2004-12-20 YAY!

2004-12-20 M&M Pretzel Hugs

I got this recipe from Parents magazine and thought I would share.

Ingredients:

waffle shaped pretzels
Hershey hugs
M&M's

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Cover cookie sheet with wax paper.

Lay out pretzels on the cookie sheet and place one unwrapped hug on each pretzel.

Put in oven for about 4-6 minutes, until chocolate has softened and the tip of the Hug is melted.

Remove and immediately place an M&M in the center of each Hug.

Put in refrigerator for about 10 minutes to set.

I used red and green m&m's to make them festive. They came out great and I have made them a few times for various parties. I will add a picture at some point so you can see the finished product!

Update: The promised picture!

2004-12-20 Home Schooling

One of my major fears regarding Emily(and any of my children when the time comes really) going to school for the first time, aside from the usual, "OMG I can't believe she is going to school, she is growing too fast" etc, was the fear of the "outside influences" that she would encounter. I was legitimately sad thinking about the fact that we would no longer be the only major contributor to her thoght patterns, ideas on what is right and wrong etc.

I of course realize that she would come up with some of these things on her own...and I wasn't looking to be the sole influence. I just couldn't stop remembering what it was like to be in a school setting...some kids are mean, some parents have different ideas on how their children should be raised etc. I understand that, and I don't think that my method is the only way...I respect everyone's right to do things the way they want to.

I am not going to lie here. I have often thought about homeschooling. There are only a few things that have prevented me from doing that.

I don't think I would have the discipline that would be necessary...plain and simple. I just know how I am and can't see myself sitting down at the kitchen table every day going over math and science and whatever other subjects I decided to introduce. I am not really one to follow a schedule...I am much more of a "go with the flow" type of person. I think that in order to homeschool there would need to be some sort of structured environment, and while it sounds good in theory, I just don't know if I could stick to it.

Another major concern I have is the development of social skills. I do think that it is really important for those skills to be developed and, if the children have no children to socialize with on a daily basis, how do those skills develop? They of course would have each other and it's sort of a catch 22...on one hand I don't want them to be around the other children for fear of a neagtive influence, on the other I wonder how they will learn to interact appropriately with others if they aren't around other children their age?

I also wonder if I would have enough to keep them(Emily especially) engaged in enough activities to keep them "busy." Emily is easily bored, always wanting to move from one thing to the next.

I don't know. It's a battle that rages in my head occasionally, especially when Emily comes home saying or doing something which I find in appropriate or just not something I want said or done in our house.

I am sure I could do it if I really put my mind to it. It would definitely require a major life change for me though...just in the sense of structure and organization. I honeslty don't know if I have it in me to give up my "go with the flow" attitude.

2004-12-20 No Snow, No School

I don't think I am sending Emily to school today. For some reason she had a difficult time falling asleep last night and was up until after 11. Yikes. She is usually in bed by 8, asleep by 8:30...unless we have a momentary lapse and decide to put them to bed at the same time. This usually leads to hours upon hours of playing and talking (and usually a little fighting). Generally, Katherine goes in around 7:30 and is asleep by the time 8:00 rolls around.

Anyway, Emily does not function well on less sleep than she is used to...and it also isn't good for the whole seizure thing. She has also been complaining off and on about a stomach ache over the past few days but I don't think it is anything serious. Honestly, I think that it may be psychosomatic. She never has any other symptoms of illness(fever, body aches etc.) And it always seems to be the complaint that arises when she is supposed to be doing something she doesn't want to...like cleaning up her toys or going to bed. It may or may not be a good idea to keep her home(I don't want her to think that jut because she stays up late she can skip school...although she really likes going so I doubt this would be a problem). I think that she could use a little extra rest though.