End of the year

Somehow we trudged on through and completed our 4th year of homeschooling!  I'm so proud of Bryan!  He has done an excellent job this year.  This year has been quite different from the previous year seeing how that Patrick was mobile and very active!  I'm not sure how we survived most days, but we did!

Bryan's favorite subject was literature.  I will have to agree that it is my favorite to teach, too.  This year we read To Kill A Mockingbird, Guns for General Washington, Call of the Wild and The Three Musketeers.  Each selection was an excellent choice and we were very much wrapped up in the stories.  Mockingbird has always been my favorite book but Musketeers is now probably a very close 2nd!

Math was...well it was Math!  We used Bob Jones for Pre-Algebra as well as Life of Fred by Stanley Schmidt.  I cannot say enough good things about both programs.  Bob Jones is straight-forward and explains mathematical concepts extremely well.  Life of Fred is an excellent program that will help any student that prefers literature over Math. Fred is a self-teaching program that is literature based but somehow in the process of reading the adventures of 5 year old professor Fred, you also learn math.  I thank God everyday for the Life of Fred series.  It has been a life-saver for us lovers of Literature!

The best Grammar program, in my opinion, is Giggly Grammar.  We enjoyed this program because it kept us in stitches!  Grammar doesn't change--a noun will always been a noun...well you know in most cases, it will be ;)  Grammar doesn't change almost overnight like Science does.  If you are struggling or just need a change of scenery where Grammar is concerned I highly recommend Giggly Grammar.  It's for grades 1-8.

This year for History we chose a  dvd program.  With Patrick being mobile and up more during the day I wanted Bryan to be able to keep on schooling without too much interruption.  I ordered American History from The Great Courses.   This worked out well.  Bryan enjoyed the lecture style learning and it helped with his note taking skills.  I bought this program on sale.  I'm hoping to purchase more in the future.  You really have to watch for the sales because it is a very pricey program!

Another noteworthy product is One Year Novel Adventure.  I would only recommend this if your child loves to write.  It is also marketed for reluctant writers so if you have a reluctant writer you may want to try this one out, too.  But my honest opinion after seeing the demo and the work that has to be done, I would only choose this for a student that loves to write.  Bryan has enjoyed this program immensely.  He finished his book but I told him to take a break on the revision.  It is a long process.  He will be using this program again next year using the Science Fiction/Fantasy curriculum.  He loves to write and even as biased as I am he is an excellent writer.  I can't wait to see what kind of stories he will turn out as his writing skills mature.

The one subject that I did not like our choice of curriculum was Science.  I have already given the books away and cannot remember the name of them.  The company is based in California and they have Science trilogy program--Physical, Earth and Life Science.  I taught Earth Science this year.  I supplemented with a lot of outside books and videos from youtube, how stuff works and netflix.  Thankfully, Rory is an astronomy buff and helped with filling in the gaps from the text. Science is always the difficult subject because so many homeschool companies cater to a young earth, non-evolutionary brand of Science.  Trust me though, there are homeschoolers out there who love God and Jesus but we want to teach our children Science.  We save religious matters for when we study the Bible :)

We also dabbled in some Spanish and will be picking up the pace on that for high school credit.  Logic, Music and Art made the occasional rounds, too.  Bryan was involved in the local teen homeschool group and 4-H Rifle club.

Overall, I call the year a success.  It was very different from the previous years but we covered the basics and then some.  I am elated that we get to homeschool our children.  I cannot think of a better environment for my children to learn and be nurtured until it is time for them to spread their wings.  As far as all the nay-sayers...who think homeschoolers are denim wearing, socially awkward, religious nutjobs, I ask you to reconsider your ideas of homeschooling.  We are parents that are raising our children the best way as we see it.  We do not ask for your blessings and we do not offer advice or dismiss your thoughts on how you school your child.  We know our children best and as parents it is our job to do the best we can to prepare them for the future. You can disagree all you wish, but do us all a favor and keep the negativity and judgmental attitudes to yourself--well unless you want me to start barking at you about your parental decisions...Happy Schooling!

People

This morning I was singing to Patrick and now I have 'It's a Small World' running through my head...

When you think about it, it really is a small world.  Oceans separate us and it's a 24+ hr. flight to some places in the world but when it comes down to it, people are just people aren't they?  On some level we all have the same ideas.  We just go about it differently on how we want to accomplish those ideas. But, I don't get people...

