Saturday is the day where many home schools “fill in the gap.” That is – get to the stuff not compatible with the ordinary school week. I stress here – I am only sharing with you what worked for our family. Every family is different, with unique needs and interests.

The bread machine at our house chugs away almost every day of the week. But – I really enjoy baking, and my family loves eating what I bake. Depending on other activities – I make it a point to bake something tasty every Saturday. Sometimes I bake in the morning, sometimes afternoon. Sometimes – all day long – as in the case of holidays and special occasions.  Pies, cookies, or cakes. . . from scratch. Here is where I strive for variety. The quantity aimed for was an amount that would last until the next Saturday. Once in awhile there was a sudden invading army of teenagers, and what was intended for a week only lasted a couple of hours! But most of the time, the calculations were correct.

If you choose to involve your kids in an extracurricular activity – Saturday is the ideal day for it. It was important to us that our children be competent swimmers – so all were enrolled in swim classes at some point. If you can get them in at the same time, with different class levels – it becomes easier. Saturday is also a good day for any music class, horseback riding, or whatever else is right for your family. Again – if you have more than one child – try to consolidate. For instance, while one of my kids was having a guitar lesson, another was having voice lessons in the same music academy.

I will add this caution – it is far more important for your kids to become grounded in the Word of God, than to become a star athlete, math genius, or musical child prodigy.

Try to adhere to the same sleeping and eating schedule that you follow during the week. You can avoid a lot of trouble if you do, and may quite possibly ward off some infections ( the ones that come when kids don’t eat right or get enough sleep.) Again – teens and pre-teens need a LOT of sleep. They are the ones most likely not to get enough.

Saturdays should be enjoyable, not stressful. Don’t try to squeeze so much in that you don’t know if you are coming or going! Be creative – some piano teachers will even come out to your house! Your kids do not need more than one or two extra curricular activities a week at the most. Make Jesus the priority – not recitals, trophies and certificates.

And – the horror of it all – Saturday afternoon is  the best time for “practice driving” with teenagers. [God help you]

Helpful email subscriptions:

Daily Focus Devotional from Alpha Omega Home School  (very fortifying) http://www.aophomeschooling.com/

Off the Grid (health and self sufficiency articles from a conservative, Christian perspective)  http://www.offthegridnews.com/

I encourage you try a “baking Saturday.” The way to man’s heart may be through his stomach, but don’t underestimate the effect of hot cookies or brownies on the rest of your family as well.   The routine of Saturday baking is a wonderful tradition, that reaches back hundreds of years. It satisfies a longing for simpler, unhurried times. Ask yourself – will your adult children remember you driving them to soccer practice? Or will they remember long talks over homemade peanut butter cookies and milk? [My husband’s testimonial -“Have a hot pie off the rack, you’ll never go back.” He loves, loves, loves hot cherry- apple pie with ice cream!]

To emphasize how serious I am about this – one of the therapies employed at a local children’s home (for severely emotionally disturbed kids) is having female volunteers bake cookies for and /or with the kids,  in a one- on- one setting.  The therapists haven’t even come close to understanding why this means so much to these poor young people.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Galatians 6:9

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Recipe for cherry-apple pie

• pie crust for double crust, 9 ” pie
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 3 lbs. peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 21 oz.  can cherry pie filling
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Place baking sheet in center oven rack (I line mine with foil.)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare homemade or store bought pie  crust, adding the almond extract.  If your kitchen is warm, divide the dough into two, one slightly larger than the other, flatten into disks and store in the fridge.

Spray 9″ deep dish pie pan with cooking spray.  In large bowl, toss apples with sugar and cinnamon.  (I use a mechanical apple peeler – a truly wonderful doo-dad!)  Stir in pie filling.  On floured surface, roll out larger dough disk into 12 ” circle, and fit into pan.

Spoon the fruit mixture into pie shell.  Roll out the remaining dough into 11″ circle and fit over pie, or cut into strips and weave lattices.  Cut slits for steam to escape if using solid top crust.  Seal, trim, and crimp edges, using ice water as “glue,” if needed.  Lightly brush crust with beaten egg.

Bake on hot baking sheet for about 1 hour, 15 minutes.  After the first 20 minutes, I always rotate the pie, and then tent it loosely with foil for the remainder of baking time.

I do not add any “thickeners,” such as flour or cornstarch to this recipe, because the canned cherry pie filling usually does the trick.  But brands vary!  I use Comstock, which is very dense.    If you are concerned about too runny pie filling – don’t add more than a tablespoon or two to the filling, or it might get gluey in texture.  Also , do not attempt to substitute another apple for Granny Smiths in this recipe, or else it will be too sweet.  It is very important that you set this pie on a hot baking sheet at the start of the baking time – or the center will not bake!  Not only that -it  helps keep your oven cleaner.  This type of fruit pie is notorious for bubbling over.   Happy baking – but a warning – if your spouse is a fruit pie lover, you may find yourself making this one a lot!

sage