Exciting!

I know I haven’t posted lately, but we’ve been out living life and I’ve been running out of time to blog.  I will try to get back here more regularly.  But I have exciting news today!!!  Debbie from Homeschooling: Freedom and Fun for Your Family interviewed me about a month ago and today is the day that I appear on her blog.  Check it out here:  http://homeschoolingisfreedom.blogspot.com/2009/11/possibilities-for-fun-are-endless.html And while you are over there, check out all the wonderful interviews of other homeschoolers.  Thank you Debbie!!

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

FOR TODAY, With special thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook who created the daybook.

October 26, 2009

Outside my window… the trees have either lost their leaves or they are displaying beautiful colors.

I am thinking… that sleep would be a wonderful thing if it actually happened.  Feeling really drained today.

I am thankful… for my wonderful friends.

From the learning rooms… probably not much today.  Tyler has a headache and I’m wore out, so I’ll just give in to his wanting a break.

From the kitchen… we’re having bacon burgers tonight.

I am wearing… jeans, long-sleeve shirt.

I am creating… my future.

I am going… to Loveway a little later then I’ll be home for the rest of the day.

I am reading… nothing right now.  Read some interesting books on CFS (or CFIDS, whichever you want to call it) yesterday at the bookstore.

I am hoping… that all the sickness stays away from my house.

I am hearing… the songs playing on Pandora.

Around the house… there is always a To-Do List.

One of my favorite things… catching up with a good friend.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Tues: TKD; Wed: Pet Refuge, riding lesson, pick up things for my Halloween costume; Thurs: Monster Hike at EEC, TKD; Fri: volunteer at Black Pine; Sat: Halloween at Black Pine with some good friends

Here is picture I am sharing… Tyler’s going to be a ninja again this year since his costume still fits.  He’s what he looked like last year:

My ninja

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

FOR TODAY, With special thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook who created the daybook.

October 19, 2009

Outside my window… the sun is shining and the day is bright.

I am thinking… that fractions just got a whole lot harder. He wants to make up his own system for dealing with them instead of just listening to the way I explain them to him. I wouldn’t mind if his system actually worked, but it doesn’t and I think he needs to understand the process before he invents his own system.

I am thankful… for my life.

From the learning rooms… Obviously, fractions.

From the kitchen… I’m boiling chicken breasts to make a chicken pot pie for dinner tonight.

I am wearing… jeans, short sleeve t-shirt, slippers.

I am creating… my dreams.

I am going… no where for the rest of the day.

I am reading… various blog posts (trying to catch up!)

I am hoping… to get my muscles to relax a little so things wouldn’t be quite so painful.

I am hearing… the washer & dryer both beeping at me.

Around the house… I’m liking our new office/school room setup.

One of my favorite things… hikes to look at the fall colors.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Tues: TKD; Wed: Pet Refuge; Thurs: TKD; Fri: last day at camp

Here is picture I am sharing… Here’s the pic that I’m using for my FaceBook profile right now.

Fun art

The rest of the week

**2nd post of the day**

Here’s what went on for the rest of our week:

