Teaching Tuesdays

I don't have any fun pictures to post but I did want to make mention of one monumental accomplishment.  Just yesterday we got through all of the days lessons for both boys before lunch.  That is huge.  For real.  I'm not dwelling on the fact that both boys had simple review lessons, a quiz and a test . . .we still got it all done in the morning.  The rest of the week may be a different story but hey, I'll take what I can get HA!

We are having fun with some other things related to school.

1) The Library is a huge hit.  "Little's University" is a great break for the boys where they get to listen to a story, do a craft, play on computers, and pick out books.  I have to say that this time is my favorite time because it is relaxed and involves all of us together.

2)  Josh has had quite a few live lessons and he loves them.  Live Lessons are lessons taught by his on-line teacher where he is part of a "classroom".  We watch them Live and Josh is able to participate by asking or answering questions and taking part in group activities.  Nate is anxiously awaiting when his Live Lessons will start too! 

3) Gymnastics and Tao Kwan Do are going well.  The boys surprise me with how much they remember from each of the classes.  The good thing is that between these two activities each week, they both meet their 90 minutes of exercise a week requirement for PE.  Don't get me wrong, they are also outside playing, going for bike rides and do other activities but having those specific things to track makes my "job" easier :-)

And there are some things I'm still learning, changing, and figuring out how to make work:

1) I am figuring out when and where to take short cuts in lessons.  Don't take that wrong - I'm just figuring out things like, Art, for example - we don't have to make every suggested craft/art piece each week.  I'd go broke buying the supplies.  Instead, the boys love to just create so we do the lesson and then later while they are being crafty, I'll point out things that go along with their lessons. 

2) I'm still trying to find time to work on AWANA verses.  We used to do that as the very first lesson previously but now with Live Lessons that start at 9:00 three days a week, I'm finding it hard to fit in that extra item. 

3) As anxious as Nate is for his Live Lessons to start, I'm anxious for a different reason - his teacher has mentioned that he will have Live Lessons every day plus reading group and a writing lesson.  This could mean that both boys are on a computer at the same time and both will need lots of help  I'm hoping that Nate's lessons are at a different time but . . .then I'm kinda hoping they aren't.  At least if both boys are on the computers at the same time, we can move on to lessons as soon as they are done!

I'm hopeful that as we move into October that our routine will get better and easier to follow.  I have not thrown out this whole on-line school idea (yet HA) and surprised myself today when I actually had the fleeting thought of, "I can see how this could work when they are older". 

Make it Monday - Goals from September . .. that become Octobers Goals

So, I decided to copy and paste my goal past from the beginning of September to give us all a really good laugh at what I didn't accomplish!  Check out the info below :-) 

September means the official end of Summer, time for School to begin, and time to focus on finishing out the year strong with my goals.  It usually means cooler weather so I can get more done even though this coming week is being forecasted as "the hottest week of the summer".  Yikes!

Anyway - this is what is on my radar for the coming month:

1.  Sell My Stuff.  I mentioned in a previous post that I've given myself until the end of September to get the stuff I sorted out of the basement sold or it goes to Good Will.  I have about 6 bins of stuff plus about 5-8 bigger items to try and sell. I had good intentions. I even listed a couple of things and got zero response.  Then school started and I never made it back out to the garage to do a thing.  I need to take an upcoming Saturday and go through stuff.  I'm thinking of just taking stuff to "Once upon a Child" to see what I can get for it and be done with it.  I guess now I'm giving myself until the end of October to get it done HA!

2. Do the finishing clean-up in the basement.  This will get accomplished by doing #1 above, purchasing the last shelf I need to store bins (which I have the $ for thanks to selling some other stuff), and getting the last of the rubber floor mats for the boys room (again, I've already sold stuff so I have the $ for these as well! Whoo whoo!) So, this sounded good when I wrote it but it never happened.  Not one bit.  Lets try again in October.

3. Shelf by Shelf - This project I also mentioned previously.  It's so much easier to tackle one/two shelves a day.  I can clean the area (or empty the bin) and make sure everything either gets donated, trashed, or put in its rightful home in a matter of about 15 minutes.  It always amazes me how quickly things get cleaned out. A "shelf" doesn't really mean just a shelf - it's a drawer, cupboard, bin, etc.  I tend to "stash and dash" when I'm doing huge cleaning jobs like I did this summer with the basement so when I have random things, I pile them on a shelf (or shelves) and now, I can go through all of those items. I didn't do a single thing on this project.  Not. a. single. thing.  I'm gearing up to start this again.

