in which Fairy Girl writes a song

 My eight year old wrote a song and sang it....title, lyrics. It's called "ain't got much money, so settle down honey" (and she is aware that it is indeed not grammatically correct, but that it's ok to take liberties for the sake of poetry and song-writing;)

Future country singer or comedian

when an engineer marries an english major.......(and yes, i know that "english" and "i" are supposed to be capitolized:)

When an Engineer (precise and mathematical; taking the extra time to measure and use a leveler prior to hanging anything on the wall) marries an English Major (artistic and carefree; when hanging anything on the wall, just eyeballs it, leaving hubby with a lot of extra nail holes to caulk:D).....and the good news is, I hung up the Christmas gift I gave to him...yeahhhh (do you think that outweighs the bad news;). And it still seems a tad crooked....just one more nail hole and it will be perfect (good thing he loves me ) 

(isn't this wall canvas sweet!)

Happy 10th Birthday to my Beautiful Little Angel!

 

my little baby is turning TEN tomorrow! Time has just flown, especially the last five years...holy moly

  

how the winter storm affected my neck of the woods .....

I'm from the upper midwest....Wisconsin....winter is NOT a novel concept to me......
So, before moving to coastal South Carolina, I too was one of those nay-sayers who couldn't understand why the south panics and shuts down at the mere thought of a potential of an inch or so of snow......

until we relocated to the southeast.

Two days ago my weather radio alert went off: "winter storm warning."  I literally have not heard this since living in WI, but even up north,  it probably didn't go off for winter weather, because that's the norm.  So quite frankly, it may have been the first time I heard it go off for winter weather.  I giggled less at this time...knowing a "winter warning" down here just meant at or just below freezing temps and moisture in the air.  I giggled less because I suddenly found myself VERY concerned about my hubby's 40 minute, country road/nature preserve commute....
not that he couldn't handle it...I trust his driving...and the new tires on the jeep.  He has experience....but driving on unsalted roads with locals, many of whom have NO winter driving experience....THAT scares me!

So yesterday, about 2:30....DADDY CAME HOME.  He completely surprised us and I was SO happy!  His company literally shutdown and staggered (it's a very large company) sending all of their employees home yesterday afternoon and all of today.  All of the schools shutdown.  The military bases closed.  And Tanger Outlet closed:)

I get it now, I really do....especially in this area.  Everybody knows the rule of thumb that bridges ice over first.  Well, guess what....the Lowcountry is comprised of intracoastal Atlantic waterways....which means we have bridges....EVERYWHERE!  It is impossible to go almost anywhere without crossing bridges.....and we don't have salt trucks.  Which means the roads are slick.

I've seen some news clips of Atlanta...wow, that is such a mess.  I really feel sorry for all the accident victims and children trapped in schools and on busses, etc.  And I am VERY grateful that my neck of the woods took extreme precautions, heeding the warnings, valuing people's safety first and foremost....even if it seems ridiculous to some of my northern peeps.  I truly get it now....we have little to no methods of "cleanup," coupled with very little winter driving experience (which can truly only be learned by driving in it), and probably tires that aren't of "winter" driving quality.

Well, we are enjoying our snowday together.  And, as an added bonus, we don't have any big messes to shovel, or scrape, or snow blow...no roof to clean, no driveways to salt, etc.

The also closed the bridge that goes to Hilton Head Island down....just until they can get it salted...smart choice...first accident would shut it down anyway and leave people stuck in their cars (and could damage the bridge):
http://www.wsav.com/story/24574635/bridges-to-and-from-hilton-head-island-closed 


So, here are the much-awaited photos from our version of the big Winter Storm of 2014 (along with some nostalgia of my sweet girls and their rosey cheeks and big smiles:)   (plus a little northwood's girl fun tossed in for good measure;)


Fairy Girl made a snowball and put it in the freezer...she's also starting an icicle collection:

last time eating out with two single digit girls :( #nostalgic

who can resist a little fluffy dude ;)

I had a FANTASTIC birthday!

I received a text from my mom: "45 years ago today we were in an army hospital in Fort Riley, KS during a blizzard. It was a Saturday." Four years ago today, (still residing in WI), we were on a beach, in St. Augustine, FL in 70 degree temps, vowing I would NEVER have a birthday during a blizzard again ..... And 6 months later my birthday wish came true 

Never stop making wishes:  


 Best January bday gift ever! Traded blizzards for beaches. So beyond grateful! 






my sweet little (still 9!) year old angel, made my favorite...banana cream pie!


and my Hubby completely surprised me with the Ultimate Ears 360 degrees boom speaker (made for iPhone, etc).....this has an amazing sound!!! Rockin me some 80's tunes right now....(he said it'll work nicely on the boat too;) 
(he got out of the dishes tonight because I had tunes :D ) 


I had an amazing day and am so blessed with so many amazing people in my life

south carolina gets good sunsets :D

new adventures in wheat-free baking

The UPS man just dropped off my goodies! Looking forward to a lifestyle change for the whole family ...baked goods and breads will be higher protein, fiber and overall nutrition content....and much lower sugar content.   Many of the recipes also call for almond butter (need to hit the store, I substituted with sunbutter, but it was sweetened, and ok, but not the same I'm sure...hitting the store) as well as, arrowroot powder and flaxseed meal, ...which, I already have in my freezer:)   Sugar is now substituded with small amounts of Agave Nectar--Light...much lower on the glycemic index than honey or sugar.  And the author recommends Celtic sea salt, as it is ground very fine.   We are retraining our tastebuds to enjoy subtle sweet...and so far, everybody's been very pleased!  (kids too:)



I made my first loaf of bread using an almond flour recipe. My report: pleasantly surprised with the outcome! I was honestly expecting a heavy quick bread (because it was that easy to make)....but it was light with a bakery bread texture! It called for almond butter, but I only had a sweetened sun butter onhand,so I'm sure it changed the flavor and color. (Not sure on the rise, it was short, but not dense ). Was fine, but definitely will pick up unsweetened almond butter. Also, was a tinge dark green on the bottom (I looked it up before we took a bite, and that is normal). So....despite the green, the girls and I all had a piece of toast with our breakfast and we were all very impressed !  



Pecan, date, apple muffins...made with almond flour, sweetened only with fruit and 2 Tbsp of agave nectar. The tops do bake faster than the middle...as long as they aren't dry, it's all good. Will try a muffin for lunch, with salad 


UPDATE: seriously, these are the BEST muffins I've ever had! 

Day one report...I am THRILLED beyond thrilled with the results!

off to the post office!

www.etsy.com/shop/DFInspirations 

 

trust in the whispers of your soul (see link below for ordering details)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/176615027/trust-the-whispers-of-your-soul-five?ref=shop_home_active_1


 

Creative Contest Time!

I have a new bracelet design in mind, and thought it would be fun to hit you up again for inspirational words/phrases to be metal stamped onto the center charm. The last winning idea was, "never stop making wishes," and it's been a popular design on my Etsy shop:). I'd love to hear your ideas! In fact, let's have a little fun here.... The winner will receive their idea metal stamped onto a necklace and mailed to her/him as a prize for your creative input! So, let's have some fun and get those creative juices flowing.....please share this post on your pages, I'd love to hear lots of ideas (7 words or less please....so it fits;). Please submit your ideas on my FB page, directly under this post, and "like" https://www.facebook.com/DragonflyInspirationsBraceletCreations if you haven't already done so:)
www.etsy.com/shop/DFInspirations 

why we choose to homeschool

The following articles greatly articulate why we've chosen to go the homeschooling route.  I am in no way, shape, or form putting down other people's choices...I am highly respective of people having the right to make their choice to suit their particular family's needs.  And just because I feel this is the right route for my family, it doesn't mean that I feel that more traditional schooling methods are wrong for others.  That's the beauty of diversity!  However, I personally want a record of this article, and my blog is a "record keeping" system for me:)   But it's still a great article and worth taking the time to read.  There are so many ways to incorporate "freedom" into your family life....homeschooling is just one way we choose.

http://www.rd.com/advice/parenting/american-school-system-damaging-kids/

Parents send their children to school with the best of intentions, believing that formal education is what kids need to become productive, happy adults. Many parents do have qualms about how well schools are performing, but the conventional wisdom is that these issues can be resolved with more money, better teachers, more challenging curricula, or more rigorous tests. But what if the real problem is school itself?
The unfortunate fact is that one of our most cherished institutions is, by its very nature, failing our children and our society.
Children are required to be in school, where their freedom is greatly restricted, far more than most adults would tolerate in their workplaces. In recent decades, we’ve been compelling them to spend ever more time in this kind of setting, and there’s strong evidence that this is causing psychological damage to many of them. And as scientists have investigated how children naturally learn, they’ve realized that kids do so most deeply and fully, and with greatest enthusiasm, in conditions that are almost opposite to those of school.
Compulsory education has been a fixture of our culture now for several generations. President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan are so enamored of it that they want even longer school days and years. Most people assume that the basic design of today’s schools emerged from scientific evidence about how children learn. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Schools as we know them today are a product of history, not of research. The blueprint for them was developed during the Protestant Reformation, when schools were created to teach children to read the Bible, to believe Scripture without questioning it, and to obey authority figures without questioning them.
When schools were taken over by the state, made compulsory, and directed toward secular ends, the basic structure and methods of teaching remained unchanged. Subsequent attempts at reform have failed because they haven’t altered the basic blueprint. The top-down, teach-and-test method, in which learning is motivated by a system of rewards and punishments rather than by curiosity or by any real desire to know, is well designed for indoctrination and obedience training but not much else. It’s no wonder that many of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs and innovators either left school early (like Thomas Edison) or said they hated school and learned despite it, not because of it (like Albert Einstein).
Most students—whether A students, C students, or failing ones—have lost their zest for learning by the time they’ve reached middle school or high school. In a telling research study, professors Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Jeremy Hunter fitted more than 800 sixth through 12th graders, from 33 different schools across the country, with special wristwatches that emitted a signal at random times of day. Each time they received a signal, the students filled out a questionnaire indicating where they were, what they were doing, and how happy or unhappy they felt at the moment. The lowest levels of happiness, by far, were reported when the children were in school, where they were often bored, anxious, or both. Other researchers have shown that, with each successive grade, students develop increasingly negative attitudes toward the subjects taught, especially math and science.
As a society, we tend to shrug off such findings. We’re not surprised that kids are unhappy in school. Some people even believe that the very unpleasantness of school is good for children, so they will learn to tolerate unpleasantness as preparation for real life. But there are plenty of opportunities to learn to tolerate unpleasantness without adding unpleasant schooling to the mix. Research has shown that people of all ages learn best when they are self-motivated, pursuing answers to questions that reflect their personal interests and achieving goals that they’ve set for themselves. Under such conditions, learning is usually joyful.
The evidence for all of this is obvious to anyone who’s watched a child grow from infancy to school age. Through their own efforts, children figure out how to walk, run, jump, and climb. They learn from scratch their native language, and with that, they learn to assert their will, argue, amuse, annoy, befriend, charm, and ask questions. Through questioning and exploring, they acquire an enormous amount of knowledge about the physical and social world around them, and in their play, they practice skills that promote their physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development. They do all of this before anyone, in any systematic way, tries to teach them anything.
This amazing drive and capacity to learn does not turn itself off when children reach five or six. But we turn it off with our coercive system of schooling. The biggest, most enduring lesson of our system is that learning is work, to be avoided when possible.
The focus of my own research—I’m a psychology professor at Boston College—has been on learning in children who are of “school age” but who aren’t sent to school, or not to school as conventionally understood. I’ve examined how children learn in cultures that don’t have schools, especially hunter-gatherer societies, the kind in which our species evolved. I’ve also studied learning in our culture by students who are trusted to take charge of their education. In these settings, children’s natural curiosity and zest for learning persist all the way through adolescence into adulthood.
Another researcher who has documented the power of self-directed learning is Sugata Mitra. He set up outdoor computers in very poor neighborhoods in India, where many children were illiterate and most did not go to school. Wherever he placed such a computer, dozens of kids would gather around and, with no help from adults, figure out how to use it. Those who could not read began to do so by interacting with the computer and with other children around it. The computers gave these young people access to the whole world’s knowledge—in one remote village, children who previously knew nothing about microorganisms learned about bacteria and viruses through their interactions with the computer and began to use this new knowledge appropriately in conversations.
Mitra’s experiments illustrate how three core aspects of human nature—curiosity, playfulness, and sociability—can combine beautifully to serve the purpose of education. Curiosity drew the kids to the computer and motivated them to explore it; playfulness motivated them to practice many computer skills; and sociability allowed each child’s learning to spread like wildfire to dozens of other children.

Read more: http://www.rd.com/advice/parenting/american-school-system-damaging-kids/#ixzz2qxD6tCuG  