People confuse me.  I'm not a people person and for the most part I would be just fine with my little family and no interference from the 'outsiders'.  I was recently reading on a board how many people seem to think that it is inconsiderate to share good things about your children.  I was like 'what??'  I am always sharing the things that my children do.  I am so dang proud of them!  I don't think of myself as a braggart.  I stopped reading the thread but by the 10th or 11th page. By then I think most agreed that the offended parents were insecure or dealing with a problem with their child.  My thoughts are that every child is good at something and there is good in every day--why are you not sharing the good?  Why are you dwelling on the bad and being offended at a comment that someone else made?  See, I don't get people...

People seem to get pissed off at the slightest inconveniences to them.  I don't understand that either.  Wake up Waldo--you are not the center of the universe and my world does not revolve around you!  I think I am a kind person (I smile at random people in Walmart) and try to help others when I can, but I also know my limits.  It's a good thing to know your limits because then you are not out there trying to please everybody in the world.  It works for me, but again, I don't get people...

Other things that I have read about today--not using the term boy or girl in a classroom situation.  This one really boggles my mind.  I mean either you are a boy or a girl.  So it seems there is curricula out there that will help a teacher to teach in a non-gender fashion so as to not offend a boy or a girl--WOW!  See, I don't get people...

Spanking kids.  A swat here and there on the bottom ok--I probably don't have a problem with that on most days.  I read a story about a child lying for 2 weeks and after she finally confessed she got a spanking every day for 2 weeks.  Yeah, that's mother of the year material right there!  And add to it that it's all in the name of God that this is done.  I don't pretend to know the mind of God, but I'm betting He thought it was cruel...I don't get people...

I thought at one time I had a handle on people but lately I have to realize just how fragile everyone is.  People seem to mask things very well these days.  But just observe them a little closer...most are hanging on by a thread.  That one is insecure, that one thinks she's ugly, the other one is sneaky or at least he thinks he is, those over there are ready to drop their kids off at a fire station, these are eaten up with guilt, she worries all the time...the list goes on...and the song plays on "It's a small world afterall...it's a small, small world'.

More Ramblings & Some Good Food

I feel like I am in a constant state of baby-proofing.  This child loves the dishwasher--if he sees a chance to get in the kitchen he is in the dishwasher, this of course after he has pulled everything he can reach out of the pantry.  He's learned to open the patio door and of course a couple of weeks ago he learned how to open the gates in the backyard.  I need to start budgeting in a monthly expense for baby-proofing materials...

Instead of whining and complaining about the $77 I spent at the grocery store today I'll tell you what I have planned for dinner this week.  It's a plan.  It doesn't necessarily mean that it will happen...

Tonight I am going out with a friend for dinner.  We have been trying to get together since September...so I tried to make it an easy dinner tonight and picked up some already made chicken fried steak.  No, it's not healthy but it is quick and easy and they will all eat it.

Tuesday--another crazy evening.  This time I am making it easy on myself.  We will have chili-cheese dogs.

Wednesday--Lasagna.  Love, love, love lasagna.

Thursday--Chicken and Dumplings

Friday--Leftovers

Here's my lasagna recipe:

Lasagna

1 lb ground beef

oven-ready lasagna noodles

1 can tomato sauce

2T butter

sliced mushrooms

chopped green bell pepper

salt

pepper

garlic—2-3 cloves or garlic powder

shredded cheese 2-3 cups reserve enough to cover last layer

lg container of cottage cheese

¼ c. parmesan cheese-fresh or the green can I prefer fresh

1 egg

Preheat oven to 425

Saute mushrooms, bell pepper and chopped garlic cloves in butter.  Set aside.  Cook meat and season w/salt and pepper, garlic powder.  After the meat is cooked, add tomato sauce and sautéed mushrooms and bell pepper and let simmer for a few minutes.  In a large bowl mix cottage cheese, shredded cheese, parmesan cheese and one egg.  I usually add a little more pepper, too.  Spoon a little sauce in the bottom of the pan(9x9 or 9x13).  Place lasagna noodles down in the pan and then layer the cheese mixture and then the meat sauce.  Layer until you are almost to the top of the pan.  Cover last layer generously w/reserved shredded cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 mins.  Remove aluminum foil and bake an  additional 20-30 minutes.  Let cool then slice and serve!

And even though my poor family will be eating already made chicken fried steak.  Here is a picture of my chicken fried steak...which will probably be making an appearance around Father's Day, if not before!

Memories

Have you ever been doing something and a memory so powerful stops you in your tracks?  This morning on the way back home I was reciting nursery rhymes to Patrick.  He likes the rhythm of the words and waits for the end and then claps and yells 'YAY!!! YAY!!!'

