Random 5 on Friday - May 31

It's been a busy week.

1.  Luke had his concert.  I love the text I got from him at rehearsal.  Makes me wonder how I survived high school with nothing but a <gasp> pay phone.

2.  One really nice thing about "home" schooling is being able to really be "anywhere" schooling.  Jude get a little work done during some down time at the beach.  We did some math on the porch of Mimie and Pop Pop's shore house.

3.   Somebody asked me what did I want the most for teaching. I said, "Running water." I wasn't kidding.  Today the sink and countertop was installed in the basement.  Now we just need to hook up the pipes and finish  the cabinets, then we can do arts and crafts AND clean up down there.

4.  Jude has a new nickname.  He is only allowed downstairs in the basement with me and our handy guy if he sits inside the trampoline.  Well, five year olds can't just sit on a trampoline. Jude sits long enough to "gather his energy," and the he bounces.  And bounces.  And bounces some more.  Mr. Ed the builder has taken to calling Jude "Cricket" because he jumps all over the trampoline (and the basement).   

5.  Celia and I put up 10 pints of strawberries this week.  We have more to put up, but we ran out of sugar.  Canning the next 8 quarts is this weekend's project.

 Stop on by!





©2012- 2013 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com

Simplified Pantry - A Schoolhouse Crew Review

Simplified Pantry has published two cooking guides: Simplified Dinners and Simplified Dinners: Gluten Free/Dairy Free.  Each is available as a PDF download and costs $12.99.  Both are self-admittedly less of a traditional "cookbook" and more of a guide to help simplify meal planning and grocery shopping.  Each focuses more on combinations of flavors and the processes of cooking than providing actual recipes. The goal is to create a number of meals, combining and recombining pantry staples, to keep dinners interesting and fresh without needing to constantly run to the grocery store for specialty ingredients.  Makes sense to me, so I was definitely looking forward to this review.

If you are an experienced cook, these books are  pretty good.  If you're new to cooking, or are not an "instinctive" cook, you may find them frustrating.  I tend to be a "toss it in" type of cook - I've cooked enough, read enough cookbooks, and watched enough Food Network to have a general sense of what flavors go together and roughly where the line is between "can't taste it" and "overkill."   If you're looking for new ideas and combinations, these can be good resources.  However, if you're a new cook just learning, this series may leave you frustrated.  When Luke tried to make the Margarita Marinade (to flavor a flat iron steak we were having for dinner), his first question was "How much meat do I need? It doesn't say."  He's right; it doesn't.  The literal answer to his question is "You need to prepare the entire piece that I bought; there's five of us eating it and two of you qualify as teen boys and therefore we need enough for twelve since I want leftovers," but I see where he's coming from. The recipe makes about 3/8 cup of marinade, but it doesn't tell you proportions; ie, is this enough to marinate 1 pound of meat, and does he need to triple it for the larger steak that will feed our family, or is one batch enough, or what?   In the end, I told him to quadruple it (the meat was just over 3 pounds) and it was about enough.  The proportions given in the recipe provided for a good flavor without using a lot of weird ingredients, so if he was starting his own household, this book could be a good resource for filling his pantry.   However, many recipes did not give "Serves this many" indications, so you were left guessing how far the recipe would go.  Not knowing how much something made frustrated him, and for a new cook could would lead to either an empty belly or too many leftovers.

I really wanted to get a lot of use from the Gluten Free/Dairy Free book, but it just did not work for us.  Part of my dislike was the same reasons I didn't care for the original volume.   However, a good bit was that I am an experienced allergy cook -- I've been cooking gluten, dairy, and various other foods free for over eight years, so my perspective very likely is skewed. I've made my fair share of not-great meals; Neal will push food around the plate and politely say "It's good for what it's supposed to be," which is really code for "Do not ever ever ever make this again."  Finding a cookbook that works for us can be very hard, because many recipes use substitutes we cannot.  (I can't wait for Daiya to make their non-soy cream cheese so we can have cheesecake and Irish Potato candy again!)  I'm always on the lookout for new recipes; I'm as tired of cooking some things as everyone is of eating them, so new ideas are always welcome!  However, from an allergy perspective, there were some things I especially did not like about the book:

