So my eldest graduates this June and my next son graduates next year... so as a home educator, that really puts me in a difficult place. What to do now? I have grown accustomed to my days being mine (as much as they can be when carting kids around) and taking care of the family, the house and my husband in a way that did not involve squeezing in working for someone else.
I retired from the National Guard in 2007, and that was part time, so now what? I worked as a director for childcare centers for years before my boys, but that doesn't hold much appeal for me anymore. I have a degree in a field that really means nothing without a higher degree... so what to do now? The problem is that I selfishly like having time and life to myself. I like taking care of the house and the family. Working for someone else? Working for myself? What is next?
This is the one part of homeschooling I didn't really think about when I started... I have home-schooled for 10 years... will be 11 by the end of my time. I LOVE it, it is what I felt drawn to do, but now live takes a radical turn and I am no longer in a position to do what I have always felt I was meant to do.
I have no answers, lots of questions...
If you have been through this tell me how you dealt with the transition... I would be interested to hear!
Blessings to all you home educators! and to all you working moms trying to hold it all together!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
My personal thoughts on higher education...
I have a four year degree, so I am not anti-higher education! That has to be said first and foremost, but I am not sure what passes as "higher" education today and if everyone needs it.
My son is a senior in high school, and he has taken two semesters of community college this year. I have not been impressed. It is less expensive then a four year school, but even that has been a strain on our budget. The books are unreasonable expensive and honestly some of the teachers barely use them so I am not sure why I had to spend over $300 each semester purchasing them. The amount of debt that we take for granted to go to college is unreasonable. Why do we expect our youth to start their lives with this kind of debt? Will many get jobs that will enable them to pay the debt off and to purchase their first house or even live in an apartment? I know of many who have to live with mom and dad after school. What a way to start their adulthood! I know it works for some and that is fine, but for many it is difficult and a strain on relationships to have to go home half adult and half child.
Next, I have noticed the change in my son, he loved the idea of going to college, being challenged and learning at a higher level. He was excited! He is not anymore! He found some of the classes to be a challenge, he enjoyed hearing different points of view and the conversations... and then it occurred to him, he was alone in his thoughts in class. He alone was patriotic in American History part one, he alone accepted Bible as historical truth or even relevant in Ancient History and he alone was socially and financially conservative. So much for a sharing of thoughts. He was the only home educated student there... were these values lost on everyone else? He was sure they were lost on some of his professors/teachers! They verbally devalued America every chance they could, they skewed history on occasion to make a point and they promoted a radical liberal/progressive agenda even when it had nothing to do with the class. (In my opinion many were not even professional, canceling class with little notice and having classes where NO teaching was being done, just watching a movie that was offered by the school that did not have anything to do with the class) I paid my very hard earned money for a product and was receiving sub-par work from them. My son enjoyed the unexpected days off and is not nearly as bugged as I am... of course I paid for the classes! To us it is not the 3 credits at the end of the semester, but the education that we were paying for.
Okay so this is a 2 year school, a state subsidized school, but I honestly expected better... My son has decided not to go to college next year... well not a traditional college, but a school for mission work. He has decided that the debt, the selling out, and the experience was not worth it. I support his decision! I know that with God first he will always make his way. We are not all destined to be wealthy, although if it is God's will he could be, we are not all destined to be "normal" or to "conform" and I am so glad he has decided not to. I look to the strength and determination of those who know this world is temporary and that they are to make it better for others not for just themselves and I see a bit of my son in that. I am proud that my son is a college drop out after two semesters... he is doing it for all the right reasons!
Maybe one day, I will feel differently, but today I am proud! I hope that for those who chose liberal arts as a field of study they will find a different experience then we have found and I am sure it is very different for Science and Technology majors, but in the world of Liberal Arts... we have been disappointed with our experience.
