tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87194992558048218892024-02-21T06:52:44.516-06:00Smooth Stones AcademyJenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.comBlogger256125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-38501141580250960702012-01-08T06:00:00.000-06:002012-01-08T16:56:15.485-06:00One Little Phrase Broken Down - Part Three: Make Time to Play<div style="text-align: justify;">
The third part of my "One Little Phrase" for 2012 is <span style="background-color: white; color: #990000; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 27px; line-height: 31px; text-align: center;">Make Time to Play. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Why? I am a worker bee. I never stop. Even when my body stops moving my mind never does. I am happy doing and always have been, even as a child. MTV aired when I was nine; as it grew in popularity I never understood how my friends could sit on the couch and just stare at a glowing box for hours on end. (Sidenote: Chris Van Allsburg's book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wretched-Stone-Chris-Van-Allsburg/dp/0395533074/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326062854&sr=8-1">The Wretched Stone</a>, is a must read if you want a fun way to help your kids see the value of art, music and story telling vs. looking at "the wretched stone". Don't tell them what the "wretched stone" is though. Let them guess!) I wanted to be doing something active, even if it was mental activity like reading, which it usually was. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Parts of that are good. I love to learn and grow and create. I get a lot done by most people's standards. But there's a down side. </span></div>
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<i>And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.</i> ~ Genesis 2:2 </blockquote>
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If we are created in His image, and we are, then we are created to rest. To have down time. To play. To sabbath. I don't do that so well. There is a time to work and a time to play and for me it's often out of proportion. I want to be intentional this year about playing and having a bit more fun. </div>
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Fun, of course, can and does look different for each of us. Documentaries are fun for me (not scary and/or sad ones though). Sitting in a coffee shop reading a book by myself is fun - wild, hysterical fun depending on the week I have had sometimes! I am letting my inner geek pop out here, aren't I? But I am not (mainly) talking about this kind of fun. </div>
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I want some frivolous fun, too. I have a precious group of girlfriends with whom I laugh so hard my cheeks almost always hurt after an evening together. We get serious. We get silly. And sometimes we switch back and forth minute by minute. I <strike>want</strike> need regular time with these girls. They are so life-giving for me. </div>
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I want to have silly fun more often with my boys. Our school days are typically so long; when we are not in school I am trying to clean or cook or plan for more school. We need trips to the park where there is no agenda. No spotting local birds or identifying flowers. We just need time to sit and run and chase see how high they can swing to discover if their toes really can touch the sky. (A question my Beckett recently asked.) Trips to places they want to go, places I sometimes think are silly and a waste of money. Now I am letting my inner cheapskate show! </div>
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And I want more time with dh. More dates. More time to chat and visit. He truly is my best friend, and I enjoy his company so very much. With our busy schedules and us being such independent people we have to work had to stay connected to each other...and not just talk about what needs to be done or the kids or schooling. We have done better in this area for sure but there is room for growth. </div>
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To make this a reality I am going to need to let some things go. The house may not get picked up one night so we can go see a dollar movie after dinner. School may start late one day so we have a fun breakfast out. I am okay with that; I really am. I just need to be intentional about setting times to play because it is <b>so</b> not my default and I will pack my days with projects and work and getting it all done. </div>
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I have nothing official I have done towards this goal. I can tell you things I want to do. First I need to make a list of 25 silly things I can do with my boys and put it in my Home Manager Notebook. I can't think of this stuff on the fly (sad, I know). I need to think of some silly things I can do with girlfriends, too. Over the holidays I had a group of girls over to share munchies and watch a Christmas movie. That could be a monthly event possibly. I want to think of things that typically don't involve spending much money (sometimes that's okay) or eating out and high calorie foods. Any ideas you can share with me? I would love some help in this area! </div>
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<br /></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-28197163085250353052012-01-04T06:00:00.000-06:002012-01-04T07:38:22.733-06:00One Little Phrase Broken Down - Part Two: BeautifyIn my ongoing posts about my "One Little Phrase" for 2012, the second word I chose for this year was <span style="background-color: white; color: #990000; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 27px; line-height: 31px; text-align: center;">Beautify. </span><br />
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This has a two-fold application. First I want to make our home beautiful...or at least start the process. I have no illusions that it will be done in one year! Toward this end I have:<br />
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<li>joined Pinterest and pinned tons of great, simple ideas I want to use in our home.</li>
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<li>started following several decorating blogs. <a href="http://www.thenester.com/">The Nesting Place</a>, <a href="http://theinspiredroom.net/">The Inspired Room</a>, and <a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/">Thrifty Decor Chick</a> are my favorites so far.</li>
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<li>subscribed to two homey type magazines, House Beautiful and Country Living. It was my first Groupon and each was $5 for a full year of magazines. Yea! </li>
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<li>set a goal to complete <a href="http://www.smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-version-of-52-in-52.html">52 home projects in 52 weeks</a>. </li>
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The second application of <span style="background-color: white; color: #990000; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 27px; line-height: 31px; text-align: center;">Beautify </span>is to focus on my health. Healthy body = beautiful body. I am not talking about being a size 0, learning new ways to do my hair and buying cute clothes. I am talking about focusing on the inside as much as the outside. I need to be working out every single day (40 is quickly approaching this summer - eek!), eating the way I feed my kids, sleeping more, drinking more water, taking my vitamins and taking time to make my health needs a priority in the day. It's not just about shedding pounds that have crept on, although I am committed to making that happen, it's about getting healthy so I can be the wife and mom I need to be and that God has called me to be. </div>
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It's also about staying spiritually healthy as well. I want to continue being in the word regularly and deeply. 2011 was a wonderful year in that regard and I plan, by His grace, to continue. </div>
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<i>But let you adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.</i> ~1 Peter 3:4</blockquote>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-14605654716898989282012-01-02T06:00:00.000-06:002012-01-02T11:34:34.281-06:00One Little Phrase Broken Down - Part One: Simplify<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2012/01/happy-new-year-2012.html">Yesterday</a> I shared my "One Little Phrase" for 2012: </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 31px;"><span style="color: #990000;">Simplify, Beautify, Make Time to Play, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 31px;"><span style="color: #990000;">Laugh More, Cherish Every Moment</span></span></div>
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For the next few posts I wanted to "walk" through each part of my phrase. Mostly so I can better internalize these words and really own them. A bit for accountability. An even smaller bit that someone might even benefit from my journey.<br />
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First I chose <span style="background-color: white; color: #990000; font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 27px; line-height: 31px; text-align: center;">Simplify. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Why?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Because I need to prepare for this next 18 months to be demanding (mostly emotionally) as dh begins working on his dissertation. I will need to carry more at home to free him up to write in the evenings and on the weekends. I will be "single mom" a lot more. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Because I still don't have a handle on what it looks like to homeschool all three of my boys and I haven't really dedicated the time necessary to do it well. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Because I have come to believe that simplicity is a virtue in the increasingly busy world in which we live. The preceding two reasons are what started me thinking about how I needed to simplify my life; I needed to free up not only time but also emotional and mental energy. Yet it has become much more. Life is complicated and</span><span style="background-color: white;"> often </span><span style="background-color: white;">just plain messy.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> In my daily life I see how little boys fight and opposing personalities struggle to show love, sickness enters the picture, a misunderstanding happens in the family, someone needs support during a crisis, a friend needs a listening ear. I cannot control all things (or even most things) but in what I do have control over I want to strive for </span><span style="background-color: white;">simplicity</span><span style="background-color: white;">. That way when the really important stuff comes along, like people and relationships, that by their very nature require time and often massive amounts of emotional energy, I have reserves available. I have found myself in the last few years too often letting the "tyranny of the urgent" rule my days. Too many things just slip in unnoticed and soon life again becomes overwhelming. For example I started Facebook years ago, next came my blog, then joining a homeschool message board, followed by Twitter and now Pinterest. How many social networking things do I really need in my life? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.</i></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">~ Leonardo da Vinci</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>
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<i>Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity. </i><br />
~ Plato<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
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<i>In character, in manner, in style, in all things, </i><br />
<i>the supreme excellence is simplicity.</i> <br />
~ Henry Wadsworth<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
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<i>Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, </i><br />
<i>are not only not indispensable, </i><br />
<i>but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. </i><br />
<i>With respect to luxuries and comforts, </i><br />
<i>the wisest have even lived a more simple and meagre life than the poor.</i><br />
~ Henry David Thoreau<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
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<i>Nothing is more simple than greatness; </i><br />
<i> indeed, </i><i style="background-color: white;">to be simple is to be great.</i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson<span style="background-color: white;"> </span>
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<i>Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English </i><br />
<i>Language, </i><i style="background-color: white;">and yet one that we are culturally cut off </i><br />
<i style="background-color: white;">from understanding and enjoying. </i><i style="background-color: white;">The consumption society </i><br />
<i style="background-color: white;">has made us feel that happiness lies in </i><i style="background-color: white;">having things,</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white;"> </i><i style="background-color: white;">and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.</i><br />
<i>~Elise Boulding </i></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white;">I have already taken a few steps towards this goal. </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">1.</span> In regard too many online commitments (for ME and my time only), I closed my Facebook account. <span style="background-color: white;">I have trimmed down who I follow on Twitter. I have set limits on </span><span style="background-color: white;">Pinterest; it will be my Friday night treat.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">2.</span> I have stepped down from serving in two ministries at our church. As I was reflecting with Dh about how challenging our school year has been, he asked me if I were still teaching public school and found a particular year/class exceedingly demanding would I take steps back in other areas to make sure I could give it 110 percent? Yikes! He is so good at asking just the right questions to make me really stop and think. It was a really hard decision because I adored what I was doing, where I was serving and those with whom I was serving. But this was an example for me of the maxim, "The good is the enemy of the best." For a season "the best" is for me to focus most of my energies in and around our home and homeschooling. </span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">3.</span> I have two books on my wishlist to help me further simplify what we are eating and how I am preparing it. Michael Pollan's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Food-Rules-Eaters-Michael-Pollan/dp/1594203083/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325475498&sr=8-1">Food Rules: An Eater's Manual</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Plenty-Craig-L-Goodwin/dp/1451400748/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I22UUE84PXL3J6&colid=29TUZ6OP0XR3F">Year of Plenty</a> by Craig Goodwin are both on the docket. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">4.</span> I have created a Home Manager Notebook ala Tsh Oxenrider's wonderful book, <a href="http://simplemom.net/my-books/">Organized Simplicity</a>. I read the book over a year ago but resisted creating the notebook because I wanted it to be perfect. Perfection paralyzes. A huge sigh and another quote: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>The perfect is the enemy of good</i>. ~ Voltaire</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">So true. But I am happy to say that I finally pushed through it to create a fun and functional (yet imperfect) Home Manager Notebook. It already has been such a help to me in managing my time and our home more efficiently. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">5.</span> I spent a bit of time each day over the holiday break to get rid of all sorts of junk in our home. I am not a pack rat of any sort but stuff just builds up and I am convinced paper is trying to take over my home! I threw out several bags of junk and set lots of other things aside for a spring garage sale. I also organized one drawer or cabinet each day for the past two weeks. Things look simpler from a purely aesthetic point of view. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">Ahhh....it feels good already. I am sure that lots of other things will come to mind as the year wears on and I will look forward to sharing more in the months to come. I would love to hear how others have simplified as well. Leave me a comment and share. I love learning from you.</span></span></div>
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</i></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-33700639987986460832012-01-01T17:22:00.001-06:002012-01-02T11:21:18.248-06:00Happy New Year 2012!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today, of course, marks the start of a new year. I love new beginnings. I really, really do. A new year means a chance to evaluate the old and start fresh with the new: new ideas, new goals, new inspiration. But what makes today different than yesterday? Nothing much, really. Still I love the chance to start over, even if today doesn't look much different than yesterday - except that little number "2" on the calendar. </div>
