Summer

Oh how I have missed this blog. But due to summer I have taken a brief sabbatical. That will last through the rest of July. We are doing things like:




Getting enlisted at Fort Cottonwood.




This also is known as grand kids camp. A time were all the grandkids 5 & older get together at the same time & spend a few days at Grandma & Grandpas. This year theme is army.

My mom does it every summer & does an amazing job. A highlight of the year for my kids

We are starting our mid-summer lambing:





And hanging out in the mountains & playing with uncles that come to town.





We are checking out the ram sales:





And chasing puppies.





We are gearing up for family reunions that start tomorrow & a million other things that summer brings.

So check back in.

I will post when I can.

Just know we are loving life & all the good things summer brings.


Tiffany

"Teaching Your Child To Read" Guest Blogger - Katrina & Korinda (Part 2)

So it is way past due, for another guest blogger on our amazing series of  Teaching Your Child to Read. Guest Post Series. Today we are lucky to have Katrina back. If you missed Part 1 of Katrina Guest post you can check it out HERE. Katrina blogs over at www.thechickenwire.blogspot.com  .

Using the book Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons - Part Two

In part one of this article I described how I have used the book Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons.   In this second part, my friend Korinda tells of her experience teaching her children with the same book. She does a great job of sharing it, so I'll let her take it from here!

My name is Korinda Luhmann, and I have had the privilege of teaching children in a public school and home setting.  Before we had kids, I was a public school teacher in the northern suburbs of Chicago with a master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois.  Because I taught first and second grades, I was actively involved in teaching children how to read and loved to see the light bulbs turning on in students’ heads as the world of reading began to click for them.  Now for the past eleven years, I have been a homeschooling mama to our seven kids (five boys sandwiched between two girls).

When our oldest daughter was three years old, I stumbled upon the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann.  I read through the teacher’s instructions in the beginning of the book and started the program.  By the time we completed Lesson 50, reading began to click for her, about a month before her fourth birthday.  My husband and I can remember pulling up to a strip mall in our town and hearing the names of the stores being read aloud from the backseat.  We looked at each other and said, “I guess she is reading!”  I did not finish the book with her and now at 13, she is a devourer of books.

After our quick success with our daughter, I couldn’t wait to begin the process again with our oldest son.  Because he was not ready as early as our daughter, we did not begin the book until he was five.  The first 30 lessons went well, and then one day he looked at me and said, “Can we just homeschool in the summer and take the rest of the winter off?”  I replied that he would probably regret that decision once summer came around, but I realized that he needed a break from this book.  So, we stopped doing lessons for about a month.  When my husband noticed that we weren’t doing our regular reading lessons, he asked what happened to teaching him to read in 100 days.  I reminded him that it was Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, not days.

  After letting the book sit for awhile and doing other homeschool activities and subjects with our son, I began the book again with him.  We picked up right where we left off, and I was amazed that he had retained most of what he had learned previously in the book.  And yes, by Lesson 50 reading began to click for him, and he was on his way.  But this time I decided to finish the book with him.  Even though my kids are beginning to read by right around Lesson 50, I have found that finishing the book introduces many more sounds and gives them the opportunity to continue to develop their reading fluency using a controlled vocabulary.

My second son was a wiggler, fidgeter, and oh so distracted five year old boy, but we set out to begin the lessons.  Even though this book is designed for each lesson to take about 20 minutes, with this son it seemed like each lesson went on for hours.   I finally realized that in between each “task” (term the book uses) this boy needed to run.  So he did laps around the kitchen table, ran up and down the hallway ten times, did somersaults, and then came back to do the next task.  This is when I knew that homeschooling suited him well.  If he had to sit in a desk at public school all day, both he and the teacher would go nuts.   He would often end up with his head on the couch and his feet in the air by the end of the lesson, but again, by Lesson 50, he too was beginning to read.  We finally finished the book with him, and now, years later, he is the child that we have to tell to stop reading and put his book away.  He never leaves the house without a book.

Currently, I have my next three sons, ages 7, 5, and 3, all doing lessons from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  I have often said that this book is the best $20 that I ever spent for homeschooling, but this year we had to buy a new copy as ours had fallen apart over the years (this time it was only $12).  My youngest two boys have seen what our older kids are doing, and they want to be part of it too.  So, because they expressed such an interest in learning to read, I began lessons with them.  In fact, my three year old asks each morning if he can do his lesson.  My seven year old is around lesson 70 and yes, reading is finally beginning to click for him too.

