Caitlin's Junior Year of High School in Review

This post is for her Junior year Homeschool evaluation, but I will add a couple of other topics as well towards the end.  As always I will post what classes she will be taking for her Senior year in a future post.  

Caitlin had a very good year, despite Covid and all that went with that.  She got her vaccination as soon as her age group could and I give her credit for her maturity.  She was able to continue to volunteer and socialize as long as there was no known infection and she followed smart practices.  She did lose her beloved cat in April of 2021 due to what the vet thinks was a rattlesnake bite.  He died peacefully, and without pain in her arms.  Again, she was so mature and held him the whole time.  She planted a Hibiscus tree in his honor.  

These are the courses she completed and the grade she received.

1.  English segments, 1 and 2 on FLVS.  Grade A and C respectively.

2.  Criminal Justice segments, 1 and 2 on FLVS.  The grade received an A for both segments.

3.  Math.  We used Aleks as always and she finished Algebra 1.  Aleks does not give a grade you do the work until you can complete the assignments with an acceptable grade.  She then moved on to Geometry and will complete that in her Senior year.  More about that in the future post.

4.  African American History.  Please see the post I did on this topic if you wonder how we did it.  A lot of it was videos, reading, and then conversation.  This topic is hard because a lot of it is hard to watch and read about.  She got an A in this course.

5.  Nutrition.  This was not a traditional Nutrition course.  It was based on an ethics college book that my son used in one of his college courses.  My main goal was for Caitlin to learn about Nutrition in Western society mainly in regards to the topics of poor nutrition of fast food and processed foods, animal cruelty, sustainability, and so forth.  She did not read the book but instead watched movies and videos chosen by me based on the topics from the book, with in-depth conversations after.  We made some healthier versions of her favorite fast and processed food items.  I wouldn't say she even changed her mind after this course, but I certainly did.  I have slowly been modifying our eating lifestyle over this year.  Grade A

6.  Biology.  She finished it and the labs.  Grade B minus.  She didn't put a whole lot of effort into this course because she literally hates Science.  

7.  I gave her one credit for PE and 1 credit for Kennel Care and Management of Shelter Dogs.

8.  Drivers Ed.  She got her learner's permit in 2020 and drives regularly.  I think I would like her to take a car maintenance course, and possibly self-defense.  

Total Credits:  7.5

I still have to put everything together to see exactly how many more credits she needs before graduating in 2022.

The books she read are as follows:

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Hiroshima by John Hershey

Shade by Pete Souza

What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz

She actually enjoys reading now.  3 out of those 4 books she picked on her own to read.

Now for the extra stuff.

This will be my last year of homeschooling.  So, I have been thinking of what I want to do with myself once I have an empty nest.  I of course have several options.  I am still a nurse, working part-time right now, and I have my Health Coach business, which really has not taken off mostly because I need to advertise it better.  I also am a board member and volunteer at Williston Animal Group.  I think I might take some courses that I have been putting off.  I also enjoy crafting and used to run an Etsy shop.  I think I might get back into that some even if it is to clear out stuff I already have made.  I also need to decide what to do with this blog.  It has been here since I pretty much began way back when my son was in the second grade.  He is married and in college now.  That is a lot of blogging, lol.  I think I might start adding new posts for others who want to homeschool and maybe monetize it a bit.  I used to make money off this blog, but that has gone by the wayside through the years of High School.  

I think people think blogging is easy.  It actually takes a long time to put a good blog post together.  I think most of the pictures on this blog, of years ago, have disappeared because Google changed their picture storing option.  But, the posts are still relevant and good.  Well, some aren't so good, I wasn't the best blogger in the beginning.  I may start by revising and revamping some of those older topics.

