Friday, February 19, 2016

Friday Findings: Prevent Burnout; Schole; Cleaning Cast Iron; and If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It....

It's been a busy week!  We finished up our final week of Term 2, which I'll post more about later.  We've had several things going on at church.  The kids met for their February Socratic Book Club discussion on Wednesday.  We discussed Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen.  We also started back into second semester choir and art yesterday.  Both, Riley and Ruben are taking art, but only Riley is singing in the choir this term.  I was a little disappointed that Ruben didn't want to participate.  However, while he was waiting that extra hour for Riley, he joined in with a group to play a board game.  It was awesome to see him step outside his box and interact with peers.  Later, he told me it was one of the highlights of his day :)

I did find time to sneak in a couple podcasts this week including What's Love Got to Do with It? at Schole Sisters and Teaching from Rest at Your Morning Basket with Pam Barnhill and Sarah Mackenzie.  Both were very encouraging, especially since February is known to be burnout month in the homeschool community. These women gave tips and tricks for smooth and easy days.

Speaking of Schole, a friend and I have decided we're going to try a night out to rejuvenate.  Tonight we're meeting for dinner.  I'm looking so forward to it!  Schole doesn't have to be some big major event.  It can be as simple as meeting a friend for lunch, going on a nature walk, participating in a crafting project, or reading a book and discussing with a buddy. Sometimes less is more ;-)

On another note, I LOVE my cast iron skillets!!  I wouldn't know how to cook without them.  But for some, cast iron cleaning remains a mystery.  Recently, America's Test Kitchen posted a quick video on Maintaining a Cast-Iron Skillet in Cooks Illustrated.  I even learned a few things.

This week, Brandy Vencel posted a timely reminder that If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It. With conferences and curricula fairs starting, it's enough to make your head spin.  As usual, Brandy offers sound advice.

I leave you with images of Ruben plowing last week's snow and a little boy looking out the front door at a winter wonderland....







6 comments:

  1. Oh, I hope you enjoy your night out! I really do think that those are some of the best refreshments for moms. ♥

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank Brandy...I'm looking forward to it :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the tractor pictures! My son recently learned to drive the lawn mower with the trailer hitched on so we can pick up fallen limbs around the property. Such a good way to give a boy manly responsibility.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Ivy Mae...that's a great thought! I'm conflicted about Ruben having that responsibility at such a young age and yet when we go back and study history, we see the responsibilities mere children had at age 10-12. Also, when I look at Levi standing on the threshold dreaming about being a boy with manly responsibility, I'm reminded how quickly it all goes and I'm so thankful for homeschooling as it affords me all those precious moments and opportunities to watch them blossom.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! Your landscape is something we just dream about. We've just returned from Queensland this week and the heat there was just so oppressive.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ironically, I dream about oppressive heat this time of year, LOL!

    Actually, I shouldn't complain, yesterday it was nearly 60-degrees, which is unheard of. It was a wonderful reprieve and most of the snow has since melted. However, there is more in the forecast and today we are back to normal temps.

    Hope you had a wonderful trip!

    ReplyDelete