Another homeschool mom referred me to this article. Check it out. It's wonderful.
Check out that cactus!!
Recently I purchased a cute little 6 pot cactus kit complete with dirt and a small plastic greenhouse. Having 3 boys I thought it'd be cool to have them see who's cactus would grow the fastest. They would each have 2 pots and I put their names on each one. We were all set for the cactus growing contest.
Until someone knocked over the pots/greenhouse and the dirt spilled. As best I could I got the dirt back into the pots with no idea where the seeds were. The directions had said to place them just below the surface of the soil.
Like any good homeschool mom I say, “Oh well!” and ended up putting all the soil and whatever seeds were left into two larger pots we already owned. One pot had been used for planting acorns this past fall but they'd been watered to the point of rotting. So I dumped out most of the soil and added the cactus seed/soil mixture that was left.
About 3 days after I noticed something breaking through the soil and I thought “Wow! I'm the cactus growing queen of the world. (insert soundtrack from The Titanic) Check me out.”
On the fourth day I began to suspect something was a little unusual but was still holding onto my “queen” concept.
By day five I knew something had to be going on. I mean, these things were huge! Either I'd bought gi-normous cactus plants (and they'd all gotten into one pot) or something else was happening.
Well, here's the pictures of Pot #1 and Pot #2
Don't you think there's something a little unusual going on?
Me too!! It took me a while to figure it out but when I saw this rather large light brown seed attached to one of the leaves I figured it out. The brown pot has pumpkin seeds in it… thanks to my 6 year old!! Pumpkin seeds!!! And I thought they were cactuses (is that a word?)
Pot with pumpkin seeds
Pot with cactus seeds (hopefully) and fertilizer.
So I guess I don't win the Cactus growing contest but I think I might be in the running for the World's Largest Pumpkin!!!
IN HIM
Julie
Blog find of the day
BLOG FIND OF THE DAY!
Yes, I stole this idea from here and I love it. Go and welcome this new little one into our world.
Julie
A new FRIEND
Go check out Jennifer's new blog! She's just written her first entry. Help welcome her into the homeschoolblogosphere and leave her a comment.
IN HIM
julie
Our Newest Family Member
Oh…
I'm a parent AGAIN!
After 4 children, 2 cats, 1 foster cat, 1 dog, and 1 fish I am now the proud parent of Mikey Mouse……
Aren't we, as homeschool moms, supposed to have 27 animals, 15 kids and a garden? Well, I'm on my way. HomesteadBlogger look out!!!
All kidding aside…my oldest got to bring home one of the baby mice (rats) from school. They have one black mouse and two white ones. Apparently the two white ones are male and female and many baby piglet looking things were born a couple of weeks ago. That's when the “Mom, can I have a rat?” started. After discussing it with dad we decided it was cheaper than a dog (which he's been asking for). One pup in the house is enough for me.
So, we're off on the journey of raising and hand training a baby mouse. I think “Mikey the Mouse” will be easier to stomach than “Ralph the Rat”, don't you?
Here's his home…
…complete with little boy finger prints, toilet paper they use for nesting, a water bottle suspended by a coat hanger, wooden chew sticks to keep their teeth a little dull, metal food bowl so they won't chew the bowl up, pine shavings NOT cedar (which can be bad for them) and books on for weight positioned on top so the kitties don't make a meal out of him. I don't think they have discovered him yet.
And it's storming again tonight so I have two little boys curled up on the futon in my new office. We moved the boys upstairs into the loft and I got their old room. It's so cozy. I love it. I sit in here at night and play Christian music, read blogs and research homeschool material for next year.
Here are the kiddos curled up end to end on the futon.
Well, pray the kitties don't get Mikey. And I've got one kitty missing right now. Pray he comes home safely.
Exploring rat-dom
IN HIM
Julie
Where do they go?
“After the Rain”
It thunderstormed here today. I love thunderstorms. God's majesty and all that. But as I sit here checking email a thought comes to me as I watch the butterflies on the azaleas. Where do butterflies go when it rains? Do they have little butterfly condos or something? Where are they safe that their precious little wings don't get damaged? Do they smell the rain coming?
Anybody know???
Please comment if so.
Have a blessed and wonderfilled Jesus day.
JULIE
I need some help!!
Okay, I think I've narrowed it down to MathUSee or Saxon for next year. Does anyone have any input/help/suggestions/advice??? I need it!!!
Thanks
Julie
LIFE
Yum Yum
Cheerios
This is what happens when you give a 4 year old a pair of pliers…
Rarrrrrrr……..
Rarrrrrrr……..
Please pray
My friend I wrote about earlier, Kelly, lost her baby girl, Andie on Thursday. Andie was born at 26 weeks. Kelly's mom just called me today. Please pray for them. Andie got an infection and couldn't fight it. Kelly and her husband Chris are so devastated. 
Thanks…..Julie
What others have said: