Gone Organic....I think

About a month ago I was reading a friend's blog and she was talking about organic produce. She joined a buying club (Annie's Organic) and distributes discounted organic produce locally! It sounded good - no sign up fees & no commitment. The pics looked good. So, the TLH Huffs are giving it a shot. Leonard & I are always talking about eating healthier and we do keep fresh fruits and veggies around for the girls.

Today we picked up our first half share of organic produce. It included strawberries, bananas, red seedless grapes, oranges, flavor granade pluots (plum & apricot mixed), jumbo yellow onions, zucchini, tomatoes, baby spinach, broccoli, curly kale, & hass avocados. We're starting off with the half share bi-weekly for now. But the girls have already devoured a good portion of the fruit and Leonard is cooking up most of the veggies tonight in a quiche. So, we will probably be ordering another half share for next week or upgrading to a full share.

We have even turned this into a homeschool assignment for Hannah. She asked why we were buying our food from somebody's house instead of the grocery store. I explained to her that these fruits & veggies were special because they are organic. "What does that mean?" So, Banana will be doing some research and writing an essay on what organic means and why it's beneficial for good health.

Do you buy organic produce? If so, where?

We are still here!

The TLH Huffs are still here! Life has just kept us all so busy the past few months. Summer flew by so fast we didn't get to do so many things we had planned. But "it is what it is." One of my new mantras.

Hannah enjoyed a month with her Grandma in Detroit. I was sad to see her go, but sooo happy that she was able to have some quality time with her Grandma. Unfortunately, my Grandma Dear is not well and now needs 24h care. Hopefully, I will be able to go spend a few days with her next week. Since we are homeschooling again this year, the plan is to go visit at least once a month. It will given my Aunt & Uncle a break and give me some time with My Dear.

Yes, you heard correctly! It is official. The TLH Huffs have truly realized now that the public school system is just NOT for us. Sarah is starting Kindergarten and Hannah the 4th grade.....at HOME! We've been doing "a little of this & a little of that" since Monday. Yet, the official first day is September 6th! We are all excited and making plans for field trips, science projects, and arts/crafts. This week we learned a little about symbols and Florida history. So, the girls each had to draw a symbol for our "school." Will have to scan & post them later.

This week has been a busy busy one. The girls started another season of dance. It is Hannah's 7th & Sarah's 3rd. My Banana is now a member of the company...ABT Prepatory Level. The Performing Arts Center of Tallahassee is one of the two schools certified in the state of Florida. Hannah will be doing 7hrs of instruction a week (in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, & Acro/Tumbling), one hour of assisting a teacher with the little ones a week, and 2hrs of performance rehearsal a week. A busy bee she will be! Sarah is in her last year at the primary level & taking a Ballet/Tap class.

We ALL will be busy. I'll be too busy to tackle those last three courses to finish my BSN degree. New goal is to be done by Fall 2012. Still undecided about Midwifery school. Still patiently awaiting some sign. Well why I'm waiting, I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a contributing writer for a birth blog...The Mahogany Way Birth Cafe. The plan is to write one post a month. I'm really excited about this!

We are all excited about where life is taking us!

HomeSchool Day....at Wild Adventures

The school year is slowing down for TLH Huffs. The girls continue to work daily, but not as much. For the end of the year field trip, Adrienne & I took the girls to Wild Adventures for "HomeSchool Days." The park designates two weeks out of the year for kids who are homeschooled. Admission was reduced and the girls were able to have private tours of the park and animals. The weather was scorching. So, we diverted from the planned iteneraty to hit a couple of water rides! It was Adrienne & her girls first time at the park. We had a great time and looking for to it again in the Fall.

Hannah's HomeSchool Update

I cannot believe that it is April already! Where has the time gone? The girls have been staying busy with all their activities....especially Hannah Banana! Her annual end of the year dance recital is approaching. We got a sneak peak at the costumes last week...very interesting. I am in love with her ballet one. She is in love with her jazz one. And we both are questioning the hip-hop one. Stay tuned for pics!

She has decided that she definitely wants to audition for the Company. Auditions are on the 19th! I think this audition will either "make or break" her dream of being a dancer. She is loosing interest. Leonard is willing to let her just stop. I was thinking, "what if Alicia Keys' mom just let her stop when she just got a little discouraged at 8yrs of age?" I only wish my mom was firm with me and didn't let me give up playing the piano or clarinet...I was actually pretty good...not to toot my own horn! ;)

She has actually become quite interested in science and health. Hmmmm....wonder where she gets that from? The Jr Museum has an exhibit on the history of health care in Florida. We both learned ALOT! I was quite pleased with all the information that they had about African-American midwives in Florida....a little passion of my own! Hannah has already began planning her own home births. She asked me why didn't I have my babies at home?!? For a moment I thought I was rearing a midwife, but she quickly shattered that for me. She has declared that she is going to Engineering School! She sooo didn't get that from me! :)

HomeSchooling has been pretty amazing and we are still enjoying it. We have been blessed to have friends that are enjoying the same journey. In February, Adrienne and I took the girls to FAMU's campus to visit the Black Archives. It was an amazing experience. I broke the rules and pulled out the camera. In all honesty, I didn't know that I couldn't take pictures. Yet, I got a few in before Adrienne pointed out the sign.

