Homeschoolers, Take Note

Recently I've come to the realization that as a homeschooled only child, my daughter may never learn to take notes in class.  This has been a bit bothersome to me, as I realize the importance of having this ability.  It's also an important way to help them stay focused on what is going on and not daydream.  I also realize she is a fourth grader. Since fourth grade was many moons ago for me, I don't remember if we took notes or not. 

Hmmm, what to do.  For those of you who know me and those of you that don't I stress about things.  Surprise, surprise.  As if you couldn't tell that about me in these posts.  So, something as small as when to start teaching her how to take notes turns into this huge production in my head.  I begin stressing about whether or not I am truly enhancing her education.  Or, am I being a detriment?  O, Lordy, here we go...guess I better stop right now and spend some time on my knees and at His feet.

Back to note-taking - I figured it out!  Quite by accident.  Turns out all that stress didn't create one single brilliant idea.  The typical school day with my daughter did.  It was time for science, studying the estuaries.  And with every other ecosystem this year, there is a blank sheet where you tell what type of climate, plants, animals, distinguishing features and the like.  Well, today it seemed as though she had done quite a bit of reading, so I decided to read to her. Only, as I was reading (to make sure she'd be paying attention) I told her to fill out the sheet.  Voila!  Note-taking!  Problem is solved and she did excellent - but best of all, no more stress for me.  However, why is it that we only have a few weeks of school left and I just NOW figure this out?  I suppose I'll be coming back next year to read my posts to figure out what I did right.  I guess it would make for more entertaining reads if I included what I did wrong, but those are pretty big spoofs and I'm not quite ready to go there...yet!  Blessings

Death of a Football Mom

Memoirs: Death of a Football Mom

My football years began in high school. Not as a football player, but as a cheerleader. There were only a few on our squad that actually understood or were actually interested in the game. The rest of us were there to be peppy, loud & cute. The girls that understood the game knew when to do an offensive or defensive cheer. I always marveled at how they knew before we had the ball that we should do a touchdown or first and ten cheer. What was a first and ten anyway? Generally, we had losing seasons, which meant even less interest in the nuts and bolts of the game. I was also a young teenage girl infatuated with those fellas with the nice tight purple pants. Life couldn’t get much better.
Then, I became a football mom. This happened much earlier in life than most women anticipate becoming sports fanatics. I married, at the young age of twenty, a man with two sons. Bring on the flag football.
The first football season we were married, I found myself rising early on Saturday mornings and sitting on cold metal bleachers. I had never sat on bleachers before, I always cheered and I found the experience rather unpleasant. There wasn’t a backrest and there was usually either bird droppings or dead bugs on the bench itself. But, I sat there.
My situation was a little different than most women that marry men with children. Usually, the real mom is active in their lives and they also live with her except every other weekend. That was not true for our situation those boys became mine. My heart wasn’t initially into the sports part of the relationship, but I knew that I had to be there to cheer them on. And, cheering is what I did best; at least I could wear warm clothes and bring a blanket!
The years dragged by; flag football to junior high football and on to high school football. High school football was more fun; it wasn’t just the parents in the crowd; but the whole town.
My youngest son was the football player, all the way. My oldest, not so much. The oldest son didn’t have the heart for the game and only played because his friends did. Thankfully, he spared us tedious years of high school play. The youngest; however, has put me through eleven years of cold bleachers.

