So, we gave up eating out about three weeks ago. There's always something that can make you change cold turkey. No, it wasn't the piling up of fast food cups and bags in my car. It wasn't having to move an old coke cup to replace it with a new one. We actually kidded ourselves into thinking we weren't doing it that much. But one night, we sat down and added up how much we'd spent at restaurants in just 15 days...a whooping $160. And to top it off, as I was throwing the last happy meals away from the car, I was appalled to see that the nuggets were not eaten, nor the apples! That was it.
So three weeks later, we've lost a few pounds each, and the kids haven't even asked to go to any restaurant! The key has been packing lunches if we ever leave the house after 10am...or snacks any other time...and remembering how much money we could have had, if we'd not spent it on what we like to call "crapola".
One other rule we've instituted to save a penny is only milk or water to drink. It's working well. (Although we do have a stash of Coke from Costco that I'm still finishing up.)
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thanksgiving
We stuffed ourselves silly once again. This year, I actually contributed...mexican spoon bread and macaroni salad...it was quite good, except for the hair my cousin found in his macaroni...probably wasn't mine, but still gross.
Diego had a great time with this drum...which was used as inspiration to teach him to crawl...he didn't get it that day, but TODAY has pretty much figured it out. Here we go!
Isabela had fun finding all the Japanese artifacts around Grandma's house...to go along with our study of Japan.
Jonathan entertained Diego with a napkin...until he started eating it.
And Diego joined the ranks of most of us....being strapped to the antique high chair with his Dad's belt.
I was a little ticked that our family had to sit at the kids' table in the kitchen...I said if I'd known that, we could have just ate at home...but it turned out fun. We were joined by some others on their second go rounds and played the Native American name game...some were pretty funny like Smelly Horse, Silent Skunk, and Balding Aardvark.
Diego had a great time with this drum...which was used as inspiration to teach him to crawl...he didn't get it that day, but TODAY has pretty much figured it out. Here we go!
Isabela had fun finding all the Japanese artifacts around Grandma's house...to go along with our study of Japan.
Jonathan entertained Diego with a napkin...until he started eating it.
And Diego joined the ranks of most of us....being strapped to the antique high chair with his Dad's belt.
I was a little ticked that our family had to sit at the kids' table in the kitchen...I said if I'd known that, we could have just ate at home...but it turned out fun. We were joined by some others on their second go rounds and played the Native American name game...some were pretty funny like Smelly Horse, Silent Skunk, and Balding Aardvark.
big sister
The kids have enjoyed their "big sister" this week. We had to take Daniela to the bus this evening and big tears were shed by Isabela. While she was here, we got to celebrate her birthday and Thanksgiving with her. I've enjoyed having her around...she reminds me of the days before kids... where you can eat as slow as you want...and you put things back carefully after you've used them. I hope we'll at least try to adopt the latter as a new habit.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Native American princess party
I spent most of last week preparing for a Native American princess party. I do love a party theme, but it tends to be all I think about when the date nears. Here are some pictures:
Leather pouches...made from craft foam and using a technique we learned at our leather class the other day.
The goody bags...inside was a dream catcher.
The infamous teepee...I'd never made one before and it was really hard to get the material wrapped around the poles without knocking over the poles. I finally ended up safety pinning the sheet.
The cake...the instructions were pink. I tried icing it upside down this time...don't do that...the curve of the cake made these huge holes on the edges...hence the marshmallows...and the weight of the cake created a grand canyon down the middle. I also made cupcakes and each was topped with one of those teepees. A lot of work, but they turned out cute and the kids actually ate them!
Drawing Indian symbols on animal hides.
We all fell in love with Pocahontas....
Here she is after pin the feather.
Herding buffalo by blowing through a straw.
Roasting marshmallows over the fire.
The funnest part of the party were the Indian names...I wrote names of animals and adjectives on two piles of smooth stones and we played pass the feather like hot potato. When it was your turn, you picked a rock from each pile and that would be your name...like "fearless horse" or "silent eagle". They got to put the rocks in their pouches.
We also made bead necklaces with shells...the gimp kept breaking though, so I might try it on something else next time. And we played Darlene's game of walking to the beat of the drum...fast or slow, then drop to the ground when it stops. Very fun!
The birthday girl is now four!
Leather pouches...made from craft foam and using a technique we learned at our leather class the other day.
The goody bags...inside was a dream catcher.
The infamous teepee...I'd never made one before and it was really hard to get the material wrapped around the poles without knocking over the poles. I finally ended up safety pinning the sheet.
