Jacob the Brave
Or Defending Mom

Upon our arrivial at the Blue Ridge Assembly, we checked into our cottage, Clemson, the FURTHEST structure from the main lobby on the property. Although extremely rustic and very outdated, it appeared it would suit us well during our stay. With one bedroom downstairs that Luke, Will and I were going to share, and 3 more bedrooms upstairs, it was perfect. The girls had a room with 3 beds in it and each set of boys would share the two remaining rooms.

Once we were settled in, I ran to the grocery store with Deanne. One of my purchses was grapes for the kids to eat as an afternoon snack. Will decided to eat the grapes, so I put some on a paper plate for him. He ate all but about 6 of them and I didn’t thnk anything of leaving them on the table.

We were out of the cabin most of the rest of the afternoon, getting henna tattoos, tiedying the baby’s blanket (we didn’t buy t-shirts but the tiedye gal was wonderfully sweet and let Will and Sophia tiedye Luke’s white blanket, eating dinner and then going to the campfire to make s’mores. After all the fun Deanne drops me and the little kids (Jacob, Cade, Sophia, Will and Luke) at the cabin …oh, I forgot to mention, my van couldn’t make the share curves up the mountain, so it was in the main parking lot. When I walked into the kitchen to get Will some juice I thought it was strange that the remainig grapes were now on the floor and appeared to be swished in half, but I figures one of the kids had done it.

The boys sit down to play, Sophia is just hanging out and I sit down to nurse Luke. Luke falls asleep and I go and put him in the pack and play in my bedroom and I settle back on the couch with a home schooling magazine. Jacob goes to the kitchen to get something and says “mom, there’s a mouse, it just ran under the couch” as he says this I see it take off into the bathroom. “look Sophia, there’s a rat!”

I quickly correct him and say “that isn’t a rat, that is a mouse. Rats live in sewers!“ Why I felt the need to correct him at that moment, I have no idea!

I HATE MICE! Jacob knows this and senses that he must spring to action as my face gets whiter before his eyes. I don’t know if it was me quickly drawing my feet up off the floor onto the couch or my eyes wildly darting from side to side that tipped him off, be he somehow knew! He says “It’s OK mom. I will catch it and then when Brett gets back he can kill it. He killed the spider in Deanne’s cabin. “ So Jacob the brave goes and gets a bowl out of the kitchen that he intends to put over the mouse. As he is searching for the bowl and Cade is babbling on and on about how Brett can smoosh it with his shoe just like he did the spider, I spy ANOTHER mouse. , at least I assume it is another mouse since it comes out from the couch on the other side of the room, nowhere near the bathroom the other one ran into.

At this point I go and get Luke out of his pack and play, since I am convinced that the mice might decide they want to dine on baby fingers and baby toes. I have Jacob and Cade move all of the luggage off the floor since I am also convinced that there might be mice under it or worse yet climbing in it (since I just know they want to follow me where ever I might go) , thankfully there aren’t any mice, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. I decide that we are heading DOWN the mountain, in the dark, with no flashlight because if the mice are partying like this with us standing there and all the lights on, I don’t even want to consider what kind of party they will have once we go to bed. By now Sophia is standing on the chair screeching “don’t let the mice get in my Bratz dolls”, Cade is still plotting what they will do when the catch the mice. I keep thinking the same damn thing ….what will they do if they catch it….imagining the plastic bowl running all across the floor!

Of course I have to pee before we can head out which means I have to enter mouse number one’s last known location. Needless to say, I am amazed that any pee made it into the toilet with all the jerking around I was doing trying to see if the mouse was in there!

So shoes on everyone, and down the mountain in the dark we go. tI is close to 10 PM and very dark. Yes, I decided in my infinite wisdom that we would be better off in the dark with bears, possums, raccoons, skunks and assorted other woodland creatures with no flashlight than we would be with 2 very small mice. We get to the main building just as she is turning off all the lights. I look at her and say “I don’t do mice. There are at least 2 of them in Clemson, and I am not going back!“ Thankfully she helps us (yes, I do realize that she was doing everything in her power to not LAUGH at me!) and finds us alternate accommodations, although not nearly as roomy or well suited to our large crew (two hotel style rooms, barely big enough for two full size beds) and there is no refrigerator or microwave. Now the real problem arises.

