Tasty Tuesday--Berry Trifle

The next recipe the kids picked was Quick, Heavenly Berry Trifle.  Basically an angel food cake with berries and whipped cream.  Instead of getting a store bought cake or making one from a mix I decided to make one from scratch, that way they could learn how to separate eggs and beat them to form peaks.  It was a good activity and it tasted yummy.

Angel Food Cake

1 1/4 c. cake flour
1 3/4 c. white sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. egg whites
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond

1. Beat egg whites until they from stiff peaks, and then add cream of tartar, vanilla and almond. 

2. Sift together flour, sugar and salt.  Repeat 5 times.  (CRAZY!  but we did it that many times.)

3. Gently combine the egg whites with the dry ingredients and the pour into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan. 

4. Place cake pan in a cold oven.  Turn the oven to 325 degrees.  Cook for about 1 hour or until cake is golden brown. 
5. Invert cake, allow it to cool in the pan.  When thoroughly cooled, remove from the pan. 

Then we followed the other recipe for the rest of the treat. 

Berry Mixtrue
1 1/2 Tbl. fresh lime juice
1 c. blackberries
1 c. blueberries
(We used blueberries and strawberries.)

1. Place lime juice, 1 cup blackberries, and 1 cup blueberries in 8 inch square glass pan.
2. Mash berry mixture using the back of a spoon.

We didn't make it look like a pretty trifle, we just put a slice of cake in a bowl and topped it with berries and whipped cream.  Tasty!

Tasty Tuesday--Fruits & Veggies

We read All About Fruits and All About Vegetables today then made some yummy fruit and vegetable dips. 

Yummm-kin Pumpkin Dip
3/4 c. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. canned pumpkin (we used the pumpkin from our garden)
1 Tbl. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Combine cream cheeses, brown sugar, and pumpkin in a medium bowl.  Beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined.
2. Add syrup and cinnamon and beat until smooth.
3. Cover and chill 30 minutes before serving.
4. Enjoy this dip with peeled apple slices or cinnamon pita chips.

Note: We tried this dip with all the fruits, but only liked it with apples and pita chips.  We thought it would be good with pears, too.  It was OK with bananas, but not good with raspberries, peaches, strawberries or grapes.

Creamy Ranch Dip
1/2 c. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbl. buttermilk
2 Tbl. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh dill (we used dried and forgot to change the amount--good thing we like dill)
1/2 tsp. minced fresh garlic
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1. Combine cream cheese and buttermilk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended.
2. Stir in parsley, dill, garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
3. Serve this dip with baby carrots, broccoli florets or other fresh veggies (we also had peppers, celery and cucumbers).

Note: This dip was extra runny, but it is probably because we used frozen and thawed cream cheese.  We added it to some homemade ranch dressing and that thickened it. 

Fruit Dip
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1 7 oz. jar of marshmallow cream

1. Blend until smooth.

Note: This dip is a favorite and goes well with all the fruits.  I mixed it with the pumpkin dip and enjoyed that flavor with the pita chips. 

Tasty Tuesday and Wow Wednesday

Last week I mentioned that we read the "All About Meat and Fish" book and were going to make tuna melts but discovered that we didn't have any tuna fish.  Well, I bought some and that is what we made. . .or at least some of us followed the recipe. 

Tuna Sweet Corn Melt
2 oz sweet corn
1 Tbl mayonnaise
1 small can of tune in water, drained
.5 oz grated cheddar cheese
wholegrain bread roll
salt and pepper

1. Mix the sweet corn, mayonnaise, and tuna in a bowl with salt and pepper.
2. Spread the mixture on the roll.  (We used English muffins)
3.  Sprinkle the cheese over the tuna and grill until cheese is melted.  (We used the broiler, but a toaster oven would work as well).

The kids didn't like the idea of having corn in it.  I followed the recipe and made one for Jonathan and I.  Braedi and Corbin made sandwiches and Dyllan, Ephram and Faythe just at the tuna mixture plain or with crackers.  I don't think I'll ever use this recipe again.  I have others that I like better.

For Wow Wednesday we attended a Red, White & Blue Celebration that a friend invited us to.  There were crafts and speakers.  The kids enjoyed the crafts, but the speakers were a little long-winded for such a young crowd.  I enjoyed what they had to say, though.  I love learning about the founding fathers and the principles that our country was founded on.  Too bad I forgot my camera again. 

Summer Fun

I was a little overzealous when I planned summer fun activities for everyday.  There is no way that we are going to be able to do them all.  We have been able to do all of our Tasty Tuesdays so far, but haven't made anything on Monday and only did one Thoughtful Thursday and one Friend Friday. 

