O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of all nations, and their Saviour:
Come and save us, O Lord our God.
Dec. 23, 2009 - Weightloss Wednesday ~ At Christmas time!!!
(click on the graphic for more information)
It's Weightloss Wednesday again, and this week I'm simply chuckling. Two days before Christmas and I'm to step on the scale? lol I don't think so. Fudge, cookies, buckeyes, flavored holiday coffee creamers, pumpkin bread and muffins, homemade white bread, comfort cooking and more abound in my home, and with it the feeling of contentment, joy, and love. Kill all that with a number? Not me. I'm content to work on little things - parking at the back of the parking lot and walking in, trying to drink all my water in a day, adding a serving of fruit or veggies to my day, etc. And just being Aware: aware of what goes in my mouth, how much, and when to say when. January will come soon enough, and with it all the harsh realities of getting fit. I'm content to stay in my own reality for the next week or so, thank you very much. Ü
Dec. 23, 2009 - Cookie Day...
Yesterday was Cookie Day in our home - a first. Usually we make goodies all through the holiday season, but never sugar cookies (don't care for them; don't pelt me with sprinkles, they're just too sweet) and never as a special day. Considering that I am a new aunt twice over this year, however, I decided to just throw all common sense to the wind and invited the niece (14) and both nephews (5 and 5 months) over for the day to make cookies with my boys (15 and 11). It was a surprisingly smooth day (I'm thinking my guardian angels worked overtime, and you would too if you knew the 5-year-old, LOL).
Here are some photos of our day. All told, the kids rolled, cut, and baked three jumbo chubs of sugar cookie dough.
I'm thinking there had to be 11-12 dozen sugar cookies, easily. About half got decorated, because a lot of people prefer them un-iced (me, for one, if I'm going to eat any. Hey, I'm a woman - did you think I'd let my distaste of them stop me from eating a COOKIE??). The five-year-old did great - his attention span for the cutting out of the cookies lasted between 45 minutes to an hour. He moved on to coloring for a bit...
... then pulled out the B word. That word is Not Allowed in our home, so it didn't go well for him. He's here often enough to know that you don't even think the word BORED in my presence. He got a reminder and a warning, then went off to play with the cars and car rug for awhile. He must have looked like he was having too much fun, because my niece decided she needed a break and got down and played with him for a bit. The baby and I went upstairs to vist bloggyland for a few minutes, and she must have gone back to making the cookies, because the next thing I heard was this:
"A___, your neighbor's car alarm is going off.... weee-oooo-weeee-oooo.... A____, now all of your neighbor's cars and your cars are going off... WEEEE-OOOO-WEEE-OOOO-WEEE-OOOO..."
And what did I hear from the kitchen?
A perfectly timed chorus of "Shut Up, B_____!!!"
Okay, sure, shut up isn't normally allowed, but in this case a) it was funny, and b) it was warranted. They saved me from yelling down the stairs to quiet up a bit.
Shortly after this, a 5-year-old blond head popped up around the corner of my desk, and this is what I was confronted with:
"Aunt Shaymie, I'm bored."
Delivered with a self-satisfied grin.
And received with a time-out on the couch in the library, followed by a Talk.
After that was resolved, the Star Wars guys came out, the cookies were all finally baked, lunch was served, a break was was taken in which the baby became a battering tool against Jigger, who fell back dramatically with loud sound effects to the belly laugh of the 5-month-old....
... and then the decorating commenced.
Yep, I used store-bought cookie dough, store bought icing (hate the stuff), store bought everything I could. It's amazing the corners you willingly cut when a) you want the day to run as smoothly as possible, and b) you really don't care for the final product no matter how it's made, lol.
The baby and I spent lots of time cuddling - who wouldn't have??
Even after all that cuddling, at the end of the day I still felt like this, but in a good way:
The kids had a ball and went home tired and with oodles of cookies. That alone is a Christmas present to their parents, I'm thinking. And now, I'll leave you with Piper's favorite cookie - his Scottish bagpiper. Yep, he made bagpipes, too, but those got eaten rather quickly. And in case you're wondering which cookie cutter he manipulated for the pipes, it was the camel. I'll let you picture that in your heads, lol.
Dec. 23, 2009 - Our Mystery Supper
A few weeks ago, I was thinking of taking a blogging break as I couldn't think of anything to write abuot but, oh my goodness, how things have changed in a short while. I have so much to talk about now, I could very easily write two posts a day.
Last night was our introduction to the world of Mystery Suppers. My dear friend, Dee, asked if she could do a Mystery Supper for my kids as a way of celebrating Christmas with them. I wholeheartedly agreed even though I had no idea what a Mystery Supper could possibly be. I found out last night and life will never be the same again. 
