Friday, April 30, 2010

Browning Ground Meat in a Crock Pot

I read this information a few months ago about browning ground meat, in my case moose, in the crock pot. One thing I really dislike about many crock pot recipes is the browning of meat before putting into the crock pot. I am going to try this weekend for making sloppy joes for our first Sunday fellowship at church. I think I will add a little olive oil when I do this as we grind our own meat and add no fat.... Hopefully I will have a good report on Monday.
Dear Dad,
Sorry you had to read about ground moose today.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Monday

It wasn't so bad for a Monday. I really wanted to curl up on the couch and watch movies all day but that wasn't on the agenda for today. Although the grey skies were really calling a couch day!
So instead, I got up and began laundry....Monday laundry, nuff said!
After a breakfast of waffles and strawberries, we sat down for Morning Meeting. I started Morning Meeting this year after reading about something similar somewhere online. I see that our school will soon be full of middle and high schoolers and we will need to already be in the habit of spending some time together each morning reading the Word and in prayer. We also do any read alouds at this time as well. Then everyone is off to complete their personal school work for the day.
After lunch, Mrs. L came and she brought some cupcakes and a cake to decorate.

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Some enjoyed their treats more than others!
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Looking up at Mrs. L to make sure he can still keeping eating!
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He enjoyed every last bite.
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This is the one he snatched off of the table while no one was looking.
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Then we moved outside to build our LAST TWO BUILDS!!!!!

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A space ship and the Berlin Wall. We haven't finished the wall as it is just reusing the Great Wall of China, so we will set it up tomorrow.

Mrs. L followed Benjamin all around the yard and he was on the swing, and on the boat and on the slide and many other places around the yard.
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Today's dinner was leftovers so the kids played LIFE while they ate.


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Questions answered

So, here is how things often work in blog world. Some where I read something and often I think that is good and I move on. Then sometimes, I read something and I think, Wow, that is great, just what I was thinking. That is how that can/could/should be answered. So, if  you want to read the Public School (or private school) parents guide to Homeschool Parents. Then here you go,  Public School Parents Guide to Homeschool Parents

Have a super de duper day.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Curriculum fair 2010

I still have a goal of attending a large homeschool convention in the lower 48 some year soon. We tried this year for the one in Cincinnati but the timing wasn't right. Maybe next year?
But here in Fairbanks we do have the IDEA curriculum fair every April and it does help. 
This year's keynote speaker was Cindy Wiggers. I attended a few of her workshops.
Another speaker, in which I really enjoyed, was Nancy Bjorkman.
I took the kids for one session of storytelling with Jim Weiss.
And a new speaker and program to me was Adam Andrews.
My wonderful husband took Monday off of work and then ended up taking half of Tuesday off because I crazily thought I could take Benjamin with and sit through sessions....what was I thinking?

Headache

I have a headache, I rarely get headaches, I cannot even remember the last headache I had. It is getting better, a little bit.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Backwards

I almost didn't post this since our snow is pretty much gone, as is the ice as well. But, the pictures are sitting there in my photobucket account, so here goes.
A couple of weeks ago we took a family four wheeler ride.
See, here is my sweetheart and I.
Photobucket We hauled three children with us and a fourth followed on his own four wheeler. Photobucket It was quite warm that day but riding gets chilly no matter what the temperature. And finally, here is our little Benjamin when we got home, he LOVES being outside. Photobucket


It is much warmer now, the three oldest and Dad are outside playing baseball in the yard while the last of our salmon is grilling away. Hopefully it will be finished before the baby wakes from his nap because he will want to be outside.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Nitty Gritty

When I read today's post over at  The Pirate Mom Dot Com I knew I also had to post about homeschooling with a baby/toddler. When baby was born in December 2008, people kept asking me how I was going to homeschool with a baby. I honestly thought, DUH, you big dummy....babies eat, sleep and well, you know! But I did  not answer that way, I kindly said, "This year will be easy, NEXT year will be the challenge when he is mobile" Well, he is now mobile and while he is improving weekly in his listening skills and while he has graduated from getting into everything to only getting into half of everything.....
This is how our home looks during school. The chair is keeping Benjamin from escaping to the other parts of the house.
Photobucket Here is one working student and one standing??? student? Who knows what she is doing. Photobucket By the time I scan the room she is back to her work on the couch. Photobucket Tumbling mat tunnels are set up in hopes of occupying a few moments of his time. Photobucket But he would rather knock all the blocks into the floor and then sit at the table and play with what isn't on the floor. Photobucket But never fear, we clear out when the school work is all finished. Although there are always a few things around to remind me that we live here. Just like the piles surrounding the computer screen right now. Photobucket This chair might not be complete without the Bible, magnifying glass and 2009 M&M's calendar keeping it company.



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Or the clean clothing left of the table since Benjamin was sleeping when it was folded so Levi could not put it away. Never mind that Benjamin has been awake for a couple of hours when this picture was taken. Honestly, that might just be expecting too much for an 11 year old boy to remember to put his clean clothes away an hour after he folded them and left them on the table.

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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Away from the blog

I do not know why I have been away but it has been a busy couple of weeks. Nothing really going on but yet busy. Spring has sprung here in the Interior of Alaska. Maybe I have spent my time trying to keep my blessings inside for morning lessons. As soon as they finish their inside work they are out the door!

So, my Resurrection Sunday morning pictures are not that great, Elisabeth's hair hadn't been finished yet and Benjamin did not want to sit still but none the less, here they are!


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