Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Lets Get CRAFTY!! or insane...

I started an absolutely insane project awhile ago. I was asked to make a second one and donate it to the school the kids were attending. I think I got overwhelmed by the extensive amount of work that would take not to mention the cost. There was also some fear in the whole putting it together. What if I put the pieces in the wrong spot? So like I tend to do with things I am afraid of I put it away and followed other distractions.

I decided enough was enough and that this could tie in very nicely with the kids Story of the World study. So here I am super excited about it again. Things are moving along quickly now and I can't wait to get it to a useable state.

I ordered all the felt from http://www.benziedesign.com it is so beautiful and soft! Also I absolutely love the company!

I used felt glue to hole the pieces on foe ease in sewing.


A metric pile of laminating sheets was also necessary. 


A printer had to be purchased for printing on wax paper then ironing to the felt in an attempt to cut out the pieces easier. Lets just say it is easier to just cut out one piece at a time than to go that route. I also need the printer for printing on fabric for the ocean labels and all the color 3 part cards (plus general color print use)


Don't forget the vinyl for pockets in the quiet book! I had no idea how huge this roll would be.


I laid everything out.


Then I cut some things out... and gave up


Friday I pulled everything out and spent the evening cutting, then most of the weekend cutting and glueing and sewing. 

This is where I am now! I have North and South America Sewn down.


I even have all the puzzle pieces cut out and ready to go. 


The great 3 part card fiasco. I started with just doing the continent cards, but decided all the animals needed the same color back as the continent they live on to help with clean up and organizing. I also decided they all had to be cut out at the same time so they would all be the same size. 


Then the laminating process began. I used a dot of glue on the back of each to make sure they didn't move around on the laminating sheets. 


 

Here they are all cut, laminated, cut again and organized. 


Now I just have to find some velcro and keep sewing. 







Story of the World Volume 1 Chapter 3&4

I finished making chapter review cards for all of our kiddos. Before anyone gets cranky about making copies each family purchased their own work book and book AND audio book. We are playing by the rules. It took forever to make cards for 7 kids when you factor in cut out, laminate, cut out, and hole punch. I hope they actually end up using these. 


 Here are our scholars busy at work.




Our lap book / binder hybrid is working out nicely. We have 3 sections. The first is lap book which I found here, followed by work sheets from the official SOTW activity book and finally the note booking pages I found here.








Everyone wrote a message and translated it into cuneiform we put our messages on scrolls made with card stock and popcivle sticks. 


For the clay we used Sculpey clay. We did learn that even though the clay seems to not be hardening follow the directions on the package for baking. We left them in for 2 hours till they finally started to burn. Future experiments revealed that while the clay doesn't feel done when you touch it, really it is. 


I decided to add a pocket to the cover to have a place to store all our creations. I just cut a piece of card stock in half and stapled around the edges.



 Here is Xander's creation, a throw back to a Nomad cave drawing.


I opted to not mummify a chicken. My husband threatened to not come home + 7 children touching raw chicken sent my germaphobic self into a twitch. So Flynn Rider took one for the team and the kids wrapped him in gauze and we called it a day.



Saturday, November 7, 2015

Story of the World Volume 1 Intro, ch 1 & ch 2

Phew! We got ourselves all set up and ready to roll!

 First off we are using the text book, work book and audio book purchased through Peace Hill Press.

We then assembled a modified lap book. Why did I decide to three ring binder it?? Durability, lack of a giant stapler, greater function, and I just can't figure out how to properly get them put together.


We found our lap book pages here through the amazing blogger Brenda Johnston http://brendajohnston.blogspot.com .



Since we are using a 3 ring binder I was able to add more content. I found not booking pages AND time line cards over at Tending our Lord's Garden. http://tendingourlordsgarden.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html


The final section of our notebook is the work sheets and map work from the Story of the World Notebook. 


Story of the World Volume 1 Chapter 1: Nomads become farmers. We painted cave drawings and made satchels. We modified the satchels to be more universal so we could use them as we progress through time. They also added nicely to the kid's Halloween costumes. 



For Story of the World Volume 1 Chapter 2 we were on to Ancient Egypt. We built a model of the Nile. Looking forward to adding some pyramids, mountains and watching as the grasses grow. 





What study of Egypt is complete without building pyramids out of Lego. 



Here the kids are busy at work constructing the lap book elements, maps and note booking.



Instead of making a crown and staff for the kids Flynn Rider took one for the team and played the part of Pharaoh. Here he is rocking his pharaoh skirt made from felt. 



Monday, November 2, 2015

Holla Holla 2 months!!




