An Amish Cradle book review

So first I want to say that it has been way too long since I posted!   It has been a much harder winter than I had planned.  Everyone has been so sick.  We are just getting done with the flu!  Ugh!

I am so happy to see March and spring.  I'm a winter girl at heart, but frankly I'm happy to see this past winter just go.  The only good thing that came out of being sick is I got to do lots of extra reading (when you sit at doctors for 2 plus hours you'd better have entertainment!).

I was so excited to read An Amish Cradle.  This is a great book by four very talented writers with four very different short stories.

My son insisted my daughter "model" the book.  Just like my life the women in these stories had their lives change with the arrival of a new little one.  And things just don't always go as planned, like my "photo shoot".  As you can see someone was not quite enthusiastic about it!

In His Father's Arm's by Beth Wiseman leads off the stories in the book.  Ruth Anne has spent her whole life just wanting to be a mama.  When her son is born with Down syndrome her life is turned upside down.  Having two special needs kids I really connected with Ruth Anne.  I think I cried through a good part of the story.  Ruth Anne struggles to find peace and a place for her and her child. She meets unexpected friends along the way and finds strength she didn't know she had.  Beth Wiseman did an amazing job with this story and I would have to say this is my favorite one she has written.  

A Son for Always by Amy Clipston is the second story.  Carolyn became pregnant out of wedlock with her first child, Benjamin.  She has worked hard her whole life to make sure that he is supported. When she married Joshua and they found out she was expecting she is very unsure that her husband has room in his heart for her first son.  She worries and worries because that is what moms do.  I loved how this story showed that even in the Amish world they still have problems and are not perfect people.  The characters were easy to relate to and a really great read! 

A Heart Full of Love by Kathleen Fuller comes next.  Ellie became blind in an accident many years ago.  When she becomes pregnant her mom, who is already incredibly hovering, kicks into high gear. She insists her daughter can't handle twins and moves in.  The tensions rise and it becomes a battle ground.  I rooted for Ellie when she stood up for herself.  But finding out the reason why her mom couldn't cut the apron strings was heartbreaking.  Another home run in this book.  

An Unexpected Blessing by Vannetta Chapman is the last short story in the book.  Etta thought she was finished having children, but God had other plans.  She finds herself pregnant at 42.  She is missing her son David, who has left the community and also worried about the future of her farm. Will she ever find peace and be reunited with her son?  This story was a great end to a really good book.  

An Amish Cradle was a fantastic read with four very talented writers.  Pick up, or check out this book!  You'll be glad you did!  

Book Reviews on Roadside Assistance and Destination Unknown

I will admit most of my Kindle and bookcase are taken up with Amish Fiction or natural disaster stories and biographies(the latter ones are the hubs, I can't get into how nuclear reactors destroy the world, lol).  Fiction is solace and escape for me in a busy crazy upside down world.

I was so privileged to meet Amy Clipston a few weeks ago!  She also brought me books!!  And since I had a million hour car ride (at least it felt like that with two small kids!) I was able to burn through a few of them.  Since I had been lucky enough to have the third book in her ya series I decided the logical place to start was to go back and read the first two.  They were fantastic!  I felt really drawn in right from the get go.  Plus it really made a difference for me.  You can read them as stand alone books, but they really are better as a series.  You really can get a better appreciation of the characters in the book.   Both books did their job of telling a great story, character development, and a nice paced moving plot.

In Roadside Assistance Emily Curtis' life is turned upside down by her mother's passing and her father loosing everything they had. They are forced to move in with family that Emily isn't happy about. From the aunt that criticizes every last thing, the grandma that only seems excited about her cousin, the uber perfect blonde cheer leading cousin who has it all. Emily has lost a lot including her faith in God. The only place she finds solace is under the hood of a car repairing things. 

The story moves along at a good pace, the characters are really likeable. When Emily meets Zander and starts making friends in her new life she slowly learns that not everything is as it seems. I won't go too much more into it because I think you should read the book:). 

In Destination Unknown Whitney Richards seems to have it all on the surface. Blonde, cheerleader, popular, the right neighborhood, money, and dating a football player. 

