Food Diary- Thursday 4/29/10

Thursdays are crazy days. My menu planning goes right out the window and these photos prove it. For the record I did have a headache before I finished work. I'm sure the headache was from poor nutrition and being too busy. By the time I got home, I wanted cold comfort.

Breakfast-  Didn't eat one. :( Was too busy. I did drink some tea.

Lunch- 1/2 tuna sub on whole wheat, picked beets, diluted lemonade

Pitiful chocolate break- I licked the brownie batter from my Swedish whisk (homeschool posse ate all the brownies and I didn't get one, but that's a good thing.)

Supper- at work-  the second 1/2 of my whole wheat tuna sub from lunch, Diet Rite

Snack at 9:30- Cookies and cream ice cream

Its Thursday Isn't It....

13.....

1. Waiting for our homeschool posse to arrive. The brownies are cooling.

2. Can't wait to visit DMIL tomorrow on our K-town mini road trip. I'm predicting pizza will be consumed.

3. This photo food diary thing is working very well. I do think before I eat something, and I am noticing more when I'm actually hungry and when I'm not.

4. I think Yumi is watching what she eats too. She went from chowing down every last kibble to actually leaving bits between feedings. Maybe its the warmer temperatures?

5. My neighbor called and told me to keep our cars out of our driveway today. He said someone is coming with a "delivery" but he wouldn't tell me what it is. I think he is gifting us some glorious garden dirt, but I shouldn't get my hopes up.

6. This morning I realized my son is learning quite a bit from watching old 70's game shows.

7. I have not carved a single new stamp yet. The workshop is in 9 days. Guess what I'll be doing Saturday and Sunday!

8. I saw a lady selling little cakes out of her van. I have no idea what she was asking for them, but again I had the thought- WHY CAN'T I COME UP WITH A GREAT BUSINESS IDEA!

9. DH has been applying to everything, even stuff outside of his field. Why isn't the phone ringing?

10. Why are birds so messy?

11. The new show I'm fascinated with- 6 By Design - How on earth can a family of 7 children live in Manhattan and move so frequently? If they can run a business with all that chaos, surely we could too?

12. I want my husband to create more of his artwork. I think it could be the answer we need.

13. The phone just rang! It was not a job offer, but it is confirmed, glorious garden dirt is on its way to our driveway courtesy the best neighbors in the world!

Food Diary- Wed 4/28/10

Breakfast - almond milk and granola cereal

Lunch - black bean veggie wrap, Diet Rite

Chocolate break - semi-sweet chips

Commute to work - Dandy Blend & almond milk homemade frap, light whipped cream

Supper to eat at work - sweet potato & cream cheese spinach roll up

Night snack - homemade corn muffins, smart balance, OJ w/calcium

Food Diary- Tuesday 4/27/10

Breakfast- 8:30 am after dropping off the car for an oil change, egg McMuffin- without the oink, sweet tea


Lunch- 12:00pm Italian seasoned No Yolks noodles with chicken breast, oven roasted sweet potato fries, diluted lemonade

2:00pm - That's not coffee! Dandy blend & cocoa powder, light whip cream, 2 Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Mint UFOs

7:30pm - At work, after being yelled at by customer, ants on boats, Emergen-C

Food Diary- Monday 4/25/10

Thanks to Stormmie for this blog idea. I hope it keeps me accountable and on track.


6:00am Breakfast at work - 1 cup non fat plain yogurt, 1 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup granola, diluted OJ, Emergen-C with water later
11:30am snack on the drive home - carrot stickies
12:30 lunch at home - veggie & chicken wrap, Diet soda
3:15pm CHOCOLATE BREAK! Two Trader Joe Dark Chocolate Mint UFOs
6:00pm Supper at home - burger, broccoli, hash browns cooked in olive oil, diluted Kool Aid
8:00pm snack at home - 1/2 mug of almond milk and grahams with Nutella & peanut butter

I need new glasses. I keep trying to wipe off this cloudy spot only to realize its the scratch coating coming off. Its about time. I think I bought these before my children were born.

Wants or Needs...

So much to do... so little time to do it...

Do I tend to the wants or the needs?

WANT -  To purge and organize the nest. The other day the boys suddenly decided to clean up their room on their own because they wanted to organize things. I love doing this and being able to do this with them would have been so much fun for me! Unfortunately, I had to leave for work and the next day, they weren't in the mood to play "Clean House". :(

NEED - My kitchen floor needs TLC, only I can't bring myself to do it.  I tell my boys often, when you find a woman you love, make sure the kitchen floor you give her is not white.

WANT/NEED ? - I'm running out of time to get all our seedlings started indoors. Soon the calender will dictate we might as well plant directly into the garden. The time crunch is taking the fun out of it. I have to trust the unschooly, go with the flow, garden method. Last year we didn't seed start and we still ended up with fresh veg. There is no need for perfection when it comes to the art of gardening.

NEED - I have to carve stamps, lots of them! Our Letterboxing workshop is coming up and usually by now, I'm much more prepared. Thankfully DH has helped me in the design department, even sketching them in Autocad for me! All I'll have to do is trace and carve.

WANT -  To make some ATC's. Actually this could be a NEED. I should have some ready to trade.

NEED - To clean and purge our bedroom of dust and clutter.

WANT - To paint and redecorate our love nest. Unfortunately we can't do this without first checking off the NEED to clean it.

NEED -  To menu plan. I hate to admit it, but with our busy lives, we're ending up doing too many sandwich, fend for yourself, suppers. Its just such a challenge to find something everyone will eat that is healthy. Plus we all don't get hungry at the same time. The sleeping teenager is expecting breakfast, when we're ready for lunch.

WANT - To get back to exercising and actually enjoy it. It shouldn't feel like a NEED to do it, but a WANT to do it.

WANT - To study frogs. I find them very interesting these days.

NEED - To learn what I can about business marketing even though its not a passion of mine. This Autodidact needs to learn to push her comfort level past safe boundaries.

WANT - A family business that supports us where we only have to work 3-4 days a week, enabling us to enjoy spending the rest of our week free to explore our interests. It is important to keep dreaming, and someday I will figure out how to make this a reality.

We're heading out to scout hiding spots for our new Letterboxes. Hopefully we can finish up before the rain moves in.

I Can't Think Of A Title- Does It Matter Anyway? I'm Just Going To Babble....

I'm fighting off a virus. I'm not sure which one. It could have been the sinus infection DH had a few weeks ago or the head colds the boys ended up with. With me though, my sinuses are fine, this virus has settled in my throat and chest. The nagging, scratchy cough is still hanging around, but thankfully I only had one day of complete shut down. All I could do yesterday was sleep and try not to move because every time I did it hurt. Every muscle ached and my skin felt like pins and needles.

I'm grateful my illness waited for my parents to leave. We had a nice visit with them, and hopefully we won't have to wait quite as long between visits.

We exposed my mom to movies she probably wouldn't have watched. One night, I think she didn't know how to turn the channel and she watched Wrong Turn. Although she raised me with classic monster movies on Saturday afternoons, she doesn't enjoy gore. I also got a kick out of watching her watching Fido, a humorous zombie movie on any zombie fan's must see list.

My mom did enjoy our visit to a high end nursery near us. She bought several herb plants and we all enjoyed the flowers and gardening toys. I have no money to spend on plants and flowers, but it was still fun to browse. The nursery has a huge indoor greenhouse with patio furniture and a Koi pond. They also serve free coffee and don't mind if you simply hang out, enjoying the fish. I found myself wandering around, checking out the variety of plants and asking questions whenever a salesperson asked if I needed help. I figure I could browse there on a regular basis and end up learning quite a bit! How long though before they recognize I'm the woman who never buys anything?! :)

I am having garden envy. I was all excited because we have the materials to set up two more raised beds in addition to the one we built last season. Then I saw a house down the block with 6 such raised beds. Sigh.....One day at a time. This unemployment mode can't last forever right?

Three more bags of clothes made it to Goodwill. I got tired of seeing the boys wear their old, worn out clothes. DMIL has blessed them with so many nice new shirts and pairs of shorts I couldn't understand why they were wearing the old, worn out stuff. Turns out their dresser drawers were so full, the new stuff was buried under the old. They would always just grab the top clean shirt. So out with the old, in with the new and hopefully we'll figure out a way to rotate the wardrobe better.

I have to start carving stamps. I'm way behind! I usually prepare for our homeschooling workshops months in advance, but somehow, its coming down to the last minute this year. The workshops we're hosting are repeats so at least we can re-use some of the materials. We do want to offer new stamps for the Letterboxing workshop and new hiding places. Its a favorite at the conference, and I think the returning families would appreciate new stamps.

I think we'll carve more puzzle themed stamps because its quick and easier to carve one big stamp and then chop it into pieces for separate Letterboxes. This way too, the finders can try to put the stamped pieces together to form the original carving.  I also want to make Letterbox Trading Cards to leave in some of the boxes. It will go along with our Artist Trading Card Workshop.

As always I'm being over ambitious, but I've found its best to aim higher than you think you can. You end up accomplishing more that way.

Can You Hear Him Celebrating?

We are celebrating a Pokemon victory this morning. DS11 is "beyond awesome" due to his capture of uber rare Nidoran. He was down to his last, original Pokeball and he had to attack twice. The chance for failure was very real, but victory over ruled!

I've been told many others have had to use "cheaties" or action replay to achieve a Nidoran capture.

After the hoots and hollers, he ran in to wake the sleeping teenager. I held my breath, thinking this would not go well, but I was wrong. DS14 woke up and was happy for his little brother. Then he rolled right back over and drifted back to unconsciousness.

What a great way to start our fresh day!

"Human intelligence and reasoning reside in wisdom, not math. Wisdom is the ability to bring one's values, likes and dislikes, knowledge about other people and their likes and dislikes, and general knowledge of the world together in a manner that leads to workable solutions to the problems that confront us--solutions that promote our own and others' happiness and decrease our own and others' miseries." Peter Gray

Such A Beautiful Day Spent Together...

We woke the sleeping teenager and headed out Letterboxing. We drove to Milton and hiked at Storr's Lake- Ice Age Trail section. Four letterboxes were planted there and although it was a bit too easy finding them, it was still a nice place to stretch the legs, with scenic views of two lakes. I'm sure we'll head back there again once the trees dress up more for summer.

Milton is a neat little Wisconsin town. The Milton House is there which is a historical monument. It was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Abraham Lincoln also was stationed near Milton and while there, someone stole his horse. He had to walk back to Chicago which blows my mind.

We stopped on the way home and treated ourselves to Wendy's for lunch. There was no chance we could have eaten al fresco. The wind was not blowing in a good direction. You could smell serious sewage or pig farm in most of Janesville today. We hid inside.

After lunch we stopped at one of the best libraries in our area, Hedberg Library in Janesville. The Hedberg family donated millions to this library and it shows. The collection is unbelievable. Although we can inter-library loan anything through our town's library, sometimes its just fun to go and browse because Hedberg has so much stuff. I came home with books on Gandhi, as I promised I would, and gardening books of course!

After the library we were glad the bad smell had finally blown away. We decided to check out the Rotary Gardens before they begin charging for the season. This used to be an amazing botanical garden and it used to be free. Then vandals did a great deal of damage and now the park is admission only during the prime growing season. We can't afford to pay what they're asking, so we try to go on free days. Its one of those things on my list when we win the lottery. Buy out the Rotary Gardens to make it free for all once again.

Its a perfect day for Letterboxing! Heading out to hunt down four of them before lunch.

Its True Love! He just brought home ice cream sandwiches! (Its that, or he's found a way to get me off of the computer!) :)

Another Proud Mama Moment....

Proud Mama Moment of the day.....

DS11 told me, yesterday he talked his older cousin out of doing something that would have been really wrong to do. I'm so proud!! To know he can withstand peer pressure and make the right choice, affirms to me that we're doing something right.

He knew it was important to be respectful of the neighbor's property. He used sound judgment and figured out the actions his cousin wanted to take would have gone against our teachings. He knew he needed to help his cousin understand the consequences that would follow if they went down that path. He stood up to his older cousin and prevented a bad situation.

Even though he may only be able to tell you right now Gandhi was "that Indian Guy," I know he has learned some very valuable lessons that will help him make wise decisions for his life. I can go to the library tomorrow and grab some Indian history and Gandhi biographies, but tonight I'm so happy my son understands right from wrong and how to stay out of trouble!

Why We Continue To Homeschool While DH's Unemployed

Home Education Magazine is preparing an article for their summer issue. A reader is questioning whether they should continue homeschooling after her husband was laid off. It inspired me to share our view on this subject.

Why do we continue to homeschool while going through unemployment stress?

1. Its a part of real life. We learn by living. Sometimes life is good, sometimes its not, but to quote my favorite band, "Everyday above ground is a good one." Life goes on.

2. Challenges often are opportunities for learning and growth. As baby eagles mature, their parents change the nest. They remove the warm, cushy nesting and expose more of the scratchy sticks. The discomfort helps motivate the baby eagles to fly free. This stressful time in our lives will strengthen us and lead us to a better place.

3. Support- Keeping our family together means we can support and lift up each other. Why would we want to separate when staying together during this difficult time can only strengthen our bond?

4. Normalcy- When stress bombs shake your footing, its good to still have something to cling to and bring you back to solid ground. If we were to send the boys away to school, after they have always learned at home, it would add to the stress level, not make things easier.

5. Homeschooling can be inexpensive, even less expensive than school. - We've never had to pay school fees or break the bank during back to school shopping. Being life learners (unschoolers), we've never purchased boxed curriculum. The library is and always will be, our best friend! 

6. Flexibility- We are fortunate to live in a state where we have control over our home based private education. If we want our school hours to be the traditional 8:30-3:30, September through early June, or if we want to follow a different schedule, its our freedom to choose. This is partly why I can work the hours I do, opening some days and closing others. DH can job search and consider taking a first, second or even third shift position because he knows any of those schedules would still allow him time to spend with the boys because we can arrange our schedule to be what ever works for the family.

7. The timing. I can't help but think about how blessed we are to have had more access to DH now, when the boys are on the cusp of becoming young men. As they transition from boys to men, their father can be their role model. I also know I'm a better homeschooling mom because my husband has been given the chance to share our life learning opportunities these past 6 months.

8. I refuse to allow the Unemployment Monster to get my cubs! I will forever be in Mama Bear mode. I will never allow anything to get in the way of our ability to give our children the best. I know homeschooling is the best option for their education.
 
I know we still hope for the day when unemployment survival mode ends, and it will be difficult to not have him around so much, but I know this experience has strengthened us and our unschooling.

I'm Not Wanted....

...For Jury Duty!

I showed up with several books, bottles of water and a PB&J sandwich tucked away in my bag. I felt like Allison in the Breakfast Club, "You never know when you have to jam..."

After making it past the security screening like a moron, (insert embarrassing purse search nightmare here later), I settled into Boredom room 220 with Everything Bad Is Good For You. I only got to read for 15 minutes.

We watched an introduction to jury duty video which included the stereotypical dumbing down, and then we were welcomed and thanked for our service.

With pumped up egos, we were walked into the court room, single file, ducks in a row. I was #8 with a welcomed back row, aisle seat. One by one we had to stand and introduce ourselves into a microphone with terrible feedback. For a random selection of the community, I couldn't help but notice, we were all white and over the age of 35. Guess its true we need more minorities and youth to vote.

The case involved a prisoner suing a prison guard, the prison nurse and the prison doctor. He attempted suicide with self inflicted wounds and apparently he didn't feel the prison staff did their job in caring for him. The cherry on top- the convict was representing himself.

I was actually really looking forward to hearing this case. I'm open minded. I knew the guard, nurse and doctor were innocent until proven guilty. I really wanted to hear how a convicted felon would prove to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he was neglected by the prison staff.

The judge promised this case would only take 1 or 2 days tops. I really wanted in. I think I was dismissed when I revealed I was a homeschooling mom and one of my hobbies was blogging. Dismissed with me were nurses or those who knew health care professionals, and a retired army man who said prisoners deserve to be punished. (Mr. Retired Army Man was also upset the security guards took away his pocket knife.) Kept on the jury was a man who's brother attempted suicide and a man who's brother was currently incarcerated. Interesting isn't it?

I still might be called to serve on a different case throughout the month of April. I feel better knowing this federal district court has a reputation for quick, speedy trials, usually not longer than a few days.

After having gone through the morning's uncertainly, I now feel safe to share, I had an irrational fear about setting foot into the federal courthouse building. Its April. Its a federal building. 15 years ago, I lost a co-worker and friend when McVeigh bombed the Murrah building in Oklahoma City.

I had that shadow on my mind and even going through tightened security to get into the building, I still felt vulnerable. Thankfully, the clerk in charge of welcoming us and answering our questions addressed my fears without me having to say a word.

She brought the subject up and assured us the building was surrounded with cameras. I realized that wouldn't really save us, but just knowing someone else was recognizing the anniversary of this tragic event helped.

I thought of my friend and how I can still remember her sweet, friendly southern drawl. She was taken from an 8 year old boy and husband who loved her. I'm grateful justice was served, but nothing could take away the pain and loss, felt by so many. Victoria would want me to do my civic duty, and I'm glad I did.

