Seven of Hearts

Poppy Seed Cookies

2011-12-12T18:25:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from an old Penzy's catalog. I've made it as part of our annual Christmas cookie tradition now for a couple of years. It is essentially a butter cookie, but with the additition of ground almonds and poppy seeds to add a distinctive flavor and crunch, and rolled in colored sugar to make them festive looking.

(Don't they look nice? Ace took this picture!)

Poppy Seed Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup finely ground almonds

1/2 cup poppy seeds

1/4 teaspoon salt

Colored sugar

Cream the butter. Add the sugar, egg and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, almonds, poppy seeds and salt. Gradually add to the butter mixture and mix well. Divide the dough into half and roll into logs. Roll the logs in colored sugar. Wrap the logs in waxed paper and chill for a couple of hours. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Slice the logs 1/4 inch thick and bake at 325 degrees for about 12 minutes or until delicately browned.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

A note on poppy seeds: These can be awfully expensive in a regular grocery store. I've found them much less expensive at my local ethnic food store. Penzy's carries them, but for a little more than the ethnic grocery.

Pecan cookies

2011-12-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

This cookie was clipped from an old newspaper. The clipping is quite yellow and brittle. The headline of the article is "Pecans Used In Cookies." The article goes on to describe the "pleasingly cruncy texture and good flavor of these cookies." I think that my husband can vouch for that. I've had to make two batches since the first was chomped up already.

Pecan Cookies

[Four Dozen]

3/4 cup butter

1 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon rum flavoring

2 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Pecan halves

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and rum; beat thoroughly. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix until blended. Chill for an hour or longer. Shape into small balls about an inch in diameter. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slightly with fingertips. Press a pecan half into the center of each cookie. Bake at 375 degrees about 10 minutes or until delicately browned.

Christmas cookies 2011

2011-12-10T09:55:00.001-08:00

I love vintage recipes. Several years ago I purchased a file box of handwritten and clipped reipes from an estate sale. This year for Christmas, my kids and I are making some of the cookies that the former owner of the recipe collection thought worthy of saving in her recipe files. This is the first of these recipes.

Chocolate Date Cookies

1 cup chopped dates

Water (small amount)

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

½ cup milk

2 cups flour

2 Tbsp. Cocoa

1 tsp. Baking soda

pinch salt

Chopped nuts (optional)

Cover the dates with water; cover and let stand. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg and milk. Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the sugar mixture. Add the dates, and the nuts if desired.
Drop by teaspoonfuls on a cookie sheet and bake at 375°F for 10 minutes or until done.

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen.

Made for Christmas 2011.

Now for the taste test: These are really yummy. They are tender and sweet with a light cocoa taste that does not overwhelm the flavor of the dates. Although we made them without nuts - we are making a bunch of other nut cookies - they would be excellent with the addition of chopped walnuts.

Sticking some stuff here

2011-05-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

Okay - it's not baby pictures, and its not lunch plans. Nope - its Minoan and Mycenaean links. I'm sticking these here because it seems like a good way to bookmark these for the kids, easy to find, easy to return to, and so on.

Minoan Resources:

Before the Greeks – article for kids about the Minoans

Cycladic Art

Minoan Art

Theseus and the Minotaur

Virtual Tour of Palace at Knossos

Knossos

Knossos (picture links at bottom of page)

Minoan Religion

Mycenaean Resources:

Article for kids on kidspast.com

Treasure from a sunken Mycenaean ship

Mycenaean art

Mycenaean Artifacts

Spring Break 2011

2011-05-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

The kids here at our homeschool are on Spring Break this week. I decided that this year's Spring Break would best coincide with the baby's arrival. Smart, eh? So far we haven't had many "I'm bored" moments, but there have been a few. What has been really nice is seeing all the kids doing what they enjoy doing without any direction from me.

During unstructured time, here is what they do:
Ace: has been doing math from her textbook. She's been reading for her literature group. This week the book is "To Kill A Mockingbird" which she's actually re-reading, having read it last year for literature as well. She's been playing piano a lot, getting ready for her Guild performance, and also has been very active, writing for her book blog.

Deuce: Has been hiding out, reading in her bed, a gigantic stack of books from the library. She's invented several concoctions for hair and skin from kitchen ingredients, and has been playing with her siblings really nicely. She's also been working on organizing the stuff in her bedroom. Practicing the violin for her recital, and picking out Disney songs on the piano has also been a hit.

Three: has been playing the piano ALOT! She's been working on memorizing her songs for Guild and just playing for fun. She's been helping with the baby a great deal, and even offers to change diapers. She's also been playing the SIMS 2 on the computer, designing houses that don't make a lot of sense, but she likes them anyway (even if her Sims are always in the red.)

Jack O'Hearts has been playing with cars, legos, playmobil, and sometimes all at the same time. He's spent lots of time outside just running around, picking dandelions, and generally being "boy." He also has been a big help, holding the baby while I make dinner, or when I just need two hands for something.

Little Four has been playing outside with her dogs. She absolutely LOVES Fritz the German Shepherd, and the two pal around the backyard for hours at a time.

So happy Spring Break from all the Hearts!

May Day = Hearts!!

2011-05-08T19:14:00.001-07:00

This year May Day is a very special day. This year we celebrate the arrival of the newest, littlest, and sweetest heart. Our own little Darling Heart. I don't know yet how to relate him to this pack of cards, after all, we've already got a Jack O'Hearts, and he's certainly not a Joker, I guess for now I'll just call him SweetHeart. For he is all that, and more.

Our little sweetie came into the world in the pearly, early hours of the morning, before the sun was even up. (And I can tell you that it was a LONG night!) After a lot of work, and such, we had a baby!

So... ta-da!

Ideas for feeding a largish family - Improvisational Pancakes!

2011-03-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

Whenever my parents come to visit, they are always surprised how well we can feed our largish family. I really can't say "large" family, because our family currently only has 7 members, and I know lots of families that have 10 or more. Not that I'm judging, just comparing my largish to their large. I digress, back to food.

I have several techniques to keep the food budget manageable, and still provide a decent variety of meals. First is meal planning. There are several schools of thought on this. One is to plan out meals, by day, as I've seen loads of bloggers do for "Menu Plan Monday." Another is to have a decently stocked pantry, and fly by the seat of one's pants, deciding on what to make as the spirit moves you. Yet another is to make the same or sorta the same foods every week. I sorta do all of them.

Breakfast at our house follows a very (almost painfully) predictable pattern.
Sunday - bacon or sausage, eggs, and toast. Yes, EVERY Sunday. It is the only day of the week that we have meat for breakfast, and the eggs provide enough protein that the kids can make it through church without STARVING before lunch.
Monday - Oatmeal. Nearly always oatmeal for Monday. Occasionally, I'll make Cream of Wheat or Quick-cooking steel cut oats, but that's how far I vary from that.
Tuesday - Pancakes. Here I like to have a little fun. I consider pancakes as my way of using up leftovers. Got leftover squash? Throw it in the pancakes. Leftover rice? Throw it in the pancakes. Overripe bananas? Banana pancakes. One apple rolling around the fruit drawer? Apple pancakes! My pancake recipe to follow this post. It is endlessly variable.
Wednesday - Cold cereal, and/or toast and/or yogurt and/or get it yourselves, because this is the one day I don't feel like cooking.
Thursday - Scrambled eggs and toast.
Friday - Usually pancakes again.
Saturday - Whatever I'm feeling like making. This is the one day we might even make waffles, if I'm feeling really motivated. Also, if I've purchased bagels, we'll do them on Saturday.

My Improvisational Pancake Recipe
Makes enough for a hungry family of 7

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour, or combination of flour and wheat germ, leftover rice, etc.)
1 cup rolled oats (regular or old-fashioned, not instant. If you are mixing in leftover cooked oatmeal, you can use a little more.)
2 teaspoons baking soda (or 1 tablespoon baking powder but don't sour the milk later on.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk, soured with vinegar. (unless you're using baking powder, in which case, don't sour)
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter, margarine, I've even used shortening when I've been low on everything!)

Directions: Mix up the dry ingredients. Mix up the wet ingredients (and any moist stuff, like squash, bananas, leftover rice or oatmeal, etc.) and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir together. Look at the batter. Does it seem over-thick? Add a little milk. Does it seem runny? Mix in a little more flour. You can decide, because it will vary depending on the ingredients and humidity of the room.

While mixing the stuff together, start getting your skillet hot. You want it pretty hot before you start putting batter on it. Once its hot, and your ingredients are mixed, spray with oil, or just dribble a little bit on and spread it around with your turner, and make your pancakes. I use 1/4 cup (a little on the shy side), but you can make them big or tiny, or in the shapes of little people, or turtles, or whatever.

Serve with butter, syrup, applesauce, or whatever you like.

Some other things you might mix in: blueberries, other berries, cornmeal, chocolate chips, pretty much any non-citrus fruit, dried fruit (make sure to soak it first to soften it if necessary), spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, anise, cardamom, etc., mashed potatoes, yogurt (can sub for some of the milk), cottage cheese, just use your imagination, and the contents of your cupboard and fridge for inspiration.

Next time: What about lunch??

Getting to the nut of the issue

2011-01-24T19:56:00.000-08:00

My 13 year old daughter, Ace, asked me today while we were in the car: "Mom, what is the point of cheating? I mean, lets say you pass something by cheating, you will just have to do the next course, which will be harder. If you don't know the material, how will you manage, other than to cheat more?"

I think this gets to the nut of the homeschooling issue for us. My kids are taking subjects to master the knowledge. G-school students (and most private school students) are taking the subjects to mark time, and gain grades. Testing is paramount importance to schools. Schools are judged by how well students do on tests; teachers are judged by how well students perform on tests; students are judged on how well they perform on tests. Without good grades on tests, students can't join the sports teams, be in band or other extra-curriculars. Many kids get monetary rewards from parents, relatives, and even from the schools themselves for getting A's or B's on the report card.

With all this pressure to perform, and the relative ease of cheating, is it any wonder that it is so rampant in the institutional school system?

I thought Ace's question was very relevant. If a person cheats their way through elementary, junior and high school, and then into college, how is this really benefiting them in the long run? They haven't gained ownership or mastery of the course material. So what's the point, then?

In our homeschool, we don't use "grades" as such to mark progress. Either the kid knows it, and can move on, or doesn't, in which case, we go back, review the trouble spots, and learn the material. When well-intentioned people ask me how I can be sure my kids are really learning without grades, I really want to know, how can you be sure that their kids are really learning if all you have to go by is a letter on a piece of paper.

Spam issues

2011-01-24T14:48:00.001-08:00

I take a little break, and trolls get in and spam my comments.

Maybe I would get more traffic if I kept the nudie comments, but I think it is in much better taste to simply remove the garbage.

I'll get around to a real post soon. There's much to blog, but little creative motivation here.

Taco Week - Day Five

2010-10-07T16:59:00.001-07:00

The best so far. Seriously, I was thinking that "Must Have Mushroom and Cheese" tacos would be, at best, weird. They are really delicious!!! My kids thought so too, and they are NOT mushroom fans. However, the pan was nearly licked clean after they had dinner! The recipe is posted over at the Penzey's website, so let me tell you a few things before you go over there and download this utterly fantastic recipe.

1. I have no pictures, because the tacos were eaten before I could get my camera out - yes, even mine. YUM!

2. the Chihuahua cheese is an absolute MUST, it is so mild and creamy, it really elevates the dish.

