Our Pitiful Garden

So, this past spring the campers and I spent time planting seeds and watching them grow. A friend of the family had sent us pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. We planted half of that tray with pumpkin seeds and the other half with the sunflower seeds. Then covered the tray with plastic wrap and checked daily for growth. As they started to grow the campers charted how quickly they were growing, the temperature, if the plants were still inside or had been transplanted outside yet, and more.


This got the girls especially interested in the garden and if we could actually grow vegetables and flowers. They spent hour after hour, day after day, working in the little garden. Pulling weeds, propping the tomato plants up with sticks, even adding worms to the dirt!

They watched all summer long while tomato plants wilted and died out because I'd chosen too shady of a spot for the plants to grow properly but they did get one tomato! Those beautiful pumpkin plants wilted away too until we only have one that is still struggling to grow and has yet to do more than produce flowers. Our strawberries that we planted got eaten by the local deer population. And our sunflowers, though tall, have no flowers.

You would think with all of these setbacks that the campers would be upset. But, instead they're working on plans for next year's garden. Insisting that when we move the mobile home that we make sure we have a good spot with plenty of sunshine for their plants. I'm more than willing to accomidate them in this matter because I love to garden. I know that sometime this winter they'll be planning what we need to plant, how many of each thing, and come spring time they'll be plotting a new garden out with me. I'm looking forward to planning next year's garden with them and seeing if we can do better than we did this year!

Surviving tomato plant

Surviving pumpkin plant

Our little sunflower stalks

The Little Table

We've run the race from dedicated school room, learning areas, and simply using the kitchen table. Back and forth over the years we've never kept the same set up. I could never figure out why we didn't make more use out of the space we had.

This year we're back at the kitchen table. Not because we can't set up desks in the bedrooms, as a matter of fact that's where ECJ has his work space ... a desk in his bedroom since he works best alone. Does he always use his desk? The simple answer is no, I find him sprawled all over his bed half the time. Whatever works best for him.

The girls and I use the kitchen table. That little table gives me so much. The campers eat every meal at it. We do projects on it. And the main part of every day lessons is done sitting around it. One girl on each side of me while I help both of them get off on the right foot each day.

Oh, we might read on the couch or in our beds, sometimes even in the tub, but that little table is really the center of our every day lives throughout the year. It's nothing fancy, the walls aren't covered with educational things, and it needs cleaned off all the time. But, it's worth its weight in gold to me because around its wooden sides knowledge and love are found.

We also learn outside and helping Daddy with projects around the house, yard, and vehicle. Learning doesn't stop just because the text books close. But, all of you homeschoolers out there know that. We enjoy learning in every setting and situation. Just because my little table is comfortable, my couch can cradle all of us nearly to sleep, or we spot a strange creature while walking doesn't mean that's the only places that we learn. Our classroom is the entire world!

Linking up with the 8th Annual Back to Homeschool blog hop.

A Birthday Menu

It's been a super long time since I did a Menu Mondays post (since before I changed blogs to this one over a year ago, and of course I didn't blog for most of the past year). So, I decided that it was time to do one. I don't know if I'll do one every week or not but we'll see shall we?

So, this week is Peanut's birthday (8 years old!) and each person in this family picks what they want to eat on their birthday. Daddy even usually cooks on my birthday and makes whatever I want to eat. Since her birthday is Tuesday we're having an extra special birthday meal that day!

 I only include what we are having for dinner in these posts because we usually have the same things all week for breakfast (cereal, oatmeal, or eggs) and lunch (sandwiches, ramen noodles, or leftovers) and that would get pretty boring to read each day. I will try to include at least one of my recipes each week that I post these just so you can try it yourself if you like. I'll also state here that normally Sunday's are leftover days in our house but since I have pork chops sitting in my fridge just needing to be made Sunday this week is NOT leftovers.

Saturday : Chicken wraps and baby carrots
Sunday : Pork with portabella mushrooms and mushroom gravy over white rice
Monday : Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
Tuesday : (Peanut's request) Steak with baked potatoes and corn ... Daddy and I will be eating portabella mushrooms with baked potatoes and corn since neither of us want to eat steak right now ... heart shaped brownies for desert instead of cake this year.
Wednesday : Polish sausage with sour kraut and mashed potatoes
Thursday : Poor man's "cabbage" soup with butter bread
Friday : Baked Talapia with butter noodles and green beans

Poor man's "cabbage" soup

Leave leftover polish sausage and sour kraut in crock pot ... add two cans of tomato juice (vegetable juice works just as well) and a can of mushrooms. Add garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt all to taste. Put crock pot on keep warm setting and leave over night and through the next day. Everything is now wonderfully seasoned and you didn't need to worry about cooking for one whole day!! 

Daddy and I came up with this recipe many years ago when every penny had to be stretched two and three times to make sure that the two of us ate (we were young and in love but that didn't fill the belly). It's remained a family favorite throughout the past thirteen years and we make it at least once a month no matter what the weather outside is doing.


