It's lonely at the top...

Green belt, 11/12/11

Another nine week cycle has ended, and today was the day for belt promotions.  Rylan has moved up from a blue belt to a green belt.  During the blue to green cycle, the student learns a form called Tiger Set #3.  Rylan is/was the only blue belt, so she has practiced on her own, with her instructor, Mr. Baptista.  As the students lined up for promotions today, Rylan was at the end of the line, which made her lead student in her class (I wasn't aware that an older, more experienced student had moved up to the next age group, the Eagles).  This meant she would be doing the form all by herself today (with her instructor by her side).  I was a little nervous for her, but Rylan took it all in stride.  Here she is performing her form... (and I love, love, love, her confident voice - loud and clear!)

(I am having issues with loading this video...grrrrrr)

Jordan and Rylan have been taking karate lessons for one year now.  They have learned so much!  I am constantly amazed at the skills they already know and how much their technique is improving.  I love to watch them individually and when the school performs as a whole.  The instructors are so dedicated and invested in helping the kids succeed (many of them have children in the school as well) and the whole atmosphere is positive, yet you can readily sense the high level of expectations placed upon each and every student.



Advanced orange belt, 11/12/11

 When this upcoming cycle ends in January, Jordan will be promoting to purple belt.  Which means he will also be eligible to join the black belt club, which he wants to do.  So next promotion Jordan will also receive a red gi.  It's a big step up, and Jordan is pretty excited about it.  A junior black belt is still around three years away, but Jordan wants to go for it.  It is awesome that he has a goal like that.   We will be watching and waiting...

Sacrifices...

Thank you, papa...

Pictured second from right
US Army Tank Battalion, fought in France, Belgium & Germany during WWII, took part in second wave on D-day, awarded Silver Star

Thank you, grandpa Lee...



US Army, stationed at Fort Laramie



Thank you, FIL Ron...



Dean's late father.  US Navy 1955-1959, USS Keppler DDE-765 & USS Yosemite AD-19



Thank you, cousin Kenny (USMC)...

Whose name is etched here...

Thank you, FIL Van (US Army)

Thank you, uncle Dale (USAF)

Thank you, cousin Brad (USAF)

Thank you, cousin-in-law Robert (USAF)

Thank you, SIL Carrie (US Army)

I will never forget the sacrifices you made to ensure the freedom and safety of all Americans and for helping other nations in peril.

Singing the praises of Kahn Academy



School is as intermittent as ever in our house... I am still searching for that elusive balance of schoolwork/cleaning/activities/fun.  It seems that activities (actually the driving to and from) always wins.

The bulk of our school time has been relegated to the middle of the afternoon, while the little boys are napping.  This is not our best time of day.  It's actually the worst.  We try for mornings, but schtuff always seems to foul up any momentum we get going.  Jordan has taken to doing a lot of his workbook-type stuff in our bedroom, spreading out on our bed.  I don't blame him.  It's quiet and the little kids don't bother him nearly as much.  I will pass through as I am shuffling laundry around, and he will read off Q&A's to me, we discuss and move on to next thing.  It's hardly optimal, but we're getting the job done.

Math, however is an entirely different matter.  I am locked in with MEP math.  I have a love/hate relationship with it, but I think it is the best out there.  No other curriculum spurs as much discussion (and at times frustration) as MEP.  The lengths that we go to work through the theory and logic of the problems presented is quite extreme at times, but Jordan will not quit until he solves whatever it is he is working on.  We have stretched a single lesson over 2-3 days at times, but we get there.  Jordan is eleven and technically in the 6th grade.  He is currently on Year 5, Lesson 56.  There are 175 lessons per 'Year'.  The program goes through Year 6.  Rylan is working through Year 1 and is on Lesson 28.  I started her in the Reception Year in June, and quickly dropped it and just moved on to Year 1.  I should have started her much earlier.  I am thinking that the 'Year' is advanced by one, when you line it up (skills wise) to the US grade level system.  So, with Jordan doing Year 5 work, I think it lines up pretty well with what a 6th grader would be doing.

