Ash Wednesday 2012

Today begins our 40 days of fasting, prayer and almsgiving in preparation for the celebration of Easter.


Last night we had a Shrove Tuesday/ Mardi Gras celebration of sourdough chocolate chip pancakes which the boys said tasted great!  And, unbelievable as it seems, I think their bellies were full!

Later this afternoon, after the two older boys return from serving Mass at the Sisters', we will be working on making a salt dough crown of thorns and putting together the the family altar.  I'm hoping to have a purposeful Lent this year.

With academics running smoothly and the boys done with most of their work by 1:00, I'd like to begin to use the afternoon time to focus more on the Liturgical Year.

Shrove Tuesday Pancakes (Real Food Style)

In the past, our Shrove Tuesday/ Mardi Gras meal was chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream.  However, with several of the family on a special diet, I need to revamp the meal plan for that day.  What I have come up with is a real food replacement that I hope will still make everyone excited.

Erin's sourdough pancakes are already a treat in this house, so I'm going to whip up several batches of these.  It's important when making this recipe not to double or triple or, in our case, quadruple the batch; but to make each batch separately.  This is because, once the baking soda is added, the batter fluffs up really nice and needs to be added to the pan right then.  Trust me on this one.

For the chocolate chips I'm going to use this recipe from  Whole New Mom for homemade chocolate chips.

Then, I'm going to whip up some organic heavy cream with a touch of honey.  Or, if I have time, homemade triple vanilla ice cream.

What are your Shrove Tuesday plans?  I'd love to hear about them in the comment box.  

Preparing for Lent

We are a little over a week away from Lent.  I've started some preparations, but, as always, there is so much to do and not nearly enough time.

The children and I have begun discussing what they are going to 'give up'.  As usual, we always get the child who says, "I'm giving up cleaning my room." This year it was Bella.  I just smile because the little ones don't know that this joke is probably centuries old.

After all the giggling dies down, we talk about the reasons why we give things up.  Does God really need us to give up candy or computer time?  Eventually,  through questioning, I can pull out the answer that, no, God does not need us to give up these things, WE need us to give up these things, these creatures.  Because drawing closer to God means pulling further away from the world.  By mortifying the flesh, we become stronger and better able to choose God's Will in our lives.  I try to guide them to give up something that hurts a little.  Next week they will write it down on a piece of paper and place it near the crucifix... a symbol of their little gift to Our Lord.

For the little ones, a really great Lenten tradition is to make a crown of thorns with salt dough and toothpicks.  As little sacrifices are made, one of the thorns is removed from the crown.  The goal is to have removed all the thorns by Holy Thursday.  We'll be working on that project toward the end of the week and I'll try to post pictures and a recipe.

Also on my 'to do' list is to compose a Lenten menu plan.  On most evenings of the rest of the year, our meal consists of a soup course, main course, cheese course and on feast days, an occasional dessert.  During Lent, there will be only one course and I will focus on soups, bread and cheese.  It is always hard for me to not only cut back on the variety in eating, but also the variety in the cooking.  One of my pleasures in life is creativity in the kitchen.  Giving up the creative for the mundane will be one of my mortifications.

I hope to post my menu plan once it is in place.  My goal is to have a two week rotation for Lent.  I'll be relying heavily on two of my favorite cookbooks: Sacred Feasts: From a Monastery Kitchen& The Pure Joy of Monastery Cooking: Essential Meatless Recipes for the Home Cook.

Genetics or Behavior?

Here is an interview with Dr. Terry Wahl.  She helped to reverse her MS with diet.  It's a very interesting watch.

Pack-y Snow and My Hot-Cocoa-For-A-Crowd Recipe

When winter arrives the children look forward to the pack-y snow.  You know?  The kind you can make snowmen, snow forts and snowballs with.  This year we have only had one of those so far.  But it was a good one!

I've never been one for getting out there in the snow with the children, but with 11 brothers and sisters, I think mom isn't too much needed.  I much prefer watching from the window and having the hot cocoa ready when they come in.

My all time favorite hot cocoa recipe feeds a crowd of children and parents.  

1 1/2 cups cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups sugar (I like to use Turbinado, but any high quality natural sugar works)

a few pinches of cinnamon

6 quarts milk (I like to use raw milk, but if you can't get that, definitely DO NOT use lowfat or skim)

1.   In a large pot over medium-low heat, whisk together the first 3 ingredients.  

2.   Pour in a little milk and whisk to make a paste.  

3.   Then slowly add the remaining milk, stirring until hot and smooth.  Do not let it boil.

I like to make this up and keep it on the stove.  When they all come in from outside, I turn the heat back on just to warm it up.

And So It Begins

We've been officially homeschooling for 3 weeks now and I'm a happy to report that our days are going great! Learning has become easier for my straggling children and more challenging for my self-motivated child. The stragglers are allowed to go at their own pace so they can better grasp the concepts and the self-motivated one finds himself in the sixth week of school already.

I'm also learning a few things along the way.

First, it doesn't take nearly as long to teach one-on-one as it does to a classroom. This is both good and not so good. It's good because the boys are learning what they need to learn, it's bad because they are finishing before the school day ends. I haven't quite come up with a solution yet, but I'm leaning towards telling them to find creative hobbies that they would enjoy learning, such as woodworking. Maybe one of them would like to figure out how to fix cars. Wouldn't that be nice!

I'm also learning that my scheduling mania is paying off now. We have a workable schedule that allows one boy at a time to play with Thomas. They read to him, take him outside, play Play-doh or a phonics website. This keeps him busy and happy and I'm able to work with the other two for that period of time. Once Thomas is in nap we do the subjects that are combined. Right now, we're starting the Middle Ages and Physics.

Also, each boy is assigned a Jurisdiction that he needs to keep clean, so even the house is staying relatively in order. I'm still behind on laundry, but I've accepted the fact that I will always have a Mt. Washmore until the children are all grown.

So, we're off to a great start of the new school year. With all the major academic planning behind me, I'm hoping to focus on planning better for upcoming Feast Days and maybe sharing some of that on our blog.

Seizing the Moment

Babies Don’t Keep
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton


Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep