I haven't been posting very often here, but just wanted to share with my (two or three, if I'm lucky) faitful readers that I am going on a "time travel" trip this weekend.  I am headed home to Alberta today so that I can attend my high school reunion - my class 25th!! *gasp*  I'm really looking forward to it, and hopefully will have some fun things to share when I get back.

And it started me wondering... do you know of any homeschool alumni that have "class reunions?"  For instance, the graduating class of an umbrella group or co-op getting together 5 or 10 years after they graduated?  Just curious. 

As homeschoolers, we all have “one of those days” every now and then. Sometimes there isn’t even a sickie in the house. Sometimes mom is drained or burned out and feeling run down. Sometimes there are other medical or health issues that are interfering with our best laid-out plans (bedrest for a 9 month old teacher, anyone?!)…

So do we give up and give in? Do we change the plans to make them more flexible?

I’d love to hear about the ideas that some of you have, the stories that you all can tell - about days that were less than perfect because someone “came down with a bug”, but successes anyway. Are you a “carschooler” when there are doctor appointments to attend? Are you a “bedschooler” when life lays you up? Or do you have a “sick day” schedule that you follow - a “rainy day idea can” that you dip in to?

What happens at your house when life throws a schedule curve?

Share your story with all of us moms who need a little encouragement.

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Sick Days don't interfere with our plans as much, now that the kids are all older!  Way back when I was pregnant or nursing, and had a toddler to deal with, it was a different story.  But I have forgotten much of how we handled those times.  Now that my students are all reading on their own, if *I* am feeling too miserable to manage their schoolday, I ask them to work on their own.  Most of the time they are working on their own anyway, so its really only History and Science that have to be rescheduled when sickness interferes.  Recently I had a touch of pneumonia and pretty much lost my voice (and what little energy and motivation I have!) for about a week, and was just plain tired all the time for a few weeks after that.  I took a couple days off History and Science, because my voice just wasn't strong enough to get through the class time.  When we got back to it, I kept the lessons shorter so as not to wear my voice out. 

Since we do Science and History together (except for Harrison) I am sometimes torn about what to do if ONE of the three kids isn't feeling well.  Thankfully it doesn't happen that often that someone is feeling so poorly they can't even sit at the table for a half hour for a History discussion, so most of the time we just postpone those subjects until everyone is feeling better.

Check out other homeschooler's ideas on how to handle sick days at The HSBA Post

F is for Fire Hydrant

Ever seen the underground part of a fire hydrant?  I hadn't, until driving through the nearby town where they have been doing a major overhaul of the main street.  All the detours and delays are annoying, but this was kind of neat!

For more A B See's, visit The Homeschool Post

Something often overlooked on our blogs is the ‘other’ family member that sleeps at the end of the bed.  We fail to mention our fur children even though they are a huge part of our lives. Is your ‘pet’ is really the king or queen of the house? Maybe you just tolerate having an animal because the husband or kids can’t live without one. Or some of you might be ‘animal free’, take issue with ‘just another responsibility’, or find that you’re deathly allergic to dander. With as much a part of our personal lives as pets tend to be, I figured it would be good to share about our animal friends (or the lack of them).

Who doesn’t love looking at furry critters - even if they aren’t your own? Some of us spend more time inhaling them than looking at them (cat belly can be addictive). Let’s not forget the slimy froggies, swimmy fish, feathery birds and other interesting creatures that some keep, also! Do you have an exotic pet to tell about? Or a neat animal story? Have you ever rescued a wild forest animal or had something strange wander up on to your porch?

Tell us your pet history. What was your first pet? Which was your most memorable? How about today? How many pets do you have? Do they help or hinder your homeschooling?

