Horrible day

Yesterday was horrible.  It really was and I have a headache.  I need caffeine, really, really bad.  Well specifically, a soda pop.  Yep, addicted.  This is telling me so, or else I slept wrong.  It might be both because I didn't sleep well.  I have a final today and one last assignment this week.  *sigh*

Bear and I are suffering, ok me...  I am suffering more than her little self.  Hubs isn't as "real foodie" as we are, YET.  A report where I summarize our week will be interesting. I think I might be expecting too much of myself in this process and to top it off our portable dishwasher that's like, oh maybe 30 years old or more, died yesterday.  I can't get it to get dishes clean so I spent time cleaning it to see if that would help and no dice.  The dirty dish out put is horrendous with cooking from scratch......  *sigh*

But this leads me to a funny story....

Penumbra via photopin cc

Bear has been wanting to wash dishes by hand lately so I decided I would show her how its really done with sink loads of dishes.  I filled the sink on one side with warm soapy water, and on the other side I filled it with warm clear water.  I got her little bench/stool and explained the proper process for dish washing.  For me its always GLASSES, PLATES, BOWLS, PANS, followed by silver wear.  Its what works for me and its how I sort my dish washing chore (or did before I got married and had a dishwasher). 

Bear was all excited.  She really was.  She got an apron out and danced around the room (much to my dismay, I think next year we will be adding Little House books to the mix for read alouds). She asked if this would make her a pioneer and chattered about living like a pioneer, and me, well I didn't want to crash and burn her dreams. 

After about the first sink full, the fun wore off.  It was much quicker than I thought.  Maybe I shouldn't have gave in when we had so many dishes to do.  *grin*  At last, she exclaimed, "Mommy, if we ever become pioneers, we need to have a dishwasher for sure.  Doing dishes is not fun."  Oh kiddo, life chores are not always fun, but we can make them enjoyable.  We discussed how you do and clean up as you go and pioneers really knew about the need for this.  Plus they didn't cook multiple pot meals and everyone ate what they ate.  I think I restored her dream of becoming a pioneer. 

Dinner last night was something I wouldn't classify as a special food, something "real" I cook occasionally.  Chili and corn bread.  I used my recipe for cornbread that I always use (Moosewood Cookbook) and chili was pinto and black beans, beef from Stewart's in Yelm, homegrown tomatoes, organic tomato paste --just because it was in the pantry already, lots of garlic, seasonings, and a long time simmering.  I topped it off with cheddar cheese, natural sour cream (I only buy stuff with a couple ingredients...  *grin* so this was nothing new to our home as well), and onions.  It was a hit.

We are taking a mini break right now during finals week with Bear.  Still reading, but not getting down and dirty with a lot of stuff like work sheets.    I think when we start back up, the remainder of the year will be spent on traits and why they are good as well as growing and dirt for science.  Handwriting will be more copy work only, and practice in memorizing some verses and a poem.  It might seem rather lax to some but I have been pushing to hard in some areas and she has been balking so I am going to try to work it in another way.  And.... I guess we will have some pioneer stuff in there too.

Are you eating real food, or more real food with us?  Please, share your favorite foods with me and a link to there recipe.