You must buy these boots

I was looking around on the LL Bean Website because they have one-piece swimming suits for people with long torsos (which are harder to find than you might think), and I gave up because the cute ones were all over $100. I guess this is the price you pay for being slightly deformed in the torso region. I was still in the mood to shop, however, and I've been eyeing these really expensive boots for months - the kind that are rubber on the bottom and lined with fur that would be perfect for sloshing through the Wal-Mart parking lot in January or the mush around the fishing pond in May. So, I decided to check out the boots on the sale rack, and I found the BEST deal EVER. Truly. If you have $40 and room in your closet, you have to get these:

Now, these aren't the waterproof work boots I wanted (those are still $95), but they are on sale for $39! The original price? $139! That's $100 off! Holy cow! They've gotten great reviews, although I guess they fit best if you have thin calves. Don't we all have thin calves? I'd like to think that my own problem areas don't start until at least the lower thigh region. And LL Bean has free shipping on everything, so these are an even better bargain. I say, treat yourself to an early Mother's Day present and get a pair NOW! What are you still doing on this page? Go NOW!

What I've been making this week

Roasted Garlic

(Cut the tops off of the bulbs, wrap in foil, and drizzle in olive oil. Roast at 375 for about 35 minutes.)

Italian Bread

1 cup plus 2 TBL water

2 TBL olive oil

3 TBL sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 1/4 cups bread flour

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1 bulb of roasted garlic with cloves separated and peels removed

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Add to bread machine, wet ingredients first, then sugar and salt, then dry ingredients (yeast on top). Bake in bread machine using basic white, 1.5 lb. loaf setting. Mash up some of the remaining garlic with butter. Spread on sliced bread and toast under the broiler. Yum.

Strawberry Layered Dessert

2/3 cup boiling water

20 crushed Oreo cookies

1/4 cup melted butter

1 package sugar free strawberry jello

1 tub light whipped cream

1 8 oz. package light cream cheese, room temp

1 lb. sliced strawberries

Bring water to a boil and add jello mix. Remove from heat and stir until fully dissolved. Set aside. Crush Oreos and mix with melted butter. Press into the bottom of a springform pan. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until creamy. Gradually add jello, beating well between additions. Fold in whipped cream, reserving some for topping if desired. Pour half of whipped cream/jello mixture over crust. Layer with 1/2 the sliced strawberries. Pour on remaining whipped cream/jello mixture and top with remaining strawberries. Garnish with remaining whipped cream and Oreos, if desired.
Chill 1-2 hours before serving to make removing from pan easier. Remove outer ring of springform pan before serving to show off the pretty layers.

Knitted Flowers

These are to go on my ugly scarf to make it less ugly. I put them on Grace to show them to scale, and to show off her cuteness.

Dogs

Isaac and I are both sick of school. He more so than I, but still, I cringe every time I look at any of his textbooks. Yesterday was horrible, and I can't even really blame him. We do these daily English/writing worksheets that are absolutely ridiculous, and I hate his spelling lists. Everyone loves Sequential Spelling except us, I guess. So, to make the rest of the school year bearable, we're scrapping everything but Math and Bible Study and doing a 4-week unit study on dogs. Did you just giggle at the idea of a 4-week study on dogs? It sounds silly, but I bought the lesson plans for $11 from http://www.unitstudy.com/, and I actually really like them. They even have a separate plan included for "young learners" in K-3. I'm thinking that Isaac and I will do some stuff from the young learners plan and some from the older learners. I also want to read either White Fang or The Call of the Wild with him. I think I have The Call of the Wild somewhere, so if I do, that'll be the deciding factor. There are sites where you can read whole books online for free (like this one: http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/), but there's something about having the actual book.
This morning, we're going to Wal-Mart to get a three-hole-punch folder to keep his "dog notebook" in ("notebooking" being a key part of unit studies, apparently) and to the library to get a bunch of books on dogs. The lesson plan has a ton of links to Websites on dogs, and the only thing that scares me is that it requires a lot of research and a lot of writing - two things for which Isaac has very little patience. And, for the record, this will NOT end in the purchase of a dog. No way, no how.
In conclusion, here is a family of duck-snakes (her words) that Esme created yesterday. She did the cutting and everything...isn't she clever?

Growing Kids God's Way: Two Challenges

John and I are taking the Growing Kids God's Way class at church, and it is absolutely life-changing. Even for me, and I've already taken it. If you ever have a chance to attend this series, you have GOT to do it. Right now, we're working on the first two "homework" assignments given in chapters one and two:

1. Give the moral or practical reason why when disciplining your children. This means that you can't just say "No!", you have to explain the moral or practical reason why the behavior needs to stop. For example, instead of just saying, "Don't talk back to me," you have to add something like, "because God tells us to honor and respect our father and mother, and talking back is disrespectful." Sometimes, the reason is practical, rather than moral. So, rather than saying, "Stay out of the street!", you have to add, "because a car could hit you and you could get hurt." The purpose of giving the reason is to instill the moral and practical principles into the child's heart so that he can make good decisions in the future. Without the reason why, kids are unable to apply today's "No" to tomorrow's situation.

