Easter

My parents are heading to Washington

Wish I was going!!! Kick some butt!!

This color would make anyone buy it

But how come it looks like this?

Where are the long red curls??

What have we been up to?

Grease opened last night!!

Ethan was home all week from school with an upper respiratory and double ear infection

And he learned to write his name!!!!!!

Bootsie is just hanging out

After this show weekend I will update on garden & chick talk.

Farm Life

We had a few friends fly in this morning....

No more braces!!

Work Zones

I shared my schedule a few posts back, and I thought I would show you what a work zone entails. For example if Madeleine is in charge of zone 2, then she has the kitchen, nook, and laundry room. These are connected and have a natural flow so I pick areas that go together for a zone. In these zones I post a laminated list of what to do in that area, and then a day of the week chore. Here is a picture of the kitchen chart. The laundry room has it's own chart. I post this in the room where the child can access it easily.
Because I have laid out exactly what I would do in the kitchen, and what I expect, it is much easier for the child to do the tasks without having to figure out what mom wants, or what to do next.

Here are a few more examples for other rooms throughout the house..


I was blessed when a friend Steph shared this system with me several years ago. It is not exactly the same as hers but she gave me the pep talk, the theory behind it, and the "how to" to initiate it. I think as mothers we believe that we should be able to do it ALL. We are home all day, right ? Well ladies we were given these blessings to be a blessing to the family not a burden to take care of. If we require that each child bless their home with service they are not only learning valuable life skills, but become the blessing the Bible references. No child is too young to work. If they can play they can help. Work doesn't need to be thought of as drudgery. You can make it into a game for young children, children love to please, so talk up how excited daddy will be to come home to a clean, tidy and orderly home. Believe me when things are tidy order falls in line. I can't tell you how much less stressful it is when everything is in it's place and laundry is done when I need it. Now as a disclaimer I must say that I often fall away from the schedule or become lax and then the house spirals out of control. Look at it as you are the CEO of your home. If the head of the company is unfocused then what happens to the employees? Chaos, right? So as mother the best thing you can do is NOT work yourself into oblivion while your sweet little blessings play wii, or watch TV... No, keep the troops mobilized, on task, and the home running smoothly.

Remember we have many, many , many jobs. If you are scrubbing the floors and making lunches, can you be lesson planning, meal planning, scheduling appointments, and all the other tasks that are as important to the running of the family. A CEO does not do it all but can effectively delegate and encourage those around him.

The first week, start each zone as clean as you expect it and then turn it over to them. It is too overwhelming to ask them to take it on in chaos. Then you train for a week, correcting as needed. After you know they know what is expected, and have performed satisfactorily, then I treat it as a discipline problem if they do not perform the tasks as required.

I needed this little pep talk as much as anyone else, so I hope it helps someone who may be feeling burnout on the home front.

So how do you organize chores in your home?

7 Quick Takes

1. I have really been dreading Valentines Holiday. I kept Ethan home from school on Friday to avoid having to regulate snacks at the school party. We then went to a Valentines party, where I was so proud of him. I told him not to eat any of the snacks and he did. Not once did he ask to eat any of the sweets, he was content to play with all his friends and exchange Valentines. Fast forward to the evening when we were going to a surprise 40th birthday party for a friend and I packed his dinner and he was awesome. He was okay with not eating pizza at the restaurant and only asked twice for cake and was appeased with the promise of a banana. I am so blessed that he is so compliant when I tell him no. Now Liv on the other hand would have me pulling out my hair. On a side note I found a SUPER YUMMY gluten and corn free devils food cake mix from Betty Crocker. It must have a ton of sugar because it tastes almost identical with very minor texture changes to the real thing. I baked up a batch of heart shaped ones for V-day, and put some in the freezer for preschool party days..

2. I have 200 hundred little tomato sprouts traveling back and forth from inside to outside during the day. I added a foot of bedding in the coop for the chickens so they are wading through shavings, but hopefully warm. The onions, spinach and lettuce don't seem to mind the cold, and Ihave a mound of mushroom fertilizer sitting in my yard. It actually was steaming when he unloaded it. Because I am such a good neighbor I didn't unload on the property line, and I did cover it with a tarp ;) The girls are loving their chicken tractor...

