Tuesday’s Teaching Tip June 3, 2008

Once again it is time for the Great Turtle Race. 

I know, I know!!  but, you have to calm down.  You might scare the turtles. 

The Great Turtle Race is a race of leatherback turtles on their migration to their birth homes.  There they will lay their eggs.  You can follow each of the turtles as they make their journey across thousands of miles of ocean. 

This is a great learning experience.  Each of the children will pick a turtle to root for.  We check several times a day to see how far the turtles have gone.  It is a lot of fun. 

Do you have a teaching tip to share with me? 

Have a blessed day,

~Rhen

You know you are a homeschooler when… May 30, 2008

… dead critters equal a chance for an autopsy.  (We are not the only ones!)

Recently I offed a rooster.  Yep, struck him down in the prime of his life. 

Roosters are not allowed to puff up and run at me or my children.  To do so means death! 

My weapon of choice was a level.  I was working on fencing that day and had a 2 foot level in my hand at the time of his ill-fated bravado. 

I don’t think the girls (hens) were all that impressed anyway.

Mr. Muscled skinned him and then he and the kids performed an autopsy.  They identified all the organs, asked lots of questions and thought the whole thing was really cool. 

We have been studying the human body so seeing many of the same organs in the chicken, and on a much smaller scale, really helped them understand how things really look. 

Ever since then the kids have been begging me to off another chicken.  I can’t.  We have lost 8 in 2 weeks.  I am not sure what it is but the last 3 were taken during the day.  I have a game trail camera and a live trap that we will set up tomorrow.  Then we shall see what is killing our flock!

Have a blessed day,

~Rhen

This week’s plan and menu May 19, 2008

How was your weekend?  Mine was crazy busy but a good one.   We were able to accomplish almost everything on last week’s list. 

As for this week…

~ Gardening.  Things are sprouting and growing like crazy in the gardens.  There is a little weeding to do.  We are trying to stay on top of it so it doesn’t become too much.  Mr. Muscles has to till the lower garden and make a gate for the upper garden.  I have some more planting to do in both. 

~ Laundry.  I try to hang as much outside as I can.  It really cuts down on the electric bill.  I try to do 2-3 loads a day but I was not able to do much laundry over the weekend so I havve to catch up.

~ Grocery shopping.  Every other week we go grocery shopping. 

~ Projects.  I have a small rock wall to build at the top of the strawberry bed.  My work on the projects is light this week.  My schedule is a little more full than usual. 

~ Homeschooling.  In addition to our normal work we also have several homeschool get-togethers and outings.  I am still choosing curriculum for next year.  I have the handwriting and science and I know what I am getting for math but there is more than just that!  LOL 

 ~Spiritually.  I am looking to finish up my Elizabeth George book (A Woman After God’s Own Heart).  This has been an excellent book!!

~~My cleaning zone this week will be the kids’ rooms.  Our May assignment for Organizing Junkie’s Monthly Round Up is kid’s rooms.  I am very excited about getting their rooms done!  I have already been at work in the rooms and taking pictures. 

On the menu for this week:

Pasta Bake w/ garlic bread.

Hebrew National hot dogs with cole slaw and baked beans.

BBQ Chicken, potato salad and fresh sliced veggies.

Breakfast with cheesy eggs, turkey sausage and toast.

Chicken Fajitas with refried beans.

Beef tips and rice with green beans and Greek salad. 

Saturday night is our family night out.  That means no cooking and no cleaning!!

What’s happening in your house this week?  Leave me a comment with a link to you so I can visit! 

Have a blessed week,

~Rhen

PS-

All meals are homemade and if you are interested in a recipe just let me know.  I will post it with next week’s menu. 

For more Meandering Mondays visit Tiany and for more Menu Monday visit Organizing Junkie

This week’s plan and menu. May 12, 2008

Hello and good Monday!  Did you have a great weekend?  Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms!  Hope it was a blessed one.

Now onto my plans for this week.

~Yes, laundry.  I only have 2 laundry baskets.  While some might think that 2 is plenty, not for a family of 8.  One basket is the permanent sock basket and so I actually only have 1 working one.  I need a few more. 

