ha!

Really, people still visit? Post a comment if you want me to start posting again :)

Here's a picture teaser!

Sorry!!

I have actually been crafting posts, but I haven't had enough time to complete a post at a single sitting. So, I have a couple in my queue waiting to be posted. I thought I could post tiny teasers for you. So are two upcoming blog post titles...

Delicious Macaroni and Cheese ---- that's WHEAT FREE and still amazingly yummy.

and

That time I had three seizures in one night...

So, check back. Please! They're coming. I promise!! 

so many things

This week has been full of attempting to create a schedule of classes for 2012 between TWO possible teaching locations. While this is quite exciting (if it works out), it's a bit overwhelming and maybe a little more stressful than I was hoping. Marketing is going to prove to be a bitch, but hopefully I can manage to get at least 2 couples in each class. 

I've also been working on my daughter's 100 project. Her 100th day of Kindergarten is on Tuesday. So I've been to the store and bought a large bag of Starbursts, shucked all the wrappers, and will be spending a large portion of my 3 day weekend gluing them to a piece of paper. WOOHOO!! My son's first school had the kids work on their "100 projects" as part of the curriculum, but I think this school is spending more time on, oh I dunno, education? Don't get me wrong, I love all the little projects, and we got a ton of them for Christmas, so it's not like they don't make things too! They just, don't make something for everything, which I do appreciate. I don't have the space for a million paper crafts! 

My son has been dealing with bullies, and that's been another thing taking up our time. He's the new kid, and to be honest, he's obnoxious a lot of the time. But to be honest, it doesn't bother me (usually). It's him, he likes to make people laugh, and gets incredibly goofy in the process. Considering just how "important" popularity is now in the 4th grade, it makes him quite the outcast. I won't get into it right now, but I think popularity among students is one of my greatest sources of distress. I was only "popular" for a brief moment in middle school. I committed social suicide when I befriended the New Girl. How uncool of me, right? Right. To improve the situation, about 3 months after I was ousted from the Cool Girls Club, the New Girl moved away. It sucked, and after that I thought the majority of the "popular crowd" was a bunch of assholes. Things didn't necessarily improve as the years marched on. So, needless to say I want to protect him, some days I want to bring them back home for homeschooling. But, right now, they both say they want to stay. So, for now, we work on ' when to give the bully come backs' and 'when to just walk away'. We've already come up with one that's hilarious. I hope he never has to use it, and if he does that it doesn't do any lasting damage, but shuts the kid up for a while. 

I've also been working on a Family Binder, if you want more info about that go to Organized Home and poke around. If you're the "list type" you might just love a family binder. Speaking of which I should likely get around to showing the kids how to use it.....soon. 

For those of you that know me, you know that we've taken wheat out of our daughter's diet...and for those that don't know me...you know know that we've taken wheat out of our daughter's diet. She has constant, or seemingly constant stomach pain. At first the doctor said it was constipation, but I think we've worked that out. And until we have insurance again, we won't know for sure I guess. So, for now, we try this. I made mac and cheese on Monday with rice noodles. It was....so yummy. So I'll be posting about that soon (I hope).

A long time since August...

And a lot has happened. Of course the kids have been in school, and actually enjoying it this year! I've been trying to work on marketing so that my classes that begin this month will hopefully have some students! I'm ***this close*** to achieving my certification for teaching childbirth education. Sadly, my husband lost his job, so that's been a struggle. But hopefully with this new year will bring new opportunities for us.

I've been crocheting again, so I'll probably post on my Off the Hook blog in the next few days. I made Butterfly Girl a scarf and Soccer boy is getting a hat. I did not manage to finish by Christmas. In fact, I still need to add the second ear flap and finish the embellishments. I've been slacking.

It's winter, and that means we are working on the inside of the house. Thinning out our belongings, and working on new storage options. A few years ago we threw out our broken bed frame, and now we're looking to obtain another one so we can store things under the bed. While I'm not really looking forward to the work this will entail, I am greatly looking forward to the end result.

