I've been asked many times how our typical mornings go, so I decided to give you a peek into one of them.
First of all, we do not have alarm clocks at our home.....our wonderful 2 and 4 year old children serve the purpose very well since no matter how little of a nap or how late they stay up, both wake up at a pretty consistent time of 7:00 to 7:30. Between the two of them, they persist in making enough noise that our older two are awake by 8:00 and then have until 9:30 to eat, get dressed, and do their chores (one yearly assigned chore as well as one I see that needs to be done)
Chores consist of a variety of things in our house..... dishwasher duty, sweeping, laundry duty, washing bathroom sinks and counters, and cleaning windows and mirrors to name a few. One thing I have learned to do is that when our children reach the age of five, they then proceed to have an assigned chore for a year that is done on a daily basis. During the summer when they don't have their schoolwork to do, they then "train" a younger sibling to do this chore so the younger sibling is ready to do it in the fall. At the moment, my ten year old is in charge of our dishwasher (unloading and loading) and my seven year old is in charge of the dryer (folding and delivering clean piles of clothes to rooms). Even though they were both excited at getting these chores in the beginning, they are now both looking forward to June to pass on their chore! We do it this way because for one, it gets confusing in assigning these chores on a daily or weekly basis and two, I have learned that it teaches a great deal of responsibility and pride in getting a job done well.
By 9:30, morning duties are done by all, and we settle in for our schoolwork. The little ones go to the play area for a bit and I start the older two on math and language arts. They each have responsibility to get done any copywork or worksheets they are able to do while I am teaching a lesson to the other so we can get the work done quickly. I have little learning games for the preschoolers or they paint or color when they are through with playtime.
By 11:30 or 12:00, we are ready for lunch. After that, we have our devotion, read-aloud time along with our history and science. Special days contain art, Spanish, or cooking.
After this, everyone goes to their rooms for "rest" time for an hour.....little ones take a nap and big kids get to lay in their beds and have their own personal devotion plus read, journal, or draw. Even though this seems like a long time for these activities, I've found it clears everyone's head and gives each of them time in a favored learning activity.
Our afternoons are spent in learning activities or play as long as they have finished their schoolwork that morning. So, for the most part, this is a typical day for us when we do not have fellow homeschoolers over which we do once to twice a week. On those days, my older two have agreed to do their school later in the afternoon so they can have playtime or special history or science learning time with their friends.
And since I am a huge fan of cooking, I always try to have a tasty treat when we have visitors. Muffins are a favorite over here and this is one of the tastiest versions I have found....soooo moist and delicious! I found this on allrecipes.com and substituted strawberry yogurt for the plain since it was what I had on hand, but it didn't seem to matter.....these were gobbled up by that afternoon!
Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about two medium)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, combine the egg, oil, yogurt and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in bananas and chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks
Hope you enjoy these as much as we did!!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Planning For Next Year
One of a homeschool mom's benefits of teaching her own children is the yearly task of planning next school year's agenda. Once you have homeschooled for a few years, springtime includes a bouquet of book and text distributors in your mailbox as well as mailings of deals and good buys galore. It is such a grand time to begin envisioning your year ahead and the awesome educational endeavors you will embark on but, it can be a little intimidating as well. Do I go the traditional route of textbooks, tests, and workbooks or the more flexible classical approach of "living" books, exploration, and nature discovery? Do I listen to this publisher who says they have just what I need or use a combination of materials to form my children's education?
As a former schoolteacher, you would think I had the answers of what was best for our first child and could go into the new adventure of homeschooling with determined confidence. Not necessarily so! Just as the process of deciding which foods are best for your child can be overwhelming, so is the task of choosing which venue one will take as a homeschooler.
Case in point: If your child has allergies, you would want to stay away from certain foods, right? The same can be said of the child with a short attention span. The combination of children with 'ants in their pants', and traditional textbooks will have both parent and child in tears more times than not! So, in essence, a parent has to pick the curriculum that best fits their child as a student.
My approach for our first year of homeschooling was very traditional since I was more comfortable with that method.....and amazingly, my son did very well with it. As I've said before, he is VERY active, so I was careful to stop before he started to become too distracted. And fortunately, he has enough of a 'take charge' personality which allowed us to get the work done in about an hour. Of course, there were those days it seemed to drag on forever, but that's in any classroom environment.
As the years have gone by and I have gotten more comfortable with taking charge of how our children learn, my approach has become a little more eclectic. For math and language arts, we still follow a more traditional approach but I also like to do a lot of math in the kitchen and nature journaling as well so that it keeps the fun in learning. After a child learns to read, however, we give up the traditional readers and my children absorb 'real' books, especially the classics. My daughter enjoyed reading The Wizard of Oz and some of the Little House books in first grade last year while my son delved into Tom Sawyer. With science and history, I take a more classical approach and we read a lot and do projects, maps, and timelines that revolve around what we are studying. Right now, we are reading Johnny Tremain together since we are studying early American history and doing a lapbook (a big folder of different fun writing and research projects about one subject) about that time period. For science, we also do a lot of reading and also include various projects and experiments. For writing, we practice cursive and print with a Scripture verse that my children or I choose for that week. I also like to include cooking, art, and foreign language once or twice a week or incorporate them into a science or history theme. And above all, our family and personal devotions are such a peaceful time in our home that if I forget, my children make sure to remind me!
All in all, even though it is a big undertaking no matter what choices you make in teaching your child, it is such a blessing to be able to choose a curriculum that fits your child's needs and helps them become victorious in their learning. So many times, a child failing in a program can be attributed to a curriculum that does not fit their needs or personality. It is a wonderful accomplishment as a homeschooling parent to begin the process of knowing your child and their needs well enough to help them along the learning process.
As a former schoolteacher, you would think I had the answers of what was best for our first child and could go into the new adventure of homeschooling with determined confidence. Not necessarily so! Just as the process of deciding which foods are best for your child can be overwhelming, so is the task of choosing which venue one will take as a homeschooler.
Case in point: If your child has allergies, you would want to stay away from certain foods, right? The same can be said of the child with a short attention span. The combination of children with 'ants in their pants', and traditional textbooks will have both parent and child in tears more times than not! So, in essence, a parent has to pick the curriculum that best fits their child as a student.
My approach for our first year of homeschooling was very traditional since I was more comfortable with that method.....and amazingly, my son did very well with it. As I've said before, he is VERY active, so I was careful to stop before he started to become too distracted. And fortunately, he has enough of a 'take charge' personality which allowed us to get the work done in about an hour. Of course, there were those days it seemed to drag on forever, but that's in any classroom environment.
As the years have gone by and I have gotten more comfortable with taking charge of how our children learn, my approach has become a little more eclectic. For math and language arts, we still follow a more traditional approach but I also like to do a lot of math in the kitchen and nature journaling as well so that it keeps the fun in learning. After a child learns to read, however, we give up the traditional readers and my children absorb 'real' books, especially the classics. My daughter enjoyed reading The Wizard of Oz and some of the Little House books in first grade last year while my son delved into Tom Sawyer. With science and history, I take a more classical approach and we read a lot and do projects, maps, and timelines that revolve around what we are studying. Right now, we are reading Johnny Tremain together since we are studying early American history and doing a lapbook (a big folder of different fun writing and research projects about one subject) about that time period. For science, we also do a lot of reading and also include various projects and experiments. For writing, we practice cursive and print with a Scripture verse that my children or I choose for that week. I also like to include cooking, art, and foreign language once or twice a week or incorporate them into a science or history theme. And above all, our family and personal devotions are such a peaceful time in our home that if I forget, my children make sure to remind me!
All in all, even though it is a big undertaking no matter what choices you make in teaching your child, it is such a blessing to be able to choose a curriculum that fits your child's needs and helps them become victorious in their learning. So many times, a child failing in a program can be attributed to a curriculum that does not fit their needs or personality. It is a wonderful accomplishment as a homeschooling parent to begin the process of knowing your child and their needs well enough to help them along the learning process.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Quick, Easy and Cheap Freezer Meal!
.Here is another delish freezer recipe called Teriyaki Chicken. When I get chicken on sale, this is always a must for our freezer meals! You might not have all the ingredients at first, but you'll quickly realize like I did how low cost they are as well as how long they last (unless, of course, you make many freezer meals in a row!) This has now become a basic in our household along with the Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe I posted in the past. It actually came out of the Once-A-Month Cooking book that I told you about when I talked about freezer cooking.....we love this recipe but for economical reasons I have changed it a little to suit our large family. If your family prefers whole boneless skinless breasts to eat, then leaving the recipe as is will probably suit you just fine.
I have found that cutting the chicken up in small to medium pieces and putting it into recipes makes more bang for the buck around here. So, instead of leaving the breasts whole, I cut them up raw and put them in the bags (or if I'm rushed on time, I put the whole breasts in the bag and freeze it and cut it when it's defrosting...which by the way, is sometimes easier because the chicken is easier to cut half frozen). After defrosting, I get my wok out and cook the meat in the marinade in the bottom of the wok and then add 1 or 2 bags of stir fry vegetables depending on how much I want the meat to stretch, economically speaking, of course! Seriously though, most high food budgets are due to too much meat intake so whenever possible, I try to cut down how much meat the recipe calls for to see if the taste as well as the health(enough iron) factor remains. So with a pound of meat and, most of the time, two bags of stir-fry veggies, we can have a very healthy meal served over brown rice that lasts for two nights.