Matthew 10:28 KJV
My son is a senior in high school, and he has taken two semesters of community college this year. I have not been impressed. It is less expensive then a four year school, but even that has been a strain on our budget. The books are unreasonable expensive and honestly some of the teachers barely use them so I am not sure why I had to spend over $300 each semester purchasing them. The amount of debt that we take for granted to go to college is unreasonable. Why do we expect our youth to start their lives with this kind of debt? Will many get jobs that will enable them to pay the debt off and to purchase their first house or even live in an apartment? I know of many who have to live with mom and dad after school. What a way to start their adulthood! I know it works for some and that is fine, but for many it is difficult and a strain on relationships to have to go home half adult and half child.
Next, I have noticed the change in my son, he loved the idea of going to college, being challenged and learning at a higher level. He was excited! He is not anymore! He found some of the classes to be a challenge, he enjoyed hearing different points of view and the conversations... and then it occurred to him, he was alone in his thoughts in class. He alone was patriotic in American History part one, he alone accepted Bible as historical truth or even relevant in Ancient History and he alone was socially and financially conservative. So much for a sharing of thoughts. He was the only home educated student there... were these values lost on everyone else? He was sure they were lost on some of his professors/teachers! They verbally devalued America every chance they could, they skewed history on occasion to make a point and they promoted a radical liberal/progressive agenda even when it had nothing to do with the class. (In my opinion many were not even professional, canceling class with little notice and having classes where NO teaching was being done, just watching a movie that was offered by the school that did not have anything to do with the class) I paid my very hard earned money for a product and was receiving sub-par work from them. My son enjoyed the unexpected days off and is not nearly as bugged as I am... of course I paid for the classes! To us it is not the 3 credits at the end of the semester, but the education that we were paying for.
Okay so this is a 2 year school, a state subsidized school, but I honestly expected better... My son has decided not to go to college next year... well not a traditional college, but a school for mission work. He has decided that the debt, the selling out, and the experience was not worth it. I support his decision! I know that with God first he will always make his way. We are not all destined to be wealthy, although if it is God's will he could be, we are not all destined to be "normal" or to "conform" and I am so glad he has decided not to. I look to the strength and determination of those who know this world is temporary and that they are to make it better for others not for just themselves and I see a bit of my son in that. I am proud that my son is a college drop out after two semesters... he is doing it for all the right reasons!
Maybe one day, I will feel differently, but today I am proud! I hope that for those who chose liberal arts as a field of study they will find a different experience then we have found and I am sure it is very different for Science and Technology majors, but in the world of Liberal Arts... we have been disappointed with our experience.
Matthew 10:28 KJV
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Making Cheese...
I have been making simple, soft cheeses for a few years now... They are good for dips and I even make a good substitute for ricotta in a lasagna, but I have never made a hard cheese. I needed a press and didn't have one so this year for Christmas my awesome husband made me one for a gift!
So I decided to try my hand at making a "farmer style" cheddar cheese.
This is my attempt with pictures.... Enjoy!
First I needed to warm the 2 gallons of milk and keep it at the correct temp.
Next was to separate the curds and whey..
I used Rennet and got a decent separation... then I had to continue to keep the heat steady to let it set for 45 mins. That was done in the sink where I kept adding hot water to keep the temperature steady.
This is just after separating... and the next pictures are after it set in the sink for the 45 mins, with the constant warmth helping the curds to firm up and the whey to continue to separate.
So, now I had to drain the curds out of the whey and put it in the cheese cloth for around 10 mins to drain it... This is what the cheese colander looked like getting ready to pour the curds in for a quick press..
This is the set up in my sink for the whole process... see the pot in the warm water and the colander ready to receive that yummy goodness known as curds!
This is the curds hanging over my sink to drain and dry out... I had to do this for around 10 to 15 mins to ready it for the press... and yes I do have a hook over my sink to hang cheese cloth when I am making cheese! It is so handy!
First Press of the curds with 10lbs of weight... this was for 10 mins! then you flip the curds and press it again for 10 mins with 20lbs of weight...
Does this look yummy? LOL... probably not to you but I love it! all that squeaky cheese curds! YUM! This is tricky to flip over and re-wrap in your cheese cloth... but I did manage!
