This year Elle and Ava dressed up as clowns and Thomas was Indiana Jones. Scott's work had a Halloween party and he took 2nd prize with that pirate look he's got going there.
The weather was great for trick or treating and as always our neighbors spoiled the kids with lots of candy. Their baskets were full when we got home.
Ava said it best when she said, 'It's a great day!'
'Anonymous' and Andrea, I am so excited that you have had success patching carpet by taking a piece from a closet! I was planning to call a carpet installer to see if this was a possible fix for the blue stain in the loft. I am glad it is a frieze carpet up there because it hides seams so well....they are almost impossible to find so hopefully we will hardly be able to notice a patch there. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
For the past two years we have used Handwriting Without Tears as our penmanship curriculum. Elle was struggling with writing letters and numbers backwards and this program really helped to correct that. We used a few of the optional manipulatives and they helped her be able to remember the starting place for each letter. Occasionally she still mixes up her lowercase b's and d's but not nearly as often and she always recognizes it right away.
Thomas likes the cursive program. Before finding Handwriting Without Tears we tried a couple of other programs and he often complained about them. Now penmanship is usually the first thing he does. And when he wants to, his handwriting can look really nice. He's a typical boy though and doesn't like to spend a lot of time writing neatly where Elle will erase a letter and take the time to rewrite it if it doesn't look just right.
Ava is learning to help out with a few things around here. She cleans off any leftover food on her plate into the garbage when she's done eating and then she loads it in the dishwasher.
This morning I heard the washing machine and dryer running but didn't remember starting either one of them. When I looked in the washer there was a nice combination of clothing that clearly Ava had put in to wash - a white towel, colored clothes and only about 1/4 of a load full. Thankfully she pushed the button for cold water in the wash and rinse cycle so no damage was done. I'm telling ya, there is never a dull moment in our house with this girl!
To update you on the carpet - I had a professional here today and it didn't come out. In fact it's worse than before he came since more of the dye spread around while he was treating it. I'm not quite sure what we are going to do about it yet. We did go through the whole upstairs this weekend though and tried to 'Ava-proof' it!
I thought I'd give you a peak into our homeschool this week. I've had a few people ask what curriculum we use and some of our family and friends might be curious about what 'really' goes on here. :)
I try to be pretty disciplined about a schedule when it comes to school. We get started most mornings around 9:00. Right now we are starting each day by reading a little in the book titled Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends. Wishful thinking by mama?! :) The kids enjoy looking up the verses and are also working on memorizing the books of the bible. After this they get started on their subjects.
On Mondays Thomas and Elle are usually starting a new math lesson. We use Math U See for our math curriculum and love it. At the beginning of each lesson they each watch a video of Mr. Demme teaching the new concept. He uses manipulatives to help the kids to really 'see' the how and why of what they are doing.
Then we move to the whiteboard to try out a few problems to make sure they are understanding it before moving on to the workbook pages. The rest of the week is spent reviewing the new material, working in the math workbook and a test is taken on Friday if they are ready. If not, we just continue working on the same concept the next week. MathUSee.com has a worksheet generator to supplement the workbook if more pages are needed. There is also an online drill that we have used over and over. It really is a great program.
On Sunday we had our first flurries of the season and Monday morning we woke up to a dusting of snow. The kids are getting excited for winter! I got out the container of coats and hats and pulled out a few things now that it's getting chillier. Wednesday and Thursday are supposed to be pretty nice so we need to finish raking the yard (Thomas got a good start on it today) and get everything cleaned up outside. Ready or not, here comes the cold!
I don't mean to be so destructive. Thosemarkers just looked like fun and I didn't know that that vile of methylene blue from Thomas's science kit would leave such a bad stain on your carpet. Really, I didn't. To be honest, I think it's Thomas's fault. He should pick up his stuff when he's done with it! And maybe you shouldn't make cookies anymore and instead watch my every move.
I am hoping and praying that those professional carpet cleaners will be able to get it out next week. And next time when I decide to get into things that look like fun but that I shouldn't touch I'll be sure to play with them inside the closet so that when you close the door the damage I do will be hidden.
I got this in an email from a friend this week and I thought it was a great analogy of our tax system.
Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing. The fifth would pay $1. The sixth would pay $3. The seventh would pay $7. The eighth would pay $12. The ninth would pay $18. The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that"s what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers, he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20." Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his "fair share?" They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody"s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man"s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings). The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings). The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings). The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings). The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings). The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. "I only got a dollar out of the $20", declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that"s right", exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It"s unfair that he got ten times more than I!"
"That"s true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
Somehow I missed the green whiteboard marker when I picked them up and put them out of reach the last time Ava decide to draw with them. This time she decorated the wall in her room.
