4th of July Week 2015

This week the kids worked on art projects and tried to get little letters written to another homeschooling family that we stay in touch with. We didn't quite finish it all up, but we will!

We started homeschooling during Shark Week last year, and that seemed to work pretty well for us so we will begin on July 6 this year, along with Shark Week. The kids got to get a shark and 2 sea turtle toys (because they didn't have 3 sharks).

Here's one I'm pretty proud of ;)

Josh gave Carly one of his Loot Crate shirts for pajamas and I got out the sewing machine and made it fit a little better! (The symbol is for Dungeons and Dragons, but we don't really play)

The girls and I also took a quick trip to Goodwill on the 4th and bought a hand mixer, a VHS tape rewinder, and a tool kit (with most of the tools missing). The kids sat down with their tools and electronics and were entertained for a very long time taking things apart and seeing how they work.  :) I even introduced them to putting a 9V battery on your tongue!

My sister in law Sarah has been visiting for the past couple weeks and we had lots of fun having her here with us. Wouldn't you know it, though, that she got to be here for our well pump breaking down, the bathroom pipes needing snaked out and a small invasion of ants in our living room and kitchen! **sigh** Well, there's always next year to show her a better time I suppose!

And, of course, the obligatory fireworks pictures!

Lost Tooth, Girl Scouts, Vet Bills, & Tadpoles

I've spent the last couple days getting my blog updated and going over some of my posts from a year ago when I started. I know that all parents already know this, but wow, my kids change so much in just one year!  It's almost time for us to start our second year of homeschooling and I am really excited/nervous about teaching Carly to read and helping Olivia through 2nd grade.

Olivia has lost yet ANOTHER tooth yesterday too!

I had considered Girl Scouts awhile back when a friend of mine started her girls into it, but shied away after reading about the increased financial focus the organization has shown in recent years and that there is often difficulty just finding a troop with an opening. Well, that has changed now because I met a troop leader at the kids' Vacation Bible School who seems absolutely elated at the possibility of having *both* of my girls join and, after several emails back and forth, it seems like she has a similar mindset to myself, which is awesome! We will be going to our first meeting in the middle of July and I'm really hoping this works out so the kids can have some friends that they see on a regular basis instead of just the random children we see at the playgrounds.
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My 10 year old chihuahua Peppy had an abscess on his behind and was overdue for a vet checkup anyway so we went today.  The estimate to get him all up to date and fixed up was almost $500 so we just had the ruptured gland cleaned up and medicated for now. Hopefully we'll be able to get the rest of his treatments done within the next month. Ugh. 

The kids went outside this evening after a pretty lazy day and when I looked out to see them soaking wet and sitting in the kiddie pool full of tadpoles, I was fine with it.  No big deal. Let 'em play in the water.  We have PLENTY of tadpoles.

Any kiddie pool left full for about a week will fill with tadpoles of all sizes. I love Florida!

Speaking of water, it looks like our well pump may be taking a crap and needing replaced in the very near future. **sigh** Sometimes it's really no fun being a grown up. ;)

May June 2015 Catch Up Posts

MAY 1, 2015

What better way to celebrate being home than by going to the local small animal auction?

MAY 2, 2015

Omg omg!!! The hens have been setting on a clutch of eggs since we left on our trip and THEY'RE HATCHING!! YAAAAAY!! These are my first ever hen-hatched chickies!

MAY 5, 2015

PEEK!

Yesterday we found broken coffee and end tables on the roadside and I saw potential for nesting boxes!! Olivia helped a lot too smile emoticon It might need a support board thru the middle, but not bad for stuff we had laying around!

MAY 6, 2015

I went to pay my electric bill this morning and found the secretary standing on her chair. This beautiful little snake had her scared silly. I told her to find me a box to put it in but it started to go into a hole in the wall. I grabbed its tail and pulled it out. I turned out to be a little too forceful though and the snake got torn up. The lady ~really~ didn't want me to let go. I'm sad I wasn't able to bring it home for my husband but now that secretary will have a better, less stressful day.

MAY 13, 2015

Day at the beach!! Finally!!

Bucket o' chicken anyone?? smile emoticon I found a tip online that said in order to get a hen to stop being broody, you should hold her in cool water for about 4 minutes. Hens do not lay eggs while they are broody--they are concentrated only on hatching eggs and protecting chicks. I have 4 chicks that the 3 hens were able to hatch while the kids and I were gone on our roadtrip so I placed them in a separate brooder and dipped some hens in the bucket! Hopefully it works!