4. Scrapbooking - It's time to really focus on one thing.  Getting current.  I will be ordering digital pages, working on current photos and making sure that I am 100% current ASAP.  I'm not even setting a specific goal for September at this point - more like I need to plan during the first week on how I'm going to do this and then just do it every day. Scrapbooking?  What's that? HA!

5.  Birthday's and Christmas - With two birthdays and Christmas coming so close together I have to plan now.  I need to order the boys birthday shirts this month.  Plan what we will do for their birthdays, make gift lists for both birthday and Christmas and plan ahead for all things.  There are always Christmas activities we would like to do so I want to make sure that i plan then now so our family takes priority over other things! Ok, I did actually do something!  I ordered Josh's shirt.  That's it.  Time to plan, plan and plan some more!

6 The Outside.  Our yard has been neglected this year.  Right now, the grass is long because we have a huge underground wasp nest we are dealing with.  Darryl got swarmed not long ago while mowing and ended up with a pretty severe infection in both legs from the stings so he isn't too keen on mowing until the wasps are gone.  Planting new flowers wasn't high on my list because there were other things I wanted to spend our money on (like camping) but, it's time to weed and trim stuff back to get ready for fall.  This will happen closer to the end of the month but it still needs done.  Also, the pool will come down this month and we plan to do a small fire "pit" in the pool area since the grass is dead anyway (we did that this past spring too).  I might also try to get some bulbs to plant this fall - we planted some tulips last fall and it was fun watching them come up this spring. Ok, the pool is down.  I did clean out one flower bed and still have lots more to do.

7.  The windows.  Yep they get their own category HA!  Darryl and I work together on this project since I'm not tall enough to wash the outside windows even wtih a ladder.  He does the outside while I clean the insides and spray down the screens.  It really doesn't take that long, it is just a pain to do.  We'll also pull the A/C units out sometime this month and store those away. hahahahahahahaha

8.  Family Activities - I'd like to get to a zoo with the kids.  Nate requested this early this year but I like to wait until fall to avoid the heat!  We are also planning to camp one last time near the end of the month. We did camp.  I'm still trying to get to the zoo.

9. Planning - I've also started planning about what I want my theme word/focus to be next year.  It seems early, but it isn't.  I have an idea and want to research ways to actually implement the concept not only in my own life but that of our family too.  I have some other planning to do too - just taking time to write down some things/ideas/plans that I would like to accomplish not only for me but for/with the family too. Still thinking . .and thinking . . and thinking

10.  Financial goals - I'll be honest, the "no spend" concept in August didn't go as well.  I let it slide a few times and once it starts to slide it keeps sliding.  So, for September, I'm back to planning out our budget and not spending where we don't need to spend.  August was a much better month but we didn't end quite where we wanted to so I'm hopeful that September will put us back in the right spot.  I'm also doing lots of researching on ways to make just a little more income from home as the Munchkin will be in school full time. Time to start over again

I think that's all for the month.  Now to take this list and break it down into some daily tasks that can be accomplished around school :-)

Weekly Menu

Not a lot to say this week other than we are off to camp one last time this summer.  This wasn't a planned camping trip but after we camped in August we couldn't believe that we wouldn't go again before next year!  So, we tentatively planned to go and then waited to see if it would work out and it did! My goal is to make it as easy a trip as possible :-)

Here's our plan for the week

Saturday - Camping!  Breakfast:  Super Simple!  Cereal, Poptarts and Muffins  Lunch:  Because I'm not 100% sure what we are doing on Saturday I decided to keep it . .well . . simple ;-)  PB Sandwiches, chips and cookies.  (I'm not a sandwich eater so I plan to bring some cheese and crackers too!).  Dinner:  Our favorite - Steak Kabobs, baked potatoes, Mac and Cheese, and Fried Zucchini.  Naturally there will be hotdogs and smores for later as needed HA!

Sunday:  Camping!  Breakfast:  Pancakes, pancakes and Sausage.  Lunch:  We will grab fast food on the way out of town after packing up.  Dinner at home - Pulled Pork BBQ, Mac and Cheese and Chips.

Monday: Sloppy Joes, Baked Beans, and Chips

Tuesday:  Chick-Fi-Lay Nuggets and Fries.

Wednesday - Sausage Gravy and Bisuits and Fruit

Thursday - Chicken Rollatina, Fried Rice, Carrots and Rolls

Friday - Tacos!!!!!!

