Not So SAHM

Roadschool – Yorktown and Jamestown

This past week was Homeschool Week at Yorktown and Jamestown. We’ve been before, but Ash was too young to remember, and you can always use a refresher course on historical events, right? We spent one day at Yorktown and the next day at Jamestown.

Reading the Declaration of Independence with General Washington Not so SAHM — Reading with General Washington

The Yorktown Victory Center now consists of a middle-class-size colonial farm, a field camp to portray the revolutionary war events, and an indoor museum. It’s all very hands on!

Combing Cotton at Yorktown Victory Center Not So SAHM — Carding Cotton

Learning about flax at Yorktown Victory Center Not so SAHM — Flax – start to finish

Colonial gardening at Yorktown Victory Center — Colonial gardening

Colonial bread toaster Not so SAHM — What is it?!

One daughter took a class on “Colonial Life” and learned about the different chores, clothing, housing, etc of kids and adults back then. The other daughter took a class called “The Life of a Private” where she learned what it was like to be in General Washington’s army during the Revolutionary War. Later in the day we took a Guided Tour through all the facilities where we all learned about farm life and war life.

Revolutionary war camp at Yorktown Victory Center Not So SAHM — new conscripts

Revolutionary medicine at Yorktown Victory Center Not so SAHM — tooth ache?

The one thing we didn’t do this time was the driving tour around the expansive battlefield. There is a CD you can purchase and listen to as you drive that explain the different positions Washington’s and Cornwallis’ armies took.

The Jamestown Settlement is a living history museum in the outdoors and a very large indoor museum. Both are hands on. The actual historical site of Jamestown is down the road and there is still archaeological digging and research going on (there is a separate entrance fee). So much so, that whenever they find new information that differs from what they previously thought, they will tear down the “re-enactment” and rebuild it to be historically correct. We walked through an Indian village, a ship (so small!), and the reproduction Jamestown settlement.

Learning about the Jamestown Settlers at the Jamestown Settlement Not So SAHM — Learning about the Jamestown settlers

Learning how to clean a deer skin at Jamestown Settlement Not So SAHM — using every part of the deer

Making rope at Jamestown Settlement Not So SAHM — Twisting rope

Digging out a canoe at Jamestown Settlement Not So SAHM — Canoe making!

Reenactment ships at Jamestown — Ships at Jamestown

Using a Traverse Board at Jamestown Settlement Not So SAHM — learning how to plot navigation

Inside the Jamestown Settlement Not So SAHM — Inside the settlement

Instead of having the girls do their “regular” school work, I planned on doing several activities while we were there that would incorporate subjects like math, writing, reading, and science. Some were more successful than others.

SCIENCE: Reagan is studying birds in science right now (Apologia’s Zoology I) so I took my camera and a field guide with the intention of taking pictures of all the different birds we saw and looking them up in the field guide. Well, we saw very few birds, and they were mostly in mid-flight, so I didn’t get very many pictures. I was most successful in our grandparents’ backyard at the bird feeder. . . Also, we haven’t had a chance to look at the pictures yet. So we’ll have a bit of delayed gratification next week when I can pull up the pictures on a computer and they can flip through the field guide to identify the birds.

MATH: The Jamestown website has a lot of great curriculum ideas, and I printed out several of those to use. One of them incorporated math by discussing jettons, what they were and how they were used as counting tools. It was geared towards Ashlyn’s grade level (2nd), but Reagan (6th) still had fun figuring out the problems that were on the sheet. I had also planned to do some spontaneous math and ask Ashlyn to do some adding and subtracting with different dates and facts, but that never happened.

WRITING: I had wanted the girls to write down each day about the favorite thing they learned that day, their least favorite, etc. It’s hard, though, to get school done when you’re visiting relatives. After we left Yorktown we went to the grandparents’ house and not a single one of us thought about school until the next morning.

ART: See above.

There were several activities that I had printed out that we didn’t get to. I still want to do them so I plan on fitting them in next week. One that we did do, and I think the girls enjoyed, was the kids’ museum guide. We used the guide as we walked through the indoor museum to find objects and answer questions. That gave the girls an objective and helped them to feel like we weren’t going to be indoors all day.

And Ashlyn just reminded me, the cafe at the Jamestown Settlement was “the best she had ever been to”.

Williamsburg is just a couple miles down the road, but we were there recently so we didn’t go back during this visit. I met a family from Texas who was visiting the area for a week, and they were going to do all three (Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown) and then drive up to DC (about 3 to 10 hours away depending on traffic). If you’ve never been to the Historic Triangle this needs to be on your short list of places to visit.
Not So SAHM

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Starting a Book Club

A friend of mine and I decided to start a book club for our oldest daughters who are in middle school. They both love to read, and we think it’s a great idea to challenge them by giving them books to read that they might not pick for themselves. It’s also great to engage them further by getting together and talking about the book. The first book we’re going to read is Wonder by R. J. Palacio.

It’s about a boy with a facial deformity who, at 5th grade, is going to a mainstream school for the first time. Both our daughters have actually read it so far and really liked it. Time for the moms to get busy and read it!

We’re going to test out one or two books and if it seems successful, and we’re able to have a good discussions (and maybe add a craft if appropriate), then we’d like to open it up to other kids.

Does anyone out there run a kids’ book club? What are some guidelines or tips that you could pass along? And thanks!
Not So SAHM

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One picture, many Lightroom presets

I love, love Lightroom. It’s my go to photo editing software. I also have Elements and use it occasionally, but for me that takes too long. One of my dilemmas with photo editing is making choices. I like to make my own edits, but I also like to use presets. And then I can’t decide which I like better.

Downtown Fayetteville NC in B&W Not So SAHM — B&W

Usually I really like black and white, but this one doesn’t do much for me, maybe because there’s so much color and the color adds to the eclectic nature. Other than that I can’t decide which edit I like best. They *are* all very similar.

What do you like to use for photo editing?
Not So SAHM

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Pinehurst/Southern Pines with my Lensbaby Spark

We were able to go to the towns of Pinehurst and Southern Pines recently. Sorry, no pictures of the golf course. There was snow on the greens. I had my Lensbaby Spark with me to play around a bit. I’m still learning how to get the focus just where I want it and have the blur everywhere else. Success comes in fits right now. Click on any picture to go to a more traditional view.

Pinehurst Village

Tea

Potpourri

Pub

1895

Cupola

The Carolina

Graphic of US Open Championships 2014 trophies Not So SAHM

No. 2

The stay ends

Southern Pines

It’s Bliss

Southern Pines train station Not So SAHM

all aboard!

Betsy's Crepes sign in Southern Pines Not So SAHM

*the* best crepes outside of France

If you are ever in the Pinehurst/Southern Pines area you must stop in at Betsy’s Crepes for breakfast or brunch. It’s a must.

Anyone headed to Pinehurst in June?

Not So SAHM

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Cleaning and Homeschooling Don’t Mix…Do They?

Preconceived notion about being a SAHM:

“Since you stay at home all day your house should be clean. All the time.”

That is a preconceived notion I myself have but only about myself. Not towards any other SAHMs, oddly enough. I expect that every other mom is so busy with her kids that her house won’t be neat and tidy and dust free all the time. But for some reason I hold myself to a different standard.

For years I’ve tried to incorporate a daily cleaning schedule into our homeschool schedule. It would be nice for the girls to know how a duster works. Or a vacuum cleaner. Or why there’s a brush with a long handle standing next to the toilet and what the business end is used for. Cleaning and homeschooling just don’t seem to mix at this house. I’m so ready to press on to the school work that most days I just say “forget it!” with the cleaning.

And that’s when I had a genius, aha! moment. I had forever been trying to schedule it in the morning, right after breakfast and before devotions and school. Move the cleaning to the evening!

My theory was that we’d be done with school, and I would be in the kitchen preparing dinner, so the girls could do a chore a day during that kitchen prep time. OMG, it’s been such a miserable failure. We just can’t. seem. to. clean. Any time of the day. Even if we happen to be home that day/evening.

Our house is rarely a huge dump because we’re pretty good at putting things back where they belong. But little things start to creep and get left out. My external hard drive will be sitting by the couch for weeks. I don’t have the heart to make the girls clean the Barbie world that they have created in the middle of the living room. And the dust begins to build up. And maybe a bathroom doesn’t get cleaned for a while. And the crumbs build up under the table. Am I airing too much of my dirty laundry? I’m embarrassed so we’ll stop there.

I have realized that the only thing that really kicks my butt into gear is one word:

COMPANY

When company’s coming over, the house gets cleaned. Except for that stray spider web hanging over the fireplace I just saw this morning. . .

