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If you are like me, you spend too many minutes in the juice aisle, scanning the labels for the 100% Juice label...ignoring the deceptive "100% Natural" labels. We only pack a lunch once a week or so, but when we do, I want it to be mostly healthy. Mostly.

I stumbled upon this fruit & VEGETABLE box line at the store, the label on the front that said, "1/3 less sugar" caught my eye. Yes, that's right, these have vegetable juice in them, pure fruit and vegetable juices with no added sugars, preservatives or artificial colors.

I read the ingredient list, and saw apple, pear, purple carrot, sweet potato, butternut squash, tomato among others listed.
-Yes, you read it...carrot and tomato juice.

I purchased them, living wild and living my dream of being healthy mom. Once home, I began to have my doubts, would my kids drink them? I hate tomato juice. I know it's healthy, but I've always hated it. I don't like carrot juice, either. I decided to try them myself, so I could deflect the sure to come wailing before it began. I could at least say, "come on, it's not that bad"...once I had, indeed, tried one.

I was very surprised that it tasted great, it was sweet, I don't think a child would detect the veggies if they didn't know.
Look for Apple & Eve Fruitables fruit & Vegetable juice beverage on your juicebox aisle. We tried the strawberry kiwi and the citrus flavors. I found these at Albertson's... a definite hit at our house, and I went back and bought more.
5 stars out of 5 stars
(this is a totally spontaneous and unsolicited review, because you know, I'm watching out for my bloggy friends :)

Labels: reviews

I wish I had that kind of external motivation right now, because it's certainly not coming from within. I'm conflicted- I know I need to do this. I mean, I don't want to have a heart attack, and a stroke would totally mess up my smile, and yet I can't get past the idea of not eating what I'd like.

-Jen Lancaster, "Such a pretty fat"

She has such a way with words...and I so agree... If you haven't read Jen Lancaster, she totally rocks, but is not for the faint-of-heart as far as language goes. You'll laugh 10 lbs off.

Yes, it's that season...back away slowly from the pumpkin pie, put down the cookie...

Anyone else feeling the need to exercise? Anyone see the comic and/or futility of trying to quickly diet between holidays?

Speaking of the holiday season, here are a few favorite catalogs for gift-giving;

Chinaberry catalog- love, love this catalog. Best of the best picks for children and adults, the catalog gives great reviews on books, and they also carry audio books, music, games and gifts.

HearthSong catalog - a must if you are shopping for kids. Games, dress-ups, art activities and more.

Mindware catalog - games for the thoughtful child. You'll find interesting games you won't see on the shelves at Target or Walmart

Signals - sweet and quirky gifts. You might find something for that hard to buy for person.


have a blessed Sunday!

FOR TODAY... from My Daybook

Outside my window... I see the darkness of day's end.

I am thinking... about the grammar lessons I plan to get through tomorrow before we break for the holiday.

I am thankful for... wonderful friends who are like family


I am wearing... my p.j.'s and fuzzy socks.

I am remembering... good company and nice conversation I had today with a friend.

I am going... actually, I went already to violin lesson for Meg, to the grocery store, to The Lazy Dog Cafe for dinner with Meg, Josie, Teddy and Teddy's Mom.

I am reading... Colossians and "The American Wife"

I am hoping... that my sister does come to town tomorrow and that I can meet up with her.

On my mind... baking I'd like to do for Thursday

From the learning rooms...the dining room is cleared off of our books for the day

Noticing that... The heater was left on when we all left the house, and the house is just right for me, temperature wise!

Pondering these words...

"Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here." -David Wagoner

From the kitchen... I've got nothing. Went out for dinner and Sky and the 2 littles went out, too.

Around the house... It's a quiet night here; Sky, Demi and Amie were unexpectedly invited to watch the Duck's hockey team play, from a private box. They are not home yet.

One of my favorite things~ gouda cheese. I am a sucker for sandwiches or pizza with this ingredient.

From my picture journal

Who are you? And, what have you done with my children? -a new form of sibling rivalry has reared its head with these too...suddenly Demi is worried that Amie will catch up to his book level in Math, and suddenly, Amie is determined to catch up to his book level in Math. They have begun breaking out the Math books on Sunday nights!

