Hey, still alive here.

After VBS (two months ago), we had stomach stuff for about a month (one family member at a time, except for me). That was during/after I hurt my back.

Now we have something else that's doing its thing, so its been about two months total.

Those are just "excuses" for why I havn't been blogging.

My husband has changed jobs (Children's Minister to Camp Director), so we are moving starting this weekend. Gotto go, more sickiness. Won't be blogging again for a while.

Jenette.

The girls are in bed listening to Little House on the Prairie.

Jenna did not cry in tragic dismay when I rubbed her cheek, said goodnight, kissed her sisters and left the room (we moved her crib out of our room a couple of weeks ago...it has been quite an adjustment...I think she's gettin' it now though).

The boys are doing Legos with their dad in their room...I think they called it a Lego Blow-out Night, or something.

I am sitting here. I thought maybe I would get industrious and blog some cool smart things, but I don't feel like being cool or smart. Hmm, am I being ruled by my feelings???

Well, I will blog one suggestion I have and maybe go into more detail later. I hurt my back a couple of weeks ago and my husband took the kids to the grocery store and had them each do a different meal over the next day or so (the 12, 11, 9, and 8 year old). He then informed me that we should have each of the boys (the oldest three of my kiddos) plan one meal to budget for, shop for, and fix each week. Well, he is the boss, and what generally looks like a lot of extra work to me when he suggests it, usually turns out pretty fine.

We did that last week. It has been great! It has even been fun! The boys each got to spend 20$ for their day for meals, snacks and drinks they wanted to buy. I helped Jordan (my oldest girl) plan a days worth of meals and budget for it. I planned the last three days and assigned my five year old and three year old to be my helpers on that day (I gave myself 40$ for those three days...heh heh). I made up a planning sheet for each of them for their menu, shopping list, price, and total. We worked on this over a couple of days then took them to the grocery store. Each of the boys took a cart, 20$, and got to it.

I took the 3, and 6 year old and my list. Joel (my oldest) took my one year old and my eight year old and helped her out on her list (he was only shopping for one day after all and I was shopping for three WHOLE days heehee). He is so capable, he is going to be my manager some day, I might even pay him if he is good enough.  Nobody went over budget except Jordan (my 8 year old) and Joel spotted her the few cents she needed.

Are you ready for the menus? I had to learn to be a little flexible.

Monday: Breakfast: Cereal/smoothie, Lunch: Burrito, Dinner: Fish-sticks/tator-tots/root beer.

Tuesday: Breakfast: Spaghetti/bread sticks/green beans, Lunch: Ramen noodles, Dinner: Bread sticks/Red Baron Pizza/brownies/green beans.

Wednesday: Breakfast: Cinnamon rolls, Lunch: Fish-sticks/tator-tots, Dinner: Chicken nuggets, corn, green beans mashed potatoes.

I won't list the rest of the week, but you get the idea... Try this sometime and make it fit your family. I am thinking of  doing challenges (like "you keep the change" week and "who can do it for under 10$" week and "who can make it all from scratch" week) with appropriate enticements. I will definitely do an "who can keep mom from grossing out on fish-sticks" week.

Hmm, maybe an "how to fit chocolate into the menu week"?  I am really on a roll!

The kids are learning a lot and I am learning a lot!

Gotta go!

Netz.

This morning I woke up musing about a woman's desire to be adored and taken care of. How does this all fit in with being a wife and mom? Kind of makes me smile to think about it.

Last night I made some yummy cobbler. I am writing the recipe here because I made a bunch of changes and am notorious for never being able to make the same thing twice.

• 1&1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 T. corn starch
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• 1/2 t. salt
• zest from one lemon.

combine in a large pan on the stove

add

• 5 c. frozen peaches
• 2 c. frozen strawberries

cook and stir until thick and bubbly

add 1 16 oz. bag frozen blueberries.

keep warm.

Combine in a bowl

• 1 cup chopped pecan
• 1/2 cup coconut shreds
• 3 cups flour
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 3 t. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 t. cinnamon

mix and add one stick of butter until crumbly

beat

• 3 eggs and 11/2 c. butter

Stir into flour mixture until just moistened.

Pour fruit mixture into a large rectangle or two square pans.

Top fruit with spoonfuls of flour mixture.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes (just until the cobbler batter is lightly brown).

Serve warm with icecream.

There now I can make it again some time.

Wow! This is a good site for using your garden to teach about all kinds of historical events. I am going to be taking another look at this!

http://www.kidsgardening.com/2006.kids.garden.news/mar/pg1.html

Jenette.

These are the clearest instructions I have seen on this topic and would be an excellent start to a Unit Study for the garden or Native American Culture as well.

http://www.kidsgardening.com/growingideas/projects/March02/mar02-pg1.htm

Jenette.

