Thursday, November 3, 2022

Yes we did homeschool at least 1 child for the last 20 years. It seems like it went by in a flash though some days were very tough. Now that one of our sons is at Columbia and another is at Harvard, we feel we did not let them down academically which was a fear early on: both my husband and I worked full time for many of the last 20 years. We just have 4 more kids to get through high school, Lord willing ;)

This is the short & sweet version of how we did it. I have written about this in another blog so will resurrect that soon.

1. We used the Robinson Curriculum: homeschooled 15min/day. It works but we did find that dad must be involved to tell kids to "shut up & do your work!"

We followed their book list but excluded books contrary to our faith.

https://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/rc/curriculum-contents-list/

As soon as we found the Heights School Book Reading list, we quickly moved to this dad-approved list:

https://heights.edu/parents/heights-books/

We printed out vocabulary words & drilled the kids.

2. When our older sons hit 5/6th grade, we moved for the best school in the World: our opinion. The Heights is a lifesaver! Would do it all again.

https://heights.edu/admissions/fall-open-house/

3. When we homeschooled we used the following:

A. For Reading: we love the McGuffey Readers! Reading Comprehension at its core.

https://amzn.to/3zzHzYr

B. For Math: which was the hardest. They did 1 chapter per day 6 days a week.

In later years, we had the younger kids do just odds or evens: don't tell my older sons.

This can take 15 min to 4 hrs depending on the state of the child and the currency you use for motivation.

Every child has a currency. We had no tv nor video games so if they wanted screen time, they had to finish their math.

C. For History: we had kids listen to this whole series. When they were old enough to do the workbooks we did some of them but never completed a full workbook.

D. For Writing:

We used Learning without Tears (aka Writing without Tears): because heaven knows there were tears early on...mostly from me!

E. For Faith:

We loved the below set which we still have! I love re-reading them to our kids even though they are older now. I have personally learned so much about simple techniques to increase virtue in myself & the kids: though it is a constant struggle.

G. For Science: we did a lot of nature walks, nature study, cooking (a lot!), gardening.

WE love Montessori & Charlotte Mason.

We did a lot of activities with other homeschooling parents: Lord bless the Archangels of Miami and Homeschooling groups in Boston, Miami, Maryland, Virginia!

We studied big, happy families and tried to take notes to try to replicate as much as we could how it could be done. Though we failed a lot!... We tried each day to make our home a happy, cheerful home. And I learned to stop talking about cadavers, disease, and death "all the time" at the dinner table.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

VKH: good, recent article on Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis Dr. Cremers is reviewing

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31113464/

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Best Schematic Explaining Complexity of Dry Eye Disease I could find so far

Best Schematic Explaining Complexity of Dry Eye Disease I could find so far.

Dry Eye Disease is complex and hard for some to understand why simple drops do not help or can make things worse.

Below is a good schematic: the best I could find thus far. But notice how the ones sponsoring it do not mention Biologic options (ie, Autologous Serum, Platelet Rich Plasma, etc.)

https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/download?ac=1071315

Friday, February 7, 2020

Dr. Cremers's Favorite Cookie

Below is my favorite cookie! I love these cookies.

They are not exactly low carb, but after 12 hrs of fasting and just drinking Almond Milk all day, these really hit the spot.

I would love to find a version I can make at home, but have not found one yet.

Here are the closest recipes I have tried that I have liked. The balance is not eating too many oats as those have carbs, nor honey. Stevia is lovely but most of these cookies do not use stevia (likely as the aftertaste can be unpleasant). If you have a favorite low carb cookie, let me know.

1. These we loved: https://www.kitchentreaty.com/soft-baked-almond-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies/

YIELD: ABOUT 16 COOKIES

SOFT-BAKED ALMOND FLOUR CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

PREP: 10 MINUTES

COOK: 9 MINUTES

TOTAL: 19 MINUTES

These bendy melt-in-your-mouth gems are an incredible gluten-free, dairy-free, and low-carb alternative to traditional chocolate chip cookies.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons solid coconut oil
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups almond flour or almond meal (I have used both with success)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips + more for topping if desired (we like Enjoy Life dairy-free chocolate chips)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.
Add the coconut oil and the pure maple syrup to a large bowl. If the oil is very hard, microwave for a few seconds until soft but not melted. Stir briskly with a whisk until the syrup and oil are mixed together – this may take a minute or two. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk together until combined.
In a medium bowl, stir together the almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon until combined. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
Scoop mounded tablespoonfuls onto the cookie sheet, spacing about two inches apart. Press down gently with your fingers to flatten slightly. Top each with a few additional chocolate chips, if desired.
Bake until set and the edges are golden brown, 8-9 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Yield: About 16 cookies, Serving Size: 1 cookie

2. I have not tried these but want to:

https://www.mollys-best.com/blog/chocolate-chip-cookies

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Warm chocolate chip cookies are one of my favorite things in this world so I am always trying out new recipes to make them a bit healthier but just as delicious. This one uses no refined sugar and ghee in place of butter. As I’m not vegan, I lean towards gluten free recipes rather than GF + vegan recipes as those those tend to use more sugar. These are super soft and rich, let me know what you think!

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons coconut flour

2 eggs
1/4 cup ghee
1 cup almond or peanut butter, creamy
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I broke up a dark chocolate bar for bigger chocolate chunks)
Dash of sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking tray with greased parchment paper
Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a medium mixing bowl
Mix with Kitchen Aid to make sure everything is evenly combined together
Fold in chocolate chips and mix
Form into 9-12 cookies and line baking tray, about 2 tablespoons per cookie
Baking for 8-12 minutes, I wanted mine to be soft so I did 10 minutes total. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

Healthy, Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a soft spot for warm chocolate chip cookies so I am always experimenting ways to make them a bit healthier! These are made with almond flour and oats making them refined flour free and they are lower in sugar. I used coconut sugar which has a lower glycemic index in place of refined cane sugar. They definitely hit the spot!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup almond flour (can also use oat flour)
3/4 cup quick oats
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
4 tablespoons coconut sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking pan with parchment paper
Mix together all ingredients in a bowl. Melting the coconut oil makes it easier to stir
Spoon out about 9 small cookies onto the baking sheet
Bake for 8-10 minutes. They should be slightly browned on the edges and gooey in the middle

I would try to change the sugar below for Stevia but that might not work: will let you know how it turns out:

Best Chewy Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe- Amazing cookies with chewy edges and gooey centers!!!

mygluten-freekitchen.com

The Best Chewy Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies

· 311 reviews · 27 minutes · Vegetarian Gluten free · Makes 20 cookies · Plan ahead so the dough can chill prior to baking for the best gluten-free chocolate chip cookies!