I'm the kind of gal who likes background noise. A good audiobook, all kinds of music, a movie, or my squirts practicing the piano. Most days an hour or so of good beats, English accents, or funny narrative is enough to get my 'chores' done but sometimes our home gets drastic. I few weeks ago I posted here about my Jane Austen Day. These are days when there is a big project to finish and I pop in the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice and get to it. Those DVDs are roughly 5 hours long. I can usually finish whatever it is I am doing in time to sit back and watch Mr. Darcy's eyes as he gazes adoringly at Elizabeth helping his sister play the piano....sigh.....
Sometimes 'the house', an entity in it's own right, needs a little more. Break out the Tolkien Day. That is when I put on the extended versions of Lord of Rings to get my big jobs done. I get out all three extended edition movies and haul my laptop from room to room setting it precariously atop something for a little background noise. Battle noises clang and crash as bathroom tiles get scrubbed and windows squeak clean.
Today is such a day. The summer heat is climbing and I do not like to clean in 100 degree temps. Weekends tend to get used up in our house so I pick a Wed through Fri, give my squirts lots of review worksheets and healthy snacks, break out the M&Ms for myself and the sparkling water for drinking (remember, I am trying to diet here!)
When Dad comes come and Tolkien is on he knows some serious spring cleaning is ensuing. He usually takes the kids and gets out of the house.
So, what did I put on 6 months ago while I was preparing a house to move? Let's just say that every single one of the Harry Potter films can last you quite a few late nights.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Good Reads
I'm a sucker for a good book. I especially love books I can read my kids at nighttime. It's our tradition. Tuck them into bed, warm in foot pajamas, the baby asleep in the next room. They don't all share a room but we all convene for a half hour to listen to the spellbinding tale of The Hobbit or the unruly humour of Roald Dahl. Here are ten of our favorite authors or books, in no particular order. There are more but little squirts are getting hungry for lunch!
1. As previously mentioned....The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Our copy has the front cover taped on and the back cover missing. Each chapter is it's own adventure as Bilbo Baggins enters a world of bravery, wit, and common sense. A great read before the movie comes out (which I'm sure will be fabulous) and all the characters have time to form in their imagination before one day they see it and the actors take those places.
2. Roald Dahl. We have not read all of his books and actually have not enjoyed all we have read. Those we love however we love to the point of obsession.
~ Matilda - in a house full of girls this is a winner. A little girl with a superpowered brain? Love it!
~Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - My personal favorite. There are points in the movies I like but nothing replaces the book.
~BFG - This is the first book my oldest daughter read entirely by herself. The cover is now also missing, the pages worn and marked. It just might always be her first love.
~The Twits and Fantastic Mr. Fox - Short fun reads that make you giggle.
~James and the Giant Peach - This one my children enjoyed but didn't get into as much as the ones above. Still worth the read though!
~Boy, Tales of Childhood - Another personal favorite. My children were shocked at life before seat belts, good doctors, and FDA restrictions. It's also fun to see where the ideas of his books came from.
3. The Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George Speare - A Newberry Honor book and for good reason. The story flows, is historically accurate, and my children were amazed that a twelve year old boy would be left alone to fend for himself in a cabin in the woods. I loved the theme of strong family ties that ran through it and the ideas of two cultures living side by side and yet being so different. Interesting without being preachy and thoughtful without being dull.
4. The Secret Garden by Fances Hodgson Burnett - Growing up A Little Princess by the same author was my all time favorite book with A Secret Garden being one I enjoyed the one time I read it. The flip side is true with my daughters showing that everyone has their own tastes and personalities. The language is a little old fashioned but more than worth it!
5. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, by Patricia C. Wrede - There are four books altogether (I do not recommend the fifth one of short stories, it's for a much older crowd and unrelated) and every character is a hoot! A bored princess, a practical witch, a prince who does not want to get married. They are fun, action packed, and gets you craving cherries jubilee!
6. The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame - Honestly, did you grow up not knowing rat, mole, badger and the famous Mr. Toad? A bit daunting with little type and lots of old fashioned words? Read it anyway. Your kids will love it!
7. Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White - My kids spent weeks trying to talk to animals the first time they read it. This one has also been handled so many time that the spine is falling off.
8. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, by Betty MacDonald - An upside down house? Crazy treatments for the most unruly of children? This one is great for bedtime since each chapter is in itself a different story. There are others (Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggles Farm) but this is my favorite.
9. Rick Riordon - My husband picked the first one up after hearing about it from a coworker....or maybe it was given as a gift? I can't remember now but he started reading these to the girls and I didn't see any of them after 7 pm for a good 2 months. They have read The Olympians books with all the corresponding literature, break offs, and what have you. Last week I picked up The Red Pyramid on audio CD (Kane Chronicles) from the library and the voices are hysterical. It's always crazy to me when a generation of little kids can go around spouting off Greek mythology and names.
10. Brandon Mull started when my brother started dating the author's sister. The Fablehaven books are perfect for homeschooling since my oldest can't get enough of them and they happen to have handy and easy thougth provoking questions at the end of every book. She reads and then gets to answer all the questions at the end. They aren't washed down either, some of them really make her think. Since she just finished the last book in the Fablehaven Series we are planning on checking out the other works by Brandon Mull. We hear the Beyonders books are even better, although the source might be a bit biased ;)
1. As previously mentioned....The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Our copy has the front cover taped on and the back cover missing. Each chapter is it's own adventure as Bilbo Baggins enters a world of bravery, wit, and common sense. A great read before the movie comes out (which I'm sure will be fabulous) and all the characters have time to form in their imagination before one day they see it and the actors take those places.
~ Matilda - in a house full of girls this is a winner. A little girl with a superpowered brain? Love it!
~Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - My personal favorite. There are points in the movies I like but nothing replaces the book.
~BFG - This is the first book my oldest daughter read entirely by herself. The cover is now also missing, the pages worn and marked. It just might always be her first love.
~The Twits and Fantastic Mr. Fox - Short fun reads that make you giggle.
~James and the Giant Peach - This one my children enjoyed but didn't get into as much as the ones above. Still worth the read though!
~Boy, Tales of Childhood - Another personal favorite. My children were shocked at life before seat belts, good doctors, and FDA restrictions. It's also fun to see where the ideas of his books came from.
4. The Secret Garden by Fances Hodgson Burnett - Growing up A Little Princess by the same author was my all time favorite book with A Secret Garden being one I enjoyed the one time I read it. The flip side is true with my daughters showing that everyone has their own tastes and personalities. The language is a little old fashioned but more than worth it!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Bananas and Chocolate Ganache
Yesterday my Dear Husband, 5 Squirts, and I drove two hours to a small town of cute shops, a lake, and a pontoon boat rental. Today I made banana cupcakes with a dark chocolate ganache frosting. The two are connected but like the stars in a consellation the story is not apparent until the lines are drawn.
Dot one - Our mini van seats 8 people except the back belt was cut through six months ago. Long story for another day. There are 7 people in our family. The seat without a belt is the comfy one in the back which means someone has to use the middle back seat, designed for a thin stick midget who likes to sit next to a carseat with a little squirt who likes to poke you.
Dot two - Yesterday, being the sweet mom I am, volunteered to sit in the dreaded middle back seat for the entire two hours.
Dot three - I never knew that sitting in the back makes you carsick, especially while reading to a little squirt.
Dot four - Days at a quaint little town with a lake are fun, especially when two hours of it are spent on a boat getting wet. Having one set of clothes and no swimsuit does not make for a fun car ride home.
Dot five - Baby squirt likes to scream for two hours in car rides home when it is way past bedtime and you forgot their nighttime bottle.
Dot six - Our church starts at 9am and when you have squirts who spent the previous day in the lake it means getting up at 7am to bathe them regardless of when you got home.
Dot seven - Our sleep deprived baby squirt will scream for 3 hours of church if not given adequate sleep.
Dot eight - Tired mommies with screaming children deserately need banana cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting to keep their sanity.
For your days like this I highly recommend the following recipe!!!
Cupcake - (by Wanda Thole from allrecipes.com)
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup ripe bananas (between 2 and 3)
1/4 cup buttermilk (I substituted 1/4 c. milk and 1/2 tsp vinegar)
2 cups flour (with cupcakes I recommend sifting and measuring if your crazy like I am)
1 teaspoon baking powder (Umm, I just realized I forgot this and didn't realize it - still tasted great!)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda (Having mis-read I used 1 tsp of baking soda)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a mixing bowl cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, bananas, and buttermilk. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to banana mixure. Spoon into paper lined muffin tins cups two-thirds full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min.
Ganache - (Alton Brown's recipe)
In a food processor add 8 ounces dark chocolate (I used Hersheys) or bittersweet chocolate. Put 8 ounces of heavy whipping cream in microwave for 1 minute. Slowly add cream to chocolate and pulse until creamy. Lick spoon. Either immediately dip cooled cupcake tops in ganache or put ganache in fridge for one hour, rewhip, and frost.
