Kids in the Kitchen ~ Pizza Balls

  

PIZZA BALLS

I've seen this recipe float around Face Book several times. I finally decided that I wanted to try it out. We were going to do this for Adelle's birthday dinner last night, but it didn't work out so I decided to let the kids make it for lunch today.

Ingredients:
3 cans biscuits (10 ct)
60 peperoni slices (2 per biscuit)
1 Block of cheese (we used an 8 oz block)
1 Beaten egg
Garlic powder
Italian seasoning
1 Jar pizza sauce

Directions:
1. Slice the cheese into about 30 pieces.

  

2. Flatten & stretch each biscuit.

3. Stack one pepperoni on top the biscuit, then a cheese square on top of that, then another slice of pepperoni... as pictured above. It's very simple. 

4. Gather the edges of the biscuit on top of the pepperoni stack and pinch to secure. 

       

       

5. Line the rolls in a greased 9x13 pan. Brush the top of biscuits with the beaten egg. 

6. Sprinkle italian seasoning, garlic powder and parm cheese on top. 

        

 

7. Bake at 425 degrees for 18-20 minutes. 

8. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

     

This is a real treat and is a good substitute for when your budget doesn't allow for a pizza from the pizza shop. It is super easy... so easy I bet Adelle could do it by herself next time. :-)

Happy snacking!

   

Moments to Remember - Not Alone

Moments to Remember was developed as a simple way to look back on our week as homeschoolers and find photos that encompass the memories we want to remember. 

The week may have been tough, there may have been more bumps than smiles, but in the end these are the moments that keep us going, the ones we need to remember.

In talking to another homeschool mom yesterday, I learned that we are not the only family that has taken a relaxed approach to the school year resulting in taking our lessons into the month of June. It's just good to know that we are not alone; that we share similar experiences as other homeschool moms. 

The Homeschool Mother's Journal #6

*IN OUR HOME SCHOOL THIS WEEK..... We are really just playing catch up. We have 170 lessons in this curriculum and we're on 134. We just might be working our way right up to the next grade. 

*I AM GRATEFUL FOR...... God has shown so much mercy and grace towards me. He is patient and kind. I am forever grateful for His unconditional love, forgiveness and the rest that we can find in Him. 

*IN MY LIFE THIS WEEK.... I am desperate for God to fill me with the Holy Spirit and for God to exchange my stone cold heart for a heart of flesh that is pliable in His hands.

*WHAT'S WORKING/NOT WORKING FOR US..... I really think that we have struggled so much this school year because this curriculum is not right for us. It really did not make learning very fun. We are going with something different next year for sure!

*MY FAVORITE THING THIS WEEK WAS.......  I really cherish the prayer/devotion time I get to have with my children. I have neglected this for a while and we started doing it again this week. It warms my heart so much to hear my children pray. I now see how vitally important it is to take this time. I am learning that issues of the heart are far more important than academics.

*SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK....... "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." Ezekiel 36:25-27

A Tough Year

Whew! What a school year we have had! We started out doing alright... we had a routine set and was following it pretty good. We have even made some new friends in our home school support group. This adventure got tough when I decided to help my BFF (I wrote about it a tiny bit in my last post). I think I honestly bit off more than I could chew. Getting both children out the door by 7am every morning, trying to home school at someone else's house, not being able to do any house work until the evening or on the weekend makes for a stressful Mama here. Maybe I'm just lazy (or not in shape or whatever), but I am constantly exhausted.  We have 170 lessons in this curriculum and we are only on lesson 113. Really?!? (Maybe I'm just a perfectionist.)  Being able to stay on task in our school work has been very challenging... for me. I'm finding myself trying to catch up on missed sleep, missed prayer and I'm struggling to find a good attitude.  I have tried taking school work back home to work on during the weekends some, but that hasn't exactly worked out. I'm not wanting to supervise the work and the kids are just too distracted having everyone else home. 

It's time for a new plan! 

We are generally done with all our lessons by lunch time. So the new catch-up plan now is to do some extra work in the afternoons. This IS necessary because if we don't get caught up, Adelle will still be working on K5 lessons in the First Grade!

If I had to grade myself, I'd give myself a big D. I don't think that I have necessarily failed.  I have managed to hang in there and though our progress is S L O W, we are still progressing.