In our culture today, there are many routes through which children can apply their natural drives and instincts to learn everything they need to know for a successful adulthood. More than two million children in the United States now base their education at home and in the larger community rather than at school, and an ever-increasing proportion of their families have scrapped set curricular approaches in favor of self-directed learning. These parents do not give lessons or tests, but they do provide a home environment that facilitates learning, and they help connect their kids to community activities from which they learn. Some of these families began this approach long ago and have adult sons and daughters who are now thriving. My colleague Gina Riley and I recently surveyed 232 such families. According to these families’ reports, the main benefits of this approach lie in the children’s continued curiosity, creativity, and passion for learning, and in the freedom and harmony the entire family experiences when relieved of the pressures and schedules of school and the burden of manipulating kids into doing homework that doesn’t interest them. As one parent put it, “As an educator, I see that my daughter has amazing critical thinking skills that many of my adult college students lack … My daughter lives and learns in the real world and loves it. What more could I ask for?” But not every family has the ability, means, or desire to facilitate their children’s self-directed education at home. For many, a better option is a so-called democratic school, where kids have charge of their education in a setting that optimizes their opportunities and where there are many peers with whom to socialize and learn. (Such schools should not be confused with Montessori schools or other types of “progressive” schools that permit more play and offer more choices than standard schools but nevertheless maintain a top-down, teacher-to-student system of authority and a relatively uniform curriculum that all students are expected to follow.)
Over many years, I’ve observed learning at one such place, the Sudbury Valley School, in Framingham, Massachusetts. The students, who range in age from four to about 18, are free all day to do whatever they want, as long as they don’t break any of the school rules. These regulations, which have been created democratically by the children and staff together, have nothing to do with learning; they have to do with keeping peace and order. The school currently has about 150 students and ten staff members, and it operates on a per-child budget that is less than half that of the surrounding public schools. It accepts essentially all the students who apply and whose parents agree to enroll them.
Today there are about two dozen schools in the United States that are explicitly modeled after Sudbury Valley, and still others that have most of its basic characteristics. Compared with other private institutions, these schools charge low tuitions, and some have sliding tuition scales. Students come from a wide variety of backgrounds.
To people who haven’t witnessed it firsthand, it’s hard to imagine how such a school could work. Yet Sudbury Valley has been in existence for 45 years and has hundreds of graduates who are thriving in the real world.
Many years ago, my colleague David Chanoff and I conducted a follow-up study of Sudbury Valley graduates. We found that those who had pursued higher education (about 75 percent) reported no particular difficulty getting into the schools of their choice and doing well there once admitted. Some, including a few who had never previously taken a formal course, had gone on successfully to highly prestigious colleges and universities. As a group, regardless of whether or not they had pursued higher education, they were remarkably successful in finding employment. They had gone into a broad range of occupations, including business, arts, science, medicine, other service professions, and skilled trades. Most said that a major benefit of their Sudbury Valley education was that they had acquired a sense of personal responsibility and capacity for self-control that served them well in all aspects of their lives. Many also commented on the importance of the democratic values that they had acquired at the school. More recently, two larger studies of graduates have produced similar results.
Students in this setting learn to read, calculate, and use computers in the same playful ways that kids in hunter-gatherer cultures learn to hunt and gather. They also develop more specialized interests and passions, which can lead directly or indirectly to careers. For example, a highly successful machinist and inventor spent his childhood playfully building things and taking things apart to see how they worked. Another graduate, who became a professor of mathematics, had played intensively and creatively with math. And yet another, a high-fashion patternmaker, had played at making doll clothes and then clothes for herself and friends.
I’m convinced that Sudbury Valley works well because it provides the conditions that optimize children’s natural abilities to educate themselves. These include a) unlimited opportunity to play and explore, allowing them to discover and pursue their interests; b) access to caring and knowledgeable adults who are helpers, not judges; c) liberal age mixing among children and adolescents (age-mixed play is far more conducive to learning than is play among those who are all at the same level); and d) direct participation in a stable, moral, democratic community in which they acquire a sense of responsibility for others, not just for themselves. None of these conditions are present in standard schools.
I don’t mean to paint self-directed education as a panacea. Life is not always smooth, no matter what the conditions. But research in these settings—both mine and others’—has convinced me that the natural drives and abilities of young people to learn are fully sufficient to motivate their entire education. We don’t have to force them to learn; all we need to do is provide them with the freedom and opportunities to do so.
Of course, not everyone will learn the same things, in the same way, or at the same time. That’s good. Our society thrives on diversity. We need people with different skills, interests, and personalities. Most of all, we need people who pursue life with passion and who take responsibility for themselves throughout life.
This article covers research and ideas that are developed more fully in the author’s book Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life (Basic Books, 2013).

Read more: http://www.rd.com/advice/parenting/american-school-system-damaging-kids/2/#ixzz2qxDIr4iY

sunday night sunset

Guilt-Free Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls

 
 makes 20-25 balls

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter (preferably creamy) *
• 1 cup dates
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/4 tsp maldon salt
• 150 grams sugar-free dark vegan chocolate *

 Directions:

1. Place the dates, water, salt and vanilla essence in a food processor, and blend until smooth. Stir the jar of peanut butter thoroughly before using. Add in the peanut butter and process further. The finished product should be a relatively thick dough which is easily gathered into a ball, without being too sticky.

