Lunch Impossible

It's not like I've been otherwise occupied playing FarmVille. OK, so I have. As you know I decided when I first experimented with virtual farming that it's a ridiculous thing to be addicted to, but I suppose there are worse addictions.

Oh, and I've been busy too. Today was our typical crazy Tuesday with Bright Futures and homeschool co-op. And I spent most of yesterday in the kitchen. That's right, the kitchen. I've said before it's not like the kitchen and I are strangers or anything. But we're not exactly soulmates either. That's why as soon as my mouse hit the send button on an email to the Bright Futures director in which I volunteered to make a meal for 20 people, I wished it was the Olden Days and I could reach into the mailbox, retrieve my letter, and burn it. It didn't help that my Personal Chef would be away this week. At least if he's here I know I have a go-to consultant if I Flop something or if I Freak Out in an unreasonable sort of way about anything culinary.

But I was on my own. And I selected a recipe I have made enough times to know it works and is good. My personal chef has even given it his taste of approval, so I know it's good. This recipe of mine is actually courtesy of The Pampered Chef, and I will share it at the end of this post. It is called Pasta Roll-Ups, but I call it Fake Lasagna. It's pretty easy to make. Of course, I've never made 4 pans of it at one time.

First you make some spaghetti sauce. Or if you're cooking for 20, you take some frozen leftover spaghetti sauce out of the freezer and then add more to that.


Spread a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of each pan.

Then you make two thousand three hundred and two lasagna noodles. And you make the ricotta cheese. Then spend hours rolling a tablespoon full of the ricotta cheese glob up in each lasagna noodle.

Place each rolled up, stuffed noodle in the one-layer-of-sauce-covered pan.

Spoon more sauce over the roll-ups. Then sprinkle cheese over top. (I had given up taking pictures by this point, plus my hands were covered in Pasta Sticky.)

My menu also included French bread, which I made which I bought at Kroger, and a salad, which I grew and harvested from my virtual FarmVille garden came in a big, giant bag from Sam's.

And for dessert--this is where the kitchen and I actually do have a love affair--I made Can't Leave Alone Bars (which may be its actual name, but is more likely the given name my friend from whom I got the recipe dubbed it). Very easy. So delicious. Recipe to follow the Fake Lasagna recipe.


So after I made all this stuff yesterday, I wrestled with both our interior kitchen fridge and our exterior garage fridge and finally fit it all in. Then I carted it downtown ATL in laundry baskets. Because I'm classy like that.

All of the kids were extremely grateful that I had brought lunch, but I wondered why they were not mid-breakfast like they usually are when I walk in the door. That's when the director asked, "Did you bring the muffins for breakfast?"

Suddenly I had a vague recollection of mentioning something crazy and off-the-wall like me not only bringing in lunch but also breakfast.

The kids learned a valuable lesson: One can survive without breakfast. And I learned that while I'm near-perfect in all other aspects of life, I really cannot always expect to live up to ALL of my overcommitments.

Pasta Roll-Ups (a.k.a. Fake Lasagna)

from The Pampered Chef's Stoneware Inspirations but made my way

12 uncooked lasagna noodles

spaghetti sauce

1/3 c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese (or mozzarella or a mixture of both)

2 T. snipped fresh parsley

1 container (15 oz. ) ricotta cheese

1 egg yolk

1/3 t. salt

1/8 t. ground black pepper

dash nutmeg (oops - never noticed this ingredient)

additional cheese & parsley (for topping and garnish)

1. Cook the noodles.

2. Spread layer of sauce in bottom of pan.

3. Mix the rest of the ingredients (except for the topping and garnish, of course).

4. Place 1 T. of the mixture from #3 in each lasagna noodle.

5. Roll up noodle.

6. Place each rolled up noodle in pan.

7. Top with topping (duh!) and garnish.

8. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

9. Uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes or so.

Can't Leave Alone Bars (or something like that)

1 pkg. (18 1/4 oz.) white cake mix (although yellow worked just fine too!)

2 eggs

1/3 c. oil

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1 c. (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 c. butter or margarine, cubed (may I suggest butter?)

In a bowl, combine the dry cake mix, eggs, and oil. With floured hands, press two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 13x9 pan. Set remaining cake mixture aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, combine the milk, chocolate chips, and butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 45 seconds. Stir. Microwave additional time periods, stirring after each time, until chocolate and butter are melted and all blends together. Stir until smooth. Pour over crust.

Drop teaspoonfuls of remaining cake mixture over top.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before cutting.

Bright Futures Goes Historical

Before I invite you to read more of my Bright Futures students' writing, I want to introduce you to my "kids":

My two girls, from left to right, are Helen and Andrea (pronounced An-DREE-uh). Helen just joined us. She is only in 8th grade but is a really strong writer, so I brought her up with me for Writer's Workshop. Andrea is in 10th grade.

