Yummy Red Cabbage Salad
1/2 red cabbage, sliced thin
1 red onion
little bit of salt
1/4 cup (up to a half) red wine vinegar
heat the vinegar with the salt in a pan. add onions. when they are a bit softer add the cabbage. wilt a little then refridgerate. Tastes great the next day.
Haven't done the phe or protein, but it is very low. Enjoy!!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Chickens ordered!!
Things I did today:
-handed off more seedlings to Mom
-chickens ordered (more later)
-planted in the front yard
Seedlings:
I am terrible at consistantly watering gardens. I don't know how many poor little plants have died at my hands. In Southern Arizona, you just have to water everyday or more!! This year my Mom and I worked out a deal. I would grow the seedlings and she would be finish them off. Hopefully next year my garden beds will be ready for some planting at my own house. Maybe I will be better at remembering to water too.
Chickens:
I have been wanting chickens for two years and have finally had them ordered. They are from Murray McMurray Hatchery and will be shipped the first week of June.
The minimum order is 25 chicks. Living in the county, I am allowed that many, but geez...what would I do with 25 chickens?? I talked to a local organic farmer that sells organic eggs and was able to add a few chicks to his order. He was so nice to answer my questions. If you are in North Tucson, head to ourgardencatalina.com. They are super friendly and sell organic fruit, veggies, and the above mentioned eggs!
Okay, so I ordered 2 each of Ameraurcanas (Easter Eggers),
Silver Laced Wyandottes,
and Cuckoo Marans. They will only be a few days old when I get them. I am super excited, hubby..not so much. **pictures from mcmurrayhatchery.com
I have a few things to do before they get here. I need to build the coop, get supplies, and train the dog. I'm not sure yet how to do the latter, but I will research. The coop will (hopefully) be an easy weekend project with the help of my hubby.
I decided to use a chicken tractor setup to help with composting and digging up future garden beds.
Front Yard:
I brought home some succulants (Aptenia cordifolia or Ice Plant) from Mom's house. They are over-running her garden. I decided to plant them in the little planter under the front window of the house. This planter gets absolutely no sun. I am hoping that the plants love it there. They were free and you can't beat that.
I had some leftover flowers from a planting project with my little Daisy scouts (asters and marigolds). I also planted a Gerbera daisy that I got as a gift. Then I decided to plant some herbs and veggies (zucchini, gooseberry, cumin, chives,and basil). The ground was just soooo much better in the front yard then the back that I just did it as an experiment. I took pictures and will post those soon. I will be interested to see how it looks once everything fills in (that is if I can remember to water).
Hubby that I was bonkers for planting veggies and herbs in the front yard. I got the disbelieving stare with the "in the front yard?" question. Yes, in the front yard. We don't have a lawn or anything else out there, well, except the palm trees and China berry trees I loathe!
Anyway, pretty productive day. Now it's time to read, The Neverending Story (that is really neverending!). Optimus seems to like it. Tink just plays and interupts.
-handed off more seedlings to Mom
-chickens ordered (more later)
-planted in the front yard
Seedlings:
I am terrible at consistantly watering gardens. I don't know how many poor little plants have died at my hands. In Southern Arizona, you just have to water everyday or more!! This year my Mom and I worked out a deal. I would grow the seedlings and she would be finish them off. Hopefully next year my garden beds will be ready for some planting at my own house. Maybe I will be better at remembering to water too.
Chickens:
I have been wanting chickens for two years and have finally had them ordered. They are from Murray McMurray Hatchery and will be shipped the first week of June.
The minimum order is 25 chicks. Living in the county, I am allowed that many, but geez...what would I do with 25 chickens?? I talked to a local organic farmer that sells organic eggs and was able to add a few chicks to his order. He was so nice to answer my questions. If you are in North Tucson, head to ourgardencatalina.com. They are super friendly and sell organic fruit, veggies, and the above mentioned eggs!
I have a few things to do before they get here. I need to build the coop, get supplies, and train the dog. I'm not sure yet how to do the latter, but I will research. The coop will (hopefully) be an easy weekend project with the help of my hubby.
I decided to use a chicken tractor setup to help with composting and digging up future garden beds.
Front Yard:
I had some leftover flowers from a planting project with my little Daisy scouts (asters and marigolds). I also planted a Gerbera daisy that I got as a gift. Then I decided to plant some herbs and veggies (zucchini, gooseberry, cumin, chives,and basil). The ground was just soooo much better in the front yard then the back that I just did it as an experiment. I took pictures and will post those soon. I will be interested to see how it looks once everything fills in (that is if I can remember to water).
Hubby that I was bonkers for planting veggies and herbs in the front yard. I got the disbelieving stare with the "in the front yard?" question. Yes, in the front yard. We don't have a lawn or anything else out there, well, except the palm trees and China berry trees I loathe!
