Located in the Sacramento area, 'Riverbend Prep' provides a Christ-centered homeschool for two boys, 'A' is 1B6 and 'R' is 2B5. I define myself as a Sonlight mom with Charlotte Mason tendencies... :) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:32:00 -0600 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:32:00 -0600 Our friend, Sean, is moving from Roseville to Indianapolis over Thanksgiving week.  We wanted to treat him to a going-away Thanksgiving dinner, so I made a full turkey dinner a week early! Shortly before dinner, 'A' lost his third tooth!  We were glad that he did not have to watch how he ate! Menu Dilled Deviled Eggs Spinach Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette Roast Turkey with Sage Garlic Butter Turkey Gravy Pancetta and Apple Stuffing Marjoram Mashed Potatoes Coconut Cardamom Sweet Potatoes Green Beans with Lemon Bread Crumbs Cranberry Sauce with Apples and Ginger Dinner Rolls Pumpkin Pie After dinner, we all wrote out things we were grateful for on paper rings and created a paper chain that will help remind us to be thankful for all God's blessings. The spread... This is Sean, leaving with plenty of leftovers! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745765/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:32:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745765/ Saturday was spent purchasing a new car for my husband.  WOO HOO! We decided to break it in by going on a day trip to San Francisco on Sunday! Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge... We drove around Marin county for a while, then went back into the city.  Decided to drive to Ocean Park  to enjoy the beach.  It was a beautiful day and it was fun to watch the surfers. 'R' found a neat piece of beach glass... 'A' wrote out, "I love mom and dad and 'r'" Life is good! We found about six jellyfish.  If you touch them, they react and pulsate.  I kind of felt sorry for them. Cool mural on a house... We took the roof off for a while to enjoy the late afternoon sun... Java Beach Cafe, a very popular spot for lattes, sandwiches, soups, and salads.  This is where we ate lunch. Another cool mural... Heading for Golden Gate Park... Driving through Golden Gate Park, we learned that the park has an established American Bison breeding program that has been in existence for over a century!!  It was kind of a fun, unexpected , discovery. We left San Francisco at sunset and treated the boys to a spaghetti dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Sacramento. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745761/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:08:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745761/ Nestled right in the middle of Sacramento is Sutter's Fort.  We stopped here on our day trip with Michelle. M.I.C.K.E.Y.... Heading to the Fort's entrance... Built in 1839 by John Sutter,  the fort served as a rest stop for weary travelers and a place to purchase provisions. There were multiple cannons surrounding the fort.  They were never used in defense, and were just used to occasionally scare Native Americans. This windowless, brick room served as the prison! This room was called the immigrant room.  It was a room where those who have traveled long distances could rest and recoup before continuing on to their final destination. The boys standing guard... Inside the covered wagon... This room was for the spinners and weavers... The bakery... Sutter's office.  His clerk kept track of all transactions and supplies within the fort... This room was where the doctor tended patients.  It was a little disconcerting that it was located just off of the dining room!  Two beds and a desk filled the room... Sutter's parlor. The kitchen... The distillery... The mill... Room for the "vacaros"/cowboys... Blacksmith shop... Candlemaker... Sutter's bedroom... General store... Guard station... Here is a link for a virtual tour of Sutter's Fort and activities for school... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745743/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:55:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745743/ Michelle and I took that boys to Sacramento for the day.  We surprised them by parking before getting downtown, and took the light rail in! As we were looking for the entrance to the light rail, we ran into a rafter of wild turkeys.  There were about 30 of them! All aboard... We decided to walk along midtown and explore.  The boys liked looking at the outdoor art around the convention center... This one is tited, 'Walking the Dogs' There are actually two of these fountains... Unique hedge surrounding the Hyatt... Lunch break at The Bread Store.  Awesome sammies!! After our Sutter Fort visit, we walked along a street that had some beautiful older homes... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745688/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:13:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745688/ This science lesson revolved around air and how sounds are made with air and water.... We took turns blowing into the bottle with a varied amount of water.  