Happy Valentine's Day, Minecraft Style!

Today my son planted a Minecraft garden for me. He told me it's a special indoor garden with a stain glass roof to let in light and fountain walls to water it. This is a screenshot from his computer. It's a lot more awesome than this photo!
The plaque at the back says "For the mother I love". I admit, I got kind of weepy. Hope you all enjoy your day :)

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Incognito

As you may have noticed, the frequency of my posting has declined. The truth is, my life has had some extra stress the last few months and I've been unable to come up with anything much to blog about other than the "less than fun stuff" that we have been going through.

In fact "BlogHer" actually pulled my ad account, due to the infrequency of my posts. Not that I blame them, they are running a business. It may end up being a good thing because now without their restrictions, I'm open to take other opportunities and reviews, that I have had to refuse in the past. So you may see some changes here in the future, in order to makeup for the lost income.

As for my life, my son is now nine years old ( 9yrs old! I can hardly breath when I say that) and I have hit some road blocks with him that I am working on. Educating a highly gifted child has many challenges and I am learning that he also has some social behaviors that make working with others challenging. It's appears that he may be what they call "2e" or twice exceptional. Meaning he is gifted but with learning and/or behavioral difficulties as well. I'm in the process of figuring it out and will hopefully share what we are doing on the blog.

At the same time, my younger sister has been very ill with end stage Lymphoma and has spent much of the last six months in the hospital. She is stable at the moment and looking into clinical trials to maybe give her a little more time on this earth.

My pet sitting has been hit and miss, hence the need to bring in more income. I have spent what time I have in-between other things, working on my Etsy shops and trying to boost the sales there.

So that's about it. Just thought I should let you all know what's up and why I've been absent, without dwelling on it. I plan to continue to post about our home education and about my world, as soon as I get a handle on a few things. Thanks for listening, DJ :)

Pillow Pet?

Our Desi is a pillow pet of a different variety! This is her newest sleeping spot, inside the pillowcase on my son's bed. Not sure why I even give him pillows, he never uses them. Just more linens to wash.

It's been a rough couple of months around our house. Between five weeks of bouncing "the plague" back and forth between us and me hobbling around for two weeks after a cat attack to my ankle, there's been a whole lot healing going on.

With any luck the grey clouds are clearing and it's all sunshine and smiles from now on. Happy Spring to you all!

New Tires Come With Pygmy Goats

Taking our car into the shop for anything even a routine service, is always a nightmare for us. Not only do they always find more things to be fixed but since I have no way to drop off and come back for the car, we always end up waiting an eternity for it to be ready to go.

Last Wednesday was no different. The car needed new rear tires, brakes and an oil change. We arrived just before noon and as soon as we got out of the car, we hear these pitiful cries coming from the parking lot. There across the lot, on the grass, in a large kennel was a baby pygmy goat.

Now we have been going to this same mechanic for years and they know us there. The owner sometimes has his dogs with him, and they stay in the kennel. He knows that I work with animals and we talk about his sometimes. He brought the baby goat there that day, so his daughter could work with it after school. She was in a 4-H club this year.

The goats name was Sophie and she was just bleating her little heart out trying to get my son to come over to her.  The little girl that raised her was about my son's age and the goat was lonely in the kennel for attention, so he went and sat with her.

Four hours of goat sitting goes by and my son has been entertaining this little goat the best he can. Every time he tries to leave, she starts crying and jumping and kicking at the kennel fence. It also had been raining some and the goat was digging up the mud and getting her white coat all dirty.

Finally the little girl arrives after school. My son helped her get the goat's harness on and practice walking her. Apparently she was also supposed to show the goat for the first time that night at a 4-H meeting. Since Sophie was now all muddy, they decide that she must have a bath.

Sophie had never had a bath yet and the girl did not know what to do. Her dad suggests that she tie her to an empty car lift and get started with the hose. My son decided I needed to help and tells her "My mom can take care of any animal!"  Dogs, cats, yes and even a bird or two, but never have I bathed a goat.

So I tried to instruct them both from safe distance on what to do. However after a few minutes it was obvious that they were getting a bath and not the goat. As expected, I stepped in to help. Now I'm  somewhat tall and this is a very small goat. Without a table to put it up on, I had no option but to get down on the ground and hold on.

It was only a matter of time before the children were watching me and I was doing the work. The goat got a bath, mom got very wet and the entire staff at the auto garage got a good laugh watching the crazy lady wash a goat, in the auto shop, tied to a car lift.

The little girl was thrilled her goat was white again and was suddenly filled with questions about raising her. I'm very patience when in comes to children and questions. I homeschool my son after all, questions are my life, but now I'm getting tired. We had been at the garage for five hours, the car was ready to go and so was I.

As politely as a could I suggested she ask her father to get her a book about goats or to go Google some information. She was happy with that answer, whipped out her Kindle and went searching.
We then quickly said goodbye and hit the road!

In all my years owning a car, that was the first time a trip to the mechanic also involved livestock husbandry! I should have asked for a discount. At least my son enjoyed himself, and he still thinks his mom can take care of everything :)

Some Old With Some New Fish

 

For his recent 8th birthday, all my son wanted was to set up his aquarium again with some new fish.
Great I thought, easy peasy! The fish tank was in the garage and with any luck, everything still worked. It did, saved a few dollars there for sure.

Then it was off to the pet store to find some 10 cent fish. Maybe even a 50 cent fish or two. Ha!
Thirty minutes and $53 later we had eleven new fish.  Eleven tiny fish, a bottle of water conditioner and a tiny container of fish food...$53!

All I can say is that I'm sure glad the tank and pump worked and that $6 for a 1/2 inch fish is ridiculous! My son is very happy and determined to make sure they all live a long a healthy life.
They better, because any replacements will be minnows from the canal down the road :)

The Food Police Have Invaded My House!

Apparently the best way to make a lifestyle change and stick to it, is to share your plan with a hyper-focused intense seven year old.  I was telling my son about my plan to eat even more healthy than we already do, by cutting down on over processed food and sticking to whole foods. We already eliminated most simple carbs and we hardly ever eat any refined sugar.

I like the idea of the "Paleo" diets but thought we'd start off slow. Well that was not happening once my son decided he was on board (like he had a choice, lol). After combing through the fridge and cupboards he declared  "It all has to go"!

During our trip to the grocery store it was like shopping with the food police. He took as many things out of the cart, as I put in.  I can't even tell you how many times he told a store worker that they needed to apply more current thinking in their food stocking selections.

I just kept smiling and patting him on the head. Luckily they are used to him at that store. I've been shopping there with him since he was born. He made a name for himself correcting punctuation on in-store signs. Oy!

There's a new book out called "Eat like a Dinosaur" for kids that I was going to get for him. However, I don't think he'll need any more encouragement at the moment. I should have known this would happen after his over-the-top reaction to recycling. I must have three garbage bags full of empty toilet paper rolls in the garage.  :0

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Our three amigos, who almost never share the same spot! The planets must have been aligned just right, so I quickly snapped a photo.

In other news, my son had his first real fall off his bike this week. While he did get a pretty good case of road rash on his elbow and knee, the only thing he wanted me to know was that he didn't hit his head.

There he was laying in the road wailing and crying and he kept saying over and over "My head is ok Mom, I didn't hit my head. It's ok Mom!"

Guess who "wants" to wear a helmet now? :)

Must Be A Boy Thing

I sure don't remember acting like this. As of late my 7yr. old son has turned into a walking, talking cartoon character.  He can't answer a simple question or get through a conversation without making faces or sound effects. It's driving me batty!

Either he's spending too much time playing animated video games or he's rehearsing for his future spot on Saturday Night Live. Is it normal to be this "over the top" with creative expression or is he just trying to make me loose it?

It seems to be worse when he's bored or whenever I'm trying to make a point during lessons. If he was in school, I imagine I'd be getting calls from the principle by now. I'm hoping this will pass but after having my 15 yr old nephew visiting recently, I can see this is a long term issue. The 15 yr old was worse than my son! Making faces at his Aunt DJ was not well received, especially when I needed a direct answer.

I'll never make it until my son is twenty one without medication at this rate! Help!

Conversations with My Son

Son: Mom, stop the car!
Me: Why? Please don't scream like that when I'm driving.
Son: I lost a lego piece behind the seat.
Me: How many times have I told you not to bring legos in the car? I can't remove the seat.
Son: But I neeeeed that piece!
Me: Well, whose to blame for it getting stuck behind the seat?
Son: Darn gravity!