3. This taco doesn't really taste like Tex-Mex, or anything else you might order at a Mexican restaurant, but don't let that stop you from trying it out.

4. The mushrooms really are good. Even if you don't like mushrooms, and I have some kids here who really don't care for them tell me that these were good.

Tomorrow I'm going to try some dessert-type tacos, with any luck. Yum!!

Taco Week - Day Four

2010-10-07T16:52:00.001-07:00

Today's tacos come complements to the Penzey's Spices catalog. I made the turkey tacos with Penzey's Arizona Dreaming spice mix, but I wasn't super impressed with these. Maybe the turkey was a little blander than the steak, it certainly seemed dryer. Fortunately, we topped these with guacamole and chopped red bell pepper, and that boosted the flavor right up to yummy. Next time I make tacos with ground turkey, I think I'll stick to a regular taco spice mix, for the extra flavor.

Tasty Turkey Tacos

1 lb. ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. Arizona Dreaming seasoning mix
1-2 cups guacamole

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and onion and cook for about 8 minutes, until nicely browned, breaking up the turkey into chunks and stirring it to brown on all sides. Shake the Arizona Dreaming seasoning mix and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Served topped with guacamole.

Taco Week - Day Three

2010-10-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to day three of Taco Week at the Heart household!!

Continuing the theme of TACO, is a classic, Steak Tacos. These tacos are really delish, getting thumbs up all around. What's new about them is the seasoning isn't my usual Penzey's Taco Seasoning, but rather Penzey's new Arizona Dreaming seasoning. The current catalog has an offer for a free bottle of it, so get a catalog, QUICK!

Arizona Dreaming seasoning mix has a different aroma than the normal taco seasoning. It smells like spice, of course, but also cinnamon and cocoa, and other savory things. The aroma really pops when it hits the heat, like nothing I've smelled before. Really good.

The recipe, is from the Penzey's catalog.

Steak Tacos

1 lb. boneless rib-eye steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (at $9.95/lb, this was too dear, so I substituted cheaper sirloin. It was still really good!)
1 Tb. canola oil
4 tsp. Arizona Dreaming seasoning mix

Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Cook the steak in small batches until it is crispy brown and rare. Return all the cooked steak to the pan, and shake 1/2 of the Arizona Dreaming. Toss the steak around, and add the rest of the seasoning. Serve in your favorite shells with shredded cheddar if desired.

I used crisp corn shells, and topped mine with shredded Mexican blend cheese, and prepared salsa. I served it up with a bean salad with sweet and sour dressing, the kids preferred left over Mexican rice from yesterday.

My photo is a little odd. Nearly every one looks like carnage, thanks to the salsa. This one is the least gory.

The Arizona Dreaming

Taco Week - Day Two

2010-10-04T14:20:00.001-07:00

Well for the second day in our week of tacos, I made a Tomato, Avocado and Black Bean Taco from the Weight Watchers in 20 Minutes cookbook, along with Knorr Mexican Rice mix. The kids were okay tending towards meh on the tacos, but they really liked the rice. I thought the tacos were pretty good, with the main bonus being that they were really quick to make. I'm not sure on the size of the tortillas. The recipe called for 6-inch tortillas, but there was way more bean filling than would fill 6 tortillas of that size. But, the extra will be good on a salad, I'll bet!

Tomato, Avocado, and Black Bean Taco

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon taco seasoning (like that from Penzey's)
1 (15 1/2-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 plum tomatoes (I used 2 regular ones from the garden!)
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
2 cups finely chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 small Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
6 Tablespoons prepared salsa
1/4 cup light sour cream

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and taco seasoning and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the beans and the tomatoes, toss to combine.

Sprinkle the center of each tortilla with 1/3 cup of lettuce, 1/3 cup of beans, 1/6 of the avocado, 1 tablespoon of salsa, and 2 teaspoons of sour cream. Fold the tortilla to enclose the filling.

Serves 6

Taco Week - Day One

2010-10-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight's taco was technically a casserole, but with lots of yummy taco flavors.

The kids really like this one, Deuce and Three ate nearly half of it on their own, they kept going back for seconds until I reminded them that we still had apple cider donuts for dessert.

Taco Crescent Bake

1 (8-oz) tube refrigerated reduced-fat crescent roll dough
2 cups crushed corn chips, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can tomato sauce
1 pk. taco seasoning (or use 1/4 cup taco seasoning from Penzeys)
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Unroll crescent dough into a rectangle; press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 13x9 in. pan. Seal seams and perforations. Sprinkle with 1 cup of chips, set aside.

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce and seasonings; bring to a boil (I added some water as well.) Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Spoon over chips. Top with sour cream, cheese, and remaining chips. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Yield: in theory 8 servings, but probably less, if they had their way.

Adapted from 2005 Taste of Home Quick Cooking Annual Recipe book.

Apple Fest!

2010-10-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

The lovely town of Long Grove, Illinois has an apple fest every year. With the kids at home wanting to do something different, we ventured out to Apple Fest.

One "must" at Apple Fest is eating apple cider donuts. The lines for the donuts are long, long, but worth the wait, because they are so yummy. Here Three and Jack O'Hearts are keeping themselves busy playing "Miss Mary Mack" on the wall while waiting for the line to move.

Little Four wants to play too, but she would rather dance to the music being sung at the nearby pavilion. We could hear the music everywhere we went, luckily the band was a generic cover band, and not playing something weird.

Nice Hair!

AT LAST!! Apple cider donuts. Yum! We found a sunny spot out of the wind, and enjoyed our treat.

They are covered in messy cinnamon-sugar, but no one minded.

We walked around a bit, stopping in some of the cute little stores, but decided it was time to go. Before we got to our car, it began to rain lightly, and we were treated to a beautiful double rainbow.

Deuce gave Four a pony ride back to the car, since she was a little sad that I didn't pony out the cash for the real pony rides!

Maybe next time.

Taco Week

2010-09-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

This week is going to be Taco Week. Chicken tacos, Steak tacos, vegetarian tacos, pork tacos, bean tacos, and so on. Stay tuned, I'll even try (try - sigh) to post a picture and recipe or two.

Taco Week - Day One - Taco Crescent Casserole
Taco Week - Day Two - Tomato, Avocado and Black Bean Tacos
Taco Week - Day Three - Steak Tacos
Taco Week - Day Four - Tasty Turkey Tacos
Taco Week - Day Five - Must Have Mushroom & Cheese Tacos

So Long Friend...

2010-07-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

I've been dreading writing this post - Our newest Heart - Astro - Passed away from suspected heat stroke a couple of weeks ago. Ace and Deuce were in New York visiting relatives when it happened. Not the best telephone call I've ever made.

I still feel guilty about it, he was struck down while I was taking him for a walk. I miss him too. The King of Hearts and I have been discussing a new dog, but I think it will have to wait for a while. The summer is getting too busy for me to try to get a new dog assimilated to our routines. So for now, we are enjoying Carmen. It is hard to tell if she misses Astro or not. She is clingier, and more affectionate for sure, but that could also be because Ace, Deuce, and Three are off at camp right now. The house is very empty with them gone.

So the summer ticks by.

The Great Ugly Knit Upcycle

2010-05-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

Lil Blue Boo and Dharma Trading Co., are having an upcycle challenge to see how people can transform their UGLY knits into something lovely. My problem: I have two seriously ugly knits, and I just can't decide which one is the ugliest. This is where I'm counting on both of you to help me out. Here are the contenders:

Ugly knit #1 is an odd stamped looking pattern of - cuneiform? maybe? It's a little hard to tell. The colors are dark blue, navy blue, off white and white. It is really ghastly. The pros: There's a lot of this fabric, so I can make a dress in a larger size. Maybe. But maybe a little will go a long way.

Ugly knit fabric is an odd composition of brown fall... flowers. Yeah, because when I think of flowers, naturally the color BROWN comes to mind. Even I'm a better gardener that this! I'd like to know what the designer was thinking when they came up with this pattern. Seriously, brown flowers? The colors here are brown, dark brown, light brown, tan and white.

So folks these are the competing knits. Which one do you think takes the (boobie) prize as the ugliest? You can vote in the poll.

chats FX online casino Europa Casino free polls

Getting my act together.

2010-05-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

I spent the day sorting, filing, pitching and winnowing the books that fill my basement homeschool library. Partially because I CANT STAND the mess anymore, and also, to start pulling resources for our upcoming units. Mary Potter Kenyon states that "A personal home library is as important as access to a public library," and I totally agree. I love, love, love the fact that for (pretty much) any topic that strikes my kids' fancy (or mine, let's be honest here), I can jog down to the basement and pull at least one book that has something to do with the subject.

So while I'm on the subject of getting stuff ready, I'm also organizing my computer stuff as well. Our upcoming history unit is pre-history. Since most homeschool books on it are pretty sketchy on the subject, here is my growing website list. I'm making this list, in part, so that I can find these again as well.

1. Nova Evolution - Actually this might be all I need. There's loads here! There's an Evolution video series too. "Becoming Human" which our library has - score!

2. Becoming Human - This one is by the Institute of Human Origins (who knew there was such a thing??) It has lots of interactive things, plus lesson plans.

3. Human Origins - A really neat looking site by the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History. Pretty cool.

We'll also be doing a literature study of Boy of the Painted Cave. We've read this book before, and it is really a great read aloud. It gives lots of information of what life during that time before written history was like.

Playing Cowboy

2010-04-15T21:59:00.000-07:00

Jack O'Heart's latest passion is for cowboys. I love that we can do these "boys" units together, and he really likes to learn. For the cowboys unit, I've been reading aloud Ralph Moody's book, The Home Ranch. Although the boy drifts in and out of listening, while coloring pictures from the Dover "History of the Cowboy" coloring book, I think he's been mostly getting it.

Along with the book and coloring pages, we've been doing some activities out of Kicking Up Some Cowboy Fun! book. Mostly I like the book. It is full of interesting tidbits of information, and lots and lots of different things to do, from crafts to activities, to just thinking about things.The main drawback? It is completely disorganized, and there is no index. Argh! How frustrating to find just what you're looking for!

Today's activities were learning about the chuck wagon. Here is our chuck wagon. As you can see, Jack O'Hearts is our cookie!
The box at the back holds the food and cooking supplies. In the front is the bedroll, first aid, and clothing for the other cowboys (cowgirls.)
Three and four are enjoying their nice light, plastic meal of plastic play food. Yum-o!
Unrolling the bedroll - actually a blanket that I've had since I was a very little girl. It's a little threadbare, and stitched in a few places, but I don't feel bad playing with it out in the lawn!

Sewing Stuff

2010-04-04T10:51:00.001-07:00

I've been sewing some stuff for my littlest daughter, fondly known as "the fourth daughter." These dresses are made using a pattern I purchased from Lil Blue Boo - The Sienna Dress.

The best part about the pattern is that the dresses are made from old t-shirts! What a way to recycle.

The Popeye one is pretty cute! Although she doesn't know who Popeye is, and keeps asking "Who's this guy?" Three tells her that his name is Adidas. Hmmmm.......

This last one is totally random, but I like the way it ended up. My next experiment is tie-dying some to see how that looks.

Darth Vader Leadership Tip #2

2010-03-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

Darth Vader Leadership Tip #2

Hire not just for the job at hand. Try to determine the candidate’s potential career track and how he will develop.

