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Thursday, December 17, 2015

When love is the only thing under the tree

Today I read a post from a mom who just wanted to turn off her computer and stay offline until the new year. The joy and expectation of Christmas had simply become too much for her to handle when her own family was broke and there was no money to spend on gifts for the kids.

Her post was only one of dozens of similar threads I saw on Facebook this week, and they broke my heart because this time last year, I could have written the same thing myself.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tyger_lyllie/67737360


At the beginning of last December, my husband lost his job. He is an engineer, and had been working in the hard hit oil and gas industry. It was the beginning of a long, hard time for us, as it was for many in the same industry. Christmas came just weeks after he cleared out his desk. With uncertainty looming, we had no money to spend on gifts whatsoever.

Like so many families, at one time or another in their lives, we had to face a not-so-merry Christmas, where the only thing under our tree and in our stockings was the love we had for one another. But we were fortunate, because we still had our home, the power was still on, and our kids had coats that fit and food to eat. We knew some families had things much worse than ours.

At the time, though, I was terribly depressed, and I will admit I had a hard time getting over the feeling that we were unable to give our kids a "good Christmas" because we couldn't afford to give them gifts. But looking back, I realize that they might have received the best gifts we could have possibly given them, even though things weren't working out at all the way any of us had wanted.

The gift of fortitude


By pulling together during our greatest financial struggle, and leaning on one another, we drew strength. We worked hard to find my husband a new job and to stay on track with the kids' schooling, all while scrimping and saving in whatever ways we could. We got through the hard time together, and if later in their lives, our kids face struggles of their own, they will know they can make it, too.

The gift of humility


Our kids saw us reach out to our bank to save our home. They saw us apply for assistance when my husband's unemployment lasted longer than a few weeks. They learned that humbly and graciously accepting help from those who love you can be hard to do, but is a blessing not only to your own need, but to the ones who give you aid.

The gift of faith


As the weeks of unemployment stretched into months - something we'd never experienced before - and it became tempting to give in to feelings of despair, our children watched as we continued to place our faith in God to see us through. We continued to be thankful that we never went hungry, we never became homeless, and although many wants were unfulfilled, our basic needs were always met.

The gift of perspective


There are much worse things than not getting the toys on your Christmas list. Our kids were never really greedy, and we'd done our best to teach them the difference between wants and needs over the years. But going through a Christmas of financial hardship taught them in a very concrete way that missing out on the things you want is not the end of the world.

This year, we're doing much better. My husband returned to work a few months ago, and this Christmas, although our belts are still tightened, there are a few packages under the Christmas tree. But the best gift this year is the renewed spirit of gratitude and helpfulness that each of my children are filled with, having spent a Christmas with nothing under the tree but love.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Fun Fact Friday: How to store leftover onions

Don't onions make your home cooking taste delicious? I love them, but sometimes recipes call for a little less than a whole onion, or a little more. What do you do with the leftover onions?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/112095551@N02/11514804785


Well, this is a perfect opportunity for you and your kids to research the veracity of a popular internet meme. As it turns out, contrary to widely circulated internet rumors, cut onions are not dangerous to store and use later. They aren't bacterial super-magnets, and you aren't going to die if you eat them, as long as you store them properly.

According to the National Onion Association, an organization chock full of helpful onion-related knowledge, you can store cut onions in your refrigerator in a sealed container, like a bowl with a lid or a storage bag, for up to a week to 10 days. 

So go ahead and make some Tex-Mex, a batch of your favorite soup, or whatever onion masterpiece you're craving, and save the leftover onion for later in the week!

Monday, December 7, 2015

Favorite games for homeschoolers

We play a lot of games in our house. We always have. Not only are games great family fun, but they can be an excellent way for kids to learn. Once our closet was full of the all the children’s standards, like Candyland, Memory, Cooties and Twister, I found myself looking for new and better games. 

I wanted games that would be fun for the whole family, and challenging enough to keep the kids playing for a long time. I looked beyond the shelves at my local discount store, and found a whole array of games that are both fun and educational. 



After a while, I discovered that these lesser-known games are the ones my homeschoolers prefer, and the ones they still play with after years and years, while Candyland and Memory have been pushed to the back of the closet.

Here are a few of our favorite games that stand the test of time.

