Six in the Northwest

County Fair - Day Six and We're Done

2011-08-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

All good things must come to an end, right? So does county fair. Today was promising to be another warm one for us, relatively speaking of course compared to the rest of the country, but still what one would call 'hot' here in the Northwest. Agenda for the day included the Master Showmanship Contest of which Goat Princess would participate in, the 4H Awards Ceremony, and then the task of dismantling our club decorations and the tedious job of getting all of the livestock and participants out of the fairgrounds in an orderly fashion. Full day.

But not before I took H-Bob to get her face painted. I had been promising her that all week...

and a ride around the fairgrounds on the little train...

and a stop at the frozen lemonade stand.

The contestants for the Master Showmanship Contest started out by taking a written test covering various aspects of the different species they were about to show: dairy goat, meat goat, fiber goat, pygmy goat, dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, swine and llama. Goat Princess felt it was a breeze and was up from the table in about 20 minutes.

Next came rotations through each of the species with each of the age categories, juniors grades 4-6, intermediates grades 7-9, and seniors grades 10-12, plus those in FFA. Here they were being judged on their ability to show their given animal to its best advantage for the judge. And the fun begins. Some kids who raise more than one species find this contest simpler than those who concentrate on just one. For example...

When your swine decides to lay down in the show ring, then what?

How do you handle your monstrous dairy cow who decides she's stopping at the bale of straw in the ring next to the panel gate and about pancakes you against the metal bars? Of course I'm not quick enough to capture that on film. I was feeling a little panicked actually.

Or the market goat that attempts to swipe a piece of your face while setting up her feet? Ditto with this photo. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be worried when I saw that head swipe at her face.

Did you notice some of the intense eye contact those showmen were making with the judge? A key factor for sure.

All fun and games in the toasty heat. Those kids had the sweat dripping down their faces for sure. But in a couple of hours, it too was over. This became the first time all fair that Goat Princess felt she could actually enjoy herself without the pressure to show, study, or be otherwise productive. So off she took with some friends who were visiting her at the fair and had a great time for a couple of hours before the awards ceremony.

It was a proud moment seeing her in the lineup of Master Showmen participants, sporting her newly won Champion Showman belt buckle. She didn't win the overall Champion or Reserve Champion title but did find out that she nearly aced the exam: 51 correct of 53 questions is pretty impressive.

So the hard work of dismantling the club barn decorations began and the job of keeping the club's goats corralled once some of the stall backings and dividers were being removed. But it was handled. The goats were led out to the trailer once our turn came to load, the supplies from the tack barn loaded up as well, and home I headed with Goat Princess and H-Bob while Hubby stayed back to help load up the club decorations with the rest of the guys.

The way home was almost magical...our first warm evening of the year where there was a slight warm breeze, a gorgeous sunset, and the feeling of relishing the memories of the best county fair ever.

County Fair - Day Five and Feeling the Heat

2011-08-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

Have you ever woke up...felt suffocatingly hot...but still too immobilized to do anything about it? Well that was this afternoon in the tent at the fairgrounds campground. Today promises to be the warmest of the year for us here in the Northwest...perhaps reaching 90. That shouldn’t be a big deal. But since we have hardly cracked 80 degrees and only since the middle of July, our bodies are not ready for it...or at least mine...it would seem. So long story short, I found myself feeling a little worn out and decided to take a quick snooze in the tent this afternoon not realizing that the windows were zipped shut. The sun had apparently moved over the tent where it had been in the shade before and bumped up the temp. I truly though I just might die but was still too groggy to do anything about it. Not fun.

But here I am now...in the shade with my Via iced coffee looking out over the scene where the cowboys and cowgirls are warming up their horses, ropes out, and seemingly oblivious to the sun while putting together this post.

I’m relishing the thought that I am lucky to be a 4-H mom. I would never have reason to experience this otherwise. Even though it is quite the draining experience, at times, it is one that sticks with you in a positive way for a long time.

Today’s main event...although Goat Princess was still working on studying for her Master Showman Contest tomorrow...was the 4-H and FFA livestock auction. The members purchase, raise, fit, and show a particular project animal with the end goal being to sell it to a community member for a profit and then some at the Saturday auction at the end of fair. Steer, lamb, goat, and hogs are the main auction animals though there have been some pens of fryer rabbits and poultry lately. Our oldest raised a steer two different years through FFA for the auction and Goat Princess took a market goat one year for 4-H when she was in fourth grade. The experience at that time was too much for Goat Princess to go through again. It was agonizing as a parent to maintain your own composure watching your child lose it emotionally in the show ring with their market animal as the auctioneer is trying to bid it up. She made a decent profit but at a emotional expense. She has not repeated it since and would rather fund her project by breeding and selling goat kids instead.

But here were tears again just a few minutes ago when the mother of a first year 4Her who had an auction goat this year just came up to me to be sure I knew that Goat Princess had stood with her daughter in the auction lineup while the member was bawling her eyes out and being as supportive as she could. The mom herself confided that she couldn’t be there for her daughter because it was too emotional for her as well. Those are the things that warm your heart and make you realize that this is why I’ve encouraged my kids to be involved in 4-H. It is definitely a positive experience. Chalk one up to life experiences.

The breeze is glorious. The view straight up into the towering firs is mesmerizing.

But I should probably wrap things up and see what’s happening down in the barn.

Take another look the piglets on display.

Tomorrow will be a long day with packing up camp, the Master Showman Contest, and breaking down the club display and pens in the barn before we take our animals and memories home with us from yet another year well spent at the fair. But you know what, I'm not going to miss these...

County Fair - Day Four and Still Functioning

2011-08-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

By day four of the county fair, things start to feel a little routine. Not even much motivation to photograph anything. It’s all too familiar to be interesting at this point.

Of course there was a goat obstacle course that I missed Goat Princess partaking in which was a bummer. It makes for some funny scenes watching naturally agile dairy goats trying to maneuver some of the creative obstacles they come up with. There was also a milking relay contest where local personalities, law enforcement, and the like are teamed up against the 4-Hers. Rules are simple: get as much milk as you can into a plastic water bottle and return it to a quart jar. First team to overflow their quart jar is the winner. But again, somehow I unfortunately missed that as well as that makes for some great video taping. I believe the first time I attempted to milk a goat or any dairy animal for that matter was in that same contest.

Today I seemed to be mainly occupied with keeping H-Bob busy and by being the support staff for Goat Princess who needs to be reminded to eat and keep hydrated. She has been studying for the written test portion of her upcoming Master Showman Contest she qualified for by taking the Champion Intermediate Showman title the other day. In addition to the written test, they show the different species...beef cattle, dairy cattle, llama, swine, sheep, dairy goats, meat goats, fiber goats, and pygmy goats. That requires the 4Her to connect with the other top showmen of the other species to learn from them the ins and outs of their species' showmanship. It can be a draining experience. I've sure got to give her credit for doing her homework.

Other than that, the day flowed as usual. Wandering the exhibits with H-Bob, checking on the little dairy calves,

making trips back and forth between home and fairgrounds, admiring the handiwork of others who obviously have more time than I,

stopping by the OMSI booth and making some goop,

and avoiding the temptation to gorge myself on fair foods...that gets reserved for the final day of fair on Sunday, and just generally killing time, even if it was hanging out in front of the fans.

One of the goat kids from this year’s kidding that is at the fair on exhibit is looking a little punky. I need to remember to bring some grape leaves from home in the morning. For some reason it tends to perk them up a bit. It is always a worry that they will pick up a virus or the stress of the fair will affect them negatively. Tucked tails and hunched backs are not a good sign.

I will admit that it is fun to share our knowledge about goats with the fairgoers. Some people are curious. Others are serious to-be owners. All seem to be amazed at the personality that goats have. I tell them it’s their personality that got us here in the first place. Be careful.

Stayed tuned. There are two more days until County Fair is over.

