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Last week I published my one hundred and twelfth post!

If you’ve been following me for long, you know that I write as a simple homemaker, recording some of my personal reflections on

* “HOME LIFE” (the things that affect the way we live together),

* “HEALTHY LIVING” (tasty food, natural cleaning and self-care recipes) and

* “MATTERS OF THE HEART” (that part of you that plays into every other area of life).

As a wife and homeschooling mother to our 5 children, it’s the stuff I’ve discovered, practiced and implemented in our home (though certainly not perfected!). There’s nothing super special about my musings, but it’s a way for me to record my own journey, my thoughts and passions… and a way for me to have a ‘hard-copy’ of things I’ll want to hand off to my own kids someday. I also hope that it’s found useful, encouraging or enlightening to YOU, dear reader!

I can hardly believe that it’s already been a little over two years since I started on this blogging journey. But since I’ve remained fairly consistent about posting each week, that means that I have about 37 entries in each of the above three categories! I thought I’d spend the next few weeks highlighting some of my older posts.

Today, I’m showcasing a few of entries from the category “HOME LIFE”. If any of the snippets sound interesting, simply click on the colored words. It’ll take you right to that blog post. Check them out! May they be a blessing to your day.

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~  Whatever I own, ultimately owns me. As I press forward, as I re-evaluate this fall, I want to keep this in mind. I want to be content with simplicity.

 

~  Is he actually saying that by being overly committed, over involved outside of home, that I may lose what, in fact, is most important to us? Our family?

 

~  You don’t have to have answers. You don’t need to make things appear sunny and bright. Life is hard. Things happen that we don’t understand, that we can’t explain, that we don’t like. The uncomfortable is uncomfortable… but not unbearable when you’re in relationships.

 

~  I thought I’d share some of the money saving tips that we’ve used and benefited from. If you find one or two that can help you and your family pinch pennies, I’ll be just tickled!

 

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Next week, we’ll browse the category “HEALTHY LIVING”. Looking forward to it! But for today, make your home and family a priority. You’ll not regret it!

Better Beans for Black Bean Salad

There are numerous quick, easy, and healthy meals that can be made using beans.

(I’m going to share a super-tasty black bean salad recipe with you today!)

And opening a can of beans is train-a-monkey-to-do-it easy!

But is it best?

 

Don’t get me wrong. BEANS are GREAT!

They’re inexpensive, versatile, full of protein & fiber, and loaded with nutrients.

They’ve even been called “the undervalued superfood”. They’re fabulous!

I hope you’re using lots of them!

 

But today I’m asking you to

rethink your bean-BUYING…

if you’re buying them by the can.

 

Here are three things to ponder when considering a can of beans vs. a bag of dried beans. 

1. COST. Buying them by the pound, in a bag, is much cheaper.
2. HEALTH. When you get them in a bag, you control what goes into them. Ever noticed the level of sodium in canned goods?
3. FLAVOR. Beans can be cooked to perfection with your own spices and flavoring added… not taken from a tin can processed who-knows-how-long-ago.

 

When I was first married, I would grab a can of beans from the store shelf to add to a meal without a second thought. But as our family grew and I became more money and health-conscious, I began to purchase my beans by the pound, dried.

 

It did take a while getting used to preparing the beans myself… but it really isn’t difficult.*

And sure, it takes a bit of planning ahead. But it also cut back on the grocery budget (as “planning” often does!).

I like to soak my beans overnight and then cook up a big batch the next day, saving a few cups in the refrigerator and packaging the rest up to store in the freezer for another meal.

 

I’d encourage you to consider the benefits of buying and cooking up your own beans.

And while you’re considering it, check out the scrumptious recipe I promised you at the beginning of this post!

 

BLACK BEAN SALAD

Combine these first five ingredients. Whip them together to be used as the dressing.

½ c. lime juice

½ c. olive oil

1 minced garlic clove

1 t. salt

1/8 t. cayenne pepper.

In a separate bowl, combine the following:

½ c. chopped fresh cilantro

4 c. black beans, rinsed and drained

½ c. corn kernels

1 avacado – peeled, pitted and diced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

6 green onions, thinly sliced

2 tomatoes, finely diced

 

Mix the vegetables and beans together and toss with the dressing. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more. Serve with tortilla chips.