The kids have been issued chore lists, and they are designed with them in mind. Butterfly Girl only has a few, simple tasks. Things that we were already asking her to do every day, only now...we don't ask! Soccer Boy's list had a few additions on top of what he was already doing every day. I expect it will take him a little bit longer to manage his list with out us asking if he's finished with everything. Because, let's face it. 10 yr old boys aren't always thinking about all the steps involved. For example, when one takes out the trash, the job is not complete if you fail to place an empty bag back into the kitchen trash can. But, he's coming along. I haven't thrown anything away with out a bag in just over a week now ;)

Our big project for this year is NOT my garden! "*Gasp! What's that?!" you say! That's right! Instead of the families main project for this year goes, it's an update to the play house!! Hooray!! The kids are so in love with this idea. We managed to make some very boring items, some extremely exciting Christmas gifts. Who would have thought a gallon of paint, and a folded up cargo net would send the children jumping and whooping and hollering?? Not I!

Well, I think for now I will leave you....with one last image of the play house. Taken in September as we prepared for a family hike. (As I have never purposely set out to take pictures of the play house...it's ugly...)

It's already gotten a new roof, and will be having some color added, along with the previously mentioned cargo net, and likely a few other decorations! Stay tuned!!

Not even a full week...

It's not even been a full week of school, and yesterday I had to pick Butterfly Girl up early because she had a fever and a headache. Then after getting Soccer Boy home in the afternoon he told me his throat had started hurting. And around 12:45 they were both awake with their complaints. So, today, no one went to school!!!

Of course, shortly after putting my kids to bed last night, having already made the decision that the girl would not be going to school, and knowing it was unlikely that I would be taking the boy, my client sent me a text saying her back was aching. "Great!" I thought, one kid with a fever, and Strep had already been suggested as the cause....and I might have to call a back up doula!!! OH NO! Luckily, for me, after a bath she was feeling better and was going to try to sleep. And the kids seem to be doing better today, and it's nothing like Strep...probably just a cold.

At least it was a Thursday/Friday illness, they can take today, and the weekend to rest and hopefully be ready for school on Monday. But UGH, she's missed most of the 6th, and all of the 7th days of school, and he's missed the 7th. How is that fair?!

It's going to be a long year. 

Blogger Got Uglified

In my absence, blogger has been updated...it's....going to take a lot of getting used to!!

My shy home-schooled children have very recently gone to public school. It is not our district's school, so I get to drive them every morning, and afternoon. We wrapped up our homeschooling year in mid-May, and found out about their acceptance into the school we chose the last week of June! Our start date was August 3rd!!!!!

So, we went through all their clothing, and all of our existing supplies...ended up having to go clothes shopping anyway. And I just finished their supply shopping yesterday. The county sends the local Walmart the supply lists for the schools/grades. Which is great, but I hate that Walmart, more than most. So, I chose not to go, and instead waited to hear what my kids actual teachers were in need of.

Butterfly Girl is now "Bee Girl" as her Kindergarten class is the Bee Class. It's rather cute :D And so far, she is loving school. She wakes up excited, gets dressed, eats, and is ready to get in the van before me! Soccer Boy is also enjoying school much more than he thought he would. He is still dealing with some frustration, he was really frustrated that he doesn't have his multiplication facts memorized, and is likely now in a 'remedial' math class. I know he would like to catch up, and we'll have to try to help him with that.

Something unique about this 4th grade, the kids have schedules and change classes! Which, I am incredibly jealous of! My fourth grade class only switched teachers for one, brief, class project. I think it took 3 weeks to complete, and we only saw the other teacher for 20 min. a day! In 5th grade, we moved to the classroom next door for one subject a day. But I don't even think that was all year. Originally, Soccer Boy's classes were supposed to be all with his "homeroom" moving as one class. But they had so many kids, they've added two teachers (for subjects, but not for homerooms) and have made it so the kids have schedules that are more likely to fit their academic needs! I will be getting to sit down with all of his teachers soon. I am looking forward to that. I know he's "behind" the other children from public school...I just want to make sure his teachers are aware that he is capable of doing the work/and possibly even catching up to the majority of his peers....provided that we are provided with the information & tools that we need to make that happen.

