Happy to be at Home http://happytobeathome.net Real Women Offering Real Encouragement Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:42:39 +0000 en hourly 1 Freebie Round U7/3p for http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-u73p-for/ http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-u73p-for/#comments Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:42:39 +0000 Niki DiSilvio http://happytobeathome.net/?p=4215 freebie roundup header Freebie Round U7/3p for

EVENTS

READING MATERIALS

HEALTH & BEAUTY

FOOD

PETS

BABIES & KIDS

MUSIC

COUPONS

]]> http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-u73p-for/feed/ Freebie Round-Up for 6/26 http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-up-for-626/ http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-up-for-626/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:55:22 +0000 Niki DiSilvio http://happytobeathome.net/?p=4214 freebie roundup header Freebie Round Up for 6/26

READING MATERIALS

HEALTH & BEAUTY

TEACHERS & HOMESCHOOLERS

HOME

BABIES & KIDS

MUSIC

COUPONS

]]> http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-up-for-626/feed/ Freebie Round-Up for 6/19 http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-up-for-619/ http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-up-for-619/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:28:11 +0000 Niki DiSilvio http://happytobeathome.net/?p=4213 freebie roundup header Freebie Round Up for 6/19

EVENTS

TEACHERS & HOMESCHOOLERS

READING MATERIALS

HEALTH & BEAUTY

BABIES & KIDS

MUSIC

FOOD

COUPONS

]]> http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-up-for-619/feed/ 13 Fresh Corn Recipes http://happytobeathome.net/13-fresh-corn-recipes/ http://happytobeathome.net/13-fresh-corn-recipes/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:50:57 +0000 Kate Miller http://happytobeathome.net/?p=4212 3momst13 13 Fresh Corn Recipes

Fresh corn is a favorite around our house. While we all love corn on the cob just as it is, I like using in other recipes throughout the summer too. Here are 13 great fresh corn recipes I’ve come across lately. I can’t wait to try them out with all the bountiful corn this summer.

  1. Mango Corn Salsa
  2. Argentine Locro
  3. Mayo Free Vegetable Slaw
  4. Sweet Fresh Corn Cake
  5. Avocado Corn Salsa
  6. Fresh Corn Salad
  7. Southwest Barley Salad
  8. Baked Fresh Corn and Jalapeno Dip
  9. Fresh Corn Risotto
  10. Sweet Corn Ice Cream (hmmm…)
  11. Kale and Corn Saute
  12. Sweet Corn Pancakes
  13. Sweet Corn and White Cheddar Souffle

Do you have a Thursday {Thirteen} post on your blog? Leave the link here in Mr. Linky or in the comments section so we can read what you have to say. Please link to your specific post, not to your homepage, and also include a link back to this post. Happy Thursday {Thirteen}!

]]> http://happytobeathome.net/13-fresh-corn-recipes/feed/ Freebie Round Up for 6/12 http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-up-for-612/ http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-up-for-612/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:11:54 +0000 Niki DiSilvio http://happytobeathome.net/?p=4211 freebie roundup header Freebie Round Up for 6/12

FREE EVENTS

HEALTH & BEAUTY

BABIES & KIDS

PETS

FOOD

HOME

READING MATERIALS

MUSIC

TEACHERS & HOMESCHOOLERS

COUPONS

]]> http://happytobeathome.net/freebie-round-up-for-612/feed/ Day Seven in Angie’s Kitchen http://happytobeathome.net/day-seven-in-angies-kitchen/ http://happytobeathome.net/day-seven-in-angies-kitchen/#comments Sun, 07 Jun 2009 04:26:47 +0000 The 3 Moms http://happytobeathome.net/?p=4207 Wow!  Here we are — the end of the week in my kitchen.  Thanks so much to Kate, Toni, and Joy for allowing me to share our week with all of you!  I hope that you might decide to stop by my blog, Many Little Blessings, or the homeschooling blog that I manage, The Homeschool Classroom, sometime.

I know that the weekend is a very busy time for everyone, especially a beautiful almost summer weekend.  So, let me just briefly share our dinner.  The entree for the meal was barbecued baby back ribs.  Oh my goodness — they were so good!  It was my first time preparing ribs.  I had always steered clear of them, even when they were on sale (like they were when I picked them up this time), but the cooking directions on the package sounded so easy.  And, indeed, it was easy!  What made it even better, though, was that my husband finished the ribs off on the grill.

day7 mlb Day Seven in Angies Kitchen

Along with our baby back ribs, we had pasta and vegetables, corn on the cob (Molly’s favorite), and mashed potatoes.  Of course, you’ll just have to forgive me that as soon as we had finished praying, Molly couldn’t get some of the ribs fast enough, and so I started giving her some of mine right away.  Of course, then I realized that I forgot to take a picture.  So, blame Molly for the missing food that you can see!

day7 mlb dessert1 Day Seven in Angies Kitchen

We had dessert with dinner, since we found strawberries on sale at the grocery store, as well as an angel food cake on managers special for just $1.25.  It seemed like it was meant to be (and it tasted like it too).  The only thing that will be better is when the strawberries in my garden start coming in a little more and I can make strawberry shortcake after a trip to the garden, instead of a trip to the grocery store.