Its Jury Duty Day #1. I'm bringing a bag full of books which means I won't get the chance to read them.

Calm... blue... ocean... trees, forest, chocolate, fuzzy kittens, cool breezes, walking barefoot in the dewy grass, deep breath in, deep breath out, bear hugs, Melon music, big blankies, - I'm trying to relax!!!

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Naughty cat ran out the door again. I hope she comes back soon. :(

I want to make mancakes, but none of my men are awake yet. The Sleepyhouse lives up to its name today.

I'm So Proud Of My Yu-Gi-Oh Master!

Warning- Proud Mama Post!

Last night DS11 went to a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament at a game store. Last summer he wanted to sell all of his cards. Thankfully no one bought any, because now he's totally into the hobby again. When DS11 is interested in something, he is borderline obsessed with it.

He had been looking forward to checking out the tournament all week. I've been told DS11 was the youngest person there, with the next oldest being in high school. Most of the players were young adults. This didn't bother Jared though. Maybe its from being homeschooled, but he doesn't worry about age differences.

Once at a co-worker's birthday party, we had lost sight of then DS9 for a few minutes. We found him playing horseshoes with a group of adults. Later at that same party, the adults came looking for Jared to see if he wanted to play another round. (These were not creepy adults mind you.)

They arrived at the Yu-Gi-Oh tournament at 6:00pm. Frankly I thought after an hour, DS11 would be bored and ready to go home. I was wrong. They called me at work at 9:00pm saying they were just now leaving the tournament. I was amazed he sat there playing with strangers for 3 hours. When I was his age, I would have been too shy. 

I don't get Yu-Gi-Oh. Every card seems to have a different rule. I know during their matches, they have to practice math, adding up and subtracting points, but how they keep track of all the rules is beyond me. I suppose it because he enjoys it so much, and that is why he can comprehend all the complicated rules.

DS11 is looking forward to going back to the game store to play again in a few weeks. While he was there, some of the experienced players coached him and that really encouraged him to learn more.

Its so awesome to witness this. As a home schooling parent, when we can't be the mentors our kids need, we can still facilitate that process and help them find what they are looking for. I think its awesome DS11 is reaching out to share and enjoy a hobby that brings him joy and satisfaction. Even if I don't get it. :) 

I had a dream in which I had to go back to college and live in a dorm room with my husband and children. The freaky thing is, when I told DH this, he told me he had the same dream yesterday!!

I smell like earth and fresh rain....

I love being an earth princess! I was playing outside, saying hello to the wormies, as I planted broccoli, spinach and a variety of lettuces. I hope our first crop grows strong, and we can keep the bunnies away.

We may have help in that department. While I was at work, the boys told me we had two stray dogs running circles around the house. Later they could see the dogs were chasing a rabbit.

I half expected to find rabbit chunks in the yard, but thankfully no carnage was found. In fact as I finished pushing in the seeds, I felt like I was being watched. I lifted my head and sure enough there was Peter R. eyeballing me! Looks like we'll have to put up the rabbit fence tomorrow.

After gardening, the boys played hoops with DH. It started to rain a little and it was so perfect! Even DS11 agreed saying, "This is exactly the kind of weather I'm ordering in heaven. Cool and rainy."

I enjoyed walking around the grass barefoot and feeling the cool light rain on my skin. Its the perfect weather to put a little chill in you and when you eventually head inside to put the kettle on, tea nirvana time!

Yesterday was almost perfect too. We spent Easter at G-Ma's. We had lots of yummy food, great weather for playing outside and if only DH was feeling better, it would have been a perfect day. He is still battling a wicked sinus infection. When will my family trust me and join me on the garlic side?

Tomorrow I need to get into cleaning mode. My parents arrive later this week and will spend the weekend with us. Time to clean the ceiling fan! :) 

Other wishes for the week ahead....DH gets over his sinus infection...a job opportunity surfaces.....the cleaning gets done....more garden playtime... and another pass for jury duty next week.

 

New Friends, A New Beginning.....

I went to the library this morning to consider joining a free weight loss support group. I was skeptical, but it turns out no one is trying to sell anything, and it really is what I could be looking for.

There were only two women there, a pretty poor turnout, but both these women were so friendly and willing to share such personal struggles. We decided our group is just for support, no weighing in, no required calorie counting or food logs. We'll meet twice a month, without agendas, to share our journeys, compare tips and support each other.

I hope our group can grow, as we shrink. I suppose the low turn out could have been because its Easter weekend and spring break for many. Our town certainly doesn't have a shortage of over weight people!

One of my new friends has asked me to bake her some bread and she'll pay me. I don't know what possessed me to say yes to this. I'm not a professional baker. I mentioned how sometimes I grind our own wheat for better whole grain nutrition, and she seemed so interested that I knew how to bake bread. I can't fathom why she wouldn't make it herself. She has a recipe for a rye she wants to try, and to me, baking bread seems easy. Why would someone pay me to bake their bread?

Perhaps this could lead me somewhere? I've had others suggest I sell my baked goods. I just don't think serious income could ever come from it.

Maybe its because spring has sprung and Easter is here. My spirit is open for anything. Making new friends this morning didn't seem scary at all. I'm feeling better in my imperfect body, in my imperfect world.

There's a Pearl Jam song, Amongst The Waves, that affirms what I've learned. I've been wounded, but have survived and now I'm stronger because of it. There is love in my life, coming from all directions, if I open myself to feeling it.

I'm torturing my family. The first Easter cake is cooling and the aroma is heavenly. They can't eat them until tomorrow!

I'm not sticking out my pinky to be fancy. I pinched it lowering the futon and now have a wicked blood blister.

Tripping...

I told DH I want to rip up all of our grass and get one of these for the front yard!

An album for field trip photos... unschooling style of course!

Fridays Are Fresh Days...4/2/10

Random Friday Notes....

I can't believe its Good Friday already. I'm looking forward to Easter because I need to renew my spirit. I need a fresh start. Unemployment stress has kept this dark cloud over everything, and I'm tired of it. I'm ready for the sun to shine again in our world, and Easter will remind me of another Son who is always shining for us.

Easter also means our extended family with gather and that will lift me up. Sunday we'll be feasting in K-town and next weekend my side hopefully will repeat the experience.

I turned up our Square Foot Garden and she's ready for planting. I'm going to gamble and try some lettuces. We have makeshift cloches, so perhaps we'll get some leafy greens despite the rabbits and the threat of frost. If it doesn't work out, oh well. We'll sow again into the ground in May.

We're hoping to build a few more raised beds. We have to or all these seedlings we've started will have no where to go come May.

The big purge is on. Today we donated our 1993 Saturn SL. It had sat in our garage for over 5 years. It needed work and we ended up buying our Grandpa's Cavalier instead. I don't know why we just parked the Saturn in the garage and didn't try to get rid of it sooner. Maybe because it was our first car we bought together, as a newly married couple. We actually bought that car instead of taking a honeymoon.

Now that its gone, it feels great! We can clean up the garage and better utilize the space.
 
We finished season 2 of Dexter. BRILLIANT!!! Can't wait for season 3 to arrive from Netflix this Monday.

No jury duty next week! Boo Yah!! I have to call again next Tuesday to see if I'm wanted the following week.

I'm thinking of checking out a "free" weight loss group starting at our library. I want it to be a group of local people interested in supporting each other, but I'm skeptical. I hope it isn't someone trying to pitch a product. I can't afford Weight Watchers but the accountability of a bi-weekly group would be good for me. Online groups haven't worked for me.

We have an arrangement with the boys. If we go to a rock concert, they get to have a sleep over. Since DH & I saw STP last weekend, we're picking up pizzas and the man cave will turn into video game central tonight. All will go well unless we lose power!

It's Dandy Blend Chocolate Almond Frappuccino time. I blend together almond milk, Dandy Blend herbal coffee substitute, chocolate syrup and ice to make a healthier version of a Mocha Frap- No fat, no dairy, 130 calories of perfection!

Current score... Kid 2 Parents 0 ... Its going to be a long April Fool's Day if I don't get creative soon.

It doesn't feel late at all. Perhaps I drank too much tea today?

SleepyHouse Garden 2010 - Seed Starting

I think I may have bought more seeds than we have garden space for. I was left alone at the store and went a little overboard. Some of our seeds are leftovers from last year, and some we harvested from the garden last year. It amazes me, the abundance that could potentially come from one tiny miracle of a seed.

This year we thought we would experiment with seed starting. Last year we sowed directly into the garden and our growing season wasn't quite long enough to harvest our melons. Maybe if we start the plants indoors, we'll be able to reap more benefits.

