Apricot Mint Couscous Salad - North African Food for Eastern Hemisphere Study

Sophia has been studying about Africa which is part of her homeschooling about the history, culture, and geography of the Eastern Hemisphere. One of the activities that she wanted to do was make food that would be typically eaten in Africa.

Looking through Pinterest, I came across a pin for an Apricot Mint Couscous Salad from North Africa. It led to Mezze and Dolce. The salad serves 4-6 people as a salad or part of a mezze platter.

Sophia with the Apricot Mint Couscous Salad she made.

The salad is easy to make. The only labor-intensive part is chopping all the fresh ingredients. It tastes very good, though we did end up adding some more ingredients to make it a bit spicier and more flavorful.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup couscous (we used millet because that's what we had on hand)
15 dried apricot halves
1/4 cup minced shallot
1/4 cup finely sliced green onion
1 large handful Italian parsley, chopped (we didn't have any fresh, so we used a palm-full of dried parsley)
20+ mint leaves, julienned
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh jalepeno (we used about 3/4 teaspoon...or maybe a bit more)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions

Cook couscous according to package. Cut dried apricots in half and stir into the couscous for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking. Strain, rinse with cold water, and let sit to dry while preparing the rest.

Chopping the mint.

In a large bowl, combine minced shallot, green onion, parsley, mint, and jalapeno.

Adding the mint to the other ingredients.

Mix in the couscous to coat. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Montague was a good helper.

He wanted to be in the picture with Sophia.

The salad may need more herbs, spice, or seasoning depending on your taste.

Homeschool Planning for 2013-14

Since early-August I've been planning the 2013-14 homeschool year. I registered for an online class called "Sketching it Out :: A Four Week Planning Session" led by Lisa Boisvert Mackenzie.

Originally, it was a four-week planning session. However, it has since expanded to eight weeks. The original participants went through the four-week planning process; and then could choose to begin again. This has been helpful to re-visit some of the earlier topics covered and fill in sections that I didn't have time to address during the first process.

At any rate, the focus of the class was an exploring the rhythm of the year in the context of planning a homeschool year. We began by getting a planner. I had several on hand, so I picked a small, maroon 3-ring binder. I added a pencil case and lined paper.

3-ring binder for academic work,

tabbed dividers, and a pencil case.

I also added some information I printed out from Lisa's website and links; some of the ideas from conversations on the Yahoo group set up for the class; and other ideas from the internet that focused on creating rhythm in the home and within homeschooling.

I began pinning ideas on Pinterest for different subjects:
=> Waldorf Rhythm, Routines, and Meal Times
=> Waldorf-Inspired Home

The next step was to create a school calendar. For us, that means a yearly calendar since I consider homeschooling more of a learning lifestyle than a set period of days when the girls learn. That being said, there is a "start date" and "end date" of the more "formal" homeschooling. This year, that is September 3rd and May 30th respectively.

School calendar.

Normally, we go on a "not back to school" trip the day after Labor Day for a few days. This year, however, we will not be going on a trip. Instead, we will do a "not back to school picnic" on September 3rd - the day after Labor Day.

Also on the calendar are days that there are no school or a holiday. This year on holidays we will focus on activities related to the holiday rather than doing traditional school work.

The calendar also shows birthdays and anniversaries (e.g., Adoption Days); breaks; and when we start and end the time period where we focus more on alternative ways to learn (e.g., 4-H, county fair, state fair).

Wheel of the Year.

Next, I looked at the different holidays that we will be celebrating and learning about this year; and found pins on Pinterest for them. We will be celebrating additional holidays and special days (e.g., New Year' Day, Mother's Day), but these are the core ones that had quite a few ideas that I wanted to remember.