But then her life starts to unravel. She gets a D in calculus and her mom goes in to panic mode and hires a tutor. Taylor enters the picture and life changes. 

Whitney starts to question who she is as a person and pushes hard against a mother that seems determined to control her every waking second. From what she eats to who she associates with. Whitney has to push back hard. And she does! This girl is no slouch and she shows that she is capable of fighting against what society expects and becoming what she is called to be. 

Both books will appeal to many different reader groups.  It's great for bookclubs because it has some awesome discussion questions that could spark some lively conversation.  Young adults will enjoy these books because the characters are so easy to relate to.  These are also fantastic vacation and unending car ride reads!  Grab them and enjoy!  Happy Reading!!

Pattern Blocks and Boards by Melissa and Doug

We are back after a week away in Florida.  It was great vacation but we were greeted by a really big (for Virginia) snow.  My son was supposed to go back to school today but with a whopping 4 inches the world sort of comes to an end.

So after a week away I wasn't going to have them sit around today.  I already had work on the docket for Cary Lynn but it was easy to include Marvin in many things.

One thing I think is an absolute necessity to have in a Montessori home school or school are materials that can be used in multiple ways and in multiple places in a classroom.  The more use the more bang for your buck.

One of my all time favorites is Melissa and Doug's Pattern Blocks.  I can't say enough good things about them!  They are beautiful, sturdy, and can be used in multiple ways in the classroom.

The shapes are lovely as are the boards.  They are nice, wooden, and very well loved in this home.

The ways you can use this are endless.  In Practical Life you could take two of the shapes and have the child sort them with tongs or tweezers and separate them.  In Sensorial you could use the boards and shapes for puzzles (or Practical Life).  You could just put out the shapes in an attractive basket and let the child make patterns.  I found by letting them have open ended activities in Sensorial that they used the tower of cubes and the broad stairs the appropriate ways.

Please ignore the mess we are still getting unpacked.  But as you can see Marvin enjoyed building them on and off of the boards.  

My daughter was exploring the yellow blocks sensory wise until she figured out I had a camera.  

In Math you can explore the names of shapes, count and pattern.  

In language you can play I spy to make sure the child understands the name of the shape.  

In the Culture area if you are studying a butterfly and you just want a simple extension exercise for your littles put out the butterfly board.  You are only limited to your creativity on this product.  

I was able to catch a good sale on Amazon and this will last for years!  Hope this gives you some ideas!  Happy Teaching!

Miles From Nowhere

Reading in my house is a luxury.  I have two special needs kids and my days are never dull!  So when I do have those precious moments to kick back and read I want to have a book that I know I'm going to enjoy!

So when one of my very favorite writers comes along I am going to grab the book, hide where ever I can find a quite spot (I have been known to hide out in my closet with the door closed and a flashlight) and read.  Amy's book was no exception.  I had the book read in three days (it would have been two, but I do have to sleep sometimes!).

From the back of the book:

Chelsea Morris has always been responsible, dependable, and focused on her dreams of fashion design—a dream that will officially begin come fall, when she leaves for college in New York City. And as she settles into her role as the lead designer for the local summer stock theater group, she decides to make the most of her last summer in North Carolina. But with her best friend Emily busy working late and spending time with Zander, and tensions with Chelsea’s boyfriend, Todd, running high, the summer she envisioned seems to be falling flat.

Then Dylan joins the latest summer production. There’s something about the college boy that makes her feel free and alive, and soon she’s broken up with Todd, and is sneaking out late to meet Dylan at parties and breaking rules at the playhouse. But before she knows it, her exciting nights are interfering with her job, her role on the play, as well as her relationship with Emily and with her parents. Worse, Chelsea finds herself feeling more and more estranged from God.

As the summer becomes wilder than she ever dreamed, Chelsea must decide if her heart is leading her in the right direction after all.

This book will appeal to a wide variety of readers.  It will draw in young adults as many of them have either walked the proverbial mile in Chelsea's shoes or know someone who has.  It will also appeal to adult readers as well as they can sympathize with Chelsea's family or remember their own youth. This would make a fantastic book club book or one that a family could read together and discuss.

