Smooth Stones Academy

One Little Phrase Broken Down - Part Three: Make Time to Play

2012-01-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

The third part of my "One Little Phrase" for 2012 is Make Time to Play.

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, The Wretched Stone, 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.

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.

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. ~ Genesis 2:2

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.

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.

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 ~~want~~ need regular time with these girls. They are so life-giving for me.

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!

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.

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 so not my default and I will pack my days with projects and work and getting it all done.

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!

One Little Phrase Broken Down - Part Two: Beautify

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

In my ongoing posts about my "One Little Phrase" for 2012, the second word I chose for this year was Beautify.

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:

joined Pinterest and pinned tons of great, simple ideas I want to use in our home.

started following several decorating blogs. The Nesting Place, The Inspired Room, and Thrifty Decor Chick are my favorites so far.

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!

set a goal to complete 52 home projects in 52 weeks.

The second application of Beautify 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.

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.

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. ~1 Peter 3:4

One Little Phrase Broken Down - Part One: Simplify

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I shared my "One Little Phrase" for 2012:

Simplify, Beautify, Make Time to Play,

Laugh More, Cherish Every Moment

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.

First I chose Simplify. Why?

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.

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.

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 often just plain messy. 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 simplicity. 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?

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
~ Leonardo da Vinci

Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.
~ Plato

In character, in manner, in style, in all things,
the supreme excellence is simplicity.
~ Henry Wadsworth

Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life,
are not only not indispensable,
but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.
With respect to luxuries and comforts,
the wisest have even lived a more simple and meagre life than the poor.
~ Henry David Thoreau

Nothing is more simple than greatness;
indeed, to be simple is to be great.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English
Language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off
from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society
has made us feel that happiness lies in having things,
and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.
~Elise Boulding

I have already taken a few steps towards this goal.

1. In regard too many online commitments (for ME and my time only), I closed my Facebook account. I have trimmed down who I follow on Twitter. I have set limits on Pinterest; it will be my Friday night treat.

2. 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.

3. 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, Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, and Year of Plenty by Craig Goodwin are both on the docket.

4. I have created a Home Manager Notebook ala Tsh Oxenrider's wonderful book, Organized Simplicity. 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:
The perfect is the enemy of good. ~ Voltaire
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.

5. 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.

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.

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-01T17:22:00.001-06:00

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.

I have always loved how Heidi at Mt. Hope Chronicles chooses "One Little Word" 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. Ali Edwards started "One Little Word" and she says:

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.

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 few posts back 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 I recently came out of a pity party 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 Time for Everything) called "Motherhood as a Mission". 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"!

So what did I choose?

Simplify,Beautify, Make Time to Play,

Laugh More, Cherish Every Moment

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 Daily Docke t 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"?

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-17T15:57:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas
from Smooth Stones Academy 2011

My Version of "52 in 52"

2011-12-03T21:06:00.005-06:00

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: Don Quixote and The Pilgrim's Progress.) Still the idea intrigued me. I love projects, deadlines and the accountability of doing it with a group.

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!

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.

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).

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 this quiz at Real Simple to find out my "decorating personality." And the result was...

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.

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.

Then I read this inspiring article 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:

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

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.

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. Create a homemade wreath . Fill a bare spot on a wall with a bargain (or otherwise) find. Design a new centerpiece for a table in your home.

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!

Updates

2011-11-27T17:13:00.003-06:00

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: Tapestry of Grace (TOG), Growing with Grammar (GWG), Elemental Science (ES) and Writing with Ease (WWE) being the main ones.

Tapestry 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.

Growing With Grammar 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 loved 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.

Writing With Ease 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.

I hope to post great things about Elemental Science 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! :)

Well, just a few new things around SSA. Hope your week gets off to a great start tomorrow.

Now I Get It

2011-11-21T10:26:00.003-06:00

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.

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! :)

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.

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.

Multitudes on Mondays ~ April 25

2011-04-25T15:46:00.017-05:00

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.

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.

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!

52. Monarch in our butterfly garden almost ready to emerge. The boys never tire of watching each chrysalis as it changes from its gorgeous jade green to translucent to new butterfly!

53. Those first moments of a monarch's life still clinging to her former home.

54. The reminder that butterflies are to me of this precious truth:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ~2 Corinthians 5:17

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,

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.~ Philippians 1:6

56. A black swallowtail caterpillar on a fennel plant. My absolute favorite caterpillar!

57. This lesser vine sphinx moth the boys spotted on the window at church at our Saturday night Easter service.

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.

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. ~George Washington Carver

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.

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!

* Sorry about the quality of some of the pictures. I need a class to learn how to take better nature photos on my phone! :)

Multitudes on Mondays ~ March 14

2011-03-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

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.

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.

So grateful for...

41. Breathtaking views at every turn. Absolutely stunning.

42. Three days of skiing with incredible snow, one of the deepest snow bases in history!

43. No injuries!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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 Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Must.learn.to.make.these.soon.....

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.

50. A safe trip that brought us back home...

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;

~John Howard Payne

A New Addition to Our Day

2011-02-15T06:00:00.001-06:00

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.

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 My Favorite Bible Storybook for Early Readers. Thatcher reads daily from Story of the World, 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.

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.

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 Childhood of Famous Americans 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.

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 Frog and Toad are Friends. It took him the full week to read it. Then he picked up Frog and Toad All Year followed by Frog and Toad Together. With each successive book he got a bit more comfortable and a bit faster. The book he is reading in this picture, Days with Frog and Toad, 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.

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 anything 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 Fox in Sock and Green Eggs and Ham. 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!

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! :)

More Thoughts About Self-Education Over at Milk and Cookies

2011-02-08T14:58:00.003-06:00

Amy, at Milk and Cookies, asked if I would do a guest post during the 10 Days of Homeschooling Blog Hop sponsored by Heart of the Matter. 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.

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.

Now jump forward six years...

To read the rest head over to 10 Days of Classical Education: Day 2 at Milk and Cookies and take a peek.

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!

Multitudes on Mondays ~ February 7

2011-02-07T21:03:00.017-06:00

A little late today but continuing the list of His good gifts:

31. The whole family tagging along with dh to Austin this weekend on a work-related trip.

32. Perfect timing of the church who asked dh to speak just before we were to start our unit on Texas history! :)

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.

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 American Botanical Council. What a blessing to see where she and her siblings (whom my boys adore) made all their childhood memories!

35. Fun times learning about our state's history at the Texas Capitol.

36. Walking around the campus where I attended college. Such sweet memories. I was overwhelmed with emotion as I shared remembrances with the boys.

37. A visit to the Texas History Museum. 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.

38. The best part of the LBJ Presidential Library 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. ;)

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.

40. For little boys worn out and ready to go back home after a fun and exhausting weekend.

Five Dollar Friday: Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Homemade Whole Wheat Croutons

2011-02-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

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 here 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.

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.

Ingredients:

3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil

2 teaspoons sea salt (may not need if you are using stock, esp. if it's not low sodium)

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chopped yellow onions, about 2 onions

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice

2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 quart chicken stock or water

1/4 cup heavy cream (not in original recipe but just a bit add a lot of flavor in my opinion)

Directions:

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.

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.

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.

4. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream.

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.

6. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

Cost Breakdown: $9.62

$ 3.00 - 3 pounds plum tomatoes

$ .42 - olive oil

$ .02 - 2 teaspoons sea salt (may not need if you are using stock, esp. if it's not low sodium)

$ .04 - black pepper

$ 1.00 - 2 cups chopped yellow onions, about 2 onions

$ .24 - garlic cloves

$ . 14 - butter

$ 1.50 -canned plum tomatoes (sale)

$2.99 - fresh basil

$ .02 - dried thyme

free - 1 quart chicken stock or water (ckn stock left over from here or here)

$ .25 - heavy cream

If you want to add homemade croutons here is how I do it:

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!

SOTW Wrap Up and Review

2011-02-03T06:00:00.002-06:00

This week we finished Story of the World 4. I posted our condensed plan to cover the entire fourth book in only 21 weeks in an old post. 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.

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 SOTW. 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.

We rarely used the Activity Guide other than as a staring point for my yearly book lists (You can see them at these links - SOTW 1 , SOTW 2, SOTW 4) . 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

the most of the activities with Haddon and Beckett either; I much prefer these wonderful SOTW lapbooks 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 SOTW 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 this set of Geopuzzles from Timberdoodle 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? :)

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 SOTW 1 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.

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.

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 SOTW series.

If you are Classically educating your children you will undoubtedly have read about narration (especially if you have read The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise-Bauer, the same author as SOTW) 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 read this first 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.

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 WTM 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.

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 Well-Trained Mind but he was most certainly ready for narrations ala Charlotte Mason.

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.

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 Plan for Teaching Writing from Peace Hill Press. 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.

Each year in SOTW 1-3 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 SOTW 4 there is a switch that I was unaware of until I bought it this past summer. SOTW 4 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.

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.

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!

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 wonderful 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!

Narrations: WTM Style vs. CM Style

2011-02-02T06:00:00.002-06:00

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.

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.

Answer: I talked a little about this in my last post comparing CM to Classical, so here I thought I'd share a few quotes from the authors themselves. First Susan Wise-Bauer's ideas on narrations...

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 summarize 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.

~The Well Trained Mind, Revised and Updated, p. 55 (emphasis mine)

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 main points of a story.

~Ibid, p. 59 (emphasis mine)

This process (of narration) developed the student's comprehension skills and taught him how to tell the difference between irrelevant details and important elements of plots or argument.

~Ibid, p. 272 (emphasis mine)

And now Charlotte Mason's ideas on narration...

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 tells everything 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.
~Home Education, Volume 1, p. 231

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.
~Ibid, p. 232-233

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.

My (Again) Updated Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

2011-02-01T06:00:00.002-06:00

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 really great loaf of bread. 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!

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! ;)

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.

100% Whole Grain Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups warm water
1 egg
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil (or any mild tasting vegetable oil)
4 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp molasses
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
2 tsp salt
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour (made by grinding rolled oats in my blender or food processor)
1/4 cup gluten
2 tsp yeast (active dry)

Directions:

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.
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.
I premix all my dry ingredients (excluding yeast) every month or so like at the bottom of this post. 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.
After the yeast has started to bloom add it to the mixer.
Keep machine running on low speed for about 8-10 minutes.
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.
Form dough into an oval about the same length as your 10 inch bread pan.
Place loaf into a well greased pan.
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.
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.
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.
You just must eat a hot piece with some butter and a bit of honey. Please do! :)

Multitudes on Mondays ~ Jan. 31st

2011-01-31T06:00:00.004-06:00

And the gratitude journey continues:

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!

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.

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.

24. For companies that have lifetime guaranties and honor them.

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.

26. For little boys who go and go and go...until their go is all gone. ;)

27. For boys who come downstairs in the morning like this...

(math manipulatives for guns and all!)

28. For memorizing the book of Philippians in 2011 with a faithful friend.

29. For my very own copy of Ann's book waiting to be read and discussed with friends. And the anticipation of God doing great things in all our hearts.

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.

Five Dollar Friday: Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-01-28T06:00:00.001-06:00

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.

Ingredients:

4 lb chicken

3 lg garlic cloves, smashed with flat side of knife (no need to peel)

4 celery stalks, cut into chunks

4-5 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks

10-12 peppercorns

1 lg onion (I prefer sweet), peeled and quartered

Bunch of fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)

1 tablespoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

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).

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (I use a store brand of Rotel but the mild version)

8 oz. shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

1 bag tortilla chips

2 limes cut into wedges

2 avocados

Directions:

1. Remove any extra pieces from cavity and rinse chicken well with cool water.

2. Place in large stock pot with all vegetables and seasonings.

3. Add cool water to cover chicken by an inch.

4. Turn pot to medium until you see a bubbles rising to the top. Then turn pot to med-low/low (see notes below).

5. Skim any impurities that rise to the surface during cooking.

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!

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.

8. Add bones back into broth and simmer for another 30-60 minutes. Add more salt at this point if needed.

9. Strain broth to remove all veggies, spices and bones. Rinse out stock pot.

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.

11. Add canned tomatoes w/ green chilies reserving most of the juice. Add juice if desired.

12. Add chicken and warm pot if necessary before serving.

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.

Cost Breakdown: $8.58 (enough for a dinner plus lunch the next day for the boys and me - and leftover stock to freeze)

$ 2.00 - chicken (on sale for $.48 a lb)

$ . 12 - garlic cloves

$ . 50 - celery stalks (I got organic for this price)

$ . 50 - carrots (again, organic)

$ . 01 - peppercorns

$ . 50 - lg onion

$ .50 - fresh parsley - about half a bunch (less $ if you use dried)

$ . 04 - dried thyme

$ . 03 - bay leaves

$ . 08 - sea salt

$ .50 - store-brand Rotel tomatoes

$1.50 - Monterrey Jack cheese

$1.00 - tortilla chips

$ . 30 - limes

$1.00 - avocados

Five Dollar Friday: Chicken Noodle Soup (and How to Make Your Own Chicken Stock)

2011-01-21T06:00:00.005-06:00

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.

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. :)

Ingredients:

4 lb chicken

Whole wheat egg noodles

3 lg garlic cloves, smashed with flat side of knife (no need to peel)

4 celery stalks, cut into chunks

4-5 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks

10-12 peppercorns

1 lg onion (I prefer sweet), peeled and quartered

Bunch of fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)

1 tablespoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

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).

Directions:

1. Remove any extra pieces from cavity and rinse chicken well with cool water.

2. Place in large stock pot with all vegetables and seasonings.

3. Add cool water to cover chicken by an inch.

4. Turn pot to medium until you see a bubbles rising to the top. Then turn pot to med-low/low (see notes below).

5. Skim any impurities that rise to the surface during cooking.

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!

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.

8. Add bones back into broth and simmer for another 30-60 minutes. Add more salt at this point if needed.

9. Strain broth to remove all veggies, spices and bones. Rinse out stock pot.

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.

12. Once noodles are tender, turn off heat and add desired amount of chicken.

Thoughts on this recipe:

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.

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.

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.

Cost Breakdown: $5.07

$ 2.00 - chicken (on sale for $.48 a lb)

$ .79 - ww egg noodles (on sale, regular price is $1.89)

$ . 12 - garlic cloves

$ . 50 - celery stalks (I got organic for this price)

$ . 50 - carrots (again, organic)

$ . 01 - peppercorns

$ . 50 - lg onion

$ .50 - fresh parsley - about half a bunch (less $ if you use dried)

$ . 04 - dried thyme

$ . 03 - bay leaves

$ . 08 - sea salt

1000 Gifts: A New Year

2011-01-03T18:00:00.000-06:00

I recently discovered Ann Voskamp's blog, A Holy Experience, and have been immensely blessed. I read a post describing her journey of gratitude that's ultimate expression has been her book soon to be released (on my reading list for 2010). 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.

