In the Saddle for the First Time

Today was Jared's first horseback riding lesson at Westwood Farms.  It went great!  The facility was beautiful and clean and the horses were well maintained. 

We arrived a little early so we had time to wander around a bit.  Chris took the morning off work and we brought the entire crew. We said "Hello" to the horses in the stalls and took a little walk on the dock.  From there, we saw a frog sitting on a lily pad and a water snake come up from the deep and eat a minnow.  Our day would normally have been complete at that point, but we had a horse lesson coming!

The first part of Jared's session was spent teaching him how to prepare his horse for riding.  I really like this part, as it teaches many lessons besides riding, including self-control and a work ethic. After they get the hang of it they can come early and do this part themselves and they will have more time for riding, which I think is a great lesson in itself.

The horse he rode was a 25 year old retired racing thoroughbred named "Ripple".  The first thing Jared learned to do was how to brush Ripple down, then how to clean out his hooves. One thing we learned is racing horses have an identification number tattooed inside the upper lip. This number can be used to look up Ripple's information and racing record.

Next Jared learned how to put the saddle and bridle on and Ripple wasn't real fond of this. After 25 years one would think he'd be used to it.

Jared did a great job of listening to instruction and I think it will really motivate him to do his push-ups and build his upper body strength.  Those hooves are heavy.

Now it was time to mount the horse.  I really liked how Steve (his instructor) was patient yet persistent with Jared.  Helping him understand in different ways how to do what he asked instead of doing it for Jared.  

Steve attached a lunge lead to the horse and they began some balance exercises.  In addition to upper body strength, the riding will help him build core strength too.

Now this is where I thought the lesson would stop.  I thought Jared would walk around on the lead for a while and the lesson would eventually end.  I was completely wrong.

Within a few minutes, I heard Steve telling Jared the basics of posting and how to get Ripple to start trotting.  The first time Ripple trotted, Jared bounced around and said "I feel like my insides are in a washing machine" and Steve laughed.  Steve then worked more on the mechanics of posting to counter-act that feeling.  Okay, I thought, that was a surprise but I'm sure this is what they'll work on the rest of the lesson.

Nope wrong again! Much to my surprise he took the lead rope off and told Jared to start walking Ripple around the very large ring (which, by the way, is only fenced in on three sides -- insert images of Jared being swept away on a runaway race horse here....).  I was very surprised, and I realized after I got home that I just stared and forgot to take pictures!  Jared did awesome.  He even managed to turn Ripple when Ripple thought going back into the barn seemed like a nicer idea than staying in the ring.

At the end of the lesson, he learned how to take off the tack, clean and groom his horse and properly put him back in the stall. A job well done.

Steve told them they could give treats to some of the horses in the adjoining paddocks and Lance helped groom Ripple a bit at the end. Jared was tired and rightfully so.

To say the lesson was thorough was an understatement. The lesson far exceeded my expectations and I look forward to continuing and I think Jared does too.  There's a great feeling of accomplishment in learning to control such a large animal and having a chance to bond as you groom him and give him treats.

Five Fireman and a Rainforest

Time sure does fly and this is a "catch up blog" of things I've been meaning to write about but haven't had the chance.

Amber is now FIVE months old.  She is beautiful and so aware.  She turns to her name and her nick name "piggy, piggy, piggy" so we might have to cut back on its use.  She started scooting early in the month, backwards only at first, like her brother Lance.  Now she is rather mobile now, scooting and rolling where she wants to go very quickly.

At Jared's last Cub Scout den meeting, they had the pleasant surprise of finding out they were going on a tour of the new downtown Fire Station that night.  Luckily Chris had decided to bring Titus to the meeting that night.  The two boys were in awe and I'm proud to say, according to their father, extremely well behaved.  Jared and Titus both are fascinated with FIREMEN.  On a related side note, there is a fire pole at our neighborhood playground, and Jared was so relieved to learn how to go down the fire pole at the park this month. Its difficult to coordinate all those long appendages.

For our boys' birthday parties, we prefer small events to create special memories rather than large parties.  This year Lance chose to take on the Advanced RAINFOREST course at ZoomAir this year.  Zoom Air is a ropes course up in the trees at the zoo.  The Rainforest includes some really high and long zip-lines and takes place at least 30 feet up in the air.  Chris, Lance and Matthew tackled the course for two hours together the Sunday after his birthday.  Lance led out the group and the boys never flinched at conquering each new obstacle.  Chris said he was happy to go last (Hee, Hee).  They had an absolute blast!

