Lionden Landing

We packed up our Autumn decorations this week.  Froggy asked Froggy - "what we were going to replace them with". Ima - Our Hanukkah and Winter decorations.  Froggy - "And what will go in place of our Turkey?  Snowmen? Ima - "We don't have any snowmen" Froggy ' " So we can make them"  And so we did. The original plan for their creation was styrofoam balls.  However when Froggy started selecting the balls the snowman became too big to be reasonable.  We finally decided on polymer clay.   Froggy did most of the creation herself with just the slightest bit of guidance from me.   We made a cute family, Ima, Abba, and child.  The child turned out bigger than anticipated but still cute.   To end our day,  we enjoyed some snowman cookies and read Making A Friend a truly sweet story about a young girl making friends with a snowman.

It took a long time and some serious work but we finally got our Daisy troop up and running.  The troop meets at our Shul and is all Jewish so there is no conflict regarding Shabbat.  The girls all know each other for the most part but there are also some cliques.  So we played Daisy to Daisy and some other games.       The girls also made Daisy Buddies to use in our Kaper Chart.     Even though most of the girls are in First Grade, they are new to scouting.  We learned about the Girl Scout Promise and starting learning the Law.  We closed our meeting with the Friendship squeeze.  I love passing on traditions to a new generation.  

We are still working our way through our Singapore book.  But sometimes variety is the spice of life.  We were driving back from Thanksgiving in Tennessee and Froggy interrupted her video to play teacher and give us a math quiz.  Since multiplication figured prominently in the quiz I decided to revisit our skip counting sticks .  Froggy played with the sticks for a bit and then I showed her how they related to what we call multiplication.  We laid out the sevens (since that was the group featured most prominately in our quiz). Then I took the exact problem she had given me (7*7) and turned it back on her.  I explained that the first number tells her which picture/bundle to pull out.  Then the second number shows her how far in to go. We counted seven sticks in to find the answer.  It was so fun to see the light in her eyes.  She laid out all her sticks and did problem after problem laughing at how easy it was.  As a fun end to the day...

I wish I could say that my menu this week used some of the great recipes in this month's Kosher Kooking Karnival.   Not yet.  Maybe next week or maybe I will include some of the in our game day feast.  You should check it out.  It is full of amazing dishes.   Sunday - Chili (making extra to take to another family), cornbread and salad Monday - Sticky Chicken , parsnip chips and green beans Tuesday - Chicken Noodle Soup (using leftover sticky chicken) and biscuits . (trying out the modifications) Wednesday - Leftovers Thursday - tacos Friday - Shabat dinner at Synagogue

We do some really amazing experiments at Learning Club.  The only serious problem is that we get so lost in the experiments all the parents forget to take pictures.  We are finishing up our study of Ancient Egypt.  In doing so we also started our study of chemical reactions and the changes they can cause.  To get us in the groove, we investigated some physical changes like dissolving one substance in another.  To show that a physical change means the change can be undone, we made rock candy,  The kids did all the work, measuring, pouring, stirring, all the while thinking and making connections.  They saw the sugar disappear and the water become totally clear again.  One of the neat moments was when one of the children pointed out how much the level of the water had risen.  Then we saw how the sugar comes back out in the candy. Then we made glue.  Did you know you can make glue from vinegar and milk?  I certainly did not before...

I read quite a bit but don't share much of it here.  However my two latest are special, most notably because they are non-fiction.  The first is Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility.  Abba and I both read the original version back when Froggy was a tiny bit.  Since our persective and needs had changed I thought it was time for a reread, especially since the authors has updated the book.  The book is an easy read with engaging antidotes.  It is written from a Christian perspective but applicable to any person who wants to raise a mensch .  We chose this model of parenting because it complemented our beliefs and worked well with Attachment Parenting.  It is based on love and all actions are done in a calm, loving manner.  Some of the suggestions seemed silly to me especially the first time I read it before I was dealing with the situations but unlike many other discipline books none ever seemed to harsh for me. ...

We spent the last week doing tons of fun Thanksgiving activities.  I had hoped to post them as we did them but lost track of time.  First we made pilgrim paperdolls to act out the story or just play with. Froggy colored the clothes in some very interesting colors.  I love that she if finally trying to write words on her own.   Next we turned our Halloween pumpkin into a Thanksgiving turkey.  It was a whole family project.  The directions suggest gluing the feathers onto the pumpkin but we wanted something more durable so we put them on craft sticks and stuck them into the pumpkin.  That was Abba's job.  He sharpened the sticks so they would go in.    We also made Turkey Crispies to enjoy with our story time.  Froggy actually wanted to help make them this time.  We used a hand cookie cutter to shape them and a cinammon jelly bean for the face.  They are not half as cute as Little Wonder Days.  But the family st...

As the season's change, the tone of our Shabbat changes.  Daylight Savings Time makes a stark shift in the leisure parts of holiday.  In summer we have a long leisurely afternoon and evening after services before Havdalah.  In winter, we get home from Shul, take a nice family walk and then it is almost time for Havdalah.  In the peak of summer, we push dinner as late as possible then light candles early and head off to bed.  In winter, we light candles, sing songs and play for a bit before having an early dinner.  This winter, we have found a new Shabbat joy for the quiet Shabbat evenings.  We play games as a family. Froggy has taken enthusiastically to all the games we have introduced.  The first was Streetcar.   It is a rail-building strategy game.  It is what I call a "book shelf cardboard game" which means it is full of cardboard pieces you use as you play.  The pieces are not as tiny as some of Abba's game so Froggy was abl...

Just as I became interested in finding some new math games for Froggy, I learned about K5 Learning from Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns .  K5 Learning has an online reading and math program for kindergarten to grade 5 students.  I've been given a 6 week free trial to test and write a review of their program.  If you are a blogger, you may want to check out their  open invitation to write an online learning review of their program.

I am trying a new dessert this week, Chocolate Charlotte.  I have been looking for desserts that keep well and since this needs to be frozen for at least 4 hours before serving, it fits the bill perfectly.  Dream Whip is KD but I checked the ingredient list and I think we will be ok with it.  I think it is probably KD because of cross contamination level stuff rather than actual ingredients.  Still since it is KD we are having salmon for Shabbat. Ingredients 24  ladyfingers (2 (3-ounce) packages) 1/4  cup  Kahlúa (coffee-flavored liqueur) 1  (2.6-ounce) box whipped topping mix (such as Dream Whip) 1 1/2  cups  cold fat-free milk, divided (I used Coconut Milk) 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract 1 3/4  cups  sifted powdered sugar 1  cup  unsweetened cocoa 2  (8-ounce) blocks fat-free cream cheese, softened ( I used Tofutti brand) Split ladyfingers in half...

This week, our Ambleside history takes us out of Ancient Rome and up to the North Sea.  Froggy got to meet King Alfred and the Beggar and the British Royal Family.  Since we are not reading Our Island Story , this is her first encounter with the Royal Family.  Froggy of course loved the story. She acted out her narration with full theatrical gusto playing the beggar, Alfred and the voice in the dream.  She understood the story as a story but totally missed any connection to history.  So we went and looked at the map.  We checked out Denmark and England and the North Sea.  We traced the path of characters as the story progress is and then I read her the brief biography of Kign Alfred the Great from here .

The winner from last week is the 7-UP biscuits.  They turned out much lighter and fluffier than any biscuit I have ever made before. The whole family loved them and they were super easy to make.  I am still tweaking the recipe. I want to try a lighter oil than my olive oil. I also need to turn the biscuits in the oil coating both sides next time.   And I can probably get away with a bit less oil. Sunday - Fish ala Jenn, rice and peas Monday - Turkey Tetrazzini (actually making it with leftover Shabbat chicken) Tuesday - Kasha Varnishka Wednesday - Pasta, homemade sauce, salad and garlic bread Thursday - Dinner Out after swimming. Shabbat - Challah, Sweet Salmon, Rice, Keem, roasted brussel sprouts and a Chocolate Charlotte  (this is an experiment - we will see how it goes) This is the last menu for a couple of weeks since we are travelling for Thanksgiving. 

We get family portraits done every year.  We try to do them around Froggy's birthday but are a bit late this year.  Here are a few of our favorites from the most recent session.

Apparently when I originally did my menu this week, I forgot all about dessert for Shabbat.  I revised the menu and added dessert.  So here is what we have Challah - already rising on the counter Sticky Chicken - currently sitting in the crockpot.  It is delicious even better than my roast chicken recipe but it does not look as pretty when served. Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes - this is a test of a better for you, less cloying version of the sweet potato casserole traditional at Thanksgiving. Steamed Broccoli And for dessert Swiss Cake Roll - We have not had it in ages.  It is currently baking.  I will make the roll later this afternoon. As I said in the original post it is perfect for Pesach if you can do dairy and have the right equipment.  It is a bit fussy but it is faster than any dessert I have ever made. This time we are using Rich's Whipped Topping rather than the silken Tofu.  I don't know if they have a KP version so I don't know if it...