JANUARY
=> Epiphany
=> Tu B'Shevat
=> Chinese New Year

FEBRUARY
=> Brigid's Day
=> Candlemas
=> Groundhog's Day
=> Valentine's Day

MARCH
=> Mardi Gras
=> Lent
=> St. Patrick's Day
=> Spring Equinox

APRIL
=> Passover
=> Easter

MAY
=> May Day
=> Memorial Day

JUNE
=> Pentecost or Whitsun
=> Summer Solstice
=> St. John's Tide

JULY
=> Fourth of July

AUGUST
=> Lammas

SEPTEMBER
=> Labor Day
=> Autumn Equinox
=> Rosh Hashana
=> Michaelmas

OCTOBER
=> Yom Kippur
=> Halloween

NOVEMBER
=> All Saints Day
=> All Souls Day
=> Martinmas
=> Adoption Day Celebrations
=> Chanukah
=> Thanksgiving

DECEMBER
=> Advent
=> St. Nicholas Day
=> St. Lucia Day
=> Las Posadas
=> Winter Solstice
=> Christmas Eve and Day
=> 12 Days After Christmas
=> New Years Eve

Monthly activities on a circular calendar.

I created a wheel of the year after I found a pin that I liked. using a free PDF pattern from Daily Colours.

Then I looked at the weekly rhythm that I would like to start doing this year. Some of the ideas are based on Rudolph Steiner's beliefs and/or what some families using a Waldorf methodology/lifestyle follow (e.g., color of the day, grain of the day) while others are what works best for our family.

Rhythm of the week.

I noted the color of the day, grain of the day, activity of the day that involves Sophia and Olivia, and an activity of the day for me. Some of the activities that I do, the girls can help (e.g., Soup Day), but most are personal things that I want or need to get done.

SUNDAY
=> White
=> Wheat
=> Bread Making
=> Renew the Spirit

MONDAY
=> Violet
=> Rice
=> Music
=> Errands

TUESDAY
=> Red
=> Oats
=> Art and Painting
=> Mending

WEDNESDAY
=> Orange
=> Millet
=> Writing
=> Yard Work

THURSDAY
=> Yellow
=> Rye
=> Nature
=> Wash and dry bedding + towels

FRIDAY
=> Green
=> Barley
=> Adventuring (field trips, visit my mom, volunteering at the nursing home)
=> Soup Day

SATURDAY
=> Blue
=> Corn
=> Handiwork (e.g., sewing, embroidery, crocheting, knitting)
=> Menu Planning (also includes cleaning out the refrigerator)

Daily activities on a circular weekly calendar.

Once the color of the days were set, I thought that the best way to implement that was by having them be a part of the meal. For example, it may be the color coasters, place mats, tablecloth, table runner, and/or candles that we use.

I also looked on Pinterest for ideas for food that incorporates the different grains. I was surprised at the lack of recipes for millet. Apparently it's an under-rated grain.

I also made a rhythm of the week wheel. Daily Colours (the website mentioned above) has a free PDF pattern. However, I ended up using only the back and pointer. The colors on Wednesday and Thursday were the reverse of what I wanted to do in my family. (I prefer the flow of red-orange-yellow-green rather than red-yellow-orange-green since it follows the look of a rainbow.)

So, I made the circle and divided it into seven sections. I wrote the daily information into each section, and then colored in each part with the appropriate Prismacolor colored pencil.

One of the other things I did that ties into both the monthly holidays and special days; and the weekly grains was go through a binder that I have with lots of recipes that I would like to try. The recipes were divided by type (e.g., appetizer, main dish, bread, vegetables). This did not lend itself well to easily finding recipes.

To address this challenge, I went through all the recipes and pulled out ones that I'd like to try during a particular month, at a specific holiday/special occasion, or that included the grain of the day.

After the recipes were divided, I put each grouping into a plastic sheet protector. In this way, I can easily find recipes that use peaches, for example, since they are in the August sheet protector. (This is the month that peaches are readily available in Minnesota.)

The next step for me was to figure out what to teach on a daily basis. Honestly, this is where I got stuck for well over a week. The girls each have some work left to do from the 2012-13 school year. Since they enjoyed what they were doing, I wanted to continue with it into this year. There were other subjects or activities that I let go in favor of new ones that we will be adding this year.

The other challenge is that funds are quite limited this year. That means there is no extra money to purchase curriculum that I would like to try. Rather, I went through the resources I have on hand as well as look at free resources online to create the curriculum for the 2013-14 homeschool year.

A page from Sonlight's curriculum.

This is the one that Sophia will be finishing this year.

Already, there is quite a bit done on this particular week.

As I have done in the past, I look at the girls' interests, skill levels, educational levels, and learning styles. Although both girls have a strong interest in reading and literature, Sophia has done particularly well with Sonlight's curriculum.

Page from Sonlight's science curriculum schedule.

Thankfully, Sonlight includes so much into one level of of curriculum, that it can be stretched out into 1 1/2 - sometimes 2 years. In Sophia's case, she will complete what she started last year by January 2014. At that point, she will move onto Ambleside Online since it's a free curriculum and follows Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy.

Page of Ambleside Online's schedule for Olivia.

Olivia will be starting with Ambleside Online in September. Since she is working with the local elementary school to receive assistance with some learning, auditory processing, and short-term memory issues, some of her subjects are covered in a way that works well for her: through workbooks.

This is quite a different path than both a Waldorf and Charlotte Mason approach, however, for Olivia it works well. The workbooks are supplemented by "living books" from the library which gives her some quality reading on subjects addressed in the workbooks.

She also will be doing Beyond Five in a Row. During the first semester, she'll be working on four books (two fiction and two non-fiction). There are a wide variety of hands-on activities for her to which she is looking forward to doing.

One of the pages in the planning binder.

There are three of these per week - 

each row has a different subject.

In addition, the girls each have a variety of subjects that they learn about during the year:

A to Z Book (Olivia is creating a book about different subjects that begin with each letter of the alphabet)
Art
Character Education
Foreign Language (French for Olivia; Spanish for Sophia)
Grammar
Handwriting (standard for Olivia and Spencerian for Sophia)
Holidays
Journaling
Latin/Greek (Sophia only)
Literature (listen to 1 Newberry award book per month)
Math
Music (piano for Olivia; piano, harp, and violin for Sophia)
Nature Journaling
Physical Education (sports, equine vaulting, dog training, dog agility training - not all at the same time)
Poetry
Religion
Science
Service/Volunteering
Social Studies (includes geography and history)
Speech Therapy (Olivia only)
Spelling
Typing
U.S. Geography
Vocabulary
Writing
4-H

Another page with more subjects

that the girls will study in the 2013-14 school year.

Using free printable sheets from Donna Young's website, I did a plan for these subjects as well as using Sonlight's, Ambleside Online's, and Beyond Five in a Row's schedules for 9 weeks. This will take us to November 2nd. At that time, I will complete another 9 weeks of planning based on what has and hasn't been completed. I have the schedule for the academic portion of the girls' year in a purple 3-ring binder. There are tabbed-dividers that separate the plans by week.

One of the many types of planning sheets 

available from the Donna Young website.

The last component of planning for the upcoming home- and homeschooling year including creating a larger binder with non-academic subjects and home management items.

Binder with non-academic subjects and 

home management items.

Organized Home has many free printables that will be invaluable this year in terms of keeping organized. The tabbed sections in the white 3-ring binder include:

- Contact numbers - includes emergency numbers, frequently-used numbers, and a list of birthdays/anniversaries

- Menu planning - this has a plan for theme dinners when things get a bit more hectic and we don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, or making meals for various school subjects (e.g., meals that focus on different states, meals from Beyond Five in a Row).

Some of the meal themes dovetail nicely with the grain of the day. For example, on Monday the grain is rice so I chose "Asian Night" as the theme. On Saturday, the grain is corn so I thought "Mexican Night" might fit well. Here is the weekly plan:

Sunday - Sunday Dinner - meat with potatoes and carrots. The leftover meat can be used for sandwiches during the week. Have a very light meal in the evening if anyone is hungry (e.g., cheese, crackers, fruit).

Monday - Asian Night

Tuesday - Crockpot Night

Wednesday - Pasta Night

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Soup Night with Fresh Bread

Saturday - Mexican Night

I've also included several printables from Organized Home in this section including weekly and monthly meal planners.

Shopping List - Copies of a shopping list. One will be posted in the kitchen to add to each week. In this way, when we run out of something it can be immediately added to the list.

Food Inventories - There are sheets for the freezer, pantry, and larder. The larder, in our case, is part of a closet that holds heavier canned goods (e.g., peaches, pears, tomatoes, applesauce) as well as the top shelves of a built-in bookcase that hold lighter canned goods (e.g., jams, jellies, salsa).

Recipe Locations - There are pages that have the name of favorite recipes, the cookbook/source, page number, and comments.

Monthly Rhythm - This is my chart that has five columns: month, mood, symbols/color, activities, celebrations.

One of the pages that has the monthly rhythm.

This page still needs to be retyped 

so that it includes the hand-written information.

Monthly Sections - I have a tabbed section for each month. It starts with August right now because that's the current month. Once this month passes, it will go to the back of the monthly section so that September is first.

Each section has a list of the holidays and when they are in 2013-2014. I've also included some ideas, instructions, and information that relates to some of the holidays. Following that is the plastic page protector that has the recipes for the month.

This is December's section. 

The first part has a list of holidays and

the second part has a sheet protector filled with recipes

that can be made for the month's holidays and celebrations.

Seasonal Chores - Organized Home has a free printable that has a fall and winter checklist; and spring and summer checklist.

Weekly Rhythms - This is the typed version of the daily color, grain, learning activity, and home activity. There also are daily to-do sheets from Organized Home.

Weekly rhythm.

Grain Sections - The next seven tabbed sections are labeled with the grain of the day - starting with wheat and ending with corn.

Protector sheet with

a variety of recipes using rice.

Patterns for Meal Time Accessories - I printed out some ideas for making tables look welcoming and pretty. There also are patterns to create napkins and place mats.

Blessings - There are some blessings I've collected that I would like to print out on cards made from watercolor paper that the girls painted.

One of the meal blessings in the binder.

Daily Rhythms - This section is a reminder of what I would like my daily rhythm to look like:

Wake up before the girls and:
- Get dressed
- Let the dogs out, take them for a walk, and feed them
- Make hot chocolate
- Write in my journal
- Start the laundry (if needed)
- Review the meals for the day, and take out anything that needs to be thawed
- Prepare breakfast

I'd like to play a board or card game with the girls each day. Integrating an element of play into each day is a goal I'd like to work on during 2013-14.

The next section focuses on family values. In terms of family values, I'd like to have the following words describe my home: contentment, love, acceptance, comfort, spiritual, truthful, generosity, helpfulness, exploring, learning, togetherness, openness, happiness, caring, compassion, wonder/discovery, reflective, excitement, enthusiasm, gratitude, and service.

The last section focuses on a family mission statement. I have a rough draft of one; and would like to work on finalizing that during 2013-14.

I also included several daily to-do lists from Organized Home. These will come in handy - especially during November-January when there is a lot to be done on a daily basis.

Daily Chores - This section has ideas for keeping a home clean. I have a proposed schedule for daily cleaning that I am interested in seeing if it will work or not this year. It is:

Sunday: Bedrooms
Monday: Mudroom
Tuesday: Offices
Wednesday: Bathrooms
Thursday: Dining Room
Friday: Living and Family Rooms
Saturday: Kitchen

Following that are more comprehensive daily chore lists that I pinned from Cedar Ring Mama. At some point during Autumn 2013, these would be nice to review and adapt to my home.

First Aid Inventory and Medicine - Organized Home has a inventory sheet for first aid supplies. I also would like to list everyone's current medications they are taking.

Bills -  There are forms on Organized Home that are for each month. The top half has lines, and the bottom part has the name of the bills, date they are due, and the amount owed. There also are important dates and a monthly calendar on each sheet.

Social/Support/Craft Groups - This section will have information about any groups that the girls and I are participating in and/or leading. Once the groups begin in September, this section will have more things in it and may be sub-divided for each group.

So, what happened to the maroon binder? It has information that I still want to read, think about, and integrate into our daily lives and homeshool. This will be an ongoing resource that I can refer to, add to, and adapt the 2013-14 homeschool plan by as I make my way through the information.

Information about handiwork in the maroon binder.

