New and Interesting Foods

So with the new diet change for Don, I am trying new things. I used to make beef meatballs and so since he cannot have beef anymore, I am now making it with ground turkey. To my surprise, it is really good ! Here's what I do: crumble 1 lb ground turkey in a mixing bowl, add 1 Tbsp onion (fresh or dried) then add 1 tsp of parsley and some garlic (measure to your taste) a dash of salt and pepper. Now, mix the ingredients and roll into 1 inch balls. Have a medium skillet heated and lightly oiled. Drop the meatballs in and keep them turning until all have lightly browned. Then, add 2 cups of turkey or onion gravy over them and allow them to simmer on low to medium heat for about 15-20 minutes. Now you have yummy meatballs and gravy!! Perfect with mashed potatoes or rice pilaf ! Try ! I did....and my family was ready for more!

Learning to pace!

Once again it is time for school! Since I homeschool my girls, I am always on the watch for interesting ideas to make learning fun. This demands alot of time and energy. I now have a high school student! YIKES ! They growing up... I am enjoying teaching them but, at times need to remind myself to take "ME" time. It is very time consuming to teach at home but, well worth all the efforts and hard work that comes along. I have been doing this for 9 years now going on 10, so you would think it would be easy by now. Hmmmm.... easier yes, easy...NO. It takes time and forethought to think things thru, plan activites and keep them in a social environment. Try balancing that with being a normal mom who enjoys a little quiet time! So when I receive tips from other homeschool moms, I gladly accept, as well as any source they have found to get inexpensive textbooks too. I am fortunate to be at home with my girls and teach them the best I can.

Health

Recently I learned that my husband is borderline diabetic. Quite a shock to him. Weeks later, the drama continues. He has been diagnosed with Gout. That was new to me. I had to do my homework for that. I had heard of it but thought it generally attacked when you were older. So, a drastic diet change was put in place. At first I thought he would not follow it but, to my surprise is doing quite well. He is completely off of any "pop" or carbonated beverages and red meats. Wow! That had to be a shock to his system. That was what he lived on. LOL. So, anyway, we have discovered that ground turkey is very healthy and easy to fix. I am enjoying breaking outside the "norm" and experiementing with new foods now. Trying new things!

Music

Music is really fun to listen to. Sometimes I can really relate to the artist and their songs, which is really cool. A good song writer knows what kind of song would be liked by their fans. They can also write a good song that tells about their personality, and thats kind of like what I like to do. Sometimes it's hard to write a good song that people will like and listen to, but what I do is just try to write about things that concern me, and a lot of people tend to like it. I like to write about things that people can relate to, and sometimes that works. Songs can be really special, especially if you write it about someone you care about, which I also like to do. My favorite kind f music to listen to is Modern Rock. It's awesome! My family likes to listen to Modern Country, I like to listen to it too, sometimes. Music is my way of expressing the way I feel about certain things, and that's really cool. A lot of people like to listen to music, so maybe you can try to write some music or a song and see if people like what you got! My favorite songs are " It's not over ", and " Over you ", by Daughtry, and then " Words I couldn't say " and " My wish" by Rascal Flatts. Those two, Daughtry and Rascal Flatts, are my FAVORITE artists! They are so awesome!

Summer

Summer is a great time to spend outdoors with your family. It's also a great opportunity to travel and explore the outdoors together, learning about all creatures, big and small. For instance, if visiting the beach with your little ones, introduce them to all the life forms that are new to them. Clams, crabs, crawdads, etc.
If taking a hike, your little ones will enjoy learning about all the new critters they find along the way, as well as the variety of trees that provide you shade !
So take time to enjoy the summer with your children and learn together with the simple things in life.