This and That...

...Job News...
Ugh. So I posted last time about my job at the junior college being frozen due to decreased revenue. No summer work, and as it turns out, no fall work either. So I had to scramble to find something to keep ends meeting. I started working at Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago. At first, I wasn't sure if it would work out, even for the summer, as I was getting very minimal hours, as in about 10 each week. I applied, and interviewed, for a couple of other jobs, with no real success. Thankfully, today I had my first evaluation, which went very well, and I picked up a lot more hours for next week. By the time I got home from work today, they had called to see if I wanted more hours this week too, since they "really like" me. Of course I said YES! Phew!

I also have a job interview next Tuesday for an instructional assistant position in a middle school. If I can get that, and work as a tutor at the local university in the fall, I may be able to quit grocery again. We shall see!

...Job Training News...
I also mentioned that The Boy will be doing some job training soon. He'll be working in the café at the teen club, and will be learning interviewing skills, resumé building, etc. This program is free to club members, and comes with a $200 stipend at the end. He's got plans for that money already... buying an engine for his 1972 Chevy pickup... or perhaps rebuilding the engine it has, though option A seems more likely. He might also use a little of the money for barista training, so he can work on getting a job.

...In Our Homeschooling...
I've asked the kids to take on more responsibility for their schoolwork. I'm making a weekly assignment sheet, and they have from Saturday mornings to the following Friday at noon to get it all done. Of course, I am available for assistance, and we still read our book of the moment and watch documentaries together, but they will be doing their math, other reading, and writing largely on their own. We've also added audiobooks back into our circulation! We're going to finally finish the Percy Jackson series, then listen to The Lord of the Rings. I'm in the process of updating our Afternoon Basket page at last!

...Around the House, Kitchen, and Garden...
Since I'm working shifts that are all over the place, and M puts in 10-12 hour days, I'm working again on actually meal planning. We have a few vegetarian/plant-based dinners a week now, both for health and to save money, and then some meat a few times a week. I need to put my crockpot to good use!

We have a list of things to be done before mid-fall too, like tarring the family room roof to help with leaks, rototilling a big chunk of the backyard and amending the soil, etc. The Boy and The Girl will have to be my primary helpers. Decluttering continues, especially after we've started watching the documentary Minimalism.

We planted several tomatoes this year, along with plenty of peppers and onions, some squash, and some lemon cucumbers. All are thriving! The above-mentioned rototilling is part of our plan to put in a real garden next spring at long last.

...Random Pictures...
Just some recent and random pictures to wrap up this post!

Waiting for fireworks

A recent leaf drawing by The Girl

A trip to the beach on the fourth

Meet Ted, our new caterpillar!

Monday Musings...

...Outside My Window...

It's been gorgeous here lately, though quite warm, with the last few days in the 80s! It is supposed to cool back down to the 70s tomorrow, and there might be some rain by the weekend. The dryness, and high pollen counts, have got The Boy in constant allergy agony, so we're going to try switching allergy meds, and taking him in for allergy testing. Poor kid.

With such clear skies though, we have seen plenty of these!

...In My Yard...

I spent the late morning/early afternoon yesterday weeding, and relocating some lamb's ear. I also finally got a gift of daylilies situated too, as well as the tiny euphorbia my mom found next to her big one, and gave to me.. M's been trying to keep up with rapidly growing grass in both the front and backyards, but with the rain, then warmth, then rain, then warmth... the stuff is growing like crazy!

...In the House and Kitchen...

I've been getting bits of the house deeply (spring) cleaned... a little at a time. I'll get it done yet! And the kids are working on choosing paint colors for their rooms for this summer's big project (besides the bathroom plumbing).

I'm getting better at planning ahead food-wise. I cook several breakfast items ahead for the kids to pick and choose from, and then they add fruit, tea, etc., and I pack my own snacks/lunch the night before. On the dinner menu this week are: turkey burgers; roasted chicken; quesadillas made with leftover roasted chicken; and probably this awesome casserole from Kalyn's Kitchen.

...In Our Homeschooling...

The Boy is starting chapter three in algebra this week, after doing very well on his end-of-chapter 2 test last week. The Girl is working on multiplication more in-depth, because fluency with it will only help her as she moves along.

In language arts, I really need to get The Boy working on his expository essay! The Girl did another 3 lessons in Spelling Workout, and will do more this week. I am also hoping to have each of them memorize a poem by the end of April (free choice of poets and pieces), and maybe do a freewrite this week.

...Reading and Watching...

A Wind in the Door is going well, though we're only a couple of chapters in so far. The Afternoon Basket is high up on my to-do list this week! On their own, they are continuing with The Martian and Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone. I just finished a very odd and intriguing page-turner.. The Children's Home. The Boy wants to read it when he finishes his current book, so we'll switch at that point.

We watched another few episodes of Downton Abbey, and will watch another couple this week. I'd really like to get in another episode of Human Planet as well. And we've been enjoying the end of Once Upon a Time's season three!

...On the Agenda...