Mon – I headed to the health dept to get a TB test done so that I could volunteer at Black Pine.  My journey with the health dept has been a roller coaster ride.  First, I got corrected when I called to make the appointment that my name is actually Kristina instead of just Kristi.  Then I got told my address, which actually isn’t my current address & hasn’t been for a few years, but it is still my parents’ address.  The lady on the phone couldn’t believe that their records were that far out of date, like it was my fault or something.  Then she got all concerned about how far of a drive it would be for my appt on Thursday for my tetanus shot (the two things can’t be done at the same time even though they don’t have anything to do with one another, don’t know why since no one could actually explain it to me, but that’s just how it’s done) because that appt was going to be at their Goshen location.  Just so we’re clear, based on where I live it’s about half way in between the two locations.  So now I’m at my appt for the TB test and I didn’t write down the agency requesting my getting the TB test (off to the side of that was boxes to check for things like immigration, health care and something else.)  The paperwork lady told me I had to put down an agency and as I tried to explain to her what it was for, she interrupted me and asked me if I was there to get the test for immigration status.  Are you serious?  I was born in this county (yes, read that as county) and you apparently had my information on file to correct my name so you’d think it wasn’t an immigration issue.  It did finally explain the Black Pine thing & how it didn’t fit their boxes categories, so she just wrote it off to the side.  Then I got crap because the check number I was using was 101 (they only accept cash or checks).  They apparently have a policy to not allow low check numbers due to them being new accounts.  I explained that it was not a new account (it’s about 2 years old, that’s how often I write checks), that it was our HSA account and that if they accepted debit cards like everyone else that they wouldn’t have to worry about low check numbers.  She told me she’d let it slide this one time, but not the next time.  Finally, I get to go back and I get the test done.  Now that lady asks me when I can come back on Wed so that they can check the results, I explain to her that I’m going to the Goshen office on Thurs for the tetanus shot and they could just check it then.  And do you know what I was told, they don’t share records so that wouldn’t work and I’d have to come back on Wed.  This is the COUNTY health dept, the same one that set both of my appts, but they don’t share records.  Are you kidding me?  So I scheduled to go back on Wed afternoon.  And I was so glad to get out of there.

Mon (con’t) – Then after all that aggravation, I headed to the Goshen Recycling Center to empty all the yard waste out of the truck so they can turn it into mulch.  They were nice and only charged me half price since the guy thinks I have a small truck.  Don’t know how a Tacoma with the long bed is a small truck, but that’s fine with me if he thinks it.  Then I spent 45 minutes unloading all the grass, leaves and plant clippings from the truck.  Sure helped with the aggravation that I had accumulated from the health dept.  Got everything unloaded and took the truck through the car wash to clean it out.  Then I grabbed some lunch and headed to Loveway.  Loving on the horses helped me calm down, but the class I assisted with was a study in flexibility.  Nothing really went as planned, but in the end the kids had fun and everything got done so it all worked out.  I stayed after and helped take the horses back out to pasture and helped sweep out the barn.

Mon (con’t) – Then I was home to facilitate school for Tyler.  I thought it was going to take longer than it actually did because last time we did fractions, it took forever.  But something happened between the last time and this time, not sure what it was, but he flew through fractions and told me they are easy.  That’s good because I’m pretty sure we’re going to be adding irregular fractions this time around.

Tues – Tyler started watching Planet Earth videos for science.  He loves them and can’t wait for my to let him watch some more of them.  We had lunch with Grandma, then headed to the library for our weekly library trip.  Tyler also picked out 2 Star Wars movies to watch and he HAD to watch one that afternoon.  He also had TKD that evening.

Wed – We played with the cats at Pet Refuge in the Main Cat Room & in the Small Cat Room.  We also cleaned up after them, but we had help this week.  It was good to see our friend, Jenn, and we were super glad she’s finally feeling better after being sick.  I did head back to the health dept and got the paperwork to show that the TB test was negative.  Luckily that didn’t take long.  I got Tyler to play some math games on his computer.  He seems to retain things really well after he’s had to use it in situations like games.

Thurs – Tyler watched his other Star Wars video from the library and decided that for school he wanted to watch for things that didn’t make sense based on what happened in the other movies or for things like changes of scenery or clothing during a scene.  I thought it was a great way to work on noticing details so I let him.  You wouldn’t believe the number of things that he found.  I went to the Goshen location of the health dept to get my tetanus shot.  But that didn’t work out.  They refused to give it to me because of my latex allergy and told me that they would be surprised if any doctor would give it to me either.  I came home and did some research because I thought maybe latex was an ingredient and I didn’t know it.  But it turns out that the latex is either in the stopper of the vial or in the syringe itself, which contaminates the vaccine, which can cause the reaction.  And since we don’t know what the reaction would be (it’s like a bee sting, you never know if you are going to react strongly or not), they aren’t taking the chance.  So now I have medical reason for not getting some vaccinations.  In the evening I took Tyler to TKD.  We left early because he wasn’t feeling well, but after a bath and some extra Vitamin C, he seemed better.  And it turns out he was because he was good when he woke up on Fri morning.

