Thank goodness for weekends

I think weekends should become three days long instead of just two.

Today I am grateful for:

1. Lloyd and Laurie arriving back from the movies safely, having had a fun evening. And that I didn't have to sit through rubbish like X-Men3 for two hours!!!

2. A quiet evening sat reading by the fire in my big comfy chair.

3. That Sam went to bed and went straight to sleep and hasn't woken up all evening! The girls were playing queitly upstairs and Chris and his friend have been happily playing downstairs.

4. Our beautiful Mountain Bluebird. I hope he becomes an annual visitor to us!

Strewing

http://sandradodd.com/strew/sandra

I strew!!! I didn't know it was an unschooling thing...didn't know others do it.....but I strew!! Have always strewn.....I leave things lying around and know that one or all of the children (or Lloyd) will eventually pick the thing up, look at it, play with it, fix it, take it apart, read it, learn it.......I do it with websites too...I leave links strewn in folders and in the inbox...knowing they will get looked at by someone.......

I strew :) it works...and it leads to a lot of learning!!!! I was worried it was kind of coercing the kids but I guess not...it works :) I don't push things at them....don't make them look at them...but they are more likely to pick things up and use them if they are conveniently 'left hanging around'.........

Go ahead and STREW!!!!!

summer snaps

Sam loves sitting on LLoyds lap and riding the tractor. Our land is covered in dandelions....I know they are weeds but the dandelion clocks are very pretty :) I don't mind them really! It's just they grow so fast - literally over night!

Samsam

My Samsam. Such a funny little thing! 17 months old. My little blue-eyes!!

Phlegm and phlegmatic ;)

The fourth type, the phlegmatic, is the calm, easy-going person. He is
often slow-moving, and does not get ruffled easily. Many of the Latins have a
strong phlegmatic streak in them. The phlegmatic is usually easy to get along
with, and has many friends, but is sometimes so laid back that he doesn't get
around to things he should do. He will often not volunteer for a leadership
role, but if he somehow falls into it, he does well. He is able to make peace
between feuding parties. He tends to see the humorous side of human nature, and
may, with his dry humor, poke fun at others in a hilariously funny way (LaHaye,
pp. 20-23). And, he tends to be late!

I watch the Global breakfast news every morning in bed.....I tend to leave the tv playing while I get dressed which more often than not means the tv is still on when 100 Huntley Street comes on. I am NOT Christian......most of this show makes me want to barf!!! Especially when they start talking about the sanctity of marriage and how gay marriage should be stopped.......anyway.....this morning on Huntley Street there was a lady talking about personality types....it was quite interesting....and having read some more about this today, I think I tend to be a phlegmatic.....I find the name off-putting...makes me think of phlegm. Makes me remember having to collect phlegm from patients during my nurse training. Collecting phlegm is the most disgusting job ever...I'd rather have to get poo specimens or carry urine from men who have had TURP operations than collect phlegm....I can't stand seeing spit on the sidewalks either...Edinburgh was terrible for that....you used to have to dodge the spit on the pavements. Gross

I'm rambling.......so basically I think I am phlegmatic...will have to ask Lloyd what he thinks....he's gone tot he movies with Laurie. I was surprised as Lauries friends called and invited him to a sleepover but he told them he was going to the movies with his dad so he'd sleep over tomorrow instead!

Chris's friend A isn't here yet - he's sleeping here tonight. Susie just hurt her arm again.......hope it's ok.....don't want her back in a sling again.....

Male Mountain Bluebird!!!

Hi Jane,
Very nice-- a male mountain bluebird! You can feed them
with mealworms by the way, which you can purchase at pet stores and fishing
stores. Look on the web for mealworm feeder designs.
John

So there we are - the Nature Nut wrote straight back and now we know we have a male Mountain Bluebird!!!! How wonderful!!! Reminds me of KPAX.......

The Nature Nut!!!

I've emailed my pictures of the bird to John Acorn, the Nature Nut!! We met him at the John Janzen Centre the other week so I thought 'he'll know'!!!!.........can't seem to match it to any specific bird...it's like a few of them but not exactly like any!!!

I hope he replies!

Keeping camels in Alberta

We got home to find a package from the Egyptian tourist board....lots of information on attractions in Egypt complete with timelines etc......Lloyd and I plan to go when the children are older......I think it would be a fascinating place to visit.....

One of the attractions is the weekly camel market...they auction off their camels every Tuesday afternoon.....so I think we will buy one....maybe two....keep them in the circular paddock maybe.....call them Bob. Bob 1 and Bob 2. The kids can ride them to get the mail each day.

I wonder how camels cope with the cold......

Lloyd looks a little like a camel.....his thick long eyelashes and the way his jaw moves sideways when he eats.......I'm sure Bob1 and Bob2 would feel right at home here with Lloyd.

Yep...I'm having one of those days ;)

Little Bluebird......how beautiful are you!

This bird has been flying around our garden for a while...it's small....definitely not a Jay.....has blue legs.....black beak (the orangey bit you see is something in it's mouth) ..... Whatever it is, it's beautiful! Rosie and Amber sit on the porch steps watching it fly around and land and feed and then fly on....there heads moving as though they are watching a tennis match at Wimbledon!

It's a little like a Mountain Bluebird but not exactly...it has a black bandanna across its eyes. We also have purple martins flying around.....you can't tell that its a small bird here...much smaller than a Jay....

Our Robins are still around feeding....despite their babies being no where in sight.....Mama and Papa are still with us.....

It's been a very stressful day.......I have self medicated with a box of Raspberry Viva Puffs that I shared with Rosie and Amber on the porch. Now I just feel strung out on sugar.

We went into town today, Chris had his hair cut, we ran some errands and spent a while in the library...ran into Susannahs old facilitator....she was laughing at how many books we had taken out of the library...

I bought a huge pile of books from the used books shelves.....a lot of history books on Egypt etc.....I am hoping to study Ancient Egypt somewhere this Fall.....and the kids haver been learning about it all too......

We went to Chapters to get Laurie a magazine about dirtbikes, it's the topic he wants to learn about the most...and Lloyd is thinking of getting him a bike or a quad.....I got each of the kids a magazine of their choice.....

I'm hoping to take part in an unschoolers blogging carnival....http://tinyurl.com/lnp4l

Lloyd is on his way home.....thankfully. TGIF I love the weekends. I live for the weekends! Lloyd is taking Laurie to the movies tonight to see X Men 3 and Chris has his friends Andrew sleeping over as they are working on some coimputer games based on the world wars.

The girls have their magazines to read or they can curl up witha dvd.....not sure what I will do this evening.......it's still raining out....maybe I'll sit on the porch and read....maybe I will write some letters.....I'm tired today...I haven't been taking my iron.....I am quite anaemic so have to be careful..........

I have finally decided to go with Education UNlimited....I think their philosophies match mine the closest...not perfect I'm sure but I think we will try them for the next year and see.....