tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38418210598831519572024-03-12T23:19:22.146-04:00Apple Piethe sweetness of homeCassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.comBlogger245125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-16977774724745437192010-03-12T06:00:00.004-05:002010-03-12T06:50:00.484-05:00A Course in How to Live, Part II<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S5gQ1PrA60I/AAAAAAAAA_Y/GIz9K-EysG8/s1600-h/iStock_000005182627XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S5gQ1PrA60I/AAAAAAAAA_Y/GIz9K-EysG8/s400/iStock_000005182627XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447122256230673218" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Over the years, our lessons became a new way of life. Somewhere in the midst of it all, I became stronger, braver, more willing to risk. I was no longer afraid to dream, to imagine what was possible, to take a plunge into something new. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A year after our youngest son moved on to college, I began to write for others. Why? Because my heart was urging me forward. Because the joy that met me when the words hit the page was the same joy that lit the eyes of my children when they began to read. I knew the beginning of something real, something I should pay attention to. They taught me that. I knew that I was choosing it for the best reason -- to help people. They taught me that, too. From them, I learned that the best life is not the one that I live for myself, but the one I find in making a difference for someone else. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It takes courage and imagination, side by side, to be a writer. Our experiences equipped me with both. I taught my sons to read and write. And this gave me lessons in how to live. Those lessons have made my emergence as a writer possible. My new life rises out of the life we lived together.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The gift which I gave to my family has become the gift they gave to me.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I started by writing about homeschooling. Here I had a natural platform. I could write about our experiences and our life together. But as I've spent a year writing, something else has happened. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I've begun to realize that homeschooling was our past, <i>not</i> my future. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I will always be different because we launched our own learning adventures. Like the children who went to Narnia and back, I am more alive, more real, after traversing that landscape. I will belong to it, and it to me, no matter where I travel from here. I will take the gift I was given into new places. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">All of this is not to say that a book on homeschooling is not in my future somewhere. But I am reasonably sure it is not happening anytime soon.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Right now, my sons need to venture into the adult world without the magnifying glass of readers looking to see how homeschooling worked out for us. They need to decide, without the pressure of any expectations, how they will raise their own families and educate them. And I need to study the craft of writing while pursuing the kind of writing I think I may be called to do. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I'm excited about the life ahead of me. I've begun to work on longer projects. Right now, I'm writing passages for a book about finding the life we've always longed for in a relationship with God. I've a hunch that my audience will be broad and universal, extending well beyond the homeschool community. I hope there will be many books. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Another thing I've learned is that saying </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">yes</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> also means saying </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">no</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. Not everything fits into a life. So for now, I will no longer be writing posts for Apple Pie. The blog will stay online for a few months so that people will have time to stop by and read about what's happened.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And in the meantime, I invite you to visit </span><a href="http://www.moonboatcafe.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Moonboat Cafe</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, where I'll be writing posts about the joyful life.</span></div><div><br /></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-61140575954103493152010-03-11T06:00:00.003-05:002010-03-11T09:07:26.677-05:00A Course in How to Live, Part I<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S5gSDHaPIRI/AAAAAAAAA_o/pg1Rm-F7wGA/s1600-h/iStock_000007680960XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S5gSDHaPIRI/AAAAAAAAA_o/pg1Rm-F7wGA/s400/iStock_000007680960XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447123594042614034" /></a><div><br /></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Twenty years ago, I started homeschooling to create something for our family which we would not otherwise have. Our vision for learning was not on the agenda of our local schools. While his peers were learning their ABC's, our oldest son Josh studied all the Indian tribes in North America. By the first grade, he was beginning to read </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Chronicles of Narnia.</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> He had no intention of stopping there. He could see a world opening up before him and waiting to be explored. He asked me to teach him at home, so that he would have the freedom to learn about the things that fascinated him. My husband's job as a news reporter started at noon every day. We all knew that family time would have to happen in the mornings if it happened at all. So I took the plunge into homeschooling, and we began our great adventure in learning.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> I did it for them. Or so I thought.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> As we learned together, many of my assumptions about life and learning had to be revised. I was forced to be more flexible, to be more disciplined, to be stronger than I thought I could be. Homeschooling changed my character. It changed my perspective. It changed my life. It taught me how to live with courage and imagination, side by side. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Lessons in Joy</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">First, my sons taught me the value of joy. I did not have a real childhood. Growing up in a big family with both parents working and leaning hard on their eldest daughter made me made me an adult too soon. It wasn't anyone's intention. My parents tried to do what seemed best for us. But it worked in my temperament like an iron rod through my spine. I became hyper-vigilant, deadly serious, workaholic. I lived like an adult by the time I was twelve, getting up at 4:00 a.m. to deliver a paper route, taking myself to school, paying for my clothes and lessons, and coming home to cook supper and clean the house before attending to homework. I had to pay my way through college. I never played. That was for others. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">All those years, I viewed play the way a child with no money gazes into a candy store. It was not for me. Then, long after the time for play had passed, two young boys pulled me into their world of imagination. Their constant tugging and tutelage – “ Mom, do it like this!” -- let me live the childhood I never knew I could have. For hours, we played pretend. We ran stores, restaurants, and forts. We made up stories with Legos. We baked animal cookies and piled them with mounds of sprinkles. In the winter, we built huge fires in the fireplace and brewed "cowboy coffee", scorched hot dogs, and roasted marshmallows. We cut little pieces of white tissue to make paper snow. We built models. We blew bubbles. We piled books high on the couch and read together, imagining ourselves in faraway places. We played board games for long hours without stopping. I remember one fall day my husband happened to come home in the afternoon to find us still in our pajamas and in the middle of Monopoly. We had lost track of the time.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In the world of two boys, I learned the value of joy and imagination, of play and delight. I began to grasp how these things are essential to creativity and excellence. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">And Confidence</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Of course, imagination must be accompanied by resolve if it is to bear fruit. There were many lessons in this, too. Repeatedly, we started things because we had a vision. We became confident in our ability to teach ourselves new things: running a lemonade stand, publishing a kids’ magazine, selling handmade soap, building small machines, setting off rockets. We patiently worked at these projects, with a little anxiety over the results, until we were satisfied with the end product and knew it was time to move on. We ceased to feel pressured into conforming to the expectations of others, into running down the wide paths of the mainstream, into doing we should be doing.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We learned together that it's not the success at the end which determines whether we should commit to a venture. It matters more what kind of people we become by trying. Character comes first. The life worth living will be added to it. Everything we do comes from who we are. That is more significant than the things we intend. In the end, our choices, and the reasons for making them, are the true measures of success.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Somehow, the lessons in joy led to innovation and innovation meant defying expectations and that required courage. The path was set before us quite naturally, before I knew it had happened. Learning together changed us. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>How has homeschooling changed you?</b></span></div></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-5847196771382763312010-03-10T10:33:00.003-05:002010-03-10T11:22:04.457-05:00Spring Planning Special: Take a Survey!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S5e_HIsYtVI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/1MccxU7mEfU/s1600-h/iStock_000009267819XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S5e_HIsYtVI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/1MccxU7mEfU/s400/iStock_000009267819XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447032403641546066" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Once I understood that joy was the best motivation for learning, I had to change the way I shopped. Prepared curriculum packages had become a slippery slope. I was feeling my way into new terrain. I tried a number of methods.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At one point, I gave some curriculum catalogs and brightly colored markers to my boys and told them to circle whatever they liked. They nearly always picked things that looked dangerous or like birthday presents. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One son held an ongoing campaign to purchase books that would teach him how to survive on whatever he could forage from the backyard and surrounding neighborhood. He also wanted to collect preserved specimens. I didn't even know that some of these creatures existed, much less that they could be preserved for posterity. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My other son wanted to build every kind of robot and gadget the catalogs offered. He dreamed of filling the house with machines. Let me tell you, if you want to build things, you can find some weird stuff for sale. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Still, the information I gained this way was priceless. It gave me a window into what brought them joy. This became an important part of picking curriculum for our school every year -- just asking them what they wanted and letting them respond without being censored. </span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I made no promises</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. But I let them express themselves. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A Sure Path to New Ideas</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">If your school is tired, if everyone is unhappy, or if you are just looking for a way to breathe fresh air into your program, try it. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Try asking your kids what they would like for school. If they can't think of anything, hand them a curriculum catalog or let them look online. Let them pick anything that looks interesting. Tell them there are no right answers. Explain that you are just getting feedback.<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Don't worry about getting "correct" answers. Most kids won't show any interest in textbooks. Instead, they'll pick things that seem completely inappropriate -- equipment for a hobby, something silly and messy, or even something that looks like it's designed to annoy. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">No matter what, it's still helpful feedback. Make a note of it. Think about it. What does it say about the need for joy? What are these choices telling you?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What about Older Students?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In high school, there's lot of pressure to meet expectations. In those years, I had to fight the temptation to dictate what must get done and the worry about being legitimate. The problem is, we do have to worry about that -- we need to learn to translate our courses into terms that make sense to accreditation agencies and colleges. We need to be sure that our courses are generally equivalent to high school courses. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Even so, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">our best work is done where there is joy. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "></span>Allowing our kids to follow their own interests and passions is the smartest investment we can make in their education. They will develop into adults who are gifted and have found something they do with excellence. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So, go ahead. Ask. Don't say it can't be done. Do some research. Nearly anything is possible. You can always arrange the studies to make them work like a course for credit. </span></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-26863543138206115792010-03-09T10:57:00.005-05:002010-03-09T11:20:42.721-05:00Spring Planning Special: Choosing Curriculum For Joy!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S5ZyObDi5hI/AAAAAAAAA-4/7kUSQMNvu1M/s1600-h/iStock_000008579505XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S5ZyObDi5hI/AAAAAAAAA-4/7kUSQMNvu1M/s400/iStock_000008579505XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446666391457555986" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Learning can be hard work. It often is. But it can also be our joy.<br /><br />Slowly, over the years, my children taught me this. Joshua's love of nature, even its unsavory aspects, led us to strange activities. The first of these was our "insect zoo". He captured insects, put them into clear containers, fed and observed them. We studied large pictures of bugs, learned about their body parts, and examined how they functioned. During this time, I had recurring nightmares of large bugs crawling toward me and over me with heightened details. I was relieved when this stage passed. But for my son, it was a glory. I still have photos of him, his face beaming, with his arm around his zoo specimens. Years later, when he became a National Merit Scholar, Joshua was asked to give a speech at his graduation ceremony. He talked about how homeschooling allowed him to pursue the things that delighted him. He used the insect zoo as his example, and he thanked me for allowing him to do it. His words were, "This is homeschooling at its best."<br /><br />The perspective I now have of nearly two decades is a great advantage. There are many things that were foggy to me when I was slogging through the daily effort of homeschooling which are now clear. Beyond any doubt, our best work was done when there was joy. It's that simple. Nothing we did, and I mean nothing, mattered more.<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">__________________________________________<br /><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Take a few minutes to think about what is enjoyable in your home school. Is there anything that delights, that brings fresh joy? This is important, but few homeschoolers think of it. The reason for paying attention to this is that the joy shows you something that is ideal, something that you should emphasize, protect, even repeat in other subject areas. What is working well? Why?</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Where is the joy in your school? Make a note of it now, before you begin planning for next year. </span></b></div></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-54589078848268449062010-03-08T09:11:00.006-05:002010-03-09T11:08:29.914-05:00Spring Planning for the Home School<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S5ULfa4YQQI/AAAAAAAAA-w/1U06Xq4Sb3E/s1600-h/iStock_000002305759XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S5ULfa4YQQI/AAAAAAAAA-w/1U06Xq4Sb3E/s400/iStock_000002305759XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446271958794125570" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As the calendar turns to March, many homeschooling moms turn to the annual task of choosing curriculum. Some of you don't have to think much about this because you are using a standardized, boxed curriculum and you simply order the materials for the next grade. But for many moms, the early spring is full of thoughts about next fall. Last week, I was amused by the mother who posted this question on a website: "Am I the only one who is obsessed with curriculum right now?"</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It took us three full years to understand the way we needed to organize our learning adventures and how we should shop. Every family must find what works for them. That's the beauty of homeschooling. We can use a custom-fit for the needs that are present. One of the keys to our process was for me to have enough time to assess and plan thoughtfully.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I found that setting aside some time in March worked wonders for the year ahead </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> for our current year. That's because the first thing I did was assess what we had accomplished over the last 6 months. I put the schoolwork into looseleaf binders which were divided into subject areas. I made notes. How much had we done? What had worked well? What had not worked at all? How much farther could we reasonably go into the material by June? I based my projections on the reality we had been since September. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I learned that I needed quiet and space for this task. So I made arrangements for the kids, either with their dad, a relative, a friend, or a sitter. I used Friday and Saturday afternoons for my work, and I rewarded myself with a "treat" on Saturday night and an afternoon nap on Sunday.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Rewards are important for me. I need an incentive to push myself to get work done. Appointments are essential. By arranging for the kids, I made an appointment to do the work. That kept me accountable. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Beginning this in March let me work on it </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">before</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> the distractions of spring sports and events began. It also gave me two full months before a curriculum fair in May. What I thought should take one month actually took two. And that was the first rule.