Beauty, Connection, and Adventure in Homeschool

Building relationships with our children, and between siblings is still one of the big motivations for our homeschool, but this year in our homeschool and family my focus has been on a few different things than in the past-

Our goals this year were to include more beauty, build a closer homeschool community, and add in more adventure as a family.
It takes a *lot* of dying to self and letting the Lord lead, for this introvert (except maybe the adventure part). As I told a dear friend- growing pains are hard.
But something has shifted. Somehow adding “more” of these things, when we needed less of so much, has created a peace and abundance that is not my own. It is ???? the Lord. He has met every need along the way.
He always does. So I will continue praying for the peace He has blessed us with so far, the adventure, beauty, and community.
To Do List

This trifecta of a goal has led us to do a few things differently this year.

We are still doing our No Sweat Nature Study regularly. This is just something we love, and I find so much value in as a homeschooler and mama. I love owning the kids to work in my own nature notebook. It’s just a great time all around.

Read Aloud Revival is still a guiding light in our homeschool. I love the read alouds, the writing workshops, the author access, and the many other benefits RAR brings to our home. It enriches my own life as a homeschool mama, and even if I didn’t use to for enriching our homeschool, I would probably get it just for me ????

This year we have added 2 things that I *love.* They help me add beauty and wonder to our homeschool days, the encourage me when I need it the most and more importantly, when I don’t know I need it.

Morning Virtues provides so much in their bimonthly subscription. I will leave a link here, but this is where we get our folk song, Bible readings, poetry, Shakespeare, music and art studies, as well as our virtue focus which also lines up with our Charlotte Mason habits I’ve lined out from Laying Down the Rails. ???? (was that a giant run on sentence? ???? )

Now we are also back to using the Wild + Free content bundles to enrich our homeschool as well. It’s hard to say that, because our homeschool is every day life for us. Yes we sit down and do table work for a while in the mornings (most) days, but overall, we learn all. day. long. So while Wild + Free is enriching our homeschool, it is one of my favorite additions to our home in general. I just love everything they stand for, and it is my biggest reminder that this is it. This is our time with our children, 12 to 2 years old (y’all, my youngest is already 2!).

Not time for Facebook, the news, tv, or running around like crazy from one activity to another.

This is it. In 6 years our oldest will be 18, and I know how fast that is going to go.

So we are using all these resources to slow down, focus on the little things, enjoy one another, and grow in Christ. It’s been a fun switch up, and even though it looks like a lot, it has simplified our life so much because I don’t have to waste time searching for what I need. It’s all right here and we use it at our leisure.

Giving our children a simple, slow, old-fashioned childhood is hopefully one of the best gifts they will get from us.

I pray they grow up to be adults that seek slow, peaceful lives, set goals that are not only financially motivated, and love the Lord. That will all be up to them, but we can certainly lay the foundation for it now.

Old Fashioned Childhood

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I’ve been sitting outside this morning, listening to the birds and enjoying the crisp air that tells me fall will be here soon. Too soon.

and I have to wonder, when does it stop being magical? When does it stop being full of wonder? Do we grow up, and it changes?

I remember being 13 and 14, and still wanting to play, still wanting to be in my own world, while all my friends were “dating,” and saying yes to boys they didn’t know … while I was the outsider that said no. While I still longed for being in the woods with my brother, fishing with my Memaw, and riding 4 wheelers at the lake.

Like it used to be.

I don’t think it changes though.

We don’t lose a sense of wonder. I don’t think we become grown ups who don’t remember what it is like to be a little kid. We start to feel an obligation to the world, and it quickly becomes difficult to be in the world but not of it… and with the world and its problems we leave behind all the things we knew as a child.

We grow up, but our imaginations can keep growing. We can continue to grow into who God made us to be, and quite frankly, you have to have a big imagination to do that! Because who could actually think the amazing blessings of the Lord- the sunrise, the birds singing, your perfectly matched to you spouse, your children, watching seeds become plants in the garden- could become reality? and He uses it all to grow us.

I’d also like to add, if you haven’t checked out the 1,000 Outside Podcast, it is phenomenal! Whether you have kids at home or not, the people she interviews and their massive amounts of information are fascinating. There is so much happening to our children and young adults because of technology. The world is changing in BIG ways (80% of jobs in 2030 haven’t even been created yet!), and knowledge about how and why is one of our greatest weapon to protecting our kids. And she has it!