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Academy252/154692/#c289894

About working, farming, and work ethics from an Amish point of view (with some good questions).

Jenette.

This seems far-fetched, kind of like so many other things that aren't.

Take a moment to read it, and remember the wierd controversy over allowing TOS to go to the UK to visit with homeschool families there. Truth is stranger than fiction.

http://www.crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/dean/

Jenette.

Maybe I need to do other things now (folding the clothes) but here is another good article on gettin' stuff done for the summer:

http://www.titus2.com/corners/6-01-m.htm

Jenette.

Here is an article about depression that might be helpful to some mommies.

http://www.titus2.com/corners/9-00-m.htm

Jenette.

Not "getting around to" all the things you envisioned your family doing???? Asking yourself at the end of the day what in the world have we accomplished???? Hmm, I know the feeling sometimes.

This past Monday, I was over at my friend Janet's house to discuss Steve and Teri Maxwell's Managers of Their Homes, book (she's thinking of getting ).  I have worked through the book before, so I was describing it to her, and telling her the pros and cons. This book is well worth the money, although not everyone will like it (imagine...we might all be different).

So the next few days I will be jotting down what I think are the priorities at this time for myself and each of our kids. I talked this over with my husband the other day and I am ready to do this part of it.  I'll just be jotting down the ideas and changing or updating them as I go in the next few weeks. From that I'll make a co-ordinated schedule that will make us a perfect family and enable me to RULE THE WORLD  BWAAAaaaa hahhaaaahahahaa!!!!!

Here is a link for that resource:

http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1100 

Even if you think you don't like structure (bleah!!!!), it would be well worth your time and money to give this a good try (a month) and then tweak it to fit your family's style!

Jenette.

Hmm, maybe we make them insane, you'll have to go to my husband's blog for more about that, if I type any more, I might have to eat again ! Toodles!

 http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolbiblestudies

Aren't kids precious? Or are they just a nuisance?

Take a look at these lines from a poem written by a little girl:

'Black lands taken from your hands, by vampires with no remorse," the aspiring actress and poet wrote. "They took the gold, the wisdom and all the storytellers. They took the black women, with the black man weak. Made to watch as they changed the paradigm of our village.

"Yeah white nationalism is what put you in bondage. Pirates and vampires like Columbus, Morgan and Darwin." '

Read about this here:

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Quidamae/109301/#c280877

Found the news story here:

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/60921.htm

I don't really care to comment on this issue except that it prompts me to recomend the book Morning by Morning 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375507744/104-1622286-1257517?v=glance&n=283155 

This is an interesting perspective written by a homeschooling African American Woman of who is a Christian. It gave me some good food for thought... I strongly recomend that you read it if you are white (pastey) like me, or of a darker shade. My favorite line (by one of her sons) was "college is an artificial construct" (sounds like something I would have said to my mom) and her reaction, "Duh! You got to work with the system kid"  She had after-all taught him, (by example) that he did not (I loosely paraphrase). This book made me laugh and gave me a fresh perspective.... PLEASE (oops did I shout?) check it out (I got mine from my library). If nothing else Morning by Morning will give you practical tips for getting your kids into Ivy League Institutions...but then your child might say that they are all "artificial constructs"..hmmm I gotta like that guy.

Gena, I think someone on your staff needs to interview Paula Penn-Nabrit the author in TOS.

Hey, I have a confession about math. I actually do what the Bluedorn's suggest in Teaching the Trivium:

https://www.triviumpursuit.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16133&cat=248&page=1 

(They have a great chapter about the appropriate time for beginning formal Mathematics).

I don't really emphasise Mathematics until my kiddos reach the 3rd grade. In the 3rd grade I  started each of my boys in Saxon Math 54. Saxon 54 does a good job of explaining the basics so starting there was no problem (and I had no problem with enthusiasm). We have drilled Math. facts as I have seen them to be necessary...

Soooo, I guess I am saying that I agree with the Bluedorns, don't feel bad if you delay formal Mathematics to pursue other things when your children are little and squirmy. I would definitely advise against doing an hour (or half hour) of sit-down work with an active, frustrated squirmy boy. Be creative.  Here is a good online article by the Bluedorns that I read about 5 years ago. It's been helpful to me, maybe it will be to you.

http://www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/ten_to_do_before_ten.htm

Hmm, somewhat related is this blog. It all relates to the "what stuff do kids need to be learning, when and how much can we (or the State) cram these things in their heads, who decides and why...

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spunkyhomeschool/Homeschooling

Enjoy your kids, Jenette.

Hey, I know this is a bit late, but my friend Caroline sent this great idea to me, and I am just going to jump in today and start doing this. I think ideally starting a week before Father's Day would be good...but who's ideal????