</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A job always takes </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">at least</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> twice as long as I think it will. Always.</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">_______________________________________</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>What about you? Have you started thinking about curriculum for next year? How do you like to do your planning?</b></span></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-78312686415568595182010-03-04T09:27:00.001-05:002010-03-04T09:29:16.398-05:00Devotions at Light for My Lamp<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There's a new post about walking with God at </span><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Light for My Lamp</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Enjoy!</span></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-39799537220583694102010-03-03T09:15:00.010-05:002010-03-03T10:26:17.505-05:00Spring Cleaning: First Things<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S452aQZ7YmI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/zxnLdBtj8so/s1600-h/iStock_000006503531XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 347px; height: 346px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S452aQZ7YmI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/zxnLdBtj8so/s400/iStock_000006503531XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444419192989901410" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We have family arriving in the next few days, and I've started spring cleaning. In addition to this, my husband has several work projects around the house that need attention before people get here and the yard needs another clean-up from the latest devastating ice storm.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>But before I started my cleaning project,</b> I had a preparation day. I made sure I had all my cleaning supplies ready. I made sure I had appropriate clothing -- meaning, things to wear that I can spill anything on or tear holes in. I made sure I had a generous stash of my favorite coffee and tea supplies -- for breaks, you know. And I cooked ahead. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>That's right. I cooked a bunch of food.</b> This gave us a three-day supply of instant meals in the fridge. When people are hungry, they can go to the fridge, fill up a plate, and heat it in the microwave.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">While the food was cookin<img src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" alt="Bold" border="0" class="gl_bold" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">g, I cleaned out the fridge and tidied up the kitchen. By cleaning out the fridge, I made room for all of the foods I prepared. I also made sure that people don't eat spoiled food that will make them sick. Believe me, it can happen. One time, one of my children ate raw turkey bacon because it was in the same drawer as the lunch meat and </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">then</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> asked me why it tasted strange.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>What did I cook?</b> Easy things. Things that fill a body up, but that don't take much hands-on preparation. Staple foods that can easily be combined into meals. After the foods have cooled, I put the foods in zip-lock bags or plastic containers with lids and stack them neatly in my clean fridge.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Okay, I know you want to see the list! Here it is:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Baked potatoes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Baked sweet potatoes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Brown rice pilaf (in my rice cooker, with vegetables and spices)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Couscous</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kamut pilaf (grain with vegetables and lemon juice)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">2 lbs of green beans</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Butternut squash, microwaved and topped with honey and cinnamon</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">2 lbs of frozen corn</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">2 lbs of Brussels sprouts</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Large pan of baked beans</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Large sheet of baked red peppers</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sweet and sour lentils</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Eye of round steaks, individually frozen and ready for my son to grill in a small skillet</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Salad supplies: lettuce, tomatoes, various vegetables, salad dressings</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Fresh fruit: apples, oranges, bananas, grapes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Whole grain breads</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The spices in my pilaf dishes rounded out the vegetables and made for a nice variety. We had oatmeal or cereal for breakfasts. My husband and I are vegetarians, so the beans and lentils served as our main courses. I also stocked the freezer with a wide variety of frozen vegetables that can be quickly heated in the microwave, offering supplements and additional side dishes to my prepared fare. I knew we would want good nutrition and filling foods, not just whatever we threw together or ordered from a restaurant, while we were working hard. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>I'm always tempted to just dive into the work. </b>You know, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">get going</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">! But years of extended projects on a Victorian home taught me the value of having a prep day </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">before</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> working. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It seems like it takes extra time, but in the long run, it saves hours and hours. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How? Because nobody has to run to the store to buy something we need. Because the set-up and clean-up time is done all at once for our meals. Because this method eliminates all the food-related interruptions that are a normal part of daily life. I could never manage the once-a-month cooking that some of my friends did, but this worked well for me, as long as I didn't try to create dishes that were time-consuming or complicated. Keeping it simple has been important for me. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What kinds of food do you typically eat when you are working on a project?</span></b></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-91859924054340617572010-03-02T08:53:00.008-05:002010-03-02T09:07:49.510-05:00Beauty and Truth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S40bgE_HnaI/AAAAAAAAA-A/xa-UsLGLqbU/s1600-h/iStock_000005209894XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 116px; height: 116px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S40bgE_HnaI/AAAAAAAAA-A/xa-UsLGLqbU/s400/iStock_000005209894XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444037762469043618" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Today, I am enjoying the comfort and truth pouring out from the other voices. As I watched the southern snow (again!) sprinkle on the trees this morning like powdered sugar on a doughnut, I thought about the presence of beauty in the midst of hard times.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I hope you enjoy today's readings at </span><a href="http://www.moonboatcafe.com/2010/03/voices-john-keats.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Moonboat</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/2010/03/voices-amy-carmicheal.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Light for My Lamp</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-87110437908527337002010-03-01T09:00:00.003-05:002010-03-01T09:07:23.021-05:00Ride the Trolley - Again!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4vIs-Ja2TI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/QAJ2IVcsEXk/s1600-h/iStock_000002861276XSmall%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 243px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4vIs-Ja2TI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/QAJ2IVcsEXk/s400/iStock_000002861276XSmall%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443665249529682226" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Several years ago our family traveled to Yosemite National Park. We flew into San Francisco and spent a couple of days there. I had been to San Francisco a number of times before I married. To my young eyes, the city seemed nearly magical, with its steep hills floating into bay and the fog moving across it like a live thing. Most of all, I loved the trolley. The charm and the eclectic oddity of this place in American life was captured in one ride down from downtown to the water's edge. The brightly painted exterior, the little bell that sounded at each stop, and the sea breeze blowing through the open windows combined to transport me to a place that wasn't quite home but felt like it should be.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Our visit twenty years later was a homecoming. The one thing I longed to do was to take my husband on the trolley to the sea. I wanted to share with him the joyful memory and make a new one. It was nearly the first thing we did when we arrived. We went to the spot where the trolley turns around on the street and waited. We hopped on. We rode slowly down the busy streets, with the bell tinkling and the bay peeking out of the horizon in front of us. When we landed, my husband bought a small replica of the trolley for our Christmas tree. Each year, I put it on the tree and smile.