~Gardening- We picked up the last of the fencing for the gardens and we have finished enough of the deck and retaining wall work in the lower garden to get planting there as well.  I am looking forward to getting things in the ground.  Mr. Muscles has to till in there first.

~Projects-  I have one more stretch of pasture that needs t-posts.  Yah!  Mr. Muscles is really feeling a wild hair to get the fencing done.  I am going to take advantage of that giddyup.  LOL 

~We have to get the yard cleaned up.  All of the projects and such makes for such a mess of the yard, driveway and parking area.  The kids and I are hoping to get out there Tues. and get everything put away, thrown away and cleaned up.  The yard is in need of mowing but that will have to wait.  I have too much to do this week.

~The competitive gymnasts booster club is having a fundraiser yard sale this weekend.  I am heading that up and I have tons of stuff for it.   We were already planning on having a yard sale but this will provide us with a much better location and then we can use the money for gymnastics competions for Ms. Firecracker.  We have a couple of other kids who may go competitive and I want to be ready just in case. 

~Homeschooling- the kids are really feeling the push to finish more books.  I am not pushing them but they see just how close they are to being done with certain books and subjects and they are pushing themselves.  Every once in a while I have to slow them down a bit.  LOL 

~Spiritually I am looking to finish up my Elizabeth George book (A Woman After God’s Own Heart).  This has been an excellent book!!

~~My cleaning zone this week will be the kids’ rooms.  Our May assignment for Organizing Junkie’s Monthly Round Up is kid’s rooms.  I am very excited about getting their rooms done!  I have already been at work in them and taking pictures. 

On our yummy menu this week is:

   *Chicken Fajitas with refried beans.

   *Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, peas and fresh veggies.

   *Breakfast including cheesy eggs, turkey sausage, toast and gravy.

   *Pasta Bake with garlic bread.

   *Chicken and Macaroni cheesy casserole.

   *Beef tips with rice, onions, bell peppers, and beans with sliced veggies.

   *Saturday night is our night out.  This is my favorite night.  No cooking and no cleaning!

All meals are homemade and if you are interested in a recipe just let me know.  I will post it with next week’s menu. 

For more Meandering Mondays visit Tiany and for more Menu Monday visit Organizing Junkie.

Ya’ll have a very blessed week and don’t forget to leave me a comment.  I love them and then I get to come visit you!

~Rhen

The recipes requested last week:

BBQ Chicken Stew:

Cooked chicken diced up and put into a stew pot (I use 6 chicken breasts).   Add 2 diced tomatoes, 2 cups of green beans, 2 cups of corn, 5-6 medium sized potatoes diced and 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce.  Allow all of it to boil together.  If you use canned veggies the juice you will only need about 2 cups of water but if you use fresh veggies you will need 4.  You can use chicken broth instead of water as well.  Allow it to come to a boil and then simmer until the potatoes are soft. 

Breaded herb chicken.  I use a mixture of my favorite herbs (you can buy mixtures such as Italian, Lemon and Pepper) and toast that has been crumbled up.  Break 4-6 eggs into a dish and whisk them.  I use chicken breast or tenders.  Dip the chicken in the eggs and then roll in the herb and bread crumbs.  Put them in an oiled pan on the stove, cover and cook on a medium heat until they are done.  The chicken can be covered with mozarella cheese and a light dusting of herbs when they are done. 

 

This week’s plans and menu May 5, 2008

Good Monday all!!  I hope you had a terrific weekend. 

1.  ~Even more laundry.  Like it will ever end!

2.  ~Grocery shopping.  I shop every two weeks and today it the day.  I will go right after my Dr’s appt today. 

3.  ~Gardening- the last of the succession planting will happen this week.  That includes corn, beans, squash, lettuce and more.  I picked up some herb plants this weekend that need to go in the rock garden. 

4.  ~Homeschooling.  More work on their basic books and finishing up subjects.  We will also be doing a lot of planet gazing this month and planning a field trip to Amicalola Falls.  I will see if anyone wants to carpool to help with the price of the gas to get there.

5.  ~Spiritual Health-  I am reading Elizabeth George’s book A Woman After God’s Own Heart.  It is such an awesome book.  I also have the study guide with it.  I like the way she guides you by asking you particular questions about what you read and what you thought.  Very inspiring!

