This week we loved school and everything seemed to flow. It's good to have a week when everything comes together. Our highlights were in history and math. We found the stories about Mansa Musa and Henry the Navigator to be especially interesting. H11 is doing some more learning about Joan of Arc.
Our read aloud this week is not so popular. We are reading King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green. H11 is frustrated and irritated by the women in these stories. They are, in her opinion, either evil or stupid. S9 is finding the knights to be much the same. Maybe we need to spend some time talking about chivalry and what that meant at the time. It's a hard concept to relate to with our current values.
Math this week totally rocked. M6 has a great grasp of subtracting and borrowing. I was nervous about introducing the concept for no reason. S9 and H11 are both working on square roots and exponents. They got the concepts with no sweat. Next week we'll work on adding and subtracting money and order of operations.
We rounded out the week by attending our first 4H meeting. We were all feeling a little desperate for new friends. Hopefully, this group, made of homeschoolers, will be a good fit for us.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
A Season of Sacrifice
As we enter this season of Lent the weather matches my attitude. Rain pours down, the sky is gray. It's easy to feel that sacrifice is forced. It's not a big step to feeling as if I'm being intentionally robbed of joy and all that is beautiful. Rather than approaching Lent as a time of freeing myself to worship God and focus on the gift that I've been given, human nature encourages me to view sacrifice as loss and deprivation. Perhaps this Lenten season I will finally be able to focus on the sacrificial giving from which I've found eternal benefit rather than on my personal sacrifice.
In the past, I had decided that rather than depriving myself of something that didn't really give me a connection to God, I'd try to find a way to strengthen my spiritual walk by adding something of direct benefit, time in prayer, an additional Bible study or reading. In a sense, by doing that I was sacrificing time. I was making a choice about the best use of my time and sacrificing time spent in pursuit of things that were less godly. This year, I'm not sure how to proceed.
The 40 days of Lent are commonly related to the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness after his baptism. Jesus gave no thought for himself in the journey. No plans for food, comfort, or good reading material. Jesus was driven to seek God. Jesus' quest was successful enough to draw the attention of the entire Universe. Even Satan tried to distract Jesus from his purpose and because Jesus was successful in his quest we all may benefit. I can not even begin to understand such perserverance and passion.
Even in Lent, I rarely have pure reasons for most of my spiritual actions. My spiritual life, on most days, has more to do with me and less to do with God. I am too comfortable and content to understand what being driven into the wilderness means. Honestly, I'm fairly certain that I don't aspire to that kind of passion. The wilderness sounds frightening and uncomfortable. It sounds like it would demand sacrifice. I'm just fine with praying for God's will when I'm warm, dry and well fed.
I suppose the questions I'm struggling with are these: How do I participate in a season of sacrifice without actually being required to sacrifice something? Does sacrifice have to come with pain or can it come with joy? Is destruction and surrender an requirement? What would be required of me if I were truly listening to God? Would I be willing?
Again, sadly, it's all come down to me again. Perhaps, during this Lent, I'll find a place where there is less of me and more of God.
In the past, I had decided that rather than depriving myself of something that didn't really give me a connection to God, I'd try to find a way to strengthen my spiritual walk by adding something of direct benefit, time in prayer, an additional Bible study or reading. In a sense, by doing that I was sacrificing time. I was making a choice about the best use of my time and sacrificing time spent in pursuit of things that were less godly. This year, I'm not sure how to proceed.
The 40 days of Lent are commonly related to the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness after his baptism. Jesus gave no thought for himself in the journey. No plans for food, comfort, or good reading material. Jesus was driven to seek God. Jesus' quest was successful enough to draw the attention of the entire Universe. Even Satan tried to distract Jesus from his purpose and because Jesus was successful in his quest we all may benefit. I can not even begin to understand such perserverance and passion.
Even in Lent, I rarely have pure reasons for most of my spiritual actions. My spiritual life, on most days, has more to do with me and less to do with God. I am too comfortable and content to understand what being driven into the wilderness means. Honestly, I'm fairly certain that I don't aspire to that kind of passion. The wilderness sounds frightening and uncomfortable. It sounds like it would demand sacrifice. I'm just fine with praying for God's will when I'm warm, dry and well fed.
