My last blog was how my kids are loving spinach and now I read that there's an e.coli outbreak in several states that they've traced to bagged spinach!  Wouldn't you know it.  Fortunately, we bought spinach that is supposed to be washed before you eat it (you know, straight from the farm) which I did, using my Planet dish soap that is safe for fruits and veggies.  Hey, if I could spray Lysol on it, I would!  My husband thinks I overwash but I don't believe there is such a thing.  There were 8 cases so far in my state (OR).  I get freaked out by news like this.  So, beware you spinach eaters - wash that spinach or, better yet, throw it out until this recent case is resolved.  I've been a strict produce washer for years and have always taught the same to my kids.  I guess we'll stick to broccali for now - yes, they are broccali lovers except my oldest son took longer than the others to eat it without grimacing.  O.k., enough about vegetables or I'll have to switch over to the Allrecipes web site.  That's a neat site, by the way.  Got my scone recipe from there (see a much earlier post for that pitiful story!) 

Just so you know that ours is not always a well-behaved/shiny happy students/ perfectly clean household, I thought I'd share how our homeschool went today (Day 4).  At 1:30 a.m., 11 yo Chad was heard crying in his room, couldn't sleep.  Mom and Chad sit in kitchen for a bit, talking, small snack, then back to bed.  8:30 a.m., husband wakes wife, (he has the a.m. off from work) husband makes breakfast (what a nice husband), kids get up.  After breakfast, husband goes to store for wife (what a really nice husband) and wife begins school with kids.  Chad is happy doing school now (after many years of torment - no, not him, ME!).  8 yo Alec is now my challenge.  He yawns, stretches, stares at sister's work, repeat.  I do not care if he's bored, he still has to do his math.  I turn from him, disgusted and attempt to do a reading lesson with 5 yo Carmen.  (Let me say here that Carmen really wants to learn to read, I am not forcing the issue but she is ready.)  Begins with "S" sound.  This is my lisping child who gives up after two tries and refuses to try again.  Sigh.  Carmen also wants to do math she is not ready to do.  I'm all for advancing my kids IF they are ready.  Otherwise, they get frustrated, it's just not worth it.  Finally, she does the reading lessons (Teach Your Kids to Read in 100 Lessons - it's been great for us), is a happy girl again and concedes to several math pages she can understand better.  I allow my kids to do as much math as they want but they are required to do at least 1 page (or 2 if it's really easy).  Send Carmen off to play.  Now, back to Alec who is still stretching, etc.  I want to smack him.  He finally gets through his 1 page and I give him another page, this one more fun.  For penmanship, he is copying out of Luke and he does this without much fuss.  We are done for the day with academics and then husband returns home.  I am doing dishes (there are ALWAYS dishes to do, it never, ever ends) when he arrives and he wants to know when we are going to do school.  This hits me wrong for some reason and I want to yell but I don't (this time) and sweetly say that we did it already.  Husband is impressed.  I need a nap.  I'll be adding other subjects as we progress, we're easing back into school slowly.  I've had a hard time getting back into it this year.  I feel guilty about it that but I know burnout is common.  More common at the end of the year, though, but leave it to me to be just the opposite!  Well, tomorrow is Day 5 and it has a 50/50 chance of being better than Day 4.  Or not.