Three Plus Two

February in Mississippi

February in the South is a different animal than February in the North.  For years I have hated February and have spent long hours figuring out how to wage war on it.  In upstate New York February is midwinter.  The snow is not going to melt until April, so you had better figure out how to deal with it.

In Mississippi...

New York kids expect snow and ice in February...

(maybe it looks a little odd on the magnolias)

(Or hanging from the crepe myrtles)

But what they don't expect is...

SPRING!!!

Everybody keeps telling us that this streak of good weather is probably going to end and then the weather will turn bad (rainy) and cold (chilly) again, but, I'm sorry, everybody, YOU HAVE NO IDEA.  71 degrees?  That's like, what, JUNE in upstate New York???  Do you know how LONG it takes 4 feet of snow to melt???

So what if it turns into 50 degrees again!

I may even have to negotiate a ceasefire with February.

Almost a Pantry Challenge

Maybe it looks like one of those miniscule nouveau cusine salads of the 80's, but I thought it was pretty.  I snipped some baby greens from our raised bed before it snowed, mixed in some purchased spinach, and we had a nice salad with our homemade chicken soup on Sunday night.

I hope no one got the wrong impression from my last post on eating from the pantry.  As Marjorie pointed out in the comments, sometimes a well-stocked pantry is literally a lifesaver -- as when your entire city is shut down for a week because of ice.  Unlike Atlanta (which is still frozen) or Jen, who got 11 inches of snow, here in northwest Mississippi we only got about 3 or 4 inches, which melted off the roads in orderly fashion.  So we have been able to run to CVS all week to pick up sore throat pops, and, uh, ice cream (which I have categorized as a medicinal expense in this instance).   I should have had more of a store of things like children's ibuprofin, though, because we are almost out.  And I hadn't set aside any elderberry syrup either (but if you can get out, there is a coupon for Sambucol elderberry syrup at coupons.com and our CVS had it on sale this week, so I managed to get it for $8.99 instead of the ridiculous $12.99 regular price.  I'm not sure how that compares to vitacost because I haven't checked.) 

(A little aside about Northerners, Southerners, and winter weather...)

When we moved down here, Andy and I talked about how we would need to be prepared for power outages, winter storms, etc. more than in New York.  New York may get a million times more snow than Mississippi, but that means that New York also has the equipment to handle the snow.  Since snow and ice are a relative rarity in the South (and it never sticks around like this -- all week!), it doesn't make sense for cities to buy the kind of snow-moving equipment that is necessary up north.  The South also gets more ice than upstate New York.  Ice is crippling no matter where it falls.  The ice storm that hit Albany, NY a couple of years ago pulled down trees, knocked out power for a week or more in some areas, and resulted in an enormous number of burst pipes and flooded basements.  One family we knew had to fill their toilets with water from their creek, because their well pump was electric.  The roads may have been clear, but the roads were the least of anyone's problems. 

So, no, I am not going to make fun of Southerners and snow.  Although when I walked outside the other day to chase the recycling that was blowing down the street, and the sun was shining off the snow, and the birds were chattering in the trees, I think I said, "Hey! It feels just like April!"

Ok, so maybe that was making fun of upstate New York.

(Back to the point, whatever that was...)

Anyway, I have been following a sort of half-hearted pantry challenge this month, a little less half-heartedly this week as Andy and a couple of the kids have been sick, and of course -- the snow.  I needed to use some of the meat and fish I had in the freezer before buying more; I couldn't get to Whole Foods, which is farther away and where I buy meat; and the cupboards were decently stocked.  I've been grocery shopping twice since January 1, mainly to buy fruit and dairy, which we eat in insane quantities, but I've only done so-so with going grain-free.  It's tough to figure out what to feed my boys.

Grain-free meals I've made this month:

• Baked fish in Spaghetti Sauce (idea from Once a Month Cooking)
• Roast chicken/chicken soup (adapted from Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken)
• Taco salad (for Andy and I), no corn chips/ Taco Soup with the leftovers
• Pork stir-fry (I cook with olive oil, leading me to remark that this was Italian-Chinese, which Andy promptly named "Marco Polo")
• Blueberry-Hazelnut Pancakes (adapted from Elena's Pantry Gluten-Free Pancakes

I have to say something about the pancakes, because they were awesome.  I substituted honey (local, raw) for the agave nectar, hazelnut flour for almond, stirred in some frozen blueberries, and cooked them in butter.   Heavenly.

