Makiavelli Teams up with Chef Maki

Learning about fish? Having a themed party? Wanna do something different, just for fun? This may work for you! Bake zucchini bread in pie tins like this: Turn out one of the zucchini breads whole onto a cookie sheet. Cut another of the breads into quarters, using one quarter for the fish tail. Cut another piece for a top fin. Add a small piece of candy, raisin, or date for the eyeball and there's your fish!

Now that was easy, wasn't it?!

It isn't too late to join in on doing the Fit for 5 challenge this month. Have you reported back lately? It's okay if you haven't. This is just a friendly reminder to get moving! ;)

See show & tells here.

Ms. Wise & Ms. Otherwise Learn Something

St. Patrik's Day was upon us. Here's Princess, all decked out in her greenest of greens. As a family we had different places to go, things to do. I met up with Kevin to swap some kids--he staying away, I, heading home. When we were nearly home, Peanut asked if we could stop for a little while at the "double-decker" park. I figured I could spare a half an hour, so we went.
It was there at the park that I discovered I didn't have my house key. It was there that I also discovered that I had more than half an hour to spare. Missing a house key made it so that I had lots of time to spare. I couldn't get home to rush in and do all those really important things that couldn't wait. Instead of getting home and getting busy, I spent time having my legs encased in cool sand by two smiling blondies. It actually felt quite nice. :)I "wasted" several pictures trying to get Chubby to stay still and look at me for more than .0000025 seconds. Here's one of those failures. (Or maybe not a failure--see that precious little footsie?)Chubby was completely opposed to putting his feet down into the sand, so he stayed on the bench with me when he couldn't coerce Peanut into taking him down more slides. Eventually I was able to capture this picture as he studied the grains of sand on his fingers.

I watched Princess & Peanut carve extensive roadways across the playground.

I breathed fresh air. I enjoyed a cool breeze. I relished the scene placed before me in nature--the blue, blue sky, the flowers, the trees. I also admired climbing skills.
Between keeping sand out of Chubby's mouth and watching the antics of the other two, I pondered things that needed pondering. It was peaceful. It was nice. I learned that I actually did have time for the really important things and that the really important things didn't have anything to do with my "to do" list waiting for me at home. (And who says I can't make St. Patrik's Day dinner & cookies today instead anyway?)

Mama Rika's Random Tips & Tricks

People are frequently asking me "how do you manage to...fill-in-the-blank". So, I thought I would share some things I do. Some of the things might sound completely silly, but sometimes I come up with some simple but effective strategies. I'll keep throwing out ideas via posts like this on how I do different things and perhaps you will find one or two things that will be of use to you. :)

1. Turn of the day. When my oldest three children were small, there got to be regular squabbles about whose turn it was to pick a video, help with dishes, sit by Mom, etc. I resolved this issue completely by beginning turn of the day. Each child gets a turn of the day. If it is that child's turn of the day, anytime there is any question about whose turn it is to do something, we just ask whose turn of the day it is and that child gets to choose.

For example, on Monday it would be Patchy's turn of the day, Tuesday it would be Nan and Wednesday it would be Bub. When Thursday comes around, we start back at the beginning. So, on Monday, if the kids were going to play a game together and couldn't decide on the game to play, they would have to play what Patchy wanted because it was his turn of the day.

This system cut down on tons of problems. Often, the kids were very happy that it was their turn of the day, but occasionally they had to do something they didn't want to do because it was their turn. It works both directions.

2. Finely grated zucchini. You can put finely grated zucchini, apples, onions and other random fruits and veggies in just about anything you cook and the kids never notice. It is a great trick for getting extra nutrients in the kids without fuss. My kids are pretty good eaters anyway, but it never hurts to throw in more good stuff. Make sure to use finely grated or pureed and not coarsely grated. They WILL spot those! Zucchini is great because it has such a mild flavor. You can put quite a bit of it in without flavoring the sauce a distinct flavor.

3. Leave bags in the freezer. Yeah, I know that sounds just plain weird. And it is. But it works for me. I like to freeze things for later. Usually the things I freeze (like Featherlight Wholegrain Wheat Waffles that you can find the recipe for in this post) don't last all that long. I label the bag with the contents, put the bag in the freezer and hope for it to last for months. When we polish off the remains a week later, I just put the labeled bag back in the freezer on the appropriate shelf. Then, when I make more, I just grab that empty bag and refill it. Bags don't take up much room in the freezer and this way I get lots of uses out of that one gallon size zippy bag rather than just one. As an added bonus, I don't have to try to find a permanent marker to relabel another bag!

