The Joys of Schooling- At Home

This is our first year homeschooling Dylan. Well, its not technically "homeschooling" as he attends a virtual school that has a structured approach with a specific curriculum. Nevertheless, he completes his classes from home, at his own pace. Looking back, I know that we made the right decision.

Withdrawing Dylan from school was a big decision, one his father and I discussed in great detail before making the leap. Dylan had been enrolled in a really great charter school. One of the best in the state. Getting him into that school had not been easy (he was on a waiting list for over a year) and we knew that if we withdrew him, we may not be able to get him back in. But because Dylan had become successful in professional modeling, we knew we needed to find a school that would accommodate his work schedule. We found it in Florida Virtual School.

Florida Virtual School is considered a public school in the state of Florida, and every child who is a Florida resident has the statutory right to attend. It is free to attend, and textbooks and other materials are shipped directly to our home. The day we received the large box of books and materials, we were amazed. They supplied texts, coaching guides, workbooks, art materials, physical education materials, science supplies, and more. My husband took a picture of the set of materials with his phone:

Starting classes that first day was exciting, but scary. Essentially, one parent is assigned the role of "learning coach." In our family, that person is Dylan's dad. The classes are set up for the child to do the lessons online. Basically, each lesson starts with a video, followed by reading material, then worksheets, and ends with a quiz. At the end of each unit, there is a comprehensive exam. The learning coach's role is to make sure all of the work is fully performed and to help if needed.

For the first few weeks, Dylan's dad sat with Dylan and walked him through the assignments. It was very time consuming. Now that Dylan understands how to move through each lesson from beginning through completion, his Dad only jumps in when Dylan does not understand something. Dylan's dad also like to elaborate on things. For example, a simple history lesson once turned into a long walk through our family history. That can be a good thing, as it helps Dylan to remember the lessons when it is test time.

We have learned that the lessons can be great fun. One subject we enjoy in particular is science. I don't remember science in fourth grade being so hands on, but he is assigned some really cool science experiments. Here is a photo of an experiment where we recreated various landslides:

Here is a photo of an experiment involving plant growth and the way they absorb water through their roots:

Thus far, the experience has been wonderful, allowing Dylan to learn without limitations. He can do his lessons any time, at any place, and at his own pace. He has been a great student and has excelled in all of his classes. In fact, I see that Dylan is learning so much more this year than he ever learned at a regular school. He is learning things in 4th grade that I did not learn until high school. The program works because he does not move onto the next lesson until he fully grasps the current lesson.

In addition to the virtual classes, we are supplementing his education. My husband and I both believe firmly that music is important for a child to learn. Of course, he was learning to play the recorder while in school. Remember recorders? Well, now he plays these:

That's right! Dylan has his own set of drums and has become pretty darn good at playing them.

We also take family field trips. In the past three weeks we have been to the Miami Children's Museum, the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science, and the Miami Science Museum. Below is a picture of him sitting in an interactive cockpit simulator exhibit:

Here he is learning how a crank battery can be used to light various lightbulbs:

Just recently we decided to incorporate a language lesson. The plan is to study a foreign language for one year, followed by a trip to the county where the language is spoken. I want to study french and take the family to Paris. I'm still trying to convince Dylan's dad on that one (he doesn't like to fly).

The only downside to his virtual education is that not everyone agrees with this system. It is tough having to explain why we choose homeschooling to family and friends. The big question everyone always asks is: what about socialization? That question is really funny when you think about it. I mean, why is socialization about kids learning how to get along only with kids their own age. Shouldn't kids learn how to interact with everyone, regardless of age? My opinion is that the typical school system sets up a hierarchy within itself, where kids learn to look up to other kids as examples, and follow their behavior. This can be devastating when a child who takes the role as "leader" is not a good influence. In contrast, in a homeschooling environment, socialization occurs both inside the home, with parents and siblings as role models, and outside the home, with playmates of all ages. Dylan is not forced to spend time with the same kids every day as he would be in school. Hence, Dylan does not have to choose between conforming or being an outsider. We don't have to worry about bullying, and Dylan is able to find friends he truely enjoys being around.