If you found this blog because you are a homeschooler, and you are looking for volunteer opportunities for your kiddos, check out Williston Animal Group.  You do have to be 16 and with a parent.    If you can drive yourself speak to the Volunteer Coordinator to see if your parent must be present.  We always have 2 adults on duty at the kennel.  If your child does more than just play, or walk dogs, you can count kennel care as a credit on your transcript.  My daughter has been doing it for 2 school years now.  She walks, cleans, scoops poop, learns about how to care for a kennel dog, helps feed, helps put on medicine, groom, and whatever else she might be asked to do.  One of our favorite things to do is to get cute pictures for their adoption pictures on Petfinder.  If you do not live in the Williston, Florida area see if there is a dog rescue near you.  You can call 352-528-9888 to learn more or make an appointment to visit the rescue.  

Starting the New School Year With A Bang!

 Over the Labor Day weekend, we took a family day trip to St George Island.  It was our first time visiting the state park there.  Our son, his new wife, and their new baby puppy was also able to join us.  St George Island is very pet friendly.  We were able to take the puppy into the restaurant, though we did eat outside on the screened-in porch, which was perfect for us anyways.  They gave her a big bowl of cold ice water, which she was bewildered by, lol.

The state park was not packed, and there was plenty of room to social distance even if it was packed.  Such a beautiful beach and the seashells were amazing.  They have the largest sand-dollars I have ever seen, though I could only find broken ones, no whole ones.  

The first day of Grade 11 started for Caitlin on Tuesday, Sept 8, 2020.  She got into her FLVS Language Arts class, but not the Criminal Justice.  She was accepted just waiting for a seat.  Hopefully, this week she will.  We are still volunteering every Tuesday morning at WAG.  We have been taking a dog to the park on days that it doesn't rain.  Last week, Panda got to go.  She loved the park and what a sweet dog.  Not a bad way to start the first day of school.  Caitlin was not complaining.

What I Have Learned About Maintaining a Pool in Florida!

I am not from Florida.  I grew up in upstate NY where you might use your AC three weeks out of the whole year.  When we moved to FL in 2005 one of the first things we noticed was that we needed a pool.  Now, in 2020 I have noticed with Coronavirus and all that goes with that, lots of people who never wanted or needed a pool now do.  I read an article in The NY Times from a woman who was opining about how expensive and difficult it was to maintain the newly bought pool she got.  I will give you my best tips, and no they don't have to be expensive.  Obviously, you will have to spend some money, but it doesn't have to be a money guzzler.

First off the writer purchased one of the large blow-up pools.   You know the ones with the top is filled with air.  We owned one of these for many years, and it was extremely hard to keep clean and the water clear.  Why?  1- the pump sucks, literally.  It is small and not very powerful.  It is only meant to run a few hours a day, and most pools need at least 8 hours of filtering per day in the hottest weather.  The filters for these little pumps are often out of stock and they are not cheap either.  It is recommended that you replace them every time they are dirty, consider that money slug.  So, what can you do if you purchase one of these pools and that is what you can afford?  We actually finally invested in a larger more powerful sand filter pump.  This ended up paying for itself after only a few years.  We didn't need the cartridge filters anymore and it could run for more than just a couple of hours per day.  If you absolutely can not purchase a larger pump, don't worry I have more tips.  Make sure you skim it every day with a large net.  At least once a week, vacuum the pool and at the very least after each time you put shock or algae control in it, more about that in the next paragraph.  At least once a week, more if it needs it, wipe the sides of the inside walls with an old cloth.  Before you set up your pool put the side with the pump to the least amount of sun.  If your pool is already set up when you read this, only run your pump at night, it will save you on your electric bill too.  I run my pump only at night unless it has a lot of junk on the surface when I get in, then I run it for an hour when I get in and then turn it off.  Also if you absolutely must use the cartridges in the smaller pump, rinse them or spray with bleach.  I cleaned and reused mine all the time.  I hardly ever bought those stupid cartridge filters. 

