I Love To Cook

but from time to time I do need a break. Today I get one. Every Sunday evening we meet with our Life Group for Bible study and dinner. Last nights dinner was baked potatoes and chili. The thoughtful couple who provided the chili often thinks of us. They prepared a pot of delicious vegetarian chili along with the meat chili. There was plenty for us to eat last night and more than enough to bring home for today's dinner. To top it off, the family who provided the baked potatoes insisted that we bring home the leftover potatoes as they had many more at home.

Voila! Monday night dinner is served and my food for the week is stretched another day.

Yummy Roasted Veggies

I have discovered that vegetables I thought I really didn't like are actually among some of my favorites. It all comes down to preparation. Roasting brings out amazing flavor in so many vegetables. Root vegetables, like rutabaga and parsnips become sweeter and more mellow. Brussel sprouts, which I would not touch, are now edible. JJ actually begs for them. Asparagus was another that I avoided because it was always over cooked. I now love it so much that I eat it whenever I can fit it into the budget. Thus the reason for this post.

Yesterday I ran into Harris Teeter and discovered asparagus for $.99 per pound! This was amazing and boy was I glad to have an extra $3 in my pocket. The boys and I quickly scooped up 3 pounds and headed home. The question then became when to have it, and what else to serve. I remembered a head of cauliflower in the fridge and along with seasoned brown basmati rice, today's menu was decided. Cauliflower has always been a favorite of mine, but even more so now that I've discovered this recipe for Oven Roasted Cauliflower with Rosemary and Garlic.

This is so good! The first time I made it I didn't think it would make it to the dinner table because the boys were eating it from the pan like it was popcorn! Definitely give this recipe a try!

Looking for Some Sunshine

I'm just going to pretend that it hasn't been 6 months since I've posted anything here. Writing is not my strong suit, therefore blogging is work! Yet, I just had to share this cute picture I took of JJ this morning. This child loves sunshine and every chance he gets is spent trying to soak it up. Here, he has pulled the coffee table over to the patio door in order to be in the suns path while completing an assignment. I loved watching it, and thought I would share.

So, this got me to thinking about how the Son radiates his love to us all the time. We (I) don't have to look for a ray here or a spot there. The Son shines everywhere, he wants to illuminate all of the dark places in my life. In turn he wants us to be "the light of the world" as he tells us in Matthew 5:14. He doesn't want just any light though. What good is a light that is not lit? Jesus wants us to be lit and on display, bringing light to all those around us. So, let your light shine (5:15-16), you never know who might be looking for some Son shine.

The Vikings Have Landed!

While school officially began 2 weeks ago, today we began inquiring about the first European explorers to see North America. Yes, the vikings. From Norway to Iceland to Greenland and eventually to Vinland (Newfoundland) we mapped the voyages of Erik the Red and his son Leif Erikkson. While Leif seems to have been a good guy, his father and grandfather were quite the hotheads both having been exiled from their homelands for murder. Leif followed in their footsteps, not as a murderer but as one who sought new land to explore and settle. The boys were thrilled with the study of vikings since it led to the construction of weapons. Here you can see them making their very own viking shields.

And of course if you have a shield, you must have a sword. Here they are in battle.

Each with his own shield.

First Day Success

While summer is technically still here, summer vacation is officially over. Yesterday was our first day and we got the year started with a bang. I remember loving the first day of school...new outfit, new backpack, new crayons (I loved the crayola box with the sharpener), new lunch box...and I want my guys to have happy memories too.

We began the day, as usual with chores and breakfast. Chores come first because I am seeking to instill in my guys that if a man doesn't work, he doesn't eat. They have a tangible goal to reach and a time frame to work within. Next was the Pledge of Allegiance, Bible reading, a hymn and prayer. I then spent time with each one discussing our schedule, expectations, goals, behavior, attitude etc...

Next came the fun stuff. As I said, I like to give them something fun to remember. Last year we began with a study of the military, and the first 3 days were spent in boot camp. Well, this year we kicked off with a treasure hunt. I hid a few special items (cute pencils, pencil grippers, small dollar store toy, sports notebook, snack, $5 ChikFil-A gift card) around the apartment. I made up clues for them to follow and sent them on their way. They had a ball. Here they are with their loot.

They were so geared up that by this time they were ready for math drills. There was still extra loot, so for each correct answer they could choose another "prize" (erasers, pencils). Other than a little journaling and letter writing, the boys had not done much composition for awhile, so they each wrote a paragraph about their first day of school. My academic goals for the day included Bible (check), math (check) and writing(check). All of this before lunch!

Speaking of lunch, if you've read this blog before you know that food is very important to me. My kids are also inheriting this trait. First day festivities around here included a meal of their choosing. They had been asking for months to make paninis. IJ bought me a panini press for Christmas that had yet to be used. Why did I wait so long? If you don't know, a panini is really just a grilled cheese sandwich, however there is something about the use of that caste iron weight that makes the bread so absolutely golden and delicious! Take a look. This sandwich was made with roast turkey breast, provolone cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, salad greens and pesto (made with basil from our garden). Yummy!

What would the first day be without a picture of those happy faces, full of anticipation for all the wonderful knowledge to be gained? Here they are.

First day of 4th grade

First day of 2nd grade

If you've had your first "official" day of school for the year I would love to hear about it. I'm praying that all of you homeschoolers will have a great year of guiding and directing your children and that their hearts will be turned toward God.

Is it really?

Is it really the end of July already? Where has the summer gone? I will make no excuses for not blogging. Instead I'll take a line from my friend Stephanie who posted that she has been too busy living life to blog about it.

So, what have we been up to? Well, there's been swimming, summer movies, play dates, gardening, catching tad poles and fish, observing bird eggs until they hatched, a track meet and a weekend in Augusta, GA with J's family. I've done lots of reading and am now trying to get myself geared up for another year of learning and exploring with my guys.One of the nicest parts has been the lack of a schedule. Most of what we've done has been without planning. I've loved it! The best part has been that we've done it all as a family.

Hope your summer has been as good as ours!

No Bragging, Big Brother!

Music lyrics, movie lines, video game strategies and most certainly commercials are all so easily memorized and internalized by our kids. Yet there are some Bible class teachers and children's church leaders who don't give them enough credit for being able to learn and process scripture. They need to play, do crafts, sing and dance. That's just how kids learn. Well, I beg to differ. We are creating another generation of kids with the inability to sit and think without having 5 different things to "stimulate" their senses. When will they learn scripture? When they are teens? Young adults? By then their hearts no longer belong to us and they most certainly do not belong to God because they have no real knowledge of him.

J and I do not rely on others to teach our children scripture. That is our job. Deuteronomy 6 tells us

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Why is this on my mind today? Well, yesterday IJ was doing a bit of bragging about getting something right. JJ recognized it for what it was and called him on it. Did he yell at him or tell him to stop? No, he attempted to read Proverbs 16:18 to his brother.

Pride goes before destruction,a haughty spirit before a fall.

Now it had been at least a month since he read this verse, yet he remembered it and knew how to apply it. My 7 year old did as Paul did to Peter in Galations 2. He confronted him with his clearly wrong behavior, in love. We need to give our children credit for wanting to know what's right and more importantly we need to give God's word credit for convicting them just like it does us.