Hey Mama, Look

I'm a country pirate!

A Whirl Wind Tour....of the World!

Last year we all enjoyed being part of the large Homeschool Group's World Expo Event. So much so, that this year we decided to participate even though it meant a lot of driving (with an unexpected sick kid too boot- driving totalled over 8hours!!!). It was an easy decision for us to choose Morocco, as it is one of the places we plan to visit next summer. We enjoyed learning about the beautiful patterns in their textiles and ceramics, the Berber culture, the Western Sahara desert, a traditional mint tea ceremony, the differences of the rural and urban areas, Muslim mosques and celebrations. We shared a snack of dates stuffed with oranges. On our table we also brought the wares Grammy and Grampy passed on after their last visit; a Fez hat and a traditional tea pot.

It was great to see all the different exhibits, collect stamps and visit with friends.

An Olympic Visitor

We are in one of the many towns who will be fortunate to have the Olympic torch pass through on it's long journey. The torch passing through on it's official journey on December 30th, which we have plans to attend. This gave us a close up preview of the torch as it is making a publicity tour.

A new torch is designed each Olympics by the hosting country. This one is very sleek and modern looking, white plastic with a sliver band and the Olympic emblem on one side. It weighed close to 3lbs, but it was also empty of the propane needed to light it. We had a look at the route the torch will be taking, and talked about all the different ways the torch will be travel.The route is to become the longest domestic torch relay in Olympic history, covering 45,000 km through more than 1,000 communities before it reaches it's final destination; Vancouver. During the 106 days the torch is being relayed, it will be carried by over 12,000 torch bearers.

Three time Olympian Jeff Bean was on hand for pictures and a chat. He spent over 11 years on the Canadian national freestyle ski team. We left feeling a little bit more excited for the games to come.

Coming to an end

She jumps in with two feet, confidence and an open mind, assuming it will be a good time above all else. She was invited by some friends she made when we first arrived, to participate in this program run by a local church. She has really enjoyed the games, crafts, stories and new friends. This week was the last week, ending with an evening with families.

Day 3

They just keep getting more adorable!

Their spot in the basement is the first stop for everyone in the morning. Excited to get a quick cuddle, this is the place to be periodically throughout the day.

The kids have been watching them run a little bit on the floor, which brings squeals of delight from everyone. We are already noticing some growth in their size, some increase in the white in their down. They are so soft, even their feet!

Welcome to the Family

They're Here!

Eleven little tiny black chicks have stolen our hearts. They are unbelievably adorable. For such tiny birds, they are incredibly loud. Their peeps are so welcomed, the kids can't keep their eyes off of them. The first three hours the kids didn't leave their side in basement where we have set up a temporary home; cardboard box, water, heat lamp, food. We are holding them lots, something our research suggests in helps create a comfort level for both of us.

They are incredibly entertaining. They were learning about the water, lifting there feet as they stepped in it, unsure of the feeling. Falling into their food dish, even sleeping in it. They walk on top of and into each like weeble wobbles. They often teeter, exhausted, trying to fight sleep, until they just fall over. Shai will then squeal in delight "chick ens sleep", but in a high pitched loud voice that wake them all up, and then they are on the go again.

There are a few chicks which peck the others, Ben in particular found this very difficult to watch. He would explain that they needed to use soft touches, comfort the chick on the receiving end. We talked to our friendly farm store, learning that this pecking is the beginning of establishing a pecking order. A very natural process, and unless the chicks are really being injured, its not something to worry about.

There is a sleepover planned with the chicks. They have instantly become family. While not all of them have been named, there have been some given to the chicks with more identifiable personalities. The tiniest one is Ewok, the largest Chewbauca. The two with the clearest white marks on their heads are Frodo and Bilbo, Millie is the timid chick and Billy Bully is the aggessive one. Shai named two of them; Digger and Banana. Three left to be named.

Their presence is leading to lots of research on chickens and birds in general. For now, holding them, feeling their soft down and listening to their sweet peeps are consuming us happily. While holding the little chicks Ben said "moving to the country is pretty great, I have waited my whole life for this". Funny enough, it is something he has asked for since I can remember.

Friends

She has so much patience, and energy, kindness and creativity. She totally lights up when she is engaging younger kids. Without missing a beat she gathers them up and whisks them away on an exciting adventure, which they are thrilled to be on. Marching bands, school lessons, babies, buried treasure, maps, singing at the top of their lungs. Non stop moving and fun.

The photos don't really do the time they shared justice. They don't capture their energy, the joy they shared, the decibel they could reach. It was heart warming to watch. There was an ease, a fluidity among them. Coming and going to check in with mamas for snuggles and nurnie's, refill on food, join their brothers for games, and then back to their own worlds. The whole day went by without disputes, problem solving along the way.

Armed Toddler

The kids have been having a blast mixing vinegar and baking soda. Inflating balloons, pwering rockets, explosions, grenades (in the picture), volcanoes. The sunshine has meant lots of mixing outside.
We learned quite quickly to stand back from the toddler who likes to leave it to the last second before throwing the exploding film canister.

The building

While our friends were visiting this past weekend, we took them up on their offer to utilize their woodworking skills. We have lots of projects on our list; a tree house, climbing wall, garden boxes, but with our chickens on their way the chicken coop was top of the list. We did lots of research into different types of coops, and there are many. There are movable ones (which we heavily considered), fancy ones, attractive ones, practical ones.
After consulting with our friends we opted for this one off the ground. This will provide the birds with shade in the summer, 6 nesting boxes, a roost and plenty of room. We will surround it with straw in the winter for warmth. The chickens will be free range, being allowed to roam over our property. We will attach a run to the coop in the next few weeks, for the chickens to roam when we are out for the day.
Its a beautiful coop, and the weather cooperated to build it. We appreciate all your hard work- thanks guys!

Wild sightings

A pair of peregrine falcons, pileated woodpeckers, a visiting groundhog, regular sightings of wild turkeys, hand feeding chickadees, and toads, have been among some of the wildlife we have been enjoying lately.

$175 Reward

Remember that new gang in town?

Apparently some of them are Wonted .

We SAW one!!!!!

aWhile visiting new friends, we went for a walk to a lake close by their house. Nine kids in tow, riding bikes, walking, riding in wagons. After dipping our toes in Skeleton Lake (that's the name), we headed back in a scattered fashion. Aria, Shai, and I, with the other Mama were the last ones. As we came close to their house we heard rustling in the woods. We happened to look up the road in the opposite direction and sitting at the side of the road was ....... A BABY BEAR! I swear I squealed in delight! It was the cutest little thing I have ever seen. It sat down like a dog, ears pricked up, head titled, looking at us from about fifty feet away. WOW! I wanted to yell for the other kids who had zoomed by.....but then I heard a branch snap in the woods.
Oh yeah....the mama! We decided it was best for us to now walk quietly, yet quickly to the house.
I know, I know- the camera was left at the house in the van. The boys and Chris aren't letting me live that one down!

Mutant Tadpoles?

I don't think they really are, more likely bull frog tadpoles. They have been huge! I haven't gotten a lot of great photos, I just haven't been having it in tow as much. This is one, not as big as others, but it is Shai who is holding it and his hands are pretty small. Some of them have been four-six inches long and others super fat. The kids are itching to see them as frogs.

A New look to Frolicking

We have a spring tradition of enjoying and immersing ourselves in the amazing wonders of spring peepers. In the past we have done this with a group at our then local conservation area or with a group of friends. While frog catching is something we always love to do, there is something about going out at night, following the sounds of their mating call to find them, under the cover of dark.

As I have mentioned we have a pond on our property and it has frogs. I never expected us to hear the spring peepers here, silly me. Not only can we hear them, we can hear them in the house with all the windows closed! The high pitched noise really is incredible.

We have had a few nights of frolicking among the frogs. As the six of us head over, nets in hand, in the quiet way that six people do, the frogs stop calling each other when we first arrive. Elias has being spending so much time sitting and listening that he has mastered the call as a whistle. He is able to start making the noise and very quickly they call him back. (brings tears to a nature loving mama! LOL) Very cool. We have caught a few, some very tiny ones.

Ben caught a very small bull frog, while he was holding it, it puffed his sac in and out. Again very cool. Shai is right in there, in the thick of things. While he hasn't caught any yet, one he was gently holding got away and landed on his head! Something he has been talking a lot about.

Are you sure you guys don't want to move up here????

The making of a car

For the KubKar races, the kids are each given a kit. Each one contains a block of wood, four wheels and four nails to hold the wheels on. That is it. From this block of wood, they choose designs, helped carve out the shape using carpentry tools, sanding it down. They then painted, choose accessories, varnished, added the details. They worked really hard and they were really pleased with their finished products.