2. Spend 15 minutes of "couch time" with your spouse every day. This means that you sit down together while the kids are still up and you do nothing but talk to each other (about whatever you want to talk about). It's cheating to do "couch time" while cooking, cleaning, or watching TV. And you have to do it during a time when your children are aware that you're doing it. The purpose is to strengthen your marriage, and also to demonstrate to your children that you love each other and place a top priority on your marriage relationship. Mom and Dad should come first; kids second.

Another strategy we're working on is teaching in times of non-conflict. Rather than saving all of your parental wisdom for times of conflict (discipline), teach your children the principles of good behavior when they're actually being good. I like this one because every time I reinforce one of my kids' good behavior ("Good job, Simon! It's good to say please because it shows respect for other people") they just beam with pride, and it generates more good behavior from them and from any siblings who happen to be watching. I call it the good behavior trickle-down effect.

Fiber Therapy

Fiber Therapy: my friend Maura's brilliant name (and idea) for our knitting time together. She came over during her lunch break yesterday and we knitted for an hour or so, and it was very therapeutic indeed. The only thing I miss about my job is seeing her and my other friends, and I miss them all dearly. Okay...to a lesser extent, I also miss the Reese's Pieces dispenser in the break room.
Not only did Maura inspire me with the beautiful shawl she was making for her mom, we had a chance to catch up and talk about all of the stuff that we haven't been talking about because we've been too busy to get together. I'm hoping that, like any good fiber therapy, this becomes a regular thing. Notice the clever pun. I already have a long list of stuff I want to make, including Barbie clothes for Esme, dolls for all of my nieces, a shawl, dishcloths, fingerless gloves...and so on. I think I'm addicted. Check out this free pattern for an "Amy" doll - wouldn't this be an adorable Christmas present for my adorable nieces? If I start now, maybe I can get them finished by December.

Easter weekend

We had such a great weekend. Yesterday involved nearly all of my favorite things: cooking (and eating) a holiday meal, a birthday (not mine - even better), having John's kids over, arts and crafts, beautiful weather, a nice long run, and, of course, celebrating Jesus' resurrection and the awesome sacrifice he made for us.

Here's a chronological account of our day.
We ate ham, cheesy potatoes, 7-layer salad, and crescent rolls (or "my favorite bagels," as Simon calls them).

Then, we celebrated Kristin's birthday with some presents and peanut butter pie.

Next, some quality time with Grace.

And, finally, decorating eggs and flower pots.

Can't we do this every weekend?

Their own personalities

I'm constantly being surprised by how different my kids are from each other. They each have their own distinct personalities, and man, are they cute. Here are some of the endearing, unusual traits that I love:

Simon:

• Adores cooking shows. He especially likes Guy Fieri on the Food Network.
• Loves to draw and doodle. Most of his free time is spent drawing elaborate creatures and then explaining them to half-listening adults in minute detail.
• Is very, very sensitive. When chastised, Simon is my only child who actually shows remorse.

Isaac:

• Wakes up in the morning ready to go. Bounces off the walls from the minute I get him out of bed. Note: this is not always so endearing.
• Is extremely observant and good at remembering details...like what happened in the fifth scene of the third Star Wars movie and what Simon did to wrong him three years ago last Tuesday.
• Loves bible study and asks questions that are usually too deep for me to answer right away ("If God knows about everything before it happens, does God make bad things happen?").

Esme:

• Pretends every toy is a mommy or a baby. Can play make believe non-stop for hours, all by herself.
• Loves to help me cook and clean. Her favorite thing is to dust with the Swiffer duster, which I can't watch, because she's always on the verge of knocking something off the wall/shelf.
• Sings along with any song, even if she can't figure out the words. My current favorite is "Waltzing Matilda," which she sings falsetto.

Grace:

• Smiles with one side of her mouth first, then the other side catches up and it's the cutest thing you've ever seen.
• Spends minutes at a time staring at whatever's closest to her with a wide-eyed, shocked expression. Again, very adorable.
• Smells like frosted flakes, except when she's pooping.

