Oven Baked Fried Chicken

Oven Baked Fried Chicken

(Please over look the picture, I am not a professional.  But, this chicken is GOOD!)

 

 

In a large zippered bag, mix the following:  1 T Seasoned Salt, 3/4 tsp Pepper, 1 c. Flour, 2 tsp. Paprika.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 3 Tablespoons of  butter or margarine into the bottom of a a 9x13 pan. Place baking pan in the oven while it is heating up. Drench chicken (I cut up 5 pieces of chicken into tenders) pieces in milk.  Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix.  Place each piece of chicken in the pan. Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through.

Enjoy!
Sherie

Astronomy Update

Well, we are wrapping up our Mercury study.  It has been fascinating.  Have I remembered anything we have learned?  NOPE!  But, the Big Guy has.  The Little Guy is not interested at all, but as long as he is in the room paying attention, I really don't care if he retains any of it.  At this point, he does not want to be a scientist or have anything to do with the space program.  LOL!  Now, the Big guy LOVES science and space.  This is why he is like a sponge during science time.

Here is the last of the books we read about Mercury:

This book had so much information in it, we only read one chapter per day.  There were 7 chapters. We even read the chapters about Pluto, even though we are not to Pluto yet.  It was very interesting to learn about the surface, atmosphere, etc of Mercury.

Utilize your library for great unit studies.

Have a great day!
Sherie

History update

I have decided to use my blog as a daily journal entry of how our homeschool year is going.  Some may get tired of my entries.  I'm hoping it will be inspiration to others.

I am a very, very, very frugal person.  Honestly, my husband and I are so frugal, its scary.  We have worked through the Dave Ramsey program a few years ago, and learned to live on less.  Yes, we are pretty much debt free.  Our only debt is our motorcoach and our home.  And after a budget meeting last week, we have a plan to get both of those paid off in the next 5 years.  WHOO HOO!  I'm so excited about that!

After all of that explanation, I am finding more and more ways to NOT spend money homeschooling.  So, today's post is about building a ziggurat.  We learned about how the Sumerians built Ziggurats and this was the beginning of building pyramids. It was also around the same time frame that the people built the Tower of Babel.  And when the Lord created multiple languages.

So, after reading our Mystery of History book, the boys created their very own Ziggurat.  I was expecting them to build a much bigger building together, but they each created miniature version of the Ziggurat.  LOL!  Its amazing how we get an image in our head and then things turn out completely different than what we had imagined.  Here is their creations:

(This is little guy's creation.  He says, look mom its scary because it has an eye.  LOL!)

What do you use for Grammar, aka Language Arts?????

As some know, I am adding in a new curriculum every month, so we don't break the bank all at one time.  Honestly, last year we were paying $410 per month for the boys to go to private school, so a little curriculum cost is not really going to break the bank, its just nice not to have to spend it all at one time.  And also, it gives the boys time to get used to one subject and then add in the next, and then the next, and then the next. 

Yes, I know this means we will not be finishing all of our curriculum at one time, and I am good with that.  We are homeschooling year round, so we don't really need to finish everything by May 30th (or whatever day public school gets out).

The first subject I started with was math.  Little guy had a real hard time last year with math, so I knew we were going to start there with him.  Well, Big guy kept asking where his math was, so I ordered his a few weeks later.  Then, we added history the next month, then Spelling the next, not to mention the tons of printables I have been using.  (I have got to start saving those links so you can enjoy them also.  I promise I will start saving them.)

But, in the mean time Big guy was needing to be more challenged, so I hit the library.  After talking to him several days in a row, I realized even though he is going into 3rd grade, they had not introduced him to the parts of speech.  So, where do I start?  Where do I start?????  Some how I figured out to start with nouns (I am sure the Lord helped me with this, because I have not found anywhere that says you start with nouns first, then........)

Well, one day Big guy was looking at the books about paper airplanes, and lo and behold on a shelf across from that, were all kinds of books for Grammar (aka Language Arts).  WHOO HOO!!!!!!  I grabbed up the first 2 I found on nouns and called it a day.  Here is what we started with:

I don't know if you have figured it out yet, but I LOVE OUR LIBRARY!!!!!!  I mean, you can find anything there.  

So, on day 1  of Grammar, we read A Mink, A Fink, and A Skating Rink.  And we began the nouns book with what is a noun. 

I found some worksheets about nouns (again, I promise I will start saving those links and sharing them) and we began to work.  Big guy is a very quick learner, so it was no time before he had this book completely read and all of the worksheets completed (correctly).

And then, I was off researching the library online to find our next book.  I have it ordered and will share with you when I pick it up.

All this to say, you don't necessarily  have to have a purchased curriculum to get the most out of homeschooling.  Sometimes, the FREE resources are just what the Lord had in mind when He placed in your brain the idea of homeschooling in the first place.

Have a GREAT day!
Sherie

Astronomy Update

Well, we have been steadily working our way through all of the books I could get from the library on the planet Mercury. 

