Summer Wouldn't Be Complete...

Without a little entrepreneurship.

The little one has her cousin over today and we've been all over. But one stop they insisted on was a trip to the store for lemonade stand supplies. Dollar store here we come!  $4 later and we have cups and lemonade. Perfect activity for a little homeschool summer math brush up: Making change.

The little one has been working on an idea for a club for a couple days now. Ever since I printed out a coloring sheet for her by MadeByJoel, she has been planning.

Posters colored, sign up sheets written. She wants to print shirts but I'm not sure copyright laws would be on her side! lol

I glanced at them before coming in and they're so adorable looking back and forth up the street for customers! Cross your fingers for good sales!

** This post is linked to this week's Hip Homeschool Hop. **

June 17 - Homeschool Mother's Journal

 (This is linked to the Homeschool Mother's Journal.)

In our homeschool this week…

Although our official all day schooling is over for the summer, we do a fair bit of learning still. Things we've learned, studied or talked about this week:

Egypt (little one is reading the Kane Chronicles series, Book 2)

Bugs (see garden post)

Tornadoes (we picked up Sim City 3000 at the thrift store and tornadoes can destroy your city!) plus our church is going down to Joplin, MO next week to help with the devastation there from tornadoes, so we've been discussing all of that

How to blanch greens (see garden post)
history of Winston Churchill (we're still discussing him, and need to order books, but the discussion started because I named my dog Winston Churchill because our first dog's name is Clementine. Winston's wife's name was Clementine, it seemed fitting. Also, he came up in some book the little one is reading as well.)

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

All we've been doing the past couple weeks is go to the pool, go bowling (free games through Kids Bowl Free!), go to church, walk the dogs, paint, draw and read. What a life. What a lovely lovely blessed life!

Questions/thoughts I have…

I'm curious what others use for 7th grade anything? I really have no plans yet except we'll keep our Latin for Children going and I plan to study American history, as well as the World's history during the time America was settled, up until now. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions. Could use a good foreign language program. We might study Spanish or mandarin Chinese? Who knows. :)

Things I’m working on…

Spring cleaning. Doesn't everyone use a bit of their summer to catch up on the things that get sloughed off during the school year? I've cleaned out my bedroom of all piles, clothes that don't fit or have stains, piles of books, papers, mail mail mail. It's so nice to have my room back! On my to-do list: Help the little one pare down her toys and clothes, clean closets, clean basement, hang curtains and new shades.

I'm Praying for...
I've been praying for guidance this week. Some things have been changing at hubby's work that mean less money for us and some expenses have come up that we're trying to pay for. So I'm trying to decide if I need to find a job, or start selling on Ebay again, or what? Not sure how to balance homeschooling and having my child home with me all summer, with working. Plus we're down to one car so I'd probably have to work in the evenings which takes away all my time with hubby. Like I said, just praying for guidance...

What we're reading…

I was excited to find a few good books to read at the thrift store last night. The little one is anxious to see the Pirates of the Caribbean movies but as of yet we have not let her. I found several Pirates of the Caribbean chapter books, some a spinoff of when Jack Sparrow was younger. For now, that will appease her interest.  I found these for me: 

10 Stupid Things Couples Do To Mess up Their Relationships by Dr. Laura Schlessinger

The New Glucose Revolution (I've been reading extensively on eating to the low glycemic index so this was a great find for me!)

I also picked up Ida B for her to read in the fall.

I’m cooking…

We've had such an explosion of Kale in our garden this year. I've given tons away but still it grows. So yesterday we blanched at least 4 Walmart bags full, plus one bag of Turnip greens. we then vacuum sealed them and froze for future eating. It's so nice to stock up food I've grown for when we might need it in the fall, like when I run out of money before I run out of month! lol

What are you doing this fine day?!

Garden Update - Buds & Bugs!

 Basil

A couple weeks ago I did a life update of what had been going on with our homeschooling, our garden, our lives. Since then, things have changed in the garden tremendously!

lettuce, almost done

We're seeing massive growth on many things, and some have gone to seed just about. You know, those cool weather plants like lettuce, turnip greens and even our peas are starting to wilt. I'm thinking tomorrow I might make a makeshift cover out of sticks and cheesecloth for the peas, to see if we can get them to last longer. 

The massive growth that was so astonishing is the squash. Who knew it could grow so TALL! It's so big its threatening to overshadow the kale and it IS overshadowing the okra behind it. Who knows if that will grow enough to get plants.

The squash even has little flowers growing. Now that I look at the squash, I think I bought a special kind that is yellow in the middle and green on both ends. Very cool. I wonder if it will taste the same?

The tomato plants we planted long ago never grew. We finally broke down and bought plants. By the time we went to get some they were on sale for 25 cents and $1.25 for some bigger plants. So it pays to wait I guess!

cabbage

 cauliflower

I was excited today to see little tiny cabbages and cauliflower finally budding. I was starting to worry that would never happen and we'd just be eating the greens.

The only thing I'm concerned about is our cabbage has holes galore. I found one of these little worms on one leaf. I need to research them to see how to get rid of them. Mom suggested to spray with soapy water, maybe that would work.

We have been regularly harvesting lettuce and spinach, although today we pulled up the last of the spinach. It was going to seed. The kale continues to produce profusely so we have been sharing it with mom and a friend regularly. The turnips went to seed so I pulled them up today and cut off all the greens I'm going to blanch them and freeze for another time. I need to do that for 2 bags of kale as well. I think we might plant swiss chard or flowers where the turnips were.

A garden is such a wonderful thing to work on for our homeschooling. Learning to identify plants, how to care for a garden, looking up the bugs and remedies, and even what to cook with our harvested vegetables. What a wonderful garden we are having this year. Now if only we'll get some tomatoes!

*This post is linked to the Hip Homeschool Hop.*

(P.S. Next time I make raised beds, I am SO using this idea!)