back to schooling

Crazy crazy last few days.....

After going back and forth (and back! and forth!) all summer long, my kids decided they wanted to try out the elementary school here. 

(When we moved in March, rather than having them switch schools, we finished out the year homeschooling and we LOVED it). 

Doing homeschool with my kids was a fantastic experience--we all learned so much. One of the things I didn't like about it, was every time I seemed to find someone else who homeschooled (I was hoping to find a group we meshed well with), the first thing they wanted to talk about was how terrible public schools are. bash bash bash. I don't believe this at ALL. Our last few years of public school have been wonderful years--we have loved our teachers so much. What it came down to when we were deciding what to do this school year, was that my kids missed having friends at school (how can you blame them?), and wanted to go back. I am so happy I got to work with my kids at home, and if the opportunity presents itself again, I will jump right on it.  

a-a-a-hem. anyway.

So this weekend......great stuff.

Friday was spent doing some last minute school shopping and back to school haircuts. Saturday we took the kids to a movie and out to eat......a "last hurrah" of sorts. And Sunday we spent the day as a family and had our traditional back to school feast.

Monday I moped around the house because my baby birds were leaving the nest the next day.

woe.is.me.

and then....

My poor, sweet, adventurous Lu fell so hard on our tile that we ended up in the ER with a concussion.....no fun, at all. Scary stuff.

I had quickly gone from feeling sorry for myself that my babies were leaving me all day for school, to just wishing and praying that my sweet girl would feel good enough and be healthy and strong so she COULD go back to school.

The Dr. wanted her to wait just one extra day.....

last night's sunset via my iphone

So that, my friends, is perspective. 

How quickly my wants changed--going to school all of the sudden didn't seem so terrible, did it? 

We are hanging out today watching movies and "resting her brain", so she can start school tomorrow.....thank goodness.

***

Our back to school feast. 

I'm so glad I decided to do it on Sunday before all the craziness of Monday happened. 

We call it a "feast"......it's really just an easy dinner (last year we did grilled pizza), but we make it "fancy" by having a cake. Robby and I shared our memories from school (1st and 3rd grade memories are pretty funny), and we all laugh about it as we feast.

On the menu

Fish Tacos

 - Robby blackened tilapia--he used THIS recipe and is was soooooo good

 - homemade guac: avocado, lime, onion, cilantro, salt.

 - homemade salsa: tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, adobo pepper, vinegar, salt.

 - red cabbage with cilantro, salt and pepper, a splash of vinegar

 - sour cream

 - toasted corn tortillas

"Smashy" Black Beans (black beans cooked with lime juice and garlic and smashed while they cook)

Corn on the Cob

Watermelon

and of course, really chocolaty cake.

Chocolate Chocolate Cake

This is the same recipe as my chocolate coconut cake--but this time I didn't add coconut to the frosting. 

The coconut milk makes the cake extra soft and gives the frosting THE best creamy texture, but if you're not a fan of coconut flavor you can't actually taste the coconut milk.....try it!

I added just a few drops of pure almond extract to the frosting this time.

Chocolate Cake

2 ounces semisweet chocolate 

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

3/4 cup boiling water 

6 TBS butter, melted 

1 1/2 cups sugar 

2 large eggs 

1 cup coconut milk 

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups cake flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

toasted coconut (for topping, optional) 

 Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Line bottom of 9" pan with round of parchment paper, butter paper, and sides of pan. 

 Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot water and cocoa powder. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. 

 In a bowl add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until combined. Add eggs (adding one at a time) until thickened slightly and light colored (about 3 minutes). Slowly add coconut milk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined well. Add flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined. 

 Pour batter into pan, and bake in middle of oven until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool cake completely before frosting. 

 Chocolate Buttercream 

3/4 cup butter 

2/3 cup cocoa powder 

3 cups powdered sugar 

1/2c-3/4 cup coconut milk 

1/2 tsp - 1tsp vanilla, coconut, or almond extract (real, NOT imitation)

 Beat butter, cocoa, powdered sugar, and extract, and add coconut milk a little at a time until you reach a consistency you like. 

Toast a handful of shredded coconut (I like unsweetened) at 450° for a few minutes and sprinkle on top with some berries if you like. 

