Our pretzel making debacle!

The girls and I decided that we fancied eating some soft pretzels the other day, so out came my bread machine book and I found a recipe! Boy were we looking forward to these yummy delights...and boy were we wrong! But we had fun along the way, it's just a shame they tasted so yucky! I think we shall try this recipe next time!

Our first problem was the dough was so sticky it was almost impossible to get a good pretzel shape without it breaking up!

Cooking them in water prior to their trip to the oven...

Tayo waiting expectantly!

The defiantly not soft, and decidedly bland tasting pretzels!
Never again will we try this recipe!

My Big Boy!

Niyi has officially become a Big Boy! He is now the proud owner of his own Big Boy bed and he just loves it! Of course with the baby on her way soon we were preparing ourselves for this transition, so when a friend of mine offered her son's old bed I jumped at it!
We had thought that it may take awhile for him to actually stay in the bed, but to our surprise he has not got out once before it was time to wake up! He even knocks quietly on our bedroom door in the morning when he is the first one awake! Doesn't he look cute!

Menu Plan Monday

Well last week went pretty much as planned, but I didn't need to cook the Thai wraps as we had leftovers that day.

So here is this week...

Monday:Chicken tortilla soup with homemade corn bread.

Tuesday: Leftover Stew from weekend.

Wednesday: Crock pot salsa Chicken and rice.

Thursday: Quiche, salad and homemade bread rolls.

Friday: Stromboli and salad.

Saturday: (Late lunch before we go to teach at church) Frittata, salad and homemade bread.

Sunday: Chicken Enchiladas and Spanish rice

Well there it is! At least that is the plan.

Need some inspiration! Go here!

Happy Habits of a Homeschooler!

Today's Heart of the Matter Meme is about 'Happy Habits' and I thought I'd list some of the things that we find help our homeschool remain a happy one...


One of the first things that comes to my mind is the habit of Mom getting up earlier than the kids to spend some time alone with God. This is getting more and more difficult now that I am in my 8th month of pregnancy and not sleeping all that great, but when I make that extra effort to do it it makes the day go so much better. Ideally I like to be up around 6:30 with a cup of tea, my bible and my journal (on the deck now that the sun is getting up with me!), then I like to take a shower and put on a load of laundry all before the first of my little sleepy heads arise. I really love this time and it makes for a much less stressed out Mommy if I get to it! (Note to self ~ DO IT!)

Another habit we have is the habit of making sure chores are completed before we start school. We have a list of daily chores for everyone to work on (not very many, but the basics) and once this is done we start school. I feel that this is a very important life skill that I want my children to take with them into adulthood.

A pretty recent habit we have begun is my oldest daughter having her own file with a checklist of schoolwork that is to be done independently. She is in 2nd grade right now and the list includes devotional reading, math, handwriting, chapter book reading, math drills and typing practice among other thing. I require this to be what she works on first in the day and it must all be finished before her free time. She enjoys being able to decide what to do first and it is teaching her how to be responsible. I anticipate adding more things to this each year.

A habit that I tried and failed in was the habit of sticking to a schedule. I mean a school starts at 9am, we do spelling at 11:15 and math at 12:05 kind of a schedule. This just doesn't work for us no matter how hard I tried to make it! What does work for us is having a flow to our days: Bath, Breakfast, chores, Independent work, snack time, Science, History etc. So now whatever time of day we actually start school we all know what is coming next.

One of the most important habits our family has is the habit of reading, both reading aloud and independently. I require a B.O.B (Books on Bed) time each day and we always have plenty of time to enjoy books as a family. Snuggling on the couch with a good book is precious time together.

The final habit I am listing today is about getting the kids in the kitchen with me. I found it was always a struggle when both of my girls were helping me, so I would avoid it and then feel bad because I wasn't teaching them to cook. Now each day has an assigned kitchen helper and this child gets to cook with me one-on-one. Sometimes they don't have to do much more than set the table or help with a salad, but sometimes they get to learn a new recipe with me. We still have special times where we bake together, but at least this way they are involved on a more regular basis.

For more great ideas (I have already listed a few that I know will help our homeschool!) go to Heart of the Matter.