County Fair - Day Three...Keeps Getting Better

2011-08-18T22:20:00.000-07:00

Well I had my goat milk latte this morning and sweetened it with some cinnamon dulce de leche from said goat milk then headed down to the county fair to see how the producers of that milk would do in today's 4-H conformation dairy goat classes. While yesterday's classes focused on the showman, today's classes focused on how well the 4-H member's project animals fit their purpose...in this case as a dairy goat, their milk production and breeding capacity. Pretty simple.

Of course before I could head out there were horses next door to tend to, things to remember to take back to fair, camera memory cards to clear, and the like. Today was another one of our non-summer mornings and required a sweatshirt to stay warm. No complaints though. County fairs with temperatures in the 100s are definitely no fun for anyone.

Upon getting to the campgrounds, I found Goat Princess in her sleeping bag catching forty winks and trying to warm up. After getting up at 5:00 a.m. today, she bathed the four goats that hadn't been shown in the showmanship class yesterday and got them prepped for their show. I guess it was a pretty chilly morning to get wet, both for her and them. I noticed that they were all sporting their 'blankets' won from previous shows.

As you never know exactly when your breed of goat will be called into the show ring, parents and spectators have to just hang around in the area and keep tabs on things. Thank goodness we weren't going to walk all over the fairgrounds again. My feet probably couldn't take it again. There were still the butterflies to visit in the same vicinity, or the cattle to watch

or the llama agility course

or check out the sheep, dressed in their jammies to stay clean for their show

or the rest of the club members to watch show.

When the miniature dairy goat classes were called, it became apparent that there were not a lot of entries besides the ones from our family. Too bad. Plenty of competition is a good thing. But the judge did an excellent job commenting on each of the five does Goat Princess brought to show and had nothing but praise for several of them. She walked away with Grand Champion Miniature Dairy Goat Doe with her primary breeding doe and Reserve Grand Champion Miniature Dairy Goat Doe with her dry yearling from the aforementioned doe. Lots of blue ribbons, purple championship ribbons, and cool looking signs to hang above their pens.

With the showing done for the day, Hubby and I along with H-Bob headed home for awhile. Goat Princess had a four-hour barn duty shift and wouldn't be free until evening. At home time flew as I fed and cleaned next door, fed our animals, tried to squeeze in a little watering, make dinner, and scoot back out the door in time to return to the fairgrounds for the Parade of Champions.

Any 4-H or FFA member who took the Champion Showmanship title for their age category and species was invited by the Fair Board to parade around the rodeo arena before tonight's rodeo. Quite a sight. It's one of those opportunities that I hope each one of those kids will remember. Their moment of glory was due to nothing less than a lot of hard work and skill. Congratulations to all of them!

Hubby and H-Bob stayed to watch the rodeo

while I became the sounding board for Goat Princess's hectic day. Nothing greater than the feeling that your teen can unload to their parent. Worth every minute of my time. Then it was back home to wash a load of show whites, deal with the kitchen and baskets of unfolded laundry before whipping up this post.

Tomorrow should be a fun day of sorts. Classes like milking relays and obstacle courses. Pictures should be worth a thousand words tomorrow, I hope!

County Fair - Day Two and a Great One at That!

2011-08-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

This morning opened the second day of our county fair.

After feeding the horses next door and gathering up more loads of things to take down to the fairgrounds...boy, those reusable fabric grocery bags from the story come in mighty handy...it was time to see what the day had in store for us.

Wednesday is a fairly important day in the life of a 4H dairy goat showman. This is the day that the junior, intermediate, and senior showmanship classes are held.

Showmanship classes demonstrate how well you fitted out your 4-H animal and yourself, how much knowledge you have learned about your species, how well you have trained your animal to be calm and responsive in the show ring, and as well, is the time to put on your "show" face and be confident in your communication with the judge.

It really is a lot for these kids to work on throughout the year. I have always told my kids not to put all their eggs in the same basket and use their showmanship class as the end-all pinnacle of their yearly 4-H experience. If you're not thoroughly enjoying your day-to-day responsibilities of raising your animal, then you're missing the whole point of being a 4-Her. One hour of the entire year should not make or break you. You can be mightily disappointed.

But sometimes, it all comes together for them. It did today. Goat Princess took home the title of Champion Intermediate 4-H Dairy Goat Showman of the 2011 Clackamas County Fair and earned herself a spot in the coveted Master Showman round robin contest. She now has the shiny belt buckle to prove it. It's quite an accomplishment, and we are pretty proud of her.

The rest of the day consisted of last night's dinner leftovers at camp for lunch, a most fabulous Starbucks Via iced coffee...make it up with milk versus water and you won't be disappointed, more time in the butterfly exhibit,

an extended time in the pioneer village and Indian encampment,

and H-Bob's purchase of an ermine skin with her saved birthday money. Of course we wandered over to see the llamas,

pigs,

three of the cutest little dairy bull calves that must have been only a few days old,

more trips through the goat barn to visit with the littlest goat kids that were on exhibit,

of course visiting with our own miniature dairy goats,

visits to make the turkey 'gobble' back,

trips through the campers on display...enough to make Hubby quite envious of them, took a gander at some of the vendor displays,

and made a visit to the Kitchen Pantry where they had the most marvelous looking baked goods on display. You can tell I've been supportive of H-Bob's gluten free diet and have been refraining from baked goods that she can't have. They looked mighty good today. We even watched the dog agility show one more time.

I'm pretty sure I developed several blisters and know for sure that my feet were aching after the day standing and walking, so it felt good to head back to camp and sit for awhile watching the rodeo contestants get ready for the night's event while waiting for the noodles to boil. Tonight's camping entree...spaghetti with Alfredo sauce and pesto along with bagged salad. Not too shabby.

Now that I'm back home and Hubby is there with Goat Princes and H-Bob, I'm tending to the dishes at home, washing show clothes for tomorrow...dairy whites do not stay clean for long, and wishing I had time to water and see what's growing in the garden before dark. Perhaps in the morning.

Congrats again to our great little showman! A job fantastically well done.

County Fair - Day One and Counting

2011-08-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

County Fair.

I can vividly remember taking the family to our county fair every summer. We would see the sights, have some food, and invariable end up wandering the aisles of the livestock barn...wondering what it would be like to own a couple of animals...wondering how much fun it must be...wondering how that would ever be possible based on our living in a major metropolitan city.

Now fast forward to today. It's County Fair time again. But this time, as has been the case for the last six years, we're there not just one day, but six, and not only six days, but six nights as well. All because our little 'wondering' came to be, and our girls bring their 4-H dairy goats to exhibit as well as any other static exhibits they have prepared during the year. It's amazing how things do change.

Without spending the entire 'day one' post on how we got to where we are, let's just dive in to today.

But it really started last Saturday with paining the pen panels that the goats will stay in for the week, and as a 4-H club, decorating the area for the benefit of the visitors to the county fair. There's an amazing amount of background work done by an awful lot of volunteers in order to put together what you see when you visit the livestock barns.

But in getting back to today, the fair opens on a Tuesday each and every year. Our 14-year-old did not have a show today or even barn duty so was free to wander the fair with me and our 9-year-old. And wander we did...through the goat barns to see each and every little goatkid...many, many times. Through the butterfly exhibit four different times.

600+ Monarchs in one tent.

They were everywhere!

This says it all!

We washed our hands with the most wonderful goat soap from the 'soap lady's' exhibit. We spent a lot of time in the pioneer village and Indian camp looking through the exhibits there. We wandered over to the the OMSI exhibit. And I believe all that was before lunch back at our campsite. Then we of course had to make several trips through the 4-H exhibit hall where the girls had photography exhibits as well as H-Bob's Clover Bud exhibits.