The older kids are all in watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show, so Deanne and I have to move 10 peoples worth of stuff and all the food from the kitchen ALONE from the cottage to the 3rd floor of the hotel (which has NO ELEVATORS)…..I can’t even describe how sore I was or how chapped the insides of my legs were from the numerous trips up and down the stairs.

So Jacob will here forth be knows as Jacob the Brave, because he was going to save me and his younger siblings from the mice! And I, will forever be known as the big fat chicken!

Most disappointing children’s museum ever:

Until today (Tuesday, September 4th 2007), the most disappointing children’s museum that we have ever visited was the one in Richmond, Virginia . Today, that museum lost its distinction and will forever (or for at least the near future) be replaced by the east Tennessee discovery center. I found a link to ETDC through the reciprocating museum brochure that the wonderful Cincinnati Museum Center puts out every year, to let us know what museums across the world will let us in for free using our local membership card. When planning any roadtrip I use the brochure to plan stops to stretch our legs or as a day trip in a city we are visiting. So, ETDC is in Knoxville, on the way to Black Mountain, NC. We planned the stop for midafternoon and allowed a generous amount of time to explore what looked like from their website was going to be a wonderfully fun museum.

It probably isn’t a good sign when the museum is so small, you drive right by it. Then when you see no cars in the parking lot, it probably should serve as a warning. We ventured in anyway. After all it is free and we need to stretch our legs! The woman at the front desk looked put off that she actually had to get up and check us in. Then when she said that the children must use their “inside voices” little bells should have gone off in my head. We went around the corner and the museum laid in front of us….well if you can call 8 exhibit’s a museum. It was pathetic. The beehive had moths and ants in it, but no bees. The few computers they had weren’t working and some of the other displays were out of service. Needless to say, we didn’t need a generous amount of time. We probably didn’t even stay 45 minutes!

OK, so the positives for the museum…..scales that represented yoru weight on each planet in the solar system….although I would chose to live on Pluto, I am not sure if I can, since it is no longer a planet! There were interesting tidbits of informations posted on the walls. And the restrooms were clean! Always a plus in my book. Of course I wouldn’t detour that far off of 1-40 for a clean restroom, I am sure you could find a McDonald’s closer to the exit ramp and there wouldn’t be an admission fee!

Funniest museum moment, when Grant “farted” into the dish that carried sound across the museum. OK, typically farting wouldn’t be all that funny to me, but it really summed up the entire experience!

Can you believe that Luke is already 4 months old? And YES, he is every bit as bald as his big brothers were! I guess we will see over the next couple of months whose path he follows....Brett and Jacob who both had full heads of hair at 1, or Grant, Cade and Will who were still basically BALD at 2!

BTW, Cade (7) took this picture, pretty good, don't you think?

Cave Tour at Natural Bridge State Park (2.5 - 3 hours south in KY)
Meet at Hemlock Lodge Lobby just before tour
When: Wednesday Oct.17th at 1:00
Who: Homeschoolers of all ages
Max:15
Cost: $3.50 a person (babes in arms are free)

We plan to stop and get lunch on the way down there. When we get there we'll meet at the Natural Bridge State Park for a Cave Walk guided by a naturalist (complete with helmets and flashlights). The Cave Walk takes about 1 hour. Not sure if we’ll do this or not but after the program we are welcome to walk the trail that leads under Natural Bridge. From Hemlock Lodge it's about .5 mile which should take under an hour.

What to Bring:
Snacks and drinks
Field guides
Sketchbooks
Magnifying glasses
flashlights (they do provide these but you can bring extra if you like)

Directions: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=116645750226709456414.0000011344fde9fb04673&z=7&om=1

Positive Unschooling article:

Since they are few and far between, since most people just don't "get" it: http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070819/NRSTAFF/708190301/-1/NEWSRECRSSARKIVE

The cat's out of the bag.....

So, in our 7 years of unschooling, I have NEVER used the "u" word around my family. My mother completely would freak out, she is turned off enough by homeschooling, there is no way she could grasp the concept of just what we are doing all day if it doesn't involve "school at home". She pesters me each May about the kids "test results" and I smile and tell her that our annual evluation went well and that all of the kids are progressing at an acceptable rate, and sometimes even throw in that each of them is the smartest kid in their class (she has just never figured out that they are the ONLY kid in their class!). I never elaborate at just what that means and she happily accepts my answer.

