Eggs and Snakes

This afternoon I was walking out to the laundry room (it's behind our garage) when I heard a loud squeak and a bit of rustling coming from nearby. I sneaked over to the sound and found a big snake wrapped around something furry!! Wow! I ran back to the house, throwing off my sandals as I went because they were slowing me down. I yelled to the kids that there was a snake eating something and they all came running out, including Dad. When we got back to it, it was really wrapped around the thing. It was mad we were there and started hissing at us. We stood there still as we could in bare feet and hot sand waiting for it to eat the thing. It was too threatened and unwrapped a bit to reveal a small ear. It was a baby bunny! We decided to let it alone to eat its catch. A few minutes later I went back to see if it was still there but I guess he ordered that bunny "to go" and took it to a safer place to eat it. I looked it up online and found out it was a gopher snake and that they shake their tails and hiss to act like rattlesnakes. They aren't venomous and they are great rodent control. Crazy, though. I told the boys he didn't want to eat there where we were because after he eats he is really slow and can't defend himself.

Later I went out to feed the chickens and found a couple eggs! They are our first ones. One was green! They are a lot smaller than I expected them to be. The kids are all very excited. Too bad none of them are big egg eaters, but at least we will have them for cookies and cakes!

Summer Has Started!

You can totally tell because the swamp coolers are running! Dan got them done just in time. Today we went to the skate/spray park and there were a bunch of kids there. That is another sign. School's out. It has only been about 90 degrees the past week or so and it is the first warm week.

FATJEF

Who is this Fat Jeff guy and why do we visit him?! Fatjef is a acronym for the Thomas Jefferson Education Forum that Nikki and I got the chance (last minute) to attend this past Saturday. I learned about TJed years ago at the California Homeschool Network Expo. I was blessed with hearing Dr. Oliver DeMille himself. He is an awesome speaker that really inspired me to continue my own education. If you want to know more about the concept visit the websites and read up. It is fascinating. This post is mostly about my experiences and epiphanies from Saturday's lectures and discussions.

Dr. Shannon Brooks talked to the whole assembly first, explaining the youths role in our future and why it is so important that we educate ourselves and our children to be leaders.

The age/phase my boys are at, we still need to be focusing on their core skills, and Nikki too, since she missed that when she was little. We need to be working on chores together, getting a more regular schedule, and reading together again. We also need to budget our time and money better so that we can go to events, museums, and parks more often. Ever since we moved out here these things have been lost. We have to factor in the gas and time it takes to do things now. The boys have lost the habit of working around the house. And I never had the time to teach Nikki household chores when she was in public school. I also need my daily study time. My studies have been completely forgotten this past year.

This morning we had our first weekly planning meeting. Lately we've been just letting our lives happen to us, it's a very passive lifestyle. You can't achieve anything if you don't have a goal and a plan. This week we are working on a list of things each of us want to do, no matter how small or crazy. Then we can start working on a plan.

At our house we should be making an environment where leadership can develop. That involves a loving, peaceful, and confident home. Our relationships are so much more important that passing on academics. We, as parents, need to be strong in our own culture, principles, and mission. We need to exemplify what a love of learning or scholar phase looks like. We need to show our love and ideals daily and talk about them.

The one thing that kept jumping out to me throughout the sessions is that is seems we have lost the art of living by principles. The principles are what we all have in common. Our homes, families, style, and education may all look different but the principles are the same. Many people hear these principles and then ask for specifics on how to implement them. All anyone can give is their experience, but that doesn't make it how you have to do it. So many want a book or a box of stuff that gives their children an education at the end. It doesn't work that way. You have to understand the principles and then apply them to your family. If what you are doing doesn't abide by the principles then ditch it.

This forum was so helpful and inspiring in so many ways. I hope that it continues in the same vein as it was started. It isn't a homeschool convention. It is a place for adults and youth to learn many of the skills that have been lost over the past couple of generations!

A Post!