Next Year's Curriculum

I think I have it all planned out....
Well that is to say this is what I am sure of right now...
Here it all is:

Lola - 3rd Grade
Bible: Read the bible in a year chronologically (Karen Henley Bible). Use a journal to record thoughts (this idea is not quite figured out, but I do want her to begin journaling her quiet times). Also Keys for Kids Devotions as we have done this year.
Math: Math U See Gamma
Language Arts: Rod and Staff 3rd Grade
Spelling: Sequential Spelling
Writing: Writing Strands and blogging!
Handwriting: Handwriting Without Tears - continue cursive.
Science: Jeannie Fulbright's Elementary Science: Zoology 1
History: Either continue Ambleside Online's history selections using Our Island Story. or Mystery of History Vol1 (not sure here, but leaning towards MOH)
Geography: A Child's Geography
Literature: Ambleside Online's literature selections for Year 3, plus other great books that we find.
Art: Haven't a clue! :-) Something informal!
Spanish: Rosetta Stone Level 1 Spanish
Other: Lots of Lapbooks/unit studies as we progress through the school year. I will be making a master list of subjects soon to work from.

Tayo - Kindergarten
Bible: Old Testament stories using this site and her new Early Reader bible.
Math: Math U See Alpha
Handwriting: Handwriting Without tears - Letter & Numbers for me; My Printing Book
Reading: Continue Reading Made easy.
History: See Bible, will sit in on Mystery of History also.
Science and Social Studies: Lots of unit studies and lapbooks. Will also follow along with Lola's Zoology 1 .
Art: No clue!
Spanish: Rosetta Stone level 1 Spanish.
Literature: Ambleside Online's Literature selections for year 1. Plus other great books we find.

Books for me!
Ultimate Lapbook Handbook

Well, I guess I have a few things to iron out...But this doesn't look too bad to me right now!

Lola's Writing Curriculum

My focus for next year's Language Arts is to really get Lola writing well. A friend of mine told me that she was planning on getting her son a blog to practice writing and since I love to blog I immediately thought that was a super plan!
Of course when discussing next years plans with Lola I mentioned this and she jumped on the idea, so I agreed that we could start one this year. So far we have just done a few things, but to my amazement she is just loving it! I require her to write the piece out first on paper, then we go through it for errors in grammar, spelling and composition and once that is done, only then can she post it on her blog. This week she wrote a short piece about our field trip and did great. I required a minimum of four sentences and she gave me more than that without complaints (and remember getting this girl to write can sometimes be worse than pulling teeth!) I think we are on to a winner here!
So far my plans for this are book reviews, field trip reports and short stories, but I can see it growing to far more things once we really get going!
Here is Lola's blog...

Earth Day Lapbook

I have been learning more about Lapbooks recently and we have begun to use them more and more in our school days. We love this way of learning and up until now they have been at least one week long events. Today we did one to celebrate Earth Day, the first time we have completed one in just a day. This was a great time for us, and pretty easy for me to get together and complete I think we will be doing this more!
Here are pictures of our finished lapbooks!

The girls showing off their finished lapbooks.

Front covers: (Lola's on left, Tayo's on the right)

Inside Lola's Lapbook: (L) book listing all the good things the earth gives us; (center) Flap book with memory verse hidden under the earth, list of items that can be reused, recycled and reduced; (Right) a pledge stating what Lola is committed to doing to preserve the earth and an envelope with an Earth Day quiz and word search.


Inside Tayo's Lapbook: (L) Flap book listing the things the earth gives us; (Center) Memory verse hidden beneath globe and below; (R) another earth and Tayo's pledge to turn of lights!

It was pretty easy to find the printables - I just did a Google search "Earth Day printables" and there was so much to choose from!

A fun day!

We went to Hurricane Shoals park here in Georgia yesterday and had a great time with our Adventure Club buddies. We weren't quite prepared for there to be water to paddle in, but luckily the girls didn't get wet (unlike the rest of the kids!)
Here are some pictures!

Lola's Idol debut!

