tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79769037451762085602024-03-04T21:57:56.077-08:00Sunny Side UpSimplicity and Beauty in Everyday LivingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-67684435231150236342015-07-27T09:23:00.001-07:002015-07-27T19:28:12.287-07:00Parenting by the Seat of My Pants: Civilizing the Barbarians,
Montessori Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGh9czHf4BdlKQzVqgDK1yXw2qiaStAhyphenhyphenfnRwKAmn8bRn8qqrK9q4Tf4CaPZBa2swdOGXWG7jqojb7Tdvdsb9fUcmhmrkfmJrUpCH6C87Jy-qXoGpDPfzTW6WrVTJFmmI_om0GLW0fDb0/s640/blogger-image-2081151026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGh9czHf4BdlKQzVqgDK1yXw2qiaStAhyphenhyphenfnRwKAmn8bRn8qqrK9q4Tf4CaPZBa2swdOGXWG7jqojb7Tdvdsb9fUcmhmrkfmJrUpCH6C87Jy-qXoGpDPfzTW6WrVTJFmmI_om0GLW0fDb0/s640/blogger-image-2081151026.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">"Veronica, you have the table manners of a wild boar," Isabella informed her sister at dinner one night. It's true. Veronica approaches each meal as though she were trying for the Guiness world record for the most food smeared on one body. She isn't alone in this pursuit. All toddlers do it. Isabella herself, when she was VeVe's age, once managed to destroy an entire outfit with one chocolate chip, a feat that has gone down in the annals of Griffith history. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Still, it called my attention to the fact that my standards had clearly slipped too far. You know how, when you have a baby, people are always telling you, "Loosen up. Enjoy the ride. They're only little once." That kind of advice, while true, is best aimed at a different sort of mom. I have always been more likely to stop and smell the roses than stop and clean the bathroom. There's only so loose things can get before they come apart. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I decided to return to my roots. My mother was a legendary preschool teacher, and I, myself worked for a while at a Montessori preschool. I know that kids can be civilized. My older kids are downright useful. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswVwEZxFMPxVNobHvysiQg-XsJ27C1MLmEyBz-3REpm8AMS9FwanGpYl3ZTP09KhD6QiGkZR2ShO4Dl3_m0rxx0t9eIVyzBmsmzO0eGkisDHGYBonBysI5iNYq06-jv5-V4mQ3tUgCHc/s640/blogger-image--2068527180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjswVwEZxFMPxVNobHvysiQg-XsJ27C1MLmEyBz-3REpm8AMS9FwanGpYl3ZTP09KhD6QiGkZR2ShO4Dl3_m0rxx0t9eIVyzBmsmzO0eGkisDHGYBonBysI5iNYq06-jv5-V4mQ3tUgCHc/s640/blogger-image--2068527180.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My first goal was to find nice, kid sized tableware. Something nice enough to elicit careful attention from preschool aged children, but inexpensive enough that I wouldn't cry if they broke it. I hit up the thrift store 40% off sale and bought dessert plates, punch cups, creamer pitchers, tea cups and saucers, pretty table linens and vases, most of them for under $.50 a piece. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpY59brKAhEqKw6lLM1Aj8MM6fmn3O2R-DCo7U2uDMenM5VdAwfQ_GuEu1ZPK98QICVzEkqdBmXBS_M6-5kaGJdZasO6tB5dudqg6TlI_jQJILgLYzwQWsi7G1EZxGgmMCN8ZC4M8Dks/s640/blogger-image-930249754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpY59brKAhEqKw6lLM1Aj8MM6fmn3O2R-DCo7U2uDMenM5VdAwfQ_GuEu1ZPK98QICVzEkqdBmXBS_M6-5kaGJdZasO6tB5dudqg6TlI_jQJILgLYzwQWsi7G1EZxGgmMCN8ZC4M8Dks/s640/blogger-image-930249754.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The effect was almost instantaneous. The kids started sitting more quietly. They said please and thank you. They cleared their place when they were done. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6IMHxDi0xRty4qA7vJGxOsyM8oMKXZOYvk3Y9cmG52mU6XPZJiWgjChXs30Xno4ueo_9fnKp8g5JUyxrL7QzxnHUh9oryfcYPrN86J8P3izgdnbAX1NNLEz3geB4F9RKRytKu_tPwNU/s640/blogger-image-1641253697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6IMHxDi0xRty4qA7vJGxOsyM8oMKXZOYvk3Y9cmG52mU6XPZJiWgjChXs30Xno4ueo_9fnKp8g5JUyxrL7QzxnHUh9oryfcYPrN86J8P3izgdnbAX1NNLEz3geB4F9RKRytKu_tPwNU/s640/blogger-image-1641253697.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The boys learned how to hand wash and dry dishes, taking care to do a thorough job. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxy7CQVlkvLEoS6Lvmf9gRRzvrR5ZmlfWbrgNWKgv3pa38VbgKDn4PaK5GkkZpCk0H-WvspjggpejDewHnsWd8FhNtlxjWdIsCaSyTwuidx80faC5-CR832Rb_e6W5XJ9M3peIjAIH6Y/s640/blogger-image-1196537764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxy7CQVlkvLEoS6Lvmf9gRRzvrR5ZmlfWbrgNWKgv3pa38VbgKDn4PaK5GkkZpCk0H-WvspjggpejDewHnsWd8FhNtlxjWdIsCaSyTwuidx80faC5-CR832Rb_e6W5XJ9M3peIjAIH6Y/s640/blogger-image-1196537764.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I bought this Raskog cart at IKEA to store our new treasures and make moving dishes back and forth a less harrowing experience. The entire cart can be pushed from the sink to the dining room, or from its spot by the wall to the table for easy place setting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-WJBm_YTfFjKcRnvJlwCRNQJnADfXt1H2WHwDsI84SKo-4Ufa64IQM8XnutvP40RACmP5mfsRfvGPMJC-NG_WWZBOmHwy98cARW2-ZHguW02Bu4eyXXl8nJuEupCBgXXJvhwtpM_xaA/s640/blogger-image-2044542682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-WJBm_YTfFjKcRnvJlwCRNQJnADfXt1H2WHwDsI84SKo-4Ufa64IQM8XnutvP40RACmP5mfsRfvGPMJC-NG_WWZBOmHwy98cARW2-ZHguW02Bu4eyXXl8nJuEupCBgXXJvhwtpM_xaA/s640/blogger-image-2044542682.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We also bought kid size tools for cleaning. We found a stick vacuum with a telescoping handle at a thrift store tgat, when the handle is down, is the perfect size for a young child. We set up a mop, broom and crumb station in the corner of the dining room, and we have been getting the children to help tidy after meals. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2vFg4dl4YNapAs6WJfy6W7ej49ENMXmad7gEKwVXFXvyQGSexP83o9jOxt10NDgBVaOQki-U2Z_jRVAcoUhBkEq2mgO3Xp_hJNSb6mFtiXMZn1Zd_eRoLWRMndyziGUA3uvilZ8BQ-s/s640/blogger-image-1404215553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2vFg4dl4YNapAs6WJfy6W7ej49ENMXmad7gEKwVXFXvyQGSexP83o9jOxt10NDgBVaOQki-U2Z_jRVAcoUhBkEq2mgO3Xp_hJNSb6mFtiXMZn1Zd_eRoLWRMndyziGUA3uvilZ8BQ-s/s640/blogger-image-1404215553.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Isabella quickly discovered that preschoolers need guidance for sweeping or they speak the mess around. She made a sweeping guide out of painters tape to help them focus their efforts. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiioEWSZFboEg_BcaIoGNEx22l4cVKRx55Nj7SDdw9kTxpDMVtTxApwWHtBcGNG6xn3asSWOLp2LaMFPmo0h0Ja1AQgauQPE1rAuvhzZdvJTCPwSUeJvG-2Px0z13-vjLu8HVLtuiKQug/s640/blogger-image--649156710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiioEWSZFboEg_BcaIoGNEx22l4cVKRx55Nj7SDdw9kTxpDMVtTxApwWHtBcGNG6xn3asSWOLp2LaMFPmo0h0Ja1AQgauQPE1rAuvhzZdvJTCPwSUeJvG-2Px0z13-vjLu8HVLtuiKQug/s640/blogger-image--649156710.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Even our resident wild boar is beginning to mend her ways. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-6517729635997268992015-01-02T17:19:00.001-08:002015-01-02T17:19:05.131-08:00Cheap and Easy Sandwiches<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcGLveUByhyphenhyphenq51Jl9NTyxMb2hpsmDWkcPNur8RDHe9Rrc7bfwyVVJuOaz5Bl0DoC1mddGkIwX3jaYswdud5vTjMcgncDUxsWFAW5ZGYNHTtsd9253nriiGYsAhGKWN6PtHDsYTImhM2g/s640/blogger-image-1841648423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcGLveUByhyphenhyphenq51Jl9NTyxMb2hpsmDWkcPNur8RDHe9Rrc7bfwyVVJuOaz5Bl0DoC1mddGkIwX3jaYswdud5vTjMcgncDUxsWFAW5ZGYNHTtsd9253nriiGYsAhGKWN6PtHDsYTImhM2g/s640/blogger-image-1841648423.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As part of our lessons on budgeting and cooking, I am having the big kids calculate the cost of some of our favourite foods. The idea is to amass a list of cheap meals, that are easy enough to be made ahead and assembled by a kid or a mom with more toddlers than arms. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Sandwiches are an obvious choice for lunch, but lunch meat is kind of expensive and peanut butter and jelly is good, but it would get old day in and day out. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOy9YtCYvSlCi3MbNa0tTaYR6NpIxmLck8EsBNCWNev1YF9Z73Cg93Mp9SduwvHFR5Kfr02nhHDRhfV6sI4SW6oP5wT7uMSb5VEQnIsHsCJeAV9tUEh78h0LJmjDZQCZXa3pidUYv6ZIY/s640/blogger-image--2064731746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOy9YtCYvSlCi3MbNa0tTaYR6NpIxmLck8EsBNCWNev1YF9Z73Cg93Mp9SduwvHFR5Kfr02nhHDRhfV6sI4SW6oP5wT7uMSb5VEQnIsHsCJeAV9tUEh78h0LJmjDZQCZXa3pidUYv6ZIY/s640/blogger-image--2064731746.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Some cheap sandwich ideas:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Egg salad with dill</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Deviled egg salad (same ingredients as deviled eggs, but in an egg salad) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Cucumber and cream cheese</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Cucumber and hummus</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Hot cheddar with fresh apple and Dijon mustard (see above)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Blue cheese and ricotta spread with fresh apples</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Cream cheese mixed with green onion and fresh veggies</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Veggie cream cheese spread (I use Pioneer Woman's recipe) and fresh veggies</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Cheddar roasted garlic cream cheese spread with veggies</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Tuna melt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Salmon spread </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Peanut butter and bananas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Cream cheese and watercress</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Butter, radish and salt </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Butter and sweet onion (don't knock it until you've tried it. I first had these when my friend and I put on an advent tea. I was immediately addicted.) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Peanut butter and apple</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Baba ganoush and veggies on pita</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Skordalia (a garlic potato spread) and pita</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Tomato and cream cheese (really good on a toasted everything bagel) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Grilled cheese</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Grilled cheese with mozzarella, dipped in pizza sauce</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Caprese on baguette (cheaper in the summer when the tomatoes and basil are home-grown</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-Open face toasted mozzarella with fresh tomato and a mix of black olives, red onion, olive oil and salt (again, good in the summer) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> An assortment of open faced tea sandwiches can use up this and that in your fridge. These are watercress, cucumber, radish and raspberry with honey butter or cream cheese and honey. I'm not sure which. Cinnamon butter (butter whipped with a little powdered sugar and cinnamon) is good with fresh fruit also. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHhIFMt-ebUkXxCVJ22cKd2bdev6-1dfwflGLPzl9znb0wrFcAAVt_XbE_veYkxAeauYKyzP1lMQ6uR_opQY-X5uze6OTaezfgNVnVcDnr-yjcr0zdjKwOq7RsgcdEo5NBcuipeF_XEU/s640/blogger-image--571240428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHhIFMt-ebUkXxCVJ22cKd2bdev6-1dfwflGLPzl9znb0wrFcAAVt_XbE_veYkxAeauYKyzP1lMQ6uR_opQY-X5uze6OTaezfgNVnVcDnr-yjcr0zdjKwOq7RsgcdEo5NBcuipeF_XEU/s640/blogger-image--571240428.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I realize that in list form this could seem complicated, but if you make the spreads ahead of time, they last several days. In the end, branching out from the usual ham and turkey helps to stretch the creative muscles and use up what you have. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-70916584095135620742014-12-31T06:57:00.002-08:002014-12-31T07:26:49.035-08:00Parenting by the Seat of My Pants - But, mom, I'm bored!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4OU6EgTwMgBzcxpDvxVpsuA8lUCYJYDWA0nrPZuH6FNBN-AEW_H8YnLrlfJaVl7Xk_g_RxTrFowRDJWXJ-f_fi922of0pswpsj-YOcKK0e3DVb-Jq1oxryLxcXxcoXoIwI_zNuhbUp0/s640/blogger-image--359669216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4OU6EgTwMgBzcxpDvxVpsuA8lUCYJYDWA0nrPZuH6FNBN-AEW_H8YnLrlfJaVl7Xk_g_RxTrFowRDJWXJ-f_fi922of0pswpsj-YOcKK0e3DVb-Jq1oxryLxcXxcoXoIwI_zNuhbUp0/s640/blogger-image--359669216.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I had an amazing childhood. The teen years... well, we won't get into that now, but those years before the onset of puberty were a thing of beauty. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I grew up in the 1980s and '90s, so I grew up with most of the modern conveniences. I am the first generation of kids who had the Internet. I had a television in my bedroom when I got older, and a VCR, too. Most of my friends had gaming consoles and cable TV. I say this because, although kids now may have better graphics and better technology, my childhood wasn't as fundamentally different from my kids' childhood as my parents was from mine, or even more so, my father-in-law's 1940s upbringing. It's a difference in degree, rather than a difference in kind, and I am actually a little stricter than my parents were about technology. Surprisingly, or maybe not, technology is not what my childhood memories are made of. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When I was a kid we spent whole weeks playing beneath the bowers of a group of bushes that grew together on the "shores" of a dry rockbed we called (and I still call) the Rock River. It was our mansion, and the holes between the trunks were the various rooms. In front of it there was a flat-topped boulder that served as our kitchen, and nearby, a boulder with two indentations that functioned as seats for our rock car. I once tried to convince my mother to let me sleep out there for a week. If only she would give me a little money, I pressed her, I would buy myself a loaf of bread and some peanut butter and live like the Boxcar Children in humble, independent simplicity. She was not swayed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">When we tired of life at the "mansion," we would pack up shop and move to the "cabin," a retaining wall under a pine tree, near the pond, with a manhole cover that functioned nicely as our kitchen table. The view was better, if the accommodations, a bit more rustic, and the elderly German lady who lived on the top of the hill, Mrs. Kovash, would sometimes give us cookies, or invite us in to watch her knit and play with her parakeets, Cocoa and Nico. She knit hats for orphans and sometimes for us, and talked a great deal about her family back home in East Germany. This was before the wall came down. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We had a cookie lady at the mansion as well, but she moved to a nursing home when I was still quite young, and I can't remember her name. I only remember that she always had windmill shaped cookies. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I could go on all day, telling stories of lemonade stands and bike parades, of the time we decided to try jumping off of Gala's second story deck onto some cushions and got our butts handed to us by our parents, or of the epic water balloon war the older boys waged one summer, and let us participate in. I could tell about the time, in high school, when we decided to build a luge track, or the time we stuffed a model boat with so many fire crackers we made glass on the beach. There were the times we spent at the treehouse at Geneva's, or in the canoe, or that birthday of hers when we camped in the basement. In my memory it is like one long, never-ending summer day. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We had long stretches of time on our hands, and we were rarely ever bored. "Only boring people get bored," my mother used to tell me. My mom did not suffer whining gladly. If we whined at her that we were bored, the whining was the problem she dealt with, not the lack of stimulation. And, as it turns out, she was right. Nature abhors a vacuum. In the absence of constant entertainment from either mother or electronics, we got busy making our own fun. We got creative and we got resourceful. As an adult, I have never liked television all that much because it simply isn't as interesting to me as what goes on in my own imagination. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"> </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">That is what I am aiming for with my own kids, to turn down the noise of entertainment and the demands of life and give them space to think and to be. Make no mistake, I have high expectations of my kids. We are not laying around in our pajamas doing nothing all day. Well, not everyday, anyway. We have work to do, and work should be attended to diligently and thoroughly, but equally as important as a strong work ethic is a strong commitment to genuine leisure. A little boredom is a good thing. Instead of letting restlessness take hold of you and demand ever bigger and flashier entertainment, take the time to tinker with your guitar, or write that story that is floating around in your head. Build an imaginary world and lead your imaginary army in battle against the forces of evil. Catch a fish, plant a seed, Or write a sonnet. Take a nap. (Seriously, kids. Please take a nap.) Design a machine to ship packages from one end of the room to the other. Set up an obstacle course for your brothers and see how high they can climb the walls. </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttI0YjhyphenhyphenQLjzRwOekmJRPBBGFhocFJu2htRPzZaXYvIOheLDj8ryiJWEoeP_deFC8dHbPj34MqWLDTalNumZNByEMWAEnPiifj_ZcdROQX7i5kvoOJPmlv0XKcZWlO0_u3G3ZfY8Z7Lo/s640/blogger-image--366538058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttI0YjhyphenhyphenQLjzRwOekmJRPBBGFhocFJu2htRPzZaXYvIOheLDj8ryiJWEoeP_deFC8dHbPj34MqWLDTalNumZNByEMWAEnPiifj_ZcdROQX7i5kvoOJPmlv0XKcZWlO0_u3G3ZfY8Z7Lo/s640/blogger-image--366538058.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Oh, wait. 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Just don't tell me you are bored. </font></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-24394664729855363052014-12-30T13:03:00.001-08:002014-12-30T15:31:29.317-08:00Parenting by the Seat of my Pants - Resolution and Evaluation<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>I am beginning a series of posts I am titling Parenting by the Seat of My Pants, suggested by my friend Sara, as I use this particular phrase often. :) </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7ICInscJNgnt-P9QqxGtmghr1OtSZhcyBsfXesWfQPt5PCxWEBur3L5xZMmNnkqECb9lVzWAI1iFRseSx5N0AK_TqoP1294Xxdc17fk-Uh9OvCioG28ptVhKc-Ex5mjeXWm2WRiEQRU/s640/blogger-image-748449392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7ICInscJNgnt-P9QqxGtmghr1OtSZhcyBsfXesWfQPt5PCxWEBur3L5xZMmNnkqECb9lVzWAI1iFRseSx5N0AK_TqoP1294Xxdc17fk-Uh9OvCioG28ptVhKc-Ex5mjeXWm2WRiEQRU/s640/blogger-image-748449392.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>A terrible picture of a sidecar. </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><br></i></div>So, it's New Years again and I have set myself a resolution. I'm going to drink a wider variety of cocktails. It's good to set realistic goals, right? I devoted the month of December to my old standby, the Sidecar, in preparation for branching out next year. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Sidecar is a drink of mysterious origin, claimed, among other tales, to be the invention of the Ritz Hotel in Paris in the early 1900s, around the time of WWI. It's classic and tasty, and easily made. There are two schools of sidecars. The French school is equal parts cognac, orange liqueur (I used Grand Marnier) and lemon juice. The English school is two parts cognac and one part each orange liqueur and lemon juice. I am partial to the French school, myself. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">While I am on the subject of realism I want to say a thing or two that has been on my mind about resolutions and evaluation. Maybe it's the Christmas season (it's still Christmas, people) but I hear a lot of my friends coming down pretty hard on themselves lately, as they take stock of the year that has passed and evaluate their goals. I've heard the word "failure" thrown around a bit. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Self evaluation is a good thing. It should be done often. We are fallen people and we live in a fallen world. It's totally realistic, and very healthy to look back on what we have done and see where we might do better. That is how we grow and how we learn. That said, I think there are a few pitfalls we can fall into that can be very discouraging and destructive. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>My to-do list is not my God</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My to-do list is a random assortment of things I thought I could get done today. It's an estimation. I will be the first to tell you that when I look back on my day and I have accomplished everything on the list, I feel like a rockstar, but a to-do list is a tool for organizing data, not a tool for evaluating people. I don't know, when I make my to-do list, that this is the day the baby will decide not to nap, or the day my oldest daughter will need to have an hour-long talk about her friends, or that my Kindergartener will decide to jump down the staircase in one go and learn why that was a bad idea. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Life is an adventure, and adventures never go as planned. There is no sense beating yourself up that the day took an unexpected turn. Think of yourself more as the captain of a ship. You are navigating an unpredictable sea. It's good to be prepared, but the point is to deal with reality as it exists, not sit around lamenting how much farther you could have gotten if everything had been perfect. Battle your squalls and your sea monsters and revel in the great story this will make at next year's Christmas dinner. It's a better story than "I got the floors mopped," by far. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Separate Self Evaluation and Situational Evaluation. </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Some people are overly self-evaluative and see every imperfect situation as a case of "if I had just done better, I could have avoided this." Others are prone to overanalyze situations and never see their own contribution to them. Both of those are a form of pride. I, personally, tend towards both of those bad habits. I have sat around feeling like a failure because I had the stomach flu and my house was a wreck, and I have conveniently ignored the two hours I spent on Pinterest and blamed it all on the half hour I spent unclogging the toilet. Neither one is a helpful option. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sometimes, I need to have a come-to-Jesus moment with myself. As a Catholic, I find a daily examen to be helpful with this. It's good to look back over my day and be honest with myself about where I dropped the ball and where I did well, and find the places in my day where God was speaking to me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">On the other side of the coin, it's also good to evaluate my work flow. Are there things that just aren't working for us right now? For example, now that Veronica can stand, I need to do another round of baby-proofing. If I've taken on a few extra activities, do I need to reevaluate my meal plan? Those sorts of things tend to sneak up on me, and I can "should" myself all day long about them, but it won't fix anything. Fix the holes in the ship, don't beat your men for not bailing water fast enough. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Think about the long term</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In general, are the things we are doing making us better people? Are we growing in wisdom and virtue? Often we judge how we are doing by how happy or peaceful things are in the moment, but that can be a misleading standard. I'm aiming to raise people who can be calm in the midst of the storm, and have a peace that mere circumstance cannot take away. Some days, that means sucking it up and dealing with unpleasant things. It's easy to lose sight, in the moment, and feel like a bad day defines us, but those are going to happen. It's the general trajectory of things that is the bigger concern. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So pour yourself a drink, tell your tales of the year that was and set your course for the new one, with whatever it may bring. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-87679274655028469262014-12-18T07:07:00.000-08:002014-12-18T07:07:03.808-08:00Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<i>I'm joining in the link party from <a href="http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org/">Like Mother, Like Daughter</a>. </i></div>
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We have had an unusual warm spell this week. The temperature climbed to nearly 50 degrees. I imagine that this is what winter is like in a lot of the country. I forget that winter isn't the frigid, six months of constant snow and ice we have here in Minnesota or the sunny, non-winter we had in Southern California in most places. I wasn't cut out for that. To a Northerner, sunshine is an obligation. When it's warm enough to do stuff, you do stuff. That's exhausting when the sun is always shining. </div>
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I decided to go for a walk by the pond. It was glorious. It wasn't even jacket weather. I listened to the audio of a class I had missed when we were sick and I got lost in the quiet. Heaven.<br />
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Our Knights of Columbus group had its first annual St Lucy Day party. Our friends, who hosted, had moved into the house the week before. A week after I move, I'm usually hiding from my unpacked boxes and overstimulated kids in the bathroom with a glass of wine. Hosting a lovely party with homemade cinnamon and saffron rolls wouldn't even be on my radar screen. My friend Arika is a superhero. Speaking of superheroes....</div>
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Yes, that is a batman costume, and yes, it is hanging from my bedroom chandelier. </div>
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I always feel like a kid explaining myself to a parent when I take the kids to the ER for an injury. "Well, you see, doctor, there was this handbell and this toddler..." Poor Cheyenne got beaned in the face by her two year old sister and had to get stitches. Zach couldn't come for about an hour and a half, so I took all six kids to the emergency room. Travis tried bravely to save his sister from the evil doctor's needles by shooting him with fake hand lasers, but the doctor won out. Apparently, Travis has inherited his dad's sensitive stomach. The sight of the stitches caused him to get sick, all over Charlotte, and partially on James.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSujnmg0lDpyT4nmTgGXwpCSYQxUqzDoODO7gRYjZm6TLC5BxY2_Q9TsPnjL1GqNt0mHSfH9G6tSB1gffMawFq9-kJgkX7s9-tDNqznZNBqDdk4VjFcXauhqsXwe-KrKXFqMl2yEzxgk/s640/blogger-image--2071771328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGSujnmg0lDpyT4nmTgGXwpCSYQxUqzDoODO7gRYjZm6TLC5BxY2_Q9TsPnjL1GqNt0mHSfH9G6tSB1gffMawFq9-kJgkX7s9-tDNqznZNBqDdk4VjFcXauhqsXwe-KrKXFqMl2yEzxgk/s640/blogger-image--2071771328.jpg" /></a></div>
