generalparenting

I live in Oregon. Not in the mountains and not on the coast but somewhere in between. It rains here from about October until April or May and it rains a LOT! Well on rare occasions the kids wake up in the morning and scream, MOM THERE’S SNOW OUT SIDE!! This is the sound that woke me up at 7:35 even though it was a day I could normally sleep in. Yes my kids are older, 12, 13, and 16, but they still get just as excited as ever to see the snow. I have to admit I get excited to just because I miss it from when I lived in Pennsylvania. This may be our only snow fall for the year so the kids know they have to enjoy it fast before it turns to slushy goop. See the snow is usually closely accompanied with…. you guessed it… rain. Any way it is snowing here so I have to get up and start making some warm hot chocolate and toast with maybe some biscuts and gravy because they are going to want something to warm their tummies when they get in.  My little snow bunnies should be in soon so I have to go. Have fun and Stay warm!!

Have you recieved many holiday packages in the mail this year? As I wrote a few weeks ago I mailed out my Christmas cards at the end of November but I decided this year to mail out some Christmas goodies this year as well. I didn’t mail those out with the cards. I figured it would take a week or so to get the cookies and candy so I did not mail them out until the 15th. To be sure my recipeints did not receive broken up cookies I put them in a tin with tissue paper between each layer of cookie and I packed them in a box with more tissue paper packed tightly around the can so the can wouldn’t get banged around while traveling from Oregon to the destinations across the country. I hope that everyone who recieved my edible mail enjoyed it, I know that when I receive packages like these I absolutely love it. Maybe Karen is right and I should go to those cookie exchanges.

I love this recipe but I’m not sure who to give credit to for it. My grandmother made it this way when I was small and I used her recipe only to find that this recipe is similar and I have found the exact same one on the back of three different kinds of evaporated milk and in several cook books so I guess I will just call it the famous fudge recipe.

Ingredients:

1  1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

2 Tbs. butter

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups miniature marshmallows ( I use the christmas colored ones )

1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate morsels

1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Line 8×8 inch square baking pan with foil lightly sprayed with non stick spray

Mix sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and salt in a medium heavy duty sauce pan stirring contantly. Boil and continue stirring constanly for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Stir in marshmallows, the chocolate chips, the nuts, and the vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared b aking bpan, refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan take off foil and cut into pieces.

I have yet another recipe for fudge. Yum Yum. This is a rich tasting chocolatey delight that everyone with a sweet tooth who loves chocolate can appreciate. I love chocolate and can’t eat more than a piece at a time. It relieves my worst sweet attacks. This is the ingredients that you need.

INgredients:

2 cups milk chocolate chips

2 1/2 cups prepared chocolate frosting

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Line the bottom of one 8×8 inch pan with foil that has been slightly sprayed with non sick cooking spray or lightly covered with butter or margarine.

2. In a small saucepan slowly melt chocolate chips stiring constantly to not burn the chocolate. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and add the frosting as well as the walnuts to the chocolate sauce stiring until smooth.  Pour into prepared pan and refridgerate until firm. To add a bit of a different taste to it you can swirl in some peanut butter or rasberry jelly. The possibilities for additions are unlimited really. After the fudge is cool cut into squares and serve. This is a tastey addition to your fudge recipes.

One more recipe from Jiff. I love these and the kids get to add the finishing touch.. If they can keep from eating the Hershey Kisses in the process.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Ok more fudge because this is a wonderful desert as well as a wonderful gift for almost everyone on your list. Jiff has some excellent recipes and this is just another one.

Ingredients:

Crisco butter no stick cooking spray

1 (12 oz) package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (16 oz) container of Pillsbury Fudge Icing

2 c mini marshmallows

1 c chopped nuts ( your choice)

Directions:

Line an 8×8 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with non stick cooking spray.

Melt chocolate chips in large pot until smooth. Remove from heat and add the marshmallows nuts and frosting. Spread in prepared baking dish and refridgerate until firm.. approximately 2 hrs.

Remove fudge from pan by lifting out and off of the foil. Cut into squares and you are ready to eat your fudge. If giving it as a present it’s always a nice touch to get that colored plastic wrap and ribbon to tie it with.

Again, this is an easy enough recipe that the kids can help as long as they stay away from the pan while it’s hot. They will love being a part of making this for the family and your friends.

Individualized Education Plan. If you are not positive and I mean %100 positive that your child will need this for the long haul consider this option carefully!

My son has been homeschooled for three years and returned to public school not to long ago. When he was in public school before he was tested for special education services and received an IEP ( Individual Education Plan). He received assistance in reading and writing. He was reading less than 1/3 of his grade level and needed a lot of help.