• It recommends using Gluten Free flour mixes, instead of purchasing individual flours, as a way to streamline the pantry and cut costs.  I can say from experience that this is "Penny wise, pound foolish."  First, different gluten free flours behave differently, and "all-purpose GF mix" really is a bit of a misnomer.  I know many people who have found that particular flours work well in some applications, but not in others.  Secondly, pre-mixed flours are VERY expensive - they generally run around $4 or $5 per pound, though I've seen some that have cost upwards of $20. per pound.   Yikes!  If you are just starting out and testing a gluten free lifestyle, a flour mix might well be more economical.  However, over the long term, purchasing individual flours and starches and mixing them yourself is often much less expensive.  The book also eschews binders like xanthan gum.  I made the rice flour muffins as listed in the book, to see if the egg was enough binder.  Luke's fifth grade science fair project involved substituting various gluten free flours in a vegan applesauce cake that had no eggs or gums for binding, and most of the cakes fell apart, so I was skeptical.  It wasn't, and they fell apart.  While some people do have a preference for one gum over another, xanthan and/or guar gums, or more than one protein-laden egg white, is usually necessary to maintain structural integrity in gluten free baked goods.  If you were new to gluten free cooking, the baking recipes would definitely be frustrating and off-putting. 

• There is no acknowledgement of the 2004 Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act.  Any food manufacturer that operates within the jurisdiction of the FDA is legally required to label in plain English the presence of dairy (or wheat) as an ingredient in a food.   Listing natural or artificial flavors as "ingredients that could contain dairy" or stating "semolina may contain gluten" (semolina is wheat flour and must say "wheat" on the label) may not only confuse people but could lead them to avoid a number of foods unnecessarily.

•  Many foods on the list that have potential cross-contamination issues are flagged (and that is not regulated by the label law, so definitely something to be conscious of).  It's never a bad thing to be alert to potential problems -- and in the allergy community, the mantra is "Every label, every time," and many families I know actually read a food's label three times (once in the store before putting it in the cart, once when putting it away at home, and once when taking it out to use it) to ensure the product is as safe as possible.  However, one staple in many recipes listed in this book is tamari sauce, as a substitute for soy sauce (many contain wheat/gluten).  While gluten free tamari sauce does exist, not all tamaris are gluten free.  The last time I saw/heard of wheat starch used as an anticaking ingredient in powdered sugar was around 2008 (though it is possible that there is a smaller brand out there that uses it, the major commercial brands now use either corn or tapioca starches).  FALCPA does not cover foods regulated by the USDA (meats, dairy, etc.) so meats are something that probably should be flagged (especially anything processed, like sausages, etc.) to be checked more extensively (especially with the rise in ready-to-cook premium meat and seafood products that can cause cross-contamination in the manufacturers' kitchens).  

• One of the recipe listings was for quesadillas.  Dairy free quesadillas are not impossible -- we eat them pretty often in this house!  However, the ingredient listings omit cheese/substitutes as an ingredient entirely.  I am the first to admit some of the substitutes are not great (I think we've tried darn near every one out there!),  but there are some that behave very much like dairy cheese (Daiya is a top 8 allergen free cheese that we use practically by the case).  A quesadilla without cheese is just a sandwich on a tortilla shell, so I thought this section was a little bit of false advertising.   While it sometimes seems impossible to keep up with all the products being released, an acknowledgement that dairy-free cheeses exist would be helpful, especially since the "pantry list" includes non-dairy liquid milk substitutes.  I know from experience Daiya also works great in soups, mixed into biscuits or cornbread, as an ingredient in an omelette or frittata, etc. so it would be a really good pantry staple for those who like items with melty cheese.

• "Fruit salad or fruit tray" is listed as a "gluten and dairy free" dessert.  Strictly speaking, yes, it's a low-allergen, post-entree course, but to me, a fruit tray is not a dessert.  I would prefer to see inclusion of recipes like a Pavlova shell filled with fresh fruit,  fruit poached in a spiced syrup, or a caramel fruit dip make fruit feel more special.   There are lots other of simple recipes that exist, like vegan chocolate fudge or even semi-homemade desserts that work with items found in the regular mega-mart and have more of a "Wow!" factor for helping people transition to a long-term gluten/dairy free lifestyle or are more likely to impress the skeptical relatives who think "allergy foods are either gross or boring."  The dessert section really feels like an uninspired afterthought.