   

last year's back to school cake: angel food cake with chocolate whipped cream and raspberries

up next: back to school photos!

this and that

our little family over the weekend....

so

many

things

happening.

Here is a little of this and that:

The Weekend

My sweet handsome boy was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints over the weekend. (In our church we are baptized by immersion at age 8).
 It was such a happy weekend and we had family in from Montana, up and down California, Wyoming, and Colorado.
He is one loved (and seriously how handsome is he??!) little boy.

Chickens

My house is a Pet Store. Zoo. Petting Zoo. Our "chicks" are giant (and dirty and smelly) and the coop should be ready this weekend.......thank goodness....I need them out of my house. (pictures soon!)

Sugar

I'm going off sugar for the month. (whaaat??!! why??!!) I was inspired by my friend Hayley, who's doing a complete sugar cleanse, and feeling fantastic. I started reading more and more about it--finding different "cleanses" and trying to figure what would work best for me. I've always believed in everything in moderation.....so it's not forever--I've just been looking for a few new ways to jumpstart my body and get some of the junk out. I love baked goods......we all know that. I'm active and burn enough calories that I don't worry about my weekend dessert intake. I don't like candy--I have no problem passing it up....it's just the weekend cookies and spoonfuls of peanut butter and chocolate chips (heavy on the latter) at 4:00 (and maybe then 5:00 also) every afternoon. I really don't eat a lot of simple carbs, but I do like a good piece of artisan bread every now and then so I'm nixing that as well (and any other simple carbs that try to sneak in). I'm keeping fruit in my diet--I'm trying to get my short runs faster and my long runs longer.....so for now I want that fruit. The past few weeks I've even skipped out on whole wheat bread....so I'm basically trying to eat only whole foods (with no "ingredient lists") for right now. I won't be perfect, I guarantee a little of this and a bit of that will sneak it's way in, but I'm going to try the best I can for the month and see how I feel.
Anyone want to join me? 
(and yes, Sunday I had a giant banana split with homemade caramel AND homemade hot fudge to wish myself well on this sugarless journey.)

Running:

My friend somehow tricked me into singing up for a 20 mile trail race......in a few weeks. ha. ha. hahahahaha. I have been running, but nowhere near (nowhere!) 20 miles. So it should be really, really, interesting. And entertaining. And terrifying. And maybe, eventually, worth it. maybe.

Skin

While I have been off antibiotics for a while now (hooray!!) my body is still trying to rebuild after 3 years of on and off use (doesn't that just disgust you?!) My skin has suffered the most, and I feel like I have been running circles trying all kinds of "solutions". I have recently been reading up on The Oil Cleansing Method.....have you heard about this? (google it....you'll learn lots. THIS lays it out very simply). I'm going to give it a try and I will report back to you in a few weeks. (why was I on antibiotics forever? I've battled Lyme Disease for the past several years. I'm currently living symptom free (weeeeee!) after years of traditional and homeopathic treatment. read more posts here.)

School

We have 3 weeks of homeschool left! We have all learned so much (well, at least I hope they have learned something.) We definitely have our routine down each morning, and things go smoothly as long as I don't leave the room for more than 3 minutes.....otherwise they'll be rolling around on the floor in math facts and pronouns. My house is usually in some sort of disastrous state, but I know that right now this part of our lives is more important than my house being perfectly clean (or perfectly unpacked for that matter). Some days I turn in to "grumpy mom", so I have to make sure that "fun mom" makes appearances too. We try and find time to play outside and hike together each week. We play board games and read together outside of our school reading.

Reading

Robby and I are reading The Magician's Nephew to the kids right now. I have never read all of The Chronicles of Narnia, and we are loving reading this book together. 

One of the many benefits of homeshcool is that I get to read more. I read when my kids read....win win. Right now I am in the middle of Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert by Terry Tempest Williams. In the past year, I have declared my love for the desert over and over again, and this book has been so good for me to read. It brings the desert to me when I can't quite get there--I can feel the heat bouncing off the rocks and see the sun casting shadows over the sand when I read it. I'm pacing myself because I don't want it to end. (more desert photos from last week coming soon!)

and lastly......Soup

Soup?! In May?! Why yes....it was cold and rainy and I wanted soup. 