Always being frugal, we fashioned growing pots out of newspaper. I'm hoping this works. We really don't have any southern window exposure, and the other obstacle we have going against us is Yumi. She loves to nibble on stuff she shouldn't!

I'm also a little concerned about the hardening process, but we'll figure it out as we go along. If all else fails, we'll sow the left over seeds directly into the garden.

We're planning Roma tomatoes again, since these grew so beautifully for us last season. I'm almost out of homemade sauce in the freezer.

We're trying broccoli and carrots, our favorite two veggies, and I'm trying sugar snap peas for me. I'll also grow myself more Butternut squash.

We're shooting for melons again, even though they didn't work out so well last year. I want to grow sweet yellow watermelons and the boys are sticking with the traditional red.

We have lots of different varies of lettuces to try. We're going to sow these directly and use our inventive cloches, recycled CD cases. I'm adding chard and spinach to the mix as well.

We've never had any luck with herbs, but hopefully that will change. I want to grow Cilantro, garlic chives, basil and Rosemary. I even picked up some catnip for Yumi.

Flowerwise, I want to grow lots of Sunflowers. I thought it would be fun to surround the deck with a forest of sunflowers and in fall the birds can eat the seeds from the flower heads.

We're also going to try strawberries, although I know this is a long shot. I have a strawberry pot that came with root plants, but frankly, it was very difficult to recognize those roots! We went with an ever bearing variety just for fun. I don't really expect to be able to harvest lots of fruit. I will most like find an organic local farm to pick from. Last year we all got sick from the chemicals on the plants.

I also saw this neat sack pot for growing potatoes. You keep adding dirt as the plant grows up and by the end of the growing season, you dump the pot and pull out your potatoes.  I'm not buying the special sack, but I'm wondering if a regular pot would do? If I can find some good seed potatoes, maybe we'll give it a try.

Its killing me. I'm watching dump truck after dump truck of black dirt being shipped away from a build site nearby. I just want to throw myself in front of the next truck and yell, "Dump it here! In my yard!!!"

Chazen Art Museum

"That is not a doughnut!"

 Yesterday we visited the Chazen Museum of Art. The museum has been in the news lately because of a controversial sculpture of two goats, embraced and kissing. What upsets some people is these goats are both male and their privates parts are, well... at attention.

My family didn't see what the big deal was. Frankly, we found the sculpture silly. There were many other pieces in the museum that were much more interesting.

The photography work of Filip Dujardin was inspiring. He alters true photographs of buildings to create new, imaginative buildings, although they would be impossible to build from an engineering standpoint.

I liked Ferrari's Madonna and Child because it portrayed Jesus about to nurse from Mary. With all the controversy on Facebook about photographs of breastfeeding, I loved how in 1525 it was no big deal.

DS11 liked Gleizes' Schoolboy. I guess I should take him to see some Picasso next.

I wish we could visit more art museums. We can't afford to travel and big city museums charge expensive admission. We have plenty of art books, but it can't replace seeing a piece of work in person. 

Our STP Concert Experience

It had been almost 2 years since DH & I last saw Stone Temple Pilots in concert. Our hopes were high and for the most part, the night did not disappoint.

Most of the show was amazing, but things fell apart at the end. Scott seemed to be forgetting lyrics and his band mates were not too pleased. At one point, they stopped playing while Scott continued to sing, seemingly unaware the music had stopped. They returned for one encore performance, but Scott messed up that as well. At the end of the show, Scott exited one way, the band mates the other.

We had prime real estate on the floor, about 3 rows from the stage. Most everyone around us was cool, but when the show began, the morons showed up and took over. The mosh pit got a little rough. At one point, I remember something hitting me in the head. It was a foot. The pain was very brief and we continued moshing until the smell got to me. Apparently last night's drunken morons don't wear deodorant and being mashed up into those stinky pits, it was distracting me from the music.

We moved back a few more rows and found the cool crowd again- those who wanted to enjoy the music and the performance. It didn't take long though before one poor soul was shot out from the moshing in front of us. He was way too wasted. I felt bad for him. His friends should have had his back, but he was lost and confused. He could barely stand up and did fall several times.

Mr. Stoner began to piss off the people in our area and eventually Boulder Man showed up. I have never seen such a human. DH says he was like something out of Lord Of The Rings, Orc like in size. I watched in amazement as Boulder Man picked up Mr. Stoner and threw him back, like he as a piece of waded up paper. Everyone around thanked Boulder Man and we all went on to enjoy the rest of the show.

I don't understand why anyone would spend the money on concert tickets only to get so wasted. How can you remember the show the next day? Why not save the money and get wasted at home, without having to bother anyone in the process?

After the show, I worried about Scott. He is such an amazing performer. I think he has the perfect voice for his genre and he moves way better than Jagger. When he's on his game, he brings something incredible to every song. STP has such an amazing catalog of music, and no one can sing it like Scott. His performance last night has me worried his demons are still around. I don't understand how someone so talented can't rise above it all and succeed.

On the drive home, we stopped to wash some of the concert residue off of us. (Beer spilled on my arm, sweaty moshing, legal and not so legal smokiness...) I stepped out of the car and to my surprise, my left foot wouldn't cooperate. The pain was intense. A few hobbling steps later I recognized it. My plantar fasciitis was back. I guess my feet weren't used to rocking out. The rest of the drive home, DH & I joked about being old.

We stopped for late night burgers at a Wendy's drive through. Why do burgers, wrapped in foil and eaten in your car at 1:00a.m. taste so good?

All in all, our date night was excellent. The show, the people watching, the bonding, the burgers. I'd love to do it all over again, even with the injuries. I'm wearing my Birkies, so my foot will heal quickly. I don't notice the bruise on my head from being kicked by Crowd Surfer Dude, unless I brush my hair.

Thursdays Thoughts

We stayed up very late streaming Dexter episodes from Netflix. When we come to the end of season 3, I'll go into withdrawal, until season 4 is released. This show is brilliant!

Slept in this morning, of course, but I still feel relaxed rather than rushed. I hope I can keep this feeling going into the weekend.

Tomorrow night is Date Night!! DH is taking me to see Stone Temple Pilots once again. Its been so long since we've been to a big rock show. Its about time I lose more of my hearing.

I should clean my house, but I think I want to get my hands dirty in the garden instead. It is too early to plant outside, but I can still get things ready for planting. We never did get a growing table set up. Maybe I will have to get creative and find a spare horizontal surface somewhere to start a few seedlings.

I know I shouldn't be jealous of my neighbor, but yesterday an industrial sized dump truck unloaded black gold all over her driveway. I've been watching her transfer wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow of the most fine looking garden soil into her veggie patch. Some wives may prefer gifts that glitter, but for me a load of black dirt would be heaven.

DS14 has finished reading The Stand and now he's considering whether to read another mega novel or try a regular size book. DH thinks it may be better to keep track of pages read rather than number of books because Jake keeps choosing to read 1000+ page novels.

I better get going. We have homeschool posse this afternoon.

Death Pecker

We discovered our favorite hiking spot, Magnolia Bluff, may be home to a "Death Pecker!"

We came across this tree on the trail and for the rest of the hike, we enjoyed making up stories about a giant wood pecker we've named the "Death Pecker." We had the park pretty much to ourselves so it was fun to laugh and dream up funny scary stories of how we could possibly come to our demise at the beak of the Death Pecker!

Thankfully, we survived and we live to hike again! I may just have to carve a Death Pecker Letterbox and plant it in this park.

Today's hike was one of those rare moments where we drop everything and head to the woods just because we can. We don't get too many good weather days, so we need to take advantage of them when they're here. Plus the beauty of unschooling is we can take learning and creativity with us, wherever we go. I doubt we would have  been inspired to create the legend of the Death Pecker if we had stayed in the Sleepyhouse. We needed to be in the woods and see this gorgeous dead tree.

 

Want To See Something Depressing?

My neighbors are in denial. I just saw a jogger run past my house in shorts. He quickly turned around and later ran back wearing a bit more clothing. I'm guessing the kid on the bicycle without a coat probably won't do the same though. That's wouldn't look cool.

The poor robins are refusing to peck through the snow to score frosty worms. The other birds are tunneling their way to our feeder.

For now I'm sipping chamomile. Later I'll bundle up, scrape off the car, and head to the hardware store for paint. On a day like today, I should stay in the nest and see how much feathering I can do. I'm done with playing in the snow for the season.

 

Friday's Fizzle...

I've hit the wall. I should be painting or being productive in some way, but here I am on a Friday afternoon feeling already spent. I just want to sip hot cocoa and put my feet up.