We will probably continue to use these books for menu planning ideas, but I will definitely have to either sit down in advance and work out quantities, or work closely with Luke when he prepares dinner, in order to be able to use them as more than an idea springboard.  Many of the gluten and dairy free recipes are the same as in the regular book, so I think that will likely be more of our go-to; where a substitution needs to be made to make it safe for us, we will just write it in the margin. 

The Crew reviewed three titles for Simplified Pantry: 
Simplified Dinners   
Simplified Dinners: Gluten Free/Dairy Free
Paperless Home Organization 

The author of these books, Mystie Winkler, is offering a discount code for my blog readers.  If you'd like to read any of these yourself, enter TOS2013 at checkout to receive 30% off! This discount is valid through June 3, 2013 for all of her eBooks.  Simplified Pantry also has a mailing list signup, if you'd like to receive periodic emails (about 3-4 per year) about special deals or new eBooks.    

Click the banner below to read about others' experiences! 

©2012- 2013 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com

There is no greater love.

We remember those who gave their lives for our freedoms:

Thank you, friends.

©2012- 2013 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com

Do not worry about tomorrow.

Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? 
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. 
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’
 All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
 But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.

Matthew 6:26-34




Sharing with:

 


©2012- 2013 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com

Random Five on Friday - May 24

It's Friday!!  AND a holiday weekend -- three days off!! 

1.  Jude is slowly transitioning to First Grader.  He's been working on a first grade Math book for about a month now, and this week moved up to a Secondary Primer notebook for writing.  There are 14 school days left in the big kids' school year.  I feel like we just started.

2.   We had our dryer duct cleaned out today.   When the guys blew out the bottom of the line, it looked like it was snowing! But now my dryer actually dries...imagine that!

3.  I am in love with our new juicer, and the possibilities.  So far, I've only juiced strawberries and apples for Celia and Damien, but I'm looking forward to maybe doing some tomato juice (to turn into tomato soup) and carrot/veggie juice to add to pump up spaghetti sauce.

4.   Damien keeps stealing the ripe strawberries from our little patch.  I caught him with the last one in his mouth, and said, "I told you not to take the strawberries!" His answer, around a mouth full of berry, was "What? It was a red one."  At least he knows his colors?

5.   Jude and I made popcorn this week for a combo phonics-spelling-science-crafts project.  He declared it the best lesson ever.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!







©2012- 2013 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com

Strawberry Juice Marshmallows

Our household recently became the proud owners of new juicer.  A little backstory:


John Pinette is one of my favorite comedians.  I have to admit, I have a similar skepticism of juicing.  "Juice is not a verb."

Another blogging-mom-friend (Marcy) recently started a juice fast as last ditch to attempt to recover her health.   I'm not necessarily sold on juicing as a way of life, but I'm very happy she has found some relief from her pain.  Living with chronic pain isn't easy.  But following her story made a little light bulb go off above my head.  All jokes about juicing a ham for Celia aside, having a juicer would definitely help broaden options for meals.  While nutrition isn't an issue (she gets tube feeds of elemental formula),  when you only have two foods to work with (pork and strawberries), creative presentation is the key to keeping food interesting.  We've been using pureed strawberries for many things, but it's very labor intensive.  Zapping them in a blender is easy; straining out all the seeds so you don't have crunchy gelatin is a royal pain.  Plus, strawberry puree burns easily and means strawberry flavored candy tastes "kinda strawberry, kinda weird."   Suddenly, I thought -- "Hey, I wonder if a juicing machine would make a difference."

I'll give Marcy all the credit for juicer research.  I went back to her blog to look at what she was using.  She likes her juicer for hard fruits and veggies, but said it was not so ideal for softer produce.  Since I wanted mine specifically for juicing strawberries, I opted for a model that has a "soft fruit" speed.   The "package man" delivered it this week, and I set it up right away.  Strawberries are FINALLY in season, so we are really gorging on them while we can!  I pulled out a quart of strawberries and started juicing.

