April Fool’s Day

A few years ago, we made these “cupcakes” for dinner to have some April Fool’s Fun. My kids asked about these yesterday. Although not included on my menu plan, we are going to juggle things around so we can make these cupcakes — gluten free this time — to keep up with tradition.

Basically, these cupcakes are simply meatloaf “cakes” with mashed potatoes for frosting. They are actually quite yummy. Here’s the recipe from Family Fun magazine, just substitute gluten-free bread crumbs and you’ll be good to go. Or use your own meatloaf recipe, any would taste fine. For a yummy, healthier meatloaf recipe, check out this one at Gluten Free Girl.

*Just a note — it has recently come to my attention that food coloring is NOT good for you! We try to avoid it as much as possible. I have seen coloring derived from natural/food sources at the health food stores, if you are looking for a more healthy alternative.

Ensuring Your Kids Aren’t “Dumber than Dirt” (and a hilarious homeschool parody video)

I liked this author’s ideas on how to ensure our kids become smarter than rocks. Among other ideas, he mentions turning off the TV, reading aloud to the kids, eating together often, becoming a parent who loves to learn for herself (or himself!) and homeschooling. Personally, I thinking turning off the TV would bring the quickest and greatest educational success to this generation of American children! I just wish I had the guts to chuck the ‘ol boob tube (means something different today than it used to, doesn’t it?! Still pretty accurate description, I’m afraid, only now with a double entendre!).

On the subject of homeschooling, if you haven’t seen this hilarious parody called A Homeschool Family, you’ll laugh. If you’ve been around the homeschooling community at all, you’ll laugh until you cry. Comedian Tim Hawkins made this video with his family and several other borrowed children. His wife is fighting cancer right now, so please say a prayer for her!

Actually, if you need a few laughs, you may want to spend a few minutes looking around Tim Hawkins‘ website. My husband found the video called Cletus Take The Wheel absolutely side-splitting!!

14 Days of Homeschool

This is a fun one this of year:

THE 14 DAYS OF HOMESCHOOL

(written by an anonymous homeschool mom and her kids — Sing this to the tune of “THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS”)

On the first day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Can you homeschool legally?”

On the second day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the third day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the fourth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the fifth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “YOU ARE SO STRANGE! What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the Sixth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “How long will you home school, YOU ARE S0 STRANGE, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the seventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Look at what they’re missing, how long will you home school, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?”

On the eighth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Why do you do this, look at what they’re missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?”

On the ninth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “They’ll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they’re missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, do you homeschool legally?”

On the tenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “What about graduation, they’ll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they’re missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE!, what about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the eleventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “I could never do that, what about graduation, they’ll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they’re missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, what about P.E. do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the twelfth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Can they go to college, I could never do that, what about graduation, they’ll miss the prom, why do you do this, look at what they’re missing, how long will you homeschool, YOU ARE SO STRANGE, What about P.E., do you give them tests, are they socialized, can you homeschool legally?”

On the thirteenth day of homeschool I thoughtfully replied: “They can go to college, yes you can do this, they can have graduation, we don’t like the prom, we do it cuz we like it, they are missing nothing, we’ll homeschool forever, WE ARE NOT STRANGE!, We give them P.E., and we give them tests, they are socialized, AND WE HOMESCHOOL LEGALLY!“

On the fourteenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “How can I get started, why didn’t you tell me, where do I buy curriculum, when is the next conference, WILL PEOPLE THINK WE’RE STRANGE? I think we can do this, if you will help us, can we join P.E. and we’ll home school legally.“

Emerjeans

 

This ad absolutely cracked me up.

Although there are many things I LIKE about the Emerging Church (in particular their call to re-examine the Modern Church and a call to simplify), the “meet people where they are at” thing can be spread on a little too thick. I was reminded about the good ‘ol days, when husband and I met while doing a well-known evangelistic youth ministry on public school campuses. I certainly saw no theological problem with getting girls to our meetings by telling them names of all the cute boys who would be there. This was one of my main tactics — get them there any way I could, then hit them with the gospel.

Sneaky.

And yet God was faithful and good — He always is, even when I am stupid — He DID bring several of these gals to Himself.

I’m somehow at the place now here I see the Gospel itself as a powerful-enough tool to not need our marketing skills added on to it. It seems to me that in the Emerging Church’s disgust at the marketing skills of the business age, they have turned to the kinder, gentler marketing tactics of a Postmodern Era.

(I saw this ad, with other hysterical ads, at The Sacred Sandwich. Heard about the Sacred Sandwich on Josiah Ministries.)

Let the Hobbit Happen

Perusing this pretty cute secular homeschool blog the other day, Poppins Classical Academy, I came across a button declaring, “Let the Hobbit Happen!”

Apparently, there is a grassroots effort to bring this delightful Tolkien book (prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy) to the silver screen. You can download postcards to send to MGM/UA and New Line Cinema, expressing your desire to see this literature brought to “life.”

Wisdom v. Knowledge

 

Someone once said:

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit;

Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

President Bush, Comedian

"You know there are all these conspiracy theories that Dick [Cheney] runs the country, or Karl [Rove] runs the country. Why aren't there any conspiracy theories that I run the country? Really ticks me off."

President George W. Bush

Signs of the Times

We found a link from Driscoll's Blog yesterday to this hysterical real church signs website.  Warning, P-13 Rating (and offensive, tacky theology to boot) on some of these signs — at least through the eyes of passing by unbelievers!

While you are there you can create that witty church sign you've always desired :)

Another Goofy Test!

You Are Likely an Only Child

At your darkest moments, you feel frustrated. At work and school, you do best when you’re organizing. When you love someone, you tend to worry about them.  In friendship, you are emotional and sympathetic. Your ideal careers are: radio announcer, finance, teaching, ministry, and management. You will leave your mark on the world with organizational leadership, maybe as the author of self-help books.

The Birth Order Predictor

 

Ron and I are goofing around with the kids taking all these stupid, boring, waste-of-time quizzes tonight (like, What’s Your Hillbilly Name?) — but check this one! It predicted fairly well my birth order. My sis is almost 9 years my junior, and according to the New Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman, we are both considered “only children.”

What’s Your World View?

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 69% Fundamentalist 63% Postmodernist 63% Romanticist 63% Idealist 19% Modernist 19% Existentialist 13% Materialist 0% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

Hmmm. I’m equal parts fundamentalist, postmodern, and romanticist? Explains my confusion over The Emerging Church :)

Silly little quiz. What’s it say your world view is?