Just so you know, I am very big into making large quantities of food so we have leftovers! The idea of cooking every night is just exhausting! And by the way, on those nights I am not into doing the stir fry thing, I cook the chicken in the marinade as the recipe calls for and then cut up and serve over rice (I have tried cutting it before cooking but it seems to get too much marinade and has a very strong flavor) and that is an economical tasty winner as well. So any way you choose to go about it, this is one of those recipes you will learn to love for the simplicity of preparation......there is nothing like walking into the kitchen and knowing that 45 minutes later you can serve your family a wholesome meal that is easy on the pocketbook.
Teriyaki Chicken
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbs. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. vegetable oil or sesame oil
1 small minced garlic (I do more but we LOVE garlic!)
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Mix all ingredients except chicken in small bowl and pour into 1 gallon bag with chicken. Freeze.
When preparing to serve, thaw chicken in fridge. Pour chicken in marinade into a baking dish and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Serve over rice or Chinese noodles
I have found that cutting the chicken up in small to medium pieces and putting it into recipes makes more bang for the buck around here. So, instead of leaving the breasts whole, I cut them up raw and put them in the bags (or if I'm rushed on time, I put the whole breasts in the bag and freeze it and cut it when it's defrosting...which by the way, is sometimes easier because the chicken is easier to cut half frozen). After defrosting, I get my wok out and cook the meat in the marinade in the bottom of the wok and then add 1 or 2 bags of stir fry vegetables depending on how much I want the meat to stretch, economically speaking, of course! Seriously though, most high food budgets are due to too much meat intake so whenever possible, I try to cut down how much meat the recipe calls for to see if the taste as well as the health(enough iron) factor remains. So with a pound of meat and, most of the time, two bags of stir-fry veggies, we can have a very healthy meal served over brown rice that lasts for two nights.
Just so you know, I am very big into making large quantities of food so we have leftovers! The idea of cooking every night is just exhausting! And by the way, on those nights I am not into doing the stir fry thing, I cook the chicken in the marinade as the recipe calls for and then cut up and serve over rice (I have tried cutting it before cooking but it seems to get too much marinade and has a very strong flavor) and that is an economical tasty winner as well. So any way you choose to go about it, this is one of those recipes you will learn to love for the simplicity of preparation......there is nothing like walking into the kitchen and knowing that 45 minutes later you can serve your family a wholesome meal that is easy on the pocketbook.
Teriyaki Chicken
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbs. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. vegetable oil or sesame oil
1 small minced garlic (I do more but we LOVE garlic!)
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Mix all ingredients except chicken in small bowl and pour into 1 gallon bag with chicken. Freeze.
When preparing to serve, thaw chicken in fridge. Pour chicken in marinade into a baking dish and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Serve over rice or Chinese noodles
Monday, March 29, 2010
A different perspective on spring cleaning......and a DELISH Recipe!
Tis the season for spring cleaning!!....I can just hear the groans of some of you thinking about the closets and garages, the winter clothes that need to be exchanged for spring clothes, the deep cleaning jobs that are so overdue, and the yard work that cries out to you every time you step out your front door..
Some may have already done theirs (now, don't admit it, or we might have to hit you! lol!), some are in the thick of it, and some are slowly attempting to start theirs but dragging their heels!
....but I want to give you a new perspective on the whole event!
It starts with the events in our home and why I have some mixed feelings about this year's yearly project. Usually, I might drag my feet a bit on getting started but in actuality, I love getting everything organized and in its place and getting rid of so much clutter that seems to find its way in during those winter days! These days, however, it's a bit different. If you've been reading my blog, you know I am recuperating from a back injury that has had me home bound for about two months now. I have been able to get out to see doctors and I have actually walked into a store in the last week but other than that, I have been at home lying down or sitting for the most part. For this busy mom of four, it has been one of the most trying events I've ever gone through! I did not realize how much I did around our home and how much we're constantly on the run!
Up until this last week, I have had to overlook much of the clutter in our house that comes from having two preschoolers who love to play with EVERYTHING in their room and scatter it throughout the house and two grade school children who not only have their school papers and projects but also their own items of interest around the house. We, of course, have had a daily clean-up time and things were kept as tidy as could be expected when mom isn't at her full capacity of inspections. But I realized very quickly after the first few weeks of being in pain that the clean and organized home I loved to strive for was a thing of the past, and I would have to learn to accept some clutter and disorganization for a time. Before I was in pain, it was a simple thing for me to sweep through the house for ten to fifteen minutes a couple times a day and restore some sense of order. I learned how precious that ability was when I couldn't even walk down our steps some days! We have even had to have a sitter come stay with my children and I when my husband was out of town just to help me do basic things such as changing diapers or fixing lunch. After many tests (which in itself is a scary process when you are wondering what is wrong with you!), the doctors finally came to the conclusion that some muscles were pulled that was causing the intense pain and put me on a program to help me regain my life again. I still have to rest a lot, but I am becoming able to do more every day......like walking down the driveway with my children.......and sitting at the table with my family to eat dinner (a nightly tradition at our house but one I had to forego when the pain became so bad by the end of the day)......and sweeping up messes (like my two year old deciding to empty our big can of coffee creamer in our school room!)......and spring cleaning!! Even with the frustration of having to rest so often and moving at a snails pace in getting things accomplished (I'm known for staying up til three in the morning to get one of my "projects" done!), I am elated to be able to move about and get things back in order after two months of disarray!
