Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic

Each day I start preschool time by asking Bearhugs and Darlin' to pick out a book each for me to read to them. I find that it is something they look forward to and beg for if we miss it. One of the books chosen for today was Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic. We received this book from an Aunt and Uncle as an addition to our library in honor of Bearhugs 5th birthday. It has become an instant favorite.

By Darlin' (DD3) and Bearhugs (DS5)

After our reading time the kids often want a craft to do that goes with the story. (Construction paper and glue never last very long at our house =) So for today I thought I'd take the time to share kiddo's creations. Notice Trapper and Trout won't be left out of preschool activities when if involves paper and glue!


By Trout (DS7) and Trapper (DS8)

Slow Cooked Moroccan Chicken from BGH.com

Always on the hunt for more great recipes for the Crock-pot I came across this Moroccan-Style Chicken that my family loved. It is a little different than the typical American flavoring we are accustomed, too, but it is a fun ethnic food that we all enjoyed.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
• 8 oz. baby carrots with tops, trimmed, or baby carrots, halved lengthwise if large
• 1/2 cup pitted dried plums (prunes)
• 1 14-oz. can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
• 1-1/4 tsp. curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker combine onion and carrots. Add plums and broth. Top with chicken. In a small bowl combine curry powder, salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over chicken.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Remove chicken, fruit, and vegetables from cooker with a slotted spoon. Spoon some of the cooking juices on each serving. Makes 4 servings.

This recipe is not my own and can be found at http://www.bhg.com/recipe/chicken/slow-cooked-moroccan-chicken/

What I'm Learning About Tae Kwon Do

Hana, Dul, Set, Net...
Let me start by saying this is a crash cultural course if there ever was one! I have no background in martial arts of any form. No one in my family participated in them, I never attended any events surrounding them, and my understanding of martial arts was predominantly formed by movies such as The Karate Kid (think 1984 version with chopstick fly nabbing).

Fast forward a couple decades and now I have children that want an after school activity that both challenges and fascinates. Enter, Tae Kwon Do.

After a thorough search of the internet and local do-jangs we decided to look into a Kukkiwon approved studio that works with all ages. Upon visiting with Master M. we decided to preview the first couple classes before signing up full-time.

We were impressed and overwhelmed, to say the least. In the first class it became apparent that the older more experienced students are responsible for the younger students. My 7yo DS, Trout, jumped into the first class excited to try this new experience. In about 2 seconds he realized he had no idea what he was doing, didn't understand why this older boy was redirecting him, and figured it might be best to watch from the sidelines where his 3 siblings were already gawking at all that was going on.

The class starts with a simple stretching routine. As the students follow the masters instructions they are sure to respond with "Yes, Ma'am" and the proper Korean counting. They work through a series of simple exercises before moving to more difficult techniques that are to be learned or worked on by all participating. The more advanced "belts" (students that have tested to prove their advanced understanding) work to help the newer students, or lower "belts". Everyone in uniform is expected to participate. At this particular do-jang respect of authority is strongly emphasized as the students must respond properly and do as expected or they are punished with further exercise (most often push-ups).It's great! Currently all 4 of my kids participate, ages 8, 7, 5, & 3, and they love it! I love the training they are receiving on respect, discipline, exercise, routine, and defense. It is an excellent reinforcement of so many things we hope to instill in our children at home, but how fun and cool is it to learn while wearing white uniforms!

Stick around and I'll share more about all this in future posts as I am learning more all the time.

Homemade Meals- Hearty Veggie Beef Stew

As a busy mom and wife with 6 of us to feed, there are many times I find myself wondering how food is going to appear on our table come meal time. I enjoy cooking some days, some days I don't. I have lots of time to think about cooking some days, some days I don't. I have a thoroughly filled pantry and fridge some days and some days I don't. So as a favor to myself and a way of sharing some of the things I have learned with others, I hope to have an ongoing blog meme concerning all these matters. Let's begin...

The first of many recipes I want to share is assembled by myself and prepared by my trusty cooking companion, the Crock Pot. This recipe is great! Throw in all the ingredients, fix a side of biscuits (especially if you have no eggs for bread or rolls) and sit down to a great dinner once you have all congregated around the family meal table.

Hearty Veggie Beef Stew

2 lbs. lean stewing beef, thawed the night before and cut into 1" cubes
3 medium potatoes diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced chunky
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
16 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups water
2 bouillon cubes (water and bouillon may be replaced with beef stock)

Combine all ingredients in crock. Cover and cook- Low for 8-10 hrs; High 4-5 hrs

Delicious option for the end of a cool fall day! Enjoy!

They Were Completely Amazed

While looking at Scripture this morning I was caught up on this portion of Mark 6, "They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened." This chapter recalls the event of Jesus walking on a stormy sea to calm the waves for His disciples lurching about in their boat. (This all happened shortly after the feeding of the five thousand, hence the reference to the loaves, a provision from the Lord.) As He approached the vessel they became frightened thinking He was a ghost, but He settled their hearts by announcing Himself before climbing into the boat and calming the storm. As the storm abates the disciples were amazed that Christ could accomplish this "for they had not understood about the loaves;...".

So many times I find myself in the same predicament, wondering how the Lord will see me through my trial of the moment. Then, when He answers "immeasurably more than all [I] ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within [me]", I am amazed. Have I forgotten the many ways He has already cared for me?

I must then ask myself the questions found in Galatians 3:3. "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" When the disciples found themselves on storm-tossed seas, yet again, Christ is there to meet their need and answer before they have even asked. Why should I doubt that He will answer my need? I am not able to accomplish anything as great as He, so I need to continue to trust Him.
May my faith in Him grow greater! That I may know to surrender my path to His will, trusting always that He will guide my steps, even through the dark ways.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:24)."

Saturday Morning Donuts

This morning I woke up to a crisp, chill in the air and thought, "Today is a good day for donuts!" Silly, yes, but it doesn't help when one is reading Homer Price to the kids at night and you just recently read the chapter on the unstoppable donut machine =)

So with vim and vigor I got up and decided to try my hand at making donuts for my family. I got my tried and true copy of Joy of Cooking from the shelf and mixed up a batch of Sweet Milk Donuts with my 3yo's help. The dough was a little sticky, so I had to add flour. While I was doing that my oil got too hot, so the first donuts out were a bit doughy in the centers.

But, lo and behold, after getting the temperature corrected and the consistency of the dough right, we ended up with a beautiful batch of homemade donuts. This recipe was so sweet that we decided they were good enough without added sugar or glaze. What fun! Glad I got up and did this today, but my thighs will thank me for not doing it all that often!BTW Notice my utensils here. The biscuit cutter was my Grandmother's and the smaller cutter (used for the centers) was taken from my kids play dough supplies. Gotta love play dough cutters =)

School Scheduling

Well that time of year has come again. I have been busy organizing materials, planning and preparing for our upcoming school year. In some ways it can be overwhelming to get it all done, but one bite at a time, and I am so thankful for the results when I get done.

You can see my most recent daily school schedule here. This is a result of lots of time and reflection on what has worked for us in the past. It is an ever-changing agenda that acts as a guideline for our school days, but by no means is it a rule.

Now time to focus on the individual subjects themselves as I finish pulling together materials, establish yearly and monthly goals, and excite my children for their upcoming academic pursuits.