Saturday, December 31, 2011

K's Room Makeover, Pt. 1

This past year K decided that she was due for a more grown up room. Her room still looked nice, but it had been that way for over 7 years and she associated it with being a little kid. She was after all turning 12 this year. Fortunately for her, we decided that yes, this would be the year of the K room makeover. As an added bonus, her American Heritage Girl handbook had a badge for Interior Design. This was a cinch for K to complete, because she had the new look all mapped out in her head. We did this back in April and May, so I apologize for just getting to sharing it now. Honestly, though she has been adding little elements to get it "perfect" ever since! The photos will share the transformation. Since there was a lot of detail, there will be a lot of photos and I've divided the post into three parts!

First, we need to look at a few snapshots of the "old" room.


Over the years, the toys and toy bins were swapped out with a small antique desk.


These framed postcard pictures would actually be the inspiration for the "new" room!


I told you the room was designed when she was much younger!

Now, before we look at the new shots let me explain a little about the whole makeover. This was pretty much a total makeover. The theme was Yellowstone National Park. She wanted something that was earthy and would remind her of nature, especially National Forest type animals. She desperately needed a new bed and she asked for new furniture. That was chosen from IKEA to keep it affordable so that we could do everything she wanted. For paint she picked out three colors. Yes, three colors. Scared me...but she had a vision.

She learned during the whole project that sometimes you just need to keep an eye out for inspiration and for pieces that will fit your vision. You just never know when the right thing will come along and help tie the room together. I'll share examples of that in tomorrow's pictures.

She also learned that sometimes you can make things that will help decorate your room and add a personal touch to your room. Best part, inexpensive projects were chosen!! We'll look at a few of those later.

Lastly, she learned that not everything has to be done at once. Over the past few months of her living in her room, she's discovered some needs or touches that would really be nice. We've bounced around ideas and have come up with some good solutions and just need to wait for a few extra dollars and time. They aren't expensive projects by any means, but with the holidays here we've put it on the back burner for now. I'm sure I'll be sharing more pictures before Spring.

Tomorrow we will look at her "new" room, but I'll give one sneak peek.


Here is one of her personal touch projects. She made a sign for her bedroom door using a little chalk board, small river rocks and a white pen all from the local craft store. It fits the theme and gives you a clue about what you are going to walk into. You can also see a glimpse of two of the three colors and she's sitting on one of those "special finds" that pulled the room together. Can't wait to show you the whole thing tomorrow!!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Edible School

The one thing that I really enjoy about schooling is being able to take different avenues to reinforce information learned. This can be done many ways. One example would be taking a field trip to a historic site that you just recently read about. I love how this brings the lesson on paper to life. Fortunately, we live in an area that is close to so many opportunities to use this particular avenue. Another would be perhaps learning about an artist, looking at their work and then attempting to recreate their work or style. It may not look like the original, but it's often a true masterpiece and the child gains an appreciation that just reading wouldn't have conveyed.

While those all bring a richness to the education process, I'd have to say one of our favorites would be heading to the kitchen to make something edible that somehow ties into the lesson. This often means dessert for everyone. Of course, it is not always a "sweet", but those are certainly the most popular!

Here is the latest...


An edible bird nest complete with grass, twigs and mud.


A little fruit to represent bird eggs....and to make the whole thing healthy!
Yea, right!



Nope, she's not a ham at all!


Enjoying the lesson!

How to make your own bird nests:

Grass - Shred 2 large Shredded Wheat Biscuits into a bowl

Twigs - add 2 cups of chow mein noodles

Mud - Melt over low heat 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of peanut butter

Mix together. Place the mixture, divided into three piles, on wax paper. (you can make 4 if you need them or make a bunch of mini ones) Form each pile into a nest. Refrigerate until hardened. Add grapes to represent eggs and serve.

FYI: K says one whole nest (we made 4) was too much to eat at one time.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Why English Will Have to Wait

We've recently returned from a much needed two week vacation. We were out of town from September 16th to October 1st. Our homeschooling began early in August and we worked extra hard to get ahead. I knew the week before we actually left it would be futile to even attempt any traditional lessons. Instead our lessons that week were more on the line of how to plan, pack, clear out the garden, and budget time. Being the 'smart mom', I knew also to allow us the week AFTER vacation to get back into the routine. We had groceries to buy, clothes to wash, things to put away, spaghetti sauce to make, people to visit, etc. It sure made what I call "re-entry into the real world" much easier!

