Blog Archives

Excellent timing!

5/31/2014

My son is currently fascinated by mosquitoes. He has a bucket in the backyard filled with mosquito larva and a bunch of female mosquitoes. :) So when I got an email from "in the Hands of a Child" about this deal I was quite delighted (as was my son).

click on image to go to order/information page

They are selling it for $1 for today and tomorrow. Isn't that great? Just in time for the buzzing, welt ridden season! The unit includes ways to deal with the bites and making a homemade repellant. OH.. Won't it be fun to try it and see if it works?

I know my boy will think so anyways. :)

Emmet (alphabet blogging)

5/26/2014

You see this guy right here?

This fellow likes emmet.
Emmet is an archaic word for ....

click image to go to source : bug guide

ANT

I have to admit, my son is getting a little vexed trying to figure out how to keep his toads in the pond that he has made. But as frustrating as it is for him, he will sit for hours watching that toad (the one who stays around) hunt for the emmet and gobble him up.    Mom LOOK!    Mom! Come See he got another one.

Hey mom, what do you think the toad would think if a queen ant decided to build her colony in the pond area mom?   What do you think he would say?

me: ".... uh... yum yum?"

"HA, that 's funny mom. I betcha the ant wouldn't be to happy though would she?"

"I guess she wouldn't son.   I wouldn't like if some great giant ate you up either!" :)

I have to admit, I'm delighted that even through his frustration he is finding things to take great joy.   He and his friend worked hard on the pond. They did a decent job I think...though the problem solving regarding the toads is a continued work in progress.

I do hope they get it figured out soon so the toads can stay out permanently.

But I did think it interesting to learn that emmet is an archaic word for ant.   Don't you?

I can imagine the fun I'll have tomorrow.

Lad.. did your toad catch any emmet today?
"What?????" (I can just hear the confusion already). :)
It will be fun!   A good new word for one boy child. WOOT WOOT! :)

Building a Pond

5/25/2014

I like ponds.
I can't afford a big pond.
So... A while back.. a couple years ago I think I thought to myself... can I build a small pond?
No one was interested in helping me, except my lad's best friend and last year didn't work out. This year my son got on board. "Mom! Can we make a pond for my toads and frogs?"

My response was "Sure son, you can do that". :)

So on Thursday and Friday two lads worked hard at building a pond.

My boy had already done the preliminary work of digging the hole and testing the size. We discovered though the old shower curtain had a leak so the pond was emptied and a plastic line was placed under the shower curtain for some added support.

First came the fitting of stone.

Then came the work of building walls. This took the lad's a lot of time. Dad helped with cutting the wood for them.

I was sure I had a picture of Jim cutting wood but apparently I didn't so I will substitute this picture of a watchful on looker...

ah ha!!!! I knew I had a picture!!!! :)

Putting the wood around proved to be somewhat problematic due to the shape of the base and the escape desiring nature of toads.....

The need to protect the bubbler that will keep the river fish alive. This was done through a ziploc bag and covering the corner with old feed bags and a block of wood.

Plants were added....

And toad hidey area were added. As well as lots of toads. The boys had a lot of fun observing the toads and learning how escape focused they are. There seemed to be four different types of toads: a reddish one, a greenish one, and lots of American toads and a couple that looked different...more white than the regular toad. I KNOW I took pictures of them but they somehow vanished from my camera....

The boys were laughing about how this would be a toad education centre so my son ran with that theme and put up some math problems for the toads (and one frog) to solve.

They thought they had the toads all secure but about five of them got away on the boys. The frog remained and I had thought if anyone would escape it would be the frog! So... the remaining toads went back to the house for safe keeping. The lad worked hard yesterday. And my lad worked hard to checking for small holes and other areas that the toads could escape through.

They did a good job did they not?    My lad has one last job to do and that is to reconnect the one bubbler with it's filter.   But that's a job for later today or tomorrow. :)

Oh.. frogs sing VERY loudly at night.. oh my but can they sing. It's almost as pretty as listening to our birds. :)   But he's happy and it makes my lad smile. T'is a good thing that!   Indeed! :)

Oh... almost forgot!   At the end of a hard day's work we had a campfire.   Lots of un.

It was a very lovely couple of days. I'll happily do it again! :)
Might not be the prettiest...but it'll do. :)

Review: Signed, Sealed and Delivered

5/24/2014

So today I had the opportunity to watch one of the episodes of Signed, Sealed and Delivered. I reviewed this on behalf of FlyBy Promotions.

