It's all about the Sequence....

We are drawing near to the end of school...this is the first normal week we have had in awhile.  We have finished our history for the year (Biblioplan's Ancient History). Next year we will move onto the Middle Ages. We are close to finding a stopping point for both boys in spelling.  Math and writing will be the subjects that we will work on probably until almost June.  Zach needs to finish his pre-algebra, and both boys need to finish their writing program or at least get a little closer to finishing them.


We are currently reading The Phantom Tollbooth.  This book is so entertaining.  The boys are learning so much about word choice and play on words.  As we are reading the book we are also discussing the characters, plot, setting, conflicts, and eventually the theme of the book.  I am using Teaching the Classics that I got from the curriculum fair last week to walk us through the book.  This is such a great read aloud...one that is
not to be missed!

We recently got a new game in the mail...Sequence.  I had never played this game until Tim and I were introduced to it by some dear friends.  We really enjoyed playing it with them so I decided to order it.  It came this week.  The boys and I immediately sat down to play it.  They really enjoyed it even though I beat them twice! LOL

How to Bulk Cook with a Friend-Part Two

Yesterday I posted about our process of compiling a shopping list for bulk cooking.  Let's continue where we left off.

*I take my 6 spreadsheets and then input the information into another spreadsheet.  Click here to see what I use. This spreadsheet comes from Food Storage Made Easy...it was intended to be used as a calculator for a 3 month food supply, but I have found that it also works well for make a shopping list for us!  At the top of the page you will see a link for instructions on how to use this document.  I would highly recommend going through it as it will make life easier. My description of how I do this might not make sense until you watch the instructional video.  Here is what I do....

-I type each recipe name into the columns across the top (the pink area).

-I then list the ingredients and the size (cup, oz., lb., etc.) for the first recipe in the appropriate columns.  I input the amounts (under the recipe name). Since my friend and I shop separately I input the doubled amount from the original recipe since that is what each of us needs to buy. If one of us were to do the shopping (which has happened a couple of times) I put in the quadrupled amounts.

-I do this for the rest of the recipes making sure that if the same ingredient shows up in another recipe that I go back to the original listing and input the amount for that ingredient.  That way I have one listing for, let's say, chopped onion, and I know the total amount of onion I will need for all my recipes.

*The shopping list spreadsheet is then emailed to my friend, and we shop separately for our items.

*On cooking day, my friend and I come together and cook and then divide the recipes.  One thing to keep in mind is what containers you are going to put the meals in.  We use freezer Ziplocs or glass pans (if it is like a casserole).  Make sure you have enough of the right types of containers.  Ziplocs are nice because they will take up less space in the freezer.

Hopefully, I have explained the process well enough...let me know if you have any questions.

How to Bulk Cook with a Friend-Part one

For about a year and a half I have been bulk cooking our dinners with a friend. I thought I would go through the process of how we set up our "cooking adventures".

*You need to cook with someone who has similar food likes and dislikes. You will only run into issues if you can't agree on meals!

*We pick out 6 meals for the month and quadruple the recipe.  Then we split them in half.  So that means that I get 12 meals total (6 recipes done twice) and she gets 12.  My blog has a plethora of recipes....look up at the "recipe" tab for our favorites.  Here are some other resources we have used for recipes:

















*There are programs out there to help you create shopping lists for bulk cooking.  However, we didn't want to spend the money for a program and then end up not liking it.  So I found a free way to compile our shopping list.  Keep reading...

*I then take each recipe and put the ingredients for each one on a separate Excel spreadsheet.  It is a simple spreadsheet where I enter the name of the ingredient and then enter the amount needed.  The spreadsheet then calculates the amounts if we double or quadruple the recipe. Below is an idea of the numbers I come up with for a recipe (sorry that it isn't that clear!).  If you would like a copy of my spreadsheet leave me a comment with your email, and I will get it to you.  So by the time I am done I have 6 spreadsheets (one for each recipe). I save all these spreadsheets in case we ever decide to do the recipe again the spreadsheet is already there.

Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas


x1      x2      x4      ingredient
3        6       12      chicken breast
12      24     48      corn tortillas
0.25   0.5     1       cup butter
0.25   0.5     1       cup flour
2           4     8       cups chicken broth
1          2      4       cup sour cream
2          4      8      cups shredded Jack cheese
2         4       8      oz chopped green chilies
0.75   1.5     3      cup chopped onion

Come back tomorrow and I will explain how I finish compiling our shopping list.

So Long Insecurity...

I recently read Beth Moore's new book, So Long Insecurity. We all struggle with insecurity for time to time and some of us minute by minute!  Beth recently did a simulcast and my sweet friend, Candace, over at His Mercy is New, shared her notes on it.  Hop on over to her blog to see the notes....even if you haven't read the book you will be blessed by them!

Curriculum Fair

Last week I went to our local curriculum fair.  I always love this time of year when I start to think of what we are going to be doing next year.  The planning for next year gets me through the burnout of this year!  Normally there is always one speaker that sparks my interests and this year it was Adam Andrews from the Center for Literary Education. I really enjoyed his workshops on how to teach literature and discuss great books with your kids.  This is something that we are going to try for next year.

Here are some of the materials that I bought....
*Story CD's from Jim Weiss who was here at the fair.  The boys were able to see him perform...The Prince and The Pauper, Masters of the Renaissance, Julius Caesar

*Materials from Geography Matters. We are going to go through some world geography next year.

*Materials from the Institute for Excellence in Writing.

For Zach...Medieval History

For Noah...Fables and Fairy Tales

For both of them...Fix-it Grammar

One of the things that we are going to try is to evaluate a classic and learn more about setting, plot, characters, and theme.  We will be using Adam Andrews materials to do that. These are materials more for the teacher than the student.  I am going to go through this program this summer so that we can analyze at least one book next school year.

So Many Things...

...to be thankful for!

507. Going to the Curriculum Fair last week.
508. Warm, breezy weather.
509. The month of May...my favorite month...the weather is warming and I am not working!
510. TOC sandwiches...grilled tomato, onion and cheese!  YUM!
511. Birds singing
512. Sitting outside to read.
513. Story CD's for the boys.
514. Friends to help me out in a jam when my internet was down.
515. A crockpot!
516. Almost time for gardening...can't wait!
517. Walking outside in the morning for exercise.
518. Time with other homeschool moms.
519. Learning more about literary analysis so that the boys and I can discuss some great books together.
520. Piña Colada tea

Curriculum Fair Week...

The beginning of the week started off with a bang as we had our local curriculum fair. The boys attended with me so that they could go to some of Jim Weiss' performances.  If you aren't familiar with Jim Weiss he is a storyteller that has produced dozens of CD's with great stories.  My boys love listening to his stuff!  I was able to go to several workshops...some by Cindy Wiggers of Geography Matters and some by Adam Andrews of the Center for Literary Education.

Something else exciting about this week?  We are starting to drop subjects in school!  Zach has finished his Word Roots program for the year and his music history.  Noah finished Math-u-See Gamma and is now moving onto Delta.  He is so proud of himself that he is moving onto the "4th grade" book even though he is still in 3rd.

Well, that is about all the excitement that we can take in a week!  Next week will also be a good one as it will be my last week of giving private Spanish lessons for the year.  I normally homeschool in the morning and then on Tuesday-Thursday I give lessons in the afternoon.  I will be relieved when that extra responsibility is gone for a few months.

Friendship for Grownups by Lisa Whelchel

Do you struggle in your friendships? I know I have from time to time. Lisa Whelchel ("Blair" from the TV show "Facts of Life") has written a book about her struggles with dealing with friendship.  Most of the book is her story of  giving and receiving frienship.  The last part of the book has self-help sections such as discussion questions, practical steps for developing friendships, and conversation prompts.