No coincidence my body seems tuned to the weather. The sun has left and our 60 plus temperatures are now plummeting back down to 30's. We could have 3 inches of snow by morning. At least I'll still have my sunburn to prove to me it wasn't a dream. Spring was here for a few days, and I forgot to wear sunscreen.

DS11 gave me this Yu-Gi-Oh card. I think it is very cool of course, but its actually a very weak card. He knows I think its super cute. He's also been busy making home made Yu-Gi-Oh inspired ATCs. I may have to make an ATC to trade with him for the Domo card he made.

My work this morning went well, except for the final classroom of 3 year olds. Most of the class should have been at home, in bed. I felt so badly for them. Their tiny noses oozed green, thick, nasty badness. Unlike every other safety "Reach-Throw-Don't Go" demonstration I've taught, this room of kids did not seem too enthusiastic. They looked like they wanted to curl up with their blankets and crash out. I thought it was odd too this youngest room had the most kids with the fewest teachers. Maybe they had stuck all the sick kids in one room for the day? The other two classrooms were energized and ready for fun.

I understand the challenges of being a working parent. For 3 years I tried to do the super mom thing. I can remember I never took real vacations because I had to use my vacation days for sick days when my son would become ill. I spent one entire week not enjoying a chicken pox staycation.

We need to allow everyone more time off for illness. We'd all be so much more healthy if people were free to stay home when they or their children were sick. Most schools and daycares have the fever rule, but I think if anything is goopy and dripping, it calls for isolation from others.

Remind me to drink extra Emergen-C this weekend.

Once when John Holt was speaking to a school audience, describing his views on the their structured curriculum, a student asked him, "But surely there must be something important enough that everyone should learn it?" He thought for a moment and replied, "To learn to say 'I'm sorry', 'I don't know', and 'I was wrong'."

Thirteen Thoughts....

1. The paint color is almost decided. Now I have to stop myself from over thinking it and find the time to get it on the walls.

2. More locker room drama at work. Why doesn't anyone bother to read posted signs?

3. I'm in a breakfast rut. I need to go to the library and borrow some magazines and books for inspiring healthy breakfast menus.

4. We hit the 60's yesterday, and today it will be similar. The weekend forecast is snow, some say 3 inches. Only in Wisconsin.

5. I am so addicted to Dexter.

6. I got out some of our Easter decorations, but I have scaled back. Partly because I couldn't find all the boxes and partly because the dark cloud of unemployment stress is still stealing our joy.

7. I'll be happy if I can accomplish spring cleaning, I don't need the Easter decoration flair.

8. I know its silly, but I still feel like I'm losing an hour everyday thanks to daylight savings.

9. Maybe its time to make up some granola to stash away? I haven't made granola in forever.

10. Homeschool Posse comes over today! Yeah!

11. I better vacuum.

12. And go to the Pig for refreshments...

13. That means I should get off this computer pronto!

Last night's shift brought more locker room horror. I'm hoping tonight's shift is uneventful. I've had enough gross out moments at work lately.

Tuesdays Rambling Thoughts.....

I finished priming the bathroom. Now the real hard work begins, choosing a color. I am very challenged when it comes to finding paint colors that work on walls. I may just ask DH to go to the store without me and come home with anything, as long as its not yellow or brown, two colors I KNOW should never be used in a bathroom!

DS11 has no desire to see the new Diary Of A Wimpy Kid movie. He's read all the books and is a fan, but just from seeing the previews, he knows the movie will ruin the books. I can respect that. Kirsten Stewart ruined Bella for me, and I couldn't bring myself to read the rest of the series.

I made chocolate chip bar cookies after painting yesterday. It did improve the aroma in the Sleepyhouse, but now I need someone to hide them from me! Why is it I have no diminishing returns when it comes to chocolate chip bars?

We received our census yesterday. It probably took me 5 minutes to complete it and get it back in the return envelope. I don't understand why people are refusing to complete it? It only asked for names, ages and race of people living at your address. The government gets more personal information on us every year come tax time. People refusing to participate are only hurting their state's chance to have proper representation in congress.

Last night it was battle of the remote. I wanted to watch International House Hunters, but my children wanted to watch some Repo show. We kept flipping back and forth between commercials. 

The Repo show was obviously staged. Its suppose to be real repossession professionals going out to collect cars, but everyone seemed to acting Jerry Springer style. It didn't matter, for some reason, my boys enjoyed it, even though they admitted they too thought it was acting and not reality.

House Hunters International is so much better! :) I find it so interesting to see how much real estate is in foreign countries, and what you get for your money. I also enjoy wondering what these people do in order to be so wealthy to afford a house in a foreign country!

Wow! How is it 9:30am already? Darn time change! My DH is up. I think I'll see if he wants to walk the hood with me. Have a great Tuesday!

Moanday...

I am not a morning person and when you throw this wicked daylight savings at me, it only gets worse. I forgot to change the clock in my car so when I left for work, the demonic red digital glow read 3:55am. I'm grateful I work mostly nights. If I had to leave for work more than once a week at 5:00am, I'd be a grumpy girl.

I need to get my haircut. DH usually prefers I keep it long enough to pull back but even he has noticed it has gotten really long. I can't remember the last time I had it cut. Its probably been over a year, maybe two. I don't like getting my haircut. I don't like strangers touching me. I can justify that we don't have the money for it now, but the simple truth is, I hate having my hair cut, and I'm too cheap to pay for it! Dare I cut it myself? I knew someone who did this and it looked terrible, so I don't think I will.

I have to make a mess today. A big mess, but not a fun mess. I need to sand down the drywall mud and prime it. We've been sharing a bathroom with the boys while we fix the drywall tape in our bathroom. I'm ready to have my bathroom back, so I'm motivated to get messy today.

Well, I better get busy. The sooner I finish the dirty work, the sooner I may just have a chance to enjoy some of this sunny weather.

Feeling a little guilty DH is still very sick while I'm feeling better. Of course he doesn't want to try my raw garlic, Emergen-c tricks. He's sticking with nasty Nyquil. Yuck!

Happy Pi Day!

I am not baking any pies or circular foods today. This weekend isn't going as planned, but sometimes you just have to roll with it.

We have finished the dry wall taping, but before we could sand and prime, the cold virus took over. DH & I have spent most of the weekend resting and blowing our noses. Perhaps today we'll have more energy.

The boys are over their colds. DS11's been into Yu-Gi-Oh once again. Last summer he wanted to sell all of his cards, but had no takers at the yard sale. Now for some reason, he's really into playing again.

The snow's just about all melted away, and I'm amazed at how my flattened bushes have sprung back up. We have lots of rabbit raisins in the yard, and I asked DS14 if he'd like to help me sweep them up and into the garden for fertilizer. Can you believe he said no?

We saw our first cardinal at our feeder. I hope he comes back and brings his friends. We're going to try and built our own platform feeder soon. The Canadian geese are back, but thankfully, they don't stop in our yard. We've even seen a few Sandhill cranes flying overhead. I'm bummed the field they used to hang out in next to us is now developed with new homes. I wonder where the cranes will hang out now. I can hear them in the area, but I don't know where they are.

We're happy to report our basketball hoop is still standing. Every spring the ground gets so mushy, we're afraid one of these years it will fall over. March Madness has us all inspired to be out shooting hoops.

If DH is still unemployed, I'm sure March Madness will distract him. He used to want to take days off from work to watch the games. This year, he won't have to. -Now that I've said that, please let a job offer come in!!

It seems unbelievable that its been 5 months we've been in unemployment survival mode. I really didn't think it would be this long, but I hear about so many people being unemployed for a year or more. I'm grateful we'll made it this far, but it's still very stressful.

My Sleepyhouse crew is starting to get up. According to the clock, I should be making lunch not breakfast. Daylight savings always screws us up. Have a great Pi day!


 

13 For Thursday- Better Late Than Never With Minutes To Spare Before its Friday!

13 Last Minute Thursday Thoughts

1. I think the cold virus I shared first with my boys and now my husband, is trying to work its way back to me.

2. Great visit with friends this afternoon! I'm praying they don't have to move.

3. Disturbing night at work! The details of which are too horrific to share. I'm grateful my boss will deal with it so I don't have to!

4. After a short work assignment tomorrow morning, I'm taking the rest of the day to do something for myself.

5. Wait, I just remembered. I have to apply the second coat of mud to the sheet rock tape I put up today. After that I'll choose something fun to do.

6. I saw a Robin today, although it didn't land in my yard. Spring has to be coming!

7. I could spend all day surfing the Better Homes and Garden's website for inspiration. I can't wait for gardening weather.

