DIY Ferret Cage

My husband challenged me to find an inexpensive cage if I wanted to buy a ferret. Naturally, I took to craigslist.  I got zero response to inquiries about whether cages were still available, and still, they were going to cost at least $70 (they are about $200 new). Naturally, I took to Pinterest.  There were several bookshelves converted into rat cages, plastic totes converted in hamster homes…. and a picture or two of wire shelves pieced together to make a cage. Well, I happened to have some wire shelves that weren't being used…. sooooooo, one afternoon I got busy, and for the price of cable ties, shelf liner, a litter box, a water bottle, and food dish…. we have ourselves a DIY FERRET CAGE (my favorite kind!!!) I wasn't too good about taking pictures during the construction process, but it was really simple.  Going two across and three high, I used cable ties to build up the shelves.  Most are connected at the corners, but to add climbing platforms I floated some shelves across the width of the cage.   There are three doors.  If you look at the bottom left cube, you can see the main door providing access to the litter box.  which has since been moved to the right side of the bottom level because the little weasel insisted on doing his thing in the right corner.  On the right side of the middle level is another access door.  And the top of the highest level opens on the left side so I can reach down into it.

I used scrap carpet from the basement to line the bottom of the cage.  I cut it to size and burned the edges so they wouldn't fray.  

The water bottle and bowl have been moved.  He was lifting and chewing on the corner of the carpet scrap, but  since moving the litter box to the right side and putting a cardboard box under it, he has stopped that.  

The litter box had to be tied to the cage… the clips did nothing to keep it in place.  The naughty little weasel flipped it up and moved it around the second we put him in his new home!

Because the wire is too harsh on little ferret feet, I found a roll of shelf liner to put on top of each platform, and covered them with fleece that I happened to have a ton of.  

The first shelf I covered I cut strips and tied all three sides through the wires (the fourth side is closed where it folds over the shelf).  Then I got tired and just tied the end, leaving the sides open.  I figured the ferret with find his way inside the felt, and he has… but it hasn't been an issue, and I think he is over it actually.

Knowing how ferrets love to lounge I made these two no-sew hammock type things for him.  He hasn't yet figured them out… it's been a week and he hasn't been in them at all, so I may take another look at reconfiguring them, but he is coming from a tank with no climbing opportunities or hammocks, so we thought maybe he just needs time to figure them out.  The first day or two he didn't even know how to climb the levels of the cage, but he learned quick!

The hammocks were just scraps of fleece.  On one I cut the edges and tied them up together on three sides and tied it to the sides of the cage.  The other was a rectangle I cut holes in the top and looped some long pieces of scrap through to hang from the sides of the cage.

To elevate the cage and add storage I put it on top of an old TV stand we had bought at a garage sale about two and a half years ago for $8.  I used these cable masonry staples to secure the cage.  I put them wherever I easily reach in and hammer it down.  I think I used six of them, spread throughout the bottom of the cage and alternated the direction they go in.  The cage isn't moving, they worked great.

TADAAAAA!!!!

It doesn't look quite like this now.  There has been some rearranging of the cage and adding of some slings and ladders as we've seen how he moves around in there and uses the space.

Here is Jacques in his new home.  

He is named after Brian Jacques (pronounced "Jakes"), author of the Redwall Series.  

Love those books.  A lot.

I didn't want to name him after one of the ferrets in the series because they are always baddies (with two sort-of exceptions).  But now that we've gotten to know our naughty weasel, I should have named him after one of those little villains!

Jacques and his big sister, Daisy, are still getting used to each other… but we are very happy with how introducing the two animals has gone.

And it looks like our newest family member might even make it on to the family Christmas card!