And so it begins:

1. A new year full of hope and promise.

2. Three boys whom I absolutely adore.

3. A husband who loves me despite my many, many faults.

4. Being part of an amazing body of believers who bless me and spur me on.

5. Friends who know me, the good and bad, and still bless me with their friendship.

6. A warm and safe home.

7. An abundance of healthy food to eat.

8. Clothes to wear.

9. Clean water to drink.

10. The sweetest dog who ever loved three boys.

11. An invitation to lunch on our first day of the new semester.

12. Two new puppies that have brought our neighborhood out to fellowship.

13. A playdate with amazing friends.

14. The chance to redo things not done correctly the first time. Big things.

15. A hand me down treadmill I never could have purchased.

16. A hand me down Wii Fit I am enjoying to help get back in some kind of shape.

17. A fantastic start to our new semester.

18. Art online so this art-phobic mommy doesn't have to teach it.

19. A warm bowl of spaghetti and meatballs after playing outside in the cold.

20. Boys saying, "I'm sorry," and really meaning it.

* 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.

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T15:22:00.002-06:00

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:

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.
Dh began work on his doctorate.
We started a new small group that has been a blessing to us.
Haddon started Kindergarten.
We had our first broken bone (Beckett).
We enjoyed a year of exceptional health with only a few colds here and there and are so very grateful.

And a few upcoming milestones in 2011:

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.
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. :)
This year dh will turn 40.(And I am not far behind). Yikes!
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.
Dh and I will celebrate 15 years of marriage.

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:

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.
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 ;)
Memorize the book of Philippians.
Exercise more.
Read more (see booklist below)
Scrapbook more.
Laugh more.
Eat less.

And last, here is my booklist for 2011:

Education related books:

For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv

Spiritual Books:

Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

One Thousand Gifts: Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp

Parenting Books:

The Home at Greylock by Elizabeth Prentiss

Instructing a Child's Heart by Tedd & Margy Tripp

Raising Godly Tomatoes by L. Elizabeth Kreuger

Self-Education (Following Recommendations from The Well Educated Mind):

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Home Manager:

Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenrider

Marriage:

War of Words 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.)

Happy new year to you all!

My Verse for 2011

2010-12-11T07:43:00.002-06:00

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!

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.

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:

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.
~ Psalm 27:4-5

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"?

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.

Five Dollar Friday: How to Make it Happen: Couponing

2010-12-03T06:00:00.001-06:00

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.

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.

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.

I wanted to share two things about couponing before beginning... First, you can 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 can 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...

First you need to obtain coupons. 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. (Smart Source, Red Plum and coupon.com 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. :)

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!

Next you need a place to organize your coupons. 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 this post about organizing coupons 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. :)

Now it's time to coupon. When I started really getting into coupons I used the Grocery Game 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).

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. :) Coupon Mom is another site like GG but it's free. You have to sign up but there is no cost. And her videos are wonderful 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.

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.

Buy some items at a grocery warehouse if possible: 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.

Other Tips: 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.

A few examples from my recent grocery list: 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!

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!).

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.

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:

Perfect Art of Couponing

How to organize your coupons:

5 Unique Ways to Organize Coupons

How to Organize Coupons (Binder)

Making a Coupon Organizer System

Day Runner Coupon Organizer

Places to find more inexpensive meals for your family:

$5 Dinners blog and her best-selling cookbook

More with Less Cookbook

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. ;)

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.

Getting Started Homeschooling - Part Two - Deciding Your Philosophy

2010-11-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

This is the second post in this series. You can read Part One: Deciding if it's Right for Your Family first if it would be helpful for you.

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.

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.

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 like 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.

What you decide about which educational approach you will adopt is influenced by many factors which can include (but is not limited to):

how you feel children best learn
how you feel about the education you received
your ultimate goals for homeschooling
your personality: type A or laid back?
your child's learning style and personality
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?
other family factors: large family? small family? special needs child(ren) who will require large amounts of time and/or attention?
budget

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. :)

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. You can read this short article (or just google "homeschool methods" for tons of other links) for a quick overview. Then I would recommend Homeschooling Methods: Seasoned Advice on Learning Styles 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.

Next I would offer Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. 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. 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 100 Top Picks.

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!

Decorating: I'm Trying! ;)

2010-11-22T22:42:00.002-06:00

Recently I referred to my old "Confessions" post. Confession #6 was about how I cannot buy my own clothes (now I can organize a closet full of clothes, but the buying of them - ICK!) and I certainly can't accessorize. This applies to my home as well. Decorating is not my cuppa. Yet recently I have been so inspired by different decorating blogs out there.

I think it has something to do with the fact that I no longer have babies in the house. I have a tiny bit more time to devote to actually thinking about what I want my home to look like. I love going to Mt. Hope Chronicles and looking through her "Project Hedi" posts (and lately I want to visit just to see all those adorable pictures of little Lola Collette, too!) And I just adore the Nester. When I grow up I want my house to look just like theirs. ;)

In the meantime I have taken a baby step (and yes, it is truly a baby step) towards decorating. I decided that for one year I would keep a centerpiece on my island that I would change with the seasons. I got the idea of using these candles from Heidi at Mt. Hope years ago. I bought the candles and they sat in a cabinet until a few months ago. Here is what is currently sitting on my island. (I cheated and already changed it out for Christmas since we leave town in the morning and won't come back until the weekend. I wanted to come back and already have the house decorated for Christmas so I was a busy beaver this weekend).

Here is what it looked like before when I had it decorated for Thanksgiving.

I wish I would have taken a picture of what it looked like in October; it was precious. I had Halloween ribbon and candy corn filled the bottom of the plate. Just wanted to share something silly and fun.

Five Dollar Friday: Shredded Barbecue Chicken Stuffed Potatoes

2010-11-19T06:00:00.003-06:00

Stuffed baked potatoes are one of my favorite comfort foods. Mix that with one of my other favorite comfort foods, barbecue, and you have comfort food heaven! On top of that, this recipe is perfect for a busy school day and, if you watch your toppings, it's healthy to boot. Take five minutes to pop the ingredients in the crock pot at your morning break and you will have the majority of dinner ready in a few short hours.

One tip: There are a few times a year you can be sure to find great sales on barbecue sauces - Memorial Day, Labor Day and Fourth of July. These holidays that revolve around grilling are a great time to stock up on your favorite sauce for cheap!!! I typically make my own sauce using a kid-friendly modified version of this yummy recipe from allrecipes.com, but when a good sauce goes on sale for $1 a bottle I can't pass it up.

Shredded Barbecue Chicken Stuffed Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken breast

1 bottle favorite barbecue sauce

4 baking potatoes (about a lb one for Dad & smaller ones for the kids and Mom)

4 T butter

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

a few tablespoons of corn starch or arrowroot starch (optional)

Directions:

1. Place chicken in crock pot and pour barbecue sauce over the top.

2. Cover and turn crock pot on high for 4 hours.

3. Remove chicken and allow to cool slightly. Remove skin, take chicken off bone and shred.

4. Skim sauce in crock pot to remove any extra grease.

5. This step is totally optional: If your sauce is too thin or you just prefer a thicker one, remove a cup or two and place in a small saucepan. In a separate small bowl, combine 2 T corn/arrowroot starch with equal amount hot barbecue sauce until it's completely dissolved. Pour starch mixture into barbecue sauce and raise temperature until it comes to a very gentle boil and thickens desired amount. Add more corn/arrowroot starch if needed (using the technique of dissolving first in small amount of hot liquid) to get to desired thickness. Add mixture back to crock pot.

6. Return chicken to crock pot. Turn crock pot to low, allowing mixture to simmer and all flavors to meld for 30-60 minutes.

7. In the meantime prepare potatoes (check out howtobakeapotato.com if you need help with this step).

8. When potatoes are ready, sprinkle all generously with salt and pepper. Stuff each with one tablespoon of butter, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4-1/2 cup chicken mixture with sauce and top with 1/4 cup cheese.

9. Enjoy!

Thoughts on this recipe:

My first attempt at chicken in the crock pot was a similar recipe a friend shared with me that started by using boneless skinless chicken breasts. That time the meat turned out a little dry and had a bit of an odd texture. When I tried it this way, on the bone and with skin, it was juicy and wonderful...and the meat had even been previously frozen for two months.

To thicken or not to thicken...it will depend on your preference, how thick your barbecue sauce is to begin and how much water is retained in your chicken (most chicken has water added, some more than others).

You can add more seasonings to the crock pot when starting if desired. A teaspoon of garlic powder and/or onion powder can be yummy if your sauce is a bit bland. Or a kick of cayenne if you like it hot (just don't forget about the kiddos!), or an extra tablespoon or two of honey or molasses if you want a sweeter sauce.

I skip all toppings and simply use the chicken and barbecue sauce on my potato to keep calories lower. I love all the butter, sour cream and cheese but don't need it. My skinny boys, now that's another story. :)

Cost Breakdown: $6.14 (with plenty left for a mommy lunch later that week :)

$ 3.00 - chicken breast (bought on sale for $.99 per lb)

$ 1.00 - barbecue sauce (see note at top of post)

$ .75 - baking potatoes (from a 5# bag purchased on sale and with coupon for $1.00)

$ . 28 - butter (sale)

$ . 50 - sour cream (sale for $1 for pint)

$ .61 - cheddar cheese (I buy in bulk each month at wholesale club)

A Needful Medicine

2010-11-18T15:52:00.010-06:00

Almost three years ago I did a post called Confessions because I never want others to think I have it all together. I didn't then; I certainly don't now. All those confessions I wrote 34 months ago still are true today, but recently God has been showing me I need to grow much in one particular area. And He has revealed this to me through my middle son, Haddon, the one I have nicknamed, "Chocolate Eyes". When you see your own weaknesses showing up in your children it is humbling...and saddening... and a huge kick in the pants. From that old post:

Confession #5: I take myself and life in general waaaaay too seriously. I need to laugh a lot more and chill out. Dh used to tell me that on a scale of one to ten everything for me was a 12 - from the Tupperware drawer to something that really matters. I have come a long way but still have much room for growth

Haddon is taking after me in this area and it grieves my heart. But I am greatly encouraged in this...I know the cure, or at least part of it. Laughter! Yep, laughter. Dh is such a blessing to me in this. When I am in one of my "take myself too seriously" modes he has wisdom enough to know that the salve for my soul in that moment is laughter. And I have seen several times this week that it will be the salve for Haddon, too.

This change needs to first start with me. The adage, "It is better caught than taught" rings true here. My boys will learn to laugh at the little things (and sometimes the big things, too) when they see me doing so. Knowing that Mommy doesn't sweat the small stuff will give them freedom to do the same. How far I have to grow in this. How very, very far.

To inspire myself I have found quotes on laughter. I am printing these off and putting them in my Teacher Notebook and on my fridge. I want my house to be marked more often by the sound of children laughing. For when my boys think back on their childhood to remember that we laughed as a family. Because where there is laughter there is joy. Proverbs 22:17 says, "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.

~ ee cummings

Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.

~ Lord Byron

The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.

~ Mark Twain

Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of your heart.

~ Mort Walker

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.

~ Victor Hugo

Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.

~ Karl Barth

Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.

~ Mark Twain

Getting Started Homeschooling - Part One - Deciding if it's Right for Your Family

2010-11-13T22:28:00.015-06:00

Through my church or this blog, I get lot of calls and emails from moms who are either thinking about or have already made the decision to homeschool. The majority of the calls/emails begin basically the same: "Where do I go from here?" I am beginning a series of posts I can reference that will hopefully be a resource for moms starting out on this journey...or even moms who have already jumped in and are learning as they go.

If you have already decided homeschooling is for you, feel free to skip this post. The second in this series (Deciding Your Philosophy) will be published soon and that one may be more helpful for you.

Last I want to say, borrowing from Lisa Whelchel's So You Are Thinking About Homeschooling, I am not anti-traditional school (be it public or private). I am just pro-homeschool...for our family. This is a very personal decision and I am not one who feels homeschooling is right for every family in all seasons of life. I want to be dogmatic about the things that Scripture is dogmatic about and give freedom in the areas where we have liberty. I think homeschooling is certainly an area of liberty in the Christian life. Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 details the parents' responsibility to teach their children God's truths:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Nowhere in the above passage does it specifically detail HOW we are to make this a reality for our family; homeschooling is one way that this passage can be applied. In my opinion, you can be obedient to the command of this Scripture and have your children in public or private school, too. Furthermore, there are also many reasons not to homeschool that a family need to consider before beginning, too. I think that for any family though, it is a worthy investment of time to thoughtfully consider all educational options for their children before beginning.

And now onto the reason for this post....you are thinking about homeschooling and you ended up here. First, I would love to humbly point you to two posts I have written. The first details our journey into homeschooling (Why We Homeschool - Part One) and the second gives the specific reasons our family has chosen this path (Why We Homeschool - Part Two). I also have thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Greg Sherman's article titled, "Ten Good Reasons to Homeschool."

If you would like to learn even more about the specifics of homeschooling here are two books that can provide much more information. The first is, So You're Thinking About Homeschooling: Fifteen Families Show How You Can Do It. This was the book a friend put in my hand when I told her I was pretty sure we would give homeschooling a try. Whelchel gives a snapshot of fifteen families who all homeschool for different reasons and in different ways. It is a quick read and I was so encouraged after reading it years ago. I think you will be, too.

The second book is called The Homeschooling Option: How to Decide When It's Right for Your Family by Lisa Rivero. This book goes into greater detail about the specifics of homeschooling. One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 7, "Parent Coffee Break: Frequently Asked Questions". I think both of these books together are an excellent one-two punch for someone wanting to earnestly learn more about what homeschooling really is and if it might be a fit for their family.

This is certainly not an exhaustive study on this topic. If you google "why we homeschool" or "reasons to homeschool" you will find pages and pages and pages of information. I have tried to find just a few of the resources I personally have enjoyed or that others I trust have used with success. Use this as your stepping stone and research more if you need additional information. And many blessings on your journey. My hope and prayer is that you are able to come to a decision that you feel a great peace about and one you feel will bless your entire family, whether that is homeschooling or not.

Five Dollar Friday: Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2010-11-12T06:00:00.004-06:00

Recently Thatcher, Haddon and I had lunch at Panera. Thatch tried this soup and loved it. I immediately came home and started searching for a similar recipe to make for our family. I made a pot and Thatch declared that it was just as good as what he had at the restaurant. :) And you can get it on the table in less than 30 minutes if you cheat like I did and start with a rotisserie chicken and a box of chicken stock.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

(a nod to Panera Bread)

Ingredients:

1 box long grain & wild rice w/seasoning packet (I used Uncle Ben's 6 oz)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 a yellow onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup all purpose flour

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups water (optional)

2 cooked chicken breasts off rotisserie chicken chopped in bite-sized pieces

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups milk (I used 2 % to get some richness but keep calories and fat lower)

Directions:

1. Prepare rice according to directions; set aside.

2. Heat olive oil on medium heat in stock pot and cook onion until translucent. Add celery and carrot and cook 3 more minutes or until slightly tender.

3. Remove vegetable mixture from pan and save. Add butter to stockpot and melt. Add flour slowly and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

4. Add chicken stock slowly, also stirring constantly. Raise temperature to medium high and cook until slightly thickened.

5. Lower temp to medium low. Add cooked vegetables, rice, chicken and milk to pot. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until heated through and thickened. Add water as needed until soup is desired consistency.

