If you want something done properly...

I'm aware that this week teachers in WA are heading back to school to prepare and ready their classrooms for next week's influx of students.

Things are no different here in the Batthouse as next week Erin returns to school and Connor and I resume our homeschooling. Today the three of us got in and in short order turned the ex-reading room/catastrophe into Connor's school-room. It took us 90 minutes (we also cleaned out the drawers) but it was totally worth it.

Connor, being given the task of sorting working pens and textas from their non-working counterparts. In our house we call this "Keeping Connor busy while we work." Only kidding. It was a job that needed doing and he did it well, despite having a bad sick day.

10 minutes previously there was barely room to walk in this room. Erin and I quickly put things into piles before pulling them apart again and putting them away.

The first sign of order appears. My teaching stationary for the upcoming school year.

Connor's desk, before we go to work on it. You can't see it, but at this point there's a thick coat of dust on every surface.

We have a saying in our house: "If you want something done properly, get Erin to do it."

And voila!, Connor's learning space. Okay, Aisla's cot doesn't feature a lot in our studies, but that's the best place for it, for now.

The complete learning area. 

Our new, improved school room. I am so proud of the kids and how much work they put in. Erin, particularly worked right through with me, cleaning out drawers and the desk, shifting boxes, dusting and vacuuming. Connor did the best he could, especially as he had to keep leaving the room to deal with his RS.

And school is open for some pre-term revision.

Connor gets into the swing of maths...

And is pleased with the results.

And afterwards, Erin even rewrote the White-board facts for us.

And now, for cooking news.

When asked about her favourite meals, Erin always states "Mum's Kedgeree and Dad's Spaghetti and Meatballs." At the moment she has a goal to learn 6 new recipes by the end of the year and Kedgeree is on the list. She's making it today for tomorrow night's dinner and has asked me to write it out for her to keep. Not only have I done that, I'm also putting the recipe here for her future reference.

Lyn’s Kedgeree

Cooking times: Rice 30 minutes plus 10 minutes standing time

Cod 5 minutes first side, 4 minutes second side

Boiled egg 5 minutes

Heating in oven approximately 25 – 35 minutes.

1 ½ cups brown rice

3 ½ cups boiling water for rice

500 g slice smoked cod

1 cup milk for cod

1 hard boiled egg

1 raw egg

1 cup cheese

Pepper to taste

Parsley to taste

A good squeeze of lemon juice

Cook rice in microwave, removing every 10 minutes to stir and add more water as necessary

Meanwhile, boil cod in milk until soft. Remove and allow to cool slightly, then flake into smallish pieces. Remove any bones that surface. Leave skin in.

Using an oven-proof casserole dish, add cod to rice along with boiled egg, raw egg, cheese, pepper, parsley and lemon juice. Stir well, then top with a little more cheese. Cover and heat for approximately 25 minutes. Remove lid and cook a further 5 minutes. Heating time depends on temperature of Kedgeree when placing in oven. If it’s cold from the fridge it’ll take longer than if it’s assembled then cooked straight away.

Oh, and for what it's worth, Lee's Spaghetti and Meatballs is my absolute favourite meal. It's the first thing he ever made for me and is still my number one comfort food.