The Last Piece of Pumpkin Pie

is no more...

A Rather Blustery Day

We woke up to an arctic front this morning. It is sleeting and about 30 degrees in Tx this morning. It's on days like this I love homeschooling the most. We will enjoy hot cocoa and cuddle up on the couch this morning to begin Gulliver's Travels. I'm finishing The Courage of Sarah Noble with the younger three but we need to read GT as a group.

I got up early and worked out. I did a Pilates Sculpt video that is very hard. My muscles are still recovering. On mornings like that, I like to have a protein shake for breakfast. Today I made a pumpkin pie shake and it was delicious. Here's the recipe:

Pumpkin Protein Shake
1 cup skim milk
1 serving vanilla protein powder (I used Atkins brand)
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. pimpkin pie spice
crushed ice for texture

Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

WFMW - Christmas Shopping

I hope it's not too late to add my Works For Me Wednesday Idea. This year I got the Christmas catalog from Rainbow Resource, one of my favorite curriculum providers. Their regular catalog is no less than 800 pages, rivaling the New York city phone book in size. But this Christmas catalog is thin, full of pictures, and has mostly the fun stuff. Games, puzzles, toys, you name it. I gave the treasure to my children with a different color marker for each. They looked through it circling to their hearts' desire. They adorned the pages with initials and bright circles. Remember the Sears Wish Book?

Then I sat at my comfy computer and went to the Rainbow Resource website and used their quick order function to punch in all the code numbers. When it pulled up a list of all my items (screened for appropriateness as I went) I counted to make sure they were divided somewhat evenly across the children, picked a few things I wanted them to have, and hit checkout. It couldn't have been easier. Now there are just a few things I want to get that aren't part of this but I am 95% done with my Christmas shopping in one fell swoop. I can't wait for that giant box to arrive later this week. Then I'll be having a wrapping party!

For more great ideas, pour a cup of something warm and head over to Shannon's place.

Edible Cells

One of my favorite assignments of the year is when the Biology classes have to make edible cells to demonstrate their knowledge of cell structure. They are to use only edible components to create a model of an animal or plant cell, complete with labels and descriptions of functions. This class usually falls on the last class before Thanksgiving which makes it a festive time. We start with presentations, then vote for "Most Accurate", "Most Attractive", and "Most Disgusting". That's always fun. Then we dig in and have a tasting party. I provide drinks and paper goods. There is always an interesting variety. We usually have a few pizzas, lots of cookies and cakes, some try jello. This year we also had a tortilla, a sub sandwich, and a cheesecake. Since this class is from 10:30-12, they rarely need to bring lunch on "Edible Cell" day. Here are just a couple of the fabulous projects we had this year as well as a group picture. They are very proud. Lots of hard work went into these masterpieces. This is just one class. I forgot about the group picture in the other class until we had already cut into the cells...

The other project that always pleases is the lab in genetics when we learn about mutations. This lab involves giving each student a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. In most of them, one detail is changed (no salt, too much baking soda, wrong shortening-flour ratio) and then we see how that can change the result. They are to determine which are the mutations, what it might be, and which are the original "pure" specimen. That one requires lots of milk :)

Lest you think only Biology students get to have all the fun, the Chemistry class also does Popcorn pressure and make your own soda (studies gasses and their behavior), making divinity at Christmas (a study in boiling points), and testing for vitamin C in different products. We extract the iron from breakfast cereal and test various brands for amount of sugar. In General Science next week, as part of our study of paleontology we'll be making edible trilobites. Nutter Butters never tasted so good!

Soup of the Day-Cooking

Butternut Squash Soup

I know I shared a variation of this last spring but I had a great idea about the leftovers from Thanksgiving. I had two large onions that had been baked with cream and rosemary. I had a butternut squash and a red pepper. I had a turkey carcass and roasted garlic in the fridge.

When I went to bed last night, I started the crockpot with the carcass, onions, celery, and carrots for broth. When I left for church this morning, I set the oven to roast te squash. So when I got home all I needed to do was roast the red pepper and peel it. I put all the aforementioned ingredients in a pot and used my immersion blender to make it smooth and creamy. I used a little more cream leftover from the holiday and it was...perfect. I do love this soup.

