Cleaning out the Fridge

It all started with a watermelon. This past weekend, I bought a large watermelon at the grocery store. They were all the same price, no matter the size, so I figured I'd get a big one. The only problem was, I didn't have room in my refrigerator for the thing once I got it home. It sat on my kitchen counter for a couple days before I worked up the energy to tackle the necessary task: cleaning out the fridge.

Yesterday, armed with the appropriate supplies, and with the kitchen trash can nearby, I began my work. Why did I have three half-empty jars of  raspberry jam on the top shelf? I pulled them out, made some raspberry vinaigrette (you'll find the recipe in my post, Dressing Up a Simple Salad), then consolidated the remaining jam into one jar. As I worked through the refrigerator, I found a pomegranate that had been hiding in the back since December! It looked a little shriveled, but I decided to open it up and see what was inside. Surprisingly, the thing still appeared to be good, so I removed the arils from the fruit and put them in a container to use later.

I wiped down the shelves as I sorted through bottles and jars, storage containers filled with leftovers, multiple packages of cheese, and lots of fruits and veggies. I must confess, I did find a few items that were obviously beyond their prime -- produce that had seen better days, and a sandwich bag containing a mysterious substance that I didn't recognize. But the end result of my effort was a clean, organized refrigerator that actually had room for that giant watermelon.

I rewarded myself with a delicious salad for lunch: romaine lettuce and spinach, Vidalia onions, sliced radishes, slivered carrots, and a few tiny broccoli and cauliflower florets. I sprinkled on a couple dried cranberries, and topped it off with pomegranate arils, candied walnuts (recipe to be found in Dressing Up a Simple Salad) and crumbled goat cheese (where has this delicious cheese been all my life?). A little raspberry vinaigrette made my salad taste just like something one would get at a fancy restaurant.

And today, I will enjoy that delicious watermelon!

Count Your Blessings

When I was about seven years old, one of my little friends moved away. I don't know where she moved, but it was sad to see her go. We wondered who would move into the house. Would there be any kids to play with? It didn't take long to find out. Soon a big moving van drove up to the vacant house and the movers began carrying furniture into the empty rooms. And then I saw it -- a beautiful black baby grand piano! I had never seen such a thing in real life. And, it seemed, the owner of the instrument taught piano lessons! I have always loved music, and my post, Music Notes, gives a little insight to the blessing that music has brought to my life. And so I began to take piano lessons.

Mrs. Clinton was a little old lady (at least she seemed old to me at the time!) who loved music. As soon as she moved into her new house, she put a sign in the front window that said Piano Lessons. The sign stayed there for a week or two, and then it disappeared. Apparently, she had been informed by the authorities that, because of zoning restrictions, placing such an advertisement in her window was prohibited. But enough people had seen it by then to bring her the students she was seeking.

I studied with her for about a year before taking up the flute. Her year-end recital was held at her house, and featured beginning students as well as some who were quite advanced. I played my little piece, A Waltz for Judy, and enjoyed the other students' performances. Then refreshments were served, and my teacher gave me a tiny piano pin as a memento of the occasion.

I don't remember much about those piano lessons, but I do remember the day I played a duet with her, the hymn Count Your Blessings. As we played the beloved song, she sang at the top of her lungs -- obviously, it was one of her favorites. And to this day, every time we sing that hymn in church, I think of that little old lady sitting by my side at the piano, playing and singing these words that meant so much to her:

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God has done;

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

A Homeschool Journey, Part 14: Graduation

In my last post of this series, A Homeschool Journey, Part 13: Extracurriculars, I described some of the extracurricular activities in which our children participated. Homeschooling gave us the time and the freedom to explore so many things that we otherwise would not have experienced. At times, it was a challenge getting all the kids to their respective activities. We became experts in logistics and time management and used to laugh when people with one or two children would complain about their busy schedules! But somehow we managed. When people would ask us how we did it, I would simply answer, "Only by the grace of God!"

Eventually, the inevitable happened: the kids grew up. They studied diligently for college entrance exams and began taking the PSAT every year, beginning in 9th grade. I made arrangements at a local Christian school for them to take the test when October rolled around. The cost of the test was minimal, and it gave each child experience in taking the test in a classroom setting. By the time they took the SAT, they were comfortable with the environment and prepared for the challenge. Each of them did well and took the test multiple times, if necessary, to achieve the highest score they could.