Those tips all apply to any above ground pool, not just the blow-up ones.  But, chemicals are also extremely important.  I have owned a pool now for 15 years.  It took me 14 of those years to finally figure out how to keep the pool clear.  It would be clean, and free of algae but it always had this cloudy appearance.   Oh, there are tons of chemicals you can put in the pool that are supposed to help, but most of them are useless.  So, now I will give you tips on what I have learned about pool chemicals.  Do not buy your pool chemicals at Walmart or even Amazon.  These chemicals are simply not strong enough or fresh enough to do the job.  Just trust me!  I am sure you have seen the brands sold in these stores, so I will not name them here.  You need to find an actual pool supply store to get what you need.  When I started actually going to the pool supply store to get my chemicals is when my pool became crystal clear and easy to maintain.  I do not really pay any more, and probably less, because I am not wasting useless chemicals.  I do have to travel about 20 miles farther but it is so worth it.  Some pool supply stores may have online ordering, this one does not, but still, I am willing to go.  Ask the pool experts to be sure you purchase the correct product.  I will share the images of the two products I buy every time now.  These are the only two products I buy besides chlorine tablets.  Speaking of which I have two floaters with one tablet in each.   This seems to help maintain the proper balance.  I also throw a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser in my skimmer.  If you don't have a skimmer it can just float around your pool.  You would be amazed by the invisible algae it catches.  I shock my pool and use the powder algaecide once a week.  If it rains, which will wash out your chemicals I do it twice a week.  Don't put your chemicals in the pool in the day time.  Do it in the evening close to sunset.  The sun deteriorates your chemicals.   

If I forgot anything, or you have any questions, please leave them in the comments, and I will answer them the best I can.

World History: Armenia

Before I start the bit on Armenia, I would like to mention a few blogposts coming up within the next week. 

1-  What I have learned about maintaining a swimming pool.  I read an article about a woman who was very frustrated after buying a pool that she thought would be easy to maintain, and affordable.  I will give my top tips on how it is easy and while not really affordable, it can be manageable.

2-  Our vacation.  This one is a trip, LOL pun intended.

3-  Updates to the grade 10 portfolio for Caitlin.

4-  There will be posts mixed in as I start to research African American History.  As I stated this will probably be her 11th-grade History, topic, probably a 1/2 credit, and then she will do the World History in 12 grade as that one is taking much more time to prepare.  In Florida, a student only needs 3 credits in History, but it is an easy way to get in interesting electives.  Which reminds me I have to really take a look at what she has done so far and what she needs for electives.

5-  I also need to start creating a PE year-long credit course for her to prepare for the physical fitness test to be a cop.  She will repeat it in grade 12 as well. 

So, now to Armenia.  As I stated before I really need to pick up the pace of the number of countries I get ready in a week.  Right now I am only averaging one, as we are crazy busy this Summer with wedding preparations and a 3 week-long vacation.  I hope to get back to a more regular blogging pace. 

Of course, there is always the virus to worry about, and it is exploding in Florida.  With 15,000 new cases yesterday, ugh!  Anyway, back to Armenia.  For now, I am posting just videos, and reading material.  As I decide what other activities we will do I will update each country.  Right now cooking a traditional dish, is what I have decided on. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia

This video titled The Land of Noah is a full documentary on Armenia.

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Bring on Summer Vacation!

Last Thursday was our final full day of the regular school year.  My son will be doing a research paper, topic of his choice, for World History, next week.  I will be giving him a 1/2 credit for the year, because he just didn't have the time to do enough hours to get a full credit.  But, I think he is going to do an online FLVS for World History next year.  He has to finish up Geometry over the Summer as well.

Caitlin will also be doing a final writing assignment next week.  I let her pick the topic, and she will be posting it to her blog when completed.  She will get the option to proofread and edit it one time, before I grade it.  She knows what the Rubric is, and if she gets a grade of 75 or above, I won't make her do any Writing over the Summer.  If she doesn't she will have to continue practicing.  She will do Math, on Easy Peasy Homeschool, and Reading Assessment, a few days a week over the Summer.

I have to start getting portfolios done.  Well, actually only one this year, because DJ is taking the SAT in August, and that will count as his evaluation this year.  It doesn't save me any money, though.

In the coming weeks you will see me start to post curriculum for next year.  DJ will be mostly doing FLVS, so his will be very easy to arrange.  Caitlin will be in 8th grade, so it will be my last year to really have some fun with her, and her lessons.  You may also see me post ideas for homeschool graduation, and college readiness.

