Archive for the ‘Homemaking’ Category

• Laundry Troubles

  Date: 2010.07.16 | Category: Cloth Diapering, Homemaking, New House, mama | Response: 15

  

  A while back, I posted my cleaning schedule on Facebook.  It worked well for several months, but then, after Pascha, I fell out of the habit.  I still, typically, keep the house somewhat neat and clean.  Obviously, some day are better than others.  However, there are two areas in the house that I have trouble keeping clean: the laundry room and the Master bedroom.  The root of the problem in both of these rooms is one thing:

  LAUNDRY.

  The combination of cloth diapers and regular laundry forces me to prioritize, and if I am going to do this, the diapers come first.  We reliably have clean, cloth diapers ready to go at any moment.  Clean clothes… not so much.

  It is not that we never have clean clothes.  The problem is that the clothes  live in the laundry basket.

  The kids and I spend most of our time downstairs during the day, and the bedrooms are upstairs.  This is one of the major deterrents for my being able to efficiently put the laundry away.  But it is still no excuse… I could be doing it now instead of blogging, right? But I dread it…

  I am writing this because
  I NEED HELP.

  There.

  I admit it!

  Please leave a comment with the method that you use to do your laundry and put it away.

  I would appreciate any advice at this point.

• Finding Time When You’re a Stay-at-Home-Mom

  Date: 2010.07.11 | Category: Baking & Cooking, Homemaking, Learning & Educating, Our Family & Friends | Response: 9

  A friend recently linked to a column where a woman wrote in asking,
  

  “Why don’t friends with kids have time?”

  I think “time” is an word up for interpretation.  Of course, moms have “time”.  Like the time I am using right now to type this blog post.  But these moments are usually short ones, constantly interrupted by the needs of children, legitimate or not, or these moments happen at the end of the day when all the littles one are in bed and Mama stays up until midnight just to get some “me time.”

  A typical day for me goes something like this:

  I hear the baby crying in his crib around 6:30 or 7am.  I get out of bed, pick up baby and nurse him.  Suddenly, realize that I hear something downstairs.  I peak over the railing with baby still nursing, and discover that Spunky is having another sneaky morning.  She may be eating something in the kitchen that she shouldn’t be or maybe she is going through my purse.  I scold her from the top of the staircase and tell her to come upstairs.  This usually wakes up Punky.  I put on PBSkids while I finish feeding Bunky, changing diapers, getting all three kids dressed, and then getting dressed/showered myself.  Then I wake up my hubby.  On a good day, we will all go downstairs at a decent hour, have breakfast and do our prayers together. This isn’t always the case, but that is my favorite way to start the morning.  Some mornings, the kids and I are downstairs up to two hours before my hubby wakes up- those are the long days.

  The big kids usually get along well first thing in the morning, so they play together or color/do a craft at the kitchen table.  When it is nice outside, that is where the remain for a while.  This gives me a chance to feed the baby his breakfast, clean up the kitchen from the night before, and start a load of laundry.  Pretty soon, the big kids are inside asking for a snack.  If is Punky, he is probably on snack #2 by 10:30am- the boy never stops eating!  During the morning, I’ll break up a bunch of fights, kiss boo-boos, put on bandaids, hand out lots of drinks and snacks, change diapers, take Spunky to the potty, feed the dog and let him out, attempt to go to the bathroom by myself (that rarely happens), and talk to my Mama on the phone (I love her!).

  In the mornings, I like to read to the kids and do crafts.  Sometimes we bake something together.  If we need to go anywhere, I do that in the morning when they are all happy.  We go grocery shopping or make trips to the library, pharmacy, park, or a doctor’s appointment. Once in a while, we entertain some Mommy-friends and their kiddos (on those days, I wake up extra-early to make sure the how is spic and span before the kids wake up).  Bunky then takes his late morning nap.  I try to take a little bit of time at this point to sit down with a cup of coffee and catch up on the computer, which I’ll check randomly throughout the day, especially whenever Bunky is nursing.

