Fabulous Friday

It is fabulous, except for the weather of course. Today I get to serve pizza to 80 middle school band and choir members. Won't that be fun? It makes you appreciate your own kids and also makes you hope that they wouldn't be acting that way if you weren't there. I hope to have some time to fiddle more with my sidebar. This homeschool thing has opened up a whole new avenue of time sucking on the computer. This weekend is the usual busy stuff. Basketball game, Girl Scouts, church and dh's birthday!
I leave you with this. Imagine the burlesque music in the background. We imagine she'll pole dance at the swing set next.

Wacky Wednesday

Apropos of Ash Wednesday I'll relate this week's embarrassment from church.

Minister "Do any of you children know what transfiguration is?"
My child "A class at Hogwarts."
~sigh~

Menu (and schooling) Monday

Mon-left over pork roast in fried rice, egg drop soup, mandarin oranges
Tue-pancakes&sausage at church
Wed-breaded fish fillets, mac&cheese, carrots, applesauce
Thu-lasagna, garlic toast, broccoli, pears
Fri- tomato soup, grilled cheese, relishes, strawberries
Sat-hamburgers, french fries, corn, sundaes
Sun-dh's birthday-probably roast, potatoes, carrots, cake
School turned out well today. It was a bit of a rough start, but the startling conclusion that he could still be there at 9:00 if he didn't finish the five sentences finally sunk in and he was happy as lark the rest of the morning.

Family Friday

Kind of a sad day around here today. L has a friend who is moving away today. Separating 10yo girls from their friends is always sad. F is sad, anxious, and excited about his last day (for this year anyway) of public school. We'll jump in Monday with the "get F to pay attention" program. Actually I think that will just flow from 1) Not talking cars, pokemon and video games with the boy sitting next to you and 2) being able to fidget, stand, walk around or whatever else while doing his work. I think he expends tons of energy just being still enough not to get in trouble at school. We shall see. I'm off for Ad's and my last pas de deux grocery trip. I'll either have to change my shopping time or take F with me. I'm thinking I'll just go on Thursday evenings. There'll be lots more people to haul in groceries that way too. The weather has gone all wintery again after a couple tantalizing days above freezing. I say again how can the shortest month seem the longest?

Wacky Wednesday

Overheard as L talked to friends
"Yeah, my mom is a real bear until she's had her coffee. Like one that got poked with a stick, or ate that Grizzly man or something." I bet her friends will just be dying to come over here now.

Tightwad Tuesday

Canadagirl's tightwad post about colored baths made me think of my tightwad tip for this week. Foam bath stickies. All you need is craft foam. You know, the cheap stuff from Walmart. I cut out all sorts of shapes and even traced animal outlines. The little girls stick them to the sides of the tub and have great fun. We do baths almost as much for diversion as for hygiene in this house. (You know, if you've got a crab, stick it in water.) The only limit is your imagination.

Menu Monday

Lots going on here which is why I haven't posted. Let's start with this.

Mon-spaghetti bake, salad, fruit salad
Tue-crockpot sausage/hash brown casserole, oranges
Wed-pork bbq sandwiches, carrots, baked apples
Thu-turkey, dressing, broccoli, cherry salad
Fri-turkey salad sandwiches, relishes, ice cream
Sat-pizza rollups,grapes, cookies

Now, what's been taking up last week? Swim meets, pine wood derby making and racing, basketball games, Boy Scout meetings. Whew! We've also decided that I will be home schooling F starting next week so lots of web surfing getting myself ready for that. Why F you ask? Well, have you ever seen the movie Over the Hedge? You know the chipmunk Hammie? That is my F. Easily distractible, very interested in having a good time, not very mature, in need of direction but sweet for all that. F likes school because of all his buds. He has lots of friends but the 'school' part is not so interesting. He is getting A's and B's but Phil and I feel like he's not getting the math basics. He's skating through and beginning to feel lost. His confidence in math is shaky. It seems like a little concentrated one on one teaching without his distracting friends would benefit him before 3rd grade when things start getting more rigorous. The plan right now is for me to finish 2nd grade with him and continue through the summer so he won't lose what he knows. His standardized scores are just below the district norm and that is not good enough for dh and I if he is capable of doing better. Hopefully he will 'catch' up and be able to return to public school for 3rd grade but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. If he doesn't make progress we could keep him home, send him to Catholic school or another over the county line grade school to repeat 2nd grade with a different group of kids. Let's hope this works. At least it's 2nd grade which I hopefully have the brains to teach and not advanced chemistry or something.