It took the most perfect day to make me post, I guess! Today was the opening of the season for Little League. Both the boys wanted to play this year and we signed up just in time. Two weeks of practice got us to this day. I know, what a sacrifice! :))
We arrived at the field this morning for opening ceremonies and Tom had a game right after. Sitting there, waiting for the ceremony to start, I really realized how happy I am that we moved here. THIS is the environment I want my family raised in. THIS is what was missing from our lives. At the last practice, one Mom told me that we should arrive really early because parking would be crazy. We got there 30 minutes early and it was fine. We found the boys' coaches and set them loose. Dan, Nikki, Ann, and I found a front row seat on the bleachers and waited. We sat talking with all the other parents, watching kids run around, listening to country music on the sound system. They opened with a prayer (which actually mentioned God and Jesus), the pledge of allegiance, and the National Anthem. Then the Little League pledge. It was just gorgeous.

Tom had a great first game. The boys' were amazing. Yes, I'm easily impressed since I can't catch a ball or throw it in a direction of my choosing. Tom got to bat once but got hit with the ball and walked. He played second base for an inning. Jake watched the catcher closely since he would be playing that position later in the day. Tom was very happy. He says he is going to play professional for sure. We do need to get some more practice in. There is a minor league team in Palm Springs we HAVE to go see.

Jake's game was amazing! Watching those little guys play was so fun. Jake is the oldest on the team. Next year he will play in the Minors, but this year he is in the Rookies. He played catcher for the first inning. Not bad. And he hit the ball! He got to first and then scored later! Wow! He was pretty amazed. The game was short since they don't play long in the Rookies and the last team ran long, they were short on time. I learned to keep "score". Fun stuff.

Dinner is done. Dan is helping Tom with a model engine. Nikki and I are exhausted. And Jake is drawing pictures on demand! Someday I will make a slide show of them. :))

Another beautiful day! Wow! It was so gorgeously warm today and yesterday. It has been so cold and wet for the past month or so that I couldn't get outside to do any work at all.

We got chickens! There are six of them and I have managed to keep them alive for four days now. We had them in the mudroom but they stink so bad that I had to put them on the porch. They have a nice box and a heat lamp until they are bigger.

Today we had our first family tennis lesson. The kids and I are taking lessons from the same woman that is teaching Tom's group lesson on Wednesdays. We found her through Parks & Recreation. It is so much fun. This is what PE should be all about, learning something new and getting some exercise all together. It is worth every penny!

We just watched the Super Bowl Half Time Show. Wow! We were watching the game and the only reason I knew it was super bowl Sunday was that the grocery store was cleaned out of chips and dip! ;)) Grandma Ann called the kids and told them that “The Who” was on and they scrambled to turn it on. They are big fans. The show was awesome! Tom and I were totally impressed by the cool lights and fireworks. I was a little bit too excited maybe. But it was pretty cool. It made me miss doing shows for sure.

It rained all day yesterday, so we were stuck indoors. Dan finished the gate to the back yard since it was under the porch roof. Today it was really cold and wet out and we are all bored. It’s a serious lack of exercise and good eating lately. I really need to work on that.

Tomorrow is a big day. We need to be up and out the door by 8am! The crack of dawn around here!

I really need to blog more often! Once again, I am starting over and not even bothering to try and tell you all that has been going on since I last blogged. But I will say that we are officially moved into our new house. Yay! I love this house, but I am tired of moving in. I’m sick of finding places for things. We don’t have a dishwasher here so I’m learning about washing dishes after every meal. It’s nice. You only need a few dishes! I wonder now why we have more than three coffee cups!

Today was spent watching movies, doing laundry, and cleaning the front bathroom really good. It hasn’t been cleaned since we moved in and once I got close up, I was pretty grossed out. Nasty bathroom! It is nice now. ‘70’s decorations aren’t half bad when they are cleaned up. Wait until you see what I’m going to do with that bathroom to spruce it up!

It was rainy and cold this morning. It is starting to clear up now, but still pretty cloudy. I didn’t know it rained so much in the desert. It is going to be a beautiful Spring!