Friday, December 4, 2015

It's National Cookie Day - get a free cookie at the mall!

Oh, guess what! It's National Cookie Day! And I just happen to be taking my mom and the kids to the mall today to do a little bit of Christmas shopping, so we'll be stopping in at the Great American Cookies store to get free chocolate chip cookies.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39908901@N06/11459101876


Yes, you read that right. FREE COOKIES! Get 'em while they're hot! Well, I don't know if they'll be hot, but I do know they'll be yummy. All you have to do is stop by the Great American Cookies store today, December 4, 2015, and ask for your free cookie, and you'll be celebrating National Cookie Day in style!


Update... YUM!

We got our cookies, and shared the news about National Cookie Day with a bunch of other thankful families. It made the mall madness a little more bearable. Thanks Great American Cookies!




Tuesday, December 1, 2015

THE UNPLANNER, 2016 Do-Over Edition is available now!

Okay, homeschoolers, let's hear it. Who needs a fresh start?

As I've shared before, my first year of homeschooling, my planner was a disaster. It had too many blanks to fill in, leaving me stressed out. I messed up and planned ahead - in pen - and hated how messy everything looked as I had to scribble through my best laid plans and start again. And basically, I just gave up on it by the end of October.

I would have loved to have a crisp new planner to start again, without having to look at all those messy pages. But homeschool planners can be so expensive.



That's why I decided to publish a Do-Over Edition to The Unplanner this year! You shouldn't have to wait until the fall to start over with a brand new organizer and a fresh start, and at just $6.99, The Unplanner, 2016 Do-Over Edition, it's as affordable as a stocking stuffer.

Whether you messed up your homeschool planner, discovered that the one you purchased in the fall was not a good fit, or simply started homeschooling late in the year and want an organizer that won't waste months of calendar pages, I've got you covered!

Get a copy of The Unplanner, 2016 Do-Over Edition in my store for just $6.99 today. The calendars start in January and run all the way through a full 13 months, so you'll get your money's worth whether you use them the full year or just until the fall.

You deserve a fresh start!

Friday, November 27, 2015

I'm a homeschooler, I can do anything!

I wasn't planning on going out shopping on Black Friday, but thankfully there weren't any lines at Locke Supply when they opened at 7:30 this morning.

I had to run down there first thing to get a part to fix my furnace. The furnace quit working in the wee hours of the morning the night before Thanksgiving. I was still in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the baklava I had decided to make for the first time this year when my daughter tiptoed in and said, "I think there is something wrong with the furnace. It made weird noises and now it won't turn on."

I checked the breakers, but they were fine, so I flipped the power switch off and back on, to reset the unit. I could hear the blower start and the gas come on, but there was no familiar whoosh of ignition.

I took the cover off the unit, but couldn't see an obvious problem, and never having worked on a furnace, I took the safest route and turned off the gas and the power supply until I could figure out a solution.

It wasn't just the middle of the night, it was Thanksgiving! Even if I could somehow find a repair person to come out on Thanksgiving in a small town, I worried about how much that would cost.

So, I wrote down the model number of the furnace and set to work, trying to figure out what might be wrong with it, to minimize the cost if I could. At least if I narrowed down the problem, it might help save a little time, and when you're calling for HVAC repair on Thanksgiving, time is money.

As I researched the issue, educating myself about furnace parts and how they work, I learned that the most likely source of this particular problem was the ignitor. But I didn't know where mine was, or how to change it.

Enter YouTube! You can learn anything on YouTube. So far this year, I have fixed a toilet, replaced a keyboard on a laptop, fixed a refrigerator, and now, repaired a furnace using tutorials from YouTube. But I am getting ahead of myself.

I pulled an all-nighter, reading everything I could find and watching tutorials, but by mid morning, armed with knowledge, and confident that I could find the ignitor and at least check to see if it was cracked or damaged in some way, I returned to the furnace. While my sweet potato casserole was baking, I found the ignitor and managed to carefully release it's bracket from the frame so I could see if it was indeed the culprit.



As you can see here, the old ignitor, on the right, was clearly damaged. It was cracked so badly that once I had it fully removed, it virtually crumbled in my hand. But the good news was, I knew without a doubt that this was the source of the problem, so I put off calling a repair person and decided to hope the temperatures outside wouldn't drop too much by the next morning.

