Issue 3 - September 2, 1997
by Diana Waring
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We have been having an interesting discussion on the Homeschool Message Board these past few weeks about: FOOD. Perhaps this is something you think about from time to time??!! If so, this newsletter's for you. First, let's define terms: Food - You can't live without it... and you can't live without it (and you don't have time to make it!) Meals - That never-ending, demanding, repetitive chore that simply won't go away and everyone expects three times a day. Menu - A nice project... in someone else's life. In my life... a fantasy. Table - That handy platform to set school books, art projects and laundry on. Organized - Rrrrrrrrrrrrr... (low grumbling growl...) Meal Time - Whenever, wherever, whatever... Good. Now that we have that settled, let's get down to reality. Homeschool has begun, or as we say around our house, "Homeschool happens." You take a quick look-see around your house and observe...CLUTTER! EVERYWHERE!! Clean laundry is dumped on your unmade bed because hubby had to find a pair of socks before work and where else was he going to put the laundry to search for the socks? The bathroom looks like a cyclone hit it, especially the floor where the remains of violently chewed up tissues sit - the ones the dog dragged out of the garbage can to chew because he was mad that you didn't take him out for a walk this morning. The kitchen is stacked from stem to stern with the residue of meals from the past few days... it's starting to get serious because there are no longer clean plates in the cupboard. The refrigerator is filled with interesting biological studies from the leftovers you forgot to throw out, and little else. The dining room table has drying art projects draped over it. Stacks of books that used to be sitting ON the table, now sit under it. (This is the phenomena known as art project displacement!) The living room has school books lying on the floor, newspapers open to the funnies on the couch, pop cans and greasy bowls from the popcorn fiesta last night sitting on every available perch. And, it's ll:30 a.m. The children are going to want lunch any minute. And you want lunch, too... at McDonald's!!!!!!! Does this sound familiar? It does to me. Is this the setting for wonderfully nurturing times together around the table, eating food that was "lovingly prepared and beautifully served"? (That's what Jane Lambert says to Steve when she hurridly slaps a thrown together sandwich into his hand!!! - during convention season, you understand!) :o) What do we do about this issue? How do we "streamline" our lives so that real learning, real living, and real meals take place? Believe me, I'm no expert. But I can share with you the things that have made our homeschool life and meals more manageable, more reasonable, and more wonderful. Streamline Principle #1) Laundry - This has always been one of my biggest bugaboos! Somehow, there was either nothing clean or nothing folded... and piles of laundry were always being picked up and moved from place to place (not in the appropriate places, mind you!) So, I began watching to see what other homeschool moms had figured out in this department. One friend told me, "I never start a load of laundry unless I have time to wash, dry, fold and put away." (That wouldn't have worked for me - I never had uninterrupted time!!!) Another friend enlisted her children in doing the laundry. From the time they were small, they were doing their own loads of wash - drying, folding and putting away. Hmmm... What has helped me tremendously is fairly simple: I realized that the absolute stumbling block for me in folding clothes was - folding socks!! With SO many socks between my husband and two sons that all looked alike, I couldn't handle it. With that realization came the answer: I fold everything but the socks. Then I give the pestiferous socks to the boys to fold!! Everyone puts away their own clothes. (Now, my kids often do their own laundry as well.) Streamline Principle #2) Picking Up - Starting with my bedroom, I've learned to make my bed and open the curtains first thing. What a GREAT way to start the day! Then I pick up any clothes, dishes, books, etc. that were left out overnight. Voila! Tidy room. A quick walk through the house allows me to either pick up, or enlist my children to pick up the stuff which "clutters"... We're not talking deep cleaning here! This is simply picking up all the things that are out of place and putting them back. If you don't have a place for something to go to, it will simplify your life to create one! A place for homeschool books, a place for cookbooks, a place for laundry, a place for sewing, a place for roller blades, a place for bills, a place for recyclables, a place for dog leashes, a place for bird food... Streamline Principle #3) Dishes - My absolute rule that I almost never break? Don't leave dishes for the morning!!! Starting the day with dirty dishes in the sink is one of the best ways to sabotage your efforts at streamlining your homeschool lifestyle that I know. When you get up in the morning and stumble out to the kitchen... just imagine how it would feel to have a clean, welcoming kitchen to greet you. What freedom, what beauty, what fun!!! All of a sudden, breakfast becomes a possibility. :o) If your children are old enough, enlist their help in doing the dishes. If they're not very old, perhaps you should use unbreakable plates so they can help anyway!! Streamline Principle #4) Plan a Menu - "What's in a menu?" (I feel a burst of Shakespeare coming on...) " Meals by any