Happy 2012!

I’ve had a big year and gave myself a break from blog reading and blog posting. Last August, we began our homeschooling adventure and today we said “good-bye” to the 2010-2011 school year. I thought giving the kids school t-shirts would be the perfect souvenir (funny, they never cared much for getting a t-shirt at their “real” school). A few months back, they had created the perfect mascot…the Shackelbird. I KNEW we had to do something with their designs and tucked them away. I’m so glad I remember where I kept them!

Each “bird” was designed by each kid and shown in birth order. Cute, huh? The only thing, my kids are wondering where mine is!

Here’s a photo of the kids from August! My, have they grown!

So what did I learn this year?

I really like my kids! I like being with them, they are always forgiving and grateful, eager to please and dedicated to complete their tasks.

Sounds perfect, huh? Well, it is not always. BUT this is what I have learned about my children’s potential while being with them for more concentrated times. I am certainly not the perfect mother and I know for sure I am not a perfect homeschooling mother. Thank goodness for grace and mercy from my loved ones.

We certainly had our moments of frustration, tears, and anger. But in light of that, we have learned to work with one another and not just tolerate one another’s presence.

What did I learn about Ellie? She has the confidence and will to tackle some pretty tough subjects. I am amazed with her ability to teach herself Algebra 1 and do really well. She also taught herself to knit. With some basic instruction from friends, she really took off and has made quite a few lovely things. Thank goodness for the library and the piles of knitting books that took over the floor of her room!!

She also joined a Teen Literature Group. This group read books that most adults read in high school, college, or NOW. She plowed through and I am so proud of her. Another big thing, she tried out for the local youth symphony and got in! I think it takes guts to play in front of people you don’t know, could you do it?

I also learned that she likes a messy room, needs to be nagged to practice the violin and prefers to sleep in late! Heh.

What did I learn about Simon?

My only son is the most focused, determined child I know. Homeschooling was the perfect fit for him! Although he enjoys the social aspects of a traditional classroom, he is so much happier being able to read books that interest him and not feel the pressure to perform. He exceeded my expectations!

I appreciated Simon’s new found interest to narrate all the reading assignments he had on a daily basis. I never had a question whether he was comprehending any of the books assigned! This is the beauty of homeschooling, adjusting to fit your child’s way to learn. He felt overwhelmed in the past to regurgitate information by answering questions, now he just has long discussions with me…:)

I am really proud of my Si. He still kept connected with kids from his school, continued on his soccer team and made new friends at the enrichment classes he attended.

What did I learn about Penny?

What can I say? Teaching a 1st grader is challenging!! I applaud all those mothers that have homeschooled all of their children from Kindergarten and on…I only had Penelope to focus on and that is enough!

We DID have a great year. And 1st grade is a BIG YEAR for crying out loud…you are learning to REALLY READ!! I am proud of her. I emphasized to her today, in fact, what a huge achievement she has accomplished. It’s not always easy to remember all of the “rules of reading” and she did it…whew.

I also learned that she is a lover of Michael Jackson music and will dance her heart out. She also LOVES animals, drawing animals and claiming that she is 1/2 dog. I love this kid.

What did my kids learn about me?

I can be flexible, but still need to work on it sometimes…
I am human.
I love them.
I cry with frustration.
I am PROUD of them.
I love to learn with them.

I am so very happy with our life.

Are we going to do this crazy homeschooling thing again next year? Yep.

Ellie and Simon are independent in their learning, I’ve mentioned this in previous posts. Of course I check in with them and make sure they are on track and we read a lot aloud together. I really love this kind of learning. It’s building their confidence, a huge motivator, and they are encouraged to digest new information on their own without a lot of busy work. I’m amazed with what they have achieved.

Penny, on the other hand is a different story. She is my 1st grader. I know for some people, they are fine with kids at that age playing, creating and exploring the world around them. It’s tough for her. She has 2 older siblings working on their own and a mother that is a bit of a “task master” (ahem). This week I have honestly felt like a failure. I have asked myself “what am I doing wrong?!?!”. Penny is getting a lot of concepts, reading fairly well and eager to learn. BUT, all of the things she is not “getting” seems more amplified than usual. That’s when I began to question myself.

