Nov 22, 2009

This Week's Menu

Big winners and losers from the last two weeks. The gold star goes to the Asian Peanut Butter Pork in the crock. DadR exclaimed about every third bite. AND everyone else--picky Tai, little picky AMCD--liked it too (Shock-a-roo!!) Full of flavor but not hot.
But the Walnut and Sage Potatoes au Gratin in the crock went flat. They tasted OK --if you could get past the look of curdled cheese and gray taters. And I'm stuck with LOTS of them. AMCD is getting fond of making "casseroles" with bits of leftovers that she swirls together on her plate and then tops with shredded cheese to be nuked 'til melted. This was a way to sell some more of the au gratins. But not much.

So now it's Thanksgiving week, but that actually makes it more difficult to plan because there are so many more factors involved: leftovers, taking food to the hostess's home, family coming and going more over a long 4-day weekend. AND it's DadR's birthday thrown in too!
Also there were several missed nights last week, leaving us with stuff that was never cooked to carry over to this one.

So here goes:

Monday: Leftover Peanut Pork and sticky rice

Tuesday : Steak on grill, mash-those-potatoes-au-gratin? (the crocked potats that didn't work out), peas or salad

Wednesday: Kansas City Steak Soup ( nice and healthy vegetarian meal before the artery-choking next day) cornbread

Thanksgiving Day: SIL will do turkey, stuffing etc. We're bringing a big green salad, Tai's Szechuan Green beans, my apple pie, and cupcakes to celebrate DadR's and Papa's birthdays.

Late night: leftover soup or pizza

Friday: I'm outta here. Tai's turn.

Saturday: DadR's Birthday: Lasagna, brown 'n' serve rolls, salad. Boston cream cake from store.

Sunday: His choice.

"Understood MeiWei"

There is a book we're reading right now that should be on every helicoptering parent's reading list. I'm sure glad it's on ours, and I didn't think I was that much of a pilot.

It's called Understood Betsy.

It was written by my new educational heroine, Dorothy Canfield Fisher (I've even gotten her name memorized) back in 1916. For the many ways Mrs. Fisher contributed to our country, she was named one of America's most influential women by Eleanor Roosevelt, which included the introduction of the Montessori method of teaching to the US. There are many facets of a Montessori education, not the least of which is the child's self-pacing, but that is not what matters here so much. What matters is this book, and what it says to both children and parents.

And this is what it says.

To children, "You'll figure it out. You have what it takes. Have confidence. Try. Fail if necessary."

To parents, it says, "Let THEM figure it out. They DO have what it takes. Have confidence--in them. It's okay to fail."

I have been convicted by this book in my handling of MeiWei. I thought that because I derided over-protective parents who would fight all their children's battles and protect them even from the "dangers" of walking home from the busstop unchaperoned that I was not a 'chopper parent. But because she is rather clumsy and careless, I have gotten into a bad habit of hovering to avoid disasters. This has led to doing things for her. That in turn has created a child that lacks self-confidence, initiative, and risk-taking. It has fed her already innate desire to remain a baby.

The book is extremely funny and at the same time tragic when we realize how much of Betsy's life--nine years--has been wasted by her well-meaning guardian, Aunt Frances. Frances parodies today's helicopter parents: walking Betsy to school every day because she is "so shy", creating in her a fear of dogs, dirt, food, other children, and heaven knows what else. The child even fantasizes her own death since she believes that she is so "frail." Only when fate forces her to be taken in by the "horrid" Putney cousins, quintessential unflappable, unimpressible, mind-your-own-business Yankees, does the chopper land and does Betsy soar.

Understood Betsy is an AmblesideOnline Year 2 reading requirement for children around Betsy's age. What it should be is a reading requirement for every parent who wants to truly understand what a child needs.

Dinner Date

It was tough this week since I came down with a bit of a cold. I wondered if it was possible to go to Macaroni Grill on Saturday night feeling fine and waking up Sunday morning with those "funny feelings" so suddenly. 'Course if you're trying to avoid germs during a swine flu epidemic, a crowded restaurant is not the best idea.

As we sat at the bar waiting for a table, we ordered their "best" house Chianti and a glass of sparkling water with a twist of lemon for me. As I watched the bartender squeeze that raw lemon with his bare hands into my raw water, I wondered at the risk of infection that he could have passed to me in that unsanitary movement. My concerns may have been valid.

The dinner was great, and WOULD have been extremely economical. All that singular MacGrill rosemary bread dipped in olive oil, their new olive sampler on the side gratis, the signature Pour-Your-Own bottle of Chianti parked on your table (we had two glasses each). Then some terrific calamari--a new dish---and our pasta favs. All that came to $28! BUT, those two glasses of Chianti at the BAR were an additional $22!! That goes to show you what pride in not wanting to look like a tightwad will cost you. I think I MAY have found out how MacGrill makes a profit.

Rabbit Lapbook Update

Boy, I don't know about this. I can see why some AmblesideOnline people would say this is "twaddly." What a lot of work for a relatively small amount of end result! I've spent HOURS putting together these little minibooks, designing some by hand and hunting for others on Homeschoolshare.com.

For example, I was inspired by another mom's rabbit lapbbok her 2 daughters had made which included some math facts. Well, seeing as how we're talking RABBITS what could be more obvious than MULITPLICATION facts?? MeiWei is doing "pre-multiplication" with skip-counting by 2's, 5's and 10's as Math-U-See instructs. So I planned for nine little "matchbooks" that when closed displayed the fact and when opened revealed the answer. A template on HomeschoolShare showed a nifty book that would hold eight of the matchbooks inside. I could paste the ninth on the cover. Then I would cleverly entitle it "Multiplying Like Rabbits!"

So a couple of hours later, after downloading the PDF, copying to various papers, cutting, labeling and pasting the matchbooks into the cover, I place it on the lapbook. The "mini"book is too BIG for the lapbook. Wonderful! And this minibook was designed for lapbooking.

I had to cut the whole thing apart into little matchbook facts and redesign the cover (into thirds, mind you) to make it work. I don't like to gripe but I feel I've gotta go onto their Community Board and say a thing or two. Homeschool moms don't have time like this to waste.

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