Summer School In Session

It may be the first day of our summer break, but (unfortunately for Ashley and Anthony) it is the beginning of Mrs. Hoyt's summer school program. This is a program I started last summer, mainly to help Anthony get up-to-speed with where he should have been with reading and writing, because his school sure couldn't do it. But I had Ashley do the program as well, mainly to give her something to do. I know there have been studies done on children that do some sort of school work during the summer, and they tend to retain their classroom skills. This is definitely something I kept in mind when I started this too. Not only did I see big improvements with both Ashley and Anthony, but Anthony actually became advanced in reading.

We do the summer bridge activity books daily, which is working on 2 pages each day, and I also have Ashley and Anthony spend some time writing in their own notebook (whatever they want to write about). They also spend a certain amount of time reading. It is at least 20-30 minutes a day, but I know Ashley reads about an hour each night before bed as well. Anthony and I also work on his spelling words, focusing mainly on the sight words required for him.

This only takes about 1 hour each day and we do it right after breakfast, so it is done and out-of-the-way and the kids have the rest of the day to do whatever. After every 20 days (M-F), the kids will get a prize for completing the school work. We will also be planning some field trips throughout the summer for fun and education. I do want the kids to enjoy their summer, but I don't want them just sitting in front of the t.v. during their down times either. I plan on doing a whole lot more with the kids this summer than last year, as I was still recovering from my surgery last summer. I want us all to enjoy our summer!

Today was a bit tasking for me however, as it took a little longer to get the program going. Anthony was a little resistent to starting, but once we got into it, he realized how quickly it could go. I don't give them much option to doing it. They pretty much have to do it. Once we get into the rhythm of the program, it will get easier. It's not much different than having a schedule during the school year. We all have to adapt to it and eventually just deal with it. I saw the success this program had already, so it only makes sense to continue it. It's pretty basic, but it can make a big difference. I don't claim to be a school educator in any way. I'm just a Mother who is trying to get through the summer with some sort of plan! :)

Finally...

After a fun-filled week, the waiting is finally over. The kids are finally out of school! It is official. Our summer has begun! Ashley has completed 7th grade and Anthony has completed 1st grade! I am so proud of them both. This year has had many challenges with both of them, but we have come through it all. And looking back on it all, I realized how much Ashley and Anthony have grown and learned from this school year...and so have we. Ashley has had the best academic year of her life. She was on the honor roll all year long. We are so excited to see what she will accomplish in 8th grade! Anthony has improved so much with academics, athletics and especially his social skills. We know things can only keep improving.

The last 2 weeks of school were fairly hectic, but I was able to participate in several activities with the kids. I went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science with Anthony and his class. I helped with his school's field day as well. And I went to the Denver Zoo with Ashley and her class. It rained all day when we were there, but it still was fun and all the middle-schoolers were very well behaved. (surprisingly!) Last night, Ashley had a sleep-over with most of her friends here and we had 7 teenage girls celebrating the end of the school year. It was so much fun with them staying up until 4 in the morning! (Not really) So we are all pretty tired today because they kept us up too! However, they are a good group of girls, so more than anything they are just silly together.

Now begins our summer outdoor projects including rebuilding the fence and deck and maybe re-doing our landscaping. We will see how quickly the money runs out with those projects. Also, we will begin our summer school again, led by Mrs Hoyt (that would be me). Ashley is not really looking forward to that but we will be incorporating more fields trips this summer, with the help of Mrs Buschy (that would be my sister, Gerianne) who is also beginning a summer school project in her home as well. And of course, we will be embarking on the annual family camping trip up to Steamboat Springs. All-in-all, it will be a fabulous summer with many things to do. Looking forward to it! 

If My Life Was A Book, I'd Want It Turned Into A Movie

I love watching movies. I always have. I can be picky about what I watch because I don't like wasting money at the movie theater, or my time at home watching a DVD. There's nothing worse than watching a movie and being disappointed afterward because you spent 2 hours watching a dumb movie. My favorite would be probably any kind of drama or sci-fi movie followed by mystery and suspense movies. I will watch action and adventure movies, but they aren't always my favorites. There are very few comedies, romance and western movies I really like as well.  So I wouldn't consider myself a movie critic because I won't watch just any movie.

I haven't always been big on reading books though. A few years ago, I didn't have time to read books, except maybe when we would go camping. I would read any book written by John Grisham because he was my favorite author. But other than that I wouldn't frequent Barnes & Noble or even our local library. Now, I have expanded my author selection to J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer as my favorites as well.

Last year during the summer, I registered Ashley and Anthony for the summer reading program through the Loveland Library. It was a way I could help Anthony increase his reading skills and have Ashley expand her interest in all sorts of books. She has always loved reading. We would read books together when she was young everyday, and now I continue that tradition with Anthony. Ashley is always looking for the next book she wants to read now.