My wise baby

I don't think I've bragged enough about how well Grace has been sleeping. My three older kids didn't sleep through the night until they were at least 18 months old - Esme got up twice or MORE until she was one. They still get up in the middle of the night crying, coughing, needing water, having to pee, having already peed, with bloody noses, barfing, wanting to sleep on my floor, sleepwalking, sleeptalking, etc., etc. Grace, however, has been sleeping for 8-10 hours straight for the last two weeks, and I give all of the credit to the Babywise method of establishing baby's routine. I followed it religiously for the first 6 weeks or so, and she just naturally developed a good sleep/eat/wake pattern. Really. I was a total skeptic and started it thinking that it would fail, but at least I would have gone down fighting...and then it worked! The basic principle is that you start your baby off on a 2.5 - 3.5 hour cycle of feeding, then awake time, then sleeping. That's all there is to it. If the baby wants to eat sooner, you try to make her wait. If she's still asleep when it's time to eat, you wake her up. If she wants to sleep during feeding and awake time, you do everything you can to get her to wake up (cold hands on Grace's warm little belly was my favorite tactic). If you have a baby, even an older baby, or you're expecting, you have to buy this book. If I can make it work, anyone can.

My ugly scarf

I'm done! My ugly scarf is finished! Kind of. It's so ugly that I think I'm going to add some knitted flowers to it to make it wearable. Because ugly scarf plus ugly flowers equals totally chic, I'm just sure of it. I don't know if this is normal or not for beginners, but I started out with 15 stitches across and it somehow turned into more than 30. So then I had to pare it back down, but of course, it's not even so it's very crooked and lopsided and...ugly. And it all looks like the wrong side of a sweater, not like knitting, which confuses me. Am I purling, rather than knitting? I think the girl in the yarn store meant to teach me to knit, but maybe I mixed it up and am purling instead?? I'm going to study my DVD today to figure out how to purl. I really want to be able to make little knitted stuffed animals for the kids, but am I naive to think I can actually do that? They look so tiny and complicated. Check these out: http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/flowers.php.

Yogurt

I made banana bread yesterday and decided to do three things differently:

1. I had Simon and Esme help me. They loved it. LOVED it. They even sort of cooperated.
2. I added chocolate chips. Lots and lots of chocolate chips. I had a piece at lunch that was about 1/3 chips, 2/3 bread. Deeelicious.
3. I substituted yogurt for the vegetable oil. Not only that, but it was the really low fat, 100-calorie per serving yogurt. Again, delicious. According to my research, you can substitute yogurt for the butter, margarine, or oil in most recipes using a 1:1 ratio (so 1/4 cup vegetable oil = 1/4 cup yogurt). 

Do you think the yogurt fat-chopping made up for the addition of the chocolate chips? Oh, who cares. The bread turned out great - it's really moist, but it still held together really well, and the top got nice and shiny brown. I would post a picture but I'm too lazy to take one. Maybe I can catch someone eating it later and get a picture of that, although none of the kids (not even the ones who helped make it!) will give it a try. Watch out, John...you're my only hope...

Homeschooling methods

The school year is winding down, and we're already getting excited about next year's curriculum (we being me and John, not Isaac and Simon), so I thought it was time to brush up on the popular homeschool methods to see which one(s) would work best for us. There are a surprisingly large and diverse number of methods and philosophies out there, from classical to basic to go-with-the-flow. Here's my interpretation of the ones we found:

Back to basics: children study reading, riting, and rithmetic from textbooks and worksheets. The parent assigns and corrects exercises and projects. Very similar to public schools. Example: http://www.abeka.com/.

Charlotte Mason: named after it's creator, this one involves teaching children from good literature and having them narrate back to you what they've learned. It's designed for kids who are "motivated by beauty" and doesn't use grades, homework, or lectures. This strikes me as a tough sell to ex-husbands and other family members who are reluctant to stray too far from the public school method of education. My favorite part is that afternoons are kept free for outdoor play. Example: http://simplycharlottemason.com/.

Classical Education: This sounds to me like the way children were educated in boarding schools in 19th century Europe. Kids are taught using classical literature, Latin as a foundation for critical thinking and vocabulary, and a special teaching pattern called the "trivium." This one is very rigorous and demands some serious higher level thought from the kids. Example: http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/v2/index.php?page=3.

Contests: This one seems silly to me, but I'm sure it works wonders for competitive kids. You basically find academic contests in which to enter your children and focus your studies around the contests. Example: http://www.homeschool.com/Homeschool_Contests_And_Scholorships/default.asp.

Laptop Homeschooling: Your child learns on the computer from software or the internet. Several all-inclusive curriculum packages are available that allow your kids to learn all subjects on the computer, including lectures, practice, exercises, and tests. The cool thing about these is that they allow for mostly independent study, and the grading and tracking is done for you. Example: http://www.aophomeschooling.com/switched-on-schoolhouse/overview.php.

The Principle Approach: This is intriguing to me. Your instruction centers around the following:

• Reading copiously in American source documents and biographies of famous patriots
• Looking up word definitions in Webster's 1828 dictionary
• Learning principles of Christian morality and government
• Learning and using the "notebook method": Research, Reasoning, Relating, and Recording

Example: http://www.principleapproach.org/page/home_page/?.

The Robinson Method: a widower developed this method after his wife died so that he could take over the homeschooling duties with minimal involvement. You order the curriculum as a set of 22 CDs. The method uses independent study, mainly of literature, and is designed to be studied for 5 hours a day, 6 days a week, 12 months a year. It also involves eliminating sugar and TV. Youch. Example: http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/.

The Maloney Method: I honestly don't get this one. All I know is that it's based on tons and tons of research to discover the best instructional methods for children. If you want to do this method, you can use your own texts/lesson plans, or you can use the "Teach Your Children Well" series of manuals and workbooks. Example: http://www.teachyourchildrenwell.ca/.

Unschooling: This one reminds me a little bit of the Charlotte Mason method. You pretty much let your children decide what they want to learn and how they want to learn it - but you supervise them to ensure that they're not just goofing around all day. The philosophy behind this one is that kids do want to learn, and they'll become better learners if you let them do it their way. I think this would have worked for me as a student (because I was nerdy and loved school), and maybe it'll work for my kids when they're older, but I'm not convinced that this is such a great idea for most elementary-age students. Especially my own, highly distractible and unmotivated students. Example: http://www.unschooling.com/.

Unit Studies: This is the one I'm leaning toward. You buy lesson plans (or create your own) that integrate all basic subjects (language, science, bible, history, geography, sometimes even math) using a central topic or theme. The topic or theme is most commonly either a piece of literature or a historical/biblical period or event. For example, you might base a lesson, or a week's worth of lessons, around a piece of literature that takes place in ancient Egypt. So, on day one, you read a couple of chapters of the book and ask comprehension questions (language). Then, you study the flora and fauna of the Nile River valley (science). Next, you learn about the enslavement of Israel in Egypt and read from the book of Exodus (bible) and some of the customs and historical landmarks in Egypt (history/social studies). You might even make a recipe together using ingredients and methods used in ancient Egypt (home ec/social studies/science). Finally, you study a map of ancient Egypt/Africa and compare it to modern-day Egypt/Africa (geography). You continue in this topic as longs as you want to, choosing additional books, bible stories, etc. that involve ancient Egypt. Example: http://fiarhq.com/fiveinarow.info/index.html.

To Minneapolis and back again

John, Grace, and I had a wonderful weekend in Minneapolis with his sisters. We got to introduce Grace to her aunts and cousins (including some dog cousins), catch up on what everyone's been doing this winter, and just enjoy each other's company for a while. Everyone was so sweet and welcoming and excited to see Grace...we were totally spoiled. I got to see two of his sisters' houses that I'd never been to before and two of John's nieces that I didn't think we'd have time to see. The best dish we ate (you knew this was going to involve food at some point, didn't you?) was a tie between prime rib with gravy and horseradish and strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream. It was like Christmas. We even had time for a trip to Trader Joe's and Byerly's, where we bought some random, delicious, not-to-be-found-in-Carroll snacks (Australian cheese, maple pecan granola, blood orange soda, sesame covered almonds, smoked oysters) to bring home. We drove by John's childhood home, and I got to hear a bunch of "John" stories, which I love. I think all of us are tired this morning, so school might be starting a little late. The kids slept in their new pajamas from Aunt Sue, and I have a feeling that I'm going to have to beg and bribe Esme to get hers off. Someone might also have to beg and bribe me to get my pajamas off.

Aunt Jeanne, Grace, and John

Delight in Broccoli, Lapbooks, and Children

I made my old standby salad for the homeschool moms' potluck on Tuesday, and it was just as tasty as ever (not just according to me, either - my hostess asked for the recipe). This is a great side dish for Easter, if you've been asked to bring one. Here's the recipe (notice the bacon - I'm telling you, there is NOTHING that you can't add bacon to):
Broccoli Delight Salad
Salad:
1 large bunch broccoli
2 cups cauliflower
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup red onions
10 strips bacon, crumbled
1 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing:
3-4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup light mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon white vinegar

I made Esme's first lapbook yesterday, and I think she actually enjoyed it. She liked taking the animals out of their pockets, pretending to dress them in mittens, shoes, and coats, and sticking them back in. I think I've discovered my new favorite passtime: cutting things out and gluing them onto something else. After the lapbook, I made flashcards for the states and capitals, and I glued on a picture of each state. It's kind of soothing...I'm not sure whether it's the mindlessness of the cutting and pasting, or the nostalgic scent of the glue, but it was a very relaxing activity. Here's a link to the lapbook we made - click on the top link on this page (1, 2, 3 to the Zoo) to download the PDF file: http://www.homeschoolshare.com/level_1_lapbooks.php.

And, finally, a quick list of the endearing and delightful things my children do:

Grace smiles and rolls her eyes while she's falling asleep, like she's just heard a great joke.
Esme turns every toy (and piece of silverware, and sock, and pencil) into either a mommy or a baby, then spends several minutes having the mommy and baby tell each other how much they love each other. She also tries to feed her baby doll through her belly button.
Simon and I had a talk about having a green (good) day at school the other day that went something like this:
Me: "Simon, what kind of day are you going to have today?"
Simon: "A green day."
(high five)
(pause)
(internal struggle on Simon's part evidenced by a frown and wrinkled forehead)
Simon: "That's not a promise, you know."
Isaac pays such close attention to our bible studies. He's always got a deep philosophical question for me that I can barely answer, like "If God knows that someone's going to do something bad, isn't he making them do it?"

Lapbooks

Am I the last parent out there to hear of lapbooks? Just in case I'm not, I'll explain: lapbooks are mini-books that you make by folding and cutting a piece of paper in various cool ways and drawing or gluing stuff that you've learned about a topic onto the pages. I've already decided that Esme and I are making a lapbook today, because the artsy-craftsy side of me can't resist.

Here are a couple of links to help you get started (or at least visualize what I'm talking about):
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php
http://www.squidoo.com/lapbooking
http://www.handsofachild.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=7&Itemid=13

I'll show you a picture of our finished lapbook. It's going to be a train with animals in it, and I'm about 60% sure that Esme will love it. We shall see...

Homeschool Moms' Meeting

Last night, I met with 6 other homeschool moms in the Carroll area for a potluck dinner and to share resources, and it was awesome. Two and a half hours and two pages of notes later, I left with a huge list of curriculum and Websites to check out, which I can't wait to do. Here are a few of the ones that I thought were the most intriguing:

www.starfall.com: Phonics and learning to read
http://www.gwnews.com/: God's World News - magazines for kids
Graphic biographies: Biographies of historical figures written like comic books
http://www.artisticpursuits.com/: Art curriculum designed for homeschool or independent study
http://www.scriptureadventures.com/memory.html: 21-day bible verse memory challenge
http://www.learning-adventures.org/: World of Adventures unit study curriculum

I have no idea what we're going to do for curriculum next year, but I want to try to get away from worksheets...I feel like all we're doing right now is filling out worksheets, and I'm not sure how much Isaac's actually absorbing from them. The unit study curriculum sounds neat, because Isaac and Simon could both do it together, and it encompasses pretty much everything except math. And I do love our math book, which is a Teaching Textbook, so we could just keep using those.

It was exciting to actually talk to other people who homeschool. I was the newest to homeschooling - I think everyone else in the group had been doing it since day one - so I probably got more out of the meeting than they did. I'm hoping to convince them to meet more often than once a month, and maybe organize some kind of group teaching thing, since most of the moms have a bunch of kids around the same (elementary) age. I told John, all I want is a homeschooling friend that I can hang out with once in a while. Just one would be enough.

Bacon Date Scones

Yep, that's right, bacon date scones. I just ate one, and it was full of crunchy (bacon), chewy (date), sugary (sugar) goodness. I think I might put peanut butter on my next one, and then it would be absolutely perfect. My husband and I like to daydream about our bed and breakfast/bait and tackle shop/bakery/goat farm, and my idea for our signature baked good is the "Schoon." It's a scone, made by a Schoonover, hence the name "Schoon." (No one thinks this is clever except me, but I'm willing to debate it indefinitely.) I think that the bacon date Schoon might just be our claim to fame. Here's the recipe:

10 ounces thick-cut bacon
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped pitted dates
1 stick COLD butter
2/3 cup buttermilk (one of those little pint containers will be enough)

Snip bacon into small pieces and fry until crispy. Spoon onto paper towels to drain. Reserve bacon drippings. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Chop dates and add with bacon to flour mixture. Toss to coat. Grate butter into mixture (I used a cheese grater). Using fork, stir in butter. Add buttermilk and stir until moist clumps form. Using hands, knead until dough forms. The key is to stir/knead as little as possible; too much and the Schoons will be tough.
Put dough ball on floured surface and shape into an 8" circle. Cut into 8 wedges. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400. Remove from fridge, brush with bacon drippings, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Raw Schoons

Baked Schoons

Bacon Drippings (Oh, yeah)

Bonus picture - Esme and Isaac at the park this afternoon

Which reminds me of the thought I had on the way back from the park, when I started to feel guilty about not spending any time today studying for the ITBS tests next week: Isaac is learning how to be a good big brother. And how to treat girls. Which will translate into how to be a good husband and how to treat women. And that, my dear readers, is more important than long division. (Which Isaac has finally mastered, thank goodness.)

A New Bathroom

Isaac told me that it's just like living in a hotel since our bathroom was remodeled. Now, he says, we just need to work on the every other room in the house (starting with his; step one: kick Simon out). It does look wonderful, especially the gorgeous new vanity, constructed by our friend Tom Riddle, who can build or fix just about anything. My parents (and landlords) let me pick out the counter top, paint, and flooring, and I think I rose to the challenge. My handy husband put the mirror back up last night, so I decided that it's finally time to reveal the end results. It's such a small room that I had a hard time taking pictures, but I say, smaller bathroom equals less square footage from which to mop up chest hairs and pee.