Tasty Tuesday last week was All About Dairy.  We learned about different animals we get milk and cheese from and were surprised at some of the weird ones (buffalo).  We attempted to make butter and yogurt cheese, but must have given up too quickly.  We tried two different ways to make butter--with beaters and shaking cream in a jar.  Neither worked well.  The yogurt cheese just tasted like yogurt.  We would love to find someone who makes cheese and learn how to do it.

Tasty Tuesday this week was supposed to be All About Meat, but I was out of tuna fish for the meal so we learned how to make pudding from scratch.  The taste was good, but we didn't cook it long enough to get it thick.  The kids had to drink it.  I forgot to get pictures, though. 

We missed our WOW Wednesday last week, but yesterday my sister set up a field trip to an ice cream store.  The kids helped make cookies & cream ice cream, stood in the freezer and ate an ice cream cone.  It's always fun to see what happens behind the scene.  Too bad I forgot my camera!

Does Mom Work?

On Monday Corbin made a comment (and later Dyllan agreed) that I don't do anything but make them do everything.  He was angry because I was giving him extra jobs, but I also got angry (my pride) and said "I'll just stay in bed tomorrow and you can see how much I do."

Tuesday morning I actually stayed in bed.  I didn't wake the kids up--they know to get up with their alarm and do their 5 jobs.  I didn't help with the jobs.  I stayed in bed and read.  My phlegmatic/type 2 nature is wishy-washy and I wondered the whole time if I made the right decision.  "Do I really not do anything?  Am I being prideful?  Will they learn anything from this experience?"  My choleric/type 3 nature had a hard time sitting in my room doing nothing.  I also thought, "My job is to teach my kids to run their own home, so if I'm doing things right, if systems are in place, they shouldn't need me today."  But I know I do a lot of reminding--time to get up; you have 5 minutes; the kitchen needs cleaned; what is your job now; etc. Yes, I ask my kids to do a lot but do I do my share, too?

I wrote down some of my thoughts as the morning went on.  I'll share directly from my journal.

It is now 10:00.  It's been a slow morning.  The kitchen is still a mess--all the food is still out and dishes haven't been done, there is stuff on all the counters.  But, the bathrooms have been cleaned, kids are dressed and hair and teeth are brushed.  They are doing a lot of playing.  No one is there to remind them to work.  Braedi did take charge to get the bathrooms cleaned and it was her day to cook so she got breakfast made. Curtains are still closed in the bedrooms, stuff is on the floor, laundry hasn't been started and I've only heard one mention of school.  At the beginning when Braedi too charge, Corbin had a hard time with her authority. Jonathan talked to him about his attitude.  I heard Dyllan and Ephram turn to Braedi for answers to questions.  

A little before 11:00 Jonathan and I called the kids in to talk about what happened.  We talked about what happened.  We talked about Corbin's feelings and my feelings.  We talked about communicating.  Jonathan shared his appreciation for me and the importance of the kids recognizing all that I do.  Then we went and cleaned the kitchen and read scriptures and had a little school time.  On Wednesday (instead of a musical) we watched a movie (Jimmy Neutron) where the parents are kidnapped by aliens and, after a day of fun and craziness, the kids realize how much they need their parents and how much their parents do.  I told the kids that we were watching that because I wanted them to learn something from it.  They got the point.

I hope that the kids learned something from this experience.  They were surprised that I actually stayed in bed--so was I.  I think we all learned something.

I got a lot of reading done!

Christmas with the Mecham's

Our Christmas Eve tradition is to make gyoza with the Mecham side of the family.  This year we did it up at Jeremiah and Christy's new house in Prescott Valley.  Kosette and Matt came down from Oregon and Alison and Patrick brought their cute new baby from Utah.  The only one missing was Uncle Philip (he opted out). 

We got there early and went for a hike.  It was a little cold and it sprinkled on us, but it was beautiful.  We had lunch and then relaxed.  Finally it was time to make gyoza--this is something we look forward to all year. 

After gyoza we cleaned up then shared Christmas presents.  Earlier in December Grandma Mecham gave all the grand kids their presents--monkey's that she had crocheted (she learned how as a YW goal--Awesome!).  They were supposed to be Christmas tree ornaments, but the kids kept them down and played with them instead.  Jonathan and I got a camping "stove".  I'm not sure what it is called, but it looked cool and we look forward to using it.  We'll go camping as soon as it warms up.  The siblings did a homemade gift exchange.  We got Alison and Patrick.  I stole and idea from a friend and made a name board for them.  Lucky for me it was pretty easy and I had some help.  I think it turned out cute.

