Benedict Arnold Likes Red Shoes

I was thinking the other day that I haven't written much about homeschooling.  I've stuck a couple sentences about it in other posts, but this is my first post dedicated entirely to homeschooling.  Yup, I like to live life on the edge.  Anyway, I'm in my second year educating our kids at home, and besides it being a huge responsibility, it also prompts us to take advantage of educational opportunities anywhere from our backyard to places actually designed to be educational in the first place.

So following is my plug for Colonial Williamsburg.  And no, I'm not getting any freebies for it; we just love the place!  Actually, Byron's parents graciously blessed us with year passes a couple months ago, so we're thinking of going back soon to enjoy the holiday scene circa 1776.  During our visit there with my in-laws, we enjoyed re-enactments, house tours, learning from various artisans and shopkeepers, eating at a tavern, and a most amazing concert featuring the harpsichord.  And Byron's parents put us up in a colonial tavern.  Believe me, I'm not gloating here; we just really, really appreciated their generosity because we wouldn't normally treat ourselves to anything like this...and at the moment it's out of our budget.

Anyway, Williamsburg has some sweet deals for homeschoolers.  They host two homeschool weeks yearly: one in the spring and one in the fall.  The tickets are comparatively dirt cheap, too.  Upcoming dates for 2011 are:

Spring Homeschooler Experience: February 26-March 5, 2011
Fall Homeschooler Experience: September 10-25, 2011

Unfortunately, when the homeschool kids' dad is a teacher, it's tough to take days off to take advantage of the special weeks.  But if you go at any other time, you can still get discounted tickets.  Just bring proof of belonging to a homeschool organization (I had to run back to the car to get mine, but at least I'd brought it).  And public school teachers get discounts, too!  Byron didn't have his ID with him, but they were able to find him on the staff listing on his high school's website.  Click here to go to a link for homeschoolers.

Here are a few photos of what we enjoyed:

One of the first events we attended was the reading of the Declaration of Independence.  Several actors shared in the reading, which made it quite captivating.

A bit of Revolutionary City.  Here Benedict Arnold threatens the revolutionaries, but he did complement Akea on her red shoes.  Not that that suddenly makes him an admirable historical figure.

Some photos I took on the tour of the Peyton Randolf House...

Old school brooms.

Can you tell I like rusticity??

Akea and Charlie with Grandma and Granddaddy

In addition, we visited the Governor's Palace and ate way too many ginger cakes.  I'm sure I'm leaving something out, but we really did have a fun, educational journey back in time, and got to spend a couple days with Byron's parents, who we don't see very often because they live a few thousand miles away.  If you have the opportunity, Colonial Williamsburg is a pretty unique place to visit!

Where do you like to go as a family?

YouTube University and Jedi Knight Tricks for Chickens

Update: Blatant typos have been corrected.  Thanks, Editor Byron.

We love YouTube.  It's the education we never had.  Despite two masters degrees. 

I mentioned earlier our five "spent" laying hens we got for a buck each, so we could cut our teeth on raising chickens and hope for an egg or two.  Byron made a portable chicken tractor and with the Siberian temperatures we've been having we felt that they were too exposed out in the middle of a field.  They tended to huddle in their little portable coop, only coming out to eat, jerk their heads around warily, eat, poop, hide under a tree, get spooked, and waddle back into their humble abode. So we were thinking that this whole "pastured chickens" idea isn't exactly something that happens in the winter, especially because it sometimes snows, which renders grass - er - inaccessible.

YouTube to the rescue!  Byron spent some quality time on YouTube watching some videos people had taken of Joel Salatin speaking, and he definitely knows his chickens (I'm not sure if this is what Byron watched specifically, but click here to watch Joel Salatin talking about pastured chickens.  Parts 2, 3, and 4 should be on the right).  At his farm, Polyface, they put the laying hens in hoop houses for the winter (think greenhouse sort of structure) because pasturing them is impractical at this time of year. Any droppings on the grass will either evaporate or leech into the groundwater when it rains, and since the microbes in the soil are dormant right now, the soil isn't benefiting either. With that in mind, Byron and I moved a little structure that had been covering the kids' toys and set it up against the side of the woodshed. Byron then stapled heavy plastic on both sides to provide more of a wind break, and we moved the portable coop next to it. My parents had some chicken wire they weren't using, so we used that to make a little yard for them.

The taller building is our woodshed and provided a wall for the structure on the left.  The bikes and toys will be taking up residence in the barn.

Two chickens ventured out to explore.  We swore we wouldn't name them, but have given them very utilitarian names in order to identify who's who.  These are Big Dummy and Skinny Chicken.  I'll explain Big Dummy in another post.  I know you can't wait.

Facing the new structure.  We hung their food and water underneath it, so now they have to go under there.  Byron also stapled plastic on the right side.  The wind has been merciless here!

We hope they use the new structure as a place to congregate and gossip about us. Byron created carbonous bedding of wood shavings, leaves, and old hay that will make for some NICE compost in the spring when they're back on pasture. In the meantime, if the chickens insist on staying cramped in their little portable coop all day, we may evict them for the winter and work on enclosing the new structure a bit more so they can have more space.