I am very grateful to have taken this online class. It will add a dimension to our lives and to homeschooling that was not fully developed or - in some respects - completely absent. The plan is definitely a work in progress as I see what feels right for our family and what doesn't feel like a good fit.

R is for Reading - A to Z April Challenge

Reading has always played an important part in homeschooling. From the time that the girls were both adopted, they have listened to stories - ones that I have read to them as well as that they have listened to on tapes or CDs.

Olivia reading a Harry Potter book.

She is going through the series and 

is on the fifth book...a rather long one.

When the girls were both in preschool, Kindergarten, and early-elementary school, fairy tales and short stories seemed to be the main focus of our reading.

Once we began using Sonlight's curriculum in the mid-elementary school years, reading became an even greater part of our days. Literature and living books related to history, geography, and science became an integral part of our days.

Last year, we began reading the Caldecott and Newberry award-winning books. The former award is for books based on artistic-design while the latter is an award for content/writing.

We have read all the Caldecott books that have received an award to date. From this point forward, we will read one book annually (the one that receives the award) until the girls graduate from high school.

The Newberry books take a bit longer to read since they are chapter books. Our goal to read all the award-winning books by the time the girls graduate from high school.

In addition to the books that I read aloud to the girls as well as the ones they read to themselves as part of their homeschooling, they also read and listen to books on their own.

Sophia reading a book after a long day.

Each of the girls started a book journal when they began reading on their own. In it, they write down what book they read next to a number. In this way, they can keep track of all the books they have read (not including the ones required for homeschooling).

At this point, Sophia has read 596 books and Olivia has read 74 books. It will be interesting to see what number they reach by the time they are ready for college.

F is for Flower Arranging - A to Z April Challenge

During the first week of April, we did two activities related to flower arranging. In terms of homeschooling, this covered several subjects: home economics, science, geography, social studies, and caring for seniors.

Arranging a Bouquet of Flowers

One of the things that I periodically do is purchase a bouquet of flowers and either the girls and/or I arrange them in many smaller vases. 

Olivia trimming the flower stem to fit the vase.

Often, this is done during the summer. However, winter has been so long this year and has seemed to drag on. Seeing the fresh, vividly-colored flowers is such a day-brightener for us all.

Sophia taking some of the stem and leaves off the rose

so it fit better in the vase.

The bouquet had a variety of flowers. Sophia picked the rose to put by itself in a small vase. This one had some fragrance to it. However, its beauty was definitely in the many warm shades of reds, oranges, and golds.

Olivia working on an arrangement in the larger vase.

Olivia worked on filling the larger vase.  She chose several flower stems that she felt would look nice together. The colors complemented one another very well and she had a pretty arrangement when she was done.

The girls had different types of colors of flowers 

from which to choose.

Visiting a Flower Show

Sophia, Olivia, and I took my mom to Macy's annual flower show.

Sophia, Olivia, and my Mom by the elephant display.

This year's theme is “The Painted Garden,” which draws inspiration from India.

Colorful umbrellas hung from the ceiling in one area.

Bachman’s - a local flower and landscape company - transformed the bare auditorium into a fragrant and beautiful floral display.
  

Vivid orange, red, and lavender flowers.

Set designer Jack Barkla created a “color-blocking” scheme for this year’s show by painting architectural backdrops in colors that flow into the garden.

Beautiful backgrounds were part of the flower show.

Four scenic artists spent six weeks on the painted surfaces.

Daffodils.

The artists even painted the living trees with soy-based non-toxic paint.

Painted trees by gardens of matching flowers.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After both these activities, we are now looking even more forward to seeing some of our perennials flowers blooms this spring and summer; and making arrangements from them. We also are eager to visit the farmers markets and choose other flowers - mostly annuals - to supplement the flowers we grow at the farm.

Homeschool Mother's Journal - January 24th

In my life this past week…

We celebrated Olivia's 10th birthday on January 18th by spending part of the day at Richardson Nature Center and the Mall of America.

Owl at Richardson Nature Center.

It has to be in captivity because someone raised it and 

it is imprinted on humans now.

