Visiting With the Amish

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Saturday we decided to visit the local Amish community with some friends.  It is always intriguing to see how they live and now that we know one of the Amish women (our milk connection) we can visit together.  The men and children were visiting the shops of the husband and father-in-law.  There they make leather goods and weave baskets.  I hope to be able to purchase a few baskets in the future.  They are beautifully made and seem to be very sturdy.

While we were visiting on the porch I noticed a large, round stove and asked about it.  It was huge!  Our friend quickly explained that it was a water bath canner.  The bottom part is where a wood fire is built.  The top is a huge vat that can hold 33 quart jars with pint jars sitting on top.  There is a small drain to empty the water when the canning is done.  Our Amish friend said she was able to do 100 jars of applesauce in one day last fall!  Now, that's productive!

I also noticed some a very heavy duty gutter system on the outbuildings which all ran into a HUGE tank.  I'm talking huge as in maybe 1000 gallons or more!  Huge!!  And there were several smaller ones as well.  I'm sure they use that water for the animals, garden, washing and more.  I wonder if they use it for drinking and cooking and if so, do they have a way to filter it?  Do they have a British Berkfield sitting on the kitchen counter?  Hmmm...

She also showed us her butter churn that her grandfather made for her.  It is a frame that holds a gallon jar of cream.  There is a special lid for the jar that has small paddles extending off a post that fits into the jar.  The jar is locked into place and then is rotated end-over-end when the crank is turned.  I'm sure it takes a lot longer to make butter that way than in my Bosch, but it was still very handy.

After making our purchases, we headed down the road to another home where the man of the house makes outdoor furniture.  Adirondack chairs, porch swings, gliders, picnic tables of all shapes and sizes, children's furniture and more were added to our wish list.  Jeff said next time we will bring the trailer and load up!!  An 8 foot picnic table was just $115.  It was extremely sturdy and very heavy!!  The Adirondack chairs were only $50 and again, very heavy.

I have to tell you that my friend, Becky, goes out to buy from the Amish 4 times a week from one particular woman. This Amish mother has 7 children 13 and under and recently had a miscarriage.  We were able to send some baked goods for them and Becky sent a lot of food.  Later the Amish friend sent us all a loaf of her homemade bread.   She told Becky that she didn't realize that when she started coming out there that she would soon be her friend!  You can definitely reach across the cultural barrier to share God's love with others.  We have learned so much from this connection and feel blessed to see a little bit into how the Amish live.

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Musings from the Grocery Store and Some Frugal Kitchen Tips

 Yesterday afternoon I took a little grocery shopping trip by myself.  I usually have at least a couple of children with me as we shop on piano lesson day, but piano lessons were out for spring break.

Which takes me to my first musing---apparently EVERYONE is out for spring break and decided to do some shopping as well.  Both of the Kroger stores and Sam's were very busy!  Sam's looked like the week before Christmas.  I suppose as it was a dreary, cool and windy day there wasn't much else to do outside the home.  Thankful was I that we did not take off and my children were at home finishing up some school work.  Right, children?  You did finish it, didn't you?

Musing number two-There were a lot of grandparents with grandchildren out shopping.  I had noticed one particular little boy who looked to be about 6 who was following grandma around with tears in his eyes.  I was headed out the door and had to stop for a moment as this little guy was in my path, chasing a gumball that escaped the machine.  His grandmother was trying to hurry him up.  I told her, "Don't worry about it.  I have a 6 year old just like him at home." And gave her what I hoped was a pleasant smile.  She responded within her grandson's hearing, " I wish I didn't have him."  I sincerely hope she meant that she wished she didn't have him with her at the grocery store, however, that is not what she said and I am sure the little guy heard her.  Grandma, I am sure little guy wished you didn't have him, either.  How sad is that?  Mom and dad are working.  Little guy is out of school for spring break and it's too wet and cool outside and he has to go grocery shopping with a grandma who would rather not have him.

Musing number three-Increased prices don't seem to have any effect on some folks shopping habits.  I'm a nosy shopper  and folks are still buying lots of junk food and sodas.  I also saw several folks leave the grocery store with only one partially-filled bag.  With the high cost of food and gas, I would think that people would be leaving off the junk and instead of going to the store every other day or so, saving the shopping for once a week, every other week or once a month and buying more.  Just think of the time and gas savings alone!

