Thursday, July 2, 2009 - July 2009 Writing Prompts Calendar
Here is my July 2009 Writing Prompts Calendar. Hope you enjoy.
July 2009 Writing Prompts Calendar
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Wednesday, July 1, 2009 - Summer Projects Update
A couple have weeks have passed since I posted my Summer Projects list and we have been able to accomplish a few of them. The garage is now complete. It took 2 days to get that done but it is really nice to find something when you are looking for it. For father's day we bought my husband the bottom rolling cart to his toolbox, so now all his tools are sorted. What amazed me was the number of screwdirvers he has. They fill a whole drawer, yet for the longest time when we needed one we could never find one the right size.
We've also been able to go completely through the three bedrooms and clean out the clutter, but those are a continuing battle.
We have been baking a bit more. Yesterday we made a Zucchini-Carrot-Coconut cake and baked a zucchini-carrot bread in the bread machine. While the cake is more of snack bar than a cake, it is very good and super moist. And the bread- well let's just say that the doorstop has some competition. I got the recipe for the bread from the internet, but I will definately not make it again unless a need matching bookends.
I am hoping to tackle a few more items on the list over the next month, but not sure how many will get done. I think the "Laze around when it's too hot to do anything" will move to the top of the list. 
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - How do YOU get your Kids to Read?
How do you get children who really don't like to read to read? I would love to incorporate a whole lot more reading of good literture into our studies in addition to the "have-to-reads", but both of my children would rather clean the bathroom than actually read a book. I've tried finding books that I knew they would enjoy, like Call of the Wild for my son and Hitty Her First 100 Years (which is one of my favorite books) for my daughter. My son really enjoyed Call of the Wild and started to read White Fang but gave up on that, and my daughter did not get past the first section.
We do incorporate unabridged audios of the classics into our life so I know they will at least know the story lines, but I wonder if that is the same as reading them?
I would love to hear how others deal with kids who just don't like to read.
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Monday, June 29, 2009 - Summer
The summer sun hugs the earth,
As its rays kiss the morning sky,
An exhale of warmth fills the air,
And welcomes the day with a sigh.
Gentle waves of green whisper hello,
Calling out to the dancing flowers,
Sweet perfume paints the breeze,
Lingering fragrance lasting for hours.
A brand new day God creates
A season for rejoicing in wonder,
The magnificent memories in my heart,
The joys only found in summer.
VMD
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Thursday, June 25, 2009 - Out with the Old, In with the New
I took a bit of time today to fill out the kids’ legal paperwork with our homeschool association. I had already turned in what they needed for the end of the year, but I needed to register for next year to get the discount. I am glad that I have a basic idea of what we will be using next year because I had to fill that information in for the main subjects. This is the general outline of what we will be using next year for the school basics.
For my 7th grade daughter:
Math: Saxon 7/6
English: Learning Language Arts through Literature
Science: finish Exploring Creation with General Science, Exploring Creation with Physical Science (unless I can find an advance weather study for her)
History: Amanda Bennett’s American Government Unit Study Set, History through the Ages, Money Matters for Teens-Middle School Level
For my 10th grade son:
Math: Algebra 2; Keys to Geometry
English: Language Arts through Literature-American Literature
Science: Exploring Creation with Chemistry
History: The Story of the Constitution, Amanda Bennett’s American Government Unit Study Set, Money Matters for Teens-HS Level
There will be several electives thrown in also including Bible study, Spanish, art, and music. I only need a couple of things and we will be set to go. I plan on beginning our new school year August 12th, but that is not set in stone.
So here is another thing I can check off on my ‘to do’ list. (I finished cleaning the garage last week.)
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - What Pet are you Like?
Hmmm... Maybe I got this because we are in the 'dog days' of summer. Maybe I'll be a cat in winter.
| You Are Like a Dog |
 In your eyes, your friends can do no wrong. You will stick with them no matter what. You have a protective streak, and you can be downright nasty if you're being threatened. More than anything else, you are playful and laid back. You truly live in the moment. |
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - Have you seen this e-book yet?
Homeschoolers come in all shapes and sizes. Just as no two families are alike, no two homeschools are alike. Some use box curriculum while others, like our family, use a little of this and a little of that. There are so many learning styles and education avenues to explore that there is no “one-size-fits-all” formula out there. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has created a brand new e-book that shows you exactly that. Twelve families share how they homeschool while offering encouragement and inspiration through their experiences. Have you ever wondered how others accomplish their homeschooling goals? How do they balance teaching with all the other aspects of their lives? What works for others that you may not have thought of that could work for you? Or are you just curious about what others may be doing? Then E-Book: How I Homeschool: Twelve Families Share Their Lifestyle may be of interest to you. You can find it here at the Schoolhouse Store. Read the sample included in the description and I’m sure you will want to read more. I enjoyed it thoroughly and know you will too.
