This post is long but it is a record of how I am thinking this September. I plan to look back come May and see how we did. Maybe some of you have done these things all along in your schools, but I am just getting a clue this year.
We have nicely settled into the rhythm of formal school lessons, again. This year I am more at peace with how school is going than I have ever been. I credit that to some changes I have made.
Saving the Best for Last
First of all, I have "front loaded" our school year placing the hardest material first. Math books and such start out with reviews and normally we plug away at these reviews until you reach the hard stuff about December. Well, as any veteran homeschooler knows , that once January hits you are in a different state of mind than you were in on those crisp, lovely days of fall. The smiling fades, the school room stinks, the house is donned in kleenexes, barf buckets, broken Christmas toys, and there is a wreath of despair decorating my neck. . .like a noose.
This year we jumped into the middle of our math books. Perhaps some would criticize such a method, but I spent quite a bit of time revewing all the material to pick those skill that needed the most. We are in the trenches and we know how winter takes its toll. Days go by where we never leave the house or acreage. After months of being housebound, testing our love for one another, and practicing the Christian virtue of patience with one another's faults magnified by cabin fever, the first warm breeze finds us outside leaving our school books behind. The hearty material that demands more of us mentally is taxing beyond belief.
March comes. . .I start dreaming of gardens, chicks, baseball. We feel guilty and down on ourselves for not completing everything. Flipping through the school books, I pick the last of what we need to cover, lamenting that we spent too much time on the easy stuff. So, its different this year. We are hurling ourselves full speed into difficult material and will let up on the pressure as our nerves long for the healing balm of refreshing projects, adventurous chapter books by the fire, chess games, and making endless lists of our garden/animal summer adventures. We will have put much academics behind us and will be able to pat ourselves on the back as we seen the sun on the horizon, melting away the ice and thawing the ground once more.
That's the plan anyway. . .
Cleaning Day. . .How Can I Ever Clean It All?
The second different goal this year is to take a deep cleaning and personal day while putting the kids to independent work and reading. This is a day where I go room to room and deep clean, even the kids' bedrooms. I did this during the summer and it works. My house is never perfect, but it is okay by my standards. . .it certainly has its very grim moments.
I have found time and again that hiring a person to clean this house is not worth the money. Its better if I do it myself, with the help of the children. Everyone has the same task assigned to them each week. So far, I have just taken one of these days and it was very much worth it! There is another one scheduled for this Friday and they need to be about every three weeks. The older kids have a school checklist to plug away at and they can bring their questions to the room I am cleaning. The house was cleaner thus raising everyone's spirits and making everything run smoother. For many years I told myself I would just clean on the weekends and continue to plug away during the week. This simply did not work out and I always felt like I was trying to "catch up." Now I have given myself permission for this day away from the school room, guilt-free and it feels great!
Finding a Natural Rhythm
Thirdly, I am letting the day unfold more as it does naturally. I am allowing more of the hobbies, activities, and opinions of the children to be taken in account. I am permitting more times for friendships between the children if they are engaged together on a good task. I am working to balance between the skills they must cover and their own pursuits. Sometimes these two are united perfectly. For example, if a child needs more practice in the actual skill of writing, I am allowing that to be done in the form of a list of what chickens breeds he would like to order for his own care. This does take careful attention, however, and must be done with the big picture in mind for that child to ensure than nothing gets missed nor that they get the idea life is all play and fun. And obviously, there are subjects that simply cannot be covered thoroughly enough "in real life" such as math, religion, comprehension, etc. So, don't worry, we are not "unschoolers." Some of my kids simply cannot find anything to do that does not come from a schoolish type book or my checklist for them. Some of them prefer the checklist, while some find the checklist stifling (they still have a checklist while taking in account for their need to venture out alone).
Along these same lines we have completely moved our chores to lunch time and the afternoon, save those that are essential. No longer do I scream and yell that they need to hurry and get everything done before school. All these years I had it in my mind that they had to have every chore done before school. Why? I never had one extra minute before school to do anything when I was a child/teen, so why did I press my kids so hard in this area? Our mornings have been nice, calm, and we have moved into an afternoon rhythm of getting things done together. Furthermore, the kids needed things to do in the afternoon and this is the perfect solution. Chores! It has been great! Why didn't I think of this earlier??
What's on the Menu???
Fourth, I have a menu for the month and we do all our shopping for the entire month at once. While I am not perfect at keeping to this menu, it is a nice guide to have. Richard has kept me to the menu at times and I am always glad when I do put forth the extra effort to cook what I had written down. We hav figured that by keeping to a menu we will save between $600-$800 this month alone on groceries. Can you believe it?? I do because we did the math together. Our goal was $800, but we will probably finish out saving around $600. How? Making everything from scratch, which can be done with forethought. I will write a whole different post on this another time.