Anyhow, back to the point of the post.....my brother has taken a job that has him overseas working. He is bored so he emails me (I have talked to him more in the 4 months that he has been gone than I did in the 34 years he lived here!). So the other day he sent me an email, and I mentioned unschooling.....I think he may "get" it.....here was our exchange.

From Steve:
Greetings:

So, how are things going back there in the States? Everything over here is just fine and boring. I have sent a few postcards from here and there. I hear you are getting a little taste of our weather. 96-102 would absolutely suck with that midwest humidity. I hear that all the grass in Ohio is dead (or near dead). Over here I don't even notice the heat anymore. But it's not humid either. Did the canoe rental place there in Loveland recently change hands? A friend of mine bought an canoe business on the Little Miami and I was wondering if it was the one in Loveland. Water...I can't wait to see that again.

I truly wish I could report on all the interesting things going on over here, but there are none. Everyday is Monday and everyday is Groundhog's Day. Nothing really ever changes.

Oh well, I'll write again soon.

C-Ya!!!!!!!

My reply:
Not sure about the canoe place down here changing hands, I will have to ask around and see....the river is SO LOW I can't believe that it would be any fun to canoe right now.

Our grass is still green, but just barely. It is really dry....at the ballfields, the grass cuts your feet if you where sandals!

Mom is driving me NUTS......I keep trying to keep my promise to dad to "take care of her" but man does she make it hard.....and if my dumbass brother wasn't half way around the world, she might have a little bit less to bitch about! Em, Sophie, Will, Luke and I went out to dinner with her a couple weeks ago (the other kids managed to come up with excuses!)...she wants to make it a regular thing....dear God help me! Will did drive her nuts, so maybe he will be my saving grace!

We have been keeping busy at the beach waterpark and the YMCA.....anything to stay cool!

Grant's baseball team finished 4th in the city tournament (teams from cincy, sw indiana and northern KY) and 2nd in the Clermont County tournament. That boy has some ball skills....luckily he is about a 1/2 a step quicker than my turtle brother!

County fair was a few weeks ago. Hannah took 1st place with her anti-smoking project and 3rd for her scrapbooking project, Emily 2nd place with her art (although she didn't get a ribbon because of a judging mistake), Grant 4th in collectibles. Sophia won 3rd place in the baking competition with her cupcakes decorated like little lambs! We had a blast out at the fairgrounds every day. Since Hannah took first place with her project, we had to go up to the state fair for her to present it. Talk about HOT, what idiot decides to have a fair the beginning of August and then builds the fairgrounds on BLACKTOP?

The kids and I will be heading to NC here in a couple of weeks to attend an unschooling conference. We are really looking forward to it. Jay is looking forward to a week alone, well except for the dog!

I am attaching a few pictures of the kids, not sure about the firewalls and filters you have if you will be able to see them! If they don't come through and you want to see them, let me know, I will make an online album someplace that maybe you can access.

Steve reponds:
Hey,

Yeah, I got an email from mom a couple days ago. She sounds kind of dispondent. She was talking about killing chipmunks. Anger with the wildlife will not be tolerated. I think she may have finally lost it. That means our plan is almost complete!

The pictures came through great. Once I get my new computer from the States, I'll download them. That picture of Sophie is PRICELESS! They're all going on my wall if I can find a way to print them. You must have really made "friends" at the fair...with all your kids winning everything.

If baseball season is over, what's next? Basketball probably doesn't pick-up until later in the fall.

Okay, just what is an "unschooling conference"? You'll have to educate me on that.

Training folks over here is kind of like herding cats. Trying to get them all to do the same thing at the same time is near impossible. It is a good thing that I do more "advising" than anything. I have probably done about 10 days of "work" since I've been here.

Well, I'll see you when I go on vacation. I can't say when that will be exactly...we can't talk about travel.

C-Ya Soon!

And I respond:
Football season is in full swing. Cade, Jacob and Grant all play. practice every Mon, Tues, and Thurs night, games Sat or Sunday! Cade's coach is fairly anal retentive about the team website, not sure if you will be able to access it or not, but here is the link http://eteamz.active.com/lovelandyouthfootballinc/index.cfm?subsite=3821329 he usually updates it at least a couple of times a week.....Cade is #7! Jay is the one in the back row looking rather serious! The other two coaches aren't nearly as good at updating the websites! Grant's team is really good....undefeated the last 3 seasons, defending conference champs. Jacob's team, well, we just hope they might win a game or two! Football runs through the end of October.....Basketball practice will start Nov. 1.

