Nodin's Nest

Another Fish Tale

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:47:00 +0000

I know they may be hard to see, but our Molly had babies! If you look close you can see the tiny fry in these photos. There are about fifteen altogether. Not sure if they will make it, some will be eaten unfortunately. If they did all survive every time, we would run out of tank space fast! So we will let nature take it's course and see.

New Aquarium for our Florida Fish

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:30:00 +0000

Our ditch fish are getting new digs! We have been busy setting up a 29 gallon tank for them. It's quiet an improvement over the little 2 gallon they have been in. Right now we are waiting for the water to cycle and establish some good bacteria. There are some live plants, a few snails and a couple of common mollies in it for now.

So far all is well and we will add the others in a week or two. On our last net dipping we caught two sailfin mollies and a flag fish. We still have the 10 gallon tank with the pet store fish, but my son is obsessed with the ditch fish we found and wants to keep going to see what else we can discover. Florida has quite an array of critters in our ditches and canals. Not to mention a few not so friendly guys too, but we are steering clear of them!

Easter 2013

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 18:31:00 +0000

Spring is here! Happy Easter to everyone!

Hope you can all go outside and get some sunshine.

Pillow Pet?

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 19:38:00 +0000

Our Desi is a pillow pet of a different variety! This is her newest sleeping spot, inside the pillowcase on my son's bed. Not sure why I even give him pillows, he never uses them. Just more linens to wash.

It's been a rough couple of months around our house. Between five weeks of bouncing "the plague" back and forth between us and me hobbling around for two weeks after a cat attack to my ankle, there's been a whole lot healing going on.

With any luck the grey clouds are clearing and it's all sunshine and smiles from now on. Happy Spring to you all!

Mushroom Magnets

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:16:00 +0000

Fun, Funky Mushroom Magnets are new in my Etsy shop.

They are made from vintage fabric and are mounted on card stock.

Add a little fun to your fridge!

It Was Not To Be

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:47:00 +0000

Even though I had hoped with all my heart that this Clara was healthy and would be with us for many long years, it was not to be so. Of all things, she developed megaesophagus to due PRAA, a condition that is rare in cats. She did manage to grow to four months old but only weighed 2.5 pounds.

I consulted with a surgeon to possibly repair the problem, but she was too small.

He wanted her to be 4-5 pounds. However this last week, no matter what I tried to feed her, she could not swallow and was loosing weight rapidly. She was no longer a candidate for surgery, so with a heavy heart, I euthanized her.

We miss her little face. Of all the orphans that I have bottle fed over the years, she was by far the sweetest. She just couldn't grow up. Sometimes when a mother cat abandons her kitten, there is a good reason. At least she was loved during her short time here with us.

Our Backyard Hawk

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:19:00 +0000

I think I was interrupting his dinner.

He seemed annoyed with the timing of my photo opt :)

Coupon Code for A+ Math Curriculum

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:04:00 +0000

It's not often I enter contests let alone win anything, however back in December I signed up for chance to win an online math curriculum for my son. Low and behold, I was one of the winners!

As a result, my son now has a great year of math ahead of him compliments of A+ Multi-Sensory Interactive MATH Curriculum.

While this is not a review of their product (we haven't started yet, I'll let you know later what I thought), I do want to pass along a 50% off coupon code they have at the moment.
The coupon code is SPOFFER50. The coupon code expires March 31st 2013.

Here's a little info from their site:

The goal of the A+ TutorSoft is to help students of all ability and grade levels reach their educational potential by offering expert instruction that is engaging, easy to follow and easily accessible. Using a proprietary learning platform that combines voice, visual and text-based instructions, we make learning MATH easy. Centered on the proven methodology of a test-grade-review cycle, A+ TutorSoft's instructional platform delivers personal, highly-effective, and expert instructions.

So if your looking for a math curriculum, check them out.

New Tires Come With Pygmy Goats

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:35:00 +0000

Taking our car into the shop for anything even a routine service, is always a nightmare for us. Not only do they always find more things to be fixed but since I have no way to drop off and come back for the car, we always end up waiting an eternity for it to be ready to go.

Last Wednesday was no different. The car needed new rear tires, brakes and an oil change. We arrived just before noon and as soon as we got out of the car, we hear these pitiful cries coming from the parking lot. There across the lot, on the grass, in a large kennel was a baby pygmy goat.

Now we have been going to this same mechanic for years and they know us there. The owner sometimes has his dogs with him, and they stay in the kennel. He knows that I work with animals and we talk about his sometimes. He brought the baby goat there that day, so his daughter could work with it after school. She was in a 4-H club this year.

