Schools In

I have decided not to send my daughter to preschool this year for many reason. One of the reasons is a this young age I feel children should be close to their parents often, and I can do most of the stuff at home for free. Preschool is so expensive in my state I don't know how everyone even affords it. I've been working on a light curriculum for her to have some structured learning. Its part seasonal, part Waldorf style, part Montessori and part modern preschool. It took me a lot of work, even though its only a very basic curriculum, since I feel at this age a few hours a week tops, is plenty. I decided to share my curriculum for free for the rest of this year. I will be posting some of what we will be doing for that week, book ideas, stories, art, crafts, nature, science and more. Take out what you like, add what you like, enjoy Week 1: Discuss the Harvest season, find stories about the harvest from the library. While collecting from the garden explain that we are harvesting. Make some fresh zucchini bread with zucchini from the garden. Involve the child in preserving some of the produce. Art, using water colors paint with red alone (this is based on the Waldorf idea) explain the color red. Point out on a calender that the month has changed from August to September Outdoors practice walking while balancing. Week 2: Squirrels: collect nuts outside and leave them out for squirrels. Read Squirrel Says Thank you and The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin Art: make a tree using their hand print at the trunk and then finger prints all around as leaves. For snack make trail mix with nuts Week 3: Celebrate Michaelmas, find stories about Michaelmas and read George and the Dragon. Bake apple bread, shaped like a dragon and slay the bread Build a castle with blocks. Make a dragon out of clay or beeswax Discuss the changing of the seasons Read I Know when its Autumn

Week 4: Go apple picking "Apple picking apple picking on a Fall day, take one down and bit away yum yum yum Make applesauce with some of the apples. Cut an apple in half and make star printings Discuss the different colors apples come in, red, green, yellow. Read some books on Apples or Johnny Appleseed.

Produce produce

I have soooo much extra produce. I went a little over zealous on my planting this year. I forgot how large most plants get so my garden is hard to maneuver. Everyday for the past 3 weeks I've eaten a tomato sandwich for lunch. I'm not complaining one bit, its the best tasting lunch. Today I tried my first from scratch tomato sauce. Very yummy, but it cooks down so much I didn't get as much sauce as I hoped for. There is always tomorrow

. The rain has been very good to my tomato plants so I will be making lots more sauce. The one challenge has been getting Liv to eat from our garden. She is not a huge veggie fan, but I've found a few recipes that she has enjoyed. I love how excited she gets "I like kini, I like the kini" she said after making zucchini fritters. All I did was shred a large zucchini, squeeze out the water. Then add some bread crumbs and a beaten egg. Put some oil in a pan over a middle heat. Make small patties and lightly fry both sides till golden brown. Dry on a paper towel. Great as our "carb" side with little carb and lots of good.

Note to Myself

Gardening note to myself: Tomatoes in the ground grow so much bigger and produce so much more then my old containers. Space more apart and 13 tomato plants is too much Tomato cages rock Yellow cherry tomatoes, so yummy

Zucchini is a weed, so is summer squash and spaghetti squash, give them room to grow. Lettuce, plant earlier and closer, they do not need much space and bolt quickly in a hot Jersey summer Figure out some trellising or something for cucumbers, they grow much taller then my bamboo rods and need more support. Several plants is the perfect amount, cucumbers and pickle cucumbers grow fast and plenty. Mulch more, weed more. Watch out for slugs, they do damage quick.

Growing and Growing

This is my first garden as a SAHM, an adult and homemaker. Because of this I have made some mistakes, mostly in my spacing. Man does zucchini grow like a weed. And who knew my tomato plants would grow so big. I am already getting an abundance of cucumbers and zucchini, and am already getting a little sick of it. I'm can't wait till my tomatoes ripen to make some yummy salads, with cucumbers and zucchini, but not as the star. I have 1 staple recipe for zucchini that is so easy and simply delicious. I just saute it with butter, a little salt and pepper. So far I have also added shredded zucchini to a lasagna, in some omlettes and made some yummy baby food for Ev. I also have been munching on an old family recipe for cucumber salad Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of celery salt over about 3 cucumber cut very thin. Let sit a minimum of 1 hour, preferable 2 or more. Drain the water out.

Mix 1 cup white vinegar and 1/2c sugar or to taste. Add the cucumbers with 1/2 cut up onion and green pepper. You can add dill if desired. Let sit in the fridge, store in mason jars. This recipe tastes better the next day and lasts up to a month stored in the fridge. Enjoy!

Around the Garden

Since become a SAHM and/or "radical" homemaker I have added some hobbies or other homemaking skills to my repertoire, knitting, crocheting, baking, canning and my most recent obsession, gardening. I used to garden with my parents as a child, my father owns a nursery and my mother always had a fondness for Jersey fresh produce. But this is my first garden on my own. My 2 almost 3 year old daughter helps a lot, which is why carrots are sprouting up every where. She helps me water and loves to help me harvest. She is not so big on tasting them, but I hope she will eventually cave. We so far have been enjoying cucumbers, zucchini and a few cherry tomatoes. We also have blueberry bushes that we eat as they ripen. We just can't seem to wait for a bunch, they are just too fresh and good. What I love most about this hobby is how it brings people together, people talking and bonding over food and gardening. When I knit, cook, bake or can I am limited to who I can talk with this about. Only 1 of my friends crochets, none knit, no one cans and a few bake, but not like I do. They like the back of the box or fancy food dye sugar filled cakes while I enjoy fresh breads, muffins and the occasional cake from scratch.