 

Nature Walk with kids

 

What is your Why? Why are you homeschooling? What have you done, or used, to meet the needs of your people and help you along with your why?

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Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

The Adventum: Volume 1 (plus a coupon code!)

 Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

The Adventum

Let me tell you about a little something my children are absolutely obsessed with and quote all day long- The Adventum. This is an audio drama style recording of God’s story of redemption; The Adventum, Volume 1 covers stories from creation to Abraham. At just over 4 hours, this is absolutely loved by all 5 of my children, and I promise your kiddos will love it as well. The Adventum is an entertaining, family friendly, creative, full- cast Bible epic with over 50 voice actors, music, and sounds.

Our family loves *loves* audio dramas, and this audio drama is going to be for anyone of any age. I’d say if they’re old enough to listen to stories on audio, kids can start enjoying The Adventum. Parents and grandparents are going to enjoys this Christian, family friendly audio drama, as well.

The Adventum Volume 1

 

What is The Adventum, Volume 1

There are 4 CDs in the volume 1 set. We received the physical CDs, but you can also choose to order the downloadable mp3 version. Not only are the stories told with great detail and energy, but the actors voices are great! If you are someone that listens to audiobooks or podcasts, you know the narrator’s voice makes or breaks the listening experience. The voice actors in The Adventum bring the stories to life with vibrance and energy that shows their love for telling God’s story. The quality of the sound and music is just beautiful; but it isn’t overbearing or over the top.

It’s just right, it’s just the right amount of everything-excitement, drama, sound, quiet, nature- to go along with God’s redeeming story, with the gospel.

What I really love as a mom, is that I have watched and listened as my children have fallen even more in love with God’s Word. They are actively looking up stories they hear on The Adventum and reading them from scripture. The audio definitely takes creative liberties to get a laugh from kiddos or grab their attention with sounds, music and details, but it is so wholesome and easy to listen to. This has been on repeat in our home since the day I handed it to them!

The Adventum Volume 1

The Adventum has been a wonderful addition to our home for those hot summer afternoons when we are worn out from playing, swimming, and choring, and need to rest indoors for a while. The girls even took the CD player and cds downstairs so they could act it out with dolls while listening.

My almost 10 year old son has created inside jokes with his siblings about all the silly parts in their favorite stories; he enjoys acting out the parts for his sisters.

This isn’t going to be the Bible word for word. If you are like our family, you have Bible time together, and devotional time together. Your children have probably had the Bible read to them since they were babies and knew many Bible stories by the time they were 3 years old. This won’t replace that. But it will be a fun, relaxing addition to your day and a wonderful way for your children to interact with the Bible. And maybe they haven’t heard God’s word daily since they were born, maybe you know a family that doesn’t know much about the Bible, or maybe you’d like your kiddos to want to dive in more deeply. I can honestly tell you that The Adventum will do just that.

I have found turning on The Adventum definitely creates an atmosphere in our home where there is a lot of excited talking about the Bible all. day. long.  And who can complain about that?

And guess what?! The Adventum, Volume 1 is currently discounted by 50% on the website. A special offer for readers includes Free Shipping (US only) using Discount code: advcrew2

I would love to get the remaining volumes for our family. We don’t really do big birthdays or Christmas, but I think this will be just right for those occasions. The other volumes would also make great Advent openers leading into the Christmas season, or even as a Resurrection Sunday tradition.

Connect with The Adventum

Read more reviews from the Crew for The Adventum Volume 1 by clicking the banner below:

audio bible stories
Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

Friday on the Farm: Mid Summer 2022 goat videos

Mid summer has brought much joy to the homestead so far.

Goat kids on the farm 2022

While we are still waiting on most of our garden to come in, we have been experiencing babies! ???? Goats that is. We have 3 kids and they’re so much fun!

Lucy gave us a moon spotted doeling, and Wendy gave us 2 bucklings- 1 moon spotted and 1 that is tan and white. The little doeling (Bristol, named after a fox in my son’s favorite book series, Pax) look like a regular on one side, but is beautifully spotted on the other. Her legs are also spotted.