Now that my son is exiting homeschooling things have changed. My son started out as a child who struggled over Dick and Jane books and is now reading full chapter books like Maximum Ride, Vampire Kisses, Charlie Bone, and several.. I do mean SEVERAL other ones. He zips right through them. When he gets a book that catches his interest he can finish it in a matter of days. Homeschooling greatly improved his reading skills.

He is almost at grade level for his writing and his math. I admit his spelling could use a little work but it’s no worse than my daughters and she isn’t in special education. I went to the school about his IEP hoping she would tell me that he no longer needed services. That was NOT what I got.

I walked into the tiny classroom and the Special Ed teacher greeted me. She started right away saying that my son needed Special Education for his reading. I strongly disagreed, pointing out when he was tested at the other school he was only a few words a minute behind grade average. She insisted. I would not let up. I know my son doesn’t need these services and do NOT want him taking a step back just to appease a teachers ego.

Finally it took his regular teacher to interupt the battle saying she has seen no problem with my son reading books of grade level and above. She also noted that he is easily comprehending the books he is reading. I knew that! I tried to explain that to this ridiculous Special Ed teacher. And she wouldn’t listen.

The teacher was standing behind me. Not nearly as boldly as I was but she agreed with me all the same. Even with that this teacher, who was infuriating me, stood there trying to convince me that he needs these services. I’m coming to find it isn’t easy to get out of the system once he is in.

I finally told her that he would NOT be in Special Education this year for reading. If she wants to test him for Math or Writing that would be fine with me but he is NOT to be in Special Ed for reading. I don’t think she expected me to stand strong. My guess is that not many people challange her suggestion. She seemed shocked that I would not give into her. I have been teaching my child for three years, THREE YEARS, I think I know his capabilities! This school has no idea what they are dealing with when it comes to what kind of education my child is going to get. I’m afraid for them, this is going to be a rude awakening the remainder of the time he is there.

Because of the holiday my posts have actually been written a few days before the actual day and have obviously skipped things because I had already written ahead but, this I had to share with you. My son started school a few days ago and on his first day home he told me that he had made friends. My mom asked him if they were kids in his class he said “with the whole school”. I thought that was funny because he just won everyone over in a single day. It’s kind of cool. So the second day of school he came home and when I asked him how his day was he turned bright red and said these girls keep asking him out. I asked who and he said all of the girls in his class. I thought that was funny too. He is my little stud muffin I guess. He has a girlfriend, which I wrote about around Halloween, that he adores and is as serious as he can handle at his age. The hand holding is more than enough for the two of them which is FINE by me. So day one and two he is already full of friends and girls that want to be his girlfriend. I don’t know what he is thinking about all of this. I am excited for him because he has never had this kind of popularity, he has always been the kid that’s been teased and left out. He is older now, bigger now, and I think more secure in his own skin now. I really think homeschooling did him good.  

Ok so today is the big day for most of us. The day we have been waiting for all month, preparing for and looking forward to. The day where family and friends come together to enjoy food and laughter at one big happy table sharing everything they are thankful for. What are your favorite Thanksgiving memories. I have always had a house full for Thanksgiving. My mom and I were just talking about this yesterday. Since my very first boyfriend I have always had someone at my house and I have always done the cooking. At least most of the cooking. Some years we have a turkey as well as a ham. On those years I only cook one of them while my mother cooks the other. I have always had friends and family around for this holiday and have always had a houseful. This year there won’t be as many people because I live in a different state from some of my family and most of my friends. It’s a small gathering of my mom, my three kids, and my best friend. It is still a wonderful time. One thing I’ve noticed with less people is you have more time to really talk, I don’t mean the day to day how is work going, anything new kinds of things, but the real talking where you are sharing with the ones you love. I love that. It’s hard to do that when you have a house full of guests that you have to entertain. There are of course people who pop in to say hi but didn’t stay because they had places to go and other people to see but it’s nice seeing them any way. Any way the celebrations are over for now and I can’t wait until Christmas to do it all over again.

Yes we are doing it a day early. I am actually writing this early so that I have time with the family. I said in my other blog I am cheating this year and I bought a pre made meal. Well the only thing I have to do is make a relish tray. For those of you who don’t know what that is it is things like deviled eggs, celery and cream cheese, radish roses, black and green olives, pickles, cheese and crackers, quiche’, etc. Now this stuff is easy to get ready. The only real time consumer here is waiting for the eggs to boil and carving the radishes into roses. Everything else is a breeze and I’m making the kids get involved. They complain at first but end up acting like little kids helping in the kitchen and end up having fun any way. It’s easy enough to get them to help because they like having all of the little things to snack on so I simply tell them that if they don’t do it they won’t get it.. Lol. That always motivates them.