Monday, April 29, 2013

Try a New Recipe Tuesday- April 30

Wow, here we are at the end of the month already!  It is Tuesday and that means it is time for another week of sharing recipes.  Thanks for making last week's linkup the most popular one yet with 69 recipes!  :-)


This week Kiddo #4 made us all Peanut Butter Bear cookies.  They were so adorable and delicious, too!  :-)


1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup uncooked quick oats
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons mini semisweet chocolate chips (She used regular sized since we didn't have minis)

Stir together the flour, oats, and baking powder in a large bowl.
Beat the sugar, butter, brown sugar and peanut butter in a large bowl until well blended.


Add the egg and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.  Add the flour mixture.  Beat until blended.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  For each bear, shape a ball of dough  for the the body and a slightly smaller ball for the head.  Place the body and head together on a cookie sheet; flatten slightly.  Form 7 small balls for the arms, ears, legs and nose; arrange the balls on the bear body and head.  Place two chocolate chips on the head for the eyes.  Place 1 chocolate chip on the body for the belly button.  :-)



Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned.  Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets for 1 minute.  Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.


Here are this week's features!






Linking up with the Gathering SpotKids in the Kitchen, Tasty TuesdayTempt my Tummy TuesdayDomestically Divine Tuesday, Raising Mighty Arrows,Addicted to RecipesHomemaking Wednesdays, Living Well Wednesday,NOBH, Judy H-J's ThoughtsWisdom Wednesday , Favorite ThingsModest MomFull Plate Thursday and Melt in your Mouth Monday and Show Off Friday and Tuesday's Table and Look What We Did and Titus 2sday Mom's Monday MingleMonday MingleCrafty SpicesBetter Mom,Create with JoyThursday's TreasuresTasty Thursdays and Wonderful Food Wednesday and Mondays with Countrified Hicks and Tuesday How to Party and the Tried and True Recipe Party and Kids and Mom in the Kitchen and Family Fun Friday

Friday, April 26, 2013

Homeschool Mother's Journal/Weekly Wrap-Up April 26

Another week has come and gone.  Are they going by more quickly or is it just me?  ;-)  I am realizing that I am slacking off in the taking of photos department.  I need to be more cognizant of taking them everyday again.

On Sunday, we went to a Phillies game.  It was Kiddo #4's very first game and it was special.  She was able to meet a ball girl and see the team win.  There are more photos of it here in my Memoir Monday post.  It was a very late, but fun night.


On Monday, Kiddo had her sewing class.  She is working on a summer nightgown for herself.  She brought home a wrapped up "surprise" that I am very excited to see on Mother's Day in a few weeks!  :-)

Tuesday was my mom's birthday.  We went out with her to breakfast and dinner.  We were also able to bring back Kiddo #3's bike since it had a tire problem.  They gladly replaced the tire and Kiddo is back up and riding.  :-)  We didn't have our Italian lesson today, as the teacher was sick.  She did set up  some more review for us on Quizlet, so that will keep us busy until next week.

I also posted my Try a New Recipe Tuesday post.  I shared my daughter's Snickerdoodles.  She surprised us with them and I promised her that they would be the on the blog for everyone to see.  They were mighty tasty!  :-)  You can see those and all of the other recipes that were shared here.  As of this writing, there are 68 recipes shared!  A record for my little recipe linkup!  :-)  :-)


On Wednesday, after our schoolwork, hubby was able to take a few hours off from work to take us to the military base to get our new i.d. card photos taken.  Since he is now retired, we all get different cards.  Sure strange for him to get his photo taken in civilian clothes for the first time in 25+ years.  Kiddo #4 was thrilled that she was able to get her very first military id.  They usually do not get issued until the child is 10, but since she will be 10 in a few months, they saved us an additional trip.  Her pose on the card is priceless-- looking like she modeling with the head tilt and all, lol!  She is so definitely our 'girly girl.' :-)

Kiddo #1 asked his dad to take him back out to the store specifically to buy some wood to make his sister a balance beam for her dolls.  I am really proud of him.  He's a good kid and we are certainly blessed.  I shared more photos here, on my Thankful Thursday post.