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>The trolley runs smoothly on a track that has been planned and laid out for it</b>. It doesn't have to find a way through the traffic each time it goes. It follows the lines of wires overhead and moves steadily and surely toward its objective. Every day it carries different people with differing agendas. It travels through different kinds of weather. But the track is always the same.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>The busiest areas of the house should be set up so that they operate like the trolley</b>. Actions should run along the lines that have been laid out and which lead, in the most economical way, to a destination. When you do an activity, the necessary materials and tools should be located within an arm's reach and easy to put away with one movement. This way, your repeated daily efforts can run down established lines with little fuss or extra effort.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>The best way to start is to think about what you do most often in a busy area of the house.</b> Gather every thing you need for that activity. Set it in a large laundry basket or box, or put it out on a surface in front of you. Now think: how can you arrange these things in this space so that you don't have to take steps to reach each one? Where can you set them so that they are right where you are working or playing? Store them so that they can be retrieved and put away with the fewest movements possible. One, at most two, movements is your goal for each object, each tool.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You may find that you have to remove some of the objects that aren't really needed in this part of the house -- that large canning pot you never use, the pile of cookbooks you look at once a year, the magazines nobody reads. You may need to purchase open containers to organize some of the tools and supplies. Do it. This is a worthy investment of time and money which will pay large dividends over the days ahead.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>When I set up my kitchen this way</b>, I can make a cake in less that five minutes. That's because I never have to step away. I set up a baking center right by the fridge. Everything I need to bake with is either in the fridge, in the drawer right in front of me, or in the cabinets above me and below me. Does it make a difference? You bet. When I cook in a kitchen that has not been planned in this way, the same cake takes 25 minutes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This arrangement does more than save time. It means my kitchen space stays tidier. Some of the clean-up can happen while I am working, since each thing is put away right there. The rest takes a couple of minutes. Before I walk away, the mess and the clutter have been replaced by a clean counter top.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>You can apply this same principle to any area of the house:</b> garage, bedrooms, office, family room. Everything that is used often can be organized around the space where people sit or stand. Store things at the place where they are used, and neatness follows naturally.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lay down some tracks. Ride the trolley through your traffic. It's the best way to go.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">___________________________________________________</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This is my favorite post on organization. I'm re-posting it here because I am doing a lot of cleaning right now and I'm starting to organize our living space. It's time for spring cleaning! I usually begin this in early March and put out spring decorations, too. Although I normally dislike housework, this annual freshening in late winter never fails to give me a lift.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Do you like cleaning? Is there anything you do to prepare your house for spring? Or do you keep things just the same?</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-75959294054838427812010-02-26T06:00:00.001-05:002010-02-26T06:00:09.843-05:00Souper Supper<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4cXUt8JgaI/AAAAAAAAA8w/YYQcA9y3jAw/s1600-h/iStock_000000268356XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4cXUt8JgaI/AAAAAAAAA8w/YYQcA9y3jAw/s400/iStock_000000268356XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442344319397233058" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup? Who soothes you when you are ill? Who refuses to leave you when you are impoverished and stretches its resources to give a hearty sustenance and cheer? Who warms you in the winter and cools you in the summer? Yet who also is capable of doing honor to your richest table and impressing your most demanding guests? Soup does its loyal best, no matter what undignified conditions are imposed upon it. You don't catch steak hanging around when you're poor and sick, do you?</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> - Judith Martin (Miss Manners) </span></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><br /></span></div>It's been a little while since I've shared a recipe with you. This is my husband's favorite soup dinner. It's a soup that can be hearty enough for a meal, and he claims he'd be happy to eat it every night! I like to make this meal because it is so easy. It only takes me a few minutes to prepare. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Split Pea Soup</span></u></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Basic Ingredients:</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 pound of dried split peas</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">4 bay leaves</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 teaspoon basil</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 teaspoon oregano</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 teaspoon whole rosemary, lightly crushed</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 teaspoon salt (added after cooking is finished)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Optional Additions:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Choose any combination</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 c. Carrots (thin-sliced fresh or frozen of any style), add at the beginning</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 c. chopped fresh onion or 2 tablespoons of dried onion, add at the beginning</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 c. frozen or fresh cauliflower florets (microwave 5-7 minutes until done, add at the end)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1 c. frozen or fresh broccoli florets (microwave 5-7 minutes until done, add at the end)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1-2 c. frozen corn ( added at the end, no extra cooking needed)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">2 c. Potatoes, cubed (microwaved 10 minutes,add at the end or use cold, leftover potatoes), </span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">add at the end </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">2 c. cooked pasta of any type (or cold, leftover pasta from the fridge), add at the end</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Directions:</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If I start this recipe in the Crockpot between 10:00 AM and noon, then it's ready in time for supper. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Place the split peas in Crockpot and rinse with warm water. Pour off as much of the water as you can without losing the peas and refill the pot. Fill the pot 2/3 full. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Add all of the spices except the salt. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Cook the split peas 4-6 hours on high in the Crockpot.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Remove the four bay leaves with a slotted spoon. Use a whisk to blend the peas until the mixture is smooth. Place the lid back on the soup and prepare the additional recipe ingredients. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Add the additional ingredients once they are ready and place the lid back on the soup. Let the soup continue cooking for 15 minutes -- enough time for the flavors to blend, but not enough time for the vegetables and pasta to become mushy. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Add the salt. If it still tastes "flat", add another 1/2 teaspoon or sprinkle some salt on top of the soup in your bowl. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Serving suggestions:</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This soup is delicious with a whole-grain bread or baked potato and a salad on the side. My husband likes to break the bread or baked potato into a large bowl and spoon the soup over it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Favorite breads include: sourdough, whole grain, pumpernickel, rye, and French. Sometimes I serve grilled cheese sandwiches to my college sons with the soup.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We do not eat any meat in this soup. Combining it with corn or whole grain bread provides a complete protein. But for meat lovers, adding ham or bacon will add extra flavor and heartiness. The ham or bacon should be cooked before adding it at the end. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This meal makes a very comforting dinner on cold winter nights!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All recipes, copyright 2010 Cassandra Frear.</span></div></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-89907714833739937132010-02-25T07:59:00.005-05:002010-02-25T08:12:01.577-05:00A Meaningful Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4Z22PjrQLI/AAAAAAAAA8g/Xpqh32_l1TU/s1600-h/iStock_000007773680XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4Z22PjrQLI/AAAAAAAAA8g/Xpqh32_l1TU/s400/iStock_000007773680XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442167873985003698" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As a mother at home, with little affirmation from other adults, I struggled at times with low self-esteem. I wondered if I was doing anything with my life that mattered. There were days when I felt like life had passed me by. I was in the shadows, in the background, nearly invisible.