We have always named our goats after the books we’ve read over the past year. So this year, we have a Bristol, a Bombur, and a Bilbo. Ill let you figure out who the boys were named after…

In the clip above, the bigger kid jumping straight onto the playground is the girl. Because she was a singleton, she is super big and healthy! The boys are so romp and play all day.

 

In the clip below, Bristol is deciding she’s been left behind (she has not…) , and needs to know where everyone is ????

 

 

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

Holland Lops, Health, and Herbs: Friday on the Farm

This Friday on the Farm is brought to you by a dear friend, who shared some bunnies with our family.

I always joke with my husband that about the time my youngest is turning 2, I get antsy because Im used to having another baby on the way! So when we don’t have another human baby on the way, we end up with more baby animals… This addition is bunnies!

These bunnies came in a larger group at a sale; they were all a bit sickly and needed some extra care. My friend nursed them for a while, and then we took on these 2. We are still nursing them, and I can get into those details in a bit.

Meet Dandelion and Plantain- affectionately named after their favorite foods. ????

These girls appear to be Holland Lops; Im going off of the crown of hair on the back of their heads, the size of their heads, and their personalities. Dandy is the brown girl, and Plantain is the tri-color. These girls are so sweet, but Plantain isn’t super excited about being held yet. She is getting much easier to pet though. Dandy is a happy, chill girl while Plantain is much more curious and bouncy.

Nursing Sick Holland Lops: herbals and supplements

These girls have already fattened up a bit. We pick buckets of dandelions and plantain leaves for them every day, and they love them! They had a little soft poop when they got here last Sunday, probably due to stress, so I looked up what plants to feed them. So far these have helped them a lot! At the bottom of this post, I will add links to the websites I’ve been using to reference herbs.

Before they made it here, my friend was using echinacea tea and diluted silver in a spray bottle. They were improving. Once I got them here, I thought it might be good to switch things up every few weeks. So we began:

  • Vetericyn Spray in eyes and nose (they dont mind this a bit)
  • grapefruit seed extract in their water
  • dandelions and plantain leaves from the yard, for their medicinal and immune building benefits
  • I just started them back on ecchinacea tea (had to order some without elderberry in it)
  • Im adding 1/4tsp a week of Molly’s Herbal wormer. This is what we use for our goats, I need to use it for our dogs, and so I thought it would be a great addition for these girls.

Side note: We got the C Virus in January and it came along with pink eye. Ever since then whenever we get sick, I end up with pink eye and so do a few of the kids. Because it is usually viral, my colloidal silver will make it go away, but hasn’t been keeping it from coming back a day or 2 later. This time someone recommended we try the Vetericyn spray in our eyes. IT WORKED! it took about 2 days each, and our eyes were clear. It took a little longer for the toddler, but that’s probably because he’s obsessed with blowing his nose right now, and wiping it all over his face ????‍♀️ I know. I know. He’s almost 2 y’all, and I give up. ????

We always use this on our animals, but I am not keeping it in our human first aid kit as well.

 

 

Here are the links Ive been referencing so far:

If you have any tips for a new rabbit owner, feel free to share those with me. Also, we may have miss on one, so I think we will call the vet and ask about that.

And if you have any specific questions, feel free to leave a comment and I will get back with you. If I can’t help, I will ask someone who can. =)

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

Wholesome Family Chapter Books (mid grade): Whatsoever Stories

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew

Whatsoever Stories

(Can we just take a minute and appreciate the logo above?! ????)

 I am always running out of books for my oldest. She is almost 12, a voracious reader, and loves to read anything she can get her hands on. My oldest son is almost 10, and he really enjoys adventure animal stories, and historical fiction.

I love finding wholesome books that leave an impact on my children; the kind of books that have them asking questions while they’re reading, and when they’ve finished. That’s why I was so excited for Whatsoever Stories‘s Trial At The Ridge, by Kinsey M. Rockett. This is a beautiful fiction book that your entire family will enjoy!

Trial at the Ridge: Kinsey M Rockett- wholesome family books

Trial At the Ridge

This is the story of the Whitlocks, a God loving family, and their life on the place they call home. Their farm. When they are threatened with foreclosure, we watch as the family handles it with grace, and love. Although the plans put in place to save the farm continuously get derailed, they find a way to make it work, all the while working together.