Goes great with burgers on the grill.

Tastes wonderful eaten as a side dish.

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*For a free “Cooking Guide for Dried Beans”, click HERE.

To learn nine reasons why YOU should eat beans, click HERE.

Digital Back-to-School Plan

Life has gone digital!

As a culture, we’re becoming more and more adapt at interacting with … a screen.

It’s how we’re spending our time.

It’s becoming a way of existence.

 

Technology has suddenly become a force to be reckoned with.

 

A while back, I wrote about the need to discipline our use of technology. (Catch it HERE if you missed it.) About our need to be intentional.

Today, I wanted to offer you a written “contract” to help you and your family in this area…

to help you safely control the amount of time spent in the black hole of digital media.

 

Because no matter what type of schooling you choose for your child(ren),

YOU will always be your child’s first and best teacher.

As such, you are the one they will most likely model in thoughts, attitude and actions.

Even media consumption habits.

 

In light of that, here’s a question to consider: how much time are you on-line each day?

Is your time being wastefully spent or wisely invested?

 

It’s tricky, you see. Because we can justify….

I’m not playing video games.

I’m not spending hours watching You Tube.

What I’m doing is important.

 

But, as is true with all other screen-activities, I can become absorbed in my media-of-choice

and before I know it, too much time has passed.

And here is where the rubber meets the road.

 

No matter WHAT I was doing when I was engaged in screen-time,

I was spending time with IT and not with THEM…

 

The form below is taken from The Digital Invasion website. This link HERE will give you several other contract options (adult, child, and teenage pledges/agreements) as well as an internet addiction test and many other free resources.

 

If it hasn’t become one already, dealing with technology is going to be an issue for most parents in a relatively short time.

And, as I’ve said before, foresight is a parent’s finest weapon.

So check out the contract below. Print one for your home or make your own contract. It may just be the best “back to school” planning you’ll do this year!

 

Family Digital Use Contract

1. I commit to not hide my activities I am doing online and on my phone from other members of my family.

2. I commit to not share personal information to anyone.

3. I commit to limit my time on the computer to _______________ hours a week.

4. I commit to limit time my time spent gaming to _______________ hours a week.

5. I commit to be responsible for my password and will not share it with people outside the family.

6. I commit to be respectful and practice responsible behavior not insulting people or sending mean messages online; or in a text or comment.

7. I commit to not purchase anything online or enter a credit card for any reason without asking my parent first.

8. I commit to not copying, pasting or sending a message to someone else if that message was meant only for me.

9. I commit to give credit to others when I cite, quote, or copy their ideas or images from any sources.

10. I commit to not fill out surveys or questionnaires online and will not give out my specific information about where I live or where I go during the day.

11. I commit to download or use copyrighted materials only when they are legal to do so or I have sought and received permission to use them.

12. I commit that I will tell someone in the family if I experience something online that makes me feel bad or that I feel is inappropriate.

13. I commit that the following locations will be digital free zones: __________________________________________________________________

14. I commit that when I am at the dinner table with family I will put my phone and other digital gadgets away.

15. I commit to spend _____________ hours a week doing activities with my family members.

 

Date: _______ Child Signature: ______________ Parent Signature: _____________________

 

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Here’s another idea. Click HERE, print the “Pick 1” image, frame it and follow its advice.

Remember, their eyes are on YOU.

 

Be the type of media-consumer you’re hoping your kids will become!

When Life Gives You A Lemon

When life gives you a lemon, make lemonade.

 

Summer’s almost over… and for many kids that thought is sort of like getting handed a big ole’ lemon. The news is a bit sour.

(You mean I have to get up with an alarm in the morning?

I have to go to school all day long?? I have to do homework? What???)

 

How do you handle that kind of information? Any news that is bitter, unpleasant, or disagreeable???

 

Maybe this is a good time for a family discussion,

an opportunity for you to share how you handle the things in life that are difficult to swallow,

an opportunity to reveal both your success and failures

in the area of attitude and choices.

