Field Trip

One of the things that I like best about homeschooling our children is that we can take a field trip without a bus and without permission slips. We have taken a couple in the last week or two. One was to the IMAX theater downtown to watch a documentary about the oceans to conclude a unit on the subject. Friday we took a field trip to Conner Prairie and watched a sheep being shorn and visited some baby animals. It was a great way to teach the boys about the origins of fabric (or at least one type) and their clothing. We were able to follow the process through shearing, stretching of the wool,washing, carding, , dying, spinning, weaving and knitting. Of course, all of this in the style of the 1820's or thereabouts, since it took place at the museum. The boys then went up to a classroom and sat in a circle for some sheep themed stories and songs, a snack and a craft. Although we have chosen to homeschool, I do realize the importance of the kids being able to listen respectfully in a classroom setting, so this was a good opportunity to practice manners. They both behaved quite well, and it was a really nice day for us all.

Signs of Spring in the yard,,,

Beautiful Weather!

We have finally had a day in which the temperature climbed almost all the way to 60 degrees! We have been hoping that would happen soon, and decided to take advantage of it by heading to the park for a bit. The kids have been sniffly the last few days...actually they have had sniffles for the better part of a week and a half now! I thought it would do them some good to get some fresh air, and talked them into sitting relatively still for these pics. Looking at them now, I am struck by how much they are growing. In the "every-dayness" of life, I must not have really looked at them lately. Look how tall Hunter is, and how grown up Bradyn is getting! ...and the baby...is sitting up all on his own and has a tooth already. I am at once happy and wistful...because these wonderful childhood days are speeding past and I know a day will come all too soon when I want to start them all over again. It is such a wonderful blessing to "raise" these little ones, and I am so thankful that I have them in my life. I am attempting to teach them, but I feel like I am the one learning sooo much!

Hmm...photo tag...

I got tagged by Amy (*link to her blog at the side) ...so here's my part!
1. Choose the fourth folder where you store pictures on your computer.
2. Choose the fourth picture.
3. Explain that picture.
4. Tag 4 other people.

My pic is not that exciting! It's a loaf of bread that I made. It's from a book called "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day". Basically, you make the bread, keep in the refrigerator, and break off a chunk, shape it, and cook it when you want fresh bread. This was one of the loaves I was experimenting on. It is a french boule with rosemary...and I may have already blogged it??

Next up-
Julie, Wrena, Mandy, and Dora :-)

Swim Lessons

Waiting (patiently?) for Spring...

"Earth Hour"

Did you join in the lights out for Earth Hour Saturday evening? Homes and businesses around the world turned out the lights from 8:30 to 9:30 pm to save energy. We decided to use the opportunity to teach our boys about conservation, and to enjoy the experience together. We lit candles (approx. a dozen) and made some ice cream sundaes. Then the kiddos took a bath by candlelight before heading off to bed. They had so much fun (and in a cheap, simple way,too!) that Bradyn asked me if we could have "Earth Hour" every night. I'm not sure that I could handle that, because there were so many things I wanted to do that needed electricity...laundry, dishes, ironing...that I was a bit lost without my lights! It made me appreciate the fact that we do HAVE electricity available, even if we do have to pay for it. So often I grumble about the numbers on our bill, but I imagine I would be doing more grumbling if I had to haul water from the retention pond to clean with, and/or lug my laundry down there to wash it! On that subject, we have been trying to cheapen up a bit without sacrificing creature comforts. On my list of "to-do's" is procurring a clothes line. We aren't technically allowed a clothes line in our development,but I am thinking maybe a retractable one won't get me in tooooo much trouble with the home owner's association. We switched out the majority of our bulbs to the new energy efficient type a year or so ago, and I finally turned down the thermostat for the month of March. Hopefully it will warm up soon and we won't need to use the heat or ac for awhile. It's not that we can't afford it, but it's quite annoying to spend money on basic things when we could use it somewhere else! How do you save money on the basics? Not just energy costs, but on groceries, clothing, etc.