And with all of that going on, I am attempting to re-focus my efforts on my daily chores and work out lists, so that the house is tidy and in order more often than it's not. And so that in 4 or 6 weeks, I can start taking guitar lessons. It's only 30 minutes once a week, plus daily practice...but I know myself. I'll do more practice than that, SOOO..it's worth it to me to get most everything organized and tidy, so that I won't feel guilty doing something that is completely FOR ME!!! :D I'm thrilled, I can't wait to get started!!! 

A little ketchup

I'm not really a fan of gravy...so, a little ketchup. This also serves the purpose of being a little 'catch up' post.

I still can't find the Garlic Marinade recipe....and my menu got a little shoved around this week because of some timing issues. My main course was still partially frozen on Monday. So, instead of making a Taco Enchilada Casserole...I first tried to make nachos. I had bought, what I thought was melting cheese. Turned out to be crumbling cheese. Nacho fail. I dug around until I found something, nothing awesome, so I won't bother sharing.

However, last nights dinner was a HIT! I had plans to eat this with them, because I thought it sounded really good (I was the only one that thought this by the way!!) Oh, my mistake...it's Taco Enchilada Bake..whatever. I still haven't had any, but my husband said that my daughter (my little picky eater, that eats like a bird on a good day..) ate her entire (big) helping. (I'm assuming big for her, and that he didn't just overload her plate) And that my son, practically licked the plate clean before asking for seconds... Hubby liked it too, said I should keep this one on the menu ;)

I didn't make it exactly like the recipe said too, but pretty close. My layers were not even, I am terrible at spreading cheese mixtures, so most of it ended up in the first layer, and I didn't want to mix up more, and over cheese the whole thing. Also, the bottom tortillas got a soggy, so dh suggested cooking it in layers. Perhaps the bottom half, for half the time, and then the top half for the last half. I think this is a reasonable idea, and would like to give it a try. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch today :)

And for the little ketchup, last night I finally got myself down to a Georgia Birth Network meeting, it was a meeting for the Doula Mentorship program, we were talking about how to doula ourselves (not in the actual sense, but after we attend births, how do we take care of ourselves). We had some enlightening discussion, and once the 'meeting' part was over we got to go off topic. Something we're stellar at ;) It was a lovely night, and to top it off, when we left the restaurant the air was considerably less humid, and it was nice and cool outside!! It was a nice drive home, windows down, cruise control, and loud music :D

Garlic Marinade

Well, it was yummy!! I made a marinade with garlic, onion, white wine vinegar and a few other ingredients, and then set some chicken in it for about 6 hours. Seared the outside of the chicken (skillet with oil, medium to high heat...just enough to start to brown tenders, gently brown a breast but don't cook it) put back in the marinade and back in the oven at 350* until cooked through.

HOWEVER, I've lost the dang recipe card!! Yep, I pulled it out of the book, and lost it. I had taken it out only to share it here, but I did that on whatever evening I made it..Wednesday? So, once I find it (hopefully I'll find it) I will share it. I would love to try this grilled, and with other cuts of other meats :)

Tonight we had Pot Roast. The Hubby and I enjoyed it, and discussed a few ideas to make it better next time. The kids were kinda "meh" about it. But they did like the gravy with crackers. lol It's a crock pot recipe...here ya go.

Ingredients:
3-3.5 lb beef rump or chuck roast
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon seasoned pepper

1 onion
3 carrots
4 potatoes (red or golden)
1 celery stalk

1 cup beef broth
3 tablespoons cornstarch *reserve*
¼ cup of water *reserve*

Prep:
cut onion into 8 wedges
peel and cut carrots into 1 inch pieces
wash and cut potatoes into eighths
coarsely chop celery

Rub salts into meat
Place veggies in the bottom of the crock pot
Pour Broth over veggies
Place seasoned beef on top of veg.


