Our Garden

So, this year we planted tomatoes (lots), cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, cayenne peppers, cilantro and marigolds (supposed to deter pests from the tomatoes).   I don't think the marigolds are working though.

Last week, we had whiteflies all over the tomatoes.

This week we had lots (way too many) of these big guys.  Tomato hornworm (yuck).

 The white rice-like thingies are wasp eggs.  The wasp babies will eat the hornworm, and then the "grown-up" wasps will attach other hornworms.  I did leave one or two hornworms that had the white eggs.  The rest were removed and dunked into a bucket of water.  They are very squishy and large.  Yuck-o!

The kids tried to help but were all grossed out by the squish factor.

Enjoy your garden and may it be pest-free.

Quote that I'm loving today

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,
it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." by Albert Einstein

I'm curious!

As the summer moves ahead, I'm talking to many families who are planning on sending their homeschooled children to high school within the next year or two.  And always my first thought is - are you crazy??  Since we already went the school route, and realized that it wasn't actually working out so well, I don't actually see traditional public high school as an option for us (although I can't say never, since who knows what the future holds.)

So, I'm curious - I'm putting up a poll to see what you think about the possibility of high school?  Please take a minute to vote.  Thanks!

Summer

Summer is flying by in our neck of the woods.  We've been spending our time swimming, playing with friends, seeing free movies (love that program) and just enjoying the relaxation of summer time.

I'm still reading tons of books:
The Unschooling Manual by Mary Griffith (great read - I need to post some of the resource recommendations)
The Explosive Child by Ross Greene (this one was recommended on a list I'm on, not sure I agree with all of his views, but it does have some helpful advice)
Hamlet (trying to expand my horizons)
The Big Book of Children's Reading Lists:  100 Great, Ready-to-Use Book Lists (oh my gosh, this book is AWESOME, I totally want it, but am waiting until I find a great deal.)
Book Crush by Nancy Pearl (apparently I'm a little obsessed with finding interesting books for my kiddos to read - this is another great book, I picked it up at a library sale - bargain!  Great ideas for books based on interests.)

The kids and I have all been reading a ton - we're trying to win Nook e-Colors in our local library summer reading program.  Great prize, right?

Until next time!