Fresh Thoughts From The Laundry Room

Introducing....

2010-06-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

The truth is, I am just too tired to post and pull up pictures and all of that, so you get to hear our big news from my daughter.... go here to find out about our newest little one!!!! :)

Our Carbon Footprint

2010-05-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

Catholic or Mormon? That's often the question that I hear when I bring all of the children with me anywhere. You too? Well, we are neither but we do have a little in common with these two groups - we all agree that children are a blessing. Here's a great article written by a Catholic mommy about her take on how her large family is effecting the planet.

Happy Birthday!

2010-03-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

My dear, loving mother is having her birthday today! Happy birthday, Mom! You have shared so much wisdom and caring thoughts with me over the years, and I appreciate it more than I can say. You've been an enormous blessing to me; I don't know what I'd do without you - truly! Once again, I can say that God certainly knew what he was doing when he chose me for you.

"For we are of God's making, created in union with the Messiah Yeshua for a life of good actions already prepared by God for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 CJB

"This is the day ADONAI has made, a day for us to rejoice and be glad." Psalms 118:24

"Your eyes could see me as an embryo, but in your book all my days were already written; my days had been shaped before any of them existed." Psalms 139:16

" ' "The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." '" Numbers 6:24-26

-Serenity

Thanks Everyone!

2010-01-12T10:33:00.001-08:00

Wow! I got a lot of comments on taking a break, I sure appreciate it! Sometimes you wonder if there is anyone out there reading anything you write, know what I mean!?

Not having a computer around sure can be hard, it's tough not to be able to communicate with all of my friends. I realize how many people I email and don't even have their phone number! What did we do before the internet? There is no way you can actually hold a conversation with on the phone for more than 30 seconds with six children anyway.

But, you know what? The "office" is much cleaner now too, I took out one desk, cleaned out a bunch of junk and lots of cords and there is a lot more room. If we do go back to having a computer at any time, it will not be a desk top, it just sucks up too much space!

I also wrote a new winter schedule for the kids and I, which I am not following at the moment because I am at the library on the computer! :) But it has been working wonderfully and I'm getting a lot done at home. You know, those nagging little projects I know I need to complete but never get to it.

Going low-tech really has been great for the family, albeit difficult.

Thanks for the understanding! :)

Taking A Break

2010-01-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

We have made the difficult decision to turn off our internet service. Boy, if this isn't the hardest thing we've done in years, I don't know what is! I can't tell you how many times I've thought to just run to the computer to request a book from the library or check a recipe. I guess I really am more addicted than I thought. Back to the old ways of doing things for a while, phone calls, snail mail and cookbooks!

I'll try to give updates as we are able to get to the library and borrow a computer!

Pray for me!!!! :)

Bowing Down to Jesus

2010-01-06T10:28:00.001-08:00

I have my three youngest at their "table toy" time. I hear a bit of my two little girl's conversation. It has something to do with bowing down to Yeshua. I take a look:

All of the action figures are in a prostrate position, including Batman and the characters from Scooby Do.

Chicken Tonight, Chicken Tonight

2010-01-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

Since we had a major catastrophe here last night - my crock pot broke - tonight we will be having a substitute for what I had planned. It's a favorite around here.

Chicken Nuggets

2 lbs. chicken breast

2 cups crushed cereal (cornflakes or whatever you want to use up, my kids are not liking the Safeway brand organic cheerios I bought, so I'll pulverize those until recognizable!)

2 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

Preheat oven to 400

1. Cut chicken in to bite sized pieces, it is so much easier when your it's slightly frozen.

2. Put cereal in a zip lock bag and crush with a rolling pin.

3. Add spices to the bag and close it tightly, shake to combine.

4. Add chicken, a little at a time, to your zip lock bag and shake to coat.

5. Lay chicken pieces on a lightly coated cookie sheet so that they are in a single layer. Bake until golden, about 12-14 minutes.

Add a little honey to mustard for a dipping sauce and a side of rice, potatoes or pasta along with a green salad and you've got a dinner that everyone will be raving about, even your most picky eater.

Today's To Dos

2010-01-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

Sundays are a work day for me. I look forward to it, really. I like having a good list to start out with, chores to get done and things to check off. The weekdays aren't really like that so it makes a nice change.

I generally have a lot of laundry on Sundays because I don't do any on Saturday and we change the beds today. All during the day I am running back and forth changing loads and putting things away. Laundry is one of my favorite chores so it is enjoyable. I love to sort dirty, smelly, wet clothes and put away that fresh, clean-smelling, nicely folded pile when it's all finished. It seems like such an accomplishment!

Since it is the beginning of the month, the big job of going through all of the coupons to get rid of the old and add in the new is here. I've got to get a menu nailed down for the week too. I plan to run to Albertson's today (double coupons in the Seattle papers) to take advantage of the sale that is one the back page of the ad for this week. It says that you'll receive a Catalina coupon for $10 when you spend $25 in participating Procter and Gamble products. Think diapers and Tide. Last week there was a P&G circular in the paper. Combine it all and it's a great deal.

Last on my list will be something I've been thinking of doing for a while. It may not get done today but I am trying to keep in on my mind and maybe work at it slowly. We have a room upstairs that is rarely used... I've been thinking of making it a preschool room for the rest of the winter with centers: dress up, kitchen, dolls, blocks and cars. This room has a lockable door - which I believe is essential to something like this. When you've got a lot of little ones and lots of toys out, inevitable it equals a big, huge disaster of a mess. I want this room to be used for about a half an hour a day in combination with their half and hour of preschool (crafts and activities) and half an hour of table toys (puzzles, building, sensory and other small motor development) times. This way the play in the new room can be monitored and the toys cleaned up after each use. It will be a special and looked forward to time. Something we need in these cold and seemly endlessly dark days of January and February!

Laundry
-~~whites~~
-darks
-~~colors~~
-bedding
-iron table cloths
-mend work clothes

Coupons
-~~buy newspaper~~
-~~sort through coupon box~~
-~~clip and file this week's~~

Menu
-grocery list

Albertson's

~~Girl's bath~~
Boy's haircuts
Boy's bath
Clip nails x 4

~~Make soup~~

Make dinner

Preschool Room
-plan centers
-haul toys upstairs
-organize and decorate
-label centers

Why do I write about these things? To encourage you! I know that your list looks a lot like mine. Isn't fun to do this together? :)

What's Next?

2010-01-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are. 2010. Last night I was trying to figure out where I was at the end of the 80's and 90's. How much lives change in just ten years! Although the whole Y2K thing seems like it was just the other day, it was a lifetime ago. Know what I mean?

Even though I am sick (ug) I really wanted to start this new year off with a good workout. I've had the same VHS tapes for years and years. I realized today that when I first started doing them in my late teens, my age level wasn't even shown on the charts they have for the heart rate checks on this particular tape I did today. Now I am down to the third, very close to the fourth age level on there. Am I getting old???

I do wonder what these next ten years will hold, don't you? If things are as drastically different for us a decade from now as they were a decade ago, there is no telling. I just find it ironic that God already has it all planned out. All these crazy twists and turns our lives take seem so unexpected but they are not. He knows what's around the next corner for each of us. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jer 29:11 So, no matter what the changes are in store, He will be with us. Never forsaking, even in seeming times of trouble. And what's even better, He's already where we're going, "The Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard." Isaiah 52:12. I bet none of this is new information to you, but let it be a reminder. The things He's asking of you are for an purpose.

May this year be one full of obedience and ultimately, trust for you - and me. Like never before!

Get up off the couch!

2009-12-31T04:17:00.000-08:00

Yes! I am talking to you (and, um, myself)!

Check out this site, and you too could be a future marathon runner! It's a very concrete and easy to use *free* plan, to get you up off the couch and running 5k in ten weeks. By mid-March you could be running for real.

Drinking Paraphernalia

2009-12-30T06:40:00.000-08:00

I know someone out there has to understand my pain. Plastic cups make me crazy! None of the lids work together, even if they are supposed to. The same brand will make two or three different styles. And, even if I've got children who are old enough to drink without a lid, the more I read about the harm we are doing to ourselves with all this plastic, the more I think they are more than a pain. I'm done with them!

Here's my new plan:

Everyone is just getting a pint jar.

With a colored hair band so they can be identified by the owner, each child gets a color. Easy to slip off for washing and reusable.

I haven't exactly tried this out yet. Today they will wake up to my new and improved idea. I am slightly worried about my one-year-old with an open lidded glass - not the glass part because they have to be at the table with it, not running around - but the spilling part. But I figure, she'll learn. My back up plan is to put the two piece lid and ring on one, punch a hole in it and give her a straw if all else fails!

Getting Back on the Scale... or the Wagon

2009-12-29T05:40:00.000-08:00

So. The big, bad, mean scale is back. We eat like crazy through the holidays pretending that we don't know the calorie count of fudge/cookies/peppermint lattes/egg nog/punch/spinach dip. We know what we are doing but we put our minds on so many other things, that we just don't care.

Ok, so maybe I'm just speaking for myself. .....And maybe I started putting my fingers in my ears and closing my eyes to what I was eating far before the holidays. Because I did. And I keep gaining weight. Yes, I am pregnant, but I know from personal experience that you can keep that "baby" weight down to a minimum and have healthy bundle of joy.

So, as I am watching the scale go to higher and higher numbers (egads!) I am wondering what I am doing wrong. I finally opened my eyes to every thing I ate yesterday. In fact, I plugged it in to Calorie Counter Plus, a free on line diet aid. I type in what I eat and it adds it all up, even giving me a grade for the day.
(Here is a picture of my husband and I in May of 08. I had already started dieting but was so surprised at how I looked. It's such a strange phenomenon that we don't see ourselves as we really are? This picture really gave me the drive to get serious about loosing weight.)

Do I even have to tell you that my calories were way over what I should be eating? And that's without a single sugar cookie in sight! Who knows how much I was eating with my neighbor's famous Oreo balls in the house.

Time to par back a little! I'm setting a calorie goal for myself and plan to stick to it. Many studies have shown that if you just keep a food log (just writing down what you eat) alone, that you will be much more accountable for what you are eating. When just estimating, we are 40% under the real numbers! My plan is to diligently use Calorie Counter Plus and continue to exercise. Hopefully, I can stop the upward swing of the numbers on the scale.
(This was a picture of me in January of 09, about a hundred pounds less than the first picture. What an accomplishment that was, and what a good feeling! All summer we were able to walk and play and do things that I never would have had the energy to do before.)

All of the time and energy put in to calorie counting and exercise is worth it! It is a strange thing, but you receive even more time and energy back for your work.

Anyone else changing the way they eat in the upcoming weeks?

At Our House.........

2009-12-28T12:38:00.001-08:00

It snowed again last night to everyone's great delight.

One of my hard workers.

The girls in the coop (verses the boys in the hood) staying near the heat lamp.

The frozen garden that is just crying out to be planted soon!

The real muscle behind the shoveling.

Snowy trampoliners.

Cheesy Chinesey girls.

Big pot of homemade vegetable beef soup on for lunch. Looking forward to nap time. All this "fun" wears a mommy out. :)

Great Party Dip

2009-12-27T03:55:00.000-08:00

We had a fun round of Monopoly here last night, this old favorite, Fiesta Dip was requested for a quick dinner. Everyone loves it - it would be a great addition to a New Year's Eve party buffet.

Fiesta Dip - ready in 15 minutes or less

2 cups (16 oz) sour cream

1 can (16 oz refried beans

1 (4 oz) chopped green chilies or jalapenos

1 envelope fiesta ranch dip mix

2 cups (8 oz) shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese, divided

Sliced olives, chopped tomato, green onion and shredded lettuce

Tortilla chips

In a shallow 1 and a half quart microwave-safe dish (I use a pie plate), combine sour cream, beans, chilies and dip mix. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir; rotate dish a quarter turn. Cover and microwave 2 minutes longer until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with vegetables. Serve with chips. Makes about 5 cups.

Getting Back to Normal

2009-12-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

The holidays are over. I know we still have to ring in the New Year but around here, we don't do much to that end. I do however, like to take a look at things, an honest look.

How's our schedule going?

Ok for the most part. There are a few more months of these long and dark afternoons. I'd really like to add in another daily activity or two so that they seem to go by more quickly. I think I need to get back to reading a chapter book regularly.

Exercise -

I'm so thankful to say that we've been faithful to this one. Most weeks we get five workouts in a week. I'm trying to continue circuit training with lots of weight lifting at least two of those days. I feel so much stronger for it. I feel like I need to prepare for the marathon ahead (giving birth!) As for the children, my youngest five have consistently been having bike time in the house every afternoon. I'll be so glad when the weather turns back to warmer days and we can have our daily outside time again. I miss it.

Eating -

Today is the last day of lingering junk in our house. All of these holiday foods have snuck in to our house one way or another. I'll be putting out all of the left over cookies, breads and candies for the Bible study at our house this afternoon. I am not sad to see it go, I'm so sick of the sugar!

