And The Weeks Go By

We didn't do much schoolwork this week
as the world's most loved grandmother is visiting,
and we were well overdue a week's break.

We went swimming... twice!
Do you see the little mountain in the distance on the right?

Supposedly, it's where Antoine de Saint-Exupéry got his inspiration
for the Little Prince's Elephant Swallowed by Boa.

Lu finished (and loved) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,
and is writing a summary.

There were so many words and terms like - ma'am, sir, lickings, Sunday School, scoundrels, etc... that were unfamiliar to him. I had to pre-read each chapter and make a list of vocabulary words to go over together before he would read. It was quite a challenge to find my own silent school-reading time, and I'm very glad that Lu is now reading Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach, for which I will not need to continue this practice. I SOOOOO love that he loves to read, and I can't imagine homeschooling without that love of reading - it definitely makes my role as facilitator much easier.

Lately, on the handwriting front, I've been sitting with him and holding his left hand on the paper while he's writing. I realized that his funky-lookin' handwriting is mostly because of his not steadying the paper. Reminding him isn't enough. His hand has a mind of its own and quickly wanders. So I've been doing this at least half an hour a day and am already seeing a big difference.

So... I have successfully survived 3 weeks as a non-smoker. This has freed up more time than I could have ever imagined. With this new free time, I have been BAKING LIKE A MANIAC, and trying out all kinds of desert recipes.

Here are my flour-free peanut-butter-chocolate-chip cookies:

Chocolate and Vanilla Pudding

I had to complain to my mom about this - "Chocolate pudding is so easy, why did you never teach me how to make it?" Apparently it's not an interesting enough desert. Hah! There is nothing I would prefer over chocolate pudding. And now I know how to make it myself, from scratch, in minutes. I'm very, very happy about this discovery. And you're like "duh, who doesn't know how to make chocolate pudding", but I am very new to all of this.

It's actually Mocha for Cha and me, and the Vanilla is for Lu.

And then...
I mixed them all together and made
a peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookie crust,
covered with stewed berries, apples, and raisins
and topped with vanilla pudding. Divine.

Yes, I am gaining some extra pounds, but I've hopefully added some years to my life by quitting smoking before 40. Besides, I'm all for promoting healthy feminine roundness and curvy abundance.
Bring it on!