As a former first grade school teacher, I wish I would have known about this gem of a book.  In the public school we used a number of different methods to teach children to read, and whenever we used any one program, we had to supplement it with additional strategies to try to fill in the gaps for the kids.  Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons works more effectively than any of the other programs that I have used or come across.

With Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, any parent can pick it up and begin teaching their child to read.  It is adaptable to the developmental differences between children, so know your child and get your cues from them.  We started this book with some of our kids when they were six and others when they were three.  I let my child set the pace and sometimes we step away from it and then return to it a few months later with the same great results. 

A few other specifics.  With my oldest three kids I never did the “handwriting task” they suggest at the end of each lesson.  I didn't  want to add more or distract them from reading.  But for my younger three, I have been doing the “handwriting task” with them and it hasn't been too much.  One thing I have done differently from this book is when it introduces words such as “the”, “said” or “was”, it has them sound them out and then tells them this word says _____.  I skip the sounding out part (since it does not correspond with the actual sound) and introduce it right away as a sight word.  Whenever we see the words in later lessons, I tell them remember this word is “the” or “said”.  It is a sight word; we just have to know it.

After having three kids learn to read with this book, (currently 13, 11, and 8) three currently in the book (all on different lessons), and one more little girl awaiting her turn, I couldn't recommend this book more highly to parents.  In my eleven years of homeschooling, this is and will always be the number one book I recommend to any parent starting out.  It is really all you need in teaching your child to read.  You do not need a fancy, expensive phonics or whole language program.  All you need is 12 bucks and a favorite place to snuggle next to your child, and you can begin the amazing journey of watching your own child’s world come alive.  I am so blessed to be able to give this gift to our children.


Thanks so much to Katrina & Korinda for sharing with us what they are using & teaching. I must admit after reading  these two ladies posts, I finally decided to give it a try & I ordered my own Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  It just barely arrived in the mail, & we are only on lesson 3. I am so excited for it though. I wanted to thank once again these lovely ladies for sharing their knoweldge with us! 

Murphy's Law

So have you ever heard of Murphy's Law.

"Anything that can happen, will."  Usually  what happens is bad, never good.

Well Murphy & I are good friends. Maybe I shouldn't say good friends. I don't really care when he stops by. He does stop by though,  regularly.

Maybe I should say: We are well known acquaintances.

Well Murphy decided to pay a visit yesterday. Apparently, I was due for another visit.

 Frankly, who knew.

 I thought we have seen enough of each other, lately.

It all started Monday night with a text from my hubby. (Yes, I do realize a trend that is starting to occur, with it all beginning with a text from my hubby.)

Once again, I reminded myself  I am the grownup.

So the day starts out pretty good. I get up at 5:30 a.m. get the cooler packed, eventually wake up my boys, feed them breakfast, & drive out to where we will be the sheep herders for the day.

 We arrive on time about 8 in the morning & I am feeling pretty good about things.

I kiss the hubby goodbye. He is headed to a different area, to load other sheep.

  "The semi-truck should arrive at 10, I will load, leave & be back here to take over by 12. Maybe 1 p.m. the latest."

And away he goes.

So we check the sheep & hang out. I have loaded up the car with all sorts of books, food, movies. ect.

The first hour passes quickly. While it was cool we mostly hung out outside, played, explored the area, & just had fun.

The second hour, we worked on a little school work & played some more.

It started getting hot outside so we loaded in the car, turned on the AC, watched a movie.

The next 2 hours, were a little slower, but still passed.

I called my hubby to check on things. The truck still hadn't arrived yet, so it will be a little longer than planned, but should hopefully arrive soon.  I wasn't thrilled, but no big deal.

I started making sandwiches & my little boy asked if he could turn on a CD to listen to. Sure, I said, turn on the car & put it in. And he did.

We eat, play more, its getting warmer, & try to pass the time.

 We finish a book we have been reading. We play  more. I notice the CD sounds funny, must be scratched I thought. Then I hear the awful sound of my car dying.

Yep. Died. We ran the battery dead. That is lovely.  My darling son turned on the car, but never started it & I never noticed.

 I was feeling pretty smart about now.

Great. Murphy strikes, again. Oh well. We will manage. I am sure my hubby will be here soon.

So I call him. "He quickly tells me  that I am free of my sheep herding duties. So go home."

To which I break my bad news. I can't. I am now stranded. The battery died. You coming soon?

"Nope, the semi-truck is now 3 hours late & I am are still waiting for it. So it will be at least another 3 hours before it I can get it you & that is only if the semi-truck miraculously arrives soon."