Week 10


Week 1

I have officially reached the point where this is my life now. I even had to go in the way back machine of my blog and figure out what week I am on. I get out of the bed in the morning and hit the gym. It is just part of who I am. Have I lost tons of weight? NO. I am rocking 198 now. Do you see that?? I am not 200+ pounds. I am officially UNDDER 200. Something I have been in denial about for the past 2 years. I Feel good. I am strong. I am determined. I am LOVING every second of my amazing life. 

Yesterday I decided it's time to donate everything in my closet that doesn't make me feel amazing. I am sick of being dumpy and bla. I feel good on the inside, starting to look good on the outside so it's time to have at least 2 outfits that make me stand a little taller and feel pretty. 

Friday, October 30, 2015

Adventures in Story of the World Volume 1

We started Story of the World Volume 1. I have the book, work book and recently purchased the audio book from Peace Hill Press. Yesterday we listened to chapter 1 in the car when it was over the kids begged for more!

We decided to make satchels as our craft for the day. The kids each took a turn at the sewing machine.

Today I am working on building a time line!

http://tendingourlordsgarden.blogspot.com/2012/05/story-of-world-timeline-cards.html

This website is fabulous and has time line cards for the first 3 books! She is working on Volume 4.


Thursday, October 22, 2015

8 Weeks to a better me!



Well here we are! 8 weeks. Yesterday I ran for a total of 16 minutes. It was a 3 min, 5 min, 3 min 5 min with a bit of walking in the middle to total 31 minutes. It was amazing. I had no idea I could run for 5 minutes. 

I chose the treadmill on the other side of the coffee pot with a view of the front door. I enjoy people watching while I move. The coffee pot was like a carrot on a stick. People would come up and get their cup of coffee and the aroma of fresh brewed coffee would waft over me. It is also right next to the social hour table. It is very inspirational watching over weight senior citizens stuff their faces with donuts and drink coffee. It just made me run faster. 

I don't want to be fat, but more importantly I want to be healthy. I am still 1 pound heavier than when I started.  We have been eating home cooked meals more now than ever. Grocery store trips include a lot more label reading. 

This has been a life style change, not a fad crash diet. I love running and I love making wholesome good food for my kids. 

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Week 7



Here we are in week 6. I have advanced with c25k. Tomorrow is my last day in week 3. Then things get intense. Looking forward to 2 5 minute intervals. 
http://m.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2015/09/24/another-brawl-broke-out-at-a-florida-publix-a-proving-ground-for-deli-fights

This really speaks to me and I can almost understand fights breaking out in the Publix deli. The Deli has gone through some kind of change. Now you have 4 people doing prep work, 1 person doing sandwiches and 1 person cutting the meat. They used to do the prep work at down times. There I stand with 3 kids waiting patiently for the cranky meat cuter while all people stare at me because my kids are Pokemon roleplaying (not moving mind you) and Alice is singing.

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Food for thought.

Let's say you hire a personal chef to cook one meal for you a week. They buy all the food, chop all the vegetables and cook the main course. Then they walk away and instruct you to finish preparing the side dishes.

Would you feel that you were getting your money's worth? Why pay someone else if you are still inconvenienced with the whole cooking?



Saturday, October 10, 2015

Week 6



I find it fascinating what our internal image of ourselves is compared to what we actually look like. In my mind I am not a 200 pound woman. I am just me. I don't want to be fat. I don't want to be unhealthy. I do not was to get cancer. I want to live a long and happy/healthy life with my beautiful family. I WILL be healthy and strong. I have been running 3 days a week. It feels good. 

My relationship with food has drastically changed. I no longer shove food in my mouth without thinking. I really do try to eat better food. Unfortunately food has not just changed for me it has changed for everyone else. 

It seems like everywhere I look what ever I am about to eat is sure to kill me or in the least give me cancer. No longer is it all about cooking food in a healthy way. Keeping with a healthy diet just isn't enough. Your food must be organic, gmo free, and quite possible harvested by virgins under a new moon. 

It is almost easier to just grab that quick chick fil-a sandwich and not think about the labels that bombard you in the store. I know that the fast food sandwich is bad for me, but it's about perception. With no label staring at you obviously it's ok. Unfortunately just like calories actually counting at Disney, the food at the fast food place does have bad stuff in it. Each food choice has a consequence. 

All sarcasm aside I am making better choices. We have significantly reduced our fast food intake. I know that should sound like an easy task, but with kids and the constant running for activities it's easy to fall into that rut. 

We have made huge strides with the streamlining of household tasks. It is so much easier to pack our lunch and cook our dinner at home when the house is clean and organized.

We have a great chore system in place. I can really tell when our life goes off track and the clutter piles up again. Yesterday was full of car repairs and grocery store runs. I feel almost twitchy this morning as I look around at the mess of stuff that needs to be done. Even though it is pre 8 am I have even slowly working on things this morning. 

Back to the grind.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Week 5!!!!

