Crockpot to the Rescue!

Some days are just the pits.  Half of your family members have chest colds; nobody wants to cook.  And, you have two broken feet to boot.

So what’s a gal to do?  Limp in to the crockpot and find a way to produce dinner for her hungry crowd before they get hangry!

Everything feels tougher and more time consuming when you are walking on sore tootsies.  Even with orthopedic boots, carbon shank inserts, and insoles to add needed support.  So, quick and uncomplicated top the priority list for this time in my life.

We had some chicken that had been cooked for a previous meal and frozen.  It was a wonderful start.  I added one frozen breast from a bag in the freezer and thawed it just enough to be able to run a knife through them.  I diced them fine and added to the crockpot along with 1 medium yellow onion, 5 cloves of garlic (minced), two carrots cut into thin rounds, 3 quarts of chicken bone broth, 2 bullion cubes and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of salt.  I let it cook on high for about 4 hours before stirring and adding about 3/4 cups of uncooked orzo to the mix.  Normally, I would have added celery and used brown rice (wild rice, too, if I have some), but it was more important to use what we had on hand.  Any noodles would have worked fine also.

While the soup finished and the pasta rehydrated, I set about making fresh rolls using the Kitchenaid Sixty Minute Rolls recipe that I found a couple of years ago on The Thrifty Couple Blog.  I doubled the salt in the recipe this time, but still find that it could have used a bit more for my taste.

This recipe really is quick and easy.  It would have been quicker had I been able to move about a tad easier.  To compensate, I didn’t divide the dough into rolls and just baked it in a single piece, slicing into squares when done.  I sat and read blog posts while everything had a final rise and again when baking in the oven.

All in all, the rolls took a bit more like 75 minutes, but considering I usually can pull it off in an hour, it was still really good.  I come back to this recipe again and again as I can make rolls in less time than thawing out store bought frozen dough.  Mine tastes better and I have control of what goes into them.  Besides, it made a humble soup from what we had on hand taste even better and seem like a luxury, not a desperate attempt to stay off my feet.

And that makes it all worthwhile!

What is YOUR go-to meal when your family is ill?

Mean Mommies

One thing I have learned from parenthood is that well meaning people will give you loads and loads of unsolicited advice.  In my case, it was often older ladies attempting to shame me as I attempted to enter a store.  My oldest son was 30 lbs at 6 months old and as large as some two year olds.  But, he was only 6 months old.  I was often berated in public by strangers because I didn’t make him walk.  

Um, sorry, ma’am, but I am not dragging my 6 month old son around on the floor by a leash like a slug because YOU are uncomfortable about his size.

Needless to say, moms have to develop thick skins and opportunities abound to help that process along.  But why do we do this to each other?

It’s one thing for one mom to ask another mom for some advice or for an idea in how to handle a situation more successfully.  It’s quite another to decide to publicly instruct a total stranger over something that is not life or death.  Now, don’t get me wrong, if a child is in danger, I will say something with little regard to how it comes across, but is it really anyone’s business how another mom feeds her child, cares for her child, etc. if they are healthy and happy?

Moms often spout the platitude, “every child is different” but they often forget that every mom and family is different, too and that is okay.  They also tend to neglect that these differences in children often necessitate differing parenting techniques in order to best nurture the child.  A family with multiple children often has to deal with each child differently because the children need that.

Kim Simon writes an insightful piece exploring why mommies, in particular, are so mean to each other on the Scary Mommy blog.  Warning, the language is raw, but she makes some very valid points.  Check out her article, The Top 7 Reasons Why You’re Mom-Shaming.  It’s good stuff.

So next time you see a mommy who is learning the ropes, how about offering a kind word instead of butting into her business.  I know that I really appreciated the kind words I received on occasion.

Were you ever mommy-shamed?

Till next time,

Why Kids Don’t Play Outside Any More

I am not sure exactly when it happened, but the entire world has changed.  Kids simply don’t play outside anymore and it’s a crying shame!

Perhaps parents are working more hours and aren’t home to supervise latchkey kids.  Perhaps video games and movies on demand are so much more common than they should be.  Perhaps the increase in global news coverage and communications has convinced parents that there is a pedophile lurking around every corner.  Perhaps we are too lazy to go outside ourselves and then our children follow our lead. Perhaps our lifestyles are overly scheduled and the only time that a kid gets to touch the grass is at an organized sporting event, and then that grass is manicured and sprayed to be perfect turf.

