Valentine's Party 2013

I didn't want to flood facebook with pics, but I wanted to share our Valentine's Day with you. Shiloh did a lot of work for our homeschool co-op's Valentine's Party. :o)

We cut and folded scrapbook paper and stamped homemade Valentine's cards.

Shiloh (and I -- not gonna lie, those are a lotta hearts) cut and sewed together little heart pillows to attach to glue dots on the inside of the card. They turned out so cute, I think!

She kept saying "I love to sew. Sewing is so relaxing." Hey, I'll take anything that Shiloh finds relaxing!

 Front of the card, little random heart stamps.

And the inside -- sweet!

We ended up making forty Valentines. That was a lot of hearts!

At the party, there were snacks. We made chocolate cupcakes with white, pink and red icing arranged in the shape of a heart (sorry, no picture) and chocolate chip cookies. We made the cupcakes to share, and this time, I failed to advertise that they were gluten free and color-dye free maybe on purpose, and they were almost all gone by the time we got to them! I made a typical buttercream icing but added strawberry juice to make the pink icing and just a few drops of beet juice to make the red icing. No one knew the difference! Hah! And it looks like these two goobers enjoyed the snacks as well. How cute are they with chocolate all in their teeth?!

Working on one her three crafts. I didn't get a good after photo, but she got to hammer some nails into a board with this one. It took quite a long time. :o)

Shiloh's Valentine's box. We glued pink yarn on the front, yellow construction paper decorated with hand-drawn jewels and swirls all around, and a foam crown with jewels and sequins. Fitting for a princess. :o)

Lastly, another craft. Jewels glued on scrapbook paper and framed. It's a diamond. (nudge, nudge.) ;o)

A few random pictures from the past week or so. 

This one I posted on facebook. I told Shiloh that Rick was coming home and she parked it in front of the window saying "I'm looking out the window looking for the Daddy." :o)

Also, I finished this blanket. I. Love. It. It was my most favorite that I've made maybe ever. I made it for my friend Christina's new baby. I learned the entrelac knitting pattern, which looks like strips woven over and under the others, but it's all made in one piece. It's so neat! However, I've never liked the way that knitting looks on the back. I saw a blanket similar to this one online and they had sewn minky fabric onto the back, making it a quilt. They had bound the edges, but I didn't want to do that, it seemed too bulky to me, so I just made a wide straight stitch border to define the edges. It felt so nice, I had serious second thoughts about giving it away. ;o) I know Christina's baby Isabella will love it, though, so I managed to part with it, but I'm definitely going to be making more of these. :o)

Lastly, look at this cutie while out on a walk the other day when it wasn't snowing, raining or the mid-70s and breezy. :o) I have more pictures of her, but they were on my other phone that was recently lost, and I had been too lax in transferring the images to the computer, so they were lost along with my phone. :o( I had given my mom what was on there, though, when were in KY about a month ago, so she'll send them to me (right, Mom?!) so they won't be lost forever. :o)

Happy early Valentine's Day!

Feed Your Family for $100/week? (Plus a bit more of my Celiac story)

Is that possible? I know that put in global perspective, $100 is quite a bit of money and we should all be able to feed our family for that amount. But in America, with fuel and food prices being the way they are, is that really reasonable?

I was prompted by this blog post to see if we could do this ourselves. Now, I'm not a couponer. I like to get deals, but I don't hunt for them, and I don't always go to the cheapest places. There's a Schnucks about thirty seconds from my house and I would prefer to shop there. It's closer. Dierbergs has a large organic USA-produced selection and lots of allergy-sensitive foods. Neither are particularly inexpensive, and I know that periodically, I'll shop at hole-in-the-wall health food stores, farmers markets in the summers and fall, and we're working on growing most of our own food. I wanted to see if I could shop at the places where I would normally go, buying the things I would normally buy... just plan it better.

But, there's a backstory (Isn't there always? I can never just tell a story without telling a bunch of other ones first. You knew it wouldn't be as straighforward as that!). First, let me say that we're vegetarians and have been on a $500/month food budget for about a year, which is a bump up from our $400/month food budget, where it stayed for several years.

But, our food choices weren't very healthy. Like, not very healthy at all. Like, pretty atrocious, actually. I'm talking, processed-straight-from-a-box-or-a-can quickie meals. Lots of pasta, vegetable oil, starches with a side of starch and less and less fresh produce. Shiloh has a hyperactivity/attention issue, so I was a good mom and careful to avoid high fructose corn syrup and color dyes. But, the busier we got with children's activities, involvement in leadership roles, a new job with a more demanding schedule.... we began, like most of America, to favor convenience over quality. And that's sort of where we languished. I tried to plan healthier meals, but I just didn't have the time. We were definitely in a food funk.