I can sum up this machine in one word.  AWESOME.  It made short work of the berries, and extracted almost 13 ounces of ruby-hued juice from a scant quart of berries. And there was not a single seed floating in it! I wouldn't say the pulp was bone dry, but when I tried to run it through the hopper again, nothing more was extracted.  I switched out the pitcher for a bowl, and ran a couple of Granny Smith apples through it to make strawberry-apple juice for Damien.  The pulp left from the apples was very dry - the consistency of damp sand.  So yes, if there is juice to come out, this juicer wrings every drop!

Celia drank a glass of strawberry juice with her dinner, and we used the leftover to make strawberry juice marshmallows.  I've tried to make strawberry marshmallows before, first using berry puree (how we learned it burns).  Then I tried making strawberry extract by macerating strawberries in rum.  Despite a very strong flavor when I tasted the extract itself, that candy barely had a strawberry aroma.  Celia and Damien love plain marshmallows (we go through two or three pans a week), but the I-can-outsmart-EoE side of me was on a mission to make strawberry marshmallows.  I was hoping that the strawberry juice would do it.   So Celia and I made marshmallows with the remaining juice.

Verdict -- these are Strawberry marshmallows.  Yes, with a capital S and italics.  When I open the container, you can smell strawberries.  When you bite the delicately pink marshmallow, you get a burst of berry on your tongue.  Celia says they are perfect for a Princess Party.  Or Valentine's Day.  Or Lunch.  I like them plain, and Celia likes them roasted.  Damien doesn't care one way or the other -- just keep them coming!

 

Strawberry Princess Marshmallows

Ingredients:
1 cup strawberry juice, divided (about 1 pint strawberries, juiced)
3 packets unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

powdered sugar (for dusting)


Note: You can use any powdered sugar.  We purchase Tate & Lyle Icing Sugar from an online import shop.  It's only sold in the UK, and it is pure cane sugar with no added starches.  You can use any brand of "10x" or powdered sugar.

Special Equipment:

no-stick foil (not totally necessary, but added insurance when removing marshmallows from pan)
candy thermometer
electric mixer
silicone or rubber spatula

This is a good project to do with kids, but a grown-up should do the thermometer and pouring parts.

Line a 9x13 pan with (no-stick) aluminum foil.  Sift powdered sugar generously, coating the bottom fully and the sides as best as you can.

In a heat-proof mixing bowl, place 1/2 c. juice and gelatin.  Mix to combine and allow gelatin to soften for about 10 minutes. 

 If you're using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment.



In a small saucepan, mix remaining 1/2 c. juice with the granulated sugar.  Over medium heat, melt the sugar into the juice, stirring gently.   Bring to a full boil, place a lid on the pot, and set a timer for 3 minutes.  DO NOT STIR THE SUGAR MIXTURE AFTER THIS POINT.   You don't want to create any crystals that will make your marshmallows gritty.


After 3 minutes, remove the lid.







Carefully insert a candy thermometer into the syrup, and continue cooking until it reaches the soft ball stage (235* F).  Carefully remove the pan from the heat.















Start the mixer at low speed, and begin beating the gelatin mixture to break it up.  Carefully pour the sugar syrup in, trying to avoid the side and the beater(s).  DO NOT SCRAPE THE PAN - this can introduce crystals to the marshmallows.  Just pour what comes out of the pan freely.

Slowly turn the mixer speed up to full speed.  Beat until fluffy, the volume of marshmallow nearly fills the bowl, and the bowl is mostly cool to the touch.  (A little warmth is OK, but you should be able to comfortably hold your hand against it.)

Pour the marshmallow into the sugared pan.  Gently scrape the sides with a spatula. You don't want to scrape the bowl clean (you may introduce crystals), just get what comes off easily.  There will be a thin film of marshmallow that clings to the bowl.

Coat the top of the panned marshmallow with powdered sugar. Gently press the marshmallow out so that it fills the pan and the top is mostly smooth.  Allow to cool for 1-2 hours.

Find volunteers to lick the spatula and beaters.  There's never a shortage of those here.  

Lift the foil out of the pan, and turn the marshmallow over onto a cutting board.  Gently remove the foil.


Sift a bit of powdered sugar into the marshmallow pan.   Cut the marshmallows with a pizza cutter, sharp knife, or cookie cutter. (If using a cookie cutter, dust in sugar first.)



Roll the cut edges in the powdered sugar to keep them from sticking.  Store in an airtight container.  Enjoy!






