Growing a Garden of Girls

Healthy Biscuit Success!

2012-03-14T07:42:00.002-04:00

So last week my post contained a reference to Sweet Potato Biscuits, which drew some comments. Well we have officially amended the recipe and it was a success!

As mentioned before, I used Lisa's recipe here on 100 Days of Real Food as a reference to modify the sweet potato biscuit recipe that I found. (Side note, I love, love, love Lisa's blog and totally admire her commitment to real food! I am going to seriously analyze her recent posts on real food on a $125 a week budget! Even she said it was tough. And did you realize full food stamps benefits are worth $167 a week??? Now I don't feel so bad when I can't get out of the grocery for less than $200.)

So here is what I did.

Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Easy Biscuits
1 enormous sweet potato (carefully selected by my 8 year old Daisy) baked to near perfection, cooled and then scooped out
2 cups of whole wheat flour (I did not use white whole wheat flour which seems to be a little lighter, but it still worked)
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of butter, cut into a small dice
about 1 cup of milk. (this was totally based on judgement, I started with 1/2 cup as I thought the sweet potato would add moisture, I think I ended up using more than a cup as my dough seemed a little dry, but start small you can always add more, it is much harder to take it away)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F Combined flour, baking soda and salt with whisk. Cut butter dices into the flour mixture until crumbly and well mixed. Add sweet potato puree, gently. Hand mix at this point and add milk bit by bit to form a somewhat sticky dough. Then turn the dough out on the floured counter, knead a little bit. Hand pat out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Then i hate wasting dough, so I just cut into squares or the equivalent. Bake on an ungreased (or in my case silicon lined) cookie sheet for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

My batch took about 15 minutes as the extra moisture took longer and they were still very moist inside! This made about 20 good sized biscuits that were delicious warm with a little melted butter. YUMMMMO!

We ate half and froze the rest for another meal! PHOTO TO COME!!

New Homeschool Help - Multiplication Copywork

2012-03-09T14:02:00.000-05:00

In trying to help my kids memorize their math facts, flash cards and quiz sheets have not been a lot of success. So I started to look for copywork that would include math facts.

Through research online, I found a few resources, but either I did not like how they were divided, or the font was too small, or they were just too costly. So I created my own.

I have posted the multiplication facts on my blog and they are free for all to share.

The document is a pdf file with a different set of facts on each page. The document includes the multiplication facts for 2 through 12. You can print off whatever page you want to work on at that time until your child gets the facts down.

I am a big fan of copywork as it reinforces in the memory the correct answer or spelling or fact unlike flash cards that often reinforce wrong answers!

As I have a lefty coming up, I will be creating a left-handed version with the facts on the right soon. I also have an addition version on its way!

If you share my sheets, please link directly back to my blog! Thanks!

Lenten Soups 2012 Week 2

2012-03-02T15:00:00.001-05:00

So despite my cooking slump, here are the menus for week 2 of Lenten soups.

Thursday, Mar 1- crock day

White Bean and Ham Soup

Friday, Mar 2 - fish day Fish fry cancelled due to weather.

(I don't want to go out either so I will do pasta.)

Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables

Garlic Bread

Saturday, Mar 3- leftovers

Sunday, Mar 4 - feast day and meet day

hmmm?? I have no ideas. I will have to come back and edit.

Monday, Mar 5 - crock day

Hearty Lentil Soup

Sweet Potato Biscuits

Tuesday, Mar 6

Sirloin Chili

Wednesday, Mar 7 - crock day

Slow Cooker Chunky Minestrone

Parmesan Breadsticks

THE RECIPES

White Bean and Ham Soup
2 meaty smoked ham hocks (1 1/2 lbs)
1lb dried white beans
2 qt. low sodium chicken broth
4 ribs of chopped celery
4 carrots cut crosswise into rounds
1 large onion, chopped
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
12 sprigs of fresh thyme plus leaves for garnishing
salt and pepper
1 loaf of crusty bread sliced

1. In a large slow cooker, combine ham hocks, beans, broth,
celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and thyme sprigs. Cover and cook
on low until beans are tender, about 5 hours.

2. Discard thyme stems. Remove ham hocks and shred off meaty
parts. Mash garlic cloves with back of spoon into soup. Discard skins.
Return shredded ham to soup. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Serve with bread and garnish soup with thyme leaves!

Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables

10 ounces ziti pasta

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 zucchini, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

28-ounce can diced tomatoes with basil, undrained

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

[1] In a large bowl, toss eggplant, zucchini and onion with half of the olive oil.
Spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking
spray. Roast and stir occasionally until well-browned and tender, about 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

[1] Meanwhile, Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through
but still firm to the bite. Drain and set aside.

[2] Add tomatoes, thyme and rosemary to skillet with half olive oil and simmer 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and
garlic powder and mix well. Spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish*.

[3] Top with half of the cooked ziti. Top with half of the cheese mixture and veggies. Top
with 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Repeat layers with the remaining ziti and remaining cheese
mixture and veggies.

[4] Top with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Cover with foil
and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.

* For 2-4 servings use an 8x8 dish, for 6-8 servings use a 13x9 dish.

Note: use fresh herbs instead, if you have them.

Hearty Lentil Soup - Crock Style

Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 4 hours

1	white onion , chopped
2	carrots , peeled and diced
2	stalks celery, sliced
2	teaspoons garlic, minced
1	bay leaf
1	teaspoon dried oregano
1/2	teaspoon ground cumin
1	teaspoon dried basil
2	cups dried lentils
4	cups water
4	cups vegetable broth
1	14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes, undrained
2	cups fresh spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
2	tablespoons white vinegar
	coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

[1] In a crock pot, add onion, carrots, and celery; Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, cumin and basil;

[2] Stir in lentils, and add water, broth and tomatoes. Cook on low for 4-6 hours in crock pot.

[3] About 30 minutes before serving, stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts.

[4] Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.

Sirloin Chili

1 1/2	pounds sirloin steak, cut into strips
2	tablespoons canola oil
1/2	white onion , chopped
1	teaspoon garlic, minced
2	teaspoons chili powder
1	teaspoon ground cumin
1	teaspoon dried oregano
1	pinch cayenne pepper
1	teaspoon paprika
1	tablespoon brown sugar
1	14.5 ounce can beef broth
3	tablespoons lime juice
1	tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1	28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1	15-ounce can ranch-style beans, drained
	coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
	GARNISH
1	red onion , chopped
1	cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2	cup fresh cilantro, chopped

[1] Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or a large pot over medium heat. Add the sirloin strips and season with salt and pepper. Brown the meat on all sides, remove the meat from the pan.

[2] Heat another tablespoon of oil in the pot and add the onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, paprika, and brown sugar, stirring until the onions begin to soften and the spices become aromatic, about 7 minutes.

[3] Stir in the beef broth, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir in the meat and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, longer if you have time. Fold in the beans and add salt and pepper to taste and heat thoroughly.

[4] To serve, top chili with red onion, cheese, and cilantro.