This is what I had to do to get the 20 lbs of pressure... I didn't take a picture of the next one... it was 50lbs for 12 hours... I used a huge cinder-block and all the stuff you see here.. it was kinda funny... My husband was like" hey boys...get your mom a cinder-block from outside so she can cook." Hmmm, Cinder-block cheese!?..
this is what it looked like after 12 hours of 50lbs of pressure... it is now getting a crust and will be waxed to set for a few months... Should be interesting... I will let you all know how it turns out, but this is not for the impatient it will be a long while before I get to taste it!
Hope you enjoyed my first ever hard cheese experience ... I want to do this again! It was so much FUN! Let me know what you think and I will let you know if I try to do this again... and how it tastes! Have a great day!
So I decided to try my hand at making a "farmer style" cheddar cheese.
This is my attempt with pictures.... Enjoy!
First I needed to warm the 2 gallons of milk and keep it at the correct temp.
I used Rennet and got a decent separation... then I had to continue to keep the heat steady to let it set for 45 mins. That was done in the sink where I kept adding hot water to keep the temperature steady.
So, now I had to drain the curds out of the whey and put it in the cheese cloth for around 10 mins to drain it... This is what the cheese colander looked like getting ready to pour the curds in for a quick press..
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Valentines Day....
I have mixed thoughts about Valentines Day. I know it comes from a very racy background in the Pagan religion and I know it was messed in with the Catholic church to help assimilate pagans converts. That being said, it is in a great time of the year in my reasoning... It is getting dull and everyday in the winter after the big holiday season. Then comes Valentine's day... some young/(maybe older too... but young ones share SO MUCH on facebook that I see their posts about being lonely on Valentine's day) lament about being lonely on Valentine's day. In my reasoning, this holiday is just an excuse to remember to tell those around you that you LOVE them...
For that reason I like the holiday.... life gets busy and we often forget to say I LOVE YOU! I am blessed that my dad died 3 days after Valentines day. Blessed, yep, you see I got to give him some yellow roses on that day set aside to remember love. I didn't often stop in unexpectedly to see my dad, but that day I picked up roses and stopped by to see him. It was a quick stop, but it did mean a lot to him. Turns out it meant more to me... when you lose someone, I think there is always a little bit of guilt or wishes for a "do over" to say you love them (my dad died unexpectedly, this may not be the case of someone who knows they are passing on) So when I got the call, the days after I was able to remember I stopped by, with those yellow roses and he knew that I loved him. I know he knew that I loved him, but it eased my broken heart that it was just a couple days earlier that I was able to show him that I loved him. It was a gift for me, much more then a gift for him.
So for that reason, I love Valentine's day and hope to remember to let those closest to me that I love them, I take a bit of time out of my schedule, set it aside and say... I love you! This year I am making goodies for my mom, my boys and my husband. I am working on little homemade treats to make just to say I love you! A card works just as well, or a note or a poem... It is not the cost it is truly the thought, the heart... those flowers for my dad were from a corner vendor... cheap, drooped in a day or two... it made his day! Take a moment to say I love you to those whom you care about this Valentines day.. No one is too busy to make a call or send a card!
You never know it could be the best gift you ever gave yourself!
On the practical side, I am making chocolate covered pretzels, sugared fruit rind candies, peanut butter spread and Victorian cards for my family... I am making pink and chocolate chip waffles for breakfast and some Amish friendship bread (chocolate with some peanut butter spread) for some friends. Nothing much... but sure to let them know I thought of them!
For that reason I like the holiday.... life gets busy and we often forget to say I LOVE YOU! I am blessed that my dad died 3 days after Valentines day. Blessed, yep, you see I got to give him some yellow roses on that day set aside to remember love. I didn't often stop in unexpectedly to see my dad, but that day I picked up roses and stopped by to see him. It was a quick stop, but it did mean a lot to him. Turns out it meant more to me... when you lose someone, I think there is always a little bit of guilt or wishes for a "do over" to say you love them (my dad died unexpectedly, this may not be the case of someone who knows they are passing on) So when I got the call, the days after I was able to remember I stopped by, with those yellow roses and he knew that I loved him. I know he knew that I loved him, but it eased my broken heart that it was just a couple days earlier that I was able to show him that I loved him. It was a gift for me, much more then a gift for him.
