Tip Tuesday: A Handy "Spanker"

Hey there!  I just got back from vacation this past week and now school is in full swing so I haven't had much time to talk with you guys.  I missed ya!  I'll post a bunch of pictures as soon as our Mac gets back from the doc.... again.  Yeah, now there's a tip for ya...  macs are great and very user-friendly--when they're working.  But, if they break, it's gonna be expensive and you sure can't do-it-yourself.  So, I'm on a borrowed pc, yet again.  And all of my pictures are out there in limbo somewhere.  But that's all beside the point, right?

So....what's up with this "spanker"?

A Recipe That Works

Lately I've been on a quest for good, reliable canning recipes.  Thanks to all that rain, I've got lots of veggies to deal with.  It's a good problem to have, but a problem, none the less.  You'd think you could just look up what to do with banana peppers and there would be some sort of consensus on how to safely and easily can them.  But there's not.  There's 45 recipes for the same thing.  And they're all different.  Different ingredients.  Different processing times.  Different etc.   Now, if it was just cooked peppers that I was wanting, I would just pick any old recipe and wing it.  Then eat it.  And not really give it much thought.  But canning is a different story.  Improperly canned foods can kill people.

Little Viney Things

Many of you know that I'm new to gardening.  I've grown lots of gardens in the past, but never very successfully.  And none that I truly cared about.  So I never really thought of myself as a gardener. This year is different.

This year I really care about my plants.  I've been babying them since February and I really want them to grow.  I actually go out into the garden at least once every day and check on everything.  And I'm learning so much.  About plants and also about life.  I'm learning how to be more patient.  And nurturing.  And I'm learning about these little viney things.

Tip Tuesday: Traveling With the Fam

 Here's ten tips that my kids wanted to share with you about road trips with the family.  They just rattled these off for me as I typed. 

I have no idea what is going on here...

1.  Always bring a barf can.  Coffee cans are our favorite for this (and we've tried lots of different things, sadly).  Even if you never actually need it, it gives a sense of comfort just knowing that if you do, it's there.  Keep a big zip-lock bag in the can, so you can zip it up and dispose of it at the next convenient stop.  Trust me on this one.

2.  Good stories on CD are a lifesaver!  The library has tons or buy them on itunes.  Some of my kid's favorites are:  Around the World in 80 Days, Little Britches, Johnny Tremain, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and of course... The Narnia Series!  We wear those things out and still looooove them!

3.  Keep a case of waters or each kid bring their own water bottles in the van.  No other sweet drinks, because everybody chugs them and then has to stop in 20 minutes.

4.  Snacks.  Keep it simple, but keep them in the car at all times... not just on a long trip.  We like peanut butter crackers, granola bars, pretzels, nuts or dry cereal.  Apples are great, too, if your kids are older... That way we don't need to stop nearly as often and we avoid fast food like the plague.

5.  Baby wipes.  Even if you don't have a baby.

6.  Hand sanitizer in a handy pump.  Pass it around after every stop.

7.  Keep a roll of paper towels in the car.  You'll know why when you need them.

8.  Make up a family sound off...no child left behind!

9.  Liquid Benadryll.  But you didn't hear that from me.

10.   Lower your expectations.  Kids make everything take longer.  But once you get there, you'll be glad you brought them along.  Have Fun!


So, what other advice would you like to add???  C'mon, somebody out there needs to hear it!  ; )

What to Do With Toddlers

 Thanks for all the great responses to the homeschool question, "What do I do with the baby/toddler while I'm trying to teach school?"  You can read other mom's great ideas in the comments of the last post.  I'm hoping to get a few more on there pretty soon.

 While we're waiting...

The Weight of Words

 
When giving directions to a house here in Kentucky, we often say something like, "Pass the third liquor store and turn at the tobacco warehouse."  Sounds just great, doesn't it?  Of course there's plenty of horse and cow farms and other beautiful things along the way, but we usually mention the stores, for some reason.  Well, that might all be about to change.  Thanks to me.  And my words.

Tip Tuesday: 2 o'clock

Wow.  Thanks for the tip. 2:00.  Epic, right??

About a year ago we came up with this idea and it's been a real life saver.

Sweet Peas and A Little Honey

 Remember those peas that Benjamin and I planted back in March???

No Shame on You

I just got this letter in my email and I thought it was too good not to share.  Ellyn Davis is a really neat lady who helped me tremendously during the beginning of my home schooling journey.  Although I've never met her personally, her family used to put out a really good curriculum guide under the name "The Elijah Company."  She wrote lots of in-depth articles that helped shape my views of home education and a lot of other things.  If you want to read more, here's the link.