Slow Cooker Chunky Minestrone V C LC

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 6-8 hours

5	cups vegetable broth
2	14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1	15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1	10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1	cup water
1	white onion , chopped
1	zucchini , quartered and sliced
2	teaspoons olive oil
1	teaspoon Italian seasoning
	coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6	ounces small pasta shells, uncooked
1/4	cup shredded Parmesan cheese

[1] Combine the broth, tomatoes, beans, spinach, water, onion, zucchini, olive oil, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper in the slow cooker.

[2] Cook on low for 5-8 hours. 30 minutes before serving, add pasta, season with salt and pepper and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes. Serve in individual bowls and top with cheese.

Cooking Slump

2012-03-01T12:56:00.000-05:00

So Baseball teams and atheletes go through slumps where nothing seems to work out. Right?

Well has anyone ever gone through a cooking slump?

I think this has been my least successful month with cooking since I had just gotten married and had 2 small toddlers running around. Even those meals were tastier, albeit sometimes "well done" ;)

But this month has been just awful. I have used tried and true recipes that I know we all like and for some reason they all have turned out just plain bad.... maybe it is the ingredients, maybe it is the modifications, ... maybe it is the cook.

Anyway, between my cooking and Rose not eating anything worthwhile at meals, I am definitely in a slump right now and eating out is so very tempting. Even the sandwiches at the gym are better than my cooking lately.

So this is a shout out for support. Have any of you gone through a cooking slump? What brought you out of it? and How did you do it?

So thanks in advance for the support and I guess next week's menus will be forthcoming. ...

Lenten Soups Week 1

2012-02-25T09:20:00.000-05:00

This week we have started our Lenten soup adventure again! I must say I look forward to it even though it is supposed to be a time of simplicity and fasting and penitence. It is sacrificial while also being very renewing! Plus it make life in my kitchen a lot easier!

So the plan for this year is

Monday through Thursday soups, Crock soups for busy days

Fridays saved for fish (or pizza if I don't get to the fish store) ;)

Feast on Sundays and Feast Days

We are trying to do meatless soups on Mondays and Wednesdays to be even more budget conscious and to compensate for the fact that Rose prefers beans and lentils to meat most days (unless it is filet or salmon and then she eats like a trooper!)

Week 1 Menu

Ash Wednesday

Barley and Hearty Vegetable

(no recipe because I bought it from Costco)

very good, but too much spice for the kiddos

Crusty Garlic Bread

Thursday - crockpot

Chicken Corn Chowder

(adapted from Kimberly's recipe)

my adaptations did not go great. It was tasty, but not as good as last year!

Friday

Pizza from Jets

Saturday - crockpot

Vegetarian Gourmet Bean Blend Chili

Corn Bread

Sunday - feast

We will be eating or carrying out as Daisy has a meet late on Sunday.

Monday - crockpot

Slow Cooker Tomato Tortellini Soup

Herbed Pita Chips

Tuesday

Hearty Chicken Soup and Vegetables

Whole Grain Biscuits

Wednesday

Black Bean and Avocado Soup

Cornbread

My recipes come from a variety of sources. My favorites are from other blogs which I credit by linking to their blog. Other favorites are from Rachel Ray's magazine (a feast for your eyes) and the menu planning website www.relishrelish.com and of course my own personal recipes!

Vegetarian Gourmet Bean Blend Chili
Rinse and soak 3 cups of dried beans (I used a mixed bean blend with peas, beans and lentils) in 9 cups of cold water while prepping rest of recipe. Drain.
Add 2 cups chopped onions, 2 diced red bell peppers and 6 cloves of diced garlic to crock pot.
Add 2 T chili powder, 2tsp dried oregano, 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste).
Add soaked beans and 6 cups of water (or broth).
Add 1-2 cans of diced tomatoes. (I used frozen ones from summer harvest)

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours until beans are tender.
Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with sour cream, green onions, cilantro and/or grated cheese.

Tomato Tortellini Soup serves 4+

4 cups of vegetable broth
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 cup marinara sauce or any jarred pasta sauce
1 yellow onion , chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 T Italian seasonings
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 9-ounce package fresh, cheese-filled tortellini
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

[1] In a slow cooker, combine broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, garlic and salt and pepper.

[2] Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours. 20 minutes before serving, add tortellini and cook on low. If soup seems too thick, add water to thin. Garnish with cheese.

Do not leave tortellini too long or it will fall apart. :)

Hearty Chicken Vegetable Soup

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes

1/4	cup butter
4	boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
	coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1	white onion , chopped
1	teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2	cup all purpose flour
4	cups chicken broth
4	large Yukon Gold potatoes , scrubbed and cubed
4	carrots , peeled and cut into coins
1/2	pound green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
4	stalks celery, sliced
1	teaspoon dried oregano
1	teaspoon dried basil
1	teaspoon dried thyme
1/2	teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2	teaspoon ground cumin
1/4	teaspoon white pepper

per serving: 503 calories; 61 grams protein; 16 grams total fat; 6 grams fiber; 8 grams saturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 167 mgs cholesterol; 1024 mgs sodium; 12 WW points plus // nutrition is based on a 6 oz boneless chicken breast

[1] Melt butter in a large heavy soup pot over medium high heat. Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. While chicken is cooking, chop vegetables.

[2] Add onion and garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add flour and stir until chicken is coated. Add chicken broth, potatoes, carrots, beans and celery and stir to combine.

[3] Add oregano, basil, thyme, poultry seasoning, cumin and white pepper, and more salt and black pepper if desired. Bring to a boil, then cook at a strong simmer, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.

Black Bean Soup with Avocado

3 15 ounce cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ups canned low-sodium vegetable (or chicken) broth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
½ cup dry sherry
2 ripe avocados, cut into ½-inch chunks
1 mango, peeled and cut into cubes
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

[1] Combine 3 cups of the beans and 1 cup of the broth in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

[2] In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a dash of salt and pepper, stirring frequently until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and boil until reduced, about 3 minutes.

[3] Add the bean puree and the remaining broth and the rest of the beans. Simmer until hot, about 5 minutes.

[4] Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the avocados, cilantro, lime juice and another dash of salt and pepper. Mix gently and set aside.

[5] Spoon the soup into bowls and top with the avocado salsa. Place a dollop of sour cream next to the avocado.

International Book Giving Day: February 14 AND Giveaway

2012-02-04T10:35:00.002-05:00

So my poor little blog has been very neglected over the holiday months and through the winter dreariness, but I came across an idea today that I just loved and is timely too.

If your house is anything like mine, we have books... lots of them, too many books really, but I am sentimental and find it hard to part with them. But I have always advocated the giving of books, old, new, recycled. It doesn't matter.

Books for gift exchanges, books for birthday party goody bags, books for birthdays and Christmas... Yes, if you know me, plan on receiving a book at some time from me. :)

But this post I read today over at Delightful Children's Books inspired me to a new Valentine's tradition of books! Go read her post, which is full of delightful ideas for sharing books and her blog which as the title says is full of delightful children's books. But before you leave here, leave a comment letting me know which book you will send to a child this Valentine's Day and I will pick one reader to receive one of our favorite books!