Meanwhile, our role as parents became that of guidance counselor and school principal. As such, it was our responsibility to prepare transcripts for college applications. We had to find out the requirements for homeschooled students to apply for college and fill out the necessary paperwork for scholarships.  We had to get the documentation needed from the school district to prove that our children were legally registered as homeschooled students.Two of our children needed a full list of course descriptions, with materials used, for their applications. One of our children encountered an uninformed university admissions director who insisted that every student must have a state-issued high school diploma in order to gain admittance. Apparently, that particular school had never had a homeschooled applicant. After my husband educated them about the state law and statistics about the success of homeschooled students, the university changed their outdated policy. Our daughter was accepted to their honors program and was even invited to dinner and a lecture by Desmond Tutu. In the end, she chose another school to attend, but hopefully our advocacy has opened the doors for other homeschool graduates to study at that institution.

Every one of our children was accepted to the school of his or her choice. And they all received scholarships to help with expenses. As each child graduated from our home school, we sent out graduation announcements and celebrated with a party and a beautiful diploma. Each diploma was graced with the following verse, the reason we started the journey in the first place:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. 

Proverbs 9:10 (KJV)

And so we come to the end of the journey. Twenty-three years it took, from beginning to end. We had ups and downs, laughter and tears, challenges and triumphs. But in the end, it was all worth it. And as each child steps out into the world to make his or her own way, I pray that this will always come to mind:

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

 I Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)

A Homeschool Journey, Part 13: Extracurriculars

I mentioned in the last post of this series, Beyond the Elementary Years that extracurricular activities were a big part of our life. These pursuits served several purposes. First, they provided an opportunity for our children to be with other kids their age, and gave them experience with people of all ages. Second, extracurriculars were a means of exploring interests and participating in group activities that we simply couldn't do at home. And third, extracurricular activities enriched our children's learning experience with skills and opportunities that helped prepare them for success in life. Some of these activities were quite expensive; others cost less. All of them were worth the sacrifice in time and money.

First of all, there was church. Our kids went to church on Sunday morning, Sunday evening and, whenever possible, Wednesday evening. Here they attended Sunday School, Bible Club, and worship services. They learned to participate in worship from an early age and, as they got older, used their talents to serve the Lord -- singing in choir, running the sound system, helping with Vacation Bible School, or serving as ushers. They made friends, learned about the Bible, and had fun!

Our girls took ballet, beginning at age five. They didn't attend a recital school, where time was spent learning dances to be performed in costumes purchased by the parents. The schools they went to were serious schools of classical ballet. They started with one class on Saturday mornings, but as they got older and more advanced, they were attending class more and more frequently. They danced in a beautiful production of The Nutcracker each year (see my post The Nutcracker Years), and attended summer intensives with major ballet companies in other cities. They studied with master teachers who trained many of today's principal dancers in professional companies around the world. And they met, and danced with, some of those dancers. The girls learned grace and confidence, artistry and discipline, while developing strong bodies. Ballet may look like a delicate art, but those dancers have some serious muscles!

Our oldest son studied fencing for many years. It all started with an interest in King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table. When he found out that "sword fighting" was actually a sport, his eyes lit up. Just about that time, we saw an advertisement in our local homeschool support group's newsletter for fencing classes. Naturally, we decided to investigate this activity and, after a class or two, he was hooked. He competed in a few local tournaments and did well. Then we met a former Olympic coach, who took an interest in him and agreed to teach him privately. This eventually led to us opening our own fencing academy, where our other kids learned the sport as well, with people of all ages. Our son competed in more tournaments, and participated in several national competitions. He even spent one summer in Atlanta, Georgia, studying with fencers from the U.S. Olympic team. Fencing taught our son discipline, focus, and confidence.

All three of our boys participated in Boy Scouts. The oldest didn't start until he was in 6th grade, but the two youngest ones started with Tiger Scouts and went the whole way through high school. One of the boys even attained the rank of Eagle Scout. They went camping every month, learning important skills and a love of the outdoors. Each year they participated in the Barefoot Mailman hike -- a 35-mile trek along the beach, commemorating the route of 19th-century mail carriers in South Florida. They learned to train for physical exertion, to pack only what was necessary, and to endure hardship. And they learned the sense of accomplishment that comes with achieving a goal. Boy Scouts taught them patriotism. It taught them to serve others. And it taught them leadership.

