Our Go-To Lunch

When we want something quick, and nutritious, that's more than a sandwich, here's what we do:

One can corn
One can diced tomatoes
One can black beans

Drain the corn and beans, dump them in a bowl and dump in the tomatoes with the liquid. Snip in some fresh cilantro, or add a teaspoon or so of dried cilantro, then sprinkle some fajita seasoning over it. Stir and microwave for three minutes, or warm-up in a sauce pan on your stovetop. 

Serve as is, as a dip for tortilla chips, or add things like shredded cheese salsa and sour cream on top of  lettuce for a fuller meal. 

This is yummy, and filling, and easy to make even for my young children. Then they feel so proud and helpful, as they provided lunch for the family!

Cake Pops!

Having 7 children makes it easy for each of them to have "their day", when we do special projects together, talk about things that are on their mind, and just generally connect. I also call it "tomato staking".
(Not sure how I'll do things once #8 shows up. I've got a little while to figure something out though)
Today was Noah's day, and we decided to make cake pops. We've tried it once before, and while they were yummy, they were ugly. We learned a few things though, and were pretty sure we could correct the mistakes of the last effort.
Sure enough, these (A:) stayed together, (B:) didn't fall off the stick when dipped, and (C:) hardened properly. Success!

Free online tools that make homeschooling easier (for us)

For me, actually.
These are record-keeping, lesson-planning, sanity-saving free downloads that I use every school day. I've used them for several years now, and they've served me well. I thought I'd share them for anyone that might be interested.