by Donna | Aug 24, 2013
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| CLK Clipart |
A is for ATTENDANCE!
What does attendance mean in your state?
In our nearly thirty years of homeschooling in Indiana, we have had laws that have read something like this: “A student between the ages of seven and sixteen (not sure what age this is now) must attend public school or have equivalent instruction” and equivalent instruction has usually meant 180 days of “instruction.”
More on this later–such as attendance keeping AND what constitutes a day of school–if our child is home, isn’t he “in school”?
A is for ATTENDANCE!
If you live in a state where you are mandated to keep track of your days (your kids’ “attendance”), I recommend keeping it simple!
Even if you use an elaborate lesson plan or other tracking system, I would still get a dollar pocket calendar and write the days on it. It can be as simple as putting in the corner of each school day 4/180 (day four of attendance out of 180 total).
The reason for this is that if all you really HAVE to have is 180 days recorded somewhere, then do that in a simple, non -fussy way so that you can be sure that it gets done. Then if you want to record it i your lesson plan, tracker, etc., as well, that is fine.
However, even if your more elaborate system breaks down somewhere mid-year (or your computer loses it!), you will still have your pocket calendar with the minimum that you are required taken care of.
More on WHAT to count as a homeschool day later!
A is for ATTENDANCE!
How do you know when something should be counted as a full day or half day or no day?
There are plenty of ways to look at this: (1) must complete all regular daily work to be a day; (2) schools take half days all the time for movies, inservice, etc., so it won’t make that much difference; (3) a certain number of hours equals a full day; (4) field trips count/field trips don’t count; (5) other!
The point of this isn’t to solve your “what do I count” dilemma but rather to make us all aware of the need to give our children the best we can and the need to be above reproach at all times.
We personally have decided what to “count” as a day in different ways during different seasons: (1) as long as language arts and math were done, we would count a half day of art and gym or library and cooking along with that for a day; (2) a certain amount of time. We used an hour counting approach (hours worked on academics or training-only non academics (PE, art, home ec, etc.–not daily/routine activities) that went something like this:
a. 2 hours for K-2nd grade
b. 3 hours for 3rd-5th
c. 3.5 hours for 6th-8th
d. 4 to 5 hours for high school
Regardless of how you count your days of ATTENDANCE, please consider the following:
1. Always be above reproach
2. Always do more, not less–and teach your children to go the extra mile while doing this
3. Consider the non-book learning as long as it is true training including audio, video, hands on, etc. (again, not routine, like regular daily chores or skills that are already full developed like making breakfast, etc.)
4. Be consistent. Either count time or count books or count classes, etc. Or count field trips all the time or do not count field trips
5. Keep your system simple–just a simple calendar marking system or tick mark/running day total in your daytimer, etc.
6. Be excited for each day that you complete!
by Donna | May 29, 2013
Watch our blog (and FB page) for our new summer series, “Power Hour,” in which we will share recipes (with varying amounts and numbers of servings) that you can make in an hour (or less with some young helpers!) and make four to six (or more if making for three or four people) freezer entrees.
If you have always wanted to try freezer cooking, but an entire program of one whole day (or week!) of cooking feels overwhelming to you, our “Power Hour” might be just the thing to get you over the fear of freezer cooking!
Think your family won’t like the foods? I have been freezer cooking for twenty-three years this summer, and while I have definitely evolved as a freezer cook, I have hundreds of recipes that my family loves–and not just layered or bagged casseroles either! Some of our favorites that I will be sharing with you include potato casserole, braised beef cube mix, meatloaves, meatballs, sausage rice stir fry, parmesan chicken breasts, poor man’s steak, spaghetti pie, meats for stir fries and fajitas, and much more. And you can do each one in under an hour!
We’ll post our first one the week of June 9th, so stay “posted”! 🙂 And share with your friends!
by Donna | May 28, 2013
Here is another potential five-minute-prep meal that my family loves! This is a good family night treat in lieu of getting take out pizzas.