The goats name was Sophie and she was just bleating her little heart out trying to get my son to come over to her. The little girl that raised her was about my son's age and the goat was lonely in the kennel for attention, so he went and sat with her.

Four hours of goat sitting goes by and my son has been entertaining this little goat the best he can. Every time he tries to leave, she starts crying and jumping and kicking at the kennel fence. It also had been raining some and the goat was digging up the mud and getting her white coat all dirty.

Finally the little girl arrives after school. My son helped her get the goat's harness on and practice walking her. Apparently she was also supposed to show the goat for the first time that night at a 4-H meeting. Since Sophie was now all muddy, they decide that she must have a bath.

Sophie had never had a bath yet and the girl did not know what to do. Her dad suggests that she tie her to an empty car lift and get started with the hose. My son decided I needed to help and tells her "My mom can take care of any animal!" Dogs, cats, yes and even a bird or two, but never have I bathed a goat.

So I tried to instruct them both from safe distance on what to do. However after a few minutes it was obvious that they were getting a bath and not the goat. As expected, I stepped in to help. Now I'm somewhat tall and this is a very small goat. Without a table to put it up on, I had no option but to get down on the ground and hold on.

It was only a matter of time before the children were watching me and I was doing the work. The goat got a bath, mom got very wet and the entire staff at the auto garage got a good laugh watching the crazy lady wash a goat, in the auto shop, tied to a car lift.

The little girl was thrilled her goat was white again and was suddenly filled with questions about raising her. I'm very patience when in comes to children and questions. I homeschool my son after all, questions are my life, but now I'm getting tired. We had been at the garage for five hours, the car was ready to go and so was I.

As politely as a could I suggested she ask her father to get her a book about goats or to go Google some information. She was happy with that answer, whipped out her Kindle and went searching.
We then quickly said goodbye and hit the road!

In all my years owning a car, that was the first time a trip to the mechanic also involved livestock husbandry! I should have asked for a discount. At least my son enjoyed himself, and he still thinks his mom can take care of everything :)

Christmas 2012

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 02:01:00 +0000

Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy Healthy New Year!

It's Fishy Christmas 2012

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:54:00 +0000

It's a fishy theme all around this year! My son's new found infatuation with the aquarium, inspired me to break out the fish this Christmas. Best part is, I already had all these stored away. Almost 30 years ago, I owned a small gift shop and every year I had a different themed tree.

The fish ornaments are made of bamboo and were crafted in The Peoples Republic of China. The tree top is a real blow fish that I bought dried. I painted him, crafted some fancy fins, and named him King Neptune. He was the talk of the shop that year, everyone wanted to buy him but I just couldn't put a price on the king's head :)

The theme that year was Christmas under the sea. The tree also had hand painted sea horses and baskets of pirate treasure. Our tree is too small for all of them so we just went with the fish. Plus with the cats around, it's hard enough to keep the tree safe without dangling baskets of jewels!

Some Old With Some New Fish

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:18:00 +0000

For his recent 8th birthday, all my son wanted was to set up his aquarium again with some new fish.
Great I thought, easy peasy! The fish tank was in the garage and with any luck, everything still worked. It did, saved a few dollars there for sure.

Then it was off to the pet store to find some 10 cent fish. Maybe even a 50 cent fish or two. Ha!
Thirty minutes and $53 later we had eleven new fish. Eleven tiny fish, a bottle of water conditioner and a tiny container of fish food...$53!

All I can say is that I'm sure glad the tank and pump worked and that $6 for a 1/2 inch fish is ridiculous! My son is very happy and determined to make sure they all live a long a healthy life.
They better, because any replacements will be minnows from the canal down the road :)

Thanksgiving 2012

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:49:00 +0000

Happy Turkey Day Everyone!

Clara Too

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:19:00 +0000

Two years ago in November I told you about loosing our Clara kitten. She was just over a year old when she died. We were very sad here for a while, Clara was such a tiny ball fire and fun.

Well, last week we took in another little orphan who just happens to be black and white like Clara.
My son instantly named her Clara Too, but she will most likely just be called Clara. Fortunately this little girl was older and stronger when she was found in a drain pipe.

She's about four weeks old now and I will be starting to wean her off bottle feedings soon. Today she figured out that her tiny litter box is not for playing in or for sleeping in. So no more messy towels to wash I hope!

We don't know for sure yet that she is completely healthy, but so far she is doing quite well. I think she is going to be bigger and fluffier than Clara one, and I don't think she will fool the other cats at all by using the same name ;) She's awfully cute though, don't you think?

Halloween 2012

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:12:00 +0000

My red ninja and a few frightful friends we met along the way on Halloween night!

