Homeschool Mother's Journal 9-14-12

In my life this week…  
 
I'm still working on eating a plant-based diet and it has actually been easier than I thought!  Can't wait to share more thoughts about my week with you on Menu Plan Monday!

In our homeschool this week…  

Our new schedule is in full swing and this is the first week with all activities going at the same time.  Thank goodness we homeschool and there is no homework!!  Wednesdays and Fridays there are no extracurricular activities. 

Monday

4:15 - Broadway

6:00 - American Heritage Girls

Tuesday (school finished by noon)

1:00 - Essentials Class

4:30 - Jazz

5:15 - Tap

6:00 - Company

Thursday (off from school)

9:30 - Community Bible Study 

12:00 - Park (some days)

3:30 - Piano

4:15 - Lyrical

5:00 - Ballet

Since the last time I posted, Funny Bunny finished Unit 10 ~ Early Greece and Rome and started Unit 11 ~ The Israelites Worship Idols in her Preparing Heart for His Glory book.

In science she is learning about the different types of trees.

In CBS we are studying Hebrews.  I opened her book so she could complete the first two lessons today and found these At-Home Challenges.  What a great idea!!

Here are the books she is currently reading.

My favorite thing this week was…

Watching my little girl grow.  I can remember when she was in the youngest group at Awana and now she is in the 9-12 year old group with AHG.  She started ballet the month she turned 3 and now she is in Junior Company.  Mommy/baby playdates and now I'm dropping her off at friend's homes.  I'm with her everyday but it just seems like time if flying by.  ♥

Morning Devotion - Being Happy

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength. ~ Philippians 4:12-13 

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ~ Philippians 4:4

But you remain the same, and your years will never end. ~ Psalm 102:27

Don't wait for everything in your life to be perfect before you decide to be happy.  Too many people waste their lives dreaming about the time when they'll finally be happy, but while they are daydreaming, life is passing them by.  Follow Jesus and He will show you how to be happy today!!

From time to time I'll be sharing passages from our morning devotions.  I hope they can be an encouragement to you!

 

Combat Source Kill Max Ant Bait and Gel Giveaway & Sweepstakes! - ENDED

Combat Source Kill Max Ant Killing Gel gets your ant problem under control in just three to five days. It’s formulated to attract ants quickly, while its fast-acting insecticide, Fipronil, starts killing in hours. Worker ants return to the colony and feed the bait to the larvae and to the queen, eliminating the entire ant colony. This gel is easy to use so you can apply it in cracks, crevices and other hard-to-reach places.

Combat Source Kill Max Ant Bait contains a powerful
insecticide, Fipronil, which kills most ants commonly found in households. Ants are attracted to the bait and then carry it back to their colony to destroy the queen and entire colony. These easy-to-use, no-mess, child-resistant ant baits need no activation. Just place them where you have seen ants and they will work day and night to control the problem killing ants at the source.

I am anxious to see how the gel works.  We don't really have an ant problem, but every once and a while we will get those tiny, little ants in various rooms of the house, like the bathroom.  It's very random and just a few will show up and then they're gone.  Of course I always wonder how in the world they are getting in.

And the gel can be used outside as well.  I'll be placing it near our front and back doors.

Do you have an ant problem?  Before you enter my giveaway below, first enter to win $1,000 to throw your very own Bug-Free Backyard Bash!! 

--------------------------------------------------------

GIVEAWAY!!

So, here's how to enter to win one (1) box of Combat Ant Gel!!  For each comment, you will get one (1) entry.

1. Leave a comment telling me why you would like to win

2. Follow my blog using Google Friend Connect

3. Like Our Homeschool Reviews on Facebook 

4. Follow OurHSReviews on Twitter

**Remember to please leave a separate comment for each entry**

Contest ends on Friday, September 14, 2012 at 5:00 EST.  The winner will be chosen by Random.org.  This contest is open to U.S. residents who are 18 or older.  If I am unable to reach the winner by email within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be selected.  Your entry is only valid if you include a way for me to contact you (either an email address in your comment or on your profile).  The winner's name will be obtained and publicly announced.  The number of eligible entries determines the odds of winning.  No purchase is necessary to win and this contest is void where prohibited by law. 

Disclosure:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the products to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.

Menu Plan Monday - September 10

It's been exactly 1 WEEK since starting my plant-based diet of trying to eliminate, or at least reduce, meat and dairy!

The results have been wonderful!  I have not eaten any meat and my dairy has been very limited to possibly two little creamers I used in my coffee.  I did have some Kashi crackers on Saturday, but pretty much everything else I ate included only fruits and vegetables or something I made from scratch at home, so I knew what was going into it, like bread and muffins.  :)

Friday through Sunday were challenging and I had lots of opportunities to eat bad...and believe it or not, there were several family members encouraging me to as well.  :/  I got through it though!