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Turns out the only spare clothes I had with me were some clothes I was dropping off at the Goodwill for my 90 year old grandma. Whatever. It's warm. We made a quick stop at Costco for dinner before I got the entire evening off for my class. We all lived. </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-6063571708952363952014-12-12T16:01:00.001-08:002014-12-12T16:21:56.240-08:00Real Math<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiL3u_Fzf57-2kPQyJzd-qYpFWhz4BRKo2Cw1Oac1A7NzG8DkM7d7e26o7QyqurpWd1jE31hmxNw31WDr-p_qyWnCzwC5BJjuesEycd-aCSaB3tAbak7IDRAG7_7dD3oGYoG-iLIp31Dk/s640/blogger-image--1936893353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiL3u_Fzf57-2kPQyJzd-qYpFWhz4BRKo2Cw1Oac1A7NzG8DkM7d7e26o7QyqurpWd1jE31hmxNw31WDr-p_qyWnCzwC5BJjuesEycd-aCSaB3tAbak7IDRAG7_7dD3oGYoG-iLIp31Dk/s640/blogger-image--1936893353.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Fifth grade math has gone well, but we have been hitting a bit of a dry spell lately. Staring at fractions and decimals, factors and least common multiples was starting to seem, to the eldest child, like a sea of useless drudgery that brought up the timeless question, "what do you use this for?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It's a fair question. It does seem to me that we like to divorce arithmetic from its context in real life applications. It's easy for kids to see the purpose of learning language, because they use it everyday for their own purposes. Math seems, from their perspective, less relevent. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Cheyenne and Bella have expressed an interest lately in learning more about cooking and budgeting, so I decided to suspend my planned curriculum for the month and refocus on some practical life skills. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtIXQJdXNieoSpRqxX4SmqFPyfV5ok0pfonBhCHVhyphenhyphenyjDBnOBIZPOIgTcZE6zjkfyB1QznhEtTcwbG06ZBcyYsP8q_prwXCHSkN6Q4VbLnopykDpBQqoX52UelBzoi_arjCIXHJKovbs/s640/blogger-image-1000970925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtIXQJdXNieoSpRqxX4SmqFPyfV5ok0pfonBhCHVhyphenhyphenyjDBnOBIZPOIgTcZE6zjkfyB1QznhEtTcwbG06ZBcyYsP8q_prwXCHSkN6Q4VbLnopykDpBQqoX52UelBzoi_arjCIXHJKovbs/s640/blogger-image-1000970925.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We started with price comparisons. The night we began this study we were making tacos, so we decided to start by having the girls compare the cost of the individual packets of taco mix with the cost of the Costco bottle and, once we get the prices on the bulk spices, the cost of the mix recipe from The Tightwad Gazette. It's some good, solid mathematical thinking. How do we find the price per unit using the information printed on the package? What is the basic unit, for our purposes? If we use 3 T per pound of hamburger with one mix, and 4 with another, do we compare by teaspoon, or by one pound batch? What makes the most sense? If the amount on the package is given in in teaspoons, how can I convert that to Tablespoons? How about cups? If I'm making the homemade mix, how do I scale the recipe up or down? Does any of this look familiar? Fractions? Decimals? Factoring? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Next up, I'm having them make a price book comparing prices of our most used items at different grocery stores, again taking into account units in a package. When it's all done we will have a taste test of some recipes using different products in which quality might make a difference because, after all, price is not the only factor to be considered in evaluating a decision. There are other, non-quantitative factors that make a difference too. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This "break" from their math homework seems to be putting a little more steam in their learning engines. Suddenly the math problems have purpose and context. They are a language that expresses something meaningful. If nothing else, they'll leave home someday knowing how to make good use of their money and evaluate data for decision making. You could do worse. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-51918249229394097922014-12-03T07:24:00.001-08:002014-12-03T08:20:06.344-08:00A 50th anniversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwTZdhkstt5FvwBaCF0i_h26UumGmps1zoCDcBnLach5mhYi_DaLN7fjWMoyp-Uh5_C8EPACdfTOZIYu8WP-VtSgt2Sl7B9sKLnGc_tcQflGnxX4ybQ77Di6hQFi6ATAtO67RsG7G1nc/s640/blogger-image-1840045365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwTZdhkstt5FvwBaCF0i_h26UumGmps1zoCDcBnLach5mhYi_DaLN7fjWMoyp-Uh5_C8EPACdfTOZIYu8WP-VtSgt2Sl7B9sKLnGc_tcQflGnxX4ybQ77Di6hQFi6ATAtO67RsG7G1nc/s640/blogger-image-1840045365.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I live in a really lovely place. This is the view from my kitchen right now. It's winter, so it's not as nice at the moment, but wait a second. Let me show you. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNwdg5BXjpMi64JQvlG2Z6USXaxucXTwk5Wl_hXpPBVzDRAZwlZaf6MiqxeQJ_enBG9L612Dv7CSB-OBnWs1WeSX5dTW_aAfWTIGE3kcc-6sx0r9WyKkW3ienyB7ISdOas7OAeNEtEOg/s640/blogger-image-725593683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNwdg5BXjpMi64JQvlG2Z6USXaxucXTwk5Wl_hXpPBVzDRAZwlZaf6MiqxeQJ_enBG9L612Dv7CSB-OBnWs1WeSX5dTW_aAfWTIGE3kcc-6sx0r9WyKkW3ienyB7ISdOas7OAeNEtEOg/s640/blogger-image-725593683.jpg"></a></div><i>Some of our gardens in summer</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><br></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="font-style: italic; clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qrtTfFbuk-BqOFoO49oeLphOlkrC0kRXQ8xXEkdFPMnyC0K2unsA-2edr0U7ssj68Z-I6_ju4mHWznparMWWyfVTFg7WgxazhuDvRZ4PhlcZptA8YWRezY_xBauwDFg5RRLdwzZy3mY/s640/blogger-image--751112388.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qrtTfFbuk-BqOFoO49oeLphOlkrC0kRXQ8xXEkdFPMnyC0K2unsA-2edr0U7ssj68Z-I6_ju4mHWznparMWWyfVTFg7WgxazhuDvRZ4PhlcZptA8YWRezY_xBauwDFg5RRLdwzZy3mY/s640/blogger-image--751112388.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The walk by the lake</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><br></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="font-style: italic; clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7m9tDDp2jG_h5V3tuDOM1nsme6GLFpPffhlx12D1F8-_wryeSqPIkI7fLlfMIC6fSGaELQTmU5dW5zZRQA8qL_GjwoG4QMU9Y6phK5oPeqOypxG2OzVCcEYB-i5qhE0KK47kcUes_kU/s640/blogger-image--765322773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7m9tDDp2jG_h5V3tuDOM1nsme6GLFpPffhlx12D1F8-_wryeSqPIkI7fLlfMIC6fSGaELQTmU5dW5zZRQA8qL_GjwoG4QMU9Y6phK5oPeqOypxG2OzVCcEYB-i5qhE0KK47kcUes_kU/s640/blogger-image--765322773.jpg"></a></div><i>The dock in summer</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><br></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsVkbdu5wcljtvVc11ts624aoycXHscRsyYyRgSFvPGF7ikHj0VAS-D-zuYNzBOvjQbYvw_jqEopwjT0GfDJfEhDckKSXd4_O_IKlbxs5US_VagtDWjPVvuCXl0yXnpWWgyZD93mOnVY/s640/blogger-image-1864641929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOsVkbdu5wcljtvVc11ts624aoycXHscRsyYyRgSFvPGF7ikHj0VAS-D-zuYNzBOvjQbYvw_jqEopwjT0GfDJfEhDckKSXd4_O_IKlbxs5US_VagtDWjPVvuCXl0yXnpWWgyZD93mOnVY/s640/blogger-image-1864641929.jpg"></a></div>One of our pools</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><br></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I could go on all day. My neighbourhood was designed as an experiment in landscape design to enhance the building of community, and it has worked pretty well. We have our conflicts, to be sure, but it's the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and people take pride in their neighbourhood. We have cooking groups, book clubs, groups that get together at ethnic restaurants and potlucks. We have a group that keeps an eye on older neighbours who might need help, and a group that brings meals, flowers, cards, etc. to the sick, post-partum and grieving. This year we are reviving the community 4H group for the kids, and will be working on creating a monarch sanctuary in among our many shared gardens. This is a place where things are happening. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I was very excited to be asked to be part of the group putting together our 50th anniversary celebration. It's going to be amazing. We are going to have an entire year of events; food events, art shows, wine tastings with poetry readings, music from our own musicians, family events, a photo gallery of our neighbourhood's history, a tennis tournament, a book... again, I could go on all day. In a world where people are often very disconnected from their neighbours, we have somehow managed to preserve, or perhaps create, a fun and supportive environment. I am so, so grateful to have grown up here, and to have the chance to raise my kids here. I have been blessed, since I moved here on my first birthday, to get to know people of all ages, races, nationalities and backgrounds, that are more like family than friends. I've been blessed by their wide range of knowledge, talents and experiences. I've been blessed by their love and their support. Where else do your neighbours read about your bad day on Facebook and bring you over a bottle of wine? That is what it means to love your neighbour. I <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">am really hopeful that this 50th anniversary year can be a year where we pull together even more, and invest in the future of our community. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">As this is my Year of Poverty and Simplicity, I'm reflecting on all of this abundance. I think this is the key, this abundance of blessing, beauty and love instead of an abundance of things. These are the real riches. </span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-21827246151703900462014-12-02T09:31:00.001-08:002014-12-02T09:31:03.584-08:00Toddlers and Trees<div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtqfi8Z27Rm4ps4P7Eq9iMp3nnKQ3UOSBthuEDRmiGEXIsiI-KxyVftdnIpQS0nOY1oGpejL8Eg4GSGEZNI93plHV_EYJOv-Us2BwNOF-dHLq7vZYcWweJlqMJKDQcO4EJxB5bE6YKj0/s640/blogger-image-53019135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtqfi8Z27Rm4ps4P7Eq9iMp3nnKQ3UOSBthuEDRmiGEXIsiI-KxyVftdnIpQS0nOY1oGpejL8Eg4GSGEZNI93plHV_EYJOv-Us2BwNOF-dHLq7vZYcWweJlqMJKDQcO4EJxB5bE6YKj0/s640/blogger-image-53019135.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><i>http://m.wikihow.com/Make-an-Origami-Balloon</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The last couple of years, I have not put up my Christmas tree. When I was a kid, Christmas was a huge thing. My mom is the self proclaimed Queen of Christmas. The house was decorated to the nines, the food was plentiful and lovely, there was Christmas music and the gifts! They were also plentiful and perfectly wrapped. It was glorious. Then I became the mom and oh. my. word. That is a lot of work. For her, it was a labour of love, and she greatly enjoyed it. She is an amazingly creative person, and it was one of her outlets. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We all have different talents and gift wrapping just isn't one of mine. Mailing Christmas cards, it turns out, isn't either. I have three times as many kids as she did, so gifts have been a simpler affair. No, that's not true. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWn0Nu2cru8lJhKcKHfGCmWCrfT8yX2_qqs1ZryRq4LUnYF8CX6GZwFDLONkiDyAO7JLgYxh7ww9a3uyjuBPq5rEhA-dem0f0BUEu3iyl_jVTHdZb58fPWUJX6qjrQnOCxYK3HT7mgV54/s640/blogger-image--1346621211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWn0Nu2cru8lJhKcKHfGCmWCrfT8yX2_qqs1ZryRq4LUnYF8CX6GZwFDLONkiDyAO7JLgYxh7ww9a3uyjuBPq5rEhA-dem0f0BUEu3iyl_jVTHdZb58fPWUJX6qjrQnOCxYK3HT7mgV54/s640/blogger-image--1346621211.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Last year's Christmas gift. </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Simpler is the wrong word to use, here. Some of the gifts have been pretty stinking complex. But the gift giving is, at least, different, than it was when I was a kid. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Anyway, in my quest to make Christmas my own I have totally slacked on the decorating. The battle between toddler and Christmas tree seemed like too much to take on, and my awesome ornaments, made by my grandmother and sent to me by my world-traveling great-aunt from the far corners of the globe, seemed too precious to be put in the hands of tiny people who would mistake them for food. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">But, you know what? I think I've gone too far. I miss my tree. I miss my wreaths and my garland. I want things to be pretty. So this year, we are doing the tree, but making our own ornaments, at least for the toddler accessible areas. I've looked on Pinterest and decided, after some consideration, to mainly stick to origami ornaments. Stuff with glitter, stuff with sequins or stuff with any kind of paint seems like a bad idea with a 9 month old around. Two-year old Charlotte managed, the other day, to cover herself in glitter while she was napping in her glitter-free brothers' room. They have a gift for mess making, these monkeys.