As for me, my god children will all be receiving a book this Valentine's Day, so watch your mailbox!!!

Deer Valley Days

2011-10-24T15:39:00.001-04:00

We have been looking for a way to enjoy summer camp with our girls and this year we found it!
Introducing YMCA Deer Valley Family Camp
We had heard of Deer Valley from some friends at church who recommended it as their best family vacation. So this year we got in off the waiting list and tried it out!
WOW! Once we got over the fact that we really were adults (used to certain luxuries) at summer camp, we could really have fun! Below is a pictorial essay of our week away!
Fun for Kids!

Time spent in the Arts and Crafts Building

Fun for Adults

For all the sing a longs, bug juice, campfires, and more, Deer Valley was the place for us. Maybe it is for you too!

Prayers for October

2011-10-24T12:27:00.002-04:00

Is it really October??? No seriously is October almost over???
Wow this has been a long month.

Please join us in praying for the following intentions this month:

For Cody and Caleb and continuing on their roads of recovery from surgeries in September.

For Marty, for his recovery and battle against cancer and its minions, and for Holly and his family for strength to see this battle through.

For my girls, as we mourn the death of our sweet pet, bring peace and understanding to their hearts and lives.

In honor of Mary this month we pray the Memorare:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Prayers for Cody TODAY

2011-09-30T11:29:00.000-04:00

Our little friend Cody has his heart surgery today, please join me in praying the Memorare for this brave little boy.

His mom's specific prayer requests after talking with the doctors are these.

Here are the specific prayer requests: No issues/accidents while cutting through all the scar tissue. That is part of the greatest risk. No problems with anesthesia / breathing / respiratory function. NO clots - NO air bubbles - NO stroke. Clear decision making in each moment. Steady hands. Right amount of time actually operating on bypass - long enough to do the best job but short enough that Cody's system bounces back. This is all hurdle #1. After this, post op is hurdle #2. Thank you for praying!

Cody with Baby sister at her baptism

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Prayer To Our Lady of Providence

Let us ask Our Lady of Providence, Mary most holy, who is the refuge of sinners, the consolation of the afflicted, and the help of Christians, to assist us in all our necessities.

Litany of Our Lady of Providence

God the Creator of heaven and earth, have mercy on us.
God the son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Most Holy Trinity, Divine Providence, have mercy on us.
Our Lady of Providence, mother of grace and mercy, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, help of the sick, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, hope of the oppressed, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, star of the sea, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, tower of David, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, queen of the home, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, model of disciples, pray for us.
Our Lady of Providence, mother of the Church, pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, hear us O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Pray for us, Our lady of Providence, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

O God, whose ever-watchful Providence rules all things, we humbly implore you through the prayer of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of your son, to remove from us whatever is harmful and to bestow on us only that which will be helpful. We ask this through Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Adapted for a novena prior to the Feast of Our Lady of Providence (Saturday preceding the third Sunday in November). Ecclesiastical approval 1983.

Sacred Art Camp

2011-09-15T22:22:00.000-04:00

In August, the big girls attended a super neat sacred art camp at the Holy Spirit Center. During the class, they explored sacred art with a professional art restorer. She introduced them to all sorts of great techniques and styles of sacred art. This fit in perfectly with our Middle Ages studies this year and introduced them to art forms that we will never have a chance to try at home.

During the week, they started with a study of Byzantine style icons. Using the traditional forms of large eyes and precious metals of gold and silver, the children drew their icons free hand using a patron saint, Jesus or Mary as their subject.

Rose's "Blessed Kateri", age 10

Daisy's "GESU", age 8

The next form they explored was stained glass. They started by tracing a line drawing onto a piece of glass and then used glass paint to color in the glass areas. The pieces were then framed.

Daisy's "Lamb of God", age 8

Rose's "Blessed Mother", age 10

The last form they tried was fresco tondo. The students traced their drawings onto a round wooden tablet coated with wet plaster. They traced it using a wooden stick then painted over the traced lines with green paint. Once that was complete they finished the painting with the colors of their choice.

Rose's "Madonna and Child", age 10

Daisy's "Beautiful Mother", age 8

At the end of the class, the students and their families were invited to an art show displaying all of the sacred works. All of their works were beautiful and inspiring, especially considering they were created by children between the ages of 6 and 13. Well done!

After watching this beautiful process this week, I may be inspired to just try some of these techniques at home. I think they did a beautiful job. How about you?

Prayers for September

2011-09-15T12:27:00.001-04:00

A new post for my blog will begin this month, when we will recall the special intentions and prayers for the month. A friend just shared that she keeps a running email list of intentions that she prays for every day. She can quickly refer to the list and remind herself of the special intentions she will be praying for that day. Someone mentioned it also would be a great way to keep a log and look back at how prayers were answered, as we all know sometimes answers to prayers are not always evident at the time of the need or request.

If I figure out how to do a link up I will add that later. But until then, feel free to comment and add your prayers for the month or update the situation as needed!

SO, for September 2011, our family's special intentions to prayer will include the following:

For my cousin's baby Caleb. Here is a link to the info.

Caleb is 4 months old and is underwent surgery yesterday for craniosynostosis. Craniosynostosis is a condition in which one or more of the fibrous sutures in an infant's skull prematurely fuses by ossification. Post surgery Caleb is expected to be in the ICU for at least one week.

Please keep Caleb, his mother and father and family in your prayers. I will send an update as soon as I get it.

Please join me:
“God the Father, have mercy on the Caleb. God the Son, have mercy on Caleb. God the Holy Spirit, grant Caleb and his family peace. Bless Caleb Your beloved child, as he enters surgery, so that, no matter what happens, he is secure in Your love. Comfort all who wait for news of Caleb’s surgery, and remind them they are not alone in You. Amen.”

For my friend's son Cody. Here is a link to his caring bridge page.

Cody just turned 3! Cody was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect on July 2 (week 28 in the pregnancy). Cody was diagnosed with Double Inlet Left Ventricle, L-Transposition of the Great Arteries, and Hypoplastic Right Syndrome. All of that basically means that Cody had three chambers in his heart instead of four, and the "plumbing" was in the wrong places.

The purpose of the cath will be to see what is going on inside so that there are no surprises when Cody is opened up. Also, they can measure the venous blood pressure into the lungs which will help with other decisions that are too complicated to write about.

The plan was made. Cody needed to be born at UVA Hospital in Charlottesville, and have his first surgery within a week or so. The operation would be the first of a series of three surgeries - one after birth, one around 4-6 months, and another around 3 years old. Basically after some complications, surprises and changes, Cody will need another surgery this year. From his mom, "The purpose of the surgery will be twofold:

1) to remove the stent that has the clot inside of it
2) to put in a new and 3rd fenestration (opening between the tube and right atrium)

This surgery of course will require bypass, but it will also require the surgeon to stop Cody's heart from beating. This is what they had to do for his first surgery. (For Cody's 2nd and 3rd heart surgeries he was on bypass but the heart was still beating.)This definitely does not get easier the more you go through it. In fact, this is harder. Cody is older and more aware of what is going on. During our previous times in the hospital my eyes were opened to way more complications and deaths. The three older boys are in school during the day, but now there is a baby I will have to leave at home. Prayers are appreciated and truly make a difference as we can only handle all of this again by the grace of God."

