EmeraldCat

My. Rider, I’m sorry that this year has been hard. You’re going to be in my prayers. Today I’m trying to catch up on what did not get done over the weekend. My big win was that on Saturday, DH and I went to Wal Mart and found chicken breasts on clearance! They were still mostly frozen, too, so the meat was still fresh. I trimmed them and bagged them for the freezer. I used the trimmings to make chicken broth in the Instant Pot and wound up with 9 pints! I’m not in a place where I can use my canned to preserve them right now, but they are jarred up to go in the freezer. Speakimg of canning, we had a short power outage yesterday morning and all I could think about was the meat that I’ve stocked up on going bad in the freezer! I want to start researching generators. I need to figure out what would work best in a true grid down situation.

I usually walk every morning right after breakfast, but this morning it was 37 degrees out!! We just moved from the VERY hot southwest region of the US and I am not used to temperatures like that yet. LOL I guess I'll take my walk in the afternoon. Yesterday was very productive; I got laundry done, made bread in my bread machine (half of which has already been eaten by my family), started a sourdough starter that I hope will take off, made granola for my husband, worked on homeschool stuff with my daughter...it was busy! Today, I have a counseling appointment (I have Bipolar Disorder, and counseling is really helping me stay on track after my father's death -- so far. Fingers crossed), and I have some research that I want to do. DH and I are planning on setting up a chicken coop in the spring with three or four hens. I know the basics of raising them from chicks, but I want to be really prepared so that I know what I'm doing. I don't want to kill any! We are also going to get a garden going, and have decided on raised beds to better deal with weeds and varmints. Our lot is pretty shady, and I'm still trying to figure out where the best place is going to be (the front yard would be ideal, but I don't want to deal with people stealing in the event of tough times). I want to check out a YouTube channel called "Acre Homestead" because we live on about an acre. I would love to learn how to maximize what we can produce on it. I hope you all have a lovely day!

Mt. Rider, I'm so sorry that you have been so unwell. I can only imagine that you were completely miserable. Today I'm concentrating on (slowly) cleaning the house. I keep getting started on a task, getting distracted by something else or having to run my daughter to work or go with my husband to drop off a car at the mechanic, then getting back to cleaning. And now I'm distracted by my computer. LOL In addition to cleaning, I want to make a cleaning schedule and try to bake some bread today in my bread machine (better than nothing, I guess!). I also have it on my list to review my food storage and make a list of priorities for filling in holes. I hope you all have a great day!

Today I prepared for the end of our homeschool Fall Break! I got my daughter's lesson plan guide done for next week, and updated all of her assignments on her Google Classroom. I used Google Classroom when I was teaching last year, and it was a great way to keep things organized. I upload videos (for example, she studies genetics in Biology next week, so I found several videos about Gregor Mendel, Punnett Squares, and related topics), her writing assignments, and the like. I have yardwork to do and need to figure out where to prepare next year's garden. We have a lot of trees on our property, so I'm trying to figure out the place with the most sun!

Hi, everyone! Jayceef, I just read about your son’s struggles. My daughter had a hard time reading as well. We had her tested in 2nd grade, and she came back with ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. We never had her on meds, instead allowing her to learn strategies to help her manage her diagnoses. She is now in 10th grade, and just read Brave New World for her homeschool ELA curriculum! Reading difficulties can be overcome with love, dedication, and by finding how your child learns best. With my DD, it turned out that she could NOT read using phonics approaches. She still has a hard time breaking down unfamiliar words or reading them by sounding them out. Instead, she memorizes every word as a sight word. It’s not the “in” reading strategy, but every child has individual keys to learning, and that was hers. Make sure that your son’s teachers and school are willing to take that individualized approach to help him. After he is tested, you may want to consider securing a 504 Plan or an IEP to ensure teachers have to accommodate his needs. I’m a mom with two special needs kids and I’m a 4th grade teacher (taking time off now to homeschool my daughter), so if there is anything I can help or support you with, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I hope that all of you have a great day!