It's been quiet around here . . .

You may (or may not) have noticed that it's been quieter around this blog than it usually is and, if you have noticed, you would be right. There isn't anything wrong or "going on" it's just, quite simply, that our new choice for homeschool is totally, 100% working me to death.  I mentioned last week some things about it and, well, it just keeps going.  Pretty much I'm prepping to teach a Kindergarten class and a 1st grade class every single day but I only have one student in each class.  I'm reading lesson plans, printing worksheets, tearing out workbook pages, printing tests, finding craft supplies, making sure we meet our weekly PE requirements, finding art supplies and more.  So most of my evenings are now filled with figuring out tomorrows lessons - not writing for my blog.  Just last night, as I was attempting to print this weeks lessons I had to fix the printer once due to a problem with the ink cartridges and then, 10 minutes later, a paper jam which then caused the whole machine to cease up.  Today I'll be making a phone call to see if Canon can help me fix it.  It's a requirement for school because I need the printer, copier and scanner -I have to scan in documents to send to their teachers as specific assignments that are graded which both boys have multiple assignments due this week.

I spent time last week reworking their schedule so our Fridays would be "free" - "Free" is a relative term because I did this so we have a day to catch up if needed.  Catch up on school work for sure.  But also for me to catch up as, right, the only three things I do every day besides school work is laundry, cook meals, and make sure the kitchen is half way clean.  Otherwise there is nothing - there is no time in the day. 

So, this is not a pity party or anything else - it's life right now.  I'm still hoping that in the weeks to come it will level out but for now, this blog might be quieter.  :-)

Family Fun - Taking down the Pool

Last weekend it was time to take down the pool!  I figured the boys would have a little fun with it but I didn't realize how much fun they would have despite it being only about 60 degrees during the day. 

 They started by helping me unhook the pump/filter and watching the water pour out of the pool.  Watching is never as fun though so it wasn't long before they were in the pool.

 And eventually the shirts came off, the shoes came off, and they were running and splashing in the water. 

 There were my attempts of "hey boys, stand together and smile for me" . . .sure, whatever you say mom.  HA!

Once they had frozen their patooties off, they came inside to take a nice warm bath.  I walked into the bathroom and saw this!  Needless to say, I walked right back out and got my camera HA! 

We have loved our little pool but it was on its last leg with a hole somewhere in the ring.  We couldn't fill it as full as normal because of that ring and the boys are much taller than they were a year ago.  So, this pool is gone and we'll put up a bigger one next spring.  The boys love the water and a pool is such a great thing to have the yard during the summer.  :-)

Weekly Menu

So, Last week I said I was going to prepare a months week of menus - which I did.  I also said I was going to prepare the grocery lists for each menu - which I 1/2 did.  Then I said I was going to shop for what we used based on sales - which I kinda did :-)  It ended up being a lot more work than I anticipated plus last week I kept getting confused on what I needed based on my list and what was on other lists (for example - "I'm sure I needed cabbage but why isn't it on the list? Oh that's right, it's for another week."  I took advantage this week of the "10 for $10 and get the 11th item free" sale to pick up things we use all the time like frozen waffles, garlic bread, green beans and juice.  My freezer is full; my pantry is getting re-stocked; the cupboards are full of our standard stuff.  I'm hopeful that the next two weeks of shopping will be smaller and just require a few basics :-)

This past week I made an effort to not go to the store.  It meant that on Friday I had to improvise on things we had run out of.  For example, Darryl's sandwiches were made out of leftover yeast rolls from Thursday nights dinner because we were out of bread; I made tacos using a  pork loin I had in the freezer since I had no more ground beef; for lunch I had veggies and dip and fruit because I was, again, out of bread for a grilled cheese.  BUT I didn't go to the store once since shopping last week!  It saves us SOOO much money when I don't make quick runs to the store to pick up "one" thing and come home with 20 things HA! 

Here's the plan for the coming week:

Saturday - It will just be Darryl and the boys as I'll be gone all day at a concert.  So they will have spaghetti and breadsticks.  It's simple to cook, clean up and every one loves it.

Sunday - Roasted Pork Loin, Sweet Potatoes, Mac and Cheese, and Crescent Rolls.  Then for dinner will have Meatball Soup and Sandwiches

Monday - Lasagna, Green Beans and Garlic Bread

Tuesday - Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, gravy, corn and biscuits

Wednesday - Ham and Cheese Quiche, and Muffins

Thursday - Brown Sugar Pork Loin, Fried Rice, Applesauce, and Biscuits

Friday - We are camping!  Whoo Whoo!!