Jordan is currently working with negative numbers, absolute value and adding/subtracting positive and negative numbers.  The previous topic was surface area and volume.  By the final 2-3 lessons on that topic things were starting to click, but prior to that, those were the days we were at it for 2 hours or more (with lots of breaks) to get it done.  Sigh.  The current topic?  Done in 20 min.  I am so glad he is having success with this - I hope it boosts his confidence - he is going to need it in the coming years.  He struggles when things move beyond two-dimensional.  So do I, for that matter.  When he is learning advanced Algebra, I will be there right along with him, learning as well.

Back to math... So, even though I was introduced Kahn Academy a long, long time ago (don't remember how or when, but I imagine is was a link that someone in our homeschool group posted at some point), I never really explored it beyond a 5 minute cursory overview, saved the link, and then promptly forgot about it.  It took the urging of my husband to get me to go back and really look.  Wow!  What a great tool - and it takes some of the pressure off of me.  I don't want 'my way' to be the only way that Jordan learns how to solve a problem.  MEP does an excellent job of presenting multiple ways to solve a problem, but that is only if I can correctly disseminate to Jordan what they are trying to do.  Quite frankly, because the program was originally Hungarian, translated into English and the piloted in English grammar schools, some of the methods are absolutely foreign (no pun intended) to me.  That is actually what I LIKE about this program!  Americans are stuck in a rut about there is only ONE way to solve a problem, and that solving multiplication problems the way our grandparents did should be good enough.  It's not.  Anyway, I digress.   Again.

Kahn academy saved the day last week when it came to explaining the proper way to do a permutation - I couldn't even find the proper video at first because I was looking under the wrong heading- it is listed under the Algebra 1 heading - which just about gave me a heart attack.  I'm not ready for this!!!  That question didn't even come from a MEP lesson - it came from a Problem Solving review question on his weekly Math's Mate review sheet.  He is currently working in the second book, the 'Red' book.  This is an Australian program that is an absolute bitch to get a hold of, if you are a homeschooler.  My nephews use it in their public middle school down in Broomfield, CO., and when I flipped through it, I knew I had to have it for Jordan.  I contacted the one and only US distributor, who happens to live just outside of Denver, and he is an old curmudgeon who doesn't want to sell single copies to homeschoolers.  There are 8 levels of workbooks or so, and he will only sell me one or two at a time, so I have to beg and borrow and lie about twice a year in order to get the next book we need. I told him that if he would just sell me the entire set, he could be done with me, but he won't budge.  So I call him every few months, and we get along fabulously.  not.  My SIL (a teacher) has access to the workbooks the district purchases, so she may be my resource for the remaining 5 books I need.  They are thought-provoking and TOUGH for some of the problems, and an overall good review to keep a variety of math concepts fresh.  Jeez.. look at me.  I digressed again!

So we watched a video about how to correctly go about doing a permutation.  I love, love, love the simple, straightforward approach that Salman Kahn takes as he presents the topic.  It isn't rushed, but it is short and sweet and to the point.  Dean and I are set up as 'coaches' and Jordan has a log-in so that he can go on there and work through all sorts of different review problems and earn points for doing so.  The site has now become the carrot at the end of the math lesson.  Jordan watches a video or two about the topic we covered in the lesson, and then works on earning points by doing review problems.  He loves it - which I am totally in awe over.  I hope that with all of this review, Jordan will finally master his times tables.  The kid can work a number line forwards and backwards, but ask him what 3 times 4 is and all you get is 'huh?'.

Implausible Endings



Thanks to Jennifer McMahon and her novel Promise Not to Tell, I now have even less desire to ever venture out into the woods at night.  Or follow child-sized footprints in the snow.  Or eat a potato.

This was our book club's read for the month of November.  I actually finished one, on time!  This is our second book pick from author Jennifer McMahon.  We typically go with something suspenseful this time of year.  The favorite still seems to be The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. 

 Back to the book...  I am, once again, disappointed in how the author ties up the suspenseful ending.  I was really put out by the first book we read, Don't Breathe a Word.  I loved it until the ending began to pan out.  What a disappointment.  The plot just sort of fell apart, too many questions were left unanswered and principal characters were just sort of flung to the wayside - when there really should have been some better resolution - especially when it came to the Faerie King.  The last few lines of the book, though, were awesome.  This current book was a better read, overall.  The plot line was more realistic and followed the classic formula for whodunit.  But the ending... seriously?  I liked every aspect but the channeling-the-spirit-of-the-Potato-Girl part.  That just ruined it for me.  I'm not sure I will continue on with the other titles.. maybe.  It is good suspense, and a nice break from chick-lit.