Cook:
Cover cook on low 8 to 9 hours

For gravy:
Remove beef, turn crock pot to high
Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of water
Cover and cook on high 15 or 20 minutes or until slightly thickened

Serve :)

So, we decided on a few different spices for the rub for next time. And more veggies. The amount of potatoes were ok, they were on the small side, so just a bit larger. More carrots, but again, they were kind of small carrots!! And we definitely wanted more broth. After we sliced up the beef for the kids, we decided we liked it better as a beef stew of sorts. We decided to freeze the leftovers, but I'm not even sure there were enough of those to re-heat well. I guess we'll see!!

Hopefully soon I'll have a few pictures to share, we spent a great part of the weekend working on building Lego Hogwart's Castle. :) I'm already wondering what piece to get next, because we need a Ron for one thing.....and because, this has been fun :)

Who is this woman, and what is she doing to me??

I didn't say stop!!! I like it!!!!


My house, looks like I care!! Oh my goodness. My living room is neat, and clean. The kitchen table is free of clutter (except for our next craft supplies! I should have bought that bucket at Publix today! Damn!) the dishwasher is running, and only a few large things remain in the sink from dinner. I made dinner....mostly from scratch, and every one at at least some of it!

The kitchen is clean, save for those few dishes I already mentioned. But, really, you can't tell I cooked anything. Much less "from scratch". OK, look, I'll explain that. What I did was...I bought a bottle of "CYA" sauce. I knew my sauce might flop, and that even if it was good, I would have to make a lot more than one batch for this meal. So, I picked up a bottle of the proper sauce while I was shopping this weekend. Ya know, for the same reason I grabbed two frozen pizzas! In case I totally fuck it up! hahahahaha

Anyway, the laundry is still sitting in baskets waiting to be folded, but it's clean....and there isn't much left to wash. The floor has been swept, the toilets are clean, the mirrors are clean. (The windows are not, but I have kids,  and I don't care to chase finger prints off windows all day)

I also managed to put together what I need for teaching a class this weekend, which I am excited about. :)

So, for those that are interested, here is what I made for dinner;

Teriyaki Beef, and noodles with mushrooms. I took a Betty Crocker recipie for the teriyaki noodles, and added beef.

What you need for the noodles:

1 cup hot water (for mushrooms)
6 dried Chinese black or shiitake mushrooms
8 oz of buckwheat or whole wheat spaghetti noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 package (8 oz) sliced mushrooms
8 ounces fresh shiitaki, crimini or baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce**
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro.

1. Pour hot water over dried mushrooms in small bowl, let stand about 20 min or until soft; drain. Squeeze out excess water. Remove and discard stems, cut caps into 1/2 inch strips.

2. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.

3. Heat oil in 12 in skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add onion; stir fry 3 minutes. Add all mushrooms; stir fry 3 minutes. Stir in teriyaki sauce ad reduce heat. Partially cover and simmer for about 2 minutes or until veggies are tender. Stir in noodles, cilantro and any seeds you may desire.

For the beef, I used beef tips.

Heat oil in a skillet.

Season beef with salt, pepper, and a small amount of ground ginger.

Add to skillet and brown, once brown, add some teriyaki sauce (to taste) and reduce heat.

Mix together, or serve apart. I had it all mixed together, as did my daughter. My son preferred the meat separate. We gave it an over all "meh". The girl loved it. Or so she says, she didn't eat as much as I was expecting, but she ate steadily...which for her is unusual. My son wasn't a big fan. And I would make some changes if I made this again. My husband isn't home from work, and will be trying it REHEATED! lol Good luck, My Love.

** I used store bought sauce for the noodles, and the stuff I made for the beef. I can't recommend the stuff I made. I didn't love it as sauce, but it was decent for cooking.

Summer Time, Busy Time!

Good Morning All!!

