One Creative Housewife

tick tock

2012-02-23T15:29:00.000-05:00

I sit here, resting for a bit after taking the kids skating this afternoon, and I realize that it is nearly 3:30. Good gracious, where has the day gone? I know, for many people, 3:30 doesn't signal the winding-down of the day, but here it does... at least for me. My husband will be home in two hours. After that, it is dinner and family time. Tonight, actually, we're going to the library for

mashed potato pancakes

2012-02-16T11:23:00.003-05:00

One of these days, I'll get around to taking pictures of the food that I'm preparing again, but just recording the recipe will have to be good enough for now. When we were visiting my in-laws over Christmas, my husband's mother reintroduced me to an old concept. She reused days-old mashed potatoes to make breakfast one morning. I have a passing memory of my aunt doing the same thing one time

tha'r she blows

2012-02-15T09:40:00.003-05:00

About six weeks ago, I sat in my home marveling that my kids had not yet gotten sick this winter. Sure, I'd had a little something right before Christmas, but it passed quickly enough. I thought we'd dodged the bullet. I was smart, you see. As a direct result of homeschooling, we were going to be well this year. We were going to save money because we wouldn't have to go to the doctor. We

be mine, valentine

2012-02-14T08:51:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Do you have special plans for today? We're going to a homeschool Valentine's Party this afternoon and it is going to be so much fun! The kids made their valentines yesterday, for the first time ever. In past years, I've resorted to the box valentines because, with the public school schedule of 8 hours a day plus homework, who has the time? But, this year, we did! Each

change of heart

2012-02-13T09:23:00.003-05:00

Up until very recently, Katie had become reluctant to get her hair cut. She would wiggle and scream if I took her near a salon, and vehemently shake her head and insist that she didn't want "princess hair" at the very mention of a hair cut. Then, a couple of weeks ago, John finally convinced her to go with him for a trim. Once the time came to actually sit in the chair for a clippety-clip, we

cheesy vegetable soup

2012-02-10T22:30:00.000-05:00

It was a clean out your fridge kind of day. Remarkably, this soup tastes a lot like what we had at the Dixie Stampede a few years ago. Delish! 1 tbsp olive oil piece of an onion, diced Saute in the bottom of a stock pot Add: 8 cups of water 4 beef bouillon cubes salt pepper celery salt garlic powder parsley 1 pint canned cabbage (if you use fresh, just boil longer) 1/2 can of carrots Bring to

homeschool mother's journal

2012-02-10T11:22:00.000-05:00

For quite some time, I've seen posts labeled "homeschool mother's journal" linked around the blogosphere. I have been intrigued by these blog posts because I like the idea of simply recording the week's events, even when I feel like I have nothing revolutionary to share. I wouldn't have to be witty or original, just honest. I started my blog as a way to record the happenings in my life and

thrift store finds

2012-02-09T22:30:00.001-05:00

The Goodwill had been calling me for a few weeks. Primarily, because I wanted more canning jars and didn't want to pay retail for them. But, also because I like to fabric shop at the Goodwill. Fabric? You didn't know they had that? Why, the store is PACKED with it. In fact, I reckon that cloth makes up the better part of the stuff they take in as donations. You see, for small projects,

update

2012-02-09T13:24:00.000-05:00

Where has the time gone? This school year has been quite the ride, I tell ya. I didn't really believe it when I read that deschooling would take one month for every grade level that a previously public schooled child attended, double if he attended pre-K, but it was so true. So very true. Here I am, nearly a year after pulling Alex out of 4th grade to homeschool, and things have just recently

give me a break

2011-11-07T09:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Overprotective, Helicoptering, Asshole-of-a-Parent who is shooting me dirty looks across the McDonald's Playplace right now, Get over yourself. Really. Yes, I realize that your kid is precious. Mine are, too. I also realize, however, that my child is going to learn to overcome physical obstacles and further develop her gross motor and social skills from the manner in which she plays on

children at play

2011-11-04T16:06:00.000-04:00

I turned my children loose in the backyard one afternoon this week with no planned activities whatsoever. I didn't encourage them to do anything at all, nor discourage them from things that were safe (enough). Take a peek at what my son came up with. That's right. He took an old piece of lumber and a large log and made a see-saw. And then he made a balance beam. Aren't you thankful for lazy

holy cow, it's november!

