Wow...I bet you didn't see that coming! The Bright side of Homeschooling! #Quarantinelife #homeschooling #homeschool2020

Wait!....What? This house arrest doesn't end this week? Did I hear someone say FIVE more weeks? I also heard someone say months... UK said something crazy like 12 - 18 months!  Dr. Fauci said expect this to be seasonal! How?? I made it one day short of a week before I went out Last Saturday. I had gloves and a mask but still...I still went into public to get a few things. I don't have kids at home that I need to entertain or homeschool so I am sure the blow is much harder on you parents who are doing this and reluctantly Homeschooling. I do understand that this is not the Flu...this is something other, much more contagious and much more dangerous. I, foolishly, read some nurse's account of how COVID-19 kills and this is NOT a virus I want to play Russian Roulette with telling myself it is alright to go out. I wish I had read the article first...I would have STAYED HOME!!

So...what if we are in this for the long haul. What if you are NOW a homeschooling Parent for the rest of the year?!!?

THE BRIGHTSIDE OF HOMESCHOOLING!

        Well, that changes everything!!  I homeschooled for 26 years, (age gaps) K-12, And I will tell you the bright side. It means you get decide what to teach and when and how! I know the school system wants you to do it their way but their way is the classroom way with a heck of a lot of seat work! Homeschooling is different from School at Home and a heck of a lot more fun for all.  I know there are many who are struggling with Core Math but if you are the homeschool Parent now...you can teach your kids the math we learned. And the benefit is that your children will actually understand it because it makes sense. Even the State of Florida has gotten smarter and abolished Core Math. 

You can decide to teach them subjects you were interested in! Parts of History you thought was great and teach it the way you want...through real books instead of text Books. Teach Chemistry, fractions through baking a cake...which also gives the kids life lessons. Teach Writing through having your kids write a story that they have creatively put together. As you read the story out loud you can show them why we use punctuation...like Periods to know when to stop. Capitals to signify the beginning of a sentence or a Proper Noun, commas...oh commas...so many reasons we need to use those when writing to get our ideas across correctly.

Homeschooling is Great when you have the freedom to do it your way. When the school gets to dictate the HOW, you are merely doing school at home as if your kids were in a classroom with 30 other kids. THAT is not homeschooling. Perks of homeschooling...is that you can usually, get done by lunch time if you start at their regular school time and the rest of the day is off. That is the carrot I always put in front of my kids to get the work done. "As soon as you are done...you can go outside and play, or video game or whatever is their favorite thing" And then YOU are done also. 

Why? Because you don't have to create busy work for the kids that "got it" while they wait for the rest of the class to catch up. Once your kid understands the concept or formula, you merely have to review to keep it fresh. The other good thing about that is that if your kid is an Ace at reading or Science or Math...you don't have to keep them at the same speed as 20+ other kids...he can fly through the subject as fast as he wants and if there is a subject that he gets lost in and tends to fall behind in school, you can spend that extra time to make sure he understands before moving on. In a classroom a lot of kids get lost because they don't understand, they don't ask questions, because they are kids and raising your hand to admit that is embarrassing, so they struggle alone.  The teacher also has time constraints, They need to move on to get through the book by the end of the year...THAT is NOT your problem when you homeschool. 

Once you understand that NOW you are in control instead of the school system you and your kids will flourish!

You can bring back subjects that the school didn't want to pay to have taught anymore! Art was once a week, as was music! Art was anything from painting, block printing to collages to Macrame'. Music we learned the notes on the scale and what all the littles signings were...we learned how to read music!!! And we sang. I remember a song I learned in 2nd grade about coffee to this day. 
🎵 C-O-F-F-E-E coffee is not for me 🎵 Actually I drink it every morning but moving on.
We learned history of Art and music...names of famous Artists, Famous Paintings and their styles. We learned about Composers and their music. The internet is such a valuable tool for ideas and to hear music, there are virtual walk throughs of famous museums right now for Art. We learned about the Orchestra and the different sections by watching Tuby the Tuba!  I actually found the one we watched on YouTube Watch Below...so great!

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Once a week...after lunch...in middle school. We took a bus to another school and the girls went to Home Ec and the boys to Shop. 

You can of course, cross the gender lines today that were solidly there in the 1960's. But we learned to cook, sew, knit and crochet. The boys learned how to work with wood, repair things or car repair like oil changes how to check oil etc. This is so sadly not there anymore. But you can bring it back to YOUR homeschool. You can teach your high school students how to type, lots of free online instruction and invaluable going to college. College kids actually make extra money by charging other students to type out their term papers. Teach your high schoolers how to handle money. Do Banking, how to write out a check (yes every once in awhile you need to do that) Show them how much they actually pay for something when taking out a loan with interest etc.

Everything is on your time schedule...no longer having to wake up and rush to get kids ready...eat breakfast, making sure they have all their paperwork, whether homework or notes that needed be signed or permission slips etc. Another perk is once school is done it is done. No homework to wrestle them to do. 

It really isn't that bad at all...and you can make it fun and it will be a wonderful memory for the kids and you. I promise. Just laugh at all the mistakes you make as you try to get into a schedule and learn how to do this...let the kids laugh with you too. 

Pretty soon kids will be back at school and learning the way they are required to and you will again have a long separation every day from the kids,  but this little break from that will show them that learning can be fun, interesting and make them want to actually learn more. And you will know your kids on a different level than before, and they will know you better too...it just happens when you are all together a lot. It isn't a bad thing. You are going to look back at this time with your kids and they will too, as one of the best times in your lives.. 

You Can use their curriculum...but add some fun stuff instead of the tedium of the books...or not. Do what will make you and your kids happy in this very crazy time we live in right now!

You can follow this blog, comment, suggestions etc. are all welcome!
Be Safe!

Running out of food? Being Creative with Meals...stretching what you have and kids activities.

I ran into this theme on both Twitter and Facebook and it stressed me out. Obviously not as much as the people who are living through it...but enough that I couldn't get to sleep and then not being able to stay asleep. I wish that I could speak to each individuals need...to be able to take a look in their cabinets and say, "lets make this". But... I know that isn't possible. So, Let me just make a few suggestions.

First off, Food comes first before other bills right now. There will be a grace period when it comes to utilities and more than likely even rent and mortgage. If the issue is that you have been laid off...no income and already lived paycheck to paycheck, there are a number of places hiring right now. Amazon and Grocery stores to name 2 places. It might not be what you were making but it will be more than getting nothing at all. If the issue is that the stores near you are down to hardly a thing think Amazon. No, I get no kick backs from suggesting this. But Prime Members get free 2 day shipping on most things. The membership is $119 annually or $12.99 a month. Okay...yes that is spending more $ but is giving you access to things that may not be in the stores anymore or that you are compromised and can't or shouldn't get to a store. With your membership you also get free streaming of video and tv. So... if you are currently using Netflix, Hulu or another streaming service you can halt that and pick up this. You have the choice to go back when this is all over but this definitely offers more bang for the buck with the delivery. Not only food but vitamins, medicine and first aid items, Maybe some craft things for the kids. Virtually even more than you could ever find at your Walmart Super Center and you don't leave your house. 

Stone Soup is a European folk story in which hungry strangers convince the people of a town to each share a small amount of their food in order to make a meal that everyone enjoys

Second, a few suggestions to stretch what you do have. For meals you can be creative and invent a soup with what you have. Just because you look at a recipe and don't have all the ingredients doesn't mean it is a fail. For instance... a cream soup when you have no milk let alone cream...Make a Roux and add some sort of stock. A roux is a simple thing to make 1 part fat to 1 part flour. 

You can search how to make a roux and they will give you details and all the different darknesses of it and what that is used for. But basically you take 1 T. Butter and melt it and then stir in 1T. flour...and cook this till it is mixed well, or brown it. While the Stove is still cooking this, slowly add 1cup of liquid...stock, milk, tomato juice or even water. As you are slowly stirring this in you will be seeing the liquid thicken like a sauce or gravy. This can be used as a gravy, can be the base of a creamy soup, or the beginning of a cheese sauce for macaroni and cheese. Keys are...slowly pouring it in and not adding more than a cup if you want it to be thicker.

Beer, Potato, cheese soup

Saute in a separate pan some chopped onions and celery,  Boil some potatoes, and mash them...add some cheese...maybe 1/2 and can of beer, Worcestershire, dry mustard or a squirt of regular mustard...Add to the creamy Roux...salt and pepper to taste and you have dinner

No onions or celery? How about onion powder and celery salt?

Instead of mashing the potatoes add chunks and corn and get a Potato Corn chowder. Look up recipes for details - think about how many cups of soup you want and make the amount of Roux you need 

Vegetable soup

Whatever is in your fridge, cabinet, freezer can go in a soup. For Vegetable soup saute onions, celery, peppers ...whatever you have of these are in small amount of fat in a pan. (I say fat because it can be butter, margarine, oil, Crisco...whatever you have) Add Water, stock, tomato juice or canned tomatoes not drained, Corn, green beans, chopped cabbage etc. The seasoning can be as simple as some bay leaves, thyme, and that sort of thing which would be your regular veggie soup. Or...make it Asian with Sesame oil instead of butter, soy sauce, ginger and whatever other oriental spices you may have on hand. You can make it a curry vegetable soup curry powder, ginger, cinnamon, Italian minestrone by adding Oregano, basil...more garlic than usual, Mexican; add taco or chili seasoning mix...chili powder, cumin.  Add a can or two of beans, Cook rice, barley or Pasta Separately...or even chunks of potatoes and add when you are serving the soup to make it heartier. Serve with bread, crackers, biscuits. There is a lot of Biscuit recipes that don't call for any dairy or eggs. 

Look up recipes and use the seasonings that you have to adjust these recipes to fit what you have on hand.  