For me, running and weight training, plus introductory karate tomorrow night. I tried, and loved, TRX resistance training over the weekend, so I really want to do more of that!

The kids have parkour/roller derby, afternoon skating tomorrow, and maybe (just maybe) a fencing session this week.

Other than that, my class was cancelled today (phew!). I do have tutoring tomorrow, and office hours at the junior college on Wednesday. So altogether, it is a lighter week than usual!

I'll leave you with The Girl's last puppy petting session for the "R" litter. The "S" litter is due in early May, so we should be playing with puppies by mid-late May!

Have a great week!!!

It's Friday! A General Wrap-Up for the Week...

I'd say this sums up pretty well how I'm feeling at the moment!

Overall though, it's been a good week. We made some good strides in homeschooling; I made it through both jobs and school once more; I didn't have a crazy appointment of doctor's visits (for my dad) on top of everything else; I kept the kitchen counters clean all week (yes, sadly that is a victory for me) and kept up on dishes; and I am having a blast planning out my front yard!

...Homeschooling Report...

This week, as part of our Downton history studies, we moved into season two, and so into World War 1. We watched half of World War 1: Cause and Effects, taking us up to 1916, which is where we are in the Downton timeline. We also read about the start of the war in The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia.

This weekend, I hope to get in one more episode of Downton, and perhaps the first episode of World War One: The People's Story.

Mathematically, we are doing quite well! The Boy completed 4 lessons in algebra this week, working with equations, variables, the order of operations, and more. The Girl did 3 chapters in Life of Fred Fractions, and two lessons from Math Essentials. 

The Boy completed lesson 2 in writing, and The Girl worked diligently on a new list of spelling words. She had to write a sentence for each word, and instead wrote sort of a This is the House That Jack Built tale (though not as long) about a chicken that went a bit crazy. 

Yesterday, I had them each read something scientific while I was at work, and then narrate it to me when I got home. The Girl talked about chameleons, and The Boy about eyesight. He and I also watched an episode of Through the Wormhole, about black holes.

Next week's plans:

More math (at least 4 lessons for each kid)

 Lesson 3 in writing for The Boy; another spelling lesson for The Girl

Some freewriting for both

Another couple of Downton episodes

More free-range learning in science, plus a (short) hands-on science lesson with a book I just ordered

More on World War 1 and the Romanovs

And finishing up A Wrinkle in Time! 

...Household/Gardening Report...

 I wrote the other day about gardening plans for my front yard, and wasn't quite sure what to do with the larger "half" of the yard, except that I want it to tie in with the smaller half, which I can already picture as complete. Then, I thought about my mom's front yard, which my sister re-did for her last year, putting in a fabulous dry stream... In case you're not familiar with dry streams, this is what they look like...

Pretty, isn't it?

So I think I will do that, kind of winding through, past the two boulders. On either side, I'll have a crazy-quilt patchwork (large-scale patches) of creeping thyme, lamb's ear, etc. Around the fenced corner of that section, I'll keep the rosemary and French lavender I have now, though I'll be removing the overgrown and shabby-looking Spanish lavender (my brother-in-law planted them, and they're not my favorites). Maybe some more French lavender, maybe some fern-leaf lavender (which I love), some bulbs tucked in here and there for spring blossoms, and a few other pretty things. 

I know it sounds like a lot, so here's my 5 minute sketch...

I think this could come together really nicely.

I hope.

And then, this weekend I'm tackling the first task in
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which is clothing. I was going to do books first, but M will be at work tomorrow (new job!), so it seems a perfect time to drag all the clothing in the house together.

...Odds and Ends...

I need to come up with a menu plan for the upcoming week, and grocery list. I plan for Monday as a crockpot day, Wednesday as a quick and easy dinner day (stir-fry works well), and I generally do something like a casserole on Thursdays, as M or The Boy can pop it in the oven while The Girl and I are at her roller derby practice.

I'll be figuring out what to read aloud after A Wrinkle in Time.

The Girl and I will almost definitely be petting puppies again tomorrow. 

I'm going to try to get the kids out for a bike ride too. And I need to do some strength training. I'm down almost 15 pounds now! I had lost a bunch of weight a few years back, but in the fashion typical of crash dieters, I gained almost all of it back. Grrrr. This time, I'm simply eating healthfully, and exercising. What a concept!

As to M's new job, you remember he went into cooking quite some time back. And has sadly found, after several layoffs, that the culinary world is unpredictable (at least in terms of employment), and that it is less enjoyable than he hoped. He still loves cooking, at least at home, but needs full-time, steady employment. So he's returning to an earlier profession, and will start a trial run tomorrow at a wholesale nursery, working with plants, and gardeners, and the like. We are all really hoping that this works out well for him... he needs something he can depend on and enjoy! And he does miss working with growing things, and the smell of dirt, and being outside.

II think that's it for now. Happy weekend! I'll leave you with a totally random picture of one of my favorite things in my kitchen right now...

linked up over at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Monday Musings...