Oh, before I forget, DJ read Dracula, and Caitlin read Ann of Green Gables, plus watched the movie, and is currently reading Gentle Ben.

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Time for College and Scholarships

Next  year, my son will be a Senior.  I can't believe I just said that.  The years that we have been blessed to homeschool have been a treasure for me, and hopefully for him too.  I still have a 12 year old to get through middle school, and high school, so I won't be bored.

As you know scholarships are a very important part of helping to pay for school.  Now is the time to start thinking, and researching.  I will be adding links to sites about scholarships, as I find them and collect them.  The first four websites are listed below.  Some may repeat.  I haven't actually read them all, yet, just collecting for future use.  All scholarships have different requirements and cut off dates, so it is best to start looking the year ahead.

Since he wants to go to Santa Fe College first, then transfer to UF in Gainesville, I will be posting about Bright Futures, and requirements for those two colleges in the near future.


http://www.parentscountdowntocollegecoach.com/2017/02/07/scholarships-pay-college-expenses/

http://infographicsmania.com/american-scholarshipsthe-largest-scholarships-in-america/

https://www.goodcall.com/scholarships/lowest-max-competition/

http://www.howtoliveintheus.com/17-easy-scholarships-worth-36k/

Homeschool Evals, the PSAT, and 4H Annual Award Dinner

It has been a busy two weeks.  Today, we did our homeschool evals, and now I can take a deep breath and relax.  Well for about 2 1/2 weeks that is, lol.  Both kids did very well.  No issues, though there are still things I want, and feel they need to improve on.  With two kids getting evaluated, it is a very long day.

DJ took the PSAT, just a week or so ago.  He did quite well for his first time.  He got 1276 for a total score.  Strong in reading and writing, needs improvement on math.  We knew that, lol.  He did fair for math, but needs to bring it up a few points.  He will take the PSAT one more time, probably in January, and then the SAT at the end of 10th grade.  This gives ample time to learn where weaknesses are, plus most colleges take the highest score you get.  So, if you wait until the end of your senior year and bomb the test, then you are in a tight spot.  Both SAT and ACT offer free questions of the day, and we will continue doing them each day, as well. 

Last night was our annual 4H award dinner.  Both kids got their 5 yr pins, and Caitlin got 4Her of the  year, for her age group.  DJ got it last year.  We found out a lot of things at this meeting.  The Guitar Club will continue, this is very good news, and a new bow and arrow shooting group will be starting.  That too is very good news.  Caitlin will be starting Gymnastics in October, so my calendar just got really full all of a sudden.  That doesn't count our regular 4H meeting each month, and weekly teen praise band practice at church.  Now, I need a nap before all the craziness starts up again.

Four Science Experiments on Tuesday

The Marine Biology textbook has several experiments, in each chapter.  This is the lab component of the curriculum and is required in the state of Florida.  Caitlin also had two experiments from her T4L Science lessons.  Since I can not share the actual copies from the book, I will try to find examples similar to what we did, so you can do them in your Science lessons.  The first video is a cloud video, and has nothing to do with experiments.  If your child is learning about Weather, it is a nice video.


I could not find a video for the Marine Biology experiments. So, I will give you a basics of what we did. Experiment 1: The Expansion of Solid Water. You need a bottle of water, a marker, and a freezer. Fill the water bottle about 3/4 of the way full. Mark the spot where the water is with the marker. Put the bottle in the freezer. Make your hypothesis of what you think will happen. Record your findings after the water has frozen.

Experiment 2: Removing the Salt from Salt Water. We have actually done this one before, but it is part of the requirements, so we did it again. You need a pot with one cup of water in it. Turn on the stove and heat the water, but do not boil. Add two tbsp of salt to the water and stir until dissolved. Pour the water into a pie plate or other container. Set outside, usually takes a week or more depending on temperature. Make your hypothesis of what will happen. Record your findings after. Try this in the Winter months also, to see the difference in the results.