How to Roast a Red Pepper

Turn on the broiler. Put the pepper on a lined tray since it will drip. Put the whole thing under the broiler. You want to blacken as much of the peel as possible. Turn it every few minutes until the whole pepper looks almost black. The whole process may take up to 10-15 minutes, but keep an eye on it. This is no time to take a potty break :) As soon as it appears all black, pull it out and put it in a plastic ziploc bog, SEALED. Leave this for 5-10 minutes until it is cool enough to handle. The peel will slip right off. Cut it and remove all the pith and seeds. Chop and use...enjoy!

Filed in cooking

The Calm After the Storm

Today the whole family is ready to take a deep breath. The holiday was lots of fun but all that work has worn us out :) Since I was off Tuesday, we cleaned literally all day. You know how once you clean one area, the next one looks even dirtier? Well, that's how it was after I cleaned the carpet last weekend. While I had everything out of the rooms still, I cleaned all the baseboards. Then I looked at the banisters and they needed a good washing. And the blinds in the kitchen were pretty dusty...etc, etc., etc., Meanwhile upstairs, the girls were getting their room company-ready, B was tidying her room, and the boys, well, the boys made efforts but I think we'll need some maternal intervention in their room today.

My house is very open and very white. I have white carpet, white tile in the entry way, and white linoleum in the ktichen. Believe you me, I did not do this decorating but here we are. Ordinarily I am not very good at keeping it all clean and tidy at the same time. But on Wednesday night I finally accomplished this. To stand and look at vast expanses of clean floors is a joy to me.

Starting about 2 pm on Wed. I got all the casseroles prepped and in the fridge. I added sweet onions with rosemary and cream to the menu since it is an unusual dish which I love. I began making pies and got them in the oven. Since my sister was bringing a pound cake, I decided only pumpkin pies this year. I made 5 of those and sent 3 of them to church. The other two were kept for our crowd to devour on Thursday.

The highlight of Wednesday, though, was J arriving from his business trip to Taiwan and Japan. He got home around 8 pm. He was greeted by all the kids and the dog before I could even get to him :) He came bearing gifts. He brought pocket watches for the boys, plates with Japanese words on them for the girls (Peace, Longevity, Wisdom, Happiness), chopsticks for all of us, and a variety of teas for me. He is always very thoughtful in his giftgiving.

J's trip takes almost 24 of travel time so he is having serious jetlag now and not adjusting his sleep patterns well at all.

Yesterday we continued a tradition started many years ago. on Black Friday in stead of shopping, we go to my parents' house and decorate for Christmas. It helps to get us into the spirit. Busy schedules make it hard to go for a weekend day at other times but the calendar is usually clear this weekend. One thing we did add yesterday was a huge craft show. My sister, BIL and the girls and I went to a Sami show. It had been years since I had attended any craft show and this is a great one. There were so many interesting vendors. I loved the soap crafters and the cute homemade sewn products. I bought some jams and salsa, a bar of lavender/peppermint soap, some soup mix and a surprise for Christmas gifts. I don't need any more knick knacks so I try to buy things I will enjoy but are consumable.

This morning I am catching up on two days of no computer and helping the boys in their room. We need to work in the playroom since that was the catchall from last week's whirlwind cleaning. The problem is that it all belongs in there but it doesn't all fit in there...what to do? what to do?

Thanksgiving Menu- Cooking

I'll share our Thanksgiving menu here while I'm in the planning and thinking stages. We'll have 12 people eating here on Thursday.

• Appetizer: fruit spread on cream cheese with crackers
• Turkey
• Cornbread Dressing
• Mashed Potatoes and gravy
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Scalloped Corn
• Steamed Broccoli
• Waldorf Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette
• Cranberry relish
• Rolls
• Pumpkin Pie with real whipped cream
• Pound Cake

So there you have it. My Dad is doing the turkey, dressing and gravy since those all depend on the delicious turkey drippings. I'll do the sides and desserts, except my sister will bring the pound cake. Most of those I can prep on Wednesday. I always take 2 or 3 pies to the church for their community Thanksgiving feast so I'll probably make 5 or 6 pies on Wednesday as well. Filed in Cooking.