Perhaps we should just GO OUTSIDE!  

Kids need free play time outside in order to help to stimulate their sensory nervous system.  And, believe it or not, this stimulation also leads to a sense of calm in ADD and ADHD kids.  Kids need to run and play and swing and spin and roll and get dirty, sweaty, and stinky.  Looking at images formed in the clouds and laughing and dreaming while laying in the grass are not wasted times for a kid (or an adult), it’s all part of who we are meant to be…connected to the Earth, our home.

In generations past, children had chores to do, sometimes inside the house, often in the barn or yard.  After chores could come fun–swimming in a creek, traipsing around the woods, building forts, playing chase or tag, etc.  This allowed kids to burn off excess energy, be connected to the dark/light cycles and seasonal weather changes that we experience.  It made them healthier, hardier folks who tended to understand the world around themselves in a more meaningful way.

I recently ran across a wonderful article by Angela Hanscom that explores what has happened to eliminate outdoor play from our children’s lives.  She begins with a tale of a trip outside with children,

The third grade classroom that was visiting our nature center for the day consisted of mostly boys–rowdy, loud and rambunctious boys. As we started out into the woods, the children spoke loudly to each other in anticipation of what was to come. After playing a quick game and explaining the ground rules, it was time for free play. As soon as the children realized they had the freedom to explore and build in the woods, something funny happened – they got really quiet. They dispersed and many of them started working together to build a large teepee.

Nothing gives me more pleasure then to see children contentedly building a structure using branches and logs out in the woodland. That is, until fear kicked in and everyone’s pulse increased a few notches at the shrill cry of alarm.

“Put the sticks, DOWN!”

The article goes on to explain some of the many sensory inputs that children receive from outside free play and why they seek out and find certain ones at certain times in their lives.  It’s a great read and I hope that you will take a few moments and check out the full article here.

I love trail riding and playing in my tiny garden.  What is your favorite outdoor activity as an adult?

Till next time,

Log Cabin Lessons

The Purdy Cabin, circa 1984. Photo by Eddie Hatchett

Summer of 1984 was a busy time for our family.  My parents, John and Judy Purdy, had purchased land about an hour outside of Atlanta, and were breaking ground on their dream home.  I had just finished my Junior year in high school and we were making our big transition over the summer.

Visit Molly Green Magazine to discover more of our family adventure.

Till next time,

 

2014 Youth Birding Competition

Georgia has a competition each year for kiddos from 5 to 18 that encourages them to get out into nature and learn about birds. That competition is the annual Youth Birding Competition where kids from all over Georgia will race to find the most unique species of birds within Georgia state lines in a 24 hour period of time.

From what I understand, this is the first state-wide competition of its kind.  The original concept premiered in Cape May, NJ as a spin off to go alongside an adult competition.  A biologist with Georgia DNR in the Non-game Division, named Tim Keyes, brought this concept to a larger scale in Georgia.

My son, Ethan, with Eddie as his team mentor, has participated since he was in Elementary school.  Every year, his birding identification skills have increased, as have his awareness of the ecosystems that the birds live in.  He has traveled to Maine to study Puffins with the National Audubon Society.  He answers questions for many local people who have seen birds and want to know what kind of bird they saw.  He even volunteers as “Chippy” the Chipping Sparrow who answers identification questions online for Atlanta Audubon Society.  He assists local biologist, Charlie Muise with bird banding as schedules permit and he travels to Jekyll Island, Georgia in October to assist with the migratory birding station there.

Much of this interest has been fostered by the people he has met and the experiences that he has had during these competitions.  Ethan always liked birds and tried to name them.  Eddie realized that this could be a fun way for Ethan (and himself) to learn more and meet more like minded people.  And they truly have succeeded on both counts!

Team members have changed over the years, but the Chaotic Kestrels birding team has solidified around some really interesting and talented teenagers.  Outside of birding, they play sports, make videos, shoot rifles competitively, sing rap music in a Scottish brogue, ride horses, and just are plain ol’ good kids.  There is not a single one of these kids that you wouldn’t enjoy spending time with.  They are personable, intelligent, and funny.  They make up a great team!

2014 Chaotic Kestrels Birding Team with Mentor, Eddie Hatchett

 

These kids worked together to plan a route, identify birds, and record them accurately during a single 24 hour period of time during migration.  They identified 156 unique species, including one rare dove and broke the previous YBC Georgia All-Time Record!  They came in 2nd place overall in the State of Georgia and I couldn’t be more proud of them!

