Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future

“Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”

There are two gifts remaining at my house, although Christmas is over and the New Year has begun.  These two gifts mean more to mean than any gift this year, and they are not for me or from me.  They are for my son’s friends.  My son is 28 years old, married, and lives 6 hours away now, but he left a Christmas gift for each of his two best childhood friends.  They’ll stop by to pick them up at their convenience.  I have no idea what is inside, and it will be great to see his childhood friends again, but the thing that means so much to me is that my son made good choices in friends as a child. 

Moms, help your children surround themselves with Good Friends!  It is not always easy, but it is so important.  This son of mine was not homeschooled through middle school and high school.  He went to public school, and not even one of the better public schools in our town.  He rode the bus, played in the neighborhood and associated with many people.  He is a very social person and had an abundance of friends.  But we did not always allow him to play with everyone.  Yes, I was That Mom!  I encourage you to be, too! 

When we discovered that one of the neighborhood kids had started smoking, we discouraged him from hanging out with him.  Did our son like it?  No, he did not.  Did that stop us?  No, it did not.  My son didn’t always like me very much through middle and high school.  I had other smaller children that loved me at that time, so that probably made it easier for me:) When several of the boys in the neighborhood started experimenting with pot, we enrolled our son in Band, Scouts, and football.  We kept him so busy, he didn’t have time to cruise the neighborhood with nothing to do.  And we just said, “NO!”

We also taught him what the Bible teaches us about “companions”.  You have a Bible, I’ll let you read Proverbs for yourself – but I will encourage you to teach it to your children.  Don’t wait until they’re 13; you will have a much harder time reaching them then.  The best window of time is from about ages 5 or 6 until about 10 to 12.  That’s when you can teach them and they’ll hear you.   But if they’re already in their teens, don’t wait, start today! Tell them over and over, that they will become the average of the people they consistently surround themselves with.  Be the mom you know to be, saying no to spending time with people that don't help you be your best.  

Please don’t get the wrong impression.  My children are not perfect, I am not perfect.  My children and I  have made plenty of mistakes and have done foolish things.  I’ll save my blog about all my mistakes for another day…

“Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”

Teaching Reading

Teaching Reading

If you are homeschooling a non-reader or struggling reader, then you have no doubt been trying to wade through the maze of curriculum choices out there!  I’m assuming that you are searching for a reading program, or you wouldn’t even been reading this, right?J

Of my six children, two learned to read spontaneously.  I read aloud to all of my children when they were young, and two of my children just “got it”, seemingly without any effort on my part.  (Gotta love a child like that!)

Unfortunately, I also had four children who   s l o w l y, and  p  a  i  n  f  u  l  l  y , made little or no progress year after year.  Honestly, if I hadn’t had two children who could read well, I would have begun to feel quite a failure at homeschooling. 

I am sure that I have tried every single reading program available!!  So, let me help you out a little with just three small suggestions. J (I’m assuming that you have had your child evaluated by their pediatrician and an optometrist to rule out any neurological or visual problems that could be hindering their reading ability).

1.        Do it every day – keep it short and sweet!  No matter which program you decide to use or buy, just use it consistently, every single school-day, if only for 5 minutes a day (don’t drag out the lesson for 30 or 45 minutes).  Sometimes the success or failure of a program really depends on this short daily consistency.  If you approach it as something that is a daily requirement, like, for instance, brushing your teeth, then the child won’t balk and whine about it.  It has to be done, so let’s just do it (with a smileJ)!  Then mom reads something fun and interesting to the child to wrap it up – keeping in mind that the goal is learning to love reading.  Always leave them feeling good about reading.

2.       Variety, sometimes, is the spice of learning to read! If the program you are using is obviously not working for you or your child, set it aside and try something else for a change.  When you have paid big bucks for a program, the temptation frequently is to push through it, because, after-all, it was supposed to be “THE” program, and I can’t waste my money!  Many times, in situations like this, I have to play mind games with myself.  I think, “If this were a free program, would I feel differently about it?”  Take money out of the equation and make decisions based on what you believe to be the best for you and your child at this point.  I have frequently used three or more different programs with the same child at the same time.  With consistent daily practice, you will see results.  The results, sometimes, just aren’t as fast as we would likeJ.

