Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

[Quail_Antwerp]

hoping the well guy shows up today to finish pounding our well. Should be his last day if he does. then he'll just need to bale it again to make sure he can't bale it dry, and cap it.

he didn't come out yesterday because he had to go hunt up a previous customer who still owed him on a completed job and he had to check on someone else who's well he had done.

Today, trying to line up a babysitter so we can go to Lowe's and get more of the well stuffus - blew a line to the heater core yesterday, so the van's blowing antifreeze everywhere so we can't go as a family. No takers on the child care front yet.

We'd been discussing sending the kids back to public school this next fall - and were pretty decided on it...but that's been pretty much decided for us with the recent announcement that they're closing the local elementary school that my children had and would attend! Which means instead of a one hour bus ride, my kids would be looking at over an hour bus ride to the next closest elementary school - which means the kids would be bussed to two further away towns. argh!

not only that, the local news has been running a story about how enrollment and attendance is down in our local school system. So, they did some looking into it, and 3 neighboring counties have roughly 200 or more of our school district's students enrolled in their schools through the open enrollment program. This is not counting the kids who attend 2 other schools out of county or the ones that are home schooled (and there are a lot of parents home schooling in our area). They said our school district is losing 1.5 million dollars per year due to the lack of attendance/and enrollment.

So my question is, if so many of parents (including us) are pulling their kids out of the local school system and sending them to other schools or home schooling/public schooling at home - what's that say about our school system???

Granted, there are quite a few good teachers in our are - some of which i've known as family friends since I was 6 - but it just takes one bad principal/superintendent/teacher to sour a parent on the whole school.

So it looks like the kids will be staying with the Treca program for now. I guess that works out for the best, when I'm not even sure where this summer or next year is going to take us.

The kids school year hear at home ends June 6. I'm looking forward to Summer break and not having to worry about getting enough assignments turned in each week.

 

[Henrietta23]

hoping the well guy shows up today to finish pounding our well. Should be his last day if he does. then he'll just need to bale it again to make sure he can't bale it dry, and cap it.

he didn't come out yesterday because he had to go hunt up a previous customer who still owed him on a completed job and he had to check on someone else who's well he had done.

Today, trying to line up a babysitter so we can go to Lowe's and get more of the well stuffus - blew a line to the heater core yesterday, so the van's blowing antifreeze everywhere so we can't go as a family. No takers on the child care front yet.

We'd been discussing sending the kids back to public school this next fall - and were pretty decided on it...but that's been pretty much decided for us with the recent announcement that they're closing the local elementary school that my children had and would attend! Which means instead of a one hour bus ride, my kids would be looking at over an hour bus ride to the next closest elementary school - which means the kids would be bussed to two further away towns. argh!

not only that, the local news has been running a story about how enrollment and attendance is down in our local school system. So, they did some looking into it, and 3 neighboring counties have roughly 200 or more of our school district's students enrolled in their schools through the open enrollment program. This is not counting the kids who attend 2 other schools out of county or the ones that are home schooled (and there are a lot of parents home schooling in our area). They said our school district is losing 1.5 million dollars per year due to the lack of attendance/and enrollment.

So my question is, if so many of parents (including us) are pulling their kids out of the local school system and sending them to other schools or home schooling/public schooling at home - what's that say about our school system???

Granted, there are quite a few good teachers in our are - some of which i've known as family friends since I was 6 - but it just takes one bad principal/superintendent/teacher to sour a parent on the whole school.

So it looks like the kids will be staying with the Treca program for now. I guess that works out for the best, when I'm not even sure where this summer or next year is going to take us.

The kids school year hear at home ends June 6. I'm looking forward to Summer break and not having to worry about getting enough assignments turned in each week.

Sounds like our district to an extent. We have school choice between the 4 elementary schools in town because they are all "failing" (based on State test scores.) There's some endorsement for you!

 

[noobiechickenlady]

The state is about to take over our local elementary school. The one my son attends in the next county is a level 5 (top notch) while the one in our town is a level 2 and has been steadily dropping in attendance, test scores & overall performance.

I see so much corruption, waste & sheer idiocy in our school board it was only a matter of time before it happened. But people still ask why would we ever choose to homeschool our daughter. Um, because she regressed during the 2 years she was in public school? And because she is now on a 4-6th grade level in many subject? Even in the level 5 that DS attends, she regressed. She ended up with a terrible teacher for kindergarden there, a former 4th grade teacher who was quite stern & dour. Kindergarden teachers should be bubbly, happy & firm. Like BBH

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

whoot!!!! we have a sitter for tonight into tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

our friends over the hill - who has 8 kids of their own - have said it's totally fine for ALL five kids to come down tonight, stay over, and they'll watch them for us tomorrow!

whoot!!!

originally it was so E and I could go to the Hartville Flea Market with his dad - who's setting up tomorrow - but there was a big stink about it once his dad learned I was wanting to go, too. He kept saying over and over "there won't be room for you -" so I was a little disgusted, and wish he would have said something before I lined up child care, because I felt pretty stupid and let down.