In mid-January, though, after struggling with a myriad of health problems, I was finally diagnosed with Celiac Disease. This, as many of you know, required a radical change in diet. A complete abstinence from all things gluten (boo! hiss!). After removing gluten from our diet (Shiloh as well), we noticed a drastic improvement in our overall health, as we had unknowingly been poisoning ourselves with gluten all these years, while watching our family's health worsen. After removing gluten from our diet, it became evident that my body had begun treating soy as its gluten substitute, and while I'd always had a soy sensitivity, I had now become all-out allergic. Furthermore, while I was able to tolerate dairy in respect to Celiac, I discovered that with the removal of all other allergens, dairy aggravated a separate health problem with which I'd been struggling for years.

So.

No meat. No gluten. No soy. No dairy. This was way worse than the standard remove-all-gluten mandate with which I had previously begun. What were we going to eat?!

My ever-gracious husband, after seeing the difference that the diet changes had made in Shiloh and I, refused to allow any gluten or soy in our house whatsoever and was willing to part with the dairy as well, his only request being that I keep a stick of butter for him to add to his morning oatmeal. Fair enough. I *guess* I can concede. ;o) (As an aside, Shiloh's allergies aren't as severe as mine, but as I am currently the fourth known generation dealing with essentially the same set of health problems, the odds of her inheriting them as well is quite high. So, she and I are on the same diet.)

Aaaand to finally bring it back to the original topic..........

I assumed since we would be eating specialty foods and mostly fresh produce, that our grocery bill would skyrocket. We added an extra $200/mo, bringing our final monthly total to $600. I wasn't sure where to start, so I just began scouring the internet for recipes and running to the grocery store for random ingredients. I was beginning to get aquainted with all the various flours I would need in lieu of 'regular' flour, some good base recipes that we could recycle, where to buy some good organic fruits and vegetables, etc.

As I was sort of barging into this whole lifestyle change haphazardly, it was reflected in the amount of money spent. Even though we had been eating unhealthily before, I planned our meals every two weeks and was never surprised by the amount we spent on groceries. Now, I felt out of control of our grocery budget, but chalked it all up to "well, i guess this is just how it'll be if we want to be healthy." I just didn't feel like I knew enough about the types of food we were eating to go at it any other way.

This time, though, I decided to try to go at it differently and try to meal-plan once again. Not only that, though, but I was going to keep it under $100/week. My two-week budget was going to be $200. I had serious doubts.

I did some online research, paired with some of our favorite meals we'd been eating lately, and came up with  a plan that covered 15 days -- 15 dinners, various options for lunches and breakfasts, plus some extras for snacks. Mind you, these may not be what you would normally consider 'snacks' or a 'good, hearty' lunch or breakfast. However, it's what our vegetarian/gluten-free/soy-free/dairy-free family has embraced and actually begun to (dare i say it?) prefer to the Standard American Diet.

Here's our menu for the next two weeks, from this evening (Friday the 16th) until Thursday the 29th, the night before I budget for our next two-week pay period.

1. Vegetable Pizza on Gluten-Free/Soy-Free/Dairy-Free Crust. Crust bought at Dierbergs in their allergy aisle, brushed with olive oil  and sea salt, with a chopped green pepper, half a can of marinated artichoke hearts, one chopped tomato, and one chopped onion, with basil/oregano/garlic cloves sprinkled on top. This is the most expensive meal b/c we bought the crusts 2 pkgs at 2 per pack, they're personal sized. They were $5.40/pkg. This meal is AMAZING. By far one of our favorites, which is why I pay the extra.  
2. Eggs and Pancakes. I bought a gluten-free mix, 100% Pure and Organic Maple Syrup, and a dozen cage-free Organic brown eggs.
3. Rice and Beans with Tomatoes. We usually plan family lunches on Sundays so we aren't tempted to eat out. It's easier to resist McAlister's potatoes if I know that we have food waiting for us at home. This may sound 'blah,' but this is one of our favorite meals and why we repeat it later on. It's just brown rice on one side of the bowl, seasoned black beans on the other and topped with fresh tomatoes. So simple, but quick and easy and cheap. :o) 
1. Potato Gnocchi in Mushroom and Sweet Pea sauce. Dinner. This is a new recipe, although we do like Potato Gnocchi, just haven't tried this one yet. Excited about the mushroom sauce, especially.
4. Quinoa Pilaf. Another simple favorite that makes a ton and we love, thus repeat often. It's simply unseasoned quinoa, with sauteed/raw sweet peppers and onions. Sooooo good!
5. Shepherd's Pie. Good ol' fashioned Shepherd's Pie. Minus the meat. :o) Cooked carrots, peas, corn, green beans, vegetable broth topped with mashed potatoes and parsley. YUM! 
6. Tomato Basil Soup with Spinach. Yet another recent favorite. Cooks up in about twenty minutes and makes a ton. Sooo good with a side of baked potato or a slice of freshly baked homemde bread. 
7. Rice and Beans with Tomatoes. Seriously. We love this meal.
8. Baked Potatoes, Steamed Carrots and Homemade Baked Beans. Okay, this is two types of starches in a meal, which we don't normally do, but Rick makes the BEST homemade baked beans, and it just seems to "fit."
9. Spaghetti Squash in Garlic/Olive Oil sauce. Another new recipe, but spaghetti squash is SO good, and a much healthier alternative to pasta. :o)
10. Sushi -- Nori wraps, sushi rice and avocado. This is more for a light dinner, but so filling and we love it!
11. Vegetable Stir-Fry -- Raw/steamed onions and peppers with baby corn and water chestnuts mixed in with whatever sauce Rick decides to try that night. He is a MASTER at sauces. 
12. Quinoa Pilaf. Again. Serious favorite.
13. Garbanzo Potato Curry Over Brown Rice. This is actually a recipe we've had in our rotation for a long time, but it just happens to be meat/gluten/soy/dairy free and also one of our favorites. Cubed potatoes, onions, sweet peas in a curry sauce over brown rice. 
14. Tomato Basil Soup with Spinach. Okay, so we repeat our favorites. Who doesn't?