This used to be Thomas's room and when the girls switched with him I told Elle that someday I would paint it pink for her since she wasn't too excited about the blue. I purchased the paint about a month ago but just haven't had time to tackle the project yet. I'm thinking I should maybe wait until Ava is 5?! :)
She challenges my patience for sure and some days has me wishing we were out of the 2 year old destructive phase but as soon as I start thinking those thoughts she comes downstairs dressed up in a ballerina tutu, beads and a silly hat with an armful of books and says, 'Read stories to me?' with a cute little smile on her face. And then I realize again how sweet this stage is and that it goes by all too quickly and I'm happy to stop cleaning the kitchen for a few minutes while we sit down together and read the same books that we've read over and over. Then I lay her down for a nap and am so thankful for those 1 1/2 - 2 hours of peace and quiet too! :)
There have been so many things that she's said lately that I've been wanting to write down on the blog. She keeps us laughing all the time around here. These are a few that I can think of right now -
She went through a time where all she would call me was 'Mama Mia'. I'm not sure where she heard this but she made a lot of people smile when she'd call me that when we were out and about.
Elle often calls her sweetheart and her reply is 'I'm not Sweetheart, I'm Ava!'
Most people will say they want just one more of something. One more minute, just one more m&m, etc. Ava always wants two. Two more minutes, two more songs at nap time, two more stories...
She loves Thomas and Elle and has them wrapped around her finger. She often tells them 'We're best friends.' It's so sweet.
Two days in a row this week she has had potty training success. Yesterday she hid under the table to do her business though so I'm thinking that it's still going to be awhile before she's done with diapers. Potty training is really the last thing to do and then we are pretty much done with the baby stage stuff. She sleeps in a big girl bed, eats at the table, the highchair is no longer in the dining room. We've put away or given away most of the baby/little kid toys since she likes to play big girl stuff now. One of her favorites is playing house with Elle. She's a good little mommy to her baby dolls. My girl is growing up!
When the house was eerily quiet this afternoon Scott went looking for Ava. He found her drawing pictures on her sheets with whiteboard markers. We will be able to admire these works of art for a long time since I wasn't able to get them out. Whiteboard markers are one thing that even my favorite cleaner can't remove. I have to say that I am relieved it wasn't the carpet!
I made this pork tenderloin for dinner last night. It was my first time making pork tenderloin and it came out excellent - moist and flavorful. Scott's looking forward to sandwiches with the leftovers and Ava kept saying 'more chicken please' and she's not usually a big meat eater. I've copied the recipe into my book of favorites and will be making it over and over. Here's my version of the recipe with just a couple of changes that I made -
Pork Tenderloin
In a small bowl combine: 1 garlic clove, minced 1 tsp. kosher salt (next time I'll add just a little less than a tsp.) 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
Rub this mixture all over a 1 - 2 lb. pork tenderloin. Wrap in plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Brown tenderloin on all sides. Remove from heat and add water to skillet so that it comes to the bottom edge of the pork, about a half inch. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 - 50 minutes or till a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.
Remove tenderloin from pan, place on platter and cover with foil. Allow to sit while making gravy. Boil drippings in skillet. Add a little cornstarch mixed with water to thicken. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
I can't find the right words for this post. I keep typing stuff and then deleting it all. I think this song says it best. I'm moved each time I hear it and hope that you will take a few minutes to listen to it.
Oh little town of Bethlehem Looks like another silent night Above your deep and dreamless sleep A giant star lights up the sky And while your lying in the dark There shines an everlasting light For the King has left His throne And is sleeping in a manger tonight
Oh, Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping For God became a man And stepped into your world today Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history As a city with no room for its King While you were sleeping While you were sleeping
Oh little town of Jerusalem Looks like another silent night The Father gave His only Son The Way, the Truth, the Life had come But there was no room for Him in the world he came to save
Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today Jerusalem, you will go down in history As a city with no room for its King While you were sleeping While you were sleeping
United States of America Looks like another silent night As we're sung to sleep by philosophies That save the trees and kill the children And while we're lying in the dark There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky For the Bridegroom has returned And has carried his bride away in the night
America, what will we miss while we are sleeping Will Jesus come again And leave us slumbering where we lay America, will we go down in history As a nation with no room for its King Will we be sleeping Will we be sleeping
I found this no-fail method for how to boil an egg several years ago in the cookbook Just a Matter of Thyme. The cooked yolk is always perfectly yellow with no traces of green around the edge. Such a simple thing but one that makes a big difference!
