What We've Learned by Staying Home

Now that the "Stay at home order" is being lifted in our state, I thought I'd take a moment and look back at what we learned by staying home.

1) We learned that we are home bodies.  Honestly, my boys have always been homebodies and Darryl really is too but I have always love to go, go, GO!  Well, I actually found that I enjoyed not having the busy schedule we had for so long.

2) We enjoyed playing games together . . .for a time.  When the lock down first happened, the games came out.  We played old favorites and new ones too!  I taught the boys how to play Dutch Blitz and they taught me Throw, Throw Burrito.  Plus they got games for Easter that we played too.  Now, after about 3 weeks, the games stopped.  HA!  But it was fun to play alot of games for awhile.

3)  We learned that we ate out a lot more then we thought.  Eating out had become a crutch.  It was easy to just grab something quick on those busy nights.  Talk about going cold turkey!  We went from eating out at various times probably 3-4 times a week to eating 3 meals a day at home, 7 days a week!  BUT, we found that we liked that AND when we finally broke our stance on eating out, the food tasted SOOOO good AND we found that the treat was super nice.  We stuck by that - we only allow eating out 1 time a week and it is now considered a treat.

4) We learned that we liked having Apple Crisp every Friday night :-)  This happened by accident.  I had bags of apples given to me so I made applesauce and Apple Crisp.  Well, I continued to have an over abundance of apples for the school lunches we picked up so, it became a tradition to make Apple Crisp on Friday to enjoy through the weekend.  Darryl said it would know if it was Friday if there was Apple Crisp on the stove LOL

5) We found new foods we liked.  We found these Bolthouse Farms Mocha Cappuccino's by chance - we picked up food from a local food truck one week and these were in the box.  They are SOOO good!  Darryl and I have enjoyed them in the afternoon while sitting in my swing.

6) We learned our animals adore us!  Dash loves it when we are home.  He hates it when we leave so he has been in doggy heaven with us here all the time!  Harley is also a cat who loves people so he has enjoyed having us around too even though he pretends he is annoyed at times!!

7) We learned that Amazon is amazing.  I mean, we kind of knew that before but I have used Amazon to order everything from Super Glue to finish up a project to clothes!  Things I never would have ordered before because I could just run to the store.  We also learned how spoiled we were by "next day delivery" when Amazon orders started taking a week or more to ship!  HA!

8) We learned to take time to enjoy the outdoors.  Now, we didn't get all crazy and take hikes or anything like that but I have found that by taking even just 20 minutes to sit outside and read in my swing, it makes the day so much better.  Sometimes the weather doesn't allow for it - snow, rain, or super hot - but when it does, I make it a priority every day!

9) We learned that we can make things fun.  That one time a week we "treat" to eating out is very simply going through 2-3 drive-thrus so everyone can get what they want and then parking in a shady spot and eating in our vehicle.  We laugh a lot while eating that meal.  Or we take off on a drive to explore something just for fun.

Now, truth be told, we are still "staying home" for the most part for now.  Yes, we are very slowly allowing a few things like Tae Kwon Do but we just plan to wait it out and see what happens as more people are out and about.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs (What we are eating!)

I've had this recipe on my menu for a few weeks (as my brother, Jeff reminded me recently HA!) and finally made it!  It is actually a pretty easy recipe to throw together especially if you happen to already have the meatballs in the freezer (which I did not).  The hardest part of the whole recipe is cooking all the meatballs (and that wasn't hard!).

First and foremost, I loved the plain meatball.  They are simple and NOT Italian, which so many meatball recipes are very specifically Italian.  I also love that if you make the full recipe it makes a TON that you can freeze to use for a quick meal.  I cut the meatball recipe in half and it still made plenty (I have a bag of meatballs in my freezer now!)

Second, the "sweet and sour" portion was amazing.  I thought it was just about perfect, Darryl thought it was too sweet.  A disclaimer, I served it over spaghetti noodles because my boys don't eat rice (but they eat pasta) - it would taste better over rice for sure.  I also think this would make a great pot luck recipe just to take the meatballs - cook the recipe first then add the meatballs to the crockpot to stay warm.

So, what would I change?  I don't use red pepper flakes.  Ever.  We don't like heat like that!  Next time I wouldn't add the pineapple chunks mostly because Darryl doesn't like them at all.  Because it was really sweet, I might try putting in less brown sugar or instead of using pineapple juice with the cornstarch, just use water.