Although, I seriously doubt I will manage to not only finish writing, but edit, add photos, and actually publish this anytime this morning.

Things have felt like a complete whirlwind here for the last few weeks. In my last post, eons ago, I mentioned my business blog, and that I would post a link to that. It's here, and I'm hoping to get another article up this week or next week.

My husband recently brought home two pieces of furniture that we've made into our temporary entertainment center. We had outgrown our old set up...well, a few years ago! So, while the pieces of furniture weren't ideal, they definitely helped us greatly when it came to rearranging the living room. We were able to arrange it in such a manner that we gave ourselves sort of a faux foyer to our tiny little space. (Both the front door, and the door to the carport come off the living room....)

We did end up finishing our school work before GCA's last calendar day of school, and that was excellent. However, I still have books, materials, and their computer taking up space in my house. For one (two?) good reasons. One, I do not have a box big enough for my single returns label. And, two, the school has yet to tell me where I need to send the computer! So, I found a box, of course the UPS store sells them, and that's who the materials shipping label is from. I just need to put the things in the van, go do it and be done with that. And as for the computer, it's all boxed up. I kept the boxes it came in, my husband helped me stuff everything back (except the printer, damn.), but it's FedEx shipping!!!

I am not sure what next year holds for us when it comes to the kids education. We are currently waiting to hear back from a local, out of district school. For some reason, the school board has not yet seen fit to address the issue of "out of district" students. This is rather frustrating, I would like to make sure I am aware of my options before deciding what to do.

In the mean time, I am trying to enjoy the summer, and trying to help find things the kids will enjoy doing this summer. We have been to the library almost every week, and the pool. (Our neighborhood doesn't have a pool, so we go visit my Grandma, and use her community pool.) We are thankful to have some playmates on our street, just one house over! The girls (usually) get along great, and despite the huge age gap, the boys enjoy playing together as well. I really love having someone so close I can hang out with, and I hate when I'm so busy I don't have time to hang with THE NEIGHBOR! lol

On Thursday, I got a wild idea to sit down, with the huge white board, and make a monthly menu. We probably won't keep the menu as is, forever. I'm sure there will be some dishes that we don't want to try again, or that I won't want to make again. But, I sat down, and I did it! It took roughly 5 hours, but, I have a full menu. Saturday's are open for alternating eating out, or for having something super simple (frozen pizza ;) ) so that I can catch a small break.

And while I was working on that, The Feminist Breeder posted this piece, and I thought it was cool of her to share her personal food story. My food story isn't the same, but it had the same end result. A lack of learning to cook foods from scratch, has lead to a life of pre-packaged, processed or fast foods. Do I fault my mother? Not entirely. I don't know how grandma cooked when mom was growing up, but I do know, that what you learn what you live when you're a child. I am trying my hardest to see to it that my kids can make positive food choices.

As a result, my menu is full of home cooked meals. Now, it's not perfect. For example, Friday night I made chicken, but the rice was from a package. Baby Steps people ;) But the end result was perfect. The kids ate what I gave them, I ate a full helping, and then what got put away was rapidly put away by Hubby when he got home from work!! I was not only pleased that everyone enjoyed it, but that it was so good, there were no leftovers!! Last night was homemade pizza, something I started making a few months ago. But last night I used a jarred sauce. I picked it up, so that...in the future...I can have some dough pre-made, ready for the Hubby and Kids to make their own pizza on a night that I won't be home to make dinner. I should have made my own sauce, it's always better. But, the pizza was still good....and I [i]think[/i] there is one slice left over.

Tonight is a simple dinner, sandwich wraps. I bought some turkey and chicken from the deli, along with a few slices of some different types of cheese. My daughter LOVES these, which is a huge bonus, as she's my picky eater. I think next month we'll try spinach, or sun-dried tomato wraps rather than the plain ones I picked up for tonight. But, again....baby steps. Tomorrow night, I am making teriyaki sauce from scratch, and beef tips and noodles. I'll let you know how/if that turns out :)