And you can read about Fri (which was a totally awesome day) in the previous post here: http://soaringmountainsacademy.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/friday/

Friday

First, I have to tell you I’m still riding the high from yesterday.  It’s a kid in a candy store type feeling.  I had an awesome day, so I just have to share that first, then I’ll get back to what we did the rest of the week because we were busy.

The day started off with us getting up early to get ready to go to Black Pine Animal Park for my first day of volunteering.  I was excited and nervous.  Tyler got to come along and he gets to help me with some things, but not all things.  He didn’t help much yesterday since I was just learning, but he did great.  He played with the cats in the office area, Smudge & Cinder, he talked with Peaches (she’s a Moluccan Cockatoo and she’s famous, she’s been on TV and everything), he talked with some other volunteers that were on their breaks, and entertained himself with things he brought from home.  Now for what I did the 5 hours that we were there… I started out learning how to help take care of the animals in the office area.  These animals include Peaches (Moluccan Cockatoo), 2 finches, Lucy & Onyx (rabbits) , Smudge & Cinder (indoor cats) & 1 outdoor cat that has space in the maintenance shed.  I got to clean cages, feed & water them, and learn about any medications or special things that each of them need.  Then I got to go to the Primate House.  It is divided into 2 sections.  There is the chimpanzee section that I’m not allowed to go into since it requires lots more advanced training and years of experience and the other side containing various birds and primates.  I started out with the aviary while another volunteer took care of Yoda & Hanna (rhesus macaques) and Lisa (lion-tail macaque).  In the aviary there are macaws, Amazon parrots, Goffin’s cockatoos, and a Senegal parrot.  And let me tell you these birds can get noisy when they want to and they did several times while I was in the building.  The most talkative bird in there is Sammie (macaw).  He & I talked lots during the time that I cleaned cages, feed & watered, etc.  He says things like “Hello” and wants you to respond with “Hello Sammie”.  He likes to play “Marco Polo” with you, but he always has to have the “Marco” part.  And he was constantly saying “Look what I have” and then he would show me how he can undo the latches on the inside of his cage easily.  It’s a good thing the main latches are on the outside of his cage.  He also liked to say “Pretty bird” and “Good bird”.  The other one that talked to me was Augie (Senegal parrot).  He was much quieter than Sammie, but he did say “Hello” to me and he would whistle when I walked by his cage.  Pierre (Goffin’s cockatoo) tried to help me fix my hair.  My next animal encounter was with U2 & Fiat (cotton-top tamarins).  They are so cute & inquisitive.  They watched everything I did and followed me around their cage, but kept their distance.  Next up was 2 more macaws.  They stays at the top and front of their cage while I cleaned and didn’t really move much except to watch me until I brought in the food (which is always the last thing to be brought in).  Then they both came down to eat and watching them eat is amazing.  Next up was Joey (Patagonian cavy).  She got moved to a transition cage so I could clean and then I got to move her back.  I was surprised at how soft her fur was.  I guess I was just thinking that she’s a rodent so it would be more coarse.  Next up was Bandit (coatinumdi).  He got moved to a transition cage while I cleaned and his cage wasn’t too bad.  It was more interesting finding that he had hidden food around the landing area where he sleeps.  Next up was Mickey (Garnett’s Greater Bush Baby) and his cagemates.  I saw them sleeping and Mickey looked at me once, but since they are all nocturnal, they slept through my cleaning their cage.  The other thing about these animals is that they are heavily into scent marking, they actually urinate on their hands to mark their territories, which leaves sticky smelly residue everywhere and it is potent stuff.  The last animal I helped was Mae (Hamadryas baboon).  She didn’t want to leave her cage so we could clean it, but was finally enticed to the transition cage with her food.  And then it was time for me to leave after I filled out paperwork.  It was lots of work, but it was so worth it.