Clover Bud sewing exhibit

Clover Bud Photography exhibit

Clover Bud Expressive Art and Natural Science exhibit

Clover Bud Drawing exhibit

Clover Bud felting and finger knit scarf

There were cool things to see in the Main Pavilion that the various vendors exhibited, plus no day is complete without going through both the rabbit and poultry barns and then on to the beef and swine exhibits. One of H-Bob's favorite shows to watch was the Flying K-9's...a Frisbee and agility demonstration by various herding and rescue dogs. They are talented. Although it seems like it, we haven't seen everything that there is. That's why there's tomorrow, and the next day, and the next...but it's hard to convince a 9-year-old of that at times. County fair for us equals an incredible amount of walking.

H-Bob, sporting our club t-shirt.

Since we are camping, dinner is put together at the campsite...teriyaki chicken, zucchini and onion skewers, and rice. Good and simple.

Yes, home sweet home for the week.

We still have the horses and other goats at home, so I take off each evening to care for them as well as take care of my horse barn duties next door. Our other two kids are at home, so there is dinner to put together for them, laundry, watering, and rounding up what we will need for the next day. It does make for one long day.

But here I am finally trying to chronicle it all after all these years. Someday we won't be in this position, and we'll be back to being spectators...although we'll be all-knowing and more appreciative than ever. And I do want to remember what it was like.

Do you attend your county fair? What's your favorite part? It would be fun to find out.

Stay tuned...day two should be coming right up.

Breakfast Menu for Visual Learners or Non-Readers

2011-07-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

Technology is only as good as the practical use you can apply it to. Right? Not sure where that leaves Facebook...ha ha...but at any rate there are some great concepts out there just waiting to be utilized in creative ways. I hardly consider myself creative, a mimicker for sure, but original thoughts sometimes are few and far between. I have noticed lately since reading up on my dyslexic learner that combining activities will often stimulate both hemispheres of the brain. My most brilliant thought moments can be found while I'm working next door at the barn. This week's light bulb concerns Pinterest.

Pinterest is new to me, and I've only had a little bit of time to figure it out. It's a site where you can 'pin' photos found on the web on 'boards' that you define. Fun to play around with for sure. But practical? Now it is. Enter the visual menu for young kids or visual learners. The menu I have in mind is there to help me remember as well as show H-Bob what gluten and caesin free, low-sugar items we have on hand to eat on her elimination diet. We're trying to focus on 'what there is' as opposed to 'what you can't have'. I'm starting out with breakfast...although there are a few pins on that board that need to go to their own separate GFCF board...lemonade for breakfast? Probably not. Click here to see what's there so far.

Source: sixinthenorthwest.blogspot.com via Connie on Pinterest

Source: s57373.gridserver.com via Connie on Pinterest

You can see that by pinning photos of the cereal we selected or the fruit and granola recipe, that we have our own 'menu' of sorts to get the day started on a fun, positive note now that choices are a little bit limited. Not only can H-Bob see them at a glance, but as the board continues to fill up with GFCF products and links to similar recipes, I will have a reminder as well since my cluttered mind tends to overload at times. A step in the right direction for us I hope.

What fun use have you discovered for Pinterest?

Happy Homemaker Monday - July 18, 2011

2011-07-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up today with Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and Happy Homemaker Monday.

The weather in my neck of the woods:

It's is the 60s right now. Forecast is for high 60s and rain AGAIN. (This was taken verbatum from my last post three weeks ago. Not too much progress towards summer here. Though to be honest I think we're supposed to get into the low 70s.)

Things that make me happy:

Our relaxed pace of life for the next few weeks is definitely welcome. Things start to pick up again once County Fair gets closer.

Book I'm reading:

So many since my last post...Overcoming Dyslexia, Disconnected Kids, Brain Allergies, The LCP Connection, The Kid Friendly ADHD Cookbook. Pretty heavy stuff.

What's on my TV today:

Not much as usual.

On the menu for dinner:

Hubby and our nine-year-old spent the last few days camping and brought home pink meat trout. It's a little like poor man's salmon. There's no fishy trout taste at all, so time to get creative with it tonight.

On my To Do List:

I really need to get a handle on the weeds in the garden. This rain and temperatures that encourage weeds has made a mess of things. We also ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO finish cleaning out the goat shed. That becomes my mulch material for the paths between the raised beds in the garden and a great weed suppressant.

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

Since we're starting a sugar-gluten-casein free diet for H-Bob to see if that has an impact on her dyslexia and attention, cooking will be real interesting. I've armed myself with several gluten-free flours from Bob's Red Mill and a handful of cookbooks. I am probably dealing with this harder than she will since I feel like I can either cook two batches of things or be creative enough to keep everyone happy with only slight modifications to what her menu needs to be.

In the craft basket:

There are only wishes...

Looking forward to this week:

Our Marion berries are beginning to ripen. With the rain this year, they are fantastically plump. Now if we could only get a little sun to ripen them. I'm itching for a pie...guess it will have a gluten-free crust and ice cream? GF crust, yes; ice cream, no since that is a weakness of H-Bob's, but I did come across a recipe for slightly sweetened whipped coconut milk to replace whipped cream.

Source: cleangreensimple.com via Connie on Pinterest

Tips and Tricks:

I had started to use gallon ziplock bags to bundle up individual craft supplies with instructions taken from Family Fun magazine in a type of kit for H-Bob to grab and work on when I'm involved in something else. They're rather picked through at this point. Time to refresh them. It does a great job of keeping her productively occupied when I can't be there.

My favorite blog post this week:

In my search to learn how to prepare gluten-free foods, I stumbled across this post outlining what is gluten-free, how to use substitutions, what does and doesn't work. Thank you Gluten Free Mommy for sharing your experiences.

Blog Hopping:

Gluten Free Girl

On my mind:

Now that we've diagnosed H-Bob's dyslexia, we will obviously be continuing with her vision therapy, have started following the home sensory-motor correction program in Dr. Melillo's book Disconnected Kids to fire up her connections to the left hemisphere of her brain, are getting going full swing on an elimination diet to figure out her food sensitivities, as well as tackling a phonics intervention program to bring up her reading level. Lots and lots to keep my mind busy for sure.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

From my devotional that I have sent to my feed reader daily:

We can trust that God knows what is best for us and He will work to make it happen. When we seek the His will and do things His way, not our own, God will bring about the best outcome possible.

"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." - Psalm 37:5

Enjoy your week!

Keeping up with your blog reading

2011-07-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

I love reading in the blog-o-sphere. It keeps me centered...inspired...informed...you name it. But some times it takes effort. Through trial and error, this is the system that works for me.

When I come across a blog that I would like to follow and read on a regular basis, I look for an RSS feed icon. That usually takes me straight to where I can choose a feed reader and get started there. I happen to use Google because it seems to be universally available, but that's only my preference. There are many others to choose from as well. Within my Google feed reader, I can set up folders for different categories...home...gluten-free...gardening...homeschool...and have the new posts automatically routed there. Easy enough then to go to a particular folder if I want to see what's been happening at my favorite photography site. That's a big bonus to me over receiving posts by email. And there's always that "Mark all as read" button for those overwhelming weeks you all know about.

But here's the other fantastic thing I do. I have an Instapaper account. This is a nifty, actually ingenious, way to mark things that you find on the web so that you can read them later. I just happen to use it mainly for my RSS feeds. A click of the button, and it is added to my Instapaper account. But it gets even better. Instapaper is also an app. And that means...my inherited iPod from my kids can be synched with Instapaper and always affords me reading material no matter where I am. No wi-fi needed when I'm out and about. Now if I had me an iPhone, I probably wouldn't be so excited about this, but it sure works for those of us who haven't moved up to that level yet. I'm to be found reading through blog posts in a long grocery line, waiting to pick someone up, car rides, just about anywhere. Do I dare say I've been tempted while driving? Well, no...but you could just the same.

The only downside is that while you are reading blog posts on an iPod, it is a little cumbersome to comment on a great post. Sometimes you just want to throw out a little, "Me too!" or "Have you heard about..." or "We're thinking of you." It would obviously require you to have a wi-fi connection and nimble little fingers.