On Thursday, I tried to get a little clever with Kiddo #3 and 4's math assignments.  They are learning how to calculate perimeter.  Since Kiddo #4 loves her toy pigs so much, I gave her a "pigie" perimeter problem.  Needless to say, she was quite happy to figure out the answer.  :-)


Thursday night, Kiddo #1 received his first promotion with the Civil Air Patrol.  He is now a "Cadet Airman."  We are very proud of him!  He had to pass not only an academic test, but a physical fitness test and moral leadership qualifications.  I didn't get any photos since they were in their PT gear.  The officers said that I will be able to pin his new rank on his uniform next week.  So, I'll be sure to get some photos then.  The next rank includes aerospace and aviation testing.  He lives and breathes everything aviation, so I know that he will enjoy moving up the ranks now.  :-)

This morning (Friday), I found an online experiment from Supercharged Science about making hand gliders.  There was so much laughter and cheering about how far each one would go.  Those are the sounds that any mom/teacher loves to hear.




This afternoon we are headed over to our church to help set up for a flea market.  It is a fundraiser for our family retreat.  The retreat has been such a memorable and rewarding experience for us over the past few years.  The flea market setup is also a good opportunity for my children to do service within our community.  Kiddos #1 and 2 also volunteer each week with administrative and other duties during the church classes on Thursday evenings.  They assist with many things including attendance, "grading" homework, and even guiding parents' cars in and out of the parking lot.  There are always tasks to be done and the teenaged "helpers" are there to be of service.

The seeds we planted together back in February have grown beautifully and we are looking forward to getting them into the garden.  Hopefully this weekend's weather will be cooperative.  We had another frost warning last night and had to bring them inside.  It is definitely time for consistent spring-like weather!  Spring fever is here.  Now the weather just has to cooperate.  :-)


Linking up today with:  Homeschool Mother's JournalWeekly Wrap-UpNOBHShow-Off FridayLearn and Link and It's a WrapFriendship Friday and Friday Connection

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Thankful Thursday- April 25


It is Thursday again and a time for us all to reflect on the many blessings we have.  On this day, I am thankful for

my mom having a wonderful birthday yesterday


my children being able to pursue their own interests whether that be making sports power points, tracking airplanes, or perler beads.  :-)




my almost 15 year old son who asked to go to the store today to buy the supplies to make his sister a balance beam for her dolls.  The dolls "want" to learn gymnastics.  ;-)



What are the blessings you have been bestowed this day?

Linking up with ,Lisa at The Army Chap's WifeNOBH,Miscellany MondayRaising Homemakers and Modest Mom and Raising Mighty Arrows,, Spilled Milkshake,Crafty Spices Mom's Monday MingleMonday Mingleand Just the Stuff Ya Know

Monday, April 22, 2013

Try a New Recipe Tuesday- April 23


It's Tuesday and that means it's time for "Try a New Recipe Tuesday!"  :-)  My children and I enjoy seeing each and every one of the recipes you submit and we have tried many of them so far.

This week, my daughter surprised us with Snickerdoodles.  I promised her I would share the photos and her recipe.  Keep in mind that this child is only 9.  She is something else!  :-)  :-)

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 cup cinnamon baking chips (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)  (Kiddo #4 didn't use either of the optional ingredients)

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Stir together 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl.  Combine the flour, remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon, cream of tartar and baking soda in a medium sized bowl.  Mix in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and butter in a large bowl until creamy.  beat in the egg.  Gradually add the flour mixture until a stiff dough forms.  Stir in the cinnamon chips and raisins, if desired.


Roll the dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture until they are coated.


Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.


Bake for 10 minutes or just until the cookies are firm in the center. (for our oven, it was more like 8-9 minutes)  Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.


They were super delicious and didn't last long!  :-)  Hope you enjoy!

Now, for this week's features.  Here they are in no particular order:






Also, the winner of last week's giveaway of the "Chocolate" cookbook is TC (Twisted Cinderella) Harris.  Congratulations!  I will email you and ask you for your mailing information.  :-)

TOS Review- Math Rider

Today I am reviewing Math Rider.


What a fun program!  Math Rider is a fast-paced software game that reviews the four basic math operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.