Whole Foods & Sunshine

After watching the video about GMO foods, a friend asked, "So what can I eat?".  The simple answer is "anything from Whole Foods", they don't allow any food into their store with GMOs or artificial sweeteners.  The next question of course is "How do I afford it?".  The answer to that is multi-fold.  The way I have always looked at it, we can either spend money on healthy food now or on health bills later.  We look for the 365 brand (Whole Foods in-house brand) or in the bulk bin section to save money. Also, Whole Foods does have flyers with coupons in the store. We buy what we can online for less and also cutting back on meat will save a lot of money.

I really like going to Whole Foods.  I am there almost every Sunday morning with Titus. It is our date time and often the highlight of my week.

As we walk in, we greet Jessie or Brandon at Customer Service to let them know we are there. They call back to have the cases we need each week brought up while we shop.  They know us and its nice.

As we enter produce, sometimes we run into Mr. Steve who will give Titus a piece of fruit to eat.  We talk to him a bit about his week, his latest vacation or his son.  Next we say "Hi" to Mr. Gary, who knows all about the unusual fruits they have.  Sometimes he even convinces us to try something new or we just exchange a happy smile.

Nathan smiles and says "Hello" in the supplement area, and there's Alex in the frozen section.  We have even convinced Mr. Frank to smile on occasion in Dairy.

As we pull up to check out, we look for pretty Svitlana's aisle.  We talk to her about her son, their week, etc.  She asks to see pictures of the baby and asks about our week.  Gareth is always quick to help with bagging up, remembering to keep the fragile stuff all in one bag.  As he helps us out to the car, we talk again about life; his and ours.  If we have a lot of stuff or he's busy, Bri and Neal are always quick to jump in and help with a smile. 

These are just the people we see most often; my "peeps" as Chris calls them.  There are many others we share smiles with, especially on the days we go at a different time.  This time spent sharing smiles and a few moments, brings sunshine to my days.

I wonder if everyone took the time to say a kind word or exchange a smile with the people they see, how the world might change for the better.  If we simply read the name tags they wear, and called people by name, would the world have more "sunshine"?

Lately, I feel more connected to the people in the shadows of this video, than those dancing but I'd sure like to dance more.  Here's to us all having more sunshine in our lives and spreading a little sunshine with our smiles!

Moon Walk

One of the things I love about my husband and children is their appreciation for the simple but marvelous things in life.  On his way home from baseball practice, Chris calls me to say we all need to get outside and see the moon.  The moon was huge and orange.  

I was nursing so we didn't run out, but Chris rushed us out when he got home.  We walked down the street to get a better vantage point.  Jared found two toads.  

At first the moon was behind some clouds but the boys were more than happy to wait for it to reappear.  

On the way home we were greeted by a Cuban Tree Frog on our front porch.  The pictures don't do the evening justice but they capture the moment as a family appreciating God's majesty in his creation.  The evening reminded me that even in the city you can have a nature walk from time to time.

Vocabulary & Spelling City

One of my boys' favorite online sites is www.spellingcity.com.  My boys laugh hysterically at "Hang Mouse" and "Word-O-Rama" games. The original purpose of the site was to allow parents and teachers a fun way for their children to practice and learn their spelling words.  Recently they expanded the site to include vocabulary practice as well. 

The site is completely customizable.  A parent or teacher can type in a given list of words for their student/child to practice.  The student can then choose from a number of options; "Teach Me", "Take a Test", or "Play a Game" to name a few. 

You can also search the community database for lists that were created by another user.  To do this simply click on "Find a List" from the top menu buttons and choose the appropriate search.

I have created a number of spelling lists you can use to get started. Select "Parent Name" next to the search and enter "TinaMarie Otto" to find them. There is an imposter using "Tina Marie Otto" (Hee, Hee), so be sure to leave out the space.  You can import these into your own User ID or you can keep coming back to my lists.