Right in the middle of  'Jack be nimble, Jack be quick...' I found myself being about 4 years old back in my grandma's living room.  She was always reciting nursery rhymes to us when we were little.  Around Christmastime we always got to hear  'Twas the Night Before Christmas' from memory and for nap time we heard her version of 'Riding Pony to Nap Town'.

She loved to tell us stories.  Fairy tales or stories that she made up as she went along...it kept us entertained for hours.  Well that and putting us in chicken boxes with a pair of scissors and all the paper we could possibly cut up.

I guess the 'gotcha' moment for me was that none of her great-grandchildren will ever have those moments with her.  Lord, they would have been spoiled rotten if she had lived to see any of them!  They would have also known what 'isolation' meant, how to properly hold  a goblet or drink out of the aluminum cup until they learned!  They would have had their imaginations expanded, a head start on any other child their age and would understand in a moment exactly when they needed to change their behavior because that peach tree was just a hop, jump and leap out to the side of her front door and if you couldn't pick a proper limb she knew just where to find it oh, and they would all  probably  have a pair of 2 sizes too big tennis shoes with kleenex stuffed in the toes that would help them outrun anybody in their whole class!

So I pulled into the driveway...'Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jumped over the candlestick...'

Groceries Are Too Damn Expensive!

Ok I'll be the first to admit that I also buy some junk but I still stand by groceries are too damn expensive! Today I went to the grocery store--in this case walmart because while the other stores in my area have an item or 2 cheaper I always tend to spend more money in other stores so I keep going back to walmart...

Here's what I bought today:


Food


3lbs of apples
1 lb mushrooms
carton of strawberries
1 red onion
1 lb spinach
2 bell peppers
5 lbs bananas
8 sausage/egg/cheese biscuit--yes, I know cheaper to make but sometimes convenience wins out over price
large box of eggo waffles--again convenience and the generic ones taste awful so let go my ego
2.5 lbs chicken breast
ice cream drumsticks-Nestle because they were out of store brand
2.5 lbs bacon--this will last all month
1 lb deli ham
1 pkg of oscar mayer thick cut bologna--because I like this about 2x/year My bologna has a first name...
24 piece slice cheese
cereal-generic cheerios
radiatore pasta
egg noodles
2 c pkg shredded cheese
bbq sauce
dry soup mix
oatmeal bars-2 boxes
doritos
kettle chips
rice-for P to play with
minute rice--again convenience
crisco--because I buy some every couple of years and today was that day
1 lb butter
cinnamon rolls
frosted flakes-generic
bottled water
Jif Natural peanut butter--the big jar because choosy moms choose Jif and that's what they like around here ;)
Syrup or as Bryan calls it Pancake Sauce--because we have been out for awhile now and I finally remembered to pick some up
Coke-24 pack-because we all have a vice and sweet caffeine is mine
Dr Pepper-24 pack because Bryan and Rory like them
Gatorade 8 pack
1 Gallon of milk--that mom paid for...because I told the cashier it wasn't mine...good thing it was mom standing behind me in line!
Campbells condensed soups--again convenience 2 mushroom, 1 chicken, 1 cheese and 1 beef consomme
1 box of chicken broth--yeah there's that convenience again
1 can of black beans
4 cans of tomato sauce
the largest bottle of Hunt's ketchup w/o hfcs--because sometimes I am 'healthy' like that
1 bottle of cran/grape no sugar added
1 pkg of vienna sausages because P and I love them--yes, I know what they are!
18 eggs
1 loaf of bread--Nature's Own Honey Wheat--because I don't have time to bake my own--I'm too busy telling you about how much money I spent!


Non Food Items
Toilet paper-9 double roll
3 pack Viva paper towels--because I like them
Dove soap--I think there are 6 bars--because I tried cheaper soaps and we don't like them
dental floss--glide for sensitive teeth and gums--It doesn't get stuck between my teeth--that's why I pay almost $4 for floss!

Just Because Stuff
Giant bottle of bubbles--because regardless of what Pinterest says Dawn dishwashing soap does not make good bubbles--spend the $1.68 and get the good bubbles
An outside ball for P because the one he had busted

Grand Total :$183.94

Geez imagine if I had to buy Goat milk this week...that would have been an extra $25! If not mentioned everything is generic. I don't buy organic or anything like that because quite frankly I believe that one day we will find out that it wasn't really 'organic' and I can't afford it anyway...and I'm off to Tallent's this afternoon to pick up some ground beef and sausage...maybe some steak if it's on sale...

I didn't buy a lot of veggies because I have plenty of broccoli, brussel sprouts, corn and green beans in either the pantry or freezer. The store did not have cauliflower today--that was on my list to buy.

And I'll probably be back in the store this weekend well because 5lbs of bananas will last about 3 days around here ;)