Where are the Birds? A Puppy and Bunnyism

I am sitting here at the library using the computer and voting for the HSBA Awards. (Vote for me in funniest blog and best home school Dad if you have not already by clicking here. Puppy is at the computer next to me playing Club Penguin. After Puppy picked up some videos to check out, she started watching Bunny play. That is how I overheard this conversation.

Puppy: Where are the birds?
Bunny: What birds?
Puppy: The birds you are going to destroy.
Bunny: Oh (Puppy's real name) Kill two birds with one stone is just an expression.

Oh well. Just had to share that. Now back to my HSBA voting.

COH #307 Tweeting The Carnival

My response to twitter when I first heard of it was exactly the same as my response to Facebook when I first heard of it was about the same. Why would I ever do that. With twitter I was intrigued about the process of condensing my thoughts and even did a few twitter sized posts on my blog. Finally I warmed up to the idea of twitter and started using it from time to time.

Earlier this year it dawned on me that about the only time I read all the carnival of homeschooling articles is when I host the carnival. I even read other hosts say the same thing. Each time I have hosted I get so much out of the carnival since I do read each post. So as a writing challenge to myself and a chance to read an entire carnival I tweeted every post of COH#286 that was hosted @ As For Me and My House this past summer.

I really enjoyed all aspects of the experiment, I got to read every post and I got to work on my writing chops by reviewing each post in twitter sized chunks. So when my turn came up to host the carnival I decided to tweet the entire carnival. As each submission came in I tweeted intro and even made up a hash tag for the carnival, #CH307. Most of these tweets came on Monday night because like the title of the aforementioned COH 286 there were technical difficulties in getting all the links to me in a timely manner.

So, for your enjoyment, enlightenment, entertainment and 3 other words that don't start with an "e" or end with a "t", here is the Twitter edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling:

NOTE: By Clicking on the word Tweet in each submission you can see my original tweets.

Can you tell a good book by the award on it's cover? ReadaloudDad says kid's can't, and they are 100% right. Tweet


Chore could use more help at home. Chris of HomeSchoolvs.PublicSchool presents Encouraging Chore Participation Tweet

Charla & HighParkHomeDaycare made a fun tree & leaf decoration. Nothing says Fall like leaves and velcro! Tweet

BarbaraFrank chronicles the upside of downsizing now that her 4 children are adults. Enjoy Almost There Tweet

Amanda of DenSchool continues her WhyWeHomeschool series. Her guest Victoria answers Siblings as Best Friends. Tweet

Lisa of Golden Grasses has Basement Love. She says the singing and laughing of family outweigh the soreness. Tweet

Cristina of Homespunjuggling likes reading about testing & learning . I like her cartoons & book she's planning. Tweet


Linda of Parent at the Helm knows any endeavor has it's own vocabulay. Here's her Happy Home Education Glossary Tweet

LauraGraceWeldon talks about the lost art of "unmentoring" in Fancy Name For Grown-Ups Kids Need Tweet

If Blossom of NLH&S *NorthLaurelHome&School* feels outshone by others acheivements, she asks What about the rest of us? I love her answer. Tweet



Erin reviews #MightyMacs at CLHSN *Chicago Land Home School Network*. She says you can watch with preschooler and teenager and all 3 can enjoy. Tweet

Kelly at Thehomeschoolco-op shares her November Monthly Booklist: Top Ten HomeschoolingBooks Tweet

Amy of DCB *Delightful Children's Books* says before you "book" your next visit to the aquarium check out these 9 Children's Books About Fish Tweet

LindseyClair on Week 10 of her Homeschooling Journey at HSID *Home School in Detroit*: Report Cards, Leaf Contests and Lapbooks, Oh My! Tweet

I had a guest at HomeSchoolDad this week. Amber Paley had great tips on taking children on nursing home visits, Tweet

Maureen of SpellOutloud can't keep the lid on the newest toddler teaching tool. Top of your learning with lids. Tweet