Lemons and Limes - Homekeeping

This is a beautiful trifle bowl with fruit in the morning sun. I was washing all my glassware and china in preparation for the holiday this week and this bowl just called out to be filled with something pretty. I am trying to spread out the work involved in getting ready for the big T-day. I cleaned out the whole dining room, cleaned the carpet, and decluttered the buffet. One of the chores I can do well ahead of time is to make sure all the dishes are clean. Since we only use them a few times a year, they can get dusty in between. I'll wash the table cloth and dry it tomorrow. If I put it on the table fresh from the dryer, I can avoid having to iron it. Then on Wednesday we'll set the table and put a sheet over it to keep it from getting dusty. I need to wash the chandelier in that room.

Once the carpets were cleaner (not truly clean but better), I noticed how bad the baseboards looked. I got out my trusty Magic Clean Eraser and washed them clean again. I vacuum them with the brush attachment sometimes but they really needed washing. I'm not finished with that job but it's coming along. I wanted to get that done before I start putting all the smaller things back in the living room.

I did get most of the shopping done yesterday. I hope not to have to return to the store but I'm sure I'll think of something. Even making a list and checking it twice can't help me there. Tomorrow we'll read and do history to catch up but other than that, this is a school vacation. Filed in homekeeping.

My Stuff Must be Made of Gaseous Molecules

I judged a local science fair for homeschoolers yesterday. I love to see the creative projects some of the kids do. My favorite of this fair was a little boy whose objective was to determine if an ice cube would melt faster in dark soda (root beer) or light soda (Sprite). The hypothesis was that the darker soda would absorb the sun's heat and therefore that one would melt faster. It actually worked out to be the opposite. He was really too young (5) to understand and didn't seem to know what was in his report. I'm thinking mom had a lot to do with it. So, my judging took that into consideration but it was my favorite idea.

One project wasn't very creative but it was well executed. The student was describing the three states of matter and had a demonstration of making rain to show all three. His explanation of a gas was that the molecules expand to fill the space available. That came back to me as I was clearing the downstairs to be cleaned. Unfortunately I had far more stuff that didn't belong in the dining room so I took it all upstairs. The problem is the upstairs is full, too. Now the playroom looks like a science lab exploded and I really don't know where to put it all. I have 6 microscopes, full glassware for 4 groups, biology dissection supplies, and various equipment and chemicals for all the classes. On top of that, there are books, and more books. I really need a whole closet to dedicate to this but we don't happen to have a spare closet waiting to be filled. So I make do but it keeps expanding...

Trigger Finger Blister-Carpet Cleaning (homekeeping)

No, I haven't been out at target practice. I cleaned the carpet last night, well most of it. I started about 7 after dinner was cleaned up and the kids were occupied in my bedroom with a movie. We moved everything but the big furniture out of the downstairs and I vacuumed the whole space in preparation. I had no idea this was such hard work. I carried gallons of solution to fill the machine and gallons upon gallons of nasty black water to dump in the sink. The progress was slow because one tank only cleaned about 12 square feet. I don't know if that's because it was so dirty or just the way they all work. I got almost the whole downstairs done but I had to just turn the machine off at midnight because I was exhausted. My back hurt, my finger hurt, this morning my right calf hurts from the way I pulled that machine. Wow! talk about a workout.

The kids are finishing up lunch then I'll send them upstairs to finish cleaning their rooms. I need to do a bit more down here and then some quick passes in their rooms. I plan to just hit the high traffic areas upstairs. We'll see how that makes the rest look:) I have to do the church run at 4:30 so I think I'll try to get my Thanksgiving shopping done then. I do not want to wait until Tuesday to enter the grocery stores. But that means I'd better get busy with my list and a plan.

