Giving Freezer Cooking a Try

First of all, I want to apologize that the picture is not of all the freezer food I made over the past 4 days. Both my food photography skills and the lighting in my kitchen are atrocious.  So, although I took pictures of everything I made, the pictures did not all turn out well.  The wonderful colors of the foods  have disappeared in most of my pictures and very few are even in focus.  So, I'm showing you the big salad I made, the hot dogs and chicken I grilled, the bread I baked and a spoonful of soup I pulled out of the pot to taste.   Onto freezer cooking…

I've wanted to do if for some time but was afraid - of the amount of time needed, the cost of buying all that food at once, the kitchen being such a disaster that I would run from the house, screaming.  See, I had this idea in my head that Freezer cooking meant cooking all the meals your family would eat for an entire month, all in one setting.  That was the wrong impression I got from all the articles and books out there from people who spend time, one day a month, freezer cooking.  I equated "freezer cooking once a month" to "cooking everything my family will eat for the next 30 days".  It's not so.  Phew!

I decided to start small on Thursday but it wasn't small enough for this scatterbrain, because I didn't cook everything I thought I would.  I didn't get upset, though, and did a little more on Friday.  I did well, so I did some more Saturday and today, too.  Although I don't have every meal, not even every dinner, my family will eat this week, I have some meals and a some meal elements in my freezer that I can go to on those days when life gets away from me.  Those days when I didn't plan ahead or I just don't feel like cooking.  I enjoyed it because I took baby steps and I'd like to do this regularly to keep my head above water in the kitchen.

BABY STEP #1: Doubling Up.  I made Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes and roasted green beans for dinner on Thursday.  While I had the ingredients out and my hands were in raw meat, I decided to make enough steak for two dinners.  Just the Salisbury Steak, mind you, I didn't make extra potatoes nor green beans.  But the protein is always the hardest part of meal planning, for me; throwing sides together are easy.  So the extra portion of Salisbury Steak is in the freezer.

On Friday, I decided to make a fake-lasagna bake for lunch, so I doubled the recipe.  I dislike making lasagna.  The noodles are a pain to cook, they peel apart while I'm trying to put the lasagna together and all the layering is messy.  So now I just heat all the lasagna ingredients in a skillet, along with whatever shaped pasta I have on hand (B's fav is Rotini), pour into a baking dish, top with some more cheese and bake until the top gets some color on it.  The extra one went into a baking dish and received cheese on top, but went to the freezer before baking.

My Health Update

Last November, I blogged about a mass that was found in my middle ear and ear canal, found by my ENT.  He referred me to a neurosurgeon who would take it out.  I visited two neurosurgeons, both of whom confirmed the ENT's diagnosis - a cholesteatoma (grainy mass most likely made up of keratin cells) that has completely filled my middle ear, has torn away part of my ear drum, spilled into my ear canal, eroded away most of the hearing bones in my middle ear and has started to erode the bone separating it from my brain.  That bone around my brain keeps out infection.  If it were to wear away, any infection I get in my ears or sinuses could potential get into the brain and cause meningitis.  Both neurosurgeons agreed that surgery was needed to remove the cholesteatoma, but they each had different approaches.

I wrongly assumed that the surgery would involve going through my ear canal to get at the cholesteatoma.  In fact, it involves drilling a hole in my skull behind my ear to gain access.  The hole will be drilled near an important artery, so the surgeons have sensors that will go off if they get too close to that artery.  My skull may or may not grow back over the hole, but the surgeons informed me that no damage could be done if I get bopped there.

I have a blood disorder that causes me to form clots; I take a daily blood thinner for it.  This disorder can make surgeries a higher risk for me.  Usually, patients receive 2 surgeries - one to remove the cholesteatoma and a second one, after irritation and swelling have gone down, to insert the prosthetic bone.