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEild6wLOxLMCZsE9xJb-ezQgFh1RRIO4rqKD1JwJHpfaeam0aie26lUuQQtNQsBu9V_-E89ToTkcwOv5qGBWZbJLAix4sMbNl3DxQv9Q9Sg4Evd1v1muidn5nsU3FsWEV6oKu0KL78DFls/s640/blogger-image-1798312405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEild6wLOxLMCZsE9xJb-ezQgFh1RRIO4rqKD1JwJHpfaeam0aie26lUuQQtNQsBu9V_-E89ToTkcwOv5qGBWZbJLAix4sMbNl3DxQv9Q9Sg4Evd1v1muidn5nsU3FsWEV6oKu0KL78DFls/s640/blogger-image-1798312405.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>Veronica's head, covered in marker as I wrote this. </i></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I've started with the globes because I have known how to make them since the 3rd grade (thanks Robin Sorenson!) and they are cute and festive. I needed a brief refresher, but I was able to make a dozen of them while eating cookies in the McDonald's play land. If they last through the season, so much the better, but if they don't, they cost me a few cents each and my priceless memories will be safe for a day when inedible objects are no longer anyone's favourite food group. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-69875103990333530012014-11-28T06:15:00.001-08:002014-11-28T09:05:26.021-08:00Black Friday. Who am I?<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigahQqRGORfJML2jUVRw89OkvT0yb3hEkMIlxlCKGT8GYgD9TYDjWod-T6SUgTDb3KtdiIwQb4j5AgWV9yt0h2C4HEkt4D5FQQa7HwWKp0fJoln_KXfMMR8Q8ZyDBnPiEB43zOwRmFGQM/s640/blogger-image--1030328296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigahQqRGORfJML2jUVRw89OkvT0yb3hEkMIlxlCKGT8GYgD9TYDjWod-T6SUgTDb3KtdiIwQb4j5AgWV9yt0h2C4HEkt4D5FQQa7HwWKp0fJoln_KXfMMR8Q8ZyDBnPiEB43zOwRmFGQM/s640/blogger-image--1030328296.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div>I don't know what came over me. In 36 years of life, I have never gone Black Friday shopping, and I have never wanted to. In fact, I used to rail against the commercialism of it all. I was better than that, right? <div><br></div><div>And then, I decided, out of the blue, to hit up Target on Black Friday and buy myself a TV. That's right. I didn't even buy something altruistic like presents for the poor, or even presents for my kids. I bought a TV for my laundry room. Who am I? It's like I don't even know myself anymore. (I also bought some yarn, but I feel much less guilty about that.) </div><div><br></div><div>In my defense, I've been cooped up in the house for two weeks with sick kids and I was feeling pretty restless. Also, ever since the old laundry room tv broke, the laundry has been a ridiculous mess. My husband used to go down there for his introvert alone time and watch Chuck Norris movies and fold laundry. Come to think of it, he has been crabbier since that TV broke too. </div><div><br></div><div>Mostly, though, I think I am rebelling. I still like reading better than TV. I still like quiet, simple holidays. I still like long, laborious, home cooked meals. I still think that, overall, we have some cultural bad habits that we would do well to change. But you know what? Sometimes I also like to watch Netflix and fold some laundry. </div><div><br></div><div>I think it is possible to take things that are good ideas and try to turn them into virtues. For me, at least, shopping at Target on Black Friday is generally not a good idea, but I have friends who carefully plan their purchases and have a fantastic time with their sisters getting ready for Christmas. Their holiday doesn't center around gifts, but gifts are a part of it, and, for them, it is a bonding experience and an exercise in prudent spending. We do this about many things. Eating. Exercise. Spending. </div><div><br></div><div>I think the complimentary temptation to the temptation to be imprudent and excessive is the temptation to pride. If I am sitting home on Black Friday, pleased with myself that I am not "that sort of person" I have successfully turned virtue into vice. So this year, I am grateful, not just for the TV that will probably bring my laundry back into some semblance of order, but for the opportunity to be humbled. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-73744516911420216312014-11-25T06:19:00.001-08:002014-11-26T07:02:24.087-08:00Things I shouldn't have to say<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBYy0bMjj5MO66385GsE6d-r7SDu0oCbXZMOoyNqk59wSdkrWAM2hJoyM762a72tnaLyYGaNStTB-4kZV9PzZmogInoZrNSQRkHPCp0FbCuPRdwN9YhyphenhyphenbGCjA4CkkmWjvoezfE1P_ook/s640/blogger-image--1673689450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBYy0bMjj5MO66385GsE6d-r7SDu0oCbXZMOoyNqk59wSdkrWAM2hJoyM762a72tnaLyYGaNStTB-4kZV9PzZmogInoZrNSQRkHPCp0FbCuPRdwN9YhyphenhyphenbGCjA4CkkmWjvoezfE1P_ook/s640/blogger-image--1673689450.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>-Glue is not a cracker dip. </div><div>-Do you seriously expect me to believe that you just fell asleep on the floor right now before I could discipline you? I'm not as dumb as I look, kid. </div><div>-Can you get me a popcorn-free glass of water? </div><div>-When I said you could collect money from around the house, I meant change from the laundry. Not my purse. </div><div>-That sounds like a great dinner suggestion, honey, but just an FYI, it's "chicken pot pie," not "chicken butt pie."</div><div>-And that is why we don't use dinosaurs as spoons. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-88445585786324353822014-11-21T17:56:00.001-08:002014-11-25T05:56:50.300-08:00Midlife CrisisAbout a month ago I decided to have myself a midlife crisis. The average life expectancy in the U.S. is something like 78, so I suppose, at 36 I am a hair on the young side, but a few years early won't hurt anything. I've never been the sort of person who was bothered by aging. That is really almost a silly thing to say in your mid thirties, but I didn't panic when I hit 30 and five years I was thrilled to finally be old enough to be president (not that I would actually want the job). When I feel stuck in the 30-something doldrums I don't usually daydream about my lost youth, I daydream about getting older. Your 20s are confusing and filled with all this pressure to become somebody. No thank you. <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcPNN-wJzoJ8M6yfH7puDXqdC8QlMkstoCl4lGCdc_8yQOJkBPUdfxbO0E6zIwdwSFXSn1leONWQxPoKCZDoHP-4tlLWN-jN2_Q8KFziSfnL3AdBd4rxTxZ37Hv-cVeNlZavLd_rcWpw/s640/blogger-image--315002054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcPNN-wJzoJ8M6yfH7puDXqdC8QlMkstoCl4lGCdc_8yQOJkBPUdfxbO0E6zIwdwSFXSn1leONWQxPoKCZDoHP-4tlLWN-jN2_Q8KFziSfnL3AdBd4rxTxZ37Hv-cVeNlZavLd_rcWpw/s640/blogger-image--315002054.jpg"></a></div><br><div><br></div><div>I look at my parents, my aunts and my friend's moms and I think, "that's where it's at." I want to take up beading and photography, volunteer large amounts of my time for good causes, spoil my grand kids, have extended happy hours with my friends (or kids!) and travel to Italy. I look forward to the day that I can be my kids friends and not The Meanest Mom Ever. Oh sure, you can do some of those things when you are young, but then they come with pressure. "This is the best time of your life. Enjoy it now before the real world gets to you." "Find out who you are." That is for the birds. Those things sound like so much more fun when you already know who you are. </div><div><br></div><div>Because of that, I kind of thought that the fabled midlife crisis would pass me by. Lately, though, I think some shaking up might be helpful. I'm finding myself feeling a little get-off-my-lawn, a little cynical even. My patience is a little stretched, and I can see, that if I don't take steps to change, I may not like who I grow into. </div><div><br></div><div>I already have a younger man (my husband) and a tattoo, so this is the plan I have come up with. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXaPPYYr2Zu8nVvlNa0ZlMgxLOer2VDnS0gb06amvZ3Cq3Ef49AW56IBFfRVnNVeMmZq0nKI6ljHJiCHYBklD0LA_cY3UNf71kX_iiiBhL2B59i-tcyeByrO0QF6tQykqcPDGx6NHjAjg/s640/blogger-image--594498330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXaPPYYr2Zu8nVvlNa0ZlMgxLOer2VDnS0gb06amvZ3Cq3Ef49AW56IBFfRVnNVeMmZq0nKI6ljHJiCHYBklD0LA_cY3UNf71kX_iiiBhL2B59i-tcyeByrO0QF6tQykqcPDGx6NHjAjg/s640/blogger-image--594498330.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><br></div><div>1. Stop dressing like I just got out of bed. Even though, many days, I still feel like I just got out of bed at 3:00 in the afternoon, there is no reason I need to look like it. 10 years of baby making has meant a lot of shift in sizes, and I have completely fallen into the yoga-pants and t-shirts, or on a good day, jeans and t-shirts trap. </div><div><br></div><div>"Mom, is black your favourite colour?" "No." "Then why is it all you wear?" "Because not having to change my shirt by noon is my favourite colour." I have had that conversation with my colour-conscious eldest daughter many times. She is right, though, it's a cheap excuse. I have solved the dirt on the clothes problem by wearing an apron. Yes, it makes me look like a '50s housewife, but better a '50's housewife than a depressed, overgrown college student. Body image issues used to contribute to my lack of dress sense, but, happily, my newfound cynicism is manifesting itself in a lack of concern about what anyone might think of my body and how I dress it. I've made six people. My body is just fine. Besides, when I was a kid and imagined what I wanted to look like as an adult, the image in my head was always more funky-librarian than Disney Princess. </div><div><br></div><div>2. Devote more time to my own hobbies, learning and other pursuits. This one has been a little harder, and not for the reasons you might think, namely, six reasons that are, as I type this, sleeping in their beds. It's more that I am suspicious of the sort of Oprah-ish idea that what I want is the most important thing in the world. Wants are a fickle master. While I do think that mindset is hogwash, the opposite idea, that using and developing my gifts and talents and cultivating my own joy is somehow injurious to the world, is, at best, silly and unhelpful. Studying at the Catechetical Institute and blogging are the first steps in this effort, but I mean them to be only the beginning. There is nothing wrong with being well-rounded. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-52234216172681964432014-11-20T14:45:00.000-08:002014-11-21T12:02:24.194-08:00Things I Shouldn't Have to Say<div>
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I've been writing these on Facebook for years, but I think it's time to add to the blog as a Friday theme. Daily, as a mom, I find myself saying things that I could never in a million years anticipated having to say. These people are cute, but they're also crazy. </div>
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This week's edition. </div>
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-Cheese is not a writing utensil. That's why your pen is not working.<br />
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-When I said to put the baby down, I didn't mean on your sister's head. </div>
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-You can come out of your room when you are ready to stop mooning people. </div>
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-What do you mean, you "lost Wisconsin?"</div>
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-Why was there a car in your pants? </div>
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-Snowpants are meant to be outerwear. They are not a replacement for actual pants. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-26708091648837668062014-11-19T14:33:00.000-08:002014-11-21T12:02:56.377-08:00The Griffith Family Christmas List 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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The first Christmas gift of the season has been purchased. This beauty will soon be the property of our own intrepid girl reporter, Isabella. It's even her favourite colour. This is the same girl who, for her last birthday, wanted a skateboard and a walkman. Not an iPod. A walkman. We breed hipsters in Nordeast without even trying. </div>
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I was pleased that this years selections have been, thus far, much more attainable than last years, which consisted of a live orphan (Cheyenne), a dead dinosaur (James) and drink coasters (Bella). The drink coasters, at least, were both actually possible to purchase and reasonably priced. </div>
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Without further ado. This year's list. </div>
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A typewriter (See above)</div>
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A wheel of Gouda</div>
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A hammock</div>
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A hammock chair</div>
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Batman</div>
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A nightlight</div>
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Star Wars Cookies</div>
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A lightsaber</div>
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A coat with a built-in heater</div>
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Hair and nail stuff</div>
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Crochet hooks</div>
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Stilton</div>
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A fencing mask</div>
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Cupcakes</div>
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A hedgehog</div>
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And a shark </div>
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The last two <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">may or may not have been me. </span></div>
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Some of that is going to happen, people. It really is. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-80848116569877282272014-11-19T12:29:00.001-08:002014-11-24T06:55:04.202-08:00Thanksgiving simplified. Sort of.<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEvylJRzi0cvxDyAXDpuMR1HIBwr-YwFpEkKmE5xjkH60lofnz-7au6yP_aURrukqETLxrdEwhDvJTM-OIpFJczZeANLYiStNCui4G4d5XX6teLW3dKaHx6n8Rq_DuYFqHDa5HZaryaU/s640/blogger-image-1479384927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEvylJRzi0cvxDyAXDpuMR1HIBwr-YwFpEkKmE5xjkH60lofnz-7au6yP_aURrukqETLxrdEwhDvJTM-OIpFJczZeANLYiStNCui4G4d5XX6teLW3dKaHx6n8Rq_DuYFqHDa5HZaryaU/s640/blogger-image-1479384927.jpg"></a></div><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> I love to cook. Love it. As my Father-in-law astutely pointed out to me this past summer, the kitchen is where I retreat when life is overwhelming me. No one questions your alone time if you emerge from it with cupcakes or a pot roast for them to eat. </span></div><div><div><div><br></div><div>I do not, however, like holiday cooking. I find it boring and laden with expectation, and Thanksgiving is the worst of it for me. The only real room for creativity is in the pies. </div><div><br></div><div>For a variety of reasons we spend most holidays with just our immediate family (which includes my dad, who lives here). Zach doesn't cook and my dad, though once a fantastic chef, has hung up his apron for good. That leaves me to do everything. Thanksgiving dinner is a full week's work for me. Last year I went a little crazy. OK, maybe a lot crazy. I lost sight of the point and by the time the turkey hit the table I was feeling cranky, resentful and anything but grateful. Before dinner was over, it was suggested that next year we might be better off eating out. </div><div><br></div><div>This year dad decided that we needed to simplify. "I don't care if all we have is tuna casserole and pie. I don't even care if all we have is pie."</div><div><br></div><div> I considered that. An all pie Thanksgiving has potential, but I'm not quite ready to give up all pretense of a real holiday just yet. I can find a way to make it special without stressing myself out to the point that my turkey is served with a side of crab. </div><div><br></div><div>It turns out, turkey isn't really anyone in this house's favourite food. It's good, but so are grilled cheese sandwiches, and that's not on the holiday menu. I polled the troops and it was decided that prime rib would be greatly preferred. Once we threw out the traditional turkey, no one cared if we have our 5 traditional side dishes plus mashed potatoes and gravy. "Whatever you want to make will be fine mom, as long as there is pie." So I've decided that we will have roasted potatoes (easy), Yorkshire pudding (easy) and a salad made from a kit from Costco.</div></div></div><div><br></div><div>The downside of this menu change-up is that it makes the turkey crafts I had planned for the week seem a little ridiculous. Not as ridiculous as prime rib crafts would be, however, so I think we'll stick with the original plan for activities. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-70209401504254969072014-11-18T14:53:00.001-08:002014-11-19T06:11:07.381-08:00Love and Lutefisk<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii44Bnh8XB7OXPdihXl6cRBFVVJZBF7C8XiNFhzAYVGBZP7FHgds7kjXBiA0fMWe1bbk0J0pX4oS4xsEfSkiWAn4UMT5jYaQLmgX5mD1hSEDJPFfR1JIzSFzvSOOXeoJmpEVK3t1L3lB8/s640/blogger-image-1992904121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii44Bnh8XB7OXPdihXl6cRBFVVJZBF7C8XiNFhzAYVGBZP7FHgds7kjXBiA0fMWe1bbk0J0pX4oS4xsEfSkiWAn4UMT5jYaQLmgX5mD1hSEDJPFfR1JIzSFzvSOOXeoJmpEVK3t1L3lB8/s640/blogger-image-1992904121.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div><br></div>In an exciting turn of events, this fall my maternal grandmother, known to one and all as GGB (Great-Grandma Barb), after years of snowbirding in Arizona, Las Vegas and Mexico, moved back to the Twin Cities to be closer to her family. <div><br></div><div>Great-Grandma Barb is awesome. She has never really been your stereotypical, cookie-baking Grandma (although she actually does bake a mean batch of cookies). Growing up, she was my Vegas Grandma, with her sequined tennis shoes. The kind who goes hula dancing, gambling and deep sea fishing in Mexico. She has taken me RVing through the Canadian Rockies, helicoptering over Mount Rushmore and flying over glaciers in Alaska in a bush plane. She has played practical jokes on me in an outhouse in the Alaskan wilderness. She has had her domestic moments, to be sure. She once refused to go on safari with her world-traveler sister because she wanted to spend the money on drapes (which, if you call them curtains and buy them at Target, don't cost the same as a plane ticket to Africa), but overall, it's not been a quiet, elderly sort of life for my grandma. </div><div><br></div><div>But, the reality is, at 89 years old, that it was getting hard to keep up her house. It was getting harder to drive at night. A lot of their friends, who were young retirees when they moved into their Las Vegas house, have now passed on. The only family member in Vegas is my cousin, who is awesome, but 20 years old, and has her own life. In, what I think was an epic, heroic move, Grandma decided to put her house up for sale and move into a much smaller senior condo here in the Twin Cities. In an even more stunning move, this woman who once encouraged my mother to try and outrun the cops when we were being pulled over, decided to give up her drivers license. </div><div><br></div><div>And you know what? It's been a little hard. She is handling it, but it's a big change. After 24 years, the silverware is in a different spot. The oven has buttons she doesn't quite understand, and her neighbours are "old ladies." She is not sure she will fit in. She is at the mercy of other people's schedules whe she wants to go out. No more getting in the car and running to the store. To say nothing of moving to Minneapolis in winter, which is, in and of itself, an act of courage. Even with the help of her family, who have been awesome and supportive, it's going to take a little getting used to. </div><div><br></div><div>The one thing, in addition to her family, that she was really looking forward to about being home was finally being able to eat lutefisk again. I do understand the desire for familiar foods when you live out of state. I used to live in L.A. I know the joys of asking a grocer where you might find the sauerkraut and not having them look at you like you invented a word. But Lutefisk? That, I am not so sure of. I have always felt that our ancestors moved here from Sweden precicely to give their descendents the sort of life where we didn't have to eat that sort of thing. </div><div><br></div><div>For those of you who are not familiar, lutefisk is codfish that is soaked in lye until it is the consistency of snot, soaked again in salt water to draw out the caustic poison, and served boiled with butter or white sauce. The only reason I can come up with for its popularity is that Minnesotans like a challenge. We are hearty enough to hack -60F windchills and dangit, we are hearty enough to eat poison soaked snot-fish and like it. </div><div><br></div><div>But what is a girl to do? This woman once waited with me in the Small World line at Disneyland, not once, but five times, and all she is asking for is lutefisk. It's my duty to provide. Luckily, I have connections. My neighbourhood has it's very own Lutefisk Support Group. Several times a year lutefisk lovers, and the people who love them, gather at Lutheran Church lutefisk suppers all over the city sampling the finest poison snot-fish in town. Thankfully, for those of us who aren't fans, there are also meatballs. I think it's time to join. My grandmother needs me. </div><div><br></div><div>As we are heading towards Thanksgiving and advent, and I am reflecting often on love, I feel like there is some kind of lesson in all this. Something about love being about the other, about setting aside your own desires (or aversions) to bring joy to someone else. You know, that kind of thing. Or maybe I'm just overthinking this. Either way, I am grateful to God for the gift of my grandma, and grateful to God for the gift of Swedish meatballs. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-28267915475999681812014-11-18T14:20:00.001-08:002014-11-18T14:20:22.966-08:00This and That<div><br></div><div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOYLidyqB1rpcKj-sEJdN75jF_jLSeb_zM0Sb-1rFROJdxOLSny7S1fIVVwUVTrm906w9UulmWXnGciyKXewEaRWaj6dXWuV7QqrFAVcO5EWH8V1e6eT-6-17dGfSvp3FWHu5VcvEAAw/s640/blogger-image-2029851738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOYLidyqB1rpcKj-sEJdN75jF_jLSeb_zM0Sb-1rFROJdxOLSny7S1fIVVwUVTrm906w9UulmWXnGciyKXewEaRWaj6dXWuV7QqrFAVcO5EWH8V1e6eT-6-17dGfSvp3FWHu5VcvEAAw/s640/blogger-image-2029851738.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As we approach the holidays (yes, I am Catholic and I call it the holidays. Thanksgiving, St Nicholas Day, The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, St Lucia Day, 12 Days of Christmas, the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, New Years. Holidays. Also I am ethnically Jewish and my in-laws celebrate Jewish holidays.) I have been thinking of tackling my kitchen. I love my kitchen, but it really was not designed with the needs of a large family in mind. Over the years I have done a few things to mitigate the profound lack of storage. We jettisoned the coat closet in favour of an auxiliary pantry, which is now largely filled with homeschool supplies and, other than storing some less frequently used small appliances, is no longer much help to the kitchen. For my Christmas present this year, I decided that I wanted Zach to help me address my many storage issues. Thanks to last year's Christmas present, an indoor play area for the kids...<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3tutplNla6V8np-A39nPPU9kzr6KAbw99J33jRJUT4AumtM3eWhbhUTSWI_JYreYIQEx6kMq-AxMxWYBqymdLA1I0zZSnYiW2wmr68tNmvkcMDX_2h-pKR7f3bwaXzFtwiMbzHrhf4U/s640/blogger-image-896222212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3tutplNla6V8np-A39nPPU9kzr6KAbw99J33jRJUT4AumtM3eWhbhUTSWI_JYreYIQEx6kMq-AxMxWYBqymdLA1I0zZSnYiW2wmr68tNmvkcMDX_2h-pKR7f3bwaXzFtwiMbzHrhf4U/s640/blogger-image-896222212.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I do occasionally get a chance to work on projects of my own. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofH2ajS3DlE8PE5GKQm0qVhaM6IYxjReUdsSXCTzO3lpNw0HWx6zEmzTqWsXjCmngcvv2fGZlkdCiRpYt2KdK2IbykW0eJ2RPnapLUBZDjzcssEtDXQStAfbsDVZqbzv84bL8ZdIlLC0/s640/blogger-image--1271760921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofH2ajS3DlE8PE5GKQm0qVhaM6IYxjReUdsSXCTzO3lpNw0HWx6zEmzTqWsXjCmngcvv2fGZlkdCiRpYt2KdK2IbykW0eJ2RPnapLUBZDjzcssEtDXQStAfbsDVZqbzv84bL8ZdIlLC0/s640/blogger-image--1271760921.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Step one was to reclaim my desk from the 12 slice toaster that invaded it two years ago. The toaster, while useful, is big and ugly and will be better off in the pantry when the pantry counters are put in. I am temporarily storing my restuarant size pans and bowls on the window shelf, but eventually I am hoping to replace that with more attractive jars of food, or something prettier. For the moment, though, it works. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKh2SeNvpJwZH9eQgmJYlmf1Bqev1h39Fzyr8fv5PVrh2BH3NNNuXEzmpUEgFdjxgkLNWL_Pap3zw0URNtuoSPqNy8fMglAoxAjDEZAI2FYO1hespJPb0Lm5vZYGDNNPnhllYK5xDbl_A/s640/blogger-image--2022596716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKh2SeNvpJwZH9eQgmJYlmf1Bqev1h39Fzyr8fv5PVrh2BH3NNNuXEzmpUEgFdjxgkLNWL_Pap3zw0URNtuoSPqNy8fMglAoxAjDEZAI2FYO1hespJPb0Lm5vZYGDNNPnhllYK5xDbl_A/s640/blogger-image--2022596716.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The shelves are simple, but that is what I was looking for. Simple. Easy. Inexpensive. I like a kitchen to get it's beauty from its function. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-50103125713659598962014-08-31T09:53:00.000-07:002014-08-31T13:46:51.730-07:00A Home for People Who do Stuff<br />
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As part of my upcoming Year of Simplicity and Poverty, I am thinking a lot about how that relates to my home and posessions. Everywhere I look on the internet, on Pinterest and on Facebook there are articles telling me how to declutter, complete with pictures of magazine homes with everything perfectly in order. I read these and spend the next week driving everyone in my family nuts. We are going to simplify. Minimalism! Thats what we need, or a new system. Something that will finally tame the chaos. If I can just get rid of enough stuff, everything will be OK. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerusalem Workshop <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilsingapore/4096318432/">Nell Howard</a><br />
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The problem is that this never, ever works, and after a decade of parenthood, I'm starting to think it just never will. A lot of those houses you see in magazines aren't made for people who do things. They are made for people who visit their houses on evenings and weekends, not people who live and work there full time. There are nine people living in this house and all of us are doers. We cook, we build, we create, we draw, we write, we read, we play music, we explore, we pray, we serve, we tinker, we learn; in short, we really live in this house. This is not just a house, it's a workshop, a gathering place, a school and a studio. </div>