...Outside My Window...

Clear and sunny again after last week's rain, though on the cooler side again. I'm back to wearing a sweater most, if not all, of the day. We'll get some rain again late next week, I think.

...In My House & Kitchen...

I was definitely more organized over the last week, as far as cooking goes. For example, I had today's crockpot meal (yellow chicken-chickpea-veg curry) prepped and stored in the fridge last night, so I could just throw it in this morning. And I'm planning a bit better! We're using leftovers more, and more creatively, and meals seem to be pretty well balanced overall. As far as housework, I am currently reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. We'll see how it goes! Glancing through it though, I think both the clothing donation bins and the local library may well be getting some more donations from us soon.

...In Our Homeschooling...

I asked The Boy to set 4 days a week for math, and so he chose Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Now I just need to get him to work through a whole lesson at a time! He's easing into TabletClass Algebra 1, so I've been letting him do problem sets A & B one day, C & D the next, but honestly, I think he could handle A-D in one day. The Girl is doing well with Life of Fred Fractions—she even handled long division fairly easily yesterday. I'm hoping to work in some extra math this week for her, though I haven't decided if it will be Math Essentials, Math Mammoth, or Key to Fractions, all of which I have handy (probably either the first or the last choice). She's also working on spelling this week, and I have some writing work set up for her. The Boy will be  working through lesson 3  oops... finishing up lesson 2 in The Lively Art of Writing.

And history is going well! As for science, well... at least they're reading things (see Reading & Watching below).


...Pondering...

Since I backed off on science, interest has ramped up. I don't think I'll be adding anything much more to our homeschooling load in the near future. Instead, I hope to allow time for exploration, and then soaking in what they have explored.

...Reading & Watching...

The kids are both reading for science at the moment: The Boy is reading Mysterious Universe: Supernovae, Dark Energy, & Black Holes, and he and I are talking about reading Death By Black Hole: and Other Cosmic Quandaries together. The Girl has books on animals, the ocean, butterflies, and of course, diseases (history and science!). He's still reading Magnus Chase & the Gods of Asgard, book 1, and she's still reading Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone. I'm reading the book mentioned under House & Kitchen above, and I am hoping to start Wickett's Remeday: A Novel this week. We're making good progress together on the Romanovs book, and A Wrinkle in Time.

We finished watching Lost together on Saturday. I have to say that the series certainly led to a lot of interesting discussions about time, nature, human nature, alternate universes, etc.! We're watching a few episodes of Downton Abbey this week (season 2), and will be watching World War 1: Cause & Effect, and we will try the first episode of WW1: The People's Story. 

...Crafting/Arts/Doing...

The Boy is teaching himself wildlife illustration from a library book, trying to expand his repertoire past simply automotive drawings. The Girl is working on acrylic painting, alongside her sculpture work. The Boy will be getting some more hours logged on his automotive internship this week too, and The Girl got to pet new puppies!

...On the Agenda...

Fencing tonight for The Boy, derby on Thursday for The Girl. Birthday planning for The Girl. M had a job interview Saturday for a job he really, really wants—unfortunately, he won't know about it until the 25th to 29th. No doctors appointments, or things of that nature this week.. just home life, work, and college!

Exercise: I am doing well with this these days. I've been strength training, and getting in good cardio (jogging, walking, biking). Definitely on the agenda!

On that note, I'll leave you with a couple of pictures from last night's bicycle ride, just M and I, as the kids spent the night at my mom's house...

Have a good week!

Ahhhh....

Yet another week (week six?) has come and gone. Overall a good week—we're over our cold/flu thing, except for a lingering cough, but that's tolerable. And we're ready for the weekend!

...In Homeschooling...

The kids like our art of the month so far! Both have seen references to American Gothic in the past, and now they know more about it. And both said it's nice to see art on the fridge again.

The Boy worked through another few lessons in Teaching Textbooks. We had our first hiccup yesterday, when he learned about simplifying algebraic fractions. So I sat with him, worked through several examples, and I think he got it. I might have him watch a couple of videos on this topic on Khan Academy over the weekend.

He's been better this week about scheduling/regulating his homework load, which is good, because his first midterm ever is coming up next week in Machine Tool Technology! He won't say so, but I think he is a little nervous. Thankfully, he can use notes on the test, and he takes some pretty extensive notes!

The Girl is buzzing right through her multiplication and division review. What's really nice is that this year, because we've worked so hard on reading skills, she is finally reading the assignments herself! I'm adding in practice pages next week from Right Brained Multiplication & Division, just one each day, to really cement the multiplication/division tables. The more fluid she is with those, the better off she will be as we move up in math!

And reading aloud is going very well for her. She doesn't really want to do it, but she can see that she reads better than she thought she did. And she got 100% on her spelling test this week!

