Valentine Math

We use the Singapore Math for our homeschooling curriculum.  The girls especially liked the graphing part.  Even though we haven't graphed with our curriculum in quite a while this still seemed like a fun way to sneak in a little review.

I'm always amazed by all the ways they are different.  Right down to how they go about graphing a bowl full of candy hearts.  E digs right in and starts getting them on the paper as she haphazardly digs into the bowl.  B dumps them out on the table so she can get a clear picture of what she's picking up and proceeds to pull them one at a time until she gets all of each color on her graph.  So telling of both of their personalities.

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try

Sledding is good for the soul

This started out looking like a great plan...

Great Uncles need to get in on the fun too.

If you have ever met Erin you've probably experienced her mean mug.

We got a call on Thursday night from B's dance teacher.  A girl dropped out, they had a competition Saturday morning, and they needed a fill in.  B would be able to practice with the teacher and her daughter on Friday and maybe once or twice with the team the morning of the competition.  To say I was hesitant would be a gross understatement.  That's a LOT to learn, moreso when you have to learn it with no team.  Going out and competing takes confidence, how scary to have very little mental prep time and really be winging it.  Third, what if she was awful and bombed it for the team!  I decided to hand it to Bryn.  I explained it all and asked her what she thought.  My intuitive mini adult must have read through my excited face and into my anxiety.  She said "Mom, if (teacher) have faith in me, I have faith in me!"  Now, either she's been watching way too much dramatic Disney tween shows or she's just plain awesome.  I'm betting it's the former but I'm going pretend it's the latter.

I pretended I didn't see all the "no video taping" signs and didn't hear the "no video taping" announcements and 'accidentally' held my phone in my hand as I leaned on the chair in front of me during her dance.  She starts on the far left of the screen, on the end of the back row.  Only one time she got ahead of herself and got in the wrong place, but for her  First Dance Competition with basically no practice, I'd say she didn't pretty darn well!

Guess who took third place in their division!

"I'm going to be a fashion designer when I grow up!"

Documenting to keep her humble during her high school years.

Sisters

I sometimes feel like a referee and wonder how these two opposites are both my children.

 But most often I love to watch them learn, grow, and love together.

They really are two peas in a pod.

Responsible and cautious, Big Sister B leads the way while the too loud to be forgotten Little Sister E follows...both dragging a stick beside them.

Story Stones

We're working on story writing around here and need a little inspiration.  I saw these at Target and decided that was a rockin' idea.  But I'm cheap, err...frugal, and decided I wasn't paying $7+ dollars for little blocks with pictures on them to force my kids to use their imagination.  I stood in the isle and tried to muster up some great alternative.  Didn't work.  So I made my way to the clearance end caps as I pondered and bought some crap I didn't know I needed.
Fast forward to yesterday while we were watching the Packers get their arses handed to them at my aunt and uncle's house.  I notice my aunt has a dish full of these pretty, smooth river rocks and I think DING! we'll paint pictures on rocks!  I ask my uber cool, crafy, collector of things aunt where she found all the rocks.  "Oh, I've picked them up around over the years...west river mostly."  Awesome, I totally have the time and/or patience to mosey around waiting to run across a bunch of rocks.  Then she gives me the fantastic idea to go to Dollar Tree where they have large, clear marble stone-ish shaped things that we could maybe use.  Dollar Tree?!  You're speaking my price range!
Dollar bag of stone things, magazine cut outs, and some mod podge later and we have Story Stones!

Crockpot BBQ chicken...sorta

I'll start with the recipe and then I'll explain.

4 to 6 chicken breasts
1/4 cup brown sugar
heaping 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
1/4 cup vinegar (not pictured because I'm flighty)

Put everything in a bowl, except the chicken, and mix well.  Put the chicken in the crock pot and pour the mix over top.  Cook 4 to 6 hours on low.  You can put them in frozen.  I already had them thawed so I just did it that way.

It smelled a.ma.zing!  However, when I opened the crock pot the sauce was really thin.  I'm a sauce girl so I was extremely disappointed by this.  I transferred it to an 11x13 dish and put it in the oven on *350 for about twenty minutes, making sure to get in there about every seven minutes and spoon more sauce over top of the chicken.  That made all the difference!  The sauce got nice and thick and actually stuck to the chicken.

Daddy and B-Lil gobbled it right up.  It was a touch spicy but nothing anyone complained about.  The rich flavor made up for it.  I'd venture to say this would be a great wing sauce as well.

Rooney is a carb queen and was more consumed with the biscuits I made to go with it.  When I told her she had to eat a few bites of chicken before she would be allowed more bread she chomped a bite out of her biscuit, turned it upside down, and exclaimed "aww, sad face!"

It should be noted that if you pull the pan out of the oven, are spooning more sauce over the chicken and think "hmm, this doesn't smell as awesome as I thought it would...it smells burnt, shoot".  You should probably make sure you didn't carelessly throw your oven mitt nearly into the flame under your pot of boiling Norwex rags on the stove.  Just a little friendly PSA for you, you're welcome!

Some mornings...

You just need to hang out on the couch in your underoo's.

Today we're doing just that.

Not my first rodeo

I had a blog once.
It was mainly a home for pictures of my kids for faraway friends.  I was bad at keeping up on said blog once...or fifty times.  I got too far behind to update and I gave up.
Now here we are twoish years later.  I'm a little more organized, a little craftier (I love you, Pinterest), a little better with taking snapshots (thank you, iPhone), and a little inclined to share it on a blog again.  Long story short, I think I'm driving my facebook friends crazy.
So, here we are, I'm jumping back on the horse...err, bull.  Get back on the horse?  Rodeo's have bulls, right?
Whatever, lets do this!