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It's easy to feel this way when we serve our children all day long. Everything we are doing is </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">for them</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. At the end of the day, we may not be able to see that we have accomplished very much. Other adults can't see it. And children don't have the maturity to appreciate or understand the sacrifice we make to be home with them and teach them. This can be very hard on us.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We are accustomed to measuring ourselves by what we do. I don't think this is all bad. Certainly, what people do shows who they are, what their character is like, what their values are. But this can become a problem when we find ourselves in a position without measurable accomplishments. How do we know we are living a meaningful and worthy life?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At<i> Light for My Lamp</i> today, I've shared a quote about this: </span><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/2010/02/voices-meaningful-life.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A Meaningful Life</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. Let me know what </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">you</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> think.</span></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-6772519140944353872010-02-24T06:00:00.003-05:002010-02-24T08:24:27.329-05:00Free Weather Lessons<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4R2VnZuTBI/AAAAAAAAA74/WglXpjbXKoc/s1600-h/iStock_000007855760XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4R2VnZuTBI/AAAAAAAAA74/WglXpjbXKoc/s400/iStock_000007855760XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441604363496606738" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The Weather has been strange lately. Last Friday, there was snow in 49 states. Records are being broken all over the country. The Deep South and Mid-Atlantic have been getting record snowfall while British Columbia has to make snow or ship snow for the Winter Olympics. But you don't have to take my word for it. You can read </span><a href="http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/0216-winter-records_2010-02-16"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">this recent article</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> from The Weather Channel.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For those of you in the east, yet another winter storm -- two of them actually -- is knocking at your door. You can follow </span><a href="http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/noreaster-timeline-slideshow1_2010-02-23"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">this series of interactive maps</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> to get an overview. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Why all the talk here about weather? We're living through the type of winter that occurs very rarely. Are your kids fascinated? They could be. Talking about the weather could turn these crazy winter woes into a fun science unit. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The National Weather Service has just created </span><a href="http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/jetstream/tropics/tropics_intro.htm"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Jetstream</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, an online school for weather with nifty summaries to help teachers and educate all of us. The site includes interesting graphics and a variety of topics. Each topic on the left side bar has many subtopics which you can uncover by clicking on the words. I was impressed by their lessons. While you may not want to read the summaries aloud to young children, you can read them for yourself in a couple of minutes and then use the pictures to explain. There's enough at this website for a series of pithy lessons for weeks. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Web Weather for Kids</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> another fun online resource to try, complete with games, stories, and activities. Here you can find out what makes a blizzard and make your own snowflakes. Plenty of graphics and clear explanations are here on topics that will intrigue any student. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Often, the best lessons in our school room happened when we took time to enjoy what was happening right outside our door and interact with it. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>What events in your world right now could become lessons? Have you taught any lessons recently from current events?</b></span></div><div><br /></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-30615673476789995372010-02-23T09:20:00.005-05:002010-02-23T09:30:58.645-05:00After Your Crash: Restoring Balance<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4PlCrpoJEI/AAAAAAAAA7o/3jrB7QBiBCk/s1600-h/iStock_000005209894XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 116px; height: 116px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4PlCrpoJEI/AAAAAAAAA7o/3jrB7QBiBCk/s400/iStock_000005209894XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441444609033512002" /></a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">At </span><i><b><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Light for my Lamp</span></a></b></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, I've written a post about </span><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/2010/02/five-principles-for-living-well-while.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">5 Principles for Living Well</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> while serving others. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">When we hit the wall in mid-winter, it's often because we have lost the balance between caring for ourselves and caring for others. We've tipped the scales in towards doing more and drained our resources, all the while continuing to work less effectively. Of course, as we work less effectively, we get further behind. Usually our first response to this is to work even harder, which only drains us more. We drift into a downward spiral leading to burnout. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">My five principles are hard-earned lessons from over 25 years of mothering, homeschooling, and ministry. I hope you'll stop by to read them and leave me a note with your thoughts.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Have a wonderful day.</span></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-86182727816597211582010-02-22T07:45:00.007-05:002010-02-22T10:22:54.769-05:00After You've Hit the Wall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4KB1zmYy9I/AAAAAAAAA7Y/YNtbLIZFmlU/s1600-h/iStock_000000146681XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S4KB1zmYy9I/AAAAAAAAA7Y/YNtbLIZFmlU/s400/iStock_000000146681XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441054061201247186" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Here's a great little post from Don Miller's Blog on </span><a href="http://donmilleris.com/2010/02/14/following-god-and-farming/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Following God and Farming.</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> This should help you start your week well. I like what Don has to say here about partnering with God to tend the field we've been given. I like what he has to say about setting good limits. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sometimes we moms feel like we need to do too much, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">be too much</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, and we burn ourselves out by trying to measure up to expectations that exceed our abilities. We can also become discouraged when we compare ourselves to someone else. It's a bad way to hit the wall in winter, crumpled up against life's hard realities with our own dreams of what we might be crushed up against us. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But the crash itself is a good place to start, believe it or not, to find the life we long for. Any ending can become a good beginning. The end of something is always where we have to start from to begin again.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I'm not saying we should aim low. I'm not saying we can't strive for excellence. On the contrary, I think striving for excellence is very satisfying and it honors God. But we need to understand and apply the principle of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">partnering with God</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> to do our work. We need to begin to see our work as a collaboration, rather than a lone enterprise. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Our abilities, or the lack of them, should only be a guide to how to manage ourselves. They do not need to determine </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">whether</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> we should homeschool. They help us distinguish between the places where we will need to bring in additional resources and the things we can do best ourselves. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So today, read Don Miller's post, and think about how it applies to you. If you're looking for a good winter read, a light book that is refreshing and uplifting, I recommend his </span><u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Million-Miles-Thousand-Years-Learned/dp/0785213066"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A Million Miles in a Thousand Years</span></b></a></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. You'll find <a href="http://www.moonboatcafe.com/2010/02/million-miles.html"><b>my review</b></a> of it on </span><a href="http://www.moonboatcafe.