The Autodidact

My husband and I recently had the pleasure of touring a family owned organic farm. The day was sunny and warm and the bees were buzzing happily. We spent some time just sitting and visiting. Children were playing in the pond and roaming the land, enjoying their Saturday afternoon. The baby chickens were squeaking and chirping and the hen protested loudly for several minutes after the farmer took the eggs she was sitting on. Feral pigs saw us coming and snorted and grunted and ran off into the woods. And the vegetables! So much growing in the greenhouses and out in the gardens, so much to harvest already and much more to come as the weather heats up. Surrounded by many acres of land and forest and lovely old oaks that welcomed us with open arms as we drove up the driveway, the farm was a peaceful place. I felt my spirit grow quiet and still. But even more peaceful and restful, were the farmer and his wife. Yes, restful, even though we all know that farming families don't get muc...

Want to make your kids happy? Want to hear them rise up and call you blessed? Want to be popular for the day? Tortilla pizzas. Yes, this simple lunch or snack can accomplish all this and feed hungry children at the same time! Today I happened to have some homemade tortillas on hand (I know, go ahead and hate me. But they are really simple!) They could do this themselves if need be. But I love the praise I get when I do it for them. Sometimes a mom just needs to hear her children cheer for her. Simply heat the oven to 400, spread out some tortillas on cookie sheets and top with sauce, cheese and some pepperoni. Bake for about 10 minutes and that's it. Oh yeah...

Frequently, I hear reasons people give for not home educating. You may have heard these from others, or maybe you are hearing them inside your head! My kids and I will just butt heads if we homeschool, so it's better that they go to school.  Really? You butt heads with your kids? You have disagreements with them? How strange. Um, every parent has this issue; it just comes with the territory we call parenthood. Home education will probably not make that worse (it may even make it better) as long as the parent acts like an adult. I don't think I can handle the academics. Elementary grade academics are pretty simple, so I assume they are talking about middle or high school work. At least I hope so. Guess what? I really don't have a clue what my kid's Chemistry book is talking about; and I do not understand half of the stuff in his math book either. It's not my job to understand it, but if I do, great! It's my kid's job to figure it out, and if I have given...

No movie makes me so hungry like the movie Ratatouille. Every time we watch it as a family, we all want...you guessed it, Ratatouille. I have tried a few recipes, but they were disappointing. I wanted something just like the movie! So I poked around on recipe websites and came up with something based on a few recipes. This is what I did, but you can improvise: Early in the day, I thinly sliced 1/2 of a large eggplant, 2 small zucchinis, 2 small yellow squashes, 8 ounces of mushrooms, and about 6 small orange and red peppers. I covered them and left them on the counter. I cooked a can of diced tomatoes, sliced onions, minced garlic, a tablespoon or so of olive oil, about 1/2 cup of water, and basil, oregano, salt and pepper (to taste) on low for about 30 minutes. I poured it onto the bottom of an 9x11 pan. Then, I arranged the slices in the pan, just like in the movie. I doubled up the layers and still had some veggies left over. I drizzled it with olive oil an...

10:00 at night, and I walk to the window to close the curtains. It's a perfect 72 degrees and I stop to breathe. Breathe deeply. It's the kind of night air after a warm day filled with sunshine and kids playing outside and work done in the garden. It's not like fresh morning air that's filled with anticipation and possibility and the unknown. This night air is full of satisfaction and peace after a good day, full of memories of kids playing and working, of conversations and learning. It's full of everything that happened today. The air is delicious and I want to drink it, want to dive in it and let it completely envelope me down to every last cell in my body. I want to fall out of the window and become a part of the air, it's so enticing. The street is quiet and the house is full of settling down sounds. At this moment, for a second, there is nothing else but me and this air. I just stand there, in awe of the air and the One who made it. The spell is broken ...

Barefoot on Resurrection Sunday, hunting for eggs filled with treasure. These kids are so much fun. Thankful for joy. Thankful that Spring is finally here. Thankful for the sunshine. Thankful for my family. Thankful for an empty tomb.

Looking for a cheap meal using stuff I had already, I pulled this one out of the air. The whole family loved it (except the 2 year old, but she rarely eats anyway, so I take her opinions with a grain of salt). Cook up 2-2 1/2 cups dry rice. Heat about 2 cans of kidney beans and add Mexican seasonings to suit you. Use a large pan, as you will add all the rest of the ingredients later. I had some home cooked beans in the freezer (which are FAR cheaper to make than buying canned. More on that later). Stir fry an onion and a red bell pepper and add to the beans, (but use whatever you have on hand and what would taste good to you). Add a cup or so of frozen corn. When the rice is cooked, add that to the bean mixture. That's it! Offer toppings such as avocados or guacamole, cheese, yogurt, corn chips, and hot sauce. It's colorful, cheap, and nutritious! Not to mention the taste! This is an allergen-free meal as well. Also, some chicken or sausage would taste g...