We learned that the less water in the water created a lower sound, and more water created a higher sound. Our second experiment included creating pan flutes using straws and tape.  We learned that the longer straws created a lower sound, and the shorter straws were higher. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745684/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745684/ My 'sistah from anothah muthah', Michelle, visited us from Washington state for four days.  We had a great time doing alot and doing nothing. The boys found humor in the fact that the three of them were coincidentally wearing brown cordouroy... Michelle brought the boys, 'excavation kits'.  'A's was fossils, and 'R's was fools gold...Pyrite.... The project got a bit dusty, so we took it outside... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745678/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:32:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745678/ We took advantage of a perfect Autumn day and went on a hike to Hidden Falls.  Hidden Falls Regional Park is between Lincoln and Auburn.  The pinecones are HUGE! We enjoy seeing the nut trees.  I think this is chestnut... Acorns! ...and an acorn fight! Dead Man's Creek Overlooking the overlook of Hidden Falls... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745669/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:37:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/745669/ This recipe was requested by my friend, Jodi.  This is in the crockpot cookbook, "Fix It and Forget It Lightly" White Chicken Chili Makes 6 servings 1T. olive oil 3/4lb. uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed"1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 large onion, chopped 1c. fat free chicken broth 2 15.5oz. cans navy beans, rinsed and drained 1t. dry mustard 1t. ground cumin 1/2t. salt 1/4t. black pepper 1. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. 2.  Add chicken and cook 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Stir frequently.  Reove and set aside. 3.  Add onion and garlic to skillet.  Cook 5 minutes or until tender. 4.  Spoon chicken, onion, and garlic into crockpot. 5.  Add broth, beans, mustard powder, cumin, salt and pepper. 6.  cover.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours. 7.Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream. Toppings: tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream or plain yogurt, green onion http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/744343/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:07:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/744343/ Monday:  Tlalpeno Soup, Salad, Tortillas Tuesday: French Dip, Fries, Grapes Wednesday:  Michelle's last night with us: Dine out Thursday: White Chicken Chili, Cornbread, Salad Friday: Steak, potatoes, green beans Saturday: Eat out Sunday: Leftovers http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/743594/ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:45:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/743594/ As requested, here is the recipe for steak Skewers with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce.  It comes from the cookbook, Fix, Freeze, and Feast.  This cookbook focuses on making multiple entrees for freezing.  This recipe makes three entrees, four servings each. 1 tray (about 6 pounds) boneless top sirloin steaks 1/2c. olive oil 1/4c. red wine vinegar 1 1/2t. black pepper Sauce 1 (4-5oz.) container crumbled blue cheese (approx. 3/4c.) 3c. heavy cream 3/4t. black pepper You need: 6 one gallon freezer bags, label 3 3 one quart freezer bags Have on hand for cooking: 8 (9inch) wooden or metal skewers To prep: -Rinse steaks and trim fat.  Cut into  1 inch cubes.  Divide beef evenly among the unlabeled 1 gallon freezer bags. -Whisk together oil and vinegar in a small bowl.  divide the marinade evenly over the beef.  Into each bag, measure 1/2t. pepper.  Seal bags. -Divide the blue cheese among the three 1 quart freezer bags.  Imto each bag of cheese, measure 1 cup heavy cream and 1/4t. pepper.  Seal bags. -Into each labeled 1 gallon bag, place one bag of beef and one bag of sauce. -Seal and freeze. To cook: Prepare on an outdoor grill or indoors under a broiler. -completely thaw one entree in freezer. For outdoor: Prepare a medium fire in grill.  If using wooden skewers, soak them in water while meat is thawing.  Thread steak pieces onto skewers.  Grill, turn occasionally, about 10 minutes or until done to your liking.  discard remaining marinade. meanwhile, heat the blue cheese mixture in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Simmer gently, stirring frequently, until the cream reduces and thickens into a velvety sauce.  Serve as a dipping sauce with the steak. For indoor: -Arrange skewers, prepared as above, on an ungreased broiler pan.  Broil under high heat, 5 inches from heat source, turning frequently for about 10 minutes, or until done to your liking.  Discard remaining marinade. -Heat cheese as described above. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/743050/ Sun, 8 Nov 2009 11:22:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Leigharev2/743050/