June 3, 2008

I'm really trying to relish the fact this is the last week public school is in session and its just the 3 of us at home during the days. After this Friday, I'll begin my countdown to September, waiting for the doorbell to stop ringing.

This also means I'll have to share my library, my parks, my museums, no lines in the stores. For a home schooler, summer means everybody else is out there trying to do what you do all year long. I'm spoiled. I like having it all to myself! One of these years we should run away.

I've already started to see the back up at the dentist yesterday. DS12 got in at his appointment time, but DS9 had to wait another 30 minutes. This is not easy for his anxiety. Who wants to wait in the dentist office thinking about all those metal instruments scraping you? I did my best to distract him, but I ended up having to sit next to him while he was worked on. I was pleased both boys had no cavities! Yeah!

We stopped at a great grocery store on the way home. They have a large produce section and natural foods area. You can buy every type of granola made under the sun. I stocked up on organic sushi rice. DS12 picked out a vanilla granola and raisins. I bought more cherries at $1.99 a pound and picked up more dried cranberries.

After coming back home, I made too much supper. I forgot how filling sushi rice really is. We made onigiri, or rice balls. You wrap or mold the cooked sushi rice around fillings of your choice, fish, chicken, veg etc... Its sort of like sushi rolls without the seaweed wrapping. This time I brushed the onigiri with a dressing of fresh garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and olive oil, and then grilled them. So good!!

Today I'm getting the garbage ready, cleaning out the fridge, and I feel so guilty. I'm throwing away food we should have eaten. I have to learn to make and buy only what we will eat. We also miss what we do have on hand because the fridge and pantry are too cluttered.

I'm depressing myself, thinking about all I have to do to get organized. I think I'll give myself some Wii therapy and then I'll start taking one step at a time.

Somebody's got to do it....

I guess I'm having labor relation problems. One of my workers is questioning his job responsibilities. This was his way of asking others to question it with him. As you can see, he didn't find any union sympathy.

This prompted me to type up an entire list of chores that must be done. This took me about 5 minutes, and I'm sure I've left some good ones out. I thought it was important I show my workers we're all in this together. Here's our list. We are still discussing how to divide the fun amongst ourselves.

• Litter Box
• Bird cage
• Birds' food and water
• Yumi's food and water
• Laundry baskets down to basement
• Laundry wash & dry
• Laundry fold and put away, (baskets brought up)
• Grocery shopping
• Putting away groceries
• Garbage
• Recyclables
• Sweeping floors
• Vacuuming
• Mopping floors
• Dusting
• Tidying living room
• Tidying kitchen
• Tidying boys’ bedroom
• Tidying mom and dad’s bedroom
• Tidying guest room
• Cleaning boys’ bathroom
• Cleaning mom & dad’s bathroom
• Tiding basement- Wii room
• Lawn mowing
• Raking
• Cleaning the garage
• Bringing in the mail
• Watering plants
• Cleaning back deck/weeding
• Organizing video games and controllers, systems, cords etc.
• Cooking supper
• Cooking lunch
• Cooking breakfast
• Loading dirty dishes
• Unloading clean dishes
• Windows

Right now DH and I do the bulk of this list, with DS12 & DS9 pitching in here and there. There were certain chores we had asked them to take ownership of, but how fair is it to always expect one person to scoop poop, even if that person promised he would if you allowed him to bring home that cute gray kitten? I'm not one to schedule things like this. I believe if you see something that needs to be done, you do it, but how do we keep this fair? We are a family. We all share this home. We have to share taking care of it.

So we're continuing our labor relation discussions and trying to figure out what's going to work for us.

Our Sunday

DH had to work. Waaa! Another day without him.

DS12 returned from the laser tag/sleep over party. He had a great time even though he came in dead last in both rounds of tag. He still had fun though and I'm glad he realized that was more important that his score. I'm sure he'll do better next time now that he knows what to expect. I'm thinking we will have to go try this as a family. Ultrazone


The boys and I decided to get out into the sunshine and scout out locations for Letterboxes. This Friday our homeschool group is having our end of year picnic, and we are planting several temporary boxes for our homeschool friends to find. While looking for hiding spots, we came across this cool looking mushroom.

I'm out of sun shape. Even though thanks to my SPF50 I didn't burn, I still felt drained after being in the sun all afternoon. I guess my blood is too Scandinavian. Something happens to me after being in the sun. I just want to lay down and sleep! Maybe I'm a nocturnal Scandinavian?

I told the boys I needed 20 minutes to recharge after we arrived back home. DH came home from work and DS12 told him, "Mom's meditating."

Yup. That's right. I was "meditating", not taking a nap because I'm old and out of shape after an afternoon of hiking!

While DH decided to mow the yards (ours & our neighbors), I decided to stay cool in the boycave basement. I began working on decluttering the exercise/office area. DH came home from MIL's garage sale with an elliptical machine.  Problem is, we have no room for it.

We were thinking of placing it next to our treadmill, but as you can see from this photo, its a nightmare right now. The boys' computer desk is horrific, I know.  I did manage to chip away at the corner behind the treadmill. I'll start working on the computer desk this week and hopefully I'll have a nice "After" photo to show you soon.

Sunday night, we decided to watch National Treasure 2. Blah. Its not even worth a review blog post. I was sorry we wasted our precious family time on this waste of a movie.

We made microwave Smores. Place one marshmallow onto a graham, nuke for 10 seconds, smash with Hershey chocolate and another graham cracker. They do lack the ash taste of one made over a campfire, but all that smoke isn't good for you right?

Hey! It's 10:00am! It's now officially my turn on Wii Fit this morning. I'm going to head down and kick DS12 off! Have a great Monday.

My Sweet Saturday

My day went by too quickly.

DH & DS9 headed out early to help with Grandma's garage sale.

DS12 & I went out shopping for sunglasses. For some reason, he decided he needed sunglasses before he went to his party. He also had to wear his Tony Hawk Polo and jeans with the torn knee. I guess this is his first "teen" party.

We eyeballed peel and stick vinyl flooring and laminates at the Menard's grand opening before grabbing lunch together at Noodles.  Hmm.... Pesto Cava-whatever its called!! So Yummy!!

At 1:30 I dropped off DS12 at his party.

At 1:31pm I realized the afternoon was all mine! Ahhhh... the possibilities!! I ended up calling a big sister and we hit the nurseries in search of flowers. I could have returned home with tons of plants, but knowing we are probably only one more week away from the clearance signs going up, I showed restraint. I did buy a few inpatients, but the rest I'm waiting on.

After getting my hands good and dirty planting, I didn't feel like sitting still so I broke another sweat with Wii Fit. Why is it so rewarding to have artificial intelligence praise you?

I took a shower while my brown rice supper cooked. 45 minutes later I realized I had turned down the heat too much. My rice was still sitting in a pool of water. I pigged out on fresh bing cherries waiting for my rice. Have you ever seen the movie Witches of Eastwick? I probably ate too many cherries.

DH & DS9 returned from their road trip, garage sale leftovers in hand. They are still celebrating their father-son time with Mario Kart.