Thoughts about this recipe:

I love soup. When fall arrives in Houston I am always excited about two things: no more mosquitoes (for a few months anyway) and making soup. But soup is more of an art than a science; a recipe is just a starting place in my opinion. ;) This soup is no different. The recipe above is a mixture of four different recipes I found and above is the way I like it. You may want more veggies or less, more chicken, thicker, thinner, whole milk or even heavy cream (yum, but oh the calories!). Use this as a place to start. Just be sure to snag your ingredients on sale to keep price of final meal low. I used several organic ingredients in my soup so your price will be lower if you use non-organic or will balance it all out if you can't get some of the ingredients on sale.

Cost Breakdown: $6.70 (recipe makes enough for dinner and a lunch or two for dh to take to work)

$ .14 -olive oil

$ .25 - 1/2 yellow onion

$. 20 -2 organic carrots

$ . 25 - 2 celery stalks

$1.50 - 4 cups organic chicken stock (one box on sale)

$2.00 - 2 chicken breasts off rotisserie chicken (sale)

$ 1.29 - 1 package long grain and wild rice (sale)

$ .05 - 3/4 cup all purpose flour

$. 40 1/2 cup butter (sale)

$ .62 - 2 cups organic milk (sale)

Considering Tapestry

2010-11-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

November has barely begun and already I am thinking about next fall and beyond. This year will complete our first rotation through the Classical cycle as outlined in The Well Trained Mind: Year One - ancient history & biology, Year Two - medieval history & astronomy/earth science, Year Three - early modern history & chemistry, Year Four - modern history & physics.

I have always assumed I would use Tapestry of Grace as the next step in our homeschool journey. I love what moms have to say about TOG. I hear things time and again like this, "Challenging reading. Thought-provoking questions/answers and activities, and LOTS of great discussions." They operate from a Christian world-view and one of the main goals of Tapestry is to educate kids in a way that they grow in their love for God and His world. Because so much of my own education was lacking, my hope for TOG is that it will support me as I endeavor to provide for my boys the education I never had all within a Christian context.

I spent time this afternoon watching the informational videos on their site. I have also printed off the 3 week Egypt sample and plan to spend time this week looking over it and learning more. I devoted a chunk of time over at the WTM forums seeing what others have had to say about TOG as well as over at the Tapestry forums. So far I love all that I see. No curriculum is, or ever will be, perfect. But TOG aligns with my goals better than any other program/curriculum I have seen so far.

Voting Has Begun!

2010-11-07T22:18:00.005-06:00

The nominees are up for the 6th Annual Blog Awards at the Homeschool Post. Voting runs from now through November 18th at midnight so hurry over and vote for your favorite blogs. And wanna know what I'll be doing the next several nights? Checking out many of the nominated blogs! I saw tons of old favorites but oodles and oodles of new blogs to browse as well.

Congratulations to all the nominees and happy voting!

And we haven't eaten McDonald's since...

2010-11-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

Okay so this graphic is tiny here. But check it out full-size and see if it doesn't stop you in your tracks like it did me.

I have never thought I fed my kids much fast food...at all. But we always enjoyed dollar burgers and fries at Burger King on Wednesdays as our "Hump Day" treat. All of us could eat for $6 since we all got dollar burgers, shared an order of fries and drank water. Then this summer I started going through McDonald's drive-thru for dollar breakfast burritos on Sunday mornings on the way to church. I had to be there at 7:30am with all three kids in tow and I could feed the boys for $3.20 ($1 burritos for Thatch and Hadd and $1.19 sausage/biscuit combo for Beck). I know. I know. I should know better. You don't get anything (worthwhile) for free (or even close to it)!

It didn't seem like much because out of 21 meals in a week and 14 snacks only 2 consisted of fast food. That's just barely more than 5%, right? But then when I stop and think that 2 times a week x 52 weeks a year means my kids will eat fast food 104 times a year. And that doesn't count travel, special events, birthday parties and such. It's not crazy to think my kids could be eating fast food 150 times a year. YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was contemplating all this when dh sent me the link to this graphic and we haven't walked in a McDonald's or Burger King since. That's not to say that Chick-Fil-A isn't still on the menu every once and again! ;) Now for our hump day treat we spread out a blanket on our living room floor and have a picnic while we watch an episode of Magic School Bus or Liberty Kids and on Sunday mornings we have breakfast burritos I make the night before. I will choose not to stress if we just have to grab fast food sometime, but at least we will hopefully be eating fast food more like 20 times a year rather than 100 or more!

Our Plan for SOTW 4 (Condensed to 21 Weeks) and Books to Compliment

2010-11-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

We are in our fourth year using the Story of the World series by Susan Wise-Bauer. We have thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to history. The stories have captivated Thatcher's imagination even though we never got to most of the fun projects suggested in the Activity Guide...or the mapwork or the color pages. We simply read the chapters, often listening to them on audio-book, and talked about them when time allowed. In addition I've have always tried to have a book or two to go along with most chapters for additional reading and a few history resource books on the shelf if he wanted to learn still more. And that's been enough to for him to develop a passion for history. He loves it!!!

Each summer I pre-read the volume of SOTW we will be using the upcoming year so I can begin to prepare myself as I didn't learn much of this in my own schooling. After I read, I make a booklist using the SOTW Activity Guide, recommendations from the wonderful moms on The Well-Trained Mind Message Board, my own research on Amazon and other curriculum's booklists (Veritas Press, Sonlight, and Tapesty Of Grace {look at this site, Bookshelf Central, where you can view/buy all of TOG's books organized neatly by year}).

This past summer began like the others, with reading and making a booklist. I quickly realized, though, that this year would be different. As I began to read Volume 4 I saw immediately that this period of history is tough. Really tough. The reality is horrible events have happened all throughout history but not with such rapid intensity...or within just a few generations of us either. Also this volume seemed very redundant: new ideas lead to revolution and bloodshed which leads to new leadership only to have that leadership become corrupted. This same sequence happens again and again; the basic storyline stays the same but in each chapter it is played out in a different country. SWB addresses both issues (intense period in history plus the redundancy) in the Foreword of Volume 4:

This volume is less evocative than the precious three. I have always tried to tell history as a story, to bring out the color and narrative thread of events. But with this history, I have found myself veering continually toward a more matter-of-fact and less dramatic tone. The events of the twentieth century - the bombing of Hiroshima, the purges of Stalin, to name only two - are dramatic enough. Turned into story, they would be overwhelming.

and

Revolution (a dominant theme of history in this period) shatters the structures; but the men who build the next set of structures haven't conquered the evil that lives in their own hearts. The history of the twentieth century is, again and again, the story of men who fight against tyrants, wind the battle, and then are overwhelmed by the unconquered tyranny in their own souls. (Parenthetical addition mine)

After contemplating different options, I decided I would cover this period in history but condense it. I didn't want to leave anything out but I there are several chapters I didn't want to dwell on either. A simple reading of the chapter would suffice. The chapters that dealt with America's history, I decided, would be our main focus. Plus in the back of my mind I knew at some point I wanted to cover Texas history and this would be the perfect opportunity to do so! We will cover SOTW in 21 weeks and use the remainder of the year to cover state history. So here is our schedule for SOTW 4 as well as the additional reading selections I chose.

Memory Work for this period in history:

1. Gettysburg Address using this illustrated version of Lincoln's famous speech (also listed in Ch. 5 additional reading list)

2. Order of all 44 US Presidents using Yo, Millard Fillmore (currently out of print but we found a copy at Half-Price books for $2. It ends with President Clinton but we just made up the remainder of the story to cover Bush and Obama.)

3. I Have a Dream speech (selected portions) using this illustrated version (also listed in Chapter 36 additional reading list)

Week 1-

Chapter 1: Britain's Empire

Chapter 2: West Against East

Additional Reading(s) -

Shipwrecked: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy (Ch. 2)

Week 2-

Chapter 3: British Invasion

Chapter 4: Resurrection and Rebellion

Additional Reading(s) -

Heroes for Young Readers: David Livingstone (Ch. 3)

Weeks 3 and 4-

Chapter 5: The American Civil War

Additional Reading(s) -

Lincoln: A Photobiography

If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad

If You Lived When There was Slavery in America

Gettysburg Address

Brady

Across Five Aprils

Week 5-

Chapter 6: Two Tries for Freedom

Chapter 7: Two Empires, Three Republics, and One Kingdom

Week 6-

Chapter 8: Becoming Modern

Additional Reading(s)-

Thomas Edison

Ten Mile Day and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad

Coolies

You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Railroad

Week 7-

Chapter 9: Two More Empires, Two Rebellions

Chapter 10: A Canal to the East and a Very Dry Desert

Week 8-

Chapter 11: The Far Parts of the World

Chapter 12: Unhappy Unions

Chapter 13: The Old-Fashioned Empire and the Red Sultan

Chapter 14: Two Czars and and Two Emperors

Week 9-

Chapter 15: Small Countries with Large Invaders

Additional Reading(s)-

Teddy Roosevelt: Young Rough Rider (Childhood of Famous Americans)

Bully for You Teddy Roosevelt

Week 10-

Chapter 16: The Expanding United States

Additional Reading(s)-

Daily Life in a Covered Wagon

***Rachel's Journal: The Story of a Pioneer Girl

You wouldn't Want to be an American Pioneer

If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon

There is redundancy in this list because I couldn't make up my mind (and I was able to get all four books for a fraction of their new book price through either PaperbackSwap or Half-Price books). Now that I have read them all, if I was to just get one I would get Rachel's Journal. It tells most all that the others do but in an engaging first person narrative.

Week 11-

Chapter 17: China's Troubles

Chapter 18: Europe and the Countries Just East

Chapter 19: China, Vietnam and France

Chapter 20: Revolution in the Americas...War in the World

Week 12-

Chapter 21: A Revolution Begins, and the Great War Ends

Chapter 22: National Uprisings

Additional Reading(s) -

You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton

Week 13-

Chapter 23: "Peace" and a Man of War

Chapter 24: The King and Il Duce

Week 14-

Chapter 25: Armies in China

Chapter 26: The Great Crash and What Came of It

Additional Reading(s)-

Homesick: My Own Story (Ch. 25)

Children of the Great Depression (Ch. 26)

Journal of CJ Jackson (Ch. 26)

Week 15-

Chapter 27: Civil War and Invasion

Chapter 28: The Second World War

Additional Reading(s)-

Anne Frank: Young Diarist (Ch. 28)

Number the Stars (Ch. 28)

Snow Treasure (Ch. 28)

Twenty and Ten (Ch. 28)

The Good Fight: How World War II was Won (Ch. 28)

This chapter for me covers one of the absolute hardest things we will ever learn in history. I picked several books and will gauge carefully Thatcher's responses to determine exactly how much he needs to be exposed to at this point. For me personally, I learned about WWII in fourth grade and I spent the majority of that year learning everything I could, especially seeking out biographies of children who survived concentration camps. Still, different children have different emotional capabilities and I don't want him to learn too much too fast if his little heart isn't ready quite yet.

Week 16-

Chapter 29: The End of World War

Chapter 30: Partitioned Countries

Chapter 31: Western Bullies and American Money

Week 17-

Chapter 32: Africa and China after WWII

Chapter 33: Communism in Asia

Chapter 34: Dictators in South America and Africa

Week 18-

Chapter 35: The Cold War

Additional Reading(s) -

One Small Step: Celebrating the First Men on the Moon

Footprints on the Moon

Look to the Stars

T-Minus: The Race to the Moon

Week 19-

Chapter 36: Struggles and Assassinations

Additional Reading(s)-

There Comes a Time: The Struggle for Civil Rights (Landmark book)

Meet Martin Luther King, Jr (Landmark book)

I Have a Dream

Week 20-

Chapter 37: Two Short Wars and One Long One

Chapter 38: Two Ways of Fighting

Chapter 39: The 1980's in the East and Mideast

Week 21-

Chapter 40: The 1980's in the USSR

Chapter 41: Communism Crumbles-but Survives

Chapter 42: The End of the Twentieth Century

Did I miss any of your family's favorites? If there is a must-read that I have left off, I'd love to add it to the list.

A Hodgepodge of Goodies: Sharing Some of my New Favorites

2010-10-27T06:00:00.010-05:00

I loved this post over at Jimmie's Collage about gaps in homeschooling. She has a refreshing take on the subject and it's a quick read.

I have blogged before about A Rhythm of Rest and our family's need for Sabbath. Over at The Beginning of Wisdom, Jen shared about the need to protect our kids' schedules and thus protect not only them but our whole family in her post titled, Guarding Sabbath for our Children.

Moms of boys...do you know about MOB Society? It is a fantastic website for Mothers of Boys whose mission statement says, "Reaching the hearts of boys for the Gospel & preparing a generation of men to love the Lord." Wow! I love Jenn's (different Jen from the one mentioned above) post titled, "What a Boy Needs." After I read it I ran and hugged my boys and we forgot school the rest of the day. We snuggled, read books and played outside. So inspiring.

Dh introduced me to a website called Simply Noise. It is a free site where you can listen to white noise, pink noise or brown noise. Brown is my favorite and what I am listening to as I type this. The sound just kind of fades into the background while blocking out other noises that would typically distract me. They say that different noises can reduce stress, get rid of headaches and improve focus. When Dh originally shared the site with me he was thinking that it would be helpful for Thatcher since he is so distracted by every.little.thing but he doesn't like it and I love it. They even have an iPhone ap!

Don't forget to vote for the Homeschool Blog Awards. Voting ends October 30 so there's not much time left. Rush on over and nominate your favorite bloggers. There are 20 different categories to pick from. Let your favorite bloggers know how much you appreciate all they do. :)

of men to love the Lord

And through Twitter I have found the most precious jewelry over at the Vintage Pearl. With Christmas not too far away, I thought I would share in case someone was looking for unique gift ideas!

I saved the best for last. Grab some tissues and watch Ben Comen's story. It absolutely touched my heart. One of my prayers for my Thatcher is that someday he will have friends who embrace him for all that he is, not worrying about all he is not. I guess that is what a true friend is for any of us. But Ben's story is about much more than that. Don't forget the kleenex!

SOTW I Lapbooks for FREE!!!

2010-10-25T06:00:00.002-05:00

My Haddon is a crafty sort of guy. He loves to color, cut, glue, and put it all together. Projects are his thing. He is always making journals and coming up with his own little creations. He cracks me up. Thatcher...not so much. He is a "just give me the facts" kinda kid! I lean more towards Thatcher's style. Poor Haddon. ;)

I have been thinking about how I will approach history with Haddon next year, as we will begin back with the Ancients, and I knew that what worked for Thatcher will not work as well for him. He will really benefit from hands-on projects. I contacted Peace Hill Press (publishers of SOTW) and asked if possibly there might be lapbooks in the works to go along with any volume of SOTW. Right about this same time I saw a post on a message board about this wonderful mom who has created fabulous lapbooks and is sharing them for free!! Yes, for free. They are amazing.

PHP got back to me and said that there were currently no plans for SOTW lapbooks but you know where they pointed me? The same blog! And she has SOTW II lapbooks in progress right now as well. Rush over to her blog, The Chronicle of the Earth, and download her zip file right away for Volume I lapbooks. Thank you so very much, Alia!

