Math Cookies

Is there a more fun way to learn about math than making cookies? Probably not in second grade. Ehren and Christian's class got to make no-bake chocolate cookies to learn about measuring.

Pretty exciting stuff when you're in second grade.

You Just Never Know

Christian is definitely a finicky eater, but I've always counted my blessings in the fact that he likes many kinds of fruits and vegetables.  Lately however, he's been rejecting anything with skin, like grapes, peppers, and unpeeled apples.  He used to love all three of these things, so I've really been at a loss as to what to put in his lunch.  I mean, how many days in a row can the kid eat PBJ, a banana, chips and yogurt for lunch?  Anything else I put in his lunch goes untouched.  My goal is to go for high protein lunches with lots of fruit and vegetables and less sugar and refined carbs.  This has been working great with Ehren and Anna, but now that Christian is on strike against every plant product with skin, I'm at a loss.  Did I also mention that he has never eaten tomatoes, carrots, celery, raisins or craisins?  The other day, I had a little talk with him: "Christian, you know your body needs fruits and vegetables.  What can I put in your lunch besides bananas?"  His answer was "How about peas?"

He wanted the bagged sugar snap peas they sell at Costco.  So Friday night after work, I stopped at Costco for peas and some other groceries.  I also brought home a hot pizza.  When I got home, I thought the kids would be so excited about the pizza, but as I unpacked the groceries from Costco, they spied the bag of sugar snap peas.  Almost all together, they yelled, "PEAS!" and lunged for them like they were a hot fudge sundae.  Somebody asked in a desperate tone, "Mom, can we have some?"  When I casually told them "sure," they all started tearing at the bag grabbing handfuls of peas. They left the pizza sitting unopened on the table and even passed up a carton of fresh raspberries. Apparently they've really been missing Costco peas for the last five months while we've been eating out of the garden.

Drawn

Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  Luke 12:27

One morning last week, I was looking around the house trying to locate Christian.  I wanted to let the kids know I was running out to the garden for a minute.  In the early morning, the squash and pumpkin blossoms open wide and bright.  I just had to go out for a closer look.

It turns out that Christian had the same idea.  When I went out to our tiny pumkin patch, I found him barefoot in his pajamas crouched down among the blossoms watching the bees doing their work.

Pumpkin blossoms as big as my hand, their radiance stunning in the soft morning light and shadows. 



Birthdays (and Cakes) in Review

Wow, were these boys born {almost} seven years ago?  I must be getting old.  Continuing the cake parade from my One Cake Wonder post, here are birthdays 1-5.  You can see the years {most of them} I was tired and not too creative in the cake department.

Fifth Birthday - Ehren
{no picture of Christian w/ his cupcake due to camera problems}

Fourth Birthday - Ehren at preschool

{Crazy!  I bought them Scooby cakes from the store!}

Fourth Birthday - Christian at preschool
{Actually, we couldn't bring homemade cake to preschool.}

Third Birthday - Christian and Ehren

Second Birthday

First Birthday
{Ooohh la la, chocolate frosting from the a can!}

First Birthday - Ehren and Christian
{I had a lot of fun making this figure eight race track cake.}

One Cake Wonder

When it comes to birthdays, I am a one-cake wonder.  The cake may take many shapes, but underneath, it's always my mom's devil's food cake with "Sharon's White Frosting."  Ehren and Christian's birthday is coming up soon, and tomorrow is the day they are taking birthday treats to school to share with their classmates.  Tomorrow morning, they will wake up to these little monster cupcakes:

Last year, Ehren and Christian wanted a strawberry cake, so they got this version:

Mom's Devil's Food Cake

1 c strong coffee

1 c buttermilk or sour milk (just add a couple of teaspoons of vinegar to the milk to sour it)

2/3 c oil

2 c flour

1 3/4 c sugar

1 Tbsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 c cocoa

1 egg

Mix all ingredients (if the coffee is still hot, add the egg after mixing the other ingredients).  Batter will be thin.  Pour into either two round cake pans, one rectangular cake pan, or 24 cup cakes.  If using a cake pan, make sure to butter and flour the pan before adding the batter.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes (or shorter if making cupcakes). 

Sharon's White Frosting

1/4 c sugar

3/4 c light corn syrup with vanilla

2 egg whites

Bring sugar and corn syrup to a rolling boil over medium high heat.  Stir constantly.  Let boil for about 1 minute.  Beat egg whites until stiff and pour the sugar/corn syrup mixture into the egg whites in a thin stream while beating on high speed.  Frosting will be soft.  It's a lot like marshmallow.  1-2 drops of red food coloring makes a beautiful pale pink frosting!

Thanksgiving Feast

Today, the kids had an all-school Thanksgiving feast that was organized, supplied and served by parents. This was my first time at the feast. It was amazing! The first graders, paraded out in their paper grocery-bag Pilgrim and Indian costumes and lined up first at the buffet. They were the only ones dressed for the occasion. Feasting together with parents, teachers, and kids was a rich experience.

My contribution:



That's 10 lbs of peeled potatoes in case you wondered.



Can't wait until next year!