Halloween is about to arrive

    Hello! It's H and fall is already here!
    I can hear the howling of the wind like the tales of the ghost who haunts the cemetery. The leaves are falling like yellow twisters in the wind. The mummies, ghosts, and zombies are about so you better watch out! The candy, makeup, and even costumes are out! This is a picture from my Honeylocust tree in my yard.

The whole town is like a big ball of yellow! I learned a song that might get you some more candy on Halloween, it goes like this:

The Ghost Of John 

         The ghost of John, long white bones with skin all gone,                                                                                                                                                                            Whooooooo, wouldn't it be chilly with the skin all gone!

Bye!    

Sincerely, H

Welding and Grinding

   Hey it's H and I wanted to share my experience on welding and grinding!
   A couple days ago I was invited to an art project by my Aunt Shelly, A wouldn't tell me what it was… When we got there I found out that we making pumpkins out of horseshoes! I learned that you were supposed wear a fire resistant coat and gloves, you were also supposed to wear a helmet to protect your eyes.  Grinding was easier, you took the horseshoe and put against the spinning wheel of stone and thats grinding. Grinding makes the metal clean, which helps when you weld. The sparks were less likely to burn your eyes, and you had to wear a clear helmet so the metal wouldn't get in your eye.

Finally I got to weld. It was scary at first but it got really fun. but over all it was really fun and I made a sculpture of a pumpkin.

Sincerely, H

What has Homeschooling given Mom?

    So we took a walk on the wild side and decided to homeschool. H is in 4th grade and has public schooled until this year. I've struggled with depression and anxiety since C's life came and went too soon. So I'm sure when my loved ones told me they didn't really agree with us homeschooling they thought I was crazy. We just had M a year ago, and changed our whole routine living out of town, one income, dreaming of selling art. Yea, homeschooling has gotta top the cake... Of disaster.

    What they didn't realize was we had been contemplating this decision for a while. I had read a million reports, so I knew what to expect. J was behind me from the first time I suggested it. I didn't have to convince him. It took me a while to realize I didn't need to convince anyone. I only needed to prepare myself for this new challenge as I accepted it.

    Alright. State requirements. Check. Curriculum ordered. Check. Daily lesson plans. Ummm…

    Yes I read all your blogs about not over planning. About the beauty of being flexible in the homeschool. How you could take a day off if the family schedule needed it. I got in with the local homeschool group, every one was real relaxed. They weren't sweating not having it all planned. I knew that. But I am gonna read the state curriculum anyways... My kid should know certain things this year right?!

    Well I'm an artist, and a procrastinator to boot. So I said we will start slow and I'll get it all planned next week. It did not take long to realize I would not be planning, I mean not a daily plan. Those moms were relaxed because they knew if they got zero done one day, they might get 10X as much done tomorrow.

    So your blogs were right.

    This mom is loving this change in our life. I still don't know if it will be best forever,but this year it is exactly what all of us needed.

    The opportunities are amazing for our kids here. H has been on several field trips. The dinosaur museum, we missed the raspberry farm, swimming, recreation at the park, painting dog houses as a community service project, climbing gym. Those plus regular plays and sports she participates in, she definitely isn't unsocialized.

    If H was in school she wouldn't see M very much everyday. I feel their sister bond wouldn't be the same.

    We get to see her struggle and accomplish. That's just priceless.

    We get to really teach her other life skills she wouldn't learn in school. Our gardening and projects in general are great learning tools and she will need some of them forever. 

    We can follow her interests. So when she gets that spark from something exciting we do it!

    We can push her above her level is some places and hang back in others.

    Our community has really stepped in to help. Even those that didnt necessarily agree at first are seeing it work. They are helping mentor her and teach her things as they do them. Which is one of my favorite parts. 

     I'm enjoying being a homeschool mom a lot! We need this time together as a family right now in life. It's fully requiring both us parents but we each are finding our place with it. All you other bloggers were right. I know I won't get to the end of my life and wish I had spent less time with my kids... So we are learning, living and loving together. 