MAY 16,2015

Olivia brought in an egg from the coop that had a small crack. I told her that it had to be thrown away or cooked right away. She got very excited and decided to cook it up herself with me giving a couple verbal directions smile emoticon Here's my proud girl!

MAY 20, 2015

Getting my nerd on this evening! "OOOOOH YEEEEAH!"

MAY 23, 2015

Ballast Point Park in Tampa, FL

MANATEES!! My first ever sighting of manatees!

And the kids had some fun at the water park there as well!

JUNE 1, 2015

Headed out for a "dinner and a show" style date night with hubby tonight! Yay! We're going to a comedy club to see Tom Green!

Er mer gerd!! SOO yummy!! (Creme brulee)

 Tom Green!

 JUNE 5, 2015

Today's "homeschool" lesson: How to change a car tire. Next time I think I will let Olivia do it while Carly and I supervise. Then the time after that, maybe Carly can try! Fingers crossed that this lesson takes YEARS!!

JUNE 12, 2015

YESSSSS!! JURASSIC WORLD with the kiddos!!

The last pic was just taken because the girls liked the movie. We didn't see "Home" today.

JUNE 18, 2015
The kids always love it when their Auntie comes to visit!

JUNE 19, 2015

Carly drew this "Human pretending to be an alien."

JUNE 21, 2015

The kids got to have cake and ice cream after the Vacation Bible School week church service.

JUNE 27, 2015

The kids and I went for a little hike at the Cedar Point Environmental Park. It was way too hot, but we will probably return on a cooler day.

JUNE 27, 2015

Our chihuahua had puppies! We have 2 black boys and 2 brown girls. SO CUTE!

April 2015 South Dakota Road Trip

APRIL 13, 2015

We made it to the top of Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta!!

APRIL 14, 2015

Is it naughty that I walked around the Walmart in Tennessee yesterday asking people where to find things so that I can hear their accent?

 I was sick and had to cover about 6 hours of driving. The Econo Lodge in Greenville, IL was great last night tho! After some pizza and swimming, I was finally feeling better.

APRIL 15, 2015

Illinois State Museum smile emoticon

APRIL 18, 2015

Sac City Motel

Hit some decent rain so we stopped halfway from my mom's house in Iowa to my grandparent's house in South Dakota. smile emoticon

APRIL 20, 2015

One of my aunts wore the little guy out at the park today! Here we are at Shorty's Cafe having supper.

April 21, 2015

I got to swing by and visit my dad on his 60th birthday

APRIL 23, 2015

Karate fighting bubbles and playing in a fort at my cousins house!

APRIL 23, 2015

Wagon ride and a tea party with the great grandparents!

My Gramma and I

APRIL 24, 2015

The Grotto of Redemption

West Bend, IA

APRIL 27, 2015

Elephant Rocks State Park, Missouri

  

 APRIL 26,2015

Awesome rest area in Illinois (I think)---had 2 bridges, 1 covered, and a tower to climb for a scenic view.

 

 APRIL 27, 2015 (again)

My legs KILL today. After the tower yesterday and the Elephant Stone Park hike today, I hope I can still walk in the morning! Hard work makin' memories lol!!

APRIL 28, 2015

Chattanooga, TN

This morning was a little rough. We tried to head out a bit earlier than usual, but had a big cereal spill at breakfast that hindered that and got everyone into a sour mood. Then we had an unplanned stop to get Olivia a pair of shoes because she insisted that the ones she has been wearing thus far were now uncomfortable and too small. We drove 3.5 hours to the Racoon Mtn Caverns and had a really fun tour, played some mini golf, bought walking sticks in the giftshop, and then stopped for some burgers. I had planned to go another 1.5 hours into Georgia, but everyone has been so crabby and tired all day, I just decided to get a room right by the burger place lol. Day 17 of this trip just needs to be done.

 Just finished up a cave tour at Racoon Mountain Caves in Chattanooga Tennessee. I got to take home some cave mud on my shoes and pants lol! Today has been rough, but it looks like we are still going to be on schedule 

smile emoticon tongue emoticon

APRIL 29,2015

Canton,GA

Found a nice spot to stop and let the kids burn some energy! After this is lunch time and hopefully the kids will nap while I drive.

APRIL 30, 2015

HOOOOOOOOOME!!!!