The question I am getting from just about everyone, is "How will Funny Bunny get calcium if she is not drinking milk."  Please leave a comment if I am leaving something out, but here is a short list of foods that provide calcium:

Daily vitamin
Calcium fortified OJ
Varieties of Tofu
Fortified cereals and breads
Green leafy vegetables
Soy milk
Beans, Nuts, Grains 
Some fruits

Remember this is a child who could live on PB&J, macaroni & cheese, hot dogs, hamburgers, and steak.  How is cutting out milk and eating tons of fruits and veggies not better?  Let's not worry about just calcium and look at the big picture though.  I am really trying to do my best researching this and think we are all getting a much more balanced menu than what we were eating before {Greasy Tacos, Pepperoni Pizza, Burgers, etc}.  Don't you think?    

If you'd like to read more about a plant-based diet and the problems associated with dairy and meat, you can visit The Free McDougall Program.  About the 5th page he starts talking about calcium specifically, but the whole document is worth reading.  It's a nice and quick summary of everything I have been learning about. 

Here are some of the meals we ate last week and our thoughts:

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili - We all LOVED this!!  Definitely making it again!

Rainbow Stirfry - We thought it was kinda bland. I'll be looking for another one.

Pizza crust - This was very good and easy to make and of course you can put anything you like on it.

Here are our dinners for this week:

Spinach and Artichoke Pie
Vegetable Crock-Pot Pot Pie
Easy Crockpot Lentil Soup
Burritos with Spanish Rice and Black Beans
Vegetable Pizza with this Pizza Crust

Here are some snacks we are going to try:

Ridiculously Easy Pineapple Sorbet
Banana Date Walnut Muffins

If you have any easy plant-based recipes I would love to hear them!

Everyday Cooking Review

Everyday Homemaking is packed with practical ideas, time-and money-saving tips, and useful products and tools to help you better manage your household and time.

Whether you are a homeschooler looking for advice and encouragement or an overwhelmed homemaker trying to get the house organized and dinner on the table, Everyday Homemaking has something for you.

Their website includes free recipes and articles and a great section called Kitchen Servants, which includes links to recommended mixers, grain mills, and cookware.  Oh yeah, and here is the page on the Vita-Mix...my dream appliance!  If you have some time, these pages have some great information! 

They also have a wonderful Book Series.  I had the opportunity to review one of their books called Everyday Cooking.  

Everyday Cooking is a collection of tried-and-true recipes and hints for simple, everyday cooking with an emphasis on whole foods - from a busy homeschooling mother of eight. 

Here you can click on the preview to see a few sample pages.  The book includes photos, sample menus, shopping and equipment tips, and more than 125 recipes!!

Each month they feature some of the recipes from Everyday Cooking on their site.  Here are some sample recipes to try for free. 

My Thoughts:  I like how Everyday Cooking is laid out.  After a short Introduction it starts right away with Timesaving Tips and Breakfast Ideas.  It's then broken down into Appetizers & Dressings, Bread & Grains, Main Dishes, Soups, & Sides, and Desserts & Snacks.  In concludes with Basic Measurements and Helps, Meal Planning and Shopping Hints, Sample Menus and Checklists.

I do wish there were more pictures throughout.  There are a few like the one below, but I am visual and really like to see what the end result looks like for each recipe.  I do love the photo explanation in the Breads & Grains section!!

There were also helpful tips scattered about, which I thought were great.

Another thing I would have liked is for more recipe variations and substitutions.  There were several like the one below, but I would have liked more ways to alter the recipes due to allergies or to just make them healthier. 

I do think this is a great cookbook for mothers and daughters and a great resource for the busy mom. 

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at Everyday Homemaking.  Everyday Cooking can be purchased as an e-book {which is what I received} for $14.99 or coil-bound with a glossy cover for $17.99. 

My Crewmates are also talking about Everyday Homemaking, so you can check out what they think about it HERE.

Disclaimer:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.

Hearts for Hearts Girls Pool Party!

I am so excited that I finally get to tell you about a fun Hearts for Hearts Girls party we had with some of our friends!!

Hearts For Hearts Girls is a charitable doll line that seeks to empower girls to become agents of change in their communities, their countries, and around the world.  The line features eight dolls inspired by real girls from real places all over the world.  Each authentically dressed and lifelike doll has her own story to share and is working to change her community in ways unique to her home country.  

Funny Bunny was so surprised when she came home and saw that we received two Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls {one for her and one to raffle off to a friend}.

We also received Hearts For Hearts Girls bracelets, party recipes and activities, and coupons to give out.

Funny Bunny had a hard time deciding which doll to keep for herself, but ultimately she choose Dell from USA.

Dell lives in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky.  She enjoys the sunshine, cooking, and music.  She also likes to help others.

The other doll that she received was Zelia from Brazil.  Zelia lives on a coffee farm in Sao Paulo.

In school she learned that the rainforests are disappearing and she would love to save rainforest animals one day.



We planned a pool party with some friends, talked about the dolls, passed out the bracelets and passports, and raffled off Zelia. The family who received her was very excited!