Product Details
Received: Link to view the first episode of TV series
Name: Signed, Sealed and Delivered.
Produced: Crown Media Family Networks
Created by: Martha Williamson
To be shown on: Hallmark Station

Brief Write-Up received:
Signed, Sealed, Delivered The new original series "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" is a wonderful combination of romance, comedy and drama that follows the lives of four postal detectives who transform themselves into a team of detectives to track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail. Their missions take them out of the office where redirected letters and packages can save lives, solve crimes, reunite old loves and change futures by arriving late but somehow always on time. The team includes charming Oliver O’Toole (Eric Mabius), the group's leader is a man of faith who prayerfully approaches his work with the goal of making a difference in people's lives; new team member, Shane McInerney (Kristin Booth), a technophile who brings 21st century sensibility to the group; free-spirited, “girl next door” Rita Haywith (Crystal Lowe) who has a photographic memory; and lovable Norman Dorman (Geoff Gustafson), a master in conventional research methods. The show airs SUNDAYS, 8/7c on Hallmark. This incredible series even incorporates scripture in its themes and in the conversations between characters.

As an added bonus:
In FACT, The American Bible Society has built a bible study to go with the series, Sign up for that here: http://www.americanbible.org/features/signed-sealed-delivered Isn't that great? A seven-day Bible reading experience to dig deeper into the meaningful biblical themes revealed in each episode of Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

My thoughts and opinions:
Well, I have to say that it's an okay show. I could see over time the characters developing and the show actually becoming quite enjoyable. I had to admit, I was somewhat taken back by the misrepresentation of what the post office is able to do (opening mail) BUT a disclaimer at the end of the show stated that the UPS is not allowed to do that.   It was just a bit of a HUH? moment so I was pleased to see that disclaimer.

In the episode I watched a letter was found stuck in a desk sold by an antique dealer. The letter got to the post office to be delivered. The only way they could do so was by opening it up.   Their actions led to a happy ending for a young special needs couple and a sideline to the story, showed a postal worker having a good message to share to a larger group.   The story line was good I thought.

As much as the write up I received talked about how faith would be included in the show, I watched for it, and it must be subtle because I didn't catch it at all.   I saw people doing their job and acting basically like good people. But I didn't see the deeper reason WHY they did what they did (other than extending themselves beyond their jobs).

Overall, an okay show.    I could see developing an interest in watching it. Seeing what mystery faced them that week and how it affected the lives of those involved. :) I would also like to see if the characters develop into more real people...people that I could better connect with.   Would be good to see the evolve.

Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/signedsealeddelivered Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/signedsealeddeliveredtv?ref=br_tf
Facebook for creator Martha Williamson: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Martha-Williamson/609169295802010

This review written for FlyBy Promotions. I received a chance to view an episode and render my opinion of it to you. I was not told what type of review to write (positive or negative) just given an opportunity to watch and tell. :) FTC regulations have me tell you this important information. :)

Supper the other night: Rice Fry

5/24/2014

Since having my gall bladder out about three weeks ago I still find figuring out what to eat a bit of a challenge.

It's getting better and I'm not so gassy so life is much better! :) BUT I can't eat anything acidic, I remain leery of bread and beef doesn't go over so well yet. So I continue eating many rice dishes.

Above is a "I'm hungry and need something to eat meal". My boy said "Pizza mom!" so while his pizza was doing it's thing, I did mine. :)

it took me all of 15 minutes to throw together since I had the rice already cooked.

Onions, yellow pepper, peas and some celery. Mixed that together with some rice and a touch of butter. I put no salt seasoning on it (which was okay but lacked something)...

But overall it was a great meal. Not too big either.

I do best right now with smaller meals.

New Things

5/21/2014

I have to admit.. today has been a scattered, interrupting kind of a day.

I'm out doing bunny chores... MOM!!!! MOM!!!! Come quick!!! My crickets are mating!!!

So I rush to the house....only to have missed that wonderful event. The lad was full of talk about it though. :)

I went back out to finish the bunny chores and one eight year old lad accompanies. I continue cutting grass for them. MOM!!!! Come SEE!!!

What has he found you ask?
My toad... yes MY TOAD.   Fred.   Now called Fredrika as apparently Fred is a girl.   I often found this particular toad near the fence in the backyard and when I"m cutting grass in that area I keep a close look out.
The lad learned this morning he is NOT allowed to add Fredrika to his collection of toads.
BUT MOM!!!!   Was his lament. I like her!   My other toads will like her too!!!   Can I add her to the pond when it's all finished?
No. She's MY toad and you can leave her right where she likes to be.
And not even your best friends can keep her either.

