new ideas -- insects

I have to say our homeschooling has been fairly uninspired lately. We have just been plugging through day to day, and that hasn't even been completely regular.

We are involved in the 4-H entomology that we find really interesting. With it we are reading The Insect Folk by Margaret Warner Morley a sweet book published in the early 1900's. Some of the taxonomy has changed but for the most part, none of it would be anything I was worried about except if Daisy goes to contest for entomology, she needs to know the correct classes and divisions. The ducklings are collecting insects and spiders for a bug collection, so everytime we go outside we have to carry something to put insects in. Luckily for them, their momma is not the squeamish type so I will help with most of it (I don't do roaches, crickets and grasshoppers but the rest of them don't bother me).

I have been inspired though. I liked the idea of lapbooking but I couldn't figure out how, especially since (to my perfectionist mind) you couldn't really plan it until you knew everything that would go in it. The only way to know all that would go in it, is to finish the unit (or book or project). So I have bought the folders but thats as far as I had gotten. I was reading Jimmie at One Child Policy Homeschool when I realized that I was mistaken and you can do minibooks on the various things and then put those in the lapbook. So I think we are going to try a insect lapbook to go along with the entomology project, which will also give her something to reveiw for contest.

I am also inspired to dust off my copy of Handbook of Nature Study (by Anna Comstock) by Barb at Handbook of Nature Study . I felt I needed to start at the beginning and do it "right" and I just really didn't want to study birds, specifically chickens. (We had just gotten through a difficult homeschool experiment of raising chickens.) I never thought of skipping to something we did want to study, like right now would be insects.

I will keep ya'll updated on how it goes.

a look in the mirror

I know I am not perfect but sometimes I am reminded how human I am. It's pretty humbling.

Junior is in t-ball and Daisy is in soft-ball as I have mentioned. Juniors team is practicing almost every day of the week (for 1 to 1 1/2 hours), while Daisy's team has praticed twice a week (although some weeks has only had one practice.) Now I do not expect Junior's team to play at professional level, or even high school level. I would like it if he pays attention and tries his best and has fun, OTOH I know at this age, expecting them to pay attention is somewhat pointless. They just have too much wiggle at this age (5 & 6 years old).

Anyway, my attitude has not been the best. I haven't thrown any hissy fits, or yelled at the coaches but I certainly haven't been living out the "joy of the Lord." I have been put here for something and I am pretty sure my purpose is not to show people how Christians can be cranky and irritable. When I focus on Him, my whole attitude is better, but I haven't been doing that for this ball thing.

When I talked to my spouse, he said "Well, we all fall down. The question is, what are you going to do about it now?" First thing I need to do is pray some more about my attitude about the whole thing, and then more specifically Junior's team practices. As well as, what is my purpose for being at all these games. Yes I am there to support my kid, but does God have some other thing he wants me to be doing or saying while we are there?

Long day today

Sometimes being a SAHM does not mean you are at home at all and today was one of those days.

Junior had Mother's Day Out and I, of course, forgot the Easter party, so after scrambling to get basket, 12 eggs and the candy to fill those eggs, we went to the church to let him go to MDO while I went to my thursday morning ladies Bible study and Daisy filled the eggs. Then went to Junior's Easter Party, ran home to get overdue library books, then to the library, furnature store, pick Junior up, Hobby Lobby, and then to 4-H entomology which starts at 4:30 and is over at 5:30. Oh and did I mention that both kids had practice for T-ball or softball at 5:30, ten miles from entomology meeting and 8 miles from each other. And I still haven't gone to the grocery store yet. Sigh

Yesterday I went to the mailbox.

Why can't these balance out somewhat? I do like those "at home" days on occasion, and I like having things somewhat grouped instead of one trip every day of the week. I just hate those days where it feels like I am always about to have to run to the next place.

Junior hates days like these because he would rather stay at home, especially if we have to go anywhere "early," which for him is before 10. Daisy is the opposite, she is up at the crack of dawn, and always ready to go just about anywhere. But even she was ready to come home today.

I did learn something really interesting though. After we finally got home, DH was watching tv (and he is one of those that wouldn't notice a marching band go through our house if he is watching tv). I was reading my emails and quietly groaned at one (a local family with a tragedy) which he immediately heard and stopped the show he was watching.

He said that there is a specific tone that clues men in to listen, similiar to how you can tell when your kids are screaming to be loud vs hurt. They know if they don't listen to that tone, trouble will follow.

I wish I knew what the tone was because I could make millions if I could teach it to other women.

who I am

I am mom to my two kids, and married to my wonderful husband for almost 12 years. We homeschool, using mostly Charlotte Mason methods and are active in 4-H, Softball, T-ball, with our church and our local homeschool group.I am Mama Duck to my two ducklings, and married to my wonderful husband for almost 12 years. We homeschool, using mostly Charlotte Mason methods and are active in 4-H, Softball, T-ball, with our church and our local homeschool group.

Actually the softball, t-ball thing is new and it is NOT something I am good at. Oh, I can cheer the kidlets in their game, I can explain some of the concepts (like the imaginary box that makes a ball good or not when at bat), I will even be delighted to bring snacks or something like that. But me helping the kidlets practice is really a bad thing.

After prodding by their daddy, I took the kiddos outside to practice today. I should mention that I am scared of the ball, really scared of the ball. I have told that to my husband but I don't think he took me seriously.

I am really not sure which was worse, the moment the youngest, barely 5, was laughing because "Mommy is a scaredy-cat" or the times the older child pointed out, she would just "toss it gently so it won't hurt."

I am absolutely delighted to say that neither one of them got my athletic ability, so they are actually pretty good even though they haven't been playing long. And who knows, by the end of the season, I may be able to pitch to my daughter without ducking into the modified-tornado-drill-stance.