Yesterday was our first day back to our "regular" homeschool lessons. It went well and hardly seemed like we had been away for a month. We have naturally fallen into a pattern of Bible, History, and Science first. Then a break for brunch. (because neither of us really dig eating when we first get up) After the break we get back to Language Arts and Math and whatever else needs to be covered for the day.

Well, that's the "plan" of our schedule.
Reality??
Not necessarily so...but that's alright with this homeschooling momma!
Why?

Because all around us we can find learning opportunities. I happen to believe that there is more to life, learning and schooling than what we find in our textbooks. So, today when K was eating her lunch she heard all sorts of noise and rustling out the front window. She discovered that our dogwoods were full of robins and a few other feathered friends that were snacking on the red berries. Being birds without hands and manners, they were just landing and jerking the berries right off the branches in a frenzy. Then, K remembered that she bought peanuts for the chipmunk and the squirrels. So, she grabbed the bag and made a large pile in the middle of the garden and a small pile on the rock. She sat down and waited. Eventually our little chipmunk stuck his head out of his hole and stared at her. She just sat still making little chirping noises and quietly telling him it was safe. He mustered up his courage and came out to start stockpiling for winter. K has been sitting outside for about 45 minutes just watching him and the birds. Quite the nature show for my animal lover and a front row seat to boot.

She was so excited, she asked me to join her. Which I did, with my camera, of course.

click for the larger image...he really is rather cute!







English will wait a bit longer than "scheduled", but it will get done. K will have a story to share with her dad and her brothers and whoever else will listen. In my mind, it was the better choice.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Healthy Must Try Treat....

No, this isn't a bowl of sauteed kale!

It's actually Kale Chips and they are so light and crispy...with a touch of saltiness. Such a simple recipe that I just couldn't resist trying. They even passed the Miss K test with flying colors! In case you didn't know, that is a HUGE endorsement. I do NOT expect this to make it past dinner. You know what? I'm excited about that! Have you checked out the nutritional benefits of this amazing leafy green??

To make life even simpler, I used the 10 oz bag of washed and trimmed Kale from Trader Joe's. (love that store) There were a few rib pieces to sort out, but mostly it was all good to go.

Want the "recipe"?
(you can hardly call it a recipe, it's so easy)

Click below for the details and put Kale on your shopping list!


Friday, July 1, 2011

Getting Spoiled.....

So, my birthday is tomorrow. My plans?? Well, I actually made a point to make no plans. A weekend of doing nothing sounded good. My parents are at the beach and I told them not to bother coming home early for my birthday. My oldest son, daughter in law and grandbaby are also at the beach this weekend and I sincerely hope they have a wonderful time.

Really, this no fuss birthday weekend sounds so good. I'll do some garden work, maybe shop a little and probably read a bit. I'm sure there will be some time spent trying to get the skin on my legs to at least match the skin color on my arms....which isn't even all that tan. (but compared to my legs my arms look like I'm a bronzed goddess) I bet we'll even watch a movie or two over the weekend and grill something yummy. So, for doing nothing it sounds like plenty.

The other day, J & T gave me an early birthday present since they knew they would be out of town. I was surprised because I wasn't really expecting a thing.


Our last name means rooster.
Now, I have a cake/dessert plate that matches our decor....in theme and color. I even have a recipe in mind to "break-in" my new plate.
(The recipe just happens to be dairy free/gluten free and all chocolatey.)



Like I said, this gift was unexpected and really I didn't expect any more "unknown" presents. I had already given my mom a specific item to get me and I planned to spend some birthday money getting two more things. (all three items have me excited but would probably cause quite a few women to roll their eyes since I'm not a bling type of gal.)

Imagine my surprise when Mike got home today and changed into comfortable clothes and said, "Are you ready for dinner?" Considering that I hadn't even gotten off my chair to start the meal, I thought that was an odd question. So, K started laughing and told me that we were going to....



Well, that was music to my ears! For one, as much as I love cooking I really can't stand cleaning up after it. Secondly, there are times that a good steak just really hits the spot and I was feeling the need for some iron. Let's just say no one needed to ask me to move to the car more than once.

However, on the way to the door I found more gifts.


Yes, I do LOVE flowers!
All varieties of flowers of all colors.
So, these made me smile.
However,
next to the flowers was a gift wrapped package.