In addition to going on a couple of rides, having lunch, and visiting the American Girl store, we saw the ice castle at the Mall of America - the main reason that Olivia wanted to go there this year.

One of the sculptures at the ice castle.

In our homeschool this week…

We have been catching up on poetry study (Rudyard Kipling) and artist study (Claude Monet).

Painting by Monet that Sophia and Olivia saw 

at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

We also have been doing some nature journaling and learning about different animals (e.g., squirrels, groundhogs, rabbits).

One of the squirrels that we saw at the Richardson Nature Center.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Sophia and Olivia have been using Rod & Staff for their math curriculum since Kindergarten. It has been a good fit so far for Sophia who has tested at 1 1/2 years above grade level, but not for Olivia. Both girls, though, are hands-on learners so I have been looking for a math curriculum that has more real-life, tangible learning.

Rod & Staff student workbook.

I also want something that is consistent with Charlotte Mason's philosophy since that seems to be - at this stage of our homeschooling - the predominant philosophy that I follow.

Even though it's a bit of a challenge to change curricula after many years, sometimes it needs to be done to better meet the needs of the child/student. To me, that's one of the many benefits of homeschooling: being able to change and adapt one's methods and tools to better reach a child in her learning journey.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

I am going to a women's retreat this weekend which I'm looking forward to attending. There is a keynote speaker as well as three break-out sessions. The keynote speaker will be talking about "whole-hearted connection." Part of the description said that her talk will draw on Brené Brown’s research on vulnerability; and will explore ways to awaken compassion, to risk bringing one's whole self forward, and to open one's
heart to a deeper connection with others.

There's another session called "Courage and Change: Creating the Good Life." This one focuses on the fact that life transitions are inevitable even though we resist them. The speaker will focus on how to find ways around the obstacles people encounter along the way.

Another session I want to go to focuses on a panel of Unitarian Universalist women who share tales of courage from their lives and what they learn. It's focused on the inspiration that comes from hearing our own stories of the strength of the human spirit.

My favorite thing this week was…

Spending time outside on January 18th when it was 39 degrees (before the cold spell hit), and being able to enjoy the ice castle.

Looking at the top of the ice castle towards the sky.

I liked seeing the various shades of blue of the ice against the beautiful blue sky.

What’s working for us…

We've been trying new recipes that are:
=> part of the Five in a Row curriculum that Olivia is doing;
=> from the Eating Your Way through the U.S.A. that's part of the Cantering the Country curriculum that both the girls are doing; and
=> from Japan and Korea and tie into the Eastern hemisphere curriculum that Sophia is doing through Sonlight.

A Japanese salad that we made.

Things I’m working on…

I am filing everything in my office that I hadn't since the holidays began back in November. November 17- January 18 marks the busiest time of the year with:

=> the anniversary of Olivia's and Sophia's adoption days (November 17th and November 26th respectively)
=> Thanksgiving
=> St. Nicholas Day
=> St. Lucia Day
=> Las Posadas
=> Christmas Eve
=> Christmas Day
=> Sophia's birthday
=> New Year's Day
=> Olivia's birthday

This time period also included the one year anniversary of my father's death (January 5th), and Gretel dying unexpectedly (January 12th). Needless to say, it is a bittersweet time with the excitement and happiness of the various holidays and special days...mixed with the sadness of death, loss, and grief.

So, now that all these days and the business of this time period has passed, I finally have everything filed and now can begin working on taxes. My goal is to have everything to the CPA by February 10th.

I'm reading...

A variety of books for the spiritual growth program I'm doing at church. The focus for the past and upcoming weeks is on Buddhism, so I have read some interesting books including It's Easier than You Think - The Buddhist Way to Happiness by Sylvia Boorstein and Lovingkindness - The Revolutionary Art of Happiness by Sharon Salzberg.

The next subject is transcendentalism and two books I that I'll be reading are American Transcendentalism by Philip Gura and Searching for Thoreau - On the Trails and Shores of Wild New England by Tom Slayton.

I’m cooking…

Olivia said she wanted a "tiger cake" for her birthday, so the picture below shows what I came up with.

Tiger cake that I made.

