A decade passed

One Decade Passed...........



On October 3rd 2002 at 2:42 a.m.  I gave birth to my first child. A baby girl.........
I had no idea how she was going to change my life forever!

As sweet as she appears in this photo at 2 and a half months old, I promise you she was the grouchiest little girl EVER!  But my love for her was already fierce!

By 1 year old her true personality began to shine.... and out emerged the funniest little monkey EVER!
I love this picture because this is STILL who she is today!

At 2 years of age she was still just as spunky but a sweetness began to emerge ....

At 3 years old a rare shot....My girl as a princess and with a baby doll. 

4 years old and already the best big sister....... twice over

At 5 years old she was such a beautiful princess... and although that was the last year of dressing up and being that little girl, she still remains a princess in character and heart. 

No longer so little... At 6 years old she truly became a "Papa's girl"

I love this picture of her at 7 years old, I smile just looking at it. She is so full of life and joy.  

A picture she took of herself at the ripe old age of 8  

9 years old a "rocker" .... I see trouble to come 

10 years old......  Where did the time go? 

Over the last ten years my husband and  I have been privileged to raise this sweet girl. She is funny and spunky. Reserved and thoughtful. Artsy with a brain for science and math. She is kind and loving and loves the Lord  with all of her heart. She is crazy and wonderful and everything beautiful that I could ever want in a daughter. The first 10 years of her life I feel were spent showing her our world. I have this feeling that the next decade will be about teaching her to fly and see the world for herself..........

Behold,  children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward Psalm 127:3  

  

Jelly Nougat

Jelly Nougat...... old timer candy........ my favorite candy..... 

I know Forest Gump said " Life is like a box of chocolates" but I think he was wrong. I think life is more like a jelly nougat........ Creamy soft nougat...... chewy fruity bits. Some bits you prefer more than others but the overall consensus is that it is sweet . And so it is with life.

There are so many things that have happened in the past month that it is difficult to create a cohesive post. I have a feeling that it will be much like my favorite candy, a conglomerate of chewy little bits.

The red jellies are my favorite and so I believe I will start with my favorite thing to share.... our homeschooling adventure. And believe you me it is always an adventure.

The last few weeks we have been working on a unit covering soil    

I found a really wonderful website  full of short videos with printable packets for each video, games, and teachers guide. It also has links for kids to other great sites.

It is called Growing the Next Generation

http://www.growingthenextgeneration.com/

On one of the days that week we used the Discovery kids microscope we have to look at different soil samples and study the differences between them and then discussed what that meant in relation to their ability to hold water and their nutrient levels. If you have children who are young ( elementary level) I highly recommend the Discovery Kids microscope for one big reason. It comes with a cable so that you can hook it into you television and look at your samples on the t.v. This means that the samples are easily seen by multiple children at the same time. 

On another day we discussed how soil can be saved and harmed. To illustrate the idea of how plants save soil we did a little hands on activity that the kids really liked. I wish I had a picture .......

What I did was take pearled barley and poured about half of the bag into a tray. I then turned on the hair dryer-on high- OUTSIDE. The barley flew away. I then poured the other half of the barley into the tray and had the kids imagine that the barley was soil and their fingers the roots of plants. They each dug their hand in and held onto as much barley as they could. Again I turned on the hair dryer and they could see how their fingers/ plant roots kept the barley/soil from being blown away.  They had a good giggle with this. 

I also found two good videos which I strategically played while I was getting lunch ready but helped to reinforce what we were talking about. The "Magic School Bus  Meets the Rot Squad"  how to make rich soil   and "The Magic School Bus Rocks and Rolls" all about  water erosion. By the way if you check out Pinterest they have a pin with lesson plans for every Magic School Bus video there is.

Of note I have to share that my oldest daughter said I was just like Miss Frizzle from the Magic school bus............I was so thrilled- best compliment ever!

We have been up to other things here at our little homeschool. But they get taught by a different teacher......He teaches music and shop class mostly but he has been known to pitch in and lend a hand whenever needed in other subjects. 

Piano! My husband has had many years of piano lessons and is more than qualified to teach them....and honestly he is an awesome teacher! The keyboard can be attached to a computer program and you can get a pedal for it so that it simulates a piano and produces the same sound. The kids have already learned to play a few simple songs. He is trying to teach me- along with the kids but, I may be a lost cause . The kids can play with both hands.........I can not........