We started reading A Young People's History of the United States, and both kids really liked the voice of the writer (Howard Zinn). So we will definitely be continuing that, and I'm going to loosely match up episodes of America: The Story of Us. The Men Who Built America looks intriguing too, for a little later in our American historical journey. Right now the plan is to do American history until winter break, then switch to an overview of world history after that. I think we might use this book, and this series (and this one) for that. Asian history, at the request of the kids, using (most likely) this book, and this one, followed by this one, and then perhaps this one. As for documentaries, I am not sure yet!

Now that history is falling into place, I want to add science in over the few weeks, with a study of microbiology for both kids, physics/quantum physics or astronomy for The Boy, and more animals for The Girl.

...In Our General Day to Day Life...

I'm getting better at balancing two jobs, college, homeschooling, etc. Meal planning helps, as does keeping on top of basic chores. M is now in charge of Thursday dinners, since I am with The Girl at derby practice from 7-9 pm, and he's at home. And I'm getting the kids to help more, both around the house, and in doing more on their own.

We're getting ready to launch the first of who knows how many Home Improvement Saturdays. This week, I am totally overhauling the living room (small room, good to start with!), I've been using the Look Inside feature at Amazon to view this book, and the intro is my inspiration for the living room overhaul. The author, Marie Kondo, says "Start by discarding. Then organize your space thoroughly, completely, in one go." We'll see if it works! Right now the living room is sort of a depository... books, body boards, scooters, skateboards, kites, a stack or two of laundry... you get the picture. 

And we're moving the load of free bricks we got into the backyard, where M has been working hard at leveling the ground for a new patio! Next week, I will tackle the dining room, and we will work together on the slightly leaky family room roof...before the predicted winter rains get here!

The Boy should be back to fencing tonight, The Girl did fine with derby practice yesterday, and we're definitely getting some physical activity back in there—we walked around a local lake on Wednesday, then The Boy and I rode bikes to the junior college library, and back, yesterday, so I could work and he could study. It feels good to feel better.

I'll leave you with a sunset picture from our Wednesday walk...have a good weekend!

linked up over at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

And Another Week Starts...

The Boy is...

...doing pretty well at keeping up with his [junior] college reading load, all for his Machine Tools Technology class (aka Metal Shop)

...starting back up this week with some writing work in Thinking in Threes

...reading more of Animal Farm and the two or three other books he has going

...editing and finalizing a series of homemade films he plans to release around Halloween

...moving right along in his Three Dimensional art class -- they are working on a series of geometric shapes made from Bristol paper... the shapes are supposed to be extremely concise. Since he has had a long love affair with paper crafting, this has been right up his alley! His most frequent work partner in class is an older woman (The Boy says maybe 60+?)

...and on his ability to get along well with people of all ages, etc., I heard that the stage hands are still talking about what a great kid he was when he shadowed at the San Francisco Opera!

...playing Minecraft and a skateboard game on the XBox when he gets a chance, which isn't often these days, though tonight he has Skyping/Minecraft playing plans with his best buddy.

...fencing!

The Girl is...

...moving through her big stack of library books on various sea creatures and the like. I think we'll have to go to the library again shortly for more!

...starting up with Math Mammoth again this week, reviewing telling time, which it turns out can be troublesome for dyslexic kids.

...working on a series of colorful art projects with crayon, pen, and colored pencil, now that she located her previously missing sketchbook.

...writing a really intriguing short story based loosely off the game Odd Planet.

...making a set of shadow box cubes/shelves for her bedroom, with the help of her Nonna (my mom), since she is spending time there twice a week right now. Similar to this picture, but with several different colors.

They have other projects lining up too... some sewing, some jam making, etc.

...practicing her derby skills!

We are...

...actually starting our Afternoon Basket readings today, with history and literature (i.e. The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England and The Shakespeare Stealer). Geography (The Royal Road to Romance) and science (The Dark Side of the Universe: A Scientist Explores the Mysteries of the Cosmos and Once Upon a Starry Night: A Book of Constellations) will follow later this week.

...likely watching some more of Once Upon a Time, season 3, this week. And maybe some Human Planet... and or ??

...waiting on The Boy's math set, and The Girl's writing book, to get here!

I am...

...finishing up The Castle of Otranto for my class

...getting ready for my first office hours this week, and my first set of papers to grade

...working out the kinks in our scheduling for the week, and upcoming weeks

...working harder on meal planning, since time is so precious right now, and I need to be thinking ahead!

Enjoying the moments of fun we have here and there -- visiting the coast on Saturday, and then watching my kids (especially The Girl) play with a homeschooled girl I tutor on Sundays.

Here's  to a good, and busy/productive week!

A New Year...

I am hoping you all have a 

My New Year's Resolutions...

Organization

This includes finances, our home, homeschooling, meal planning, etc. I wrote about this topic in a whole post of its own!

Health

Pay more attention to my body (I'm reading Intuitive Eating for some guidelines on this)

Remember to take my supplements

Move every day. I love hiking, biking, swimming, roller skating, etc., and I want to have fun while getting healthier. I figure if I move every day, I am on the right path!

Personal

Start meditating more -- just a few minutes a day is better than none!

