The Story of the German Chocolate Cake

Alternately entitled:  Why I don't make my cakes from scratch!

About 10 years ago (which makes for a good start to a story, and at the same time makes me feel incredibly old) it was my husband's birthday.  We lived in south-central Texas, just outside of a sweet town with our two sweet kids.  He was, and still is, a musician, and a teacher.  A music teacher.  I've learned that means that while school is in session there is simply no "down time" to be had and we rarely get to see the guy.

Where was I?  Oh, yes.  His birthday.  That particular year was a very busy one.  For some reason "we" decided we weren't going to really do much for his birthday.  Then, on his way out the door to work he says:

Him: Are we going to have a cake or anything?

Me:  Ummmmm.....sure.  What kind of cake do you want?

Him:  My grandma always made me a German chocolate cake.

That was all I needed to know.  There *would* be a German Chocolate Cake on the table when that man walked in from work that night.  Enter Betty Crocker.

I quickly jotted down the list of the essentials that I didn't already have, loaded up my sweet children, and off to the store we went.

When we returned I fed the kids a snack and I got to work.  Now, keep in mind that I was still growing into my role as domestic genius (hmmm...actually it appears that I still am) so Betty Crocker and I were a little bit at odds.

Mix this and this.  Set aside.  Blend this.  Boil this.  Let sit.  Sift, flour, etc....

About an hour into the process my cherubs were not longer playing nicely and I was nowhere near finished with my masterpiece.  What's a mom to do?  Well, I'll tell you what I did!

I dumped about 6 cups of flour on the table, got out the hot wheels, and told the kids to go to town.  They contently played "cars" in the flour for the rest of the cake-baking-episode.

Finally!  The cake is done, the frosting is done, the kids are bathed, the kitchen cleaned.  The man arrives home.

The cake is not beautiful, but I present it to him with a smile.  Not saying a word about the fact that the stinkin' thing literally took me all...day....long.

Finally it comes up, and I tell him a little bit about the process, apologize for it's appearance, but am hopeful that it will taste like he remembers it.

Me:  Well, I just wanted to make it special for you, since your grandma used to make your cake.

Him:  Yeah, that's sweet.  My grandma just made it from a box.  She never made anything from scratch!

*************

Thus concludes my tale of why I will never again make a cake from scratch!

February Check-In

Ah, February.  Typically known as "burnout month" for homeschoolers, and I'm guessing for teachers across the board (or maybe students...or maybe both).  Is it the lack of sunshine, the cold, the brown (or white), the mundane?

In years past I've tried to stave off the February blues by looking ahead to the following school year and look at books and curriculum.  It would truly rejuvenate my spirit and get me excited about homeschooling again.  This year I'm living in the present.  I'm trying to be intentional about how I spend my days, how I approach this awesome task of homeschooling and child-rearing.  (Hint: "Teaching from Rest: A Homeschoolers Guide to Unshakable Peace" by Sarah Mackenzie has been instrumental in the way I see myself in this role as a homeschooling mom of many)

That doesn't mean our life is calm and quiet and blissful.  There are 8 people living under one roof and we've been blasted with some really cold temps which means no outside time for a handful of days. And there are 8 people living under one roof, and it's been cold....oh, did I say that already.  :)

*****

Just this afternoon in fact, the "sweetest toddler in the world" was the "most adorable ever" playing with play dough at the table like such a big kid.  I ran to the back of the house to grab my camera.  As soon as I had the camera in my hand, "Boom! SCREAM!!!!" Adorable, sweet toddler took a nose-dive off the chair, landed flat on her face, and now has a beautiful, fat, bloodied lip to prove it.

She feels insulted when we make her sit in her booster chair.

Moments later she was standing on the keys of the piano trying to grab a book off the top of the piano.  A book that was, no doubt, placed on the top of the piano for the precise reason of being "out of reach" to her sweet, adorable little hands.  In the words of Charlie Brown, "Good grief!" 