 

“We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have,

and that is our attitude…

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”

–Charles R. Swindoll

 

Care to tackle the topic of attitude and choices with your kids?

As in so many other areas of parenting,

food or drinks always make a pondering session

a bit more palatable,

so how about some ‘easy peasy lemon squeezy’ recipes

to sweeten your talk?

Here you go:

 

Lemonade

4 c. water

1 c. lemon juice

2/3 c. sugar

Mix the first three ingredients in a pitcher. Then add ice cubes and serve it up. This recipe makes 5 eight ounce glasses.

 

Pink Lemonade

Make a simple syrup by heating 1 ¼ c. sugar and 1 c. of water in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set it aside. Now stir the syrup with 3 additional cups of water, 1 c. lemon juice and 1 c. cranberry juice. Chill, then pour over ice.

 

Lemon Cake

Mix 1 c. sugar and 2 eggs.

Add 3T. lemon juice and 1 c. almond milk. Mix.

Add 1 ¾ c. rice flour , 1 ½ t. guar gum (or xanthan gum) and 2 t. baking powder. Stir.

Add ½ c. oil. Blend.

Pour into a greased 8×8 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

(This is a recipe my kids originally found in a High Five magazine. We made a few adjustments to it so this is the gluten and dairy-free version, made just for our family! I’m sure it’s wonderful with a layer of frosting, but we eat it sans topping!)

 

Yes, when life gives you a lemon,

make lemonade…

or a lemon cake…

or at least an attitude adjustment.

It’ll make a big difference in the outcome!

 

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“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.

It is more important than the past, than education, than money,

than circumstance, than failures, than successes,

than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill….

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day

regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past…

we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.

We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have,

and that is our attitude…

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me

and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you…

we are in charge of our attitudes.”

(Charles R. Swindoll)

Making Trouble or Goodness?

Last week, I shared a poem from Sarah Dunning Park’s book “What It Is Is Beautiful”. Here is another poem that she’s written that spoke to my heart.

 Let There Be Yes

I say no to them all the time:

No, you may not eat candy bars for breakfast,

color pictures on the carpet,

wear your tutu to the store again.

And stop blowing bubbles in your milk,

or abandoning your warm bed

after I’ve tucked you in.

 

Perhaps it’s the wisdom of age,

or that this is not their full-time gig,

but their grandmothers have another way:

Yes, let’s make projects with plenty of glitter and paint,

matching costumes for you and your bear,

hot chocolate for watching movies

on a Saturday morning in June.

 

I decide to try it myself,

tentatively – Sure, I suppose

we can bring out the modeling clay today.

So we spread an old vinyl cloth on the table,

and dump the box that holds baggies of red and black,

blue, green, and yellow. From my post in the kitchen,

I watch them settle in to their work.

 

It’s quiet; no one complains

of boredom or hunger

or cunningly-orchestrated breaches of room security

carried out by little sisters. The only requests

are for assistance rolling up an errant sleeve

or for a toothpick to carve out fine details

and at last, the artist’s signature.

 

As she bends over her masterpiece

to scratch the letters of her name,

I understand what it is my mother must know

when she says yes to these young creators:

we are wired to make, and we can make

trouble, or we can make goodness and art

and meaning and sustenance and play.

 

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As we finish out another month, let’s remember that

“we are wired to make,

and we can make trouble,

or we can make goodness and art

and meaning and sustenance and play.”

 

Have you been hearing a lot of complaining lately? Maybe it’s time to say ‘yes’ to some creativity.

**Many thanks to the adults in the lives of our kids who’ve said ‘yes’.**

Failures and Frappuccinos

I have already

run the dishwasher,

put away every

squeaky-clean plate

and sparkling glass;

 

but I have not yet

tackled the leaning tower

of soggy cereal bowls,

or that pan,

thick with bacon fat.

 

I have already

pulled warm, snapping towels

out of the dryer and into

my arms, folded them

in neat stacks;

 

but I have not yet

sorted the piles of soiled

clothes, or washed them

of their stains and

ripe smells.