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We have one cat and would you believe I can't find a picture of him?  Not taken on a digital camera anyway.  I thought that odd, since Kennady loves to take pictures and I know she's taken many of the cat, but apparently I don't save them.  Hmmm...  Well,  our cat is named Blue and here is his story:  before we had kids, I was an office manager for a heavy construction company.  One day, one of our engineers came in the office and told me and the receptionist that the yard cat had apparently abandoned her 'nest' and one of the kittens was still there.  We went out to see, and found that a kitten had slipped down between the rolled-up construction site tarps and the fence they were stacked against.  The 'nest' had been on top of the tarps and it looked like the mama cat had moved her kittens to a more sheltered spot but she couldn't get at this one.  I asked the engineer to take up a board or two of the fence so we could get the kitten out and I took it inside wrapped in my extra sweatshirt and listened to it cry the rest of the day.  After work I took it to our vet (we had another cat named Monkey already) and found out it was only a few weeks old and just barely ready for solid food.  The vet recommended we try feeding it strained meat - as in baby food! - mixed with baby cereal to start with!!  So that's how Blue joined our household.  He is named after Don Cherry's dog, by the way.  Blue is about 17 years old, which is positively ancient for a cat, but he is still relatively spry.  We think he may be going deaf though.

Blue doesn't have much affect on homeschooling at all, and since he is old enough that he prefers to sleep about 22 hours a day, we barely notice him some days.  When he IS awake, he tends to yowl LOUDLY (contributing to our theory that he is hard of hearing) to indicate that he wants food or water.  And most of the time, he HAS food and water, he is just too lazy to go to where it is.  LOL

Harrison also has two pet turtles, but he's not that emotionally attached to them.   I don't think they even have names.  I call them Mary and Terri, in honor of the Maryland Terrapins, but those names haven't stuck.

Our past pets include the aforementioned cat named Monkey, a cockatiel named Spike, and a parakeet named Jester.  When I was growing up we had parakeets - I can't remember how many, but I think they were all named either Billy or Hank. 

We have several cats in our neighborhood that like to root through our recycle bin, and we think they sometimes take up residence under our pool deck too.  We have started referring to them by names, and mostly try to ignore their presence.  Soupcan Cat is so named because he is the one that got his head stuck inside a soup can in the recycle bin last spring and ran around the yard with it on his head.  Hysterical!  There's another one we named Bob, and one we call Tumor.  Tumor got up on our roof a couple of weeks ago and then was uncomfortable coming down.  We assumed he would get cold or hungry and would figure it out, but by Day 3 of the standoff we figured we'd better help him out.  I posted about it and shared a couple pictures here

Visit The Homeschool Post for other Homeschool Memoirs

It seems like many homeschoolers begin to see the fire die out around this time of year. Yet it doesn’t always take a whole lot to get the flames burning bright again. It may be one small change in your routine. Maybe it’s trying out an idea you’ve been pondering for awhile. Or you might need to throw on a bit of kindling on to fuel that fire.

Let’s see some sparks of imagination as we encourage one another, sharing ways to get your homeschool efforts cooking again. What is something you’ve done, or thought about doing, to “fan the flame” of waning motivation?

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It's sad but true... we do run out of educational steam about this time of year.  There are so many distractions around the holidays and I feel like I'm fighting the current to get us back to business in January and February.  At the beginning of February, we also start co-op classes once a week, which the kids enjoy and does get us fired up in some ways - but the downside is that we do have to adjust our weekly schedule to allow for that, and sometimes that is hard to do!

Looking forward to the book fairs and homeschool conventions, and starting to plan for the next school year - that motivates me.  It's kind of like needing to finish my main course before I can move on to dessert!  I start planning what I might need to buy for next school year, what areas we'll want to cover in science or history; and then realize that we need to get cracking on this year's work or we won't be able to jump into the next fascinating topic as soon. 

One thing I need to work on is keeping up with grading, and with the Homeschool Tracker.  When I get behind on grading work or entering assignments in the Tracker, it just gets more daunting the longer I leave it.  And I am a procrastinator, so you can guess how that will turn out if I don't stay on top of it.  This year I have really let myself get behind, and its discouraging to think about.  I've been plugging away, a little at a time, to get it caught up though, and my goal is to have everything ship-shape well before third quarter grades are due.

For more motivational ideas, visit  The HSBA Post

D is for Driving

Harrison is getting as much time behind the wheel as he can, as he hopes to get his license soon.  I'm looking forward to the increase on our insurance - NOT.