Work toward my personal and professional goals in 2015. Chances are strong that I will be laid off in June again, so this time I am going in prepared.

Start learning Spanish.

Expand my knitting repertoire.

Tools for Organization...

My keyword for 2015 is organization. My horoscope for the year says to continue with self improvement work I have been doing, that keeping a tight rein on finances will be beneficial, and that things will be improving over the year. After a difficult 2014, I hope even half of this is true!


So I've been looking around for tools to help me make some changes organizationally. I had tried FlyLady years ago, but the incessant emails were too much. It drove me batty (no offense meant).

Anyhow, so I've been casting about for organization tools (home, finances, menu planning, personal growth), and have found the following:

52 Weeks To An Organized Home: I like the idea of adding/doing one little thing each week (okay, so some of them are not so little). I like the idea of building those habits in over time.

Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps: Again, little and some not so little) steps that will make a big difference in the end, focusing on building a maintainable lifestyle and getting out of debt. I'm also looking at budget planning tools, such as BudgetSimple, or BudgetTracker, though I am certainly not opposed to using a printed/written version either.

For menu planning, I need to start actually looking at sales each week, make a list of staple foods to keep stocked (and then actually keep them stocked), and go from there. This article has some good tips, and then there are plenty of other menu planning resources out there.

As far as personal growth, I came across this book -- Life Makeovers: 52 Practical & Inspiring Ways to Improve Your Life One Week at a Time  -- at the library bookstore for fifty cents. Worth a try, I think!

And there you have it, my current list of tools for the new year, though I'll gladly take recommendations too!

Tuesday Tidbits... A Lot of Rambling...

Well, yesterday, there was no homeschooling going on. My mom had a colonoscopy 12 days ago. Within hours, she was violently ill. My sister took her to Urgent Care, where they diagnosed her with a flu. Fast forward to yesterday, and she was (is) still sick. She's lost over 15 pounds in 11 days. I took her back to Urgent Care, when I went to pick the kids up after work, and found her unable to get off the couch for more than a few minutes at a time. They gave her some stronger medication, and are running tests, since they no longer believe it is a flu. This morning, she seemed much better - it seems the meds helped enough she was able to get a good night's sleep. Phew! I'm still worried of course, but she looked a lot better. Please keep your fingers crossed that this will pass, and that she won't need surgical intervention.

Anyhow, I'm still debating between the books below for history right now... hmmmm.

OR, the combo of

 OR we can return to simply listening to the Story of the World....

I think we are leaning more toward the first selection right now, though I am not positive in part because I have plans to start String, Straight-Edge & Shadow this week, and it would really compliment the second two books. Maybe I'll test run the American history book today, and see how that goes. Then we can add in documentaries like The Story of US (which we like... I know a lot of people don't), just abut anything by Ken Burns, and I'm sure there are many more worthwhile documentaries. I'm not positive yet whether the kids are ready for We Shall Remain, though with them having Native American heritage, this side of history should be on our agenda.

Today's plans:
I have work, then I have the kids for a few hours before I head to class. M is acting as Teacher's Assistant for the first time today. Here's what I am hoping to accomplish:

• A load or two of dishes.
• Read a couple of chapters aloud from The History of US.
• Math: Life of Fred, one lesson each, and maybe a problem set from Zaccaro for each of them too.
• Reading practice for The Girl; have The Boy work from Write With the Best.
• Read a chapter from The Complete Book of Marvels.
• Have The Boy read a section from The New Way Things Work, and read from Life in a Bucket of Soil with The Girl. If we still have time, I'd like to read from A Really Short History of Nearly Everything.
• Gathering up library books for tomorrow. today! We never made it last week!

I'm waiting for the time change. It is not fun feeding all the animals in near dark every morning! Though I guess I am glad in a sense that it will take place after Halloween this year, so that trick-or-treating won't be in absolute darkness. Speaking of trick-or-treating, The Boy was asking me yesterday how old he can be before he has to stop this particular activity, and I'm not sure. When I was a teenager, I stopped at about 13, as did many of my friends. But now, I see older teenagers out and about, gathering candy on All Hallow's Eve, so I just don't know. And on the note of kids getting older, when should I tell them about Santa Claus? I'm thinking I should do that relatively soon. I think they have their suspicions, but I'm afraid of crushing that excitement. Why do my kids have to keep getting older?

So in my efforts to plan out menus, I hope to make better use of my crockpot. On the crockpot agenda this week are two dishes, Butter Chicken for Wednesday, when The Boy has fencing, and Butternut Squash-Orange Soup (this is the closest to my recipe, which I may post later in the week) on Friday, when we're at the park all afternoon. I'm also trying to make sure we have two meatless dinners a week (cheaper and healthy!), and that I balance out the meats served during the week... no chicken every night kind of thing.

Hope the week is going well for everyone! Happy Tuesday!

Weekly Report... 4/30-5/4...

A week of homeschooling ups and downs admittedly.