-
Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny.
D. Vader

ht. Nolo Promiterre

"So what do you want to be when you grow up?" has got to be a kids' worst question. Right up there with "What are you doing to the dog with that Sharpie?"

The problem with what do you want to do when you grow up is that kids don't have a clue what they want to be when they grow up. They look at the future, and the figure they could really be the next president, Pulitzer prize winner, astronaut, or in my case, ballerina. Its just not a fair question.

On the other hand, looking at your kids strengths can help them choose a more likely end result (or for that matter, intermediate result, we all have the same end result.) then it becomes a little easier to plot a path to get there. How will your child develop? Is college in the future? Then it might be a good idea to see whether you child can begin accumulating credits through CLEP course tests, AP tests, and Dual credit enrollment with a local community college. Maybe a class or two here and there, but it will pay off in time and money on the other side.

On the other hand, maybe you child has a passion for music, art, or drama. That might be in the future, as it sure looks for a few of my kiddos. How can I help them to achieve the goals of music school? Obviously by taking the kid to lessons and encouraging (meaningful) practice.

Looking ahead doesn't mean fitting your kid into a mold they cannot break out of, just - looking ahead - and trying to see the steps to take before the kid actually takes them.

Darth Vader Leadership Tip #1

2010-03-16T11:29:00.001-07:00

I was poking around the Carnival of Homeschooling, and I stumbled across a blog, new to me: Nolo Promiterre, where the author discusses Darth Vader leadership tips. I thought they were wonderful, and great fodder for thought on leading our own homeschool.

Darth Vader Leadership Tip #1 reads:

There ARE no good excuses. Even if a problem seems insurmountable, you address it, overcome it or find a way around it and continue on to your goal.

“Asteroids do not concern me, Admiral. I want that ship, not excuses.”
D. Vader
(Nolo Promiterre)

Deuce, my second daughter, has mild dysgraphia, which in short, means she has a hard time writing things. At fifth grade, normally, you would expect a student to be able to write a short essay, story, poem, book report or other written work.

Ace has always been a writer, and when I compare Deuce's written work with Ace's at the same age, I wonder where I've gone wrong. There is, however, no reason not to learn the subject matter, or to write well when it is necessary.

I have no good excuse here: First and foremost, I need to stop comparing them. These are girls with different strengths and interests. Sure Deuce is no natural born writer, but then neither are many wonderful authors.

Second, play to her strengths, and try to support her weaknesses. Deuce may not be a natural born writer, but she is phenomenally artistic. She draws with passion and detail. She builds and designs with flair and attention to detail. She also is gifted musically, and in mathematics. So for reading comprehension, do I have to have her write a book report, or can I have her interpret what she has read into something at which she can succeed, like an art project?

Third, typing is our friend here. She may have pain when asked to hold a pen and write legibly, but typing seems to be working out well for her. Deuce is almost as fast a keyboarder as I am, although she is slowed by poor spelling - and that is getting better daily, thanks to programs such as SpellingCity, the spell catcher on the computer, and daily exposure to words.

Fourth, daily practice with the pen. Here is a need to be sneaky. (If you're reading this, Deuce, I guess the jig is up!) Of course there is the handwriting book, but there are also the other things, like shopping lists (did I mention that Deuce loves to bake?), letters to relatives and friends, and her journal to name a few. These don't have to be formal, just worked in from time to time.

Little by little, the penmanship is improving, while all the while, I am giving her no excuse to not learn a subject or to read a book.

Tune into Deuce's blog here: My Place, My Space

DisneyWorld - Day One

2010-02-13T08:26:00.001-08:00

Disney, Part 1: As you can tell, the flight was long, and the kids were TIRED when we arrived! We had to be at the airport at 7:00 or so - which meant getting up at 5:00 to eat, load the car and drive the hour or so to the airport.

What makes sitting on an airplane so dad-gum tiring, when all you are doing is sitting? Another mystery.

The weather in Orlando was certainly warmer than Illinois, though, and we were able to walk to Downtown Disney from our hotel. Downtown Disney is a nice place to wander around. There is plenty of Disney "flavor" to get the kids excited about going to the actual park, plus there are some decent restaurants there too.

Heading into Downtown Disney there is a great toy shop, with this neat giant Tinkertoy Sculpture. The kids are starting to perk up a bit.

Stopping for ice cream at the Ghiredelli Chocolate shop. Yum!

Double Yum!

Could anyone enjoy their ice-cream any more than this??

The Lego store in Downtown Disney is really neat. There are loads of models, big and small for people to see, and to be inspired by. My kids really liked the around the world models that were mounted on the outside of the store. This one is of Sydney, Australia.

Not in this picture: The gigantic Lego Sea Monster that was placed in the lagoon. It was really huge. I can't imagine how many green Legos it must have taken to create it.

"Mom - can I make this one?" Sure. Right. You just go right ahead.

We hung out for a while in Downtown Disney, but eventually made our way back to the hotel to rest up for the next day's adventure at The Magic Kingdom.

To be continued...

Making More Stuff

2010-01-27T14:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some more things I've been making:This one is for my df Karen (out of her own beads.) Now I did add some of my own, but the beautiful blue ones came from her. (I would like everyone to disregard the ray-gun in the background. It was a gift to my son from my sister and it just won't go away. Note to D.J., this was the best dollar you ever could have spent. It is perfect for cowboys, robots and superheroes.)

I made this bracelet and earring combo too:

This one also for Karen. Like it?

Lastly, this one is a gift for my niece:
I really like how the stones and crystals contrast. The big grey ceramic hearts were a find too! You can't really tell from the picture, but I found some nice gunmetal toned findings for this one too. It is really sweet. I've been doing a lot of "test wearing" of it to make sure it isn't pokey. Riiight.

Not for the kids!

2010-01-22T16:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, lets talk about grown-up stuff here, that is, some TV shows that I heart, but that are SO not for kids.

1. Coupling. Coupling was a series that was put out by the BBC for four seasons. You can get them on DVD. It was about the relationships that developed between a girl, a guy, his ex, her ex, his best friend and her best friend. It was not Friends. But it is very, very funny. Laugh out loud and roll on the floor funny. Worth watching after the kids are in bed. There's no excessive skin, so if they wander out to see what's so funny, you won't be embarrassed by the shot on the television when you put it on hold.

2. Torchwood. Torchwood is a spin off of Dr. Who (Yes, I am a geek) but there is actually very little interplay between the two series. Most of the show is actually relatively tame, but there is some guy-on-guy kissing from time to time, and naturally, the other type as well. The series is heavily sci-fi, but there is a lot of interesting interplay between the characters that makes it worth watching even if the plot seems a little... far fetched. Watch after the kids are in bed, but some episodes might be okay for the older kids to watch. Little nudity, but kissing (sometimes suggested more) between all genders, including alien (if you consider that a gender.)

3. TrueBlood. TrueBlood is an HBO series based on the Sookie Stackhouse books written by Charlaine Harris. I've read the books, and didn't hold high hopes for the TV series to be as good. It is. I still question the casting of Anna Paquin as Sookie, mainly because in the book she's supposed to be prettier, but she is a solid actress, and sells the part, so this is only a minor quibble. The male actors are drool-worthy (pant, pant) especially Sam Trammell, who plays Sookie's boss, Sam. Watch when the kids are out of the house. Loads of nudity and everything that goes with it. Very R-rated.

My Favorite Thing of the Week - Clipboards

2010-01-15T16:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, call me nerdy, but clipboards have so made our homeschool easier, neater, and more portable. I think we have something like 20 clipboards or so scattered around the house. We use them for drawing outside, eating on in the living room, and hanging up artwork.

You may not aware of the fact that there are a number of different kinds of clipboards on the market today. Along with the basic pressboard model equipped with the large metal clip, other boards are designed for use in specific situations and provide functions other than holding paper in a secure position. Here are a few examples of clipboard types:

- The dry erase clipboard - very cool! (and can be printed with sport courts for planning too)
- The storage clipboard - to keep your stuff handy
- Timer and calculator clipboards - to see how long you've been working and help with the math
- Recycled aluminum clipboard - shiny!
- Lapdesk clipboard - easy to use in the car

Three is using a clipboard system for her homework this year. I take worksheets from her math, grammar, reading, and science, and clip them to her clipboard. She then just works her way through them, and the work is done.

Here are some really neat ways you can use clipboards:
Hang your art with a custom clipboard
As a photo hanger
To hold the end of the bracelet as you make it
Six other ways to use clipboards
Holding your map while you drive

And some crafts using a clipboard:
Make an altered clipboard
A circuit board clipboard
Stamped Clipboard

Here are some AMAZING altered clipboards

Potato Soup

2010-01-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

The good thing about soup in the winter is that it is warming on a cold day. It is a great meal for anyone who doesn't want to spend a lot on food, and it is also a great meal for anyone who likes to eat good food.

Originally this meal came from the Everyday Cheapskate, but I've modified it just a little to suit our family.

Quick, Easy and Fabulous Potato Soup

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups water
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups milk

1 can creamed corn

Place potatoes and water in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, sauté chopped onion in the butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme, rosemary and pepper. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add corn and potatoes with hot water. Heat through and serve hot. Serves: 7.

Cheap and yummy!

My Favorite Thing of the Week - Bamboo Yarn

2010-01-07T17:56:00.000-08:00

Let me say this, bamboo yarn is amazingly soft. Incredibly soft. Microfiber soft. It is perfect for babies, or for my son, for whom I'm knitting a bamboo yarn scarf, or for that matter for me. I adore the way it feels, and the nubbly texture it has when knitted up. It has a soft drape that can't be matched in a lot of other yarns either.

From knitting.about.com:

Bamboo is a renewable resource.
Bamboo can be harvested without killing the plant, and it only takes a few months before the plant is ready to be harvested again. That makes it an environmentally friendly choice.
Bamboo yarn, when not mixed with unnatural fibers, is biodegradable.
Bamboo yarn is often dyed with more natural dyes that are safer for the environment.
Bamboo fabric is naturally antibacterial.
Bamboo also has ultra-violet protective properties.
Fabric knitted with bamboo is quite breathable and cool and has great drape.
Bamboo has a good luster, similar to mercerized cotton.
Bamboo is strong, flexible, and can be softer than silk when spun into yarn.

Potential Bamboo Negatives

Bamboo yarn loses strength when it is wet and swells considerably in water.
The yarn may not be very cohesive. Some brands split much more than others.
Bamboo needs to be hand-washed, so it isn't a great choice for things that need to be washed frequently.

Here are some places you can find bamboo yarn:
Classic Elite Bam-Boo
Rowan Bamboo
Plymouth Yarn - Royal Bamboo
Bernat Bamboo

Now to get back to the needles!

My Favorite Thing of the Week - Cumin

2009-12-31T07:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went north and visited my college roommate, whom I don't get to see often enough. We had nice time catching up, shopping and eating Thai food. One of our stops was at the Penzey's spice ~~mother-ship~~ store. I love Penzey's Spices, and I frequently order from the catalog. Going to the store, was a new experience though, because I could smell and sample the spices and spice mixes.

One of my all time favorite spices is Cumin. I bought a whole bunch of it, and my girlfriend was wondering, what am I going to do with all that cumin? So for her - and my other readers (hello, Mom!) here is the deal on cumin, and why it is my favorite thing of the week.