Kids Activities:

 Here in Georgia we are getting a rare treat of warm weather...actually tomorrow will be too warm for me,  87 degrees. Has to be some sort of record. But it is a window to get a veggie garden started early as far as I can see. So get some seeds and start a garden if you can, outside...if not get some started in the house in a sunny window. Start planning now for this NOT to be over anytime soon. Seriously... the worst that can happen is the plants die because it is over and you all go back to work and school and regular life and you are out a few dollars. But on the other side the best that can happen if this continues is that you are going to have something to eat that you grew with the kids and it will give a bit of relief to the food bill. 

The other fun kids activity that would go along with the gardening is have the kids PAINT ROCKS! They can be as creative as they want but you can do a google image search for Painted rocks or Pinterest to get their minds start moving. Just scrub the rocks to get all the dirt off of them before you begin. Set up a table either inside or out in the sun and fresh air and let them do it all. From Collecting from the yard to washing to painting. I have to say...I love those rock faces the most! They are great!

Be Safe! You can follow the blog...share it...comment (especially if you have specific questions you want addressed) share an idea whatever. Have a good one! 

#QuarantineLife Calgon Take me Away...Saturday Night at the Movies...Make Sunday Special...Post #5

So Corny! But, there does come a time when you wish you could fly on wings of eagles to get away. Taking care of the house, kids and now school takes its toll. 

You have to have a place that you are taking care of just you, without guilt...because you NEED this time to survive, regenerate. I actually did let Calgon take me away during my years doing all the Homeschooling Stay at Home mom time...I still love a Bubble Bath...now I add Essential Oils and Bath and Body works instead of Calgon but I always have a bottle of water, glass of wine and a good book, one for enjoyment not like "idiots guide to filing your own taxes" type book. I have a whole protocol...haha. But I first wash my hair and face and lay there with a Hair conditioning treatment on my head...maybe a mask on my face while I read. After lounging till I am pruny, I reluctantly get out and my feet are ready for a pedicure, well, mostly in the summer when sandals show the ugly things...try to do what I have seen done when I go to a place to do my nails...exfoliate with a pumice stone, file my nails lotion and nail polish.  But,Take your time to make every bit of you feel human again. Pretty.  Have your own spa time...maybe you can only do this after the kids are in bed and you think of all the things you SHOULD be doing. Well, they will still be there tomorrow and the next day. I think a lot of us are hanging in Pajamas...just switching out one pair for another. I am trying to get dressed in the morning...or at least early afternoon! 

Return of the Sunday Dinner

Food:  Well there are more than 10 people at the table but if you have all been stuck inside together since the beginning I think you are alright. Make Sunday the dinner you pull out the Frugal Stops! Make Weekends an Event during this time. So, you can do the old Fashioned Roast Beef, Chicken and Stuffing, Lasagna...Bake a pie or cake for dessert. Make this the meal of the week that everyone looks forward to. Most Sunday Dinners in past would have leftovers to reinvent for weekday meals. Leftover Roast Beef could be chopped and made into Beef Pot pie, Barbecue Beef Sandwiches or Open Roast beef sandwiches with gravy. Chicken turned into also pot pie, chicken Tetrazzini, Chicken Salad...the whole left over chicken after most of the meal being removed was stuck in a pot with water, carrots, celery and onions and a few bouillon cubes and made into soup or Chicken ala king on toast. Cakes and pies usually lasted a day or two more. But hanging out and eating a great meal together is a wonderful tradition to revisit. Everyone chip in and clear the table and start having a game night. Uno, Monopoly, Life or just play a card game. Teach the kids Solitaire type games...there are a ton of them besides the familiar ones. My favorite as a kid was clock. It will keep them busy when you can't be the entertainment. 

kids/Family: Saturday Night at the Movies!

The movie industry has made a decision to release movies to streaming. There are also so many that I didn't get to see in the movies that are now on DVD streaming. So this week we are getting together and watching a movie. Some, like a pregnant daughter who can't be out with us she will be watching from her home, another daughter who has been isolated for the last week will make the drive over. Plus the 2 we have living with us here. So...it is either "Emma", "1917", or Disney Plus "Onward". One thing we always have tons of is Popcorn...not the microwave kind, We went natural quite a few years back when we realized we liked the taste better, it was WAAAY cheaper and we can salt it to our enjoyment level without any chemicals to think about. We will probably be making Peanut Butter Fudge (our absolute favorite) and I also bought more bananas than I knew we could eat on purpose. One...to freeze for smoothies that your kids would call milk shakes and not know the difference...but I am thinking of cutting some of them in 1/2 and freeze. Melt some chocolate and dip the frozen bananas in and then sprinkle with shots, sprinkles, jimmies whatever you call them. put back in freezer until ready to eat. You can individually wrap in plastic the ones that weren't eaten for another day. When my kids were little, I would buy candy and divide it into little bags for each kid before the movie started. You can put the popcorn in brown paper lunch bags so each kid has their own...no fighting...no all hands in the bowl to their mouths and back in the bowl again. 

So, Turn off all the lights in the house...Crank up the sound...and let the movie begin! 

