The minimalist's goal is to have only what you need or what you find truly beautiful and useful. As we keep simplifying the areas of our life over these last few years it was bound to creep into our homeschool choices. Spring 2017 I graduated my daughter, my middle son is starting 10th grade and my little is going to be 4. After a year of paring down to what we need for the last two, one looking at high school and the other the whole 13 years, we ended up with what we consider to be the perfect amount to school books/curriculum to use through the years. Most of the good books we have used throughout my daughter's school years are still on our shelves. We have access to a library and kindle books but some books or topics are much better when you hold them in your hands. I find books heavy in photos, maps, timelines, or often times books for little people are better in print. I also don't keep a bunch of books on my shelf that I can get at my library. The basic lists for us that reflect both my teaching style and their learning styles follows. Remember this is for MY children's entire schooling years not including books on kindle or at the library, your choices may be very different.
Bible
personal bible
100 verses to memorize
Bible Atlas and Companion
Food at the Time of the Bible by Vamosh
Daily Life at the Time of Jesus by Vamosh
The Kregel Pictorial Guide to Everyday Life in Bible Times by Dowley
The Kregel Pictorial Guide to Church History by Hannah
The Feasts of Adonai by Moody
The New Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe
The Illustrated Guide to Bible Customs by Knight
The Victor Journey through the Bible by Beers
History
The Good and the Beautiful History years 1-4(only 1 and 2 are available)and the corresponding read aloud books and games
Homeschool in the Woods timeline and figures
Language Arts
The Good and the Beautiful levels Pre-K through High school, any required reading books and quality literature that can't be borrowed from library or on a kindle.
(this curriculum covers spelling, reading, writing, grammar, art, and geography)
Math
Math-U-See books, dvds, and manipulatives
Science
Pre-K and Kindergarten we use Take-Along Guides for different groups of animals and the One Small Square books on different habitats
Apologia books, basic tools/experiment supplies(microscope, binoculars, bug jar, etc.), and a binder for each student for 1st through high school(tweaked to their learning style)
Field guides of trees, birds, plants, butterflies, bugs, weather, stars, etc.
Handbook of Nature Study by Comstock
Extracurricular
As they have interest..... my one son is a boy scout and plays chess, does woodcarving, plays piano, and enjoys video games.
My daughter rides horse, spins wool, and crochets.
My youngest is raising three bantam chicks and helps his sister feed the animals.
As a family we go kayaking, hiking, and camping.
Our basic supplies:
tracing paper(used for geography)
mixed media paper(drawing, pastels, and watercolor)
copy paper
card stock
lined paper
pencils
pencil sharpener
colored pencils
watercolors
brushes
chalk pastels
fine tip sharpies(great for maps and art projects)
tape/double stick tape
paper cutter and punch
scissors
glue/rubber cement
binder clips
ruler
So my list is not extreme minimalist but it does lay out a complete yet simple education for my students through the years. Simplifying our homeschool has made it more joyful, more productive, and more focused. I have been about quality books through the years. Books I even enjoy reading and using as an adult. No twaddle here!
Showing posts with label organizing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organizing. Show all posts
Friday, June 30, 2017
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Habits and Rhythms to Our Day-part 2
Now for the practical stuff.... we all go through different seasons of life and we all have different priorities, jobs, skill set, etc. So I am going to give you MY practical and you can glean from it. So a typical week for us looks like this...