According to Penzey's Spices, cumin is one of the most popular spices in the world, second to black pepper. It is used in Mexican, Indian, Thai, and Latin American cooking. It has a strong, pungent smell and a distinctive taste which blends wonderfully with a lot of other flavors, because it enhances and draws out the natural sweetness in other foods. It can be used either as whole seeds and in a ground form. (I've used both, but mostly the ground type.)

So what do I use cumin in?
Chili
Black Bean Soup
Chicken Curry
Scrambled Eggs
Cornbread Muffins

Here is my Black Bean Soup recipe to get you started with your personal love of cumin. It is low-fat, delicious, and really cheap to make:

Simple Black Bean Soup

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
pinch red pepper flakes
2 cans chicken broth
2 cans black beans, drained
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and add onion and bell pepper. Cook until peppers are wilted and onion is translucent. Add the garlic and the spices. Saute for just a minute more, don't let the garlic brown. Add the chicken broth; bring to a boil.

2. Add the beans, bring back to a boil, salt and pepper to taste.

3. In a blender, puree half the soup. (You can also mash the beans in the pot as they cook). Add the puree back to the pot, reheat and serve.

This is good with corn muffins (add the cumin to the batter) or just some crusty bread and a nice salad. Make it totally vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for the chicken stock.

Here are some other recipes that feature cumin as a starring ingredient:
Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini, Garbanzo Beans and Cumin
Three Bean Salad with Cumin, Cilantro and Oranges
Muhammara Dip with Cumin and Cayenne
Lentil Soup with Lemon
Good, Basic Chili
Steak Tacos
Whole Enchalada Bake
Indian Style Scrambled Eggs
Potatoes with Cumin - Substitute hot pepper sause for the Harissa.
Spicy Lentil Nachos
Breakfast in a Cup - Make a head and freezable!
Black Bean Breakfast Burrito

Making Stuff

2009-12-16T16:41:00.000-08:00

I've been busy making stuff today. First, I made this for my dear friend who lives in Florida:

Pretty cute, huh? Just the thing for slipping on with a pair of jeans, and a cute top and being warm!

Then, I made these for me.

Which, if you've been to my house would totally make sense, since I have this thing about elephants.

Lastly, but not leastly, I made these yummy things!

They're super easy, and really delish! Plus they look like they took some work (which they so didn't.)

White Chocolate-Pecan Candies

1 1/2 bags white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Some pecan halves (about 30)

Empty the white chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. I used my Pampered Chef Classic Batter Bowl (love it!). Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave it for another minute. The chips should be melty by now. Mix in the butter and oil. Mix in the chopped pecans.

Use a small scoop (about 1 Tablespoon) and drop by scoops onto a sheet of waxed paper on a cookie sheet. Press a pecan half into each while it is still soft. Put in the fridge (or cold garage!) until firm.

Makes about 30.

Its beginning to look a lot like.....

2009-12-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it's beginning to look a lot like something, anyway.

We're less than two weeks away from Christmas, and still have no tree. The decorations are all still snug in their boxes yet from last year. I still have the halloween door decoration hanging on our front door. The hubby hung up the lights outside over Thanksgiving, so we aren't completely ignoring the holidays, but it just feels so... unChristmassy.

I suppose part of the problem is I'm doing no holiday baking this year. Now don't get all over me. Look at the ticker at the top of the page. I'm close to losing 25 pounds! I've been walking between 4 to 5 miles at least 3 times a week, and I'm working very hard at regaining my pre-children shape. Baking mountains of cookies runs counter to that goal. Besides, I can't help but eat them. My self-control around them is nil. So no baking.

I've been trying to come up with other holiday traditions that don't center around eating. Like playing and singing music, and the children made and decorated gingerbread houses. I think this year we might go to the "Winter Wonderland" at the Cuneo. Very cool lights!

So if you have any neat ideas to help get into the Christmas spirit, pass them along. I need a little Christmas NOW!

IP Tuesday

2009-12-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

It's Independent Project Tuesday again. Three is working on one of her Try-its, the "Stitch it Together" badge. All morning long she's been sewing buttons to a piece of fabric to make a button collage. When she's done, we're going to mount it to cardboard, so she can hang it. Naturally, the button project looked neat to Jack O'Hearts, and so he did his own button collage as well. He actually sewed 4 buttons onto a piece of cloth. Way to go kids!

Ace and Deuce are busy making gingerbread houses. They mixed up the dough this morning, and are now busy cutting out the pieces and getting them ready to bake. You can find the directions they are using here.

I've been doing my own independent project as well. I've completed the first chapter of my book. I finished last night about 11:00 p.m. It seems to go better late at night, maybe because it is a mystery novel. Who knows. Anyway, I've not been to bed before midnight all week. (poor hubby.)

It is a good feeling to finally have some forward progress on the novel. yay!

Creating Jewelry today

2009-12-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

I spent the day putting some beads on wires for some special gals in my life.

For Mia, my eldest niece. How old is she? Sheesh! 20 or something like that. I've blocked it out, it makes me feel too old.This necklace is made from a bunch of lovely leftover beads that I had from another project that I made for my sister-in-law. The disk ones are actually in two different colors - you don't really get that from the picture, and the whole thing is tied together with the iridescent fire wash on the beads.

For Ava, Mia's lovely youngest sister. Happy sweet fifteen kiddo!With this one, I used some vintage wooden disk beads, alternating with red jasper. The round beads are also jasper, and then the little ones at the top are khaki glass cubes. The whole thing went together really easily and looks so harmonious. I need to leave out milk and cookies to the beading gods for this one.

For Christie, who has filled a hole in our lives, we love you!These are turquoise dyed howlite nuggets that have a really neat shape and feel to them. They are alternated with Swarovski crystals in a deep blue-black, and with little silver rings with clusters of 4mm glass cubes. The little rings were really a pain in the fingers to make. By about the second little ring I was ready to alter the project significantly, but I stuck to it, and it looks really nice.

and for Sweet Lily who is also celebrating her birthday, happy happy day!This simple strand is made of glass pearls, crystals, some gold filled disks, and some vintage gold cylindar beads. I probably strung and re-strung this one five times trying to get the right balance of gold to glass to pearls. I think its pretty nice, and simple for a little girl. I had Deuce wear it for a while, and it looked so sweet on her, I'm tempted to make another one so that she has one like it. The gold disks are pricey, though, so we'll see...

December is here

2009-12-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

I woke up last night to a familiar and very unwelcome sound.

A horrifying sound.

I get chills even now as I think upon it. It is that awful.

It was the low, rumbling, grating sound of a snowplow going down my street.

December is here for real.

Independent Work Tuesday

2009-12-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

Time for my kids' favorite day of the week, Tuesday. Independent Project Tuesday has been a smashing success so far.

Today: Ace discovered a re-use of a dog food bag by designing and sewing up a letterbox sit-upon. It has a pocket for a logbook, and a strap, so it is easy to carry. But the main benefit is that it makes a nice, clean place to sit when letterboxing, so you don't get all muddy or dirty.

Deuce created a recipe (and tested it out!) for chocolate-mint cupcakes. Right now they are filling the house with a really yummy aroma, while they wait to cool, and she can frost them with some buttercream frosting.

Three began working on a Brownie Try-it, a sewing badge, by making sewing/lacing cards of animals. She cut them out of a Your Big Backyard magazine, stuck them to cardboard, laminated them, and then punched holes so they could be laced with yarn.

Jack O'Hearts and Little Four have been testing the cupcake batter and the lacing cards. But now they are out side playing in a big puddle.

Additionally, Deuce and I played a game of Wholes: The Game to practice adding fractions. You can find directions to make it here.

It's Official

2009-11-16T18:58:00.000-08:00

The Disney trip has been booked!

The tickets have been ordered, the hotel reservations made (and paid), the airfare has been booked as well. Now I just need a way to curb my excitement til we get there!

Yay!

Yummy Soup

2009-11-15T16:33:00.000-08:00

This is from Weight Watcher's magazine. Okay, so what if it is a weight watchers recipe? It is totally easy and yummy, and not even too expensive. Plus, it's very heartwarming on a day like today.

One thing, the recipe calls for Shirataki noodles. No, I've never heard of them either. But I found them at Sunset foods. They are made of soy, and they really taste like regular noodles. The difference is that Shirataki have almost no carbs, plus 20 calories per serving; while regular noodles have 210 calories per serving, and 42g. of carbs. So, they are worth looking for. I found them in the noodle section of the refrigerated department (with the fresh pasta.)

Chicken Shirataki Soup

1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 (32-oz) carton low-sodium chicken broth
2 (8-oz) packages spaghetti-shaped shirakaki tofu noodles, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 tsp. Asian dark sesame oil
2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 small bunch watercress, trimmed
1/2 cup bean sprouts

1. Spray a non-stick Dutch oven with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the chicken and the ginger; cook stirring constantly, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 1 minute.

2. Add the broth bring to a boil. Stir in the noodles, carrots, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 4 minutes.

3. Divide the soup among 4 bowls. Serve topped with watercress and sprouts.

Eat, yum!

Super Couponing

2009-11-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

I've always been a leeetle bit skeptical of the folks who clip coupons, and shop sales, and buy hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for a buck. Lets face it, who can really do that? Well, I tried it this weekend. Look what I got for $19!*

If you want to know more about how to do this, you need to visit my friend Michelle's Bargains Rock! blog, and follow her links and advice.

One thing that I've learned is that it is worth looking and planning before buying. I know that this sounds elementary, and I usually have a list and a plan. But since I usually eschew regular grocery stores for Aldi, and name brand products for store brand, I don't usually even look to see if there are coupons that would be appropriate for me. Sure this is one more step, but I think it took me a total of 20 minutes or so to look at the sale flier, decide what I needed from it, check for coupons and print them out. Doing so saved me $97. That comes to $291 per hour to do this. Okay, so no one is actually paying me $291 an hour to check coupons, but you still get the idea.

The second thing I learned is to take a calulator to the store. I was busy jotting down numbers, and calculator would have made it so much easier to keep a running total.

*This is $19 after I subtract the $15 coupons I have still in my purse. Actually, the out of pocket was $34, which is still really good, considering that the regular price for all this stuff is about $116 bucks.

Halloween Fun

2009-11-09T17:47:00.000-08:00

Halloween has come and gone at our house. The pumpkins have been carved,

The costumes have been made,

The crafts have been prepared.

Trick-o-treating was a lot of fun too. The kids came home with much candy, and watched movies and ate themselves sick.

Although we love Halloween here, I am thankful that it only comes around once a year.

Acorns!

2009-10-26T18:54:00.001-07:00

Three, Jack o'Hearts, and Four went about one month ago (or so) to one of our local forest preserves, for a little letterboxing. (Hey, Drama Mama - about 500 yards from where the JM's Monster party was!) Found the letterbox, and also couldn't help but notice the acorns! They were everywhere!

Now, I've read here: Acorn Harvesting and here that you could eat acorns. So, trying to follow directions, we sorted, dried, sorted, sorted, and sorted the acorns. Today was processing day for the acorns.

Naturally the best part is the kids' reactions when they find the little grubs that have come out of some of the acorns down at the bottom of the bucket or bowl. EEEK! I keep telling them that they are just extra protein, but so far, they haven't warmed up to them. Can't say I blame them. They're creepy.

