What an exciting day! A trip to the equine dentist

What an exciting day! We had one of our horses that was just too skinny for me -- he was getting the most grain, but I like a fat horse - so I knew something had to be going on with him. So we decided a trip to the dentist is probably what he needed. When we got to the dentist they found he had a tooth that was 2" above his other teeth - yes, you read that right, TWO INCHES tall. Here he is at the dentist - the last pic is his tooth which dd kept, LOL.

Washington Times story about Homeschooling and Socialization

I love the part that they are HAPPY!

By Michael Smith
One of the most persistent criticisms of home-schooling is the accusation that home-schoolers will not be able to fully participate in society because they lack "socialization." It's a challenge that reaches right to the heart of home-schooling, because if a child isn't properly socialized, how will that child be able to contribute to society?
Since the re-emergence of the home-school movement in the late 1970s, critics of home-schooling have perpetuated two myths. The first concerns the ability of parents to adequately teach their own children at home; the second is whether home-schooled children will be well-adjusted socially.
Proving academic success is relatively straightforward. Today, it is accepted that home-schoolers, on average, outperform their public school peers. The most recent study, "Homeschool Progress Report 2009," conducted by Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, surveyed more than 11,000 home-schooled students. It showed that the average home-schooler scored 37 percentile points higher on standardized achievement tests than the public school average.
The second myth, however, is more difficult to address because children who were home-schooled in appreciable numbers in the late 1980s and early 1990s are only now coming of age and in a position to demonstrate they can succeed as adults.
Home-school families across the nation knew criticisms about adequate socialization were ill-founded — they had the evidence right in their own homes. In part to address this question from a research perspective, the Home School Legal Defense Association commissioned a study in 2003 titled "Homeschooling Grows Up," conducted by Mr. Ray, to discover how home-schoolers were faring as adults. The news was good for home-schooling. In all areas of life, from gaining employment, to being satisfied with their home-schooling, to participating in community activities, to voting, home-schoolers were more active and involved than their public school counterparts.
Until recently, "Homeschooling Grows Up" was the only study that addressed the socialization of home-schooled adults. Now we have a new longitudinal study titled "Fifteen Years Later: Home-Educated Canadian Adults" from the Canadian Centre for Home Education. This study surveyed home-schooled students whose parents participated in a comprehensive study on home education in 1994. The study compared home-schoolers who are now adults with their peers. The results are astounding.
When measured against the average Canadians ages 15 to 34 years old, home-educated Canadian adults ages 15 to 34 were more socially engaged (69 percent participated in organized activities at least once per week, compared with 48 percent of the comparable population). Average income for home-schoolers also was higher, but perhaps more significantly, while 11 percent of Canadians ages 15 to 34 rely on welfare, there were no cases of government support as the primary source of income for home-schoolers. Home-schoolers also were happier; 67.3 percent described themselves as very happy, compared with 43.8 percent of the comparable population. Almost all of the home-schoolers — 96 percent — thought home-schooling had prepared them well for life.
This new study should cause many critics to rethink their position on the issue of socialization. Not only are home-schoolers actively engaged in civic life, they also are succeeding in all walks of life. Many critics believed, and some parents feared, that home-schoolers would not be able to compete in the job market. But the new study shows home-schoolers are found in a wide variety of professions. Being home-schooled has not closed doors on career choices.
The results are a great encouragement to all home-schooling families and to parents thinking about home-schooling. Home-schoolers, typically identified as being high academic achievers, also can make the grade in society.
Both "Homeschooling Grows Up" and "Fifteen Years Later" amply demonstrate home-school graduates are active, involved, productive citizens. Home-school families are leading the way in Canadian and American education, and this new study clearly demonstrates home-school parents are on the right path. This story copied from here
To read the full study or a synopsis, visit www.hslda.ca/cche.

Science Blog

Science for homeschooling found At Home Science blog - check it out.

Autumn Sausage Casserole (crockpot)

I've been wanting to try new recipes so I seen this one in a Taste of Home Magazine. . . I decided to try it - but instead in the crockpot. I liked it but DH did not, but in it's defense he hates sweet meat, LOL - and he said the cranberries and raisins just made it too sweet for him - mostly when I read a recipe I use it as a reference and don't do everything exactly so here is what I did

--1 pound sausage (I used pecan smoked beef sausage)
--1 apple, chopped (no need to peel)
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--1/2 cup chopped carrots (I should have chopped, but I had the baby carrots)
--3 cups already cooked long-grain rice (I used rice and couscous)
--1/4 cup raisins
--1/4 cup dried cranberries
--1 T dried parsley flakes
--1 T brown sugar
--1/2 tsp allspice
--1/2 tsp cinnamon
--1/4 tsp black pepper
--1/3 cup chicken broth

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart crockpot. If you are going to use uncooked pork sausage, I'd recommend browning on the stove top, and draining before adding to the crockpot.