Monday I wake around 6 to make coffee and start my day. A brief trip to the bathroom to pat my hair down and wash my face before heading downstairs to boil the water for the french press coffee and take out the dog. A short devotion, prayer, and feed the dog. Then my husband and Little get up, brush teeth, wash face, get dressed, and come downstairs for breakfast. My husband goes out to take care of meat chickens, feed the wood boiler and back in to finish up before heading to work. I throw a load of laundry in, brush my teeth, get dressed, make the bed, and fill out my middle child's planner for the week. Start to get brunch ready for middle and oldest. Do a few activities with the Little(3). Other two join us to eat, finish caring for the other animals(2 cows, a goat, chickens in 2 places, rabbits, and 2 cats), and then thier school work. Change laundry. Help middle for about 30 minutes with math and science. At around 2:30 the Little gets crazy and occasionally naps but most often we go outside to play and explore. In summer it will flip and mornings will be outside and afternoons resting or playing games. Then my 2 oldest watch the youngest so I can make dinner. Daddy comes home, we eat, and relax together. Then to bed. Start all over again. The rest of the week I continue checking things off my mental list. The list is laundry, swish toilets, wipe sinks and mirrors, wash dishes, sweep, separate laundry, and general tidying. By the end of the week I am done with my list. I only put away my clothes and the Little's clothes; which is only about 40 items each. The Little helps with dusting, laundry, wiping down windows, cleaning off the table, putting away groceries, feeding the cats, and helping daddy. My middle and my husband put their own laundry away and my daughter often does her own laundry. My middle takes care of trash, recycling, collecting eggs, the dog poop, taking the dog out, taking the compost out, and some light gardening. My daughter cleans the hay room, takes care of cows/goat(grooming, trimming hooves, shots, etc.), her rabbits, and general maintenance on fences, hutches, etc. She has also helped with painting, gardening, and building things around the farm. As a family we cut, split and stack wood together. The weekend we either plan something fun or work on farm projects. Sunday afternoon every other week I do a little meal prep so I am ready for the next week. That could be making granola, chopping vegetables or fruit, making salad dressings, or mixing up meatballs or meatloaf. The children often take turns helping. We only shop every two weeks so my menu usually gets repeated the second week to make for easier shopping and cooking. So that is the weekly. My daughter does work at a horse farm part-time at the moment but she now has her license and my middle has scouts and co-op once a week but other then the occasional appointment we are home. This is key to keeping things flowing. Don't have yourself or your family so busy all the time that you can't take care of the health, cleanliness, and rest that everyone needs.
My monthly list- I wash the sheets, dust and sweep behind furniture, scrub shower/tub/sinks, and mop the floor. I do one of these each week spread over the month. These are all habits I have cultivated over the years. I gleaned from others and found what worked for me and my home. Since I do a swish and swipe throughout the week I find things don't get real yucky. You may find you need to do something more or something less depending on your family.
Each season of life and each season in the year this gets tweaked slightly. But the rhythm and habits flow none the less. I hope that was helpful. I know it sounds silly to look at someone's simple day but often times it is just a reaffirmation to keep you motivated.
Monday I wake around 6 to make coffee and start my day. A brief trip to the bathroom to pat my hair down and wash my face before heading downstairs to boil the water for the french press coffee and take out the dog. A short devotion, prayer, and feed the dog. Then my husband and Little get up, brush teeth, wash face, get dressed, and come downstairs for breakfast. My husband goes out to take care of meat chickens, feed the wood boiler and back in to finish up before heading to work. I throw a load of laundry in, brush my teeth, get dressed, make the bed, and fill out my middle child's planner for the week. Start to get brunch ready for middle and oldest. Do a few activities with the Little(3). Other two join us to eat, finish caring for the other animals(2 cows, a goat, chickens in 2 places, rabbits, and 2 cats), and then thier school work. Change laundry. Help middle for about 30 minutes with math and science. At around 2:30 the Little gets crazy and occasionally naps but most often we go outside to play and explore. In summer it will flip and mornings will be outside and afternoons resting or playing games. Then my 2 oldest watch the youngest so I can make dinner. Daddy comes home, we eat, and relax together. Then to bed. Start all over again. The rest of the week I continue checking things off my mental list. The list is laundry, swish toilets, wipe sinks and mirrors, wash dishes, sweep, separate laundry, and general tidying. By the end of the week I am done with my list. I only put away my clothes and the Little's clothes; which is only about 40 items each. The Little helps with dusting, laundry, wiping down windows, cleaning off the table, putting away groceries, feeding the cats, and helping daddy. My middle and my husband put their own laundry away and my daughter often does her own laundry. My middle takes care of trash, recycling, collecting eggs, the dog poop, taking the dog out, taking the compost out, and some light gardening. My daughter cleans the hay room, takes care of cows/goat(grooming, trimming hooves, shots, etc.), her rabbits, and general maintenance on fences, hutches, etc. She has also helped with painting, gardening, and building things around the farm. As a family we cut, split and stack wood together. The weekend we either plan something fun or work on farm projects. Sunday afternoon every other week I do a little meal prep so I am ready for the next week. That could be making granola, chopping vegetables or fruit, making salad dressings, or mixing up meatballs or meatloaf. The children often take turns helping. We only shop every two weeks so my menu usually gets repeated the second week to make for easier shopping and cooking. So that is the weekly. My daughter does work at a horse farm part-time at the moment but she now has her license and my middle has scouts and co-op once a week but other then the occasional appointment we are home. This is key to keeping things flowing. Don't have yourself or your family so busy all the time that you can't take care of the health, cleanliness, and rest that everyone needs.