But with my garden I feel there is something for everyone. I greatly enjoy talking with my father about the types of plants, which grow best, which taste the best and what plants are best for which part of the season. He enjoys some of the odd plants I found, my cooking them and my organic methods which he isn't too familiar with. I also enjoy asking my mom for old favorite recipes that she would use with all the fresh produce. I think she also enjoys my new skill of canning and I know she loves trying them. My children also love trying, especially the baby. Liv is a little more picky but I get her to eat those veggies in many ways she doesn't even know. My husband also has fond memories of his mother's garden and actually enjoys helping me take care of mine. It is the only hobby that we really enjoy together other then hiking and just being out in nature. The season is just starting up by me and I am enjoying read every cook book and preserve book I can find. I went way overboard and need to preserve as much as a can to not waste it. I also love talking gardening with people, people of all ages enjoy gardening so I find young friends, old neighbors and more are more then willing to talk you up and give some great advice. Most of all I just enjoy sharing my produce or cooked and baked good with my friends and family. I feel this garden has brought me a little closer to natures, closer to creating my own homestead, close to my past and homemakers of the past and closer to being a healthier, greener and self-sufficient family.

Church in the Eyes of a 2 year old

Liv loves going to church with me. We go to a progressive Catholic church. It is fairly laid back for a Catholic church, but still has all the wonderful tradition. In our church the kids participate in the Mass. They are expected to sit in the church and listen with everyone else. There is not nursery or Sunday School during Mass. We do a Children's Liturgy of the Word every other week. Children leave the church and get a child's version of what is being discussed, but they still do participate in parts of the Mass. Liv is too young to do this by herself, but I think I might start going with her so she can get a little more out of church on her level. All of a sudden Liv is like a parrot, she repeats everything she hears. Tonight at Mass she had me cracking up at points from some of the things she repeated and commented on. When the priest mentions a Cardinal in his homily Liv started looking for a bird asking "where is the cardinal?" How do you explain that one to a 2 year old when I can't even 100% tell you the hierarchy and what a Cardinal does. On most days Liv describes church as "I get books, read stories, shake hands and get crackers." The shaking hands is when we Catholic's wish each other peace and extend a welcome to people near us in the pews. The crackers, well that is a tradition just at our church and we are joking referred to as the "Cracker Church" because of it. They leave out crackers by where we receive the Eucharist so the younger children who are not participating in communion yet do not feel left out. I do think the children like this part and it does help them participate in church a little more since it is not so geared towards them. Today she also cracked me up asking about the "hospital" which really was the gospel. She asked over and over what the gospel was. I quietly replied the word of God. She also stated very loudly "what's that farting?" when a man moved his chair (we had chairs in church and pews. She repeated this every time he moved his chair. But other then the crackers and shaking hands Liv's other favorite part is the music. She loves to watch people since, play instruments and for the parishioners to get involved. I love when they play more lively music since we both seem to enjoy that better. What a better place to gain a love of music? Kids so rarely hear live music anymore so it is nice that once a week Liv hears live singing, drums, organ, piano and guitar. Told you we are a progressive Catholic church. Sometimes she even gets to hear bells. The music is always beautiful and on certain occasions some busy but very amazing singers join the choir and to hear them is so moving I almost always get tears in my eyes. Tonight a beautiful young woman sang Ave Maria and it got the whole church clapping after her performance and even clapping along to the beats. What a fun little music lesson right in the middle of church? Tempo and beat. The one thing I feel our church is missing is a children choir. I think Liv would love seeing that on occasion. I might google other local churches to see if they have one we could watch one Sunday. I love how excited she gets when you ask her what happened in church and how much she truly enjoys going. I know this may not always be the case, but I can hope for the best and pray that this foundation of Church, Christ and faith grows strong roots in both of my girls.

Green Thumb

Spring is well on its way and I have been playing in the thawed and warmed dirt. This past weekend I spent a lot of time planting flowers and working on my garden. This is the first garden I have grown by myself. My first "grow-up" garden. My dad always had a garden and I would help him, but this one is all my own. My husband built the structure for me, to keep the deer out, but the rest is all me. I used the compost I've been working on for fertilizer. My goal is to have an organic garden. I also used to organic mulch to help with weed control. I planted several variety of tomatoes, peppers, onions, peas, cucumbers, carrots, eggplant, watermelon, 2 blueberry bushes and some herbs.

Liv helped me plant the carrots, so I am starting to see them sprouting up all sorts of spots in my garden. But that's okay, my garden is not meant for beauty or order but to help feed my family and to help teach Liv about where food comes from. I'm also hoping that it will help her eat some vegetables. Tonight we had pierogies, she looked at the green peppers I sauteed with them and she said "yuck, I don't like this" She refused to even try it. I'm hoping once she sees then growing in our garden and gets to pick them right from the plant she might be more likely to try them. I find I am becoming obsessed with my garden. I have such pride in my garden and keep thinking how many wonderful meals I can make from my garden. I even checked out Balls Canning book from the library to preserve some of my harvest. I have very quickly understood why people enjoy gardening. The dirt in my fingers, digging in the earth, the physical labor, being out in the spring sun. I also love learning a new skill. Since being a SAHM I miss the intellectual stimulation from work or school.Gardening, at least for now, has seemed to fill that gap in my life. Even thought my dad gardened and even owns a garden supply store, there is so much I need to learn. First is learning how to garden organic, which is something my dad never did. But all learning how to do it myself. I usually just helped him plant, would water and then pick the harvest. But there is so much more. Crop rotations, how to fight infestation, staking and cages, planting, spacing, even learning what types of varieties there are. I really did not know that tomatoes come in a whole rainbow of colors, not just red. I'm also excited to learn more ways to cook and to save and preserve my harvest. And to taste fresh picked fruit and veggies, straight from the ground or vines. I feel very much like a homesteader or a housewife from the early 1900s, which I love. People with out gardens have no idea what they are missing.