Oh, Murphy, striking again, on a late semi-truck. Lovely.

So now I am going to be here a while & I am silently crying on the inside. It is hot, I am just off a dirt road, that goes for miles, there is nothing but desert & a few large farms. It could be hours before I see someone. Did I mention I have 4 kids & it's hot?

I am getting stuff out of the trunk, when my oldest suggests a prayer. Good idea. We pray. I start walking to see if I can see anyone. Nope.

I go back to the car & try my car again, maybe just maybe it will start.

 No, again.

My son suggest saying a family prayer. I am silently praying as well.  Time passes, &  I see a cloud of dust down the road. I inform my kids I will be back, hang tight, stay in the shade, play with the youngest.  I will be back in a few. I begin walking/jogging towards a cloud of dust. Praying it is a vehicle. Waving my arms like a frantic woman. A half a mile or so down the road, I am still waving & trying to get to the vehicle before he turns off.

I am too late, he has turned down a road, & stopped. I keep running as fast as I can. Waving, yelling, looking like a crazy person I am sure.

Prayers answered the driver sees me & comes to my rescue. A short time later we have my car running, A/C back on. And I am almost in tears thanking the stranger for coming to our rescue.

Murphy's Law, had come & I had triumphed.

Then Murphy cocked his head & laughed.

We are headed home, & a few miles down the road we noticed some stray sheep. With our brand on them.

Not good. Sigh. Murphy 4, me 1.

 So being the sheepherders of the day, we begin to herd them back to the others.

A few miles & hours later. The lost sheep, have now joined the other sheep. How in the world we managed to lose them in the first place, who knows. But they are gathered up and in a corral.

 I call my hubby. He is now within an hour of joining us. Yea!!
.
"So can you stick around & help me load?" He asks. Sure. My enthusiasm for our little adventure is waning.

So we do a quick drive around to make sure no more sheep are going to show up on us. Then venture to drive to the nearest little town, find a grocery store & pickup ice cream  & fried chicken for a quick early dinner.  Yes, fried chicken & ice cream. No wonder I need to lose some weight. :0) Oh well, when your hot, tired & hungry your thinking isn't clear.

So back to our  sheep post  we return. I fall asleep, my kids watch a movie & we wait for the arrival of our dear hubby.

He arrives.

We now have to load the trailer. Normally this should take us an hour or less. It around 6 by now, No problem. And once again Murphy cocks his head & laughed, over & over again.

I have never, worked with such difficult sheep in my life. Why oh why tonight? They were uncooperative, mean, ornery ladies to work with that night. If truth must be told, the rest of our temperaments were about the same.

Normally, if you get one sheep starting to load, the rest will follow. Not these ladies, we had to almost to hand load all 80 sheep that night. That still left more to load to in the morning. We have loaded bands of sheep faster than these girls. At one point in time, we are so frustrated, tired, hot, exhausted & did I mention trying to work in the dark. I made the comment that I am sure one day, this will be funny.

 My little dude responded, " No it won't, this is my worst day ever."

 Trying to be positive, I assured him that he has had a lot of days worse than this.

"Name one." was his response. I couldn't, but I am sure there has been.

(On a bright note, my eldest son saw his first falling star. He was quite excited. We decided that & a reminder of the power of prayer were the best 2 parts of our day so far.)

We had been kicked, pushed into a barbed wire fence, run over & more before my husband & I could tell the boys we were done for the night.  It was dark, by the time we left.  So we left the sheep until morning &  loaded all together in my car  to drive the distance home.

We were about 2 miles away from home, when we saw flashing lights in our mirrors.




We got pulled over. Of course, why shouldn't we be pulled over tonight. At this point it felt like: Murphy 100 me 1. We thankfully left, ticket-less, as it was just a broken taillight & finished our journey home.

We carried boys to bed, kissed them  goodnight, & eventually were able to crawl into our own beds. I glanced at the clock. 12:30 a.m. Not quite the day I had planned.

Oh Murphy's Law can be a brutal one. At least the day is over.

And as I laid in my bed, the smell of a skunk came filtering through my open window.

A skunk. Really?

 All I can do now is laugh.

 Well played Murphy. Well played.

Summer range

Welcome everyone.

If your joining today for real life homeschooling blog hop. I am Tiffany. A homeschooling, sewing, ranching momma to 4 boys.

I am so excited to introduce the newest homeschooling blog hop on the block!

Real Life Homeschooling is a monthly blog hop that I’ve created to show the world that homeschooling is so much more than sitting at a desk doing math worksheets.

