Annoying Homeschool Questions!?

I have homeschooled my children for the past 10 years.  My oldest started after completing 4th grade at a public school. (I have several reasons for homeschooling but I'm not going to get into that right now.)
Over the years we have gotten many questions.  Truthfully most of the time I'm more than happy to answer them or give any information. The one main thing I do is I never try to push homeschooling on anyone or make them feel guilty for not homeschooling their own children.
I saw a video earlier on annoying homeschool questions & thought this would be a fun thing to post about.
Here we go.

1.  Shouldn't they be in school?  Well, they are here with me in Wal-Mart, park, etc. so no.

2.  When are you planning on sending them back to real school?  Umm.. never.

3.  Is it legal?  Yes, right now homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. There are different rules in different states but it is legal. 

4.  What about socialization?  We're probably more social than many kids in school. We actually have to turn things down just to be able to fit it all on our calendar.

5.  Do you have a teaching degree?  Nope.

6.  How do you know they are learning? I am the teacher and if they don't get something we do it over until they do.

7.  What about report cards?  Don't need one they always get A's. (refer to #6)

8.  What about high school activities like prom?  I find it very odd that in the 13 years of school that most of us attended 'prom' seems to be the high point for so many.  There's a great number of homeschoolers in our area and they do have dances and other high school type activities, including prom. 

9.  Do you get to sit around all day in your pajamas?  If we want to.  :)

10.  How can you stand to be around your kids all day? Usually followed up with the statement, "I'd kill my kids if we were together all day."  This one is really disturbing to me. I know no one really means they would literally kill their children, but they are your children. Sure, especially as teenagers, you need alone time.  Go to your room for a while, take a walk, etc. You should still love & want to be a good mother.   If you can't stand to be around them it's probably a discipline problem that you have caused.

So there you go. My true feelings on the top 10 questions I seem to get most often.  Most of the time I just smile and nod, but I'd like to answer them like that.  :)

Back to Basics: How to boil an egg

Place eggs in a pot. Cover with cool water.  Place on stove and allow to come to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and allow to set for 10 minutes.  Rinse in cool water & peel.
It's that simple!

Turkey Sloppy Joe's

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped bell pepper
3/4 c. ketchup
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. yellow mustard
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper

In a skillet brown the turkey, onions, & bell pepper.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt & pepper. When cooked through add in the ketchup, mustard, & brown sugar. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Taste & adjust salt & pepper to your taste.

Serve on your favorite bread or rolls.

Makes about 6 -8 servings.

*This recipe freezes well!

Menu Monday (on a Tuesday) LOL!

In no certain order...

Breakfasts: Oatmeal, homemade granola, eggs, waffles

Lunches: left-overs, salad w/boiled eggs & avocado, baked sweet potatoes

Dinners:
Chicken & Dumplings, peach cobbler
Turkey sloppy joes, layered salad
Crockpot pinto beans, rice, homemade tortillas, fruit salad
Spiral ham, potatoes, green bean casserole
Breakfast casserole w/ham, fruit salad
Southwest burritos, Mexican rice
Sushi (homemade with cooked crab & veggies)- no raw fish here! :)

Updates 2014!

I can hardly believe it's already February 2014. I've been really thinking this year about what is important to me & my family.
About every other year we seem to get really involved in outside activities and then the next year pull back a little to keep up with more around the home.   Finding a balance can be tough. 
Some changes around here are our ducks are now laying eggs and we are enjoying them very much.  Also we got 2 Hampshire hogs to raise up.  Saturday we are going to get a pair of Berkshire hogs to raise & hopefully breed when the time comes.
This spring we will also be adding something I've wanted for a long time, dairy goats.  I hope to use the milk for drinking, cheese making, soap making, etc.  I'm very looking forward to this!
It's time to plant potatoes & the garden is tilled up but we've been having lots of rain recently.  I'm hoping to have them planted by Valentine's Day.
We've also been starting to think of what we will plant in our garden this year.  The usual, but I'd also like to plant some green peas. I'm also making plans for a small herb garden in the front yard. I want to make it like a little raised, decorative bed by the porch.
It's been really cold here for Louisiana lately. The central heat is running like crazy.  This makes for some high propane & electric bills that we usually don't have much in our mild winters. So when we can we are using our fireplace & freely using the dryer and forgoing the line. (I don't think the clothes would dry well in this cold anyway & the dryer also helps to warm the house a bit.)
On the homeschooling front we decided to change curriculums after the Christmas holidays.  My daughter is now using A Beka 9th grade materials, except for math.  For math we're sticking with Teaching Textbooks.  As much as I liked the concept for the Far Above Rubies, it just wasn't working well with her learning style & I felt like a lot was being left out.  I will say I adore unit studies for younger grades but with her being in 'high school' now I feel like preparing for college is more of a priority. I would never want my children to come to me and feel like I didn't prepare them well if they chose to go.  We are still both enjoying the co-op & science classes and will continue that until the school year is over.
I'm guessing that's about it for updates at the moment.
I really hope everyone out there is having a great 2014 so far!

Back to Basics: How to make scottish oatmeal

3 c. water
pinch of salt
1 tsp. coconut oil (optional but it gives a great flavor & prevents sticking)
1 c. Scottish oats


In a pot with a lid place 3 cups water and a pinch of sea salt.
Bring to a boil.
Add in 1 cup Scottish oats and 1 tsp. coconut oil. (This helps to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot.)
Bring to a boil and then cover.
Turn the heat to low & allow to simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
Stir 2 or 3 times during cooking.

Serve as you would any oatmeal.

My favorite is 1 tsp. coconut oil, 1 T. brown sugar, and a little almond milk.

This yields about 4, 1 c. servings.