I really found myself identifying with Chelsea and reliving some of my own life path choices.  I don't want to put too much in and spoil the story.  But I really love the way that I was drawn in very quickly and how everything flowed together.

I did only have one real problem.

Ahem, someone didn't want to let me read my book!  You can't leave anything around sometimes:).  

Seriously, this is a fantastic book and I was very lucky to get an advanced copy.  The book comes out in April and it is a fantastic read!  Plan on picking up or downloading your copy, you won't be sorry! Happy Reading!

(I was provided this book in exchange for an honest and fair review)

Egg Muffin Cups

If you are anywhere near facebook or pinterest you get flooded with all kinds of recipes.  I love having so much information at my fingertips but it can be overwhelming!

So I kept seeing these egg muffins come up over and over again.  I decided to give them a try.  They are low FODMAP and very versatile.

The first thing I learned is that you need muffin liners for your muffin pan.  I know you probably see them straight in the muffin pan but many people who have tried them claim that they have ruined their pans because they can't get the egg out.  I only have one pan and I don't want it ruined!  So I put in muffin liners and lightly misted them with a little olive oil.

Here's the fun part!  You can put in whatever you want in the muffins.  You want veggies, pile them on!  Cheese?  Go for it!  There is no wrong way to fill them!

As for me I used some leftover rice (it sounds weird but the hubs and Marvin really like the combo), grated extra sharp cheddar cheese, and some sliced ham.

I piled them high, but you can stick less in.  Then I scrambled 12 eggs and 4 tablespoons of lactose free milk.  I put pepper in too. (Your family may like a dash of hot sauce, my tummy can't take it!). 

I filled up the cups with the egg batter.  Then all my feeds said to put it in a 200 degree Celsius oven. Ummm... yeah did the conversion on that and decided to make my life simple.  I put it in at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  They came out great!  

Now they aren't as pretty as the ones you see on line, but they are a first try and are so yummy!! They provided two dinners and two lunches.  You can refrigerate for a few days and they can be frozen and reheated (if they last, mine didn't).  Enjoy and Happy Eating!!

What we are working on this month!

I wear lots of hats in this blog, but it was either that or write a ton of other blogs and I didn't really want to do that:).

We have been very busy in our Montessori home school.  Soon we will be on our way to Florida for a mid winter vacation so I'm trying to cram in as much learning as I can.

My son (who goes to school) had a snow day but by keeping a list on the fridge chalkboard he was able to choose his work and finish it at his own pace.  It worked really well and was a testament to all the early Montessori years.

For my daughter I do struggle more.  She is fairly non mobile, non verbal, and would happily sit in her beanbag chair in the sunshine every day.  But life doesn't work like that.  (Although she would like it to!).  I find that she isn't interested in the things that I painstakingly plan and lay out.  To follow this child is quite a bit more challenging!

I have manage to spark her interest in animals!  I attended a great conference once and the woman spoke on how we should just introduce the young child to biomes.  A biome is deserts, forests, grasslands, tundra, and several types of aquatic environments. Each biome consists of many ecosystems whose communities have adapted to the small differences in climate and the environment inside the biome. All living things are closely related to their environment.  Tah-Dah!  

So now I am busy!  I got rid of the current science and culture works on the shelves, raided the library and we are getting ready.  I will start in the ocean since I have tons of stuff on that! We have begun reading books, exploring wet and dry concepts, and I have some great ideas for Practical Life.  

I do have to temper things a bit.  Cary Lynn relies on technology to speak for her so I have to keep her IPad dry.  That is a whole other issue I'm grappling with.  How much is too much and how much is necessary.  

I will try to get some pics of things up and running and I am already looking into another contest when I get back from our vacation!  Happy Teaching!

Punkin' Mac Attack!

With all that's been going on I realized that I haven't done much about eating!  Lots of good stuff with reading and teaching, but I've heard from my fellow fodmaps, hey hello, where is the food!