Surgeon #1's plan: First of all, he sent me to a hematologist to get a full work up on my blood disorder.  He wants the hematologist involved with my surgical plan and recovery to keep me safe.  He wants to reduce the number of surgeries I have to go through not only because of my blood disorder but also to reduce the number of times my skull is accessed.  Due to my blood disorder, he feels that performing the surgery in a hospital will be the safest place for me.  He plans to perform 2 surgeries at most and it depends on how bad the cholesteatoma is when he gets in there.  If it takes a long time to remove it and/or if the surrounding tissue is quite irritated and inflamed, he will go back for the 2nd surgery to add the prosthesis.  He will remove cartilage from the external section of my ear and use that to reattach my ear drum to my ear canal; he will also reshape my ear canal.  Instead of it being a cylinder that stops at the ear drum, he's going to make the end of my ear canal a bowl that dips down below my ear drum.  This bowl will give him access to my middle ear so he can regularly clean out future cholesteatomas that grow.  Because it will come back.  It is impossible to get every single skin cell of it out and just one left will start to multiple again.  Every six months I will have to go back to the doctor so he can inspect my ear and clean it out as needed, fully awake, right in his office.

Surgeon #2's plan: When I mentioned a hematologist, he said one was not needed.  Although he has not operated on someone with my particular blood disorder, he has operated on patients with more common blood disorders and he is confident that he and his staff can handle any issue that may arise during my surgery.  He will do it in two surgeries - one to remove the cholesteatoma and one to implant the prosthesis and sew my ear drum back to my ear canal.  I would have to follow up regularly with scans and each time the cholesteatoma returns, he would perform the same surgery to remove it.  He does not like to perform surgeries in hospitals; he feels there are too many germs in hospitals providing a high risk of infections.  Therefore, he has built his own surgical, outpatient center and would perform all of my surgeries there.

I have decided to go with surgeon #1.

The hematologist asked me more questions and checked for more symptoms than probably all the doctors I've ever been to, combined.  I really appreciated how thorough he was.  I have been experiencing dementia-like symptoms for 5 years and, with Alzheimer's in my family, I was concerned I was experiencing early onset.  The hematologist sent me to a neurologist (different type of doctor than the neurosurgeons I had already seen) to get these symptoms checked out right away and I did.  Before being operated on, I wanted my neurosurgeon to have my whole health picture, especially if I was experiencing a brain issue.

The neurologist was wonderful; reminded me of McDreamy from Greys Anatomy.  ;o)  He was good looking and kind but efficient.  He didn't have a physician's assistant or nurse; he came out to the waiting room to get me and checked my blood pressure himself.  We talked for a long time about what I had been experiencing and for how long.  He also gave me a verbal test for dementia in his office.  I passed with 100%.  He said if it really was Alzheimer's, not only wold I have not been able to pass the test, but I wouldn't be able to care for myself right now because the progression of Alzheimer's from the first sign of symptoms was 3-5 years.  Since I had been experiencing symptoms for 5 years, it was something else.

He ordered an EEG and an MRI (that would not be done until after the 1st of the year) and told me to relax and enjoy my Christmas and New Years.  I did not have Alzheimer's and he would find the cause.  Because of him, I did enjoy my holidays.  After the tests, he said I have a normal brain with no signs of problems.  He said my symptoms were commonly stress related.  He could send me to a psychiatrist who would perform more tests to further prove that there was nothing wrong with me if that would make me feel better, but I declined.  There have been a number of big stressors in the last 5 years and I believe him.  Especially since my symptoms reduced tremendously after he told me to enjoy my holidays.  He said to do what I needed to do to reduce stress - prayer, meditation, medication - whatever I was comfortable with and whatever worked.

So, the hematologist, the neurologist and my general practitioner all cleared me for surgery and I now have a surgical date - March 31st.  I was disappointed it was not sooner.  However, if any of his other surgeries get cancelled between now and then, I will get moved up.  Please pray that my surgery gets moved up because more erosion has occurred while I've been visiting other specialists.

Thank you to all of you for your support, for checking in with me and for your prayers.  It has meant and continues to mean so much to me.

Why I Loved The LEGO Movie and Think Your Family Should See It, Too

B doesn't have any of The LEGO Movie building sets, but he made Lord Business
(in the middle) and Emmet (on the right) from LEGOs he already owned.  He also
made a mini-figure of himself (on the left) and brought it to the movie with us.

B has loooooong anticipated The LEGO Movie being released in theaters.  Creating with LEGOs is one of his favorite things to do and his builds amaze the hubs and me.  More than not, we rent children's movies but we knew that this movie had to be seen in a theater.

I have to be honest, I've not been thrilled with at least half of the movies geared towards children in the last 5 years or so.  They're quite entertaining for the kids but I've been unhappy with plots that don't capture my interest, character behaviors or inappropriate "bad"characters for G and PG ratings (I will never get over the fact that Charles Muntz in Up tried to kill Carl and Russell, a child!).  So, although I agreed to take B to see The LEGO Movie this morning, I didn't have high expectations.  Man, was I pleasantly surprised!

Don't worry; the movie was just released yesterday and I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone.  However, this movie was much more than just entertainment for my family and I want to share that and encourage y'all to see this movie, too.

During the opening credits, I was impressed that everything was built with LEGOs, including the Warner Bros. logo.  However, once the actual movie started, I viewed it as any other CGI'd movie of late.  Then a scene took place out on the open sea and while the waves were rolling, it hit me that this movie was not CGI'd; it was stop motion.  The time, patience and meticulousness in that scene alone just blew me away!  I can't imagine how long this movie took to create but I know it had to have been made with love by people who feel the same about LEGOs as my B does.

There were a couple of characters and celebrity voices who made cameo appearances in the movie that caught us completely off guard.  I'd not seen them in any trailer nor heard anything about them in reviews and I loved it!

Like all children's movies, there is a lesson to be learned, a moral.  And although I was aware of the lesson the movie was trying to teach, I felt the characters, the action and the humor were overshadowing the lesson and kids would leave just feeling happy and entertained, not focussed on the lesson.  And then the movie did something completely unexpected that brought its important lesson not only to the forefront, but also into a perspective that every child and adult in that theater could relate to. I have to say, Warner Bros., you impressed the socks off me with that one!

What was happening on that screen is something that happens in my own house.  I never would have gotten the symbolism and made the connection to my home if the writers and producers hadn't "focused the lens so sharply" for the audience and I'm so glad they did.  If it happens in my home, it happens in other homes, too.  The creators of this movie so eloquently opened the eyes of us parents to see things, see our children and ourselves, through our children's eyes.

And if this issue exists in your home, seeing this movie together will start a dialogue about it.  We saw the movie at 11am and B and I are still talking to each other about this movie at 7pm.  We're not only laughing at funny lines or marveling at the movie sets, but we're also analyzing characters, discussing the personality traits exhibited and listening to each others perspective on the symbolism we now realize was throughout the entire movie.  It reminds me of high school English class, dissecting a Shakespeare play, only I'm doing it with my son and we are both loving the conversations!

I hope y'all go see this movie and are as impressed as I was.  Once you've seen it, I'd love to hear what you thought of it, what you and your family got out of it and if this was an issue in your home or not.  You can tell me in the comments, below, or on my Facebook page.

President in a Bag - James Monroe

Monday, my Dad came out and hung with B.  They went to Target, out to lunch, watched America's Funniest Videos and worked on American History.  B had been stuck on his President in a Bag of James Monroe and my Dad is a huge American History fan, so I thought they could inspire each other. Since his retirement, my Dad always asks for historical non-fiction books each birthday and Christmas about US presidents, wars, battles, generals, etc.  He's quite well-read.

B shared with his Poppop what he knew about Monroe and my Dad was pleasantly surprised that B knew some things he did not.  Then my Dad shared some things he knew about Monroe of which B was unaware.  B showed his Poppop the US Presidents binder he keeps that includes elements from this fabulous lap book I found on homeschoolshare.com, as well as his President in a Bag assignments. The two of them came up with seven things about President Monroe, however B only wanted to show five for his assignment. For the first time, he arranged all the items and took the picture.