Since you asked....well, Unschooling is a word I will NEVER use in our mother's presence, but I figure you know how far gone I already am, is the belief that life and learning can't be seperated and that true knowledge of anything is only obtained when it can be linked to some relevant way to living. In short in means we aren't pouring over textbooks or taking tests, we are following our passions! Here is a link to one of the sites of one of the "gurus" although I find her a bit abrasive(we talk often by email) , I embrace and live a lot of what she advocates http://sandradodd.com/unschooling.html. Two writers that I feel really get the whole thing are John Holt (short easy books to read) who although he didn't have children gets the whole idea that learning needs to be connected to living. Another one who is very interesting is John Taylor Gatto, former NY teacher of the year, who now writes and promotes why school isn't what most people think it is! http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/ , linked on that page is his essay Against School it is a quick read, two others I really like are http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/john_gatto.html "Why Schools Don't Educate" and http://www.cantrip.org/gatto.html?seenIEPage=1 "The six lesson teacher". Yes, if you were ever in doubt of how far I have gotten from the mainstream, you will be no longer! Now don't freak out, the kids aren't going to be lazy slackers sitting at home at 25, they are each passionate about things and the older set are mapping out plans to take them into adulthood. College is on the horizon for at least some of them!

Here is a link to the conference we are attending http://www.liveandlearnconference.org/, I am even going to teach a funshop. The kids are really excited. Our best friends (Deanne and her two children Sarah and Chris) are going with us!

If you need better copies of the pictures to print, let me know, some of them I have larger copies of, I try to email them in the smallest format so to not slow down anyone's internet connection

Attached is a picture of Grant catching!

Herding cats...now that is a phrase I use all the time....applies really well to HOMESCHOOLERS...especially when you are trying to get a group of the kids to do ANYTHING!

LOOK HE GETS IT>>>>> Here is his response:
Having just scrathed the surface of this idea from the article links you provided, I think I can say that I can support the concept of what is being presented. I think it has to do with the availability of life experinces from which to learn. I also think that the vast wealth of knowledge that is available immediately in this age, makes the need for formal learning near obsolete. I can equate this to simple things in everyday life. If you want to "learn" something, then you need to do that "something". Without interest in a topic, there will be no learning of that topic. That seems so simple. I think the problem is that many do not have the resources to explore this option. It would take an entire re-construction of the "school system" to give this option to everyone. Then we would end up traveling down this well-worn road of "institutionalizing" this new system into something that may be no better than what we have today.

That being said, on an individual basis, I think it is a wonderful concept and applaud anyone who is willing to do it. I think Gatto hit the nail on the head when he stated that people as "individuals" used to seek knowledge from "individuals" who specialized in the area of knowledge that they were interested in (gurus, etc.). This is by far the best way to learn. It is proven over time as the "apprentice/master" relationship. Anyway, schools as institutions of learning using the "assembly line" approach are an utter failure. Again, I applaud anyone who attempts something different and takes personal education upon themselves, or in your situation, assists other in individualized education.

Stepping down from my soapbox...

Waiver from Compulsory Attendance:

Our letter arrived today, 9 days after I turned our notification in to the school district. We are official and in compliance with Ohio laws for the 2007-2008 school year! Not that I have ever had any problems with our notification, but I always worry until I get that letter back in hand!

There are days that I long to live in a state like Indiana that has NO LAWS governing homeschooling or in Kentucky where you just have to notify that you will be homeschooling, but don't have to jump through the notification with a brief outline of intended curriculum and a list of teaching materials and the testing or assessment hoops that you do here in Ohio. I just try to remember that things are far worse in other states and do my little song and dance each August to keep the kids off of the school bus and home with me!

The perfect gift to mark Luke's 4 month birthday!

~ Tour of The Cone ~

When:Friday August 3rd 11 AM

Where: 6855 Tylersville Rd.West Chester, OH 45069

Who: Homeschoolers of all ages Max: 25 including parents

Cost: $4.25 per person ( Includes the tour, lunch and a certificate redeemable at a future date for buy one get one free small cone or shave ice.)

Our tour is scheduled before regular hours so please try to be on time.