The cake...the instructions were pink. I tried icing it upside down this time...don't do that...the curve of the cake made these huge holes on the edges...hence the marshmallows...and the weight of the cake created a grand canyon down the middle. I also made cupcakes and each was topped with one of those teepees. A lot of work, but they turned out cute and the kids actually ate them!
Drawing Indian symbols on animal hides.
We all fell in love with Pocahontas....
Here she is after pin the feather.
Herding buffalo by blowing through a straw.
Roasting marshmallows over the fire.
The funnest part of the party were the Indian names...I wrote names of animals and adjectives on two piles of smooth stones and we played pass the feather like hot potato. When it was your turn, you picked a rock from each pile and that would be your name...like "fearless horse" or "silent eagle". They got to put the rocks in their pouches.
We also made bead necklaces with shells...the gimp kept breaking though, so I might try it on something else next time. And we played Darlene's game of walking to the beat of the drum...fast or slow, then drop to the ground when it stops. Very fun!
The birthday girl is now four!
the trades
We had a fun day at the farm last week. We were greeted by this pot bellied pig...Taz.
We learned about casting...punched tin...
and "the hulk" taught us about blacksmithing...
Isabela trying to make a horseshoe without touching the hot metal...
And we learned about leatherworking...here they are touching a deer skin.
the cotton field
Lots of fresh air led to sleepy kids on the way home.
We learned about casting...punched tin...
and "the hulk" taught us about blacksmithing...
Isabela trying to make a horseshoe without touching the hot metal...
And we learned about leatherworking...here they are touching a deer skin.
the cotton field
Lots of fresh air led to sleepy kids on the way home.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
I'm in
So after hearing how everyone is saving hundreds of dollars a month in groceries by this coupon thing...I decided to try it. In the past, I've never saved more than $4.00 and it was such a hassle clipping those coupons! But now everything is online. The best website to use, I think is southernsavers.com (Thanks, Katie!) Today I tried it. I uploaded a bunch of coupons to my Kroger keytag, printed out the shopping list, and went with an open mind. I bought only what was on sale (trying to stick to the 10 for $10 items... no, you don't have to buy 10 of the items, and other things were even less than a dollar.) That's part of the trick...you have to plan your menu around what's on sale. Of course, I don't plan my menus, but maybe that will be my next step.
I didn't win at the coupons...I ended up saving only $5 there...but with the Kroger sale discounts, I ended up saving $60! Plus I even remembered to bring my reusable bags. And they brought my groceries to my car! Am I dreaming or what?
fall games
We've discovered a fun new game. Can you guess what it is?
Caught one!
Another fun one...pool noodle tag...it gives you an extra long arm to reach people...without the pushing that knocks them to the ground!
Caught one!
Another fun one...pool noodle tag...it gives you an extra long arm to reach people...without the pushing that knocks them to the ground!
We found HIM
Here's a cool experiment we did yesterday.
1. Put a dry tissue in the bottom of a glass.
2. Fill a bowl with water.
3. Turn the glass upside down (making sure tissue doesn't fall out) and submerge into the bowl.
4. Does the tissue get wet?
This was like a magic trick!
We had to try it with a bigger bowl...it still worked.
So like any teacher, I asked, "Why does this happen?" And got varied answers.
Me: I'll give you a hint. There is something in this glass that we can't see.
Isabela: God!
We had a good laugh over that....but it was a great reinforcement to a phrase we learned...Just Like Air, God is There.
1. Put a dry tissue in the bottom of a glass.
2. Fill a bowl with water.
3. Turn the glass upside down (making sure tissue doesn't fall out) and submerge into the bowl.
4. Does the tissue get wet?
This was like a magic trick!
We had to try it with a bigger bowl...it still worked.
So like any teacher, I asked, "Why does this happen?" And got varied answers.
Me: I'll give you a hint. There is something in this glass that we can't see.
Isabela: God!
We had a good laugh over that....but it was a great reinforcement to a phrase we learned...Just Like Air, God is There.
cranberries!
I never really liked to eat cranberries, but I can't stop myself from buying them during this season. They are so pretty. And we found out the other day, they are a lot of fun, too! We broke open a bag to see what we could do with them...first estimating how many we each had (about half a bag) which turned out to be way too much counting. We stopped at 120 each...groups of ten made this much easier.
And you may have known this, but cranberries float...but why? We watched a video of how they are harvested by flooding the fields...they don't actually grow underwater.
Then we cut one in half...inside are four air pockets (where the tiny seeds are, by the way). So that's why they float. We made these prints with them.