Here's an alternative for a fun, allergy-friendly birthday!  Leave it uncut, and set cake toppers and a candle in it.  This is Damien's birthday cake!

Linking up with:





©2012- 2013 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com

Prayers - and help - for Oklahoma

Photo credit: Kristin LaRue Photography

Imagine being without a home, and in a shelter.  Now imagine that the food they served could cause your child to experience anaphylaxis.  You'd survive the tornado, only to be killed by a sandwich.  Please join us in supporting the Oklahoma Food Allergy Support Group in providing allergy-friendly foods to food banks in Moore, OK and the surrounding area.  An easy way to help - without even leaving your living room for the post office - is to go to Amazon.com and order items to be shipped directly to Oklahoma.  While anything easy-to-prepare would be appreciated, some suggestions:

Sunbutter - sunflower seed butter

Gluten and/or dairy free crackers, such as Crunchmaster or Glutino

Enjoy Life Foods products -- including Sunbutter bars and Individually Wrapped Cookies 

(Note: By clicking through any of these links,  Amazon will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Kids with Food Allergies Foundation, and help fund KFA's Disaster Support Team.)

Donations can be sent to:

The Cherokee Hills Church of Christ
6724 NW 63
Oklahoma City, OK  73132
Attn: Becky Matlack and Oklahoma Food Allergy Support Group

PHONE: 405-305-3009

Email: tessasmomy (at) yahoo (dot) com
or cami62 (at) sbcglobal (dot) net

You can also go to Peanut Free Planet, and place an order.  They will cover the SHIPPING of your donation and see that it gets to the OKLAHOMA REGIONAL FOOD BANK.  You may also DONATE $ to purchase products to fill in the gaps of other donations via a gift certificate.  To order or donate:

• Choose the item(s) you wish to donate  
• ENTER THE PEANUT FREE PLANET ADDRESS AS SHIPPING ADDRESS:

                      15252 Stony Creek Way, Noblesville, IN 

and choose IN STORE PICKUP and put ‘OKLAHOMA” in the comments section.

All donations will be shipped THURSDAY MORNING. Please help to get the word out by copying and pasting this portion on your FB page.

Our love and prayers are being sent to Oklahoma.  

When sorrowful, be steadfast,
and in crushing misfortune be patient;
For in fire gold and silver are tested,
and worthy people in the crucible of humiliation.
Trust God and God will help you; trust in him, and he will direct your way.
 Sirach 2: 4-6

©2012- 2013 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com

Just like a rainbow...

 Just like the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day so was the appearance of brilliance that surrounded him. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.

 Ezekiel 1:28

Last Saturday morning, Matthew called me to say he threw up and needed a ride home from play practice.  When we got in the door, Celia bolted for the bathroom. I thought we were going to spend the weekend passing a virus around, but by mid-afternoon, everyone's stomachs seemed to have calmed down.  Neal and I went out to dinner (it was the 18th anniversary of our first date) and to run errands (isn't the traditional gift "a bathroom sink"?), but our date was cut short by a text from Luke:  "When are you coming home?  Celia just puked on the couch."  That seemed to start a rapid spiral downward.  She was sick all night - she'd fall asleep, wake up vomiting, and then fall back over.  I stayed up with her until close to 1 am; Neal woke up and took the graveyard shift so I could get some sleep.  By morning, she was a sad little pumpkin.  By lunchtime, I was starting to get nervous, because nothing was staying down.  She desperately wanted to drink, but it came back up.  We kept turning her tube feeds of rehydration solution down and ran them slower and slower, in the hopes that something would stay.  As a last ditch effort, we turned her down to 30 ml - one ounce - per hour, and even that didn't stay put.  We raised the white flag and took her to duPont.  You know it's bad when the 8-year-old patient says to the triage nurse, "Can you just put an IV in already? My tubey isn't working."