We are looking forward to the Spring's warm weather and new adventures! Shot out to Melody...thanks for the on-line resources!

Sarah's HomeSchool Update

It is finally Spring! The weather is warm and the girls are loving it. We had a setback this week with all the raining and flooding, but today the sun is shinning! Next Sunday is Easter and we have tons of crafts and reading planned for this upcoming week.

Sarah is no longer attending the "Critter Class" at the Jr Museum. Enrollment really picks up in the Spring and we missed out on a spot. Oh, well! We still have our membership and enjoy checking up on the animals and all the new exhibits.

At her last class, she learned all about turtles and rabbits. She really liked examining everything with the magnifying glass. At home we are still working on her phonics. She mastered letter recognition and has moved on to letter sounds. Hooray for Hooked on Phonics! She can easily start up the computer games all by herself and maneuver through them with little assistance.

Her greatest achievement is learning to spell her name....not just Sarah, but Sarah Huff! She is even trying to write it! Go, Sarah Frances! We are loving the chalkboard walk. She practice writing whenever she likes without killing a tree! It's all about being green. :)

February HomeSchool Update

OK...I really truly cannot believe that it is already February. We are officially over 5mos into homeschooling. I feel like a tape recorder...but honesty, we are enjoying it & having tons of fun! Our dinning room continues to grow into our "classroom" daily. Even though, I have already learned that the world is our new classroom. I finally tackled the infamous "chalkboard wall." And I must say that it looks darn good! The girls are loving it!

It wasn't hard to do at all. It took 3 coats and less than 30min to dry....hung up a boarder...and the girls were off!
I'm actually quite proud of myself! No applause, please :)

February is the shortest month of the year, but we've got it jammed packed with activities. Sarah has officially been moved up in her creative dance and will begin ballet & tap tomorrow....no more Mommy & Me :( Hannah is preparing for her end of the year dance recital and excited about seeing the Alvin Ailey Company later this month. Most importantly, we are enjoying one another and leaning more and more about one another. This is precious time that Leonard & I will never be able to have again with our girls!

Florida's Endagered Animals...by Hannah

Yesterday we went to the Jr Museum. We learned about endangered animals in Florida. We saw a gopher tortoise and an Indigo snake. The tortoise is endangered because people are destroying their habitats. A habitat is its home. The Gopher tortoise burrows into soft sand. Its burrow provides shelter for other animals like the Indigo snakes. People are shooting animals and running them over with their cars & bikes. My friends, Trinity & Kennedy, and I are doing projects on endangered animals in Florida. I am doing mine on the Whooping Crane. Trinity is doing the Manatee and Kennedy is doing the Florida Panther. Love, Hannah

Sarah's HomeSchool Update!

Hannah isn't the only one learning at home this year. Yes, Sarah has been eager to read on her own! We conquered vowels a few months ago, but that has not quenched her thirst to read at all. So, Mommy invested in Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read for Pre-K.

I used Hooked on Phonics with Hannah in Kindergarten and loved how the program encourages reading in a fun way. Sarah quickly picked up how to play the computer games. She was a little bothered initially because she has never used my lap top before and was not familiar with the mouse. Yet, she quickly picked that up too! :)

She tackled the letters A - D. Honestly, she breezed through the letters A - D. She was extremely proud of herself and didn't want to stop "playing." Learning can truly be fun, exciting, and rewarding. It has been rewarding to me to watch my girls learn!

So, she will play the A-D games again tomorrow. And if she does well, will be rewarded with her first sticker on her reading chart!

December HomeSchool Update

The Fall of 2008 has come and gone. We are four months into our HomeSchool adventure now. The girls continue to thrive and enjoy being home. We all have learned alot through this great experience. Most importantly, the girls have a desire to learn! The primary focus these past few months has been reading and math. With the new year approaching and cooler days, I think that we will be spending more time outside and incorporating more Science. There are so many resources here in North Florida. One is the St Marks Wildlife Refuge. It is a favorite of Leonard's. He tries to get out there every chance he gets. He loves bird watching and fishing. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to venture out with him in years! Well, I was blessed with another Friday night off this week. So, on Saturday morning we all drove down to St Marks for one of their Families in Nature educational programs. The focus this month was on the Whooping Cranes. The girls learned about their migration here in an attempt to save them. Leonard says that there are only 70 left in the wild. Hannah made a "pizza" with all the toppings that a Whooping Crane would enjoy. Leonard was able to pull out his new binoculars that he received for Christmas and the weather was awesome (mid 70s)! The volunteers at the Refuge are awesome. They shared alot of educational material with me. I also learned that they offer free environmental education programs for children! We have been inspired to venture out into nature with the new year. Stay tuned,

November HomeSchool Update

It's already November...time is flying. I cannot believe it has already been over 2 months since we started off on our homeschool adventure. The dining room remains our classroom for now... even though we have utilized the bed at times! :) The official classroom is still a work in progress. Leonard has installed the shelving in the closet to store ALL the books that we have accumulated. Thanks! Still in search for the "perfect" desk, but have tons of ideas...chalk board walls and magnetic walls and bright colors!

