Happy rabbit trails to you, until we meet again… :o)

 

1.  I made chili on the weekend and it got great reviews.  I never make chili the same way twice.  This time I based it on this recipe (http://www.homemakers.com/food-and-recipes/cowboy-chili/r/8560).

Here is my ingredient list:

2 lbs cooked ground beef (seasoned with garlic, onions, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper)

chopped celery

chopped onion

finely diced mushrooms

2 large cans of diced tomatoes

1 large can of roasted garlic tomato sauce

2 cans of chick peas (Jordan doesn’t like beans so I use chickpeas)

4 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 cloves of garlic crushed

1 tbsp oregano

2 tsp salt

3 bay leaves

I think I added a couple of cups of water too, but I am not 100% sure.  :o)

I cooked it all day on Saturday.  Chilled it overnight.  And then let it simmer all afternoon Sunday and then served it with sour cream.  Super yummy!

 

2.  Now that I have a Kitchen Aid, I really want to make bread.  Here is one recipe I found to try.  http://pebblecrossing.blogspot.com/2010/12/basic-whole-wheat-bread-baking-mixer.html

 

3.  I should have made some of this while Sarah and Isaiah were here – peanut butter playdough.  Fun!  http://almostunschoolers.blogspot.com/2011/01/peanut-butter-play-dough.html

 

4.  Discussion topic to do with the kids…. what are your personal core values?   http://ezinearticles.com/?Personal-Core-Values&id=73132

 

5.  Carnival of Home School (I haven’t read one of these in a long time) - http://whyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2011/01/carnival-of-homeschool-week-262-5th.html

 

6.  Busyness:  the thief of family memories -- http://www.disciplelikejesus.com/blog/?p=704

 

7.  Following a guy who actually does stuff -- http://www.alanknox.net/2011/01/following-a-guy-who-actually-does-stuff/

 

8.  Kirk Cameron interviews Alex and Brett Harris, authors of the book “Do Hard Things” - http://www.therebelution.com/blog/2011/01/video-kirk-cameron-interviews-alex-and-brett – I think the kids and I should reread this book and the second one “Start Here”.

 

9.  COOL!   Build a stylish lego table -- http://ana-white.com/2010/12/moms-lego-table.html

 

10.  Make your own “CLOROX ANYWHERE” recipe - http://dealseekingmom.com/make-your-own-clorox-anywhere-recipe/

 

11.  Once a month cooking prep of make your own “cream of” soups - http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2010/01/27/once-a-month-cooking-prep-cream-of-casseroles/

 

12.  AHEA convention (I think I may actually attend this year) - http://www.aheaonline.com/convention_documents/convention_2011_brochure.pdf

 

13.  The Many Faces of the Month (I LOVE this project idea!)  - http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2011/01/the-many-faces-of-the-month

 

14.  More than meals -- http://www.alanknox.net/2011/01/more-than-meals/

 

15.  “Doing Church”  - http://dkevinbrown.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/doing-church/

 

16.  House Church – Mutual Edification - http://eric-carpenter.blogspot.com/2011/01/house-church-mutual-edification.html

 

17.  Real life minimalist Katy - http://www.missminimalist.com/2011/01/real-life-minimalists-katy/  (I read a lot about minimalism lately, it is a very attractive lifestyle to me. )

 

18.  ALBERTA FOOTHILLS WEATHER – January 9 winter carnage -- http://blog.boomerphoto.com/2011/01/09/january-9-winter-carnage/

 

19.  10 SIMPLE TRUTHS SMART PEOPLE FORGET ( I am going to read this to the kids during our tea time tonight.)  - http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/01/10/10-simple-truths-smart-people-forget/

 

20.  Are you trying too hard?  (I haven’t read this one yet.)  - http://heartofwisdom.com/blog/are-you-trying-too-hard/

 

That is it for tonight.  Goodnight all!

MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2011

 

Well I guess it is time to quit lollygagging around and get to work around here.  The holiday season was great, a nice change from our regular life.  Then Deanna and I got hit with a cold, so we took last week off too.  But here we are, the 10th of January and it is time to get back to real life.

Each week my home school group sends out an email asking what our plans are for the week.  It is just kind of a generic question, a chance to write down a few things we would like to accomplish this coming week (and can be a discussion starter in the group as we share our plans).  Here is mine:

PLANS FOR THE WEEK

School and Other Learning Opportunities:
1.  family meeting -- make an educational plan for the next 8 weeks before calving season starts (and takes over)
2.  start "back to school" routines (now that Deanna and I are feeling better and the holiday season is over)
3.  start our written communication books to work on writing skills
House and Extras:
1.   clear off table in living room so we can use the table for school
2.   do a disk clean up and defrag on all the laptops
3.   get pictures printed for Deanna (scrapbooking)

 

This morning we did have our family meeting.  We discussed how the kids wanted their assignments given to them.  Jordan asked for his assignments given to him  for a two week period to accomplish.  I don’t list what needs to be done each day, just what has to done and he chooses how and when to get the list completed.  Deanna wanted the same idea but only for a week at a time.  We will try this out and see how it goes.

Here is Jordan’s list at the moment (written up and shared via Google Documents):

BOOK           
HANDS ON MATH PROJECTS    PAGES 174 TO 176 -- THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY    PAGES 418 TO 421 -- BUYING A CAR   
PAINLESS VOCABULARY    READ INTRODUCTION    CHAPTER ONE -- WORDS IN CONTEXT    CHAPTER TWO -- WORD FORMS
SPELLING  (WEBSITE/HANDOUTS)    LESSON 1    LESSON 2   
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION BOOK    ON GOING -- DAILY       
THE HANDY SCIENCE ANSWER BOOK    PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY -- PAGES 1 TO 32    SPACE -- PAGES 33 TO 80   
BIBLE    COLOSSIANS    MATTHEW    
THE ESSENTIAL 55    INTRODUCTION AND RULES 1 THROUGH 10       
HOW TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH    PAGES 4 TO 8 -- EXERCISES IN UNITY    PAGES 9 TO 21 - EXERCISES IN TOPIC SENTENCE   

    Here is Deanna’s list:

BOOKS       
PAINLESS VOCABULARY    READ INTRODUCTION    CHAPTER ONE -- WORDS IN CONTEXT
SPELLING  (WEBSITE/HANDOUTS)    LESSON 1   
WRITTEN COMMUNICATION BOOK    ON GOING -- DAILY   
THE HANDY SCIENCE ANSWER BOOK    PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY -- PAGES 1 TO 32   
BIBLE    COLOSSIANS   
HANDS ON MATH PROJECTS    PAGES 369 TO 372 -- PLANNING A SUNDAE PARTY   
I KISSED DATING GOODBYE    CHAPTER 9 -- JUST FRIENDS IN A JUST DO IT WORLD   
THE BUSY MOMS GUIDE TO SIMPLE LIVING    PREFACE AND CHAPTER ONE (LIFESTYLE SIMPLIFICATION)   
THE ESSENTIAL 55    INTRODUCTION AND RULES 1 THROUGH 5   
HOW TO WRITE A PARAGRAPH    PAGES 4 TO 8 -- EXERCISES IN UNITY   

Here are some pictures from our day so far:

Deanna cleaning Ripple’s cage. Our pile of books and such after our family  meeting.

Jordan and Deanna doing their thing (well hopefully their assignments).  :o)

A pile of books Deanna would like to use for her “schooling” for me to consider. A pile of books Jordan would like to use for his “schooling” for me to consider.

  A book I picked up over the holidays I would like to read and have the kids read.