  Once I start homeschooling in the fall, I’ll have to use the time when Bunky is napping to homeschool Punky.  The following year, when Spunky has joined Punky, I’ll have even more planning to do (especially as far as time is concerned).

  Then it is lunch time.  I typically let each child choose what he or she wants to eat.  After lunch, we do a bit of the same things that we did in the morning, and then it is time for “resting time”.  Spunky takes a nap on most days.  Bunky usually wakes up right at the beginning of “resting time”, which means I will not have a break from children until nighttime, when they are all asleep.  Punky used to enjoy “resting time” more than he does now.  Usually, he is asking for it to end about thirty minutes after it has started, so I’ve been letting him come downstairs and help me with chores, laundry, feed Bunky his lunch or we will do a project together.  Some days, I’ll ask him to play with Bunky just so I can get some laundry folded (you know how great I am at that).

  When Spunky wakes up from a nap, a lot of days she asks to watch a movie and have a snack.  I don’t like the kids to watch movies all the time, but after a hard morning, I’ll permit that just so that I can get some things done around the house.  Rainy days are usually movie and big craft days for us.

  (My kids are all young still, but soon enough I’ll be taking them to lessons and sports practices or games.  There will also be afternoon play dates, recitals and school ceremonies.)

  Dinnertime is the hardest time of day for me.  Bunky is usually getting cranky at that point, Punky is “starving”, and Spunky just wants some Mommy-time.  I try to let them help me out in the kitchen if they can or I’ll let them switch the laundry from the washer to dryer.  Other days, they will play outside or sit at the kitchen table working on something together: playdoh, coloring, practicing writing, painting, etc.  They also like to play the piano and dance together.  My hubby comes downstairs from work around 6 or 6:30.  We all eat dinner together.  One church nights, we eat a bit earlier and then all leave for church together.  After church the kids go straight to bed.

  Our kids go to bed around 8:30 during the summer (7:30 when it gets darker earlier), and they love to play outside after dinner.  This means they will need a bath as soon as they come inside.  While they are outside, I’ll clean up the kitchen, start the dishwasher and soak the pots and pans, which I’ll tend to in the morning.  Then right around eight, I’ll take Bunky upstairs and get him ready for bed.  After that, it is bath time.  Prayers, stories and lots of bedtime whining follows the bath, but, eventually, the big kids are in bed.  Many nights, Bunky wakes up around 9:30 crying.  If he can’t get himself back to sleep, I’ll have to go to him and put him back to sleep.  Spunky and Punky both fight bedtime many nights, Spunky fights the hardest.  Some nights we will have to tell her ten times to stay in bed.

  But, usually, by 10:00pm the house is completely quiet, and I have some time to myself or time to spend with my husband.  I wash my cloth diapers at the end of the day, which forces me to stay up late because the load takes almost two hours to wash (pre-soak, pre-wash, wash, rinse, spin) and then I have to hang them all up and dry the liners.  Once that is done, around midnight, I can go to bed.  We like to watch movies or shows we’ve DVRed at night.  I like to spend time on my computer, reading blogs, blogging, checking on Facebook, etc.  Some nights, we will have friends over.  They’ll show up around the kids’ bedtime and then we will all just sit around talking over dessert or we’ll watch a movie.

  Most nights, I am asleep around midnight…. and then about six or so hours later, I am up to start it all again.  And most nights I don’t get to sleep through the night.  Between Bunky waking up to nurse (thankfully he is finally weaning himself of this), Spunky sneaking into our room to sleep in our “big chair,” and Punky being afraid of the dark or having a bad dream, most nights I get a couple of hours in a row before someone wakes me up. Since Bunky was born, more then ten months ago, I’ve slept eight hours in a row once, seven hours once,  and six and a half another time.