I enjoyed reading the book, but I have to admit that for me there were just too many stories of her frienships and how she dealt with them.  Maybe they were just too honest.  I found it hard to read about the ups and downs.  But it did give me hope in the sense that I am not the only one that has struggles in this area.  We all go through positive and negative relationships in our lives. I appreciate Lisa's candid descriptions of the friendships that she has been a part of. She is a huge fan of Henry Cloud's books.  I am, too.  So I could totally relate to what she was saying since I am familiar with the concepts in his books.  Lisa does give advice and ideas on how to grow friendships.

Click here for more information. 

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it. I am not required to give a positive review. All my opinions are my own.

What if I gave my "what ifs" to God?

Worry is like a rocking chair...it gives you something to do, but doesn't get you anywhere!"  I don't know how many times I heard this from my grandma Jessie while she was alive.  She was an expert worrier...quite the professional.  And I have to admit that I have struggled like she did...I have become quite the professional in that area!  But the one thing that grandma taught me was to fight the urge to worry...no matter how great the temptation is!

Bonnie over at the Faith Barista gave a challenge on her blog last week to write down some "What if's" in regards to our lives and follow through on one of them.  One of the "what if's" that I came up with is "What if I gave my "what if's" to God?  Our "what if's" are our worries....What if I don't get the job?  What if my kids mess up?  What if I fail?  What if people see my weaknesses? This past week I have tried to give my "what if's" to God.  I have done this by constantly going to Him in prayer when a worry pops up.  It has been so liberating!  I haven't made a habit of doing this before...I am constantly worrying or going to someone else for help.  But this past week I have gone to God more than doing those other things.  I have slept better and felt more at peace because I have given my "what ifs" to Him and have focused on Him than on the problems surrounding me.

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.  Isaiah 26:3

Mushroom Recipes

I love mushrooms!  Now this becomes a problem in my family as my Tim and the boys can't stand them.  Tim is the one with the real dislike for them.  He tells me that he doesn't like to eat fungi.  I tell him that he isn't a "fun guy" if he doesn't eat "fungi"!  But he has gotten to the point that he will eat them if they are chopped up fine.  Here are a few of my favorite recipes...

Bubble Up Pizza

Italian Stuffed Calzone

2 pkgs. refrigerated French bread dough (or your own homemade pizza dough)

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/2 cup diced bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

8 oz. pizza sauce

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1/2 lb. Italian sausage, cooked and drained OR 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1 T olive oil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400. Unroll one pkg. of dough onto a pizza stone.  Roll to the edge of the stone. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the dough to within 1 inch of the edge. Combine bell pepper, oninon, pizza sauce, sausage/mushroom and garlic.  Mix well. Spread this mixture over the cheese. Unroll the other package of dough. Place over the top of the calzone and match the edges. Crimp the edges. Drizzle oil over dough and spread evenly. Sprinkle Parmesan over the dough. Make three crisscross cuts, about 6 inches long, across the center of the dough to vent. Make 20 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

12 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 cups chopped onion

4 T. butter
3 T. flour

1 cup milk

1 t. dried dillweed

1 T. paprika

1 T. soy sauce

2 t. lemon juice

2 cups veggie stock

1/2 cup sour cream

Saute the onions in butter (2 T).  Add the mushrooms, 1 t. dill, 1/2 cup stock, soy sauce and paprika. Simmer 15 min. Melt the remaining butter. Whisk in flour and add the milk. Cook over low heat 10 minutes until thick. Stir in mushroom mixture and remaining stock.  Add lemon juice. Top with sour cream to serve.

Made for Praise...

God has been teaching me lately that we are made for praise and worship...we just have to make the decision on what/who we are going to worship....Here is my continuing list of things to be thankful for....I am working my way to 1,000. If you would like to participate or learn more visit Ann's blog, Holy Experience, by clicking the above button.

494. The curriculum fair I am attending this week.
495. God's blessings in the form of friends...He is truly blessings me in this area.
496. Time to rest.
497. Getting to see a baby horse (24 hours old)...so precious. A friend of mine is going to purchase her.
498. Tulips!