I was going to finally get some reading time in, but decided I'm too tired to read. It's easier to blog instead. I may just hit the hay early tonight.

Must...Blog...Something...Cohesive.......

ARGGHHH!!!

I'm out of my regular blogging routine and don't know where to begin. Lots has happened, but I don't have the writing talent to bring it all together cohesively in a nice little blog entry. So here's my ramble. Take it or leave it.

We're all sore. Thank you Wii Fit. I'm also addicted. Dare I say its more fun than blogging? BLASPHEMY! Don't worry. I'll grow weary and be back blogging soon.

The boss asked me last night if I'd give her a head's up if I choose to leave work due to gas prices. I assured her I would. She mentioned she may give me new responsiblities which I could perhaps work on from home, and she said she'd compensate me. I hope this is true and it works out. Its getting very close to not paying for me to drive to work.

We finally got our sunflower seeds for the great sunflower project. We have them planted in a sunny spot and we're watering daily. So far, no sign of sprouting plants.

Did you know Niagara Falls is moving upstream? I hadn't realized water falls do this. We came across a great show yesterday on the science channel about it. The water is of course washing away the rock and moving the falls back. I've always wanted to visit Niagara Falls and now I'm really itching to go.  I want to explore downstream the valleys where the falls used to be thousands of years ago. You can discover huge chunks of rock that broke off and find evidence of aquatic life on the forest floor.

DS9 has been busy with Ape Escape once again. He's now designing his own game manual, mapping out levels. He's been using my camera to take screen shots. He wants me to help him print them out for his game guide book. I wish I knew how to hook up the computer to the game. The screen shots would look much better. You see there is no cheat guide for the version he's playing so he's decided to write his own. He wants Nintendo to buy it. Now I know this won't happen, but he's learning through this process. Its not about making it to the end goal. I'm sure at one point, he'll realize Nintendo won't buy his book, but that itself is a life lesson. What can I do differently next time? I'm not about to squash his drive by telling him, "No one will buy your book."

DS12 is excited he's been invited to a laser tag birthday party. I'm excited he's mixing it up with new friends.

The Posse Rats are now an endangered species. I had banned them from the basement boycave after the eldest rat turned on our cable and had everyone watching an inappropriate horror movie. They played outside for awhile but now its dropping off. DS12 told me they are acting obnoxious.

"How so?"

"They are always talking about sex."

"Um.... What do you mean?" -trying to maintain a calm voice.

"They say stupid stuff like, 'Look at so and so, he's got a boner!' and they just try to act cool. They aren't being themselves anymore."

I'm a proud mom! I hope DS12 can continue to recognize the peer garbage that is starting to happen as we enter the middle school years.

As the calendar turns over to June, I'm more aware my big day is coming. I still don't know what I'll do to celebrate. I was going to dye my hair, but to be honest, these past few weeks I'm starting to like the gray. Now that there is more of it, it looks like highlights. The tattoo idea is out. The smoking my first joint idea is out. Skinny Dipping is probably out. No to sky diving, bungee jumping- anything having to do with heights. A day at the spa? Too typical. Break a law? I'm not that old yet. What does a nerd like me do to celebrate her 40th? I need suggestions people!

I have to get up now. I think Wii Fit is looking for me.

"Coming my darling!"

Have a great weekend!

Wii Fit

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Video Games
Genre:	Family
Console:	Nintendo Wii

We finally got around to trying this out after the stomach bug left our house. I knew I wouldn't like my BMI, but its very cool the game figures this out for you. What I didn't expect was for the game to automatically change my Mii to reflect my true BMI!! That was kinda funny. We all had a good laugh watching our Miis change shape. (A Mii is your Wii avatar.) I'm going to have to figure out a way to show you my Mii.

DH teased me about choosing the male trainer. You can choose to follow his moves by watching his front or watching him from the rear. LOL!

The more time you play, the more moves/games you can unlock, so you are rewarded for working out. It also tracks your progress and allows you to set goals.

When you first begin you do a body check test. My balance was already pretty good standing still, but when I try to do the moves I'm all over the place! The game of course knows when you step off the board.

My Wii Fit age is 2 years younger than my actual age. That made me smile! DH was older by 5 years. Hee hee! Actually he's in better shape than I am. Its the balance thing where I have him beat.

My favorite games so far are the running games. You don't actually use the Wii Fit board, but with the Wii remote in your pocket it picks up your steps like a pedometer. It was fun watching my Mii run in the game world, chasing after other Miis. I could definitely feel my heart rate increase. That's what's missing! Too bad the Wii remote or fit board doesn't pick up your heart rate.

I believe my entire family will benefit from this game. DH even suggested we present this as a science fair project next year in our homeschool group. YIKES! That means I better bring down my BMI by then!!!

Book Store Bliss....

One of our favorite used book stores had a sale this weekend. I only made it half way through the place before my family was hungry and ready to leave but I did manage to score these titles for .80 cents each!

Games To Go by Jim Gladstone - Chock full of games to play while riding in the car & games to play using only pencil and paper or a coin or two.

What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning & Literacy by James Paul Gee - I'm only one chapter into it and I'm already impressed with this author.

The Joy of Juicing Recipe Guide by Gary & Shelly Null - Now that my kitchen is uncluttered, I'm bringing out my juicer!

Organizing From The Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern - A friend of mine just recommended this book to me. When I saw it on sale for .80 cents, I took it as a sign I was meant to read this book.

Secrets Of Fat-Free Baking by Sandra Woodruff - I love to bake and the recipes in this book were all healthy and easy.

Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2002 - I don't get the magazine but would like to. The book itself is a little on the large side, but my family was nagging me to leave. I figured for .80 cents I could take a chance, review it at home and if it isn't worth storing this book on my limited shelf space, I'll donate it.

I wonder what the second half of the store would have had waiting for me. I told DH I want to save up a book shopping spree fund. We'll leave the kids at home and spend hours browsing, and then go out for supper. Then I'll need several days to just sit and read! Sounds like the perfect next "Stay-Cation."

30 Days of Night

Rating:	★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Horror

Maybe my standards are too high. I haven't read the graphic novel. I'm sure it must be better.

The premise for this vampire flick sounded awesome. The earth's seasonal tilt creates 30 days without sun in northern Alaska. Vampires move in for 24 hour dining.

The vamps look very creepy and all, but the shaky camera shots I can't stand. Maybe I'm just old, but can't directors rise up and create tension through story telling? Why must we always shake the camera?

The movie focuses more on the gore than the horror of being trapped for 30 days, trying to hide from bloodsuckers. Well, they're more like blood munchers. These vamps don't have typical fangs.

I also question how the vampires could actually find hot lunches after cutting the humans power sources. Everyone should have been Popsicles!

Changes

My nest seems to be recovering and I'm in power clean mode. My focus today is my kitchen. It was getting too cluttered, and I want it to be a comfortable place to prepare and enjoy healthy meals.