Two of our children were exceptionally talented, artistically. They enjoyed drawing and crafts from an early age and, even though I had some training in art myself, we thought they might enjoy taking art classes. After a little research, I found out about classes at our local art museum. So every Saturday morning, for eight years, we took them downtown for lessons in drawing and painting, taught by master teachers. They learned drawing and oil paining from life, rather than photographs -- still life, landscapes, and figure drawing from live nude models (yes, in high school!). And at the end of each class, the students would critique each other's work -- as they do in college and graduate school. They spent their summers working in top-notch studios, learning from expert teachers. And when our daughter went to college, she had a summer job as a teaching assistant in the school where she had learned from the best. Those teachers have, since then, established a new school, FAT Village Center for the Arts, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in serious art instruction.

For our military-minded child, we got involved in the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps. Click on the link to see a promotional video, and you may catch a glimpse of our son! In Sea Cadets, our son gained military knowledge and had many adventures. He attended USNSCC Recruit Training, and traveled to other states for advanced training, such as field operations, master-at-arms training, and Petty Officer Leadership Academy. He learned fire fighting and damage control, marksmanship, land navigation, SCUBA, and survival skills. He trained with the Coast Guard, flew in a Black Hawk, and spent a weekend sailing from Norfolk, Virginia to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on the USS Iwo Jima. And the list goes on! As he progressed in rank, he was given more responsibility until he was leading his division of over 100 cadets. In Sea Cadets, our son developed his natural gift for leadership. He learned how to more effectively interact with others. But most important, he learned the true meaning of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.

Our children participated in other activities outside of "school", but these were the ones that impacted their lives the most. They truly enriched our homeschooling experience.

Stay tuned for my final post of A Homeschool Journey!







.

Hello Summer!

This morning I woke up to see these lovely little rain lilies cheerfully blooming -- the summer rains have begun! As another school year comes to a close, it's time to think about my plans for the next few months. Every year, I make a list of projects I hope to complete. And every year, the summer flies by with only a few things checked off. But if I don't make any plans at all, then nothing will get done! At least this way, I will (hopefully) accomplish something, and have some fun, too! So without further ado, here is a list of ideas I have for summer:

• Revisit the list I made back in September in my post, Come Along With Me. Now that berries are in season and more reasonably priced, perhaps I'll try making those mini fruit tarts!
• Lose ten pounds. Last week I started working on this, as described in my post, Going on a Diet. I found the four-day jumpstart very difficult to do this time. The first time I did it, I was pretty run down by the last day. But this time, I had absolutely no energy and just felt drained the first three days. By the fourth day, I was feeling a little better. Perhaps part of the problem was eliminating caffeine  (I do like my coffee and tea!). I certainly wouldn't recommend doing this jumpstart when one has a lot of physical work to do! But I am happy to report that I lost 2 pounds during those four days. Now on to phase two!
• Start walking again. My husband and I used to walk 2 1/2 miles several days a week, but with his busy work schedule we haven't kept up with it lately. I suspect that has something to do with our weight gain. So now that school is out and he has more time, we want to get back into our exercise routine. 
• Finish tiling the master bathroom. This project was started last summer, and we just haven't gotten it finished yet. We are using larger tiles than we used in our guest bathroom, and they are heavier and harder to work with.  But if we keep plugging away at it, I am confident we can complete the job!
• Work on baking the perfect loaf of bread. This is something I have attempted from time to time and, for some reason, I usually do it in the summer. I know what I am aiming for -- a healthy, flavorful bread with a tender crumb and a crispy, but not hard, crust. I have made some delicious loaves, but I still haven't come up with that elusive ideal. I will be working with recipes from Peter Reinhart's books Artisan Breads Every Day: Fast and Easy Recipes for World-Class Breads, and The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread as well as In Search of the Perfect Loaf: A Home Baker's Odyssey by Samuel Fromartz. I may even look up Kathleen Weber's Della Fattoria Bread: 63 Foolproof Recipes for Yeasted, Enriched & Naturally Levened Breads, or Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery: Recipes for the Connoisseur. How can you eat bread while on a diet, you ask? The secret is in portion control -- plain and simple.
• Do something creative each day. Whether it's drawing, painting, sewing, or playing my flute, I would like to make art, even if it's only for 15 minutes (which may be all I can squeeze in after doing all these other things!). 
• Spend time with my sweet husband. He is my best friend and the love of my life. It's always nice to have him home for the summer!