For more A B See's, visit The Homeschool Post

Memory Verse: Psalm 69:21 They put poison in my food; in my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.

Introduction: Obey Your Thirst (Sprite) In this Psalm, terrible things are plaguing David. He’s seeking the Lord, as he has that sinking feeling, that desperate thing of alienation and abandonment… and they try to poison him and give him vinegar - GROSS! How Vile! Sometimes when we’re sick, we have that sinking desperate feeling, we call out to God, we call out for healing.

Assignment: Tell us the most vile “remedy” you’ve ever had to consume in order to be rid of that “plague”.  Was it something prescribed by a Medical Doctor? or was it an herbal remedy? We all know that Buckley’s commercial, it tastes awful, but it works.  Would you take this remedy again?  Did it work? Can you get your children to take it?

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Before I even read the reference to Buckley's in the assignment, that's what I thought of!!  Ah, Buckley's Mixture - one of Canada's greatest contributions to the world.    When I was growing up, we really did hear those infamous words "Better get out the Buckley's" when we had a nasty cough.  Just hearing the words sometimes had a curative effect!  Only in the past few years have we seen Buckley's available in some US stores, and so we had been bringing our personal supply home with us whenever we visited family in Canada.  Those wonderful words still work, especially for my kids that think they might get some yummy grape-flavored cough syrup if they can fake a little cough and fool me.    We've introduced Buckley's Mixture to a few friends as well.  Our odd fascination with this horrible-tasting, but effective, product has also led us to collect a few Buckley's "souvinirs! 

We actually have two of these little magnet dry-erase boards, and also a medicine spoon with a buckleys handle - all "won" at a mall display a few years ago where you drink a dose of buckleys to earn a spin of the prize wheel! 

One year my DH got this handy Buckley's Cold Care Kit from his sister as a birthday present. It contained Buckleys and this great t-shirt!

(rats, the picture is sideways.  my bad.)  That's the front of the shirt, and here is the back:

I can't remember for sure, but I suspect her boyfriend had to drink some Buckleys in order to "win" that prize!

So - sorry I don't have pictures of the faces we make when we actually have to take Buckleys - and there's no prize - but we all make that face.  I really thought there wasn't anything as nasty as that, but last week I tried drinking some TheraFlu because I thought I had a nasty flu (turned out it's pneumonia) and I remembered taking NeoCitran when I was younger and it was kind of like hot lemonade AND made me feel better.  Let me tell ya - NeoCitran did NOT sell their recipe for a good-tasting drink to the TheraFlu people!! ICK!!!! With Buckleys, you slug back a teaspoon or two and make that face and that hairball kind of sound and then you are DONE.  The TheraFlu is a whole CUP.  And you are supposed to drink it hot, so less likely that you can just chug it, y'know?  Ugh.  I'll have to be really sick before I'll be willing to try that again!

Visit Blogger Friend School to find out how others are taking their medicine.

C is for Cable Knit

This is my first 'big' cable-knit project - a pillow cover.  I am a self-taught knitter of about two years.  I was working on binding this off tonight and am stuck on the button-band until I show it to my expert friend. 

For more A B See's, visit The Homeschool Post

B is for Bears (Hershey Bears)

On Sunday, DH took the kids to Hershey to watch the hockey game, and to meet up with our friend that plays there.  After the game the kids got some autographs.  Then they went out to eat, and DH and our friend Jay posed in the old jerseys from the pick-up team that DH and Jay's dad played on together. 

For more A B Sees, visit The Homeschool Post

We’ve been catching up and throwing out a lot of the clutter in our home this past week, and thankfully it looks as if we’ve done so! However, one thing we won’t ever really get rid of, especially in a large family, is laundry. Everyone has it, but just how much?

THEME

This question was posted at a Large Family Homeschooling fourm, and I thought it would be fun as one of the memoirs.

Question: Watching the Duggars, and other mega families [our family of 11 is small in comparison!] I was astounded at how many loads of washing. Do all large families do 7 loads a day and more, as I was thinking it sounds a little OTT?

So share all about your laundry. It’s on very rare occasion that it’s suitable to air dirty laundry. Ha!

