I know I'm only days away from picking fresh, locally grown strawberries, but I caved in at the grocery store. Couldn't pass up the sale and the chance to eat fresh berries this very day.

There are days I regret introducing my children to Youtube. "Monkey Cheese! Monkey Cheese!"

IS IT TIME YET? IS IT TIME YET? I keep checking daily to see if strawberry picking has begun.

Need More Monday....

I'm enjoying this day too much and it needs to be longer.

Accidentally bought another Father's Day shirt for the dad in law.

When will I learn to use my cell phone to call DH and check before I buy things?

I found both a large & small Pampered Chef micro cooker at Goodwill for $1 each! To buy these from Pampered Chef would cost over $18. Score! They are fantastic for quick steaming veggies in the microwave.

Picked up the primer but once again, was over whelmed by paint color choices. I probably won't know what color to use until the day I paint.

Thunderstorms rolling through in between bouts of sunshine.  Windy, cloudy, sunny, cool, I love it!

Rabbit fence is around the SFG. Thinned out the Romas & lettuce. Wishing we could find some basil and oregano to plant. I'd love a "pizza" garden.

Moved junk off of a shelving unit in the basement, and the boys and I moved it into their room. What a different storage makes! You can actually walk in there now. Can't say the same for the basement storage area.

Supper is half way done. Only need to make tortillas and rice.

Tea break is now over.

Let the day filling continue.

Its starting out to be a strange day. I woke up and cleaned my ceiling fan. I better call my Dad and make sure he is ok.

Bunny bite marks on the lettuce. :( Time to put up more poultry fencing.

The beginning of our weekend...

Our Pizza Oven lovin days may be coming to an end. Second time in a row they've screwed up on service. The first time they messed up, we spoke with the owner and were granted a free pizza on our next visit. This visit our free pizza was fine, but they had forgotten our appetizers, and we ended up getting them after the pizza was consumed. 

After pizza we headed out used book shopping. Ended up coming home with a used movie instead. A really good cheesy Japanese horror film in which a demon, unearthed by an archeologist, begins attacking school students.

Today I'm up early, waiting for our cousins to be dropped off. We're babysitting for the day, and I get to play soccer mom. Wish me luck. I'm so NOT a soccer mom.

I'm actually relieved my boys aren't into the organized sport thing anymore. Our extended family is big time, and we rarely get to hang out because they always have games or practices. My nephew at one point had organized sport practice or games every single day of the week. My sister would have to spend every weekend away at tournaments.

I suppose if my children enjoyed participating in organized sports, I would have no other choice, but I'm glad they are cool with spending time with us, hiking on weekends, shopping used book stores and watching cheesy horror films. With dad having to work full time, when he is off, its fantastic we get to share our time together doing something we all enjoy.

We found area 51

Walking through Target, DS10 found area 51. He wanted me to take a picture. All it takes is a sense of humor. I'm not kidding- LOVE THAT BOY TO PIECES!

Believing that birds of the same species can understand each others chirps, DS10 would like to know if birds communicate across species lines with other birds, or is it like trying to understand a foreign language. Do birds have accents and dialects?

I thought these are excellent questions, and I look forward to helping him figure out the answers. Unschooling Rocks!

Have a great weekend!

Dandy Blend Banana Soy Frap

Description:
This tasted so good!! Very refreshing and healthy. I think it tastes better than using coffee actually. No whipped cream is needed as it naturally ends up with a frothy topping after blending.

100 calories

Ingredients:
1 spoonful of Dandy Blend
1 C ice water
1/2 c light vanilla soy milk
1/2 frozen banana, chopped into chunks

Directions:
Add everything to your blender and mix until frothy. Enjoy!

"In a world full of people, only some learn to fly. Isn't that crazy?"- Seal. Yes, Seal. That is crazy. I plan on spreading my wings today.

I was just asked on a date to Pizza Oven tomorrow night! I can't wait!

Trying my best to stay away from the pecan Kringle left in my kitchen by Mr. Sabotage.

Wondering on Wednesday.....

Why do salads always taste so much better away from home?

Why do drinks taste better in Styrofoam cups? (Curse you McDonald's Sweet Tea)

Do I really want to allow my children to have an ongoing garage sale every Friday until they make enough money for an X-Box?

Should I micro chip the escape artist previously known as Yumi?

Why can't I choose a paint color for our bedroom?

What can I use other than paint, other than paneling and other than fabric on a bedroom wall?

Why do I refuse to close the window even though I'm freezing?

