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MyLittleWonders

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Everything posted by MyLittleWonders

  1. Mario Kart 8 and Nintendo Land are two that are family favorites here for the Wii U.
  2. I use Udi's or Rudi's bread - dry it out in the oven and then crumble (or put in a bag and hit it with the meat tenderizer a few times). I sauté onions and celery, add them to the crumbs with seasoning (can't remember exactly what, but I know it includes salt, pepper, and sage) with chicken broth and bake. I keep mine covered but make sure it doesn't get too soggy. We don't like it dry, but prefer it not to be mush also. ;)
  3. We were a backer and are awaiting the DVD. My daughter has watched it streaming already and loves it. But she loves all things Rachel Coleman.
  4. I agree. My dh has read all three Penderwicks to our boys and they can't wait for the fourth to come out. They are 13, almost 11, and 8. They also loved Heidi and the Secret Garden. We aren't picky about girl or boy protagonists around here. We just love wonderfully told stories.
  5. Definitely Miraflex. The lens may scratch (my daughter has a habit of gnawing on them - she's almost four), but the frames are indestructible.
  6. One of our favorites is a beef and veggie soup. First we make homemade broth, so we have to plan ahead a couple days and roast two chickens in the oven. Once the broth is made, there are three minor variations: 1. Brown some ground beef in the bottom of a stock pot with seasoning; add homemade broth plus veggies (we do garlic, onions, kale (we get a CSA box and usually have kale coming out of our ears in the winter), carrots, zucchini/summer squash, tomatoes, potatoes, or any variation thereof). Let it simmer until everything is all nicely cooked and serve with garlic toast or biscuits or such. Sometimes we'll omit the potatoes and instead scoop rice in the bottom of the bowl before pouring in the soup. 2. Instead of browning ground beef, if dh is in an adventurous mood, he'll make meatballs, brown them in the stock pot and then add the rest. 3. Instead of using ground beef, we will buy stewing beef. Again, we brown it first, and this last time, we added a bit of Worcestershire sauce as the meat was cooking. 4. Last variation is to use chicken, usually chicken thighs. But we all tend to prefer it with some type of beef, especially since we just ate a bunch of chicken leading up to the making of the broth. ;)
  7. My oldest is just starting 8th grade and we are only a couple years into using Catholic curriculum (I am a convert as is my husband). That said, I'm curious what you are ultimately wanting. Does your son do well with workbooks? How is his reading level? Are you wanting someone to do everything for you - planning and grading? Or are you looking for lesson plans but want the flexibility to forge ahead on your own after that? Do you want an official transcript at the end of high school? For us, we are using a lot of Kolbe with our 8th grader. He's actually doing an online class with them for science for a couple reasons (getting used to someone else give the assignments without the flexibility that might come from mom's due dates and to free me from teaching science). I also purchased lesson plans for a couple other courses. Our goal is mostly Koble for high school (we will be easing into the history and literature over time as he's a somewhat reluctant reader and ninth grade Kolbe history and literature would do us both in). I like the emphasis of good/great books and primary sources for history. At the end of the day, I love the Kolbe lesson plans (they are fantastic) and the freedom to use them in a way that works best for my kids. I don't do well with too much "inventing the wheel" by myself but I also don't like someone else having too much control over our school day.
  8. I think the article is taking a very narrow focus look at those who teach no sex before/outside of marriage. I am thankful for the teaching of the Catholic Church's Theology of the Body. My experiences (only as a adult; I was not raised in Christianity) between how sexuality was taught/preached about while an evangelical Christian and know as a Catholic is night and day. No purity pledges, purity rings, or purity balls here.
  9. We use Earth Balance (the yellow organic tub; I've never bought the sticks) or Palm kernel shortening. For the GF part, I tend to use Pamela's Products artisan flour blend (in the dark blue packaging front), King Arthur GF flour, and in an absolute pinch, Trader Joe's GF flour blend. I gave up on figuring out the chemistry myself. Pamela's also has a pretty good oatmeal cookie and chocolate chunk cookie mix for times when you want to whip up something quickly or when the kids want to bake GF/CF. (Some Pamela's Products items contain dairy so you have to read the packages carefully. Their pancake mix, which was really good, had dairy so it's no go here.)
  10. Ultimately, I came to the Catholic Church because I was being called home. My situation is a bit different because I walked away from our Protestant church and was out of church for many years before converting to Catholicism. In hindsight, God knew what He was doing and that long stretch of desert was necessary. Part of me always knew I was to be Catholic. When I finally began to study, all the contradictions that I thought were there, that made me walk away years before, disappeared. I saw the Bible differently, in a way that didn't make me suspend my reason to "make it all fit". There were answers, real answers, and not just "you have to have faith" type answers. History supported the Church, and what little I've read of the early Church Fathers, what we do today is so very similar to what they did almost two thousand years ago, down to prayers said during Mass. Spiritually, I have found peace. I no longer feel I have to make it up as I go, relying on the Holy Spirit to convict me on things such as Bible interpretation. I don't have to read a bunch of various opinions and decide which one I agree with the most. I don't need to find a church that teaches what I believe. The Liturgy, the Catechism, the teachings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, the Holy Father ... these all give me a deep peace that someone has already interpreted those verses many, many years ago, and they are still being taught the same way. In the Catholic Church I am learning what it means to pick up my cross and follow Him, what it means to love God's law, and how there truly is a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us who have walked this path before me. The Church gives me tangible, sense-engaging (sensual - though obviously not in a s@xual way) ways to experience God. The feel of the Rosary beads in my hands while I pray, the Corpus on the Crucifix that I can reach out and touch, the candles and incense, and sound of bells at the moment of Consecration. We need these things - we need to smell, touch, see, hear, and taste. And finally, I have the Eucharist, which without all the rest of it, would be enough for me for the rest of my life. It truly is Home.