Kale and Bacon Soup

6-8 strips of bacon

1 onion, diced

4 large handfulls of kale, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2TBS chopped fresh oregano

2TBS chopped fresh thyme

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 can of diced tomatoes

2 cups of shredded zucchini (optional. I happend to have this in the freezer from last summer....)

2 cans of beans of your choice (I used black eyed peas and butter beans), drained and rinsed

4 cups of chicken broth

dash of worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cook the bacon,
Remove from pan and add the onions, kale, garlic and cook for a few minutes. (add a bit of olive oil of the bacon fat isn't enough)
add pepper flakes and fresh herbs and cook for a few minutes more.
add tomatoes, zucchini if using.
add beans,  chicken broth, and worcestershire.
Salt and pepper to taste.
bring to a low boil and then turn heat down and simmer for at least a half hour so all the flavors can come together.

enjoy!

I think we are all caught up......for now anyway.

friday senses

this friday senses post is posting thursday.....oh well.

It's spring!
or......is it? Our forecast calls for snow.....

Regardless, we are seeing signs of spring each day--I just love this time of year.

quick phone snap from a recent springy run around "town"

Seeing: The grass is greening, the ground thawing. We have a tiny, odd, bush-tree in our yard and just today I noticed the littlest buds. There is snow falling on the mountain as we speak.  Some kind of flower is popping up throughout the yard at random....something from a bulb. I'm anxious to see what they become.

Smelling: Cows. It's so funny hearing different people's reactions to a spring "cow smell". I love it--but I know it's because I grew up with that smell every spring, so to me it's familiar. It smells like home. Others DETEST it.....which I get....I mean... it smells like cows. But to me it means that spring is here.

Tasting: How amazing fresh eggs taste....thanks friends with chickens!

 

Anticipating: We should be getting our own chicks next week!

Hearing: So many birds here! And they are so loud some mornings I swear they are in my house.

Reading: The Magnificent Mountain Women. It's about women in the 1800s and early 1900s who climbed Colorado's peaks.....and some of them in dresses. Love reading about these awesome ladies. Also reading: Over the Hills and Far Away: Stories of dwarfs, fairies, gnomes and elves from around Europe. We are reading from this book each day. I wanted to study fairy tales, but was interested in some of the non-traditional as well. These stories are great! Some are fun and magical, others are quirky and odd, and it's pretty obvious why they haven't been turned into a Disney movie yet.

Celebrating: this guy's birthday this weekend!!! I love this picture of him from last summer.

Gardening: Some of you have your gardens going already....don't you?!! Oh I am so anxious to get some garden beds in up here. I want to get some greens in so badly......hopefully soon.

Homeschooling: we are learning about people who lived long long long ago......so we made some "cave art" to tell a story.

 

Eating: Pizza. I really like good pizza. 

If you find yourself in Provo, Utah, you simply must try Slab Pizza. 
The above pizza has potatoes, bacon, feta and rosemary.....fantastic!

And then below we made (these pizzas were a week apart....promise!)
Butternut Pizza
-your favorite homemade pizza crust
-drizzle of olive oil
-shredded mozzarella
-shredded smoked gouda
-roasted butternut squash
-caramelized onions
-prosciutto
-pine nuts

and a salad with
-mixed greens
-arugula
-sundried tomatoes
-goat cheese
-olive oil and balsamic

Running: Don't worry (you weren't, I know) I've been running all this pizza off. I've been able to get out a few evenings now and enjoy a quick run before dinner. I love running the quiet roads and getting myself more acquainted with the area (and the local farm animals, naturally.) I need to find a race to sign up for! What are you running this year?

please feel free to play along with Friday Senses in the comments.
Let's see what your weekend looks like--tag your instagram photos #howweweekend for a chance to be featured.

Happy Weekend!

homeschool: the first few weeks

  I've spent the last few months researching homeschool.....one thing I've learned? People become intensely emotional over the subject. Good and bad. It was just yesterday I saw that a well known blogger asked for some information on homeschool, and while she received some great resources and ideas, she also received a couple handfuls of hateful, ignorant, and completely unnecessary comments. 