Tyler & I stopped and got lunch because we had to head to Mishawaka to meet with a potential riding instructor for me.  She was great, her facilities (barn, indoor arena, outdoor arena, pasture areas & trail riding area) were all wonderful, and her horses were beautiful (or handsome in the case of the boys.)  Andrea & I have messaged about it and we are going to take lessons from her.  In a side note to the whole meeting with her is how amazed I was with Tyler.  She has 3 dogs & currently 1 stray dog that she is trying to find a home for (he’s a black lab & very friendly, if you are interested, let me know), but these are big dogs and Tyler didn’t act scared at all.  Normally he’s scared of dogs, especially big dogs, if he hasn’t meet them before or watched them interact.  I was so proud of him.  Then when we were meeting some of the horses, he didn’t hesitate to pet them, too.  I can’t tell you how unbelievable that is.  Then as we are pulling out of the driveway he tells me he wants to take lessons, too.  Now I am in shock because I never would have guessed that Tyler was interested, so I ask him if he really wants to take riding lessons (just to clarify that I heard him correctly) and he tells me “No, I want to take the lessons that you took where you learn about horses and their pressure points so that I can learn how to train them.”  Wow!  My baby is growing up.  And then he asks me where we are going to live after he gets his black belt & I get my horse because we can’t have a horse where we currently live.  I was floored because this is the same boy who wanted us to promise him that we wouldn’t move again until after he’s done with high school and he’s reminded us of that even a few months ago.  And here he is supporting my dream to get a horse.  I love him!!!!  I don’t have an answer for him, but Trent mentioned in the evening (after he came home frustrated again from work) that the outskirts of Nashville sounds like a good idea.  I’m open to the Nashville area.  Tyler says he’s open to Nashville, but not until after he gets his black belt.  So it will be awhile before anything happens.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

FOR TODAY, With special thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook who created the daybook.

October 12, 2009

Outside my window… the sun is trying to come out but the clouds are keeping it at bay.

I am thinking… that I shouldn’t have looked up how TB tests are done because now I have just scared myself since I don’t do well with needles.  I’ll have to remind myself that it is for the good cause of volunteering at Black Pine Animal Park and helping the exotic animals that live there.

I am thankful… for my wonderful husband and son.  They keep my life full.

From the learning rooms… Tyler has art, math & journal to do today.  He’s currently downstairs building something new with his Legos.  I’m sure his plans also include time to play games on the computer and work some more on a game he’s designing.

From the kitchen… dinner is in the crock pot, but I still need to work on the dishes that are sitting there waiting for me.

I am wearing… jeans, short sleeve t-shirt, hooded sweatshirt.

I am creating… opportunities.

I am going… to get my TB test, volunteer at Loveway, take the yard waste to the recycling center and various other chores and errands.

I am reading… Zero Limits by Joe Vitale; Ho’Opono by Pali Jae Lee

I am hoping… that I don’t get sick by going to the health clinic since it is cold/flu season.

I am hearing… the water circulating in the turtle tank and Tyler sorting through his Legos.

Around the house… I’m glad I got some outside fall clean-up done this past weekend, but there is still more to do.

One of my favorite things… hot cup of tea, good book and a warm blanket on a cold day.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Tues: Lunch with Grandma, homeschool playgroup, TKD; Wed: Pet Refuge; Thurs: Tetanus shot for volunteering at Black Pine, TKD; Fri: volunteering at Black Pine, interviewing a potential riding instructor

Here is picture I am sharing… This is India.  She was a Bengal tiger that lived at Black Pine.  She had to be put to sleep a few weeks ago due to extensive cancer.  But isn’t she magnificent to look at!!!

India

TKD testing pics

Here are the pics from when Tyler tested for brown belt recommended last Thursday:

10-08 (TR) Tyler TKD testing for brown recommended

It’s Wednesday already?

1 – Just so you know, as I was informed yesterday while attempting to play some of the games on Discovery that I mentioned in my previous post, “some of the games not only require science or math knowledge, some of them require strategy.”  I always love when Tyler informs me of these things with a straight face because he is very serious about it.  I just want to laugh, but I give him his chance to share his wisdom and we go from there.

2 – Tyler got his last stripe at TKD last night, so he’s going to be testing tomorrow night.  I’m not as worried about this one as I was the previous one.  He seems to really have learned what he needs to know & I’ve been having him practice at home more than before, so I’m hoping that has helped.