*****

So, what was I saying?  Ah, yes.  February.  Up here this "dry spot" of the year creeeeeeeps into much of March as well.  

3 things that I'm doing to make this February the greatest yet!

1. I'm making time for reading.  I love reading blogs and I love reading "homeschooling" books and "mothering" books, but I'm talking about some serious, just-because-I-want-a-good-story reading.  I just finished "Pilgrim's Inn" by Elizabeth Goudge.  I have "Scent of Water" waiting on my night stand taunting me. The excuse "I don't have time" just never sits quite right with me.  We're all given the same amount of time just with different things that fill that time.  What we choose to do with the time is what can make all the difference.  

2. Getting outside.  Okay, so for full disclosure I do have to say that this afternoon I sent all children outside so I could sit in peace and write.  And, we've had some nasty-cold weather lately.  But...even on those cloudy, not-quite-warm-enough-but-not-dangerously-cold days I've been making a point to get outside.  Soul food!

3.  Limiting social media.  There ya have it.  I've said it before, I'll say it again...I get sucked in.  I really do.  It's in my nature to wonder and fret and to be curious about how every one I've ever known is doing.  Guess what?  It eats away at me little by little until I notice that I'm snapping at my kids and using too much brain power trying to analyze what's going on in the lives of those I don't know all that well.  There is so much good on the internet these days, but if all that good is taking me away from the "best and single most important" then it's not all that good.

Look who decided to hang out on a tree by our house.

He warned me that he didn't like his picture being taken, and then took off.  

How's your February?  Anything helping to keep the "blah" away?

More Winter Fun!

We haven't had too much snow this winter and it has been remarkably "mild".  I think anything would be mild, compared to last winter.  Brett and I are trying to be better about "playing" as a family.  It doesn't have to be a big deal, but all too often when we're home we are busy doing the regular day to day stuff.  

We have a great trail right down the road from us.  I was less thrilled about our adventure when I saw the wolf carcass that being eaten by two bald eagles and a handful of crows not too far from where we were going hiking (picture not included...you're welcome).  Both the men assured me that the wolf was no longer a threat (I wasn't worried about *that* wolf...men!) and off we went.

It's so much fun watching the kids go off and explore.  They run ahead on all sorts of adventures and then come running back.  I was proud of myself for remembering this same spot from a hike we took this summer.  

 Being out in nature, together.  It doesn't get much better.  Wait.  Being out in nature, together, without the mosquitoes and ticks.  Bliss!

It was a little strange being out in the woods with just our snow boots on.  Our poor snowshoes are feeling quite neglected, I'm afraid.  

 We won't get these times back.  I've been trying to focus more and more on the here and now.  Not be anxious about tomorrow, not fret about what did or didn't happen yesterday.  I'm sure it's a life lesson that I will never master, but it won't be for lack of trying. 

Goplayoutside!

Yes, one word.  "Goplayoutside!!!!"  That's right.  The prodigal blogger returns to be bossy!  "Goplayoutside."

I'm not really being bossy.  Okay, maybe just a little bit.

We just came out of 2 1/2 weeks of intense karate training, so Little Miss could get her black belt.  When I say "we" I mean the 3 oldest kids were either training or acting as training partners. That meant driving to town every evening for karate plus a couple of loooooong weekends of training.  I put my time in on the road and the kids put their time in on the mat.  

It just so happened that all of this time on the road corresponded perfectly with some sub-zero temps. Grrrrreat. 

This past week the temperatures rose and I declared it a no-karate-week (the activity is there to serve us, not the other way around, right?) so we got a lot of outside playing in.  

Yes, it takes a lot of work getting the youngest two dressed and out the door, but I've said it before, and I'm likely to say it again.  It's always worth it!!! These little, growing people (and us big people too) need the fresh air.  It's essential to our being!  