Thanksgiving in northeastern Oklahoma was mild this year. It was rainy, but unseasonably warm, and the cloud cover helped to keep temperatures up through the night. By morning on Black Friday, it was starting to get cool outside, but inside the house was still comfortable, and for that, I am so thankful. I might not have been able to put the repair off until the store opened this morning if not for the nice weather.

At 7:30, when the doors opened, there I was, perhaps the only early bird shopper that particular store would see. But I got my new ignitor and headed home to make the repair.

I handled the new part carefully, making sure not to get any oils from my skin on it, because the tutorials said that could increase its chance of failure.

 
Installing the ignitor was challenging, because of the tight fit, but I took my time and put in in place gently. Once I replaced the screw that held the bracket in place and hooked up the wires, I turned back on the power and the gas.


The ignitor glowed bright red before igniting the gas. You can still see it faintly glowing in the photo above.



And then, whoosh, all the burners were lit and there were beautiful blue flames once more! I did it! For just over $33.00, tax included, I fixed my own furnace and didn't have to call a repair person at all. I'm not going to lie, I'm so proud of myself I still can't stop smiling!

But here's the best part. While teaching myself how to fix a furnace, I couldn't help thinking this is exactly what homeschooling is all about. My kids watched me tackle this repair, and they were proud when I told them I could fix it, but I'm going to teach them how I learned what I did, from finding the model number on the unit to researching parts. I'm going to use this as an opportunity to demonstrate that we can do anything as long as we are willing to put in the time and effort to learn, and of course, take the appropriate safety measures to do the job right.


Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Thanksgiving tips for picky eaters

I love Thanksgiving dinner. It’s full of some of my favorite foods, including the slow roasted turkey, traditional cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes just about any way you want to serve them and a nice side of tart cranberry sauce. Oh, and the pies. I love the pies.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/4139402158


My youngest daughter loves all the same foods, and it’s a lot of fun to watch her dig into a home cooked Thanksgiving dinner with enthusiasm. But my twins really aren’t fans of the traditional Thanksgiving meal. In fact, about the only thing they really like are the freshly baked hot rolls, turkey and mashed potatoes. So what do I do to make sure my kids have enough to eat on Thanksgiving while everyone else feasts on foods that they really don’t like.

Have your kids try just one bite


Tastes change over the years. Also, some people may make a traditional dish in a new way your kids will love. I didn’t much care for sweet potatoes growing up, but now they are one of my favorites. I began to like them when I tried a sweet potato casserole with marshmallow topping and nuts. Instead of forcing picky eaters to choke down a whole serving of something they dislike, have them try just one bite of lots of foods, just to see if they find a new favorite this year.

Add some kid friendly foods to the feast


Whether you are cooking at home or visiting family or friends, an extra dish is almost always welcome at the table. Maybe your kids can’t stand turkey, but they like thinly sliced ham and pepperoni, fruit and cheese cubes like they might eat for lunch. Go ahead and bring a deli tray to share, piled extra high with the meats they like.

Or try making a bunch of homemade appetizers, like sausage balls or pigs in blankets. Just make sure to bring something your kids will definitely enjoy.

Repurpose the ingredients


Maybe your kids would be more likely to eat a turkey slider than a serving of turkey and gravy. Try repurposing some of the Thanksgiving ingredients already on the table in a creative way that your kids will enjoy. A hot roll topped with some thinly sliced turkey and a bit of cheese with just one or two small sides is more kid friendly than a plate mounded with unfamiliar foods.

Give kids their own space


There really is something to be said for the kids’ table at big dinners like Thanksgiving. Not only does it give youngsters a chance to eat with people their own size, it gives adults a chance to enjoy a meal with other grown-ups. Besides, your picky eaters may be more likely to try a new food if they see their friends enjoying it.

Don’t make a big deal


Thanksgiving dinner is just one meal out of the year. Seriously, it’s only as big a deal as we choose to make it. If your child sees that you are stressed out over their picky eating, they may have an even harder time finishing what is on their plate.

It’s far better to enjoy your own Thanksgiving feast and let your child eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich if that’s what they want than to stress out and ruin the festivities for everyone.

Don’t make a big deal out of dinner, and don’t let others make your child feel bad, either. It’s no one’s fault that they don’t like certain foods, even at a meal as yummy as Thanksgiving.