Blast From The Past – WFMW April 22, 2009

Today’s entry for Works For Me Wednesday and I Am Blissfully Domestic is an oldy but goody: Comet Cleanser.  I’m not sure how old you have to be to remember this stuff.  I used it in high school when I cleaned the bathroom.  It’s a bluish-green powder that cleans like there’s no tomorrow.  The only other cleaners that we ever needed were window cleaner for the mirror and some X-14 for the mildew.

So, why am I mentioning it now?  Being the sophisticated, 21st century mom that I am, I have been using the spray cleaners that cost an arm and a leg.  I have been trying to faithfully shine my porcelain sink (a la FlyLady), but it just doesn’t get all that shiny.  A couple of weeks ago, I saw the Comet Cleanser for just 75 cents at the local grocery store.  75 CENTS!!!!  Not the four dollars for the fancy spray stuff.  I brought the Comet home and proceeded to use it to clean my sink and the bathroom.  Lo and behold, it worked better than anything I’ve used in the last 20 years (and, no, it didn’t scratch).  It doesn’t have any perfumes, so Mr. Math Tutor didn’t have a problem with the smell.  Then, this week, I found the Comet Cleanser on sale for just 2/$1.00.

I get to save money, relive my childhood, and have a shiny sink, all at once!!!!  Does it get any better than this!

Check out Works for Me Wednesday and Blissfully Domestic for more great ideas!!

Menu Plan Monday – April 20, 2009

It’s going to be a pretty boring week here as far as food goes, I think.  I’m getting over a really long migraine, so it’s kind of hard to come up with meals that are economical, gluten-free, yummy, and liked by the entire family.  I already have a chicken and roast in the fridge ready to be cooked, so that makes planning a little easier.  Here’s the plan:

1. Deconstructed Chicken Divan – I’ll serve the chicken, sauce, broccoli, rice pasta, and regular noodles separately so that everyone can mix and match what they want.

2. Roast with mashed potatoes and green beans

3. Roast with mashed potatoes and salad or green beans

4. Oven fried chicken thighs with roasted potatoes and raw veggies.

5. Frozen pizza for the rest of the family with chicken salad and rice cakes or something equally exciting for me.

6. Leftovers.

Head on over to I’m An Organizing Junkie for more great menu planning ideas!

Our Week In Review – April 18, 2009

One of the really nice things about the kids getting older is that they are able to get a lot of their work done even when I don’t feel well.  I had migraines on Thursday and Friday, so I was so glad that the kids were pretty independent.  Here’s what we did:

History/Social Sciences

We caught up on our Story of the World listening this week.  We just finished the chapter on the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror as well as the chapter on Catherine the Great.

On Wednesday, we went to the Appleton Tea Party, which I thought was a great opportunity for the kids to see our freedom of assembly and freedom of speech in action.

We are still behind in reading George Washington’s World, but I hope to do some reading aloud tomorrow (proved this headache lets up).

Science - Ga’hoole Girl read about meteor craters and is working on a short paper about them.  Wild Man and I didn’t get to science this week (I’m blaming the migraines).

Math – Mr. Math Tutor has taken over the children’s math education!  He is doing a multiplication unit with Wild Man – so far it’s all review, they’re moving very quickly through it.  Ga’hoole Girl is still using ALEKS, but will be doing Algebra with Mr. Math Tutor when she is done with her ALEKS unit.  Mr. Math Tutor is setting up lesson plans for some online classes, so the kids will be his guinea pigs.

Language Arts – I’m still quite pleased with Wild Man’s reading.  Because of my migraine on Thursday, I just had him write sentences with his spelling words from the day before instead of doing a spelling lesson.  He did a great job without complaining!  I’ve also been interspersing more spelling reviews in between spelling lessons with good results.

Music – Ga’hoole Girl’s piano is going quite well.  The Festival is next weekend.  Wild Man still loves his drum lessons.

Physical Education – Ga’hoole Girl’s first track meet is on Tuesday.  She’ll be doing shotput and the 4x100 meter relay.  Wild Man is spending every second he can outside playing basketball or just running around.

Life Lessons – We got Ga’hoole Girl some good shoes for running and her knees aren’t bothering her anymore.  The good news is that the shoes that worked best for her were last year’s style so they were $25 cheaper than the newer ones would have been!  Mr. Math Tutor took Wild Man on Tuesday and got him some cleats for baseball.  The kids have both been affected by my gluten-free diet.  Anything that is for the whole family has to be gluten-free, so they are learning how to avoid gluten.  Of course, they can still have “normal” food even if they can’t cook it for me!

I wouldn’t trade this lifestyle right now for anything.  The kids manage to get on my nerves when I have a migraine (of course, anything bothers me when I have a migraine!), but they are really good kids who actually like each other and are learning.  Wild Man has been having some attitude issues about chores and schoolwork the last couple of weeks, but we’ve evaluated the situation and are pretty sure the problem isn’t the actual work, but being a 10 year old boy who’d rather play outside than do what needs to be done (go figure).  So, we’re praying lots and working through it.

How was your week?!  Check out Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers to see how others fared!