I decided I will go back to keeping a daily log, rather than trying to keep up with it on the blog. I would rather keep the blog for fun, and interesting things to share. My Father in Law is coming, so we will not be back to lessons until next Tuesday.

Mystic Jungle Education Facility at the Fizz Boom Read Library Program in Trenton

Today, was the first day of the Summer program at the Trenton Public Library, which is part of the Three Rivers Regional Library System. The educational facility, Mystic Jungle was the first of four weeks of fun. I did not see this last year, but some of the people I went with did. I thought they did an amazing job, and yes that is a snake on his hat. They had a Bobcat, lots of snakes, tarantula, lemur, and a lot of other really cool animals to share. They have a website, and their facility is located in Live Oak, FL. I was told they offer tours for free, for homeschoolers, so I might just have to check that out. DJ did not go, he thought he was too old, but he wishes he did now, lol. The library program runs for four weeks, on Thursday, and like I said today was week one. I intended to go next week, but forgot we have a prior commitment on that day, so we will have to miss that one.

Fossil Digging Field Trip #2 and What We Do With Them

Today we went digging for fossils, for the second time. Last time was in November, and the water was cold then, but let me tell you that was nothing compared to today. It was 40 degrees when we left the house this morning, and that water was bone chilling cold. However, it is a fairly shallow creek and we found a nice sunny spot, where the water was at least bearable.  Plus it has been such a wet winter, I was hoping it would have stirred up lots of good stuff.  Boy did it, and we only kept some of it.  I always find tons of shells, but since they are all the same I only took a couple.  Last time I only found one shark tooth, that was not very big at all.  I found some nice size ones this time, but my son and our friend found two huge shark teeth.  I mean huge.  Also of interest was manta ray jaw bones, some white rocks with blue spots I found some of those last time too, petrified wood, and a rock that actually had a shark tooth fossil embedded in it with other fossils too. 

So, now what do we do with these?  I use them for various crafts, three of which you can see below.  My kids have not attempted the resin craft yet, but they will be doing it in April.  Resin does have some safety issues that you have to follow, so I know some people use Modge Podge.  I have never tried the Modge Podge method.  I myself, am fairly new to resin, but I love it.  You can go to my other blog, http://www.melissasjewelryandgems.blogspot.com to see all my resin, art, and crochet craftiness. 

The kids can also read about fossils, why are there so many fossils in Florida, and the laws on collecting fossils.  There are very strict laws on fossil digging, not really the digging, but the keeping of the fossils.  Also what makes Petrified Wood.    This is a fun way to learn some cool Science, and enjoy nature.  We will definitely probably go back again.  The little area where we dig is so beautiful and peaceful.  The blue piece below is actually resin with blue food coloring and a shark tooth in it.  It is really cool.  It will be in my Etsy store soon, as my son found a bigger one today and will be making a piece of his own with resin.  The clear piece has a shell, that stone I told you about, and part of a shark tooth I think.  The top piece I used one of the shells I found, put a little hot glue in there and a coral flower then poured the resin in.  It will be a pendant eventually.  All of these were made from our first time digging.

Geodes, Knives and the Medieval Fair

Today, was school day at the Hoggetown Medieval Fair in Gainesville, FL. We had never been before so we decided to go since DJ has been learning about the Middle Ages. I have to admit I was a little disappointed. It was too cold to sit still on steel bleachers to watch the Joust, and most of it was just food and goods vendors. We did learn some stuff, and the kids really did have an awesome time. I was the only one to complain, lol. DJ got a knife, well sort of. He is almost 14, but legally can not carry or own such a knife as this. So, for now it is mine, and it will be released to him when he is of age. It is secured in a safe place. He is so proud of the knife he doesn't even own yet, lol. Caitlin and I both got a rock geode, which the man opened up for us, at the fair. You can see the results below. Caitlin also got a wolf necklace, she loves wolves, and DJ some small rocks. We love rocks here at our house. Next week should go back to a full and normal school week. We do have a hiking trip on Wed, but all lessons should be able to be completed. I will share pictures from that. We are going to Poe Springs and we have never been there before. Can't wait!

