Well, we are past the halfway point with the kids on their Jamaican mission trip. Facebook posts from their youth pastor indicate they are working hard during the day and playing hard in the evening and having a wonderful time. I've had my "emotional" moments of missing them, but it definitely makes it easier to see the pictures and hear what they have been up to on any particular day.
I haven't quite been as productive as I would have liked to this point, but I guess that's okay. I've cooked a few meals with enough leftovers to last several days, so I haven't had to resort to cereal! haha I must admit it's nice to have a clean house that lasts for more than a few hours, but it is definitelly too quiet. The kids want a dog badly, and I have joked with them that I would probably get one after they left for college so I wouldn't be alone. Only now I'm thinking it isn't so much of a joke, and depending on how my finances look in the next year or so, it may happen before then, but shhh! Don't tell the kids! haha Actually I'm looking for a "police dog flunkie." And I've found a few websites for them, too. They are dogs trained for police work - rescue, drug sniffing, etc. - but for whatever reason don't quite pass muster. They are fully trained in a foreign language, housebroke and excellent guard dogs and pets, everything I'm looking for in a dog. But that's for another post. :-)
Anyhow, I'm anxious to meet the kids at the airport Saturday afternoon and hug them and hear all their stories and see the pictures they took. I have a feeling I will have 2 different kids from the ones I sent off last week.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Watergate What?
*sigh* It is becoming very apparent that my kids are lacking in their knowledge of recent American History and world history. Yes, both passed their history graduation tests, and both actually do very well in history. (It's DS's favorite subject.) Unfortunately neither of them, in 10 years, has gotten past the Vietnam War. In fact, DD said this year they skipped the Korean War to get to the Vietnam War before they had a field trip to the local American Legion and a day on Vietnam. Desert Storm? Never heard of it. Watergate? Only know a bit because of watching 60 Minutes with Grandpa. The Challenger? Um, they think it has something to do with NASA. Neil Armstrong? No clue. Anwar Sadat? Anwho? *big sigh*
So guess what we're doing this summer? Yep, we're homeschooling recent American History. Not with workbooks or a formal curriculum, but we're doing something. While the kids are gone, I'm going to check into videos from the library and see what sites around Ohio we can visit. The Neil Armstrong Museum immediately comes to mind, for one. I bought a couple books from the recent library book sale, which DD has already looked into. I asked her if she learned anything, and she said only that she knows even less than she thought she did.
While it's definitely not a good thing that my kids have not learned anything from 1950 forward save Vietnam - they have very little knowledge about anything relating to Civil Rights, the first flights into space, the fall of communism, etc., etc., etc. - this will give us a focus for the rest of the summer. Although I'm not a teacher and don't have any illusions of comprehensive lesson plans or completely covering 60 years in 2 months, hopefully they will know a little more come August than they do today.
So guess what we're doing this summer? Yep, we're homeschooling recent American History. Not with workbooks or a formal curriculum, but we're doing something. While the kids are gone, I'm going to check into videos from the library and see what sites around Ohio we can visit. The Neil Armstrong Museum immediately comes to mind, for one. I bought a couple books from the recent library book sale, which DD has already looked into. I asked her if she learned anything, and she said only that she knows even less than she thought she did.
While it's definitely not a good thing that my kids have not learned anything from 1950 forward save Vietnam - they have very little knowledge about anything relating to Civil Rights, the first flights into space, the fall of communism, etc., etc., etc. - this will give us a focus for the rest of the summer. Although I'm not a teacher and don't have any illusions of comprehensive lesson plans or completely covering 60 years in 2 months, hopefully they will know a little more come August than they do today.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
One Trip Down....
It's laundry central today, trying to get camp clothes washed before they become mission trip clothes, and story day. While I pay attention to everything the kids tell me on the day they get home from a church youth multi-day function, like camp or convention, I've learned it's best to wait until they get a good night's sleep and then retell everything they couldn't remember telling me the day before because they were too tired! Clear as mud, right? :-) DD especially gets a touch cranky and pessimistic when she's tired, and this year she didn't fell well at camp all week. Bad enough she felt like she wanted to come home but didn't think to ask to call. And then felt sad that (yesterday) no one seemed to care. Today she told me that several people towards the end of the week asked her if she was feeling better, so it was nice to know that a few girls did care. See the difference a night's sleep in your own bed makes? :-)
Anyhow, our attention is now turned to the mission trip to Jamaica. DD is starting to feel better, and we're hoping to avoid a last-minute doctor visit before they leave Wednesday. Suitcases are being aired out, and toiletries restocked. DS has his letter from the doctor to have his EpiPen on the airplane and a full new bottle of antihistamine. Things are progressing. We have an information meeting tomorrow after church for final details. Hopefully the youth pastor will have booked tickets home by then! He told DD at camp that they are flying actually to Canada on a prop-type plane (!) and then to Jamaica because it's $100 cheaper per person. If they come home the same way, they will have an overnight lay-over in Canada. If they can come back through Atlanta, they will have a long layover there too, but not overnight. Just long enough to do some sightseeing. One student has already backed out, deciding that 10 days is too long and too far to be away from home, but my kids would have been ready to go today. Me, I'm a little nervous. :-)
I know they will have an amazing time, will put in a lot of hard work and have their eyes opened in ways they never imagined. I'm just praying that they will be safe and will be Christ's hands as they spend these 10 days doing His work.
