Posted in Healthy Home

Posted in Menu Plan Monday

Posted in Good stuff

I spent the afternoon adding books to my Amazon bookstore.  Each book was carefully selected.  Only those I think highly of made the cut

If you'd like to take a peek click here

Posted in Good stuff

I just signed up to receive 400 free photo prints (100 each month until August) at Arts Cow.

The deal is good until they have reached 20 million free prints - they are already at 6 million.

On top of the free prints you will also receive a credit for a free 20 page 8x8 photo book (these will be available after May 31st).

Also, if you make a purchase before May 15th, you will also receive a credit for a free 8.5″X11″ photo calendar.

Not a bad deal!

Just to add to the sweetness of this deal, you will find a number of coupon codes (including one for $15 off a $25 purchase) once you have registered.

What are you waiting for?  Click here to sign up before they run out.

P.S.  They also have a great affiliate program that allows you to earn extra free prints.

Posted in Recipes

Green Tea Berry Smoothie

This recipe makes about 2 cups of smoothie. 
Berries and green tea are full of antioxidants and give this smoothie a refreshing taste.
It’s a great way to start your day or boost your afternoon.

5 frozen whole strawberries
½ cup frozen blackberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
½ cup brewed green tea, cooled to room temp.
1/4 cup plain yogurt
½ cup cranberry juice
2 Tbsp. Honey
           
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. 

Feel free to tweak the ingredients to suit your taste.  It’s hard to mess it up - leave out or add other ingredients as you see fit :)

This recipe is based on one I found in the January 2008 issue of Sunset magazine.  It used soy milk instead of yoghurt and frozen cranberries instead of the juice.

Posted in General

Looking Forward
What are your goals for home education? What do you hope to instill in your children? Are you planning any changes to how you educate your children?

This is the last installment for Home Education Week 2008.  Before I begin, I wanted to say how grateful I am to all of you who have visited my blog this week and left a comment.  It has been very encouraging. 

Many thanks to Dana for hosting this event.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading the posts of other participants and getting to know other homeschooling mothers.  It was a real treat!

Now on to today’s post....       

Our Goals of Home Education (and what we want to instill in our children):

My husband and I want our children to be truth seekers.  We want them to know how to think critically, how to figure things out.  Our hope is that they will not swallow the lies of the world, but look at life through God’s lense.

To help achieve this we want to give them a strong Biblical foundation rather than the unbiblical one they would receive in public school.  

We hope to instill in them a love of learning.  If a child desires to learn and knows how...they have most of what they need right there.   

We want to prepare them for real life.  Many who are misinformed about homeschooling think this is not possible with homeschooling.  But I beg to differ...

When I moved out of my parents home, at 18 years old, I didn’t know how to balance a checkbook, clean, cook, or run a home.  I learned (and am still learning) through trial and error, reading and asking questions.  I hope to prepare my daughter in such a way that when she leaves home she will know these things. 

All I could cook  was scrambled eggs in the microwave and shortbread biscuits (cookies) - she already knows quite a bit more than that and she is 6 years old.  My hope is that she will be a God-fearing, confident young women who knows how to do things necessary for every day life and beyond.  Because she is home with me all day, we have the time to do such things, and that right there is one of the greatest blessings of homeschooling.

We want to develop a strong family bond.  
I heard someone ( I think it was Lorrie Flem) say that parents have the opportunity to raise their future best friends.  How we train our children shapes who they will be.  For example, if we don’t teach them how to work hard, they will most likely have a weak work ethic as an adult. If we allow them to be disrespectful, they will probably be a disrespectful adult who has a had time keeping a job or a friend.

We are striving to train our children to be good citizens, loving people, helpful people, people we would want to know.  Please note that I say “striving”.  We are not experts, and get things wrong OFTEN! I don’t want to come across as a know-it-all, because I most certainly do not know it all.

There are many other goals, but I think many of them can fit into the above categories (if they don’t, this post is going to get very long).

Future Changes in how we Home Educate:

Right now we are trying to implement a Charlotte Mason style education.  I think we will always have some of this method in our home.  But they may be some changes....

I don’t know what the changes will be yet...I am leaning toward doing more unit studies.  Spriitbee certainly peaked my interest in Konos curriculum.

Perhaps as my confidence grows as a mother and home educator, I will feel less like I need help from curriculum. Time will tell.