Cody's heart cath has been set for Tuesday September 20, and his heart surgery will be Friday September 30.

Please pray that in a house full of kiddos, he can remain healthy and in top form prior to his cath and surgery, and that they can keep sickness out of their house!

To Saint Peregrine
O great St. Peregrine, you have been called "The Mighty," "The Wonder-Worker," because of the numerous miracles which you have obtained from God for those who have had recourse to you. For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fiber of our being, and who had recourse to the source of all grace when the power of man could do no more. You were favored with the vision of Jesus coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction. Ask of God and Our Lady, the cure of the sick whom we entrust to you. Caleb and Cody.

Aided in this way by your powerful intercession, we shall sing to God, now and for all eternity, a song of gratitude for His great goodness and mercy. Amen.

Remembering

2011-09-11T22:30:00.000-04:00

Each story, each life precious in its own way.

A Memorial... We Remember

2011-09-11T01:42:00.000-04:00

Everyone has a story. Those of us in the blog world share our stories everyday. Today we share the stories of two people ordinary in many ways and extraordinary too, both in deed and circumstance.

Brian Williams, age 29

Brian Williams, native of Edgewood, KY, has become a legend in in my hometown. A graduate of St. Pius X grade school and Covington Catholic High School, Brian was well liked and respected by his classmates and many friends. Some thoughts shared about him include:

“Brian was such a great guy, I don't think there was ever a time when there was not a smile on his face!”

“I remember going to the Williams house for Kenny's famous chili! Brian will always hold a very special place in my heart! The day my sister died Brian called me from Columbia University to let me know he was thinking about me and praying for me. It touched me so much! He was such a great friend!!”

“Brian really had a zest for life,” his father said. “He worked very, very hard, but he also was able to enjoy life. He really cared about other people.” Williams recalled the first weekend of Brian’s freshman year. “My wife and I got up and went downstairs about 7:30 on a Saturday morning and there’s Brian studying already and he’d only been in high school.”

Brian excelled in academics and athletics and was a "That's My Boy" award winner, given by northern Kentucky football coaches to the best scholar-player- leader (a prize now named after him). Brian was a 3 sport athlete in high school and the football team captain. Back when Williams played for Cov-Cath, a little 9-year-old boy named Joe Danneman was in the stands, to witness Williams, make a huge play.

"1989 he was a star tight end at Covington Catholic High School," said Danneman, recounting the game as if it was yesterday. "It was a Friday night, traditional season opener, it was always Cov-Cath versus Boone County, Cov-Cath's down a point late in the game, they have one person to go to, it's Brian Williams, the star tight end, catches a pass, goes 30 or 40 yards to the following end zone, the south end zone at Boone County High School. It was a rainy night and Brian Williams was the hero."

The school honored his number 81 Friday night at their football game versus Boone County.

Columbia University recruited him for football. In New York, he acted as unofficial tourist bureau for visiting Kentuckians.

As a college senior, Brian Williams used his was given a credit card by his father for emergencies. Brian used the card to pay a bar bill for three cash-strapped buddies. He sent a check to repay his father, with a note explaining the charge. "Three of us walked into a bar and none of us had any money. I figured that was an emergency," the note said.

In September 2001, Brian Williams, 29, worked as a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald, with the ultimate plan of returning to the Cincinnati area near his family's home in Edgewood.

As the Williams family got Brian's affairs in order, they also discovered that he'd been very generous to a number of charitable organizations in the New York area.

"One was a Native American school for Native American children and then the other was an organization that sent inner-city kids down in Manhattan out to camps for a week of summer fun outside of Manhattan," Williams said. "He had been doing that for several years."

Some tributes from Legacy.com for Brian:

“I just wanted to let you know how much I looked up to you for your ability to handle yourself so well. Moreover, you always treated everyone you came across with kindness and respect. I am glad I chose someone like you as a role model...I am a better person for knowing you. Please look after all of us down here, because we look up to you now more than ever!”

~ Jim Danneman

“I, like many others, met Willy during my brief time at Columbia University. As football teammates, we had many good times on the field (even if we weren't often victorious); but I was blessed to share many good times off the field with Brian as well.

After I transferred from Columbia, I returned to the campus and coincidentally ran into a group of guys that included Brian. Even after two years away, Brian's friendship shone through as we chatted about all that had happened in the interim. At one point, as others in the group sought to leave (as all of them were headed to catch a plane), Brian softly reminded them that "there'll be other flights." My girlfriend at the time remarked specifically about what a fantastic guy Brian was.
I met many terrific people at Columbia, but few (if any) were as genuinely friendly and caring as Brian. I mourn his death, but celebrate his life and all that it stands for.

Brian will never be forgotten. “

-Mike Murray
San Antonio, TX

Kenneth Williams Sr., a man who has lost two sons — Kenneth Jr., who died in 1994 after three years in a coma caused by a fall, and Brian, now, with the 9/11 memorial completed Williams wishes he had one more chance to see and talk to his sons.

He said he'd give Kenny a bear hug and tell him he loved him. The same goes for Brian, but the father would like to ask the son what happened in the chaos that followed the plane hitting the North Tower.

"I would like to know how he felt and how he was," Williams said.

Now that 10 years have come and gone, some people fear America has become complacent about homeland security. To counter that possibility, Williams said he wishes that video of the towers being attacked was shown every morning as a reminder that the people who perpetrated the act are still out there.

“They want to do that again,” he said. “I think sometimes we need to look at that film – that and the Pentagon and Pennsylvania -- and say, ‘Hey! Look at what they tried to do and they’re going to try it again and again and again.’”

“We ought to wake up to it every day,” Williams stated.

Out of respect for Brian’s father’s wishes, here is a video of footage from that day.

Sandra Waugh Bradshaw

Last month, my family visited the flight 93 memorial. We were moved by the heroism of the men and women of flight 93. Sandy Bradshaw’s story particularly touched me as a mother.

Just a few years before 2001, Sandra Waugh Bradshaw was juggling dual careers -- flight attendant and mother. She was home in Greensboro, N.C. with her year-old daughter, Alexandria. In the coming year, her son Nathan would arrive.

By 2001, Bradshaw, 38, had cut back her workload and her husband, Phil, had urged her quit. She had 2 small children and a 16-year-old stepdaughter. Sandy loved to fly and had been an attendant for 11 years. Her personnel file was filled with glowing reviews for happy passengers.

"She just liked the one-on-one that you have with people up there," Phil Bradshaw said. She ordinarily worked first class as it was a great fit for her friendly attitude, but on Flight 93 she was in economy as a late-addition to the flight.

As Sandy Bradshaw made an urgent call to her husband to tell him her flight had been hijacked, she began filling coffee pitchers with boiling hot water. A plan was brewing.
"Everyone's running to first class," Sandy Bradshaw told her husband. "I've got to go. Bye."

