funny food

I am not really sure how this got started, but now have a small but growing collection of pictures of 'weird' food. Above you can see the 'twisted carrot' and the 'what is it?' candy. Both of these are edibles that I personally have found on my own. The carrots grew in my garden. Which as you can see is not favorable to carrots, the soil is much to clayey and the candy I just happened to cut open to see what was inside and there it was, a perfect question mark. (yes, I ate them both) I have also found a heart shaped pita, heart shaped potato chip and an eggplant with a nose. Now anytime I find funny food, someone will say, "Aren't you going to take a picture of it?" :P

I have seen funny food offered on ebay, but I think it's more fun to collect it on your own. I don't really go looking for it, so when it just happens it's even better.

I do have a rock the shape of the continental United States, but that is for another day.

Bon Appetit!!!

Helping a Teen Learn to Manage Money

Most teens need some help learning how to manage money. We tried several approaches; money for chores, money for 'good attitude' and then just giving the money we would have spent on her anyway. Obviously each child is different and this might not work for your teen, but so far (one year) that last option is working pretty good for us.

How We Decided on the Amount:
My husband and I looked at our family spending and separated out what we thought was the average amount we spent each month on things for our daughter. Teen girls tend to 'need' a lot. :)

Then we decided what types of things we would buy for her no matter what. Since we wanted her to attend a private school that required uniforms we would pay for the actual uniform clothes (skirts and blouses), one or two pieces of outerwear that would be acceptable at school, several pairs of shoes that met the code as well. We want her to participate in after school sports so we pay for sport specific items, special shoes, ball gloves, etc. We will pay for general personal care products that are available in a grocery store, ie; bar soap, shampoo, etc. (flexible within reason)
We will pay for activities that are school or church related and give a small sum to buy a meal or snacks at said events.

The spending that was left was mainly those things that she would choose to get on her own;
clothing... anything not mentioned above (yup, ALL other clothing , including outer and under garments)
makeup, specialty haircare products, magazines, video games, jewelry, craft projects, gifts for friends, etc
Food bought while out with friends, entertainment while out with friends.

Instead of just giving her cash at the beginning of each month or week we divided the amount in half. At the start of each month we put one half on a reloadable VISA card in her name (www.greendot.com) which we bought at a local drugstore and signed up for online. They sent her a card with her name embossed on it. This is something she is responsible for. She can check the balance online and can make purchases online as well (we usually ask that she show us before buying online, so we can make sure it's a safe site and that the items are not objectionable to us) We have weekly balance emails sent to us, and can check purchases online, and reload online as well.

The other half of the month's allotment we divided into four payments, which she receives each week in cash. That way she has cash on hand for places that do not take credit/debit cards (flea market, garage sale, vending machines, etc) Obviously she is responsible to keep this safe as well.

It has been one year and I am happy to report it has worked out fairly well. At first she spent most of it as soon as she got it (beginning of each month) and was a bit upset about having to buy ALL her other clothes. After a few months she settled down in her spending practices and realized she needed to 'pace' herself and comparison shop. She started asking herself, "will I really wear this enough to justify the cost?" or "can I find it cheaper at a non-name brand store?" Some stores she would not have considered shopping in looked much more appealing when the same T-Shirt was 5$ instead of 15$ at the trendy shop. :)

We have made exceptions and paid weekly monies early if the reason seemed valid. We also realized that summer time meant many more 'fun' opportunities and made a one time larger addition to her funds to cover the cost of a 'season pass' to a nearby amusement park. Which she had already decide to pay for on her own, but that we thought would be a good investment since we did not take a long family vacation.

I wish I could say she has taken much better care of her clothes since she bought them with 'her own' money, but alas I can't hope for everything all at once. One thing she did do recently was to go through all of her clothes and bag up what she did not really wear any more and we took them to a trendy consignment store and she got some store credit for future purchases... I like that kind of thinking. :)

We feel this has really given her a chance to have some freedom while at the same time learn how to use her money wisely, compare quality, value, and bear the consequences when 'something better' comes along and she has no money. Of course with most plans you have to revisit them from time to time. Occasionally a purchase came up that we had not thought of. We considered its' use, needfulness and value. Several times we opted to pay for it for and other times we told her she had to pay for it herself. Nothing is ever 'in stone' :)

I am not a Twit---(edited-because now I do tweet)

10-21-09 I must preface this post now because I have joined the 'twitter-sphere'. I now realize the great potential for Twitter , and of course the abuse of it too. I did not want to delete this post because that would be like editing history. I still don't want to know ever minutia of someone's day, but I do appreciate spritual encouragement and prayer requests etc. So Tweet on my friends.

When someone asks me if I 'Twitter' I used to first think of the sound birds make, 'tweet, tweet' etc. Now they mean do I share the minutest details of my life with a group of seemingly-adoring fans? Nope.