Now, I also added these following "spare" meals in case we weren't in the mood for one of the others:

1. Rice Noodles in Thai Peanut Sauce (we could have this every night, it's so good!)
2. Organic Gluten-Free Pasta with Red or Garlic Sauce
3. Leftover Vegetable Crockpot Soup in Seasoned Vegetable Broth

Additionally, I picked up fresh fruit and greens (at least half of which are organic) that we use for morning breakfast juices and sides to gluten-free hot cereal and oatmeal, which we buy in bulk every few months. We also eat fresh fruit as morning and afternoon snacks, and lunch sides. This particular trip, I picked up:

1. 3 pounds of Organic green apples
2. 2 pounds of Organic oranges
3. 2 pounds of Organic bananas
4. 1 pound fresh blueberries
5. 1 pound fresh blackberries
6. 2 pounds green seedless grapes
7. 2 large bunches Organic Dinosaur Kale
8. 2 pounds Organic Spinach
9. 1 large bunch asparagus (for juicing)

Lastly, I bought ingredients for extra yummy snacks, namely:

1. 1.5 pounds raw cashews
2. 2 pkgs pitted dates
3. 1 pkg allergy-free chocolate chips

We use the former three ingredients to make our own version of "Lara" bars, blending them all together in a food processor and making them into balls or bars. This doesn't use all of the chocolate chips, though, and I have a recipe that uses different types of flours to make Chocolate Chip Cookies or Mint Chocolate Chip cookies. YUM! We also regularly keep stove popping corn for snacks and dessert, tossed with sea salt, garlic powder and onion powder.

As far as Rick's lunches, he packs leftovers, and Shiloh and I may eat sandwiches on homemade bread made from Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free mix with a few of my own modifications, leftovers, lettuce wraps or baked potatoes.

Beverages -- we drink water. and that's all. So I don't buy anything in this category.

So. The grand total? For two weeks' worth of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, desserts....

$182!!!

I will concede that of this list, I already had a large can of tomato puree, a can of corn and green beans, a bag of onions, a can of baby corn and water chestnuts and the spaghetti squash. All told, less than $10 worth. But then, I also bought some things that weren't necessary, either -- two chocolate candy bars to snack on on the trip around town, a real Lara Bar for Shiloh, a more expensive brand of toothpaste than we normally use, etc. All told, it all evened out.

And, we have about $18 left to replenish the fresh fruit next week. 

So. While it may not be ideal, it's definitely possible to eat a varied menu with plenty of options to spare on $100/week or $200 per two week pay period. 

Woo-hoo!

Baking Adventures

So, ignore the fact that i haven't posted in almost a year and let's focus on the food we made today. :o)

As many of you probably know since we're all friends on FB, Shiloh and I are now gluten-free. This means coming up with other creative ways to eat super yummy food. Because, like her mother, Shiloh is a fan of super yummy food. 

Rick is working in St. Charles all day today and into the wee morning hours, so after a crazy-hectic week of nonstop errands, appointments and almost never being home, Shiloh and I decided to take today for ourselves. We decided to bake the first part of the day and tackle the monstrous laundry pile the second (while eating our super-yummy food, of course!). 

I started first thing this morning with fresh bread. I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Bread mix. I'm working on making it from scratch and comparing different recipes, but this has been tiding us over for the past couple of weeks. It. Is. So. Yummy.  I will tell you that I cheated and used a bread-machine (I'm not that good!), and the past several loaves have come out strange-looking on top. Even so, that certainly doesn't affect the taste and now my whole kitchen smells like fresh bread. Pure awesomeness. Super yummy food #1 -- done.