Not question our decision to homeschool, but sort of checking in to make sure that I’m doing the best for my child. And that’s what I realized, I wasn’t doing the best. Sure, if she were in a classroom environment my demands and expectations would be acceptable. But when I began to hear her say words like “I am dumb…stupid…failure”, I had the sobering realization that I contributed to this attitude. I was bent on getting lessons DONE. COMPLETE. FINISHED. I was still living in the classroom environment and not fully embracing our home school with Penny. There’s a lot of pressure to teach your kid to read, write, and math. But the pressure I NEED to feel is that my girl has confidence, feels love and taps into her creative heart.

So after our third day of tears and grief, I shut the school books and told her we were finished for the day. She was very disheartened by this, which made me realize that I had her trained to check off her list. After I suggested she help me with making homemade pasta sauce and meatballs, she was my eager and happy student again.

She learned that onions, garlic and butter smell heavenly when cooked together. The addition of tomatoes and balsamic vinegar makes the whole project irresistible!

Her hand on the hip cracked me up. She was working hard!

She also learned that waiting for sauce to simmer is not a bad time to finish up math work. Penny also is diligent in sending me love messages on her work every day. I swear should would do this if she were enrolled in a school too, this girl is full of love!

Another important lesson we learned during our project is that rosemary smells like pine needles and oregano has a questionable fragrance. She learned that blending meat, herbs, crackers and egg is the job of a little a girl for only a bit…then mom needs to take over and squish everything together with her hands!

And at the end of the day, when we work together a beautiful thing will happen…lessons learned and this mother is humbled by her sweet daughter.

The above shot is with a 3rd grade Ellie, kindergarten Simon and a 3 year old pre-school Penny. Really, they have GROWN THAT quickly? Good grief.

Next shot is a 4th grade Ellie, 2nd grade Si and a 4 year old home with Mom preschooler…yours have grown too, huh?

Do we want to get really depressed? Ellie- 6th grade, Simon- 3rd, and Penny- kinder.

This year, I present to you my 7th, 4th and 1st grader! We took a different turn this year and have planned to homeschool.

Let me introduce the students:

Ellie: avid reader, independent, responsible, mostly sweet and apparently good in math (Algebra 1, really?)

Simon: loves checking things off a list, full of facts, my constant helper

Penny: keeps up with the older kids, starting to read really well, and my fellow trampoline partner

I hope to update KIDDING AROUND as much as possible. I’m not sure what the content will be, but I imagine a lot of our adventures in homeschooling will be included. I’m starting off slowly and trying to avoid burnout before Christmas. I DO know this, I feel really happy and content and my kids seem to feel the same- which makes me happy beyond measure.

I feel like there is so much to update! Summer! Trip to NYC! Why we are homeschooling! Pitchfork Music Festival! Garden! Where do I begin!?

I can’t believe we have been out one week of school! We have eased into our summer days nicely (though I still have the same work schedule!) and have made ourselves decompress- not expecting a whole lot of the day, but just relaxation and fun.

This year, I decided not to sign up the kids for any activities. I found myself banging my head against the wall juggling work, kids activities and general home management. I also found myself dragging someone out of bed for a class THEY HAD TO DO and promised myself “never again”. I do suspect I MAY regret this, but we are already busy with day trips, summer camp, World Cup and visiting family. I’ll report at the end of summer. Wish me luck.

Posted above is a shot of my three kids soon to go into 7th, 4th and 1st grade. The biggest announcement around the Shack house is that we have decided to homeschool all 3! This Spring we have been going through some testing (lots of questions were answered!) with one of my kids and I felt a huge conviction that what they needed is a break…and so all 3 are along for the ride. My husband was homeschooled and we have always felt that this could be an option one day. I never felt a real conviction or desire to homeschool until this year…I’m excited.