From left to right, my boys are Travis, Lelon, and Christopher. Travis and Christopher are in 12th grade and take the SAT next week. (Pray for them!) Lelon is in 9th grade.

I have uploaded new writings to Writer's Block. These are historical fiction pieces. I had a difficult time getting Lelon to understand the fictional aspect of this. As a result, his piece more closely resembles a report on an historical event, but we're making progress. If you have a moment, please read these pieces and leave a comment. As I've said before, these comments mean so very much to them!

Bright Futures and Other Housekeeping Issues

Thought I would give you an update on Bright Futures. It's going great. It is getting a little old driving downtown with kids in tow every week (especially since Tuesday seems to be THE Day for an Atlanta downpour), but we pass the time listening to books on CD. We just finished Patricia C. Wrede's Enchanted Forest series and enjoyed it immensely.

I have so enjoyed getting to know my BFA kids. They're good kids, all four of them, and we have a great time together. Please note that I have added 4 new essays to Homeschool Writer's Block. I have not been good about keeping up with that. And the kids miss it! Every week they have asked me, "Do you have our comments?" Trust me when I tell you how very much those comments mean to them. So, while I know it takes a good bit of time out of your day to do so, I would very much appreciate if you would visit and comment on their writings.

The essays I have posted are just one of a few assignments they have completed in the last few weeks. They had a rough time with their Lord of the Flies analytical essays, so I did not post those. For a couple of them, we had to re-work those papers and then re-work them some more, and we still have much room for improvement in that area.

Note: If you are new here and are wondering, What on earth is Bright Futures? visit here (the last post under that label explains the most).

As for that other housekeeping issue, I have recently made a new friend over at Running with Letters. Cynthia really does run with letters. And then she takes those letters and spins them into a lovely choice of words. And then she takes those words and morphs them into wonderfully composed sentences. She's a fun, busy, sweet person and someone I'd love to meet in person. Oh, and she's written two books for young adults. The Chrysalis is found here, and Drink the Rain may be found here.

Anyway, she has in the last few weeks awarded me two blog awards. The first was forever ago. So thank you, Cynthia, for the i give good blog Award

and for the Superior Scribbler Award.

The Superior Scribbler Award comes with some fine print. Here it is:

1. Each Superior Scribbler I name today must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving bloggy friends.
2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
3. Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog.
4. Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

So here's what I'm going to do. I happen to have 3 blog friends who were or are English teachers, which, implicitly, means they spend quite some time "scribbling". And they are:

Annie at Having a Ball
TeacherMommy at Diapers and Dragons
Arby at Boarding in Bedlam

I also have a wonderfully fun blog friend who acts like she was at some point an English teacher. I mean, she writes well and corrects people's grammar (and that's endearing, not annoying for the record). (Note to self: ask her what she did in Life-Before-Mommyhood-and-Homeschooling). And that person is:

Crossview at Down a Red Dirt Lane

Finally, one of my Write4Homeschool students is a witty, charming blogger herself, and she becomes my last but not least award recipient:

Aja at The Penguinator's Lair

More Bright Futures Writing

Thank you so much to all who commented on my kids' last writing! It meant so much to them. We began that following class by reviewing the papers I had graded and on which you had commented. I thought that would be a quick activity...a few minutes to make some general comments about the papers and talk about what we would do next time. But the minutes ticked by as they poured over your comments. They were quiet at first reading them, but then one would nudge another and whisper, "Hey, look what this person wrote about mine!" I could tell they were very touched.

I hope you will take the opportunity to read and comment on their newest papers. These too are personal narratives. The assignment was to do sort of a show-and-tell. Each student brought in an item that is special to them--a memento, a picture, whatever. That was our brainstorming, and the personal narratives that you see at Writer's Block is the result.

Please understand how much these narratives mean to the kids. I had them do oral presentations on them, and two of the guys (the author of "Life with Montrell" and the author of "A Lifetime Treasure") had a difficult time getting through their presentation, the one with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Just Fishin' Around

Although we hadn't exactly planned on swimming to the aquarium, the rain was coming down in torrents as we made our way down to join the Bright Futures kids for their field trip. What I didn't realize was that this wasn't just a regular trip to the aquarium; rather, through some of Bright Future's connections, we had reserved for us a tour of all of the behind-the-scene stuff, a showing of the otherwise too expensive 4D movie, and some time to wander at our leisure.

The tour was fantastic. I recall seeing various news reporters broadcasting from the Georgia Aquarium when it first opened. I never recognized their setting, though. Now I do. They were behind-the-scenes--above the ginormous tanks. An amazing site to behold. The whale sharks circled around by us several times and offered us great views.

It was also fun to see some of the fish in 4D and cartoon-style. We got splashed, jolted, and shoulder-brushed by jellyfish. I'm not sure if it was more fun to watch the film or to watch the kids watch the film.