Anyhow, our attention is now turned to the mission trip to Jamaica. DD is starting to feel better, and we're hoping to avoid a last-minute doctor visit before they leave Wednesday. Suitcases are being aired out, and toiletries restocked. DS has his letter from the doctor to have his EpiPen on the airplane and a full new bottle of antihistamine. Things are progressing. We have an information meeting tomorrow after church for final details. Hopefully the youth pastor will have booked tickets home by then! He told DD at camp that they are flying actually to Canada on a prop-type plane (!) and then to Jamaica because it's $100 cheaper per person. If they come home the same way, they will have an overnight lay-over in Canada. If they can come back through Atlanta, they will have a long layover there too, but not overnight. Just long enough to do some sightseeing. One student has already backed out, deciding that 10 days is too long and too far to be away from home, but my kids would have been ready to go today. Me, I'm a little nervous. :-)
I know they will have an amazing time, will put in a lot of hard work and have their eyes opened in ways they never imagined. I'm just praying that they will be safe and will be Christ's hands as they spend these 10 days doing His work.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Deep Breath.....
Now that we are past the crisis, and past the realization of what could have been......This past weekend we discovered DS had allergies - lifethreatening allergies - the hard way. A fellow from church hired the youth group guys to help move hay from the field to the barn last Saturday. I joked on Facebook that afternoon that 30 minutes throwing hales bales equaled 2 hours in Urgent Care and that farming would not be a career option for DS. Within 48 hours, I would learn that DS had only been in the hay loft for about 5 minutes, had gone into anaphylactic shock and was so allergic to various grasses (including hay!) that he will need to keep an EpiPen with him for probably the rest of his life.
I am still stumped as to how this allergy came on seemingly so quickly. He has been around hay before and has been mowing our small yard for 2 years now. In fact, while he had nasal allergy symptoms as a young child, he seemed to grow out of those the last 6-7 years and hadn't had any symptoms until about 10 days ago, when he started with runny eyes whenever the windows were open. (Come to find out he's allergic to trees, too.) How allergic is he? Saturday when I picked him up at the farm, one eye was swollen shut, the other eye nearly so. He had hives 2 to 3 inches long and incredible sinus and eye congestion and possibly trouble breathing - he was never really clear on that. I'm a low-key mom when it comes to getting medical care. I believe most things clear up with time, and I rarely panic about stuff until after the fact, so we went to Urgent Care. In hindsight, we should have gone to the ER, but we didn't. Urgent Care should have sent us to the ER, but they didn't. DS was treated, felt and looked better and later that afternoon, we went home. Monday at the pediatrician, we were told, from his symptoms, that DS had been in anaphylactic shock and that with any further exposure to the hay he very likely would have had his airway close off. We were given the EpiPen in case of future accidental exposures and sent to the allergist. Tuesday the allergist confirmed the grasses and tree allergies. How severe? DS started reacting before the nurse finished placing the skin tests. The line of skin pricks with the grasses and trees was still visible a day later, even after cleansing with alcohol less than 10 minutes after allergen placement, even after 2 cool showers, even after an oral antihistamine and Benadryl cream. Poor kid!
So what did we learn? Allergies can come on without warning. Urgent Care is okay for DD's ear wax issues, not allergic reactions. DS will have a lawn care service when he has his own home. But most importantly, we re-learned that God is watching over my kids whether I'm with them or not. Too many things happened, some I've written about and some I haven't, that could have resulted in a terrible outcome. Instead, DS is preparing for camp next week and a mission trip the week after. God is good.....all the time!
I am still stumped as to how this allergy came on seemingly so quickly. He has been around hay before and has been mowing our small yard for 2 years now. In fact, while he had nasal allergy symptoms as a young child, he seemed to grow out of those the last 6-7 years and hadn't had any symptoms until about 10 days ago, when he started with runny eyes whenever the windows were open. (Come to find out he's allergic to trees, too.) How allergic is he? Saturday when I picked him up at the farm, one eye was swollen shut, the other eye nearly so. He had hives 2 to 3 inches long and incredible sinus and eye congestion and possibly trouble breathing - he was never really clear on that. I'm a low-key mom when it comes to getting medical care. I believe most things clear up with time, and I rarely panic about stuff until after the fact, so we went to Urgent Care. In hindsight, we should have gone to the ER, but we didn't. Urgent Care should have sent us to the ER, but they didn't. DS was treated, felt and looked better and later that afternoon, we went home. Monday at the pediatrician, we were told, from his symptoms, that DS had been in anaphylactic shock and that with any further exposure to the hay he very likely would have had his airway close off. We were given the EpiPen in case of future accidental exposures and sent to the allergist. Tuesday the allergist confirmed the grasses and tree allergies. How severe? DS started reacting before the nurse finished placing the skin tests. The line of skin pricks with the grasses and trees was still visible a day later, even after cleansing with alcohol less than 10 minutes after allergen placement, even after 2 cool showers, even after an oral antihistamine and Benadryl cream. Poor kid!