Hopefully, I will post more regularly- there’s so much going on! I’ll be going to New York City in 10 days and will be sure to share shots of my adventure. Oh, and it’s our 15 year wedding anniversary this Thursday too…there has to be a tribute post sometime. And my garden is doing well, not fantastic, but it’s not summer without garden shots. BUT THE BIGGEST THIS THING IS THAT I am still out of a computer and I’m using a PC I don’t know how to use or don’t like to use (probably the latter). Someone needs to send me an iPAD.

Happy Summer!

Last week I hosted bookclub.

Every year I remind myself to keep it simple and just buy some cheese and call it a day.

Well, then I start scheming in my mind and start scouring my cookbooks and Epicurious and I changed my plan! It’s not like I entertain routinely…I’m not sewing…I NEED TO DO SOMETHING CREATIVELY…and on goes my justification.

SO what did I serve?

Corn fritters with chili lime mayo.

Carmelized onion dip with blue cheese (served it with vegetables…broccoli from our garden!)

Edamame and Arugula Crositini (photo above)

Cheese Straws (from Smitten Kitchen)

Ice Box Cupcakes (from Smitten Kitchen)

I have to say, it was all so delicious and totally enjoyable to prepare all these treats. Now next year, just chips and salsa…’cause everyone likes that, right? Maybe I’ll add a trilogy of homemade salsas, make my own chips…uh oh…

I thought I would share with you all one of my very favorite ways to use up all the pie dough scraps. They are so easy to make and it totally makes my family go wild when they see me braiding up strips of pie dough.

So, after trimming your pie, gather up the scraps and create a rectangular shape. Roll it out fairly thin (the bigger you roll it out, the more twists you get!)

Now this may drive some of you nuts, but I eyeball rectangles and cut them out (2″x5or6″? you can make them bigger, of course depending how much dough you have on hand.)

Then just create 2 slits, evenly cut and braid like you would on someone’s hair…that’s why I call them “Ellie braids”, they remind me so much of her cute piggy tails she wore daily when she was younger.

Now just sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, I also like to add a touch of nutmeg and bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes. Eat warm or let them cool and drizzle a powdered sugar frosting.

So now you all know I am serious with my pie twists. What started it?

When Nathan and I were first married and lived in Whittier, CA I frequented a local bakery that made THE BEST TWISTS EVER. They would sell out pretty quick and I would seriously be totally disappointed if I couldn’t get one- I know, really…there are other things to attach such disappointment to that needs attention, but you know…

After Ellie’s birth, I used her as an excuse to watch the cake decorating lady. Fun for Ellie to watch and I could get my fill of twists as well. When we moved, I was heartsick- I know I know I know.

So now, each Thanksgiving after we make dozens of homemade pies at Moveable Feast, I have the honor of making twists for the staff and to sell. It’s a fun tradition and many can relate to their Grandmas “never wasting” and making these delectable treats.

When you make a pie next, try these twists. Heck, make pie dough and just create a bunch of twists- that’s what my family hopes I do!

I know school is not starting for another 5 weeks, but man, summer is speeding by and I feel a little out of control…and did you see Target? Back to school supplies! Ellie’s eyes were as big as saucers when she was checking out the notebooks. I would love to make a bunch for this upcoming school year. Not only wraps for sandwiches, but maybe pouches for pretzels and cookies. Thankfully my kids are pretty used to me sending them to school with food in other things besides plastic bags.

ANYWAY, what are your thoughts on using PVC/vinyl coated fabric? I have read this site’s information…I’m not overly nutty about that sort of stuff (maybe I should be). But I am nutty about wasting water, using a trillion plastic bags, and leaving lights on…

Okay, thanks for your help. On with summer living!

Currently, my favorite meal to make is this delicious pizza…homemade crust, pesto made with basil from my garden, goat cheese, red onion and a nice topping of arugula (also from my garden) with a bit of olive oil…be sure to add the arugula AFTER baking the pizza.

Summer is speeding by, isn’t it?