Teaching Tuesdays - We made it through the first week.

Week one is done.  That's all.  Lets keep it real.  Week one was hard.  Between teaching both boys, prep, computer problems with the program and pulling my hair out (really  . .almost) I spent anywhere from 5-8 hours a day doing school.  That is not what I anticipated.  I understand it is the first week but wow.  On the first day I spent about 5 hours sitting in a chair talking and teaching one boy at a time. By the time Wednesday rolled around (day 2 . .) I mowed the grass and faced the underground bees (I can run fast HA!) just to get away from all things related to school.  Here's hoping week two goes better. 

Of course, we took some awesome first second day pictures:

Such cute kids!

So, you might be wondering where I'm at with Connections Academy after our first week so even after a tough first week here's some truth:

1) I know it is only week one.
2) The boys have things they like and things they don't like.
3) I've changed my strategy and spent several hours on Saturday prepping for the week by reading through every lesson, using post-it tabs to mark daily assignments in books, copy, pasted, and printed the "Learning Coach" (that's me!) lesson guides so I don't need to use the IPAD constantly to ready what I'm doing AND I highlighted what is important for me to emphasis.  I tore out workbook pages and prepped vocab words and sight words.
4) I'm hopeful that as the weeks progress I will be able to have both boys working on schoolwork at once to free up time for play, getting outside to exercise, and time for me to actually get something done (for real!)

The boys also had their first week in Tae Kwon Do at our homeschool co-op this past Friday which counts toward their PE time.  I didn't get any great photos this first week but hopefully next week the boys will be more relaxed and will be more "into it". 



What's coming up?  We still have AWANA to add to our schedule this week, weekly Library trips which start today, and some upcoming field trips. Not to mention that they start Gymnastics next Monday too.  I've finding that our schedule is much busier this year which is keeping me on my toes!

Make-It Monday - Misc Musings

I'm not one to always click on posts/links that people put on Facebook to various articles and blog posts but periodically one catches my attention like this one I'm featuring here today. See, in our house, my husband is the one who plays - trains, video games, make believe.  I'm the one who makes sure everything is taken care of and everyone is where they need to be.  Sometimes I feel guilty because I'm don't equal all of those perfect moms out there who do it all - you know those ones you see on Facebook or through Pinterest . .. . then I'll talk to a friend and we laugh at our real laughs :-)  No, I/we don't feet this article completely in any form or fashion but there are bits and pieces that speak to me.

The article can be found at We Don't Chew Glass.  I debated posting this because it is not a Christian Blog (as is evident in one word on the header) but the good outweighs the bad in this one so my apologies ahead of time.

Ultimately, my kids tell me I'm awesome, love to hang with me, and come to me first when they are hurting.  They think I'm funny and will always come to me with questions or wants (umm . . needs HA) even if their dad is sitting in the same room as them and I'm taking a shower HA!.  I'm thankful that my husband is creative . . . imaginative . .. he teaches the boys how to play outside the box.  Where, I'm an "inside the box" type of girl.  We make a great team and balance each other well - our kids are happy and that's really the most important thing of all. 

Weekly Menu

This was our first week back to school so I didn't do much except school.  BUT one thing I did do was follow the advice of some pinterest post I actually read about planning menus and saving money.  So, I'm trying something slightly new this month.  I planned the entire month of menus (which I've kinda done in the past with my rotating month menu) but I also created all of the grocery lists for each week.  I can be more focused on buying what is on sale or that I have coupons for to save money.  Like many people, we have some weeks where there is more flex money than others so I'm trying to plan ahead for those weeks when funds are tighter (for example the vast majority of our bills are due the first two weeks of the month verses the last two weeks so my grocery budget is much tighter those first two weeks).  I promise to keep you updated on this new adventure and see if it really works.

Here's the plan for the next week

Saturday - I have Pizza on the menu but Josh has been begging to go to the Chinese restaurant. At the writing of this, I'm not sure what we will do yet.

Sunday - Grammys Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots and Yeast Rolls.  The weather is cooling off so I'm looking forward to this wonderful meals once again!  Today is also the first Sunday of football so, for dinner we'll have Chili Mac.