Here are the five items B and his Poppop came up with to represent the life of our fifth president, James Monroe:

#1: A Suitcase.  After his presidency and the death of his wife, Elizabeth, Monroe moved to New York to live with his daughter, Maria.

#2: A Map of Florida:  The Florida territory was obtained from Spain during Monroe's presidency.

#3: A Pen.  In 1820, Monroe signed the Missouri Compromise, admitting Maine into the union as a free state to balance Missouri's new admittance as a slave one.

#4: A Tricorne.  Monroe was the last of the revolutionaries, the last of the Founding Fathers, and his nickname was "The Last of the Hats".

#5: Sparklers (the closest thing we had to fireworks):  Monroe was the 3rd president to die on the Fourth of July.  He died on the 55th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the 50th anniversary.

Read about our other Presidents in a Bag, as well as where we got this idea, in these posts:

• #1 George Washington
• #2 John Adams
• #3 Thomas Jefferson
• #4 James Madison

President in a Bag - James Madison

In September 2013, I wrote a blog post about a wonderful teacher who came up with the President in a Bag idea and inspired us to implement that idea into our study of the American Presidents.  You can read about her here, in our first President in a Bag - George Washington.  

These are the 5 items B came up with to describe the life of our 4th president, James Madison:




#1 A Pen: This repeat item didn't surprise me since Madison was a Founding Father.  The pen reminds B that Madison is the author of The Bill of Rights.

#2: A Checkbook: Madison came up with the idea of checks and balances in our federal government, so that one branch does not gain more power than the others.

#3 A Gardening Hand Cultivator: Madison grew up on a tabacco plantation and retired there after his presidency.  Even though the plantation had slaves, Madison believed slavery was evil and wanted it abolished.

#4 A Bar of Soap: Madison was the shortest US president, at 5'4", and never weighed more than 100 pounds.  A friend of his said he was, "…no bigger than a bar of soap."

#5 A Pair of Pants: Madison was the 1st president to wear trousers, instead of knee britches, in the White House.  B wanted me to tell y'all that the pair of pants in the picture belong to Ken, Barbie's boyfriend.  He felt this needed to be clarified, else y'all would wonder where in the world we got the giant pen, checkbook, cultivator and bar of soap.  So, PSA complete.  ;o)

Read about our other Presidents in a Bag:

• #1 George Washington
• #2 John Adams
• #3 Thomas Jefferson
• #5 James Monroe

Using the App "Heads Up" by Ellen Degeneres in Our Homeschool Lessons

Ellen DeGeneres created this wonderful, free application called Heads Up!  It's a guessing game you download onto iTunes or an Android.  You hold your device, i.e. iPad, facing away form you, and words or phrases will appear on the screen.  Your partner is looking at the screen and they have to get you to guess what's there.  When you guess correctly, you tilt the screen forward to go to the next card; when you can't get it or your partner can't describe it, you tilt the screen back to pass.  You have a minute to guess as many as you can and the app keeps track of your score for you.

It's like Charades and $100,000 Pyramid for the digital age (so dating myself!).  There are a number of categories called "decks" from which to choose - some are free and some are a one time fee of $0.99 - and there are decks for most ages.  It is so much fun!  We took it with us on our Thanksgiving trip to Boston and introduced it to my parents and my brother.  We were laughing so hard and yelling out our guesses so loud, we thought for sure the guests in the neighboring hotel rooms would call the front desk on us.

But it's not just fun; there are great educational uses for this game, as well.  Anytime I can make a lesson into a game, I've got B's attention.  With the clock running, B has to focus, read, recognize (do I know what that is or not?), make a decision whether to describe it or pass and figure out what to say or do to get me to guess correctly.  Those are a lot of skills to be working on at the same time!  With most decks, you have to use your words and/or sounds to describe things plus there is one deck where you cannot speak at all.