Of course watching the kids while we were wandering at our leisure was a bit nerve-wracking. I had my four for whom I was completely responsible and 12 others for whom I was partially responsible. Although we had the aquarium mostly to ourselves for the first couple of hours, the crowds began to build, and it took some doing to keep my eye on everyone.

We did all manage to stay together, though, and my whole family was blessed by the experience. My kids all got to know my Bright Futures kids, and I had a chance to get acquainted with some of the middle-schoolers who I don't see much. Alex befriended Alicia, a seventh grader, and they had a great time together. What's funny is that Alex is taller than her! The other three had fun goofing off with some of the high school kids as well.

After a fun day, we were pleased to discover the sunshine outside. Which meant we would not have to swim home. And we hope to join Bright Futures on others of their Friday field trips.

Bright Futures Writing

Just a quick note to ask you to check out Writer's Block. It is the site where I am publishing my Bright Futures students' writing. I know it would mean the world to them if you would comment on their pieces...let them know their voices are being heard!

BFA, Week 1

I have to admit. I was really nervous this morning. I mean, it's been 14 years since I've been in a high school classroom. And I've spent the last 10 years with little people students who force me to issue commands like, "Sit still and keep your hands to yourself!" and "Please don't pick your nose; use a Kleenex!" and "You're holding yourself; do you need to go potty?"

So, yes, I was nervous as we glided down the carpool lane of the interstate on our way to Way-Faraway-Other-Side-of-Atlanta listening to Bank's Indian in the Cupboard on CD. But the moment I stepped into the Bright Futures house, I felt completely at ease. Some of the middle school and high school kids greeted me warmly, and I enjoyed mingling with them while they ate their breakfast. (Btw, Gail, who runs BF with her husband, amazingly puts out 3 healthy meals a day for these kids!)

After breakfast and a devotional, the middle and high schoolers separated, and I went upstairs with my 4: 1 Freshman, 1 Sophomore, and 2 Seniors. What a fun, honest, genuine, great group of teenagers! One activity I did was a brainstorming questionnaire on which they listed 3 possible answers to 18 questions or prompts, prompts like "People who have influenced you" and "Places you want to visit" and "Mistakes you've made and the lesson you learned." They were all very open about sharing these, and we had a great time listening to each other's thoughts in this way. I had an hour and a half with them, which this morning I had worried would drag on, but it flashed right by, and I soon found myself waving good-bye until next week.

As for my own children, I wish I could say they were little angels. Not quite on the angelic level, but fairly well-behaved all the same. There was a bit of a problem with completing their schoolwork. And the problem was not on my part. They had ample time to complete it and a perfect space in which to work. But left unattended...well, it is something we will work on!

The F Word

I woke up this morning feeling...sore. As I usually do on a Monday morning after having dragged my old body out on a sand volleyball court to attempt to play a young game for a few hours. We do have fun. It's just that I've acquired a few injuries along the way. Like my right index finger that keeps getting jammed or bent back at a right angle. And my left foot which I used to kick the ball because I was too lazy to move; somehow I kicked it wrong, injuring an old surgical scar. It all boils down to the fact that I am not at all flexible and feel even less so on Monday mornings.

I think perhaps I may have mentioned before that I am nothing if I'm not flexible. Right. Clearly this must be the lesson I am supposed to be learning. We always start school the first Monday of August. As I mentioned at 10:41 while live blogging from the Shoe, there was an impromptu meeting scheduled regarding Bright Futures Academy for this, my first day of school. Of course I am using MY definition of "impromptu". To some "impromptu" probably means, "Hey, do you have a few minutes right now so we could meet and iron this out?" To me, "impromptu" means a couple of weeks ahead of the impromptu-ly scheduled event but after I already have the calendar filled in.

Anyway. Like I said, I'm nothing if I'm not flexible, so I figured no problem, we'll start school Tuesday instead. So I re-planned everything around that. Then there was the phone call yesterday moving the meeting to today, causing a great flurry of activity around the calendar.

Flexible. Be flexible.

We made it through. Wasn't a stellar first day of school, but we made it through.

Of course there is that other matter of the impromptu Parent Orientation which I found out at today's meeting is this Sunday during the time that I ordinarily find myself out in the sand feeling 100 years old. Flexible. I'm going to be flexible. Because if I'm flexible about the meeting, I'm sure to be much more flexible next Monday morning, right?

The Unplanned Summons

We were at Wal-Mart today, and I spied a display of calendars and planners. I quickly selected a wall calendar and then began thumbing through the planners. Their covers were so delightful, the whimsical patterns and crisp colors soothing in a way. And as I turned the light pages, there they were--the empty squares, squares that needed to be planned and then filled in.

