He still loves to cook!
I would love to help foster this love of cooking with some classes.
I’ve looked for children’s classes in my area. In the past, I’ve found a few but they seemed “dumbed down”– not classes where he could really learn some new skills.
Any ideas??
Paul and I try weekly, to take some of our children to town with us. We run errands and do our shopping…we enjoy their company.
This past week, I had the privilege of sharing time with Jacob and Timothy. We had quite a bit to do, but managed to stop and pick up lunch.
I’m a blessed mama. I sure love these guys.
Homeschooling isn’t all about books and essays.
Most of the time, the best teaching happens as you go on, about your daily life.
Since we began homeschooling (which feels like the beginning of time now!), we have tried to include the children in our day-to-day activities. Some of these things seem so routine, it’s hard to remember to include our littles in this time.
I’ve prayed the Lord would allow me to be sensitive to these opportunities, and that He would use this time to speak not only knowledge into my children, but also minister to their hearts.
I hope they always remember time they spent just doing daily things with Paul, and I.
Sooo, today, we made potato soup (all that, and you were expecting something spectacular, weren’t you?!).
Timothy learned all about making soup stock. I explained why I save certain parts of the chicken, and how we take away all of the usable meat first- freeze or prepare it, and then how to prepare the pot for stock.
Next, I had him watch this video:
It was fantastic! (It amazes me how much good, FREE information is on the web, if you just look around.)
Timothy chopped the potatoes. Then he removed all the visible fat from the ham and chopped it, too.
We had a short lesson on using knives.
He remembered a class a dear friend (Hey Sherri!), taught my older children when they were learning to use cooking knives.
I explained how to keep his fingers out of the way. He did so well and just seemed to absorb the information.
We did have a little help. As Timothy was preparing one part of the dish, Benjamin was learning to caramelize onions.
After I explained why I was preparing them the way I do, we watched this video:
It’s just part of a series of cooking classes on You Tube. They are EXCELLENT!
Timothy loves to cook! With Christmas just around the corner, I had considered purchasing him a cookbook of his own. I have spent quite a bit of time looking through cookbooks written for children, and have been disappointed.
Children can learn so much, if given the chance.
The books all seem to focus on “cute” food. They don’t teach techniques and skill. I think we’ll be skipping the kid books and heading for real cookbooks while teaching our children to cook. (I’ve got my eye on that America’s Test Kitchen book!)
They both enjoyed their time in the kitchen so very much (and so did I). Tonight, I’m thinking on what we will cook next!
Want to drop by?? The door is always open.
Tonight’s fun….glow bath– we like to shake things up just a little from time to time. *smile*
So, the ingredients for this night of fun…..a bathtub, a handful of glow sticks from the dollar store and a bunch of littles:
We’ve had horrible weather this afternoon.
Timothy came into the office and said, “if we get blown away in the storm, then we know that it was God’s divine will”.
Motherhood is just awesome!!! 
Some quick pictures from Timothy’s birthday on Sunday:
Because his birthday fell on Sunday, we also took a cake to church. This one was really fun since it’s the first time we’ve worked fondant since our second cake course.
Timothy (8) has an interest in cooking.
Not just any interest, but I think if it’s possible, he could be a budding “foodie”, even at his young age.
He’s had this fascination since he was about 3…always right under me while I’m cooking…always asking questions. It’s not at all uncommon to walk into the family room on a morning when most children would be watching cartoons, to see him tuned into a cooking show on PBS.
This last year, I’ve taken the time to pray over how to nurture this love of his.
I think I’ve come up with a plan….if you have further suggestions, I would love to hear them!
I decided to start with one of my favorite cookbooks:
(and sadly, one that I’ve not used for very many recipes!).
At first, I thought I would take a chapter at a time and allow him to cook every recipe from the book- in the end it will be over 400 of them. I realized quickly that this would mean probably months of yeast breads, months of breakfast foods, and worst yet, months of straight fried breads.
Instead, we’re just going through and choosing recipes appropriate for meals we’re already serving.
We’re going to try and journal our way through the book…I’ve been making little notes in the margins of my cookbook. I’m transferring them here for anyone who is just curious. 
Here’s where we’ve landed so far:
1-22-11 Crunchy Cornmeal Waffles, page 15
Mom was visiting today– I wonder what she thinks of participating in this little experiment with us??
I made these with Timothy and Jessica and served them with fresh pineapple (YUMMY!). I was NOT personally fond of these waffles. Maybe I just don’t have a preference for crunchy “cornmeal” waffles? I do like regular waffles (even crispy). I didn’t like the grit of cornmeal in waffles, nor the flavor.
Maybe the next recipe will be better…I don’t think this is a good start.
1-22-11 Chocolate Steamed Pudding, page 102
Made with Timothy. We didn’t have the equipment mentioned specifically in the book but they encouraged you to be creative and we found a suitable work-around with our Pampered Chef mixing bowl.
This recipe had a rich, chocolate batter.
It should have been cooked a little longer, but it was delicious and something different! It was fun to try. Maybe next time, we’ll make it over a campfire!
2-5-11 Zephyr Pancakes, page 4
Cooked these with Timothy and Jessa his morning. They were wonderful and the description was perfect, they really did almost melt in your mouth!
2-7-11 Corn Fritters, pg 52
Mixed these up with Timothy and Jessica. They are learning basic skills- especially with finding ingredients and measuring. I wasn’t comfortable with Timothy frying these.
I did add 2T of sugar to the batter, which we really liked.
I also doubled the recipe (which I generally do for our family when using any recipe), but one would have definitely been enough. These were *VERY GOOD*.