Five Dollar Friday: Spinach Cheese Quesadillas with Black Bean Salsa

2010-10-22T06:00:00.004-05:00

This has become a stand-by meal at our home because I almost always have the ingredients on hand, it can be prepared in under 30 minutes and it's a great way to get my boys to eat their greens. If I put a pile of spinach on their plates, they wouldn't touch it. But in four-cheese stuffed shells/cannelloni, blueberry smoothies (actually they don't know they are having spinach this way, so we'll just keep it between us ;) or in quesadillas they gobble it up!

A few notes: Even though the spinach comes chopped, I chop it again...and again. I make sure the pieces are tiny so no one will get a stringy piece of spinach. That would be the end of this meal for my boys who are hyper-sensitive to textures (if stringy can be considered a texture!). Also, the first time I introduced these I barely put in any spinach, so little they couldn't even taste it -especially dipped in salsa and sour cream. Each time I added just a bit more spinach to where now I can pretty much do a 50/50 ratio of cheese to spinach.

Also, the total cost of this meal is slightly more than $5.oo but the amount of food I have listed below will feed my family for one dinner (dh eats three and the boys and I each eat one) with enough leftover cheese and spinach to make three more quesadillas for lunch the next day for the boys. And still more extra spinach to put in blueberry smoothies for a snack that afternoon!

Spinach Quesadillas

with Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:

One package of flour tortillas (10 count)

4 T butter

8 oz shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1 box frozen chopped spinach - thawed, most of liquid squeezed out and finely chopped

1 can black beans

1/2 bag of organic frozen corn (we only do organic corn to avoid GMO's)

2 medium Roma tomatoes

juice of one lime (or less if desired - we like lime around here though!)

Optional:

favorite salsa

sour cream

Directions for preparing black bean salsa:

1. Drain and rinse black beans

2. Cook the corn according to package directions

3. Finely chop tomato(es)

4. Mix all three together and squeeze juice of one lime over it all.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste

Directions for preparing Quesadillas:

1. Heat large skillet over medium heat.

2. On one half of each tortilla add a layer of cheese, a layer of spinach & more cheese on top. Fold each tortilla in half.

3. Add 1 T butter to pan and half of your quesadillas (you may need to adjust amount of butter and number of quesidallas you cook at a time depending on size of your pan)

4. Cook until tortilla is brown and crisp; flip to the other side and cook until second side is done (add one more T of butter if needed when you flip)

5. Cook second batch of quesadillas the same way.

6. Remove and serve with salsa, sour cream and black bean and corn salsa.

Cost Breakdown: $6.29 which for a meal that revolves around cheese is not bad ;) You can get the price even cheaper if you can get MJ cheese for less but in my area I rarely do. Also my butter wasn't on sale ($2 a lb) nor was the frozen spinach or black beans.

$ 1.oo - 10 tortillas (on sale)

$ 1.25 - Monterrey Jack (when it goes on sale for this price I buy in bulk and freeze)

$ .25 - 4T butter

$ .79 - one box frozen chopped spinach (store brand)

$ .25 - sour cream (1/4 of 16 oz store brand container on sale for $1)

$ .50 - half a jar of salsa (on sale with coupon)

$ .60 - can of black beans

$ 1.00 - 1/2 bag of organic frozen corn

$ .40 - 2 medium roma tomatoes

$ .25 - lime

Thoughts on Explode the Code (and How I Taught my Boys to Read)

2010-10-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

I am using the Explode the Code series with my third child. Thatcher completed the entire series in the middle of second grade. Haddon is currently working in Book 2 1/2, and Beckett just started Get Set for the Code. I have some thoughts on this series after now working with these books for the past five years.

First, If you are not familiar with this series here is a quick overview. It begins with three primers: Get Ready for the Code, Get Set for the Code and Go for the Code. These books introduce the sounds letters make, letter formation and initial consonants in words. The main series has 14 books - eight main books and six "1/2" books. Each "1/2" books provides additional practice for the book before (meaning 2 1/2 reviews the concepts learned in Book 2). These books systematically teach phonetic skills and provide plenty of review as well.

Here is how I have used these books. I began the primers with my boys as soon as each turned four. All of them already knew their letters and sounds when we started (thank you Leap Frog videos!), so we used them to build confidence and learn how to write each letter. Plus my boys found all the activities fun! Once my kids complete the primers they start in Book 1 and I have them do 4-5 pages daily with the goal being to complete two lessons each week (no phonics on Friday). As soon as they finish ETC Book 1, I have them begin reading a book or two a day from either the Primary Phonic s Storybook Sets (not the workbooks), Bob Books and Nora Gaydos sets. I don't worry about matching the book they are reading to me exactly with the lesson they are learning in ETC. I typically just jump back and forth between all three sets (especially in the beginning when they needs lots and lots of practice getting used to sounding out words).

When there are so many other ways to teach reading, why do I like ETC? I can count it as phonics, reading, handwriting and spelling (a real multi-tasker!) It is easy to implement and inexpensive. Most importantly, it works!

Now here are some of my thoughts on this series (not necessarily in order of importance):

1. ETC is not independent work. Honestly, I don't think much is at very young ages when they are learning new material (independent, self-checking games/activities that reinforce already learned material are another story). The stakes are too high. If they learn something wrong in these first few years it is so difficult to relearn it correctly. And Littles can get frustrated so easily. I know that it is easy to send them off to do their phonics (usually so we can work with older siblings) but I really don't recommend it. What is one of the main things you learn how to do in your life? READ!!! The ability to read well affects every other subject in school. Take the time to sit with them. Talk about it. Identify areas where they need extra practice and encourage, encourage, encourage!!!

2. If your dc has weak motor skills and initially can't do all the writing (or even if they just need a bit more practice) offer it in a fun way. I have a jelly roll pan in the schoolroom filled with salt so Beckett can get additional practice by "writing" each letter with his fingers in the salt. We also put shaving cream on the wall in the bathtub to practice our writing, and outside I give him a paintbrush and a cup of water to practice writing/painting letters on the fence (and NO mess ;).

3. Have your dc read every.single.word.on.every.single.page. Refer back to #1 and down to #6 as well. You need to be there with your child as they work through these books so you can correct them the second they make an error. And reading the same words over and over in different activities is one of the strengths of ETC. This is huge! On the left is a photo of one page of ETC in Book 2 1/2. The directions say, "X the same word". It would be simple to have them glance at the words and find the one that matches the first without reading a word on the page. Or you can have them stop and read each word - 28 total. Which will reap greater benefit?

4. Use nickels, jelly beans, screen time or any other means to keep them excited! I keep a bag of organic dye-free jelly beans in the schoolroom for Beckett and dark chocolate chips for Haddon. They get one candy for each page completed. My kids don't get much candy so five jelly beans or chocolate chips are a big deal for them, and it is a great trade off in my mind to keep them motivated. If candy is not a motivator for your kids, just find a reward that will be: each page earns five minutes of educational computer time, or a lego from a set they want, or a nickel...

5. They will pick up on cues from you. If you communicate boredom with the books, even if only non-verbally, they will pick up on it. Make it fun. When it gets challenging, don't say, "Oh this is so hard!" Say, "Wow, they really made it fun for you today. You get to use your brain a lot! Neat!!!" Or if you see them getting frustrated or tiring out say, "Let's get two jelly beans for finishing this page!"

6. You don't have to do all the "1/2" books but I think the repetition is one the strongest aspects of this program. I have my boys do all eight main books and all six of the "1/2" books. I just do. ;) I don't overkill many subjects but strong phonics/decoding skills (typically) lead to strong reading skills and strong spelling skills as well. Taking more time here really will gain you great benefits in future years I have found.

7. You don't need to start a formal spelling program until your dc finish the entire series. If you just must have a spelling program create your own list using the rule(s) they are learning in ETC that week. Have them do a fun activity each day with the words on the list you generated.

There are so many ways to teach children to read: Phonics Pathways, The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, The Phonics Road and on and on and on. They are all good. They all have their merits. For us ETC has been a solid part of our school and has started my boys with an excellent foundation for reading and spelling.

Almost Up to 100 Followers!

2010-10-18T06:00:00.006-05:00

Would you consider becoming a follower of Smooth Stones Academy? I currently have 98 followers; it will be fun to have 100...or more!

All you have to do is click on the "Follow" button on my right sidebar.

And for accountability I am sharing a commitment to my readers with my readers: I will post at least one blog weekly for the remainder of 2010, hopefully more. I have more Five Dollar Fridays to come, ideas for saving money, and tons of random tidbits...not to mention our homeschool journey to share. :) Stop by again very soon!

2010-10-16T17:24:00.005-05:00

It's time! Fall, cooler weather, pumpkins....and the Homeschool Blog Awards!!! Nominations will be accepted through October 30 so hurry over to the Homeschool Post and nominate all your favorite blogs. There are so many wonderful bloggers out there who spend a lot of time and energy to encourage, inspire and share with others. Show your appreciation by nominating your favorites. The categories are as follows:

Best Homeschool Mom Blog

Best Homeschool Dad Blog

Best Blog Design

Best Photos and Artistic Content Blog

Best Crafts, Plans and Projects Blog

Best Family or Group Blog

Best Encourager

Best Current Events, Opinions or Politics Blog

Best Homemaking or Recipes Blog

Best Teen Blog

Funniest Homeschool Blog

Best Special Needs Blog

Best Curriculum or Business Blog

Best Variety

Best Thrifty Homeschooler

Best SUPER-HOMESCHOOLER

Best Nitty-Gritty Homeschool Blog

Best NEW Homeschool Blog

Best Homeschooling Methods Blog

Best Homeschool Nature Blog

Happy Nominating!!!

Waiting for Superman

2010-10-11T20:21:00.014-05:00

I am looking forward to seeing this movie. Just the trailer made me cry. Very thought-provoking for sure. I am most interested to see if they simply present the problems or if they go so far as to offer possible solutions. I am not anti-public school. Never have been. But I so think the system is broken for many, many kids, and I hope this movie brings awareness for so many children who wouldn't have a voice otherwise. For those kids waiting for Superman...

Breakfast Ideas

2010-09-27T06:00:00.007-05:00

I am a big breakfast person. I want my kids to have a healthy, filling (and typically hot) meal each and every morning. And cereal is rarely on the agenda. (Not that we never eat it; I just save it for Sunday dinner so I don't have to cook on my rest day ;) But the rub is I don't want to spend a lot of time each morning preparing breakfast. I like to get up early but I want to spend that time drinking a cup of coffee or hot tea and reading, not in long prep time for a meal.

I think breakfast is a dying animal though. As a sort of experiment, I asked 10 friends what they gave their kids for breakfast and of the 10 every single one said pop tarts, cereal, frozen waffles and/or oatmeal from a packet. Sorry, but ewwwww! Below are some things we cook at our home and how I prepare them to try and minimize cook time on busy mornings. If you have other great ideas please leave a comment or better yet link a post on your blog. I am always looking for new ideas so we don't get bored!

Breakfast burritos: whole wheat tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, cheese and sausage or bacon (we use the all natural sausage and bacon to avoid nitrates/nitrites). Potato would also be a yummy addition...or substitution for the meat if you want to go vegetarian.

How I make it work: Burritos are our standard Sunday breakfast because we are out of the house by 7:45 am. We can throw these in the microwave and eat 'em in the car! Once every six weeks I cook a big batch of crumbled sausage and freeze it in one cup servings. I also cook a package of bacon and freeze it as well. Then each Saturday night I make scrambled eggs and add the defrosted sausage or bacon. I make up the burritos and wrap each one individually in wax paper. The next morning we throw each one in the microwave for 30 seconds and breakfast is served. :) I usually make enough so that we have these on Monday morning as well. When we eat 'em at home we add salsa and a side of fresh fruit. Yum!

Golden Pancakes/Egg Crepes: these are officially called golden pancakes (see the recipe in an old post) but the first time I made these Thatcher declared that he would call them Egg Crepes. ;) Of everything on our breakfast rotation these are probably my boys all-time favorite - and I love that they are full of healthy protein! I roll them up and the boys eat them like crepes. Haddon loves his filled with almond butter and dips them in maple syrup. I like mine with jam. Thatcher prefers his plain, and Beckett is just a syrup guy!

How I make it work: I make the batter the night before. It just takes a few minutes to throw all the ingredients in the blender and then refrigerate. In the morning just heat the pan and make your pancakes.

Pumpkin Oat Pancakes: These are not just my favorite breakfast but one of my favorite foods. Period! They are the standard pancakes in our house and so much more tasty than plain ones. Your kids will never know that you found a great way to sneak in all that beta-carotene. ;) See the recipe here in an older post.

How I make it work: Every 4 to 6 weeks I make a double or even triple batch of these for a Saturday brunch or dinner. I freeze what is left in sets of four pancakes each with wax paper between each so they don't stick together. Then in the morning when I wake up I take a set out and let them defrost. I like to heat them up in a skillet on the stove rather than in the microwave because they crisp back up and taste like you just made them.

Yogurt Parfaits: We don't do too much dairy in our house. The boys drink almond milk but we do some cheese and a little yogurt. And these are a fun way to enjoy that yogurt. I just layer homemade granola (recipe below), organic greek yogurt and frozen blueberries in a fun clear glass cup. My boys love it and it's our standard "breakfast in a hurry" around here.

Granola

***This is a good basic recipe and I love it as is. But you can make lots of additions or substitutions to make it your own. Add a cup of dried fruit, change the amount/kind of nuts, add more/less sugar, delete cinnamon, etc....Also this will stay fresh kept on the counter in an airtight container for at least 2-3 weeks, although it rarely lasts that long around here!!!

4 cups old fashioned oats

1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped raw almonds

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup oil (I use grapeseed but any mild oil would be fine)

1/4 cup honey (generous 1/4 cup ;)

1 tsp vanilla (good mexican vanilla is my favorite)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a bowl mix oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon.

2. In a saucepan warm oil and honey. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

3. Pour liquid over oat mixture and stir gently with wooden spoon. Spread in a baking pan.

4. Bake 40 minutes, stirring carefully every 10 minutes.

5. When finished allow it to cool completely and store in airtight container.

* If you want to add fresh fruit add it after granola has cooled. Sometimes we add dried cranberries, especially in the fall!

Oatmeal: Simple, traditional, classic, healthy and yummy! I like steel cut oats better than rolled oats. Thatcher likes his with melted peanut butter drizzled all over the top. I like mine with tons of cinnamon and walnuts added. Dh likes his plain. Best of all, it just costs cents per serving.

How I make it work: Easy, I make it the night before and then stick the whole pan in the fridge. In the morning when I wake up I put the pan back on the stove to reheat (add a little more milk if needed) and we're ready to go. I make ours with almond milk and a little honey. Serve with a side of blueberries or other fresh fruit and breakfast heaven!!!

Egg Puffs: These are my mil's creation. One time she was staying with us and came up with these and the boys love them. You basically scramble up some eggs, pour the mixture into greased muffin tins, add some cheese and/or some breakfast meat (my boys love ham - I usually use Hormel Natural Choice ham to again avoid nitrates/nitrites) and bake at 350 until the centers of each puff no longer jiggles.