My monthly list- I wash the sheets, dust and sweep behind furniture, scrub shower/tub/sinks, and mop the floor. I do one of these each week spread over the month. These are all habits I have cultivated over the years. I gleaned from others and found what worked for me and my home. Since I do a swish and swipe throughout the week I find things don't get real yucky. You may find you need to do something more or something less depending on your family.
Each season of life and each season in the year this gets tweaked slightly. But the rhythm and habits flow none the less. I hope that was helpful. I know it sounds silly to look at someone's simple day but often times it is just a reaffirmation to keep you motivated.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Habits and Rhythm to our Days
I am going to start off by confessing I am by no means perfect nor have I "arrived". But I can tell you that I have grown and learned a lot on this journey of motherhood. Also MY way may not be your way but I hope to inspire you to always move forward from where you are in life. I have been homeschooling for almost 16 years. We have only lived in 2 homes in that time but they are very different in layout and function. Over the years I have learned how to best manage my time and my resources to make for easier days. We do not have a set schedule but we do have a calendar so we can record appointments, field trips, and seasonal things we need to accomplish. Most days we have a list to accomplish... some days it is simply the farm chores and other days it is tasks to work towards finishing a bigger project. Every time I struggled with an area as a mom I made a point to either embrace that season of life(if it couldn't be changed) or to find a better way to make things flow. Almost always did it start with ME learning a new habit that I then would teach to my children.
I don't know about you but when I became a mom I quickly realized I better come up with a sane solution to "stuff" or I would quickly drown in it in a few years. So I first started down the "organize everything into bins" phase and "pass it on to other mommies" phase. After many years I realized that there is a better way... enter the journey into minimalism. By first glance I do not look like I manage a minimalist home but if you peel back the layers you will start to see... or not see certain items. I first make sure many things don't even enter my home and then I make sure that if it does enter it has a purpose or we find it worthy of taking up space. Watch Story of Stuff with your family and decide for yourself if this is a journey for your family. I can tell you that the less stuff you have the less stuff you have to maintain, clean, and find homes for. Keeping toys to a minimum also helps children complete their tasks of cleaning up and taking care of their belongings.
Chores are a wonderful way to introduce your children to a solid work ethic. I never want my kids to just sit on the couch and depend on everyone else to DO for them when they can do for themselves. So even when they are little we teach them how to put toys back in baskets, how to make a bed, take care of personal hygiene, and care for a pet. As they grow their tasks grow as well. This is so very important for many reasons. They learn to take care of themselves and take responsibility for the material items they own. They also can be helpful to someone who is elderly, a neighbor, or someone in need including yourself when you get sick. My own children have learned how to cook, clean, organize, and manage their days. We also keep things kid safe with homemade cleaning supplies and Norwex clothes which just use water to clean.