Here's the recipe!
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup rice vinegar or white vinegar 

1/4 cup ketchup 

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce 

2 1/4 cups pineapple juice 

1 tablespoon cornstarch 

25 frozen meatballs, recipe follows

1 tablespoon sriracha or other hot sauce, more to taste 

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup drained canned or fresh pineapple chunks 

4 tablespoons sliced green onions 

4 1/2 cups cooked long-grain or basmati rice, for serving

Ready-To-Go Freezer Meatballs:

5 pounds ground beef

1 1/2 cups plain breadcrumbs 

1/2 cup whole milk 

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 

1/4 cup heavy cream 

2 heaping tablespoons grainy mustard 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

4 large eggs 

Olive oil, for frying

Directions:

Directions

1. In a large skillet (with a lid), combine the brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and 2 cups of the pineapple juice. Stir the mixture around and bring it to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. To thicken the sauce, make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch with the remaining 1/4 cup pineapple juice in a small bowl until smooth. Add it to the sauce, whisking to combine.
2. Add the frozen meatballs, sriracha and bell pepper and toss to combine. Cover the skillet and cook until the sauce has thickened and the meatballs are heated through, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the pineapple, then sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of the green onions. Serve the meatballs and sauce over rice and sprinkle on the rest of the green onions at the end.

Ready-To-Go Freezer Meatballs:

Yield: 125 meatballs

1. Combine the beef, breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, cream, mustard, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and eggs in a large bowl. Knead it all together with your hands until well combined.
2. Scoop out 1-tablespoon portions of the meat mixture and roll into neat balls. Put them on parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheets as you go, then put the sheets in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm them up before frying.
3. To brown the meatballs, heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add some meatballs to the skillet and cook on all sides until they have great color on the surface and are fully cooked inside, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the meatballs on paper towels when they're done, then line them up on clean parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Cook the remaining meatballs.
4. Put the baking sheets in the freezer, uncovered, until the meatballs are frozen and firm on the surface, 30 to 45 minutes. Then just pop the meatballs into 5 to 7 freezer bags (roughly 25 per bag) and freeze them immediately. They'll be there when you need them.

The Official Last Day Of School

It's hard to believe that my boys have finished 4th and 5th grades!  When we started on this homeschool journey 6 years ago (well, really 7 if you count preschool) Junior High seemed SOOO far away and yet we are now facing it head on as Josh enters 6th grade.

What did we accomplish this year:
** Both boys worked on cursive handwriting.  This was a goal I set this year.  Nate took to it like a fish to water and loves writing everything in cursive.  Josh just goes with the flow but still prefers printing and has a desire to "make his printing better".
** Both boys had some success with independent work.  This was another goal.  Nate loves to work on his own and fully desires to just do his own work.  Josh will do it when pushed but his perfectionism makes it hard to just "do it" and seeks to make sure his answers are always correct so we are still working on that!
** They both gained independence in writing - the last papers they wrote (Opinion Papers) were written mostly on their own.  This is a HUGE milestone since they both hate writing assignments.
** They both improved in learning the Multiplication Facts.  We will continue to work on those this summer.  I'm tossing around a "reward" program for the kids on memorizing these facts (even the 2nd grader!) because it is so important.

And here are their year end photos!

Do I have goals for next year?  Even though I'm kind of taking the month of June off from thinking about school, I do already have ideas.  Josh has the opportunity to take part in some clubs so I'm going to investigate that more.  He loves Art and wants to learn a language.  I think he would also benefit from some photography skills and typing.  Nate has a big interest in learning Spanish and I know there are some options for homeschoolers out there.  Plus he needs more typing skills.  We will also continue on with cursive writing skills!  One other thing I'm looking at is some true Bible curriculum.  We've just used their AWANA books but I feel like they would benefit from some true Bible study now.  So I guess most of that is MY homework this summer!

It's Summertime!

Every summer I enjoy sharing a little of our plans and goals for the summer.  This year is different, of course, because I don't have the "extras" that usually fill our week so I have to do more planning then normal.  In past years, I take time to fill in dates on the calendar with ideas for each week like Library activities, going to the zoo, and other fun field trips but this year that is not happening.  We will be staying close to home.  Instead, I've picked a theme for each week and am hoping I can keep up with the plan!

Pinterest is always one of the best sources for ideas when it comes to planning stuff for kids.  I will say that more of the ideas are geared towards preschool/early elementary but if you dig, you can find ideas for the upper elementary ages too.  Plus, I've found that some of the younger ideas are fun for the older kids and they go faster :-)  I also really like the TeachersPayTeachers site.  This offers printables created by teachers to be used with students.  I usually search for free things as often as possible but for this summer I did pay a small amount for the daily review sheets and weekly them plans.  After doing a lot of searching, the small cost was really worth it in the long run.

