Preparing for New Year

After Christmas, and perhaps after-Christmas shopping, it is good to take stock of exactly where we are. We have done some weeding and have a large box full of items to donate. These are gently used clothes and other items that would be useful in some other household. Making some space in the closets and drawers is a nice way to start the new year.

I also want to make some space in my inner world as well. I've been doing housecleaning there as well. In reviewing some of my goals for 2007, I see where I've made nice progress, other places where I need more work. I don't make specific resolutions to change, but instead set goals for growth where I would like to see improvement. Many years ago, I set a goal to work out almost daily. It is now habit, but as I review, I recommit to this important health goal. I set goals to read uplifting thoughts daily and am selecting from among my many 'thoughts for the day' books to choose the two for the upcoming year. One will be from a favorite author that died in 2007, Madeleine L'Engle. This start and end to my day help keep me posted on the positive and uplifting when it would be easy to look at the negative all around me.

Think about the evening rituals in your family. One we have is to pray together as a family. This helps us to think about the needs in our family and voice our love and support for each other. Reading aloud a chapter together in an engaging book is a great evening ritual-it brings more closeness than watching tv together, promotes literacy, and reading aloud is a great skill to have. Children are more inclined to read if their parents do.

Make an effort to allow unstructured free time for your children-and let them direct you in playing with them. Most of us allow our imagination to wither away as we get older. There are treasures there if we will allow them to surface. This is a great evening activity, maybe right after dinner for an hour or so. One game that our grandkids love is making huge piles of all the cushions on our couches. They like being hidden in them, stacking them to push them over, and building houses with them.

Envision the world you would like to create within your home and then set achievable goals to build that world. I wish you the happiest of new years, filled with love and satisfaction.

Menus December 29-January 5

• Sunday
  Oven barbecued chicken
  Baked sweet potatoes
  Broccoli
  Pear cobbler
• Monday
  Vegetable soup
  French bread
• Tuesday
  Ham
  Black eyed peas
  Spinach
• Wednesday
  Pasta with cheese sauce, vegetables, and ham
• Thursday
  Bean soup with ham
  Rolls
• Friday
  Leftover bean soup
  Green salad
• Saturday
  Tomato soup
  Broiled ham sandwiches

Preparing for Christams

One thing about with kids is that there are usually already too many toys around-and then we give them more. This is a great time of year to go through old toys with our kids and have them select ones they no longer play with to donate. If your kids are old enough, this is great to do with them to help them understand about those less fortunate, about how fortunate they are, about the joy of giving, and about sharing. An added benefit is the space it clears for the new things they will be getting for the holidays.

When I was a child, we had 2 trees in the house-1 for the living/family room, 1 for the kids. The main tree had some glass ornaments and we could not touch. Our tree had only non-breakable ornaments, was about 2 feet tall, and we could decorate it ourselves. I'm sure it never looked like a decorator had been involved, but we sure enjoyed it. I've usually had 2 trees as well. Lately however, I'm back to just the smaller tree. Now I have lots of extra ornaments to pass on to the rest of the family. I have quite a collection, as usually each year we got a special new ornament with the date on it. These are great memories to pass on through the family.

Menu plans Dec 16-22

• Sunday
  Baked fish
  Baked potatoes
  Broccoli
  Pudding
• Monday
  Homemade chili
  Cornbread
  Green salad
• Tuesday
  Cream of tomato soup
  Broiled cheese sandwiches
  Vegetable sticks-carrots, celery, broccoli
• Wednesday
  Leftover chili
• Thursday
  Chicken soup
  French bread
  Green salad
• Friday
  Broiled tuna sandwiches
  Green salad
• Saturday
  Oven fried chicken
  Oven fried french fries
  Green salad

More December activities

Create a wreath with your family. You can buy an undecorated real or artificial wreath, or buy a wreath frame and gather your own greens. Wire them onto the wreath frame.

Themed wreath

A fun project is to have each family member create a custom personalized wreath. Spend some time at the craft store to pick up items that represent the interests of each family member: sports, flowers, books, music, bikes, cars, hobbies, etc. Each family members attaches their interests to their wreaths. Or create one master themed wreath for the family that represents all the hobbies of family members for the front door. Add a large Christmas bow. These can be a great conversation piece with visitors to your house as they will probably notice a wreath full of miniature cars or motorcycles.

Christmas crafts

An alternative to the hobby themed wreath is a more traditional wreath. At the craft store, or from your yard, pick up holly, mistletoe, poinsettia, pine cone, berry picks and various bows, bells, and other ornaments. Attach these to the wreath with craft wire.

With spray adhesive and glitter, you can make very fancy pine cones-either for a centerpiece or for your wreaths. Spray the adhesive on the tips of the pine cones, then shake glitter over the (over a large piece of newspaper). Attache a wire at the base, or loop fishing line around the base and tie to create a loop for hanging the cone. You can attach ribbons or bows at the end to make the hanging even more festive. Even little children can decorate this way-and it comes out looking very nice.

For even less trouble, pick up a pretty holiday basket. Line with Christmas-themed paper. Fill with pine cones of various sizes. Insert a couple of holly, poinsettia, and mistletoe picks. Instant centerpiece.

With careful packing at the end of the season, these can all be re-used and can become part of your Christmas traditions.

Menus Dec 9-15

• Sunday
  Tarragon chicken (make extra for Tuesday)
  Broccoli
  Brown rice
  Cranberry bread pudding with orange sauce
• Monday
  Tuna casserole
  Green salad
• Tuesday
  Hot chicken salad with leftover chicken
  Green beans
  Whole wheat rolls
• Wednesday
  Leftover tuna casserole
  Green salad with pears and blue cheese
• Thursday
  Split pea soup
  French bread
• Friday
  Chili on Fritos topped with cheese
  Green salad
• Saturday
  Leftover split pea soup

Start of December activity

A great activity for the 24 days leading up to Christmas which will allow you to help focus on a giving spirit. Take a couple of pieces of yellow construction paper. Cut into strips just long and wide enough to contain a short sentence. Create a 'haystack' next to where you will be setting up your creche (if you have one). If you have a larger set, you will be creating hay for the baby Jesus to lie on. If not, you will be creating hay to cover the ground in the stable and surrounding areas.

Each time a family member performs some act of service, write it on a piece of hay and place it in the manger or creche. By Christmas Eve, you should have moved all the hay into the manger or creche, creating a nice soft place for Jesus to be born. Christmas morning, read all the acts of service in the hay-these are your family's gifts to Jesus for Christmas.

If your family enjoys this, you may want to save the haystacks to review again, perhaps next Thanksgiving, as blessings your family has shared. This will also help you get in the right frame of mind for the service for next Christmas.

Menu planning Dec 2-8

• Sunday
  Roast chicken with potatoes and carrots
  Green salad
  Banana cream pie
• Monday
  Cheesy potato soup
  Green salad
  French bread
• Tuesday
  Chicken pot pie using leftover chicken and veggies from Sunday
• Wednesday
  White bean and sausage soup
• Thursday
  Oriental chicken salad
• Friday
  Leftover soup
• Saturday
  Tuna and rice casserole

White bean and sausage soup:
2 cans white northern beans, drained and rinsed
Smoked sausage, sliced into bite sized pieces
1 Quart broth
About 3 leaves of chard, chopped

Mix together beans, sausage and broth in slow cooker. Cook on low all day, about 8 hours. 30 minutes before serving, add chard.

End of November activities

Many of my next posts will be about activities and thoughts on Christmas as this is important to me at this time of year. This week is a great time to plan your Christmas activities. I often get out the collection of advent calendars to prepare for December. I also put away the fall decorations and start bringing out the Christmas and winter ones.

Create your own advent calendar. In each square for the 24 days leading up to Christmas, put in an activity for your family. This itself is a great family activity. Things you might want to include in your calendar: carol singing with friends at a nursing home; secret Santa gift/food delivery; volunteering at a food bank; baking cookies; cookie exchange with friends; sorting through old toys and clothes, then donating them; watching your favorite Christmas movies together; lights and decorations outside the house; lights and decorations inside the house; getting a tree; viewing Christmas lights and decorations together; Christmas party; Christmas services at church; addressing Christmas cards.

With such a calendar, you can more easily see which days might be hectic and have low key meals on those days. In addition, you can fit everything in a little better when you know when to expect it. If your kids have special activities at school, parties or concerts, these can be the family activities as well. Share the load with other families and friends which decreases the burden on you and builds your network of friends and love.

