Summer Break

We're on summer break for now. I'm looking forward to time at the lake, vacation, visits with friends, gardening, grilling, plenty of time to tackle my reading list and for working on my new history plan. Hope you all have a blessed summer!

Be back in August...

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today:
Outside my window... the snowball and hydrangea bushes are blooming, the sun is shining and it is already over 80 degrees.

I am thinking ... about the summer schedule. I don't know how it got so crowded, I must have forgotten to plug in the NO button.

I am thankful... for the wonderful weekend we had at the lake and the great time we had with our friends there.

From the learning room... the kids have finished all of their regular school year. We are beginning our summer reading and projects.

From the kitchen... we finished some cookie baking and have a freezer meal planned for the grill tonight.

I am wearing... jean capris, a purple blouse and amethyst earings.

I am creating... lesson plans for next year, it's that time.

I am going... to take Bookworm and Ladybug to the first Lady Crusaders' Volleyball Open Gym Day of the summer.

I am reading... a lot of Colonial period books in preparation for history this fall.

I am hoping... to get some more baking done later today.

I am hearing... the girls laughing at Busy Bee's funny antics.

Around the house... I want to work on the patio and finish up a lawn project.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Ladybug's Sewing Class, Library Visit, Lake Time and a couple of graduation parties.

To see more Daybook entries visit:http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Menu Plan Monday

Sunday: Family Fellowship Night

Herb Roasted Pork Loin

Scalloped Potatoes

Spinach Salad

Refrigerator Rolls

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Filling

Monday: Doctor Check-ups

Northwoods Wild Rice Soup- Freezer Meal

Broccoli Salad

Homemade Crackers

Tuesday: Volleyball Open Gym

Cheddar Jack Chicken- Freezer Meal

Crash Hot Potatoes

Glazed Carrots

Buttercrunch Salad

Wednesday: Sewing Class/Piano Lessons

Leftovers

Thursday:

Grilled Sausages

Creamy Italian Pasta

Garlicky Broccoli

Friday: Swimming

Campfire Burritos

Chips and Queso with Fresh Salsa

Blueberry Pudgies with Ice Cream

Saturday:

Crockpot Stroganoff

Egg Noodles

Green Bean Saute

Romaine Salad with Homemade Croutons

Please visit www.orgjunkie.com for more menu planning ideas.

Explorer Lapbook

Our MOH Co-op is working on an Explorer lapbook. The link below will take you to photos of the lapbook as it now stands. I added comments with descriptions. I hope that helps to explain what every thing is. We will add to it as we move through history. We plan on working on this lapbook throughout Book 3. You can check back to this post and I will add files to the links below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24059365@N04/3297861530/in/set-72157614258270750/
Here are the resources and templates for the mini books we have so far.
http://www.mediafire.com/myfiles.php
This includes the following:
1. 5 Reasons to Explore
2. Anatomy of a Ship
3. Aztec and Inca
4. Cape of Good Hope
5. Caravel, Nao, Conquistadors
6. Explorer images
7. Images for some of the mini books
8. Scurvy mini book

Geography Club

• Each month our homeschool group hosts a geography club meeting. We have a different country each month and the children do short presentations on whatever topic they choose that relates to the current country. My kids like to present their information in the form of lapbooks.
• The families study and work on projects at home during the month leading up to the meeting. Each family brings a dish from that country to share. We have a craft and usually a game. The kids bring their passports and get a stamp that represents that country.
• February’s country was the Philippines. One of our own families just came back from 2 months there. In May, they will be leaving to be missionaries in a small village. They shared a lot of information with our group. Most unusual to my kids was that they had to take bucket showers.
• We generally check out several books from the library and start reading the first week of the month. The kids choose their topic and start planning.
• My 7 year old chose to cover wildlife on the islands. We used pictures from the internet. He either does all of the writing himself or dictates to me and I help. It depends on the day. He loves picking from our file of cool templates.
  