  11. We had our credit union issued Visa blocked last year on our cross country road trip. It actually took the bank about six days to catch up with us and by then we had already travelled eight states. They asked us what other states we would be in before returning to our home state as well as to verifie previously travelled states. And they told us to tell them ahead of time of travel plans outside the state.
  12. I vote Prismacolor as well. Watch for sales at Micheal's (I think that is where I bought ours).
  13. Though we have never been tested for celiac (we no desire to reintroduce gluten to do so), we are all gluten and casein intolerant. I really hoped it was only A1, but we trialled fermented goat milk last spring and none of us can tolerate it. I know that others can without problem. I'd choose dairy over gluten every day. It's easy being gluten free but really stinks being dairy free.
  14. I was sad when Larkrise ended. I watched it while recovering from knee surgery. I watched Cranford next, though it was a bit odd at times. But worked until the next season of Downton began.
  15. My parents were divorced and I know dh spoke specifically with my dad. I'm not sure what, if anything, he said at a different time with my mom. But I also know he was doing it mostly out of respect for my dad rather than "asking permission". We were going to marry, but he wanted my dad to know and hoped he would have his blessing. If my parents were married, I'm not sure if he would have spoken to both or still taken my dad out for a beer to talk. (My dad was big on man-to-man talks. He wasn't religious in the slightest so none of this had anything to do with specific religious beliefs.)
  16. My dh did, which I thought was sweet. Not that he wouldn't have proposed if my dad said no. But my dad was rather intimidating and he wanted to be on good terms. ;) It wasn't so much that he was looking for permission rather than discussing his intentions and seeking my dad's blessing. They went out for lunch and dh had to choke down a beer. (I was already working and had my own apartment; my parents were divorced but I was close to both of them; dh's proposal was formal, on one knee, and everyone else knew before I did as he proposed the night he graduated from college and passed the ring around the table at breakfast with both families.) I would like it if my sons were to do something similar - talk with their future wives' fathers.
  17. There aren't many places where it's easy for us to order off a menu, but what we want is within 20 minutes, even with some traffic. That said, dh and at least a few of us would drive 2,300 miles to eat at a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. We found it last year and fell in love.
  18. We use Daiya cheese when needed. It's pretty good and melts decently. Also, depending on issues with dairy/casein, I would recommend staying away from all of it, including trace amounts. I know we can do products made in the same facility but cannot have anything that actually has any trace of gluten or casein in it. Our systems just can't process it.
  19. I'd be embarrassed to admit how many orders I ended making to Memoria Press and Kolbe. I thought I had what I needed. Then either added to my list or realized I had forgotten stuff on my list. If it weren't for the shipping costs, I wouldn't mind too much as it is fun getting boxes on the porch every now and then. ;)
  20. I always provide something my kids can eat. I've baked pizzas (we are dairy and gluten free, plus none of my children can handle anything artificial) and sent them on paper plates, we provide our own cupcakes and ice cream. I have never had a host of a party upset at all; they are all very understanding. A couple have offered to provide something, but I always decline as I can't trust home-made items in another person's home with very few exceptions, and to buy something at the store is usually a big sticker shock for those not used to eating this way. Mine aren't fans of having to have their own treats, but it's a cupcake from mom or sit and watch everyone else eat. They tend to choose the cupcake from mom. ;) There is also protein/casein intolerance. Interestingly, some people that are casein intolerant/sensitive can eat some things - for instance, ghee, cultured products, goat/sheep versus cow. Others, like us, cannot do any of it in any form. It's not lactose intolerant and it's not an actual allergy. Personally, I tend to use the word allergy with people we don't know well because it gets the point across that we cannot eat what they are offering. Being "intolerant" seems to carry the tone of "we *can* eat it but we would rather not because we don't care for the side effects." For my kids, there can be up to a 30 day detox period for eating something they shouldn't (gluten, casein, artificial anything). But for some people we know, intolerant or sensitive just doesn't carry the weight that allergic does. I know it is not the proper use of the word, but some people don't listen to reason. ;)
  21. For us it was the casein and we cannot do dairy in any form. This past spring we tried fermented goat milk as I've read the casein in goat milk is different/easier to digest than cow milk. But nope. Not here unfortunately. We have issues with anxiety/panic attacks, impulse control, aggression, and migraines, depending on the person. We now use almond milk and coconut milk.
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