Overall the system works for me. How do you keep current on your reading? Do you just randomly skip across the internet to get your fill? Do you even have time to read blogs? Just curious.

For more great Works for Me Wednesday ideas, visit WeAreThatFamily.com.

It's Dyslexia...So Now What?

2011-07-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have made a mess of my mind...information...opinions...decisions. But I feel I'm on the right track.

Here's the deal. Our nine-year-old H-Bob has lagged a grade or two behind in her reading since the beginning. Writing and spelling have been atrocious. No word attack skills. She's had attention issues. Looking back she never 'got' rhyming. Lessons taught one day were forgotten the next. Math...similar issues. Now that I know, those are hallmark tags of a dyslexic learner. Not the backward letters or writing that I incorrectly had been told were the signs to look for.

On original suspicious that she could have vision tracking problems, we had her tested and eventually enrolled in eye therapy sessions every other week which have helped tremendously. Her ability to perceive...not just physically see...written letters or numbers on a page was in the 10% range. They were amazed she was even reading. Six months later her abilities are vastly improved. But her reading and math have not caught up.

Enter my contact with Raising Spirited Kids, and a comment there on determining whether certain temperaments were exacerbated by learning disabilities portrayed a more accurate definition of dyslexia, and I begin to read some more. After inhaling Overcoming Dyslexia, at H-Bob's next eye therapy appointment I asked her therapists some questions. She ran a few diagnostic tests and confirmed that there were also visual processing deficiencies...in other words dyslexic tendencies. A later component of her therapy will address those. But that wasn't going to address my questions I had now. If we have a diagnosis, I need to know the best way to support the situation.

There seem to be several ways people attack dyslexia.

It's there. Let's find a remediation phonic program and hammer in those phonemes until they're firmly rooted in long-term memory. Good approach. You have to have sound association in order to sound out unfamiliar words. We're now working with Saxon's Phonic Intervention program designed for fourth grade and above.

Let's work around it. I was thoroughly impressed with the information on Dianne Craft's site. Dyslexic learners are extremely right-brained. Let's teach them using materials that appeal to their creative right brained sides and utilize the photographic memory that resides there. This also makes sense. H-Bob expresses many tendencies of an overly dominant right brain...great large motor poor poor fine motor skills; excessively cautious; very visual learner. I was also intrigued by her Brain Integration theories and nutritional aspects that she writes about.

Control it with diet. Studies have shown that many neurological disorders such as ADHD, autism, and dyslexia can be improved through diet. There may not be food allergies present that cause outward symptoms that come to mind when you think 'allergy' but there can be food sensitivities. Those sensitivities are part of a complex cycle where nutrition absorption is compromised and brain activity is affected. I read Brain Allergies which mainly deals with food sensitivities and psychological issues. At the time it was written, research had not applied it to the epidemic level of kids with ADHD, autism and such but the process by which the brain is affected holds true. I've come across people in my life recently who have restricted their sugar, gluten, and dairy for various reasons and have personally reported tremendous changes. The evidence is too hard to ignore that food sensitivities are real, and it too is a path we should take with H-Bob.

Fix it. Yes, that's right, fix it. I sat and cried as I read Disconnected Kids, The Groundbreaking Brain Balance Program for Children with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Neurological Disorders. They were describing my child. Very right brained. Disconnected left brain. No communication between the two to process...in her case...reading and writing. The results that have been had with this program which was tailed for home use in this book or performed at their Brain Balance Centers makes you want to shout from the housetops, "You have to try this!"

Here's an excerpt:

These disorders may manifest with different symptoms but they are really one and the same problem: a brain imbalance. There is even a name for it--Functional Disconnection Syndrome, meaning areas in the brain, especially the two hemispheres of the brain, are not electrically balanced, or synchronized. This electrical imbalance interferes with the ability of the two hemispheres to share and integrate information, meaning the brain cannot function as a whole. The result is that a child with a brain imbalance has normal or even unusually good skills associated with the higher-functioning area or side of the brain, and unusually bad skills associated with the underactive area or side of the brain. The problem seems to come about because one side of the brain is maturing at a faster rate than the other. As the child develops, this imbalance becomes more significant and the two hemispheres can never fully function as one. The brain is functionally disconnected. Fix the disconnect--that is, get the immature side of the brain to catch up to the other side--and the symptoms go away. So does the disorder.

We've just started the home version of Dr. Robert Melillo's program, so I cannot say personally that we have achieved success. But I'm positive and hopefully that it will make a difference. There are different facets to his work. One is to physically trigger just the left-brain, in H-Bob's case. (Autistic children have a right-brain disconnect and would work to connect it.) Sensory exercises make that left-brain wake up and communicate. It has become silent in the "use it or lose it" concept after originally becoming unsynchronized during the developing process. The other portion of the program is diet and getting the body nutritionally balanced. Here it is again. Start an elimination diet to figure out if there are food sensitivities and get the system off to a start with a clean slate. Interestingly he writes that these food sensitivities will leave once the brain hemispheres are reconnected. The last component is a Behavior Modification Plan which to be honest I haven't absorbed completely yet. It deals with appealing to the deficient side to reward/punish, once again to stimulate the hemisphere that needs to reconnect rather than continue to build the dominant side.

So...there's a lot here. We've started our sensory motor exercises. We've initiated our no-sugar week while keeping our food diary before starting the elimination diet next week. An boy oh boy, there's some research to be done there. I'm in a panic wondering what in the world there will be left to feed poor H-Bob. We're continuing our vision therapy. We are going to start the phonics intervention program.

There will be tears...over no-sugar items already. Next week might...no WILL be...ugly as well. I am going to need the patience of ten thousand saints and the prayers of a multitude to get through this. But we will. And the results are bound to be worth it.

It's your turn. Advice? Comments?

The Homeschool Mother's Journal - July 8, 2011

2011-07-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

In my life this week...

I have been filling my head with information on dyslexia and food allergies. Amazing how one simple discovery can dictate the route your life starts to take.

In our homeschool this week...

We have discovered Lexile.com which is a resource that assigns a numeric value for books in their system. It is more finely tuned than just giving a recommended grade level. I am using this to come up with reading material that is below H-Bob's current level so that we can work on her fluency.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share...

Dig in deep yourself and educate yourself on the options there are for your children's education. There is no cookie-cutter approach and each one is definitely wired differently. In doing so, you will learn more about yourself than you imagined.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing...

We have one more weekend of church convention activities that will pretty much fill up our weekend, but the following week looks wide and clear. Yeah!

My favorite thing this week was...

It's great to see the garden flourishing even though the temps are moderate. Even the tomatoes are beginning to look as if they're taken to their transplanting. The peppers, maybe not. But more warm weather has been promised. We also set up our pool. Now if the weather would cooperate.

What’s working/not working for us...

I'm considering our diet. If the thought of going sugar-free for even a week sends me into a panic, it is probably a good sign that I have a little sugar addiction I should address. Big thoughts going on here in that direction.

Questions/thoughts I have...

I asked for wisdom to figure our how to best address H-Bob's dyslexia. And the books and materials that keep falling in my path deal with diet. I'm pretty sure I should grab the bull by the horn and head that direction.

Things I’m working on...

The kids should be getting exhibits ready for our county fair which is held mid-August. After our busy two weeks with church activities, that is going to become a priority. What will I be working on? Well, probably just helping them stay on track.

I’m reading...

Well Brain Allergies turned out to be focused on food addictions, allergies, and nutritional deficiencies that affect the psychiatric health of the population. But the information was startling. What gets me is that with evidence which appears so strong in books such as these, why aren't more people seeking those avenues? Are we always skeptical? Do we not trust our own gut feelings because mainstream medicine does not follow suit? More food for thought.

I’m cooking...

The brisket I mentioned last week was beyond incredible. Even though it's not our usual elk or venison, I'm going to have to purchase one every few months. Such a treat! In the meantime, we've plenty of lettuce, greens, broccoli, onions, radishes and strawberries from the garden to fill our plates with.