• Dolch Sight Words - This currently includes 6 lists of Pre-K to First Grade Dolch Site Words you can import the rest from this link on Spelling City http://www.spellingcity.com/dolch-words.html
  
• Most Used Words - This currently comprises 15 lists that encompass the 300 most used words in printed material per this site http://www.duboislc.org/EducationWatch/First100Words.html
• Mr. Q Elementary Chemistry Vocabulary - This list includes all the Vocabulary from Mr. Q Elementary Chemistry by Unit. I have added this list to Spelling City with permission from "Mr. Q".  

Most of the spelling games and features are available for free.  If however you want to use the vocabulary tools and games you'll need to join.  The fee is only $30 a year and includes tracking for up to five students/children.   I have yet to use the tracking but I plan to start soon.
 

I expanded my use of the program from spelling to vocabulary because I wanted my children to have a way to review the vocabulary from their Chemistry Course, and since they enjoy using this site it seemed a perfect fit.  I'm hoping this will really solidify the chemistry basics they are learning this year, and I thought it might be of use to those of you also using Mr. Q.  I have currently only created a list for "Unit 1" vocabulary but I will be adding all the units as we progress through the year.

Spelling City has many more potential uses, such as "Analogies", and "Homophone" learning and games.  It is definitely worth taking some time to play around and see how it may be of use.

Bottles and Breast Feeding

With each new kid I learn something new.

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on T.V., so please consult with your pediatrician first.  There, now I am free to tell you my observations and opinions as a mother without fear of litigation, and you are free to do with it what you like.

My sons who breast feed completely refused bottles of any kind.  We bought all kinds of bottles, some that even looked like boobs, but no luck.  My boys wouldn't even drink out of sippy cups, they went straight to straws.  I had no expectations that Amber would be any different, and didn't plan on even trying.  If you read breastfeeding literature, this would come as no big surprise, many breast fed babies completely refuse bottles.

Then about six weeks ago I got the 24 hour stomach flu.  First time in my life I had ever gotten one, first time in my life I had ever vomited from illness.  I lost six pounds.  I continued to breast feed through it but it did permanent damage to my supply.  After he recovered, Chris tried to give me some sleep and stay up with Amber.  She got hungry shortly after I laid down and Chris made the decision to try and give her a bottle.

The hospital had given us three different types of formula.  Knowing that Amber didn't let me eat or drink any kind of milk, he chose the "Similac - Sensitive for Fussiness & Gas Due to Lactose Sensitivity" Formula.  Wonder of wonders, she drank it!

Since it worked, we decided to keep it up.  I started going to bed early so I could get a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.  She was still only going about four hours between breast feedings so it seemed like a good and harmless plan.  

Then one day out of curiosity, I read the ingredients in the formula, "Corn Syrup Solids, Sugar(sucrose), milk protein isolate...".  I stood dumb founded.  I remember people my grandmother's age talking about feeding babies Caro Syrup and being appalled.  Here I was, standing in my kitchen, realizing that's basically what we were feeding Amber.  Caro Syrup with "Less than 2%" vitamins added.  

I immediately went into research mode, looking for an organic lactose free infant formula.  To my frustration, my original search turned up nothing but recipes for making your own infant formula.  Since I was still breast feeding, powdered goat milk was a viable option.  By itself you would need to make sure you supplemented certain nutrients that were missing from goat's milk alone but as a supplement it appeared the easiest alternative.

I picked up the powdered goat milk, brought it home and gave it a try.  This is when I had my epiphany.  She totally refused the bottle.  Maybe my sons had not been refusing the bottle, maybe they had been refusing the formula in the bottle! Duh. *forehead smack*.

Next, I tried mixing a little in with the Simliac and still she refused to drink.  When I gave up and made a bottle of pure Similac she drank it right down.  So I was back to square one, looking for a better formula.

Then I came across "Baby's Only Organic Lactose Free Formula".  Problem was it was labeled as a "Toddler Formula".  What did that mean?  So I read around, and ended up at the "Nature's One" website where they warned in typical legal fashion to "consult your pediatrician" before feeding to children under 12 months old", then they added "and when you do bring this print out".  The print out is a point by point nutritional comparison between Similac, Baby's Only and breast milk.  The three are essentially the same, I was a bit amazed, and comforted.  So why was it labeled "toddler"?  They didn't say exactly, they even said they meet the FDA guidelines for infant formula, so I figure its one of two things, their commitment to breast feeding or the FDA not allowing the label.  Either way I was satisfied, I had found a better alternative. 