Menu planning November 25-December 1

• Sunday
  Roast chicken and root vegetables (make broth out of the carcase)
  Broccoli
  Apple pie
• Monday
  Turkey vegetable soup using broth from last week's turkey
  French bread
• Tuesday
  Chicken stew using Sunday's leftovers and broth, adding celery and peas
  Green salad
  Crackers
• Wednesday
  Chili on brown rice topped with cheddar cheese
  Green salad
• Thursday
  Sloppy Joes using leftover chili
  Fruit salad
• Friday
  Macaroni and cheese
  Green beans
• Saturday
  Pizza
• 
  

Thanksgiving thoughts

For me, Thanksgiving week is a time for counting blessings. I live in such abundance. My garden produced an enormous amount of vegetables, many of which are in the freezer for use throughout the winter. I have a wonderful family: children, grandchildren, cousins, aunts, uncles, mother, sisters, neices, and more extended family. We're mostly friends and love and support one another. I have a special and wonderful husband. I have a comfortable home, comfortable income, challenging and rewarding career. I have great friends, many opportunities to provide service, and the ability to provide that service. I'm blessed with excellent health, a good mind, a love of reading and lots of books to read. I'm grateful for my talents and strengths for the opportunities they bring to serve, and for my weaknesses for the opportunities they bring to grow. I feel blessed to live in the United States and to have traveled within the states this year and to other wonderful countries in the past. I'm grateful to speak languages other than English for the appreciation of the beauties of language and of the other cultures it has brought me. Most especially, I'm grateful for my faith and the foundation that religion provides in my life.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving season.

Thanksgiving week activities

This is a great time of year to look at the numerous blessings we enjoy. We live in a time of such abundance. As you prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, if you are in the US, spend some time reflecting on this abundance. Read the fall chapters of Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. They have so much prep work just to make it through winter in tact. Discuss with your kids how different it is today. Did you have a garden this year? Have you been to a farmer's market? I think we're more grateful for our food and other blessings when we know how much work goes into creating them.

Create Thanksgiving cards to share with your loved ones. You can use the traditional drawing a turkey by outlining a hand or perhaps cards showing the things your family is grateful for. Creating a centerpiece of harvest items can be a great reminder.

Contrast our current Thanksgiving activities with those of the past. Read the Thanksgiving chapter in Farmer Boy, also by Laura Ingalls Wilder, or in Eight Cousins, by Louisa May Alcott. They had a feast and had to work very hard to create it. Have the whole family help in some of the holiday cooking preparations-maybe in making pies.

Have older children do some online research to find out what was served at the first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts. It sure is different than we normally serve now, unless you normally include such seafood as eels. If you live in New England, this is a great week to visit Plymouth. The Mayflower was tiny-imagine spending weeks in such close quarters. The plantation settlement was pretty small as well. Even our smallest houses today are huge compared to these homes.

Although they didn't spend the day watching Football or shopping, games were included in this first Thanksgiving. That's another area older kids might enjoy learning about. It wasn't just spectator sports, most of the men were involved.

Delayed menus November 19-25

Things have been crazy, so this is somewhat delayed.

• Sunday
  Salmon-make at least 2 extra servings
  Artichokes
  Potatoes au gratin
  Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
• Monday
  Salmon noodle casserole (like your favorite tuna casserole, but use Salmon)
  Green salad
• Tuesday
  Hot and sour soup
• Wednesday
  Quick tomato soup
  Grilled cheese sandwiches
• Thursday (whatever your traditional dishes are)
  Turkey (make broth out of leftover bones) and gravy
  Roasted potatoes
  Mashed yams
  Green bean casserole
  Pumpkin pie
• Friday
  Hot turkey sandwiches
  Leftover veggies
• Saturday
  Turkey enchilada casserole
  Green salad

Veteran's day 2007

Yesterday was Veteran's day, with today our official celebration so people get a Monday holiday. Our flag flew yesterday, before it rained. It is flying today. I'm wearing a pin commemorating the flag. What I find very sad is that there are no other flags flying in my neighborhood.

Many years ago, we lived in a small town in Massachusetts where there was a local parade for Veteran's day. Girl scouts, boy scouts, junior high and high school bands all marched in the parade. We ended up a at the cemetery where a bugler played taps. Most of the houses flew the flag. There were many veterans there. We could concretely thank them for their sacrifice. What about today? For my company, it isn't a holiday. It is work as usual. How sad that we've become a society that does not value the sacrifices that made the society possible.

This is a great day to spend reflecting on our citizenship. Watch a patriotic movie with your kids. Talk about sacrifices that our vets make. Fly your flag.

