winter days at home...

This little boy loves numbers and reminds me more and more of his daddy every day.  It is amazing how much a child can learn in the span of any year, but this age really wows me when I think about where he was when we started school last fall versus where we are today.

 The boys are eight years apart, and if Micah were at school, I doubt they'd have the kind of relationship that has developed this year.  And how does Micah like doing science with his brother on his back?

Can you see the smiles on both faces?

 Josiah is so focused on learning how to hula hoop, and he's actually getting the hang of it.

 Can I just say teenagers are incredibly goofy?  Rachel's smiling for a different reason...her birthday.

Dad came home at noon and she was glad to f-i-n-a-l-l-y open her presents.

a healthier house

It struck me suddenly this week that we are halfway through winter and my. Kids. Have. Not. Been. Sick.

If you've followed our doings for the past couple of winters, it's possible that you will marvel at that as much as I will.  Well, maybe not quite, but it is a pretty remarkable change.  Here's the lowdown on each one as best as I can understand.

Micah
After years of increasing tummy troubles, we determined he has an intolerance to MSG and we've finally learned what foods he needs to stay away from.  This, however, was only half the story (although it was decidedly the half that took us the longest time to understand!)  He's also been troubled with chronic sinus infections.  A CT scan last winter indicated no blockages and no reason to pursue sinus surgery.  The ENT finally helped me understand his infections were more due to allergies than to actual sinus problems.  This fall we gulped and took the plunge to have our air ducts cleaned.  After an afternoon of misery for Micah the day the dust was stirred up, he was able to get off two allergy medicines in a matter of weeks.  He's had a great winter so far and as long as we keep his sheets washed frequently, he really feels great.  In fact, his allergies only get out of control when he is away from home now.  We are rejoicing!!

Rachel
I can't get over the changes in this girl!  She is so much healthier and happier these days.  What did it take for her?  A diet free of artificial additives.  We would never have known what a difference this would make for her if it weren't for Josiah and the things we've done for him.  She can certainly eat off diet here and there, but more than about two meals and she begins to complain about joint pain and her attitude goes south.  She is a very healthy eater, naturally drawn to all kinds of fruits and vegetables, and doesn't seem to mind the way we eat one bit.  She still makes her yummy cookies frequently and we love indulging in her special treats.

Josiah
Almost two months into gluten free now, he's doing really well.  The biggest change we've seen with him this time around is his emotional control.  Just today, I left him to change his clothes by himself and he started calling to me for help.  I firmly and lovingly reminded him that I never ask him to do something unless I know he can do it.  Instead of falling on the ground in a heap of disgusted tears, (his usual response in moments of frustration) he took a deep breath and said, "OK, Mommy.  I'll try."  It was me who had to pull my jaw back up off the floor!  It has been three winters since he's needed an antibiotic.  The turning point for his health was having his adenoids removed and a second set of tubes inserted.  Those tubes get to come out in May!

So that's it.  So far this winter no one has even needed an antibiotic.  After years of sometimes biweekly trips to the pharmacy, it's nothing short of amazing.  One could argue that being home keeps them away from exposure to so many germs, and I'm sure that helps, but I've known plenty of homeschooling families who get sick often enough in the winter.  We could be one of them by tomorrow morning!!  But we are so grateful to see such a dramatic change in our health in a year's time.  It is an answer to many years of many people's prayers.

winter birthdays

Birthdays are such a wonderful excuse to celebrate people God has placed into our lives.  Two of my children have celebrated their winter birthdays, and as I think back on these parties they seem to be a snapshot in time, capturing a bit of who they are, where they've been, and then pointing us ahead to where they have yet to go.

Micah's party captured his personality with an all-out Nerf war, time playing games and Wii with his friends, and his first slumber party oops, I mean sleepover; I'm pretty sure boys don't have slumber parties.  Our goal was to let the boys have fun and wear them out so they would actually be tired.  Would ending the evening with a late night movie lull them to sleep?  It seemed to work (only two of the five actually stayed to spend the night, so that helped, too.)

 Eric played Labyrinth with some of Micah's friends while the others played Wii.

 We tend to see the same select group of boys each year, with new faces here and there.  I can honestly say we enjoy these teen and preteen boys very much; he has chosen his friends well.

 A former neighbor, former classmates, and a friend from church yet all seemed to enjoy each other.  What's not to enjoy when there are Nerf guns and Wii controls involved??

Rachel's party was just last night and quite a bit of fun, too.  Ever since we studied the Pacific Islands in school last fall, she's been scheming to have a Hawaiian themed party.  Walmart had an ocean craft kit and the girls spent quite a bit of time carefully designing a sea scene.  I have seen through the years that girls+crafts=great party activity.