4. Buy first, plan later. This one I suppose sounds like I have taken leave of my senses. But it, too, works well for me. Here's the way I do this. Each member of my large family has an unusually incredible ability to pack away more food than their size would indicate. In addition to this, they all have very fast metabolisms. This means that I have to maximize the amount of food I buy while trying to minimize the amount of dollars I spend. I always buy what's on sale first and then plan out daily/weekly/monthly menus.

Most people try to figure out their menu plans for the week first and then go buy just what is on their list. The trouble for me with this method is that I might feel like making a homemade lasagna and get to the store and find that the price for the pasta, cheeses and sauce that I need to make it are at an all time high price wise. If I go ahead and purchase those items to stick with my grocery list, then I might have less money to spend stocking up on the really good deal the store was offering on peanut butter and canned green beans.

5. Read or sleep rule. When it is bedtime at our house, we have always had the read or sleep rule once you have been told it is bedtime. This makes it so that if little ones really aren't tired, they have something to do quietly until they are ready for sleep, rather than demanding that they sleep. It also has helped instill a love of reading in my children. The drawbacks are that sometimes they keep reading and reading and reading and reading...

6. Your taste buds haven't grown up yet. I never say a child doesn't like this food or that food. Our rules always require tasting an item presented to you. When the child has tasted the item, I thank them for tasting. If they were less than impressed with it, I just remind them that it is okay, it is simply that "your taste buds haven't grown up yet." You'll like it as you get older. Sometimes it takes 2 tries before they like the food, sometimes it will take 100. But I always emphasize the fact that it isn't that they don't like the item, it is young taste buds. This method has worked over and over and over again. But, it isn't fool proof. Everyone has different preferences. Because of this, we also have trick #9.

A funny story to go along with this happened with Peanut. All my kids have really loved pickles. Peanut is my 5th child and he really, really wanted to like pickles because everyone else did. Each time we brought the pickle jar out, he would try one. He would put it in his mouth, his eyes would water and he would have a tortured expression on his face. I would ask him what he thought and he would tell me, "It's good." He did this so many times and every time, the expression on his face would be the same. I finally took pity on him and just told him that it was okay not to like pickles. He could choose to not like pickles. I think he was 4 or 5 at the time. He has been a non-pickle eater ever since. He is 11 now.

7. Sign rotations. This is my way of trying to plug messages into my kid's brains that don't come from the sound of my voice. If I find a quote or a scripture that is applicable to something a child is going through, or that upholds a value I am trying to instill in my children, I will write it on a post-it, index card, or larger paper and tape it up. I put things on the fridge, bathroom mirrors, by light switches, in the hallway or anywhere that the kids might happen to read it. I change these out from time to time, always trying to vary the locations because after seeing something around for a while, one tends to forget it is even there! I just think this is a good way to enhance what you are trying to do in other ways.

8. Trades. I started this when my big kids were small. I have always tried to teach my kids to eat in a healthy manner. It was amazing to me how much junkfood they would bring home from church, birthday parties and other events and I needed some way to combat that a bit. My mother had done this somewhat with my younger siblings, so that is where I got the idea. Mom would have a supply of "healthy candy & snacks" that they could trade in their junk food and get better-for-you choices. I added to the idea by not only trying to have healthy things they could eat, but also offering things like stickers, small toys and trinkets. I have to admit that I was much better about keeping this up with my older kids than I have been with my younger kids. I could do better. The kids were really quite good about trading in their things.

9. It is on my list! Everyone in the family gets to have one thing on their "do not eat list". (See also rule 6 above.) Personally, I hate peas. Canned peas are the worst. If I feel I can not politely decline a serving of peas, I will swallow them whole rather than bite into them. Kevin can't stand asparagus. If I am serving something that is on someone's list, they are not required to try it. Everything else, either their taste buds haven't grown up enough yet, or we just haven't found the best way to serve it yet!

See more tips http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node/3211 or http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Canadagirl/ or http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/03/your-best-time-saving-nutrition-tip-or-kitchen-tip-real-food-wednesday.html

Fruity "Bugs" with Ms. Wise & Ms. Otherwise

Sticky was teaching Princess about the difference between spiders and insects. Then, they made some bugs together. Princess used apples with raisins for spots and marshmellow antennae, glued together with peanutbutter. One bug is 3, the other 6. Sticky went with a kiwi fruit base and marshmellow legs. A couple of carrot shreds became antennae.

Peanut couldn't resist joining in on the fun by using a theme similar to the one Sticky did.

The book actually suggested using all sorts of different candies to make the insects, but we scrounged around the kitchen and came up with a more healthy alternative. The creating was fun, the lesson was learned, the eating was nutritious and delicious {Okay, okay...minus the marshmallows}.

And, this also went along well with my mission accomplished goal for the month. :) Hmmm. I wonder if I can make a "fruity gram" instead of a "candy gram". It could work--Orange you glad you are the apple of my eye? You're grape! You are berry special to me. We cantaloupe...we're already married!...LOL

Ms. Wise & Ms. Otherwise Report: On Math, Groceries and Feeling Good

Ms. Wise says, "Life is school, school is life. There's always learning going on whether we are purposefully trying to teach or not."