 

I have already

drawn my children near,

tucked hair behind their ears,

told them how much

I love them;

 

but I have not yet

made it through a day

loving perfectly,

free of discontent, guilt,

or fear.   –by Sarah Dunning Park

 

Is it possible to feel like you’re accomplishing some things and yet failing at the same time? In so much of life…

As a parent, there are several things that will always be a work in progress. Meals, dishes, laundry… and loving perfectly.

Thank God that His mercies are new every morning. Thank Him that His love never fails, it never gives up, and it never runs out on me.

Sometimes, a Momma needs to give herself permission to sit back, put up her feet, and sip on a cold, sweet drink. Whether it looks like it or not at this very moment, she IS accomplishing quite a bit because she is being a mother…. And there is no other job quite as important as that.

So this one’s for you- a frappuccino recipe. It makes two 16oz glasses – one for you and one for another mom-friend that could use a pick-me-up! Whip up a frothy, caffeinated beverage and spend some time encouraging one another. There’s a lot left to be done, yes. But there’s so much that you’re already doing too. Take a deep breath. Take one day at a time. And keep up the good work! No one else can do it quite like you.

Frappuccino

Combine the following ingredients in a blender.

¾ c. double-strength coffee **

3T. sugar

1 c. milk

2 c. ice

3 T. Hershey’s chocolate syrup or caramel

 

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*Double-strength coffee is made by either cutting the amount of water you normally use to brew your pot of coffee in half… or doubling the amount of coffee beans you use for the pot. Either way, it’ll turn out a bit stronger! Just the way you’ll want it for this tasty recipe.

The poem at the beginning of this post, by Sarah Dunning Park, is titled Already But Not Yet and is published in her book “What It Is Is Beautiful – honest poems for mothers of small children”.

The Frappuccino recipe was taken from the website Comfy in the Kitchen, (http://comfyinthekitchen.com/2013/03/how-to-make-homemade-frappuccinos/).

Sand Painting

Some things sound too good to be true.

Like that message Rico Suave left on your phone to tell you of the “free” cruise you just won.

(Yeah, right. What’s the catch?)

 

How about this one:

Craft time:

fun,

free,

and all the mess out-of-doors.

Huh? Too good to be true?

NO!!! This one CAN be a reality! (With no catch!)

 

The next time you go to the beach, bring a quart or gallon-sized ziplock bag.

Before packing up the towels and sand toys, fill the bag with some clean, soft beach sand.

Bring the sand home, place it in your craft cabinet and wait.

 

Wait….

Wait for it….

 

Then, on one of those days toward the end of summer when

you WISH you had something new and exciting to bring out

as a change of pace for the busy brood under your wings…

something to keep the kids happy and busy,

something that makes you look, once again, like Super Mom…

pull out that bag of sand!!!

 

It’s time to SAND PAINT!

                *Remember… this is strictly an OUTSIDE craft!

1. Pour the sand into small jars.
2. Add food coloring to each jar. Shake well.

(Make as many different shades of colored sand as you want.)

3. Draw a picture (in pencil) on a sheet of cardstock or a small section of cardboard.
4. Trace your pencil lines in Elmer’s glue. (Or spread it around for filled-in sections.)
5. Sprinkle (with your fingers, with a spoon, or with a perforated lid on the jar) different colors of sand on your glue-artwork.
6. Wait about 15 minutes.
7. Gently shake off the excess sand.
8. Enjoy another piece of glorious creativity!

 

This beautiful artwork is the perfect kind to hang on the garage wall, in the playhouse, or in a covered frame!

It’s a good idea NOT to tack this one up in Sammy’s bedroom!

However, if you have some colored sand left over, here’s another simple project.

Find a small, clear, sealable container – an empty salad-dressing bottle for example, or a jam jar –

and let the sweet young ones layer the colored sand in it.

First a little blue, then a layer of red, and then purple. Then repeat.

Little Sally can put it on her dresser for a new decoration!        

(Just be sure to super-glue that lid in place first!)

 

Be outdoors.

Be crafty.

Have fun!

 

Seven

7/7
Welcome to the seventh day of the seventh month of the year.
Some time ago, I read a book titled 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker.

Rebelling against excess and resolving to live differently is what 7 is all about.