499. Time to work on cards.
500. I have made it to 500 things to be thankful for!!!
501. Chocolate Frogs!
502. Cuddling on the couch with Noah.
503. The end of school in sight.
504. The birth of Lucy (a young couple from our church had their baby!)
505. Chai tea
506. Learning how to lean on the Lord.

Science brings beauty...

We had a great week this week...we are beginning to drop subjects that we have completed for the year! Spelling, Word Roots, and History will be done very soon!  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Next week is our curriculum fair which is coming at the right time...it will re-energize me a bit as I am feeling burnt out on schooling right now.

This week Noah's science brought some beauty to our home instead of the normal excitement of blowing something up!  I normally don't buy fresh flowers for our home...it is just something extra that we don't need to spend money on.  This week, however, Noah needed to do a flower dissection.  So I headed to the store, and found some beautiful tulips! We did the dissection and then got to enjoy them sitting in the window sill! I fell in love with their beauty, and now I want to buy more!  See, science IS dangerous even if you never blow up a thing!  LOL

We also got a chance to take care of Titan's little Uncle Aurik. Isn't he a doll???!!  This is good training for the kids as they help train this little one and clean up his messes!

Blueberry Recipes

Every summer we go out into the woods and pick blueberries.  I love wild blueberries a lot more than the cultivated ones.  They are smaller and have more flavor.  Here are some of our favorite recipes...

Dawn's Blueberry Torte
Crust-
2 c. flour
1 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. crushed nuts
Cut together. Press down in a 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 10-15 min. until just golden brown.  Cool.

Cheese center-
1 pkg. cream cheese
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
8 oz. cool whip
Blend and add cool whip to first three items. Spread over cooled crust.

Berry topping-
2 c. berrries
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
3/4 T. cornstarch
Cook until thick.  Cool. Spread over cheese mixture.

Store in fridge until ready to serve.  Sugar may be reduced.

Double Berry Cake (This is to die for!  It takes both blueberries and cranberries, but you could do all blueberries.)

We also make blueberry jam, blueberry pancakes and muffins. You could make Jam Bars with any type of jam, but we like blueberry.

Blueberry Tea Scone Mix (This calls for dried blueberries which are expensive, but you could omit them from the mix and add fresh ones when you make the scones.)

Titan and Aurik Video

Here is Titan (our mini schnauzer) with his baby Uncle Aurik...

What's Cooking in April?

As many of you know, I bulk cook with a friend each month so that we have food in our freezers and don't have to worry about dinner too much. Here are the recipes that we cooked for April. 

Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas

BBQ Chicken and Cornbread Casserole The BBQ filling we made and froze.  The cornbread ingredients (the dry ones) we mixed together, put in a Ziploc bag and attached that bag to the bag of BBQ filling.  We will thaw the filling and then assemble the dish in the crockpot.

Quinoa Casserole This recipe we are not actually going to freeze.  We bagged the non-perishable ingredients and then have the fresh ingredients on hand. That way we can throw it in the crockpot quickly and then cook.

Linda's Potato and Sausage Casserole
1 bag southern potatoes (the chunky square ones)
1 can cream of "something" soup (your choice)
1/4 cup of butter
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar
1 smoked sausage, sliced
 Heat on the stovetop the soup, butter, sour cream and cheese until melted. Put potatoes in a 10 x12 pan and then pour the mixture over it. Put the smoked sausage over it. Freeze.  Thaw and then bake for 30-40 minutes at 350.

Edwena from Only One Life graciously gave me a book called Fix, Freeze, Feast.  I was so excited to receive this book! I have already been looking at it and picking out some recipes for our May cooking adventures!  You might want to check out this book as all the recipes are in bulk and suited for freezing.

All of Creation sing with me now...

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

Here is my continuing list of things to be thankful for...


479. A phone conversation with a friend.
480. The snow is almost gone!  It melted so early this year!
481. The privledge to pray for those that are hurting.
482. That God's truth sets us free.
483. That Tim's brother is ok...he was in a motorcycle accident a few weeks ago...it could have been so much worse.
484. That school is drawing to a close and we can take a well-deserved break.
485. Getting a great cookbook from a friend....Thanks, Edwena!