Cindy at Getalonghome tells her friends who send their kids to public school why she won't judge them. Tweet


Susan of HomeschoolingHearts&Minds says she is hopeless, but Organizing Our Homeschool Week argues otherwise. Tweet

Henry Cate AKA Mr. COH, of Why Homeschool shares this cute video . . .The Homeschool Kids Who Don't Do Anything Tweet


Fall makes beautiful colors so does Allison at HomeschoolHappyMess in Poetry and Leaf Painting: Tweet

Yummy Yum Yum! Margot at Learningbeyondthebook says Science is Delicious! You butter not miss this post! Tweet

Maggie of ParentingSquad presents 7Reasons to Take Your Kid to a Protest. What will I do with the other 2?) Tweet

NEPC plan to control online education got HappyElfMom 's attn in Cyberschools: 800#Gorilla of School Choice. .. Tweet


@JamerrillWriter of HSLHS *Holy Spirit Led Home Schooling*talks about Homeschooling Boys. She had me at Lego's are to be embraced! :) Tweet

JeanetteDrew, TheAccidentalHomeschooler talks about a surprisingly fun educational fieldtrip to a landfill. Tweet

Jamie @ MOMschool says "Burnout, you are so busted!", with these 5 quick, doable homeschool stress relievers. Tweet

Kris of WeirdUnsocializedHomeschoolers says figuring out courses for highschool is a googlesized job. *Here is* her plan. Tweet

Jay3fer of AIML*Adventures in Mama-Land* hasn't dropped out of school. She says when food is involved, math happens even on a week off. Tweet

Maureen of Homeschool Mo gets your goat and takes the cake in her preschool at home week in review. Tweet

Thus ends the tweeting portion of this edition. I had a lot of fun. I hope you did too. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of homeschooling using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Sunday's Cool: Fragments of a Tweenaged Spider Droid

Sunday's Cool

A link up & A Look Ahead

A Link up: Friday my son posted on his blog for the first time in a long time. He also made a lot of changes to it. So I suggest after you read his most recent post, that you spend a little time there admiring what he has done with the place. He would also like followers. Unlike my daughter, who is content just to write her blog whether people read it or not, SD wants people to actually see what he does. So go ahead make his day and follow his blog.

A Look Ahead: The week just past, was a busy one for me in the blogosphere and in real life. This week should be as well. I am hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling on Tuesday as well as getting ready for our co-op semester to end a week from Monday. Add to that some home improvements and our regular school week and it should be a very eventful week.

Nursing Home Visits, A Guest Post.

This morning, I have invited Amber Paley, who writes about nursing home abuse at www.nursinghomeabuse.net to write a guest article here. Amber, in addition to her work at NHA DOT NET, is a frequent guest blogger and article writer. Today she is bringing to us tips for taking children to nursing homes. I asked her to do so for a number of reasons. One is that I have recently joined a home school adopt a grandparent group that is going to be visiting nursing homes with their children.

Let's give a very special HSD welcome to Amber Paley! Also Amber did not realize this but she is participating this week in Six Word Saturday at ShowMyFaceDotCom.



Her Six Words . . .

Nursing Homes: Tips for Taking Children

Visiting a loved one who lives in a nursing home with your family can be a great experience for all of those involved. Here are some tips for your trips:

1. Talk to You Children about the Facility in Advance.

Try to communicate to your children what they should expect at the nursing home. Explain that some people in the home have disabilities that cause them to need wheel chairs, walkers, etc.; also explain that some residents can become confused and/or unresponsive.

2. Plan Trips in Advance.

Planning trips in advance will not only give your loved ones something to look forward to, but also allow you to plan the time of day you visit. For loved ones with mental and physical disabilities, this is imperative. Certain times of the day are better while others are worse; make sure you find out which times of the day are best for a visit to your loved one to ensure the best trip possible for everyone.