Fifth, we have our fun Wednesday Holy Hour, Library visit, and then special chicken dinner.
If you have read this far. . .I thank you for reading my blog. I really do love blogging and I am glad that some people actually read my thoughts
I am loving our Wednesdays! We have a fun afternoon outing, swing by the store for our chicken ingredients, and head home to cook. Richard comes home excited and proud of me for putting effort into a meal (I have not been very good in this area over the last few years). And he likes to grill. Its funny how all that hard work on these 50 meat birds has inspired me to find ways to cook them. We throw not one drop of their meat away. We know all too well how hard that meat was to raise. Every molecule is priceless! Meat birds were a great thing for our family!!
Okay. . .it was Emeril Lagasse's "Jerk" Chicken with Gingered BBQ Drizzle, Grandma's Famous Cole Slaw, and Corn Bread with peach pie for dessert.
Marinate the cut up chicken in:
14 green onions
8 habeneros or Scotch Bonnet chilies ****I used four of our cayenne peppers instead
1/3 C. minced garlic
1/3 C. fresh minced ginger ****I used powdered and I didn't measure
1/4 C. Fresh lime juice
3 T. dark rum *** I didn't use this because we didn't have any
3T. soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. fresh thyme leaves **** I used dried and didn't measure
2 T. pumpkin pie spice ***** I used cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice (same thing only cheaper). . .and I didn't measure
You are supposed to puree this into a paste but I don't have a food processor. I used the blender but it didn't make it a paste. . .close enough!
After marinating it for 4 hour (I did 2 hours), rinse it (I didn't). Grill it until done. Richard basted the chicken right on the grill with the following BBQ sauce, even though it said to just pass it on the side at the table.
I forgot to take a picture of the chicken, but it looked similar to the peach chicken.
Gingered BBQ Drizzle:
I doubled it, but here is the single recipe-
6 T. ketchup
1/4 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. pineapple juice
2T. white vinegar
2 T. lime juice
2 T. minced fresh ginger (I used dried and didn't measure)
1 T. butter
1 T. dry mustard
1 T. minced garlic (I used 1 clove. . .who measures garlic?!)
1 T. salt (I used much less)
1 T. tamarind paste (what's that?)
1 T. worchestershire sauce
1/2 Scotch bonnet chile seeded and minced (I used a cayenne pepper)
Place all in a saucepan and cook for 10 minutes until thick.
Drizzle on your chicken at the table.
Richard said it was the best one yet! We all liked it. It had just a little "kick" but wasn't super spicy so the kids wouldn't eat it. The cayenne pepper wasn't as hot as the peppers the recipe called for.
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Grandma's Famous Cole Slaw:
Years ago my mother and I went to the farmer's market and came home with a cabbage and green onions. We made up a cole slaw recipe together based on what we had in the cupboard. Now, I just buy those cole slaw bags and continue our made-up dressing:
Bag of cole slaw
1/4 C. sugar
1/4- 1/3 C. Mayo
4 big shakes of white wine vinegar (its probably 1/4 cup)
Some green onions cut up
Stir it all up about an hour or more before serving. Store in frig until dinner.
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Kentucky Corn Cake:
cream 3 T. Butter with 2 T. sugar
add 1 cup plus 2 T. milk
add 1 egg and beat until just combined
add 1 T. baking powder,
1 and 1/4 C. corn meal,
and 1/4 C. flour
Stir until just combined. Baked in greased 8x8 pan on 450 degrees. . .about 15 minutes, but watch it because just as I never measure I don't use timers! I am revealing my laid-back style of cooking here.
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Happy Birthday tomorrow, Mom! Thanks for teaching me how to be competent in the kitchen, even though you don't have measuring supplies. My mom doesn't measure or use timers either! And her creations are great!
Peach Pie:
I am starting a new project. I am using every Wednesday to try a new chicken recipe on the 50 chickens we butchered this summer. I am going to blog every one starting now. . .
Thus far I have made:
Chicken and dumplings several times
Chicken Enchiladas
Greek Chicken- awesome!
Mexicali Fried Chicken- mediocre, at best. Actually, it was horrible.
So, that brings me to this last Wednesday. . .
Peach Glazed Grilled Chicken with Lemon Mint Risotto and Butternut Squash from our garden with butter & brown sugar. . .
It was very good. Richard wants it as a regular menu item.
The glaze was a combination of peach jam, our garden cayenne peppers, olive oil, dry mustard, soy sauce, salt, and garlic.
The Lemon Mint Risotto was Arborio Rice with lemon, garlic, asparagus, onion, mint, and parmesan cheese.
