Botanist Extraodinaire!

This past year I have finally gotten around to working on the landscaping near our house.  Prior to this we had a "multi-purpose area".  That is a nice way of saying one section was a sand pit for my children to drive their trucks in and in the other part, 8 foot weeds for lurking snakes.  I admit, not the most desirable arrangement unless you are a snake.  I am finding that I have had so little success with planting in the past that I am not quite sure what to do with the plants that are flourishing.  I had no idea how much there is to know about maintaining them.  A friend told me I should give them plant food so I bought a watering can and fed them.  Several had an adverse reaction and it killed large sections of some of the plants almost immediately.  Oops.  Yesterday I decided it was time to trim back some of my over grown plants but I don't actually own any gardening tools.  I had to trim them with my kitchen scissors.  Then the scissors broke in half so I switched to a knife.  Despite my every effort to kill all my plants, these fellows are quite hardy and looking lovely still.  The best part is all the flowers.  Right now my Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangeas are blooming and they are beautiful!  Nothing brightens up a filthy home like a vase full of flowers, at least that is what I tell my husband when I explain why I don't need to clean.  

Happy Homeschooling

Since today was our first official day of school I thought it would be a nice time to reflect on some of the reasons our family loves homeschooling!  

One of the best things about homeschooling is being a part of a community of people who prioritize family and relationships.  I am very lucky to be a part of a group of other Christians who have chosen homeschooling.  Our being home affords us the opportunity to develop friendships with these other families.  Though diverse in specific beliefs, I know that they all love the lord and actively pursue God and that makes all the difference.  When we get together for various events we can pray together, laugh, work through troubles and just share our lives together.  It isn't something many people are lucky enough to be a part of, but we are and I don't take that blessing lightly. 

Being with my children all the time.  Yes, this also falls under the category of the less fun things about homeschooling but it is more often than not a great aspect of homeschooling.  I am there for everything.  I get to see where they need more help, share in their victories, teach them everything I know, help them find their passion and pursue it, snuggle as we read and watch them blossom.  There is no way to describe how this feels, it is far to complex for words but I am so grateful that I do get to experience this. 

I get to relearn everything I have forgotten, which is more of it than I care to admit.  I love reading books that I read as a child and many more that I never did.  I am learning right along with my children all day long and loving it. 

My children have hours a day to explore the world around them.  In today's activity filled schedules this can be hard for parents to squeeze in.  Our being home allows us to have time, every day and often hours a day, to be outside exploring.  I personally believe this is such an important time of development for them and am so thankful they will have all these tree climbing, swimming in the lake, hiking through woods, riding bike, snow fort building, bug catching memories.  In fact as I write this the older two are laying high in a tree laughing together.

These are just some of the many reasons I love the choice we have made to teach our children at home.  I know every family has to do what works best for them and that this choice isn't for everyone, but I am so happy that it works for us!

Rice Pilaf

I have decided to continue on with my rice theme and post a recipe for pancakes.  Only kidding, more rice of course.  This one is for Rice Pilaf and it is a very versatile rice.  It goes great with most anything!  I will sometimes makes a bigger batch of this and use the left overs to make up a casserole or a fried rice.  My friend Lisa does a similar recipe and pre-measures her rice and seasonings into a baggie so that she only has to throw it in a pot when she is ready.  Clever Lisa!

1 1/2 cups long grain Jasmine
2 Tbsp butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced small
3 cups chicken broth

Heat the butter up in a pan and saute the onions for 3-4 minutes.  Add in the rice and garlic and cook for a couple minutes until the rice is fragrant.  Add in broth, cover and bring to boil.  Without removing lid, reduce heat to low and cook for 15-18 minutes until done. 

Farmer me

My sister was out of town recently and I, as selfless as I am, decided I could handle doing her chores for her one day.  She has a sheep farm, how hard could it be?  I found the hopper which is where the grain is stored.  There is a small trap door in the bottom and all the grain sits above it in a giant steel drum.  The little trap door was stuck so I yanked which opened a flood gate of grain.  I had the standard farmer response....screaming, because as everyone knows screaming slows down a Niagara Falls of grain.  You would think a bin whose only job is to dispense grain would be more user friendly.  When I finally figured out how to get the door unstuck and close it, I had dropped a small field worth of grain onto the ground below.  My son and I got to spend an hour scooping it into buckets.  The highlight for my son was watching me accidentally pick up a dead rat with my bare hands.  That experience will be seared in my brain for some time to come. 

We then got to hop on her 4 wheeler and drive out to another pasture to feed some sheep.  She assured me the rams wouldn't bother us when we went out there.  She was wrong.  All my talk to my son about staying away from them because they are dangerous must have worked.  They chased us while he screamed "THEY ARE COMING AFTER US" and "THEY ARE GOING TO EAT US", repeatedly.  I may have to tell him that sheep don't generally eat people.

The final task was untangling their 100 pound monster of a dog.  She had wrapped herself around a crab apple tree which had very low branches.  I had to crawl under the tree, nearly losing an eye to all the sharp branches, on my hands and knees while the grateful giant molested me. 

My sister should probably not leave town again. 

School days, School Days Good Old Golden Rule Days

I got very motivated last night and planned out much of our upcoming school year with the kids.  I was very excited and decided to have a little test run today.  Do you think it is too late to enroll them in public school this fall yet?  Alright not really but it was eye opening.  Not sure if it is them not used to a scheduled day at home or my 4 year olds many meltdowns or their ages or lack of sleep or the 20 month old who is so jealous she won't allow me to look at her siblings or my crazy hormones.  There were approximately 17 meltdowns, and that was just me.  It can only get better from here, right?

Mexican Rice

I am a lover of rice.  More specifically, flavored rices.  Coconut, cilantro-lime, a nice pilaf.  This is my go to rice for most of my Mexican dishes.  Go head, try it.  I promise you will like it.

3Tbsp butter
1.5 cups long grain jasmine rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Rotel with green chilies
1 (4oz) can green chillies
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 small onion minced
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1.5 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

Heat the butter and minced onions for 2 minutes in sauce pan.  Add in Jasmine and garlic and cook a few more minutes until fragrant.  Add in all other ingredients except cheese.  Put lid on the pot and bring to boil, then reduce heat to low for 15-18 minutes.  Do not remove lid or stir.  Mix in the cheese at the end.

Books make my world go round

I have decided to write the official, very best of the best children's book list.  I can see you now with that "oh geesh not another best kids book" look on your face but it is true.  You know how I know that this is the very best list?  Because I wrote it.  Okay honestly I know this isn't a complete list of all the best kids books, there are far too many for one list.  These are some of our favorites and I have read them with my own children many times over.  This particular list is for the age range of 2ish to 6ish.  It could probably go as high as 33 since that is how old I am and I love all these books as much as my children! 

With no further introduction and in no particular order:

Bear Snores On- Karma Wilson

It Could Alwasy Be Worse- Margot Zemach  I must admit the title appealed to my pessimistic side but it is an excellent story about appreciating what you have. 

The Story of Ferdinand- Munro Leaf

Slinky Malinki- Lynley Dodd

I've Lost my Hippopotamus- Jack Prelutsky A hilarious collection of poems my 6 year old can't get enough of!

Madeline- Ludwig Bemelmans

Fancy Nancy- Jane O'Connor- My daughter takes all of her style tips from Nancy. 

Rikki Tikki Tembo- Arlene Mosel

A Giraffe and a Half- Shel Silverstein

Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak

Giraffes can't Dance- Giles Andreae

The Incredibly Book Eating Boy- Oliver Jeffers

How to Catch a Star- Oliver Jeffers

A Sick Day for Amos McGee- Philip C Stead- My current favorite

The Napping House- Audrey Wood

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain- Verna Aardema

The Gruffalo- Julia Donaldson

Bad Kitty- Nick Bruel

Roar of a Snore- Marsha Diane Arnold

Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear- Nancy White Carldstrom

You are Special- Max Lucado

On the Night You were Born- Nancy Tillman



Now if you have children in this age range and are missing any of these books, I suggest you purchase them all immediately.  If you do not have children but think you may some day, purchase them all immediately.  If your children are grown and out of the house, buy them anyways.  You can relive your own childhood.