486. Being able to buy all the boys' winter clothes needs for next year at rock-bottom prices and having a giftcard to pay for them!
487. Cards from friends.
488. An opportunity to make a little extra money last week.
489. A total day of rest last Friday...it was really needed!
490. Getting to attend our curriculum fair and the Schoolhouse Expo soon.  I am so excited!
491. Boys following through on what they are supposed to do.
492. Not having to deal with much insomnia lately.



493. Great Christian songs that I am enjoying...

Skills vs. Content Areas

A few days ago I posted about how I plan for each school year. One of the things that I take into consideration is which subjects are skill areas and which are content areas. Here is a quick overview of which homeschool subjects are more of a skill and which are content-type subjects. Some subjects could fit into both categories.


SKILL
reading
math
writing (handwriting and composition)
typing
foreign language learning
life skills
map skills
learning to play an instrument
creating works of art
Bible verse memorization/finding verses


CONTENT
history
science
geography
music appreciation
art appreciation
learning about other cultures
Bible knowledge/stories

For us, the content areas are what have always motivated my kids. They love learning about history and delving into science, but in order to get the most out of those subjects they have to have certain skills (like being able to read, write and do math). I always make sure we have enough in the content areas to motivate my kids to learn the skills they need. For example, my oldest is not fond of doing his math, but he realizes that math will be an asset for him in science (he adores science). So he keeps plugging along with the math knowing that it will help him go farther in science. Knowing how to read and write well has furthered my boys' studies in history. So as you can see the skill areas are needed to learn more in the content areas.

Zucchini Recipes

Here is the first post in a series...I will be posting our favorite recipes for certain fruits and veggies.  We will start off with zukes!

Santa Fe Style Quinoa

(Cook 1/2 C quinoa in 1 C water until fluffy (see package for instructions). This will give you 2 C quinoa.)

2 C cooked quinoa
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 C tomatoes, chopped
1 can corn, drained (or 2/3 C fresh or frozen)
3 T oil
3 T melted butter
1/2 C chunky tomato salsa
1 1/2 t Spike seasoning
2 t Mexican spice blend
1/2 t onion powder
1 t cumin powder
1 C Monterey jack cheese, shredded

Pour oil into a large skillet. I use a big cast-iron one. Add the peppers, onion and garlic. When they begin to become tender, add the zucchini. As it becomes tender, add the tomatoes and corn.

Stir in the beans, quinoa, salsa, and seasonings and anything I forgot to mention individually. When it is hot throughout, you can either serve as is, or top with cheese and put in the oven until the cheese melts (just a few minutes). Or you can refrigerate this and serve it cold.

Caramel-frosted Zucchini Bars

Zucchini Bread

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 t. baking soda
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil (or part oil and part applesauce)
3/4 t. baking powder
2 cups grated zucchini
1 t. vanilla
1 cup raisins-optional
1 cup chopped walnuts-optional

Beat eggs. Gradually add sugar and oil. Combine dry ingredients.  Alternate adding zucchini and the dry mixture. Stir in raisins, walnuts, and vanilla. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes.  This makes two loaves.

Crunchy Zucchini Circles
3 small zucchini
1 egg
2 T oil
6 T unseasoned fine bread crumbs
3 T. Parmesan
1/4 t. salt
1 t. dried basil
1/2 oregano
1/2 t. onion powder
Slice zucchini 1/4 inch thick.  Beat egg in small bowl. Put oil in frying pan and heat to medium. In a medium-sized bowl mix bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt, basil, oregano, onion powder.  Use a fork to hold a zuke slice. Dip into egg and then dry ingredients. Put zucchini in pan.  Cook 5 min. and then turn them over and cook 5 minutes more.  You can also put the zukes on a baking sheet and spray them with oil and then bake them in the oven.  We serve these with Ranch dressing.

Titan and Aurik

Titan and his little Uncle Aurik got to spend the day together....Here are a few pictures.

Wanna a kiss????!

