So true. So true!

Ha Ha Ha!  This cracks me up.  Check out this blog.  “Indexed”

Bookmaking

I think this would be a fun craft to undertake.  I’ve made one book before.  Not a masterpiece but loved but the recipient.  I’m in the process of a second.  The binding is most difficult for me.  This book has given me abundant ideas.  Maybe some will help.

The first book I made was a cardboard board book with ink jet images and one word per page.  Each of the ten pages hole punched and a sewn with yarn.  It’s lasted for more than a year in the hands of a toddler.  Sturdy but not artistic in the way I want it to be.

The current project is also ten pages long and cardboard but double the size.  It also has ink jet images and words on each page.  The binding was difficult.  I took masking tape and sandwiched the board pages together.  Then taped each page to the next on the inside.  It’s a little lopsided.  I think I’ll cover the book in fabric held in place with hot glue then deco podge (sp?)  the pages on and maybe some decorative and hold-it-together stitching. Maybe an upholstery needle will work with three strands of embroidery floss glued together for some decorative and functional, hold-it-together, stitching on the spine, too. Something fun to read and artistic too.

I’ll post pictures when the book is complete.

 

My nine

After the fun we had with Fish and Keek’s photo posts of the house I wanted to do one, too!

One of those water bulbs and a left over Halloween decoration. Striking and fun against the naked trees.

I have this thing for little bottles and cups and stuff. I guess I never outgrew the whole doll house phase.

Books on a shelf. We have lots of this going on in our house. This bookshelf was made by Charles’ Uncle M.

This is a suet bird feeder on the porch but it looks like the treehouse the kids really want to build.

My little Chat Noir. He was excited to have me outide.

The mantle. See? More books.

My frogs, a gnome and Charles’ elephant.

A rock placed carefully and purposefully by one of the kids.

I made this with my Grandma before she passed. It was a gift for my Mother, who has passed now, too. It’s very special to me.

48 hours

Ouch.  Poor guy. 

A different perspective

The results of a borrowed camera turned out so well with Fish I decided to loan the camera to another aspiring photographer.  These are Keeker’s views.

These are pillars that dad brought home. Amazingly he found them in the trash!

This comes from my favorite corner in the house. It is my favorite picture.

Mom hung roses from the chandelier. Aren’t they pretty?

I have lots of pretty glass thingy’s.

More glass pretties… I get more and more all the time. I love them.

My dad saved these from the trash. It’s amazing what people want to throw away. Are they not mystical?

cats are eating

This cat’s name is Peanut aka Dust Stripe. Cat in the sink… weird but cute!

Three in my room. I have lots of pictures in my room!

Poor Charles

Charles hit his nose.

The white stuff is neosporin.  This was four hours after the incident and seven hours ago.  The swelling has gone down on his forehead and he’s feeling better.  It was scary.  He came running in the house hollering, “Help me! HELP ME!”  All I knew was that he’d been cutting stuff with the table saw.  I thought he cut off his fingers.  It was so scary.  The blood was dripping down his chin and he was holding his face.  I couldn’t see anything.  The kids followed him in and we got to work.

Charles calmed down some and he let me look at his face.  Keek got me a damp washcloth.  Fish ran for a hand towel and glass of water.  Keek got ibuprofen and tylenol.  I got Charles washed up and we surveyed the damage.  We were all calmed down and then the kids went to the computer. I bandaged him up and checked for concusion.  No off sized pupils but no size change from light to dark.  Hmm.  I passed the computer to get the blood pressure cuff.

The kids were playing surgery games.  They found a new version of knee surgery and Fish said, “It makes my tummy tingle.  I don’t like it.”  I asked what he meant.  “It’s not animated mom it’s too real.  I don’t think I want to be a Doctor.”

Charles bp was up.  140/90 not so bad, considering.  The bleeding had slowed to a leak.  He went to go back outside to work some more.  I stopped him.  It wasn’t a good idea.  We read instead.

After a couple knee surgery’s Keek was bored and went to read her Red Cross 1st Aid manual.  Later she came out and said, matter of factly, “Mom, I know what kind of nurse I want to be.  I want to be a hospital pediatric nurse.”  I smiled and then she left the living room and went back to her room.

We read more.  It’s a good book, “City of Thieves” by David Benioff.  I’ll write a review when we’ve finished.  It’s a young Russian man’s view of WW2.  First person narrative.  So far so good.

Now Charles has vibrant black, purple and blue eye shadow.  The swelling has gone down.  He’s jovial and good spirited but tender and his eyes are tired.  So that’s it for today.

 

Some Perspective

This is what happens when a seven year old steals your camera.  “Mom, I took some pictures.” Fish said with an impish grin.

The clock… It’s hard for me to read because it’s so up high.

This is my map. Those are my lables and I put them where they go.

These Christmas trees hold hands. We made them a long long time ago when I was little.

This is my store. I didn’t have many customers.

Our house looks like a rainforest.

This is Keekers. She thinks it’s beautiful.

These are my welcome cats. They are like chat noir.

Mom says this is a Thanksgiving decoration but it looks like a Christmas decoration to me.

Grandma J’s boy deer in mom’s wreath.

Stuffed bread

Was looking for pictures of ” running monkeys” for my nephew’s book when I came across this wonderfully beautiful picture of stuffed breads in a marketplace. (Nik did have photos of running monkeys on his blog hence the connection.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So motivated I decided to make stuffed bread for dinner.  Mine is not so gorgeous with such a dramatic backdrop but delicious none the less.

Recipe:

Frozen seafood yummies totaling 2 cups we used shrimp and imitation lobster but I imagine fresh calamari and crab would be heavenly.

seafood stuffed bread

2 pkg ready made biscuits

half stick of butter

1 to 2 cloves garlic smashed

1 tbs Italian seasoning

1 tbs lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400. Mix everything but the biscuits in bowl.  Microwave to melt butter.  Stir well.  Grease loaf pan.  Open one pkg of the biscuits knead together and place in the bottom of loaf pan make sure it is well covered.  Pour on seafood butter mix.  Top with the other ready made biscuits kneaded together.  Bake for 20 minutes at 400.  Turn off oven and let sit IN THE oven for an additional 5 to10 minutes.  Watch closely.  You just want it to be nicely browned on top.  Take out run knife along the sides.  Turn out onto towel then put on plate. Ta Da!

 

Not Popovers

Alternately titled, “Haphazard Cooking” and “Custard Spongebread”

I watched a tv pop over recipe yesterday at Grandma Zuzu’s house.  It looked easy enough and delicious.  I didn’t have the right kind of flour though.  I didn’t have the recipe either.  I remembered what was in it though!  So I guessed.

Look at those holes... very spongy. yumm!

4eggs

1.5 c flour

2 tsp vanilla

1 c sugar (+/-)

1 tbs soda

1tsp salt

2 big pinches cinnamon sugar

1.5 cups milk (+ a splash)

I mixed the eggs sugar and vanilla in one bowl.  In another I mixed the dry ingred.  I stirred those together then added the milk.  Set oven to 425 F.  Pour into baking cups, almost full.  (The idea was to make pop overs remember.)   Bake for 20 minutes.

When I went to check on them they were not popping but I tested in the center with a toothpick at 20 minutes and they were done!  Cooled on a plate and ate.  Delicious!  Taste likes custard.  Not overly sweet and perfect with a pat of butter.  And hot tea. 

All I Want for Christmas is my One Front Tooth

It happened.  One less tooth. 

And then my dear sentimental boy refused to part with his tooth.  He wanted to save it and not give it to the tooth fairy.  “I don’t want the money,” he pleaded, “I’ll save them all up and give them to her all at once.”  He said.  He was quite distressed at the thought of bidding his treasure goodbye.  So we stuck it in a piece of masking tape and wrote which tooth it was and the date it was shed. It sticks now on his bedroom wall near his bed, forever his tooth.

That’s a wrap.

It’s official, we are un enrolled! Kids are lighthearted and we can feel excitement crackling in the air. Maybe that’s the freezy breeze… lol I don’t know! But really we are all much happier already. I was expecting some teary goodbyes but they never happened. The smiles were ear to ear through every, “I’ll miss you!” Keek picked up a flurry of phone numbers and Fish passed out digits to a number of kids too. I imagine the phone lines will be busy this afternoon! Both kids were invited back to parties throughout the year. We’ll see!

Happy Weekend Recipe

Ingredients

visiting with cousins

painting

visiting awesome friends

contact from those who care

hanging up homeschool posters

Comfy cozy sweaters

hair lightening

Preheat weekend to a chilly 60 degrees.  Mix it all together.  Apply all ingredients liberally to entire weekend!  Enjoy!

working on the door

The apothecary door is coming along.  All the spaces have been filled and the first bits of paint have been applied.  I love this stage.  Ghostly shapes stare back at me waiting to be brought to life.