I also promised, long ago, that I would say a word about Kathleen Grissom's The Kitchen House.  This was a difficult book to read because I don't really care for the subject matter - it is painful and depressing to read about slavery and how difficult daily life must have been.  But.  One should also never forget the past, and we need to constantly remind ourselves that we need to act like decent human beings and treat everyone with respect and dignity.  Now this book certainly had that satisfying, plausible ending.  It always feels good when the underdog comes out winning.

I also finished.... drum roll please?!...... Watermelon!  Yeah for me!  I started it in June.  Life just sort of grabbed away any down time, and squeezing in reading time has been a challenge.  This was my first book of the Walsh Family series, and I really enjoyed it.  I love Marian Keyes' thinking-out-loud writing style - so witty and off-the-cuff.  And brash.  LOVE that.  I also love that Claire got her man.  I think that I had a hard time getting through it because it brought up some painful memories for me (about a cheating husband who leaves...) and I appreciated how Claire worked through that - even after all these years it helped me put some of my own experiences into perspective.

Good reads, overall. 

I currently have The Brightest Star in the Sky, by Marian Keyes, and One Hundred Names for Love, by Diane Ackerman on my bedside table.  Nothing is currently in the Kindle.  I have been meaning to check out a way to get stuff from the library onto the Kindle, but I haven't looked into it yet.  I love it, I just need to use it more.

One of the best reading tools I've found of late is the app called ReadMore by Navel Labs.  I've been using it for about a year now.  It tracks your reading time, number of pages you have read, your progress through the book, and projects how long it will take you to finish.  I like that it records when I read a book - because I can't seem to remember otherwise.  Great app - check it out!

I want a Barbie, and a Princess House, and another American Girl Doll, and...



It's time.

The toy catalogues have arrived in the mail (our poor postal carrier...)

In large enough quantities that the kids can pass them around.  Again and again.

They pull out the scissors and glue, and begin cutting and pasting the pictures haphazardly all over their 'wish list' paper.

  They, of course, conveniently forget to include the price, or the actual name of the product.

Last year we managed to squeak by and get the bulk of our Christmas shopping done several weeks before Christmas and had it shipped to the in-laws, where we would be staying.  It felt so good having a lot of the stress out of the way last year, that I intend to get it done early again this year.

The in-laws like to have the wish lists about now, so that they can start shopping.  I've been bugging the kids for a couple of weeks to give me some ideas to pass on.  The catalogues help, but the requests are still very vague.  Jordan wants a new DS, which is expensive.  Rylan wants a plastic Disney princess make-up table, which is expensive (and a huge waste of money, IMHO).  Owen could care less, as long as it is a train, car or a 'pee-u-mer' (anything that resembles a gun).  Colin has no idea there is even a holiday coming up.

I am on the cusp of big change in our family life.  I am tired of chaos.  I am tired of clutter.  I want to have more time and fun with my kids.  I've discovered Fly Lady and all of her wonderful ideas about clearing our homes of clutter and inviting peace into our homes.  In regards to shopping, her ideas and those of parents and grandparents who 'fly' with her  are really beginning to change my outlook on how to purchase gifts for kids (and adults!)

Here are some ideas that truly resonated with me:

• Stay clutter and stress free - purchase 'experiences' not 'things'
• For example: purchase family memberships to the zoo, museum, science center, city pool, play gym
• Classes: art, dance, cooking, pottery, music
• Art supplies: paper, feathers, beads, paints, pompoms, foam, sequins
• Shop the thrift store for fun and fancy things and create a dress-up trunk
• take the grand kids on a special one-on-one outing: a play, musical, game, camping, overnight, movie, dinner, museum, zoo, sledding, skiing, swimming.  Kids want 'time'!
• Purchase gear that pertains to the child's interest: skis, skates, tights & leotards, pads, helmets, sleds, hiking boots, snow boots, ski boots, snow pants, tap shoes
• Annual passes to National or State Parks or ski passes
• Make something that can be used again and again by a child: sew a chef's hat and apron, knit a doll blanket, make a book with pictures, record yourself reading a story to the child, make a photo album of different family members for the child that lives out-of-state.
• Money gift: can be used in a large variety of ways - a way to save up for that 'big' gift: bike, computer, skis, backpack, handheld device, cell phone
• Subscriptions to magazines like Ranger Rick, Highlights, Ladybug, Cricket, Nat. Geo for kids...