Instead of reaching its intended target in Washington, D.C., United Flight 93 crashed in an empty Pennsylvania field after passengers and crew tried to wrest control of the commercial jet from hijackers.

Sandy’s mother remembers her as a bubbly daughter who loved gardening and animals. She sees bits of that in Sandy’s children. Alexandria, 12 and a sixth-grader, loves animals. And Nathan, 10 and a fourth-grader, shares Sandy’s bubbly personality.

“I hate it that she’s not here to be a mother to them,” Waugh said.

Sandy Bradshaw would have turned 48 this June.

Sandy Bradshaw was the second-oldest of Waugh’s five children.

“It’s not easy losing a child. That’s the hardest loss I’ve had,” she said. “You have to cope and go on. You have to do what you have to do.”

“Maybe Sandy was chosen to do this job that day because she was a strong person and a fighter, and she could do what she had to do that day,” Waugh said.

Over the years she has visited the site in Pennsylvania for quiet contemplation.

2,996 people perished in the attacks on September 11, 2001. Each one has their own story. Some short, some long, some extraordinary, some ordinary. Each priceless and precious in their own way. Share their stories today, honor their lives. If you have a tribute to make, post it at the2996 Project.

God Bless the USA and God Bless the World.

Tribute to a Life: Brian Williams

2011-09-11T01:00:00.000-04:00

Brian Williams, age 29

“Brian was such a great guy, I don't think there was ever a time when there was not a smile on his face!”

The school honored his number 81 Friday night at their football game versus Boone County.

Columbia University recruited him for football. In New York, he acted as unofficial tourist bureau for visiting Kentuckians.

In September 2001, Brian Williams, 29, worked as a bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald, with the ultimate plan of returning to the Cincinnati area near his family's home in Edgewood.

As the Williams family got Brian's affairs in order, they also discovered that he'd been very generous to a number of charitable organizations in the New York area.

Some tributes from Legacy.com for Brian:

~ Jim Danneman

Brian will never be forgotten. “

-Mike Murray
San Antonio, TX

"I would like to know how he felt and how he was," Williams said.

“We ought to wake up to it every day,” Williams stated.

Out of respect for Brian’s father’s wishes, here is a video of footage from that day.

God Bless the USA and God Bless the World.

Tribute to a Life: Sandy Bradshaw

2011-09-11T00:56:00.000-04:00

Sandra Waugh Bradshaw

“I hate it that she’s not here to be a mother to them,” Waugh said.

Sandy Bradshaw would have turned 48 this June.

Sandy Bradshaw was the second-oldest of Waugh’s five children.

“It’s not easy losing a child. That’s the hardest loss I’ve had,” she said. “You have to cope and go on. You have to do what you have to do.”

“Maybe Sandy was chosen to do this job that day because she was a strong person and a fighter, and she could do what she had to do that day,” Waugh said.

Over the years she has visited the site in Pennsylvania for quiet contemplation.

God Bless the USA and God Bless the World.

Project 2,996 Needs Your Help

2011-09-03T16:47:00.000-04:00

Project 2,996 needs your help

this post is reposted from Evann at Homeschool Goodies. Thanks Evann for sharing the inspiration and the idea!

August 28th,2011

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Project 2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11 and your help is needed. The idea behind Project 2,996 is to remember each and every victim. Not only is this a great project for bloggers,it’s also a great assignment for older students.

I will be preparing two tributes this week, both for my blogpage. The first will be for Sandra Bradshaw, a flight attendant on Flight 93. We chose her since we had just been to Shanksville, PA to the Flight 93 memorial. The second will be for Brian Williams, a stockbroker in the World Trade Center. We chose him because his previous tribute had expired and he is from my hometown.

Here are some details from Project 2,996 to get you started:

On September 11,2001 almost 3,000 of the world’s citizens were brutally,and publicly,murdered. We all cried,and we all swore that we’d never forget. But a few years later I realized that I knew nothing about those people who were doing nothing more than living their lives. In 2006 I asked other bloggers if they thought it would be a good idea to take the time to learn about the victims and try to keep their individual memories alive. The response I got was overwhelming. And Project 2,996 is the result.

Victims with No Tributes
Through the first four years of Project 2,996,every victim has been assigned,and each name has received at least one online tribute. However,with the malleable nature of the internet,many of those tributes have disappeared.

The primary way to participate,and the best way to help,is to pick one of the names below. Then do some online research,and post a tribute to your own blog or website. In this way you will learn a little bit about one of the victims of 9/11,and you will help keep their memories alive.

Here is what you need to do to participate:
1. Check here. Near the bottom of the page are the people with no online tributes –pick one.
2. Write a new tribute. Be sure to send the URL of a page or permalink,instead of the main URL of your blog/site. (use the comment box to send in this info)
3. Keep your old tributes online. Remember,the goal is to get at least 1 for every name on the list.
4. Make sure the Current List includes your past tributes. It’s certainly possible that I’ll mark a link as dead,by accident. If I’m wrong,tell me!
5. On,9/11,make sure your tributes are on the front page of your site. But don’t change links you’ve already given me. Many participants,simply repost the same information in a new post.

6. Spread the word.

Project 2,996

Remembering and Paying tribute to the victims of 9-11
Our tributes:
Sandra W. Bradshaw, age 38

Brian Williams, age 30

Learning & Remembering: 9-11 lapbook

2011-09-03T08:31:00.000-04:00

Came across this blog post by His Mercy is New: Learning & Remembering: 9-11 lapbook:

I wanted to plan something for next week when we remember the 10th anniversary of this national tragedy. I will definitely be using (and sharing) her ideas.

Elizabeth Foss over at Real Learning also posted some great ideas and books that I have requested at the library. Unfortunately The Little Chapel that Stood is not in our system, but as Elizabeth mentions, you can read the book online here too!

The Importance of Teaching Creativity in Children (and Why Schools Do the Opposite)

2011-09-03T07:58:00.000-04:00

I came across this video from Paper Dali's blog. Thanks, Vee!

It is a funny, easy to watch but thought provoking talk by Sir Ken Robinson on the future of education and creativity for our children. Particularly to the point with school districts cutting art and music and gym as unnecessary expenses to education.

It looks a little dull, but really he is quite witty and added many chuckles to my morning. It also made me appreciate that even though all we did was history and art yesterday, my children's needs are still being met.

Our Homeschool Room 2011-2012

2011-08-08T21:33:00.000-04:00

aka I <3 EXPEDIT!

School Room and Work Table

Here is the room where we do school! It used to be our formal sitting room, but since no one formally sat in there and Mommy only used it to take naps during and after pregnancy, I figured we could turn it into a school room! So we spent most of last summer doing just that!

Rose's Shelf

Basically the room has become an EXPEDIT sanctuary. We started out moving furniture out and I found this first bookcase at Costco and thought, hey I could use that! So I did. And it was great at first, but as time went on and more and more books entered my already full-o-books house, I sent out a plea to other hs moms: HELP! What do I do with all of these BOOKS?!?