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I have always loved how Heidi at <a href="http://mthopeacademy.blogspot.com/">Mt. Hope Chronicles</a> chooses <a href="http://mthopeacademy.blogspot.com/search/label/One%20Little%20Word">"One Little Word"</a> word to define her upcoming year. This word sets the tone for your year; a word to act as a filter to the goals we set, the decisions we make and the ways we choose to spend our time and energies.<a href="http://aliedwards.com/"> Ali Edwards</a> started <a href="http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/onelittleword.php">"One Little Word"</a> and she says:</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2006, I began a tradition of choosing one word for myself each January - a word that I can focus on, meditate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. My words have included play, peace, vitality, nurture, light, and story. These words have each become a part of my life in one way or another. They've been imbedded into who I am, and into who I'm becoming. They've been what I've needed (and didn't know I needed). They've helped me to breathe deeper, to see clearer, and to grow.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></blockquote>
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This year I wanted to do something similar, but I couldn't select just one word. Before I tell you what I chose, let me give some context since I have not been blogging regularly. In preparing for 2012 there were a few things to factor into my thinking. First, dh has been working on his doctorate, and this month begins an 18 month season when he will be writing his thesis. I need to be available to carry a heavier load at home during this upcoming time. Second, I mentioned <a href="http://www.smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-version-of-52-in-52.html">a few posts back</a> that this year is the year I want to start decorating my home. I am so excited about this and already have my first few projects lined up. Third, I shared that <a href="http://www.smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2011/11/now-i-get-it.html">I recently came out of a pity party</a> I had been having. Several of you asked me to share what snapped me out of it, and there were several factors: nudgings from the Holy Spirit, a life-giving conversation with dh, and an article at Desiring God I found through a link on my friend Melissa's blog <a href="http://www.atimeforeverything.net/">(A Time for Everything</a>) called <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-as-a-mission-field?md5=5cd7b50d37565f2318bee0dac1a2eec8">"Motherhood as a Mission"</a>. I was absolutely re-inspired to focus on my home as my mission field. Fourth, I recently had an amazing conversation with a mom who reached out to me via email about raising a child with Asperger's. As I wrote to her I had some revelations (that I will write more about soon) that also factored into my choosing of my "One Little Word" which has become "One Little Phrase"! </div>
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So what did I choose? </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #990000;">Simplify,
Beautify, Make Time to Play, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'French Script MT'; font-size: 20pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #990000;">Laugh More, Cherish Every Moment</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Yep, that pretty much sums it up. This phrase will be my "filter" for the upcoming year. I will refer to it regularly and have even typed it at the top of my <a href="http://simplemom.net/daily-docket/">Daily Docke</a><a href="http://simplemom.net/daily-docket/">t</a> to keep it before me each and every day. What are your goals for 2012? Do you have "One Little Word" or "One Little (or not so little) Phrase"? </span></div>
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<br /></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-70413907744199668072011-12-17T15:57:00.003-06:002011-12-17T16:12:34.354-06:00Merry Christmas 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzzoxiDY7GoLNWzMwWDqK7PzYoLJJqmLAd4UrU4fmdLmFufQnVPrdQ996KBlkNDVRSlQ1TF1aX4rvoKU67RaipkBLNKDFFWRNIfgKsAr9G3kPQQC0D7DPmmwLjF5O5Z5guBlMvryOIcx1/s1600/photo.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687219819189691186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvzzoxiDY7GoLNWzMwWDqK7PzYoLJJqmLAd4UrU4fmdLmFufQnVPrdQ996KBlkNDVRSlQ1TF1aX4rvoKU67RaipkBLNKDFFWRNIfgKsAr9G3kPQQC0D7DPmmwLjF5O5Z5guBlMvryOIcx1/s400/photo.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Merry Christmas </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">from Smooth Stones Academy 2011</span></b></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-48039609871303368372011-12-03T21:06:00.005-06:002011-12-03T22:57:24.374-06:00My Version of "52 in 52"<div style="text-align: justify;">On the WTM message boards there are a group of moms who took a challenge to read 52 books in 52 weeks in 2011. Well, I am a reader no doubt yet the thought of reading that many books at this stage in life just didn't seem doable. (I started reading WEM three years ago and I have only read the first two suggested books: <i>Don Quixote</i> and <i>The Pilgrim's Progress.</i>) Still the idea intrigued me. I love projects, deadlines and the accountability of doing it with a group.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am jumping topics here, but I promise to tie it together in the end. We have lived in our current house for eight years. Eight years and we still have white bare walls. There is very little in our house that reflects who we are as a family - our loves, our history, our heritage and values. Just white bare walls. Blech! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now for the past few years I have been saying that there just has not been time. And there is truth in that. One house. Eight years. Four pregnancies. Two babies. Two losses. Lots of therapy for Thatcher. One Asperger diagnosis. Six and one-half years homeschooling. One doctorate (for dh) now half finished. And I could go on and on. But honestly, who couldn't? Life is busy...for everyone. The reality is that now I can carve a little more time now that the boys are older. The key word is *little*. I am certainly not swimming in time here. I posted recently about how busy I feel my days are. Yet it's a different kind of busy than when the boys were little. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am ready to begin doing some things around the house. I spend 90% of my time inside these walls and I want what surrounds me to be beautiful. It doesn't have to be designer or expensive, just a home that reflects our family. Warm colors. Family pictures. Simple decorations (I am not fussy about decor and certainly don't want clutter that just requires more time to dust and/or clean). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But here's the deal - I am an organizer, not a decorator. Organizing comes naturally. Systems and plans and linear thinking are almost effortless and energize me. Being creative and artistic...not so much. That's not to say that I do not enjoy it. I do...when I do it...and it's been a vvveeerrrry long time since I've done any of it. I am rusty. I am not sure how to create the look I really want in my home: collected over time, a bit worn, casual with touches of elegance (out of reach of busy boys ;). I took <a href="http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/decorating/decorating-style-quiz-00000000030420/index.html">this quiz</a> at <i>Real Simple</i> to find out my "decorating personality." And the result was...<br /></div><div><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: justify;">Cozy Casual: You’re about comfort and warmth, favoring warm, traditional rooms made for relaxing with family and friends. Your ideal decor draws on English and early-American furniture designs, as well as laid-back country, cottage, and farmhouse styles. Weathered, low-maintenance furnishings are easy, inviting, and built for daily life. Think golden retrievers, fuzzy slippers, and just about any movie by Nancy Meyers.</blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Yep, that sounds about right. Unfortunately, my organized left brain gravitates towards living room sets where all the pieces match and fireplace mantle decor that is perfectly symmetrical. Sigh, I know what feels like home to me; I just don't know how to create that look in my home.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then I read <a href="http://www.feminagirls.com/2011/11/29/how-do-we-love-thee-let-me-count-some-ways/">this inspiring article</a> at Femina that further motivated me. Just about every single point made in this post struck a cord with me. Here is a bit of a teaser: </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span">A homemaker needs to be a great many things on a shallow level, but if she wants to get deep in some area or another, that simply adds richness to the home. It adds life. It adds love. Think of a few ideas here with me. Interior design, Cooking, Baking , Pastry Chef, Landscape Architecture, Musician, Artist, Event Coordinating, Educator, Accountant, Tailor, Farmer. A woman at home can dabble in almost anything – not wasting her time, but learning her craft</span></blockquote></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So I am finally going to tie this all together. This year in 2012 I am going to do my own 52 in 52 -52 home projects in 52 weeks. I am going to hone a bit of my homemaking craft by using 2012 as the year that I begin turning our lovely house into an even lovelier home. I joined Pinterest and have already started pinning some simple DIY home decor projects and decorating ideas. This will need to be mostly low budget for me as we have not won the lottery or anything. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Would anyone like to join me for this challenge? Each week you can choose any home project you wish. Make candles. Paint a room or a piece of furniture. Fill picture frames with new pictures. <a href="http://dearesthome.blogspot.com/2010/10/easy-wreath.html">Create a homemade wreath </a>. Fill a bare spot on a wall with a bargain (or otherwise) find. Design a new centerpiece for a table in your home. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I know that 52 small projects (and maybe a few not so small ones sprinkled in here and there...kitchen wallpaper, say bye-bye) will not make a decorated home by the end of 2012 but it's a start. It feels challenging yet doable. And I am ready to get started right now!<br /><br /></div><div><div> </div></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-13244201371184441702011-11-27T17:13:00.003-06:002011-11-27T18:03:53.355-06:00Updates<div style="text-align: justify;">Today I spent some time updating my sidebar to reflect what curricula the boys are each currently using. We are using a few new programs this year for the first time: <i>Tapestry of Grace</i> (TOG), <i>Growing with Grammar</i> (GWG), <i>Elemental Science</i> (ES) and <i>Writing with Ease</i> (WWE) being the main ones. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Tapestry</i> has me still in what I have heard called "The Tapestry Fog" and I have not managed to navigate my way out just yet. One of the many strengths of TOG is that it's a buffet. One of its weaknesses is that it's a buffet. ;) It takes time to figure out just how to use this program and for each family it looks a bit different. I have developed a Weekly Planning Page which I am hoping will help me use TOG more effectively. Tomorrow we begin week 16 of school but only week 6 of TOG. Clearly we need to do better here. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Growing With Grammar</i> has been a hit with Haddon. I.just.couldn't.do.FLL.again. ;) I don't know what it is, but FLL wasn't a good fit for us. GWG has been a breath of fresh air. I am more CM in my approach to grammar (delayed start to formal lessons) and have <b>loved</b> JAG and JAG: Mechanics with Thatcher. I plan on taking the same path with Haddon when he gets to 4th and 5th grade, but in the meantime GWG takes five minutes a day or less, is painless and very gentle. Haddon is a workbook kid and loves the satisfaction of a completed page in front of him and I like knowing I am not leaving grammar out completely. With Thatch I had more time to discuss his readings and roll more "informal" or "incidental" grammar into our daily lessons across all subjects. Now that I am schooling all three GWG helps me know I am covering the basics until we get to JAG in a few years. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Writing With Ease</i> has been great. I really wanted a program I could stick with from start to finish and Susan Wise-Bauer has really filled a hole in the world of homeschool curricula in that respect. Haddon has done beautifully in Level 1 and truly enjoys writing each day. Yes, a first grader, not to mention a boy, who adores writing! Wohoo!!! At the start of the year, I put Thatcher in Writing with Skill, Level 1 (SWB's next level in her program designed to be started around 5th grade). Even though we completed Writing Tales 1 and lots of outlining in SOTW 4 last yearWWS was still just too much. I spent a few weeks trying to build some skills that would help him be more successful but in the end decided to back up a full level to WWE 4. It was a rough start. But we are about to begin week 10, and Thatcher is showing solid growth. I couldn't be more pleased and look forward to using this program for years to come. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I hope to post great things about <i>Elemental Science</i> soon, but we have not started it yet this year (a huge blushing face would really come in handy here ;) Thatcher's ADHD has been especially challenging this year as his core subjects have really ramped up and he has struggled academically for the first time since we started homeschooling seven years ago. We have always struggled to be consistent in history and especially in science and this year has proved no different. This coming week we are trying a new schedule where we do history and science FIRST thing in the morning. It is already stressing me out just to think about not jumping straight into math and writing (Thatcher's subjects that require the most concentration out of him) but we are going to try it. I reserve the right to change my mind though! :) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, just a few new things around SSA. Hope your week gets off to a great start tomorrow. </div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-43749276649130341312011-11-21T10:26:00.003-06:002011-11-21T11:04:33.500-06:00Now I Get It<div style="text-align: justify;">It has been seven months since my last blog post. So many times I have thought how I would love to blog about this or that. I miss blogging; I truly do. Back when I started this blog in 2007 I didn't think I had much to share. I had only been homeschooling a few years, and my oldest was in first grade. I remember thinking back then that I wish there were more veteran homeschoolers in the blogosphere. Most bloggers seemed to be like me, in the first few years of their journey. Now that I feel like I have a bit more to share (although I know in the grand scheme of things I am still a newbie in most respects) I just don't have time - or haven't had the discipline to make the time, I should say.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Days fill up quickly. They really do. This year I am homeschooling all three boys. Thatcher is in 5th grade, Haddon in 1st, and Beckett is in Kindergarten. I wake up at 5:00 each day to have time to read my Bible, exercise on the treadmill and grab a quick shower before the boys are up at 7:00. Then it's chores, breakfast, discipleship and we're off. We are schooling to 4:00 most days. Whatever is not done by 4:00 typically doesn't get done until the next day. I know for some school doesn't take that long but with an ADHD'er in the mix it just does for us. Then it's time to pick up and start dinner. After dinner this fall we were heading to the baseball and/or soccer fields Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights plus games on Saturdays. We have always had a rule that each child would only participate in one sport/activity at a time but with three boys - three practices and three games each week meant six outside commitments. We get home and then it's time for baths and bed - for the boys AND for me! :) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Homeschooling is harder than I ever thought it would be. This year has just about eaten my lunch in so many ways. Most of my friends are experiencing similar feelings of exhaustion and/or burnout. Yet at the same time, it is good. I am still thankful for the blessing of homeschooling my boys...most days anyway ;) Dh and I had a great conversation recently which pushed me out of a pity party I had been having with myself and set me back on a better path. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The whole reason for this post was mostly to say, "Hello!" I am still here. Still homeschooling. Still thinking about all I would love to share. Happy Thanksgiving to any readers I still may have. I hope your week off is full of blessings, restfulness and time to recharge. This blog post is the start of that for me. </div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-42921549425985004022011-04-25T15:46:00.017-05:002011-10-20T09:25:02.720-05:00Multitudes on Mondays ~ April 25<div style="text-align: justify;">Living in Houston is a bit different. While many parts of the country are finally starting to feel like spring is here to stay, for us it's almost gone! We are typically hitting temperatures in the mid to high 80's with 70%-80% humidity. That means that we've have many days already where it feels like 90 degrees, and we are not even out of April.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Today as I add to my (very irregular) counting of 1000 blessings I am reflecting back on some of the beauty we've enjoyed this spring. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">51. Hummingbirds buzzing about at our ranch this spring...truly amazing! I have never seen them in such a frenzy. The boys and I sat in awe watching on this particular evening. I grabbed my phone and took this short video. I was barely 12 inches away from them and they didn't even seem to notice! </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="400" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/s3R8WiNBnFk?rel=0&hd=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">52. Monarch in our butterfly garden almost ready to emerge. The boys never tire of watching each chrysalis as it changes from its gorgeous<a href="http://www.adver-net.com/Monemerg.html"> jade green to translucent to new butterfly</a>! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDpR2cVEeREDdU6_K8dWdTwVzlemrN5Kym7WzBGBRh3NEZsAJGj-wskWPHeoSK5iuBZErRE2lx3aBgfjqI1SjaJt8xatxmbAIKN1q_m94PzERr2mCFlY4A7QIshpD9AaikS7-WA3UZ6g6/s400/monarch+chrysalis.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599638940687054338" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">53. Those first moments of a monarch's life still clinging to her former home. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43tFBe2hnmDWQ1Cw-3SRzD1A-ItIOdDc4oyC23lePMd9K_YgBiAhshcWmKb8gappXlVBT3xGFnDjT1OUEKOFkc_lH6yynvHGb-p2rib6UDBUf5WQ-sW62xLrjysDebyen_sHLy8Jg4dNF/s400/photo+%252813%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599639300303946978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">54. The reminder that butterflies are to me of this precious truth:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 21px; "><span class="verse-num" id="v47005017-1" style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 0.15em; padding-left: 0.25em; vertical-align: text-top; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; "> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 21px; "><i><span class="verse-num" id="v47005017-1" style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; padding-right: 0.15em; padding-left: 0.25em; vertical-align: text-top; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; "></span></i></span><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 21px; font-style: italic; ">Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. </i>~2 Corinthians 5:17</span></span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">55. And although the transformation of this butterfly is complete, my transformation is very much still in progress. And the progress is oh so agonizingly slow. And painful often. I wonder if it hurts the butterfly as she struggles to emerge from her chrysalis. Because sometimes for me this process seems just.so.hard. But I cling to the promise found in Scripture, </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><i><blockquote>And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">~ Philippians 1:6</span></blockquote></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">56. A black swallowtail caterpillar on a fennel plant. My absolute favorite caterpillar! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCpxzahKP3idPfCTxq8oXPdFZXGhYC984cscJuPqI1_wL-sGMk9wkCCHi1psSZNgQ69CtGoyGlh9Ic_rsrVG9x66M8ggG36UuT_aYmesP22WtxzlpzbbEs5B3lhQklSmznjeScVOt5nuE/s400/photo+%252814%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599640872283284034" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">57. This lesser vine sphinx moth the boys spotted on the window at church at our Saturday night Easter service. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfPorS1DjnPZkMs6F5oeDbEl8XUB6XoJXXkL6WSqmPzxv3zt_VaaeZw7-Vdiy4pt6E7XgUFaXniUME7q2mZSDQ4rPhFjH07SFTVeltNY8amBcMQobWXbs8HWS9T_x8Ng44ILcfWwVHkA_/s400/lesser+vine+sphinx+moth.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599645869949412338" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 299px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">58. I am so incredibly thankful that my boys are learning not only to spot nature but are beginning to delight in it. There is a sweet connection between loving our Creator and truly appreciating His creation. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: medium; "><blockquote><i>I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in</i>. ~George Washington Carver</blockquote></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">59. The delight on little and not so little boys' faces at seeing one of their favorite places on earth for the first time in 2011, our swimming and fishing place we call Blue Hole. For bullfrogs croaking underground while we fished and the tiny baby perch the boys caught on that gorgeous spring day just a few weeks ago.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31_cPPdMfVA2N9eKRNlckr-LWONiChhxryLCUohimjtXgWDNFyU-OAsEKYhW5AmclluQ1Du6TRVbhycY14fTLQtEeytqTdGHsAhgRXkKZWwNNsm0iLf7AiEtV8kSnlkgbgEd7YmaA9Z6Y/s400/blue+hole.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599653782848520242" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">60. For all the beauty we get to experience each time we leave the burbs and head to the Hill Country. What a privilege and joy! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyM5egL0yx-ZTv8vxq4uHci-d6ij2SOE1IU_qsg3d9qDCiAwqX-49MTJMCQhX4yZjvxh5yGNh_7Etcishmx10b6J2VauMos8EF-pF3ggGpbDIAJqkMmasTiLNXdH3f_JWm3me23Fsa5jW/s400/lod.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599655230460096738" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">* Sorry about the quality of some of the pictures. I need a class to learn how to take better nature photos on my phone! :) </span></span></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-29341301742658641792011-03-14T06:00:00.000-05:002011-03-14T06:00:07.469-05:00Multitudes on Mondays ~ March 14<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff162/annvoskamp/multitudesonmondaysbutton2-1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On this journey of gratitude I am learning (or at least trying to learn) to be thankful in all things. And to look for and see grace in all - the big and small. Some weeks it is in the simple day to day blessings I am learning to revel and other times it is in a place where God absolutely wows me with his love, his majesty and his creation. This was one of those weeks. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We were flown to Colorado, guests of a ministry whose goal is to refresh, encourage and bless pastors in the journey. They take the mission of their ministry from 1 Kings 19:7 where the angel says to Elijah, "Arise and eat for the journey is too great for you." Their hope is to strengthen pastors because they say the journey is too much at times. They hosted us in their condo on the mountain, fitted us with ski gear, gave us three day ski passes, took us to eat out at amazing restaurants for dinner and prayed with us each evening. This was our second time to be blessed by this wonderful ministry. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So grateful for...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAlMBjUxDwgvGBumcb0UP_feyUws40_Fa5O_HQm0l0eTnA7maF0pmECBCgpGpAwL6XmrIL4p4HB5emIIETcp7ruJUxDh_hkfnCmA8fdeLX8qZnTdAUyMfLAQiqiuzo4VikK4TcYiM0kD8/s400/photo+%25287%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583707773263491522" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">41. Breathtaking views at every turn. Absolutely stunning.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1ZfdJvwEUKASMppCH4wWE2pcCeo7LiraP2nC2pSCRv1hKyO106zOM1ty3OobhGtN_JTK6HKvsRSZ6rHsalu77G0_mHpiJWqNqj-ZPl8wI15eXXGiSsYSLghC2v818DyHhKzW0obAEVsT/s400/photo+%25285%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583709173227952114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span">42. Three days of skiing with incredible snow, one of the deepest snow bases in history!</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></div><div>43. No injuries!</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAazlqfRuSpVBe0P94Q_sJpHLgeQ1Jw6Uwi22l1FmQIjzsc6-4y1fl7u_BgEkxWAITxT5fJOQdr2cZoH4wAEb85X98Klf66xzq8yRQ-vzzpwUNywBTd2HmuJmXBQpyLs4J5Yhmt66ppVw1/s400/photo+%25283%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583715252913600034" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span">44. Precious friends with whom we shared our trip. We love these guys to death and are so blessed we get to do life with them each and every day.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQEJxfU1eF1_-BQ1Z8mF4i2jelWPBW4dnXEagHZNOr7xcTJpAwww13b5KhFywTIy_gkndj22n73BCS70rqUvw6o_gyWXQcHB5iH7CoWSCvSwQG80TXVyZczjnH5cVlmyXGJM1ygrK3zFu/s400/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583709170323176850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " the="" table="" where="" we="" sat="" to="" fill="" our="" tummies="" with="" warm="" food="" and="" share="" conversation="" av8_zfyki5a="" tx1r5j8i3ri="" aaaaaaaabja="" o8hj7ai5wtw="" s400="" /></span></span>45. Our wonderful hosts, Allen and Doris, (center) who had the vision for this ministry years ago and have been faithful to bless so many pastors and their wives each and every year. Their generosity is overwhelming. Allen told us that one of their goals was to show us just a bit of how deeply God loves us. Mission accomplished!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bDeKq7Kg4CqP7sJHngwDUuFL41Z_Y09oDQ2nHtduTetzbXXLz6GFX917YaOMnz3UBt6fsyQdjsDxNBxwiUDl1XZqPpL7WAljevk16j0kQonmHtzHqi5V0B99y27tgeet01kno_WJbYcv/s400/photo+%25289%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583725732227881234" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">46. More breathtaking vistas, and this one with the love of my life in it! Very thankful he is my best friend and Daddy to my three boys. It was so fun to be away from the daily grind and just enjoy each other. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7l26h-e069_na0zPU8ojNvYbNd2D48ASO2IQLHI3N777UDp3IfrjyEAeBBdAZz3OQWqVf8y4sJ73vjbqBSzFN5h2-bCAf38_ZKuGmHmolgExxcWIbLqFZUw1l2drwMqVjD6ElOclb3rsp/s400/photo+%25282%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583725731434363458" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">47. The prayer that happened each night as we gathering around this bench for a time that was sweet and refreshing and truly soul nurturing. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">48. Amazing food. Yum! Homemade mushroom ravioli with a cognac demi-glace, trout with eggplant ratatouille and polenta, a huge plate of amazing barbecue and one of these each afternoon after skiing - a toffee covered caramel apple from <a href="https://rockymountainchocolatefactory.com/rmcf/control/portalHome">Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory</a>. Must.learn.to.make.these.soon.....</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIeINEscVq6Dx-jC9wpHvmUbJNJvtrBZMv-ClSjosRNB0HxKc6dAjLGj2QmVwLk6HipguiMX09hYZSX9UJjnNN3STueINyezB1RNrK4advKPGgikXG5K3BEdYqZzQBk4qug-NgLPz9qI3N/s400/apple" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583742413605830162" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 262px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">49. My sweet mom who took time off work to come down and love on the boys so we could go away. They went to parks, saw a movie, got a special new toy, had special lunches out and best of all got precious time with their Grandma! They love her so very much. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">50. A safe trip that brought us back home... </span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 19px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; "> </span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " ><div style="text-align: center;">Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, </div><div style="text-align: center;">Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;</div><div style="text-align: center;">~John Howard Payne</div></span></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-5354372802383894452011-02-15T06:00:00.001-06:002011-02-15T06:00:15.449-06:00A New Addition to Our Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2A_4xuhHrR_1Lx372m0elhQCwfgYyX4XGlTl7YHk6xVfHwgRzE8qGt4kkQGWQ7vL124rina1aYtbXggGDPt1J31L1xIVI2xFtqKUkgVo7kJlHGy2LKDNKx8zq_EkpGrTS2xjqxqWyZlk/s1600/IMG_1587+%2528Small%2529.JPG"><img style="text-align: justify;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2A_4xuhHrR_1Lx372m0elhQCwfgYyX4XGlTl7YHk6xVfHwgRzE8qGt4kkQGWQ7vL124rina1aYtbXggGDPt1J31L1xIVI2xFtqKUkgVo7kJlHGy2LKDNKx8zq_EkpGrTS2xjqxqWyZlk/s320/IMG_1587+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571874062744397266" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">When I taught public school we had time each morning referred to as DEAR (Drop Everything and Read). It was so much fun! I allowed my students to sit under their desks, on our classroom beanbags or anywhere - as long as they were fully engaged in a book. Each year for some of my students it took time to acclimate to this new freedom. Reading for the pure enjoyment of the activity was a new concept for them. No discussion, no tests, no agenda. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Recently, as I was thinking about what I wanted our homeschool days to look like, I realized we just weren't spending enough time reading. I read a Bible story to them each morning at breakfast. At lunch we do our read-alouds; for the last several months we've been reading through the Chronicles Of Narnia again. Haddon reads a science reader to me daily, as well as from a phonics reader and his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Favorite-Bible-Storybook-Early-Readers/dp/1403719209/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297644110&sr=1-1">My Favorite Bible Storybook for Early Readers</a>. Thatcher reads daily from <i>Story of the World, </i>in science and across most of the curriculum. In addition, he reads each evening for at least an hour at bedtime. But somehow it just wasn't enough. I was not getting to see my boys delight in books on their own. And I definitely wasn't getting enough reading time in with Beckett. One of my biggest goals is instill a love of reading in my boys because a lifetime passion for learning almost always begins with a love of reading. DEAR time immediately came to mind.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So when it was time to start our new semester I told the boys that from time we finished breakfast, around 8:15, until 9:00 it would be DEAR time each day. There were a few stipulations. I would have a basket of books from which they could choose their daily reading selection. They could discuss with me outside of DEAR time if they had particular requests but I got the final say. There would be no talking to each other or discussing of books; this was just time to read and enjoy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thatcher took to it right away! He loves to read and always has. We have used this time to be certain we get all of our history reading finished. I am also making sure to keep the basket full of of many fiction selections as he naturally gravitates to non-fiction. He adores the <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_17?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=usborne+beginners&x=0&y=0&sprefix=usborne+beginners#/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_36?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=childhood+of+famous+americans+series&sprefix=childhood+of+famous+americans+series&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Achildhood+of+famous+americans+series">Childhood of Famous Americans</a></i> biographies, and any book about the military or spies will hold him captive for hours. Because I don't want him to neglect the beauty and creativity that is found in fiction I am making sure that at least every second or third book he reads is full of imagination. It has been fun to watch him rediscover this genre of books.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYpnZdKRUhnax3mAWYmP2vOKgY9q4fOB9xkyPL_o6TbaJkyzalal8ji_YuXLVc3G91IBgxJONvkDlC15kSYokNW5EJMJ59tMPxmaWcIVJ8zCI0vXoAok5gz1MLOtFZ5DMAU8HhEU-CLSlQ/s320/IMG_1597+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573343263726292098" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /><div style="text-align: justify;">For Haddon, at first, DEAR time was intimidating. He was definitely still an emerging/early reader when we began. By nature he is not a risk-taker and the thought of reading without Mommy right beside him was a little unsettling. I told him that he could come tiptoe and ask me a word anytime after he tried his "good reader strategies" and was still was stuck. He was greatly relieved but still reluctant. The first book he chose was <i>Frog and Toad are Friends</i>. It took him the full week to read it. Then he picked up <i>Frog and Toad All Year</i> followed by <i>Frog and Toad Together</i>. With each successive book he got a bit more comfortable and a bit faster. The book he is reading in this picture, <i>Days with Frog and Toad</i>, was completed in one sitting. He was so very proud! His confidence has gone through the roof and I have been amazed at his growth as a reader in just six weeks since starting DEAR time. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjRwhsJLTSMCJPsA0HBUTYqz4cp7WhYAlsGaEWckXOx1sNBA_8GRe7jSF4d_TiJvP_xRlDBQVRRo2go0ivgSTz_S2XYf1TIG1adcBqc2FuVoVdd8EW-hVY6_4gfMaOwlnkZMoulXTz3qJ/s320/IMG_1601+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573353098906021554" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span><div style="text-align: justify;">Beckett, my sweet Beckett. He was born seventeen months after Haddon and in the middle of multiple therapies, doctors' appointments and diagnoses for Thatcher. As a result, I have logged a fraction of the reading time with him that his older brothers got. DEAR time has been a wonderful opportunity for us to read together and to try and make up a tiny bit of all that missed time from years past. But it has been a learning experience for him...and for me. The other boys would sit still for <i>anything</i> I read to them; they were just happy to be reading. In contrast, Beckett is very picky about what we read. He has to choose the book or at least agree to my selection. ;) He has loved the Dr. Seuss books, especially <i>Fox in Sock </i>and <i>Green Eggs and Ham. </i>We have also been reading lots of Mother Goose rhymes and he has enjoyed memorizing several and saying them to Daddy when he gets home at night. At first he would not sit still to "read" any books independently (while I was cleaning up breakfast dishes) but now he will curl up and look at a book for five minutes or more. It's a slow start, but a start, nonetheless! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first subject we do each day is our Bible/Discipleship time at breakfast. The next thing we do is curl up on the couch and read each day for DEAR time. I wouldn't have it any other way! :) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-1861309412323070512011-02-08T14:58:00.003-06:002011-02-08T15:12:05.824-06:00More Thoughts About Self-Education Over at Milk and Cookies<div style="text-align: justify;">Amy, at <a href="http://www.milkandcookiesblog.com/">Milk and Cookies</a>, asked if I would do a guest post during the <a href="http://heartofthematteronline.com/10-days-of-homeschooling-blog-hop">10 Days of Homeschooling Blog Hop</a> sponsored by <a href="http://heartofthematteronline.com/">Heart of the Matter</a>. I immediately said, "Yes!" and got to sharing some things that have been on my heart as this year completes the grammar stage for Thatcher.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Despite obtaining a degree in education and teaching public school for eight years, I had no idea that there were different methods of (home)schooling when I started out on this journey. Thankfully it was not long after I began educating our oldest that I stumbled across The Well Trained Mind. It immediately clicked for me; this was the education I wished I had received! And the journey to classically educate our boys began.</i></div><i><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i>Now jump forward six years...</i></span></div></i></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To read the rest head over to <a href="http://www.milkandcookiesblog.com/2011/02/classical-education-day-2.html">10 Days of Classical Education: Day 2 at Milk and Cookies</a> and take a peek. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also, take some time to check out some of the other "10 Days" posts. I have been inspired and encouraged, and I bet you will be too! </div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-37327982272602638262011-02-07T21:03:00.017-06:002011-02-07T22:11:41.467-06:00Multitudes on Mondays ~ February 7<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff162/annvoskamp/multitudesonmondaysbutton2-1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A little late today but continuing the list of His good gifts:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">31. The whole family tagging along with dh to Austin this weekend on a work-related trip.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">32. Perfect timing of the church who asked dh to speak just before we were to start our unit on Texas history! :) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">33. The break in the icy road conditions on Friday that allowed us barely enough time to get out of Houston after we thought we wouldn't be going on this much anticipated trip after all.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">34. Sharing family legacies...being able to show my boys the 180 year old house my mother-in-law grew up in east Austin, now owned by the <a href="http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Homepage">American Botanical Council</a>. What a blessing to see where she and her siblings (whom my boys adore) made all their childhood memories! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnZdIsvgehlya_f1ZJx3iGCtS-cal4a8djApw6zCtSinIXHrqad0cDqUGo5bPngasQ5nToEmAi5KnzXXJ0wgWlJcZxjhjflaIywysqZ6rSorTZHv-HwQ39scY1r250Neutazy4PMS0-rs/s320/IMG_1399+%2528Small%2529.JPG" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571153237424923266" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">35. Fun times learning about our state's history at the Texas Capitol. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyN0ET9pXDU2h0imIu-P8n8qN2VpJ1K-EE0YnXGOQ6EFSwHC3SWktb5ARO4UQEIeLOW2fFSgBNejrVKNMdVxoaTlmbJ3roGJ2xUxMrp0QDcv1ILQyBmqhb8VGXOrbtaGkHE4AxuurqL1ZW/s320/IMG_1443+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571151086392475650" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">36. Walking around the campus where I attended college. Such sweet memories. I was overwhelmed with emotion as I shared remembrances with the boys.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecqPYg1l5s98q7QK-rpxgwPIOBD1x4anGqhpj74DHNbvIrtDDaJ_vXlOaGRceZ49mJ4fBEpThozZccaXHpBdNfX5_9S0nhR1rGa-Kn0nkyGch9hnR-HNHO-pLaQo-xpdvDRDN0GKHQRoN/s320/IMG_1575+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571154450134261394" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">37. A visit to the<a href="http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/"> Texas History Museum</a>. I know nothing of the specific history of other states save where it intersects with American history, but Texas truly has a remarkable story. This museum really was an incredible opportunity to experience it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8xji_VWvR47q2RD5bHryjz6VAZ8XwixyTwUgdTpn9bbAb4Cic0KXZmfqznURgLtdEWubIlL5SvWPoZZoZ3lY3vflHnFtCnsIzsmGEs3Yw1-sLeFEUYiVe9SNkx0qXqeCnU13rNRbseh0/s320/IMG_1561+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571155537389633266" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">38. The best part of the<a href="http://www.lbjlibrary.org/"> LBJ Presidential Library</a> for my boys was rolling down the steep hill out front afterwards! I got each of them to stop just long enough for me to snap a quick pic...and then back to rolling. ;) </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCsxAcXTADt437AVs3Cnulhbv6DG29twslj0MRlhcWE9kxAIYqIkj3PtW_mqrTV-bO4gswrmpa6I4iFa_i8MHb5_oH4C0_AmSNs8TPth-z5sGfTJeEz1BR4hRVOWSKlxdmCSeZaK_q6Qh/s200/IMG_1545+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571159763693704978" style="text-align: justify;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); " /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtVMYeQp-Yvz24NtYiddw6XkLVTn566Ct6lFyuDMZZ-HZtH5YGH9nrVKID-E7fq2EAY846RMWjlQq8pRRRN0o88FUe32FBkfMyK8-4tEFiBwKTbrszlu6MguqQ37bE6GmoW5Q2s-0qXhI/s1600/IMG_1542+%2528Small%2529.JPG"></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtVMYeQp-Yvz24NtYiddw6XkLVTn566Ct6lFyuDMZZ-HZtH5YGH9nrVKID-E7fq2EAY846RMWjlQq8pRRRN0o88FUe32FBkfMyK8-4tEFiBwKTbrszlu6MguqQ37bE6GmoW5Q2s-0qXhI/s1600/IMG_1542+%2528Small%2529.JPG"></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinehjUbOIXh9OYlMrCgrBkYWJt6h89fpwHgaE0-eIO_nxrdEtu-s_GYUrKfbjTh4W3AgCPisUjz5_3CGMa05T3AzN94hvLeufKNBmjGQyuBIYFew1SuSZdin1kYNTgBMwQqUyUXsXjdPRQ/s200/IMG_1549+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571159973166987234" style="text-align: justify;float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px; " /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtVMYeQp-Yvz24NtYiddw6XkLVTn566Ct6lFyuDMZZ-HZtH5YGH9nrVKID-E7fq2EAY846RMWjlQq8pRRRN0o88FUe32FBkfMyK8-4tEFiBwKTbrszlu6MguqQ37bE6GmoW5Q2s-0qXhI/s200/IMG_1542+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571159860357750402" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">39. For little random details I always notice and fall in love with...like old ornate doorknobs from 1888 in the House and Senate Chambers at the Capitol. </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDcbXKJgRZZ-HnWPJ55OyL5b1U8yC6s9CLjVMvST8WKlDBP2fX-ZfUDmM4QHo0sn573SnUh54Tl4RMKB6Dbkq3mXn93ZzHYATGukRImx6FgBkyFXdN4OqamkyJMoAxf6WMhzbKdBkGiO7/s200/IMG_1513+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571161760859293954" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px; " /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">40. For little boys worn out and ready to go back home after a fun and exhausting weekend. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-12453506121984501812011-02-04T06:00:00.000-06:002011-02-04T06:00:18.647-06:00Five Dollar Friday: Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Homemade Whole Wheat Croutons<div style="text-align: justify;">This recipe is from one of my favorite Food Network stars, Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa. I love her recipes and her show and own two of her cookbooks. I made this recipe for the first time a few weeks ago. Thatcher ate two huge bowls and would have eaten more if I let him! You can find the original recipe<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-tomato-basil-soup-recipe/index.html"> here</a> at the Food Network site. The recipe below has a few modifications to make it more cost effective and fit our family's taste. Honestly, as is it is a little high on the price to be considered a $5 meal but I wanted to post it because if you have basil and tomatoes from your garden, this soup would be nearly free! Even obtaining one of these ingredients from a friend's garden would bring the price down by $3.00. Spring will be here before we know it so if this recipe isn't in the budget for winter, tuck it away for spring when everyone's gardens will be full of goodness.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also, I love this soup because it is not laden with tons of heavy cream like so many tomato basil soups are, yet it has enormous flavor. I serve it simply with homemade croutons and a bit of Parmesan cheese. Grilled cheese sandwiches are always a favorite with any tomato soup or a chicken Caesar salad would be wonderful if you wanted to add some protein.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Ingredients:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 teaspoons sea salt (may not need if you are using stock, esp. if it's not low sodium)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 cups chopped yellow onions, about 2 onions</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6 garlic cloves, minced</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tablespoons unsalted butter</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/2 teaspoon dried thyme</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 quart chicken stock or water</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/4 cup heavy cream (not in original recipe but just a bit add a lot of flavor in my opinion)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Directions:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt (if using), and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes (if using) for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add garlic and cook two more minutes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock/water. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. You have several options here depending on the kitchen gadgets you own and how chunky you want your soup. The original recipe calls for a food mill but I use my immersion blender to make a really smooth soup (and don't have to dirty up any additional bowls or appliances). A food processor or blender would work well too, just be extra careful when mixing/pureeing really hot liquids.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Cost Breakdown</b>: $9.62</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ 3.00 - 3 pounds plum tomatoes</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ .42 - olive oil</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ .02 - 2 teaspoons sea salt (may not need if you are using stock, esp. if it's not low sodium)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ .04 - black pepper</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ 1.00 - 2 cups chopped yellow onions, about 2 onions</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ .24 - garlic cloves</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ . 14 - butter</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ 1.50 -canned plum tomatoes (sale)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$2.99 - fresh basil</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ .02 - dried thyme</div><div style="text-align: justify;">free - 1 quart chicken stock or water (ckn stock left over from here or here)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ .25 - heavy cream</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you want to add homemade croutons here is how I do it:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I use thick slices of the homemade whole wheat bread I make for our family, but any bread will do. Cut the crust off and brush an olive oil/herb mixture over both sides of the bread. I like to add about 1/4 tsp of basil and 1/4 tsp of thyme with a bit of salt and pepper to about 1/4 cup olive oil for my croutons. You could add garlic powder if you wanted garlicky ones! Cut bread into large chunks. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 - 20 minutes turning every few minutes until all sides are browned. These are wonderful sprinkled on top of your soup. Enjoy!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><img src="http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z35/BuCatdaddy/ssasign2.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket" />Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-7409867816469010412011-02-03T06:00:00.002-06:002011-02-05T21:07:56.850-06:00SOTW Wrap Up and Review<div style="text-align: justify;">This week we finished <i>Story of the World 4</i>. I posted our condensed plan to cover the entire fourth book in only 21 weeks<a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2010/11/our-plan-for-sotw-4-condensed-to-21.html"> in an old post</a>. As in other years, Thatcher has loved this volume! I chose not to go too in depth with many of the more sensitive topics and am very thankful to share that the condensed schedule worked well for us. It will also allow us to spend the remainder of the year on Texas History.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now that we have completed all four volumes I feel I am somewhat qualified to do a review of the series as a whole! I have few complaints and many praises about <i>SOTW</i>. It, like all curricula, has strengths and weaknesses, but I feel the strong points far outweigh the weak. I am also aware that one aspect of the curriculum that may be a weakness for us can be a great strength for others, depending on the teacher's goals and the types of learners she has. I felt the stories were well-written for the age they were intended. Condensing and summarizing thousands of years of world history for elementary children was a HUGE and bold undertaking for Susan Wise-Bauer, and I think she did a remarkable job. Certainly, no curriculum is perfect and we tweaked along the way. We skipped some things that were not holding Thatcher's attention (although that was rare) and we camped out on areas that were especially exciting for him. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We rarely used the Activity Guide other than as a staring point for my yearly book lists (You can see them at these links -<i><a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2007/07/history-ancients.html"> SOTW 1 </a>, <a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/search/label/SOTW%202">SOTW 2</a>, <a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2010/11/our-plan-for-sotw-4-condensed-to-21.html">SOTW 4</a></i>) . Thatcher is not a crafty/activity kid and certainly not a fan of coloring so a huge part of the AG was never used. I don't anticipate using </div><div style="text-align: justify;">the most of the activities with Haddon and Beckett either; I much prefer these wonderful <a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2010/10/sotw-i-lapbooks-for-free.html">SOTW lapbooks</a> available for free! Hopefully she will continue making and sharing them for all four volumes. (The first 15 chapters of lapbooks from Volume 2 are already available on her blog as of this posting as well.) I also am not a huge fan of the way <i>SOTW</i> teaches geography as I do not think it is helpful for young children to learn by only focusing on a tiny bit of a map at a time. I am so thankful I purchased<a href="http://www.timberdoodle.com/Geopuzzles_p/120.htm"> this set of Geopuzzles from Timberdoodle </a>and will continue to use them with Haddon and Beckett rather than using the maps from SOTW as our introduction to geography. I will also research other options to teach basic map skills apart from SOTW. Any recommendations? :) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Further, I am not crazy about the review questions included in the AG, because, in my opinion, if you are having your child(ren) regularly narrate then the review questions are overkill. The exception would be that if/when, through narration, the teacher discovers the student just didn't get the concepts presented, then the review questions can be helpful to guide them to a better understanding of what was read. Lastly, I will most likely not have my boys complete history copywork like I tried to have Thatcher do; you can see my attempt at the link for my <i>SOTW 1</i> book list above . It was just too much and when I have my young boys doing copywork I would prefer them to be copying bits of Scripture, literature or poetry. We spend a great deal of time on history as it is and I would rather focus our copywork efforts on other areas that often don't get as big a share of the educational pie.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What I appreciate about SOTW is that my child loves history after this first rotation! That speaks volumes to me. He now has "pegs" on which to hang all future learning. He remembers the basics about each period of history so that when we being again next year he will have a solid foundation on which to begin building. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another thing I have come to appreciate just this year is that SOTW can be more than just a history series. It can be an wonderful introductory (or supplementary) writing course if planned and executed well (and, I believe, according to the author's intent). I wanted to share a few things I've learned about SOTW and how I will use it a bit differently with the younger two boys in regard to this to maximize the writing aspect of the program, which I have come to view as a huge strength of the <i>SOTW</i> series.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you are Classically educating your children you will undoubtedly have read about narration (especially if you have read <i>The Well Trained Mi</i><i>nd</i> by Susan Wise-Bauer, the same author as <i>SOTW</i>) as an important tool in the process of teaching your children. Narration is also a vital skill if you are educating according to Charlotte Mason's principles. The way they define and use narrations vary somewhat though. If you haven't yet read my post comparing the two styles, you will want to pop over and <a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2011/02/narrations-wtm-style-vs-cm-style.html">read this first </a>before proceeding. In TWTM, Wise-Bauer says of narrating, "You'll be using this technique (narrating) extensively in the study of history,"~Revised and Updated version, p. 109.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When Thatcher was in first grade we started strong with narrations and lots of good intentions. The problem was that Thatcher was not ready for <i>WTM</i> style narrations (choosing the most important details) and I wasn't prepared enough to know how to support him in what proved to be a very challenging skill. I kept trying to get his narrations close to the samples in the Activity Guide and we both ended up frustrated. I also attempted to get him writing his own narrations way too soon considering he is a boy, young for his grade AND an Aspie (who almost by definition struggle with writing) which just further intensified the frustration for both of us. For the most part I dropped narrations and just had him read and listen to the audio book and do some supplemental readings for each chapter. This I regret.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The problem was that when things got tough and narrations just got tedious, I dropped them completely instead of changing and adapting to make them fit us. When we didn't fit the plan I dropped the plan. I threw out the baby with the bathwater. I forgot that a curriculum is just a tool, not a noose! ;) That's because I am too much of a by the book kinda gal. Sigh. What I know now is that developmentally he wasn't ready for narrations as defined by SWB's <i>Well-Trained Mind</i> but he was most certainly ready for narrations ala Charlotte Mason.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is a classic case of, "If I knew then what I know now..." With my youngers I will do it differently. We will be more diligent to stick with oral CM style narrations for a much longer time. I will only have them begin copying their narrations down after I am CONFIDENT they are beyond ready for this skill. I will only have them write their own narrations independently after we have done it together for several months and he is pushing me out of the room! ;) We will move to more WTM style narrations when they are older and better able to discern main idea vs. supporting detail(s) concepts. We will practice this skill much outside of just history as well. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another problem was that I didn't have "the big picture" in regard to where these narrations were taking us. I think all moms starting the SOTW series should start by first listening to Susan Wise-Bauer's three lectures titled <a href="http://www.welltrainedmind.com/store/audio-products/audio-lectures.html">A Plan for Teaching Writing from Peace Hill Press</a>. Listen to all three MP3's even if your child is just starting out. It will give you that big picture I was missing. It will help you persevere in those tough times (like I failed to do) because you will better understand WHY you are doing WHAT you are doing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Each year in <i>SOTW 1-3</i> your child is expected to narrate each chapter along the way taking a greater responsibility for his/her narrations as the years and the child's maturity progress. But in <i>SOTW 4</i> there is a switch that I was unaware of until I bought it this past summer. <i>SOTW 4</i> moves from narrating to outlining. At first the students are given incomplete outlines to fill in after reading each chapter. In this way they are slowly introduced to this very valuable skill but ever so gently. In the last 10 chapters of the book they are given completed outlines and are expected to write a paragraph from the outline.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Wow! This was such a great transition for us. We, with lots of hard work and perseverance (that was lacking in those younger years), made the transition successfully and Thatch can write a well developed paragraph with minimal help now. The transition would have been much more smooth had I continued with oral narrations in the younger years but just taken our time, known my kiddo better and understood that big picture. Yet despite our less than desirable start, here is an example of one of his final outlines. He completed this completely on his own with no help from Mom. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE86qOyBAg-ZmkXLdTSNm2xJCwzfVYC2N-o2DHxMaaq6FPJyXzrA-FiH9LCxYS8nx946bFlTeyz7eFBWLi_klCVkpLkNEPSCje0W-xe-Vt1Ii1yiyULCabqvDu6FemXWZd8MdEM5V22OKz/s320/1-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568143188378113890" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" border="0" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And here is an example of the three paragraphs (he forgot to indent the third) he wrote independently from the second part of the outline you can see above all about Civil Rights. I was beyond thrilled when he brought this to me! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkw9ziPXWHZ56GMMgOWdqZu1ioFEAGS97lpGsSjp3v5yRMfvdn2RAgCanD7p8BeE7NcpcG7CJ3dKy-VOhjnfDCzshlyKstvHvG0LhdZuDTerREm6THJpDz5AowH9DDyB8_g8l9BqCZUhh-/s320/1-2.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568144733757364978" border="0" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Overall, I am thrilled to give Story of the World my strongest recommendation as a first history program for grammar stage students. There are many <i>wonderful</i> options out there and I rate this as one of them. It was a strong start for us in what I want to be one of our core subjects all throughout our schooling. Thank you, Susan, for all your hard work and your contributions (this being only one of many) to the homeschool community! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-33393873517059989842011-02-02T06:00:00.002-06:002011-02-02T07:20:11.540-06:00Narrations: WTM Style vs. CM Style<div style="text-align: justify;">I am reposting from the SSA archives today because it is an important piece to understanding tomorrow's ramblings. ; )It was from a post where I was answering SSA readers' questions I had received via email and/or the comment section. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); ">Question: Could you share how a WTM-style narration and a CM-style narration have looked different to you? We do WTM-style right now and it seems so...artificial, or forced, or something.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Answer: I talked a little about this <a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2009/01/comparing-charlotte-mason-and-classical.html">in my last post comparing CM to Classical</a>, so here I thought I'd share a few quotes from the authors themselves. First Susan Wise-Bauer's ideas on narrations...</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Narration is a way to develop the child's understanding and storytelling skills. The process is simple: the child tells you what he's just heard or read. ...In first grade, you begin to ask the child to <b>summarize </b>the plots of short simple stories...Narration lets you know how much a child retains and understands. It also develops vocabulary and powers of expression, and lays the foundation for good writing later on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">~The Well Trained Mind, Revised and Updated, p. 55 (emphasis mine)</div></blockquote></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Narration removes the need for "comprehension exercises." Instead of learning to complete fill-in-the-blank questions, the child uses all his mental faculties to understand, sort through, reorganize and relate the<b> main points</b> of a story.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">~Ibid, p. 59 (emphasis mine)</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">This process (of narration) developed the student's comprehension skills and taught him how to <b>tell the difference between irrelevant details and important elements of plots or argument</b>.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">~Ibid, p. 272 (emphasis mine) </div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And now Charlotte Mason's ideas on narration...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Narrating, like writing poetry or painting, is an art that's inherent in the mind of every child. It's just waiting to be uncovered. The child doesn't need to go through an educational process to develop it because it's already there. The child only needs a reason to narrate and he does--easily, generously, with events in the right order, using appropriate illustrative details, with the right choice of words, without flowery wordiness or redundant phrases, as soon as he's able to speak easily. This amazing ability lies within every child, yet it is rarely tapped into to serve his education. Robert will come home with an exciting story of a fight between Duke and a stray dog down the street. It's wonderful! He saw it all and <b>tells everything</b> with great eagerness in a style that might rival any epic movie. But our scorn for children is so ingrained that we don't appreciate it. All we see is how childish Robert is being. But if we could only see it and use it, his recounting could be the very foundation of his education.</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Home Education, Volume 1, p. 231</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Readings should always be in consecutive order and from a carefully selected book. Before the day's reading, the teacher should talk a little and discuss with the children what happened in the previous lesson. Then she can say a few words about the current lesson, just enough that the children are eager in anticipation. But she should be careful not to explain too much and, especially, she shouldn't take too long to get into the reading itself. Then she can read two or three pages, enough to cover a complete episode. After that, she can call on the children to narrate. If there are several children, they can take turns. The children narrate with enthusiasm and accuracy while still retaining a sense of the author's style. It isn't a good idea to nag them about their mistakes. They may begin with a lot of "ums" or "ands" but they soon stop doing that on their own, and their narrations become good enough in style and composition to publish in a book! This kind of narration lesson shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. The book should always be very interesting. When the narration is over, there should be a little bit of discussion where the moral points are brought out, pictures can be shown to illustrate the lesson, or diagrams drawn on the blackboard.</div><div style="text-align: center;">~Ibid, p. 232-233</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Essentially, the main difference between a WTM (Classical) narration and a CM narration is that the former wants more of a summary and the latter wants a child to tell all he is able to recall. To me the CM style is much more natural for a young child as many struggle mightily to differentiate between a main idea and a superfluous detail. The poster of the original question states that she feels WTM style narrations seem, "artifical or forced." I would maintain this is because WTM narrations may be trying to accomplish too much, especially for the younger student. If the goal is to determine, "how much a child retains and understands" (SWB quote above) then why summarize? If we really want to know how much they retain then let the children tell all they know! I am not saying summarization is not a valuable skill...oh, but it is. I just don't feel this is necessarily the best place to teach it.</div></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-1478498711576642452011-02-01T06:00:00.002-06:002011-02-01T06:00:11.534-06:00My (Again) Updated Whole Wheat Bread Recipe<div style="text-align: justify;">I have been making our family's bread for almost two years now. Hard to believe. It all started because I wanted a whole grain loaf that used no HFCS and I was tired of paying $4 for it. I started in May 2009 using a bread machine and tweaked until I had<a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2009/07/sharing-our-whole-grain-homemade-bread.html"> a really great loaf of bread.</a> But then about six months ago my trusty bread maker died. I had read time and again that the best loaves are made by hand but until that point had resisted trying it out. The bread maker was just so easy. ;) After my machine quit I began researching new options; once I saw that the ones I wanted were in the $200 + range I quickly decided that it would be me and the trusty Kitchen Aid stand mixer for a test run!</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEzJNHq4ckbRj7rZonIXaYD9FOSDLMpHvwNqNRepYo8lffLPVNXd4Spyf5infGHzVZ2RGzdG0tMSG1phGZISGtZbOJVluQKI8MgiorqrAnzQXI-9uDGmctuCydUMmf9FCuXuRgWp7ch_y/s320/IMG_0835.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568186314640763122" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><div style="text-align: justify;">Wow! Same recipe, same ingredients but so much better!!! I could not believe it. Dh could not believe it. Truly amazing. And the best part is that using the Kitchen Aid with the dough hook to do most of the mixing/kneading means that it hardly takes me any more time to make this loaf than it did in my bread maker. If you don't have a stand mixer you will just need to knead by hand for about 15 minutes or so. Whole wheat loaves take longer than white loaves. Another bonus of kneading by hand is that it's a great arm workout and incredibly therapeutic as you pound away all your frustrations on the dough rather than on those around you! ;)</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have also changed away from my original recipe which used milk. I have one little guy who cannot tolerate dairy well so we replaced the milk with water about a year ago. In addition, this is a large loaf so you will need a 10 inch bread pan. I am currently looking to replace all my aluminum cookware with stainless or stone bakeware and haven't been able to find a 10 inch bread pan in either. If any of you readers know know of a place, please pass it along. I can find the 9 inch in abundance but not the 10.