Lunch consists of a hot dog or chicken corn dog and chips served in a souvenir cardboard classic car, a kid's drink and a soft serve cone, shave ice or kiddie sundae. Parents can get this lunch or order from the menu.
We have to pay as a group so I ask that you please bring exact change!

Directions: Mapquest or call The Cone at (513) 779-7040

If you have any allergy questions you will need to contact The Cone for that information.

We will provide your group with a guided tour of our facility and show how we make different items and answer questions.

Honestly, this tour kind of sucked (honestly there isn't another word I can think of to describe this, unless I go with the one Grant used, lame!) , but the icecream and shaved ice was YUMMY and we got to meet some new homeschooling families. One family from KY had 3 boys around Grant and Jacob's ages and they play baseball and football, so the boys have something in common! We plan to invite them to the waterpark to hang out some afternoon, hopefully they will be able to make it!

The funniest thing was to see all the kids CRAMMED onto the merry-go round....one of those little 3 seat ones, that costs a quarter to ride....

What today looks like...

I feel like I have been neglecting my blog....life seems to get in the way of many things I want to do....

So, I thought I would just give you a glimpse into today....

Laundry is the first thing on the agenda this morning....it seems to pile up so quickly in the summer with all the towels from the pool and football practice gear.....

This morning I had made an appointment to get Sophia's pictures taken. She had been asking since her birthday and I knew we had nothing else to do this morning so I made the appointment and planned to get a picture taken of Luke also for his July scrapbook page.....the appointment was at 10:20 AM and we actually got there about 10 minutes early, but Sophia's hair looked like crap....I was so upset that her hair looked so bad but there was absolutely nothing I could do to change it. Hannah brushed it and tried putting it into braids, it didn't really help. Will, of course, had insisted on going with us and HAD to have his picture taken too, I was so frustrated with him that I couldn't even bring myself to buy any of the pictures of him because he was being such a pill.....doesn't sound very nice for me to say that I love my son dearly but didn't really like him this morning! Luke's picture turned out adorable (he was wearing a cute Ralph Lauren outfit he had received as a baby gift) and there was one of Sophia's that was OK (of course it would have been CUTER if the background hadn't had DIRT on it off of Will's shoes).....Maybe sometime in the next few weeks I can make sure that I get her hair fixed cute and then take her back and try again. Luckily I am only out $8.51 for the package and I know Luke's picture is cute!

We left the mall and decided to stop and get lunch at O'Charley's. Kind of a stupid move on my part, money is tight and I shouldn't have spent what extra I had on lunch, but the idea of those yummy rolls was just too tempting! Between the rolls and the soup my mood improved some! Hopefully I remember that tomorrow when I have to eat peanut butter for lunch!

We passed Jay as we got close to the house, he was heading out to run errands and had the three middle boys and the dog in the van with him. Of course he didn't have anyone to leave the boys with since Brett was out with Sarah. As much as I love watching my children grow, their budding social lives certainly cramp our style when it comes to having babysitters available. Not that Jay minded taking the boys, but I know how nice it is to have a quiet car ride without them!

I came home and got to spend about 30 minutes scrapbooking. I love to scrapbook and wish I could fit more of it into my schedule, but lately I have been stealing time where I can and doing a page or two....I really need to start on Luke's album, but I can't do it until I get caught up with the family album. I have so many pictures I need to print off of Costco, but no money to do it right now! At least I don't have a huge stack of prints waiting to be scrapbooked! Once I get what is printed caught up, then I will start ordering more prints. I use the scrapbook to help document our homeschool year, so I really enjoy working on it. I ran down and switched the laundry.

We had to be at dance at 3 PM. Luke was napping so I left him with Jay. Sophia had her backhandspring class. She cried, she didn't want to go to class, she doesn't like the teacher. At least she went in this week without screaming. I have no idea what I will do in the fall if he teaches her class again! She was really excited about ballet today, they started learning part of their competition routine. We left dance at 5 PM, leaving Hannah behind to catch a ride home with Catherine!

Home to a screaming Luke and Will ATTEMPTING to heat up a bottle in the microwave.....apparently no one is watching him and I walk in just as the nipple explodes off the bottle. No real harm done, I guess I need to figure out a way to get the microwave out of his reach. I sit and nurse Luke and check emails. Emily and Grant offer to walk Will down into town to the candy shop to get him some candy and to hopefully wear him out a bit. His face is BRIGHT RED when they walk back in the door.... 90 plus degree heat and a big hill are a bit much for a 3 year old!

