Monday Musings

For the week of December 29th, 2014....

Plans for this week

  Not too much! I am trying as much as possible, to just stay home, since there isn't really anywhere we have to be for the next few days. Lots of games are being played, roller-blades are going around the basement, we are cooking some slightly fancier lunches and dinners than normal, and spending a lot of time sitting around reading, talking, and watching a little Mr. Bean here and there. This week, plans include a walk in the woods, a bowling outing, a New Year's Eve dinner and movie night, and everyone getting a new calendar on New Year's Day.

Thinking about

Exhaling. It always takes me longer than I think it should to really settle into the post-Christmas spirit. It is really one of my very favorite times of year, this space between Christmas and New Year's Day. There is nothing much to do, everyone has some  new "toys", the house is fairly clean, we have tons of food from entertaining and baking....really, what is not to love? But it does take me a couple of days to truly accept that yes, we can just sit around and do not much for a  few days and that is totally okay! Better than okay, actually.

Homeschool notes

 

Well, not much going on here! I am thinking next Monday might be a bit difficult, easing back into things, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.  I was feeling guilty about not continuing Rose's phonics lessons over break, as I originally thought I might. But she has been trying to puzzle out a lot of things on her own lately: short books, titles, signs, etc.. so I like to think the break is actually doing her some good and stirring up her interest.

Out of doors

It has been unseasonably warm. Christmas was green, and rainy. No snow is in the forecast, much to the kids' disappointment. I am pretty sure that much of last winter's break was spent sledding. Not this year!

In the kitchen

We are eating lots and lots of squash and root vegetables, courtesy of our winter farm share. This week we have another pickup and I think I will get mainly beets for our root vegetable selection. I am thinking of trying to pickle some - pickled beets on pita bread with falafel is one of my very favorite winter lunches. We also have big plans for New Year's Eve cooking. Our menu as of now includes buffalo chicken and spinach dips with chips and raw vegetables,  shrimp cocktail, nachos, olive penguins, a few different cheeses with crackers and hummus, sparkling cider (champagne for the parents!), and cherry cheesecake shooters. And probably some other things I am forgetting.

Watching & reading

Besides Mr. Bean (which Rose thinks is absolutely hysterical), we watched How To Train Your Dragon 2 at home and Rose and I saw Penguins of Madagascar at the theater ( she loved it, I thought it was okay), while the rest of the family saw the new Hobbit movie (which they also thought was just okay). I am reading Cutting for Stone and flipping through The Slow-Cooker Revolution, a Christmas gift .We are making our first recipe from it tomorrow - pulled pork sandwiches. I am pretty excited about this book, it looks really great.
 

Hope you have a wonderful week!