7 Quick Takes Friday – April 17, 2009

1. In spelling, I asked Wild Man to spell the word “yawn”.  He got it right, so I asked how he knew that it had an “aw” in the middle instead of an “au”.  He said, “Because there’s a Pokemon attack called Yawn.”  Well, there’s no rule about which one to use in this word and he just had to use the one that he recognized as correct, so I guess that Pokemon is as good a mnemonic as any!  (He also remembers how to spell “hawk” from the Paper Mario video game.)

2. Ga’hoole Girl has been going to the middle school track practice faithfully for two and a half weeks now.  The team’s first meet is next Tuesday and Ga’hoole Girl will be competing in shotput and the 400 meter relay.  The coaches will decide if she’s also going to do the 200 meter relay, but she doesn’t really think so since her 200 meter times aren’t real great.  So far, shotput has been her thing, though.

3. Ga’hoole Girl has also been faithfully practicing her wicked hard piano pieces.  Today, she actually got through them without mistakes!!  The festival is next weekend!

4. We got Wild Man signed up for summer baseball.  He’s doing the night-time city league which is a game once a week and a practice once a week.  He is also signed up for a daytime traveling team which will play other teams in the area.  That team plays twice a week and practices three times a week.  He’s going to be a busy boy!

5. I’ve got another migraine today and was feeling really bummed that it’s so nice outside when I feel so rotten.  Then, I decided that it’s actually nice that the weather is good today because we can open up all the windows even if I don’t feel like going out for a long walk or anything like that.  Attitude is everything!

6. I made roast beef, rice, and gravy last night for dinner.  The cool thing is that I made the gravy with rice flour so it was gluten-free.  The texture was a little different (but not bad) than regular wheat flour gravy, but the taste was just as good!

7. I’m listening to the book The Help on audiobook.  I’m really loving it so far.

Check out Jennifer’s blog for more great 7 Quick Takes Friday posts.

What’s in Your Book Basket? – April 16, 2009

Yes, I seem to have gone meme-crazy!!  But, I couldn’t help it – a meme about what books our family is reading right now.  It’s just too perfect!!

Mom

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand– Can you believe I’ve never read this?  So, I got it from the library and I’m working on it.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (audiobook) – So far, I love it.  Set in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, 2 black maids and 1 Junior League socialite take on the racial boundaries of the time.

Murder by Family by Kent Whitaker – I just started this.  The true story of a son’s treachery and a father’s forgiveness.

The Power of Less by Leo Babauta

Everyday Cheapskate’s Greatest Hints by Mary Hunt

Ga’hoole Girl

InkDeath by Cornelia Funke

Physik by Angie Sage (and the rest of the Septimus Heap books)

The Broken Blade by William Durbin

Wild Man

Chosen by Ted Dekker

Pendragon: The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale

We don’t have a book basket around here.  The kids’ books usually end up all over the house – in their bedrooms at bedtime, back downstairs in the morning, etc.  My books generally live beside my rocking chair or the sofa.  I also keep a stack under the window in the office since I’ve run out of bookshelf space!!  Before I go to the library, I check the library website to see which books are close to being overdue then I have the family find the books and put them in my bag for the library run.

Check out The Happy Housewife for more Book Basket posts.

Gettin’ Political

I’m not generally a political creature.  I’m a lifelong conservative (we’ll ignore a few months in college, OK?).  I vote.  I occasionally email my representatives (and get back nice little form letters).  I put signs in my yard.  But, that’s about it.  So yesterday’s attendance at the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party in Appleton was a bit of a departure for me.

Why go?  Well, as the name of the rally suggests, I believe we are taxed enough.  Of course, unlike the original Boston Tea Party, this time around we have elected representative.  But, they don’t seem to be paying much attention to what we are telling them to do.  This rally was a reminder.  As the speakers at the rally reiterated, our officials are elected by the people of this country, so we need to vote, get our friends and neighbors to vote conservative, and get more conservative candidates to run for office.

Another reason to go was to exercise our freedoms of association and speech as enumeration in the Bill of Rights.  I also wanted my kids to see these freedoms in action.  It was great to be among several hundred (if not a thousand) people who wanted to make their opinions known to the government.  We listened to several speeches, all of which exhorted us to take legal and peaceful action.  It was a good experience all the way around.

Thankful Thursday – April 16, 2009

Today, I am most thankful for . . . Homeschooling!!

Some kids do really well in school – I was one.  Some families aren’t able to homeschool and others simply are called by God to be ministers in the school systems.  I am happy, though, that God has called us to homeschool.

Wild Man is finally reading “real” books (he has dyslexia and is almost 11 years old).  Mr. Math Tutor and I were talking this morning about how it is entirely possible that Wild Man might never have learned to read well if he was in school.  He is smart enough that he might have gotten by well enough to not have been “labeled” and gotten the help he needed.  He would have been at severe risk of getting frustrated and being diagnosed as being "lazy”.

It hasn’t been an easy three years, but Wild Man is now reading everything he can get his hands on.  He has read four books in less than two weeks.  He wanted to read Around the World in Eighty Days yesterday, but decided to go with something easier after he read the first paragraph!  (But, he tried!)  I got him some books from the Young Adult section of the library this afternoon and he’s already well into one of them.  I truly have been thanking God hourly for the last week for the gift of being able to teach this boy at home.