Pre-cooked/pre-made chicken*
Shredded cheese of your choice
Flour tortillas
Garlic flavored non stick cooking spray (or melted butter with garlic)
Optionals: Onions and peppers (sometimes I have these pre-cooked and frozen with my meat; sometimes I don’t use them at all)
*I usually use fajita chicken I have in my freezer from freezer cooking—but any already-made chicken will work in a pinch, such as store bought fajita chicken strips, rotisserie chicken chunks, or even canned chicken {drained}. You can also stick a couple of boneless breasts or thighs in a half a cup of broth and cook in micro until done and use that meat. Of course, you could make Beef Crisps with roast beef or hamburger crisps with taco flavored ground beef.
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| Unbaked Fajita Chicken Crisps—These broil REALLY fast, so watch them closely! |
1. Lay flour torts out on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the tops of the torts and broil them under the broiler until tanned and somewhat crispy (twenty to sixty seconds—watch carefully!).
2. Remove torts from oven and sprinkle with chicken (and veggies, if desired) then shredded cheese.
3. Put pan back under broiler until cheese is bubbly (one minute or so–watch carefully!).
4. Cut in fourths and serve with sour cream, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black olives, etc.
Note: This is a good way to use up leftovers–and can be made lower carb than many other Mexican dishes because it only uses one tortilla each and you can really top it with a lot of protein and veggies. Also, for lower cards, use the Carb Balance tortilla shells.
by Donna | May 23, 2013
OR
I have made many hash brown casseroles through the years. I have two favorites, for sure–one with cream and cottage cheese (that doesn’t have the sour cream taste, for those who do not care for sour cream) and one with sour cream. Both are cheesy and delicious!
Here is the sour cream one….with variations–cooking it in a crock pot (great to go with bbq’ed food when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen in the summer) and one for “mega” cooking—ten times! 🙂 These potatoes freeze wonderfully–and are one of my most often-made freezer foods because I love having side dishes to pull out of the freezer.
- 2 lbs. frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted (see last ingredient for more butter)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion or green onion OR 2 TBSP dried minced onion
- 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
- 1 pint (2 cups) sour cream (regular or light)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese or Colby cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups crushed corn flakes and 1/4 cup (half stick) butter for topping
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees if baking (and not crocking or freezing.
2. Grease or spray a 9×13″ pan or baking dish; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine thawed hash browns with 1/2 cup of the melted butter, pepper, salt, and chopped onion, blending well.
4. Add in the soup and sour cream, then the cheddar cheese, mixing everything well.
5. Spread mixture evenly into a 9×13″ baking dish.
6. Mix remaining 1/4 cup melted butter and the crushed corn flakes together and sprinkle over top of casserole. 7. Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 50 to 60 minutes regular or 40 mins convection.
8. If using the crock pot, turn all ingredients into greased large crock. Cook on low for six to eight hours, stirring halfway through. Remove lid for last hour or so to thicken. Omit topping or add near end.
I made twelve of these—half for my friend’s graduation party and half for my freezer. Are you ready for this recipe times twelve (well, six for most folks!)?
Here are some tips for the expansion:
1. You will need a huge bowl! I used to make this much in a huge rubbermaid tub with rubber gloves to keep from freezing my hands while I mixed. This time I used my gigantic bowl and did the recipe half (six times each) then repeated. (The recipe below is for six….seldom do people have freezer space for twelve!)
2. This is one of the simplest freezer recipes to make times six (like below) or more–or to even make twelve 8 x 8 dishes out of (using the multiples of six given below). Thus, if you are only feeding four or five of you, you can make the recipe below (six times for a 9×13). Then divide it evenly among twelve 8 x 8 pans.
3. When you are done mixing all of the ingredients, just take big handfuls (or glass measures full) and dollup into each freezer pan. Cover. Label (see below). And freeze!