Example of Public School Withdraw Letter

On school letterhead you receive this form.  You fill it out and turn it into the school principal.

 

Date:_______________

 

Principal’s name

School Name

School Address

City State Zip

 

Subject:_____________(please print child’s name)

Grade:___________________________

Dear Principal,

I will be withdrawing my daughter/son, ___________________ to home school effective on this date___________.  As I understand it, home school is a legal option, under Oklahoma Law.  Oklahoma laws pertaining to home education include Oklahoma Constitution, Article XIII, Section 4, Title 70, O.S. 1-109; and the Attorney General’s Opinion No. 73-129.

Sincerely,

________________________(parent signature)

I love this series.

We watch Leverage through Netflix.  We’re on season 2 now.  You might like it too.  Check it out!

un-enrolling

Taking the kids out of school is much less complicated than I thought it would be. It’s a single page form stating I wish to homeschool. That’s it. I’m so grateful!

Talked to the principal and explained why. It’s a lifestyle difference. The kids haven’t been learning and miss it. She understood. She said if she could’ve she would’ve homeschooled too. She said we would be greatly missed and the kids would be welcome to visit anytime.

Where to go from here

The kids will be homeschooled again.  They are not learning anything.  Keek misses, “new stuff, mom!  We’re still doing what we were doing when school started!  It’s so boring.”  Fish says, “The kids in my class are so annoying, mom.  They don’t even know how to listen.”

Fish has been straightforward with his dislike.  From day one he said he’d rather homeschool.  I made him go anyway.  He dealt with his boredom and frustration. He made a couple of new friends.  He misses his homeschooled friends.  He misses going to the library where he can pick out any book.  He’s been restricted to age appropriate material in the early reader section.  I said, “It can’t be all bad.”  and he told me it was.

Keek focused on the bright side.  Everything is so easy.  She made friends and has a best friend.  She loves Drama.  Only a couple of times did she have anything negative to say.  Yesterday the bottom fell out.  Through streaming tears she told me so much.  Everything is so boring.  I miss my real friends.  I hate “L” she’s so rude.  I hate stupid boys.  They act like babies.  I hate wasting time.  I hate waiting.  I wish people would stop talking so we could get the work done.  I miss science.  I miss art.  All we do is color.  I miss the library.  I hate doing the same thing over and over again.  I miss learning.

So ok.  They are coming out.  I told them we would make arrangements the next day.  But Keek stopped me.  She said she wanted to be in the play.  She said she’d deal with all the immature kids.  She’d handle the jealous girl.  She’d do the boring work.  And wait to learn for just one month more.  She really wants to be in the play.  So I agreed with her cool headed decision.

Fish said he really wants out.  “I thought school would be fun. I thought I would get to learn new stuff, ” he said, “I thought school was for learning.”      I asked him to try and tell me some good things about school.  He mentioned his BF and his girlfriend.  I asked if he would like to see them for a month more.  He said no.  He’d just call them and tell them goodbye.  I laughed.  Then he started negotiating with me.  He said if I promised to make his lunch whenever he asked and let him be a car rider more he would go to school for just one more month.  I conceded and that’s where we stand.

All in all I’m not surprised the way things turned out.  I will miss the alone time.  I will keep painting and trying to sell and I’ll study to be a Doula.

We all learned from this semester of school and have grown from it.  We like to get up early and go to bed earlier.  It seems like we get so much more done. The kids don’t wonder if school is some magical vacation place.  They are well above the educational requirements academically.   They are exposed to more stimuli and learn more because of it. We start homeschooling again with a renewed sense of purpose and faith in our abilities to work together, learn together and teach each other.

Opportunity for Education

Two or so years ago I had a conversation concerning the opportunity for education.  A family member was concerned that Homeschooling the kids would lessen their exposure to learning opportunities.  That the kids would live in a bubble and only be exposed to a limited view of the world.  I listened and understood her concern.  I don’t want my children’s exposure to be limited.  I want them to have a wide base of knowledge to draw upon.

In the past I have had conversations concerning the social aspects of Homeschooling.  People have been concerned that the children would have difficulty functioning in groups because of the lack of peer interaction.  I listened and shared this concern.  I don’t want the children to be socially inept.  I want the kids to grow into confident and well adjusted adults with great people skills.

The concern for proper accreditation has been raised as well.  The fear that homeschooling would prevent upward mobility in a highly competitive atmosphere was voiced.  I hear and share these concerns, too.  I don’t want the kids to be passed over because they lack the proof of their capabilities.  I want the kids to have detailed records of learning and exposure.