Ga’hoole Girl doesn’t have learning challenges like her brother, but she definitely prefers learning at home.  She and her piano teacher chose some wickedly hard pieces for recital and festival this year.  Since she’s at home and gets to make her own schedule (within reason!), she has been practicing for well over an hour a day for the last couple of weeks.

I could go on and on with the reasons that home education works for us, but I’ll just leave it at this: God has given our family a real gift by allowing us to live in a country and state where we can homeschool with minimal difficulty and giving us the resources to pull it off.

What are you thankful for?  Check out Thankful Thursday to see what others are saying.

Works for Me Wednesday – Sauce Cups

Back in the Fall, I was making knitted and felted Mancala games as Christmas gifts for family members.  When I got the cups for the games made, I realized that I didn’t have anything to help me mold the cups into the right size and shape.  One day in Sam’s Club, I came across a package of 12 of these little sauce cups. 

They were the perfect size for shaping the Mancala cups – and there were just the right number.  The really cool thing is how useful they have become since then.  Here are several of their uses.

Measuring dry ingredients for baking – one of my kids’ favorite uses for the cups!

Holding salad dressing for dipping veggies, especially since we don’t all like the same salad dressing and my kids like to double-dip.

Works great for putting all my medications and supplements in before I take them with breakfast.

One-half a cup is about two Tbsp of chocolate chips which is about 100 Calories.

I think this was some of the best $5.00 I have spent in a long time!!  Check out Works for Me Wednesday for more great ideas!!

 

Why Gluten-Free?

I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m doing a two month trial of a gluten-free diet for my headaches.  A couple of people have asked why I am trying this, so I decided to post about it.

Several months ago, I saw some articles about celiac disease and migraines.  Celiac disease, also known as gluten enteropathy, is an autoimmune disease in which the body reacts to gluten by creating antibodies to part of the lining of the small intestine.  The symptoms are usually gastrointestinal in nature with diarrhea, bloating, and malabsorption.  Recent research, though, has shown that people with migraines are more likely to have celiac disease, and that their migraines are likely to respond to a gluten-free diet.

My doctor and I agreed to do the blood test for celiac disease which came up negative.  (I wasn’t too surprised since I don’t have any other symptoms of celiac disease, but it was certainly worth the test.)  She and I decided, though, to pursue a two month gluten-free diet trial.  There is some evidence that some people have gluten sensitivity even with negative blood tests (i.e. the blood tests are not quite sensitive enough to pick up low antibody levels or there is another mechanism at work).  So, until June 1, I am completely gluten-free.

Earlier this year, I went back on Topamax for migraines because the headaches had gotten so bad again that I was really functioning quite poorly.  I have tried to avoid pursuing every new headache treatment that I hear about because it is so disappointing when yet another treatment fails.  In December, I tried oxygen therapy without success.

One of the things I have had to really work through with the chronic pain has been my feelings of guilt about being in pain.  It truly doesn’t make much sense.  After all, I never thought to blame my patients about their pain.  But, as someone who wants to always be in control, I feel like something of a failure when something happens that I can’t control, like chronic headaches and migraines.

One of the risks of trying another diet treatment is that failure of the treatment (which is statistically likely, although I’m praying not) makes it easy for me to go back to feeling guilty about pain.  “See, I can’t even get my life under control enough to not have pain.  If I could just do everything right, I’m sure I’d feel well again.”  This is, of course, crazy.  But, we all have our issues and this is mine.  Frankly, my control issues served me well working as a physician.  After all, don’t you want your doctor to have all the balls in the air?  But, the need for extreme control and perfectionism doesn’t work well in real life.

I’m OK with doing this new diet trial, though, because I’m starting (finally!) to get the hang of the fact that I’m really not in control of everything.  I’ve worked through all the headache stuff and I’m convinced that my headaches are not my fault.  God is in control of my life, not me.  I am getting used to being content in that.  If the gluten-free diet works, great!  I’d love to have fewer (or NO!) headaches.  If it doesn’t work, God is still God, He still loves me, He still has a great plan for me, and He still is worthy to be loved and served, and I can still tell everyone with complete confidence that He is absolutely my reason for living.

 

Gluten-Free Breakfast

Since I’m on this two month gluten-free diet trial for my headaches, I’ve had to learn some new ways of eating.  I thought today that I’d share my most common breakfast food in the last few weeks.  It’s quick, easy, and has lots of variations (and, of course, is gluten-free).

Easy Gluten-Free Breakfast

Instant grits – I used to eat these growing up with just some butter and salt.  They’re pretty yummy, but don’t really stick with you through the morning since they’re just carbs.

Grits made with broth – For some more interesting flavor, I make the instant grits with canned chicken or beef broth instead of water along with a little butter.  Again, they taste good, but don’t make a complete meal.

Grits and eggs – When I was a kid, my mom would make grits and scrambled eggs then mix them together before serving.  I like to make a packet of instant grits (usually with broth – I’ve become spoiled) then mix in one scrambled egg.  They’re tasty and add some protein to get your morning going.

Cheesy grits – My mom puts cheddar cheese in grits, but I’ve never been a big fan of that.  Instead, I make my grits with chicken broth and grate in some fresh parmesan and then put it back in the microwave for about 30 more seconds.