Next year will be the final year for this incarnation of the Kestrels team as two members will graduate and be ineligible for the program after the 2015 season.  One of them has already begun mentoring another young group of Elementary School birders who competed for the first time this year.  Did I mention that these are some awesome kids?

This program is also free for participants.  Many wonderful sponsors (Atlanta Audubon, Albany Audubon, Georgia Ornithological Society, T.E.R.N. just to name a few) donate time, funds, and prizes for the kids.  But, the payoff for this program is far more than just a free t-shirt and prizes!  These kids are spending time with a mentor and/or a parent, out of doors and enjoying nature.  They are developing observational skills and coming up with questions about things they want to know more about.  They are learning research skills to answer those questions and seeing the information with an eye toward application of that knowledge.  No classroom experience can compare with the skills and experiences that happen with hands on learning.  Many of these kids will go on to support Conservation efforts, become Biologists and other scientists and teach others to love the world that is around them.

That ain’t gonna happen tethered to a video game, folks!  In life, you’ve gotta get dirty to get the payoff.  These kids are the payoff for the next generation and, with luck, generations to come.

Till next time,

And Now for Something Really Different….

Sometimes, life just throws you a curve ball and apparently, it hit me hard in both shoulders this time.  Fresh off of my stress fracture in my foot, I have managed to come down with dual sports injuries (oh, the irony).  My wonderful doctor tells me that I have bilateral rotator cuff strain and has given me anti-inflammatory medication and pain pills to get me through the holiday and onward toward recovery.  She also gave me what she promised would be a couple of very simple, yet very effective stretches to help to regain my range of motion and begin to ease the pain.

After doing these stretches, I must say that they are very effective…and sadistic!  Oh.  My.  Word!  I could definitely tell that something was happening deep in my shoulder at the origin of my pain, something evil!  But, I must admit that each time I do them (and I am doing them about 3 times per day) they are a little easier to complete, a little better stretch, and maybe a tad less pain overall.

Which brings me to the incredible sport that I injured myself in.  Quilting.  Yes, quilting.  Hand quilting at that.  Doesn’t that just sound like a rugged, outdoorsy thing to do?  Competitively stitching up a storm with total abandon to one’s own safety?  Yeah.  I didn’t think so, either.  But, hand quilting with my Mom at our quilt frame did me in.  I am short and have short arms, so I was constantly reaching and overreaching both over and under that frame to quilt out as far as my Mom did so that we could roll that baby down for another round of Baptist fans.  Little did I know!

So, since both shoulders are injured, I am officially in a sling for the left arm for 10 days to 2 weeks before my re-check with the doctor to make sure all if progressing well.  Then, if it is, we move the sling to the right arm to let it heal for a similar time frame.  Not much of a problem, except that I am right in the middle of Christmas crafting and sewing season!  Ugh!

I like to make my gifts.  I mean that I really don’t feel like it is Christmas without some crafty, quilty, sewing fun.  And, here I sit and type (a no-no, by the way) wondering what to do.

I had some gift ideas in mind, but they require a bit more than I will be able to handle for the next 20-24 days and there isn’t time afterward to do much of anything else.  So, pretty much all of my Christmas ideas are out of the window for now.

Time for some creative brainstorming, I think.  While I ponder, perhaps you could help me out a bit…

What is your favorite easy, budget friendly, gift idea for an injured crafter?

Till next time,

 

Why Homeschool? School Safety

There was a time when it was incomprehensible that a child would be targeted for deliberate violence in one of our public schools.  Unfortunately, that day has long passed.

We think of school shootings and violence as a largely modern phenomenon, but a brief Google search showed that Pontiac’s Rebellion School Massacre occured in 1764.  Seventeen-sixty four.  Let that sink in for a moment.

When I first saw learned of this incident, I was flabbergasted.  However, in a sickening way, it kind of makes sense.  Most parents consider their children their most precious and valuable assets.  Many would gladly give their lives to protect their children and this attitude is exactly what makes schools such good targets for madmen and terrorists!  There is simply no better way to hurt a community than to attack it’s most vulnerable and innocent members.

It makes me shudder to think how fortunate we are to have not had more violence toward such easy targets.

