The Autodidact

Here's a spicy and cheap one-pot meal. It was inspired by a recipe I found in one of my cook books. Combine in a dutch oven the following: 1 14 oz can and 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes 1 chopped pepper, your choice of color 2 onions, chopped 3 stalks of celery, sliced 3 cups water 1 Tablespoon bullion (I used chicken, but vegetable would be fine) 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder pinch ground cloves 1 bay leaf 2 Tablespoons parsley flakes 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Bring to a boil, and then add 2 cups of rice (I use short grain brown rice) Cook until rice is done, then add a pound or so of cooked shrimp and a teaspoon of vinegar. Serve with hot sauce if desired. This is nicely paired with corn bread. My husband ate 3 bowls of this, so I guess I will be making this again. This easily serves 9 with leftovers (unless your husband eats 3 bowls!)

Pot Roast. I know, it's a simple thing, and hardly worth writing about. But recently, while making up my menu for the week, I found an easy recipe. But there was one problem; there was a mistake or a typo, and the instructions were confusing. So I pondered it for a bit, trying to figure out what the author meant, and decided to wing it. So this is my version (interpretation?) of a recipe found in House Specialties Encore, a lovely cook book. Put 3 tablespoons of flour,1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a ziploc bag. Add the roast and coat it with the flour mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a dutch oven, and add the pot roast. Brown well on both sides. Here, I must make a note that not all dutch ovens, nor cookware for that matter are all the same. Cast iron is my favorite cooking vessel, and while other types will work, cast iron always adds such a wonderful flavor to food. I used my cast iron dutch oven for this roast. While the roast is browning, mix ...

We are snuggled under blankets in her bed, her stuffed lamb and bunny and assorted dolls under the covers with us. "Tell me a story, Mommy," she says. So I tell her one of her favorite stories, one that I made up about her and her brothers. The story never varies, and she always giggles at the ending. The story ends, her fingers go in her mouth and her arm curls around her lamb. She strokes my face with her other hand, as her breathing gets slow and heavy. Her eyes close and her body melts into my side. How many more times will I get to do this? How many more afternoons spent in her bed, reading and telling stories and singing songs? For how much longer will she beg me to snuggle her? For how much longer will I be the center of her world? When will be the last time I am at her side as she falls asleep? I don't know when, but I do know the day will come and my heart is heavy with the knowledge. I feel weak and weary at the thought that one day, it will be the las...

Sometimes we ponder things for years, trying to figure something out, trying to get to the essence of something, only to never quite reach it. And then, out of the blue, when we aren't looking for it, the answer hits us square in the face, coming from an unlikely place. It's been like that for me, on this home education journey. I ponder education of all sorts, not just the kind that takes place in the home, my home to be exact. I read as many articles and books as time allows on the subject.  I talk to teachers and parents whose children are not home educated, and I talk to other home educators as well. What is the essence of home education? What makes us different from the rest? Why are home educated kids more likely succeed in school, college and in life? Why do employers and colleges love to add home educated kids to their ranks? Why have folks commented over and over to me that my kids are smart, mature, dependable, etc? I know it's not because home educated kids...

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE MARINOS! Well, here we are, wrapping up another year in the Marino Household. A quick update on the kids (OK, there are 7 of them, so maybe not so quick). We did manage to get them to all look at the camera, so that's something. Jared, 11, is still drawing. A lot. He has also taken up writing stories to the delight of his younger siblings. He can make anything he wants out of anything he can find lying around the house. An engineer in the making.  Imaginative, creative, cheerful, day dreamer. Natty, 6, keeps us laughing and well stocked with hugs and snuggles. He is just starting to learn to read and loves fractions, but other than that, he is pretty busy fighting dragons and monsters, building space ships with Legos, and enjoying his childhood. Brave, funny, loving, mischievous. Ellie, 3, is growing up too quickly but not so much that she can't indulge in reading stories with mom under a blanket. She is becoming quit...

Ahh, the week of Thanksgiving. I look forward to the feast we will have this week, as I do every year. While folks are panicking, I am relaxed. Why? Because I do a little bit every day to avoid last minute running around. First things first: there is NO school this week! We all take a break and help prepare for the big meal on Thursday. Secondly, I plan very easy dinners this week, or use leftovers. 1. By the Monday of Thanksgiving week, my shopping is done, so no last minute trips to the grocery store. If I need bread to make my stuffing, this is the day I will bake bread. I make enough so there is enough left over for toast and sandwiches, too. I also make my pie crusts. I do not roll them out, but I flatten them a bit and store them in a stack with parchment paper or plastic wrap in between each crust, then cover with plastic wrap, and put in the fridge. I wipe out my oven thoroughly so we don't have to smell something burning all day while the turkey cooks. I put the frozen...

Grammar. It's a word that strikes fear and confusion into the hearts of many home educators. Most folks are either convinced they do not know enough about it to teach it to their kids, or they know enough but don't know how to teach it to their kids. If you fall into either category, let me help you. Do you speak English? Yes? Then you are more than halfway there to being qualified to teach your child grammar. OK but what about the rest? I can help with that, too. There are only 8 parts of speech, so once you know those, you are in luck, and 3/4 of the way to being qualified to teach your child grammar! And you thought this would be painful, impossible, even. So now we get down to the nitty gritty. Conjunctions: There are three kinds: coordinating, subordinating and correlative. Coordinating ones, such as 'but' and 'and' and 'yet', join phrases and clauses. Subordinating conjunctions, and there are many, join a subordinate clause to the main c...