I unwrapped the box with absolutely no clue as to what could possibly be inside.

WOW, this was a REAL shocker!
They got me!!
All this conspiring behind my back took place over the week.

I live with some seriously sneaky people...



Happy Birthday to ME!!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Officially Summer

I have a bowl that was given to me last year for my birthday. It's a regular bowl...not very big, not over the top pricey....BUT it makes me smile. It speaks to me. (whatever that really means!) So, maybe it doesn't say actual "words", yet somehow whenever it catches my eye I hear a little voice in my head whispering " Be Happy".




Do you know what makes my smile even brighter?? What makes me 187 times happier?


When I look in my bowl and see this......




Oh yeah, baby! Summer is officially here in my backyard!!

I can hardly wait until my bowl looks like this.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Knowing what you're eating....



We just had one of those yummy "can name all the ingredients" meal. I love serving those kind up for the family!


Tilapia was drizzled with olive oil and baked with lemon slices, salt and pepper. Peas were picked just minutes before and quickly sauteed and then I just added some garlic. Black bean salad with veggies and a lime dressing was made this morning. Coleslaw (cabbage, carrots and celery) made without mayo has dried cranberries and almonds added for flavor and added nutrition. Fresh fruit was just washed and served...no added sugars.



No gluten or dairy in sight. No mixes or overly processed stuff. No drab single colored meal.

Yes, it was my kind of meal!

So, what's on the menu at your house?

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Getting Excited About Harvest 2011...

It's that time of the year again! All the vegetable plants are safely in the ground, the sun is warm and the days are long. Woohoo!! We were late getting the summer veggies in the ground this year because I underestimated my spring harvest time, but they seem to be taking to the dirt like a duck in water.

Speaking of water....I wish it would rain every once in a while. It was all kinds of wet around here until I planted one week ago. Then, BAM, the waterworks from the sky shut off. Personally, I don't see why it just can't rain every night from 1 am to 4 am. Yep, that would do the trick! Sure wish we could arrange that. For now, I'm spending my evenings in the garden watering and weeding. Hopefully soon, I will add harvesting to that list. Of course, it is awfully peaceful and quiet in the garden...


Hmm, maybe I don't need the rain!

My oregano has grown bigger than I ever imagined. Need to look up recipes using oregano! Have any to share?


We have at least 4 different pepper plants this year. I see signs of peppers on all of them.


I just love when cucumbers grab onto things. It's so cute. I know these will be coming out my ears soon. They usually do really well, here.


See those tomatoes already growing! Yum! The two in the back are sweet 100's. They should be called sweet 1000's, because they produce UNBELIEVABLE amounts of yumminess.



Just trying to be patient and waiting til mid July.



These peas are so delicious. We picked a bowl yesterday and ate them all.



I had to pull this one because it was too crowded. Well, that and I wanted to see how they were coming along. It actually looks like a carrot!



No garden is complete without the squash section.

We have other herbs and veggies growing, as well. I'll share more as they grow and I discover new ways to prepare them.

How is your garden going this year? What do you do when certain vegetables overtake your kitchen table?

I'd love to hear!


Sunday, June 5, 2011

What I was looking for.....

I am going to get a little wordy here, but I really can't help it. I'm about to share about a wonderful organization that we've had the privilege to be involved with and honestly I'm being brief here tonight. Click on any of the RED underlined words and it will take you to their website where you can learn more.

My older boys were involved in scouts from a very early age and all three went on to become Eagle Scouts. I loved the Boy Scout program and always wished that I could find a similar organization for Kristin. Yes, I know the Girl Scouts are out there....but for various reasons I just wasn't comfortable with being a part of their organization. So, we never joined. About 8 years ago, I read about an organization that had begun a few years earlier that sounded exactly like what I wanted. Alas...there were no groups in my area.

A few years ago a friend, who has boys in Boy Scouts plus a younger girl, mentioned her desire to find a good program for her daughter. I shared with her the group I had read about. She looked them up and still.....no program in our area. Fortunately for me, this friend never lost hope and kept checking the website on and off. One night last August, she called me up barely able to contain her excitement. YES, finally a new group was going to start that wasn't too far from us and WE were going to join!