So for that reason, I love Valentine's day and hope to remember to let those closest to me that I love them, I take a bit of time out of my schedule, set it aside and say... I love you! This year I am making goodies for my mom, my boys and my husband. I am working on little homemade treats to make just to say I love you! A card works just as well, or a note or a poem... It is not the cost it is truly the thought, the heart... those flowers for my dad were from a corner vendor... cheap, drooped in a day or two... it made his day! Take a moment to say I love you to those whom you care about this Valentines day.. No one is too busy to make a call or send a card!
You never know it could be the best gift you ever gave yourself!
On the practical side, I am making chocolate covered pretzels, sugared fruit rind candies, peanut butter spread and Victorian cards for my family... I am making pink and chocolate chip waffles for breakfast and some Amish friendship bread (chocolate with some peanut butter spread) for some friends. Nothing much... but sure to let them know I thought of them!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Amish Bread and Amish Cake
A friend of mine gave me a starter for Amish Friendship Bread... I will have enough to give to another person in around 5 days... Who wants to share the love!
I will give the starter and a batch of bread or muffins to anyone who responds and lives within driving distance.
I think this will be like a cinnamon/sweet bread... although I found tons of recipes that you can make with the starter like, waffles, corn bread etc... I would be willing to share what I have found and has you experiment we can gather more and more fun ways to share the "love"!
In around 45 days I will have starter for Amish Fruit cake..it is not "Fruit Cake" but a fruity cake that you can make with a fermented starter of fruits and sugar. It is moist and I have the recipe for by scratch cakes and using a box cake. Whichever you would prefer... So if you want a starter for cake in around 45 days I will share one with you.... and this starter can be frozen until your ready to make the batch for the cake. If your within a reasonable driving distance... again this is free to you!
When I make both I will post pictures, but figured you would enjoy the heads up!
Yummy stuff coming your way very soon!
BTW, this is not really Amish.... it is just called that because sadly enough we tend to think all acts of charity, generosity, etc MUST come from the Amish... They are definitely known for their community and their back to basics so it all fits together...We can start a new trend and call it Christian Sharing Bread and Christian Sharing Cake! oh well.... just an idea!
Let me know if your interested!
Bread starter will be ready first week of Feb.
Cake starter will be ready closer to the end of Feb.
I will give the starter and a batch of bread or muffins to anyone who responds and lives within driving distance.
I think this will be like a cinnamon/sweet bread... although I found tons of recipes that you can make with the starter like, waffles, corn bread etc... I would be willing to share what I have found and has you experiment we can gather more and more fun ways to share the "love"!
In around 45 days I will have starter for Amish Fruit cake..it is not "Fruit Cake" but a fruity cake that you can make with a fermented starter of fruits and sugar. It is moist and I have the recipe for by scratch cakes and using a box cake. Whichever you would prefer... So if you want a starter for cake in around 45 days I will share one with you.... and this starter can be frozen until your ready to make the batch for the cake. If your within a reasonable driving distance... again this is free to you!
When I make both I will post pictures, but figured you would enjoy the heads up!
Yummy stuff coming your way very soon!
BTW, this is not really Amish.... it is just called that because sadly enough we tend to think all acts of charity, generosity, etc MUST come from the Amish... They are definitely known for their community and their back to basics so it all fits together...We can start a new trend and call it Christian Sharing Bread and Christian Sharing Cake! oh well.... just an idea!
Let me know if your interested!
Bread starter will be ready first week of Feb.
Cake starter will be ready closer to the end of Feb.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Rice pudding (easy)
Okay... so I tried a new recipe for rice pudding today...
I was skeptical since it was pretty easy, no baking etc...
It was YUMMY!
so I will share it!
First I use the best ingredients .. fresh full fat milk and farm fresh eggs so I am sure that helps, but still thought I would share with you all!