Cheesy/Veggie grits – For this variation, I add leftover broccoli (although I’m sure you can use any other veggie you can find) to cheesy grits or grits and eggs.

Everything in the fridge grits – I make the grits with broth, then add cut up meat (it’s ham this week), cheese (again, I prefer Parmesan) and whatever veggie is leftover.  You can get really creative with this.  Anything goes as long as it doesn’t have gluten!

Additional Note:  I like to make my grits in the microwave, and usually cook them a little longer than the package says.  When I use broth, I’m often using leftover broth from the fridge, so I have to cook the grits even longer.  I add the cheese/eggs/meat/whatever after the grits are cooked, and then warm again for thirty seconds or so in the microwave.

Enjoy your breakfast!  For other great ideas, check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and I Am Blissfully Domestic.

 

Book Review:Christianity in Crisis

Christianity In Crisis: 21st Century by Hank Hanegraaff is a well-timed expose of the Prosperity “gospel” (AKA Word of Faith) and it’s leaders.  In these early years of the 21st century, a number of prosperity preachers have developed an increasing sphere of influence.  They tell people, in person and on television, that Christians should not be poor, that perfect health is our birthright, and that God is bound by the laws of the universe to give us whatever we ask.  How does this fit in with traditional Christianity?  How should we respond to this kind of preaching?

My response has generally been to just turn to the channel and not worry about it.  After all, if someone else wants to give their money to a TV preacher, so be it.  But, these “prosperity preachers” are gaining a widening audience, including some of my friends and neighbors.  How should I respond to them?  Is the prosperity message truly dangerous or just a ploy for money?

That’s where Christianity In Crisis comes in.  I don’t have to watch hours of TBN or read volumes by these Word of Faith (or prosperity) preachers now to know what they preach and believe.  (Actually, I tried to read Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen, but couldn’t finish it.  After about the second chapter of reading that my headaches would get better if I could just get my act together, I decided that I’d be much better off not finishing it!!)  Hank Hanegraaff has done extensive research into the writing and work of the prosperity leaders.  His book goes through the theology of these practitioners, including their view of God, atonement, faith, wealth, and suffering.  He concludes with getting back to the basics of true Christian doctrine.

I found this book quite helpful.  I knew that the prosperity preachers were not quite on the right wavelength, but I didn’t realize quite how heretical many of them have become.  Frighteningly, most of these teachers deny the basic teachings of orthodox Christianity.  More frighteningly, many Christians don’t know enough to recognize the fraud!!!  Hanegraaff spends the last part of the book emphasizing the truths of historical Christianity to help readers see the falsity of the prosperity movement.

My only real argument in this book is that Hanegraff claims that we must refute evolution to show evidence for God.  He obviously does not believe that God used evolution as a mechanism for Creation, but it is distressing that he does not accept that God could have chosen this method of Creation.  However, this is about 1% of the entire book, so it is a minor criticism.

I very strongly recommend this book.  I found it very helpful to clarify my thinking on the subject.  When my friends bring up the subject of the prosperity “gospel”, I can discuss it gently but with some knowledge of my position.  If I need to, I can also do further research on this topic.  The Church needs to get back to historical, orthodox Christianity.  Christianity In Crisis: 21st Century is a step in the right direction.

This book can be purchased at Amazon, CBD, or Thomas Nelson.

Easter Traditions – HOTM Meme

I really love Easter, but it doesn’t have as much deep tradition associated with it as Christmas.  Frankly, this is OK with me.  I think it allows more time for reflection without the craziness that so often characterizes Christmas.

I remember very clearly one Easter when I was young (maybe 7 or 8) when my mom and I both had Strep Throat and had to stay home from church.  We were completely miserable.

Growing up, we always had new clothes for Easter Sunday morning and got Easter baskets on Easter morning.  Often, the Easter bunny would hide candy eggs around our house that we would go around and find before church.  We often participated in Easter egg hunts at church or other community events during the week before Easter.

As an adult, I’m less concerned about new clothes for Easter, especially nowadays with our current financial situation.  In addition, I have a terrible time knowing what kind of clothes to wear for Easter here in the Great White North.  Tomorrow will be pleasant with temperatures in the 50s, but we have had everything from snow to very warm Easters in the years we’ve lived here.

My parents have been in close contact with the Easter bunny and make sure that my children (and my husband and I) get chocolate bunnies from Hoffman’s Chocolates every year.  The last few years, it’s been easier for the Easter bunny to bring our baskets on the day before Easter because Mr. Math Tutor is usually at all of the Easter services on Sunday.

Growing up, we always had a big lunch on Easter Sunday, often with company.  We haven’t done a big company lunch here in a few years because of my headaches.  Last year, Ga’hoole Girl and I cooked a leg of lamb with garlic – delicious!  This year, we’ve decided on simplicity.  We’re making bacon, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and fruit for Easter lunch.  It’s easy to make, everyone loves it, and it doesn’t take much preparation.

The best thing, though, about Easter is what it means.  As much as I love the chocolate bunnies, I love even more that this is the time of year that we celebrate even more than usual the resurrection of our Savior that means that we can have abundant life here on Earth and eternal life in Heaven with God.  Totally amazing!!

