Sweet Potato Chili

I made Sweet Potato Chili last night, and it was really good!  It's a good way to sneak some healthy veggies in, but it still tastes like chili.

Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups water
2 zucchini, diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin

Optional: 1 pound of cooked ground turkey or beef

Toppings: Cheese, sour cream

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on high for 6-8 hours.  When ready to serve, take a potato masher and lightly mash the sweet potatoes so they are not quite so chunky.

You could also cook this on the stove top if you were in a hurry.

Recipe adapted from here.

Crockpot Vegetable Soup

It is so nice to come home to a fully cooked meal.  Last night, I put some food in the crock pot before bed, and we came home to a fresh pot of vegetable soup after church today.

Put some cornbread in the oven, and everyone is happy!

Enjoy!

Crockpot Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 Cups Vegetable Broth (chicken broth would work as well)
• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Cup Tomato Sauce
• 1 Cup Frozen Peas
• 1 Cup Frozen Corn
• 1 Cup Chopped Carrots (frozen would work too)
• 1 Can Kidney Beans
• 3 Red Potatoes (peeled and chopped)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Optional:

• Add 1 lb of cooked ground turkey or beef

Toppings:

• Sour Cream
• Shredded Cheese

Directions:
Place vegetable broth, water, tomato sauce, veggies, beans, and potatoes in crock pot. Cook on low 8-12 hours or high 4-6 hours. The ground beef or turkey can be added at this time too, but I like to add it in during the last hour of cook time if possible.  Scoop into bowls and top with sour cream and cheese.

Unit 1: Sun

Unit 1 is the first real week of the curriculum.  Each week the students will learn a new letter and Unit 1 begins with S for Sun.  Every unit has a coordinating truth about God, and this week was: Jesus is the Light of the world.

Some supplements we used for this unit:

ABC Memory Verse Cards
In addition to the Bible truth, we are also memorizing a Bible verse that begins with the letter of the week.  I received these ABC Verse cards as a gift and they are by Dayspring, but I have also seen these online that would work just as well.

Shadow Video
This week, we read the poem "My Shadow." This short clip from Peter Pan goes along with it and the poem is read aloud while the clip is shown.

Sun Video
This is a cute and entertaining clip about the sun.

Christian Liberty Press Nature Reader K
This book is perfect for kindergarten, as it has a well-illustrated animal lesson for each letter of the alphabet.

Dr. Seuss's ABC Book
Entertaining Alphabet Book

Berenstain Bear's Big Book of Science and Nature
A fun and engaging book about weather, animals, the sun and the moon, etc.

Each week, we plan to get books from the library that go along with each unit.  I found several books about the sun to go along with this week's unit.

Creation Unit

My Father's World starts out with a 10-day Creation Unit.  It goes through the seven days of creation and was a great way to start out homeschooling.  The assignments were fun and simple, helping to ease a child into homeschooling.  We actually completed the unit in 7 days.

Some supplements we used for this unit:

Big Truths for Little Kids 
This book is in story format, and it helps introduce basic Christian truths to children. We use this in addition to MFW Bible curriculum.

My Father's World song
A video to watch as children learn this song.  It shows pictures of creation, etc.

God Made It for You
This is a precious book that goes through each day of creation.  We LOVED it!

Days of the Week Song

Months of the Year Song

We were able to go to a little outside zoo and talk about the different animals God created this week.  It was the perfect way to end our Creation week.

At the end of the week, your child has created a precious creation booklet.  It's so neat to watch your child create their own work.

Homeschool in a Small Space

My family and I sold our house a few months ago and are currently living in an apartment while we look for a house.  Although it's only temporary, it can be challenging to live in an apartment with three small children.  Combine that with homeschooling, and it can definitely get a little tight.  So, I am trying to make the best use of my small space.  For me, that means easy accessibility: I want easy access to my homeschooling supplies and easy access for it to be put away since we are using our homeschool space for other things as well.

Our homeschool room is also our eating area.  Here is what I have done to try and make it as practical as possible.

Here is a view of the homeschool wall.  When we work together, we usually sit at the dinner table.  But the small table is great for independent work or if younger siblings want to color while we are doing our lesson. 

We have a white, 6 cube book shelf.  I use this for storing supplies such as construction paper, learning station activities, paint, bins with art supplies, etc. On top of the bookshelf is my storage desktop carousel.  It holds pencils, scissors, markers, dry-erase markers, paper clips, tape, etc. It's amazing how much stuff it holds! Look for a coupon to buy one at Michael's.  On top of the book shelf I also display important things relevant to the week's lesson.  This week we are studying the letter S, so that is displayed.  

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

It's a rainy day around here…a nice day to have a warm, soft cookie.  Determined to make them healthy, I experimented today and ended up with exactly what I was hoping for: a soft, chewy cookie, without all the bad stuff.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine:

• 1 Cup Oats
• 1/3 Cup Flour (any flour will work: whole wheat, white whole wheat, all purpose flour, or grind up oats so it is the consistency of flour; I used Pamela's gluten-free flour)
• 1/3 Cup Honey
• 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds (optional)
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/3 Cup Apple Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil (any oil or melted butter should work)
• 1/3-1/2 Cup Toppings (I used raisins, chocolate and white chocolate chips)

Drop by spoonfuls on lightly greased baking sheet or use parchment paper.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.

My Mud Run Experience

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not the athletic type.  I so wish I was, but truth be told, I’m just not very good at athletic things.  I’m content to sit on the side lines and cheer for people, but I don’t like to be the one playing, mostly because I don’t particularly enjoy being laughed at.  I do enjoy being outside and going hiking and I’ll even camp out for a few nights, but that’s about as athletic and outdoorsy as I get.  Now, my husband knew this about me when he married me. So, last year when he decided to participate in a mud run, he knew not to even ask if I’d like to run in it with him. I mean, it’s exactly like it sounds: a run in the nasty, dirty mud.  Yes, I went to watch him and laugh at how nasty he looked and make jokes about how crazy it is that people pay to get muddy. He had a great time participating, and I enjoyed making fun of him on the sidelines.  It was fun for everyone.  So, when he decided to sign up again this year, I wasn’t surprised.  I wasn’t entirely thrilled about the fact that a chunk of our money was wasted, but at least it was going towards a good cause and he was having fun.  But, here was the catch: he decided to sign both of us up this year.  Haha….yeah, right; there was no way I was participating.  Why would I want to participate in an event where you have to run and get muddy and dirty?  And, I’m not getting paid to do it? I pictured falling on my face and mud getting all in my mouth (both of which happened). 

Oven-baked Granola

Here's a healthy, yummy, and easy recipe...just in time for the holidays!  I love making granola because you can always change up the recipe to make it just the way you like it. Enjoy!

3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
2 Cups Rice Cereal (I used Rice Krispy Cereal)
1/4 Cup Coconut Oil (melted)
1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
1/4 Cup Almonds or Other Nut (I crushed ours)
1/4 Cup Pumpkin Seeds or Other Nut or Seed
2 TBSP Chia Seeds (optional)
1 TBSP Vanilla
2 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Dried Fruit to be added after baking (I used cranberries and raisins)
1/4-1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips to be added after baking

Preheat oven to 250 degrees
Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper
In a large mixing bowl, combine all above ingredients EXCEPT the dried fruit and chocolate
Spread on parchment paper and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes
When finished baking, add dried fruit and chocolate