  So, for those who wonder why mothers with kids don’t have time, just take a look at my day.  When I finally do have a moment, I need some time to myself so that I can recharge.  I’ve always believed that being a SAHM is one of the hardest jobs out there, and now that I am living it every day, I am able to truly appreciate the gift that it is.  I am able to stay home with my amazing children every single day.  Sure, I’m exhausted and sleep-deprived.  Yes, it is draining to rarely have a moment to myself, even to use the bathroom.  BUT it is completely worth it, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

• Daybook for June 24, 2010

  Date: 2010.06.24 | Category: Baking & Cooking, Bunky, Frugality, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Hubby, Punky, Simple Woman's Daybook, Spunky, mama | Response: 5

  FOR TODAY

  Outside my window… Sunny, humid and HOT.
  I am thinking… that I just saved 65% of my grocery bill!  YEAH for coupons!
  I am thankful for… my wonderful husband!  We discovered a week or so ago that in order to be able to send Punky to the Latin School, we need to seriously tighten our budget.  However, it seemed that it would be too tight for us to be able to put money into savings.  This is not a situation that we want to be in, so we temporarily withdrew him from the school.  BUT we found out today that my hubby got a raise!  Now, Punky will be able to go to the Latin School and our savings won’t be affected.  Yea!
  From the learning rooms… the children discovered the educational toys in the closet and had fun playing with lacing dolls.  Not much else going on in there… summer is here and the kids are outside a lot.
  From the kitchen… we made low gl cornmeal muffins with fresh strawberries this week.  Spunky is on a PB&J kick and Punky is eating a lot of cheese.  I’ve always discovered, through experimentation that Bunky is NOT allergic to dairy like his big sis.  So, now he is enjoying lots of cheese and yogurt.  That kiddos loves to eat… well, they all do!
  I am wearing… a purple v-neck with a sage tank top peeking through, khaki cargo capris, no shoes and I French braided my hair today- it feels so nice and cool this way.
  I am creating… piles of laundry… that need to be put away.  I hoping to get that done today, but right now I am taking a break after a very stressful morning.
  I am going… to the dentist tomorrow.  Apparently, all of the morning sickness from my pregnancies has “eroded” the enamel on my back teeth (I hadn’t been to the dentist in a few years- yes, I know, I’m a bad girl).  So I will be spending two hours in the dentist’s chair tomorrow having my enamel fixed and a few small cavities filled.  I am not looking forward to it.
  I am reading… still….”Strong-Willed Child or Dreamer” (a book I found on a homeschooling blog and it is really helping me better understand my eldest).  Reading has been at a minimum for me this week.  At the end of the day, all I want to do is go to bed (or watch some tv).  It has been a rough week!
  I am hoping… for a decent night’s sleep… less than five hours is not enough for this mama.
  I am hearing… the sound of the water in the tea kettle about to boil.  Punky is all about tea today.  This is his second cup.
  Around the house… a vacuum cleaner is waiting to be used in the living room, dishes need to be put away and then others put into the dishwasher, and, of course, there’s laundry.
  One of my favorite things… watching Bunky pull up on everything.  He works so hard and has such satisfaction when he is able to do it.
  A few plans for the rest of the week: take the kids to see Toy Story 3 as a celebration for Daddy’s accomplishment at work, some alone time for ME on Saturday, church, and possibly the county fair.
  Here is picture for thought I am sharing… Bunky’s first drawing (age 9 months)

  

  The Simple Woman’s Daybook was started here.

• My Low GL Cornmeal Pancakes

  Date: 2010.06.04 | Category: Baking & Cooking, Cooking, Food, Health, Homemaking, Recipes, Spunky, Vegan/Lenten, mama | Response: 2

  