One of the most difficult things planning for this summer is going to be to find things to do at home that get the kids outside . . .especially in the middle of July when it is hot, hot, HOT!  I'm thankful for a local state park that has a swimming beach with lots of space (I don't swim in it but the kids don't mind!) that we will visit a few times for sure.  I also have a sprinkler and I'm looking at picking up a few lawn games throughout the summer.  I have even considered getting a "kiddie" pool so they can fill it up and use to not only sit in but to fill water guns or whatever!  Honestly, we will miss the campground pool and had even hoped to be able to use it this summer after a discussion last year with the owner but, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, that will not happen.  BUT, that's ok!  We can be creative.  We MIGHT even take a trip to the big lake (Lake Michigan) with the whole crew this summer too.

So, here we go!  It's almost summertime!  Last week ended the school year --   Yes, my boys finished their school year 2 weeks ago but our two friends wrapped up their year last week so we work on a modified school scheduled still.   This week I have declared "Vacation Week"!  That means there is nothing specific planned.  There are no electronics breaks, no required outside times, and no review work.  After a long few months they can all just "veg out" for a week!  (I might do a lot of reading . .. or cleaning . . .or planning!)  Finally, the following week we will start with my weekly themes/plan.  I promise to share those, my sources, ideas, what works and, honestly, what doesn't work.  (I know, you can hardly wait!)

Cochren & Co. - Who Can (Official Lyric Video)

One of the good things about the whole "Stay home Stay Safe' time frame was getting to "know" some music groups better and listening to more of their music.  One singer - Cochren & Co.  -- has been one I've really enjoyed.  I really like this new song he's put out so I thought I'd share it with "all" of you!

2020 Weekly Photos #21

Welcome to another week!!

Saturday - Darryl spend the day with his dad who wanted to just drive around the city and check out some of his old stomping grounds.  The boys and I hung out at home and I worked on organizing some photos.  It was a really great day.

Sunday - Another great day!  We had lunch at my mom's where we also mowed part of her lawn for her that hadn't been mowed yet.  She treated us to DQ Blizzards.

Monday - This is the last week of school for our friends :-)  Darryl and I also cleaned out my mom's camper.

Tuesday - The boys wrapped up school over a week ago so I figured it was time to take their year end photos.

The cat finished school too - ok, maybe not . .he's just super handsome! 

Wednesday - Today we said good bye to my mom's camper as we finished getting it ready to sell! The boys also had their Sunday School Zoom class.

Thursday - The kids are enjoying "free days" right now.  After dinner, we went for a drive to get out of the house!  We stopped at Moo-Ville, our local ice cream shop, for a treat before heading to the State Campground.  We just drove around but it was just nice to leave our four walls for a bit.

Darryl dared the boys to stand outside while we were at the campground and see how many mosquitoes landed on them HA! 

Friday - Today was National Donut Day!!  That's always fun! 

 I surprised everyone by sneaking out and driving to a fabulous bakery in the next town over.  These were the Donut of the Day -- Glazed Blueberry and Lemon Iced Blueberry.  They were amazing.  I think when my brother Kel comes to visit next time we will have to visit this bakery!!!!  

This was kind of my week "off" - I didn't make a to do list each day and I enjoyed reading when we weren't cleaning the camper HA!  Next week, while the kids have a "vacation" week before we get back to a little summer structure, I'll clean and organize :-) 

Weekly Menu

This is by far the most exciting post of the week - what I have planned for the weekly menu HA!  Well, it might not be the most exciting but it is for sure the most consistent!  I guess that's because we always have to eat.  This past week we had some busy, hot days getting my mom's camper ready to so I opted out of some planned meals and did easy things like throwing a frozen lasagna in the oven.  Therefore, there will be repeats this week!

Friday -BBQ Chicken on the grill, leftover baked beans, asparagus, and rolls

Saturday - My mom provides us with dinner  . .. we love this :-)

Sunday - Sweet and Sour meatballs and noodles.  I will also make some plain meatballs to go with spaghetti because not everyone else in my house will like the sweet and sour version!

Monday - Tacos :-)

Tuesday -Chick-Fil-Lay nuggets and fries

Wednesday - Ham and Cheese Quiche, Asparagus, and hashbrowns

Thursday - Pork chops on the grill, mac and cheese, a veggie and french bread