It's Formica, but doesn't it look like granite? 

Another optical illusion...it's not tile, but it really, really looks like tile. And no grout to have to seal and keep clean!

 

The color is called Peaceful Pines. Makes me want a bubble bath, without any interruptions from children who have to go potty. Because it's never a number one when Mom is in the tub.

Check out the cool curvy shower curtain rod. Oh, and I got all of the "soft goods" from K-Mart with a $30 off coupon, which I think was in their advertiser last week. You can get $30 off any "home" purchase of $100 or more. Don't ask...not even the store clerks knew what qualified as a "home" purchase. Just so you know, if you're $10 short, grabbing some hairspray and lotion is not going to help you out - these are not qualifying purchases. It will only delay the checkout process and annoy everyone in line behind you. And if you go back again to try to find more "home" goods, get something that will definitely cost more than what you need (beware of sheets that are on clearance for even less than marked, for example), or you might end up short yet again, further annoying everyone. I ended up with a shower curtain and liner, four bath towels, two hand towels, a rug, a soap dispenser, a set of twin sheets (additional purchase #1 - on sale for $6!!), and a picture frame (additional purchase #2) for about $80.

Tastebook and a good book

If you haven't been to the Tastebook Website, now is the time to check it out. Not only can you search zillions of recipes online, you can upload your own recipes and create a customized cookbook - even including family photos and photos of your recipes. The cookbooks are printed on nice shiny paper and come in a binder, so you can add to them later. You can even order clear sleeve pages to stuff cut-out recipes into. I remember my sister getting a book of her husband's favorite recipes from her mother-in-law when they got married...maybe that would have gone over a little better had it been in Tastebook format?

One of the Tastebook covers you can choose from

I'm supposed to be finished with my current library find today, because it's due back and someone has it reserved, but I'm only halfway through. It's a great book, written by two authors: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. If you like World War II stories and books that are formatted as a collection of cleverly written letters, you will love it. If you dislike either of those things, stay away from this one. I don't usually approve of books written by two people (are they not capable of writing a book on their own?) but it works this time. Apparently, it is an aunt/niece duo.

The big event this week is a homeschool mom's dinner tomorrow night, which is also a potluck. I'm supposed to bring a salad and any curriculum that I used this year that Isaac and I liked. I'm bringing his math book and that broccoli/raisin/bacon salad. Mmmm...there's one for the Tastebook.

Rhubarb Heaven

We had dinner last night with my parents and my sister's family (including my adorable nieces, who are just adorable), and aside from the wonderful company, the highlight was the rhubarb dessert. Or was it the burgers? No, it was the dessert (sorry Dad). This dessert alone is reason enough to plant some rhubarb in your garden.

Crust
2 cups of flour
10 tablespoons of powdered sugar
1 cup softened butter
Mix like pie crust, press into 9x13 pan, and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Filling
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 cups rhubarb
1 teaspoon almond extract
Beat eggs until fluffy. Add dry mixture, then add rhubarb and almond extract. Pour over crust and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

My parents just got back from a trip to see my long-lost cousin, Matt, in Galveston, and they learned that Texans don't grow rhubarb. So take advantage of one of the very few things that Iowa has over Texas and make this dessert!

A Godly Household

I woke up feeling kind of discouraged today...lots to do and not enough time to do it. So instead of stewing about it, thereby making it worse and spreading it to everyone around me, which is what I would normally do, I'm trying to pray about it instead. I found a really good prayer for a Godly household that starts like this:
"My home is a place of refuge and peace. I believe that anyone who comes into my home will feel the presence of God. I choose to honor God in my home. I dedicate my home to the Lord; I consecrate it with prayer and praise." That's my prayer for today - a household of refuge and peace. And one of fewer dust bunnies, crumbs, and sticky fingerprints than there were yesterday.

Sleep

It is 5:45 a.m. and Grace has been asleep since 10 p.m. or so. Yes! This is what my Baby Wise book promised would happen, although I haven't been the best at following all of the Baby Wise rules, so I hope this isn't just a fluke. If you have a baby, or are going to have a baby, and you haven't read On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo, you need to! It's a controversial book and a controversial approach to parenting, but it's one that I firmly believe in. It's all about you as the parent establishing the baby's routine (as opposed to letting the baby establish the routine or not having one at all).

