Summer is over and we are back in school!

Though Summer hasn't technically ended, our Summer schedule has and we are now back into our homeschool routine. I'm always excited to begin a new school year, but sad to say 'goodbye' to our Summer fun. I think this past Summer was one of our busiest and most enjoyable.

It seems as if we spent half of our Summer at the ballpark. Savannah loves softball and played her final year in Rookie League. Joey isn't as big of a fan of baseball - but played another year in the Rookie League as well.

We started the Summer with a family-vacation to Destin, Florida where we had a very fun and relaxing week on the beach. It was of course, a very long drive from Indiana to Florida. So, Savannah took her Acer C720P Chromebook! Her Chromebook has become one of her go-to items for learning new things as well as entertainment.  When she found out that we were going to Florida - she used the Acer C720P Chromebook to research information about our destination.  The Chromebook went in her busy-bag for entertainment and came in handy when we spent a rainy evening in the condo.

We also made several trips to Kings Island and Cedar Point!  Both are amazingly, fun amusement parks in Ohio.   We all enjoy the coasters, thrill rides and water parks that they have to offer.

Joey loves trains - and we were able to take a short ride on another train this past Summer. It's always so much fun. I'm constantly amazed at the number of kids that are so interested in locomotives.

We also learned a lot!  Though we don't have homeschool classes during the Summer months - we encourage a lifestyle of learning.  Access to information on the internet has helped fuel our children's hunger for knowledge and the desire to know how things work.  Savannah loves learning new things and having the Chromebook has really opened the door for her to learn more on the various subjects that interest her. She has spent a lot of time researching information on Laura Ingalls Wilder and Abraham Lincoln. And we can't forget Minecraft. Minecraft made its way into our home this Summer. Using her Chromebook, Savannah has found a lot of tips and information about this new favorite game.

Now that school is back in full-swing, Savannah is using the Chromebook to begin collecting information for her home-state project. I've been looking forward to this project since we began to homeschool. In fourth grade, I also had to complete a project gathering information on my home-state - Indiana. Now, Savannah gets to explore her state. We plan to travel to various historic locations throughout the state for this project and use the Chromebook to help us with this journey.

Looking for a Chromebook? Click the image below to find great deals on Amazon! Don't forget to Join The Intel Fan Advocate Experience

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Summer Must Have: Chromebook #IntelAIO #IntelChrome

We have just finished the school year and are heading into the Summer at full speed! Savannah and Joey are thrilled to finally be done with the school books for a few months.

Though, mommy is sneaky. I use reward charts and other clever schemes to create a world of learning around them during their Summer "break". During the last few weeks of school, we combined the Intel AIO PC with our new Acer C720P Chromebook (with touchscreen!) for a more personalized learning experience for each of the children. Savannah and Joe love it when I help them find educational videos that compliment their lessons - and now they each have their own device for diving into their topics. That helped our days to move a little more quickly. Savannah loves researching historical information on the Chromebook - while Joey enjoys documentaries on various structures around the world. His top-two favorites are the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Now that Summer is here - we'll use the Chromebook for on-the-go learning and entertainment. It is the perfect size to slip into our busy-bag for road trips, time spent in waiting rooms, etc. It's also the perfect tool to use in creating a fun environment of learning. Looking for a Chromebook? Click the image below to find great deals on Amazon! Don't forget to Join The Intel Fan Advocate Experience

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Holiday Baking!

I love everything about this time of the year. I love the lights, parties, gift exchanges, anticipation, stories and most of all - I enjoy the food! It seems as if everyone I know has a special dish that they create during this special season.

My holiday baking list is seemingly a mile long. It never appears that way when Savannah and I set out to complete our baking. However, by the fifth batch of cookies, we're ready to sit on the couch and enjoy a few cookies, buckeyes and chocolate cherry bars.

Though we have a lot treats to choose from - we seem to favor chocolate chips cookies. Savannah and I make several batches of them and change the recipe a bit for each. Some are made with white chocolate chips and others are a combination of peanut butter chips with chocolate chips. The kids love to make one large, gingerbread man, chocolate chip cookie! I love it. It reminds me of the large chocolate chip cookies my college roommate and I would get at the mall.

