Well, here we are, the last Garden Challenge update. That doesn't mean I won't be updating about the progress of our "garden", but I will be doing so on my own.
So, as I mentioned previously, we really had to scale down our garden plans this year so we can have a spot in our roof repaired. We ended up with just the hanging basket for cherry tomatoes, one pot with basil (that isn't looking so good), and we started some pumpkin seeds. The lettuce didn't make it once we took it outside. We keep the planters on a old, small kids table so we can move it around our half of the yard as need be.
So, being in NY, I'm not surprised that our tomatoes are looking a further behind other garden pictures I've seen online. We are JUST finishing up strawberry season here in Western NY (took the kids to a u-pick farm yesterday), where as southern states were done a month ago. So the tomatoes are looking GOOD and i have HIGH hopes of getting SOME produce from them!
Here's a photo of what's growing now!
Pumpkins
Tomatoes
Basil
This is such a big change from where we were when we started!
tomato seedlings
It has been wonderful to do this challenge, and I likely wouldn't have thought to grow ANYTHING this year. Both the kids and I have learned a lot starting just the few plants that we have, and it's something I know I'll be doing again next year (with hopefully more then what we are growing this year!)
last minute edit add-in: The website just announced that there will be ONE more link up in July! So look for us again at the end of July!
A day late, oh well. It's one of those kinds of weeks where having time to breath needs to be scheduled in! Without further ado, here is this weekend menu.
Monday: YOYO (you on your own).
Tuesday: Pasta night
Wednesday: Chef salad
Thursday: BBQing turkey burgers and hot dogs, chips
Friday: Something new... I'm pouring over my cookbooks to be inspired
Saturday: Pizza night (grilled, hopefully. each time we've tried we've been rained out!)
Sunday: yet to be determined.
Make sure you go check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas and links to more blogged menus!
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
In My Life This Week:
Not much happened this past week. Just plugging along with everything. I have an interview this upcoming Saturday for a position I was too "chicken" to apply for last year. As luck would have it, I have the rare opportunity again this year.
In Our Homeschool This Week:
We're done with a lot of the "formal" stuff we are doing for the year, and focusing on a lot of interest-lead topics now. Current interest, building bikes from parts.
I'm doing a lot of looking into for items in the fall, if we continue to homeschool. We are also looking into a private Christian school she wants to attend (where she also takes flute lessons and plays in their band already). Even if we homeschool, we may consider taking individual classes from there, if we choose. It really is a nice option to have.
My Favorite Thing This Week Was:
Getting a piano from freecycle! Sure, it's FAR from perfect, but it's perfect for the kids to bang on and we're considering lessons for them. We're all pretty excited about the piano.
The weather! Sure, we're had a couple of good storms this week, but it hasn't been the CONSTANT rain that Western NY has had for the last 6 week. Definitely looking forward to more blue skies then gray.
A Photo, Video, Link or Quote to Share:
She lost 2 teeth in 3 days!
Hope everyone has a fantastic week!
Another Garden Challenge post!
Too bad NYS spring weather hasn't been as cooperative :( But, that's just 1 thing I've learned, it's no joke to say that in western NY don't really plan on planting outside until AFTER Memorial Day (today). But considering I'm generally a black thumb, the fact I have anything surviving 2 months after I started seeds, is amazing! We are learning so much about growing this year!
So here are the tomato plants we have left. I gave 1/2 to my in-laws, and some are growing stronger then others, so this week we'll be planting the 3 strongest tomato plants in a planter outside. I'm not sure what we'll do about the basil and parsley (the smaller containers in the upper right). The small container in the upper left is my oldest tomato plants.
I know my husband is looking forward to these cherry tomatoes, they'll be in a nice pasta salad no doubt once we have some to pick!
We also planted a lilac bush outside this weekend. It wont be ready for another year or 2, but for now, we have it in the dirt at least!