6.  ~Projects- We will work on gathering rocks and building the walls of the rock garden.  The garden is outlined but most of the walls have not yet been built.  I am also going to finish the last of the t-posts.  I couldn’t get to this last week because of a hand injury.  I need to get a fresh bale of hay in the chicken house, ask my neighbor to backfill the retaining wall Mr. Muscles finished and build a second chicken run. 

7.  ~My cleaning zone this week will be the kids’ rooms.  Our May assignment for Organizing Junkie’s Monthly Round Up is kid’s rooms.  I am very excited about getting their rooms done!

On our yummy menu this week is:

  *Herb breaded chicken with black eyed peas, asparagus, fresh sliced veggies.

  *Roast with sweet potato casserole and green beans.

  *Tuna Salad (nice cold meal on a warm day)

  *Veggie pizzas

  *BBQ Chicken stew

  *Hamburgers with potato salad, corn and Greek salad.

  *Saturday night is the night Mr. Muscles treats us all to dinner out.  Woo hoo, no cleaning that night!

All meals are homemade and if you are interested in a recipe just let me know.  I will post it with next week’s menu. 

For more Meandering Mondays visit Tiany and for more Menu Monday visit Organizing Junkie.

Ya’ll have a very blessed week and don’t forget to leave me a comment.  I love them and then I get to come visit you!

~Rhen

Planet Gazing May 4, 2008

This came through one of my homeschooling groups.  I just wanted to pass it on!

___________________________________________________

3 planets are in our evening sky this May, so if you have a telescope in a closet somewhere, it’s time to dust it off and enjoy some pleasant spring time stargazing.

If you don’t have a telescope try to find an observatory in your area that has public viewing nights. Saturn is at its best of the year right now, but it is losing its rings. Due to the tilt of Saturn’s axis we will view the rings edge on next year. As we get into summer the skies will fill with humidity and be less clear and dark.

The planet that is afraid of the dark, Mercury can be spotted low in the west just after sunset. On May 6 use binoculars to find the 2-day old Crescent Moon. Mercury will be the “star” below and to the left of it. Mercury will be highest in the west on May 13 when it sets 2 hours after the Sun. A telescope will reveal it to look like a tiny First Quarter Moon!

Mars is the reddish-orange “star” next to The Twins at the beginning of May. You can watch it move away from The Twins all month. Check it out with binoculars on May 21-23 when it will be moving through the Beehive Star Cluster.

My Monday Plans and Menu April 28, 2008

I love doing the Meandering Monday thing.  It helps to lay out what I want to get done for the week and when I put it out there in front of ya’ll it gives me more of a sense of accountability about it.  I told ya so now I have to!  It works really well.  I charged on with last week’s list and this week will be just as long.   LOL 

What do I have to get done?

1.  Laundry (duh- 8 people= a mountain of laundry that I could easily smother under)

2.  Gardening- I need to get more planted in the big veggie garden.  It is a fantastic idea to plant your beans, corn and such in succession planting.  That means to plant some each week so you are harvesting some at a time instead of being overwhelmed by it all.  I also need to get my fruit trees, vines and bushes mulched. 

3.  Projects- Mr. Muscles hung the new gate to the pasture.  Yes!  That means the big railroad tie post that needed to be in so I could finish putting the t-posts in is finally in and concreted into place.  I will get the rest of the t-posts in and we can start on the actual fencing part this weekend.  Lord willing!

     Also on my projects list is for Mr. Muscles to backfill the retaining wall.  I will give ya’ll an update with more pictures and such on the retaining wall area.  Anyway, once he gets it backfilled I can then rake the leaves, reattach the lower garden fencing and build the small stone wall to seperate the strawberry bed. 

4.  Homeschooling- this week we are taking a trip to a plaster/ pottery store.  Each of the kids will learn how the items are shaped and made.  Then they will each get to paint something.   We are finishing up several of our books and focusing more on others.  This is the time of year we do more painting and art projects as well.  Ms. Firecracker (7), Ms. Serious (11) and Short Man (9) have all almost finished their Wordly Wise books. 

