Sunday, March 24, 2013

CATHOLIC WOMEN'S ALMANAC~ CWA

Thanking God For
~weekend getaways
~spring days
~sitting on a grassy field soaking up the sun
~seeing a young boy thrilled to visit a War Civil battle field
~a young man in a blue hat
~a little girl in a split bonnet
~a day filled with happiness




Reading
I am currently reading Princess P Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
While visiting a local Civil War battlefield we found Little Women paper dolls.


She was so excited to find them. Of course, Daddy bought them for her. As soon as we arrived home, she immediately sat down and starting cutting them out.


Pondering
Pink eye! Lego Man has been suffering from some allergies and then he woke up this morning with a puffy red eye. I am hoping it's just another symptom of his allergies. He normally gets itchy, runny eyes but he has never had eyes this red. He looks like someone punched him in the eye...poor guy.

Learning
We have been learning about the Civil War this weekend. We haven't officially gotten there this year with history but it was a wonderful tour and the kids had a blast. Next year, we will be studying the Civil War in depth.


Working On
Laundry and Laundry. We finished our spring cleaning and now are trying to finish the extra laundry the cleaning added to our schedule. Hopefully I can get back on schedule and stay on top of all the cleaning and laundry.


In the Garden
I picked up some more flower seeds and herb seeds to start. I forgot the soil to start the seeds. I guess I will be heading out again this week to pick up some potting soil.
I want to do a resurrection garden with the kids this week.

credit~ Melissa Holt


What better way to focus on Holy week. I know my kids will love creating this!



How I Spent My Weekend
We headed to to the 6th annual Homeschool days at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War. We went away for a simple weekend. We stayed at a local hotel with an indoor pool. We spent Saturday at the battlefield learning about the lives of the young men who fought and died during the battle. We had a beautiful spring day for our journey. It was wonderful to get away from our everyday life. We hadn't gotten away as a family for over a year and it was wonderful to relax and enjoy each other. It's always nice to get away with family and create some new memories.




Linking up with......




Wednesday, March 20, 2013

WHAT DOES AN OWL EAT?

Two weeks ago, Lego Man dissected an owl pellet at co-op. Somewhere between the building, playground, and getting in the car, he lost his pellet. He wasn't completely done dissecting it, so he was a little bummed.
So what's a mama gonna do?Order him another one. I ordered two, just in case Princess P wanted to do another one even though she thought it was gross the first time around.

I ordered the pellets from Home Science Tools. They have a variety of science tools and kits to go along with any homeschoolers science curriculum. As soon as the pellets arrived, Lego Man was ready to go. The owl pellet comes with some tools, a page to identify bones and a worksheet.
I found a wonderful owl pellet booklet for younger kids over at The Crafty Classroom. It's perfect for younger ones that don't write well just yet. I printed one out for Princess P to fill in but she just watched Lego Man do his.









So what did our owl eat?
Lots and lots of rodents.
No birds found this time.
It's nice to know the owl we hear at night is helping to keep the mouse population down in our woods.

Here are a list of books we have read to learn more about owls.






Here are 4 story books we read at bedtime about owls.






CREAMY SUPREME CHEESCAKE


For desert on Saint Patrick's Day, the kids requested cheesecake. Princess P and I headed off for the kitchen and whipped up our creamy cheesecake that is a hit wherever we go. Yummy!



Ingredients 

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham crakers, crushed
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

Cheesecake filling
3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
 1/4 cup milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Prepare crust. In a bowl, combine crushed graham crackers, sugar and melted butter. When graham crackers are moistened, press the crumb mixture into a spring form pan. Make sure to cover the bottom and about an inch up the side. Set a side for later.

3. To prepare filling, beat cream cheese. Add the sugar, flour, and vanilla with a mixer until combined. Add milk and mix. Add eggs one at a time and mix after each egg. 

4. Pour cheese cake filling into the prepared graham cracker crust. Cover the bottom of the spring form pan with tin foil. Seal the seams so no water can get in. Place the cheesecake into a shallow baking pan. Pour water into the baking pan. This is called a water bath.

5. Bake the cheesecake for 40 minutes for a 9 inch pan. If using a smaller pan, slightly increase the amount of time because of the depth of the filling. 

6. Cool for 15 minutes. Using a knife, loosen the cheese cake from the sides of the pan. Cool for 30 minutes and then remove the sides of the spring form pan. Cool cheesecake completely. Place cheesecake in the fridge and chill for at least 3 hours.


You can add any kind of fruit on top for garnish. We usually add cherries but were all out.









Wordless Wednesday

Trying to enjoy the spring even though the weather is not cooperating.


Daffodils blooming.....


Muddy pig from the melting snow and rain.....



Playful dog.....


Mr. kitty enjoying the sun....


Playing pirates....


more spring flowers.




 Linking up with......




Wordless Wednesdays

   

Small Things

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Happy Saint Patrick's Day



Hope you had a wonderful Saint Patrick's Day.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger,




We spent the day together as a family. We enjoyed corned beef, cabbage and potatoes. For desert apple pie and cheesecake. I know the deserts were not very Irish but it was the requested desserts.

We had a wonderful day. The kids enjoyed a fun time searching for gold coins hidden in the house. Princess P was the first one to notice a gold coin hidden a top a picture frame.

I hope you had a wonderful time with your family!



Thursday, March 14, 2013

The Homeschool Mother's Journal/Weekly Wrap-Up

In my life this week......Another week has disappeared. They weeks seem to be flying by faster and faster. This good in some ways and bad in others.