I’m praying for..

I'm finding answers that relate to H-Bob's learning difficulties. Now I still just need to know which path to travel first.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Want to read what others are reflecting on? Head to The Homeschool Mother's Journal hosted by The Homeschool Chick.

Enjoy your weekend!

Waffles, Anyone?

2011-07-06T10:27:00.000-07:00

Waffles, anyone? Here what works for us...

I took my favorite waffle mix, mixed up a 6-batch bulk mix of the dry ingredients, and put it inside of a large storage container. Nothing new. I'm sure you can find something similar in a lot of kitchens.

But taking it one step further, I used my handy-dandy Dymo machine, the one I have to keep hidden from fascinated small children, to print out strips with the rest of the ingredients...egg, oil, etc...along with how much of the mix needed in order to whip up a batch of waffles. Kinda like my own personalized waffle mix. I keep referring to it as waffles because that is what we prepare mainly, but it would work just as simply for your pancake recipe. As far as that goes, the same concept would apply for any dry mix that you might keep on hand.

And if you're curious, here's the bulk recipe I use along with the individual batch guidelines:

Bulk Batch Waffle Mix

6 cups flour (I use 3 cups whole-wheat pastry flour and 3 cups unbleached white flour)
6 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 tablespoons baking powder

To make a single batch of the waffles use:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons waffle mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons oil, or melted butter if you prefer

Put together in your mixing bowl and whisk until just combined. A few small lumps are just fine.

It works for me. It might work for you. The ticket to waffles that anyone can prepare.

I'm wondering if you keep homemade baking mixes of different types on hand. If so what unique storage and preparation ideas do you use?

Freedom

2011-07-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

Today is Independence Day. The day we celebrate freedom. I don't want to take the topic of freedom lightly. No siree. It has given our country the right to worship, to educate our children as we see fit, to have free enterprise, to elect our leaders. We can complain here and there. Yes, of course, but today we celebrate.

It's just that today I'm celebrating freedom too. I do believe I have the majority of the day to myself. Hubby and the kids are out sturgeon fishing. Just so happens that I needed to still be here to take care of the ponies next door. Oh, and I'm not too fond of using the five-gallon bucket. Don't ask. So now that that is over and done for the morning, I'm heading to the garden to catch up, while a brisket slow cooks on the Traeger for when everyone returns. So I get to experience freedom from others' schedules...freedom from the kitchen...freedom to spend some time reading with an iced coffee after I broil myself outside. It doesn't come often, so I'm going to relish it.

Hope you all have a glorious Fourth with friends and family.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - Entry for July 2, 2011

2011-07-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

Outside my window...there are clouds again. Am worried for the hay farmers that have hay cut and have it drying out in the fields at the moment.

I am thinking...that these few moments of solitude without anyone around are wonderful.

I am thankful...for our home and the property we have around us. It allows us to experience so many different things.

From the learning rooms...we will be starting some intervention phonics for H-Bob. Looks like there could be some dyslexia lurking.

In the kitchen...I plan on putting a beef brisket on the Traeger gill for Fourth of July. Can hardly wait.

I am wearing...my oh so predictable comfy clothes that I religiously change into the minute I enter the house from being somewhere.

I am creating...well, if you call making jam and tending a garden creating, then that would be it. Would love to really craft though.

I am going...to help out at our 4H goat club's concession stand fundraiser with Goat Princess today.

I am wondering...if we should put up our pool this year. With only a couple of days of 80 degrees and clouds moving in every other day, it just doesn't seem worth it.

I am reading...Overcoming Dyslexia and learning that it is not what I had perceived it to be.

I am hoping...to spend Fourth of July in the garden getting some neglected stuff done before the jungle of weeds takes over. Ongoing battle for sure.

I am looking forward to...another week of church camp activities.

I am hearing...nothing but the birds outside. Beautiful silence.

Around the house...I can see that I've neglected to vacuum again. It sure doesn't take long around here to draw that to my attention.

I am pondering...how H-Bob will do out on the boat all day sturgeon fishing with hubby on the Fourth. That's a long time for her to be staying put, but she's more than excited over the prospect of perhaps catching her own sturgeon. Big Guy and a friend of his will be going along as well. They should all have fun!

One of my favorite things...is watching my to-do list shrink. Lame, I know.

A few plans for the rest of the week...include bringing a goat doe and her two kids plus one of our banty hens for the preschool aged kids at Sunday School to illustrate days 5 and 6 of creation. There are plans for goldfish and some crawdads from our creek to be there as well.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...well, not so much for thought. Just H-Bob and her little turtle she has added to her 'pet shop' collection.

Enjoy your week!

For more Daybook entries, head over to The Simple Woman's Daybook.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal - July 1, 2011

2011-07-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

I love hearing from other mothers whose journeys are similar to mine. So I'm linking up with The Homeschool Mother's Journal on Fridays.

In my life this week...

We have been attending a lot of activities put on by our church's annual convention which is held every July. Spare time has been limited. At the same time we've had kids with terrible colds, another with a head-to-toe rash, and I'm exhausted to say the least.

In our homeschool this week...

There has been enough happening here to deserve explanation and it's own blog post. We have been exploring ideas for H-Bob, our nine-year-old, from hyper temperament traits to dyslexia to right-brain learning to brain integration therapy. Very overwhelming right about now.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share...

I mentioned our on-going vision therapy for H-Bob last week and am thankful that it paved the way to realize that there may be more blocked learning pathways as well. I have read Overcoming Dyslexia, Raising Your Spirited Child, have coming from the library a ton of resources on right-brain learning, and have devoured the information on Dianne Craft's website. I'm not one to jump on any wagon just passing by, but this evidence is too great to ignore.

I am inspired by...

Those who have championed for their children and turned their lives around by exploring other options for them.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing...

Goat Princess and I will be working a 4H concession stand fundraiser at a goat show on Saturday, but I'm most looking forward to a day to work at home on the 4th. Hubby is taking two of the kids on a sturgeon fishing trip. I'd love to get my garden whipped into shape. They're predicting three days of sun in a row. We'll see.

My favorite thing this week was...

Finding the time to pick a flat of strawberries for the freezer. Now to get some stuff for freezer jam and to u-pick some more.

What’s working/not working for us...

In the big picture...apparently a lot. In the details...constantly adjusting.

Questions/thoughts I have...

I certainly am bogged down with the information I have picked up regarding H-Bob's potential learning issues. The material I have come across is so enlightening and explains so many things I have noticed. But in tackling those issues, I tend to want to look at just one area at a time and resolve it before going elsewhere, such as her vision therapy. But now seeing that she needs phonics intervention, which we will start once the materials arrive, I'm also wondering about starting Dianne Craft's Brain Integration Therapy and dietary changes she recommends. But that seems like a tremendous amount of change in H-Bob's life when change is difficult for her.

Things I’m working on...

I will be putting together a new summer learning schedule for H-Bob to include the reading intervention activities that we need to start.

I’m reading...

Once I make my trip to the library to pick up my books on hold, I will have soooo many to tackle in educating myself about right-brained learning.

I’m cooking...

I've been pondering smoking a beef brisket on the Traeger.

I’m praying for..

I prayed for wisdom to find answers, now I need wisdom to determine which learning areas in H-Bob's life to tackle first.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Our oldest has been baby sitting a seven-month-old pit pull puppy. Can't say that I'm terribly fond of them, but he sure is just a big goofball.

Enjoy your weekend!

Overcoming Dyslexia

2011-06-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

Today's Works for Me Wednesdays is being pre empted by something that I hopes will work for us...Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz, M.D.

Our nine-year-old, H-Bob, has been receiving vision therapy for convergance issues for the past six months and has made great strides in her reading. We decided to let that speak for itself before tackling any other underlying issues. Perhaps it is now time to look for those. Mild dyslexia very well could be the next issue she will be working on to overcome.