Me: If you keep using the wrapping paper to wrap up your cat and dog gifts (not really, he's just re-wrapping old toys), there won't be any left for your presents.
Son: That's ok because we need to save the trees by not wasting paper. Just put them under the tree as is.
Me: What about the paper you just used to wrap the cat toy?
Son: That's ok because he mostly plays with the paper, so it's not wasted.

Me: I'm making you eggs and bacon for lunch ok?
Son: What have I told you about eating eggs?
Me: What?
Son: Chicken eggs are supposed to hatch into chickens.
Me: Not these eggs, they are not fertilized.
Son: Well then, we need to get a rooster.
Me: Uhmm, yeah, no.

Happy Birthday Tree 2011

My son just turned seven and this is the second photo next to his Starfruit tree.
He was given that tree for his sixth birthday by a family friend. Last year a bloggy pal (thanks Lin!) suggested I take a photo of him next to it every year. So we did.  Last year it looked like this:

You'll notice that the tree is in a different location now. I had to move it because it was going to grow too close to the electrical line above it.  That may have slowed down it's growth some, plus last winter we had three freezes and I lost some of the top. It has recovered and seems to be growing well, as is my son!

Dead Pumpkin Walking

See that perfectly beautiful pumpkin in the picture above? I have a confession to make. I couldn't do it, I couldn't carve it up. There it sits, still a whole gourd, complete as it is.

Halloween came and went and so did our tradition of carving a spectacular jack-o-lantern.

I don't know what came over me. We were busy getting ready for the holiday and I kept looking at it, trying to decide what it would become this year.

It just sat there, looking perfect and almost regal. So I gave it a reprieve, no carving.

I know what your thinking, "but DJ, it won't last forever". I know, I know!

Now Thanksgiving is around the corner and the question becomes, how much do we really want pie?

Steve Jobs, His Company's Words...

They help me teach my son every day. This quote is on our wall and gives me courage to see my son with a clearer lens :

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." -- Apple / Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Thank you Mr. Jobs for your inspiration. May you rest in peace.

Are You A Homeschool Hoarder?

You might be if :

1. You get a library card to save money on books and then come home from said library, with books you bought from the library book sale section.
   
   
2. You have bookmarked 400,000 websites in your computer's favorites, in case they might be useful at some point.
   
   
3. Instead of presents, you have asked friends and family to give your child gift cards to Staples and Michael's Crafts for holidays and birthdays.
   
   
4. You no longer have a dining room table or a dining room, for that matter. All those supplies have to go somewhere!
   
   
5. There is never anything to put out in the recycle bin because you may need that doohickey, thingamabob, or whatnot someday for some as of yet, un-named science project.
   
   
6. You stock up on blank notebooks, just in case the entire world decides to go "paperless".
   
   
7. You finally have a reason to hang on to your parent's thirty year collection of National Geographic magazines.
   
   
8. You child doesn't understand why the telephone pictures in his textbooks, have really long cords attached.
   
   
9. All of the photos, on all the walls and doors around your home have been replaced with charts, posters and diagrams.
   
   
10. You have three plastic leaf bags full of empty toilet paper and paper towels rolls in your garage because... well, just because.
    

Vaccines Please, No Shots For Me.

While at the pharmacy yesterday, my son noticed the "Flu shots" sign posted. Being that I've worked in veterinary medicine for twenty plus years, using the word "shots" instead of vaccines or vaccinations, has always been a pet peeve of mine.

So I couldn't help but smile when my son mentioned to the pharmacist that his sign wording was incorrect and that it should say "Flu Vaccines". The pharmacist agreed with him and told him that using the word "shots" was probably too scary for some people (especially children).

I'm sure there was some eye rolling after we left, but I didn't care. It was a proud mommy moment for me!

Mom Questions

Why can't six year old boys sit straight, on the whole chair ? Do they always have to sit half-on, half-off, ready to bolt at any moment?

Why does my son pack enough of "his stuff" to play with in the car for a three day weekend, when we are only running a twenty minute errand?

Why don't the shoes I bought for him, two sizes too big last winter (on sale) for this summer, only fit for one month?