One other change I've been thinking long and hard about, and I'm sure it won't be well received, is foregoing snack times around here. Right now I'm offering fruit for morning snack at 10 and something in the afternoon at 3. Admittedly, the afternoon snacks are not as healthy as they could be. I often make cookies or other sweeter things for this time of day. I was talking to a friend recently who told me she just does fruit in the morning and veggies in the afternoon. I'm thinking of making up a tray of fruit in the morning that will be available until lunch and the same for a vegetable tray until dinner. It will be on a help yourself basis. We'll see how it goes.

School - All three older children are chugging along with their lessons. I'm thinking of taking a little break and starting a unit study in the middle of January and having it last two weeks or so. I'm not sure of the topic yet but I'm thinking hands on activities and a few writing assignments and lap books. Since we haven't had any sort of break since September (we go right through the holidays) I think they will enjoy it.

The House - I'd like to get our kitchen painted and the cupboards done. They've been sitting undone for an awful long time and I plan to make this room a priority. I have been thinking of having a meeting with my daughter and deciding to focus on one room per week or month to get it decluttered, organized, rearranged or whatever it needs. We have a whole room in our basement dedicated to garage sale stuff, anytime I find things I don't need, it's been going down there. We plan to have one of the earliest and best garage sales around. I'd like to make a lot of money toward our metal framed pool fund.

Looking toward the spring -

I have been pouring over seed catalogs and imagining the biggest and best garden ever! But, in reality I'm having a baby right smack in the middle of gardening season and I want to be realistic - that's hard! I wanted to do a three sisters garden this year as the native Americans did when the pilgrims came. I had an image in my mind of several circles in our yard but, I think I'm going to try one and keep it to that, the strawberries, tomatoes and peppers. I'm going to have each of the kids pick something to plant and take care of. My oldest son really wants a few flowers around the house and my oldest daughter wants to grow some crazy and different vegetables. I'm glad that they are interested in involved this year.

I'll get another colony of bees and try again with that! I'd also like to try and raise a few baby chicks on our own this spring as an educational activity.

I've been looking through baby clothes and picking out the little white newborn hats and onesies. Could it be that in just 21 weeks I'll have a new little one? It's hard for me to imagine! Over the next months I need to get the birth kit together and prepare the house for the arrival of the baby.

That's it! The tide is turning toward and new and better year. If you have or decide to write up a plan for yourself, please comment or send me your ideas, I'd love to hear what you are doing!

Christmas On the Other Side

2009-12-25T07:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some thought-provoking words about others during this season. Have a wonderful and beautiful holiday with your friends and family. Remember how you are blessed!

The Return of a Prodigal.... Chicken

2009-12-24T02:09:00.000-08:00

I wrote that last post at about 4 am yesterday. On a whim I decided to go outside in the frozen dark to see if there was any sign of my lost chickens. On the far side, on the outside of the coop, I was so surprised to see that little barred rock that was pictured in that post hunched down near the ground. She'd laid her egg there and her little wings had ice crystals all over the top of them. I bent to pick her up. I turned the heat lamp on, waking the other six up, who came down immediately. The prodigal hen began eating and drinking. I was so glad. My friend Dawn recently posted about the parable of the prodigal. A timely tale for me.

Lesson from the Chickens

2009-12-23T03:51:00.001-08:00

Yesterday on my way out to a quick trip to the library with my oldest son, I stopped at the chicken coop. Feeling sorry for those poor little girls, I let them out of the hen house. I knew I would be back soon and they looked so miserable and deserving of a little fresh air and freedom. Besides, the rest of the family was in the house and would hear if there was a problem.

Guess what was in our yard when I drove back in? A neighbor's big brown dog. And a pile of feathers. Macho Man and I were panicked, running around looking for any of our flock that was still with us. He found three in a far corner of the yard and for many long minutes that's all we thought was left. Thankfully, three more slowly came around. But we did loose two and everyone is mad at mom for such a careless mistake.

While I was running around looking for those chickens all I could think of was this verse, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8. I was thinking of my children. We keep a tight rein on ours, some may call us over protective. But it doesn't take much to protect them. All those hens needed was a little chicken wire and plywood between them and the rest of the world. All my kids need is an alert parent watching out for them, being there to diligently oversee.

It does get tiring and, often times hard, to continually go against the grain, for us and our children. And, the more you have, the more you have to be on watch. But this is a lesson learned for this mommy. Although there may be opportunities outside of the watchful eyes of the protectors, there are many dangers as well. It is not worth the risk we would be taking. "Let us not become wearing in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

So many will say, "You've got to let them go sometime." I say not yet. Not yet.

Let me take this lesson to heart.

On The Bookshelf

2009-12-22T04:13:00.000-08:00

Come to the Table a Celebration of Family Life by Doris Christopher is a sweet book full of good ideas and ways to make memories for your family. Many people's traditions and experiences are outlined by holiday and season of the year. It was thought provoking for me, a mother who continually tries to evaluate the time commitment verses the actual quality of the experience for my children. It's nice to read what other families have done.

A second book that has been on my shelf recently is Healing through Exercise by Jorg Blech. Most of it, I could have guessed but it is reassuring to read how wonderful exercise is for the body. While reading this, I often thought of the verse in I Timothy, "For physical training is for some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 4:8. If physical exercise can change the quality and length of your life so drastically, how much more than can godliness change us?

Individuality in a Large Family

2009-12-21T06:51:00.000-08:00

A while back a local blogger wrote a post about a famous large family. She commented about their lack of individuality - that they dress the same and are forced to do the same things. It didn't sit with me very well, I thought a lot about it and couldn't really figure out why it bothered me so much.

Recently, I got my hands on the Duggars' book, 20 and Counting. It was fun to read. One thing that struck me was a email question that had been sent in to the family and was answered by Jessa Duggar, here's a quote from the book:

Q: Seeing how you all dress so much alike, I'm wondering how the children in your family are allowed to express their individuality?

A: "We always laugh when a question like that comes in! As one of my sisters said, 'Mom, when we go out to an event somewhere, we often see groups of teenagers who are all dressed alike - sometimes they're all in black, or they're all wearing jeans, or they're all wearing the same kind of T-shirt. Sometimes they all have nose rings and tattoos!' We're just like them; all us Duggars wear similar kinds of clothes. But instead of being influenced by peer pressure, we're guided by our family's standards of modesty and what we read in the Bible." -Jessa Duggar age 16

Wow. There's the answer that I have been searching for! Does that say volumes?

Last Day of Hanukkah Fun

2009-12-19T05:03:00.000-08:00

Do you want to see my family in real life? The messy kitchen, me in my robe and Mr. Right in his jammie pants? Here's the post for you!

Because of the miracle of the olive oil lasting eight days in the temple menorah when there was only supposed to be enough for one day, it is traditional to eat fried foods during Hanukkah. Many people know about the latkes, but did you know that donuts are often part of the festivities? Today is the last day, and to make it special, Daddy got out his deep fryer and made breakfast for the kids, which, of course they loved.

We cheat and start with the Pillsbury pop open biscuits. Here are the boys putting the holes in.

My daughter taking her turn at frying them.

We put cinnamon sugar in one paper grocery bag and powdered sugar in another. The little ones got to shake their first breakfast treats.

Powdered sugar baby.

Here's my seven-year-old dancing in powdered sugar he's supposed to be sweeping up with the broom in his hand. Making memories!

Cheerios Breakfast Bars

2009-12-18T04:46:00.000-08:00

In looking for something a little different to serve for breakfast, I tried these. The recipe was for a breakfast cookie, but I decided that bars are just as good and take far less time! Everyone liked them and with a variety of fruit on the side, it seemed to be a nice change.

They are a whole lot healthier than the standard cereal bar at the grocery store and even better than many of the other breakfast bar recipes I found around the Internet, many contained marshmallows... I just can't go that far for breakfast!

Try these out for a simple, easy and even on the go option for the morning:

Cheerios Breakfast Bars

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup water

1 T vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup oats

1 cup raisins

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

4 cups Cheerios

Heat oven to 375. Beat together sugar, butter, peanut butter, water, vanilla and egg. Add all dry ingredients except cereal and raisins. Gently stir in cereal and raisins. Spread and press dough on to a greased cookie sheet. Bake 13-15 minutes. Let them stand for five minutes before cutting and removing from baking sheet.

Sixteen Weeks

2009-12-17T04:44:00.000-08:00

I was just reading about the baby's development at 16 weeks gestation, right where I am in my pregnancy now. Apparently, lots of tiny eggs are growing inside the baby if she is a girl. Isn't it a strange thought that part of my potential grandchildren are possibly already inside of me? Amazing!

That's What Kids Are For....

2009-12-16T06:39:00.000-08:00

I was thinking of buying my husband new slippers. I'm realizing that's just not necessary. :)

Stuff I Love

2009-12-15T04:31:00.000-08:00

I just love this time of year. There is so much to be thankful for.

At our house, each person gets one night to light candles and give gifts.

Here are the little girls. They received handmade vests for their teddy bears, made by my oldest daughter.

This is the family working on latkes. Even though they are labor intensive, everyone agrees that they're worth it!

My two oldest posing together after gifts were given. Even little things have become something to be thankful for and appreciate. All parties were low in funds this year but were creative and found ways show each other how special they are.

And, as I type it is snowing like crazy outside. I have a big cup of my favorite Ginger Snappish tea and am really enjoying reflecting on what a wonderful time it is.

For the Birds

2009-12-14T04:58:00.000-08:00

With the snow, it's harder for birds to find food, my kids always sympathize for them. Do your children know much about what happens to all of the animals in the winter? It's an interesting topic! You might want to consider reading with them a bit about the winter habits of animals, try this one or this one. And, of course, do a couple of activities:

I know you've seen this one before, you might even remember making one yourself! It's an oldie but goodie... preschoolers still love it and so do the birds.

1. Find a few pine cones. I like the nice, big, open ones. You might need a couple per child.

2. Put peanut butter (Peanut allergy? Use vegetable shortening.) in individual bowls or give each child a loaded butter knife. ***Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!*** Do not, under any circumstances, give a child an entire jar of peanut butter, especially a gigantic economy sized one. I speak from experience.

3. Have children"frost" their pine cones.

4. Roll in birdseed.

5. Hang on a tree near a window with fishing wire or yarn.

Here's one for your slightly older children. Popcorn stringing is not just for Christmas trees! Using a needle and thread, string cranberries and all sorts of other odds and ends, Cheerios, fruit loops, stale pretzels, as well as popcorn. It's a wonderful activity to increase small motor ability. If you have a son, like I have, that struggles with writing, take a break from that today and do something fun. He'll be developing the same muscles and think you're a fun mom to boot!

String them on the trees near where your child sits to do school work. Keep a book of winter birds near their study area, this is a good one. At least this way, all that procrastination and messing around they are doing will be educational. :)

Loved This!

2009-12-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

Wow. I was so surprised when I saw this Docker's ad. Thanks, Lanita, for pointing it out.

***As an addendum to this post, I want to include an excerpt from an article by Elaine Wong, December 1, 2009. She is interviewing a representative of Levi Strauss, the maker of Dockers, on why they've put out this new, "Wear the pants" campaign. There's a lot here:

"We started to do some research. In today's world, men have lost a bit of footing, in part because women have come so far, but we also found a few surprising facts: Eighty-percent of those who suffered unemployment in the last year were men. Women outnumber men in the workforce now. But the most surprising fact of all was that men's testosterone levels have been dropping by a percentage point a year for 20 years."

Whoa.

Free Hanukkah Ebook

2009-12-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

First Fruits of Zion is offering this book now, for free! Go here to download your own copy.

Healthy & Delicious Pancakes with Blackberry Syrup

2009-12-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

Ready for a good breakfast this morning? Here are the ingredients you'll need:

A couple of good helpers and:

For pancakes:

4 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking soda

4 tsp. baking powder

4 eggs

1 - 32 oz. carton of yogurt, plain or vanilla

2 cups water

For syrup:

6 cups blackberries

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup water

Combine dry pancake ingredients in a bowl (sorry for my less than perfect pictures. My camera never takes great ones in artificial light and it was still dark out... "She rises while it is still night and prepares food for her household..." Proverbs 31:15)

Mix wet pancake ingredients in a separate bowl with a whisk. Add the dry to the wet mixture. Drop on hot griddle by 1/4 to 1/2 cups.

While you are waiting, put all the syrup ingredients in to a pot and cook on medium, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer, cooking for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook 2-3 minutes and mash the fruit against the sides of the pot. Cool slightly.

Does anyone else use a pizza cutter to cut pancakes and just about everything else that goes to the table for your little ones?

Give hungry children their breakfast.

Wait for compliments.

Chicken Rancher

2009-12-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

One more picture of my kids today, ok? Here is my oldest son, out braving the fierce cold - ten degrees - to water the chickadees. I'm so proud of that him, he rolls right out of his warm bed to let those hens out, collect eggs and change the water. He's such a good boy.

Chef Boyardee

2009-12-07T06:59:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to document this moment........

My four year old: "I know how to make oatmeal. You boil it and then you put all that rice stuff in it. And then honey. Then raisins, apples. Nothing else. Can I make it?"