Class Pets

woah…it's been a while.  what can i say? old habits die hard.
lots of unschooling being squeezed into our very busy school year schedule.  i need to get used to the fact that summertime is going to be our time to really bang out our homeschooling.  for now anyway.  while Ol's articulation therapy needs are so intense and we have to follow the public school calendar for his sessions.  He has made such great progress, hopefully we will be able to cut down on the number of sessions he has per week.
anyway….
The reason I have returned to blogger:  I wanted to post a bit about the value of animals in our lives.  I've always loved animals and have always wanted all kinds of pets, but I never really appreciated how much you can get out of having a pet until watching how my kids interact with animals.
In our home we have a 29 gallon community tank that is just awesome!  We actually are hoping to get a larger tank sometime and try some different kinds of fish.

The kids love to pull up chairs to sit and watch the different behaviors of the different fish, and have learned about classification, nocturnal v. diurnal behaviors, diets and eating habits… and yes, even  mortality and death.
They know the responsibilities of maintaining the tank-  feeding (which daddy lets them help with), cleaning, and testing the water. 
We also have a dog.  The kids have learned a ton from her, too- feeding, cleaning, playing and loving.  Such a love fest between the kids and the dog.  It's adorable.  The whole unconditional love thing is my favorite part of my kids having her.

The other day they asked me if the dog has teeth… which prompted a lesson on why mommy insists that they be nice to her. Our dog, a pit bull we found through a rescue organization about a year and half ago, has the patience of a saint and takes quite a bit of love (in the form of abuse) from the boys.  I have said many times, she is not the smartest dog, but she is a good dog!  It may sound crazy but she is proof that pits are amazing family dogs.  I honestly don't think I could trust another kind of dog to have the temperament that she does.  If you want to watch a great documentary check out "Beyond the Myth."  It's on Netflix.  
but I digress…...
My kids have their parent's love of all animals that is for sure.  They love going to 4H fairs to see and learn about cattle, sheep, goats, chicken, and even llamas.  And they are fearless about feeding them right out of their hands!  

We've also made sure to point out and explain to them how animals communicate without words.  Ol definitely gets it.  He understands what we mean when we say to respect the animal who doesn't want to be bothered.  Owen is still young, but he does know to ask both myself and the owner when he meets a dog he wants to pet.
I love the learning opportunities that come from interacting and caring for animals.  I also feel like animals can boost a person's confidence and self esteem too.  I can't wait until the kids are old enough to participate in 4H themselves.  In the meantime, I am pretty excited to be adding a new animal to the family for us to enjoy and learn from.  
My husband challenged me to find a cheap cage, and should I accomplish that, he would agree to buying a ferret.  I did it!  I actually channeled all my DIY energy and scrounged up enough materials around the house to make my own ferret cage.  Now we just have to add the cute little animal.
Here is my finished product… for the sake of Pinterest I will post a DIY instructional later! ;)

Dollar Store Airplanes

Another great time for just a dollar?!

Surely I can't be serious!

I am serious.  And don't call me Shirley.

I picked these foam airplanes up from the dollar store months ago.  They've been sitting in the closet just waiting to be the perfect afternoon filler, so on Sunday I pulled them out for the boys to paint with Daddy while I tried to get some sorting done to change the kids clothes out from summer to fall.

They did a great job painting and patiently waited for their planes to dry, which was conveniently after lunch and naps.

The first words out of Oliver's mouth when he woke up were: "Let's check if the plane is dry to fly in the field."

They were.

We walked down our street to the soccer fields, (don't ask why it's the first time in the two years we've lived here that we've done that... what the heck were we waiting for?!) and the kids had a mostly great time running around and tossing up their planes.

These foam planes weren't exactly state of the art aerodynamic wonders.  They were mostly straight up straight down flyers which got Ol upset a few times...but hey, they were a buck and they were fun enough.  The boys are too young to be getting all fancy and technical with model planes.  But they did have fun, so now we know that they may, in fact, be future airplane hobbyists.

Now that I have a couple of junior pilots on my hands, I found a few more plane making and flying activities for us.  Check them out.