I'm going to make more stuff from scratch, going back to baking our own breads and only using whole foods. I'm even ready to try making yogurt! (Thanks for the recipe Mommycore!)

We don't have a health food co-op in town, and I don't want to drive the 40 mile round trip anymore. I try to buy what's on sale at our local Piggly Wiggly. Yesterday I scored buy one get one popsicles which will help out my recovering offspring. Watermelon finally went on sale for $2.99 so I grabbed one. Its not the sweetest yet, but not bad either. DS9 loves melon, but I can't afford to pay $7 for one.

I'm drinking more water, and I'm back on tea instead of coffee and diet soda. Being sick and having to start over really helped me drop those expenses.

We're not heading out of town for our holiday weekend. We are taking a "Stay-Cation", as I saw the term coined on the morning news. There really is plenty of fun right here at home and hiking in the county park just south of town is enough for me. We can skip traveling to the state parks.

I keep praying God will see our family through. Living paycheck to paycheck is sobering, but he's gotten us this far. I know I have to show him I can do my part by making changes in our spending habits. I've always felt he helps me work through my problems better when I quit whining and start taking action.

An update....

All is not well in my nest. As you know, I got sick on Saturday. Sunday I was down for the count. Monday I tried crackers. Tuesday I limped through work with crackers and ginger ale. Yesterday was the first day I could say I was honestly feeling more like myself and had somewhat of an appetite. Then I came home from work and discovered DS9 had a belly ache.

He threw up twice before falling asleep. Then he woke at 3:00am. He spent his time, in the bathroom, on the couch, in the bathroom, on the floor, before he finally ended up on DH's side of the bed. My poor little man! I feel his pain!

I'm feeling really bad. He most likely got this from me. I've been trying to wash everything up, but doing my research I've learned the Norovirus can be spread by "exposure to aerosolized vomit."



Nice. I've also learned it could take 2 weeks to completely get out of your system.  I'm sure the rest of the nest will fall soon as well.

I told my family I had changed my mind about getting Wii Fit. They had already spoiled me on Mother's Day, plus feeling under the weather, I wasn't looking forward to exercising.  They were out shopping last night and found one. Now that its here, I guess I'll let them keep it!

We haven't tried it yet, given our current wellness status, but I'm a bit nervous since I saw it calculates BMI! Do I want to know this?!! Actually I'm sure this will be a great tool for our family to improve our fitness.

I have vowed to get back on track with my wellness goals. Having this virus, (or whatever it truly was), has given me the opportunity to start fresh. Being sick meant I actually went days without eating cookies and treats! My stomach has shrunk I'm sure, but I wouldn't recommend to anyone getting sick. I'm just determined to turn this unfortunate experience into a positive.

Stolen from Wihomeschool mom

Thanks Cindy!

1) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
    Married 15 years, together 22!












2) What was your dream growing up?
    To be a mommy






3) What talent do you wish you had?
    figure skating






4) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
    Iced tea






5) Favorite vegetable?
    broccoli- steamed a little






6) What was the last book you read?
    Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook






7) What zodiac sign are you?
    Leo - It so fits me too!






8) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
    Pierced ears, one of which is double pierced. DH & I have both worn a gold ring in our left ears since we began dating.






9) Worst Habit?
    I can binge eat when I'm not careful.






10) If you saw me walking down the street, would you offer me a ride?
    If I recognized you of course. If you're a stranger, I can't. I have children to keep safe.






11) What is your favorite sport?
    to participate in- hiking,  to watch-figure skating






12) Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
    My blood type is B+. I was born to be optimistic!






13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
    I'd be grateful you were with me to keep me calm. I usually take the stairs!






14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
    Losing 2 children to miscarriage






15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
    My left foot is a half a size larger than my right.






16) Do you have any pets?
    Yumi (kitty girl), Gust & Tornado (parakeets)






17) What if i showed up at your house unexpectedly?
    I'd invite you in and tell you to ignore the mess.






18) What was your first impression of me?
    I loved your blog! Cindy, are so caring and generous!






19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
    Scary- Haven't you seen Killer Klowns From Outer Space?!






20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
    I'd be a size 12.






21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
    Your conscience. I am a goody two shoes.






22) What color eyes do you have?
    Blue gray






23) Ever been arrested?
    Nope






24) Bottle or can soda?
    fountain style in a paper cup






25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
     Pay down debt but I'd love to do home improvements- new flooring & new furniture






27) What's your favorite place to hang at?
      Any botanical garden or forest  






28) Do you believe in ghosts?
    Yes






29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
    Read everyone's blogs!






30) Do you swear a lot?
    No, but define a lot. Does swearing while driving count?






31) Biggest pet peeve?
       parents who ignore/abuse their children






32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
       Autodidact






33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
       Oh yes!! 






35) Do you believe in God?
       You bet!






36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
       Affirmative!

My crazy up then down weekend...

Friday night was brilliant. DH and I ended up center stage, right in front. We had to endure the opening act, Down The Road. I don't mean to be rude, but they smelled. I don't know if they didn't have the chance to shower or what the problem was, but from their first song the aroma of sweaty feet over took me.

When Blind Melon took the stage the foot smell was gone. They were excellent and only during their popular hit, No Rain, did I have to get aggressive to keep my prime spot. A few frat boys were behind me trying to push me away from the front. I could feel their feet underneath mine as I was jumping, but I didn't care. I thought sooner or later they will get tired of me jumping on their feet and they will back off. I was glad I wore the comfy shoes!

At the end of the concert I was handed a guitar pick along with a two fisted style handshake! That makes two picks-two concerts for me! I also managed to snag the set list in one piece!

The beginning part of Saturday we worked as a family doing yard clean up. DH and the boys chopped down dead branches and DS12 measured the square foot area we needed for mulch. DH made a deal with the boys to buy MarioKart if they also helped clean out the garage.

We worked through lunch and decided to do an early supper. This is where my weekend turned south. We ate at Chili's and I ordered chicken tacos. I usually order the black bean burger but DH had to mention, "Remember years ago when you used to get the chicken tacos?"

Maybe I was over hungry, but I went with the chicken tacos. I only ate 1 of the 3 tacos and I started to feel too full. After our early supper we picked up MarioKart and headed to the Arboretum to walk among the blooming lilacs. We did a quick lap and I told DH I didn't feel like my food was digesting. We stopped at the grocery store and by the time we made it back home, I was too uncomfortable to play MarioKart with the family. I sat in the LazyBoy and felt my gut get more and more bloated. I sipped tea hoping it would help but around bedtime it was confirmed. I was confined to the bathroom all night long.

Sunday it finally stopped. There was nothing left in me literally. I laid in bed all day, losing track of time. DH kept trying to get me to drink Gatorade- YUCK! By Sunday night I was able to sit upright.

Today I'm keeping down tea and crackers and my strength is returning. The whole experience has turned me back to being 100% vegetarian again. I realize the risk of food poisoning is also found on produce. I just feel like my odds are lower if I eat and prepare food at home.  