Monday - Our schedule gets a little busy!  Today is the first day of gymnastics AND I have choir practice.  We will be crossing paths so I just have nuggets and fries on the menu

Tuesday - Asian Beef w/white rice, Store bought egg rolls and Mac and Cheese (Ok, this is for Nate - who is expanding his taste buds but is still pretty set on what he likes)

Wednesday - AWANA starts tonight which means quick and easy dinners are best since we need to eat and leave.  I love breakfast on Wednesday.  So, Amish Breakfast Casserole, Fruit, and Waffles and Sausage - that way everyone of us gets something we love HA! 

Thursday - Lemon BBQ Meatloaves, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Yeast Rolls YUM!!

Friday - Tacos, of course :-)

Family Time - A Camping Vacation

A just over a week ago we had the opportunity to go camping again but this time we went for four days, which is the longest we have ever camped. We were traveling further away so I wanted to give us an extra day to actually enjoy the area and not feel rushed to get pack.  It was awesome.  I wish we could camp for four days every time :-)  This time we went to a little campground called "Betsie River Campground" on the recommendation of a friend.  It is near Frankfort MI.  Now, to keep it real, when we first pulled in Darryl and I were both like, ummm really?  What's so special about this place?  Once we got our pop-up set up (we ran into some obstacles getting it level due to unlevel ground) and figured out the campground we enjoyed it and we WOULD go back again.  Really, it isn't all about the campground - it is about the area and the area was fabulous.

 Once we set up and ate dinner, we went exploring into the adorable town of Frankfort.  What we discovered was out of this world - they have a public beach on Lake Michigan that is unlike anything I've ever seen.  It has a boardwalk that takes you to the pier so you can walk all the way to the water without walking in the sand (what is the hardest part of the beach? Walking in the sand!).  There are benches and a huge length of beach.  Not to mention the incredible sunset we got to see. 

 The boys loved the beach and the water.  There were some pretty decent waves - this is the first time they have really gotten to play in the waves.

 Love this shot - so much fun :-)

 We had perfect weather - the sunshine, and waves just made for a perfect evening.

 Before we left, we walked out on the pier.  The boys wanted to go to the light house but the waves were crashing up over the narrow walkway and we just didn't feel like, this year, it was the best thing.  I would be the one jumping in the lake since I can swim ;-) and well, I didn't feel like rescuing anyone!

We didn't get back to the campsite until just about dusk and then enjoyed a nice campfire.

 We got up on Sunday morning and relaxed for a bit - it was raining and cold so we headed to town for lunch.  There was an A and W restaurant that we thought would be fun. . .. 45 minutes later we finally got our not very good burgers, flat root beer and cold fries.  For real.  From there we headed out to Sleeping Bear Dunes.  The photo above is the 1st stop on the scenic drive.  It was just about 3 weeks prior that this are was hit by a good size tornado.  The number of trees that were down and the size of the ones taken down were amazing. 

 Checking out the scenery at one of the overlook stops. 

 This was at the top of the of the really high dune and the wind was out of this world.  It literally just about blew the boys off their feet. 

 My boys!

We ended the trip by stopping at another little beach before heading into Glen Arbor.  Now, Glen Arbor took the brunt of the Tornado.  Wow.  A lot of destruction.  From there, we headed back to the camp ground and had dinner (it was in the crock pot ready to eat!).  That night, the weather took a turn.  I had moments when I honestly thought the Pop-up was going over the wind was so strong.  We didn't get a ton of rain but, wow, the winds were like nothing I've heard/seen in a very long time.

 So, what do you do when it is cold, windy and rainy?  Do all sorts of fun things with balloons.  The boys had begged to do water balloons on this camping trip but, well, it was way too cold.  They, along with Darryl, spent well over an hour on Monday morning do all sorts of fun things with the balloons. We laughed a lot.

 We did finally emerge and headed to town for lunch.  After lunch, while driving through town, we saw these deer up on a ridge behind a house (a beautiful house which was for sale and I would have bought in a moment!).  We had fun watching them for quite awhile.

 We then went to the Betsie River Lighthouse.  The waves were intense.  The photos don't do them justice.  We walked along the beach for a bit and just enjoyed God's power!

 Can you tell by the trees how strong the wind is blowing???

 We toured the light house, even climbing to the top (yikes!  Not for the faint of heart!) before getting the boys photo by it.  They love light houses and want to travel to as many as possible.  We bought a poster with all of the Michigan Lighthouses and hope to get their photo by as many as possible!