My daughter says:

My favorite part was when the too friendly cat jumped on the shoulder of a man wanting to buy the farm. I also liked that there were some hard words, and it gave their definitions. I enjoyed the book because it was dangerous and they were Godly people, that makes it different from a lot of books I’ve read.

While this book is generally written for a 10+ audience on an independent reading level, it will make a wonderful family read aloud! Kinsey has written a book that is definitely going to be enjoyed by parents, grandparents, and kids alike. With the beautiful glossy cover, easy to turn pages, and easy to read font, the 188 page book is going to make a great read aloud, or reader. I would say that using copywork from the book would be super easy too, with witty dialogue and scripture throughout (did I mention the vocabulary?!). Of course it would make great leisure reading as well. The binding is sturdy, and overall I love how the book feels in my hands- it really is just right. =)

Trial at the Ridge: Kinsey M Rockett- wholesome family books

What I love is that my children are reading books by a Christian author, the storyline isn’t introducing my kids to a plot or attitudes we do not value (no agenda, or worldly kid/teen “problems” here!), and the* vocabulary!* I loved reading the language Kinsey used in her book to draw in the reader. Add to that actual vocabulary words and references in footnotes throughout the book, a glossary, and her Not All Fiction section at the back of the book, and I am here for it! Kinsey is a homeschool graduate ????, and her love for the Lord clearly shines through her writing.

Trial at the Ridge: Kinsey M Rockett- wholesome family books

I can’t wait to read her book, Prisoner of War, which features many of the same characters. I know the kids will love it as a fun read aloud this summer.

 

To read more Crew reviews of Kinsey M. Rockett’s books by Whatsoever Stories, click the banner below:
Christian Fiction Stories

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

Our Homeschool Nature Study- No Sweat Nature Study

We love our No Sweat Nature Study subscription! (FYI, this is not a promotional post. I’m writing this as my kids enjoy NSNS, and I’m learning along).  This is the second year our  Mia (grandma) got us an annual subscription for Christmas. The kids love it, and it enriches our homeschool in many ways.

My 4 oldest children, 5 to 11 years old, can follow along with the nature study. They each work at their own pace, which is exactly what we want in our homeschool, right?!

I don’t have to think about what to plan for nature study, it’s already done for me. And because all of Mrs. Cindy’s classes are based on seasonal topics, we can use those topics as a jumping off point for some light unit study learning in our home.

I don’t typically do full blown unit studies, (unless we are traveling somewhere new like the ocean, Grand Canyon, etc) but I do enjoy filling our home with topical books, via book baskets and our ledge shelves.

Homeschool nature study

No Sweat Nature Study gives us a perfect way to choose books, games, and other activities to continue our learning. As homeschool moms we are always looking for ways to make learning a natural part of our home. For our family, that means lots of good books, lots of reading aloud, playing games as a family, and lots of open ended play out of doors.

I love that no sweat nature study fits right in with our family values, and how we enjoy learning.

Check out Cindy’s nature study program- there are different subscription lengths, so you can try it and make sure you like it before committing to a longer subscription.  (but I promise, your family will enjoy it!)

 

 

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

3 Fall Family Favorite Recipes

With colder months ahead, it’s time to start building up a repertoire of wholesome, hearty, and healthy meals to keep the family fed and happy through the fall and winter seasons.

With the spring and summer growing seasons out of the way, we often assume there will be a shortage of local produce to work with, but in fact, many fruits and vegetables such as apples, sweet potato and pumpkins flourish in the fall. So there are bountiful ingredients to work with and plenty of delicious flavor combinations to explore.

Here are three tasty fall recipes which are all easily adaptable for many dietary needs. These are great for using up any excess home grown produce, emptying the veggies from the freezer, or simply using up whatever canned goods you have available in your pantry that day.


Image Credit: Pexels, Free to Use Licence

Fall vegetable soup

When thinking of the transition into the fall season and deciding which recipes to try, the one that immediately springs to mind is a warm bowl of rich and nutritious vegetable soup – and for good reason! Vegetable soup is versatile, delicious, healthy and affordable, making it a great recipe to feed the family without breaking the bank.

