Menu Plan Monday: Sloppy Start

 Want the Ground Hog Day activities links? Keep scrolling :-)

Good Morning/Afternoon/Middle of the Night! An icy, sleety, freezing-rainy start to our week in the Baltimore/Washington area, the perfect "recipe" (HAHAHA, I"m so funny on five hours sleep!) for a three-hour commute for my blessed husband. When it comes to rush hour length, our area is Number One in the country! Rah, Rah. We're not even close to NYC or LA's populations, but because of the geographical lay-out of the city--straddling a river that chokes everyone down to only two portals--,there are simply no alternative routes to avoid a vehicular  lock-down.

Blizzard of 2010. City simply closed shop for a week. Not that our government needs an excuse for a shut-down.

And in this area of already stressed-out government employees who are transferred here from all over the country, many whose hometowns are in milder areas of the nation, a smidgeon of snow is a call for pandemonium.

So, if terrorists want to run the show, they don't need to get all fancy with suicide planes and such. They just need a snowstorm and a couple of strategically placed disabled trucks on the Beltway. They'll be in control  for days.

WELL! Enough of gloom and doom. You came here to get some recipe ideas!

So let's find something from 5 Dinners in an Hour to calm the nerves and warm our tummies and hearts in this dead of winter. And take heart! Groundhog Day, the halfway point, is this weekend!! Yay for the weather prognosticator, Punsutawney Phil !

For my homeschooling friends who like turning anything into a teachable moment, here are some links for learning and fun:
Free Punxsutawney Phil Lesson Plan: Free Groundhog Day Printables, Coloring Pages, and Activities for Kids 

Enchanted Learning: Ground Hog Day 

Monday

Slow Cooked Chicken and Dumplings (perfect start, eh?)
Green salad

Tuesday

Spinach Lasagna
Green salad

Wednesday

Tilapia Tacos
Sliced avocadoes
Black beans

Thursday

Slow Cooked Vegetarian Chili
Whole wheat rolls

Friday--Co-op, Dance class and Middle School Youth Group

Dinner out for Mother and Father Robin

Saturday --Ground Hog Day!

DITK (Dad in the Kitchen!) Gotta be something German, Father R, to recall your Western PA roots (home of the celebrated rodent)!

Sunday

Left-over Buffet

I'm feeling better already! How about you? Got Menu? Tell Mother All About It!
Then find more inspiration at Organizing Junkie!

Bird's-Eye View of the Week: Inauguration!

     Now how many posts are you going to read this week about a blogger's family member who marched in the Inaugural Parade? Well you can say at least one. 

   Our 17-year-old nephew, my middle brother's oldest, made history marching with the Black Horse Troop of Culver Academies last Monday. While we couldn't be at the parade itself--broken feet are excluded from standing in the cold for eight hours--we watched anxiously on C-SPAN for about 2 hours until near the end they arrived, all 90+ black stallions and riders, all carrying American flags on the 100th anniversary of their first appearance at Woodrow Wilson's inauguration. It was a thrilling sight. Or as my brother put it, Nephew will always have the mental image of the President saluting him! 


   We did get to visit the troop at the Prince George's Show Place Arena while they groomed the pampered mules hard-working steeds for their Big Day. Middle Brother wasn't sure if we'd be interested, but Mei's addiction to all things equestrian made the opportunity a must for us. That it was a cloudless, balmy day in January helped.

The Black Horse Troop horses are Friesians, notable for their wavy manes and tails.

  

 Late on the night of the 21st, while still watching C-SPAN (simply to see what the First and Vice-First Ladies were wearing to the Balls), the network opened the mikes to callers. One rambled on about how we have "checks and balances" of Republicans and Democrats in office. WHAT??? 

No mention of political parties.

    The next day I was still raving over this woman's ignorance (and C-SPAN's duplicity by not screening their callers). But of course as a dutiful homeschooling parent, I left no teachable moment unturned. So ensued a discussion of the REAL Checks and Balances . Thanks to a handy workbook, The Complete Book of Presidents and States,  lying around, we were able to cover that ground fairly easily and in a lively fashion.

    The rest of the week was less dramatic. Mei got sick which in fact counts as drama around here because of its rarity. And she's the most fun-loving sick person I've ever met! Her illness combined with my healing heel and instep, topped off with just enough snow to cancel extracurriculars, made for a quiet week. We learned to team-tackle fire-building to keep the living room toasty where I have been propping up the injured appendage. And we have our birdfeeders up and running again after a whole year off. We're gearing up for February's Great Backyard Bird Count and Handbook of Nature Study's February Outdoor Hour Challenges. 

   Speaking of the Outdoor Challenges, we are wrapping up our January studies of rocks this week. Just the word ROCKS sounds dull. But the challenges have created lots of appeal. More about our geological adventures here.

     We completed our first track of artists in the Meet the Masters program at the co-op where I teach art. The final artist was Andy Warhol. I don't care who you are or where you come from, this guy is going to elicit a response. Kids are no different. I'll have more to tell about them soon.

    In the days ahead, the weather forecast is for sleet and snow for the first morning rush hour of the new work week, never a good thing around the Washington Beltway.  I've already cancelled the follow-up x-ray of the snapped metatarsal. However I "feel the heal" and we can look forward to our long walks at the Conservancy again soon.  The dog is elated.

   That was our Inaugural Week. What was yours? Tell Mother All About It! 
    Hook up with others at Weekly Wrap-up!