Pirate Week: Home School resources

    A few years ago I was worried about what I was going to do during summer break, with two young very active kids at home.  I decided to get the kids involved and make learning fun!  Our family values education, we know how blessed we are to live in a country that provides education to all children.
During the last few months our kids have really seen this value and privilege in action.  One thing we do really well, finding gratitude in difficult times...it lightens the mood and helps us focus on what is important.

    We normally have a Harry Potter week (which turns into a month), Lego in some form, and whatever topic speaks to them that summer; sharks, sea life, holidays, picking several countries to learn about, one animal or a class of animals, we did marsupials once.  This year our 8 year old boy wanted to learn more about the Caribbean and Tortuga...if you couldn't tell he is a pirate fan.  So to add in the fun to a geography lesson we picked pirates as the topic.  It has been a lot of fun so far, and a lot of really great resource out there.  Since we love pirates here, we did have a few of the books and items we needed, but this fun project can be done at very low cost.

During my prep week there were a lot of moms worried about school and how the year is going to work.  I thought it could help other moms out there if I shared my research and resources.

I hope you enjoy our pirate week!  Which of course has turned into three weeks with all the life things that were thrown in...I will post pictures after our Escape room/scavenger hunt next week!
Below are the links and at the bottom a concept of how to run your study unit...if you can, find other moms that want to join in and split up the work.  It makes the craft projects fun!

Pirate week

https://hobbscrew.com/pirates-a-unit-study/

https://ourjourneywestward.com/pirate-unit-study/

https://rockyourhomeschool.net/constellation-cards/

Interesting facts (check the site for other videos) 
https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/bet-you-didnt-know-pirates-video

Pirate science and navigation

https://kidminds.org/pirate-science-20-ways-to-play-and-learn/

http://www.thepirateking.com/historical/navigation.htm

https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/pirates-navigate-the-high-seas-video

https://rockyourhomeschool.net/constellation-cards/

Famous ships flags and maps

https://www.thoughtco.com/famous-pirates-and-their-flags-2136233

https://www.thepiratesrealm.com/pirate%20flags.html#.VNOejZ3F-kk

https://mrnussbaum.com/tortuga-pirates

https://www.thoughtco.com/famous-pirate-ships-2136286

Extras you can throw in or save for a tie in later

Moon phase flip book

https://deceptivelyeducational.blogspot.com/2014/11/phases-of-moon-flip-book_21.html

Star clock
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-resources/make-a-star-clock/

Pirate Escape room

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pirates-Escape-Room-4387718?utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=Pirate+Escape+Room+launch

work sheets...we used the division to bring a little math in

https://www.education.com/resources/?q=pirate&cid=11.75

I made my own talk like a pirate document, I found a site with a list of words and then made the definitions kid friendly ; )

We made pirate treasure chest and started a fun sink or float ship build

Treasure chests, Treasure, Paint, Laminator, Girl costume , and boy costume


We opened pirate week by building a boat out of whatever they wanted, bringing it to the pool to see if it would float.  We looked at which boats did float and which would sink and talked about why...the plan is to rebuild using skills we have learned about boat building.  You could always learn first and build after.

During the week we read, add in worksheets, and the occasional education video with more art.
Then we had fun at the pool again painting treasure chests, decorating our own pirate flags, and again more learning during the week with the links above.  We will finish with talk like a pirate, costumes and the escape room!  It is all about making learning fun on their level or exciting from their viewpoint.  

Also Lego...

Have fun, ask questions and let me know how it goes! 

The above amazon links are affiliate, there is no cost to you.

Our Children are Our Greatest Teachers

.Our children are our greatest teachers

They choose us, just as we choose them.

I had a wonderful conversation with my 10 year old a few days ago.
And after a lot of thought, journaling and wonder, I wanted to share my thoughts.

She had a disagreement with her younger brother, and I could feel her rage. I asked her to sit with it, explore the feelings she was having and then to tell me why she is lashing out or having to get physical...though she looks so cute, she is around 6 months away from her black belt.

I have made it a point to over communicate emotions with them since they were very young...we believe it is never too young to start the conversation and it is so good for them to learn how to express themselves. She then said something to me that just clicked, and a flood or memories, people, events came flowing back.

She expressed the reason for the behavior was to make her brother feel her anger.

Think about that for a minute. How many times have you heard someone say I want them to feel pain, I want to make them change, I want them to see/understand why.
I suddenly had so much clarity from so many directions.

I wanted to share with you what the universe helped me to relay to her and why it is important for all of us.

-People will never really be able to feel your anger or your pain. The lens they are viewing their journey through is very unique to them, and 10 years from now it will shift focus and the meaning will again change. No one will ever completely understand your anger, pain, frustrations in this human world (her sweet face when she realized this and asked why).

