Saturday, May 2, 2009

My Week

My Week April 26-May 2, 2009

Faith

Oh, boy, it's been one of those weeks. Of course I prayed for my kids and husband and a few other prayers. But, my Bible reading and prayer time could really have used some improvement.

Our Farm

Well, it was a farm week. We had a calf born and she didn't look too great. She was weak to begin with, then when she tried to nurse her Mom kicked her because she was engorged and a first time Mom. We bottle fed her and tubed her some Colostrum. And, we tubed her an electrolyte water mixture, and we headgated the Mom to get the baby nursing well on the Mom. All, seems well now, although the first three weeks with any calf is the critical time. So, we'll continue to keep an eye on her. That took one full day's work, plus a few hours on another couple of days. The kids did enjoy seeing the calf born though and I think even the process of rescuing her was valuable to the kids.

We also got some new yellow chicks. They are meat chickens. We moved the older egg laying chicks outside to a small coop with a heat lamp in it. They will graduate to the big coop when they start laying.

baby_chicks

big_chick_coop

I'm watering and watching my starts in the greenhouse. I need to get out and get some more potting soil to plant anything else. I'm thinking of buying a few starts too because of the late start I got at it. I think it would be cool to grow some tomatoes and melons in the greenhouse. Any other suggestions? What does better with lots of heat?

Our Home & Health

I made a loaf of sourdough this week, although the starter wasn't really ready. It wasn't rising enough yet even though it is a week old now. So, I want to keep going on that.

I cleaned and organized my fridge this week! Woohoo. We'll see how long it stays clean. Anyone else just hate doing that?

The girls got a cold earlier in the week and now Jon and I have it. It's real mild though. And, yeah, no one else to pass it on to! :) I hope that swine flu ends up being nothing.

Aaaagh! Natalie is having a bout with CVS (cycilical vomiting syndrome - stomach migraines) this weekend. Despite taking the REALLY strong medicine - she's still been unable to keep anything down. I've been trying to cut out sources of MSG (and there are a lot of hidden sources) out of her diet to try and prevent these since MSG is a common trigger for migraines. But, apparently, either that wasn't the trigger or I missed something.

In The Schoolroom

I felt like we did well this week. We were perhaps a little short on our reading with all the farm events that happened. But...every day Nat did math, science (she LOVES science), copywork, violin, and read some. We're continuing Fifty Famous Stories Retold, finishing up Mr. Bowditch, and reading Trial & Triumph. Nat does her copywork from the Bible and from the Nature Study Book.

Rachel has been continuing to read to me and to do her math. She's coming along.

Our Business

Jon & I went in together on Friday evening. I did a few tasks that only I could do. But, mostly I worked on trying to clean my digital sensor in my "fancy" camera, because the way it stands right now with most pictures I take over f8 (so if you want most or everything in the picture to be in focus), I get little dots on my pictures. Which is just lovely. I didn't get them off. But the guide that I have for doing this says that sometimes if I try again in a few days, I can get them off. Otherwise, it's off the manufacturer to get it fixed (which is like 3 weeks without my prized possession).

Jon & I really need to get in there more like we used to. We used to work like crazy people - to all hours, talked about work all the time, brought our kids in there. Well, that was a tough time for us, so, we don't need to be so intense. But, in order to provide for ourselves a little security, we really should get in there SOME MORE. Dave Ramsey is always saying, you either cut your expenses or increase your income or both. 

I just love being at home with my kiddos though...especially as I've been homeschooling and blogging and doing all these kinds of home projects. When I only had two kids and they were both little, I felt so isolated when Jon was at work or off doing something. I wanted him to call me on the phone every day. Not now, I'm busy. I always have time for him, but I don't NEED that distraction so much.

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