2. Shape into small balls (I made exactly 22) using your hands and place them on a baking tray or chopping board lined with parchment.

3. In a small pot, break the chocolate into chunks and warm over low heat, stirring frequently. Once roughly half of the chocolate pieces have melted, remove from heat and stir until completely smooth. With two spoons, dip the balls into the melted chocolate and stir so it gets coated all over. Place them back on to the baking tray. Repeat for the remaining balls. Save any leftover melted chocolate for later.

4. Place the tray in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes before serving. Optionally you can dip a fork into the leftover melted chocolate and drizzle it on top of the balls to create an elegant look. I did not bother with this since I had a certain hungry sister hanging over my shoulder, eyeing the goods. If you do decide to make a pattern, you need to re-freeze it after for another 10-15 minutes; until completely firm.

• To achieve the best consistency as well as health-benefits, I recommend only using 100% natural peanut butter for this recipe. When you read the label, the only ingredients should be roasted peanuts (and optionally salt) on the label. The highly-processed brands made with added oil and sugar will most likely not work as well. Preferably you will use a creamy version, but chunky can be used at a pinch. Keep in mind that if it is a bit dry, you might need to add in a few tablespoons additional water!
• If you were wondering about which type of chocolate I use; the brand is named “Plamil”. I personally love the one with added shelled hempseeds. With any luck you should be able to find it at your local health food store or you can buy it online! 

Store any left-overs in either the refrigerator or freezer. They will hold for at least 2 days in the afore mentioned and probably up to 2 weeks in the latter. 

from: http://www.gluten-free-vegan-girl.com/2014/01/chocolate-covered-peanut-butter-balls.html

Tumeric Beverages:

I'm hearing a lot of good things about Tumeric.  In fact, a few months ago, a trusted friend highly recommened I begin drinking her recipe for Golden Milk.  Tumeric is said to be very healing and supportive for the body.  I confess, although I ran right out and purchased an expensive organic jar of this pretty looking spice (at least 3 months ago), it has been sitting on my kitchen counter since.  You see, I'm kind of chicken :D  At least when it comes to trying a spice, such as an Indian spice, as I like my drinks sweet.  Well, I decided it's time to come out of my shell, be brave, live on the edge...and tonight's the big night!  Tumeric is apparently a sister of ginger, and more tame.  I think I can manage that.  And as long as I can add a little honey and cinnamon, and incorporate it into my warmed vanilla almond milk, I'm quite certain I may actually learn to not just like it, but love it!  That said, here are two more recipes (mostly the same).  I'll just figure out which formula I like best:) 

I got this:)  I mean, just how scary can a new spice actually be:)

Tumeric Beverages:

1. Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups milk, almond milk, soy milk, hemp milk, or rice milk
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Dash of nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, ground or freshly grated ginger, or saffron
• 2 teaspoons raw honey

Directions

1.     Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir in turmeric and nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, or saffron, as desired. Cook until milk is heated through. Remove from heat and divide milk mixture evenly between two heatproof glasses; stir in honey and serve.

2. Ingredients
1 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp ginger

Directions
Heat the almond milk in a microwave, stir in the spices and drizzle the honey on top.

humorous moment

fairy girl: "I wish we went to school in WI so we could have snow days and stay home." Me: "you are HOMEschooled...what exactly are you trying to accomplish?" 

Beware of the 5lb sugarless gummy bears!

ok, so this is completely viral (and I checked Amazon, these are REAL reviews :D )...but I have not laughed this hard in a long time.  So I'm posting it to my blog. 

Oh, gummy bears! They’re so tasty and delicious you can never eat just one. In fact most of us eat them by the handful.   And with diet season in full swing, some of us may be looking at the sugar-free alternative to help ease the gummy bear cravings.
But before you hop on Amazon to make a bulk purchase of the sugar-free variety, you just might want to read the safety warnings.  Or better yet, take a look at the user submitted reviews. We’ve compiled the best of the best for you here at Slightly Viral…

Sugarless gummy bears may taste like the original but these come with a safety warning… 

 

Safety Warning: Consumption of some sugar-free candies may cause stomach discomfort and/or a laxative effect. Individual tolerance will vary. If this is the first time you’ve tried these candies, we recommend beginning with one-fourth of a serving size or less.

 these candies, we recommend beginning with one-fourth of a serving size or less.