My kids are right at the age where they love to draw, but are starting to realize that their skills are still pretty primitive. Lately, I have been getting a lot of requests to "show me how to draw a _____." Fill in that blank with any member of the animal kingdom, and it has probably been requested in our house.
I am definitely no Van Gogh, so I quickly realized I needed back-up. I found the program Draw Write Now on Amazon, and it had good reviews, so I thought we would try it out. I like that each art lesson also has a handwriting exercise. We homeschool, and my little ones typically aren't brewing with excitement over handwriting practice (who is?) but they don't mind a bit when it ties in with their art practice.
My 7-year-old loves these books. Last Saturday she disappeared for an hour and reappeared with a book of farm animals she had created. I am loving that she is growing more confident in her drawing skills, and that she is no longer turning to me as the art authority :).
There are many books available from Draw Write Now. You can purchase them separately from Amazon, or you can purchase them as a set.
For how moist and flavorful this recipe for Parmesan Chicken is, its surprisingly easy to prepare and feels like a full meal with a simple salad.
The Chopped Salad is not the easiest salad to make but its tasty. If you are short on time just make a green salad from any veggies you have in your fridge. The one pictured is spinach, carrots, snap peas, green onion and sun dried tomato.
Use your leftover yogurt and some fruit for a yogurt parfait afterward.
Parmesan Chicken
2 Full Skinless, Boneless chicken breasts 2 cups Ritz crackers, smashed fine 3 Tbls. grated Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. seasoned salt 1/2 cup wheat germ 16 oz. plain yogurt
Put the chicken between two layers of plastic wrap and beat with a tenderizer. I like to use the back of an ice cream scoop. Dip chicken in yogurt or just spread yogurt over with your fingers on both sides. Mix crumbs, cheese, salt and wheat germ. Roll chicken in mixture until well covered on both sides. Place in a backing dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
The yogurt and cracker crumbs keep the moisture in the chicken so it is soft and flavorful. You could use a whole wheat cracker as long as its a fine, buttery cracker. Like the Stoneground Flaxseed Crackers from Costco.
Note the breast on the left has been flattened to about 1/2 inch
Ready to go in the oven
Chopped Salad
1 head of lettuce (romaine, green leaf or red leaf) shredded Optional 2 handfuls spinach leaves washed and cut 2 tomatoes diced 1 cucumber diced 3-4 Tbsp Bacon Bits 1 cup cooked pasta 1 chicken breast cooked and diced 1/2 cup feta cheese (or Gorgonzola) 4 scallions chopped Creamy Dressing like Ranch, Blue Cheese, Cesar etc... (to taste)
The idea of this salad is that you chop everything into small pieces and mix it together with your favorite creamy dressing. You will forget you are eating salad mmmmmm. Use spinach leaves too if you want to get an extra healthy boost :)
Yogurt Parfait
Plain Yogurt Powdered Sugar Vanilla or Almond Extract Cut Fruit or Berries Granola or crushed cereal
Mix yogurt with powdered sugar to your taste. Layer in a glass or bowl with some cereal or granola and fruit for a simple and low fat dessert!
Seriously, is there anyone who hasn't read this book yet?
Remember your teacher as the end of year approaches. He or she is such a big part of your child's formative years. Thank your teacher.
We've been getting together everything for the end of the year, making things for the end of year gift for my kindergartener's teacher. We're doing things a little different this year because of what happened this winter. The day before Christmas break it snowed over a foot. School was cancelled, so of course the class Christmas party was cancelled, and our gift to the teacher went undelivered and moldy (I'm lying. It never got moldy because I ate it the same day I found out there was no school. I needed it.). The teacher really gets a hefty load of gifts at Christmas, and school being out meant she really missed out (on the appreciation and the tasty treats). So we really put some extra effort into this end of year gift to make up for it.
This isn't exactly what we did, but it's the closest picture I could find. Our flowers weren't frosted quite as ornately. I know she likes scrapbooking, so I tucked in a gift card to JoAnn's.
To let my sneaky side show through, part of the reason why I liked this gift so much is because it was actually our church's young women's camp fundraiser. Dads could buy the "flour bouquet" for Mother's Day, or moms could buy it as an end of year teacher gift. We also sold individual cookies on a stick. All thanks to Holly's sister, Kristin, who got the good idea together with a useful purpose.
It was a very successful fundraiser, especially because we would have otherwise been selling hotdogs in front of Sam's Club with the Boy Scouts.
images via lee-knight.com and T-Woods through flickr.com
We have been looking for a fun way to learn times tables, and after a few people passed this program along as a recommendation (and I found it recommended in the latest edition of the Well Trained Mind) I thought we should try it out.
Essentially, Times Tales uses stories (mnemonic devices) to help children master their math facts. Each number has a new identity. For instance, the number three is a butterfly. Then a story is created with that number, to guide your child to the correct answer.