The only thing I dislike about this app, is that it uses the camera on your device to record video of the person acting out/describing what is on the screen.  You can choose to share this video with The Ellen Degeneres Show, your friends or not.  I am not interested in sharing with anyone and wish that I could turn this feature off.  So, I have covered the cameras on both sides of my device to prevent anything from showing up.  Because I don't know what happens to those recordings if I don't share.  Are they deleted?  Saved?  Who might be viewing them?

Although there are learning opportunities in any deck you choose,  I'm going to mention just four of them:

1. "Animals Gone Wild" - B is an animal lover and huge fan of Wild Kratts.  He loves it when an animal he's recently learned about shows up in the list.  And when there's one he doesn't know, he wants to research it and find out all he can about it.
2. "Wish You Were Here" - This deck is a great Geography lesson.  It contains landmarks, bodies of waters, fun travel destinations, etc., from The Colosseum, to The Baltic Sea to Disney World.
3. "Perfect Pairs" - This is a new deck to us and it's a Language Arts lesson in alliteration.   It contains 2-word phrases that begin with the same letter.  We played it tonight and I could not complete the round after one of B's clues had me laughing so hard.  He said, "Oh, oh!  This is something we can't do when friends come over!"  It turns out, the phrase was "double dip".  LOL
4. "Build Your Own Deck" - This is the best one!  For $0.99, I just bought this deck tonight (you can buy as many as you want at $0.99/ea), named it "Fun with Homeschool" and started creating cards with things we've learned or are learning in homeschool.  Isn't that AWESOME?!  I've added names of famous people, Math & Science terms, historical documents, etc.  I'm throwing it all into one deck because I'm frugal and not very organized, but you can buy and create decks about more specific topics if you want.

We don't always use this app for lessons; plenty of times we just play for fun.  However, every time we play, we're learning - about people, places, things and how to communicate with each other.

I may not be his favorite parent, but he's my champion.

B's favorite parent is the hubs.  I know this, because I ask him.  I know it's wrong to put B on the spot  and ask such a question, but I have, I do, a couple of times a year, just to see what he would say.  And he tells me the truth, even though he's worried about how I'll feel, because we've created a safe environment for him to share and be honest with us.  That environment will get more and more vital as he enters the teen years...

I didn't always ask; he used to switch back and forth, each year.  The 1st year he was out of me, he was all about Mama.  Makes sense when Mama is your main source of food, right?  Year two, he was all about Daddy.  It went back and forth like that every year until B started 3rd grade, our 2nd year of homeschooling.  I guess he'd had plenty of me by then and the hubs has been his favorite ever since.

And that irked me.  I spend more time with B.  I have a much higher tolerance for his quirks than the hubs does.  I think I honor B's different way of doing things more than the hubs does.  But the hubs is B's hero, his playmate, his proof that no matter how old you get, potty talk and bodily outputs will always be funny to males.  @@

I finally got up the nerve to voice my juvenile, selfish and jealous feeling to the hubs recently.  I listed all the reasons from the previous paragraph of why I thought B should like me more than the hubs, yet no matter what the hubs does, he's still B's favorite!  "But he's your champion, Jessie," the hubs replied quietly.  "What are you talking about," I asked in frustration.

"You ran to the store one evening and I decided to pour myself a glass of wine," he replied.  "B got all up in my business, wagging his finger at me, and said, 'That's the wine Mama uses to make pot roast, Daddy.  I don't think you should be drinking it!'  And anytime he follows me to the basement while I'm doing laundry, he criticizes the amount of detergent I use.  'You only need a half a capful at most, Daddy!  You are wasting detergent and over-soaping your clothes!'  He sticks up for you, Jessie, when you're not around.  He's learning the proper way to treat a woman from you, as well as from me.  And not just when a woman is watching, but always.  That's a champion of women.  Your champion."

That made me happy, then I felt ashamed for being jealous.  But that little nugget of realization that the hubs provided has been invaluable to me since then.  It's a reminder that we're not raising him for us, we're raising a respectful, empathetic, loving, peaceful, productive member of society.  One who will be an example of love and respect for all and will touch everyone he meets, positively.