tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82372759880809528812024-03-18T20:01:34.333-07:00Our Little Bit of HeavenLinsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-55610965135606951812014-11-13T11:26:00.002-08:002016-03-14T19:48:13.801-07:00From public school to home school, the struggle with freedom...It's been a whirlwind of epic proportions. So much craziness in to me what feels like such little time, yet it's been almost a year. Wow time flies. <br />
<br />
So, the catch up... End of last school year (about mid March/April) We decided that I would homeschool Cole along with Alec. We came to the decision for very different reasons than we did for Alec. Cole has never really struggled with school, he has always done great, always been on honor roll, etc. It was just so many changes that started coming down the drain (no pun intended) did not make us very happy. We had already begun to see common core creeping into the curriculum here, add to that the ridiculous STARR testing (previously known as TAKS) and almost equally ridiculous changes the district was implementing we felt it was time to give him a better education. So we quietly finished out the school year and when we received the district's attendance questionnaire, ("Will you continue to attend this particular school, another in the district or do you have other plans?") we checked "other plans" and in the blank space wrote "homeschool". So the journey of Cole, the homeschooler began. :) <br />
<br />
So far it's been good. He is doing great with math (as I knew he would because he loves math) <br />
He started a little behind on English and Science, but I got him pretty well caught up over the summer in preparation for the fall. But poor Cole, some days he reminds me a little of Brooks from Shawshank Redemption. The first few weeks of school it was confusing for him. "I don't have to ask permission to go to the bathroom?" "I can have a snack at the table while I do my school work?" The one that really spun his head was the fact that <u>he</u> gets to choose which subject <u>he</u> wants to work on & when. Completely tripped him up. In hindsight (more than a month later) I realized that I needed to start out structured with him, then gradually taper off; giving him freedom in small doses. We of course have the issues when I am at work not as much school work gets done. Same issue I had with the oldest when he first started out. Self control is another big part of our homeschool routine. It is SOOOO easy to just park yourself in front of the TV, or read comic books all day instead of doing your school work first. So Cole's first year, (as Alec's was as well) is going to have a lot of "eat your frog" reminders, lots of evenings and weekends with no tv or video games. I have no doubt in my mind he will "get it" and begin to succeed in that respect. He is jogging along now, once he "gets it" I know he will be at a full gallop absorbing knowledge as fast as his brain can take it. (Un-like Brooks, but we won't go there)<br />
<br />
One of the first science experiments he did was creating a Non-Newtonian substance. What is a Non-Newtonian substance you ask? Well it is a solid with out shape. (also known as an <b>amorphous solid</b>. How do you create an amorphous solid? Well get yourself a big baking pan, pour in about a pound of cornstarch and slowly add water, stirring with your hands until it is the consistency of honey. It will be drippy and run through your fingers when you hold it in your hand. It is so much fun to play with. as you can tell.... <br />
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you can see another example of what we did <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2aB3nCmIII" target="_blank">here ,</a> just on a larger scale. :D We love the Myth Busters. <br />
<br />
So, here is our curriculum run down for the year, this is all the stuff we love...<br />
<br />
<b>Alec:</b><br />
<u>Teaching Textbooks Alegbra 1</u>: yes ALGEBRA. He is using the disks this year (since we bought a new computer!) and is doing fantastic. I can't believe my son, who struggled with math for so long is LOVING algebra. Clearly he is not my son ;)<br />
<br />
<u>Apologia Physical Science:</u> Even tho we are secular homeschoolers we love Apologia's science curriculum. It's comprehensive and explains things pretty thoroughly. Any gaps we fill with Bill Nye videos, etc. I like that it does talk about evolution (tho it is creation based). It is by far the best and most affordable option we have found. And his text book in particular I paid only $4, used but in really good condition from Half Priced books. So lesson here, check the homeschooling/education section of your local Half Priced Books. They have amazing deals! Got the teacher's edition off Amazon (used as well) for less than $10 including shipping. <br />
<br />
<u>Houghton Mifflin American Government:</u> Now even tho we are secular homeschoolers, we DO NOT common core our kids. Most secular curriculums out there now days (the new ones anyway) are common core. So I picked up an older version of this on Amazon (copyright 2000), both the student textbook and teacher's guide were less than $20 including shipping (used of course).<br />
<br />
<u>Literature:</u> As usual I do the literature myself. We make a list of books to read for the year, and I search the internet for study guides, or unit studies on them. If there is none, I write my own. So far this year he has read "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. Currently all 3 of us are reading "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. Also on this year's list is: Fahrenheit 451& True Grit. We also will do poetry studies throughout the year (Edgar Allen Poe we always do around Halloween). <a href="http://www.neabigread.org/">http://www.neabigread.org/</a> is a great website for finding reading guides. They don't have every book, but that is usually the first place I look when we start compiling our reading list for the year. (good for older kids, not so much for younger readers)<br />
<br />
We still struggle to find a good grammar program. We tried the Easy Grammar multiple times (I just don't understand what all the fuss is about with it) I have Jensen's in my online shopping cart, I just need to give it a try I know. I think grammar curriculums is probably what we have spent the most money on because we are having trouble finding one that fits. <br />
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<br />
Cole:<br />
<br />
<u>Teaching Textbooks Math 6:</u> So far it's working ok. I think it is probably a little slower paced than Cole would prefer. We'll try this for the first year and see how we end up in May. If anyone has a suggestion for a little faster paced curriculum I am all ears. <br />
<br />
<u>Apologia General Science:</u> It was a little above is grade level, but we started with the Young Explorer series and it felt too young for him. So we are taking our time with this, if we take 2 years to get through it I'm ok with it. So far he seems to like it. <br />
<br />
<u>Houghton Mifflin United States History:</u> Again I found an older (pre-common core) version on Amazon, less than $30 including shipping for both the Teacher's edition and student text. The awesome thing is that the teacher's edition included a whole bunch of re-produceables, including flash cards for the vocab, all organized by chapter and section number! I just photo copied them on colored cardstock, laminated them and cut them out. EASY!!! (especially since for all the other subjects' vocabulary I type up the cards myself using the Avery app. that is time consuming but I can usually get it done while I catch up on my shows)<br />
<br />
<u>Literature:</u> So far he has read "The Jungle Book", currently reading "The Giver" and on his list for the rest of the year is Watership Down, and Tuck Everlasting. I have found reading guides for all of them for free online, just google search and pick what looks good to you. There are TONS. We also are doing little poetry units. Just finished one on Haiku poetry. Cole wrote a haiku about our chickens, then for art we learned origami and he made an origami chicken. <br />
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<br />
<u>The Grammar Ace:</u> We are using for grammar, along with the School House Rock DVD that was suggested by Sonlight. We are iffy on it. We really don't use the DVD too much, he gets the lessons pretty well on his own with out it. <br />
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<br />
So there is the nutshell, so far. Today, with the wind chill, we are below freezing. Winter is coming early to Texas this year. I gotta go run and grab firewood before it starts getting colder. Dinner tonight may be stew. The one think I LOVE about cold weather, time to start making stews, chili, sauerbraten, crockpot oat meal, all the hearty cold weather food. yum yum...Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-23831309929333741892014-03-18T19:54:00.000-07:002014-03-18T19:54:10.128-07:00The first weekFirst week of school...<br />
<br />
Poor Alec, who literally has not been sick since we started homeschooling (one of the many benefits!) started with a stuffy nose Sunday night and by Monday mid-morning had a full blown head cold. Poor guy!<br />
And it rained like crazy almost all day, and since I was working and Alec was sick poor Cole had to walk home from the bus stop in the rain. Apparently he was completely soaked from head to toe. Including his back pack and all that it contained. (EEK!) Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-56679026601546175952013-08-22T12:57:00.000-07:002016-03-14T19:50:02.868-07:00A new startA new school year is upon us! It is the Thursday before school
starts, officially for the public school kids around us and really for
us as well since we tend to follow the district's calender.<br />
The
last few weeks have been exciting in our household. Boxes have been
arriving filled with books and other sorts of things. I love that Alec
is getting excited about school. (that never used to happen) Yesterday
was a particularly exciting day for everyone because this arrived:<br />
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If
you are in the market for a microscope for your home school, this is a
great one! Super heavy, sturdy construction. Reminds me of the
microscopes we used in high school science class. Inside of 30 minutes
from opening the box I had it all set up and we were looking at the prepared slides that it came with. First up was the honey bee mouth
parts, very interesting (and a little creepy), then intestines and parts of a stem and leaf. All so very interesting. <br />
<br />
Today I
am working on our lesson plans for the first few weeks of school. We are
using a new science and grammar curriculum this year. (still on my
quest for a grammar program!) We are really excited about the science
program. I purchased Apologia from Sonlight.com so we'll see how it
goes. Alec did good last year, we learned about the periodic table of
elements. We used <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elements-And-The-Periodic-Table/dp/B000F8QWI6/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1377200256&sr=8-16&keywords=elements+and+the+periodic+table" target="_blank">"Elements & The Periodic Table, What things are made of"</a>
As well as some flash cards I purchased from an Usborne rep. by Basher
Science, and of course we watched Bill Nye videos as well. He created
his own giant periodic table of elements (drew pictures to represent
each element) and an element discovery time line. <br />
<br />
So
that is all for today. It's time to get Cole ready for meet the teacher
night at his school and TKD right after. Enjoy the last weekend before
school everyone!Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-42761293802772588722012-06-05T12:58:00.002-07:002012-06-05T12:58:12.672-07:00Celebrity Sighting, gem mining and garden planning 2012First I am just BURSTING with excitement! Friday Maureen McCormick had lunch in my restaurant! (AKA Marcia Brady!!) I grew up watching her on The Brady Bunch of course. I LOVED that show! She was just the nicest sweetest person! Loved everything I made for her. This is her second time coming in (the last time she came in on my day off). It was a thrill.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago I took the boys on a field trip to the <a href="http://www.myinnerspacecavern.com/home.php">Innerspace Caverns</a> just north of Austin.<br />