It is a good hard book, a book that caused me to admit that
as my life has zipped along unchecked and automatic,
I’ve actually lived unconsciously with greed, ungratefulness,
ruined opportunities and irresponsibility in some areas of life.
Ouch.
That, my friend, is what I call a good hard book.

With life’s excesses piling up around her, Hatmaker embarked on a self-imposed challenge to simplify her family’s life.
She spent seven months focusing on seven areas of surplus, one focus each month:
food,
clothing,
media,
spending,
possessions,
waste and
stress.

Her goal was to begin living a deeply reduced life that would, in turn, allow her room for being more generous. Reduction by means of a fast in each of those categories of abundance.
By focusing on a fast of sorts in the seven areas, Jen hoped to interrupt the lifestyle of privilege she’d created and instead form a “fresh platform in the empty space where indulgence resided.”
Hatmaker explains that when you fast, you become acutely-conscious.
“It’s like jeans you wear every day without thinking,
but take them off and walk outside,
and you’ll become terrible aware of their absence.
I bet you won’t be able to forget you are pantsless,
so conspicuous will this omission feel…
that is basically the result of a fast.
It makes us hyper-aware, super-sensitive…”
And which of us doesn’t need to be jerked from the ordinary, mundane of life to be made more mindful?

At the start of each chapter, Jen explains her plan for implementing the challenge of month.
She then reports every day or so how it’s going… how it’s playing out in her life, in her home, in her heart.
At the end of the month (and the chapter), she gives a review of what she’s learned.

Hatmaker is funny, raw and a bit sarcastic, in my opinion. Her conversational writing is like sitting down to coffee with an honest, humorous, contemplative friend. I laughed; I cringed. I wrinkled my eyebrows and twisted my mouth in thought.

There are several things I appreciated about this book.

I appreciated her frankness. Although she says things in a way that I would not, though she and I would handle things differently, I was glad that she acknowledged how hard it can be to hold to one’s convictions or even just our “self-imposed challenges”.

I appreciated the practical suggestions that Hatmaker gives.
For example, when she tells about eliminating 7 items per day from her home, she doesn’t advocate tossing them. Or selling them for a profit. Or even just dropping everything off at a thrift store. She advises giving the items you purge to a specific organization in your area that, for example, helps victims of abuse or violence. Or asking the local under-resourced school about the needs they see.

I especially appreciated her ‘fast’ from s-t-r-e-s-s. To do this, she began the practice of taking seven sacred pauses throughout the day. On another blog post, I’ll expound on this, but suffice it to say that I am working on this area also… and without those pauses, there would be times when I would continue on the downward spiral I’d started in, uninterrupted. And that doesn’t end in a good place.

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker is a book about embarking on a journey. It’s a book about purging the junk, about paring down to the noble. But it’s a journey that can only be taken by the individual; there’s no pressure from the author to follow in her footsteps. And that’s another thing that I appreciated about this book. The feelings of conviction I felt came only from within.

In each area of life, I have to adopt an “as for me and my house” perspective.
I won’t answer for the way another person lives their life.
I’ll only answer for my choices.

Is that refreshing? Challenging? Frustrating?

After hearing a friend talk about the book 7, I decided to pick it up and read it. The prayer of the author is “Jesus, may there be less of me and my junk and more of You and Your kingdom.” If that resonates with you, I’d encourage you to read this book also.

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I’ll only answer for my choices.

The Peppery Man

You feel grumpy…. and you don’t really care who knows it.

(Ever have one of ‘those’ days?)

The disposition of the Peppery Man just might make you feel like a saint!

 

The Peppery Man           

The Peppery Man was cross and thin;

He scolded out and scolded in;

He shook his fist, his hair he tore;

He stamped his feet and slammed the door.

 

Heigh ho, the Peppery Man,

The rabid, crabbed Peppery Man!

Oh, never since the world began

Was any one like the Peppery Man.

 

His ugly temper was so sour

He often scolded for an hour;

He gnashed his teeth and stormed and scowled,

He snapped and snarled and yelled and howled.

 

He wore a fierce and savage frown;

He scolded up and scolded down;

He scolded over field and glen,

And then he scolded back again.

