Leaving for College

Meggar's visit was quite special.  She spent one-on-one time with each family member, and I know it meant a lot to each of us:  Dorito (who is wondering whom to take to prom), and the twins (who love going to Sonic happy hour for half-price slushies), and Dad (giving financial advise), and Mom (going shopping, baking, movies, and a bit of dating advise).  Mostly fun, and not too much advise thrown in.  Leaving is always bittersweet--Julia said, "I don't want you to leave again!"

Teenage Party at Water Park

Our birthday boys helped me make these invitations so that a few hockey friends could join them at the Co-Co Key Water Park near Royals Stadium. 

We've never been there, but I must say that it was very clean and accommodating.  The birthday package included one hour in the water park, followed by one hour of pizza, cake, ice cream and $5 worth of tokens for the arcade room, then another hour in the water park.  They did the tube slides, then the raft slides, then played water basketball, then the obstacle course, indoor hot tub, outdoor hot tub, then back to the slides all over again.  I was pleased that 13-year-old boys could be happily entertained (and exercised) for 3 hours. GREAT!!

Book 2 Graduation on Their Birthday

The twins also performed their Book 2 Graduation today. 

At the end of each Suzuki book (about 12 classical pieces), the teacher requires you to perform 5 songs for perfection of the techniques and your memory.  

We timed it so that Meggar could be their accompanist over her spring break, and Dorito played the duet parts on two pieces (Bouree is still my all-time favorite). 

Everything went wonderfully, and was followed up by punch and cookies and a family dinner at Olive Garden.

Go Cats!

At the last minute, we were given tickets to the Big 12 tournament today at the Sprint Center.  Luckily we homeschool and could skip town to catch the 2:00 pm game.  Uncle Chad joined us.  Also we saw Mrs. Susan--who bought a tournament shirt for her godson (older twin on right).  Polar Bear was thrilled! (P.S. Cats lost)

Let's Face It

There are officially four teenagers in this house - right at this moment!  And they all have FaceBook now.  (Even Captain has FB, but since I'm his GF it's not a worry.) Today, the twins turned 13!!  Dorito helped them set up FaceBook accounts this morning since they are old enough to "join" the social network.  They are excited, and I'm glad to see them growing into new areas of responsibility.  My experience with FB has been that it gives a lot of practice with spelling because you don't want to look bad in front of your friends. That's good.  Plus I have all their passwords so I can check for the bad stuff.

Ash Wednesday

Thankfully, Lent starts late this year.  It gave me more chances to talk to my kids about what they are giving up or some sacrifice they are adding.  My mantra has been: "We're giving up eating out" in hopes that the kids will just accept it because they have heard it so frequently that it must be true.  This could back-fire and make my life worse during the next 40 days... My goal is more help with meal preparation from all family members.  Of course, I will also monitor the levels of patience and the kindness of everyone's words like I do year-round (seems a constant in a homeschool families).  Personally, I will try to love my enemies as myself.  I don't know which is tougher.

Crawfish at Cooking Class

My stash of Mardi Gras beads and masks came in handy twice this week.  We had a "Fat Tuesday" bash at youth group on Sunday night, complete with a batch of Jambalaya from Emeril's cooking show. And today, the homeschool cooking classes wore the necklaces while frying several batches of beignets.  I also boiled up a pot of crawdads so each student could try one.  First you pull off the head and suck the spicy juice out of the brains.  Then pinch the tail and pull out the meat.  There were squeamish girls and bold boys, so that added to the fun.  All the pincher/claws went home as souvenirs.
French Quarter Beignets
3/4 c. lukewarm water
1/3 c. sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. evaporated milk
2 T. shortening
3 1/2 c. sifted flour
1. Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 4-5 minutes.
2. Add egg, salt, and evaporated milk to the yeast mixture. Stir.
3. Beat in only 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the shortening until smooth.
4. Stir in the remaining flour until a soft dough ball forms.
5. Knead on a lightly floured surface for several minutes.
6. Put dough into greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
7. Preheat 2-inches of oil in a deep-fryer or electric skillet to 350’ F.
8. Roll dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares or triangles. Deep-fry the beignets by flipping with a slotted spoon until they become a golden color. Drain for a few seconds on paper towels. Toss them in paper bag of confectioners' sugar. Makes 18 doughnuts. (from Paula Deen’s Cookbook)