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>100% Whole Grain Bread </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ingredients:</div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">1 1/4 cups warm water</li><li style="text-align: justify;">1 egg</li><li style="text-align: justify;">2 Tbsp grapeseed oil (or any mild tasting vegetable oil)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">4 Tbsp honey</li><li style="text-align: justify;">2 Tbsp molasses</li><li style="text-align: justify;">1/4 tsp ground ginger</li><li style="text-align: justify;">2 Tbsp ground flax seed</li><li style="text-align: justify;">2 tsp salt</li><li style="text-align: justify;">2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour</li><li style="text-align: justify;">1 cup oat flour (made by grinding rolled oats in my blender or food processor)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">1/4 cup gluten</li><li style="text-align: justify;">2 tsp yeast (active dry) </li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">Directions:</div></div></div></div><div><ol><li style="text-align: justify;"> Measure all wet ingredients (first 5 listed) in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, reserving a tablespoon or so to bloom yeast in small bowl. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Add yeast to reserved warm liquid. I never check the water temp anymore as I know what is just about right by touch but most websites will say between 110 and 115. Hotter than that will kill your yeast. </li><li style="text-align: justify;"> I premix all my dry ingredients (excluding yeast) every month or so like at the bottom of <a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2009/05/sharing-our-whole-grain-homemade-bread.html">this post. </a> If you use my method, dump all dry ingredients in the mixer on top of wet and turn mixer on low. If not, measure all dry ingredients and add to mixer, then turn it on low for 2 or 3 minutes. </li><li style="text-align: justify;"> After the yeast has started to bloom add it to the mixer. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Keep machine running on low speed for about 8-10 minutes. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Empty contents of mixer onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand another 4-6 minutes. Add flour as needed so dough doesn't stick to your hands or the counter. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Form dough into an oval about the same length as your 10 inch bread pan. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Place loaf into a well greased pan. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Cover with a kitchen towel and set in a warm place away from drafts. For me this is in on my dryer if it's running or on top of my stove, if not. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Let rise until loaf is about an inch to an inch and a half above the pan. This usually takes a few hours in my house in winter. Shorter in summer. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes covering the last 10 minutes lightly with a piece of foil to keep from over browning. Most websites will say cook until bread reaches an internal temperature of 200 - 205 degrees but I have found that at 190 I can pull my loaf out and let it continue to sit in the pan for 5 minutes before turning it out to cool and it's perfect. Every pan is different. Every oven is different. You will just need to play around and find what works for you. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">You just must eat a hot piece with some butter and a bit of honey. Please do! :) </li></ol><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBuX9g4hRH6EU3THAA3YL18rL7lIRaxMI4VUmylXorMiIkOxUzSLyQL0ywrgsw9toom5oIoBKlj02IVer3MNcv3tFKclPCecQVH7Cuoj_ubA5VmlrjswCvxGzMApWs3YYAFxp37qvgbHLX/s320/IMG_0840.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568186318706719762" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div></div></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-1996220129422165162011-01-31T06:00:00.004-06:002011-02-01T05:42:06.422-06:00Multitudes on Mondays ~ Jan. 31st<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff162/annvoskamp/multitudesonmondaysbutton2-1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And the gratitude journey continues: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">21. The blessing of best friends - despite the distance that two very large states has put between them. These boys' hearts are knit together in a way that words cannot describe and is precious to behold! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEintnhjzXd8Ns359fn4zlcod1nKn_CjHW5Xi2dZf8pIPx3qAp1LKEwlZ-vTU0vPeL0i6vYeEwNrx2GagekGvFf5RalXb6iy1ryOuOv75WCD96WV9eRi0qCd6w7OKm3XvKcPK1pKPj8Nv99J/s320/IMG_1340.JPG" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568155643439853282" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">22. The reminder in Sunday's sermon that even the heroes of faith described in Hebrews 11 had feet made of clay. That the writers of the Bible were very intentional about describing not only their successes but their failures - and the reminder that they are not the true heroes of Scripture. The only one who could claim that he was always faithful, "to do the things that were pleasing to Him." (John 8:29) is the true hero to look to in all things, at all times. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">23. Christmas 2011 came early for me in the form of a new set of excellent quality stainless steel pots and pans that I did not pay a dime for after I returned my original set. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWS9v0Shth5OXR2oACq5s3maqyfI_PaIGdgkri8IoxXUZqIpZjBRelINOx8pMh6Lpvi3czGoARrKpP7E9xuj8ntqvTcAQgkuUsf50drAx1foChhXkfocTXxYFBmmz1s5rGY6XO2KdVsL1T/s320/IMG_1386.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568157844351435442" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">24. For companies that have lifetime guaranties and honor them. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">25. For friends 15 years ago that bought me the first set of pots and pans as wedding gifts that lasted for a decade and a half. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">26. For little boys who go and go and go...until their go is all gone. ;) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3_YFcdTGQZaWkdZ9zB5wXdMo4_fEDZmFOeS6pMh9eSaETfmh_XQOyEEcfENSpxEikJvdx0LGPmKteTzygxNSrBGhyphenhyphenTmO4GlGhOBu2BySi3UT2NeIHbwwtyWWvuMQMBeXIcjD4_IAJuvg/s320/IMG_1382.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568159587082072802" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">27. For boys who come downstairs in the morning like this...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrJfFD1Gj864zhf0mno9OV7N8S4X5-DiC_syYW1uOQfZQjERuEvnguv6E668sjnc77Np-EntLuxfxyy_RgZVRaIZChRXBxFDbXKcianNqOLaaY35UwsMPoSn0SY_a6rwelY3kaDisrXt3/s320/IMG_0831.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568164252271282466" style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">(math manipulatives for guns and all!) </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">28. For memorizing the book of Philippians in 2011 with a faithful friend. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">29. For my very own copy of <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/one-thousand-gifts-book/">Ann's book</a> waiting to be read and discussed with friends. And the anticipation of God doing great things in all our hearts. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">30. For the pot of hot coffee that awaits to wake and warm me at 5:00 am each morning along with my copy of the Word that waits to warm my soul. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-34668999542179346832011-01-28T06:00:00.001-06:002011-01-28T06:00:15.726-06:00Five Dollar Friday: Chicken Tortilla Soup<div style="text-align: justify;">Last Friday I shared how I make Chicken Noodle Soup and a homemade stock in the process. This week's recipe is just a yummy step or two off that initial recipe. Everyone loves their tortilla soup a different way. Mine is a simple soup that allows the flavor of the yummy homemade stock to shine. You can add a can of black beans and some organic frozen corn if you want a soup with more to fill it out. A dollop of sour cream on top just before serving is yummy, too. I am also re-posting the steps involved in making a stock just so readers don't have to go between two posts. </div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Ingredients:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 lb chicken</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3 lg garlic cloves, smashed with flat side of knife (no need to peel)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 celery stalks, cut into chunks</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4-5 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks</div><div style="text-align: justify;">10-12 peppercorns</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 lg onion (I prefer sweet), peeled and quartered</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bunch of fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tablespoon dried thyme</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 bay leaves</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 T salt (start with 1 T and check flavoring to be sure it's not too salty for your taste, you can add more when you add bones to stock).</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (I use a store brand of Rotel but the mild version)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">8 oz. shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 bag tortilla chips</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 limes cut into wedges</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 avocados </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Directions:</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Remove any extra pieces from cavity and rinse chicken well with cool water.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Place in large stock pot with all vegetables and seasonings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Add cool water to cover chicken by an inch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Turn pot to medium until you see a bubbles rising to the top. Then turn pot to med-low/low (see notes below).</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Skim any impurities that rise to the surface during cooking.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Cook for 90 minutes to 2 hrs until chicken is cooked through and extremely tender. If you try to pull the chicken by the legs they will just fall off! </div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. Remove chicken and allow to cool. Remove meat from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. Drizzle a little olive oil over chicken along with a little stock from the pot to keep moist.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. Add bones back into broth and simmer for another 30-60 minutes. Add more salt at this point if needed. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">9. Strain broth to remove all veggies, spices and bones. Rinse out stock pot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">10. Place broth back into pot. If time allows place in fridge for a few hours or overnight and fat will rise to the top and solidify making it very easy to remove. If not, just let broth sit for a time and you will be able to skim most the fat that rises to the top.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">11. Add canned tomatoes w/ green chilies reserving most of the juice. Add juice if desired. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">12. Add chicken and warm pot if necessary before serving. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To serve soup, crush tortilla chips in bottom of bowl and sprinkle with cheese. Add soup and squeeze lime juice over all. Add chopped avocados on top of bowl and serve. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify; "><b>Cost Breakdown:</b> $8.58 (enough for a dinner plus lunch the next day for the boys and me - <i>and</i> leftover stock to freeze) </div><div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ 2.00 - chicken (on sale for $.48 a lb)</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ . 12 - garlic cloves</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ . 50 - celery stalks (I got organic for this price)</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ . 50 - carrots (again, organic)</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ . 01 - peppercorns</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ . 50 - lg onion</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ .50 - fresh parsley - about half a bunch (less $ if you use dried)</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ . 04 - dried thyme</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ . 03 - bay leaves</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ . 08 - sea salt</div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ .50 - store-brand Rotel tomatoes</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$1.50 - Monterrey Jack cheese</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$1.00 - tortilla chips</div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$ . 30 - limes</div></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">$1.00 - avocados </div><br /><img src="http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z35/BuCatdaddy/ssasign2.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket" />Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-29290558896126398902011-01-21T06:00:00.005-06:002011-01-21T06:00:08.494-06:00Five Dollar Friday: Chicken Noodle Soup (and How to Make Your Own Chicken Stock)<div style="text-align: justify;">This is the first soup I ever make for our family, and it's still a favorite. Pair it with a green or fruit salad and it's a complete meal. The amount of soup below will feed my family two times, especially when I serve it with sides. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I see whole chickens on sale for a great price ($.50 - $.60 a lb) I'll buy five or more (depending on freezer space) to make this recipe, tortilla soup, chicken and dumplings, roast chicken with roasted veggies or just tons of stock and chicken to freeze for later meals. :) If you have never made your own stock from scratch you will never want to go back to the store-bought stuff. Homemade is so much more flavorful and it freezes wonderfully. Consider freezing it in three sizes: quart, pint and cup. That way you can defrost just the amount you need with little to no waste. :) </div><div style="text-align: justify;font-weight: bold; "><b><br /></b></div><b><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div></b><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 lb chicken </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Whole wheat egg noodles</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3 lg garlic cloves, smashed with flat side of knife (no need to peel)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4 celery stalks, cut into chunks</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4-5 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks</div><div style="text-align: justify;">10-12 peppercorns</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 lg onion (I prefer sweet), peeled and quartered</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bunch of fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tablespoon dried thyme</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 bay leaves</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 T salt (start with 1 T and check flavoring to be sure it's not too salty for your taste, you can add more when you add bones to stock). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Directions: </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. Remove any extra pieces from cavity and rinse chicken well with cool water. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Place in large stock pot with all vegetables and seasonings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. Add cool water to cover chicken by an inch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Turn pot to medium until you see a bubbles rising to the top. Then turn pot to med-low/low (see notes below).</div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Skim any impurities that rise to the surface during cooking.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. Cook for 90 minutes to 2 hrs until chicken is cooked through and extremely tender. If you try to pull the chicken by the legs they will just fall off! </div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. Remove chicken and allow to cool. Remove meat from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. Drizzle a little olive oil over chicken along with a little stock from the pot to keep moist. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. Add bones back into broth and simmer for another 30-60 minutes. Add more salt at this point if needed. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">9. Strain broth to remove all veggies, spices and bones. Rinse out stock pot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">10. Place broth back into pot. If time allows place in fridge for a few hours or overnight and fat will rise to the top and solidify making it very easy to remove. If not, just let broth sit for a time and you will be able to skim most the fat that rises to the top.