Meal planning has become very important to smooth days. I try to keep it very simple by keeping our meals simple and making many recipes twice. We shop every two weeks and often repeat a meal a second time the following week. Ours meals are mostly Paleo recipes using whole foods. Our grocery list is half vegetables, a few fruits, pasture raised meats, good fats, and some nuts. I meal prep on a Sunday afternoon which is essential for me to use up my groceries in a timely manner. I chop vegetables, marinate meats, mix up meatloaf or breakfast patties. Twice a year I mix up some "box" mixes for my teens or for when we have guests over. These DIY mixes in mason jars are for desserts, quick breads, muffins, or breakfast items for special occasions made with mostly organic ingredients. Recipes can be found for these and many other DIY recipes(cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc) in the book and site called Little House Living. As children grow and learn safety they can help you in the kitchen. You can have a special day for making bread, mixing up baked oatmeal, trail mix for snacks, or dip for fruits and veggies. A few favorite sites for quick meals the Stone Soup and Paleo Hacks.
We also keep our homeschooling minimalist so we can fill our day with practical learning. We find curriculum or ways to learn a subject that is simple and straight forward. We mostly follow a Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling. One of my favorite sites that talks more about keeping a simple homeschool is Salty Tribe. Our days flow naturally with appreciation of scripture, nature, music, art, and good literature. It fills our cup up.
Lastly some tips on "mother culture". Mother culture is cultivating YOUR soul so you can tend to those of your children. Don't loose yourself when you become a mom. They will find you more interesting if you have passions and good habits of your own. Embrace you, your talents, your heritage, and your passions. These things will feed your soul. Sometimes we do go through seasons that make certain things hard; like exercise, morning devotions, or hobbies that may be dangerous to little ones. But never loose it, always return to it or learn ways to cultivate with little ones in your presence. Over the years I have gone on scrapbook/creative weekends with friends, I learned to knit and crochet, took a quilting class and set time aside to sew at home. I block out a few hours a month for a meeting or coffee with a friend. I also make sure I get enough sleep, use an app to track my water intake, and exercise a few times a week. My husband and I plan a date night once a month. The last one we stayed home and he made dinner. Other times we have gone for a hike, stargazed, or worked side by side on the farm. This year we will use some of that time to can vegetables and work on our new bedroom/sanctuary.
Next post I will give you some practically tips on the day to day for us; but for now....
What does your family do to make the rhythm of the day or season flow? How do you cultivate new healthy habits? If you have questions please comment!
I don't know about you but when I became a mom I quickly realized I better come up with a sane solution to "stuff" or I would quickly drown in it in a few years. So I first started down the "organize everything into bins" phase and "pass it on to other mommies" phase. After many years I realized that there is a better way... enter the journey into minimalism. By first glance I do not look like I manage a minimalist home but if you peel back the layers you will start to see... or not see certain items. I first make sure many things don't even enter my home and then I make sure that if it does enter it has a purpose or we find it worthy of taking up space. Watch Story of Stuff with your family and decide for yourself if this is a journey for your family. I can tell you that the less stuff you have the less stuff you have to maintain, clean, and find homes for. Keeping toys to a minimum also helps children complete their tasks of cleaning up and taking care of their belongings.
Chores are a wonderful way to introduce your children to a solid work ethic. I never want my kids to just sit on the couch and depend on everyone else to DO for them when they can do for themselves. So even when they are little we teach them how to put toys back in baskets, how to make a bed, take care of personal hygiene, and care for a pet. As they grow their tasks grow as well. This is so very important for many reasons. They learn to take care of themselves and take responsibility for the material items they own. They also can be helpful to someone who is elderly, a neighbor, or someone in need including yourself when you get sick. My own children have learned how to cook, clean, organize, and manage their days. We also keep things kid safe with homemade cleaning supplies and Norwex clothes which just use water to clean.
Meal planning has become very important to smooth days. I try to keep it very simple by keeping our meals simple and making many recipes twice. We shop every two weeks and often repeat a meal a second time the following week. Ours meals are mostly Paleo recipes using whole foods. Our grocery list is half vegetables, a few fruits, pasture raised meats, good fats, and some nuts. I meal prep on a Sunday afternoon which is essential for me to use up my groceries in a timely manner. I chop vegetables, marinate meats, mix up meatloaf or breakfast patties. Twice a year I mix up some "box" mixes for my teens or for when we have guests over. These DIY mixes in mason jars are for desserts, quick breads, muffins, or breakfast items for special occasions made with mostly organic ingredients. Recipes can be found for these and many other DIY recipes(cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc) in the book and site called Little House Living. As children grow and learn safety they can help you in the kitchen. You can have a special day for making bread, mixing up baked oatmeal, trail mix for snacks, or dip for fruits and veggies. A few favorite sites for quick meals the Stone Soup and Paleo Hacks.