It was a busy morning in church, too. H played the handbells at 8:15 and 11, the older two sang with their choir at 9:30 and 12:30. Yes, our church has 4 services on Sundays and a casual one on Saturday night as well. In addition, I had a meeting at 11:00 for the acolyte coordinators. Since both of the older two are supposed to be there at 2 PM, I just took them lunch and they will be there from 7:30 AM until 6:15. We'll join them after a rest and the carpet cleaning. Long day but they aren't complaining. They'd do that every Sunday if given the chance.

Filed in homekeeping.

A Night at the Opera

I like to think I appreciate the finer things in life. I love classical music, fine teas in fine china, and a soft silk blouse. But there are limits to my tastes. The two younger girls and I went to the opera Thursday night. The local opera company offers inexpensive tickets to educational organizations for the final dress rehearsal. The show was Madame Butterfly.

I think we enjoyed it but none of us are crazy about opera. The story was touching but it took 3 hours of singing in Italian to tell it. I could do it in about 5 minutes. The girls got bored several times and since it didn't start until 7:45, I was very tired and struggled to stay awake near the end. But at least we can say we have experienced real opera now. And it was a fun night out with the girls.

Since J jas been gone all week, the routine is a little off. Plus, we had so many extra things to do that there was very little time at home. I have to teach on Monday but not Tuesday so I need to plan the meal, shop, clean, and cook. I have a couple of picture posts for you but I don't know if I'll get to it very quickly.

Today I've been asked to judge a small science fair. I love seeing all the creative projects when I do this. This morning I'll be cleaning and decluttering. I really want to clean the carpet but I don't know if that is practical since we need to live on it this week. The only real chance is to do it tonight since we're going to be at church all day tomorrow. I've never done it before.

The Game that Never Ends

This is the game that never ends,
Yes, it goes on and on, my friends
Some people started playing it not knowing what it was,
And they'll continue playing it forever just because—

Yes, I'm speaking of soccer. While the younger two had their last games at the end of October, H will continue to the playoffs. That tournament is scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 2 and 3. So for at least 3 more weeks we'll be practicing twice a week. This is good for H. She is having a great time and getting lots of exercise. Having only one schedule to keep isn't so bad.

That said, when J is gone I get to do all the driving and this is a long one. He left Monday for Japan and will not return until the day before Thanksgiving. Tonight we have the awards ceremony for all of the soccer league after church choir and a regular practice. W is the last to get to the dentist this afternoon. Tomorrow night the younger girls and I are going to see Madame Butterfly. The opera company offers inexpensive tickets for students on the dress rehearsal night.

Back on Track

I shared last weekend that I had fallen off the health wagon recently, eating a less than stellar diet and dropping exercise altogether. I set some goals this past week and I met them. I had three simple goals:
1- eat less sugar, meaning one small treat per day
2- eat whole foods, no junk
3- exercise at least 4 times

I think part of the key to success this week was that I did not measure or limit portions (except the candy). I decided that if I was hungry, I would eat. I just made sure it was something healthy. Well, you'll see I kind of fudged on Wed. but that was the general policy. Once I get weaned off the sugar again, I'll count calories or whatever it takes to get down a few pounds. Now the goal was readjusting the palate. For instance this morning's breakfast was very healthy but I'm sure it was a high calorie combination. The yogurt alone had 250 calories. I will work on that next.

I have been keeping track over at my favorites "mom's message board" so I will share here how the week went.