So, when you want to complain about the huge task of jumping into the spring cleaning time, take a moment to ponder the joy you have of actually being ABLE to do it......and in that moment, take a few seconds to thank the Lord for that ability.....it is such a wondrous thing!
And speaking of wonderful things, I HAVE to share one of the best recipes our family just found!! It is for the bread machine , so if you don't have one, you will have to mix the ingredients and do the kneading and rising part before it's ready to roll. We absolutely LOVE our bread machine!! We have homemade pizza every Saturday night though and I don't have to do anything but throw the ingredients in there and then roll out the dough.....LOVE it! I also make whole wheat french bread for dinners and french toast as well.
ANYWAY, back to the recipe!
It's homemade cinnamon rolls!! SO easy .....put all the ingredients in the machine, roll it out (my eight year old loves to do this!), put the scrumptious topping on, and roll it up and cut....makes two cake pans so you can freeze one for later although we never do! My favorite part is that the kids and I can make it the night before and then just pop it out of the refrigerator and into the oven in the morning....Delish! Kudos to one of my favorite sites, moneysavingmom.com, for this awesome recipe!
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
Dough:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups flour (Add a bit more if dough seems too wet after first few minutes of kneading in the bread machine.)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Filling (I doubled this since we like our filling, oh yes we do!):
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Icing:
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons (or less) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon.
Roll up and cut into 10-15 rolls and place in two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.
You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning.
Some may have already done theirs (now, don't admit it, or we might have to hit you! lol!), some are in the thick of it, and some are slowly attempting to start theirs but dragging their heels!
....but I want to give you a new perspective on the whole event!
It starts with the events in our home and why I have some mixed feelings about this year's yearly project. Usually, I might drag my feet a bit on getting started but in actuality, I love getting everything organized and in its place and getting rid of so much clutter that seems to find its way in during those winter days! These days, however, it's a bit different. If you've been reading my blog, you know I am recuperating from a back injury that has had me home bound for about two months now. I have been able to get out to see doctors and I have actually walked into a store in the last week but other than that, I have been at home lying down or sitting for the most part. For this busy mom of four, it has been one of the most trying events I've ever gone through! I did not realize how much I did around our home and how much we're constantly on the run!
Up until this last week, I have had to overlook much of the clutter in our house that comes from having two preschoolers who love to play with EVERYTHING in their room and scatter it throughout the house and two grade school children who not only have their school papers and projects but also their own items of interest around the house. We, of course, have had a daily clean-up time and things were kept as tidy as could be expected when mom isn't at her full capacity of inspections. But I realized very quickly after the first few weeks of being in pain that the clean and organized home I loved to strive for was a thing of the past, and I would have to learn to accept some clutter and disorganization for a time. Before I was in pain, it was a simple thing for me to sweep through the house for ten to fifteen minutes a couple times a day and restore some sense of order. I learned how precious that ability was when I couldn't even walk down our steps some days! We have even had to have a sitter come stay with my children and I when my husband was out of town just to help me do basic things such as changing diapers or fixing lunch. After many tests (which in itself is a scary process when you are wondering what is wrong with you!), the doctors finally came to the conclusion that some muscles were pulled that was causing the intense pain and put me on a program to help me regain my life again. I still have to rest a lot, but I am becoming able to do more every day......like walking down the driveway with my children.......and sitting at the table with my family to eat dinner (a nightly tradition at our house but one I had to forego when the pain became so bad by the end of the day)......and sweeping up messes (like my two year old deciding to empty our big can of coffee creamer in our school room!)......and spring cleaning!! Even with the frustration of having to rest so often and moving at a snails pace in getting things accomplished (I'm known for staying up til three in the morning to get one of my "projects" done!), I am elated to be able to move about and get things back in order after two months of disarray!
So, when you want to complain about the huge task of jumping into the spring cleaning time, take a moment to ponder the joy you have of actually being ABLE to do it......and in that moment, take a few seconds to thank the Lord for that ability.....it is such a wondrous thing!
And speaking of wonderful things, I HAVE to share one of the best recipes our family just found!! It is for the bread machine , so if you don't have one, you will have to mix the ingredients and do the kneading and rising part before it's ready to roll. We absolutely LOVE our bread machine!! We have homemade pizza every Saturday night though and I don't have to do anything but throw the ingredients in there and then roll out the dough.....LOVE it! I also make whole wheat french bread for dinners and french toast as well.
ANYWAY, back to the recipe!