Check our Heart of the Matter Online to see what others are saying about their Easter Traditions.

Our Week In Review – April 11, 2009

Well, I’ve ordered next year’s curriculum and I’m cleaning out the schoolroom to make room for it.  Our homeschool group has it’s annual used book and curriculum sale in May, so that’s my opportunity to get rid of stuff I know I won’t use again.  The cool thing this year is that I can get rid of all the early readers since Wild Man is reading “real” books now!

Ga’hoole Girl is making progress on her research paper.  She’s got her cards color coded and is diligently weeding through her sources for information.  Her writing this week was really pretty good and had no grammar or spelling problems. 

We haven’t gotten any Sonlight work done this week.  I’ve decided that I am going to do Sonlight with Wild Man whenever we get a chance and that Ga’hoole Girl can do the reading on her own.  I’m finding that we are having trouble getting it done because I can’t get the kids and me all in the same place at the same time to read together.

I wrote down the words that Wild Man had trouble reading yesterday – theory, natural, vibration, suspension, anchor, mechanical, frequency, resonance, and device.  He’s definitely past the elementary reading level now.  We are doing to be doing more frequent spelling reviews because I find that he forgets letter combinations if he doesn’t see them in a week or so.  Mr. Math Tutor has discovered that Wild Man doesn’t understand fractions as well as we thought he did, and part of it is because he doesn’t know his multiplication tables cold, so he keeps using his table which really slows him down.  So, Mr. Math Tutor is teaching him multiplication tables using some resources that he wants to use with clients – kind of like having an in-home guinea pig.

Today was busy because our church did the Easter Egg-Venture today at the Rec Center.  Mr. Math Tutor was there all morning helping set up and is just now coming home at 2pm after helping tear down.  Wild Man was there for the Egg-Venture because he was part of the WAM (Worship and Motion) Team – a group of kids that danced while some teens and young adults sang.  I had a migraine today, but managed to get it under control enough to get me and Ga’hoole Girl to the Rec Center to watch Wild Man and see how much fun all the rest of the families were having!!  (I’ll post pictures when I get a chance!)

So, how was your week?  Hope you have a wonderful Easter celebration as we remember the resurrection of the Savior!!  Check out Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers to see how others fared this week!

 

7 Quick Takes Friday

Jennifer isn’t doing 7 Quick Takes Friday today, but I decided to do my list anyway.

1. There is one little kink in the gluten-free thing – Communion.  I didn’t think about it today, so I got to the front of the line at church and saw a big ole loaf of unleavened wheat bread!  I took a tiny little crumb.  So, I need to plan for this next time and take a rice cracker.

2. Our town is doing a community garden using the Square Foot Gardening that we’re going to use here at home, so I’m going to their first construction meeting tomorrow to get some info and pointers tomorrow morning (I hope). 

3. I ordered curriculum this week!!  Now I just need to get the schoolroom cleared out enough to put all the new stuff away.

4. We got the stuff for Ga’hoole Girl’s biology dissection for next year.  I’m all excited.  She’s rather grossed out.

5. The “boys” are at the Rec Center getting ready for tomorrow’s Egg-Stravaganza.  It’s going to be a blast for all involved!!  Don’t worry – I’ll post pictures of Wild Man dancing on stage tomorrow.

6. It’s finally been warm enough to open the windows this week!  And no snow in the forecast.  Dare I say it??  Spring might actually have sprung?

7. I decided to go really cheap this week on kitchen and bath cleaners and bought good, old-fashioned Comet Cleanser.  My kitchen sink hasn’t been this clean in ages!  I can’t wait to clean the bathroom!  (Did I actually type that last sentence?  EEK!)

So, what do you have to share?  Leave some comment love!!

And We Have A Winner!!!

Donna is the winner of Clutter-Free Christianity!!!  Congratulations, Donna!  I’ll send you an email shortly so we can figure out how to get you your copy of the book.

Kids and Laundry – Works for Me Wednesday – April 8, 2009

First things first – go to this post to read the review of Clutter-Free Christianity.  Leave a comment and you will automatically be entered in the drawing for a free book to be held on Thursday, April 9.  So, go check it out!!

I’m not a big fan of doing laundry.  Actually, no one in this family is.  But, no one (except, maybe, Wild Man) likes to wear dirty clothes, either.  So, we’ve had to figure out how to get the laundry done.

When I was working, Mr. Math Tutor did the laundry.  The kids helped by throwing their dirty clothes over the balcony into the hallway and then taking them into the laundry room.  When we moved into this house and I became the stay-at-home parent, I just figured that the kids would help more with laundry since I need more help nowadays.  I’ve finally gotten a system that works reasonably well.

We have a three-bag laundry hamper in the hallway outside the bathroom – one for each kid and one for parents and whites combined.  I take care of washing my and Mr. Math Tutor’s clothes for the most part.  If I’m not up to it, I’ll ask Mr. Math Tutor to wash a load for me, which he does quite cheerfully.  I also wash the white clothes.  Generally, I also fold them and then each person puts their own white clothes away.  Occasionally, I have kids fold white clothes while they watch TV or listen to me read.  They really don’t like it, but they do it anyway.

