All posts by NerdMom

humor, life, pregnancy and babies

Kids and Truth: Sometimes You Want Them to Lie;)

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On Thursdays I drive by CSUFresno on my way to get on the freeway after Bible Study and we drive by the horses and cows. The kids look forward to it every week. Well, this week the horses were out but only one cow was. The kids wanted to know where the rest of the cows were and I said that they probably took them inside to milk them. Then, NerdPie wanted to know why they needed to do it inside and I said that they hooked them up to a machine to milk them.

Well, as of a couple of days ago I have begun to supplement the baby with a bottle after nursing her. So NerdPie came down from her nap and saw me giving the baby her bottle. So NerdPie looks at my breast pump that was on a table and says, “We need to start milking to get milk for the bottle”. While it was a completely true statement, did she have to say it;). I quickly told her we call it pumping for a mommie not milking.

I have only one other thing to say, MOOOOOOOOOO!

frugal homeschooling, Homeschoooling

Frugal Homeschooler:Pumpkins (and JackoLanterns)

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I will preface this Frugal Homeschooler with the statement that I am not a real Halloween person. Everything here is more pumpkin aimed but a little Halloween may sneak in through carving;).

First, here is a bunch of Pumpkin worksheets that I found on another blogger site. It is owned by Newsword. It even includes optional answer keys. There are everything from matting, crosswords, word searches, etc. I will be using a couple of these for my first grader this year but there are plenty to choose from for older kids.

The there is a great Hands on Activity page that was produced by Chicago Academy of Sciences. They have some great little activities but the one I like the best is their main activity on the life cycle of a pumpkin. It even includes the worksheet with the images to cut out.

Southwest Educational development Lab has a great observational project that will help with kids understanding the scientific process, not to mention pumpkins. It has a page you can print out for recording data(and to go in their science binders) along with explanations of the steps.

Diane Flynn Keith over at Universal Preschool (and who also does the Clickschooling Yahoo group where I get so many of my free finds) has a great article, Pumpkin Fun!, that links to many good educational resources also. So if you didn’t find what you are looking for over here go check her out.

So that wraps up this week’s Frugal Homeschooler. Go have a great Halloween. Stay safe and don’t eat to much candy. 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!

house management

Meal Plan Monday

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So here is this week’s menu and before you ask, asparagus and cauliflower are on sale;).

Monday: Pasta Carbonara, Roasted Cauliflower
Tuesday: Salmon, Asparagus Pasta
Wednesday: Crockpot Roast w/potatoes, Roasted Cauliflower
Thursday: Eggs w/ Asparagus and ham, Fried Potatoes
Friday: Beef Stew

I am planning on posting many of these recipes over at my new food blog so check back for links! If there are any in specific you are interested in let me know. Have a great week.

Food

Pasta Carbonara Florentine

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Here is my easy Carbonara Florentine. It is modified from a Cooking Light recipe.

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp salt
1 package of frozen spinach
1 package of bacon, chopped, thawed, well drained
1/4 cup onion, chopped or reconstituted
2 tsp chopped garlic
4 tbl white wine
16 oz pasta (spaghetti is traditional)
1 cup (4 oz) Parmesan, shredded
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
5 tbl chopped parsley

1. Fry bacon and then remove from the skillet. Drain of all but about 3 tsps of bacon grease. Then add onions and garlic and saute until tender. Then add the wine and then reduce by half.
2. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Add spinach, bacon and pasta into skillet with the onions, garlic and wine. Stir well and place over low heat.
3. Mix remaining ingredients, excluding parsley, with a whisk. Add to pasta mixture, toss well to coat. Cook for 1 minute. Then remove from the heat and sprinkle with parsley.

Makes about 8 servings, which means in our family dinner and lunch leftovers!

animals, first grade, science, WTM year 1

Nature’s Children: Armadillos

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I checked out Armadillos(Nature’s Children series) for a unit in Science for my 1st grader and my preschooler and I loved it. It is 48 pages (including the index) so it is substantial enough to have a good reading time. It has many sections that elaborate on specific points that were briefly mentioned in the The Kingfisher First Animal Encyclopedia (Kingfisher First Reference) chapter. My first grader could read many of the words but still needed some guidance but it is not real juvenile so one could use it probably in higher grades also. This is a book I will use again with other children.

Food

Kid Friendly Slaw

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This is a yummy, sweet good for you. I dare say it is one of my 2 year old’s favorites. I got the base of this recipe from Cooking Light.

Apple and Raisin Coleslaw

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Light Sour Cream
3 tbl Mayonnaise
2 tbl White Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/4 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Firm Red Apple (chopped with skin on)
1 Granny Smith Apple (chopped with skin on)
1 cup Raisins
1 (16 oz) bag Carrot/Cabbage Slaw

Procedure:
1. Mix Sour Cream through salt in a big bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients and toss.

Now I think it needs a little more salt but I recommend that you add it to your own portion so it doesn’t pull all the moisture out of the cabbage.

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Frugal Friday: Making Your Change Count

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Years ago I heard a budgeting tip that you should only spend your paper money and save all your coins. I have done this for years and then I save the change for something outside the normal budget (gifts, vacation, savings, etc). But it always takes a good chunk of time to so the rolling. I have looked at those CoinStars at the store but the bottom line is that I am cheap, or should I say frugal;). Well, I was reading Dr. Helen’s blog the other day and she was talking about the CoinStars. If you choose to get your money back as a gift card or e-card you get free counting. Amazon and a variety of others are options. To top that, right now if you choose to get an Amazon e-card, get at least $30 counted and complete the printed receipt and mail it in you get an additional $10 card. You can always use Amazon for curriculum, gifts, books, etc so that is what I am going to do!