November 11-17 menu planning

• Sunday
  Pork roast
  Pan roasted potatoes and carrots
  Spinach salad
  Oatmeal and apple cookies
• Monday
  Hot pork and gravy sandwiches
  Mashed potatoes
  Slice tomatoes
• Tuesday
  Vegetable soup using rest of leftover pork
  French bread
• Wednesday
  French bread pizza
  Green salad
• Thursday
  Canned salmon (instead of tuna) casserole with veggies
  Green salad
• Friday
  Squash bisque
  Crackers
  Green salad
• Saturday
  Leftover salmon casserole
  Leftover squash bisque
  
  

Squash bisque:
3 Tbsp butter or oil
1 small carrot grated
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 acorn squash, peeled and cubed
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
salt and pepper

In frying pan, melt butter or add oil; saute carrot until tender, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes, squash and chicken stock to your slow cooker and cover. Cook over low at least 3 hours, but may be all day if needed. Puree about 1.5 cups per time in the blender or run through a ricer. Add back into a large saucepan. Add the milk and salt and pepper to taste. Heat on medium heat until hot and ready to serve.

For flavor variations: add 1 apple to the squash and potatoes, then a dash or two of cinnamon to the seasonings.
Add a dash of curry or garlic to the seasoning

Activities suggestions for the week

If you live in an area with pretty fall leaf colors, take some time with your kids to gather bouquets of leaves. You can use them like flowers in a vase. You can preserve them two ways: cover them with clear contact paper, then cut an outline just outside the leaf so the contact paper can stick to itself, or use waxed paper for more economical solution. Use 2 sheets slightly larger than the leaf, put leaf between them, iron with a warm iron. Then trim like the contact paper.

You can use these preserved leaves to create a centerpiece, as window decals with light adhesive, or you can hang them from a tree as ornaments. You can write things you are thankful for on the leaves as an additional reminder of why we celebrate Thanksgiving. This is a great month to look for blessings, things to be thankful for, everywhere and talk about how wonderful life is.

Kids can help with leaf raking, particularly if you make piles of leaves for jumping into. If you have some fun, and finish up with some hot spiced cider, you have created memories and helped clean up your yard. You can add the leaves to your compost, particularly if you can shred them first, and help your kids understand about rebuilding the soil.

For smaller kids, this is a great week to make some home-made Thanksgiving decorations. The favorite turkey made by tracing the hand and coloring is always good, particularly with creative coloring.

Dinner menus November 4-10

• Sunday
  Oven fried chicken
  Mashed winter squash-pick your favorite
  Chicken gravy
  Peas
  Pumpkin spice cake
• Monday
  Tuna casserole
  Green salad
• Tuesday
  Vegetable strata or quiche
  Carrots
• Wednesday
  Left over casserole
  Green beans
• Thursday
  Chicken vegetable soup-cook mixed veggies in chicken broth
  French bread
  Salad
• Friday
  Stir fried vegetables
  Brown rice
• Saturday
  Deli sandwiches-make your own
  Include favorite sandwich meats, cheeses and a variety of toppings
  

US Education System

Here is an interesting article about the US educational system. It explains why I home-schooled. I feel our system is designed for non-automated factory, military or the prison but does not fit children to work well in a collaborative environment, which is what much of industry is today. Now I know why we are set up as we are. We're lucky we're as successful as we are when we are "trained" this way. When your well meaning friends and relatives tell you it is unfair to your children to keep them out of school, send them this link. It might change their minds.

Halloween week activity suggestions

Besides eating a lot of candy and maybe working on costumes, it can be hard to know what kinds of activities are good this week for our kids. This is a great week to read about Ichabod Crane and the legend of sleepy hollow by Washington Irving. You can read aloud together as a family and see where some of the images we currently use for Halloween come from. You might also want to do a little research with your kids about where the customs come from-and how different they are in other countries. There are very religious origins for Halloween as well as some not so obvious. It can be a very fun research project.

Even if you already have a jack-o-lantern on the porch, you might want to visit a pumpkin patch for an additional pumpkin you don't carve. It can serve as a harvest decoration for Thanksgiving. Picking your own helps our kids connect a little better with nature.

Another connection opportunity available for those with nearby apple orchards is a visit to a cider mill. Watching them press apples is a wonderful fall experience. If that isn't possible, you can still connect to the apple harvest by making some caramel apples as a family activity. It can be fun, messy and a great treat.

Have a happy Halloween.