It was at a high school game his sophomore year that I started to understand the game. I would ask my husband, but he was so into the game the answers were short and did not make much sense. Then, I noticed another set of parents in the stands and if we sat close to them, the dad was much like a sports commentator. Still, the first and ten, downs, fumbles and all other terminology were a mystery. One night a dear friend of mine came to the game. She fanatically loves football, so when I sat next to her, expecting to visit I was surprised to find myself learning about the game. Many questions later, almost a decade of clueless football watching had suddenly become much more enjoyable. Now when I asked my husband a question, those very brief answers (often) made sense. Please don’t misunderstand me; referee motions are still a mystery for the most part. However, I can spot several penalties and yell when the ref doesn’t see it the way I did, especially if it concerns my kid.
He is a senior now. We have enjoyed cheering him to the end zone many times. He has made some amazing catches and runs. I even understood the double reverse play that works well for getting a touchdown. Though he is in a position that gets a lot of credit, I do know now that the blocking is crucial to the quarterback getting the pass to him or someone else. The greatest part about the team this year is the fact that so many of the team members are capable of running, passing and catching. Most of the teams we played against, it is just one or two that can make it to the end zone. Our players seemed to be able to do it all when it needed to be done.
He has played his last game. The evening was beautiful and warm, except the bleachers. This night was to honor senior parents of athletes. It is a nice tradition, marching arm in arm with your son after he hands you a flower and as they announce your names. He’s all grown now, much bigger than the little 7-year-old boy with a yellow flag hanging out of his pants. He doesn’t hug like he did when he was seven either, but he did hug his dad and me before the game.
I look at the parents, we’ve been through it all for over a decade. Together. Cheering, supporting and freezing. We each share a common bond; our kids have been together since the beginning. Together, we were silent and held our breath when one of ours didn’t get up after a play. Only once did the ambulance drive away with one of ours in it. That moment was so heart wrenching, I honestly can’t tell you if we won that game or not. Thankfully, that same player, that broke his leg, became our kicker.
This last game was their chance for the play offs and that chance has passed by. Each one of those senior guys walked off that football field, never to wear a purple jersey again. Many of them stayed on the field as long as they could, soaking in the moment. Each one of those men gave their heart to the game, the team and to the community. There is something about the spirit of your school that you carry within. It doesn’t ever go away. There are people in those stands that have played on that field, watched their children and grandchildren play on that field. They have felt those emotions of victories and losses. There are people that are in those stands because they have always been in those stands, cheering on every player that runs onto that field and calls himself an Indian.
I lay in bed last night hardly believing football was over. I spent so many years wishing for this night. How was it possible that those years seemed to drag by and now, as I look back they actually flew? One more game would not have changed this feeling. Winning state would not have changed this feeling! I will never have to sit on cold bleachers again. In fact, I was cheated out of cold bleachers on the very last quarter as a football mom. I won a bleacher cushion.

Mismarked, Indeed...

I borrowed The Pioneer Woman's cookbook from a friend.  Surely you know the Pioneer Woman.  She is THE blogger of the Midwest USA.  She's lovable, funny, normal, inspirational...need I go on?  The funny thing is - she's pretty much like me, except I never lived on a ranch and no longer live on a farm.  We have the same tips, tricks and a lot of our recipes are spot on.  Which is crazy to see some of my recipes in her book.  Not that she copied them from me or stole them.  She doesn't even know me, but it's just crazy seeing stuff I know how to do and regularly fix in print.  I was reading her cookbook, because evidentally she completely understands that a lot of women read cookbooks, not just pick out recipes.  Anyway, she has a rather funny tomato story about an overabundance of yellow tear drop tomatoes due to the nursery mismarking tomatoes.  This has happened to me.  It wasn't tear drops, it was cherry tomatoes.  My friend Debi picked up tomato plants from Lowes last spring and out of the 42 tomato plants, more than half were mismarked and ended up being cherry tomatoes.  Thankfully, we had five hungry children on a regular basis.  Except for the oldest one, he's sorta picky.  But we'd pick bowls of cherry tomatoes, then totes of cherry tomatoes.  Towards the end, we didn't even pick cherry tomatoes - if the kids didn't pick them off to snack on them - they didn't get picked.  We still ended up with a successful garden, processing well over 100 quarts of tomatoes for the winter.  It didn't take long to go through them, but it made many delicious sauces.  It just cracks me up that someone like the Pioneer Woman does have a real life - just like mine.  Just like a lot of ours.  The funny thing is what Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) took from the experience was to buy from multiple nurseries.

What did I take from the experience?  With the prompting of Debi, we purchased organic heirloom seeds, made our own seedling pots from newspapers and water daily.  Why didn't I think of multiple nurseries?!  At least I could've had a nice 6 month break from gardening.  Instead I'll be watering and taking care of plants for most of a year - we planted in February.  But, if a disease should come and wipe out all genetically altered tomato plants then I guess I'll be the go-to girl with the old fashioned plants.  Oh joy.  Blessings.

An Itch To Start From Scratch

I talked to Mary!  She's fine, baby boy is fine and so are all those brothers.  She does; however have router problems.  I think she thinks she can pull out a hairpin, hot glue and a cell phone battery and make it work.  I personally think she should head to Walmart and get a new router.  At the very least it will keep her from getting shocked or hacking into a satellite system and learning more about the pathetic state our world is in. 

But, in our conversation I soon realize she has gone Caroline Ingalls on us.  Which is great, because I love doing things the old fashioned way.  Or, at the very least learning how and never doing it again.  But we were talking and she so bluntly says,"I've decided it's stupid to buy anything whose main ingredients are flour and water."  I did the happy, amen dance!  We'll keep you posted with pictures and our own personal critiques of our attempts at virtually everything from scratch.  This will include soap, detergent, fabric softener and any food imaginable. 

