Chore grid

Most children's chore charts do not meet my expectations. I am sure my standards are too high lol. I am trying to teach my children how to properly do various jobs, but often, I find it easier to just do it myself. However, as my husband often reminds me, you cannot run a house of eight singlehandedly. My kids are willing to help, but they get frustrated if they think they are stuck with loading the dishwasher for the rest of their lives! So I found an easy way to rotate jobs, but only have one chart.

I made a list of all the jobs that need to be done to keep the house running smoothly. I probably missed some, but it's a good start. I then broke the jobs up into small portions. I didn't write "clean the bathroom" but broke it into scrub toilets, scrub sinks, scrub tub, sweep floor. Now all the jobs can be done in ten minutes or less. I have had to accept the fact that a poorly scrubbed toilet is better than a toilet not scrubbed. They will get better with practice and direction.

I opened up a spreadsheet and created a six day grid (no Sabbath.) I typed in all the jobs and color coded them. Purple is for everyone, turquoise is mom, red, yellow, green, and blue are kids' jobs. They pick a color at the beginning of the week and do, for example, all the red jobs for the week. Then they pick a different color the next week.

I have included a link to my chart below. It is specifically for our family, and includes scheduled baking. Feel free to use the idea to create one with your family's jobs. If someone else thought of this, well, great minds think alike. :)


Download chore grid here.

27 days

Noah has been here for 27 days now, and, boy, has he grown! He is already 10 lbs. which is just amazing to me. He looks so much bigger now, and is attempting to make facial expressions, which is so cute. He also reaches out to grab me with his hands, which is a reflex, but so sweet. He loves to just look around and gaze at faces. This picture was hard to get, because he was squirming so much, and the picture kept coming out blurry. :)

This is a picture of cousins getting together on Shabbat. It was an impromptu get together which made for a pleasant afternoon.

Our days are getting progressively smoother. We are settling into a new normal. I think the biggest help for me was giving myself permission to just be myself. I'm not the woman with the immaculate house, and I never will be. People want to be with me because they enjoy my lighthearted company and my smile, not my neatly folded clean laundry. Which is a good thing, because I don't think I have any neatly folded clean laundry lol! There is a line from a movie that goes: If you look people in the eye, they won't notice what you are wearing. That is so true! It also seems true that if I am my normal confident colorful self, people won't notice my surroundings. :) Does this mean that I let everything slide and put a sign on my door that reads, "My house was clean yesterday, sorry you missed it," hoping no one will notice? Actually, I have found the opposite to be true. The less I worry about other people's standards, the more relaxed I become. The more relaxed I am, the more I accomplish. I feel like taking the time to read a story to the kids. I find delight in wiping that counter before I head off to bed. I'm really glad I tried that sourdough chocolate cake recipe. I don't feel guilty about ordering a kindle for myself with the cashback from our credit card. (It will be here Friday!)

In other words, I like me, and I would rather be me than try to fit in someone else's lifebox. I am the only one suited for my situation and I can handle it best when I embrace everything that YHVH put within me. If we can get a hold of this, it can only lead to good things! Many smiles to each of you. :)

Water kefir, teeth, and other things

Wow, I have missed my blog. I have not been able to get on the internet for nearly a week. I still don't know what the problem is and can't get a hold of my service provider. Thankfully, my mom told me about a free dialup service and I am back in business again.

I have used milk kefir grains for a long time, not as regularly as I should. The only problem is that my husband doesn't like dairy, aside from cheese, particularly my homemade cheese. He is very supportive of healthy, nutritious food, but we all have our limits. So I was very excited to stumble upon the idea of water kefir. But then bedrest happened and I nearly forgot, until I tried to buy mesophilic culture for making cheddar cheese. (The first cheddar batch of the season is aging nicely. I love making cheese!) I stumbled across Cultures for Health. They have excellent information, recipes, etc. So I ordered water kefir culture. It came yesterday and is rehydrating on my counter right now. Doug is very excited about it. He wants to try ginger flavored kefir. I'll keep you posted on how well it is received.

In other news, I have been reading a very interesting book.







It has been very eye-opening. Okay, it has in some ways been so frustrating that I wanted to cry. It is hard to learn that even though I do my very best to feed my family well, I still need to improve. Even though I have made very good effort, my two oldest children still have dental problems. One has a problem with plaque, and one has already had to have a few cavities filled in her baby teeth. I don't appreciate taking them to the dentist, and being lectured about the importance of flouride (which is not permitted in our house) and being called a liar about how much juice I let them drink. As you can guess, I am anxious to get their teeth in better shape in a better way.
This book has been very helpful. The majority of dental problems can be fixed with improved diet. Much of the changes needed involve more steps in food preparation. My grain preparation is now a bit more involved. Doug has once again been very supportive and is helping with those extra steps. If you are struggling in the dental arena in your home, I would encourage you to glean what you can from this book. I downloaded the free kindle app for my computer, and was able to get the book for $10, instead of $26.

And a little about me! I am slowly getting back on my feet after a two week bedrest. I have been feeling cruddy, and I think it is partly my body trying to get rid of the remnants from the medication. It served its purpose when needed, but I'll be glad to be rid of it. Thankfully, I don't need it anymore, and Noah is free to arrive anytime. So I am trying to get my house back in order and ready before he does make his appearance. This is a challenge, because I work for about 20 minutes, and rest for nearly an hour, so I can get up and work another 20 minutes lol. Things are slowly coming together. My birth kit is laid out in piles just like I like it. Unfortunately, the piles found in other parts of the house are not like I like them lol.

I have also been researching in the educational department. I have been rethinking some of the ways I do things. This is still a process in my brain, so I will share more when I have things a little more concrete.

Shalom to you all!

Stereotypes

I was recently accused of being stereotypical.  I accept that “insult.”

In our house, Daddy does certain jobs, and Mommy does certain jobs.  Daddy defends the home, protects us, guides us, earns the paycheck to support us.  Mommy does the majority of the cooking, cleans the house, and teaches the kids.  We do the jobs we are best designed for.  I would never survive in an outside job, and Daddy couldn’t teach his way out of a paper bag.  We’re okay with that.  We do the jobs we are best at.  It just so happens that we are doing the jobs we were created to do.

Without apology, I will proclaim that Mommy is better at giving out hugs, cookies, and understanding words.  Daddy is better at throwing hay, dealing with colleagues, and chopping firewood.

I don’t want to live in a home where Mommy and Daddy are so afraid of being stereotypical that they end up confused and poorly suited to the jobs they end up with, seemingly by the luck of the draw.  Yes, I know of homes where whoever has a bigger income brings home the money, and the leftover parent gets the kids.

In our home, we are right where we need and want to be.  I can’t think of a greater joy that teaching my children, braiding their hair, fixing a meal they all like, and kissing their booboos.  If that is stereotypical, then make me the poster child!

All hail the mighty mommy!
She who rocks the cradle rules the world!

(As a side note, Daddy does all the grocery shopping, occasionally cooks, and Mommy throws

hay when necessary.)

Dinner!

This is our version of Yorkshire Pudding, but it has undergone some changes since it left the cookbook.  We used to eat this alot when I was a kid, but we thought we would have to leave it behind because it's made with pork.  It was a happy day when we realized that sausage can be made with any meat.  We make our sausage with lamb, mutton, ground beef that's been in the freezer too long lol.  It's the seasoning that counts.  Even turkey sausage from the store would work great.  So here's the recipe.

2 lbs italian sausage
2 c flour
2 c milk
2 eggs
1 t salt

Brown your sausage.  If you need help with seasoning choices, just ask.
Grease a 9x13 pan really well. (I use glass.)
Put the meat in the pan.
Blend together the flour, milk, eggs, and salt.  You want this batter as smooth as you can, but don't sweat it.
Pour the batter over the meat, being sure to cover all the meat.
Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

We like ours with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Here's my gravy recipe.

1/4 c butter
1/2 c flour
2 c broth (We use chicken boullion because we like it.  Do what you like lol.)

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Slowly stir in the flour until you have lumpy, crumbly stuff.
Then slowly, slowly, slowly add the broth a little at a time.
Do not add more broth until you have the first broth mixed in well.
Continue adding broth and mixing thoroughly until you use all the broth.
Done!

Happy cooking!
This feeds our family of seven with leftovers.

Bedroom cleaning

Okay, nesting is big at my house right now.  So, I take on jobs twenty minutes at a time, and then rest because I'm out of breath lol.  Doug has been so helpful lately.  Every Sunday we took on a bedroom.  We pulled everything out, thoroughly cleaned the floor, moved the furniture, and sorted through all the boxes of stuff we pulled out.  Here are some pics of our work.  The girls' room is beautiful, but Naomi's pics came out fuzzy, so we'll have to take those pics again.  First up is the boys' room.

And now my room.  We moved the bed and the room suddenly looks huge!  I was able to make enough space for a sewing table and a baby bed when we need it.  Yes, I do have dressers, but they are all on the one wall I didn't photograph.

So off to the next cleaning job!

New Skirt

I made another skirt last night!  I salvaged this fabric from a half made jumper I had started years ago.  The bodice was too small, so I turned the bottom half into a drawstring skirt.  It took about 30 minutes to put together since it was already cut out.  It's lavendar corduroy with little purple flowers.

I dye daily

That used to be a very true statement.  I used to have a knitting and dying online business.  I had yarn in the dyepot almost everyday.  Those days came to an end when I started homeschooling.  I knew I couldn't do both.  But I was recently asked to dye some yarn for a previous customer, and I was happy to oblige.  So here's a side of me you haven't really seen yet.  Welcome to my world of fiber arts.

This is my trusty dyepot, full of yarn in process.  This colorway is called Turtle Haven.  It has shades of green, brown, and blue.  It's one of my favorites, and was always very popular.  Once the dyeing is done, it goes in my washer for the spincycle.  Then it gets hung by the woodstove to dry. 

These skeins are a new colorway I just came up with, but haven't named.  There is blue, purple, and soft burgundy.  They have been reskeined to mix up all the colors and make it real pretty.

So there you have it.  Once you've squeezed a skein of hand dyed wool yarn, you are never the same.

Have a great day!

Some helpful links

I would like to share some websites and resources that you might find helpful.  I know they are currently very helpful to me.

First, I'd like to bring your attention to the website Spinning Babies.  It explains the importance of baby positioning to help have an easier delivery.  It gives specific exercises and posture techniques to promote the optimum position.  Problem positioning is also addressed with specific tips for each.  I have had 5 children, 2 c-sections, and difficult births.  Looking back, many of my problems were due to poor positioning.  So I'm anxious to do what I can to prepare.  I have been praying much for this upcoming delivery, and YHVH keeps answering my prayers and worries by sending me, rather unexpectedly, to sites that address fetal positioning.  So I intend to take His answers and act on them.  It makes me think of the story my brother-in-law brought up the other day. 

A man firmly believed that God would save him from the coming flood.  A bus drove by his home, offering him a ride to safety.  But, no, he refused, because God would save him.  As the waters rose, a boat came by, again offering a ride to safety.  But, again, he refused, knowing that God would save him.  Before long, he was sitting on his roof, due to the rising waters.  A helicopter tried to save him, but again, he refused.  He soon found himself in heaven and demanded to know why he had not been saved.  God replied that He had sent a bus, a boat, and a helicopter.  What more did the man need?

We should pray for help, and do our best to recognize when He sends us an answer.  Many times, He will direct us to the ways we can work with the creation that He set up.  That's why we give our children garlic when they are sick, and enforce bedtimes to get enough rest.  YHVH doesn't always have to send a miracle, because many times he gave the solution right in His creation and the laws of physics.  A good reason to teach our children science, huh?  He designed our wombs perfectly, but I, in my ignorance and fear, did not understand how to work with that design.  I spent my pregnancies in recliners, worrying about all that could go wrong.  With YHVH's help, I want to learn and work with His perfect design.  Will it still hurt?  Yes.  Will it still be hard wok?  Yes, but I want to see my body work the way it was created to work, and see YHVH deliver this baby His way.  So, I hope this site is a blessing to you, too.

OK, next up is an ebook I would like to bring to your attention.  Telling your Time has been a real help to me as I try to prioritize what I will spend my time and energy on.  It also happens to be on sale this week thru Jan. 7, for $7.  If you are needing help, not only with scheduling your time, but priortizing, this book will help you on your journey.  Be sure to use the coupon code "CLEANSLATE."  I hope you enjoy it.

Have a great week!

Life in my brain

Yeah, I know, this post sounds kind of scary lol.  But I thought I'd take a few minutes and share some of my hopes, dreams, and failures of late. 

~ I am working very hard on setting up long term food storage in our home.  Doug put up three shelves in the basement today and I filled them with all the canned goods I put up this last summer.  Very good feeling!  I have been putting in larger grain and bean orders at the food coop.  I also am trying to make food with the ingredients I can keep on hand at the house.

~ I am anxiously awaiting my new kitchen island.  Well, ok, it's actually two woodworking benches that we will be making into an island.  Doug wants to keep the vice on the end, just in case he wants to do some woodworking in the kitchen!  It will probably double my island storage, give me eight drawers, and two big shelves underneath.  Very excited!  Oh, and it's made of oak!

~ I am trying to write a beginning reader's version of Leviticus.  That is a real stretcher, and makes me wonder what I was thinking!  But when YHVH gives us a job to do, He helps us figure it out.  I have the first portion in Leviticus written, and I learned alot about the sacrificial system in the process.  I concluded that if we still had to sacrifice an animal every time we sinned, we would a) quickly run out of animals, and b) probably sin alot less.  We, and I speak for myself here, seem to easily lose touch with the cost for our sin.  We get careless.  I want to be more careful with everyday living.  Did my Messiah die because of the nasty attitude I am displaying this morning?

~ I have been on a mission to get my house running smoothly and have my children helping where they can.  Thus far, Naomi and Holly feed and water the chickens every day.  Isaac and Sadie help bring firewood up on the porch.  The kids know how to use the dishwasher, load and sort the laundry, clean the bathroom, sweep, tidy, cook simple foods like eggs and pasta, and help with baking.  My hope is that as I get fatter and after baby comes, they can help keep things running somewhat smoothly with mommy overseeing.  Not to mention, I want them to be well prepared for their own homes and have the varying jobs second nature.  I also moved all the sheets to the laundry room today.  Why?  Because now they will get put away right out of the dryer, rather than getting buried in a pile on top of the dryer, never to be seen again.  Hey, I know my limitations!  Better to work with them than fail miserably.

~ I was surprised to get an email that took me back about four years.  I used to have a business knitting, and dying yarn.  I was asked if I would consider dying a little yarn for a previous customer.  It was really nice to know I had been missed, and if I have enough yarn, I think I might just dye some for her.  It's been a while, and I've missed it.

~ On a daily basis, I go into the bathroom to look at my belly in the mirror.  I say, "It's not that big."  Doug says, "Not for twins!"  He has teased me for six pregnancies, and never misses an opportunity.  It will be an amazing day when he actually gets proven right!  YHVH only knows!

~ I am planning a blow by blow post of our typical school day.  However, I don't know if I'm ready to reveal that!  People will find out how simple our school is and laugh at me lol!

~ Well, I could keep going but I have to visit the bathroom again!  Oh, there's another little tiny kick!  Hello, little one!  By the way, congrats to all you ladies that are expecting blessings.

The girls are having fun playing with photography!
Bye bye for now.

Mama Mission of the Month

I thought it would be helpful to join Mama's Mission of the Month.



I have a very simple goal to accomplish in September. 

Laundry.

I want to get a load in every day except Shabbat, and actually have it put away the same day.

So there you have it. A simple word. Not so simple a task.
Have a great day, everyone!

My new game

My mind has been going a bit deep lately.  I've been completely engulfed in trying to learn who YHVH is and how to trust Him for everything.  He is slowly showing Himself to me and He is ever faithful.

But I still live on this planet, and I thought I'd make my ever important job of homemaker a little fun today.  So I made up a game called BEFORE AND AFTER.  I know, I'm feeling extremely creative today lol!  So here goes.  This is my BEFORE of my kitchen.

10:40 am

11:00 am

11:30

Okay, my husband came home with groceries and everyone wanted lunch.  So we're slowing up a bit here.  Don't they know I'm in the middle of a game?  Praise YHVH for family!

AFTER

12:20

Yay!  I win! And so does everyone else.  A clean kitchen makes everyone happy.

Have a great day brightening your little corner of the world!