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>The Moonboat Cafe</b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> today.</span></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-38900094592404808432010-02-19T07:30:00.016-05:002010-02-22T08:10:45.707-05:00Why I Hit the Wall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S36JDIRj_9I/AAAAAAAAA7I/O8kKduoYJmo/s1600-h/iStock_000003537289XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S36JDIRj_9I/AAAAAAAAA7I/O8kKduoYJmo/s400/iStock_000003537289XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439936086763896786" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was a first-born, only daughter. I had four brothers and a mother who was too busy trying to make ends meet. Responsibilities fell on my young shoulders. I was trained to be conscious of how everyone around me was doing. I was trained to attend to everyone else's needs. And not my own. My four brothers were "the guys." They resisted doing care-taking tasks. That was girl stuff. So it fell to me. I did it all. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I did not have a real childhood. Growing up in a big family with both parents working and leaning hard on their eldest daughter made me made me an adult too soon. It wasn't anyone's intention. My parents tried to do what seemed best for us. But it worked in my temperament like an iron rod through my spine. I became hyper-vigilant, deadly serious, workaholic. I lived like an adult by the time I was twelve, getting up at 4:00 a.m. to deliver a paper route, taking myself to school, paying for my clothes and lessons, and coming home to cook supper and clean the house before attending to homework. I had to pay my way through college. I rarely played. That was for others. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Years later, with two sons and a husband, I slipped into the old pattern. I did it all. This was my path, the only one I knew, through all of life's challenges. I would work and work and work until the job was done. But with a busy family and a homeschooling agenda, the work was never done. I exhausted myself. No matter how much I did, it wasn't enough. I fell short. I felt sorry for myself and my family, because I couldn't manage the demands. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My inner healing process was complicated and long. There isn't room to discuss it here. But I eventually <a href="http://www.applepieforhomeschools.com/2010/02/hitting-wall.html"><b>hit the wall</b></a> enough times to learn that I had to live in a new pattern. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The reason for my crashes was the doing of too much. Yes, hard things happened. But the crash itself could nearly always be traced to doing too much. I thought I should plan all the lessons, teach all the lessons, keep all the school records, cook all the meals from scratch, keep the house sparkling clean, shop with coupons, decorate for each season and holiday, maintain tidy storage spaces, have everything written on a calendar, never be late, have a beautiful body, and be an exciting lover and companion for my husband. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I couldn't do it all. I just couldn't. And that was my private agony. I thought how sad it was to try as hard as I could, and to fall so far short. I felt like I was living in a tragedy. It took years for me to understand that the life I wanted wasn't found by doing and the things I wanted for my family weren't found through my doing and that <i>doing more</i> was not the path to a satisfying life. My breakthrough happened when I saw that doing so much for everyone else was actually destructive, for me and for my loved ones. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When I was doing too much, I could not focus on what I alone could do. My children needed more responsibility in order to mature and to learn how to live well. My husband needed me to lean on him and let him take care of me. I needed to let others have the joy of helping me. I needed to realize, above all, that the focus of others never was on my ability to get the job done, and as long as my focus was there, I was draining all the joy and creative energy out of my life. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><b>Now you know the one thing that can make me hit the wall. How about you? What can make you hit the wall?</b></span></div></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-73718784969946639962010-02-18T07:00:00.003-05:002010-02-22T08:10:45.708-05:00Wonderful<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Today I'd love for you to visit </span><i><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Light for My Lamp</span></b></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and read </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Wonderful.</span></span></b></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-79518754492043791392010-02-17T06:00:00.014-05:002010-02-23T20:00:45.876-05:00Hitting the Wall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.free-stockphotos.com/images/wall-texture.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 232px;" src="http://www.free-stockphotos.com/images/wall-texture.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><i><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"></span></i><blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">"Careful, Chet."</span></i><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Careful digging? What did that mean? Go slow, maybe? I didn't know how to do that, had only one speed for digging -- pedal to the metal. Bernie worked with a steady rhythm, driving in the spade, tossing the dirt over his shoulder, chunk-a-thunk, chunk-a-thunk. Not bad at all. But with four paws going for me, it wasn't really a contest. Did I send that dirt flying or what? Fountains of earth, baby, fountains of earth. We dug underneath the light of the moon, dug and dug until --</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Clang.</span></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">- Spencer Quinn, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><u>Thereby Hangs a Tail (</u>from the dog's perspective)</span></div></blockquote><div><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Every homeschooling friend I have spoken with in the last two weeks has crashed into the iron wall of deep winter.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yep. They knew it could happen. They've been doing this for years. They knew it was coming, as usual, this mid-year collision following frustrations, disappointments, stress, and surprises, one after another, piled high, rolling over them in an avalanche that wiped out the landmarks they use to gain their bearings.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They knew it was coming, but still they hit the wall. Under the avalanche, they could no longer see out the windshield. It happened in the usual spot at a nasty curve in the road on the route through February.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yep. They should have taken better care of themselves. They should have paced themselves. They should have been wearing a helmet. And a fire suit, for heaven's sake.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yep. They should have geared up incrementally after the holidays. They should have shifted gears in a gradual succession of increasing effort. But instead, they dived onto the road at top speed, every man for himself, in a rapid race which could not possibly be maintained without a proper warm-up. The pressure rubbed the tread off their tires. They lost traction. They burned their brakes, overheated their engines, and drove too fast for conditions. Then, at the end, there was an avalanche covering the windshield. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Maybe it's Happened to You, Too</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Maybe you've crashed, too. If you have, don't despair. It happens to most of us, and we do survive it. Our homeschools survive it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So now, what to do? Time to dig out. Time to dig a path through the debris of the crash and pick up the pieces. Repair what can be repaired. Make fountains of earth. And get on with the mission.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But first, take stock. Why did it happen? How did it happen? Where was the first sign that it might? Write this down and keep it in a place where you'll read it next fall </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">before </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">you need it. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Why We Crash</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Here are my top seven reasons why moms hit the wall in deep winter. Do you recognize any of these?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><ul><li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mom's doing too much.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> She has been doing things that the kids should be doing for themselves. She's worn out. Ideally, she should be doing only those things that she <i>alone</i> can do or that she does best. But instead, she has been doing it all, doing way too much, and she's been reluctant to ask for help. She needs to look for creative and consistent ways to delegate the tasks someone else can do, and remember that it's <i>not</i> easier to just do everything yourself.</span></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mom's not doing enough.