I need to mulch around the lilac, but for now the kids have started a stone surround it (from rocks we mostly found digging up the spot we planted the bush). this is right outback next to our door, so it will be lovely to smell in and out (and in the kitchen), when it finally blooms.
We are also going to start some pumpkin seeds this week for the fall. A friend has invited us to start and grow pumpkins at her mother's. The kids are going to have a blast growing their own pumpkins this year!
So there is what we have growing! It's not as much as we had hoped for this year. Because of needing to do some roof repairs later this summer, we can't build our garden box, as debris from the roof would ruin it in a micro second. But, if we have some success with what we grow next year, we can look forward to growing more next year!
So, another week, another menu. We're getting close to the end of the public school year, so soon I'll be planning all meals out for the summer (it helps, really, so that kids know what NOT to sneak off with if they want their meals!). I'll likely include a snack list as well. We also seem to be keeping our 2 predictable evenings, Wednesday nights for pasta, Saturday nights for pizza. I grew up with this pattern too, I didn't realize it until a couple nights ago! Hoping once bell choir is done until fall, we can break that habit up a bit more.
And as par for course, it's proving to be a very busy end to the school year, and start of summer. We have something almost every day and/or evening, and next Saturday I'm not sure I'll be home until dinner time! It's a crazy, but good, thing :)
And today is Memorial Day, so I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday, and for those with family members in the service (home or aboard), thank you and them for their service to our country.
Monday: Steak and hot dogs on the grill, corn
Tuesday: Chef salad
Wednesday: Pasta night
Thursday: Chicken and rice
Friday: Breakfast
Saturday: Pizza night (not sure how we'll do this yet. But it's an on the go day, so MAYBE ordering in?)
Sunday: Pot Luck at a friends house (oh, what to MAKE?!?)
Make sure you pop over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas and links to other blog links!
Monday - Kids' First Mac and Cheese (sans cracker crumbs, I forgot to buy 'em)
Tuesday - Perogies with peppers and onions
Wednesday - Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
Thursday - Incredibly Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
Friday - Chicken fajitas
Saturday - Pizza
Sunday - leftovers/fend-for-yourself night
In my life this week:
I've been REALLY overwhelmed the last couple of weeks, so I took a blogging break. It was nice, and I've missed it, so I'm back again!
and RAIN! It just doesn't seem to end. It's exhausting, in the least. Add on top, we were car-less for a few days, so it was a very muted week.
In our homeschool this week:
Still doing a very unschooling schedule around here. I am not sure I like it all that much, though I am sure my daughter does. There was learning (and benchmark math test for curriculum I'm considering in the fall), most of it was discussions of stuff i knew, in particular local historical sites and the significance in American history.
Places we're going and people we're seeing:
We did make it to the science museum 3 weeks ago, and really haven't gotten out and about since, except for church, band and errands/groceries. Hoping to fit in a zoo visit in the next couple of weeks (my PS kids have 6/10 off, and we're the only local school district that closed that day, might be perfect day to hit without a crowd). Elizabeth had a Girl Scouts overnight this weekend (no encampment this year), and Andrew is signed up for summer soccer (finally old enough!)
My favorite thing this week:
THE SUN! Ok, I know I talked about the rain above (like 30 days of rain out of the last 40 days), but the sun has been out the last 2 days, to the point I now am sunburnt from mowing yesterday!
A photo, video, link or quote to share...
Andrew, singing to Karaoke Revolution: Glee. He was pretty rockin'!!
Happy Homeschooling!!
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend!
For more moments, hop over to Soulemama!
{this moment} - Inspired by Soulemama.
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend!
For more moments, hope over to Soulemama!
Another week, another menu? It's getting hard to change things up. It's too warm for the cold weather meals, and too cold for the hot weather meals! Another busy week, of course, always is, right? This week not only do we have the normal bell choir practice for me, but our oldest has a band concert on Friday, and we'll be spending Saturday at my in-laws. Busy, but a good busy at least!
