grateful new year

first day of the year. sick, sore and in pain. first response fuck you new year what a shit way to start. the i stopped and thought no, thank you new year. sick happens but not everyone has an awesome husband who assists you and looks after child while you crash. not everyone has medicine available and herbal remedies at hand like beautiful manuka honey and lemon. and not everyone has a soft warm bed and home to rest in. it is a good start to the year. i have everything i need and lots of love. and its only a cold for petes sake. 

curriculum ideas for homeschooling First grade

basic baking 

covering measurement 

language associated with measurement utensils ingredients baking terminology 

temperature  celsius  and fahrenheit   using appliances safety with electrical appliances and stoves/ovens 

reading weather reports 

temperature rainfall make our own weather station rain fall chart cover mathematics graphing millilitres litres 

reading recipes packaging weather reports shopping lists 

science how yeast works baking soda powder etc compare what heat does to water cold etc. using a cooking thermometer. 

literature focus on fairy tales and oral story telling. dramatising oral recounts and familiar stories. 

hearing phonic blends initial and end sounds 

Be the change you want to see in this world.

Be the change you want to see in this world. Many have said it and it is true and powerful. Another saying that comes to mind is ' give me the grace to change that which I can and to leave that that I cannot change.' or something along those lines.

Both quotes are empowering and help reduce the stress, anxiety and hopelessness one can easily feel when they think of all the things that are wrong in the world. I often feel like so much needs to be changed. There is so much injustice, unhappiness and cruelty in the world. So much greed and suffering and stupidity. How to fix it? How to stop it? What can I do? Will anyone listen to me? Can I make any difference? And there seems to be such a great sense of urgency at the moment, with climate change, deforestation, running out of resources, destruction of the environment. This urgency just makes it harder to live happily when you see so much that is wrong and so little being done to correct the situation. Watching people live in denial, living like we can maintain our taxing lifestyles, is also hard and frustrating.

So be the change you want to see in the world because you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. There is no point in trying to make people change. They wont until they themselves see what is wrong with the way they live. Others wont change until they see that it is possible or that everyone else is doing it. It's sad but that's the way it is. So be the change you want to see, be inspiring, an example of what you wish we could all be like. And even if others are not inspired, do not change their ways, then at least you can look at what you have done and know that you did your best and that you have taken the steps towards being responsible for your life and your impact on the world. 

Never say I can't. Say how can I...? Things are always possible, the path may be a lot different than what you initially foresaw or expected. There's a great children's book, "We're going on a Bear Hunt". When you can't go under it, cant go around it, you go through it! When you cant go though it, can't go over it, you may be able to go under it. I'm pretty sure that if you can think of it, someone, somewhere in the world has done it or is also working towards the same goal. Look them up, ask questions, swap ideas, remember two minds are better than one and life is too short to make all the mistakes yourself. Learn from others. Search. I find the searching just as satisfying as the doing and the accomplishing.

So remember ...
Be the change you want to see in the world!


 

What you need in your cupboards

There is very little that you actually need to keep in stock in order to feed yourselves and your family. Like your mum you may find yourself part of an organic co-op and hardly in need of visiting the supermarket.

Items that I would list as essential to have are...
eggs
milk
sugar
butter
flour, self raising and plain, wholemeal, rye, spelt
baking powder
yeast
seasonal vegetables
seasonal fruit
mince meat
cuts of beef and chicken
hard cheese
rice
dry pasta
pasta sauce
stock cubes
salt
pepper
assortment of herbs- probably from the garden
cooking oil
apple cider vinegar
honey

You can use these ingredients, all which 'your great grandmother would recognize'   to make oodles of dishes that are nutritional and balanced.

Buy items in bulk, especially rice, flour, oil and pasta. Get meats when they are reduced in price and put them in the freezer.Make large amounts of soups, curries and stews and freeze family portions for later in the week or weeks to come. No need for expensive take-away when its so easy to just heat up leftovers and no need to guess if they are still edible as freezing keeps them fresh.

Keep away from canned foods of any sort. Remember most are coated internally in plastic which has been proven to be carcinogenic. Your milk will be what you use to make yogurt and ricotta. you can use your eggs and flour to make awesome filled pasta or simply for fettuccine or lasagna sheets.  If you want lentils, beans etc. buy them dry and cook them. Save money and added preservatives and rubbish.