One of the greatest changes I need to make is to set aside a chunk of planning and preparation  time each week.  I can only imagine what a great benefit this would be to our home and school.

That’s all from me today ( I think I’m coming down with something and my brain is a little foggy...)

Visit Principled Discovery to see what others are looking forward to.

Posted in Daily Living

Posted in SugarBean and Little Mister Quotes

In Their Own Words

Share your children’s home education experience in their own words. What have they said about their education? What are their likes and dislikes? Share some stories, some quotes, or turn your blog over to your children for the day.

When I asked my six year old daughter what she thought about homeschooling, she said:

“I like learning at home.

I don’t think it would be fun learning at school.  If I went to school it would take longer and I’d be away from you for a long time.

Sometimes it takes less time because you only have to teach two people instead of all kinds of people.

I like learning about math - you get better at paying attention.

When I cook, it’s actually a bit more fun than sitting at a desk.  I like to cook with mom.  I like to be the kitchen assistant.  It is very fun.  When I do it, I feel like a good help.  I feel good when I help.”

When I asked her to describe what she didn’t like she said the following:

“Well...sometimes when I mess up a word in math or reading I get frustrated, but when you help me I feel better.”

That is the extent of our conversation.  However, sometime last year Sugarbean told me that when she found a man to marry she would ask him if he wanted to homeschool the kids.  If he said no, she would just find another man to marry! 

I think she likes homeschooling.

Posted in Good stuff

Posted in Art Expression

Show and Tell

Show off those talents. Share a story, a special moment, a piece of artwork. Any accomplishment, great or small, is fair game.

My daughter's favorite thing to do is draw.  She doesn't care much for drawing with colors, just pen.  I've shared a few of her pictures in the past....one of my favorites is the Pregnant Alphabet.  Another is the book about the Spaceship (click here if you want to see it).

Posted in General

Recipe for Success

It is also National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day! So share a recipe…figuratively, as in two parts love, one part creativity, or literally, as in a super quick, nutritious meal your kids scarf up. Think about what you do in the day, what helps keep it organized and you sane (or how you got past that need for organization and saneness!), and curriculum materials you find effective.


My career as a homeschool mother has only just begun.  This is what I have learned so far:

1.  Keep lessons short. 

2.  Don’t let any curriculum be your master.  Use it as a tool.  It’s OK to get rid of it, even if it cost you $50.

3.  A mother with a good attitude helps more than words can say!
   (Don’t go thinking I am that mother - I am working on it every day, just like you)

4.  Remember, you know your child better than anyone.  Even better than the “experts”.  Tailor lessons to develop their strengths and weaknesses. 

5.  Make sure kids get lots of time to play outside - no matter how old they are (that includes you mom).

That’s all I can think of for now. 

One thing I am not doing very well and need to improve on is to have lesson planning time set aside. 
Plans and preparedness help ease chaos and confusion!

Since it is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day.  Here is an easy recipe for  PB & J cookies (kind of weird - but not too bad)
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups bisquick (I like to have homemade bisquick on hand - click here for a recipe)
1 tsp Vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and eat!  No, just kidding...mind you, I actually do think this dough is rather tasty.

Shape into balls and place on cookie sheet.  Press lightly to shape into a circle.  Make a thumb print in the middle and fill with jelly (jam).   You can also fill with jam after baking - that is good too.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes

This cookie dough can also be baked without the jam for 6-8 minutes, then press a Hershey’s kiss into the hot cookie after removing for the oven.  Don’t make these if you are on a diet

Thanks for visiting.

Be sure to check out other Recipes for success by visiting PrincipledDiscovery.com

Posted in Daily Living

April Fool’s!

We have likely all felt the fool in one way or another. Share your greatest challenge. Or one of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days where the only thing there is to do seems to involve moving to Australia.

Well, since I’m from Australia, I can vouch for the fact that it is a pretty nice place to go when you are in a bad mood - but of course, as the story goes, people in Australia have problems too :)

Let  me begin by saying, I have felt the fool many times.

 If you visit the online dictionary you will find that a fool is defined in the following ways:

 1. One was is deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding - check.

2. One who acts unwisely on a given occasion - check.

3. One who has been tricked or made to appear ridiculous - check!

There are many times (most of the time actually) that I feel I know nothing at all. In regards to homeschooling, and parenting in general, I often find myself at a loss for what to do, how to communicate, and where to turn next. I did very well in the school system, but that hasn’t helped me one bit.