 I am ready for spring. I love the warm weather, budding trees, and brightly flowers emerging from the ground. This week was over before it began.... at least that is how I felt. It could be my goals of cleaning were cut short when we lost power on Tuesday because of heavy rains and all 19 inches of snow had melted. I think a tree uprooted because of the saturated ground. Of course, the next free day I had to do laundry, I wasn't in the mood. It always seems when I want to clean something comes up but when I have to clean I really don't want to. I guess that's life.
Wednesday after violin, we headed to a local thrift store I had never been to. It was recommended by a friend. We found a basket full of goodies! For me.... a Ann Taylor yellow 3/4 sleeve sweater, a Talbots coral sweater set, a Ann Taylor Loft blue peasant top, a Talbots pink short sleeve cardigan, and a black and white skirt. For Princess P.....a denim purse (she has suddenly gotten into purses) and a pair of Bermuda length shorts(new w/tags). For Lego Man.... a pair of khaki  pants, a DK Eyewitness Electricity book and a paper book book we need to replace because the dog had eaten it. All eleven items cost $34. Just one of the sweaters alone would have cost more than that! I was proud of our score.

In our homeschool this week...Monday was co-op day. The kids were able to dissect an owl pellet. Lego Man was excited about it. Somehow he lost his on the way home, so I ordered 2 more for the kids to do at home. Princess P, on the other hand, thought it was gross. On Tuesday, we schooled in the dark. We were having heavy rains, lost power, but continued to do our schooling. We have a huge bay window that lets in a lot of sunlight into our school room. Wednesday was violin day so we just did the basics....Math, Reading, English and Religion.
On Thursday, we got a late start. The time change has really affected Princess P. We had a fund and easy school day. After finishing up our schoolwork, we working on cleaning the house. I of course worked on laundry. We've had a few days of 60 degree weather so I have more laundry than normal. We have started pulling out the summer clothes. We had choir in the evening and arrived to find her sweet teacher in tears. Her violin class before choir was giving her a difficult time. I guess most of the class has not been practicing and she gets so upset. She cares so much and wants her students to care. It breaks her heart. She a sweet older lady that does this because she wants to pass on her love of music. The worst part was some of the parents responses...."I understand she's like that home." "she doesn't want to practice, what can I do?" and plenty of other excuses. As a parent of a young girl taking lesson, I strongly encourage her to practice. When she complains, I explain that her teacher is taking her time to teach and I am taking time out of our day to travel there. You need to take the time to practice. Anything worth doing isn't easy. I have also stressed that if she refuses to practice we will stop lessons. I do not want to waste this sweet ladies time. Why do some parents not see that? It is selfish to not think about the teacher and what she puts into it. Sadly, I think so parents are too focused on having their kids do anything and everything whether they enjoy it our not.
Friday was a normal school day with some cleaning. Our goal is to attend a home school skate in the afternoon.

Lesson learned this week.......Always appreciate the things people do for you. So many people perform duties of tasks out of pure love. Do not take advantage of their sweet loving nature.

What we are reading......Greek myths, Greek myths, and more Greek myths.

My homeschool advice this week......Don't be afraid to step out of the box. If a curriculum isn't working and you can't find one that does, create your own! No one knows your children better than you. You will be able to prepare a lesson that your child will enjoy. Search the library, surf the Internet, and ask other mothers for ideas. It isn't as hard as you think to create your own lessons. It takes longer but it's fun. At least I enjoy it!

What I am working on.......I have finally gotten the dinning room table cleaned off. It tends to be the drop off point for books, mail, papers, violins, metal detectors, etc. Now that the table is clear we can use! This Sunday we are having friends over for Saint Patrick's Day. After Saint Patrick's day, Princess P and I are going to start sewing our new skirts for summer. YEAH!!

What I am thankful for.....Pope Francis.



We are so blessed to have a new pope. I was rather surprised the conclave didn't last longer. We were lucky to see the white smoke and to see Pope Francis step out and greet his flock. We received our blessing and are very excited he took the name Francis. My son's favorite saint is Saint Francis of Assisi.



Stations of the Cross


The kids created their own copies of the Stations of the Cross.






We found the Stations of the Cross at That Resource Site.








Blessings,
Monique


Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Happy Birthday, Dr, Seuss!

March 2 was Dr. Seuss' birthday.
A fellow home school mother had planned a Dr. Seuss party in honor of his birthday. Sadly, we had to cancel the event on his birthday because of families having the flu and our car's battery dying.
So we finally got to celebrate last Friday.
She did a wonderful job creating crafts to go along with the books.




She started off the party with a quiz about Dr. Seuss and his books. It had 10 questions.


Lego Man got 9 out of 10 questions correct. I was really impressed of his Dr. Seuss knowledge.
The one question he missed....
What was Dr. Seuss' first book?

She created crafts for a few of Dr. Seuss' books.

The Cat in the Hat



We created hats!






The Foot Book




We tried to paint with our feet!


A heart.


It's not as easy as it looks.


Some of the little ones gave up on the paint brushes and dipped their toes into the paint.


Horton Hears a Who


We created our own little Whovilles.



There's a Wocket in my Pocket


The kids got to create their own wockets using felt for the pockets and paper to create their wockets.
To make the wockets sturdier, we lamented them.



The Lorax


We had cotton candy!
What better way to bring to life the Truffula Trees.




Yummy!

Another mother brought some fruit along with some chocolate teddy grahams.



Brown Bar-Ba-Loots

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