My blog is moving…

I’m moving this blog over to blogger. I need the simplicity of blogger to be able to manage.

The new address is http://learningwithcharlotte.blogspot.com/

Gluten Free Apple Pecan Muffins

This one is SLAP YOUR MAMA GOOD! It is a simple variation of the previous recipe, but it turned out AMAZING! Enjoy. No pictures this time. Sorry. Hoover woke from his nap feverish and vomiting and that trumped photos.

PREP - 15 Min

COOK - 35 Min

TOTAL - 50 Min

Ingredients

• 350 grams Whole Grain Flour Mix*
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 180 grams coconut palm sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 200 grams almond milk
• 100 grams plain kefir
• 100 grams olive oil
• 1/2 cup granny smith apples diced
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• cinnamon (5 shakes)
• nutmeg (3 shakes)

* All-Purpose Gluten Free Baking Mix (see recipe) – This batch made with blanched almond flour & arrowroot.

Preheat the oven to 350*. Grease a large muffin tin thoroughly.

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk them together to combine and aerate.

Whisk together the eggs, almond milk, kefir and olive oil until they are combined well. Add them to the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula until the batter is almost fully combined. Throw in the apples and pecans and spices and continue stirring until all trace of flour is gone.

Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full. Slide the muffins into the oven. Bake until the muffins are browned with a bit of a crunch, the top springs back to the touch, and a knife goes through cleanly, about 25 minutes to 35 minutes.

Enjoy!

Raspberry-Coconut Walnut Muffins (Gluten Free)

GF Raspberry-Coconut Walnut Muffins

Horsey Girl think these deserve a better & shorter name. Like DE-LI-CIOUS Muffins.

Hoover has asked for muffins for two days now. Given that he seems to be sensitive to wheat and/or gluten and who knows what else, I’m experimenting with new ingredients and new recipes. I’ve made Lindsey’s Pumpkin Muffins and Lauren’s Blueberry Muffins, both of which were HUGE hits with all four kiddos and hubby. They were both “SLAP YOUR MAMA, GOOD!” as Lindsey would say. Definite keepers and now it’s time to try another recipe.

I read every blog I could find with gluten-free and sugar-free traditional cooking. I stumbled onto Gluten-Free Girl yesterday and found this flexible, meaning you can substitute a variety of gluten-free flours and starches,  Gluten-Free, All-Purpose Baking Mix, that I think looks yummy and simple, two of my favorite things. I made it tonight using blanched almond flour and arrowroot starch. The recipe makes enough for two big batches of 18 regular size muffins each. With a family of 6, I need recipes that make a bunch! I don’t know about your house, but one muffin per family member is never enough around here.

Why, oh, why does wordpress turn some photos on their sides?

I'm definitely not great at photographing food, but at least you can see how they look.

My GF/AP Baking Mix is all ready to go. It’s time to decide what kind of muffins to make. Let’s check the fridge – fresh organic raspberries, walnuts, oh, and an open can of coconut milk. Hmmm…this could work.

Ingredients

• 350 grams Whole Grain Flour Mix*
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 180 grams coconut palm sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 300 grams coconut milk
• 100 grams coconut oil
• ½ cup raspberries chopped
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. *All-Purpose Gluten Free Baking Mix (see recipe) – This batch made with blanched almond flour & arrowroot.
2. Preheat the oven to 350*. Grease a large muffin tin thoroughly.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk them together to combine and aerate.
4. Whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, and coconut oil until they are combined well. Add them to the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula until the batter is almost fully combined. Throw in the raspberries and walnuts and continue stirring until all trace of flour is gone.
5. Fill the muffin tins 3/4 full. Slide the muffins into the oven. Bake until the muffins are browned with a bit of a crunch, the top springs back to the touch, and a knife goes through cleanly, about 25 minutes to 35 minutes.