  Michelle’s Low GL Cornmeal Pancakes

  • 2 cups ground cornmeal
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 1 tsp unrefined real salt (or 2 tsp regular salt)
  • 2 eggs (or egg substitute)
  • 1 Tbsp agave nectar (or about 2 Tbsp regular sugar)
  • 4 Tbsp margarine, melted
  • 1 cup soy/almond/rice/hemp milk (or regular milk)
  • 1 cup stoneground whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Fresh or frozen berries or fruit
  • agave nectar (or sugar)
  1. In a bowl, mix together cornmeal and salt.
  2. Add boiling water, stir together, and let stand for 10 minutes.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat together beat, sugar, margarine, and milk.
  4. Add to cornmeal mixture.
  5. Sift together flour and baking powder and add to batter, mixing lightly.
  6. Cook pancakes on a 300 degree heated griddle, spreading out the batter each time you put in on the griddle. Brown lightly on both sides.
  7. Fruit Topping: Combine frozen or fresh fruit with a little bit of agave nectar (or sugar) and heat until warm through.  Spread over pancakes.

  

  I divided the batter into separate bowls, and added some food coloring to a little bit for the kiddos.  Spunky loved these so much that she ate EIGHT pancakes!

  

• Daybook for June 3, 2010

  Date: 2010.06.03 | Category: Bunky, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Parenting, Punky, Simple Woman's Daybook, Spunky, mama | Response: 2

  To comment click on the title of the post and scroll down.

  FOR TODAY
  Outside my window… it is incredibly dark.  That makes sense since it is almost ten pm.  But it was a beautiful, warm day today.
  I am thinking… that I still have a few things to fix on my blog, but I’ll get to those later.
  I am thankful for… the quiet in the house right now after a very frustrating evening.  The children are all asleep in their beds and I have “Stranger Than Fiction”playing in the background just to lighten my mood before bed.
  From the learning rooms… I started setting up our classroom last week.  It doesn’t have much more than two bookcases with books and music, but the rest of the furniture will come in time now that we’ve set aside a budget just for homeschooling.
  From the kitchen… our dinner did not turn out as planned and I ended up making something quick and easy accompanied by fresh strawberries and pineapple.  Then I had some popcorn from the Amish farm.
  I am wearing… a black t-shirt, jean capris, no shoes
  I am creating… a new look in our family room.  I’ve moved Grandpa’s childhood desk into a corner for the kids. replacing a rocking chair and quilt rack that my Dad made me- they are now both in the guest room, making the room look much homey-er.  I also rearranged all of the photos in the room.
  I am going… to take Punky (and the other two kiddos) to Speech Therapy in the morning.  He’s working on the “th” sound, specifically at the ends of words.  It is a struggle, but he’s getting there.
  I am reading… “1-2-3 Magic” (a book about discipline), “Strong-Willed Child or Dreamer” (a book I found on a homeschooling blog and it is really helping me better understand my eldest), and “Cassandra and Jane: A Jane Austen Novel (it is just a fun, relaxing read before bed), and the Prologue of Ohrid (as a family each morning after prayers).
  I am hoping… that tomorrow is a much calmer day than today.  I don’t think I can handle two days like this in a row.  Hopefully a good night’s sleep for everyone will help!
  I am hearing… the music from the movie, but nothing else.  All is peaceful and quiet.
  Around the house… two baskets of laundry need to be put away, dirty dishes in the sink, clean dishes in the dishwasher to be emptied in the morning, and I am choosing to rest this evening.  No chores until tomorrow.
  One of my favorite things… is watching my children play together, when they are not fighting or arguing.  They can play together so sweetly, even with little Bunky.
  A few plans for the rest of the week: Finish the cleaning and laundry, enjoy time with my family over the weekend, a trip to the park and library on Sunday after church and common meal, and then a busy week starting on Monday.
  Here is picture for thought I am sharing… I love her eyes!  Watch out, boys! Although, right now, she only has eyes for one boy…. err, man.

  

  The Simple Woman’s Daybook was started here.

• Perspective

  Date: 2010.05.11 | Category: Faith, Homemaking, Hubby, New House, mama | Response: 5

  My husband recently decided to spoil me and he had someone come to our home and clean for six hours.

  While this was happening, I took the kids out of the house until resting time.  As I pulled into the driveway, I could feel the excitement rising up inside of me.

