So much fun and a snack

At the beginning of every year not only do I set goals for the coming year but I also reevaluate my priorities. This means that the first few months of a new year are typically more relaxed....until I forget and start putting too much back on my plate! This past week has been so much fun!

We started back to school:

Allan and I were studying the sentence patterns S LV PA/PN and S V DO (with and without adverbs) this morning and he said, "Mom, I'm really starting to understand English and when you understand it, it's so much fun!" His eyes were sparkling and there was excitement in his voice. Now - just so you know - that doesn't happen very often. Yesterday when learning how to repartition fractions to name equivalent fractions in higher terms.....it was a different story.

Stephen has finally learned the word "the." This may not seem like much but it took Allan and Daniel 5-8 months to learn it also. I don't know why....I just know, it has tried my patience like no other educational challenge. We've played games, drawn it in shaving cream and sand, colored it, spelled it, paid money for every time they said it on the first try........at long last......we have mastered the crazy thing. My teacher heart is rejoicing!

We've picked back up with babysitting once a day every other week. The boys love it

but in addition to teaching this morning I have also:
1. Cleaned up one spilled box of cereal in the kitchen
2. Gone on a dirty diaper hunt - while I was washing my hands he hid it behind the couch
3. Cleaned up a bottle of spilled red pepper flakes
4. Rescued lost scissors that came from who knows where
you get the idea.......so much fun but I can't remember how I homeschooled Allan when I had two toddlers!

One of the batches of bread this week got neglected during the final raising phase. It probably raised and fell umpteen times during the 3 hours I forgot about it. It ended up looking like this:

It tasted fine but was a bit hard to use so the chickens enjoyed it.

The boys thought I should share one of their favorite snacks which I adapted from the original found on Money Saving Mom's site which she linked from Smashed Peas and Carrots which.......anyhow - I don't know where the original came from but  here's our version.

Homemade Energy Balls

2 cups quick oatmeal

1 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup honey

1 cup coconut flakes

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup flaxseed

1 cup mini chocolate chips (I never buy the mini so I use regular sized)

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together and roll into balls. We keep them in the freezer and then thaw them for 5-10 minutes before eating. 

If you have a bulk food grocery near you that's the best way to make this recipe economical. I can get 

Coconut - $2.31/lb

Flax $1.87/lb

Wheat germ $.69/lb

Honey is most economical (in our area) at Sam's Club.