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Mount Washmore is what we call it here.  We are a family of six, so I don't think we have nearly the amount of laundry that larger families do, but I am stunned at the way it piles up and multiplies when we slack off on getting it done.  Generally we do at least one load every day, and try to share the work among several of us.  I make the kids responsible for their own laundry when they hit about 13 or 14 years old, so Harrison has been taking care of his own for a couple years now, and Spencer just started.  This past week, in fact, I struck a deal with Spencer and Landon that they would look after their laundry between the two of them which leaves me with only mine, Kennady's and DH's to worry about!  The downside to it is that I will have to fold it...  up until this deal, I did the washing and drying, and the kids were responsible to fold everything, then everyone put away their own.  But that did have its drawbacks, so I think the new arrangement will work fine once we all are used to it.

For more Homeschool Memoirs, and other dirty laundry stories, visit The Homeschool Post

A is for Alligator

We found this relatively tame alligator outside a sandwich shop in Florida City, just before we headed into the Everglades for the day.  We did see live alligators (and anhingas, which also start with A!) but I thought this picture was the most fun.

I'm new to the A B See Photo Meme at The Homeschool Post but apparently you can join at any time and work your way through the alphabet with pictures.  Hopefully I can keep up!

THEME:

This week I wanna YOU to post your school photo, whether from the 90’s, 80’s, 70’s, or do we have anyone from the 60’s? lol I know you should have one for every year so find your best one and post it. Make sure post year and grade!

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Yes, I missed #20.  Can't remember why.

Well, you all are in for a real treat - I had to hunt around to find some school pictures and could only come up with my Grade 1 picture.  I really didn't think it important to bring all my old school and class pictures with me when we moved, although I guess my yearbooks from high school are around here somewhere.  I could not even find my GRAD photo!! but I know DH has one somewhere.  I looked in his wallet and he apparently doesn't keep it there any more. 

So here I am, in Grade 1, five years old (1971).  Check out the Buddy Holly specs.  Groan.  I don't remember there being any choices in childrens frames when I had to get glasses way back then. 

I don't have any other pictures around here, but believe me, they are equally as embarrassing if not more.  I found this snapshot of myself and one of my best friends during a senior exchange trip (1984).  I'm on the right.

We really did not PLAN on having matching hairdos and earrings.

No official grad photo available today, but here is what I looked like at one of the grad banquets (1984).  Notice especially how straight my teeth are, as the braces came off only a couple months before. 

(That's not all hair, there is quite a shadow behind me.  My really big hair was a couple years earlier)  I really don't have any pictures that do justice to the amount of blue eyeshadow and eyeliner, and hair product that I typically used.   Also, no pictures of my favorite haircut, the spiked-up crewcut with a tail at back - remember The Eurythmics?  Kind of like Annie Lennox minus red haircolor)  What really baffles me when I look back at the pictures is that I thought I was fat and had bad skin when I was a teenager.  What alternate universe was I living in??  I'd like to "fat" like that now.  LOL

For more trips down Homeschool Memoir Lane, visit The HSBA Post

I'm pretty sure I did this last year - posted a summary of the first sentence of the first blog entry of each month over the past year.  It makes for an interesting review, so here goes:

Jan.  2nd - Banff National Park - Part Three

After the drive around the hotel, we drove up to Tunnel Mountain.

Feb. 1st - Show & Tell {A Family of Fans}

Last night DH and I got to go out on a date - and for a favorite event for both of us - an NHL hockey game! 

Mar. 1st - In the News this Week...

A friend emailed this very disturbing new story to me yesterday...

World Net Daily - Judge Orders Homeschoolers in Government Education  (check the link for the full story, I have included only some highlights below)

This was the story from California where the court decision threatened homeschooling in the whole state. 

Apr. 1st - New Website!

I'm very excited about a new website offered by SoCalVal - I've already bookmarked it and have started exploring.

May 2nd - Show & Tell {Co-op Fiesta}

Our spring co-op classes ended a couple weeks ago, but I kept forgetting to load up my pictures to share. 