-I gave her the example of forgiveness. It is very similar, since people often treat forgiveness as an emotion and then withhold it. When people treat it this way they expect the other person will then feel all the other emotions they have felt in regards to the event that caused the original need for unforgiveness...So if they felt hurt, unwanted, unheard, disloyal or even betrayed, they want that person to feel what they felt. But what people don't understand is that unforgiveness is "like taking a poison and expecting it to kill someone else" so that withholding forgiveness will never hurt the other person only self...For the grownups reading, this means there is a lot of ego exploring that needs to take place and many questions we should be asking ourselves. I gave her examples of some amazing people she knows, yet they choose this behavior and then the consequences they dealt with...in the end forgiveness is an ask of self care and should be done often, not withheld.  

-We cannot make people feel our pain, change, acknowledge you and your feelings, this is all anyone really wants.

-We are not our emotions. You are not anger, it is good to feel it, but don't become it.

-We can choose the path that our anger flows. 

-We should not suppress our anger so it becomes a part of us, defines us/actions, but we need to see it for what it is and let it go.

-Anger is a powerful energy. It can destroy, but it can also create.

-When we choose to acknowledge our own anger without expecting someone else to, we create an opportunity to change.

-Anger is not bad. Anger can change the world

-But...But, using force behind that anger doesn't make you right, doesn't make people agree with/or feel you. 

It changes that powerful energy into something dark
It causes fear
It suppresses the light
and light in the darkest places of our soul is the only way we will feel heard, loved, accepted, acknowledged etc

-Anger is for us to feel, to see it, acknowledge it, to let go of the tension and/or attachment with it and then to co-create change. We all hold infinite possibility within us.

I learned so much from her...for me, for empathy to others on their journey and how to handle hard conversations with family members.
We are co-creators on this journey. We have to take fear and the need to be right/heard out of the equation and shine a light deep within us.
I want my children to let go of the need to control others, to change them, to make them feel anything they will never truly understand.

I will continue to teach them anger is good, but it is what they do next that can define the event, change the course of action, and create a new direction or way of thinking.

I will continue to show them with my own actions, to express emotions like anger and frustration, by communicating well with others and asking for what we need.

I will continue to show them we do not suppress emotions. Neglecting our emotions and mental health leads to suppression, which then causes imbalance and disease.

I love that my kiddos are learning how important our energetic health is and how we can prevent disease with energy work. A healthy diet can only get you so far if you're not willing to let go of anger, fear and unforgiveness.

What are you doing within your own journey to let go of attachment to emotion?
If you aren't there yet, would you be willing to explore one emotion this week, and acknowledge that feeling, so it will help you explore why you are attached to it?

I encourage everyone to help your kiddos use their words, explore their emotions and instead of preaching it, teach it by showing them...leading them with love in the right direction, then get out of the way and listen. They are our greatest teachers.

Elderberry Syrup

I have a post started on how to combat and prevent the flu...but twins, so here is the Elderberry I promised for now.

Elderberry Syrup

3/4 cup of dried elderberries  (flu season has increased the demand and price, they are normally $18-19)
4 cups water (reversosmo. if you are lucky enough, distilled great, filtered will work too)
1 TB cinnamon
2 TB dried ginger or about 1/2 cup fresh peeled and chopped or about half that grated (see what you like)
1 tes cloves
1 cup Raw local honey (I use a little less than a cup, the more honey the sweeter but it also stores longer)


In a sauce pan place the water, berries and spices (NO honey at this point).  Bring to a boil decrease heat and simmer for about 30-45 mins or until it has reduced to about 3 cups...meaning a little more than half for my non kitchen savvy friends.
Turn off the heat and let it sit covered.  Then squish the berries a bit, I use this, you would be amazed at the things I use this for ha!
Then strain the liquid into a medium size bowl ( love this set!), add the honey and stir well...again you want the liquid to be close to room temp, not hot.
Once it is nice and mixed, use a funnel to put it in your favorite jar....If I was supper messy, and I normally am in the kitchen, I strain it again into the funnel to catch the extra bits.

Store in the fridge.
To prevent illness and boost the immune system the recommendation is to take 1 TB for adults and 1tes for kids (over a year old cause it has honey) once a day.  If you are starting to feel the crud coming on take it right away, 1TB every 1-3 hours.
If you really want a boost, add a shot of AVC to one of those and you will kick a cold, sinus infection and heal your guy all in one.

Don't want to make it?  No worries!  Try this great local to the Charlotte area one call Sweet's Syrup.
They are getting new retailers all the time or she ships as well. It has become a big thing in the last year, so I bet a local farmers market has someone selling it...I am hoping the price on the berries decreases when they meet the demand.  It is cheaper to make and supper easy!