Here’s the part that has made my life easier.  The kids wash their own clothes.  When we started, they each had a day to do their laundry, but life kept getting in the way.  Now, I just tell them to do laundry when the hamper is getting full.  What’s cool is that Ga’hoole Girl doesn’t even wait anymore for me to remind her.  She takes care of doing her laundry completely on her own.  They still sometimes need to be reminded to hang and fold clothes, but they do much better than I did when I was their age.  And, it works for me.

Check out what others have to say at Works for Me Wednesday!!

 

Non-Oriental Fried Rice

First things first – go to this post to read the review of Clutter-Free Christianity.  Leave a comment and you will automatically be entered in the drawing for a free book to be held on Thursday, April 9.  So, go check it out!!

With my new Gluten-Free diet, I am having to learn new ways to eat.  Last week I wanted to have 40 Cloves and a Chicken, but we always enjoy that with crusty French Bread (which is, of course, made with wheat).  Since I’m not quite ready to try my hand at gluten-free bread, I decided to make a rice dish.  I wanted to do fried rice, but I didn’t have gluten-free soy sauce (most soy sauce has a lot of wheat) and I didn’t really want an Oriental feel to the rice.  I decided, instead, to make a Non-Oriental Fried Rice.  What I have here is not so much a recipe as instructions since I didn’t really measure things out in much detail.  But, my rice turned out delicious, and we had a lovely gluten-free meal.

Non-Oriental Fried Rice

Make 40 Cloves and a Chicken.  As soon as you put it in the oven to cook, start making white rice (about 5-6 cups).  When it is done, put it in the freezer to cool.  Stir the rice several times to help it cool completely.

When you take the chicken out of the oven, take the rice from the freezer.  Ladle 1 Tbsp of olive oil from the chicken into a skillet.  Add a well-whisked egg and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan.  Allow the egg to cook until completely set.  Slide out of the skillet onto a cutting board.  Cut into small pieces.

Ladle 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil from the chicken into the skillet and heat.  Remove most of the garlic pieces from the chicken dish and mix with the rice.  Add the rice and garlic to the oil when it is heated.  As you fry the rice, add the egg and season as desired with sage and thyme.  If you need, you can add more olive oil from the chicken dish.

I served the chicken pieces on a platter, the fried rice in a bowl, and some steamed broccoli on the side.  The rest of the family sopped up the rest of the oil with bread. 

As you can tell, this is some seriously garlicky food!!  But it is yummy.  I hope you enjoy it!

Check out Blissfully Domestic and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday for more great recipes and ideas.

 

Menu Plan Monday – April 6, 2009

First things first – go to this post to read the review of Clutter-Free Christianity.  Leave a comment and you will automatically be entered in the drawing for a free book to be held on Thursday, April 9.  So, go check it out!!

Menu planning is going to be a little interesting for the next few weeks.  I’m doing a two month gluten-free diet to try to help my migraines (but my blood test for celiac disease was negative).  So, I am going to be planning dinner menus that are gluten-free, which means no wheat, barley, rye, or a myriad of other ingredients often found in processed foods.  Most of our starches now will be potatoes, rice, and corn.  It will be an interesting few months.

1. Chicken Kiev (with gluten-free bread-crumb coating), asparagus

2.Tacos with corn tortillas (or flour tortillas for the rest of the family) with salad.

3. Tilapia, rice, salad

4. Ham, tortillas, broccoli

5. Ham, arepas (Venezuelan corn bread) broccoli

6. Pasta with parmesan and garlic, ham, tortillas, asparagus

7. Easter lunch – Either a fancy lunch with duck of some kind (if I’m feeling ambitious) or (more likely) scrambled eggs, bacon, grits, tortillas, fruit, milk.

It’s not very exciting, but it meets the gluten-free requirement.  I welcome any and all gluten-free recommendations (although I’m such a picky eater that who knows how many I’ll actually use!!).

Check out what others are doing this week at Menu Plan Monday.

A Simple Woman’s Daybook – April 6, 2009

For Today...
Outside my window... blue skies, the sun is slowly sinking.

I am thinking... that I want to finish my menu plan so I can knit tonight.

From the learning rooms... Ga’hoole Girl read about hot springs; Wild Man has almost finished the second novel in the series he’s reading.

I am thankful for... My children

From the kitchen... Ga’hoole Girl is making coffee cake.

I am wearing... Blue jeans, a black 3/4 sleeve shirt, brown suede shoes.

I am reading... Christianity in Crisis, Sisters Ink

I am hoping... for a week with few headaches and lots of fun with kids.

I am creating... A sweater for Mr. Math Tutor – again.  I’ve ripped it all out completely, but I’m starting again.

I am hearing... “Eragon” (the movie)

Around the house... the schoolroom needs to be cleaned so I can order curriculum.

One of my favorite things... is hanging out with the kiddoes.

A few plans for the rest of the week... buying a dress for Ga’hoole Girl, schoolwork with the kids, worship on Friday and Sunday at church.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... from the Milwaukee Zoo – there is so much irony in having flamingoes in the back left and a “Thin Ice” sign in the front right!