5.  Spiritual Health-  I am reading Elizabeth George’s book A Woman After God’s Own Heart.  It is such an awesome book.  I also have the study guide with it.  I like the way she guides you by asking you particular questions about what you read and what you thought.  Very inspiring!

6.  My cleaning zone this week is my master bedroom.  It has been for this month for good reason.  Organizing Junkie is hosting the Organizing Round Up each month and April is master bedroom month.  Ya’ll, I have made some killer progress in my master bedroom too.  I am so proud.  Tomorrow for my Tackle it Tuesday I will be showing you guys several before and after pictures of what I have done.

Menu planning takes a lot of the stress out of preparing dinner.  I have already made a list of choices and purchased what I would then need for those dinners so all I have to do is decide which to fix.  Meny planning has also saved us a lot of money!  My menu for this week is:

Breakfast with turkey sausage, cheesy eggs, toast and homemade gravy.

Veggie pizzas and a Greek salad.

Creme Chicken with asparagus, corn and a salad.

Turkey Noodle Bake.

Vegetable Stew.

Hewbrew National hot dogs, coleslaw, beans.

For more Meandering Mondays visit Tiany and for more Menu Monday visit Organizing Junkie.

Ya’ll have a very blessed week and don’t forget to leave me a comment.  I love them and then I get to come visit you!

~Rhen

Meandering and Menu Monday April 21, 2008

Welcome to my meandering and menu post, my menu is just below my meandering.

I would love to come and visit you so please make sure your link is filled in on your comment!

Our Family’s Time with God

♥  I took a week or so off from reading A Woman After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George.  The past couple weeks have been so crazy but I am really enjoying doing the study guide with it.  She asks a lot of great questions for you to think on.

♥  Continue with prayer journal. If you are in need of prayer you are more than welcome to leave a comment or email me.

♥  Sacred Marraige bible study/ devotions with Mr. Muscles. (I got this from CBD. Click here to see it for yourself.)  This is an ongoing study for us.

♥  Continue daily devotions with the kids (these lead to such intense and fantastic discussions!)

My Must Do List (this list is beyond my normal cleaning, laundry, homeschooling and such)

♥  I have to price and purchase two farm gates for the pasture.  One gate down and one to go when it comes in -3 weeks from now.

♥  I have 60% of the t-posts put in and when I get the gates this week I hope to be able to get most if not all of the rest of the t-posts put in.

♥  More planting to do in the big veggie garden.- Always!

♥  Work on smaller veggie garden retaining wall.  We have the posts concreted in and now comes the fun of actually attaching the boards. 

♥  Mr. Muscles has to finish demo-ing the last of the upper deck.  I got remaining floor boards removed.  It will take his strength to knock down the braces.

♥ Take a whole bunch of stuff to the recycling center.

♥  Continue working on building up the rock border to the herb garden by the upper shed.  Progress is being made!!

♥  Grocery shopping for the next two weeks.

♥  Put away all the cold weather clothes and the clothes they 6 have outgrown and then get out the next size up in summer clothes. 

Cleaning Zone

♥My zone this week (week 3) is the master bedroom.

I am participating in Organizing Junkie’s Organizing Round Up and April is master bedroom month.   I will divide my room into 4 cleaning areas.  As I get each one done I will post it under my Tackle it Tuesday post.  At the end of the month I will then combine all of those to show the transformation.  I am so excited about getting our master bedroom cleaned up and organized!!

Homeschooling This Week (in addition to our normal schedule)

♥  We are in the home stretch of several subjects.

♥  I am still catalog shopping for next year’s curriculum.  I hope to get everything ordered in the next 2 weeks.

♥  Our local support group will be hosting a science/ health fair.  The kids and I are still working on what each of them is going to do.   

For more Meandering Mondays head over to Tiany’s to check it all out and join in!

Here is our menu for the next week.

♥  Hamburgers with potato salad and baked beans.

♥  Pasta bake with garlic bread.

♥  Chicken fajitas with refried beans.

♥  Lamb roast with mashed potatoes and green beans.

♥  Salmon with salad, peas, and rice.

♥  BBQ Chicken with sweet potato casserole and fresh sliced veggies.

♥  Mr. Muscles treats us to dinner out on Saturday night. No cleaning up!!