Wizard or Ninja?

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:03:00 +0000

It's that time again, the great Halloween costume debate. Every year like most children, my son goes back a forth trying to decide on a costume. This year he thinks he's got it down to a Red Ninja (as above) or to go as Harry Potter again this year.

I told him either costume is bound to be very hot walking around. No doubt it will be eighty degrees outside here, as usual Halloween night. At least with the Harry Potter costume, he can take off the cape. It's up to him though, I figure if he gets too hot we can always come home early ;) That would be fine with me, less time means less candy, win,win!

All About Weather Felt Board Set

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:58:00 +0000

I've added a few new felt board sets to my Etsy shop. This one is all about the weather and includes fifteen laminated images backed with Velcro dots that will stick to any felt or flannel board.

I also created new, all cats and all dogs sets. You can find these and many others in my Etsy shop. Thanks for looking!

Games for Writing

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 15:54:00 +0000

It's brilliant, really it is! Thanks to a great book I ordered, I found a fun way to challenge my reluctant writer. The book Games for Writing by Peggy Kaye, has given me dozens of way to engage and encourage my son to write.

Like many boys, he loves a good game and loves to try and bend the rules if he can get away with it. In this book, the author describes a game she calls "Word by Word". You write a story with your child by taking turns adding the next words. The trick is you have to roll dice before each turn to see how many words you can use to continue the story. So you start with a topic and then each take turns expanding the story.

At first my very controlling son refused to play because he didn't want me to change the direction of the story if he didn't have enough words to finish his thought. After a few tries as predicted, he was begging me to let him throw the dice again and use "more" words.

That's all it took (rules meant to be broken) for him to insist on writing. Brilliant I tell you, brilliant!
Half way through the story, we changed to me writing a full sentence and then him. He still threw the dice because he thought it was fun, but in no time we had completed a full page story.

I will be using this game again and again. There are many more examples in this book that will work for all types of children. However, if you have an intense, obsessive boy who likes to win games, give this a try!

*This is not a paid review. I purchased this book on my own and have never been contacted by the author

Florida Christmas Ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:50:00 +0000

I'm adding some new items to my Etsy shop for Christmas this year. I love how these bright pink felt and vintage Lilly Pulitzer fabric ornaments look! They are trimmed with tiny beads and ready to hang.

Great for your cheery South Florida Christmas tree! You can see more ornaments like these in my shop.

Happy Cat

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:56:00 +0000

As you can see, our new addition "Mishka", is making himself quite at home!

In fact, he has become so happy that now he is trying to establish control and is picking fights with our other cats.

His size alone intimidates them, so they usually retreat and no blood is shed. Hopefully this too shall pass, otherwise I may have to separate him.

I really don't want to do this because the only room to put him in, is my office. Computers and cats are not usually a good mix, especially ones with super long hair :(

Fibonacci ala Lego

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Classic Fibonacci spiral

My son's Lego Fibonacci spiral. He's having fun with math!

Bullseye (well, almost)!

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:14:00 +0000

It was an Olympic inspired afternoon. Archery caught his eye so a bow and arrow was needed.

I had to do some quick crafting and turned a couple of bamboo garden stakes and some string into a very improvised bow and arrow set.

Up went a target and an archer was born! Best shot of the afternoon was this 9 that actually pierced the paper. He was thrilled and is hooked. Looks like an archery set may be on this year's birthday list.

Summer Fun

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 18:50:00 +0000

I have a client (Joey the Boxer) that we walk everyday. His generous owner lets us use their pool.

My son wanted a face mask to keep water out of his nose and eyes.

He thought he looked like a giant water bug. I tend to agree :)

So he gave up on the face mask. He is still learning to swim, hates to get water in his face though so it's been hard to teach him.

He tried his hand at crawling around the edge of the pool and made it all the way, without getting his head wet (which was his goal).

At least this summer he gets in the water up to his shoulders, which is better than last year!

Colorful Magnet Shapes

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 21:10:00 +0000

These are new in my Etsy shop, a fun set of magnet shapes for your kitchen or office.

They are made from vintage Lilly Pulitzer fabric that are heat laminated on both sides.

I love the bright colors and they make such a cheery way to post your notes to the fridge!

You can find this set and others in my Etsy shop.

Pet Portrait

noreply@blogger.com (DJ) — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 19:56:00 +0000

After a long break from any kind of art or drawing, my son drew this picture of our new cat "Mishka" today. I was so thrilled to see this side of him again, I just had to post it for you!

I worried that his creative side was fading away. As you can see, I had nothing to worry about. Mommy is so very happy!