Chocolate Chips Cookies:

Ingredients

:: 3/4 cup granulated sugar

:: 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

:: 1 cup softened butter (Use butter not margarine! Your cookies will bake much better.)

:: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

:: 1 teaspoon almond extract (I began adding this a few years ago - love it!)

:: 1 egg

:: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

:: 1 teaspoon baking soda

:: 1/2 teaspoon salt

:: 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

:: 1 package of chips - your choice! (I switch between using semisweet, milk chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter chips and your choice of nuts. For the white chocolate chip cookies - I do not add cocoa powder to the dough.)

Mix and Bake!

:: Preheat oven to 375ºF

:: Combine white sugar, brown sugar, softened butter, vanilla and egg.

:: Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.

:: Fold in chips and nuts.

:: Place parchment paper on cookie sheet.

:: Drop dough onto cookie sheet. I use a tablespoon to measure each cookie and round them off.

:: Bake cookies 8 to 10 minutes. I bake for 9 minutes.











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Happy Thanksgiving - Apple Pie

Every Fall, I love to browse blogs and recipe sites for new holiday dishes. Each year, Savannah and I try a new cookie, cake, bread or the latest dessert fad to throw into our holiday baking. This year, even though we hadn't enjoyed Oreo Truffles - we decided to try making them ourselves. They were so fun and easy to create!

Having managed to drop my food processor down the basement stairs - we were left to crush the Oreos by hand. After the crushed Oreos were mixed with cream cheese, rolled into balls and dipped in chocolate. We finally had our new dessert for Holiday Baking 2013. However, we still didn't enjoy them very much.

Except for Joey. He very much loves sweet, chocolate anything. He's already requesting more. We'll see about that.
The rest of us will stick to the peanut-buttery goodness of Buckeyes.

Out of all the treats, cookies and pies - my mother-in-law's apple pie remains my favorite. As hard as I try, I can never make it as perfect as she does. Every year, I try. Though I just can't get the topping quite right. Everything she makes is always wonderful - but I very much look forward to having her apple pie on Thanksgiving.

Apple Pie

Pie Crust:

2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup oil

Mix in pie plate with fork until crumbly, Press into shape. Prick bottom.

Apple Pie Filling:

7 cups of pared, peeled, and sliced Granny Smith apples
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp butter or margarine

Combine all ingredients except butter and mix. Pour into pastry-lined pie pan. Dot with butter. Put topping on top and bake at 425 for about 45 min. Don't let the topping get too brown.

Streusel Topping

1 cup flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine

In mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit filling.








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Halloween planning with our AIO Dell XPS

I'm not sure that I have ever been as fascinated with the Halloween season as my children are. As a child, I always disliked my picture being taken while I was wearing my costume. Remember the 80's - the era of flimsy, plastic masks that felt as if they were suffocating you?  Though I hated wearing them, I toughed it out to get that bag full of candy.

I also don't remember being interested in getting or carving pumpkins. Savannah and Joey love it. They enjoy the entire month of October leading up to Halloween. They enjoy helping me put the Fall decorations throughout the house - including their pumpkins.

Dan usually carves elaborate patterns into their pumpkins.  This year, the kids used our Dell XPS All-In-One PC to find more traditional patterns for their pumpkins.

Too many pumpkins!

Joey was having a hard time deciding what he wanted to be for Halloween.  We ran through a list of his favorite characters - including Thomas the Train.  Yet, nothing seemed quite right for him this year.  We browsed many costume sites but eventually decided that we would need to make something different.  Joey also had a difficult time wanting to stop playing Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 long enough for me to find costume ideas for him.

Eventually, we found a costume idea that was perfect for our little guy with a big imagination.  Joey is constantly building and creating something new.  He's also always leaving his Legos all over the floor.  So, he decided to be one of his favorite toys.  A Lego.  Not just any Lego, a blue lego.  Because blue is best, obviously.

Savannah decided on the Rag Doll costume - but has already planned to be a Southern Belle for Halloween 2014.





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