3. Plan Fun Child-Loved One Activities.

Planning activities that will engage both your elder and children will make the experience fun for everyone. Some children can be shy; games help everyone be more comfortable.

Here are some ideas for what to do . . .

Play! Checkers, Chess, Card Games, Board Games.

Make arts and crafts. Holiday Ornaments and Decorations (Christmas tree ornaments, Hanukah decorations, etc.), Scrapbooks, Family Photo Books.

Read to each other. If possible, have loved one read to your child and or Have your child read to your loved one.

Engage each other.

1. Have everyone decorate your loved one’s room for the holidays.
2. Sing familiar songs or holiday songs.
3. If your child plays a small instrument, have them play it for your loved one.
4. Many facilities host events and activities, make sure to get a facility calendar so that you and your children can participate in these things with your elder.
5. Look through old family albums.
6. Try to bring items with you that both your children and loved one both love and can enjoy together.
7. Have your children do arts and crafts in advance to give to your loved one as a gift.
8. Share current events and experiences in your life and your children’s lives with your loved one; show him or her pictures of your pets, your children’s soccer games, etc.
9. Ask your loved one about the things going on in their life and be sure to listen intently.

Get moving. Take a walk with your loved one and children around and outside of the facility. If your loved one is able, take day trips. Some ideas are:

GO TO . . .

The park for a picnic.
A local parade.
Have ice cream or lunch.
To a family reunion.
To get his or her hair done.

4. Most Importantly, Be Affectionate!
Nursing home residents do not get much direct human contact at the facilities other than when they are assisted by facility personnel. Your loved one will love hugs, kisses, and when you hold his or her hand. Make sure to have your children be affectionate with your elder; it will make his or her day.


Thanks Amber for a wonderful post. I always am open to having a guest blogger here at HSD. You have to admit, Amber set the bar pretty high. So if you have a post that's got some game, get in touch with me. For More Six Word Saturday click here.

Next Time: Sunday's Cool for Spiderdroids.

11 11 11 41

Veteran's day always served a double purpose in my adult life. One was it gave me pause to reflect on how those in our military, lay their lives on the line to insure and protect the freedoms I often take for granted.

The other was actually more important, it reminded me of my brother's birthday. My youngest brother was born on November 11th. Having 4 siblings, I was grateful for anything that would remind me of their birthdays. Having one born on a holiday is certainly one way of doing it.


Keith loved being born on Veteran's day. He used to joke that people were getting the day off from school or work (although I don't remember getting the day off for either) for his birthday.
Having a brother with a birthday on a holiday was working for both of us. I remembered it and he basked in it. Then, in 2009, he goes and dies on me!

What good is a remembering a birthday if you don't have someone to celebrate with? So, I started celebrating Keith's birthday here, on my blog. In November of 2009, I spaced my posts 39 hours apart since he would have been 39. What can I say, the kid loved math. On his actual birthday I posted every 39 minutes mine and other's remembrances of him. Last November, I linked many of those remembrances at the end of my posts and on what would have been his 40th birthday I wrote this.

Keith would have actually enjoyed his 41st birthday better than his 40th. He was obsessed with math, and particularly enjoyed calendar math. This probably had something to do with being born on the 11th day of the 11th month. I remember in 1981 how he cherished turning 11 on 11/11. I also remember in the mid to late '90s how this 20 something was telling me what would happen on his 41st birthday. I mean hey this was before people were even worrying about Y2k!

Yes, today his 41st birthday is on 11/11/(20)11. The kid would certainly dig that. The only thing he might have wanted to change, if he could go back in time (a concept, he often thought about), would to be born 3 decades later and turn 11 on 11/11/11. I am not sure my Mom, who would have given birth at age 60, would have appreciated that.

In honor of Keith's posthumous achievement I posted this at 11:11 this morning. We all miss you Keith. The memories we have of you, and the knowledge that you are in Heaven, help us get through each birthday and every day we spend without you.