I don't know about you, but for me, the expression, "Shame on you!" was something I heard quite a lot. And I think some of that shame is still sticking around.  It is pretty hard to recognize and to overcome.  It is crippling to our children and something that we should never be wanting to put "on them." 
This is a long article, but please read it all when you get a chance.  We homeschool parents sometimes try so hard to look good and make sure our kids act "good" that we actually do more harm than good to them in our efforts. 


Love,
Jen

One of the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

I'm doing much better today.  Not really pingin' anymore.  Everybody's happy and thank you all for your prayers!  The thing that was totally stressing me out is done.  Sometimes you don't even realize what it is exactly until it's over and you're not stressed anymore.  A great night's sleep really helps, too.

Anyways, I've been reading this book that is totally uncharacteristic of my normal reading habits.  I usually read about how-to type stuff relating to home and garden mostly.  Sometimes schooling or relationships or psychology or art.  But not leadership.  I guess it's about time I learned some of this stuff, then.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership just turned up in my house somehow.

Big Family Laundry Logistics

Here's a question that's come up recently... Should kids do their own laundry?

Now that's a subject near and dear to my heart.  Let me explain...

 I actually enjoy doing laundry.  I know it's sortof weird.  But it's a peaceful, mindless task that makes me feel productive.  However, with a large family, it might just be a little too much peaceful, mindless task for my taste.

Raising Thrifty Kiddos

Update to the previous post about Noah's birthday...

 That's what I thought we were gonna do.  We did end up going out to lunch and getting the stuff for his special dinner.  But there was an unusual turn of events.

 While we were roaming around Kroger collecting the ingredients for chicken cordon bleu, at some point Noah must have done the math in his head.

Seedlings, Schooling, Potatoes & Prizes

After only one week, these babies are reaching for the light.

Here's my rig-jig operation.  So far... Hey, it works!

Family Scheduling AKA Head 'Em Off At the Pass

So, I guess a lot of this motherhood job really boils down to "head 'em off at the pass."  I can just picture the sheriff and his trusty side-kick galloping to the mouth of the canyon to round up the bandits before they make their escape. You're sortof like the Lone Ranger on the home front!

Sounds funny, but lots of happy, unstressed mommies are actually just more pro-active than their frustrated, stressed-out counterparts.  It's not that they work any harder.  Sometimes it's just the opposite!  Both mommies are going to have to fix lunch, for example.  Stressed-out mom will wait until her children are hungry, grouchy and whining for food before she fixes it.  Then she'll be annoyed while she's trying to figure out what whiny-butt wants to eat because a hungry toddler doesn't really CARE...they just want food NOW!  Happy mom, on the other hand, knew that her children would be getting hungry around their normal lunch time, so she decided what to fix and had it ready before the kiddos even realized how hungry they were.  It's actually the same, exact amount of work involved.  Both ended up fixing lunch.  One was frustrated.  One was not.

Help For Mommies, Controlling Stuff

Getting Stuff Under Control
 Last post I talked about some unnecessary cleaning that might be sucking up your free time.  Obviously there's gonna be some chores that you just can't avoid.  You've got to deal with food and diapers and laundry, no matter how organized you are!  But, those aren't really the problem.  It's all that other stuff that seems to be constantly out of place and needing your attention.  If you want more time for the things that matter to you, like crafts and playing outside, it will help if you show your "stuff" who's boss. 

Help For Mommies AKA Don't Kill Your Family

About a month ago I received this letter from a young mom, asking for advice.  She asked a very relevant question, bringing up a common problem.  I didn't intend to write a book, but as I've been mulling it over, well, there's a lot to her question!  I thought I'd share my response, just in case anyone else might be wondering about the same sort of things.  Here we go...

"Okay. I have a question for your blog. How do you run your household with order without killing your children and husband? I feel like I am constantly putting stuff away and cleaning up after everyone and never have the time to do things I actually want to do. I do enjoy cleaning, but there are other things I would like to do with my kids...like go exploring and crafts and have a scheduled school time. What are the first steps to managing a less-stress, fun home?"

Although I’ve been raising children for nearly 20 years, I think it was a bit of a blur back when they were all really young.  You know, it’s all about survival.  Especially when you’re outnumbered!  But never fear, I asked my trusty source of all information, my husband, who was there with me during those years, but had more of his brain functioning.  He helped remind me of  how I actually survived those years and live to tell about it.  Here’s what we came up with.  A few first steps to managing a less-stress, fun home.

Training Horses and Kids

 

People who train horses really amaze me.  A well-trained horse is such a joy to own, but I don't know a thing about how to train them.  I just know from experience that a horse that has been properly trained can be ridden just about anywhere with very little stress.  A well-trained horse trusts its owner and almost always willingly follows commands. You don't need to be afraid of being bucked or kicked or bitten when you are around a well-trained horse.  You can bathe, brush, feed and lead a well-trained horse with very little trouble.  It's actually enjoyable.