Some schools names are permanently enshrined in our collective consciousness:  Columbine High School, the Amish School in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, Heritage High School (Conyers, Georgia), Virginia Tech, and others.  However, take a look at this list.  I don’t generally like to use Wikipedia for a source, but I find that they tend to run complete lists to use as a jumping off point for research.  By my count there have been roughly 280 school shootings in the United States.  That doesn’t include issues with fighting, bullying or other weapons, such as knives, etc.

Woah, Nellie.

One of the greatest advantages in safety that homeschooling allows is that it disperses the children to multiple locations, with many having only a few children, not hundreds in one location.  Even when we attend co-op classes, there are generally fewer than 20 kids around and lots of parents around to keep an eye on them.  We also don’t have a sign out that announces that children are meeting there during the week.  We stay pretty low key.

Fewer kids and families that know one another (and are aware of each other’s family situations) helps to keep our little group of kids a pretty non-exciting target.   The fact that our group of families are pretty security conscious and includes a law enforcement officer is helpful also.  That being said, no situation is perfect.  We will always have to keep our eyes open collectively–just in case.  But, we are comfortable and willing to do that.

But, what about bullying?  As a former public and private school teacher, I can tell you that it is rampant and can get completely out of hand.  Often administrators and teachers feel absolutely hamstrung by parents who don’t believe that their children could ever misbehave.  Even those who try to handle it cannot be everywhere.  However, many teachers are so overwhelmed or burnt out that they don’t even try.  Bullying is just a part and parcel of our out of whack culture that praises the violent and obscene instead of character and morals.

My kid was bullied in a school that I taught at and was physically at every day.  My kid was blamed for having lashed out after being repeatedly bullied by a kid who was a known bully.  Even though I was there, watching and monitoring kids all day long, my kid was targeted.

For my family, that was the last straw.  It is just not acceptable that my children face bullying during the school day.  It’s not acceptable that schools don’t do enough to stop it–to call students and their parents out on the carpet when it occurs.  Our society and our schools talk a good game, but where are the results.  How many teens have to commit suicide before we do something radical?

Please don’t think that I am totally down on public and private schools.  As far as school safety, they are usually working quite hard to guarantee every child’s safety.  But, on the subject of bullying, I don’t think they are making any difference.  That’s just my opinion and it’s okay to disagree with me.  I am not bashing any family who chooses not to homeschool.  Every family has different needs at different times in their lives.  I don’t judge.

But, I keep my children in an environment that I have more control over.

Does School Safety influence your decisions toward education?

To see other posts in this series:

Why We Homeschool

Why Homeschool?  Academic Excellence

Why Homeschool?  Appropriate Socialization

Why Homeschool?  Child Led Learning

Why Homeschool?  Field Trips

Why Homeschool?  Learning Styles & Multiple Intelligences

Why Homeschool?  Religon

Why Homeschool?  Life Long Learners

 

Till next time,

Why Homeschool? Academic Excellence

Bright kids get bored in classroom settings and slower kids tend to fall behind.  How is this helping either child?

Study after study has shown that by reducing the student/teacher ratio you can effectively increase the education and excellence in a classroom.  What school can offer a better student to teacher ratio that a homeschool?  Even in a home with multiple children, homeschooled kids get more one on one attention and help with their studies.  If a child doesn’t understand, the parent can change up the lesson and approach it from a different perspective to help the child.  That is impossible to do in a public school classroom (trust me, I have been there and tried) due to time constraints and other practical considerations.

Children thrive when allowed to move at their own pace and homeschooling easily allows for this.  If a child loves history, it is simple to add more historical readings, biographies, and podcasts to be available for them to use at their leisure.  And by exploring something that the child enjoys, other subjects benefit as well.  One of my sons loves Roman History.  Through his independent study of Roman History (in addition to all other coursework) he has learned information that made his Geography classes much easier.  He has learned about building roads, architecture, government, and even cultures and crop rotations.  It has encouraged him at a young age to read biographies and philosophy tomes.  None of these are covered in depth in our curriculum, but time and again, he makes a comment or writes something in a paper that shows me that he is using that information that he gained independently and can make it relevant to more modern topics.  That’s high order thinking in action and it helps in so many areas.  His writing is better because his reading has increased.  He is more logical when he writes.  He has a diverse understanding of one ancient culture which he can use to compare and contrast when we look at other ancient cultures.  He has been able to use his time to become (through his own pleasure) a more well rounded young man.  I’m pretty proud of that!