We soaked them in boiling water once, twice, thrice, four, five and now six times. They're still bitter, but getting better with every wash. I'm hopeful that before I go to bed, we'll have some edible acorns. Then I plan to make: ACORN Cookies.

Something Homeschool Related

2009-10-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

Not letterboxing for a change, although I've got 3 boxes ready to plant, and plan to get out sometime this weekend with my reluctant boxer, Deuce.

I tried something different today. Following the lead of Gina at Spotty Banana, we're making Tuesdays "IPT" day. (Independent Project Tuesday)

So, you might wonder, what did the kids do today with so much leeway? Ace finished her paper for American Government. (yay!) Deuce learned how to upload her photographs on to SnapFish, so she could have an empty card to film a movie onto. She then made a concept board, scenery, and came up with props and such for a "Polly Pocket" music video. Sadly, there is no good way to hold a Polly and make them dance, so she tied yarn around their necks, and it looks like the gallows dance (to me, anyway.)

Three decided she'd like to work on a Brownie Try-It badge on doll and puppet making. She began with the yarn doll. We worked on one together, and it turned out quite nicely. Then she made one for herself. Ace, Deuce and the others also got in the act, so for about 2 hours they made yarn dolls and talked about them. During the discussion, they decided that they would film a short movie about the yarn dolls, now called the "Its." They created a whole mythology about the Its and their enemy, the evil "Things." I'd relate it here, but as it is lengthy and complicated, and about yarn dolls, I won't. It was very creative, however.

So what did they learn? What skills did they use? How many skeins of yarn did they go through? I'm not sure, but as I was tucking Deuce in tonight, she told me that now she loved Tuesdays. Stay tuned.

Boxing with my kids

2009-10-07T20:27:00.001-07:00

Yep, another letterboxing post. This time with pictures - no spoilers, though. The day was lovely, sunny but cool. Perfect fall, crunchy leaves. We had a good time looking for a series of 6 boxes that was hidden in a nearby forest preserve.

These two had a nice time exploring off the trail.

Ace stamping in.

Three and Ace sharing a log.

Deuce was more interested in building fairy houses and finding Osage oranges and interesting fungi, but she had fun despite herself.

It's amazing what a mood lifter going out into the woods for a couple of hours is. When we began, it was pick, pick, pick, but by the end of it, even Deuce and Jack O'Hearts were getting along (and that's saying something!)

During the hike, in addition to the Osage oranges, we found black walnuts, acorns of several varieties and hickory nuts. They are all rolling around the back of my car right now.

He Blinded Me with Science!!

2009-10-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

Jack O'Hearts is learning about osmosis. Here he is getting an experiment together. The science book is a nothing-special book I got in the dollar section of Target, but he is having lots of fun learning, plus, it comes with stickers. Everyone likes stickers!

Pouring the water into the cups

Measuring the baking soda.

Putting the cotton string between the cups

Drawing the results.

After the experiment had set about a week, the water had gone up into the string, and left deposits of baking soda on the string. The string was also hard as a rock, even though there was still water in both cups. I didn't get pictures of that part.

A good experiment!

The boy thought so too!

Brace Yourself!

2009-10-05T09:20:00.001-07:00

Do you notice anything different about Ace in the side bar?

Maybe you need to see it closer:

How about now?

BRACES!!!
Okay, See them now??

Good.

Boxy boxy

2009-10-04T18:58:00.001-07:00

It was a boxy boxy weekend!

First, my lovely little sister came down from Minneapolis to take some CEC over at O'Hare. She crashed on the futon. Sadly, we didn't get to do as much damage together as we would have liked, but we still managed to have fun and eat an entire cheesecake.

Second, my friend Mo and I went up to Waukesha, WI for Boxacon 2009. We had a fantabulistic time exchanging stamps with our letterboxing friends, asking (and answering) tricky questions for more stamping fun, and then to top it all off, tromping around in the woods for four hours to find a whole bunch more stamps. It was truly paradise!!

Then today my sister and I decided we would find yet more boxes, and travelled north to get about 5 more. Plus it was a nice day for a good walk. I'm hoping the tromping around in the woods is an adequate substitute for a work-out. It is a lot more fun, that's for sure.

Tomorrow it is back to school stuff as usual. Ace is still working on that novel, and will hopefully finish off her chapter in the math book. Deuce has had violin practice challenges. So much so that I have threatened her with missing our friends' halloween mini-golf party if she doesn't get her music down. Ug. I hate having to do that. Three is reading like a champ. She just needs to keep moving along with her stuff. I have more material about Spain that we haven't done yet, but it is time to move on to learn about France. I guess they will just have to play a little catsup.

The King of Hearts is out in Vermont this week. It is going to get pretty lonely around here with out him. I hope he gets some good pictures of leaves.

Hib Gun, Hib Out Sride

2009-09-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

Four is very distressed.

I took the crib out of the bedroom today. She has to sleep in the big girl bed in the same room as Jack O'Hearts. She has been running around calling: "Hib Gun! Hib Gun!" "Hib Out sride." (Which translates to: Crib Gone! Crib Gone! Crib Outside!

The crib is dis-assembled and is put away in pieces in the basement. It is NOT outside; but to her anything that is gone MUST be outside. Therefore the crib is outside.

She's been outside looking for the crib all day, calling "Hib! Hib!" It still is not outside.

We'll see how tonight goes.

An Interesting Conversation

2009-09-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

While waiting for Deuce to finish up choir today, I was sitting at the park. I had my book in one hand, and my apple in the other, and was determined to eat the apple. (Visualizing myself NOT going to Culver's for a chocolate malt - which was what I really, really wanted.) The only benches were by the playground, so I sat near a woman who I know from church. She was waiting for her granddaughter to finish choir.

We chatted a bit about traffic and weather and sports and stuff, and the conversation turned, as it always does, to the kids, how old are they, and where do they go to school. I told her they didn't go, that we homeschooled.
"Wow, you are one brave lady." she said.
I told her that I wasn't especially brave, but that we really liked the flexibility of not being tied to a school schedule. To be able to pick up and go and do whatever we wanted, without worrying about missing something.
This she agreed with.
Then I also mentioned that the kids really liked it because it allowed them to study whatever they were interested in.
Horror Ensued.

I guess that the point of school, if this woman's reaction was any indication, is to study a bunch of crap that kids really aren't interested in.

TGWH!

Field Trip today

2009-09-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

The kids and I took a field trip out to Hebron, IL to pick apples. It is a bit of a haul, but the place we like to go - Royal Oaks Farm Orchard - is really worth the trip. Little Four just walked from tree to tree, eating apples like crazy. She adores apples. I think her first non-family word was "apple." She even named her favorite teddy bear "Apple." (Of course the other ones are "Blue" and "Swiss Meat.")

We picked Gala apples which are at their best right now. Crispy and sweet. Yum! After that, we wandered over to the little gift store and got some hot-from-the-fryer apple cider donuts. They are so amazing. You could smell them cooking all over the orchard, how could we resist?

While we were leaving, Michelle, from Bargains Rock! arrived with her kids. We chit-chatted for a bit, but we were on a mission for a letterbox that was planted nearby, and we wanted to get on the way. We found the trail head, and began walking. Now, it didn't say how long the journey was going to be, but we didn't really expect it to be quite as long as it was, which was really long.

Deuce found over a dozen different frogs and toads, however, and we found some of the COOLEST mushrooms and fungi that we've ever seen. I wish I would have thought of bringing my camera. The letterbox found, we headed back to the car when I LOST MY CONTACT! I squinted like a pirate the whole way back. Arrr.... matey.

Still, despite the ups and downs of it all, the heat, the mosquitoes, the persistent sound of whining, we did have a really good field trip adventure.

The First Week

2009-08-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

The first week back to school has been bumpy. This is because of a few reasons. First, we haven't really done anything much school-wise all summer. It is pretty hard getting back to a schedule after slacking off for three months or so. Second, my expectations for the the kids have gotten higher. Ace is in Junior high now, so her homework has ratcheted up accordingly. Deuce has fifth grade to navigate, and Three has second grade stuff to do. Plus, Jack has just begun kindergarten work. This leads naturally to third, I'm spreading myself a little thinner. Only a little, though. Ace is pretty much doing her own thing. I poke and prod and keep her on schedule, but mostly she does her own thing.

As for Deuce and Three, it is totally hands on. Especially for Deuce. Don't ask why. She just needs more attention than pretty much anyone I know. Jack has been especially helpful with keeping Four busy. They play pretty nearly constantly outside. So long as they can be out there, they are out there, digging holes all over the yard.

This year Deuce and Three are doing a big geography unit. Deuce was really enjoying finding latitude and longitude of cities around the world. I think I'll just keep throwing this in. It seems to be a fun thing for her.

My goal this year is "No Tears." So far, so good. I wonder how long it will last....

Tomorrow's big day!

2009-08-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I begin teaching Ace's AP American Government and Politics class.

My outline looks like this -
Intro Lecture
Grading
Website
Syllabus
Subject Matter - Purposes and types of Politics
Group Activity
Go over the homework for first class as an in-class activity
Pop Quiz (yeah, I'm bad)
Let em go.

I've got 2 hours or so to fill. I think it will go pretty fast, though.

Deuce will be minding the ranch. I might pay her.

Wish me luck!

Some Photos from our Vacation

2009-08-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

Up in the middle of Wisconsin is a little old farm house. It is owned by my husband's family. Every year we make the trek up there and spend a week or more "roughing it." What I mean by that, is there is no computer, no television, and virtually no cell service. What there is, is a lot of sunshine, fresh air, birds, stars, and playing out in the fields.

Our relative proximity to Oshkosh makes the EAA Museum a must-see. Ace and Deuce flew, this year, in the Young Eagles program. They were very excited and happy about the experience. Both want to make flight a part of their futures.

During our vacation, we also visited a neighboring ostrich farm, an old train, and did a fair amount of letterboxing.

Everyone was relaxed and refreshed and ready to be home for a while after the vacation. And isn't that what vacations are all about anyway?

Too Cute stuff

2009-08-04T18:52:00.000-07:00

Two year olds are too cute. I think I've looked at a dozen cute toddler/preschool blogs, with gorgeous photography, terrific crafts and inspired stuff. I feel a little discouraged. Don't get me wrong, I've got the cutest toddler in the world, as well as a really handsome almost 5 year old (did I mention he's got a birthday coming up?) My seven year old is lovely, the 10 year old is adorable, and my nearly grown 12 year old is becoming a breathtaking young woman.

So why the angst? I guess because I am a lazy blogger?

Oh well.

So Tired!

2009-07-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

Saw Harry Potter last night at the midnight show. So tired today.

Swimming

2009-06-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

Swimming session one is over.
Ace is still in level 5. She has to improve her flip turns. Diving went well. Check out the pictures!

Deuce graduated to level 4!! Yay Deuce!
Three will remain in level 2. She has to improve her front crawl and treading water.
Jack O'Hearts completed his "Beginning Little Swimmer" program
Four and I had a lovely time in Mom and Me swim!

Monday - Lunch Challenge

2009-06-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a quickie - spaghetti and sauce, with Parmesan cheese over the top. Pretty light on the fruit and vegetables, but I'll fill in later with some fruit for a snack, and salads for dinner.

Homeschooling on the cheap

2009-06-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

This post began as a response to a lady who is trying to figure out if homeschooling is going to be expensive, but I decided that it would make a good post to anyone trying to make that decision.

