All posts by NerdMom

Food

Easter Story Cookies

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This recipe and activity floats around every year. My kids are finally old enough to start understanding the process so I think we will do it this year. It is a great homeschool activity because you are doing religion, math (measuring and cooking), and science.

EASTER STORY COOKIES

To be made the evening before Easter

You need:
1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. Vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Immediately
(this is important-don’t wait until you’re half done with the recipe)!

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with
the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after
Jesus was arrested.He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. Vinegar
into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty
on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life.
Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.
Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand.
Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.
Explain that this represents the salty tears shed
by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing.
Add 1cup sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that
Jesus died because He loves us.
He wants us to know and belong to Him.
Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes
until stiff peaks are formed.
Explain that the color white Represents –in God’s eyes —
the purity of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts.
Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper-covered cookie sheet.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb
where Jesus’ body was laid.
Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven,
close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed.
Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in
the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair
when the tomb was sealed.
Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.
Notice the cracked surface and take a bite.
The cookies are hollow!

On the first Easter, Jesus’ followers were amazed to
find the tomb open and empty.
Read Matt. 28:1-9

Share The Easter Cookie Story With Friends and Family!

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Food

Bacon Salt

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Yes, you heard me right. There is Bacon Salt. Apparently there are 3 types: Original, Hickory, and Peppered. I was telling NerdDad all about this and his eyes got big and he wondered why you would use regular salt ever again;). Here is the really fun part. It is Kosher, Vegan and calorie free. All the baconny goodness without any of the guilt!

(HT: Props and Pans)

organizing

Index Card and Shopping

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Not all things that I bring to you will be concrete. Some will be great ideas that you can make for yourselves. So I was over at Tipnut and they had a great idea for an Index Card Shopping Master. This is where you take an index card and list all the important things you buy for your things. Take your printer, do remember off the top of your head which cartridge it takes? How about the batteries for the remote? Your husband’s inseam? You create 1 index card with all of this and put it in your purse. Then if you find a bargain on the fly you can get it! Go check it out.

headlines

Maid Sues Over Firing and Pay

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So a Maid in Atherton, CA is suing a former employer for wages and damages. This seems pretty normal until I read the rest of the article. A maid was fired because she left chicken bones in a garbage can. Ok, this may have been an overreaction but we don’t know the history but it wasn’t totally unjustified so what is the problem? She doesn’t think she was paid fairly for her work when she worked there. She said she was paid $1000 a month to clean a 9000 square foot house, make meals and take care of 1 kid. She claims she could work 14 hours a day. Apparently she would work up to 7 days a week and up to 14 hours a day. Now this all appears agreeable while she was employed but now she is suing for $120,000 in wages, damages and penalties.

What!?!?!?! She agreed to do a job for a price and if she didn’t like the price she should have gone somewhere else. I agree that they were getting a bargain but that was her fault. Yet another example of how we have become way to litigious.

Frugal Homeschooler

Frugal Homeschooler: Pi Day

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It’s Pi Day and Einstein’s Birthday. If that isn’t a day for learning what is?

I wanted to share these pictures from one of my yahoo group members. Her kids write Pi out as far as they can down the middle of the rad every year.
So here are a couple of fun learning resources.
First up is Pi Day: The official site. It has “classroom activities” that others have done.

The Exploratorium has an awesome Pi Day sight with activities, haiku’s and making hats!

So go, eat some Pi and party!

Technorati Tags: Pi Day

Food

Freezer Friday: Make Ahead Chicken

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Welcome to Freezer Friday. The goal here is to make our lives easier. Due to the fact I have 4 little ones and homeschool, I need all the help I can find. Simply post a recipe that can be made, frozen and then later reheated(thawed, etc) and consumed. Make sure that you include freezing and reheating instructions in your post. Then come here and add you post (not your blog) into Mr. Linky.
Now for some disclaimers:
If it isn’t a recipe, I will delete it.
If it can’t be made ahead, I will delete it.
If you don’t have a family friendly site, I will delete it.
Now onto the food fun!

Meat is always the most time consuming part of making a meal. I make my chicken a month at a time. I buy fresh chicken breasts in bulk (which is a relative term). Then I put them in 9 X 13 baking dishes and season them. Then cover the bottome of your dish with water and cover. This prevents the dry, horrible chicken. Then I bake them at 350 degress for 45 minutes to an hour. You allow them to cool and then freeze. You can freeze them whole and reheat that way. But, I dice them up and freeze them in 2 cup incrememnts (the standard for most recipes). Then just pull them out and put into dishes. Since it is diced, the chicken is very to thaw by just putting under running water for a few minutes. I add it to pasta, Hamburger Helper and an easy Chicken and Rice dish.

Technorati Tags: chicken, freezer friday, cooking

Free, Frugal Homeschooler, math

Frugal Homeschooler: Math

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Hey fellow educators, we meet again! This time I have some great math resources for you.

First up is is AAA Math. It has real time problems and evaluations. One of the best things is that it has a little explanation or lesson and then the area you work. It has a start button and as you do the problems it evaluates you. It starts at addition and goes all the way up to Algebra and Geometry.

Then there is NLVM. It has a variety of on screen (Java driven) manipulatives and games. This is perfect as a help while doing other homework, reinforcement, or conceptual learning. It says that it is for grades 3-5 but I see stuff I will use for my preschooler and my first grader. So look for yourself to see if it something for you.

For those who like paper and pencil I give you the Math Worksheet Generator. They have a variety of elementary math subjects and types of sheets to choose from. These are great for drills because they even give you specific 3 and 5 minute drill sheets.

So here are some great math resources. Look, explore, use and if you have any great resources please share with me. As always remember homeschooling doesn’t have to be hard or expensive!

Labels: education, frugal homeschooling, Homeschoooling

headlines, politics

NY Gov Resinged, Finally!

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I first heard about the issues surrounding Eliot Spitzer on Monday. He has been caught up in the call-girl scandal that was discovered by a wire tap. All along I heard he was going to resign but never did. Well, he has now. The part I don’t buy in the whole story was:

Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace Wednesday after getting caught in a call-girl scandal that shattered his corruption-fighting, straight-arrow image, saying: “I cannot allow my private failings to disrupt the people’s work.”

Yea right. He resigned after he go his plea bargain. I don’t view this as a resignation but a excuse. You know what I mean, a “this is why I won’t be at work any more” excuse. What do ya’all think?