We also keep our homeschooling minimalist so we can fill our day with practical learning. We find curriculum or ways to learn a subject that is simple and straight forward. We mostly follow a Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling. One of my favorite sites that talks more about keeping a simple homeschool is Salty Tribe. Our days flow naturally with appreciation of scripture, nature, music, art, and good literature. It fills our cup up.
Lastly some tips on "mother culture". Mother culture is cultivating YOUR soul so you can tend to those of your children. Don't loose yourself when you become a mom. They will find you more interesting if you have passions and good habits of your own. Embrace you, your talents, your heritage, and your passions. These things will feed your soul. Sometimes we do go through seasons that make certain things hard; like exercise, morning devotions, or hobbies that may be dangerous to little ones. But never loose it, always return to it or learn ways to cultivate with little ones in your presence. Over the years I have gone on scrapbook/creative weekends with friends, I learned to knit and crochet, took a quilting class and set time aside to sew at home. I block out a few hours a month for a meeting or coffee with a friend. I also make sure I get enough sleep, use an app to track my water intake, and exercise a few times a week. My husband and I plan a date night once a month. The last one we stayed home and he made dinner. Other times we have gone for a hike, stargazed, or worked side by side on the farm. This year we will use some of that time to can vegetables and work on our new bedroom/sanctuary.
Next post I will give you some practically tips on the day to day for us; but for now....
What does your family do to make the rhythm of the day or season flow? How do you cultivate new healthy habits? If you have questions please comment!
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Sustainable Choices
The new year is almost upon us and this often brings reflection on the year ending. Over the past few years our journey in simplicity has grown deeper and this year ending has been one of much change. It has effected all parts of our lives. The goal in this journey was not only to slow down in this ever busy world but also to live more deliberately. To not be a mindless consumer but to consider everything we bring into our home, evaluate our world view, prioritize our activities, and examine our relationships. It really is a journey and not a destination since we grow much better over time as we learn to implement new ideas instead of making many changes all at once.
When we moved into our farmhouse in 2012 after living in a well laid out ranch home we knew that we would have to do things differently. This home lacks closets of course and the basement or attic leave a lot to be desired for storage of important items. So the purge began. This purge was not only of our own belongings but of the belongings of the previous elderly owners. We didn't want to loose the buyers of our home so we agreed to buy our current home with the understanding we would do the cleanup for them. So with blazing fire we cleaned out and burned piles of old mouse infested wool, bug invested wood and old cardboard. The purge was freeing. When we got to the end of their stuff in the sheds, the trailer, and the farmhouse basement we needed to start addressing our own belongings.
This is were we started to evaluate more then just our stuff but also how we spent our time and who we spent it with. We have learned so much about life and death here in the process of caring for our animals and watching the wild life. We are not full time farmers by any means. We are homesteaders if you will; trying to raise some of our food and medicine. So this brings me to the deliberate sustainable choices we have made along the way.
The choices we have made thus far:
*all products we use to clean the home or our bodies to be safe for us and our cesspool
*raising our own chicken, turkey, some vegetables, fruit, and herbs for food or medicine
*make most of our medicine, teas, toiletries, and cleaning products
*simplified our homeschool to use less paper and other materials
*simplified our meals to include only real foods and as close to zero processed food as possible(we eat mostly a paleo diet)
*spending our time building relationships and sharing skills
*using electronics as tools and not mindlessly spending our time there
*enjoying as much time as we can outside
*resting and praying daily; resting when we are ill
*choosing activities away from the home wisely
*we burn all paper trash for fuel and harvest downed trees for fuel, reuse, recycle, and compost as much as we can
*Repairing clothing when we can and only buying quality clothes when needed to replace an item in a minimal wardrobe(which has saved us in doing laundry as well)
*any gifts given would be very deliberate, wrapped in fabric or in a glass jar, and often times consumable
*and most important of all is I now teach sustainablity classes here at our farm so others can join the journey
So what choices have you made in your life on your sustainability journey?