Why can't I figure out what cottage business is right for my family?

Why do I miss him so?

Do I have to pull the whole weed or can I get away with just chopping off the top?

Can rabbits move rocks?

Do certain finger nails grown faster than others?

Strange Things In My Kitchen

Knowing I love the unique, DMIL gifted us this egg separator. DS10 took one look at it and thought it was scary looking. How Grandma came to buy it, is a scary story in itself. Just remember not to go antiquing alone, and always have your cell phone handy!

This egg separator was handcrafted by Jim Leadbetter of Sedona, Arizona. How it ended up in a scary, back woods antique store in Wisconsin, I don't know, but I couldn't wait to see if it worked.

Deciding we needed cupcakes today, the occasion for separating egg whites presented itself. In went the first egg and then as we poured, out came the white. Needless to say, after witnessing this action, I'm no longer in the mood to eat a cupcake.

Its now June....

I'm cured of my graham cracker/smore obsession. Here's a quote that will stick with me from my boss during our re-certification CPR training.
"You may break ribs administering chest compressions. It will sound like your crushing graham crackers."

Since today is the first day of June, its time I change our home schooling calendar. In our state, we are required to keep attendance records for our home based private schools, and I do this by marking each day "P" for present, or "S" for sick on a calender.

I'll tell you right now, we have perfect attendance. If my children are conscious, they can be read to or watch a video. When any amount of learning happens, I consider that being present in our "home based private educational program." Even the act of being sick brings learning experiences my children never forget!

I log our school year from June 1st though May 31st, knowing that learning happens each and every day. Our state law says our home based private educational programs must provide 875 hours of instruction a year, but I get to choose how that year is scheduled. Divide 875 by 365 and you get a little under 2.5 hours a day. Its very easy to meet and exceed that 875 hours if you share learning experiences each and every day with your children.

In many ways, it seems like our home school follows more of a seasonal schedule. This is especially true when it comes to science. When your "classroom" isn't a room at all, but the world around you, the seasons tend to lead you.  Spring and Summer mean botany and biology. Of course thunderstorms or blizzards can peak interests in meteorology at any time of the year. 

A few things our family has decided to focus on this summer are the summer night sky, (constellations), the effects glaciers had on Wisconsin, (Ice Age Trail), gardening, (botany), poker, (math/probability), have a garage sale & develop our Zazzle sites, (business/entrepreneurship), and lots of day trips.

Near the end of this month, we hope to visit Old World Wisconsin for the Scandinavian Midsommer fest, (history & social studies.) If DH's work schedule permits, we'll also make our yearly summer pilgrimage to the grandparent's house in the north woods.

Today may be the first day of June, but I know how quickly the summer goes. I just hope we can get our fill before its gone.

13 for Thursday

1. Yeah! We have a watermelon up! She's my little garden shop of horror, "Feed me! Feed Me!"

2. I'm worried the rabbits will beat us. We won't have a chance to install chicken wire, excuse me, I mean poultry fencing, until tomorrow afternoon.

3. Darn! I just spilled nacho. Shouldn't try to multi-task lunch and blogging.

4. Can't wait to watch Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus! Cheesy CGI, Debbie Gibson, Lorenzo Lamas, sharks... How can it not be great!

5. Only I can walk through the entire Kohl's Department store and not find something to spend my $20 Kohl's Cash on. I just am not a shopper.

6. All Wisconsin State Parks are free Sunday June 7th! Can't wait to go to Devil's Lake.

7. Will I be bad and have a Diet Coke tonight?

8. Dentist appointment tomorrow. Sigh.....

9. I think its time to let go of my Twitter. I'm getting teased about it.

10. Did you know your cell phone, even though locked, may still dial 911 automatically? Warning- pool story - One of the dad's watching his child in lessons locked his phone and slipped it into his pocket. The tracball scrolled down to emergency and 911 was called without him knowing. The police were dispatched and from the phone signal they figured out it was coming from our pool. The police officer told me he averages about 10 such calls a week.

11. Looks like I won't have that book finished by the 31st. He'll forgive me.

12. I really need to clean this desk.

13. Lunch break over. Time to get ready for the crew to arrive.

The Elephant In The Locker Room

Maybe its the influence of my grandmothers, my mother or just being raised in a female dominated home, but you can't intimidate me, Creepy Dude.

Last night at the pool a younger staff member, (a description that pretty much covers everyone I work with,) nervously runs up to me at the front desk and says, "There's a guy in the women's locker room! What do I say?"