-A 

Gardening This Year - 2015

    I am reflecting on our garden this year. Overall I am very proud of each of us, and the harvest we had. J and I have always wanted to garden. We had tried a bit in our old homes, but there was soil problems and awful lighting issues that made it very hard. I grew up where my mom gardened every few years (she didn't do it consistently) but she grew vegetables for fresh basic salads, and could grow enough tomatoes and peppers to create a large batch of salsa. Delicious salsa that she shared with many friends and families. J's dad had always preached to him and his siblings about the benefits of growing organically but they just really never had the space to actually do it. So when we went home shopping… we knew a good yard was a must! And, perhaps our yard is more awesome than our house now. :)

    Last year we only grew what was already established here. The previous family that had lived here liked to garden too. There was a cherry tree, apricot tree, apple tree, wild plums, and grapes and many other non-edibles growing well. We knew that last year we were not going to be able to tackle the yard or garden yet. We were preparing for M's arrival and we were traveling quite a bit to have her. That took all of our time and resources.

    This year the top of this list was building 300 some feet of wood picket fence by hand. So we followed some good advice in the garden and went SLOW. Don't tackle too much in your first garden. We are glad we didn't. Now we are enjoying the harvest, reflecting on what we learned, and dreaming of next years garden.



    We planted pumpkins, potatoes, asparagus, corn, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, variety of peppers, broccoli, cucumbers and carrots. H got a planter full of strawberries, and was mostly in charge of pumpkins. We could use more potatoes, corn, and tomatoes. We grew crazy amounts of cucumbers, pumpkins, and lettuce. We didn't get to use much of our spinach, it was all ready at once, and you really do have to be on top of the clipping of it before it seeds. J worked especially hard on saving one broccoli plant which we finally got to enjoy this fall! We also know some things we'd like to add next year. I'm hoping to eventually include a medicinal herb garden, I just haven't decided which ones are important to us yet, and what I can get to do well in our area. That is lower on the list of wants, but definitely something we'd like. We figure much of the garden we could almost triple it to get enough for us, but I think next year we will try new things and plant a little more.

    Gardening is as simple as putting a seed in some dirt and watering it. Then there is all the other stuff you have to know. :) We are gonna need some more kitchen gadgets to preserve more things if we grow a bigger garden.

    I told you my mom made salsa, and that is the only thing I knew how to can. So this year I got to spend time reading and researching and trying to learn how to save everything I could.  I found out what I could can, and what I couldn't. What you could water bath can, and what required a pressure cooker. What I could freeze and what I could keep dark and cool to store it. I experimented with dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, home-made spaghetti sauce, salsa, pumpkin puree, and learned many terms I didn't know. Such as "blanching" which I've done before but didn't know it had a name. We made coleslaw, salads, cucumber salads, and tried many new recipes. J attempted to make sauerkraut, it failed. We haven't decided why yet, and are considering whether we need gadgets to help us in the future make good kraut.

  So a few things we learned:

- The daily task of weeding at watering as a family didn't require much time.
- We valued the time together, it was fun and enjoyable.
- I'd like to say thank you for baby wearing, it helps me not only in the home or going places, but really helps me accomplish weeding with an under one year old A LOT.
- The washing and cutting of veggies or fruit is 1000 X more enjoyable if you grew them yourself. Every slice is like someone smiling at you.
- Trying new recipes is fun.
- You can pretty much add veggies to any meal.
- It really does show an positive impact on your grocery budget
- There is nothing like feeding your kids organically, and knowing exactly how it was grown and where it came from. (We are still learning more about heirloom seeds/organic seeds and their sources.)
- This was a great opening to our homeschooling quest. It really helped provide a sense of direction as we transitioned to this lifestyle.
- Some pests are quite cute, and will destroy a lot, QUICKLY! (cabbage moths)
- Slugs Suck. Simple as that.

   We are so happy to be enjoying our harvest. The pumpkins over ran us but, the pumpkin muffins, cookies, bread, and cinnamon rolls we have enjoyed so far are not such a bad thing. It has sure been an awesome way to begin fall.

    What did you grow in your garden this year? Do you have a medicinal herb garden that you have found to be super beneficial?

- A
   

Freak The Mighty! Freak The Mighty!

    One day a kid named Maxwell lived at his Grim and Gram's house in his bedroom called ''The Down Under.'' He met Freak and they became friends and together they became Freak The Mighty. They would go on pretend quests and slay dragons, but the things Maxwell wanted was to be smart, to not be Killer Kane's son. But on Christmas eve Killer Kane stole Maxwell right out his bed. He took Maxwell to an abandoned cat house, but the police knocked on the door, so they went to the building that burned not to long ago. He put Maxwell in a busted up cellar. Then, Freak came to the rescue and saved Maxwell by spraying Kane in the eyes. Then, it was Freak's birthday and he had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. A couple weeks passed and Maxwell got to see and talk to Freak. Freak gave him a blank book and told him to write all of their adventures in it. Finally, Freak died of natural causes due to his illness. Max wrote the story of Freak the Mighty. THE END

    In my opinion I liked the book because of how Freak made the best of his life even though he knew his body would fail him in the end.

     I recommend you read this book because when you are reading it you want to read more.

Our Girls and How this week goes down in History!

      I've told you about my girls… I imagine you know they are our world. Our family is pretty unique.  With H we have always talked about how families are all created differently. Family are the people who love you and will always be there for you. Sometimes family members are chosen, adopted, and sometimes they do share your DNA. H is her Daddy's girl, and I didn't expect this role in the beginning. Life happened though and it occurred naturally. I was challenged to be a better person and put another person's needs before my own. I just turned into a Mom because that was who she needed in our home. She changed my priorities. Of course since then we've added her brother and sister to the house so Mom is who I am. I have been there for H's many struggles that turned into her accomplishments. I have been given a beautiful gift! She is lively, fierce, beautiful, and intelligent! I love her with my whole heart and want to give her the world!

     How does this week go down in history you ask?!

    Well we always try to do what we believe is best for the girls. Any parent does. H has asked if she could change her last name several times. She wanted to share names with the rest of us. The process is long and hard in our case, but we were willing to try. It also was an opportunity to unite us as a family once and for all. So we ventured the road for me to adopt her. This week it was finalized! So we are celebrating this week every year forever! It goes down in history in this house!

    J and I will always try to be the best we can be. We will always weigh the odds, and question ourselves. We will always doubt that we are doing it entirely correct. Sometimes we follow our heart even when it seems crazy and it works out. This week is one of those weeks. We followed our heart, and we kind of just crossed our fingers and hoped and prayed that whatever happened was meant to be. I know I can speak for both of us when I say this feels right, and we are so glad its over.

    I may not share DNA with H, but she is my daughter in every single sense of the word. She was the first one to make me a Mom! Sometimes I try really really hard and still fail, and she knows it. We are family always and forever.

We called it Offically Nation Day. When I count my blessings on any day I will remember this day and how we were united. The most important people of my life.

-A

After starting Homeschooling and How it feels...

Hello it's H again... and I wanted to share some things I like about homeschooling. What I like about homeschooling is that you can get school done before public school even gets out! Which means more time to play and you
can still be involved in sports like soccer, volleyball, or anything! An other thing is you can go on more field trips and you meet up with other homeschooling families. When we get together we do activities like toss the egg, toss the water balloon, or even Cheeto head! If you ever asked me my favorite subject you would always hear science! I like science especially in homeschooling because you get to do science experiments like atmosphere levels with food coloring and honey, and even volcanos! thats why I like science and homeschooling.

Sincerely,
H