See how other women filled out the Daybook at Peggy’s blog!

Curriculum Planning

I have seriously debated in the last year or so how much structure to have in my children’s education.  I love the idea of unschooling, but have trouble pulling it off because I think (at least with my kids) it requires some energy by the parent to facilitate the children pursuing their interests as well as keeping records as the kids get older.  After a lot of thinking and praying and talking to the kids over the course of this year, I have come to the conclusion that we need some kind of general curriculum.  In addition, Ga’hoole Girl is starting high school next year and wants to go to college, so we need to make sure that her education meets the requirements of the colleges in which she is most interested in applying.

I have also decided (with input from Mr. Math Tutor and the kids) to change up our schedule some.  We have generally been pretty fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants when in comes to yearly scheduling.  Overall, this has been working OK since we’ve done 3-4 days of work each week so I didn’t have them taking off many full weeks.  Over the last several months, though, the kids have been more independent and doing a full five days of work each week.  So, I’m going to have us take a week off the beginning of May then work until the end of June when we will take of six weeks for vacation.  We will restart in August and plan to work for 4 or 5 weeks at a time with a week off through the year.

I have spent the last month or so researching my options for curriculum.  I know that I want to stick with Sonlight for our Core, specifically American History.  Beyond that, I am rather flexible.  I think I’ve come to some final decisions and am ready to purchase curriculum next month.  Here’s what I’m planning:

Social Science (History/Geography)

Ga’hoole Girl – Sonlight Core 100 pretty much independently for American History

Wild Man – Sonlight Core 3+4 for American History.  The kids will be studying roughly the same time period although they won’t be working together.

Language Arts

Ga’hoole Girl – American Literature with Sonlight Core 100, Writing with Sonlight Core 100, Grammar with Daily Grams Junior High/High School, Wordly Wise 3000 Book 8, Analogies 1

Wild Man – Finish Explode the Code series, Grammar Ace, All About Spelling, Reading with Sonlight readers, Getty-Dubay Italics handwriting, no formal writing program

Bible

Ga’hoole Girl – Sonlight Core 100 Bible program

Wild Man – Starting Strong from Core 3+4 (first third of the book), Bible Quest: Promises Fulfilled, other units as I find them and as we need them.

Science

Ga’hoole Girl – Singapore Science Biology with Castle Heights Biology lab

Wild Man – Crime Scene Investigations followed by other unit studies as I find them.

Math – both kids will continue ALEKS math

Foreign Language

Ga’hoole Girl – PowerSpeak Latin

Wild Man – PowerSpeak Spanish

Physical Education – both kids do daily physical activity as well as weekly dance classes.

Study Skills – Ga’hoole Girl will use Learning on Purpose, a study skills book, during August then take a monthly practice ACT or SAT to get ready for high school standardized tests.

Music – Both children will continue music lessons.

This isn’t set in stone, by any stretch of the imagination!  I think, though, that this will give us a start.  I can’t order yet because I need to go through our books to see which Core 3+4 books we might need to order (we did both Core 3 and 4 several years ago, so I hope to only need to order the Instructor’s Guide and workbooks).

So, what do you think?  Any other great curriculum ideas for me?

 

Our Week in Review – April 5, 2009

Overall, we’ve had a pretty good week around here.  Both kids have done a good job of getting their daily work done.  Ga’hoole Girl finished all her weekly work, but had trouble finishing it on time since she had track practice this week.  I think time management will be on the docket this week!

As I noted in another post, Wild Man has really stepped up his reading and even finished reading a novel.  He only read aloud to me a couple of times this week because of my headaches, but I’m very pleased to see how much he’s been reading on his own.  We also only did some spelling review instead of new spelling lessons, but that’s all part of living with chronic pain around here.  I have had to work a little more with Wild Man on getting his chores done diligently.  Sigh.  All part of growing up, as my dad would say.

Ga’hoole Girl finished her week of track practice pretty well.  She’s sore, but still managed to do some running yesterday.  She has developed a research question for her paper and has found her sources.  She’s now going to be collecting information over the next week or so.  We have been meeting a couple of times a week just to talk about the research project and I think it is working well.  She doesn’t seem very overwhelmed and I feel like she’s making progress.

We went to the Milwaukee Zoo yesterday.  It was their free day, so the place was quite crowded.  Despite that, we had a lot of fun.  We each had our favorite exhibits, but I think Ga’hoole Girl and I most enjoyed our skyride over the African exhibits.

So, how was your week?  Check out Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers to see how others did this week!

Book Review – Clutter-Free Christianity

Are you frustrated with all the “extras” that have become part of your Christian life?  Do you feel like you’re trying to follow the rules but aren’t getting to know God?  If so, this Clutter-Free Christianity is for you!

Dr. Jeffress does a great job of helping us understand why we need to cut the clutter from our spiritual lives and get back to the simplicity of following Jesus and then outlining some practical ways of doing just that (WITHOUT just giving more rules and regs to follow).  We are reminded that the heart of our Christianity is not having the most correct theology or espousing the most important cultural causes, or even doing the most socially useful tasks, but is having a heart that is transformed by God.