Far Away Family

For the first time in 4 years, my husband took a week off of work that I didn't have to push a kid out for! We spent the week in New Hampshire with his family and did some vacation-y things we don't get to do on our usual weekend visits. We kicked off the visit with a family party in honor of Gramps' 80th birthday. Here are all the Grandchildren:

and the Great Grandchildren:

(and growing!!!!)

THE WHOLE GANG!!!

We don't get to see a lot of these family members, so when we do all get together I love to see how the kids interact.  I'm carefully watching for the day when I don't have to do any re-introduction of the cousins.  Getting there, I think.

We could have it worse.  We are fairly centrally located between New Jersey and New Hampshire where just about all of our family is.  I do have extended family in Ecuador that I wish my kids knew (and that even I knew better, actually), including my Grandmother who left the US to head down there and care for her own parents shortly after Owen was born.  And thanks to Facebook, I am friends with family members I have never even met in Florida and Massachusetts.  

I've taken to Pinterest for ideas on how to keep our far away family closer to home.  Make sure you check it out.  Some of the ideas on there are super cool even if your family is all in one place!

12 Things that Make it OK for my Babies to Grow Up

I hate the idea of my babies getting older and older and not being my babies forever.
I get so sad when I look at them and realize how big they already are.  As handsome as they are becoming, I am sad to see them lose their "baby face."  My gosh it REALLY DOES go by way too fast!  I want them to love me the way they do RIGHT NOW forever and ever and ever.  Letting me hold them and wrapping themselves around me as I scoop them up.  Seeking me for comfort with every hurt feeling or booboo.  Letting me nuzzle and tickle them.
BUT... I have to remind myself that no matter how much I will miss their baby smell and soft skin, there ARE things I am excited to share with them when they are older that I just can't wait for!  (a lot of them have to do with reading.... I guess that's just how I plan to show them the world... well not necessarily this world... you'll see...) I can't wait to:

1. Go to Disney World.  We don't really have to wait for this, but we will.  I want them to be able to really appreciate the magic (and make it worth the money!!!).  I'm kind of a Disney nut and I want to enjoy being there too, so we will wait until they are a bit older for this.  Not too much older, though... I can't wait THAT long!
2. Be cured by Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.  I remember finding Mrs. Piggle Wiggle hilarious when I was in third grade and my teacher would read them to the class as a reward for good behavior.
3. Get lost in the Labyrinth.  I haven't shown them this movie yet because I'm not sure if it would scare them a bit... public opinion seems to be that they are too young for David Bowie's pants bulge situation.  Bowie bulge aside, it is one of my favorite movies from my childhood (okay okay adulthood too).  Side note: this movie came out in theaters on the day I was born... for whatever reason that makes me feel special.
4. Go back in time.  I would love to road trip (train trip?) our way from Maine down to Florida, and visit historic sites to learn and experience American History.
5. Watch the big game.  Whatever sport they end up favoring... for my sake it hopefully won't be football... we are going to have a blast staying up to watch the big game.  Whether it's the Stanley Cup or the World Series, we are going to party and cheer and eat and make some awesome memories!
6. Road trip cross country to visit all the MLB ballparks.  This is a dream of my husband's and mine (the two of us have been to six, including the late great Shea Stadium & the new Citi Field).  It's quite the long shot to say we will get to EVERY one, but you never know.
7. Get lost in the world of Redwall.  I am so eager to read these to them.  To imagine we are woodland animals defending out home and our friends from harm.  I am already looking forward to building a model of Redwall Abbey with them, mapping the long journey to Salamandastron to battle alongside the hilarious Salamandastron Hares and the Noble Badger Lords, replicating battle scenes, and feasting... Oh all the feasting to be done in Redwall.  I'm excited to explore the different dialects and cultures throughout Mossflower, and to experience, over and over, good triumphing over evil.
8. Discover Narnia.  There is a wardrobe just waiting for us to travel through, and oh we will!  I can't wait for my kids to be loved by Aslan and resist the temptations of the White Witch.  And not just The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, we will visit Narnia again and again throughout the entire series, we will even witness it's creation in The Magician's Nephew.
9. Defeat the Nothing.  I loved The Neverending Story (the movie) as a kid, and I loved the book EVEN MORE when I read it as an adult.  As a literature study, we can also read The Book of Lost Things, which is similar and also amazing.
10. Rule the night with the Gargoyles.  I love this series and am so looking forward to watching it with them.  It is a great example of recycled literature with all of its mythological and Shakespearian plots.
11. Travel Middle Earth together.  From Bilbo's first meeting with Gandalf, to Frodo's return to the Shire, and everything in between... I CAN'T WAIT to read these with them!
12. Overhear them one day tell their own kids about what a cool mom I was and all the awesome things I taught them.