Every day I am embarking on new territory. I have never been a mother before, and certainly not a homeschooling one! Most of us are going through on-the-job training; I figure it must be okay, everyone who becomes a parent for the first time has to learn how it all works. Even Manoah (Samson’s father), in Judges 13:8, prayed for help:

‘Then Manoah prayed to the LORD : "O LORD, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."’

I’d like some one-on-one training with a man of God too (wouldn’t we all).

Besides the fact that I often feel I am fumbling around in the dark, I have an intense child who really likes to get things right. The problem is, she is only 6, and gets things wrong sometimes.

Each time she makes a mistake, like writing an number backward or coming up with the wrong answer in a math problem, I use my sweetest voice to correct her. I cringe inside, knowing what is coming....

Here is an example from a few weeks ago: We were doing math and she wrote the numbers backward and the incorrect answer. I asked her to look at her paper to check her work. She couldn’t see anything wrong with it. I kindly directed her to the numbers to show her they were written backwards. In my nicest voice I said, "The three goes this way sweetie." She began to tense up, then this:

If you can’t read it, she wrote: I HAT IT (I hate it). Then, TROO (true) - with an arrow pointing to the I HAT IT!

 I don’t know how many times I have explained that everyone makes mistakes and that I don’t expect her to know everything - she is just learning. Mommy makes mistakes all the time...etc. etc. I also told her that she is not allowed to write those things on her papers.

This is probably the hardest thing we are dealing with. Sure, I could use a little more organization and a little help with how to teach her, but honestly, I would just like to know how to get her to do her best and not feel so distraught when things don’t go as planned.

Don’t feel too sorry for me though...I get fun little drawings given to me every day. Like the pregnant alphabet below:

 

(She drew this about 1 1/2 years ago)

My terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days are not that bad (except for that time my son swallowed an almond and we had to be flown to a children's hosptial to get it out!).  Please visit Dana to read about what other mom's are dealing with in their homeschool.

Hope your day is a good one

The Homsteading Carnival is up at Laura William's Musings

Pay her a visit and see how you can Spring into Spring

Posted in Family

Describe yourself, your family or one of your children. What is it like to be home educated in your family? What is “normal” for you?

A number of people have asked me, “How do you find a sense of self in the midst of being a mom and a homeschooling one at that?”  This question baffles me a little, because I am a mom and a homeschooling one at that.  I like being a mom, but often feel that I don’t really know how to be a good one, so I  spend a lot of time reading about how to be a better one.  I like homeshooling, but I feel I lack the knowledge to do it well, so I spend a lot of time reading about that too.  So far I have little time for much outside of these roles.....and that is fine with me.

Of course, I can’t help but have special things I really do like.  Cooking is one of them.  Therefore, my kids get to learn to cook right along with me.  I like to make my own household and body care products, therefore my children are learning to mix up shampoo and make laundry soap.  This is Me.  This is what I like.  Believe it or not    I don’t want fame and fortune, just some sweet little faces to look up at me and say, “We love you mommy.”

These sweet little faces that greet me every day are 6 and 3 years old.  Let me tell you a little about them...

SugarBean is my code blog name for our six year old daughter.   She is an intense child who has taught me how to stand my ground.  She has pushed me in every way I can imagine (don’t tell her, I’m sure there are many ways I haven’t imagined yet).

This is one child who does not go with the flow.  A perfectionist at heart, she frequently melts down over a backward S or an incorrect math problem. 

She has many wonderful qualities too, let me tell you about those....

She is my little artist.  Very creative and imaginative, she can draw for hours upon end, and frequently does.   She also enjoys being outside and can make a mean mud pie as well as a “delicious” grass salad.

SugarBean is extremely curious and loves to know how things work.  A book about the human body or how we get orange juice, will please her beyond measure.  She is full of questions and chatters them to me all day long. 

A recent event should help to illustrate her personality nicely.....

A few weeks ago I cut my finger and asked her to get me a band aid.  As she walked toward the bathroom she stopped, turned to me and said, “It’s kind of cool when you cut yourself, then you can see the layers you’ve got.”

Now that’s the perfect kind of kid to teach....

She loves God and wants everyone to know Him.  Just last week we had a friend over who doesn’t believe in God.  She had this little girl down the hall showing her the timeline and explaining how God created the world.  It was so sweet. She is already evangelizing at six years old.