The Finish Line

Elias and Ben joined the local cubs group in January. They had both been in Beavers a few years ago, and while they enjoyed parts of it, they weren't thrilled enough to return the following year. Since we moved, they decided to attend the group (cubs)here as guests before making the commitment to joining. After the first evening, they both knew this was something they wanted to be a part of. It is a small group, made up of five kids and three leaders. Each week they have done a combination of really cool things. They have crafted leather bracelets, turkey bone scarf ornaments for their uniform, played lots of games, visited a taxidermist, woodworking, hiking, etc. They enjoy leading the other cubs in the opening ceremony and take pride in knowing they memorized it all by heart. They work hard in their spare time towards badges.

Today Chris and the boys headed to an area event, KubKar racing. For the past two weeks the boys have been designing, carving, sanding, painting, decorating their cars. Lots of time and energy has been put into them until now. Having been their first time they were sure what to expect from the day. I am told it was very well organized, the kids moving smoothly through the days events. They were divided into age groups and raced each other on different tracks. The kids loved taking their cars over to the pit stop to grease up their wheels and give it the once over.
There was also a vote on the design of the cars, done by everyone present. Both Ben and Elias came in first for their age category. They both realized what a great honour that was to have the recognition of their peers for their work.

Before the end of the day there were also races against the leaders who had worked side by side with the kids on cars of their own. My guys all commented on the high calibre of the cars everyone designed. There was an ice cream truck, a raised up monster truck, hot rods, racers, space ships, fancy designs, drivers who were people, frogs, lego, superheros, all types of paint and designs.

The kids have requested a shelf to display their cars and trophies. And the plans for next year have already started.

Building day

About two weeks ago we put out a 'call' to local homeschoolers to join us for an afternoon or building projects. One of our goals for the day was to get to know some fellow homeschoolers. We have come from a very organized and active homeschooling group, to a group which is spread out by great distance and are not as active as we have been used to. Meeting other homeschoolers hasn't been as easy as just joining in the activities. So we decided that making our own activities might be the way to do it. Our other goal was to have fun and share something we really enjoy doing.
We had four challenges planned, all of them from this great blog. I had set them up in different areas of the main floor, with the intention that if the kids needed to spread out they had that option. There were fourteen kids from three families that joined us, and very quickly the building began. They decided to tackle the same challenges at the same time. The first was spaghetti cantilevers, for which the kids self separated themselves by gender.
Observing how the kids tackled the problem solving was particularly interesting for me. The boys did very little discussing or preplanning, they just dove in. Each child in the group adding what they thought would be beneficial, without approval. It worked for them, they were quick and efficient.
The girls group chatted to create well laid plans, they measured and discussed, organized and discussed, put together and discussed. They took much longer (there were no time constraints), more interactive and equally as successful. It worked for them.
The paper bridges to hold money were done by larger groups, and became a fun game of competition. The marshmallow towers and arches were done side by side as individuals (which the kids decided) and as the comfort ability level rose among them, marshmallows became consumed and the play went outside.
It was nice to chat a little bit with new families, make connections and future plans. The building was fun. It is always great watching my kids overcome their uncomfortable feelings of being the new kids (in such a big way) and reaching out to make friends. They welcomed everyone into their home, suggested games to play, took leadership roles at times and were able to stand back and observe at others. Not that expect any different, it just warms my heart to see them navigate so gracefully and successfully.

Quack!

A toddler and ducks in your pond. They are so naturally drawn to each other. Its one of the few times he can sit for 30 mins just watching and quacking back. We have big hopes they will lay eggs and there might be ducklings.

There is lots of singing and reading of this going on!

How do you spell....

I am constantly amazed at the different ways in which my children learn. Struggling with different concepts, and breezing through others. I have one child who has had a hard time learning to read, struggling each step of the way, still not in a place of confidence or enjoyment. Another child curses the invention of all writing tools and would rather clean his room than write something down.
Aria is currently celebrating everything that involves sounding out words, writing, reading, workbooks, spelling. Where ever we go (visiting, the car, around the campfire, the pond) she is working out words in her head, or writing them down in a notebook). It brings her great joy and satisfaction to sound out and write down a word. Its very much like solving a puzzle for her, one that comes naturally and with ease. It makes sense for her.
It is so exciting to watch this passion bloom and take off. My job is to explain the odd rule of phonics or what a letter looks like in cursive writing. There is no sign of slowing down, she is off.