Monday - Slow-Roasted Rosemary-and-Garlic Chicken, potato wedges/mashed potatoes, steamed carrots
Tuesday - Out to Pizza hut for their dinner buffet (have coupon for 1/2 off 2nd adult, and it's kids eat free night!)
Wednesday - Pasta night
Thursday - (Cinco de Mayo) Chicken fajitas, chips and salsa, limeade
Friday - (Band concert night) Chicken and rice, steamed broccoli
Saturday - We'll not be home, visiting at the in-laws for the day.
Sunday - Mother's Day - I really don't know what we'll have, but I hope it's not me cooking and cleaning! Or at least not cleaning....
{this moment} - Inspired by Soulemama.
A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend!
For more moments, hope over to Soulemama!
Continuing with the Homeschool Garden Challenge, we spent Tuesday working on our plants and doing some outside clean up to get ready to plant. We've had 13 straight days of rain here in the Finger Lakes region of New York, and it's not even May yet, so we haven't even thought about planting anything outside yet. It's been unseasonably warm the last couple of days, but we've had snow on Mother's Day in the past, so we won't attempt outdoor planting until after then.
We have, however, started more seeds inside!
A day late, and a dollar short, I'm finally getting around to posting this! We took last week off from, well, everything, and finding it REALLY hard to get back into the swing of a routine (even if we are still working out the clinks).
Monday: Chicken Fajitas
Tuesday: Breakfast foods night
Wednesday: Pasta night
Thursday: Chef Salad
Friday: Roast Chicken with vegetables
Saturday: BBQ pizza
Sunday: BBQ anything-we-can-toss-on-a-grill
Hop over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for more info, and this week, a giveaway!
In my life this week:
We FINALLY have a living room floor! It's been busted, broken tile (growing worse) since we moved in here, and we had it replaced with carpeting. The living room is now my favorite room at home (and we have yet to paint it still!).
In our homeschool this week:
It was spring break for my public school kids, so it was spring break for my home schooler as well, except for the work we did not finish last week (we're still trying to get a routine down, esp having music/band 3 days a week). We did look at our tomato seeds nearly every day, so that's been exciting for the kids to watch! We'll be moving the seedlings from egg cartons to bigger starter pots this weekend.
Places we're going and people we're seeing:
We're (hopefully) going to the Rochester Museum and Science Center tomorrow. They have a dinosaur exhibit that will be ending May 1st, so we're going to check that out (if not tomorrow, next weekend).
We are not seeing any family for Easter (we usually don't). My mother-in-law is in North Carolina with one of my sister-in-laws who just had her 2nd baby 2 weeks ago. We called to see if my father-in-law wanted to come here, but he has his mother over while MIL is away. Since we're active in church (I'm playing hand bells that morning), we are not traveling.
My favorite thing this week:
THE CARPET! Really, it really makes the living room more inviting, homey and just peaceful. I can see us homeschooling more in there now.
Homeschooling questions/thoughts I have:
Figuring out next year. I really am reluctant to re-enroll my daughter into the public middle school, but my husband is really pushing for me to go back to working in the fall (our youngest will be in school whole days). In addition, given the problems my soon-to-be 8 yr old has been having in public school, I'm questioning homeschooling her (we had seriously considered it in the past). There is a possibility I can work and homeschool, but it really depending on things "falling into place". I'm praying very hard about this, because I am beginning to believe more and more it is the right thing for my children, and my family.
Of course the thought of homeschooling next year, for a 7th grader and 3rd grader, has me freaking out! Finding the "perfect curriculum" scares me, and knowing we plan on sending my oldest back to public school for high school, making sure I don't leave out anything she needs to learn.
A photo, video, link or quote to share...
The kids and J. playing around after the carpet installers had gone and we moved back in the furniture. Looks like a good episode of "ATTACK DADDY!!!"
I'll be taking the weekend "off" from my blog, but look forward to next week when I hope to have some wonderful posts to share.
Wishing everyone a happy and blessed Easter weekend.