Literacy for the Young

2009-12-05T01:52:00.000-08:00

We all know that reading will help your child get ahead in life.

I want to give you, the busy mom, some easy, practical ways to boost your child's ease of learning to read later on.

Step #1 -

This is one you aren't going to want to hear, so brace yourself. I did say easy didn't I? TV, computers, video games, some people call this "screen" time. I call it a waste of time. Seriously.

Many of you will say that you are very careful about what our child sees. And, I surely agree, a child watching straight TV - even PBS or the like - will have a much different experience than the child viewing parent-chosen videos. But consider the following:

When your young child is having an experience, lets say playing in the sand, there are pathways being made or strengthened in his or her brain. Connections are being made, concepts are being developed that they will use in every other area. The same thing is happening when he is watching TV. While in front of the TV, pathways for instant gratification, quick visual changes, colors, lights, and on and on are built right then. And, we are made to desire to have more and slightly different stimulus along the same lines, helping us to grow in our learning. That's why after a while Bob the Builder isn't enough anymore. They want something a little more exciting, something a little more stimulating. AND early TV viewing has been documented to cause problems later on. When allowing your child to sit in front of the TV, you are allowing your child to stop experiencing the world physically (and thus learning and solving problems) and sit, in a vegetative state, while having information thrown at them at an alarming rate. They just aren't satisfied with the same things anymore, because they've got those new pathways, and a new way of receiving information.

I can tell you, after fifteen years of teaching preschool, and I am sure any seasoned teacher can say the same thing, you can go into a classroom and pick out the TV watchers. Really. They are louder. They are more violent. They can not sit and do an activity for the same length of time as their non-TV watching counterparts. Now, I am not saying that children need to sit and be quiet all of the time. I am saying, however, that they do need to have the skills and abilities learned through hands on experiences.

So go easy on the TV and video games.

Step #2 -

Ok, now with the big, bad and the ugly out of the way, here's the easy part. Provide a print-rich environment. Have lots of letters around in different ways:

Post them.

Have them available to touch and play with.

Take time to label. Here is a cubbie label with picture. Children will recognize their names early if you put it up everywhere.

In fact, label everything. Children are very visual, if they see it enough, they will remember it.

Talk about the letters and words in everyday life. Just because they can't read yet doesn't mean everything has to be in pictures. The word December here can be sounded out together and talked about every day throughout the whole month.

Since your goal is eventual reading, you want to be sure to have many different types of reading materials around.

Magazines - Some of my favorite for children are God's World News, Babybug, Highlights, and Kids Answers.

Books - Have books in lots of different areas, at lots of different levels. This basket of board books is on a bottom shelf. Next to it, squeezed between a wall and a bookcase is a teeny, tiny toddler chair. This is one of the favorite places to read among the preschoolers. I think they like the enclosed space. Be sure to have board books available for your little ones all the time! I know it's a mess, but it's one of those messes that are worth it.

Although bookshelves are great, they make it hard for children to see the books and choose one. Either they won't even make the effort to look at the books or they will throw them all over the floor. For years I wanted a book display center but couldn't part with the huge amount of money they ask for them. I compromised and bought this wire rack at a business sale. It's not what I wanted but it works ok. If you have a willing and handy husband you might talk him into making you something that would work.

Have lots of books out and change them often. The library is a wonderful resource but I am finding myself just too busy to run their weekly like I used to. A great tool to use is the online ordering system that so many libraries have these days. Find the books in the topics that you want, order and they have them waiting for you when you go in. Inter-library loan is also an option for many of us these days.

Step #3 -

Use lots of different media.

TV - After all I said in step #1, I'm going to break my own hard and fast no TV rule here. This is the only time you'll here me say it though! Buy a copy of Leap Frog's Letter Factory video. After years of going over and over flash cards to get my kids to learn the sounds of the letters - someone got smart and came out with this cartoon. Yeah, it's still TV (don't rub it in) and yeah, it's screen time but I'm telling you, if a two year old can learn her letters without any work at all. So be it! If you are going to put your child in front of the TV, consider making this your go to movie.

Sand and salt trays - These are fun, cheap and easy. Find yourself a tray with sides, maybe a cookie sheet or casserole pan. Pour salt or sand in and you have an instant preschool activity, great for drawing letters in.

Play dough, peanut butter dough, bread dough or clay - You can pick up some letter cookie cutters to use with these but even better, shape letters with them. Consider making homemade soft pretzels with your children one afternoon.

Shaving cream/pudding - I love shaving cream. I can't say enough! Squirt some on your table and let your preschoolers go to town. Nice smell, cleans off all that build up of gunk that every homeschooling mom has on her tables. Back in my neat freak days (which, by the way, are long gone) I would put my one or two children in the bathtub and let them go at it, just hose them down with the shower head afterward. If you have a very little one steer clear of shaving cream. If they rub it in their eyes, fun quickly turns to disaster. Pudding is a great alternative. Strip said child and strap them in a high chair for this activity.

Paint - Every child needs this stuff. With brushes, with q-tips, with fingers.

Flannel - Make yourself a flannel board with an old sheet or a pair of pjs. Cut letters out to stick on.

Audio tapes - Yes, I know, now we call them CDs but, I grew up in the 80s and it's hard for me to change. :) I am an audio learner and tend to go overboard on listening tools. Get books on tape, library sales or Scholastic are great for these. Listen to children's tapes.

Ok, I could go on all day, you get the idea. Find ways to let your children see, hear and touch letters. Don't forget about the old pencil and paper routine.

Step #4-

As tempting as it may be, steer clear of workbooks and reading programs for young children, at least four and under. Some really eager mommies will spend an huge amount of time trying to get their preschoolers to sit at the table for "school". You'll kill their excitement for learning this way. Maybe some firstborns can hack this, but it's a questionable move. And, you'll always have that one that wants to "do school" really early on but don't make them do it the "right" way. They just aren't ready. Hands-on activities as previously suggested are much more beneficial.

While we're here, I'd like to lump coloring books in to this category. They aren't the best thing to give your little ones. Yes, they love them, but white paper with a pencil will further their pre-writing skills where as the coloring book isn't helpful in this area. Wait until they are seven or eight.

Step #5-

Let them see you read! I was talking to another homeschooling mom recently and was shocked to hear her say that her two teenagers didn't read books for pleasure. I was not surprised, however, when she admitted that she was not a reader either.

It's very natural for most of us to read all of the time, books, letters, the paper. But, if you are struggling with your children having no interest in reading, this might be a helpful hint.

So, there you have it. My five easy steps to the literate child.

My Bible Scholars

2009-12-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

Just minutes ago I was washing glass shelving with Windex. I was intently doing my job when I overheard this conversation between my two of my sons:

"Would you sell me your birth rite?" said my seven-year-old to my oldest son.

"Why would I do that? Are you making red lentil soup or something?"

"I was thinking about it."

I'm Not Too Far Gone To Make Cookies

2009-12-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

Really, after all I said yesterday, some of you are wondering about me. Well, guess what? I still make cookies in December. I'm about to give you the best cookie exchange recipe in the world. And, if you are attending a cookie exchange with me in RL, don't even think of stealing it, because you know this is what I'll be bringing!!!!!!!

This recipe is defiantly an old favorite. I discovered these cookies the December I was pregnant with my first baby, I was working with a sweet and still good friend, Sharon Jackson, it is her mom that makes them every year. They were kind enough to share their recipe and now for the last sixteen (?!) years I have been making them. You'll end up with a lot using this recipe, so plan on taking them everywhere you go this season!

Chocolate Balls

1/2 lb. butter, melted

1/2 lb. graham crackers, crushed

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 cups angel flake coconut

1 cut nuts, chopped

1 box powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix in to balls the size of walnuts. Chill. (You and the dough.)

Melt two packages of butterscotch chips and 2 packages of chocolate chips, roll balls in melted chips mix and drop on foil to set.

These freeze well. *My own little tip, although a ball of chocolate is practically irresistible to most adults and children alike, these cookies look super cute if you add sprinkles before they dry*

A No Christmas December

2009-12-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

"Do not learn the way of the Gentiles... For the customs of the peoples are futile; For one cuts a tree from the forest... they decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple." Jeremiah 10:1-4

This blog is a little bit unique. You won't find tips on unwinding your tree lights or hanging your wreath here. We won't read a post about my outrage at the word "holiday" being substituted for "Christmas" all over the place. Why? Because Jesus isn't the reason for the season. It's yet another clever ploy by the enemy to get us all focused on something other than what God has for us. I think the first clue that I had was that world celebrates this holiday in a big way. Anything that world is doing, we know is the exact opposite of what we should be doing.

Here is an excerpt from a post written by my husband for Femininity in a Feminist World last year:

"In returning to the faith of Jesus Christ (Yeshua Hamashiach) and his disciples, what we do or what we don't do is solely determined by what God says. Regarding Christmas, He says nothing. There is no Christmas story in the Bible. "What!?" You say, "What about the story of the gospels about Jesus' birth and the wise men and the shepherds..."

That event wasn't on "Christmas", but it was on a holiday, or should I say Holy Day. Long before the time of Jesus' birth, God had revealed His Holy Days to the brand new nation of Israel. He said they were His days, and He was showing these days to them. (Leviticus 23:2-4,37,44) It just so happens that each and every one of them points to our Messiah and what he did, and what he will do:

He was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. John 1:14 ("dwelt"; literally "tabernacled"); Revelations 21:3 (speaking of Christ as the "tabernacle of God") For an in depth study on why we believe Yeshua was born on the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, go here.

He was circumcised on the Eighth day (Luke 2:21)

He was crucified on Passover. (Not Easter!) (Exodus 12:11, 1 Corinthians 5:7)

He was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (Exodus 23:16, 1 Corinthians 5:7,8)

He was resurrected on Firstfruits. (Exodus 23:16, 1 Corinthians 15: 20-23, James 1:18, Revelations 4:4)

He baptized the new church on Pentecost. (Mark 1:8, Acts 2:4)

He will return as King and resurrect the dead on Feast of Trumpets. (Matthew 24:31, 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16)

He will judge the world on the Day of Atonement (Acts 10:42, 17:31 "appointed day", Romans 2:16, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Timothy 4:1 and 8, Revelations 19:11

He will live as King on Earth beginning at Feast of Tabernacles (2 Corinthians 6:16, Revelations 21:3)

And he will create a new heaven and a new Earth on the eighth day. (Isaiah 65:17, 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelations 21:1)

So, every feast day revealed by God reveals the person and work of His Son, Yeshua the Messiah.

God tells us to remember His holy days and this is why. It just so happens Yeshua was born on one of them, but that was God's plan all along! So we don't celebrate Christmas, be we recognize, remember and celebrate God's holy days, and it just so happens Yeshua was born on one! A coincidence? You decide!"

Remember the enemy is out to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10) Don't let it be that he succeeds in destroying God's will for your holiday.

Turkey Re-done

2009-11-30T07:46:00.001-08:00

Tired of turkey? Yesterday I roasted two more turkey breasts as we were to attend another Thanksgiving gathering. She called last minute to cancel. The whole family is sick. Truth be told, I'd rather be stuck with left overs than have a bunch of sick kids.

So, needless to say, on my menu this week will be a little bit of turkey.

I'm planning to make my favorite white chili, subbing turkey for chicken, and today will be turkey salad sandwiches for lunch. The following recipe is a big time family favorite and if you know me in real life, you've had them, almost assuredly!

Colorful Turkey Croissants

2 cups cooked turkey breast

1/4 diced celery

1/4 raisins

1/4 dried cranberries

1/4 sliced almonds

3/4 cup mayo

2 T chopped red onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 pepper

4 croissants, split

In bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Spoon about half cup in to each croissant. Yield: 4 servings

These are pretty and make a nice presentation.

Busy in the Kitchen

2009-11-29T12:44:00.000-08:00

Just hanging at home today. Mr. Right worked all night and will probably sleep most of the day. Since he's upstairs I've been trying to keep everyone on the main floor and quiet. Tough job.

I started out with a sheet of paper where I listed everyone's names and chores to do for the day. I figured I need to keep them busy somehow! I worked on the kitchen, roasting two turkey breasts that have been patiently waiting in my fridge, baking pies, cleaning the fridge and emptying out drawers and cupboards that my son shop vaced out for me. I got rid of bags of stuff and decided to repaper some drawers. See what was there? It's got to be really old, it was all over the kitchen at one time or another because when we took the drop down ceiling out, everything above it to the ceiling was this paper.

I picked out this cherry contact paper a long time ago. I found one roll at Fred Meyer and called every FM in the state until I found one with four more rolls. After all that work, do you think I got around to papering my drawers?

Finally!
Oh the beauty!

Waffle Breakfast

2009-11-28T12:13:00.000-08:00

Around here we needed a little respite from turkey and cranberry sauce. I asked the kiddos what they wanted for breakfast this morning. Of course, they chose waffles. Thankfully (to go along with our thanksgiving theme this weekend) I got one of these for Mother's day last year (see how they love me?):
The Waring Pro waffle maker. Next time you are at Costco, you really should pick one up for yourself, they are great.