3. I have a busy week ahead. We are off to a Daytona 500 race party today, Monday- Animal Kingdom, Tuesday- Braces off/Park Day, and then hopefully quiet for the rest of the week. My mom leaves on Wednesday for Alabama. I am hoping this is one of the last trips before Lyns moves home.

4. I must have had a boring week, I don't think I can make it to 7.

5. It is too cold here. My heat is on and I am in my PJ's. I am skipping church, but my laundry is DONE! Well as done as can be. Laundry is never truly done...My home is tidy and I hope to keep up with it through the business of the week. I just need to load some work boxes and I am set!

6. :0

7. The End

Schedules

I have a friend that has asked me about our schedule. When you come in my home there is a pretty colorful board on the wall that looks organized and well put together. In fact putting together the pretty schedule board was the easy part. The funny thing about the schedule board is that it won't institute itself. Just because it says 8:00 bedtime, the kids don't listen to it very well ;)

When I first started using it I thought it would be utilized more by the children, however after tweaking it and using it for a few months, I realize it is primarily for me. It reminds me of the days events, what should happen, and it keeps me on track. I find myself checking the board and staying much more focused with what "needs" to happen during my day.

My board is set in 30 minute increments, it is divided into two columns for each day, and runs Monday through Saturday.Maddy is the first column and Liv is the second. You could add a third as needed. I use post it tabs to customize it for my day. I like being able to see how much school time we are getting in and chore time.

This is a mixture of my friend Debi's schedule board and MOTH.

7 Quick Takes

I really like this blogging style so here we go...


1. I really like Bad Romance by Lady Gaga, and am listening to it as I type... If you find that shocking maybe one day I will share my favorite genre of music...You would NEVER guess...

2. We went to Disney today and conveniently forgot that everyone who was at the superbowl has to pass Disney on their way out of the state. So we waited 50 minutes in line for Peter Pan ;)

3. We hit Ikea on the way home so all the snacks and lunches were depleted by the time we got ready to leave. I was racking my brain to see what I could feed Ethan. I was at Millenia so surely they had some green and crunchy bistro with some foods I could identify. That is a big, Nope! I pulled into planet smoothie sure that they would save my butt. However they are pretty much a racket. They cross contaminate all their blenders with peanut butter and just rinse them out with hot water, according to the employee. The flavors looked like syrup and their strawberries & pineapple were in syrup. Ethan just stood there telling the guy, " I just want banana, strawberries, spinach and blueberries..." Oh, and planet smoothie doesn't have spinach... I wonder if I could put a mini fridge and blender with an a/c adapter in the car??

4. Mike finished my chicken tractor...The girls are very happy with the new pad!

5. The rest of the week looks like school, gardening and building some boxes, Disney on Thursday, Valentines party on Friday, and laundry...lots and lots of laundry!

6. Maddy gets her braces off next week. And they were paid off last month!! Woo-hoo!!

7. My sister may be home by the first of March. Please send prayers that she gets the job! She has a third interview next week...

Life on the Farm

A couple new blogs

Check out my side bar for some "new" blogs listed. I cleaned some couponing ones out to make room for some "crunchy" ones. I have found that raw, and whole foods are probably going to be the easiest thing to feed Ethan. So enjoy!

7 Quick Takes

1. We finally got Disney passes last week and took Ethan for his first trip to Disney. I seriously want to go everyday. Maybe this is the year of Disney- school?

2. I have been planning my spring garden. I bought 4 packs of tomato seeds which yielded 200 hundred tomato starts. They are tiny seedlings at this point. I planted one 4X4 square foot garden with onions, letuce, mesculan, and spinach. We go through 1/2 bag of spinach a day, so I am hoping for a bumper crop.

3. We received bad news concerning Ethan's allergy blood tests. Instead of getting better, his peanut allergy went up over 10x, his soybean allergy went up, and we added wheat, corn, and sesame. Pretty much all the major food groups. I can now see how plain old mom's become activist. The more I read about our food supply and what has been allowed to be put in it the angrier I become. I will probably be obnoxious for a while, but between the use of corn in everything and GMO products, I just want to scream!!

4. School is going well. We found our groove, and Disney is a great inducement for them to complete their assignments. We will go through July and then take off August. I hope to get in a trip to D.C. and the mountains this year.