This just skims the surface of all the things I am looking forward to doing with these two boys of mine (and any other siblings that join the adventure... just saying... I sure wouldn't mind!), and barely touches on all the books I'd love to read with them!

I wish they could be my little babies forever and I could live in my memories of them... but I'm forever thankful that I will always be their mother, and for all the memories we still have to make.

Kicking off Dinosaur Week

I have 3 tips for all you frugal parents out there: 

1. Find a Savers store.  

2. Go there.  

3. Save a TON of money on toys and games.  

Seriously... a ton!  We have gotten floor puzzles, board games, a Thomas the Train counting game, a Thomas the Train alphabet game, a cash register (which was about $40 at Lakeshore Learning), foam blocks (about $30 at Lakeshore), and more.  Each thing was somewhere from $1.99-$3.99.

*************************

We kicked off our Dinosaur Unit on Monday with a floor puzzle.

He is so good at puzzles.  He really blows me away.

Continuing with the Handwriting Without Tears order, we moved onto letter E.  After doing our letter E and number 3 do-a-dot pages, we used our homemade dot dabbers to paint some dinosaur coloring pages.

I have been wanting to get the kids some lap desks, but cheap-o me refuses to spend $9 a piece on those things, so we used some produce boxes from BJs as mini floor desks.  If the boxes look familiar to you it's because we used them for our Touch Painting project.  

It worked quite well- it provides a large work area, and they can tuck their legs underneath. 

 (I'm thinking some DIY, upcycle project is on the way!)  

This very simple worksheet allowed us to practice some pre-writing skills (making a line from the dinosaur to his food), science (we discussed herbivores and carnivores), and comprehension (he drew a circle around the carnivores and a line under the herbivores).

I found a set of Dinosaur Flashcards at Target for $1.  I put them in a tray with foam alphabet stickers for him to order and sort.  This was fun because we have been singing The Dinosaurs A-Z song from Dinosaur Train.  We have been singing it over. and over. and over. and over.......

I set up this discovery tray and the kids loved it.  Some rocks from the yard, some shiny rocks I swiped from my moms house, magnifying glasses and some "fossils" we made last year in tot-school with some toys and modeling clay.

We seriously have the most patient dog in the world (yup that's a pit bull my boy is examining).  She makes a fool of herself when we take her somewhere or someone comes over and she just can't calm down... but when we are home alone she so cool, calm and collected letting her boys abuse her with love.

She made no objections to being pulled, poked, prodded and magnified.

The next day the boys did some more goofing around with the magnifying glasses.

The plan for our letter activity was to have a picture list of dinosaurs starting with E for him to fill in the first letter of the name... but once again, my printer chooses not to work, soooooooo.....

we used dinosaur stickers to trace the letter E.

Kind of.

For our number of the week (#3) activity, we did a dinosaur stomp, marching around like therapods with their three toes.

I introduced this Dinosaur Name Game to him, in which he was to match dinosaur picture and name cut outs to the proper space on the folder.  He did well with the pictures, and did several of the names before he started to shut down.  We'll try again another day.

Little brother did super well with this peg puzzle.  He did super well with it several times in a row actually.  Here, big bro is teaching him the names of the dinosaurs in the puzzle.

And that is how we kicked off Dinosaur week.  More to come on Thursday.