Small Successes: Be My Hero

Small Successes for March 25, 2010

1) Beside homeschooling my own children, I'm teaching two classes outside our home. On Wednesdays I'm teaching ballet to ten little girls. On Fridays I'm teaching a 90 minute Ancient Greek history class to 22 elementary/middle school students. It can be pretty daunting, but this week I was pro-active and got my lesson planning for both classes done before Tuesday afternoon. Teaching is so much easier if you come with a plan in hand.

2) Spring has finally sprung and we are waking from our long winter's hibernation. Hooray! I am determined to make sure the kids get plenty of fresh air and sunny D. We've implemented mandatory outdoor time. Actually, it hasn't been as difficult as I thought it might be. Our three youngest beg to go outside from the moment they are up and dressed each day. Funny how clean the house stays when the children spend all their time outdoors.

3) Our kids love squid. Weird, I know. They have been begging me to try my hand at making fried calamari. As part of our celebration of the Solemnity of Saint Joseph last Friday, we fried up a batch. I was able to find cleaned calamari tubes and tentacles (ewww, I know) in the frozen section at Safeway. I was surprised how simple fried calamari is to make. Cut the tubes into rings. Cut the tentacles in half, lengthwise. Toss in flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, shake off the excess flour, and fry in very hot oil. The key to making sure your calamari is not rubbery, is to fry at 375 for just 1.5 minutes and then make sure the oil comes back up to temp before frying the next batch. The finished product should be a light golden brown. Serve immediately with homemade marinara. The family all agreed, it was the best squid they'd ever had.

What are your Small Successes this week? Leave your link at Faith and Family Live.

Have a happy and blessed Solemnity of the Annunciation today!