The fear that the children would be ‘missing out’ on the childhood experience of school has been emphasized.  That homeschooling would, in some way, rob the children of there right to experience the wonders of growing up.  I don’t understand this one.  I don’t want my children to be sequestered, labeled, categorized and given numbers to replace their names.    I don’t want them to become another statistic.  I want them to be free to grow and learn at there own pace.  To study the things which interest them.  To see the whole picture to understand the pieces.  To learn unhindered by the constraints of an outdated system.

Perhaps it is the district within which I live.  Maybe it’s only the teacher’s at this school.  I cannot speak with experience relevant to every teacher in every district. I know there are good teachers.  I’ve had some.  I know some!

I’ve learned from them and it’s helped me win a great reputation by subbing.  The kids love me!  The teachers are amazed.  Yes I’ll sub special ed and the kids will do the work for me.  I’ll sub KG and nap time will be a success!  Yes, I’ll sub fifth graders and they’ll pocket there attitudes for me.  What is most amazing is the way the light up when they see me in the hall.  I am not like the other teachers.  There are other teachers like me, we are homeschoolers.

My children need a wide base of knowledge.  History is full of answers.  So why don’t they study history in school?  The kids need more exposure to learn more!  Not just in history but in science as well.  The science program at this school is severely lacking.  They have no funding.  No funding for music or foreign language either.

I should have been warned about the teachers but instead I was warned about 5th grade attitude.  I was warned about special ed.  I was warned about the KG class.  They could get out of hand.  I’d have to be very firm.  Poor Mrs. X, their teacher, has to yell all day.  They are difficult class.  But, I did not yell; I soothed.  I didn’t insist; I gave choices.  I didn’t demand; I cajoled.  We had a good day.  They are a good class.  The next day, in the lounge, teacher’s asked me how I managed to make such a difficult class behave so well.  I replied, “social skills” and they laughed.  They thought I was joking.  I don’t want my kids to have the social skills of Mrs. X.  Or the other teachers who so obviously want to be somewhere, anywhere, else!  I want them to be compassionate and understanding.  So I homeschool with compassion and understanding.

As homeschooling becomes more popular more and more colleges seek out those self starters.  Not one of the herd whose been pushed through the chute by many too busy, poorly paid, educators.  I want my kids to have a detailed history of their varied and interesting education.  I want them to stand out.  They are not a number.  They stand out because they are not like everybody else.

I, like every other parent, want the best for my kids!  Homeschooling is the best I can give.  Why wouldn’t I want to do it?

Thanksgiving

T   is for the thought

H  is for the heart

A  is for another year

N  is for nasty neck bones (ew!)

K  is for kids running around

S  is for special memories

G  is for good times

I  is for in touch with family

V  is for very loved

I  is for interesting stories

N  is for newcomers to the table

G  is for a good day.

Cancer Causing Green Bean Casserole. Yum!

When you’re making that Green Bean casserole for the family this holiday season don’t buy Del Monte or Campbell’s for that matter.  Make your own cream of soup and buy fresh or frozen (if you have too) green beans.  Let’s not pass out helping of carcinogen’s this year!

BPA is a chemical preservative.  It’s recently been found, in elevated levels, in Del Monte Green Bean cans, some Cambell’s Soup cans, some Progresso Soup cans and in many Nestle products. (Hey, weren’t they the ones who had lead in baby formula a few years back?)  Anyway the EU and other health aware countries around the globe have already banned the use of BPA as a preservative in any food or food related product.  Why? Because it’s a carcinogen.   That makes sense to me!

The following quote is specifically about BPA in baby bottles but applies to BPA in general as well.

There is some cause for concern since, in animal studies, even low-level BPA may be linked to anything from early puberty to breast cancer. “The National Toxicology Program and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences convened an independent review panel of polycarbonate bottles that noted ‘some’ concern for adverse health effects on fetuses and infants, including the potential cause of neurological and behavioral problems in infants and children,” Dr. Brown says. “And, while ‘some’ is certainly open for interpretation, it is more than ‘negligible’ or ‘none’ which were cited for other age groups and health concerns related to BPA exposure.

Chew on that one for a while.  Do you want a second helping?  I know I do! Check out the report from ABC News, here. If the link doesn’t work copy/paste the url to your browser.  (http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/bpa-dangers-pantry/story?id=8989235)