Monday:
Breakfast-Bananas with pineapple and walnuts, tea
Lunch-spaghetti squash with meat sauce, green beans, pita chips, one Reese's PB cup (hey , only 1-that's improvement)
Dinner-grilled chicken sandwich, sugar snap peas and carrots
Exercise:none

Tuesday:Breakfast- steel cut oats, coffee with creamer
Lunch-soy smoothie, almonds, dates,baked pita chips
Dinner-sausage, macaroni, corn, tomatoes in skillet meal, asparagus
snack- baked veggie chips, soy nog
Exercise:none

Wednesday:
Breakfast-Bananas with pineapple and walnuts, tea
Lunch-pineapple and cottage cheese (in a hurry, paid for it later)
Dinner-well, by 4 PM I was famished and craving carbs so I totally blew it. I had trail mix, then a cup of eggnog, then 3 flour tortillas with butter. I was making sloppy joes for the kids but they had to eat early and I wasn't hungry so I passed. About 8 PM, I got hungry and ate a banana and some tea.
Exercise:walk 2.5 miles with dog, abs exercises

Thursday:
Breakfast- grapefruit, 1 piece toast with flax seed peanut butter, tea with stevia
Snack -dates stuffed with raw almonds, my favorite snack-they really are yummy, aren't they PL?
Lunch-baked sweet potatoes with butter, leftover asparagus, half of small can of salmon
Dinner- Coca-Cola beef with Egg Noodles, zuchinni, one piece bread with butter, Snack size Butterfinger for dessert
Exercise:Walk 30 minutes with dog

Friday:
Breakfast-1/2 WW bagel with flax seed Peanut Butter, coffee
Lunch--Romaine and grilled chicken salad with feta and walnuts, veggie chips
Dinner- Homemade pizza, pumpkin seeds while waiting, lemonade with Stevia
Exercise:Walk one mile with 3 kids and a dog, (why is it as soon as I start exercising again, kids need to get in on the act???)

Saturday:Breakfast - vanilla yogurt with pomegranate, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, tea
Lunch -
Dinner -
Exercise: 40 minutes pilates

Progress

Okay, so I never came back yesterday...but I did get lots of things done. For one thing, we got all of our school work done, including history for both levels and even a little home economics for B. There are always more books to read but we make headway. I am also proud to announce that we finally finished Treasure Island this morning. And may I just say, now that I have read this timeless classic I will never have to do it again. All that pirate talk and nautical terminology was not easy to make it through. I admit the story is exciting-we all sat on the edge as we read the final 6 chapters this morning- but it's not an easy read. I am glad we read the unabridged version and that we read it aloud to discuss it. I don't know about the kids, but I learned loads.

The girls all got their rooms passable. Not clean, mind you but picked enough that I could vacuum the floors before dragging the monster vacuum cleaner back downstairs. I needed to do the downstairs badly. Once I got into it, I noticed the lampshades were terribly dusty so I use the brush attachment to do all of those. They look so much better. Little things like that don't usually get done until I notice it. I'm not the most observant of housekeepers. I've seen 4 page schedules that detail all those minor jobs but they are too intimidating for me. I subscribe to the Man on a Horse theory of house cleaning. If a man on a horse would notice it riding through my house, I clean it. Otherwise, I wait until I am bothered, which can be a very long time.

So now I have clean lampshades, clean doors and doorframes, clean floors, and a clean kitchen. What more can a girl ask? Last night I sat down to work on a Secret Project, the details of which I cannot reveal until sometime in the spring. I promise to share a peek picture soon but the recipient must be surprised. Unfortunately most of my current projects need to be a secret. I promise to share all sorts of things after Christmas...and February.

We are headed to the library and the park soon. It is far too hot today for 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. The high is predicted to be 90 deg. Tonight is pizza night so I have to start that and get those in the oven on the timer to be ready at 6:30. I had a delicious grilled chicken and Romaine salad for lunch with feta cheese and walnuts so I am not hungry at all. I'd much rather sew than cook but alas...those little hoodlums called my children expect to eat every few hours. And for some reason, they think that is MY responsibility. The nerve!

Clean houses and Snow

Cleaning your house while the kids are still growing is like shoveling the driveway while it's still snowing. - Phyllis Diller


I know I've been sporadic about posts recently. I'm a bit overwhelmed and it's hard to justify sitting down here to tell you how things are when I should be up and about putting things back in order. I really love Mrs. Diller's philosophy but it isn't very practical. H actually suggested we adopt the practice of buying new dishes when the old ones get dirty...(it's her job to unload the dishwasher currently). We saw some outrageous teenage girl on TV once whose mother actually went out and bought her new jeans instead of making her clean up the pig-sty of a room she was living in. She had literally dozens of pairs of jeans, most of them in dirty heaps all over her floor.