Thankfully, my fellow h/s mom Beth turned me on to Sue Patrick's Workbox system. I loved the workbox system because my kiddos knew how much work they had left in a day. They could work somewhat independently and I could schedule breaks, games, music practice, etc into our days. Then after endless googling, I found someone using the system with EXPEDITS and I was HOOKED! And once I found out I could buy the same shaped bookcase at IKEA for a lot less, I was set! So after aquiring 4 more EXPEDIT shelves of varying sizes, we were ready to go! In case you can't tell, I <3 EXPEDIT! My only complaint about the EXPEDIT is that I do not <3 the boxes and inserts IKEA sells and designs for the EXPEDITS. (And that IKEA discontinued the walnut finish before I had a chance to buy the desk attachment for my office, but that is a different room.)

So I had the shelves, I had a system, and I definitely had the books but I needed a way to organize the system into the shelves. I found super cute workbox tags from Mama Jenn and since they had pics, Magnolia can "read" her mini-schedule too! (I secretly hope eventually she will recognize these as sight words too!) We initially tried crates, but that just did not jive with my kiddos. I had a few of the plastic colored file boxes from the Target dollar bins, but not quite enough. Other folks had used the itso boxes from Target, but at $6 a box, and I could only find 2 at a time in the store that was way over-budget and over-hassled. I googled like crazy for boxes, and eventually settled on smaller white sorting boxes from Akro-Mills through Amazon. We used them all spring and they worked fairly well, but the workbooks did not fit great in the boxes so this year as the back to school stuff came out, I bought a few more of the file boxes at Target and now we are using a mix of the Akro-Mills and the file boxes. We do not have all our new boxes tagged and ready to go yet as I have to find more velcro tape!

ORGANIZATION

Mom's Shelf

So each of my girls has their own 4-5 squares in an EXPEDIT shelf. In those squares are their everyday boxes and books and additional literature books pre-screened by me to be appropriate reading level and maturity. There is one entire EXPEDIT that I use for my teachers guides, lesson plans, family read-alouds (so no one sneaks ahead) and teaching supplements. The bottom 4 boxes of that shelf also include cycle 2 related science books, art books, literature books and history books. The other 2 large EXPEDITS hold boxes for living history books from the library or home, math manipulatives and games, reference books, atlases and anthologies, practical art guides, and art supplies.

Daisy's Shelf

We also have a 4-square EXPEDIT that we use as our home altar with religion books and supplies in the boxes.

Home Altar

Magnolia does her work in this little corner either at the table (also from IKEA) or at the vintage desk given to us by our sweet neighbor.

Magnolia's Little Space

Finally, our school table is an awesome piece. It is of custom formica table that was my parent's kitchen table for years growing up! My favorite thing about it is just when I think we can't get it clean, a little SoftScrub and elbow grease and it is bright shining white again!

Random New Bulletin Board

So that is our space! I know how lucky we are to have a whole dedicated room to school! Can't wait to see what all of the other moms are doing with their spaces!

We are participating in the Heart of the Matter Blog Hop Check out the other great rooms here!

Melding Story of the World and Old World and America

2011-08-06T10:36:00.000-04:00

In choosing our curriculum last year, we really liked Story of the World, but as we got closer to the dawn of Christianity, I started looking for ways to incorporate more Catholic history into the program. When I came across Old World and America, by Fr. Furlong, it seemed like an easy way to get another perspective on history, one that we would especially appreciate this year when we do cycle 2.

So I put together this chart to add Old World and America to Story of the World vol. 1. I also added some chapters from Our Island Story by H.E. Marshall since it was recommended by the Mater Amabilis curriculum. This is not a Catholic text, but there is a nice explanation and teacher's notes on MA's site for how to use it and when to amend it here. If I ever come across Old World's Gifts to the New, by Sr. Mary Celeste, I will add it in, but so far i have not bought it. I also added in a column for supplemental books with a Catholic flavor and which Saints to cover during the time period studied. We are using individual saint books and Once Upon a Time Saints and More.

Either way, this is my first attempt at adding this all together. Let me know if there are any errors. We are finishing Cycle 1 right now, so I will not actually be testing this plan for 3 more years :), but I am working on finishing Cycle 2 and will post it as soon as it is finished.

If you add this to your blog, please credit my blog as your source. :)

Sotw and Owaa Chart

An Online Curriculum Sale Blog Hop

2011-08-05T18:47:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Jessica for sponsoring this blog hop!

I have a few miscellaneous things to sell. Some duplicates, some not going to use.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the books listed, please leave a comment with your email address and I will send you your total, with shipping, along with my PayPal info. (If you'd rather not leave your email address, you can email me directly at 5ohmulls(at)gmail(dot)com.

Shipping will be $3.50 for 1-2 items and $5.00 for 3 or more, to cover the cost of packaging and media rate in the continental U.S. If you end up ordering a lot of books, or you would like the books mailed elsewhere, I will get back to you with the actual shipping costs.

Thank you for taking a look, and be sure to check the link-up for even more online used book sales!

Religion Books
Eucharist Do this in Memory of Me by RCL Benzinger Sacarament Prep $1

Science Books
The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System HBWDJ $2

History Books
Favorite Greek Myths by Osborne PB $4

Thematic Unit for Medieval Times by Teacher Created Materials $3

Galen and the Gateway to Medicine $7

ART BOOKS
Scribble Art by Kohl PB $5

Mudworks by Kohl PB $5

Art with a Purpose Artpac 2 $4
Older edition

GEOGRAPHY BOOKS
Mapskills Level C Teachers Guide and Answer Key by Continental Press $1

HANDWRITING BOOKS
Handwriting Without Tears Cursive Teacher's Guide $5
older Pink edition for use with Cursive Handwriting and Cursive Success

ENGLISH BOOKS
Voyages in English 3 SET from Loyola Press but older edition $10 ppd
includes Teachers Edition HB
Student Edition HB
Test Booklet PB
Test Booklet Teacher's Edition PB

MISC
Great Yarns for the Close-knit Family (knitting patterns) $8

Our Curriculum 2011-2012

2011-08-05T00:12:00.001-04:00

Well my plan is now fairly complete and ready to go. (Which is good since we started school on Monday! Yes that is "started" not "start".) I found my biggest challenges last year were planning on the fly so my plan this year is pretty thorough, right down to having all my copies already made for the 1st Term. (more on our school year calendar later...) This year, I have a 4th grader, 3rd grader and Preschooler at home, so we are still primarily in the grammar stage. We use a history based classical cycle and we are in cycle 2 Middle Ages and Renaissance. In addition to using a classical method, we are also adding in Catholic Charlotte Mason resources from Mater Amabilis. Rose said last year that she "really only likes reading books" so I took that as my cue to investigate Charlotte Mason a little more! So this year there are LOTS of BOOKS!

HERE WE GO!

GROUP LESSONS
Most of our subjects we do together, at least for Rose (4th) and Daisy (3rd).
We start with PRAYER and a reading from the Saints for Young Reader for Every Day.
We do a quick fact test from Calculadder and a lesson from Handwriting without Tears. This year everyone will be doing Cursive for the first time. I am considering trying to teach Magnolia cursive first, but we'll see how that goes.