They were having a homeschool special day so we got discounts on the tour, gem mining etc. The boys had a fantastic time! They learned so much! I just wish we were studying geology but this came up after we had already started on the animal kingdom section.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvBp7mECMX8XcwkMpU12gWwO9qevRlgVHywg1_B7PrmxTzoJ_SZUrDlOHZPN452EHbNvL1ZJZsoT4MNBylbjFdFlhfD6bhMia-utLIgCn4kEfe8-9ONo0J8wKqZZXCKU7uo_nq9xGjUk/s1600/DSC_0027.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716255294359594210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvBp7mECMX8XcwkMpU12gWwO9qevRlgVHywg1_B7PrmxTzoJ_SZUrDlOHZPN452EHbNvL1ZJZsoT4MNBylbjFdFlhfD6bhMia-utLIgCn4kEfe8-9ONo0J8wKqZZXCKU7uo_nq9xGjUk/s320/DSC_0027.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>The boys touching the 1 rock in the cave you are allowed to touch.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcuNiGCOSkSWdNClsMgEOa5DhQyHtyBVhL1-0DjKlGyJ5OEetH3nEGebY8y6CqQpBLIcUjrfstnwZrCMjhdtI5UnUI3ch63-ZImHuizomRKgyj_Natnhvt11zV5k96Wmqk-AYtWy6qWbM/s1600/DSC_0050.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716255784889169522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcuNiGCOSkSWdNClsMgEOa5DhQyHtyBVhL1-0DjKlGyJ5OEetH3nEGebY8y6CqQpBLIcUjrfstnwZrCMjhdtI5UnUI3ch63-ZImHuizomRKgyj_Natnhvt11zV5k96Wmqk-AYtWy6qWbM/s320/DSC_0050.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>The caverns went down a LOONG way. Some places were kinda tight and then there were BIG areas like this. The farther we went down the more humid and hot it got. (and it was a cold day!)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Jgy3XDLaL5C0XiwDUauX9jMmDzJoa0flHZoKjW2DQdfT0cAK7BLZ1agwxK3BXFwQgJOt87XtyQZUnqO5UmaSeTZJNFiPTslWsZX7TRGwHcROsBX1jhmlAYmYn6i9KEL6Z_3BRQWUgek/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5716256023727436530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Jgy3XDLaL5C0XiwDUauX9jMmDzJoa0flHZoKjW2DQdfT0cAK7BLZ1agwxK3BXFwQgJOt87XtyQZUnqO5UmaSeTZJNFiPTslWsZX7TRGwHcROsBX1jhmlAYmYn6i9KEL6Z_3BRQWUgek/s320/DSC_0006.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<br />
Sooo the update...<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Math:</span> 10 days to multiplication mastery (we need to re-enforce the basics) Starting day 4 tomorrow.<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">History:</span> Istanbul/ Turkey<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">English: </span>figures of speech and contractions.<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Science:</span> continuing our Animal unit, learning about animal behavior<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Art History: </span>Continuing study on Impressionism, this week we will be creating our own impressionist paintings.<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What we are reading together:</span> Works of VanGogh (reading & studying the paintings)<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Alec is reading on his own:</span> Oliver Twist<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">I am reading on my own:</span> Atlas Shrugged (I'll be reading this one for a while!) in preparation for part 2 of the movie coming out in October.Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-65530742143269855042012-02-26T10:02:00.009-08:002012-02-26T11:05:07.579-08:00Ah-MAZING Grilled CheeseWho is in the mood for a yummy cold weather recipe? While here in Texas we have had a relatively mild winter, but I know a good majority of the country has not. Grilled cheese sandwich is one of my favorite things to eat when it is cold and yucky outside.<br />Now I am a chef at a shop that sells gourmet cheeses, and yes, we feature MANY different grilled cheeses on our menu. We recently changed things up on the menu and added some new ones. Out of all of them I think this one has become my favorite.<br /><br />Bacon Jam is amazing stuff. Bacon is pretty awesome on it's own, bacon jam just kicks it up a few notches. Now I make our bacon jam from scratch for the kitchen. You can do it yourself, it is however time consuming. You can buy it from Amazon.com <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Skillet-Bacon-Jam-Spread-Ounce/dp/B004Q894EK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1330279321&sr=8-3">here </a>, but $19.99 for only 7 oz (plus shipping) is VERY steep in my opinion. If you are in my neighborhood stop by Gourmage, We sell our special recipe (using high quality Raisin River apple wood smoked bacon) for WAAY less.<br /><br />So back to the grilled cheese, First you want to seek out some really good multi-grain bread. You won't find anything good in the bread isle of your grocery store, all those loaves are too soft and squishy. Head over to the fresh bakery, or better yet if you have a good farmer's market close by or a good independent bakery check them out. I cannot stress how important the bread is. A grilled cheese is just a few ingredients, maybe 4 at the most, tops. All need to be the best you can find.<br />Next is the cheese. Now at work I make this with Chimay Grand Cru.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uNxPGyH8I6ja9TbxDGkXjZ-fLQ-xwkJRfvRY7SKjpqKfbxBd1NwxzTu7RArziYAKmQJCAIJIUPrijOnHSEjKduby2TkeqkiX2Iun0IKExXZ2ghY7hxZ5Y-SZxivexRUnH7fJ056Eed0/s1600/photo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3uNxPGyH8I6ja9TbxDGkXjZ-fLQ-xwkJRfvRY7SKjpqKfbxBd1NwxzTu7RArziYAKmQJCAIJIUPrijOnHSEjKduby2TkeqkiX2Iun0IKExXZ2ghY7hxZ5Y-SZxivexRUnH7fJ056Eed0/s320/photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713510083774960626" border="0" /></a><br />Chimay is a Belgium brie-like cheese. The rind is washed in the famous Chimay beer giving the cheese a yeast-y almost bread like finish. It is fabulously stinky, smooth and creamy. 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font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Next of course is the bacon jam. As I said before it is a long process to make it. The majority of the time tho (well how I make it anyway) it doesn't need your attention. I use the slow cooker to cook it. From start to finish it’s an all day job, but oh so worth it. Here are some links to a few recipes. In my recipe I do not use chipotle. I prefer for this application it tastes purely of the bacon. </p> <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/326881/slow-cooker-bacon-jam">Slow Cooker Bacon Jam</a><br /><a href="http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2009/09/bacon-jam-recipe-make-it-at-home.html">Homesick Texan Bacon Jam Recipe</a> -This one was the first one I made and while I LOVED the smokey spicy-ness of it, I felt it totally overpowered the cheese.<br /><br />The trick to grilled cheese is to grill the bread on all sides. I use softened butter and smear all sides of the bread. Grill until the first 2 sides are browned and slightly crispy. Next spread on about 2 oz. of bacon jam (more or less depending on how large your slices are) and top with about 4 oz of the Chimay cheese (make sure to cut off the rind and slice in to thin-ish slices so it melts faster) Top with the other slice of bread (also browned and crispy on the 1 side) placing the un-grilled side up. Cook over med-high heat for about 4 minutes each side or until the bread is browned and the cheese is melted.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XXIf6VzXT62IqLLzjwgHNDr2lvErQdbbj0RnvpZcyfCE1uFIOmXL_7pV1sb6V_cx0eMnpCCje1Tml49QoSMh9CtEUG8sEakM8h28tTvDy5nBAjmOCJH1Z7DNfbTieo5_kcBuuPm-UpA/s1600/DSC_0080.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XXIf6VzXT62IqLLzjwgHNDr2lvErQdbbj0RnvpZcyfCE1uFIOmXL_7pV1sb6V_cx0eMnpCCje1Tml49QoSMh9CtEUG8sEakM8h28tTvDy5nBAjmOCJH1Z7DNfbTieo5_kcBuuPm-UpA/s320/DSC_0080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713517774898843826" border="0" /></a><br />( I apologize for the lousy picture. I had to rush and this is what turned out. :( poo poo. But the sandwich was YUMMY)<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>A few other ideas for the bacon jam (if you decided to make it you will have a LOT of it. But fear not, it lasts a LOOOONG time as long as you keep it tightly covered in the fridge)<br /><br /><ul><li>Heat it slightly and smear it on a freshly made waffle.</li><li>Breakfast sandwich. (biscuit or English muffin split open, smear of bacon jam and an over easy egg. I suppose you could do scrambled egg, but the runny yolk is so much more fun!)</li><li>Smear on bread for a turkey sandwich instead of mayo.</li><li>My FAVORITE BURGER: Good organic ground beef, stuff the center with Tallegio or Chimay and grill it. put a thick smear of bacon jam on top of the meat after you have flipped it and serve on a grilled bun.</li><li>OR Mix some bacon jam in the ground beef!</li><li>Mix it in your Mac & Cheese</li><li>Bacon Jam, lettuce and Tomato sandwich :D</li><li>Just a spoon is good too!<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Recipe: Grilled Cheese with Chimay and Bacon Jam</span><br /><br />2 slices good quality multi-grain bread<br />2 oz. bacon jam<br />4 oz. Chimay Grand Cru, rind removed<br />Butter<br /><br />Spread butter on all 4 sides of bread. Cook on griddle over medium-high heat till browned. Spread bacon jam on one of the sides, top with cheese and place other slice of bread on top. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve hot with a cold beer. ;)Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-48180005676377159122012-02-19T19:55:00.002-08:002012-02-19T20:20:04.063-08:00Wow. So much as happened since my last post. Boy, reading it over it was kinda gloomy wasn't it? That is the reality of things sometimes. Homeschooling isn't all rainbows and unicorns.<br />Currently Alec is getting ready to compete in a home school science fair. He has been diligently working this past weekend on it. He hasn't written his report yet, nor have we started on his display. (YIKES!) I just pray he gets it done before Friday morning.<br /><br />On the work front things have been going great. Had a photo shoot week before last with not 1 but 2 publications. If you are in the San Antonio area grab the April/May/June issue of TASTE magazine. My fresh chevre ice cream will be featured as well as some BEAUTIFUL pictures of cheeses from the shop. We also had our local paper come out and do a story on the candies we made for Valentine's day including strawberries and cream marshmallows. (they are SO GOOD!)<br />I made some Salted Caramel sauce that we added to the hot chocolate and we sold out EVERY DAY last week. Then I got a little naughty and made the breakfast special Irish Oatmeal topped with diced green apple and drizzled with the salted caramel sauce. HEAVEN in a mug!<br /><br />So I had started this back a long time ago in an effort to get me to post more often, so I'll start it up again, tho this will be for last week<br /><br />So last week we worked on:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Math:</span> Beginning geometry (eek!!!) and of course practicing math facts (mostly addition and long division)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">History:</span> Asia/Hong Kong<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">English: </span>Continuing unit on Poetry and Prose<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Art History: </span>Continuing study on Impressionism<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What we are reading together:</span> Masterworks of Monet (well, reading and studying the paintings)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alec is reading on his own:</span> Oliver Twist<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I am reading on my own:</span> Mockingjay (on the kindle app on my phone) I know I am totally late to the whole Hunger Games craze. My friend just got me started on it.Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-50289112200293092862011-11-15T20:35:00.000-08:002011-11-15T21:10:28.160-08:00Question I get asked a lot"How do you do it?" is a question I get asked a lot. When people find out that I home school, work as a chef, am council PTA president they always ask that. I always seem to be scrambling to find an answer. I know they are looking for some magic method that allows me to get everything done.<br /><br />Honestly?<br /><br />I have no clue.<br /><br />I am sitting here tonight in the class room, by myself. The boys are sleeping, Derek is playing a video game downstairs (some new game that he has been glued to since he got it) and I am up here grading papers, organizing completed assignments, printing and clipping coupons. Feeling a bit annoyed. You know that saying "No man is an island", well I am feeling like an island tonight.