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">11. Bring to a boil and add egg noodles. I usually use about 2/3 of the package but you can use more or less depending on how you like your soup. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">12. Once noodles are tender, turn off heat and add desired amount of chicken. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Thoughts on this recipe:</b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The trick to making really tender, juicy chicken is to never let your pot get to a boil. This will toughen your chicken. At step four you just want to start seeing gentle bubbles rising to top, one every second or so and then turn your heat down. When your heat is turned down you should be seeing a bubble rise to the top every few seconds. Also if you don't cook your chicken long enough it will not be tender enough either. Most of the time I cook mine closer to two hours but your cooking time will depend on the exact size of your chicken and the heat you use to cook/how hot your stove gets. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">You can vary the spices/seasonings you use to make your stock. Add/delete/change any of the spices to fit your family's tastes. Also, I typically don't need all the stock this process provides for my soup. I can typically freeze at least a quart of stock. It will just depend on the broth to filling ratio you prefer in your soups. Finally, my boys don't like veggies in their final soup, but if I was making a pot just for me I'd add some carrot slices and finely chopped celery in to cook when I added the egg noodles. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you are only interested in making stock and not the soup simply use the chicken for another meal or freeze it. The stock can be refrigerated for a week or frozen up to three months. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Cost Breakdown:</b> $5.07</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ 2.00 - chicken (on sale for $.48 a lb) </div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ .79 - ww egg noodles (on sale, regular price is $1.89)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ . 12 - garlic cloves </div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ . 50 - celery stalks (I got organic for this price)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ . 50 - carrots (again, organic)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ . 01 - peppercorns</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ . 50 - lg onion </div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ .50 - fresh parsley - about half a bunch (less $ if you use dried)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ . 04 - dried thyme</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ . 03 - bay leaves</div><div style="text-align: justify;">$ . 08 - sea salt</div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z35/BuCatdaddy/ssasign2.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></div></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-73100510892177030702011-01-03T18:00:00.000-06:002011-01-03T19:13:55.660-06:001000 Gifts: A New Year<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff162/annvoskamp/multitudesonmondaysbutton2-1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I recently discovered Ann Voskamp's blog, <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/">A Holy Experience</a>, and have been immensely blessed. I read a <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/2006/11/gift-list-thousand-things/">post</a> describing her journey of gratitude that's ultimate expression has been <a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Thousand-Gifts-Fully-Right/dp/0310321913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1294023373&sr=8-1">her book</a> soon to be released (<a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-new-year.html">on my reading list for 2010</a>). I am a little late in joining the community of gratitude but am expectantly looking forward to all God will do through my journaling of 1000 gifts He has graciously bestowed. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And so it begins: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1. A new year full of hope and promise.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2. Three boys whom I absolutely adore. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">3. A husband who loves me despite my many, many faults. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">4. Being part of an amazing body of believers who bless me and spur me on. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">5. Friends who know me, the good and bad, and still bless me with their friendship.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6PPowQ0wD1wgU-DifRcHTnTUyrBPA3tD9EqIsSTv5QpVyQ6aug-jmQD99UfVaGWqcrL9a4MX1sm-QjDi2GTwr6i7G3b0OiqlE59E0HsefZ8rAai3YGsvN5d_-6wJweQi9tnSbuM4n4yY/s320/IMG_1371+%2528Small%2529.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558131296123837250" /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">6. A warm and safe home.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">7. An abundance of healthy food to eat. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">8. Clothes to wear. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">9. Clean water to drink. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">10. The sweetest dog who ever loved three boys. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52n53fePO7QUYOerGeOMubLAkm5WNQqcztAIcIsW0uiPpuBIQzQJ3KVZVMjr5h5bbGsakGgUW2u3WCbRregZUAVUyw1RNvGGkHO2-EVmmmnkaolJF3NBCp9S0uIFLBO0FowZPksCzaIbY/s320/IMG_1372+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558131307227474306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">11. An invitation to lunch on our first day of the new semester. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">12. Two new puppies that have brought our neighborhood out to fellowship. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">13. A playdate with amazing friends. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">14. The chance to redo things not done correctly the first time. Big things. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">15. A hand me down treadmill I never could have purchased. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQtrg1S7nHS8LoPMi-1TK7gdQfg4oNo8pYZ9q06x4lbEC72bBuldHQ6-K_H6XE03OzGgqV9HwShTyQCBu5XPW8pY9tCc9lfJw6NhpJy4Kc_g6onhobqQi8JPLd8GJpbmMCEu-5xpFXV7s/s320/IMG_1376+%2528Small%2529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558131305635647170" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">16. A hand me down Wii Fit I am enjoying to help get back in some kind of shape. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">17. A fantastic start to our new semester. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">18. Art online so this art-phobic mommy doesn't have to teach it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">19. A warm bowl of spaghetti and meatballs after playing outside in the cold. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">20. Boys saying, "I'm sorry," and really meaning it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">* Photos were taken today on our first day back of the new semester. Thatch is showing off his art from his Mark Kistler art lesson. Haddon is working on phonics and Beckett is playing with wedgits. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><img src="http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z35/BuCatdaddy/ssasign2.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-24744259975977079122011-01-02T15:22:00.002-06:002011-01-02T20:26:38.672-06:00Happy New Year<div style="text-align: justify;">I love new beginnings! It is so nice to wrap up a year and begin anew. This year is no different. I am excited to start 2011 and discover all the next twelve months hold. A few special things about 2010:</div><div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Dh published his first book. It has been so fun to see him fulfill a dream and to see the book welcomed with enthusiasm by many whom we deeply respect. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Dh began work on his doctorate.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">We started a new small group that has been a blessing to us. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Haddon started Kindergarten. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">We had our first broken bone (Beckett). </li><li style="text-align: justify;">We enjoyed a year of exceptional health with only a few colds here and there and are so very grateful. </li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">And a few upcoming milestones in 2011:</div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">This year my oldest will turn 10. Double digits. Oh my! It is hard to believe that tiny baby is now such a big, handsome, kind-hearted boy. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">This year my youngest will begin Kindergarten, and we will have no more preschoolers in our home. Everyone can now feed, bathe, dress and toilet themselves. ;) I sleep through the night the majority of the time and we are enjoying the flexibility of not being tied to nap schedules. Still one more baby sure would be nice. :) </li><li style="text-align: justify;">This year dh will turn 40.<span class="Apple-style-span" >(And I am not far behind)</span>. Yikes! </li><li style="text-align: justify;">This year we will wrap up our first four year cycle following the Classical Model. Thatcher will complete the Grammar Stage and will begin the Dialectic Stage. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Dh and I will celebrate 15 years of marriage. </li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">And being such a task-oriented, box-checking kinda gal, I cannot help but set some goals for the new year. Here are a few of my goals for 2011:</div></div><div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">Dh and I are planning two date nights out and two date nights in (kids to bed early and a movie on Netflix, a chess game, a Wii match or just time to talk) a month in 2011. We have had a hard time getting away in years past but this year we have committed to making time together alone even more of a priority. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Early to bed and early to rise. Ol' Ben had something! For me too often it's been late to bed and early to rise (makes a Mommy grouchy, impatient and caffeine-addicted). No more - or at least a lot less ;) </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Memorize the book of Philippians. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Exercise more. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Read more (see booklist below)</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Scrapbook more. </li><li style="text-align: justify;">Laugh more.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Eat less. </li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">And last, here is my booklist for 2011: </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Education related books:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>For the Children's Sake</i> by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Last Child in the Woods</i> by Richard Louv</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Spiritual Books: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Counterfeit Gods</i> by Timothy Keller</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>One Thousand Gifts: Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are</i> by Ann Voskamp</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Parenting Books: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The Home at Greylock</i> by Elizabeth Prentiss</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Instructing a Child's Heart</i> by Tedd & Margy Tripp</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Raising Godly Tomatoes</i> by L. Elizabeth Kreuger</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Self-Education (Following Recommendations from <i>The Well Educated Mind</i>):</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Gulliver's Travels</i> by Jonathan Swift</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Pride and Prejudice</i> by Jane Austen</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Home Manager: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Organized Simplicity</i> by Tsh Oxenrider </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Marriage: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>War of Words</i> by Paul David Tripp (not a marriage book per se but communication is a weak link for me in our marriage. Dh is excellent at this and I want to be better.)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Happy new year to you all! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><img src="http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z35/BuCatdaddy/ssasign2.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-26184435887899063552010-12-11T07:43:00.002-06:002010-12-11T08:03:51.168-06:00My Verse for 2011<div style="text-align: justify;">I am guessing all of you can relate. I have been in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Add that on top of regular life and things are certainly a bit crazy around here. In the first ten days of December alone we have had two end of season soccer parties, three Christmas parties, and two church events. All that on top of trying to finish the semester strong and being sick in the middle of it all. Phew! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Yet in the midst of preparing for the holidays, I am also thinking about starting off 2011 strong. Every ending also means that a beginning is near, right? As I am trying to enjoy the holidays and keep the true meaning of it all in front of my kids I am also thinking about 2011 and a new year. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This morning I read a verse I have read many times. But like it so often happens I saw something I had never seen before:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>~ Psalm 27:4-5</i></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is my heart's cry - I want 2011 to be about my seeking after the beauty of the Lord. I am praying about how to make that ever more a reality in the middle of the busyness of everyday life. How to do center on His beauty in the commonness of dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning, and teaching my boys? How do I focus on structuring my days so that there is room to, "inquire (meditate) in his temple"? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">David wrote these words while Saul was seeking to take his life. He was sleeping in caves and worrying if each day might be his last. His prayer was that he would seek God above all. That is encouraging to me. David's prayer from so many years gone by is mine as well. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-17135896412459157212010-12-03T06:00:00.001-06:002010-12-03T06:00:00.892-06:00Five Dollar Friday: How to Make it Happen: Couponing<div style="text-align: justify;">Sometimes things go all out of order. ;) This Friday I wanted to write a post that backtracks a bit and tells more about how to make $5 meals a more regular occurence for your family. Most of my "Five Dollar Fridays" are meals that you can make for that price only if you are getting some of your items on sale...and often with coupons as well. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the first tricks to making $5 meals a reality is having a well-stocked pantry. When you find something on sale for a great price, stock up! I have extra shelves in my laundry room and an extra refrigerator outside to store my surpluses. One of the best ways to get your pantry stocked is often (but not always) through couponing. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">The rest of this post will focus on couponing. I have used coupons on and off for about 15 years. Sometimes effectively, sometimes not so much. It wasn't until about four years ago that I really learned that there is an art to using coupons and it is basically this - save your coupon until the item goes on sale (hopefully for its "rock bottom price") and you maximize your savings, especially if you shop at a store that doubles and triple coupons. My store triples coupons that are $.35 or less and doubles coupons that are $.50 or less. This really helps rack up the savings even more quickly. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I wanted to share two things about couponing before beginning... First, you <b>can</b> coupon and keep to healthy items. It is definitely more challenging and you typically won't have the stories that some have of walking out of a store with $100 in merchandise for $6 (or something similar ;) but you can get big benefits from couponing and still feed your family healthfully. Second is that, like with many things, you will get out what you put in. Those women who do have the amazing stories of feeding their family of 6 on $20 a week are typically women who spend many, many hours doing this and often shop multiple stores. I don't have that kind of time. You <b>can</b> still coupon without spending hours and hours a week. I spend about 10 minutes a week cutting out coupons and an extra 30-45 minutes a week at the store looking for my best deals. Now how to get started...