Getting Excited for Our New Homeschool Year!!

The majority of our curriculum for next year arrived yesterday and today we tackled going through and combining the things from last year (which we still need a good deal of for my daughter) with all the "new to us" books ( I bought our set on ebay and saved somewhere around 600 dollars-- Ka ching!!). Sadly, all my "mommy's" books are going upstairs, but thats a job for tomorrow.




Of course my oldest son "booknapped" some books while I was making piles and then, his brother and sister confiscated the box-- already the first day and we're putting everything to good use!







And then, while I cleaned up lunch I looked over and saw my still not 6 year old reading this chapter book-- so proud of our bookworm!




But, enough about school-- we still technically have a few more weeks of summer vacation left-ahhhh ;0)

Places to Play in PA: The Works

This past weekend our little guy spent his first overnighter at the grandparents and so we took our "big" kids over to The Works in Wyomissing.

It was so much FUN! Really, all 4 of us had a blast.

It is the one place where parents actually fit in the tubes and are encouraged to play alongside their kids-- win, win! I actually would safely say there is a chance my husnabd had more fun then the rest of us ;)

The theme of the play area is ballocity and there are all these little balls that you have to carry up to the guns and then you shoot them at people. They're foam and dont hurt longer then a second. There is also a little toddler area removed from the big kids where they can play safely and have fun too. Within the area there is a parent's lounge with tv's displaying whats going on in Ballocity so you can "watch" your kids from afar.

Then, when you're all done or before hand, there is an arcade downstairs. The one thing I will say about their arcade versus Chuck E Cheese, is that people actually win a lot of tickets... I mean hundreds of tickets... crazy! But, it was a lot of fun and it makes a nice trip for a rainy, hot, or cold day. There is a resturaunt there too which we didn't go to, but have heard it's okay--- so happy playing friends!

http://www.gearedforfun.com/ballocity.asp

This and that and the best fruit dip EVER!!

Hi friends, about once or twice a week these beautiful hot air balloons pass right over our house. They used to float to the south of us, but I guess the air current has changed and now they sail right over our backyard much to the kid's delight when we are out back playing before bed time. It's so fun to try and shout "hello" to these air born giants--especially for my youngest-- "allo" and then he waves his chubby little arm till it's gone from view. So precious.




This past weekend I made the food for a friend's daughters graduation from college and happily, no one died from food poisioning and seemed to enjoy themselves-- phew! It was a fun opportunity, but it can be a lot of work.





And now for my mom's fruit dip recipe. I first had this when I was a little girl at a party and then my mom never made it again until my first son tunred one. And since then, I have only made it twice which is so sad as it is so gosh darn good-- heavenly good really.

1 pound jar of fluff
2 8oz cream cheeses softened at room temp.

Beat two together until they are nice and creamy. Taste with finger. Then, dip desired fruit in. Repeat as often as you'd like-- Happy Summer!

{Eggplant Parmigan Lasagna}

Eggplant can be a very yummy vegetable if properly prepared and picked.

So, let's assume you chose a good one and the key to serving? Slice it thin! The thinner the cuts, the better and easier it is to eat-- especially for kids.

So, to bread your eggplant it is very simple and since you're cutting it thin, you'll have enough for two meals-- some for normal eggplant parm or for a sandwhich-- it's up to you. The rest, can be used here. So, to bread your eggplant, slice it thin.
Then dip it in a beaten egg mivture and then itallian style breadcumbs and then bake them at 350 degrees to the desired crispness. I like mine almost chip like.

For your lasagna, you will need
1 box lasagna noodles
1 big tub of ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of frozen spinach
1/2 cup grated carrots (or you could zest them)
some dried or fresh basil

Mix all together-- start with eggs first and once the yolk has been broke, stir in the rest. Begin to assemble lasgna. Sauce, noodles (you can use oven ready, but I like the original best as the former always stays a little crispy for me), cheese, noodles, sauce and *breaded eggplant*, noodles, cheese, noodles, sauce and then sprinkle mozzerella cheese all over and some more basil. Bake at 350-400 degrees for approx. 25-30 minutes.