Dinner Menus for October 28-November 3

1. Sunday
   Green salad with pears, pomegranate, Gorgonzola and balsamic vinaigrette
   Manhattan fish chowder
   Parmesan bread sticks
   Apple crisp
2. Monday
   Oven fried chicken
   Mashed sweet potatoes
   Broccoli
3. Tuesday
   Left over chowder
   Crackers
   Green salad
4. Wednesday
   Homemade quick tomato soup
   Grilled cheese sandwiches
   Green salad
5. Thursday
   Sweet and sour pork and veggies (replace 1/2 the recipe pork with mixed chinese veggies instead-cheaper and healthier)
   Brown rice
6. Friday
   Cream of chicken and veggie soup-add 1/2 cup vegetables to canned cream of chicken soup
   Crackers
   Waldorf salad
7. Saturday
   French bread pizza
   Green salad

Recipe guidelines

I'll give recipes for some of our favorties. I cannot eat onions, so if you like them, feel free to add them. I strive for 5-9 fruit and veggie servings per day. We try to get fish at least twice per week and eat relatively little read meet. Once cold weather sets in, we have soups and stews often. I work full time outside the home, so I do as much prep work as possible on the weekends. Our weeday meals tend to be quick and easy.

The chowder for Sunday is:

Place everything in the slow cooker as follows:

• 2 15.5 oz cans crushed tomato (cheaper at my grocer than the larger cans)
• 6 cans water
• 3 diced potatoes
• 2 diced carrots
• 2 diced stalks celery
• 2 diced cloves garlic
• bay leaf
• salt and pepper

Let cook on low for 4-6 hours, depending on how busy your day is. Then add

• 3/4 to 1 and 1/2 pounds mild white fish
• 1 cup chopped chard or spinach or other greens you like to cook

Let cook an additional hour. With about 5 minutes left, add one can clams.

Apple crisp

Spray baking pan with non stick spray. I used 2 qt today, but you can use any size. Fill pan about 3/4 full with diced apples. Top liberally with butter (about 1/2 cup). Cover that with about 1/2 cup sugar (or to taste after you have tried this a few times). Sprinkle with apple pie spice. Mix topping-equal parts brown sugar, butter, flour, and raw oats. Today, I used 1 cup of each. Use a pastry cutter to mix them all together and cut in the butter. Sprinkle over the apples. Bake 375 for 45 minutes. We top with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or nothing, depending on mood.

Homemade quick tomato soup

Add one 16 oz can of tomato sauce to saucepan. Add one can water. Sprinkle with instant chicken or beef boulliion (about 1 tsp) and salt. Heat and serve as standard tomato soup. Alternatives: Add chili powder, cumin, oregano and 1 Tablespoon salsa to make tex-mex. or Add basil, oregano, garlic, parsley to make Italian.

Waldorf salad

Dice a 2 pears and 2 apples into a bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and stir to coat the fruit. It is nice if they are different colors and flavors. Add 1 cup of seedless grapes, halved. Add 1/4 cup chopped nuts. Coat with about 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise or to taste. Serve over salad greens.

Introduction

I've had some great guides helping me get to this point in my life. Since they were so much help to me, I'd like to use this blog to pass that help along. I expect to regularly write about the mundane-such as menu planning for the upcoming week, recipes, great activities to do with kids, and things like that-to more uplifting topics.

With rising prices at the grocery store and often little time or inclination to make great food easily, I would like to share ideas we've found helpful for saving money and calories and eating healthy. I collect cookbooks and recipes and am a great experimenter. I also work outside the home full time, so I need to be able to have simple meals for the end of the workday. I expect to share these about once per week, probably Thursday or Friday as I plan menus for the next week.

I home schooled for quite a while and loved it. I gathered lots of great ideas for enriching and fun activities with our kids even if they are not home schooled. Kids who go to school outside the home still learn more than we realize at home. I'll try to share ideas and activities at the beginning of the week so if you want to use them, you can plan how they might fit in with your current plans.

Reading is my escape and relaxation. It seems I read all the time and my house shows it even though I do borrow books from the library. I'll share some of what I'm reading and why I enjoy the books I do. Most will be of the escape variety, but some are a little deeper.

I also love to garden and combine that with my love of cooking. I won't write much about the garden in winter, but expect to read about that regularly the rest of the year.

I look forward to your participation, comments, questions and suggestions. I'd like this to be the kind of ongoing conversation I have with family and friends.
Marmie