Our Classroom! On The Cheap!

During our previous 12 years of homeschooling we never had a separate room that we used for a classroom.  We used the dining room and the kitchen table.  We were completely fine with that.  Now, however, we're in a different house that has a finished basement that we're able to use as both an office (hubby works from home) and a classroom!  We're so thrilled about this!

This is the beginning.  We're doing things on the cheap for now.  We're searching for the perfect table but for now we're using a long fold-up table and a long wooden door set on two tv tray stands.  It actually gives us a lot of work space and I love it.  Since we're renting this house until we buy sometime next year (we recently moved back to the Atlanta area) we are trying not to put nails in the walls to hang stuff so the white board is held by an easel in the corner.  The maps are are hung with the sticky adhesive stuff.

I needed a place to store our MANY maps that we purchased.  I didn't want to keep them folded away.  We hung them in the closet where we're keeping most of our supplies.  This works quite well for our needs.

"A" has decided she doesn't want to wait another three weeks to start school.  I'm still doing some planning but I've been giving her some busy work to do.  By the way, she dressed herself this morning after her bath - hence the mismatched top and skirt.  But, she's got her trusted companion, Sofie, to help her with those vocabulary words.

We're still working on some storage and other things but those will come.  I love to get ideas for homeschool spaces from Pinterest.  I'd love to see your homeschool room!  

Box Turtles

We had an unexpected little treat come to visit us the other day.  A cute little box turtle came to lay her eggs by our front porch steps.  My hubby and A were on their way out the door when they spotted her.

She laid several eggs, covered them back up, and went on her merry way.  We haven't studied turtles before so I thought this was a great opportunity!

We'll be following the progress and will post more as time goes on.  In the meantime, here's a few educational tidbits....

Box turtles are found in a variety of locations throughout the Eastern United States and some other areas (see below).  They are typically terrestrial which means they live on land as opposed to water. However, they can occasionally be found soaking in a puddle.

Box turtles like a variety of things to eat:  mushrooms, grapes, berries, and other fruits, and will occasionally eat a worm, slug, or insect.  They live long lives - up to 50 years or more!  Females nest in the summer and will typically lay three to eight eggs.  Our little turtle (above) is shown "excavating" her nest.

Male box turtles typically have red eyes!

Check out some more cool facts about box turtles here!

Food Origins

Our son, K, who is living with us for a little while, has always been a trivia buff.  During a family dinner of spaghetti the conversation turned to foods that originated in the United States.   He proceeded to inform us of foods that originated in the US and those that didn't.  I could see a mini-lesson coming on as hubby had to make sure K was correct.

But before we get down to the actual list, it's always good to have a little background for you trivia buffs....

Some foods that we think of as truly American didn't actually have their start here.  Many dishes have originated in other countries and then were modified (Americanized, I like to say) or evolved into what we know them as today.

Apple pie, hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, chocolate, jelly beans, ice cream, steak, potato salad, watermelon all originated in other countries and were brought to America by the colonists and immigrants.  Many native foods play a key role in Americanized dishes but don't tell the whole story. 

 Native Americans ate corn, squash, and beans.  These foods are known as the "The Three Sisters" and were consumed by several Native American tribes.  Several varieties of nuts, vegetables, mammals, and fish are also indigenous to America such as buffalo, bison, and wild salmon (Alaska, of course).  Some indigenous recipes included succotash, cornflakes, and baked squash.

Many plants, animals, and spices were introduced by the "Old World" to the "New World" such as pigs, oranges, apples, cattle, grapes, onions, olives, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, watermelon, peas, etc.

Foods originated in the US (sort of):

According to The Food Timeline, "American" foods fall into six different categories (because we're a melting pot, after all!):

Native foods:  "The Three Sisters" plus indigenous nuts, veggies, fish, and animals

Ethnic blends: foods mix when diverse cultures settle into a region: Chop Suey

Hybrid dishes:  Old world recipes (say, from England) that use New World ingredients: cornbread

Regional specialties:  specific tastes or dishes based on region: tex-mex

Manufactured foods:  typically produced in America - moon pies, Kool-Aid, Jell-O, Mac and Cheese....

Generic traditions and food fads:  these can often be traced back to the old world - Chex Mix, corn dogs, Rice Krispie Treats (who knew, right?)

So, there you have it!  I have to admit that we were slightly disappointed to know that the all-American favorite foods at baseball games didn't originate here!

Source:  http://www.foodtimeline.org/usa.html

Happy Eating!!

New Homeschool Journey

It's been some time.... ok, a really long time.... but we're back and starting a new homeschool journey.  Our last child, "A", has been in public and private schools for the last four years since Kindergarten.  Now, we're at a point where we're able to bring her home to educate her.  So, our journey begins and Alfabet Soup is reborn.

I'll start by introducing you to us....

This is "A".....

We're heavily involved in Girl Scouts and this was a trip to the Georgia Aquarium recently.  She was reading about the Pacific Reef.  Here's a great live cam of the Pacific Reef, in case you're interested:  click here (oh, LOOK!  There's a Dori fish!) A is the last of our five children.  It's almost like starting over as our other kids are now adults and off on their own.  Our homeschooling adventures with her should be quite interesting....I've always said she's a little ball of dynamite - she is all four of the other kids wrapped up into one little kid.  She definitely has her own mind - and likes to tell others what's on it!

This is me....

Homeschool mom of five, Girl Scout leader, advocate for women and children's issues, and full-time college student.  For the past several years I've been very interested in helping the fight against human trafficking.  I'm also a Pinterest junkie, I admit.  Lots of great ideas on there! 