Monday

I had to work late for the once a month official equipment meeting (I work for an adaptive technology center), so we focused just on reading and math. We started our geometry studies with some Math Mammoth... The Girl worked on counting vertices and sides, and drawing geometric shapes, while The Boy learned about angles, rays, lines, and line segments. At the bottom of his math page was a little note from the author, saying that students may wish to keep a geometry notebook with definitions, examples, etc. Had I suggested this, I think The Boy may have thought it sounded good, but it wouldn't have gone anywhere. Reading it as a suggestion from someone else on the other hand... well, let's just say one of his homemade notebooks has a bunch of terms and sketches already! He also worked on spelling, and The Girl worked on reading--we got Reading Pathways this week, so I am adding a page of that each day to her reading regimen. We finished up at bedtime with another chapter of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Tuesday 

 Let's pretend Tuesday didn't exist. I spent my entire afternoon helping someone run errands. We read at bedtime, but that was it. I do think they watched some animal shows at my mom's house, so I'll call that science. And we did work in a few Mother Goose rhymes, in honor of Mother Goose Day... some from memory, some from an old book.

Wednesday

We planted our garden. 

We talked about the garden club the kids used to be in when we went to the charter school, the only class they really miss. So now we have our own garden club! We also talked about all the care our vegetables would need, and how helpful this garden will be in keeping us well fed. We talked about preserving foods, something we plan to try. And we all reminisced about the flavor of sun-warmed cherry tomatoes... mmmm...

We did a little math (more geometry), worked on spelling and reading, watched a documentary on wild animals, and an episode of How It's Made. We read a chapter in Don Quixote and Sancho Panza...

We read this in place of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, partly in preparation for Thursday, and partly because I have put my Kindle in a Safe Place. And when I put things in a Safe Place, they are not always easy to find.

ETA: I found it later the same evening, in the mail basket. I'm not sure why I thought of that as a Safe Place, but there you have it! And, in my own defense, it was safe and sound.

 Thursday

We spent our morning at the War Memorial Opera House with members of the San Francisco Ballet, watching...

Yes, a ballet of Don Quixote! Naturally, it deviates from the original story line, but we still very much enjoyed it. Being a "school show' or "community matinee", it was not the complete ballet, but still a decent length, and very good! We liked the sets, which they explained, and allowed the audience to see being transformed between acts. I honestly never realized that when major ballet companies travel, they take their own floor with them! The dancing was, as always, exquisite, and Cassia in particular loved the costuming.

Besides all that excitement, it is more of the regular stuff. For math, we did some more work from Math Mammoth, and then played around with tangrams.

 In spelling, The Boy wrote sentences using his spelling words, and The Girl went through another two pages of Phonics Pathways and a page in Reading Pathways. They watched two more episodes of How It's Made, learning about everything from canoe construction, to goldsmithing. Bedtime included more of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and some of Emily Dickinson's poetry. The kids' favorite chapter in Don Quixote so far is the one about tilting at windmills!

Friday

Park Day took up much of our afternoon, as usual on a Friday. The Girl did two pages each in Phonics Pathways and Reading Pathways when we got home, and The Boy finished his spelling work. I managed to squeeze in one chapter from Life of Fred: Apples. I found my Kindle at last, so we can enjoy some Wonderful Wizard of Oz later this evening, in addition to a little more Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and their crazy adventures.

 Other

As for me, I re-read much of Family Feasts for $75 a Week. I am thinking I should probably just buy this book second-hand rather than getting it from the library repeatedly. I am also reading a little of The Complete Tightwad Gazette each day. Little by little, my penny-pinching frugal ways are benefiting us--we paid off two more small debts, and so have more money to put toward other debts. I sold a bunch of homeschooling materials I was no longer using, and bought the kids their summer footwear--an absolute necessity since The Girl had suddenly gone up two shoe sizes, and The Boy went up three. He's only 5 inches shorter than me now, at not quite eleven.

I've been planning out menus two weeks at a time, and doing all the shopping in one big trip, though I do stop by the store to buy fresh fruits and veggies on a regular basis. My menu plans are loose, meaning that while I have 14 dinners planned, what nights I serve them on varies according to my mood, and how much time I have available.

This weekend we're doing a major purging. A while ago, we had a plumbing issue in the garage (where the washer and dryer are kept) which resulted in a flood of minor proportions, which resulted in damage to quite a lot of stored items. Our city offers a once-yearly free dumpster, one of the smaller ones, so we are taking advantage of that this weekend. I am also planning on taking a lot of outgrown (and undergrown in my case) clothes to the handy drop box three blocks from here. Homeschooling materials will be sorted as well, because there is a homeschool association party coming up, with a table for free and cheap curriculum. I'm donating everything I haven't been able to sell, or won't be able to sell.

Luxury reading this week: Gentian Hill (yes again, I love this book!), and A Circle of Quiet.

Check out more weekly updates over at

Hope you all had a good week!

Monday Menu Plan and Frugal Notes...

