The Way It Is At Our House

After gestating and giving birth to two of the most wonderful human beings I know, there are some things that I believe I deserve around here:

1. The first shower in the morning.  There were a couple years that it was hard to find the time to take a shower. I want a hot shower every single day, so I get to go first.

2. The last cookie, cupcake, or what ever else there is, because it was work making these people.

3. The tail section of all the fish we eat in this house, because it is my favorite.

4. When we eat a whole chicken, I want the chicken breast, because again it is my favorite.

5. The biggest bowl of ice cream if I want it. I lost all that baby weight, and if I want to put some of it back on, that is my prerogative.

6.Sick days, with lots of help from everyone including my husband, because we took vows, and also, look at these wonderful children I gave him.

7. A telephone conversation without interruption. My kids are old enough to leave me be, unless there is an absolute emergency.

8. A hug and a kiss from all of these people every night, because I am the mom.

Thank Goodness It's Friday!

I am glad that it is Friday! My throat started to hurt last night,and I had a hard time sleeping because of it. We usually take Fridays off for field trips, or just to catch up on school for Jacob and Ashlynn, and housework for me. Today I didn't clean, I have been resting. After I finish writing this post I am going to take a bath and maybe paint my nails. Jacob and Ashlynn have been reading and playing computer games today.
This week went by so quickly. Jacob and Ashlynn had a good week with school.  If Ashlynn didn't have to do anymore long division her week would have been perfect.
I think that we have been listening to Dave Ramsey a little too much. Ashlynn has made a game of pretending her Webkinz have been using their credit cards more than they can afford.  She is using her math skills adding up the purchases, then she is subtracting the payments they can afford to make. She even had one of her Webkinz returning its purchases, because it was going bankrupt. We even talked about interest rates.
Just a heads up, tonight is the biggest full moon of the year.  If it isn't to cloudy where you live, take a look at it.  I know that we are going to go outside to see it.

Reading Together

One of the big hits here this week has been reading Poetry For Young People- Edgar Allan Poe. We each have our own copy, and we each take turns reading 1 paragraph. The favorite poem so far, has been The Raven. When I was in school I loved reading a book with my class. Reading together has been a great activity for Jacob and Ashlynn. They are both getting something different from the activity.  Jacob is enjoying and comprehending the plot of the poems.  Ashlynn is getting eye tracking practice and exposure to new vocabulary. I am glad that I purchased 3 copies of the book for us to enjoy together.

Our Family Garden

It is such a sunny day, that it almost feels like spring here today.  The weather is getting me thinking about our garden. I love growing our own food!  It is so nice gathering up your own vegetables, and spices for meals.  Last year we planted strawberries, and I am looking forward to making jam, syrup, and strawberry shortcake from them this spring.

Our garden has been a great place for learning for the whole family.  Last year I learned those pretty white moths that liked to hover over my brussel sprouts were laying eggs in them.  Yuck!  Jacob learned that I don't like snakes. Now he knows that he is supposed to warn me when there is one by me in the garden, not just sit there watching it slither next to me.  Ashlynn has learned that we don't kill the spiders in the garden.  They actually have a purpose there.

Here are the things that I am wanting to grow in our garden this year:
Broccoli, peas, green beans, acorn squash, zucchini and yellow squash, carrots, parsnips, sweet onions, spinach, lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, cilantro, chives, basil, and lots of strawberries. 
I can hardly wait for spring to get here!

