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Lesson 7/11/07

Jul 12th, 2007 by

Bible
We read that the Israelites checked out Canaan, and knew it was full of all the things God promised, but all of them except Joshua and Caleb said they could not overcome the people living there.  God had them wander the desert for 40 years, then led them back into Canaan .

Memory Verse
Colossians 3:13 "Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Read Aloud
Mother Goose-"Little Bo-Peep"
The Steel Man

Language Arts
DEL-Comprehension/Sequence-The boys looke dat a set of pictures and had to decide which came first (ex. a cow vs. a steak dinner).  Both boys got all correct.

Social Studies
Things People Do-We read again about The Farmer

Character
Right Choices-We read about how important discipline is

Life Skills
365 Manners-We read about the proper way to eat pizza.  There are three ways: 1) with a knife and a fork
2)using both hands and eating the point first and 3) folding the pizza in half lengthwise and eating it point first.  You do not eat your first piece quickly to get to the second piece.  If more than one persone wants the last piece, you divide it equally.

Did not do math or reading today.  It was over 100 degrees today.  We went to the movies and grocery store instead.

Posted in HOMESCHOOL | 1 Comment »

Menu Plan Monday- July 9-July 15

Jul 11th, 2007 by

 

July 9-July 15
(Underlined items are recipes below)

Monday: Eat Out at Jay Berry’s

Tuesday: Veggie Fest- Baked Beet and Brown Rice Salad, Green Bean and Potato Curry, Kale with Salt and Lemon

Wednesday: Amish Country Casserole, Green Salad

Thursday: Golden Summer Soup, Bread

Friday: Fried Rice Friday-Chicken

Saturday: BBQ Beef Sammies, Fries, Broccoli Salad

Sunday: TBD

Recipes:

Golden Summer Soup

1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
2 1/2 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes, divided
3 cups water, divided
3 cups vegetable stock or vegetable broth, divided 
4 cups diced summer squash
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons salt, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (or 1t. dried)
  fresh ground pepper, to taste
  grated monterey jack cheese or low-fat sour cream
  chopped fresh parsley

In a big soup pot, saute/stir the onions in hot oil, over medium-high heat for 2 mintues. Add in the carrots and 1 3/4 cups sweet potatoes; saute/stir for 1-2 minutes. Add in 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Puree the mixture in a blender (or use an immersion blender) until mixture is smooth; set aside. Bring the remaining water and vegetable stock to a boil. Add in the remaining sweet potatoes; let simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the yellow squash, corn, turmeric, lemon juice and salt to taste; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the sage and reserved puree; stir to combine. Add in pepper to taste. Continue simmering until well heated.
To serve, ladle into individual serving bowls; sprinkle grated Monterey Jack cheese on top or spoon a dollop of sour cream on top. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

Baked Beets and Brown Rice Salad Recipe
1 pound red beets
2 1/2 Cups Cooked Short Grain Brown Rice
2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 tsp Raspberry Vinegar, more if needed (I just used red wine vinegar)
1/4 tsp Salt, plus more if needed
2 Tbs Thinly Sliced Scallion Greens (optional)
2 Tbs Pine Nuts, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Trim off any beet greens, leaving about a half-inch of stem intact. Rinse the beets. Wrap each beet individually in a tightly sealed aluminum foil packet. Set the beets on a foil-lined baking pan and bake until you can easily pierce them to the center with a paring knife, approx 60-90 minutes. (You can pierce the beets right through the foil.)

When they are cool enough to handle, gently rub the foil of each still-sealed packet against the beet. Slip off the beet skins along with the foil. Trim off the tail and stems ends. Cut the beets into 1/4-inch dice and set them in a bowl or storage container. Add the rice and toss until the rice is “dyed” beet red.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt. Toss the dressing with the beets. Adjust the seasonings, adding more vinegar and or salt, if needed, to intensify the flavors. Let the salad sit until the grains absorb some flavor, about 15 minutes. Stir in the scallion greens (if using) just before serving. Garnish with pine nuts. Serve at room temperature.

Green Bean and Potato Curry
1c. oil
curry powder to taste
3 fresh tomatoes, diced
1t. salt
1t. ginger
1t. garlic
1t. chili powder
7oz. cut green beans
7 baby white potatoes
1c. water
Steamed rice

Heat oil in saucepan.  Lower heat and add curry posder.  Add tomatoes and stir fry 3-5 minutes.  Add remaining spices.  Add green beans and potatoes and cook 5 minutes.  Add water and cook until potatoes are cooked through.  Remove excess water and add rice.  Heat throughout.

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We have butterflies!

Jul 11th, 2007 by

The day we left for Chelan, a butterfly emerged from its chrysalid.  Since we were going out of town, I had a friend take the butterfly hut.  I did not want everyone to miss the butterflies.  All  made the change, except two have emerged with misshapen wings.  I don’t think they will make it.  They are going through the sugar water quickly, and are getting busy "getting busy".  I think we will let them out in a few days.  They only live a total of three weeks, so I’d like for them to enjoy the great outdoors for a while.

Posted in MISC. | 3 Comments »

Our Family Celebration

Jul 11th, 2007 by

Every year, we spend the 4th on July at Lake Chelan.  My aunt and uncle host a family celebration.  We have one night that is a theme night based on a state.  This was our fifth year, and the state was California.  We dress in costume and the evening menu is related as well.

Since the 4th fell on a Wednesday this year, we did not begin our festivities until Friday, the 6th. 

On the night of the 5th, DH was wrestling with the boys on the bed, and ‘A’ fell off the bed and broke his collarbone.  This happened at 9:30pm, so we were all up pretty late that night.  He was placed in a sling, with the OK to go to Chelan.  (He loves to look at his x-ray, BTW…)

We left late morning on Friday, and arrived in Chelan around 2pm.  We played in the water, then went to a local winery for a delicious BBQ dinner.
 

After dinner, we pulled the fishing poles out for some twilight fishing, (catch and release).

Saturday brought more sun and fun.  We went on a few boat rides and played on the innertube.  ‘R’ had a great time being pulled by the boat.  He said he "liked the bumps", and that he was in the "Spiderman boat", and when we wre doing switchbacks, he said that we were making "Super(man) ‘S’s".  On one trip, they wre going pretty slow and he was submerged for a second.  Not a happy camper after that and ended up in the comfort of Ama’s arms.  Poor ‘A’ was left to sulk on shore, although Uncle Artie gave him a special early morning boat ride when the water was less choppy.

The theme dinner was fabulous as always.  We had grilled hamburgers or chicken burgers, a potato salad, a fruit salad, and an ice cream pie for dessert.

The costumes were fun as well. 
Aunt Annie- 60’s hippie from San Francisco
Uncle Art-Beach guy
Me-Sunset Strip
DH-Hollywood and Vine
‘A’-Beverly Hillbilly
‘R’-California Raisin
Devin(my brother)-Al Capon at Alcatraz
‘P'(my niece)-Paris Hilton in handcuffs
‘K'(my niece)-Surfer girl
My mom/Ama-‘Maxi Mouse’ (as opposed to ‘Minnie’)
Jenna (my cousin)-wore a Tinkerbell shirt
Charles(my cousin)- beach guy

Sunday, we played in the water, then went to visit Jenna and Charles’s new house in Pateros.  They have a very nice home with a little view of Alta Lake.  It is right on a golf course, and since they are both avid golfers, it’s a perfect spot for them.  Everyone left after that, except for us.  We went out for dinner and spent one more night before heading home on Monday.  We stopped at a farm stand and bought 20 pounds of peaches for $10.00.  I spent the rest of Monday peeling ond slicing peaches to freeze.

Posted in FAMILY | 1 Comment »

Our fabulous 4TH!

Jul 11th, 2007 by

We live in a neighborhood that starts the 4th of July in late June.  Sounds like fun?  Not really.  It is no fun having to listen to loud booms, screams, and whistles all the time.  Typically, this has never been an issue, because we are always out of town at this time, but since the 4th landed on a Wednesday this year, DH needed to stay in town for work.

On the night of the 3rd, we were awake until 2am, listening to firecrackers.  Even though I love my neighbors, this made it very hard for me to like them.