We recently watched Forks Over Knives, yes, even the kids. It is a documentary I would highly recommend in today's world of fast food, bad school lunches, genetically modified foods, general poor health, and obesity. I then started listening to Dr. Fuhrman's book, Eat for Health on audio cd, and am waiting for Eat to Live to be available at the library. Like the documentary, Dr. Fuhrman recommends, very strongly, basing one's eating primarily on plant foods. Armed with my increasing knowledge, I am trying to make more of our meals just that, plant-based, though we do still eat meat, eggs, and dairy. Our eggs and (raw) milk come from a friend's farm, and so does much of the meat. I'd honestly rather eat less meat of higher quality than lots of cheap meat.

Anyhow, here's the run-down for this week...

Sunday: Pasta with roasted tomato marinara, though I had spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Mixed greens salad.

Monday: Tex-Mex Potatoes (recipe is about halfway down the page); green salad with orange and avocado.

Tuesday: Sloppy lentils over whole-grain buns; homemade broccoli slaw.

Wednesday: Asian-style salmon, with stir-fried veggies on the side: green beans, mushrooms, red bell pepper, and sweet onions.

Thursday: Asparagus Frittata; crudites (cucumber, carrot, sugar snap peas)

Friday: Potato-leek soup; whole-grain baguette with some yummy cheese, though I think I'll have salad instead of bread and cheese.

Saturday: St. Patrick's Day! So yes, we're having corned beef, cabbage, potatoes & carrots. I might even make a loaf of fresh Irish Soda Bread!

Other: I also made up a batch-and-a-half of this delicious roasted tomato-eggplant soup for my lunches this week. I went ahead and used my immersion blender in it rather than leaving it chunky.

Smoothies: The kids, M, and I are enjoying our daily smoothies. It is a great, tasty, and very easy, way to get extra fruits and veggies in. For M and the kids, I use frozen bananas, frozen mixed fruit, fresh baby spinach or other greens, raw milk, yogurt, a little raw honey, ground flax seed, and peanut butter. For myself, it's pretty much the same, only I use almond or coconut milk (the coconut milk in the carton, not the can!) and almond butter instead of dairy milk and peanut butter, and I skip the yogurt and honey. Yum!

Frugal Notes: I have noticed that it is definitely cheaper to shop for mainly fruits and veggies. This is the time of year that I start watching eBay very closely for sandals for the kids, since their feet just keep on growing! My advice for eBay shopping is simple, figure out how much you are willing to pay including shipping! Too many times I have heard complaints from people who think the price is great, until they add in the shipping. I always figure what I am willing to spend, subtract shipping from that, and then I have my maximum bid. My kids are always pretty well dressed thanks to careful shopping and my mom's sewing skills.

I'm also setting aside a few dollars here and there for myself. My clothes are getting baggier, and I eventually will need to buy some new ones, at least pants. I plan on shopping second-hand as much as possible for my new wardrobe. And many of my tops can be taken in - this will be a summer project for me, with the assistance of my mom.

Weight Loss Notes: Somehow last week was overly busy, and I didn't exercise like I should have. However, my weight held steady - phew! Back on the exercise bandwagon today!

Have a great week!

Monday Menu Plans & Other Notes...

Sunday: Miss Cricket's Birthday! We had a special dinner of smoked ham, salt potatoes (little potatoes cooked in very salty water, then tossed with melted butter and fresh minced herbs - yum!), and roasted broccoli & cauliflower with sharp cheddar cheese. We finished up with homemade devil's food cake with strawberry whip cream.

Monday: Omelets with mushrooms, spinach, mozzerella, red bell pepper, and leftover ham.

Tuesday: Salmon, baked with lemon and herbs; sauteed green beans; Israeli (pearl) couscous pilaf

Wednesday: Pasta (spaghetti squash for me) with an Italian turkey sausage ragu; green salad

Thursday: Taco salads with all the fixings!

Friday: Split pea soup with leftover ham in the crock pot; homemade cornbread

Saturday: Roasted chicken; and I haven't quite decided on side dishes yet.

Frugal Notes: We did a good job of shopping for Cricket's birthday this year. I bought a couple of things on sale, and actually remembered coupons for some items too! I also remembered to use coupons when grocery shopping, for a few things. I don't make much of a habit of coupon clipping because so many of them are for things I would never buy. But, the buy-one-get-one free organic salad mix was nice!

Weight Loss Notes: A stalled week, due mainly to eating too much over the weekend. Back in the saddle today though, and waiting eagerly for Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred dvd to get here (Netflix). I am on week 4 of the Couch Potato to 5K running plan as well. The running is 3 days per week, and I plan to try out level one of the dvd the other two weekdays, or something like that.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Menu Plan & Frugal Notes Monday 2/27...

Trying to be more organized about this, though I missed last week!

Sunday: Kedgeree (without the yogurt and milk - we had smoked trout on hand from M's fishing trips); raw veggies. Note: the kids liked the kedgeree so much that they're having leftovers for breakfast as I type!

Monday: Pasta with pesto shrimp and broccoli , though I'll skip the pasta part and just have more broccoli.