Isolated yes...alone NO. We are all in this together, Corona bringing out the bad in people but the best too!

The World is together in our separation...6 feet is the closest we can be to another outside of the people we live with. I look at the statistics of new cases every morning...see Italy's number soaring along with America...and than look at NY's numbers as they are basically seeing numbers that most Countries aren't even seeing. I know the numbers mean people who are sick and some who have died...in my head. But this past Sunday, as I was live streaming Passion City Church in Atlanta, a bunch of people were posting where they were watching from. All over this country people were tuning in and I smiled. But one post stopped me, and choked me up for some reason. "I am watching from Italy" with a little Italian Flag next to it. Her name was Christina. I quickly wrote..."we are praying for you" and she wrote back..."we need it and we are also praying for America"  I started to see more and more countries join the live stream and I cried. Romania...England...etc. We really are all in this together. Later that day, I saw pictures of school children in Madagascar, a country that has not been touched by this disease, standing in front of maps of the world. They were laying hands on different countries and praying for them!! Children!!...thinking about the world that is sick and praying for their safety and healing and comfort. 

I think I understand how the Grinch felt when his heart grew that day. "It came without ribbons, it came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags." (or toilet paper)

Yes...he was talking about Christmas, but I have seen a unity in the world,  whether someone getting on their roof and leading everyone in exercise. Or the Balcony concert in Italy with singing and people who had instruments playing. I saw how a neighborhood got together for an 11 year old's birthday in Atlanta...they drove by his house with happy birthday signs on their cars to make the day special for him. A boy getting Bar Mitzvah in Israel with Well Wishers on Balconies when he came out of the synagogue. A son came to a Retirement community that his mom was at. He set up an amplifier and microphone outside the facility, and sang and played for his mom and others looking on from their windows. The Entertainment community, led by Jennifer Garner is reading books online for kids, Musicians are playing and singing online to entertain us staying at home as they stay at home too.  We need to be THESE people...praying, caring, singing to lift up others. Even if the toilet paper DOES run out, or if we are sadly eating beans and rice 4 times a week. Instead of looking around and seeing what we don't have and how much we are missing...lets sing instead, lets pray for someone else instead, lets think of ways we can give instead. 

We really are all in this together...let's leave this experience better people than we came in it as! 

Be safe! 

#QuarantineLife Food, Encouragement and Kids Activities Post #3

        It is funny, I usually love staying home, I'm never bored...never really feel the need to go anywhere and have plenty of hobbies to keep me busy inside. But now, I even have tired of online shopping already. Now that is just crazy!  But being forced to stay home without options is a whole different ball of wax isn't it? Which proves that most of the mental stress of being in quarantine is MENTAL. It doesn't feel restful it feels trapped. We have to remember, when our lives were busier than we wanted it to be...working too many hours and too many hours away from home, running all over the place with errands or kids activities etc...remember when you just wanted to be home? Just relax, watch TV, not see anyone...chill! SURPRISE! Here it is! This will all be over and in our past, eventually, and I bet a lot of us will be saying..."I wish I could have just enjoyed that time at home instead of stressing about all the what ifs".  Don't waste this time given that you didn't have a week ago to get some of those things you fantasized about off your list. Think of those that aren't home...that wish they were. Grocery store employees, doctors, nurses, delivery people and I am sure I am missing someone but try to remember you are safe at home, remember that probably we all have food right now, today...and toilet paper, right now, today...don't worry about tomorrow it will have its own set of problems we will face when we get there and find that place of peace, right now. No amount of fretting or worrying is going to change a thing, it will just make you miserable as long as you allow it to rule your day.

     Food:

    I think that it is time to consider that this is going to be a bit longer than expected...unlike the regular flu season that sort of tapers off once it is warm. I am reeeaaalllyyy hoping that is what happens, but it looks like the expert are saying differently. So, You need to consider trying to be a bit more self sufficient. GARDEN. We used to grow almost all of our own food, raised our animals for food etc. You CAN do this. And it is proven scientific fact that there is something in the soil...some bacteria or something, that helps depression. (Yes you can fact check that) It is Spring and  The seed companies sell out on normal years so before they have empty shelves like the grocery stores, go online and buy some seeds. I will tell you that Zucchini, yellow squash, green beans and cucumbers are a breeze to grow from directly planting in the ground. As soon as your last frost date rolls around. Peppers and Tomatoes are a bit trickier and you can start them in a little cup of soil on your window sill waiting till  you can put them in the ground. A tomato plant will yield an amazing amount. You don't have to know how to can as long as you have space in your freezer. If the time comes that we are still here by July I will give details on how to do this. IF you have a canner and canning jars but never used them, now is the time to start. If you always wanted to learn to can, this is a great opportunity. You can probably still get these items online and you should. I know it all sounds crazy if you never considered it. Or if you don't have a yard. But you can be very successful growing veggies in pots also. Just get the seeds while you still can...Amazon also sells seeds also, just FYI. 

