Garden Progress!!

I made it into the garden and did quite a bit of work today.  I didn’t get exhausted, either…thank goodness.  It sure helps to split up the work into little chunks.

This morning, I replenished a couple of the SFG’s (Square Foot Gardens) with compost/soil-less mix.  I also planted the carrots, 1/2 the beans, beets, and spinach.  In addition, a few more weeds were dug out from the flower bed and garden area.  It’s sad to see that a few of the perennials I purchased at the end-of-season box sale didn’t make it through the winter.  Guess that means I’ll have room for more??  Or, maybe it’d be best to space the current plants, use all those scrap pieces of Roc-Kloth to cover the bare areas, and cover it with rocks/pavers so I don’t have to dig so many weeds next year.  The later sounds like the better option…

This afternoon, the rest of the beans, lettuce, and radish were planted and everything was watered.  Quite a few more weeds were dug out because I enlisted the help of the kids.  They aren’t quite as efficient in digging weeds, but their help was necessary.  They hauled the weeds to the burn site and helped carry tools back to the garage.  It’s those tasks that make me the most tired!

My future gardening goals (hopefully quite a few will be checked off the list tomorrow):

1. Get help rototilling the open areas again.

2. Plant broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, green pepper, red pepper, and jalepeno pepper plants.

3. Plant cucumber, pumpkin, watermelon and squash plants (this depends somewhat upon the room available).

4. Take up the torn pieces of Roc-Kloth and lay them strategically in the flower bed.

5. Enlist help to bring the leftover fieldstone to the flower bed.

6. Lay down Roc-Kloth between the flower bed and SFG’s to prepare for the paver pathway.

7. Lay pavers over the Roc-Kloth pathway.

8. Dig out weeds in day-lily and iris bed.

9. Dig out weeds around and in strawberry bed.

10. Transplant strawberries and enlarge the strawberry bed.

11. Dig out weeds around blueberry shrubs (Yes! They are in bloom!!).

12. Level the area where the pool will be situated…do you think the kids will work faster if this is at the end of the list of tasks?!?  I think they probably will!

It’s Friday…

and I didn’t have a good title for a post, but wanted to summarize a few things that have been going on around here.

1. The three middle kids – Angelina, Zeke & Graham – have slept out in the tent for the last two nights.  They set it up at the end of the tree rows, so are a distance away from the house.  They brought our old covered fire pit and have been cooking breakfast and dinner over the fire!  Yesterday I didn’t see any of them until shortly before lunch when Zeke came back to use the bathroom.

2. Dash is making progress (FINALLY!) in getting his subjects completed. 

3. A new, larger pool has been ordered and the kids can hardly wait.  They spent a lot of time swimming last year.  We’ll need to do a bit of work to level the ground before setting up the new pool, but it will be well worth the effort.

4. I’ve made more progress on clearing the flower bed of weeds, but we sure could use more rain to soften the ground.  It comes up in clumps which I then have to break up to level off the surface.  I’m tired in about 20 minutes!

5. Almost all the supplies for the next school year are on hand and I’m almost done creating the necessary lesson plans.  I’d like to have all that figured out before heading to the MN Homeschool conference next week.

6. We finally have a broody hen!  She’s set up with a clutch of eggs and we hope this experiment goes well.

7. Cloth diapering is going well.  There have been days where we’ve only used them at night…sending Louis out to the tractor with cloth diapers is just not practical!  However, we have days, like yesterday, where it’s only cloth.  In fact, I did make the decision to order diapers for the new little one coming.  However, because my ‘little’ ones tend to be pretty big, I opted to buy the regular sized instead of infant sized.  The way I see it, we’d only be using the infant for maybe 2-3 weeks and then the baby would be into regular sized cloth diapers.  2-3 weeks is not enough time to justify the expense.

8. The vegetable garden.  It hasn’t been planted, yet.  But, today is looking like a nice day.  Maybe I’ll sneak outside and get it done!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for:

1. Spring’s work almost being done (hopefully the last soybeans planted tonight!).

2. Lilacs in bloom.

3. The tilling of my garden plot.

4. Onions and herbs being planted.

5. A fresh – and plentiful – supply of eggs.

6. The smiling faces of little boys who ‘get’ to ride in the tractor with dad.

7. The smell of fresh baked bread.

8. Bulk quantities of flour, sugar, and laundry detergent delivered right to my door (via UPS and my mom!).

9. Quick meals for mid-day.

Homeschooling

Yes, the end is in sight for this year.  I’m not sure who is happier… the kids or me! 

This year was really tough.  Homeschooling four for the first time (one of whom is a high-schooler who chooses to challenge and assert at every turn) was not quite what I expected.  Not that I went into any of this with rose-colored glasses, I just expected it to be different.  More peaceful and more fun…like fun everyday and not only some days.  I expected that the high-schooler would work hard to get done early so he could do the things he enjoys – computer, being outside, hunting, and other boy stuff.  But, I couldn’t quite figure out how to motivate him to want to do his schoolwork. 