There is nothing as comforting as this lentil soup recipe. I first saw a similar recipe in Backwoods Home magazine, and over the years I have tweaked it to suit my tastes and time constraints and the various taste buds of my children. In a large soup pot, combine 2 cups of dry lentils, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons paprika and 7 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour or so. Make sure there is enough water during this time. Add 1 can chickpeas, 1/4 cup dry rice, 4 minced cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/ teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 tablespoons of your favorite bullion, and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. Cook for about 30 minutes, then add 2 tablespoons butter and stir in. Serve with Greek yogurt and pita bread. The next day, the beans will have soaked up much of the liquid and you can serve this wrapped in tortillas. This is easily allergen free without the yogurt and fake butter (or none). You can also ramp up the protein by addi...

A few weeks ago, I read a blog about a woman who took all her kids'  toys  away. It's an interesting essay, and it got me to thinking about all the stuff my kids have. I, too, was tired of telling the kids to clean up their toys several times a day, and it was clearly too big of a job for them. I was tired of seeing messes wherever I went and of stepping on small toys and of wading through them to get to the laundry room. The author didn't mention it, so I am unsure what to think, but she never tells how she got rid of her own stuff before getting rid of her kids' things. How she critically eyed her closet and dresser, her garage and storage and kitchen and then purged; she just mentions that she is trying to keep things to a minimum for the family. I just wished she had gone into detail about simplifying her own stuff first, or referred the reader to a post where she does describe that. In either case, I am not going to judge her motivations for clearing out her kids...

I pull the little cast iron skillet out of my cupboard several times a week. It's often left on the stove by one of the kids for me to clean or nestled inside the other larger skillets in the cupboard. With such a big family, you would think I never use it, it's so little. But it gets a lot of attention. And every time I see it and handle it, stir fry something in it, clean it and oil it, I am reminded. Reminded of a time long ago, before children, a husband, Christ. A time of singleness and loneliness and struggle. I was out of college and working long hours in a low-paying job, barely making ends meet and always hungry. Reminded of a time in high school, and of my French teacher. Mme H was a truly lovely, classy lady. She was always dressed in flowing, ethereal clothes and wore funky, unique jewelry. She was genuine and down to earth, kind and intelligent. I loved having her as a teacher and as an advisor. I have forgotten about many of my teachers, but she is one I will ...

The passage of time has always been a bit mysterious to me. We measure time with the revolution of the earth around the sun, with calendars and with watches, and before and after Christ was born. But time passes whether we measure it or not. It passes around us and through us and in spite of us. And I never quite feel that I am a part of it. My body surely feels the ravages of time, but my essence does not. 30 years have gone by since I graduated from high school. 30. These years have been full of heartache and joy, laughter and tears, busyness and boredom. But I cannot comprehend what 30 years really is. And I got to thinking, as I am known to do. Why is time so hard to comprehend? Why does it seem to crawl and race and yet at the same time, not pass at all? Why do I look at the calendar to mark the passage of time or to see what I have planned that week, but still feel like I am not really a part of time? It's 10:30 in the morning, and I am writing, yet I don't fit into tim...

This simple dish of latkes pleases everyone in the family here. I've been making them for years, and with a child that has to avoid wheat, it was easy to adjust. I start with washed potatoes and shred them in the food processor. I use about 1 or 1 & 1/2 potatoes per person, more if I want leftovers. If I am making these ahead, I cover with water and drain when I am ready to cook them. To the drained potatoes add salt and pepper, garlic powder and onion flakes or powder, all to taste. Since I am cooking for 9, I add 3 eggs (for egg substitute you can add a few tablespoons of ground flax), and about 3/4 to 1 cup of flour (use a gluten free flour to substitute for wheat flour). Mix well with your hands. Heat a large skillet (I use cast iron) with the bottom covered in olive oil or palm shortening (coconut oil works too). Form the potatoes into patties; they will not stick together tightly, but enough to get them into the hot oil. Once they start to cook, they stick together....

The other day I was taking dictation for the 17 year-old as he was filling out a questionnaire. One of the questions asked the applicant to list the things they were most thankful for. I had no idea what he was going to say, or if he would be able to think of something to be grateful for; teenagers can sometimes be, well, shallow. Without hesitation, the first thing he listed was thankfulness that his parents were still married. Then he went on to list a few more things, such as a good education, a home and the chance to play sports, and for God. And I kept writing as he kept talking, but the first item in his list just got hung up in my brain and stayed there long after he finished answering all the questions. I savored it for a day before even telling anyone, it was that meaningful to me. I asked him about this and he replied that many of his friends live in a single parent home, and he can see the ripple effects of divorce. I told him that at one time in the past, psychologist...