How I make it work: I make these at night once the kids go to bed. When dh and I are hanging out and visiting I'll make enough of these to last for 2 breakfasts. The boys like them best in mini muffin tins because they love to pop the whole thing into their little mouths at once!

We make lots of other things for breakfast as well: peanut butter toast with turkey bacon and fresh fruit, french toast, over easy eggs with toast and fresh fruit and yes an occasional bowl of cheerios. :) But I just wanted to give a few recipes and ideas of things that can most easily be made ahead.

I hope someone gets inspired to revamp their breakfast menu. Leave me a comment if you have other ideas. We can always use some inspiration!

Twitter Here I Come!

2010-09-26T21:21:00.009-05:00

Okay, with a little trepidation I'm finally launching myself into the Twitterverse. Only time will tell if this will be beneficial or simply one more thing that will drive me nuts! ;)

For you Twitter gals and guys, you can follow me at @JenneferatSSA

Excuse me as I tweet outta here...

Our Schoolroom 2010

2010-09-11T17:16:00.021-05:00

I have not shown our schoolroom since this post back in 2007. This summer was the first time I made significant changes other than adding more and more books each year. ;) When it came time to organize our new materials, I realized there was just.no.room.left - at all. Plus we had stacks of books all over the floor in every available space...and that was before I unboxed this years' supply. We bought new shelves and since we had to move everything out anyway, we decided to paint, too. I was never crazy about the old color but this new color I adore! It's so warm and it looks great with the espresso colored shelves.

Our schoolroom is really a formal dining and is in the very front of the house. This is the first thing you see when you walk in our home.

Here is a full view (or as full as my camera would allow) of one wall.

Top shelf: poetry books and educational resource books for me; second shelf: discipleship resources and in the basket are handmade preschool games and activities; third shelf: science-related books; fourth shelf: math manipulatives; fifth shelf: misc. notebooks.

In the basket on the floor to the left of the shelf are current history supplemental books (I pull six weeks worth at a time). On top of center shelf are our school supplies. The two larger drawers on either side are mine and the center ones hold the boys' markers, twistables, glue sticks, scissors and crayons. On the floor to the right of the shelf are some big books for Beckett (mostly ABC and number books) for him to look at when he wants to be in there with us. On the actual bookcase's top shelf are Thatcher's materials we use daily (or close to it) and the bottom is for Haddon.

Top shelf: SOTW books and activity guides not currently in use as well as a few books from our study of the ancients; second shelf: books from the medieval and early modern periods; third shelf: modern history, Texas history and GeoPuzzles; fourth shelf: misc. chapter books; fifth shelf: more notebooks.

I love these maps! We have had them for three years now and they are one of the most utilized resources we own. Before each history lesson we circle in vis-a-vis where the area is we are studying. The boys are always coming over to look at something. Currently Haddon is really interested in the flags at the bottom of the world map. :)

This is our preschool board. I blogged about it in a previous post if you are interested. Beckett is loving it just like his brothers did before!

The full wall on the opposite side.

On top of this bookcase are our educational puzzles. The top shelf holds Spanish games and resources. The center shelf holds science books for Haddon's science basket - Let's Read and Find Out, Magic School Bus, Scholastic: Question and Answer and Usborne Beginners (science related titles only). The bottom shelf holds old scholastic leveled readers from my teaching days, Bob Books, Primary Phonics Readers and a few Nora Gaydos sets.

And just because he's only made my blog once, a photo of our sweet Wrigley! :)

School is Underway at Smooth Stones

2010-09-05T19:10:00.003-05:00

We have now completed our first three weeks of school for the '10-'11 school year. We've had a great start, much better than I expected actually. This year Thatcher is in fourth grade, Haddon in Kinder and Beckett in pre-k. My days are so full but they are good.

For the first month of school I committed myself to going "off radar" meaning that I would cut out all but what was essential in order to establish good routines. I told myself I would do a few things each day: school with home phone off and Mommy offline (I keep my cell phone with me on mute for dh or in case of emergency), home-cooked healthy meals 3x a day, time in the Bible, enough of me at the end of each day to have something left for dh, exercise most days, a clean house and an early bedtime.

Those commitments have filled my day so much that I am not sure how I'll go back "on radar". Things like an occasional girls' night, time for blogging, nights to scrapbook every now and then and time on my favorite message board are all icing on the cake right now. I am really hoping to work these all in but it will be a gradual process. Today is a holiday and I am caught up on lesson plans and the house is clean so I am enjoying the luxury of blogging! :)

I have updated my sidebars to show what all we are doing this year. With Thatcher for the first time I am using an official science curriculum and we have really enjoyed Real Science for Kids (RS4K) Chemistry very much. Lessons One and Two of Writing Tales have also gone very well. This year we have really ramped up the amount of writing Thatcher does on a daily basis and he is doing wonderfully with the increase. It's a challenge for him but very much within his range of ability. We started the year with six weeks of review from Horizons 4 (using the worksheets provided in the TM) as well as introducing Daily Word Problems. We are also drilling math facts because they are still not at the point of automaticity. We are working through SOTW 4 at an accelerated pace (upcoming blog post) due to some of the emotionally challenging content included in this phase of history but Thatcher is loving it. He begs for history every day.

Haddon is loving Horizons K for math. He wants to do it first each day and does at least two lessons daily, sometimes more. Now that we have the colorful pages of Horizons, ETC has been dethroned as his favorite. :) Still it is proving to be a solid phonics program for now two children at Smooth Stones Academy. Haddon is becoming a solid reader on its merits, along with tons of practice with Mommy. He is enjoying his science book basket as well.

Starting school with Beckett has been one of my greatest joys this year. He is a strong-willed child and I expected the transition to mommy as teacher would be a tough one for him. I was wrong; he loves it! So far he is only doing Get Ready for the Code with me as well as our calendar board. He also watches Plazo Sesamo daily in preparation to start Elementary Spanish in first grade. Each thing he does with complete excitement. I know the newness will most likely wear off soon, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts! He also goes to our church pre-school two days a week and that is a fun break for all of us. :)

We still have quite a bit to tweak. A smoother start to our mornings (attitude being a struggle), more efficient use of our time so we are sure to get most subjects done every day, my getting in bed early enough so that I am prepared for anything the day brings my way among others are still areas that need improvement. But we'll get there.

I hope your new year has gotten off to an amazing start. This has been our best start so far and for that I am very grateful. Be encouraged if your beginnings have been a little more rocky. You can read about my very first day here. It was not pretty. ;)

Don Quixote Done!

2010-07-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

I finally finished Don Quixote! It is the first book listed in The Well Educated Mind for the fact it is considered the first novel ever written. It was written in 1605 yet I was amazed at how common mankind's struggles are even after 400 years!

It felt like a huge accomplishment for me to finish all nine hundred and some odd pages because Quixote's insanity truly began to numb my brain after about the first four hundred! I keep a reading journal and summarized each.and.every.single chapter in the entire book. I was rewarded for this by the fact that I could orally summarize pretty much the entire book including all the major characters when I was done. The fact that there are over 600 characters in the novel makes this a triumph in itself! And still a month after finishing it I can still remember the majority of those details. I have always been a very fast reader but a week after finishing a book I can typically not recall anything but major themes and maybe a main character or two. A month after reading pretty much all the details are lost. After a year I can read the dust jacket and think, "Now did I ever read this book or not?" Sad but true.

Susan Wise-Bauer says in The Well Educated Mind, " Some books speak to us at one time of life and are silent at another. If a book remains voiceless to you, put it down and read the next book on the list." Even though I struggled with it, I persevered to the end of Quixote because I needed to prove to myself that I could do it. Actually I knew I could do it I just needed to know I would do it!

Francis Bacon says, "Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested." I would say I took the middle road with this book. At the end I was so relieved to just be done, but after working through some of the elements of literary analysis that SWB lists in TWEM I found myself appreciating the book more and more. I still doubt that Don Quixote will rank as one of my top ten favorite books (actually I doubt it will make the top 50 when all is said and done ;) but it was a good start on my journey of self-education.

SSA Summer Conference 2010

2010-07-25T15:39:00.011-05:00

Last summer I blogged about creating my own homeschool conference. This year we were out of town celebrating my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary the weekend of the local conference so I took the opportunity to again design my own! You can read about some of the nuts and bolts of what I did and how I did it in my old post to jump start your own planning if your interest is piqued.

What I love is that I can plan two days to meet my exact needs. I am a Classical homeschooler with strong Charlotte Mason leanings. I always say - and this is an oversimplication but still helpful so I share it - the Classical model is the head of our school and Charlotte Mason is the heart. You will see that reflected in the sessions I planned. I also have an Aspie so I devoted a session just to him. In addition, I have embarked on a journey of self-education to fill in the gaps of my own education and prepare myself for the high school years so I included a time dedicated to that as well. Like last year I used many different mediums; I read books, journaled, listened to MP3 downloads, researched websites, and checked out blogs and message boards.

Also you will see four sessions dedicated to time management. I am typically a productive person and a git-er-done kinda gal. Yet, I have known for some time that time management would be a huge issue and challenge for me going into this year. Thatcher is getting older and the increasing demands of his school mixed with the reality of his ADHD make for a busy day there alone. Haddon will be in Kindergarten and Beckett in pre-K as well. While Haddon's and Beckett's lessons are small compared Thatcher's work they still increase my responsibility load and I find I am ever juggling more balls. And with this, I am still committed to spending daily time with God, making my marriage a priority, cooking from scratch as much as possible, blogging, my own self-education, exercise, and spending time with friends among other things. Whew that makes me tired reading over what I just typed!

So here is my schedule from my two days with links to resources I used below.

Peace Hill Press MP3 - A Plan for Teaching Writing: Focus on the Elementary Grades

Tony Atwood's Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome

Simply Charlotte Mason MP3 - Reaching Your Child's Heart

Franklin Covey - Build a Personal Mission Statement (highly recommended!)

Peace Hill Press MP3 - A Plan for Teaching Writing: Focus on the Middle Grades

Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

I hope someone might be encouraged to plan their own time away after reading this post. It was a highly motivating time for me and I felt refreshed and refocused at the end of the two days. No matter how you are planning to start the upcoming year, I hope you too feel the same way! :)

Why We Homeschool - Part Two

2010-07-19T06:00:00.002-05:00

After six years on this journey, here are our reasons for homeschooling our boys:

1. Discipleship: One of the greatest privileges of motherhood is getting to pass the baton of faith to the next generation. Homeschooling allows me to oversee my boys’ spiritual formation every day, all the time. Deuteronomy 6:7 says, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” We are to take every opportunity to talk to our children about the great love of our God and homeschooling allows those conversations to happen with greater frequency. And honestly it is not just about their growth; homeschooling has been a huge instrument of discipleship in my own spiritual journey.

2. Education is Life: I am borrowing from Charlotte Mason who said “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” Our goal is to raise boys who value learning and have a desire to discover and grow all their lives. School isn't what we do from 8:00-3:00. It happens 24/7: in the car driving to a doctor’s appointment talking about how our bodies fight infection and when we are at the beach looking for crabs, clams and hermit crabs to observe. It happens on bike rides when we stop to rest and identify the birds flying by. It happens as we sit in our fort eating lunch and discussing what clouds are floating by and what weather they tell us might be coming. It happens when we are baking a half batch of chocolate chip cookies and the boys are working hard to figure out what is one-half of three-fourths. There is no (artificial) division between learning and fun. It is all learning and it is (mostly) all fun.

3. Tailoring my Children’s Education: Each child is unique with their own special gifts, talents, abilities and desires. I can design an education plan to meet each of their individual needs and incorporate their desires. If one is on grade level in math, ahead in reading and behind in spelling I can work with them exactly at their level. Rare (if ever) is a child exactly on grade-level in every single subject. My boys will never be frustrated because the teacher had to move on and they didn’t quite get it yet. Conversely, they won’t have to sit bored because others need more drill and review and they are ready to go forward. Also, if one’s interest is sparked by a subject, we have the ability to stop and dig deep; no one is forcing us to move on. About delight-driven studies I love what Gregg Harris has to say:

In a delight-directed study, a child’s interests are fanned to flame and supported in ways that increase his interest in his studies. The child’s delight is the spark that ignites everything. Once established, like a fire, it is self-sustaining. The student begins to study for his own personal satisfaction, and the fruits of his study begin to flow outward to others.

4. Efficiency: Dictionary.com defines efficient as, "performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort." There are so many ways that homeschooling fits this description. When you look at a typical seven hour school day in a traditional setting there is much that is necessary yet takes away from learning. One example is the time is takes to line up 20 wiggly students and walk across the school to get to art/music/PE/lunch/recess/library. I used to estimate that at least 30 minutes of every single school day was spent on these transitions x 5 days a week = 2 1/2 hours of just moving from place to place. Now add in roll call, morning and afternoon announcements, teacher’s time spent dealing with discipline, waiting in the lunch line, assemblies, packing up at the end of the day and much more and you realize there is a very sizeable chunk of time in school not spent learning.

Another way homeschooling is efficient is that we can be systematic in all we learn. We will not repeat a unit on Lincoln and Washington every February around Presidents’ Day. We will not study the life cycle of a frog or butterfly again and again and again. I can and have plotted a course of study that will provide a generous (in scope) and rigorous (in depth) education for my boys: we will study history chronologically from the beginning and work to modern times. We will study ancient history and biology in 1st, 5th and 9th grade each time digging deeper as they mature. Medieval history and earth science/astronomy will follow in 2nd, 6th and 10th. Early modern history (with a focus on American history) and chemistry come in 3rd, 7th and 11th. Finally we will conclude with modern history and physics in 4th, 8th and 12th.

5. Authentic Learning: It happens best when it is hands on and tied in with every day life rather than read from the pages of a text book. When we do study the life cycle of a butterfly or frog we actually order caterpillars and tadpoles and watch the amazing transformation happen before our eyes. In 4th grade when each boy will study Texas History we will pack up and head to San Antonio after reading The Boy in the Alamo to see the real thing. We will tour the state capital in Austin, the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and visit the Treaty Oak. We will travel to the San Jacinto Monument where the Texians defeated Santa Anna's Mexican army and then see Sam Houston’s gravesite in Huntsville.

Of course this can’t always happen (although I would love to take my children all over the globe to experience culture and watch history come alive for them) but it can be much more frequent in a homeschool environment.

5. Excellence and Rigor: I have mentioned some of the details of our planned course of academics above. In addition the boys will have solid foundations in math, reading, spelling and writing. They will all begin learning Spanish in 1st grade, add Latin in 5th and a third language of their choosing in 9th. They will have training in music theory and learn to play at least one musical instrument. They will read and be read to excellent and beautiful literature to grow their minds and prepare them for a study of the great books in high school. They will have classes in logic and rhetoric. As the boys grow older we will use whatever means necessary to maintain this standard of excellence and rigor for their education: online courses, dvd lectures, dual enrollment at a local junior college, tutors and whatever we feel necessary to maintain the course.

6. Family Unity: In a time where the family dinner has become a luxury for many, we enjoy time with our children - time to bond and unite. I know the mantra is "quality not quantity" and that may be true in some things but when it comes to children I am of the opinion that it is quality and quantity. Children need their parents and a lot of them. They need time to process and question and have someone there who can take all the time they need to address those questions. And by keeping them at home we allow that to be more of a reality for our family.