I also have been trying to use up what is in the cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer in an effort to transition to a real foods/whole foods diet. Basically, the goal is to get away from processed food; and make all the meals from scratch using ingredients that are pronounceable and don't contain chemicals.

The last time that I went shopping, the majority of the food that I purchased had one ingredient listed on the ingredient list which is what I aiming for (e.g., olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, raisins, black beans).

I’m grateful for...

Getting through the cold weather. Seeing -16F as the temperature and -30F to -40F for windchill temperatures is not my idea of good weather.

It was particularly difficult on Bailey and Hoss (the pony and miniature horse) even though they have the barn to be in to escape the bone-chilling wind.

Bailey's eye and forelock.

The extra hay, grain, and fresh water - as well as extra layers of wood chips for bedding - got them through this challenging weather.

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

"Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty." (Albert Einstein)

3 in 30 - Update #3

This month for the 3 in 30 challenge I'm working on the following three goals:

1. Start working on and continue hobbies:

- Try at least one new recipe per week. 

This week we tried a few new recipes:

=> Cheesy Garlic Rolls - from Eat Your Way through the U.S.A. We are studying about Wisconsin now and this is one of the recipes that tie into the state's culinary tastes. Both the girls made the rolls. These were very good - especially hot out of the oven.

=> Carrot Cake - from Eat Your Way through the U.S.A. We are studying about Wisconsin now and this is one of the recipes that tie into the state's culinary tastes. Olivia made the cake, and it turned out great. With three cups of grated carrots, it had a lot more carrots than other carrot cake recipes we've tried.

=> Tangerine and Watercress Salad - this is a Japanese recipe and ties into Sophia's study on the Eastern Hemisphere. Sophia made the salad (with a blend of lettuces rather than watercress) as well as the dressing. It was a healthy and refreshing addition to our dinner.

=> Oatmeal Scones - this recipe came from Wabibito (an e-magazine that I reviewed). We enjoyed having the scones for breakfast.

=> Buttermilk Cornbread - this is recipe from Olivia's Five in a Row Cookbook and ties into the book When I was Young in the Mountains. This version of cornbread turned out a bit more crumbly than other recipes we have tried in the past. The flavor was good...it just was rather crumbly.

=> Korean Egg Casserole  - this is a recipe that Sophia tried to tie into her study of the Eastern Hemisphere. It is supposed to cook in a special pot on the stove, but we didn't have one so we baked it in the oven and then in the microwave instead. It took much longer to cook and get the eggs to be firm and water to evaporate.

We've never made egg casserole with zucchini so this was an interesting difference - and healthier - change from other egg bakes that we've made. There were also scallion, red pepper, and onion in the egg casserole. The flavor was very good, and we enjoyed the egg casserole for breakfast.

- Write in my nature journal at least once a week.

I did a back-entry for January 8th about a walk I took with Gretel and Montague. This was important for me to do because Gretel died unexpectedly on January 12th from (most likely) a heart attack. She would have been five years old on January 23rd.

It was the last walk we took together, and it was such a wonderful one. She had a great time exploring a new trail - running eagerly from side to side of the trail and sniffing new scents. Her enthusiasm and excitement during the walk never waned. It was a walk I will always fondly remember.

I also wrote in my journal on January 15th about bird migration. Sophia, Olivia, and I watched Winged Migration as well as read  How Do Birds Find their Way. We each wrote and illustrated things that we found interesting about bird migration.

I now have three entries in my nature journal for January, so I am right on schedule with this goal.

- Continue keeping some form of a daily/weekly journal.

I have continued to write two pages each day in my Artist's Way journal. This has been very helpful to do given that it was the one year anniversary of my father's death on January 5th and Gretel died on January 12th. Lots of things to process and think about...and writing helps me clear my mind so I can focus on other things during the day.

- Grow African violets. Get first one on the anniversary of Dad’s death.

I completed this goal during the first week of January; and have been enjoying caring for the three African violet plants.

2. Do 4 interesting and/or memorable homeschooling activities this month that aren't part of the core curriculum.

=> See the Terracotta Warriors exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. 