When we moved into our farmhouse in 2012 after living in a well laid out ranch home we knew that we would have to do things differently. This home lacks closets of course and the basement or attic leave a lot to be desired for storage of important items. So the purge began. This purge was not only of our own belongings but of the belongings of the previous elderly owners. We didn't want to loose the buyers of our home so we agreed to buy our current home with the understanding we would do the cleanup for them. So with blazing fire we cleaned out and burned piles of old mouse infested wool, bug invested wood and old cardboard. The purge was freeing. When we got to the end of their stuff in the sheds, the trailer, and the farmhouse basement we needed to start addressing our own belongings.
This is were we started to evaluate more then just our stuff but also how we spent our time and who we spent it with. We have learned so much about life and death here in the process of caring for our animals and watching the wild life. We are not full time farmers by any means. We are homesteaders if you will; trying to raise some of our food and medicine. So this brings me to the deliberate sustainable choices we have made along the way.
The choices we have made thus far:
*all products we use to clean the home or our bodies to be safe for us and our cesspool
*raising our own chicken, turkey, some vegetables, fruit, and herbs for food or medicine
*make most of our medicine, teas, toiletries, and cleaning products
*simplified our homeschool to use less paper and other materials
*simplified our meals to include only real foods and as close to zero processed food as possible(we eat mostly a paleo diet)
*spending our time building relationships and sharing skills
*using electronics as tools and not mindlessly spending our time there
*enjoying as much time as we can outside
*resting and praying daily; resting when we are ill
*choosing activities away from the home wisely
*we burn all paper trash for fuel and harvest downed trees for fuel, reuse, recycle, and compost as much as we can
*Repairing clothing when we can and only buying quality clothes when needed to replace an item in a minimal wardrobe(which has saved us in doing laundry as well)
*any gifts given would be very deliberate, wrapped in fabric or in a glass jar, and often times consumable
*and most important of all is I now teach sustainablity classes here at our farm so others can join the journey
So what choices have you made in your life on your sustainability journey?
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Stocking a Living Pantry
Definition of a living pantry- a pantry of items you stock that you normally use throughout the year to make meals, cleaning products, medicinals and toiletries. NOT items that you never eat but store for the sole purpose of emergency situations.
Stocking a living pantry these days might not sound as important as 100 years ago but I am finding that the quality of our food is making it very important to us to do so. In my great grandparents day there was no need for organics or reading labels... researching a company to find out the purity of a product because we can't trust the forces in charge to protect us wasn't needed then. Really? Sadly yes, the laws allow way too much. After reading some of the laws um I think I will make my food supply a priority! I know it sounds like a lot of work but is't food one of the most important health giving or taking away parts of your whole life? When you read that 80% of olive oil here in US is adulterated with rancid vegetable oil and honey is adulterated with corn syrup.... so much for switching to healthy alternatives and paying more to boot. So for us it is a big part of this abundant life we are trying to live.