3.       No program is “it”!  I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but every program out there is wonderful – every one of them will help some children learn to read.  And every program out there will not be the ticket for every child!  Many times it is by trial and error, trying many different approaches.  Sometimes it is truly just a timing issue – the child is not “ready” even though society tells us all children should learn to read in first grade.  Of my four struggling readers, they finally learned to read fluently between ages 10 & 12.  For two of them it was a sudden “lightbulb” experience.  For the other two is was a very slow process to get from sounding out three-letter words  to reading sentences – they were in 1^st & 2^nd grade readers for several yearsL  But they did all learn to read, and your child will learn to read, too!!!

If you need to switch up your curriculum a little, here is a free one to try:

http://www.tanglewoodeducation.com/ReallyReading2.pdf

In the meantime, make good use of the abundance of audio books available, keep electronics to a minimum, and remember to read to, and play and have fun with your children every day!!

Bunny Rabbits versus Guinea Pigs for Pets

Considering a bunny for your child this spring?   Here are 3 reasons you may want to consider a guinea pig instead:

1.         Small rodents eat smaller quantities of food, therefore eliminate less waste, which means less smell, less frequent housing cleanings, etc.

2.        No biting – guinea pigs do not bite or try to escape to run away and hide as most rodents are prone to do.

3.       If holding a warm fuzzy critter is what you are looking for, then the guinea pig is the pet for you!  They absolutely love to be held gently, taken with you around the house, and in general just want to be near their family. 

For a homeschool family who is home several hours a day, they will be great as a single pet.  If you are away from home many hours every day, you may want to consider having 2 so that they can snuggle and communicate with each other.

Want more information on guinea pigs?  See my previous post on having an raising guinea pigs:

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St. Patty's Day dinner - Corned Beef and Cabbage in the pressure cooker

We love to celebrate holidays at our house - so this is what we do to celebrate St. Patty's Day (besides wearing green):

We start with a breakfast of Green Eggs and Ham.  Naturally, we read the book together and make breakfast with just a little green food coloring.  I fry the eggs and Canadian bacon, adding either hash browns, toast or biscuits ( depending on what's on hand). 

If one of the fast-food restaurants has a "green milkshake" special, we might go out for one:)

Mostly because I need an excuse to make this dinner (because I like it), we have Corned Beef, Cabbage and Black-eyed peas.  Here is my recipe for making it in a pressure cooker.

Corned Beef with all the Fixings

In the pressure cooker

Corned Beef with all the Fixings In the pressure cooker


Ingredients:
Corned Beef in a package
Cabbage, one large head of green cabbage
Blackeyed peas, 1 package of dried peas

Optional:
Garlic
Bay leaves
Beer, wine or beef broth

Step One: The Meat
1. A corned beef brisket with the spice packet, choose either a flat or point cut, allowing at least 1/3 lb, or a more generous 1/2 lb, per serving.
2. 3 cloves garlic
3. 2 bay leaves
4. Include the seasoning pkt, or a make a suitable spice blend.
5.16 ounces of a stout or a similar full-flavored beer, or other flavoring liquids such as beef broth or wine with water.

Discard the packing brine and rinse the meat well, trimming off any visible fat. Lay the meat with the fattiest side up on the cooking rack in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Add spices and the flavoring liquid, and enough cold water to cover the meat.

Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat.  Immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook for 50 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. A corned beef will have a natural pinkish-red color after cooking. This does not mean it isn't done. Nitrite is used in the curing process and this fixes the pigment in the meat and gives it the distinctive color. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and cover it with foil and a folded towel. lLt it stand for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. This allows the meat to absorb its natural liquids, and it will continue to cook itself at the same time.

Test for doneness; the meat should be "fork-tender", meaning that a fork goes through it like its soft butter. If you can easily pull up a sliver of meat with a fork, it is a good indication of doneness. The internal temperature should be at least 160°F. If necessary, return to pressure for an additional 10 minutes and repeat the natural release, but do not overcook or your corned beef will be dry and stringy.

Step Two: The Black-eyed peas
Place the peas in the broth from the meat in the pressure cooker and lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and use the quick or cold water release method before opening the lid. Using a slotted spoon, remove peas from pressure cooker and place in a serving bowl. Keep warm by covering with foil and a towel.


Step Three: The vegetables
While the meat and peas are resting, its time to cook the vegetables. Include at least 1lb of assorted vegetables per serving, increase as you like to add variety, stretch your budget, and for planned leftovers. Choose from a variety of root vegetables like carrots and parsnips, red or white boiling potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, boiling or yellow onions. Cut the pieces to a similar size -- I like hefty 2 inch chunks -- so they cook uniformly.