Since having this handy-dandy gadget I've tried many, many waffle recipes. We've finally decided that Money Saving Mom has it down to a science. See her recipe here. Do be advised to double this recipe, however, if you've got a house full of hungry children. And, if you want leftovers, you may be in the kitchen all morning, but quadruple it.

Here are my two "helpers" who couldn't wait for the long, drawn out process of waffle making and helped themselves to apples from the fruit bowl while on the counter.

Once the first ones came off the waffle iron, they scrambled down for some warm, delicious, whole-wheat goodness.

If you must use syrup, break out any jars of jam that didn't set up for you during canning season. I'm sure that I can't be the only one that just labels their runny jams and jellies as "syrup" can I? I had a whole batch of this jelly that didn't turn out that my children just love on pancakes and waffles.

But today I just set out butter and a sifter full of powdered sugar and let them go to town. It takes a lot of hand strength and time to push that sifter so not much sugar gets on the waffles. It does look pretty and satisfy the kid's desire for a topping.

And, let this post be an example to you. Next time you think that you don't have anything to post about, remember that you can post about anything. Even your kid's choice of breakfast food. :)

Loooong Afternoons

2009-11-25T16:55:00.000-08:00

I have temporarily lost my oldest daughter to a job and as always, my husband's schedule is erratic. These circumstances make for some long afternoons at home. It's too early to do the dinner/bath/book routine and too dark to play outside. Thank God for Your Story Hour, new play dough (recipe here)
and the big boys with their drawing books. I know I'm not the only mommy who dreads the cold, dark months with energetic children! Take a peek here too, there are lots of good, cheap recipes for things to do with children. And don't forget the ever popular sensory tub, add dry beans, popcorn or rice to a tub with spoons and measuring cups for dumping and pouring. Just be sure they know it stays in the tub.

If you've got a plan for these long nights, please leave me a comment, I need all the help I can get!

Great Diaper Deal

2009-11-25T14:57:00.000-08:00

If you're like me and still buying diapers, here's a great deal from diapers.com. I just made my order. Hurry, before December 2 and send yours in too! Imho, it's never too early to start stocking up on newborn diapers if you are expecting. :)

Children's Literature: Thanksgiving Edition

2009-11-24T04:10:00.000-08:00

After reading some of our Thanksgiving books today, we made headbands like the Indians may have (I use that loosely, I'm not sure about how much construction paper and school glue they had at their disposal) worn. All five of the children who were home today enjoyed that activity. Really this picture has nothing to do with the post, it's just a shameless way to add more photos of my own children. :)

Here's the real posty part of this post -

Thanksgiving Day by Gail Gibbons

This is a good book to introduce your little ones to why we celebrate Thanksgiving. It has a brief history of the first holiday and then it shows some of the traditional things that happen today to celebrate. With lots of drawings a few words it's good for the preschoolers who can't sit for too long, making this, as with all of Gail Gibbon's books a favorite.

Our Thanksgiving by Kimberly Weinberger

Make school a little different this week and have your emerging reader working on this book.

The Story Of The First Thanksgiving by Elaine Raphael

Sorry for the bad picture here, but this is a great book. Elementary aged and possibly even older children will enjoy the pages in the back that teach them how to draw everything from Squanto to a turkey. The story is a nice one too.

An Educational Coloring Book of the Colonies

Since this is from a series of coloring books, it's not actually a book, but don't let anyone color in them so they can be scanned a printed over and over. Each book comes with a tape (maybe a CD these days?) that they can listen to while coloring. As the title would suggest, it's educational.

Cornerstones of Freedom The Pilgrims

For the older child, this book gets to the nitty gritty of the experience these settlers had. There are nice drawings along side real pictures.

Thanksgiving activities

2009-11-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

I know that some of you are taking the week off from school or at least Thursday and Friday, but you don't have to stop the learning with the ruling of "no school work." Brenda has put together a few fun and educational things to do with the kiddos for the holiday. Check it out here.

Beany Math

2009-11-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

My son just said to me while doing his math, "Hey mom. You should be able to figure this out. Maria used three pounds of beans to make 36 burritos. How many burritos could she make from just one pound of beans?"

My son sees me as a bean counter.

My life.

Search Feature

2009-11-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

Boy, do I feel like an accomplished blogger! I just added a search engine to this blog, mostly because I'm tired of looking around forever for different posts. It makes it really handy to find them - because I am just too lazy to label posts, you know. Try it for yourself!

We're Having A Baby!

2009-11-20T08:26:00.000-08:00

It's official. We're having a baby sometime in early summer 2010!

Signage

2009-11-19T04:45:00.000-08:00

Walking by the china cabinet today, I saw this sign. Often times, I will see a for sale sign, offer for lessons or advertisement to join a club. All in my house.

Homemade Instant Oatmeal

2009-11-18T06:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes for reasons of illness, pregnancy, a hurried morning or other, it's nice to have breakfasts that children can help themselves to. That doesn't always have to be cold cereal either. I like to make extra pancakes, waffles and french toast to put in the toaster when need be. I'll stick to my old tricks, but here's yet another tool for our mommy tool belts:

Instant Oatmeal

In a large bowl combine:

1-18 oz. container of quick cooking oats

1 envelope (3.2 oz.) nonfat dry milk

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup raisins

Transfer to an airtight container.

To use:

Scoop 1/2 cup oatmeal mix in a bowl and add 1/2 cup of water, microwave 1 minute.

Makes 16, 25 cent servings

The Hand That Rocks The Cradle

2009-11-17T06:21:00.000-08:00

Who's idea was it to sign the female half of our race up for the military? No woman that has cared for and mothered a child, that's for sure. What do these people do when they are called on to leave their children to "serve" our country? They leave their real calling.

Read here for what's happening to a real mom and her real baby.

Couponing 101

2009-11-16T04:37:00.000-08:00

Considering plunging in to the world of couponing? Many people have heard about the savings that you can receive by matching up coupons and sales but are overwhelmed by the thought of even starting.

What if you knew that you could save your family upwards of 80% on groceries? What if you could afford a vacation for your family? What if you could give over and above what you have been? What if spending a little time saved your family from mom having to work or dad getting a second job? Would it be worth it to you then?

As my children have gotten older, as I am sure that you've also found, they eat a lot more! I can barely keep up! Seems as if I get groceries in and they are gone so quickly. Couponing has made a huge difference for our family.

The first step in couponing is finding coupons. The Sunday paper is a wonderful source, I would recommend getting at least one, and maybe even three or four if there are a lot of coupons one week. Lately, at least here, there are have been coupons in Friday's paper too, in ads for specific grocery stores. Other ways of finding coupons are "blinkies," those little boxes that spit out coupons in the grocery store isles (always take a few, you never know when you'll need them!), on packages , on tear pads in grocery stores, and the biggest one, online. Red Plum and Smart Source are good places to start. You will find that some really serious couponers will even buy coupons online from others at a fraction of their worth (say a 50c coupon for 5c each) because they need them. I have yet to do this, but I understand how this could be worthwhile (more on this).

(My real life coupon organizer)

You'll need a method of organizing all of these little pieces of paper too. Here is one way that many people do it, and here is another, the way I do. I like the shoe box sized plastic box with a lid, it fits in the front part of the cart with my purse and I take it whenever I shop. Always take your coupons with you when you go out, you might have an opportunity to stop at a store when you are close by. I can't even tell you all of the times that I have found unexpected marked down items for free or nearly free with a coupon that I was able to get just because the coupons were in the car. Along with coupons, I keep a pencil, a pair of scissors (for cutting out coupons in grocery store sale flyers) and a calculator. Very necessary items! It is also necessary to look through all of your coupons each month to check for expired coupons. I do it at the beginning of each month. This is time consuming and no fun, in my opinion, but it's better than being at the check stand and realizing that your coupons, and therefore your whole plan will not work. Even worse is a checker handing back expired coupons!

Knowing what is a good deal is a big part of couponing. Many people keep a price book to keep track of what is a good price. This is often a small notebook with one item per page and grocery stores down the side. Say you are looking at peanut butter, which is advertised for $1.50 per 18 oz. You check the peanut butter page on your price book, where you've written down how much you've seen it for per ounce. You keep track per ounce because if you are at a warehouse club like Costco or Sam's, you aren't going to find it in an 18 oz. size, but it may be a better deal. Don't forget the dollar store when making your price book. If I can get Colgate or Crest toothpaste at Dollar Tree for $1, I know that finding in on sale for $2.99 with a dollar coupon is not a good deal. Know who has the cheapest price on everything. Each area is different.

(My real life basement pantry)

That brings me to the next topic, stocking up. When you coupon you often get a lot of one item each time you shop. One week you may get a case of tomato soup and ten loaves of bread and the next week, 100 jars of peanut butter or five cases of tuna fish. (Don't let these numbers scare you!) Many people wonder how in the world you plan a menu for the week this way. You don't. You stock your pantry. (You can do this with more perishable foods too, see a previous post here about what I did with lots of potatoes, how to dehydrate produce here, making your own extracts here or my many posts on canning, some are here, here or here). Different things are on sale each month and different things are highlighted each season. When it was near the forth of July or Labor Day, there were lots of sales on ketchup, mustard and mayo. The coupons that came out around these months reflected the season, so there were many for these items. When I saw that they were at their best price (here's where your price book comes in) I bought all I needed for the year (pictured above). This takes some trial and error, because how is it that you know how much relish your family needs for an entire year? If I don't know, I guesstimate, for example, I use relish on hot dogs (we eat them about 1 x per month, less in the winter), hamburgers (about the same) and tuna (about once a week). I figure out how much of a jar we use for each and buy accordingly. If my pantry is stocked with these things, I don't have to worry about them again and can concentrate on items on sale right now. In October I bought a lot of canned tomatoes. This month it is olives, flour, sugars, chocolate chips and other baking items.

Even though I generally don't do once a month cooking, I enjoy listening to Once A Month Mom's monthly pod cast. (Here it is for November.) She highlights what will be on sale for the month, I like to know what's ahead.

So, once you get coupons and have them organized, you have to figure out the best way to use them. Be diligent about looking at your local sales flyers. We get them here on Tuesdays. Every Tuesday, I sit down with a piece of notebook paper and a pencil, the ads and my coupons. I look through the ads to see what is on sale. I do often buy the loss leader ad items even without a coupon because they are at the best price they will be all year - I especially like the ones with no limit! I don't have any qualms about going more than once in a week to max out a limit on an item, or even doing more than one transaction to get that price over and over again (if the coupon says per transaction, you can do this, if it says per shopping trip or per family, do honor that too). If there are other things on sale, I match coupons with the sale items for a great price. If I find something that I plan to buy, I write it under the heading of that grocery store, i.e. Safeway, 3 - 18 oz. jars of Skippy peanut butter and if I have a coupon, I will write a Q next to it so I know that I planned to use a coupon with it. Then the coupon goes in to the store's envelope in my coupon organizer. When I get to the store I pull out my list (that I also keep in my plastic organizer) and the coupons from the store's envelope. I know just where I am going and what I am doing when I get there.

Stacking coupons is a way to get an even better deal. This is where you use a store's coupon and a manufacturer's coupon and a sale to get the best deal possible. Many stores like Albertson's, Safeway and Walgreens put out coupons in their own ad and then if you have coupons for that item too, you can use both. You cannot use two manufacturer's coupons or two store coupons - be careful here and check to be sure because stores like Rite Aid and sometimes Fred Meyer will put manufacturer's coupons in their store ads. Although this is perfectly legal, one of my Albertson's stores always give me a huge hassle about it, so I just don't go to that store anymore. I've heard that Target also has issues with stacking, but I'm sure it depends on your checker and the managers on duty. Always check the store's coupon policy on line if there is a question. I've had a lot of experience where the employee didn't know what they should or shouldn't be doing.

(My laundry room stock pile)

One more tip along these lines, is that if you have a buy one get one free deal, you can use two coupons. A great example of this is a deal that's going on right now at Albertson's. If you buy one Sara Lee pie, you get another Sara Lee pie and two cartons of Breyer's ice cream free. Even though you are only buying one pie, you can use two Sara Lee pie coupons and two Breyer's ice cream coupons. What a deal! If you knew this deal was coming (many sites will let you know ahead of time about an upcoming deal) and really wanted to take advantage of it (it was something you bought or used often) you either save coupons for this or buy them online as mentioned before.

That brings me to store matching programs. Walmart will match an advertised price for items. You have to have the ad with you most of the time, but if you show the clerk that bananas are currently on sale for .39c a pound at another store, they will give you the same price. Although it isn't advertised, Fred Meyer will accept competitor's coupons. Bring in a store coupon for an item, even a store brand, and they will give you the item or their store brand for the coupon price. It really pays to know what your store's policies are. These types of matching programs are especially helpful when you have a store that runs out of the ad often. It's ok to get rain checks for later (put those in your grocery store's envelope in your organizer so you don't forget about them!) but when it's a Catalina coupon, it's frustrating.