Prep Time: 15 Min          Cook Time: 35 Min          Serves: 18

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 256     Fat: 18     Sugar: 9     Carbohydrate: 23     Protein: 4

Source: adapted from Gluten-Free Whole Grain Muffins

These turned out a bit oily on the bottom, but they were DE-LI-CIOUS with a bit of pastured butter, according to Horsey Girl. I had only a small nibble since I’m trying to limit my sugar intake and I have to agree, they are DE-LI-CIOUS. Not bad for my first improvisation with some new ingredients. I’m not sure if they rate, SLAP YOUR MAMA GOOD, but they come close.

Becoming Physically Fit…

A brief update on my progress with this particular habit…

• I began exercising on 1/1/12.
• I began training for a 5K on 1/3/12 using an C25K app on my phone.
• I am in week 5 of the 8 week long C25K training and going strong. I haven’t punk’d out on ANY of the runs! The 5K is on March 10th, so I’m on track to be able to run THE WHOLE THING!
• Hubby is planning to run the 5K with me and my brother and his girlfriend, both avid runners who are supremely fit, are coming down from NC to run with me as an encouragement!
• I’ve lost 9 pounds and 5.75″ since I began tracking on 1/12/12.
• I have given up sugar and grains for the most part. Sugar is HORRIBLE and ADDICTIVE! I never want to go back to consuming it in any quantity!
• I feel clear-headed, focused, energized and even-tempered. I’m nicer, too.
• I’m learning to bake with alternative ingredients like almond flour, coconut flour and flax. I’ve learned fat is good, the right fat, that is. GHEE, COCONUT OIL, OLIVE OIL, PASTURED BUTTER – yum! My friend Lindsey who blogs at Today in Dietzville is my mentor through this process. Thanks, Lindsey!
• I can’t say that I love running just yet, but I do love how I feel afterwards!

That’s all for this brief post. I’m using this blog as a method for holding myself accountable. More on progress in other areas soon.

Shaping Things Up in the New Year

Let’s face it, I need some new habits. Not resolutions, but habits. There are many things I need to work on, but this is my starting list. Sharing it with others makes me more accountable, so here goes.

PHYSICAL

I’ve become a couch potato or rather a desk chair potato over the last year and a half. I can sit for hours in the evening in front of my computer reading all sorts of interesting things, but I’M NOT DOING ANYTHING except reading. I’ve become out of shape and overweight and I HATE IT. So instead of complaining about it, I’m going to do something about it. I’m going to train to run in a 5K race in March. Did I mention that I’ve never run in my life other than playing as a kid? I need a kick in the pants and decided to give myself one. I found this Couch to 5K training plan and committed to doing it ALL THE WAY, but if I’m going to do this, I will need technological help because I can’t figure out how to check my watch every 1.5-2 minutes and really work hard. Enter the 5K Runner app from HeavyDutyApps.com. Today was day one of my C25K training and this app ROCKS! I survived the running portion which was a bit tough, but no where near as bad as the weather. It was F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G! Seriously, it was the coldest day we’ve had this winter and I didn’t dress properly in short sleeves, light knit pants and a fleece that let the wind blow right through me, but I DID IT without stopping! Yay for me.

I’m also committing to use my T-Tapp videos every week, preferably daily. I feel so much better after one session of T-Tapp. So why do I avoid something that makes me feel good?

MENTAL

I haven’t read a book in too long, preferring short articles online, but I think that reading this way could lead to a real form of ADD with my brain jumping around. Time to fix this problem, too. I’m going to start with Byzantium which my hubby asked me to read about a year ago.

I haven’t enjoyed my family as much as I should. I fall into perfectionist tendencies wanting to plan it all out (meaning ALL aspects of life) before I ever do anything. I know it’s ridiculous, but it’s true. I’m deciding, again, to LIVE LIFE instead of always planning for it. It drives me nuts when everything isn’t just so, but I love this house full of kids and hubby, too and it’s really stupid to miss out on enjoying them to plan to enjoy them.

SPIRITUAL

My time in the Word has been seriously neglected this year, coming in sporadic spurts. I need regular time with my Saviour. I let this priority fall way down on the list and I’m pushing it back to the top. What better way to start my day – TTapp, and C25K training while I I’m listening to worship music and scripture with the Bible.is app.

Today’s music choice:

Newsboys - Adoration Worship Album

I’m also using the One Thousand Gifts app that goes along with the book by the same name. I loved the book last year and I love the app, too.

No, this isn’t all I need to work on, but it’s a good start. Once these habits are in place, I’ll add some more in true Charlotte Mason fashion.

Have a blessed New Year!

Our Charlotte Mason Homeschool Room…an update

Several months ago, I posted about our CM homeschool room and just how much I love it, bare walls and all. Well, those walls are no longer bare and I wanted to share what my dear friend, Brandie made for them.

Above the windows is our CM motto…

On the side wall above the low bookcases is a favorite quote from Corrie Ten Boom to inspire…

This room is complete. It is beautiful and keeps all of our current year materials. It gives us a space for things like math and spelling that require a table without taking over our dining table. It’s also right by the living room where we do all of our reading. I must run now to clean off the table from Christmas crafts and get ready to start school Monday morning.

Protect Parental Rights

Are you aware of the very real DANGER that faces American families? The danger that our OWN government poses? The danger that threatens the very fabric of your FAMILY and mine? Parental rights are under attack and many don’t even know the danger exists. Many believe that the US government will protect the rights of parents to direct the upbringing of their children. They couldn’t be more WRONG.

I urge you to learn more about this issue by visiting www.parentalrights.org. They have many resources to help you better understand the danger and what you can do about it. Below is a press release about one of the newest resources, a movie titled Overruled: Government Invasion of Your Parental Rights. You can click this link or the one at the bottom to view the movie. Please share it with as many as possible.

Learning Geography in the Digital Age

Map drill is a deceptively simple idea. Give the kids a blank outline map. Ask them to label all that they know. Give them the names of one or two new places to add. Repeat next week. Homeschooling doesn’t get much simpler than this. Can this work to learn all 50 states or all of the countries of Europe? After doing it this way for a number of years, I can give a resounding YES. I’ve learned more geography through map drills than I ever knew before. Oh, and my kids are learning, too, which is sort of the point; I know.

MAP DRILL RESOURCES

Uncle Josh’s Outline Maps

This AMAZING ebay find for only $99. I’ll admit that I loved these maps when I was in school and I never thought I’d find one I could afford for our homeschool. Just goes to show that you never know what you’ll find if you keep your eyes open. My kids LOVE pulling it down and finding places, travel routes, etc. This map is great because it’s SO BIG that places are easy to see, but also because it rolls up so small and out of the way!

Montessori Outlet Puzzles, Control Maps & Labels

Our new FAVORITE map drill resource…

The iPad 2 is an incredible resource for geography studies! We have many great apps and I’ll share our favorites with you. You can find them in the app store.

• Google Earth
• Stack the States by Dan Russell-Pinson
• Stack the Countries by Dan Russell-Pinson
• Shake the States by Third Chicken
• Montessori Approach to Geography by Rantek (several available)
• TapQuiz Maps by Rolzor

Do you have favorite resources for map drill?

Housekeeping How-To

In my previous post, I mentioned my new how-to cards for chores. I thought I’d share them for those that are interested. This was not my original idea, but I tweaked the cards for our family. I hope they’re helpful to you.

Chore How-To Cards - I cut these out on the lines and laminated them. They are stored in a magnetic holder on the whiteboard along with our chore charts. Now all the kids know just what to do without being told or asking. What a tremendous idea!

Remember these are specific to my home, but hopefully the ideas will be helpful to you. As I make more, I’ll add to this post instead of making a new post. Check back periodically.

Housekeeping & Homeschooling

Dishes, laundry, math. Meal-planning, phonics, history. Diaper changes, dictation, dusting. It’s HARD to keep house and homeschool. It’s hard because we’re home MOST of the time. Sometimes, it seems as if it’s a science experiment gone awry. The books, papers, and math manipulatives WILL take over the house along with all of the normal family clutter.