By gifting those you love with some of the ideas above, you can accomplish a sense of peace:

• You don't have to fight the shopping frenzy going on at the local mall
• Minimal wrapping!
• The gifts will keep giving all year - and not eventually settle to the bottom of the toy bin
• The gifts will keep minds busy and bodies physically active
• You can take part in the gift - and spend some time with your child/grandchild
• You won't be adding to a landfill, or inducing guilt when the toy is passed along to the thrift store a few months later

Now don't think that I am some meanie that won't ever buy another toy for the kids.  We have so much right now, that 2/3 of them are in the basement, waiting to be rotated back into play.  One or two new items this holiday won't really bother me, but 8-10 PER CHILD is a whole other story...

Happy Gifting!

Over the hills, and through the woods...with a bread machine in tow



I am taking my bread machine with us to Oklahoma again this year.  Every family that is coming to my inlaws for Thanksgiving brings something to share, and one of my contributions is rolls.  I will also be making a spinach-artichoke dip and a spicy cranberry sauce that you eat with cream cheese and crackers (but you could also spoon a little onto your turkey). 

All of this requires some planning and packing.  I designated a large Rubbermaid plastic tub to be the food prep tub.  The bread machine goes in first, since it takes up the most room.  Inside the machine I put a small washcloth on the bottom of the bread 'bowl' to cover up the small metal post that the kneading bar attaches to.  Then I pack in the ingredients I need for the rolls.  In three separate Ziploc bags (because I will be making 3 batches), I pre-measure all of the dry ingredients I need for the rolls - flour, sugar, salt and yeast)  These rolls are fool-proof, so I never pay attention to the rule for bread machines that you have to add stuff in a certain order.  I put the all of the wet ingredients first, and then add the dry.  I only use the machine to make the dough, I bake the rolls in the oven.  Then I add my pizza cutter to the bin (I use it to cut the dough).  I also throw in my 2-cup glass measuring cup because I use it when I am making the recipe as well.  (A post about the rolls, including the recipe, will be forthcoming...)  I know from experience that I need to bring the extra tools with me and when we are in the throes of pulling a Thanksgiving meal together, it is handy to have extras - especially the tools you are accustomed to using.



I will also add my Pampered Chef Mini-baker stoneware, to use for my spinach-artichoke dip.  It is the perfect size for this recipe (forth-coming as well), and I would rather not be without it.  Wrap it up in a towel and nestle it in the bin.  I need to add a couple of ingredients for this recipe to my grocery shopping list for the trip.  I have a gripe here: Oklahoma City is a wonderful place.  It is huge.  It is vast.  It goes on and on and on.  The neighborhoods (most of them) are beautiful, and on every corner and in between there is either a restaurant or a church.  BUT, finding a decent grocery store is impossible.  I must be looking in all the wrong places (the only decent one I've found is all the way in Edmond, a 20 minute drive from my MIL's) because I have yet to find one that I can count on to find stuff other than the basics.  So I will be purchasing the marinated artichoke hearts and the fancy table crackers that I need before we leave.  I will also throw in jars of the variety of spices I need because I am not for certain what my MIL has on hand.  A list of items that will need to go into the cooler will be added to the packing list as well.  (The pre-made frozen cranberry dip, a measure of mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, soy sauce..ect)  These all seem like very basic items, but my MIL may or may not have them on hand.  I don't want to waste a lot of money on buying ingredients there, that I already have here, that I can just bring along with me.  I will also bring my bread cutting board and bread knife to cut the baguette bread to use with the spinach dip.  (Which I am praying I can find in OKC).