So what did we learn? Allergies can come on without warning. Urgent Care is okay for DD's ear wax issues, not allergic reactions. DS will have a lawn care service when he has his own home. But most importantly, we re-learned that God is watching over my kids whether I'm with them or not. Too many things happened, some I've written about and some I haven't, that could have resulted in a terrible outcome. Instead, DS is preparing for camp next week and a mission trip the week after. God is good.....all the time!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Summer of Iced Coffee
I love iced coffee. To be more specific, I love McDonald's caramel frappes. Their french vanilla iced coffee is a close second. The problem is, my wallet doesn't like the frappes. I try to keep it to a once-a-week thing, but every time I drive past the yellow arches, they just call to me and my vehicle ignores my pleas to go the other way and turns into the drive-through! haha It's done a number on my budget, let me tell you, and I have a definite love-hate relationship with these drinks. So....I've been collecting recipes to try and make something similar here at home. Most of the recipes I've found are for mocha coffee drinks, and I'm not a chocolate coffee person. Caramel coffee? Yes, please. French vanilla coffee? Sure. Almond amaretto? Oh definitely! Chocolate? No, thanks.
Thankfully I've found a recipe and tinkered with it just a bit, and it is "the one." :-) It isn't the crushed ice version, but now that we have gone through several batches, I don't have the urge to drive through Mickey D's every day. I started with this recipe from Lynn's Kitchen. I switched the chocolate milk to regular 1%, left out most of the water and adapted the coffee mix to my 4-cup coffeemaker. In the end, this is what DD and I will be living on the rest of this summer:
I put 1/3 c coffee in the coffeemaker and brewed it to 4 cups. While it was brewing, I put 1/2 c sugar and a small can of sweetened condensed milk in a 4-quart pitcher. When the coffee was done brewing and was still very hot, I poured the coffee into the sugar-condensed milk mixture and stirred until sugar is dissolved and everything is mixed well. It didn't take but a minute or two. Then I added enough cold milk to fill to the 3-quart line and stirred well. It should be cool enough to drink right away, but obviously keep it refrigerated. Very simple but very delicious!
I made ice cubes from some of the iced coffee as I found regular ice cubes to delute the drink too much, but really, the drink didn't last long enough in my glass to really need any. :-) And this recipe can be easily switched to include chocolate milk if you like. I have yet to try flavorings such as french vanilla or a caramel syrup, and I haven't added whipped cream yet, but perhaps I will yet this summer. I haven't done an exact cost analysis, but considering 1 frappe from McDonald's is $2.29, and I can get a gallon of milk on sale for $2.50, I'm betting my wallet will be very happy with the above recipe. My waistline....now that might have a different opinion!
Thankfully I've found a recipe and tinkered with it just a bit, and it is "the one." :-) It isn't the crushed ice version, but now that we have gone through several batches, I don't have the urge to drive through Mickey D's every day. I started with this recipe from Lynn's Kitchen. I switched the chocolate milk to regular 1%, left out most of the water and adapted the coffee mix to my 4-cup coffeemaker. In the end, this is what DD and I will be living on the rest of this summer:
I put 1/3 c coffee in the coffeemaker and brewed it to 4 cups. While it was brewing, I put 1/2 c sugar and a small can of sweetened condensed milk in a 4-quart pitcher. When the coffee was done brewing and was still very hot, I poured the coffee into the sugar-condensed milk mixture and stirred until sugar is dissolved and everything is mixed well. It didn't take but a minute or two. Then I added enough cold milk to fill to the 3-quart line and stirred well. It should be cool enough to drink right away, but obviously keep it refrigerated. Very simple but very delicious!
I made ice cubes from some of the iced coffee as I found regular ice cubes to delute the drink too much, but really, the drink didn't last long enough in my glass to really need any. :-) And this recipe can be easily switched to include chocolate milk if you like. I have yet to try flavorings such as french vanilla or a caramel syrup, and I haven't added whipped cream yet, but perhaps I will yet this summer. I haven't done an exact cost analysis, but considering 1 frappe from McDonald's is $2.29, and I can get a gallon of milk on sale for $2.50, I'm betting my wallet will be very happy with the above recipe. My waistline....now that might have a different opinion!
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