Sunday, December 27, 2009
A New Leaf
If you'd like to continue (or start) reading my blog, you'll have to visit my new home:
A Yellow Wood
I hope you'll join me!
A Yellow Wood
I hope you'll join me!
Monday, November 02, 2009
This made me physically ill today.
Watch the video in the upper right corner.
Advent Conspiracy
Ten billion dollars would solve the world's potable water problem.
In the U.S., we spend $450 billion per year on Christmas.
What a way to honor to the Prince of Peace.
Advent Conspiracy
Ten billion dollars would solve the world's potable water problem.
In the U.S., we spend $450 billion per year on Christmas.
What a way to honor to the Prince of Peace.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
I said I'd be back.
Hey, it's that time of year again - time to get the school plans down for the fall. I thought I'd give you a run down of what we're planning, and I would love to see the links to your plans, as well.
The curricula listed are for both Luke and Peyton unless otherwise noted. Luke will be 11 and Peyton will be 9. WHAT!? That's crazy to write.
Bible - We're going to use the Veritas Press Bible cards, the Gospel series. These cards give a good, clear understanding of the content and chronology of Biblical events. We have Victor Journey Through the Bible that we will use alongside the cards and Bible reading.
Math - Luke will move on to Math U See Zeta with Life of Fred Decimals and Percents as a supplement. I'll be giving him some real life math problems to work on as well.
Peyton is about halfway through MUS Delta, and when she finishes that she'll move into MUS Epsilon with Life of Fred Fractions as a supplement.
Grammar - We're going to be using Analytical Grammar, with the recommended three year course. I love the thinking behind this program, which is thorough and rigorous, but doesn't review part of speech definitions until your brain pours out of your ears.
Peyton will not be doing a formal grammar program this year, but will have plenty built into her writing program.
Writing - Luke will be using Classical Writing, Homer A this year. We will wait to start it until the ten week course of Analytical Grammar is complete. The grammar in Homer along with the biweekly AG review should keep his grammar skills sharp while he focuses on writing.
Peyton will be using Classical Writing Aesop B this year.
Spelling - We've been using Spelling Power. Luke took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills this year and while he did pretty well overall, he pretty much stunk up the spelling section. This surprised me, because when he writes he is not prone to many spelling errors. I'm rethinking how we use SP vs. changing to a different program. Peyton hates Spelling Power (thought she spelled very well on the test) and I need to change her program for sure. Thoughts?
History - Luke will be going from the end of the Revolutionary War as far as we can - maybe stopping before WWI? - as recommended in The Well Trained Mind. Each week this will include reading a section in the 1994 version of Kingfisher's History Encyclopedia, making a list of pertinent facts learned and adding important dates to the timeline on Day One, doing mapwork and delving deeper into areas of interest from Kingfisher at the library and outlining a particular topic of interest on Day Two, and writing a summary of this topic of interest on Day Three.
Peyton will be covering the same time period, though her core text will be Story of the World last half of 3 and first half of 4, with written narrations each week. She'll also use the Story of the World Activity Guide for coloring pages, maps and other activities, and additional library books along with Usborne's Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History for digging deeper.
Literature - Luke will be reading through many of the logic-stage recommendations for this time period from The Well Trained Mind. Peyton's list will come from the grammar stage recs.
Latin - We'll be using First Form Latin. This was a tough piece. Luke and Peyton have now worked through Latina Christiana II, and Luke could move on, but Peyton is not ready for a higher level Latin. Fortunately for us, Memoria Press is publishing First Form just in the nick of time. Much of First Form will review LC I&II, but they dig deeper into the grammar with more exercises. So this year will be a reinforcement year for the two of them. I just don't want to commit the time to teaching two different levels of Latin. Unlike math, it's not as if they have to be able to do a certain level of Latin in 8th or 9th grade, so I'd rather keep them together in this subject.
Science - We'll be using Exploration Education for physical science this year. It looks like a lot of fun. I imagine we'll throw in some other experiments as we go along.
Art - Our Handle on the Arts program sat on the shelf all year and, by golly, we're going to use it this year!
Other - Luke will be playing select soccer this year pending tryouts the first week of July and continuing guitar lessons with Bud. Peyton will continue with drama and learning keyboard if Bud can force her to do it. He he.
Our plan is to devote Mon-Thurs to the core subjects, leaving Friday for art, science experiments and community service/mission projects. I think it's shaping up to be a good year.
The curricula listed are for both Luke and Peyton unless otherwise noted. Luke will be 11 and Peyton will be 9. WHAT!? That's crazy to write.
Bible - We're going to use the Veritas Press Bible cards, the Gospel series. These cards give a good, clear understanding of the content and chronology of Biblical events. We have Victor Journey Through the Bible that we will use alongside the cards and Bible reading.
Math - Luke will move on to Math U See Zeta with Life of Fred Decimals and Percents as a supplement. I'll be giving him some real life math problems to work on as well.
Peyton is about halfway through MUS Delta, and when she finishes that she'll move into MUS Epsilon with Life of Fred Fractions as a supplement.
Grammar - We're going to be using Analytical Grammar, with the recommended three year course. I love the thinking behind this program, which is thorough and rigorous, but doesn't review part of speech definitions until your brain pours out of your ears.
Peyton will not be doing a formal grammar program this year, but will have plenty built into her writing program.
Writing - Luke will be using Classical Writing, Homer A this year. We will wait to start it until the ten week course of Analytical Grammar is complete. The grammar in Homer along with the biweekly AG review should keep his grammar skills sharp while he focuses on writing.
Peyton will be using Classical Writing Aesop B this year.
Spelling - We've been using Spelling Power. Luke took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills this year and while he did pretty well overall, he pretty much stunk up the spelling section. This surprised me, because when he writes he is not prone to many spelling errors. I'm rethinking how we use SP vs. changing to a different program. Peyton hates Spelling Power (thought she spelled very well on the test) and I need to change her program for sure. Thoughts?
History - Luke will be going from the end of the Revolutionary War as far as we can - maybe stopping before WWI? - as recommended in The Well Trained Mind. Each week this will include reading a section in the 1994 version of Kingfisher's History Encyclopedia, making a list of pertinent facts learned and adding important dates to the timeline on Day One, doing mapwork and delving deeper into areas of interest from Kingfisher at the library and outlining a particular topic of interest on Day Two, and writing a summary of this topic of interest on Day Three.
Peyton will be covering the same time period, though her core text will be Story of the World last half of 3 and first half of 4, with written narrations each week. She'll also use the Story of the World Activity Guide for coloring pages, maps and other activities, and additional library books along with Usborne's Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History for digging deeper.
Literature - Luke will be reading through many of the logic-stage recommendations for this time period from The Well Trained Mind. Peyton's list will come from the grammar stage recs.
Latin - We'll be using First Form Latin. This was a tough piece. Luke and Peyton have now worked through Latina Christiana II, and Luke could move on, but Peyton is not ready for a higher level Latin. Fortunately for us, Memoria Press is publishing First Form just in the nick of time. Much of First Form will review LC I&II, but they dig deeper into the grammar with more exercises. So this year will be a reinforcement year for the two of them. I just don't want to commit the time to teaching two different levels of Latin. Unlike math, it's not as if they have to be able to do a certain level of Latin in 8th or 9th grade, so I'd rather keep them together in this subject.
Science - We'll be using Exploration Education for physical science this year. It looks like a lot of fun. I imagine we'll throw in some other experiments as we go along.
Art - Our Handle on the Arts program sat on the shelf all year and, by golly, we're going to use it this year!
Other - Luke will be playing select soccer this year pending tryouts the first week of July and continuing guitar lessons with Bud. Peyton will continue with drama and learning keyboard if Bud can force her to do it. He he.
Our plan is to devote Mon-Thurs to the core subjects, leaving Friday for art, science experiments and community service/mission projects. I think it's shaping up to be a good year.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
What I've been up to...
Planning next year's curricula (more to come).
Laundry.
Feeding people. Wouldn't it be great if kids were more like camels? We could cram them full of food once every couple of days and then shut the kitchen down!
Trying not to spend money. Hate that.
Exercising. (Go Amy!)
Started going through the house, one room at a time, making it the best it can be without spending a penny. The bedroom is done. After we finish the whole house, we'll go back and make spending decisions.
Getting the garden in. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, cantaloupe, a variety of herbs.
Enjoying the fits and bursts of springtime.
Reading John Adams, A Reason for God, and Life Skills for Kids.
Watching The Brady Bunch, the entire series, with the kids and Slumdog Millionaire with Bud and some friends. If you haven't seen Slumdog, don't waste another second, see it now.
Facebook. Crazy addicting.
How about you? What have you been up to?
Laundry.
Feeding people. Wouldn't it be great if kids were more like camels? We could cram them full of food once every couple of days and then shut the kitchen down!
Trying not to spend money. Hate that.
Exercising. (Go Amy!)
Started going through the house, one room at a time, making it the best it can be without spending a penny. The bedroom is done. After we finish the whole house, we'll go back and make spending decisions.
Getting the garden in. Tomatoes, peppers, squash, cantaloupe, a variety of herbs.
Enjoying the fits and bursts of springtime.
Reading John Adams, A Reason for God, and Life Skills for Kids.
Watching The Brady Bunch, the entire series, with the kids and Slumdog Millionaire with Bud and some friends. If you haven't seen Slumdog, don't waste another second, see it now.
Facebook. Crazy addicting.
How about you? What have you been up to?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Weekend Warriors!
It's time once again for
This week I have a lot of little projects all over the house that would bore you out of your mind. It's also Mardi Gras weekend here, which means gumbo, red beans and rice, an adult beverage or two, and good friends. It also means nothing productive will happen on Saturday. Except for a good time with good friends and it doesn't get more productive than that in my book.
I have one project that might interest you, though. We are starting our tomato seeds so they will be ready to put out in the garden at the end of March.
The pellets expand when wet, and then you just drop your seed into them and it grows. Like magic. When you are ready to transplant you just put the whole deal into the garden. They are made of coconut husk. Pretty groovy.
We have several heirloom varieties that we are trying this year, mainly because I can't stomach the idea of giving Monsanto my business, but also because we are making self-sufficiency a goal. It will take a while to achieve it, but if these guys can do it in Pasadena, then we can do it in the Dallas suburbs. One of us is eventually going to have to be the president of the HOA to remove some of the ridiculous restrictions, but for now we're changing what we can, and when nothing is left to change legally, we'll start working on that end of things.
Wow, that's probably more than you wanted to know. How about I start over.
We're planting tomatoes this weekend. The end.
What's your project this weekend? Post the link to your Weekend Warrior post so we can come encourage you. Please link directly to your post and not your blog, and then edit that post with your follow up pictures. That will make it easy for everyone to find your entire project.
Get to work, Warriors!
This week I have a lot of little projects all over the house that would bore you out of your mind. It's also Mardi Gras weekend here, which means gumbo, red beans and rice, an adult beverage or two, and good friends. It also means nothing productive will happen on Saturday. Except for a good time with good friends and it doesn't get more productive than that in my book.
I have one project that might interest you, though. We are starting our tomato seeds so they will be ready to put out in the garden at the end of March.
The pellets expand when wet, and then you just drop your seed into them and it grows. Like magic. When you are ready to transplant you just put the whole deal into the garden. They are made of coconut husk. Pretty groovy.
We have several heirloom varieties that we are trying this year, mainly because I can't stomach the idea of giving Monsanto my business, but also because we are making self-sufficiency a goal. It will take a while to achieve it, but if these guys can do it in Pasadena, then we can do it in the Dallas suburbs. One of us is eventually going to have to be the president of the HOA to remove some of the ridiculous restrictions, but for now we're changing what we can, and when nothing is left to change legally, we'll start working on that end of things.
Wow, that's probably more than you wanted to know. How about I start over.
We're planting tomatoes this weekend. The end.
What's your project this weekend? Post the link to your Weekend Warrior post so we can come encourage you. Please link directly to your post and not your blog, and then edit that post with your follow up pictures. That will make it easy for everyone to find your entire project.
Get to work, Warriors!
Labels: Gardening, Weekend Warriors
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Monday, February 09, 2009
Meal Plan Monday - A Week in Review
I thought I'd throw a twist into the Meal Plan Monday thing by telling you what we ate last week, along with some tips/critiques about the meals. Maybe it will be a little more useful to you that way. Or you can laugh at my folly. Which is likely. Just don't do it to my face.
So here we go ... last week's menu.
Saturday
breakfast - oatmeal
lunch - lunch at Dickey's BBQ; this is a recurring theme because KIDS EAT FREE!
potluck dinner with friends - I made tortilla casserole and this was a delicious and easy dish. I had never made it before, and the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce gave it a yummy flavor. The link is Cook's Illustrated, so if you want the recipe and you don't subscribe, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Plus, I'm getting all crazy and experimental with it and making soup this week instead of cooking it in a casserole.
I'm nutty like that.
Sunday
breakfast - toast and jelly
lunch - at Petra after church, our favorite interior Mexican food restaurant
dinner - Superbowl snacks at a friend's party
Monday
breakfast - french toast and sausage
lunch - leftover tortilla casserole
dinner - grilled sausage with caramelized onions and marinara sauce on big bread (that's what we call french bread around here)
Tuesday
breakfast - biscuits with honey
lunch - leftover sausage
dinner - takeout pizza (Bud was out of town and I don't cook so much when he's gone)
Wednesday
breakfast - cinnamon toast and bacon
lunch - buttered noodles with veggies
dinner - at Bud's mom's house
Hmmm. It doesn't seem like I actually cooked that much this week. How come I was ALWAYS in the kitchen?
Thursday
breakfast - cold cereal
lunch - ham sandwiches
dinner - baked ziti - this is a GREAT recipe, however, as I assembled it I began to realize just how large a portion of my grocery bill went to the ingredients for it. And doesn't it seem that one should be able to make a meatless dish of pasta, sauce and cheese with some seasonings without sacrificing a child's college education? I am going to try this again soon, substituting some of the more expensive ingredients and see what I can get.
Crappy pasta probably.
Friday
breakfast - cold cereal; there was quite an uproar that not only did my children have to eat cold cereal, they had to do it two days in a row. Poor things.
lunch - leftover ziti
dinner - chili and cornbread. Now this recipe turned out really well. And it prompts me to share an embarrassing story with you. I am occasionally a sucker for marketing. Actually, it's pretty rare, but sometimes I fall for a good marketing plan.
In the fall of 2007, when the air was just getting crisp...scratch that. We don't get crisp air in Texas. When Texans were imagining crisp air, I went to the grocery store. And there on display was a beverage that I was sure would transport me into a world of brightly colored trees, cozy sweaters, and crunching leaves under my feet.
Pumpkin Ale.
I excitedly brought it home and didn't even unload the groceries before I opened a bottle from my six pack.
In my life I'm not sure I've ever been so disappointed in a purchase. It was disgusting.
Which is why, up until last week, I still had 5 of the nasty brews in my refrigerator.
Then I made chili. And the chili turned out good!
I certainly wouldn't purchase this for making chili, but if you have it on hand, it turns out pretty good.
In my chili recipe I also used a 27 oz. can of pinto beans and 1 lb. of ground buffalo instead of 2 lbs of ground beef. Plus, I cut the chili powder by about half. One third cup of chili powder would scar my children for life. But I bet it would be good with it in there.
Enjoy the recipes. And, I'm always looking for good suggestions and recipes, so leave 'em if you got 'em.
So here we go ... last week's menu.
Saturday
breakfast - oatmeal
lunch - lunch at Dickey's BBQ; this is a recurring theme because KIDS EAT FREE!
potluck dinner with friends - I made tortilla casserole and this was a delicious and easy dish. I had never made it before, and the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce gave it a yummy flavor. The link is Cook's Illustrated, so if you want the recipe and you don't subscribe, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Plus, I'm getting all crazy and experimental with it and making soup this week instead of cooking it in a casserole.
I'm nutty like that.
Sunday
breakfast - toast and jelly
lunch - at Petra after church, our favorite interior Mexican food restaurant
dinner - Superbowl snacks at a friend's party
Monday
breakfast - french toast and sausage
lunch - leftover tortilla casserole
dinner - grilled sausage with caramelized onions and marinara sauce on big bread (that's what we call french bread around here)
Tuesday
breakfast - biscuits with honey
lunch - leftover sausage
dinner - takeout pizza (Bud was out of town and I don't cook so much when he's gone)
Wednesday
breakfast - cinnamon toast and bacon
lunch - buttered noodles with veggies
dinner - at Bud's mom's house
Hmmm. It doesn't seem like I actually cooked that much this week. How come I was ALWAYS in the kitchen?
Thursday
breakfast - cold cereal
lunch - ham sandwiches
dinner - baked ziti - this is a GREAT recipe, however, as I assembled it I began to realize just how large a portion of my grocery bill went to the ingredients for it. And doesn't it seem that one should be able to make a meatless dish of pasta, sauce and cheese with some seasonings without sacrificing a child's college education? I am going to try this again soon, substituting some of the more expensive ingredients and see what I can get.
Crappy pasta probably.
Friday
breakfast - cold cereal; there was quite an uproar that not only did my children have to eat cold cereal, they had to do it two days in a row. Poor things.
lunch - leftover ziti
dinner - chili and cornbread. Now this recipe turned out really well. And it prompts me to share an embarrassing story with you. I am occasionally a sucker for marketing. Actually, it's pretty rare, but sometimes I fall for a good marketing plan.
In the fall of 2007, when the air was just getting crisp...scratch that. We don't get crisp air in Texas. When Texans were imagining crisp air, I went to the grocery store. And there on display was a beverage that I was sure would transport me into a world of brightly colored trees, cozy sweaters, and crunching leaves under my feet.
Pumpkin Ale.
I excitedly brought it home and didn't even unload the groceries before I opened a bottle from my six pack.
In my life I'm not sure I've ever been so disappointed in a purchase. It was disgusting.
Which is why, up until last week, I still had 5 of the nasty brews in my refrigerator.
Then I made chili. And the chili turned out good!
I certainly wouldn't purchase this for making chili, but if you have it on hand, it turns out pretty good.
In my chili recipe I also used a 27 oz. can of pinto beans and 1 lb. of ground buffalo instead of 2 lbs of ground beef. Plus, I cut the chili powder by about half. One third cup of chili powder would scar my children for life. But I bet it would be good with it in there.
Enjoy the recipes. And, I'm always looking for good suggestions and recipes, so leave 'em if you got 'em.
Labels: Cooking