I suppose the questions I'm struggling with are these: How do I participate in a season of sacrifice without actually being required to sacrifice something? Does sacrifice have to come with pain or can it come with joy? Is destruction and surrender an requirement? What would be required of me if I were truly listening to God? Would I be willing?
Again, sadly, it's all come down to me again. Perhaps, during this Lent, I'll find a place where there is less of me and more of God.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
In Celebration of Fat Tuesday!
I should have posted this yesterday but I was too busy celebrating to put effort into details here. So, maybe next year this will come in handy to those who celebrate Mardi Gras.
H11 loved making this super easy recipe for dessert.
Mardi Gras King Cake
Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee
Prep Time: 15 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
1 (13.9-ounce) can bread sticks (recommended: Pillsbury)
1 (1-inch) heat proof plastic baby
1 (12-ounce) can whipped cream cheese frosting (recommended: Pillsbury)
1/4 cup heavy cream
Green sanding sugar
Purple sanding sugar
Gold (yellow) sanding sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Open bread sticks. Press together the ends of 2 of the sticks to make 1 long stick. Repeat with the remaining bread sticks giving you 6 long sticks. Taking 3 at a time, loosely braid together. Repeat with remaining dough. Pinch the braids together end to end.
Leaving a 3-inch hole in the middle, loosely coil braids around one another on prepared baking sheet. Press ends together.
Bake in preheated oven for 16 to 20 minutes or until completely golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely. Carefully insert the baby into the cake in between the seams of the braid.
In a medium pot combine the cream cheese frosting and heavy cream. Heat over low heat until warm and smooth, stirring constantly. Pour glaze over cake and sprinkle with sanding sugars.
The main dishes were fun and easy as well. K14 and a friend prepared the dressing for the muffulettas.
Muffulettas
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Prep Time: 30 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: --
Level: Easy Serves: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup olive oil
10 large pitted green olives, chopped
1/3 cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (1-pound) round bread loaf (about 7 inches in diameter and 3 inches high)
4 ounces thinly sliced ham
4 ounces thinly sliced mortadella
4 ounces thinly sliced salami
4 ounces sliced provolone
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 ounces arugula leaves
Directions
Whisk the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Gradually blend in the oil. Stir in the olives and roasted peppers. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Cut the top 1-inch of the bread loaf. Set the top aside. Hollow out the bottom and top halves of the bread. Spread some of the olive and roasted pepper mix over the bread bottom and cut side of the bread top. Layer the meats and cheeses in the bread bottom. Top with the onions, then the arugula. Spread the remaining olive and roasted pepper mix on top of the sandwich and carefully cover with the bread top. You can serve the sandwich immediately or you can wrap the entire sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator a day before serving.
Cut the sandwich into wedges and serve.
Boudreaux's Zydeco Stomp Gumbo
Submitted By: Lupe Boudreaux & Jason Parks
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 1 Hour Ready In: 2 Hours
Servings: 10
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - chopped
1/2 pound pork sausage links, thinly sliced
1 cup olive oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 quarts chicken broth
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
6 stalks celery, diced
4 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 sweet onion, sliced
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid
2 tablespoons chopped fresh red chile peppers
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Cajun seasoning
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat, and cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Stir in sausage, and cook until evenly browned. Drain chicken and sausage, and set aside.
2. In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, blend olive oil and flour to create a roux. Stir constantly until browned and bubbly. Mix in garlic, and cook about 1 minute.
3. Gradually stir chicken broth and beer into the roux mixture. Bring to a boil, and mix in celery, tomatoes, sweet onion, diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, red chile peppers, parsley, and Cajun seasoning. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 40 minutes, stirring often.
4. Mix chicken, sausage, and shrimp into the broth mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.
Maybe next year when Mardi Gras rolls around I'll be able to find the recipes quickly and easily. Since I'm incapable of following recipes to the letter, I'm sure there will be some changes but that's what keeps life interesting, right?! Laissez les bons temps rouler!
H11 loved making this super easy recipe for dessert.
Mardi Gras King Cake
Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee
Prep Time: 15 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
1 (13.9-ounce) can bread sticks (recommended: Pillsbury)
1 (1-inch) heat proof plastic baby
1 (12-ounce) can whipped cream cheese frosting (recommended: Pillsbury)
1/4 cup heavy cream
Green sanding sugar
Purple sanding sugar
Gold (yellow) sanding sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Open bread sticks. Press together the ends of 2 of the sticks to make 1 long stick. Repeat with the remaining bread sticks giving you 6 long sticks. Taking 3 at a time, loosely braid together. Repeat with remaining dough. Pinch the braids together end to end.