I actually know the answer to my dilemma. Discipline. I lack self discipline in certain areas of my life. Eating healthy foods. Exercising. Going to bed at a decent hour (but really, decent is a subjective term). And cleaning. Who likes to do any of those things?

Wait.a.minute. My husband likes to do all of those things. . . Maybe I should be the one going to work and he should be the one staying home. . .

Well, I’ve solved it! We’ll have a consistently clean house when my hubby is the one staying home! AND the kids would probably be smarter because he likes playing with them so he’d make the learning more fun.

Case closed. Preconceived notion not necessarily debunked, but deferred and projected.

Not So SAM

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How Monthly Cooking Works for Us

For several months I’ve been on the once-a-month freezer meal cooking bandwagon. When I first learned about monthly cooking, many years ago, it seemed like the things people were freezing to eat later were chili, soup, chili, another tomato based product, and chili. Not being so adventurous in the kitchen, the idea of cooking once a month sounded awesome, but the offerings left me hesitant to try it out. And I’m sure I was missing out on great recipes back then, but so be it.

Lately though, with everyone being more concerned about what they eat, the offerings of tastier and healthier freezer meals has exploded! And many smart people are gathering together these recipes and offering instructions on how to make them all at once to do the once-a-month cooking. I’m sold!

If you’re new to monthly cooking, the premise is to make enough meals for a month, freeze them, and then pop one out to reheat/cook with minimal effort. Maybe throw together a side dish quickly, grab a couple of veggies, and dinner is served! It may take all day to cook, like in a crock pot, or minutes in a microwave. The thing is, you don’t have to fret over what to make each night, hoping you have ingredients in your fridge and pantry, and then hoping you have enough time and energy to stand in front of the stove.

For my family’s lifestyle, here is what once-a-month cooking looks like.

I go to Once A Month Meals (the site I’m currently using, although I know there are plenty of options out there) and choose the Whole Foods Menu of the month. It’s not the grocery chain, it’s filled with recipes made with natural/non processed foods. I pick the menus that I want and swap out the ones that either will take too much effort to prepare or that I don’t care to bother with (grilling when I know my husband won’t have time to turn on the grill). I swap these for other recipes that sound good to us.
I head to the store with the grocery list (that the site already has built for me), with the proper proportions.
I take one day to prep the food: chop the veggies, pre-make any stocks, cut up meat, etc.
I take another day (ALL DAY LONG) to prep/cook the meals. I have learned to wear tennis shoes and have really cushiony mats in the kitchen. My back and feet hurt at the end of the day. BUT I AM DONE. (Just being real and honest.)
For the rest of the month I try to remember to create weekly menus. The food is already in the freezer, so if I don’t make a menu then I just pull something out.
The hardest part for me still is remembering to pull out a meal a day in advance to let it thaw in the fridge. Sometimes this doesn’t matter if it’s a crock pot meal.
Each week or two I’ll go to the grocery store to replenish our staples: fruits, veggies, milk, eggs, etc.

Another option for monthly cooking that I have done several times is the Tastefully Simple freezer meal workshops. In one day you make ten meals using their products. All the recipes on the OAMM site and from Tastefully Simple are DELICIOUS. Gourmet delicious.

The OAMM site gives you about 8 meals per monthly menu (you could add more if you want), and Tastefully Simple’s gives you about ten. When I first started doing the monthly cooking I wasn’t sure that would get us through a whole month. BUT IT DOES, and then some. We’re a family of four, and one of us doesn’t eat very much, so I am able to split most meals into two. So 8 meals automatically becomes 16. That’s still only half a month. Well, with how hectic our schedule is, we end up grabbing sandwiches at least once a week, eating out at least once a week, and then having breakfast for dinner or pizza. Add in leftovers and those meals actually do last us through the month.

Here’s what my freezer typically looks like:

Sorry, I can’t make that prettier. Martha hasn’t offered to come help me organize and beautify my meals.

If you haven’t tried once-a-month or freezer cooking I would encourage you to give it a try! Go to Once A Month Meals or Tastefully Simple to see what they’ve got. OR, head to Pinterest and search for freezer meals. Just make sure you’ve eaten or else you’ll end up starving looking at all the delicious options. THEN, relax for the rest of the month, knowing you’ve got dinner covered.

If you use a different site to plan your monthly meals, please let me know about it. I always love having more options.

Bon appétit!
Not So SAHM

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