Musing number four-  Already alluded to above, but prices are going up!  I have been carefully watching butter prices and the butter jumped up a couple of dollars for the four pound bundle at Sam's in just two weeks.  There were other price increases as well, but the butter was much more drastic.

Musing number five--I think stocking up on staples and canned goods is a good idea.  Yes, I do.

Enough of the musing and on to a few tips for frugal dining.

-When I bake a whole chicken for dinner I bake two.  We eat one and the other is carefully wrapped and put in the freezer.

-After we have eaten dinner from a chicken, I put the whole leftover chicken in the crockpot and cover with filtered water.  I then add some chopped celery, onion, garlic, carrots or whatever I have along with a dash of apple cider vinegar.  I cook on low all night.  In the morning I strain the broth out and pick the meat from the carcass.  I can then make a pot of soup adding fresh vegetables and seasoninsg or I can bag the chicken up for another meal and freeze it and I freeze the broth to use for soups, gravies and casseroles.

-Turkeys will soon be on sale for the Easter holiday.  I usually stock up on them AFTER the holidays when I find them at reduced prices.  This weekend I baked a turkey that I had purchased reduced afer Christmas for our Sunday dinner.  We had company for dinner and still had a good bit of turkey left over.  Yesterday I put the turkey carcass in my large stockpot and covered it with water.  I added peppercorns, onions, garlic and a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar.  The vinegar helps get all the nutrients from the bones.  I brought it to a boil and then let it simmer all day.  After dinner last night I strained off the broth and picked the bones.  I now have 4 bags with 2 cups of shredded turkey in each and 20 cups of fabulously rich turkey stock.  Turkey salad, casseroles and pot pies will be made with this and the stock will be used to make my veggie rice pilaf that I make frequently and some will be used to make dressing for our Easter dinner.    I think I paid about 7 dollars for that turkey!   Twelve people ate dinner on Sunday and we will have parts of at least 6 meals with the rest of that turkey.  Frugality is fun!!

-My last tip is really easy.  When we prepare the evening meal, we generally make enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day.  Last night I  used about 2 1/2 pounds of ground chuck and made hamburger steaks with mushroom gravy.  I bought mushrooms reduced to 50 cents a box yesterday, so we will be eating lots of mushrooms this week.  I think I got about 14 steaks out of the meat and we had rice and butter beans with this along with my homemade bread.  Several of us will be able to eat this again for lunch today.  So easy to take just a couple of extra minutes to save lots of time later!

And there  you have today's musings and tips!  I would love for you to share some frugal shopping or cooking tips with me.  Do you have some great tips on saving money and time in the kitchen?

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?

Getting Rid of the Clutter Stream of Consciousness

This past Saturday I was finally able to spend some time in my bedroom sorting through clothes, various Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations.  It would be so nice if our bedroom was just our bedroom, but as we lack extra rooms and extra storage in this house our bedroom also serves as Jeff home office/studio, my scrapbooking and sewing room (ok, I don't really sew, but I have lots of sewing equipment) and until recently it was also Caedmon's room.  Our attic access is also in our bedroom, so anything that needs to go up into the attic finds its way to my room until I can find the time to sort through and put it in the correct box.

I was able to get all the clothes that  Aaron, Jackson and Caedmon had outgrown sorted and put up in the attic.  The leftover Christmas and Thanksgiving items are now where they belong.  I still have a huge stack of boxes of items to get rid of either through ebay, consignment shop, yard sale or giveaway.  There are also several boxes in the attic to get rid off as well.  I have kitchen items, homeschool books, young women's clothing, girl clothes, baby boy clothes including Robeez shoes and tons of other things.

In making out our chore charts I quickly came to realize that if I really wanted to have an orderly home I would have to first get rid of things.  There are eight of us living in our home.  We have been homeschooling for over 22 years and have accumulated a. lot. of. stuff. that we use.  I am clearing out things that we haven't used in a while or things that no longer work for us.  We have had children for almost 27 years and have accumulated lots of toys.  Now, I am very picky about what kind of toys we bring into the house.  Just ask my mother in law!  ; )   At this stage in my life I have come to the conclusion that you can only have so many building toys.  We have Legos, KNEX, Fischer Technic, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, Waffle Blocks, Duplos, plain ole wooden blocks and wooden sets from Melissa and Doug.   We even had giant Duplos but I have relegated them to the "get rid of" pile.