Overcoming Dyslexia explained dyslexia in such a clear way and detailed what it is and what it isn't. Of course with it being summer and no access to district testing, we're not going to wait but jump in right now to implement some of the overlearning strategies outlined in its 417 pages and see how that affects H-Bob's reading fluency.

Our children are such amazing creatures and they all come with their own individual wiring and unique layers. God put them together and certainly can help us figure them out. So here begins yet another journey.

So...I'd love to connect with other homeschoolers or parents and teachers who have tackled dyslexia. What works. What doesn't. How homeschooling has helped..or even didn't. What type of intervention worked best. Lay it on.

Homemade Popsicles

2011-06-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Did you lick them frantically to keep up with the drips? Or did you chomp your way through them? Everyone seems to have their own way to gobble up popsicles, kids and adults alike. They all seem to have their favorites too. At our elementary school, they would sell popsicles during lunch recess...who would ever hear of THAT now? To this day some of my favorites...when I do indulge...are those that we had back then.

The Big Stick.

Root Beer Twin Pops.

Orange Creamsicles.

But today I try to stay away from such syrupy sweet confections and all the garish food colors. But I do fancy ice cold things. So the answer is a homemade popsicle with only what I want in it.

I scoured the web the other day for recipes and came to the conclusion that a basic fruit popsicle is the easiest and healthiest. No recipe needed. Although this concoction sure looks good:

Source: smilemonsters.blogspot.com via Connie on Pinterest

Put your selected fruit in the bowl of a food processor. Whir it up until it is pureed. Add a little sweetener. Some is good in that it softens up the texture of the finished popsicle so that you are not sucking on an ice cube. Some berries benefit from the tang of a little lemon so squeeze some in as well. And the last ingredient which I think makes all the difference is to add some dairy. It too keeps the finished popsicle from being too hard and just plain MAKES it if you ask me.

I have some ancient Tupperware popsicle holders which are nice in that you pour in your puree, cap them, pop them in the freezer, and walk away for four hours.

If you use Dixie cups on a tray, you will need to let them solidify somewhat before you stick in your popsicle sticks...although now they're just called craft sticks.

There are some pretty cool molds out there, but the Dixie cup version just looks classic.

A friend mentioned that leftover smoothies would be great to freeze as popsicles. I couldn't agree more.

So since the ice cream man does not make the rounds out in the boonies where we live, and I hate to pay the pretty penny for store-bought popsicles with all their fillers, we will be making plenty of homemade ones this summer. And filled with fruit, who can complain.

What was your favorite popsicle as a kid, or what IS your favorite one now? Or have you given them up as an adult. It will be fun to compare answers.

Happy Homemaker Monday - June 27, 2011

2011-06-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up today with Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and Happy Homemaker Monday.

The weather in my neck of the woods:

It's is the 60s right now. Forecast is for high 60s and rain AGAIN.

Things that make me happy:

I'm purging one cabinet or drawer a day. I despise clutter, but is so easy to let it accumulate during the school year. Summer is my time to fling.

Book I'm reading:

I'm devouring Raising Your Spirited Child. It seems all of our kids would fall under one aspect of being spirited or the other. I'm finding it helpful to share it with Goat Princess, our fourteen-year-old. It's good to know you are not alone.

What's on my TV today:

Not much as usual.

On the menu for dinner:

I still have a portion of sturgeon left from hubby's fishing trip last week. Time to be creative with it. Far tastier eating it fresh than freezing it for later.

On my To Do List:

The u-pick fields are just now opening for strawberries. We pick an awful lot every year and freeze them. Today the girls have dentist appointments and one has a CYT Bible study right after dinner, so the trip to the berry field might have to wait until tomorrow.

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

The broccoli in the garden is ready. I clipped a recipe from a magazine with an Asian twist to try.

In the craft basket:

These are the coolest looking reversible bags/totes. I would love to find time to make them.

Source: sewmamasew.com via Connie on Pinterest

Looking forward to this week:

Getting those berries in the freezer, weekly activities with our church, and finalizing H-Bob's fourth grade curriculum for next year.

Tips and Tricks:

I use a tremendous amount of garlic in the kitchen and prefer to use fresh cloves than the bottled variety even though it's a pain to work with. The easiest way I've found to handle it is to thinly slice off the root end, lay the clove flat on the cutting board, smash it with side of the blade of my largest knife which then allows me to just slip off the skin so that I can begin chopping. Works for me.

My favorite blog post this week:

This isn't a new post, but new to me...great looking social media icons that I updated my blog with. Now to find one for Pinterest...

Blog Hopping:

SmileMonsters.blogspot.com

No words needed:

Lesson learned the past few days:

It is wise to just stop what you are doing and be sure your child knows you are intently listening to what they are sharing with you. By far too easy to just, uh-huh, yeah, right, and then...what did you say? I've been guilty far too many times. It's not worth it.

On my mind:

I've been realizing that it is my job to know my kids inside and out. There is no one else who has been given that responsibility other than me. If it means I need to take the extra step to see things from their point of view, then so be it.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

From my devotional that I have sent to my feed reader daily:

Allowing frustration to make us impatient with others can tangle up our lives in a hurry. It creates messes that we have to go back and clean up later. How much better it would be to respond to someone’s unkind or thoughtless remark with kind words or even silence, rather than with a hurtful or mean reply. With the Lord’s help, we can do just that. Whatever situation we are presented with, we can respond by following the instructions given in God’s Word, and then wait patiently for Him to do the rest. It pays to be patient!

Enjoy your week!

The Simple Woman's Daybook - Entry for June 26, 2011

2011-06-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm diving back into blogging again, I'm finding inspiration and meaning in participating in various memes. It has been exactly a year since I made an entry at The Simple Woman's Daybook. I went back and read it today. It was fascinating to see that some things never change...and yet other concerns or interests have moved on. As another fellow blogger put it...wish I had the link for you...she started blogging so that she could go back and remember. Yes, remember because time slips through our hands. Our children grow. Doors are closed. Prayers are answered. A new season begins.

Outside my window...the skies are clouding up again. The story of this year. But oh so thankful that the temps really are mild. Can't complain about low 70's.

I am thinking...that I am thankful for the meaningful people in my children's lives.

I am thankful...that we still seem to have an open door of communication with our teens.

From the learning rooms...I can see that H-Bob is grasping her reading. I need to keep up her enthusiasm through the summer. Vision therapy is paying off.

In the kitchen...there is not much going on this weekend. Simple foods. Greens from the garden. Strawberry popsicles.

I am wearing...my comfy clothes that I religiously change into the minute I enter the house from being somewhere.

I am creating...nothing much unfortunately. My creative side is starving.

I am going...to evening church services tonight. Our church holds an annual campmeeting during the summer. We'll be very occupied the next couple of weeks.

I am wondering...how soon our goat kids will sell. We had kiddings late this year, and the kids are ready to be weaned. Sometimes it is nice if that happens at their new home. Gets the trauma over in one fell swoop.

I am reading...Raising Your Spirited Child. I knew we had four of these without a doubt. But this is sure helping me understand what we have gone through and continue to do so with our most spirited.

I am hoping...to squeeze u-picking strawberries into the coming week.

I am looking forward to...wrapping up my homeschool plans for H-Bob. This is round four of fourth grade, but she learns so differently that we need to travel a different road.

I am hearing...the door slam downstairs. I'm guessing hubby and a couple of the kids plus a friend are returning from a walk down to the creek in our woods.

Around the house...things look cluttered. Some days I just want to walk around with a black garbage bag and pile it all in there. More storage has got to be the key.

I am pondering...how to find time to relax to have more time to ponder. My brain tends to get cluttered with just the immediate things of life.

One of my favorite things...is watching the garden grow, day by day.