Yesterday I went to the grocery store. Alone. Just me, and my own self. I did what I nearly always do at the store. I tallied as I went. My system of tallying is pretty accurate. I am usually within $5.00 or less of the actual total. Here's how it goes. (Note to self: teach this little trick to all the kids.)

Everything I place in the cart adds $1.00 to the total. Actually, I should say that anything $.50 or more adds $1.00 to my tally. For instance, if the actual cost is $.64, it equals $1.00 towards my total. If there is an item that costs $.29 and another that costs $.25, then I would combine those two to make another dollar. If something costs more than $1.00, I add an additional dollar or two, as the situation warrants. By rounding up all the time, that takes care of the tax that will be applied at the end. (I don't weigh all my produce. I just make a guess.)

My tally this time at the grocery store came to $95.00. ~~Why do I tally? Why do I watch the items for errors as they scan them in? (Tough to do when they begin scanning before you have all your items out of the cart. Also tough to do because each store scans them in a different way to make it hard for you to decipher.) Someone wealthy and wise said doing this is a wise idea.~~

Wow! I am going in and out of my story today--Sorry! Back on track...hmmm, where was I. Oh, yes. $95.00. I had brought with me two competitor's coupons to use. One was for $.99 peanut butter and another for $5.99 for an 8 pack of paper towels.

The cashier rang up the peanut butter and paper towels somewhere in the middle of the order. Then, at the end, he tried to scan in the coupons. I had already questioned one item that he had scanned and didn't want to hold up the line again or look stupid if I was wrong again, so I didn't say anything about it.

The total amount I was to pay came to $80.26! Based on my tallying calculations, it didn't seem like the correct total. I had that niggling feeling in the back of my mind. But, before I could really take the time to process my thinking, I was done with my transaction.

I grabbed my mile long receipt from the case lot sale, and started to look it over. My eyes scanned the length of it two or three times seeking confirmation of items that were not appearing on the receipt. It seemed to be that the cashier had not charged me at all for the peanut butter or the paper towels. In addition to not charging me, he had also taken off $6.98 for the coupons. I had the items in my cart and was being paid to take them away.

AAARGH! I say this because now I had to visit the customer service desk. Did I have to? Yes, even though I had already been at the store longer than I had wanted to be and was reluctant to stay longer. I admit. I hesitated for a moment knowing how long it would take and the hassle of it all. Drat! {Ms. Wise wins again}

Yes, it took forever. Once it was my turn, they had to call a manager since they didn't know what to do with me. In the end though, I paid the 7 bucks for the items, but they couldn't do anything about the coupons, so I ended up essentially getting the items for nothing rather than having them pay me to take them. However, as is always the case, choosing the right made me glad I had.

What's the point of this long and probably boring story? It's the lessons of course! I can teach my kids math calculations, which is great and very useful. But, I can also teach them about making the right choice when you are by yourself or in a crowd. I can teach them about the good feeling you get when you make a good choice that wasn't the easiest thing to do.

Thanks, Ms. Wise, for coming through.

The Olympics and School

We love the Olympics. We inhale as much of it as possible. So, does that mean school goes out the window? Nope. School becomes Olympics centered! This year, I am trying to be a little more organized. Here are some of the things I am going to try to do.

[I school some of my children using the www.k12.com curriculum. In case you do too, I have included lesson links that would be covered by the suggested idea. And, sorry, but I don’t have kids in every single course in every single grade, so you may have to do a little adapting of your own! ;)]

Writing Projects:

--First, to write our projects, we have this site. At this site, they have “Olympic Games Writing Paper & Frames". We may just use our 5-cent spiral bound notebooks that I bought during school supply sales instead, but it is kind of a nice idea. I might print some out just for Princess—the ones with the space for a picture and lines for writing. If you choose to print paper out, put them in a decorated 3 ring binder, or make a book binding for it.

--Get pictures to add to writing projects from the official site of the Beijing Olympics.

Writing Topic Ideas:

--Pick a specific athlete, study his/her background and write a profile essay. (K12 Language Skills 5 Unit 8) (Literary Analysis & Composition Unit 2)

--Do a country report on one of the countries that intrigues you. (K12 Language Skills 5 Unit 2) (Literary Analysis & Composition Unit 5)

--Do a research report on the Great Wall of China, the history of gymnastics, how athletes maintain healthy bodies, the Olympics itself, etc. (K12 Language Skills 5 Unit 2) (Literary Analysis & Composition Unit 5)

--Write a step-by-step essay or give a speech on how to play a certain sport. (K12 Language Skills 5 Unit 8)

--Write a descriptive essay on the layout of the games. (Literary Analysis & Composition Unit 4)

--Compare and contrast two athletes. (K12 Language Skills 5 Unit 7) (Literary Analysis & Composition Unit 7)

--Write a persuasive essay about why your hometown should be chosen to host an upcoming Olympics.

