Jacob and Ashlynn are so excited for trick or treating and to see their family that they got up at six this morning. My Mom, Dad, Sister, Brothers, Sister-in-law, Brother-in-law, Aunt and last but certainly not least baby nephew are all coming over to spend Halloween with us. We are all missing my other sister, other brother-in-law, and my little niece. It is going to be a fun Halloween!
Here is a fun cookie recipe for some of that Halloween candy:
Halloween Candy Cookies
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1 1/4 brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 to 3 cups chopped candy bits (such as Reeces, Butterfingers, M&Ms, or Snickers)
1. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugars together with a mixer until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Stir in candy bits.
3. preheat oven to 350F.
4. Drop dough by tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
They are so yummy!
This recipe is from relishmag.com.
I've been noticing Jacob and Ashlynn complaining about each other a lot lately. At first when this complaining pattern began I didn't pay much attention to it because siblings fight sometimes, but after a while it started to annoy me. I was trying to figure out how to stop this behavior and I remembered the first year we started homeschooling I had decided I wanted a calm, positive, encouraging enviroment. I started paying more attention to my behavior and I noticed how much complaining I was doing and I decided to try and say nothing negative for a month. It became clear rather quickly that I wasn't talking nearly as much. So I made an effort to praise all behavior that I wanted to see from Jacob and Ashlynn. I wasn't correcting their bad behavior but they were more cooperative and pleasant to be around. Sometimes now I will catch myself complaining about things or correcting them and I'll stop myself because I know being positive makes me happier and gets me the family life I want. Yesterday Jacob and Ashlynn came and found me in the kitchen to air their latest grievance against each other, I listened patiently and then told them I had been thinking of starting a new dinner tradition instead of just talking about our day, I wanted each of us to think of something we like about each member of the family during the day and at dinner every night we will take turns telling each other. Dinner time came and we each took our turn saying our kind words. I know that Jacob and Ashlynn will still fight, but I hope this new ritual will remind them to see the good in each other too.
We went on a field trip with our friends today to see a living history presentation by the Looleska Foundation. We had fun getting out of the house and seeing our friends, learning a little also.
It is almost Halloween and Jacob and Ashlynn have been busy carving their pumpkins.
Here is an easy pumpkin recipe the kids love:
Pumpkin Custard
325*
1 1 1/2 cups cooked pureed sugar pumpkin or 1 can of pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 or 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice depending on taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can evaporated milk
Pour all of the ingredients into a large bowl, mix well. Spray a 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour ingredients into the baking dish. Bake for 55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool. Serve with whipped cream.
One of the best books I read about children is A Mind at a Time by Mel Levine. I read it when Jacob was in kindergarten. I had heard about so many labels ADHD, Autism, Sensory Intergration Disorder, learning disorders and the so many more. These were the catch phrases on television and parents I would talk to would tell me which label would apply to their child. A Mind at a Time was all about forgeting the label and figuring out how to educate the child. I loved it! I do know that sometimes a label can give a parent insight so that you can figure out the best way to help their child. If that is the case then I'm for the label. I do think other times parents and teachers quit seeing the child and see the label. They quit trying to work with their child. One of the great things about homeschooling is that we don't have to label our kids. We can teach things to our kids when they are ready, not when an expert tells us that a child their age is. I know about not being ready to learn things. I was the last child in my class to learn to read when I was in second grade. I couldn't recognize letters let alone words. The child who had moved from Vietnam the year before and was learning english learned to read before me. One day toward the end of the year letters and reading clicked for me. I don't know if I would have given up, or if my mother or teacher would have, if there had been a label to give me and a reason why I couldn't learn to read. There weren't many labels thirty years ago. I had to keep trying and I did. I read everything I could. By the time I was in fifth grade I was in the top reading group in my class. I remember when Jacob was born looking at my What to Expect the First Year book and seeing what milestones he was supposed to be meeting. I would be so happy when he met those milestones. There where times he did things early and oh I was elated, then I would be devasted when he was late reaching one of those milestones. By the time I had Ashlynn I gave up on milestones and trusted myself to know if she was doing okay. The truth is that we all have a glitch and that some expert could find a label for us. We are all human, all imperfect. It is what makes us all interesting and wonderful. There are still things that Jacob and Ashlynn do earlier than their peers, and somethings they do late. I try to teach them where they are at now and I try to enjoy the process. It really is a lot of fun!