The way this reading program works is: the younger kids have a reading log that they keep track of how many days they read in the month. They can base it off number of pages read, a certain amount of time read, or even how many books they want to read on any particular day. Anthony always chose to read between 20-30 minutes a day. But the minimum goal is to have read at least 20 days each month. At the end of June and at the end of July they get to pick out a book they can keep. The teens have a reading log that keeps track of how many books they read. Ashley's goal is to read 10 books in the summer. She can enter her name in a drawing 5 times during the summer, so after every 2 books she reads. They can win gift cards or Elitch's tickets. And they can also join teen programs at the library that will count towards reading books. It's pretty neat for the kids.

So this summer I decided to join the adult reading program. It runs the same time as the kids reading program, June 1- July 29th. For every week you read a book, you put your name in a drawing for gift certificates to buy books.

I read the most during the summer. I read throughout the year now, but because we are at the library every week in the summertime, I am more motivated to read as many books as possible. My goal is to read 15 books. I was thinking about what I wanted to read. And because I'm me, I have to plan it out. But also because our library is pretty small, and if there's a certain book you want to read, it's not always available.

I put a lot of thought into this and I've compiled my list. I've decided to break away from reading just fiction books like I always do. I mainly enjoy the mystery or suspense books, just like my movies. So, I will be reading books that have been turned into movies. Some of these, the movies have just been released and some I am waiting for the movie to be released. I have not seen any of these movies, which is unusual for me. I normally see the movie first. It's not planned that way. Some movies I didn't realize were based on a book. And in previous years, I never had time to read the books first. I have never read any of these books either, and they are not in any particular order. I will read them as they become available at the library.

Here is my summer reading list:

Fair Game: How A Top CIA Agent Was Betrayed By Her Own Government- Valerie Plame Wilson

The Tempest- William Shakespeare

The Romantics- Galt Neiderhoffer

Water For Elephants- Sara Gruen

The Lincoln Lawyer- Michael Connelly

The Help- Kathryn Stockett

Something Borrowed- Emily Giffin

Mildred Pierce- James Cain

Never Let Me Go- Kazuo Ishiguro

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo- Stieg Larsson

Dark Fields (Limitless)- Alan Glynn

Beastly- Alex Flinn

Jane Eyre- Charlotte Brontë

Mao’s Last Dancer- Li Cunxin

The Road- Cormac Mccarthy

I will keep everyone up-to-date as I make it through my list, and blog about the books and the movies. I hope I can accomplish this crazy goal! But I mainly hope I can add to my favorite authors list as well! :)

Stadium Stew and Springtime Salad

Wow! It really has been awhile since I have done a food challenge. I know I said I was taking a two week hiatus, but I think it turned into a month. Well, it was needed. I have decided to only do food challenges every other week instead of weekly. It was getting to be a bit much. But, in my off-weeks I may revisit my food challenges for a re-do.

This week's ingredients: bratwurst, cucumbers, french bread and cream cheese.

Once Jason gave them to me I immediately thought of my ballpark favorites...brats and beer. We have already begun our grilling season here at the Hoyt house. But grilling the brats would have been too easy. So I decided to make the brats, with beer and bread...stew-style. I also added some spicy brown mustard because that's what I love to put on my brats. I would have used sauerkrat instead of the greens, but Jason doesn't like sauerkrat, so we had to suffer without it for this recipe. And next time, I will toast the bread, place in on the plate and pour the stew over it. It was too much in the stew and made it kind of "heavy". Also, I used turkey bacon because it added a smokier flavor than regular bacon, plus it's better for us. However, I will not make turkey bacon for breakfast with our pancakes. It's better in dishes like this, not by itself. And the beer I used was 1554, straight from our kegerator. Highly recommended beer. Nothing but the best!

And the sprintime salad is probably one of the easiest salads you will ever make. Simple ingredients, but enough flavor for a light, spring side dish. i thought of making it a little sweeter, but decided simple was better. Enjoy!


Stadium Stew

1 pkg beer brats
12 oz dark beer
6 slices turkey bacon, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1/2 loaf french bread, toasted and cut into bite-sized cubes
2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
2 cups greens
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 oz cream cheese

Place brats and beer into medium sized pot and bring to a low boil, letting cook for 10 minutes. Beer should just cover brats, so add more if necessary. Remove brats and slice into 1-inch pieces. Reserve beer.

In a dutch oven, cook bacon until browned and crispy, about 6 minutes. Add sliced onions and sliced brats. Cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Add spicy brown mustard, beer, chicken broth and greens, letting them cook down. Add cream cheese and mix well. Add toasted bread and stir gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.


Springtime Salad

2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 mangoes, peeled, cored and chopped
2 pears, cored and chopped
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp dill
1 tsp salt

Combine cucumbers, mangoes and pears in medium bowl. Add white wine vinegar, dill and salt and toss lightly.

Just Another Day

Yesterday was Mothers' Day, and to me it was just another day. It's not that I don't celebrate being a Mother, because I do. There's several days out of the year I celebrate being a Mom...Ashley's and Anthony's birthdays are the main ones. I know that's their day mostly, but I celebrate how I became a Mother on those days too. I just don't want my family to go all crazy on Mothers' Day for me. I would prefer to have more than just one day to be recognized. As Mothers, don't we all want that? And by that I mean recognize the little things I do more often during the year. There are 365 days we work as Mothers. Why is there only 1 day set aside for us? Like 1 day will make the difference! Recognize me out of the blue some day during the year. Am I asking for too much?

