Link Love and Pancakes(GF/DF/SF)!

We had a big home-school adventure Wednesday with some of our friends. As per usual I forgot my camera. Thankfully our friends brought along their cameras and chronicled our trip. It is interesting to read the different ways that everyone wrote up the event.

Canyon Chronicles

SAHMville

The Little Homeschool


Sunday is big breakfast day at our house, usually during the week I don't have the time or energy for baked goods(generally it is some sort of egg dish). However, Sunday morning I splurge and make a nice big breakfast, it is also a big to-do as it is often the only day that Brian will have off all week.

As of late we have been eating pancakes as I have been working on a gluten and dairy free recipe that was simple, easy, fast and yummy. I think I have finally got it how I like so thought I would share. This recipe is not grain-free although generally I do cook grainfree. I also make apple and almond pancakes that are grain-free and will hopefully post those recipes another time.

Gluten/Dairy/Soy Free Pancakes
1 c. sorghum or brown rice flour
1/2 c. starch-tapioca/corn/potato(I use potato)
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp honey(optional)
3/4 c. -1 c. water

Beat eggs and add dry ingredients. Mix in water starting slow and adding depending on the thickness desired. Let batter rest 5 minutes. Cook over medium heat in oil of choice.

These are delicious with fresh maple syrup or fruit spread.

Handicrafts: Felt Animals

We have recently began learning how to sew. I had wanted to start some handicrafts with the kids and since I have a very basic knowledge of sewing I thought we would start there. So, last week we made small felt pouches in conjunction with our History lesson about the Wampanoags. I considered actual leather to be more authentic but they are 6 and 3- so I think felt worked just fine!

Luke declared that 'threading' was easy and fun so I decided to do something a bit more challenging this week. I had seen some fancy felt animals on-line forever ago so thought we would attempt a very rudimentary version to practice our sewing.

This is Luke's owl. I used a drawing book he had to get an idea for a basic pattern. Luke is absolutely loving 'threading' even though he did also say that it was hard.

Lily had some fun as well but had destroyed her snake before it was finished! Her patience is quite like her mother's and her motor-skills are not quite ready for something so detailed. I am working on finding some projects that are more on her level.

I am enjoying working on projects with them as well. I am not a terribly crafty person so I am hoping to build my own skills along with them. It is very encouraging as well to hear Luke go on and on about what a great 'threader' I am. Thankfully my children are easily impressed!

Up next week we will be starting on a quilt for each of them. I am trying to decide between two different methods, perhaps I will use some of both. Any thoughts or opinions?

Pre-School Paintings Quilt

Coloring Pages Quilt

Picture Books of the Week: The Pumpkin Runner and Grandfather Buffalo

Today we read a really delightful picture book titled The Pumpkin Runner. We really enjoyed this book and were thrilled to read at the end that it is based on a true story. You cannot help but root for the underdog and I think almost anyone would appreciate the simple country feel to the book as well. Great tale and great pictures, really reminiscent of an old folk tale.

We read another great picture book last night titled Grandfather Buffalo. Now, it is not particularly sad or profound but I almost cried. Being a woman that is probably not that much of a spectacular statement but the story was so incredibly sweet.



Such a statement to me about the importance of the elderly. It made me think of my dear sweet grandma who has long since passed. The tone of the writing and the pictures were perfectly matched.

Now whoever thinks that picture books are just for little kids ..... I weep for you(Yes, I just used the word weep in reference to picture books). It is sad to me that often picture books are left behind when children learn to read. There is so much beauty to be found in picture books, so much more so than most of the leveled readers you find out there today for beginning readers. Exposing children to the rich vocabulary present in good picture books is so enriching as well. Doing family read-alouds is not something to cease once children are reading on their own but great to continue as a wonderful family tradition.

We enjoy many, many picture books but also enjoy reading chapter books as well. Our chapter book read aloud list is to the right of the page. Currently we are reading Poppy by Avi (still undecided as to how much I like this one). We are also listening to Dragon Rider on audio cd.

Up tonight for family read- aloud will be The Butter Battle by Dr. Seuss among others. Brian has asked me to save this one for him to read. We are anxious to read Dr. Seuss' commentary on the nuclear arms race as presented to little kids.

History: Wampanoag Food

Today was our History Project day. This month we have been studying the Wampanoags and the various aspects of their lives. The kids learned last week that they were hunters and also fishermen as they lived on the coast. This week our focus was on the crops they raised, corn being chief, but also squash, beans and other things as well. We have really enjoyed learning about the role of children in the Wampanoag Tribe. Luke thought it was neat that the kids had the job of keeping the birds away from the crops, he thought that sounded like an easy job. In those times when shopping at the local supermarket was not an option protecting the crops was of course not a job to be taken lightly.


Johnny Cakes
1 c. cornmeal(I used corn flour)
1 c. milk(I used 1/2 water-1/2 coconut milk)
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 t honey
Preheat griddle. Mix together egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and mix well. The batter will be thin and crepe-like. These cook very fast, so keep an eye on them. We topped ours with fruit spread. They were delicious- despite the picture- I sprinkled cinnamon on some while cooking and they were particularly good.


We made Johnny cakes to go along with our study. However, I explained that we had it quite easy as our corn was pre-ground. We talked about how the Wampanoags had to dry and grind their own corn( I did not go into the methods of soaking the corn that are used by traditional peoples- please no one kick me out of the Traditional Foodies club). We of course had big fun making the cakes, aside from one slight mixer incident. I am happy to say we all still have our fingers though! Please excuse the photo quality, they were really delicious. Luke wanted to be cameraman!

