Family Togetherness

 

Here in NC we saw ice fall from the sky and then a nice layer of snow fell too just to make it interesting.  That means the state closed up shop.  Time to embark in some fun family times: board games, fireside chats (because the power was out) and dinner at the table by candle light.  There has been a lot of time to spend together.  

Now for some this is a blessing, for others, not so much. For me, it’s not so bad.  We generally are stuck home when there is a weather event due to my location in the “sticks”.  Homeschooling goes on, housework happens and we all go about our day.  Though, even with my extreme homebodiness, there comes that moment when you just can’t stay inside anymore.  

I watched the news, kept an eye on the weather and decided I would try to enjoy this storm and wait it out.  But, by Saturday when my husband suggested we brave the outdoors, I was dressed and ready before he got up! I guess I do have my limits of being at home!  So we went to the store to pick up a few things- mostly to get out of the house.  

My driveway road had trees downed by ice which made the drive out a bit of an adventure. The main roads were clear so getting to the store not so bad. It started to snow again; just lightly enough to send us home.  On the way back to the house, we decided to go ahead and cut down trees to make the road easier to traverse.  It was a good outing.

All in all we survived the storm and managed to not be overcome by cabin fever. And, the good news is that it looks like we are going to warm up this week! That will make all the crystal trees coated with ice disappear, and the snow will melt, but so will the ice.

Back to your regularly scheduled homeschool activites.

Posted By

Heather Garcia

Finding Friends

Definition of friend according to Merriam-Webster:

friend, n.

• a person who you like and enjoy being with
• a person who helps or supports someone or something (such as a cause or charity)

Being a stay at home, and a homeschooling mom, has made friendships both easier and more challenging.  What do you do if you really like someone but your kids do not mesh, or what happens if the problem is just the opposite? I have been blessed with an amazing group of friends, and a fantastic peer group. That said, there are times when I feel like a fish out of water. I have friends with kids in school who work and I find it hard to spend time with, or even common topics, but we still care about each other.  We support each other to the best of our abilities.  

Still, in any group (kids or adults) you will have differences of personality or opinion. So what do you do? Here is what I do: I try to be polite to everyone. I am acutely aware that some people do not like me.  I feel it, and have even had to hear it.  Mostly I try to smile and do my thing.  If you like me, great!  If not, we are grown people and we can be nice to each other, especially if our kids are playmates.  Yet, it is much harder than it sounds. Having a party with “all” my friends, means a diverse crowd.  People from all walks of life-both ends of the political and financial spectrum-with so many varied backgrounds. We make the term “melting pot” look boring.  I see it more like a stew.  Not everyone likes lima beans, or peas, but mostly we can all agree on a rich broth.

There are people I consider friends who I know don’t reciprocate and I have chosen to be okay with that.  With some people I interact, I am cordial to, but we are not friends.  Sometimes, the differences can be chalked up to just life; other times, it’s not enough shared common ground, still I am friendly.  The diversity in any given group, and especially a secular homeschool group, often has the unfortunate problem of having someone who does not like someone else, or there is an issue and a divide where people pick sides. To me it seems like we are all grown up enough to find a way to get through any issues- to be polite and to move on.  

That said, I have been in a circumstance where I have had to leave a group because of a personality clash, where I was not part of the “clique”. As a result I am acutely aware of feeling like an outsider. One that does not “belong”.  To this end, I try to reach out and embrace anyone new in our circles.  Even if we do not end up being the best of friends, it is my hope that we can be friendly, and that they felt welcomed by someone.  We are all human and all deserve respect and common courtesy.

Posted By

Heather Garcia

Welcome 2016

As we wrap up all our holiday celebrations and get back on our regular schedules, now is a good time to take a moment and evaluate how things are going with your homeschool plan. Let’s ask: What is working? What is not?  How is it being received by your child(ren)? Are there things that need to be changed up or dumped all together?

I know I personally need to make some changes. However, deciding what to change has been a quandary.

Our family was overcommitted in the Fall and it was a drain on all of us. So, I decided that I am going to watch my commitments. We spent a lot of time out of the house and it made for a cranky household. My family is made up of homebodies and I try to make sure we get out once in awhile, but perhaps I have overdone it a bit?  HA! I overdid it in fantastic fashion (as I do everything).

Now, other than being home more, what can I change? Spending more time outside.That is a big one. We need sunshine and fresh air to survive- just like plants.  Being cooped up in a building, be it home or co-op, is not a good thing.  Of course, the season will help with that.  We are out a lot in the Spring due to our huge garden and the family task of caring for it.

Another change we will be implementing is that a more positive attitude will be expected from everyone in our house. Misery indeed loves company and, while we can’t avoid all unpleasantness and unhappy situations, keeping a positive outlook will help all of us enjoy our lives more. This mandate, of course, is not a resolution; it is a realization that we were heading down a path that was gloomy and in need of a course correction.

In the end, these small changes will make our home a happier and more productive place.  Maybe, even a more welcoming place for friends and family.

Posted by

Heather Garcia

I'll Have A Cup Of Quiet, Please

Have you ever just sat in a quiet dark room and sipped a cup of coffee? No kids, no TV, not even your phone on? Have you taken the time to just sit and be?  It’s harder than you think.  We are programed to go go go.  So taking the time to just sit and be still and quiet is hard, but very necessary. I think it is one of the most necessary things that is overlooked in our crazy busy world.