Bottom line, she was dehydrated.  Severely.  She had just been to the GI clinic on Tuesday, and hen they weighed her in the triage room, her weight was lower than it was then.  Which makes sense.  Then I pulled out my phone to enter her weight in, and realized she had lost almost 3 kg in 4 days.   The ER docs were shocked.  I was concerned at this point, because that was a lot of weight for her, but focused on getting her better.   ER docs ordered labs, a huge bolus of fluid  (I didn't know infusion pumps could click that fast) and an x-ray to rule out any kind of bowel obstructions, and then we were heading up to a room.   We were admitted on the GI service - I think general peds was afraid of her, so we got to see some old friends.  We didn't have too exciting of a reunion, because now it was past 4 am and I just wanted a nap before rounds.  GI team finally came, and I mentioned it was pretty obvious from her weight that she was down a lot of fluid, and gave the doc the two weights.  We've known the GI who was on inpatient service since Celia was toddler, and know that very little fazes him.  His eyes rolled upwards as he did some mental calculations, and then his face fell and went pale.  He remarked that she had lost 10% of her body weight in four days.  At this point, I start to think, "If he's getting worried, is this where I start panicking?"  Our day nurse was subbing in the unit for the day; normally he is assigned to the PICU.  He looked at our labs, and then showed them to me.  She had some numbers that were seriously off-kilter.  We knew she was sick, but didn't realize just HOW sick she was.

Finally by late Monday afternoon, she seemed to have turned a corner.  After a liter of plain saline and  most of a liter of potassium IV, she seemed to perk up.  The docs finally let her have fluids by mouth, and she immediately demanded club soda.  (And yes, I hustled down to the cafeteria to get some seltzer.)  She was still tired, but starting to look for things to do.  First, she commandeered my laptop so she could do some of her home math program.  She was slower than usual...it took her ten minutes instead of eight.  Thankfully, Child Life came by with some paint, so that kept her occupied for a while.  Among the things she painted was this rainbow.  It was amazing to me, to see her so sick on Sunday, and then less than a day later almost recovered. 

We wound up staying until mid-afternoon on Tuesday.  The doctors didn't trust her because, bad as she appeared, she didn't look as bad as the labs showed.   After making sure she truly was better, they let her go home.  By Wednesday, she was back to school and back to normal!  I chose this verse from Ezekiel for this picture and story, because to see her sitting up, painting a rainbow, shows just how good and glorious God is.  This was one very sick little girl who had so many people praying for her, and God showed just how speedy and magnificent a healer He is. 

Sharing with:

I is for Inpatient!







©2012- 2013 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com

Random Five on Friday - May 17

TGIF! Five random things from this week:

1.  There is nothing like going on a date with the hubby to celebrate 18th years since your first date and getting a phone call from your babysitting teen: "When are you coming home?  Celia just puked on the couch."  

2.  There is no Mother's Day gift like healthy kids, even if it is a bit late.   That bug knocked Celia for a loop and we spent 2 1/2 days in the hospital. 

3.  The next few weeks are going to be crazy with performances.  In the next three weeks, we have Matthew's play, Luke's spring concert, and Celia's violin recital. 

4.  It looks like we have made a decision for Luke and school next year.  His current school is closing, and other local schools just aren't the right option for him, so he's going to be a homeschooler too. 

3.  The last of Jude's new bedroom decorations came.  His room now is "officially" an Avengers/Spiderman big boy room.   Where did my baby boy go?

©2012- 2013 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com

Spanish for You! (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

 

Spanish for You! is a theme-based multisensory program for teaching students in grades 3 through 8 how to speak Spanish.  It incorporates listening, speaking, reading and writing.  Rather than being a single-grade curriculum, it can be used throughout the age range.  It is divided into age sections (grades 3-4, 5-6, 7-8) so a larger family can use one program simultaneously (using the individual grade sections/worksheets), or a single student can use the same book for several years.  Each themed curriculum includes materials (downloadable textbook, workbook, and .mp3 sound files) for all grade levels is $64.95; while individual grade units are available as well ($39.95 each).   Currently, there are two full courses available - Estaciones and Fiestas, with a third (Viajes) set to debut in June 2013.   The program is set up to be used 4 days per week; the entire course takes 24-30 weeks, depending on grade level.  However, it is very easy to work at a faster pace.  Each lesson is planned to take from 10 to 30 minutes, so it is easy to add in some of the suggested games, or even do two lessons in one sitting.  Celia studied the Estaciones (Seasons) program, working on the grade 3-4 section.  It contained five units, with several daily lessons for each unit.