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Ultimately, that is a good thing. It's what I've always wanted my home to be, a place where love and creativity reign. I want to raise saints and scholars and craftsmen, people who put their heart and soul into their life and work. People who see their life and their vocation as one and the same, and who use the gifts they have been given for the benefit of the world, as a sweet smelling offering to the God who gave them those gifts.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atelier d'un luthier <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vollanth/8377867610/in/photolist-awzteA-kNd52R-7HPno-2B4koo-nyY229-drMZR5-nZHSoK-nfL1vz-8V86m7-8jt5aK-dLjLah-axtYjo-fk9kTk-dXiHZv-jUYwg7-e71qND-fVTn1u-atZcdr-ausaAe-axenEm">Anthony V</a><br />
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Climb a mountain. Look into the bottom of a pond, or a forest. there is order there, but it isn't, by any stretch of the imagination, tame. It's alive. I want my home to be a reflection of that. I want my home to be a place that is teeming with beauty, truth and goodness. In a lot of ways, it already is. I need to look at it like a gardener looks at their garden. Where do I need to prune to make space for the things that nourish us? What do I need to let grow? How can I make a fertile soil? What needs to be watered? What needs to be brought out into the sun, and how can I create shelter from the cold? How can all of these things, growing independently and doing what they were made to do, work together to create a place of beauty?<br />
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Bless us, O Lord, and these, thy gifts, which we are about to recieve from thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord. Amen. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pears and grapes still life <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/cbransto/2108027093/in/photolist-57aAaX-b3YsxV-5spJUY-7vVxcx-5spJW7-7dV9Zr-4vuEyw-7QkSXm-5sko3i-8rBFwN-b1a82Z-ayqa8k-b44vmH-junBiM-5sko1k-b6s5sT-8s86MK-7urr4L-4dhc1H-94vwts-5spJR5-4mNM2b-81rKsp-ecKoZ-4vW14U-6aqRJh-aqQVeU-4mEv39-5jryak-76SpAC-8VW8KF-dwQ9EU-aCBsfY-aDM8ip-dg2fis-yEpzv-aVAg26-hHY1RC-5EpYix-hSkTcr-dsdrE2-5hmaGL-gRm1Df-fDEnkH-hnqqws-gkPP8x-fLicQU-g3AnT2-j4HfFU-nScbw7">cbransto</a></td></tr>
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It seems to me that those words apply to so much more than food. How can I look on all of the gifts I have been given, physical, spiritual and personal, and use them for the purposes for which they were intended, or give them away with an attitude of gratitude and abundance? That, is the question. That is definitely going to involve some decluttering. It is definitely going to involve some bins, and some traditional organization. It's also going to invovle some letting go of expectations created from years of reading Better Homes and Gardens and embracing some of the mess of real life. </div>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: inherit;">{Pretty}</span></em></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7Yk1PtbA5cShA9DywspLmSTFbcSxomETQDZYGf4vX0msajeAi56sHOK5fLqZftigC3ZYV2wE3eS5L-ZFgdP6cS3O1PtUNuUgGwZMyjZSoQbmXCDwfcxL-N1KjPqQoMf3xVyKL1TrAK4/s640/blogger-image--795264757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7Yk1PtbA5cShA9DywspLmSTFbcSxomETQDZYGf4vX0msajeAi56sHOK5fLqZftigC3ZYV2wE3eS5L-ZFgdP6cS3O1PtUNuUgGwZMyjZSoQbmXCDwfcxL-N1KjPqQoMf3xVyKL1TrAK4/s640/blogger-image--795264757.jpg" /></a></div>
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A few of us have been dreadfully sick this week, myself included, and my sweet, adorable husband has taken such amazing care of us. The man made me fresh squeezed orange juice, brought me hot tea and hot water bottles and, for last night's dinner, some chicken pho. I haven't been especially hungry, but this was just exactly what I needed, hot, brothy, a little spicy (with the addition of some hot sauce) and chock full of good things. He is all kinds of wonderful. <br />
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<strong><em>{Happy}</em></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifH__8aCLuEieXvxAZj3iQjVbcNYlB4hQ28nxApXIUQNR_DtJz-J92xlZAjlQ1a5Lsl3POJYZ3Fd-sjEHGGjjyGYmypmgK4uWXSBDZLUZ9PKbRfUriG0wCjc8vPFars5JLsLjjUeMpv0/s640/blogger-image-1793994529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifH__8aCLuEieXvxAZj3iQjVbcNYlB4hQ28nxApXIUQNR_DtJz-J92xlZAjlQ1a5Lsl3POJYZ3Fd-sjEHGGjjyGYmypmgK4uWXSBDZLUZ9PKbRfUriG0wCjc8vPFars5JLsLjjUeMpv0/s640/blogger-image-1793994529.jpg" /></a></div>
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On Valentine's Day, before we all got hit with the bug, an elderly neighbour lady invited the big girls to a tea party at her house. They decorated Valentine cookies and ate strawberry sundaes. Mrs. Anderson is amazing. She has a level of refinement and class that you don't see a lot of anymore, and she has passed it on to her daughters and granddaughters. She has hosted the occasional tea party before and it's always a white-napkins-and-silver-tea-service affair with amazing homemade cakes, cookies and sandwiches, grapes in a silver grape server with silver grape scissors and the good china. She's an excellent example of what I love about my neighborhood. I love living in the kind of place where these kinds of intergenerational friendships flourish. I was lucky enough to have that as a kid, and it has been a gift of immesurable value. She also makes a mean sugar cookie. Normally cookies are nothing but a vehicle for frosting to me, but these were something to write home about. Very buttery and flavourful. I will have to get her recipe. <br />
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While the girls were at their party and the babies were napping, I had some one-on-one time with James making banana pudding for our Valentine's Day dessert. I love these times. He can be kind of a monkey, like any three year old boy, but when it's just the two of us I get to see his sweet side and hear what's going on in his perpetual-motion-machine of a brain, most of which involves dinosaurs and Captain America. <br />
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<strong><em>{Funny}</em></strong><br />
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Speaking of dinosaurs... "It's just like the Jurassic Period, but with rainbow spaghetti instead of sand." - James Griffith. I think this was one of his favourite activities ever. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of walking away from it to check the laundry. Then, in a misguided attempt to help me clean it up, one of the big girls broke out the vacuum cleaner. This is the sort of thing you don't think about before you have kids. You don't imagine yourself one day, far in the future, picking rainbow spaghetti out of a vacuum cleaner. Luckily these kinds of things, while not amusing in the moment, can be pretty funny in the retelling. <br />
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<strong><em>{Real}</em></strong><br />
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This is not all the same picture. It is not even the bulk of the series. Preschoolers and toddlers have apparently been embarking on a photo project, Pictures of the Top of my Head, while their mother was distracted. It has a Warhol-esque feel to it, don't you think? </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-11867051614842740732013-02-15T10:00:00.000-08:002013-02-18T09:46:59.870-08:00Time Management System- Part Two, the Homeschool Chart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UPyOpSoakfCpzHd5j8sbNBydH2U7GPtejFRow42tUPievbzaIw5g6H0BSvy8fpbqdNWFWb9eah74R_8FZTaCMujChbbELEKhU5WD8tfsXlX3ywsj9-z9cjLZ356Lto_1JXA9KKuJl5E/s1600/blogger-image-1860803551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UPyOpSoakfCpzHd5j8sbNBydH2U7GPtejFRow42tUPievbzaIw5g6H0BSvy8fpbqdNWFWb9eah74R_8FZTaCMujChbbELEKhU5WD8tfsXlX3ywsj9-z9cjLZ356Lto_1JXA9KKuJl5E/s320/blogger-image-1860803551.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I have tried about a million systems of organizing my homeschool lessons and until I came up with this, nothing actually stuck. I am not really a big fan of rigid schedules. I have babies and toddlers and I have never been functional at 2:00PM of any afternoon in my 34 years of life. My life has a lot of variables to work around. Still, I don't want school to fall through the cracks, so something had to be done to keep us more or less on track. This little baby has been helping a lot.<br />
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Each school kid has their own column of pockets, divided up by subject; Badge Work, Math, Grammar and Spelling (both of which include writing assignments) with a pocket at the bottom for completed work. James just has one pocket for preschool activites. The pockets are made out of envelopes I cut in half and stapled to the board. At the beginning of the week I put all of the week's assignments in their envelopes and they work on them during school time. If they want to keep working, and sometimes they do, and get it all done in a few days, good for them. They are done with school for the week. On the right side of the chart I have extra curricular activites, group activites, field trips and fun outings so they can see at a glance what our week looks like. It's not shown in this picture, but I have a simple dry erase calendar above this chart that shows us our month at a glance. It's simple, it's easy and it helps them work independently. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-37541443081644329772013-02-14T10:00:00.000-08:002013-02-14T17:25:56.096-08:00Time Management -Part One, the Chore Chart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvVsUDOLNmUue7DozLq21tOWgLi4NtHkZHstqjdYhJhunMFGIJFNO2i86l9fOxh72wD6Xdp8bDdu_pDmtFc0d2g1KlTtCmKkPdJM2eXbSV9Bj8HVGSRKpHAmAg3YXErFQx_f0w_XX3p4/s1600/blogger-image--656761183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvVsUDOLNmUue7DozLq21tOWgLi4NtHkZHstqjdYhJhunMFGIJFNO2i86l9fOxh72wD6Xdp8bDdu_pDmtFc0d2g1KlTtCmKkPdJM2eXbSV9Bj8HVGSRKpHAmAg3YXErFQx_f0w_XX3p4/s320/blogger-image--656761183.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
I've been playing around lately with different ideas for time management. It took me until I was very nearly 30 years old to be any good at managing my own time, much less the time of five children ages 9 months to 9 years. I'll be honest. In the past I have been pretty hit-or-miss with charts. I'm not always good at remembering to update them, but I decided to give it a try, now that I have some children old enough to keep me honest. So, as I always do when I need ideas, I combed Pinterest and Google until I found a few systems I could meld together to make something workable for us. This is our Communication Station, with the chore/reward chart below and note boards above. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQpwpJ6Ukju7sizMruSlY9Ffc2Sf2-z1_Y6RPddfYZ4olCKQyhniDZEGmB5BGlUEZe-OHsIskdZTWRdJ516L2AbxyNO7jvNmZqlvfIpEzt-JyUKyhAXl6vxKPwU9tQkH0zu4VLPrtXUkg/s1600/blogger-image-1801519603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQpwpJ6Ukju7sizMruSlY9Ffc2Sf2-z1_Y6RPddfYZ4olCKQyhniDZEGmB5BGlUEZe-OHsIskdZTWRdJ516L2AbxyNO7jvNmZqlvfIpEzt-JyUKyhAXl6vxKPwU9tQkH0zu4VLPrtXUkg/s320/blogger-image-1801519603.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
I found these chore cards on the <a href="https://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2011/01/chore-chart-cards.html">Confessions of a Homeschooler</a> blog. Her chore system, by the way, is pretty awesome, but I wanted to work in some stuff that we had been doing for a long time (dividing the house into zones and a few other things) and I didn't think I was going to find a pocket chart that would meet my needs. Instead I decided to use these book rings, dividing tasks (chores, school work, self care and prayer time) into Morning Activities and Afternoon/Evening Activities. Each kid is assigned a colour. These are James' chore cards. I like to start toddlers and early preschoolers out with self-care chores, moving, as they get older, into care-of-my-own-stuff chores, then care-of-family-stuff chores and finally, care-of-others chores. James has to get dressed, brush his teeth, make his bed and read a book with mom in the morning. In the afternoon he does a school activity and helps to set and clear the table. The girls' schedule is more variable, but it always begins with self-care, bed making, Zone chores (they trade kitchen/dining room and living room/family room weekly), followed by school work of some sort. They wear the book ring on a string around their neck to prevent them from getting lost. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrI3qgUU3PwFRr14d3YKlX19wVNBd9LmC7x42THIqVeGBswdRjsllh6kXOXqFcKkMijXB3te_DbRue0TUlfoPEineI5165l0Uywm8i8Jw45GCL3WzfjOMRZbt0Wv_yUzLXNWIT_AZp-Ao/s1600/blogger-image--1363533113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrI3qgUU3PwFRr14d3YKlX19wVNBd9LmC7x42THIqVeGBswdRjsllh6kXOXqFcKkMijXB3te_DbRue0TUlfoPEineI5165l0Uywm8i8Jw45GCL3WzfjOMRZbt0Wv_yUzLXNWIT_AZp-Ao/s320/blogger-image--1363533113.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
