Teaching Tuesday - The start of our "Summer"

This week we are starting with the summer plans.  I'll have pictures, ideas and links to share next week. 

So, this week I thought I would share some photos from a recent field trip the boys took to the Kalamazoo Museum with their grandparents.

 Here Nate is serving as the waiter/cook at the diner and Josh is ordering.  These boys love to play restaurant so I'm sure they loved this!

 Jammin' with Grandma. 

 It's hard to see but Josh is doing the weather.  He loves maps and weather so this is right up his alley.  He watches the news in the morning for the sole purpose of seeing the maps.

Nate and Grandpa build a car and then raced it. 

I'm beyond thankful the boys have two sets of grandparents who love to do fun things with them.  It gives them great experiences at places that we don't always get a chance to take them. 

Things My Kids Say . . .and Do . . and just where they are at.

* The boys love cutting the grass . . . .with scissors.  Every single day this week they have been outside busily cutting the grass, blade by blade by blade.

* Nate got sick this past week and when Nate gets sick, he gets sick.  Poor guy.  He has a brother who loves him, though; Josh pulled Nate's dirty blanket out of their room and then kicked everyone out of the playroom as Nate fell asleep.  Yep, best friends.

* I would just like to reference that as of the writing of this post, neither one of my kids have lost teeth.  Nor do they have teeth that are even slightly lose.  I have a feeling they will lose teeth on the exact same day . . a year from now HA!

Family Fun - Easter Fun Part 1

Our Easter plans this year just kept changing.  We thought Darryl would be working but he ended up not working on Saturday because he wasn't feeling well.  We had made last minute plans to go to his moms house on Easter Sunday but he was so sick that we didn't go.  So in the end we were able to just hang out as a family and enjoy our normal traditions.

 On Saturday morning I took the boys to a fabulous Easter Egg hunt.  Yes, my kids were very underdressed for the weather . . it was 32 degrees and FREEZING but they had on shorts HA! 

 There were about 1000 Easter Eggs to grab and the boys took off around the outside of the crowd and got first dibs on the eggs.  They filled their buckets in no time!

 Nate, with his very full bucket, thanks in part to Josh.  Why?  When it was done, Nates bucket wasn't completely full and he got upset.  Josh said, "Oh, Nate, I have way too many" and started transferring eggs to Nate's bucket until Nate was smiling.  Josh loves his brother more than anything and hates when Nate gets upset!

 Josh showing off his bucket :-)

 On Sunday afternoon we decorated eggs . . ..science style.  We took baking soda and added just enough water and food coloring to make a thick "paint".  The boys then painted their eggs with the mixture.  Once done, they would drop vinegar on the eggs and which it fizzle!

 They loved it.  AND it made super awesome colorful eggs!

 By the time we got near the end, they had more fun with the baking soda/vinegar in bowls than they did with the eggs HA!  It was awesome and we will do this again for sure!

They eggs were awesome and the boys had fun (and I'm STILL getting baking soda off the table HA!)

Weekly Menu - A pretty normal week

So, AWANA is done . .. . and T-Ball is starting.  I was thinking that I didn't need "quick" meals now that AWANA was done but T-Ball practice started last week and games start next week (which means TWO nights out!) That's ok, it's good to be busy and we like introducing the boys to new sports.  We are kinda hoping they really like T-ball and want to learn and play in the future too. 

Here's the plan for the coming week:

Saturday - You know the drill . . .eat in or eat out but this is my night not to cook.  I'm thinking about possibly taking the boys into Home Depot in the morning to build something and then we'll spend the day in town before meeting Darryl for dinner. OR . . we might open up the camper and clean it out to get ready for camping.  It kinda depends on the weather.

Sunday - Tomato Basil Chicken, Salad, and Garlic Bread. 

Monday - Beef Tips and Noodles.  I like this recipe in the "summer" because I can brown the meat and than throw it all in the crock pot.  Salad and Rolls

Tuesday - Colossal Club Sandwiches, Corn on the Cob and Salad

Wednesday - This is grilling night :-)  What we grill depends on what is on sale when I shop - Pork Chops, Chicken, burgers or Steaks!

Thursday - T- Ball Practice day :-)  Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Salad and Garlic Bread will be a quick, easy meal

Friday - Tacos :-)

April Goal Recap and May Goals

It's time to do a litltle recap of the goals from April and talk about May.

April
In April I worked on deep cleaning the dining room and the boys room - wiping down baseboards, cleaning windows and dusting.  Darryl and I worked outside a little and put a new canvas on the boys tree house roof; he and the boys cleaned up all the sticks and stuff in the yard.  I also worked in the garage and got most of it cleaned up including getting rid of a metal shelf that was being held together by rust pieces HA!

We finished up our school year; I planned our weekly things for the summer and have everything in manila folders ready to use.  I am working on ordering school books one book at a time.  Organizing is still in the works of both the stuff we are done with as well as the stuff we are still using.