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> She is not giving her kids guidance or listening time or discipline or accountability where it's needed. The kids are drifting, bored, and frustrated from the lack of accountability, boundaries, and clear expectations. This is one of the irreplaceable things that only she can do. </span></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mom's not shifting gears</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> to go with the flow of life. She hasn't been able to warm up to the idea of taking a break or slowing her pace. Instead, she's rigidly holding to an artificial standard that does not fit her current situation. She needs more flexibility so she can adjust her speed or break larger tasks into smaller mini-steps or stop for a breather once in a while.</span></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mom needs new management skills.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> She needs to learn how to work more efficiently, how to delegate, how to keep a calendar, and how to plan a week. Her typical work habits are fine for low-stress times, but when life presents more challenges, she needs better skills to maneuver through them. She needs more order in her home, too, and she'll feel better if she clears the clutter.</span></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mom needs more help.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> She's only one person and she just can't do everything. She needs to hire some help with the housework or hire some tutors or use some online courses or send her bored teenager to community college classes. She doesn't want to do this, doesn't want to be needy or spend more money, so she hasn't fully admitted it to herself. But she should get some help. It'll cost less in the long run if she does it soon.</span></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mom needs a whole new system</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, a whole new paradigm for her school days. Her kids have outgrown her routine -- as kids periodically do. They're beginning to chafe under the pressure of a system that doesn't fit them quite. The old ways just don't work well now. Mom needs fresh ways to run the household and run the schoolroom. As our kids grow, moms have to grow and adapt, too. It's time for her to read a book for ideas or talk to an experienced friend and brainstorm for solutions. </span></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mom needs a break. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Because hard things have happened.</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> We all have years like that. I had several myself. Just know it will get better. <i>Yes, it will.</i></span></li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">These aren't all of the causes of winter burnout. These are just the ones I've noticed most often in myself and my friends. What's one thing that can push you into the wall?</span></b></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-74650266402868612272010-02-16T07:00:00.004-05:002010-02-16T11:22:32.041-05:00For Your Enjoyment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S3qtQqWI2LI/AAAAAAAAA6g/2wVDvM7yif0/s1600-h/iStock_000005209894XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 116px; height: 116px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S3qtQqWI2LI/AAAAAAAAA6g/2wVDvM7yif0/s400/iStock_000005209894XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438850001759951026" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Today I invite you to visit </span><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Light for My Lamp</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and read <a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/2010/02/made-in-his-image.html">"</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/2010/02/made-in-his-image.html">Made in His Image</a></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/2010/02/made-in-his-image.html">."</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You can also read my review of <i><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0962736/">The Young Victoria</a></b></i> on <b><a href="http://www.moonboatcafe.com/">The Moonboat Cafe</a>: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><b><a href="http://www.moonboatcafe.com/2010/02/true-love-story.html">"A True Love Story."</a></b></span></b></span></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-21775949927930458842010-02-15T07:00:00.000-05:002010-02-15T07:00:05.588-05:00For Our Valentines<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S3dIu5V1lQI/AAAAAAAAA6I/EJRE4eTY2RY/s1600-h/iStock_000003297842XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S3dIu5V1lQI/AAAAAAAAA6I/EJRE4eTY2RY/s400/iStock_000003297842XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437895045576758530" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Think not because you are now wed</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">That all your courtship's at an end.</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">~Antonio Hurtado de Mendoza</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Valentine's Day has us all thinking of love and expressions of love. There's nothing magical about Valentine's Day, of course. But we can let it work </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">for</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> us. It's a good reminder to think about our marriages and take the time to express our love and devotion. Even the best marriages can use an occasional boost, and, let's face it, homeschooling can bring extra challenges to all our family relationships.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As a mid-winter boost, I'm recommending an very insightful article for you today from Kurtz Cockley, a homeschooling father who is also a marriage and family counselor. This article is practical and wise. You'll find it </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/It's%20a%20good%20reminder%20to%20think%20about%20our%20marriages%20and%20take%20the%20time%20to%20express%20our%20love%20and%20devotion."><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">here</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> on the new </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">PA Homeschoolers Online Magazine</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For those of you who haven't read it, you can read about my own romantic getaway in January on the Moonboat Cafe: </span><a href="http://www.moonboatcafe.com/search/label/Adventure%20by%20the%20Sea"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Adventure By the Sea</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One of the simple ways that I show love to my husband is by listening to him. I try to make sure I am listening with my eyes and paying attention to what he says. I try not to interrupt, which is sometimes difficult for me. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What's one simple way you show love to your spouse?</span></b></div></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-47756698122919732002010-02-12T06:00:00.002-05:002010-02-23T19:59:36.272-05:00Snow Lessons<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/Assets/Purple+Snowflake.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 427px;" src="http://www.deptmedicine.utoronto.ca/Assets/Purple+Snowflake.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>For your enjoyment, here is a magnified photograph of a snowflake. Below, you'll find articles on snowflakes. These could be used as for a fun science lesson :</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li><b><a href="http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/11/15/are-no-two-snowflakes-really-alike-and-other-amazing-snowflake-facts--amp-pictures.htm">Are No Two Snowflakes Really Alike?</a></b></li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li><b><a href="http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/snowflake.html">Is Each Snowflake Really Unique?</a></b></li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li><b><a href="http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/">Snow Crystals</a></b></li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Take a break from your routine and enjoy something different! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oh, and this lesson goes sooo much better alongside a mug of hot cocoa with those itty bitty marshmallows floating on top . . . </span></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-51246327173479877492010-02-11T07:00:00.000-05:002010-02-22T08:10:45.712-05:00A New Beginning<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S3OFw3TSbZI/AAAAAAAAA5w/h1LGR1NyiYY/s1600-h/iStock_000003158746XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S3OFw3TSbZI/AAAAAAAAA5w/h1LGR1NyiYY/s400/iStock_000003158746XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436836249691385234" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">A mother is a person who </span></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">seeing there are only four pieces of pie </span></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">for five people, </span></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">promptly announces she never did care for pie. </span></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> ~Tenneva Jordan</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'bookman old style', 'palatino linotype', 'book antiqua', palatino, 'trebuchet ms', helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, 'avante garde', 'century gothic', 'comic sans ms', times, 'times new roman', serif;color:#330000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You can read more about my discoveries as a young mother at </span><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Light for my Lamp</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> today. </span></div></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-24388949665008218562010-02-10T06:00:00.007-05:002010-02-10T08:56:46.641-05:00Valentine Factory<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S3GRRD-C0-I/AAAAAAAAA5Y/M0YQpTPNFW8/s1600-h/iStock_000005937140XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S3GRRD-C0-I/AAAAAAAAA5Y/M0YQpTPNFW8/s400/iStock_000005937140XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436285947522241506" /></a><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">About this time every year, we took a break from our routine to turn our house into a craft supply store. You could have shopped there for paper in any color, an array of craft supplies, scissors of all kinds, markers, paint and brushes, tape and glue, and every type of glitter manufactured in this country.