8. Does anyone still use that internet term, surfing?

9. I wish it wasn't late. I'd love a Dandy blend coffee substitute right now.

10. Why do I always think to drink beverages right before bedtime? My timing is way off.

11. I suppose an Emergen-C would not be a good idea either. Those B vitamins will keep me awake.

12. DS11 made me laugh. He told DH to do his yoga stretches in front of me.

13. I'm positive now we embarrass our children!

DH now has the cold virus that's been making the rounds in our Sleepyhouse, and I feel like its trying to jump back to me. I hope I can fend it off again. Bring on the garlic!

Tuesdays Ramble...

The boys are still sick, but they are on the mend. I hope they feel back to normal soon. They aren't sleeping too well, but when you have a head cold, you're stuck in that catch 22. You need the sleep to get better, but you can't sleep because you can't breathe laying down.

I need to catch amnesia. I need to forget how much I love chocolate covered dried cranberries. I need to forget Tenuta's exists. They make the best chocolate covered candy. There seems to be an extra thick layer of chocolate on every piece!

We stopped at Tenuta's last Sunday when we drove to K-Town to check on G-Ma's cat. We never saw the cat, but did see evidence it was still alive. We also treated ourselves to Kenosha, Wisconsin, thin crust pizza. K-town thin crust is different than New York style thin crust. The crust is cracker crispy. No folding allowed!

I need to kick into gear and get some serious spring cleaning done. I know I'll feel better for getting it done, but at the time it seems so overwhelming. I just need to take one thing at a time.

How do you tell someone you love immensely that his version of Oscar the Grouch has to go?  For now, I'm going to practice grace and try to see past it. I can only change me.

I'm thinking of going back to being a vegetarian. I was for a few years, but I didn't really do it nutritiously. I was substituting meat with too many prepared soy based foods. I think I'll slowly go back, one healthy meal at a time until I have an arsenal of healthy choices.

I'm motivated to work this change after seeing the Academy awards. I haven't seen the film, The Cove, but just the trailer upset me so. I cannot believe anyone in the world would eat dolphin. As I sat there judging this Japanese town, I realized what a hypocrite I was. I don't eat dolphin, but how is eating other animals any different? If I raised chickens or cows, I don't think I could slaughter and eat them. I could on the other hand, grown a garden full of veggies and not feel any guilt.

Speaking of gardening, its time to start collecting more supplies. The boys have promised to help me make more square foot gardens this year. If we add a few more raised beds each  year, eventually we'll get there, to my dream of having less grass and more plants.

I was trying to read our village ordinances regarding registering your yard as a "natural" restoration project, but it was very confusing. You can't just stop mowing your grass and let it go wild. You can only keep certain plants. It has to look "good" and since we're on a corner lot, we have to maintain a certain vision angle I can't quite figure out yet. (Cars have to be able to see to turn.) For now, I think it will be easier to replace our grass with veggie gardens. I just can't grow anything over 2 feet tall on the corners.

Well, I better get moving. I may not have a dog to walk, but I think I may have convinced a certain grouch to walk with me.

Enough snow has now melted, I may finally be able to remove the Christmas lights from the bushes today.

Snow drifts on the sides of the roads are melting, exposing the decomposing deer carcasses. Spring is coming back to Wisconsin.

Now its DS11's turn to have the Suds. He doesn't want to try my raw garlic trick either. All he wants is Popsicles and somehow, I can't see how I could get him to eat a Popsicle with raw garlic in it.

He's Got The Suds....

We'll have to miss our home school posse today. That cold virus I kicked rather quickly last week has unfortunately set up production in DS14. Although he did drink an Emergen-C yesterday, I can't convince the kid to try my other homeopathic remedies. Maybe I should make garlic bread only this time, I'll add the garlic raw, after the bread's been toasted. Think he'll notice?

Yumi has spring fever. She's been attacking our legs when we try to walk, like she did when she was a kitten. Even though she's not an outside cat, she thinks she is. She'll sit by the door and meow to be let out. Its not going to happen cat, so give it up.

She's been tricking us into over feeding her. We usually feed her twice a day, 1/4 cup of kibble in the morning and 1/4 cup at night. She's been waking up DS14 at 6:00am and he'll give her the 1/4 cup. I would get up after 7:30am, her dish would be empty and I'd think I needed to feed her. Now we are writing down when we've fed her so she can't trick us humans into giving her more. I knew she was trying to pull something similar at night. DH would feed her at supper time. 15 minutes before I get home from work around 9:30pm, she'd chow down the rest on the plate so I would walk in the door and think she hadn't been fed. Its strange as if she can almost tell time.

I started reading Everything Bad Is Good For You by Steven Johnson. I'm early into it, but I think I'm going to enjoy this book. The chapter I'm at examines the "books are better than games" debate. Mention your child reads books all day and most people will think highly of your child. Mention your child plays games all day and most people will think your child is less intelligent.

When you examine this stereotype closer, children playing games are often using critical thinking, and social interaction. They have to use their brains to make decisions which will reflect the outcome of their game. Many games are played in groups, (online gaming), so it can be said gamers also must use socialization skills.

When a child reads a book they follow the story's lead, not their own. The reader has to go where they are taken. Most reading is done solitary, without group interaction.

This is not to say reading books is not as good as playing games, or vice verse. It simply points out how we need to question these stereotypes and open our minds to alternatives.   

My workout partner is up and running. I better get moving myself and join him. Have a great day!   

I'm excited we'll be in the 40's (Fahrenheit) by the end of the week. You know its been a long winter when you get excited about 40 degree weather.

Donos - Vanilla flavor

Description:
I can't call these donuts because they don't have holes. I didn't have a donut pan. I used a bundt cake shaped muffin pan, which is even stranger. The holes baked shut. They still came out tasting really good and since they were baked, not fried, much less fat. I tweaked a recipe I saw in Family Circle magazine.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 C flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C milk - I didn't have buttermilk so I used skim.
1/3 C dark brown sugar
1 egg
4 t unsalted butter, melted
2 t vanilla extract

Icing
1/2 C powdered sugar
2 t milk
1/2 t vanilla extract
sprinkles


Directions:
Heat oven to 325F, spray your pan with non stick spray.

In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix the wet. Mix the two together to form a very sticky, wet dough.

Spoon the dough into a zip lock bag. Snip off the corner of the bag and pipe the dough into the pan. With moist fingers, smooth out the dough if needed.

Bake for 15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack while you mix up the icing.

Stir together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Spoon the icing over the Donos and add sprinkles if you wish.

Low Fat Banana Bread

Description:
I tweaked recipes from both my husband's family and mine and came up with a perfect low fat banana bread we all love.

The secret is to roast those bananas before you mash them. It really brings out the flavor of the bananas.

Ingredients:
4 large ripe bananas
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 C applesauce

1 3/4 C flour
1/2 C sugar
2 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C chocolate chips

Directions:
In a 325 F oven, roast the bananas in their skins for 20 minutes. They will turn black. Allow them to cool, and then peel and mash them.

Beat the eggs with the vanilla and the applesauce. Add in the mashed bananas.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until mixed. Add the chocolate chips.

Spray your loaf pan with non stick spray or grease it. Add the batter into your loaf pan and bake the bread at 325 F for 50-60 minutes.

Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from the bread pan.

I've been summoned for FEDERAL JURY DUTY! Last summer they sent me a questionnaire, and I was hoping my occupation, "homeschooling mom", would be excused. A few years ago I got out of local jury duty this way. Apparently the federal government doesn't understand I can't call in a substitute teacher.

Another Babble (Blogger's Block)

Why is it, when I have my turn on the computer, I can't organize my thoughts and make note of the blog worthy events that have transpired in my life?

Phone's been ringing and DH's had more interviews but no offers yet. I don't know how much more unemployment twilight zone I can take. It seems like we're heading in a direction, but I don't know which direction that is.

I beat back my cold virus. I was grateful what could have been 10 days was only 2.

I'm back on the Wii, but haven't attempted to throw air punches. My boxing injury did take over 2 weeks to go away. My latest favorite is the virtual biking around the Wii Island, trying to find the flags.

Except for figuring out how to fix our snow thrower, I haven't had time to flex my autodidact muscle and that has to change soon. I have to work on organizing my time better. I've been too busy trying to steer the raft through the rapids. I haven't had a chance to enjoy any scenery.

I need to seek out inspiration. I'm suffering from a lack of exposure to nature and art.

Time's up. The Sleepyhouse is awake and its time to put on my Mancake apron.  I think I'll add blueberries and cranberries to my Womancake.

Have a great weekend!

Its not quite blogger's block. Life just doesn't feel cohesive.

Wish I could relax. I need a distraction. Preferably one that brings blessings.