Swagbucks and Swagcodes

If you have signed up with Swagbucks recently (I know that four of you signed up using my links....Thank You!) and are still confused about how to earn points...here are a few tips: 

*Download the Swagbucks toolbar and do all your searches from it.  I even use it to arrive on my own blog and other sites that I visit often.  Not every search results in Swagbucks...I would say I win Swagbucks (10 or more with each win normally) about 3-4 times a day.  So that is about 30-50 swagbucks a day. It takes 450 Swagbucks to get a $5 Amazon gift card.  That kind of gives you an idea of how long it will take you to earn gift cards.

*Check out this blog post about how to find and use "Swagcodes" which happen about once a day. Swagcodes can be entered on the Swagbucks site to give you more Swagbucks.  Here is more info.

What are Swagbucks and how do they work?  Read my previous post.

Planning for the New School Year

We have been homeschooling for about 8 years.  Around April, I start to think about what the next school year will hold for us.  Here is what I do to plan for each coming year.

*Goals- What do I want the boys to learn? Are there any new skills that they need (i.e. typing)?

*Skill vs. Content Areas- Some subjects are more of a skill while others are content.  Skill areas include things like keyboarding, learning a language, learning to cook, learning to read, etc.  I always make sure that we have good content (like history and science) in order to motivate the boys with the areas that deal more with skills.  For example, learning to cook a dish from a country we are studying helps incorporate the content with a skill.  I will be posting more about this later...stay tuned.

*Core Subjects- These are the subjects that we always have each year.  I have to think through what we will do and what curriculum we will use for each of these.

-Math
-Language arts (includes reading, spelling, grammar, composition, and handwriting.)
-Science
-Social Studies
-Bible

*Optional/Extra Subjects-These are ones that are considered by most as not core subjects.  However, I feel that they all need to be touched on at one time or another.

-Foreign Language
-Technology (including keyboarding)
-Music
-Art
-Life Skills
-PE

*Picking out curriculum.  Once I figure out what we are going to be learning I then pick my curriculum.  You really have two routes that you can go...a packaged curriculum or "piece-it-together" curriculum.  Package curricula are those like Sonlight or Abeka where everything comes all together.  I have never gone that route.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  It just doesn't fit my style.  I have always picked the curriculum separately for each subject.  Some that we have used and liked:
Five in a Row
Math-U-See
Explode the Code
Biblioplan
Institute for
Apologia
Excellence in Writing
Rosetta Stone

*I then decide how many days a week we need to do each subject.  Like history, we have only been doing 3 days a week.  My youngest son does science only two days a week.  My oldest does grammar 4 days a week. Language arts, math, and Bible are done 5 times a week.  So it really depends on how much time you need to get through the curriculum and how important you think each subject is.

*Finally, I make a  basic schedule for each boy. I figure out what subjects they will do each day.  We call it our master schedule...so they always know what they are doing each day.

There are many others ways to go about setting up a new school year...my way is not necessarily the best way!  But hopefully, this will give you some ideas of how to go about it.

Easter Blessings

God is so good!  I have become more aware this spring of His Goodness...maybe because spring came early here?  Not sure, but I am loving singing His praises right now!

464.  Getting a chance to read So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore. This book has radically changed my thinking about how insecure we all are and what we can do about it.

465. Easter bread baskets
466. Starting a new Bible study with a friend.
467. Lunch with that friend today!
468. Dirt...yes, I am thankful for dirt!  You can't have dirt here in Central Alaska until things start to melt!
469. A puppy enjoying the mud and a thirteen year old son to give him a bath! LOL
470. Getting my first Amazon gift card from earning Swagbucks!
471. Having most of my Spanish students returning next year for lessons.  This is such a praise as we depend on this income.
472. God's redemptive power
473. That the school year is winding to a close.  I am feeling a bit burned out...it is coming at a good time.
474. That Christ has risen!
475. Sunlight and warmth.
476. Pizza on a Friday night.
477. Easter dinner with our youth pastor and his wife.
478. Titan's uncle coming over to play today.