Fear not!  I promised recipes and here is a new one that you may not have seen.

For those of you who wonder, I was diagnosed with IBS a few moths back.  There are several factors/theories as to how I got it, but it really doesn't matter.  My son, who seems determined to be "just like mama" was diagnosed yesterday.  His gi dr and dietician were thrilled when I whipped out my Monash info (more on that in another post) and we will work together to tailor a diet for my son.
Basically fodmap is short for a group of dietary sugars, Fermentable Oligo-sacchariarides, Di-saccharides, Mono-saccharides and Polyols.  Try saying that 5 times fast.  Anyway, my intestines don't absorb them as well.  I have to be careful what I eat. So the burning question often comes up, what do you eat??  Do you eat??  The answer is I eat.  I eat well.  I just have to put more thought into what I eat.

In the old days before IBS when the hubby called working late Marvin and I would pig out on chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and canned fruit.  Easy, quick, and really unhealthy.  But it has been another crazy week and it's only Tuesday!  We had a crippling snowfall of 1/2" here in Virginia. At least my neck of the woods.  Shannon had to work late and Marvin and I needed a comfort meal.

So I started with the chicken.  Both Marvin and I have gluten indolence's.  So a processed nugget was out.  I had chicken breasts, but Marvin isn't a fan of them.  So I tried something new with them in hopes of making them seem exciting.  I started with a 400 degree preheated oven.  I then buttered a casserole dish

I then put the chicken breasts in the dish, threw a little butter, salt, pepper, rosemary, and basil on the chicken.  Then I did something wild and crazy.  I put aluminum foil on the chicken and tucked it in tight.  

This way the chicken poaches in the oven, keeping it moist and yummy.  

I cooked it until it got to be 165 degrees.  Easy.  And yummy.  Plus Marvin and I split a breast so it makes leftovers.  Which is good.  I love having another night or two of meals out of one meal.  

Now the next part Mac and cheese.  I was so upset when I found out gluten was not my friend.  Some can tolerate it, I can't.  Also Marvin has had lots of issues with it as well.  So I tried rice noodles, rice, and some other gluten free products.  I wasn't happy.  The Barilla came to the rescue!!

I love them and they taste really good!!  Almost like real noodles!  Yum.  So I take about 3 cups of uncooked pasta and cook it.  While that's cooking I make the sauce.  

You start with 2tbls butter or butter sub if you can't do butter (we can thank heavens!).  Melt it in a pot.  When it melts add 2 tbls of gluten free flour (I like gf King Arthur).  After it thickens slowly add 2 cups of lactose free whole milk (or whatever milk you can tolerate).  When that thickens add 1 cup of cheese (we used grated sharp cheddar but you could use fontina or gruyere).  Then add 1/2 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.  Let it melt in.  Then you add some seasonings.  1/2 tsp dried sage leaves and salt and pepper to taste.  Then comes the pumpkin.  I love pumpkin.  I'm also glad I can still eat it.  Canned pumpkin can be a moderate fodmap to some so use caution.  I put one can of pumpkin in. 

Doesn't that look good?  Now if my son had any clue this had pumpkin in it he would have a fit and refuse to eat it.  So I just don't share that part.  Taste and adjust.  If you aren't on low fodmap you could throw in some onion powder or garlic.  I put a lot of pepper and sage in.  

Then you throw it in about a 9 by 9 baking dish and root through your freezer for the tail ends of the gluten free bread you hoard because no one wants to eat heels.  

I took a handful, stuck it in the toaster and shredded it up in a bowl with more parm and sage and threw it on the top of the mac and cheese.  I baked it at 350 until it was bubbly and browned 20-30 mins.  

Tah-dah!!  How easy is that.  And yummy.  To finish it off I just sliced some fresh veggies for me and the boy.  Red peppers for him, tomatoes for me.  

It's a far cry from what we used to eat, but it tastes so good!  It was worth the extra time it took.  Plus Marvin ate two helpings of the mac (so did I, just small portions though).  He thought it was great. So I have a winner dinner that I'll be putting into regular rotation!