4 Things

We all have weaknesses, and often it's easier to accept (and identify) the weaknesses of others than it is to do the same for yourself. Even harder is overcoming a weakness.

Well, I've come to accept that a couple of my weaknesses are keeping my house clean and keeping nutritious meals on the table. It's not that I don't want to do these things and it's not that they aren't priorities. It's just that after a decade of marriage and continued failure in these areas I finally accepted reality.

I needed help! So...I got some!

So here are my four things...

1. On Tuesday afternoons my wonderful friend Sheralyn comes over and helps me clean for 2 solid hours.
2. On Wednesday afternoon my wonderful friend Jenny comes over and helps me fold the laundry I've been washing all day in anticipation of her visit.
3. On Saturday mornings my amazing sister is going to start coming over to help me clean for an hour. (She'll start this tomorrow.)
4. And...After a bit of discussion Hubby and I have decided to try once a month freezer cooking.

So there you have it. My 4 things! No more dirty house. No more dirty laundry. No more eating out all the time. No more feeling defeated. No more arguments over housework.

Garden Adventures

This last week has been full of gardening adventures. I use the word adventures because we're really not gardeners. My dad is an excellent produce gardener but I think the green thumb must have skipped a generation. Not a good thing for me or my plants but I'm not willing to give up.

I've read that vegetable seed sales are up quite a bit due to "the bad economy" and I have to admit that is part of it for us too but it's more than that. It just makes sense to spend money on plants that will pay us back! And the process of gardening is a great science lesson for the boys. (Yes, we do count time in the garden as school!) It also teaches us to trust in God and not rely on someone else to provide us with the things we need. So together we're learning all of these things.

It's been fun so far!

We've planted

• broccoli
• lettuce
• strawberries
• tomatoes
• peas

And have purchased to plant

• blueberries
• rosemary
• basil

And intend to purchase to plant

• cucumbers and
• onions

Hopefully we'll have some pictures to post soon. Have a great day!

Southern Peach Cobbler and Merry Christmas

I know, peach cobbler doesn't exactly yell Christmas to me either. However, one of Wonderful Hubby's clients was kind enough to give us two jars of canned peaches as a Christmas gift, so I thought we'd use them in the way we like best! J helped make this recipe and loved it, so I thought I'd share it with you.


Southern Peach Cobbler
pinch of salt
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 c. milk
8 T butter
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
8 peaches cut into 34 slices

• set oven to 350 degrees
• place butter in large rectangle baking dish and put in oven to melt while preheating
• mix 1/4 cup sugar with cut peaches until syrupy
• combine remaining ingredients in bowl
• pour batter into baking dish over melted butter
• add peaches
• bake for 1 hour
• serve warm

Hope you enjoy. Oh and while J helped make the peach cobbler, W made these no bake cookies! We took both to our Christmas celebration last night with our family!

Merry Christmas blogging friends!!

Pumpkin Carob Chip Muffins

One of my favorite things about fall is that so many wonderful foods are made more wonderful by the addition of pumpkin...I'm thinking pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheese cake, pumpkin lattes and of course pumpkin muffins! MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm!

So this week my family is enjoying pumpkin carob chip muffins....our fav! We're not vegetarians or vegans but I love the vegan version of these muffins found at Shmooed Food so that's what I use when making them. My only variations are to use 1 cup carob chips and 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut. (Instead of the 1/3 cup carob chips and 1/2 cup pecans called for in the recipe.) I also reduce the sugar to 1 cup.

What's your favorite pumpkin recipe??

So Tired of Stuff-itis

I'm in the process of de-cluttering my life

yet again.

Stuff has proven to be a constant problem for me. I hate cleaning it and organizing it, etc. and yet I continue to buy it. I am a sucker for vintage kitchen ware and educational reading material. I love old and outdated pieces of fabric and original pieces of art. Garage sales and thrift stores literally scream my name as I drive by them. But too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing. I have to stop myself!

So for two days I've been de-cluttering...I've finished my bedroom. What I did was pack away everything that was non-essential... Well, non-essential is a relative term right. Let me start over. What I did was go from 4 bookshelves crammed full of stuff to 2 very small, very neat bookshelves. Anything that did not fit had to go (to the garage for now.)

So there it is, my baby step.

Our Favorite Sandwich

Mmmmmm...grilled cheese has always been a childhood favorite but we like it even better with a twist...We add pouched salmon. I really wish I had a wonderful photo of this sandwich to share with you but my camera is still broken. Phooey!

So today I complimented our salmon melts with green beans and peaches! Yummy!

Hope you're having a very special day!

Dad's Veggie Garden Bug Spray

My dad used to be a produce gardener and from what I've heard, one of the best. So I've begun collecting advice from him. This I thought I'd share...

