Life Learning

So much of our education comes from just living the life that God has given us.   Twenty-three years ago when we first started on our homeschooling journey I don't believe that Jeff and I had any ideas of where this walk would lead us.  Visions of two little girls learning to read, write and study God's Word and His creation floated in my mind's eye, but never would I have dreamed that we would still be on this journey 23 years later and still have at least 16 years to go as our family grew to include seven children and now, three grandchildren as well.

Our current life lessons seem to be focused on homesteading activities and I am really enjoying these lessons.  This week we have been canning applesauce and today we'll tackle beef and turkey broths, tomatoes, pickles and more applesauce.  We have potatoes to dehydrate and onions to freeze.  Kaelan made a big batch of dough yesterday for cinnamon rolls and I rolled them out for breakfast this morning.  I spread my own homemade butter over the dough, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and then rolled them up, sliced and baked.  Topped with icing made with more homemade butter, they were simply delicious.

Jeff commented after finishing his second cinnamon roll that our daughters sure could cook!!  Well, I reminded him that Kaelan made the dough, but I finished them up this morning!  There were/are extremely tasty and he also commented about the fresh taste of the butter.....and that we will soon be getting our own cow!  We have so enjoyed getting fresh milk for the last several months and I admit, have become a little snobbish now about our homemade milk products.  Oh, and we sit around drooling over cheese and soap making products from the Hoegger's Catalog and other products from Lehman's!!

This weekend we'll be busy building our first chicken tractor in preparation for ordering about 50 meat birds.  We're using a trampoline which was given to us just this week!  I'm sure I'll be posting pictures about that adventure soon.

Learning is more than just reading and writing.  Learning from real life is so much fun!  We are so very grateful that God as opened our eyes to learning in new ways with our children.  Yes, WITH!!  Our excitement for life learning is contagious and our children are catching the vision of becoming self-sufficient as much as possible and learning to live a more meaningful life that is not tied to the latest new-fangled toys, gadgets and clothing trends.   And in all this learning it seems that there is a much deeper awareness of the beauty and bounty that God as provided for us and a desire to use our resources for His glory.

So, what is God teaching you as you walk through life with your family?  Has your walk taken directions you would never have expected?  Please share!

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Thoughts to Ponder and a Giveaway Reminder

Just wanted to remind you all that the giveaway for Victoria Botkin's Curriculum Advice vol. 1 and 2 ends tonight at midnight!  Click here to sign up in the comments.

Things are a little chaotic around here with some croupy sounding coughs and little boys who need help with shoes and snacks and jackets and, well, pretty much everything!  The following quotes were posted on FB this morning and I thought I would share them very quickly for you to ponder today. 

Now I am off to take care of some kitchen duties that have been piling up all week.   I also noticed that there are a few piles of laundry that have accumulated in the hallway and lots of muffin crumbs in the dining room and, well, you can imagine what all there is to do today after having a quick dinner last night before heading out for piano recital and then home to quickly get the dishes done and then piled the little ones in the beds.  Twelve people make a little more mess than eight people...especially when three of them are three and under!  I know that the work I do in my home is not only for my benefit, but for the benefit of my family and, if done well and with a thankful attitude, brings glory to God.

"Feminism is mixed up with a muddled idea that women are free when they serve their employers but slaves when they help their husbands." ~G.K. Chesterton

You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, and training them up in God's fear, and minding the house, and making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts." -Charles Spurgeon.

Use It Up!

Don't forget about my giveaway here!!  Victoria Botkin's Curriculum Advice may be just what you need!


Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!  That's a wise old adage that many of our grandparents or great-grandparents learned as children.  However, through the years as convenience foods became more available,  homemaking skills decreased, and moms joined the work force it seems that many of us today have no idea how to live or even want to live by this adage.

It is so easy to hop in the car for a fast food dinner, ask hubby to stop by Walmart on his way home from work for that single ingredient we left off our shopping list earlier in the week, or make a quick run to pick up a few necessary items for a project that if we had planned more carefully, could have been picked up when we were out for other reasons.

With gas prices inching up even as I type and the cost of groceries and other products going up right with the gasoline, it is even more important for my family to make wise decisions concerning where our money goes.  I thought I would share some of our ideas on saving money and energy today.

USE IT UP!   I am working hard to be more creative in using up our leftovers.  Through the years I have saved bits of meat and vegetables to make homemade soups, but now I am saving even more and freezing them.  When the container is full I then make a big pot of soup.  I did this last week and made so much that I was able to share a large amount with a family who just celebrated the birth of their newest member and froze some for my married daughter to take home with her.  We also had 2 meals off of this soup made with ingredients that many folks would have thrown out!