<br />I know everything I have read about homeschooling says that you (as the mom) shouldn't count on your husband to be involved at all in the schooling. I am just feeling quite over-whelmed at the moment. My kitchen is a disaster, pile of dirty laundry is almost as tall as me, and of course I have a small stack of assignments to grade, grades to enter in the grade book, bathrooms that need cleaning, trash that needs to be taken out, and a thanksgiving dinner to plan. I won't get help with any of it, and Derek is angry with me about I am sure all of it.<br /><br />I wish I could be like some of those other moms out there that can post about how they are proud of their dirty dishes, piles of dirty clothes and smelly bathrooms because it all means They are busy doing something more important and impressive.<br />My husband isn't impressed at what I accomplish in a day. He doesn't care that today I got 1 load of laundry done, gave Alec a history test, worked on a Science lesson with him, went to the bank, Target, Walgreens, HEB, put out a PTA drama fire, helped Cole with his homework, made dinner, swept the kitchen floor (not once but twice today) and paid the bills. None of that is impressive because there are still dishes in the sink. Frankly it drives me crazy too. But when it is 11 pm, and I have to prepare for school tomorrow, and I am just flat exhausted I almost feel guilty for needing sleep. <br /><br />Well, I have taken enough of brake time, back to work grading papers, and perhaps I can get a load of laundry tossed in before I pass out from sheer exhaustion.Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-73204383163142037012011-10-12T13:17:00.000-07:002011-10-12T14:05:02.104-07:00It's not all rainbows and unicornsI know this now. I found myself last week thinking about all the advice I had gotten from veteran homeschoolers. One mom had told me that if both Alec & made it 3 months without wanting to kill each other then we would be good. We had had so many good days since the beginning I thought all these people were just scaring me, or maybe I was doing something wrong.<br />Well, yesterday was a day. It was a hard day to say the least. He just wasn't feeling it. It would take him 30 minutes to do 1 very short activity in his language arts booklet and fought it the entire way. He took so long to do 3 math problems. And every 5 minutes he needed to go to the bathroom, get a drink, re-sharpen his pencil, get a tissue, you name the excuse to not do his work and he tried it.<br /><br />Yesterday I wanted to scream and rip my hair out.<br /><br />I did not however. My hair and vocal cords are intact. Instead we closed the books, put them back on the shelf. He went to his room to read, build legos whatever. I went to my room, sighed heavily and prayed for a better day.<br /><br />And today was better. Much better. He busted through his work and we were done by 12:30. I know now, every day can't be like today, or like they have been. We won't always finish on time, we won't always work all day. Not everything on my lesson plan will get done when I have scheduled it. I feel the pressure of needing him to have a perfect day every day, and get through all this work as quick as possible since he is a bit behind of where he "should" be. Should by whose standards? Well, that I need to let go of too. It's just us. In our homeschool there are no TAKS tests, or STAR tests. There is no model for him to live up to. It is more important to us that he actually understands what he is learning and retaining it rather than blowing through as many lessons as possible.<br /><br />So that was my last heavy paragraph for the day. I promise.<br /><br />I have been working on so many things the past week, it's crazy. At work last week I made Ricotta cheese, it was amazing. I never made cheese before, but came across a recipe from Nancy Silverton for ricotta. It looked so easy! and there was less than 5 ingredients! I made it at home this weekend and we have been eating it almost non-stop.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIR25gBeQYKyC3nP2jyMO6vbA0J5t8isJPOx_6mEZXdi6Ij4oD4jxKzFx533FdFpnOAgDGATxdarRK3laSfAk9kTFkYWJhQOwjRL2ZkoxROOxtbYHm-Lo5rShwAXnjcELYDxJRFBByhVo/s1600/DSC_0007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIR25gBeQYKyC3nP2jyMO6vbA0J5t8isJPOx_6mEZXdi6Ij4oD4jxKzFx533FdFpnOAgDGATxdarRK3laSfAk9kTFkYWJhQOwjRL2ZkoxROOxtbYHm-Lo5rShwAXnjcELYDxJRFBByhVo/s320/DSC_0007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662710222208045730" border="0" /></a><br />So 4 ingredients. That's it. Full fat milk, heavy cream, lemon juice and kosher salt.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFjVk6BUL12CPZvKxxfTINk3cj-3I0s36oEx7PJDLJpQ-V3gd2eaG3iNNsHqkLVsQiXZOWOA1BwpPnwLioTMZsJEQknsV-t99s4APEn-Yxbv9rJElmjtRjZQ9NY7FKKto9uAMzTDU3Vc/s1600/DSC_0018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwFjVk6BUL12CPZvKxxfTINk3cj-3I0s36oEx7PJDLJpQ-V3gd2eaG3iNNsHqkLVsQiXZOWOA1BwpPnwLioTMZsJEQknsV-t99s4APEn-Yxbv9rJElmjtRjZQ9NY7FKKto9uAMzTDU3Vc/s320/DSC_0018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662710759487239458" border="0" /></a><br />You combine everything (don't stir) in a pot and place it over medium heat. bring it just to slow bubble. Remove it from heat and allow it to sit at room temp. for about 15 minutes. Use a solid spoon (not slotted) to spoon the curds and whey into a strainer lined with cheese cloth set over a bowl.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVANX7lZZcD32cLqMAXRi_BFpljYtBIHRxd_AHR2sTvKr3_bFvpwlqsw3bgLPWKftXjyi326wx8vOZzKv0KUCVgw93tI7zgFP3pFhRLoI0UAtQ6NiAzHo9lduoNHJLTDeGv-CRLjLo6aY/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVANX7lZZcD32cLqMAXRi_BFpljYtBIHRxd_AHR2sTvKr3_bFvpwlqsw3bgLPWKftXjyi326wx8vOZzKv0KUCVgw93tI7zgFP3pFhRLoI0UAtQ6NiAzHo9lduoNHJLTDeGv-CRLjLo6aY/s320/DSC_0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662711761517236690" border="0" /></a><br />Let it drain for an hour or so on the counter, then you will get this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuNrsiB-iNbl_vcCqHFw5LhhnTTffpWhK5RAw9B1EvMBLdjq5g7d8cswzslM8hGphYT79k6OE74UZIT5NLqajOaJbJgYqwEJIeFxfWtudzB1VttSl-MNjfe6vpnHV65zvDU1QWm2KgE8/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfuNrsiB-iNbl_vcCqHFw5LhhnTTffpWhK5RAw9B1EvMBLdjq5g7d8cswzslM8hGphYT79k6OE74UZIT5NLqajOaJbJgYqwEJIeFxfWtudzB1VttSl-MNjfe6vpnHV65zvDU1QWm2KgE8/s320/DSC_0021.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662712376226903586" border="0" /></a><br />I then tie it up so It can drain for the last hour in the fridge<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_NKP2X822_k/TpX_TSJQqMI/AAAAAAAABUY/Znc%20BkCLnklg/s1600/DSC_0024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaTU1loQ35cQXZ__FUyxRfCPEFrnaa1dez5K1vqx_ln-Tw-9IoV0ZoWWllGGZdUaxweg_XlOEUHEpfGQ2cqXoBOKbeYba3Zg_DnIctwI_ZZXN-BYEkKP0r3MLUy99b7FjJsRWuv8raT5M/s320/DSC_0024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662712813241542850" border="0" /></a><br />After it is done this is what you get:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OyiDFvep7uNul-cHmQUPmA2NWEwu3klC7Z3AswXgbrVtLhd7vxnVvBVa_BG6WBqEb0P1wRrldFVL528UY989Z0x5enNM95bfsUWlbq11lJuvYjCXQnL-zZZPFY11sz5x_dPf0ZdW-uk/s1600/DSC_0026.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OyiDFvep7uNul-cHmQUPmA2NWEwu3klC7Z3AswXgbrVtLhd7vxnVvBVa_BG6WBqEb0P1wRrldFVL528UY989Z0x5enNM95bfsUWlbq11lJuvYjCXQnL-zZZPFY11sz5x_dPf0ZdW-uk/s320/DSC_0026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662713216919498738" border="0" /></a><br />Creamy, thick and delicious! My personal favorite is to smear it on a toasted baguette piece, top with sliced strawberries and a little drizzle of really good balsamic vinegar or honey. Sunday night I made Derek and I calzones with it. At work we sampled it out with a drizzle of basil infused olive oil. DEE-LISH!<br /><br />Here is a link to Nancy Silverton's recipe from Bon Appetit <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/tipstools/tips/2011/09/mozza-homemade-ricotta">Ricotta Cheese</a><br /><br />Next up Mozzarella cheese!!Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-62188569634360043472011-10-02T12:41:00.000-07:002011-10-02T13:08:56.907-07:00EvolvingIt's funny. We have only been homeschooling since August and already I have changed things. You find out real quick what works and what doesn't. I have re-organized our bookshelf in the classroom, moved some furniture around, and re-organized our books and supplies.<br />Last night Derek and I had a little date night. His parents are visiting so they took the boys for the evening. We spent our fun date night going out to dinner (<a href="http://www.jasonsdeli.com/">Jason's Deli </a>) and going to Office Max and Hastings. I got some organizational things for home school (binders and such) and was excited to find this book in the clearance bin at Hastings<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3PzzgzToNgCWia60M0V0uzxZAPLQUUcV7B4dq1rcvWKkL3Fl5tbRdXwjvGkaM_wuoSxAAXoOZY09mzPyP3Kw2X7gnVbBRBdi-Q2Ea2_wdRafEGWkh15TPEg58XAjLetHBiVoQg9-gxo/s1600/vangough.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3PzzgzToNgCWia60M0V0uzxZAPLQUUcV7B4dq1rcvWKkL3Fl5tbRdXwjvGkaM_wuoSxAAXoOZY09mzPyP3Kw2X7gnVbBRBdi-Q2Ea2_wdRafEGWkh15TPEg58XAjLetHBiVoQg9-gxo/s320/vangough.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658983708495157410" border="0" /></a><br />It's a very cool book, a perfect addition to our art curriculum. This month we add another subject to our schedule. Last month we added English/Language Arts and so far it has been going great. This month we will be adding a more formal History/Geography curriculum (from Alpha and Omega). Alec has been doing just so good. He is so happy and back to his old self. A friend of mine sent me this picture, I printed it up last night and put it up in the class room.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDXdxpEhZ5dEgI3vMOHVTsB0HKh-BwFUdA8AiEdRvsNUn1Q2TaGIwsrYfuNUooMOnhQfi4veO6eyl_p5-CmV7d04OMxRFEo_PR9Pv5BBVUWCVmLUJTYDRc-f8t-wlx_uSQiGEchC1SvE/s1600/einstein.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqDXdxpEhZ5dEgI3vMOHVTsB0HKh-BwFUdA8AiEdRvsNUn1Q2TaGIwsrYfuNUooMOnhQfi4veO6eyl_p5-CmV7d04OMxRFEo_PR9Pv5BBVUWCVmLUJTYDRc-f8t-wlx_uSQiGEchC1SvE/s320/einstein.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5658986201370090642" border="0" /></a><br />It just made me think of Alec (and I think that is why she sent it to me).<br /><br />Cole got his progress report from school, all A's. He was less than 10 points away from having 100's across the board. This is one proud mama! He loves math, everything is math and numbers. He quizzes us any chance he gets.<br /><br />So that is us in a nutshell the past month or so. :) more to comeLinsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-84757412894471284092011-09-12T18:48:00.000-07:002011-09-12T19:30:46.237-07:00Off to a fantastic startWell, we are in our 4th week of homeschooling and things are moving right along. Alec is doing great with his math. We are ahead of schedule so I decided to back off math a bit and start incorporating more subjects to our day. I had Alec take the Language Arts placement test last week and that was an eye opener. I didn't realize how far behind he was in this area as well. He will take a history placement test this week as well, then we will head down to <a href="http://www.homeschool-life.com/tx/homeschoolfeast/">FEAST</a> to get his curriculum.<br />So this week we are working on:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Math:</span> just reinforcing math facts and learning about Roman Numerals.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">History:</span> continuing our study of WWII. We will start this week on the Pacific front of the battle.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Current events:</span> last week Alec chose a story about a local woman who celebrated her 100th birthday. It was touching and sweet. I loved how he called her a "young lady".<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">We are reading together:</span> Diary of Anne Frank<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alec is reading on his own:</span> Moby Dick<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I am reading on my own:</span> My life in France by Julia Child (on the kindle app on my phone)<br /><br />Alec did awesome today on his own. Me working 2 days a week has really helped him learn self motivation. I leave him a list of assignments to complete by the time I get home from work (usually around 3pm). The first couple weeks he didn't get much done. He would spend the day playing with his Legos, reading (which I didn't mind at all) or sneaking television. But having to spend Saturday and Sunday doing school while his friends were playing wasn't too much fun so last Friday and today he got everything done on his list including his chores.<br /><br />Cole as usual is doing awesome. All his work that has been coming home has been 100's. He has had 2 spelling tests since the first day of school and some "practice" tests. His spelling tests he got 104's on (because the teacher puts extra credit words on there that are hard ones and he gets them all correct.) The practice tests are all 100's as well. Last week I took him out for ice cream to celebrate. He was so sweet and invited his brother to go too.<br /><br />Well I better wrap this up. It's 9:30, I can still hear the boys in their rooms playing. They are supposed to be sleeping (in a perfect world they would listen the first time) but I hear Legos instead. I gotta go get my lesson plan ready for tomorrow, review the math one more time, and come up with a fun activity to help Alec learn his vocabulary words for history.<br /><br />Till next time y'all have a great night!Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-53532913711949046532011-09-06T09:40:00.000-07:002016-03-14T19:57:51.307-07:00WWII and a hard questionThis month we are studying WWII for history. It's something Alec has been asking about. Derek is a big WWII history expert. He has read probably every book ever written on WWII, knows insane amounts of information on the subject, especially when it comes to the air war (the Air force, Luftewaffe etc.). We started last week learning about it, starting a little before the beginning, so that we understand why WWII started. A quick study of the Treaty of Versailles, and a brief background of Adolph Hitler's life, and how he came to be in power.<br />
You may or may not know that my mother-in-law is German. She was born in tiny town on the Rhine River at the end of WWII. Her mother was a distance runner in Germany. She was supposed to compete in the 1940 Berlin Olympics that were cancelled because of the war.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwajFqNKLHH9m32W52jx644DBerlN0mA1EQNZS1-ZBd0A2aSqv2Nq6aN3f74tnCjK-c2_qa0CvOujnVPbA1isvP_ruEpX6OMS_FI8qHGjXGjct65tpBGMNwbDV2EG_yjuyQ-00U_wKlM/s1600/Hitler+Photo+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649305012380955058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwajFqNKLHH9m32W52jx644DBerlN0mA1EQNZS1-ZBd0A2aSqv2Nq6aN3f74tnCjK-c2_qa0CvOujnVPbA1isvP_ruEpX6OMS_FI8qHGjXGjct65tpBGMNwbDV2EG_yjuyQ-00U_wKlM/s320/Hitler+Photo+2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 244px;" /></a><br />
This is a picture of her shaking hands with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Himmler">Heinrich Himmler</a>, head of the SS, one of the most evil men in history. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Dietrich">Josef Dietrich</a>, a highly decorated SS general is standing to the left. The man in the middle My father-in-law wasn't too sure of who it was. Derek said that he would have to look a little harder to see if he could recognize him.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAB4gfBGgZvgj_eGB5hDhMQHZSU6lqRwWiT-nVFyEZs3tRDHPCLgKEAdaFcHpJtjGyvOsld9AXn2uDr_p86DQMf4MQ0v549UDFzClYJ3cxm6PUCisC5_l6FiV_bs27gNtixqhrOMh0CqQ/s1600/hitler+photo+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649312088053385746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAB4gfBGgZvgj_eGB5hDhMQHZSU6lqRwWiT-nVFyEZs3tRDHPCLgKEAdaFcHpJtjGyvOsld9AXn2uDr_p86DQMf4MQ0v549UDFzClYJ3cxm6PUCisC5_l6FiV_bs27gNtixqhrOMh0CqQ/s320/hitler+photo+1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 238px;" /></a>This was the article published in the local news paper, Her now shaking hands with Adolph Hitler.<br />
The picture and the news paper article are scans that my mother-in-law sent me. They are of course old, and not in the best shape. But a fantastic part of history. It was great to be able to show Alec the connection he has with this part of history, however dark it may be. I also told him the story of his grandma's birth which is an interesting one. The night Ilse went into labor the Allied forces were doing bombing runs. Hermann (or Opa as we called him) wanted to take her to the hospital. She adamantly refused, she wanted to deliver at home. Oma & Opa were pharmacists, they owned and ran a pharmacy in their town (still in operation today, all tho it is no longer run by the family). So Ilse gave birth at home, in their apartment above the pharmacy. That night the Allied forces bombed the hospital where Hermann wanted to take Ilse to to deliver. Everyone inside the hospital died. A little over a month later the Germans surrendered to the Allies and the war was over.<br />
As part of the history lessons, we are also reading The Diary of Anne Frank. We have been talking about the holocaust, and watched a documentary on the Frank family. He has learned that it wasn't just Jews that Hitler sent to the concentration camps, basically anyone that wasn't German/Aryan was sent as well.<br />
I can tell it has got Alec thinking about things. Today he connected some dots.<br />
See he is also working on our family tree. Learning about his family history, where we came from etc. He asked me today that had our family lived during the time of WWII in Germany, would we have been sent to a concentration camp.<br />
Wow. Heavy question.<br />
<br />
Kids can't ever ask easy questions can they?<br />
<br />
On a lighter note the weather has been wonderfully cool the past 2 days! We spent the day yesterday at the park<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRY05cakvkpQbtRI9zCIOppeoZ-YTVCUXqj5BctXzfRdrGHxsFkd55cb4clDW6vaO1kntnFGxRzsHZHuhnNhOzOdagBdhr3peo83jRPwSnRZHEebdQU_NvSPqnr1lo8KaNu6jGfRDxQwI/s1600/DSC_0047.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649364468527994594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRY05cakvkpQbtRI9zCIOppeoZ-YTVCUXqj5BctXzfRdrGHxsFkd55cb4clDW6vaO1kntnFGxRzsHZHuhnNhOzOdagBdhr3peo83jRPwSnRZHEebdQU_NvSPqnr1lo8KaNu6jGfRDxQwI/s320/DSC_0047.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Went on a short hike. It was just a beautiful day for it. This morning for PE we took the big black dog for a run. Well a 1 block run, then we had to "encourage" her the rest of the way. 9 year old great danes don't like to move much :)Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-13927472728448348242011-09-05T20:02:00.001-07:002011-09-05T20:39:07.889-07:00First day of school<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByL1CCzTpDe46Q6G75PGnis8t-hRUUTE7ULI1hBbTXY_FfH1DyAeN1Oz1GH35tRH3LMBYZar97iBT8fzlDMHE9IwDKFiVx8CDsDkueQxfvrBw4BtiBZsGyyRJCip7d4-LZKRFaME8J68/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByL1CCzTpDe46Q6G75PGnis8t-hRUUTE7ULI1hBbTXY_FfH1DyAeN1Oz1GH35tRH3LMBYZar97iBT8fzlDMHE9IwDKFiVx8CDsDkueQxfvrBw4BtiBZsGyyRJCip7d4-LZKRFaME8J68/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649076928774306674" border="0" /></a>The boys with their schule tutes before school. We do schule tutes every year. It's a tradition that we have continued over the years. My in-laws did it for Derek and his brother when they were growing up. We fill them up with little toys (usually a small lego set) and some fun school supplies, like cartoon pencils, colored paper clips etc.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCuNrzzhQ6-VpkHX2qn2UHLvd_274fdwZrHJImcb4U9LrDi5MV4ZtTse3P-Utn9a8PBUEUmEZF3aZdmP6AjzZBZ6a5VEFkgEiYUrXCHrRBWDgW4-S23Pj3I-6fgzWlUCRguyNr1NqPkI/s1600/DSC_0013-1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCuNrzzhQ6-VpkHX2qn2UHLvd_274fdwZrHJImcb4U9LrDi5MV4ZtTse3P-Utn9a8PBUEUmEZF3aZdmP6AjzZBZ6a5VEFkgEiYUrXCHrRBWDgW4-S23Pj3I-6fgzWlUCRguyNr1NqPkI/s320/DSC_0013-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649078754327055410" border="0" /></a>Alec trying real hard to concentrate on his math lesson. He is just loving teaching textbooks.<br />Here is a little tour of our room, for the most part done.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1dAr-zjthSZ6t5IHOeL23CHG6C85f-B2behT12dTxuUA2fMyYoE6XNRPzpYkfLf0HlfLR9nE-zVQpSy_jLWySp7De8LpEd56YFmOKUS_XKEKYfayOiUeNxOVP2I1zjbTr7Xp3Oelhgk/s1600/DSC_0012-1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1dAr-zjthSZ6t5IHOeL23CHG6C85f-B2behT12dTxuUA2fMyYoE6XNRPzpYkfLf0HlfLR9nE-zVQpSy_jLWySp7De8LpEd56YFmOKUS_XKEKYfayOiUeNxOVP2I1zjbTr7Xp3Oelhgk/s320/DSC_0012-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649079458404900562" border="0" /></a>The table/desk. Derek and I actually built it. I LOVE it. It's the perfect height to work at standing up or sitting on a stool. On the shelves are some of our supplies, manipulatives, Also my rotary cutter, cricut and some of our art supplies.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTwu7mEFaFcxZuZdwLaiyUQ-O71rZlQxV4FD9qAKTdMN93llie22riKvNXRkDcdHh_rkAWRBH-SSvFkQ2fUoLGl_X2y0aWDXD4y0LlB1mW8DFV3oIAibg9Yq7vTH_l_pW8iITofRwtlY/s1600/DSC_0014-1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieTwu7mEFaFcxZuZdwLaiyUQ-O71rZlQxV4FD9qAKTdMN93llie22riKvNXRkDcdHh_rkAWRBH-SSvFkQ2fUoLGl_X2y0aWDXD4y0LlB1mW8DFV3oIAibg9Yq7vTH_l_pW8iITofRwtlY/s320/DSC_0014-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649079918974890562" border="0" /></a>Derek built me the shelf in the corner for the tv, dvd player, cable box. We have the dinosaur desktop computer in the corner with the printer (brother multi-function which I love!!! CHEAP ink cartridges!!) And the bookshelf that holds more supplies and curriculum.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMGhp1RBidS5DjCHS6M0I69ZEfMGSp72EVG3opjQOgwiFky2_9nVhhfXIrUyCG_rWsqq4Qsz7wVc651kz2Sa2mWr6KGj-Ah7PDll4sNrEUU725IRRv99LfR5cx4EAlIImd9E65Z79Wyw/s1600/DSC_0016-1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMGhp1RBidS5DjCHS6M0I69ZEfMGSp72EVG3opjQOgwiFky2_9nVhhfXIrUyCG_rWsqq4Qsz7wVc651kz2Sa2mWr6KGj-Ah7PDll4sNrEUU725IRRv99LfR5cx4EAlIImd9E65Z79Wyw/s320/DSC_0016-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649080352494608802" border="0" /></a>The "Reading Corner". This is still kinda in progress. The chair we found at Goodwill, only $12. We have covered it in a black sheet since the light lavender color doesn't really go with the room. We are looking for fabric to re-do the chair in and a rug to go under it. The art on the wall is (in the frame) a print of Van Gogh's Iris's that I got from the J.Paul Getty museum. The other 2 are paintings Cole did in art class over the summer. It is where Alec sits when he does his reading and when we watch a video.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqWhPYUCyPM7brMGujoqjqWhCcOc9HWYXEAyeFe1Mqm23dDDnGKhh1TbCc-G2Oe52QLcNWVZez-XQP5itT3iNwqJ3lxnk7F-rZoGWalpaHZR6TioGdDctlNiOx9H5l3hd5FApjETknGk/s1600/DSC_0017-1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqWhPYUCyPM7brMGujoqjqWhCcOc9HWYXEAyeFe1Mqm23dDDnGKhh1TbCc-G2Oe52QLcNWVZez-XQP5itT3iNwqJ3lxnk7F-rZoGWalpaHZR6TioGdDctlNiOx9H5l3hd5FApjETknGk/s320/DSC_0017-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649080659002204866" border="0" /></a>Back to the table again. The white board we got from Target, I had a gift card that I got for transferring a prescription, so it was about $7 out of pocket. And of course our little blue caddy in the center of the table came from Ikea and we keep it filled with pencils, pens, erasers, scissors, white board markers etc.<br /><br />So that is the tour of our school room. I am gonna head to bed now. We have tennis first thing tomorrow morning.Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-61675058992043460092011-08-24T18:03:00.000-07:002011-08-24T18:46:47.014-07:00Lots of updatesWell, we are rapidly approaching the end of our first week of homeschooling. So far it has been going so good! Really better than I expected. Alec is getting ready to take his first math quiz tomorrow. He has really been doing well with the Teaching Textbooks. He completed 7 lessons since Monday getting 80-100% on all the assignments. PE kinda took a hit for us, today was the first day we got to play tennis. We took walks Monday and Tuesday because a couple weeks ago he tore some muscles in his right arm (he is right handed) and it has still been bothering him. So we tried tennis today till his arm started hurting too much then gave it a rest. Tomorrow we are adding a little history to the mix. Alec has been asking to learn about WWII for a while. Derek has so many books and knows so much about WWII, it has sparked an interest in Alec. So we have some books, Derek recorded some shows from the history channel about it and I checked out from the library "The Diary of Anne Frank" and a short dvd about her life. I have not seen him this excited to learn about something in a long time. It makes me so happy.