I love her dearly and look forward to having her as a best friend when she is older.

My son is affectionately called  Little Mister on this blog, and that is just what he is.

First of all, he is one of the cutest kids you have ever seen.  He is also very tender hearted and easy going.

He likes to copy EVERYTHING his sister does.  I’m not kidding either.  If she drops her fork, he will drop his.  It’s unbelievable.

Little Mister has been begging to “do school” lately.  He doesn’t call it school though, he refers to school as Math.  He will ask, “Can I do my math?”  So cute!

He is up for anything and enjoys being involved in whatever is going on.  He’s a great little dancer and likes to lead the family in exercises!  These exercises involve lots of spinning, squatting and some weird hand motions (and lots of laughing).

My son is a real ham.  You’d better not laugh in his direction if you don’t want him to repeat the same act for the next hour.  He has been purposefully trying to make us laugh since he was about 18 months old.  He has been successful too...

Here are a few recent quotes to give you a better picture of this little character:

Upon exiting the guest room, he ran to me and said, “I just did a perfectly good flip!” (What!!)

As he was leaving the bathroom he told me, “Toilet paper is the best!”   (It's good to appreciate the little things, don't you think?)

Last of all, a few weeks ago he told his sister, “You’d better not touch my toy or I’ll give you a hairy punch.”
 
His sister said, “What’s a hairy punch, I’d like to see that.”  So she touched his toy.

This act was promptly followed by a punch in the hair! 

I love him dearly too...and look forward to seeing him grown into a strong Christian man.

So there you have it.  A little run down on me and the kids.  Be sure to visit Dana and read the profiles of other homeschoolers. 

Posted in Menu Plan Monday

Monday
Baked Parmesan Chicken with side salad or veggies
Kids Can Help: get vegetables or salad ready.

Tuesday
Cauliflower Pizza (recipe below)
I know this sounds odd - but it is delicious and the kids LOVE it!
Kids Can Help: Toss cauliflower with oil and spread onto pizza crust. Help prepare pizza crust.

Wednesday
Burgers
Kids Can Help: Sprinkle spices into the meat.

Thursday
Curried Rice (from Sue Gregg’s Main Dish Cookbook)
Serve with shredded coconut, chicken, raisins, whatever else takes our fancy.
Kids Can Help: Pour water in pot for rice. Put condiments in bowls.

Friday
Quesadillas and salad or carrot sticks and apples
Kids Can Help: Sprinkle cheese on tortilla.

Saturday
Barley Casserole
Kids Can Help: Measure and mix ingredients together.

Sunday
Leftovers or something in the crock pot (yet to be decided)

 

 Cauliflower Pizza Recipe
(from Country Living - Jan Issue)

Cut up a head of cauliflower into smallish pieces and put it in a bowl. Pour in 1/4 cup of oil, 1 1/2 tsp salt and some pepper. Toss to coat.

Spread cauliflower on a pan (make a single layer) and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degerees F

Thin Crust Pizza Dough

1 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

2 cups flour

½ tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Stir the yeast, sugar and 3/4 cup warm water together and set aside for 5 minutes.

Mix in the flour, oil and salt until a rough dough forms.

Knead for 5 minutes until dough is elastic.

Place dough in large oiled bowl. Cover with a dampened towel. Let rise in warm place until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down to deflate, cover, and let rise for about 30 minutes.

To make the cauliflower pizza:

Roll out the dough into a large rectangle to fit in a cookie sheet or baking pan. Dust the cookie sheet with cornmeal then place dough on top.

Top with roasted cauliflower and 3 Tablespoons of breadcrumbs.

Bake at 500 degrees F until golden and crispy about 15 minutes.

Transfer to cutting board, cut, and serve (I didn’t transfer to cutting board - just cut in the pan - I guess this could scratch it though)

YUM!

Posted in General

Dana at Principled Discovery is hosting Home Education week.  She has posted a list of writing prompts which are meant to give those participating a starting point for sharing about their experience with home education.

Each day this week I hope to write about our family’s thoughts and experiences in regard to home education.  If you would like to see what others have shared, click here.  Don’t forget to visit Dana and join in the fun.


Today we will be looking back.......
Share your personal history…before you were a home educator. What was life like? Think about things you miss and things you and your family have gained.