Once you have it down, try adding more or less of the spices you like...We will talk more about what they do later.  In summery...it boost the immune system, fights colds/sinus stuff and interrupt virus replication.

Ps The links are affiliated, they don't increase the price to your product and I get credit for introducing you to it.  Also I am not your primary care these are just suggestion you take freely, so take your own health into consideration with all topics here...when in doubt call your midwife or family practice.

Cuban Pork Recipe...you know the first post in two years...

The last two years have been crazy!  I use IG a lot to share updates, food, support and create.
I like the space and it is about all the time I have some days.
I recently posted a recipe on Cuban pork and would love to share it...I thought a longer blog post might be easier to navigate.

The original recipe we used is here with some changes on how we cooked it.




You will need:
-Pork shoulder (ours was around 7lbs)
-6 garlic gloves
-1/4 cup of olive oil
-2 cups of OJ
-2 limes, zest and juice from both
-4 tsp of cumin (or a little more if you like cumin)
-1TB oregano (I used dried and worked great)
-1/2 cup mint leaves (fresh, 1/2 if you are using dried...we did fresh)
-1/2 cup cilantro (fresh!)

Mix all the ingredients except the pork in a bowl or food processor.  We have this immersion blender (so I used a a bowl), I have the older model and it is wonderful for soup making and milkshakes. They also have this one on amazon.  It blends nicely with the hand/immersion blender and smells amazing!

Put the pork in a large bowl and pour the marinade over, it should cover about 3/4 of the meat or so.  Cover and and let it soak in the wonderful flavor at least 6hrs...but who has time for that planning, so just leaving over night and take it out first thing in the morning **unless you are going to smoke it overnight then adjust and prep as you wish**
Take out the meat in the morning and let it reach room temperature.
We decided to smoke the meat first.  We received this fun grill for Christmas and wanted to test it out.
After reading up on the all the grilling masters forums, we found that 2-4 hours is a range for absorbing the most flavor.  We smoked for 2.5 hours and then transferred to a roasting pan and cooked in the oven at 225 for 7ish hours.

We loved it and will to do it again...next time we are going to try the all day grilling approach but, you can easily do it in the oven.  The linked recipe above shows a much higher heat.  Anytime I have made a roast shoulder in the oven it is always done on low heat over many hours.  It can be adapted for the instant pot as well but you won't get the crispy layer unless you finish it in the oven.  You can slice and eat once you have hit the optimal internal temp, or for us keep cooking until it falls apart.
We make tacos, wraps, put it on sweet potatoes with a fried egg, and other times ate it straight from the pot.  If you run out of time or want to try it both sliced and shredded, slice the first night and then 2nd put it in a dutch oven with any left over juice and a splash of broth if you need it.  Cook it on the stove top and it will fall apart : )

Make it!  It is supper easy and you will love it!

ps the links above are affiliated...this means I get credit for telling you about cool stuff at no increase cost to you!  Thanks for checking them out!

Crossing off the list...

-Teaching them (kiddos) mindfulness and stress management

You may have noticed this one on my 2016 Goals post, you may have thought it was interesting, or why do you need to teach your 4 and 51/2 year old stress management?  Let me explain...

I grew up on country roads, four wheeling, camping, boating, fishing, tubing, small town, cheerleader, happy and lots of good memories.  At the time, and for the most part now, my childhood seemed normal...it is only when I tell someone a story, that I realize how crazy and stressful life was.  From high school and through college (and even now)  my family dynamics changed with a family member suffering from mental illness diagnosis and everything that goes with it.  There was a lot of stress, I remember not wanting to go home in the summer from college two years in a row, but I managed to handle it well.  Then I met my husband, I learned how calm and peaceful life could be, but this brought a down side.

In a great book The Last Best Cure, Donna J. Nakazawa researches the mind body connection and how stress from events long ago can change how our body response to disease and stress later in life.  This connection is something I am well aware of, not only as a midwife, but my own life experience.  I have watched many family members suffer from unknown disease with strange origins, and realized how powerful our minds really are.  Now that I am older, have found peace and find comfort in spiritual growth, I handle stress so differently than I use to.  You would think my hippy zen self could handle it...well this psst year kicked my rump.  So what did I do?  I continued our journey of healthy eating, found new ways to heal through diet, including supporting my adrenals (more on that later), learned to say no and create boundaries ( I am a helper and a fixer, but if people keep taking and I don't fill myself back up there is nothing more I can give, and that helps no one).  I realized that it is like the book talks about, my stress level preset is higher than normal because of life events from earlier years.  Though I handled things well then, anxiety can arise now that triggers a cascade in my body I cannot control.  I know that my genetics say one thing, but I can help control the epigenetics through environment, food and stress management.  Let's leave the genetics for later and get back for my goal for 2016...