So, this past school year, Kristin and I joined the American Heritage Girls. This program has been everything I wanted for her. She has met new friends, been encouraged to grow in leadership, gained confidence, learned and earned many badges, been exposed to new experiences and has found that she loves more things than she thought. This past year she went on her first camping trip, paddled her first kayak, built her first fire by herself, led her first Color Guard, performed in her first campfire skit, and for the first time had opportunities to speak in front of an audience larger than her family. There were many other firsts too numerous to mention, but all were positive and in one way or another helped my little girl mature.

Badges are a part of the AHG experience. They are broken down into 6 frontiers (Our Heritage, Personal Well Being, Family Living, The Arts, Science and Technology, and Outdoor Skills) and the girls are encouraged to work in all 6 areas. This way they are exposed to various topics and skills and often find that they are interested in something that they really didn't know about before. At the same time, they can work on badges that they already know they like, but are encouraged to explore a little further and to share that knowledge with the other girls. Kristin worked hard on her badges and set goals for herself. She had a notebook with all the badges she wanted to work on and a little schedule of when she would spend time on them. Later this week, I promise to share (with pictures!) her work on the Home Decorating badge. Wait until you see her project. I think you'll be impressed. I know, I was!!

AHG is a Christian based organization and they do not hide that fact. There are opportunities for the girls to work on religious awards for their denomination, they are also encouraged to serve in their community and some of the badges even have the girls dig deeper into their faith and their relationship with the Lord. Meetings begin and end with girl led prayer and the leaders have all signed a statement of faith. Like I said, they do not hide it.

The girls move up levels according to their grade/age. At each level they have an opportunity to earn what is called a level award. Normally, the girls have 2-3 years at each level to earn this award. (they receive it as they are bridging up to the next level) However, this was the very first year for this troop. Amazingly though, several girls still decided to work extra hard to earn this award. Kristin was one of those girls. She had to earn at least one badge in each of the 6 frontiers that I shared above. She also had to perform service hours, attend special events, visit the older girls' meeting and she had to plan and carry out a special event for her troop. Kristin joined up with one of her new friends, Rachel, and together they planned, organized, promoted, carried out and cleaned up after a Memory Maker Badge day for the troop. What an incredible learning experience for them.

We are very proud of her accomplishments this year and I can tell that she is as well! Tonight was the Troop MD 1208's Court of Awards. As much as I love my girl and as hard as I work to help her learn and grow, I couldn't have given her that self esteem and sense of accomplishment on my own. This evening, she stood a little taller than her 5'6" body normally allows, she smiled a little wider than usual and she had a bit more confidence in herself as she received her badges, service stars, patches and Lewis and Clark Award.

Like I said at the very beginning, I have so much more to share about this program, but then I run the risk of scaring everyone away with a super long post. Instead, I will just share along the way as Kristin moves towards her goal of earning the Stars and Stripes Award. I have only great things to say about American Heritage Girls and would like to encourage everyone that has a girl....or knows a girl....to check into this program and spread the word.


Now, no more words.
Just take a look at some of our wonderful AHG girls enjoying each other, learning new skills and sharing a camping experience together.





















Thursday, June 2, 2011

6 Recipes that SCREAM Summer to Me

I find that there is quite a difference in the types of recipes I use according to the seasons. I love to take advantage of fresh ingredients that are in season as they have a much better taste AND they are more affordable. Who really enjoys what they call "tomatoes" in the grocery store during the winter? Another thing that dictates the types of recipes I consider is the weather. Let's face it...cooking a soup that takes 4 hours isn't quite as appealing in the blistering heat of August as it is in the bone chilling frost of February.

Last night while we were eating dinner, I pulled out a notebook and started quizzing the family on recipes for the summer. What were they looking forward to eating? For some reason, I had a mental block going on and was feeling all kinds of stressed out just thinking about menu planning and grocery shopping this week. After dinner, K and I pulled out my big disorganized recipe binder and went through pages of favorites that had been stored (stuffed) between the cover. Now, I'm not so sure why I had the temporary lapse into freak-out mode, because there were some yummy recipes in there calling my name and waving the summer friendly flag.

Lucky you, I decided to share my top 6 'Can't Wait' to make again Summer friendly dishes!

6. Black Bean Salad with Lime Dressing: This one is so incredibly good. I like to make a big dish of it and then we pick on it for lunches and even snacks during the week.

5. Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps: My whole family loves these so I have to triple if I even want a chance of having leftovers for lunch! I do actually serve this during other seasons, but they are great for a summer meal when it's so hot you don't want anything heavy. I usually make some rice and cut up some fresh fruit, like pineapple, to go along with the wraps. Oh, and if you have a Trader Joe's close by, look for their Thai Lime and Chili Cashews. They add some extra wow to this dish and I'll admit we don't stick to the amount called for in this recipe!

4. Quinoa Taco Salad: This recipe never fails me. I add the black beans, avocado and tomatoes. This is another one that I like to double and then use the leftovers for lunch. I think I could make this weekly and be happy about it!!


3. Hawaiian Burgers: Well, I don't have a link for this one, but the recipe is quick and easy so I'll share here.


Hawaiian Burgers
2 lbs. ground turkey
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 T low sodium Soy Sauce
2 cloves garlic minced

2 scallions chopped
1/2 c. hoison sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil.


Mix together and form patties. Grill. Also, slice fresh pineapple into rings (or you can use canned) and grill them. Add a grilled pineapple ring on top of each burger. Delish!!


2. Cilantro Lime Dressing: While this isn't a dish, it is a dressing worth making anytime! Because of this very recipe we intentionally bought extra cilantro plants for our herb garden this summer. My 12 year old pretty much inhales this stuff and any salad it's drizzled over. (and that's a good thing!) I've even drizzled it on my rice and veggies before.


And now for the number 1 recipe on my can't wait to make again and let the sun blaze down on me list....


1. Pineapple Black Bean Rice Salad: It's on the menu for next week and I can hardly wait. You can eat this as a side or main dish. Throw a couple of ears of corn on the grill or maybe grill a few skewers of shrimp and let the feasting begin.


So, what are some of YOUR favorite summertime recipes? I'm always looking for fresh ideas and maybe I'll even add it to my "a little more organized this yesterday" recipe binder!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Leaving them out...

Way back many years ago when I was a kid I loved visiting the library. I'd checked out as many books as I could carry each and every time. That's something that hasn't changed over the years and I find homeschooling helps feed that book monster living inside me. I've noticed that K seems to love the library as much as I do and frequently enjoys settling down with a good book. That makes her mama very happy.

One of the curricula we use for school is My Father's World (which I cannot say enough good things about!!) and they encourage using the library to check out books relevant to what you're studying. They suggest putting them in a basket and have Book Basket Time when the kids just go and spend some time reading and going through the books. We use to have a basket, but lately we've just been putting them on a shelf. Consequently, I've noticed we don't seem to really spend as much time going through the books...and that is a shame.

So, the other day I had K pull them out of their "hiding place" and put them right smack in the middle of the dining room table. And we left them there! (leaving a random pile of books scattered across a table is not something I normally do!)

However, I noticed that when you leave them out....



...more of this goes on without you having to ask.


K would take her lunch out to the table and before I knew it her nose was buried in a book or two for the next hour. I don't mind that disruption to a school "schedule" at all.

In fact, she wound up reading a lot more than I expected.

Good informative books like these....


(although I don't think I needed a book to know that!)




Oh, yum.....not! K's review was both thumbs up.
She said it was about Japanese holidays and their traditional foods that they eat. It made her really start looking forward to Christmas! I'm going to have to go check out this book!


Lots of information in this book that pretty much enforced what we had just gone over. Don't you love it when that happens. Really helps them remember things when it's repeated in a different way.


She found this one interesting....and gruesome all rolled in one.


This one was a little rough, because she was reading it before we even talked about Japan's history. Reading about all the dynasties and trying to even GUESS how to say the Japanese names was a little frustrating. We'll review it after we've had a few more days under our belt.


K says this story was very good and then she proceeded to tell me all about it.
I won't spoil it for you.


(again...I don't think I needed a book to know this! I do love their titles, though!)
This series happens to be a GREAT series. K has enjoyed the three that she has read. The other one was You Wouldn't Want to Live in a Medieval Castle.

(note: I just went and looked at some more titles from this series...and now I'm going to go check the library system. Good summer reading material for my little history buff!)

By the way, K has been quiet for the past hour. I called her to my computer to ask her opinion on a few of these books. She walked out here carrying the above book. Yes, she's been laying on her bed reading. (this mama heart is really gonna burst!) She reviewed the individual books I shared and recommends them all. I think I'm going to have to continue just...

...leaving them out!

Monday, May 30, 2011

My gain...

The past few months K has found her interior design diva and redecorated her bedroom. I'm not talking about just slapping on a fresh color. This project called for the "WORKS". I'll be sharing that later this week...she did a great job!! One of the things to come out of her room was a small unfinished end table. We had intended to paint it to match her room, but never got around to it. She used it as her nightstand, but with the new design there was no longer room for it.


One day the little table was sitting in my kitchen area waiting for us to decide it's fate, when suddenly an idea popped into my head. I guess my interior design diva came out, as well. It's been transformed and is now doing exactly what I needed.

What do you think?

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Who Knew?

I am not a gardener even if sometimes I pretend to be one. Pretending is very different than actually being a seasoned pro filled with all sorts of handy agricultural knowledge. I want to be that person, but my life is currently being filled with other sorts of knowledge and there is only so much I can take in at once! Maybe in my next season...for now, I'll just keep pretending.


Sometimes, at least on the surface, it is hard to tell the difference between a pro and a pretender if you just give a quick glance. Sure, if you look at my front garden you might be impressed with my Hostas the size of small economy cars. However, if you thought about it, you'd know a real gardener would have already divided those babies and spread the Hosta love. I'll admit it. This pretend gardener is a wienie when it comes to actually digging in and breaking up my beautiful plants. Next year, I will have no choice....as several of them are beginning to overtake my dogwood tree. At least this summer, I can sit on my porch and gaze upon them as if I really had ANYTHING to do with their beauty. (more pretending going on here....)

Where you would have really found me out was in my backyard, though. Last summer we had a successful vegetable garden and for the first time ever the beds were ready for some spring planting this year. So, I picked up some seeds at the local Lowes Hardware. There were seeds of the Pea, Lettuce, Radish and Carrot variety in my bag. Due to the weather being a little wacky and actually very cold late March, I didn't get them in when I had hoped. I have NO idea if they would have been fine or not....but again, I'm NOT a gardener.



Radishes were very successful. Almost too successful. I only like to eat a couple of radishes...and I found that really no one else here really likes them. So, maybe I didn't need to plant a hundred or so...but they were very good for the pretend gardener ego.


(Also, maybe I didn't really plant a hundred....or maybe I did.)



Carrots...well, WHO KNEW that they actually took so long to mature. I am going to have some success with them...but they are in the way of my summer planting and many of them are getting pulled early. Lesson learned for next year. It was exciting to pull them out and see little orange carrots....about the size of the skinniest little baby carrots in the baby carrot bag that you sometimes hold up and say, "AWW, look at this wittle baby one." Now, don't even PRETEND that you've never done that!


Peas are now producing and are actually pretty yummy and sweet. We got our first handful yesterday and by the looks of things I expect we will have many, many handfuls. I think I might have even gotten this one right on the first try. Today we had to tie a few of them up to clear the rest of the bed for beans, but they are actually looking good. Even a pretend gardener can get lucky every once in a while.


Now, about the lettuce. I can't say it wasn't successful. Hehe...but, I can say it was TOO successful. WHO KNEW that those little bitty seeds would produce more lettuce leaves then we could eat in the entire summer? K would go out and cut a bunch to fill a bowl for dinner. Before the week was over the spot was filled back in with new leaves. We've had some incredibly yummy salads this spring. Unfortunately for us, lettuce doesn't do well in the sweltering heat AND besides I needed the space for my beans. So, last night we pulled the lettuce.



By the way, if you're in the area and need some tomorrow....just let me know! I already invited my neighbor over last night and I told her to bring a big bowl. I still have about 6 gallon bags full in the fridge that need to be cleaned and eaten this week.



Guess what's on the menu this week!?





Just maybe I'll be a real gardener one of these days!!
Til then, I'm doing fine just pretending!!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Back to the routine....

Well, it's a week later then I had hoped. However, today we got right back into our routine. After taking an unexpected extended break due to sickness on both ends of my "scheduled" December break, I was so looking forward to hitting the books with K, getting back to regular cleaning chores and cooking. Sure, I cooked during the past 6 weeks. It just doesn't seem the same though, if I'm not trying to schedule it around math, spelling and laundry.


Now, while I must admit mentally it felt great to be back in the saddle, I just need to say....it's exhausting!! Morning came too early and it took hours before I really felt awake. Only to find myself ready for bed a few hours after that. Of course, I'm still up. My brain just went to bed.

K did terrific. Now, she may try to deny this, but deep down
she really does like school!


THE END

PS. Don't tell her I said that.