September = School?

So, it is now September. And with all the back to school sales at stores, commercials on TV, and friends talking about sending their kids to school, I have been thinking... I need to start thinking about education for my kids.

So, these last few weeks I've been researching Home Schooling and Private Schooling. (I am too afraid of public school to research that yet. lol. BUT, I WILL, when I work up the courage)

I realize that my children are not yet 2 and 1 yet, but I think that if we get an early start, they will be so much better off and more prepared when they do go to school in a few years. From my research, I have found several websites and online articles which I have found to be of interest. The first of which is: http://www.greatschools.org/students/academic-skills/K-5-benchmarks.gs?content=531 . This is an article on what your child should know (academically and socially) coming out of grades K-5. The article also encourages you to check with your child's classroom and State's academic standards (http://www.greatschools.org/content/stateStandards.page?cpn=20090512my5) for more information on what your child is required to learn.

The State of Wisconsin does keep close tabs on its Home Schooled children. This is the Home School Legal Defense Association article which informs you of the Wisconsin State laws and regulations on Home School Education: http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Wisconsin.pdf . It defines Home School and puts guidelines on things such as number of hours of study, age at which you are required to be enrolled, and the freedom from state assessment, curriculum, and certified teachers.

This is my favorite Site yet: http://ourpreschoolhomeschool.blogspot.com/ . It is the journey of a mom and her children through Pre-School education. She includes teaching materials, subject ideas, her own developed curriculum, and other resources to help you make your child's education journey a success. She also has an Elementary Blog and a High School Blog.

I am planing to begin Home School Preschool when Bre turnes 2. I don't mean the sit at the kitchen table and complete your worksheets type of home school. I mean, we will begin our learning process and developing our education skills in a structured manner. I plan to have lessons which we will tackle a week at a time, incorporating our lessons into our every day activities. Generally, getting Breanna excited and ready to learn, whatever avenue of education I decide to pursue.

I am ALMOST ready for our education adventure!  (still biting nails)

All the little Children

I just saw a video of children being buried alive in the amazon. i do not want to share it with you because i can not get the image out of my head! it makes me want to go collect all the unwanted children and care for them myself! It's a good thing that our God is a merciful God. I have to keep reminding myself that those children will be with him. what would poses someone to bury an innocent child alive!

and why the HECK would someone video tape this horrific act and not do anything to stop it?! I want to go to the film maker and kick him in the face! how can you just stand by and allow someone to not only be treated that way, but to be killed! because she was 2 years old and couldn't walk or talk yet. "Jesus loves the little children... All the children of the world..." I love my children, and I want you all to know that I would have no problem using old testament law on ANYONE who does anything to hurt my child! "An eye for an eye..." My foot up your ASS! obviously i am COMPLETELY horrified at this whole thing. why the CRAP did i hit play on that stupid video?!

my head is spinning from trying to think of ways to stop this from happening to any child. and the thing that is so depressing is that i know that no matter what i do, it will still happen. the world is in such a bad state right now that people kill their own children! or do worse things to them... It's times like these that make me grateful for biblical prophecy. I am so glad to know that there will be a day where there's no more pain. I truly know the meaning behind the words "for me to life is Chrst, but to Die is gain." Oh to escape this horrible place.

can you imagine being God and seeing your creation, what you created to be good, created to glorify you, what you love with everything you have... become something so terrible. like being a mother, who raises a son she loves so much! and through no fault of her own, he turns into a murderer. how can you un-love him. you can't. but it makes your heart break every time you think about your creation, your off spring, being such a bad person.

It's no wonder God caused the Flood in Genesis. I always wonder why he did it so early. If today's times are just as bad, or worse, why wouldn't he have waited until now to wipe the slate clean? or, have come back and set things right before they got worse? Obviously I'm not God. I just wish I could do more for this world than sit back and watch it kill its self. and drag the innocent down with it.

God, I love my children, and I thank you for giving them to me. But next time, would it be too much to ask to get rid of the bad stuff before the good gets a chance to be tainted? 

I am truly heart broken.

http://www.survivalinternational.org/

http://www.hakani.org/

Wilted Lettuce?

What do you do with Lettuce that is going bad?

Have you ever had cooked lettuce??

Tear the head of lettuce like you would a salad (i used romaine). Boil the lettuce until it is limp. Drain. Add a table spoon of butter and a quarter tsp of vinegar. S&P. also, add fresh mushrooms if you like. DELICIOUS! even Chris liked it.

Frugal food tip :)

Poop-Poop in the Potty

Did you know that you are supposed to Flush baby poop down the toilet? Even when you are using Disposable diapers?

http://www.pampers.com/en_US/proddetail/baby-products/new-baby-diapers-new-swaddlers/id/900826

Waste removal

As the Pampers bag recommends, you'll want to dump bowel movements in the toilet. Then just roll the diaper into its backsheet, using the tape or fasteners to keep it closed, and dispose of it in the trash.