Dot one - Our mini van seats 8 people except the back belt was cut through six months ago. Long story for another day. There are 7 people in our family. The seat without a belt is the comfy one in the back which means someone has to use the middle back seat, designed for a thin stick midget who likes to sit next to a carseat with a little squirt who likes to poke you.
Dot two - Yesterday, being the sweet mom I am, volunteered to sit in the dreaded middle back seat for the entire two hours.
Dot three - I never knew that sitting in the back makes you carsick, especially while reading to a little squirt.
Dot four - Days at a quaint little town with a lake are fun, especially when two hours of it are spent on a boat getting wet. Having one set of clothes and no swimsuit does not make for a fun car ride home.
Dot five - Baby squirt likes to scream for two hours in car rides home when it is way past bedtime and you forgot their nighttime bottle.
Dot six - Our church starts at 9am and when you have squirts who spent the previous day in the lake it means getting up at 7am to bathe them regardless of when you got home.
Dot seven - Our sleep deprived baby squirt will scream for 3 hours of church if not given adequate sleep.
Dot eight - Tired mommies with screaming children deserately need banana cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting to keep their sanity.
For your days like this I highly recommend the following recipe!!!
Cupcake - (by Wanda Thole from allrecipes.com)
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup ripe bananas (between 2 and 3)
1/4 cup buttermilk (I substituted 1/4 c. milk and 1/2 tsp vinegar)
2 cups flour (with cupcakes I recommend sifting and measuring if your crazy like I am)
1 teaspoon baking powder (Umm, I just realized I forgot this and didn't realize it - still tasted great!)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda (Having mis-read I used 1 tsp of baking soda)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a mixing bowl cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, bananas, and buttermilk. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to banana mixure. Spoon into paper lined muffin tins cups two-thirds full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min.
Ganache - (Alton Brown's recipe)
In a food processor add 8 ounces dark chocolate (I used Hersheys) or bittersweet chocolate. Put 8 ounces of heavy whipping cream in microwave for 1 minute. Slowly add cream to chocolate and pulse until creamy. Lick spoon. Either immediately dip cooled cupcake tops in ganache or put ganache in fridge for one hour, rewhip, and frost.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Diet, Diet, Diet
Diet, abstinence from food, wieght reduction plan, nutrition therapy, eating sparingly, counting calories, slimming down, tightening your belt, watching what you eat.
Oh, it goes by many names. The dreaded months before summer when the heat rises and the shorts come out. The cute highly doctored models on the magazine covers taunt us to look better and we fall victim yet again to the urges fostered in us from almost infancy. We must be skinny. We must be toned. We must be super energetic despite our 1500 calorie diets. We can look like the men and women who have thousands to blow on trainers, chefs, and surgery!
Actually I'm not one for fad dieting. At least not the kind were I have to buy pills or special foods. Alright, enough justification. I do fall prey to the dieting whims. The super high fiber, only juice, no carbs, calorie counting kind of diets that I think might somehow magically change my knees into something I will be proud of. (Note to self, once you are past 30 no knees are cute). I am also kind of hoping to get the perfect flat stomach and non jiggly arms. I lose a few pounds and then celebrate with a weekend of ice cream and oreos.
Dang. Those 5 pounds just came back.
Truth be told I just enjoy food too much to really stick to these diets. I know many women who have the willpower and I know myself well enough to know I am not one of them. But I do feel better when I get in the regular exercise, lots of water, and a few more veggies. So this year I am doing it different.
I will only eat one small bowl of frito pie. I will skip the sour cream and reduce the number of chips.
I will buy reduced fat feta cheese for my salad tonight and increase the veggies I add.
I will only eat one cookie instead of five.
If I don't feel up for a high intensity workout I will get on the treadmill with a book or TV show tonight and walk.
I will play on the playground with my kids instead of watching them from the bench.
When I get the munchies I will grab a glass of water and then see how I feel.
If I have still have the munchies I will go ahead and make the Dr. Oz green juice drink that I actually kind of like the flavor of.
So far it seems to be working. I don't feel deprived. My sugar crashes at 2 pm are not severe. When I get the urge I do increase the fiber in a meal or have a all juiced meal without going overboard. I am not losing 5 pounds in 7 days but I have lost 1 1/2 in the last week and I figure this is a way of life I might actually be able to keep up. Who knows, by NEXT summer I might actually reach my weight loss goal!
Oh, it goes by many names. The dreaded months before summer when the heat rises and the shorts come out. The cute highly doctored models on the magazine covers taunt us to look better and we fall victim yet again to the urges fostered in us from almost infancy. We must be skinny. We must be toned. We must be super energetic despite our 1500 calorie diets. We can look like the men and women who have thousands to blow on trainers, chefs, and surgery!
