We ALL survived

For those on the edge of your seat, Ross survived his wilderness week with friends.  

They held strong until Friday morning when the sleet began to sting their fingertips, their dark, exhausted little eyes had sunk deep into their eye-sockets and the single postcard they found from the year 2000 featuring a nude topless woman had been burnt in the fire (to shrink her nipples, of course). Ross doesn't miss sharing a single detail with his mama.  Luckily for you blogs readers, I'll spare you other uncomfortable details of the week.

They pushed the limits, learned more about each other they ever expected to learn, explored an abandoned house (they walked 4 miles to reach- (little did they know mama was following them in her kidnapper van to bring them home safely).

Each night they were out, I cringed as I heard the house furnace kick on.  Each time I pulled the blanket closer to my face I couldn't help but wonder how cold those little boys were.  On Friday morning, after listening to the rain/sleet hit the kitchen window as I made coffee, I walked down with 2 lbs of hot bacon, 2 sleeves of saltines and Hefty Garbage sacks to help them clean up trash.  Yet, by the time Goose and I made it to the campsite, they were driving up in the Mule. The Mule was fully packed-up and the camp fire slowing burning down.  The good news?  Their site was spotless.  The bad news?  It was only 10:00 and wouldn't be picked up by parents until 4. 

They smelled like a combination of testosterone, burnt saucepans, cumin, and smoke.

We ALL survived the experience and were excited to bring on St. Patricks Day.  Maisie has a heart of gold and has been watching Cake Decorating Contests on YouTube.  Guess who wanted to make a St. Patricks Day Cake Friday?

Since I didn't have a box of Duncan Hines laying around, we were forced to make one by scratch. 

Throughout the process, we ran out of shortening and powdered sugar, which made this a 2 DAY activity instead of 1.  Apparently luck wasn't on my side this St. Patricks Day.  So guess what we did St Patricks day morning- after getting the corned beef in the slow cooker, of course.

We headed into Fareway for shortening and powdered sugar to make a rainbow of frosting colors.  The cake was baked, the corned beef was cooking, the house was cleaned, I was feeling pissy and exhausted when Maisie looked at me when her sweet, sweet eyes and said, "Lets celebrate St. Patricks Day with a scavenger hunt!

I was about ready to tell St. Patrick what I really thought of him when I decided a glass of wine and a little scavenger hunt could be fun...

So therefore we proceeded.  After the scavenger hunt video we actually made ANOTHER video featuring squishies verses real food.  

For real.

And after this entire week of survival,  I have to keep in mind just how much luck is truly on my side. And for that, my heart goes out to Mr. St. Pat.

Cheers! 

Survival Week

I can still remember being in 6th or 7th grade hosting a campout in the woods with my friends.  It was thrilling to know we had no choice but to survive in the wilderness that night.  Although I don't remember, I'm confident I peed my pants with laughter that night.  I was always 'that girl'.  I DO remember making my friends cross the barbwire fence as we trudged through the woods in the dark to find the 'hanging tree'.  One of my friends had early arthritis in her knee, so it was extra challenging for her.  It was my first and last dare/attempt to drink a raw egg, and figuring out how to cook a can of Chef Boyardee over a campfire.
On the brink of adolescence when your caught between a kid and teenager- those adventures are essential.

The next morning everyone wakes up exhausted, frozen, smoky, hungry and a little pissy.
Yet it's the price you pay for the experiences which will eventually help shape who you become.

Spring Break started out with Ross earning his Hunter Safety Certificate through the DNR.  As I drove him to the Madison Country Shooting Range for the final exam Saturday morning, I couldn't help but feel bad for the kid who had to take notes on Christmas stationery because we didn't have any notebook paper handy.

And once that certificate was in his hand, he was adamant about hosting a wilderness survival week over Spring Break with 5 of his buddies. 

The 6 of them ready to tackle the week.  It started a little 'Hunger Games-ish' to me.  

Who will make it, and who wont....

It took them quite a white to load supplies and one even fell off the Mule during the process, landing on the deer spine Goose delivered early that morning.

Ready or not, here they come!

Re-adjusting the load before making the turn.

By the time morning rolled around, we were down 1 kid after he called his dad to come get him. Between the cold night air and the coyote howls, he was done.  Another kid was being picked up to leave for Colorado later in the day.  He came up to the house with 2 other kids before his mom showed up and it didn't take them long to accept hot coffee and biscuits and gravy in the house while they waited.  We made a pack they wouldn't dare tell Ross...

So they were down to 4.  

Ross' best buddy just returned from their Spring Break Vacation today, and within an hour his dad dropped him off to join the party.

So were back up to 5.  

Some things just aren't worth missing out on...

Wrapping up Units

This week we wrapped up beef in the classroom- which basically means you have to know the primal cuts of a cow and how to cook them.

Shaving cream on tables always takes the students back to preschool and makes my classroom smell like a freshly shaven man.  

Gets the tables clean too...

We also invited the 4th graders to our class to work on dividing fractions to make a half-batch of Monster Cookies!

Luckily, Sugar Plum just happens to be a 4th grader this year ;)

And my Culinary Arts 2 Class finished-up their cake decorating unit with a cake decorating contest. Each middle and high school students was emailed a ballot to submit their vote for their favorite cake design.

Can you pick the winning design?

It was cake #1.

Moving on to white-meat after spring break...

Cooks and Leaders

 What in the world would have these two face-down on the ottoman?  

Maisie reading Peppa Pig aloud before school, of course!

This little love bug in the green kitchen got to participate in the Child Development 2 activity today.  They're learning about multiple intelligence lesson plans and one of the lessons involved teaching children to make Puppy Chow!  I actually made them bark as they walked out of my classroom with powdered sugar faces and bags of puppy chow.

Yep, I'm recruiting students for 2022...

We've got a lot of practice to do before we can pull off dishes like the ProStart students produced Tuesday at Hy-Vee Hall.  I took my Culinary Students to observe for the day, and I'm anxious to bring the program to my curriculum.  

Mom- the Davenport photo is for you ;)

But you gotta start somewhere.  I went cold-turkey cooking breakfast for the boys. I gave a lesson packed with encouragement to build confidence, and a 'cook-or-starve' mentality, and off they went!

Turns out their survivors.

And teachers and leaders!

Still trying to get Jayson to pee standing up.

There are just some things I'm not able to teach...