Mensa Genius Daily Quiz

Daily quiz for May 16th:

Which is the odd man out?
    REACT   TRACE   CARTE
             CATER      SCARE

And this one is fun too:

When Jim was talking a stroll one day, he met his father in law's only daughter's mother in law. What did he call her?

Its all about the shoes....

I want to dress up for our date night, but I thinking I won't be able to bounce, jump and dance in the shoes on the right. Well, I could, but not without pain.

I want to wear my shiny shirt and flirty skirt, but with the shoes on the left I'll look like a fashion moron.

In a perfect world, I could go barefoot.

The reality is I will get jumped on. My toes will need protection. I will have to stand on my feet for several hours and then jump on them. My high arches will need support.

I'm going with comfy footwear.

Goodbye shiny shirt, hello black tee. Goodbye flirty skirt, hello capris. This rocking mom wants to feel good rather than look good. I can play dress up for DH another time.

Goodbye EVIL CABLE COMPANY!!!

I hope it won't be long before I will be able to blog again, but we have to dump Charter cable and Dish. Today was the final nail in their coffin. Every time I call their customer service they are complete A holes!

They sent us a notice they couldn't process our automatic transaction and they were charging us $25 to boot. I called and found out they had the incorrect expiration date on our Visa card.

Instead of realizing they mistyped it, the A hole told me I gave them the wrong expiration date in 2006. I called my credit union and found out the decline code was due to someone at Charter hand keying in our account number and expiration date. CHARTER HAD TO KEY IN THE INCORRECT EXPIRATION DATE!

Rather than simply apologizing, removing the $25 fee and changing the expiration date to the actual date, the A hole refused to transfer me to a manager and just insisted it was me, not them. So now they won't be getting $2076 dollars a year from us.

Don't mess with Darkside Dawn!

13 quickies

1. I have no time to blog.

2. I brought work home from the pool and finished it in much less time. Its amazing how productive working without distractions can be.

3. Went to apply for a part-time job within walking distance from my house. Seconds in the door I knew it wasn't for me. Everyone was smoking- cough- cough- not good for asthma. Plus it only paid $6.50 an hour. I know, I know.... I need to find a home based business.

4. DS9's doctor's appointment went well because Dr. Northwestern Graduate in psychology bends to my will! Actually he's a nice man who respects my attachment, gentle parenting style. We will not be using immersion therapy-Dr's first choice- with DS9's fears.  I would prefer that DS9 work with us to develop a plan for taking babysteps towards overcoming his phobia. I don't want DS9 to feel that we, (Dr., DH, & myself) did something to him to conquer his fears. I want DS9 to feel he, himself was a part of the solution. This is not something we are doing to him. I want to give a level of control to DS9 because a huge part of his phobias have to do with a feeling of being out of control. Frankly, I'm surprised Dr. Expensive didn't suggest this first, but I'm grateful he is willing to agree with me.

5. I made a veggie wrap sandwich, adapting a recipe I found on Weightlosswars.com. It was really yummy and filling! Spread non-fat cream cheese on a whole wheat tortilla. Add fresh spinach, broccoli slaw, tomato salsa, English cucumber and a light dressing of your choice. Roll up and enjoy!

6. I know its been 2 weeks since I've purged 13 things, but I'm planning to purge something huge very soon! Check back next week!

7. I think we're going to attend the Winter Unschoolers Gathering next February at the Kalahari. We can start putting away money now and the trip will be paid for. Any other unschoolers want to join us? http://ugoevent.com/ 

8. I have to buy grass seed. Our neighbor offered to mow our lawn but his riding lawn mower isn't set properly. We now have bald spots of dirt. It will grow back.

9. Tomorrow is hot date night!! We are going to see BLIND MELON!!  My knee is healed enough and I'm ready to ROCK OUT!

10. I say 40 is the new 22! Hee, hee...I'm 3 months away.

11. We're going to stack magazine boxes and make a stairway to bunk bed heaven for Yumi.

12. I solved a Mensa puzzle and feel smart now.  Can you solve it too?

    The first word of the following word square (the words read the same down and across) has been filled in for you. Fill in the remaining words so that you use three E's; two each S, L, O, G, R, and A; and one T in total for the whole square.
         
          O G R E
          G
          R
          E

13. How could John betray me so!?

No GED? Your dad is going to jail.

Here's an article about a father sent to jail because his daughter didn't get her GED.

http://www.channel3000.com/education/16252243/detail.html

I disagree with this ruling. For one thing, its sending a terrible message that parents are responsible for their children's education. (Yes, you heard me correctly!)  The person truly responsible for this girl acquiring her GED should be the daughter herself! Sending her father to jail isn't really going to teach her the consequences of not being educated.

I don't believe you can force anyone to learn. They have to want to do this themselves. Does this judge think by throwing her father in jail he will awaken this girl's desire to further her education? Or is it a form or terrorism? YOU WILL GET YOUR GED OR YOUR FATHER IS GOING TO PRISON.

The second issue I have with this ruling is that you better build more prisons. If this dad goes to jail shouldn't you then go out and arrest every parent of every child who didn't graduate high school? Should the teachers be throw in jail as well? Are teachers responsible when students fail or don't score high enough of government tests?

Here in Wisconsin we have a compulsory attendance law. Its not a compulsory education law because if it was, we could sue the school district if Johnny can't read.  

This father is probably the complete opposite of a "helicopter" parent, and on the other end of the spectrum, maybe he neglected to model for his daughter, the rewards of having an education. Either way this girl is 18. I'm sure she's capable of having a mind of her own, and making her own decisions. Too often we tell our children its someone else's fault, rather than their own.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

A Thomas Jeffeson Education

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Parenting & Families
Author:	Oliver Van DeMille

I've been meaning to review this book for some time now, but I just wanted to really mull it over and wrap my head around it. You have to understand I read this book as an unschooler.

I find the Thomas Jefferson Model very similar to unschooling. DeMille even recommends reading John Holt. Personally this book just reaffirmed my choices in how we educate our children.

I can see how this book would help those who can't accept the nomenclature- "UNschooling." Many times, when you meet fellow homeschoolers, they will ask what curriculum you use, or what style of homeschooling you use. Unschooling is often misunderstood as anti-education. I could see someone thinking "Thomas Jefferson Education" sounds more valid than "unschooling." Not to say Thomas Jefferson was unschooled, but much of his upbringing fostered a natural love of learning.

Demille has studied how the founding fathers were educated and really believes in the idea of mentors not professors. What I really liked about the model is how furthering your own education inspires your children to do the same. As an unschooler, I know this works. What I needed to learn from the book is that its ok to do this. I need not feel guilty for pursuing my interests.

I probably would have given this book a higher rating but a part of me is still questioning the author's motives in writing the book. He has founded a college and they offer expensive seminars for those interested in learning more about how to apply the Thomas Jefferson Model of education. Personally, after Unschooling for over 9 years and reading this book, I can't see how a $500 seminar would help me apply the model any better. I paid $15 for the book. I think any parent could take it further on their own.

Alvin & The Chipmunks

Rating:	★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Kids & Family

I wanted to turn this off and just go to bed. I just couldn't get past Jason Lee cast as Dave. He is so bad!!

I did think the chipmunks trying to help Dave seduce the ex-girlfriend was a bit much. "She wants you Dave!" Why is this appropriate for a kid's movie? It was rated PG but still, this was not necessary for the plot. My boys are older, but I wouldn't want to explain this to a 5 year old.

TTT

1. Earthquake in China- Yet another large scale disaster. My heart grieves for all those families, all those children.

2. Myanmar- Its easy to shake a finger at their government for not allowing help, but I can't stop thinking about how we treated our Katrina victims as well.

3. Mental health/treating depression- I think I need to make this my next personal study project.

4. Where should I walk to today?

5. Could Yumi have allergies? The fleas are gone but she's still pulling out her fur. The vet says it could be a habit problem. I saw there is an allergy suit for dogs to prevent them from scratching, but Yumi would never go for this.

6. She's cat napping right next to me and I just want to squeeze her cute little toesies!

7. I stayed up too late watching a dumb movie and now I have a morning headache.

8. It doesn't feel much like a democracy when you're left with very poor choices.

9. I have to finish my homework before DS9's doctor's appointment tomorrow. I get the feeling they aren't going to really look at the answers on this questionnaire anyway.

10. I just remembered we have waffles in the freezer. Darn! I've already eaten oatmeal!

I wouldn't feel like eating either.

We visited Great Grandma on Mother's Day, and she's fighting off yet another case of pneumonia. She told me she doesn't have much of an appetite. Looking at the menu, I can't say I blame her. What's a steak finger?

We brought her contraband pizza and reserved a private dining room at the nursing home. She didn't touch the pizza either, but at least she had the chance to visit with us. We played Cranium and listened to Grandma's stories of mob hits back in the bootlegging days of K-town.

I had my Mother's Day lunch the day before. It was my choice so I chose Mi Cocina. I ordered a special guacamole appetizer that came in a raised stone bowl, Mayan style. It was very cool. I should have brought my camera to show you.

I told my family I'd wait for Wii Fit, but they went ahead and bought me a hanging flower basket, the new Blind Melon CD and a special 3 disc edition of Hot Fuzz. DH also brought me home roses Friday night. Yes, I'm spoiled!

Now that my fabulous Mother's Day weekend is over, its back to business.

The unschooling questions of the day:

DS12- Why do they call pee, pee?
 He found out online, the English used to refer to urinating as "splashing."  Later over here it was called "pissing" because of the sound you normally hear. It became "Pee" because "Pee" was less offensive for children to use.

DS9- Why do bulls hate the color red?
We looked it up together and found out bulls are color blind. Its the movement of the cape the bulls don't like.

I want to be a farm girl.

We went to visit new homeschooling friends who own and run a beautiful sheep farm. The lambs are so cute!!

I'm in complete homeschooling mom envy. They bought a run down dairy farm 6 years ago and transformed it into a eco-friendly sheep farm. The farm produces wools without chemicals. The two oldest children built a hydroponic garden complete with Tilapia fish! The worm bin ensures all organic matter is made into wonderful compost and an old chicken coop has become a homeschooling paradise complete with a library!

We also got to meet Daisy Mae, an adorable Pot Bellied Pig. She's potty trained so she's allowed inside the house where she sleeps on floor pillows. If you pet her, she eventually rolls over for you to scratch her belly. She's too cute!!

It was depressing having to leave and go back to my sub-division ranch style house. I can't wait to go back to the farm to visit again. http://www.baabaashop.com/

Who needs expensive bird toys?

DS12 wanted to share his bird toy invention with you. He used recycled materials.

Use a paper towel or toilet paper roll. Take care to be sure it doesn't contain any glue on it. Some brands of paper towel use adhesives.

With a hole puncher, punch 4 holes into the end of the tube.

Using twisty ties, attach to the side of the cage.

Our birds, Gust and Tornado, enjoy picking at the tube with their beaks and using the tube as a perch. Gust, (yellow wings), will even crawl inside of it.

Cake Truffles

For a special treat for our 15th anniversary I thought I'd try a new recipe. These were super simple and yielded a delicious result. The recipe made plenty, so I'll package up some for Mother's Day gifts.

Cake Ball Truffles

You will need:
 -1 packaged cake mix and the ingredients to bake it (I used chocolate.)
- 1 can of frosting (I used chocolate.)
 -24 ounces of chocolate chips (I used one 11.5 ounce bag of semi-sweet and one 11.5 ounce bag of milk chocolate for variety.)


-Bake the packaged cake mix according to directions
-Dump the cooled cake into a large mixing bowl, breaking the cake into crumbs
-Stir in 1 can of cake frosting
-Roll into little balls and place on a lined cookie sheet
-Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours

RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO EAT THE CAKE BALLS WITHOUT CHOCOLATE COATING!

-In half batches melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute, stir, microwave 1 minute more, stir (I melted the chocolate in two batches to allow for the chocolate cooling.)
- Roll the chilled balls into the melted chocolate to coat
- Place coated balls back onto the cookie sheet and chill in the fridge

They end up very tasty and I must say, easier to eat than a cupcake! You could melt different chocolates and almond barks to decorate them, or use sprinkles.

They're so smart!

DS 12  Inspired from a survival book, he shares this fact - If you are stranded on a deserted island, a good way to get fresh water is from a fish. Stab a straw through the fish's eye, and try to push the end of the straw into the fish's belly. You can find drinkable water this way.

Me- That is disgusting!! That can't be true!! How gross!!

DS 9 - WHERE DO YOU GET A STRAW ON A DESERTED ISLAND??!!

This is why I know I am still trying to deschool myself. My children's thought processes are still pure. They know the right questions to ask!

Its not about how gross drinking fish juice is. Its about where do you get the straw?!

Will It Blend

http://www.willitblend.com
This site is a fantastic way to waste some time! What's your favorite Will It Blend?

TTT

1. I got it to snap!! I'm now able to bend my knee and this morning, although its still very sore, I got it to snap back into place! Yeah!!

2. The wasps are back. I didn't get up early enough to apply death spray. DH gave me the ok to call in a professional, but I still want to unload the can of death spray I bought first. I should just stop messing around and call in a pro. There's probably a huge nest in the attic I can't see.

3. Our friendly neighbor has asked us to help her tend her garden in exchange for fresh veg! Such a great deal! She's also offered to pay the boys to water when she's away.

4. I couldn't make it through the Golden Compass movie. Bored me to tears. I asked DS12 if the book was this boring and he said the movie was skipping tons of stuff that's in the book. Still don't know if I want to read it though.

5. Got my mom's Mother's Day card in the mail. It must not be late ever! Several years ago, all 5 of her children neglected to send a card in time. The only card she received was from my cousin! Shame on all of us!

6. Timberdoodle- I got a free catalog at the homeschool conference and only 19 pages in I've spent over $100. As with every purchase I'll mull it over for several days but perhaps I should start Christmas shopping early? www.timberdoodle.com

7. I've been too busy reading magazines to read books. Is this a bad thing?

8. Saying my prayers my van makes it another 40,000. Had the oil change done knowing it was low and still leaking. Oil Change guy says I should still be good to go, but I'm at 190,000 miles. I know it could happen any day. We can't afford a new (used) car right now. If I lose my wheels, I'll lose my job as well. I need to keep looking for a job I can walk to or figure out a home based business

9. My favorite paint is on sale through the end of May. Problem is, I can't choose colors. I stand there like a deer in the headlights, leaving the store with every single swatch stick. The only one that jumped out at me was a green for my kitchen- which is already painted green and doesn't need another coat just yet.

10. My anniversary is in two days! DS12 has offered to babysit if DH & I want to eat out.

 

We're back!

We're back from Oshkosh and the WPA homeschooling conference. I'm going to need a few days to recover. While running around trying to hide the 20 plus Letterboxes early Saturday morning, I took a nasty fall on concrete stairs. Thankfully, we were heading up not down. I fell in such a way that my knees hit directly into the part of the stair that sticks out. My right knee took the worse of it.

The pain at first was so intense I couldn't breathe. I wasn't sure if I'd pass out or throw up. What helped me conquer the pain was the fact we still had 19 boxes to plant in less than 30 minutes. I had no time for emergency rooms. I did my best "cowboy up" and tried to walk it off Frankenstein style.

During the workshop I could feel something running down my leg. It was cold that morning so I had thankfully thrown on jeans. Denim is really pretty good at soaking up blood.

After the workshop, I headed to the ladies' room and discovered I couldn't bend my knee at all. Peeling off my jeans I could see my knee was the size of a grapefruit and I had a red stream down my leg from a stair shaped gash going straight across my patella.

Rather than miss a discussion on the Socrates method of book discussion, I send DH back to the hotel for ice. He meets me back in time to attend the commencement ceremony- the highlight of the conference for me. I love hearing the graduating homeschoolers and their parents speak of their experience. It takes my mind off of the throbbing.

We head to Taco Bell for lunch and I'm pretty pumped from the success of my Letterboxing workshop, the commencement and the fact my knee is now frozen.

We spend the afternoon attending two more workshops- Continuing Unschooling & The Thomas Jefferson Education model. By the time I make it to the WPA membership meeting, I'm coming down from the rush of the conference excitement and I'm noticing more that something is seriously wrong with my knee.

Getting into the car to head home I had to bend my leg. Instantly I felt a burning, tearing, OMG, something is really wrong kind of pain. DH wants to take me to the ER. I'm too embarrassed. At this point I decide to take Advil and just not bend my leg.

Once home I crash big time with a bag of frozen peas and more Advil. I sleep a big sleep and in the morning, thankfully I can bend my leg with only regular pain and soreness, not the scary burning, gushing feeling. The swelling is going down and I figure as long as I can now move it more, nothing must be broken.

I know you probably want to see a blog photo of my knee, but I'm just too embarrassed. I can still hear DH laughing at me before he realized I was really hurt. He says he can still see my fall as if in slow motion. I should search You Tube today. Even though DH didn't catch me, I'd bet a security camera somewhere did.

I fall all the time. I fell while pregnant with both of my boys. While 7 months pregnant with DS12 I was walking down an incline in heals. I landed on my purse rather than my belly and decided it was time to give up fashionable footwear. The second time I slipped on ice and decided to try the splits rather than land on my 9 month baby bulge.

On the 4th of July I always fall after the parade. Our old town has very uneven sidewalks.

One reason I fall so much is my feet are two different sizes. I think this is why I prefer to go barefoot so often. Another problem I have is vertigo. Its been the grace of God I haven't broken anything.

My plan is to continue icing it, taking Advil and gently try to bend and use the knee into recovery. It seems like its doing better each day.

Stole this from Maija

The top photo was taken in 1986. I would flirt with my future Mr. Right when he worked at McDonalds. I'm wearing his army jacket and sporting a great mullet hairstyle influenced by Bono of U2.

The bottom photo was taken in 1993 on our wedding day. We stopped at McDonald's after our reception to visit the place it all started.  (Sorry I can't get the scanner working but the photos aren't that great anyway.)


Go to kindergarten?  My mom used to have to drag me kicking and screaming. I was an unschooler from day one. 

 

Graduate from high school?  Yes,  a month after I started dating DH.

 

Go to college?  Several.

Concordia River Forest- Great school but uber expensive!

Harper College- ok but my parents didn't want me living at home. Wanted me to go away (to school.)

Bemdiji State University- not so bad until my unstable roommate tried to kill me- literally. I was beaten to a purple, swollen mess and had to leave school due to post traumatic stress. Never went back. I will never again live with strangers.

Get straight A's in school?  Not exactly. I was bored. They threw me in a T&G program after I aced high school placement tests. I knew how to play the game but I had no real internal drive to accomplish anything. My natural love of learning was killed in Kindergarten. I was taught to expect to be told what to do and how to do it. I did exactly what others expected of me, never truly taking responsibility for my own path. I didn't break from this conveyor belt until after my near death experience at BSU.

Go to prom? Nope. My boyfriend (DH) and I decided to spend the money on tickets to the Amnesty International concert!! We saw so many great bands including, The Police, U2, & Peter Gabriel!  I don't regret not going to prom at all.
 

Take part in extracurriculars? I was in AFS because I liked meeting cool European kids, but I never traveled abroad.

 

Play any sports? I was on the Badminton team and although my dad was proud I "lettered", I thought- What's the big deal? I had really wanted to play softball but didn't make the second cut. It did help having a few varsity players come up to me afterwards telling me they thought I should have made the team.

Graduate in the top ten of your class? I think I made 13%, but again, I could have cared less.

 

Miss a lot of school? Yes. I hated going and every chance I got, I tried to stay home. I was blessed with mononucleosis sophomore year and stayed home an entire semester! I finished all my course work for the semester in 2 weeks with an at home tutor.

 

Have a favorite teacher? My first is Mrs. Rachel- 3rd grade. She would sit me on her lap and tell me she wished she had an entire 3rd grade class of Dawns. :) I bet she told every kid this.  My second was Ms. Healy in high school. She was suppose to teach Language Arts but all you had to do was ask her to tell a story and she'd drop the lesson plan and entertain you with her amazing storytelling abilities. She was an old lady with lots of life experience!

Go to football games?  Before I had a driver's license, yes. It was something to do on a  Friday night. Once we had wheels- ARE YOU KIDDING- we were off to CHICAGO!! What suburban kid would choose football games over cruising the big city looking for trouble!

Enjoy pep rallies? Hey, it wasn't class.

 

Know what you wanted to be when you grew up?  No. They told me to be a teacher. I didn't really hear God's plan for me until I became a mom. 

Pack your lunch or buy? I don't remember eating in high school. LOL! Maybe that's why I was not fat! Of course I thought I was back then. I think I've had body image issues from the age of 12 and developed a chest before my friends did.