If you haven't been with me before, we are doing a unit study on Astronomy.  Taking an in depth look at each planet.  Right now, we are focusing on Mercury, since it is the closest to the sun. 

So, we added this book to the study.  Each book we add seems to have something new in it that we didn't know.  We are learning so much, I am really excited!  We don't have very many more books to study about Mercury, then we will be off to the next planet.

See, after looking at several lists of what a 2nd and 3rd grader should know about science, I discovered that at this point, they are just touching on each aspect of science.  Well, we are probably getting more in depth than most 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms on the subject of Astronomy.  But, me and my boys are enjoying it and we are learning a LOT too!

So see, if you are new homeschooler.  Let this be an encouragement to you that you don't have to have an expensive science curriculum.  You can just go visit your local library and find all you need to to learn about science!

God bless you all!
Sherie

Mistery of History

Wow what we have learned!  I am learning right along with my boys.  Yes, I may have heard of some of the stories, but others I have not heard of at all.  It is AWESOME!!!!!!

Since my last update, we have of course learned about creation.  And of course we learned about Adam and Eve, and their sons.  But, then we learned about Jubal and Tubal-Cain.  You know, I think I have read that part of the Bible many times, but it has NEVER stuck!  I had no idea who these two characters were. 

Then we learned about the Ice Age.  We did a little experiment, but it didn't last long enough for me to take pictures, so maybe another time.  The experiment was "how long can you stand the cold?"  Its August in Florida, right?  So, it is HOT as hades outside, right?  Well, this experiment was to take ice and place it on your belly and see how long you could stand it.  Well, my boys couldn't even last long enough for me to get my camera.  LOL!  We did this outside, I was thinking since it was hot, they would last longer.  NOPE!  The said it burned.  Go figure!  I didn't try it, so I still have no idea.

Anyway, how have you explained the Ice Age?  Have you done any cool experiments about this time period?

God Bless you all!
Sherie

Earth Exhibit

Only 10 libraries in the US will get this exhibit.  I am so thankful our library is one of them.  My boys LOVE the exhibit.  We go to the library at least once per week and every time we have to go check out the exhibit.  It will be on display until sometime in September.  Oh Boy!

Not only do they have these cool interactive devices, they also are having excellent lectures.  This past Tuesday, we went to a lecture about the solar system.  WOW!  The taller boy loved it!  He is going to be my science major.  The younger boy sat there and listened, but like me, half of the stuff the Astrophysicist said was wayyyyyy over his head.

There will be one lecture per week now until the exhibit is done.  I can't wait!  Some of the lectures will be about reef making, weather forecasting, etc.

Have a FAR OUT day!
Sherie

Wordless Wednesday! Thinking outside the box!!!!!

Easy, Healthier Chicken Parmesan

Easy, Healthier Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
4 Chicken Breasts
Spaghetti Sauce
4 Cups Mozzarella Cheese (I said Heather, not completely healthy.  LOL!)
Bread Crumbs

Directions:

Cut Chicken into bite sized pieces. Spread Olive oil on bottom of 9x13 baking dish.  Place chicken pieces on top of oil.  Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes.  Sprinkle 1/2 of the cheese on top of the chicken, sprinkle bread crumbs on cheese, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the bread crumbs.  Bake an additional 20 minutes or until the cheese is all melted and browning.

Enjoy!

Astronomy Unit Study

If you didn't see my first post about our astronomy unit study, here it is.  We have been adding to our ASTRONOMY unit study by reading books about Mercury.

 

 

 

See that word Updated in the title?  Yea, maybe back in 1980.  LOL!  But, since I know absolutely nothing about ASTRONOMY, it did have things in it that we did not know.  It was a fun, short book that kept the boys attention.

 

The next day, we read this book.

 

 

 

This also was a short, fun book as well.  The boys really enjoyed it.

 

New Do's

Nothing is more exciting than getting a new "do"!  Well, at least for us......

You see, where my boys went to school these past few years, there is a VERY VERY VERY strict code on how you are to wear your hair.  You cannot have your hair spiked, cut into a bowl, or any other way that the teacher or principal may think draws attention to yourself. 

Well, my youngest boy has some funky hair that NEVER lays down.  No matter how much gel or hairspray or anything we put on it, by the end of the day, it was sticking up.  So, we started out the year, last year, with spikey hair, just so he wouldn't feel self conscience about it sticking up.  Well, we were immediately told we could not have his hair that way.  So, we had to paste it down to his head every day (not literally, but you get the gist).

So, when they found out they were not going back to that school...... well, they BOTH wanted their hair spikey.  So, here we go!  Our NOT back to school hair do!  HA!!!!!

And as for me, well I had not been happy with my hair for a few months now.  So, when it was my turn, I had her cut most of it off.  And it gave me a new bounce in my step!  I feel soooooooo much better with this shorter hair.  I feel more confident.  I don't know what it is about a new do that does that, but man the exhilaration!  Double HA!

Do you ever get NOT back to school hair cuts?  I never even thought about it until this year, simply because we always went BACK TO SCHOOL! 