This book is not a difficult book to read, but it is important.  He cuts through all the garbage that tends to get in our way as Western Christians to point us back to the cross of Christ.  He reminds us that we are to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds” and that can only come by our cooperation with God.  I really highly recommend this for any and all Christians.

Author Bio:

Dr. Robert Jeffress is the senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas, one of the most historic churches in the Southern Baptist Convention. The author of sixteen books, he is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition, live broadcasts of Dr. Jeffress’ weekly messages reach millions of listeners and viewers each week, while his daily sermon series airs on 1,100 television stations and cable systems nationwide. Dr. Jeffress and his wife, Amy, are the parents of two adult daughters.

If this book looks interesting to you, leave me a comment and you could win a copy at my giveaway next Thursday!!

7 Quick Takes Friday

I feel like I’ve been in something of a fog this week because of my headaches, but there has still been a good bit going on with our family.

1. It’s the first part of April which means curriculum-pickin’ time for all homeschooling moms!!  Even when Mr. Math Tutor was doing the teaching, I was the one who went through and figured out what curriculum we needed and when and where to order it.  I just love getting boxes of books!  I don’t think I’ll be ordering for a few weeks since I’ve got to take some inventory of what we’ve got here at home, but I love this time of year.

2. Wild Man has found a game that he just loves – Lord of the Rings Strategy Game.  It is kind of similar to the Warhammer game, but with Lord of the Rings characters.  As a reward for his reading accomplishments, Mr. Math Tutor and I bought him the started set, the Mines of Moria.  Wild Man has been avidly reading the rule book (yes, reading!!!) and even just playing with the figures.  Ga’hoole Girl offered to paint them for him which is going to be great.  There is a new store in town (just a few blocks away) that sells the game and that hosts games and tournaments.  We’ll see how this all works out.

3. It was finally warm enough today for Mr. Math Tutor and me to take a walk outside, but it was so windy (and a cold wind, too) that we only got a few blocks.  It’s supposed to snow on Sunday.  I’m so ready for Spring.

4. I keep reading all these blogs from people further south about how they are starting their gardens.  We are so far north that we can’t even think about putting plants out until the middle of May.  We were planning on getting our compost pile and the beds started soon, but it’s been so cold that we just don’t want to be outside working!

5. Ga’hoole Girl has gotten into all kinds of fantasy books.  She is reading 2 or 3 books (not for school) each week.  And I thought I could read a lot.

6. Now that the UBP is over, it’s prize-collecting time!  I have won four prizes this year, including a blog makeover!  So, keep an eye out for the new look in the next few months!

7. We’re going to the Milwaukee Zoo tomorrow, but I can’t find my camera!!  It’s going to be a serious bummer if I can’t post any pictures.

Check out Conversion Diary for more 7 Quick Takes Friday!

The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived

Book: The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived

Author: Steven K. Scott

Summary:

In The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, Scott guides readers in a step-by-step application of the life-changing principles, skills, and methods that Jesus used throughout his earthly life. Although believers may spend a lifetime learning from Jesus’ teachings, it’s easy to overlook the powerful lessons demonstrated in His life. But when these incomparable lessons are learned and put to use, they enable ordinary people to achieve extraordinary success and happiness.

From Jesus’ earthly life readers will learn:

• How to break through the barriers that prevent them from achieving extraordinary success at work and relational success at home.
• How to experience a level of happiness and fulfillment that nothing the world offers can duplicate.
• How to use adversity and opposition as a springboard for greater success.
• How to love others in a way that increases their love as well.

No matter what a person’s area of expertise and in what setting a person influences others, living by the principles of Jesus’ life on earth produces extraordinary success, unprecedented achievements, personal fulfillment, and blessings for others.

Author Bio:

Steven K. Scott is the best-selling author of The Richest Man Who Ever Lived, The Greatest Words Ever Spoken, and Mentored by a Millionaire. After failing in nine jobs, he started reading a chapter of Proverbs every day—and the wisdom of Scripture changed his life. Scott and his business partners have built more than a dozen multimillion-dollar companies from scratch, achieving billions of dollars in sales. He is the co-founder of Max International, Total Gym Fitness, and The American Telecast Corporation. He is a popular international speaker on the subjects of personal and professional achievement and the application of biblical wisdom to every area of life.

Kudos for Kiddoes (or Readers and Runners)

It’s a day for celebration around here!  Both kids have done some really cool things.

Wild Man picked up a young adult novel called Dealing with Dragons of his sister’s on Tuesday.  He finished reading it last night.  Pretty much all he did on Tuesday and Wednesday was read and do his schoolwork.  This is the first time that he’s read and entire book with which he was not familiar completely by himself!!!!

Ga’hoole Girl started track practice at the middle school this week.  Yesterday, her first day, she came home tired and sore.  She got through today with a hot shower and lots of ibuprofen, but went to practice today with a smile on her face.  Not only that, but she went to her dance class tonight and did quite well.  I was most concerned about the social aspect of starting a new activity where she only knew a few kids, but it turns out that the physical stress of track is far more difficult for her.  Mostly, though, I’m proud of her great attitude and that she is pressing on!!

I’m one happy mama!  (Sorry about not having pictures.  Between my headache this week and the fact that I can’t find the camera, I’ve been rather remiss about pictures!!)