In totally unrelated news, I just got an update from Women for Women International that was really neat. I sponsor a "sister" through Women for Women, which is a charity designed to help women in war-torn countries rebuild their lives after the devastation of war (which often includes losing their families, being raped, and other horrible things) and develop skills that they can use to earn a living. The update describes the educational program that the women go through, which consists of four modules: "Sustaining and Income," "Health and Wellness," "Family and Community Decision Making," and "Social Networks and Safety Nets." Doesn't that sound awesome? If you're interested in sponsoring a sister or learning more about the organization, visit their Website at: http://www.womenforwomen.org/.

Hell's Kitchen

About a year ago, my two best friends and I went on a marvelous trip to Minneapolis over a long weekend. We ate and shopped and ate and pampered ourselves and ate some more. We spent more on one dinner that weekend than I've ever spent on a trip to the grocery store (and I have four kids, so think about how much that must have been). The food was wonderful - not as good as the company, of course, but wonderful - and the highlight for me was our breakfast at Hell's Kitchen. I still remember what we ate: lemon ricotta pancakes, porridge with cranberries and blueberries, and the absolute best peanut butter I've ever had. My family has a peanut butter obsession. I found these gigantic 5-pound tubs of Fareway brand peanut butter a month or so ago, and we're already on our second one. A day without peanut butter is a sad day for me, so sometimes I just get out a knife, dip it in, and lick off the yummy pasty peanutty heaven. So anyway, Hell's Kitchen has a Website, which has their menus and an online store, among other cool stuff: http://hellskitcheninc.com/. In honor of the one year anniversary of this spectacular place and time, I just ordered three large jars of their peanut butter. It's really chunky and crunchy and honey-ey and I have tried every other peanut butter I can find and nothing even comes close to its awesome texture and taste. One jar is for me (and John - he's just as addicted as I am), and the other two are for...hmmm...who could those be for? Get your spoons ready, girls...

Our usual peanut butter ($7 for all of this!!)

Hell's Kitchen's peanut butter (a tad pricier, but who cares?)

Check out the breakfast menu - next time we go, I'm getting the toasted sausage bread. And if the bison sausage is too much for my tastebuds, I'll just slather on more peanut butter.

Coupons

I feel like an idiot when it comes to "couponing," because I just can't figure it out. People blog about spending $3 on $100 worth of groceries, and all I can manage to do is SAVE $3 on $100 of groceries. So, I am determined to figure it out. The part I don't get is using the same coupon on multiple items or multiple coupons on the same item - this is what most of those coupon people tell you to do, but all of the coupons I've ever found say to "limit one per purchase" and "no doubling or tripling." Are they cheating? I'm about to find out, because I found a blog with detailed instructions on getting started with couponing: http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/tag/beginners-guide-to-coupons/.
I also just discovered the show "Extreme Couponing" on TLC, which I can't actually watch, since (in a fit of frugality that the coupon people would surely appreciate) we cancelled our satellite dish subscription. However, the show has some clips and other information on the TLC Website: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/extreme-couponing.
So, my questions are these: is extreme couponing cheating the system? Are stores and manufacturers exasperated by these people, who are taking advantage of weird coupon loopholes, or are the couponners just really diligent in taking advantage of legitimate deals? Do you have to spend hours every day planning and clipping and shopping to save big money, or can real people with real lives actually make this work? If I do make it work, are we going to have to build a pantry to house all of the spare bottles of barbecue sauce and Tylenol? Will I be able to cook stuff we want to eat, or will we spend weeks at a time choking down Hamburger Helper with a side of Cheez-Its and expired Zebra Cakes?
Dear readers, the answers to these questions will be forthcoming.
And, in the words of Andrew Zimmern (yes, I'm still looking for a good closing catchphrase): If it looks good, eat it.

My tropical paradise

One of the many great things about visiting my sister is that I never leave her house without some goodies to take with me. This weekend, we stopped over and I ended up with a big box of apples and oranges, a bag of miscellaneous girl toys (including two Diego dolls that have not left Esme's sight since), and a Scentsy scented wax warmer. I've known about these things, but I always thought that if I stuck to my $5 Wal-Mart candles, I'd end up with a better deal. Au contraire. I've been using the Scentsy for two days, all day, with just one little wax cube, and it still smells heavenly in here. I can't remember the name of the scent, but it's yellow and I think it has either Havana or Cabana in the name; possibly both. And I don't have to worry about starting the house on fire or keeping the kids away from it, which is no small thing. That saying about "moths to a flame" should really be "Wood children to a flame," because they absolutely cannot resist fire, flames, or lighters. And the clay warmer is really pretty, especially when you turn the lights off and you can see the light from it peeping out from the holes. Doesn't my sister have good taste? These come in a zillion different designs, so if you don't like mine, first of all you're crazy, but secondly, you can probably find one that suits your style somewhere in their catalog.