We had a great time at our Family Ministry picnic this weekend, but the highlight for all of us was Lola's performance on 'Victory Idol'! She spent a great deal of time preparing for her performance and did great - we are all so proud of her! Here are some pictures and of course the great performance!

Lola getting ready to perform

The judges: Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowlick!

Lola's great friend - Meredith!

Some more of the talented Victory kids!

Okay... so enough of all that - you want to see Lola don't ya! Here she is in all her glory! Excuse the camera jumping around a bit - Tayo was so tired that she kept trying to lay on me while I was filming!

Not quite Menu Plan Monday!

Well, I had great intentions to get this done by Monday, but our Internet was down (modem trouble) so here we are on Tuesday evening!
First a review of last week's menu: The only two new recipes that were on the menu last week were not tried, we either had leftovers on that night or I was too bushed to cook so we got Wendy's!
So much for that!

This week' menu follows:
Monday:
Nigerian fish Stew and rice

Tuesday:
Baked Chicken, mashed potatoes and sauteed (sp?!) spinach.

Wednesday:
Leftovers

Thursday:
Thai chicken Wraps

Friday (Date Night!):
Kiddos: Something from a box or the freezer!
Grown folk: Steak, baked potatoes, come kind of veggie! Store bought yummy dessert to follow ~ gotta be something chocolate!

Saturday:
Meeting at church dinner provided!

Sunday:
Roast Chicken, Roast potatoes and veggies (English style Sunday lunch!)

This week the girls and I will try and find a day to make these! I am also really in the mood for pumpkin bread (despite it not really being the season!) so I may make this at some stage!

Reservation Road

I have never felt led to review a movie before on my blog but in this case I feel I must... This movie was awesome! Not in a feel-good, romantic-comedy-date-movie kind of a way, but in a gut-wrenching-cry your heart out kind of a way!
This movie takes a sensitive subject (death of a child in a hit and run accident) and brings you along to experience all that the characters are feeling. It is unusual nowadays to find a movie that does not glamorize or gloss over the grief, but this is what you get with this movie. As parents, my husband and I sat on the couch totally feeling the pain, and of course, I was balling my eyes out!
What we both really appreciated about this movie however, was the fact that you were able to feel the perpetrator's pain just as much as the parents' pain. His journey through the movie was very realistic and led you to understand this fact - that everyone gets hurt in this kind of thing. No one escapes the pain...
Here is the trailer in case you want to see what movie I am talking about...

Great idea!

My friend Heather posted a great idea for helping children keep their room clean here...
I was inspired today, and on what I can only put down to an end-of-pregnancy-nesting-burst-of-energy I cleaned up the kids rooms and took photos! I plan on creating my own little book for the girls to help them see what I want their room to look like!

Lola was very happy that I cleaned up of course, but also couldn't see where her cleaning was not coming up to par - once she gets the book in hand, I am sure that she will begin to see where she can make improvements!

Here are some of the pictures I will be including...

How beds look when made correctly!

Toys actually IN the toy bin!

My picture of "nothing" on the floor!

How the drawers need to look! "Hey look! I can actually see my clothes"

This is Niyi's toy box...for those times when the girls are cleaning his room too!

I'll report back about how this works once we've tried it out!

Advent Conspiracy Update

Some of you know this already - we took part in the Advent Conspiracy this year. Some of you don't have a clue what I am talking about so let me explain...
Each year our church takes up a special offering at Christmas time and donates it to projects abroad and in the USA. This year we did the same but linked with The Advent Conspiracy Project, whose focus is getting clean drinking water to people that don't have it. We were challenged to not buy Christmas gifts this Christmas time and to give all the money we would have spent to this, and we did. Instead of focusing on the material aspect of Christmas we focussed on the true meaning and spent lots of time together enjoying the fact that we did not have to be rushing around like everyone else! It was a special Christmas time and we plan on doing it year after year...

This is an update from the Advent Conspiracy detailing how much money was raised and what that money is doing...If only more people joined in...imagine what could be done!

The cutest toddler bed...

Niyi will be transitioning to a toddler bed in the next month or two to prepare for the baby's arrival (we need the crib again!). I was just looking on line at some beds and found this! I just have to get him it - he loves Thomas the Tank Engine and I just know he would love this bed! Not too sure I like the price tag though...