I would love to connect with other homeschoolers!  I'm always looking for great ideas - aren't we all?!  I'm looking forward to meeting other homescoolers through their blogs.  All the ones I knew before have grown children now! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Can't wait to see what this new journey has in store!

Yummy Smoothies!

Quick workout update:  this past week we squeezed in three days of workouts.  Due to work restrictions that was all we could accomplish.  But, three days is better than none, right?!  I didn't eat as clean this past week either as I should be.  I'm not quite off the wagon but....  next week will be better.

I wanted to share this site I found that has recipes for great smoothies.  The Yummy Life "Make-Ahead Oatmeal Smoothies" are awesome!  I try to get my oatmeal in everyday - usually in the mornings for breakfast - but find I can't always get through a bowl of it.  This site was recommended by Nancy on her FB page so I checked it out!  Then, I went out a got a new smoothie blender (from Bella) and whipped up a strawberry banana.  It's awesome!!!!

I varied the recipe just a bit and eliminated the vanilla extract and honey and added in my whey protein.  Now, I've got my oatmeal AND my protein in one.  And what I love about these smoothies is they are not made with ice so they can be made ahead of time and frozen for future use.  That's important for me because we lead such busy lives!

Check it out!  I hope you enjoy!

Here's to your health!

Labor Day and Everyday Struggles

First, I'd like to wish you all a very Happy Labor Day!!!  I hope everyone finds a chance to relax and spend time with family and friends.  We're doing that very thing this weekend and taking a break from our workouts.  My brother-in-law and nephew are in town for the weekend and we're celebrating BIL's birthday coming up.  He'll be a whopping 39!!  Can't wait to roast him next year.  (Along with my own brother who is also 39 this year!)

On another note, it's been on my heart today to encourage those of you who have been struggling with your weight over the years.  I've been inspired by a couple of people... namely Nancy Reinhardt, who, despite battling a bad back, made the decision to change her life and that of her family by eating clean and getting back in the gym.  Her story can be found here....(just click on her pic below).  She looks hot, huh?!



Nancy's story resonated with me.  I think I was finally at a point in my life where I was tired of being overweight and everything that went with it.  Being tired all the time, having no energy, hating to look at myself in the mirror, hiding from the camera.  I hated myself.  I hated the way I looked.  But I was scared to change.

Two years ago I underwent open heart surgery.  Before the surgery, my heart issues got slowly but steadily worse over time and my cardiologist finally told me it was time to repair it.  After the surgery, my surgeon told me I could exercise with no restrictions.  Since then, my heart is so much better but I've been paralyzed with fear.  What will happen if I over exert myself?  I still don't know the answer to that question, but I've decided that little by little I will work up to it.

My other challenge is that I have a steel rod attached to my spine.  Okay, that sounds scarier than it really is. I had scoliosis when I was 13 and had a stainless steel rod attached to my spine.  I don't notice it and it hasn't hindered me in any way except for the fact that I can do sit ups or crunches.  Unlike most people, I don't bend at the waist.  I bend at the hips.  It's difficult for most people to grasp that - especially nowadays because the surgery for repairing scoliosis has improved dramatically over the years and patients now have more freedom of movement.  That's bad when I desperately need some ab work!!  LOL!

I can only walk right now on the treadmill for about 20 minutes at a pace of about 2.5.  I started out about three months ago at 2.0 for 10 minutes.  That's progress!  I'm also lifting weights and I LOVE it!  Weight lifting really gets my heart pumping!  At first I was afraid of how it made me feel.  Now that I'm getting used to the sensation, I'm pushing myself a little harder.  I've moved up in the amount I'm lifting and I'm seeing my body change.  I'm finding other ways, too, to get my abs in shape.  And the appreciation I see in my husband's eyes is priceless.  :)

I decided to take Jamie Eason's 12 week LiveFit Trainer.  While I can't do every exercise in this plan, I'm doing what I can and challenging myself beyond my fears.  There are days when I leave the gym feeling like spaghetti!!  There are days when I don't have the heart for it (no pun intended).  But, that's when I take a page from Nancy's book and I don't get stressed over missing a day.  I just continue on the next day.

I encourage you - if you are struggling with even getting started just take it in small steps!  Remember, it's a journey - a journey to a better you!!!  Join a gym or your local YMCA (which is what we did).  And GO!  We go at least four times a week.  Even if you only go for 20 minutes.... GO!!!!

Just remember...God loves you regardless!  But you can love yourself, too! It's time to start.

Here's to a fresh start!!!



Here's to YOU!!

My Goal...

....and progress update....

I took the weekend off as usual to let my body rest and recuperate.  I'm still seeing results!!!  This morning I tried on a pair of pants I haven't fit into for about 5 years.  Guess what?  They fit!!!  I don't always see the results in the mirror but having my old clothes fit is reward enough.

I try not to be a slave to the scale.  It depresses me so I stay away from it.  Besides, it seems if you use a different scale to weigh yourself, the result is always different.  Isn't this how you're supposed to do it anyway?



Seriously though, I rely less on what the numbers on the scale say than I do on how I feel.

So, yesterday was a SUPER good workout.  We worked legs yesterday and by the end of the hour my legs literally felt like spaghetti.  I could barely move.  Tonight wasn't as great but still good.  We worked triceps tonight, which for me are difficult.  I'm weak in that area, for sure.  I'm looking forward to going up in weight in a couple of weeks on those exercises.

So...the title of my post is "My Goal".  Once I reach the size I want to be my reward is going to be this:

And I don't mean the scooter.  My goal is to have vintage pinup photos done.  How cool is that?  My husband loves the idea!  Go figure.

It's a long road but you can't eat the elephant all at once.  Hmmm, maybe that's a bad analogy!  

Here's to your health!