HODGEPODGE: Home is where the heart is!

A huge shout out this week to Joyce who is FINALLY moving next week! So come join the hodgepodge this week! Click here to join the fun! 

1. Besides your very own house, describe a place where you feel most 'at home'?  On a farm. I grew up visiting our local farms and it's always been a place I've loved. As a child, I took horseback riding lessons every week. I've passed that tradition onto my children so it's a place we tend to visit weekly or whenever we can. Life just feels simpler there - which is ironic because there isn't too much that's simple about farming as far as I can see!

2. When did you last 'hit a home run' with something? Explain. My kids. They are doing so well - they are amazing and I think that where they are concerned, I've hit a homerun. They amaze me every single day. I'm one lucky Mama!

3. Tell us about something you love in your house or kitchen that is 'homemade'. I know a lot of Moms do this, but I display the kid's artwork throughout the house in gallery frames. There are a few scattered throughout the house. Special ones through the years and they definitely make me smile! 

4. 'A man's home is his castle'...which of the world's ten most captivating castles (according to The Travel Channel) would you most like to visit and why-

Mont Saint-Michel (France), Edinburgh Castle (Scotland), Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany), Glamis Castle (Scotland), Windsor Castle (England), Chateu de Chambord (France), Hampton Court Palace (England), Prague Castle (Prague), St. Michael's Mount (England), Leeds Castle (England), and Swallow's Nest (Ukraine) I think Prague Castle is amazing, I would love to see it and honestly, when will I really have a chance to visit the Czech Republic? When I was a kid, I loved INXS and the video Never Tear Us Apart was filmed before the wall came down in the late 80s. I guess I've been fascinated since then. Weird what you remember. 

5. What's a recent or upcoming plan or project that's required you do a little homework before getting started? Did the homework cause you to abandon your plan or adjust it in some way? We haven't done too many house projects lately. This Summer, I expanded my garden a bit and made sure to get the appropriate soil and crop rotation before planting. It was a success! In fact, I pulled it ALL just yesterday - and my flowers were still blooming! But, with temperatures dipping into the 40s during the day, it's just a matter of time before Jack Frost hits the area. I'd rather do it manually! 

6. In your opinion, is homework an unnecessary evil or a valuable practice? Should schools be done with homework? Why or why not? I'm on the fence. I think homework in moderation is a great way to reinforce concepts, study for tests and yes, work on projects. When kids come home, stressed from projects or have to skip out on sports or activities in favor of homework? I don't think that's right. With the average school day 7.5 hours, I think they are working a lot there. I do like the idea that a child should receive 10 minutes of homework for the grade in school they are in. For example, 1st grade = 10 minutes, etc. Read the NEA article here. 

7. Share a favorite memory of your childhood hometown. I grew up in Belchertown, Massachusetts, in the western area of the state. In the summer, my Mom would take me to the library every week. It was really old, it smelled like books and the librarians were MEAN. They hushed little kids and gave you the stink eye if you weren't quietly reading. But, I LOVED it there. I loved the smells and the books and discovering the new books. By the time I was a little older, the librarians knew me by name and even smiled at me!

8. Insert your own random thought here: So in that INXS song I referenced above, there's a lyric: "I'll make wine from your tears"...but I always sang it as, "I'll make quiet farm-a-tears!" Told you I've always loved my farms!

Rock on friends!