Mystery Squash

We have an ENORMOUS volunteer squash plant growing on the site of our old compost pile. It is easily the size of two full sofas and continuing to trail all over the yard and climb up and run along the fence around the vegetable garden. The leaves are over a foot across and the stems have serious spines on them. The fruit is pale with some green stripes and is oblong, like a football.

At first we thought it was a pumpkin patch and we were excited, thinking about what a great Halloween the children would have. Then when we saw the fruit was tending towards turning green we thought it was zucchini and we were not so excited (although I was gamely gathering recipes, determined to make the best of what was looking like an enormous crop of zucchini). Today my grandmother-in-law came over and remarked that it looked like spaghetti squash to her and so I looked up pictures of immature spaghetti squash and YES! That's it! So I am VERY excited. Not only does winter squash keep well, but we absolutely adore spaghetti squash.

What a blessing!!!!

My favorite: Quick Turkey Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash

In addition, I found out that we can use the five we already picked and cook them as a summer squash.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash as a Summer Squash

We had this recipe for dinner with Savory Chicken with Olives from 1,000 Jewish Recipes

It was SOOO delicious!!!!

Website Content Available for FREE

I am so excited to return to being a stay-at-home mom and to go through the infancy and toddler and preschool stages all over again!!! At the same time, I'm really looking forward to teaching middle school and spending more time with my two oldest girls. And I can't wait to post a bunch of new content to the website!

My most recent purchase (available for pre-order from waldorfbooks.com and now on its way to my house): Rudolf Steiner's Curriculum for Steiner-Waldorf Schools

Thinking about how much books and supplies cost, and looking ahead to our own busy school year, I've recently come to a decision. I would like to make all of the website content available for FREE. (People who already purchased a subscription for this upcoming school year will have their money refunded.)

I just don't think there should be any obstacles to people learning about or trying Waldorf with their families.

Therefore, all content on the website which requires a subscription can be unlocked using the username Waldorf and the password Waldorf. Feel free to share this username and password with others.

Enjoy and best wishes for a wonderful school year!!!!

Slow-Cooker Steel-Cut Oats

Zachary was born at 5:57 a.m. on Saturday, May 23rd. One week ago today!

He was a healthy 9 pounds, 21 1/2 inches. No pain medication at all, but they did give me something for the nausea. My contractions were so strong and so close together that it made me feel really sick. They also gave me morphine after the baby was born. Wow!!!! We got there at 4 am (my water having broken at 2:30 am) and were at 4 cm. Baby was born less than 2 hours later. I freaked out when I found I had gone from 8 cm to 10 cm in three contractions and it was time to push. It was INTENSE. My husband was right by my side, though, and he was fantastic.

And I am happy to report, should anyone be interested, that I have been exclusively breastfeeding and it's going GREAT and he had already grown 1/2 inch at 4 days old, according to the very nice pediatrician. So hurrah!

So now I have a one week old baby snuggled in my Chic Papoose baby sling and I'm buying Smart Bottoms Smart 3.1 OS Organic All-in-one Cloth Diapers

(each time someone subscribes to the site I can buy one)

and generally enjoying life except for the fact that I never seem to be able to get breakfast. My husband held the baby today so that I could have a shower -- hot and lovely! -- but food still eludes me. I found the perfect solution though, and it's delicious. I really want to share this quick and easy fantastic recipe. And, actually, baby and breakfast is all that is on my mind!

Slow-Cooker Steel-Cut Oats

Note: This recipe fits my little 1 1/2 quart (the size that is $10.99) crockpot. It is the best size for breakfast.

Place all ingredients in crockpot and stir to combine:

• 4 1/4 c. water
• 1 cup Steel Cut Oatmeal
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 T packed brown sugar
• dash of salt

Turn on Low and cook 7-8 hours.

2015 - 2016 School Year Pricing

I am 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced with Baby Watermelon and expect to go into labor very soon!!!! So I've already updated the website for 2015 - 2016 subscriptions. Sign up now for $25.00 and you'll have FULL access to the site through June 1, 2016. I will be adding content for 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades throughout this year as we head into homeschooling for middle school.

As part of getting things done before the baby comes I just updated all the links on the Grade 5 page, so enjoy.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions for curriculum links, or if you find anything that is broken.

Updated Class 6 Page

Updated the Class 6 page AND the Greek Mythology and the Forms of Energy resource page, so there shouldn't be any broken links anywhere.

Please let me know if you find one!

Getting Ready for a New Baby

I am incredibly emotional right now. I literally sobbed when we took the dryer to be recycled. As we drove away I just couldn't help tearing up when I thought about how hard working and loyal it had been for 60 years... and then to have such a fate, to be dumped unceremoniously at Cimco. My husband was so gentle and kind, telling me about how its story isn't over, how it will become part of something new and in that way carry on.

I suppose it is part of getting ready to have a baby. People keep asking me if I am ready to be done being pregnant. NO. I know perfectly well that, at 39, this might be the last time I ever get to experience pregnancy and I'm grateful for every moment, swollen feet and all. I love being tuned into my body and to be able to share this with my husband, who has not been a father before. I love knowing that we will get to meet our son soon, but I would be fine waiting a few more weeks before that happens.

Part of getting ready for a new baby has nothing to do with shopping or organizing areas of your home. Today I think my mind is very much on inner work. I am feeling incredibly compelled to read two things: The Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy and The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

Given how sensitive I am right now, and how very deeply every impression is going in, I think there could be no better use of this time than to read and center myself.

P.S. The Steiner link is to the free translation of this lecture, available online.

Baby Leek

Wow, my blog just hit 100,000 page views. That's amazing!!!

Baby Leek... yes, we are finally at 38 weeks! I have officially left my job at the Courthouse and am now a stay-at-home mom again, getting the house ready for the baby. Today everything is quiet because the three girls are still in school, finishing at the end of this month, and the new baby has not yet arrived. Ahhh.

Some of the last minute preparations are done (such as finding the perfect stroller, lining up a postpartum doula, and writing my thank you notes for the shower) and some aren't (installing the carseat, buying a baby monitor, and getting myself some nursing bras). It's exciting to think that he will be here any day! One of the things we did to be ready was to get a "new" used gas dryer, since the 1950s one, original to the home, finally stopped working. Even though we use our clotheslines quite a bit, a baby does create laundry and it does rain sometimes, so a dryer seemed like a good idea. The 1955 antique O'Keefe & Merritt stove is still going strong, though, and we love that thing. Finally found the manual online.

I'm going to make some Strawberry Muffins (adapting a King Arthur Flour blueberry muffin recipe) for the girls to take in their lunches tomorrow and start cleaning the hallway and nursery so that I don't trip on anything when I'm carrying a newborn around!