Make A Move Monday-Crunchy Kids Say

It is Make A Move Monday, and I must say that I loved last weeks links.  Thank you to all who linked up!  This week I thought that I would put together a little list of "Crunchy Kids Say."  You see, since we have started making some of these moves for our health my kids assume that this is the way that everyone operates.  There have been quite a few funny things that come out of their mouths when life does not align with this assumption.  My husband will shoot me a look that says "Oh Tara!  You have ruined them!"  I just smile and nod when they say things like:

• What is Kool-Aid?
• What was the name of this cow-before it was hamburger I mean!
• Mom, why don't you ever make cheese? You should really try it sometime.
• Hey Mom, you forgot to give us our fish oils today.
• My hips are sore.  I think that it is time to go back to the chiropractor.
• No sugar for me today.  I think I am getting a little sick.  Sugar makes you sicker you know.
• I love ghee!
• Can I help you make laundry soap?
• Is this water-water or vinegar-water?
• Can I have this muffin recipe when I go to college?  I am going to make these!

I love my kids.   I love they that they love me even though I do things that are a little off the normal path. 

It is time to link up.  What move are you making toward health in your home.  Please read through the rules for those participating, and thanks for your participation.

1) No linking to giveaways or promotions for affiliates or sponsors. Give aways and promos are great, but they expire. I will delete giveaway links or promotional links.
2) Keep things simple and healthy. Avoid recipes with "cream of x soup," processed cheese or corn syrup. Crafts are cool, but unless they help organize or simplify please don't link them.
3) Link back to SimplyMadeHome.This is common blog party courtesy. It also helps build the community of encouragement. Check out other’s posts and leave a comment! It is fun to hear from others.
How to link up to your post? Read below.
Using the Mr. Linky, link back to your specific post, not just your blog.
Example of Format
Your Name: Tara @ SimplyMadeHome (Simple Vinegar Switches)
Your Link: http://simplymadehome.blogspot.com/2012/03/simple-vinegar-switches.html

Omelet Cups

 These bacon wrapped egg muffins have been a hit with the males in my house.  I really wish that I could find the website where I saw this idea, but I just saw a picture on someone's pinterest board.  If I find it I will try to give credit, but I never opened up the site or pinned it myself so I am not sure where to start!

Ingredients
10 eggs
3 TBS water
12 strips of bacon or turkey bacon
chopped tomatoes, pepper, onion, mushrooms-whatever you like in your omelet

Line muffin pan with strips of bacon and cook for 30 minutes at 400.  Mix eggs, water and chopped veggies.  Remove the pan from the oven and turn it down to 350.  Turn bacon ring upside down so that the crispy bacon is on the bottom of the cup.  (I also clean the bacon grease out of the cups!)    Pour egg mixture into the cups and bake for 20 minutes. 

If the egg mixture won't stay inside the bacon everytime, but that is ok.  It will work better with a thicker sliced bacon.  This recipe is great to make ahead of time and reheat for a quick breakfast.  We reheat these in the toaster oven and sprinkle a little shredded cheese on top.  The toaster oven makes the bacon nice and crispy!  Yum yum!

 



 

This post is linked up at http://mizhelenscountrycottage.blogspot.com/ http://www.foodrenegade.com/ http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/

Homeschooling: The Space

 

We began homeschooling our oldest son timidly at the kitchen table with a crate of books and a laptop.  After the first year went well we decided that this “homeschool thing” was working for our family and we needed to dive into it with a little more solidity.  We revamped our dining room/front room to create an area for the kids and I to learn and play.  I am thankful both for the space and a husband who was willing to let this part of our lives take over even the setup of our home.

 Our beloved dining room table has been abused as our homeschool table.  An old TV armoire serves as a cabinet for Legos, games, coloring books, pencils and more.  My two older kids each have a drawer to keep art projects out of the view of the younger two.  We bought book cases from Costco that came with large fabric storage boxes for toys and books.  Then we split up our living room furniture so tha t there was a soft place to sit and read and play. 

Learning and school does not stay on this half of our house.  It spreads to the kitchen table, the floor, the back yard and let’s not forget the van.  Much to our children’s dismay we do not have a DVD player, and the kids are subject to questions such as “Can anyone tell me what direction we are heading?” or, “If yesterday the temperature was 0 and today it is -10, which day is warmer?”  Iowa winters are great for math.  J

I wanted to up the field trips this year since I don’t have a nursing baby!  We have had a membership to a local living historical museum and will be going a couple more times in September before our membership runs out.  We have field trips planned to the zoo, historical building, the woods, an apple orchard and pumpkin patch, and state capitol.  We are hoping to take in a few of the plays available in our city.

I am so thankful for the space we have in our home for school and so thankful for a town with so many wonderful learning opportunities.  We are looking forward to a year of learning in so many different contexts! 

 

This post is linked up at We are that Family, Heavenly Homemakers and Raising Homemakers

What Our Homeschool Looks Like

This year I began my 3^rd year (what?!) of homeschooling and added a second official pupil.  I have wrestled with a great deal of fears and concerns, but we are about to begin week 4, and by God’s grace it is going relatively well.   We prefer an earlier August start and then are finished earlier in May.  We also enjoy a 4 “book day” school week and one day for extra classes and field trips. 