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<br />The room is pretty much done, I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow. I found a comfortable reading chair for $12 from Goodwill. It's in decent shape, just needs to be re-upholstered (light purple doesn't go with the room) which will be a good project for us. Right now we have a black sheet covering it until we find some fabric we like.
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<br />So, the Valrhona class was amazing! So inspiring! I walked away with so many ideas and so much information.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1Yo_UTZvy9MkkXH8157ir0AKsXOZsuQ4eT_KRPfPM-cGdsC2VyjcggJQEzSaVtHTTIm_ZTp8vOhWcluDIcRON6PjpsB7OcQXHnVb6g20Dly7EJ6YHorhWYH4khzcaTdpiI0IjFxleIs/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1Yo_UTZvy9MkkXH8157ir0AKsXOZsuQ4eT_KRPfPM-cGdsC2VyjcggJQEzSaVtHTTIm_ZTp8vOhWcluDIcRON6PjpsB7OcQXHnVb6g20Dly7EJ6YHorhWYH4khzcaTdpiI0IjFxleIs/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644596830164258034" border="0" /></a><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Valrhona chocolate sponge cake layered with mango jelly and a hazelnut praline cremeux.</span>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwB6b2uewNoLv_BSh6NL2no3l_9ewI6_hHspblYg_rzVXwHKGaOc_tTNSCAxoBwsA0KlIzvmegMUx9NKeok4KAQfrjxg4YQQ_oyEDqgv4N4-tzIVOswtAm7Xta4LgmB_1F01oP2g5gyCw/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwB6b2uewNoLv_BSh6NL2no3l_9ewI6_hHspblYg_rzVXwHKGaOc_tTNSCAxoBwsA0KlIzvmegMUx9NKeok4KAQfrjxg4YQQ_oyEDqgv4N4-tzIVOswtAm7Xta4LgmB_1F01oP2g5gyCw/s320/DSC_0014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644597611956311618" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">The chocolate curl is a caramel flavored milk chocolate, topped with (kinda hard to see since it melted a bit) a whipped chocolate ganache cremeux surrounded by rum scented banana caramel and topped with a slightly sweet pine nut cracker. It was PHENOMENAL!!!</span>
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Q_8k8Es9vl8cANiPUfUbPQ-cgR73Rp_vxXznhXcMp7birW1oDpS0HcbCWFzSf9p532jZ9xLZrpbXD89qITEEHfGt0RbcME2qWffh8AkJ_7Z6w4xJif23j_MVAfjlRMmACa-DOotY6TU/s1600/DSC_0015.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Q_8k8Es9vl8cANiPUfUbPQ-cgR73Rp_vxXznhXcMp7birW1oDpS0HcbCWFzSf9p532jZ9xLZrpbXD89qITEEHfGt0RbcME2qWffh8AkJ_7Z6w4xJif23j_MVAfjlRMmACa-DOotY6TU/s320/DSC_0015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644598515651552386" border="0" /></a>
<br />These were so fun! Left to right: dark chocolate caramel candy "Bling" pop (actually a thin chocolate shell filled with an almost liquid caramel center painted with gold dust and a milk chocolate ice cream bombe' filled with a raspberry sorbet.
<br />Amazing amazing amazing.
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<br />Well, I gotta finish the lesson plan for tomorrow and get in bed. Both boys are supposed to be in bed now, but Alec is still watching tv with Derek downstairs and I hear Cole still drawing in his room. Have a great night!
<br />Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-36882430096211348672011-08-08T19:40:00.000-07:002011-08-08T20:36:08.073-07:00ProgressThese pictures I took week before last:
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWPdpbrWXEppFOK_bgbNMO2Mpv1bk9TMxXRVABXuD_PRA0wccL0Ni3fHOb8LedGNzP4IoGgm34SNCeunHzUnJQNI7wvP8Pc78DFhon4PnKNUser3atYV3PNd9XwA9rw_eFPKFutFbM4Q/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWPdpbrWXEppFOK_bgbNMO2Mpv1bk9TMxXRVABXuD_PRA0wccL0Ni3fHOb8LedGNzP4IoGgm34SNCeunHzUnJQNI7wvP8Pc78DFhon4PnKNUser3atYV3PNd9XwA9rw_eFPKFutFbM4Q/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638680854564737858" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfskSPNuV2mN6T-T2Y14gM296NocoE5MwXJUU2H0rVaYTIH9mmWd7XNfGUz9HZlLTaPrBWsSimvCH_TVDFGPM2Q0xgAIKUpAOycPSQON_Nri0waDFWCCbF0SaPae9R2ZUc3EvT-iOSp4/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfskSPNuV2mN6T-T2Y14gM296NocoE5MwXJUU2H0rVaYTIH9mmWd7XNfGUz9HZlLTaPrBWsSimvCH_TVDFGPM2Q0xgAIKUpAOycPSQON_Nri0waDFWCCbF0SaPae9R2ZUc3EvT-iOSp4/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638681048703137186" border="0" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_wT5LGuwrzVhWaoyQO1hjTJHyO_BEEVQP4Lq7ZdG9v2Y41Nu1hTwc-ZSZszmJV3956UooCF-_llvspeaGCnxXDbCimgg79Uy55PaMkgprukGAaJy_tKNg4_TKtL4yI5_0gwx6LOWfqI/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_wT5LGuwrzVhWaoyQO1hjTJHyO_BEEVQP4Lq7ZdG9v2Y41Nu1hTwc-ZSZszmJV3956UooCF-_llvspeaGCnxXDbCimgg79Uy55PaMkgprukGAaJy_tKNg4_TKtL4yI5_0gwx6LOWfqI/s320/DSC_0003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638681209723091778" border="0" /></a>
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<br />The "Everything Room". The office/craft room/catch-all. The before pictures. I have been working feverishly for the past 2 weeks getting this room re-organized. I have gotten rid of a lot of my scrap booking stuff, listed a bunch of old books and games on Amazon.com (sold the majority of them too!) I just have 1 laundry basket full of scrap booking stuff to go.
<br />Last week I took the boys to <a href="http://www.homeschool-life.com/tx/homeschoolfeast/">F.E.A.S.T.</a> and <a href="http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/home/home.jsp">Lake Shore Learning</a> to get some of Alec's curriculum. We have decided to go slow with the curriculum since it is VERY easy to spend a small fortune on it. I have tried to put myself on a budget when it comes to the homeschooling supplies. The money I have made selling my scrap booking stuff I have been putting towards it. We'll buy a little at a time, as we have the money to do so. Derek and I talked about what we felt was important to concentrate on first then we would go from there. Alec has trouble with math so we purchased his math curriculum first. We want to work with him to get him caught up, or ideally ahead of where he needs to be. (Since we will have more time to work on it) His handwriting is horrible too so we got a couple books to help with that. Of course exercise is very important as well so P.E. will be part of our day as well (as long as the weather allows). I am thinking our schedule will go something like this:
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<br />6:45 - Wake up, get dressed & have breakfast
<br />7:45 - I get back from taking Cole to school
<br />8:00 - Alec & I will meet in the "school room" say pledges and start the day off with a prayer. We'll talk about our schedule for the day, I tell him what I expect of him that day, and he will do the same for me.
<br />8:30 - We'll get our tennis shoes on, grab our tennis rackets and head over to the tennis courts at the local park. (Tennis was his choice btw)
<br />10:00 - Come home, have a little snack, change clothes and return to the school room.
<br />10:30 - Math
<br />12:00 - lunch break
<br />12:30 - Handwriting
<br />1:30 - Reading
<br />2:30 - Family Tree project (a special project we have come up with for him to work on the entire year)
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<br />Of course this is not a rigid schedule. It will change, from day to day I am sure. But this is what I really like about homeschooling. We have some wiggle room! After the first 3 months I will start adding more subjects to his day, or as I feel like he is doing good with the math and handwriting. For math we chose <a href="http://teachingtextbooks.com/">Teaching Textbooks</a>, for Language Arts, Science, History & Geography we chose <a href="http://www.aophomeschooling.com/index.php">Alpha and Omega</a>. I do also want to have some study of religion and the bible, but I haven't quite found one that I like. A&O I am seriously considering but I just haven't had time to really look. We chose Teaching textbooks because it just fit Alec's learning style. I felt like it would help me make math fun for him again. I liked how Alpha & Omega had their curriculum set up. At FEAST we can buy the workbooks just one at a time as he is ready for them. (which helps our budget too!)
<br />I also got a lot of books when I went to the Scholastic warehouse sale. You can get info on them <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/events/warehouse/">here</a>. Both boys love WWII and I found them 2 great books at the clearance sale about it. Target's $ Spot is also a great place to find stuff. Last year I stocked up in some fun workbooks & flash cards for the boys, .25 cents each. I also have gotten educator discount cards at stores that I frequent, Office Depot, Office Max both extend their special discount card to homeschoolers. I also have a Hastings educator card that gives me 25% off all books, 15% off music and 10% off videos.
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<br />I have been busy at work lately, getting in lots of hours before school starts. Tomorrow I am attending Valrhona chocolate demo/class at Le Cordon Bleu. I'm taking my camera in hopes I can get lots of good pictures!
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<br />Stay tuned!
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<br />Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-41990663685509452812011-07-26T20:17:00.000-07:002011-08-08T20:38:37.325-07:00The big decisions are not always easy onesSometimes they are no-brainers. Sometimes you agonize over them for weeks, months, years even.
<br />The move to Texas for us was a no-brainer. It was a big decision, and of course had a big impact on our family. But it didn't take much convincing that it was the best thing for us. We still say it was the best decision we ever made.