3 – We had our work cut out for us at Pet Refuge this morning.  Tyler & I were the only ones there for the Main Cat Room (our friend, Jenn, has been sick) and currently they have no one for the Small Cat Room on Wednesday mornings.  So we did a good cleaning job on the MCR and played with the cats some, then we went and did a quick cleaning job in the SCR and played with those cats a little.  Today was the 1st time Tyler has actually done litter boxes.  He did 6 of them before telling me that it hurt his arm to do all that lifting and sifting.  For the record, I did the rest, which was 38 litter boxes in the MCR and 13 in the SCR.  I’m pretty sure I smelled like a litter box after all that.  But the cats were in such a loving mood today that all the cuddles made up for the hard work.

4 – We got our garage door fixed yesterday.  So we are parking in the garage again, which is really nice with all the cold, windy & rainy weather we’re having.

5 – I haven’t wanted to get up in the morning & walk this week, but I have done it.  One reason is my bed is nice and warm, why would I want to leave it.  Another reason is because I’m waking up sore.  I think my muscles are tensing up overnight as they are still recovering from our walk.

6 – I switched to a different class at Loveway on Mondays because this class needed volunteers and the other class had more than enough.  The kids in this new group are wonderful, too.  Since the weather was nice, we got to take the kids and horses out of the arena & onto the trails.  I can tell you that both appreciated being outside in the fresh air and sun.

7 – School has gone well this week.  Tyler even found some geography games online to switch things up a little and test his knowledge in a different way.  That boy learns so much from playing games and remembers lots of the information.

8 – I’m still looking for a riding instructor, but I have some meetings lined up for next week.  I want to meet them in person, see their facilities & horses, etc before I decide who I want to take lessons from.

9 – Can’t believe how many leaves are off the trees already.  We had some strong winds come through last night and now the yard is covered.  I think they are falling off faster than they are turning colors.

10 – And if you ever wondered about the brain capacity of those around you, here is an article that shows the 10 states that rank the lowest on a brain health index:  http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100245093 You’ll notice that my state is in the lowest.  Great to know.

Science games

Tyler is loving the science games at Discovery.  He says that some of them have math, too.  Check them out here: http://dsc.discovery.com/games/games.html Right now his favorite game is the Evolution Game, but he likes lots of them.  Good Luck!!!

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Inspired by my friend, Maura at Woodstone Prairie. With special thanks to Peggy at The Simple Woman’s Daybook who created the daybook.

Here’s my first daybook entry:

FOR TODAY

October 5, 2009

Outside my window… the sun has come out.

I am thinking… about all that I need to get done today.

I am thankful… for all the blessings in my life.

From the learning rooms… Tyler is working on correcting the problems that he got wrong in math last week; he’s still working on making all the cards for this new game he is creating; he doesn’t know what he wants to do for art yet today; and he’s still having some issues with his tabletop on his TKD weapons form.

From the kitchen… I got the dishes washed today, but I don’t know what I’m making for dinner yet.

I am wearing… jeans, long sleeve t-shirt, slippers

I am creating… not much right now, just my future life.

I am going… to try to get all the laundry done today.

I am reading… some books on natural horsemanship by Monty Roberts and John Lyons; Zero Limits by Joe Vitale; Ho’Opono by Pali Jae Lee; and Domestic Rabbits from ARBA

I am hoping… that I can find a good teacher for horseback riding.

I am hearing… the water circulating in the turtle tank and the dryer beeping to let me know it’s done.

Around the house… there  is always chores for me to do that don’t get done.

One of my favorite things… spending time with the horses at Loveway.

A few plans for the rest of the week: get my garage door fixed tomorrow; play with the cats at Pet Refuge on Wed; teach canoeing on Thurs & Fri; Tyler’s TKD testing on Thurs; some relaxing on the weekend

Here is picture I am sharing… This is the face of my puppy that says, “I can’t believe you left me to go play with those horses & dog.  I thought you loved me more than that.”

Hershey