But, the trick will be to keep her and my other dear friend, Debi separated.  Debi likes to do everything the "free" way.  We made our own pots from newspapers to start our seeds in.  Bet you can't guess where we got our newspapers...if you can't guess, you really should be reading this blog more. 

I can see it now, poor MalPal, she'll be entertaining 8 boys while us mothers attempt true grit home making.  I hope she doesn't see this, she'll be packing up and moving in with our neighbor Sarah.  Have a blessed evening and stay tuned as we feature our attempted feats!  Blessings!

Reflecting on Redemption (it's not just about the coupons...)

It's funny how some things just never cease to amaze you.  Especially when it comes to human nature.  You've all read it, I am guilty of dumpster diving and finding great coupons.  It's something I'm not necessarily "proud" of, but I do think it is quite funny.  I don't actually see myself as a dumpster diver, but I did grow in confidence when I discovered the Krazy Coupon Lady does it too!  In fact, there are several of us in town that visit the recycling center to obtain coupons.  It's not such a bad thing.  We are, in fact, multi tasking.  We drop off our recyclables and then we take a gander at the newspaper box.  I can even honestly say that recycling has increased because of our little trips. And, even though I don't "dive" so often, I do still go once or twice a week to take my trash. 

But here is the part that flabbergasts me.  It's nothing short of it.  There is a lady in our town that realized her coupons might be commandeered at the recycling center.  So, now she THROWS THEM AWAY!  This way no one can use her unwanted trash.  So, yes, I am getting on my soapbox.  I almost called her because I know this woman personally.  She says she's community oriented.  But how can someone who claims to care about their community and fellow brothers and sisters NOT?!  Yes, coupons are a small part, even minimal but it could potentially bless a young mother trying to stay home and make ends meet.  It could bless an older couple on a fixed income.  Yes, the coupons are so minimal - but if she isn't even willing to share her unwanted coupons, then it makes one wonder how much she really would help someone in need. 

It truly is sad how easily our selfish nature can shine through in each one of us.  That isn't what God wants.  That isn't what He did.  His love, His generosity is so perfect.  We can never be perfect, but we can be Christ-like as long as we are mindful and diligent in our actions.  What have you done recently that could either be deemed as selfish or Christ-like?  Which made you feel indignant?  Which made you feel humbled?  I know that when I am acting selfish I tend to feel overly righteous and can think of a million excuses as to why I acted the way I did.  But, when I follow Christ's lead and do what He says, I am often in awe of His goodness and what He is able to do through me when I step back and let Him.

The world is short on kindness.  We as Christians need to step outside of our comfort zone and be the way Jesus commands us to be.  Lent is traditionally a time when we give up something which allows us extra time to reflect on Christ.  However, it can very well be a time when we add something to our daily routine.  It could be a devotion, prayer time or a simple good deed - particularly to a non-Christian.  And, let's face it, there are plenty of people out there needing to not just know about Jesus, but to see Jesus work through your arms as you reach out and help them.  Actions have always spoken louder than words.  How loud will you be?   Blessings.

Gardening by the Seat of My Pants Part 2

Here are some tasks that you need to take care of before the new flowers and grasses start awakening and growing.

I hope that last fall/winter you allowed the leaves that cluttered your flower beds to remain there until now.  The leaves provide a natural layer of protection.  Also, decomposing leaves provide a nutrient that cannot be mimicked in the chemical retail world of fertilizers. It's time to clean out those flower beds. 

I know, I don't like to go out in the cold either.  However, it seems as though God thought of that aspect because it won't be quite so miserable out there when you are raking, shoveling and the like.  I recommend removing all the leaves but the thin bottom layer.  This layer has already started decomposing and your flowers are loving it - so don't take it away.  Unless you have a growing ground cover that will soon come to life, I would recommend turning the soil with a shovel.  The consists of taking your shovel, going parallel with the dirt and gather about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of dirt and flipping it over back where you got it from. Be mindful of the plants that are there but are small or may not have started growing yet.  Just do this in the spots around your plants.  This will not only hide that thin layer of mulch, but will essentially re-plant any seeds that may have fallen from your annuals.

This is also the opportune time to prune rose bushes that you may have.  Now, if you're a rose expert, then I'd skip this paragraph OR gently correct me below. Remember I'm not an expert.  I'm just giving live and learn advice. It is very important to buy rose food that will help your roses ward of diseases  and feed them as well.  I have also read that roses love banana peels.  So, twice a year (early spring and mid summer) I chop up banana peels and place them in the soil around my roses.  They aren't spitting them back at me, so I'll assume they love them. 

