Skating

Mattie has been figure skating for nearly two years now...she started in February 2007 on a whim. A friend invited her to go to an open skating session with her, and she pretty much put on a pair of skates and took off! Since then, she's completed 7 Basic Skills classes and participated in one Christmas Show, as part of a group. She recently added private lessons to the mix, and will compete with an individual routine this spring. It's fun to watch how graceful she has become, to see her master new skills, and I'm amazed that a daughter of MINE wants to do something so *girly*! I just wanted to put some pictures out here to remind myself how far she's come.

Bob Humbug

All this Bob birthday talk reminded me of a video I had of him at the Christmas Pageant...so I thought I would post it here since I can't seem to do it on Facebook:
It makes me laugh. :D

Top Ten: Books

I am going to try and do a Top Ten list each week, if I can remember. So here goes my first top ten list ever, and it's about one of my favorite things, books. Feel free to do your own top ten list -- really, I'm just fishing around for some more good reading material! :D

Top Ten Books I've Read in 2008:

1. In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan
2. The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan
3. The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, Jessie Wise
4. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver
5. Otherwise, Jane Kenyon (This is a re-read, she is one of my favorite poets)
6. Plain Truth, Jodi Picoult (or any book by Jodi Picoult)
7. The Case For Christ, Lee Strobel
8. Total Money Makeover, Dave Ramsey
9. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson (This is a family tradition, but this year was the first year the kids really got into it and understood it)
10. The Life of Pi, Yann Patel

Savor

It's finally quiet as the kids nod off to sleep. The dishwasher is my companion, running amiably, swishing and churning in the kitchen. I wait for Tim to come home from work. The day has been a day of routine, like most mothering days: breakfast, school, ice skating, chores, playing outside, dinner and cupcakes, showers, reading aloud, prayers, bed. There's something comforting about this monotonous routine. I enjoy this season of being a mom. There was a time when I didn't have the wisdom to cherish these moments -- I was always looking for something more exciting to do, wishing I had a more interesting life. But there is really something to be said for savoring the present. Stop, and enjoy the moment you are in. It will never happen again.

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

This is a recipe that is perfect for a cold winter night! I really should use my crockpot more often...
I don't follow recipes very well, and usually make up the amounts I put in, but things turn out good anyway.

About 2-3 lbs of chicken frozen (probably boneless, could be thighs or breast)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup sliced carrots
2 medium potatoes cut into bite sized pieces
1 can cream of chicken or celery soup
1/2 can of water (or a little more, if it's too thick)
1 can of biscuits

Mix all ingredients, except the biscuits in your crock pot and set the crock pot on High. I usually combine the veggies and the liquid ingredients and put those on the bottom, and then put the frozen chicken on top. Cook for about 5 hours. You can use the low setting too, if you are going to be gone all day -- cook it 8 or 9 hours instead...
Add the not-yet-cooked biscuits on top of the chicken mixture so that they cover everything. Put the lid back on and continue cooking until the biscuits are done (about 20 min).

Yum, enjoy!

Science Projects

For our everyday science we use BJU Press Science for 2nd Grade. I like it because it has interesting topics, it's colorful and easy to understand, and they suggest good but simple experiments that use everyday items.
We are trying something new (to us) this year for our science projects -- it's called lapbooking. Last year, the kids made up a science presentation to share with another homeschooling family. Mattie did butterflies and Jonah did dinosaurs. We did the typical posterboard, glue some pictures on, find a few facts, and read them aloud.
This year, we're branching out in our presentations, and Mattie chose to study the brain and Jonah is researching rattlesnakes. Now that the kids are getting older and are able to use the dictionary and encyclopedias, and even the computer with some help, we thought we could do something a bit more interactive. So we went online and found some worksheets, crosswords, and questions about each topic. We thought of some of our own questions while we worked as well. I have to pick up some manila folders to use as the outside of the lapbook now. I'd like to figure out a craft or a hands-on type experiment that could go with each kid's topic. Once we get it all together, if it looks good, we can even put it into the Washtenaw County Science Fair or our Explorer's co-op fair (which I volunteered to organize!)

Here's a couple of pictures of the information we gathered last night:

Yummy Salad

Here's a recipe I tried for dinner. We always have a ton of eggs because of the chickens, so I'm always looking for ways to use them up!

Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
one bag of spinach, washed and ripped into bite sized pieces
4-6 hard boiled eggs, sliced
5-6 strips of well cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup diced red or sweet onion

Combine these four ingredients in a bowl.

Dressing:
1.5-2 tablespoons bacon grease
1.5-2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon water
salt, pepper, dry mustard to taste

Whisk these ingredients and then heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds, then pour over salad and toss. Enjoy!

Even the kids gobbled it up (yes, spinach!)

Better Late Than Never...

Here's a picture of Tim and I at Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village. We had such a great time going! We took this picture while trying to stay warm at the outdoor skating area. Of course Mattie, the "figure skater" gets off the ice and says, "Mom, there's a lot of people out there who DON'T know how to skate!" Jonah's favorite part of the evening, in typical boy-fashion was the huge hills of snow all over the village from the plowing. And let's see if I can upload a video of Mattie's birthday party and all the dancing.
I think they danced to the Chicken Dance about 6 times....and then it was on to the Limbo, some Phineas and Ferb songs and of course, some Jonas Brothers. It was pretty cool when one little girl requested the David Crowder band. :) I forgot to get pictures of the cake after it was cut open, but it was pretty cool. We made a six layer rainbow cake that stood about 12 inches high -- yikes! Needless to say, no one asked for seconds on slices of cake. Well, that's all she wrote...time to get back to cleaning house and making dinner.
:) Sarah

Barack Obama

I'm thinking about tomorrow....Barack Obama will soon be our 44th president. I wonder how many other people will blog about this tonight? This poor man...the weight of the world (or at least the United States) is on his shoulders. It seems like he grows older with each new picture taken.
Although I voted for him, I almost think that he can never live up to the expectancies of the nation...after all, he is only one person. But maybe he knows he cannot do it alone, and will call on God to help him -- that's his best chance of success. Maybe his children and his wife will help him maintain his sense of humility and keep him grounded.
The historical significance of this day -- this is something I will look back on as an old woman and say, "That was a day that changed America. That was a step in the right direction."

God,
Hold Barack Obama in the palm of your hand as he begins this most difficult journey. Keep him healthy and strong -- strong enough to do the job set before him. I know that you have a plan for us and for the nation. Keep his children and wife safe and let them continue to be a priority for him even as many other things crowd his mind. Most of all, increase his faith in you and remind him that YOU are the leader of this country and he is your servant.
Amen.

Things to do...

I am wanting to be productive today since the kids are gone to Grandpa and Trish's house and won't be back till early afternoon. I have some phone calls to make, laundry to do, and I'd like to surprise both Mattie and Jonah with clean rooms when they arrive home! It's alwasy easier to clean their rooms without them in the house. :)
We had a nice relaxing day yesterday -- went to church, out to eat (just the two of us!), to Biggby's for coffee, and to the mall to look for a pair of work pants for Tim. Then we went to check on the chickens and visit with Tim's mom. We came home, made some killer nachos and then headed to the gym later in the evening to work out. Once we were back home, I got started on some domestic duties and Tim played some video games and I read the new Reader's Digest. Are we an old couple, or what?
It was a really peaceful day!