Lap Goats

I think I have figured my favorite animal around here. The goats! Oh my, they are so sweet and curious! They are very much like dogs, following us around and crying when we leave them. These girls have been here about seven weeks. Alice, the younger is old enough to start weaning from the bottle. This seems harder than weaning a baby. She alerts us every morning and evening that she is ready for her bottle. She cries like a baby. I think we will decrease the amount she gets each day, then just put water in her bottle for a few days. Hopefully, this will keep her satisfied as she is gradually weaned. 

Alice, "Please Samuel, let me sit on your lap."

"Awww...love"

Eliza Jane getting some Hannah love.

Oh, but Alice must have some too. Here she comes.

There she falls.

"Make room for me!"

Poor Eliza is getting smashed.

Eliza gets Hannah all to herself.

Pure love and a little hat chewing.



Birds Birds Birds

Chickens are about the easiest animal to care for.  Throw them some food, make sure they have water and a safe place to sleep and tada.....EGGS!  Ok, there is the occassional coop cleaning, but even that is useful in the garden. 

This is our forth summer living the good ole' country life.  One piece of advice offered to us over and over was, "Take it slow".  So, we did.  We started with a couple rabbits and a few birds, and gradually grew from there.  This year, we have had an explosion of animals, from sheep to birds and in between. We will get to all that another time.  Until then, let me introduce you to the birds:

 

 

Meet the laying hens. They are two years old. Twenty special gals provide eggs and great entertainment.  If you want to know where to find the "chicks" head on over to the pine shrubs.  They'll be there dust-bathing and basking in the sun.

Next, head on over to the chicken coop and meet our next generation little layers.  Five Reds.  Notice how they perch on the box.  They are very agile and light.  On the other hand, the Cornish Crosses sit on the ground and eat, eat, eat.  These "frankenbirds" are bred for fast growing.  Our job is to provide them yummy food, lots of water and fresh air and grass.  They will live a happy short life here in the chicken coop. Then fill our freezer for a year of backyard bird.

These little fellows are only a few days apart.  The meat bird is bigger, fatter, does not have a lot of feathers on it's stomach and has huge feet.  The little layer perches, runs around and chases bugs. Both are neat birds, and fun to raise.

We must include the natives.  This little finch crashed into the barn window and knocked herself silly.  It took her awhile to get her bearings, but she was soon back to doing what little birds do.  Meanwhile, we got to check her out and examine her beautiful feathers. This time of year, fledglings flap around all over the yard. The children feel it is their important job to protect them from kitties and dogs.

Last, but not least, we have the goslings.  Four Ebdem goslings will be raised as Hannah's 4H project.  We drove to Ridgeway Hatchery in LaRue.  It was a neat experience going into the old building seeing boxes of hatchlings everywhere.  We listened to the peeps and got to peek into some of the boxes.  Before leaving, the lovely ladies offered each of the children candy and allowed them to peek at a box full of pheasants.  It was a long drive, but well worth the bit of happy learning. I highly recommend Rideway Hatchery for all your hatchery needs :) http://ridgwayhatchery.com/

Say "cheese" little gosling.

Totally unrelated, Garder snakes are a fun find in the spring.  Just please do not put them down in the house. Ignore the hospital band around Samuel's wrist.  It is from speech therapy. 

 

 

Sick Day and Fresh Air

This house has been filled with coughs and sniffles, asthma and congestion. We needed a walk with cool fresh air and warm sunshine.

A walk with my boys....







Trying to pick the little rocks out of the stone.





"Mama, take a picture of the trees.  They're neat."

Pre-boot/pants fix

 
Soon enough, we will be able to open the windows and air the house.

 



Wacky Week

This has been an unusual week. We've been very busy around here. Last week, we came home with two Nubian doelings. The 8 week old, Eliza Jane is like an awkward teenager. She is timid and shy and very cute. We are working with her to let us touch her legs and neck. The other is two weeks old. Her name is Alice. She is sweet and gentle and loves to give kisses. Since we got her at such a young age, she is eager to come to us...but maybe it's because we have bottle in hand. Yes, we have a bottle baby. It is so sweet watching a goat take a bottle. She downs 12oz in about a minute. The goats enjoy being around the children. They follow them everywhere. These little goats are very much like dogs.

Eliza Jane and Alice

Samuel has been having a lasting asthma attack. He's on meds to help. After having it for a week and a half, I think we have it somewhat under control.

Saturday, we swapped Noah with our friends' girls. For the rest of the week, he will be in Michigan. I miss having our little man here. He and Danny worked on converting our flat trailer into a livestock trailer. It was a lot of work, but it has paid off.

Working on the trailer

This morning, we used that trailer to haul our very stubborn hog to the processor. She was a little leaner then we would've liked, but much bigger than last years hogs. She's probably around 220 lbs.

"Here piggy piggy piggy"

"Just come on up here and eat this apple"

"Fine, we'll just put the bucket on your head and push you up backwards"

We are almost out of this years wood. That's not happened since we moved in here. We've burned more than usual. Hopefully, our stash will last through the week. Meanwhile, we may, ack...buy a cord.

Tomorrow, one of our cats is heading to the vet for a spay. She has been very naughty this week.

Next week, meat birds are coming and maybe baby rabbits. We're still waiting on lambs.

Making sand from soil...Making mud

Off to Market...Jiggety Jig

 

A Walk in the Woods and Hannah's Day




Our climber



Melting snow

Hannah and her lesson horse: Flicka, a Quarter Horse

Hannah riding Flicka

Eli and Licorice, the coolest Pygmy goat.  I think I we need one.