Christmas Parade

We had another busy weekend, this past weekend. Saturday we went to our first Christmas parade, since moving here. I didn't think DJ would want to go, but both he and my husband wanted to go. Go figure! There was a craft fair, before the parade, so of course I had to check it out. It was very hot, for this time of year, and I am glad we did not go earlier than 3. My husband and son, got me some kind of surprise Christmas gift, I think it was from the Scentsy lady. I really loved the one jar, but it was too pricey for me. I think my husband went back and got it. It ended up being a late night, one of our family friend's daughter was singing there, I will share that later. She sang my most favorite Christmas song. Sunday, we couldn't get up in time for church, lol, but we did make it to the Ladies Christmas party later that evening. All in all a nice weekend, and the weather was splendid.

We were back to school today, and since we have moved Run Club to 1:30 in the afternoon, we were able to get all school work done before that fun event twice a week. We are very much enjoying our Christmas Around the World, that I added on to our regular History lessons. You can find the post and links on this in an older post. I am currently collecting all the links, and items for our Virtual Tour Across the US, that will start after Christmas break. I will share that when it is completed.

Evaluations and Sample Reading Lists

We have our homeschool yearly evaluations tomorrow morning.  Wish us luck!  I post the reading lists only for those who need an idea how to make a reading list for their portfolio in Florida.  Plus for my record keeping purposes.  I encourage anyone who can to get a blog so if anything ever happens to your computer your public blog will have an account of all your homeschool activities.  Caitlin read a lot of short stories this year, in her Reading Comprehension lessons.  Those are not accounted for here, and neither are DJ's from his Reading lessons.  Those all count to, but I include samples of them in the portfolio.  I use Google Docs to type the list up all nice, and then put it in the portfolio, usually at the front.  Both kids also bring a book with them to read part of it to the evaluator and she asks them pertinent questions. 


Darien’s Reading List For 2012/2013 7th Grade
Darien read a lot of books this past school year. However, they are not all listed here because
we don’t keep track of all of them. We visit the library twice monthly, during the school year, and
Darien enjoys taking out books to read. The books shown below, are books I chose for him to
read and he did book reports on.
Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Time Machine by HG Wells
The three book series of Percy Jackson The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan


Caitlin’s Reading List For 2012/2013 3rd Grade
Caitlin read a lot of books this past school year. However, they are not all listed here because
we don’t keep track of all of them. We visit the library twice monthly, during the school year, and
Caitlin enjoys taking out books to read. She reads a lot of animal books, and especially likes
horse, cat and dog books. She also reads a lot on We Give Books. A reading website where
every time the child reads a book, the same books is donated to schools and organizations that
give books to children. Below are some of the books she has read.
Froggy Goes to Hawaii by Johnathon London
SkippyJon Jones and the Big Bones by Judy Schachner
Madeline
Ladybug Girl at the Beach
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Mommy Loves Me
Every Biscuit book she can find.

Earth Kids Nature Scavenger Hunt

Tuesday, for our Earth Kids meeting, we went on our first Nature Scavenger Hunt, along the bike trail in Chiefland. We did not find everything on our list, but the items not found will be added to the next hunt which will be at the next meeting. If you want to try this with your group, or kids, these are the items that they were supposed to find: squirrel tracks, pine cone, flying bird, feather, maple leaf, bird nest, tracks of a mammalian omnivore, twigs, three pieces of litter, cat track, a berry, cardinal, pine needle, oak leaf, and a dog track. The kids can take pictures of what they can and keep a photo journal, circle what they find, or collect what they can of what they find. Since we only have one camera the kids had to share. Everyone saw flying birds, but no one remembered to get a picture, lol. Each child is sharing their photos on our Earth Kids Facebook page. On the trail we did not find a pine cone, feather, maple leaf, cat track, cardinal,dog track or pine needles. Most of these things are in my yard though, lol. We did find human tracks, and squirrel tracks though the sand is so dry it is hard to make them out in the pictures, and we only knew they were squirrel tracks because we saw the squirrel run right across. The kids really loved this activity, I kind of figured they would. We had two new members come, and next time we will be going to Manatee Springs for our Nature Hunt. We might even see a manatee, that would be superb! We are supposed to have our run/walk club today, but rain is coming, so not sure if we are going to chance it. We had two new members join that as well. If you live in the Levy county area, and would like to join either of these, let me know. You do not have to homeschool to join Earth Kids, it is a public group. The run/walk is a homeschool group, but I am sure if you could get there at the 10 time we would be glad to have you.