Literature:

--I compiled a list of books from our local library on the Olympics that looked interesting to me for my kids to read and possibly help in research projects. Search for books specifically on the Olympics, past and present athletes, countries, and sports. When you do the grunt work at home via the online catalog, you have a good list that you can easily take to the library, grab the ones you want and go. Also, while you look online, you can place holds on the ones they don’t currently have in and avoid a disappointing library run!

Math Extensions:

--Graph and chart the medal count

--Research standing records and figure out what it will take to beat them.

History:

--Study ancient China (K12 History 1 Unit 8) (K12 Intermediate World History A Unit 9)

--Study America’s history in the Olympic games. Whatever section of American history you may be in, see who competed during those years! How did they do compared to now? Are any of their ancestors competing today? (K12 American History before 1865 or since 1865 any unit/lesson)

--It is a perfect time for study of ancient Greece. (K12 History 1 Units 5 & 6) (K12 Intermediate World History A Unit 9)

Science:

--Using the Scientific Method investigate a question you have been wondering about. You could possibly find some good questions on the subject of what it is that sets the gold medal winner apart from the others—could it be their diet? Their training methods? Their natural ability? Their mind power? Would it be physically possible for a human to run a 3-minute mile? Do vitamins make you run faster? How much would it slow you down if you run with a couple of 3-pound weights? Be creative, think of your own ideas. (K12 Physical Science & Earth Science the final Unit)

--Learn about the human body, how it works, how it supports you as you are athletic, why it is important to keep your body healthy. (K12 Science 1 Unit 10)

Art:

--Study Ancient Greek art and Chinese art (k12 Art 1 unit 11)

--Make an olive leaf wreath crown by simply cutting a strip of green construction paper to fit the size of the child’s head. Let the child draw and cut out several leaf shapes. Tape or glue those to the wreath. Secure the wreath with tape.

--Draw a landscape picture of the Beijing countryside.

--Sketch a profile of one of the athletes or a sketch of the Olympic podium or flags being raised. (K12 Intermediate Art: American A Unit 1 Lesson 4)

--Draw a self-portrait with yourself wearing an olive leaf crown and gold medal. (K12 Intermediate Art: American A Unit 7 Lesson 10-12)

--Create a bookbinding to house your Olympic essays (K12 Intermediate Art: World B Unit 5 lessons 1-3)

--Make a still life painting, including the Olympic rings in the picture. (K12 Intermediate Art: World B Unit 2 lessons 1-3)

Music:

--Learn another country’s national anthem

--Learn to play the Olympics theme on the piano or other instrument.

Foreign Language:

--Check out what a Spanish/German/French website on the Olympics looks like. See if there are some words you can read.

--Track the athletes from the country you are learning about. See how they do and learn about them.

--Try and find an online telecast interviewing a foreign athlete in his or her native tongue.

PE: (no brainer, huh?)

--Try your hand at some of the events.

--Watching the events.

--Learn the rules of the different games.

--Do double duty and exercise while you watch the Olympics!

Have great ideas? Don’t hold back! Comment now! Share with the rest of us. :)

Awesome America

I love America. This is the best place in the whole world!

I should have done a patriotic theme for FHE this past Monday. (see the internet safety blog for FHE explanation) But, I am a little behind in the planning, so it will have to be done on the coming Monday. :)

Here are several sites that might be of value to you if you want to do a lesson with your family or just find some fun and educational patriotic things for your kids to do today.

www.constitutionfacts.com -- Free quiz on the constitution, Free pocketbook constitution, Puzzles and more.
www.congressforkids.net/independence -- "Uncle Sam" takes you on a tour, quizzes available, need to be able to read to do it.
www.ushistory.org/declaration -- Info on the Declaration of Independence, the signers, other links
http://k12.com/get_a_taste_of_k12/k12_lessons/ --Scroll down to the history lessons and choose "American History before 1865 Unit Review". This lesson give a history overview, online flashcards for fun and a history timeline.
http://www.constitutionweekusa.com/lesson.htm -- Family lesson plan with various ideas to present a lesson to your family on the constitution.
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/education/ForEducators/LessonPlans/AllLessonPlans.shtml -- Gives lesson plans for elementary, middle school and high school age groups on different patriotic themes.

Be sure to have a yummy American dessert today too! How about the ever famous apple pie? Sugar cookie fruit pizza decorated like a flag with blueberries & strawberries? Share what you had or made by posting a comment.

Happy 4th!