Art Appreciation: Michelangelo

Monday is Art Appreciation day and this week's subject was Michelangelo. I have been using the book Discovering Great Artists to find projects for us and combining those projects with the Art Appreciation Lessons from Garden of Praise. A print of Michelangelo's Pieta and the famous scene from the Sistine Chapel, Creation of Adam, will be going in our Book of Masterpieces joining prints from Raphael and Manet, who we studied previously.



We studied some of Michelangelo's works, especially the Pieta. I was surprised to read that Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor foremost, not a painter. It was quite astounding to look at David and the Pieta and realize that they started out as hunks of unfinished marble.

I did not realize that the Pieta was a specific subject of Christian Art, often sculpture, that of Mary holding a crucified Jesus. I had always thought that term was specific to the one piece by Michelangelo, of course his piece is iconic of that style. Michelangelo's piece is unique in that his representation of Mary is rather youthful. It is also unique from all of Michelangelo's other sculptures in that it is his only sculpture that is signed.


We also enjoyed looking at the beautiful paintings of Michelangelo as well. It was amazing to consider that he did so much work lying on his back for the Sistine Chapel, all told he painted 12,000 sq. ft of ceiling there. We were however very sad to read that he suffered vision loss as a result of this work(from the paint and plaster which fell into his eyes).

In honor of Michelangelo we did some painting of our own, following the book Discovering Great Artists. I taped some butcher paper under the kid's table and they each took turns being great artists.

Luke wanted to keep his simple. We recently were learning about mixing colors together and the new colors they form. His 'inspired' piece is called Angels. Lily's piece above, well, she is 3 and she had fun smearing a bunch of paint around- and then said, "Can I do it again?"

Fall Nature Study: Queen Anne's Lace

This weeks Nature Study is Queen Anne's Lace. We decided to talk a walk Sunday to see if we could still find any around. Well, we found two small spots that had a sprig or two. It is amazing that just a few weeks ago there were tons around but this week we had to really search to find what we did find.

We were interested to learn that it is also called a wild carrot. We pulled one flower up to compare it's roots to our domesticated carrots though and were sad to see they really didn't resemble them at all. However, we do now know that they are edible and are supposed to smell like carrots. Apparently the carrots we currently eat are in the same family as these "wild carrots". Another name for Queen Anne's Lace is Bird's Nest as the dead flowers resemble the nest of a bird.


Lily of course was anxious to pick it, I barely got a picture in before she had snatched up some of it. Lily adores all flowers and is always on the look-out for wild flowers. Luke on the other hand was not terribly impressed.


We also found some animal tracks, which was interesting to all of us. They appear to be deer and we think bobcat tracks. Brian has been seeing lots of bobcats around lately. We were excited to see the tracks but also happy we didn't happen to run into any bobcats while out and about.



The grasshoppers were out in droves as well. At first we thought they were dragonflies or butterflies but soon realized those wings belonged to grasshoppers. Most that we saw had big and beautiful yellow-lined black wings. We did get a chance to see some other butterflies as well but well- I don't know how you happen to get a picture of a butterfly with 3 kids in tow.

Fall Nature Study: Leaves

Last week we headed to Clearwater Lake , it is a fall tradition for us. We have been taking part in the Autumn Nature Study at Handbook of Nature Study blog and have been having so much fun with it, so visiting the dam was a wonderful trip for this study. This time of year the weather is so beautiful and the scenery gorgeous. Lily has loved collecting all the colorful fall leaves. The only problem is that she wants to collect every leaf that she sees.




They had a few different trails around the dam, unfortunately we didn't have time before sunset to walk them all but did get to go on the boardwalk for a bit and find some pretty leaves and flowers. We especially love the Sassafrass tree. It is one of the first trees we learned to identify. As it has 3 different kind of leaves it makes it rather easy, even for us that are quite new to all of this. We love all wildflowers as well, although we are not quite versed on the names of them all. Anyone who can tell me what this lovely purple flower is called I would love to know!


After our walk of course we had to check out the playground. I love the old type playgrounds. There was a huge jungle gym, complete with 2 huge poles, which Brian had to climb. Swings for the big kids and Ava- who loves to swing. We stayed until past sunset and left when we couldn't see any longer. We hope to visit again soon to check out all the trails, we are especially looking forward to the Blue Heron trail.

The Road Less Traveled

I am not really that poetic.  However, just as anybody else sometimes you have these thoughts hit you and
it feels like it is some brilliant epiphany.  One day we were on one of our family hikes trying to decide which
direction to  go and suddenly this poem came  to mind.

The more I thought on it the more I could see how it applied to our life, not just in the small things but in
the bigger things as well.   We are on the road less traveled in so many things we have chosen for our
family.

Those are the things I wish to talk about:

Living out and passing down our Catholic faith

Homeschooling in a Charlotte Mason Style
that is Classically inspired

Cooking healthy, wholesome meals for the family.
Meals that happen to be gluten, dairy and soy free.

Staying at home and enjoying it.

Figuring out how to simplify and live a
sustainable life.

Currently my big focus has been homeschooling.  It has been our first year doing any
formal studies and we are quite enjoying it.  We have also been quite busy these days with
nature studies and family hikes. Who knows what our big interests will be next year
or next month, I guess we will see!

Now Frosts' poem for your enjoyment.  It is honestly one of the few works I do actually
remember from High School literature class.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

My Motto

So, my focus this year has been "finding balance." I guess perhaps having a "strategy" helps me if only a little in this sometimes overwhelming task of figuring out how to get everything done. You know the long list of things mothers should do, want to do and have to do.

How does one balance it all? I don't know I am just bumbling along here everyday trying to prioritize what needs to be done and doing it. Finding what needs to give and where I need to give. What has to be done and what can wait. Trying to find what is best for our family physically and spiritually.