I have shared before about how I cook chickens:  I bake two whole chickens at a time and freeze one for another day.  That saves much time and energy, but after we have cut the meat from the chicken I then use the carcass to make a rich flavorful broth.  I put the carcass in a big pot and cover it with filtered water.  Add a splash or two of organic apple cider vinegar, garlic cloves, a couple of carrots, a quartered onion and some salt and pepper and I can create some fabulous recipes using this broth as a base.  I also use chicken breasts in the same way after we cut the meat from the bone for chicken strips or whatever we are cooking.  I used to freeze this broth, but am now canning it which makes it even easier and quicker to use.

One roast can become several meals as I divide it in half after cooking.  I serve one portion and freeze the other with the juices for another meal.  This week we had a smaller roast and we used the leftovers to make wonderful hot open-faced roast beef sandwiches.

WEAR IT OUT!  Hand-me-down clothing has always been a budget saver for my large family.  Most of my younger boys wardrobes consist of hand-me-downs---even those from their oldest brother who is 12+ years older!  I have purchased a handful of clearance rack items each year to give them a few fresh pieces to have as well.

Jackson has grown so much recently that he was ready for a larger bike.  Did we go out and buy one?  No, just headed out to the barn where there was a bike in just the size he needed.    Jackson's outgrown bike will be just right for Caedmon in the next year or two.  We'll just need to add a new tire and put the training wheels back on.

Toys and school items?  Yes, my little man and the grandchildren play with toys and puzzles that my oldest daughter played with over 25 years ago!  And they are not worn out yet!  I also have many manipulatives and handmade educational games that I made for my oldest daughter 23 years ago.  In fact, we even have some shaped crayons in our crayon bucket that she received as gifts when she was two years old!  She is now 27!  We also try to use as much of our curriculum as possible with all the children.  There are workbooks that we have that are reproducible that I have been using for over 20 years.

MAKE DO!  Learn how to substitute ingredients in the kitchen.  If you don't have one particular ingredient for a meal use another one that will work just as well or be creative and come up with your own recipe.

We have been making the raised beds for our garden from wood recycled from a deck that the boys dismantled two years ago.  When only small pieces were left, Jordan began making planters.  We used logs from our woods to make another needed bed or two as well.

If I have curriculum that is not fitting the learning style of one particular child, I find ways to tweak it to fit by adding in simple hands-on activities, changing the location of our lessons, or finding free materials from the internet.

Instead of buying mixes and instant foods, make your own!!  Grow and preserve as much of our own food as you can.

DO WITHOUT!    I think this will probably be the hardest thing to do!  We are taught that we deserve anything we want and only the best.  But really, we need to practice self-discipline and realize that there are many things that we can simply do without!  Do we really need a new pair of shoes or a new outfit for Easter this year?  Won't the same outfit we wore last year do and will anyone really notice or even care?   Is that junk food or soda really necessary?  Can we drink water for more of our meals instead of tea?  Can we stay at home and play a game instead of using gas to head to the park?   There are so many things that we can simply do without that will not really be sacrificing all that much and will probably be much better for us.  We are trying to do without running the air conditioner more often.  We are hanging out the laundry....hanging our clothing out on the clothesline does take more time, but it gets me outside and saves much money as we aren't using the dryer as much.  Turning out lights when they are not really needed.  Keeping electronics turned off and unplugged when not in use can also save money.

Stay at home more often when it is not necessary to travel.  Create a day or afternoon for all of your shopping, music lessons, and library trips.  It may make your day a little longer, but you will save money and time in the long run.

There are so many ways that we can use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.  What are some changes that your family is making as we face these more challenging economic times?  Maybe this is the way your family has chosen to live regardless of the world's economic situation.  I would love to get some new money saving ideas from you!

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A Look at the Garden and More

Don't forget about the Victoria Botkin Curriculum Advice giveaway here.

Lots happening around Chambleeville this week.  I am determined to get back to a school routine as the last three weeks have seen so many interruptions.   We'll see how that goes as Lauren and her three little ones are here for most of the week.  Her asthma is not doing well right now.  The house they moved into has some mold problems which are causing havoc with her asthma.  She will be here as much as possible until they are able to move somewhere else.  In addition to losing a house to a tornado and having trouble with her asthma, Lauren also has a pseudo-tumor in her brain that we are pretty sure was caused by steroid use....which unfortunately has been necessary through the years for her asthma.  We knew that there were/are side effects to using the steroids, but when you are faced with a choice between breathing today and possible problems later, you choose to breathe today!  The pseudo-tumor can be treated with medication, but that means she needs to wean the baby....which during the upside-down time which is their life is difficult to handle.  She may wind up opting for a spinal tap to remove some spinal fluid which is one option for the condition.  

Aaron and Kaelan also have a piano recital tomorrow evening. So they will continue to polish up their pieces today and tomorrow.  I think they are quite ready and I will be glad for them to move on to some other pieces!!  The Irish Washer Woman runs through my head all. day. long!  ; )  However, I am so very thankful for the progress they have made and am thankful that they enjoy playing the piano and the violin.

Here's a look at a few of the garden areas around here.

Raised beds with tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, lettuce, peas, leeks and okra.

Orka and tomatoes

Cucumbers

Cucumbers and onions

Two kinds of lettuce

Tomatoes

Green peas have blossoms

This mixed squash bed WILL be weeded today, boys!

Some newly planted tomatoes and basil

Our older blueberry bushes are full of berries and are almost bent over with the weight.

Lots more berries like these will be great for the freezer, canner or dehydrator.

We've planted green peas, lettuce, a variety of tomatoes and peppers, a variety of squashes, cucumbers, leeks, okra, parsley, cilantro, chives and have added many new herbs.  In addition to our sage, thyme, spearmint, peppermint, oregano and lemon balm we've added apple mint, lemon mint, chocolate mint, rosemary, lavander, stevia, more chives and..... I can't even remember!!  Jordan has some more tilling to do as we have about 30 pepper plants to be planted, more basil and some more squash as well.

We've also been busy dehydrating a 50 pound bag of sweet onions that I purchased for $10.  It's been really easy to do, except for the tears!  Thankfully, once they start warming up in the dehydrator the teary effect is gone.

Now to get all these little people rounded up for some table time activities.  Do you think I'll make it?  I'm beginning to wonder, myself!!  If you don't hear from me tomorrow, send help....please!

This strawberry bed has been producing, but we have to keep the birds out of it!

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Homeschooling Update

Yes, we are still homeschooling!!  Even though I (we) have been busy with early gardening and milk production the book learning is continuing.   I thought I would give you a run-down of what is going on in the homeschooling arena at Busy Hands Busy Minds.

Together we are studying the War Between the States.  In our group time we begin the day reading a chapter of Proverbs and a chapter from the Psalms.  We review our Latin or Greek root for the week from English from the Roots Up.  I have then been reading through Facts the Historians Leave Out A Confederate Primer by John S. Tilley.  We finish that up today and will begin Walt Whitman's Civil War Poetry and Prose.  We had started Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, but just couldn't stand it.  I decided it was fine if the children just had a small taste of it and knew the history of this fictional story written by Stowe using second and third party sources.  It is said that upon meeting Stowe in 1863, President Lincoln said, " So, this is the woman that wrote the book that caused this war."  We are also reading Two Little Confederates by Thomas Nelson Page and Call of Duty:  The Sterling Nobility of Robert E. Lee by J. Steven Wilkins.  We are using All American History Volume 2 by Celeste W. Rakes as our spine for our history studies and hope to finish up our two year stretch of American history this fall.   The older two boys and I are also studying the rather hefty volume The War Between the States:  America's Uncivil War by John J. Dwyer.  This is a fascinating book and has lots of great quotes that you most likely have not read in any other modern day textbook.  Devin (22) is taking the children through A Young Scholar's Guide to Composers by Melissa E. Craig and Maggie S. Hogan.  She meets with them once a week for this and we are supposed to listen to the music selections throughout the week.

Jordan (18) is studying Biblical Economics by R. C. Sproul, Jr. which he is greatly enjoying.  He has edited several programs for The Homeschool Channel on economics and many of R.C. Sproul's talks as well and finds them very interesting and beneficial.  He is also studying American literature through Learning Language Arts through Literature, doing an algebra review using VideoText and is doing lots of research on homesteading topics.  He is pretty much in charge of our gardening endeavors this year and has started hundreds of plants indoors and out and has built all of our raised beds and some planters by himself.  He is quite the handyman.  In addition to his film editing responsibilities at The Homeschool Channel, he spends a few hours a week taking and editing photos of his own.  He also has a huge stack of homesteading, theology and historical works that he is reading through.

Aaron(14)  is plugging through Apologia's Physical Science.  This has been a stretch for me to prepare and keep up with as most of our science studies have previously been through unit studies as a family.  Aaron feels led to study medicine, so we felt he needed to have a more formal science curriculum.  I am interested in looking at other science curriculum to see if I can find a better fit.  He has recently started VideoText algebra with Jeff and is finishing up Learning Language Arts through Literature (green).  He also using Daily Grams for daily grammar review. He is also using Building Thinking Skills Book 3 and doing some spelling review through Natural Speller.   Typing and Quarter Mile math drills are done on the computer.  He does Spanish independently using PowerGlide.  I hope to move him to Rosetta Stone this next year.  He also greatly enjoys reading through the Ballantyne books of world wide adventure stories and is reading some theological works, historical fiction and biographies.  Practicing piano, drawing, painting, chores,  and editing audio programs for his dad's home business round out his days.

Kaelan (11) is studying plants through Answers in Genesis God's Design for Life series.  Jackson is tagging on this study at times. She started a pressed flower collection and will be doing some identification of plants as well.   She is working through Teaching Textbook 6, typing and Quarter Mile math drills on the computer.  She also likes to email extended family members frequently.  ; )  She keeps up with family members all over the world!  She is studying Learning Language Arts through Literature (purple) with Daily Grams for daily grammar review.  Spelling lists come from Natural Speller and she is also using Building Thinking Skills Book 2.  Kaelan also has a tall stack of books that she is reading from based on our history studies, but usually pulls some old favorites from the bookshelves to read as well.  I think she is now reading Little Women...again!

Jackson(6) is finishing up the primer level of Math U See and will be starting MUS Foundations (the old version) as soon as it comes in.  I decided to put him in the older version because we already have the teacher's edition and I have already gone through it myself, ummm, like three other times and it won't be something that I have to relearn. ; )  We are s l o w l y making our way through Alphaphonics.  Little by little, bit by bit, I am seeing progress.  One of the great advantages of  homeschooling is that we can go as slow or as fast as we need to.  Right now, for this child and his phonics studies it is slow going.  And that is OK!!  He is using the Italic Handwriting Series as have all of my children.  I think I like it much more than any of them do.  Jackson participates in most of our group time and usually enjoys coloring a page from a historical Dover coloring book while he listens in.  I am trying to have some time each week where he is listening to audio books like Charlotte's Web or programs such as Your Story Hour or Jonathan Park.  He is read to daily by either me, Jeff or one or more of his siblings and he "reads" books by himself several times a day.  His favorite right now is  David Macaulay's The Way Things Work.


Two year old Caedmon is now enrolled in Potty Training 101.  He is now 2 1/2 (as of tomorrow) and as the weather is warming and he can now go half dressed without getting too chilled, big sister Devin has declared it TIME!.   We have been putting him on the potty for several months before bath time and he has had some success.  We are now going into full mode with training pants (no pull-ups here).  Diapers are still going on at nap and bedtimes.  Caedmon enjoys books, puzzles and most of the activities in his daily boxes.  Some of my favorite resources for this age come from Lauri and Melissa and Doug.   Some of the activity bags and folders have become too easy for him and I need to reorganize his materials.  He is a genius, I tell you, a genius!

So, that is what is going on in the homeschooling department of Busy Hands Busy Minds.  If things weren't so busy around here I would have linked all these wonderful resources so that you could look at them and purchase from my affiliate links, but my children need more time from me than this blog does.  If you have a question about any resource, please leave me a comment and I will get back to you ASAP.    Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

Preparedness Challenge

Check out what others are doing at
homesteadrevival.blogspot.com

This week for the preparedness challenge, my family:

-made enough granola to last about 3 weeks

This canister holds two gallons.

-bought extra boxes of borax and washing soda to keep on hand to make laundry detergent
-bought extra bleach, toilet paper, epsom salts, vinegar and baking soda
-filled used water bottles with tap water and a few drops of bleach to replace what we used last weekend when we didn't have water
-made and froze about 5 pounds of cultured butter
-made about 5 quarts of  cultured butter milk
-learned how to make yogurt cheese and ricotta
-dried 2 pounds of mushrooms

One quart jar of mushrooms

-made 8 pints of applesauce

-organized and inventoried our food storage that is not in the kitchen
-ordered math curriculum for my 6 year old for the next 3 years ; )
-bought a dozen pint size canning jars
-bought lots of freezer bags, plastic wrap and aluminum foil
-got three more icing buckets from Kroger---I would love to have about 40....I need 34 more!!
-made another 4 x 12 raised bed
-researched pigs......and chickens.....some more. Just need to bite the bullet and do it!
-replaced a blueberry bush

Seedtime

Genesis 8:  22  

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Ecclesiastes 3:  1-2

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 

A time to be born, and a time to die;  a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

Jeremiah 29:  4-6

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have cause to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;  Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;  Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters, that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.