If you have pampas grass, it too can be divided if you want to have more of it but are on a budget.  Just break it up with a shovel and plant where you want.  This is the time to cut the dead stalks down before the new green starts coming.  I've seen people burn them, but that freaks me out.  So, I use my hedge clippers - the electric ones work the best.  Just be careful not to have too much fun and clip right through your extension cord.  I almost did that once.  Shhh.  Don't tell Ted.  I blame it on being a left hander in a right hand man's world!  Or uncoordination.  Go ahead, have fun - post all the possible reasons of why I would almost do something that stupid!

And last but not least, I suggest turning your compost pile.  What?!  You don't have a compost pile?  Oh, you don't know what a compost pile is. . .my turn to laugh.  I am not a die hard composter and I (again) don't know a lot about it.  Surprised?!  Don't be.  Basically that's where all your dead leaves, grasses and garbage goes.  No, not your trash - your garbage.  That is your vegetable peels, egg shells and the like.  Now, don't throw out your uneaten food or unidentifiable objects from the fridge - that won't make for healthy soil, only a gathering spot for critters in your backyard.  One that has a compost pile either buys a fancy gadget or creates a cage like area to put it in.  I'd suggest going to your local hardware store and purchasing some chicken wire or hog panels and simulate a tomato cage.  My mother digs a hole.  But, for those of you who may live in town with no fence - that may pose a liability issue should someone fall into the hole and break an ankle.  Anyhow, you add as often as you have stuff to add, turn it with a shovel once in a while and then after a couple of years take the bottom layer and put it in with your gardens.  It can smell bad, so be mindful of neighbors and don't put it too close your back door either.  I'd suggest going to http://www.bulkherstore.com/ and purchasing the book "Let It Rot" by Stu Campbell.  Or, better yet - click on our Amazon.com link and see if Amazon has it for cheap!

Now, I'm going to spill the beans on how I compost.  Before I tell you, I want you to know that it drives my mom C-R-A-Z-Y!  So, I wish I could see you all's faces when you read this!  I have a back deck with flowers and bushes planted on each side of the stairs.  All winter long I take my potato, carrot, cucumber, banana, orange and any other kind of peel and throw it onto my flower beds.  That's right, I just dump them right on the ground.  I even throw fruits or veggies that have gone bad out there.  It's kinda gross, I know.  But!  It's cold outside and I don't want to go all the way behind the garage where the compost pile is (like 30 feet).  I also empty out pickle juice and things that don't attract cats, coons, or skunks.  My excuse is that because it is cold, you can't smell the stuff so it's OK.  My reasoning is this, it dries out quickly and blends in well with the leaves.  Also, I have the prettiest flower beds right by my deck.  And, there's another reason for turning the soil in the spring - so when we are outside on the deck we see lovely flowers and lovely, rich black soil. 

The moral of the story is this, it doesn't matter how you compose, but do it.  The soil needs the nutrients back.  It will save $$ on fertilizers and such.  And we won't be filling up our trash bags with smelly rinds and peels.  Let the worms do the work, not the sanitation workers! 

Well, I'm out of "by my seat" advice.  Until next time, many blessings your way! 

Gardening by the Seat of My Pants

I love to garden - I love flowers and vegetables.  However, I don't always know what I'm doing.  My neighbor can tell you the correct name of each plant that is grown in her yard.  She is always pruning, fertilizing, making new starts.  You name it and she does it at the exact time it needs to be done.  Her knowledge is amazing and I do enjoy bouncing questions and thoughts off of her.  She has yet to steer me wrong.

However.  Then there's me.  I like the idea of doing things properly, but I don't necessarily have the time to do them properly.  I have run across many women who are completely "terrified" of putting something in the earth and watching it grow.  It kind of cracks me up, because these women are mothers.  They put little people on the earth and that's a WAY bigger responsibility than planting a flower or cucumber!

So, this blog is for those that are completely intimidated by the dirt in their yard.  Because, if I can grow things that I don't even know what they are, then anyone can purposely grow what they want.  I am referring to when we moved into our lovely bungalow four years ago.  I've talked about how old it is.  Well, another fun aspect of old houses is they also have old yards, meaning you just never know what's going to grow where.  It's kind of like a treasure hunt.  The previous owners weren't into lawn care at all, literally.  Zero interest.  The whole darn yard, a lot size of 75 feet by 150 feet, was crab grass and stickers.  Well, once we started watering and fertilizing various plants started popping up their little heads.  I found hostas, liriope grass in abundance, irises, grape hyacinths, tiger lillies and petunias.  How did I not mow over this and not even notice these things popping up?