Then, let it rest. Give it 10-15 minutes to just sit and settle. You do it for meat, but lasagna needs it to-- trust me!

Now, enjoy and have fun sneaking in all the yummy vegetables :)

A Busy week, Graduation Party, and Adorable Chubby Legs!

Phew... it has been a crazy busy week! Not a roller coaster ride-- just an exciting all over the place train ride busy-- if that makes sense. Very excited that our church's Circle of Moms group had our first park and play date and it went really well-- a lot of moms came out and I am just so excite for September when we begin our meetings! God's hand has been guiding us right along and it has been a very pleasant experience!

On wednesday, we went with Aunt Joy to Oregon Dairy Farm Days and I will post pics later-- but it was a lot of fun! Plus, when we came home, I had my welcome letter to begin selling 31 and I will post more on that later too when I get everything figured out with the website ;)

And, I was asked to cater a graduation party for a family at our church. This is so humbling since if you have ever seen my kitchen it is beyond teensy tiny-- I don't know if you notice, but a lot of food pics are taken either on my oven or at our dining room table since those are my two "prep" surfaces. But, I love that when I commited it to the Lord, He has done some big things and taken me "big" places. Anyway, it is such an honor as I have no formal food training or credentials-- so a big leap of faith on the part of this family, but it has been really fun getting to know them all better. I am very excited because they asked me to do a candy buffet-- so here are some of the candy jars I made with the college logo (they'll be filled with red and white candies):




Now, onto my favorite little pair of chubby legs (imagine my silly grin right here). I love this little boy and his perfectly shaped little thighs. Isn't he so funny still wearing his shoes?! he cracks me up-- he tried to keep them on tonight for his bath too, but I have to draw the line someplace ;) Just an fyi-- he was on his way upstairs to get a new outfit after trashing his other one at lunch. We try not to make it a practice to let him run around half naked as the poor kid is approaching two... sigh... but, back to those chunky monkey legs-- aren't they dreamy...

Places to Play in PA: Oregon Pike Dairy

I have been meaning to tell y'all about this fabulously simple place to go and have lots of fun. It is right off route 222 on the Oregon Pike exit and minutes from Hands on House and maybe 20 minutes from Dutch Wonderland. It also holds a special place in my heart as I am a deep lover of all things milk. I Love milk like crazy!




We love stopping here before or after Hands-on-House as it serves the best ice cream with an amzing outdoor deck where you can enjoy all their flower pots and the beautiful country air. Then, when your all done, you walk along this ramp and slide down a huge slide to their little play ground. Now, their playground is not huge, but it does have a little maze that goes UNDER the deck where you just ate and the kids love it.




Plus, there are some really cute goats and deer to look at. It's just plain fun!

Also, this week, they are having Family Farm Days for extra fun (and I heard a rumor free ice cream and-- free milk--yum!). I did have some limited picture taking opportunity due to the fact that several Amish were there also enjoying the sweets scene, but hope you get the idea that this is a nice spot to stop at if you're in the Lancaster area.
http://oregondairy.com/







Want more Places to Play in PA-- just search this blog by typing in that phrase to the search at the top right of the blog :) Happy Exploring!

Smoothie-licious!

Smoothie recipes are a dime a dozen and so easy to make, but here is our family's personal favorite and super easy smoothie recipe.

1 bag of frozen mixed berries (about 2-3 cups)
1-2 cups of ice (it depends on how big your ice cubes are-- ours are small)
1 cup of orange juice
1/4 cup of sugar
1 blueberry yogurt

Add ice and fruit first (it helps to have slightly defrosted fruit-- it just goes faster). Then add about half of orange juice and yogurt and sugar. Blend on smoothie function-- or chop or liquify-- but smoothie function is best :) Blend for about 20 secs and stir around and add rest of juice. Blend more to desired consistency (you may want more oj and thats fine). Serve immediatley as it can get seperated a bit.




Now, last night I made a choc- strawberry one and it was really, really good. I used choc. yogurt and frozen straberries and water in place of the oj and in hindsight, wish I had added some choc. shavings or syrup-- but do you see, smoothies are so easy to make and change! I'd love for you to share your favorite with our family :)