and a ribbon for the Principal to cut...
plus "My schoolwork is all done tonight, Mom!" (all were correct except the line with multiplication, and, um, the spelling)...
and some pretty decoration on the table to greet us tomorrow morning:
Sunday, March 31, 2013
One of Three is a Good Number, Isn't It?
Luci in her new Easter dress...tried to get her photo on the front porch, but thunder chased her inside. When we got to church, there were two other girls with the same dress! Thank goodness Luci is of an age where wearing the same thing is pretty fun.
Tonight Luci surprised us with this sign...
and a ribbon for the Principal to cut...
plus "My schoolwork is all done tonight, Mom!" (all were correct except the line with multiplication, and, um, the spelling)...
and some pretty decoration on the table to greet us tomorrow morning:
The boys are not happy at all that Spring Break is over!
and a ribbon for the Principal to cut...
plus "My schoolwork is all done tonight, Mom!" (all were correct except the line with multiplication, and, um, the spelling)...
and some pretty decoration on the table to greet us tomorrow morning:
Friday, March 29, 2013
Spring Break
Most tales of Spring Break involve beaches, or Disney World, or trips to New York City.
Our tale involved staying home and Not Doing Any School Work.
That pleased one kid (guess who? His initials are J.T.).
It also upset one kid (Luci actually wanted to do schoolwork!).
We did a little Spring Cleaning instead. That made Mom happy.
Usually we don't even take a Spring Break because we are so far behind by this time, that we must continue with schoolwork so we can go to Idaho by mid-May. (The very best time! It's NEVER hot there in May...warm, but not hot! We get enough HOT and HUMID at home.) One year we went to Williamsburg, VA, on a school trip. (Fantastic, by the way! Everyone in the U.S.A. ought to visit there at least once.) But, usually we are at home, doing schoolwork.
This year was the exception. I loved this week! The only thing we have scheduled is the Easter Egg Hunt for homeschoolers at 1 p.m. today. We got some cleaning done--not a lot, but some. The first three days I had chore cards for the kids and myself. We had to have our chores done before doing something we wanted to do (play with dolls, video games, or doing the crossword puzzle in the paper). It worked great.
John had work all week (yes, he's retired!) and was not home or he was stuck in his office downstairs until suppertime most days.
I also had time to get creative with cooking. I made three new recipes this week. The first two were great hits. Beef and Broccoli in the Crock Pot was the first, and Loaded Baked Potato Soup was the second. (I'll post that recipe when I can find it again.)
Today I made Pizza Casserole (Photo and recipe follows). I'm baking it now and we'll have it reheated after the egg hunt tonight. It is very similar to lasagne, so I am sure it will taste oh-so-good.
This has been the best Spring Break, in my not-so-humble opinion!
Our tale involved staying home and Not Doing Any School Work.
That pleased one kid (guess who? His initials are J.T.).
It also upset one kid (Luci actually wanted to do schoolwork!).
We did a little Spring Cleaning instead. That made Mom happy.
Usually we don't even take a Spring Break because we are so far behind by this time, that we must continue with schoolwork so we can go to Idaho by mid-May. (The very best time! It's NEVER hot there in May...warm, but not hot! We get enough HOT and HUMID at home.) One year we went to Williamsburg, VA, on a school trip. (Fantastic, by the way! Everyone in the U.S.A. ought to visit there at least once.) But, usually we are at home, doing schoolwork.
This year was the exception. I loved this week! The only thing we have scheduled is the Easter Egg Hunt for homeschoolers at 1 p.m. today. We got some cleaning done--not a lot, but some. The first three days I had chore cards for the kids and myself. We had to have our chores done before doing something we wanted to do (play with dolls, video games, or doing the crossword puzzle in the paper). It worked great.
John had work all week (yes, he's retired!) and was not home or he was stuck in his office downstairs until suppertime most days.
I also had time to get creative with cooking. I made three new recipes this week. The first two were great hits. Beef and Broccoli in the Crock Pot was the first, and Loaded Baked Potato Soup was the second. (I'll post that recipe when I can find it again.)
Today I made Pizza Casserole (Photo and recipe follows). I'm baking it now and we'll have it reheated after the egg hunt tonight. It is very similar to lasagne, so I am sure it will taste oh-so-good.
This has been the best Spring Break, in my not-so-humble opinion!
Pizza Casserole
16 oz. rotini pasta, cooked (I used Tinkyada gluten-free pasta)
1 lb ground meat, cooked and crumbled
24 oz spaghetti sauce
16 oz cottage cheese
small can sliced, black olives
12 oz grated mozzarella cheese (3 cups)
pkg pepperoni slices (I used about 1/2 of a 7 oz bag)
Mix pasta, meat and sauce. Pour into a 9x13" pan (I sprayed mine with Pam).
Mix cottage cheese, olives and mozzarella cheese. Spoon evenly over the top of the pasta mixture.
Put pepperoni slices on top.
Bake at 350* for 25 minutes (Wrong! Mine took nearly an hour!) until it starts to get bubbly all over. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. I could not find the original recipe--so I cannot give proper credit. The original also said to add a can or jar of sliced mushrooms, but my kids won't eat those.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Chinese Food...from a Crock Pot!
I found this recipe on facebook. I can't remember who posted it originally. The doggoned recipes disappear after a few days--so whomever is posting them has them on a very short leash. I wanted to remember this recipe, so here it is:
Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli
Recipe: 1 lb roast cut into thin strips (Mine was 1.5 lbs. It's easier to slice when it's slightly frozen. I pulled mine out of the freezer last night, and set in the fridge. It was "just right" to slice this morning.)