As a final thought, one unexpected benefit I have witnessed is that Dylan has become very self-disclipined in his schooling. He wakes up on his own every morning and is ready to start classes with a smile on his face. He takes his lessons seriously. I am constantly amazed at what he has learned and accomplished.

All in all, this schooling at home venture has been a great experience. I have absolutley no regrets. There may come a point where Dylan's needs change and we enroll him into a regular school system, but for now this works for us.

Whole Wheat Honey Chia Bread!

Look below. That is a warm loaf of fresh ground whole wheat honey chia bread. Yes, that's right, I said chia.

Chaaa-chaaa-chaaa-chia!

I tried to sprout a chia pet many years ago, but failed. I couldn't get the seeds to sprout. I still have the terracotta pig after all these years. Here it is:

Recently, however, I have been running across articles that tout the health benefits of chia seeds. Apparently, chia seeds have more omega-3 fatty acids than flax seeds! They also provide fiber, calcium, molybdenum, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, niacin, and zinc and iron. Wow!

Anyway, lately I have been experimenting with trying to perfect my whole wheat bread recipe. I wanted to make it vegan friendly. (Many of the recipes I previously tried used eggs and/or dry milk). I also wanted to avoid adding gluten flour. Well, it finally hit me that I should try using some chia in there. It worked great and is, by far, my favorite whole wheat bread recipe.

Here is the recipe. (I made this in a Zojurishi Bread Machine- I'm not sure how it would work in other machines).

First, I soaked 2 tablespoons of chia seeds in 6 tablespoons of water. This will turn into a viscous gel, like in the picture on the right, below:

 While the seeds were soaking, I ground 3 cups of wheat berries. Tristan helped:

Then we put everything into the bread pan in the following order:

• 1 1/3 cup hot water
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/4 honey
• The flour I ground from 3 cups of wheat berries
• 2 tsp salt (on sides of flour, not top)
• The chia mixture I made from 2 Tbs chia and 6 Tbs water
• 1 Tbs yeast

It is important not to put anything on top of the flour except the yeast. You dig a small hole for the yeast to go in at the top of the flour. Below is a photo. Note the chia mixture on both ends, and the yeast on top.

Then it goes in. Check it out kneading (the dark speckles are the chia seeds):

After that, we just wait, while enjoying the wonderful smell of it baking. The bread machine does all the work. Two and a half hours later:

Delicious and healthy. I love it.

As an afterthought, I'm going to try to sprout some seeds for my chia pet again. Certainly if I can make a loaf of bread I should be able to sprout a chia pet, right?

Fresh Croutons, Yum!

My first week with my new breadmaker has been great. I literally have to make one loaf per day because the whole family loves the bread. But they have not been eating the crusty ends of the bread. So tonight I decided to make these into fresh croutons. The result was fantastic! Now read how easy this is:

First, I cut up the bread into small squares and put them into a bowl:

Then, I drizzled some olive oil onto it:

Then I sprinkled in garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, and sage. I love sage, mmm.

Next, I spread it out on a pan and baked it at 375 for about 20 minutes. I didn't mean to leave them in so long but I forgot about them. Oops. They were still good. Probably 15 minutes would be ideal.

Here they are on a salad of baby spinach and mushrooms.

I may never buy boxed croutons again :)

Parking Lot DJ

Life goes by so fast, sometimes we need to stop and smell the roses. Or, as I learned today, take notice of "Parking Lot DJ."

It began with a conversation. My husband and I were sitting in our kitchen and somehow we got on the conversation about our neighborhood Publix (from where I had just returned). I think the conversation initally began with a remark about how great that Publix is most of the time, but not so much when one particular manager is working. This led into a conversation about some of the very unusal people who work there or otherwise remarkable people in the community we see there on a regular basis.

At this particular Publix there are many colorful characters, but he is always there: Parking Lot DJ. A young guy who sits in his parent's Toyota (while they shop I understand) and blasts music as loud as it will go. He wears glasses that are too large for him. He's constantly and compulsively pushing them them up to peer over the lenses, looking around to see whether anyone is watching. He fiddles with the car sterero. His hands move artfully, manipulating the knobs back and forth, making adjustments to the sound. One thing is certain: he's not just doing this for himself. He is also doing this for the listening pleasure of the entire parking lot crowd.