Jun. 13th - Show & Tell {End of the Year?}

Late spring is a busy time of year - we have two kids playing baseball (my last S&T entry) and those schedules keep us hopping! 

Jul. 10th - Zamboni Field Trip

I've been MIA in the blogworld for almost two weeks now - last week we were on vacation, but this week I've just been busy trying to catch up. 

I did go on to tell about our trip to the Zamboni plant and share pictures.

Aug. 1st - Show & Tell {Combine Demolition Derby}

 I am going to share about THE most redneck, hillbilly thing that I have done in a long time. 

This was fun!!! Great memory!

Sept. 3rd - BFS Assignment #100 {Oh What a Feeling}

I posted an introduction to our family and our reasons for homeschooling in a post a couple weeks ago:  Homeschool Memoirs {All About You} 

Oct. 2nd - Homeschool Memoirs #7 {Favourite Snacks}

I wish we had healthier snack habits, but I guess it could be worse!! 

Those habits are no better now, I'm afraid.

Nov. 1st - Homeschool Memoirs #11 {Field Trips}

Oh man... we have been on so many cool field trips, it is very hard to pick out one that is the all-time favorite.

Dec. 8th - Homeschool Spotlight - High School Curriculum suggestion

Monday's Homeschool spotlight is hosted at Stacy's blog - as I was reading her suggestions for being prepared to homeschool through high school, I thought I should share about a curriculum we started using this year that has been working out very well.

My suggestion was for Notgrass Exlporing America.

Can anyone believe 2009 is ALMOST here? Seems like just last week the summer-sun was shining. With every new year, like many, I try to make a list of goals and tasks I would like to accomplish for that year.

THEME

This week I want to set our minds on setting some goals for next year, whether personal, for the whole family, or for school.
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 2009 is creeping ever closer, as I am writing this during the evening hours of December 31st...  I kind of assumed there would not be a Memoirs assignment last week - oops!!!  I was working on setting some goals for myself to get the new year started, many are the same old, same old things.  Last year I tried something a little different and instead of making New Years Resolutions, I gave myself some goals and deadlines for the first quarter.  And I actually did pretty good with them.  But I didn't do a very good job of following through in the second quarter, and then didn't even bother setting goals in the third and fourth quarters.  Not a complete failure, but as usual I struggled with follow-through.  To start off the first quarter, my goals wll be very similar to last year's - here's the general list (the details are just for me):

1. improve my health in the ways I can - eat better, exercise, lose weight
2. stick to our budget and keep my records up to date
3. declutter and organize
4. keep school records and grades up to date
5. practice hospitality by inviting company regularly

As I thought about the things on my list, I realized that I am focusing on diligence and discipline.  I have great plans but lose motivation along the way.  I start strong but sometimes fail to finish at all.  So in short, I am going to practice perseverence and with God's help, see if I can improve my record of sticking with a task through the end.  If I can do that, then a lot of the things on my To-Do List will likely get checked off in the coming months:

• make new window treatments for the bedroom
• paint the hallways and stairwells
• finish my quilt
• continue to improve my knitting skills
• organize and redecorate parts of my house
• read lots of books
• have time to enjoy the things that mean most to me, and minimize the time spent on things that drain and annoy me

For more Homeschool Memoirs, visit The Homeschool Post

This is an informal survey being hosted by Sagerat Scribbles just to satisfy her curiosity!  There's a prize too, and it looks like something my family would like!

1.  Why did you start a blog? Peer pressure!! LOL  Several friends on a homeschool message boards had started blogs here at HSB so my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to try it as well.

2.  What did/do you hope to accomplish with your blogging? At first I just wanted to journal what we were doing in our schooling, and have a site to share pictures with friends and family.  

3.  Have you found that you don't post as much as you did when you started? On average, it's probably about the same.  I tend to post less during times when I am busy with other things and go a week or so between posts.  Then other times I will post almost every weekday.

4.  If yes, why not?

5.  How important are comments to you? I like comments - who doesn't!?  But some things I would blog whether or not anyone else read or commented on them.

