This has been a very interesting week. We had to get through our bookwork by lunch every day, because the afternoons were full of other jobs that needed to be done.

You saw last week that we slaughtered a sheep. Normally, we would do this on a Sunday, work hard for about six hours, and have all the meat in the freezer. But Doug has felt very strongly of late that we are too wasteful. So we decided to alter our butchering method a bit. We also decided to split it up over a few days.

What does this have to do with homeschooling? Well, um, everything! More than book knowledge, our children need to know how to pitch in and work as a team, provide food for their family, use everything without wasting, use knives and equipment properly. Homeschooling is a way of life, so if history has to wait till after dinner, that’s okay.

First, some pics of deboning the sheep. This sheep had a good amount of meat, for which we are grateful. Naomi and Holly have both been begging for months to be allowed to help with butchering. I wouldn’t allow them, because deboning is difficult and it is easy to cut yourself. But then I realized that they could cut up the meat once it was off the bone. So two very eager girls sat down at their own cutting boards and began cubing the meat. They kept at it like troopers for two hours. I was amazed at their speed and their endurance.

Isaac was given the title of “bone boy.” He had the very important duty of putting the bones into our big stockpot to be cooked down into broth. Here you can see some of the cubed meat, bagged and ready to be seasoned and stuffed into casings.

We also did another great activity that crossed curricular lines. Love that! This project could fit into homemaking skills, Ancient Egypt, Hebrew life, and botany. How about that?

It all started with an abundance of cattails growing in our pond. The kids were desperate to find something to do with them, since there were so many. We talked about how the ancient Hebrews used looms to weave their own fabric. Immediately the kids wondered if they also wove baskets. Well, you can see where this is going. We decided to use our cattail reeds to make baskets. I will let the pictures tell the story.

That’s not a basket! I know, I know. When I tried to start weaving up the sides, I realized I was in over my head, so we decided to make mats instead. The one pictured above is Holly’s.

What I learned this week:

• The best laid plans of mice and men……yada yada. Things don’t always go the way we planned.
• Bedtime should be strictly observed. (Mommy’s bedtime, that is.)
• You can put lung in jerky and it will still taste great.
• My daughter, Holly is a great artist.
• High speed internet would still be very nice.

Shabbat Shalom to everyone! Have a wonderful rest.