When we sat down for supper last night, my kids were given a menu with numbers and weird animals assigned to the numbers. For example, #1 was a three-toed sloth, #9 was a hippo, #7 was a warty toad. Everyone had to write down the numbers for what they wanted for the 1st course, 2nd course and 3rd course. Dee and I, the servers, had a master sheet with all of the strange animals listed and the foods that they represented by its side. We would take a plate and a person's menu and then fill their plate for the 1st course according to what they had requested. Some of the foods were normal, like meatloaf, mashed potatoes, cheesecake. Other foods were a bit strange like gummies, applesauce, a toothpick. Also listed on the menu was crazy cutlery. If you didn't pick that as your menu choice then you didn't get any cutlery at all.
My kids had a blast. For one of her courses, Missy had to eat cheesecake and mashed potatoes with her fingers. Mia, for her first course, had cheesecake, pepperoni and cheese kabobs and applesauce. Rocky had to eat one of his courses with an icecream scoop. I heard lots of hooting and giggling while I was serving up their food.
After the craziness was over, then we had a treasure hunt. Dee and her husband did such a great job with the clues to this hunt. They really made the kids work for their treasure. Some of the clues had the kids watching scenes from National Treasure, looking up cities from the atlas, looking for clues in books. One even had them searching for a clue in a Cap'n Crunch cereal box. It was very well put together. The treasure was found in the washing machine. It was Adventures in Odyssey CD's for Rocky and Missy and a Christmas Carol audiobook for Mia.
The kids had such fun. I have to admit that I had a great deal fo fun, too. I don't know why but it is fun to see adults and kids eating gooey food with their fingers. 
Dec. 22, 2009 - She Gets it!
One of the many joys of teaching your own children is experiencing the joy when they understand something that you have been teaching them. When you see the light in their eyes when they 'get it.' makes all of the other difficulties melt away.
I experienced one of those joys yesterday. Missy and I were doing math. We are combining Level A & B of RightStart to flesh things out better for her. We have been working on adding for awhile now. Missy understands the concepts of adding and can do it like a whiz if she uses the abacus but the actual adding facts are not there. I know from working with the other two that this will just take time for things to click so I let Missy use the abacus as much as she wants.
Yesterday, instead of using the abacus we used tally sticks (glorified popsicle sticks) to show how to add numbers greater than 5. Our first equation was 4 + 2. I laid the 4 tally sticks out and the 2 sticks right beside them. I showed Missy how you could take the stick from the 2 and give it to the 4 to make it 5. Then you would have 5 and 1. Missy knows her adding facts with the number 5 from the poem we have learned, Yellow is the Sun. When she saw the 5 and 1 she knew immediately that the answer was 6.
When I moved the stick to the 4 side and she saw the 5 and 1, her eyes expanded in surprise. You could see the dawn of recognition seep into her brain. "Oh, I know this!," she squealed. I think she surprised herself that she didn't have to use the abacus to arrive at the answer.
She was able to do the worksheet with the help of the 5's because she now 'gets it."
Dec. 21, 2009 - Daybook Entry ~ Christmas Edition...
FOR TODAY, December 21, 2009
Outside my window... clouds have filled the normally sunny, blue sky. They are welcome here anytime.
I am thinking... of how very nice it is not to be consumed with last minute details this Christmas season. At some point I have adopted a what-will-be-will-be attitude, and while the cards are late, the gifts aren't wrapped, and the baking has not yet begun, I'm strangely calm. What a blessing!
I am thankful for... our health, first and foremost. I held my breath when we travelled to Michigan via airplane a couple of weeks ago, but apparently our daily self-medicating doses of vitamin C and probiotics did the trick.
I am wearing... a dark red ¾-sleeve shirt with pretty embroidery around the neck, blue pants, and argyle socks. Sounds like quite the combo, but it's festive and cute.
I am remembering... old-fashioned Christmases of my childhood. I hope to give that to our children.
I am going... absolutely nowhere until my final grocery trip of the year on Wednesday. I finished up my shopping this morning, yay!
I am currently reading... nothing, or else my Christmas preparations will not get done, lol! I do, however, have the four books of "The Galway Chronicles" by Bodie and Brock Thoene lined up for my after-Christmas reads.
I am listening to... Christmas carols, the washing machine, the bread machine, and the dog's squeaky toy.
I am hoping... to get some fudge made today, to get a jump on wrapping, and to watch a Christmas movie with my boys tonight.
My current project... is finished. It is an afghan for my niece for Christmas.
On my mind... are many, yet few, things. I'm trying to give myself the gift of not pondering anything weighty this Christmas season. It will end all too quickly, and I'd rather enjoy each day instead of worrying things to death.
I am anticipating... Cookie Day with the niece and nephews tomorrow, and also our Christmas season. We began, a few years ago, to celebrate Christmas throughout the 12 days of Christmas, running from Christmas Day to Epiphany (January 6th). These days are filled with no travelling, no shopping, games, movies, reading, long naps, laughter and love. It winds up with Epiphany, where we bring out the last three gifts (one for each boy and one for them to share) and enjoy a 3 Kings Cake. I do so love this more than the gifts and busy-ness of 'modern' Christmas.
