- Wednesday is the day our homeschool group has Mug Up (a weekly gathering of homeschoolers where the kids can spend time with friends and where the Mom's can have coffee, get encouragement, support, arms to hug you or a shoulder to cry on. It is a place to share what is working for you and what isn't, but more importantly it is a place where you can recharge your 'batteries' and know that you're not alone on this journey called homeschooling).
- this year we have set Wednesdays up as our Library day and since it is the one day of the week that I plan to be out of the house (at least for part of the day), it is also the day that I run errands for Don (to the bank, the post office, insurance agency, etc.)
During the day, while the kids were doing their schooling, I was able to get a batch of Iced Tea syrup made - I started making this a few years ago and since that time, we haven't switched back to the powdered stuff that the store sells (with the exception of having it in the camper - hot iced tea is really good when your sitting around the campfire). I was also able to get a batch of yogurt made - it's been a long time since I've made yogurt ..... it's cooling in the fridge as I type. A while ago, I had found a recipe on how to make it in the slow cooker ... it takes a while to make it that way, but the end result is worth it (my Mom used to make it in an ice cream pail in the oven .... she used the light in the oven to keep it warm while it was incubating). In total, it takes about 13 or 14 hours to make it this way (that doesn't include the cooling time) .... soooooo, if you make it, make sure that you start it early in the day, then it can cool overnight and you'll have fresh yogurt for breakfast the next day. ˚Ü˚
A few weeks ago Don and I made the decision to stop using our dishwasher - it's not that the dishwasher is a bad thing, it's actually quite handy to have .... our problem with it is that the kids were not emptying it when it was done (doing the dishes was one of their daily tasks) - when clean dishes were needed (because they weren't in the cupboard), they were simply taken out of the dishwasher. So, essentially, the dishwasher was being used as a cupboard as well. Now, the downside to having a dishwasher used as a cupboard (as well as a dishwasher) is that you can't refill it to wash the dirty dishes until all the dishes have been taken out of the dishwasher/cupboard .... this creates piles of dirty dishes on the counter and in the sink. Soooooooo, much to the dismay of our children, we have stopped using it - dishes are now done throughout the day (as they should be) and there is a lot more peace in our house where dishes are concerned .... if only I could convince them that Josh needs to take turns washing the dishes (he's content to dry and put away and Charlotte is content to wash and rinse - however, learning to wash the dishes is a skill that I feel he will need to learn). ˚Ü˚ Now, with all the 'making' I was doing yesterday, I ended up with a lot of dishes to do - I do the breakfast and lunch dishes (and any other dishes I create during the day from baking, etc.) and the kids do the supper dishes. Man, did I ever go through the hand cream yesterday, lol, but .... it was worth it. ˚Ü˚
Now, the blog entry just wouldn't be complete without some pictures, right? lol. Here is a picture of my yogurt - it's in a 4L ice cream pail (just so you can judge how much it makes):
Oh, I almost forgot .... here is the link to the instructions that I used for this batch (I lost my other recipe and had to search down a new one): You Can Make Yogurt In Your Crockpot!
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