What Mom's reading...

I've always been a bit of a Lincolnophile... Is that even a correct term??? Or would it be Lincolnite??? hmmm...

Incidentally, I've also always found the man, warts & all, very attractive...is it just me, or can anyone back me up here??? Maybe a web-based-search will render a Lincoln-fan-club???? Stranger things have been sighted on the www... ANYWAY...

Although my schooling never encouraged me to spend much time exploring my fascination with our sixteenth president...MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SUBJECT...now, of course, I've been out of school far too long to continue blaming my well-meaning teachers ... SO I'm taking matters into my own hands & reading about the man...Also, shamefully, I have only visited our state capital once, at about age 8, for a family wedding... we drove down for the event & didn't experience ANYTHING other than the wedding, which I have fleeting memories of, but at LEAST I can say I've visited our capital!!! Yikes! As God is my witness, I will bring H & H to Springfield before 2008 has come to a close, and hopefully make the trip several more times before they leave us for the big-wide-world, in order to learn as much about our state history as we can... Please whack me in the head if you spend time with me in '09 & learn that I've not made it down to our fine state's capital...

Our impromptu trip to Ottawa Illinois, a few months back while the kids were recovering from pneumonia, really inspired me to re-visit my long held fascination with #16...

Currently I'm reading this EXCELLENT book

I've also come across a bunch of cool resources, listed below - click 'em to see more. I'll post more as I come across them...

ABE LINCOLN BOOK SHOP
ABE LINCOLN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY NEWS
Wikipedia on LINCOLN
Abe Lincoln for Primary Children

White House Biography of A. Lincoln

PBS The Time of the Lincolns

Go Cubs Go!

Our Daddy-O was out of town for ALMOST six weeks...he arrived back in Illinois on Friday - just before Momma was hauled off to the funny farm where life is beautiful all day long!

Momma went out on a limb & got some cheap-o Cubs tickets on Ebay, with the hopes that Daddy-O could take the day off Tuesday...and prayers were answered with a winning bid on the tickets and a Daddy's Day off on Tuesday! Game day called for t-storms, but the weather held out & was gorgeous, mid-70's, PLUS our Cubbies SPANKED the Mets and got the series sweep!

Behind-The-Scenes at the Vet's office!

The patient awaiting treatment...

Learning to put stitches in



Yesterday the kids, along with grandma K & daddy-o, attended a "behind-the-scenes" tour of the veterinarian's office! They had a great time meeting the recovering patients, seeing the x-ray room & some x-rays of weird stuff in dogs' stomachs & intestines
(they really will eat anything, won't they?)
They also learned (on a stuffed-plush, not the real deal) how to put stitches into a patient, got lots of cool freebies for our pets & were able ask questions about veterinary sciences.
VCA Naper-Ridge does these open-houses yearly -
check one out if you can, or ask YOUR vet about a tour!

Grassroots Homeschoolers Family Formal Dance

Lovely little girl in her $7 gown! Gotta' love Goodwill

Above, the boy & I take a quick break from the dance floor.

Below, daddy-o & the little girl at the dinner table.

Funny guy...

Last night we attended the first of what we are hoping will become an annual event with our homeschool group, Grassroots Homeschoolers. A great time was had by all, and I heard through the grapevine that the D.J. was astonished by the great behavior and friendliness of our kids! He said they were the nicest group of young folks he'd ever encountered - and was amazed at how kids of all different ages got along so well & had so much fun with one another! You can see more photos HERE.


My fellow homeschoolers:

Feel free to use this example the next time you get the

"But what about SOCIALIZATION?" question!

David Albert is my hero!

Last week I had the true pleasure of spending the day with homeschool author & speaker David Albert. I'd met David a couple of years ago at the InHome Conference, and he made a bigger mark on me than any other speakers that year...The Many Rivers Unschoolers brought him back to Illinois for two days of talks, the first of which I had the pleasure of attending. David's talks are wise and funny and challenging and, for me personally, a big-ol'-shot-in-the-arm ! I urge those of you who are on this wacky and wonderful homeschool journey to check out his writings, and if you ever get the chance to hear him speak, please RUN as fast as you can to secure your spot! David's website is http://www.skylarksings.com/ ; you can order his books and some he recommends, plus read a selection of his essays - a recent favorite being on spelling ; it's absurdity, origins & societal role! Get yourself a cup of tea, sit back & click one of his essays...Let me know if he's your hero, too!

Pond Critters Field Trip

The kids with Gary the Naturalist...
The leggy guy is a mayfly baby...
One of the first crawfish found...
This one might even be good 'eatin!
The little girl and Ms. C. looking at a netful...

On Friday we braved the approaching c-c-c-cold weather & headed down to Pilcher Park in Joliet for a POND CRITTERS excursion. We had a group of about 20, and the weather actually held out for us until about the last 1/2 hour of the event, which was when we headed in to see the indoor critters anyhow! The kids had an absolute blast netting in the pond & finding all kinds of little life forms, including worms, larvae of all kinds, fish, snails both large and small & CRAYFISH - which you'd have thought from the squalling were made of gold. Every time they pulled one up the kids went crazy. It was an excellent day! If you've never been to Pilcher Park, I HIGHLY recommend it! Let me know if you'd ever like to meet us there for lunch! Particlulary if the weather EVER GETS WARM...

Girl and Boy Cardinals

A Girl and a boy visiting our very primitive birdfeeder!

Kids made recycled milk jug birdfeeders on Wednesday...We've yet to hang due to the torrential rains...
Wonder if this cute couple will enjoy the milk-jug feeders as much as the old plate left over from my pre-married days...

Aren't they cute?

ps(as a bleeds-blue CUBS household, these are the only Cardinals we tolerate in our yard!)