Rice Pudding
1 cup instant rice (I don't usually use instant but honestly this made this fast)
(I think you could use left over cooked whole grain rice too)
2 1/2 cup of milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup raisins (I didn't add)
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
in sauce pan combine rice, 2 cups milk salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and (raisins) ... bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. reduce heat: boil slowly for 10 mins (I think if you used cooked rice you may not have to do this part for so long since that is when the rice cooked, but never tried it) stir occasionally. Mix eggs with remaining 1/2 cup of milk and SLOWLY add to hot mixture stirring vigorously with a fork. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Add vanilla. Let cool... 10 mins!
This was really good, quick, and easy!
Enjoy and if you try with whole grain let me know how it works out... maybe a bit less milk? I don't know... if I try it I will let you all know too!
I was skeptical since it was pretty easy, no baking etc...
It was YUMMY!
so I will share it!
First I use the best ingredients .. fresh full fat milk and farm fresh eggs so I am sure that helps, but still thought I would share with you all!
Rice Pudding
1 cup instant rice (I don't usually use instant but honestly this made this fast)
(I think you could use left over cooked whole grain rice too)
2 1/2 cup of milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup raisins (I didn't add)
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
in sauce pan combine rice, 2 cups milk salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and (raisins) ... bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. reduce heat: boil slowly for 10 mins (I think if you used cooked rice you may not have to do this part for so long since that is when the rice cooked, but never tried it) stir occasionally. Mix eggs with remaining 1/2 cup of milk and SLOWLY add to hot mixture stirring vigorously with a fork. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Add vanilla. Let cool... 10 mins!
This was really good, quick, and easy!
Enjoy and if you try with whole grain let me know how it works out... maybe a bit less milk? I don't know... if I try it I will let you all know too!
quick meals....
I personally don't like to make a bunch of casseroles and freeze them to have quick meals... I am not sure why, I just love to make my meals "fresh". I sometimes have a few in the freezer and they always come in handy, but for the most part I just don't cook that way.
Maybe your the same way, maybe you just don't cook a lot of casseroles...
Whatever the case may be.. I have come up with a "fix" for making quick meals and still have that "freshly" cooked flavor... It also helps me with clean up... what is it?
I cook my meats ahead of time, not roasts or chickens that are whole, but how many of your recipes call for browning hamburger or shredded or chopped chicken.
Many of my recipes call for that step and I really found that that portion took the most time...throwing the meal together in a casserole, or spaghetti sauce, tacos or whatever was not that time consuming. So what I do is cook my meats in the slow cooker and then freeze them in plastic baggies... I don't even have to thaw the meat I just tear the bag off the frozen meats most of the time.
This could be very time consuming, but with two slow cookers, it really isn't... I fill one up with my chicken parts... (If I purchase pieces I get the boneless in the frozen section) I cook it all day and it falls apart making chicken for many meals... fajita's, casseroles, soups, chicken enchilada's and many other meals... topping for buffalo chicken pizza or whatever your imagination can come up with.
I do the same thing with ground beef.. I throw several lbs in the other slow cooker sometimes I add some ground sausage too ... I drain it well and put it in baggies for later meals...(taco's, casseroles, spaghetti, BBQ or sloppy joes... pizza topping... what ever your can think of ...)
Maybe this is super simple, but it took me years to think of doing it, so in case you didn't think of it... I thought it was worth sharing!
Enjoy!
Maybe your the same way, maybe you just don't cook a lot of casseroles...
Whatever the case may be.. I have come up with a "fix" for making quick meals and still have that "freshly" cooked flavor... It also helps me with clean up... what is it?
I cook my meats ahead of time, not roasts or chickens that are whole, but how many of your recipes call for browning hamburger or shredded or chopped chicken.
Many of my recipes call for that step and I really found that that portion took the most time...throwing the meal together in a casserole, or spaghetti sauce, tacos or whatever was not that time consuming. So what I do is cook my meats in the slow cooker and then freeze them in plastic baggies... I don't even have to thaw the meat I just tear the bag off the frozen meats most of the time.