From the kitchen... comes the heavenly smell of homemade bread.
Around the house... can be found decorations, hidden gifts, whispers and giggles, and the overall joy of Christmas.
One of my favorite things... is snow, of which is in severe shortage in the Arizona low desert. We have our memories of our trip to get us through this winter, however, and, God willing, we'll be where winter is an actual season again next year at this time.
From my picture journal...
May you all feel the love, light, and joy that is this holiday season, and a very Merry Christmas to you all~
If you would like to share your Daybook entry, please go visit Peggy for more information.
Dec. 21, 2009 - I Changed My Mind
A few months ago, I declared to the world that I was through with reading challenges. Usually, I fail miserably at finishing these challenges. Last year, I successfully fulfilled the Reading 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge. I even read a few books up and above the 52. I was quite pleased with myself. The problem, though, was that in striving to complete the 52 books, I was reading short, easy to read books. I was sliding on to the contemporary fiction pile rather than choosing books on the Classics pile. My purpose for starting this challenge was to read the Classics or the books that I wouldn't ordinarily read. I quickly discovered that it is extremely hard to read a book of the Classic genre in a week. Those babies are usually of some heft and require much time to read. So I decided last month that I would not play in next year's challenge (if they were to have one.) I would just go through my Classics pile on my own, without any pressure.
Well, I have re-decided my decision. It was announced on the WTM forum that they will be doing the Challenge again in 2010. I girded myself with a will of steel and posted that I would not participating this year and I gave them my reason. A few responded by saying that I didn't have to do the challenge exactly the way everyone else was. I could plan for 1 Classic a month and then if there was time left over, I could fill it in with more contemporary fiction. I caved. I liked that idea very much. I really enjoyed doing the challenge this past year so it felt nice to have another one for next year. So, I am in. I'm not sure if I will post about my readings like I did this past year or not. I will have to see in which way the wind blows on this one.
Speaking of reading challenges, my word, are there ever alot of them out there, floating around in cyberspace. I couldn't believe how many different kinds of challenges there were. They cover the gamut as far as subjects go. There are reading challenges for the Victorian era, Art History, using your local library, vampires (you can't forget the vampire books,) global awareness, etc. The lists go on and on. Equal to the number of reading challenges are the number of book blogs. I thought that homeschool blogs were huge in number but I believe that book blogs win out bar none. There are tons of blogs out there about books. sigh That makes me happy.
Dec. 21, 2009 - Cooks Helper
Teaching my children to cook has been a challenge to me. I struggle having to share my kitchen and it is something I have been overcoming for years. Each year I get a little better at it. This year I decided it was time to really focus on the children’s cooking skills.
Our chore roster has one child responsible for an area of the house, morning, noon, and night, for a whole week. So I decided that the person who was on Kitchen could have the ‘night’ session off and become my cook’s helper instead. This has worked a treat.
Each term (or there abouts) I get the kids to choose a main, a dessert and a baking recipe and those recipes become the primary focus in learning to cook – at the end of the term I want them to be cooking that recipe by themselves confidently.
When we work on their new recipe it takes about three times before they take it on as their own.
- First time they watch me cook it and they just help with getting the ingredients or anything else I need,
- then the next time we cook it they do it with me watching and
- then the third time they can generally do it themselves with me out of the kitchen.
There have been a few recipes where they feel they need that extra instance of me supervising. So by the end of a term (10-12 weeks) They have mastered the recipe and it goes in their own cook book.
The other aspect of being cook’s helper is being on hand to help whenever I am cooking or need something done in the kitchen. This way they learn their baking and dessert recipe as well as extras along the way.
So as the year progresses they end up being competent with a collection of recipes. I keep these on my master “Cook’s Helper List”. Each child has 5 columns:
- Learning (I list any recipe – main, dessert, baking, salad, etc…)
- Mastered Mains (once they’ve mastered it, the recipe is recorded in the relevant list – this helps me when I’m writing my menu plan)
- Mastered Salads
- Mastered Desserts
- Mastered Baking
I use this master list when writing my menu plan. On days that we are home and I have time to teach or help them I choose from the “learning” list. On days that are flat-out busy I choose from the “Mastered” list and they do most of the dinner prep freeing my time so I can do something else at that busy time of day.
Next year
- Josh needs to learn to use the food processor in making salads and look at baking a little more
- Jessica is ready to work on preparing a whole meal not just a main proportion of it. E.g. She is able to cook the main, prepare the salad/s and a dessert so our focus will be on timing (getting it to the table), not so much the cooking. I’ll also start looking at menu planning with her.
- My goal for Nomi is to increase the number of recipes she is confident with
- Daniel really missed out a fair bit this year so next year my goal is to make sure he gets a look in as well.
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