Wacky Wednesday

This week's kidism.
Me "Hey you pesky baby, get out of there. You're sure alot of work but I guess we'll keep you."
Mel"Moooom, of course we'll keep her, she's our baby. What are you, a monster?"

Makes me wonder what her brothers and sisters are telling her.

Tightwad Tuesday

Today, Bake Your Own Bread. Now I know what you're thinking. Who's got time. I forget to start it. It takes too long. Here's a recipe to save you. Ask me how I know it's good to have a quick recipe.

One-Hour French Bread
1½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon honey
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
3 - 4 cups flour (any combination of white and whole wheat)

Combine water, salt, honey, and yeast in a medium bowl. Let sit 5 - 10 minutes, until bubbling. Add flour, stirring with a wooden spoon, until dough is no longer sticky (I'll sometimes dump the dough out onto the cutting board with what flour is in the bowl and roll it around,adding a bit more flour, until it's not sticky). Roll dough into a 12 - 14" roll (or you can divide it in half and roll it into two long skinny baguettes). Place dough roll(s) on a cookie sheet (this won't work in a bread pan), greased or sprayed with non-stick spray, cover, and let sit 20 minutes. Preheat oven 375º Make diagonal slits, 1/2" deep, on top with a razor blade. (Optional: spray with salt water). Bake 20 minutes.

I also have made this into hamburger rolls and shaped it around a cheese stick and served it with pizza sauce for dipping and shaped it into pretzels, salted the top, and let them dunk that in cheese sauce.

Nothing Nice To Say

So, I haven't posted. This is not a political blog. I try not to say much in that realm. I definitely try not to say anything that isn't nice. Soooo, just go check thisWashington Post link and we'll leave it at that.

Friday

Fun Friday? Family Friday? Ferocious Friday?
I hope we have some fun this weekend. S is having friends over for a pizza/xbox/laser tag extravaganza. My job is to keep the snacks coming and the siblings going.
Family Friday?
I got L,F,&A Space Chimps to watch. This will hopefully divert them for an hour. L has a basketball game tomorrow. At 12:45. What a lousy time. I'd rather do it early and have the rest of the day. On the bright side it's supposed to warm up. Oh, but wait, that means there'll be mud, lots and lots of mud as that foot of snow melts. Oh, and there are Girl Scout cookies to deliver.
Ferocious Friday?
I did the grocery shopping. About half is in. Ack! How can I spend so much? How can they eat so much? I did run into my dad at the grocery store. That was nice. Dh is working this weekend so I'm on single parent duty. I'm seeing what I refer to as a quiet Sunday and the kids refer to as a boring day in our future. I remember hating Sunday when I was a kid. Now I get it.l

Wacky Wednesday

This week's strange kid utterance comes from L. This morning, as they were playing, I called to her (ok shouted) to feed the dog. Her reply "Well, that spoils the moment doesn't it."

Tightwad Tuesday

Soup-it's what's for dinner. Really, people don't seem to eat much soup and yet it is cheap, filling, nutritious and can be quick. Most people I know consider it a possible weekend lunch or something to have when you're sick. My family eats soup weekly if not more often. It stretches a little bit of meat a mile and if done in the crockpot it's easy peasy. We even have potato or broccoli soup so no meat is needed at all. Here's my minestrone recipe which is well, very good, if I do say so myself.
It is supposed to make 2 batches but it's one for our family with some left for the next day's lunch.
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups tomato juice
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar, optional
1/8 teaspoon pepper
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS (for each batch):
1/2 cup water
1 cup uncooked small pasta
In a Dutch oven, cook the celery, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
Stir in the tomatoes, beans, tomato juice, tomato sauce, broth, carrots, zucchini, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar if desired and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until carrots are tender.
Transfer 6 cups of soup to a freezer container; freeze for up to 3 months. Add water and pasta to remaining soup; bring to a boil. Cover and cook until pasta is tender.
To use frozen soup: Thaw in the refrigerator; transfer to a large saucepan. Stir in water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Add pasta; cover and cook until tender. Yield: 2 batches (6 servings each).

Fifteen

S turns 15 today. How did that happen?

No pictures of him now He's far too cool. He's 6'2" of cool wisea**. He really is funny. And unfortunately has my inability to leave no smart comment unspoken. He's smart, the kind of smart where you just show up and get mostly A's. Why study if you don't have too. Quoting him "Even D's get degrees."

He's chomping at the bit to get a driver's permit, a job and 'a life'. But know what, he plays with his baby sister and still kisses the top of my head if no one is looking. What a reversal of places that is.