E said, after his dad had left, that we'll just use the time to get the van fixed, return and exchange the well pump, and get the few other things we need to pick up for the well.

I think we might also swing by Jo-Ann's fabrics so that I can get my Mother's Day gift - most likely something cross stitch related.....I had asked for a garden hose and spray nozzle with multiple settings but he scoffed at that idea and said that wasn't a Mother's Day gift - so I guess I'll do the expected thing and get something that's either crafty, feminine, useless, and totally a waste of money - but I really want a garden hose.

and a rubber mallet to knock some sense into hubby.

I really need to head outside and get the barn cleaned out and get some chicken pens fixed up - the neighbor that had moved gave us his old chicken housing and we're re-vamping them into simple and small chicken pens to house pairs/trios of large fowl or small bantam breed flocks.

So far, only thing accomplished today is getting some of DD's school work turned in.

sigh.

oh - the well guy IS out there, finishing up our well!!! eeeeeeekkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Javamama]

May I share in your joy about the sitter? I got one too First time we have had one in at least 3 years. DH said he just wanted to take me out for dinner because we never get any time alone.
Hey, tell your DH not to knock practical gifts - I was asking for a tiller until our lawnmower broke and the repair ate the money. So now it's a cast iron pan - but not to hit anyone with

 

[Henrietta23]

I got Muck boots for my birthday one year! I think a nice hose and sprayer would be awesome!

 

[Wifezilla]

I am asking for bags of dirt for my mother's day present...LOL

 

[keljonma]

I think a sprinkler & hose are a wonderful Mother's Day present! The whole idea *should* be - what does Mama want?

I got my present from TR already - a couple of cute Bee shirts -

http://bee-tees.com/

I got one in white:
Bee
inspired

and one in lavender
Bee
lieve

 

[Ohioann]

Quail, I thought about you last night. I was at Rogers Auction and someone had brought in 25 hatchery boxes of chicks!!!Two were ducks and the rest were chicks. Each box had 85-120 chicks so there were over 2000 chicks. They started out at around 80 cents a chick and you took the whole box, then you had to take several boxes but all last 6 or 8 boxes went to one person for 10 cents a chick. Knew if you were in the audience you would be very tempted!!!! I took in Buckeye, Welsummer chicks and Midget White turkey poults and they soild OK but when I first saw all those hatchery boxes I thought "Oh NO there goes the prices!!! but it wasn't too bad.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

2,000 chicks?!

I would like to say, uh, nope, wouldn't be tempted....because I thought 200 chicks was just waaaaaaaaaay too many peepers...and I'm ready for the chicks I still have to be grown and laying.

then again, at 10 cents a chick, that would have been tempting knowing that they could have been re-sold at Mt. Hope next weekend for $1 and still be making profit

You might be able to tempt me, though, with Welsummer chicks....I could use some new blood in my Welsummer flock.....

E and I spent the whole day up to about 5 pm kid free!! we weren't sure what to do with ourselves!

we returned the well pump to TSC this morning, and plan to pick up the correct pump on Monday. Then we went off to Lowe's and bought most of the things we'll need to hook up the pump. Browsed through their garden section, too, but didn't buy anything there.

We also looked at bathroom cabinets, sinks, and a standing shower. I told E I think that having the well is a great excuse to re-do the bathroom I realize remodeling is not cheap, but I've never in my life remodeled even one room - so I am pulling out the selfish "I'm entitled" card and to heck with what anyone else thinks!

We were talking about using things in the trailer that we can move and reuse in a regular home later.

Did you know that Lowe's sells books that have nothing but different homes and their layouts in them? you can then order the plans for the home you want to build.

Well, no way am I going to spend $300+ for home plans - but we did spend the $8 to buy the book...and we've been browsing through it and gleaning some ideas for when we're ready to build our own home.

I think the idea will be to build ourselves, as we can afford to. No bank loans, no contractors, and who cares if it takes us 10 years to do - worth it if we don't have a house payment.

Well, my mom brought kids back and we were telling her how excited we are to be hooking up water soon. Then I showed her the home book and we were telling her our ideas about building, etc.

She then asks us, "well, if you're going to build a home, why hook up water to this home?"

I was a bit miffed at her for thinking we should continue to haul our water just because we have no plans to live in this trailer forever.

Anyway, we're all eating a late dinner now, and after the kiddos go to bed - and after Nascar is over - we're going to unwind with a couple movies we rented.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!