Typed up: 9-10-16

Linked with I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday

First Week Back!

OH MY! What a week we've had! The first week back to school always has some hick-ups but this year we had several that strained my brain and we'd only taken two weeks off between summer lessons and our new fall lessons! Of course, we're doing almost all new curriculum this year so that has something to do with it.

We started our week on the holiday weekend. A quick trip to the nearest cider mill for a lunch of cider and doughnuts put us all in a great mood. Before we left there we'd gone through an entire dozen doughnuts and half of that gallon of cider. No worries, I bought more doughnuts for desert for that night.

Then we made a trip over to our friends house (Learning Life with 3 Sons ) and got in some games as well as some quick lessons on how to handle a hedgehog! Isn't she just so cute?!?! I even held the little stinker for a few minutes before I freaked out. I enjoyed hanging out with my life long friend and the kids had a blast as well. 

And just look at that look on Peanut's face! That picture is worth a billion words and most of them "AWW!" 

After visiting there we spent the rest of the day outside riding bicycles and enjoying the summer weather while it's still around. I'm glad fall is on the horizon because it is my favorite time of the year, but summer is the best for swimming and biking.

After all of that fun weekend it was time to buckle down and get back to lessons. With ECJ being enrolled in public online virtual school this year (something we're still deciding if we like or not) it was a bumpy beginning. Our internet was down until Thursday afternoon and so he spent Thursday and Friday catching up on the assignments and standardized tests (*cringe*). He did some book work for me out of a college level Algebra book and reading from the texts we'd received in the mail from his new school at the beginning of the week. The more we're experiencing this new schooling idea the less we are actually enjoying it and will perhaps switch what he is doing as early as the end of next week. I've determined that we need to give it at least a solid regular school week to see if we should stick with it. Usually I'm a year by year type of person but right now it's week to week with this curriculum. I had my doubts before we started it and had thought that it would be fine. We shall see.


 Meanwhile the girls and I tackled their new curriculum. Watched several DVD's on space (the planets, the moon, solar system, etc.), a couple on legendary folk and tall tales, and a Spanish DVD. The didn't enjoy the Spanish DVD that I had picked up from the library. I am still sorting through what I'd like to do instead. We're all enjoying the Seton books that I ordered instead of A Beka this year. That's one switch that I think will stick to us. Watching educational DVD's with the dog and in a princess dress is Peanut's idea of doing school after the books are all done. 

Now, I'm sitting here Friday afternoon and am thankful that the week is finally over. The first week of the 2016-2017 school year is over. It's all easier from here. The girls and I will be in a routine within the next two weeks. ECJ will either be online with K-12 (*shudder*) or doing some other curriculum that I have lined up ... but not before we've given the first an appropriate try. 

Oops! Forgot to lesson plan for next week! Guess I know what I'll be doing after supper tonight! Hope all of you have a great weekend! Happy homeschooling!

Linked up with : Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers for the weekly wrap up .

Switching Curriculum

So, we've used mostly the same curriculum for three years. Switched to Saxon math two years ago and are very happy with the switch. Well, we're switching the rest of our curriculum this year!  Saxon math will remain, but we're stepping away from A Beka for the rest of our main texts.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with A Beka curriculum! We actually enjoyed it for the last three years. But, we're a Catholic family and we decided  (we meaning Daddy and I) to make the move to a Catholic curriculum. So, this year we'll be using Saxon math and Seton curriculum for our other main subjects. We're praying that we will enjoy it as much as we did our previous curriculum.

Now, I could do as I've done in previous years. List each Cracker Jack separately and each choice for each subject. But, it really isn't necessary. Peanut isn't moving into Saxon math this year but is doing the regular Seton math. YCJ is doing Saxon math and everything else is Seton.

But, ECJ is a whole other story. He wanted to return to a brick and morter high school, Daddy and I weren't on board. So, as a compromise until we are certain that he can emotionally handle it... he's been enrolled in the K-12 online program.  I'm not sure how I feel about it to tell you the truth. We'll take the rest of his education a year at a time.

That's this year's choices for curriculum in a nut shell. I'm actually excited for this school year to start! Our start date is September 6th, which is oh so close!

Here's to another great year for all of us homeschoolers!

And, like I've done previously, I'm linking up with the annual Back to Homeschool blog hop!

Mid February Update

Okay, so this week we've been rather busy! Lots of lessons being done, including adding in some supplemental work online through Discovery K12 . Which is a free online curriculum which tracks attendance and work done. It includes three extra curricular: Spanish, coding, and health ... along with the regular subjects: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and History. The longest thing is their reading which is a half an hour required every day. Each of my children take different amounts of time to get this work finished but they seem to enjoy it and it has taken our normal school day hours and just about doubled it but without doubling the work I'm putting into it. It also includes tests in various subjects which allows Elder Cracker Jack to practice his testing skills, especially since he wants to return to public school in the fall and that means he'll be going to high school where there are tons of tests. We may or may not continue with Discovery K12 for the girls depending on how they respond to it and at this point neither one of them has any plans on returning to public school.