I would first: decide with your son what interests he has that you can work on designing your lesson plans around. Second: check out something like WorldBook or other website to see what subjects 7th graders typically cover.

Next: Free resources. Two very good books are "Homeschooling on a Shoelace" and "Homeschool your Child for Free." You can probably get them at your library.

Online there are scads of free resources. If you have the internet, the world is your oyster. If you are interested in more "classic" type educational products, I highly recommend you look at the resources at An Old Fashioned Education. There's everything there, and its all free. Online you can also get complete math curriculums for grades through college, classic literature, plus an amazing source of online classes from HippoCampus and MIT.

Okay, now cheap resources - not the same as free, but cheap is good, too. If you want to study literature, go to your local St. Vincent, GoodWill, Salvation Army or whatever thrift shop. Peruse the used books. Around here, I am able to find lots of excellent books that cost me all of a quarter a piece. On my last look, I found Frankenstein, To Kill a Mockingbird, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Tom Sawyer, and Of Mice and Men. Some looked as if they'd never been opened. Occasionally, they've been someone's for a class, once-upon-a-time, but it doesn't really matter unless they're really written in. I also look for any other things that I can use. Sometimes I find math workbooks, games, puzzlebooks, and other resources.

Another really cheap (and underused) source is the antique shops. I have a row of classics I picked up for a song at an antique shop, and also readers and schoolbooks from the turn of the century. They work well for poetry memorization, etc.

Of course any homeschooler will be drawn to the library book sales as well.

Other cheap online sources can be found online. CurrClick regularly has sales and freebies, and there are a lot of middle school and upper level coursed from which to choose.

I think that the most important thing is to keep an open mind about what your child wants to learn, and how you want to teach it. Homeschool does not need to be just like traditional school, and you don't need to purchase the latest whistles and bells to give your child a really excellent education. It just needs a little creativity.

Make it from Scratch Carnival

2009-06-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

The Make it from Scratch Carnival is being hosted over at Gotta Little Space to Fill. Go check it out! NOW!

A Really Green Bag.

2009-06-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

Dog Food Tote Tutorial

We have two dogs, and they eat a LOT of dog food. These bags are really strong, after all, they are designed to hold 50 pounds of dog food. Sadly, they are not marked for recycling, so our recycling co. won't take them. I figured, as long as this bag was destined for the landfill, why not see if I could do a little recycling of my own?

Here is my Dog Food Tote Tutorial. (Oooh, alliteration!)

Step 1. Begin with an empty dog food bag. Be sure you wipe out the inside pretty well, or your bag will smell like kibble.

Step 2: Cut the bag down to a nice, manageable size. You can decide where the best size is. Also, cut off the binding from the bottom of the bag.

Step 3: After you cut off the bottom, sew a double seam along the bottom of the bag. After some trial and error I discovered that the best needle for the task is a vinyl/leather needle. The stuff doesn't seem really tough, but I guess the plastic is enough to make it not work too well with other types. Also, I apologize for the blurriness of this photo, Deuce was my photographer, and the light was not optimal in my sewing area for a good shot. I think she did pretty well, considering. Anyway, because I wanted the bottom of the bag to be squared, after I sewed the bottom seam, I also sewed perpendicularly across the bottom seam on each edge to make square bottom corners. No photo of that, sorry.

Step 4: Now you have a basic bag shape, so turn it inside out (or right side in, if you prefer) so t hat the seams are on the inside, anyway. I didn't want my tote to scream "DOG FOOD!" so I put the label and stuff on the inside of the bag. If you have a really

pretty bag that you are re-using, like some of the bird-seed bags have lovely designs on them, or if you really like the funky look of a dog-food bag, by all means, flip it around before you start to sew, so your design is on the outside. Your bag, your choice. Fold down the top edge, in any event.

Step 5. Now we come to the (sorta) tricky part, the handles. Cut a couple of strips from the leftover dog food bag. I eyeballed them, but I think 4 or 5 inches wide is probably a good guess.

Fold one side in and finger press it, then the other side, then fold the whole thing in half. Note: An iron on this is really NOT a good idea on this sort of plastic. It gets all shrinky and weird. Please learn from my mistakes! Fortunately, I didn't ruin my iron.

Finally, sew along the edges to close up the strap.

Step 6: Now take the folded up strap portion and cut it into straps

that are a nice size. I found that the right size was half of the strap that I had just made. If you need it longer, you might need to sew another piece of strap. To attach the strap, you need to slip the ends of the strap under the folded down edge of the bag, then sew around the top of the bag. That will attach the straps, and finish the edge of the bag. When the top is stitched down, flip the straps up, and sew across the top of the strap, so they go the right way. You can also reinforce this connection with a little square of sewing. Your choice, although I've never had one go on me before, on the other totes I've made, They do look good, though.

Tada! Finished tote!

Science lessons

2009-06-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

Science sort of stalled out at our house after finishing the Periodic Table of Elements. For weeks we didn't do any. Sure, we caught frogs, toads and snakes in the backyard, made trips to the pet store to gaze at the different sorts of fish, birds, and small animals they have there, planted and tended a garden, observed the weather, and did the odd cooking "experiment," but nothing really planned out.

So I've been writing a unit that I was going to do with the kids in the fall, but we started it already. In the unit, the student biologist (because it's a biology unit) travels through the 5 kingdoms of life, gathering facts to earn the right to carry the keys to each kingdom.

Today we did our first "real" science. We made a culture medium out of Jello and Slim-Fast. It's red. I hope it doesn't get yucky, we need a bunch of them for our planned unit. Anyway, to make culture medium from Jello and Slim-Fast, you need:

1 package Jello (any flavor)
1 can Slim Fast (any flavor)
Water
paper cups or petri dishes
plastic wrap and rubber bands or lids to the petri dishes
bowl, spoon, measuring cups, saucepan

Make sure you wash everything out really well with hot soapy water, to make sure it is really clean. Otherwise you won't be able to trust your results.

Mix up the Jello as directed, except replace 1/2 cup of the cold water with 1/2 cup of Slim-Fast. Drink the rest of the Slim-Fast, and grimace, because it's gross.

Allow the Jello mixture to cool for 15 minutes or so, stirring every 2 minutes to keep the Slim-Fast from settling. Pour the mixture into paper cups or petri dishes and cover with the plastic wrap and rubber band, or lid to petri dish.

Put them in the fridge until they are set, you can use them now when you need them.

I got my petri dishes from Home Science Tools.

They aren't too expensive, and the company is really nice to deal with.

Congratulations Deuce!

2009-05-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Deuce has finished Singapore 4A today. She took the final test and ACED it!! Woo Hoo!!

Tired of the rain

2009-05-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

I know that it is a good, natural, necessary and normal thing, but I am getting so very, very tired of rain. The backyard has LONG grass, but it's been too wet to cut (read - standing water in some parts of the yard, mud in the rest!), the garden remains mostly unplanted, although the lettuce, arugula, spinach and radishes that I did manage to get in the mud are coming up now, and the kids are really getting stir crazy, because it is too wet for them to play outside.

sigh.

Five in a Row Link!

2009-05-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

My ds' lessons continue this week, we are reading the book "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel." On a tip, I checked out youtube to see if there was any good steam shovel footage. There is some GREAT steam shovelage!!

Check it out!

and

Back in the Saddle?

2009-04-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

Jack O'Hearts has announced to me that he is "ready" for some school, like the big sisters. He can write his name, knows the alphabet, can count to twenty, and knows all his shapes and colors. So to give him his own thing, I blew the dust off of our Five-in-a-Row manuals, and have begun anew with Five in a Row, starting with Lentil.

My poor Lentil book. I really need to replace it. It has lost the front cover long ago, and the pages are so ancient that they are "crispy." They've cracked down the center of the book and are now held in by packing tape. Nevertheless, the story is still a classic, and JOH has absolutely adored the lessons.

By far the most interesting thing, though, is the reaction of the bigger sisters. Ace love FIAR. We rowed all the books numerous times. Everytime was a delight. Naturally, Deuce couldn't tolerate FIAR. She had no interest in the format, or in the stories, so it went back on the shelf. Three was, and still is, a workbook girl. Go figure. She would rather do pages (and pages) in a workbook, than get involved with a bunch of hands on stuff, or literature studies. FIAR wasn't really a fit with her either. However, pulling out the books, and reading them, discussing the lessons and doing hands on activites has pulled both Deuce and Three out of the woodwork, where they hang on the ends of the couch, and actively participate in the discussions and activities. So much so, that I need to remind them that this is actually JOH's lesson, and to let him talk or do the activity first.

What a dilemma. My girls are so eager to learn that they try to out do my son! Freaky. So, tonight as a bedtime story, we read Lentil and then my son, Three and I drew a giant map of what we though Alto, Ohio would look like. There were houses, and businesses, churches and parks. There were farms, bridges, a train station and all sorts of other things. JOH was so proud, we hung it up on the back of the bedroom door. So they were up 45 minutes past their bedtimes, there was learnin' going on!

Vikings

2009-04-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

I've created a set of Norse god and goddess notebook pages for download. You can find them here.

Enjoy the free-ness!

A small victory

2009-04-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

I went to TJ Maxx today to get myself some new exercise pants, and bought a size MEDIUM for the first time since Jack O'Hearts was born! Woot!

Social Studies Units Chosen!

2009-04-23T15:31:00.001-07:00

The Social Studies Units have been chosen for next school year:

Tudor England
Tsarist Russia
Geography

Now to get stuff together! Stay tuned!

The tentative 2009/2010 plan

2009-04-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is - so far. The tentative plan for 2009/2010 school year. I can't believe that I've got it even this much thought out so far in advance, but there is just so much going on next year that I've got to get my act together!
Ace - 7^th Grade

Math: NEM 2
Grammar: ILL (continuing)
Literature: TBA
Writing: One Year Adventure Novel
Social Studies: American Government and Politics
Science: Unit Studies -

Deuce - 5^th Grade

Math: Singapore 5A/B
Grammar: LLATL Orange
Literature: Worked into unit studies (TBA)
Writing: Igniting Your Writing Level 1
Social Studies: Unit Studies (TBA)
Science: Unit Studies (TBA)

Three - 2^nd Grade

Math: Singapore 2A/B
Grammar: LLATL Yellow or PLL?
Literature: Worked into unit studies
Social Studies: Units Studies (TBA)
Science: Unit Studies (TBA)

Jack O'Hearts – Kindergarten

Five-in-a-Row

Reading: Phonics Pathways
Math: Games & Fun Books

Leftover Rice Muffins

2009-04-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

I'm fond of wild rice, and ever since I discovered that I can make it in the rice-maker at the same time as brown rice, brown and wild rice have been a staple at dinner time. I had some leftover rice, though, and a request from my oldest daughter for "muffins for lunch" prompted me to start looking for a muffin recipe where I could use up the rice, and make it sturdy enough to carry around the back yard for a portable lunch.

Here is what I came up with for a
Leftover Rice Muffin

2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups cooked brown and wild rice
1/4 cup parmesan or romano cheese
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat the oven to 400 deg. Stir dry ingredients together. Mix in the seasonings, and cheese. Mix in the rices, egg, oil and milk until just combined. Divide into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.

This made 15 for me.