Thank you again for letting me share my week with you!  It has been a fun challenge for me, and I hope that you have enjoyed it as well.

Angie @ Many Little Blessings

]]> http://happytobeathome.net/day-seven-in-angies-kitchen/feed/ Day Six in Angie’s Kitchen http://happytobeathome.net/day-six-in-angies-kitchen/ http://happytobeathome.net/day-six-in-angies-kitchen/#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2009 13:23:07 +0000 The 3 Moms http://happytobeathome.net/?p=4202 day6 mlb 300x226 Day Six in Angies KitchenIf you have been following along in my kitchen this week, it probably won’t surprise you that we had cereal again for breakfast today.  It’s always a quick and easy option, especially great for today, when I had to leave shortly after breakfast while my parents came to be with my kids.  While my parents were at home with the kids, my Mom was even kind enough to feed them lunch so that I didn’t have to walk in the door and make them lunch immediately.

Dinner tonight again came from Dream Dinners.  We normally wouldn’t have two dinners from them in the same week.  As a matter of fact, we usually don’t have any dinners from them in a week.  But, after going twice (one time making five meals and another time making six) in the last few months (after having not been for almost a year), I had the dinners building up in my freezer.  So, since it is getting close to the end of our fiscal month (based on my husband’s payday), I have been trying to use up some of the things that we have in the freezer.  Our dinner tonight was baked chicken tetrazzini.  Not as good as the calzones we had the other night from Dream Dinners, but still good.

Be sure to stop by the kitchen tomorrow for my last day — we’re going to be cooking out again!  (I think that the gas grill we got for my husband for Father’s Day last year has to be one of my favorite purchases ever!)

Until tomorrow…

Angie @ Many Little Blessings

]]> http://happytobeathome.net/day-six-in-angies-kitchen/feed/ Day 5 in Angie’s Kitchen http://happytobeathome.net/day-5-in-angies-kitchen/ http://happytobeathome.net/day-5-in-angies-kitchen/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:58:10 +0000 Toni http://happytobeathome.net/?p=4200 In my effort to keep it real this week, I have to admit that I don’t think I have any funny little background quips about our day. We kept so busy that I’m tired now and our day seems like a blur. So, forgive my cluelessness, but somehow, I suspect that instead of thinking, “What a flake,” most of you are probably thinking, “Oh yeah, I’ve had days like that.”

Breakfast was a rushed cereal. Everyone got their choice of the four different kinds that are in our cereal keepers, though the excitement of breakfast has become trying to balance your spoon on the edge of the bowl. I’m not particularly happy about this new adventure, and suspect I will be even less happy when it finally happens that someone accidentally flings cereal across the room.

day5 lunch MLB Day 5 in Angies Kitchen

For lunch, we had grilled cheese sandwiches. I know — more sandwiches. But, this was my first time with warm sandwiches this week. Each of the kids also had small bowls of chicken noodle soup (with funky princess shapes, which thrilled Molly, age 4 1/2). For dessert, the kids had chocolate pudding with whipped cream and sprinkles. I once had someone comment that I shouldn’t be adding whipped cream and sprinkles because it wasn’t like they needed encouragement to eat the pudding. But, since we are having sugar free pudding, and I don’t add a ton of whipped cream (Reddi Whip) or sprinkles, I figure it’s just a fun dessert. It’s one of those things that I hope when they are older and they think of pudding, they will remember the way their Mom always topped it with whipped cream and sprinkles.

day5 MLB Day 5 in Angies Kitchen

Hello pizza-licious goodness! Tonight, dinner was calzones that I made at Dream Dinners a couple of months ago. I don’t often go to Dream Dinners, but our local store is owned by someone I know, and I like being able to head there when I get a chance. Plus, since our location will sometimes have days where you don’t have to make as many meals as usual, that makes it possible in our budget. The calzone was super yummy! Of course, I now think that I’ll have to give it a try to just make my own calzone later.

See you tomorrow in my kitchen again!

Angie @ Many Little Blessings

]]> http://happytobeathome.net/day-5-in-angies-kitchen/feed/ Day Four in Angie’s Kitchen http://happytobeathome.net/day-four-in-angies-kitchen/ http://happytobeathome.net/day-four-in-angies-kitchen/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:52:12 +0000 The 3 Moms http://happytobeathome.net/?p=4194 After our busy kitchen day yesterday, we took it easy today.  Of course, we still kept busy around the house.  I have been desperately trying to organize the house, and so have been tackling one area of the house at a time.  I am thrilled to have finally finished my multi-day project of my daughter’s toys tonight!