Today marks 29 day of going to the Y. I feel stronger. Unfortunately I have gained 1 pound, but gained muscle so I am not worrying about that right now.

The plan is 3 days a week of running and yoga. The other 2 have been bike/elliptical and Pilates. While I have not had a week where all of those things happen I am very close. The pattern of my new life of fitness is set.

I have even been working out with my 10 year old 2-3 days a week. It is so good to be growing together in health.

None of these changes would be possible without my amazing husband!! He has encouraged me and supported me every step of the way.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Hello Fresh!? Or is it?

A friend gave me a free trial of Hello Fresh so I had to give it a try. https://www.hellofresh.com

Since we are a family of 5 I upgraded from the free 3 meals for 2 to 3 meals for 4.

$129 is the cost for 3 meals for 4 people. I paid $60.

For our box I chose the Cornflake and Honey Crusted Chicken, Pan Seared Salmon, and Smoky Sloppy Joes.

The box arrived via UPS. The packaging was very unique and appealing to the eye.


 One of the gel packs broke so the packaging at the top was wet and slimy.



For our first night I cooked the Cornflake and Honey Crusted Chicken.

This is a screen shot from their website showing what the dish is supposed to look like.

Moments after arrival I opened it and took to cooking the first meal. The broccoli was bad. Discolored and slimy. A lot of the florets were yellowed. Thankfully I had ORGANIC frozen broccoli in the freezer so we were able to have a balanced dinner anyway.  I called the company and they gave me a $10 credit towards my next purchase. 



Here is a view of the ingredients. Each meal has a white box with all the goodies in side. Packaged separately are the meat items. 


I am extremely disappointed that Hello Fresh chose to use KELLOGG'S corn flakes. There is nothing healthy about corn flakes or the Virgo Yellow rice. 

According to their website: 
"Always Fresh & Healthy
Fresh is not only in our name, it's our promise to you. We bring you the freshest and healthiest food, with a dash of fun, a sprinkle of learning, and a dollop of deliciousness, all for a great price."




The BHT and GMO corn is a deal breaker for me. We have not eaten Kellogg's in years. 


I cooked the chicken according to the directions but it was still raw in the middle. So we had dinner in a few courses. The meal was well received and most popular among the children. My questions and concerns mostly involve the chicken and the rice/cereal ingredients. Where is this chicken from? What is the country of origin? It says natural but what does that mean? Are there plans to use rice that is organic and free of artificial colors? Maybe a rice with no trans fats?





For our second night I gave the Pan Seared Salmon a try. It was an interesting experience mostly because I had never eaten nor cooked salmon before.

This is a screen shot from their website showing what the dish is supposed to look like.

I was very pleased with the ingredients for this dish. I liked that it was real whole foods. The only thing that could make this better would be all organic produce. Also labeling if the ingredients had been washed or not. 


I am quite pleased with how lovely the salmon turned out.


This was also my first time having quinoa not in something as a filler. I really was not impressed with the flavor of this dish. No one enjoyed it, I think that was mostly due to the arugula. My kids eat spinach and kale raw so we are used to greens. We just don't like the bitter taste of arugula. It turned out very pretty though.



All in all a very pretty plate. A nice healthy dinner. Except it was really hard to get the arugula down. I think you either love it or hate it. At lease now I know we just don't like it.


The final dish! Smoky Sloppy Joes.

This is a screen shot from their website showing what the dish is supposed to look like.

 Tonight's menu called for a a salad. Too bad the cilantro and the lettuce were rotten.




The meat turned out very nice. It had a good flavor. There was way too much meat. We barely ate 1/2. 


Only 4 buns for 1 lb of meat so we will be using sandwich bread on the left overs.


The final product! The husband says manwich (which I won't buy because of the rubbish in it)  is better but this was a solid good meal. My concern again is where did this beef come from? Was it grass fed? Made in the USA? These are important bits of knowledge that would play a factor in me deciding to purchase again.


If all the food arrived fresh and stayed fresh long enough to eat it (3-5 days isn't a huge expectation) this could be a valid option for good food. It is quite expensive. We could eat out to Olive Garden 3 nights and feed our family of 5 for the cost of this box. If the food was Organic I could see the extra cost. I can shop at Publix/Costco and buy organic food for the same or less. I understand this is a convenience to have food dropped at your door, but I would rather drag myself to the store and have a better quality of food. If I want quick and convenient for a comparable cost I would rather go to Olive Garden or Perkin and not have to do the dishes. I did not call and report the bad salad and cilantro as I don't plan on ordering again so another $10 credit isn't enough for me to try again. $130 is a lot of money for 3 meals. I am very glad I had the chance to try out this product. I think it could be amazing for people with very busy schedules. If the food was organic I would be willing to try it again in the future if I was too busy to shop.