This is certainly not a comprehensive list, but a sampling of what is on my agenda for summer. What plans do you have for the months to come?

A Homeschool Journey, Part 12: Beyond the Elementary Years

In my last installment of this series, Our Homeschool Grows, I shared our commitment to continue this journey through high school. The elementary years had flown by with our first child, and by this point, we had five children. As the oldest was going into seventh grade, the youngest was two. Some people refer to this as the "terrible twos", but I like to call it the "terrific twos". We always enjoyed our kids at this age. They were full of curiosity and fun! Be that as it may, it was a challenge to juggle everything. But the children had learned the routine and knew that they were to get started on independent studies, and I would work with each one individually in turn. We would go over their work, and rework any math problems they had missed. We would go over phonograms and spelling words, and any other assignments they had. About mid-morning, we took a break for a walk around the neighborhood and a snack. The littlest ones played while I worked with the older ones, but I made sure that I spent time with them, too. They were eager to "do school" like their older siblings, so we did special, age-appropriate activities together while the big kids did their math. After lunch, we would read stories on the sofa, and the little ones took naps.

As the children progressed, we gradually added more text books and more good literature to their curriculum. We knew what courses were required for college admittance, and we planned accordingly. Some of the books we used were geared to Christians, and some were secular. We used what we felt were the best materials available to teach the subject at hand. Even though our reason for homeschooling was largely based on religious convictions, we wanted our kids to get the best education we could provide. Sometimes, the books available from Christian publishers were just not the best. One chemistry book we tried went overboard with "Christianizing" its material, giving a gospel presentation right in the middle of an explanation of atomic structure. We scrapped that one and went with a secular book that proved to be a better choice. Our belief was that God created math and science, and we didn't feel it was necessary to teach addition by counting the disciples' sandals or how many jugs of water Jesus turned into wine!

Each child was different, and each had his or her own special interests, as well as difficulties. We made it our goal to encourage those interests and to help each child overcome challenges. So while some aspects of their education were the same, others were not. Adjustments were made in curriculum to meet their needs. And extracurricular activities were a big part of our life.

Next up: A Homeschool Journey, Part 13: Extracurriculars

Going on a Diet

About five or six years ago, my husband and I decided to go a diet. Too many chips and too little exercise had resulted in too many pounds. They had crept up on us slowly. And before we knew it our clothes were too tight, his back was bothering him, and walking up a flight of stairs was becoming increasingly strenuous for me. Something had to be done. So together, we resolved to lose the extra weight. That Christmas, before consuming a large dinner with all the fixings and a few Christmas cookies, I opened a gift from my husband: The Flat Belly Diet Cookbook by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass. We started on New Year's Day.

The first 65 pages explain the diet and how it works. In a nutshell, you eat three 400-calorie meals and one 400-calorie snack each day, making sure that you have "a MUFA with every meal". "MUFAs" are monounsaturated fatty acids -- those good-for-you, plant-based fats found in things like olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, legumes, and -- get this -- chocolate! The book has many delicious recipes, as well as helpful information like serving sizes and calorie counts. The authors start you out with a four day anti-bloat jumpstart, which does take some willpower to stick with. But after those first four days, in which we lost a few pounds to start the momentum, the food we ate didn't leave us feeling deprived at all. In fact, it was quite delicious, and healthy to boot! We changed our eating habits completely, and our efforts were successful. My husband gradually lost over 50 pounds, and I lost 15. We both achieved a healthy weight and started walking several times a week. My clothes fit me again, my husband's back stopped hurting, and he bought a whole new wardrobe in a size he hadn't worn since before I knew him. 

Lately, however, we have been careless in our eating, and we haven't gone walking much lately. Sometimes life just happens. As a result, the pounds have begun to sneak up on us again. Just a few, but enough for us to notice. On Friday I got all the groceries I need for the four day jumpstart (pictured above), and today we started with day one, determined to get back on track. It won't take us long to reach our goals, and this time I know we can do it! 

Come back again  for a progress report!