We finish chores among much chatter about "wouldn't it be nice if we could have eusocial toads?"    Lots of fun speculation going on. :)

Off for breakfast where we read another chapter in Little town on the prairie. Yesterday the lad thought it funny that the older children didn't know how to behave at a party. That they were too worried about being proper. Today was just a fun read with the boys pulling the girls on the hand sled.   The chapter finished with Laura being worried about getting good grades so she could become a teacher so Mary could stay in School.
"But mom?   Why would she worry about that?   Couldn't her dad keep Mary in school? Why does Laura have to do that?".
It's just another lesson in how families help each other you know?

While the lad worked on his computer work: CTC math, Science4Us and Reading Kingdom I worked on the dishes. I stepped outside to do something and scared up a wee one. It hopped into our old dog kennel so I called the lad out to discover what it was. "oh mom" was his delighted soft cry "it's a baby robin! Can I keep it?"

Mean while.. Baby robin is just a hollering "MOM MOM!!!"
And momma Robin was hollering back "YOU DASTARDLY FIEND! LEAVE GO MY BABY!!!!!!"

So we released baby to momma's immense relief. I promised the lad that should we ever find a baby with no parents anywhere to be found or dead he could raise it up to be released later. But i said.. parents have to be dead or GONE. This of course led to an impromptu lesson on the different ways momma birds help their babies grow up. :)

momma robin promptly encouraged baby to get far away from us. :)

Anyways, back to the computer work only for the lad to be called upstairs when the biggest bumble bee I'd ever seen was buzzing around the windows.   Unfortunately it went to parts unknown before the lad made it upstairs (kinda like me and the crickets).

The Lad discovered the meaning of apostrophes and what the "O" in O'clock means. He was impressed by neither.   What can I say?

For lunch I said "let's do something new" So I stuck some cheese inbetween two wraps.
The lad was ever so hesitant to try it but then said "oh. that's good mom. Next time can we try it with real cheese?".   WOOT WOOT!   My lad likes 'em. Dad comes in and says "OH.. you made quesadeahs" (spelling???) did you like them?   Did you know they come from Mexico?   Good things to teach a child right? :)

D, Determination, Deliberation, Doing

5/20/2014

I have a boy child (as many of you know). Just one.   God chose to give us one between two miscarriages.

It wasn't easy.

It was a fair process needing to work through that pain, of only having one child, of losing two and not seeing any possibility of having more.

It took determination on my part to leave that part of my life alone.   To trust that God truly knew what is best for us and our household.

And I have to say.. he truly does.

I LOVE children. I love having them around. i like their noise, their curiousity and their busyness.

But you know what else I like?
Serving and meeting the needs of my family.
Ad you know what I have learned?

I do that best with just one or two. And sometimes the needsof my family compete.

Makes me feel busy in my head and like I don't know what to do.   I can't listen to two people at once, I can't meet divergent needs at the same time, I just can't....

So trusting God in this matter has taught me that he does indeed know me best.

this picture of them together makes me smile. This boy, the older he gets, the more he sees what his dad does and copies him. :)

The older my lad gets, and the longer I am married, the more I realize that deliberation is a big part of raising a family and loving your spouse.

Deliberately not being selfish and doing this activity for a hubby that needs doing but he can't due to time constraints, health issues, or what. It's a deliberate choice you know to do things for others. Deliberation is what I need as I seek out materials that would best suit my son and his needs in schooling. Deliberation in seeking out friends for a child raised on his own.

And choosing to take those friends with us to different events that we are interested in. Makes it so much better for that boy child, and lets me focus some of my time on my hubby as well.

All this determination and deliberation leads to me doing stuff.
I am so often content to just do my own thing and lead my own life and let everything else be on the borders of that. I can live in my own world so easily. Just lost and alone there, and be content.

But God has called me to more than that. And he keeps calling me out.

He has called me trust him as he's given me ONE child.
He has called me trust him as my husband pastors as elderly church.
He has called me trust him as I deal with theft in my rabbitry.
He has called me trust him as he gives me real friends.

It all takes deliberation and determination to follow him as he DOES know what he is doing with me and through me and in me.
And that just leads me just doing stuff... stuff that I hope shows others who God truly is.

How does deliberation and determination affect your life?
What is your story?

This post will be linked up with Marcy's Blogging through the alphabet series. This week our letter is D.

Click the image to go to link up.

Review: 44 Scotland Yard

5/17/2014

Product Details:
Softcover book. 325 pages.
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Publisher: Vintage Canada
Source: book pile, free book picked up somewhere

My Review:

I was looking forward to reading this book as I enjoy "the No.1 Ladies' detective Agency".   I do. This book well... all the issues in the book, but one, seemed to be addressed, but they all ended so sadly that it felt like a total waste of my time.