6.  Do you ever find yourself wishing people would not always leave comments that agree with you? It's great when people agree with me, it proves I'm right.  LOL  Seriously, I don't very often post something here that is a topic for debate, but if someone has a different perspective on something and left their comment in a polite way, I don't mind. 

7.  Do you comment on other people's blogs a lot, sometimes, or very little? Sometimes.  I like to comment, but between dial-up and time constraints, I don't leave as many comments as I would like to.  I try to visit the other bloggers that participate in the memes I do, and leave comments when I can.

8.  What determines why you don't post a comment on someone else's blog?  It's most often a tme issue.  I very often have a problem on HSB where it tells me over and over that the verification number I've entered is invalid.  When I have to try multiple times to leave a comment and keep getting that error message, sometimes time runs out or I just get impatient and give up. 

9.  What determines why you do post a comment on someone else's blog? Just to let them know I enjoyed reading their post - it was encouraging, funny, touching, or educational!  And I try to return the courtesy when others leave comments on my blog.

10.  Do you have more than one blog?  Where? I have one other HSB blog that probably no one reads.  LOL  It is: Kym's Bookcase  I started it thinking I could play with different templates on it, which I have never done.  LOL  But I do use that for one weekly meme, and to keep a record of some of the books I read and what I thought about them.

11.  Do you read random blogs either off of random blogger or friends lists? When I first started, I used to read random blogs, but more often I read blogs from my friends lists or from the memes.    

Okay, color me clueless, but I had no idea they had TV stations and radio stations exclusively for schools and school buses, never mind that the contracts require these stations to be played.  But wait, it gets better - the contracts also bar parents from reviewing the content!!!  So - they've got a captive audience of teens and preteens, and while they may be showing news, they are also featuring questionable content and marketing.   And the parents don't get the opportunity to see what's being forcefed to their kids.  This is a good enough reason all on its own, in my opinion, to keep my kids off the bus and out of those classrooms. 

You can read the article at:  "What news is your child getting?"

THEME

This week I want to invite you to share one of your favourite winter treats. A treat you look forward to making when the snow falls and include the recipe for it so others can try it out.

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We always look forward to eggnog - I am going to try making my own this year, but it is always a happy day when Eggnog Season opens at the grocery stores.  The kids want hot chocolate with whipped cream! as soon as wintry weather arrives.  But the real treats that we look forward to are cookies and pumpkin pie.  Here are a couple of our family's favourite cookie recipes:

 Twix Bars (which is really a square, not a cookie)

• 1 /14 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tsp butter or margarine

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp corn syrup
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Bottom layer:  crumble first three ingredients well.  pack into ungreased 9x9 pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Second layer:  combine next four ingredients in heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, boil for 5 minutes stirring constantly to keep it from burning.  Remove from heat and beat slowly until show signs of thickening, then pour over bottom layer.

Top layer:  Melt chocolate in a saucepan over low heat (I usually add a little butter as well, so the chocolate does set quite so hard when refrigerated, this makes it easier to cut).  Gently pour and spread over second layer.  Chill and cut into 36 squares with a sharp knife.

I actually made these yesterday for our youth Christmas party and they disappeared quickly! I'll make more today.  it really does taste almost exactly like a Twix candy bar.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Measure butter, sugar, vanilla and flour into a bowl and work together until it forms a ball.  Add chocolate chips and work into dough.  roll into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten with a fork.  Bake at 325 for 10- 15 minutes. 

We all love shortbread cookies, and this recipe is MY personal favorite.  It's also especially good with the special flavored chips like chocolate raspberry or cinnamon chips.

Peppernuts

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp pepper (white or black)
• 1 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind (optional)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

Beat eggs until frothy, add sugars.  Beat until very light and fluffy, at least 5 or 6 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients and mix together well.  Roll into 1/2 inch diameter ropes and slice into pieces 1/2 inch long.  Arranged on greased cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 15 minutes until browned. 