This could be very time consuming, but with two slow cookers, it really isn't... I fill one up with my chicken parts... (If I purchase pieces I get the boneless in the frozen section) I cook it all day and it falls apart making chicken for many meals... fajita's, casseroles, soups, chicken enchilada's and many other meals... topping for buffalo chicken pizza or whatever your imagination can come up with.
I do the same thing with ground beef.. I throw several lbs in the other slow cooker sometimes I add some ground sausage too ... I drain it well and put it in baggies for later meals...(taco's, casseroles, spaghetti, BBQ or sloppy joes... pizza topping... what ever your can think of ...)
Maybe this is super simple, but it took me years to think of doing it, so in case you didn't think of it... I thought it was worth sharing!
Enjoy!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
My doggie ...
There is a funny story about my dog, he was bought out of an ad in the paper... he was advertised as an eight week old beagle. When we got there I didn't think he looked like a beagle, but I had to talk my husband into a dog in the first place and was NOT going to say a word when he picked out this adorable puppy.
It was some sort of "hound" dog, but what I just didn't know.
We took him to the vet and were told he was only 6 weeks old... (ut oh! gonna be a big dog at this size) and that he was "mixed" not a beagle...
So our little dog grew and grew...not let me also explain, I am basically in a city row house.... VERY SMALL city row house and as our puppy grew, I realized he was NOT going to be a lap dog, was not going to be small in any way and that just turning around in our living room was enough to allow his tail to clear off the coffee table.
(sigh), but we love him.
That brings us to this past week...our mouthy, barking, mixed dog is very territorial...and at 5 years old, he knows that he is master of his back yard so when some dogs came to the fence he was all over them with the big bark... Then suddenly they jumped up and unlatched the fence... nothing to keep them apart!
The one that is mixed with Pit Bull jumped our poor mixed dog and got a hold of his legs..
My son got them apart, which makes him my hero! and we had to get our dog in the house to see how bad he was hurt... to date the owner of the other dog has not been here.
Ours went to the Vet ER and got treated for him wounds... they are not horrible... I just wanted to ensure he was going to be ok... The good news is he is OK! and we finally were told what he actually is... he is Jango Fet the Fox Hound! and possibly a bit of grey hound, but mostly Fox Hound. So now when someone asks we don't have to tell them he is a Texas Beagle anymore (everything is bigger in TX) (get it?)
Here are a couple pictures of the punctures in his leg ...
Now to find a good picture of how cute my Fox Hound is and what they tried to pass off as a Beagle!
Well that was the big happenings for the holidays here... Hope all was great for your holidays!
It was some sort of "hound" dog, but what I just didn't know.
We took him to the vet and were told he was only 6 weeks old... (ut oh! gonna be a big dog at this size) and that he was "mixed" not a beagle...
So our little dog grew and grew...not let me also explain, I am basically in a city row house.... VERY SMALL city row house and as our puppy grew, I realized he was NOT going to be a lap dog, was not going to be small in any way and that just turning around in our living room was enough to allow his tail to clear off the coffee table.
(sigh), but we love him.
That brings us to this past week...our mouthy, barking, mixed dog is very territorial...and at 5 years old, he knows that he is master of his back yard so when some dogs came to the fence he was all over them with the big bark... Then suddenly they jumped up and unlatched the fence... nothing to keep them apart!
The one that is mixed with Pit Bull jumped our poor mixed dog and got a hold of his legs..
My son got them apart, which makes him my hero! and we had to get our dog in the house to see how bad he was hurt... to date the owner of the other dog has not been here.
Ours went to the Vet ER and got treated for him wounds... they are not horrible... I just wanted to ensure he was going to be ok... The good news is he is OK! and we finally were told what he actually is... he is Jango Fet the Fox Hound! and possibly a bit of grey hound, but mostly Fox Hound. So now when someone asks we don't have to tell them he is a Texas Beagle anymore (everything is bigger in TX) (get it?)
Now to find a good picture of how cute my Fox Hound is and what they tried to pass off as a Beagle!
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