Eating wild berries!?

The boys and I just finished a great story called "My Side of the Mountain" about a boy who decided to live in the Catskill mountains all by himself and live off the land. I highly recommend it; but be careful. You may find yourself living on the wild side.

Driving home one day, the boys and I witnessed some folks eating from a tree on the side of the road. With curiosity getting the better of us, we stopped by that very spot later to see what they were feasting on. As it turns out, the boys had enjoyed these little purple clusters over at a friend's house a few months back. They said they were absolutely sure that these were the same little fruit. So, we tried some! They were quite tasty so we had quite a few! We're still here to share the tale, so we know that they're safe to eat! I'm still trying to identify the little guys, though. Obviously, some kind of blueberry or something. Does anyone know what it is?

This is another great fruit that we found! It's called a loquat and there's a great tree up by the Citrus Co. School Board office. I pull in the parking lot and climb up on the truck to reach them while the kids are overcome with emabarrassment!

Hey! It's a government building...and I pay my taxes!

There she goes bragging about her kids again...

Daniel has been having a blast running track for Inverness Middle School.(Yes! Homeschoolers can participate in sports!) Today was the 2nd track meet and Daniel did awesome! Between last week and this week Daniel's times are good enough to get him to the state level as far as I can tell. His time for the 400m(1/4 mile) is 1:01. His time for the 800m(1/2 mile) is 2:27. His time today for the 1600(1 mile) was 5:23! He placed first overall for the mile and in the end IMS won the meet.
Daniel was just a tad disappointed, though. At track practice he ran the 800 in 2:15 which is faster than the school record of 2:18. Unfortunately, it doesn't count at practice...So that was his goal today at the meet. He tells me that he coudn't do it because he didn't crack his neck!(???)

***Anyway! He's giving us homeschoolers a good name!!***

Some shots from today's meet at Crystal River:

Here's Daniel coming up to the finish during the mile run.

This was right after the mile. The guys were wiped out.

The Shamrock 5k results...

Run over to my running blog to check out the latest race results! Click on the right!

So, you want to hear about the Rabbi?

If you want to see an extremely moving portrayal of the relationship between Jesus and Peter, you must run to Orlando Easter weekend. The title of this live, acoustic musical is "The Rock and the Rabbi".

It's difficult to put into words how much this show touched us a few years ago when we saw it for the first time. The music is amazing, the writing is excellent and it is not only entertaining but life changing.

Now, it's not a play or anything. It's not a lavish Broadway musical. There's no costumes and no sets. It's simply narration and live music telling the story. It's like nothing I've ever seen.

This time we're going to take the boys to see it. They have been listening to the cd for years and know all the music so they'll just go nuts when they realize where we're going.(I'm trying to keep it a secret to the very end!)

Check out the web site, read the reviews and maybe we'll see you there! We're trying to get a group together to go from our church. It's a great night out!

http://www.therockandtherabbi.com/

Sunshine Cup Champs!!

Daniel, front left, with a few of the guys.
This is the whole clan of champions! Daniel is all the way on the right.
Here's Daniel accepting his well-deserved trophy. He played awesome this season!

Daniel gained a few good friends on the team.

This guys is also on the track team with Daniel at Inverness Middle.

We're so proud of Daniel. He just blows us away with his many talents!!

Homeschooling under Attack

I'm not shocked one bit by the recent ruling in California. The question is not "if" homeschooling will one day be illegal in this country, the question is "when"....so I carry on, enjoying the freedom I have today, but I'm not so naive as to believe that my homeschooling bliss will not one day be shattered by someone sitting on a bench.
Mr. Judge is not saying that homeschooling is now illegal in the entire state of California. I would be breaking the law, however, because I don't have a four year college degree, the necessary "credentials". Look around...those kids being taught by those with "credentials" are just flourishing in those government institutions, aren't they?
I know some really great teachers. I know some extremely brilliant teachers who give their lives for the kids. I know they're underpaid and under appreciated. But I also know that no matter how educated the teachers are or how much they care, the government has final say over what they teach and how they teach it. Ultimately, I believe and always will that children belong to their parents and not the state. Parental Rights.org I am fully responsible for my child's education and upbringing.
But this is not so much about parental rights or their "credentials" or skills as a teacher. It's about money...everything is. The more butts they have in the seats, the more money the school gets.

You can read the story here: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=58137

Here's the response from "Home School Legal Defense Association: http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ca/200803060.asp

As I continue to read this morning ...and neglect my children's education... no, wait a minute... pull up a chair kids. Let me show you what's really going on in the world and know that you're the lucky ones. The kids in the public schools won't be informed of the freedoms that are being taken away from them every day. Then again, most parents and teachers with all those "credentials" don't even know.

I praise God for the freedom I have this day to be mom and teacher and to enjoy every minute that I have with my kids. It'll all pass too soon.

Sunshine cup-Here we come!

What an exhausting weekend! We had to be in Hudson for 2 games on Saturday and 1 on Sunday. Daniel's team won all 3 games which means we go back to Husdon next Saturday for the championship games. We're just 2 games away from the big one! Here's some action shots...

Plaster Party

Does everyone know about the new place in Inverness called Plaster Paradise? Apparently it's been open for a few months but I live under a rock...

Anyway, we recently attended a birthday party there. The kids were able to pick any plaster creation and paint it. Of course, pizza and cake rounds out any party. The selection of molds was great and the kids had a super time. We don't break out the paints at home often enough, that's for sure, so it was great fun. Thanks to the Dovis for the party!

All the guys picked cars to paint...naturally.

The party is geared towards the younger crowd but Daniel had fun creating this "Gator Bug".