Now, the reason the bread was important was because we were using it for sandwiches for mock-tuna salad. Not real tuna salad, since we're vegetarians (i know, i know -- gluten free AND vegetarian; what the heck do these people eat?!). I replace the tuna part with mashed chickpeas, but everything else is pretty much the same -- chopped onions, chopped celery, chopped hard-boiled eggs, gluten-free mayonnaise and salt and pepper all mixed together. Soooo good! It's best when cold, though, obviously, so while the bread was cooling and we were making our other things, I put this in the fridge. Super yummy food #2 -- done.

Shiloh and I both sort of flip out over deviled eggs. Bigtime. For some reason, though, I always think that deviled eggs are too big of a deal to make for a regular meal, so I save them for special occasions. Well, even though we're having eggs in the tuna salad, this was a special occasion and we made them to eat with our lunch. Omgoodness I LOVE deviled eggs!! I showed Shiloh how to hardboil an egg and let her mash up the cooked yolk and stir in the mayonnaise and sugar. Didn't take long, and we put these in the fridge as well. Super yummy food #3 -- done.

Next, a treat that I'm super excited about. My friend MacKenzie gave me a recipe for homemade Lara Bars. Since being gluten-free for just a couple of weeks, I think it's safe to say that the amount of food that I've been consuming has gone down considerably, mostly because there just isn't that much laying around to snack on. And I'm a snacker. So, when I need a good snack, I've been enjoying Lara Bars and Luna Bars as a healthy alternative to my gluten-laden ol' faithfuls. I knew that the ingredients are simple, but I had no idea just how easy they are to make!  Seriously. Just google it. "Homemade Lara Bars." They're awesome and a ton cheaper than retail. Basically, you just dump the ingredients in a food processor and then press them into a pan. This was Shiloh's favorite part. :o) Then, you refrigerate them til they set enough for you to cut them into bars. Yet another food item chillin' in the fridge; Super Yummy Food #4 -- done.

Finally, the big deal recipe. I'm most looking forward to this one -- Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies, recipe courtesy of the Gluten-Free Goddess, a blog that is one of the most amazing resources ever. If you are gluten-free or cooking for someone who is, and you haven't stumbled across her blog, shame on you. It's amazing!

For this recipe, I had to lug out all of my forty billion types of gluten-free flours, but I was sort of excited to use them all. I've been collecting them these past few weeks knowing that I would eventually need them all, and I think I used almost all of them in this recipe. I mean, look at that picture. That's alotta ingredients. And that's not even all of them! Shiloh had a blast helping me make it, though, and (even though I know you're not supposed to eat raw cookie dough), the dough was amazing. They're cooking now, and I"m assuming the finished product will be amazing as well. Super Yummy Food #5 -- nearly done.

And, here was lunch. Omgoodness, SO delicious!! And this was Shiloh's plate. Mine had a slightly bigger sandwich. ;o) The bread has a bit of a different taste to it, and it compliments the tuna salad so perfectly. And yes, I know, it's an overload of the eggs, but we do love our deviled eggs.

Lastly, there's no picture, but we'll have stovetop popcorn with Parmesan/garlic salt later this evening while we watch our movies.

When we were finished with all of our cooking, I asked Shiloh if she had a good time. She looked around and said "This is going to be a great day!" I agree.

UPDATE: Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies and Lara Bars. They were fantastic!!! The cookie recipe made a ton (still more in the oven) and mine didn't turn out quite as smooth on top as hers, but they tasted just like Thin Mints! The Lara Bars were also fantastic, as evidenced by the fact that there are two missing from the dish. :o)

What Effect Does the Internet Have on Your Homemaking?

Yesterday, I attended our women's group book club. Together, we're reading through Carolyn Mahaney's Feminine Appeal: 7 Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother and we just finished the chapter entitled "The Honor of Working at Home." No, it wasn't about how all mothers who work outside of the home are evil and negligent of their family. It just detailed what the Bible has to say about a woman's responsibities within the home as its caretaker. And yes, I definitely do "subscribe" to that philosophy, but that's a different post for a different time. For now, I want to talk about different things that we discussed that distract us from our role as homemakers. Obviously, the main one -- the internet.

I get MAJORLY distracted by the internet. I'm not sure how it is in your house, but in my house, it's nearly impossible to avoid being in constant eye-shot of a computer. Hubby is an IT guy and our house could also be known as a computer graveyard. The laptop I'm using right now is an old one they were going to pitch at work, so he and a friend refurbished it and put everything on it I need. We have two more with the same story. One we bought from a friend for the digital photo card reader, a netbook. And lastly, the most legit laptop we have is my husband's work laptop that was given to him by his employer, very nice. All told, we have five computers (four laptops and one desktop) that are scattered around our house at any given time, all internet capable and fully functioning.

This is ridiculous.