I love fall when apples are in season! Yesterday I made an apple pie and there isn't much left. We made apple pictures today. Jacob and Ashlynn still enjoy craft projects with me.
One of our favorite apple recipes are ABC's apple, bacon, cheddar grilled cheese sandwiches. We don't eat a lot of bacon, but when we have it Jacob and Ashlynn ask me to make ABC sandwiches. I think the acorn squash puree in the recipe gives the cheddar cheese the consistency of American cheese.
ABC Sandwiches
8 strips of cooked bacon
8 slices of cheddar cheese
8 thin apple slices
8 slices of sourdough bread or whatever bread you like
4 tablespoons of pureed acorn squash
butter
Spread 1 tablespoon of acorn squash, 2 slices of cheese, 2 slices of apple, 2 strips of bacon on 4 slices of bread. Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread. Spread butter over each top slice of bread.
Place sandwiches butter side down in a skillet. Heat your skillet to medium. Grill each side until golden brown and cheese is melted.
We picked up the glass pumpkins Jacob and Ashlynn made yesterday. We were the last ones to get there. Ashlynn isn't sure that is her pumpkin. She thinks she picked a different shade of purple with a green stem. I told the owner to call me if any of the other kids complain of a wrong colored pumpkin so we can switch. I think they are beautiful and hope it is the one she made.
When I was a little girl I wanted to be three things when I grew up a mother, a teacher, and a writer. I am so grateful to be a mother and Jacob and Ashlynn's teacher, but last winter I really want to start writing. Then all the self doubt came. What would I write about? Do I really have the time? I remembered that teacher who said do the world a favor and not write. Would my writing be boring? How do you even start writing? When I would talk to my family and friends I would tell them I wanted to write. Tammy, my sister told me to write about what I know. I thought that was great advice,but I still didn't know how to start. Everyone in my family has a blog so I thought I could start blogging about our homeschooling life. I tried to blog in March, but I couldn't decide what to write and where to start. Well a couple of weeks ago Jacob wrote a story and I just loved it. I asked him how he writes and he said he just has a conversation in his head then he writes it. So now I knew how to start. I read a book about writing this summer that my friend Lisa gave me for my last birthday Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott she says that to be a writer you have to write everyday. This is my seventh day blogging in a row. Even if I never write the Great American novel, I am happy I'm writing.
Here is Jacob's Story
Daryl
Prologue
Fergus waited outside the door of the throne room. He had been summoned by Emperor Oberon. From outside the throne room he could hear Oberon’s booming, thunder-like voice, and the meeker voice of his advisor.
“Your Majesty, are you sure about this?” “Warren, I have made my decision.” “But it seems rather rash, sire…” “For too long I have stood back and watched this planet suffer at the hands of those savages. If they do not change their ways soon, then we will declare war.” “ As you wish, sire.” “ENTER!” shouted Oberon. The humongous double-doors slowly opened. Fergus slowly made his way to the throne where Oberon sat, and Warren humbly stood. Oberon was Emperor of the elves, and he looked like a Viking ruler. In flower-fairy books, elves look like pretty little people with pointed ears. So full of youth, wearing clothes made entirely out of leaves and tree bark. These elves weren’t exactly pleasant to look at. They were pretty much humanoid rodents with supernatural powers. Shocking, isn’t it? With a shaking voice, Fergus said, “Y-y-you s-summoned me, your m-Majesty?” “Yes Squire. You have been given an assignment, nay, a mission, to seek out the human Daryl J. Wartman, and tell him that if he does not change his greedy, selfish, un-environmental ways, then we will declare war on all of humanity.” Fergus knew that the king had made a very rash decision indeed. But he also knew that if he disobeyed the king, he would be thrown in the dungeon for treason. Fergus gulped. “I’ll do it, your Majesty.” He reluctantly agreed. “But I do have one question, Sire. I do not know where he lives. How will I find him?” “ An excellent question, Squire. I have written his address on this piece of parchment.” He handed the slip to Fergus. The parchment read:
001 SE Wal St.
New York, New York
Fergus carefully tucked it in is waistcoat pocket. “You may begin your journey.” Said Oberon. Fergus humbly nodded and left the throne-room. Then he climbed out of the rabbit-hole that was the secret entrance to Elphame, and began his journey to Wal Street.