On the second Tuesday of each month, over twenty homeschool bloggers will be joining me in co-hosting the Real Life Homeschooling blog hop. Each blogger will share a post of their own and then give you the opportunity to link up your own posts. Feel free to share any posts that show how homeschooling happens in real life just as well as during “school hours”. Possible ideas include: field trips, special projects, community service, what your child learned in the grocery store/barn yard/park/etc., family trips, church events, the possibilities are endless. Real life homeschooling is about turning the world into our classroom. As homeschooling parents, we know our children are always learning, right?! Thatis what this blog hop is about.

The Real Life Homeschooling Blog Hop co-hosts are:

Tabitha from Meet Penny

Jill from Enchanted Homeschooling Mom

Aurie from Our Good Life

Amy from Are We There Yet?

Sonya from Becoming a Strong Woman of God

Heather from Homeschooling on Faith and Coffee

Leann from Hands on Homeschooler

Sherri from Our Front Porch Looking In

Erin from Royal Baloo

Renee from Next Gen Homeschool

Megan from Homeschooling etc.

Stephanie from Bowmania

Ticia from Adventures in Mommydom

Karyn from Teach Beside Me

Jamie from Walking in High Cotton

Selena from Look! We’re Learning!

Rebecca from Homeschooling Autism and More

Stacey from Layered Soul

Lisa from Farm Fresh Adventures

Tiffany from Life & Lessons From a Country Road

Rachel from Rooms of Knowledge

Marla from Marla’s Motherhood Musings

Dusty from To the Moon and Back

Kelli from Adventurez in Child ‘Rearing

Take a few minutes and check out the awesome blogs listed here. You’re in for a blessing and don’t forget to check back on the second Tuesday of each month to link up your own Real Life Homeschooling posts!

Today I am sharing a day on summer range.

On this particular day we learned how to make an impromptu sun dial & how to tell time & direction.


My hubby explaining how it works & the process to my boys. It was interesting to me as well. I hope I never get lost, & have to do this as handy as it is.




Any time on summer range includes learning more about animal science as we care & ride the horses.



Nutrition & survival skills are discussed as we learn to cook over an open fire. Tin foil dinners were on the menu this particular night.


It wouldn't be time in the mountains if we didn't take a few minutes to cool off in the creek.


We spent an hour or two laying by the pond in the shade. The older three explored. They caught a few tadpoles & a frog. I love learning about different Eco systems first hand.





Of course a lot of time was spent observing & checking out the sheep & lambs.

Our Spanish is practiced as we visit with the herders. We like to keep a tally of the different animals we see.

The best part is we are learning first hand & hanging out as a family.



So there you have it a glimpse of a day on summer range.

Take a chance to check out the other lovely ladies.

Tiffany

Girls Weekend . . .

   I spent the latter part of last week with all of my sisters at Girls Weekend. This is our 3rd year doing it & each year I love it that much more. It is a wonderful time, to hang out with my sisters, craft, talk, stay up late, shop, & just have a break.

 My wonderful hubby took all my boys, including my baby, who as of last week was still nursing. Bless my angelic husbands heart, because that boy cried, a lot. So my hubby took my kids & heading camping & to check on some of the herders & sheep.

 I loaded up in my car, & headed down to my sisters house.

         Me driving solo for a the 1st time in a long time. I am not sure then last time I had so many hours completely to myself in a car.

                                                         We ate delicious food.

  We gave each other demonstrations, taking time to teach each other new things. In this picture my sister The artist, taught us all how to make natural deodorant.  I  love that we teach each other new things, as we go.

  It wouldn't be girls weekend unless we all squished into a vehicle & spent a good portion of the day shopping. We also did a service project prior to shopping all afternoon.

Of course, we had to visit at least one quilt store. My mother & I have a major obsession with quilting & fabric. My mom does some amazing things & makes some beautiful quilts. 

My Artist sister also introduced us to Project Life, & generously gave us the materials to start. I have checked this out so many times over the years, but never had the guts to go for it. I have always been hesitant. We aren't doing this exact binders, because we wanted smaller, more portable ones, but the concept is still the same.

It was a wonderful, wonderful weekend. I came home refreshed & exhausted all at the same time. It was so wonderful to spend time with my mom & 3 sisters. It is one tradition I would recommend to everyone. 

The Grownup.

  Recently I turned 31.

 It sounds so old. 31

. I don't feel old, in my mind I am still twenty- something, or at least not grownup.

That is my mother. My mom, now she is a grown up.