It's homemade cinnamon rolls!! SO easy .....put all the ingredients in the machine, roll it out (my eight year old loves to do this!), put the scrumptious topping on, and roll it up and cut....makes two cake pans so you can freeze one for later although we never do! My favorite part is that the kids and I can make it the night before and then just pop it out of the refrigerator and into the oven in the morning....Delish! Kudos to one of my favorite sites, moneysavingmom.com, for this awesome recipe!
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
Dough:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups flour (Add a bit more if dough seems too wet after first few minutes of kneading in the bread machine.)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast
Filling (I doubled this since we like our filling, oh yes we do!):
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Icing:
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons (or less) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon.
Roll up and cut into 10-15 rolls and place in two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.
You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Creative Birthday Parties
Our family LOVES birthdays! The streamers, balloons, cake.....always a necessity in the Haynes' family! We have had parties ranging from SEVERAL friends of the birthday child all the way to just our family and grandparents.....but regardless of how many, we must celebrate!
Now with four children, this, of course, can get costly but we have created ways to cut the costs as much as we can. Our first tradition that saves money is taken from my own childhood . The birthday child gets a birthday cereal.....which means the birthday child gets to walk down the hallowed cereal aisle and pick ANY cereal they want. Since our family does not buy "sugar cereal," as we call it, this is one of the most treasured things about their special day! You can hear my kids planning a couple months in advance about which cereal they will get, how big the box will be, and if there will be a toy inside. This may seem to be a pretty simple tradition for many, but trust me, it's the little things that are remembered.
Another big saving idea we've created for birthdays when they pass the preschool years is to give our kids a choice. They can either have their birthday at one of the many wonderful places which provide everything needed to celebrate a special occasion, OR get a gift of their choosing from us. One rule my husband and I have is that we don't go beyond our budget in either choice, so when allowing your child to choose, make sure you check out prices first. A little ingenuity goes a long way, and whichever type of party they choose, your child will learn from your effort.
So, how to have a low cost party? Simply said, let the child take the lead. When the children are young, we ask their favorite colors or characters and plan accordingly. They are allowed to dress in one of their dress up collection items and become king or queen for the day. Invitations have been sent out to suggest all the children also attend in the dress up theme. As the children get older, we allow them the freedom to help us create themes and games for the party as well as design their own cake. We have had everything from a dress-up dinner party with a three course meal (all planned by my seven year old) to a LEGO party with LEGO cakes and games (of course, related to LEGO!) designed by my ten year old son at his last birthday. We have even made our own pinatas and painted them!! What wonderful memories for all of us!
Added to all this, they are usually allowed for one or two of their friends to spend the night with their choice of snacks, drinks, movies, and even breakfast in the morning! So, when I said our family loves birthday, I really meant it!
This past Friday night, we celebrated our daughter's eighth birthday. For her special day, she planned the theme to be Games. Hot pink and lime green were chosen as her colors. Fortunately, we found the food coloring gel in those colors for her cupcakes to be served. Of course, we had green and pink streamers and balloons and she chose several different games that she loves to play: Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Musical Chairs, Hot Potato, Relay Races (one she came up with was carrying a small plastic ball on a spoon held in your mouth!), and Balloon Pop. I know some of these are old, cheesy games to us as adults, but it's amazing how timeless they are. The girls all had a blast and giggled away! My daughter also chose to have a type of craft (we girls love them over here!) so we decided to make small cakes for each of the guest to decorate. I baked a few when I had the chance every few days before the party, frosted them white, and then wrapped them up in cellophane and froze them....I had nine of the little cakes before I knew it! I also have an awesome, very simple recipe for butter cream frosting and made a HUGE batch. My mother has used it for years and always gets raves about it. To be so simple, it's one of the best tasting recipes I've had. I used the gel food coloring to make some wonderful neon colored icing and put a few spoonfuls in small freezer ziploc bags and tied them so the girls could use them for icing bags once I cut a small bit off the corners. Due to the fact I was still in recovery mode with my back, I was able to plan all this in the week proceeding the party by writing down everything that needed to be done, and doing a little of it every day. By the day of the party, the only thing I had to do was straighten up and hang the streamers! It was an evening to be remembered and what was so wonderful is the fact that by planning and doing a little at a time, our family was able to save money and have a blast doing it!
By the way, the girls were elated to be able to ice their own cakes and take them home to share with their family! Their faces lit up when they saw all the bags of icing and sprinkles they could use. I wish I could show all the sweet cakes that were created, but here are a few. The butter cream frosting recipe follows the birthday pics.
Butter Cream Frosting
1 two pound bag of confectioners sugar
2 sticks of butter, ROOM TEMP
1 - 2 tsp. of vanilla
3 - 6 tbs. of milk (evaporated is best)
Beat the sugar, butter, and vanilla on low . Add milk tbs. at a time while increasing speed to medium, until it's of spreading consistency. Once you've iced your cake, it's best to thin the frosting a tad in order to use for decorating. I also have a Strawberry cream cheese frosting.....leave me a comment if you are interested and I'll be glad to share it with you!
