Menu Plan Monday

Here is my menu plan for the upcoming week. One meal is left over form last week, we had a night of leftovers pushing all meals forward one night. I think there will be plenty of leftover and if they aren't all used up during our lunches I may not use all these meals this week. If you'd like to see what others have on their menu this week have a look here.

Monday- lasagna (cheese- no meat), garlic bread, and salad

Tuesday-Ham casserole with pasta and oriental coleslaw

Wednesday-lentil patties, roasted potatoes, and roasted sweet potatoes

Thursday-Bubbly Haddock bake, rice pilaf, and frozen veg

Friday- Ham and Pea soup, salad, and fresh whole wheat bread

Saturday-hearty vegetable spaghetti sauce, pasta, and salad

Sunday-(pot luck) homemade mac and cheese and black forest trifle

Earth Hour

We as a family are participating in Earth Hour tonight, although John will be in bed and will be unaware that the lights are out. As a family we try to be conscience of our impact on the environment, I think I may be raising an environmentalist. Our plan is to play cards by candle light at the kitchen table this will thrill Wallace for two reasons, one he gets to play a game with mom and dad and two, he gets to stay up an hour past the time he usually goes to his room to read. I really like the idea of Earth Hour however, I think it is probably the easiest hour of the week to do it, no one is trying to do anything, chores are done and its time to relax anyway, we just have to find an alternative way of relaxing. Anyone else out there participating in Earth Hour, besides the environmentally friendly aspect of it its a great way to have some family time.

the same but different

The boys used to tie blankets around their necks to pretend to be superheroes, usually batman or superman. Now we tie blankets around our neck and carry a sword and pretend to be Centurions. To an outsider they wouldn't see much difference but if you listen close to the conversation between the boys you'd hear the difference.

Just so John doesn't feel left out!!!

I made a couple of 'dolls' for John, which he coloured and is now playing good guys and bad guys.

Who would have thunk?

......that a computer game could have inspired a desire to learn all about history. I knew it could happen, I'd heard all the interesting stories of how homeschooled kids take an interest and run with it but this is my first hands on experience. The game in question Age of Mythology. Wallace has taken every book on Greek, Roman and Norse Mythology out of the library along with a bunch on Roman History. The book he really likes is Magnifications -A Roman Fort by Stephen Johnson. This is a picture of his paper Auxilary Roman soldier, I made the the body out of the back of the Easter Bunny box and he did the rest, he followed the detailed picture in the book. I've said before we aren't very creative around here (something about me and messes but that is a different blog entry) but this turned out incredibly well, he still wants to make a paper Legionary soldier and now there is talk of make a model of a fort. I thought we were studying Canadian history, I guess we have interupted our regular programming for a special interest program. Hey, that is the beauty of homeschooling. BTW-Thanks are you due to my sisters fiance be was the one who gifted us with the game in the first place.

another FO

(FO stands for finished object for you non-knitters)

I am really bad at taking photographs of my work. Lately most of my work has been done in dark yarn and I am not sure if that is part of the reason. My camera is also a rather cheap on so I am wondering if the lack of focus is a problem. Anyhow (or as my friend Sue says 'Anywhooooo' ) this is my latest finished project an a pair of socks for Michael, made in SISU, not sure of the colour a navy of some sort, I used Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's sock recipe. Love this yarn, love the recipe!!
OTN (on the needles) another pair of socks for Michael, a ribbed pair in a heavier weight yarn.

Easter Dessert

Recently, I have been make one sweet treat a week, usually on Sunday. It has been something different each week. It seems that since we don't get treats all week long that we seem to truly enjoy our weekly treat. This week being Easter I wanted to make an extra special treat, and since I'd been craving Black Forest Trifle that is what I made. I need to improve my food photography but I think you get the point. It was yummy.

Layers of chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, whip cream (the real stuff), and cherry pie filling. Not the most healthy but it tasted good.

Menu Monday

Monday - lentil stew, chapati bread, salad
Tuesday-cabbage roll casserole, fresh whole wheat bread
Wednesday-homemade mac and cheese, oriental coleslaw
Thursday-turkey a la king, popovers, frozen broccoli
Friday-Taco Style lentils, hard tacos, salad
Saturday-ham, potatoes, vegetable medley
Sunday-cheese lasgna, garlic bread, salad

If you would like to see what others have on their menu this week, pop over here and have a look see.

Happy Easter!!!

Christ, the Lord is Risen today

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!

Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!

Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!

Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!

Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!

Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!

Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!

Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!

Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!
Celebrate the empty tomb!

by Charles Wesley

Matthew 28:6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

The colour of the front door

I am trying to figure out what colour I should paint my front door. When we bought this house 5 years ago we drove up to it and I wasn't too impressed. We had spent quite a few weeks looking at homes and nothing was right. I remember thinking "Oh no, here we go again." However, when I walked through the front door I was quite taken aback by the interior. This back ground to tell you that we are trying to add some 'curb appeal' to the house, not that we have a curb or that you can even see the house from either or the roads to which we have access.

We started last October by building the arbour and rebuilding the front porch. We also have 2 large window boxes to go under each window. (I guess I should add that we only have 2 windows on this side of the house because it is the north side and the house is R2000.) This spring we are going to treat the arbour and porch so that it will have the look of aged cedar. We are also going to edge around the arbour and put pea gravel under it (it is very shaded and little grass grows, mostly moss). I am also investigating a vine/climbing plant that I can plant at the base of each post and will grow up and cover the arbour, any ideas? In the planters, which are being painted white I am going to plant impatiences, my favourite annual and shade lover to boot. So now the big decision is what colour do I paint my front door. I want something to set it apart, maybe a sunny yellow (eh, Yem)? Tell me what ya'll think.

Spring Clean Up Projects

Well since this is the first day of spring I thought I would post some of the outdoor spring project we need to do this year. If we don't write it down we won't remember when we have a couple of hours of 'spare time'.

1. remove the gravel that the plow piled up over the winter
i) by the garage
ii) at the bottom of the hill
2. collect the sticks all spread out in the back yard
3. clean up the doggie poop
4. apply Lifetime to the new wood structures
i) the arbour
ii) the front porch
iii) laundry stoop
5. scrap the window frames for painting
6. paint the window frames
(I want to do 5 and 6 for each window together, so we don't have all the windows scraped and none painted)
7. paint front door (still have to pick a colour)
8. replace front screen door
9. move old front door to the kitchen door
10. finish painting the flower boxes
11. install the flower boxes

I'm sure there is more but this is a good start.

Pictures of the Boys

Took this one this afternoon, John was sitting so striaght, he looked like a soldier but of course by the time I took the picture he had relaxed.

Wallace in all his paraphanialia, he will lose the mouth piece in a few week, his tooth is moving beautifully. He is getting taller by the day and looks so much more like his dad than he ever used to.

John's bed time routine.

John likes me to put him to bed. We have a special routine and it is just the right ending to his day or at least that is what he insists. That doesn't mean that Michael doesn't put him to bed but only that he prefers me. The other night Michael was doing the deed, they had been rough housing and I thought it only fair that he try and settle him down. Michael got him into his PJs and teeth brushed and the rest of the routine, had him tucked into bed when I heard a ruckus. A few minutes later Michael called me up to finish the tucking in routine, a song and a quick snuggle. (Let it be said that Michael is by far the better singer than I so I am completely baffled by the insistence on me.) When I got to him I kneeled down by his bed and wiped away the tears. John looked up and me and said, "I whined and I got you." A smiled spread across his face and he settled right down. The little turkey.

oooh my aching back!

Good afternoon,
I had fitful night sleep last night. Yesterday my back was twinging every time I reached or bent down to get something, and it just got worse while I was sleeping. I tried very hard not to sleep on my stomach which is a habit of mine, but every time I rolled over it was with great effort and pain. This morning when I woke up I was moving very slowly and with considerable pain, thankfully I have a Chiropractor appointment in the morning. He doesn't like me to take anything for the pain as he doesn't want it masked and then I may damage it more if I don't feel it.

Michael took me grocery shopping this morning because he is working this evening, we usually go in the afternoon but I didn't think that I could do it all by myself, although I must admit that Wallace is becoming quite the helper. I was going to say little but I don't think he would appreciate that description. I seem to do better at staying under budget when Michael isn't with me, he is worse then the kids when it comes to asking for treats, and I don't feel I can say no to him as firmly as I do the boys.

This afternoon we are doing our morning school and Wallace has a much better attitude then on Monday, for which I am grateful. I had to cancel his piano lesson for this afternoon as I couldn't take both boys by myself and get in and out of the car and up and down the steps. I hate when my back does this as I feel as though I am 90 years. I doesn't help much either when Michael calls me old women as he helps me in and out of the car. The boys are about to head outside to play, it is lovely and sunny but quite cold....I so want spring to come.

A few passing thoughts

My boys are brothers and yet so different. What I am thinking of right now is how they fall asleep each and every night. John puts his head down on his pillow and within 5 minutes is fast asleep. He goes non stop from them time his eyes open till bed time. Wallace on the other hand, spends a long time imagining before he drifts off to sleep. We often hear explosions and missiles landing in those imaginary battles.

And wouldn’t you know the night I makes a nice dinner for the boys and I, and plan leftovers for Michael that he brings pizza home because he knows I don’t usually cook when its just the three of us.

Ahhh, back to routine

Today was a much better day at school we are all done and ready to play out side and it isn‘t even 1:30 pm. (I know that we love our routine around here.) It is a cold and crisp day but at least the sun is shining, some fresh air and exercise will help to clear their heads I think.

Wallace is learning long division in math, and I am amazed at how well he is grasping the concepts. I remember having such difficulties with it. We are using Saxon Math 54, and enjoying it. Last year we used Saxon 3, I found it difficult with the “meetings’. I had started John on Saxon K and am having the same struggles as I had with Wallace last year. Last year I thought that it was just us trying to find our stride but now that I am having the same issue with John I’m thinking that the material just isn’t a good fit. I’m considering switching to Horizon Math or ABEKA. John loves, at least to this point, to do his work sheets, although sometimes he thinks he gets to decide what is done on each sheet. I allow this with some of the pages and others we do as the instructions say. He is still so young and I don’t want to stifle his desire for learning or to ‘do school’. I do have one advantage though he loves to be like his older brother and that means school.

The last few nights I’ve been sitting by the computer. This may seem odd but I’ve discovered a way to read a classic novel and knit at the same time, I feel as if I am accomplishing a lot. I’ve discovered LibriVox, maybe I am really behind the times but its new to me. The last couple of nights I’ve been knitting away on Michael’s latest pair of sock and listening to Pride and Prejudice being read. I now have a list of future books in the que. I am figuring that since Michael works so many nights and we don’t have cable that this will be a fun and productive way to pass the long evenings.

Monday's Update

This morning John had an ENT appointment in the city, and they gave us the thumbs up. He had another hearing test and his results were wonderful. Now we know that if he isn't listening it isn't because he can't hear us.

Michael has been away again, I am slowly getting used to it. I don't think it will change much now, this unit seems to do a lot of traveling. I do seem to let things slide when he is away and don't cook. I'm not sure why as Wallace will eat almost anything and just as much as Michael does. I told him when he got home the other night that I cook just from him, and that when he isn't here you'd be shock at what we consider meals.

Wallace and I had some trouble with school today. We normally do all of our school in the morning, getting it mostly done by lunch, sometimes we have one or two thing to do after lunch. Today with John's appointment in the city we were out of the house by quarter after 8 so we obviously didn't get anything done. When we got home I wanted to start right into school and Wallace became totally overwhelmed, tears and the whole bit. It was a departure from our routine and he couldn't handle it. I had tried to prepare him that this is what we were going to do but either my preparation didn't work or he didn't think I was serious. We had to stop because he wasn't learning anything, it was as if old concepts were brand new. (Very frustrating for me, but I did keep my cool.) I had to discipline him because I felt that getting me to stop was his motivation, whether conscience or not. I sent him to his room to spend time by himself, I allowed books and his Lego to be played with, but he had to stay for the time that we would have been learning, he didn't like that as he is a very social person. His dad took away soccer for tonight, I wouldn't have but Michael said so. He also doesn't get computer or tv, not really as a punishment because he is not usually allowed these until his school work is complete and well it didn't get completed today. My question is this, how do I get him to 'roll with it' when our day doesn't go exactly as the routine says it should. I love routine but I can't always give him a day off when our routine get messed up.

While we were in the city we went to Pete's Frootique, I love that store, so many fresh veggies and fruit. Wallace said he was in fruit heaven. We bought lots of veggies and fruit and a couple of cheeses. We had a healthy lunch and it was cheaper than the golden arches would have been.

Sunday night Offertory

This is for Grandma and Papa, wish you could have been there. He really did a good job!

Note: scroll down and mute the music so it doesn't interfer.