I Bet You've Never Done Somthing This Crazy!

Maybe I was reliving my childhood. I had finished my 4-H leadership training and was working on putting together a 4-H based homeschool co-op. I was in 4-H as a kid and had a wonderful experience. I showed dogs...Alaskan Malamutes. So did my brother and sister. (Yes, we each had our own dog and we even did some sled dog racing but that's for another time.)

Maybe it was because three of the closest women in my life had all had babies in the last six months and I was feeling left out.

Maybe it was because I hadn't done any Christmas shopping and I was trying to figure out the "perfect gift" You know the one, the gift that stands out as the best gift ever!

Jo kept asking if Santa would bring her a puppy for Christmas. Jo has always wanted a dog. Whenever we are in public and she sees a person with a dog she goes over and starts talking to them and petting their dog.

Mr. March had said that we could get a dog after all of the girls were potty trained. Well they had all been potty trained for over two years.

So I got on line and started looking at puppies. I knew exactly what I wanted. A Newfoundland! They are beautiful animals and really good with children.

When I told Mr. March he said "Absolutely Not! They eat a horse a day!"

So back to the drawing board. Note to self dog must be small, very small! So I started looking at Pocket Puppies. You can't get much smaller then that. I'm sure they don't eat a horse a day.

I went a little neurotic looking at pictures of these little guys on the Internet and then trying to find one in my price range.

My mom was starting to get a little irritated with me because the only thing I could talk about was puppies. (Well everyone else was talking about babies. Did I mention I got TWO Nephews this year?)

Then Beth caught me looking at teacup poodles. She was in love. Can you get anymore girly girl then a tiny poodle puppy sitting in a teacup or wearing dress up clothes? These aren't dogs, their the ultimate girly toy!

I fell in love with a long haired mural blue Chihuahua. I had never seen anything quite like him. But when I talked to the breeder he had all ready been sold. Heartbreak!

The day after Thanksgiving my mom gave me a call. A woman in her area had two litters of Chihuahua puppies. Mom wanted to know if I wanted to go have a look. I asked Mr. M. if I could go with my mom to look at these two litters. He rolled his eyes at me, then said to go ahead. That means yes right? It's also understood I'm probably going to come home with one right?

Mom and I drove out to the breeders house. By the time we got there two of the puppies had all ready been sold. There were three left from the original five. I spent time playing with them and met the dams. The sire lived in Portland, Or. so I was not able to meet him. I was very impressed with how friendly the dams were and how comfortable they were with a stranger being around their babies.

I knew it was a little nuts but I decided to get two puppies. One for Jo and one for Beth. They were getting old enough to have a pet of their own and with four girls I figured two would be easier to share.

After purchasing these two puppies we went to Pet Smart to get food, dishes, leashes, collars and all of the other things you need when you have a dog. It was fun to take those two tiny little bundles into the store shopping!

While I was making dog food choices my mom got a call on her cell. She talked for a while and we checked out. In the car she told me that the person who called was another breeder. He had a black, long hair, male Chihuahua for sale. My heart stooped. I wanted a long hair. I tried really hard to be good. I had just bought two puppies I couldn't get another one! Mom smiled and said "Let's just go take a look." (Famous last words)

We drove to the guy's house and he welcomed us inside. The dam and sire were both on site. There were three puppies. The long hair black male and two short hair white females. He was so cute. He could fit in the palm of my hand and was just the tiniest ball of soft fuzzy black hair. It was even curly. He looked a little like the teacup poodle that Beth had fallen in love with. I kept looking at my mom and saying "I can't come home with three! One of the girls will feel left out." My mom being the Fairy Godmother that she loves to be bought two of the puppies. The black male and the smaller white female.

I think I was a little in shock at this point. We drove out to my parents house and got four Christmas boxes. Then we drove back to my house. I thought about each of the four girls, their personality and behavior and the puppies personalities that I had seen so far. I decided which girl would get which puppy.

When we got home I went into the house and had the girls all sit down on the couch. "Santa came early this year girls. I can't hide it from you so your going to get it tonight." I said. The girls were excited, their eyes were twinkling and reflecting the light from Christmas tree we had set up earlier that day. Mr. M, my dad, and my Uncle all stood behind the couch the girls were sitting on. Then I went back to the car. Mom had put each puppy in a box. We carried the boxes into the house and gave each girl her box.

I know that that is the memory I will probably always remember as my favorite Christmas moment. As each of the four girls opened a box with her very own tiny Chihuahua puppy inside. Their eyes lit up, they were grinning from ear to ear, and Mr. M took a VERY BIG BREATH!

He sat on the floor with the girls and gently picked up the puppies taking time to get to know them. In fifteen minutes he was covered in hives from head to foot! (He never told me he was allergic to dogs! He claims he's not that they're not dogs at all.) I have a really amazing husband. We still have all four of the dogs.


I bet you have never done something this crazy or stupid. Here's my Christmas gift to you. The next time you buy something you know your partner is going to freak out about, just smile and say "at least I didn't bring home four Chihuahua puppies!"

Don't forget, they're educational, after all they're a 4-H project!

What's Your Funniest Homeschool Story?

This month for our parent support night we had a writing competition. Moms and Dads were challenged to show off their writing skills and share their funniest homeschool stories. Then they had to present the story to the other parents. Extra points were awarded for the use of props.

I haven't laughed so hard in a looonnnnggg time. One story was entitled "Peace and Quiet" if you homeschool you know just the title was a joke! Another began with the concerns expressed by the four (public schooled) older brothers when they found out their mom was going to homeschool their baby sister. (She is a late in life child and a good fifteen years younger then her sibs) Mom and Dad then proceeded to act out various phone calls from the school. "Mrs. B. your son brought a hunting knife to school and while we know that he didn't intend to use it, he has committed a crime." "Mrs. B. your son was in an altercation and has been suspended" "Mrs. B. your son has been baned from the bus" Ultimately Mrs. B. has decide that she can't do any worse then the Public School did. The stories went on and the laughs continued.

I also got a rare incite into the lives of the parents I educate with. It was so fun to see this side of them. Many shared how the writing project was good for them to experience a writing project from the "student" side again.

Cash prizes were awarded for the first three places. Judging was done by all those in attendance. Each person received one ballot and cast their vote at the end. Congratulations to the winners! Sagemommy took first! To see my contribution...Check back tomorrow.

How to Raise a Hen

One of the writing activities that we do each day is journaling. The March girls all have their own notebooks to write in. There are very few rules. Spelling, punctuation, and grammar are not evaluated in their journals. This is a time to just put thoughts on paper. In the early stages the books are mostly full of pictures. Actually, some of the books are just scribbles. The girls were about two when they got their first journals. Sometimes I would scribe their thoughts for them. A lot of these first journals are just list of words. They eventually became stories over time. Anyway, Jo wrote this piece about how to raise a hen before she got the egg she carried around for a month and a good six weeks before Omelet, Frittata, and Souffle came to live with is. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!

How to Raise a Hen

by Jo March

First you take one egg from a hen. Next you heat the egg but do not cook it. Next you wait for a few days. Next you will have a chicken. Next you take care of the chick. Next you feed it. Next you water it. Next you keep it warm. If your hen is a boy you will use it as an alarm clock. If it is a girl you will have more pets to take care of. So keep your chick healthy and happy. Keep it away from cats and killer dogs and mouse traps. Make sure the chick is safe and warm and healthy and happy. When it is big enough to leave the house or go on a walk or live in the barn you could visit your hen. I hope you take care of your pet.