 

His neighbors, when they heard his roars,

Closed their blinds and locked their doors,

Shut their windows, sought their beds,

Stopped their ears and covered their heads.

 

He fretted, chafed, and boiled and fumed;

With fiery rage he was consumed,

And no one knew, when he was vexed,

What in the world would happen next.

 

Heigh ho, the Peppery Man,

The rabid, crabbed Peppery Man!

Oh, never since the world began

Was any one like the Peppery Man.

 

-Arthur Macy

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The kids and I read this poem during school last year and couldn’t help but smile!

Afterwards, when one of us would start to be in a bad temper, I would say “does the Peppery Man live here?” It would often soften the scene!

Having never read any other poems by Arthur Macy, I decided to do a little research.

Contrary to the character in this poem, Macy was “above all things cheery, and to his praise be it said, he hated a bore.”

Arthur Macy (1842-1904) was known to have a quick and keen sense of humor. After being wounded twice on the first day at Gettysburg (as part of Company B, 24^th Michigan Volunteer Infantry), he managed to “crawl into the town and get as far as the steps of the Court House, which was fast filling with wounded from both sides. His sense of humor was in evidence even at such a time. A Confederate officer rode up and asked, “Have those men in their got arms?” Quick as a flash Macy answered: “Some of them have and some of them haven’t.”

From my reading, Macy sounded like a jolly, honest, humble, and hard working businessman who enjoyed writing poetry but didn’t consider it worthy of attention. He felt that his was “not Poetry with a big P, and that is the only kind that should be published.” Thankfully, I easily found 50+ poems of his that are still available.

Hopefully, you enjoyed The Peppery Man but are seldom like him!

Rather may it be said of us – as it was of Arthur Macy- that we are ‘above all things cheery’!

**********************************************************************************************

(Information in quotations taken from the writings of William Alfred Hovey of Boston, June 7, 1905)

Sweet Candy for Sale!

Having five children with food allergies is challenging on a daily basis,

but even more so when you try to find ‘special treats’ –

more specifically, CANDY –

that they can all enjoy… like ‘normal’ kids!

 

Of all the food issues we deal with,

a corn-allergy is one of the most irritating.

Corn is in everything!

Okay, not really EVERYTHING, but it sure feels like it!

Have you ever investigated all the hidden names for corn in common products? Aye!

 

This month, June, is NATIONAL CANDY MONTH.

And while it’ll be quite some time before you need to stock up

for the events in which candy is inevitable… Halloween, Christmas, & Easter…

there are often parties and parades in the summer where candy is handed out.

Might as well be prepared!

 

Here’s a fabulous website, www.naturalcandystore.com, that has all sorts of candy for sale.

It is an amazing site! Their slogan is ‘All the FUN without the FUNNY stuff!’

Here’s just a taste of how specific and specialized (and FUN) this candy store really is.

 

You can sort by:

candy types (27 different types, to be exact! Breath mints, brittle, candy bars, candy canes, candy coated chocolate, candy mixes, caramels, and on and on and on!),

featured candies (new, best sellers, sale, staff picks, current FREE samples, and so forth),

brands (Amy’s, Enjoy Life, Jelly Bellys, Yummy Earth, etc!),

baking (natural food colors, sprinkles, drops, add-ins, sauces, DIY kits),

bulk (want a 12-pack? How about a 10lb case? You choose!),

party (baby shower candy, birthday candy, piñata candy, wedding candy… search by color, search by flavor),

gifts (get a gift certificate for that special someone!!),

& seasonal (depending on what holiday is closest, you’ll find special candies for Easter, Halloween, Christmas, etc).

 

Here are a few more categories to browse at this great site:

Organic, dye-free, GMO-free,

Allergy-friendly (free of all 8major food allergens),

Gluten-free, vegan, fair trade, made in USA,

& special diets advanced search

(my FAVORITE!!! 39 choices…or any combination of those!!!)

This site is absolutely incredible.

 

Since this store isn’t just around the corner, it would be best to get a nice size order together

and have it shipped all at once. It may as well be on your shelf,

waiting for that next big party! And, hey, since it IS national CANDY month,

why don’t you put an order in real soon?

Sounds like a sweet idea to me!