Use any variety of cabbage cut into thick 2-3 inch wedges, or use Kale or Brussels sprouts instead.

You can also add any type of cut hard winter squash, sweet potatoes, or any other veggies your family likes.

Discard all but 1 cup of the cooking broth. Place the cut root vegetables in a large steamer if you have one. Alternately, just put the cooking rack in the pressure cooker and add the cut root vegetables. If your pressure cooker is large enough, add the cabbage wedges on top of the cut root vegetables. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 4 minutes. Remove from heat and use the quick or cold water release method before opening the lid. Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables from pressure cooker and put the root vegetables and cabbage in serving bowls.

Alternatively, steam the cabbage separately using a second pressure cooker, or wait and cook them after the root vegetables are done. You can also steam cabbage wedges in a covered regular pot in about 15 minutes.

Your meal is ready to serve!

Enjoy your St. Patty's Day!

Do you want a movie to watch after your dinner?  Check out Darby O'Gill and the Little People!!

A great first cuddly pet for children

Most children, at some point in their childhood, want to have a pet of their own.  While some children  gravitate toward reptiles, it is more common to want a mammal.  Something soft, warm and furry melts the heart of the majority of all humans, and children are no exception.  Many children want a puppy, but puppies aren't always the best choice for a first pet for a young child.









In choosing a pet, the age of the child is a huge consideration.  We have found that guinea pigs make a very good first pet for a young school-age child.    About age 5 or 6, most children can care for and handle a small pet with adult supervision.  Guinea pigs are small enough to hold and cuddle (and really do like to be held & cuddled gently), but they don't bite nor do they try to run away as gerbils and hamsters are prone to do.  They also are very easy to care for.  They don't need to be walked, groomed or trained, and they don't chew up shoes & other household items.  They simply need fresh water, food and attention every day.  Guinea pigs are social animals and very much like to be part of the family.  The litter in their cage should be changed about once a week.  One side benefit is that they are also a great natural compost-ER... we give all of our fruit and vegetable scraps to our guinea pigs and then when we clean their cage, we place the soiled bedding around our garden. 

This is a picture of our youngest son with his guinea pig, Chester.  He wanted a pet he "could hold" for his 8th birthday.  We found someone giving away this sweet-tempered 3-year-old male on Craig's List.  Chester has been his constant companion now for one and a half years.

Chester tolerates a leopard gecko sitting on his back!  

 Chester also gets along well with our Wheaten Terrier.

We have owned several guinea pigs over the years and currently have 3 adults and 4 babies.  My husband bought our female, Flower, for me for my 50th birthday when she was 4 weeks old.  She was so tiny!  We thought Chester needed a companion of his own kind, and we thought it would be fun to let them have babies.  

After eight months together, they got along fine, but there was no sign of pregnancy.  Some friends of ours had a male guinea pig that they gave to us.   It wasn't long before it was evident that Flower and Reeses "liked" each other. 





 Approximately 2 months later, Flower was "showing".  Her belly got so big that her bottom half was twice as large as her top half!  It certainly was fun holding her and feeling the little babies moving inside her.

Flower recently had her first litter of babies.  Mommy and babies are all doing very well!  Guinea Pig babies are born with hair, their eyes and ears open, and have the ability to run around, squeak, and eat solid food immediately after birth.  They have a very long (for rodents) gestation of about 60 days. 

Our female, Flower, was almost one year old at the time of their birth, which is considered old for a first litter in guinea pigs.   Generally, it is suggested that the female deliver her first litter by the time she is 6-8 months old.  As the mother ages, her pelvis may not as easily allow the passage of babies during birth.  The babies stay with the mother and nurse for 4-6 weeks, but they do eat pellets and other food also. 

Female guinea pigs can become pregnant as young as 4 weeks, so separating males from females is important.  Although they can become pregnant that young, it is advisable to wait until they are a few months old if possible.

Our first litter consisted of 3 boys and one girl.  We decided to keep the girl and sell the boys.  At 4 weeks, this male guinea pig is a perfect pet for a young elementary aged child!

If you are considering guinea pigs as a pet for your child, please let me know if you have any questions.  While we are not experts, and do not intend to take the place of the advice of Veterinarian, we have had much experience with guinea pigs in general, and now we are experienced with a mommy and her babies.