 

The snow started melting as fast as it fell.  I grabbed my camera and headed to the woods trying to catch a glimps of the beautiful snow before it all melted and turned to slush.  Happy little followers came along....a silly dog and the curious cats.  Abbie loves the snow.  This little Wheaton hops, rolls and throws her nose right into the cold fun. 

 

On the way to my quiet walk in the woods, I stopped and visited with some of the animals.  The pig...AKA....Little Tea, is almost ready for market.  She's scheduled for the end of the month.  The sheep have settled in and are doing well.  Hannah likes to sit in their pen and watch them.  They smell so good, except when going to guitar lessons with the boys, in a small room, and shoes smell like sheep.  Oh well, I guess it's better than pig. 

 

My walk this morning was peaceful.  All around,the sound of melting snow fell from branches.  Birds are returning.  Every morning, music of returning birds grows louder. New sounds each day.  Beautiful noise to remind me that spring is near. 

 

Today was also a special day for Hannah.  She finally started riding lessons.  I am pleased with the instructor and I think she and Hannah will work well together.  Hannah is a natural animal whisperer. There is something about her that connects to them.  She naturally works well with animals of all sorts, whether it be a bug or horse.  Today, she got to enjoy her favorite animal of all.  She did very well, and eagerly awaits her next lesson. 

 

 

A Walk in the Woods

Hunting for Eggs

Danny and Eli have been working on putting a floor down in the barn loft. Hannah is enjoying the view.

Naughty chickens are getting ready for bed.

An empty nest box.....hmmm....where are all the eggs?

If the nest box is empty it means we get to go on an Easter egg hunt. We find them in hay piles, brooder boxes, under rabbit hutches and inside cat houses. At least they lay in the barn and not the yard.

Our "Home Learning" Day

When we first began this journey of "learning at home", I was full of overwhelming emotions....fear, excitement, joy.  Homeschooling....mothering in general is the hardest most rewarding job!

In the beginning, I wanted to know what everyone else was using for "curriculum", and how they managed their days. I've learned so much since those first days. But..truth is, I still love hearing how families homeschool their children! So if you're curious, like me, continue on - enjoy a taste of our crazy days.

We have a schedule, but it is more of a flow than a set time of events; because in reality, babysitting a toddler, managing a home, and homeschooling four children requires flexibility and patience (from all of us).

Our Flow......
 - Wake Up Routines...Noah goes around and checks off basic morning routines that are completed by each child:  bed made, teeth brushed, hair brushed etc.
- Animal Care: Outdoor animals get fed and cared for.


Morning Chores

-Breakfast and Clean up
-Bible Study
-School Lessons
-Lunch and Clean up
-Finish Lessons/Quiet Time
-Monthly/Weekly Chore
-15 Minute Quick Clean: We set the timer for 15 minutes and everyone cleans our mess from the day.  We have a list of everything that must be orderly.  This has been the biggest help in keeping the house in order.
-Free Time


Eli "Can we study mushrooms today?"

-Check Outdoor Animals at 4:30
-Dinner and then clear table
-Bible Lesson at the dinner table with Daddy.  We are currently going through Ecclessiastes.


Special place for Bible Study Books

-Kitchen Clean up
-Evening Animal Care
-Shower/Bedtime Routines


Enjoying Learning Together

Each of our children has their own unique learning style, so we try to choose materials to meet those needs.

Hannah: 7th Grade: 2nd half of year:  Our Outdoor Charlotte Mason Learner

Math: Teaching Textbooks and Life of Fred
History: Notgrass, America the Beautiful
Language: Queen's Language Lessons, Apple's Spelling, Easy Writing
Science: The Science of Horses, J. Anne Huss, Queen's Homeschool: Mary's Meadow

Noah: 6th Grade:  Our Hands-On/Traditional Learner

Math: Teaching Textbooks and Life of Fred
History: Notgrass, America the Beautiful
Language: WordSmith Apprentice, Apple's Spelling
Science: Exploring God's Creation: Botany



Thinking

Writing and vocabulary are incorporated with history and language. We supplement with lots of other materials. Notgrass includes a list of required novels to read throughout the year. Language, History and Science all require the children to research and write.

Samuel: 2nd/3rd Grade: Our UnSchooler/Workbook Learner

Math: Teaching Textbooks and supplements
History: Queen's America's Story v. 1
Language: Wordly Wise 3, Easy Grammar 3, Handwriting Without Tears, copy work
Science: Queen's All Nature Sings

Eli: Kindergarten: Our Engineer/ Charlotte Mason Learner

Math: Math U See, Queen's: Math for a Living Education
Language: Queen's:Language Lessons for Little Ones v 2, Modern Curriculum Press Phonics, Handwriting Without Tears
Science: Christian Liberty Nature Reader -K
History: Books and listening to Samuel's lessons

We also use Internet resources, the library, the Bible and Netflix to delve into subjects.

I'm having a lot of fun lately, witnessing Eli learning to read and excel in math. Samuel is learning to be independent with some encouragement from Ma. Hannah and Noah are becoming more and more independent in their studies and personalities.

This is our fifth year homeschooling. Two positives I noticed immediately when the children stopped attending public school were: the bond they shared grew stronger and our discussion and study of scripture became more grounded.  There simply is more time in the day to focus.

I enjoy having the children home each day. It is the most challenging and rewarding experience I've ever been a part of.  I am blessed.


Science: Making Laundry Soap