Anyway, pretty productive day. Now it's time to read, The Neverending Story (that is really neverending!). Optimus seems to like it. Tink just plays and interupts.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Heart Of the Matter Online Conference
I am currently attending the Heart of the Matter Online's Homeschool Refresher Conference. This is the last day!
How you may ask, am I able to listen to these wonderful lectures for 4-5 hours? I have an amazing husband, of course! He has been riding herd on the kids while I take notes and read handouts. I am so greatful that he has allowed me this time. I have needed it in a big way. Sometimes, you do get burnout as a SAHM and Homeschooler! Sometimes, you get in a rut. Sometimes, you just need to take some time to "refresh" yourself with like minded people! That is what this conference has helped me to do.
About the Conference:
You can go to the website at www.heartofthematteronline.com
The website will tell you all about the speakers and prices. I paid under 13 bucks to have the 4-5 hours of lectures over 4 days. There were some "handouts" (really pdfs that go with the lectures). I will also be able to download mp3s of each of the lectures.
Last year I copied the mp3s on a disc and put it along with all my notes and handouts into a folder.
**There will be the major conference in August. This has tons of freebies, more speakers, handouts, mp3s and giveaways. I would recommend that you take advantage of this wonderful conference.
For the Seculars....
This is a Christian conference. Not all of the speakers talk about religion and bringing God into homeschooling, but each lecture starts with prayer.Some of the speakers have ministries and you must keep this in mind.
Last year's conference, I found out about Workboxes!
This conference, I learned about some wonderful science curriculum, teaching kids with short attention spans (and special needs), and some super higher education resources.
Anyway, look into it for August!
-Michele
How you may ask, am I able to listen to these wonderful lectures for 4-5 hours? I have an amazing husband, of course! He has been riding herd on the kids while I take notes and read handouts. I am so greatful that he has allowed me this time. I have needed it in a big way. Sometimes, you do get burnout as a SAHM and Homeschooler! Sometimes, you get in a rut. Sometimes, you just need to take some time to "refresh" yourself with like minded people! That is what this conference has helped me to do.
About the Conference:
You can go to the website at www.heartofthematteronline.com
The website will tell you all about the speakers and prices. I paid under 13 bucks to have the 4-5 hours of lectures over 4 days. There were some "handouts" (really pdfs that go with the lectures). I will also be able to download mp3s of each of the lectures.
Last year I copied the mp3s on a disc and put it along with all my notes and handouts into a folder.
**There will be the major conference in August. This has tons of freebies, more speakers, handouts, mp3s and giveaways. I would recommend that you take advantage of this wonderful conference.
For the Seculars....
This is a Christian conference. Not all of the speakers talk about religion and bringing God into homeschooling, but each lecture starts with prayer.Some of the speakers have ministries and you must keep this in mind.
Last year's conference, I found out about Workboxes!
This conference, I learned about some wonderful science curriculum, teaching kids with short attention spans (and special needs), and some super higher education resources.
Anyway, look into it for August!
-Michele
Friday, November 27, 2009
Taking Spiderwick Chronicles a step further
Hello All,
We are in the midst of Spiderwick mania here. I am putting together a "field guide" and have some ideas for some other cool things.
Is anyone out there currently craving all things Spiderwick that would like to toss some ideas back and forth and perhaps share?
I have this idea about sending my kids "real" letters from a fellow "scientist" that includes different items that the kids can put in their field guides (like a feather that came from a griffin and scales from a dragon).
anyway please email me!
-Michele
UPDATE:
I created a Lens for this with my other ideas. http://www.squidoo.com/Spiderwick-Chronicles-Mania
We are in the midst of Spiderwick mania here. I am putting together a "field guide" and have some ideas for some other cool things.
Is anyone out there currently craving all things Spiderwick that would like to toss some ideas back and forth and perhaps share?
I have this idea about sending my kids "real" letters from a fellow "scientist" that includes different items that the kids can put in their field guides (like a feather that came from a griffin and scales from a dragon).
anyway please email me!
-Michele
UPDATE:
I created a Lens for this with my other ideas. http://www.squidoo.com/Spiderwick-Chronicles-Mania
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Confessions of an eclectic homeschooler..
Okay, I admit it. I am not the faithful type where homeschooling methods are concerned. I take bits and pieces from ANYTHING I think will be fun and engaging for the kids. This has lead me to tweak my homeschool approach a few times a year. Now, this definitely has pros and cons.
The best thing about learning so many different homeschooling methods and using them is that you really can “tailor” your child’s education to suit their learning styles, needs, and interests. I started with a mix of What Your _ Needs To Know books and Classical. My child did not thrive with the classical aspects of this arrangement. I agree that you should read unabridged classic literature, but most of the books in the outlines I saw at the time were so beyond his comprehension level that I spent more time explaining the text than reading.