I didn't touch anything scrapbooking related but my goal is to focus this summer on getting current.  With school done, I can put some stuff away and set up a small scrapbooking area in the dining room so I can work on it daily.  It's important to me to get as current as possible.

We are just about 5 weeks away from our first camping trip.  I have been spending about $10.00 a week to stock up on stuff for camping like snacks and paper products.  I've planned our basic menu for each trip (we eat the same thing almost every time HA) so I can get what we need when it is on sale.  Now I'm working on activities to do while we are camping.  Last year I took some specific things for crafts and fun to kinda break up the day.  Plus we took our Kids Bible and did a lesson on Sunday morning with a little craft. 

I did a few other things but that's the basics.

Here's what is on my radar for May:

Home
My goal is a little different this month.  Instead of specifically focusing on one room, I'm trying to get through all of the rooms and hit the stuff that only gets done once or twice a year like wiping down baseboards and trim, washing windows and going through every drawer, box, bin and container.   This isn't just true for the upstairs but also the downstairs.  As I finish the basic clean up/re-organization in the basement I then need to go back through every bin and clean out. Again.  I do this every few years and I'm always amazed and how much stuff I get rid of when I go through bins.

School
The focus is again different right now.  First and foremost I have to get our curriculum ordered as quickly as possible.  I'm starting with the core subjects so that I can get lesson plans done.  I learned last year that homeschooling two kids is different than planning lessons for 30 kids :-)  When I taught in a classroom I only planned one week at a time because we never got through the lessons planned.  Teaching at home, we almost always get through our lessons for the week so I can plan the entire year.  :-)   

I will be attending a homeschool conference this month too.  I'm looking forward to learning and to actually being able to handle some curriculum and look through things I've picked out - who knows I might find some fabulous deals too.

Scrapbooking
I have one main goal this month - to completely put together the graduation album for my nephew.  If I can complete is album by the end of May it will be the first time to ever have it done earlier than the night before it was "due" HA!   I would also like to gear up for my Summer of Scrapbooking by getting my supplies ready!

Camping
We'll be camping this month!  So, I have to open the camper, clean it out and pack it for the summer with the basic supplies.  Our first camping trip is literally 10 minutes from home so we'll be able to run home if needed to pick up supplies.

Holidays
I should say that our Easter was great.  I've made a few notes for next year as reminders for planning but I was really happy with what we did this year.  I need to still make notes/ideas for Christmas and Birthdays now that we are on the downside towards both of those things again!

Just one Thing
I need to rework my list for this to focus on some key things.  

What We are Eating - Double Crunch Orange Chicken

Double Crunch Orange Chicken
adapted from  Rock Recipes

A few weeks ago Darryl and I tried out this chicken recipe and we loved it.  Despite the list of ingredients, it's a very simple recipe to put together and, as long as the chicken is thin cut, it cooks up very quickly.  I served this with our favorite Fried Rice.  This recipe is actually in our menu again this week!

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsp salt
• 4 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground thyme
• 2 tsp ground sage
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• canola oil for frying

To make the egg wash

• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp water

For the Orange Sauce

• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tbsp peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)
• 3 cups orange juice
• finely grated zest of one small orange
• ¾ cup honey
• ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp chili flakes or 2 tsp crushed chili paste ( more or less to taste, use ¼ of this amount if you don’t like spicy sauces)
• 1½ to 2 rounded tbsp corn starch
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

To prepare the chicken

1. Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet, pound the meat to an even ½ inch thickness. Alternatively, you can slice the breasts by placing them flat on a cutting board and using a very sharp knife to slice them into halves horizontally.
2. Sift together the flour, salt, black pepper, ground ginger, nutmeg, thyme, sage paprika and cayenne pepper. NOTE: This flour and spice dredge mix is sufficient for two batches of this chicken recipe. You can store the leftover mix in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for the next time you make this recipe...and there will be a next time.
3. Make an egg wash by whisking together the eggs and water.
4. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dip the meat in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the breast into the eggwash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the meat to get good contact.
5. Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breast meat practically guarantees that it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 4½ out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.
6. Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked breasts into the Honey Garlic Sauce. Serve with noodles or rice.

To make the orange sauce

1. Begin by adding the garlic and oil to a medium saucepan over medium low heat.
2. Sauté for a couple of minutes until the garlic is softened but not browned, then add the remaining ingredients except the water and corn starch.
3. Simmer together slowly for about 20 minutes or until the volume has reduced by about half. Skim off any film that may come to the surface.
4. Mix together the corn starch and water.
5. Pour slowly into the saucepan stirring constantly to thicken the sauce to a glaze-like consistency. You can use a little more or less cornstarch mixture to bring it to the consistency you want. Boil for only another minute and remove from the heat.
6. Coat the chicken breasts with the sauce before serving. Serve with rice or noodles.

Teaching Tuesday - A Breather

We are taking this week completely off from all things school.  Our "summer plan" begins next week with science, art, and review.