    I Put peas out in the garden on Tuesday. l finished up on getting lettuce, spinach and arugula all in. Next is Kale and swiss chard and starting transplants of Tomatoes and Peppers. Potatoes also, I am just going to fill old tires with soil from the garden and peat moss because I have both. That was the most successful we had with potatoes and they were easy to harvest. I always have a garden, it is just going to be a little bit on steroids this year to supplement  what I have in my pantry. Kids also can be helping with this! 

Kids Activities:
   I homeschooled my kids as I stated before. And one of the great things we did almost every day is I read to them. They are still lovers of books as adults because of those times. I read books that were above their grade level that they would have struggled trying to read themselves but enjoyed me reading. Of course there are different age groups and the younger kids do best with Picture books...just make sure it actually has a story. Like Bernstein Bears, Amelia Bedelia, Nate the Great, Toot and Puddle, etc.

  For my older kids I read Indian in the Cupboard, Tom Sawyer, All the Narnia Tale books, Beverly Cleary Books and those types of stories. Nothing quite like sitting in a chair with your kids around you and you take a trip to another land, another time with characters that you start to feel like you know with them. Since the kids are home from school, you can use this also as an opportunity to get them to draw pictures concerning the book. Ask questions about the characters... and the dilemmas that they are in. Also have your kids read aloud to you. It is great practice for them to hear themselves sound out words. They can read to you while you are making dinner or a lunch. I also would read a book that I knew was a movie and watch the movie after we were done with the book. 

   Remember to follow, comment if you have a question, want something clarified or want to learn in more detail something I suggested...or really anything at all or even a suggestion for another post. You can follow this blog or just come back to see what is going on at another time. Be Safe Out there!
  

#Quarantinelife What is happening!!!, Food, Homeschooling your kids Post #2

     Most of the day, I am doing well. I feel safe, don't feel any worry about getting sick, just doing my home type things. And then...out of nowhere...it hits me! It almost immobilizes me when I think how absolutely insane this all is. Today what sets me off was an announcement of complete closure of public places, restaurants, pubs, movies, and bowling alley. Also they added a curfew. Off the streets, different counties offer different times, from super early like 8 till midnight depending, but I can' help but say, 'WHAT IS HAPPENING?" I have been inside all week so all I can do is imagine what it is like in town with these new closures. My girls who work at the Grocery Store say that the shelves are pretty empty of some stuff, limits are posted as two each. One of my girls  said..."THERE ARE NO HOTDOGS"  We all have our priorities...LOL. But again...I haven't been in a store for a week so all I can do is imagine. She said the meat section is wiped out completely! And at times like that...I struggle a bit. Not because WE need anything or that we are even close to being out of food but because my world is no longer MY WORLD! I think of my Grandchildren who are watching this all happen and wonder what their stress level is...or just rolling with the punches as kids can do. My youngest daughter was 8 when she watched the towers fall, so she has been raised with the fact that things can change in a blink. I know how I would be acting with my kids still children during this. We would stick to the schedule...they go to bed at the same time, get woken up at the same time. Meals may be a bit more leisurely as sitting down at the table together always got them talking about what was on their minds. (If you don't do family dinners together, away from TV and other distractions like no devices or books at the table, this would be a great time to start. It might take a few times to get the kids talking freely but it will happen) 
Since they don't have the outlet of their outside friends and activities that is where you would have to get creative to entertain. But be there if they want to play a game, even if you don't usually. This can be a time where you connect to the kids differently, it will be a blessing in the end!

(not my image...this obviously uses canned tomatoes and I use fresh and not quite so many...but, the great thing about cooking is you can make it with what you have and how you would like...we ate all of ours before I even thought to take a picture)

Food:
I know that we aren't growing weary yet of having the same thing. I AM still using up what is there. The other day, I found a bunch of leftover cooked spaghetti from 4 days ago...plain, spaghetti, still good and they had made way more than needed for the little bit of leftover sauce. I sure as heck wasn't going to throw anything away. So I put it in a colander in the sink...let hot water run over it to perk it up (fridges can be so drying) and started to work on putting together a spaghetti salad we usually love in the Summer. Temps are in the 70's right now so it was perfect. there was almost 

1 lb cooked pasta...doesn't have to be leftover
1/4 cup chopped raw onion...sweet, purple, Spanish, doesn't matter
1 green pepper chopped
5 Roma tomatoes chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayo
2 T Vinegar (again doesn't matter, whatever you have, white, red wine, cider etc)
2 tsp Oregano 
2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Toss it all together

This keeps for awhile, but my family gobbled it down in 2 days

I added a classic Broccoli Bacon salad and had dinner. I had bread and cheese I was going to bring out but forgot.
We had leftover Chocolate Cake my daughter made for St. Patrick's day for dessert!