How do families manage? Is there a sure-fire system that works? What about having the kids help? If they help, should we pay the kids for chores? Ugg, so many questions, makes me want to throw in the towel, but it is important that we live in clean, healthy homes and that our children learn these all important life skills. So let’s look at some options.

ZONE CLEANING – This was popularized by Marla Cilley aka the FlyLady. Cleaning Zones. Weekly Home Blessing. 27 Fling Boogie. Daily Emails. I’ve  read it and tried it. I love many of  the ideas here. We have morning and evening routines, but our house is large and breaking it into realistically sized zones would require some tweaking. Oh, and I find the website COMPLETELY OVERWHELMING. I’m more of a clean lines, checklist kind of gal.

MONSTER CLEANING DAY – You know this one. It’s when you wear yourself out scrubbing everything top to bottom in one day. Not very realistic for homeschooling mamas. We’ve all had these. Maybe illness or injury has led to neglect of the house. Maybe you have a SUPER FINICKY relative coming to stay. Whatever it is, it isn’t fun and it can cause us to put off cleaning & organizing again, leading to a vicious cycle.

TRADITIONAL – Monday  is for washing. Tuesday is for ironing. Wednesday is for mending. Thursday is for churning. Friday is for cleaning. Saturday is for baking. As a young bride who had to learn how to do most things domestic, I chose this method, modified of course. I did not bake, churn or often iron, but you get the idea. It worked well for five years, until we had our first child, Horsey Girl. I no longer could dedicate a majority of my day to things that would make it difficult or impossible to care for a baby at the same time. This may work for some families, especially those with stay at home moms and traditionally schooled kids, but for working or homeschooling moms, it just isn’t always realistic.

CLEANING SCHEDULE - One popular option is Motivated Moms. This one breaks down BIG tasks into bite sized chunks for each day. The nice points – the thinking is done for you and you get a daily checklist. The not so nice points – you can’t see the frequency of a chore or adjust it and it may not include everything you want to do in your home. I love the simplicity of this, but I need personalization for my home and situation.

SPRING CLEAN YEAR ROUND –  This is similar to Motivated Moms, but has less detail and each chore on an index card. This reminds me of the SCM Scripture Memory System a bit. I even bought it to check it out more fully.

THE EVERYDAY FAMILY CHORE SYSTEM by Vicki Bentley is a wonderful book available printed or in ebook form. It’s a great system with how-to cards for LOTS of chores. I love this book! It’s helped me to come up with our new system of managing our family’s chores.

HIRE SOMEONE TO HELP – This is a wonderful solution or partial solution if you can swing it. You can pay someone, of course, but you could also barter services like babysitting, haircuts or whatever you know how to do and are willing to offer. We are blessed that we do have a housekeeping service to come in, but even so, there’s more than enough cleaning that we need to between visits. Besides, my kids need to know how to do the tasks necessary to manage a home.

This list is in no way exhaustive, but it exhausts me just looking at it! So what are we doing at our house now? Hmm…

I should mention that we have 4 kids – Horsey Girl, age 10; Superstar, age 7; Snugglebug, age 4; and Hoover, soon to be 2. I start my kids with chores when they are little wee things – picking up books and toys; wiping up small spills; folding wash cloths; etc. We’ve also worked hard on habits for, well, forever. We’re always working on one habit or another. We aren’t perfect, but my kids are generally compliant and complete tasks cheerfully. We’ve done it different ways over the years, but with rising helpers I find the need to re-evaluate.

What’s My New Solution?

As of today, I’m implementing a hodge-podge system that borrows a bit from most of those described above. We will keep our cleaning service, but will still tackle EVERY cleaning task in our home, too. I just had to come up with an organized way to do it. I like zones, but my house has too many. I like rotating chore lists, but how do I remember who’s turn is what. I want my kids to do the tasks well without constant reminders from me. So what exactly did I decide to do?