The boys love their hair and ask me to spike it up every day.

God Bless you all!
Sherie

Classroom update!

Classroom update!

 

Well, it’s been a week or so since I wrote about our classroom.  We haven’t done a ton of changes, but we have added new chairs.  Office Depot had these cool chairs on sale for $59.99 each, so we hopped on that sale and got 2.  We got the same color, so there would be NO fighting.  Ha-ha!  Yea, I know I am wishfully thinking.

 

 

I just want everybody out there to know, you don’t have to go out and spend a fortune to set up a “classroom”.  Honestly, I had planned on doing just that.  I had a picture in my head that our school was going to look like a school.  Then, I kept putting things off and putting things off until finally the Lord made it clear in my head how things should REALLY be set up.  We moved desks that we already owned into my office.  I mean, I have a huge room that I was using for my office and only had 1 desk in the room.  I had plenty of room to share with my kids.  And why not show them that sharing is good.  Because I am sharing my office, they will get to keep their playroom.  And why do my walls have to be filled with bulletin boards and chalkboards, and whiteboards like a school room?  They don’t!  We have made the conscious decision to school at HOME, so let’s keep it looking like a home!

 

I hope this encourages some new homeschoolers and maybe even some practiced homeschoolers in the realms of your “classroom”.  As long as they have a place to do their work, that is all you need. 

Before I had this epiphany, we were holding school in the kitchen.  And actually, I kind of miss that…… kind of.  I was able to do dishes while the boys were doing their worksheets.  I was able to plan dinner while they were doing their busy work.  I was able to wash clothes and dry them as soon as the washer or dryer went off.

But, you know what?  Even though I was able to do all that stuff, we needed a place to be able to leave out our books and such.  I had to pack up all of our school books and “stuff” every afternoon, just so I could cook dinner.  Lunch was a nightmare.  I would have to prepare lunch on the dinner table, instead of the island.  I mean, we were making it.  But, this is much more comfortable.

I’m still in the process of organizing the room like I want, so stay tuned and see where God leads us!

 

God Bless You ALL!

Sherie

Is your little person having trouble with math??????

I can get sooooooo frustrated some times.  I know my 7 year old can do math, I know it, I know it, I know it!  But, some times................he just goofs off and acts like he is 1 and has no idea what 1+1 is.  AAAAaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Well, I needed something fresh to get him to do his 2+ facts.  So, one night I was playing Bingo on my ipad, trying to drown out the fact that my son could not tell me what 2+5 was that day.  And ALL OF A SUDDEN, my brain kicked into gear.  Yep, that happens sometimes.

So, what is a girl to do you ask?????  Jump over to Amazon.com and see what kind of deals they have on Bingo games.  Yep, they had a Bingo game for $17.99 (here is the link!  http://www.amazon.com/Century-Novelty-Complete-Bingo-Game/dp/B0016HN3GO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375821386&sr=8-2&keywords=Bingo)   AND, thanks to Amazon Prime, we had it in 2 days.  Do you have Amazon Prime?  Oh my goodness, that is the best thing Amazon ever came up with.  For our family, Amazon Prime has saved us so much money on shipping, its crazy!

Here's what we do.  Each boy gets 1 Bingo card.  I will call the number that comes out of the cage, for example 5.  And say, ok what is 5+2?  The 7 year old has to answer.  Then, I say B7 AFTER he answers correctly.  We do the same for the higher number too.  And you know what?  IT WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm so excited!  He asks to do Math Bingo every day!  WHOO HOO!!!!!  I am one happy momma!

Now, we tried to do this with multiplication for the 8 year old, but the answers were just too high in some cases that the numbers didn't go that high, so only do this with addition and subtraction.

I hope this gives you some ideas on how to get your little person to get better with their math factoids.



God Bless you all!
Thanks for stopping by!
Sherie

Astronomy Unit Study

Science:  What do you do for science?

Well, this year we are going to try to do unit studies.  If it doesn’t work out, I will order science curriculum.  But, from all of the “standards”  that I have read, in 2^nd and 3^rd grade, they just touch on each type of science.

Right now, we are doing an astronomy study.  We started by watching this movie.

  

 

 Well, it was bbbbboooooorrrrriiiiinnnnggggg!!!!!!!!!  But, we made it through.  (I kind of took a nap, but don’t tell anybody).  We have some books and another series on Netflix to read and watch.  I also have some crafts up my sleeve to do.

I will update every time we add something to the unit study.  We are definitely utilizing the library for our studies.  I’m so excited!!!!!  If we can keep this up, we will save so much from not buying an actual curriculum.

Science is NOT one of my favorite subjects, but I am working on that.  One of my boys LOVES science, so I have to do my best to keep his interest high in the subject.

Do you utilize your library?  We used to go to a satellite branch of our library, and thought we were getting the best.  Well, a few weeks ago, I decided to make the trip down to the actual library.  MAN, were we missing out!  Our satellite branch could fit inside the kid’s section of the main branch.  We are in book heaven now!!!!!

God bless you all!

Sherie