We are staying at my inlaw's so they are feeding us for several days as well.  I want to help ease my MIL's burden of having to all of a sudden cook for 8 instead of 2, so I plan on making a crock pot meal for all of us on Wednesday, so that we have a wonderful meal waiting for us at the end of a long, food-preparation marathon day.  Something very unThanksgiving mealish - Tenderized Round steak w/peppers on rice.   So I need to pack the crock pot and rice cooker as well.  I know that my MIL has a crock pot (maybe even two??), but I also know that they will be pressed into service on the big day, and having an extra on hand will really help.  I remember last year we needed to borrow one from Dean's sister, Stacy, to have enough for the Christmas meal.  Since I will have the bread machine with me, I will also pull together a batch of caramel-pecan cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving morning, so that we have something to sustain us while cooking. 

So, just thinking out loud here...

The bin will contain the bread machine, crock pot, rice cooker, bread board, pizza cutter, bread knife, stoneware baker, glass measuring cup, 2 extra spatulas, garlic peeler, basting brush, oregano, ginger, garlic powder, cornstarch, marinated artichoke hearts, 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, basmati rice, stoneground wheat crackers, light Karo syrup, brown sugar, chopped pecans, cinnamon/sugar, bag of caramel roll ingredients, 3 bags of butter crescent roll ingredients, recipes for steak & peppers, spinach & artichoke dip, and caramel rolls. (butter crescents are memorized)

In the cooler: 6-7 basil leaves, frozen cranberry sauce, mayo, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, soy sauce, sliced bell peppers plus all in-car lunch and snack items.

When we arrive, the bin can stay in the garage, where it will be out of the way.  I can retrieve stuff as I need it, and then put it away when done, so it is out of the way.  Counterspace is at a premium, so that certainly helps.  The bin, because of it's size and stability, can be one of the first things packed into the van.  I don't have to worry about things getting crushed or spilling, because it is all safely contained.

It is also nice to have this all planned out a couple weeks ahead of time, instead of frantically trying to pull it all together the night before we leave, or just winging it when I get there.  I tried that it in the past... and it was a fantastic failure.  Uugh.

So what if you aren't traveling for the holiday?  Here is some general holiday cooking advice...

• Plan your meal out now. 
• Shop now. 
• Prepare what you can ahead of time, and freeze it. 
• Pre-measure ingredients and bag it up ahead of time.
• Chop up what you can the day ahead.
• Pull together the cookware and utensils you need a few days ahead.  Did you forget that a few months ago you dropped that favorite serving bowl and it shattered into a million pieces?
• WHERE is that favorite recipe?  Put together a Holiday recipe binder.  Put in tabs for each holiday.  Add the recipes as you think of them.  I have struggled every Christmas with trying to remember where each and every favorite cookie recipe is.  I only have about fifty billion cookbooks and Taste of Home copies to look through.... Pull your favorites, type them up or make a photocopy of them, and add them to the binder. (Scrapbook it even!)  That way, when the holiday rolls around, you've got it all in one place.  When your kids move out or get married, you can make a copy and pass it on to them - a keepsake for them and their spouse will love you for it.

So - check back soon... the recipes mentioned above (and photos) will be forthcoming!

The Packing List



I love making lists.  I am also rather picky about what they look like - especially ones that I use over and over - of which I have several:

• The road trip packing list
• The camping packing list
• Leaving the house for vacation checklist
• The grocery store shopping aisle-by-aisle list
• The Target shopping list
• My control journal (Fly Lady)
• The weekly menu plan

Fly Lady would call it per*******ism...  Yeah... maybe... BUT - I know what works for me.  Here are my particulars:

The entire list must be on one page.  You should have seen me in college - I would rewrite lecture notes so that the entire lecture would fit on one page.  Lesson plans had to be on one page.  I mess with the font, the letter size, I box things in, I make tables, charts... whatever.  But it must all fit on one page.  Why the neurosis?  I don't know... I guess I feel like if there is more than one page, I will miss something... forget to look at the other page or whatever.  I know... silly... but that is me.  I also don't like keeping track of multiple things.  (yes, I know I have FOUR kids....why do you think I am a basketcase??)  ONE is what works for me.

The usage of tables helps me categorize things.  It also helps maximize the use of the page space w/o making things look messy.  With a table, my husband and I can divide and conquer - he takes a section and I take a section.