2-9-11 Blueberry Buckle, pg. 132
Courtney made this recipe with Jessica and Timothy.
It was absolutely delicious, and perhaps my favorite from the book to date!
Courtney did say this recipe had to bake a little longer than specified in the book.
—————-
Jessica, hearing what we were working on, asked if she might join as well, so it’s the three of us on a kitchen adventure!
We, by the way, are reading the book cover-to-cover in the process…front, back and everything in between. I think I’m learning as much as Timothy and Jessica!
A very dear friend, has already suggested a second series once we finish this book…I can’t wait! I’m praying the Lord will bless this experience with my children. I’m certainly enjoying the time and the cooking! (Of course, the food isn’t half bad either, *smile*!)
It would seem summer is winding to an end.
Though the days are still hot, hot, hot, the evenings are definitely feeling cooler. I think we’re only weeks away from opening the windows!! The house always smells so nice with fresh air.
Before I forget, please be praying for my little nephew. I’m really not at liberty to discuss details, but he was taken to the hospital yesterday. Thank you, friends.
Yesterday, I sat down with my current sewing project.
Many times, I hear ladies talk about sewing being rather expensive. It can be, but there are ways to cut some of the cost.
One way we save money, is to draw our pattern (in the size we need), onto freezer paper. This way, we only need buy the pattern once for any of the listed sizes. If the pattern is for sizes 3, 4, and 5 and you cut it to size 4, you will never again be able to use it again for size 5- this protects you original pieces which you can trace again and again (though freezer paper is pretty durable- we just tuck our traced pieces into the envelope with the original pattern and pull them out next time we’re sewing).
I do enjoy sewing, but it can also be difficult to make time. I really can’t sit and sew for hours on end, but I can devote a half-hour, or maybe just an hour to a project. There aren’t usually that many steps to a pattern. If I take one day to prepare the pattern, one to cut it out, and one for every two or three steps, I can have a project finished usually in a week.
I’ll post pics when I have this little dress done- I forgot to cut out the bloomers, so I guess I’ll be doing that today.
I also have corn waiting on me. : )
Not sure exactly how I’m going to preserve it just yet. I do love creamed corn–maybe I’ll make a few jars for the coming months and freeze the rest as corn on the cob. We’ll see. There is not much as delicious as fresh corn on the cob!
Prayer Requests
Today I’m Thankful For
Today’s Scripture Meditation
“I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”- Psalm 116:1-2
With my love,
Good Monday Morning! I hope that this finds you having had a restful and peaceful weekend.
We had a very enjoyable weekend. My Mom came for a visit, which we always enjoy. We cooked roast, creamed potatoes, lima beans, carrot slaw, homemade rolls, and brownies for desert.
We did have some excitement in that the oven stopped working properly about halfway through cooking our meal but thankfully, we were able to finish what we needed in the microwave and then Paul worked on it to get it up and running until he can stop and get a replacement part that we need on his way home from work.
Yesterday, we stayed home from church. Miss Emma still has a yucky nose lingering and we didn’t want to make anyone sick. We’ll be glad (hopefully!) to get back next week. We’ve really been enjoying our visits with this group.
Today, I’m working on our daily schedule for the year. Over the last year or two, after agreement and encouragement from Paul, we decided to start and end our school year at the end of calendar year instead of the time when the public school year recognizes their start and end. This is a natural time because we normally school year round but take a longer vacation around Christmastime…perfect for me to work on the upcoming year.
So, now I’m working to make sure that everyone has everything scheduled that they need as well as continuing to work on the chore system that we’ve been trying to institute. It’s a lot of work, but in the end it will make things around here work much more efficiently and for that, I’m really excited!
Prayer Requests
My Mom has hurt her arm somehow. She said that it’s been like this for three weeks…her upper arm is really red and hurting. I’m not sure what she has done but, please, keep her in your prayers.
My scheduling process.
Lingering “yuckiness” in our home. Please pray that the sickness will leave our home!
My friend Tanya, and her hubby Jeremy, have a new little blessing on the way.
On the subject of pregnancy, please remember one of our yahoo group moms, Jenny who is also expecting.
Today is Kimberly Greenlaw’s birthday, please pray for a great year for her and that God would put His hand on her family to keep them safe and to lead them where He would have them go.
My sister in law, Melissa, starts school today (she is going to college).
Today, I’m Thankful For
My husband having the opportunity at his job to lead a group of men on a project that they are working on.
My children’s willing spirit to try the new scheduling “stuff” that we’ve started…no grumbling, no complaints! : )
Prayer time with my children this morning.
The Scout year that will be kicking off this week. We’re making some changes and I’m excited to see where it leads us!
The work we finished over the weekend to the websites.
Tracy’s Tasks
If I could show you just a glimpse of what the Lord has shown me over the last few years it would take hours.
He is teaching me to question the how and why I do everything.
If you’ve never done so, stop and ask the Lord to show you the areas in your life where you could improve if you weren’t doing things the way you had always been taught and instead looked to Him for wisdom. You might be surprised what you will learn!
What I’m Learning
There are some things that can’t be fixed. I wished that I had taken a before picture. This is the after….getting out of the car for church a couple of weeks ago, I realized that Timothy had cut huge chunks out of his hair. Why must all of my children do this? I tried to make the best of it and get it back in some normal looking style, but I think he had cut it too short!
I’m learning that every child will do the thing that you least expect and the least desirable moment! It is these moments that define us as parents! *Sigh*, at least it will grow back!
Today’s Scripture Memory
1 Pet 1:3-9
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade– kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith– of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire– may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
(NIV)
Looking forward to a good week,