I love watching them all as they delight in nature.  I love watching them come up with new and sometimes-danerous-looking games.  I love the red cheeks, the contented sighs, the happy spirits. Kids need to get out!  They need to breathe.  They need time to wonder.  It is a necessity to their education.  Brains can't work unless they're given time to play.

Nice kick!

Happy, but tired.  So very tired!  

Toddlers in the snow are so much fun!

Laugh it up!  I was taking the picture seen above this one and took a step back to get a better shot.  I slipped and literally slid down the hill.  Sweet cheeks here thought it great sport.

DLF was hiding under our deck in preparation for a snowball fight.

Plotting!

I had no idea his coat turned into a vest until I saw him ripping the sleeves off.  Too funny!

She worked so diligently on this little snowman.

Oh Look! A post!

Here's a photo-dump of sorts for ya, complete with my attempt to accessorize, a baby with a burned hand, a 13 (!!!!) year-old, and a couple shots of what life is like currently. 

Now that was fun, wasn't it? I hope to be back soon to blog for real, but until then, have a blessed Advent!

First Day of School 2014-2015 OR How it Really Went

Here they are!  The first day of school pictures.

Felicity- The unruly and disruptive pre-schooler

Veronica- The ever-so-eager-for-it-to-be-her-turn Kindergartner

Aidan- The didn't-believe-me-when-I-said-I'd-use-the-ridiculous-picture 7th Grader

Emma- The growing-up-before-my-very-eyes 6th Grader

Gianna- The I-hope-I-get-this-right-what-will-happen-if-I'm-wrong, uh, 3/4 Grader

Marciana- The I-can't-believe-they-let-me-play-with-this-getting-into-everything toddler

My Station.  Please note the spreadsheet on the top.  It reads "Class Schedule-Sacred Heart Homeschool-2014".  It was drafted *after* the first day of school.

A bonus picture of the baby who is not feeling well.  I'm gonna say it's teeth, but either way, I promise I'm not just letting her take swigs of the Tylenol or actually eat (for long) the beads.

We did it!  We started school yesterday.  I wish I had a picture of my perfect classroom, and my perfect lesson plans, along with my perfect smiling face.  Let's be real here.  That doesn't exist.  Ask me how I know.  I'm a little ashamed to say that the night before school I was found whimpering to my husband about how hard this was going to be.  Did he realize I have 4 school-aged kids and two littles who find delight in making everything absolutely impossible?  

Was I setting myself up for failure?  Perhaps.  

The first day went as I expected.  Not as planned.  It was as hard as I thought it was going to be.  The night before was a mostly sleepless one, I wasn't really sure what subject I should start with and I hadn't gotten a chance to make any of those "busy boxes" that were going to make teaching with little ones around a dream.  I was frustrated and I was weary.  I sent out a couple of texts to two mommas who know me and know just what I was going through.  I got encouragement back along with a phone call from my husband saying we could talk about ways to make things easier (that didn't include locking children in closets) when we got the kids to bed that night.  

So we continued today.  I had a great "plan" and things didn't really go as planned, but that was okay.  We kept moving along.  We'll do it again tomorrow, and the day after that.  I might even make it a couple of weeks before I sneak out of the house and try to flag down the school bus as it flies past my house in the early morning light.  

I do believe that, for us, this is what we're called to do.  Our family is meant to remain a unit and learn together and go about our days in our home.  Knowing that, I know that God will give me the graces to keep going.  That doesn't mean that it will look perfect, but it will mean that it will be beautiful!

*I've never done "grades" for my kids.  We've always just done whatever comes "next".  But, after years and years of that approach the kids are enrolled in a program that requires you to pick a grade.  Everyone, but Emma, are in his/her "age-appropriate" (whatever that means) grade for the year.

Silence

Sorry for the complete silence lately. I promise I have a good reason. It may or may not be the fact that my computer is thousands of miles away from me at the moment. 

In the meantime, here's a picture of the growing-up-too-quickly baby.

As you can see, she's "so big!"