As I looked around the table, I realized that not one of these girls goes to the same school (three are homeschooled), but many knew each other directly or indirectly.  It was fun to hear several exclaim that they knew each other from somewhere.

Another beach theme: sand art!

We served this banana pie and a tropical punch drink along with ice cream.  Yum!!!  Josiah was quite the tag-a-long for this party, with Micah gone on a Jr. High retreat.

We tried hula hoops and Rachel's friend M. was really good at it!!

Surfing on a board with balloons taped to the bottom; it worked!

We ended the evening with a great game of Snipe Hunt.  The girls tore apart two levels of our house looking for the little critter hidden by the other team.

I am really not that gifted at planning and throwing birthday parties (the thought generally tends to overwhelm my introverted side), but we always seem to have fun anyway.  It seems like God always brings the right things together at just the right time, and keeping things simple might actually make it more enjoyable.  But the best part of all is seeing the heart of a child gladdened by the joy of friendship.

our version of Paleo bread

This is one of Josiah's favorite snacks.  Once again, Cha Cha's blog has been a treasure trove of ideas for gluten free baking and that's where I first saw this, but it originally came from Elana's Pantry, and there are some great recipes there, too!  Almonds are "stage 2" on the Feingold diet, and a little test last week showed me that Josiah can tolerate almonds in Larabars.  Still, I like using pecans in something he's eating on a daily basis.  The original recipe also calls for apple cider vinegar which is also stage 2.  I'm sure that using regular vinegar changes the taste a bit, but I hear no complaints.  Eric and I like this bread, too, but the older kids aren't fans.  That's Ok, it means a loaf can be cut up and put in the freezer to last Josiah over a week.  That makes it great for a grab and go snack that actually fills him up.

Pecan Bread
1 1/2 c. ground pecans (the original recipe calls for almond flour)
2 T. coconut flour
1/4 c. flaxseed meal
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 t. baking soda
5 eggs
1/4 c. coconut oil
1 T. honey
1 T. vinegar

Place pecans, coconut flour, flax, salt, and baking soda in a food processor.  Pulse ingredients together.  Pulse in eggs, honey, and vinegar.  Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Cool and serve.

keeping up with the cooking

Things have been getting pretty busy at our house lately, but cooking is a matter of survival when there is a gluten free diet to consider.  I've made these rolls from Cha Cha's blog before, but after some trouble with gooey middles it seems this week I've finally been able to get them to come out right.  The secret (besides following the directions) seems to be making sure I get the rolls flat enough before I bake them.  The kids are devouring them, and it is a good example that gluten free bread can not only be delicious but also incredibly nutritious!!  The only tinkering I've done with Cha Cha's recipe is to leave out the garlic since I tend to have an allergic-type reaction to that particular ingredient.  My garlic-loving kids dip them in olive oil mixed with basil, oregano, Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt so they don't miss out on taste.

Easy Hummus Pitas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and prepare two large baking sheets by lightly oiling.

In a blender, puree:
1 can organic garbanzo beans with liquid
¾ cup olive oil
2T lemon juice
2 large eggs
4T finely milled golden flax
1T sunflower seed butter
1 clove garlic

In a large bowl mix hummus mixture and:
1 lb bag tapioca flour
1T baking powder
½ t sea salt

Mix until well incorporated.  Using lightly oiled hands to shape the breads divide into 12 pieces and shape into circles about 1/3 inch thick.  Bake them for ten minutes, flip them over and baked for about ten more.

These would be great with any Italian meal; we've even had them for breakfast.  I just ordered more tapioca starch and stocked up on garbanzo beans so we can make more soon.

making Fridays fun

I didn't set out to make Fridays any different, but things sort of fell into place.  Isn't that the way with life--the best plans sometimes flow out of the ones we didn't mean to make?

Switch up math:
We do Business Math or Critical Thinking

Science:
Cool Stuff and How it Works--they have loved this book.  Some of the descriptions are technical, but they capture the kids' imagination and interest.

Art:
Preschool art for everyone!  We check out art books from the library and get some ideas that way, or just come up with our own.  Josiah and I have been reading about fingerprints, so that was our theme today. 

Throw in band lessons and a sometimes a trip to the library, and the day is complete.  (We do have many of the usual academics, too.)  It makes the kids look forward to Fridays!

bunnies to the rescue!

Because sometimes it's just nice to have a cracker like everyone else.  Subscribe and save on Amazon is great!!