First Time for Making Banana Pudding

I have to share this funny little story.

I just taught one of my daughters to make pudding in my Tupperware Quick Shake. She thought it was so neat, that she wanted to make us banana pudding the very next day. I didn't pay attention to what she was doing. Soon she handed us a bowl each of her pudding. It was sour. We checked the milk. The date still had 2 weeks left. Smelled the milk and it had a slight sour smell. I don't drink milk and so it always smells sour to me. Poured it out. Threw the pudding away. I started to clean up her mess (still working on her about that), and came across the box. I read the box and it was the pectin I bought for making Cherry Jam. So now we all know, pectin makes sour banana pudding. Hoping lesson learned ~ Read the box and instructions.

My Crock Pot Sheppard Pie

My crock pot is a great tool for dinner without heating up the house. My family loved this one. It is all gone. :)

Sheri's Crock Pot Sheppard Pie

Step 1

2 lbs of ground meat thawed ~I used ground turkey
3 cups water
3 cups of mixed frozen veggies
1 onion chopped
1 pkg of Lipton Onion Soup

-Mix together in a crock pot until blended. Cook on high for 3 or 4 hours or until meat is done.

Step 2
Add in making for making 3 cups of mashed potatoes minus the water as indicated on the instant mashed potatoes packaging. (milk, butter and instant potatoes)~I used soy milk instead.

- add in butter and milk and stir until butter is melted.
- Sprinkle on instant potatoes.
- Cook until potatoes are done. (if too watery after 15 minutes, sprinkle with more instant potatoes)
- With a fork, fluff potatoes and serve.

Search for easy recipes and LEMON PEPPER CHICKEN recipe

Every Summer I struggle to stay within the food budget. "It's too hot to cook!" or we get too busy to cook. We end up eating out where we don't have to heat up the kitchen. This year that is not an option. We just can't go over budget.

I am on a search this year to find recipes that are super easy and don't heat up the kitchen. I have been loving Tupperware, because they have products that are made just for this kind of thinking. And there are some great Tupperware recipes for quick and easy and without a box

I know that I have friends who feel that the microwave is evil, but I think you can adapt the recipes easily to an oven or your cooking choice. With food allergies and Celiac a concern with our family, I look for the best solution for the situation. I don't think anyone will argue with me about the microwave being a better choice then eating out, where you have no control of contamination or quality.

This is my latest recipe find that my family really enjoyed last night. I don't know what I would call it, because I think you can change the flavor by the seasoning you use. I just so happen to have all of the ingredients for it and so I will call it what it is.

LEMON PEPPER CHICKEN

Boneless, skinless Chicken breast (I cut mine up in chunks)
Miracle Whip (I used plain old mayonnaise and just plopped 3 unmeasured spoonfuls in)
Lemon Pepper Seasoning (Next time I plan on using taco seasoning)

1. Coat the chicken breast with mayo and sprinkle with seasoning.
2. Place the chicken in a microwave Tupperware container. Place lid on container. (I used my "Heat N'Serve") Microwave for 8 to 9 minutes on high setting.
3. Let stand, covered, for 2 more minutes to finish cooking. (If chicken is not fully cooked, place back in microwave and finish cooking it.

Note: Mine was creamy enough to add mixed veggies and serve over noodles. I thought about serving it over potatoes, rice or even gluten free toast.

Our Plans for School Next Year

BOTH GIRLS FINISHED SCHOOL THIS WEEK!!!! Yippee!!!!!

Can you tell I am very excited. Even more excited then the kids. I am very proud of all of us this year. This is the first time we finished up before public school lets out for the summer. We were consistent, made up time that was missed and made school a high priority this year.

Math
We really like Math-U-See. It is a wonderful program that teaches the kids hands on. They are big on kids understanding the concept and working out the problem. They also have story problems every day. Which I like, because it shows them ways we apply the math and they don't seem to be scared of the story problems like I was when I was a child.

Language Arts
We followed a curriculum using Rod and Staff. There are things that I like about this program, such as the instructions and lesson plans are easy to understand so that the kids can do it on their own. And the teacher book is easy to follow. But after a year, there are areas that I feel they need work on. Such as grammar didn't stick to their brains like I hoped, spelling needs improvement, and I would like them to do more creative writing, book reports, and articles about field trips. I really like the approach of Charlotte Mason. I was using that approach in pre-school through first grade, before I even knew what style of teacher I was.

For next year, I would like to return back to this style, because I notice that we all do better. I have a collection of copy work for the kids to do, like quotes from Mother Teresa and Benjamin Franklin. I also wanted the kids to put together a spelling rules notebook with examples in it. I even have a copy that I did for them to copy to make their own. I found a grammar lapbook that I think the kids would treasure. And I want to encourage more reading for enjoyment and teach them how to write a book report.

We are planning on using Easy Grammar and Daily Grams to keep us reviewing and improving our grammar.

I found The Natural Speller, which is along the lines of what I have always wanted to do for spelling. We will be starting Spelling now and just do spelling bee's for awhile

I found a great Cursive program that I will be using to teach Vicky cursive and Liz for practicing her cursive. We are going to start this now. Also, I found a great pencil that trains children to hold the pencil correctly. I bought some for Vicky, because she just can't remember the correct way to hold a pencil. She really is liking them, because they look different and it is new.

We are also going to work on encouraging them to read more this summer and do reading comprehension. I am signing them up for the library Summer Reading Program. They are excited about this.

Science
We allow them to learn by interest. We did use a program called Considering God's Creation. We still have some lessons left to do. I would like to finish this and then when they are in High School, re-due it with more in-depth research.

History
Pat teaches them well in this area. I would still like to read them some American Stories and study the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. The girls would like to study both The Presidents on their birthdays and study a state a month. We will see which way we will go next year in this area.

So there you have it, we have a plan for next year. I can relax this summer, because we know what we are doing. We have our books for next year and the kids are even excited about what we will be doing. Vicky keeps asking me if we can start Cursive.

As far as my grammar on this - it is late and I am tired and so editing will have to come when I get a chance.

Motivation for Work We Hate To Do

I have started working on a project I have been avoiding for a long time. It is those darn business books. I do not like working on them. Every 30 minutes I am looking for excuses to take a break. I am hungrier for no apparent reason other then an excuse to leave my desk. Yesterday, I realized that when the kids are unmotivated about school, they most likely feel the same way that I do. So how does one stay motivated to keep on the project one don't like to do? I need a mommy to motivate me! lol Now back to being serious. Well, with the kids schoolwork....
- I reward them with breaks.
- I have them stop and run around the house three times.
- I withhold lunch or snack until it is done. (Their schoolwork is not longer then 1 1/2 hour - so no, it is not terrible).
- We schedule fun things into the week as a motivational tool to work towards a goal before we can go.

So, I can apply the same principle to my project....
- Take breaks after one our of steady work.
- Take a walk or ride the bike around the block.
- Withhold snacks until 2 hours of steady work is done. Yes, I will work for dark chocolate M&M's or gourmet jelly beans. :)
- Schedule in fun things into the week and work towards a goal before we can go.

With this project, I am also asking the kids help with chores. They even offered to help with sorting and filing. That was a huge help and they did a great job.

If you have ideas about how you motivate your kids with working on school, I would love to hear them. I am always looking for new ideas.