Although a vegetable soup can be made from practically any vegetables, this time of year it’s great to try and use seasonal ingredients such as carrots, squash, potatoes, and kale- then spice these up with comforting fall favorites such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and garlic.

Soup is very forgiving so don’t be afraid to try new vegetables and flavor combinations if you have certain ingredients that need using up. To make the soup more hearty or to replace the addition of bread, try adding some baby potatoes, lentils, or butter beans for some bulk.

Here’s a quick recipe for a healthy fall vegetable soup that will serve a family of four as a main course and can even be made ahead and reheated later for convenience. If you like your soup chunky then leave your veg pieces larger, if you like it smooth then chop them more finely or blitz them with a blender after cooking and before serving.

For the soup you will need:

  • 2 tbsp of butter or coconut oil, whichever your preference
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 large carrots, washed and roughly chopped, no need to peel them
  • 2 cups of diced squash or pumpkin
  • 2 cups of fresh greens (kale or cabbage works great, as does spinach)
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes (or use fresh if you like, simply chop)
  • 1 inch of fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
  • 1tsp of ground cinnamon
  • A pinch of chilli powder, (or more if you like it a little spicier)
  • A sprig of fresh thyme or 1tsp of dried thyme
  • 4-5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you will be making it for a vegetarian)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • (I double this recipe for our family)

Method:

  1. Add the butter or oil, whichever you are using, to a heavy based saucepan that is large enough to fit in all of the soup ingredients.
  2. Once the butter is melted, cook the onions and carrots until they start to soften and brown, this will take a couple of minutes.
  3. Next add the squash or pumpkin to the pot alongside the crushed garlic and stir for a few minutes until fragrant.
  4. Then add the grated ginger, thyme, and spices. stir to combine, before adding in the chicken or vegetable broth, and your tomatoes.
  5. Bring the soup to a boil, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
  6. Next add the canned chickpeas and your greens and simmer for a further 10 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked. This may take longer for very chunky soups and may take less time if you have diced everything finely.
  7. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with a slice of chunky bread to sop up all the juices.

This recipe is tremendously versatile, healthy. You can add a scoop of collagen peptides to any soup or meal to make it even more beneficial to skin, hair, and nails! Classic Pumpkin Risotto

Image credit: Pexels. Free to use Licence

As the days get colder and the nights draw in, we are naturally drawn to more comforting food options that make us feel full and warm from the inside out. A family favorite, and great alternative to traditional pasta dishes, is the classic risotto. Delicious creamy rice served hot and packed full of seasonal vegetables is a winner with the whole family. Once again it can be made in advance and easily reheated.

This recipe will also serve a family of four as a main course or six as a starter.

Fall Family Risotto

Ingredients:

  • 1tbsp of butter
  • 1 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • A handful of sliced mushrooms, approximately a cup
  • 1.5 cups of risotto rice such as Arborio
  • 1 cup of diced pumpkin
  • 3-4 cups of stock (veg or chicken)
  • ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh parsley to garnish

Method:

  1. Add the butter and oil to a heavy based saucepan and melt together, then cook the onion and garlic until fragrant. Keep the heat low to avoid too much browning, or the garlic will become bitter
  2. Add the raw rice to the onion and garlic mix and stir to coat in the fragrant butter and oil mixture and cook for about one minute until the rice begins to go slightly translucent at the edges.
  3. Now add the mushrooms and pumpkin and cook for another 30 seconds so that they start to soften.
  4. Next add in 1 cup of your chosen broth and stir often until the liquid is almost absorbed.
  5. Continue stirring and adding stock a little at a time until all the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked through and tender. No need to stir continuously, you just want to stop the rice from burning to the bottom of the pan.
  6. Finally stir through the parmesan cheese (or a little goat cheese if you can’t do cow dairy) and season with salt and pepper to taste, remember that the stock and parmesan are both quite salty, so check the risotto before adding any additional salt to the recipe.
  7. If using, garnish with fresh parsley and serve straight away.

This risotto dish is fantastically easy and can be customized with different vegetables and seasoning to suit your palate. Why not try making it with other seasonal ingredients  such as kale, sweet potato, beetroot or using different cheeses to add a subtle difference to the flavor.