Leaving a 3-inch hole in the middle, loosely coil braids around one another on prepared baking sheet. Press ends together.
Bake in preheated oven for 16 to 20 minutes or until completely golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely. Carefully insert the baby into the cake in between the seams of the braid.
In a medium pot combine the cream cheese frosting and heavy cream. Heat over low heat until warm and smooth, stirring constantly. Pour glaze over cake and sprinkle with sanding sugars.
The main dishes were fun and easy as well. K14 and a friend prepared the dressing for the muffulettas.
Muffulettas
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Prep Time: 30 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: --
Level: Easy Serves: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup olive oil
10 large pitted green olives, chopped
1/3 cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (1-pound) round bread loaf (about 7 inches in diameter and 3 inches high)
4 ounces thinly sliced ham
4 ounces thinly sliced mortadella
4 ounces thinly sliced salami
4 ounces sliced provolone
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 ounces arugula leaves
Directions
Whisk the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Gradually blend in the oil. Stir in the olives and roasted peppers. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Cut the top 1-inch of the bread loaf. Set the top aside. Hollow out the bottom and top halves of the bread. Spread some of the olive and roasted pepper mix over the bread bottom and cut side of the bread top. Layer the meats and cheeses in the bread bottom. Top with the onions, then the arugula. Spread the remaining olive and roasted pepper mix on top of the sandwich and carefully cover with the bread top. You can serve the sandwich immediately or you can wrap the entire sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator a day before serving.
Cut the sandwich into wedges and serve.
Boudreaux's Zydeco Stomp Gumbo
Submitted By: Lupe Boudreaux & Jason Parks
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 1 Hour Ready In: 2 Hours
Servings: 10
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - chopped
1/2 pound pork sausage links, thinly sliced
1 cup olive oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 quarts chicken broth
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
6 stalks celery, diced
4 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 sweet onion, sliced
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid
2 tablespoons chopped fresh red chile peppers
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Cajun seasoning
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat, and cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Stir in sausage, and cook until evenly browned. Drain chicken and sausage, and set aside.
2. In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, blend olive oil and flour to create a roux. Stir constantly until browned and bubbly. Mix in garlic, and cook about 1 minute.
3. Gradually stir chicken broth and beer into the roux mixture. Bring to a boil, and mix in celery, tomatoes, sweet onion, diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, red chile peppers, parsley, and Cajun seasoning. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 40 minutes, stirring often.
4. Mix chicken, sausage, and shrimp into the broth mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.
Maybe next year when Mardi Gras rolls around I'll be able to find the recipes quickly and easily. Since I'm incapable of following recipes to the letter, I'm sure there will be some changes but that's what keeps life interesting, right?! Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Weekly Recap 2/21-3/4
I'm doing a two for one recap because we were on a sort of vacation for part of last week and part of this. We traveled to my parents home in Florida on Tuesday, February 22 and returned on Wednesday, March 2.
Our traveling school time included several books on CD. We finished The Adventures of Pinnochio and were relieved to be done. H11 and I felt there were a lot of similarities between The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly and Pinnochio. We would like to know if the stories are similar because the author was intentional in adopting the style we saw evident in Pinnochio. On the whole, we decided that we prefer our main characters to be a little more obedient and thoughtful of others and a little less stupid.
The second book we listened too was a hit for M6 but not so much for the rest of us. H11 did enjoy some of the sarcastic humor but S9 said it wasn't the type of story that he prefers.
I agree with S9.
Our final listening selection was a hit for all of us, even though M6 said it was boring at first and H11 said that she didn't enjoy stories that used animals as people. That gave us a perfect opportunity to discuss the meaning of anthropomorphism. At the end of the book she decided that anthropomorphism can be a good thing and that the book was engaging and well written, even if it was about mice and rats. We all give two thumbs way up to Redwall by Brian Jacques.