Like gym class? Not until my senior year. By then they had decided to test our physical abilities and group us accordingly. My friends and I decided to fail the tests on purpose so we'd be in the same gym class together. It worked brilliantly! We were all together and we had the best teacher, Ms. Betts. We played softball or volleyball everyday and never had to do stupid mile runs or fitness achievement tests again! The downside- the class did end up with 2 geeky boys, one of which became my own personal stalker. I thought he was nice until I discovered he was letting his friends listen into our phone calls. How immature! LOL!!

Have a bunch of friends in school? Yes. 

Fit into a clique like jock, stoner, geek, etc? I thought I was in the "unclique." We weren't the Popular crowd, the Jocks, the Stoners or Geeks. We were the "normal" kids who enjoyed alternative music and diversity.  DH will tell you differently saying I was in the "In" crowd. He thought of himself as a loner. I thought he was just too cool for high school! 

 

Have a nickname in school? No

Get picked on in school? A boy named "DANA" called me fat. I had to really resist the urge to say, "AT LEAST I'M NOT A BOY WITH A GIRL's NAME!" I think he was jealous of my bootylicious curves.   

 

Have a favorite subject? Ms. Healy's classes and chemistry

 

Have a least favorite subject? gym class- up until Senior year- and Mr. Lawrence's Spanish class. He was the type who would only use Spanish and pretend to not understand you if you used English. I now understand why he taught this way, but at first it was very frustrating. I hated speech-debate class too. 

 

Go to graduation? Yes. Awkward moment- when Dave wanted a hug and kiss goodbye. I dated this guy for like two minutes. (He was only after one thing.)

 

Have a crush on anyone in school? I married him! For years I thought he was an upper classman and didn't get up my nerve to flirt with him until my senior year. He was always too manly looking to be a high school boy! Meow!!

Go To Any Class Reunions? No. The 10 year mark I was very pregnant, ready to pop. The 20 year mark was too expensive and I had other plans for my birthday.

Ok. I don't know why the text got all strange on me. That's what I get for copy and paste I guess. Feel free to rip me off. Thanks to Maija for the blog post idea!

Another reason to find a new line of work...

The boss is planning a Swim-A-Thon and she's asked me to participate. I'll need to ask for pledges for every lap I can swim in 15 minutes. Grrrrr.....

A part of me says quit whining and start training. My mother once swam across a lake. I've got to have the DNA to pull this off.

Another part of me is freaking out. I already have issues with germs. Have you ever seen a pool's backwash system?

Plus the idea of swimming while people watch- not for me! They will understand why I work in administration and not the water!

However, it is for charity and the swimming would do my body good. I haven't really made up my mind yet. Maybe once I can put my fears behind me I'll dive in and go for it.

Letterbox gathering

Start:	Jun 21, '08 09:00a
Location:	Kirkland,IL

Birds Of A Feather gathering -MacQueen Forest Preserve - Boone County, IL
3640 Scout Road, Kirkland, IL

(bring cookies!)

Blind Melon Concert!

Start:	May 16, '08 7:00p
Location:	Madison,WI

Whoo hoo!!! I'm going to see Blind Melon again!!!

.33 cents can buy fun

We picked up a laser light on sale for only .33 hoping our kitty Yumi would chase it around for some exercise. So far she's only worked out her neck, preferring to stay put and just watch the red light bounce around.

We've also managed to irritate DH, "Would you stop doing that! I'm trying to watch TV."

And terrorize others, "Don't shine that in my eye! You'll blind me!!"

Today we discovered something really cool. You can play with the light in the bathroom with the light off and watch the symmetry in the mirror.

We also experimented with taking photos. Very cool! I really liked this eyeball looking shot.

How to make a Letterbox

They don't have to be fancy pantzy. A Letterbox need only contain a stamp and logbook. Here I've used an airtight, watertight box, (Lock and Lock brand), my sun carved stamp and sheets of paper folded accordion style.

I think my initial investment when we began Letterboxing was under $10. I bought a kit from Nasco that had two Speedball carving tools and a set of Linoleum steel cutters. A bought a few Saftey Kut blocks that were very easy to carve into for beginners.

After DS12 sliced open his finger directly underneath his fingernail- OUCH!- I bought a special board that helps hold the stamp while you carve- AWAY FROM EXPOSED FLESH! You could make one yourself with scrap wood. I've learned how to keep my hand away from the direction the blade is sliding. There's a how to video on You Tube I just cringe at when I watch it because the artist is carving towards her skin not thinking about what could happen if her carving knife slips.

I'm not a great carver. I do draw and carve my stamps free hand, but for me the fun of Letterboxing is in the hunt!  I like finding the hiding spots and writing the clues. I've found some stamps that were real works of art. I can only imagine how long it took the artists to carve out such detail. Maybe I'll get better over time.

I tried to find inexpensive log books in stores and wasn't happy with any I could find. They were either too big, or had lined paper. I finally decided its only paper. Who cares if my log books don't have a binding? Maybe someday I'll try to make more official log books, but Letterboxes occasionally do walk off. I'd hate to invest all that time into sewing together log books to have them disappear.

I like to write imaginative clues, and DH thinks I get a little carried away role playing. I can't help it. I like to play pretend, especially in an enchanted grove of trees! I've seen others write really cryptic clues that takes the fun out of it for kids. Some clues are written so there's no challenge what so ever. I hope I'm landing somewhere in the middle.

Two great websites to check out for more info on Letterboxing are:
www.letterboxing.org
www.atlasquest.com

Our family's trail name is the Frog-A-Nobies after a beloved Jedi frog we once shared our home with before he joined Yodi and Obi-Wan. The boys have their own personal stamps as well, but I don't post their trail names for privacy concerns. (Heck, I've never posted their real names online either!) We're always Letterboxing as a family anyway. Its safer that way.

The worse experience we've ever had Letterboxing was a serious wood tick attack. We were out for only 20 minutes before we ran back to the van and stripped! We had dozens of wood ticks underneath our clothes in such a short time. A week later they closed this particular state park because the ticks were so bad.

Not all Letterboxes are hidden in woods. I just prefer the ones that are. I have a thing for trees you see. I just have to decide if its worth it to duct tape my clothes to my body so the ticks can't crawl underneath!

Busy weekend in progress

Sorry I've been MIA. I've been working on getting my workshops ready for our homeschooling conference next weekend. I'm so excited!

We took a road trip to Oshkosh yesterday to finalize hiding spots for around 20 boxes. The weather turned out to be freezing cold! I should have worn my winter coat and mittens. What happened to spring?! I hope next weekend the sun comes out, but it will probably rain on my Letterboxing fun.

The boys rode back and forth really well even though we crammed into the Cavalier to save gas. The drive isn't too bad, around 1 1/2 hours. Speaking of gas, we witnessed a crime almost committed. There was a jerk of a driver who said he was at a different gas pump. He paid the $20 bill and then tried to drive off. The station clerk ran outside to stop him as soon as they realized his bill was for over $60. It was pretty exciting as the store clerk threw his body in front of the guy's truck!