On a whim, I decided to suggest to DH that we go an check ourselves into the Westin Bellevue for the night.  We have points to use, so it would not cost anything. So, after attending a fabulous potluck BBQ dinner at our friends, the Anders, we headed into Bellevue to check into the Westin.  We swam in their pool until aobut 9:30pm, then ordered room service for dessert and were thrilled to discover that we’d be able to see the big city fireworks from our room.  It turns out that the display was just across the street from our hotel, and not only did we have the best view from the 17th floor, we were also able to see displays in the other neighborhoods of Renton and West Seattle.  It was great to see the horizon lit up like Christmas lights, not just from the big displays, but from the private celebrations as well.  The boys were beyond thrilled and I think a new family tradition was born, (assuming we would need to stay home on the 4th).

 

 

Posted in FAMILY | 1 Comment »

Lesson 7/3/07

Jul 11th, 2007 by

Bible
Children’s Everyday Bible-The Israelites build a worship tent .

Memory Verse
Colossians 3:13 "Forgive as the Lord forgave you"

Read Aloud
Mother Goose-"Old Mother Hubbard"
The Merry Shipwreck

Language Arts
Developing the Early Learner-Auditory/Memory-I had each boy take turns.  I would say a two part command and they had to wait one minute before executing that command:
‘A’: Color the lightbulb yellow, color the umbrella red- ‘A’ got both correct
‘R’:Put an ‘x’ on the umbrella handle, put a line under the bulb-‘R’ forgot the second command
‘A’:Draw a green line through the umbrella, color the bulb red-‘A’ forgot second command
‘R’:Color the umbrella black, color the bulb blue-‘R’ forgot the first command

Science
Berenstain Bear’s Book of Science and Nature-We read about the moon.  We learned the difference between a full moon and a crescent moon, that the moon is full of craters, and that Fall ends in December.

Character
‘Right Choices’-We read about the importance of prayer

Life Skills
‘365 Manners…’ We read about the proper way to eat watermelon.  If it is on the rind, it is OK to eat with your hands.  If you are outside in an informal setting, you can spit the seeds out.  If you are inside, forks can be use dto cut and eat the watermelon and also place seeds on the plate.  For a more formal setting, watermelon may be served with a fork or spoon in a fruit cup.

Math
Singapore Earlybird 1B-Lesson 5-Counting and writing numerals 5-8.  ‘A’ and ‘R’ (for the most part) do well with counting.  The writing in illegible, but good practice.

Reading
Bob Books, Volume 1, Books 7-8

Posted in HOMESCHOOL | Comments Off

Crockpot Recipes

Jul 3rd, 2007 by

I get asked often for crockpot recipes.  I have had them scattered all over, but have decided to place them on one post for easy access.  These are my favorites…

(Tip: Double the recipe and freeze half!)

Crockpot Chicken Corn Chowder (Best chowder ever…)

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 ribs celery, sliced
  • 2 small carrots, sliced
  • 2 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 2 cans cream of potato soup
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 1/2 cup half and half or evaporated milk

In a large skillet, melt the butter or margarine; brown chicken. Transfer chicken to slow cooker. Add onions and celery to skillet and sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes, until just tender. Add the onions and celery to crockpot, along with carrots, corn kernels, soup, chicken broth and dill to slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender. During the last 10 minutes, stir in the half and half or evaporated milk. Serves 8.

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Crockpot BBQ Beef Sandwiches
  • 2 lbs hamburger
  • bottle of favorite barbecue sauce
  • 1/2 c. sweet relish
  • 2 cans mushrooms , drained, optional (about 4 ounces each)
    Brown ground beef and transfer to crockpot. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.

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Crockpot Vegetarian Chili

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 carrots, grated or sliced thin
  • 1 1/2 cup corn
  • 1 zucchini, diced
  • 2 cans kidney beans
  • 2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • dash tabasco sauce (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot or slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

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Crockpot Beef Wraps
Cut chuck roast into stew meat.  Cover with a jar of salsa. Cook in crockpot 6 hours.  Serve in torilla with sauteed onions and peppers.

