The Threat That Became Our Reality-Part 1

I have recently joined a couple of home school Facebook pages and I have been watching as many new people are taking the leap to home school.  I know how scary it is. They have so many questions and they are looking for any help they can get. I've been there and it is quite overwhelming to know where to start. After seeing so many people searching for some direction, I felt like it was time to share my journey in hopes that it can help even one other person.

Four years ago, my oldest daughter was being quite grouchy with me as she was getting ready for school one day and I turned to her and said, “If you don’t start changing your attitude, I am going to pull you out of school and home school you next year.” Now I had no desire to home school at that point and had no way of knowing what her response would be.  But alas, she turned to me and said, “Good. I want to be homeschooled.” I stood there dumb founded. I could not even say anything. I just stood there in shock, wondering what had just happened. Wow, that didn’t go how I planned.  I took my three kids to school (K, 3^rd, and 4^th grade) and couldn’t even bring myself to say anything about our conversation at that time. But I sat wondering, WHY? Was she being bullied at school? What would make her WANT to be homeschooled?

When I picked up my children from school that day, I finally asked her about it. “Were you serious about wanting to home school next year?” She answered, much calmer than that morning, “Yes.” And at that time my 3^rd grader pipes in excitedly, “I want to be homeschooled too.”

“But, why?” was my reply.

The answer that came was most unexpected. She told me how bored she was in school.  How she finishes her work super fast and then is required to sit doing nothing for an hour as she waits for her class mates to finish their work.  And how she isn’t even allowed to read a book or draw, she just gets to sit and wait. How often times she was asked to help the other kids understand their work. How school is just too easy and she wants to be challenged and move at her own pace. And how the kids who didn’t do their homework at home the night before, are given time at school to do it, while those that did are given other stuff to do while the others catch up. How she felt that was a waste of time, and she would rather be learning other things. And her list went on and on, and all the while my 3^rd grader is chiming in his agreeance to everything she was saying.

I had no idea that was how school was for them. I knew they were smart and at the top of their classes, but I didn’t realize they were sitting around most of the time and bored. They never thought to tell me this before. And I never thought to ask questions that would bring these responses out. I was shocked at what good reasons she had for wanting to be home schooled.  I was also relieved that it wasn’t because of bullying or anything more serious.

I told my husband about the whole discussion that evening and his response was an automatic, “You’re not home schooling”. I got a little defensive and said, “I know. I’m just telling you what happened.” To be honest, homeschooling was far from my mind and I could understand his misgivings out it. You see, that year was the craziest year of our lives. My fifth child was about 10 months old at the time, he was born with seizures. We had been in and out of the hospital with him, and were having to see multiple doctors who were so hard to get into you had to accept any appointment time given to you (which were often very inconvenient). Plus we had Early Intervention coming into our home 2-3 times a week. He was on medication that slowed him down developmentally, caused numerous other problems, and caused sleeping problems.  I was not sleeping through the night and was extremely exhausted and stressed with his situation. To add to it, my 5 year old went to half day Kindergarten, which meant I was constantly at the school dropping kids off and picking them up from school. To say the least, I was a MESS!

Life was CRAZY for me, I could barely pull myself together (just ask my neighbors). And then the kids drop the bomb on me that they want to be homeschooled. “Are you CRAZY?” I thought, “I’m going to explode any minute and you want me to go even crazier.” I thought it would soon pass, so I didn’t ask again for another week. And then I waited another week and asked again. Each time it was the same answer, only they were more excited each time I asked. So the only thing I could do was to go pray about it.  And the answer came.  Yes, I was supposed to home school and I was told through prayer that my life would be much easier if I did. I didn’t know how that would be possible, but I trusted in the Lord and made the decision to home school. Though my husband wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea at first, he also received a confirmation that it was what we were supposed to do.

I had only a few short months to prepare as it was coming closer to the end of that school year. At first, I thought we would just go with K12 because it was free. As I thought more about it, I thought, I will do all K12 except I want to pick my own history books because I don’t like how the public school teaches history. And then I thought, well and I also want to pick my own math for my kids. So I will do all K12 except history and math.  But it would be fun if . . . (and that was the end of my considering K12). If I was going to home school I wanted to pick my own curriculum and do it how I wanted, not how I was told.  So I set to work, discovering all I could find out about home schooling and different curriculums.

Cultural Studies-Vietnam and Salsa

I have not been the best at blogging, but I am still going strong on not eating what I call fake foods. It would be a lie if I were to say that I have been perfect with it, because I haven't. It is a journey.