Now we know this won't work, so I have to resort to plan B. This means actually digging out of the mess. No one area in the house is so horrible as to be embarrassed by guests (well, there are a couple of closets) but each and every space needs a little attention. Today is the first day in months that I have NOWHERE to go at all, even in the evening. So, the kids have been forewarned that as soon as school is over, they are not to even think about TV, computer, or any other enjoyable activity until their space is truly clean and they have helped in the public areas as well. Both of the older two have babysitting jobs at some point during the day but I plan to plug away at making my house a home yet again.

So far this morning I have put the kitchen back together after mopping before bedtime, done 2 loads of laundry, thoroughly cleaned off kitchen counters, and cleaned all doors and frames in the kitchen and one bath.

I am probably the last housewife in America to try the Magic Erasers by Mr. Clean. At first I scoffed at yet another cleaning gizmo or gadget. I do not have a Swiffer, I do not use Cascade 2-in-1 gel pacs. I might like them if I tried them but I tend to prefer to old fashioned way of vinegar, baking soda, and elbow grease. But when I had a coupon doubled and combined with a store sale on the Magic Erasers, I had to give them a try. What I discovered is that they do wonders on those dirty doors and door frames, lightswitch plates, and even the refrigerator. I have textured plastic handles on my fridge that just would not come clean no matter what I tried. But this worked like a charm.

Two warnings, though-

1) Do not use it on wallpaper, unless you prefer big white blotches to the dirty wallpaper. I now have one of those lovely white blotches under the switch plate in the bathroom.

2- More importantly, these are infused with a very strong base (opposite of an acid) cleaner. That's why they work so well. There is no warning on them but they can cause very serious chemical burns on delicate skin. I saw pictures of a little boy's face that made me cry. Please do not let your children use them. I even wore gloves although there is no mention of this in the packaging.

Time for school now, but I'll try to update through the day with progress on the homefront.

Filed in homekeeping.

Lights and Sirens

Okay so I didn't have to suffer the humiliation of sirens, but I did have to pull over for the twirly lights tonight. I was 30 seconds from arriving at church to drop off kids for evening activities, when I passed the sheriff's car. He turned around and came after me, lights on. I couldn't imagine what I had done. My seat belt was on, I was going well under the speed limit on the neighborhood street. Lights were on due to the overcast, gloomy weather. I pulled over right away and waited. Luckily, J had just put the new Proof-of-Insurance card in the car a few days ago. And I pulled out my driver's license.

Slowly, a large man in uniform approached the car. I shook like a leaf. He was fairly young and smiling. WHY? I am panicked and this guy is smiling.

Officer: "Ma'm, I just pulled you over to let you know your inspection sticker is out of date. It expired in June. I'm just giving you a warning but you need to take care of it."

Me: Some huge sigh of relief, and some weak apology and words to the effect that "Yes, sir, I'll take care of that right away"

He took my license to run a check on it and write the warning. Then he gave it back and said as far as he was concerned I could throw the warning away when he gave it to me :) He said have a good day, and I drove off to church.

Why did he have to go and scare me like that? You can bet I'll be at the inspection station first thing in the morning.

Monkey Bread - Cooking

I took this to Sunday School for snack this morning. Of course, I had to make two of them so we could enjoy one at home first. The kids get quite grumpy when I bake delicious smelling things early on a Sunday morning and then tell them they have to eat cold cereal. Sometimes this falls apart when I unveil it from its pan but this one is just perfect. It was still warm even after 3 hours. Yum! I shared the recipe back in this post in September. Filed in cooking.

Quiet Saturdays

I love the quiet of a Saturday with no rushed schedule. Today was one of those. With soccer winding down, we had no games today. B is at a Yada Yada weekend conference for teen girls. last night she attended a workshop about teen magazines and how they affect our culture. Needless to say, it isn't a positive influence.