Next comes Math. We are using Saxon all the way through so Daisy is on Math 3 and Rose is on Saxon 5/4.   I would like to take a look at Teaching Textbooks some day as my girls don't particularly LOVE Saxon, but they are learning math and doing well at it so ... Also I was thinking of adding Life of Fred Fractions to Rose's reading this year, but that would come later. Magnolia will be doing typical montessori math but we are going to see what happens with Math Lessons for a Living Education from Queen Homeschool!

So after our mid morning snack (that never really happens because we took so long to get into the school room) we move onto All About Spelling. So we have tried CHC's spelling and loved the Catholic elements, but the girls were not really getting the spelling. Then we tried Writing Road to Reading and Starting a Spelling Notebook, but I found it hard and boring to implement. We then tried Sequential Spelling, which worked fairly well, but I have heard many good things about All About Spelling and since it follows more along with the Phonics rules, we will give it a try! If no luck, we will go back to Sequential Spelling! (Yes all of those tries were just last year.)

Our pre-lunch routine varies everyday, but here are the run downs:
Daily Geography - quick 30 second question every day on something geography related.
Latin - Prima Latina (disclaimer I am a classics major, so Latin is in my background, but I will be using the course DVD's just to give my kids a break from me :)
Religion - We will be using Faith and Life 3/4   respectively for our "religion spine." We will be doing the Holy Rosary Project in CHC's 3rd grade curriculum. We will also be using the living books recommended for religion by Mater Amabilis. These include:
Life of Our Lord for Children , First Christians by Marigold Hunt , The Way of the Cross A Story of Padre Pio , Way to Bethlehem, Life of Mary , My Path to Heaven ,

English/Grammar- Girls will be using Primary Language Lessons  and Intermediate Language Lessons  by Hillside for basic stand alone work. We have also decided to give Michael Clay Thompson a try and will be doing the Island series of books together this year! We will see how it goes. It is supposed to be a grammar, english, poetics, writing all in one. We tried another writing program last year, but Rose is very writing averse right now, so a less writing intensive year will be good for all of us.

Reading is an easy subject in our house because everyone loves to do it! We will read something different every day. On Mondays and Tuesdays we use our Catholic National Readers at the appropriate level. These are chock full of short stories rich with Catholic tradition, morality, virtues and values. On Wednesdays they have free reading time in a book of their choice. On Thursdays we read from Catholic Stories for Boys and Girls (and More) , Rare Catholic Stories and Little Apostle on Crutches and Fr. Brown Reader. On Fridays we are reading from an assigned book from the Mater Amabilis in the category of History, Geography, Classics or Saints.
They are as follows:
Both Girls: St. Patrick, St. Francis, A Sword in the Tree, Baby Island, Joan of Arc, and A Lion to Guard Us.
Daisy: 100 Dresses, Family Under the Bridge, Children of Noisy Village, Betsy-Tacy, Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, Leonardo and the Flying Boy.
Rose: Beorn the Proud, Swallows and Amazons, Paddle to the Sea, Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare, Son of Charlemagne Seabird, Brendan the Navigator, Pedro's Journal, Black Beauty, and The Whipping Boy.

SOOOO after all of that we get to eat LUNCH!!!!

After lunch we do specials or extras.

History is cycle 2 Middle Ages and Renaissance. Our spine is Story of the World vol. 2 with Old World and America tied in (a post will follow soon with how to match them up). I am using Paige's history plans from http://www.elementalscience.com/. We initially planned on trying Connect with History, but it seemed a little dry for me and the kids, so we went back to Story of the World, which they really enjoy and adding in Catholic supplementary books and Old World and America.

Science: This year we are using Paige's plans for Astronomy and Earth Science from Elemental Science. This is a first for us, but I love how Paige breaks everything down into a simple and easy plan. We will also be members of the Cincinnati Observatory Kids astronomy group to add a hands on element to the year!

Art: We are using Option 3 of Harmony Art Plans Grade 2 Middle Ages and Renaissance along with Artistic Pursuits Grades 1-3 Books 1 and 2. Love these plans and they are great for my very artsy Rose! The Harmony Arts Plan includes a plan for music appreciation that we will also be using this year!

Practical Music: The older girls are both taking piano lessons weekly and voice when available.

Family Read Alouds take place at night before bed. This year we will be featuring: Beowulf, Pollyanna, 21 Balloons, Arabian Nights, St. George and the Dragon, Knights of the Round Table, Adam of the Road, Castle Diary, The Door in the Wall, Robin Hood, Misty of Chincoteague, Kildee House, Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, Secret of the Andes.

Physical Education: Rose is trying volleyball this year and will do Ultimate Frisbee in the Fall and Spring. I would like her to do Girls on the Run, but need to find a group to join.
Daisy spends 9 hours in the gym training for gymnastics every week and will take part in the homeschool Ulitimate Frisbee team.
Magnolia is also busy with gymnastics and pre-ballet.

The girls also somehow find time for American Heritage Girls and our church youth group!

So there it is! A year in a nutshell. I will be adding more of my little's work as I decide what that will be :) It may be crazy, I may be crazy, but hoping to make it fun!!!

Oops I forgot, we are participating in Heart of the Matter Homeschool Curriculum Blog Hop, so check them out for more curriculum ideas!

Food for the Gods

2011-07-30T08:18:00.000-04:00

That is Greek food for the ancient Greek gods. During this year, we have really enjoyed ending our history units in certain areas with a dinner that included food from that time or area. As we finished up our Ancient Greece unit today we had a feast to expose everyone to some new Greek flavors and foods. Today’s menu was actually many things we would have eaten regularly at home, but the goal was to get them to connect the time period with the foods and flavors, the culture and the geographic area. So as the ancient Greeks might have been more likely to eat camel than chicken, chicken is what I had and what the kids will eat, so chicken is what we served. I see this as a very practical application of our history study.
There were some great sources online for ancient Greek food and lots of yummy looking recipes to try in the future! Metric measurements can get tricky, but there are online measurement conversion tools to use.
http://www.greek-recipe.com/static/ancient/index.html

Plus I have to mention this fabulous Greek food blog from SAM SOTIROPOULOS.

Loukoumades - Official doughnut of the ancient Greek Olympics

He has so many great recipes, tips and insights that I really enjoyed. Plus he has a whole set of ancient Greek recipes. Most of them I did not have the time or correct ingredients to make, but I will try them later. My favorites were the history of the Greek pancake: Tiganites and I really want to try the official ancient Olympic doughnut: Loukoumades. The great thing about his blog is that he serves up a healthy dose of history with his recipes!