Now with four children, this, of course, can get costly but we have created ways to cut the costs as much as we can. Our first tradition that saves money is taken from my own childhood . The birthday child gets a birthday cereal.....which means the birthday child gets to walk down the hallowed cereal aisle and pick ANY cereal they want. Since our family does not buy "sugar cereal," as we call it, this is one of the most treasured things about their special day! You can hear my kids planning a couple months in advance about which cereal they will get, how big the box will be, and if there will be a toy inside. This may seem to be a pretty simple tradition for many, but trust me, it's the little things that are remembered.
Another big saving idea we've created for birthdays when they pass the preschool years is to give our kids a choice. They can either have their birthday at one of the many wonderful places which provide everything needed to celebrate a special occasion, OR get a gift of their choosing from us. One rule my husband and I have is that we don't go beyond our budget in either choice, so when allowing your child to choose, make sure you check out prices first. A little ingenuity goes a long way, and whichever type of party they choose, your child will learn from your effort.
So, how to have a low cost party? Simply said, let the child take the lead. When the children are young, we ask their favorite colors or characters and plan accordingly. They are allowed to dress in one of their dress up collection items and become king or queen for the day. Invitations have been sent out to suggest all the children also attend in the dress up theme. As the children get older, we allow them the freedom to help us create themes and games for the party as well as design their own cake. We have had everything from a dress-up dinner party with a three course meal (all planned by my seven year old) to a LEGO party with LEGO cakes and games (of course, related to LEGO!) designed by my ten year old son at his last birthday. We have even made our own pinatas and painted them!! What wonderful memories for all of us!
Added to all this, they are usually allowed for one or two of their friends to spend the night with their choice of snacks, drinks, movies, and even breakfast in the morning! So, when I said our family loves birthday, I really meant it!
This past Friday night, we celebrated our daughter's eighth birthday. For her special day, she planned the theme to be Games. Hot pink and lime green were chosen as her colors. Fortunately, we found the food coloring gel in those colors for her cupcakes to be served. Of course, we had green and pink streamers and balloons and she chose several different games that she loves to play: Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Musical Chairs, Hot Potato, Relay Races (one she came up with was carrying a small plastic ball on a spoon held in your mouth!), and Balloon Pop. I know some of these are old, cheesy games to us as adults, but it's amazing how timeless they are. The girls all had a blast and giggled away! My daughter also chose to have a type of craft (we girls love them over here!) so we decided to make small cakes for each of the guest to decorate. I baked a few when I had the chance every few days before the party, frosted them white, and then wrapped them up in cellophane and froze them....I had nine of the little cakes before I knew it! I also have an awesome, very simple recipe for butter cream frosting and made a HUGE batch. My mother has used it for years and always gets raves about it. To be so simple, it's one of the best tasting recipes I've had. I used the gel food coloring to make some wonderful neon colored icing and put a few spoonfuls in small freezer ziploc bags and tied them so the girls could use them for icing bags once I cut a small bit off the corners. Due to the fact I was still in recovery mode with my back, I was able to plan all this in the week proceeding the party by writing down everything that needed to be done, and doing a little of it every day. By the day of the party, the only thing I had to do was straighten up and hang the streamers! It was an evening to be remembered and what was so wonderful is the fact that by planning and doing a little at a time, our family was able to save money and have a blast doing it!
By the way, the girls were elated to be able to ice their own cakes and take them home to share with their family! Their faces lit up when they saw all the bags of icing and sprinkles they could use. I wish I could show all the sweet cakes that were created, but here are a few. The butter cream frosting recipe follows the birthday pics.
Butter Cream Frosting
1 two pound bag of confectioners sugar
2 sticks of butter, ROOM TEMP
1 - 2 tsp. of vanilla
3 - 6 tbs. of milk (evaporated is best)
Beat the sugar, butter, and vanilla on low . Add milk tbs. at a time while increasing speed to medium, until it's of spreading consistency. Once you've iced your cake, it's best to thin the frosting a tad in order to use for decorating. I also have a Strawberry cream cheese frosting.....leave me a comment if you are interested and I'll be glad to share it with you!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Father~Daughter Dance
Last Friday, I had the honor of preparing my girls for "The Ball" as my four year old calls it. Their father was taking them to the annual Father~Daughter dance that our homeschool group hosts. It is an event that is looked forward to all year by all the girls from age four to teens.
Our eight year old daughter has been the last two years with Daddy by herself, but this year it was time to add another princess to the fanfare. Anna, who is four and a half and very knowledgeable about every Disney Princess known, is a constant entertainment to our family with her dramatic presentations of everything from being a kitty and licking milk out of a bowl to being the princess kidnapped by the pirates. Needless to say, in a year and a half, we'll be looking at Meridian Little Theater as one of her outlets!