  I couldn’t wait to see the clean house!

  However, what I found was not quite what I had expected.  The areas that I had asked the cleaning person to focus on didn’t look much better than they had when I had left.  I had specifically asked for the blinds to be “wiped down”- they were covered in dust and fingerprints.  They needed more than just a light dusting, but that is all that they got.

  After surveying the job done, I realized I could have accomplished that result in a mere two hours.

  I was disappointed.

  I was frustrated.

  In my anger, I started cleaning up the spots that had been missed. The spots that really needed to be done.

  I carefully cleaned the blinds.  Dusting and then cleaning each wooden slat until it was gleaming in the sunlight, feeling resentful that I had spent money on things I normally do myself.

  And that is when it hit me: if the cleaning person hadn’t come, I never would have cleaned the areas that needed it the most.

  I would have kept maintaining the house without ever taking the time to clean the areas that aren’t in the forefront.

  Even though I was upset at first, in the quiet moments as I cleaned the blinds, God showed me how important it is to be thankful for all things.

  I am thankful that the major areas of the house were cleaned by someone other than myself.

  I am thankful that I was able to deep clean some areas.

  I am thankful for my dear husband who loves me and gives me gifts that help me and improve my life, even if I don’t realize it at first.

  I am most thankful for a loving, patient God who reveals such great truths to me in moments of frustration.

  With a change in my perspective I was able to see the gift that I had been given.

  I am truly thankful.

• Accomplishing Much and Enjoying More

  Date: 2010.03.05 | Category: Bunky, Cooking, Family, Food, Friends, Homemaking, Punky, Spunky, mama | Response: 6

  Look at all I did yesterday:

  baked one batch of banana nut muffins
  baked on batch of blueberry muffins
  cleaned all of the kids’ rooms
  vacuumed
  did two loads of laundry
  put away 1/2 of one load (I hate this task!)
  baked two loaves of bread
  make two chocolate cakes
  prepared one pasta salad
  made a big batch of chili
  cleaned the kithcen
  cleaned up the guest room
  made up guest bed
  gathered clothes for the next batch of laundy
  made dinner for the kiddos
  straightened up the house
  gave my children a bath

  And the best parts:

  read books to Spunky
  bragged about my cute kids to my sister
  spoke to my mom on the phone
  taught Punky how to write his numbers
  cuddled with Bunky before his afternoon nap
  chatted with my hubby mid-day
  showed Punky how to play a new computer game
  snuggled with Spunky before her nap
  called Trish and made plans for my trip to see her
  saw the delight in Punky’s face when I put a cherry in his juice
  enjoyed listening to the children dance together
  witnessed Spunky mothering Bunky
  tucked my sweet babies into bed
  nursed and rocked Bunky to sleep

  and I get to do this all over again…
  well, not today, but another day in the near future.

  Today, Bunky and I are off to see Trish!
  

• Baking with Subsitutes & A Recipe

  Date: 2010.01.07 | Category: Cooking, Cooking With Kids, Homemaking, Recipes, Vegan/Lenten | Response: 4

  We had some VERY ripe bananas just before we left for our trip to Gatlinburg, so I put the in the freezer (my mom’s idea) to save to make banana bread with.  The bananas smelled so sweet, so I changed up my usual recipe a bit and even tried out some new substitutes as well.

  Michelle’s Super Substituted Banana Bread

  

  Mix together in large bowl:

  • 2 cups of organic whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking power
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • pinch of salt

  Combine in small bowl:

  • 2 Tbsp organic milled flax seed
  • 6 Tbsp water

  Then add to the small bowl:

  • 5 very ripe brown bananas
  • nearly 1 cup of natural organic sugar
  • 1/2 cup organic unsweetened applesauce
  • if you like nuts, add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

  Pour the contents of the small bowl into the larger one and mix thoroughly.

  Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and sprinkle about 2 Tbsp of the flax seed over the top of the loaf.

