Ten Years of Homeschooling

Hard to believe we just started our 10th year of homeschooling. I have no clue where time has gone. Each year I've said we'd take it year by year and here we are our oldest is in 9th grade. I'm always so thankful we have the freedom to choose this path for our family.

We're about 2 weeks in for this year. We take it slow getting back into a routine of sorts. The oldest is doing almost all of his work this year on his own. Of course I keep a daily check on what he's doing and how it's going. We used America the Beautiful for all 4 boys last year for American History and just loved it so he moved on into their World History for high school. I am actually reading this along with him just because it's so good. Well, and I want to be prepared for when he's got questions!

The younger 3 are doing Uncle Sam and You. This one we do as a read aloud and then discuss it. I'm looking forward to this one also because it touches on more local things such as your own community and how things work.

The older 2 boys are using Apologia Physical Science and working on that together. The younger 2 are using the new Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics and really enjoying it so far. They are quite excited they get to do some experiments.

Today it was so nice out so we actually did our lava lamps outside. I wanted to be sure the Alka-Seltzer tablets didn't cause a mess in the house in case the lids didn't get on the bottles quick enough. This little experiment was about density. 

Of course we have math, English, and all that other stuff thrown in the mix of school time. Daily life happens too. Which is probably why I'm just now getting to this blog post after we've started 2 weeks ago.  :o) 

A Triple Knot - Book Review

One of my favorite genres of books is historical fiction. I can't just pick up a history book and get excited about it but when reading a book like A Triple Knot and others like it, it is a completely different feeling. I love being taken back in time and feeling like I'm right there with the characters in the book. I however am very thankful I was not born any sooner than I was because I wouldn't have made it.

I had a hard time at first because of all the confusion of so many names of characters in the book. It is common for that time though and I've had this happen with other books as well. Don't let this hold you back from reading this book though. I just plod through and eventually the main characters stick with you. It was also a bit slow going the first part of the book and yet the last part was almost too quick. It seemed like it didn't have all the details as the first part. I did feel though that I was right there with Joan. I know when I am engrossed in a book that makes me feel a part of it the author is doing their job well. It's like I have to readjust once I stop for a bit and remember I'm not in the book.

I so liked the character of Joan. The poor girl dealt with so many things from a young age. From losing her father so early in her life to being caught in a love triangle and pawned by her uncle to benefit the kingdom. I just don't know how one could handle it all but it sure makes for good reading.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I'd recommend it if you like this type of book and enjoy a bit of love and betrayal.

If you'd like to learn more or check out her other book you can look here.


*I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review. Opinions are my own.

My Irish Table - Book Review

I have always dreamed of going to Ireland some day. This lovely book was like a little pretend visit there. It is full of wonderful stories about Irish food and family in addition to the recipes included. I really loved all the tidbits about where some of the recipes came from. You can tell how much love is put into them. The photos included are just beautiful. 

I don't like to wish time away but I look forward to cooler weather when I can try out some of the bread recipes. I don't like to heat up the house any more than necessary in summer. There are several side dishes and desserts that sound excellent also. The Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Cauliflower Baked in Cheddar Cheese Sauce, and Apple Crumble are just calling my name. I'm also looking forward to a big pot of Chicken Noodle Soup. The recipe for Cheese on Toast looks super easy and the photo in the book looks good enough just to pull right out of the book and eat! I've never thought of something so simple as this recipe. 

There is a nice mix of recipes in this book. A lot of them will be good fall and winter comfort food. There are a few that look a little complicated and some a little more on the spendy side to make. Lamb is a bit pricey for our family but I like when cookbooks give you such a variety to choose from. 

Definitely a great cookbook if you'd like to try Irish cooking for yourself. The stories and photos are worth the purchase of the book even if you don't like to cook. 

If you'd like more info about this book you can look here. 

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. 

July Taste Trunk Gourmet Box Review

I have been a subscriber to Taste Trunk for several months now. I think it's maybe even close to a year by now. I have loved every single box I've gotten. So many wonderful food products by companies I never would have heard of if it wasn't for this subscription.

My July box.

Taste Trunk does an excellent job of packaging everything. I have never had anything arrive broken. They wrap up all glass products with bubble wrap and it arrives all in pretty tissue paper and a ribbon. They also include cards with ideas/recipes on how to use the included products and also a bit more about the company they've come from.

This month my box contained Hickory Liquid Smoke from Lazy Kettle Brand, 1849 Tri-Tip Meat Marinade, Cranberry Pear White Balsamic Vinegar from Amphora, CC Made Pistachio Nut Caramel Corn, and CC Made Rosemary Caramel Sauce.

My husband is looking forward to using the liquid smoke and meat marinade in one of his next grilling adventures. We grill a lot all year. Well he grills. :o)  We've also recently gotten an electric smoker so we're always up for cooking up something delicious outside! 

The pistachio nut caramel corn was good. I would have liked a few more pistachios but I love pistachios! I think I'm going to try the rosemary caramel sauce over a plain cheesecake. I'm not sure I liked it over ice cream. It was a bit of an odd combination but I'm thinking it might be tasty with cheesecake. I haven't tried the balsamic vinegar yet but am guessing it will be mixed with something over a salad. I've received other products from Amphora like olive oil in past boxes and think the quality and taste are great. 

This is one of the very few subscription boxes I've kept. I love it so much. They do an awesome job with their boxes. Taste Trunk's customer service is excellent also. 

If gourmet is not your thing they also offer BBQ, Healthy, and Sweet boxes. I like that mine has included a variety of things. In the past I've received chocolate, flavored sea salts, scone mix, marinades, dip mixes along with the cutest dip serving bowl. I'll have to find the photo I took of that and add it later on. 