I awoke with a start to loud barking. At first I thought it was just a dream. It took me a second to orient myself, and realize the barking was coming from the basement. . .and it was Rohan. Now, I should say that our dogs never bark inside. Ever. Once they are settled down for the night they don't make a peep until WE decide its time to get up. Bella stays on the same bed all night without permission to roam the house and Rohan will learn that, too, in time. For now he is in the a large dog crate and he heeds the "no bark" rule at night. So, barking at the wee hours of the night or morning can only mean one thing. . .sickness.
With lightning speed I was out of that bed, flying down the stairs, leaping over furniture, and performing physical feats that only a owner with a sick canine could accomplish. He was standing desperately at the door of his crate. There was no mess, thank goodness. He and I made it to the door and out he bolted. I breathed a huge sigh of relief! At this point I will end my story. . .only to say that I am very glad he made it and I was spared a nasty job!
I don't know what he ate!
When I came upstairs, my heart still racing with adrenaline, I stumbled to the coffee maker. I am not a morning person, so this was a little shocking to my system!
Then, I sipped my coffee and enjoyed this sight from my kitchen window savoring the quiet, stillness of the house. At least there was something nice about waking up so early. . .
1. I planned a menu (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for all of September. . .then I sat down and wrote what I would have to do the day BEFORE the meal in order to make that meal happen. For example, if I were to actually make my own refried beans then that would mean soaking them the day before. This is where I always get myself in trouble. I never have the foresight to get the roast out early, to soak the beans, to start the dough in time. . .this should make it easier. So far its going pretty well.
2. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. Things are starting to shine around here again.
3. I put away all clean laundry. All of it. It was overdue and there are open spaces that I have needed.
4. I ironed and put on my king-sized bedskirt. It was purchased, taken out of the plastic and sat crumpled on a chair for a long time. . .underneath all the clean laundry. My bed looks crisp and fresh now. Its quite an improvement.
Take at look at what others are doing and cheer each other on!
Our summer is winding down around here. We have exactly one more week before we start our formal lessons again. However, learning blossomed all summer and we are full of experiences we never could have pulled from books. Memories will remain fresh as we hunker down together and face our reading, writing, and arithmatic.
This was an amazingly full summer:
Wonder.
It is a marvelous thing to wonder. . .to sit and watch. . .to patiently observe the world God made. It calms ones nerves and lifts one's spirits.
Webster Dictionary defines wonder as: "rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one's experience" We enjoy wondering together. We like to figure out God's nature puzzles together and they all perfectly fall into place. That brings me to one of the most mysterious and least understood of all small crawly creatures. Spiders. They are amazing to observe. As I have recently said before I gets the creeps like anyone else. However, I have come to see their beauty and role in keeping pests at bay. Above the door of the henhouse a male and female "Yellow Garden Spider" have made their home next to the light. Today, several days after this picture was taken she is gone and he sits on the egg sac. She was last seen in the coop, but is probably coming to the end of her life. If she shows herself inside the hen house, she will get gobbled right up! Here the small male guards the gigantic egg sac. The female is the larger one. On the same lovely evening we found yet another "Yellow Garden Spider" living amongst our raspberries. She is a very welcome friend who eats grasshoppers feasting on our raspberries. She is no threat. In fact killing her would be self-defeating, as she only eats what is a pest to us! Grasshoppers. We enjoyed watching her wrap up a grasshopper and then tried to feed her more. Andrew is not as close as it appears in this picture. Don't worry, Grandma. Its not crawling in his cheek.
This year we have a fascinating assortment of chicken breeds, some with a long heritage and others with gorgeous plumage. Furthermore, we like to laugh and joke about our funny chickens. Chickens are humorous which is why there are so many featured in cartoons years ago. Everyone had chickens around so they would "get" the jokes.
Here are the chickens that will soon "come into lay:"
The 4 Americaunas:
This breed is descended from the Chilean breed, Araucana, which lay a blue egg. These are supposed to lay a greenish/blue egg. They have beards:
"Abe Lincoln"
A lovely white one with a smaller beard. She is so sweet. . .like a dove!
Two of them look like this:
The 4 Dominiques. This breed is named after the Dominicans, who wear black and white habits, this is the very first American breed, dating back to colonial times. Since we have a Dominic in the family we thought these would be fun.
From the Dominique website:
Most early accounts of the fowl contain the English spelling of “Dominic” and not the French “Dominique”. However, by the mid-1800s the use of “Dominic” had been dropped and “Dominique” prevailed. One notable exception was a journal entry of Merriwether Lewis of the famed Lewis and Clark expedition. On March 3, 1806 he wrote of the spruce grouse looking like the Dominique, though he did spell it Domanique. Still, the question remains: “Why Dominique”? All things considered, Mr. John Robinson was probably correct when, around 1915, he wrote that the basis for the Dominique name was the similarity between the black and white barring and the garb of the Dominican brethren.