*you can join this meme over at Simple Women

Labels: daybook

Sunday night at our house means serving dinner to a houseful of Bible college boys. We usually grill, because I seem to be challenged when it comes to cooking things in big batches- it's never ready on time when I cook. I do like to do dessert, though...here is one that is easy and a favorite

Apple-cranberry crisp recipe*

(I usually double the crisp part, and we serve it over ice-cream...and it is very good without the cranberries if you don't have any.)

Hilary Weeks and her version of My Favorite things...which happens to be my favorites, too :)



hat tip to Rudy Family Rukus for introducing me to Hilary Weeks, what a treat!

Well, I'm thinking about breaking out my 30 day shred dvd again...I did several days of this back in the Spring, it was pretty intensive but thankfully short, you just feel like you are going to die for 20 minutes. I had to stop because we had just brought home Emma the wonder-dog and she would go nuts when I tried to do it. So, I'm about to break it out, anyways, there are several bloggers doing it, I found this interesting blog called Shredheads, with lots of advice and encouragement. Check it out if you are thinking of trying this!

goodnight, God bless you!

Labels: Emma-doodle dog, recipes

..Craft Fridays are a little lighter, school-work wise. We continue with Math, because here, everyday is a Math day...and usually a few other subjects, but I lighten the load, to leave room for a fun craft. Many of my craft ideas are improvised from memories I have of school crafts...

to read more of this post, and to find the directions for making this 'stained-glass' leaf project, click *here-Crafty Fridays* found over at Work and Play Day by Day where I am guest blogging today. And please leave her a comment, even if it's just a small 'hi'...comments make bloggers happy :)

Labels: guest posts, homeschool

Labels: Wordless Wednesday

FOR TODAY... from My Daybook

Outside my window... I see the fading of a clear, warm fall day. Fall leaves are on the ground in my backyard.

I am thinking... of the history lesson I am going to teach tomorrow to the 3 youngest students.

I am thankful for... my family

I am wearing... black cords, a brown blouse and mary janes.

I am remembering... that I need to get all my materials printed/put together for tomorrow's Classical Conversations class.

I am going... to dinner with Sky and then to Barnes & Nobles for dessert. I love date night!

I am reading... Colossians and "The American Wife"

I am hoping... that tomorrow goes well.

On my mind... lists I need to finish

From the learning rooms...the dining room is cleared off of our books for the day

Noticing that...the house is quiet after someone has gotten into big-time trouble!

Pondering these words...

"Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long in the land that the Lord thy God has given thee."

verses we have memorized in our Classical Conversations class, I was able to use these in a very teachable moment today with one of my children.

From the kitchen...yummy cookies brought over by our neighbor

Around the house... our dog Emma is having a playdate in our backyard with her BFF, Bejou.
Amie and 2 neighbor friends are playing in the backyard, the boys are playing foozeball. Sky and Josie and Meg are out playing tennis.

One of my favorite things~ School house rock dvds. We watched "interjection" today for our grammar lesson with the 3 littles. They are so memorable and useful!

From my picture journal















you can join this meme over at The Simple Woman's Daybook

Labels: daybook

or...
" shoot, it's dinner-time Again? "

" What's for dinner?...good question!"

or how about Sky's question..."yes, it's 4 o'clock and yes dinner time rolls around everyday. Why are you always surprised by this, Jen?"

My blog is an eclectic mix of this and that, mostly homeschooling...but recipes are something you will not find much of here. Unless it is easy and special. And easy.
Did I say easy?

here is one that is a hit at my house;

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger pie

First, I double the recipe, then I use the low-fat bisquit mix, and on half I put the onions and I also add cut up bell pepper and tomatoes- this is for the adults, the other half I leave bland for the kids.

I just saw this apple recipe over at Quiche Woman in a Barbecue town,

Apple Squares

this looked very easy, yummy, and something you could do with the kids.

Labels: recipes

I aim to keep my homeschool students busy, interested, motivated; and I love to put an occasional smile on their faces. One secret weapon (I happened to stumble upon) for doing all of these things is my local bookstore.

I thought I'd post a little 'this works for me' sort of post...

We are a family of bookstore-junkies. It is usually the end-destination for Sky and I on date-night, and we've made sure to pass along our bookstore affinity to the kids.
Our thought is that you grow young readers by example, in addition to seeing us reading at home, the kids see their parents enjoying an evening at the bookstore.

We started them on "bookstore night with daddy". The youngest looked forward to learning to read so they would be lucky enough to be invited.


I like to mix it up and take them once in a while during the day. Along with the exciting prospect of being out and about during the day, our trips to the bookstore encourage a love for reading in several (happenstance) ways:

1. The enjoyment of a yummy child's hot cocoa with a good read. I started them off with a few board books, then moved on to children's magazines, and then of course...Calvin & Hobbes [icon status in our home...]

2. reading lessons in a new place. Sometimes I would bring our phonics books with us and conduct a lesson while the other children browsed. I would keep it short and sweet and then let the student reader browse, too.

3. Read alouds. Fun way to dip into some new types of books. We might sit on the stage and be a little theatrical.

4. Prizes. I do not give prizes for expected good/responsible behavior, but I have found that prizes for skills not easily learned are a great motivator. In the past, I have given prizes for each 20 lessons completed in our phonics program - the prize was a trip and a book from the bookstore, and all the kids were invited to come along, so the winner spread the happiness. I've given book prizes for multiplication tables memorized, and lately I've given pennies for classical memory work- which can only be spent at the bookstore.

5. Calvin & Hobbes. If you don't know Calvin, look him up...you will love his imagination and expansive vocabulary. My children were greatly motivated to learn to read so they could enjoy Calvin & Hobbes themselves.

Some of our favorite bookstore finds:

Calvin & Hobbes

Graphic Universe books on classic myths and legends

Garfield

The Warriors graphic novels

and, why- yes, we were at the bookstore today! :)

Labels: homeschool, reading basket, secret weapon

Labels: Wordless Wednesday

Voting has begun for the 2009 Homeschool Blog Awards!
You can click over *here to vote for your favorite homeschool blogs, or to vote for some *new* favorite homeschool blogs. (make sure to read the rules before you begin voting)
Voting ends November 21st.

I woke up this morning to find, upon checking my site meter, that this blog is running in the category of Best Eclectic Homeschooler :)
You can click over to vote for this blog *Here**

This really made my day! I see a few favorite blogs nominated, and many, many blogs I do not know. I am really enjoying visiting the many new-to-me blogs.
Go on over and visit, you will be blessed!

FOR TODAY... from Jenny's Daybook

Outside my window... I see a bright fall day, leaves are slowly falling from the trees one at a time.

I am thinking... of the endless must do list in my head...I really need to get it all down in one central spot, someday!

I am thankful for... my warm house

I am wearing... jeans, a red sweater and rainbow socks with mary janes.

I am remembering... the sound of my 'adopted' grandfather's voice, I get to hear him once in a while on our church's podcasts. He was on this morning, he died two years ago.

I am going... to Meg's violin lesson, to the pet store and to take Amie to buy a notebook-her heart is yearning over having a special one all of a sudden. Oh, and date night!! :)

I am reading... Colossians

I am hoping... my sinus headaches will go away

On my mind...classical group classes for tomorrow, need to prep

From the learning rooms...the dining table is a mess of books, a good sign that we learned something today

Noticing that...even though my house was clean yesterday, it is a mess today! What happened?

Pondering these words...

"We do certain things or refrain from doing certain things not merely because we love the Lord, but because we are living Him." -Witness Less, Life Study of Colossians message 41

From the kitchen...making pumpkin bread, yum! It says, 'fall is here'!

Around the house...Amie and friends are playing playmobil in the front room, Demi is skating in the house.

One of my favorite things~ pumpkin bread with almonds in it, not walnuts

you can join this meme over at The Simple Woman's Daybook

Labels: daybook

Friday was one of those fleeting crisp, sparkling fall days here in So. California. We headed to the park for some lunch and adventure.