While we were in Denison, we also stopped at Wal-Mart to get a replacement doll for the one Esme's been falling in love with, because we discovered that Esme's "Grace" doll is actually her cousin Sarah's "Esme" doll, which had gone missing months ago. We were at Grandma's house one day this winter and took the doll with us, not realizing that it was Sarah's beloved Esme, whom she had gotten after Esme was born. So now we have a new "Grace", and she looks remarkably like the old one. Esme didn't care at all about the switcheroo, and she's particularly excited about all the accessories that came with the new doll - a bottle, a pacifier, a bib...she's got her own little diaper bag full of stuff that has to go everywhere with us. She's better at remembering all of her baby supplies than I am at remembering the real diaper bag.

The D-rings and corset boning I need to make my nursing covers arrived yesterday, so I need to get started on them. Does anyone out there need one and want to volunteer to be my guinea pig? Let me know, because I'm giving the first few away as gifts, and I'm having a hard time finding another nursing mom in my little circle of acquaintances.

Getting started with sewing and knitting

Let the homemaking begin! I bought my first ball of yarn and knitting needles this weekend, and I got enough fabric to make two nursing covers and a baby sling.
We got the yarn at the yarn store in Carroll (is it called the Yarn Barn?), and I could definitely live there. John and Grace rocked in a rocking chair while the girl who was working helped me pick out some supplies and taught me how to knit while we lounged on a really comfy couch. I am officially knitting a scarf out of gray yarn that has a little bit of Alpaca wool in it (note to self: must buy an Alpaca when we buy our dream acreage...I need this noted somewhere so that I don't forget over the course of the next 25 years. It can play with the goats, whom I have already named Ed and Eddy). Friends and family beware: you will be getting knitted doodads from me for Christmas.

We also went to Threads, etc. in Glidden, which just moved to Glidden from Carroll, and the couple who owns the store was so sweet and friendly. I found some very pretty fabric that was on sale for 30% off. Check out the purple batik - it's my favorite.

I am really not in the mood to get ready for the day. Simon has some kind of stomach bug, and we have a ton of stuff to do this morning, and I just want to sit here and knit and watch Little People Big World on Netflix. Maybe just one more episode?

Nutella and a Smiling Baby

As promised, I'm delivering some Nutella S'mores Bars to my lovely sister today, so I just finished baking them (and licking the bowl clean). I added peanut butter to the Nutella, because everything is better with peanut butter, but otherwise, I followed this recipe: http://www.myteenytinykitchen.com/2009/08/nutella-smore-bars.html. There is nothing like starting a morning with coffee and baking and the scent of melting Nutella.

I did manage to lick the bowl even cleaner after I took the picture.

Grace has started smiling at us and almost giggling. It's my goal to be the first one to get a real giggle out of her, but I think I'm going to lose to either her daddy or her brother Isaac. This is her in a near-smile...

I think she looks just like her dad and her older sister Brittany. Very adorable, and with a much smaller (in a good way) head than my other babies. Speaking of older sisters, the big news this weekend is that Kristin and Nick are engaged! We couldn't be happier for them, and, I'm sure, neither could they. What a cool thing, to watch our family grow...especially when it doesn't also involve watching my belly grow. :-) I love that the little kids will have the older kids as friends and role models as they grow up - and (soon, we hope?) some little nieces and nephews to be friends with too.

Summer Camp

I know that when I was Isaac's age, I would rather have died than attend a summer camp, but as an adult, camp sounds so cool! I can't convince him to go to any of these, but check out these camps!

• 4-H: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/center/
• Girl Scouts: http://www.girlscoutsiowa.org/camp.cfm
• Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts: http://www.bsa-ia.org/openrosters/view_homepage.asp?orgkey=1935
• Cedar Valley Stables (horse camp for girls): http://www.cedarvalleystables.net/id6.html
• Bar L Horse Camp: http://www.barlranchia.com/
• Raccoon River Bible Camp: http://rrbiblecamp.org/
• Iowa Young Writers Studio (for high-schoolers): http://www.uiowa.edu/~iyws/tableofcontents.htm
• Camp Invention (available in several IA cities): http://www.campchannel.com/summer-camps/Camp-Invention-Cedar-Falls-Iowa-3519.html
• Iowa Fiber & Arts Camps: http://www.iowafiberarts.com/index.html
• Camp Courageous (for kids with disabilities): http://www.campcourageous.org/
• Camp Herkto Hollow (for kids with diabetes): http://www.camphertkohollow.com/
• High School & Jr. High Band Camp: http://www.wartburg.edu/music/camps.html, http://www.uiowa.edu/~bands/ISMC/Welcome.html
• ISU Talented and Gifted (grades 3-7) http://www.opptag.iastate.edu/summer/adventures/index.php
• ISU Talented and Gifted (grades 8-10): http://www.opptag.iastate.edu/summer/explorations/index.php

In other news, Simon just spilled coffee all over 3 magazines and a movie I had checked out from the library, and I just ordered supplies to start making nursing covers and baby slings. Friday is off to a busy start...