I also greatly dislike electronic toys or toys that make noises.  In a house with many people there is always noise whether it be someone listening to a book on tape, an audio lesson, Christian talk radio, piano practice, violin practice or just some wild boys cutting loose.  We just don't need any more noise.  Really!  Extra noises make my shoulders creep up to my ear lobes.

As soon as the weather warms up I would like to clean out our garage and install more shelving out there.  The boys have been storing sleeping bags in the top of their closet, but I would like them stored away.  Jackson likes to drag them all out and can't put them away without help.  My solution is to put them out of sight where he can't get them.  Then the top of the closet can be used for other storage.  The boys have a good sized closet, but there are now four of them sharing it.  Or they will be as soon as I find an extender rod or another shelf with a rod for Caedmon's clothes.

I have also decided we have way too many clothes.  I have not gone shopping for clearance clothing this winter as I normally do.  Jackson and Caedmon both have plenty of clothes for now and boxes for each size they will need as they grow are in the attic.  All of the other children have many clothes hanging in their closets that they never wear.  I cleaned out all of my drawers this weekend and threw away anything that was stained or misshapen or that I just never wore.  My drawers now look nice, I can find what I need and can actually close them without any trouble.   I keep my hanging clothes pretty well weeded out.  Now if I can just talk Jeff into taking care of cleaning out his drawers.  I may have to do that myself when he is out of town.  He tends to be a packrat and hates to depart with anything.  I do promise, though, not to burn anything....this time.  (yes, I did burn a huge stack of astronomy magazines--with evolutionary content and notebooks of papers, etc that had been in the attic for 10 years and had not been touched since college or seminary days...except to move them....FIVE times).

Decluttering and organizing seem to be themes for me this year,   This all fits into my goal to be more deliberate in my life.  Making weekly menus for three meals a day, making lesson plans for five of the children, planning our food storage, working with Jordan to plan for our garden, making goals for our home to run more smoothly...I  don't think it was in God's plan for us to live such cluttered lives.  All the clutter that we accumulate (in physical items and in cluttering up our day with too many activities) takes away time and energy that could be spent in more meaningful time with our families and in a deeper relationship with God.  It is my hope and prayer that as I declutter my home and my life that I will be able to focus even more time and energy on building better relationships with my family and deepening my relationship with God.

Routines or Schedules?

I am not a schedule person.  Trying to keep our days managed in hourly or half-hour increments makes my eye twitch.  Seriously!  My guts tighten up and I can turn into a monster.  Give me gentle routines....everyone knowing what they are supposed to do and when it is supposed to be done.  That's for me!

Except we have slipped out of our routines.   When the older girls were small, I had two lists of routine chores and activities typed up.  Each week the girls either had "A" chores or "B" chores.  Each list was divided into several categories:  Before breakfast, after breakfast, before lunch, after lunch, after school, after dinner, etc.  It made life much more manageable.  And then we added more and more children and the older ones could still do their "A" or "B" chores and the  younger ones...well, they just didn't get as much guidance in the chore department.  Now, I generally only have the younger ones here at home during the bulk of the day.  However, they are not quite so young anymore.   My 18 year old son is a big help.  He generally does whatever I ask without complaint and pretty thoroughly.  Key word here, though, is ask.  I'm sure he would prefer knowing what I expect him to do without me having to ask or tell him.  The other problem with him is that he works part-time three days a week, so he is not available.  That leaves me the 14, 11 and 6 year olds whom I have neglected sorely in this department.  Don't get me wrong!  I do give them chores to do each day, but I have failed to INSPECT them each day.  You know the old adage "don't expect what you don't inspect"!  So it has occurred to me that we all need a period of training.  We desperately need to rid ourselves of bad habits and replace them with good habits.

This morning I sat down with my school aged children and we discussed some routines that need to be implemented in our family to help our days run much more smoothly.   I thought I would share here for accountability and I thought there may be someone out there who could use some help or encouragement in this area as well.  Or you might just sit back and get a chuckle at the 22+ year homeschooling veteran who is still struggling to get some routines figured out for her family"!  Ha!!  I would laugh with you, but really, it's something that changes every time a new baby is born, a child starts working, a daughter or son is married and leaves  home....and for the record in the last five years I HAVE HAD  one daughter get married and leave home, a husband whose job changed, a home business started, two children start working and a new baby born....and just to add a little more into the mix we also had three grandchildren born in that time frame.  Time brings so many changes!