So, when I was talking to her a few weeks ago, I mentioned that her sister and her would be going to a dance with Daddy and would get to dress up like princesses. She immediately got this starry look in her eyes, looked directly at me with her eyes wide, and squealed, "You mean, we're going to a BALL?!" I chuckled at her drama, but realized that this dance to her would be the equivalent of Cinderella at her ball and it got me to thinking....how wonderful that her first prince would be her daddy, the man who in real life would teach her how she should be treated by gentlemen and thus train her in acting like a lady!
The art of being a gentleman and lady seems to be a dying trend in our modern age. It is sad to see young men walking in front of an older woman instead of opening a door.....sad that girls are shown role models scantily dressed talking of lustful pleasures......sad that children are allowed to push to the front of lines in even church suppers we've attended while parents just shrug or don't even notice......sad that as a culture, most parents are ignorant of these attributes in their children because they are too busy with their texting, e-mails, and cell phones to notice or are too lazy to actually get up off their derriere and show their children how to act! It seems when at a playgroup or the grocery store, it is much easier to give in to our children's demands instead of putting our foot down and struggling through a form of discipline or ...gasp!...ACTUALLY leaving a place to teach them a lesson.
Consistency is the key to good parenting as well as in teaching manners. My son, bless his heart, helped me learn this lesson well. He was notorious for getting in trouble at playgroups simply because he has strong leadership skills and even at a young age, expected even the older children to follow him. When they didn't, a simple punch in the gut of the playmate seemed to make him feel better! However, it meant momma had to either get up (every five minutes!) and discipline or simply leave to teach him a lesson. I remember one of my friends even commenting that maybe I could just let his behavior go once in while....of course, it would have been easier in the short run but not in the long run. Parents need to realize that the things they let slide now will just become more entwined in a child over time......kind of like weeds in a garden.....much harder to clean out when you let it go.
Sooooo, to get back to children acting politely and respectfully, it is a value that needs to be taught as consistently as good behavior...something that parents can choose to do to change a culture that is missing out. Our once upon a time, punch in the gut, determined son has developed into a young man that exhibits many gentlemanly manners...even though we still flub from time to time! :) He has learned the art of standing and offering his chair when an adult comes into the room as well as opening the door for elders.....and it is sad to see people shocked when he does it. In our parenting, we also have determined to teach our young girls the art of acting like a lady in situations.....which is why things like the Father~Daughter Dance is such an important event for us. It is a wonderful reminder to our girls that they are to act like the princesses they love being! .......of course, my four year old is still determined in her thinking that princesses pick their noses too! ......sigh......Hopefully, we'll get her to believe otherwise very soon. In a couple of years, our youngest, Rachel, will be in attendance at "The Ball". I wonder what adventures will be in the making with that little one!
P.S. Just had to share a pic of my princesses and their dashing prince! :)
Our eight year old daughter has been the last two years with Daddy by herself, but this year it was time to add another princess to the fanfare. Anna, who is four and a half and very knowledgeable about every Disney Princess known, is a constant entertainment to our family with her dramatic presentations of everything from being a kitty and licking milk out of a bowl to being the princess kidnapped by the pirates. Needless to say, in a year and a half, we'll be looking at Meridian Little Theater as one of her outlets!
So, when I was talking to her a few weeks ago, I mentioned that her sister and her would be going to a dance with Daddy and would get to dress up like princesses. She immediately got this starry look in her eyes, looked directly at me with her eyes wide, and squealed, "You mean, we're going to a BALL?!" I chuckled at her drama, but realized that this dance to her would be the equivalent of Cinderella at her ball and it got me to thinking....how wonderful that her first prince would be her daddy, the man who in real life would teach her how she should be treated by gentlemen and thus train her in acting like a lady!
The art of being a gentleman and lady seems to be a dying trend in our modern age. It is sad to see young men walking in front of an older woman instead of opening a door.....sad that girls are shown role models scantily dressed talking of lustful pleasures......sad that children are allowed to push to the front of lines in even church suppers we've attended while parents just shrug or don't even notice......sad that as a culture, most parents are ignorant of these attributes in their children because they are too busy with their texting, e-mails, and cell phones to notice or are too lazy to actually get up off their derriere and show their children how to act! It seems when at a playgroup or the grocery store, it is much easier to give in to our children's demands instead of putting our foot down and struggling through a form of discipline or ...gasp!...ACTUALLY leaving a place to teach them a lesson.
Consistency is the key to good parenting as well as in teaching manners. My son, bless his heart, helped me learn this lesson well. He was notorious for getting in trouble at playgroups simply because he has strong leadership skills and even at a young age, expected even the older children to follow him. When they didn't, a simple punch in the gut of the playmate seemed to make him feel better! However, it meant momma had to either get up (every five minutes!) and discipline or simply leave to teach him a lesson. I remember one of my friends even commenting that maybe I could just let his behavior go once in while....of course, it would have been easier in the short run but not in the long run. Parents need to realize that the things they let slide now will just become more entwined in a child over time......kind of like weeds in a garden.....much harder to clean out when you let it go.