I made a CHART, of course. Actually, two charts and a bunch of How-To Cards. I’m new to blogging, so it’s not yet evident here just how much I LOVE charts. I figure I’ve made dozens, hundreds, probably thousands of charts since I started homeschooling. Checklists for school, potty charts, chore charts, specialized shopping lists, time charts. If there’s something you can use a chart for, then I’ve probably made one. I thought I’d share mine with you, just in case you may be looking for a new way to manage the chores at your home. Even if my chart won’t work for you as is, perhaps it will inspire you to come up with something that will.

Daily Chores - click here for a full-size pdf download.

On my charts, I have small movable photos magnets instead of names. We will rotate at the beginning of each month to give everyone so as to give everyone a chance to continue learning how to do each thing well. Little helpers don’t rotate, of course.

Weekly Chores - click here for the full-size pdf download.

On this chart, I made space to list extra jobs for which we’re willing to pay, along with the $$$ to be earned. Yesterday, before we’d even officially begun our new system, I listed four chores for hire and all four were spoken for right away. Two were done immediately and well. What were those chores?

• Organize storage area and all out of season clothes in bins and get rid of items no longer needed = $10 for a job that will take at least two to three hours as it’s been neglected the last two swap-outs (taken by Horsey Girl to be completed this week)
• Weed the entire yard with progress measured by how full a 5 gallon bucket becomes because in Florida we have lots of weeds! = $10 (taken by Superstar to be completed this week)
• Organize the spice drawer = $0.50 (done by my 4 year old, Snugglebug,  with her brother’s help)
• Organize the pots & pans cabinet = $0.50 (Horsey Girl had this done in minutes)

I also took the idea of HOW-TO cards from the Vicki Bentley book and made my own for most of our chores. I’ll try to share those in the next post. This is getting a bit long, even for me. Needless to say, I think these will be an integral part of our long term training from here on.

I could have easily assigned these jobs with no pay attached and the kids would have done them as asked without complaint, but we find it motivating and a method of training in diligence to reward certain jobs well done.

An example, last fall we bought a truckload of firewood, A HUGE TRUCKLOAD! Hubby offered Superstar who was 6 at the time and two of his buddies (10 and 12) $15 each to stack it in our holder. They took the job and worked VERY, VERY HARD for several hours until every last piece was stacked. Hubby paid the boys and told them what a good job they’d done.

A side note about friendship and character training – Unfortunately, hubby looked at the stack only from the front as he was busy with another project at the time. What he hadn’t noticed as the stack grew higher was that it started to lean out and once the project was done, he didn’t think about it again as it was still 80 degrees outside. Then, it happened. Disaster. The kids and I went outside one day to find that 2/3 of the stack had fallen down. I explained to Superstar that he would have to re-stack the wood because when we do a job, we stand behind our work. He was a bit sad, but then brightened when he thought he’d get another $15. As sweetly as possible, I explained that he wouldn’t be paid this time because it was simply the right thing to do. He shook his head in understanding and agreement, but was still sad about it. He decided to do it the following day and we went about our errands. At that time, some friends were staying with us who have a teenage son, Mr. J. Superstar considers him his best friend even though he is 10 years older and lives in another state. They’re buddies. Later that day, we returned home to find the wood had been re-stacked and was not leaning at all. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Once in the house, I asked our friends. Mr. J’s mom, one of my dearest friends in the world, said that Mr. J had done it. Mr. J. knew how hard Superstar had worked and how proud he had been of the job he’d done and how willing he was to do it over without complaint and he’d decided to help. What a friend. Now, back to our regularly scheduled post.

MONEY – That brings me to the last part of this post. We choose NOT to pay our children for chores. We DO pay our kids allowance to teach them how to manage money. These two things ARE NOT tied together in our home. Chores are expected contributions to our family. Allowance, 1/2 our kids ages per week and paid monthly, is a teaching tool. Extra jobs are bigger than normal chores or things I would normally do, but am willing to pay one of the kids to do. Is this the only way to approach this or the right way? Well, no, but it is our way and it’s working well for us.

Pressing On,

Christie