I just read that those who Twitter are called 'Twits'... Which means:

"The noun meaning "foolish, stupid and ineffectual person" is first attested 1934 in British slang, popular 1950s-60s, crossed over to U.S. with British sitcoms. It probably developed from the verb sense of "reproach" but may be influenced by nitwit."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

I am sure not everyone that tweets is actually a twit, but a lot of them are. I mean really, who really wants to know everything you do or think about in 140 characters or less? I even joined an 'anti-twitter' Facebook group. (there were several to choose from) http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=89239544045

I can see maybe some uses for Twitter, for professionals is fields of every changing facts. Doctors perhaps could share important diagnostic info. I can not see what the use is of telling everyone you had a BLT for lunch and an orange. :(

I miss the days of letter writing (she says as she embraces the techno-pen of the blogging craze. Is my blog just the same as a Tweet? At least my blog will just sit here patiently and properly until someone chooses to click and read. It does not impose itself on you. (I hope not :) )

Why are we as a people so obsessed with texting, calling and tweeting that we can't sit and talk to the person across the table from us for more than 5 min without the interruption of a digital toddlers asking for our attention? Have we no more self control than that?

I am not a Luddite, obviously because I am online and own a cell phone, coffeemaker, vacuum, washing machine (and dryer even!) but I am beginning to wonder if some things marketed to us as labor saving are only labor swapping. We are able to do some thing faster, but are we using that saved time to better our selves, our family, friends or community?

Cursive Handwriting: Dinosaur or Art

Is cursive handwriting dying? http://gmy.news.yahoo.com/v/12124183/fox_news/20090219/av_fox_us/_goodmorningyahoo_fox105463_cursive_writing_loses_ground_in_schools

I hope not. as the reporter said in that story cursive is no longer required in schools in California, but most school do still teach it. In fact the school that I taught in I taught cursive to my preK class, yes... you read that right. From the first day of school I taught cursive to four year olds. They loved it... it's a much more natural movement of the hand than the tradition "ball and stick" letters, and there is no need to transition later to another form. Cursive actually aids kids in learning to read. They see common letter combinations in the beginning and ends of words and as they are forming the words their brains are being reinforced as to the way the letters are connected together. Cursive has very few 'reversible' letters,(ie; dbpq) that tend to confuse new readers. The common question I got from parents was, "will it be harder for them to learn how to print?" my answer, "No". Printing is just copying what you see in a book. If you know how to write cursive, printing is a snap. Here is an excellent piece going into more detail on a few of the points I have just brought up. http://www.donpotter.net/PDF/Cursive%20First.pdf

My mother had the most amazingly beautiful handwriting. She said they were made to practice hours at school, and even though she did not like it, she was happy her handwriting was so nice. In this age of computers it is easy to say cursive is outdated and unnecessary, but is it really? All legal documents need a signature. Your signature is needed to purchase on credit at a store. It's a unique way of identifying you. AND... you must sign with a real signature, NOT print, when you vote! I know.... digital this and cyber that might replace the signature. Why loss cursive all together? Even if it does go the way of he old Underwood typewriter and the personal handwritten letter, it's still going to be something special people will wish they still had when it's gone.

Ahhhh! Coffee the Elixir of Life!!!

Elixir:

e-lix-ir ,[i-lik-ser]= a)an alchemic preparation formerly believed to be capable of prolonging life. b) the quintessence or absolute embodiment of anything. (www.dictionary.com)


Coffee, sweet coffee, how do I love thee, let me count the ways!!! Thou art the waker of mine eyes and the clearer of my head on a foggy morning. Sometimes called "Baptist Holy Water" and being a Baptist myself I can attest to the fact that unless there is coffee it's not an official meeting.

Along comes 'Starbucks' .... be still my heart!!! A WHOLE store devoted to coffee and making it any way I want it.. tall, grande, venti, with or without foam, non fat, low fat, whole, or soy milk? two shots of syrup, a dash of vanilla, and even chocolate sprinkles. In the winter they have specials with eggnog and extra peppermint, or gingerbread flavoring. Once you are a 'regular' they start your cup when they see you come in the door , "Your usual?" I know it sounds kind of like a bar... but better, no hangover :) In the summer they just throw it in a blender for you with a bunch of ice and.... TaDa.. coffee that cools you too. Whether yours is the 1/2 caf. non-fat, caramel Machiato, extra hot OR the decaf, skinny cinnamon dulce latte, no whip, with sprinkles... it's always great! Oh yeah, they sell chocolate too... I don't need anything else... now I can die happy.