Some Of Natures Finest

Since I have no lesson plans to share this week, we are doing review, I want to share some of my favorite nature videos that have been saved to my Youtube account, for some time. I hope you enjoy them, as much as my kids, and I do.

Animal Control Frustrations Grrr!!!

For those of you who have read my blog for any length of time, know I have been fighting with Animal Control for years to get these ferell cats under control. To make a very long story short, we found a home for one female kitten the last time the mother had a litter. We are still tending, and feeding to the two males that no one wants. The mother appears to have had another litter, though not in my bushes this time. However a very tiny kitten was found wandering around my yard this morning, looking very haggard and hungry. This kitten weighs no more than one pound. Of course my kids make me feel like a cad, so I can not just ignore it, but I am not the town pound either. I put it in the pet carrier, with a blanket, fed it, and gave it some milk, and tried to figure out what to do. Animal control has never been helpful, if you remember when I called the county humane society I was told no kittens, but if I wanted to pay for some very expensive tests, and have them spade, all out of my own pocket they would send them to another shelter. Outrageous I know, so I figured calling them would be no good. So I called the next county over, and they told me they would not take them from another county, to call the county administrator. Which I did, he referred me to someone else, who referred me back to animal control, who told me they no longer have a contract with the town. Grr I am not happy at all. So then she told me if I wanted to pay 25 dollars, and transport said kitten to her, she would take it to the animal shelter on my behalf. So now I am either stuck with this very tiny, needy kitten, or I have to pay 25 dollars out of my own pocket. What I would really like to know is if the City of Trenton decided to sever their ties with the Gilchrist County Animal Control, then why are they not providing the service themselves. Well I was told because tax payers already pay for the service, and the county should be providing said service. Seems tax payers were actually being charged twice. I really do not care about any of this, but I do care that I can not afford to feed, and take care of every stray that wanders onto my property. I can not kill it either, or just drop it off in the woods, as many have suggested. No one wants to deal with these ferrell animals, and it is getting out of control. There is a meeting Monday evening, and if I can make it I will. If not I will call the city manager back on Tuesday to see what happened. If anyone has ever dealt with this sort of stuff in your neighborhoods, I would love some good advice.

Lesson Plans For 10/15/09:

DJ:
Health: Healthy food choices, label reading
Language Arts: Quotation marks, prefixes, homographs
Spelling/Vocab: Write each word two times each
Math: Division, greater than and less than, subtraction
Cursive Writing
Reading Comprehension: Worksheet

Caitlin:
Health: Healthy food choices
Alphabet Book: Letter U
Math: Telling Time
Reading: HOP Tag
Site words
Printing Practice
Address and phone number learn to write them

Whew That Was Rough!

After 6 hours of, scan, scan again, again, again, and how many more times again, disk cleanup, spyware remover, reboot about 100 times the nasty hijacker virus is gone. I wish I knew which website gave it to me. I am almost certain it was on Entrecard, because that was the only thing I was doing when I got it. Oh well, at least it is gone, for good I hope.

Last week I found a totally free website. Now years ago, I tried these free sites, and never got anything, except a bunch of junk. Free education stuff is the link for you to find some awesome cool free educational stuff. So far the only thing that has come was a Character Action plan for young kids, from the one and only Tiger Woods. I could not believe what a nice curriculum this was. It comes with a book to read, along with worksheets that cover the material. I was stunned at how nice it was, and free too. There are other free subjects in the left hand column, but I was pretty much only interested in the educational stuff. Check it out. I will let you know when other cool things come in. I also was asked by Sylvan to do another give away of their products. This year they sent me a first grade Language Arts workbook, to give away to one of my readers. Be sure to watch for it. I probably will not do it until after Nov 1st when my feed the needy promotion ends. Be sure to check that out in the left hand column of this blog.

