Thursday, April 30, 2009

hoy es el día del niño

Did you know that? (Today is the Day of the Child.) The holiday has been celebrated in Mexico since 1925, according to a press release I received from the lovely folks at Herdez salsa, and it promotes the well-being of children while honoring their importance to society.

Pretty cool.

Here’s a link to some kid-friendly recipes. My own children have been known to eat their weight in tortillas. I have a Peter Reinhart recipe for homemade tortillas that I just might try this weekend.

Monday, April 27, 2009

spring in the south

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
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(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

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how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

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(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

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~e.e. cummings

Friday, April 24, 2009

Usborne Model American Fort

Nolan made a video...and a fort.

adornments

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Nature will not be admired by proxy. ~ Winston Churchill

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Thursday, April 23, 2009

hasenpfeffer

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I’m kidding! I’m a vegetarian. Remember?

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The dogs are not vegetarians, however, so we all have to be a bit more careful for the next few months.

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Glad our friend is back. This time he brought company.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

let evening come

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Spring is finally here for real. It’s a breath of fresh air, in every way imaginable.

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Evening walks are a must.

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Wednesday, April 8, 2009

wee little e-books

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We are in serious danger of death by book avalanche. Yet  somehow we still end up at the library once a week. Ack.

I was turned on to e-books when we first started homeschooling and my newfound love of the paperless story is growing. This week I had the chance to look at several WeE-books from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. They are, as the name implies, short e-books available for download. “Short” means I actually have time to read them (ha!) and it also means the price is great – all are $1.95 each. No trees were harmed in the process and – my favorite part – I get the instant gratification that comes from seeing the book I want and having it magically appear just a few clicks later. (Take that, UPS guy.)

The series provides a wealth of support for homeschooling moms, though many of the books are beneficial outside the homeschool realm. (Italian Renaissance, anyone?) I read “Writing Essays,” “A Classical Education,” and “Simplifying Classical Education.” All were concise and clear, but still meaty enough to be worthwhile. And I didn’t need a sabbatical to read them, which is a plus these days.

You know, if I could get that “old book” smell in a spray bottle and learn to categorize my computer files by the Dewey Decimal System, I’d be all set.

Monday, April 6, 2009

that button, it’s hot

I have a slew of stories related to autism in this month’s Upstate Parent, Palmetto Parent and Lowcountry Parent magazines.

It’s all quite controversial. I get that. I wasn’t writing a book (well, not about that at least), so I know it’s not all inclusive.

Take it for what I hope it is: a little encouragement for parents who are in the midst of something that is difficult beyond what most of us can imagine.

Friday, April 3, 2009

so random, i had to number it

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(There’s my boy – dancing with a real live girl – at his homeschool co-op’s Spring Gala last night. Spanish classes performed the merengue.)

1. Really? I’m blogging about a frozen dinner? I don’t even eat frozen dinners, typically, much less write about them, but Kashi’s Mayan Harvest Bake has me planning to deconstruct the recipe so I can make it in large, fresh, affordable quantities. I had it for lunch (at my desk, sheesh) yesterday and it was super. Kashi doesn’t pay me to say that, though they should, because dang – sweet potatoes, plantains, black beans, pumpkin seeds – it was good.

2. On a completely different note, I have a post at Heart of the Matter today. I would be pleased if you would click over and give it a read.

3. “Lost” needs to ramp it up. Hurley is starting to speak for me and I am afraid. On a related TV note, I got behind a black Dodge Ram truck at a stop light earlier this week. I thought, “Hey, that’s Sarah Connor’s truck.” Apparently, I am a sucker for product placement.

4. We are on the “less than two months” countdown to the anniversary trip. No kids, gorgeous luxury hotel, vineyard on site, no kids, plush robes, beautiful mountain setting – and I will be sharing it with my favorite person.