We got candle holders that Jeremiah carved on his lathe.  They look great on top of our piano.  The kids got some wands, too. 

We attempted to take an outdoor family photo, but it was too cold, so we tried again inside and were successful. 

Christmas Eve is also the night when the kids get to open their new pajamas.  This was another fun day visiting with family and letting the kids play with their cousins. 

The Days Before Christmas--Days 14-22

Day 14--Make and deliver Christmas goodies
I wanted to do something simple this year for Christmas presents.  I like the kids to give something to their Primary teachers and leaders.  I also like to give something to the sisters I visit teach and to Jonathan's home teaching families.  And I give something to my Primary presidency.  It's also nice to have a few extras to hand out to friends.  Jennie helped me make a simple "cookies and cream" fudge and some peanut butter and chocolate bark.  Then we put a small amount in a cute bag, added a Christmas ornament from oriental express, taped a note and passed them out at church on Sunday. 

Day 15--Ward Christmas party
Dinner and some music--super simple and super fun.

Day 16--Nativity
I always include a day where we can act out the Nativity, but I think I need to do it earlier in the month next year.  As we get closer to Christmas we get more and more busy and advent calendar activities get pushed aside.  Instead of doing it this day, we did it the Sunday before Christmas when we celebrated with my family.  My mom has the cutest costumes for the kids. 

Day 17--Make presents
I like to have the kids make something for their grandparents for Christmas.  This year they made a journal.  They painted hand prints on material then folded them around notebooks.  I attached the first part of President Eyring's talk O Remember, Remember. 

Day 18--Read a Christmas story
I checked out some new Christmas stories from the library and we read a few.  It's fun to read something different, but it's also fun to read some of the classics.

Day 19--Watch a Christmas movie
My goal was to introduce the kids to A Christmas Story, but it never came from library.  We founds some cute cartoon Christmas movies on Netflix instead.

Day 20--Service Project
Every year we get to do a service project in lieu of gifts for Grandma and Grandpa Mecham.  We love doing this.  Braedi helped pick out and organize the project.  We did a food drive and collected 2 and 1/2 boxes of food to donate to the food bank. 

Day 21--Popsicle Christmas tree
We never got to this activity.

Day 22--Gingerbread man Party
This was actually on the calendar for after Christmas, but we had a friend call and invite us to the park to make gingerbread houses so I traded it with Christmas lights.  The friends that joined us the park were the same friends we were going to invite to our party so it worked out great.  I made cookies and the other moms brought graham crackers for houses.  The kids could do both or one. 

The Days Before Christmas--Days 1-13

Every December we do an advent calendar of sorts to help us get in the  holiday spirit.  I like to think that the kids enjoy these activities and they will be part of the things they remember about their childhood. 

Day 1--Write letters to Santa
The kids know that Jonathan and I are Santa, but I still wanted them to write a letter to Santa so that I could know what they wanted for Christmas.  I found a cute, simple template on-line. 

 Day 2--Watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional
What a great start to the season.  I love listening to those men share their testimonies of the Birth of the Savior. 

Day 3--Decorate the Christmas Tree
I tried to talk the kids into not decorating this year, but got out voted.  That's OK, though, because the tree sure is pretty.  After taking this picture I realized how short our tree is (it's hard to see over our heads).  Sometime soon we'll have to get a bigger one. 

 

Day 4--Drink egg nogg
This is the only time of the year that I will buy that drink and I'll drink only 1 glass.  Dyllan can't stand it, but the other 4 loved it.  We drank ours with graham crackers.

Day 5--Watch a Christmas Movie

Every Wednesday we watch a musical.  We've watched a lot of different ones over the past year and a half.  For this month, though, we swapped our musical with a Christmas movie.  Today it was a Veggie Tales one about the origin of St. Nicholas. 

 

Day 6--Write and preform a Christmas play

We just finished reading A Christmas Carol followed by Jacob T. Marley so the kids decided to act out the 3 ghosts visiting Scrooge.  Ephram was Scrooge, Braedi was Marley, Faythe was the Ghost of Christmas Past, Dyllan was the Ghost of Christmas Present and Corbin was the Ghost of Christmas's Yet to Come. 

Day 7--Paint a Christmas Picture

The kids used oil pastels to draw a picture about Christmas then painted over their picture with water colors.