Catalina coupons are coupons that print out after you've paid for your items. They are sometimes advertised and sometimes not. For example, they use these a lot at Albertson's and Walgreens. Albertson's will have an ad that says if you buy five specific Pillsbury items (this is from this week) you will get a $5 coupon to use on your next purchase. If you do it right (don't forget to match all of those items with coupons!!!) then you will get your $5 coupon when you finish your transaction, with your receipt. Walgreens will often have an item that will be free in the end, an example of this is buy one Dove body wash and get an $8.99 coupon for your next purchase. If the body wash is normally $8.99 and you have a $2/1 coupon, you will be making money on the transaction. This is called "overage" on many couponing sites. Catalina coupons are not good for long, they expire quickly. For this reason, I like to do a second transaction using that Catalina for other items I need, using that Catalina I just received.

(Both of these are the stock of linen closet supplies)

It's helpful to check out the websites that are out there like A Full Cup or Fat Wallet or Hot Coupon World because many times other people will see or figure out great deals that are easy to miss. I like Money Saving Mom a lot too, she's great about keeping you abreast about all sorts of deals, not just groceries.

You will begin to have such a stockpile that not only will you have enough for your family that you won't have to worry about what will happen if there is job loss or a tight month or two, but you will be able to give to others in need. This stock pile comes in handy for a friend who has a baby or crisis in the family, Operation Christmas Child, your local food bank or when you want to give hygiene items to your local shelter. It is also a wonderful feeling to be able to, instead of running to the grocery store when you need a can of this or that, run to your own little "grocery store". The savings are tremendous.

Although couponing seems like a huge effort, it pays off in so many ways. As the mother of the house and the helpmeet to your husband, you will be serving your family by your hard work and diligence. Keep in mind that they aren't the only ones that you are serving: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. " Colossians 3:23-24

May the Lord bless your efforts richly!

Coupons In Today's Paper

2009-11-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

I hope I'm not the only one excited to find some great Fred Meyer coupons in the paper today. It was in section A of our paper, just a one page black and white ad. It contains 4/$1 Duncan Hines cake mix (limit 4), 2 for $1 Progresso Soup (limit 4) and 4/$1 microwave pizza (limit 4). Take a look!

When I'm a Mommy

2009-11-12T04:43:00.000-08:00

My three-year-old said to me, "When I'm big, I'm going to have lots of babies."

"Lots of babies like Mommy?" I ask.

"No. You only have one baby, Hava (her little sister)." Then she says, "And when I grow up to be a mommy, I'm going to wear bigggggg panties just like you!"

hm.

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T13:59:00.001-08:00

I am not particularly patriotic. I do, however, want my children to be very aware of our history as Americans. Today we went to a Veteran's Day parade. It was very touching, the little cub scouts came to each vet, shook their hand and said thank you.

This picture also moves me. Here is my oldest son, who is determined to go in to the military, watching men and women walk by with photos of all who have died from our city in the past several years while in service to our country.

Red Neck Baby High Chair / Teething Ring

2009-11-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

Saturday Morning...

2009-11-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

My shabbat-ing family is still sleeping, that is everyone over the age of ten. The smart ones. My four youngest have been up for hours (ah, that time change really is a blessing, isn't it?) and, of course, so have I.

I made french toast for all who were up and then put some pumpkin bread in the oven for the Torah study that meets at our house later this afternoon. The house is a wreck, no one wants to clean anything up on Friday nights so there are still dishes in the sink, candles on the table and crumbs all around from last night's bread breaking.....

Although today is a day of rest, the truth is in that old saying, "A women's work is never done." I can relate!

I am, however, enjoying the fact that my little ones are playing well together and there is a wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen. As I pick up and tidy, I really am thankful for today.

Pumpkin Bread - makes three loaves

3 cups pumpkin puree

1.5 cups vegetable oil

4 cups sugar

6 eggs

4.75 cups flour

1.5 tsps. EACH: baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg

Preheat the oven at 350 and prepare your loaf pans. Mix wet ingredients and then the dry ingredients, then mix both together. Pour in to pans and bake for about 50 minutes. Loaf should spring back when touched.

Potato Party / Freezer Meals Part 2

2009-11-03T12:00:00.001-08:00

This post is a continuation of freezer cooking day, see my previous post if you missed it this morning.

My potatoes were finished boiling and I gathered the ingredients for the freezer mashed potatoes. I realized how incredibly inexpensive this side dish is. I used ten pounds of potatoes to make two 9x13 pans of mashed potatoes. The bag was .98c at Safeway this week. Butter and cream cheese happened to also be on the three day coupon that came out in this week's Sunday paper for Safeway. The cream cheese was 99c for 8 ounces and the butter was $1.49 for the pound. I had bought sour cream earlier at Fiesta Foods, our local Mexican food store. It was also on special. The sour cream and butter were used in both of the dishes we made today.

This freezer paper was also was a great deal. I always check the clearance section of the grocery store and was surprised to find a whole cart of freezer paper at Albertson's one day. The sticker shows that I paid $2.48 each for these big rolls.

I really like freezer paper for freezer meals in comparison to foil pans or anything else. I place the freezer paper in my pans (shiny side up!!!) with a little bit of spray. I load my lasagna or casserole, or in this case, potatoes, in the pan, place them in the freezer and then when they are frozen solid I lift them out, wrap and label. If you do this, be sure to label which pan you used because even though these are both 9 x 13 pans, they are a little different. If I know which one it was frozen in, I can remove the paper before cooking or defrosting and place it in the same pan. It's just easier that way. These two pans are now in the freezer.

Next up were the twice baked potatoes. Doesn't this look great?

Here's the finished product, ready for the freezer. Yum! Twenty pounds of potatoes down, twenty to go!

Freezer Cooking Day

2009-11-03T10:40:00.000-08:00

Today Money Saving Mom, one of my very favorite bloggers, is having a freezer cooking day. I love to check out her progress over the day and see what she's up to and how she's doing. There is an impressive line up for her today, and with three little children, I am very impressed with how much she's accomplished.

To join the fun, I too am working to stash a couple of things in the freezer. As you know from my previous post, I am up to my eye balls in potatoes. Thought I'd send out a little post about how I'm doing with that.

My first grader has finished his school work so I got all of my little ones to help out (read poke and put holes in) peeling potatoes for the freezer mashed potatoes.

This little guy here, however, has quite a knack for potato peeling and did at least four on his own. He was upset to see that the bag was empty!

We got them all done and in my biggest dutch oven.

Now I am on to those baked potatoes I did yesterday. They need to be hollowed out to be made in to twice baked potatoes for the freezer.

Back to work, someone is saying that my potatoes are boiling over!

Potato Patrol

2009-11-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

At my Safeway today, they still had their 10 lb. bags of potatoes on sale for 98c each. Even though I already bought two bags last week, I couldn't resist and bought two more. Potatoes freeze well and are great to have on hand as a last minute side dish or even a main dish.

As I have mentioned before, often when I get a great deal on potatoes I'll throw chicken breast or roast in to a ziplock bag with some cut potatoes, carrots and onions for an easy crockpot meal. The morning that you want to use it, just dump the frozen contents of your bag in to your crockpot and turn it on. Add a little liquid and your ready to go. This time around however, I am totally out of meat and have to do things a little differently.

To get the potatoes taken care of quickly, I have two cookie sheets full of potatoes baking right now, to fill them up, I used one full bag. We'll have baked potatoes with chili over them for dinner tonight and I will be making this recipe for the freezer when the others cool off this evening.

With the second bag I will cut them in to french fries for oven fries. They are so easy. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to a gallon ziplock bag. Throw in your cut up potatoes and shake them to cover. Pour potatoes and oil on to a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. Check on them after about 10 or 15 minutes to move them around and flip them over. Salt or season with Johnny's Seasoning salt and serve. If you want to do them ahead, just cut and freeze (Rachel has pointed out that they need to be blanched at this point to avoid turning brown.) When you want to use them, defrost overnight.

With the third bag of potatoes I will be making a big batch of mashed potatoes and freezing them in meal sized portions. I think it is best to season when you make them the second time around. If you want more of a recipe, Once a Month Mom has some great mashed potato recipes. Try this one from this month's menu or this one from last month's.

The last bag will just hang out in my pantry. I like to make potatoes and eggs for breakfast every once in a while or add potatoes to soups and stews, I'm sure that I will use them up quickly.

Today....

2009-10-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

In the crock pot, simmering away:

Black Bean Soup

1 lb. soaked black beans

1 lb. hamburger

2 cups diced carrots

2 cups diced celery

2 cups diced onions

3 cloves of garlic

1 tsp. each, cumin, thyme, oregano, pepper

1 bay leaf

64 oz. vegetable or beef broth

2 tbsp. tomato paste

2 tbsp. lime juice

sour cream, chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro

Cook hamburger with carrots, celery and onions. Add meat mixture and soaked beans to crockpot along with garlic, cumin, thyme, oregano, bay leaf and pepper. Stir in broth and tomato paste. Cook all day on high, until beans are soft. Stir in lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, serve with sour cream, tomatoes and cilantro.

Makes 12 servings

I plan to serve this with my daughters famous herbed batter rolls. They are so good!

With a little prodding (ok, really, a lot) I was able to get school done with my two middle boys, the little ones had preschool and my two big kids are still working at theirs. Between getting snack out to the table and switching the laundry, I made a stop in the kitchen to make a bucket of hot cocoa mix.

At nap time today, I plan to get out all of my coupons and the ad circulars and see what shopping needs to be done. It's a big job when I haven't been keeping up on my coupon dates so I'm guessing I'll be at it at for at least an hour. I'll make a menu plan at the same time, hopefully for at least the next two weeks.

I'll bake a little something warm for the kids for afternoon snack, I'm thinking about black bottom banana bars.

On the roster for my 4:00 workout time slot:

We really like The Firm videos, they have more weights in them than most - this one is our current favorite.

Since dinner is already taken care of I foresee a calm and easy evening. I'll give a few baths after dinner and then read our current chapter book, Laura Ingalls Wilder, A Storybook Life by the Benges. After having read her series it is interesting to read an actual account of her life in this biography. We are all noticing the slight differences.

After that, a little time to relax with my big kids and then, off to bed for the mommy. And, then, we'll do it all again tomorrow!

Freezer Meals for the Crockpot

2009-10-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

What could be easier? Load your ingredients in to Ziploc bags, put them in the freezer and then when you want to use them, pour the whole thing in to the crock pot.

It's what I call dump cooking. I will often do this if I have lots of some ingredients that need to be used up. If you get a great buy on potatoes, carrots, onions and celery - which is going to be happening here with Thanksgiving on it's way, add chicken, beef or some of that free turkey they will be giving away at the grocery store, to a bag and put in all of your cut up veggies. Add some seasonings. On cooking day, throw it all in together with a little stock, a can of tomatoes, Italian dressing or tomato sauce and dinner will be ready in about 7 or 8 hours.

For a free downloadable ebook with recipes to cook this way, go here. It was put together by Malia Russell of Homemaking911. (Although I strongly encourage the use of the crock pot, I am in no way endorsing the pork recipes!!! :) Enjoy easier fall and winter meals this year!

Book Time for Bedtime

2009-10-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

This little sibling bonding time started out with one child reading and one child listening. But, of course, soon he was surrounded by an eager crowd. He was reading one of my favorite children's book of all time.

The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman. I think it's because I can so relate to Mrs. Peters. At least the state of her house, the waning patience directly related to the number of growing demands on her and the abundant love that she has for her little children.

My Three Sons

2009-10-21T00:20:00.000-07:00

As a stay-at-home mom you have to find joy in your life where you can. This morning after hanging the laundry out I saw this picture from the bathroom window. Three pair of jeans, like stair steps, representing my three boys. Pure joy.

New Blog

2009-10-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

My husband is not the kind of guy that jumps in to anything. In fact, he's the kind of guy that thinks about it, contemplates it, considers it and then puts his big toe in. He is forever saying that I leap before I look, we are just totally opposite in that way.

When I started blogging a year and a half ago, he began thinking of names for his blog. He made lists of possible topics. He thought long and hard about blogging.

Well, I can say, that finally he took the plunge and I am so glad. He studies all the time and is a wonderful teacher. He's already written a four-part series and last night studied the origin of the star of David. I think you will enjoy reading what he has to say, take a look at his new blog: here.

The Crazy Rat Race We Run

2009-10-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

The Rat Race isn't just about corporate America. It's our whole society's way of thinking.

Take moms for example. How many do you know that are running around like crazy women, shuttling their children from one activity to the next, forever complaining that they don't even have time to do their laundry, there is so much on their plate? I sometimes wonder how many people are "complaining" just to let you know how much they do, but there are others out there who are truly overwhelmed at everything they think is expected of them.

One family that comes to mind are our old friends Jeanette and Bob. She was in charge of the nursery, he was on the worship team. She was on the board for the women's ministry and he was a teacher for the kid's Wednesday night programs. They were there every time the doors were open, three services a week and the weekly Bible study night. Their children are well known in the children's programs because they are always there.

I just found out that Jeanette and Bob have separated.

Then there is my friend, Rachel. She's started back to school this year because "it was an opportunity that she just couldn't pass up." She got a full ride and knows that it is the best thing for her family because she'll be able to work from home after she gets her degree. Never mind that her two teenage children will be practically grown and gone by the time she's done. Never mind that her house is in total disarray. Never mind.

I was talking to a homeschooling mom of three this week. She tells me how she's running from gymnastics for her daughter to sports practice (which is five afternoons a week!) for her son. Her older daughter has her activities too. They all attend classes and although they live far out of town, they are here every day of the week for something. She leans in and whispers that they've had Taco Bell at least every other night, and then laughs.

I don't think it's funny.

Each of these stories are real people that I know personally, and only a very small selection of people that I know who do it all. I'm sure the same holds for the people in your life.

I once heard an older woman say, "To homeschool your children you need to be home." It was my first clue in to the whole idea of a stay-at-home mom really, um, staying at home. I used to believe that to have a well-rounded and well-educated, socialized child I needed to do everything. I felt guilty if I said no to any of the fun activities that were interesting to my children.

Let's hold that ideal up to the light of Scripture.

In Titus 2:3-4 Paul gives these instructions as to how a young married woman is to be trained by older women: “...train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands so that no one will malign the Word of God.”

To be busy at H-O-M-E. I remember the days that I used to think that there was nothing to do at home. Ha! That was because I left the laundry, "cooked" out of a box and didn't take pride in my home. We were up early, left the dishes to get on to co-op preschool and Bible studies. Today I realize that there is much to do here at home. Each year I learn more about gardening and canning, cooking and sewing. My floors are swept and my children are in order (ok, those of you who know me, you know that I am still working on both of those!!!)

"So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander." 1 Timothy 5:14

Managing our homes is a huge job! Meal planning, homeschooling, overseeing chores and character lessons, cleaning, cooking and cleaning it all up again! How do we expect to manage our homes from the driver's seat of the car? The more children that I've had, the more I realize the truth. Being the personal assistant to the CEO of our family is one incredible job, especially when the guy is gone for 8 or 10 hours a day at work, I'm left to do the heavy lifting at home. I don't take my position lightly, I want to be the best manager of my home that I can be. That means spending time planning and scheduling, watching and paying attention. Which is a perfect lead in to the next scripture.

"She looks well to the ways of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

Or how about this one? It characterizes the foolish woman.

"She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house." Proverbs 7:11

God, the maker of all things, the guy who invented the parent/child relationship, believes it best for the mom to stay at home. I'm just guessing here, but in all probability, it is good for the children too. I think of the pastor's wife I knew who's fourth child, an infant daughter, would cry every time she saw the car seat because she was strapped in it so much. What about the many toddlers who catch a 15 minute nap on the way to choir practice for their older siblings? Ever read the research on the correlation between the sleep deprivation and ADHD? Just my thoughts.

And, remember that woman who spent so much time at the Taco Bell drive through? Something she said really shook me out of my stupor. When I suggested that she stay home more, she said,"My son would be fine with that, but it's my daughters that are not content with being home." Breeding discontent with the work and cycles of the home life starts young.

Helping out to serve meals at the soup kitchen or taking your child to piano lessons are not bad things in themselves. But, please realize your priorities. Being home to care for the family in every way is our God-given calling.

And, lastly, I leave you with this scripture:

Proverbs 14:1 "Every wise woman builds her house: but the foolish plucks it down with her hands."

Pumpkin Penne

2009-10-12T07:52:00.001-07:00

PLUS

1-12 oz box whole wheat penne pasta

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1 - 15 oz can pumpkin

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon, each, salt and pepper

fresh parsley, chopped

1 1/2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot, covering to keep warm.

While the pasta is cooking, in a saucepan, heat oil on medium. Add shallots, cook and stir until tender, about three minutes. Whisk in broth, evaporated milk, pumpkin, spice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for four minutes, stirring occasionally.

Toss pasta with sauce.Spoon in to bowls and top with parsley and cheese.

Makes six cups.

Using It Up

2009-10-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

For years I made grocery lists according to what we wanted to eat for meals. Lately, I buy what is a on sale for a great price and then make it work for meals. I think it's the next level of grocery shopping.

Last week Top Foods had carrots on sale 2 lbs. / 69c. Good, nutritious food, good, money saving price. I bought several bags. I've been getting really creative with how to use them and realized yesterday as I made a carrot raisin salad to go along with dinner that I've used up the five bags I bought! I made several soups and stews that I filled with carrots, added carrots to our sloppy joes, doled them out as before meal appetizers, added them to three freezer chicken crockpot meals, and made a double batch of carrot raisin muffins.

When I think about it, this is how most of the recipes we know and love today were born. Women had what they had and they used it. If there were apples available, they baked them and fried them, stewed them and put them in to pastries. How funny that today we decide that we want an apple pie and go out to buy the ingredients.

Check, check and check...

2009-10-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

Becki's beef stew in the crockpot. School is finished for the day. Bills done, Paperback swap books wrapped, mail sent. Nap time. Ahhhhh.......

Names not to use...

2009-10-06T23:57:00.001-07:00

When does a name just become a generic label?

Since Jennifer was the number one name for a decade and a half, it seems that anyone my age is a Jennifer. My mom says that they knew no Jennifers at the time and it was such a beautiful name (I remind her that it has fur in it...) She says that it was either that or Amy, the number two name for the year I was born - not a lot of originality. I was determined not to do that to my children! I am shocked and appalled to see my eldest daughter's name on the top 100 for our state.

Curious as to where your children's names fit in? Here are the latest stats on the top ten names. Cruise around the site for top names by year or state. Have fun!

Crying Out For The Messiah

2009-10-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

My family just loves these little guys. My three-year-old daughter was singing this song while eating snack this afternoon and my four-year-old is riding his bike around the kitchen/dining/living room loop singing it right now. I hope you like them as much as we do.

Large Family Mothering

2009-10-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Away in a manger....

2009-10-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

The finishing touches were put on the sukkah this afternoon.

First, the canvas clothed the naked structure, then the lights were added, decorations and lastly the tree branches on the top.

Here is our complete sukkah for the '09 festival, complete with hay bail seating, cornstalks and gourds from the garden and a newly built fire pit out in front for those frosty evenings. These pictures are especially for Gail, who requested them.

Chag Sameach!

Sukkah Raising Party '09

2009-10-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

As with most things around our house, one person's project turns in to a family project very quickly.

My husband started to get tools and lumber out to put up the sukkah today and everyone got in to the act.

A few innocent bystanders.

Me, pretending to help. Before this I was sitting on the bench in the sunshine with the camera taking pictures of free range chickens and free range children.

The littlest worker.

My husband had sent me to the store to buy bales of straw for the sukkah and while I was gone he got the structure up with the help of all of the children. They are really becoming a good work crew!

Sukkot, or the feast of booths, will be going on this year from October 2nd through the 9th. Consider building a sukkah with your family this year and following the Word:

Leviticus 23:39-43
39"On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. 41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God."

Nehemiah 8:14-18
14And they found it written in the Law that the LORD had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, "Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written." 16So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. 18And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule.

Summer is Really Over

2009-09-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

Maybe I've been in denial, but it seems to me it was summer up until today.

We went to the fair last Friday where it was hot, we looked for shade to sit it to eat our lunches. Every day I've gone out to water the chickens and the garden and am glad to get in to the house where it is cooler.

Not today though. It's cold! The weather forecast is predicting freezing temperatures at night later this week. The kids asked for their coats to wear outside. So, I knew it was time.

My husband hung the heat lamp for the chickens and put glass in their window where the chicken wire has been all summer. I picked all of the rest of the gourds, pumpkins and the last of the tomatoes. All of those plants are now in the compost bin and the garden looks so empty! I ate one of the last mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwiches (oh, how I will miss those!) I notice that our Pin Oaks are starting to turn on some outer branches.

My third child and middle son turned seven today (this is totally off the subject, but he asked for french toast for breakfast, Dad's egg pancakes for lunch and my pancakes for dinner - crazy kid), reminding me of the year I was pregnant with him. I remember sitting out in a sukkah, trying to stay warm. I remember the party, the people and wearing blankets around my legs.

This year Sukkot is a little later. This year the fall season has come a little later.

Fall is my favorite time of year, it is just beautiful. But, I sure enjoyed summer this year. I felt like we lived the season to it's fullest, being outside almost every day, walking, gardening, picking, canning, camping, swimming (in the little tiny kiddy pool!) and enjoying every minute of it.

I want to do the same with this season. I need to remember to be close to creation, more outside times, more walks, more bonfires, more pumpkin pies and squash casseroles, more leaf piling and leaf jumping.

Projects for Today....

2009-09-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

This morning... my daughter comes to me to show me a poem in her English book that she likes. My oldest son scooters in Tootie style (remember the Facts of Life?) to ask me a math question.

I finished school with my two little boys and everyone that is done with their work gets to pick an activity to play with.

I have the stock pot full of vegetable peelings going to make a batch of stock.

Sitting in my biggest bowl is 32 cups of zucchini, that's not including the peppers, onions and celery added in. This was the beginnings of zucchini relish. I was so blessed by a wonderful Freecyle friend that gave me two gigantic zucchini, literally, 32 cups in two squash, a big bag of tomatoes and another of cucumbers yesterday.

Here are some of the tomatoes ready to become salsa.

This afternoon.... I have finished both of those canning projects.

The cucumbers are awaiting their turn, these will be bread and butter pickles. The vegetable stock is in two different pots, one I will make rice with for the freezer and one will be soup for tonight's dinner. Nap time is almost over - I'd better get busy!

I pray your day a productive, fall in to bed kind of day.

Working the Land

2009-09-23T21:20:00.001-07:00

Chain Gang?

Swimming pool beginnings?

No, just a little asparagus planting........

Dig a trench that is a foot and a half deep,

Add compost to your soil and mix it in well. Lay out asparagus crowns and cover with soil, watering well.

'Tis the season! Get some asparagus in the ground now for 18-20 years of future harvests, it is a perennial and will come back year after year. A little work for years of good eating.

The Spice is Right: How to Save up to 93% on Spices

2009-09-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

The Spice is Right: How to Save up to 93% on Spices
Submitted by: Ray1 02/16/2009 5:35 PM
(This article can be found at Tiphero.com)

Spices are a great way to make a dull, ordinary meal a little more exciting. I use spices on my omelets, potatoes, meat, rice, oatmeal, and in many other dishes. I'm eating at home more often these days to save money and I've found myself reaching for the spice rack more frequently. The other day I ran out of ginger so I went down to my local supermarket. Naturally I went to the spice aisle to grab a little bottle of ground ginger. After looking out over the sea of spice bottles I found the ginger I needed. Needless to say I got a little sticker shock when I calculated that the little bottle of ginger I needed worked out to just over $40 a pound. I had often reached for these little bottles of spices without ever stopping to think about the cost. I decided to find a cheaper way to buy spices.I knew I could go to Costco but you need to buy spices in larger quantities and they only carry a few varieties. Instead, I decided to check out Winco Foods which has a large bulk foods section to see which if any spices they carried.

Buying Spices from the Bulk Bins, I was pleasantly surprised to find over 50 varieties of spices in their bulk food section, and was even more pleased when I saw the prices. I decided to compare the price of spices from the bulk section with those you can buy packaged off the shelf.The price differential was so large I even went back to double-check if I recorded the prices correctly. The reason spices from the bulk bin work out so much cheaper is because you're not paying for the expensive packaging. Many of the off-the-shelf spices come packaged in glass bottles, but even those that just come in simple plastic containers cost significantly more than buying spices from the bulk bins. If you wanted to you could go out and buy little spice containers at a dollar store for fifty cents each and still come in at under half the price of the off-the-shelf spices.I'm sure the spices at Costco and Sam's Club are significantly cheaper per oz. than the little bottles you buy off-the-shelf, but you have to buy in much larger quantities than you may otherwise need. For many spices I find I only use 6-8 oz of a particular spice a year. Spices can spoil quickly making buying the 27 oz. containers from Costco infeasible for me.

{To add to this revelation - which it is for me - Fred Meyer apparently has bulk spices too. I don't know if the prices are as good but I will certainly be finding out!}

Wilderness Family

2009-09-22T23:22:00.000-07:00

While on our weekend camping trip, I was wondering, why is it that we do this? We pack practically everything we own in to our van to go and sleep where there are no beds, no running water, no HEAT with lots of bugs, wild animals and COLD. It's such a weird thing to do.

And, while camping, you think you will be out in nature, resting and relaxing,

Well, maybe some people do, but the rest of the time you,

Pass the time waiting to eat, again.

Endlessly move things from your vehicle, rearrange things, can't find many things that you KNOW you brought, like the baby wipes.

You swim. Even when mom says, "We are just wading!" Of course you will need a third outfit to roll in the dirt with after the above mentioned activity.