 Grain-full meals this month:

• Vegetarian lasagna
• Homemade pizza/cheesy bread
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Spaghetti
• Soaked Flour Pancakes (adapted from Joy of Cooking, with the added step of soaking the flour)
• Salmon patties

Not Grain but not Grain-Free:

• Bacon Potatoes (Chop up a package of bacon and fry it. Cut up some potatoes, onions, and garlic. Fry in bacon drippings.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in bacon pieces and sprinkle with grated cheddar.  Now you have "Bacon Potatoes".) 

Extras:

• Muffin Bread
• Pumpkin Custard

Not quite back to work

Snow days (a whole 3 or 4 inches!) and the flu are making it hard to get "back to work".  Snow is much prettier than the flu, so here are some idyllic pictures of kids in the snow.  Good thing you can't see the jumble of boxes we had to search through to find boots, gloves, and snowpants.

It was just a matter of time...

before the telescope...

... turned into a snow cannon.

I should have seen that coming, I know.

The swing set was a present from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas and has seen heavy use.  Also seeing heavy use...

No explanation necessary, I think.

I was going to list all the schooly stuff we *are* easing into, but that will have to wait for another day... a day when the three year old naps, the baby isn't teething, the husband is well, and dinner is delivered in a cardboard box maybe. ;-)

 

On New Year's Day

We finally have a camera that works.

(New Year's Eve)

(New Year's Day.  Note green moving sticker on chair from two moves ago.)

(Shouldn't somebody tell that kid we're on Christmas vacation?)

(Salad -- spinach, lettuce, and, yes, if you're Southern, there is cabbage in there, too --  in my new simple white serving bowl, a gift from Andy.  Katydid was trying out the spiffy "gourmet" feature on the camera.  She didn't take a picture of the Hoppin' John, but it was there.)

Smile!

Ok... good enough.  Happy New Year!

What we've been up to this winter

I haven't had time or the inclination to do detailed weekly reports, but I do have a collection of photos I'd like to archive for this winter.

 

Pop's "handwriting"...

 

Chipmunk's flour construction sites...

Light-saber battles  (Chipmunk always seems to be R2-D2.)...

A little math (overseen by clone troopers, of course).

Flowers and candles (and pizza) for lunch on Candlemas Day...

Snap-circuits and battery experiments...

A voltaic pile from pennies with Farmerboy...

Candyland games...

Trains...

Tanks...

... and laundry.  Lots of laundry.

Sledding with friends...

Lots of snow...

Lots of reading...

... and a few nature walks...

And now we're heading for spring!

My weekend

It's been an interesting weekend.

• Andy parked the van on the side of the road in front of our house Saturday morning so he could move the vans around.  We were all in the van, preparing to go to Katydid's violin lesson and then (a major undertaking) on to Target.  But the van got stuck in the mud.  (When I say this you should know that the right rear wheel sank about a foot.)  Fortunately, the tractor started right up and Andy was able to pull the van out of the mud with no problem.  Hurray for tractors!
• We had been planning to go to confession and Mass after Target, but then a winter storm watch was posted.  It wasn't scheduled to go into effect until 3 PM.  We thought we could sneak in a very quick run to Target, but it began sleeting before we got there at about 1 PM.
• We hurried home to find that the rain at home had all turned to snow.  We had about three inches of very slushy snow by 8 PM.
• While I was on the phone with my mother, a car ran off the road in front of our house.  Fortunately, the driver was okay, but it was Andy to the rescue again with his tractor -- twice in one day!
• He was mightily amused that the driver of the car characterized him as "The Man with the Chickens."
• We did not plan on going to Mass this morning after being caught in the sleet Saturday afternoon.  The weather forecast was still bad -- calling for up to a foot of snow, 50 mph winds, and rain and ice later.  None of it came to pass, which meant that we could have gone to Mass today.  Then I felt bad for getting caught in the sleet to go to Target yesterday, and missing Mass to avoid non-existent sleet this morning.  We watched Mass on EWTN.
• I spent the rest of the afternoon listening to Susan Wise Bauer's A Plan for Teaching Writing audio lectures.  They're very good and I highly recommend them.  They focus only on expository (non-fiction) writing.  I think I will be using many of her suggestions in the future.  (If you decide to listen to these lectures, too, start with the elementary lecture even if you're focused on the middle grades or high school.  She lays out the general plan in that first talk, and she also gives many suggestions for struggling or relcutant writers of any age.)
• Andy found a book I had ordered back in February.  It had fallen off the retaining wall and was tucked in behind a line of shrubs.  It was, of course, very soggy.  But miraculously the book inside was wrapped in plastic, so it was fine.  The book? Journey to Easter: Spiritual Reflections for the Lenten Season by Pope Benedict. 