• He chooses all of his colors and we work together on layout. I tend to prefer more of a 2-3 color, symmetrical kind of layout. He likes a lot of color and some of his own designs. His mouse deer looks remarkably close to the real thing. I always end up appreciating his creativity.
• The second week we try to complete our lapbooks. Our meetings are the third Thursday of the month. We start at 5:30pm and go until 8:30. Its nice to include the fathers in the dinner and give them a chance to see their own kid’s presentations.
• My 9 year old had an easy time choosing her topic. She is turtle crazy! She has a Russian Tortoise named Noah. His name is kind of ironic because he can’t swim. Anyway, she went with Green Sea Turtles. She spent a lot of time researching the life cycle of these turtles. She did’t like finding out how few survive into adulthood.
• The timing worked out well for this topic. We started Apologia’s Swimming Creatures in January and just got to the Sea Turtles. I love when things like that happen! She did a great job on the anatomy of the turtle. She also likes to include a question, quiz or game in her lapbooks. This one was "How did the Green Sea Turtle get it’s name?" a) shell is green b) body fat is green c) hides in sea grass If you check back, I will give you the answer in the next post.
  

• The week of our meeting, we choose what recipe we want to make. We work on our presentation and practice in front of each other. My 9 year old is shy, so this is harder for her. She improves each time though. I hope this will give her more self-confidence.
• My 12 year old chose to cover art and architecture of the Philippines. It was very interesting to learn about all of the other cultures who influenced their artists.
  She is a little more like me in her layout tastes. I encourage her to break out of the box every now and then. She is quick to point out that she did cut curves around her title.

• We really enjoy participating in Geography Club. It’s only once a month, but it is more than just geography. The kids learn about the culture, history, science and art of the country. They also learn to give oral presentations. Admitedly their favorite part is being with their friends!

4 Star Recipe

Stuffed Chicken- 2 options

2 c. sour cream
2 tbl. Worcestershire
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 c. lemon juice
12 chicken breasts

2 c. bread crumbs
1 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tbl. Italian seasoning

Mix first 5 ingredients. Pocket chicken beasts. Place chicken in sour cream mixture and refrigerate 2 hours. Mix crumbs, cheese, and seasoning in pie plate and set aside. Take chicken out of marinade and stuff with the following options.

Option 1: Provolone Chicken

6 slices of good ham, cut in half
6 slices of provolone cheese, cut in half

Add half slice of ham and provolone to pocket. Close opening with toothpick and roll in crumb mixture. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Option 2: Chicken Kiev

1 stick of butter, softened
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. chives

Combine butter and herbs together and roll into a log. Chill while chicken is in marinade. Slice log into 12 pieces and put 1 in each pocket. Close opening with toothpick and roll in crumb mixture. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Remove toothpicks before serving.

National Day of Prayer

Check out the site:

http://nationaldayofprayer.org/blog/

The theme for this year:

For Such a Time As This

Bible Verse:

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him." - Nahum 1:7

• Why a day of prayer?

Why date your husband? Why have special times with your children or friends? It helps you build your relationship, it shows God that He is important to you, it is a time of refreshment, it builds intimacy, it strengthens you, it is a time to praise, it is a time to worship, it is a time to seek His direction for your life, it is a time to ask God to choose the priorities for your life, it is a time to gain perspective.

• My list of things to pray over:

Relationship with God

My husband

Our marriage

Bookworm

Ladybug

Busybee

Homeschooling

Finances

Health

Our activities

Extended family members

Friends and Friendships

Family Fellowship Group

Homeschool Group

Church

Neighborhood at Home

Neighborhood at the Lake

Our community

Our country

Our leaders

Specific requests from family and friends

Anything else God lays on my heart

• If you have never taken a good block of time set aside for deep prayer, I highly recommend it. God has done wondrous things in my own heart during these times.

• If you feel grim about the future of our nation or are dealing with tough issues, no one will understand like our God.

• If you are struggling with a child, no one else loves them more than our Lord.

Seek His face!!