Before breakfast:
-awake and wash up
-get dressed--even socks and shoes
-brush hair
-make bed and tuck pajamas under pillow
-have quiet time of Bible reading and prayer

During breakfast:
-review memory verses posted on white board
-listen to our weekly music selection

After breakfast:
-everyone clears their own dishes from the table
-brush teeth
-do after breakfast chores (which will be posted on the bulletin board and assigned for a week)

Group time:
-read our daily chapter from the book of Proverbs
-review our Greek and Latin roots
-geography or history --alternate days for group teaching
-missionary biography
-music history

Independent work:  (this will also be done when they complete their after breakfast chores and before we start group time)
-I work with Jackson at this time while trying to keep Caedmon occupied as well (if Devin is home, she occupies Caedmon)
-math
-typing
-math drills
-assigned reading
-grammar and writing

Before lunch:
-general pick up

After lunch:
-Kaelan and Aaron clean the kitchen while I read with the little boys and get Caedmon down for a nap

Afternoon session:
-Kaelan and Aaron take turns practicing piano, Kaelan practices violin, Aaron does science and Spanish and both of them do any unfinished work
-Jackson and I work on any unfinished work

Free time:
-outdoor play or whatever  until 5

Before dinner chores

Dinner:
-we have started doing our family worship at the table right after we eat...It is easier doing this that waiting until after dinner clean up and baths.  It makes our evenings more relaxed as well.
After dinner chores

Before bed;
-general pickup
-gather and sort laundry
-take out the garbage
-lay out clothes for the next day
-start breakfast (mix up muffins, lay out dishes, prepare fruit, pull from the freezer)


I need to resurrect the "A" and "B" chore list for Aaron and Kaelan to rotate weekly and make a daily list for Jordan and Jackson as well.  When Devin is home she takes care of a lot of the food prep for me and anything else that she can help with...however, she is gone all day two full days a week, about half the day on another day and must practice two hours or more each day.  She is not at my beck and call!  Now to get busy with the chore lists and start working on developing good habits!  How do you roll at your house?  Are you a scheduler or do you do better with routines?  Do you find you have to change things around every so often?  I would love some feedback from others on our routine list.

Lessons in Cooperation or What My Kids Did While on Christmas Break

I have noticed a spirit of me-first going around my house lately.  Okay, really it hasn't been lately---it has been ongoing for a while.  During the holiday break I decided that the children needed to work on some projects that would force them to cooperate.  One afternoon Aaron, Kaelan and Jackson worked together to build this gingerbread house.  I would like to say that they worked well together, but I think they were more concerned about who was eating more candy.  They really didn't enjoy creating the gingerbread house at all.  They did eat some of it and I threw the rest of it away the next day.  Don't worry about all that money going to waste, though.  I bought the kit on clearance after Christmas for less than five bucks.

Such detail...HA!

Miss Gingerbread and Mr. Snowman are lazily leaning against the house.  Their work ethic needs some....um, work?

However, an earlier project I gave them was highly successful.  A few YEARS agoI purchased the really big super-duper KNEX set from Timberdoodle.  It contains several smaller sets consisting of bridges (lots of different types of bridges with instructions and all kinds of engineering info) and simple machines (also with lots of teaching materials).  We constructed all of these items, but never did the third large set- The Big Ball Factory, which is a five foot roller coaster.  I challenged Aaron, Kaelan and Jackson to get the set put together no matter how long it took.  They took up the challenge and spent three days together in the boys' room with the door closed.  Jordan even joined them a couple of days when he wasn't working at The Homeschool Channel or on his book--which he finally finished.  They worked for hours...I heard laughter and much friendly talk.  Like I said, it was a success.  Here is a short video of the Big Ball Factory at work with Kaelan and Aaron demonstrating.  So what did your kids do during the Christmas break?

Addition:  I am having trouble with the video.  Please let me know if you are able to view it by leaving a comment.  Thanks.

K'NEX Big Ball Factory from Anita Chamblee on Vimeo.