A note to my BFF:  I love you and I am still here for you. I WILL stick this out to the end.  (((HUGS)))

Yes, We Are Still Homeschooling

While I have fallen short in keeping up with this blog, I have managed to keep going with our homeschooling. Our routine has gotten a little hairy, but we are trudging on. A couple of months ago, I decided to help my best friend out and started to homeschool her little boy in her home (right along with Adelle and Jonathan). I store our essential supplies, ones we use on a daily basis, at her house and transport supplies we need for special projects. My BFF lives in the next town over. It takes about 25-30 minutes to get to to her house from ours, so the 3 of us are out the door by 7am. This has taken some adjustment... mostly on my part. Of course, not being at my own house, I've had to readjust my cleaning routine (which I'm still working on, esp the laundry). I must admit that I fight exhaustion continually. However, this post isn't about venting all my woes. I wanted to catch up on where we are in our homeschooling. 

PHONICS

Adelle has learned how to read 3-4 letter single-vowel words and is learning what sentences are. Jonathan is sitting in on her lessons so he knows all the letter names and sounds. He even knows the vowels from the consonants! He spaces off when it comes to blending letter sounds.

MATH

Adelle has learned so much in math that I cannot begin to type it all here. She is learning the value of coins. She can count to 100 and recognizes numbers all the way up to 60. She has begun addition lessons and knows how to read o'clock times on the analog clock (1:00, 2:00, etc...).  Jonathan can count to 100 too and recognizes numbers up to 60. He can even tell you what "family" a number belongs in.

WRITING

Adelle has learned how to write almost all lowercase letters (minus about 3) in cursive and even a few single-vowel words. She can write numbers 0-10 as well. Jonathan is still pre-writing, but he was eager to try to trace numbers earlier this week and he did very well staying on the lines. 

BIBLE

They're having way too much fun learning new Bible songs (My God is so Big, Father Abraham, The B-I-B-L-E, etc...).  They have learned about 8 memory verses and they are also learning about different Bible characters. This week we've been talking about the prophet Elijah. 

PIANO

Adelle is learning the piano very fast. She has learned quarter, half and whole notes. She has learned the meanings of forte, piano, treble clef and bass clef. She is learning the note names and how to play alternating left hand to right hand. Her newest lesson is learning the C-scale (for all of you musical people out there). She will learn a couple of Christmas songs over these next couple of weeks too. 

Can you sense my pride in these kids?? Both of them amaze me ALL THE TIME! 

The Homeschool Mother's Journal #5

• IN OUR HOMESCHOOL THIS WEEK... We were on vacation! We explored the Natchez Trace, played at new-to-us local parks, the boys went up to the Car Museum in Tupelo and we enjoyed feeding, petting and looking at the animals at the state fair. We had a blast! The only "school" we did this week was handwriting practice. Adelle needs all the practice she can get. 
• MY FAVORITE THING THIS WEEK WAS... Having my husband home with us! 
• I'M COOKING... We tried homemade pumpkin pancakes made with REAL pumpkin.  They were delicious!... So wonderful that we had them for breakfast twice this week!  {smile}
• I AM INSPIRED BY... My husband. He is so gentle and patient with our children... a character quality that I strive to attain. 
• I'M GRATEFUL FOR... This chance to be able to homeschool my children; to love and play with them. 
• SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK... "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, and love and discipline."  2 Timothy 1:7

Jonathan is Pre-writing

I watch my children develop and grow with complete fascination and in awe of God's creation of the mind and body. It never fails to amaze me when both of my children reach developmental milestones and/or master different skills. 

Last year, Jonathan was all about scribble, scribble, scribble. Of course, this time last year he was still 2 years old. I tried to get him to start tracing his name with dry erase markers. He just scribbled, scribbled, scribbled all over the sheet protector. I didn't mind that. {smile} 

We are 2 months into the 2012-2013 school year. I just began prewriting exercises with him 2 weeks ago and Jonathan is showing more control of his crayons and markers.  I am currently using My First Book of Tracing by Kumon.  In these pages, Jonathan is supposed to draw a line from one little picture to the other matching picture. He traces straight and curvy lines up and down, right and left, diagonal both ways and even loops. Excellent cursive writing prep! 

He traces one page, front and back, per day. I didn't have the next page in his tracing book with me one day last week (we are currently homeschooling at a friend's house). I had to think quick {gotta stay on target}. I have a cookie sheet from Dollar Tree that you can write on and wipe off with a dry erase marker {an accidental discovery}. I had my pom-pom magnets with me too.  IDEA emerges! I set up a prewriting activity by placing 3 or 4 different colors magnets at the top of the cookie sheet and then placing matching pom-poms at the bottom. I had him draw different lines as said in previous paragraph from one pom-pom to the matching pom-pom. 

Then I placed pom-pom magnets in the middle of the cookie sheet and showed him how to draw loops around them.  He thoroughly enjoyed this activity and he was VERY independent about it too.  {SMILE}

I am thoroughly enjoying homeschooling my children!