Chapter I
Daryl Wartman was the corrupt founder and C.E.O of Wartman enterprises. The most successful company he owned was a gasoline company called “Wartsico” You could tell a company was a division of Wartman enterprises if it had the word “wart” in it. In a fairly successful car company he owned, “wart” was hidden in the name as an anagram, called “Wrat cars” The emblem was shaped like the face of a rat. With an iron grip on the government, Daryl was the most powerful man in the world. He was the only thing standing between the average person, and a water powered car. He was admittedly the Johnny Apple seed of pollution. That was why Oberon considered him responsible for the planet’s destruction. That was also why he had sent Fergus to teach him a lesson. Oberon was determined to change things, even if it meant an interspecies war. And soon, Daryl would have an experience he would never forget.
The day began like any other day for Daryl Wartman. He got out of bed, ate a bowl of Wart-o’s, took a shower, brushed his teeth, and put on his gray suit. Then he went to his desk to find a small, humanoid rodent, dressed like a nineteenth century Englishman, sitting on his desk with a stern look on his face. The creature spoke. “Hello Daryl” He stared at the wee man dumbfounded. “ I believe you are responsible for ninety percent of the world’s pollution.” Daryl smirked. “My life’s work.” He said simply. “Well stop it. Stop polluting.” “Look shrimp, I have no dought in my mind that you are nothing more than a hallucination, a figment of my imagination, induced by the stress I get from those whiney protesters. Look, I’ll show you.” Said Daryl. “MISS THISTLE!” shouted Daryl “I’m comin’” replied an unpleasant, elderly female voice. Miss Thistle was Daryl Wartman’s assistant. She was a rather crabby old woman. She had fat lips, gray hair in a bun, ridiculously tiny eyes, and half-moon spectacles on a chain around her neck. She was, in short, a stereotypical librarian.
Miss Thistle stood in the office’s doorframe. “What!? What is it!??” “Do you notice anything strange?” asked Daryl. She scanned the room through her spectacles. She screamed. She ran over to him. “Your tie is crooked!” she said, adjusting his neckwear. After she left, Daryl asked Fergus, “Now, why couldn’t she see you?” “We elves can choose who sees us, and who doesn’t.” “That doesn’t prove anything.” dismissed Daryl. “Oh, really?” Fergus pinched his wrist. “Ouch!” said Daryl.
“That proves it then doesn’t it? You’re not dreaming, and you’re not hallucinating. I must be real. Now stop polluting.” “Look, real or imaginary, I’m not taking orders from midgets like you!” “Then it’s war.” “You don’t scare me!” “Look, I believe there’s good in everything, even in scum like you. And with a push, I think we can bring it back out. I want to show you something.” Fergus took off his colonial-red cocked hat, and pulled out a large goofy pair of human-sized glasses. “Here, put these on.” he said, heaving them towards Daryl. Daryl put them on. They were quite light, despite their size. While wearing them, he had three incredibly vivid visions. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the glasses off. He saw polar bears drowning, glowing rods being buried in a desert somewhere, and in outer space, the invisible shell that separated black from blue full of holes. Daryl awoke with a fright to find that it was morning. Had it all been a dream? He looked at his wrist. There was a small red mark… as if somebody had pinched him…He immediately got out of bed, ate a breakfast of homemade fried eggs, took a two minute shower, brushed his teeth without the water running, put on a bright green suit, and went to his desk. “MISS THISTLE!” shouted Daryl. “I’m comin’!” she replied. Miss Thistle stood in the doorframe. “What!? What is it!??” “Today I am going to announce that we will be shutting down Wartsico, and that Wrat cars will begin working on a water powered car!!” “You’re joking.” Daryl smiled. “No I’m not.” Miss Thistle went out into the hall. She pulled a pin out of her bun, and let her hair flow down to her shoulders. Then she let out a loud, high-pitched, “Yiiipeee!!”