Well, I have a strange fetish of looking at the ground.  It probably stems from being terrified of looking my step father in the eye, but it's there.  Generally, unknown plants will start growing around trees, along boundary lines and near buildings.  When I see something that I clearly recognize as not grass and possibly not a common weed I tend to let it grow for awhile.  Since things bloom at different times, I patiently wait it out.  However, if I don't like the way a plant is looking I will go ahead and dig it up.  WHICH, leads me to a very funny story. . .

Just after moving into our home in May there was a strange plant growing on the south side of our house.  The bigger it got, the more peculiar it started looking.  And by peculiar, I mean it strongly resembled a marijuana plant.  Honest.  I asked my walking dictionary of a neighbor and she wasn't exactly sure what it was.  She said it resembled an Hibiscus.  I did NOT tell her my suspicions, after all she was a new neighbor.  Then my mom came down a week or so later.  The plant had not yet bloomed, nor did it have buds on it.  It was also about 4 ft tall and very bushy with lots of leaves.  I don't know anything about marijuana, but we've all seen the pictures of what the leaf looks like.  I became more and more paranoid, as a police officer lives just down the block and the darn plant was getting bigger!  But, I was too curious to dig it out.  I was torn between possibly discovering an amazingly beautiful plant and getting arrested for nurturing a marijuana plant.  Truly, I was torn.  Anyway, my mom comes and for no specific reason other than she grew up in the 60's & 70's I asked her advice on the plant.  She said she wasn't sure, but I should cut it down right away.  Well, THAT freaked me out just a bit!  That night a freak thunderstorm rolled through and it rained and the next morning, on my mystery plant were the most beautiful hibiscus blooms all over it.  So, I have a strange variety of hibiscus whose leaves mimic exactly a marijuana plant, but has beautiful pink blooms every time it rains.  Boy, am I glad I didn't cut it down. 

Back to gardening.  Here are a few basics that I've learned (now remember, there are people out there that know a whole lot more than me, I'm just giving you the meat).  An annual plant is one that grows one year.  They tend to bloom flowers all season right up until the frost in the fall.  Annuals will also generally produce seeds for the next season unless they have been genetically altered.  SO, I leave my annual flowers standing, all dead and brown through the winter.  Then, early spring I clean out the stalks.  I look for seeds.  If there are seeds, I drop them where I want them.  Weather will have naturally done this through the winter as well.  Seeds are also a natural way to feed your birds through the winter - don't worry they know where to look for them.  You can clear out your annual beds as early as a warm January or February day, just be sure if you want more of the same flowers in that spot that you allow the seeds to drop. 

Perennial flowers are those that come back every year, but do not bloom an entire season.  It's the same plant and if it hasn't been genetically altered will also make seeds.  I don't know if this is correct, but in my mind I categorize hostas, irises, mums, lilies, cone flowers in this category.  Each year, the plant gets bigger and may send up more blooms.  There comes a point though, that the plant is too thick and literally seems to choke itself.  It will no longer bloom and appears as a solid mat of  foliage.  When this happens, you need to dig it out, separate it and plant some elsewhere or give away what you don't want.  The rule of thumb is generally to do this after they have bloomed.  This way it doesn't stress the plant and you won't lose a season of beautiful blooms.  I have however, moved lilies, liriope grass and mums in early spring and they still seem to bloom.  Maybe it's luck, maybe it's OK, not really sure about that.  The other thing is I do know that hostas are to be divided in May.  Flowers like iris, hostas, liriope grass, lilies, tulips and hyacinths have a bulb inside the ground.  These, every few years need to be dug up, broken into smaller bulbs and replanted for more room to grow.  Carefully take the bulb and allow it to break "naturally" - once you check it out, you'll be able to use common sense of where it needs to break, so don't freak out about it.  These are also flowers that are almost impossible to kill.

Vegetables are amazing.  I can't imagine anyone who eats salad, salsa, or any tomato based food (spaghetti) would not have a few plants in their  yard.  First of all, I think they are pretty.  There are tons of books on what to plant next to what and how to get the most space out of your yard.  But, this can send you on information overload.  Just go to your local greenhouse, discount store, hardware store or grocery store and buy at least 2 of every plant you want.  Follow the instruction on the little plastic marker that is in the plant.  Remember to water and watch it grow.  Watch for bugs that look like they might do damage and pick your goodies.  You can always expand your knowledge and figure out how to do it more efficiently but first things first - you must start by putting the little guys in the ground.  If it truly was so hard to grow things, they wouldn't have survived all these thousands of years since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden.  Feel free to email me with questions or leave the question in the comment section.  Blessings.