"How about- THIS IS THE WOMEN'S LOCKER ROOM. YOU CAN'T BE IN HERE!" Too nervous to confront him herself, (she said he was one of the "mean" dads,) I offer my voice.

Upon entering the locker room I was stunned to see it filled with several women, all staring at the man, but not one of them feeling comfortable enough to ask him to leave.

I get the man's attention, inform him of the obvious and his response back to me was, "Well where am I suppose to change my daughter!?"

We have a family restroom, changing stalls on deck and of course he could have always taken her into the men's locker room. Why he chose the ladies' locker room almost leaves me to come to a very creepy conclusion.

When my boys were little guys, I would take them into the ladies' room, not the men's. Most parents use "their" locker room, well in fact, every parent I know has done this except for Creepy Dude. We inform our guests, families with children over the age of 5 must use the family restroom or poolside changing stalls.

I wanted to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he couldn't read English? You would think a room full of women, wrapped up in towels staring at you would give you pause, but then again, none of those women said boo to him, and he was focused on dressing his daughter, not feeling the piercing stares all around him.

Afterward a coworker asked me, "What if he wasn't a guy?" I suppose he/she would have been offended by my actions, but with the rest of the guests feeling he/she was in the wrong place, I was willing to take that chance.

She brought up a good point though. In this day and age, gender lines are criss crossed more often. Maybe next time, I'll pause after first saying, "this is the ladies locker room," and wait for a response before I say, "GET OUT!"
  

Dawning's Rhubarb Muffins

Description:
These came out so delicious, I'm sorry to say, they will not last long. Next time I will double the recipe and make 2 dozen. They would be great for breakfast or a snack.

Ingredients:
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C butter
2 eggs
1 C fat free, plain yogurt
1 1/2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1 1/2 C chopped raw rhubarb

Topping:
brown sugar and cinnamon (mix a few spoonfuls with cinnamon to taste)

Directions:
Cream together the brown sugar and butter.
Add in the eggs.
Add in the yogurt.
Mix in the baking soda, cinnamon, flour and rhubarb.

Spray a muffin pan with non stick spray.
Fill each muffin cup with about 1/4 cup of batter.
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the tops.

Bake with love in a 375 over for 20-25 minutes.

Anyone have any rhubarb recipes?

Blessed with rhubarb, I need recipe ideas. For now I've chopped up a bit and simmered my stainless steel pots to a brilliant shine, without chemicals. The acid in the rhubarb polishes naturally.

My mom says I should chop it all into 1/2 inch pieces and freeze in two cup portions, as most recipes she knows of use this amount. She also warned me not to eat more than one to two servings a week as rhubarb can block the absorption of calcium.

Years ago I had a rhubarb crisp that was delicious, but I'm also thinking I may like jam. I can't decide just yet.

Any suggestions?

I think its funny when I see rhubarb for sale at markets. Most people I know who have rhubarb growing in their garden can't give it all away. Who is buying it?

I remember my mother's garden growing up. The rhubarb plants were huge and invasive. I would pretend they were monsters. I was probably frightened of them after my mother warned me not to eat the leaves as they are poisonous. If the garden trolls found me in my secret lilac bush cottage, they would drag me to the rhubarb. Years later I was happy when my mother replaced them with raspberry bushes. A garden princess fairy could eat her fill of those!

My grandmother told me a funny store about a friend of hers who threw a party and insisted his guests take care of business near the rhubarb to help fertilize it. I bet he couldn't give his extra rhubarb away!

I love rhubarb's color. Its a cheerful color as the blushing pink stems turn to fresh green. I wish I could find fabric like that. I'd make curtains for my kitchen.

Well, I better stop babbling about rhubarb and get it into the freezer.

Dandy Blend

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

My good friend introduced this wonderful drink to me knowing I was seeking out dandelion tea to improve my health. I've never been a big coffee drinker, but I was corrupted into drinking mochas and lattes by a Diva sister who shall remain nameless.

On my first impression, my taste buds told me this was coffee, only a better, not bitter coffee. My second sip had me hooked. I don't like the taste of straight coffee, but this is better than coffee with a natural sweetness.

I've been drinking it cold, adding a little soy milk and its exactly like an iced latte to me. I'm thinking of splurging and making a smoothie with it later to see if I can make a healthy version of a frappe.

I'm sending a sample to my mom, who had to give up coffee for health reasons. Another perk, (no pun intended), its caffeine free!

I found my supply at a health food store called Green Earth located in Middleton, WI. I imagine you could also order it online from their website. http://www.dandyblend.com