Okay, so back to the kitchen talk…

For breakfast, we again had those yellow box waffles.  Poor, poor kids.  Except me, I had something else.  Something a whole lot more like leftover oatmeal cookies.  (There’s oatmeal in them, right?  Perfect for breakfast!)

Lunch found me deeply involved in my decluttering, and so when one of the kids said, “Can we have Pizza Rolls for lunch?” I said, “Well — why not?”  I think there might be something very wrong about serving the kids Pizza Rolls and organic yogurt.  But, they enjoyed it.  (I had some of our leftover fruit from last night as my side item.)

mlb day4 300x226 Day Four in Angies KitchenDinner was another quickie, with a dish that we have always called Gulash.  It’s just a box of elbow macaroni, a pound of browned ground beef, and three cans of tomato soup.  (My husband likes to sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, and so all of the kids have joined in too.)  My picky kids love it, and I figure if I’m using lower fat content ground beef, whole grain pasta, and low sodium tomato soup, then it can’t be entirely bad, right?  For whatever reason, it’s also a rule (since my childhood) to have bread and butter with it.  Of course, when I was a kid, we had very, very white bread.  But, now we have whole grain wheat bread.

Even with all of the changes though, eating this dish still reminds me of when my Mom was cooking for a house full of kids and we all ate dinner together just about every night.  Isn’t it funny how food can bring back so many memories?

Hopefully tomorrow’s meals will be a bit more inspiring.  But, then again, they may not be.  We’ll just have to wait and see, huh?

See you in the kitchen again tomorrow!

Angie @ Many Little Blessings

]]> http://happytobeathome.net/day-four-in-angies-kitchen/feed/ 13 Fabulous Online Homeschool Resources http://happytobeathome.net/13-fabulous-online-homeschool-resources/ http://happytobeathome.net/13-fabulous-online-homeschool-resources/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 03:59:05 +0000 Joy Miller http://happytobeathome.net/?p=4193 3momst13 13 Fabulous Online Homeschool Resources

Many homeschoolers are wrapping up their academic year; and although for the kids that means they aren’t thinking about schoolwork any more, for the moms that often means thinking about plans for the next school year. So even though school is out for many, I thought a list of online homeschool resources would still be helpful.

1. Homeschool Through Highschool: Loads of great information for homeschoolers, especially for those who plan to homeschool throughout the high school years.

2. WorksheetWorks.com: This free site is overflowing with incredible resources for homeschoolers. You can find worksheets (that you can customize) is math, English, geography, and a number of other subject. This is one of my favorite sites by far.

4. Ambleside Online: I’d heard of this site before, but I had never investigated it until now. Great free information (using the Charlotte Mason method) that you could use to prepare almost an entire curriculum.

5. Donna Young: Donna’s site is a staple for many homeschool families. She’s got a little bit of everything on this site, including drawing lessons that I really enjoy using with my kids.

6. Vocabulary Coach: Various word games and activities to help you learn over 4,000 vocabulary words. There are several different options to choose from and you also have the choice to view words according to difficulty.

7. An Old-Fashioned Education: A directory of free homeschool curricula, literature and text books organized for the use of homeschooling families. Full-text books, available for free online, are organized in an easy-to-use manner for homeschoolers.

8. Starfall: An excellent online learn-to-read program. It’s both well-organized and well-done.

9. The Math Worksheet Site: This site allows you to generate math worksheets in multiple levels of the math curriclum. There are many customizable features on each worksheet so you can tweak them to your needs, and since it’s a generator, you get a different worksheet every time you print one out. The free section of the site is great, but the subscriber section is even better; it’s well worth subscribing at the very low cost. You could even subscribe for a month and print out as much as you want.

10. Math Drills and Games: I like my kids to do some kind of math drill over the basic operations several times a week. But instead of boring written math drills each time, I often send them here to Sheppard Software. Most of the games are fast paced enough that it drills the facts quite well.

11. Education World: There’s just tons of stuff on this site. Some of the geography curriculum we’ve used I downloaded from this site: Where in the World is Mrs. Waffenschmidt and A-Z Geography. There are many helpful resources in every subject area at Education World, but sometimes you have to dig a little deep to find them.

12. Geography Games: Sheppard Software also has some fantastic geography quizzes disguised as games. The games are customizable and you can even do learning modes in all three categories: capitals, geography, and landscape. This is one of my favorite sites for online geography practice.

13. How Stuff Works: Does your child want to know how a refrigerator works? How about how toilets work? My kids have asked both of these questions, so we went to this site for the answers. HSW isn’t a boring site either, answering questions with just words; they usually have animations or videos to help get the point across, and they do a great job!

Do you have a Thursday {Thirteen} post on your blog? Leave the link here in Mr. Linky or in the comments section so we can read what you have to say. Please link to your specific post, not to your homepage, and also include a link back to this post. Happy Thursday {Thirteen}!

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