Happy Independence Day!

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
From The Declaration of Independence

To read or hear more check out NPR's page here.

Praiseworthy Decor: Chalkboards

I have a large whiteboard in my kitchen. That is the confession of a homeschooler! It's great to hop up and demonstrate a math problem, spell a word out, write a verse to memorize or entertain children. I got my whiteboard through a kind fellow homeschooler on Freecycle. Then I bought a pack of assorted colors of whiteboard markers and we were set!

But, I'll admit I did want a chalkboard. I love the look of a chalkboard and I investigated all kinds of ways to make one. But today I saw what I think is one of the best options. WALLIES® Peel & Stick Chalkboard Removable and repositionable vinyl chalkboard panels. You can get a package of four 9" x 12" panels and chalk included for only 16.99. That's quite a deal! They also come in a variety of colors. If I had one I'd get schoolhouse green. So fun.

Whether you homeschool or not I urge you to consider a whiteboard or chalkboard for your children. Definitely praiseworthy.

Happy Father's Day!

I hope everyone is spending today honoring their Father. We should really do this everyday, but you may have noticed that I enjoy a holiday. There's nothing wrong with a good excuse to celebrate something, and today it's fathers. I didn't realize how important fathers were until I had my first child. I'm so thankful that God has given our family this husband and father.

If you like to scrapbook then you might enjoy checking out Ten Two Studios latest Father's Day countdown. Now go spend some time with Dad!

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands; one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Image: Salute the Flag by Norman Rockwell

She's A Grand Old Flag!

Happy Flag Day everyone! Here's a little about Flag Day from Wikipedia:

In the United States, Flag Day (more formally, National Flag Day), is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.
In 1916, Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.
Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday.

Here are a couple of books in my collection that we will be reading to celebrate this holiday:

The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner - Natalie Miller

This is a Cornerstone of Freedom book. These books are excellent for teaching history to elementary aged children.

The Pledge of Allegiance - Scholastic

This is an excellent book with the correct words to the Pledge (ahem) and lots of facts about the American flag.

You can find more ideas for books and activities for Flag Day here.

HealthiER Food! More With Less Cookbook

In my family we try to make things from scratch as much as possible so we know what's going into our food. This is an excellent cookbook for learning to make things from scratch that are easy on your food budget. The author, Doris Longacre, tried to create a book to help women cook nutritious meals with less money. There are lots of good tips for how to do just that. The recipes were submitted by many different women giving this cookbook an almost "community cookbook" feel. I also really like the spiral binding which makes it easy to lay flat when cooking from it.

This really is not "health" food, but in an age where convenience food is so pumped full of chemicals this could be thought of as healthiER food. Even though you are cooking from scratch you can still have some shortcuts. You can make a large batch of this sauce, add cheese and then freeze it. I freeze it in portions large enough for macaroni and cheese and then it's almost a convenience food. You can also add some salsa to it when you reheat it and have a great nacho cheese dip. Or of course over broccoli which makes it even healthier! Right??

Basic White Sauce

More With Less Cookbook

Joanne Lehman and Roberta Kreider

Melt in heavy saucepan:

2 Tablespoons butter

Blend in, cooking and stirring until bubbly:

2 Tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt (I don't add this)

Using wire whisk to prevent lumps, stir in:

1 cup whole milk (or cream if your feeling really indulgent)

Cook just until smooth and thickened. Makes slightly over 1 cup. Compares to undiluted condensed soups, and makes approximately the same amount contained in one 10 oz. can.

For cheese sauce the recipe calls for adding 1/2 cup grated "nippy" cheese. I use American and probably more than 1/2 cup. Probably more like 1 cup! You can make other variations of this with stock to replicate other condensed soups. Add 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms and 1 teaspoon finely chopped onion before adding flour for mushroom soup. Add 1/2 cup chopped celery and 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion for celery soup and use chicken broth and 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning for chicken soup.

I'd love to hear your comments for other shortcuts for cooking meals from "scratch."

We Remember

Memorial Day was not declared a national holiday until 1971 but it has been celebrated in many areas of the United States unofficially since 1868 when it started as a day to remember soldiers who had died in the Civil War or War Between The States as some would say.

Poppies became a symbol of Memorial Day shortly after World War One and partly from the effort of Moina Michael who was inspired by this line from John McCrae's poem, In Flanders Field:

To you from failing hands we throw the Torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders Fields."

There is more good information about Memorial Day at the PBS National Memorial Day Concert website. I enjoy watching this concert and it is a good family event with great music.

I suggest you also check out one of my favorite music blogs Music You (Possibly) Won't Hear Anyplace Else. The author, Lee, has put together an incredibly collection of patriotic music to download and some of it is spoken word. Lee is himself a veteran of the Navy so stop by, download some great music and thank him for his service to our country!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Freecycle.org

If you haven't heard of Freecycle yet I suggest you go to freecycle.org and find one in your area. The principle behind Freecycle is to encourage people to give away things they don't want rather than throw them away. This in turn reduces landfills and gets useful items into the hands of those who need them.

I have found many, many great things on freecycle including the items in the pictures here. I have also given away many items which is a good feeling. I really don't like throwing things away and this helps me to let go of things I no longer use since I know it's going into the hands of those who will use them. Freecycle helps us to be a good steward of God's resources. Something we all need to do better.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope you are all having a lovely restful day with chocolate in abundance!
If you care to you might hop over to TenTwo Studios for Lisa's Mother's Day countdown of downloadable goodies and don't forgot tomorrow is Homeschoolestore's Mother's Day Celebration with 28 e-books to download. Have a great day!