1-2pm, we go outside ... to gather debris and trash, to put toys & bikes away, to sweep the porches and clear cobwebs from the outside of the house. This part takes usually 15 minutes at the most ... the children are HIGHLY motivated at this point to work hard to the finish because it is the LAST ITEM on our TO DO LIST.

By mid-afternoon the house (and yard) is IMMACULATE .... then all we have to do is "maintain" it through the week by picking up after ourselves and putting things away after dinner (our chore time). This leads to a nice clean house nearly all week, other than a bit of "school" clutter that happens daily. This lessens our load daily considerably, and enables us to be more active with church and school and other activities. Our hard work and DISCIPLINE on Saturday mornings brings FREEDOM through the rest of the week.

Why do we do this ?? Because as the older women will tell you ... Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Order in our home enables us to DO more ... this order and cleanliness creates FREEDOM for us as a family and as individuals. Also, this is a HUGE house (6000 sf ??) ... but even in smaller homes we have lived in, it was critical that we all work together, and that each child learn the skills of basioc housekeeping so that someday they will be prepared to care for their own homes. BTW - this is NOT just a skill we are teaching our 2 daughters, but rather to EACH of our 6 children. DadToCherubs is great to pitch in and help, mostly through the week though as he sleeps on Saturdays (he works nights) until around 3-4pm. And lastly, this Mom thrives in an orderly environment ... and the other old saying is "If Mamma ain't happy, then nobody is happy." I find that working as a team makes the project easier (a great life lesson !), and that through the years the children are ultimately MORE careful to put things away as they do not want a total disaster to clean up on Saturdays (or at evening chore times when they are to straighten things up in their designated area to "maintain" our hard work from the past Saturday) .... the secret to motivating them is that after the cleaning is COMPLETELY finished, it is PLAY TIME .... FREE TIME .... or sometimes we go out for an outing as a family - to the lake, or shopping, or even occassionally ot to dinner.

Our Saturday Morning Routine finally became a HABIT ... and through it we work toward DISCIPLINE (of self) and ORDER .... all of which are critical life skills that we feel our children (and ourselves too) cannot live without.

One other benefit - there is little to no panic when a visitor stops by unannounced ... or when, after church on Sunday someone says "we were planning to stop in to see you this afternoon" ... the house is already in good order (or very close to it).