The best part is that these dolls teach young girls about the concept of giving back.  A portion of each doll sale is donated to World Vision, a non-profit organization that helps children from that doll's country.  

Thoughts of a 9-Year Old:  I like the Hearts4Hearts Girls dolls a lot. The ones I got were Dell and Zelia, and I chose to keep Dell!  I think they're great because they help out others by using their own skills and talents.  I like that because it encourages others that they can do just that.  The next doll I'm hoping to get is Consuelo. These dolls are wonderful!  

Find Out More:  You can find out more online where you can learn about each doll at Hearts For Hearts Girls.  You can also play games and activities and read stories from real girls from around the world.  

There are 8 dolls which include Dell (USA), Lauryce (USA), Lilian (Belarus), Rahel (Ethiopia), Nahji (India), Tipi (Laos), and Consuelo (Mexico), and Zelia (Brazil).  Each doll stands 14 inches high and has a poseable, smooth vinyl body, and high-quality rooted hair.  Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls sell for approximately $27.99 and can be purchased online or at local retailers like Target. 

Disclaimer:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.

Wordless Wednesday: Breakfast!

You can find more on my Menu Plan Monday post.

And the American Bible Challenge Winner Is...

Comment #19 - gail said...liked them on fb

I used Random.org to pick the winner and I have already notified her via email.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the American Bible Challenge Giveaway via Our Homeschool Reviews!  

Menu Plan Monday - September 3

Happy Labor Day!  I can't believe it's September already!  Well I mentioned in my Homeschool Mother's Journal post on Saturday that I watched several documentaries on food and am going to try to move toward a more plant based diet.  Funny Bunny and I pre-shopped the grocery store on Friday to research and pick out a few things but today we will be going on our regular shopping trip.

On Friday we picked up a few staples that include:

Old Fashioned Oatmeal
Steel Cut Oats
Shredded Wheat
Grape Nuts
Raisins
Dried Cranberries
Corn Kernels for making popcorn (these were B1G1 at Publix)
Vegetable Broth
Several cans of beans
Soy Milk

Today we'll be getting the following:

Tons of fruits and veggies
More cans of beans
Extra firm tofu
Brown Sugar

Looking at that list it doesn't seem like we can make many meals from it but we can.  Here is our menu for the week:

Breakfasts:

Slow Cooker Oats with Fruit {I did not add the butter} or a variation of Rip's Big Bowl from the Engine 2 Diet.  Mine includes a handful or Shredded Wheat, Old Fashioned Oatmeal, and Grape Nuts with whatever fruit we have.  Today I added raisins and peaches and Soy Milk.  YUM!!

Dinners:

Spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce (we already had this)
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili
Minestrone Soup
Rainbow Stirfry
Homemade Pizza - I'm going to attempt to make this pizza crust

I am also going to make this Easy and Decadent No-Knead Wheat Bread today. 

Two websites that I have found extremely helpful are VegWeb and Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.  The latter has a nice section named Ridiculously Easy Recipes, which is my kind of title!!  ;)

There is also The Engine 2 Diet, which is the movie Funny Bunny and I watched to get excited about eating more plant based.

I do want to add that we have not emptied the kitchen of all "bad" foods.  We still have some cheese and eggs, along with milk that I think FB will have a hard time giving up.  The freezer holds some shrimp and I'm sure we have some bad snacks hanging around.  This is our trial/test week to try new foods and see what we like.

So wish us luck and I will try to update you on how the recipes taste and on our progress.

Homeschool Mother's Journal 9-1-12

In my life this week…  
 
I watched several documentaries on food.  Forks over Knives, Engine 2, Food Inc., Fat, Tired, and Nearly Dead, Food Matters, and Food Fight to name a few.  I had seen Food Inc. a while ago so I decided to watch it again.  I'm glad I did...hoping to take meat out of my diet.  

My goals are simple: Cut down on dairy and meat and eat more fruits and vegetables.  

I am not throwing everything we have in the house that is bad away.  We are going to ease slowly into this while trying new things and discovering what we like.  I'll try to post our menu plans for the week on Monday.

In our homeschool this week…  

In science Funny Bunny learned about plants and flowers.

And she made a terrarium.

In history we learned about Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt through the Greeks at the time of King David.

These are the three books we have been reading for the past few weeks.  I'm reading Tirzah aloud and the other two Funny Bunny has been reading to herself.

A very exciting part of the week was Funny Bunny taking her first Essentials Class through Classical Conversations.  Essentials is an intense grammar and writing class that includes math games for grades 4-6.  She was nervous about taking it but ended up loving the class.  She participated and had a great time!

Below is a poem Funny Bunny wrote for class which focuses on quality adjectives and alliteration.

My favorite thing this week was…

our TCBY field trip, which I have absolutely no pictures of, and signing up Funny Bunny for the American Heritage Girls!  Registration night was Monday and there were 40 children!  Wow!  We are both excited to get started!  She already has the oath memorized.

"I promise to love God, Cherish my family, Honor my country, and Serve in my community."  Below is the craft they completed.