My Great Grocery Savings

I posted this past Tuesday about Walmart matching competitors' ad prices.  Today I went grocery shopping at the local Super Walmart with the competitors' ads in hand. Here is what I saved on:

2 lb Tillamook Cheddar Cheese Walmart cost $7.98 ad price $4.99
Sargento sliced baby swiss cheese and provolone cheese Walmart price $2.49 ad price $1.49
Goldfish crackers Walmart price $1.98 ad price 88 cents
Captain Crunch Cereal Walmart price $2.50 ad price $1.00
5lb Russet Potatoes Walmart price $1.98 ad price 77 cents
Kettle chips Walmart price $2.78 ad price $2.50
2-2liters 7up Walmart price $1.38 ad price 77 cents
5 avocados Walmart price 78 cents each ad price 49 cents each
3 lb Broccoli Walmart price $1.58 a lb ad price 99 cents a pound

I had all of these items grouped together, behind all of the other grocery items I was purchasing.  I think that made it easier for the cashier to give me the competitors' prices.  In all I saved $12.89 before my coupons. Even if you don't shop at Walmart, I would ask your grocery store if they match ad prices.  If they do, you could save a bunch of money.

Weekly Wrap Up

We have had a busy week.  It has been filled with school work, dentist, an art project, a science experiment, a haircut, chess club, and a movie.

We had a better week with school work. The only struggle is long division for Ashlynn. She just doesn't want to do any long division problems, but that isn't an option.  There lies the struggle.

We went to the dentist for our scheduled cleanings. It looks like Jacob has a spot on a tooth where a cavity might be starting to form, because he is having a hard time cleaning his teeth with his braces.  It would be the first cavity for either of my kids.  The dentist gave him a paste to put on his teeth at night after he brushes that might stop the cavity from forming.  I hope the paste works.

I took Jacob to get his hair cut this week.  When the hairstylist was about half way through, he asked her if she had malpractice insurance.  She turned him all the way around to look at his hair, and she told him his hair looked fine.  He said he knew his hair was fine, he was just curious about the insurance.  Jacob cracks me up.

Our science experiment was from the Earth Science For Every Kid, by Janice Vancleave.  I really like this book. The experiments are simple, yet effective for demonstrating the concepts that we are working on.

Our Matisse collage art project was a success.  I think that the collages turned out quite lovely.

Yesterday was our chess club. Jacob is having a good time each week.  Ashlynn on the other hand is not.  When we got home yesterday she said she wanted to quit. I told her that would be fine if she really doesn't want to play chess, but she won't be able to attend the end of the season party in May.  After she heard that, she decided to stay in the club.  Ashlynn can not resist a party.  I love knowing the things that motivate my children.

We were going to go to the local Veterans' Museum today, but we changed our minds.  We went to see the movie Tooth Fairy instead. The movie was okay. The scenario sounded funnier to me, than the movie turned out to be.

Here is my Love Dare update.  I am not getting to this book everyday, so instead of 40 days I think it is going to take me 120 days. I just have to many things to do some days. I figure that the book isn't going anywhere. The dares are making me think more about my behavior towards Doug, and also Jacob and Ashlynn.  I am trying to show more patience, and keep my negative thoughts to myself.

I have also been busy planning my weekly grocery shopping trip to Walmart tomorrow.  If you didn't read my last post, they match competitors' ad prices.  I collected 3 different store ads  from the newspaper this week.  I will post tomorrow how much money I save.

1 Simple Question Can Save You Money On Groceries

I went to the local Super Walmart where we live for grocery shopping last Saturday morning. While the cashier was ringing me up for the whole chicken I wanted to purchase she was overriding the store price to charge me 50 cents less per pound.  She told me she was charging the price of another store's ad price. She said that they are supposed to do this for customers, but very few of the cashiers know competitors' ad prices.  I have shopped there for the last 1 1/2 years and never knew that I could bring in competitor's ads to get their price. I'm tingling with anticipation for the money I'm going to save on groceries.

A Better Week

I took sometime this weekend to relax and reflect on our tough time with school last week. It made me realize we have been staying up a little later than is normal for us, and with the holidays we have been eating more sugar than we usually do.  So I'm determined to get us in our beds with lights off (no book sneaking) earlier.  I am not baking this week even though I picked my cake that I want to make this month. It is going to be a pound cake to celebrate butter, but it will have to wait. I am going to make sure that we do some fun activities. I have an art lesson planned on Matisse for tomorrow. In history we are studying World War I and the Spanish Flu Epidemic.  I want to go to the Veterans' Museum that is in our town on Friday for a field trip. In science we are studying wind. I have a science project planned for Thursday to demonstrate the formation and effect of low pressure. The last thing that I am going to make sure we do, is go for a walk everyday even if it is pouring rain. So far we are having a much better week, thank goodness.

