Friday 27 April 2012

Cycling Success!

After four separate occasions of me running tirelessly - she thought - alongside Madison, balanced precariously on Marco's old bike, she can ride!  I am sore and exhausted but so proud of her - she is a little sore too from the numerous falls :)



Thursday 26 April 2012

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Proud Parent

I am so proud of Madison.  She received straight "A's" on her exams this month!



Tuesday 24 April 2012

Pond Project

I came home yesterday from some errands in town with the most popular project yet . . . a pond!  I was greeted with ecstatic hugs, especially since I had bought koi too!  We immediately started work - digging, shoveling and raking.  We hollowed out a hole about half as deep as the pond, since we want to raise the level of soil in our yard anyway.  We gently added the water plants (including duck weed) and the fish.  The boys and Madison installed a "fountain" - made from an old bilge pump :) - this morning and we added some rocks for effect.  The fish finally seem happy - at least they have stopped going belly-up - but the ducklings . . . not so happy yet.  They will stay in the pond - if you hold them.









Are those the same birds?

I finally took a photo of the ducklings - although I almost cannot call them that anymore!  They have grown so much.

                             THEN                                                NOW



Sunday 22 April 2012

From A Neighbors Garden . . .

One of my neighbors made me take some black beans a couple of days ago.  She would not take no for an answer despite my protests that I had no idea what to do with them :)  They sat on the counter for a few days reproaching me, then today I was inspired to at least shell them.  The kids came to see what I was doing and before we knew it they were all done!  Then, of course, we had to count them.  In case you were wondering there were 1046!






My Little Model

A momentary idea with a frangipani flower put Madison in the mood for some modeling :)  She posed and I just kept snapping away!





GOT MILK?

New Friends

Last sunday the whole Holdom family came to visit!  Nathan was introduced to our bosun's chairs and all the kids enjoyed kayaking in the canal.



A highlight of our day was homemade guava ice-cream made from guavas we had canned ourselves.  I tweaked my ice-cream recipe a little and the results were amazing.  Between us we finished the entire batch!

Homeschool Pool Party

We have been having a great time hanging out with other homeschoolers since we attended the field trip.  The recent pool party was so much fun.  One of my favorite things about homeschooling is that it allows the kids to get to know and socialize with children of all ages, not just the ones in their peer group.  There must have been 15 to 20 kids there that day, and none of us mothers had to intervene once!  They were all well-behaved and respectful of each other.  It was an incredibly refreshing experience for me.  I also liked getting to know some homeschool moms :)  We enjoyed a rousing political discussion - who said you shouldn't talk about religion or politics at a party?


Visitors

Our new friends Grace, Luke and Anthony came to see our boat, garden and chickens.  They especially enjoyed swinging in the rigging.


Easter Cards

We used our beautiful Lino prints to make Easter cards for all of our family
 



Thursday 5 April 2012

Colorful Creations

Art class was a huge success today!  I introduced the children to Lino prints and they loved it.  First we sketched a simple picture  - Madison chose a flower and Marco, a rooster . . .



Then the kids drew their design on the Lino tile and gouged it out . . .



We risked a huge mess on the boat and ended up with these beautiful prints!



Field Trip Friday!

Our visit to Bahamas Wall as part of a group of homeschoolers for a presentation of their renewable energy systems was extremely enlightening - as much for me as for the kids.  Mr. Holdom was engaging and knowledgeable and the children thoroughly enjoyed it.  We especially liked getting to know some other local homeschoolers!


Urban Animal Farm

Our field trip to Cates's Close Farm on Cowpen Road was very entertaining.  A strange mixture of urban and rural with goats and sheep in the foreground set against a backdrop of cars and trucks awaiting paint jobs.  Mr. Cates clearly dotes on his animals.  One of our favorites was the "Rasta" rooster.  The noisy guinea hens made us very happy we had found their vocalizations on YouTube before thinking about purchasing any, I had to put my foot down regarding the bunnies :)