So, I find myself always struggling to get off the dang computer and do some housework! Everywhere I turn, there's a laptop just waiting to be used. It's not like I'm on the computer to the neglect of my children, but definitely more than necessary. You know how it is -- you get on just to check your email, then you realize that maybe you didn't have as many messages as you expected, so you mosey on over to facebook where you waste away the better part of an hour reading and looking at pictures about what your aquaintance in high school did over the weekend and... oh... wasn't there laundry that was sitting in the hallway that I was on my way to put in the wash?

This is what I've been doing and it helps. I watch Little Man during the day and I am terrified to wake him up. So, we've put all of the computers in his room. We have a crib set up in the spare room with a desk for the desktop. So, we finally gathered up all the computers and stacked them up in his room. And he's just four months, so he sleeps a lot. I also try to keep the power cords stationed in there as well, so that when I DO bring the computers out here, I only have a limited time on them before they die. It's been helping.

Some other suggestions were:

• Write down what exactly you're getting on the computer to achieve and keep it next to the keypad
• Set a timer in the other room so you have to get up and turn it off. The stove timer might be especially good for this, as they can sometimes be set to go off every minute for an hour or more. You might get tired of listening to that after awhile. 
• Try to allow yourself a limited number of websites to avoid roaming to various other sites. You could even set the parental controls for yourself!
• Set certain times. For example -- "I'm only going to get online during these specific hours, before the kids get up, while they're down for a nap, while I'm sitting down for lunch, etc. You could also do this to avoid certain times, such as setting a time limit at nighttime so you don't stay up all night (no internet past 8pm)
• Pray! Maybe that should have been first on the list, but seriously! If you know that there's anything that's hindering you from taking care of your home the way you should, ask God to help you focus more on your home and less on other things. 
• Make a rule that you won't get on the computer until you've had your quiet time. You'll find that it helps to put things in perspective a little bit once you've talked to God about your day and you may not even want to get online. 

 In all honesty, the internet can take a serious toll on our family life. It has many redeemable qualities and can be especially helpful in many areas (hello! I'm on the internet RIGHT NOW) such as sharing ideas, information, research, communication. However, one can quickly get sucked into visiting site after site after site and end up wasting valuable time that could be better spent reading your child a story, organizing a clutter area in your home or making meal plans -- things that may seem mundane, but when finished, can produce a certain satisfaction in knowing that your home and family are provided for, everyone has fresh and clean clothes to wear the next day and no one has to argue over what to eat for dinner this week.

Really, there's no "if-I-do-this-everything-will-work-out-and-my-house-will-stay-clean" answer. Every one of these options require will power and the desire to do something more with your time than spend it on the computer. That's the hard part.

So.... what do you guys do to curb your computer time?

(psstt -- I'm still working on this! I'm already up way too late just making this post! Now, ponder the irony in that...)

Even Princesses Have To Do Chores

When there's a baby screaming that cannot be comforted...

...you put on your headphones and make a post!

Okay, so maybe you were looking for something a little more philosophical than that, but not today.

We've had a spectacular day (truly, we have -- big smiles, great moods, it's been awesome!), but the Little Man got startled only 20-ish minutes into a nap by Shiloh having a mega-sneeze in the next room and hasn't been able to be calmed down. I've soothed, I've talked, I've walked, I've checked diapers, not anywhere CLOSE to time for a bottle, so he's crying it out. I hate doing it, but he's going to scream whether or not I'm holding him and I need a little bit of a break. boo. I babysit Little Man during the week, and he has a history of colic, so this isn't totally out of the ordinary, but I had thought we were sort of out of the woods. :oP

Music: "Hangin On" by Britt Nicole :o)

Then, when I went to YouTube to get the video, I found this:


80s videos were so creepy sometimes, what with the shadowy figures and random hands and such. hm.

I'm also listening to a certain 5 yr-old singing a song to the tune of "The Wise Man Built His House Upon The Rock" except she has changed the words to "Why's My Hat Backwards On The Clock." :o)

What do you guys do when you NEED a minute? Do you go outside and take a deep breath? Do you read a book? Go to your room and close the door? Have a good cry? I've found for me, I have to just leave. Leave the room. Go somewhere quiet, pray a quick prayer something to the tune of "HELP ME PLEASE!" and take a few deep breaths. Listen to some music. Get on the computer for a minute. Alone. It helps.

We all have those times when being a mom (or caretaker of little ones) pushes your buttons and makes you want to scream. I have found, though, that it's SO important to have a plan, something that you know will allow you to press the "restart" button and come back ready to try again.