 

Confession time: Instead of making homemade tortillas one day, I used store bought. The week before I made fresh ones, I just ran out of time this week one day. And another day we took a .trip to the Kansas City LDS temple, which is two and half hours away. We ended up making a day out of the trip and were unprepared for dinner, so we were forced to stop for fast food. I even ordered fries to share, we rarely order fries. To be honest, it was gross, especially the fries. Ick. My body does not crave that stuff anymore. I half wonder how I ever liked that stuff.

 

Now for the good stuff. I canned a large batch of salsa. We live near an Amish community and I was able to get boxes of tomatoes, and cartons of jalapeno peepers and some bell peppers for dirt cheap. I was so thrilled I was able to can 36 jars (1/2 pints and half quart size). It took a whole day but was totally worth it. YUM!

 

For homeschool this year, we are learning World Geography and loving it. I found an absolutely awesome curriculum that the kids are learning from: Trail Guide to World Geography. We have been having so much fun with it. To add to our studies, I thought it would be fun to try out some dishes from different countries each week. This week, I chose to make a dish from Vietnam: Vietnamese chicken noodle salad (from: http://mediterrasian.com/delicious_recipes_vietnamese_chicken_noodle_salad.htm) This just looked so fresh to me and that is why I chose it.

 

Things I did different, I used bean noodles instead of rice. Though my son and I liked the noodles, my husband and other children didn't love them. So next time I'd just stick with the rice noodles. I also had trouble finding bean sprouts, so I used snap peas instead and through in some cherry tomatoes. This had a very unique flavor that we loved and I would definitely make it again.

Day 2-7 Preservative Free/Over Processed Free Diet

What a crazy week. I have been loving this new way of eating. I have made some homemade bread, hamburger buns, gluten free tortillas and pancakes (for a son), avocado cilantro hummus, granola bars (regular and gluten free), and so much more. I have been having so much fun with it.

The things I have noticed with this change in diet are: First, I get fuller faster and am not as hungry. Second, I have tons less cravings, especially sugar cravings. Before, I wanted treats all day long and one treat a day did not satisfy my cravings. I always wanted more and more. Now, I don't crave the sweets and when I have eaten some this week, one cookie or treat was enough. I even walked past a table of chocolate without any desire to stop. Sooooo cool and so freeing.

In all honesty,  I did experience some stomach cramping, bloating and gastrointestinal issues the first few days.  It has since passed, thank heavens. It was due to such a sudden change in eating I'm sure. Going from eating highly processed foods, tons of sugar, foods made with white flour and very little fruits and veggies to eating loads of fruit and veggies and all whole grains can do that to you. And as my body is cleansing from my old ways and adjusting to the new, I am feeling better and better each day. I don't know if I can go back.

Though it does take a little more time and effort and thought, the way my body is feeling is so worth it. But it doesn't take that much extra time and effort. I have been eating quite simply, with a green smoothie every morning and eating tons of fruit and veggies and hummus. I had originally planned to make all kids of crackers and other stuff, but am realizing that I don't really need them. I am much more choosy what goes into my body and the simple things seem to be enough, thus far. I feel like I am off to a great start.

Day 1 of My Process Free Month

Today I started my first day of processed foods free month. I should note as I get started that I don't plan to make everything from scratch, like condiments, etc. I just don't have that kind of time on my hands.  I mean, I am going to try and eat as little overly processed foods as possible. I am going to make all of my own bread, including hamburger buns, etc. Even though I'm not a huge cracker fan, my kids are. I plan to try and make a few cracker recipes I have pinned on Pinterest . I even plan to make my own corn tortillas and I may even attempt to turn them into tortilla chips, if I get ambitious. I have oh so many plans, but we will have to see what my time allows.

I started my day with a green smoothie sweetened with some agave and a scrambled egg. I must admit it was absolutely delicious. I should have taken pictures, but didn't. My secret to the most delicious eggs in the world is to cook them in a skillet with a little virgin coconut oil and I add a little milk to make them fluffy. I then spice it with some seasoning salt and a few drops of hot sauce and finally cook it to perfection. So good.

For lunch I made some homemade hummus, that was absolutely divine. My husband and I have always loved Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus and this recipe did not disappoint. I found it here: http://sweettreatsmore.com/2013/04/copy-cat-trader-joes-cilantro-jalapeno-hummus-a-giveaway/ . It was ridiculously easy and tasted even better than the stuff you buy. I love to eat it with veggies like petite bell peppers, carrots, snap peas, cucumber slices, and zucchini sticsk. I finished off my lunch with an apple.