At home you can make great coffee, but you gotta have a Bunn. Shortly after I got married my dear Mother in Law bought me a 'real' coffee maker since, "we are real coffee drinkers in this family" (oh ok, step back!) Little did I know I was about to become addicted to another kitchen appliance (microwave being number one). You see the Bunn is no ordinary coffee maker, it's 'SUPER COFFEE MAKER" (can't you see the little red cape and SCM on it's front) Truthfully if you HAVE to have coffee fast in the morning you need this. It keeps water hot in it's reservoir just waiting for your request then, poof, in less than two minutes you have really hot coffee. I mean really hot, much hotter than those 'other' makers. And it stays hot too. I have been married over 25 years and only had 5 Bunn's .... a tribute to a great product.

Now for the grand finale, a wonderful song singing the praises of our dear friend - COFFEE-

I give you one of my favorite artist , Garrison Keillor

The Best Homeschool Community Online

One of my favorite online sites:

http://www.theswap.com/ is the best online community for homeschoolers. I am still active there and I have not homeschooled for many years. Here you will find a wonderful group of ladies (and a few men) that are available to offer their insight on a huge variety of homeschool topics and methods as well as home, garden and other topics. It's a smaller group than you might find on other homeschool sites and we don't mind. We have sort of become a cyber family. Our ages range from grandmas to newly married. We have rejoiced over births, mourned deaths, sent (real) letters of encouragement and even arranged a few get togethers. Theswap is a great place. Sometimes I get world news there before I hear it anywhere else. We have a member who is the mayor of her town, several authors, many home business ladies, some regular teachers, we even heard tell that a former celeb (how a homeschool mom herself) 'lurks' on our boards :)

We are self supporting, our members can buy business ads to keep us going (yours truly has done so) We keep each other in prayer. Sometimes we trade postcards, mugs, tea or help the kids with special projects for their classes. We brainstorm for each other, offer advice , share our collective hundreds of years of experience with life, and sometimes it's just a great place to vent so we don't yell at our families. Come on over and say "Hi"

Oh... that cute bead up there at the top of this post... well if I was a bead, that would be me, (although I do have glasses ) :)
bead was made by http://www.homefriedbeads.etsy.com/

Easy Sponge Bob Cake

Several years ago my daughter wanted a 'Sponge Bob' themed party.... being the thrifty mom that I am I vowed to make the cake instead of spend outrageous amount of money on a bakery cake. Pictured above you can see the fantastic results. This was VERY easy, and I will tell you just how it's done.



Sponge Bob Cake... serves 8= large pieces, 16= smaller pieces


Ingredients:


Cake mix, your choice of flavor, enough to make one 9"x13" cake. (White or Yellow mix works best) whatever things you need to make that cake, eggs, oil etc.


White frosting, the 'fluffy' type looks the best. enough to frost a 9"x13" cake (check label)


Cake Decorating "icing colors" Yellow and Blue (NOT food coloring, they are not strong enough to make the darker color you need) Can be purchased at most party supply or craft stores that have cake decorating sections. (ie: http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E30C9BC-475A-BAC0-52C7C1607D9BCFC5&fid=77280EF0-475A-BAC0-514D0BED6554CFE4 )


Small tube Black gel frosting like this: http://www.signaturebrands.com/9C4CBB1816FC4298969A04C047BFC780.asp?ccb_key=EA717EEEA06F484BA92F835CC0CB59FA


Approx. 24 -White 'lifesaver' type candy (has to be all white)

16 Chocolate Chips, the same kind you use to make cookies with.

8 Yellow long jelly type candies... like these http://www.justborn.com/mike-and-ike

Baking parchment-available at most grocery stores, or place you got the icing colors



Assembly instructions:

Line baking pan with baking parchment. Let some hang over the edges, you can use this to lift the cake out of the pan later.

Bake the cake per the package directions, let cool. Place a fresh sheet of parchment on the final serving platter (a cookie pan is what is in the picture)while the cake cools prepare the frostings

Put frosting in a bowl and take out 2 Tablespoons and put in a small bowl.

Mix yellow icing color with the large amount of frosting until you get the desired color (does not take much so use a little at first )

Mix a tiny bit of blue with the 2 Tablespoons frosting to get the desired color

Lift cake carefully out of pan, while supporting it gently peel off baking parchment and place on final serving platter you have prepared.

Frost the top of the cake with the yellow and divide the cake into 8 sections by gently drawing a knife through the frosting as pictured above, to make 8 rectangles.

Place two lifesaver candies for the eyes.

Place a small amount of blue frosting in the hole of each lifesaver and then push a chocolate chip in the blue frosting upside down

Use the black gel to draw a smile

break up some of the remaining lifesaver to make 'teeth' shapes and place two under each smile.

Use yellow jelly type candies to make a nose for each 'face' (the nose is hard to see on the picture above, you may have to look closely or change you zoom level.)

Made with the above method the 8 pieces are a bit large for a child to eat, so you may want to cut each portion in half. OR you can make 16 faces by doubling the amount of lifesavers and chocolate chips and drawing 16 rectangles in the frosting. (the faces would be in the opposite direction as pictured above, so just rotate the plate)

Hope you and your child will enjoy this silly but fun cake!