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<br />Homeschooling was not a decision we came to quickly, or easily. It has been something that we have been going back and forth on for 2 years. It all started when Alec was in 4th grade. I had brought it up the idea to Derek and he wasn't so receptive. He felt like 4th grade was just an "off" year. That the next year things would get better. But they didn't. They got much worse. Alec was "diagnosed" ADD in his 3rd grade year of school. At the time we chose not to go the medication route. We changed his diet. Cut out processed foods, red dye, limited sugar, and started buying organic milk, butter, meats etc. We also limited electronic entertainment including video games, iPod and television. He did great with these changes. 4th grade happened and things went down hill in a big hurry. Against our better judgement he started on medication. Adderall XR was the first. He was on it for a good part of the year, but we switched him when he wouldn't stop loosing weight. Then his doctor prescribed a generic form of <strong style="font-weight: normal;">Amphetamine. He was on that till about a quarter of the way through 5th grade when we noticed that he wasn't sleeping at night. We would check on him sometimes late at night (11pm - midnight) and he would be wide awake, unable to go to sleep. I had to wake him up at around 6am to get ready for school, so most nights he was getting less than 5 hours of sleep. He was also still having trouble keeping weight on. He is a skinny kid anyway, and no amount of me sneaking protien powders and full fat milk into fruit smoothies helped. It was like someone pressed the pause button on his growing. The doctor suggested we try a non-stimulant so we tried Strattera. His 3rd week on Strattera he started having problems. He came home one day from school saying he wasn't feeling well. That he hadn't been feeling well all day. Upon further questioning he had been sent twice that week to the nurse at school because he was feeling nauseous and dizzy. One of the days he said that he almost fainted during P.E. and spent a while in the nurse's office recovering. Never did the school nurse call me, nor did we get a note home saying that he had seen the nurse. Had he not told us, we would have never known. </strong>Immediately we stopped the medication. His grades were already bad, he was still having trouble sleeping, still not gaining weight. The benefits of medication at this point were not out-weighing the risks. Since 4th grade we had hired a tutor to come to the house once a week to help him with his school work. Since he was doing so poorly the school required him to attend tutoring at the school as well. So he would go to tutoring after school 1 day a week and have tutoring one day a week at home. After the first round of TAKS tests the school stopped tutoring. But we still had our private tutor come to the house to help him.
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<br />The whole experience over the last 2 years has made me incredibly sad, angry, frustrated, and disappointed.
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<br />So, after much research, and countless nights of discussion Derek and I decided to start homeschooling Alec this year. It is going to be a year of re-building and recovery. Re-building his confidence in learning, and just recovering from everything he has been through and what our family has been through.
<br />Really we are looking forward to it. I haven't done anything remotely resembling scrap booking in over a year so I am in the process of selling the majority of my scrap booking supplies (keeping the things that I can use for homeschooling) and fixing up the office/catch-all/former scrap room to a school room. Mostly just getting rid of things and re-organizing. We have told our parents and they are supportive of the endeavor. They have known the struggles we have endured over the last couple years and are happy for the fresh start. At the core, we all want what is best for our boys. We feel this is a step in the right direction.Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-60715784471761473402011-07-07T13:34:00.000-07:002011-07-07T15:03:30.203-07:00Proud to be a Texan todayToday we laid to rest Lance Corporal John Farias in my home town of New Braunfels Texas. Yesterday over 1,000 citizens of our town lined a 3 mile long stretch of road holding American and Texas flags, and signs of thanks and condolences honoring John and his family.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY3zyD-EqAOUU37lluWl6L7Vh8w2QJtEeWzyGBDWUbbSRG0ww08Yfca_Z4dFvXFz7S9_r8m9ckC3-VlOA4L1_h9IEvhefb5Fd8rDrS91M13hFxXQ8fQXJuKn0_yGP75JQyowXo4hPCgM/s1600/07062011-FUNERAL-3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbY3zyD-EqAOUU37lluWl6L7Vh8w2QJtEeWzyGBDWUbbSRG0ww08Yfca_Z4dFvXFz7S9_r8m9ckC3-VlOA4L1_h9IEvhefb5Fd8rDrS91M13hFxXQ8fQXJuKn0_yGP75JQyowXo4hPCgM/s320/07062011-FUNERAL-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626714628925665938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOxzHIhl1lag2NlCxyOuiqpKgUPQOiGsscVURp4OAbqYKBavkTNgantlb6tTn3AxY1WnSTSOv69z16nVvF_Y1Y-2wwTosz6tI0Dfzl3-u33aqTpvCSyaYi29siEmrz9I1fl4To4CCxYTk/s1600/265072_10150702203085191_226813135190_19631579_6872161_n.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdu1CbGxqBv1ajXJunSqF5n9lBHggQK7S4-AayCVTli8EjBOazehd6EaAIsAwm4GPbC36Db4OygH4gaEwZwVQBb9FeF2zAq42pezWPetND8so-fdTaRAm45o1rRpROUQIjFs8DEfh4u8/s1600/268252_10150702202755191_226813135190_19631565_6473445_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYdu1CbGxqBv1ajXJunSqF5n9lBHggQK7S4-AayCVTli8EjBOazehd6EaAIsAwm4GPbC36Db4OygH4gaEwZwVQBb9FeF2zAq42pezWPetND8so-fdTaRAm45o1rRpROUQIjFs8DEfh4u8/s320/268252_10150702202755191_226813135190_19631565_6473445_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626715322349526402" border="0" /></a><br />Yesterday about 4,000 people attended a special service held for him at Canyon High School, where he graduated from. An estimated 1,000 people attended the services today at Tree of Life Church. We stopped along the highway to pay respect as the procession traveled down IH35 to Ft. Sam Houston to lay his body to rest. Every over pass we drove past was filled with people holding flags. Fire trucks, police cars, paramedics all lined up on the over passes and on the grassy parts of the on and off ramps with their lights flashing.<br />God bless each and every person who took time out of their day to pay their respects.<br /><br />God holds a special place in heaven for these guys:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmNTGBs74TJ8oC2LLuI2T4bVaUrS4JdpfLcNU0MQUkVRBk9et3OVRT8us4Ci_xAHMpA1DIYBJMSOHcRvAO58S005ARt00FJvLarmaei51K22geSsvzGE97Ue_wQvIStFjqj9q13mo5xg/s1600/07062011-FUNERAL-92.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmNTGBs74TJ8oC2LLuI2T4bVaUrS4JdpfLcNU0MQUkVRBk9et3OVRT8us4Ci_xAHMpA1DIYBJMSOHcRvAO58S005ARt00FJvLarmaei51K22geSsvzGE97Ue_wQvIStFjqj9q13mo5xg/s320/07062011-FUNERAL-92.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626717047948338178" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOxzHIhl1lag2NlCxyOuiqpKgUPQOiGsscVURp4OAbqYKBavkTNgantlb6tTn3AxY1WnSTSOv69z16nVvF_Y1Y-2wwTosz6tI0Dfzl3-u33aqTpvCSyaYi29siEmrz9I1fl4To4CCxYTk/s1600/265072_10150702203085191_226813135190_19631579_6872161_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOxzHIhl1lag2NlCxyOuiqpKgUPQOiGsscVURp4OAbqYKBavkTNgantlb6tTn3AxY1WnSTSOv69z16nVvF_Y1Y-2wwTosz6tI0Dfzl3-u33aqTpvCSyaYi29siEmrz9I1fl4To4CCxYTk/s320/265072_10150702203085191_226813135190_19631579_6872161_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626715053681639010" border="0" /></a><br />The <a href="http://www.patriotguard.org/">Patriot Guard Riders</a>.<br />Sadly the Westboro church traveled to tour little town to protest this funeral, as is their way. The Patriot Riders did what they do best. I just don't know what to say about them. I hold them up, they are heroes. If you happen to see them, be sure to thank them.<br /><br />I am very proud to be a Texan and a resident of New Braunfels today.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(a special thank you to my friend Lisa who took most of these pictures)</span>Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-70710471293970408202011-06-30T12:06:00.000-07:002011-06-30T12:36:18.782-07:00Summer so far...So far this has not been a very fun summer for our family. The first week my boys were out of school I had to serve on a jury for a very hard case. It took an entire week to finish it, I am glad it's over. Alec had to go to summer school because he failed his math TAKS test. Summer school has been frustrating on more than one level.(more on that later)<br />If you have been paying attention to the weather you know that Texas is in the middle of a severe drought, and despite our sprinkler system our garden has been suffering. We just are not getting any ware near the yields we got last year, or that we needed. So far only 2 ears of corn and they were TINY. Sweet, but tiny. We did get a ton of grapes off our vine, they were little but pretty sweet. This is the second year we have had it so I know next year they will be just perfect.<br /><br />But we had Cole's birthday party earlier this month. A pool party and everyone had a fantastic time.<br />The cake Derek and I made:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCymwOpldsiXL28gVey2QFXCQpuOyibvbibgpfUyajaYOn5hSgv1KHmvkIhuPXPcI0ChTJ6eKR7IBrRaVXYULx-VhPt2jCN2tzvmfDrYI2XWLwa__Wv9l-K1WGQu3BrDcoR9MOy_Wijo/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCymwOpldsiXL28gVey2QFXCQpuOyibvbibgpfUyajaYOn5hSgv1KHmvkIhuPXPcI0ChTJ6eKR7IBrRaVXYULx-VhPt2jCN2tzvmfDrYI2XWLwa__Wv9l-K1WGQu3BrDcoR9MOy_Wijo/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624093588627067170" border="0" /></a>It took us over 5 hours but for never having done this before I think we did a pretty good job. Cole loves Legos so of course he had to have a Lego birthday party.<br /><br />Alec's birthday is coming up weekend after next so we have to start planning that as well.<br /><br />Last weekend Alec competed in his first shooting competition since he started shooting on the 4-H shooting sports team. We left the house at 6am and didn't get home till after 7pm. It was a long hot day!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXbEPQ6JGn5wZBSnQ6oOCAoj0O3SwLJpF-uJdufA0cK1h2aYpIN1H8PSgrLVU9SeMs6pYTTePwzBFF-0WqtFVuBod9QF8C2LdC0za7wDEe3tpOmYXIb-NVfdJRDiNBeUdeFjbWMITkAs/s1600/DSC_0056.