A few plans for the rest of the week...more purging and organizing, freezing berries, eating from the garden, and perhaps trying to cook beef brisket on the Traeger grill.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...goofing off on Father's Day.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal - June 24, 2011

2011-06-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

I love hearing from other mothers whose journeys are similar to mine. So I'm linking up with The Homeschool Mother's Journal on Fridays.

In my life this week...

Our football player has been off to his team camp this week, so the dynamics in the house are a little different. In other words, the empty pit is not here to feed. Our stay-at-home summer trip this week included a trip to the outlet store for Dave's Killer Bread and Bob's Red Mill which are across the street from each other. Picked up Dave's Good Seed bread at 'imperfect' prices plus buy two and get one free. Killer deal. We're trying to at least go somewhere different, see something different, or try something different each week to make up for our summer at home. That unbeatable trip to Hawaii in May cannot be topped.

In our homeschool this week...

I've started to look at the Sonlight American history year one curriculum that has been put away for H-Bob who will be in fourth grade. Time to get some initial planning done.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share...

H-Bob, who will be our fourth grader, was diagnosed with vision tracking problems at the first of the year. With therapy she has gone from barely a first grade reading level to being able to read most any book in the I-Can-Read series which is around third grade. I would encourage anyone with a reader who is struggling to consider having their eyes checked. Her 'vision' is perfect and most optometrists don't checking for eye teaming. But oh what improvement she has made now that it has been identified.

I am inspired by...

There appears to be hope for Big Guy who had a successful week at his football camp. A few bumps and bruises, which are nothing in his life, but his ACL repair held up and his foot seemed to be okay. We just might go overboard with enthusiasm here with his last year of high school football now that it appears he's good to go in order to play.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing...

Hubby and I went out today to watch Big Guy scrimmage at his football camp...seems like it's all about him this week :) Nice to just get away without anyone else tagging along. I even had a purchased latte this morning.

My favorite thing this week was...

Even though the weather struggles to get above 70 degrees, parts of the garden are doing so well. That makes me smile. Lettuce, greens, a few strawberries, radishes, green onions, herbs. Great to have that available to use at any given moment.

What’s working/not working for us...

I've taken a look at the bare minimums I feel need to be done around the house during the day, so that if we take off somewhere or I spend more than the usual amount of time on a project, I still feel like we're staying at 'survival' levels.

Questions/thoughts I have...

We have accumulated a fairly good sized pile of things in our garage...pending a garage sale. But will we ever have one? Should we just haul it to Goodwill? Then I think perhaps some stuff should go on CraigsList. Why is it so hard to part with stuff after you realize you no longer need it? It should be a way at looking at any purchase you make realizing that when you're done with it, you shouldn't expect any value from it at the end.

Things I’m working on...

Each day I tackle one drawer or cabinet in the kitchen to purge and thoroughly clean out. The tortoise wins the race! And this method is working. The kitchen is almost finished. By the end of summer, I'll feel like I've accomplished a major job throughout the house.

I’m reading...

Determined to start reading those library books!

I’m cooking...

Hubby took some clients out sturgeon fishing this week and brought home his share of sturgeon. It's a great white meat fish similar to halibut. Takes on about any flavor you wish.

I’m praying for..

I'm going to be thankful...and not ask for anything else...that Big Guy came through his football camp unscathed.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

A proud mama moment when Big Guy received his All Team award at the closing ceremony of his football camp today. It's been a long haul in coming. Yep, he's the big redhead.

Enjoy your weekend!

Of Horses and Stalls

2011-06-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So I'm going with that, because when I'm asked if I work, I tend to stumble and mumble something about a barn and some horses and part-time and the fact that it's not a real job...

But it is a job...an actual paying one. Twenty-plus hours a week. But true enough, it is hard to describe. So here goes:

I'm not a morning person and having the responsibility of fifteen of these faces staring at me for their breakfast doesn't make for a great start to the day, so granted I can be pretty grumpy first thing in the morning. But considering the morning portion of this job is wrapped up even before my kiddos are awake and that I walk all of next door to get there, it's a perfect fit. The getting up early...well, I'm working on that.

But the latte I bring with me each and every day certainly helps.

At least I don't have to be a short-order cook for them in the morning. It's either grass hay or alfalfa. The only bother is keeping tabs on their portions so they get neither too thin or too chubby. It can happen. Show horses have to keep up their figure you know.

Yes, these for the most part are Arabian or part-Arabian show horses, and they have the supplements to prove it. But no time for foggy brain here. Everyone gets a completely different supplement ration. Mind boggling actually.

Show horses are spendy, their owners spend plenty of money on their training and care. They kinda get what they want. That includes two buckets of sparkling clean water every morning. So they have to go from this...

to this.

Two buckets a piece. Trust me, it builds plenty of arm muscle.

As speaking of working out, they live, eat, and leave their remains in a 12' x 12' area. So that requires their stall to go from this...

to this...

which builds even more arm muscle.

Tools of the trade are simple.

Clothes for the job are simpler.

What's not so simple at times is reading the personality of a 1,000 animal capable of moving at lightning speeds when their 'flight' mechanism kicks in...while you are in their space. Ears are a great indicator if you are welcome in their space or not.

No room for false moves or letting the mind wander. Your peripheral vision is your best friend. But sometimes that isn't even enough. A new horse to the barn. A tendency to kick at imagined fiends. You might leave with an injury to remind you to pay closer attention.

Or a daily reminder to ask for divine help before entering the stall of a particularly quirky mare.

When everyone is fed, watered, and happily content in their clean space, then it's time to either rake or sweep up the mess that I make...

so it looks like this...

and haul it out here.

Here is where the magic of composting happens. Pretty sure I can get you a free ticket to some of the best soil amendment around.

And then it happens all over again come dinner time.

So do I work? Yes, I guess I do.

Do I enjoy it? Yes. I tell myself it's a great full-body workout that I get paid for doing. And it more than fills my needs to be outdoors in the fresh air and around animals.

Will I always be doing this? Probably not. It was an answer to prayer to help out with the co-pays and deductibles for the five surgeries we have had in the last three years.

Now it' your turn. Have you had employment land in your lap just in the nick of time? And the biggie...was it really what you wanted to do or was it just best to not ask questions and take what you were given and be grateful? Love to hear your story.

The Single Sock Club

2011-06-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

Do lone single socks in your household have a way of mysteriously multiplying? Do you ever wonder how it is possible to have 20 odd socks with no mate? Or make that probably more like 30 plus socks languishing around?

Well, here's my no-sweat way to deal with this infuriating problem. It is a little like out-of-sight, out-of-mind, but that's okay in this instance. I keep a basket...just so happens to be a wooden one...downstairs into which gets tossed all lone socks while I'm folding laundry.

So here' the routine: when I'm done folding a load of laundry and if there are single socks...no, make that WHEN I have single socks, I simply pitch them into the basket. Nothing to trouble myself with. Then about once a month when I find myself noticing that the basket is getting pretty full, I sit down and start matching socks. I'd say fifty percent of the basket gets handled. Now...I haven't figured out a nifty trick for dealing with those leftover socks, but I could throw them away...or save them until we paint our goat pens for county fair...or turn them into sock puppets...or stuff them with rice to heat up for sore necks...or...you get the idea. It blows my mind that we could possibly have that many unmatched socks elsewhere in the house, but I guess it is what it is.

But overall, this little practice immediately deals with lone socks, keeps those said unmatched socks from wandering off to create more lonely socks, and keeps me from tearing my hair out over the apparent inability for both socks to make it in the laundry at the same time.

So, how do you deal with the single sock club in your house?

I'm linking up today with We are That Family and Works for Me Wednesday. Head over that way for more good ideas.