other name would taste as good." Yes, BUT... If we can anticipate the needs and plan for them BEFORE the homeschool day is in session, then we have less to concern ourselves with and less time is needed to accomplish our objective - FOOD! FAST!! FEAST!!! How do we make a menu? How long do we make it for? Good questions! Menus are simply deciding ahead of time what you can realistically have for meals, and if you can do a menu for at least one week at a time (or two, or four), then you or hubby can do your grocery shopping on Saturday. That way, when Monday rolls around, you are prepared!! Realism is an important factor to homeschool menu making. Right now, though I hate to admit it, I simply do not have time to make the hot breakfasts of muffins, pancakes, scrambled eggs, waffles, coffee cake, etc. that I used to make. So, I bought oatmeal (very fast) and cold cereal (even faster) and I plan to make some homemade fruit breads one afternoon per week. Realism. Creativity is another important factor in homeschool menu making. Try to not have the same dinner for five nights in a row. Otherwise, you may have a minor riot on your hands!!! (The "Waring Dinner Party" (like the "Boston Tea Party") takes on new meaning!!!! ) :o) KISS is another important factor in... you know. Keep It Simple, Sweetie! For now, don't plan to serve a five course dinner every night. :o) Picture this: It's four o'clock in the afternoon. You're getting hungry and you can tell the kids are too. You rustle around in your freezer and find a package of ground beef. Hmmm.... TACOS! Yep, that sounds good. And it's fast too!! Except... as you rustle around in the cupboards, you don't find any taco shells. Hmmm... Now you're REALLY hungry, and you can just taste tacos... OK. Load up the kids, drive to the store, quick! Buy the shells, run home, turn on the oven, OOPS... forgot to thaw out the ground beef!!! OK, dinner's almost here... Six thirty. Dinner's on. Was that fun? No???? You're right, it wasn't fun the half a million times I did it either. That's the reason for making a menu and a shopping list! (The two go hand in hand.) "Plan your work and work your plan" is not just a cute little saying when it comes to menus - it'll really streamline, simplify and de-stress your life! OK. The kids are doing school, the laundry is where it's supposed to be, the house is picked up, the dishes are under control and the menu is made. Now what? Set the table! I once worked for a lady who felt that to really make someone feel at home, she should set the table with styrofoam plates, plastic forks, hot dog buns in the plastic bag and a pan of hot dogs. Hmmm. I have a very different perspective, for what it's worth. Think about how you feel when you wear your grungiest jeans - you know, the kind you wear to work in the garden when it's muddy. How do you act, how do you talk, how do you feel about yourself if you wear those grungy jeans all day? Now, think about how you feel when you dress up in your very nicest clothes, fix your hair, put on perfume (if you do that) - like when you are going to a really "swank" doings. How do you act, how do you talk, how do you feel about yourself now? I think that there is a principle here that applies to meal time, to our tables, to our family environment. When I just toss food on the table, with a free-for-all attitude, eating is somewhat frenzied and crazy! However, when I set the table thoughtfully and carefully, an entirely different atmosphere engulfs our family. Can I give you a quick peek at our table? On the table is a cloth tablecloth (yes, it get's dirty... ), glasses, plates, silverware and napkins all lined up at each place setting. Food that has been cooked in the kitchen, whether it's a microwaved casserole from the store or a made-from-scratch masterpiece that took hours to bake, is placed on serving dishes. Bread or rolls are placed in baskets or bread plates. At dinner, especially, any relishes or jams are put into little bowls, rather than the large jars they come in. Candles are lit, a centerpiece is set in the middle (flowers when possible, but right now I have a small blue bowl filled with bright red chili peppers). Classical music is playing softly in the background to help create a sense of atmosphere. We sit, we pray over the food, we pass, and THEN we talk! Somehow, creating an atmosphere of loving beauty stirs up something in all of us - much like when I dress up in fancy clothes - and we have really good times together. Sometimes it is a time of laughing, sometimes it is a time of sharing serious thoughts, sometimes it's just sharing the events of the day. Does this happen every meal? No. Every day? No, but almost! Food... the place where we began. If we can get a handle on this issue, if we can streamline our chores, if we can get a jump on the need by being prepared, if we can have a table that folks WANT to sit around... it will become a blessing instead of a curse. This month's recipe: Quick Beef & Bean Burritos 1 pound ground beef l onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced (optional) 2 cans refried beans (16 oz.) 1 small can of tomato sauce (8 oz.) 1 tbsp. chili powder 1 tsp. cumin 1/4 tsp. cayenne 1/2 tsp. salt 1 pkg. flour tortillas, heated 2 cups grated cheese 1 cup sliced lettuce 1 diced tomato salsa sour cream jalepenos, if you dare! :o) Fry the beef, add onions and garlic, stir till cooked. Add beans and spices, cook till heated through. Serve on tortillas, add toppings, roll up. Yum! Blessings to you all, Diana Return to the List of Newsletter Issues

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