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 271px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXbEPQ6JGn5wZBSnQ6oOCAoj0O3SwLJpF-uJdufA0cK1h2aYpIN1H8PSgrLVU9SeMs6pYTTePwzBFF-0WqtFVuBod9QF8C2LdC0za7wDEe3tpOmYXIb-NVfdJRDiNBeUdeFjbWMITkAs/s320/DSC_0056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624095448086685474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nwMIl6zfAQLykqaAb4GWMqEEFhnlkQtjCaxX27x1ynyAz1iV7qcp20CPGP1ElyIrabJLCpHZXy_aPiTU2MGDsRUDiKrSskJ-mBD7beNudwvikEx28jqT8qROlJ9aVOXSXA8MUqysxWY/s1600/DSC_0083.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nwMIl6zfAQLykqaAb4GWMqEEFhnlkQtjCaxX27x1ynyAz1iV7qcp20CPGP1ElyIrabJLCpHZXy_aPiTU2MGDsRUDiKrSskJ-mBD7beNudwvikEx28jqT8qROlJ9aVOXSXA8MUqysxWY/s320/DSC_0083.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624095071295013074" border="0" /></a><br />For his first time shooting he did ok. He shot in 3 events, 5 stand, Trap and Skeet. It was his first time ever shooting 5 stand. To add insult to injury 2 weeks ago the firing pin on his shot gun broke, so he was borrowing an extra gun from one of his team mates. Saturday was only the second time that he had shot it. His gun was a 20 gauge and the one he borrowed was a 12 so there was a bit of difference in shooting it. He didn't place, but we didn't expect him to. He shot over 150 rounds that day and never complained, we were proud.<br />His gun has to go back to the manufacturer to get fixed so there will be no competitions for a while.<br /><br />Work has been going very well for me. I started making ice cream at the restaurant that have been a big hit. Small batches using as many local ingredients as possible, and flavors that can't be found any ware else. I just made earlier this week a batch of chocolate stout ice cream using an amazing stout from a local brewery. It turned out amazing.<br />We got another write up in the news paper. An Austin paper this time. We will also be mentioned in the travel section of the Dallas news. <br /><br />I do have some big news, new changes are coming to our house, but I'll save that for another post.Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-69675725436981980232011-04-17T18:41:00.000-07:002011-04-17T19:12:16.691-07:00The "Everything from Scratch" BreakfastThe only thing I didn't make from scratch this morning was the butter and the honey :)<br /><br />I cooked up the maple cured bacon I made week before last.<br />It was CRAZY good<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcY5cMRmthdYUkJV9H3fG03SibHV8ZSzsebJl22V8WWu9Sx6cwzQbPSUp8_EESmmUhc5W0EoG6Us1mwudCqPUceNfh2_kSCFNXAdJAQAErO_4GX9QBJLNNzeZcAZru8Z-m6zths2Vo0E/s1600/DSC_0005-2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcY5cMRmthdYUkJV9H3fG03SibHV8ZSzsebJl22V8WWu9Sx6cwzQbPSUp8_EESmmUhc5W0EoG6Us1mwudCqPUceNfh2_kSCFNXAdJAQAErO_4GX9QBJLNNzeZcAZru8Z-m6zths2Vo0E/s320/DSC_0005-2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596733532915074194" border="0" /></a><br />EEK. Note to self, find a better window to take pictures in front of.<br /><br />We also had biscuits I made from scratch. I always make the biscuits from scratch. I have a great recipe (listed below) that I use. I change the type of butter I use. Sometimes I use Kerrygold butter, today I used imported un-salted Normandy butter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyClcgE53UaADJ6BXBeikLiZDygslGwBbdieakSpZTkZzKg2GZhED4YqJjirEXY8iE2fQLTUFmxWelqUCLPGfumJuWAHd735O5KEpwxG7KaYKzZnpa9U6GjNOkrRlYZ_FpkycdkQadXq8/s1600/DSC_0001-1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyClcgE53UaADJ6BXBeikLiZDygslGwBbdieakSpZTkZzKg2GZhED4YqJjirEXY8iE2fQLTUFmxWelqUCLPGfumJuWAHd735O5KEpwxG7KaYKzZnpa9U6GjNOkrRlYZ_FpkycdkQadXq8/s320/DSC_0001-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596735760947971186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Buttermilk Biscuits</span><br /><br />Sift together in a bowl:<br />2 cups un-bleached all purpose flour<br />2 tsp. baking powder<br />1/2 tsp. baking soda<br />1 tsp. salt (omit if using Kerrygold, or other salted butter)<br /><br />Cut in with a fork or pastry blender:<br />6 T. Cold butter<br />This is what I used today:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwk-xe5Y6Lx7MUkH97fO6ImaczobVPuBA7a7ayMC8SojlluEOuwV0ajY15rHDDJp7rRH9ZiO8jn-IhNAS5lpEyfmnkbhZSToOmmkXBlhiTxofAUwWpIGO4kvLxjelm_qY-BzBfsuBkoE/s1600/butter.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 105px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwk-xe5Y6Lx7MUkH97fO6ImaczobVPuBA7a7ayMC8SojlluEOuwV0ajY15rHDDJp7rRH9ZiO8jn-IhNAS5lpEyfmnkbhZSToOmmkXBlhiTxofAUwWpIGO4kvLxjelm_qY-BzBfsuBkoE/s320/butter.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596736656892468194" border="0" /></a><br />But feel free to use whatever butter you like. Blend this into the flour mixture till it resembles coarse crumbs.<br />Slowly add 3/4 cup buttermilk. Stir it with a fork till just blended. Then get your hands dirty! Gently knead the dough till it is no longer sticks to the bowl and is smooth on the surface.<br />Now my boys usually help me so we just pull off small handfuls of dough, gently roll them into balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet (this method makes them a little more rustic looking). Allow them to rest while your oven heats up to 425 degrees. Brush the tops with melted butter and bake them (depending on the size) 10-15 minutes or till golden brown.<br /><br />This morning we topped them with my home made jam:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCponMSn6cJa1vFsmKBMKCLntQ-8X8UR7v_hzudHpjEhwXkla0jsO9TsutT64ruGO8EN6owWHUVOKkqwaFPx_HgEE0DLgDAxjojrIvMpSIIwEtqMTE_pWjSu0-33t_HfbeDN4JywZ7Hv4/s1600/DSC_0006-1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCponMSn6cJa1vFsmKBMKCLntQ-8X8UR7v_hzudHpjEhwXkla0jsO9TsutT64ruGO8EN6owWHUVOKkqwaFPx_HgEE0DLgDAxjojrIvMpSIIwEtqMTE_pWjSu0-33t_HfbeDN4JywZ7Hv4/s320/DSC_0006-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596738015358626306" border="0" /></a>That I made last year during my month long canning binge. (We are just now starting to run low, despite me giving away many jars) We also topped them with some delicious local honey from <a href="http://roundrockhoney.com/">Round Rock Honey</a> . Eggs (eek I forgot to get a pic!) came from a friend who has property south of Seguin where he has chickens, ducks, goats, cows etc. The chicken eggs he gives us are some of the best we have ever had. Fruit also came from my 2010 canning binge. Alec pulled out a a jar of my chunky spiced apple sauce. (made from organic pink lady apples)<br /><br />So that was our Sunday breakfast. Have a great week!Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-52360011241514704972011-04-10T13:25:00.000-07:002011-04-10T13:42:32.201-07:00Sunday snack and Bacon part 3The bacon is done. And our lives will never be the same again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxJPwoZcPKXfxUCf-QzwNjJmkd118InvvmWvkGQV_7aweXWLo_YFv98QZdw-TdXApC-RvDHtU9bgT5z6nUEf-VnzedV0PIeSAN8GLUCbZhAeSZuH2Wrv69LbM25iza9w9DT1czHBysKk/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuxJPwoZcPKXfxUCf-QzwNjJmkd118InvvmWvkGQV_7aweXWLo_YFv98QZdw-TdXApC-RvDHtU9bgT5z6nUEf-VnzedV0PIeSAN8GLUCbZhAeSZuH2Wrv69LbM25iza9w9DT1czHBysKk/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594054465189381522" border="0" /></a><br />It was late Thursday night that we sliced it and sampled it. Above is the belly straight out of the oven. Cooked in the 200 degrees till the temp registered 150 degrees. It sat on the counter to come down to room temperature, then got wrapped in foil, and chilled in the fridge till firm. I very carefully sliced it with a VERY sharp knife. Cooked up a few pieces and holy cow! Or holy pig :D . It was a little too salty, I left it in the cure I think a day or so too long. But no worries. Blanching the belly in water for a few minutes fixed it. When Alec tried it he asked me "Mom, how are we ever gonna eat store bought bacon again?" We won't I told him. We will make our own bacon from now on.<br /><br />Sunday snack:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3P8RBoGBikil7kK9dcTikCncxKi5vuNxFAtSXwSjvdL-BDFw2A8f7dO4VL74oD9vcVL5UGWDlMxQdKaTxh6zeTjXCrg6AQulzYho1R-tnkAMaoBF3jvOTLf4rtEJSzh0FwvstZzt3jpQ/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3P8RBoGBikil7kK9dcTikCncxKi5vuNxFAtSXwSjvdL-BDFw2A8f7dO4VL74oD9vcVL5UGWDlMxQdKaTxh6zeTjXCrg6AQulzYho1R-tnkAMaoBF3jvOTLf4rtEJSzh0FwvstZzt3jpQ/s320/DSC_0006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594057208229586690" border="0" /></a><br />New favorite sandwich. Just went on the menu at Gourmage. Lightly toasted baguette drizzled with basil olive oil, a slice of prosciutto, couple slices of fresh mozzarella and a basil leaf. mmm...Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-3208587227579556002011-04-07T08:21:00.000-07:002011-04-07T08:45:16.523-07:00Bacon part 2The pork belly, right now as I type is resting comfortably in a 200 degree oven.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKKIGOX4XB6g63zPEkGkY8GsXnXd8mfu7dt481csLec8ntcX_q52VfN7SaYYnuOicX0bZ0NSNYpdSiI2ZL0CnYqUJhHUjuHI1GTkvrKoND7JLXrg4OfUZyo3n20i_v_KFyfT2zmLlakY/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKKIGOX4XB6g63zPEkGkY8GsXnXd8mfu7dt481csLec8ntcX_q52VfN7SaYYnuOicX0bZ0NSNYpdSiI2ZL0CnYqUJhHUjuHI1GTkvrKoND7JLXrg4OfUZyo3n20i_v_KFyfT2zmLlakY/s320/DSC_0004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592862621168413122" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It spent about 8-9 days in the maple cure. I took it out of the cure, rinsed it and patted it dry with paper towel. I placed the belly on a rack in a foil lined sheet pan. According to Michael Ruhlman's book you can leave the belly this way in the fridge for up to 3 days (just make sure you cover it with plastic wrap) But Alec asked (in a worried voice) "We aren't gonna wait that long are we?" Oh HECK NO!! I prepped the belly last night and just put it in the oven this morning. It will sit in the 200 degree oven for about 2 hours or until the internal temp. reaches 150 degrees. At this point if you wanted, say, pepper bacon you could add the pepper to the belly now, before it goes in the oven. You could also smoke it if you are lucky and have a smoker. (we are still shopping for a bbq with a smoker box) Apple wood is pretty classic, you could do cherry, hickory, mesquite, etc.<br /><div style="text-align: center;">By this afternoon we will have BACON!!<br /></div><br />I realized that I forgot to post the cure recipe. It's pretty easy one.