Actually I'm not one for fad dieting. At least not the kind were I have to buy pills or special foods. Alright, enough justification. I do fall prey to the dieting whims. The super high fiber, only juice, no carbs, calorie counting kind of diets that I think might somehow magically change my knees into something I will be proud of. (Note to self, once you are past 30 no knees are cute). I am also kind of hoping to get the perfect flat stomach and non jiggly arms. I lose a few pounds and then celebrate with a weekend of ice cream and oreos.
Dang. Those 5 pounds just came back.
Truth be told I just enjoy food too much to really stick to these diets. I know many women who have the willpower and I know myself well enough to know I am not one of them. But I do feel better when I get in the regular exercise, lots of water, and a few more veggies. So this year I am doing it different.
I will only eat one small bowl of frito pie. I will skip the sour cream and reduce the number of chips.
I will buy reduced fat feta cheese for my salad tonight and increase the veggies I add.
I will only eat one cookie instead of five.
If I don't feel up for a high intensity workout I will get on the treadmill with a book or TV show tonight and walk.
I will play on the playground with my kids instead of watching them from the bench.
When I get the munchies I will grab a glass of water and then see how I feel.
If I have still have the munchies I will go ahead and make the Dr. Oz green juice drink that I actually kind of like the flavor of.
So far it seems to be working. I don't feel deprived. My sugar crashes at 2 pm are not severe. When I get the urge I do increase the fiber in a meal or have a all juiced meal without going overboard. I am not losing 5 pounds in 7 days but I have lost 1 1/2 in the last week and I figure this is a way of life I might actually be able to keep up. Who knows, by NEXT summer I might actually reach my weight loss goal!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Baby Steps Baby
Baby steps baby. That is the famous line of my husband. I tend to set huge goals and then feel a little overwhelmed and defeated when they don't get done in my unrealistic timeframe. This week I wanted the whole house cleaned, organized, and deep scrubbed by Friday when I will be hosting a get together for a few homeschool families. I started by going through every drawer of my five children, you know, in case someone opens a drawer. That done I moved on to deep scrubbing a bathroom, followed by a thorough cleaning out of my closet. Today was the midweek meltdown.
I'm a failure.
I have no energy.
I can't do it.
I am a bad mother because I am ignoring my kids and not actively engaging them in lessons.
Baby steps baby.
1. Re-evaluate goals
2. Write down what you want to get done in order of importance
3. Pat yourself on the back that you have actually accomplished what you have
4. Eat some chocolate
Will my house be imaculate by Friday? No. I will however be happy with what I have gotten done and stop worrying about what I haven't.
There. I feel better.
I'm a failure.
I have no energy.
I can't do it.
I am a bad mother because I am ignoring my kids and not actively engaging them in lessons.
Baby steps baby.
1. Re-evaluate goals
2. Write down what you want to get done in order of importance
3. Pat yourself on the back that you have actually accomplished what you have
4. Eat some chocolate
Will my house be imaculate by Friday? No. I will however be happy with what I have gotten done and stop worrying about what I haven't.
There. I feel better.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Incapacitated
I have often watched a movie or TV show where a person hits another in the back of the head with a heavy object and the victim drops to the floor. I suspected that dramatization was highly used since I could not imagine a single hit could incapacitate, knock out, or really make a person see stars. Falling from a high ladder might do it. Getting hit with a wrecking ball, sure! But a single good wack? I was skeptical.
Today I was making the top bunk of my daughter's bed. The ceiling fan was on. The ceiling fan is never on. One good wack folks and I was incapacitated, nearly knocked out, seeing stars.
Moral of the story? Sometimes the things you see on TV might actually be true.
Today I was making the top bunk of my daughter's bed. The ceiling fan was on. The ceiling fan is never on. One good wack folks and I was incapacitated, nearly knocked out, seeing stars.
Moral of the story? Sometimes the things you see on TV might actually be true.
Friday, April 20, 2012
A Jane Austen Kind of Day
Last post I wrote about my insecurity over my children's clothing. This is not a long time insecurity or a deep set one. It came about due to an innocent comment by a friend. It did get me thinking though that summer is upon us and it would be a good time to turn on the BBC version of Jane Austen (if I would have had a boy I would have named him Colin) and go through all the winter and summer clothes. It was while thus sifting that I discovered a pair of pants my 6 year old has been wearing recently. They are hot pink. They look like pajama pants. They are a size 3.
Hmmm, maybe the insecurities are founded.
Hmmm, maybe the insecurities are founded.
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