Out with May and In with June

Another month has passed. Most of the tribe have made it home safely. The volumn level has increased along with the food bill. It is amazing how children that ate almost anything I made, once they left home have developed the habit of "I don't eat that any more." It is hard on them to adjust to the non-cafeteria style of home cooking. Only one entree, only one choice. Take it or leave it. As their hunger increases so will their variety of what they will consume. At least I am not left with many leftovers any more. One childs chore of putting away the extra has almost ceased to exsist.
In our 4H group they made a craft of a jar to place on the table filled with questions to help you communicate with your family. Remove one question at a time. ask it and it will help
to stimulate conversation. I was wondering if there is a jar out there to help ensure that only one person talks at a time and in a volumn that allows others to remain in the room. Conversation is something our family never seems to have problems with.
Our chickens and ducks are growing fine and smelling something awful. Can't wait to move them to their permanent home. We have been blessed with some roosters.....anyone know of a good or even not so good a home for them???? Chicken and dumplings sounds good.
Our summer is full of online classes, summer school, 4H camp, swim lessons, coaching a swim team, travel to Denver, raising a few animals, special dinner and concert with Kings brass, competeing for the computer, working lots of hours....lots of kids in all directions, phone calls from friends, church, a movie or two, home repairs of a roof or two....just to name a few things ahead for us. So how are you relaxing this summer?
Now I must go and make some dinner for the hungry. We shall have roast beef sandwiches with french onion soup. Now I am getting hungry. Check in with you later.

Boys??

We have arrived home after a short weekend at the beach. Yes, just two exits away from our home we went camping at the local SeaCliff Beach. While putting things away from our trip so far from home, Andrew yells across the parking lot "Are bees nice Mom?" To which I reply "Not really, they sting. Why?" "Cause I have one on a leaf I am carrying." says Andrew. I simply tell him to put it down and stop messing with it. Just minutes later comes the following conversation. Mom do bees swim? No, Why? Cause my bee is trying to do the breast stoke like Rebecca. I march over to see this great feat and look at a bee in the process of drowing, kicking frantically. No Andrew, the bee is not swimming it is drowning. So he proceeds to tell his slightly older brother. Robert, bees are not nice so you need to get it out of the water. Upon which I pronouce it dead and tell them both to leave it alone and get back to the work of helping us get cleaned up. Reluctantly they comply.

Another month has gone....and only a few more weeks till summer. Kids arrive home from college this weekend...can't believe this year is over for them. Hope they learned lots and remember some of it. Now to get ready to pay for next year.
We are currently enduring the saga of the ducks. Bought 6, 4 died off some what slowly and messily, replaced with 4 small ducks.....now we wait. Chickens are everywhere. We have around 30 or so chicks. White leghorns and 3 ones of breed unkown arrived yesterday... free to 4Her's. The other 15 I bought several weeks ago and they are all growing and getting feathers. Will have Jon. design and build a coop in the fenced in 7 acers up top. Can't let Larry do it, he will build them a house big enough for the family to live in. Rachel should be in her glory this summer reliving her love for chickens. (I hope)
Dad is in parts unkown. Every one that knows him can vouch that he has timing problems. They are arriving in Vietnam, along with 30,000 other people to celebrate 30 years since they won the war against the US. Way to go..!! Then he, David, and Joe are off to Cambodia. 95% of the people there cook with wood. 15% of the houses have electricity and indoor plumbing. The 4 most deadly snakes in the world live there. A large part of the population are amputees due to the land mines....... so God has his hands full during this next two weeks or so protecting the crew while they are away.
Andrew has taught himself the alphabet and how to write the numbers to 10. No more excuses for this MoM....school is now in session. Actually, right now sleep is a required subject. Off to put kids to bed.