Granola Bar recipe

I made this favorite granola bar recipe again after forgetting about it for a very long time! It is great! I change it up all kinds of ways with different add-ins, but this basic recipe is very popular around here! I use WW flour, Wheat Germ and almonds often. If I use almonds I like to add in a bit of Almond extract - gives it a great flavor!

Book reviews!

I noticed on my sidebar my very outdated list of books, so I thought I'd better review the ones I have read and add some new ones. Unfortunately I don't have any new ones to add,. but I hope to get to the library real soon...

Here are my thoughts about the three books I most recently read:

Watching the Tree Limbs - Mary E. DeMuth
This book was a great read from start to finish. I have read a couple of her books (including her parenting one which I loved!) and enjoy her style of writing. This was not a a particularly happy starting book with a pretty dark subject, but it really hooks you in from the beginning. I loved how she was able to really get you inside the heroine's mind despite her bing just a young girl. My only negative thought about the book was that the ending was just a little too 'perfect' and finished a little too quickly. It felt as if Mary maybe had had enough of this story and just wanted to end it nicely. But nevertheless this was a great book that I would recommend to all!

Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella This book was pure bubble gum for my brain and was great! don't read this book if you despise trashy novels, but this was a good one. Pretty well written, funny and just what a pregnant mama who really isn't sleeping too well right now needs! I make no apologies for enjoying trash sometimes - in fact I am looking at getting another one of her books for when I am in the hospital after this baby arrives - it will be perfect for my sleep-deprived, recovering from labor and giving birth state!

Emma - Jane Austen
I told you all that I don't read trash all the time! This of course is a classic and a well loved one by me! I have read it quite a few times and always enjoy it. What else needs to be said - it is Auten at her witty best!

Happy reading y'all!
Now I have to find some more books to read!
Louise

A great idea!

I was browsing through blogs featured on Menu Plan Monday (see previous post) and came across a great idea for snack time: A Snack Basket. Pretty simple idea really, just a basket with snacks pre-measured & pre-packed ready to eat, but I have never thought about it! We are off to stock up in the next few days so I'll be giving this a go! Here's to an end to the never-ending question "what can I have for a snack??"

Menu Plan Monday

Well - it's that time again...
Firstly a review of last week's menu. I tried a new meal on Monday Creamy Salmon pasta and the general consensus around here was not to make it again - ever! Oh well, it looked promising, but just wasn't what I thought it would be and I ended up throwing a lot of it out - and that doesn't happen too often around here! The rest of the week was a hit - we ate a few meals that we haven't done in quite a while (Chicken Tortilla Soup and Chicken Enchiladas) and we enjoyed them!

So this week we'll be eating...

Monday:
Leftovers from Sunday.

Tuesday:
Frozen Pizza, Tater Tots and Salad (we have three doctor appointments so I know better than to plan anything more than this!)

Wednesday:
Lasagna, Salad and homemade bread sticks.

Thursday:
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken and rice

Friday (Date night!):
Kids: Mac n cheese and chicken nuggets
Us: Steak with baked potatoes and creamed spinach

Saturday:
Nigerian stew, rice and plantain.

Sunday:
Church Picnic - bringing my favorite cookie recipe for dessert competition!

For more menus go here!

Happy eating y'all!

Louise

And then the next day...

...and they say the weather in England is unpredictable!

What we will miss about Georgia!

It is the first week in April and here we are enjoying a day at our local 'beach' (man-made, but hey I'm not complaining!) in the evening!

We are going to certainly enjoy this while we can!

Menu Plan Monday!

I am going to post my menu here, instead of writing it down on a scrap of paper in the hopes that it will be a more well thought out plan. I enjoyed looking at other people's plans last week and noted down some yummy sounding recipes that I want to try out so hopefully this week we will be eating something a little more inspired than what I came up with last week!

Other Menu's can be found here!

Here goes:

Monday:
Creamy Salmon Pasta

Tuesday: Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salad (cook a whole chicken in the crock pot for stock and use half the chicken meat)

Wednesday:
Mushroom and spinach quiche with salad and French bread.