If you'd like more info on Taste Trunk you can visit their webpage here.  They offer many different options for subscribing or gifting. They are also on facebook.

* I pay for my own monthly subscription to Taste Trunk. Opinions are my own. 

The VB6 Cookbook - Book Review

I had recently read Mark Bittman's VB6 book. So when I had the chance to review it's companion, The VB6 Cookbook I was excited to see what tasty recipes were in it.

The beginning of the book has a brief bit about Mr. Bittman's story of why he changed his lifestyle to being Vegan Before 6. There is also a great section of what you should have in your pantry and the best uses for it. A four week calendar of menus finishes out the intro of the book. I like that pages numbers are included for each so you can quickly turn to that page.

The book contains a wide variety of recipes including breakfast, snacks, desserts and so on. A fair amount of them include beautiful pictures of the food. What I really liked is that almost every recipe included variations at the end. So just by changing up a few ingredients you have another completely different meal or snack. I found several recipes I would like to make. Several of the snack and dessert recipes I know my whole family would like. There is a fair amount of recipes that call for tofu and I am not a fan of tofu at all. I know it is used to replace meat but I just can't get myself to like it so we will be skipping those recipes. He also includes dinner recipes that include meat, poultry, and fish which goes along with the Vegan Before 6 theme.

Overall I think this is a great book to help you eat more plant based foods and less meat, dairy, and processed foods. Most ingredients are easy to find. A lot of them are stuff I keep on hand in general. Of course most of the veggies and fruits are easy to grab at the store.

If you'd like to read a sample of the book you can do that here. If you'd like more info you can also go here and you can check out Mark Bittman's facebook page here.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review. Opinions are my own.

Treat Yourself- Book Review

I recently received a copy of Treat Yourself by Jennifer Steinhauer to review. If anyone knows me well, they know how much I love cookbooks. I read them like novels. I love a bit of adventure in the kitchen and my family is always good about trying new recipes. Well, sometimes my kids more than my husband. :o)

This book has 70 recipes of snack foods we all grew up with and some of us still eat today. Included are recipes for cookies, savory snacks, candy, and frozen treats. You can make your own Thin Mints, Nilla Wafers, Cheez-Its, Twix Bars, Bomb Pops, and more.

I love the way the author included a bit of history or a little tidbit of info before each recipe. It's funny how as I was going through the book and looking at different recipes I'd remember something I did or where we were when we would eat certain snacks. She mentions in the book about how it's the memories of what we were doing at the time and not necessarily that the snack we were eating was as good as we remember. Also being able to make these treats, you know what you are putting into them. Not all the chemical stuff they use so they can sit on the shelf for long periods of time. Still they are full of sugar and butter and other ingredients not so great for the waistline, so I can't imagine eating these treats all the time. For special occasions though, so many fun things to make in this book.

Most of the recipes contain ingredients that you probably have in the house or are easily found at the store. I had all the ingredients to make the Oatmeal Creme Pies so that was the first thing we made. They were super easy to make. My kids loved them. I actually liked the creme inside more than the actual cookie. I liked it so much I may find other things that need this creme just because it is so yummy.

Our Oatmeal Creme Pies

We will be testing out more recipes as time goes on. I can't wait to make the Candy Dots and Zebra Cakes. It will be fun too when we have family over. As I was looking through the book certain recipes made me think of different family members. It will be great to surprise them with one of their favorites. 

For more info about this book you can go here and if' you'd like a sneak peek at the book click here.

* I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. 

Bianca Jade Mizzfit Quarterly Box Review #MIZ02

I can't tell you how excited I was to get this box! I just happened to find out about it on the Quarterly website and had missed the first box and almost missed this one but Mizzfit herself (Bianca Jade) responded to a tweet of mine and made sure I was able to get signed up for this one. I love that she took the time to reach out to me! That meant a lot to me.

Back to the box. So many wonderful things to keep me excited about working out! I absolutely love the goji bites! Takes just a couple to hit the spot and they are great to eat a bit before a workout. The jump rope has gotten a lot of use! The handles are so nice they don't get sweaty and it's just the right weight for me. Nice and light and fits in my hands just right. I have had 2 other jump ropes in the past and just didn't like them. I can't wait for the snow to melt so I can jump outside instead of in the house!

I have used the Exhale Core Fusion Power Sculpt dvd a few times. It has 5 short sections but I do them all through at once. It was such a nice flow and I felt energized and relaxed but at the same time I was sweating a little bit towards the end. I did use weights and thought this was a nice change of pace from my Focus T25 with Shaun T. I used the snakeskin socks while doing the exhale dvd since they help to prevent you from sliding.

I was also excited to see some protein powder in the box. I have used the Acai Berry a few times and mixed it with almond milk and some frozen berries. Nice treat for after working out! Going to try the chocolate in the next few days.

I'm looking forward to using the Klingg magnet clip once the weather gets better and I can get outside to run since I signed up for my first 5K! I'm a wimp and don't like to be out in the cold if I don't have to. I haven't had a chance to listen to the music that was included or use the ring protector but it's on my list to get to!

The box also comes with a note from Bianca herself telling about each of the items she has chosen and why. I loved how it all flowed into the next item. You can tell she really put a lot of thought into which items to include in the box. It was totally worth the $50 for the box. To me you can't put a price on being healthy and fit. I think of my subscription to this box as a reward to myself for keeping on track! I can't wait for the next one!

You can find out more about Mizzfit's Quarterly box here.