Put sliced, uncooked roast into crock pot. Mix the following ingredients in a bowl and mix with beef:
1 c beef broth
1/2 c soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 TBS sesame oil (worth purchasing--it makes a difference!)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Mix 2 TBS cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Add to crock pot, stirring well. Turn crock pot up to high for 30-45 minutes, until sauce gets thickened.
Cook 2 cups broccoli (I used frozen) and stir in at the very end. Serve over rice.
I could not believe how well this turned out. Having Chinese food out of a crock pot? That's amazing. Use a rice cooker, and you have absolutely no guesswork as to how long to cook the dish, worry about boil-over, etc. Wonderful tools for moms!
Recipe: 1 lb roast cut into thin strips (Mine was 1.5 lbs. It's easier to slice when it's slightly frozen. I pulled mine out of the freezer last night, and set in the fridge. It was "just right" to slice this morning.)
Put sliced, uncooked roast into crock pot. Mix the following ingredients in a bowl and mix with beef:
1 c beef broth
1/2 c soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 TBS sesame oil (worth purchasing--it makes a difference!)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Mix 2 TBS cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Add to crock pot, stirring well. Turn crock pot up to high for 30-45 minutes, until sauce gets thickened.
Cook 2 cups broccoli (I used frozen) and stir in at the very end. Serve over rice.
I could not believe how well this turned out. Having Chinese food out of a crock pot? That's amazing. Use a rice cooker, and you have absolutely no guesswork as to how long to cook the dish, worry about boil-over, etc. Wonderful tools for moms!
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Field Trip!
Today was a field trip to an “urban farm.” It is set up in downtown
Birmingham, as a learning center and a store of sorts, when crops are
in.
Luci and I had a lot of fun. She met two new “best friends forever.”
Tasting the smoothie made with lots of things she doesn’t like. Doesn’t matter that the orange juice and yogurt hid the taste of the kale, avocado and banana:
The teacher/docent showed the kids the labels that were on some of the fruit, and wanted them to figure out where the fruits came from (I know the grammar is not right, but please. It’s my blog.). The teacher shoved one fruit in Luci's face and asked her where the banana was from (again, my blog, my grammar rules). Luci is reading 3- and 4- letter words now. Luci just stared at it, looking like a sheep who had just been asked an algebra question. Like she’s going to be able to read “Guatemala.” Finally the woman passed it to another kid.
Who knew she likes worms? Not me. She wanted to bring this home as a pet. Two and a half hour trip home and it’s supposed to survive? My answer: NO. (By the way, I think that's a beetle larva)
The teacher/docent suggested tossing the juicy worm into the chicken coop. “The chickens will think that’s a great steak!” Didn’t help Luci. She was upset with that idea. I haven’t seen the worm since we got home, so I am hoping she let it go there in the garden.
The night before this trip, we had broccoli at supper. Luci would not eat any. I took a teeny-tiny bit of the blossom part and put it into her mouth (we are talking about 1/15th of a teaspoon!) and she gagged. Okay. So you don't like broccoli. What did she find at the urban garden? Purple broccoli. Which she LOVED. Which tasted EXACTLY like the green stuff we had the night before. Maybe if she ate my broccoli with dirty hands, she'd like it. (That's the purple broccoli, with yellow flowers, in the photo.)
Today we had some fine company. One boy in a cape, and one boy who wore
long underwear (it was chilly) and this hat with the earflaps. He was a hoot-and-a-half.
Luci had more fun than I ever would have guessed digging through compost, looking for insects. Here she is with one of her "new best friends forever," and that incredibly unique boy:
Luci and I had a lot of fun. She met two new “best friends forever.”
Tasting the smoothie made with lots of things she doesn’t like. Doesn’t matter that the orange juice and yogurt hid the taste of the kale, avocado and banana:
The teacher/docent showed the kids the labels that were on some of the fruit, and wanted them to figure out where the fruits came from (I know the grammar is not right, but please. It’s my blog.). The teacher shoved one fruit in Luci's face and asked her where the banana was from (again, my blog, my grammar rules). Luci is reading 3- and 4- letter words now. Luci just stared at it, looking like a sheep who had just been asked an algebra question. Like she’s going to be able to read “Guatemala.” Finally the woman passed it to another kid.
Who knew she likes worms? Not me. She wanted to bring this home as a pet. Two and a half hour trip home and it’s supposed to survive? My answer: NO. (By the way, I think that's a beetle larva)
The teacher/docent suggested tossing the juicy worm into the chicken coop. “The chickens will think that’s a great steak!” Didn’t help Luci. She was upset with that idea. I haven’t seen the worm since we got home, so I am hoping she let it go there in the garden.
The night before this trip, we had broccoli at supper. Luci would not eat any. I took a teeny-tiny bit of the blossom part and put it into her mouth (we are talking about 1/15th of a teaspoon!) and she gagged. Okay. So you don't like broccoli. What did she find at the urban garden? Purple broccoli. Which she LOVED. Which tasted EXACTLY like the green stuff we had the night before. Maybe if she ate my broccoli with dirty hands, she'd like it. (That's the purple broccoli, with yellow flowers, in the photo.)
Luci had more fun than I ever would have guessed digging through compost, looking for insects. Here she is with one of her "new best friends forever," and that incredibly unique boy:
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