The kids have pretty much eaten them all up. I got a little nibble off the side of Deuce's but they went like goldfish in a piranha tank. I guess I've got me a winner!

Hamburger Freezer session

2009-04-04T18:08:00.001-07:00

So we got this coupon for a free one-day membership to Sam's Club. My husband asked me if I'd be interested in going? Sure, why not. So off we went.

It was a bit overwhelming. Luckily for me, I had my calculator with me, along with my mental price book. (If I'd been thinking, I'd have brought my actual price book, but we can't have everything, can we?)

So after breaking down prices into units, then converting the units into the portions that my normal grocery store sells, we discovered some of the things were good deals, and others were simply o.k. DH and I stuck to the things 1. that we knew were good deals, and 2. wouldn't rot or get bugs in them, and 3. we'd use.

We got toilet paper and dog food, laundry detergent and pancake syrup, bananas and a 10 pound tube of hamburger.

Yes, a 10 pound tube of hamburger. It was 90% lean, and a very good price.

Here are some facts about a 10 pound tube of hamburger.
1. It is as big around as the thigh of a 7 year old.
2. It is almost as tall as a 19 mo. old toddler.
3. It is almost impossible to resist slapping it.
4. A 4 1/2 year old will insist on carrying it around the house, before you are allowed to do anything with it.
5. It is also much more meat than I am used to looking at at a time.

This is what I did with my 10 pounds of hamburger:
One pound went into taco meat. (Made by TOH - nearly by herself)
Three pounds went into two meatloaves (BH&G basic recipe)
Three pounds went into 3 packages of meatballs.
Three pounds went into 3 batches of chili con carne. (I also put in 1/2 of one of those gigantic cans of crushed tomatoes in that. - the rest of the tomatoes I froze in 2 cup containers)

That's nine dinners done and in the freezer. Whew!

The upshot to all of this is that DH and I decided we didn't need a membership. Yes, they have some good deals, but mostly the grocery items are about the same price when you shop the sales at the "regular" grocery store, and don't even come close to touching the price you pay at Aldi. The other stuff may or may not be a good deal, but we don't usually buy big screen televisions or trampolines or stuff like that, so a membership for that sort of thing isn't worth it for us. If another one day membership comes along, will we take it? Probably, it was pretty entertaining at least, plus there were lots of samples being handed out.

The Periodic Table of Elements - Finally!

2009-04-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

For the past few (hundred) months, we've been learning about the Periodic Table of Elements. You may recall, we were doing all sort of experiments, including this one. Well, I am extremely please to announce that we've finally finished the unit. Here is our masterpiece:

The kids are pretty proud of it. Ace even told me that when we take it down, we need to put it on a big sheet of cardboard or something to preserve it. Uh huh.

Well, here it is, all preserved for ya.

When Daddy Homeschools

2009-04-01T16:30:00.001-07:00

When Daddy homeschools, you get to see what is inside a hard drive. In this lesson, we discover that there are some very powerful magnets inside of a hard drive.

You might even get to keep a little bitty piece of it, if you are lucky! Deuce is lucky!

New Veggie Blog to follow

2009-04-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

I think I'm in love with this blog:
A Veggie Venture

My right knee has been really sore lately, so I've decided BEFORE I see an arthropod, I'd lose 20 pounds and see if that helps. So, Sunday I began.

Sunday I walked with Carmen for 1/2 hour, and really watched what I put in my mouth. Did pretty well too.

Monday, I took the kids to the Milwaukee Public Museum, I figure I did my walking for the day there! Pretty good at keeping an eye on my food intake as well.

Tuesday, it RAINED, but I took Astro out for a 1/2 hour walk, and began writing down my food in a diary. Other than the beer I had in the evening, I behaved myself.

So today I weighed myself, and hey! I'm 3 pounds less than I was on Sunday. Now this might be due to lots of things, so I'm not celebrating too much yet, but ... stay tuned.

Oh, and I discovered on i-Tunes a bunch of podcasts with walking music on it, so I put those on my i-Pod, for walking. Today, I need to find Astro's collar, he might have lost it in the backyard, or on our walk. Last night he wasn't wearing it. H mmmm....

Still Using it up!

2009-02-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

The nice thing about using up the stuff in my pantry, fridge and deep freeze is that I've been forced to cook more creatively. There's nothing but ingredients in the house at this point, although I'm not out of food, there really isn't any thing ready to eat "out of the box." The package cereal is running out, much to my son's dismay, and we finished up two partial jars of jam that were getting my fridge shelves all sticky.

Today I made some terrific New England Style Baked Beans, using up half a package of Great Northern beans, the last of the molasses, and because I needed to bump up the sweetness, the last of the honey from a honey bear in the cupboard - there's still the big bottle. That, along with some cornbread muffins made a delicious and filling dinner.

Tomorrow, I'm going to tackle the tofu. I've never, ever, cooked with tofu before in my life. I bought a package (never opened it) and its been sitting in my fridge ever since. It hasn't reached the expiration date, so in theory, it is still good. I plan to make Tofu Italiano, using up some of the homemade Italian spaghetti/pizza sauce I've had in the freezer for a while. It calls for flat egg noodles, which I don't have, but I do have some fettuccine, and also a partial package of lasagna noodles, which I can break into pieces. Wish me luck!

Make it from scratch Carnival

2009-02-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

The Make it from Scratch Carnival is a great place to get ideas for cooking, crafting and other things you can do - from scratch. Today's carnival is over at "I've Got A Little Space To Fill." I particularly liked the Poppy Seed Noodle recipe, I might be able to fit this into Use it up Week! The Better-Than-Cakesters looked really yummy too. My son asked when we could make those. Black Bean Brownies look really interesting.

Oh yeah, and I have a post up too, on my Split Pea Soup! So enjoy the Carnival!

A Great Free Homeschooling Resource

2009-02-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

ClickSchooling

Get free,daily, web-based curriculum ideas that save you time and money
and boost your kids' knowledge of the world. The free reviews are sent in a daily email, Monday through Saturday, that are focused on a specific subject as follows:

* Monday = Math
* Tuesday = Science
* Wednesday = Language Arts
* Thursday = Social Sciences
* Friday = Virtual Field Trip
* Saturday = Electives: Music, Art, & Languages

The sites include excellent information delivered in a
student-friendly, multi-media format, and often contain free
interactive games as well as printable lessons and materials
that can be tweaked to your needs and interests whether you
are homeschooling, unschooling, or after-schooling. Many
teachers use these recommended resources in the classroom as
well. Most of the sites are suitable for a wide age range.

Subscribe to ClickSchooling (by visiting
http://www.clickschooling.com) and start getting the latest
reviews for free.

You can also search the content-rich ClickSchooling archives.

Using it up!

2009-02-09T16:18:00.000-08:00

So, what do you do with 1 lonely chicken leg quarter, half a box of arborio rice, some sprouted onions, and some leftover cooked broccoli? You make Chicken-Broccoli Risotto, of course.

This is adapted from the Weight Watchers New 365 Day Menu Cookbook.

Chicken-Broccoli Risotto

2 cups small broccoli florets (or in my case, the broccoli leftover at the back of the fridge)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I didn't need - more later)
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon reduced calorie tub margerine (butter)
10 ounces chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces (1 slightly freezer burned, lonely chicken leg quarter)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped onion (cut the soft parts and the sprouts off, and you're good to go!!)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 ounces Arborio Rice (Look at the back of the cupboard for this one - slightly less than half a box)
4 fluid ounces white wine (just pour part of your glass in there)
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or use Kraft, in the plastic container)
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest (I didn't even see this when I made it, and it was just fine without.)

1. fill a large saucepan with 1" water, set the steamer rack into saucepan. Place broccoli onto rack. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat to low. Steam broccoli over simmering water, covered, 4-5 minutes, until just tender. (Or, rummage around at the back of the fridge. Pull out a container of cooked broccoli from the other night. Chop a little more.)

2. In a small saucepan, combine broth with 1 cup water; bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low; let simmer while preparing chicken.

3. In a large saucepan, melt 2 teaspoons of margarine, add chicken and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, 4 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. With a slotted spoon remove cooked chicken from saucepan, set aside.

(Ok, take the poor, lonely leg of chicken and joint it between the thigh and leg. Put it in a pretty big pot with about a quart of water in it, and let it boil for a while. After a bit, the water will have cooked down, and the chicken will be all cooked. Take the chicken out, and let it cool until you can handle it. Pick the skin off, and the meat off the bones. Chop the meat up more, and throw the bones back into the broth. Keep it simmering while you make the rest of the dish.)

4. In the same saucepan, melt the remaining 2 teaspoons of margarine; add onions and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, 5 minutes, and onion is softened. Add rice; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine; cook, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid is absorbed.

5. Add 1/2 cup hot broth to the rice mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed. Continuing to stir, add all but 1/4 cup (or so) of the broth , 1/2 cup at a time; cook, stirring constantly after each addition, about 18 to 20 minutes, until all broth is absorbed, rice is tender and mixture is creamy.

6. Stir cheese, zest (if you remembered it), broccoli, chicken and remaining broth into the rice mixture; cook stirring frequently, 2 minutes, until heated through.

Serves 4

Use-It-Up Week Update

2009-02-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

So far for Use-it-up week, I've used up: A ham end that was in the freezer, half a package of split peas, all the bread, a really old can of pumpkin, a box of couscous, all the Christmas cookies in the deep-freeze (like that was hard!), two partial packages of ground beef, two nearly empty bottles of barbecue sauce, several partial boxes of cereal, various canned tomato products and some odds and ends frozen vegetables.

So, it's not as good as I had thought. I guess then, that next week will be Use-it-up week 2 (or maybe "Return of Use-it-Up week!) Not sure on the title yet. I've got some frozen pie crusts to use, some phyllo dough, and frozen pasta primavera sauce in the freezer that I've got to do something with. Plus, I've got many packages of beans with about 1/3 cup of beans in the pack. I don't really know how this happens. Additionally, I've got some weird black lentils from a gourmet store that are taking up valuable real estate in the pantry. On top of that, there are a few chunks of meat (1 steak, 2 porkchops, 1 chicken leg quarter) that are just... odd.

Let's see how this week goes. There's a lot there, so I should be able to get through the week without a major shopping trip, except for milk and eggs and possibly bread.

On a somewhat related note - my bread maker died. It mixes just fine, but does not bake the bread. So I guess I used that up as well.

Use-It-Up Week pt. 2 - Split Pea Soup

2009-02-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

I was wondering what I put in the M&M tin at the back of the cupboard. Surely not M&M's?? of course not. It was a package of spit peas! What better for a cold night than Split Pea soup? Here is the recipe I use. It is from an old, very frugal cookbook called "Good Recipes For Hard Times" by Louise Newton. It is out of print, but has some great helps on stretching your food dollar.

This Split Pea Soup is the bare minimum. It is vegan (unless, like me, you throw in ham) and super easy and delish:

Split Pea Soup

1 pound dried split peas
2 qts. boiling water
bay leaf
3-4 cloves garlic
3 whole cloves
2 tsp. salt

Add peas slowly enough to the boiling water to keep it boiling. Add bay leaf, garlic, cloves and salt. Simmer, covered 1 to 2 hours. It is better with longer cooking. This soup is delicious just as it is, but you may add onion, carrots, and celery, first sauteed in margerine, 15 minutes before serving. And like I said, I throw in ham.

I'm serving it with some Foccocia Bread. Yum!