Seven Quick Takes - Is it Spring Yet?

One

We've had a nice run of weather over the past week or so, and our snow is melting bit by bit.  Yesterday it was 55 degrees.  Unfortunately it takes more than two weeks above freezing to melt four feet of snow.  It seems a little insane to have to put everyone in snow pants, boots, and gloves in order to go out in 55 degree weather, but the only patch of bare ground is a pond that has formed near the chicken coop.  The kids have found that the huge melting piles of snow beside the sidewalk make excellent slides, though.

Two

When you wait long enough to finish a post, the weather changes.  Looks like we're in for another nor'easter tonight into tomorrow -- freezing rain to snow to rain.  Next week looks decent, but one day I will learn not to get my hopes up about the weather in March.

Three

The blog has been quiet because I haven't really had time to write or take or post pictures... and I've also been... hmmm... consumed? with other, homeschool-related stuff.  At the end of February, I realized we were yet again in self-destruct mode and some changes needed to be made.  The most successful change was buying a Seton math workbook for Farmerboy.  He was not enthused about using it for the first time, but once we started in on some subtraction, we ended up doing 4 pages.  At the end, he said, "That was sort of -- kind of -- I mean, well, a little... fun." 

I couldn't believe it either.  Math, fun?  Really?

I don't think his sister is ever going to let him live it down.

Four

Another area I've been trying to clean up is science.  Not so much for the younger kids, although I did invest in a Sonlight Science I guide just to provide me with some guidance on what to do every day for my science loving 6 year old; ostly for my 13 year old, who has not been terribly interested in science for most of the year.  Trundling along in our usual flighty, unschooly way has left him with a 30 hour deficit in science (according to New York laws) here at the end of the year.  So I have been on a mission to figure out high school science.  I have had a number of interesting conversations with various bright and thoughtful people, and I feel like I have a better idea of how it all fits together now.  I've also been able to make some decisions for the end of this year and into the summer and next year... which, I will tell you, is going to bring us some changes.  I was sent down this trail by the abysmal failure (after a week) of a popular Physical Science textbook.  I do hope to write up a post sort of synthesizing my thoughts, plans, and everything I have learned thus far.  But we have A LOT going on in the next few weeks, so... I suppose it will get done when it gets done.

Five

We're heading down to Tennessee soon.  Trying to get all our trip preparations taken care of, in addition to planning out school for the next few months and writing up quarterly reports which must be mailed before we go is making me a little nuts.  Have I mentioned that my husband has been in California all week???

Six

Since we're going to Tennessee (where temperatures run about ten degrees warmer in a really *good* week and usually at least twenty degrees warmer), I have to do our winter to spring clothes change up early.  This time around I need clothes.  In my online search for decent maternity clothes, I have discovered a few things.

*I am the only short pregnant person on the planet. 

*Maternity skinny jeans exist.  I am sure these were designed by someone who is in favor of population control.  He (had to be he) sat down at his desk and rubbed his hands together gleefully.  "How can we make pregnant women feel so fat and ugly that they will try to avoid pregnancy forever thereafter?"  Sorry, but the words "skinny" and "maternity" should never even be in the same room together.

*I still have SMALL and MEDIUM maternity shirts from 6 or 7 years ago that work for me all the way through pregnancy. So why do I have to buy 1X shirts now???  Clearly, another ploy to make pregnant women feel bad about being pregnant.

Seven

Chipmunk has recently become very interested in letters.  His favorite bedtime read is The Red Letter Alphabet Book, which he wants to read at least twice in addition to a stack of other books, usually including Katy and the Big Snow.  So there I am, giving my two year old phonics lessons at 10 PM, and suffering his wrath when I say we have to go to sleep. 