So for our feast, we had the following:
Meze (appetizer) Honey Marinated Feta
From My Greek Recipes
This recipe for honey marinated feta cheese is 4000 years old and found engraved on old stone slabs at Crete. It comes from Aud Thorstad, who runs cooking classes in her home, a restored mill in the village of Hamalevri at Crete - check out Kretamat.
You need:
• 200 gram/7oz feta cheese
• 50 ml/2oz honey (Aud uses liquid Cretan honey, while I tried with honey from Thassos - and it worked well)
• Two table spoons olive oil
• One tea spoon thyme
• 100 ml/4oz walnuts
• Black olives
Mix the ingredients for the marinade. Add cubed feta cheese. Mix carefully and leave for at least half an hour.
Serve as meze.

Entrée: Marinated Grilled Chicken With White Wine, Garlic and Lemon (from Food.com and the June 2006 issue of Coup de Pouce)
with Orzo Pasta
Ingredients:
• 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lemon, juice and zest of
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon black olives, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 )

Yogurt and Garlic Sauce
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• salt and pepper

• 1 In a glass dish not too deep, mix all ingredients, except the chicken breasts and yogurt and garlic sauce. Add chicken breasts and flip to coat well. Cover the dish with a plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
• 2 Set the barbecue to medium-high heat. Put chicken breasts on a greased grill (keep the marinade), close the cover of barbecue and cook for about 7 minutes (baste the chicken breasts with the marinade a few times). Flip the chicken breasts and keep cooking for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is golden and not pink inside. Serve with yogurt and garlic sauce.
• 3 Yogurt and Garlic Sauce : In a bowl, mix yogurt with sour cream, parsley, garlic. Add salt and pepper. Cover and put in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Cook up some orzo pasta as a side!

Veggie: Briami (Roasted Greek Vegetables)
from Ultimate Guide to Greek Food
You could use any vegetable/herb combos, but this is what we did!
Ingredients
6 large tomatoes
3 medium potatoes, peeled
3 medium red onions, peeled
3 medium zucchini
2 sticks celery
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
120 - 150ml olive oil
salt, pepper
Preparation

Oil a large baking tray.
Thinly slice all the tomatoes and place half of them in a single layer on the bottom of the tray.
Cut the potatoes and onion into wedges.
Slice the celery into 2 or 3cm lengths.
Slice the zucchini lengthwise in half and then slice into 2 or 3cm lengths.
Add these vegetables on top of the tomatoes.
Place the other half of the sliced tomatoes on top.
Over the tomatoes, sprinkle the crushed garlic and chopped herbs.
Season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle the olive oil all over the top.
Place the baking tray, uncovered, in a hot oven and bake for about 40 minutes.
Remove the tray from the oven, stir the vegetables so they are all mixed well with the tomatoes and herbs.
Return to the oven and cook until the roasted vegetable are cooked.
This will depend on your oven, but allow approx 40 minutes to 1 hour.

Serve.

Ancient Honey and Sesame Fritters
NOTES
It is amazing how little this recipe has changed 1800 after. The Roman Physician Galinos (129 – 99 ac) describes in his book this sweet with many details.
Source:The Classical Cookbook, Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger.
Excelent source regarding Ancient Greek cuisine
Greek : Αρχαίες τηγανήτες με μέλι και σουσάμι
Serves / Yields : 4 persons
Season:All season
INGREDIENTS
• 120 gr flour
• 225 ml water
• 2 spoons honey
• Oil for frying
• 1 spoon (15 gr) baked sesame seeds
METHOD
Mix the flour, the water and one spoon of honey and make a dough. Heat 2 spoons oil in a frying pan and pour ¼ of the mixture. When it thickens turn it upside down 2 -3 times to fry it in both sides. Prepare 3 more fritters following the given instructions. Serve them hot, pour over the rest of the honey and dredge sesame seeds over them.

Dessert: Portokalia me Meli: Orange Honey Dessert
From Nancy Gaifyllia
In Greek: πορτοκάλια με μέλι, say: por-toh-KAHL-yah meh MEH-lee
Fresh fruit is a favorite Greek dessert, sweet snack, and a great addition to the breakfast table. It's delicious served alone, but you can dress it up with a drizzle of fabulous Greek honey. Whether you slice the oranges or separate them into pieces, this 1-2-3 recipe (one step, two ingredients, three minutes) adds a lovely touch.
Ingredients:
• oranges (or clementines)
• Greek thyme honey (or other honey of your choice)

.
• OPTIONAL
• ground cinnamon
Preparation:
Peel the oranges, break into pieces (or slice), arrange on a serving dish, and drizzle with honey.
Optionally, add a light sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
Done!

Kali Orexi! Bon Appetite!

Weekly Recap: Last Week of Summer!

2011-07-29T13:12:00.001-04:00

EEEK is it really the end of July??? Where did the summer go? It has been so hot during July, I feel like we have not spent enough time enjoying the outdoors. But we are scheduled to start our 2011-2012 school year on Monday, so as they say "The show must go on!"

This week we have attempted to finish our Ancient Greece unit. We spent a few days this summer catching up on the history we did not finish during the "school year". I must say I thought it would be smoother and we did get a lot accomplished, but I think I am realizing that at some point we must say, "It is finished, it is a job well-done even if it is not perfect and we did not cover EVERYTHING." And that is OK. Right? I mean we are going to cover this again 2 more times. So I am letting it go.... sort of... no really I am. ;)

We finished up our standardized testing this week and I learned it was not as daunting as I feared. Rose finished with hardly any complaints and quickly! Daisy did too for the most part, but she needs more breaks, so hers took a little longer. All seems to have gone well but I will not put them off this long next year. Especially since I now know what to expect. Math surely would have gone more smoothly if we did not take 7 weeks off before doing it. OH well, live and learn! Especially since I keep having to remind myself that it really doesn't count for anything.

Uncle Noah was in town to play baseball against the Dragons, so we visited with him and spent the afternoon at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery where the girls tested their puzzle skills at Mindbender Mansion. This traveling exhibit was both hands and bodies-on and very cool. In each "room" of the exhibit, there were puzzles to solve and when you solved them you earned a password to enter into the Mindbender Mansion vault. If the exhibit comes to your town, I highly recommend a visit. The favorite puzzle was a huge light up floor with trivia questions. you had to spell the answer by jumping on the right letters (like scrabble). I wish we had a disco floor at home to do spelling on! We also visited the planetarium for a presentation on the sky that night and the NOAA sphere for a lesson on global weather. It was our first visit to the Boonshoft and it was so much fun and we will be back!

We made it onto the Mindbender Mansion Wall of Fame!

The rest of the week we spent trying to maneuver the world of student-athletes and injuries with Daisy. She injured her back over a month ago and we are trying to get a more definite diagnosis. It is tricky when everyone giving advice seems to have their own agenda, but eventually it will all work out.

Homeschool Help: Saint Report Form

2011-07-29T12:23:00.000-04:00

I have been creating forms and pages to use for our homeschooling this year. I will be sharing these on my blog for anyone who wants to use them. The first is a saint report form. I will be adding more as I get them made!

My children will be adding saint reports to their curriculum this year, so I made this form to make it a little easier for them to hit the highlights! It is fashioned on the book report forms CHC uses in their 2nd grade curriculum.

If you add these to your blog, please credit my blog as your source. :)

Saint Report Form