New culinary invention

Not sure this actually counts as culinary, but this was our new treat invention: milk chocolate covered fruit snacks.

I melted a bag of milk chocolate chips in the microwave. Then I opened 12 packets of fruit snacks into the melted chocolate. I added half a bag of mini marshmallows (fruity colors and shapes variety). Stirred them all up and spread the concoction on a sheet of wax paper to harden and cool.

The verdict?

Well, it's gone.

Did I just read that?

" "Perhaps this transaction was appropriate because Young happened to be the namesake of the school's grandson."  http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765552641/BYU-recovers-stolen-painting-from-Swiss-barons-estate.html?s_cid=rss-32

How a school has a grandson is something of a mystery....

Did I just read that?

"When rescuers arrived at the scene, Skyllberg was emancipated and barely speaking. He had no food or water with him, only cigarettes and comic books, the Daily Mail said. It was believed he had been eating snow."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/02/20/swedish-man-survives-two-months-in-sub-zero-temperatures-by-hibernating-in-car/#ixzz1mug3vs6J

EMACIATED.  The word is "emaciated."

Sheesh.

Did I just read that?

"The proposed fixes include making sure more information becomes public when children are abused or killed after coming into contact with social workers. " http://www.9news.com/moms/article/249704/499/Child-care-program-improving-after-43-children-die

So social workers are murdering kids? Great.

Homeschooling mantra

I walked past a box today full of papers and noticed one sticking out with my handwriting on it. So I pulled it out--it was a page of notes that I had written the day I decided I really could succeed at homeschooling without the help of a cyberschool or an established curriculum.

It is the set of rules I was to live by that would make homeschooling successful. A mantra, if you will. It says:

#1 -- Learning Is Fun
#2 -- I can do it better
#3 -- Exposure to Everything Good
#4 -- The truth (and Resources) are out there
#5 -- (K-6) They're gonna do it again--no stress
#6 -- Reductionism -- Concepts before details

On another page I found,
"1. Learning Is Active
2. Experience-based education
3. We aren't in a hurry"

So there you have it--a mixture of my own reassurances and my own educational philosophies when I was getting started.

And you know what? I CAN do schooling better than the public schools can. Learning actually IS fun. And the resources were truly out there (and free).

It's a lot of work to make my own curricula, but it's fun, and hopefully it will make homeschooling LESS work for other families.

Did I just read that?

From an official email from Longmont City today: "Water Board Vacancy"

Anyone want to apply to be tortured?

Did I just read that?

" It appears as if the vehicle went off of an adjacent road. The Sherriff's office has launched a large-scale repelling operation and are calling in helicopter supports to check on the scene."  http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=19131781&title=police-may-have-found-vehicle-of-missing-colorado-men-&s_cid=featured-1

Does a repelling operation consist of trying to force two giant magnets' south ends together? Producing smells that are noxious? Putting up repulsive billboards?

Or did they mean rappelling?