Cinnamon spiced oatmeal cookies

Fall isn’t just a fantastic time of year for savory dishes but for sweet treats too. If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to ordinary cookies, then give these cinnamon spiced oatmeal cookies a try – they’re gooey and soft, and great served straight from the oven.

This recipe produces between 12-18 cookies depending how big you make them. If you’re not a fan of fruit in your cookies then you can always substitute in chocolate chips (yum!), chopped nuts or even leave them plain.


Image credit: Pexels, Free to Use Licence

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup all purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
  • ½ cup of wholemeal flour (if not using then add an additional ½ cup of plain all purpose flour)
  • 1 tsp of baking powder
  • ⅓ cup of vegetable or coconut oil
  • ⅔ cup of dark brown sugar or coocnut sugar
  • 1tsp of vanilla
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ cup of dried fruit such as cranberries, sultanas or raisins
  • ½ cup of rolled oats
  • 1 large egg

Method:

This recipe really does have a ‘throw it all in the bowl’ method and is a great one to try with your kids. Before you start have all your ingredients weighed out, this will make things easier or alternatively weigh them directly into the bowl.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 and line two baking trays with parchment
  2. In a bowl mix together all of your dry ingredients
  3. In another bowl mix together you wet ingredients (you may need to melt the coconut oil)
  4. Combine the two mixtures to create your cookie dough
  5. Roll the cookie dough into balls and place on the trays leaving ample space for them to spread a little as they cook
  6. Bake until browned which will take roughly 15 minutes
  7. Allow to cool on the baking tray and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely or alternatively eat them whilst they’re still warm and gooey!

Fall is such a magical time of year, the trees begin to change color from green to gold, the temperature drops, and the days get shorter. It’s the perfect time to be creative in the kitchen and use up delicious seasonal produce.

Which one of these recipes will you try?

 

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

Frugally Feeding Farm Animals {supplementing goats}

originally Published on: Sep 7, 2018

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If you’re a naturally minded, homesteader or farm-girl wanna be like me, then you’re probably here to learn more about something you already love- saving money and caring for your animals.

There are definitely ways to frugally feed your farm animals, and I want to share what I have learned, with you. I have been learning as I go since we got our first chickens in 2011, and I’ve never looked back! This will be a series of several posts about how/what to feed farm animals while saving money and keeping them in top-health, as naturally as possible!

Weeds

If you have flowerbeds, there is nothing better to do with your weeds than feed them back to your animals!

Goats *love* weeds, as they are foragers, not grazers.

Goats eat some of the things cows do and most of the plants they don’t-trees, leaves, bark, roses, shrubs, poison ivy, and weeds to name a few of their favorites. Please be careful with shrubs and some weeds, as there are several plants toxic to goats that are commonly found in yards. Goats, when given a large variety, will often overlook toxic pants. But when given a wheel barrow full of treats, or when allowed to eat in a new area, they will likely eat anything they can get their mouths on.

About 6 weeks ago I weeded the back yard flowerbed, placing all the weeds in a wheelbarrow as I went. When I was done, I simply wheeled the weeds to the goat corral and let them go to town eating!

They loved the treat, climbing in the wheelbarrow, and oddly enough- left the grass I pulled! They devoured the weeds and pruned roses, but didn’t eat the lumps of grass. I should have known!

Trees

About once every 4-8weeks my husband will cut a dead or downed tree on the property and haul it into the goat paddock. The goats and the Dexters go crazy, climbing, eating leaves, and pulling off bark.

Another favorite is hedge apples that have fallen from the orange osage trees; I smash them (usually with a stomp of my boot) to make it easier for the goats to eat them. Did you know goats have oddly small mouth openings? It is very odd …

These are our favorite ways to supplement for our goats. We don’t typically give hand treats; the farm I bought my goats from made a great point- feeding treats outside of feed times can quickly turn your goats into rude, pushy, petting-zoo type goats. You know the ones where you can’t walk, move, or be near them without getting jumped on, pushed over, or head butted for food? Yea, those. We don’t want rude, pushy goats. We want sweet, docile, snuggle, “ooooh, someone looove on me,” goats.

We have given occasional watermelon rhines this summer, but not often (those usually go to the ducks and chickens).

 

Clearing Tree Lines

Our goats really enjoy clearing our tree lines, walking on a lead and clearing weeds around fences, the barn doors, the kids’ trampoline, the chicken coop … the list goes on! My husband set up some runners along our north tree line and the goats love going out there to eat weeds and clean it up for us.  They get poison ivy to munch on, among other yummy weeds, and we get some free weed eating done!

Not Back to {Home}school-first day memories

August 16 was our first day “back to homeschool”, but it looked nothing like what most people would consider a school day. The joy of homeschool?- it doesn’t have to! We spent the day finishing the de-stemming process of this year’s elderberries, and then turned them into elderberry syrup.( I can share that recipe, soon!)

I’m not a super fun crafty mama that makes all the fun things, or plans events for the first day of homeschool.

Like most things we do around here- we try to keep it simple. We have a homestead, and there is a lot to get done this time of year (which is also why I usually school year round and take a short break in August for harvesting. But this year was just a bit different).

Most years we enjoy box day a week or 2 before school begins- this is the day that we open all our homeschool orders, and peruse the books, games, and curricula we will explore together for the next year.

Homeschool Box Day 2021

Then I get everything organized and put away for our first day. This includes organizing our Sonlight core books, tearing apart workbooks to be organized by weeks, and making everyone’s laminated weekly routines so they know what to cover each day.

The first day of our routine is usually just a school day. Our box day gets my kids pretty excited for the new school year, so we don’t typically have problems starting our homeschool days. But there are always small growing pains (mostly for me) as we get the routine down, especially on years we add a new student to the mix.

We have a rhythm that works well most days:

  • 530/600 Mama has coffee and Jesus time cause this gig requires a lot of Jesus 😉
  • 700 everyone out of bed- bedroom & farm chores
  • 730 breakfast and get baby up
  • Then I walk (or workout) while the kids play first thing, or do something farm related like massage a goat’s bloated rumen until she is better, or put up tomatoes for the freezer because they’re everywhere, or chase cows down because they escaped.
  • Then we all meet back for morning basket together
  • From there we move to table work
  • after that is lunch (usually about 1130/12:00)

Morning basket can take us a while, we do a lot of reading. Like. A lot. But that’s just how we roll; we love books and our core curriculum is literature based, so it just takes a while to get through it all. My kids color while we read and they could sit for hours to listen and discuss, I think.

This year our first “homeschool routine day” was on a Tuesday, so we met daddy for Taco Tuesday after work, and took our first day of school pics with nice clothes on ? normally it would just be pajamas…

We are all excited for the school year, learning new things, and reading all the books! The Kindergartener is especially enthusiastic for the start of her first real school year.

What is your first day of homeschool tradition(s)?




 

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Friday on the Farm {Babies Galore!}

We have been so blessed this year with babies on the farm. Everyone was delivered easily, born healthy, and the mamas are all good mamas.

 

It started on Mother’s Day, with Ginny giving us a buckling.  We weren’t 100% certain she was bred, but I checked her ligaments that morning, and they were gone. I thought to myself, “well, she’s probably bred…” about 2 hours later during breakfast, I looked out and a something was laying in the barn yard. Hank (an LGD) was standing over it looking and smelling. I knew a raccoon or something didn’t get in, so I ran out.  Sure enough it was a baby goat. Lady ran out and got the mama, we got them to the stall, and they’ve been prefect since.

The following day we were waiting on Wendy to kid, when we looked up and Jolene, the Hereford, was standing over her calf! He must have just hit the ground; Jolene was already doing her mama thing. He is huge, perfect, and so sweet.

That evening, Wendy had 2 bucklings (it’s a buckling year?!). Perfectly healthy, and mostly white and gray/brown. No moon spots…

40 Acre Wood: Kids on the Farm- Wendy Twins

And finally, Lucy had 2 boys, each with moon spots. Their coloring is beautiful, but I don’t have pics yet.

 

Add rain for 2 months, and that’s been spring on the farm so far.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Some links on this blog are affiliate links; when you use those links you help support my family, at no additional cost to you.  Thank you!

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