 We headed back to town where we got Coffee, Fudge, Ice Cream and more!  Then went to a really awesome playground where the boys played "Pirates" with Darryl for awhile. 

We ended at another park where the boys played on the See Saws - which they haven't gotten to do before (at least not with us).  Once done, we headed back to the campground where Darryl got an amazing fire going (it was a little chilly out!) and we roasted Brats, Hot Dogs and Marshmallows.  The boys rode their bikes around, played in the little park at the campground and just hung out with us.

It was really a great camping trip!  We are still planning to go once more at the end of September - probably to our favorite campground, Muskegon State Park.  Hard to believe the camping season is winding down!

Weekly Menu - The one that REALLY has Labor Day

Boom.  It's here.  The end of summer.  For real.  Just last week I went through my recipe book and looked at all of those well loved recipes for those fall/winter foods like Lasagna, Chicken and Dumplings, Soups, and more.  I'm working on putting together my "simple" menu planning but for now, we are still dealing with some really HOT days!

Here's the plan for the coming week!

Saturday - We are allowing my mom to cook for the entire weekend ;-) LOL

Sunday - My Mom is in charge of meals :-)

Monday - Still hanging with the parents.  We'll head home after an early dinner - I'm sure my dad will grill out.

Tuesday - It's the first day of school so, as is our tradition from last year, we'll eat at Applebees - the Kids eat for $0.99 so it makes it a cheap dinner!

Wednesday - AWANA kickoff is tonight at church with Hotdogs for dinner.

Thursday - You mean I have to cook?? LOL  Ready?  Spaghetti and Meatballs.  Not even good meatballs either - I have a bag of frozen meatballs to use up in the freezer so I'll throw those in.

Friday - Tacos!!

"Flight School" - A New Book Release

I love to read, as you all may know so periodically I get the opportunity to share new books with you!  "Flight School" is a new release - check it out below!

New Novel From Christian Author Jason McIntire - "Flight School: One Summer, Many Choices"

If you've read The Sparrow Found A House by Jason McIntire (Elisha Press, 2013), you'll already know his style: Real-life situations addressed with equal parts humor and biblical wisdom. It's a combination reviewers find powerful. They've used the words intriguing, believable, captivating, and unique - among many others - to describe his writing. The Sparrow Found A House (which is available as a free Kindle download from Elisha Press) was also endorsed by Exodus Mandate, the prominent homeschooling action group. It tells the story of the Rivera-Sparrows, a newly-blended and newly-homeschooling family facing opposition from without and within.
Today Elisha Press is announcing the release of a sequel to The Sparrow Found A House - and to celebrate, they're giving away signed copies to four randomly-selected winners. You can enter the giveaway here, or go ahead and order the book on Amazon. It's $2.99 for the Kindle version, or $9.99 for the 256-page print edition.
Flight School follows the Rivera kids as they meet new friends, explore careers, and encounter the challenges and choices that come with adult life. As a homeschool graduate himself, Jason knows the things that matter most to homeschoolers, and how to write about those things in a way that will edify, resonate, and entertain.
"If you like Flight School," Jason says, "thank God. If you don't like it, blame me."
Enter the giveaway, or buy a copy now.

What We are Eating - Scalloped Potatoes and Ham in the Crock Pot

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham in the Crock Pot
adapted from Allrecipes.com

A few weeks ago, I cooked a ham I had in the freezer in order to use up some things that were getting closer to being "old".  The ham was good but then I used it in some other recipes and one of those was this recipe for Scalloped Potatoes and Ham in the Slow Cooker.  I wasn't 100% sure how this would turn out but sometimes you just have to try and, in Darryl's words, "I don't know why you would make this any other way.".  It really was good and super easy.  

Ingredients

 

• 3 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped cooked ham (I did not shred the ham - I just laid ham slices among the potatoes) 
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Add all ingredients to list

Directions

1. Place sliced potatoes in slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix together shredded cheese, onion and ham. Mix with potatoes in slow cooker. Using the same bowl, mix together condensed soup and water. Season to taste with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the potato mixture.
2. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours.

 

Teaching Tuesday

One Week.  That's all.  I've read through the boys first week of lessons to try and get a grasp on what we do; we've had phone calls from the boys teachers; the boys still don't get that they have a "teacher" even though I'm their "teacher".  I miss actually knowing my whole year plan and instead am at the mercy of someone else planning. 

Next Tuesday we start!