In this quiet time, we can let our minds wander at their leisure. The first step is the quiet.  I often have this time in the morning after my first cup of coffee.  Just me and the cats, alone and I am awake anyway.  I sit in my comfy chair and let my mind go.  No input from my phone or tablet, no computer screen or TV, it’s just me and my thoughts.  In our crazy world we just don’t do this any more.  It may be the most important thing in my day.

Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after satiety as after disappointment.

~Henry David Thoreau

Can you remember the last time you just sat and were in the quiet? We have come to crave constant input. How many times a day do you check your phone, or log on to facebook? I am almost always connected.  The time I spend in the morning disconnected and quiet has become a respite for my brain and my soul.

Dawn is breaking and another crazy day is on tap and I have recharged my batteries with my few minutes of silence. However, I think I may have one more cup of coffee.

 

Posted by,

Heather Garcia

The Holiday Meal

Christmas is coming.  I feel like I am at the start of the hunger games.  Line up and go.  People pushing and shoving and rushing all around.  Why do we do this to ourselves.  Why do we get caught up in the race to make this one bigger or better than the last.

The holidays have lost a little luster for me now that my kids are older.  Now with only one at home, who is 14, everything seems to be a trial. I go on.  Getting the house decorated, and the tree up and making sure I plan dinner for the family.

Really this holiday for me is all about my family time.   I enjoy cooking and planning for our dinner.   I could do without the shopping and running around.  I enjoy a well done ham, some mash potatoes, and gravy.  I usually make a cheesecake for dessert.

So as I plan my menu I wonder what other people have on their holiday table.  

Leaf Bread (Laufabrauð)

Made of a thin, waferlike dough, this crisp flatbread is a holiday tradition in Iceland. Many families make it together a few days before Christmas; some Icelanders joke that it's the only time of year the men will help in the kitchen. It's first cut into intricate geometric patterns, then deep-fried and saved to be eaten as an accompaniment to Christmas dinner. Traditionally, a special tool called a leaf bread iron is used to cut the patterns, but we found a paring knife works just as well.

Sauerbraten (German Pot Roast)

The addition of sugar to the einbrenne (roux) gilds the gravy even as its sweetness balances the sour lemon note and the zing of pickling spices.

Buche de Noel (Yule Log Cake with Coffee Buttercream and Ganache)

This version of the traditional French Christmas cake is filled with coffee buttercream and covered in chocolate ganache.

Doro Wat

In Ethiopia, no holiday meal is complete without Doro Wat, a long-stewed dish of chicken flavored with chile, garlic, berbere, cardamom, and ginger, served with boiled eggs.

Tourtiere (Quebecois Meat Pie)

Apple cider and warming spices make this Canadian rustic meat pie a perfect holiday dish.

Here are just a few things I found while researching.  While I am not doing it this year.  In years past I have made tamales and stuffed cabbage a real mix of our families heritage.  This might be fun to do with the kids to research and add a food to your menu from another country.  

Whatever you do remember to take time to enjoy this season.

Posted by

Heather Garcia

Traditions Change

Like most families we have traditions during this holiday season. My husband and I have been married for almost 17 years. When we started out we made a lot of our own traditions. One thing we have done is get a real tree every year. Some years were smaller some bigger, but each year we all pile in the car and pick out a tree. My husband puts up the lights and I hand the decorations to the kids and they decorate the tree. This worked well for many years. I have never been one to be overly fussy about how it looks. Our decorations are a hodge podge of stuff I have collected over the years. Some of them are handmade gifts some I have made myself. In the end it is always festive. Now with only one 14 year old boy at home, tree decorating is just not as fun for me. My husband does the lights and we all jump in and help get the decorations done, however the fun is not there anymore. 

I committed a sin. I asked for a fake tree. My husband always had a fake tree growing up and it has been a big deal to him that we have a real one. Now with almost no help I am left to take the whole thing down myself. The boys in my life said they would help and so we will get a real tree this year. Honestly if they have strong opinions about it then so be it. However I do think if I am lugging a real tree down stairs and cleaning it up by myself next year we will have a new tradition.

I guess as kids get older and leave home things change. This is the first year it has hit me that I only have one left. So with a sniffle and a tear I have to hope that this is the final time for the real tree, and next year I can put up a pre lit seven footer in 10 minutes. Maybe then I will get my joy back for decorating it.

That said I know the first year I have the fake tree I will be sad, and miss all the family memories when we decorated the tree as a family. 

Christmas 2003


Posted By
Heather Garcia



   

Holiday Blues

Here we are again less than a month until Christmas.  A time when people should be full of joy and giving.  All I see is kids who are asking for more than parents can give and a big deal about spending money.  

So many times I see parents going into debt to buy that one gift a child wants.  It seems to me that we have changed the meaning of the season from one of joy and giving to one of commercialism and greed. I did this, even though in the past I have tried to teach my kids that it is a time of loving and giving. Perhaps we should have made something instead. 

 

 

Even I have fallen prey to this feeling of needing consumerism to show that I care.  When my girls were little we used to go to the mall and pick a child in need and get a gift for them.  Something fun and educational because that’s who I am.

In years past I have made gifts to give out and been excited to see them opened. I am not sure when I lost that joy.  Now I fret over choosing a gift, spending money I don’t need to spend, to make the right impression.  I know I am not alone.  

I say bring back the feeling of the season. Bring back the joy and love.  Bring back the spirit of giving.  Bring back a time when just spending time with people was a gift in itself.  We are so busy we forget that giving our time and energy to another can be a gift.

Time to shake off the holiday blues, so give your time freely, love freely and remember that in the end a bigger better gift is no replacement for true joy.

Posted by

Heather Garcia