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Our event? Valentines. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Our home was a Valentine factory, making scores of cards and notes that found their way to mailboxes far and wide. I let my sons follow their imaginations -- which took us to some wild places. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They enjoyed this tremendously. They created poetry, wrote funny short stories, and explored new crafts and art projects. The boys tended toward animal themes. I favored garden motifs. I used paper lace and ribbons. They savored fake animal fur and black and brown markers. We all borrowed from our favorite stories, magazines, and art books. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I let them express themselves. I let them </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">be</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> themselves. There were no rules, except for the requirement that they make earnest efforts to create. Silly was in. Funny was hip. Sappy was </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">allowable</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. For up to three days, we let ourselves go. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Now, those days are some of my favorite memories. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I especially remember one card made for my husband. The front of the card has a smiley face which looks normal except for the mouth. Instead of smiling, the mouth is drawn in a straight horizontal line. When I open the card, it says:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Have a day. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Love, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Joshua</span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;">_______________________________________________________</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What kinds of valentines does your family like? What do you prefer?</span></b></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-35103126605166396972010-02-09T07:27:00.003-05:002010-02-09T07:39:56.084-05:00An Invitation to Meaning<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S3FXJCMUBDI/AAAAAAAAA5I/Hney-Lg1dY8/s1600-h/iStock_000000276599XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S3FXJCMUBDI/AAAAAAAAA5I/Hney-Lg1dY8/s400/iStock_000000276599XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436222037931852850" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I have put up </span><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/2010/02/who-are-you.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">a devotional post</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> just for moms at </span><a href="http://www.lightformylamp.com/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Light for My Lamp</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> today. Two or three times a week, I hope to write for you there. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This is your opportunity. My devotional posts are all about you, about your growth as a person. Today, I'm inviting you to read what I've written and think about it. Grab a journal, a diary, or a empty notebook and write down your thoughts. If you do this a couple of times a week, you will have begun a journal </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">just for you</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. And you will be paying attention to your own growth as a person. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So often, in raising a family, we get caught up in making things happen for everyone else, while our own needs are put on a shelf. Here is a moment, an invitation, to seek meaning and to be a person who lives a meaningful life, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">while</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> raising a family. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The distinction is an important one. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">How are you making time for yourself today, apart from your responsibilities?</span></b></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-17642537793996450182010-02-08T04:00:00.002-05:002010-02-08T04:00:05.266-05:00Ice Storm!<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A severe ice storm and power outages have forced me to shorten my internet time. I'm not able to post today here. But I invite you to visit</span><a href="http://www.moonboatcafe.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <b>The Moonboat Cafe</b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> today to read what I wrote about my recent experiences. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Our area is expecting another winter storm starting Monday night. I'm not sure how that will affect my ability to post. I'll just have to take it one day at the time.</span> </div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3841821059883151957.post-85237135131209716362010-02-04T07:08:00.008-05:002010-02-04T11:41:07.130-05:00Yum!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S2q-rPaUkSI/AAAAAAAAA34/ISFzKIdqaxQ/s1600-h/iStock_000000146681XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KiD49cOgJkk/S2q-rPaUkSI/AAAAAAAAA34/ISFzKIdqaxQ/s400/iStock_000000146681XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434365550456508706" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">It is more fun to talk with someone</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">who doesn't use long, difficult words</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">but rather short, easy words like</span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">"What about lunch?</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>- Winnie the Pooh</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We've been working hard on what to do </span><a href="http://www.applepieforhomeschools.com/search/label/When%20Life%20Doesn't%20Work"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When Life Doesn't Work</span></b></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> for over a week. It's time for a break! Here's a dessert I created the other night. The blueberries mix well with the nuttiness of the oat bran and the tang of citrus-flavored icing. But you don't have to use blueberries. You can use any fruit you have, even raisins. This recipe is not too high in sugar, yet sweet enough to serve as dessert. It's fat-free, and elevated in fiber. I haven't been eating any sugar lately, but I had a second piece of this because. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yes, just because. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I said aloud to myself, "Okay, that's it. This one is going in the blog!"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So here it is, dear bloggy friends. Pull up a chair by the fire and relax. I'll bring the tea and coffee to you. But you'll have to eat the cake yourself. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Blueberry Breakfast Bread</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Bread Ingredients :</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">2 and 1/2 cups flour</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1/2 cup oat bran or minute oats</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">3 teaspoons baking powder</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1/2 cup sugar or other sweetener</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1 cup apple sauce</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1 cup milk or juice of your choice*</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1 teaspoon vanilla</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1 and 1/2 cups of blueberries or other fruit of your choice</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">*reduce milk or juice to 3/4 cup if you are using a liquid sweetener</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Glaze Ingredients :</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">1/4 cup orange juice, lemon juice, or water</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">2 cups of powdered sugar to create your preferred consistency</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">pinch of salt</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Directions :</span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Put flour, oat bran, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and blend. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Stir together sweetener, apple sauce, milk, and vanilla in another bowl or container.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Add the wet ingredients and the blueberries to the dry mix. Blend until just moistened.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Put batter into a greased rectangular baking pan. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Bake at 350 for 40 minutes until lightly browned. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Cool for 10 minutes. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mix juice, powdered sugar, and salt with a whisk. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Spoon this glaze over the warm bread.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Make coffee or tea. This gives the bread a few more minutes to "set."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Enjoy!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">_____________________________________________</span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What's your favorite winter treat? Do you enjoy it with coffee or tea?</span></b></div></div>Cassandra Frearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16564236561567663914noreply@blogger.com5