epilogue
“ENTER!” shouted Oberon. The humongous double-doors slowly opened. Fergus slowly made his way to Oberon’s throne. “Did he change his ways??” asked Oberon. “He did, your Majesty. He was quite stubborn, but my enchanted glasses seemed to do the trick.” “Excellent!” said Oberon. He pulled a dwarf-forged elfin sword out of his robe and pointed it at Fergus. “I hereby promote you from squire Fergus, to sir Fergus of Elphame. Congratulations, you are now a knight!”
I took Jacob and Ashlynn to a glassblowing class for kids today at Centralia Glassworks. I Had so much fun watching them as they made glass pumpkins and paper weights. Sometimes I have these moments of such intense joy when we are having fun together that I feel so much gratitude. When I first thought of homeschooling my kids I think Jacob was four years old. I really wanted to try it, but I kept coming up with reasons why I wouldn't be good at it. When I talk to people who are thinking about making a change in their lives and doing something new I have noticed that there are two kinds of people those who tell me all the things they are doing to make that change or those who will talk about why they really wish they could make that change, but all the reasons why it won't work out. I was one of the latter when Jacob was four. When I finally decided I would try homeschooling I committed to it. I celebrated the fact that each day I was finally doing what I wanted to. I know there are plenty of people who would like to change their lives, lose weight, get out of debt, quit smoking,change jobs, or any number of things, but they won't start because they keep talking failure and they do nothing. If you are one of those people keep in mind that doing nothing is a choice. You can just as easily start living the life you want. The goal that you have in mind might take a while, but the happiness you will have along the way knowing that you are making the change is immeasurable. You just have to commit to making the change. You might even be surprised how easy it is to reach your goal. I wish you Good Luck!
One of the things I have learned about learning since I started homeschooling Jacob and Ashlynn is that you can learn a lot if you are rested, eat well, and take time to have fun or you can struggle to learn because you are not taking care of yourself. So we are making Fridays are day for fun, rest, or field trips. I love it! Last Friday we went to the Chehalis Mint Factory. They are the biggest producer of an essential oil in the world. The place smelled like a million candy canes! Jacob and Ashlynn learned a little about manufaturing and we came home and had an afternoon of rest. Jacob spent the afternoon drawing and reading. Ashlynn practiced soccer and took care of her Webkinz. What did I do? I put my feet up and read a good book. You have to love Fridays off!
When my kids were babies I loved my Braun hand blender. I think we bought it for $15.00 and I made baby food with it everyday. I felt so happy knowing that I was making nutritious food for them.
As my children grew older and Jacob started school I became so busy. We had a painting business that I did the bookkeeping for, a preschooler at home to take care of, and I volunteered in Jacob's classroom and for the PTA. Jacob started coming home with atleast thirty minutes of homework every night and we always read before bed. Sometimes he would bring home unfinished school work to complete at home along with the homework. I became so tired that I gave up and invited the Schwans delivery man over for a visit. My husband Doug, Jacob, and Ashlynn all gave the thumbs up to the first Schwans frozen dinner so I ordered more Schwans and before I knew it I had become an excellent customer of Schwans. I didn't really feel like I was feeding my family the nutritious food I once had, but like I said I was exhausted by the end of most days.
When we started homeschooling I decided that I wanted to change our family's eating habits. I wanted us to eat more organic foods. To cook more things from scratch and I wanted to really enjoy feeding my family again. Well after four years I can say that I am happy in the kitchen again. We do eat more organic food and I do cook more, but now I do it with the kids company. We talk about the food that we are eating, how we are treating are bodies and how we can take good care of ourselves. Almost all of are meals are eaten spending time together talking and enjoying our food.