Let's not do that here. Please respect my choice to teach my kids as I please. Please be respectful to other readers and commenters. Thank you, and you. And you.

she reads. 

all photos from my iphone.

 

I have had SO many many many questions about homeschool over the last couple of weeks. This is so funny to me, mostly because.....well......I don't know what I'm doing, let's be honest. 

I thought I'd share my experiences so far, and check in along the way to see how things are going.

Why Homeschool?

Very popular question for me right now.

I first started thinking about it last year, when I had a first grader and preschooler. Nothing terrible had happened at public school (I find this a common question when someone switches over to homeschool), I LOVED the schools my kids were at, and their teachers were fantastic. This year was also a wonderful school year. I really can't imagine my kids having better teachers-- they were learning and growing and loved going to school. I have nothing against public school (at least our school), yet I kept wondering about homeschool. 

I just felt like it was something I would like to try.

And then we decided to move.

I realized what better time to test the waters of homeschool than right now!? It didn't make sense to me to switch my kids schools with only a few months of the school year left. Let's try out homeschool for the rest of the year and see how we all do.....yes let's do that.

What curriculum are you using?

a little of this, a little of that.

Because this is only for a few months, I didn't want to rush out and spend a ton of money on books/workbooks/supplies/etc.

I met with both the kids' teachers before we left and got an idea of where they should be by the end of the year. I was even sent home with some language and math worksheets for my boy to help me finish out the year (so nice!!). I scoured the web for the best deals on books, and was pretty proud of myself when I found a book for a penny......one cent! Forty four cents! A couple dollars. Thank you Amazon and Half.com for selling used books.

I bought a few workbooks new, and we go to the library weekly for new books to read, and to supplement our History Book (I'm using THIS one--w/ the activity book, and really enjoying it so far).

I'll also rely on the library for Science resources.

NOTE: obviously kindergartners aren't learning history and do very little science, so it's all just a bonus for my Lu right now to get all of this:)

Will you homeschool forever?

Who knows?! So far, so good, we all really enjoy it. That being said.....it's been two weeks. I am set on doing what is best for my kids, so we will see where this takes us. I have heard wonderful things about the schools up here, and we are excited to go check them out and see what we think. If I think our little homeschool is a better fit for next year, we may stay  home.....we will just have to see what is best for our family.

We are still very new to this whole thing, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to stay organized and on track. Last week we started out fairly easy with just working on Math, Reading, and Language Arts. This week we added in History, and we are reading together alot more. Next week I'll add in Science. I am trying to incorporate different kinds of art, extra writing, and lots of hands on activities into what we are learning each day.

For example:

 

Last week in math we had talked about measurements. Inches, centimeters, and estimating. After lunch one day, we grabbed notebooks, pencils, and rulers and set off on a little hike. The kids measured whatever they wanted to-plants, rocks, animal tracks in the mud, a spider, etc. They had to draw what they measured in their notebook, and write their measurement.

 

On another day we went out for a walk through the sticky spring mud. When we got home I had the kids write about all of the "spring things" they saw on our walk. (words and pictures for HER, a few paragraphs for HIM). It's not all that springy here quite yet--but they wrote about all the mud, the birds we saw, the warm sunshine, the bugs. I told them we'd go to the same place in a few more weeks and see how it's changed.....and write about it again.

other bits:

-I like a routine. We get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, read scriptures with daddy before he leaves for work, and then get started. I don't want to drag our feet all morning and start school late.

-I'm exhausted. I've crashed at 9 the last two nights......this is so early for me! I'm still trying to find a balance being mom AND teacher (oh yeah, and getting my house unpacked.)

-I LOVE having them home all day. It makes me so happy when we are eating lunch together.

-I got them journals right before we moved. We write in them every few days--whatever they want to write about (sometimes it's really funny to read....like when he writes "I like to eat pickles".)
-there is waaaay too much information out there. I say this because it is easy to get overwhelmed. I talked to a few people about what THEY do for schooling, and that gave me a starting point for my own research.

I'd love to hear any of your ideas! 

Whether it be activities you do, resources you use, your favorite books......please share. 

I will check in on the subject every now and then to let you know how we are doing, what fun things we are up to, and if I'm pulling my hair out yet.....