Slow Cooker Archives - Our Life in the Shire

Allergy Friendly, Instant Pot, Recipes, Slow Cooker, Soups & Stews

Gluten Free Slow Cooker (or Instant Pot) Lasagna Soup

It’s soup season!! Soup is great in every season as far as I’m concerned, but as soon as Fall arrives I feel like it’s truly soup season. The other night my husband said he was in the mood for Italian food, and my mind immediately went to lasagna. I love lasagna, but it can be so time consuming to make. And since 2 of my kids are completely gluten and dairy free that adds another challenging element. Fortunately, I’m up for a challenge, and since it’s legit soup season I decided lasagna soup was on the menu. To make this lasagna soup I could have pulled out my instant pot,…

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Poetry for Kids
September 9, 2019

Summer Nature Related Bible Memory Verses
September 7, 2020

Gluten Free Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli Soup
September 2, 2019
Allergy Friendly, Freezer Cooking, Instant Pot, Recipes, Slow Cooker, Soups & Stews

Gluten Free Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli Soup

This is one of my go-to soups for busy weeknights. Add a green salad and a loaf of gluten free bread, and it’s also a great meal to take to a friend. Actually, this soup is hearty enough to be a meal by itself. If you add the pasta right before you serve it, it holds its shape and texture better. Two of my kids have been strictly gluten and dairy free for years, and I recently found that I need to be gluten free as well. Fortunately there are quite a few great gluten free pastas on the market these days! I have made this with gluten free ditalini,…

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Summer Nature Related Bible Memory Verses
September 7, 2020

FREE Summer Reading Tracker
June 8, 2021

$Fun Snowman Math Activities for Kids$
Snowman Math for Numbers 0-20
December 5, 2020
Allergy Friendly, Recipes, Slow Cooker

Best Crock Pot Turkey!

While I was shopping for meat the other day I saw bone-in turkey breast, and remembered that turkey breast made in the slow cooker was moist and delicious. Who needs Thanksgiving to enjoy turkey? I thought it would be a nice change of pace from all the chicken the girls have been eating. There’s a popular recipe that includes turkey breast and a packet of onion soup mix. This GAPS-friendly turkey breast recipe is just as tasty and a lot healthier! You can even use the drippings to make gravy using either a traditional method with starch or using Great Lakes Kosher Beef Gelatin for a grain-free, GAPS-friendly gravy. My…

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Healthy Homemade Gummy Fruit Snacks
September 21, 2015

Spinach & Artichoke Dip (Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, and Vegan Too!)
May 3, 2016

Gluten Free Slow Cooker (or Instant Pot) Lasagna Soup
October 2, 2019
Allergy Friendly, Freezer Cooking, Recipes, Slow Cooker

Easiest Ever Ground Beef in a Slow Cooker

One of the best time-saving kitchen tips I’ve found is that you can cook ground beef in a slow cooker. Recipes that call for ground beef usually require you to brown it first (slow cooker or otherwise). Personally, I despise raw meat. Looking at it, touching it, cleaning up afterward… it is high on my eww factor list. And, I have this thing for totally and completely cooking meat. My husband jokes that I like my steak cooked like a piece of cardboard. I disagree with that. Hmph. However, I will admit that I like meat well done, and I probably brown my ground beef longer than most…you know, just to…

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Cauliflower Leek Soup
August 12, 2015

$Fun Snowman Math Activities for Kids$
Snowman Math for Numbers 0-20
December 5, 2020

Books of the Bible – Bookmarks!
August 1, 2021

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How do people who live in hot climates ever go outside?

It is way too hot to be outside in the afternoons this week. Even to play in water it’s a nope. I love the sunshine, but I’ll take sunshine with a side of temps in the 70’s please :D We’ve moved into the 100’s this week, and that is just not appropriate for this pacific northwest girl here. Give me all your survive the hot weather tips!

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#homeschoollife #homeschooldays #slowandsimpledays #hyggehomeschool #homeeducation #charlottemason #homeschoolfamily #welleducatedheart #morningbasket #poetryteatime #charlottemasoneducation #enchantededucation #homeschooling #homeschool #fromtheheart #charlottemasonhomeschool #bedeeplyrooted #charlottemasonliving #slowchildhood

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** 2024-2025 Curriculum Planning and Picks **

I’m really excited about our next homeschool year! This will be our third year with @the.cmec, and we’ll be following their recommendations almost exclusively.

My girls are both technically Form 2A Upper (6th grade) but as you probably know, my 12 year old has Down syndrome, so she’s on her own path. Part of a Charlotte Mason education means respecting the unique personhood of each child. In a lot of ways she is developmentally and academically much younger. In other areas she is ready for more. So, we’ll be doing a modified Form 1B for her. And my youngest will be doing Form 2A.

After I decided where I was placing each of my daughters, and what we’d be combining, I created a rough draft of a timetable. (Always the hardest part!) Then I created a spreadsheet overview for the year, with goals for each subject per term. Most of these goals are taken directly from the CMEC programs. (If anyone would like a blank template of the google sheet I created for our overview, let me know in the comments and/or DM me! I’m happy to share!)

Over the summer I’ll spend time pre-reading. I won’t pre-read everything in advance. I prioritize books my younger daughter will read independently, as well as anything that I know will require more advance preparation. I’ll also create basic forecasts for each week. That said, these will be very simple forecasts of what I THINK we’ll be able to accomplish each week. I will NOT create detailed lesson plans or rigid goals. I will use my logbook as we go along, to record what we accomplish, and plan week to week for what reading comes next.

I started my homeschool journey many years ago as a homeschooled student, and then later with my son. So this definitely isn’t my first rodeo, and yet there’s always more to learn. We have homeschooled the girls from the beginning, so we are going into their 7th year! Time flies!

In the upcoming weeks, I hope to share a more detailed breakdown of each subject. Let me know if you have any questionsl!

Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

#livingeducation #charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #cmecsummerprep #charlottemason #thecmec

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Real talk - my girls and I long for more community.

I struggle because I’m an introvert so I like the idea of more community, but it’s also draining. It’s also challenging for other reasons. Because my 12yo is developmentally years younger, it’s really, really hard to place her. Not to mention she needs a 1:1 at all times, for safety and just to help her to integrate and follow along. I am always happy (and probably best qualified) to be her helper, but that means I can’t participate in leading or assisting a co-op class. I hesitate to share our struggles here because I don’t want anyone to misunderstand my heart for my daughter. I would not change her (though I would perhaps make things a little easier for her if I could.) She is a joy to everyone she meets, and I truly consider our family blessed. That said, there are extra considerations and challenges that our family has to think about.

And to top it off, often, we just don’t fit in. For example, cell phones are not happening here. We’re also a conservative family living in a liberal area. We’ve tried a couple of traditional co-ops, met some lovely families, but none have been just the right fit. A big part of this is that I really try to guard our school mornings, and it’s hard to justify giving up half a day (realistically it’s a full day) for a morning co-op, particularly when it doesn’t take anything off my plate.

My ideal would be an afternoon TBG group to do things like Shakespeare, singing games, recitations, handicrafts, etc. But I’ve had no luck in finding one nearby. I’ve considered starting one, but I also don’t have any local Charlotte Mason friends. Sooooo, I feel a little stuck. I’ve been praying about it, and I’m wondering if I should think outside the box. If I can find like-minded families who perhaps aren’t CM homeschoolers, but would be interested in sharing some of these afternoon riches, maybe that would be an option?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Michelle

#charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #livingeducation #charlottemason

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Robin on the fence. We love our backyard birds! They brighten up the gray days 💕

#americanrobin #canonr6

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Where are my fellow Monday fans? I love weekends, but there’s something about the clean slate of Monday! Just getting my weekly planning and prep done. Bullet journal, mother’s logbook (thank you @the.cmec), tea, good pens, a little ruler, and I’m good to go!

Have a great week!
Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

#bujo #thecmec #charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #livingeducation #charlottemason #journaling #bulletjourna

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For term 3, we are doing the Form 1 special study with @the.cmec. We’ve hatched butterflies multiple times, and probably will again this year. However, for a change, my girls really wanted to raise tadpoles!! I gave them the option of doing the Form 2+ special study or the Form 1 study because I just need to keep things simple for myself! They chose tadpoles 🐸

So, if we are studying tadpoles this term, why am I resharing a photo of a butterfly? Well, tadpoles just aren’t cute :D In fact, looking at the tank, they are kinda the opposite of cute! If you want to see our tadpoles though, let me know and I’ll share in stories.

Happy Saturday!
Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

#butterflies🦋 #butterfly_macro #thecmec #charlottemasoneducation #cmhomeschool #cmecsummerprep #livingeducation #charlottemason

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Been awhile since I’ve shared a sale in my etsy shop. The sun is out and Spring is here, so everything in my shop is 25% off for a limited time, including the nature poetry printables! Grab yours for Spring and Summer poetry teatime! Or just to brighten up your home and school. No code needed, no limits. Enjoy!

Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

Link to the nature poems here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/883268359/nature-poems-printable-set-wall-art

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Hey friends! Been a while. Just busy over here with homeschool and life. Photographing backyard birds and waiting for Spring. How’s the weather for you? I’m eagerly awaiting a little sunshine!

Michelle
@ourlifeintheshire

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#birdingphotography #backyardbirds #birdwatcher #birds #bird_lovers #birdphoto #bird_watchers_daily #birds_of_instagram #birdwatchers #birder #1000hoursoutside #birds_private #birds_adored #birdstagram #your_best_birds #bird_perfection #raw_birds #birdsofinstagram #canonr6 #bird_brilliance #birdphotography #birding #audubonsociety #planetbirds #darkeyedjunco #darkeyedjuncos #junco

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