Use-It-Up Week

2009-02-02T16:10:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to NOT go the grocery store this week unless it is for milk or eggs. There's a lot in our pantry and freezer, and who knows how old any of it is??(!)

Well, a while ago, I made the nasty discovery that many of the things in the pantry were infested (ick) with meal bugs. (ick, ick, ick.) I've chucked all the food that I KNOW is infested, but while doing so, I've discovered that there is a lot that I've bought, then just shoved to the back.

So this week is Use-it-up week. For dinner this week we are having left over chili, that I put some other left over chili beans into, and cornmeal muffins. I'm planning split pea and ham for tomorrow, using the end of the ham that I had bought last year and tossed in the freezer. I think Wed. will be meatloaf, with the odds and ends of ground beef that I'm finding in the freezer. Who knows, by the end of the week I may actually NEED to go grocery shopping!

What we do.

2009-01-31T12:04:00.000-08:00

Lately you've been seeing a lot of congratulations posts about completions of levels and books. In our homeschool, what we do when someone finishes a level, or meets a goal, or completes a unit or something like that, is that I print out a certificate and then we hang them on the child's bedroom door to celebrate their accomplishment.

There are many websites where you can print out some custom certificates. Here are my favorites:
http://www.freeprintablecertificates.net/
http://www.aaacertificates.com/free.php
http://www.dltk-cards.com/award/
http://www.bannersandawards.com/awards/awards.html
http://www.123certificates.com/
http://www.certificatemaker.com/

One of the nice things about doing things this way, is that I can put the certificate of completion in the portfolio of the kid, and so it acts as a record of their progress.

More congratulations

2009-01-31T12:02:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Three of Hearts! She finished Singapore level 1A yesterday with a 100% on her final exam! It looks like we have another mathematician in the family.

Woot! Congratulations Deuce!

2009-01-13T15:37:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Deuce. She has done the final revision in Singapore Math 3B, and passed! This means she is "graduating" to the next level, Singapore 4A. What this means is that she has mastered equivalent fractions, time, money, distance, measurement, charts & graphs, and can now figure out the area and perimeter of a quadrilateral.

Congratulations Deuce!!

Some inspiration!

2008-12-31T10:11:00.001-08:00

For whenever you have one of those days, here is some inspiration to get you up and going!!!!

(ht: My Domestic Church)

This Crust is So Easy

2008-12-31T09:56:00.000-08:00

This is the easiest crust for lunches, quiches, and etc. Originally from the LLL Whole Foods For The Whole Family cookbook, as part of a recipe for "Mexican Dinner," I've decided that the crust itself deserves a separate entry.

Easy Crust

1/2 cup flour (may be whole wheat, or not)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten

Mix together the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening until it is well combined, mix in the buttermilk and egg. Pour into a greased and floured 9 or 10-inch pie pan (or cast iron skillet!!).

That's it for the crust. It will support 1 lb. meat, or a regular sized quiche recipe, etc.

Lego craziness

2008-12-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, this has got to be the funniest nativity I've seen in a very long time. (ht: Seabird Chronicles) I wonder if my Mom would like one like this. You see, every year my sister and I seem to manage to get my mom a new Christmas decoration. The decorations are usually long on, um, for lack of a better word, Character, and short on taste.

In the past, she's been gifted several really so-cute-they're-ugly nativity sets, various musical Santas, some scary snowmen, and a lovely nativity scene done in clear acrylic, on a mirrored base, that spins and plays music. We've been doing this for the past 15 years or so. At this point, now when my Mom decorates for Christmas, she REALLY decorates. Anyone who comes over to her house around Christmastime has got to think, 1. This woman really loves Christmas; and 2. This woman has absolutely NO Taste. (You're welcome, Mom.)

This year, I think I've got the prize. I found an angel, done is lovely clear acrylic, that, although it does not play music, does light up with LED's and goes through many dramatic color changes. I'd put in a picture of it, but it's already wrapped. Maybe I'll be able to capture her reaction. I'm sure she'll have a good one.

Speaking of somewhat tasteless things, here are some of the WORST Christmas songs ever recorded, just for you.

The Probem I Have With Labels

2008-12-16T17:31:00.000-08:00

I was reading this post over at SeaBird Chronicles, on the subject of labels, or more specifically, how should we should define "homeschool." Why do we need a definition anyway? What purpose would it serve? I know a lot of homeschool parents who really have a DIY attitude about schooling. They basically write their curriculum from scratch, and their kids are doing fine. Others I know have a very school-by-the-book attitude, and their kids are doing fine too. Still others pick and choose from a variety of sources, including co-op classes, tutors for some stuff, and independant learning for others. Know what? Those kids are doing just fine as well.

I think the thing that makes all these different homeschool families alike is the commitment they have toward their childrens' education, and a recognition of their own strengths and weaknesses.

Some of the DIY homeschoolers that I know have a real attitude about having a tutor come in or having the kids attend a class on something like math or literature. Some hold the idea that having a teacher or a tutor isn't "real homeschooling." But these same parents have no problem enrolling the kids in a gymnastics course or guitar lessons. That is just goofy. Math and music, literature and P.E. are ALL important aspects of a well-rounded education. Just because you choose to outsource some of that does not make you a non-homeschooler.

By that definition, in fact, we would probably fail as homeschoolers. After all, Ace is attending an American History class with the Indian Hill Co-op, with a teacher, exams, and (eek!) HOMEWORK. Both Ace and Three attend piano lessons. Deuce goes to violin lessons. Plus, for two weeks during the summer, Ace and Duece attend classes with the gifted Worlds of Wisdom and Wonder program at National Lewis University. This year Three will be going as well.

The thing we should look for in a definition is: Who has control over our children's education? If we, as parents can choose what the kids learn, when they learn it, and how they learn it, then we are homeschoolers. If someone else, whether a tutor or the government, dictates their scope and sequence, then we are not. That is the bottom line.

My Kids Have Their Own Agenda

2008-12-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

It drives me a little nuts sometimes, when despite my well-made plans, my kids have their own agenda, and it isn't what I've got planned at all. To wit: today we were going to spend the morning on academics and music. The kids were amenable to this. Ace practiced piano for an hour and did part of her American History, and some math (although it was difficult to tell her she was going about it the wrong way:-( ). Deuce practiced her violin, and even attempted to arrange a duet with Three playing along with the piano. I couldn't sit her down for math, but she did her grammar without complaint, as well as entertained Jack and the baby for a good hour. Three played on the piano a little, practiced reading and spelling, and played a math game.

I had intended to do a little Christmas study during lunch (which we did, I read Becky's Christmas Dream by Lousia May Alcott), after which we were going to finish up the metalloids for our periodic table, and read some history before I took Deuce to choir, and went grocery shopping.

Here is what my kids did instead:

Crock Pot??

2008-11-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

I love my crock pot. I love coming home after a day of running around, and having dinner DONE. No worry. I've found a new blog, "A Year of CrockPotting" I've seriously got to try this. Using my crock pot every day for a year. How cool. How very cool.

Birds

2008-11-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

You may not know, but I'm a Daisy Girl Scout Leader. This month, we are making bird feeders to be considerate and kind to our feathered friends. I made a little feeder watch sheet for the Daisies to take home and keep track of who visits their feeder. Then it occurred to me that they may not be the only one interested. Here is the feeder watch page.

Darling needs a hug

2008-11-15T17:36:00.000-08:00

One of my darling friends is suffering from the terrible loss of her baby. We are all mourning with her. There's not much more to say, except that we are all very sad for her and her family.

A Science Experiment For You - Free!

2008-11-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a science experiment that uses antacids to explore acids and bases. We are using it for Deuce's Science Fair entry this year, and also for our chemistry lessons. We are using the book Fizz, Bubble, & Flash! Element Explorations & Atom Adventures for Hands-On Science Fun! by Anita Brandolini, Ph.D. as our core, and this is one of the ideas for further study. It turned out pretty cool, so I've written up an actual science experiment lab sheet for it using a generator at teach-nology.com.

Let's try this link: Antacid Test

If you do this, let me know how you like it.

Have you ever? meme

2008-11-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

Not wishing to comment on the election (yay! - oops, sorry) I'm posting a meme instead.

Bold the things you’ve done and will admit to.

1. Started your own blog - You're reading it
2. Slept under the stars - with my cousins, Dallas and Becky when I was young.
3. Played in a band - Does Jr. High count?
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower - see #2
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain - well sorta, I drove over the Rockies.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - Cross Stitch for one, Beading
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb - but I've petted one!
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I’m easily satisfied!)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person - The leaning Tower in Niles is the closest I've gotten.
39. Gone rock climbing (does a wall count?)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke - oh yeah.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar - yum!
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life - When Ace was choking on a Fruit Loop.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - no, but I've seen Warren Zevon (rip) in a bar!
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

A coloring page

2008-10-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for a coloring page of Brunelleschi's Duomo in Florence, but to no avail. Here, I've made one, in case you are looking for it too.
Be sure to print it in landscape.

The Renaissance - Giotto

2008-10-23T16:42:00.001-07:00

We're continuing on the renaissance, examining the work and artistic influence of Giotto. Famous Men of the Renaissance and Reformation has a really nice, easy biography. After reading this, we looked at some of his paintings. Then, for a real art appreciation, I gave my kids a little "window" cut into a piece of cardstock that they could put over the picture and draw what was in the window, rather than have them sketch an entire work, which can be overwhelming. Here are the results:

Can you tell the figures
that Ace copied??

Here are Deuce's

She copied one of the little angels kneeling by Mary.

Three of Hearts did two sketches from the Lamentation picture. I helped her with the face on Mary Magdalen.

The angel is a little scribble-y, but I think you can tell which one it is by the pose.

Of course I needed to set a good example, so I did one too.

My dudes were the three amigos to the right of the Roman soldier next to Judas. I think the fellow near the top looks like the husband of a friend of mine. (hah!!)

Anyway, we had a lot of fun, and learned about how hard it is to make faces look life-like!!

The Renaissance - Continues

2008-09-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our bas-relief project, here we are putting the latex onto the clay forms that we previously prepared. There will end up being about 10 layers of the latex when we are all finished. The latex is quite thick, thicker than I expected it to be, and it has a very strong smell. It is hard to get a light even coat of it, and I think we'll have some goopy areas. It is pretty fun to spread around, though.

Putting latex on the clay forms, layer 1.

More latex.

This stuff is really stinky, by the way. Do it with the windows open.

Messy!

2008-09-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

Baby + Bathroom + Toilet = Messy!

Palin for President

2008-09-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

This is Genius!!

The Renaissance - Days 3, 4, & 5

2008-09-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

I suppose you want to know how the unit is going. The Book of Days project was wonderful. Check out the pictures!

We've read about Ghiberti and the Doors of Paradise in Learning Through History magazine, and are looking at bronze bas relief. Then following the instructions here, we are making our own plaster bas reliefs. First we are making the forms out of modeling clay. This week we will be making the casts out of latex, and then making the plaster casts. I'll try to keep photos to show our progression.

This week we also are going to be learning a bit more about Gutenberg and his printing press. I've got a few books on Gutenberg, and also have read some from the Famous Inventors book over at Ba ldwin Project.

A Blast from the Past

2008-09-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

If this doesn't bring back memories - the good kind, and the scary kind, what does??

The Sweater Song.