Daily, drama-free completion of tasks on the list earn them a ticket. Tickets can be cashed in at our once a week Movie Night. Admittance is 3 tickets, snacks are 1 ticket and drinks other than water are another. Movie Night is a much anticipated event. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSiZt3XmzpKr6EC3zj3JXijyPWcRs8ktRwZovtr_OIGHf8kqKAMP5SYI00jOTEnj2GwqJGPEX-72UiAywBivUaB8p-qfTmvB0iG0ORsxDKuVCHZUDf2a8bWuXydEzHRdYaLikI8loUxg/s1600/blogger-image-1892623961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSiZt3XmzpKr6EC3zj3JXijyPWcRs8ktRwZovtr_OIGHf8kqKAMP5SYI00jOTEnj2GwqJGPEX-72UiAywBivUaB8p-qfTmvB0iG0ORsxDKuVCHZUDf2a8bWuXydEzHRdYaLikI8loUxg/s320/blogger-image-1892623961.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
Best Bee-havior awards (it is killing me to write that without a u, I just want you to know that), are awarded by a parent (or grandparent) when we feel they have gone above and beyond the call of duty. These are redeemable for bigger rewards, like money or a treat. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESN0BM9yKONFjmu9Y3CbmK39fokIh46HkvhfQwdf5_Wevrmj0HJZ3DszKpwlVXD2rwmdZsnDCijib7FfVi36b1fZrqmuGQT5Eb1IhoKGaxTcxfw0Vl4NDJJPptaXDDvpYUlHG0EnyYWg/s1600/blogger-image-2068314019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESN0BM9yKONFjmu9Y3CbmK39fokIh46HkvhfQwdf5_Wevrmj0HJZ3DszKpwlVXD2rwmdZsnDCijib7FfVi36b1fZrqmuGQT5Eb1IhoKGaxTcxfw0Vl4NDJJPptaXDDvpYUlHG0EnyYWg/s320/blogger-image-2068314019.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
These are the bad-boys of the chore chart. My go-to disciplinary action is usually chores, but I am awful at coming up with chores for them to do on the spot that will actually be of use to me. Enter the IOU. This baby goes on the ring of older children who are in need of a disciplinary action. They entitle me to one chore of my choosing, performed when I actually need it done. This, I will tell you, is how I keep up with my laundry. <br />
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Overall, the system works pretty well. The kids like using it, so it actually gets used, and I am comfortable with this reward system as not being overly bribe-y, if that is a word, which it probably isn't. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-12689787385073017952013-02-14T07:52:00.000-08:002013-02-14T08:02:33.699-08:00Pretty, Happy, Funny, RealI have decided, after enjoying Leila's Pretty, Happy, Funny and Real Link-up party on <a href="http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/">Like Mother, Like Daughter</a> for a while, that it's time to start participating. <br />
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<strong>Pretty</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhJ6ToHOd3pOIEwth_ZderlZMkH_ZuvEJ_nNMjA-sM5YYnqM7KqtcPNJnAxyLLTy-G4D7huSaz4CPTTJtWxvkCHKRXw7_y3C7wa1c5iKutjG7ih6RlL6XRPBzlabZHrRnItNCyDIjb60/s640/blogger-image-201470471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhJ6ToHOd3pOIEwth_ZderlZMkH_ZuvEJ_nNMjA-sM5YYnqM7KqtcPNJnAxyLLTy-G4D7huSaz4CPTTJtWxvkCHKRXw7_y3C7wa1c5iKutjG7ih6RlL6XRPBzlabZHrRnItNCyDIjb60/s640/blogger-image-201470471.jpg" /></a></div>
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Zach took me to a Knight's of Columbus Valentine's Day dinner on Tuesday and they let the ladies take the flowers from the table. James likes to bring them to me. "I picked you a flower mommy. You should wear it in your hair because you are so beautiful!" He's a charmer, that one. Except when he's not. He is three afterall. </div>
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<strong>Happy</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIALkuf5adzWtkFOWw7VmAw-A8UyVk0td0_yDQ7LzZpmbuzUXmmybuIV_G0S28hVomtsfx5Q-MXsOF89gs7hv6BpWrq9A823bSi3n4LM-FefYGKG1_E2lqgawJPR2PiAimDl1P6ZxbUQ/s1600/blogger-image-1194101395.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIALkuf5adzWtkFOWw7VmAw-A8UyVk0td0_yDQ7LzZpmbuzUXmmybuIV_G0S28hVomtsfx5Q-MXsOF89gs7hv6BpWrq9A823bSi3n4LM-FefYGKG1_E2lqgawJPR2PiAimDl1P6ZxbUQ/s320/blogger-image-1194101395.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Speaking of the Jamie-Monster, this is my Valentine's Day present from him. It's a house for my dinosaurs. Isn't that thoughtful? Since I don't actually have dinosaurs, he lent me some of his. Even a few of the dead ones. Heart of gold, I tell you. <br />
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<strong>Funny</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR7fAV1td7mwzcfb3XiQ7ZZIaUNJBl9BoqFJFxUxVBeDcvhLB6qvza6ItDnrYdMmYQXMx9ERCUrFcvYz6HAtOwH9EGyXTlACh9YqnHh_RfYVczYZcASQySYwmg2UPDfb7XNbrqoTrdJM/s1600/blogger-image-258137296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR7fAV1td7mwzcfb3XiQ7ZZIaUNJBl9BoqFJFxUxVBeDcvhLB6qvza6ItDnrYdMmYQXMx9ERCUrFcvYz6HAtOwH9EGyXTlACh9YqnHh_RfYVczYZcASQySYwmg2UPDfb7XNbrqoTrdJM/s320/blogger-image-258137296.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRA8POjsJy4lftPDb6qUWq-EBwQ7FDMJSyG120RRe2HiZwWj-VS9n8iDCSMis-w2mkX_6Sz9sArONJ-ESyFavQHgXQvatl1Zg2rH6xAucQA6Pm5sMONkLVNR5a9nDsZLPETjoqONmcy38/s1600/blogger-image--2070942961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRA8POjsJy4lftPDb6qUWq-EBwQ7FDMJSyG120RRe2HiZwWj-VS9n8iDCSMis-w2mkX_6Sz9sArONJ-ESyFavQHgXQvatl1Zg2rH6xAucQA6Pm5sMONkLVNR5a9nDsZLPETjoqONmcy38/s320/blogger-image--2070942961.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJz1Rndpqi1yDqkTC6-3xU1ze41sYGeA6DwbL_mmNl1krfwCrgzivrQBL3qUynMY6iiO5JuOVM-orud8dFZ44mdMSXZ4dFZhbI9ZBRybOQdOd3M_1BIwvNgutDw4PsaUWhknfmtXO6Vc/s1600/blogger-image--1176476390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJz1Rndpqi1yDqkTC6-3xU1ze41sYGeA6DwbL_mmNl1krfwCrgzivrQBL3qUynMY6iiO5JuOVM-orud8dFZ44mdMSXZ4dFZhbI9ZBRybOQdOd3M_1BIwvNgutDw4PsaUWhknfmtXO6Vc/s320/blogger-image--1176476390.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I let Captain Mayhem and Admiral Chaos play with some shaving foam and glow sticks in the bath. I was not entirely prepared for what followed. Why I didn't see this coming? I have no idea. Still, if this kind of madness is going to happen, the bathtub is the best place for it. 10 minutes later, the boys and the tub were clean and all was right with the world. <br />
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<strong>Real</strong><br />
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Lent is upon us and I made it through Ash Wednesday. We read the gospel reading in the morning, the one about not looking dismal while you fast. I tried to do that and failed. In the Win column, we made this crown of thorns after learning about the idea from my friend Molly. Everytime one of us makes a sacrifice, we remove a thorn from the crown. I was mightily pleased at the number of thorns the kids removed. It made for a nice day. I'd ask someone to do something and, when you could see they were tempted to say, "not me!" one of them would step up to the plate and do the task without griping, quietly pulling a thorn from the crown. This is what I love about Lent. As hard as the sacrifices can be, when we really step up our game and make a run at virtue, the fruits abound. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-48705139949360664092013-02-13T17:57:00.000-08:002013-02-14T08:04:08.142-08:00Homeschool Badges -First Aid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSNP86ARM5rz9RStOTOTUNoMdSSNn9PwSwEjYXOzwKYc64lHdCifILcvZHzhbBbEQ_Vl8vhWgA2fmUhhaPNRQiojG22kHr7vq9ESg8QMqpEnpfKJC24D9y2eskv2GlTuGqu33TDMWcMw/s1600/First+Aid.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSNP86ARM5rz9RStOTOTUNoMdSSNn9PwSwEjYXOzwKYc64lHdCifILcvZHzhbBbEQ_Vl8vhWgA2fmUhhaPNRQiojG22kHr7vq9ESg8QMqpEnpfKJC24D9y2eskv2GlTuGqu33TDMWcMw/s1600/First+Aid.png" /></a></div>
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Our Second Badge is nearly completed! The girls wanted to learn First Aid. The requirements for this badge were to learn what to do, at a kid appropriate level, for:<br />
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-Burns<br />
-Bleeding<br />
-Seizures<br />
-Broken bones<br />
-Asthma attacks<br />
-Choking in infants<br />
-Choking in children<br />
-Choking in adults<br />
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CPR will be it's own separate badge. We found a site from the <a href="http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Teaching-resources/Teaching-packages/Microsite/Life-Live-it-first-aid-education-for-children">UK Red Cross</a> that had a good set of videos and games that taught first, how to prevent accidents, and second, how to treat them when they happen. We did have to make sure they understood that in the U.S. they have to call 911 instead of 999, but they got that point pretty quickly and now, should they ever randomly be in the UK and have to call for Emergency Services, they will know the number. :) <br />
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To earn this badge they had to watch the videos and, on a separate occasion, to make sure the information had sunk in, pass a test in which a sibling pretended to need assistance with each of the injuries or incidents and they had to accurately assess what was happening to the patient and treat them. Then they had to make a video of their own using iMovie to explain how to care for a victim of one of these conditions, in their case, they filmed their treatment of a minor burn Cheyenne got in the kitchen. Finally, and this is the part we haven't finished, they have to research what kinds of materials go into a first aid kit and what each item is used for. When they have completed that, they will be done, and we will be on to the Detective Science badge. I am really looking forward to that one. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-91988743965903092592013-02-11T19:07:00.003-08:002013-02-14T08:04:40.048-08:00The Lenten Lunchbox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PYlMUoG3s_AeN3-fM8Lh9lMIXD4Js0LGBUh7On7Q-BqAfp7qN7ViiPvq2s78zc_Cj-OKIvATXyUlBWz0WmURGOKGLuZWRoAzcD5RQ2KQ-iwbudniyOUsPo4s8wIffWlnYRLWIDaWAVs/s1600/crucifixion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PYlMUoG3s_AeN3-fM8Lh9lMIXD4Js0LGBUh7On7Q-BqAfp7qN7ViiPvq2s78zc_Cj-OKIvATXyUlBWz0WmURGOKGLuZWRoAzcD5RQ2KQ-iwbudniyOUsPo4s8wIffWlnYRLWIDaWAVs/s1600/crucifixion.jpg" /></a></div>
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I know, I know. Lunch isn't really the first thing you think of when contemplating the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, but meal planning around restrictions can be a tough thing to do. With that in mind, at the request of a friend, I have compiled a list of some meatless, kid friendly lunchbox meal ideas that might help you get through this beautiful season of sacrifice and preparation. I have tried to include some nut-free and gluten-free options, too, for those of you with further restrictions. <br />
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Sandwiches and sandwich-like:<br />
-Peanut butter (or sunflower butter or almond butter, you know, the usual suspects) banana roll-ups. Spread peanut butter on a tortilla and roll a banana up inside.<br />
-Banana dogs. Put a banana in a hot dog bun. Add pbj as "condiments."<br />
-Bagel and cream cheese. Put the cream cheese on the side to avoid sogginess. <br />
-Sandwich Skewers. Cheese, bread pieces and veggies on a skewer. Serve with dip. For a mini version use toothpicks for skewers. <br />
-Tuna salad (can be fun in a pita or a lettuce wrap)<br />
-Egg salad (ditto)<br />
- Cheddar apple sandwiches on baguette<br />
-Veggie wraps with a cream cheese spread (roasted garlic and cheddar, garden veggie or herb cream cheese spread and your choice of veggies)<br />
-Falafel and pita<br />
-Cold veggie pizza (roll out crescent dough in a sheet, bake and cool. Spread with ranch dressing and top with cold, chopped veggies and shredded cheddar or colby cheese)<br />
-Pita with hummus or baba ganoush<br />
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Hot Meals in a thermal food storage container<br />
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-Vegetarian chili with chips and cheddar on the side. Good with a cornbread muffin too. <br />
-Macaroni and cheese<br />
-Potato soup<br />
-Tortellini vegetable soup<br />
-Italian tomato bread soup<br />
-Tomato soup with popcorn on the side<br />
-Minestrone<br />
-Lentil soup<br />
-Pasta with alfredo sauce<br />
-Pasta tossed with sauteed tomatoes, italian herbs and black olives (this is good cold as well)<br />
-Egg drop soup<br />
-Veggie pho (Vietnamese noodle soup)<br />
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Cold Noodle/rice/dumpling options<br />
-Noodles with peanut sauce and veggies<br />
-Cheese tortellini<br />
-Cheese ravioli<br />
-Pierogis<br />
-Veggie fried rice<br />
-Potstickers<br />
-Veggie or shrimp summer rolls (OK, I know these seem a little putsy, but they really aren't that hard to make) with peanut sauce.<br />
-Rice molds with soy sauce<br />
-California rolls<br />
-Soba noodle salad with veggies<br />
-Italian pasta salad with Italian dressing, chunks of mozarella, grape tomatoes and black olives<br />
-Tuna pasta salad with mayonaise, chunks of cheddar cheese and peas<br />
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Snack options: (Combine several and you have yourself a meal)<br />
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-Fruit and cheese skewers (pictured above)<br />
-Hard boiled eggs<br />
-Celery with peanut butter and raisins or cream cheese and black olives<br />
-Whole grain crackers<br />
-String cheese<br />
-Yogurt (Greek yogurt has more protein)<br />
-Build it yourself yogurt parfaits with yougurt, fruit and granola in separate containers<br />
-Fruit and walnut salad with yogurt for dipping (think McDonald's, but homemade)<br />
-Cheeses of the World (we did this once for about a month, trying different cheeses from different countries. It keeps the cheese + bread combo fresh.) So many options! Brie, Gouda, Manchego, Paneer, Queso Fresco.... the list goes on)<br />