Sooooo, to get back to children acting politely and respectfully, it is a value that needs to be taught as consistently as good behavior...something that parents can choose to do to change a culture that is missing out. Our once upon a time, punch in the gut, determined son has developed into a young man that exhibits many gentlemanly manners...even though we still flub from time to time! :) He has learned the art of standing and offering his chair when an adult comes into the room as well as opening the door for elders.....and it is sad to see people shocked when he does it. In our parenting, we also have determined to teach our young girls the art of acting like a lady in situations.....which is why things like the Father~Daughter Dance is such an important event for us. It is a wonderful reminder to our girls that they are to act like the princesses they love being! .......of course, my four year old is still determined in her thinking that princesses pick their noses too! ......sigh......Hopefully, we'll get her to believe otherwise very soon. In a couple of years, our youngest, Rachel, will be in attendance at "The Ball". I wonder what adventures will be in the making with that little one!
P.S. Just had to share a pic of my princesses and their dashing prince! :)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday Mayhem Results in a Tuesday Recipe!
Unfortunately, I was unable to get my Monday recipe out yesterday due to........life! We had an unusually busy day and before I knew it, it was late and the eyelids were drooping! :)
BUT, I do have a fabulous recipe for you now! :)
This is one of those recipes that looks like you put a lot of work into but only takes 6 easy ingredients and I can whip it up in 5 minutes and have it in the oven to bake! Seriously! .....and the best part? I am always asked for the recipe! Look for more ideas below the recipe for even greater possibilities.....hint: if you don't care for blueberries, we can change it up!
Apple-Blueberry Crunch
1 (21 ounce) can of apple pie filling
1 (14 ounce) package of frozen blueberries
1 cup sugar, divided
1 box of butter cake mix (or white, yellow...)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup chopped walnuts
Spread apple pie filling on bottom of a lightly greased 13x9 inch pan. Toss blueberries and 3/4 cup sugar; spoon over apple pie filling. Sprinkle cake mix over fruit evenly, and drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with walnuts and remaining 1/4 cup sugar (Warning: this makes the dessert VERY sweet....I have omitted the sugar in this step and to me, it's much better.....but experiment for yourself!).
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping.
Some of my suggestions:
*If you have a guest (or even you personally) that does not like blueberries, you can add some more apples or use another fruit of your choice....peaches, strawberries, etc......our family likes blueberries so I have used them but other families leave them out or substitute
*We pick our blueberries in the summer at Johnson's Blueberry Farm and I freeze them.....14 ounces equals a little less than 2 cups.....you can put more or less to your liking.
*Since I have a freezer full of blueberries and I usually have most staples in my pantry. the only things I have to keep in stock are the apple pie filling, cake mix, and some whipped topping.....so to me, this is a very low cost dessert that I can make spur of the moment in a few minutes if company comes unexpectedly. And it's always nice to have wonderful fragrant home cooked smells when someone walks in your house, isn't it?
Hope you enjoy and come back next Monday for another easy recipe that's easy on the budget.....and during the week for more helpful hints!
BUT, I do have a fabulous recipe for you now! :)
This is one of those recipes that looks like you put a lot of work into but only takes 6 easy ingredients and I can whip it up in 5 minutes and have it in the oven to bake! Seriously! .....and the best part? I am always asked for the recipe! Look for more ideas below the recipe for even greater possibilities.....hint: if you don't care for blueberries, we can change it up!
Apple-Blueberry Crunch
1 (21 ounce) can of apple pie filling
1 (14 ounce) package of frozen blueberries
1 cup sugar, divided
1 box of butter cake mix (or white, yellow...)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup chopped walnuts
Spread apple pie filling on bottom of a lightly greased 13x9 inch pan. Toss blueberries and 3/4 cup sugar; spoon over apple pie filling. Sprinkle cake mix over fruit evenly, and drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with walnuts and remaining 1/4 cup sugar (Warning: this makes the dessert VERY sweet....I have omitted the sugar in this step and to me, it's much better.....but experiment for yourself!).
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping.
Some of my suggestions:
*If you have a guest (or even you personally) that does not like blueberries, you can add some more apples or use another fruit of your choice....peaches, strawberries, etc......our family likes blueberries so I have used them but other families leave them out or substitute
*We pick our blueberries in the summer at Johnson's Blueberry Farm and I freeze them.....14 ounces equals a little less than 2 cups.....you can put more or less to your liking.
*Since I have a freezer full of blueberries and I usually have most staples in my pantry. the only things I have to keep in stock are the apple pie filling, cake mix, and some whipped topping.....so to me, this is a very low cost dessert that I can make spur of the moment in a few minutes if company comes unexpectedly. And it's always nice to have wonderful fragrant home cooked smells when someone walks in your house, isn't it?
Hope you enjoy and come back next Monday for another easy recipe that's easy on the budget.....and during the week for more helpful hints!
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