I wasn't sure what I was going to think about this. It almost seemed more confusing to turn all of the math equations into stories that my kids had to memorize, but truth is- it totally, absolutely works.
In fact, my 5-year-old sat through the lessons with her older sister and now has all of her times tables down. I don't think she quite understands the concept of multiplication yet, but when she does she will be ready with her times tables already memorized.
If you use the program, make sure that you follow all of the steps carefully. Do not move faster than what is recommended. Be aware that the program does not teach facts 0x, 1x, 2x, and 5x. These are considered to be easy enough to master without mnemonic devices, so you will still need to drill these separately. It will take about 2 weeks of work (about 10 minutes a day) for your child to memorize the times tables in this program.
One more plug....my kids don't usually get super excited about working math problems, but whenever I would tell them it was time for Times Tales they would cheer, "YAY! Times Tales!" Now that was weird....but a good kind of weird.
Last Monday when I brought up grilling I wasn't thinking about all the grilling people would be doing today. But my sister found these recipes which reminded me- oh ya! Memorial Day!
So, if you were like me and weren't thinking (i.e. you still have to run to the store this morning) I hope you are reading. But if you are a good planner then save this meal for later cause its gonna be good.
I mean I haven't made it yet- I am doin it today- but my taste buds are just watering. Does it gross you out when I say that? For some reason the word "taste bud" gives me the heebie jeebies.
Anyway: Flank Steak Pinwheels- Steak, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and Boursin cheese- need I say more? ** My mother made this and rather than kabob sticks, she used wet cooking twine and tied the steak roll every inch and cut between the twine so that each roll is held together with a piece of twine. Aida's Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad- recipe name explains it all- except who is Aida?
Lower Fat Strawberry Shortcake- Ladies- if you are still doing "shortcake" without the shortcake and buying that dry, store bought "cake" you have got to try this. Real shortcake does have lots of butter in it so, I want to try this one that substitutes low fat cream cheese for some of the butter and low fat sour cream for some of the whipping cream. ** I made this without pastry flour and it was too dense. So use pastry flour or do the whole butter, white flour version that I like.
Also if your kids are handy at pushing the button on the food processor, you can make some of these yummy popsicles to eat outside.
I just got back from buying all kinds of flowers that I will inevitably kill. Just being realistic here.
My adventures in gardening reminded me of this book. The colors are brilliant, and everyone can learn a little because it lists the names of the different flowers in the "rainbow." My kids now love identifying the different flowers in our own flower garden.
So, it's memorial day weekend. Have you finished planting your rainbow yet?
We have all become aware of the push for households to switch out their regular, incandescent light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs or CFL's. Organizations like Energy Star and Companies like GE drone on about how they are 75% more efficient and last 10 times as long as traditional bulbs.
But what you hear little to nothing about is that when a CFL breaks in your house you should treat it like a small toxic waste situation. After all, CFL's have Mercury in them. Before the alarm bells start ringing- rest assured, its a small amount. In one light bulb there are 4 milligrams of mercury compared to those old thermometers with 500 milligrams of mercury.
Nonetheless, its important that people know how to properly clean up after a break as well as how to dispose of broken and/or old CFL's. I decided to find out more about this since I have a boy with a penchant for knocking over lamps... First tip: Go ahead and leave the incandescents in lamps easily knocked over. I use the CFL's only in overhead lighting fixtures.
Clean Up
Here is what the EPA recommends for household clean up of broken CFL's:
Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room
Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug
Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials
If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.
In summary, its sounds like a lot of airing out and only clean the mess with things that can be thrown away, sealed in a ziploc bag. Gotta love those ziploc bags.
Disposal
Some states allow broken bulbs and clean up materials to be thrown away when sealed in two zip-lock bags. But, the best way to dispose of broken and old, unbroken bulbs is to take them to a nearby recycling center. I was surprised to find that I can conveniently take my bulbs to a nearby Home Depot. For information on where to take your broken or old bulbs go to Earth911.org After cleaning up and disposing make sure to wash your hands and then your done.
I know it sounds like a lot of work. When I first read about proper clean up of CFL's I rolled my eyes and committed to only use incandescent. However, even though I have never classified myself as a tree hugger type, I can see the value of using a more efficient light bulb to light our homes. Using CFL's in areas where they are less likely to be broken and knowing how to properly clean them up is something I can get used to, for the trees.
My kids are right at the age where they love to draw, but are starting to realize that their skills are still pretty primitive. Lately, I have been getting a lot of requests to "show me how to draw a _____." Fill in that blank with any member of the animal kingdom, and it has probably been requested in our house. 
I am definitely no Van Gogh, so I quickly realized I needed back-up. I found the program Draw Write Now on Amazon, and it had good reviews, so I thought we would try it out.
I like that each art lesson also has a handwriting exercise. We homeschool, and my little ones typically aren't brewing with excitement over handwriting practice (who is?) but they don't mind a bit when it ties in with their art practice. 