During the second week of January, Sophia, Olivia, and I went to see the Terracotta Warriors exhibit. I wrote about that last week. (Please go HERE to see pictures from the exhibit.)

=> Watch one movie from the American Film Institute's Top 100 Funny Movies.

I ended up watching this movie by myself. I think this goal is a more personal one versus a homeschooling one. So I have changed this goal with another one (listed below).

I enjoyed this movie (which was in black and white); and laughing throughout it. I needed to watch something funny after a particularly difficult weekend.

=> Watch one movie that has received an Academy Award for Best Picture.

I am still waiting to receive this movie from the library. It is coming from a library from outside the county in which I live, so it is taking a bit longer than normal.

As with Some Like It Hot, I think this is more of a personal goal versus homeschooling goal. I rather focus on active, hands-on activities that are more memorable for the girls versus a passive activity (like watching a movie). Therefore, I added another activity below in replacement for this one.

=> Visit the ice castle at Mall of America.

We visited the ice castle at the Mall of America today - January 18th - for Olivia's 10th birthday.

The sun behind some thin clouds 

with the ice castle below it.

This is something that she wanted to do this month, and we couldn't have asked for a better day to see the ice castle.

Sophia and Olivia by one of the ice sculptures.

It was a beautiful, warm day outside (39 degrees); and was wonderful for spending time outdoors to explore the ice castle.

The girls are sitting in a miniature ice cave.

We learned about how the sun affects the colors of the ice and how the different shades of blue and aqua in the ice are a result of the sun on various thicknesses of ice.

Looking up towards the sky.

It was fun to go through the different passageways and see the ice formations tower over our heads.

Sophia and Olivia in one of the passageways.

Although the ice castle wasn't a "castle" in the sense that one may envision a castle, it nonetheless was a very interesting trip and fascinating to see the way water freezes and melts to create unique sculptures.

A wall of ice.

While we were at the Mall of America, the girls went on a couple of rides, checked out the new doll of the year at the American Girl store, and had lunch.

That's a big hot air balloon for a doll.

Saige - the new American Girl doll of the year - is in the basket.

We also stopped by the Lego store so they could take a look at the giant Lego sculptures as well as the wall of Legos.

The girls standing by the wall of Legos.

You can reach in each bin and take as many as you want.

 => Visit Richardson Nature Center. 

We went to the nature center on January 18th since Olivia enjoys wildlife and it is her birthday.

Olivia by a tank with two turtles in it.

We enjoyed seeing the snakes, turtles, toad, barred owl, and red-tailed hawk. We sat in room that had a wall of windows that overlooked many feeders and feeders. There were so many birds and squirrels that we watched while we sat in the chairs there.

A woodpecker was one of the many birds 

that we saw at the nature center.

=> Go swimming in an indoor pool.

Both the girls enjoy swimming, and with the weather so cold outside indoor pools are the only place in Minnesota where they can swim at this time of the year. We'll be going swimming on January 19th.

3. Volunteer with seniors twice during January.

The care center where we will be volunteering had an isolation in force during the first half of January. There was a flu outbreak there, and so they were restricting the number of visitors and volunteers during this time period.

I talked with the Volunteer Coordinator after the isolation was lifted, and we are set up to volunteer twice during February - the 9th and 16th - doing baking one day and painting on another.

The remaining two Saturdays in January are booked for us, so we are unable to volunteer this month. Trying to volunteer during the week - at this point - may be a possibility...but it would be a last-minute decision based on everyone's energy level and schedule.

So, in lieu of actually volunteering with seniors, we will be planning our two sessions in February.

Also, we will make some table and/or window decorations for the 9th.

Origami boats with felt sails that are filled with candy hearts.

These table decorations I made back in 2008.

We may make some to bring to the care center on the 9th.

We are doing a pre-Valentine's Day theme on February 9th, so all the decorations will be pink and red.

Red and pink window star that I made for Valentine's Day 2012.

I'm thinking of making window stars in a variety of patterns 

for the care center.

We also will be determining what painting projects we'll be doing on the 16th. We will create examples to show the seniors so they can choose what they want to do that day.