I wanted SOMETHING to end well and nothing did.

Very depressing.

Mind, the book kept me interested up until the last couple of chapters when I started to realize this was not going to end well.

The characters are well-written, Domenica, Angus, Big Lou and Ian sounded like great characters to meet.   Pat sounded like a young adult figuring out who she was, Matthew just a bit of a lost soul and Bertie I just want to give him a train set.   But overall.. What a colossal waste of time.

Now.. if you like reading books with well-developed characters where you understand how they are thinking and how that influences their behaviours, this would be a great book to read.    I did enjoy watching the interactions between the various members of the apartment at 44 Scotland Yard.   You get some good neighbours and you get some hmm... well "interesting" neighbours.

Random Five on Friday

5/16/2014

click image to go to link up

So here I am, missing my "five minute Friday" that I almost always do, and nothing has been posted on Lisa-Jo's site so I'm feeling a bit lost.

Check my inbox and there's a reminder about doing the random 5 on Friday and I thought, ah.. why not. I have time today to do that. So.. here I am doing it. :)

So Five Random Things on a Friday.

1. I feel ick today. Just tired and blah and not okay. Hubby says I have to expect this as it's only be just shy of three weeks since my surgery. But still.. I hate it. I hate fighting through tiredness all the time lately. Tonight my gut is full of gas and I wonder if my gall bladder surgery was a success or if I have to live with a gassy gut for the rest of my life. I really hope not. God keeps telling me to TRUST him. It's the theme of this year I think.. to just remember to trust him.

2. Glad I got some homeschooling (book work learning) done with my lad today, but still feel like I'm failing him. Like I need to add more "STUFF" to what we do. i have all these head plans but they never really seem to pan out. I know he's learning, but he can learn more you know? Or at least I need to be more deliberate about what I do I think sometimes. Like when he's having fun making a pond.. I should actually teach him about what he's doing ...though trial and error learning is good to.. but I need to do MORE.. I just need to figure that more out....

3. I miss my Five Minutes on Friday with Lisa Jo. It's funny. You get into these routines and when you are out of them it's like ACK! This is not okay. Makes me wonder if everything is okay with her.....

4. (ooh.. almost jumped the gun there and hit five by accident). So 4... sold the brown tent yesterday. The whole by-law thing about the size of shelters is a bit silly in my mind but hey.. gotta live with what you have right? So I got it sold, trying to sell the other one. Getting things down and put away. Makes the whole yard look a mess. Makes hubby stressed which makes me stressed.. which is just STUPID. It will clear up in time, just need to be patient eh?

5. hmm.. what's a random thing for five. OH! Tomorrow I'm selling some bunnies and I am going to my rabbit club meeting. I get to teach a young man how to properly sex bunnies (i LOVE the education part of my rabbit business.. just love it). The cutey below is hopefully going to it's new home tomorrow. She's a blue eyed white lionhead bun. Not a stellar example of her breed, but her momma was a rescue so one takes one what gets when you think "hmm.. wonder if she's preggers and it turns out momma was!". People are so.. hmm.. interesting with rescues sometimes. ALWAYS assume they are pregnant. :)

Curriculum Favourites Over the Year

5/15/2014

Hmm... This crew round post for TOS is harder to do than I thought it would be.

The question is.... what are our Favorite Curriculum Choices? This doesn't limit it to the products we received from the TOS review work, but basically anything we've used.

For me one of my favourite things to do with my lad has been going through the book "knowing God by name".

We still haven't finished it as we got sidetracked by the review "Philippians in 28 weeks", and we are just getting back to it. But it's been good to read through and talk about the different names of God and putting them up on our board.

So I'm not sure I can call this a curriculum, but it's been part of our devotional/bible time and we've both enjoyed it.

Reading Kingdom, CTC Math and Science4Us.com continue to be a daily part of our lives. My son enjoys all three of these programs and he's learning so it's all good. He likes that he can repeat things over and over again until he understands it, and he's not afraid to ask questions when he just doesn't get it. :) Logic of English is becoming part of regime as well as it works well with my lad. :)

We thoroughly enjoy Story of the World for our history time. I find it fascinating how often what we read about comes out in play later. :) And lately my son's been making up his own jokes based on the people we learn about. Today he was joking about Albertred and how his name should be Albertred the No Red (cause the guy who defeated him was "forked beard). It was funny at the time. :)

My son just told me his favourite part of our school time is when he is out doing stuff. Like how he is able to help build a pond, or we look for things while walking around and his raising of toads, frogs, voles, crickets and what not. He says that is the BEST of everything. :) He says then learning doesn't seem like he's learning stuff. :)