Jay and Cade leave for football at 5:45 PM. Jacob had to be dropped off at football at 6:15 PM, so I leave a full Luke with Brett and head out the door with Will in tow. He HATES being left behind, so it is usually just easier to take him with me. Luckily Jay gets finished with Cade's practice about 15 minutes before Jacob gets done, so he will be able to bring him home.

Grant and Emily went up the street to swim at the neighbors.....I can't say I am crazy about them being there, but the parents seem responsible and they are together! I guess I can't wrap them in bubble wrap and keep them at home all the time.

I sneak back home and trim up my dying fern on the porch....how is it that I can grow children so well but that any plant left in my care suffers an untimely demise? Probably because kids SCREAM and DEMAND attention, a plant is much easier to ignore!

7 PM....I need to get dinner started and finish cleaning up the kitchen....

Luke has GERD

Luke went for his 2 month check-up today. They diagnosed him with GERD/reflux and put him on 0.7 ml of ranitidine 3x a day! I knew all the crying and spitting up wasn't normal and hopefully this will help. The doc said that when he lays down it feels like he is drowning which is why he screams so violently when we lay him down on his back, so we have to keep him upright for 45-50 minutes after every feeding...so basically he will be UPRIGHT all day, since he eats about every 2 hours! I cried in the van on the way to the pharmacy because I didn't realize that my baby was sick or in so much pain. She said that most babies outgrow GERD at about a year old, but that for some kids, GERD becomes a lifelong condition. The medicine tastes HORRIBLE and he isn't happy about taking it, but hopefully it will help.

So you ask, what is GERD? GERD stands for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease which is chronic symptoms or mucosal damage produced by abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. Your stomach is filled with acid. Its purpose is to help digest the food you eat. Believe it or not, this acid is the same acidity as battery acid. Your stomach is built to handle the acid it produces. However, your esophagus isn’t. So when acid backs up into your esophagus, it can cause the burning sensation known as heartburn. Almost everyone has occasional heartburn. But if these symptoms occur two or more days a week for at least three months, you may have GERD, or acid reflux disease. Acid reflux occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (the valve separating the esophagus and stomach) does not close properly, allowing acid to back up into the esophagus. GERD is a chronic condition and may lead to more serious medical conditions, but is treatable.

Other than that things went well. As the visit was drawing to a close, I was waiting for her to say "the nurse will be in with the shots" and I had prepared myself for the whole thing and instead she says "you don't immunize right? So I guess we are all done for today. Call me in 10 days and let me know if the meds are helping his reflux".....I bet my mouth was hanging open! I couldn't believe it. I hadn't even mentioned the immunizations outright at any previous visit, just politely told a nurse when she said something about a new vaccine in the schedule that "That's fine, I don't really need that information". The only other thing would be that Luke's record might show that we didn't do the hepB at the hospital, so that may have been another clue. I am so thrilled with my new pediatric practice choice!

Luke is growing, slow but steady. He weighes 12 lbs even and is 24 1/2 inches long...... 40% for weight, 80% for height...

He has a mind of his own

A few weeks ago (yes I am so behind on posting here) we were at swimming lessons at the Beach Waterpark. A sibling of one of the many children taking lessons was happily pushing his stroller around. He looked to be about 15 months old or so. At one point he pushed the stoller (one of those cheapy umbrella things) rather close to me and his mother came rushing over and said in a guenuinely apologetic tone "I am so sorry, he has a mind of his own." I smiled at her and replied "There is no need to apologize for that". She walked away and I know she probably never realized that I didn't just mean that she didn't need to apologize for her son almost hitting me with the stroller, but that she didn't need to apologize for her son having "a mind of his own". Why did she say it like it was a bad thing? What is wrong with independent thinking? Of course our society and its institutionalized learning isn't too fond of free thinking, it is certainly easier for those in charge if everyone is "single minded". Even at such a young age it was important to her that he conform, and not act or think, outside of the box.