4 Golden-laced Wyandottes:
Wyandottes are an American breed that first appeared as a standard breed in 1870. There are many varieties in their coloring. They have rose-combs which are more frost-bite proof.
This is blurry but you can see the detail in their feathers.
4 Silver-laced Wyandottes. They have such lovely painted faces. This is the very first Wyandotte breed. Very ornate!
The 4 Silver-gray Dorkings are very interesting with their 5 toes. Every picture I could ever find of them did not capture their beauty. Their heritage dates back to the time of Julius Caesar! At some point they were thought to have been brought to Britain by the Romans. There are reports of such a chicken written by Caesar. That's fun to think about. They differ from the other chickens in their low stature, loose feathering and extra toes. They almost look more like a grouse. Furthermore, they lay white eggs while most of the English Breeds lay a brown egg. They lay steadily through subzero temperatures but the minute the weather turns warm, they snap into broodiness (egg setting. . .no, not sitting, it really is called setting).
Click on this to see the fabulous detail in their feathers. Wow!
4 Rhode Island Reds
Everyone knows this breed. This was on every farm a generation ago. They are supposed to lay up to 6 eggs a week. I am excited to have this breed as it links to our family's heritage. Both of us had relatives who kept this breed.
Our "free gift with purchase" chick is a Hamburg this year.
The Hatchery throws in a surprise chick with each order. Richard and I were laughing at the "free chick" idea. Both years the other chickens seem to hate the "free chick." Its like they say, "Hey, you were free and we are worth money! Get outa here!" Something like that. . .
Hamburgs are actually Dutch and came to America in the very early Colonial times. Since he is on the small side, he flies. This little buddy roosts up in the trees. His crow at this point is rather squeaky. I want to keep him as he is small and non-aggressive to us. The pullets keep him in line. You might recall that the last free chick was so badly pecked I had to administer first aid. He ended up in John's birthday dinner- chicken and dumplings.
He has blue legs and white toes. He is really neat!
The Delawares
A breed that was originally used for meat. It has now become dual-purpose (for both meat and eggs). You cannot see well in the picture, but they have black spots on their hackles (the long feathers on the neck). They are hardy and quite lovely. I enjoy the look of a white chicken. They mature very early and thus may be our first to lay eggs. I can't wait to see who will be the first to lay.
Buff Orpingtons
We currently have White Orpingtons in the hen house and they are tough. They are the leaders of the flock. So, I am hoping for that same sturdy stock with the Buffs. Yellow chickens are also lovely.
Here is our full-grown "Queen" from the current laying flock. She thinks she's queen, anyway. Doesn't she look like she doesn't take any nonsense from anyone?
"Don't mess with me!" she says. We have 3 of them and they all look like that!
It would not be real life on this blog if I came here to tell you that everything we do works out perfectly in the end.
I am sad to say that the grasshoppers ate our corn! The problem was that they ate the silk. Each strand of silk goes to the creation of a kernal of corn. If one piece of silk is damaged, a kernal will not form. So, it follows that if all the silk is eaten off, by say. . .grasshoppers, then there would be ears that contained no kernals.
It was hard to watch. They were too numerous to combat. Spraying massive amounts of chemicals didn't seem the way to go. . .or worth the toxic risk. Also, it happened so fast once the silk was formed there was no time.
Here you can view what I am talking about. On this ear, some of the silk was eaten producing an odd, incomplete ear of corn. Most of them were not even this good.
We went looking deep in our corn patch to see if any ears had gone unnoticed by the enemy. We did find some and it was fun to eat them. Mostly, though it was all destroyed. Again, I have so much admiration for our ancestors. It was not a wasted experience. We could sit and talk about how people in the olden days would be facing very anxious times as they understood the reality of a winter coming on with no food. How frightening that must have been.
So, we pick ourselves up and look to next year. We are discussing plans for serious warfare against these invaders. We will win! Last year we had a better crop. . .but we had the corn mixed in with chickens. There are lots of things to try. We won't give up.
Richard gets a funny look in his eye when we discuss grasshoppers. Its similar to his demeanor when we have a plumbing issue. Don't bring up grasshoppers if he is having a bad day. He is very serious about going into battle against these green enemies in exoskeleton armor. Once they attacked his favorite perennials and shrubs, that was it!
Its war!
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One Friday we all went out together to search for corn. We enjoyed each other's company.
In the end, we did have a couple of meals with corn. One night we had our own egg omlete with our own onions and peppers. . .with our own tomatoes and our own corn. It was fun!
