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Butternut Squash Soup

Sep7
We had made a decision this year to let our garden rest. We thought that if anything volunteered we could harvest from those plants. I was pleasantly surprised when we had a butternut squash begin to grow out of our compost pile that is directly behind our garden plot. It [the plant] loved the rich soil and took over more than half of my 15’x20′ garden! Say what?!  I had to take a picture of one of them for you just get an idea of the magnitude of the size of the fruits that are coming from this plant. The ruler is below the fruit, measuring at more than a foot long. So, what to do with such a bountiful harvest of squash besides give them away? How about some healthy soup? I thought you might be looking for some easy recipes for days that you just want to have a crock pot recipe for those busy days.
butternut squash

butternut squash

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 10 hours
Total time: 10 hours 20 mins
Author: Organize Yourself Skinny
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 butternut squash (whatever size fits into your slow cooker)
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 quart chicken broth (or 4 cups), you can also use vegetable broth to make this vegetarian. Also, depending on the size of your squash you might need more or less broth.
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • parmesan to sprinkle on individual bowls
Instructions
  1. Place whole butternut squash and 2 tablespoons of water into the slow cooker. Put lid on and cook for 7-9 hours on low.
  2. Heat olive oil in a medium pan on high. Cook onions and garlic until translucent, about 7 minutes. Set aside.
  3. After the squash is done remove from the slow cooker, cut in half, remove the seeds and skin, and scoop out the flesh and place it back into the slow cooker. Discard the seeds and skin.
  4. Pour the onion mixture and chicken broth in with the squash. Using a hand blender, blend the ingredients until blended and smooth. Cook on high for another hour.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Notes
Make ahead tips
This soup can be made completely ahead of time and frozen into individual servings for easy lunches and dinners. Reheat on the stove or in microwave.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1½ cups Calories: 200 Fat: 3 Carbohydrates: 41 WW Points +: 5 Fiber: 6Protein: 7
One last picture of this monstrous fruit… That is my Vitamix next to it, which isn’t a small blender! 🙂
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Starting School

Aug24

apple_and_slateboardIt’s nearly the end of August and that can only mean one thing- school is starting! (yay!) If this is your first year, or you are a veteran, I thought you could use some points to keep in mind. May you have a wonderful school year. 🙂

Make the first day (or week) special. Fix a special breakfast of pancakes or French toast, get out the books, sharpen pencils, talk about what you are going to do for the year, do a little math and reading. Ask your child(ren) what areas of study would they like to do and plan to incorporate that into your school year.

End the first school day on a happy note. Finish the day with an art project or bake some goodies together. Be sure to take a first day of school picture. It will surprise you as you look back at the end of the year in the spring to see how much your student has grown.

Once you get the first day under your belt, what else is there to keep in mind?

Set a time to begin and a time to end. What time is best for your family? Be sure to keep a set time for everyone to begin school. Also, pick an ending time so that you aren’t doing school until dinner. Everyone needs a break and you should be able to wrap up your day when your student is in elementary school by 12:00 if you begin at 8:00. If you have a kindergartner, your time will be much shorter.

Do math and reading every day. When you stay consistent in these two areas, progress will take place and your student will do well. Of course, the other subjects need to be covered as well, but can be a few days a week instead of each day.

Make school fun. How can you do this? Find something your family enjoys doing and incorporate it into your schedule. One of the things we looked forward to was a read aloud book. You can do this after lunch when everyone is settling into an afternoon routine or do it before bed when your husband can read it to all of you.

Have a great year!

3 Elementary and Senior High Chemistry Curriculums

May8

Don’t you hate it when you perform an experiment and it fails? My first two years of teaching 6th grade science were a horrible failure when it came to doing them [experiments]. I didn’t have the necessary equipment to perform the activities and when I did, they failed. Eventually, we just read about what the experiments were supposed to do and discussed the process. How interesting is that? 😦

I had much better success when I began homeschooling my sons. I used Janice Van Cleave‘s books and I was thankful that not only did the experiments work, but they were fun and the explanations that were written in the book made sense! Oh, happy day! I heartily recommend that series of books because we used them for several years and had very little failure.(I created links to each of the products- just click on them.)

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Science For Kids is a website that has experiments and lesson plans. It is FREE and has games to play too!

If you are looking for a  more traditional curriculum I have some suggestions listed here.

NOEO Science has a terrific Chemistry curriculum with the trade books that you need included. I have used the Chemistry Level 1 for 1-3rd grade and enjoyed the books and experiments. Although at first glance it appears to be a bit pricey, you have the convenience of all the books being at your disposal and there is no time spent on finding the books that you will need for the class. The science kits are included, which is a huge time-saver! If you have several students you will be instructing, you may want to purchase an additional kit. There are several levels so it will go all the way through high school.

Chemistry 1

Chemistry 1

Are you in need of Chemistry for your senior high student? I just finished looking at a video series called Chemistry 101. It also has workbooks and tests. I didn’t see any actual labs for your student to do, but that isn’t such a bad thing because of housing chemicals in your home. Weird things happen to them after a period of time… After watching the video and reading the reviews, this would be worth checking into for your student.