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Monday, June 22, 2009 - Goodbye, Abby the hamster
I’m not sure what it is, but we have not had a good week with our small pets. Friday I found one of my 6-year old parakeets (Lucy) belly up in the cage. The night before she was her chipper self, squawking at Ricky, her cage-mate, and munching down birdseed. Then this afternoon my daughter could not find her hamster in its home. It had buried itself with bedding. She took it out and it was barely moving with shallow breathing. Just yesterday Abby, the hamster, was running all over the house in her ball and my daughter was playing with her. There was not much I could do but comfort my daughter as she pet her hamster until it passed away. She was so sad and it broke my heart when she told me that it was her fault her hamster was dying. Through her sobs she said it was because she didn’t love it enough. I tried to explain that that could not be reason and that it was just time and hamsters don’t live long lives and so on, but it was little comfort. She just had to grieve it through. We have buried a few critters over the past few years and it really doesn’t get any easier, but it opens the doors for the death conversation and where we are going when we leave this world. We find comfort in the knowledge that because we have accepted Jesus as our Savior we will all meet again in heaven.
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Thursday, June 18, 2009 - Stovetop Tuna Casserole and Variations
I use cream soups a lot in cooking stove top casseroles. I have been making the same stove top tuna casserole for years. I often add different things to it like chopped tomato or broccoli, but a bit ago I decided to add some sharp shredded cheddar cheese. It was delicious and everyone really liked it so I added it to my recipes. Here is my basic stove top tuna casserole recipe.
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can of milk
4 cups pasta (or a bag of noodles) give or take (I do it by sight not measure)
2 regular size cans of tuna, drained
Cook pasta as directed. Drain.
While pasta is cooking, empty soups into another large pan and whisk in milk. Heat to just before boiling over medium heat. Flake drained tuna into soup mixture. After pasta is cooked and drained, add to the soup/tuna mixture and stir to combine. Let sit a few minutes for the pasta to absorb some of the soup mixture. It will thicken.
And you know I love Cavendar’s Greek Seasoning, so I also season with that.
This is also when you can add the extras.
Variation 1:
1 can diced tomatoes or 1 cup fresh diced tomatoes
I usually heat the tomatoes up in a skillet for a few minutes before adding.
Variation 2:
1 lb fresh or frozen broccoli
Cook the broccoli as you normally would.
Variation 3:
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Just stir it in while casserole is still hot until it melts.
I think I might try adding all the above one day and see what happens. Should be interesting.
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - Myrtle Beach Mini-Vacation
A couple of weekends ago we took a mini vacation to Myrtle Beach. I wrote about our escapade with the ant invasion but I also wanted to share a small bit about how the vacation went. We had set up the camper in the yard to deal with the ant extermination and naturally it decided to rain. We waited Friday for the rain to let up enough so we could close down the camper. We didn’t get to leave until much before 11:00, but then the sun came out and it was a pleasant 3 hour drive to the beach. We met our oldest son there who had gone down the night before. We set up camp and prepared for the predicted rain.
My oldest was camping in a tent so we set up tarps over it to try to keep him dry. Well, the rain came and the tarps failed, so off to Walmart we went to get a bigger tarp that didn’t leak. By the time we had that set up the rain had passed for then.
The next day, my husband made his traditional eggs and bacon breakfast for us.
After breakfast, even with overcast skies, we went down to the beach. The kids played in the sand and our middle son made a sand sculpture.
Then they dug out the kites and attempted to fly them. They finally got one up and, for the first time that I can remember, I flew a kite. I really enjoyed that, fighting the cross winds to keep it up, watching it rise and fall and dart and dive. Even after the kids had become bored with it, there I was flying it for about an hour. It was so peaceful.
The kids played in the ocean until the skies darkened again and we retreated back to the campsite to make dinner. The boys found some firewood left at a vacant site and we were able to make a fire to cook hotdogs and then to enjoy S’mores. About 4 a.m. it rained again and my poor oldest son had to deal with incoming water.
In the morning, the sun came out and we tried to dry everything the best that we could. Before leaving, I had asked the kids to take a traditional picture of them on a tree by the picnic area. From the first time we camped at the beach, we had taken a picture of the kids on this one particular tree.
1998
Well, the tree was gone. I was disappointed but we took one on another tree. I am going to have this made into an 8 by 10 to go along with the others I have.
2009
(My, my, how they have grown. But they will always be my babies. 
)
It was a really wonderful vacation. The rain did not deter us from enjoying family time and the company of one another. To me that is the ultimate definition of a family vacation.
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