Then, I realized it’s not really my problem to solve. 

At some point, kids need to take their education and learning into their own hands.  And, not everything we need to learn is fun!!  We, as parent homeschoolers, provide them with the guidance, the steps to follow, the notebooks, the texts, all the resources needed to complete the tasks… then they really just need to do it.  So, in retrospect (well, almost!) this has been the struggle this year.  Finding that balance of letting my oldest make mistakes and providing worthy consequences when needed. 

It’s a wonder there is still hair on my head, although it includes more gray strands than last Fall.  Eric wonders how in the world I remain so positive about homeschooling…it’s only by the Grace of God.  I cannot imagine what else could keep me going! 

Being me, I’ve already started to think on next year.  Guess that’s my optimism at work in full force.

Graham will move on to first grade.  He’ll continue with MODG and the adjustments I’ve made over the years.  He’s my kid who’s a little slower to get going in the morning and he likes to have a little play time.  I’d much rather get him going first because then the others could work on their own during this time and I could help the older kids later when they’re into more difficult subjects or have questions.  The schedule needs tweaking, especially with baby arriving just before the start of school this Fall.

 

  Graham

 

 

 

 

 

Zeke did well with CHC, although it was a bit more work in some areas.  However, I plan to use mostly CHC for fourth grade next year; I have it on hand and he enjoys it.  His reading has improved so much from the start of the year to now; third grade has been a year of great strides.

 

 

 

 

  Zeke

 

 

Angelina moves to seventh grade!  Yikes!  I’d really like my only girl (thus far) to stay little longer.  She’ll stick with MODG and the adjustments I’ve made over the years, too.  It works for her.

 

 

 

 

  Angelina

 

 

Dash.  Mmmmm.  This one is a little harder.  I have all the materials on hand for 10th grade MODG, but if this attitude keeps up…well, let’s just say I’m still praying for a change of attitude in this son.  We still haven’t found the ideal place for him to learn (and we’ve tried many in our home!), nor has he found the yearning to learn, nor has he found that subject with spurs him do more on his own.  I do plan to sit down with him and plan out his four years of high school.  I sort-of did that last year, but there wasn’t much to adjust.  The next three years need more of his input to be successful.

  Dash - Did I mention he’s big??  He’s over 6 feet and wears size 13 shoes.  I tell you it’s crazy, but I hardly notice it unless I really stop and think because I’m so used to being around my brothers and husband who are all over 6 foot (my tallest brother over 6’5”). 

 

Then, there is Louis.  This little guy is content to drive his tractors around for 20-30 minutes.  I was waiting for a little boy who loves to play with tractors…we do live on a farm…and here he is! 

 

 

 

  Louis

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for/that:

…the fact that it is May, even though it’s hard to believe it’s ‘already May’!

…that weekly commitments are coming to a close until Fall.

…warm weather which translates into kids outside, which translates into the house staying clean a bit longer.

…flowering trees right outside my kitchen window.

…kids who can babysit siblings so that mom can get to an evening meeting.

…a drier Spring (ie. no flooding in ND).

…tomorrow is Friday.

Tuesday DayLook: May 1, 2012

Looking out from my back porch... it’s overcast and gloomy looking.  It is supposed to rain…

I am thankful for... almost being able to see the end of this school year (both homeschool and the college where I advise a group) and the beginning of summer. 

I am reading… a lot of fluff, but at least it’s taking my mind off stuff and making me laugh.  I’m halfway through a couple serious books, too.

I am praying for... the repair of a relationship.

I am hearing... Graham sounding out phonograms for his dictation test.

I am wearing… jeans and a light sweater.

From the sewing/craft room (aka. laundry room!)… we’ve had a mock-up of one of Angelina’s sewing projects sitting on the table for about a month… need to get it sewn so she can get busy.

From the School Room... can I just say I’m ready for the year to end?  I’m tired, tired, tired.

From the Kitchen... I have been trying out some new recipes.  Yesterday I made a broccoli beef stir-fry that we all liked.  It was super easy to prepare, too.

From the Garden… still no seed starts.  Looks like I’ll be purchasing broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and any other ‘things’ I should have started a month ago!  Did manage to get a few more bags of amendment for the SFG’s, so they’ll be ready to go when I’m ready to plant.

From the FarmYard… the sheep arrived yesterday and we have about 15 head of pigs this year!  It’s a bit noisy in the barn at times.

A successful moment… each week we make it through feels like a milestone at this point.  There have just been so many activities and events.

A few plans for the rest of the week… Tuesday: home and school and cleaning and laundry

Wednesday: meetings in Fargo all afternoon into the evening

Thursday & Friday: home and school

Saturday/Sunday: 4-H Activity Day for the oldest four, RE closing party and potluck on Sunday

A picture memory...

Angelina and Graham in May of 2007