Keeping It Simple

No wrap up last week- I did sort of wrap-up or recent events post mid-week so I am all out of sync! In the Kitchen:  Since my menu planning board is operational, I am cooking more than anytime I can remember. I have often planned, but being able to see the plan in plain view is the key for me. I am the queen of "oops! I forgot to start the Crock Pot". No more. I walk in the kitchen in the morning and my cute little board is staring me in the face. Two new recipes tried: Spinach Lasagna Rolls from The Girl Who Ate Everything- updated link- http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/04/spinach-lasagna-rolls.html Perfect for Lent! I was worried that my fussy eaters would be put off by the spinach (my kids don't love "green stuff" in their food). I don't know if is that I did not let them snack at all on the afternoon I served this for dinner or if it really was that good, but they loved it! James told me several times that I should make this ev...

Recently Watched: Tintin - We loved this movie! I am not sure why. Maybe it is that Tintin is in a movie! Then there is that the movie really honored the feel of the book (we felt), and that the makers seemed to want to do right by the author's vision (watch special features). Of course, it could be that I just love being able to sit down and watch a movie just for fun without feeling like, on some level, I might be corrupting my children! The Adventures of Superman: Season 1 (1952) - If your kids are super sophisticated, they may not appreciate this. Mine did. I don't know what else to say. It is just fun. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire  Always grateful when our Netflix subscription can enhance the learning experience! Recently Cooked:  This super simple (like 5 minutes of prep) Easy Garlic Chicken dish found at food.com. I read through the comments- some said that the dish was too sweet, some that it needed onion, others that the cook time was too short/long.....

  In my life this week...  I am following Jen's ( Forever, For Always, No Matter What ) lead and joining The Homeschool Mother's Journal. I also desperately needed some inspiration to write this week. It has been a bumpy one! In our homeschool this week... it is all about the basics. The cold that we caught last week knocked my two youngest boys on their bums in a big way. On the good days, we did math drills, typing practice, spelling, and reading. I think we will be back to our version of normal next week. Homeschooling advice or tips to share... keep at it. Just when you are sure that nothing is working, all of a sudden it does! I am inspired by... my daughters.   At different times this week, I was talking to my two daughters who are moms of their own little ones. I already thought that they are wonderful moms, but I realized just what thoughtful attentive parents they are. I could learn a little from them! Places we're going and people were seein...

I am not a very good food photographer. Hopefully, your getting the "comfort food" vibe here. I found the recipe for  Crescent Chicken  via Pinterest. But I will link you straight to  Comfy in the Kitchen  where the recipe was first posted. As suggested, we served it with mashed potatoes (piping hot from the  crockpot !). Perfect for a cool winter's evening!  On to this recipe that I have been waiting forever to try: These are Patty's famous Scotch-A-Roos . I have been looking for the perfect opportunity to try these. As it happens, my daughter asked me if there was any special dessert that I wanted for my birthday. As she has quite a repertoire of her own dessert recipes, I would usually choose one of my many favorites from there, but I really wanted to try these! Shauna readily agreed. Even pointed out that these are simple to make- am I sure that is what I want? The answer was yes. Sadly, our Sunday dinner out for my b...

King Solomon's Mine - my friend loaned us this movie and it was a surprise hit at our house. My 11yo "Eeyore" was very gloomy at the prospect of sitting through this movie, but it just took a few minutes and he was hooked. I think it must have been made as a mini-series from the way the transitions in the movie went, so it is not a big "production value" movie, but it kept my boys on the edge of their seats. The best comparison I can think of for this movie is "Raiders of the Lost Ark" except that neither of my younger two boys (8&11yo) would handle watching Raiders (way too intense and dark). Captain America- got  this nice review at Decent Films Guide . I loved that I could completely relax and enjoy this movie with my boys. No over the top bad language (that I remember), no s*x scenes, no over the top romantic plots, and there IS a heroic hero! It is an action adventure film set during war, so that is something to consider for very young child...

Well, this is the short version. The week started out well enough. Then... sore throats, coughs, fevers, and other even yuckier stuff decided to visit. Almost through the worst of it, I think!  I'll skip the weekly wrap-up and share a few moments from the boys' snow trip with their sister, Michelle, and brother-in-law, Chris.  The first snow stop:   Michelle and James...  screaming down the mountain!   James is "King of the Mountain".  The boys: Paul, Mark, James, Chris  Told to Chris from James about climbing to the top of this hill- "Come on Chris. You could use the exercise anyway."  Later recanted. James claims he said "we" could use the exercise. ;)  Paul has decided that snowboarding is the most fun thing ever invented and can't wait to go back. Hopefully, I will have some pictures of that soon. So thankful for my daughter and her husband that they would take their weekend t...

I have mentioned this book a few times of the last few weeks, so I thought I'd spend a few minutes to share what I think of it. Math Smart Junior (for grades 6-8) is written to help students understand basic math. We are only on chapter 3, but I would say that it does a pretty fair job. About the story of three friends (and some talking animals) and their adventures on a hot summer day, students reading the book learn about math along the way. I would probably choose a more direct approach myself, but my two oldest boys really are enjoying this. This would be a perfect supplement to a textbook. Or maybe summer review for a student to work on independently. We are using it to bring a more systematic approach to our learning- most of the concepts in this are familiar to my boys, but they have not learned them in a structured sequence. As far as grade level- when we "do math" together, usually all three boys (ages 8,11, and 13) join in. If the concept is famil...

I have mentioned  many of these already over the last few weeks. We did enjoy all of these books- the Samurai list and the Allen Say books were the ones we enjoyed the most!  My personal favorite was Kamishibai Man. I had not read it before and thought it was very moving.  About Japan:  The Colors of Japan by Holly Little field Look What Came from Japan by Miles Harvey Exploring Countries: Japan by Colleen Sexton Rookie Read-About Geography Japan by David E Marx Japan ABCs by Sara Heiman Welcome to Japan by Meredith Costain Shipwrecked! The true adventures of a Japanese boy  by Rhoda Blumberg About Samurai:  Real Samurai by Stephen Turnbull You Wouldn't Want to Be a Samurai! by Flona Macdonald Samurai Warlords of Japan by Arlan Dean Allen Say Books:  Grandfather's Journey Tea with Milk  The Boy in the Garden Erika-San Kamishibai Man

To begin with, I should tell you that I am sitting in a completely quiet house. Not a creature is stirring. Because all three boys went to the snow with their sister and her husband (a Christmas gift to the boys). Did I mention it is quiet around here? The boys are over-the-moon excited to be going to the snow. When we were learning about snow a few years ago, James was honestly surprised to hear that it is cold! Poor deprived boy. He will know that snow is cold after this weekend. ;)  So, this week:  Does any one else make a "silly kids" folder in their picture files? These days when I make new folders for the month, I label one just for such photos. (sometimes also labeled "hijacked camera pics") I don't want to get rid of them, but I am never quite sure what to do with them.  I mean really!  Mondays always begin with horses:  This is Scouty and Mark- Mark has loved this horse since we first began going to the stables and just recen...