WPA Homeschooling Conference

Start:	May 7, '10
End:	May 8, '10
Location:	Oshkosh,WI

Wisconsin Parents Association's homeschooling conference in Oshkosh. Our family is hosting Apples to Apples, Letterboxing and Artist Trading Card workshops.

http://homeschooling-wpa.org/

Fluids, rest, a little activity to get the lymph moving, garlic, apple cider vinegar, Emergen-C, it all seems to be working and the Rhino is losing!

I'm fighting off the rhino. I'll be chopping garlic, gargling with apple cider vinegar and eating veggies trying to beat this cold back. I don't have the time or money to get sick.

Fixing The Snow Thrower

I was dragging by the end of the week. The combination of work, stress, recovering from injury and fighting off illness really slowed me down. All I really wanted to do is perfect the art of couch potato. I couldn't completely zone out. Our snow thrower wasn't working and with a storm predicted, we really wanted to fix it.

After researching online, (what would we do without Youtube?), we think we diagnosed the problem and set about the fix. This is huge for us, because we aren't normally mechanically inclined.

The auger and fan would turn until you threw snow at it. Then the fan would stop. We took apart the machine and replaced the auger belt, even though at first glance, it didn't look like it needed replacing. We put the thrower back together and ta daa.... it began to throw snow again. Of course the real test comes tomorrow after the storm arrives.

I'm proud we troubleshooted and attempted to fix it ourselves. Of course it helped knowing we couldn't take it anywhere to be fixed in time for the snow storm. We could have committed ourselves to snow shoveling the old fashioned way while waiting for a professional to fix our problem, or we could take a stab at it ourselves and perhaps find a solution on our own. If the machine truly throws the 6-10 inches we're expecting to get, I'll be so happy! If not, at least we learned a great deal more about our snow thrower.

We conquered our fear of the unknown and didn't allow our inexperience to intimidate us. We'd have to take the machine apart anyway to fit it into the car to drive to a repair shop. What was the worse we could do? It was already broken.

Actually, we did practically break another small part, but we're ready to fix that if it breaks all the way. The auger cable was really poorly designed, using a too soft metal for the holding pin. The pin is cracked, but we have a fix ready if or when it decides to give way.

Sometimes finding solutions, uncovers more problems, but the autodidact learns from them and with that comes confidence. We just can't give up. We have to keep learning.

Garden Planning Notes- Building Cloches

I'm already planning for spring. I vow to go bigger and better with how much we can grow. I'm finding inspiration from tons of books and magazines, and lately the bee in my bonnet is building cloches.

I would love to have a greenhouse, but have no money to build one. I think we're going to try building a cloche or mini green house. Many cloches are constructed by simply draping plastic over wires or flexible tubing, but I found a website that suggests you go even smaller, making tiny cloches out of plastic CD cases. I'm not sure yet how we'll connect them, but I thought the boys could help me build cubes out of old CD cases and our baby plants could each have their own mini cloche.

Another idea I want to try is using hanging baskets wrapped with that plastic you use for insulating drafty windows. I envision several hanging cloches catching early spring rays, hoping to get some strawberry plants growing. Once the danger of frost is gone, I will unwrap them, although I can see the plastic CD cube idea being more reusable.

In regards to the photo, although I'm interested to see if this would work, I doubt my neighbors would be that understanding. Plus, do I want my family drinking that much soda?

"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." - John Holt

African Supper Plate- My version

Description:
I don't really know how this is "African" but I adapted a recipe my aunt uses.

I chose to serve it over brown rice to make it a bit more healthy, and I used NO sodium beef bouillon. I didn't miss the salt at all.

I also chose to use my slow cooker and make this over the course of one day. My aunt's recipe takes two days, marinating the meat on day one.

Ingredients:
Meat with marinade:
2 pounds of beef, cut into 1-2 inch cubes- I saved money by purchasing a round tip steak at $2.49 a pound and chopped it up myself, but you could just purchase "beef stew" meat
2 C of water
2 beef bouillon cubes - I used no salt beef bouillon packets from Hormel.
1/2 t curry powder
1/2 C white wine

Brown Rice:
1 1/2 cups of brown rice
3 c water
1 T butter

Toppings:
tomatoes- chopped into bite sized pieces
cucumbers- chopped into bite sized pieces
green onions- diced
mandarin oranges- I use unsweetened, canned in pear juice, drain the juice
pineapple chunks- unsweetened, drain the juice
cashews- chopped
flaked coconut

Directions:
In your slow cooker, add all of the meat & marinade ingredients. Slow cook on medium to high for 4 hours.

An hour before you want to eat, mix the brown rice and water in a pot with a tight fitting lid and bring the rice to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the rice for 45 minutes or until done. Add 1 T of butter to the hot, cooked rice and stir.

While the rice and meat are cooking, chop up your veggies and drain your canned fruit. Place each topping ingredient in a separate bowl to allow your guests to build their African Supper Plates, salad bar style. This way if you have a picky eater, they can choose what they want.

To assemble your African Supper Plate, begin with a base of brown rice. Add your meat, spooning some of the marinade over the rice. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, pineapple, oranges, cashews and top with coconut. It will feel like you're making a Sundae for supper! Enjoy!

(You could choose to thicken your marinade by adding corn starch before serving, but I didn't bother since we spooned it over rice.)

Our Valentine's Weekend..rolling into a ramble....

We invited G-Ma to visit for the weekend. We introduced her to 1 vs.100 and now she is hooked as well. Its absolutely crazy how time flies when you are playing 1 vs.100 on XBox live.

I snuck away for a short while to visit with my Diva sisters. The other Divas were not feeling well, so it was just me, my cousin and my aunt. They made me African Supper Plate. It was amazingly delicious. I snagged the recipe because I knew I'd have to make this again very soon. In fact, here it is 48 hours later, and I'm planning it for Monday night's supper.

Its white wine & curry marinated beef which you serve on top of rice. You top the beef with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, nuts and flaked coconut. I can't explain it, but the fruit works with the veggies & meat very well.

We watched a great chick flick movie, My Life In Ruins, and now I want to travel to Greece.

Sunday, Valentine's Day, the menfolk took G-ma & I out for lunch at Laredos. I scored some amazing guacamole. They serve it in this authentic stone bowl, which if you want, you can take home with you for $30. Would I really use this bowl for anything else? Probably not. I decided to take my leftover guacamole home in Styrofoam instead. 

Overall, we had a great weekend, but it was over shadowed by unemployment stress. For at least the next two weeks, we have to go without filing for an unemployment check. DH is considering working on a potential project for his ex-boss. He won't actually get paid for it until May, but even so, because he "works" on it now, he can't file for unemployment. Whether you get paid now or later doesn't matter. Its the time frame when you do the work that matters.

We don't want to commit fraud and I don't want my husband to go to jail, so we're opting to be honest and not receive a check for a few weeks. We'll live off of the tax return and hope and pray DH's ex-boss actually does pay him in May. Its scary. I don't feel we can trust the man.

I'm still trying to focus on moving forward and keep hoping and praying there will be more opportunities to rise up out of this. Despite how great our family is and how blessed we are to have what we do, there is still this dark shadow over everything. You can't really enjoy anything fully, because underneath, you know the stress and uncertainly is still there. I can embrace my family and the fun we share, but when the pleasant distractions are over, reality bites you. Its the last thought you have before drifting off and the first conscious thought that greets you the next morning.

Every few days you break down, have a good cry, but then you pick yourself back up and keep looking for hope and opportunity. I have to keep telling myself this is making us stronger, but some days that's a tough sell.

Sometimes, you just dream about how you wish your life was going instead. It can be an escape, but it also teaches you what's really important. For me, my heart's desire is to be home with my boys, homeschooling them through high school. I'm happiest in my nest.

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you all have the chance to share love with those around you today. "Love ain't love until you give it up," - Vedder

There's No Place Like Home...

This is Yumi's way of saying, I've been away too long. She doesn't want me to put on my coat and leave again.

This week was too busy. I had to spent too much time away from home, away from those I love and from the work I enjoy doing the most, taking care of my family. I'm really hoping someday to be able to get back to only working 3 nights a week, part-time.

Part of my work week had me in daycare centers, doing water safety demonstrations. I thought my presentations went pretty well, but I can't help but feel for those children. I know this will offend some, but there really is no place like home for child development. I can say this because I've been on both sides of the fence.

The three years my oldest spent in daycare still haunt me. Its my only regret in life. If I could go back in time, I would have left the corporate world sooner. No one can love your child the way you do, unconditionally. And discipline without unconditional love doesn't work.

I have nothing against early childhood education centers, but children shouldn't have to spend the majority of their conscious awareness hours with a teacher rather than a parent. Daycare centers have to structure the entire day in order to handle so many children, and all that structure doesn't allow for respecting a child's individual needs.