Perhaps best of all is his choice of music. You might think a guy like that would be blasting the latest rap or hip hop song. Not Parking Lot DJ. He chooses songs like Billy Ocean's Caribbean Queen, or Abba's Knowing Me, Knowing You. He has played Lightening Strikes by Lou Christie. Ever heard Rockin Robin? He played it once.

So what baffles me most is the fact that I have been completely oblivious to this guy. Until my husband mentioned him earlier, and incredulously dropped his jaw while exclaiming "you've never seen Parking Lot DJ," I had no idea he existed! The realization that I can be so preoccupied to fail to notice this character really disturbs me. Granted, I have a lot on my mind these days, but seriously. So starting right now, I am going to make a concentrated effort to look around more and take in the world around me. I hope each of you join me in this effort. I would love to hear stories about the colorful people you encounter.

My Son Pooped in a Net

Tristan is five years old. Five years old is such a great age. The world is still new and his mind is eager to explore. He lives in a world of imagination, surrounded by characters of fantasy. He entertains us daily with his stories and song. Yet, he is old enough to comprehend rules and remarkably, not only abides by the rules, but has become the household enforcer of the rules. For example, I once told Tristan "no drinks in the living room." A few weeks later I made the mistake of bringing a cup of coffee there. He did not hestitate to read me the riot act for that one. Another time I told the kids they would only be permitted to use the plastic cups and no mugs with handles (that rule was made up one miserable morning when I was tired, cranky, and couldn't find a clean coffee mug). A few days later while Tristan was eating, I poured some juice into a ceramic mug for him. He promptly reminded me that he is not allowed to drink from a mug and would not accept it. In case you're wondering, yes, it can be annoying to have your five year old catch you breaking your own rule. That aside, I shouldn't complain.

The problem I recently ran into, however, is that I never told him not to poop in a net. I have definitely set in place a no peeing/pooping in the bathtub rule, and I am quite certain that I have repeatedly told both boys not to drip water all over the bathroom floor while they are bathing. So given that set of rules, what's a boy who is suddenly hit with the urge to poo to do? Well, the reasoning of my five year old son was brilliant when you really think about it. He carefully climbed out of the tub, taking care not to drip water off of the bathtub rug. He then grabbed a bathtub toy net, squatted, and let it out.

The actual net. It has since been cleaned.

Meanwhile, I sat clueless in our family room nursing his little sister. I will admit I noticed it was unusually quiet. I looked down the hallway and saw the bathroom door closed. Curious, I peeked in. There he was, in all his naked glory, squatting with a toy net under his bottom and filled with some very impressive looking turds for a kid so small. Shocked, it took me a moment to react. He looked at me with a guilty look of being caught. Neither of us knew what to do. It was a moment frozen in time. Then, a release of laughter suddenly came over me. I squealed loud enough to bring Tristan's brother and father rushing into the room. Then they broke out in laughter too.

Afterwards, while trying to explain to him that its okay to get out of the tub to use the toilet, I giggled inside. Truthfully, I have no complaints. It was just one of those unforseeable things that make being a parent such a great adventure. Only time will tell what is next.

Honey Skincare

Not too long ago my parents became beekeepers. In Miami. Are you laughing? I did at first. I mean, who raises bees in Miami? Granted, my parents are unusual in that they own what is probably one of the last square acres of land in Miami, but bees? It started after a family of bees moved into the walls of their garage. There is an old saying: when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. For my folks, it is more like: when life hands you bees, make honey. They moved the hive out of the garage and into proper bee boxes. My brother was assigned the job of tending to the bees. He even bought one of those beekeeper hats that are so funny looking. Below is a picture of my brother and my dad checking the hives. Apparently the smoke calms the bees.

Look close, you can even see the bees in this picture:

Anyway, I love honey. Sweet, sweet honey. Upon hearing they were raising bees I became super excited. Heck yeah, I could finally have unlimited access to free raw honey! Unfortunately, after a few months the queen flew away, taking her hive with her. I never became the recipient of any of that honey. Alas, now I secretly hope this blog will help to inspire them to make another attempt at raising bees.