This is shop class. Our oldest is working on creating a design she worked on with my husband. She is making a set of game boards that can slide out and be played - checkers, chess, Chinese checkers, etc. Our youngest daughter just finished a barn she and my husband made for her horse figurines and my son and husband are working on a sword. 

Of course life would not be complete without gardening and I think many of you will love this site: The Edible Schoolyard Project. Talk about amazing !  Resources, tools, lesson plans, videos! Every time I read their newsletter I am inspired! 

  http://edibleschoolyard.org/ 

You may also like: Classroom Victory Garden

http://www.classroomvictorygarden.org

My free Victory Garden Poster is already in the mail! 

Oh and I can not forget to mention the Book It Program. Some of you may remember this program from school but the wonderful thing is that it is available to homeschoolers as well.  Pizza Hut will send you the free start up packet. The basic idea is that you and your children set up a reading goal. When they meet it they earn a ticket/coupon that entitles them to up to 1 free personal pan pizza a month. What I love even more about this program is that if you go on the website you can set up an account and under teacher tools their is an online reading tracker that you can set up and customize! The kids read, go to the site, select their name, and drag a button with the number of minutes they read to their name and as your kids progress a small tree begins to grow. My kids are thrilled with this.

   http://bookitprogram.com

O.K. so the red jelly nougat  part was huge but the orange and yellow are shorter...promise...

So The Orange jelly nougat is my second favorite and so we move to gardening. I have learned a lot this season. Like how the pickle worm overwinters in Florida-not good. They ate all 5 of the baby pumpkins I was hoping to have  on my table this fall. Since they are pretty much un-killable- at least organically, I ended up ripping out the pumpkin plants. I planted a later crop last week and because Florida is so warm I think they will be just fine- and we will just have to eat the pumpkins when they are ready.  On a happier note the butternut squash is doing great and so are the loofah's and red beans.

This is a loofah,  also known as Chinese Okra but very similar in look to a cucumber.

 So this is a picture of my newest little experiment. Fall peanuts. I think it may work. I learned that when the peanut blossoms is self pollinates, the petals of the flower fall off, and the remaining stem turns downward into the soil and becomes a peanut . So each flower produces one peanut with the average plant producing 25 peanuts. I was so excited about this info that I just had to call all the kids outside and show them this and explain how a peanut grows. They were absolutely as un-thrilled as is humanly possible. I got a "huh" and then they ran off to play. I guess it's just me who finds that fascinating! 

O.k. jelly nougat number three.....the yellow jelly......... 

O.k. this is really not fair because by no means is what I am going to talk about third but it is a little bit of randomness so .......

 One of the neatest books for girls age 7+

 Every plate is a work of art with this kid. I call him "baby  Joe Bastianich" You foodies will know what I mean .

This thing is one of the best toys ever! The Cranium Fort kit. It is a fort kit but it has directions so that you can make it into a hot air balloon, helicopter, car, or anything you can think of. Hours of enjoyment!

My kids imagination never ceases to amaze me. As I was mopping the kitchen floor they decided they would use the dining room bench as a plank. My little guy is Captain Hook and my sweet girl is Wendy.

Another scene from their Peter Pan play: Wendy telling her little brother a bedtime story...poor dog had to be Nana.

A late afternoon shower that ended with a beautiful rainbow.....

I know everyones life is different and I know that life is hard........mine included, even if that is not what I choose to discuss in my blog......but this blog has made me realize just how sweet life really is if we focus on the positive. And for that I am so thankful. Your life is a jelly nougat...........enjoy it! 

   

Saponification.......

Saponification: A process that produces soap

I love that word. It sounds so cool . I just wanted to give everyone a little update on last weeks post about the documentary "Chemerical"

Last weekend I went out and purchased the supplies to make the "Chemerical" laundry detergent. The total cost to set up this little experiment was $15.00- including the 5 gallon bucket to store it in. Everything ( excluding the bucket) could be purchased at my local supermarket. So all I needed was Washing Soda, Borax, and a natural soap- in this case I used Kirk's Castille.

The kids helped make the soap so it took a total of about 15 minutes
You should know that the mixture needs to set for 24 hours before you use it so that it  can gel.

 Left over supplies - enough for two more batches

For the recipe, check out:

http://www.chemicalnation.com/downloads/chemerical-cookbook-sample.pdf

 If I calculated correctly each batch would make 130 loads - conservatively - if you are using 1/4 cup per load. So for my $15.00 investment I can do 390 loads of laundry. I can tell you that if you buy T*** laundry detergent you will pay $19.99 for 96 loads. So if you are looking to be friendlier to the planet, friendlier to your self  health wise or just want to save some money this seems like the way to go.