Dad's Vegetable Garden Bug Repellent
1/2 cup alcohol
2 tablespoons dish soap
1 gallon warm water

combine and saturate plants using a mister
be especially careful to get the underside of leaves

He also says plant marigolds all around and even inside your veggie garden because bugs hate them. Anyone else have some organic anti-bug wisdom to share?

At the Grocery Store

Yesterday the boys and I did our weekly grocery shopping together. They usually go with me and we talk about the choices I make. This week was different because I had them make all the choices themselves, consulting with me as needed. I documented the whole trip on the digital camera and thought I'd share some of the photos here.

We love broccoli!

W chose nuts for a snack instead of the usual crackers. I thought that was a great idea.

J really wanted some kiwi, another family favorite.

And in these two photos J shows us the difference between a bad apple and a good one!

We really had a lot of fun doing the grocery shopping this way and will probably share a lot more in the responsibility of shopping from now on. They learned a lot about price comparison and things like that and I learned that they actually enjoy the shopping trip if they are involved in more than just following me around!

Chores and Allowance

Everyone has their own opinion about how to do chores and allowance so I thought I'd share what works at our house right now. We've done it several different ways and this is the best by far! It's inspired by Dave Ramsey.

I got this chore chart from paintedgold.com and wrote in the chores I'm offering to pay for and how much they're worth. (No doubt you won't agree with everything I'm willing to pay for or how much I'm paying...but this is what works for us. And of course, the boys are not required to do all of these chores!)

They each get their own chart and once a chore has been completed they write their name in the appropriate box. Once I check to see that it was done to my satisfaction I write "Mom" under their name and they have officially earned whatever that chore was worth! (I check because I read somewhere and have found to be true that you get what you inspect not what you expect.) If say the bathroom isn't up to par I point out what else needs to be done and then leave them to it. I don't make a big deal about it unless I have to call them back in repeatedly.


Each week the boys make a goal to work toward...usually $3.00 to $5.00. Everyday we talk about how much they've earned so far and pick a few chores for them to work on that day based on what needs done and how much they're trying to earn. Payday is Saturday night when Dad gets home from work.

Based on what we're offering to pay it's no wonder they both learned the laundry routine real quick!

As you can see they both know how to fold towels really well! They can also load the washer, switch to the dryer, fold the easy stuff and put away towels and their own clothes. I'm so grateful I'm not on my own with this chore anymore!!

By the way, I only pay if they do their chores with a good attitude and I don't have to keep them on task! Also because they have the opportunity to earn money every week I do not buy toys (and haven't for years) or candy. Almost all extras are bought with their own money and I do not do loans. They're really learning to be responsible and they're learning how to save! (Can you tell that I love it!)

How do you handle chores and allowance?

Homemade Bread

In response to the comment on my last post I thought I'd share my bread recipe and what I've learned about bread making.

I have a bread machine so this is all easy for me. I used to make bread occasionally by hand but now with the machine I make almost all of our bread. I bought my bread maker at a thrift store for $15 but I know you can get them way cheaper if you're on a mission and not in a hurry about it. When I got my machine it had no manual so I googled, "how to use a bread machine with no manual" and this is the wonderful article that told me everything I needed to know.

So here's my recipe, it's very basic. I altered it from one I got from a friend who got it online.

Sandwich Bread
1 cup water
1/3 cup soy milk
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 T sugar
2 T olive or coconut oil
4 cups flour (I mix 1/2 whole wheat and then 1/2 oat, spelt or white flour)
1 tsp. yeast

What I do is measure out the dry ingredients into gallon size zip top bags, 5 bags at a time (enough for a week). This way when I need to make bread all I have to do is measure the wet ingredients (put those in the bread machine first) and then pour in my pre-measured bag of dry ingredients. It makes it soooooo much easier than measuring every thing every time. By the way I put the yeast on the bottom of the bag, then the flour, then the salt and sugar. I do this because I read somewhere that salt can make the yeast go bad when they're stored together.

I know that this recipe contains sugar and lots of times white flour but I still feel that the nutritional value far surpasses that of store bought bread! So there you are...another episode of how I do what I do!

Hope all is well with you and yours!

The New Tuesday Laundry Routine

I cut the picture of this laundry room out of this magazine and glued it in my picture journal the week it was published. This is not the first time I've documented my laundry room envy in this fashion either. I can't help it...I guess all those "dream it, achieve it" collages I've done over my lifetime have convinced me that if I cut it out and glue it on and look at it enough times it will some day be mine...so far this has proven to only work in theory! You see the problem is that if you want your laundry room to look like that picture you actually have to do your laundry. It can't just lay around and pile up!

I am so behind on my laundry I can't even begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel and this happens to me (and my poor family) a lot!

