Broccoli Salad

This made a nice addition to a recent birthday party meal. A friend of mine adds bacon bits to hers, I will be trying that in the future and the recipe reflects it, too!

Broccoli Salad
Serves 6

1 head fresh broccoli (about 1lb)
1/3 cup mayo
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 1/2 tsp milk or yogurt
1/2 cup raisins

Optional:
1/4 c walnuts
1/4 cup onion
shredded carrot
chopped apples
bacon bits

Wash broccoli, cut into florets. Dice or shred the stems. Place in serving bowl.
In a small bowl, combine low fat mayo, sugar, vinegar and milk or yogurt. Mix well. Add to Broccoli.
Stir in raisins, walnuts and other options you choose.
Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Self Driven Learning v/s Curriculum Schedules

Just wondering: do curriculum goals stifle spontaneous learning? Feeling the pressure of the end of the book looming at us, but man are the bugs so cool right now or what? We need to get our math done, but would rather play Yahtzee, or cards. My inner voice (and the hubby on the outside) says that's not enough. How hard it is to break free from how we were schooled. Contrary to public school belief, we are capable of learning things without it being forced upon us.

But still I am constantly torn between self driven learning and curriculum based learning. Even curriculum that uses living books can get dull when we are following someone else's schedule. So long as we learn everything we need to know, who cares what order its in? Am I trying to convince myself or someone else? As I would say to my daughters, "Yes."

Too Smart for Their Own Good

Yup, my kids are brilliant! Of course every mom thinks so, but I want to share a story about by intelligent youngsters. I have a code programmed into the TV so that the kids must ask before watching. Only I or my hubby know the code to allow access to one show at a time.

Well, a couple of months ago, the kids figured out how to set the TV to unlock all the restrictions so that they could watch for as long as they wanted without having to ask us to keep unlocking the TV. They would get permission to watch, and before I got to the TV to unlock it, they would set it to unlock all. Bam! Unrestricted boob tube until I figured it out. Brilliant my dear sisters! Until the youngest one, who cannot keep a secret, tells me what they are up to.

Fast forward to last weekend. I am doing my thing in the kitchen when little Blabber-mouth (name calling is in loving jest) approaches me with information. "Mom, we reset the password on the TV." Thoughts flashing through my mind: Wow, that took a lot of thought and planning!--how did they figure that out?--Dang! I need to discipline for this!?...
My little conspirator continues, "The new code is 1234." I laugh out loud as I hear her sister in the next room yell, " You weren't supposed to give her the code!"

Fortunately for me and unfortunately for the girls, Daddy was not too impressed by their creativity and ingenuity to implement a discipline. Apparently he had tried to watch something that was blocked and thought I had changed the code without telling him. He had gotten mad at me but hadn't yet remembered to fuss at me. He doled out an entire week of no TV except during the evening family time.

The moral? Intelligence is a gift that is best used for good, honest purposes.