So I am talking about saponification and I think Quinoa? The mother grain of the Incans?Yes, because Quinoa has naturally occuring saponin/ a soap like resin on it's seed coat . Kinda cool. The saponin actually prevents bugs and birds from eating it! This is why you must wash/ rinse quinoa before you cook with it.

So what do you do with quinoa? Well you can make salads from it or use it as a side dish similar to rice or couscous. You can also make lettuce wraps like we did this week in the picture below. Romaine lettuce boats with quinoa, black beans, tomato, onion, salsa, sour cream, and balsamic dressing for those avoiding the sour cream. What is also great is that Quinoa  is a complete protein ( the only grain that I am aware is) so if you are vegetarian on vegan this is a great source.

 



So that was my update! I hope you enjoyed! If you have any comments or information you would like to share on this topic please do  so at the bottom of this page. Thanks!

Lorax, Borax, and time to Relax....

Reflection is such an interesting thing, especially in regards to self.  Small choices made over many years have begun to solidify.

O.K...... maybe it's more like gelification, but regardless there is a shape emerging.

Somewhere along the way I/ we became what I would call a "natural" family. I am not sure if that is the right word but I don't want to use the word "green" because it doesn't quite fit.

Maybe it was the choice to give birth to all three of my children "naturally"? - yep that's right not even a Tylenol in sight..

Maybe it was the choice to give birth to my last child at a birthing center? Did I mention my husband helped deliver baby number 3?

Was it the decision to homeschool? What could be more "natural" than a mother teaching her children?

Or could it have been when we decided to start growing vegetables organically in our back yard? Could we use nature to grow food naturally?- YES!

I know........... it was 1 too many documentaries!

What ever it was, I like where things are going, and what I am beginning to see, how we can live quite happily, naturally......... - Woo! Did  I just break out with a little Dr. Seus-ness of my own?


So here are a few things I wanted to share with you........


This week we went to see "The Lorax"  We loved it- surprise!


A few weeks ago our family watched a really neat documentary called Chemerical. It's funny and informative. It documents one families experience as they exchange their commercial cleaners for more natural alternatives.

Check out their site to see the trailer:

http://www.chemicalnation.com/content/

* If you have Netflix you can watch it instantly!

So if you watch the documentary you will find out that borax is one of the "natural" alternatives for things like laundry detergent boosters. It also happens to be a key ingredient in making  FLUBBER! All you need is Elmer's school glue, borax, and water http://www.food.com/recipe/flubber-134095

This girl surprises me all the time. You can actually blow up flubber with a straw!

 Mom note: This is not at all a  messy thing and if it gets in your carpet or on your kids clothes it easily comes out with white vinegar- I tested it for you!


When we have time to relax the kids and I love to spend time outside and lately that includes photographing butterflies. Some of my favorites:

GARDEN

This season we decided to try our hand at growing loofah. Those are the natural bath sponges you see in the store. So far they are looking good and we have a few buds and"baby" loofah. By December we should have the final product.

FOOD

I have a new addiction!........Monster smoothies! No they are not really called that but they are green and so the name fits. I wish I could take credit for the recipe but I can't so here is the link : http://joythebaker.com/2011/01/kale-spinach-and-pear-smoothie/

Wish I had a picture...... I know Kale, spinach, and pear smoothies probably do not sound delicious but it is so good!

So until next time.................

“It's not about what it is, it's about what it can become.” 
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

An Extra Post

I try my best each week to make school as fun as possible and this week I think we did a pretty good job making that happen. So although I normally blog just once a month, I wanted to get this post up before I forgot some of the fun things we did. Our theme this week was Egypt and Desert Ecosystems. Although not all of our weeks have a theme, I do think it helps with giving me direction and aids me in including some fun things we may not get to otherwise.So here is a peak at some of our week.

    So each day before school or as part of our school day we start with a Bible lesson. This weeks lesson was themed around trusting and obeying and since we were talking about the desert and Egypt who better than Moses to discuss. In this picture they had just finished with a lesson on God providing Manna and quail in the desert. The kids used sand for the desert and pearled barley for the manna along with a picture of themselves and the title Trust in the Lord. I think they liked it!

This week During Social studies we discussed Ancient Egypt and touched on things like the Nile River, deltas, silt, crops, the invention of the shaduf, etc. So as a reinforcement activity we made our own Nile out of colored sand including the surrounding deserts. The best part was when they found out that the sand we used was glow in the dark and they got to take their projects in a dark room. The glowing blue Nile was a hit!