On the roadtrip we saw huge windmills south of Fond Du Lac. They looked kind of scary actually. I'm for earth friendly energy, but I've been reading more about the controversy. I guess these huge windmills can cast strobe effect shadows and cause neurological problems for the families who have to live nearby. The turbines can get noisy too. They may be building these 4 story windmills just south of our township.

It hasn't been a good weekend for movies for me. Its been all guy movies and I guess I'm just not in the mood. DH and DS12 enjoyed Cloverfield, but I thought this movie stunk big time! I can't stand shaky camera shots and an entire movie of them is beyond nauseating. (Maija- stay clear of Cloverfield!) I thought the monster was weak. Last night we settled in after the road trip to watch Alien Vs Predator II. I just rolled over and tried to fall asleep. Some nights I wish I had given birth to girls rather than boys.

To bring a fantastic close to our weekend, I'm ordering Falbo's. I haven't had good pizza in over a month. I've eaten good for days but now I need to feed my soul! Thin crust cheesy goodness is needed!

DS13

Low fat granola recipe

Yes I wear Birkenstocks and make my own granola. Here's my inexpensive, low fat version.

Easy, very basic, homemade low fat Granola

4 1/2 C old fashioned oats
1/3 C chopped almonds
2 t cinnamon
1/4 C apple juice
1/4 C brown sugar
1 T olive oil

Toss the above together and place on a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes

Stir granola

Bake for another 15 minutes

Allow the granola to cool and then add your favorite dried fruits. Today I had on hand dried blueberries, orange flavored cranberries and raisins. This tastes great with cold vanilla soy milk or yogurt.

Thursday 13 Purge

Once again, it really didn't take very long to round up at least 13 things to purge from my home.

1. Hungry Hungry Hippos- I have no idea where the marbles are but perhaps some other kid can round up enough marbles to play this game. Its noisy, rowdy and won't be missed!

2. Mr. Coffee- I hope my mother isn't reading this. Every time my parents visit after their Arizona adventure they bring me a coffee maker. I'm not really a big time coffee drinker. Maybe once a week I'll brew a cup- mixed with 1/2 soy milk. I have a tiny 4 cup coffee maker that works just fine. Mr. Coffee was last year's hand me down coffee maker.

3. Ms. Braun Coffee maker- This year's hand me down coffee maker which made its appearance after my parent's return. They must have forgotten they had given me a coffee maker last year.  She and Mr. C are parting ways, to set up shop in separate coffee drinking homes. 

Mom, if you are reading this. I love you, but it doesn't make sense for me to store 3 different coffee makers in my basement. Two other families will now be blessed with coffee makers.

4. & 5. two pair of shorts too short for DS9 who's growing like a weed!

6. Matthew 5:5 bear drawing "Blessed are the gentle for they shall inherit the earth." Personally I prefer the "meek" translation. I think an old neighbor gave us this when DS12 was born. It no longer goes with our decor.

7.& 8. plastic drinking bottles- These are just not functional for someone like me. I worry about being able to get them absolutely clean. I hate plastic too. I can taste it.

9. A set of pillow cases- I have no sheets to match these, plus DH and the boys would prefer to not rest their manly heads on flowers.

10.11.& 12. Towels- We have more than enough of these. My linen closet would shock you.

13. Trick or Treat bowl- This used to have a scary hand that would grab you as you reached for candy. It still works but the hand has decayed away. That's what you get for latex. I didn't throw it out because while the hand was decaying, it actually added to the creep factor. Maybe someone will find it at Goodwill and stick a stuffed glove over it.

The concert was great!

I have such admiration for Joe Jackson's piano playing. It always makes me want to try lessons again. To be able to sit at the piano and bring songs to life is such a gift!

My big complaint is that he didn't play my song. My favorite song is Rush Across The Road from his most recent album, Rain. I was looking forward to it and he never gave it to me. He thanked the crowd for being flexible and understanding because they changed the set list. DH told me in all the previous shows he has played it. For some reason last night in Milwaukee he didn't. I did at least get to hear my second favorite, A Place In The Rain.

We had gotten there early to be sure our tickets were at will call. They were! Yeah! To kill time, we walked along the river running through downtown Milwaukee. I shouldn't have worn heels but it was date night! Its better to look good than to feel good on date night right?!

The Pabst Theater is gorgeous. I would definitely see another show there. After entering the theater and taking our prime 6th row seats, a waitress came to our seats to see if we needed anything to drink. This was unexpected. Its a theater seating 1700 people, like a movie theater, and here was a waitress delivering drinks. I guess I'm not used to grown up concerts!

The downside to the alcohol service is there are always people who don't know when to say when, even at a Joe Jackson concert! After the show, I caught a drunk lady who couldn't maneuver the incline back to the theater doors. Her man had to carry her out.

Why would people do this? Why pay all that money for tickets only to get trashed? Can she even remember the concert? I'm not a drinker. I don't get it.

In an Alternate Universe, DH and I are rich enough to not have to work and we have tickets for Joe's concert in Chicago this Thursday. I could listen to him play all night long. He may not be easy on the eyes, (sorry Joe), but this man sings and plays with such conviction you can't take your eyes off him!

There Will Be Blood

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Drama

After watching this movie, I felt like I needed a shower.

I'm only giving this movie 3 stars instead of 2 because of the music and Daniel's performance. The music is what kept me invested in this movie for 2/3rds of it.

It was interesting to see how oil drilling was done back then. Not a job I would want for myself, my husband or my children no matter how much money it paid.

I made a hat!

Despite having serious internet outages (Curse you Charter!) we had a great weekend. My parents stopped in for a quick visit on their way back from Arizona. Unfortunately, for medical reasons, they had to head back to Minnesota early.

They brought us a Knifty Knitter, and I cranked out a new knit cap. It came together rather quickly and now I'm hooked- no pun intended!

We had beautiful weather, and I'm sorry to report I have my first sunburn of the season. I always forget to use sunscreen until after a painful reminder! Its mostly on my forearms so I have this wonderful trucker sunburn look going.

I'm bummed because I was going to wear my shiny shirt for our date night tonight. We're going to see Joe Jackson- (still crossing my fingers tickets will be at will call.) If I wear this blouse, you'll see my burn lines against my bone white skin. Not very sexy for date night. Hmmm...I wonder what coverup would look like on my arms? Or should I try blush on my upper arms to make them look pink to match? I should just pick another top, I know.

I have a new mission to research Gooseberry bushes and plant one after summer. My mom shared some Gooseberry jam she had, and now I'm craving it. I think Gooseberry Jam is more of a European thing. I know you can buy it in Sweden,
 and the jar my mom had was from Poland. My mom wants to grow her own bushes and make her own jam. I'll have to copy this idea!

Well, its time to start baking corn bread. We have more company coming in today, DMIL. I'm going to have black bean soup ready and corn bread goes perfect with it. Hope you have a great Monday!

Juno

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Independent

I loved the writing and definitely see why she won the Oscar! The ending was beautiful and perfect!