For dinner I made a Chicken and Bacon Chopped Salad and Cornbread. I got the recipe for the salad here:  http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/11/chicken-and-bacon-autumn-chopped-salad.html .  Some changes I made: I made my own Balsamic Dressing and Poppy Seed Dressing. I also used some chicken I had canned a year ago. The cornbread recipe is my favorite go to recipe that I have used for years. It is on the sweet side, because that is the kind I like. I will have to share that recipe at another time.

Pretty simple, but quite delicious.

I'm Back

It may have seemed that I have dropped off the planet or something, but I am finally back. It has been several crazy months.  From long summer vacation to moving to a home better suited for my family to family drama that has been bringing me down. But now that life has settled down I'm thinking it is also time for a change in some eating habits. For a while I have been having issues focusing and I know it has to do with two things; going to bed too late and not eating as well as I should.

After much deliberation, I have decided to take a challenge of going processed foods free for one month to see if things improve. That means no store bought bread, processed breakfast cereals or crackers or chips, etc. I will be making as much from scratch as possible to see if I can improve my health with food alone. Well and I have started running too =)

Tomorrow, I  start my NO Processed Foods Challenge and I hope you will join me on my journey.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

We love breakfast in our house. I know I have said that before, but really it is one of our favorite meals of the day. ;)

Since I have been such a slacker on posting, I feel I really owe it to you to share my family’s all time favorite granola. We call it Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola. It is really the meal the kids dream of waking up to each morning and I make it more than all the other granolas we love. My kids beg for it. I usually double the batch because we like it so much and because we are such a big family.

I am calling this an original recipe of mine, because I have made so made changes over the years that you wouldn’t even recognize it coming from the original recipe. I make it how we like it, and hopefully you will like it as much as we do.

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

1 cup Agave or Honey ( I like Xagave best)

½ cup Virgin Coconut Oil

¼ cup Peanut Butter

½ cup Cocoa Powder

Small Pinch of Salt

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

6 cups Old Fashioned Oats

1 cup Coconut

1 cup Almonds or other chopped nuts

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine agave, coconut oil, peanut butter, cocoa and salt in a saucepan. Warm till ingredients are melted and mixed well, but not boiling. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Combine oats, coconut, and nuts in a large bowl; Pour the chocolate mixture over top and mix well.

Pour ingredients into baking dish or dishes. I like my granola soft so I will pour mine into an 9x13” pan and a 8x8” pan. They are pretty thick layers. If you want yours crunchy consider putting yours on a cookie sheet in a thin layer. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool. We like it best when it is completely cool.

One Serving equals One Cup.

Prettiest Cook on the Block Apron

I have been gone awhile, but that does not mean I have been idle. I have a bunch of posts that I need to post.

One of the things that kept me away and busy was a Girls Camp fundraiser that I helped put on. For the fundraiser, the girls in my ward chose to do a Spring Carnival/Bake Sale/Auction. It turned out really well and was a lot of fun. Behind the scenes it was also a lot of work for the leaders and a couple of the girls, but that is another story.

Anyway, for the Auction I chose to make an apron, because it is one of my favorite things to make. Who doesn’t want a cute apron to wear while you make all the yummy food, right? Honestly, I love to wear an apron that makes me feel pretty while I cook. I found this adorable fabric on clearance at Joann’s and I knew I could find a good use for it.

Yes, it was Easter fabric, but I thought it was cute enough for a year round apron.

The Picture really does this apron no justice. It was quite stunning. I wanted to keep it myself, but I decided since I had made it for the auction I should still donate it. 

I gathered the top a little to give it an even more feminine look.

I serged the edges with a rolled hem, because I think it looks nicer and is much faster and easy.

 

Unfortunately, I did not have time to make a tutorial, so hopefully you can either figure it out by the pictures or it will inspire you make a style of your own. Making a pattern for an apron is not as hard as it sounds.  Here are some starting points to help you along:

1.    The waist piece should be 18-19inches long, finished, so add enough for a seam allowance when cutting.

2.    Choose where you want the waist piece to sit. I like to have my waist piece to sit a little high, just a little under the chest.  Measure from the top of where you want the waist piece to lay to the collar bone. Use these measurements to make a pattern for the top. I made mine into some sort of triangles and made them wide enough to overlap and to gather in the center.

3.    My bottom piece was only 19 inches long. The part matching the waist piece was 19 inches wide plus extra for a seam allowance. But the lower hem was a few inches wider (somewhere around 4 inches wider).

4.    My waist ties are always the full width of fabric 40-44”.

I hope these tips have helped somewhat. Next time I will make sure to make a tutorial. Good Luck!