We're looking into a semi-local co-op as well for the campers. If we don't take advantage of the classes offered through a separate program then they still will reap the benefits of get together and field trips which I think is a wonderful thing and for the entire family to join it's only $25 for the year. This will also allow me to talk to other homeschool parents and give me people whom I can bounce ideas off of. 

We've played outside a little (BBBRRRR has it been chilly around here!) but only for about a total of four hours. We are still taking part of the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge and last year we actually made that 1000 hour goal. Of course we were in Kentucky and now with 639 hours left to get in before September and being back in Michigan I'm in for a real challenge. It means that from now until the first week in September we need to average about 25 hours outside each week! I know that once the weather heats up that with all the parks, beaches, and other outside activities we can do around our new home that we'll have some weeks with nearly double that 25 hour goal, but at this point it seems rather daunting because we're finally in the throws of winter. 

We were at Grandma and Papa's house from the end of August until the very beginning of January and so we spent Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas at their home. We had a blast but are really enjoying our new home now and are finally getting back into our own rhythm. Here are a few pictures from the time we were there:

Noni had bought me those Hello Kitty pajamas for Christmas and they are so warm and comfy!!!

I'd love to post new pictures of our house and the first home improvement project that we've already finished but I haven't uploaded those photos from my phone yet so they'll have to wait. This upcoming week we have lessons, several appointments, and hopefully tons of outside time to come! I will attempt to get a new house post up sometime during the middle of the week and a new weekly wrap up posted next Friday. I'd have had this one posted this past Friday but I was rather ill for the last couple of days and am only now feeling well enough to get back up and do things.

And for those of you who look for my crochet creations here's a pretty set I made last year but you've never seen:

So Much Has Happened!

Oh my goodness! So much has happened since my last blog entry and it all began even before that! So, get yourself a cup of coffee (or tea if you'd rather) and settle in for an update!

October of 2014 found us moving from that home we remodeled in Michigan to another home in eastern Kentucky. I posted pictures online and blogged just a little, but we spent nearly the next year just enjoying the great outdoors and working on some projects outside on the two acres of land. Well, when we went to pull permits for some work on the house this past summer we were shocked to find out that no one was even supposed to be in that house and indeed it shouldn't have been sold to us. So, we packed up and headed back to good old Michigan.

We stayed with Grandma and Papa while trying to get ourselves reestablished in Michigan. Taking care of those pesky things like transferring the insurance and house hunting. We'd thought we'd only need to stay for a month or two. We were there from August until just the beginning of January! House hunting this time around was harder than we'd thought it would be. But we did eventually find the home we wanted, waited out the couple of months it took for the paperwork to be processed on the other people's side, and then had to redo the plumbing from the floor up in almost the whole house!

We've been in our new home for just over a month now and we're really beginning to feel settled in. The campers are back to their regularly scheduled lessons again (which hadn't been so regular until we were once again in our own home) and our routines are slowly falling into place. 

I'll have pictures and more about the house at another time (I have to find that pesky link cord for my camera to upload them to the computer, I know it's around here somewhere...). 

As for Elder Cracker Jack he's been turning into a regular teenage boy. He's now fourteen and of course thinks that he's heading on forty. Us parents can't possibly understand, don't know what he's going through, as a matter of fact we really don't seem to know much most of the time as far as he's concerned. At least until a doctor or someone else verifies the information that we've just given him. He's doing wonderfully at his lessons, though he still hates writing reports or creative writing unless it's his own idea. He's decided that he'd like to go to public high school in the fall, so we're working on getting him more involved with the co-op near us and getting him ready for the transition. He's been informed that if he's going to "do high school" then he is in it for all four years. He's not coming back home simply because he doesn't like his classes, teachers, or classmates. The high school can literally be seen out of my back window as the house buts up to their field for sports so it's not like he has far to go.

Younger Cracker Jack is chugging along quite nicely. Her reading level is still behind but she is catching up more every day. She's now reading things she sees all around us on her own without prompting and has been doing her language arts assignments with very limited help from me. It takes her longer than when I sat with her and helped her through it but she is doing it on her own and doing it well and that is what matters, not how quickly she can get it done.

Peanut, well she astounds me every single day. Today during spelling, remember that we use  Spelling You See, she wrote this super cute narrative and illustrated it. The rhyme this week was I'm a little teapot and she wrote about how teapots were probably in the people's homes that were involved with the Boston Tea Party. And that it all happened because the taxes were too high. Her illustration showed a teapot, sword in hand, fighting with the king of England! Her imagination is priceless! She's popping up with words I didn't know that she knew how to read on a weekly basis and shocks me all the time with what she knows on subjects I didn't even know she knew about yet. 

I could continue to write more and more all night long, but I would never get to bed and I have a busy day tomorrow. So, I hope this helped shed some light on what's been going on with us for the past 18 months or so and I sincerely hope that I am able to get back into the flow of blogging often!