You do gymnastics on fallen logs,

you climb up on stuff,

you play in the fire (lots and lots of this),

you go fishing, and even when you catch nothing, you can't stop talking about what fun it was.

And, of course, you play in the tent. Then, you pack it all back up in the van and talk about nothing but clean clothes, showers and beds all the way home. Funny thing, camping is.

Drawing Lessons

2009-09-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

I am sitting with my son helping him along in math. Next to me, on the other side are two of my younger ones. They are talking and I'm not really listening, until I hear that he is teaching her how to draw. "And this how you make a head, these are legs..... this is me, see my kippah? And this is you."

I can't say enough for being home. I can't say enough for being here for all of these moments. I wonder how I could have ever believed that working would have been more fulfilling?

Fair Deal

2009-09-21T19:24:00.001-07:00

After many hours of preparing, my daughter has entered several of the categories in the youth department at the fair this year. She has 12 jars of different fruits we've canned, one sculpture under the craft category and two decorated cakes. This is her wedding cake. She was up until 4 am (no exaggeration!) making those little roses to meet the deadline for the entrance time today.

I just found out that the prize is $2 for the winning cake. What? After all of that!? I wonder how it ever came to be called fair?

Eggy Morning Fun

2009-09-21T08:26:00.001-07:00

Up for something a little different this morning?

Cut a hole in a piece of bread with a cookie cutter. Butter both sides of the bread and crack an egg in to the hole. Cook on the first side until the egg is set and then flip and cook on the other.

Easy, fun and works well for an egg breakfast when you are low on eggs!

Tashlikh

2009-09-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

My four-year-old was by far the cutest while voicing his sins for the year. I think he said "pinching people" about five times while throwing his bread in to the water.

Creative Genius after a tromp through the woods with prickly, sticky seeds on his pants. Here he is contemplating what other things to say to use up all of his bread.

Just a few pictures for the holiday. Here is my family practicing the tradition of Tashlikh, or casting bread upon the water. Curious? Check out my post from last year on the same subject.

Bulk Recipe: Seasoning for Sausage

2009-09-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of make-your-own bulk seasoning recipes.

I have to admit, there were many, many years when I frequented that isle in the grocery store where all of those seasonings are displayed in little foil packets. Truly, at that time I had no idea how to season anything on my own, back then I had not yet heard of Google. Teaching yourself to cook in those days meant trips to the library and trying to write down recipes quickly on the back of a napkin as older, well meaning, women spouted them at 100 miles an hour.

What a blessing it is now to find recipes to make my own jars and bottles of tasty blends of spices.

Here is one favorite at my house: sausage seasoning. As you may remember, we do our best to stay with in kosher guidelines, including the Biblical mandate not to eat pork, so I would often substitute hamburger for bulk sausage in recipes. It just isn't the same, however, and was always missing something. A great little trick that I have stumbled on (why didn't I think of this earlier?) is to add this seasoning to raw hamburger before cooking to give it that familiar, savory sausage flavor, perfect for the recipe.

And, what's great, is that being a bulk recipe, you mix it up once and use it multiple times. Streamlined efficiency is always my goal!

SAUSAGE SEASONING

3 tbsp. rosemary, ground
10 tbsp. sage, ground
7 tbsp. salt
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. marjoram
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. basil, powdered
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. garlic powder or garlic salt
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. cayenne, if desired

Mix all ingredients. Store in a glass jar. Shake well before using. Makes about 1 cup of seasoning. Use three tablespoons per pound of meat.

Duggar Economics: The Costs of 19 Kids

2009-09-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

I am totally disgusted by how people view and speak of the Dugger family. Yes, having nineteen children is extraordinary but really, must they act like Michelle's fertility is a personal affront against them?

Knowing that is God himself who opens and closes the womb (Gen. 20:18--The Lord closed all the wombs of household of Abimelech Gen. 29:31--The Lord opened Leah's womb Gen. 30:22--The Lord opened Rachel's womb 1 Sam. 1:5--The Lord closed Hannah's womb 1 Sam. 1:6--The Lord closed Hannah's womb), and that God alone makes and forms babies (Psalm 139:13-"For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb." Isa. 44:2-"Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb…" ) we know that the Duggers are blessed (Psalm 127:3-5 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. - John 16:21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. (Am I preaching to the choir here?:)

But, you know, I'd never considered the further foolishness that these naysayers exhibit - at their own expense. Read on in this essay by Jonathan Last to find out what I am talking about:

By JONATHAN V. LAST

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar made headlines recently when the Arkansas couple announced that they are expecting their 19th child. The news about the reality-show stars was met with quiet condescension by polite society and impolite mockery in the trendier parts of the Internet. The dirty jokes write themselves.

Yes, the Duggars are an easy target: They have taken the idea of a large family and given it an exponential boost. And their lives are not exactly filled with suburban glamour, fancy college degrees or evenings at home reading aloud from collections of symbolist verse. The family tends toward plain clothes, warehouse-club portions and the New Testament. And yet the discomfort with the Duggars is not merely an expression of class snobbery. It has partly to do with their hyperfertility. There is a creeping anti-natalism in America that has made having large families a radical act.

Even by historical standards, the Duggars' soon-to-be-19 kids are exceptional. In 1800 the American fertility rate—that is, the number of children born to an average woman in her lifetime—was 7.04 for whites and 7.90 for blacks. (The first census was taken in 1790, and the numbers for the races were tabulated separately.) Over the years, the fertility rate trended inexorably downward. Today the average American woman has only 2.09 children, just a hair beneath the replacement rate of 2.1. The rate for Michelle Duggar's demographic group, non-Hispanic whites, is just 1.85. In 1800, the Duggars would have been odd. By today's standards, they seem positively freakish.

There are scores of reasons for society's decreased fertility. Better medical care reduced infant mortality. In 1850 more than one in five children died in infancy; today that number is just a little over one in 166. With more babies surviving, families needed fewer births to achieve their desired family size. Effective birth control reduced the number of unwanted pregnancies. And, beginning in 1974, widespread access to abortion reduced the number of unwanted pregnancies that were brought to term. Forty-eight million abortions have been performed in America since Roe v. Wade; for perspective, the entire baby-boom generation comprises 75 million people.

There is a panoply of other pressures on fertility, ranging from delayed age of first marriage to car-seat laws (few vehicles can accommodate more than three child-safety seats). But a big part of the story is economics.

In agricultural societies, including that of early 19th-century America, children were of vital economic importance. They provided free labor in the family business and then, in adulthood, care for their elderly parents. They don't perform either of these functions today. Toward the end of the 19th century, industrialization pulled children out of the work force, limiting the contributions they could make to the family. Then Social Security, and later Medicare, began to give to the state the responsibilities that children once had for the financial care of aging parents.
Whatever its merits, the welfare state is a disincentive to childbearing. Each generation of workers pays for the retirement benefits of the generation ahead of it. The system is powered by babies, who grow up to become productive little FICA contributors. But even if you never have children, someone else's kid will eventually pay for your Social Security benefits.

Even as economic incentives for childbearing have diminished, costs have grown. The welfare state required an enormous new tax burden, for instance. When Social Security was first instituted, in 1937, only 1% of earnings up to $3,000 were taxed. Today Social Security and Medicare eat up 7.65% of earnings up to $106,800. According to a study by the Tax Foundation, the median American family in 1955 paid 17.3% of its income in taxes. By 1998, the median two-earner family paid 40.9%. All of which makes family formation much harder. As demographer Phillip Longman observes, young white men since the 1970s have seen a 40% decline in income relative to their fathers—for young black men the figure is 60%.

While the government started taking more of a family's money, the expense of raising a child shot to the moon. The Agriculture Department estimates that the costs of raising a child from birth to age 18—that is, clothes, food, health care—averaged $207,800 in 2007. In real dollars, that's a 15% increase since 1960. But the department's numbers leave out three big-ticket items: child care, college tuition and forgone salaries.

The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies reports that in 2008 the average cost of a full-time nanny was $9,630; the average cost of full-time day care was $14,591. That's as much as a year at college. The average cost of state-university tuition, along with room and board, is now $14,333. Private colleges average a good deal more— $34,132. But what's really striking is the rate of increase. During the past 35 years, the real-dollar cost of college has increased by 1,000%. That's not a misprint.

Finally, there is the opportunity cost of a parent not working. Every family's situation is different, but demographer Phillip Longman gives us an illustrative example: If a parent making $45,000 a year stays home with a child until the child begins school, and then returns to work part time until the child graduates from high school, she is forgoing more than $800,000 in lost wages (counting normal inflation and raises).

When you add it all up, it's not uncommon for a single child to cost a normal, middle-class family something like $1.1 million, from birth through the undergrad years. To get some perspective, the median price of a home in 2008 was $180,100. It is commonly said that buying a house is the biggest purchase most Americans will ever make. Having a baby is like buying six houses. Except that they don't increase in value, you can't sell them and after 16 years they'll probably say they hate you.

To be sure, the Duggars have experienced some economies of scale with their soon-to-be 19 bundles of joy. The marginal cost of each additional child is reduced but still nontrivial. Even if none of the Duggars require child care or have to pay for college and Mrs. Duggar never forgoes outside income, the total expenditures will probably be north of $1 million.

The Duggars have mortgaged their financial futures for their children. Yet we're the ones who will benefit. In 1940 there were 160 workers paying the tab for each person collecting Social Security. By 2006, there were just 3.3 workers supporting each pensioner. The Social Security Administration estimates that by 2034, there will be only 2.1 workers for each person collecting a government retirement check.

In an era when it is rare for a bourgeois couple to have even three children, the Duggars are helping subsidize our retirement at considerable costs to themselves. Instead of mocking them, we ought to thank them.—Mr. Last is a Phillips Foundation Fellow working on a book called "America's One-Child Policy."

Tutorial: Making the Traditional Round Challah

2009-09-18T06:42:00.001-07:00

This is practically in real time... here is my earliest riser making challah with his mommy this morning. :)

L'Shanah Tovah! It is Rosh HaShanah, the new year (see the post I did last year explaining the holiday, here and Missi's post here, lots over very cute pics of her kids blowing shofars!). Jews all over the world will be celebrating and with it, beginning the new cycle of Torah readings for the year. The round challah bread pictured above is the traditional Rosh HaShanah loaf. Why not make some with your children today? See my recipe here and follow the pictures. What fun!

Take your risen dough strands

and roll them out gently as long as possible.

When you go to shape the dough, the raisins will all be well hidden inside and will be delicious when the challah is sliced open.

If you intend to add raisins to your Rosh HaShanah challahs, place them all around the flat piece of rolled out dough and then roll it up.

Do this with four pieces of dough until they are all about the same length. Lay the pieces out in front of you, tic-tac-toe style.

Each strand should be placed in opposite directions; one side is over/under, the next row is then under/over. There should now be 4 sets of 2 strands each coming out from the four sides of the woven middle, one under and one over in each set.

From each set, pick up the one that was “under” and pull it over its partner, thereby placing each of these “unders” over their corresponding partner, in a clockwise rotation. Practically speaking, this means that the left piece of each set will be placed over the right piece of each set.

When this rotation is done, work in the opposite direction, clockwise. What was formerly the right piece, will now go over the left piece in the counter clockwise direction; the pieces are not yet next to each other as they are still apart from the first rotation; pull them close to each other and bring the right piece, i.e. the one you did not touch in the first rotation, over the left piece of the neighboring strand.

To finish, pinch each set of two ends together firmly, then bring all four sets together towards the center.

Now comes the really fun part: carefully flip over your challah and look!

(I wish I could say that all of those beautiful pictures were from my kitchen, but alas, my challah is not yet done. This was taken from ou.org.)

Happy (Biblical!!!) Holidays to you and yours,

Rubbing Shoulders With Celebs

2009-09-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

It isn't every day that famous people show up at your door.

It isn't every day that musicians stop by for a bite of lunch.

It isn't every day that you have such a nice visit with young, talented artists such as these.

Roman and Alana Wood have a new album out, read my previouse blog post about their music here or check out clips of their music here. You can buy itunes or here for the newest cd.

Menu, Revamped

2009-09-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Since starting our new fall schedule I've been consistent about writing a weekly menu. Somewhere along the line last year we fell of the wagon in that department. Being that my personality is definitely closer to the type A side of things, I just feel better when I have a plan.

One problem, though. Each Monday morning I've been clipping a sheet of paper to a clip board and carrying around with me while I float around doing school, laundry and cooking, waiting for inspiration. I continue to ask everyone, "What do you want for breakfast?" or "Quick, what are three dinners that you love?" After a blank stare and silence they usually shrug their shoulders and get back to their math.

So, I've finally come up with a plan that is working! What a relief. Each day of the week has it's own plan, every week, for the whole season. For example, every Sunday (baking day) we have pancakes for breakfast. On my menu it says pancakes there with a space to make notes, to be sure to add variety and more importantly, use up what I have. This Sunday we had ginger pancakes with peach sauce. They were really good! (See recipes below.) And, I added pancakes to the menu for Tuesdays as well, I make enough on Sundays to have leftovers that we can pop in the toaster to reheat. That's an easy way to start a school day.