 

 

Bits and Pieces

What we're up to:

Watching the Olympics -- trying to deduce the rules of curling without looking anything up.  Wondering why it looks like they're using shower scrub brushes, and why brushing the ice in front of the stone makes it go where you want it to.  Realizing that we have lived in upstate New York for 5 years now (almost) and have never been skiing or snowboarding. Wondering when hockey is on??? Working on a 2010 Winter Olympics unit study  (Katydid) and remembering how very, very tall the ski jumps in Lake Placid are.

 

And also swimming and Marian Aides with the Little Sisters of the Poor (Katydid) and Farmerboy listening to The Goblet of Fire on CD over and over again (minus the last three discs, which are being held hostage by Gareth because he says they are too scary) and watching the snow blow out of our yard and into the road and wondering if the sun is ever going to come out again and knowing it will take a few months and building rock forts inside since the rocks outside won't be available until April and anyway, all the little boys have a cold and must stay inside out of the snow and wind.  And building Sculpey creations to go in the rock forts, too.

 

 

And reading Susan Wise Bauer's History of the Medieval World and Sons of Charlemagne and, if you're Gareth, a bunch of old Anglo-Saxon poems, just for fun.  And also if you're Gareth, you are beginning to think about Scout Camp and wonder if you might be able to work on the Sailing merit badge, because like the rest of us, you can't help dreaming of spring.

And me? I'm learning to soak grains and make old-fashioned oatmeal (soaked in buttermilk overnight) and getting in over my head because now the boys want "porridge" every morning, probably so they can pretend to be pioneers, and I do not have enough good glass or ceramic bowls to soak all the flour I need to keep everyone supplied with muffins and bread, and my counter space is really shrinking, but you know what?  Oatmeal tastes better this way.

Snow and Animal Signs

My editor is loading correctly today, so I figured I had better hurry up and post some pictures while I had the chance.  These pictures are from a nature walk Katydid and Farmerboy took back in January.

Rabbit tracks...

Squirrel nest?  Or an old bird nest? Topped with a dollop of snow like whipped cream.

Old woodpecker holes...

 

New woodpecker holes... created by pilleated woodpeckers.  (We've sighted at least 3.)

Proof that the holes were quite new.

 

Deer damage or porcupine damage?  It looks a bit too serious for deer to me. 

I can't tell if this is a mouse hole in the snow or a place where rabbits have been digging for food.

All photos by Katydid (of course). 

Seven Quick Takes, February 5

One

The weirdest thing about this winter has been the way that all the winter storms have hit somebody else.  I'm watching this thing that's supposed to be slamming the Mid-Atlantic today and tomorrow with 1 or 2 feet of snow, and I'm thinking, where the heck is it all going to go before it gets here?  We have flurries in the forecast for Sunday.  Flurries.  What kind of a lame February forecast is that?

Two

I have been working very slowly on answering a few questions from my combox.  I really apologize to anyone who's asked me a question lately.  Right now I'm working on a post about scheduling outside activities, but it's going to take a bit longer because we have so many outside activities this week. 

Three

I'm also still having trouble with Typepad's editor. Internet Explorer crashes every time I try to add a photo, and the editing toolbar only loads properly on Firefox about half the time.  What's a blog without pictures?  I've been thinking of switching to a free service for a while now, and this may be what pushes me over the edge.

Four

I posted a long, rambly, philosophical series of questions about writing over at 4real this morning, and so far there are 25 views and no replies. I'm not sure what this means.  Maybe that I don't make any sense.  Something I have long suspected anyway.

Five

How about 4 Quick Takes?  I guess I've been suffering a bit of blogger's block lately, but then, it is February.  Usually I spend Lent at my mom and dad's house in Tennessee.  I leave my laptop here, and their connection is really crummy.  Andy is usually flying all over the country, and my parents have to work every day.  So our visit often functions as a (sort of) Lenten retreat for me.  I think my brain needs that break every year, especially around February.  This year we won't be going to Tennessee until April (probably), so I am going to have to carve out my own Lenten retreat here.

Six

I cannot think of a single thing for Six, and it sounds as if the war in the living room is getting a bit out of hand.  We're into February behavior here, too -- I think last year I called it "Lord of the Flies".

Seven

I bet I pay for that comment about the flurries pretty soon.