It has been awhile since I did one of these.  Froggy's reading has changed lately.  We still check out lots of picture books from the library but the books she picks up over and over again are chapter books.  Her favorite for the moment is Betsy Tacy .  She received this book as a gift ages ago.  I tried to read it to her but she was not interested enough to retain memory from one session to the next.  Now she reads it by herself.  We only have the first in the series but I have requested the next couple from the library. We are listening to the classic Peter Pan , by J.M. Barrie.  This version answers so many of the things I did not understand or did not like about the Disney version.  The language is so rich and wonderful which also translate to complex. It made it challenging for Froggy to get into initially.  She loves it now though and is eager for it to continue.  There are times when we need to pause the story to explain so...

This year has been our worst for extracurriculars.  First, Froggy's drama class got cancelled due to lack of enrollment.  By the time it was cancelled and our other schedule changes made, it was too late to enroll her in drama anywhere else.  We are going to try again next year.  Next to fall was Ballet.  This is the first year since she was three that she has not been in Ballet.  I suspect this is a permanent end and she will not be returning.  I am very sad to see it go by the wayside.  However Froggy is does not seem to miss it. Swim class is a nightmare but continuing without change for the moment.  She took 5 weeks off due to the holidays and a fieldtrip.  When she started back, it was with tears and tantrums.  The second week was better with less tears and some participation but still a major battle.  I hope that getting back into the routine will make it fun again but I am concerned. That leaves only Piano going ...

Sunday - Pulled Chicken, buns, cider glazed carrots, parve mashed potatoes and a parve Peppermint Chocolate Melted icecream cake to a sick friend) Monday -More Spider Dogs and peas.  This was such a big hit last week.  The family requested a repeat Tuesday - Beef Barley Soup and 7 up bisquits Wednesday - Lasagna, Garlic Bread and Salad Thursday - Dinner Out - Mommy Meeting Shabbat - Challah, salad, Sticky Chicken , Baked Sweet Potatoes, Cider glazed Carrots,

While we were out wandering around, Froggy decreed that she knew the perfect experiment for us to do at home.  My interest captivated I encouraged her to explain.  It took a few iterations for me to understand what she was requesting.  She said we need to make "a balloon seesaw" which turns out to mean that she wanted to compare balloons that were blown up to different extents.  Her hypothesis was that the balloon with the most air would weigh the most.  Luckily I had everything we needed including a brand new balance I had been waiting for just the right moment to pull out. We first weighed two empty balloons to ensure they were all the same. Then we blew one up just a little and weighed it.  There was only the tiniest bit of movement in the balance but it was enough to see. Next we blew a balloon most of the way.  But we could not put it on the balance. It took lots of investigating and problem solving but we finally devised a way to weigh it ...

Froggy had her birthday party this past weekend.  A wonderful result is lots of fun presents.  To my pleasant surprise, many of her friends gave her my favorite kind of present, art supplies and/or projects. However, along with presents come thank you cards.  Last year, Froggy dictated her cards to me and I wrote them.  This year, I thought that since Froggy is now six, she should write her own thank you cards.  Yet when I wrote out the thank you note for her to copy, the volume of writing was overwhelming, even though I had kept the language and words minimal.  It was a struggle for her to complete it in one day. So I am left with a set of choices all of whom I do not care for.  Let Froggy dictate the cards again as she did last year. (on the positive side, the cards would be more in depth and convey more meaning)  Make a form letter and have Froggy fill in the blanks (seems unfriendly and rude to me) Push Froggy to complete one a day...

Froggy went trick-or-treating in her own neighborhood for the first time ever last night.  She helped us get ready for all the visitors with our big bowl of candy.  We had so many children visit we emptied it twice. I escorted her around part of the neighborhood with her friends.  Then she went around a different part with Abba.   Somehow she ended up only visiting a tiny section of her own block choosing to visit neighboring streets instead. Then the happy wanderers came home and my little fairy took over candy distribution duty until bedtime.  I hope you enjoyed your Halloween as much as we did.

I have been drowning in fairies, all kinds and all sizes. This weekend was Froggy's birthday party.  Her theme was "a flower fairy tea party"  So in the weeks leading up to it we had to make and do all kinds of fairy things.     I made fairy dresses and wings for both she and I.  Froggy designed the dresses herself. I had other ideas which did not sell at all as she was set on her design. We made pipe cleaner fairies which hid in the meadow for our "fairy hunt". We made fairy pins out of polymer clay, one for each guest, to go in their goodie bags. As the guests arrived, they received wings and were invited to make their own wands in order to fully embrace their fairy nature. After the fairy hunt, the fairy guests played musical flowers.  Fairies ofcourse want only the best flowers so must flit from one to another trying to decide. Then they returned to the fairy castle for refreshments consisting of fairy fizz(punch), toadstools (strawberries), fai...