We even popped one in our mouth to see what it tasted like....I saw the lady on the video do that in her field...ewww, yuck! We spit those babies out. But then I remembered those cranberry garlands (that I never actually made before!) and thought if we don't like them, maybe the birds will. This was super fun...a dull needle goes through them very easily.
We strung them on a nearby tree.
We've had deer in our yard lately...so we are hoping that they'll have fun eating them, too. Do deer like cranberries? We'll let you know.
And you may have known this, but cranberries float...but why? We watched a video of how they are harvested by flooding the fields...they don't actually grow underwater.
Then we cut one in half...inside are four air pockets (where the tiny seeds are, by the way). So that's why they float. We made these prints with them.
We even popped one in our mouth to see what it tasted like....I saw the lady on the video do that in her field...ewww, yuck! We spit those babies out. But then I remembered those cranberry garlands (that I never actually made before!) and thought if we don't like them, maybe the birds will. This was super fun...a dull needle goes through them very easily.
We strung them on a nearby tree.
We've had deer in our yard lately...so we are hoping that they'll have fun eating them, too. Do deer like cranberries? We'll let you know.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
powwow
We went to the annual Powwow at the Showplace this past weekend. It was purely God's doing that we got there at all. We had planned to go to a Powwow at the Central Library that was free. But when we got there, we were told it had been pushed back an hour and a half because some of the dancers had the flu....we hung around and looked at books while we waited. We ran out to the car for a minute, and when we came back in, they made an announcement that it was cancelled. But a few minutes later, another lady said that there was a huge Powwow downtown if anyone was interested. I had been to this Powwow many years ago, with my mom, but I hadn't heard anything about it recently. I knew the kids would be blown away, so we hopped in the car and headed to the city.
It did cost $22 for us to get in, which I didn't expect, but I think it was worth it. As we pulled up, there was this huge teepee set up out front. Not like the ones we play with in our living rooms!
And as we walked up, there were Native Americans dressed in their full costumes standing outside (smoking!). The kids could only stare. And when we walked in...the beat of the drums and the chanting filled the place.
This is a picture of the drum beaters. They all sat around one drum...one leader called out and the others followed. Sometimes they hit that drum with all their force...it was amazing.
Here's a little video...but it doesn't compare to really being there.
Diego actually went to sleep in my arms while we were there, even with all that was going on. There were vendors all around selling the most amazing things. I had to keep Joaquin away from the slingshots and spears. The kids came away with a tiny drum and a dancing stick (a wood stick decorated with feathers and bells).
Isabela said she wanted to be a Native American...funny, because I always wanted to, also...she also said she thought they were going to hurt us when we first went in. I said that must have been how the pilgrims felt when they first arrived.
It was God's perfect timing for all we've been learning about and for Thanksgiving.
It did cost $22 for us to get in, which I didn't expect, but I think it was worth it. As we pulled up, there was this huge teepee set up out front. Not like the ones we play with in our living rooms!
And as we walked up, there were Native Americans dressed in their full costumes standing outside (smoking!). The kids could only stare. And when we walked in...the beat of the drums and the chanting filled the place.
This is a picture of the drum beaters. They all sat around one drum...one leader called out and the others followed. Sometimes they hit that drum with all their force...it was amazing.
Here's a little video...but it doesn't compare to really being there.
Diego actually went to sleep in my arms while we were there, even with all that was going on. There were vendors all around selling the most amazing things. I had to keep Joaquin away from the slingshots and spears. The kids came away with a tiny drum and a dancing stick (a wood stick decorated with feathers and bells).
Isabela said she wanted to be a Native American...funny, because I always wanted to, also...she also said she thought they were going to hurt us when we first went in. I said that must have been how the pilgrims felt when they first arrived.
It was God's perfect timing for all we've been learning about and for Thanksgiving.
upward
We are trying some new sports this season...Joaquin will be doing basketball...and Isabela will be cheering! They both have been talking about it for months. I don't even think the first game is until January, but practices should start in December. I hope Isabela will be cheering for Joaquin's team, but I have no idea how it works. Joaquin had his placement tests this past weekend and made five baskets! I was quite impressed. And Isabela got to try on her uniform...black and white skorts, a mock turtle neck and a tank top...very cute! Joaquin says the sport he really wants to do, though, is BASEBALL. All that waiting... and the hot sun blaring down on him...I can't imagine he'll last more than a minute....but I do love baseball. We'll see how basketball goes...he tends to like to try something new after about... the first practice. Another one of his requests...fencing.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
school review
Homeschooling has really gotten interesting lately. We had a rough patch where it seemed like we were getting nothing done. But now we are back on track! Here's a list of our current subjects we're learning about:
Math: Even and Odd numbers/Counting by twos
Grammar: Nouns
Phonics: Silent E
Science: Density
Geography: Japan
History: Colonial Times/Paul Revere
Art: Rembrandt
Music: Mozart
And reading great literature in all of these categories!
