FIFTY NIFTY UNITED STATES

I can't seem to get that song out of my head.  Anyway... While Aiyana is doing her schoolwork I often poke around on Pinterest looking for fun education activities for her and I to do together.  Yesterday my search was "United States."  I've been trying to find creative ways of teaching her the U.S. States and their capitols.  One thing I found was a simple worksheet where...

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RECIPE SHARE

Since going back to a lacto-vegetarian diet I am always on the look out for recipes that fit my diet choice and since, in my opinion, good vegetarian or vegan meals are hard to find for picky eaters like me I get really excited when I come across one that I actually like so I am happy to share this one.  If there are any other picky eaters out there on the look-out for a meatless meal this recipe...

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CHRISTMAS TREE CANDLES

It's always fun to see what people do with their Christmas trees after the holidays.  If you ever go on Pinterest you'll find some really cool ideas or just surfing the web you'll find some interesting ways of making your tree last.  This is one thing we've done with ours. Step One: Cutting the tree trunk Step Two: Decide where to drill cavity for candle. Step Three: drill...

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IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

And yes, in case you are wondering (because I get asked this a lot), I think getting a real tree is better for the environment then getting an artificial tree (and supports the local economy) and this is why: Earth 911 Living Green Organic Gardening Mother Jones The absolute best live tree you can get to minimize impact to the environment is one that is grown on an organic tree farm or one...

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DIY VANILLA EXTRACT

My daughter and I made some vanilla extract again this year.  We'll be giving these bottles away at Christmas time.  Last time I made vanilla extract I purchased beans from Beanilla, I really wanted the Mexican vanilla beans at the time but they were all sold out so I bought the Madagascar beans instead.  I found that I really loved the way the vanilla turned out so I ordered the...

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LEARNING AWAY FROM THE CHAIR

We are trying to find creative ways of learning away from the chair.  Sitting down at a table for even a second isn't fun for either of us so we're exploring different ways of learning the essentials without having to be at a table to do it. Yesterday we were working with measurements again.  This time we focussed on volume.  To help my daughter better understand cups, tablespoons...

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BUTTERFLIES, BUTTERFLIES, BUTTERFLIES

Yesterday we went to the Minnesota Science Museum to check out the Monarch exhibit.  If it wasn't for a time constraint I could have stayed in the butterfly house all day, as it was we had to bribe Aiyana with better things to come just to get her to leave.   Who knew insects could be so fascinating but I'm finding myself more and more interested in learning about them, and not just the...

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FINDING OUR WAY IN THE HOMESCHOOLING WORLD

My daughter and I are into our 2nd year of homeschooling.  This year we are finding that we both need to spend less time sitting at a table and more time learning outside or at the very least learning through crafts or other activities.  Thankfully I have two books that have made getting away from the "sit down" work much easier. R.E.A.L Science Odyssey Curriculum Both my daughter and...

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HERBAL MEDICINE: TINCTURES

For a simple elderberry tincture recipe click HERE. Unfortunately here in Minnesota the elderberry season is over.  I was lucky to find a bush that hadn't been picked over by the birds but not lucky enough to have my tincture ready before my youngest caught a respiratory infection :(  Elderberries, when taken orally,  are best for treating both influenza A and B.  A...

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HERBS HERBS HERBS

Maya and I attended the yearly Herb Festival in Cannon Falls this weekend.  It was great to see Lise Wolff again (I have taken classes from her in the past) and it was fun to learn new things. I only had one negative experience, a single instructor that clearly didn't belong there (had her group drinking essential oils, putting several undiluted eos on the skin, referred to Robert Tisserand as...

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