It is the same with lunch and dinner. Once a week we will have soup and bread. I have the menu form printed out ahead of time and can just pencil in what type of soup we will be having. This is wonderful because, really, whatever we have on hand can go in to the pot. This week we had an amazing vegetable soup with vegetables that were cluttering up my fridge (again, the recipe is to follow.)

So, each day of the week will be predictable and easy to plan. I know that Thursdays we will be having tuna for lunch, I just have to decide how to serve it, as a sandwich, on crackers or with noodles? That is much easier than reinventing the wheel every single week!

To give you the inspiration I was lacking as I walked around with my clipboard, here are some ideas from my fall/winter 2009 menu:

Breakfasts: eggs, fruit crisp, muffins, oatmeal, cereal & rice milk, pancakes

Lunches: tuna, pb&j, leftovers, egg salad, english muffin pizzas

Dinners: soup & bread, mexican, chicken, pasta, ground beef

snacks: (I make two snacks a day, the morning snack is always fruit) cookies, snack mix

RECIPES:

Ginger Pancakes with Peach Sauce:

Pancakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Combine the flour, ginger, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Stir with a fork until the dry ingredients are well mixed. Add the melted butter, sugar, buttermilk and egg all at once and stir only until the batter is completely moistened but still lumpy.

Heat a greased griddle or skillet over medium heat. Using a serving spoon, drop about 1 1/2 tablespoons batter onto the griddle. (The batter is thick, so you may have to spread it a little with the back of the spoon after dropping onto griddle). Cook over medium heat, and turn the pancakes as soon as they hold together when you slide a spatula under them.

Peach Sauce:

I cooked peaches in my crockpot all night long and add a touch of brown sugar in the morning. They compliment the pancakes perfectly.

Veggie Soup:

1 large baking potato, peeled and chopped

1.5 cups sliced carrots

1.5 cups peas

.5 cup broccoli florets

.5 cup corn kernels

1 cup squash (I used zucchini)

3.5 T butter

1 large onion, sliced

1.5 cups mushrooms

3 T flour

2.5 vegetable (or chicken) bouillon cubes dissolved in 1.25 cups hot water

1 cup milk

1/4 t pepper

1/2 t salt

1 t thyme

1/2 t celery seed

Place potato, carrots, peas, broccoli, corn and squash in pt and fill with enough water to cover veggies plus one inch. Salt the water and bring to a boil and boil for four minutes.

Melt butter over medium heat in a dutch oven. Add the the onion and mushrooms and saute them, stirring often, until they are soft, about four minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring nonstop for another 30 seconds. Add the broth you made with the bullion cubes, milk and spices. Continue to stir until mixture thickens, about another four minutes.

Add the vegetable (with the water they are in) to sauce and stir well. Add more salt and pepper if you want to. Let it simmer while you do other things for about an hour and then, dinner is served!

Need further encouragement for meal planning? Check these ideas for fall menus: here and here.

Blessings to you as you plan and make meals for your family! "She looks well to the ways of her household." Provers 31:27

Week In Pictures

2009-09-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

We have been incredibly busy! Too much so. I'm really ready for a relaxing and regular school week coming up.
For the holiday on the weekend, we had several guests over. My mom, sister and her children came over on Friday. My dear friend Thema pulled in the following day with two little girls in the back of her car. I promptly put all of the guests to work.

I tried to sneak in a few more park days this week but the weather is turning. Maybe we really will have a long and cold winter this year, it seems so early to have such cold days.

We finally got our chickens! The children each have one, so each were named: Clouds, Aretti, France and Lolly. My oldest has yet to name her chicken. She's just not as excited as everyone else about them - in fact she's a little freaked out. She let one out by accident today and was yelling for me, "MOM! COME AND GET YOUR CHICKEN!!!!!!!" My chicken? My son is thrilled. He sits in the chicken tractor on an over turned bucket and feeds them out of his hand. When he should be doing his chores, that is.

We are finally DONE with pears. I think the total was 360 plus quarts in the end. We were peaching this week, with the few boxes of peaches that we had. I am looking forward to apples.

Study of Torah

2009-09-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

Week In Pictures

2009-09-04T07:50:00.001-07:00

We had the wonderful opportunity of picking FREE pears at the orchard this week. Every so many trees they plant a different variety to cross pollinate their crop. These usually drop to the ground, but this year we were able to gather up over 1,000 lbs. of Red Bartletts.

We had quite a convoy to and from the orchard. A mini van, a four door car, my 16 passenger van and two pick up trucks. Here is ours being loaded.

And, you know, with getting all of that fruit comes a LOT of work! Like washing,

and peeling,

and canning. At final count last night we had 150 quarts finished. There are LOTS more boxes and we are feeling weary!

Less of Me

2009-09-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

Powerful words:

"Today they call me “Mommy”, but someday they’ll think of me and I will be like a faint song; hopefully a sweet one. They will have their own lives and I will be in the back of their mind.
It’s not about me; it’s about God and them. It’s about how they view God, and how they see themselves. What kinds of things do I need to tell them? How much holier do I need to be so that they can have a good example? How can I get out of the way more so that they can see Jesus?

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1

Mothering is not easy. It is back-breaking, heart-wrenching work. It has taken over my whole body, and it puts my mind and spirit through the wringer. It is not a 9-5 job that I can quit if I become dissatisfied. I am a mother for the rest of my life, and my heart gets pulled to them every time they send out a distress call, no matter how old my children become.
But this is my “reasonable service”. It is greater than me, and it is too much for me to handle as one human being. Their needs far surpass my abilities to meet them. I am lying daily on the altar and asking God to strip me more of myself so that who He is can reach out to them through me."

Do you love this stuff as much as I do? Read more here.

Remember Blossom?

2009-08-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

A former teen TV actress talking about EC, homeschooling and Shabbat. Wow! Check it out.

The School Room

2009-08-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

You remember what we left the school room looking like..... here it was in the midst of cleaning, organizing and rearranging.

Here it was last night, ready for our open house. There are cookies and juice waiting on the table for our students. :) You can see the reading loft to the left and the bathroom door to the right.

Another view, to the left I put up an old fashioned pencil sharpener because I am DONE with electric ones, they always break! I use ice cube containers for pencils, markers, colored pencils, glue and tape. It works well for me.

The seating and relaxing area, the paper organizer and the smocks for art to the right.

Our dinosaur computer. Notice the paper on the windowed door, nobody can come in until the open house, it builds a tremendous amount of suspense!

This was really fun. I bought a little quart of magnetic paint from the craft store, to my surprise, it works!

Our l-o-n-g schedule. I'm sure I've mentioned before that I schedule our day to the half hour. I know that it make some people sweat just thinking about it, but again, it works for me. I like to know where everyone should be and what I should be doing. Daily, it saves me lots of thinking and even more time.

I use magazine holders to corral school books and big three ring binders for their weekly sheets and papers. This garbage can is new to our classroom and the little ones thought it was so wonderful. You can hit the lid and it goes around and around and around. It doesn't take a lot to impress around here!

Here is the previous wall paper in the bathroom, remember this stuff? I hated it! I came up with tons of ideas but ended up just painting plain white. It's so much better.

I glued numbers and letters to the vanity and mirror for pulls.

I think you should learn at all times!

Here are some of my little ones up bright and early for the first day of school. They went straight to the loft.

My big boy working hard at the desk.

My middle son loving his big boy status with his notebook this year.

Preschool time!

If you just adore looking at pictures of school rooms like I do, take a peek here to see what I did last year.

Week In Pictures

2009-08-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

We did lots of gardening this week. I pulled up all of the green beans, plucked out every carrot I could find and brought in the biggest load of tomatoes thus far. Macho Man thought that this tomato was an interesting one.

With the help of Teresa's tomatoes I was able to can a double batch of salsa and had a full drier of tomatoes.

My school room has had a signs up all week, "KEEP OUT!" and "Construction Zone" so the children have resigned themselves to playing in the sun room for now. I put out the blocks on one side of the room and the kitchen set and play dishes/food on the other. The blocks have by far been the most popular. It's nice to see them building.

Here is how the school room has looked this week. I took things down, rearranged and moved furniture. I'm coming up to the deadline, though. We are having an open house for our children on Sunday evening where they will see the "new" classroom, get their daily schedule, weekly work assignment sheets and see their new curriculum. Yikes. I am running out of time! Our home school will start on Monday!

This beauty is the bathroom in the school room. I spent one whole day painting it. Pictures of the finished product to come!

This is my super duper surprise for my little ones. A reading loft. My dear husband spent many hours working on my projects this week, even though he had to work an early schedule (not his favorite), came home and did all of the baths and book reading so I could work on this room and then, when they were all in bed slaved over my lists of to dos. He's a really good Dad and an excellent husband.

Ode to Cucumber

2009-08-27T05:59:00.000-07:00

This recipe is especially for Teresa, who has an abundance of huge cucumbers and tasty tomatoes in her garden this year, a friend with a prolific garden is a good thing! Teresa has shared some of her abundance with me. I'll be drying her tomatoes today and trying to fit cucumbers in to every meal I serve. :)

Cucumber Salsa

2 peeled cucumbers, seeded, peeled and chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T lime juice
1 t minced fresh parsley (note to self: grow in garden next year!)
2 t minced fresh cilantro (ditto!)
1/2 t dill weed
1/2 t salt

In bowl, combine ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Serve with chips. Makes four cups.

Large Scale Garden, Small Scale Space

2009-08-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

What a dream this is.... although my motivation isn't saving the planet, I'm all for living off the land. My yard doesn't look as small after seeing what this family has done with their little piece of dirt.

Go here to see more.

Tossing and Turning

2009-08-25T01:30:00.000-07:00

Anyone else lay awake at night thinking of nothing but classroom layouts, school schedules and curriculum? Maybe it's just me. But, if there is a kindred spirit out there in the blogosphere, here's a fun tool to get your classroom all set up, you can even do it in the middle of the night and not wake your whole family.

Sledding in August

2009-08-24T22:06:00.001-07:00

So, I asked Macho Man to watch the baby while I was working in the garden this morning. Next thing I know, I look up and he's riding her around on a sled he tied to his bike. Of course, she loved it but it made my heart skip a beat. Crazy kids!

A Week In Pictures

2009-08-23T14:59:00.001-07:00

Some really creative stacking by my dish washing, eldest son. This says future engineer to me!

This week we are s-l-o-w-l-y move toward our new schedule for the school year. This year I will be taking all of the cooking back over (last year my eldest daughter was our dinner girl and my son made lunches) and so I've added in a baking day on Sundays.

Starting this morning at 8 am I made a very, very big batch of pancakes, two pans of these oatmeal scotchies shown above, one batch of coconut chocolate chip cookies, a big batch of beans (you can see my stock pot peeking out in the photo above) for chili and baked beans this week, a batch of brownies and cleaned up the kitchen as I went. I took a break to make lunch (!) and then took a nap. I hope to get some meat cooked during these baking days too. Now I've got a head start on some dinners, there are quick pancakes for the toaster for a couple of mornings, my husband has snacks for work and my children have some afternoon snacks that I can pull out of the freezer.

I really hope that I can get back to the point where I bake one breakfast thing and one snack type thing every week and have enough in the freezer from previous baking days to pull something out several days a week. That will give me extra time to focus on dinner prep. Whew!

We enjoyed a wonderful time at the park with some friends one morning this last week. It was a beautiful day, nobody else in sight. When we were packing up I had several ask when we were going to do this again!

Another new thing, my daughter is going to try her hand at selling on ebay. We found some matching, possibly twin, outfits at a thrift store. She's trying to finance her upcoming piano lessons to go along with her voice lessons. Voice+piano+pony lessons and gymnastics for the the boys=poor parents. Who said that homeschooling moms can't do math!?

A little project time at the table.

My serious artist.

Bike time is back with our new schedule. Get your afternoon chores done and you get a half an hour to ride your bike or scooter or skates. In the house!

Lots of Extra Produce?

2009-08-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

Days of Awe

2009-08-19T23:29:00.000-07:00

We are coming upon a somber and serious time, really a a month of introspection and repentance. Tonight (Wed) is Rosh Chodesh Elul. Don't let the weird words throw you. That just means the new moon, Rosh Chodesh, which is what the Hebrew calendar is based on and the name of the new month, Elul.

From tonight, through Rosh Hashana, until the culmination of Yom Kipper, we are all to look at our lives, reflect and seriously take stock of ourselves.

Sound like a weird, Jewish Lent. Funny thing here. These 40 days are God-ordained. Those 40 days are pseudo-Holy Days, man made. Strange, isn't it? There are always imitations of the real thing.

From the Hive....

2009-08-18T16:57:00.000-07:00

Checking on my bee hive this morning, I found ten very full frames of honey. You'll never guess how good this stuff really is for you. Take a peek over here to educate yourself.

And, you know that honey is not the only great thing that comes from the bee hive. Check this post out at Beneficial Bee on how to make beeswax lip balm.