Times are tough for a lot of folks right now.  Finances are tight.  Daily we hear more and more disheartening news and policies coming from Washington.  There is destruction across the earth, both natural and manmade.  Thankfully our hope doesn't come from Washington.  Our hope comes from the Lord and He will continue to hold us in the palm of His Hand.   The above passage from Jeremiah is a reminder to us today that even though times seem troubled and we may worry day to day about what troubles may await us tomorrow, we are to continue living today, building houses, planting gardens, finding spouses for our children and increasing our families.  

So, we are planting our garden now.  Praying for a fruitful yield at harvest time and looking forward to having fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs throughout the summer and with plenty to preserve for the winter as well.

A couple of weeks ago we ordered heirloom seeds from Baker Creek. 

Non-GMO seeds that will grow vegetables from years gone by, whose seeds can be saved for planting in the future.  

We will have a variety of tomatoes and peppers, squash, zucchini, and turnips.

Leeks and marigolds.

Peas and more tomatoes

Purple cornflower--beautiful and useful.

Beautiful turnips

We planted a dozen strawberry plants last year and they multiplied.  We dug out 28 "babies" and transplanted them.  Four of the strawberry plants now reside in Jordan's planters on the deck.

24 more strawberry plants in a newly made raised bed.

Eight raised beds ready for planting.

Broccoli seeds are planted.

So are the turnip seeds.

And onions.

And spinach.

And a variety of lettuces.

We started composting a few years ago.

Keeping the compost covered helps it to heat up which allows it to break down sooner.

It's not quite ready to use right now.

Lots of natural materials.

So are you planning a garden this year?  What are you planting?

Simply Saturday

-tons of laundry
-normal housework duties
-clean out refrigerator--BBQ sauce exploded in there!
-make a few pans of cinnamon rolls
-filling raised beds with peat moss, compost, manure and soil
-making more raised beds to fill with transplanted strawberry babies
-planting cabbage, broccoli, spinach, lettuce 1 and lettuce 2
-scrubbing all the red dirt off the porch
-grilling burgers and veggies
-ironing clothes for tomorrow
-lesson plans


What does a typical Saturday look like at your house?  It's not so simple, is it?

Turning Those Routines into Habits

                                                   Large Family Logistics

Earlier this year I wrote about being inspired to get my home decluttered and organized after reading Kim Brenneman's Large Family Logistics.  I now realize that it may take a little more time than I had hoped to get my family on board with the routines.

Old habits are so very hard to break and with young people especially as you must constantly INSPECT if you EXPECT the job to be done well.  This has been a trying time for me as I assume my children (most of whom are well above the age of 10), can easily read the daily routines and charts and just get them done without me nagging  reminding them.  Sadly, this is not happening yet.  Dad has realized that he will have to step in and make sure everyone is taking their responsibilities seriously.

One of my major problems is that I have put my 6 year old son in the rotating chores which involve the living areas, dining area/laundry and kitchen chores.  This means that not only am I overseeing the older children's chores, but I am working with Jackson to get his done and he has never had this much responsibility before.  So we will continue in the training department and hope to see some success soon.

I have,  however,  been able to keep up with my own routines for the most part.  There are some areas of weakness that I need to work on, but I have found after doing a major decluttering in the master bedroom that I am able to keep it neat and orderly with no difficulty.  Decluttering my bedroom has lifted a HUGE weight off  my shoulders!  I have even been making my bed every morning for the last several weeks and that has made me feel so good.  Now you see where the bad habits in my children have come from!

The decluttering bug is sweeping through the house.  I have been cleaning out kitchen cabinets and putting aside things that I either don't love, don't use or have too much of.  Items were constantly falling out of my pots and pans cabinet, so I simply removed the oldest set of pots and pans and will put them in a yard sale or give to Goodwill.  The boys and I also worked in their bedroom and removed many items.  Our collection of CDs and DVDs has been culled as well.   The laundry room needs to be done and then I need to do a thorough evaluation of the school room.  I regularly declutter in there as it is a small area used by many, but the books, games and  craft cabinet need to be organized again and I am sure I will get rid of even more items.

So, are you working on some new routines and habits in your home?  Has the Spring Cleaning Fever hit you?  What are you doing to make your home more organized and clutter free?  Do  you have any tips to make training my children to actually do the routines easier?  How do you encourage your children to work in your home?