Tomorrow is our playgroup playdate. We are hoping to be able to swim, but the weather has not been great. Our group is small, and we try to meet every two weeks, for fun, and socialization. If you live in the Gilchrist County Florida, or surrounding area, homeschool, or have a preschooler looking for some fun playdates, come join us. If you are interested in joining our group please contact me at melissaruede@yahoo.com and I will send you the sign up link. Because tomorrow is our playgroup, DJ worked extra hard, to get a day ahead, and left just a few things to finish up.

Lesson Plans for 09/17/09:

Playdate 10Am-1PM with lunch, and swimming

Caitlin: Reading- HOP Dad and Sam, site words, sharing, follow directions.

DJ:
Reading Comprehension: WS
Review plate tectonics from 09/18/09
Health: Food pyramid
Math: Addition, place value
Language Arts: Capitalization, prefixes, synonyms, antonyms
Spelling/Vocab: Use each word in a sentence



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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.

A Tight Squeeze!

I don't know if you have heard on the news about the 2 yr old strangled to death by a python, or not, but it is a huge problem here in Florida. The Burmese python which can grow up to 18-24 feet, and has no predators, are flourishing in the Florida Everglades. Many of these snakes were released by owners who thought it was cool to have a snake, until it got too big, and hard to feed. So they just release them to the wild. Not a good idea. Some of these snakes also got into the wild when Hurricane Andrew blew through South Florida, destroying their cages, and releasing them to the wild. They lay eggs, and lots of them, and are now hundreds of thousands of them living, and breeding in South Florida. Because they have no predators, they are destroying Florida's wild life, and ecosystems. So I found some cool videos, on these snakes, along with first aid for snake bites. There seems to be really nothing you can do if a constricting snake wants to give you a hug, especially a large one. You can try to pry it off, or have someone else, throw liquor in its eyes, and nose, or stab it. There is no proof any of these things actually work.

I very much dislike snakes, and if this thing crawled into my yard, I would probably croak on the spot. In the two years, we have owned this home we have had three various snakes in our yard. I lived in rattlesnake country my whole life, and never saw one snake, of any kind. These are not good odds for me LOL.







If you would like to read more information on snake handling, and bite treatment, please refer to the following links.

http://firstaid.webmd.com/snakebite-treatment
http://www.animalplanet.ca/shows/showdetails.aspx?sid=2910
http://www.snakegetters.com/class/handling-tips.html


Please, if you want one of these snakes, for whatever crazy reason, be responsible and call a pet shelter if you can no longer handle it. Learn the safety tips, and proper care techniques for all snakes, not just Burmese pythons. There are people who truly adore, and love snakes, so take care of both of you.

Gainesville Aquatic Fun

The Dept of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs, located in Gainesville has some cool summer activities available. Some of the ones I found interesting are:

Dive In Movies- watch your favorite movie while floating in the pool. 3 dollars for children, and 5 dollars for adults. Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Swim lessons- Pretty much offered all year except winter, by Red Cross Water Safety Instructors. Classes are 30 min in length. All children should learn to swim, at a young age, and adults if you do not already know how.

Camp Aqua Sport- We might actually give this one a try next year. Provides a source of physical, and educational activities, in and around, and aquatic environment. It is 142 dollars for city residents, and 215 for non residents.

Junior Lifeguarding Camp for 12-15 yr old children- My son actually wanted to do this, but he is only 9, so he has to wait a bit. There are prerequisites that must be met, along with age. Participants learn life saving skills, first aid, and CPR, as well as life guarding skills. Price is 116 for city residents, and 173 for non city residents.

If you would like to learn about any of these great programs, or others available, you can call 352-334-5067 address 1024 NE 14th Street Gainesville, FL 32601