So what does this have to do with the kiddos?  I was watching them do yoga one day, while I was in the kitchen cooking and planning out healthy meals for the week.  I have a lot of mindful moments when I am there, it helps me breath, regroup, and see the bigger picture about things.  I heard this voice in my head that said, it is more important to teach them how to be mindful and manage stress than to sweat the small stuff in the kitchen.  It was a big moment for me, it gave me permission to let go of things and to shift my attention to how they are perceiving their environment.  This notion started after my husband and I read a book with a group at church.  The book, How to Raise and Adult, discuses over parenting issues and entitlement in the new generation of young adults and how to break free from it (more on this later).  One of my favorite parts is near the end when the author tells a story about the typical soccer mom doing too much and in the car at practice or a game all the time.  I recommend reading the book, but the moral was, instead of telling our kids what is important why not show them?  If it is exercise then go on a run instead of complaining on the side lines of a soccer game your kid hates to begin with.  No judgment zone here, my oldest loves soccer and one day I am sure we will be there, but right now I play soccer in the yard with her, go on runs, do yoga, dance in the kitchen, show her how to do a cartwheel, laugh a lot, sing loudly, etc.  

They showed me that day, when they asked to do yoga unprompted, that I am doing ok.  I am showing them how to eat well just by doing it not preaching it, I am showing them stress management every time I get on the mat, or take a breath before answering a hard question/conflict, being mindful, trying o so hard to watch what I say and mean it when I do.  I want to teach them stress management and help maintain a low stress point level that will help them later in life.  This won't happen with me telling them what to do, then doing the opposite.  Taking time away from our addiction to busyness, to care for ourselves and see the bigger picture, is a practice we have to grow.  Why not teach them now so they are better equipped to handle life as they grow.

The "balance" so many of use seek is right here, so don't go looking too far...it is in their eyes, actions, our words, gratitude, breath and choices everyday.  Chose to be present even when it sucks, cause the reality is it doesn't.  Out of all the craziness this year our family is closer, stronger and more importantly here.  We are healthy and have each other, growing and learning everyday, I have so much to be thankful for and look forward to.  We are all a work in progress, but once you know better it is time to start doing better.


The Cosmic Kid Yoga Channel  so fun your kids will love it!

Yoga with Adriene  my fav. easy going laid back yogi 

Who needs a yoga mat

So why are the kids laying in the driveway...at night...and with snow everywhere?

Dad asked what they wanted to do...you know sled, play in the snow, go in and read or play a game before bed.  Yoga...yup they asked to do yoga.  Dad said inside? Nope outside, and thus the impromptu yoga from the fun channel we found on youtube started.

I think it is the stillness.  The snow brings quite, a time to reflect, be still.  I was out this morning taking pictures...

 

The girls were not having it, decided the coop and their oatmeal treat was the only way to go...

I just wanted to sit down meditate, or just listen to my breath.  The silence and beauty all around was amazing.  Kids just do, they don't overthink or have the boxes and labels we do as adults.  They think they can, so they do.  They feel and are connected to this world on a deeper level, though they may not always express it in words.  It is important we give them tools so they can express what they are feeling around them...this time it was yoga.  They sat down and connected with the earth, the beautiful snow and stillness around them.  It was fun to watch their concentration, they just trusted and did it.  No second guessing or questioning, it just was.  They came inside happy and had the best time playing trains together before bed.
I hope you can find stillness this week, reset and be the awesomeness that I know you are...

This print sits on my dresser as a reminder.  If you like the art check out Katie Daisy!  I love her work

ps I have a whole post about kids, yoga and that channel I was talking about, coming soon!

Adventure of having a boy

You never know what you will find walking into the bathroom, playroom, opening his drawers, car seat, you name it.  They are so sweet, steal your heart and little monsters at the same time...I am so thankful for my (not so) little boy.

Said boy will be 4 in a few days.  We are full on party planning, while prepping for "the storm!"
If you want to experience pure hysteria, move to the metro DC/VA/MD area right in time for a flurry or two, not to mention the two feet we are expected to get...Oh goodness or silliness more like it.

Mostly I think it is beautiful, specially the sun rise before the storm...

Kiddos playing and planning the next snowball fight...

Or witty librarian humor...

Wherever you are choose to be open to, new possibilities, God's beauty in a sun rise or single snowflake...and sweet little boys that aren't so little anymore.  I want to breath him in deep every time he gives me a hug and says I love you, not worry about and be open to the crazy behavior a normal 4 year old boy has.  I don't want to forget the little things, I want to tell him what he was like at almost four, and I want to teach him how to live in the moment and love big.
Happy Birthday my sweet petit homme...