I started the day by sleeping in until 7, then going for a long walk with the dog. I then treated myself to a deep hair conditioning and a facial. After a shower to wash it all off, I settled in at the computer to get a little work done. I finally sent out failure notices, a job I hate. I finished up the grading for Monday.

We had navy bean soup for lunch and now the children are resting. Soon we'll be going to the church for a Bags of Grace assembly party. If you're not familiar with this, check out the link and read all about it. This is our family's favorite ministry.

I'm trying to cut out the excess sugar. I've had more than my share this week, what with candy all over the place. I'm using green tea with a bit of honey or some dried dates to satisfy the sweet tooth. I've dropped the exercise ball recently for two reasons. First, I have terrible feet. I suffer from plantar fasciitis as well as neuromas (swollen nerves between the toes). Between the two issues, most days I do well to get in the normal walking. Exercise walking is putting me over the edge. But I should still be able to do something...and I haven't. My second excuse has been the busyness of soccer and other activities. Yes, we were busy but I still could have managed to get in a bit of movement.

So, no more excuses. I have to move at least 30 minutes at least 4 days a week. I know in my head that I feel better when I do it...It's just convincing the rest of my body to "just do it".

Cocoa, Latte, Mocha, Hot Chocolate....

Doesn't matter which you choose or what you call it, fall is time for warm soothing drinks. I love tea, especially green. But for real comfort I want a steaming mug of something brown. I haven't been a huge coffee drinker in the past but I do like a fancy coffee. For me this means more milk and sugar than coffee. I guess I owe that to my Dad who would let me have a cup of coffee milk in the morning as a special treat.

Yesterday it finally felt like Fall around here and we had slept with windows open. The chill in the air truly demanded a cuppa something. I have so many ways of providing this, depending on the stash and the mood. I used to buy those little Swiss Miss packets of mix but they are expensive and they contain partially hydrogenated oils which we try to avoid. Here are some of the ways we enjoy cocoa:

For the children, I usually keep Ovaltine on hand. They mix it in warm milk for a yummy treat in the morning. I like the fact that they are getting real milk and the Ovaltine has some vitamins with NO hydrogenation.

For authentic hot chocolate, I warm the milk and mix in cocoa powder and sugar in a 1:2 ratio. Sometimes I'll make a whole pot of this according to the proportions on the side of the Hershey's cocoa tin.

For a Mocha or Latte option, I can use hot milk to mix up instant coffee and either drink plain or add a little chocolate syrup or cocoa powder. You can also use sweetened condensed milk stirred into your hot brewed coffee for a sweet latte.

For the times when we are short on real milk, I keep a powdered homemade variation on hand. Around the holidays I crush peppermints and mix into this. I can make little bags of this for J to take to the office and mix with hot water. Many recipes for these are found on the internet. Keep in mind that many of them use powdered creamer which has the hydrogenated oils. I use those only for gifts. I might make up a gift basket with a mug, some mixes, and some chocolate dipped plastic spoons for stirring. Wrapped with pretty ribbons and a card, this make a terrific gift for anyone in your life.

Lastly, since my students usually give gifts at Christmas and this is a popular gift, I have a small collection of delicious fancy mixes from those sources. Recently I've been using up the last of that from last year, a White Chocolate Latte that is so smooth.

Filed in cooking.

WFMW - a Sweet Tradition - Homeschooling

It's Wednesday again and I have a great tip for making a fun lesson on the day after Trick or Treating. If your family participates in this tradition, you probably watch your kids enjoy sorting and counting the candy almost as much as eating it. Many years ago I started making this a math lesson on November 1. We sort, count, and graph the candy. Over the years we have counted hundreds of pieces of candy. Now I don't let the teenagers go out since I think that's a bit on the tacky side. So the total piece count is down from a few years ago. We found one this morning that is undated but we believe to be 3 or 4 years ago. The total then was 420 pieces; today it was 201. After the graphing it all goes in a communal pot so they get their share to eat. Here they are in action:



Head over to Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW tips. Filed in homeschooling.