Homeschool:

I know many of you are stuck trying to do something you never wanted to do. When I started to homeschool my first it was during a time that this was just being pioneered. Thankfully in Fort Lauderdale, where we lived at the time, it was popular and we already had a large support group. But around the country parents were still being arrested because of Truancy laws. It was in the mid 80's. Home computers were hardly that normal...VCR's just came out so we lived in another world. But, not so anymore. Our phones are computers for goodness sakes and we have untold number of movies we can just stream.
    I don't know what the school has supplied you with, books etc. But I wanted to add a few things that might give you a break and also have the kids still learning since we have these options online. Just a few websites you can check out. Some of them require a free registration. Perfectly safe to do. If you find a glitch in a game...don't abandon the whole site just move on to another area. I found one and thought the whole website might be like that but it was just that one game. 

mathplayground.com

This takes a video game approach to basic math skills. K-6. 

education.com

This is great. Has lesson plans, games, printable sheets, themes. Requires registration. They have both a free registration, but they also have a Premium that is $8 a month...yearly for $5 month etc. Of course, I believe you aren't going to be stuck doing this for a year but if the kids actually end up liking learning through these games...why not?  All Subjects All Grade levels

Historyforkids.com

Obviously which subject this deals with. They have quizzes, printable pages and great pictures concerning the subject. There is a lot of reading in this but that isn't a bad thing. Where would we be without reading? It delves in very much detail on each subject...from geography of the area, rulers, battles, lifestyle etc. Very interesting

https://www.learn4good.com/games/for-high-school-students.htm

Ummmm….WOW! This is an amazing site. It has all ages but I was looking for high school in particular as this is probably hitting this very social age the worst. They have multiple high level games that teach...one that made me say wow is "arm surgery" for kids that wanted to go in the medical field. I actually played this game. LOL I was a nurse for a number of years and found it very interesting. I am proud to say my patient's arm is fixed and survived my surgical skills. 

Okay, that is all for today! Please click follow this blog or just come back later to see what is going on. I plan on writing every other day...if I start going stir crazy I might up it to every day. Comment below any questions, suggestions, corrections. and I will try to answer each one. Thanks and Be Safe!

QUARANTINED! What to do about food, entertain the kids...$$ not coming in?

   So, I am in the same boat as most. I am home. Thankfully, for me, my kids are grown...I live rurally on 1.5 acres and my house is big. I, recently, thought...it is just too big. But, my heart goes out to those who are in Apartments or live in a neighborhood with children, or who are afraid of the future...the $...the food supply holding out etc. So, I figured I would blog through this crisis...if even one person sees this and it helps them I will be happy.

   First off...fear! 
FDR said it best. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." This was 2 years into the Great Depression...businesses closed, life savings were wiped out, there was no help for the Government because the Federal Government was set up to allow the American people to make it or break it on their own. That was their freedom. THAT is not what we have today. Has your life been altered forever?? Probably! But we have a government that is working diligently to help the American people. We have grocery stores that are still open and DO have food...maybe not what you are used to but my mom said she basically lived off of baked bean sandwiches when she was a kid and my step father couldn't stand tomatoes...not Italian food, not tomato soup or salads with tomatoes because his mother grew and canned so many tomatoes during the Depression he had his life's fill of them. But they made it and you will too!! If you sit and keeping spinning in your head all that is happening and the different scenarios of the possibilities of what CAN/MAY happen you are going to make yourself crazy. "Take every thought captive" You have the power to control your thoughts and keep yourself from being paralyzed by fear. You can only think of one thing at a time, whether it feels like your mind is racing over everything at once. THINK ON ONE THING! ONE CHORE you need to accomplish. ONE BOOK you have been meaning to read. Now Go make your bed or do the dishes. :) 

2nd FOOD
    Most people have enough food for a few weeks before they went shopping knowing you may not be getting to the store again for awhile. I don't know what is in everyone's arsenal...if you comment below to ask specific questions I will answer them the best that I can.
    But...I looked around at what I had and saw that I had quite a bit of stuff I bought that I have never used but thought it was interesting stuff...or reminded me of when I was a kid, like canned Poppy seed filling. LOL I am sure I am not the only one that has done that. I decided I was going to use that stuff up first. I will find recipes and plan out a menu for them. The other thing I noticed was that I have a glut of other items. I have 3 large bags of Cornmeal in my freezer. WTH? So, I will try to figure out what I can do with that. My first thought, because I also have a ton of beans, is to make Vegetarian Chili and Corn bread. I have a random pint of Blueberries in the fridge I bought because they were on sale so before they go bad I will make blueberry corn muffins for breakfast. Look to use what has been sitting around for awhile and what you have a ton of. If you overstocked in the Beans and rice department Make sure you have at least one Beans and Rice meal a week or maybe twice a week. What you don't want to happen is you eat everything else and ONLY have beans and rice left for every day. I had bought a jar of BBQ sauce on sale for just an addition to one beans and rice dish...so it isn't just plain. I will add whatever vegetables I have on hand to it and it will be a tasty substitute. 

#3 Kids

   I raised 6...homeschooled the last 4 and am a firm believer that they can entertain themselves. But, I also know these are odd and extenuating circumstances. 
  This idea has to do with food also. 
We are going to have them play restaurant.
Have them list their favorite meals and dinners.  Have them take a piece of Construction paper, fold in half, this is going to be their menus.  Let them decorate the front of the menu. On another piece of paper, Have them write down boldly using one line per meal, from their list of favorites. 

SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS 

MACARONI AND CHEESE

CURRIED CHICKEN

With a space in between for cutting. 

Now make a list of food that you plan on serving through this time in the same way leaving space to cut between

Also, a list of Desserts you plan on having available in the same way

Now have them cut out a circle or oval in a bright colored paper and write the word "Special Today" on it. 

On the right side of the inside of the menu. Have them list all the beverages in the house. They can add pictures of these drinks if they like.
Leave room at the bottom of that same page and title it DESSERTS:

If you have a laminator you can laminate this menu to make it last. I know a lot of people do have these but if you don't it is fine...If you have packing tape you can use that for the inside of the menu...maybe even scotch tape. With Packing tape of Scotch tape cover the inside of the menu. We are looking to make this a page they can remove and repaste different menu ideas for different weeks. The glue stick used will be somewhat temporary on this surface.

Below is a Restaurant order form. Print out a number of these...you can staple the top to make a pad...or you can even stack a bunch of them and have a line or two of hot glue to the top of the stacked pages...spread with a knife or putty knife so it covers the top all the pages and that will make a pad also. Most printers ask you what size you want so you don't waste a whole sheet of paper per one. Another thing that you can do is open up Microsoft Word, new document and get rid of the margins on the page. Then use "insert picture" and add this picture. You can right click on the picture that you just inserted and choose copy. Than click on a spot on your page and right click paste and there  is the next order form. Fill the one page with them. You can also adjust the size of the picture before you start copying and pasting 

Okay back to the menu. Cut out all your menu items and dessert items.

Make a weekly menu and with a glue stick add that menu to the left side of the menu (the reason you want to cover that side and the dessert part with something that you can remove these choices and use again) 

Choose a day that you have a number of leftovers in the fridge and you aren't cooking that night. Put your special today sticker on the one that you have the most of or oldest in the fridge. Let them take turns being the waiter and the another child can be in the kitchen. Both working together. They take the drink order and dinner order. The two kids can plate and microwave the leftovers and serve the family. 

You can also make menus like this for kids just to play restaurant without any real food involved at all. If you have aprons they can use, even better. 

And here is a printable foldable chefs hat. You probably need to print 2 of these to get it around a kids' head. 

I am going to try to do this every other day. If you have suggestions, questions, stuck on something just comment. You can also follow this blog, if you want or just come back to see what is up. 

    
   
   

HELP! I can't find any Antibacterial wipes or anything at the store. Don't panic, Go Retro!

(Well, you aren't going to have to worry about unexpected company through this but you can go retro and use a rag while cleaning)

 I know we are used to the convenience of already prepared wipes or spray bottles that have that magic formula and smell we love. But now is the time to just make sure that things are clean no matter what. I use rags. Old towels cut up instead of paper towels. I use paper towels for spills prior to cleaning up the mess with soap. 

1/4  cup of Bleach per gallon (16 cups)  of water is the ratio you want add a few drops of dish liquid...like 2 or 3 tops mix and add to a spray bottle and it will kill almost everything you need it to kill.

Can't find Toilet paper...are there disposable flushable wipes left in the toilet paper aisle  or flushable wipes in the baby section? How About Tissues...they can be used instead. 

Paper Towels? Well, as I said above...get out the scissors and your worst towels or dish towels and start cutting them into rags. You can easily have a bleach solution, like above< in a small container on the counter that has these rags soaking in them. After cleaning up, rinse and throw them back in ready to use again. 

At the end of the day, dump the water, throw the towels in the washing machine and start fresh in the morning.

Corona Virus is knocking, Prep List for getting ready to stay home! Quarantine! What you should buy.

   

(Scroll down for list in bold italics)

     Who would have ever thought that something like this was going to be in our lifetime? It all seems a bit surreal to me but I forced myself to think clearly and take this all seriously! I wanted to go grocery shopping to make sure we had at least 2 weeks solid in the Pantry or more. I knew I wanted to make things familiar to eat as it might be a long haul before things are back to normal and also Nutritionally Dense while being yummy. Keeping ourselves not compromised in areas that we can control.

     

     As soon as this looked like something the entire country was going to have to deal with I started to take care of how I lived my days. Yes, washing hands, staying away from crowded place etc. But Living more conscientiously to my self. I made myself go to bed at a half way decent hour and wouldn't allow myself to jump out of bed when I first wake up if it wasn't close to the 8 hour point. I usually can go with 5-6 hours, but really thought it necessary to not stress my body in the usual way.
The next thing was stay hydrated. Coffee in the morning and then basically dehydrating myself till I was thirsty was not healthy and again, stresses your body. I needed it to be able to fight anything it came in contact with so I paid attention to how much water I drank and since I hate just drinking water I was drinking extremely diluted juice and sparkling water most of the day. Making myself go and drink a glass of still water in between.  I also have tried to eat the High Vitamin C fruits, take Echinacea, and curb my sugar intake. I wont' say I don't eat a cookie or dessert but I have so limited myself as I know that Sugar is probably the worst thing we consume without a thought.