All recipes are homemade with fresh ingredients and I am more than happy to share my recipes. If you have any recipes for the above dinners please share them in a comment. I am always looking for new ways to prepare our favorites! If you ask for a recipe please tune in for next week’s MM and I will post all requested recipes here.

Here is the recipe for BBQ Chicken Salad as requested. 

     Chopped or shredded chicken.  I use a large, family-sized pack for our tribe of 8. 

     I precook the chicken by boiling it then I chop it or shred it. 

     Then I add 6-8 diced potatoes, 2 large diced tomatoes, 2 cups of green beans, 2 cups of corn, 1 onion chopped and 1 bottle of favorite BBQ sauce. 

     This can be cooked in a pot on the stove and be done in about 45 min (or until the potatoes are soft) or it can be allowed to simmer all day in a crock pot. 

     It is very yummy and is even better as leftovers. 

For more great menus and dinner ideas head over to Organizing Junkie’s place.

Have a blessed week!

~Rhen

Meandering and Menu Monday April 14, 2008

I missed almost all my meme’s last week and I am glad to be able to get a little time to blog and get my Meandering and Menu Monday post done.

Welcome, my menu is just below my meandering.

I would love to come and visit you so please make sure your link is filled in on your comment!

Our Family’s Time with God

♥I am still reading A Woman After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George.

     I am really enjoying doing the study guide with it. She asks a lot of great questions for you to think on.

♥Continue with prayer journal. If you are in need of prayer you are more than welcome to leave a comment or email me.

♥Sacred Marraige bible study/ devotions with Mr. Muscles. (I got this from CBD. Click here to see it for yourself.)

♥Continue daily devotions with the kids (these lead to such intense and fantastic discussions!)

My Must Do List (this list is beyond my normal cleaning, laundry, homeschooling and such)

♥I am happy to report that I have all but one of the railroad tie posts put in and concreted into the ground for the pasture.  This week I will get the last one in and start pounding in the t-posts!  Woo Hoo!  

♥I need to pick up a few more bags of concrete.  We are in the middle of several projects that need it.

♥Finish attaching the last of the fencing around the garden.

♥Work on smaller veggie garden retaining wall.

♥I bought 5 azalea bushes that I need to plant on the top of the hillside going up the driveway.

♥ Take a whole bunch of stuff to the recycling center.

♥Continue working on building up the rock border to the herb garden by the upper shed.

♥Make a batch of laundry detergent.

Cleaning Zone

♥My zone this week is the master bedroom.

I am participating in Organizing Junkie’s Organizing Round Up and April is master bedroom month.   I will divide my room into 4 cleaning areas.  As I get each one done I will post it under my Tackle it Tuesday post.  At the end of the month I will then combine all of those to show the transformation.  I am so excited about getting our master bedroom cleaned up and organized!!

Homeschooling This Week (in addition to our normal schedule)

♥A couple of the children will be finishing up their handwriting workbooks so I will be printing out a few worksheets for them to use.

♥Several of us are adding a few more field trips and get-togethers to our schedules.  I need to get these into my homeschooling planner book.

♥Our local support group will be hosting a science/ health fair.  I am excited about this and I get to dicuss with each child what they want to do for it. 

For more Meandering Mondays head over to Tiany’s to check it all out and join in!

Here is our menu for the next week.

♥Veggie Pizzas.

♥Pasta bake with garlic bread.

♥Chicken fajitas with refried beans.

♥Beef tips and rice with onions and bell peppers as well as mashed potatoes and green beans.

♥Curry rice, Greek salad, great northern beans and sweet potatoes.

♥BBQ Chicken stew.

♥Mr. Muscles treats us to dinner out on Saturday night. No cleaning up!!

All recipes are homemade with fresh ingredients and I am more than happy to share my recipes. If you have any recipes for the above dinners please share them in a comment. I am always looking for new ways to prepare our favorites! If you ask for a recipe please tune in for next week’s MM and I will post all requested recipes here.

For more great menus and dinner ideas head over to Organizing Junkie’s place.

Have a blessed week!

~Rhen

Hidden Environmental Dangers at School April 10, 2008

1 in 5 schools are making the students and the teachers sick.