Speaking of which, I think it's time for me to go try again with Little Man. I feel better now, maybe he does, too. :o)

Update: He calmed down enough for a bottle, then had a huge dirty diaper, and is currently asleep in his car seat, after having a lengthy conversation with an orange washrag. I'm glad he feels better. :o)

The Homemade Natural Cleaners We Use

Today I made laundry detergent and every time I mention that I do that, someone asks me for the recipe. So, I thought I'd share on here the various recipes that I use for household cleaners. This really falls under the category of "saves me a lot of money," although the ingredients that I use are also all-natural, so it's also a "green" alternative as well. ;o)

Laundry Detergent
This is a recipe that I got from my friend Cheryl who has been making her own laundry detergent for much much longer than I have.

• 6 cups water
• 1/3 bar Fels Naptha or Ivory Soap, grated
  
• 1/2 cup washing soda
• 1/2 cup borax
• bucket for mixing
• large container or several small containers for storing
• 8 cups boiling water
• 10 cups hot water
  

1. Mix Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan with 6 cups of water, and heat until dissolved.
   
2. Stir in Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until it starts to get thick, and remove from heat. (Let me add here that mine never really thickens and it turns out fine. I just keep stirring it until the grated soap pieces dissolve.)
   
3. Add 4 cups hot water to bucket.
   
4. Add soap mixture, and mix well.
   
5. Add another 8 cups boiling hot water and 6 cups hot water and mix well.
   
6. Pour the mixture into your containers after it isn't boiling hot anymore.
   
7. Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens.
   
8. Use 1/2 cup of mixture per regular load. I;ve found that if I'm using anything other than Fels Naptha, I use about 1 cup per load.
   

I use Fels Naptha bar soap, and you can find it in the laundry aisle. I was never able to find it at Walmart, but a grocery store like Schucks (where I buy mine), Kroger or something to that effect might have it. The Arm and Hammer Washing Soda and Borax are also in the laundry aisle. I was able to find the Borax at Walmart, but not the Washing Soda. I had to get that at Schnuck's, also.

Also, I usually don 't wait the 24 hours, just until it isn't steaming. Be sure to stir it several times during the "setting" process before it turns to gel. You will need to shake it before using it at every load, and it will not always be liquid. After cooling, it won't turn back completely into a gel. You might get some clumps of gel with some liquid thereafter, but I've never noticed any difference either way. It still always work great for me!

As far as cost effectiveness goes, for me, it works out to be about $.08- $0.12 per load vs Tide or some other leading product, which works out to be about $0.20-$0.50 per load or more, depending on the type of detergent you use. Now that I know the recipe by memory, it takes about 10-15 minutes to make, aside from letting it set.

We use this recipe for all kinds of laundry and is especially helpful if someone in your house suffers from allergies or asthma, as there are no perfumes involved. We also use this for baby laundry as well and all the... um... special stains that go along with that. ;o)


Household All-Purpose Cleaner

This one's pretty simple.

• Baking Soda
• White Vinegar
• Lemon Juice
• Water

1. Mix equal parts baking soda and white vinegar, depending on how much you want. For a typical 20-oz spray bottle, I usually do 2-3 T of baking soda as well as vinegar.
   
2. Fill 3/4 of the bottle with warm water.
3. Add 2-4 drops of lemon juice (this makes it smell nice).
4. Shake it up!

I use this cleaner for, as the name implies, nearly all purposes. I use it to clean in the kitchen, the bathroom, mopping the floor, cleaning the walls. There isn't much of anything for which I don't use this cleaner. There may be some times when I have to add a little elbow grease, but I much prefer using something homemade and natural (and cheap!) to something store-bought, so I don't mind. :o)

The only area that I use something different is for windows and mirrors. When you use this mixture on windows and mirrors, it definitely leaves hard-to-remove streaks. Instead, I use this:

• One part vinegar to 4 parts warm water

Dishwasher Detergent

This one is sort of not all-natural. However, it IS incredibly cost-effective.

• One part baking soda
• One part borax
• Dishwashing liquid (the kind you use when you wash by hand -- Dawn, Ajax, some other off-brand, whatever you like)
• Vinegar

1. Mix equal parts of baking soda and borax. I keep mine in a medium-sized tupperware container, and it holds about 4 cups. So, I whisk together 2 cups baking soda with 2 cups of borax.
   
2. Scoop 2 T of powder mixture into the detergent loader.
3. Add 2-8 drops of dishwashing liquid.
   
4. Use white vinegar as your rinse agent and fill receiver accordingly.

Notes: My dishwasher is old. And grumpy. So, after using many commercial detergents that did NOT work at all, we turned to making our own and this has proven itself better for us. As I've offered this recipe to other people, I have noticed that what might work for one washer might not work for another. Some have found that the 2T is too much and leaves residue, so they reduce to to 1.5 T or 1 T. Others have found that they needed less dishwashing liquid or more. I tend to use more.

The cost effectiveness of this recipe is amazing. If you buy the products in bulk, you end up washing a load of dishes for just around $0.03 per load!