When the WYNK/Classical education mix didn’t work I moved on. The next hybrid was WYNK series as a spine and a bit of Charlotte Mason. This worked well for us. Although, I still don’t adhere to them as a whole. It is kind of like me trying to use a recipe. For the life of me, I can not use one. I ALWAYS tweak the recipe! Hmm, I guess homeschooling is not the only area in my life I do this. Anyway, I love the WYNK series because it gives you a definite, “this is what _ graders should know”. I really needed this the first few years of homeschooling. Those books gave me a way to make sure that I covered all the topics “needed” for his grade. They also gave me a cheap way to get tons of subjects in one easy to use book. I think this will be the last year I will use the books (although I will still use the free lesson plans at www.coreknowledge.org ). I have the Core Knowledge Sequence which has an outline for each year to grade 8 and will use that instead.
The problem with researching so many different methods is second guessing yourself. This may not be a problem for some, but I find that I have issues with it. I research something and then think I am not doing everything I can or everything that my kids need. This becomes very stressful in trying to decide the “correct” course of action. Fortunately, I seem to have outgrown this. Yeah!
The future of homeschooling in our house is still unknown. My husband is not convinced in the “long haul”, so we have agreed to take it year by year. I do know that if I am still homeschooling in the next few years, I will be slipping in more of the Well Trained Mind concepts. Not as a whole (because it seems to intense to me), but mixed with Charlotte Mason, WYNK, workboxes, lapbooks, and anything else I pick up on the way.
Happy Homeschooling!
Michele
The best thing about learning so many different homeschooling methods and using them is that you really can “tailor” your child’s education to suit their learning styles, needs, and interests. I started with a mix of What Your _ Needs To Know books and Classical. My child did not thrive with the classical aspects of this arrangement. I agree that you should read unabridged classic literature, but most of the books in the outlines I saw at the time were so beyond his comprehension level that I spent more time explaining the text than reading.
When the WYNK/Classical education mix didn’t work I moved on. The next hybrid was WYNK series as a spine and a bit of Charlotte Mason. This worked well for us. Although, I still don’t adhere to them as a whole. It is kind of like me trying to use a recipe. For the life of me, I can not use one. I ALWAYS tweak the recipe! Hmm, I guess homeschooling is not the only area in my life I do this. Anyway, I love the WYNK series because it gives you a definite, “this is what _ graders should know”. I really needed this the first few years of homeschooling. Those books gave me a way to make sure that I covered all the topics “needed” for his grade. They also gave me a cheap way to get tons of subjects in one easy to use book. I think this will be the last year I will use the books (although I will still use the free lesson plans at www.coreknowledge.org ). I have the Core Knowledge Sequence which has an outline for each year to grade 8 and will use that instead.
The problem with researching so many different methods is second guessing yourself. This may not be a problem for some, but I find that I have issues with it. I research something and then think I am not doing everything I can or everything that my kids need. This becomes very stressful in trying to decide the “correct” course of action. Fortunately, I seem to have outgrown this. Yeah!
The future of homeschooling in our house is still unknown. My husband is not convinced in the “long haul”, so we have agreed to take it year by year. I do know that if I am still homeschooling in the next few years, I will be slipping in more of the Well Trained Mind concepts. Not as a whole (because it seems to intense to me), but mixed with Charlotte Mason, WYNK, workboxes, lapbooks, and anything else I pick up on the way.
Happy Homeschooling!
Michele
Workboxing with Charlotte Mason?
As my little princess approaches (Gasp!) kindergarten age, I am reveiwing my teaching techniques and rethinking things. I made mistakes with my son, as he was the homeschool guinea pig. Many of the teaching methods I used with him just will not fit with my attention span deprived daughter. My son would give me a solid 10-15 minutes of focus at her age. I am lucky to get her for 5 minutes.
So, I am wondering if anyone has had success with workboxes and Charlotte Mason Education?
I love a lot of Charlotte Mason's views and methods. I see Charlotte Mason education like the difference between gentling a horse rather than breaking it. CM's focus was on getting children to love learning, asking questions, and the avoidence of "spoon feeding" information.
Any thoughts on workboxes, Charlotte Mason, and combining the two would be most helpful. I will also post what I find and how I will impliment it.
Cheers!
Michele
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Support the Troops!
Take some time out to do this!!!!
Xerox will print out a card you draft and send it to a serviceperson. It's FREE and only takes a moment.
www.letssaythanks.com
Xerox will print out a card you draft and send it to a serviceperson. It's FREE and only takes a moment.
www.letssaythanks.com
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