I came home from my Wednesday Funtivities last night and my husband showed us his latest find:
Apparently he heard Lucy barking and discovered this turtle when he went to investigate. Our property could be described as “rolling hills,” so there is a lot of little ponds around from the snow melt and such.
Handsome Dude has been telling me about the “big worms” he sees when he is playing. I saw a HUGE snake the other day out there and it dawned on me that he is probably calling snakes “big worms.”
It gives me the pee-pee shivers.
After the kids got a good look at it, we walked it down to the pond-ish areas and let it swim away.
And I must admit this to you all: I am greatly disturbed.
For I truly know not what is out there, lurking about in my rolling hills.
***
We had a movie night last night. We decided to finally let the kids watch the newer version of “The Chronicles of Narnia.” I wasn’t sure if it would be too scary. Well, the girls liked it, and I think some parts were intense for them, but they were not terrified.
The boys, however . . .
My poor boys. I just kind of mesh them into the girls these days. No. They are not old enough to watch “The Chronicles of Narnia.” I have bad parenting skills. Little Dude kept jumping up and shouting:
“SCARY! WEE SCARY!”
Then he would dive onto me and bury his face into my stomach, which is known for its comforting, pillow-like qualities.
He would decide that he was brave enough again when the scary parts were over. He would slowly back down off of me. I, being the mature mother that I am, would pretend to cry so he would stay and snuggle with me.
He is my last baby, you know.
He would smile and say, “I love Mommy! A lot! “
And leave.
Only to dive back as soon as terror struck again.
Handsome Dude sat with his eyes glued to the TV and his hands covering his ears the entire time.
I think he got confused as to which of his senses he should be covering. But what-evs.
So. We tricked the boys and told them we were all going to bed. Then we let the girls come back up to finish the movie.
Because, apparently, I believe in scaring and tricking my preschoolers.
***
Thank you all for your snack suggestions this week.
I can safely say I have been starving my children in the snack department. I usually do something like a banana or a graham cracker.
Some of the suggestions I got were: nachos, calzones, and parfaits.
You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever met a person, you say, “Let’s get some parfait,” they say, “Heck no, I don’t like no parfait”? Parfaits are delicious!
Name that movie.
I always thought things such as nachos and calzones were meals! Silly me!
I don’t know if I have time to create such feasts for my children, though.
Perhaps I will just bump up their cracker rations.
***
I have more questions for you all.
Don’t pretend you aren’t excited.
Feel free to answer one or all or none.
The choice is yours.
1. If you homeschool, what do you use for Bible? I am thinking of shaking things up. As much as one should shake up a Bible curriculum, of course.
2. What are some books your kids have enjoyed? I have a 2nd and 1st grader. We have been listening to some books on cd. Some recent favorites are:
The Tale of Despereaux
Because of Winn-Dixie
The Chronicles of Narnia series
The Little House on the Prairie series
3. Why are there turltes and snakes on my property? Do you think there could be bears?
4. If there are bears I am moving. This is not a question. It is a statement. And a very reasonable statement, too.
5. Why do people say “Woot!”? Where did it come from? I prefer “Woo-hoo.” Seems a little more appropriate for a woman who is about to turn 30, such as myself.
6. My mom thinks people can 3-way text, sort of like 3-way call. Do you?
7. If you homeschool, what is your favorite part? Mine is getting to do school with them. I love our curriculum and I love learning with them. We are actually having a lot of fun.
8. What is the worst part about homeschooling? Mine is trying to keep the boys occupado and feeling insecure. I often wonder if I am doing things “the right way.” And laundry. I just think laundry brings out the worst in everything.
9. Speaking of laundry, all of our whites are slowly turning a dingy rust color, on account of our well water. This is just wrong. And, yes, I use bleach. Has anyone else ever encountered this problem?
10. What is your favorite, quick main dish recipe? I just discovered one that seemed simple enough. Buy 1 pound of chicken strips from the deli and slice them into thirds. Place them in a 13×9 pan and cover with a jar of spaghetti sauce and mozzerella cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 350. Super easy way to make chicken parmesan. I served it with spaghetti noodles.
11. That was a lie. I served it to no one. I made it and then I told my husband I was at my witt’s end. And he, being the loving husband that he is, told me to go for a walk and he would deal with serving the children the meal.
Holla, David.
Holla.
Happy Thursday!
We are currently a little obsessed with the Johnathan Park audio series. They are so great!! I buy the next volume on amazon each payday and the kids count down the days! It would be perfect for those long car rides you take to get back to civilization. Or during rest time =) I also love to use the Sonlight catalog as a reading list – if you dont get their cataglog then get online and request one. We also have read a lot of the books used in the the writing with ease curriculm after doing a lesson because the kids want to hear more of the story and how it ends.
Oh! Another good snack idea that we do – bagels and cream cheese, frozen waffles, and English muffins. All things the kids can fix for themselves and fills them up for a little while. And yogurt and granola.
I forgot about Writing with Ease. We have used that for book choices, too. I will check out Sonlight’s reading list. 🙂
The Chronicles of Narnia are what made me LOVE reading!!!!!!!!! I have been reading since!
LOVE the quote on parfaits! And I think that was in Shrek. Another easy snack that I used to give my kiddos when they were young, is put a little pizza sauce and grated mozzarella cheese on split bagels, mocrowave until the cheese melts and cut into wedges. Sorta like a little mini pizza without all the fuss. And, they loved frozen grapes sprinkled with sugar free kool aid powder.
My husband used to tell me to leave the house too after a trying (ordinary) day with the kiddos. We have great hubbies. 🙂
You may have iron in your water. May need a water softener/filter thingy. 😉
There are a lot of best parts of homeschooling. But the worst part is feeling lost and clueless and like everyone else is Super! Homeschooler! Extraordinaire! who reads Proust aloud for nine hours a day; has kids who speak 4 languages, practice Latin in the car on the way to robotics championships, and have early admission to Harvard on athletic scholarships.
Also, for snacks around here, we rely on cheese sticks, smoothies made in the Magic Bullet, dried fruit, fresh fruit, and Goldfish crackers. Sometimes served in front of the teevee. If I have to give you a bath after you eat it, it’s not a snack. It’s dinner.
If I have to give you a bath after you eat it, it’s not a snack. It’s dinner.
too funny =o)
Ramona the Pest, Henry and Mudge, Mr. Poppers Penguins, Winnie the Pooh, The BFG…a few suggestions. I’m old : )
There is a product called White Brite that is good for preventing rust…the bottle is similar label coloring as Clorox. It can be used on colors too and I believe is specifically designed to combat rust in the wash.
We have bears.
My youngest watched the entire first Lord of the Rings wearing her parka with the hood tied tightly around her head and her hands over her eyes. She remembers this but has recovered.
Enjoy the weekend!
I must find this White Brite product you speak of! Thanks!
The movie is Shrek….& just a lil bit o’ trivia : We took our wedding song off Shrek 1…the song the bird sings before it blows up is called It Is You I Have Loved All Along by Dana Glover…check it out…I think you’ll like it…
As for snacks for your kids…my kids are 34 & 35 so they don’t actually DEPEND on me to make their snacks but I am sure they would indulge should I come thru with some…grin…
I have one like your chicken parm, but I use ravioli and layer it with spaghetti sauce, cheese, and uh, spinach (i’m evil) and bake it until it resembles lasagna. Except I boil the rav. first.
Am I making any sense?
I’ll have to send you my meatloaf crockpot recipe.
Yum! Thanks!
Shrek!
I’m with you; in our house nachos and calzones are definitely meals! Snacks include things like cheese sticks, crackers, popcorn, an apple, etc.
We home school, and next year (on the recommendation of several friends) we will be using the Heart of Dakota curriculum. It is a complete Christian curriculum. I’m super excited about it! You have one teacher’s manual that lays out the entire day for you, and it is set up in a way that you could very easily combine your girls in one book. My two older boys will be 2nd grade and 4th grade in the fall and I will be combining them with extensions for my 4th grader. The curriculum is Charlotte Mason based, and strongly emphasizes quality literature.
I could recommend Stuart Little and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle for reading! 🙂
Snakes give me the heebie jeebies too. Right after we moved out here to the middle of nowhere, my kids found a HUGE bull snake curled up in our front yard. *shivers* I do not know if you have bears, but I agree that if you do, you should move. Immediately.
I also prefer woo-hoo. I do not understand woot.
I have never 3 way texted, but I have sent one text to multiple people at one time. Does that count?
My favorite part of home schooling is seeing them master a new concept. Those moments are when I know that I am actually teaching them something, and making a difference in their eductation.
The worst parts of home schooing are similar to yours—keeping my two littles occupied, concern about whether we are doing things correctly, and the frustration I feel when my oldest son takes THREE HOURS TO FINISH ONE PAGE OF MATH!!
I feel very blessed that I do not have rust colored laundry, and I feel bad that I have no advice to offer.
Tacos are often my go-to meal. Another one is upside down pizza. Here’s the recipe:
1 pound of hamburger, browned
While the meat is browning, mix batter:
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. milk
1 tbsp. oil
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Add one jar of pizza sauce to the hamburger.
Layer into the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Top with 16 oz. mozzarella cheese. Pour batter over the top. Bake 350* for 30 minutes.
er…sorry. That was a very long reply! 😀
Thanks for the recipe and ideas!
Hank the Cowdog books are my very favorite! And if you can find them on CD read by the author, the kids will never stop listening! My Harry Potter-reading 9 yr old still loves them. The grown-ups in our house even like old Hank. Also, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Ready Freddy, and Junie B. Jones are fun series to read for that age group. The boys will even like them!
My kids like to eat leftover blueberry muffins for snacks if we have any in the fridge. Apple slices with caramel and a little crushed up Heath bar is a kid favorite at my house.
I will check out Hank the Cowdog-thanks!
my son loved junie b jones…but not as much as me =o)
oh yes, Hank the Cowdog is an all time favorite with my oldest son. Oh, and the Magic Treehouse Series is a favorite here too! (I’m serial posting today!)
I too loved Hank the Cowdog. And so does my baby sister. They are wonderful!
I love that you want to shake up the Bible. I laughed out loud. (I don’t know if God would be laughing :))
I do not know what the pee pee shivers are. I’m not sure I want to. hahaaaaa
We are a Narnia loving family…oh Aslan (which is an A name I’ve tried out, by the way).
Snacks: check your local grocery stores for this delicious smoothie mix. You just add fruit and ice cubes. My kids love them. (So do I.) I also do fruit dip (marshmallow creme and cream cheese) with apple slices, strawberries, grapes. It is always a hit. If all else fails…do a cheese roll up. Easy Peasy.
Thanks for the giggles this morning. I think you are the best!
You have asked a lot of questions!
Let’s see…
My very easiest main dish: Cheesy Ham & Rice Bake
2 cups of instant rice
2 cups milk
1 can cream of mushroom
1 cup of frozen peas (I usually don’t measure, just dump half the bag)
1 package of diced ham
Mix it all together in a 9×13 dish, bake for 25 min at 425degrees.
Sprinkle cheddar cheese over it, and bake another 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
It doesn’t get any easier than that.
– I am the newest of homeschoolers so I cannot give helpful advice. But I will try anyway.
We’re using Sonlight, but I did not buy their Bible program. I’m going to use their schedule for scripture reading and supplement with my favorite kids Bible– The Jesus Storybook Bible.
(It’s great– if you don’t have it, you should get it!)
And we’ll do Awanas again in the fall.
I think what I’ll like most about homeschooling is the flexibility w/ our schedule. I really don’t like having to get up so early to get Alex on the bus, and I don’t like that we can’t do anything in the evenings because I want her in bed by 7pm.
(Although there are some benefits to that early bedtime)
I’m kind of excited about the core she’ll be doing this year– it’s World History, and that’s something I never got a good handle on. I think it will be fun to learn with her.
Our first scheduled read-aloud is Charlotte’s Web– your girls might like that.
Think they’re old enough for Anne of Green Gables? I love that book.
You should check out the Sonlight reading lists, I’ve heard their book choices are excellent.
I wish we were closer– we could school our girls all together.
Sweet Pea is reading Charlotte’s Web right now. 🙂 Yes! Let us homeschool together! It will be fantastic.
Question: Does anyone know how to sub reg rice for instant rice in a recipe?
The recipes I looked at used regular rice, cooked longer at a lower temperature. 375 for 45 minutes instead of 450 for 25 minutes. Should get the regular rice done.
Sadly I know not of snacks or homeschooling as I failed horribly in that deppartment this year. But surprise surprise … I do know …yes you can 3 way text in fact my lovely Tay you can have a group text I believe up to 10-15 numbers if you use a certain app on your smart phone but be careful most people find this annoying because you will get bombarded with text messages all at once! And just say no to bears and snakes. I am so NOT visited you out in ruralville if you tell me you have bears! Loves!
I prefer woo-hoo as well! And since I am almost 30 as well, then I think that makes it official!
Artichoke Chicken
1 can of artichoke hearts (or 1/3 of a Costco jar)
1 pound of chicken tenders cut into chunks (I use 12)
1 bag of small red potatoes (sliced)
2 cloves of garlic
juice of one lemon
2 TBSP olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
This meal is supper simple. I bake my potatoes in the microwave until just done. Cook chicken. In a large skillet combine cooked, diced chicken, potatoes, artichokes, olive oil, garlic & lemon. Saute until potatoes are a nice golden brown. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Delightful!
I hate snakes!
We did not use a Bible curriculum this year, instead we buckled down and used the good ole’ Bible. Sandy would preread the lesson he chose and read it with Christian. They would, then discuss how the lesson applied to life. Sandy rocks as a Bible teacher, in fact this year he had Christian help cut down a dead tree and saw it into pieces, then the “men” of the house pulled out their Bibles and read about the Vine & branches. Is this helpful? I doubt it, but now you know Sandy rocks. 🙂
I live on the wild, flat countryside. I can see for like twenty miles. We have snakes (rattlesnakes! even) and turtles. Last week, one of Colby’s friends walked out his back yard to find a brown bear hanging out. He then chased it up a power line. Before the day was over, the entire county lost electricity so they could safely remove the bear.
So yes, I bet you have bears. Lol.
I loved listening to the Harry Potter audio book, the man reading it did great voices for the characters and it was unabridged so it had the fun little things that didn’t fit in the movie. My son was in kindergarten when we listened to it and he enjoyed it, but it was long and we did it in parts.
And I enjoy serving cut up fruit for snacks, it’s colorful 🙂
Books: my 1st grader loves the Ramona books. I think “Ramona and Beezus” is the first one, we’ve gotten ourselves out of order, but it doesn’t really matter. Bonus, the movie was super cute too. Also the Fudge books. Though I think Fudge is actually introduced in “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing”. But you may want to double check that. “Ralph S. Mouse”, and “Henry Huggins” as well. I also love all the James Howe books like “Bunnicula” and Howliday Inn” though Gabe tells me that they must be scary so he won’t read them yet. (They really aren’t scary, but he doesn’t believe me.) We are getting ready to try “Clarice Bean” and I have high hopes since it’s the same author, Lauren Childs, that does the Charlie and Lola series.
My idea of easy and yours may be different, but here’s a go-to recipe:
Saturday Night Casserole (I don’t know why it’s named that.)
1 lb. or so of ground beef (I actually always skimp on meat to save money, so I probably use only 1/2 lb, but I have a smaller family)
1 tablespoon chopped onion
can of condensed tomato soup*
taco seasoning packet (or a couple tablespoons if you buy bulk)
macaroni (sorry, I never measure, I just make about what looks right)
shredded cheddar cheese
Begin cooking your macaroni like the package says. Preheat your oven to 350.
Heat a little oil in a pan and add onion. Cook until soft. Add ground beef and brown.
Add the soup and taco seasoning to the meat and stir. Let simmer while you wait for the noodles. Once the noodles are done, drain and add to the meat mixture and stir to coat. Dump in a casserole dish, top with shredded cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly. For an even cheesier dish, pour half the mixture into the casserole dish and add a layer of American cheese. Pour the other half on the cheese and then top with the shredded cheddar.
*when I don’t have tomato soup on hand, I use one can of tomato sauce and add a couple tablespoon of sour cream to it and blend. You are just looking for a creamier tomato base rather than just plain tomato sauce.
It’s pretty easy to make a larger batch too.
For ORANGE clothes whites, etc. Use “Iron Out” in the wash machine.
I have a couple easy go to meals, but my favorite is pizza casserole.
You need:
1 box bow-tie pasta, cooked and drained
2 cans pizza sauce (less if you don’t like sauce, more if you really like it)
Some cheese (I usually use shreaded moz. but have also used pizza cheese)
1 pack of pepperoni’s
If your not super picky like me, you can also add:
1 small can of black olives (if you really like olives, you could pour the olive juice in with everything)
1 small can of mushrooms
1/4-1/2 pound sausage, browned
Combine everything but the cheese in a 9×13 baking dish and bake at 350 until heated through (20 minutes in my oven)
Sprinkle the cheese on the top and bake 5 mins, or until the cheese is melted.
We love this dish and it is so easy to make.
I loved reading the Babysitters Club books when I was younger. I also loved The Bridge to Terabithia. It was a really good book.
And just a word of warning about the turtles…just be careful touching the turtles, because they usually carry Salmonella. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids not have turtles as pets anymore. Just something else to worry about I know! But I think as long as they don’t touch the turtle and then stick their fingers in their mouth and also wash their hands really good after touching the turtle that they will be fine!
2. Tashi series. Tashi is an elfin like guy who has amazing adventures, usually paralleling classic fairy tales. My daughter loves them, and every one I’ve given one to loves them. Good from kindy to around grade 2 or 3. Kindy/preschool kids will need it read to them, Grade 1 or 2 could read by themselves. The stories apparently progress in reading difficulty. Bonus: Each adventure story is a good length for bedtime reading 🙂
3. Yes, probably. Given a choice between bears or poisonous snakes I’d probably take bears.
ok pee pee shivers made me laugh out loud for reelz and the pillow-like quality of your stomach did again. You never fail to kill me. kill. me. woo hoo… woot ….i am old so i say yee ha. i am bringing it back. i am cool like that.
I second Mr Popper’s Penguins. My kids immediately wanted me to reread that one when we finished. Also, My Father’s Dragon. There are 2 others after that, but the first one is the best. And the girls would probably love Betsy-Tacy. There’s several in that series, too, but we never read them all, so I don’t know how they compare.
Two favorite fast recipes.
Package of 20 hash brown patties (I only use 15, gives me dinner and leftovers for lunch)
brown a lb and half of hamburger, add taco seasoning packet according to directions
Put the hash brown patties in the oven at the same time you start the hamburger and by the time you get the hamburger completely done with taco seasoning the hash browns will be ready.
Break up hash browns into big bowl, pour hamburger meat over the top. Add shredded cheddar. To your plate add whatever else you like. I like lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream. My husband and son also like jalepinos.
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This is my newest favorite and I make it as often as I can get away with it.
Saute 1 inch chicken pieces in a little oil. Before you add chicken to the oil sprinkle in a little salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin.
While you sauteing your chicken, cook two packages of Knorr Mexican rice. Drain and rinse a can of black beans and add it to the rice while its cooking. When the chicken and rice are done mix them. If you like a little heat to your food, add in a little shredded pepperjack.
My kids looooooved the Junie B. Jones series at that age. We would get them on CDs and listen to them on trips and even my husband laughed.
9. Speaking of laundry, all of our whites are slowly turning a dingy rust color, on account of our well water. This is just wrong. And, yes, I use bleach. Has anyone else ever encountered this problem?
Yes! After consulting several *specialists* we were given 2 choices, either a water treatment/softening system OR a new well. Since our old well was so shallow and we were afraid that even after spending almost $4k on the treatment/softening system we would still eventually need a new well, we went with the new well.
Bill Peet books are great! But I have too many to name. Can’t help ya on the Bible thing, but don’t they get quite a bit of instruction at Church? Turtles? Fantastic. Ruralville can be quite the education with animals biology. You could do a small “field study” of common plants, identify them and press them in paper or cardboard. I think snakes might be more of a problem than bears. You could also have a ‘field trip’ to your local ranger or Fish and Game rep in your area and learn what animals are around, which may be dangerous. My guess is if you have lots of deer and turkeys you may also have cougars. I know that here we have lots of rattlesnakes and in the Spring, it’s the baby ones who are more skittish and bite whereas the adults mainly shy away from humans. Might be interesting to find out and it could be your science class.