Hannah is still thriving and having fun. I think we have accepted the "unschool" method. The works gets done, but we aren't on a strict time schedule...tons of time to play and adventure out and just learn from life's daily lessons. Her reading improves daily. She started the homeschool book-it program and has set the goal of doing 15minutes of EXTRA reading five days a week! She is doing well with her dance as well. She is going to audition for "Alice in Wonderland" next Friday...say a prayer for her...she can be shy at times.

Sarah is approaching her third birthday (Dec 9th) and eager to learn! We are working on letter and number recognition and vowel sounds. She is doing well with colors, shapes, and puzzles! Her vocabulary is well above average and she surprises us daily with her new words.

Stay tuned,

Jr Museum 11/3/2008

Fall is in the air! Had to pull out the jackets this morning. Met up with Adreinne and Stacy at the museum today. This was Adrienne's first time out with us since school started. She accompanied the older girls while they attended their homeschool class for the month. The animal of the week for "critter class" was the deer. Unfortunately, we were not able to get a look at the deer in the park, but the kids enjoyed themselves anyway. Sarah really enjoys this class. However, Mommy not feelin the cold weather to come so much ! Tanashia

Living or Nonliving

Nonliving....bike


Living...Tiger (animal)

Living...Sarah (person)

Living....grass

Nonliving....chalk

Nonliving....shadow

The difference between living and nonliving things...living things need water, air, sun light, and nutrients to grow. Living things can also make other things like themselves. Yesterday, I used my Mom's camera to take pictures of nonliving and living things outside. Hannah

Hannah's Homeschool Update!

I went to the museum on Monday and we learned about skunks, owls, and bats. Skunks spray people for protection. Owls can turn their head "around and around." Bats come out in the night time.

Homeschool is fun! It's just like school and I have to do hard work. I enjoy being home with my family and we get to go to fun places.

Hannah

Gator Day at the Museum and More!

Today was the first Monday that Trinity and Kennedy (Adrienne's girls) accompanied us to the Museum. They hung out with Hannah, Sarah, and a group of toddlers for "Critter" class. The girls were very well behaved....the teacher even commented on it. The animal of the day was the gator...even though she also talked about other reptiles. The girls were able to see a one year old gator up close...but NO touching. I think the gator was more afraid of us! After Critter time, we ventured out into areas of the museum that we had not seen. The girls spent some time on one of the old train cars and pretended to be passengers. We then came across the African-American history area...an old school house, church, plantation home, and a slave home. The girls were amazed! We spent alot of time in the church...Hannah and Kennedy took turns "preaching" from the pulpit. Trinity led worship service from the piano and Sarah sang from the choir stand. One of the other moms even came in because she could hear the girls from outside. She was very entertained! The girls have some knowledge of slavery. Hannah has an American Girl doll name Addy who is a slave who runs away with her mom to freedom. Hannah was able to point the similarities between the exhibit and the story of Addy. She still doesn't understand the "why" of slavery, but is showing interest in learning - and that's what's important! Today is Leonard's birthday. Unfortunately, we wont be able to do anything much to celebrate today. But I've planned an awesome Monday Night Football party for him next Monday...stay tuned! Tanashia

Day # 10...

Day #10....and going well! Headed out to the Tallahassee Jr Museum for Sarah's "critter" class this morning. Hannah accompanied us because her homeschool group only meets once a month. The theme for the day was the fox! Hannah ran around with a group of toddlers as they learned about foxes. She took some really good pics too...see slide show on left hand side. We were able to see two foxes who were asleep in a tree. Afterwards, we walked around and observed other animals. The girls were really intrigued by the snakes...gross! The keepers had just placed baby mice in their cages for feedings. Waited around to watch them feed, but no takers. Maybe next week....Tanashia

The Native Americans

Today I learned about Native Americans. And I saw how they dressed and killed animals. They killed rabbits for their fur to make clothing. I played with a bow and arrow and shot a wasp. They used the bows and arrows to hunt for animals. We played dress up in Native American clothing. I wore a skirt made of fur and played with dolls. They killed animals to eat their meat and make clothing from their fur. The used the animals' bones as tools too. People from other places came to their country and decided to stay and live there. Native Americans made their homes out of straw grass and weeds, but then learned from the new people how to make them out of wood. The women spent alot of time making baskets. They weaved baskets and then took the fur off coconuts and placed it around the baskets. They used baskets to collect fruit and berries. I had a really good day. And today was my first day of Hip Hop dance. I had a good time and enjoyed my class. :) Hannah