Besides, this also cuts down on the smell in your trash can.

wizards, vampires, fairies and the easter bunny!

So, as I'm sitting here watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, I had a thought. Why is it that some people have an issue with make believe?

Lets look at a few different characters that society accepts, weather true or not: the all important Santa Clause, The Easter Bunny, Tinkerbelle, Wizards (harry potter), Vampires (twilight), Dragon Tales, Power Rangers, The Tooth Fairy...

All of these characters are widely known. Many of them are taught to young children to be "Real". Many parents sneak their christmas presents under the tree to pretend that Santa Clause did it. Same with the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Is it wrong to tell your children that these characters are real? Is it wrong to LIE to them?

Some other characters, many people have an issue with, Harry Potter and Twilight... many people won't let their kids watch the movies, or even boycott the books because they promote magic... blah blah blah...

And some make believe characters don't even get discussed, they just get watched on TV without even an explanation. I mean, are monsters real? Sesame Street seems to think so. Can you "wish" yourself into a distant land where dragons exist, or have visions of the future? 

How do you get across to your children that some things are real, and others aren't? Is it ok for you to tell your child that Santa Clause is real, but Vampires don't. When is it ok to let them watch the Little Mermaid but not to let them watch Harry Potter?

Wouldn't it be much simpler to tell your child that Santa is not a real character, but is a fun make believe character that is used to represent the Christmas Spirit. Explain who the real Saint Nicholas was. Tell them that the Easter Bunny is just a fun way of bringing in Spring. That Harry Potter is just a made up character that is fun to make believe. That magic is just a fantastic idea that is fun and entertaining to pretend.

You can't tell a child that they are not allowed to have a tea party because the tea in the pot is pretend. that they are not allowed to play House because it is wrong to pretend that you are an adult who is married with children. That they can not pretend they are a Power Ranger because real people don't transform into robots (or whatever that show is about...). You let kids be kids. As long as they know the difference between reality and fantasy, what is the harm in a little fun? After all, what would we accomplish if we had no imagination? 

Now, if your kid starts shooting their pretend wand at other kids and saying "Obliterate" or shooting their pretend gun at someone saying "You're Dead!" then, I'd suggest a change in entertainment and an education on playing nice. But that is a whole other blog post that I don't wish to get into at this moment.

homemade cheese

after watching martha stewart this morning, i decided i'm going to try to make homemade cheese. i will update you and let you know how it turns out. i'm kinduh really excited about this!

here is the recipe i will be using:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/home-made-farmers-cheese/Detail.aspx

make your own and tell me how it turns out :)


(7 hours later)

So, I did end up making cheese. It was not hard at all, at least this kind wasn't. It turned out crumbly like feta but more smooth and waxy tasting like cheese curds with a very mild flavor. I guess other kinds of cheeses have a more cheesey flavor but are a bit more difficult to make and require enzymes to culture. But this only took about an hour or so because it has to drip until the whey drains out.

So the white lump in the colander is the cheese, the liquid on the right is the Whey left over. I can use this in place of milk in any recipe or make it into a drink. If I had a garden I could use it to water my plants! I could also do the process again and make "Ricotta" cheese which literally means "Re-Cooked". I'm not sure what i'm going to do with it right now, but I will find a use for it!

After it was done draining, I crumbled it and mixed it with a bit of salt and some oregano. Bre sure liked it! it would be good with crackers or on top of a salad. 

My next Cheese adventure will be something a bit more challenging. Maybe a harder aged cheese??

Toilet Paper!!!

Why is it that toilet paper is so much fun when you're a toddler? It seems that every time you turn your back, your child has half the roll unraveled! I started putting the roll on the back of the toilet instead of on the dispenser so this would not happen... and something worse happened... the whole roll was dipped in the toilet. fun.

Our bathroom is designed right now so that the sink is in a separate room from the toilet. So, now I put the toilet paper by the sink. Unfortunately, if you forget to grab it, you have to open the door and reach around the wall to the sink to grab the toilet paper while trying to hover over the toilet. lol.

My new project is to find some way to make a toilet paper shield. I read about taking an empty plastic bottle or pop can and cutting both ends off and making one slit, so it makes it a bit harder to pull the toilet paper out so fast. The other thing I thought of, was cutting the toe off of a sock or stocking and using it like a muff. But, this means that you'd have to pull it aside every time you go potty. But I guess that is better than the alternative. I'm tired of my toilet paper touching the floor, or wasting a roll when it is thrown into the toilet whole!

I'l have to take a picture and let you know how it goes for me.

Any body have other ideas?