One thing I liked about this program is the intense focus on a specific topic.  The student thorougly learns the vocabulary associated with a specific topic, rather than a few words about this and then some about that.  Celia also used these words in sentences/conversation, so that what she recalled wasn't rote memorization but critical thinking.  For example, to answer the question, "Cuando hace calor?" she needed to understand the question ("When is the weather warm?") and then recall the correct month and grammar (for example, "Hace calor en junio," or "It is warm in June.")  The text employs both reading, writing and speaking for learning in the workbook.  It also recommends that the student create index cards with the vocabulary and common idioms used in the course.  This definitely can help the student work on drilling vocabulary.  However, this particular angle did not work so well for us, because flashcards are not particularly efficient for her.  She found greater success just reading and re-reading the pages, and listening to the included .mp3 files.

I liked that the conjugation sections contained all six forms of a conjugated verb.  When I learned Spanish (multiple dialects), I was taught all six.  Even though only Castillian dialect Spanish uses the vosotros (plural you familiar) form of verbs, to pass the courses, I needed to be able to speak in any dialect.  Celia is currently learning Spanish in her school, and her teacher instructs in her native dialect (Puerto Rico)is a native Puerto Rican, and teaches her native dialect.  Celia has not learned much about this form of conjugation, though she knows it exists.  Working on this program gave her greater exposure to this form of the verb.   She is aware that it is not commonly used by most Spanish speakers, but it is still good for her to learn it.

However, I did not like that there was little explanation of WHY things were the way they are.  For starters, the way to conjugate verbs was shown as simply memorizing the conjugations.   While this might be fine for learning only a few verbs (the units we studied each introduced a fewverbs in each one), it did not explain the patterns and when Celia comes across a verb that hasn't been memorized yet, she would be unable to conjugate it.   The conjugated forms were clearly labled, but the endings were not clearly explained.  For example, in the "yo" form, most verbs drop the "ending" (-ar, -er, -ir)  and and the letter "o" to the root.  However, the text did not explain the difference in verb endings, or how the ending patterns were the similar but not identical for "you" and "they" and "we" etc.  A particularly intrepid student might be able to eventually figure out the pattern, but it is a difficult way to learn a language.  I think it would be like expecting someone to memorize "I jump, you jump, verbhe jumps; I walk, you walk, he walks" without saying clearly "The general rule is if it is he or she, add an "s".   One of the verbs used is  ir, "to go."  Ir is an irregular verb and does not follow any of the usual rules, and there is no mention of "This verb just is different, memorize this because it doesn't follow a pattern."     It also does not explain idioms well.  It *teaches* them, but it does not *explain* them.  For example, in English, we say "It is hot," but Spanish does not use the "is" verb but "hacer" which translates as "to make" and the sentence is "Hace calor."  A beginning student easily may substitute "hacer" when they really mean "is" -- for example, the lesson "Hoy es lunes," ("Today is Monday,") could easily confuse a beginner who doesn't understand that weather has its own idioms and is not a literal translation.   I would have liked to see lessons include more grammar rules, rather than just examples. 

As the instructor, I struggled with the organization of the download.  I think it would have been much more helpful for the worksheets to be organized by grade, rather than Unit/Lesson.  To print out the workbook, each page had to be individually sent to the printer after having to sort through the list for the correct grade.  In addition, I went over the lesson plans and text several times and for some reason still had extra grade-appropriate worksheets that I couldn't figure out where to incorporate.  We just saved them for the end of the unit and used them as a review, but it was frustrating to not be able to figure where they belonged.

Many days' lessons include one or more multiplayer games.  We wound up skipping many of these, because Celia was the only child utilizing this program.  This part of the program is probably better for group/family study, or for the parent who is able to be extremely involved with teaching the lesson.

Celia really enjoys learning Spanish, and takes a twice weekly class at school.  We will probably continue to use this program as a supplemental/summer activity for her.  Although it is meant to take up to 6 months to complete, I think it is possible to complete the course in three to four months, and so will probably also use it with Matthew over the summer (for practice and so there is more than one student to play some of the suggested games.)  However, for a full time/core foreign language program,  I would opt for something that has a similar unit study style but provides a more structured grammar frame, and that is easier to do independently.

¡Por favor, ven a ver lo que otros miembros piensan acerca de este programa!

 (Please, come to see other Crew Members thought of this program.) 

©2012- 2013 Adventures with Jude. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://adventureswithjude.com