1. Place eggs in a saucepan. Cover with cold water. 2. Bring to a rapid boil. Immediately place the lid on the pan. 3. Leave the pan on the burner but turn the burner off. Let set for 15 minutes. (Set a timer!) 4. Drain off the hot water. Cover cooked eggs again with cold water. Let set 2 minutes. 5. Drain off cold water. Leaving the eggs in the pan, shake pan back and forth several times so that the eggs bump up against each other and crack. The shell should slide off easily now. (Occasionally there are still those eggs that don't want to peel nicely.) Rinse under cool water and store in a covered container. Use within 3 days.
The colors around here are stunning right now. I love looking out the windows as I do my day to day tasks. Folding clothes and washing dishes is much more pleasant when there is beauty like this to look at!
Our backyard, or 'The Woods' as Thomas and Elle like to call it. Soon they are going to be having fun raking these leaves into big piles to jump in!
I love so many things about homeschooling but one of them is the freedom to enjoy the moment. At lunchtime we noticed how nice the weather was so I packed the kids lunch in a cooler and they enjoyed eating it while floating around on the paddle boat. It was a good day.
We made a quick trip to Nebraska this weekend. 1200 miles in 3 days...whew! We went back to attend the memorial service for Scott's Grandpa Joe who passed away last week. The service was truly a celebration of his life. I will always have fond memories of sitting around G.G. and Grandpa Joe's table visiting and enjoying homemade cinnamon rolls and kolacheys.
I loved this quote that was shared at the service -
Life is not a journey to the grave With the intention of Arriving safely in a pretty And well preserved body, But rather to skid in broadside, Thoroughly used up, Totally worn out, And loudly proclaiming, WOW! What a ride!
Don't forget to set your DVR's up to record Kath and Kim tomorrow night! I am hoping that this show is as funny as the previews for it are. Molly Shannon is my kind of humor. She's crazy, goofy and weird! I used to love her 'Superstar' skits on SNL and would drive Scott crazy doing my impersonations of Mary Katherine Gallager. :)
When we finished the basement this winter we decided to put wood flooring in the smaller of the two bedrooms and use it as an exercise room. It's just the right size for the Total Gym and the elliptical runner.
We got the Total Gym in July and love it. Scott and I can both get a great workout with it and Thomas has even started using it. He's getting serious about his swimming now that swim team has started. The coaches encourage them to do sit ups, push ups, etc. on their own so Scott put the pull up bar on it for him last night. He went downstairs on his own today and worked out for 10 minutes or so.
The elliptical runner in this picture is new. We bought a Horizon Fitness model about two years ago but had some problems with it last spring that ended up not being repairable. When it first broke I called their customer service and was emailed a detailed parts list to look over and let them know what to send along with pictures of the problem. We procrastinated and took about 3 months to get that done. When we finally did they called and said that they were sending us a brand new one and within a week we received it! We are really happy with the new model and would highly recommend their company if you're shopping around for one. I have been running on it 4 days a week, 50 minutes a time and it's a great workout!
The theme for Randi's Recipe Box Swap this month is lunchtime favorites. We usually eat leftovers, sandwiches or salads for lunch but every now and then I surprise the kids with one of their favorites....French Bread Pizzas. These are usually the requested lunch on their birthdays...they are that good. :)
Cut a loaf of french bread in half lengthwise. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread pizza sauce on each half and top with whatever you like. The kids always want cheese and pepperoni, of course! Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes until cheese melts and turns a little brown. Cut up and serve to your smiling children. Toss the parchment paper in the trash and clean up is done!
I'm sorry to have become such a sporadic blogger lately! We have been busy with school, fall cleaning, and playing outside. We are trying to soak up the warm weather while it lasts. On Friday it was gorgeous (almost 80 degrees!) so I packed a picnic lunch and we finished reading our history and geography at the park and then the kids played for an hour or so. They loved it!
The leaves are taking their time to change this year which is fine with me. There are some trees that are bright yellow and red already but surprisingly many are still pretty green. This week it isn't quite so summer-like so I'm sure they'll be changing quickly now.
Last night I made a batch of pear butter. It made the house smell so good! I hope to make apple butter as well. We love it for breakfast on toast. Here's the recipe if you want to try it. It only takes an hour and a half to make and is worth every minute of it!
Remove peel, core and seeds from ripe pears. Puree in a food processor or blender. Mix together in a saucepan with sugar and spices. Simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Ladle into sterilized jars, seal and water bath for 15-20 minutes. Smile each time you hear the 'pop' of the seal.
This blog is about my day to day life as a wife to my husband Scott, and mama to our 3 children - Thomas (13), Elle (11) and Ava (6). I love all things domestic - cooking, baking, knitting, and sewing so you will find a little of each here along with lots of pictures of the kids.
This year Elle and Ava dressed up as clowns and Thomas was Indiana Jones. Scott's work had a Halloween party and he took 2nd prize with that pirate look he's got going there. 