Some days I don't feel like I am a grown-up.

It feels surreal. Like playing house when I was little.

Except I am 31, married & have 4 kids who look up to me for all their needs.

I sound crazy, don't I?

Oh well, that is how it is some days.

A while ago it was one of those days. My hubby & I had a plan that I need to show up on the desert at 5 p.m. to help sort sheep before loading the following morning.

No problem, I told him, I can do that.

A couple hours later I get a text with a picture of a rattlesnake eating a mouse. For those, as myself, who don't care for snakes, I chose not to share the picture with you.

The message in the text: Look at this picture the herder took, while tending his sheep today.

Great.

Now fast forward, its close to 5 p.m. I have 4 kids, in Walmart, picking up a few things.

4 kids in Walmart, should have said enough.

I get another text from the Hubby: "Hey love, things are going  a little slower, I need you to head out to the desert, find the sheep & start herding them back to the corrals with the boys. I will get there as soon as I can."

I breathe, trying to remember that I am the grownup. I don't feel like a grownup today.

 In my mind I am silently whimpering. I don't want to do that. I can't do that. "Okay, but try to hurry." I reply.

So with my 4 kids, we load up, drive to the desert & began to look for sheep. We find a few.

So we hop out of the pickup truck, when I remember the text my hubby sent earlier about the rattlesnake. I grabbed a few things, so I can feel protected in case we do see a snake. Pretend, that I am tougher than I am, even though inside I am quite nervous about our little expedition without my strong handsome knight at my side. And we start herding sheep.

We gather them, when looking at them, I know we don't have them all. So we keep looking for sheep. We find some more a little further away, we herd those with the others, we still don't have them all. So we repeat.

Finally I realize it going to start getting dark & we have to herd them all the way back to the corrals. My boys complain a little. I try to express more courage & calmness then I am currently feeling inside. The whole time terrible worried we are going to see a rattlesnake. Then trying to keep calm & reassure my kids, its no big deal if we do, but I am sure we won't. And we begin to herd. After all, I am a grownup right?


Each arrow, is pointing to one of my boys out herding sheep.

I would drive a bit, hop out & help move the sheep, run back to my pickup & drive again.

And then I would repeat that, over & over again. Finally, I can see corrals over in the distance. In my mind, it would be shorter if we cut across the desert, instead of going down & around.

My kids, ready to be done, agree to our plan. My hubby said, I could drive across the sagebrush. No big deal right. I had my reservations, but the hubby said to do it & I was a grownup. So I did.

It worked pretty good at 1st, but the sagebrush kept getting bigger & bigger, and I am fairly new at driving across the desert.

Did I mention, I drive an old manual pickup with a crew cab & an extended bed. It is a huge beast. Huge.

Pretty soon, I am in some tight spots, for my long boat of a pickup. No big deal, just keep driving. It just keeps getting worse. I can't see my boys, or the sheep & am almost high centered on a some sagebrush & rock.


                       (I borrowed this awesome pictures is from Here)


Though this isn't how I looked, it was certainly how I felt. So I climbed out of the pickup & did was any grownup would do in this situation. I threw a fit. I screamed, yelled & even waved my hands in the air.

I am almost high centered in an old beast of a pickup with my 4 kids the oldest being 8 & the youngest 1 year old. Chasing after sheep, on a desert, while some are still missing: I can't find them, because I have no idea on where to look on these thousands of acres. I am all alone, with snakes slithering around, with kids who are tired & hungry because it is almost dark, & we still have a ways to go. And to top it all off I have no idea where my hubby is yet or how long until he comes to rescue me & he doesn't have cell phone coverage.

Then in the midst of my fit, one of my sons yells Mom. And then I remember that I am the grownup. No matter how much I like it or not, it is me tonight. In charge of this situation & it is I, the grownup, who is in charge of getting us out of it.

So I regain my presence, say a quick pleading prayer, & we continue.  Eventually, we got unstuck, back on a road, & the sheep herded to the corrals. (At least the ones we could find).

My hubby showed up just before dark, reconfirmed my fears that we were still missing some sheep & we loaded in with him. Immediately I felt relief,  my knight in shining armor had finally rescued me & for now he could be the grownup.

 We eventually found them & by 11:30 had everything in the corrals.

Yes, some days I feel amazing. Others, not so much.

Sometimes my life feels surreal, other days I want to curl up in a ball & call quits.

But I can't, & I don't, because like it or not:  I am the grownup.

Whether I feel like it or not.

I just hope I am a good enough one.