And the Jedi Knight tricks?  Byron read somewhere that if you put golf balls in the nesting boxes, it will stimulate egg production.  Now, it may be that these old girls wouldn't produce an egg if we placed the struttin'-est of struttin' roosters amongst them, but I thought I'd give it a try.  And every time I go out to feed them, I wave my hand in front of the coop and say, "You will produce eggs.  You will produce eggs" in my most mesmerizing voice.  Because I have mad acting skills...or not.

Green Acres Weekend Update

This past week was a bit of "one of those weeks" type of weeks.  But I refuse to give you, Dear Reader, the  "not only is the cup half empty, it also has a huge crack in it so what's the point of even trying to pour water into it anymore?" version.  So for your edification, here is the "cup-half-full" version of my week:

1. My kids had colds, but when they get them, rarely do they turn into something more serious.  This time around was a good testament to that.
2. Injured Chicken finally came out of the coop after a couple days.  She looks a little ruffled and I think she's been demoted to the bottom of the pecking order, but at least Byron doesn't have to "take care of her," if you know what I mean.
3. We had some car trouble on Tuesday night, which meant either a very late dinner or wait!  What about that Carabbas gift card we got for Thanksgiving?  Perfect!  Anyway, my dad literally spent the entire day on Wednesday helping me get our car towed to a car fixer-upper place and then carting me and the kids around on our various errands.  He also bought us food and me one of those fun, seasonal lattes at Starbucks.  I stare at those every year about this time but can never bring myself to cough up the $4 for one.  Can I just say he is a huge blessing?  He also spent the whole afternoon on Friday helping me do some maintenance on the minivan.  I SO hope I don't flake out and forget what he taught me; my dad has mad car skills and in high school I should have put down all those books I used to read on the Arthurian legends for about ten seconds and paid attention.  Especially since back then my brain was still somewhat functional.
4. In other news, we've been learning from our chickens, despite the rather blank stares we get every time we go out to feed them, look at them, or squawk back at them.  Not to mention that Byron paid a little visit to YouTube University to learn a bit more about being an official Chicken Wrangler (am I using that term correctly?  I have no idea but I like how it sounds).  Anyway, look for a post this week on some changes we've made, as well as lots of photos! 
5. I attempted to make a sourdough starter and sourdough bread.  Let's just say this isn't San Francisco (apparently famous for sourdough) and I need some practice.  Share a good whole wheat sourdough recipe if you have one!

Hank's Cookies

Cookie recipes abound this time of year, but this is a special one because it was created by a family member!  Byron's Aunt Dottie made these cookies for her husband, Hank, when he was going through a rough time with cancer and really couldn't stomach many other foods.  To our family, that makes this recipe priceless...and it's very flexible in that you can add your choice of nuts, dried fruits (I'd like to try apricot), and chocolate-esque chips.

Hank's Cookies
Ingredients
1 stick butter, softened at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. half n’ half or milk
1+ cup good quality peanut butter; I prefer organic
1 cup flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 cup dried cranberries (I didn't have any on hand so had to omit)
1 cup rolled oats
Optional: about 1 cup each of nuts or chocolate chips (I added chocolate chips)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Whip butter and sugars together, then beat in eggs, vanilla, and milk.  Add in peanut butter and beat together.  In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and add to wet ingredients.  Mix in dried cranberries, oats, and optional ingredients.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto buttered cookie sheet and bake for 10 – 15 minutes (depends on your oven but check them at 10 minutes first). Cool on racks.  Makes about three dozen cookies.

Have Yourself an (Inexpensive) Christmas

We're constantly cutting costs around here.  But around the holidays, it can be difficult to resist the screams of "BUY! BUY! BUY!" from ads in the newspaper, online, and even through e-mails.  I've gotten fairly good at ignoring the hype.  For instance, when I got an e-mail promising me free shipping instantly if I spend $100 or more, I instantly trashed the file.  $100 on what?  Kitchen gadgets and sheets I don't need?  No, thanks!

So in a very Scrooge-like spirit toward marketing gurus and the various wares they hawk, here are a few inexpensive gift ideas this Christmas:

1. I found a recipe for homemade Christmas ornaments here.  These would be fun to make with kids, and since grandparents like anything little hands make, why not make it part of a Christmas basket full of other artwork and goodies?  And that basket?  Go buy one for 25 cents at the thrift store and paint it, should the spirit move you.

2. Do any canning this year?  Jams, jellies, apple butter and the like are always popular gifts.  If you didn't make any, check out a local farm or country store for such items.  Dress up the jar with a pretty, scrap piece of fabric and some ribbon from your stash or in the remnant pile at the fabric store.

3. I've gotten Gifts in a Jar before and love them!  What a handy way to bake something when you need it for a last-minute party or (as in my family's case) craving.  Click here for ideas galore, or click here for Three-Way Hot Cocoa Mix, which will last the recipient for much of the season...especially if you double it.