-Breads of the world. Rye krisp, naan, pita, pumpernickel, caraway rye, tortillas, baguette...<br />
-Veggies and dip<br />
-Soft pretzels (traditional for Lent)<br />
-Muffins (blueberry, peanut butter and jelly, corn muffins, ginger peach, banana walnut, etc.)<br />
-Apple slices with peanut butter<br />
-Dried fruits<br />
-Trail mix<br />
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Obviously, not all of these ideas will work for all kids, but it's a starting place. I hope it helps!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-6639095434778230172013-01-21T15:05:00.000-08:002013-02-14T08:04:57.798-08:00Homeschool Badges Week 1: Animal Care <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Studying the matamata turtles</td></tr>
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Week One of the Badge system of homeschooling has gone extremely well. We fleshed out our list (I can post as a document as soon as I figure out how :) ) and the children were so excited they didn't know what to choose first. They wanted to tackle the entire list in a month. What can I say? They share my starry-eyed idealism. <br />
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Their required badges, Spelling Star, Reading and Mathematics, are mine to choose. I'm still working on a way to break those subjects, especially spelling and reading, down into pieces that will be both challenging and manageable for continuous study. I'm open to suggestions, by the way, if anyone has any ideas. At the moment I am thinking that reading may work similar to the Book It program we had when I was a kid. If they read a certain number of age appropriate books in a month (no credit given for board books, for example), they will earn their Reading Badge for the month. I've been breaking math down by core skills. Spelling remains a bit of a challenge to quantify. <br />
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The optional badges were easier. This months selections were Animal Care, First Aid, Detective Science and Archery. <br />
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I did some reasearch and adapted the Animal Care requirements from this list of Cub Scout activities from the UK. Our list is a bit different, but it gave me a jumping off point. <br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">Animal Care Badge Requirements</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: large;">Choose Four Activities</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Visit a zoo or nature center. Interview a Zookeeper or Naturalist about the habitats and feeding habits of three different animals. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Visit a farm and assist with farm chores. Learn about common animal illnesses and how to prevent and treat them. Learn about the feeding and grooming of three different farm animals. Find out about how animals are cared for before, during and after birth. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Read a book on the care of a specific animal you are interested in knowing more about. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Learn about five different fish or sea creatures in a particular aquatic habitat (rivers, lakes, deep sea, coral reef, etc.) Write a paper or give a presentation to your family and friends about the animals you have studied</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5. Keep a nature journal for one month. Record the animals you view, or any evidence of animals you see (footprints, scat...) along with your observations of the animals. What are they doing? What do they eat? Are they alone or in groups? Are they frightened of you? Are they calm? Are they sleeping? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">6. Care for an animal for one month. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Extra Credit:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Participate in a junior farm or zookeeper volunteer program or class, such as the Junior Docent program at Como Zoo (</span><a href="http://www.comozooconservatory.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.comozooconservatory.org/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">) or a variety of programs at Gale Woods Farm in Minnestrista, </span><a href="http://www.threeriversparks.org/parks/gale-woods-farm.aspx"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.threeriversparks.org/parks/gale-woods-farm.aspx</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">programs at the Minnesota Zoo (including a teen volunteer program) </span><a href="http://www.mnzoo.com/education/education_kidsFamilies.asp"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.mnzoo.com/education/education_kidsFamilies.asp</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> or the University of Minnesota’s Raptor Center. </span><a href="http://www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu/</span></a><br />
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The kids chose #s 1, 2, 3 and 6, although they are interested in doing all of them. We've already gone to the zoo and interviewed the zookeeper on the care and feeding of tigers. We registered for a farm helper program at Gale Woods Farm park (which includes breakfast from the farm, yum!) and they have taken over the care of our cat Shadow. All that's left is a trip to the library for a book about cat care and we are done with our first badge. Technically. I suspect they will push to accomplish all of the tasks, and I will be more than happy to accomodate their enthusiasm. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976903745176208560.post-83859418238929244152013-01-17T09:53:00.001-08:002013-02-14T08:05:30.326-08:00Our New Approach to Homeschooling: Scout Style<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hu8OYEnI7JW930qFqST-NPqakCZqTghfyyfkjx-SkL60QwAO0umoYqJsoBzRPYJAA-YnJRhpSEtJlW0Ak5RXn_jbiYP6LbzCeeOuawnGS4K5K6rbdHeUGFiVu7Cs9KnPrulswA_ZN0g/s640/blogger-image--1366359089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hu8OYEnI7JW930qFqST-NPqakCZqTghfyyfkjx-SkL60QwAO0umoYqJsoBzRPYJAA-YnJRhpSEtJlW0Ak5RXn_jbiYP6LbzCeeOuawnGS4K5K6rbdHeUGFiVu7Cs9KnPrulswA_ZN0g/s200/blogger-image--1366359089.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="https://www.adafruit.com/badges/21">Adafruit</a></td></tr>
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I've been in a weird place with homeschooling lately. Sometimes my brain reminds me of a snowglobe. I've got all of these seemingly random ideas floating around in my head, and until I give them a chance to settle, I have a hard time seeing the pattern. I've been in one of these snowglobe phases with homeschooling the last few months. I could tell there was a plan brewing, but I couldn't really see it yet.<br />
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I have never been able to totally nail down our homeschooling style. On one hand, I really, really love classical education. I love its focus on quality reading materials and its rigorous standards. I was not especially challenged in school, at least academically. I'm not saying I was a straight A student, but the main cause of my stumbles was boredom. As an adult, I have struggled with the consequences of the lazy, undisciplined attitude that grew out of too many years of remaining unchallenged. Classical education does an excellent job of addressing that. The downfall is that a lot of classical education is very book oriented. That's great in some ways. We love to read. We love our poetry recitation and our Latin. We're a little obsessed with books, actually, but we are also very hands on learners. Any approach I take that doesn't consider that part of our learning style is going to be incomplete. <br />
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Because of our hands-on style, I also have a great love of project based homeschooling. I love its interdisciplinary approach. In the real world, almost nothing falls into neatly divided categories. You don't go to work and work on your math, reading and science. You go to work and do a whole job, often divided into projects. It seems like a more natural way of approaching a lot of learning oriented tasks and the hands-on aspect of it really helps to cement the concepts in the children's minds. We can (and do, all winter) read about gardening, but there's no amount of reading that replicates the experience of taking a garden through all of its stages, planning, planting, tending and harvesting. A project like that touches on a variety of subjects, from the composition of e-mails to a gardener friend asking for advice, reading books on different methods of growing, to the obvious science of actually planting and growing a variety of flowers and foods. The big downfall of this method is that it can be extremely hard to quantify what we have learned and make sure that nothing gets through the cracks. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheesemaking</td></tr>
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I've been trying to integrate these ideas for a while, with varying degrees of success, but I've lacked that key something that would make it feel like a more cohesive school experience. Then yesterday, while I was conversing with a friend about her son's progress in Boy Scouts, it hit me. Badges! <br />
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I've seen these <a href="https://www.adafruit.com/badges/21">Maker Skill Badges</a> from Adafruit before and really liked the idea, but what if I put together my own system of badges that correspond with skills or academic units that we want to cover? Each badge will have a specific set of activities associated with it that have to be completed. Some badges, like mathematics related badges or reading related badges, will be required. Others will be chosen by me on a monthly basis and others will be chosen by the children themselves. Badges that cannot be purchased, we will make using a button maker. We'll make each of the children a wall-hanging to put over their bed to display the badges they have earned. <br />
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We have been brainstorming our lists all morning as we recover from our latest bout of sickness. Here is a sample of what we are thinking of. Some of these ideas are borrowed from the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts or Adafruit, others are our own creation. <br />
<br />
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<b>Car
care</b></div>
<b>Carpentry</b><br />
<b>Circuits</b><br />
<b>Biohacking</b><br />
<b>Aeronautics</b><br />
<b>Fossil
Hunter</b><br />
<b>Naturalist</b><br />
<b>Tesla
Coil</b><br />
<b>Ohm's
Law</b><br />
<b>Soldering
(already working on)</b><br />
<b>Solar
Panels</b><br />
<b>Cooking
(Series of Badges)</b><br />
<b>Baking
</b><br />
<b>Money
Manager</b><br />
<b>Adventure
(borrowed from Cub scout list)</b><br />
<b>Farmer</b><br />
<b>Animal
Care</b><br />
<b>Communicator</b><br />
<b>Reader
(Series)</b><br />
<b>Cyclist</b><br />
<b>Equestrian</b><br />
<b>Geologist</b><br />
<b>Marine
Biology</b><br />
<b>Navigator</b><br />
<b>Faith
(Series of badges)</b><br />
<b>Personal
Safety</b><br />
<b>Road
Safety</b><br />
<b>First
Aid</b><br />
<b>Out
of Your Comfort Zone</b><br />
<b>Mathematician
(series of badges by skill)</b><br />
<b>Programming</b><br />
<b>Historian
(series of badges by historical era)</b><br />
<b>Ornithologist</b><br />
<b>Winter
Sports/Recreation</b><br />
<b>Summer
Sports/Recreation</b><br />
<b>Child
Development</b><br />
<b>Detective</b><br />
<b>Spelling
Star</b><br />
<b>Foreign
Language (Series)</b><br />
<b>Orienteering</b><br />
<b>Storytelling</b><br />
<b>Poetry</b><br />
<b>Gardener
</b><br />
<b>Nutrition</b><br />
<b>Swimming</b><br />
<b>Family
Camp</b><br />
<b>Fire
Safety</b><br />
<b>Knife
safety</b><br />
<b>Knots
and ropes</b><br />
<b>Fiber
Arts (series, knitting, crochet, sewing, embroidery)</b><br />
<b>Fine
Arts (series, drawing, painting, sculpture)</b><br />
<b>Paper
crafts</b><br />
<b>Pottery</b><br />
<b>Bike
Repair </b><br />
<b>Robotics</b><br />
<b>Wild
Life</b><br />
<b>Adventure
Racing</b><br />
<b>Music
(series)</b><br />
<b>Meteorology</b><br />
<b>Traveler</b><br />
<b>World
Cultures</b><br />
<b>Scientist
(series)</b><br />
<b>Theater</b><br />
<b>Domestic
Skills</b><br />
<b>The
Great Outdoors</b><br />
<b>Fishing
</b><br />
<b>Jewelery
making</b><br />
<b>Architecture</b><br />
<b>Photography</b><br />
<b>Map
Master (Geography)</b><br />
<b>Corporal
Works of Mercy</b><br />
<b>Citizenship
and Government</b><br />
<b>Fiction
Writing</b><br />
<b>Non-fiction
writing</b><br />
<b>NaNoWriMo
(National Novel Writing Month)</b><br />
<b>Journaling/blogging</b><br />
<b>Journalism</b><br />
<b>Nature
Journaling</b><br />
<b>Memory
Master</b><br />
<b>Hospitality</b><br />
<b>Manners</b><br />
<b>Handwriting
Hero</b><br />
<b>Adventure
Sports/Recreation</b><br />
<b>Photography</b><br />
<b>Crafts
(series)</b><br />
<b>Gymnastics</b><br />
<b>Human
Anatomy</b><br />
<b>Martial
Arts</b><br />
<b>Dance</b><br />
<strong>Letterboxing</strong><br />
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<strong>Geocaching</strong></div>
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<strong>Scuba Diving</strong></div>
<strong></strong><br />
Obviously, this is quite a hodge podge of ideas, some of which will have to be sifted through, organized and sorted, but its an exciting list of learning activities that should help to get the brain juice flowing. <br />
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