Each child has their own gender specific horse and rider.  As problems appear, the child types in the answer.  If correct, the horse speeds up and jumps over an obstacle.  If the answer is incorrect, the horse will stop the the correct answer will be given.



At the end of each ride, there are bonuses given for speed and points for the number correct.  Children can see their progress immediately.  Each ride has 30 problems.


Parents can access a screen for each child that indicates where they may be struggling and the percentage improvement they have shown.

When a child completes all of the rides in each "quest," there is a special reward.  I will not spoil it for you, but it is a cute and pleasant surprise for the students.

My 9 and 11 year olds used this program several times a week and were very proud of themselves as their recall became easier and quicker with the game.  This sure beats boring drill worksheets in this mom's opinion, anytime!


In fact, the 13 and 14 year olds, not to be outdone, had to come and check out the program themselves!  They even wanted to compete against mom; so yes, I set up a rider for me, as well.  It was fun.  I had to really concentrate as the horse got faster and faster!  :-)  Although I only did a few rides, I am including a photo of my "progress" page so you can see what it would look like for your child.



Math Rider retails for $47 and includes lifetime updates for the software.  Up to 8 users can be set up, which is good for larger families. The company offers a 30-day risk free guarantee as well as a 7-day trial on their website for those interested in seeing if it is a good fit for their family.  We enjoyed using this and I'm sure the kiddos will want to use it again.  Competition is always something they are interested in.  ;-)



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Memoir Monday- April 22

Our daughter proudly wrote several pages in her journal about an event yesterday that she will remember for quite some time.  It will definitely be a part of her "memoir."  :-)

She attended her first professional baseball game with one of her brothers, my husband and I.  And a great time was had.  (It didn't hurt that we won the game, as well!)  :-)

We had terrific seats (the best we've ever had), and there were plenty of hits to stand and cheer about.  She is still talking about meeting the ball girl (I said our seats were really good, right?  lol), getting her autograph and being so close to a player that we could even say hello to him.  It was a bit on the chilly side.  Ok, it was freezing (literally! who would think that in late April that the temp would dip into the 30s?), but that didn't stop anyone's enthusiasm.  They even issued her a "I attended my first Phillies game certificate."  Now, how cute is that?  :-)  Many memories were made, as well as a wonderful entry in her journal/scrapbook. (she says that she is going to be like Laura Ingalls Wilder and record her life in writing!)  :-)







Linking up with:  On, in and around Mondays in addition to Wisdom WednesdayLiving Well WednesdayMom's Monday MingleMonday MingleModest MomCrazy Mama, Homemaking Wednesdays and Raising Mighty Arrows and Titus 2sday and Clever Chicks Blog Hop and Memoir Monday and Mondays with Countrified Hicks and Create with Joy

TOS Review- Interactive Treasure Island study guide

Today I am reviewing the Treasure Island Interactive Study Guide from Progeny Press.


The study guide was a downloadable PDF that could be filled in and saved by the student.  It is intended for students in grades 7-10.  My teenaged boys are in 8th and 9th respectively.



The guide includes questions, vocabulary and activities.  Before even beginning the study, there were "Prereading Activities" that included researching, drawing and other fun ideas for the student to gain familiarity with some of what will be in the book.

I liked that the questions throughout the guide were varied.  Some were multiple choice questions, some were fill-in, some asked for the boys to formulate an opinion.  They weren't too happy with the questions that had to do with grammar, though.  :-)



The guide was extremely thorough and comprehensive.  It didn't just give the students the plot, but had them think about what was occurring in the story as well as demonstrate comprehension.  The fun activities such as researching types of currency from that time period or drawing a ship made the book and its setting more interesting and engaging.  The guide also introduces the students to concepts such as foreshadowing and mood through its various activities.  It was a fun and interesting way to not only read and understand a timeless, literary classic, but to be introduced to literary technique and analysis.

I also liked that the guide had an interesting section on the author, Robert Louis Stevenson.  It is important for anyone when reading, to understand about the life and times of the author.  It gives additional perspective and clarity.

We enjoyed using the study guide during our reading of "Treasure Island."  I look forward to using some of Progeny's many other titles in the future.

The interactive download sells for $16.99.  Progeny also offers it in a CD format for the same price, as well as a printed book for $18.99.


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