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>First you need to obtain coupons.</b> If your store accepts computer-printed versions then you won't have to spend a dime to get yours. The coupons that come in the weekly newspapers can be printed right at home and redeemed at your local store. (<a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.smartsource.com">Smart Source</a>, <a href="http://www.redplum.com/">Red Plum</a> and <a href="http://www.coupons.com/">coupon.com</a> are just a few to get you started. There are literally 100's more!) None of my local stores accept these anymore, so if you are like me you'll have to get coupons somewhere else. I get the Sunday paper delivered to my house for $1 a week; it's $2 at the store. This is well worth the cost for me because if I average just a $1 savings per week then I've broken even. The reality is I save far, far more than that. :) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After cutting my coupons each week I also swap what's left with a friend who coupons but we tend to use very different items. I also used to go by Starbucks each Sunday night and pull coupons out of their newspaper share bin. Many people read the Sunday paper but have no interest in the coupons. They drop the whole stack in the newspaper bin to share with another patron - or for someone like me to get their coupons. ;) I don't do this much anymore just due to time restraints. You can be creative though. Maybe see if you have a neighbor or family member who takes the paper but doesn't coupon. :) Getting multiple copies of the same coupons is not only okay but is desired. I read recently on a site where a mom had 6 copies of the paper delivered to her house each week. Wow! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Next you need a place to organize your coupons.</b> I use a simple file box designed for index cards. I have it divided into these categories: personal (products for mom), personal (shampoo, shaving, soap, deodorant), sweet snacks, savory snacks, cans/boxes, condiments, breakfast, baking isle, meat, dairy/eggs, frozen, medications/vitamins, refrigerated section/produce. You may need to add a section for baby, cleaning, laundry or even more. My box looks just like the one in <a href="http://www.sharingmytwocents.com/2007/06/organize-your-coupons.html">this post about organizing coupons</a> except I do mine by the categories and not alphabetically like theirs. The linked post shows other ideas for how you can organize your stash. :) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Now it's time to coupon.</b> When I started really getting into coupons I used the <a href="http://www.thegrocerygame.com/">Grocery Game</a> website. You pay for their services but at the time it was a great investment. You can get a four week trial for free if, after reading this, you are interested. You pay for each list you want from each store. That list will tell you what is on sale, if there is a coupon to pair with that sale, which flyer it came from (ex: SmartSource, Red Plum, P & G) as well as which week it was in the paper. They will also indicate if this is a regular sale or an item's "rock bottom" price (meaning stock up if you can because it won't be this cheap for awhile again). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">GG was invaluable to me and I used it for a solid year. It taught me what those sales trends in my store were (not that they come out and tell you; it's just something you pick up on as you do this) and really helped me master the art of couponing while holding my hand a bit. Now I can do it on my own now that I know my preferred store's sale trends. :) <a href="http://www.couponmom.com/">Coupon Mom</a> is another site like GG but it's free. You have to sign up but there is no cost. And her videos are <i>wonderful</i> to help learn how to use her lists and the coupon database. It's not quite as user-friendly in my experience, but the fact that you don't pay can quickly make up for that. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you choose not to use one of these list sites you can still be an effective "couponer"! Plan on having your grocery trips take you up to twice as long while you are figuring out this coupon thing. Go to an isle (for example the soap/shampoo isle) and peek at what coupons you have. Walk the isle and see if any sale items match a coupon you have. If so, great. If not, keep looking. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Buy some items at a grocery warehouse if possible:</b> I have a membership to a wholesale warehouse through dh's work, and I shop there once a month. The prices I get for first cold pressed olive oil, raw almonds, five pound blocks of cheese and frozen fruit beat even my store's sale prices and there are rarely coupons for those anyway. I also get dh's contact solution, maple syrup, a few healthy snacks and laundry detergent. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Other Tips:</b> Don't worry as much about about brand loyalty. If you typically buy Gillette razors but you can get Shick for a deep discount, go for it! Also don't worry about whether or not you need an item. If it's on sale for 50% or more of its typical price, stock up big. My store only allows you to use three similar coupons per week and they will double/triple only the first one. Be aware of this because it will affect your final cost. Also keep an eye out for "catalinas" - those coupons they print off at the register. And watch for manufacturer's coupons attatched to some of the items you buy that can be redeemed that day at checkout. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>A few examples from my recent grocery list:</b> Pillsbury pie crusts are usually $3.09 at my store. Last week they were on sale for $2.49 each. Plus there was a special bonus advertised that if you got any four items from a specific Pillsbury list then you got an additional $4 off your grocery order bringing each pie crust down to $1.49 each. Then, attached to the pie crust boxes were different manufacturer's coupons for assorted Pillsbury products. I made sure to get the boxes that had pie crust coupons that were for $1 off 2 pie crusts. That brought each pie crust to $.99 each. Then at the register a catalina printed for $1 off my next grocery order. That means I basically got each box of pie crust for $.66 each. Pretty good and I can freeze the extras and pop them out each time I want to make a chicken pot pie to take to a new mommy! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another example is Muir Glen oganic spaghetti sauce. It is normally $5.79 a jar. The past few weeks it has been on sale "2/$6.00". On the jars there were coupons for $1 off two Muir Glen products. That brings the final cost down to $2.50 a jar for organic sauce. I know you can buy other sauces for $1.00 but I really try to stay with organic and/or healthier options still avoiding hfcs, additive, preservatives and dyes (the above pie crust examply being a detour because pie crust is my cooking nemesis!). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I haven't paid more than $.20 for deodorant in years. I prefer Suave but will use any brand. The small size is $1.19. This week it was on sale for $.88 and I had a $.50 off coupon. That coupon was doubled meaning I got the product for free. Similarly I haven't paid for hand soap in years either. I save Dial and Softsoap coupons that are for $.50 off one item. When they go on sale a few times a year for 10/$10 I stock up and don't buy it the rest of the year. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are tons and tons of websites that do a better job of explaining this than me. Here are helpful links where you can learn more: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.mommysavers.com/frugal-food-recipes/perfecting-art-couponing.shtml">Perfect Art of Couponing</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">How to organize your coupons: </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://household-tips.thefuntimesguide.com/2010/02/organize_coupons.php">5 Unique Ways to Organize Coupons</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://tipnut.com/coupon-organizer-system/">How to Organize Coupons</a> (Binder)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://tipnut.com/coupon-organizer-system/">Making a Coupon Organizer System</a> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.dayrunner.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product3_10053_10004_131569_-1_false_10053##">Day Runner Coupon Organizer</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Places to find more inexpensive meals for your family:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">$5 Dinners <a href="http://www.5dollardinners.com/">blog</a> and her best-selling <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-5-Dinner-Mom-Cookbook/Erin-Chase/e/9780312607333/?itm=9&USRI=erin+chase">cookbook</a> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/with-less-cookbook-25th-anniversary-edition/doris-longacre/9780836191035/pd/19103X?item_code=WW&netp_id=223634&event=ESRCN&view=details">More with Less Cookbook</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A funny story about Erin's site ($5 Dinners): When I came up with the idea for Five Dollar Fridays I thought I was so creative! A week or two into this new concept (or so I thought) of mine, a friend emailed to tell me that there was a mom out there who had been doing this for a very long time...and doing it very well I might add. ;) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I hope this post encourages you to try out couponing. I love that I am stretching every penny we have to make the most of every cent God gives us. I choose to see it like a game and see how much I can save each week. It can be really fun and truly addictive. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><br /><img src="http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z35/BuCatdaddy/ssasign2.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket" />Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8719499255804821889.post-50038247492873289292010-11-24T06:00:00.000-06:002010-11-24T06:00:07.717-06:00Getting Started Homeschooling - Part Two - Deciding Your Philosophy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAOVdClqeApIi80DGOZ3fCMhmCX1CNPRKkD4ovZSBxA4SKvlUDD1pU395Nxg6ttBqqChrln901-QWJol7SLxdjYD9l4P6wLjYL3CPnGONH5zTm4g96G9CotG2GAqd018JC2v9FKZ0gkp0/s1600/cm.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibAOVdClqeApIi80DGOZ3fCMhmCX1CNPRKkD4ovZSBxA4SKvlUDD1pU395Nxg6ttBqqChrln901-QWJol7SLxdjYD9l4P6wLjYL3CPnGONH5zTm4g96G9CotG2GAqd018JC2v9FKZ0gkp0/s400/cm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536977262597010658" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">This is the second post in this series. You can read <a href="http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2010/11/getting-started-homeschooling-part-one.html">Part One: Deciding if it's Right for Your Family</a> first if it would be helpful for you. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Once a family has made the decision to homeschool most assume the next step in the journey is deciding what materials they will use to educate their children. This is important to be sure but there is yet something that precedes this. First you need to determine your educational approach - the philosophy/methodology by which you will filter all other decisions. This first step and the next (this is when you choose what materials you will use) are typically the most time consuming of all. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Before you decide the "What?" (curriculum choices) of your school you should decide the "Why?" and that "Why?" will largely determine the "How?" Will you follow a Classical approach? Charlotte Mason? Unschooling? Textbook/Traditional Method? Eclectic? Unit studies? Waldorf? Montessori? Will you use an online school? An umbrella school? There are other options as well. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Skipping this step can be a bit like preparing for a long trip not exactly sure where you are going and no map to guide your way. You probably have a pretty good notion of where you would <i>like</i> to go? Do you like hiking in the mountains or laying on the beach? A busy trip to an historic city or a more peaceful time browsing art museums? And if you are not exactly sure where you want to go, what do you pack? How do you prepare? How do you get the most out of your time if you spend much of each day planning the next? And with no map, you don't know the specifics of HOW you will even get there. You may get to your final destination...or not. And if you do, it won't be because you were efficient in the journey, unless you are insanely lucky. ;) No one would ever plan a trip like that. And no one should start (or get very far) on a homeschool journey without deciding where they want to go and the best vehicle (educational method) to get them there. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What you decide about which educational approach you will adopt is influenced by many factors which can include (but is not limited to): </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li>how you feel children best learn</li><li>how you feel about the education you received</li><li>your ultimate goals for homeschooling</li><li>your personality: type A or laid back? </li><li>your child's learning style and personality</li><li>what you can commit as a teacher: Will you work while homeschooling? Do you have any health issues that may limit your role? Any mental health concerns? </li><li>other family factors: large family? small family? special needs child(ren) who will require large amounts of time and/or attention? </li><li>budget</li></ul><div>Now let me pause here and say that I have an education degree and I never, ever learned about different educational methodologies. Kids learn one way in most public schools - textbooks/traditional. There was no need to teach us about other ideologies we wouldn't be able to implement anyway. When I made the decision to homeschool and started hearing all these terms I was completely overwhelmed. It was akin to learning another language. And the more I read, the more words were thrown at me. If you are already feeling like I was, just breathe. Seriously, it will get better soon. :)</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhlE5VugbCkB5M1EXnlVU_QDTRzdpM5goTqyVtFbrmYbG_fb_yS0VCWgETS1vJxuswknt0FUIw7kETyLY3DQEBF4z9dp1aYkR3Db-dKmhMOx-kw4Jx71vSNDh4RmN20oPgwxz_D25whgN/s200/hsm.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 129px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539252806926191682" /><div>So, where do you go from here? It depends on your level of overwhelmedness (*giggle*) at this moment and how much time you have before starting to homeschool. <a href="http://www.avko.org/Info/homeschool/methods.html">You can read this short article</a> (or just google "homeschool methods" for tons of other links) for a quick overview. Then I would recommend <i><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Homeschooling-Methods/Paul-Suarez/e/9780805440171/?itm=2&USRI=paul+suarez">Homeschooling Methods: Seasoned Advice on Learning Styles</a></i> by Paul and Gena Suarez. This book shares about each method by first giving an introduction and then following up with articles from experts in that particular area. Very readable, very informative and very well done. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgiYRGl-bNATsEV41NW_v_W_bhCKADQco6Ng0pD-o5pjYUM-w9tysEjEYBSb2Ea3JVvz6mYrr4Lj8WWHBnsEviDAjl8TrqgMSl2eyWD-IjjM3Xdu6bAlXcZeqZYEBdAcQ1cFVMe7Zp-hw/s200/cd.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 154px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538063764938655362" /></div><div>Next I would offer Cathy Duffy's<i> <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/homeschool-curriculum-choosing-approach-childs-learning/cathy-duffy/9780805431384/pd/31387?item_code=WW&netp_id=352643&event=ESRCN&view=details">100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum</a>. </i>This book also gives a brief overview of different methods but is not nearly as in depth as the prior book in this. It also begins to cross over into what the third post in this series will cover dealing with choosing your curriculum but has much that will help you get to that point<i>. </i>Her first five chapters are: (1) How on Earth Do I Figure Out What Curriculum to Use? (2) "Drill and Kill", "Real Books", "Delight-Directed Studies"...What's Best? (3) Putting Together Your Philosophy of Education (4) Learning Styles: How Does My Child Learn Best? (5) Who Should Learn What and When? These two books together I feel compliment each other well. If you only had time/desire to read one, I would go with <i>100 Top Picks. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you are feeling a bit empowered. You can do this. It is overwhelming for just about everyone in the beginning. Really it is. You will look back on this someday and smile. Really! </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Jenneferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13654642651122725268noreply@blogger.com2