As a little girl, I didn’t think much about having a family one day.  When I grew up I wanted to be in musicals, 42nd Street to be exact! 

I did pursue this goal; attending a one year, full-time, performing arts course after high school, followed by another year of intensive acting training.  By the end of the acting course I was burned out, my conscience was growing and I couldn't do many of the things being asked of me and keep it clean.

These teenager years were somewhat tumultuous.  After a time I began to look toward God and with that came the desire for a family.  Shortly after I married my husband (10 years ago this July), I began to wish for a baby.  Three years later, our daughter was born.

Long before my daughter came into the world, we discussed the possibility of homeschooling.  We saw what was happening to the school system and we freshly remembered our experience in it.  A dear friend and mentor of mine, in Australia, homeschooled her three children - it looked wonderful to me.  Even with all this, we still thought of it as a possibility, nothing was set in stone.  We would see....       

After our daughter was born there was really no question.  I knew I would not be sending her to school.  I could hardly bear the thought of only getting 18 years with her as it was.   

The first few years of my daughter’s life are a blur: she slept little and screamed lots!   Now she is 6 and she sleeps and talks and even reads (no comment on the screaming).

So much was taught and learned in those first few years; way before we “officially” started schooling. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to have my children home with me.  It is a blessing to have them for the best hours of their day.  A blessing to see each new skill learn and develop.  A blessing to have them home to teach me patience and selflessness.  A blessing I would not trade for anything.


There were times in the early days that I missed going out for coffee with my friends.  I missed my musicals, and I missed doing what I wanted when I wanted.  But, to be honest, I don’t feel that way very often anymore.  I have been learning so many fascinating things alongside my daughter.  I treasure the moments we have together, for one never knows how many moments we have left. 

Our family is gaining closeness through homescooling.  I think many homeschoolers will say the same thing.  Spending a lot of time together is helping us form a strong family bond.  It is also allowing us the time necessary to teach our children the truth, to teach them useful skills, and train them in righteousness.  I am not saying that we are doing a wonderful job in all these areas, we are lacking in many ways.  My hope and prayer is that our children will grow into decent, God-loving human beings, who love their parents, even with all our flaws, and desire to serve the One who made them.

We love homeschooling and highly recommend it to anyone who is willing to give it a try..

Posted in Cooking and Baking

This has been a very exciting day for me....

I made English Muffins!!

I have always loved English muffins.  They are so nice toasted with a little butter.  Delicious.

My mother blessed me with the Sue Gregg Cookbook set for my birthday (thanks mum).  In the Breakfast Cookbook there was an English Muffin recipe (page 154.)  It uses the two stage process which involves soaking the flour overnight.  I thought It would be difficult, but it wasn't.

Here is a picture:

If there is anyone still reading here....

I didn’t expect to take a month off from blogging, it just happened!

Over the past month we have enjoyed a visit with some dear friends, signed up to teach at co-op, researched math and phonics, and worked on taxes.

This time last month our friends set out to drive three days to see us.  It was a delight to have them.  They are a wonderful Christian family.  The kids really enjoyed having friends to play with all day long, and I enjoyed having grown-ups to talk to all day long...what a deal!

While they were here, my daughter finished Hooked On Phonics.  Yay!  We went out to Cold Stone Creamery to celebrate.  It was quite a delicious treat.

I have noticed that she is still not extremely confident in her reading ability and have wondered if it will come with time and lots of reading, or if she needs some more instruction.  We are going to try an Explode the Code workbook and see how that goes.  I am also interested in checking out The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading

Math is another subject that has been causing some concern.  We have been frustrated with Saxon for a while and have decided to try a free curriculum called Mathematics Enhancement Programme (It's British.)

It is very different.  So far we are enjoying it.  I’ll save the rest of my thoughts on this for a Math post later.

Last of all, we have decided to participate in co-op this year.  I will be teaching a cooking class to K-2nd grade.  Since I love to cook and am also passionate about getting the kids cooking, this is the class for me.

In preparing for this class I have come across a great website full of cooking lessons for kids.  It’s called Kids Cooking Activities

It is wonderful!  There are free cooking lessons available for toddlers to teenagers.  It's definitely worth a look.

So there is my update.  Hopefully I will be back to more regular blogging now...we’ll see...

Posted in Homemaking

Posted in Menu Plan Monday