7. Socialization: This is typically seen as a negative of homeschooling but I consider it a huge positive. My friend, Heidi, at Mt. Hope Chronicles says, “ In my experience, children in recent times lose their innocence early and mature later, creating a 10-15 year (or longer) adolescence. My hope is to help my children retain their childhood innocence longer and encourage maturation. I want my kids to think for themselves without a herd mentality.” I could not agree more or say it any better. My boys are around people of all different ages, interests and abilities. They do not spend the majority of their time with same age peers day after day. Socialization is primarily the responsibility of the family and I do not want to give that over to a room full of children who by definition should be immature and somewhat foolish:

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child. - Proverbs 22:15

My children have plenty of time to pretend, build, draw, and run. They can finish their lessons with ample time for board games, nature walks and bike rides before soccer practice in the evening. My boys will be involved in community service, spend ample time with adults and family, and be involved in apprenticeships if they find a craft or trade they are interested in pursuing.

8. Flexibility: There is so much to be said for this aspect of homeschooling. In the beginning we schooled four days a week to spend extra time with dh on Friday, which is his day off. We have grown to need half days on Fridays but if we decide on a family outing we can make up lessons on Saturday or do a few extra evening lessons the following week. We have always done a typical 36 to 40 week school year but this year will try a six week on and one week off schedule to allow more time for rest and travel throughout the year - and less time to forget material over a long summer break necessitating needless review at the start of the next year (see #4 above). If someone is sick we can snuggle up and get ahead on our read-alouds, listen to audio books and play chess. If we come across a subject that is fascinating we stop and explore and if we come across an area that is just plain boring for that child we learn what we must and move on.

9. My own growth: One of the things I have absolutely loved most is learning alongside my boys. I have the opportunity to fill in the gaps of my own education! I never had a study in ancient history. Most of my high school teachers were near retirement and tired of the classics. I never read Shakespeare; I just had to memorize Mark Antony’s speech from Julius Caesar, nor did I ever have to read many of the books considered to be high school standards (although I was in honors courses all along the way). I was never taught literary analysis. My knowledge of geography is appalling -but rapidly getting better ;) and even though I took Spanish all the way through Spanish V we joked that the class was mostly about siestas and fiestas.

I have started my own study of the Great Books using The Well Educated Mind as my guide and am checking out Teaching Company DVD’s from the library. I am eager for all the future holds in this regard.

Why We Homeschool - Part One

2010-07-15T22:47:00.005-05:00

Many know they want to homeschool from the moment their children are born. Some come to that realization when their babies are very young. I even have a friend who had kids just so she could fulfill her dream of homeschooling. :) My journey took a much different path. I taught in public schools for almost a decade before I had children: pre-school special education (PPCD), first grade, second grade and third grade. I loved my years in the classroom and looked forward to when I would be back as a room parent and volunteer once my kids reached school age. We live in a great community with a wonderful school district - one of the best in the state. I never expected I would be educating my kids at home.

So how did we end up homeschooling? I could subtitle this post: What Got Us Here is Not What's Keeping Us Here! You see six years ago when we started homeschooling it was because we had a little boy with severe ADHD and "autistic tendencies". For many reasons we felt public school would not be a good fit for him until he was able to catch up a bit socially and emotionally. The main deciding factor came at four when started reading but couldn't sit still for ten seconds. If he had the perfect teacher and a class full of patient understanding kids then maybe. But I saw too many students like him and most often it didn't go that way. It's not fair to a teacher with 20 other students to have a basically one-on-one kiddo. And it's certainly not fair to a child who would academically be bored but without the necessary skills to sit still regardless. So I went into homeschooling thinking it would be for just a few years.

A digression: it is so important to me that my children love to learn, and school does not necessarily have anything to do with learning -at least in those first important years. Let me explain. The reality is a child can dislike learning but love school. Or a child can love learning but dislike school. A young child cannot make that distinction though; the two are inextricably tied together. If a child has a bad experience with a teacher, or a bully, or just isn't ready for school and ends up thinking, "I hate school!" then s/he most often resists learning. You can't separate the two in the mind of a young child. It can take years to overcome a hard year in Kinder or 1st grade. I taught many of those kids; I know. Most often they were late bloomers and weren't ready for the demands of the classroom either academically, emotionally and/or socially. And it left a bad taste in their mouths. As a teacher I tutored, rewarded, counseled with parents, encouraged and basically did everything I knew to help that child begin to love learning again. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't. I vowed that wouldn't ever be my kid!

Back to the story. I started homeschooling not entirely thrilled but relieved that it would be only for a short time. Those years were a grace to me because they started me on a path I don't think I ever would have begun on my own. And although I got off to a slow start, I have fallen in love with educating my children at home.

When people ask us why we homeschool the answer has always been something along the lines of, "Because Thatcher has ADHD and Asperger's and public school is not a good fit for him right now." People have pretty much been satisfied with that answer. It threatened no one. But now that Haddon is school age, and Beckett right on his heels, the question has become, "Are you going to put them in school." So I find myself six years into this journey and just starting to give my reasons for why we will homeschool all our boys! And those will be in my next post.

Green Cleaning

2010-05-27T12:27:00.001-05:00

Back in this post almost a year ago I shared about beginning our journey to clean green. I can officially update that these four cleaners are now the only ones in my home: baking soda, white vinegar, olive oil and lemons. It has taken me awhile to make the transition complete but it's done! I also bought a huge stack of white cleaning cloths at Bed, Bath and Beyond with some of their nifty 20% off coupons and have almost completely eliminated our family's use of paper towels. :)

Before I go on I will answer two questions that always come up when this conversation begins. First, no your home does not smell like vinegar all the time. As soon as the vinegar dries the smell is gone. Vinegar is a natural deodorizer and will actually remove smells. Don't believe me? Google it! :) Second, yes vinegar is a disinfectant. When I researched this awhile back the consensus was that vinegar does kill germs and bacteria. Not like bleach will but enough for most household uses. You may want to keep something stronger on hand for areas that need to be disinfected more thoroughly (thinking raw chicken here - ick!).

I thought I'd share how we did it because for me that was part of what took me so long to make

the transition. I knew the "what" and also the "why", but the "how" was holding me up. Below is what has worked for me. Depending on the surfaces in your home, you may have to adjust. For me it was just trial and error to see what would work. Also in the beginning I was using spray bottles for my vinegar but they kept breaking on me. Now I just carry around a gallon jug of vinegar with me as I clean and pour a bit on the cloth I am using.

mirrors & glass, bathroom/kitchen fixtures - I use 2 cloths. One I put straight vinegar on and wipe all over glass surface and with the other I wipe it all off. My glass and fixtures are clean and completely streak free!
bathroom sink and counters - In the sink I sprinkle some baking soda, scrub and rinse. On the counters I use straight vinegar and wipe off.
toilet - in the bowl I pour a cup (eyeball it) of vinegar and let it sit while I clean the rest of the bathroom. Then I scrub and flush. I was really skeptical this would be enough to keep the potty clean but it has worked great. For the outside of the potty I just wipe it down with a vinegar dampened cloth (usually the one I used for the glass earlier).
kitchen/bathroom floors - I discovered the Magic Eraser Mop a few years ago and it was love at first site. I used to use a multi-purpose cleaner along with it but now I simply add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of hot water and my floors are really clean, at least until the boys or the dog come through. ;)
kitchen sink - I sprinkle baking soda in the sink. Then I cut a lemon or two in half, squeeze the juice on the soda making a paste, then use the cut part of the lemon as my scrubber to clean the sink. Clean and smells really, really yummy, too!
kitchen surfaces - for every single thing in my kitchen I use straight vinegar and the two cloths - one to wipe vinegar on and one to wipe it off. If you have really, really stuck on food in your microwave you can put a little vinegar in a microwaveable bowl and turn microwave on until vinegar steams up microwave a bit. Let sit for a minute or two and then even the most stuck on food will wipe right off. Be prepared for a strong vinegar smell though. ;)
furniture polish - this one I played with a bit. There were several different homemade recipes I saw out there using brewed tea, essential oils and all sorts of other things. I really wanted to stick with the basics I already had on hand though. I found several recipes for using a mixture of olive oil and vinegar; most had a lot of oil with a little vinegar. For me that was too much oil. Now I just mix about 1/4 cup of white vinegar with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a container with a lid, shake until mixed and use.
carpet cleaning - I have white carpet and before you think I'm nuts, no I did not pick it out! I try to clean the carpets in lesser used areas once a year and in high traffic areas every six months. All I do is use really hot water in my steam cleaner with two cups of vinegar per fill up. It would depend on how large the tank of your cleaner is to determine how much vinegar you would want. I do use Spot Shot if I have gone over an area 2x and a spot remains but honestly the vinegar and hot water alone get out much more than you would think. And the deodorizing properties of vinegar will leave your carpets smelling really fresh and no soap residue!

I have not had any luck with homemade dishwasher detergent. I tried multiple recipes with many different ingredients and my dishes were just not getting clean. It probably has to do with the fact that I have a 15 year old machine; I will try again if/when we get a new one. I haven't even tried making my own laundry detergent for two reasons: the dishwasher fiasco made me a little gun-shy and Sams Club now carries an enormous container of Ecos that will last me forever because I only use half the suggested amount and supplement with a half-cup of Super Washing Soda per load.

Link any posts you have done on homemade cleaners or leave a comment with tips you have found to eliminate chemicals in your home. I would love to learn more!

Books, Books and More Books

2010-05-21T10:35:00.001-05:00

When I get a little money I buy books;
and if any is left I buy food and clothes.

~Erasmus

I love books! Some people spend money on music, some on huge movie collections; others value having the cutest clothes for their kids or all the new techie gadgets. Me, I spend money on books.

I have spent our school budget for next year and I was able to get the big stuff we'll need: math, science, grammar, writing, logic, history, handwriting, spelling and phonics. But there are oh so many more books I still want. Fun books, science books, history books, lovely and wonderful books.

My boys adore the You Wouldn't Want to Be... series and we still have lots more of those we want to collect. And then I recently discovered Horrible Histories. Listen to these titles: Awful Egyptians, Frightful First World War and Woeful Second World War , and Vicious Vikings and Measly Middle Ages. Doesn't a houseful of boys need a set of books with those titles?! And look, a box set. Sigh...
And their science titles look amazing as well: Ugly Bugs, Nasty Nature and Bulging Brains are just a few I would love to have in our science book basket. I don't think I'd be able to pull my boys away! And yet another box set. Bigger sigh...
Then I was looking through a homeschool catalog and found the Draw Through History series. There are five books in the series and they are just wonderful! My boys are so into drawing and this would supplement our history beautifully.

Once I decided that next year's science for Haddon would be delight-driven and based mostly around a basket full of books to spark a love for science and build a strong foundation for years to come, I began researching science books that are appropriate for emergent readers. I have lots of level 2 Let's Read and Find Out books but knew I wanted to add lots of level 1 readers to our collection. And then I found this pre-packaged set at Rainbow Resources and this one and this one!

And then I was introduced to Usborne Beginner books and many, many of them are science related. I ordered one just to get my Rainbow Resource order high enough to get free shipping and Haddon has been carrying it around all day. :) These books are beautiful, full of great information on each page but not overcrowded. Very eye appealing for young readers!

Oh this post could go on and on and on. I haven't even mentioned all the history titles I want to buy to supplement SOTW 4 or our Texas History and Geography units this year. Or the novels I want to have so that Thatcher can have plenty of quality literature to read. No twaddle here...okay maybe just a bit now and then! ;)

Can you tell I am like an addict needing her fix? And my fix comes in the form of books and lots of them. My next door neighbor is having a garage sale soon. I just had a huge one last summer so I am low on inventory, but I am digging just to be able to put some stuff in with hers hoping to get a little money to buy a few of these amazing books. Wish me luck!

Want to Know Why You Will be Seeing More of Me?

2010-05-09T19:55:00.001-05:00

This was my Mother's Day present this year:

A Dell Netbook! It comes tomorrow and I cannot wait!!! It will be mine, all mine. I can sit in bed and blog. I can go in the backyard while the boys play and do lesson plans. I can take it to one of my favorite girly places and listen to a lecture online or research. I can call a girlfriend for a video chat anywhere and anytime.

I can stop borrowing dh's laptop which is enormous and cumbersome (perfect for him for all his graphics stuff but just too much for me). This is just my size and it does everything I need. I can surf the net, blog, check message boards, do word processing and email. I can take it in the kitchen and pull up the recipe I'm trying for dinner. That's about the 90% of what I do on the computer; for the other 10% I still have my 10 year old desktop. :)

So get ready to see more of me because I will have my very own computer that I don't have to share with anyone!!

And a very, very Happy Mother's Day to all of you! I hope your day was wonderfully special.

World Autism Awareness Day 2010

2010-04-02T10:52:00.001-05:00

Today, I’m wearing blue as are people around the world in honor of World Autism Day. Thatcher has a form of autism, Asperger’s Syndrome. Autism now affects 1 in every 70 boys. Frankly, it’s an epidemic and numbers are growing. Check the Autism Speaks website for more info.

CNN has a story today on the latest autism research. Be informed on a condition that may not affect you but will likely affect someone you know. If not now, probably very soon.

A Rhythm of Rest

2010-03-21T14:13:00.002-05:00

Lunch is eaten, and the kitchen's clean. I've changed from jeans into sweats and I'm sitting in a comfy chair with my favorite blanket (because it's freakishly cold in Houston on this the second day of spring ;). And this is where I'll stay for the rest of the day, although the computer will be soon replaced by a book. It's Sabbath Day and time for sweet rest.

There are a million things I could be doing. Two loads of laundry are sitting in the basket waiting for me. Lesson plans need to be completed. I need to cut and file a stack of coupons. And it goes on and on and on and on. Instead I will choose to blog, read, play games with my boys, nap on the couch and read some more. I emphasize "choose" for a reason. Rest is not easy for me; it doesn't come naturally. Checklists and tasks come naturally. Productivity comes naturally. And rest doesn't feel productive. It doesn't feel like I'm doing anything.

This past fall at a conference I heard a wonderful talk about rhythms of life. Many were mentioned but what impacted me was when the speaker talked about the rhythm of rest being critical to a healthy life. I guess I have always known that. Heck, it's one of the Ten Commandments:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. ~ Exodus 20:8-11

I had never seriously considered that this applied to me though. I felt God nudging me and my mind began to fill with excuses why I should be exempt from this command. "My life is just too busy to stop and rest, God." And just as quickly I realized that if the God of the universe chose to rest, maybe I should too. Immediately after that dh and I talked about trying to set aside Sunday (after church) as being a day of rest for our family. It's not the only time we rest but it's a biggie.

What has that looked like in our home? For us it has meant that beds go unmade. We empty the dishwasher Saturday night rather than Sunday morning. Sunday meals are prepared on Saturday and we eat on paper one day a week to minimize clean up. Mommy sits on the couch wrapped in her favorite blanket and journals, reads, blogs or catches up with a friend on the phone. Daddy does much of the same and we ask the boys to try and find quiet things to entertain themselves (yes, try is the operative word here with a house full of three busy boys - giggle). It has been a discipline for me to learn to rest. It still doesn't feel natural but it feels good. I start the week refreshed and ready to work hard for six more days.