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Mexicali Round Steak
1.5lbs round steak
1c. frozen corn
1c. cilantro
1/2c. beef broth
3 ribs celery, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
20oz. jar salsa
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1c. cheddar cheese

1. Cut beef into six pieces and place in crock pot.
2. Place remaing ingredients except cheese
3. Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours
4.  Sprinkle with cheese before serving

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Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup
1c. chopped onions
1c. chopped carrots
1c. chopped celery
1 clove minced garlic
2t. olive oil
1/4t. flour
1/2t. dried oregano
1/2t. dried thyme
6c. chicken broth
4c. diced potatoes
1t. salt
2c. roasted diced chicken
2c. wide noodles

1. Brown onions, carrots, celery, garlic in skillet
2. Stir in flour, herbs and blend well.  Pour into slow cooker
3. Mix in broth, potatoes, and salt.
4. Cook on low 5-6 hours.
5.  Add chicken and noodles.  Cook until noodles are tender.

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Crockpot pineapple roast

Ingredients:
  • 1 boneless pork loin roast
  • 1/2c. flour
  • 3T. butter or margarine
  • 2 medium sliced onions
  • 1 can crushed pineapple (20 oz), undrained
  • 1T. vinegar
  • 1T. soy sauce
  • 1c. chopped green bell peppers
  • 1/2t. cinnamon
  • 1/2 t. ground ginger
  • 1t. garlic powder
Slice pork loin in slices about 3/4-inch thick. Dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat margarine  or butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add pork slices and excess flour; brown both sides.
 
zSB(3,3)

Transfer browned pork to the slow cooker/Crock Pot (3 1/2-qt. or larger). Add onions and peppers to the skillet, stirring, until slightly browned and tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Serve over hot rice. Serves 6 to 8.

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Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
1.5 lbs. chicken cut into 1 inch strips
one green pepper, choped
one yellow pepper, chopped
one red pepper, chopped
one small onion, chopped
1 4oz. can of green chilis
1T. lemon juice
1/4t. vegetable oil
2t. chili powder
1t. cumin
salt to taste
pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
1/2 can/bottle beer (I use Corona)
Place first six ingredients in corckpot.  Mix remeining items in a owl and pout over items in crockpot.  Cook on low 4-5 hours.  Serve on warm tortillas with sour cream, guacamole, and cheese.
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Crockpot Pot Roast
Roast
Sliced Onions
Salt 
Pepper
Celery
Carrots
Worchestershire
Dijon Mustard
A can/bottle of Guinness
Place all in crockpot and cook for 10 hours.
Serve with mashed potatoes
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Slow Cooker Stew
1lb. lean beef, cubed
2c. diced canned tomatoes, undrained
1c. beef broth
1/4c. red wine
1T. worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1t. dried thyme
1t. dried rosemary
1t. dried marjoram
1T. crushed garlic
1/2t. black pepper
1 onion, diced
2-3 potatoes, diced
1c. carrots, chopped
Place all in crockpot. Cover. Cook 4-6 hours
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Posted in EAT | 7 Comments »

Lesson 7/2/07

Jul 2nd, 2007 by

We went on a playdate to my friend, Sundy’s, house.  She has a son, T, age 4, and a daughter, E, age 15 months.  She was kind to let me leave the boys and run errands.  She is using the ‘Before Five in a Row’ curriculum, and had the boys do some art surrounding the book, "The Yellow Ball".  When I returned, all three boys were fully dressed as super heroes.  ‘A’ was (you will never guess…), that’s right, Batman…  ‘R’ was Superman, and ‘T’ was Mr. Incredible.  ‘A’ was in heaven.  As soon as we got home, he wanted to get into his Batman pj’s to continue the fantasy.  (I had to drag him back into reality, though.) I wish I had my camera.  They were so cute!

(BTW: This reminds me of a cute story that happened yesterday.  DH, the boys, and I were riding home in the car from riding bikes at the park.  ‘A’ said he wanted to live on the same property as us when he grew up and he wanted his kids on the same property as all of us.  I asked how many kids he would like, and he answered, "five".  I asked him how many boys he wanted and how many girls.  He said he wanted four boys and one girl at the end.  I asked him what he wanted to name his oldest boy.  He said, "Clark Kent".  I asked what he wanted to name his second boy.  He said, "Bruce Wayne."  DH and I are laughing now, and I asked what he wanted to make the third boy.  DH chimed in, "Peter Parker".  He ended this by saying he wanted to name the little girl, "LoveLove".)

Memory Verse
We reviewed the memory verses to date, and introduced a new one for the week.
"Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13
Topic: Forgiveness-I treat someone as if they never hurt me.

Read Aloud
Mother Goose- ‘The Robin’, and ‘Young Dolly and Roger’
"The Amazing Pine Cone"
Eric Carle’s Animals Animals- "Commissariat Camels"
"What do you do, dear?"

Language Arts
‘Developing the Early Learner’-Visual/Memory-  I placed four cards with shapes on them:circle, triangle, star, rectangle.  The boys looked at the shapes, closed their eyes, and I removed one shape.  The boys had to figure out which one was removed.  ‘A’ can do this; ‘R’ cannot.

Social Studies
Things People Do- The Farmer-We learned about all the people that work on a farm.  The farm manager, the cow herder, the dairy farmer, the pig farmer, the poultry farmer, the tractor driver, sometimes the vet.

Character
Right Choices- We read about strangers and role played about different instances when it is not OK to talk to a stranger (offer candy, puppies, kittens, help out, etc.)

Life Skills
365 Manners…we read about eating tacos and tortillas.  When eating a hard taco, it’s OK to eat with your fingers, like a hot dog.  If filling falls on the plate, eat that with the fork.  You can also eat soft tacos and tortillas with your hands, but you can use a fork if it’s easier.

Math
Singapore Earlybird 1B-  we are at the point where ‘R’ does not have the motor skills to follow the notebook.  So, I had ‘A’ use the worksheets in lesson 4, and I copied some online pages for ‘R’ that were similar.  Today, the boys counted numbers 5-8, colored objects, and ‘A’ practiced writing the numbers.

Reading
Bob Books Volume 1, Books 7-8

Posted in HOMESCHOOL | 2 Comments »

Lesson 6/29/07

Jul 2nd, 2007 by

Bible
Children’s Everyday Bible: We read about the Israelites making a golden calf to worship.  Moses was so mad, he broke the commandment tablets and went back up mount Sinai to seek forgiveness and mercy from God.

Read Aloud
"The Kitten who thought he was a mouse"
"The Hundred Dresses" (This is a chapter book.  We read a few short chapters.)

Language Arts
Developing the Early Learner-Motor/Eye Hand: ‘A’ had to follow a spiral path without lifting his marker.  He hit the side at one point.  Did well the second try.

Science
Berenstain Bear’s Book of Science and Nature-We read about October 31 and Halloween and Trick or treats.  We also read that the last Thursday in Nivember is always Thanksgiving.  It is a time to be thankful for our family and friends.

Character
Right Choices-We read about stealing and how it is wrong to steal.

Life Skills
365 Manners Every Child Should Know: We read about eating sushi.  Ideally, you eat a piece in one bite, but if you can’t you can take a couple of bites.  If you are using chopsticks, you take a piece from the serving tray, using the fat end of the chopsticks.  Place the sushi on your plate, then pick it up and place it in your mouth with the small end of the chopsticks.

 

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Misc. Fun Stuff

Jul 2nd, 2007 by

It was such a delightful morning, Thursday 6/28.  The boys rode their bikes in the cul de sac with some neighbor kids.
Big boy ‘R’ riding his bike.  He just figured out how to ride a bike (versus a trike) this past week.  We a going to look into buying a "big boy bike" soon.

The cutest gang ever!

It began to rain later in the day, and we were to have friends over for a BBQ.  We ended up having to take it inside, as the rain turned into a downour.  Our friends have three beautiful girl, who are around 11, 9, and 3?  The youngest, "L", played well with ‘R’.  She showed him how to completely cover an Aquadoodle with water and make it all blue.  Who knew? 🙂  We sincerely enjoyed their company and look forward to the day when maybe we can even use our yard to entertain!

‘A’ and ‘R’ are having a terrific time playing with Legos.  They enjoy building "up".  We need to teach them that you can build "out".

Butterfly Update:
We have chrysalids!  I don’t think two are going to make it, but the rest are looking good.  It is such a fascinating process to witness.  The caterpillars climbed to the top of the container and assumed a ‘J’ position.  They become completely stiff and a outer shell forms around them.  I must admit, it is kind of creepy seeing them hang like that.  One of them (one I don’t think will make it), was hanging mid-air by a string of silk.  It looked like a caterpillar suicide.  The rest remind me of little vampires, or hanging coffins.  Occasionally, one will wiggle like crazy.  That is comforting because they are so still.

Posted in MISC. | 1 Comment »

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