Tick-Tock, Cluck-Cluck!

I was happy to have one of my 'chicken friends' over for a visit this afternoon when a box arrived for me! Something I ordered from Etsy, something I have been eyeing for several months now and finally decided I could not live without it!  TA-DA! A wind-up vintage chicken alarm clock.  The hen's head bobs up and down with the second hand; it pecks! It is impossible to convey just how much I love this clock...I LOVE IT!

Next on the list.

A Few Speed Bumps

I miss it here.  I'll be back soon, we're in the process of revamping our homeschooling schedule, scheming ways for our lazy doggie to loose weight, cutting a huge hole into our yard (garden expansion), acclimating our chick babies to outdoor living with the one-year-old-territorial-meanies...and re-reading all that makes me sound like I live on the prairie...

Roomies

So our once, little fuzzballs are all feathered out and living outdoors...finally! The problem is that in typical fashion the older gals are going after them like sharks! Until the new 2-month-old ones get old enough to hold their own, I have to separate them for most of their waking hours. It's not that big of a problem because I need a bit of weeding done, and the 11-month-old girlies more than happy to take care of it! Really once they've laid their egg, they're much less cranky, but I've expanded the coop outdoor area to give the young ones some space to hide and the older ones some respite from their incessant and obsessive peeping when they all are in there together.

Poke

Starting to see starts!

A New Kinda School

Well, the update is that home school is working for us. The first 1/2 of the year was a personal little hell for me and E, but we've reached a place where it's working and we're planning on continuing next year. I've had to be flexible in my ideas about what learning at home should look like. She's had to set aside ideas about what a teacher/student relationship looks like. And we're both determined to try harder. We want it to work, we see the areas we need to improve, we like our days together as a family. We set out each morning for 1 or 2 classes at our Resource Center where she's been attending Math, Life Science/Animal, Spanish, LEGO Builders Workshop, and a Gym class. She's also enrolled in the greatest YMCA combo class; 1 hour of gym sports and then another hour in the pool! Having activities in our day helps break everything up, and gets her and I geared up for learning at home. We also have made some really meaningful friendships with a particular family, and that has made all the difference!

Here she's helping to plot out our garden; Spring offers so much learning!

Garden Happy

Today was the day. Got together my seeds (thanks Jenn Hall), my accumulated toilet paper rolls (thanks Erica), soil, my dog and girl and set to work! IT was magic. All of us sitting in the sun, the chickens pecking around, and my hands in the dirt.

seeds!

filling tubes

everything organized

Even weeds are cheerful sometimes

Moll's

IC Giveaway!

Mosey on over and enter to win!

Etch

E's getting pretty good and using this thing, she etched our fair city.