I can tell you what it's not, too. It's not a legalistic list of don'ts. Today I was excited to try a new recipe. That was a want-to not a have-to. It felt restful so I cooked and cleaned. A few weeks ago it was amazingly beautiful outside so I spent an hour or two pulling weeds, enjoying the sunshine. It was work but it felt restful and peaceful. It charged my batteries and helped me get ready to start a new week.

I guess that is really what a day of rest is all about. It's a time to reflect, a time to recharge our batteries and prepare to meet a new week. Previously I said rest, "doesn't feel like I'm doing anything." And while it may not be an official task like taking out the trash or mopping the floor it very much is doing something. It's doing something for our souls.

What does rest look like for you? Do you have a rhythm of rest in your life that is healthy for your soul? I'd love to hear.

Reflections on Academic Hits and Misses so Far

2010-03-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

Forenote: I almost didn't post this because it just seemed so long and windy and random. In the end I decided to push the "publish" button for a few reasons. First, I want this record for myself to remember the journey because ultimately I am blogging for me. It's my online journal, my place to "think out loud". This post really is just me getting my thoughts out there to clarify what's been mulling around in my brain.

Second, I never want to make it seem like I have it all together. I don't. Not by a long shot. I don't think any of us do but it can be so easy to make it appear that way, even without meaning to. We often don't want to meditate and write about our failures; it's so much more fun to write about the successes. And as a result we can make it look like all our days are good and all our curriculum choices are successful and implemented with excellence. Well here is one for the record that shows otherwise.

I hope this encourages someone...somehow...sometime. :)

Boy am I glad I have three boys. That way I can fix all the mistakes I've made with my firstborn and apply the lessons learned to his younger brothers (lucky them - lol).

I am now in my fifth year of homeschooling. These years have flown by and it makes me realize that the two and a half years I have left before junior high are fast approaching. And I mean fast! I realize this is not a race, not at all. Yet it is my responsibility to make sure my boys are educated at a level that will allow them to pursue any course they desire and they feel God calling them to when they get older. And that preparedness starts now, when they are young, not just when they are in high school and college is looming on the horizon.

This has been on my mind a lot lately and here are my thoughts as to where we've been and where we are going broken down by subject:

Math:
(Right) - Horizons. I will continue to use Horizons. We have enjoyed this program tremendously. I love the scope and sequence as well as the pace. The farther we get into this curriculum, the more I like it!

(Improvements)- I didn't follow the TM enough when Thatch was younger. I didn't take the time to drill and cement those math facts to the point of automaticity. Mistake. And now he is in Horizons 4 and we are spending time drilling addition, subtraction and multiplication facts he could and should have learned two years ago.

I will also spend more time playing strategy games with the boys to develop mathematical thinking. Games like chess, Othello and Blokus.

And I will use Evan Moore's Daily Word Problems each day as a warm up and to provide more practice with this skill.

Spanish:
(Right) - We are loving Elementary Spanish on Discovery Streaming. This year I have doubled up Thatcher's lessons so that he will complete the entire 3rd/4th grade unit this year and in fourth grade he will complete the entire 5th/6th grade unit. My goal is for my boys to be fully bilingual when they graduate and this program has gotten us off to a good start.

I am glad we started with so many fun games (see both posts) in the younger years as well. My boys think Spanish is so much fun. Cute side story: today we were at Space Center Houston and Thatcher walked straight up to a group of teenagers visiting from Mexico, stuck his hand out and said, "Hola! Me llamo Thatcher. Como te llamas?" (Translation: Hello! My name is Thatcher. What is your name?) The kids crowded around and hugged all over him.

(Improvements) - I want to further accelerate this process. I want to get my boys reading Spanish sooner with the help of books like Las Puertas Retorcidas/The Twisted Doors: The Scariest Way in the World to Learn Spanish! or First Spanish Reader: A Beginner's Dual-Language Book. This will also ensure that my boys are receiving not not only parts-to-whole Spanish instruction (predominate method in Elementary Spanish) but whole-to-parts as well.

History:
(Right) - SOTW was the right choice for us for our first history rotation. I've enjoyed it so much and so has Thatcher. I must say that one of our favorite things is listening to the audio CD's read by Jim Weiss.

(Improvements) - We started gung-ho with a history notebook in first grade: mapwork, color pages and written narrations ala WTM and the SOTW Activity Guide. We switched in second grade to oral narrations ala Charlotte Mason which are a much better fit for us. But everything else stopped. Haddon is a crafty kid unlike his big brother so I am thinking that we'll create several simple lapbooks along the way for him as we go through his history. Honestly Thatcher would have benefited so much from this as well but when he was at that stage I had two babies in diapers so it just wasn't going to happen. ;)

Phonics/Reading:
(Right) - We got off on the right foot! Explode the Code is a huge hit in our homeschool. Inexpensive, easy to implement, not teacher intensive and most importantly...effective! :) This series has now taught two of my boys to read.

(Improvements) - I have realized that I haven't required enough independent reading for Thatcher. We read all day across the disciplines - history, science, logic, math and so on. But he is with me and we read together. Also each evening he reads for an hour before bed but those are books of his choosing and I don't check for understanding. I have begun implementing more independent reading time across the curriculum for him at different times during the day. He is sent to read a science book that goes along with what we are studying at one point. He is given a chapter book to read and then we discuss at another time in the day (which of course means I have to pre-read the night before and be prepared for this discussion). If we have extra history books from the library he will read those as well. My goal is to have him read for about an hour each day (not counting bedtime fun reading).

Science:
(Improvements) - Starting with improvements this time...insert huge cyber sigh here. This is an area where I can say that we have not had too many successes. Too many babies in our first years, too much therapy in recent years and not enough planning on my part to find something that really works for us. Because I am not "sciencey" (Ha! Did I just make up a word?) I need a pick up and go science curriculum that is all laid out. All I can say is that I will find something that works for us. Not sure yet what that looks like but I'll let you know as soon as I do! ;)

(Right) - Here is what has worked: A fun unit I did based on this My Body book. As a matter of a fact, I sure meant to blog about that waaaay back but never did it. Another cyber sigh. I need to be sure I can find that so I can do it again with Haddon and Beckett in a year or so. We have also loved the Let's Read and Find Out science series. I have collected many, many of these books over the years, most from bookcloseouts.com.

Grammar:
(All improvements here) We started with FLL 1/2 back in first grade. It was not a good fit. At all. I now know that it was too auditory and too repetitive for Thatch. Around the same time I started reading Charlotte Mason's works and she advocates a delayed start to formal grammar instruction. Soon after I also discovered Analytical Grammar and Junior Analytical Grammar and decided to wait.

And now I'm nervous. What if AG isn't a good fit and we've waited all this time? I had been having uncertain thoughts but pushed them down. When a friend shared the same concern it bubbled back to the surface.

If there is something we've done right in this area it's that we have done tons of incidental grammar through our spelling program (see below) but nothing formal for over two years. Now I've been looking at Rod and Staff, Easy Grammar, Growing with Grammar and Shurley Grammar. So many programs; so little time. Whichever program I decide on I will start early with Haddon and work through it gently. Or then again, I may change my mind. ;)

Spelling:
(Right) - We have enjoyed Spelling Wisdom from Simply Charlotte Mason. Thatcher will finish the first half of Book 1 this year and the remainder in fourth grade We started with Spelling Workout after we finished the entire ETC series and it just seemed like so much busywork for Thatcher. He is a natural speller with a fantastic visual memory and a strong grasp of phonetic rules (thank you Explode the Code!). SWO was just not helpful for him. We went the total opposite direction and decided to do spelling through copywork. Now he is learning to spell though poems, Scripture and selected passages of literature.

No improvement here but I have thought about the fact that Haddon is a different kid and this type of spelling program may not work for him. It may be back to the drawing board in a few years once he finishes ETC. :)

Writing:
(Right) - I feel like we started off well here. Lots of good copywork along with reading tons of quality literature to provide excellent models for language. I studied different methods of teaching writing and decided I wanted to follow the progymnasmata - a series of writing and speaking exercises which develop the skill of eloquence incrementally. And to that end I discovered Writing Tales which I am so excited to start using next year with Thatcher. After corresponding with Amy, the author of Writing Tales, I decided to wait and start Thatch in this program in fourth grade based on her observations that most boys do better waiting until they're a bit older to begin WT.

(Improvements) - I need to fill in the middle better next time. I am considering using Writing with Ease for Haddon in a few years. I need to require more writing in the younger years, beyond just copywork. I have heard from several moms that in order to be certain your child is ready for WT they first need to be confident in writing their own four to five sentence narrations. I need a fill in the blank between copywork and being ready for WT in fourth grade.

Art:
(Right) - We have enjoyed Mark Kistler's Online Art Lessons this year. Also Ed Emberley's drawing books have been a great success. Haddon prefers the online lessons and Thatch prefers the Emberly books but I have them do both several times during the week. I feel that they learn different skills from each.

If you happen to be interested in the Mark Kistler online lessons you can go to the site and see sample lessons of every level. And then head over to the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op where you can purchase a three year subscription for only $49 which is 50% off the regular price. :)

(Improvements) - I wish I would have started art lessons earlier. Also I still want to work through How to Teach Art to Children with the boys. It's been sitting on the shelf for two years now. I also want to get back to doing more art appreciation through picture studies ala Charlotte Mason.

Other thoughts about things to improve upon: I want to include more classical music into our days as well as more nature walks, nature notebooks, music lessons and physical education. I wish there were 30 hours in a day!

Five Dollar Friday: Pumpkin Oat Pancakes

2010-03-05T22:17:00.001-06:00

Dark chocolate is a passion of mine. And pumpkin is another. I love all things pumkin...except pumpkin pie. It's a texture thing. So it was a happy day when I came across this recipe which combined pumpkin with another love of mine, oatmeal. Yum! This recipe is really wholesome using wheat germ, whole wheat flour, oats, eggs and pumpkin, which is super high in vitamin A. Want to know another great thing about this recipe? It uses buttermilk. I am a huge fan of buttermilk. If you have never used this wonderful ingredient in recipes then get ready for a surprise. Recipes for baked goods that include buttermilk are tender and just amazing. I promise. Almost all my favorite recipes for biscuits, cakes, cornbreads and the like include buttermilk. And yet one more great thing is that you can double the recipe and freeze the leftovers. They reheat beautifully in a skillet with just the tiniest drop of oil. The outside will crisp back up like they just came fresh out of the pan. You will rarely find my freezer without a huge bag of these yummies!

Pumpkin-Oat Pancakes

served with fresh fruit

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg white
1 whole egg

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup lowfat or skim milk

Dry Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons wheat germ

1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine oats and buttermilk. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes to soften.

2. Add the remaining wet ingredients and blend well.

3. In a small bowl, comine all dry ingredients. Stir them into the wet ingredients, mixing until batter is fairly smooth. Add more milk if batter is too thick.

4. Pour about 3 tablespoons for each pancake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or skillet. Flip pancakes when underside is golden and tops begin to bubble.

5. Serve with butter and real maple syrup

Just a few thoughts about this recipe...depending on how thick you like your pancakes add/take away some of the milk. More milk = thinner pancakes and less milk = thicker. I used quick cook rolled oats because I always seem to have these around that need to get used up. I also like to use more cinnamon and sugar than what's suggested. Haddon's favorite way to eat these is smeared with peanut butter before dumping on the syrup and I have to admit it's pretty darn tasty that way! That kid'll smear anything with peanut butter though. ;) If you don't already, consider switching to real maple syrup. If you are used to the stuff most Americans call syrup it may take a little time to get used to but you won't miss the corn syrup and preservatives for long! I calculated the cost using the pure stuff.

Cost breakdown: $3.09 (leaving $1.91 to buy whatever fresh fruit you want to go along with your pancakes - we love strawberries in the spring when we can go pick our own at a local farm)

$.08 - 1/2 cup quick cook oats

$.25 - 1 cup buttermilk

$.26 - 2 eggs

$.03 - 1 tablespon oil (I used canola)

$.25 - 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (any leftover puree you can freeze if you don't need it right away)

$.05 - milk

$.10 - 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

$.04 - 1/3 cup all purpose flour

$.06 - 2 tablespoons wheat germ

$.02 - 1 tablespoon sugar

$.03 - 1 teaspoon baking powder

$.01 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

$.01 - 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

$.28 - 4 tablespoons butter

$1.62 -1/2 cup pure maple syrup

A Mommy Brag

2010-03-04T16:08:00.001-06:00

I promised Haddon I would post these photos almost a month ago (bad Mommy!). He was so very proud to have completed a 100 piece puzzle all by himself! After he looked at it the first thing he said was, "Mommy, will you post this on your blog so everyone can see?"

Here you go sweet boy! We are so proud of you. :)

Five Dollar Friday: Chicken Breast with Lemon-Caper Sauce

2010-02-26T09:00:00.001-06:00

A friend of mine is an amazing cook and has shared several recipes with me, most of which have become instant favorites at my house. This is one. Thanks A.B. for this one and all the others!

Also I just wanted to add that this is a great example of a recipe that could easily be a lot more than $5. The trick is to get all your ingredients on sale and with coupons. Enjoy.

Chicken Breasts with Lemon Caper Sauce over Angel Hair Pasta
(served with steamed broccoli)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use paprika if you want to avoid cayenne but still get pretty color)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded very thin
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers
4 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon butter

Directions:
1. In large skillet begin heating olive oil over medium high heat.
2. In a shallow dish stir together flour, salt and cayenne.
3. Dip chicken in mixture and shake off excess. Place on plate.
4. In a small bowl mix together lemon juice, parsley and capers.
5. Add chicken to hot skillet. Cook approximately 6-8 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown. Turn once during cooking.
6. Remove skillet from heat and stir in parsley mixture (*see notes below)
7. Add butter and stir until melted. Spoon over chicken.

Only a few notes for this recipe. The main one being do not add all the lemon juice at first when making the sauce. Hold back about 1/2 of it until you have tasted the mixture after adding butter. Some lemons are much more tart than others and you may end up with too strong a lemony taste. This is the voice of experience talking here! ;) Also I find that I like to season my chicken with a little extra salt before dipping it into the flour. Not too much, but a bit really seasons it well. To prepare the broccoli I simply steam and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a bit of salt, and for the pasta I just toss with a dab of olive oil to keep from sticking. I thinly slice the chicken and lay it on top of the pasta and then spoon the sauce over it so the pasta gets some of the goodness.

Cost Breakdown: $5.31

$ 2.54 2 lbs chicken breast purchased for $1.77 a lb
$ .20 parsley - from a bunch that cost $.60
$ .25 lemon - some for sauce and the rest of the juice to squeeze on broccoli
$ .50 capers
$ .03 flour
$ .28 olive oil
$ .13 butter
$ .38 for half box of whole wheat angel hair or thin spaghetti (bought when on sale and paired
with coupon)
$ 1.00 fresh broccoli (purchased on sale; I got an enormous head for $1)

Five Dollar Friday: Baked Potato Soup

2010-02-19T21:29:00.001-06:00

This is a very simple but amazing soup and one of the first recipes I ever collected. I got this from a sweet mom I used to babysit for while in college in Austin, Texas (Hook 'Em Horns!). It's a great meal to feed a crowd or take to a family with a new baby, too.