Most people probably think of honey as a food ingredient. After all, it tastes delicious and makes a great sweetener, particularly in tea or on a hot bowl of cereal. But honey is also great for skincare. In fact, many skin care products boast on their packaging the fact they contain honey as a main ingredient. It is becoming more commonly known that honey contains natural antioxidant and antimicrobial properties that are great for skin. Honey also absorbs impurities from the skin without stripping it. What is great is that honey can work for all skin types. It is a natural remedy for combating acne, yet it is also a great cleanser for even extremely dry skin because it helps the skin to retain its natural moisture. Raw honey works best, but in a pinch any old honey will so.

I use honey as a daily facial cleanser. The easiest way to use honey as a cleanser is simply to dampen your skin and rub honey on it. Massage for a minute or so and then rinse.

Sometimes a grittier texture is needed to exfoliate, in which case honey can be mixed. I often mix honey with baking soda. This combination will remove any dead skin cells and leave your skin glowing. For a gentler approach to exfoliation, honey can be combined with oats.

For acne prone skin, honey mixed with a few drop of tea tree oil can work wonders. Studies have found that tea tree oil can be effective against mild to moderate acne without the harsh effects that benzoyl peroxide can cause. Throw some baking soda (or cinnamon) into the mix for a deep scrub and leave it on for a few minutes. I have heard of people leaving a mixture of honey and cinnamon on overnight, but it sounds so messy I have not tried it. As a side note, I have read that honey and cinnamon can also help with hair growth. I once mixed it, snuck up behind my husband, and plopped it on his head. He didn't think that was funny, but my kids sure did! ;)

Notably, all of these cleansing combinations can be used as a mask. Just leave on for 10-20 minutes and rinse. For a clay based mask, that will draw out impurities and toxins, honey can be mixed with kaolin clay.

For those of you looking for full body skincare, simply add some milk and honey to bathwater, hop in, and relax.

Now, off I go to sip some tea with honey. Bye bye!

Kid Friendly Whole Wheat Waffles

I am going to own a kick-ass breadmaker. Why? Because I am obsessed with eating healthy and I want to make my own fresh and healthy whole wheat bread of course. I have already ordered it: the Zojirushi BB-CEC20 Home Bakery Supreme 2-Pound-Loaf Breadmaker, in black to match my kitchen. This was a well thought out investment that I had been dreaming about for quite some time, how I would be able to control what ingredients go in, how wonderful my house would smell while the bread bakes, how healthy and fresh it would be, and how over the long run I may actually save some money.

So why this blog post? Simple. I hate waiting for it to come in the mail. I have two more days to go before it will be delivered. So in the meantime, I will show you how I grind wheatberries to make waffles.

WHOLE WHEAT WAFFLES:

My obsession with wheat flour started when my very generous mother who let me have her old grain mill. Well, after a few failed attempts at making bread sans the breadmaker, I decided to look into something else to make with fresh ground whole wheat flour. I found a few recipes that are great, but only one that my kids ask for on a daily basis. What is it you ask? Waffles! Yes, fresh ground, whole wheat waffles. They LOVE them. I love them too. I look forward to weekend mornings when we all go into the kitchen to make waffles.

So, for those of you who would like to see how I make these healthy waffles that my kids can't get enough of, here is how we do it.

Ingredients:
1 cup of whole wheat berries
2 teaspoons baking power
2 tablespoons sugar (I am going to try using agave syrup as a substitute one of these days)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg (alternatively 3 tablespoons of egg whites)
1 1/2 cups rice milk (regular milk will work too)
1/3 cup vegetable oil

First, we grind the wheatberries. These are hard red berries that I bought in bulk from our local health food store, but the winter white work berries well also.

Isn't that grain mill a beauty? I still can't believe my mom let me have it!

We grind the wheatberries into a fine flour.



Then just stir with the dry ingredients first, following that by whisking in the wet ingredients. The batter may seem thin compared to regular batter, but that is normal. It will look like this:

Once they are mixed, simply pour into a lightly oiled waffle iron. It's so simple!

Here is a finished product made in a flower shaped waffle maker, topped with pure maple syrup:

And of course, the happy faces of my children as they gobble them down:

Now if I could only get them to stop arguing over who gets the first waffle...

Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Peroxide

As a newcomer to the world of blogging, I have been contemplating what to blog about. After a few days of reflection, I have decided to start with a short blog about the three household items that have helped me to eliminate a number of allergy and skin problems that have been plaguing my household ever since my children were born.

Unfortunately, my children have extremely sensitive skin. I had never even heard of eczema until  my oldest, now nine, was first diagnosed with eczema when he was only a few months old. For the first few years of his life, we used prescription creams. While it worked at first, over time it seemed that it was not helping as much. In fact, his eczema even changed forms. Once it took on the shape of a circle and I was certain he had ringworm. It turned out to be something called Nummular eczema. Anyway, I also tried about every different laundry detergent on the planet and eliminated dairy from his diet. All in all, his eczema was manageable, but never really went away.

Then came our second child. He also struggled with eczema, but it was so much more severe. He is also allergic to grass (yes, really). The poor kid was always scratching his legs, often to the point of bleeding. The sound of his little voice asking me for more "leg meddy" echoes in my head. It became a ritual, the rubbing in of the eczema cream on his little legs before bed.

Over time, I began to wonder whether the eczema cream was our only option. Then I received one of those emails about how you can use vinegar for just about everything. I began exploring, and after some research and few experiments, have eliminated most of the commercial beauty products from our daily routine. I have also stopped buying commercial cleaning products for our home. The results have been amazing.

Follow below are the ways we use vinegar, baking soda, and sometime peroxide in our house. It is separated into three categories: hair care, laundry, and produce rinse and household cleaner.

HAIR CARE:

For hair care, we no longer use shampoo or conditioner. Here are the 3-steps that replace shampoo and conditioner in our household. (Note, I do all the mixing before stepping into the shower).

First, mix a small amount of baking soda with a large amount of hot water  in a squeeze bottle. This is used as a first rinse of the hair. Wash it into the hair and then rinse. It will not lather but will clean the hair. For people who do not use hair products, you can actually stop here as this alone can replace shampoo. If your hair is long or you use hair products, continue to steps 2 and 3.

For the second step I dilute castile soap with water and add tea tree oil. FYI, tea tree oil is good for dandruff. This is used both as shampoo and skin cleanser as tea tree oil is also good for acne. (Although I also like using honey for facial cleaning). Anyway, this mixture will create a lather in the hair. After rinsing your hair will feel squeaky clean, very different from ordinary shampoo. Again, you can stop here if you want.

 I have long hair so I need the third step, which is the conditioning rinse. Here, a mixture of apple cider vinegar diluted with water is used. Its very simple. Just squeeze it through hair and rinse it out. Yes, it smells like vinegar while you are using it, but the vinegar smell goes away once your hair dries. That is it!

LAUNDRY:

For our laundry we use only one/third of what I used to use of ordinary laundry detergent (I like Tide Free and Clear) and then sprinkle in some borax. Then, instead of fabric softener I use white vinegar. I just pour it into the fabric softener dispenser in my washing machine. No fabric softener sheets in the dryer are needed. My understanding is that the vinegar rinse helps to wash out any residue from the detergent.

PRODUCE RINSE AND HOUSEHOLD CLEANSER

For a produce rinse and general household cleaner we use white vinegar and peroxide. Two separate spray bottles are needed.  Just put ordinary white vinegar in one bottle and peroxide in the other. You can use this to clean produce by spraying vinegar first, then peroxide, and then rinse with water. You can use these also to clean countertops.

For a floor cleaner we use white vinegar and hot water.

In the dishwasher I use water vinegar instead of the commercial rinse agents.


CONCLUSION

I am not sure what was causing the skin issues in our home, but I can attest to the fact that the issues have been resolved. We no longer need the eczema cream! I also like the fact that there are fewer chemicals and toxins in our home and that we have saved a few bucks.

The Meaning of This

Blog? Blogger? Blogging? Why Blog?

Why am I am inclined to set out on this blogging adventure? Well, for one, my nine year old son started a blog. Shouldn't I blog also? Is this not a valuable way to explore new thoughts and ideas, or possibly to rant, ramble, or rave? Years ago I kept a handwritten journal. Of course, it was different in a more personal sort of way. But this, an actual blog. It's weird, but who knows.... I just may like it.