Reminded

I was reminded last night as I was reading a Dr. Seuss-type book to Jackson about how much I could actually teach a 5 year-old just by reading a silly book.  I pointed out letters and easy words that were  repeated.  We talked about rhyming words and I paused in my reading to give Jackson time to insert the word that fit. We counted items in the illustrations.  All this took place in just 20 minutes and the best part was that we snuggled together while doing it.  I am always amazed by how I forget the simple.  I spend so much time and energy trying to contrive activities that teach when all I really need to do is go about life walking, talking, sharing, teaching  and loving as we walk through our day.   The Lord continues to tweak and prune me as I go about my busy life.   This teacher continues to learn needed lessons.  I sometimes think that is why God continued giving us children.  If the Lord tarries I will have 40 years of home educating my children.  Maybe by then I will figure things out!  God is teaching me to simplify even further and to focus on what is most important--  developing a relationship with HIM, developing a relationship with the individuals in my family and learning to enjoy every moment.

In Which I Get Flustered and Fall off the Wagon!

Tuesdays are our "in town" days because Kaelan and Aaron have piano lessons in the afternoon. We drop Jordan off at work and then have an hour to run an errand or two before their lessons start. Yesterday I thought we had enough time for a WalMart run which included picking up prescription refills that had been called in on Monday. We went to the pickup window, waited in line and then got our bags of prescriptions (yes, bags....5 children and myself have asthma, a different mix of 5 children and myself have severe eczema and we ALL have allergies). All of the scripts were not ready (called in 24 hours earlier) and then there was a mixup and then another mixup, etc. Finally got most of the prescriptions and decided to go through the self-checkout. We had 25 minutes to get out and make it to piano on time which should not have been a problem, but...

I am not a patient woman, especially not with electronic equipment. If I push a button or whatever the gizmo should do what it is supposed to do, right? Well, the special clerk who watches over the self-check lanes had to come over no less than 6 times and maybe more for me to finish my half-cart- full purchases. I was getting flustered but we finally got through, stopped at the potty, got out to the truck, loaded up groceries into the coolers, got four children and the stroller loaded up and then noticed the time. Already time for piano. ARGHH!! I hate being late. We made it within 5 minutes, so not too bad, but still.

Lesson learned? This mama doesn't need to EVER get in the self-check out line again. And maybe I should call in prescriptions two days in advance.

The two little boys and I made a quick dash to the library (where the parking lot and side street parking were overflowing) to return overdue books and pay a fine so I could request books online (only to discover that there was one other book still out....I didn't check the childrens school drawers--another ARGHH!). We also ran to Kroger to pick up a great deal on chicken, then on to pick up the older ones at lessons. THEN we went to Happy Hour at Sonic. I really needed Happy Hour!!! I have been trying to totally eliminate Cokes from my diet and have been successful except for two times. The first was after making soap with 16 young girls at Keeepers ; ) and the second was yesterday... and yes, I got a Route 44 full of Coke and enjoyed every sip (or gulp!) Two Cokes in six weeks isn't that bad, is it?

I had intended on some clearance rack shopping at a couple of stores with all the children after piano, but decided to skip that in order to get the house back in order. We had left a mess before we left. We had time to get the house in order and get a great dinner on the table, clean up, baths, Bible study and ALL were in bed before 9 (except Caedmon and I). Jeff was very appreciative of the clean house and the dinner. It was a nice relaxing evening. So thankful for that this morning!

"Did You Plan for LIFE?"

Sunday night I was almost giddy as I told Jeff that I was SO very prepared for the school week. The house was in order, daily lessons were planned, Jordan had his assignments written out, Kaelan's and Aaron's independent work was prepared and in their folders. I. Was. Ready. And then, he replies, " Did you plan for life?" Um, no. No time for anything but what I wrote in my little black book and in hindsight, not enough time for that either. "Life" always gets the better of us, no matter how many plans we make. This week we have already had two late nights away from home which means a later start in the mornings. One afternoon devoted to finishing up preparations for soap-making while the electricity going off prevented other activities that needed to be completed. Another afternoon spent with four of us having dentist appointments. Some extra help needed in algebra, time spent on the phone, too many rainy days preventing rough outdoor play and exercise which results in shorter tempers and more mess to clean up, two other days full of outside activities to go, and well, we wound up behind in my plans before we even got a good start. So right now I am declaring next week as CATCH UP WEEK!! Next week, I think I will plan for life a little better. Now, I feel better!! So much for MY plans. I'll let the Lord lead.

"A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16: 9