Peppernuts (or the Low German pronunciation we use which sounds like pay-pah-nate) are a highlight of every Christmas at our house.  I have only made them myself once or twice, because my aunt usually sends us a boxful.  My MIL has sometimes asked ahead of time if Auntie Linda has sent "those little cookies" again this year.  LOL  We got our batch of peppernuts in early october this year, when the aunts were here for a visit, so they are gone by now and I think the kids will enjoy helping me make our own for a change.  The above recipe is not the exact same one we use (ours doesn't include rind or almonds), but its very similar, and it's the one I had handy for copying.  And besides, I can't give away the family recipe for nothing!  

I'd share my recipe for Nanaimo Bars BUT: 1)I like to keep it a secret so I can have the monopoly on it LOL; and 2)it includes a hard-to-find-in-USA ingredient.  Plus, chances are if you don't live in Canada, you won't know what it is anyway. 

Thanks for visiting!!  For more Homeschool Memoirs, or to participate, go to The Homeschool Post

Oh how often we either say it or hear it … “Too much to do, not enough time!”? I hear it and say it quite often. How do you manage all the tasks you have to complete in just 24hours? There are a lot of different methods on how to get chores and organizing done. Some have a strict schedule others just kinda wing it.

THEME:

This week I would you to share how chores are done in your home. How you order your day with school and getting housework done. How do you decide which chores should be done by which child, of which age? I’m looking forward to hearing them!

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Being organized and getting housework done isn't something our family is particularly skilled at, but we continue to work at it.  I am not a typical "Suzy Homemaker" type, and in general it doesn't bother me a great deal if things aren't put away immediately or if the dinner dishes are left till morning because we have plans in the evening.  But of course, there's a limit to what I (and my DH!) can tolerate!  And we do want our kids to learn to do their share, and to have experience in doing all household tasks by the time they leave home.  So while we are not really strict and don't keep this place ship-shape, we do insist that everyone pitch in.

We used to have daily chores (feeding pets, setting table, dishes, etc) assigned sort of "indefinitely" but I heard lots of complaints about always having to do XYZ, why can't Kid B do that one and I get a different one, etc.  And I had to admit that it was kind of limiting.  I finally came up with a chore plan that was a combination of several things I'd read in books and on blogs and heard from friends.  We've modified it a couple times as our needs have changed a little but this is how our system works at present:

• I have an index card file, stocked with dividers by date and with color-coded cards.  On each card is written a chore, including some instructions as to what exactly is entailed in doing that chore.  For instance, the chore "Bathroom Laundry" states that you need to collect all the towels from the hamper, what cycle to use on the washer, that they need to be hung up or put in the dryer, then folded and put away.  I didn't want anyone to have the excuse that they "didn't know" that they were supposed to do that!  The cards are color-coded for daily, weekly, and "as needed" or seasonal chores. 
• Each morning we have a "chore draw" before school starts.  I pick out of the box the daily items that need to be done and any others that are essential for that day, and the kids draw from my hand. "Pick a card, any card!"  Most days they get two cards to begin with.  I do allow them to trade sometimes after everyone has drawn.  And those are their responsibilities for that day.  Oh, and if a chore is something that I know one of the younger kids cannot do on their own, I make sure that card isn't in the mix when that kid draws.  I still have the authority to just plain GIVE this or that chore card to a kid or to disallow a proposed trade.  And if the kids aren't up on time for school, they get whatever chores I give them.  If they want a fair draw and an opportunity to negotiate a trade, they need to be here on time. 
• Two chores that we rotate weekly are dishes and pet care.  The kids are in two teams - Harrison and Kennady are one team, and Spencer and Landon are the other.  Team 1 gets dishes for a whole week while Team 2 looks after all the pet care needs for a week, then they switch.  This is a new modification, which is on a trial basis for this month and then we'll re-evaluate.  But so far it is working fairly well.  The team assignments are written on the calendar so that there's no question about who is responsible for it.
• Chores must be done before kids are allowed screen time.  This, I must admit, would work better if I forced myself to be totally consistent in checking on the chores.
• If I or someone else has to do a chore that a kid neglected, they owe the person that did the work a chore favor of equal value.  IOUs have to be settled within two days.  If a chore is left undone today, the same person gets that chore tomorrow, in addition to whatever they draw. 
• Most days I try to have a "chore hour" scheduled in the afternoon, where everyone spends about an hour doing some kind of housework, either the chores that they were assigned or something above and beyond.  I award points for doing extras and every now and again they can cash in their points for a small reward.