Day 8--Play a Christmas Game

We ran out of time to play the game on this day, but we made sure to fit it in during the next day.  I found a site with a lot of fun Christmas games and we chose 2 to play--pass the ornament and who am I Santa.  We had lots of laughs. 

 

Day 9--Read a story from the Friend

The Friend always has good Christmas stories.  We just received it in the mail the day before so all the stories were new. 

Day 10--Christmas craft
Aunt Alison sent the kids a cute craft to make.  We printed them off, cut and glued and made a little penguin family.  Thanks, Alison!

Day 11--Christmas movie
This time we watched Christmas  Bunny--a cute story about a foster child who finds a new family. 

Day 12--Color a Christmas picture
Some days we needed a short, simple activity and this was one of them.  We took coloring pages with us while we ran errands and helped Grandma and the kids colored as they had time and desire.

Day 13--Paper Christmas ornaments
For this activity we took scraps of wrapping paper, cut them in strips and glued them to a piece of paper.  Then we cut out a circle from our paper and added string to make an ornament.  They turned out cute. 

 

Animals

We did a short, simple unit on animals recently.  We just spent one day on each of the different types of animals.  We read a book, talked about the characteristics of that group and made a craft. 

Mammals--Faythe made a bear and the others made bat hats.

Amphibians--They all made frogs of different sorts.

 Birds--Braedi and Corbin made origami birds while Dyllan and Faythe made robins. 

Fish--We all worked together to make a fish mobile.

Reptiles--Dyllan and Faythe made alligators, Ephram made a snake, Braedi drew a chameleon and Corbin made his own version of a frilled lizard.

Insects--Corbin colored in his insect coloring book, I made a beetle, Dyllan, Ephram and Faythe made butterflies and Braedi made dragonflies.

 

Then each of the kids picked an animal that they wanted to learn more about.  We got some books at the library and did some research on-line.  The four older kids picked out 3-5 interesting facts then wrote a simple report.  I read Faythe a book about her chosen animal and she told me her facts and helped write her report.  Then they all presented.  Actually all of them except Corbin.  At the last minute he couldn't find his report.  Hopefully he'll find it in the next day or two and I'll add him.  I hope you can hear them--I don't have a video camera, just the video function on my digital. 


"Alligators are Dangerous.  The older they get the longer they are.  The biggest found was 19 feet long.  They usually get to be 10 fee long.  They live in swamps and lakes near the Gulf of Mexico.  Alligators have webbed feet like a duck.  They have a strong tail to help them swim.  Alligators are cool."

"King Cobras are my favorite animal.  They are the longest venomous sane growing to 18 feet.  They lay 20 to 50 eggs.  King Cobras attack when they are surprised.  They eat other snakes, eggs, small mammals and lizards.  I like King Cobras." 

Parrots are fun birds.  They sleep with their wing over their head.  They have 4 toes, 2 in the back and 2 in the front.  Their toes made them good climbers.  parrots like to eat carrots and broccoli and seeds.  They use their sharp beak to eat.  I  like parrots. 

Chameleons are interesting looking animals.  Their feet look very cool--V-shaped so they can grab onto the tree branches and they have 3 toes on one side of their food and 2 toes on the other side.  A Chameleon's tongue is 2 times the length of their body.  Without their tongue they would die of starvation because they are really slow.  Chameleons need warmth to move.  The side of them that is facing the sun is black, but the other side is it's normal color.  Chameleons have rally bad smelling and almost no hearing, but their eyesight makes up for that.  Their eyes can look in 2 separate directions at 1 time.  Because of their bad hearing chameleons us their colors to speak.  I think chameleons are really cool looking reptiles.  (I can't get Braedi's video to upload.)

 



A Month of Gratitude

I got this idea from face book.  Everyday people have been posting things they are grateful for.  I didn't want to post everyday, but I thought the idea was good.  I took it to a family level and got the kids involved.  Everyday of November we wrote on an index card 1 thing we were grateful then hung the cards on our bedroom doors.  It was neat to see the lists and I loved hearing the things that they were thankful for.  We decided to carry on the tradition and have "Thankful Thursdays" as part of our morning devotional.

I'd like to share my list.

1. Jonathan--The only one who truly "gets" me.  He appreciates me and supports me.  He helps me grow and is there for me.  He listens to me.  He loves our kids and is a great dad.
2. Homeschool--I love that I can homeschool, that I can be with my kids all day long and teach them whatever I want.  I love that we can learn TOGETHER.

