Keep Your Eyes To The Sky!

Yesterday afternoon a tropical low formed, near South Florida. Today it is off the coast of Tampa, and trying to get stronger. There are tropical storm warnings up for the panhandle of Florida. It is August, and the tropics are heating up. Of course they are public schools start tomorrow, DJ's evaluation is Thursday, and it could prove to be an interesting week. There is Ana, and Bill, both TS's spinning in the Atlantic, that should start to near Florida, by this weekend.

This brings me to the point of hurricane preparedness. We are always basically prepared, because that is what I do LOL. My biggest dilemma this year, will be our pets. My dog gets very scared, and squirelly, and getting him into a car is always a trick. Should we have to evacuate it will be a wrestling match. Then we have these two kitties, who were basically abandoned, and we have been caring for them. The original two, we found a home for, then appeared this other one out of the blue. It was obvious to me it was just dropped off, because it acted like a house cat, not a stray. It was very clean, friendly, and sociable. So it has adopted us, and the one remaining kitty, and they have become good friends, to my kids, and each other. I could not imagine leaving them behind. They count on us for love, and food, and they stay on our covered porch which keeps them safe from the elements. I am going to get a hold of my mom today, one to make sure she is watching the updates, and two to see if she possibly has a pet carrier I can borrow, or a small cage. I am imagining it would be very difficult to get these two to cooperate enough to get in the carrier, then into the car. They are still small enough for me to deal with, without getting too scratched, or bitten. Since they trust me, I am hoping it won't be too bad. Of course I would never put my children, or myself in danger, but if I plan enough in advance, I hope it will go smoothly, and I will not have to leave them behind. Of course the best option, is that we don't ever have to evacuate, though I may still have to put them in the carrier, and bring them to safer shelter, such as inside the garage, for their own safety. If you do not have an emergency plan, now is the time to get one! This video will help, and don't forget about your pets.

Homeschool Freebie Of The Day, Cat Deterrant, and Lesson Plans

I missed posting yesterdays Homeschool Freebie of the day, but here are the maining ones for the week:

Tuesday, Sept 16: Stories To Tell To Childen (& How to Tell Them)
Classic book of read-aloud stories with instructions on
how to be a better storyteller. Excellent!

Wednesday, Sept 17: The Absurd ABC by Walter Crane
Delightful ABC rhymes with wonderful Crane illustrations

Thursday, Sept 18: Required Poems for Memorization
A collection of classic poems which were originally required reading
& meant for memorization in school grades 3 and 4 in the early 1900s.
Wonderful verses, great for reading aloud, recitation & remembering.

Friday, Sept 19: ???? Can you guess the mysterious Friday resource ????
Be sure to stop by the site to check out our weekend goodie!

Make a note of the ones you want, and be sure to stop
by that day and get your copy!

You can download all of these on their respective days
at our site: www.HomeschoolFreebieOfTheDay.com

Does anyone know how I can get stray cats to stay out of my yard? Obviously I do not wish to cause them any harm, but I need something to deter them. The dog scares them away, but they come back. They urinate all over, including my front porch, and of course it stinks. They go on my roof, under the house, and are basically just a menace. They are strays, and animal control refuses to come get them. So how do I keep them out of my yard, and no a fence doesnt work, they just climb it. Any advice, is greatly appreciated.

Lesson Plans for 9/17/08:

Spelling Lesson 3: Write each spelling word, and the circle the consonants
Vocabulary Lesson 3: Try to name a synonym, for each vocabulary word
Writing: Pick the perfect job, and explain why it is perfect
Social Studies: Colorado and Resource roundup- learning about natural resources
Math: Multiplication, addition, subtraction, understanding greater than and less than
Language Arts: Phonics review, punctuation, and pronouns
Spanish: Parts of the body
Reading: Read chapter 10 of Dinosaurs Before Dark