I quickly ordered Baby's Only from Amazon and gave it a try.  SHE LIKED IT! SHE LIKED IT!  Ironically the Similac had made her rather gassy but she had no such issues with the Baby's Only.  My guess is its the the use of Organic Brown Rice Syrup* instead of processed sugars.   They say they use the Brown Rice because it is a more nutritious carbohydrate, and easier to digest.  Based on our experience, this formula is great no spit-ups or excess gassiness and the ingredients don't make me cringe, especially after learning what they do to non-organic corn.

*There has been some concern recently about Brown Rice Syrup containing arsenic but this page should alleviate those concerns:  www.naturesone.com/brown-rice/

Health - Killer Profits

I've read a lot of about nutrition over the years but the accountant in me was blown away by this video.

Did you know that most breast cancer is environmental not genetic?  

Did you know that tests have not been done for the new proteins that have been introduced into food production since the 1990s, and food allergies have increased exponentially?  

That these created proteins are not allowed in Europe, Australia, New Zealand or Japan.

That if you move to the United States you are four times more likely to get cancer?

(Think there's a connection?)

Did you know Starbucks spends more on health care costs than they do on coffee?

Got your attention?  I knew we were getting sicker as a nation despite improved health care but I never understood why.  Taking the 15 minutes to watch this video might change the way you shop forever.

 

I'm not sure about the plug for Erin Brockovich but the money trail makes perfect sense.  

I've been meaning to post more nutrition blogs since my first blog on the concern over Soy.  This is the motivation I needed.  I will start outlining what we do nutritionally and what the logic was behind our decisions.  

The more I learn, the more I want to have a farm of my own and grow all my own food.

Recycling Curricula & Planning

I think I have purchased an equal amount of resources that are currently on my shelves, as are now on someone else's shelf.  No matter how much research I do ahead of time, sometimes I just don't know if a curricula will work until I try it.  I'm a frugal person, but I'm not going to keep using something that just isn't working because I paid for it.  Flexibility of curricula is one of the main reasons I homeschool.  I've been warned not to be a slave to my curricula, and I believe that is sound advice.

I was asked by a non-homeschooling mom at the park the other day, "How do you find time to plan?".  Tired and not ready for the question I glibly answered with a smile, "By the seat of my pants."  Afterward, I took some time to think about "How do I plan?" and thought I'd share the general process here.

First of all, its important to understand we homeschool year round (June to May).  I think this has a couple advantages:

• We don't have to vacation in the summer when everyone else is, which lowers costs and avoids crowds.
• We can take breaks when ever we NEED them, due to mental fatigue, physical illness, special events, visitors, etc.
• My kids don't loose their brain over the summer causing us to lose time at the beginning of each year finding their brains again.

I do try to have their core curricula complete by the end of April each year.  May is usually very busy with vacations, birthdays and my state's annual homeschool convention.  Therefore, I generally use May to plan the next year and do homeschool lite that month.

I never really stop planning or evaluating curricula but May is when I sit down and try to put together my plan for the new year, understanding that once we start anything could change.  First, I go to the convention usually wanting to see and touch a certain number of items that have piqued my interest.  I like to see and touch, I find it hard to make purchases on the internet if I've never actually seen the resource in person.  That's also where knowing other homeschoolers can really help.  I have saved myself a lot of money over the years by asking if anyone has a certain resource I could look at and after seeing it my opinion sometimes changes completely.

I try to spend our summer really focusing on Science and History.  I try to complete both curricula between June and August. I find not trying to do all subjects, all year long makes our days go better.  The rest of the year I put a stronger focus on Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.  However, I choose Science and History curricula that incorporate all those things, so we never really stop the basics, we just change the focus.  Also I try to find a curricula I can use for both my older children for Science and History, I just expect a little more out of my older child when we do the curricula.

After I go to the convention for looking at curricula and other resources, my next favorite event of the summer is a HUGE Used Curricula sale held the week after.  This is where I look for living books to support our Science and History theme for the year, and a few just to have fun reading.  It's always a relief to come home with so many bargains after spending a bit too much at the convention the week before.

I have chosen to do history over a three year cycle:  Ancients, Middle Ages/Renaissance, American History.  However, I like to go deep instead of wide.  For instance, this year we are in the American History Cycle, by year end we will have covered Columbus through the Revolutionary War. Next time through we will gloss over these areas and go deep maybe Revolutionary War through Industrial Age.