  Bake at 350 F for 60-65 minutes.

  While cooling, sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon/sugar over the top of the loaf.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Other Substitutes To Try in This Recipe
  

  Egg Substitute (each equals 1 egg)

  • Ener-G Egg Replacer (you can buy this in most grocery stores)- works well for most things, but NOT packaged brownies mixes.
  • 1 Tbsp Milled Flax Seed plus 3 Tbsp water- works great especially with whole wheat flour
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • half of a banana, mashed
  • 2 Tbsp water plus 2 tsp baking powder (1 tsp oil, optional)
  • 1/4 cup blended tofu
  • 1/4 cup applesauce plus 1 tsp baking powder
    

  Oil Substitutes

  • Applesauce
  • Butter or margarine
    
  • Shortening (use 1/4 more)
  • Stiffly beaten egg whites
  • Just about any fruit puree will work (cook the fruit and then puree in a food processor or blender)
  • Soy Lecithin (can be found in health food stores)- I’ve never tried this one

• Saturday Morning Breakfast

  Date: 2009.06.13 | Category: Cooking With Kids, Homemaking, Punky, mama | Response: 6

  Per Punky’s request:

  

  He wanted whipped cream, too… but I didn’t go that far.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  I really stink at making pancakes. They either come out too dark or too light.  I can’t seem to get the griddle to the right temperature. My dad makes THE BEST pancakes, and I, unfortunately, have not followed in his footsteps.

  Any good tips on making golden, delicious pancakes?

• Mothering Day Three: Nuturing Our Children

  Date: 2009.05.13 | Category: Cooking, Homemaking, Parenting, Punky, Spunky, mama | Response: 6

  In honor of Mother’s Day, I am posting a week’s worth of information on the things that I have started to do since I became a mother. Here are Day One and Day Two.

  Nurturing means promoting and sustaining growth and development.  This is one of the most important roles of the parent.

  I know that I often get caught up in my role as a homemaker rather than that of a mother.  I feel like I must keep my house clean and get all of laundry done, and once those tasks are completed, then I can spend time with my children.  But what I have learned, and am still learning, is that it is possible to nurture your children while I am completing these tasks.

  Daily Ways to Nurture Your Children Without Neglecting Household Duties:

  • Cleaning- Give them a broom or a cloth and spray bottle and let them join in.  I always have my children pick up whatever is on the floor before I sweep or vacuum.  We wipe down counters and tables together, and clean windows as a team.  Sing together or talk about what you see outside the window while you work together.
    
  • Doing Laundry- Children are great at sorting laundry.  This is a good way to teach them colors or sizes as well.  My children love to put the clothes into the washer or dryer and push the buttons.  Once they are older, you can fold and put the laundry away together.
    
  • Picking Up- I don’t know many children who actually like to help pick up their toys, but since it has to be done, find fun ways to do it.  Put a bin on one side of the room and have your kids toss their toys into the bin.  Sort things by sizes and talk about which are small and which are big (big, bigger, and biggest, etc).  Let each child have a specific job- one child picks up puzzle pieces while another gathers stuffed animals, and the one who completes the job the fastest wins.  Reward with healthy snacks- my kids love smoothies.
    
  • Cooking and Baking- Don’t let these moments pass you by!  We all cook on a daily basis and this is a great way to get your children involved.  I am determined to grow independent, self-sufficient people, and one way to do this, is to teach your children how to cook.  Such a simple thing can make a big difference in regards to how healthy they eat and how much money they can save.  Use these moments to teach about measurements and different types of foods.  For little ones, you can teach the simple lessons of hot, warm and cold, or wet and dry.  Children love being involved when they are able to eat the outcome of their labors!

  Keeping our children involved in these types of tasks teaching the life skills that they will be able to use when they are one day living on their own.  We are not only teaching them but spending valuable time with them.  Yes, it is much easier to put a movie on and plop them in front of it.  But it is worthwhile to spend the extra time to enrich their lives and your own.