3. Braedi--She is growing up.  I love seeing her setting goals and working hard to achieve them.

4. Corbin--He loves to help cook meals.  It is a joy to see him light up when he has done something good. 
5. Dyllan--She is a great helper and is a peacemaker. 
6. Ephram--My little ball of energy, but he loves to lay next to me and listen to me read a story. 
7. Faythe--She makes me smile everyday.
8. Books--What would I do without a good book to read?  Books play a big role in my life.  I'm always reading or listening to 2 or 3.  The kids and I listen to 1 in the car and I will read aloud 1 or 2. 
9. Guidance from the Spirit--Most of my decisions are carefully guided from little promptings.
10. Health--Not just mine, but my kids' and my husbands'. 
11.  Freedom--I live in a free country thanks to the people who came before me and fought for my rights.  The kids and I have been memorizing the Declaration of Independence--what a strong message!
12. Missionaries--I recently participated in a 30 fast with my ward where members took turns fasting for 1 day for 30 days.  My experience made me grateful for missionaries and all they do to prepare.
13.  Clothes--I love new clothes. 

14.Piano Tuners--We had our piano worked on this week and the piano tuner was so patient with the kids, teaching them and talking to them about what he was doing.

15. The Scriptures--For the past 6 months I have been studying for upwards of 30 minutes in my scriptures.  I'm learning about myself.  I've learned that I need to KNOW the stories and principles found in those books.  I've learned of their importance.




this is an old picture,
but it's all I have of the 2 of us

16. My sister--I love that my sister is only 30 minutes away (though I wish it was only 2).  We have fun times together.
17. My family--I have a great family.  My mom and dad and siblings and my in laws.  Such a great support system.
18. The Atonement--I'm grateful that I can turn to Jesus Christ for EVERYTHING!  He can take away my pain and sadness and frustration.
19. Flowers--so beautiful.
20. Me Time--I usually spend my "me time" running, but every once in awhile I go shopping.  I also love being able to take weekends away with my sister-in-law. 
21.My home--it may be small, but I love it.  It is a place of refuge and the place I feel comfortable and where I most want to be.
22.  Peanut Butter--actually I love all food, but peanut butter is really good.  Food is one of the reasons that Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  


Just for fun here are the kids' lists.  I love how they came up with all the things on their own--no prompting from siblings--it's fun to see what they are grateful for. 
Braedi: My family, the atonement, the gospel, my talents, good books, my primary class, activity days, the church, the temple, love, friends, my grandparents, the scriptures, Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, that I'm homeschooled, prayers, the swing set, the armor of God, music and art, and family home evening. 
Corbin: Animals, nature, mom and dad, biology, chemistry, scouts, books, food, free time, grandparents, candy, watermelon, and scriptures. 
Dyllan: My family, my parents, the world, books, clothes, tongue, games, grandma, grandpa, plants, school, animals, the gospel, and friends
Ephram: Dad, Heavenly Father and Jesus, mom, games, bags, cars, swing set, notebooks, pencils, teachers, great-grandparents, church, earth, brothers, library, school, birthdays, tithing, sisters, missionaries, my body, friends, grandparents, and food. 
Faythe: My dad, my  mom, my sisters, flowers, my brothers, computer time, my body, my eyes, church, stuffed animals, grandma and grandpa, my blanket, horses, cousins, chocolate chips, gum, turkeys, friends, my kitty costume, bananas, temples, and the swing set. 

We took the week of from school that week and did a few Thanksgiving activities.  One was a to make a turkey.  The kids marble painted a white piece of paper then traced and cut out their hand.  The hand print was the feathers.  Then they made a turkey body and added the feathers.  They were super cute. 

Biz Day

Our homeschool group had it's annual Free Enterprise Day.  The name was different this year, but it was still the same idea--make and sell and buy.  I debated for a long time if I wanted to participate this year and as a result we got started a little late.  The kids found some ideas on pinterest using supplies that we had at home, so there was no outside cost.  They didn't have time to earn money so I searched every possible spot and found $1 in change for each of them.  They paid me back half the amount at the end of the day.  The kids love this activity and I love that this year they didn't most of it on their own, and they each had their own item to sell.

Braedi made bookmarks.  This was actually her own idea, not one she found on-line.  She designed, colored and cut 15 bookmarks and sold all but 2. 

Corbin originally wanted to make snow globes, but the day before the event he still hadn't finished one, so he decided to make candy cane cookies.  He sold all of them.

 Dyllan found a recipe for edible finger paint.  She made lots of different colors and sold out.

Ephram made these cute clothespin airplanes.  He sold all but 1.

Faythe and I didn't make anything, but we bought some things.  We both bought a cloth ring and some food.