ElementO

I just finished playing ElementO with Jacob and Ashlynn.  If you haven't heard of this board game , it is for children 10+. The board is made up of squares, each square is a different element.  You roll dice to see which element you will land on.  You can buy the element with neutron certificates.  If another player owns the element, than you have to pay that player with proton certificates.  What a great way for kids to learn about the elements.  As a homeschool mom I love finding fun educational games that we can enjoy together.

After A Challenging Week Homeschooling My Children

I posted the other day about some of the reasons I love homeschooling Jacob and Ashlynn, but sometimes things don't go smoothly.  In fact, there are weeks that don't go smoothly. We actually had one of those weeks this week , and it has made me start to wonder if:

My children are taking bets to see how many new grey hairs they can get to pop up on my head?

They don't realize the cost of an insane asylum for me?  There won't be any money for their college education if they drive me crazy.

They think that I will say we are finished with whatever subject they are struggling with forever, if they tell me how hard it is enough times?

They think it surprises me when they say "Dad is nicer than you."  Of course he is, he didn't have to sit through a morning of homeschooling joy with them.

God is answering the prayer my mom said over and over again while I was growing up, "I pray to God that you have children that act just like you are right now." Mom I think that God heard you.

Even with the hard days or weeks, I love our homeschool life.

Crazy Vegetable Puree Lady's Open-Faced Italian Chicken Sandwiches

These sandwiches are a yummy lunch. Jacob and Ashlynn give them 4 thumbs up!

Preheat 375

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup cauliflower puree
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 whole wheat flat breads
2 cloves garlic minced
8 teaspoons Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
olive oil

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until no longer pink in the center.  Add garlic, cook for 1 more minute.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together cauliflower puree, Italian seasoning, and cooked chicken.

3. Place the flat breads on a baking sheet.  Top flat breads with the chicken mixture, Parmesan, and  mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 sandwiches

Enjoy!

12 Reasons Why I Love Being A Homeschool Mom

1. There isn't any homework to help Jacob and Ashlynn with while I am cooking dinner.
2. I don't have to get Jacob and Ashlynn up, and have them get ready for a school bus.
3. I can teach Jacob and Ashlynn in my pajamas if I want to.
4. No PTA meetings.  No offense to anybody out there who likes them.
5. I can change curriculum that isn't working for Jacob and Ashlynn.
6. I am learning stuff while I am teaching them.
7. I don't have to wait for a parent-teacher conference to know how Jacob and Ashlynn are doing in school.
8. I love hearing, "my mom taught me that."
9. I love going on vacations during off peak times, and paying off peak prices.
10. I love the limited peer influence.
11. I love that the only bully at our school is me. I told all of you I can be a impatient and bossy.:)
12. I love being with my kids!  They make me laugh, and bring me so much joy!

Mom Has Eaten To Much Chocolate Lately Vegetable Soup

Do any of you have a pair of pants that are a little bit bigger than the other pants you own?  Well I do, and when those are the only pants I want to wear, I make this soup for lunch.  It helps me get back on the healthy eating track.

Vegetable Soup

4 cups vegetable broth
3 carrots chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
as much garlic as you want(I love garlic so I put in a bunch)
2 Yukon Gold potatoes cubed
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon basil
pick out 2 or 3 more vegetables to add


Put everything in a saucepan. Heat soup over medium heat. Let simmer for 15 or 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables are cooked.
Enjoy!

The Love Dare

Jacob and Ashlynn had a sleepover at my mom's house Saturday night. I love our family time so much, but it is nice to have couple time with Doug.  Having time alone with him reminds me of how much fun just the two of us have together, and how much I love him.  I try to be a good wife, but I know that sometimes I am impatient and bossy. I have decided to do The Love Dare to honor our marriage. If you haven't heard of the The Love Dare book, it is about teaching you to love your spouse unconditionally.  I actually bought The Love Dare book last spring.  I had an image of reading it together as a couple every night, and doing the dares in the book together.  That didn't work out for us.  After a week, Doug said that he didn't want to do it anymore, so we stopped. This time I am doing The Love Dare alone with no expectations on Doug.  I am ready to let go of the conditions I put on love, and to try to be more loving. Wish me luck!

A Homeschool Mom's Lazy Housecleaning Strategy

We had a great first week back to school after our Christmas break.  Ashlynn went to her baking club on Monday. She came home with some delicious treats and some great new recipes.  I am very happy to say that this week Ashlynn has mastered long division math problems! Jacob has been busy reading some of the books he received for Christmas.  They both started chess club yesterday.  They cracked up over my words of wisdom on the way there.  Jacob had a good time.  Ashlynn wasn't very happy that there is only one other girl.  I am going to point out to her, that at least she isn't the only girl.  We did get a late start to school each day this week. Isn't sleeping in sometimes a great homeschooling perk?
 Today I cleaned up around here.  I started thinking while I was cleaning at how much of a challenge it can be to keep the house clean.  I know that there are some really talented people who have come up with some great systems (Fly Lady and Motivated Moms to name a couple) to help people stay on top of this homemaking dilemma.  While I am not that talented or organized, I did think that I would share my strategy for keeping this place clean.
The first thing I aim for is a house that is clean enough to be healthy.That means that if there is a mess here that has the potential make us sick, that is the mess that gets my first priority.
The second thing I do, is only clean what is dirty. If something looks pretty clean I move on.  I am too lazy to waste precious time being a perfectionist. 
I taught Jacob and Ashlynn to pick up after themselves when they were old enough to be physically capable of doing so.  This has helped so much with keeping the house clean.
I set aside short cleaning times a couple of times a week.  Once a week I set aside a couple hours for a longer more thorough cleaning.  Unless it is a mess that could effect our health, I leave all of my cleaning for those times.  That way I don't feel like all I do around here is clean.

I know that I am going to miss the messes around here when Jacob and Ashlynn are grown up. Until that time comes, I am just getting by with a clean enough house.

A Crazy Homeschool Mom's Words Of Wisdom

Jacob and Ashlynn are starting chess club today.  We have never met any of the people who are going to be there.  I want them to be prepared to meet all of these new people, so I have come up with some advice that I am going to give them while we are on the way to the club.
1. When you meet somebody don't show them all of your crazy at once, small increments is best.
2. Everybody likes a smiling person, unless the smile is a crazy one.
3. Remember if someone is bothering you, that crazy doesn't like crazier.  This has really helped me gain the upper hand with some difficult people I have encountered in life.
4. People like people who are having fun, so even if you aren't, try to fake it until you are.
5. Don't pick your nose.  This one might be the most important.
6. Make eye contact. On the other hand, remember, you are not in a staring contest.

I hope someday Jacob and Ashlynn will be able to pass these words of wisdom on.

Mommy Mysteries

1.How come there is at least 1 complainer at every meal?
2.How long are my neighbors going to leave their Christmas lights up this year?  Last year they came down the last week of June.  The annoying thing was that they turned the lights on every night.  Maybe they celebrate Christmas for a really long time?
3. Why do Jacob and Ashlynn tell me when they are bored?  Do they think that I am the entertainment around here? I have no performances scheduled.
4. When does a homeschool mother get a day off?  I just can't figure this one out.
5. Why is it so hard to get out of a nice warm bed in the morning? I really need some help with this one this week.
6. Why is my mother getting smarter the older I get? I know that she didn't know so much when I was a teenager.
7. Why after a nice long break from school for the holidays, am I feeling like we need another break already? 

Crazy Vegetable Lady's Shepherd's Pie

This meal is a big hit here! 

Shepard's Pie

Preheat 375

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup cauliflower puree
1/2 cup carrot puree
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup peas (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormicks Montreal Steak Seasoning

1. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium heat.  When the meat is browned add the carrot puree, peas, and seasoning. Stir often until the everything is warm.  Spread the mixture in a 8x8 baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl mix the cauliflower puree and mashed potatoes until well blended.  Spread on top of  the meat mixture.  Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

3. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Crazy Vegetable Puree Lady's Ham and Cheese Quiche

Pastry for Single Crust Pie
3 beaten eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup butternut squash puree
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup chopped ham
1 tablespoon flour
Dash of salt and pepper

Preheat 450

1. Prepare your favorite pastry for a single crust pie.  I make the Bob's Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour pastry recipe.  Bake the pastry in a 450 degree oven for 8 minutes.

2. In a bowl stir eggs, flour,salt, pepper, squash, and milk until well blended.  Stir in ham and cheese.

3. Pour into hot pastry shell.  Bake in a 325 degree oven 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool for 10 minutes.

                                                             Enjoy!

Butter

I go back and forth between eating butter and eating margarine. It is so hard to figure out which one is better than the other.  There is so much conflicting information about butter versus margarine so I can't decide which one to use.   Whichever one I am using at the moment is consumed mostly in moderation.  I watched the movie Julie and Julia this weekend and it really got me thinking about butter.  If Julia Child can live to be almost 92 eating butter, that is a great testimony for butter.  So guess what?  I am never going back to margarine again.  Yippee!   I have been singing a butter song in my head all weekend.  "Butter, butter, butter, butter, butter for me.  I am going to make everything I cook taste buttery!"  I had to go to Costco yesterday to make sure that I have enough butter in the house for my new lifestyle.  I better get back to school work with Jacob and Ashlynn.

It's A Crazy Vegetable Puree Lady Day

I am in a vegetable pureeing mood today.  I think it is because we are back to school on Monday and I want to start 2010 prepared.  I am pureeing acorn and butternut squash, cauliflower, and carrots.  I had meant to buy sweet potatoes to puree when I went to Walmart for groceries this morning, but I forgot to get them.  There is no chance of me going back to that place today.  It is always so busy and chaotic that it takes me atleast a week to get the stamina to face that place again.  So no sweet potato puree for waffles and pancakes, oh well.  Maybe I will puree some bananas to put in pancakes and waffles instead.  If you are asking yourself, what is this crazy vegetable puree lady going to do with all of that puree? I am going to use the butternut squash in ham and cheddar cheese quiche and butternut squash soup.  I am going to put the acorn squash in grilled cheese sandwiches, cheesy scrambled eggs and egg souffle.  I am going to put the cauliflower in baked potatoes, mashed potatoes for shepherd's pie, potato pancakes, and Italian mozzarella chicken sandwiches.  I am going to use the carrot puree for lasagne, tacos, shepherd's pie and egg salad sandwiches.  I love that all of these meals are a little bit healthier because of my vegetable puree habit!  I will share all of the new recipes that I mentioned starting next week.

Happy 2010!

I hope that all of you had a Happy New Year's Eve!  It has been a busy week for us.  Jacob turned 13 and we took him to Seattle to see the troll underneath the Ballard Bridge.  After we went to the Seattle waterfront to the Ye Old Curiosity Shop.  These are two things he has been wanting to do for a while.  He asked me if I was sad that he was growing up, and I told him no way.  I am so happy that I get to watch him and Ashlynn become the amazing people that they are becoming.  It was thirteen years ago today that my mom had come over to see me after coming home from the hospital with Jacob.  She is a nurse and had taken my blood pressure because I had preeclampsia while I was pregnant.  Preeclampsia is supposed to go away after you give birth, but sometimes it doesn't.  My blood pressure was very high, so mom very calmly took me to the hospital and they saved my life.  I had never felt so close to God as I did that day. Every January 1 I remember that each day is a gift, something to be grateful for.