Two of my favorite cookbooks are Deceptively Delicious and Sneaky Chef. They are filled with recipes where you puree all sorts of vegetables and add them to regular kid friendly food. I love them because while I want Jacob and Ashlynn to have a healthy diet, vegetables are not their favorites. My kids know that I am pureeing vegetables and putting them into the food they are going to eat. They don't really care as long as they don't taste the vegies.
One of our favorite breakfast recipes is:
Spray 4 ramekins with cooking spray and set on a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, squash, flour, baking powder, and salt. When the mixture is well blended add the cheese. Divide the mixture among the 4 ramekins. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve immediately as they deflate pretty quickly.
I hope you all enjoy.
Recipe adapted from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld, page 67.
There are so many choices when it comes to curriculum, which is great because if something isn't working for your child you can find something else. It can also be a little overwhelming when you are getting started so hearing what other people use can help a lot. Most of the time when homeschool families meet that is the big topic of discussion. These are the curriculum that we are using now.
For math I chose Saxon because it is a traditional program that really emphasizes the basics with a lot of review. There is so much review that I started cutting some out. I don't want Jacob to have more than an hour of math a day or Ashlynn to have more than forty-five minutes. Any more than that and they will get discouraged and start complaining about their math work. One of the things I want for them is to love and enjoy math. So many people I know don't. They do well on their test so I don't feel that it is hurting them right now.
I chose sequential spelling for their spelling. It is designed for children with dyslexia, but it has worked well for Jacob and Ashlynn who aren't dyslexic. I like it because it introduces 315,000 words by the completion of the program compared with most spelling programs 5,000 words so there is vocabulary building also.
For Grammar we use Growing With Grammar. It is written by a homeschooling mother and works well for Jacob and Ashlynn. One of the things I really like about Growing With Grammar is they diagram sentences. For writing we use Writing Strands. It is short bits of writing practice. For handwriting we use Handwriting Without Tears. We do Mindbenders by the Critical Thinking Company for logic. We are going to start a geography program soon.
For science we have always done experiments and read books about whatever the kids were interested in. This year Jacob is a seventh grader and I wanted a formal science curriculum. I researched and researched and all I could find were christian based curriculum for middle school and high school . I really wanted a secular science program. After two months of searching I found a secular high school science program for below grade level readers, Science Power Basics. Jacob is such a great reader, but I was desperate so I ordered it. So far I love it. It is nice because it is simple enough for Ashlynn to follow along and Jacob can do extra work on the subject that we are studying.
We have used Story of the World for history since we started homeschooling. We use the activity book along with the textbook. The activities have been so much fun over the years.
Jacob started a formal literature program this year. We chose Mondo Press Literature it is a school curriculum. So far he is enjoying it.
For P.E. we go for walks, jump on the trampoline, a little yoga in the mornings, and swimming in the summer. Ashlynn played summer soccer and is playing her last game of fall soccer tonight.
A great place to look for homeschool curriculum and supplies is Rainbow Resources online. They have such a great selection and if you can, request there catalog. It has a summary of all of the programs they sell.
The biggest thing any family can do to teach their children is to read together.
This is my fourth year homeschooling my two kids, Jacob 12 and Ashlynn 10. A lot of people have asked me why I homeschool my kids. There are so many reasons why. My husbands earnings provide a lifestyle we enjoy without me needing to work. I like choosing and changing school work based on what Jacob and Ashlynn need not what a school district has decided fits the needs of a huge group of students. My kids are given the choice to homeschool each year or go back to public school and so far they want to stay homeschooling. I like that my kids are able to be themselves without having to worry what their same age peers are thinking about them every school day. We love going on vacations and paying off peak prices. The most important reason is that I enjoy spending my days with them and I love watching them learn. My advice to any parent is to forget about what you are supposed to do and do what you love everyday. If you love going to work then you should go. If you love sending your kids to school you should. I think that if you want happy well adjusted kids you need to be happy yourself. So if you are thinking about homeschooling forget about what other people say and what you are supposed to do and close your eyes and picture how you want to spend your days. If you are happy picturing homeschooling and you love spending time with your kids then you are probably going to love it as much as me.
