Give the Gift of Independence and Responsibility

"Who cleans their room?" was asked by a mother at a public university freshman orientation parent session.

The moderator paused briefly

Family Favorites Friday: OVEN CARAMEL CORN

Makes great gifts!

Forget Black Friday shopping.  Make a batch of this Oven Caramel Corn, break out the board games, and have a fun family time.

This is our absolute favorite caramel corn.  It is from my very old Farm Journal's Country Cookbook. 

It is very easy.  A candy thermometer and a popcorn popper come in handy, though.  

Teaching Children to Be Independent Learners

  As I mentioned in How Do You Do That, I taught my children to be independent learners, even autodidacts. This was my key to teaching so many different ages at the same time.

You can start teaching your children to work independently at a very young age. Sometimes the work will really be play, but the children need to be able to focus on an activity independently or with a sibling.

Let's look at what this might have looked like for me for the 1998-99 school year. That year I was teaching 7th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st grades, plus Kindergarten, with a 2-year-old and a baby. How did I get through a day like that, much less a week, month, or year?

What Does the Fox Say?

“What does the fox say?” queries a popular song.

After hearing my teenagers sing this around the house, I finally asked, “What does the fox say?”

Family Favorites Friday: Hillybilly Froyd

I found this video clip on my computer and it is too funny not to share.  My son is 13 or 14 in this video.  Maybe it was his way to study Chemistry.  Watch all the way to the end of the 44 second video.  If you like it, leave a comment and I will post the other two Hillbilly Froyd videos he made.

Creative Cookie Exchange: Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies

My contribution to the Creative Cookie Exchange challenge for freezer cookies is Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies.  This is a favorite cookie of my daughter.  I added the fresh cranberries and it turned this cake-like cookie into a delightful sweet/tart cookie.

That's Not Safe

This is the story of a young man with dreams of travel and adventure and of the mother who loves him.

Once upon a time a young man, only 17 years old, came to his parents and said, "Mom, Dad, I want to graduate a couple months early (for he was homeschooled) and I want to take a train to Chicago (from Dallas) and I want to stay for two weeks."