This week I will begin a series of posts about our homeschool year.  People who are curious about homeschooling are typically in two camps 1) Homeschooling is a foreign concept, and they don’t know how anyone would go about it or 2) They are homeschooling themselves and looking for ideas.  I have been in both camps at different times and am willing to let others look at our journey as we learn together.   We will look at the following:

The Space: Where we homeschool (learning is everywhere!) and where we keep the homeschool stuff.

The Books: What we are using for curriculum this year.

The Plan: How I map out our days and weeks.

The Reality: A day in the life-Our day never doesn’t always go as planned.  We’ll see what it looks like when the rubber meets the road.

 Do you have any burning homeschool questions?  I will do my best to address them (as a pilgrim, not a sage!)  I am looking forward to this series, and I hope that you enjoy it too! 

This post is linked at Raising Arrows, We are that Family, Homestead Revival, and Mamal Diane

Make A Move Monday (without a post!)

I DID NOT write a post for Make A Move Monday last night because the move that I made for our family was to the shower and to bed.  It was a long week and the best possible move I could have made!  :) 

Please read through the rules for those participating, and thanks for your participation.

1) No linking to giveaways or promotions for affiliates or sponsors. Give aways and promos are great, but they expire. I will delete giveaway links or promotional links.
2) Keep things simple and healthy. Avoid recipes with "cream of x soup," processed cheese or corn syrup. Crafts are cool, but unless they help organize or simplify please don't link them.
3) Link back to SimplyMadeHome.This is common blog party courtesy. It also helps build the community of encouragement. Check out other’s posts and leave a comment! It is fun to hear from others.
How to link up to your post? Read below.
Using the Mr. Linky, link back to your specific post, not just your blog.
Example of Format
Your Name: Tara @ SimplyMadeHome (Simple Vinegar Switches)
Your Link: http://simplymadehome.blogspot.com/2012/03/simple-vinegar-switches.html

Laundry Links You Need!

This year I started making my own laundry soap.  It is super easy, effective, and cheap, Cheap, CHEAP!  I have expanded my laundry adventures to stain removers.  Today I am passing along my favorite laundry links!


Liquid Laundry Detergent-I use liquid because this is what was recommended by the manufacturer.  This recipe makes a lot so if your have a small family and little storage find a friend or neighbor and split the batch.  I used this soap to pre-treat a shirt after popsicle fiasco the other night.  I put the soap on the shirt after bedtime baths but waited to wash it with the regular laundry the next morning.  Not a bit of color on it!  Hooray!

Powder Laundry Detergent-While I don't personally have experience with this recipe I have a couple of friends who love taking the powder short cut!

Homemade Oxiclean-I don't normally buy white T-shirts for my 7 year old son, but I found a pile of new Nike T-shirts for $0.50 each at a garage sale.  White or not they were a bargain!  I have been using oxiclean this summer to try to keep them white!

Everything Cleanser-I still love this stuff.  I use it on my stainless steal pains, our tubs and toilets and yes, on our clothes.  I love solid shirts, but in my chosen profession is kind of messy.  I end up with a lot of those annoying oil spots that look wet after they are dry!  This stuff does the trick!

Fabric Softener/Color Catcher-White vinegar works wonders in the laundry room and it is oh so cheap too! 

 

May your laundry be clean and may the little laundry elves fold the clothes while you sleep! :)

 

Spicing Things Up

I think that there is much wisdom in the way that household chores were divided by the pioneer women long ago. 

Wash on Monday,

Iron on Tuesday,

Mend on Wednesday,

Churn on Thursday,

Clean on Friday,

Bake on Saturday,

Rest on Sunday."

While my weekly chores look nothing like the chores of those amazing women I can apply this principle of efficiency.  I have been attempting to have a day that is set aside for cooking and kitchen prep.  Cooking/Kitchen day is after grocery/errand day so I can chop fruits and veggies and theoretically have all the ingredients for snacks or freezer meals. 

This week I was restocking my pantry with a few of the seasonings that I mix up myself. The benefits to making them myself are…

1.      Cost-I don’t need to pay someone with a hairnet down at Tone’s to mix up my Italian Seasoning.  I can do that myself.

2.      Personal Taste-I can adjust recipes to our family’s taste. 

3.    Health-My ranch mix does not contain maltodextrin, moosodium glutamate, lactic acid, citric acid, or artificial flavors.

 

Last Thursday I mixed up a few great ones and put them into recycled jars to keep handy in the cupboard.

Italian Seasoning I didn’t have the celery leaf, but it still tastes great!

Ranch Dressing Mix- We go through a lot of this when you consider that only 50% of the people in my house eat it.  Those of us who do get to dip our veggies love it.  I use about 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of sour cream and it is great for carrots, broccoli cucumbers and baked potatoes!

5 teaspoons onion powder

7 teaspoons parsley flakes

4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Taco Seasoning (Cumin is the key to taco seasoning.  I used to think that as long as I put something spicy with garlic and onion I would be okay.  Other spices can be altered (we omit the cayenne and red pepper) but don’t skip the cumin!)

Baking Powder-It is really simple to make aluminum free baking powder.  (I just keep it in an old baking powder container!)  Use 2 parts cream of tartar, 1 part baking soda and 1 part corn starch.  Easy Peasy!

This post is linked up at Tammy's Recipes, Food Renegade, The Nourishing Gourmet, Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Quick Easy Cheap Healthy, Frugally Sustainable and Elsa Cooks