2011-11-02T09:07:00.000-04:00

Okay, maybe the cow isn't really holy. How absurd! I guess that's the point of the phrase. I don't know. But, at any rate, it is November. Really and truly fall. Wow, time has flown... and yet, it hasn't. Isn't it funny how people say time flies? I guess it does. It hardly seems like three years since Katie was born. And, yet... we've done a lot in that time. A WHOLE lot. So, I think

disaster

2011-09-21T11:50:00.000-04:00

Homeschooling is looking like it was a really bad option. Really bad. As in, a complete disaster. My child hates me. He tells me daily. I have little time to spend with his sister. I am completely worn out, emotionally and physically, at the end of the day. I'm ready to throw in the towel. Nothing can be done with this child. Nothing. I am quite certain that he will wind up in a

raise my taxes, please

2011-07-21T09:11:00.000-04:00

As my mother was fond of telling me, "Money doesn't grow on trees." If you want to have a cash flow, you have to make money. It is that simple. If you want to spend money, you have to make it. Again, very simple. If you want to have roads on which to drive, you have to somehow pay for them. If you want to send your children to a public school, you must somehow pay for the teachers, books

hole in one

2011-07-20T10:18:00.000-04:00

These sinkholes with straight sides creep me out. I mean, a lot of things creep me out, but especially this strange sinkholes. Did you see the article on cnn.com today about the three foot wide, forty foot deep sinkhole that opened up under a lady's bed down there in Guatemala? Apparently, she and her grandkids were going about their day, having a hunky-dory time when, BOOM!, they heard a

the dark side

2011-07-13T08:19:00.000-04:00

There are mommy bloggers out there who are consistently peppy, and seem to pop from the pages. I am not one of those bloggers. Believe it or not, I am willing to admit that motherhood is not all rainbows and glittery unicorns. It is not always cheery and bright. Or, maybe it is and I'm just the oddball out. That could be, I guess. Don't get me wrong... I do love my children and my husband

to beat a dog

2011-06-30T08:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I heard my dogs barking in an unusually frantic way. Walking outside, I witnessed my neighbor reaching over the bordering fence and swatting at my dogs with a rolled up magazine. When is it okay to beat a stranger's dog? She claimed it was self-defense. I highly doubt that. Why would someone who is afraid of a "vicious" dog reach over a fence to smack at it? The more plausible

wanted: pen pals

2011-06-27T10:11:00.000-04:00

When I was in elementary school, I remember participating in a pen pal program at my school. Somehow, our class was matched up with another class in another part of the country and we wrote letters to one another once in awhile. Of course, this was before Virginia's Standards of Learning set in and teachers were then allowed to spend more than ten total minutes on teaching children how to

redefining normal... again

2011-06-27T09:36:00.000-04:00

It's been one hell of a ride these past three weeks. I knew I'd be busy, but WOW! How busy I was! John went out of town for a week, right in the midst of the chaos of day camp preparations. Then came camp, where we had a HUGE increase in the amount of campers from last year, and not quite enough staff to fully manage all the boys. We got by... Then, we took a group of Scouts on a hike the

cleaning up with room roulette

2011-06-08T18:34:00.000-04:00

School's out and the kids are home. Or, the kids are always home and the schedule has flown the coop. Or, you never had a schedule. You know, whatever. At any rate, I find that it is harder to motivate the kids to help me with household chores when the weather is nice. When the grumbles are loud and the cleaning list is long, this is what I do. Room Roulette Materials Needed: Ipod, radio,

free day

2011-06-07T09:20:00.000-04:00

Though they don't yet know it, today is the type of day in which the kids will get exactly what they want. Cookies for breakfast? Sure! Ice cream for lunch? Go ahead! After posting last night about my crazy-busy week and all the stuff that I have to get done in the next five minutes, I went to bed. Then, I woke up. At four in the morning. With a raging sore throat. With so much gunk in

so, it's been awhile...

2011-06-06T22:18:00.000-04:00

I just realized I haven't posted anything at all during the month of June. Yikes! Here's the deal: I'm the director of this Cub Scout Day Camp that starts next week. I'm kinda flipping out over here. I don't have nearly enough hours or enough energy in a day. My to-do list is growing, rather than shrinking, and I don't see how I'll possibly get it all done. But, shhhh! Don't tell my staff

dark chocolate preacher cookies

2011-05-31T08:21:00.000-04:00

This recipe is loosely adapted from a church cookbook that I found at my mother in law's home over the weekend. While we were visiting, most of the family was outside building a massive wooden swing set/ fort thingy. However, I was stuck inside during Katie's naptime and grew bored quickly. What else was there to do, but to bake? source Ingredients: 2 cups sugar 3 heaping tablespoons dark

upon a grassy knoll

2011-05-26T13:00:00.001-04:00

Sometimes you take a photograph and you just love it. We went to Fishburn Park this week to slide, swing, splash, play, and meander through the woods. Fishburn really is my favorite park in the Roanoke Valley. Though you have to park at the top of a hill and walk down to the play area, thereby necessitating a walk back up the hill. The children had the best time playing in the stream before

the year is done

2011-05-26T09:59:00.000-04:00

Today is the last day of fourth grade. Fourth grade. What a year this has been! Starting off in public school, but finishing in homeschool, we've traveled a rough path this year. As Alex sits in the kitchen, completing his standardized testing, I can't help but feel a little sad. I'm confident in our decision to remove him from public school. He's happier now. Things are going well, now