The only thing I asked for was to have dinner made for me by Jason and Ashley. That's it. I didn't want to go out anywhere because isn't that what everyone else wants to do? The restaurants are crazy busy on days like that. No thank you! I just wanted a peaceful and relaxing day. They insisted on getting me something though. I understand that is a way my family shows appreciation for me, but for me I would rather have something DONE for me not a gift bought for me. However, I did appreciate it even though I may not have shown it. I think I was a little angry they didn't listen to me...but what's new with that! They got me a smoker, which is something I've been asking for the last 2 years at Christmas time. I'm glad they got something we all can enjoy. I so love my kitchen appliances! :) I love anything that will make cooking easier for me! And I'm excited about all the things I can make with it. Instead of a fried turkey this year, we may be haved a smoked one for Thanksgiving! Yum!

Anyway, I did have a nice day yesterday. I did some laundry...well...because I needed to, but I did have some relaxing moments throughout the day. That's all I can ask for. Dinner was delicious and we had some fun family time playing games. But even though I asked them not to make a fuss over me for Mothers' Day, they still did. I guess I feel pretty special about that. Can I be queen for a day again this year?

A Reason For A Fiesta?

Happy Cinco de Mayo to anyone who needs a reason to party. Don't you just love these "holidays" that have been invented by America just so people have a reason to celebrate something, anything? Don't get me wrong though. I am not bashing what this day is about. It is a significant day to observe Mexican culture, heritage and ancestry. It's not about Mexican Independence, which most people think it is. (That day is September 16) It's celebrating a battle that was won against the French, even though that victory didn't last long. Anyway...enough about that. I'm not trying to be the History Channel.

I will embrace my heritage. I am not 100% Hispanic, but that's okay. I'm Irish and German too. I like celebrating St Patrick's Day and Oktoberfest as well. Whatever day we need to make a "holiday" so we can have a reason to down some alcoholic drinks! (Not that I really need a day set aside for that.)

However, I am thinking about things we did growing up that reflected our heritage...making chile rellenos, tamales, empanadas, menudo (not my favorite). I loved that we always made them as a family to. With a big family like ours, having the assembly line to make tamales was the best! And we always made our empanadas with fruit inside. Delicioso! Nowadays, you find so many different varieties of mexican cuisine. I don't mind the gourmet mexican food, but I'll always choose the authentic kind over that any day.

I didn't plan on making mexican food tonight, or even going out for mexican food. But I will have a margarita (or two) to celebrate.

The Countdown Begins

15 school days left. 15 days remain of SOME free time during the day. 15 days until I go completely insane! Welcome to my May.

This is a real busy month for us. I thought April was busy, but May will be twice the craziness! Both Ashley and Anthony have 2 field trips each to go on for school, and I will be attending 1 for each of them. Those are trips to Denver, at the zoo and museum. I'm looking forward to those actually. Hopefully they will be more fun than stressful. I don't know...surrounded by a bunch of elementary kids and middle schoolers? I may need a serious drink after those experiences.

There's Mother's Day, which really is not a big deal for me. Jason and Ashley want to get something for me, but all I can come up with is something for the house. This makes them so mad. Pretty much I just don't buy into the commercialism of it all. Again, I don't like flowers (they just die), I don't wear much jewelry (I am a plain jane when it comes to that), I make my own wine. Seriously...what is someone supposed to get me these days for a gift? I told them they can make dinner for me. That's all I want. I never get a full "free day", what difference would one day make? There's nothing I really want to go do either. Okay, maybe I'm plain, boring jane all the way.

We will be starting our landscaping project this month, so that will be a fun-filled adventure for our family to do together. (I'm being a little sarcastic on that one) I will keep track of how many arguments arise from that. The one thing we can agree one is we have different tastes when it comes to home improvement projects.

Anthony will be starting summer activities towards the end of the month. He will be still be in swim lessons, but we'll add on baseball too just for fun! Ashley will still be in her normal dance classes, getting ready for her dance recital in June, but this month is when dance pictures are taken. It is the week I dread the most of this whole year. That's right, I said week. A week long of photos for her 8 performances she will be in for the recital. It's just too stressful. I can't wait...

I am looking forward to this school year being over, but I'm kind of dreading not having any free time during the day. However, we will be implementing the Hoyt summer school activity again this summer...lucky kids! It's a program I started last summer where the kids complete activities in the summer bridge books, so they can keep up with reading, writing, and math. It helped Anthony tremendously getting up to speed with where he should have been in school. And it helped Ashley not just sit around and watch t.v. in her down times. And this summer, it means less facebook and texting time! Ha Ha! And we will also be doing some field trips with Gerianne and her kids, so we can have some sister time and they can have some cousin time! Okay...maybe it won't be so bad...