That's the general idea of how I plan on a Macro level.  On a weekly level, planning is just as flexible, especially since the arrival of our new baby.  Each week I try to get in at least three days of Core Curricula work.  Fridays I find they are physically and mentally drained so we focus on more hands-on activities, like Fine Arts and reading Living Books.  

In keeping with my understanding of Charlotte Mason's principals, we do NOT try to do the same subject at the same time every day.  She felt children did better with short periods, that varied in order from day to day.  I have tried to keep to the short periods but timing our subjects caused a lot of stress in our homes.  What does work is to keep in mind the idea of short subject periods when determining how much work they need to do each day, ie. for my older son I only have him do half the review questions for math and sometimes I will split a spelling lesson into two days.

To further organize our "Stack System" and chores, I have recently implemented the use of the "Reminder" program on their iPads.  I made a reminder list with all the possible things they would need to do in a day from "Getting Dressed" to the "Journal Writing" word of the day.  Then each night I go through, check as "completed" the things I don't want them to do the next day, which leaves them with a list of things they must complete.  Rinse, Lather, Repeat....  It's working better than any other system we've tried.  They are doing their "Xtra Math" and "Push-ups" app on the iPads, and frankly they like them so using them isn't a chore.  This could be done in a more low-tech manner, but my boys have an innate ability to avoid the obvious reminders when they aren't interested.

I've made the mistake of trying to re-create a school environment a couple of times by having a very detailed and strict schedule that followed a typical school day.  Our idea of homeschooling is to do things differently and hopefully better.  In my previous life in corporate America I had a saying, "I've never met a process that couldn't be improved." and this is the mentality I now apply to our homeschooling journey.  Its the reason we are always changing, at least in some way, what we do and how we do it.  The goal of perfection is unachievable, but that is what we strive for in homeschooling.  Despite more failures in this area than I can count, all we can do is to get up and take the next right step as best as we know how and try to have fun along the way.

Smile Mile 2012

The "Smile Mile" was last weekend and as you can see everyone had a great time!

PO River Gang Celebrates!

Coach Hanif is such a great role model and teacher for the kids.

I'm so thankful we found him.

Lance chose to just have a fun run.  

When he decides he's ready to compete he'll blow the field away.

The surprise of the day was Jared deciding to run.  He took off on his own, then Chris joined him to walk and (with permission) cut the route short. 

It was good for him to have a chance compete/ be included and as you can see everyone really supported his effort.

The mighty Titus joined in the "Kids Fun Run".  

When he wants to he can really motor those little legs!

Lance still wants to do the Watermelon 5K in July, so hopefully if Chris' knee gets better soon that will be their next challenge.

This is the first time in six years we were not responsible for photographing this race.  It was a little bitter sweet seeing everyone we had enjoyed working with for so many years.  However, seeing her precious face, and me carrying her with the camera, I realize once again His will is always better than my own.

Where's my Little Boy?

I'm sure it was just yesterday that we were laughing all over town exploring new places with all his little friends.  It must be time to go to music class, the gardens or some other playtime activity.  This is my little boy....

Lance at 6 months.

How did he become this young man?

Today 9 years old at his Birthday Baseball Game.

And what a wonderful young man he has grown into!  

He has a smile for everyone he meets.  

He is kind and thoughtful. Sometimes he changes Amber's diaper without me even knowing it. 

He's patient.  He takes the time to listen to his little brother, help or redirect him.

He's loving and compassionate.  He's so sensitive to other people and wants to help.
He's intelligent and curious.  I like nothing better than to cuddle with him and talk about all that's on his mind.

He's fun.  Never at a loss for energy to play.
He's my Lancelot.  Loyal and protective, especially of his little sister.

He's handsome. My little Adonis, girls watch out!

I've been telling him since he was little to find his passion.  He says its baseball and he certainly has a lot of potential and works very hard.  At the same time, he wants to be an entrepreneur and make his own line of toys.  He has drawn up plans for different toys he wants to build and has encouraged Jared to design a line of clothes to go with, which he has.

My prayer for you Lance, is that you will always stay close to God, follow His path for you life.  That you will do it with that incredible smile on your face and joy in your heart, may His will always be yours.

You will always be our precious little boy, no matter how big you become!