 Next thing I did was to sit and think about meals I make that are mostly out of a can and start to put together a grocery list and menu.

Black Bean Corn chili
Salmon Cakes
Spaghetti Sauce
Coconut Corn Thai chowder

* Canned food and  Staples that have long shelf life
Beans
corn
spaghetti sauce
Canned Tuna and Salmon
coconut milk
chili packages
tomato sauce and diced tomatoes
Pasta
rice
Canned fruit
I don't like canned vegetables so I would buy them frozen
Flour
sugar or substitute
baking supplies, baking powder, soda and yeast
cocoa powder
chocolate chip
brownie mix
(I wanted to make sure I had stuff that I can bake cozy things)

I thought about fresh Fruits and vegetables and none of them will last very long except a few. rutabagas, turnips, potatoes, carrots, celery and beets. Winter Squash, butternut, acorn etc. Fruits that are high in Vitamin C Oranges and Grapefruit and Keep Well like Apples

*Fresh that keep longest:
Potatoes
carrots
celery
beets
turnips
rutabaga
butternut squash
Acorn Squash
Sweet Potatoes


Next frozen foods
I bought a few pizzas at Aldis and put those in the freezer, other frozen vegetable like peas, green beans, brussel sprouts.  And a few quick meals in case I am sick and the family has to figure things out. Frozen Ravioli, Yaki Soba (from Costco), Fish Sticks and French Fries, Veggie Burgers, Hot dogs.

*Frozen Foods or things you can put in your freezer
obviously if you are used to eating meat every day that needs to be considered. We don't so...
Pizza
Green Peas
Green Beans
Brussel Sprouts
Ravioli
Yaki Soba (from Costco)
Veggie burgers
Hot Dogs 
Fish Sticks
French Fries
and any other thing you usually purchase


Don't forget  Dog and Cat food and their treats.

Bottled water, sparkling and still. I have a large Aqua Rain Water Filtering system that we use on occasion. I looked to see if I could get replacement filters for it and they are hard to find and seem to be more expensive than I remember. So, We will use what we have that aren't that old anyway.

Coffee Creamora bottled juices kool-aid a few sports drinks for electrolyte replacement like Gatorade.

*Beverages:
Coffee
Tea
Instant lemonade, kool aid, Iced Tea, Tang
Electrolyte Replacement like Gatorade
Bottled Juices

Don't forget Eggs, milk (maybe powdered milk just in case)  yogurt, sour cream, whatever you use on a regular basis...cheese. 

I also bought cold/flu medicine to help with symptoms, made sure I had fever reducing and pain relief like ibuprofen. I also stocked bandaids, Neosporin, burn ointment etc and other meds that I wouldn't be able to pop into the store to get in case. Life happens and sometimes at the most inconvenient times just didn't want any stone unturned

*Medical  Supplies
Ibuprofen
Tylenol
Bandaids
neosporin
cortisone
burn ointment
cough medicine
Mucinex
favorite cold and flu stuff 

 Batteries, flash lights, if you use oil lamps for power outages make sure you have oil, candles, matches. We are in a tornado prone area and this is Spring so, we can get wicked Thunderstorms that knock out power.

*Odd Supplies
Batteries
flash lights
oil for lamps
candles
matches



Toilet paper, Kleenex (also a good substitute if you run out of toilet paper) Paper towels, paper napkins.

* Paper Goods
Toilet paper
Kleenex
paper towels
paper napkins
diapers
wipes

Lysol cleaner, Bleach (You can dilute this and put in a spray bottle with a few drops of dish liquid and make your own surface cleaner).  Laundry detergent, diapers, dish liquid

*Cleaners
Lysol cleaner and spray
Bleach
Laundry detergent 
dish liquid/ or dishwasher detergent


I also made sure I had all the toiletries I needed in case this lasted longer than expected and the restocking of shelves started to become a problem. Shampoo, conditioner, face soap, lotions and bought liquid soap in pump bottles for the bathrooms. we usually use bar soap but thought this may be a better option.

*Toiletries
Shampoo
conditioner
face soap
lotion...especially hand lotion with all that washing
liquid hand soap
toothpaste
New toothbrushes to switch out from having the flu to being on the mend.

I do want to take this stay at home opportunity to pick up some of the things I have always meant to do or hobbies I haven't taken the time to do for awhile. I plan on practicing a little on the piano (as much as my family can stand) I am in the middle of crocheting a baby blanket and have just found scrapbooking to be relaxing and fun to me. I have a pile of books I have been meaning to read. and there are also rooms in the house that I have wanted to paint or remodel or repair that I can do. We also have all the streaming services on TV.

What I don't want to do is stay on the computer and pour over the news of how devastating it all is. I don't want to keep my head in the sand but I don't want to obsess either.

So, that's it, Keep Safe out there!