Tuesday: Homemade chicken tortilla soup, since I have some leftovers from a roast chicken a few days ago. Toppings of crispy (homemade) tortilla strips, avocado & chopped cilantro will be available.

Wednesday: Vegetarian Tamale pie; green salad

Thursday: Swiss Steak; mashed potatoes for M and the kids; sauteed green beans

Friday: Ndole (a Camaroon stew with tomatoes, tofu, peanut butter, greens, etc. - I got the recipe from The Jungle Effect); homemade cornbread

Saturday: Homemade pizza with various toppings; salad

Frugal notes: I made a lot more foods from scratch this last week, including corn tortillas. The tortillas turned out to be really easy to make, and super delicious! I also baked rye bread (from the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day). The kedgeree was a quick dinner that I threw together since we had everything on hand. I realized that I used to be really good at making yummy meals from random ingredients had on hand, and somewhere along the way I lost track of that ability. I am glad to see it resurfacing now! I am down to grocery shopping every two weeks, except for some fresh veggies and fruit.

I've got the kids on "energy patrol", and our electric/gas bill was $50 less this month than last month. With the lovely weather we're having, the kids are spending more time outside, which is good for them, and our bills. I also discovered that by combining my cell phone, home phone, and internet bills, I save 5%!

My goal for March is to pay off at least one of the smaller debts we have. We're on top of all the bills right now, and I've been trimming grocery costs. Unfortunately gas prices are back up, so I am trying really hard to combine more errands.

Weight loss: I started exercising again, making good use of the treadmill M got me for Christmas a year ago. I can run at a decent pace (4+ mph) for 10 minutes straight now, which is a definite improvement. I've lost a total of 34 pounds now, since Thanksgiving, almost halfway to my goal! I found a great way to motivate myself on the treadmill, by watching reruns of Biggest Loser on Netflix while I exercise.

Have a good week!

Menu Plan Monday... & Some Frugal Notes...

In my efforts to be more organized (and more frugal!), I decided to jump on the Menu Plan Monday bandwagon. I went through the freezer this weekend - apparently I don't need to buy much meat for a while - cleaned out the fridge, did a little shopping, and here we go! We're attempting to cut down on meat and up our intake of veggies, beans, and whole grains at the same time.

Monday: Black bean and quinoa burritos, with tomato, lettuce, avocado, salsa and cheese.

Tuesday: Happy Valentine's Day! A celebratory dinner of baked pork tenderloin chops; green salad; sauteed green beans with balsamic vinegar. A planned dessert as well (usually I skip dessert and the kids have yogurt with frozen berries)... my husband's favorite rice pudding. I'm making it this time with brown basmati rice, vanilla, and some fresh Meyer lemon zest.

Wednesday: A busy day, so a quick dinner: spinach & mushroom scramble, with whole-grain toast, and fruit on the side.

Thursday: Roasted chicken; salt potatoes (which I think I will skip); steamed broccoli with lemon.

Friday: A bean-and-veggie soup made with stock from Thursday's chicken. Biscuits or Irish soda bread with rosemary (rather than the more typical currants).

Saturday: Fresh, baked bass (thanks to a husband who loves fishing); sauteed cauliflower and broccoli; crudites with homemade hummus.

Sunday: Leftover night!

I've been reading how-to guides on frugal living all weekend - really enjoyed Family Feasts for $75 A Week because the foods were healthy ones, not weird cheap stuff. With food, there are just certain lengths I won't go to. It was also one of the few books I've read that does not rely heavily on couponing, and I have to agree with the author here: "One problem with coupons is that they tend to be for highly processed food and name brands, items I don't generally buy." This is my issue with coupons too, except those rare ones that are just for a certain amount off of a certain total amount.

The other book I really enjoyed was The New Good Living: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less. I knew before that the author, John Robbins, had turned his back on his family empire (Baskin Robbins), but I never really realized that meant he had no money either! The book is well written, enjoyable, and practical.

I also had a good friend send me some fantastic tips, which I really appreciate!

I took an inventory of sorts over the weekend - freezer, pantry, linen/stuff closet, even our homeschooling materials, and I can easily see how we can do with less. There might be a couple of initial investments... for example, I'd like to buy a bunch of brightly colored washcloths to use in the kitchen instead of paper towels, but they are small investments that will pay off in next to no time. I also researched stores in my area. I've always avoided stores like Costco, because I don't want to pay a membership fee, and I generally don't buy that much at any one time, but I did find Cash & Carry, which is just about the same without the membership fee. I also decided that once a month, I should stop by the bakery outlet store, and the grocery outlet store. I have a chest freezer that I need to clean out and organize so that it can be put to better use.

We're also working on actually installing a vegetable garden. We finally decided to build a grouping of smaller raised beds/boxes, as 1) our soil isn't fantastic, and 2) I think it'll be easier to maintain. Once we get it really going, we ought to be able to grow a good amount of vegetables almost year round.

And there's my rambling for today!