I used to have a good laundry system. Every Friday I would spend all day doing all of the laundry and then when Hubby got home from work we would sit on the bed and I would fold while he hung up and then we would put away together. This usually took about an hour. I thought this was the best system ever. It allowed me to get it all done at once, once a week. The responsibility was shared. AND, most importantly, Hubby and I would chat while accomplishing our goal. Why did I quit doing this? Little did I know Hubby hated it.

So for the last 2 years we have no system, which means I have been behind the majority of the time. Not because this is the only system that would work but because I have not taken the time to apply the energy it would take to figure out another system.

OK...just now (literally) I got a call from Hubby and we discussed the laundry dilemma. He hated it because occasionally I would do laundry all day and we would go out or get into a movie or something and the laundry would sit until Sunday night or so...

Good point! But I still wanted to go back to the Friday night system. (Don't forget, I loved it!) Being the genius that he is, he suggested going back to the Friday night system but do it on Tuesday instead because we're less likely to go out or get distracted. And if for some reason we don't get all of it folded on Tuesday we can do it on Wednesday (or Thursday OR Friday).

The system

Like most moms I have always hoped to find a good system for dealing with chores in the best way possible. Last summer a friend of mine showed me chore chart she purchased at a homeschool convention. I really liked it but it was like $15 and I knew I could make my own, so I did.

It's not a very good picture but you can see the general idea. On the left is a "To do" column and a slot with each person's name on it and on the left is the "Done" column. Each chore is moved from the "To do" to the "Done" column when it is finished, and then each morning I just move them back. In between the two columns I have a favorite Bible verse.

This part of the system has worked fairly well for us from day one. The dilemma for me has been figuring out what chores to assign. At first the chores were way too easy...things like brush your teeth, make your bed, etc. But now I'm finally getting a grip on what they are really capable of.

The photo below is my big boy vacuming the hall. His other chores are

• straighten the homeschool bookshelf and kids bookshelf as needed
• help Mom with laundry as needed
• vacum the living room everyday
• clear the table as needed
• scrub the toilet inside and out everyday
• clean his bedroom and make his bed everyday
  

Next you see my little boy cleaning out the sink in the bathroom. He must love this job because he spends about 30 minutes doing it everyday! His other chores are

• wipe the counters and stove while Mom does dishes
• vacum the kitchen floor
• clean the litter box
• feed and water the pets and plants
• clean his bedroom and make his bed
  

These are chores that they have each chosen for themselves and are very helpful to me so I couldn't be more pleased! I'm hoping that we (I) can be consistent and therefore live in less chaos!

One of my family's favorite meals!

It may not surprise you to know that my family is a little pickey when it comes to food. My hubby and I are always trying to avoid white anything (bread, rice, etc.) and trans fat. My biggest boy won't eat beans, corn, cheese, tomatoes, peas or brussell spouts...on the other hand his favorite snack is one of his own invention. He calls it a carrot dog. It consists of a carrot wrapped in a piece of bread and smothered in ketchup. My little boy will not eat eggs or beans and has been known to pick the meat out of most dishes and just eat whatever is left. However he will eat frozen blueberries almost everyday for a snack. Both of my kids eat salad, broccoli and many other veggies without complaint so I guess it's not too bad.

Anyway, all that to say, I'd like to share a recipie with you that all of us can agree on. I got this recipie from a fabulous cookbook called More with Less.

Oven Beef Stew
Serves 4
350 degrees
2 hours

Shake in a bag:
2 T flour
1 t salt
dash of pepper
1 pound of beef cubes
Heat in a heavy skillet:
2 T shortening (I use butter or olive oil depending on my mood.)
Brown beef cubes, then place in a greased cassarole dish.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add:
2 cups tomato juice (I use canned chopped tomatoes with the juice.)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 t dried basil
Cover and bake 1 hour.
Add:
4 medium potatoes, cubed
4 meduim carrots, cut in 1" peices
Bake 1 hour longer or until tender.

Everytime I make this dish I am told by my husband and my boys that it is one of the best meals I make!

Definition and accountability

I've never been much of a house keeper in spite of my best efforts. Like yo-yo dieting I've tried about every method imaginable to get organized and keep my house in tip top shape. I always do well for a while... I live in a very small house and own way too much stuff!

These are pics of the bedroom my two boys share. We cleaned it today! We are all really trying to turn over a new leaf in this area of our lives.

My sister was brave enough to share her thoughts on how to solve my messy house issue. She's observed that in each of the rooms in my house no activities are off limits. If the kids want to cut and paste they can do it in the kitchen, living room floor, hallway...wherever. Same with eating, sleeping, playing and doing school, and they are rarely held accountable to cleaning up after themselves. They do a few chores each day but as long as those were done I figured the rest was up to me. What a disservice I have done them! I tell you what, I do not intend to keep this up. Tonight Hubby and I had a quick talk with the boys about what is allowed in each room and about everyone doing their own share of the work. It actually went well and the boys are excited about it not being so cluttered around here.

Man, it's tough to admit all that...