The weather was great for trick or treating and as always our neighbors spoiled the kids with lots of candy. Their baskets were full when we got home. 
Ava said it best when she said, 'It's a great day!'
For the past two years we have used Handwriting Without Tears as our penmanship curriculum. Elle was struggling with writing letters and numbers backwards and this program really helped to correct that. We used a few of the optional manipulatives and they helped her be able to remember the starting place for each letter. Occasionally she still mixes up her lowercase b's and d's but not nearly as often and she always recognizes it right away. 
Ava is learning to help out with a few things around here. She cleans off any leftover food on her plate into the garbage when she's done eating and then she loads it in the dishwasher. 
This morning I heard the washing machine and dryer running but didn't remember starting either one of them. When I looked in the washer there was a nice combination of clothing that clearly Ava had put in to wash - a white towel, colored clothes and only about 1/4 of a load full. Thankfully she pushed the button for cold water in the wash and rinse cycle so no damage was done. I'm telling ya, there is never a dull moment in our house with this girl! 
On Mondays Thomas and Elle are usually starting a new math lesson. We use Math U See for our math curriculum and love it. At the beginning of each lesson they each watch a video of Mr. Demme teaching the new concept. He uses manipulatives to help the kids to really 'see' the how and why of what they are doing.
Then we move to the whiteboard to try out a few problems to make sure they are understanding it before moving on to the workbook pages. The rest of the week is spent reviewing the new material, working in the math workbook and a test is taken on Friday if they are ready. If not, we just continue working on the same concept the next week. MathUSee.com has a worksheet generator to supplement the workbook if more pages are needed. There is also an online drill that we have used over and over. It really is a great program.
On Sunday we had our first flurries of the season and Monday morning we woke up to a dusting of snow. The kids are getting excited for winter! I got out the container of coats and hats and pulled out a few things now that it's getting chillier. Wednesday and Thursday are supposed to be pretty nice so we need to finish raking the yard (Thomas got a good start on it today) and get everything cleaned up outside. Ready or not, here comes the cold!
Dear Mommy,
This used to be Thomas's room and when the girls switched with him I told Elle that someday I would paint it pink for her since she wasn't too excited about the blue. I purchased the paint about a month ago but just haven't had time to tackle the project yet. I'm thinking I should maybe wait until Ava is 5?! :) 
She challenges my patience for sure and some days has me wishing we were out of the 2 year old destructive phase but as soon as I start thinking those thoughts she comes downstairs dressed up in a ballerina tutu, beads and a silly hat with an armful of books and says, 'Read stories to me?' with a cute little smile on her face. And then I realize again how sweet this stage is and that it goes by all too quickly and I'm happy to stop cleaning the kitchen for a few minutes while we sit down together and read the same books that we've read over and over. Then I lay her down for a nap and am so thankful for those 1 1/2 - 2 hours of peace and quiet too! :)
When the house was eerily quiet this afternoon Scott went looking for Ava. He found her drawing pictures on her sheets with whiteboard markers. We will be able to admire these works of art for a long time since I wasn't able to get them out. Whiteboard markers are one thing that even my favorite cleaner can't remove. I have to say that I am relieved it wasn't the carpet!
The colors around here are stunning right now. I love looking out the windows as I do my day to day tasks. Folding clothes and washing dishes is much more pleasant when there is beauty like this to look at!
Our backyard, or 'The Woods' as Thomas and Elle like to call it. Soon they are going to be having fun raking these leaves into big piles to jump in!
I love so many things about homeschooling but one of them is the freedom to enjoy the moment. At lunchtime we noticed how nice the weather was so I packed the kids lunch in a cooler and they enjoyed eating it while floating around on the paddle boat. It was a good day.
I loved this quote that was shared at the service -
Don't forget to set your DVR's up to record Kath and Kim tomorrow night! I am hoping that this show is as funny as the previews for it are. Molly Shannon is my kind of humor. She's crazy, goofy and weird! I used to love her 'Superstar' skits on SNL and would drive Scott crazy doing my impersonations of Mary Katherine Gallager. :)
And Sally O'Malley...
'I like to kick, stretch, and kick!'
We got the Total Gym in July and love it. Scott and I can both get a great workout with it and Thomas has even started using it. He's getting serious about his swimming now that swim team has started. The coaches encourage them to do sit ups, push ups, etc. on their own so Scott put the pull up bar on it for him last night. He went downstairs on his own today and worked out for 10 minutes or so. 
The theme for Randi's Recipe Box Swap this month is lunchtime favorites. We usually eat leftovers, sandwiches or salads for lunch but every now and then I surprise the kids with one of their favorites....French Bread Pizzas. These are usually the requested lunch on their birthdays...they are that good. :)
Pear Butter