4. Labels: Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
Thaw. Bake at 350′ for 50 to 60 mins,
uncovered. (40 to 50 convection.)
Sprinkle cracker crumbs or
Corn Flakes that you have
crushed into melted
butter over last 10 mins.
TIMES SIX for six 9 x 13 foil pans:
6 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
6 sticks butter
3 cup chopped onion or 12 TBSP dried minced onion
6 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
6 (16 ounce) container sour cream
48 ounces shredded Colby cheese
1 1/2 tsp pepper
6 tsp salt
12 cups Corn Flakes and 1 1/2 cups melted butter (for topping)
by Donna | May 15, 2013
I usually steam my carrots, potatoes, and green beans before adding them to almost done meats (as opposed to cooking them all together from the beginning).
I have hit on a tip for potatoes in the past year or two that has made potato prep so much easier. This tip works for potatoes you want to peel or those you do not wish to peel (in that it helps clean them too). You should, of course, cut out bad spots before doing anything with the potatoes.
1. Put whole potatoes in large pot of boiling water.
2. Cook potatoes to the doneness you desire, boiling vigorously. (This will depend on the use you have for them. If you want them partially cooked or you just want the peeling off easily, etc.)
3. Drain the potatoes (use one side of the sink for draining and the other for peeling, so the heat from the drained potatoes and water doesn’t make the sink too hot to do the next step).
4. Plunge the drained potatoes into the other side of the sink that is filled with ice water.
5. In five minutes or so, simply reach into the ice water and start rubbing the skins off (or do not leave in water long, but get them out and use with peelings on). The skins rub off with your fingers only and very quickly.
6. Now cut, grate, slice, dice, julienne, or leave whole for whatever you are making.
by Donna | May 5, 2013
It’s graduation time around here again! Sixth graduate from Training for Triumph Family Academy in twelve years–with only one to go as of a couple of weeks from now! While graduation is a lot of stress and work, it is also a joyful time as we reminisce, put together photograph slide shows, work on scrapbooks, plan the graduate’s favorite foods for his party, and just celebrate the wonderful person that the graduate is!
I am using Pinterest to start collecting and organizing my recipes. We always use a lot of tried and true favorites to start with then add to the menu. This year Josiah wants a Nacho Bar/Taco Salad Bar, and I am all for that because it is easier than making up individual sandwiches, potatoes, side dishes, etc. Get it all ready and put it out for everybody to build their own! I will post my meat recipes for that as it gets closer.
In the meantime, here is one of the desserts we will have there–assuming it tastes as good as it looks. (We are testing it out at our ballroom dance tonight!) It is super easy, and we can make it in little individual plastic cups/bowls to put on the dessert table, which is super fun to create.
I got the recipe from Key Ingredient, and it was low fat and low sugar. I like to serve the real thing when I have parties or take things to events, assuming that the people there want something that looks ooey, gooey, and yummy to taste ooey, gooey, and yummy too! 🙂 So here is my version of it.
12 oz prepared angel food cake, cut into 1″ cubes
3 small packages of butterscotch pudding, instant
4 cups milk
1 (16 oz) tub of whipped topping, thawed in fridge
18 fun sized Butterfinger candy bars, chopped (sons like to do this with a mallet in a zip lock bag)
1. Prepare pudding with milk and refrigerate for at least fifteen minutes (longer is fine).
2. Spray 9 x 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray and sprinkle half of the angel food cake cubes over the bottom of the pan. (Note: This is heaping for a 9 x 13 pan–do not plan to cover it. Next time, I might do a jelly roll or a 9 x 13 and an 8 x 8…. or at the very least use a deep foil pan if I don’t care about aescetics!)
3. Fold whipped topping into pudding with rubber spatula. (Do not use a mixer or whisk or your whipped topping may become liquid.)
4. Pour half of the whipped topping/pudding mixture over the angel food cake cubes.
5. Sprinkle half of the Butterfinger candy over the pudding mixture.
6. Repeat layers, ending with candy.