5. I really want my husband to go and build me a chicken tractor today, and then pick up a dump trailer of mushroom compost. I don't think serving him gluten free pancakes with no syrup will do the trick ;)

6. I got in verbal front yard argument with the 19 year old neighbor next door the other day. He would come over and kick down our garbage cans because he "knew the law" and I couldn't put my garbage cans on their side of our driveway. Mind you it was on our property, my driveway and we had put our cans there for the last 10 years, but he "knew the law". I guess he missed the law on no trespassing. Anyway that was not my shining moment in the front yard getting cussed at by a kid! It must be the red hair, but all I wanted to do was go at him and his crazy mother ;) Things have calmed down. We moved our garbage cans and pretty much agreed to stay out of each others way.

7. My sister flies in this Sunday for a job interview. She would work in the Orlando area, yay!
They want to fill the position by March, so she would be back home very soon!!

Pizza Crust Recipes

Two 12-14 inch pizzas:

5-6 cups King Arthur White Whole-wheat flour
or 3 C. King Arthur White Whole Wheat and 3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

5- 6 1/2 teaspoons of rapid rise or bread machine yeast - such as Fleischmann's RapidRise ( use the lesser amount if you do the 1/2 wheat and half all purpose recipe)
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons unbleached organic sugar
2 C. Warm water
4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil (cold pressed)

I use a food processor or my Kitchen Aid Mixer for this part: (I have used this recipe in my bread maker by doing half at one time). Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix or use mixer. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup and gradually pour in enough of the warm liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead ( if using the food processor).

Place the dough in a greased bowl in a warm place and cover to let it rise until double ( about 30 mins - 1 hour depending on the humidity) Or let it rise in the bread machine if you have one ( use the dough setting for the whole process and then just shape it or roll it after taking it out)

Preheat oven to 400°F Roll out the dough ( I like a mixture of corn meal and all purpose flour to roll the dough on) and top the pizza however you like.

Bake the pizza 15 minutes @ 400 degrees.

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Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

100% Whole Wheat Dough

1 packet dry active yeast

3/4 cup warm water

~2 cups 100% whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons olive oil + more to rub on bowl

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix yeast and warm water and let sit until foamy. In a separate bowl, mix flour and salt together. Once yeast is foamy, add in olive oil and honey and stir. Mix into flour and kneed to create a dough. You may need to add a bit more flour if dough is too sticky.

Place in an olive oil-rubbed bowl and cover. Let rise for 2-3 hours.

Winter Catch up

Recipes

My kids are off to AWANAS so I have a few minutes to

A. Clean my dirty house
B. Lesson plan
C. Menu plan
D. Take a nap
or
E. Blog

So, I choose E. The house is all quiet, I am listening to Glenn Beck, and catching up on my posting.


Green Smoothie Recipe

1-2 cups water
1/2 of the blender I fill with baby spinach, kale, avocado, or any greens
I blend this and then add more until I get the blender to be 1/ 2 full of green goodness
1 cup Stoneyfield Yogurt (Whole or Lowfat)
1- carrot
1 banana
6-10 strawberries
1 cup blueberries/ raspberries
1 cup peaches
1/2 - 1 apple
( I also throw in grapes, cantaloupe, or any other fruit I have lying around)

the color of the smoothie depends on how much blueberries/raspberries/strawberries
Mine have been real green if I have little reds in it, or purple or brown with lots of red fruits.

* I also add
5 tbsp flax seed oil or 5 tbsp hemp seed oil or raw coconut oil
hemp seed protein
To get Ethan excited about smoothies, he gets to help make them every morning. He even gets the spinach out of the fridge and puts them in the blender. He loves to push the buttons!
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Tortellini Vegetable Soup

This is Tiffany's recipe and my family loves it. I double or triple my soup recipes to freeze for lunches. I freeze portions in quart freezer bags.

Tortellini Vegetable Soup

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 med. onion, chopped

1 small zucchini, diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

5 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp. dried basil

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp. salt

8-9 oz. tortellini--cheese or meat filled

Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the onion, zucchini, and carrot. Saute over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft. Add the broth, basil, bay leaf, tomatoes, and salt to the pot. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the tortellini and bring back to a boil, cook for two minutes and then reduce the hear and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes longer.