4. For the kids, I try to go for quality over quantity.  A friend of mine once said she was going to try to stick with three gifts per child, representative of the three gifts the Wise Men brought Jesus.  I limit fad toys, such as the latest Disney Princess and whatnot, and try to buy gifts that will stimulate their creativity.  This includes classic building toys (e.g., Legos and Tinker Toys), costumes (post-Halloween sales are helpful here), craft supplies (good stocking stuffers, especially if you go through as many crayons as we do), books on CD, and classic books I can read to them now but that they'll be able to read in a few years.  The Little House on the Prairie series and Chronicles of Narnia are good examples. 

5.  Finally, Byron and I forgo buying each other gifts.  The past couple years, we've gotten each other something small with the kids, so that they have the opportunity to give and not just receive.  If there's something "big" that is teetering on our family's want/need line, we'll try to find a good deal around the holidays.  In years past, our MP3 player and portable DVD player (purchased primarily for survival purposes on a very long flight with the kids), have fallen into this category.

Three Ways Hot Cocoa Mix

adapted from the American Institute for Cancer Research

Ingredients:
1 c instant nonfat dry milk powder
1 c sugar
1/2 c cocoa powder
1/4 c dried egg whites (I've made it without)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground black pepper (optional)

Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, vigorously whisk together the first nine ingredients, making sure all the tiny clumps are broken up.  Spoon into a jar and seal tightly.

If using as a gift, one recipe should fit into a pint jar, with a little extra left over.  Double the recipe to use a quart jar.  Cover lid with a scrap of decorative fabric and ribbon.  Or purchase a seasonal tin from a craft store.  In any case, be sure to copy and paste the serving options below.  You can print it onto card stock, hole-punch, and tie it onto the ribbon.  If you're feeling really festive, include a couple cinnamon sticks with the jar.

Three Ways Hot Cocoa Mix serving options:
1. For hot chocolate, place 1-2 tsp of the mix in a mug and gradually stir in hot milk.  Add a cinnamon stick as a stirrer, if desired, or 2-3 drops on vanilla extract, or 1 drop almond extract.  Top with whipped cream, if desired.
2. For hot mocha, mix 1/4 tsp instant espresso into hot chocolate.
3. For chai, brew black tea in a cup or mug of hot milk.  Remove the tea bag and stir in 1-2 tsp of the mix.  Add a cinnamon stick as a stirrer, if desired.

And So It Begins...

Finally, we have chickens!  This may not seem like a big deal to all those experienced chicken wranglers (or whatever they call you, er, us) out there, but we're excited that we're going to be cutting our teeth a bit on one of the most basic farm animals.  Typically, people don't get chickens on the brink of winter, but when we were at Walnut Hill last Friday helping process meat birds and stewing hens, Byron spontaneously asked Jeff if we could buy a few of the (live) older Barred Rock hens.  He was happy to oblige, for $1 each!  He told us we might get a couple eggs out of them per week, though when moved, chickens need several days to assimilate to their new environment (not to mention sunlight...which is why fewer eggs are available from local farms in the winter).  But our main motive in getting them is to get some experience caring for chickens, and these Barred Rock hens are older and hardy, which is a good place for us to start.

We thought six would be a good number, but after much leaping, net-throwing, and other chicken-catching tactics, most of them managed to escape the tall man in the blood-splattered orange fleece (AKA Byron) and we ended up taking home five, plus a bag of feed which offered no protestations to being tossed into our minivan.  When we got home, we set them up in the woodshed and sketched out a design for a small, portable coop using our lawn mower trailer as a base and scraps of wood we had on hand (some from a defunct loft bed our friend Jason gave us - thanks, Jason)!  We like it when people unload their wood scraps here.

The "chicken house" will be removable, in case we need to use the trailer.  If it proves to be problematic, we'll try to find another used trailer or some sort of bed with wheels.

Byron spent most of his weekend on this project!

Roof and some sheathing.

A peek inside...we found a broken rake and used the handle for the roosts (that's how chickens like to sleep).  We're using five-gallon buckets as easily removable nesting boxes.

The area with chicken wire will let some light through.

The back door, which covers the removable back of the trailer.  This will give us access to the nesting boxes and to cleaning out the coop.

Another peek inside...Byron put a ramp up to the roosts and one down to the nesting boxes.

Byron and Charlie working on the front door.

A couple of the chickens exploring their new digs...

The upright board to the left is a windbreak, but Byron ended up making a bigger one.

They're not the sharpest knives in the drawer, but I think they're getting the idea that this is where they're going to live!

So far this week, the chickens are assimilating pretty well.  For the moment, we are not fencing them in, but letting them roam freely during the day and shutting them in at night.  They've loved the rain we've had today and yesterday, and seem to be getting a bit more comfortable.  We realize they're a bit more susceptible to predators this way (we already had one little incident that left a chicken injured, and she has yet to emerge from the coop today, which has me concerned), but we're hesitant to jump the gun and spend money on fencing that may or may not work.  We're researching electric feather netting, which is easy to move and has been effective for the folks at Walnut Hill.  Being able to move the chickens to fresh grass is important to keeping them healthy, since they tend to congregate around the coop much of the time and will quickly wear out available greens, as well as the bugs that reside there.

And when we get our first egg, you'll be the first to know!