Carpet Cleaner

For spot cleaning the carpet, I use the all-purpose household cleaner detailed above. If the spot is wet, though (think a dog mess or spilled drink), I first apply the following:

• One part cornstarch
• One part baking soda

1. Mix 'em up!
2. Keep in an airtight container.

I spoon the mixture liberally over the wet spot and let sit for awhile, depending on the size of the spot. The mixture pulls the moisture up out of the carpet and absorbs it. Then, I use a paper towel or cleaning rag to gather it up and throw it away. Next, I spray the spot with the all-purpose cleaner, let sit 5 minutes and scrub it away. Sometimes, I'll go back with a water bottle and spray it again with plain water and scrub that up as well.

***Because we're dealing with carpets, always pre-test on an out-of-the-way spot on your carpet to make sure that it doesn't adversely affect it. You never know, so do this with anything you use on your carpets.


So, those are the recipes that I use to clean my house. Some may work for you, some may not. If you're interested in experimenting, there's tons of resources and different recipes online that you can find. We've been using these recipes for almost 5 years now, and I'd say they work pretty well for us!

Happy cleaning! :o)

Making Weekly Lesson Plans

how do you prepare for homeschool on a weekly basis? I'm sitting down now, on a Sunday night, to write out my lesson plan for the next week:


(I promise I didn't stage that photo, it's just what I was working on when I snapped a pic with my phone.) We use the My Father's World curriculum for kindergarten, which I truly LOVE. Shiloh has learned so much from its focus on Biblical principles and she's reading on an almost first grade level! I'm not a fan of the non-math and have to supplement on my own with that, but I'll make another post about that later.

For now, I keep a large planner. I go through the curriculum handbook and write down all of the activities as well as the credit hours earned. I also keep a running total of hours in an Excel spreadsheet that I update periodically. I would like to say that I update it weekly as I should, but I'm not that organized yet. Every month or so, I'll go back through the planner and update the spreadsheet so I can see if we need more hours in a certain subject or area and I try to plan accordingly.

Luckily, Shiloh's in Kindergarten. that means, that 1) I'm not even required to log my hours, even though I do because I'm paranoid and 2) she only needs half of the hours required for first grade for Kindergarten, so I know that she's getting way more than is necessary at this point. So, really, this is a try-out year where we're just beginning to get our stuff together. And that's okay, I think I'm really beginning to get a feel for how our own homeschool should work.

Next, after I write out our lesson plan, I gather all worksheets and materials needed for that week. If there are still items that I'll need, I make a list and determine to go to the store on a certain day to get said items. Now, if I were really prepared, I would do this several weeks or months in advance so I knew what items I needed and I already had them. Like I said, not quite there yet. Week by week is where we are at this point. ;o)

For example, this is our "homeschool hub" where everything school related is stored.



Our house isn't exactly large and we don't have a basement area in which to conduct school. Therefore, our school space is the kitchen table. This file cabinet sits in the corner of our kitchen area, right next to the table. That might seem frustrating or in-the-way to some people, but it works for us. I don't think it's altogether unseemly when everything is put away, if we had an actual 'decor,' the cabinet isn't so hideous as it would clash with it, and it's just so darn convenient to have everything right there. I keep file folders for all of her school work and all materials that we use on a weekly basis here and now that I'm watching a baby in my house during the day, having a different "out-of-the-way" place to do school wouldn't make much sense -- we'd just end up at the kitchen table anyway.

So, we have our folder that we look at every morning in which I've put all worksheets we'll use for the week as well as any other papers or small charts that we use consistently such as her Blend Ladder, ABC Chart, 100 Chart, etc.

I'm still getting the hang of this, but I'm enjoying it immensely and Shiloh is really doing so well.

For those readers who homeschool, how do you organize/plan your lessons? Do you have a set space where you teach every day? Do you keep your plans on the computer or in a planner? Any ideas for how to streamline lesson planning?

What I'm Reading. Plus a Picture.

"Thinking Parent, Thinking Child" by Myrna Shure

I rented this from the library and I've heard positive things about it. We'll see. We're going through a very difficult phase with Shiloh right now and I could use all of the help and extra insight I can get. I'm not sure if it's independence, more self-awareness or just plain stubbornness, but it's a daily challenge.

I've grown accustomed to reading Christian parenting books almost exclusively in recent years, so it's a little difficult to look at this book through those eyes. I'm just in the first bit, so I'm not giong to judge it on that point just yet, but it's just... different. At any rate, I'm not a fan of the book cover. Maybe things like that don't matter to you, but they drive me crazy. The cover image sends a pointed message -- the father is lagging behind with his hands in his pockets while the mother is enthusiastically leading the way. As our brother James would say, "My brothers, this should not be!" (Js 3) As the spiritual leader, the father should be leading the charge and setting the example, not the other way around. Again, it's just a picture. Not a big deal. But it bothers me. Then again, what doesn't...? ;o)