Otherwise, dump all the ingredients into the crock, and stir well.

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4. You're really only heating through, and allowing the vegetables to soften.

This will not stick together like a gloppy casserole; it has the consistency of fried rice.

I decided that this tasted like Fall ;- ). It's comforting and hearty. I would make this again but not for our dinner because of DH not liking it -- but it would be good for a potluck.

Here is the "real" recipe.

Vegetable Beef Stew

CROCK POT VEGETABLE BEEF STEW
(This makes a full crock pot - it's HUGE)
Ingredients:
2 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
6 red potatoes, finely diced
5 carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 - 1 cup beef stock
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can green beans
1 can ranch style beans
1 (46 fluid ounce) bottle spicy V8
1/4 - 1/2 cup ketchup
salt, pepper and cumin

Directions:
1. In a pan saute onion and then cook ground beef until beef is no longer pink.
2. Meanwhile, put V8, carrots and canned vegetables and beans and everything else (except the spices) in the crock pot.
3. Drain beef mixture and put in crock pot with everything else (except the spices).
4. Turn crock on high for a couple of hours then turn to low and let it cook all night.
5. I didn't add any of my spices until the next morning -- I once read that the crock pot cooks out all the spices and that's why a lot of people don't like things cooked in the crock pot -- so I season at the very end.



This makes a VERY HEARTY meal -- we ate on it all day while working around here.

Making (giant) 3D snowflakes

We had the best time the other day making these snowflakes. We used full size pieces of paper so some of ours are giant -- then we used the scraps from the giant ones and made mini ones -- here is the instructions . They are easy enough that kids can make them by themselves.

Visit this blog it's one of my favorite blogs. . .

Fishing - Thought I'd post some pics of fishing

Meme loves to fish ; )

Gar

The yearly curriculum decision . . .

Every year I think I'll choose a "one size fits all" curriculum then I realize that through the year, I usually have already picked up stuff for the next year. So I guess my approach to homeschooling is eclectic. One site we are going to get a lot of stuff from is An Old Fashioned Education, Year 2: http://www.oldfashionededucation.com/2ndgrade.htm This curriculum is totally free and available online. The program uses high quality, out of print children’s literature and textbooks. This will be our first year to use it. You can download all of the Year 2 books (and others too) in PDF format, then you can print it off and have Staples or Office Depot bind them for you. I love that it has Bible devotions too.

And for spelling, we are using http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/lookcover/lookcover.html and http://www.spellingcity.com/

Typing Tutor for Kids (or anyone ; ))

Here is a great typing tutor -- especially for kids. My kiddo just started it today and already made it to level 2 -- http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

THE TEACHER

by: Leslie Pinckney Hill (1880-1960)

LORD, who am I to teach the way
To little children day by day,
So prone myself to go astray?

I teach them KNOWLEDGE, but I know
How faint they flicker and how low
The candles of my knowledge glow.

I teach them POWER to will and do,
But only now to learn anew
My own great weakness through and through.

I teach them LOVE for all mankind
And all God’s creatures, but I find
My love comes lagging far behind.

Lord, if their guide I still must be,
Oh let the little children see
The teacher leaning hard on Thee.

Just thought I would share one of my favorite poems with you today.

New Boar

We went all the way to Arkansas to get our newest addition. . .

He is just the cutest -- and he has a great personality. We haven't named him yet, we've got to spend some more time with him before choosing a name ; )

Rendering Lard and Canning

The past couple of days I have been canning and then yesterday I spent the day rendering lard. It was time consuming but, oh so worth it. A friend came over and we had a "canning day" -- it was fun. We canned jelly, salsa and zuchini relish. We are going to do another day soon.

Some of my friends were asking how to render lard. . . here's how I did it.

We are raising our own pork, so I had all the fat from our pigs. They were pasture raised and never given any hormones or antibiotics. Some people say that it will stink when you render lard but I didn't have any smell at all - it's because the pig was pastured and raised humanely.

First you get your fat and cut it in to smallish pieces. Then I put it in a large crock pot and put the oven on 225. I did 2 big pots. In one pot I added a little water and in the other one I didn't. . . (I noticed no difference in the outcome of the lard.) And then you just wait, and wait and wait. After about an hour I went in and stirred it and mashed it with a masher to try and break it down a little bit more. Then waited some more. Eventually you will see the lard. Ladle it off, strain it in cheesecloth and put it in jars. You can also put it in muffin tins and freeze it. It will last a year in the freezer and 3 months in the fridge.

I should have taken pics during the whole process, but the only pics I got was when everything was done. I got a pic of the crackling (which is all that is left of the fat at the end) and of the jars after they had been canned.