The soup served with a side salad with feed my family two times (love to cook once and eat twice!) making the final cost $10. You can decrease that price if you leave off the optional garnishes. But to me, they are what make it a baked potato soup rather than a basic potato soup so I included them in the final price. Also you can make this from start to dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less. Another huge bonus in my book.

Baked Potato Soup
(and simple green side salad)

Ingredients:
7 cups of peeled, diced and cooked potatoes
1 stick butter
2/3 cup flour
5 cups of milk
16 oz sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Optional:
1 lb bacon chopped and cooked for bacon bits
8 oz shredded cheese
fresh chives, chopped very fine

Directions:
1. Melt butter and add flour gradually; stir until smooth.
2. Continue cooking for one minute stirring constantly.
3. Gradually whisk in milk and continue cooking over medium heat until mixture thickens. Stir frequently.
4. Add sour cream, potatoes, pepper and salt.
5. Serve with cheese, bacon bits and chopped chives on top.

* Here are some thoughts about this recipe:

Earlier in the day peel and chop your potatoes. If you have time go ahead and cook them. If not, store in a bowl of cold water and they won't oxidize. You can use more or less potatoes, just depending on your preferences. Also, I only use full fat sour cream because the low fat stuff usually has additives. In addition, my store has two versions of their regular sour cream. One that says "All Natural" and one that doesn't. They cost the same but the ingredient list is "clean" on one and not so on the other. Read those labels. :) For the milk in this recipe I use 2% because you still get plenty of richness (especially using regular sour cream) but not so much fat. I have been known to make it with whole milk when taking a batch to friends (Shhh!! Don't tell them. ;) Salt the water you cook the potatoes in because it will season the potatoes well and you won't need as much at the end. I prefer to use sharp or even extra sharp cheddar because you get "more bang for the buck". Last I always check the natural/uncured bacon (no nitrates/nitrites) in my store. When it gets near the expiration date they put it on sale half price and I buy lots and keep it in the freezer.

Cost breakdown: $10.00 (nice when it works out so evenly!)

$ 1.00 - potatoes from a bulk bag purchased on sale
$ 1.00 - 16 oz. all natural sour cream purchased on sale
$ .95 - 5 cups of milk
$ 1.25 - 8 oz bag of fancy shredded sharp cheddar cheese - sale price
$ 2.50 - 1 lb thick sliced bacon
$ .50 - 1 stick butter

$ .10 - 2/3 cup flour
$ 2.00 bag of mixed greens (use 1/2 bag for first meal and the other half for the second time
around) I can often get this on sale cheaper but this particular day I had no such luck.
$ .50 roma tomatoes at $.99 a lb
$ .20 balsamic dressing from a bottle purchased for $1.00
$ .20 fresh chopped chives

P.S. ~K.N. this is for you! :)

Our Homemade Preschool Board

2010-01-30T19:10:00.001-06:00

I have wanted to share our preschool board for awhile now. It was just a matter of getting out the camera, taking the photos and uploading them. ;) I first created this five years ago when I decided to keep Thatcher home for his last year of preschool. I had no idea for how long we would be homeschooling and I didn't even know there were formal curriculums that could be purchased. Even if I had known, I would still use this tool. It takes less than 10 minutes a day and covers lots and lots of skills in a fun and hands on way. Thatcher loved it and now Haddon is enjoying it, too.

I am a big believer in keeping preschool light and fun yet finding a way to build a solid foundation for future learning. This is part of our family's solution...along with tons of games, great books, music, art, nature walks, field trips and much more!

It's just made from a simple display board I purchased at a craft store.
I'll walk you through all the parts and the skills covered in each.

Here on the left I have a Hundred's Chart. We started the year making sure Haddon could count to 20 forwards and backwards. Then I taught him to count by 10's and then all the way to 100 by 1's. After that we added counting by 5's to 100. Now we are learning to count by 2's to 20 and by the end of the year he'll be able to count to 100 by 2's.

Below the Hundred's Chart are these cards. I have all three sets. We started with sequencing a three-picture story and now he can easily sequence six-picture stories.

Below that are our rhyming word flash cards. We started the year with a simpler set and moved to this more advanced set with three words. Each day we play fun words games with these. He'll make a sentence with the rhyming words and then we'll generate a list of all the other words we can think of that fit in that rhyming family.

At the start of the year we also had a set of opposites flash cards but he worked through all those.

Next is our money strip where we add a penny each day. At first we just dealt in pennies and dimes. Then when he got comfortable with that we added nickels. We'll introduce quarters by the end of the year.

Finally are our counting bears. We use these to work on several skills. Sometimes I make a pattern he has to continue. We also work on ordinal numbers. I might say something like, "What color is the 7th bear?" or "What color is before the third bear?"

This part is pretty self-explanatory. We practice days of the week, months of the year, and we add a number to the calendar each day (here I put up the number 25 because he he wanted to count up how many days until Christmas). He completes the sentences at the bottom and we add a stick to our place value cup every day, too. He loves when he gets to move each group of 10 stick "next door" to their new home in the 10's house! :) There is a weather graph on here but it's never been used (where's a blushing emoticon?!).

On the right he does an addition problem each day from this DK Math Puzzles set. First semester we focus on addition and second semester he'll do subtraction. The last month of the year he will do one addition and one subtraction problem each day.

Below that is a piece of felt. Each day he pulls a different sized string (precut and kept in a baggie) and estimates how long it is and then measures it. We started with inches first semester and now we are working with centimeters.

Next are some simple flash cards I got at Wal-Mart years ago that spell out simple 3 letter words with short vowels.

And finally we have our clock. Each day he grabs a flash card and makes the clock show the time on the card. In the photo above the flash card is on the wrong side. Wish I would've caught that before I took the pic!

Here is what the board looks like with nothing on it (except the money that Haddon didn't want to remove). Everything is attached with sticky back velcro, and yes it was a small fortune in velcro considering that I used velcro for every.single.element that goes on the board. :)

And here's the back of the board. I store as much as I can in baggies that have a strip of velcro attached and what doesn't fit on the back goes here...

...in a bucket I keep behind the board.

We have enjoyed this board so much. I will use it for all three boys so in the long run it is much less expensive than many preschool programs and it meets my goals for preschool - fun while building a solid foundation.

Five Dollar Friday: Lentil Soup

2009-12-11T08:00:00.001-06:00

Here is my first "Five Dollar Friday"

We came across this recipe when we were studying about the monks who lived in Medieval Europe. Making this soup was a suggested activity and has now become a family favorite. It was my first time to ever cook or even eat lentils. I hope someone else enjoys it!

Lentil Soup
(adapted from Story of the World, Activity Book 2: The Middle Ages)

Ingredients:
1 large onion chopped
3 carrots diced
3 stalks celery chopped
2-4 garlic cloves minced (approx. 2 tsp of garlic but adjust to your taste)
1 bay leaf
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
6 cups of water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 cup dried lentils (My store only carries one type, brown with a greenish tint, so that's what I use)
1 cup fresh spinach finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook until tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano and basil. Cook for 1-2 minutes being sure not to burn garlic.
2. Add water and tomatoes then stir in lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half until lentils are tender. When ready to serve stir in spinach and add seasonings to taste.

Serve with a loaf of homemade whole wheat bread if you wish!

* This soup is wonderful as is but if you have a little extra in your grocery budget you can jazz it up in several different ways. You can add shredded Parmesan cheese on top. Or, if mild Italian Sausage links (pork or turkey are both great) are on sale they can be grilled, cut up and added in the last 30 minutes of cooking. If you want to keep it vegetarian the original recipe said to serve it with wedges of cheese and sharp cheddar is wonderful with the flavor of the soup. Any of these will raise your overall price but if you catch some good sales, they are yummy additions.

Cost breakdown: $4.65

$ .50 lentils - 1/2 of a 1 lb bag bought for $1.
$ .50 onion - sweet yellow onion on sale for $.77 per lb
$ .66 carrots - 3 carrots out from a 2lb bag I bought for $2.00
$ .33 celery - 3 ribs out of a $1 bundle
$ .10 garlic - a few cloves from a head that cost $.33
$ 1.06 28 oz can tomatoes - I actually bought 2-14.5 oz cans because it was cheaper that way!
$1.50 spinach - 1/2 of a 10 oz bag that cost $3 spinach

An Idea from my Student Teaching Days

2009-12-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

I student taught in a PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities) setting for 12 weeks during my senior year of college. And just because I've never shared this on my blog and they are going to the Rose Bowl to try and win another National Championship - I am a proud Texas Longhorn! :) Back on topic: the lead teacher in that room was an amazing woman named Melanie. During one of my first days in her class she took me out to the playground and had me pick up 20 little rocks and place them in my right pocket. She explained that it is simple human nature to see the bad and miss the good. Of our 15 students we could have 14 doing the right thing and one the wrong but it's the one that you see, not the fourteen. Sad but true.

Melanie wanted her classroom to always have an uplifting and encouraging atmosphere and for that to happen her student teachers and aides had to learn to elicit desired behaviors in positive ways. If little Suzy wasn't listening during circle time she said to compliment Johnny sitting right next to her. Once she saw that Johnny was getting attention for doing the right thing and she was getting none doing the wrong, nine times out of ten Suzy would sit up and listen. Or she encouraged me to simply say, "I'm looking for friends who are following directions so I can tell them, 'Way to go!" The amazing thing was, it worked!!! I could usually get the behavior I needed to run the classroom without nagging or fussing.

Now where did the rocks come in? Well, anytime I wanted to get a child to do X then I had to phrase it in a positive way. I could say, "I love how Sammy and Jan are keeping their hands to themselves as we walk to the cafeteria. Great job!" when I was really trying to get Mike to quit poking the kid in front of him. If I was successful then I could move a rock to the other pocket. I could also move a rock to the other pocket for catching a child being good at anytime and praised them for it. Sometimes the reality is that all the positive hints in the world won't work and you have to say, "Ted, sit up and listen please," but then I had to take a pebble out of the left pocket and move it back to the right. Or there were times when physical well being was a concern so you intervened immediately with a stern, "No!". But the goal was to have all rocks in the left pocket by end of the day. When that got easy, I had to have all 20 in my left pocket before lunch and start all over in the afternoon. :)

She was training me to be positive, to see the good in the kids and to verbally praise, praise and praise some more. And to effectively and creatively get the behaviors I needed from my students using as little negativity as possible. And remember we were working with special needs preschoolers and they could be a tough little group at times! ;)

Fast forward to my teaching days. I was teaching first grade in an at-risk school with 22 kiddos. Melanie's training served me well as I worked with a very demanding bunch. But by the holidays my steam was running out. I found myself crabby and snappy way too often. The holidays were always a rough time for me in public school. Kids were more tired than usual because of late nights out shopping and holiday parties. All they could think and talk about were presents and Santa; the last place they wanted to be was in a classroom sitting behind a desk. Actually, I was a little distracted by the same things. :) And Melanie's rocks came back to me.

I went out to the playground and got a handful of rocks to stick in my pocket. Have you ever had 20 rocks in your pocket? You can feel them each time you move. They are a constant physical reminder of the thing I was trying to accomplish. Be Positive! It made such a difference in not only how the kids received the message but in how I felt at the end of the day. If I was working hard to constantly be positive, it was hard to be in a crummy mood at 4:00. On the flip side if I just nagged and fussed at kids all day long, I was a complete bear at the end of the day. The kids' behavior was often the same either way; it was just my mental state that changed! What a valuable lesson and wonderful gift Melanie gave me.

For the next seven years of my public school teaching you would often see a bulge in my pockets. If I needed a serious reminder, I would stuff my pockets with marbles. Talk about uncomfortable. You can't forget about 20 marbles in your pocket. Each time they moved around it was like they were saying, "Praise someone! Find someone to uplift! Say something kind to that kid who just melts into the background because they are always doing the right thing!" Really that is what those marbles were saying. ;)

And now as a parent-teacher you can still find rocks in my pockets. Or most days now it's pennies. On days when one or all of my children is being especially trying. Or days when I got two hours of sleep (lovely insomnia) or on Friday when we are all tired and would just rather not do school. I put pennies in my pocket and hug my boys tight and we trudge on. And in the month of December when we just want to forget school, play, wrap presents and bake cookies they are in my pockets almost every day.

Introducing Five Dollar Friday

2009-12-06T15:57:00.000-06:00

I want to start something new and I am hoping others will join me. I'm calling it "Five Dollar Fridays". In an attempt to be healthful as well as frugal I have challenged myself to try and feed our family of five for as close to $5 as I possibly can for our main meals. For us that means seven dinners a week as well as lunches on Friday (Dh's day off), Saturday and Sunday. Breakfast and other lunches should be even less. I will use Five Dollar Fridays to share one recipe each week that we are using to accomplish this goal. I have been pleasantly surprised how many I have found and we have not felt like we were missing out at all...well maybe a little bit, but not much!

I am still avoiding additives, preservatives, dyes, other chemicals and pre-packaged foods. I could use Hamburger Helper and stay under my five dollar goal, but white flour pasta, MSG, dye, and sugar (maltodextrin in the Hamburger Helper ingredient list is a form of sugar; see this list for many of the other ways manufacturers can hide the sweet stuff in your food) are not in our meal plan. ;)

I am not counting seasonings or oil/butter into the cost but everything else I will include in the final price. And some of the meals I include may be $5 meals one week but not another because I snagged items at great sale. For example I bought a pork shoulder roast a few weeks ago at $.88 a pound, so I was able to get a roast that fed our family twice for $4! The first time we had pulled pork sandwiches and a few nights later we had barbeque stuffed potatoes with the leftovers. Normally a roast that size would have been almost triple that price. We don't often eat pork but for that price I couldn't pass it up.

Many of the meals I'll share have meat as the accompaniment rather than the star of the meal and several are vegetarian. There was a time when dh would have looked at a plate of food that didn't include at least 8 ounces of meat and said it wasn't a "real meal" but times change. ;) He lost 30 pounds by learning to eat following a modified Mediterranean diet (see the Mediterranean food guide pyramid) and has kept it off for six months now. One of the keys was learning to eat meat in moderation.

Why am I doing this? Well it started out that in an attempt to pay off some bills we decided to cut our grocery budget in half to free up extra money. I appealed to some ladies for help in brainstorming how to do this and found that many of them were routinely feeding their families (some larger than mine) healthful meals on what was now my weekly grocery budget. They shared great ideas and advice to teach me how to get started and one even said that I shouldn't be surprised if never went back to shopping the way I used to. Well I have learned so much in the past months. It has been challenging and even...(should I admit it?)...fun. Now don't get me wrong I am looking forward to a time when I will regain my old food budget so that all our meals don't have to be $5 meals but I am confident that many will!

I would love to have many bloggers start their own version of Five Dollar Fridays so that we can learn from each other. You can make your own rules; you certainly aren't obligated to follow mine. Adapt Five Dollar Fridays to fit your needs any way you wish. And leave a comment so we'll all know where to look!