One of the main points of Shure's method seems to be asking children to think about how what they're doing makes them feel and how they think it makes you feel. You're encouraged to ask your children if they can think of a different way to solve problems, the goal being to help them arrive at their own solutions, thus being more willing to carry them out. I completely get the logic. Today, Shiloh was making a slew of bad choices. Very calmly, I asked her to maybe think of some other ways she could solve the problems she was having. "Can you think of a different way to get what you need right now?" I probed. She glared at me with all the hatefulness of a 5 yr-old tantrum and said "No! I like THIS way!!!" ..... Yeah. It's a work in progress. I then proceeded to yell back and after much goings-on, sent her to her room. I had this book in my hand whilst doing so. And yes, I see the irony in that. Like I said, I've only read the first bit. ;o)


"The Raw Food Lifestyle" by Ruthann Russo

Seems to be a good introduction so far. We've been on and off about this for awhile. The benefits seems so numerous and in conjunction with many of our beliefs about health and nutrition, but, admittedly, it's a very difficult lifestyle change.

We're already vegetarians and have been for five years now. We've been vegan, but added dairy back into our diet for a season and are now addicted to cheese again. :o( Shiloh is comfortable with eating many different kinds of food, has never had meat (unless on accident -- think gelatin in fruit snacks given by teachers, friends, etc) and didn't even have dairy until she was 2.5 years old. She eats very well and a wide variety of foods, is always willing to try new things, so I don't think a raw food diet would be a challenge for her at all.

Us, on the other hand...

Our goal is to eventually be at least 80% raw. At that point, a person can reap all of the benefits of going completely raw while still indulging in some cooked food on occasion. That's where I'd like to be. We began our "raw journey" in the fall and it was FABULOUS. I loved it. Avocados, bean sprouts, fresh foods, non-processed, it was amazing. Then it got cold. And so did I. It was really difficult for me to avoid comfort winter foods such as potato soup, chili and even just plain old mac n cheese. I missed it terribly and was freezing all the time. I understand that there are certain "warming" foods that you can eat to prevent this, but it just wasn't the same. It was a difficult transition, and Rick and I both eventually reverted back to our default vegetarian diet. Now that the weather is beginning to warm up and spring is close and we're planning our garden, I'm hoping to get "back on the wagon" and try again. We'll see how it goes.


This picture is just about one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

This past summer, we had to put down our dog Dallas. He had been with us since Rick and I were dating, was the BEST dog. He had an incredibly sweet nature, was just 100+ pounds of furry love. He was a Golden Retriever/German Shepherd mix and was 12. He had many health problems and had become incontinent. Shiloh was very attached to him.

She still gets very upset about him having died and will periodically cry about it in the most random of times. In the car the other day, she was having one of these times and we told her to think of where Dallas might be now. She searched around in the car and found some crayons and paper and drew this picture.

It's Dallas with his "weird crazy" hair smelling a flower. Because that would make him happy. And he's in heaven, and heaven is beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that he is completely surrounded by shining stars everywhere he looks and he's always happy.

I love her.

She said that she wanted to hang this in her room so that any time she was upset she could look at it and know that Dallas is happy and she wouldn't miss him so much.

:o)

this is my problem. i'm way too black and white. very rarely do i see shades of grey in anything or anyone. it nearly kills me to deviate from my routine. "if everything just goes according to this plan, then i know how everything will turn out and i can control it all."

except, also very rarely, does anything go according to plan. my problem with this is that i see point A, and i see point B, and i see the straight line you take to get from A to B. i do NOT see nor do i understand, the detour that you take off of the straight line and you somehow end up cleaning up a 5 yr-old's poopy accident when you were supposed to be doing your homeschool lesson. again, nearly kills me. even though i know that one of the perks of homeschool is being able to do your lesson whenever. i can do the lesson later, i know that, when we have more time. but i don't want to do it later. i want to get it finished now and i want a 5 yr-old that will stop playing for two seconds and go to the flippin bathroom! i would be less angry if i came home one day and found that someone had broken into my house than i am when she has an accident b/c she didn't want to stop playing. seriously.

i love being a mom. potty training is the worst thing in the entire world, i hate it. period. you feel like you have to go, you go. it's worth the 30 seconds it would take to jump up and use the bathroom now than wait and have a huge mess to clean up that takes 20 minutes. and worst of all, it completely ruins my plans!!! the baby only sleeps sporadically in the morning and we don't have much time to finish school. but, instead of doing school while the baby slept, i was cleaning up a poopy accident. and we didn't have time for school. *deep breath*deep breath*deep breath* ... *sigh*

now, on most big things, i can go with the flow. our car dies. okay. nothing i could have done about that, we'll fix it when we can, whatever. the dog throws up. ew. i'll clean up, they're probably sick, okay. but when it's something that is able to be controlled, it kills me to have to deal with it!

i really need to work on that. and be more flexible. and probably nicer, too. :o)