It must look neat.  I hate messy lists.  I am a very visual person - if I am looking at something messy, my eyes have no idea where to focus first and I get distracted.  Not the thing to do when you are packing and don't want to forget something.

It must be easy to edit.  The list changes with the seasons, so it must be easy for me to go in and pull up an old list, save it as a new one, and strike out a whole section.  We don't need to be packing snow boots and coats in August.  That whole section can become water toys and sand toys - keep the seasonal stuff in the same box in the table - just switch it out.

Whatever you do, however you do it - just make the list work for you, not against you.  I have not established an order-to-do-things-in with this list, but I could very easily... just number the boxes in the order they should be done.  Print the list several days before the trip, and keep it with you.  As your mind wanders as you are driving, or drifting off to sleep, or making dinner,  you will think of things you need to add.  Keep it handy and jot it down.  Trust me - you won't remember later.  Keep your spouse and kids involved.  The kids may have different ideas of stuff they want to bring that what they brought last time, so keep the list fresh and up-to-date.

Not only is it the list itself - but it is the way you go about packing.  Even before I 'met' Fly Lady, I did a number of things to make life on the road easier...

• Pack the kid's stuff in duffel bags (they each have their own) - easy to squash down.
• Pack every one's toiletries into one bag - easier to keep track of, and is one of the last things to go into the car.  And if something spills (but you should use Ziploc bags..), it won't get on any clothing.
• Pack an empty (large) duffel bag to serve as a hamper for every one's clothing.  You can prepack some detergent and softener in there as well (I use one of Rylan's old Avent baby bottles to hold the liquid detergent - and then put it in a Ziploc, and a Ziploc w/several dryer sheets) so that you don't have to buy the expensive stuff at the laundromat.  In the past we used a mesh laundry bag, but that was kind of embarrassing when we were lugging it through the hotel lobby.  A duffel bag is much more discreet.
• If you are packing dress clothes, put everything - shoes, clothing, belts, tights, ect. for every family member in that bag.  That way, the wrong things don't get accidentally worn or get rumpled and riffled through while looking for regular clothes.  I also try to clip everything for one person onto each hanger (I used clothespins).
• Dedicate a smaller-sized duffel bag as a shoe bag, and put every family member's extra shoes in there.  That way stinky shoes don't get crammed in with clean clothes.
• If you are doing an overnight in a hotel, consider prepacking a separate hotel bag.  Each family member packs pj's and the next day's clothing into that one bag.  That way, when you go into the hotel, you only have to carry in that one clothing bag, the toiletry bag, and whatever personal belongings you don't want to leave in the car (like laptops, cameras, purse, ect...)  Dean and I went round and round on this very subject.  We argued during EVERY vacation about it.  He HATED that we would have to get one of those luggage carts to haul our stuff to the room.  And we filled it too!  A bassinet, 4 kid duffel bags, two adult suitcases, a toiletry bag, a computer bag, Dean's work bag, the cooler, the snack box, toy bag(s), diaper bag, three baby/kid blankets, shoe bag, my book/magazine bag, and, on occasion, a baby in a carrier.  Getting to the room was an outright ordeal!  Even worse, it was typically in the middle of the night, groggy kids would be crying, and it would be freezing cold or worse, snowing (because we were typically traveling during the holiday season).  Good times.  Yet, I insisted that I have the kid duffel bags with me, because you never knew what the weather was going to be like the next day, there was no telling how many baby/toddler outfits we blazed through during the car ride due to spit ups or diaper blow-outs or toilet training accidents, so I wanted all available clothing to be at the ready, in case I needed to refill the diaper bag with anywhere from 1-3 outfits for the next day's driving.  Moms?  Help me out here - you see my point don't you?  I totally get the wisdom behind what Dean is going for here... but kids are a crap shoot, and you never know what the day is going to throw at you.  So, worst case, pack a particular kid's duffel bag in an easy-to-get-to spot, and the next morning, pull outfits from it to stow in the now-empty diaper bag for the next leg of the journey.  You win, Dean!  You win!  ;)

If you are interested in reading about more packing and list ideas, here are some from Fly Lady.

Here is a screenshot of the packing list for our upcoming trip...