Thursday:
Chicken Enchiladas (made with leftover chicken from Tuesday) with salad and Spanish rice.

Friday:
Grilled burgers, hot dogs etc.

Saturday:
Spaghetti, salad and garlic bread

Sunday:
Nigerian Stew and rice

I think I'll make this Apple Brown Betty one day this week too - looks yummy and so very easy!

Planning time!

Yep, with the tulips and daffodils, the chicks and the sunshine comes Homeschool planning time! Yippee! I love this time of year as I am such a planner at heart. I love looking back over our year thinking about what has worked and what hasn't. There is such freedom in the knowledge that we get to start over again in the fall! In my planning I have begun to think about it all - the good the bad and the ugly, and I thought I would post it here. Later I will come back and write about what I am thinking I will do for next year...

Lola (2nd Grade)
What we like:

• Keys for Kids Devotionals
  
• Our Island Story (British History)
• Jeannie Fulbright's Exploring Creation with Astronomy
• Math U See - Beta
• Handwriting without Tears - Cursive Success
  
• Ambleside Online's Literature Selections
• Burgess Animal Book
• First Language Lessons
• Lapbooks
  

What we didn't like:

• Dictation as our only spelling method.
  
• Ambleside Online's other selections for history and geography.
• My Father's World (Adventures).
  

What we wanted to do but didn't (or at least not as often as we would have liked!)

• Poetry study
• Artist Study
• Nature Study
• Composer Study

......Sorry Charlotte Mason - I'm trying! :-)

Tayo (Pre-K)
What we like:

• Reading Made Easy
• Math U See - Primer
• Handwriting without Tears - Get Set for School
• Lap Books

What we didn't Like:

• Nothing!

What we wanted to do but didn't (or at least not as often as we would have liked!):

• Unit Studies
  
• Science (of any kind!)
• Arts and Crafts.

So there you have it - a year in review! See my next post for what this all means for next year!

Bible study Pt II

Well, this making up your own bible study is working well, but is pretty hard work! We have had some good discussions though and I think it has been worth it. We are not quite done with week one as we have had a few trips and doctor appointments that got in the way of school a little but so far so good. I have planned out the final part of our Lord's Prayer study and included it below.

Monday:
Focus: “And forgive us our sins”
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14
Discussion: What is a sin. What did Jesus do on the cross? What does repentance mean?
Activity: Let go of your sin object lesson

Tuesday:
Focus: “As we forgive others who have sinned against us”.
Scripture: Mark 11:25
Discussion: Whom do we need to forgive? What happens to our prayers if we do not forgive? What does forgiveness look like?
Activity: Role play situations

Wednesday:
Focus: “And lead us not into temptation”
Scripture: Mark 14:38
Discussion: What tempts us? Why are we tempted? How do we stand up to temptations?
Activity: Respond to these problem letters.

My cousin just moved to town and now goes to the same school that I do. He has no friends yet and I know he is lonely. He dresses kind of funny and is not into sports like my friends and I are. My friends think he is weird. How do I decide who to hang with, my friends or my cousin?

My best friend figured out a way to steal candy at the corner store without ever getting caught. He steals one piece for me and one piece for him. Since I am not the one doing the stealing, I think it is o.k. for me to eat the candy. What do you think?
My neighbor just got a new Game Boy. She lets me play the game. It is sooooo much fun. I just have to have one. I asked my parents but they said no. They said it cost too much money. I decided to act mad at them until they buy me a Game Boy. It has been four days and they still will not buy me one. How can I make them buy me one?

Thursday:
Focus: “But deliver us from evil”
Scripture: Psalm 61:3
Discussion: The goes around seeking to destroy us, but God is stronger and protects us. What are we protected from?
Activity: Draw a picture of you safe in the Strong tower of God.

Friday:
Focus: “For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory. Forever and ever. Amen”
Scripture: Matt 13:43
Discussion: How to be a light shining God’s kingdom to the rest of this world.
Activity: Make a light catcher

Latest Field Trip.

We went to the local Post Office and Fire Department last week and had a great time. I thought I'd share some photos!