In addition to listening to a lot of books, we got to see the space shuttle Discovery take off on it's last mission. We also went to Blue Springs in an effort to see the manatees. The manatees were enjoying the warm weather as much as we were so they'd ventured out into the St. John River. We missed seeing them but were happy to enjoy the sunshine. We also realized that the old farm house at the park was probably built about the same time as our new home. Weird to think about but in a cool way. Our final field trip was an afternoon at the beach. We also logged in several hours of p.e. with a nature walk, tag and swimming.
Since arriving home, we've resumed school as normal and have managed to catch up. The favorite activity of the week was writing friendly letters. Everyone happily wrote their own and even addressed their own envelopes. It's nice to see growth and a maturing of skills through such a simple activity.
Our traveling school time included several books on CD. We finished The Adventures of Pinnochio and were relieved to be done. H11 and I felt there were a lot of similarities between The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly and Pinnochio. We would like to know if the stories are similar because the author was intentional in adopting the style we saw evident in Pinnochio. On the whole, we decided that we prefer our main characters to be a little more obedient and thoughtful of others and a little less stupid.
The second book we listened too was a hit for M6 but not so much for the rest of us. H11 did enjoy some of the sarcastic humor but S9 said it wasn't the type of story that he prefers.
I agree with S9.
Our final listening selection was a hit for all of us, even though M6 said it was boring at first and H11 said that she didn't enjoy stories that used animals as people. That gave us a perfect opportunity to discuss the meaning of anthropomorphism. At the end of the book she decided that anthropomorphism can be a good thing and that the book was engaging and well written, even if it was about mice and rats. We all give two thumbs way up to Redwall by Brian Jacques.
In addition to listening to a lot of books, we got to see the space shuttle Discovery take off on it's last mission. We also went to Blue Springs in an effort to see the manatees. The manatees were enjoying the warm weather as much as we were so they'd ventured out into the St. John River. We missed seeing them but were happy to enjoy the sunshine. We also realized that the old farm house at the park was probably built about the same time as our new home. Weird to think about but in a cool way. Our final field trip was an afternoon at the beach. We also logged in several hours of p.e. with a nature walk, tag and swimming.
Since arriving home, we've resumed school as normal and have managed to catch up. The favorite activity of the week was writing friendly letters. Everyone happily wrote their own and even addressed their own envelopes. It's nice to see growth and a maturing of skills through such a simple activity.
And the Oscar Goes to...
While visiting Florida we celebrated our time together with an Oscar Party. Here is our interpretation of several of the films nominated for Best Picture.
 |
| The King's Speech meets True Grit |
 |
| The Fighter |
 |
| Black Swan |
 |
| Toy Story 3 |
 |
| The Social Network and The Kids are All Right |
Coming Home
Last week, H11, S9, M6 and I traveled from our house to my parents home in Florida to visit with sisters and cousins. It was a mini-reunion and birthday celebration. The only downside to the trip was the fourteen hour drive each direction. Thankfully, my children are excellent car travelers and made the trip as painless as possible. We listened to books, they watched movies, did a little school work and stayed cheerful, even when I wasn't.
During the visit with family, I heard my children asked several times what they thought of their new house. Over and over again, I heard them, individually and collectively, talk about how much they loved where we live now and why they love it. It did my heart good to step into warm weather and relax a little. It also did my heart good to know that when we returned to real life we would be returning to a place my children wanted to go.
Admittedly, saying goodbye on the last day of our visit was difficult. Goodbyes are never easy. The drive home was long and boring. We felt every one of those fourteen hours. The trip was broken by a stay in a lovely Marriott Courtyard in Rock Hill, South Carolina with an indoor pool. We all enjoyed the swimming time. The best part of the trip was knowing that we were coming home and that all of us were happy to be returning to a place that, even after only a month, we'd truly missed.
During the visit with family, I heard my children asked several times what they thought of their new house. Over and over again, I heard them, individually and collectively, talk about how much they loved where we live now and why they love it. It did my heart good to step into warm weather and relax a little. It also did my heart good to know that when we returned to real life we would be returning to a place my children wanted to go.
Admittedly, saying goodbye on the last day of our visit was difficult. Goodbyes are never easy. The drive home was long and boring. We felt every one of those fourteen hours. The trip was broken by a stay in a lovely Marriott Courtyard in Rock Hill, South Carolina with an indoor pool. We all enjoyed the swimming time. The best part of the trip was knowing that we were coming home and that all of us were happy to be returning to a place that, even after only a month, we'd truly missed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