How can he eat chocolate ice cream and drink grape juice at the same time! Eeeee, it makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it.

What happens to my son's hearing while he is playing Wizard 101 on the computer? Does the wizard world come with magic "invisible to moms" headphones to help tune me out?

Will he always look like my sweet little boy when he's asleep with a book tucked under his arm, even when he's not a little boy anymore? I hope so.

Grandma's Pool

Every summer we spend as much time as we can at Grandma's pool. Until now my son has only wanted to play on the steps. He is afraid of the water and hates anything (even water) in his face.

Hair washing and hair cuts have always been a nightmare.

No matter how many times I told him he was safe with me and that I would teach him to swim, he would not get in the pool even with a swim ring or in a float with me holding him.

That is until this year! Finally he decided he was tall enough to walk out in the shallow end and not drown. He paddled around in a swim ring and even let me hold him on his back and practice floating. I was so proud of him and he was proud of himself. With any luck, he will let me teach him how to swim!

Vulcan Logic Abounds

Recent conversation with my six year old son:

Son: "Mom what does it feel like to be a mom?"
Me: "Most of the time, wonderful!"
Me: "What does it feel like to be a boy?"
Son: "Amazing!"
Me: "What do you think it would feel like to be a mom?"
Son: "Well first I'd have to be a girl, so I can't say".

Did I mention I'm raising another Dr. Spock? Logic rules above all. Sometimes I wish for just a little Dr Seuss, but alas he's just "too silly". Sigh....

Back to Plan A

Getting back to homeschooling after the holidays has been painfully difficult. At first I thought it was just because of all the left over excitement, but now I'm beginning to think he is just bored with the lessons we have been doing.

It's not like we have a schedule or anything that I follow, we have always been somewhat eclectic in our approach. Until recently that is. I've been trying to follow some sort of curriculum plan. I found myself getting hung up on skills that most curriculums dictate he should practice for his grade level. What I forget sometimes is that he is already two grades ahead for his age in most areas.

I've been reading more and more about autodidact learning, child led learning, un-schooling, etc. From the time he was an infant, he has been the one directing his learning. Almost everything he now knows and has mastered are the things he showed interest in on his own. All I did was provide the resources and he dove in. I couldn't have held him back if I wanted to, he insisted on knowing!

I think it's time to try that approach again. Perhaps with a little more encouragement to try new things and a less prodding to "show me his work", we will get back on track. Something has to change because he shows very little excitement about his learning right now and I'm pulling my hair out. I need to trust my gut on this and trust my son.

Drive Safer This Holiday Season

This video is my PSA for the holiday season. Buckle up, just do it!

Tis the Begging Season (and it won't work)!

My son is almost six. His birthday and Christmas are close together, too close for me to catch a breath in between. I have always tried to get things for him that will not only be fun but also last for more than a week before he's bored. I stay away from most plastic battery operated anything. So far my plan has worked and we have a minimal amount of useless stuff in our home and he is entertained and challenged.

Until now. Since before Halloween this year, he has suddenly developed a case of the serious "Gimmie's". Every single toy or gadget ad he sees, he wants. The crazy part is most of the things he is begging for are toys for babies and toddlers. It's like he's never seen a Fisher Price ad before, or he thinks he missed out on something.

I have tried until I'm blue in the face to explain that he is too old for a walk behind toy, whether it plays music or not! He's also doesn't need a toy laptop that helps him learn to read, when he has his own real desktop computer and he is reading second grade books!

I can't understand what's going on. He has always wanted to do things that are advanced for his age and even when he was a toddler, he was not interested in most toys. I have known from early on that he was learning faster than his years and may be very bright (I don't like the word "gifted", he's just way ahead in many areas) so asking for baby toys has me baffled!

I'm hoping this is some kind of emotional phase he has to work out. Maybe he's feeling insecure about growing up? Or maybe he feels cheated that he never had all that plastic stuff?

I'm certainly not going to waste money on it now, so he's out of luck if he's planning on guilting me into buying any of it.

I do think it's strange how most of the holiday advertising seems to be geared for either children under six or for pre-teen girls. Maybe I just watch the wrong channels on TV, but I sure don't see much offered for 6-10 year old boys. Then again, careful what you wish for, right?