101-375-2TI have heard good things from homeschool moms about Spectrum Chemistry, although we didn’t use personally.  “Fulfill all your requirements for a lab-based chemistry course while exercising your student’s practical-problem-solving skills and scientific reasoning. This one-year chemistry course is done three days a week, one of which is a lab day. It is the equivalent of an honors chemistry for college-bound students.”- beginningspublishing.com

Homeschool Magazines

Dec1

stack-of-magazinesTo me, there is just something about reading magazine articles that I find inspiring and invigorating. The articles have proven to be the extra boost that I have needed when I have been “stuck” on a particular issue, whether that was helping a late-blooming reader or helping me raise sons. I would return to articles that I had read in the past and gain new insights or affirmation that I was on the “right track”. Here are several well established magazines or magalogs that have helped me over the years.  Some are free and some cost money, but I have found the money to be well spent!

Homeschooling Today has several free online articles that you can read to see if you would like to subscribe to their publication. This is a quarterly magazine and will be delivered to you in the mail and as a digital subscription. This magazine has articles about parenting, science,  art studies, and special needs, to name a few. Wouldn’t it be nice to get something in the mail that you actually want and is beneficial? ($29.99 yearly)

Practical Homeschooling is published five times a year by Mary Pride, a homeschool veteran and bestselling homeschool author.  Some articles that are listed are ideas for help with teaching when you have a newborn and character studies for preschoolers. ($17.95 yearly)

The Classical Teacher is a Christian Classical Education magalog; a magazine and catalog in one.  It’s free and is published quarterly. While they do discuss and address issues from a Classical perspective, they have excellent articles that will help you homeschool. There is an articles tab up at the top of the page or scroll down to the bottom of the page to see them.

 Schoolhouse Publishing has a magalog that is produced quarterly. This year’s catalog features an article about homeschooling boys, and believe me, Susie Kemmerer knows since she has nine sons! This is primarily a catalog, they do have short articles and helpful book reviews throughout.

Have a great week!

~Lisa

Co-ops for Spring: Things to Consider

Nov14

school-clipart13I always post on Mondays, but there is some time sensitive information that I need to get to you before then. Have a great weekend!

If you live here in Cincinnati and were hoping to get into a co-op for the spring, I have good news for you! There are two co-ops that have openings. I will post the information below. If you don’t live here, look into seeing if you can get into a homeschool co-op. Now is the time for spring sign-ups for most co-ops. If you are wanting to wait until next fall to join one, contact the co-op now for information on when sign-ups are for the fall session. They are usually in late winter, either February or early March.

What if you have never been in a homeschool co-op and want to try one, but you aren’t sure where to begin? I was a co- director of a large cooperative here in town and a member for 16 years and understand your caution. It is better to have your questions answered before jumping in. I’d like to offer some advice on things to consider when inquiring about co-ops. No two are alike and if you aren’t satisfied with one, look for another if there are more one in your area. 🙂

  • Where do they meet? Consider drive time. How far are you willing to be in your vehicle to get there and back?
  • What is the cost? The cost of co-ops varies widely, so be sure and ask.
  • What day of the week do they meet? Will that day work for you? Most moms have every intention of getting some school in the day of co-op, but in all likelihood, it won’t happen. Can you plan for a four day a week school or go to school on the weekend if you have to have a five day schedule? Carefully consider this because you will be frustrated and anxious if you were planning on having school on the day of co-op. I was able to have my sons do math before co-op when they were young because they got up at 6:00. As they got older and slept in, I had to adjust my schedule and not count co-op days as a day to get our regular schoolwork completed.
  • How many weeks is the co-op?
  • What are the hours they meet? 
  • Do they have childcare for your little ones? Some co-ops don’t have nursery capability, so if you have a little one and they don’t, will your baby or toddler need to be with you?
  • If the co-op is a full day, can you come for part of the day or do you need to be there all day?
  • Can you come and check out the co-op before signing up? You can get a better idea of how the co-op runs and if it is a good fit for your family by seeing things for yourself.
  • What are the classroom sizes?
  • Do they have a maximum number of students that are in a classroom? You don’t want your child’s class to be overcrowded.
  • What requirements are there for you to join? Do you have to teach a class? Do you have to be an aide? Do you have to be a member of the church?
  • Do you have any free time when you are there? Some co-ops have a policy that you work all the hours you are there, other co-ops say you have an hour free, etc. Co-ops are a great place for you to develop friendships too! I loved going to co-op and visiting with moms. I got a lot of terrific advice and camaraderie from the ladies who I saw each week at the co-op. I still have friends that I meet with as a result of being in a co-op.
  • Is it religiously affiliated? If so, do you have to sign a statement of faith? Some co-ops have you sign a statement of faith, and some do not. If it meets in a church and you are not interested in a worldview that the co-op would be teaching, then you would want to look at a different co-op.

Here are the co-ops that have openings this spring. Be sure the classes you are interested in are open to take new students. You don’t want to put all that time into considering and discussing the classes with your children only to find out the class is not available. Click on the links to obtain more information.

Wisdom’s Way, Milford, Ohio (registration is November 17 and 18) Faith Church

HELP Milford, Ohio  Milford Christian Church