This is a photograph of a science experiment that we did after discussing how certain plants are able to survive in the desert. We made two sets of leaves using construction paper and paper towels. We then sprayed them with water and wrapped one in wax paper and left the other as it was. We then moved them to a window sill and came back an hour later to see which one had held on to the most water. It was a great way for them to see hands on how the waxy layer or coating that some desert plants have aids them in surviving, This experiment was found in a publication by Harcourt science.

You simply can not talk about Ancient Egypt and deserts without discussing pyramids which we did and then followed it up with a "sweet" project that no one complained about doing. Building your own pyramid using sugar cubes. It was interesting to see the different techniques used by each age level. Of course mummies were also discussed and with that I found a great little online activity from Discovery Kids called Mummy Maker.What I loved was that it was educational and not at all hokey. Here is the link if you are interested: http://kids.discovery.com/games/just-for-fun/mummy-maker

 Hieroglyphics were a blast! We started off with our book lesson and then as an add on I found a site that allowed you to type your name and have it translated to hieroglyphics. The kids each did their own and then printed them. What was nice was that it printed the name of each child and then also the symbols for all 26 letters of the alphabet. The kids then got a small piece of clay each and were able to carve their own hieroglyphic messages using a toothpick .This is the site for the hieroglyphic translator: http://www.eyelid.co.uk/hieroglyphic-typewriter.html


So that was some of our week and I hope that you enjoyed reading about it as much as we did learning about it!

Garden Tip!

So we did a little globe trekking this week for school and our garden tip is similar. For our tip we travel to India! One day as I was flipping through a book on natural pest control I learned that different spices could be used to deter certain bugs, and that is when it hit me. Most of the spices could be found already combined  for me in the Indian Spice tea I had in my kitchen cabinet. So I thought why not. I had been battling ants in my garden bed and nothing seemed to rid them. That is until I took a few of those bags of tea and buried them throughout my garden bed. Voila! Ants be gone!

Food! 

In keeping with our Globe trekking I wanted to show you a very cool version of rice that some may not be familiar with. It is called Black rice but also goes by the name of purple rice, forbidden rice, or imperial rice and it is grown in China. It is said to have been eaten by Royalty. Simply follow the directions on the bag and  you will have a great side dish similar in  texture and nuttiness to brown rice but way cooler, because if you eat enough it tints your teeth purple.It is a bit of a splurge but well worth it and can be found in your local supermarket.    

Frugality and Some Fun

Frugality. What a great word! I feel like I have been drawn to write about this topic because it seems to  creep into conversations at every turn. Economically frugality is good; environmentally frugality is good, religiously frugality is good and the list goes on and on. Today though I want to focus on the frugality of homeschooling. I can not tell you how many times I have heard someone say to me "Oh yes, I would home school if I could afford it". While it is true that I am blessed and exceedingly grateful there is a bit of assumption made in that comment. The assumption is that in order to home school one must have a spouse who brings in XXX amount. This is so sad, I wonder how many people have decided not to home school because they didn't think they could afford it! There are tons of ways to save and I want to share some of them with you today.
So my first tip is in regards to books, curricular and supplemental. When buying curriculum's decide on what you want or think you want. If possible borrow or look at the curriculum's, either via other homeschoolers or curriculum fairs. After you have decided, see if one of those homeschoolers is willing to sell you (at a discounted price of course) their old curriculum. Also, and this is my favorite buy new in package curriculum through online sites like eBay or Amazon.In the 4 almost 5 years I have been homeschooling I can not think of even once when I paid full price.
Tip number two visit your local dollar store. The one in my area has a school supply section with lots of things you will love including bins to store supplies, educational posters, flash cards, and reward stickers/ certificates. Let's be honest about something, you don't need fancy construction paper or glue for the 300 crafts your child will make each year- that just get tossed out!
Tip number three is you don't need school desks or a "classroom" to home school. Even though the kids do have desk spaces lots of times we school at the kitchen table or even on lap desks that I picked up at my local craft store for just $10.00 each. If  $10.00 is still too much you can get clip boards at the dollar store :) If you want it you can do it!
Tip number four is go to your local library, books are free( as long as you return them on time- oops!) We have found lots of great books on topics we were studying or just books for pleasure. Most libraries offer computer services so if you do not have a computer you can look things up there and even print!
Tip number five is hook up with a local home school group or at least join their homepage so that you can see events that are free in your area, find out about home school field trips which are super cheap!, and also find out when their book sales are.
I also want to make a small disclaimer, I drive cars that are between 15 and 17 years old, I don't do a lot of shopping for extras, and we only do things we can really afford. That said, I want you to know that cars don't matter to me, I dislike shopping, and I dislike "extras" aka clutter! You may have to decide what does and does not matter in order to make it happen but I promise you that I have never felt I have lacked or given up anything. In fact I have been given a great gift, time with my children, something I could never replace or put a monetary value on.
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." --Albert Einstein


 So for the Frugal Photos........

Dollar store find

Posters and baskets from the dollar store

Lap desks from the craft store

Chapter books from Targets dollar section! (Ages 7+ about 170 pages each) 

Library find. The book that made writing enjoyable for all of my kids- even the kindergartner

So the title was frugal and some fun well,  this is the fun- homegrown popcorn

It was delicious!

More fun! The hubs working on a project with the kids

The results of that project - Table air hockey!



Gardening tip! Grow things you don't like, or you thought you didn't like! You probably think this wasn't  really a tip but it's one of the most important. There are  plenty of things I am sure my kids would not eat  (or my husband for that matter) if we didn't grow it. I am pretty sure my kids would not have liked brussels sprouts as much had we not grown them , or peas, etc. You may change your mind if you do................


Recipe: Chickpea Salad


Chickpea salad

- 1 large can of chickpeas- drained, the juice of 1-2 lemons ( I like 2) , 2 cloves crushed garlic, a sprinkle of  dried rosemary, fresh dill- about 1 tablespoon (more if you like) , 1 small carrot diced, 1 Tablespoon of celery sliced as thinly as possible, 2 Tablespoons finely diced red onion, 1 Tablespoon red pepper, 2-3 Tablespoons dried mixed berries or cherries, 2 tablespoons Olive oil, salt , pepper, and garlic powder to taste. ( these are all just estimates though- if you like more add more For best results this needs to sit overnight if not 2 nights and if possible stir a little each day to make sure the juices on the bottom get redistributed.



P.S. After looking back at old blog posts it has come to my attention that when I blog at 1:00 a.m.  the rules of grammar and spelling fly out the door. So please bear with me!

Anyway hope you enjoy!

Summer Magic

Summer Magic

Maybe it’s because I watched too many movies when I was a kid or maybe it’s because I am just an old fuddy duddy romantic but, I have to tell you that today I feel like part of that old Hayley Mills movie “Summer Magic.”  Burl Ives is in the background singing “the ladybug crawl.” Summer is knocking on our door.  I am feeling the magic. Few things inspire and refresh me like some simple garden goodness. There is something beautiful about waking up in the morning to clean grassy smells and spotting bright red and orange tomatoes dotted between leaves like the adult version of a treasure hunt. Little jewels just waiting to be plucked. Even more lovely is walking through the dewy earth, picking out flowers to look at with my little boy, getting to explain the difference between a male and female squash blossom, and the look of excitement when he understands and can tell me on his own about the one he has found. The rewards of the garden are numerous. 


Today I wished for scent-o-blog. You know where you can actually smell what I am talking about. I wished it today when I sliced open the first heirloom rainbow tomato of the season and the smell wafted up all tangy and clean. I wished it again as we roasted a batch of tomatoes to be later made into sauce for our linguine at dinner. The smell of sweet tomatoes, drizzled in olive oil caramelizing in the oven.


There is something called a mandala in Eastern Religions ; a part of their sacred art, a representation of balance. The word mandala in itself means circle in Sanskirt. Interestingly enough I first learned of the mandala through a gardening article and although I am not a follower of these religions nor do I  see the mandala as a representation of  any belief system I can see how the garden is similar in some regards. I easily see the beauty, the art, the sacred gifts, blessings given by God.  Playing out in a circle or more accurately  the cycles of the garden. Unfragmented , cyclical, beautiful, the art of our Creator.  


My hope for you is that what ever it is you choose to do with your time, be it gardening, or art, music, etc., that you are experiencing some summer magic!

 Heirloom  Rainbow 

Roma and Heirloom Rainbow tomatoes for sauce  

Roasted tomatoes     

Sauce! 

Better Boy tomatoes we used for bisque earlier in the week. That day we had almost 2lbs of tomato      

  Tomato bisque

I could not close this entry without a nod to the movie “Fresh” another great movie with an emphasis on healthier, more sustainable food.  To see the trailer please click on the link below.
http://www.bbsradio.com/cgi-bin/webbbs/webbbs_config.pl?md=read;id=23628