That sounds so organized but in everyday reality, it doesn't quite go like clockwork!  But its a plan that works for the most part, and adds a little randomness and flexibility to the daily routine.  And now nobody can legitimately say to me "he/she always gets the easy chores and I always have to do the hard ones"  It's simply the luck of the draw. 

For more Homeschool Memoirs, visit The Homeschool Post

Intro:  Finger Lickin’ Good - You can read about Christ feeding the 5,000 in many places in the Bible (Matthew14:19;15:36; Luke 5:6;9:3-17). I am a fairly new Christian and one of the many things I love about reading the accounts of Jesus’ miracles, is that there was not a big drum roll, fireworks, a thousand dollar suit or an agent building up some big preview of what was about to happen.  Jesus would calmly say things such as “have faith”, “believe”, “have them sit and pass out these loaves of bread”, and then the miracles began. 

Assignment: Although I am not able to produce miracles, it sometimes feels like I need to when it comes to meal time.  There are times when money is tight, groceries are few and I have to feed my family.  During the holiday season, you might have so much going on that you need to make a meal quickly with as few ingredients as possible.  This week post your favorite recipes that require six (6) ingredients or less.  Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

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I think I have posted this disclaimer before, but it bears repeating before I do an assignment like this:  I am not a cook.  I don't like to cook.  I do it only because my family needs to eat.  That said, I immediately thought of the crockpot dish I usually take to church youth when it's my turn to provide food.  I am not even sure there is a name for this, but one of the young adults refers to it as "Mrs Kym's Amazing Meat and Cheese Dip" or something like that.  LOL  All I know is that the kids eat it all - I never have leftovers to take home.  And its hearty enough to be dinner.  It's also good to share here because I keep this recipe in my head.  I will give it a less pretentious name in case anyone is inclined to copy the recipe... how about "Vault Dip"  or something like that.  (The Vault is the name of the youth center and program at our church)

Vault Taco Dip

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 cans (14 oz) Rotel (tomatoes, chilis, peppers, etc)
• approx 6 cups shredded cheese (I usually use colby jack)
• Tabasco sauce to suit your taste
• chili powder - ummm.... several tablespoons worth - I do about 8 or 10 shakes LOL

Brown ground beef and drain.  Dump it in a crockpot and add:  Rotel, shredded cheese, Tabasco, and chili powder.  Mix it up and turn crockpot on low for about two hours.  Serve with tortilla chips. 

"But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." ~I Timothy 6:8

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Another space-filler for my blog...   Really, we do homeschool!! I just haven't blogged about it for a long time!

8 TV Shows I Love to Watch:

I don't watch TV much, so I don't know if I can come up with eight.  And just because I list them here doesn't mean I watch them on anything like a regular basis.

1. House
2. Monk
3. Hockey Night in Canada
4. Mythbusters
5. random Food Network things - usually with Alton Brown

8 Favorite Restaurants:  

Again, just because they're listed here doesn't mean we eat there regularly.  LOL

1. Chubby's Barbecue
2. Famous Dave's
3. Frontier Barbecue
4. Andy Nelson's Barbecue (do you see a theme here? I'll branch out a little with the next four)
5. Cracker Barrel
6. Cozy Inn
7. Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
8. local diners
   

8 Things that Happened Today:

1. Woke up
2. Made coffee
3. Drank coffee
4. Refilled my coffee cup... 
5. Blogged
6. Checked my Email
7. Found music for worship
8. Talked with my kids
   

8 Things I Look Forward To:

1. getting my Christmas cards out
2. being finished with Christmas shopping
3. vacations
4. Christmas morning
5. visits from my family
6. getting together with friends
7. Christmas dinner
8. my next cup of coffee

8 Things on My Wishlist:

1. new purse - can never have too many!
2. a new fridge - I'd like a bigger one someday
3. finishing out the second story of our garage into living space
4. books
5. better attitudes from the kids
6. new computer
7. Coffee Crisp
8. Tim Horton's Coffee

Play along if you'd like!