Virtual Schooling my children

So not sure if I blogged about this or not but I took my kids out of our town's school.  It just wasn't working out.  I am now home with the kids and they are in Indiana Connections Academy or INCA for short.  This is an online public school similar to K12.  They have online lessons, Skype type live lessons with their teacher, books at home to use and workbooks to make it all complete.  We have been starting school at 7am and we end at 2 each day.  Their grades are not what I would say are a big improvement but they are fairly good.  Right now my youngest son is on honor roll with 2 A's and 2 B's and my older son who hates school has 2 B's and 2 C+'s.  I feel at this point they would have lower grades had I kept them in our towns school.  School has been going fairly well.  There are days when I want to pull my hair out and other days when I am super glad they are doing well.  I really wanted to know what my kids were studying, when they were learning it, and if they were truly learning it.  I found that once we were virtual schooling, their whole attitudes changed.  My oldest would come home everyday full of hatred and anger.  You didn't dare talk to him for at least an hour.  Don't even think of trying to get him to do homework.  My younger didn't seem to have that many issues with school although his grades were poor because of expressive language issues and a problem concentrating with background noise.  It wasn't just the after school attitude that changed though.  The major things that changed were they were nice.  Now most parents would say their kid is nice on the whole..and they were..but when you come to a weekend and all you get is fighting and name calling..well that pretty much disappeared.  I am talking about ready to pull my hair out to manageable.  They never used to listen to me either...now they do.  The level of respect around here has really risen.  They still are boys and little buggers at that..but they do not show the level of disrespect they did up to this year.  It really has been an experience.  I'm still not fully convinced I like this online school.  Science and Social studies are two subjects my children need to slow down in but we've made it work.  The kids hate the writing assignments and are not free to express themselves on the subject given.  We also hate the portfolios you have to do and mail to the teacher.  So I will stick it out this year and then decide if I want to go total homeschool for next year.  That's why I haven't blogged..I am in school all day and then I'm still trying to make a go at transcription.  AAAHHHH!!! OK I think I can do this.  I just take one day at a time!

Homemade Chicken Broth

Well I bet you thought I died or something!  No just started trying to organize life and keep on keeping on.  I'll blog in a minute about what I've been doing.  So today I want to share about this website I found.  You would think I would have thought of this already but no..not me..  I found a site on making your own chicken broth.  I have tried this before but have gone about it all wrong..terribly terribly wrong.  Live and learn I guess.  So here is the right way lol.  http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/10/homemade-chicken-broth.html  I love this website along with another called Stacy Makes Cents.  I've spent hours today reading on different things to help our family with living frugally.  So today I decided to make chicken broth.  I actually found a video first about doing it and not this recipe so I'm going to give you what I have put in. 

Chicken Broth
1-chicken carcass
8-baby carrots
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp garlic powder
2 TBSP of apple cider vinegar
2 TBS salt
1 TBS pepper
1 bay leaf
a handful of dried carrot tops
a handful of dried onions
handful of fresh spinach

Put in your crockpot, put just enough water to cover the carcass, put on low and leave for 24 hours.  Strain off the liquid when its done and put it in a mason jar. Store in the fridge or use it right away.  Then the stuff left in the crock pot keep in there and fill it again with water and vinegar until it is just covering the carcass and let go again for 24 hours.  You apparently can get like 4 or 5 batches this way before things start completely falling apart.

So I had this problem and now its solved.  I butchered some of my chickens..the older, nonlaying ones.  I needed to make room.  I did 5 and cooked them on the stove till they were almost done.  My plan was to take off the meat and can it.  Well needless to say the meat did not come off the bone.  So I put all my chickens in the freezer in bags..carcass and all.  I was just going to pressure cook them the day we were going to eat them.  I came across this recipe and though...hm....I have a carcass laying around..in fact I have 5!  So I put one in the crockpot and away we go.  You will have to add seasoning to your taste.  What I've done is put that amount in and add stuff here and there as its cooking.  Its been on for almost 12 hours now and is developing a nice flavor.  The reason for the vinegar, I am really suppose to put in 1/4 cup..but I'm too scared, is to help break down the bone and allow the nutrients to come forth.  Something about breaking down the phytic acid.  Its the same concept on people soaking grains too..makes them easier to digest.  Apparently its all the rage and I didnt get the memo.  Anyway its already delicious.  Sorry I dont have a picture  :(                                      OH and one person said that when your carcass finally falls apart after all those batches..you can feed it to the dog as mushy dog food!  Cool no waste!