Its too bad we don't have more options for parents to stay home with their children. I would love to see early childhood learning centers where both parents and children could learn together. How fun would it be to attend preschool, enjoying games, arts and crafts, and stories together and then be able to continue the fun at home? Preschool teachers could be mentors for new parents showing them how to motivate creative learning within the home as well. Moms and Dads could meet others to establish supportive friendships.

Why does our society push for the separation of child and parent so soon? Is it because the government wants you to work to fuel the economy? How well is that working out right now? Is it because parents can't be trusted?

Or is it that many parents had children without realizing how much work it was going to be and they just want out?

I'll get off my soapbox now. I can be a downer when I'm stressed and depressed.

The boys and DH are addicted to 1 vs 100 on X-Box live. The past several nights they have been playing with great success, scoring many rounds in the top 100 out of over 10,000 plus players. If only they could play on a real game show and win us lots of dough! :) For trivia fanatics like us, this game is perfect.

DH's interview went very well, but he probably doesn't have all of the qualifications they are looking for. When he asked why we was chosen to interview since he clearly didn't have the required skills listed on his resume, the president of the company said, "Frankly, you wrote a cover letter. You would be surprised how many resumes we get without cover letters. It was your cover letter that made us want to meet you." Even if he isn't called back, it was reassuring to know he can interview very well and his resume and cover letter writing skills are above par. It was the boost I think he needed to keep going and not give up the search.

Tonight I think we'll do pizza and watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. All I want to do is get into my comfy clothes and de-stress. I really need to recharge this weekend because next week will be similar to this past one.

Another crazy day with no time for computer fun. I miss you and will have to catch up Friday afternoon.

DH's interview will have to wait until tomorrow. The snow is strong enough to be annoying, but not strong enough to warrant me staying put. I swear my city is running chlorine pool water through my tap and our second car is breaking down, but I will persevere. I've got just enough fight in me today, there's no chance stress will break me.

Random Babbling....

Can you crave smells? Right now I want to smell candles that have been snuffed out. Is that strange?

I've read recently when it comes to heart disease, not drinking enough water is as damaging as smoking. Teas and other beverages don't count. It has to be plain water. Guess what's always going to be within my reach now?  I'm hoping to become a chain water drinker.

We're under a severe winter weather warning for tomorrow. We could end up with 11 inches of blowing, drifting snow. You would know it, DH has an interview tomorrow, and I'm suppose to work at the pool. I need spring soon.

I decided to try Wii Gold's Gym Cardio while jumping on the mini trampoline, (re-bounder). My legs now hate me, but I keep telling them Capri weather will come back soon. It will all be worth it. Plus, I did greatly improve my jump roping count. I think the trampoline helped with my rhythm. I hope I can keep it up.

We watched Whip It before the Superbowl yesterday. Now I want to unpack my long lost roller skates, and tear it up. My children are mortified. I can remember being young and spending virtually all weekend on those skates. My dad bought them for me because I saved him the cost of a hotel, agreeing to drive 12 straight hours home instead.

Why does Netflix mail travel so quickly but it takes several days to send a letter? Does Netflix pay the USPS more? Don't get me wrong. I think its awesome we're saving over $80 on our cable bill and still able to watch all these movies. I'm a complete Netflix convert.

Wish there was a Bookflix. Or would that be "Netboox"?

DH is going to call soon and tell me he's on the way home. This means I'm going to have to figure something out for supper. Hope I can sell everyone on leftovers.

What's been going on 2/7/10...

Breathing a sigh of relief this morning. I fixed our internet and phone outages. My men will be very happy to learn this when they wake up.

Yesterday we headed to K-town to visit with DMIL. She spoiled us with quite a delicious feast, hot beef sandwiches, shrimp scampi, pizza, mojoes, french fries, spinach dip, and donuts for dessert.

Too full to move much, we watched several scary movies, some more cheesy, some more scary. Fear House- started out cheesy, but it didn't last. Plague Town- good scary potential, but it didn't deliver as promised. Our favorite- The Locals- more of a mystery that gets you thinking about what's going on.

We've been asked to host a few workshops again for our state's annual home schooling conference. I had a feeling we'd be invited back, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it again this year. The conference falls on our anniversary and who knows if we'll still be in unemployment survival mode?

We decided to plan on helping out, and I'm sure we'll find a way to make it all work. The conference is something we look forward to every year, and we enjoy being able to help the Wisconsin Parent's Association because they do so much to ensure Wisconsin keeps our great homeschooling law. Our family's admission fees will be waived for volunteering so its only our hotel cost, gas and food we have to come up with. It will be a fun weekend away.

Our workshops help other home schoolers meet each other and have fun at the conference. Last year we introduced an Apples To Apples game gathering and it went over very well. We're also bringing back Letterboxing. This year will be our 3rd year hosting this. We're worried we're running out of hiding spots, but we'll just have to get more creative with clues.

I'm really excited that WPA asked us to bring back the Artist Trading Card workshop. Last year they didn't request this one, and I had families stop me at the conference asking me why we didn't have one. Of course this means I have to get back to making ATCs, something I've really stopped doing. It will feel good to bring my artsy side back out. She's been hiding away for too long during all this stress.

Today I'm also planning to de-stress with a little domestic goodness. I started spring cleaning on Friday and I want to continue on that. Of course we'll watch the game tonight as well. We'll be rooting for the Saints.

I better get moving. I can hear my men folk starting to stir. 
 

Wednesday's Ramble Into Unschooling Thoughts...

I'm trying not to freak out. DH is away doing a favor for his old boss and of course, a potential job lead calls. Oh, the irony. It is impossible for DH to call this recruiter back because he is currently sitting just feet away from Mr. Ex-Boss. I have this sinking feeling DH will miss out on an opportunity because he is trying to help bring work back to his old employer. I told him the first chance he gets, break away to return that call!

I came down with a nasty headache last night on my drive home from work. I tried to sleep it off, but by 3:30am it was so painful, I couldn't sleep. I took a few Advil and calmed my meningitis fears. A local college student lost their battle with meningitis, and because I work with so many college kids and being in a lack of sleep state, I worried irrationally that I may have contracted meningitis.

This morning I woke with a duller ache and a more rational thought. I'VE BEEN STRESSED OUT- ITS NOT MENINGITIS!! I don't normally get headaches or even sick for that matter, but with all the stress I've been under, this is perfectly normal. I need to focus on taking better care of myself.

I asked the boys to start thinking of something they could do that would produce tangible evidence of their learning. (Will I be forever deschooling myself?) I didn't care what they did, but I just felt like we needed something to show that unschooling does indeed work. (Again, I'm sure this is because I've been stressed.)

DS14 decided he would like to produce videos. At first he asked for a new camera, but I reminded him we're in unemployment survival mode. There's no room in the budget, work with what we've got. He impressed me with his resourcefulness. He found a computer program I didn't realize we even had, and he taught himself how to use it. He now has a few short clips under his belt, and he's asking for permission to post them on Youtube. Unschooling does work.

You may already realize the unschooling benefits, but forgive me for wanting to point a few out. (Like everything in my blog posts, its mostly for my benefit.)

1. What he wanted couldn't be given to him. He had to go and get it for himself. (motivation)

2. He taught himself a new computer program without anyone's help. (creative thinking)

3. He enjoyed the work he put in to the project. (satisfaction and confidence)

4. He used his sense of humor along with his intelligence. (joy)

5. He has a desire to share his work with others. (community)

6. He wants to produce more, even bigger and better. (continued growth)

Its not difficult for me to see the future benefit of "playing" around making video clips either. If he doesn't end up in movies or television, he could have a future in advertising, archiving, or technology. This could branch out in any direction he wants to take it.

As for DS11, his fascination with Canada took him to a place I didn't expect. I knew coming off of watching the Winter X Games, he had his mind on the winter Olympics. I thought he would be more interested in learning about Vancouver, but one of his first bits of information he shared, "Mom, We need $10,000 if our family wants good seats at the opening ceremony. If we're going to watch Shaun White, we'll need another $3000." He's also figured out its going to take us over 33 hours to drive there. (He doesn't want to fly in airplanes because they crash.)

I had to remind him as well, we're in unemployment survival mode. He said its okay if we just watch the Olympics on TV.

So does this mean DS11 is headed towards a career in financial planning, accounting, travel agent, chauffeur, airline safety expert? Who knows. The point is to focus on how their interests will lead them to possibilities you may not expect. This is how I need to deschool myself. My job is to help them realize they have all the power if they want to claim it. Its not about meeting the expectation of others, but about exceeding the expectations of yourself.