Schoolingmom

I always love to cook banana-nut muffins. I have one child who does not tolerate nuts very well right now, and another who likes nuts just fine, but for some reason does not like nuts in a muffin. What is the deal with that?! The nut is the same nut - a walnut. Then I have another child who, "I like cheese on pizza, but I don't like cheese." O-kay. Right. Got it, hun. So, yeah...that's the story of me in the kitchen with 8 children. Now, don't get me wrong - I am no "short order cook". Therefore, my children eat what we prepare. It is healthy and it is what we have prepared, so they know they are supposed to be grateful to their parents and to the Lord, then eat their food. However, there have been times when a child has tried their very best to eat a particular food and just gagged so badly. So, you really just have to KNOW your child and when they just have an aversion to some kind of food. That is a different story from a child just being straigh...

So, you are sewing a dress, hemming a jacket, typing up your meal plan for next month, and writing your homeschool schedule for the week when the phone rings. It is a good friend who "knows you can help because you are home". What do you do when she asks if you can help her hang wallpaper this afternoon, because after all - you are just at home . I wonder if there ever has been an age in the history of all of humanity when there has been so much to do. Wait - I know what you are thinking, "Well, our ancestors had WAY more to do that WE do!" Not that, dear reader. I am not talking about chores to do and the effectiveness of technology. I am not talking about "work to do". I am talking about "readily available activities to engage in". THAT is what I mean by " so much to do" . It seems that no matter which way you turn, there is an opportunity. There is NO way people can shout out, "I have no opportunities to do this or that....

I love my slow cooker. It is a staple kitchen appliance in our household. The thing about slow cooking is that you can prepare almost ANYTHING in it with a few spices and end up with a pretty good, cheap, edible substance that can feed a lot of people! Yeah, ok, I know that whole "edible substance" part did not sound appetizing, but did I mention that I don't always follow recipes?? Recipes are great, but there are days when I am in a buzzing hurry. When that is the case, I kosher my meats, rinse them, and then just toss them into the slow cooker with a myriad of herbs, spices, and vegetables. When you are slow cooking your meat, the process just tenderizes the food so very well that the herbs infuse the meat fibers. Each bite is just delicious as can be! So, I don't study too awful much about the recipes when in a hurry. Other times, when I am trying to accomplish a particular flavor, I will specifically adhere to a recipe. It is very useful then to have amounts...