Alex stood beside me, flipping through the planners as well. "Mom, can I get a planner?" she asked.

"Why do you need a planner?"

"To plan things." (duh!)

"What kind of things will you plan?"

"I don't know. Things."

A girl after my own heart.

We purchased no planners, but I quickly had my calendar hanging gracefully on the wall beside my desk, its hungry squares inviting me to fill them up with plans, appointments, special dates. I marked our first school day in ink without hesitation and then found the date a week later. Unfortunately, I was only able to pencil in my first day of Writing Workshop at Bright Futures Academy.

It's not that I'm unsure of the date. It's just that when we checked the mail today, there it was. An official postcard stamped with a waving American flag across the front, encouraging--no, demanding--I perform my civic duty. A Jury Summons. For August 10. The day before I'm expected in my classroom downtown.

This day in court? It was neither inked nor penciled in, so how can it be happening? I'm crossing my fingers that the powers that be will excuse me on account of the fact that I'm responsible for 4 human beings whom the same powers that be have deemed too young to be at home alone all day. That and the fact that the official postcard with the American flag specifically says in big, red letters, "Do not bring children."

Already I'm rehearsing my phone call to the county seat on Monday. Do I lead with "I homeschool my kids...." Probably not. I have this irrational fear that if I mention the H word, DFCS will have a school bus waiting to take my children off to public school on August 10. I say irrational only because my husband says it's irrational. In my mind, I know it's a completely legitimate concern.

In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out what God is teaching me through this. I'm pretty sure I already know...best laid plans and all.

Wheelin' and Dealin'

"How much for this?" I would inquire, holding up the African souvenir.

"For you, Lady," the vendor would reply, "I give you special price of 2000 francs." His English was halting, yet well constructed from years of practice on a myriad of tourists.

"Oh, that's way too much," I would retort with mock indignation. "I'll give you 1500 francs."

He would feign offense, turn slightly away, and say, "1800, my last price." I would begin to walk away, and he would run up to me, tugging at my arm. "OK, OK, Lady. Last price. 1600 francs." I would agree to the price I wanted in the first place, pay for my souvenir, and move on to the next stall.

The Cocody Market in Abidjan was one of my favorite places to be. I'm not a shopping girl, but this was not your typical mall shopping. It was fun to peruse the souvenirs, but mostly it was fun to barter.

Bartering. That's something I'm sure many of us have done with God. "God, if you'll just give me A, I'll do/never do B again." I made such a deal with God yesterday. And with Chris. Chris is the children's minister at our church and, incidentally, one of my former students. He has also been a minister to inner city kids and teens for many years. He has long been an integral part of Bright Futures Atlanta. Recently, he and the founders of Bright Futures have begun working to create another ministry: a homeschool-type co-op for those teens and pre-teens who take part in Bright Futures.

I took Chris to Learning Things yesterday to check out some curriculum because, well, someone had to make him aware of the Treasure Warehouse Full of Curriculum. In conversation, I may have mentioned to him how much I would love to be a part of this--if only for one day a week--and of course he ran with it.

Believe it or not, when I first began my education to be a teacher, my dream was to work with inner city kids. That dream has been clouded over the years by my complete immersion into suburban living and all but forgotten as I've thrust myself into the job of motherhood. And now here is this Opportunity standing right in front of me.

Back to the wheelin' and dealin'. The problem with this opportunity is that it is quite far away. The other side of Atlanta far away. And if you know Atlanta at all, you know it is a sprawling city with terrible traffic. Anyway, I told Chris if we could sell our house I would help out because we intend to move about a half hour closer to civilization if we can ever unload this house. I felt quite satisfied with my deal--quite like I'd just gotten the price I wanted. Chris said he'd have everyone pray and we'd have the house sold in a week.

While I don't doubt that our prayers can indeed get this house sold in a week, I don't think that God wants me to be making deals with Him. I think He wants me to take steps of faith without the bartering. This is very difficult for me. I have spent so many years in self-reliance, years of making decisions without bringing God in at all. Consequently, I have very little experience in knowing God's will for my life. I mean, those open doors...are they open by chance, because I've led such a charmed life, or because God wants me to walk through them? Are those whispers from His Spirit or my selfish desires? These are common questions that rattle through my brain.

I'm so not good at this. It's really kind of silly because we're only talking one day a week that I would go down and help. And, while I know that raising my kids is my primary ministry right now, I also know that part of that ministry is teaching my children that there is more to life than the little suburban bubble in which we live. This would be a perfect opportunity. So why am I hesitating? I know it is my own selfishness which causes the hesitation. And laziness. That would play a factor too, of course, because saying "yes" would mean some extra planning and organization. And putting myself out there to be involved in others' lives.

I think I already know the answer--that this investment is worth a sacrifice. Why, then, do I still keep wanting to barter?