The most fascinating thing has been colonial times. I actually teared up twice reading Three Young Pilgrims today. It is a terrific book, thoroughly researched, and well written, about three little kids that came over on the Mayflower with their mom and dad.
We also did a fun craft with weaving, using a cardboard loom. They loved it! We need to get some more yarn colors...the fuzzy blue and yellow yarn made it a little harder, but they can't wait to finish them.
Having the lights go out tonight due to the storm also reminded us of colonial times. We realized we do not like being without electricity! I finished reading them And Then What Happened, Paul Revere by flashlight. It is an exciting book leading up to the first battle of the Revolutionary War. Then we went out to Chili's....we all shared the 3 course meal for $20 and drank water. The kids asked why it cost $21 when the bill came...a great way to show them about tax and why the colonists were so mad about taxes.
And here are some gross looking pictures from our science experiment. We poured oil, water, and syrup together to see what would happen. They didn't mix together but were separated because of their density. They syrup sank and the oil floated on top of the water.
Here, we dropped in a penny, a lego, and an acorn. The penny sank, but the lego and acorn floated on top of the water, not the oil.
Next, we dropped an egg (in its shell) into a glass of fresh water, where it sank....but when we added a bunch of salt...it started to float! Salt water is denser...that's why we float better in the ocean. We don't completely understand the whys and hows, but it sure was a cool experiment.
Math: Even and Odd numbers/Counting by twos
Grammar: Nouns
Phonics: Silent E
Science: Density
Geography: Japan
History: Colonial Times/Paul Revere
Art: Rembrandt
Music: Mozart
And reading great literature in all of these categories!
The most fascinating thing has been colonial times. I actually teared up twice reading Three Young Pilgrims today. It is a terrific book, thoroughly researched, and well written, about three little kids that came over on the Mayflower with their mom and dad.
We also did a fun craft with weaving, using a cardboard loom. They loved it! We need to get some more yarn colors...the fuzzy blue and yellow yarn made it a little harder, but they can't wait to finish them.
Having the lights go out tonight due to the storm also reminded us of colonial times. We realized we do not like being without electricity! I finished reading them And Then What Happened, Paul Revere by flashlight. It is an exciting book leading up to the first battle of the Revolutionary War. Then we went out to Chili's....we all shared the 3 course meal for $20 and drank water. The kids asked why it cost $21 when the bill came...a great way to show them about tax and why the colonists were so mad about taxes.
And here are some gross looking pictures from our science experiment. We poured oil, water, and syrup together to see what would happen. They didn't mix together but were separated because of their density. They syrup sank and the oil floated on top of the water.
Here, we dropped in a penny, a lego, and an acorn. The penny sank, but the lego and acorn floated on top of the water, not the oil.
Next, we dropped an egg (in its shell) into a glass of fresh water, where it sank....but when we added a bunch of salt...it started to float! Salt water is denser...that's why we float better in the ocean. We don't completely understand the whys and hows, but it sure was a cool experiment.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
prize pepper
We were given a wonderful potted pepper plant this summer to help us along with our garden. I say that only to show that we had nothing to do with its ability to survive. We watered it sporadically and basically never touched it. It gave us several green peppers, but Juan Pablo wanted to get a red pepper. Someone told us to leave a pepper on the plant for 90 days, and then it would turn red.
So we had one huge pepper left on the plant. It was hidden in the center among the leaves. That's important because the animals around here tended to eat whatever we grew. Plus, since it was potted, it was closer to the house (we never moved it from where JP plopped it down when he brought it home), and I think that deterred deer and others, also.
We've been watching this pepper for months...waiting for it to turn red. It never did. So then I was watching it to see when it would start to rot. It never did. Finally, JP picked it last week.
We put it on the counter, where it sat waiting for me to find a good recipe to cook it in.
And look what happened! The most beautiful red pepper you've ever seen. So, is that how it works? It doesn't turn red until you pick it?
Anyway, I sauteed it with some onion last night, added ground beef and monterrey jack cheese, and we had nachos. My own concoction from what little food was in the cubbards, but it was delicious.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
feeding time
After a little help from Joaquin, I just had to snap this shot. Joaquin was feeding Diego his cereal and suddenly said, "I don't want to feed him anymore."
Why not? I asked. He replied, "Um, I don't know," with this funny little voice. Joaquin's never been one for getting dirty. I think it was making him sick.
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