<br /><br />1 lb. Kosher Salt<br />8 oz. granulated sugar<br />2 oz. pink salt (you can find at well stocked grocery stores or online, I get mine from my butcher shop)<br /><br />Just mix it all together, it will keep in an air tight container forever. Depending on the size of your pork belly use around 4 oz (more or less) to completely coat it. To my recipe I also added 4 oz. real maple syrup, but you could also add garlic, pepper corns, dried herbs etc.Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-87574112003894235972011-03-31T07:26:00.000-07:002011-03-31T07:41:58.923-07:00Breakfast<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrjwDgPGIp55T8SQcbVHhxLTGmAtbMFmAAtiRjy4JVQNioFYMCkRDE4-sVCf4q11onvC1WczvQQ0KNcheH_CN91qSaxi0DyJH9Xn76MsTep9XXi_XlBlPeNOap6pcGtwsRi7uVAF5-R4/s1600/DSC_0001-1.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHrjwDgPGIp55T8SQcbVHhxLTGmAtbMFmAAtiRjy4JVQNioFYMCkRDE4-sVCf4q11onvC1WczvQQ0KNcheH_CN91qSaxi0DyJH9Xn76MsTep9XXi_XlBlPeNOap6pcGtwsRi7uVAF5-R4/s320/DSC_0001-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590251500788957234" border="0" /></a>Coffee, Don Francisco Butterscotch (can't find it in Texas so we either stock up when we are in California or order it online) and a Pain Au Chocolate.<br />Reading my Charcuterie book, plotting my next adventure in the art of curing meat.Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-27608782565154650472011-03-27T16:53:00.001-07:002011-03-27T17:51:37.585-07:00Feeding my obsessionI ordered this book from Amazon a couple weeks ago<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNU0Jz9srMZn87Aq0qjoiNdTzgoWZBRPkHW-Iw0vryunIKdaMIpLd_o5rzlrBtx6M_qSsjENVOD4SoP7bqVYFYpahPBqNZbs8YmgZgKiH3-29KVZVgPcB9wDRJPHqxq8j3vn8FI3VHE/s1600/charcuterie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYnNU0Jz9srMZn87Aq0qjoiNdTzgoWZBRPkHW-Iw0vryunIKdaMIpLd_o5rzlrBtx6M_qSsjENVOD4SoP7bqVYFYpahPBqNZbs8YmgZgKiH3-29KVZVgPcB9wDRJPHqxq8j3vn8FI3VHE/s320/charcuterie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588912508355885906" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And haven't been able to put it down. I mentioned in a previous post my current obsession with charcuterie and this weekend was all about it. Friday after work the boys and I went to our local meat market, Granzin's and got a fresh pork belly. (Bacon who hoo!!!)<br />Saturday we packed the boys in the car early (well early for them) and headed up to Austin to check out the farmer's market. Jen had told me about a few people that sold at the farmer's market to check out. I got some Pate Campagne and some Morcilla blood sausage from <a href="http://www.kocurekfamilycharcuterie.com/">Kocurek Family Charcuterie </a>. I also got some venison breakfast sausage and some fresh lard (in preparation for confit) from <a href="http://daidueaustin.net/">Dai Due.</a><br />I couldn't wait to dive into the Pate from Kocurek Charcuterie. As soon as we got home from our day (We also took the boys to Salt Lick in Driftwood, Wimberly Glassworks and Cabela's) I grabbed the baguette I had brought home from work Friday from the freezer (let it defrost of course) and tucked into my pate. Happy sigh.<br /><br />So today (Sunday) I tackled the pork belly.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YPeHFUXYVAuSRI5x9h26-AvuJVSC7CHgxNcU2lx6wZOe22qjAJTSYe97yzapi-brC4IYZSv0xH4gItSMxviLH413bZxVkBPeiPrhHYFdMzXO03Q3ydeavBX0F3FyJel4lZwYTwEVxRA/s1600/DSC_0196.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YPeHFUXYVAuSRI5x9h26-AvuJVSC7CHgxNcU2lx6wZOe22qjAJTSYe97yzapi-brC4IYZSv0xH4gItSMxviLH413bZxVkBPeiPrhHYFdMzXO03Q3ydeavBX0F3FyJel4lZwYTwEVxRA/s320/DSC_0196.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588919921255705762" border="0" /></a><br />So pretty<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3bGuJNTKTr5DPSofcjN4jGtzneug4kmwVG4HlaLeMP5RKBNTbMoRbXBcDJSIUpcly09EmvpkYUd2BXWW9vpa_Vw2ELkxPfYoJtQgQ1SOGy3b2p3w-_cmQZ3XKIWs6Vi-aLJyxoj-JyM/s1600/DSC_0197.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3bGuJNTKTr5DPSofcjN4jGtzneug4kmwVG4HlaLeMP5RKBNTbMoRbXBcDJSIUpcly09EmvpkYUd2BXWW9vpa_Vw2ELkxPfYoJtQgQ1SOGy3b2p3w-_cmQZ3XKIWs6Vi-aLJyxoj-JyM/s320/DSC_0197.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588920195736807778" border="0" /></a><br />This bacon is gonna be so good.<br /><br />Seriously.<br /><br />I made up a batch of Michael Ruhlman's Basic Dry Cure<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi566WxvPoQp8CR9G081GHZ3w4ioTjH38DlIfP9lJNSv322F_g-6Y6JETjEgXgSeVqjLgMiRtzZIeMwGovXI_xO6JM5JFDL5IQ74GNf6JfIM-bnwY1urtmR3jmGcafHuutjR5HzmE4Vlcw/s1600/DSC_0194.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi566WxvPoQp8CR9G081GHZ3w4ioTjH38DlIfP9lJNSv322F_g-6Y6JETjEgXgSeVqjLgMiRtzZIeMwGovXI_xO6JM5JFDL5IQ74GNf6JfIM-bnwY1urtmR3jmGcafHuutjR5HzmE4Vlcw/s320/DSC_0194.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588920741104302658" border="0" /></a>And got to work. I coated the belly in the dry cure (both sides)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdyva7MjrYjidT_Bc_RIUc9euWGE8feZNvPe5CpWoqFgNfWaq5YfpjtjNOUxqw6444TL_jPi2wbskbHUca0FAdaSQ56qD9sw7n51GCoSLqx7EPczT0_tU1FYru03usSe7CjDlgckEPds/s1600/DSC_0204.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdyva7MjrYjidT_Bc_RIUc9euWGE8feZNvPe5CpWoqFgNfWaq5YfpjtjNOUxqw6444TL_jPi2wbskbHUca0FAdaSQ56qD9sw7n51GCoSLqx7EPczT0_tU1FYru03usSe7CjDlgckEPds/s320/DSC_0204.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588922267568444290" border="0" /></a><br />and placed it in a 2.5 gallon zip bag. I decided to give the maple cured bacon recipe so I added some maple syrup to the bag<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapELMQlUx-OjPWytbyG5TwkTKdPwW2DOye6ROPQOIDJAAWfBlYPYEOBYTgXURyK7rFDOs3vF6I4gluGssa0se5fXhNQ_wp3DqjwGwSdeQ1SSKdCzPJyhFNpLPZuxBi5md72bfkJWHHdM/s1600/DSC_0205.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapELMQlUx-OjPWytbyG5TwkTKdPwW2DOye6ROPQOIDJAAWfBlYPYEOBYTgXURyK7rFDOs3vF6I4gluGssa0se5fXhNQ_wp3DqjwGwSdeQ1SSKdCzPJyhFNpLPZuxBi5md72bfkJWHHdM/s320/DSC_0205.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588922802185615122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnobnDDUno_8GTtK0IIiRTEP1Gn7LzJ_jFNTd4KoerwSkTZKoE58DkA-9YZzffWQknyVB00FQ1mprQ0E85_UMOBWRFWuJXF42tkS3a4C-jlAy6jy02X4M3JzLrcLnQbofdIwMz7NCXmcE/s1600/DSC_0207.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnobnDDUno_8GTtK0IIiRTEP1Gn7LzJ_jFNTd4KoerwSkTZKoE58DkA-9YZzffWQknyVB00FQ1mprQ0E85_UMOBWRFWuJXF42tkS3a4C-jlAy6jy02X4M3JzLrcLnQbofdIwMz7NCXmcE/s320/DSC_0207.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588923133967704482" border="0" /></a><br />squished it all around the pork belly. It's sitting in a 1/4 sheet pan in the fridge and according to Michael Ruhlman it will sit there for 7 days. I just hope we can wait that long.<br /><br />I found this website from Michael Ruhlman's site : <a href="http://www.mrswheelbarrow.com/charcutepalooza/the-ruhls-2/">http://www.mrswheelbarrow.com/charcutepalooza/the-ruhls-2/</a><br /><br />I am not participating in the challenges officially, I kinda stumbled upon it too late. And too, only 1 month to complete challenges could be a little difficult given how much I have been working lately. I plan on working my way through the book at my own pace. Feel free to join in if you'd like. Get the book, Amazon has it for less than $20 and free shipping if you have Amazon Prime (like I do and I totally abuse it!). Feel free to post with your experiences or questions and I'll link back to your blog.<br /><br />Happy curing!Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-16392142461426802772011-03-22T20:31:00.000-07:002011-03-22T20:31:00.464-07:0010 Day Challenge, day 10Day ten: One confession.<br /><br />At any given time I have at least 3 different kinds of butter in my fridge. Currently the following are in my fridge:<br /><br /><span class="indexlistingGreen"><strong></strong></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfesrKpVZQPBc1HL55QC9jrYNRHD-NuwWD5Nx4nuL2kmn8_1FxHWW6ZmHy60uaarGNphXD9p-sI2aXILzWl0fISzG0d0kWuV6QO4grgEbH0YmXrFgb-SR_pyXoMmvU-mY3rNujg5bMq0/s1600/kerrygold.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbfesrKpVZQPBc1HL55QC9jrYNRHD-NuwWD5Nx4nuL2kmn8_1FxHWW6ZmHy60uaarGNphXD9p-sI2aXILzWl0fISzG0d0kWuV6QO4grgEbH0YmXrFgb-SR_pyXoMmvU-mY3rNujg5bMq0/s320/kerrygold.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584836306127900402" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzScOVkSPTWVYbXNaaZZQTFj7fM8SxRxfp_KPSsLSaD6-3vhGuQcdRkwDSl2EsRe92uv_LQwhfYpCHLFTNpj2mQJB4w9aF_ldh0m6gkf_-BFmeWrmM8j0PUAqgHtOFOlZxWuEcu82ix8/s1600/full_DelitiaParmaButterSilo2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzScOVkSPTWVYbXNaaZZQTFj7fM8SxRxfp_KPSsLSaD6-3vhGuQcdRkwDSl2EsRe92uv_LQwhfYpCHLFTNpj2mQJB4w9aF_ldh0m6gkf_-BFmeWrmM8j0PUAqgHtOFOlZxWuEcu82ix8/s320/full_DelitiaParmaButterSilo2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584836465036367842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlkd2AyKomem28MB9OFjnEoapsdYmGbxPHTK3FiNtuwbhzPmeeDNTPBgjva_u2jGFctasYGf0PjLXT-XHQYWvs2f79vmTqHalpJcc4rJmvxQeMKQ26VSarS1XuC3tTIGSAI_VBfbnENE/s1600/sevrebelle.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlkd2AyKomem28MB9OFjnEoapsdYmGbxPHTK3FiNtuwbhzPmeeDNTPBgjva_u2jGFctasYGf0PjLXT-XHQYWvs2f79vmTqHalpJcc4rJmvxQeMKQ26VSarS1XuC3tTIGSAI_VBfbnENE/s320/sevrebelle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584837522834088242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUteLQQqiJR03aCKRkwQimAWMlcRfxanqdGBLrfkcRDNInOow8dxdZp-jrNm3qwjBn0X_6BgMyv2AIFEZgcWcpk-Z_vTEqQ2-U65LvSRsQmt7NY6ICQKdxDFtT4-haGK_wo-a7DBOFIk/s1600/butter.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUteLQQqiJR03aCKRkwQimAWMlcRfxanqdGBLrfkcRDNInOow8dxdZp-jrNm3qwjBn0X_6BgMyv2AIFEZgcWcpk-Z_vTEqQ2-U65LvSRsQmt7NY6ICQKdxDFtT4-haGK_wo-a7DBOFIk/s320/butter.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584837736560041650" border="0" /></a>Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-63351181571936195642011-03-21T20:29:00.000-07:002011-03-21T20:29:00.171-07:0010 Day Challenge, day 9Day Nine: Two smileys that describe your life right now.<br /><br />:D<br /><br />:p (just cuz I am a smart ass)Linsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8237275988080952881.post-56438772864583868352011-03-20T20:26:00.000-07:002011-03-20T20:26:00.148-07:0010 Day Challenge, day 8Day Eight: Three turn ons.<br /><br />1. Humor<br /><br />2. Politeness<br /><br />3. ConfidanceLinsey M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/01813271185016764182noreply@blogger.com0