Makes about 5 servings.

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Carrot Soup

My kids are still unsure about this soup, but it was double YUM! This is Tiffany's recipe.

4 Tbsp. butter, 1 onion chopped

4 carrots sliced

2 medium potatoes, diced

5 cups chicken broth

2 tsp. sherry

1 cup cream (or milk)

Melt butter into a pot. Add onion and carrots. Cook for 15 minutes. Stir in potato dices. Pour in chicken broth and sherry. Cook, partially covered until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). Puree the mixture. Pour the soup back into the pot and stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste. Heat without boiling.

I served this with crusty bread!
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Cuban Congri

2 cans black beans
2 cups Minute Rice
1/2 cup water
2 yellow onions
1 med. bell pepper
3 tsp. garlic powder or fresh garlic
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt to taste

Chop onions and bell pepper and saute in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano and saute for 2 to 3 more minutes. Pour the water in a med. size pot and bring to a boil, add the rice, beans, and sauteed onions and peppers and salt to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

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White Chicken Chili (I would recommend doubling this because you will want more )

Steph C's recipe

16 oz. can white beans
1 bag frozen corn
2 onions, chopped
1 stick of butter (that's why it's so good)
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups half and half (I didn't say it was lowfat)
1 tsp. tabasco (I omitted this)
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 4-oz. cans of chopped green chilies
about 2 lbs. of chicken, cooked and shredded
1 1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 c. sour cream

Melt the butter and saute the onions in the butter until soft. Add the flour and whisk to mix. Slowly add the chicken broth and half and half while stirring. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the sour cream and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Add the sour cream and serve.

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Tostadas-

Tiffany's recipe

3-4 cups of dried pinto beans

corn tortillas

toppings--cheese, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, and anything else you like on a taco

Cook your beans until soft. I do this in a crock pot but you can do it over the stove. You can soak the beans overnight but it isn't necessary. Let them cook on low all day or all night or all day and all night--beans cannot be overcooked. Add plenty of salt.

First thing you'll do to start dinner is fry the tortillas. I put a stone or just a pan in the oven at about 180 degrees to keep the tortillas hot after you fry them and before you serve them. Fry the corn tortillas in about a 1/2 inch of oil until brown and crisp--not overly brown. That would be almost burnt. Yuck! Fry as many as you think your family will eat. I usually fry 12-15 at a time. After you are done frying the tortillas and they are in the oven staying warm. Add some more oil to the pan and drain your beans and put them into the oil. Use a potato masher to mash them while they are in the hot oil. Mash until they are the consistency of refried beans. Check for saltiness and add more if needed. When the whole mass moves in the pan as a whole (when you pick up the skillet and shake it) they are done. After making refried beans from scratch you will never go back to canned--they do not even compare.

Get out your hot tortillas. To serve--spread a tortilla with beans, add cheese and whatever other toppings you like.

*If your family can't imagine a meal without meat you can always top the beans and cheese with any shredded meat or ground beef.

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White Pizza

Favorite Pizza dough recipe * I have not found one yet that I love. I wish we had a Trader Joes near us. They have an awesome herb dough!

Top pizza with thin sliced tomatoes, and red onion. Top with mozzarella and fresh parmesan.

Cook for 20 minutes at 400

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ENJOY!

Green in 2010

Am I the only one who doesn't know how wonderful the green smoothie is?

You can hide ANYTHING in one of these babies!

kale, spinach, avocado, banana, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, flax seed oil and the list goes on and on...

I swear I have made Ethan 3 of these and he begs for more.. Half of the shake is kale & Spinach then I add 1 banana, a handful of strawberries, an apple, some peach slices and voila a full days worth of veggies in a glass.

Swagbucks for the homeschooler?

I just thought I might elaborate on how swagbucks could benefit us homeschooly moms. If for every 45 bucks you get a 5.00 Amazon gift card and you can earn up to 3 bucks a day by just searching through their search engine, then you could earn 121.66 towards anything amazon sells. Which is most curriculum, gifts, clothes and the list goes on and on. So do it now, it only takes a second to sign up with the link below.

Swagbucks signup

Christmas Parade