Protect That Head. Get a Brain Pad

2011-06-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

This post probably won't grab your attention unless you have an athlete at home. But if you do, listen up. I just ran across something that makes me feel a whole lot better about my son's high school football career...the Brain Pad. At first I though it was a helmet insert, but no, it's a mouth guard with a space built into the back of it to pad the mandibular area of the jaw with air space in the event of impact.

photo credit BrainPad.com

Why the big deal? Our son during a routine spring football practice took a shot to the jaw last week. The hit was enough to give him a headache that worsened through practice and was still there the next morning. I contacted the team's athletic trainer who administered the ImPACT test and confirmed he had a slight concussion. Wow. That's not good. But at least it was caught. And by the way, if your athlete's school does not have access to ImPACT testing, I highly recommend you do some investigative work yourself and present your findings in support of the testing to your school. It's that important. But onward...

This mouth guard is specifically intended to absorb 40% of the shock in a hit resulting in less jarring to the brain. Now you are probably wondering why I allow my son to put on some gear and do battle on a hard surface against other teen boys who at times can be larger than him. Well, unless you have a husband or son that plays football, it will do me no good to try and convince you that I'm not crazy. We'll save the topic of actually playing football for later. But my son is going to go out and do battle, he is going to have the best gear possible. He has his own helmet...top of the line and air cushioned...but it sounds like this revolutionary mouth guard is the missing piece. I'm just amazed that I had never heard of it before.

photo credit BrainPad.com

I read the testimonials which included bull riders being trampled and thrown...but no concussion. Teams who have outfitted all of their players and had a significant reduction in concussions. Extreme sports from snowboarding to martial arts to BMWX riders. All the same. It works. If it is all so true, then coaches should make every effort to have this type of protection in every kid's mouth all the time.

So Big Guy is cleared to participate in his team football camp this week, and after some running around to locate him one at the last minute...thank you Sports Authority, he will be testing it out. To be sure, I will be anxious to hear if it also reduces the headaches he normally experiences after practice as the manufacturer of the mouth guard indicates it will. His experience will certainly be relayed to the parents, players, and coaches with our recommendations.

So now it's your turn. Do you have an athlete at home that plays contact sports? Do you go out of your way to make sure you have researched the latest in safety equipment for him or her? I'd love to hear what finds you may have uncovered.

Happy Homemaker Monday - June 20, 2011

2011-06-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up today with Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and Happy Homemaker Monday.

The weather in my neck of the woods:

The weatherman has promised some sun this week. I'm certainly not holding my breath.

Things that make me happy:

I've been trying to come up with some activity that is universal from our 21-year-old at-home college student down to our youngest at nine that all of us can do together at least once month. You would be surprised how hard it is to find a) a time-frame that works for everyone and b) something all ages are able to participate in. So for June, we spent a day hiking this weekend and all had a great time.

Book I'm reading:

I'm working on my magazine stack which includes Woman's Day, Better Homes and Gardens, and Martha Stewart Living.

What's on my TV today:

We did watch the new True Grit from Redbox and then hubby wanted to watch the old version as well. Amazed at the similarity between the two.

On the menu for dinner:

I pulled out a frozen pork shoulder this weekend. And since I'm always on the quest for the 'perfect' recipe or method, I cooked half of it in the oven at a low temperature covered with foil until it reached 205 degrees internally. Good and tender but not much flavor. Then I put the other half on the Traeger grill and smoked it, gradually increasing the temperature up to 275 as my patience for it to be done wore thin, until it reached the same internal temperature. It tasted out of this world and was still drop-dead tender and easily shred. Definitely going to be my choice for now on.

On my To Do List:

I need to start planning both girls' homeschool curriculum for next year, as we need to place our book order some time in early July with the charter school.

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

I have a lot of endive from the garden. I need to find a good salad recipe that will offset its tangy flavor that the kids are not fond of.

In the craft basket:

As much as I would love to venture back into crafting, gardening seems to take up my free time.

Looking forward to this week:

As selfish as this sounds, our 17-year-old is heading off to football camp this week, which means...I will no longer be wracking my brain for food ideas to keep him filled up. They eat at the college and pretty much get all the food they want during the camp. I told him to fill 'er up.

Tips and Tricks:

If I could remember to cold brew my coffee the night before so that I would have it ready to drink iced the next day, I would so love it. It's so easy and tastes far better than trying to ice down fresh brewed. I guess I just need some sort of a reminder system for myself.

My favorite blog post this week:

Brighton Park has a video on her site of her neice's wedding which included a surprise for the groom by the wedding party singing a capella to him. It's worth checking out it was so creative and yet special.

Blog Hopping:

Have you ever visited Food Gawker? Oh my. Do so and be prepared for deliciousness.

No words needed:

Lesson learned the past few days:

I just need to come to grip with the fact that I cannot get everything I want to do accomplished in 24 hours. It's best to just spend a set amount of time and then move on to something else. By attempting the all-or-nothing method, other responsibilities get neglected and become difficult to restore.

On my mind:

With my football player heading off to camp this week...that is if he clears his Impact test after a slight concussion last week...I sure do hope he stays safe. Being on the sidelines for half of his sophomore year with an ACL reconstruction and out his entire junior year due to his Lisfranc fracture, we all hope he can get in just one more solid year of football.

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

From my devotional that I have sent to my feed reader daily:

All of these examples caused me to realize that God often uses seemingly under-qualified individuals to accomplish His will. Perhaps He knows their weakness will cause them to lean all the more on Him, or He wants to make it clear that any success comes from Him and not any one of us. Whatever His reasoning, it is clear that God is not as concerned with our abilities as He is with our availability. If God has called us to a certain task, we ought to be willing. That is all He requires. He will supply the ability.

Enjoy your week!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal - June 17, 2011

2011-06-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

I love hearing from other mothers whose journeys are similar to mine. So I'm linking up with The Homeschool Mother's Journal on Fridays.

In my life this week...

With such gray dismal weather, we were not too motivated to get much done this week as far as projects around the house. The lack of sun for the past nine months is getting to us. Not that it wasn't a busy week...Goat Princess had her CYT Bible study, a photo shoot, 4H goat club meeting, a day spent with a friend over, and a birthday party to attend tonight...Big Guy is having friends over for video games, ping pong and a bonfire tonight...Hubby has been out of town most of the week...so perhaps I'm just tired!

In our homeschool this week...

Still plugging away on some unfinished math for Goat Princess and continuing phonics and reader work for H-Bob.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share...

I look back on my to-be-senior-in-high-school-next-year son and am excited to see his SAT writing score. This boy used to hardly write a single word. His SAT scores though are now above our school and state averages. Chalk one up for slow and steady homeschooling.

I am inspired by...

Big Guy inspires me by his eternal patience dealing with injuries preventing him from playing football, the love of his life. A slight concussion this week put him out of the running for the scrimmage today...which would have been his first opportunity to play since his Lisfranc fracture last fall.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing...

We're trying to decide what to do for Father's Day...a bike ride, a drive up the Gorge? Not sure yet. Weather plays a huge factor around here.

My favorite thing this week was...

We had a difficult time getting one of our new pullet hens out from under a building and then lost her after she flew out of their pen. Lo and behold, she showed back up three days later, none worse for the wear.

What’s working/not working for us...

Summer schedules are lax around here, but we need to do a better job in getting H-Bob to bed early.

Questions/thoughts I have...

I truly do wonder what Big Guy's senior year holds for him in the arena of football. This concussion is not the way to start off the season.

Things I’m working on...

The garden is getting planted little by little. I set out half of the pumpkins and tomatoes this week but am holding off on the peppers as long as I can. It was only 44 degrees this morning!

I’m reading...

I'm pretty faithful at reading the blogs that come through my feed reader, but I sure would like to start tackling the stuff I have home from the library.

I’m cooking...

I have a pork butt/shoulder that we will slow-cook on the Traeger tomorrow for Father's Day. Sure hoping it turns out.

I’m praying for..

I need inspiration in a lot of areas of my life right now.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

The strawberries around here are a full month late in ripening. We've had a few ripen at home this week. We're anxious for the u-pick fields to open next week so that we can restock the freezer. What's a smoothie without good Oregon berries.

Enjoy your weekend!