A stroll across a wooden bridge just shouts out 'child-hood', doesn't it?

We got a good 15 minutes of play before a group of 60 school kids showed up with their lunches. Hmm.... 60 young-ish kids, my 4 and 4 swings- 2 slides. Odds are that this is not going to work out well for the non-schooled minority set.

A good reminder why we never come to this park, even though its bounty of trees, bird- life and river walk are very alluring...it's across from the Science Museum and the school field-trippers have annexed it as their own private lunch grounds. We, the public part of 'public park' skiddaddled.

And no, we are not allowed to play at the public school playgrounds.

Labels: Emma-doodle dog

It was hard to choose, but we have a winner for the picture book- Louise, the adventures of a chicken...

Our first commenter, Amy won with

"Oh! Is my slip showing?"

2nd runner-up, winning the gift card to Barnes & Nobles is Karen Sue with

"...you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about. YEAH!"

thanks for playing!
- I'll be in contact with you Amy and Karen Sue.

**P.S. -Amy! contact me, you didn't leave a way for me to contact you!

scroll down to find the "name this photo" contest. Win a cute picture book or a gift card to Barnes & Nobles. Contest ends at 9 pm.

A thought:

When making s'mores at home with the children.....

and you decide to use the gas burners on your stove because it is too warm at the moment to use the fireplace.....

and the family cat decides to join you, because he is nosey that way.....

don't assume his natural sense of self-preservation will preserve him....

Curiosity really is a feline's biggest foe.

Did you know that a cat's whiskers will curl when singed?

Labels: Wordless Wednesday

The only close venue available? The cemetery. It turned out to be a really good spot. We saw several different types of trees, including huge pines, magnolias and wonderful magnolia seed pods with bright red seeds- which were a revelation to the kids. There were yellow ginko trees, sparkling golden in the sun, a revelation to me.

Labels: classical Conversations, field-trips

Join this over at the Simple Woman


For today; Monday, November 2


Outside my window I see a crisp blue sky.


I am thankful for my family.

From the learning rooms I seem math books we are finished with, a large map we used, and the huge pillow and blanket fort the younger kids have made in our front-room.

From the kitchen the kids are eating turkey and roast beef sandwiches with granny-smith apples. 2 little girls from across the street are sitting at the table with them, coloring.

I am wearing brown capris and a brown/white blouse and mary janes.

I am creating maps and such for our Classical Conversations class tomorrow.

I am going out for date night this evening with Sky. We are going to Claim Jumper and then to Barnes & Nobles. (we like to share dinner there, the food is always way too much!)

I am reading
Colossians, because I am listening to podcast messages on it while I walk in the mornings. Keep The Lights Burning Abbie with Demi, The Way Westward with Amie and The Beginners Bible and A child's history of the world with all 3 littles.

A thought I am enjoying "We need to let the peace of Christ dwell in us. There is no problem with either the peace of Christ or with the word of Christ. The problem is with us, in particular with our allowing these things to work in us....Perhaps you have not realized the need for the peace of Christ to arbitrate within you and for the word of Christ to make home in your heart. If we let the peace of Christ work in us and the word of Christ dwell in us, we shall be proper Christians. Instead of our preference, we shall have Christ's arbitration. Instead of our opinion, concept, thought, and estimation, we shall have Christ's word." -Witness Lee, Life study of Collossians message 29

I am hoping that my sinus headache will go away and that the dog is not sick, hopefully the mess on her rear is something she sat in...

I am hearing the kids talking and someone practicing piano.

Around the house, we were enjoying an extra clean house since we did major fall cleaning all day Sunday. Sadly, by 3 p.m it doesn't look so clean anymore. Sigh. The big girls are giving the dog a needed bath, Sky has taken the week off work and is making me shelves for the dining room.

One of my favorite things is actually having all the laundry done, this never happens.

A few plans for the rest of the week; date night, yeah! Teach at Classical Conversations, actually stay with my school schedule this week...go to bed early, bread pudding!

Labels: daybook