Probably not even 15 minutes later, I hear a familiar scream. It is Will, arguing with a rather flabbergausted lifeguard (his swimming instructor) who was trying to take him into the bathroom. He was refusing and screaming at her, smart boy, he knows that you don't let ANYONE take you in the bathroom or take off your swimsuit, and he knew that I was close by, because I had told him at the beginning of class that I would be at the tables right by the restrooms. I walked over to rescue him from the situation and the lifeguard said, in a rather disgusted tone, "he certainly has a mind of his own." As I scooped a sobbing Will up into my arms, I looked at her and said "Yes he does, isn't it wonderful?" Of course she looked at me like I had 6 heads and turned and walked away. She probably will never give the conversation another thought.....I, on the other hand, have been pondering it for weeks now!

Free thinkers, learning in freedom, embracing children for having their own minds.....that is my awesome wish for today!

Slow cooker chicken and rice

1 1/2 cup long grain rice
4 cups water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 medium onion chopped
16 oz bag of frozen broccoli
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used canned)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I would add more next time, but I LOVE cheese)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on high 3-4 hours.

Vicki's Gourmet Potatoes Recipe #37465 (shared by Brooke)
8-10 servings
1 hour 20 min prep

6-8 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon grated onions
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup grated cheese (optional)

Cook potatoes in salted water until tender. (About 10 minutes from time water gently boils) Drain.

Combine potatoes with salts, onion, butter, cream cheese, and sour cream. Whip until mixture is smooth and fluffy.

Place in buttered 2-qt. casserole.

Top with grated cheese if desired. (May be covered and refrigerated overnight or frozen at this point, if desired) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Variations: You can add cheese, diced ham, bacon bits, etc if you like .

GERMAN PIZZA ROLLS (recipe from Sandra)

I made these tonight for dinner and they were a huge hit. Grant LOVED them!

8 oz Ham
8 oz hard salami
1 can sliced mushrooms (I omitted these)
8 oz (2 cups) shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
heavy whipping cream (pint container)
salt, pepper, oregano and paprika (I omitted salt, since I find ham salty)
6 - 10 Kaiser rolls

cut everything (but rolls) into small pieces (I used kitchen scissors) and mix everything up in a bowl. Cut Kaiserrolls (like for a sandwich) and put the mixer on it. Preheat the oven to 350F and leave the rolls in there for about 15 min till cheese is golden.



SPINACH STRAWBERRY SALAD (recipe from Lisa)

I made this to go with the pizza rolls. Everyone ate it and Emily LOVED it!

12 ozs. fresh spinach leaves
1 qt. fresh strawberries (sliced)
2 tsp. sesame seeds (or seed/nuts of choice, I used sunflower seeds)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. grated onion (I omitted this as Luke seems to react to onion)
1/4 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. paprika

Wash and drain spinach, then squeeze dry between layers of paper towels, tear into bite-size pieces (or not)
Toss together spinach, strawberries, and sesame seeds (or seed/nut of choice) in a large bowl; set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat together oil, sugar, vinegar, onion, worcestershire sauce, and paprika.
Pour prepared dressing over salad and toss to coat.
Serve immediately.

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Despite the rain we had great fun on the 4th of July. Here are a few pictures.

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Presidential coloring pages:

http://www.lil-fingers.com/coloring/presidents.php I was looking for pictures of past presidents for our 4-H timeline for our 4-H booth and came across this page with nice free pictures of each president.....the only thing I wish it also had on the pictures would be the dates they served, but you can't get everything for free now can you?

Fair Oaks Farms
856 N 600 E, Fair Oaks, IN 47943 Toll Free: 877-536-1194
http://www.fofarms.com/

I spied this dairy on our way home from Chicago the end of May and decided that I would stop there on our return trip to Chicago in June. It is about 80 miles north of Indy or 80 miles south of Chicago on I-65 (located at Winamac/SR 14 exit 220). We highly recommend it if your travels take you up that way!

Visited on June 26, 2007 12:45 PM until after 4 PM

Admission: $7 adults $4 child 3-12 children under 2 free school groups $3 groups of 10 or more $5 . They offer a family pass for $30 which is 2 adult admissions, 2 child admissions and a $10 gift certificate to spend in the gift shop (we used ours to buy icecream and milk).

From their website: Operating dairy farm and museum where on average 80 calves are born a day. Discover modern dairy farming and the benefits of dairy products then shop the Dairy Store. The art of dairy is what we do, and on the extraordinary Fair Oaks Farms, our family is honored to make the freshest milk, award winning cheeses and fine ice cream, everyday, for you. We are so passionate about our extraordinary dairy; we invite you to visit us ­ any day and every day. Explore with us the Seven Wonders of the Dairy Adventure. The whole family is sure to share moo-mentous fun! Outstanding Field Trip. Open daily 9am-5pm, Sudays 10am-5pm.

Hannah wasn't too excited when I told her that we would be breaking up our drive to Chicago by stopping at a dairy farm, but she changed her tune within minutes of walking in the door! We began by purchasing our admission wristbands at the ADVENTURE STATION and we at first disappointed when we learned we would have to wait 70 minutes for the next tour bus (we got there at 12:50 PMand the 1 PM bus was full!) When we asked what we were supposed to do for the next hour the woman at the desk gave us the run down of activities, including that we could walk to the BIRTHING BARN and hope to see a calf born.....we were so IN LUCK because we entered the barn when one of the calves had just presented its hooves (for those of you that don't know, calves are born front hooves first).....very quickly the calf was out and the mom was licking it clean! The baby calf will attempt to nurse between 20 minutes and 1 hour after birth, the calves on the farm are not permitted to nurse, though, as it messes up the milk production processes of the farm, so the calves are bottle fed. After watching the mom and calf interact for a while, we headed to the Dairy store where you could see milk and icecream production and of course taste the products! We actually almost missed our bus, because we stopped to get icecream (yummy and all natural!).

We were loaded onto the bus and taken one mile to the actual farm. We were shown the feed area, the maternity ward (where cows are kept the 60 days prior to giving birth), the nursery pens (where the calves are kept for 8 weeks before before the females calves are shipped to a neighboring farm(the males are sold, they are of no use to the dairy) , the free stall barns and finally the milking barn.

The milking barn was something to be seen......the cows get onto what they foundly call a "dairy-go-round" where their utters are cleaned, wiped and they are hooked up to the milking machine, each cow is milked for approximately 5 minutes, their utters are dipped in a protective cream, they get off the dairy-go-roungd and then they are returned to their free stall barn. The whole process takes 8 minutes...during the second 8 minutes, the milk is cooled from 101 degrees( cows body temperature) to 34 degrees...they have two pipes you can feel to see the difference in the two temperatures. Everyone is then loaded onto the bus and taken back to the adventure station, where there are tons of hands on activities for the kids including practicing hooking up a cow to the miling machine and other fun interactive activities.

Before we left, we caught another birth...this one was a bit scarier than the first. The calf, whose head was completely out and sack was broken ended up back inside the mother when she shifted her weight.....the vet had to tie ropes to the calf's legs, hook them over the fence and force the mom to move forward fast to pull the calf out! It was really scary and the calf looked dead, but within seconds its head popped up and mom was over cleaning it off, it was doing fine!

We spend over 3 hours at the farm, and could have spent at least another hour or maybe even 2 without having been bored. We ended out visit by buying a 1/2 gallon of chocolate milk and 2 hunks of cheese (farmers and butterkase).

We highly recommend the stop. Keep in mind that the birthing barn might be overwhelming to some young children, Sophia ended up walking into the post birth area (where the adorable calves where housed for the hours after their birth) anytime she found everything to be getting to be too much for her!

BTW, this place is IMMACULATE...I couldn't believe how clean the ENTIRE place was! They use methane to power the entire visitors area, and by processing the manure into methane, they reduce odor on the farm itself by 90% (the only time you smell ANYTHING is when you exit the bus to see the milking building, and the smell isn't much of anything).

What do you call a cow that has just given birth?

De-calf-enated!

Yes, there are plenty of cow puns on the farm...but you won't regret the stop!

Photos coming soon!

Sign Language with children

http://www.kindersigns.com/anim_dictionary.html Check this out for anyone who is interested in baby signing. It is all free it has a dictionary and all you do is click on the word and then it shows you how to do the sign.

We did sign language with Brett because of his developmental delays when he was a baby (Brett didn't talk until he was 3 years and 9 months old). We also did baby sign consistantly with Sophia and she LOVED it...we did it some with Will and he enjoyed it, but it was extremely verbal from an early age and much prefered to talk. I have already started some sign with Luke (not that he even knows what I am doing or why I am doing it) but hopefully it will catch on. My favorite signs are MILK and MORE!

Brett, Hannah and Emily all want to take sign language as to fill their highschool language requirements. They offer classes at our local YMCA, so we plan to check it out.

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