He also enjoys Biology and Birding.  Because of this interest, he has been able to spend some weekends (and one week during the year) helping out at an Ornithologist’s bird banding station, taking part is “real scientific studies.”  Because he is immersed in this area, he is absorbing all sorts of Biological and Anatomical information.  The scientists and other volunteers love to answer his questions and encourage him.  They also ask him questions that challenge him to think hard!  When the nets come down about noon, they are often looking at (and identifying) lizards, butterflies, trees, wildflowers, etc.  How many kids get an extra school day a couple of times a month that can be tailored to science?  Only by allowing our son to pursue this interest could this happen.  Not many kids would want to do it either, but this is a joy to him.

My other son struggles mightily in math.  He is mildly autistic and has some legitimate learning disabilities, the worst of which is in math.  Homeschooling gave us the flexibility to work with a wonderful tutor for a couple of years that was really talented in helping him to advance in his understanding.  As she was a retired Special Education teacher who missed working with kids, she was able to teach me how to teach him.  She was an amazing blessing in our lives.  But the clincher is this:  her schedule was so full, we wouldn’t have been able to get to know her and learn from her if we had to do it after normal school hours!  Our flexibility offered us a chance to really pursue excellence.

The same son adores horses and has begun riding them this past year.  He has found a real connection with them.  Because of our flexibility, he can take a daytime riding lesson (couldn’t get on the schedule otherwise, this is a therapeutic riding coach that we need) and he volunteers to muck out the stalls one day a week so he can be around the horses more.  He likes stories about horses, learning about horses (biology and anatomy), even his math problems seem a bit easier to palate if they involve horses!  Horses have been a life saver for me when teaching math to an LD kiddo!

Better yet, almost any devoted parent can homeschool.  Textbooks for homeschool families are so well written and easy to follow that it can be a joy to teach to high standards.  For a parent with a good, general high school education (especially one that likes to read), everything is included to help teach to more rigorous standards than many public and private schools are able to.  You can also adjust the speed and timing of the course, allowing “teaching for mastery” which is so vital for progress and retention in the high school years.

What hobbies do your kids pursue and how can they be part of learning?

Please join us as we consider 8 other reasons to homeschool over the coming days!

Why Homeschool?

Why Homeschool?  Appropriate Socialization

Why Homeschool?  Child Led Learning

Why Homeschool?  School Safety

Why Homeschool?  Field Trips

Why Homeschool?  Learning Styles & Multiple Intelligences

Why Homeschool?  Religon

Why Homeschool?  Life Long Learners

Till next time,

Why We Homeschool

Why do you homeschool?” is a question that we get asked often by polite and curious people.  Impolite people generally give us  “the look” and change the subject.  But, this is often THE question in the whole educational debate!  For people who are unfamiliar with homeschooling and how a homeschool family works (which can seem rather unconventional at times).  I have hesitated to write on this topic because so many people have written so eloquently on the subject that I don’t know what I could add to the topic, but because it is a common question, I decided to throw my two cents worth into the fray.

Over the next (gulp) 9 articles, I will address some of the topics that our family feels strongly about and that we considered heavily before we made the decision to homeschool.  These will include school safety, socialization, academics, religion, flexibility, and some others.

It’s tough to answer this question because it does encompass so many facets of our lives.  And, that being said, homeschooling is a lifestyle choice because it will affect every aspect of how each family approaches life.  We don’t all live the same lives and homeschooling won’t necessarily look the same in all situations.  But, that is okay!  Variety is truly the spice of life and that is why often homeschooling families can help each other out with ideas, etc. that really can work.  Sometimes it helps to shake it up a bit and that is exactly one of the strengths of most homeschool families that I know.

I hope you will enjoy taking this look into the often overlooked world of homeschooling over the next couple 0f weeks.  Please bear with me if this is not a topic you are interested in, as other types of posts will return soon.

edited to add:  these links will take you each post in the series.  I will keep them updated as they appear on the blog.

Why homeschool?  Academic Excellence

Why homeschool?  Appropriate Socialization

Why homeschool?  Child Led Learning

Why homeschool?  School Safety

Why homeschool?  Field Trips

Why homeschool?  Learning Styles & Multiple Intelligences

Why homeschool?  Religon

Why homeschool?  Life Long Learners

Do you homeschool?  Why or why not?

Till next time,