You may ask how to switch to better products and get the real deal? Your best bet is to go local and go small. The smaller local companies have better control of how and what goes into their products. I love supporting my local farms. So we buy or barter for local maple syrup, honey, produce and meats we don't grow ourselves. We grow some of our own herbs, some vegetables, chickens, eggs, some fruit and some nuts. Over many years we switched to mostly homemade items like granola, dairy products, condiments, sauces, canned fruits, pantry mixes, pickles, ferments, and herb mixes. If you think you can't do this where you live I encourage you to read the book "The Urban Farmer Handbook" for inspiration. These things are learned over time not overnight, switch slowly. When we can't get local we try to buy from small companies in bulk from the source. Like olive oil in a gallon tin from Greece or California. Tip-they will print harvest date on can and not just an expiration date
So lets get down to business with this pantry stocking. First write down about 30 of the most common meals you make throughout the year. If they are from mostly processed foods then look into how to change the recipes to a homemade version to cut down on chemical preservatives and increase the quality of the meal. Tip- to make things more convenient many meals can be prepped ahead, frozen to be used on busy days or to be thrown in a crock pot. I have just made 25 meals in 5 hours this weekend that I threw in the freezer. For inspiration, recipes and grocery lists check here. As a family we will make up 6 jars each of convenient mixes like seasonings, pancake mix, cookies, cake, soup mix or trail mix. These are treats but it makes it simple to use one as a gift or have the teens make a dessert when company comes over. So after we have our meals written down we look at the list of ingredients needed. Write this up on a grocery list so you can see how much is needed of each item... like 10 onions, 5 lbs carrots, 10 lbs chicken, etc. Now you can easily see how much food your family eats in a year by multiplying this by 12! You may vary your meals with the seasons but I found that families gravitate towards similar base ingredients throughout the year. Example- our family uses jasmine rice, wild rice, rolled oats, buckwheat groats, navy beans, honey, maple syrup, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, sea salt, herbs, spices, apple cider vinegar and certain oils throughout the year. After I wrote this out for breakfast and lunches too I could start to see how many pounds of rice, oats, nuts, etc. I would use as the months rolled by. That made it easy to justify buying certain items that keep in bulk. After a year I could be pretty certain that I would use a 25 lb bag of rice and 50 lbs of oats(getting them cheaper by the pound).
Here are the categories you may use to write up a master list for your family- whole grains(rice, oats, quinoa, groats, etc.), beans/legumes(lentils, beans or peas), nuts/seeds/dried fruits, fats/oils(coconut, palm, olive oil, avocado,etc), vinegars, sweeteners(honey, maple syrup raw sugar), condiments/canned goods(mustard, relish, hot sauce, tomato products, canned fish, pickles, jam, nut butters, etc.), dried goods(baking ingredients, seasonings, cacao powder, teas, coffee, diy mixes), dairy/dairy alternative products, cold storage vegetables if you have the room or conditions(potatoes, apples, carrots, onions, garlic, winter squashes, sweet potatoes, etc.), freezer items(fruits picked in season, vegetables, meats, prepared meals, etc.), natural medicinal and cleaning product supplies(herbs, homeopathics, essential oils, butters, clays, beeswax, soaps, etc.) I make a master list that I can check or write prices on as I stock up. I shop every two weeks and try to buy one bulk items to replenish my stock. It varies as the seasons change. I buy maple syrup, olive oil and honey after it has been harvested that year.
Now for storing all those items! I have a small kitchen that I stock two cabinets with bulk items in glass jars to use on a weekly basis. The jars range from gallon, half gallon and quarts depending on how often I use that item. Seasoning are in pint jars in a drawer. Other bulk items are kept in our basement in six 5 gallon buckets with Gamma lids. If I buy a 25 or 50 pound bag items I will often break that down to 5 or 10 pound increments in mylar bags that I seal with a iron. They get stacked in the 5 gallon bucket for storage. Most bulk items get used or rotated through in a year. Some items are kept longer if it is suitable to do so. Canned items are kept on a shelving unit in basement and next to that is two upright freezers stocked with meats and prepared meals. Once or twice a year I make up cleaning products and toiletries. Medicinal items are made in the season prior to the season they are needed in so they are fresh but ready to go. Example-elderberry syrup, vapor rub and cold kicker are made in September, sunscreen, deodorant and bug spray are made in May.
KEEP IT SIMPLE! Say your family doesn't often get sick then it may be silly for you to make 10 different items for cold season. Think about YOUR situation and what would be worth your time and money to invest in.
Some of our favorite mixes-
Ranch dressing mix
Copy Cat Rice-a-Roni made with gluten free pasta
vegan meals in jars
jambalaya mix(except we add the broth later instead of using bouillon)
vanilla extract
LOADS of diy mixes
gluten free baking mix
Stocking a living pantry these days might not sound as important as 100 years ago but I am finding that the quality of our food is making it very important to us to do so. In my great grandparents day there was no need for organics or reading labels... researching a company to find out the purity of a product because we can't trust the forces in charge to protect us wasn't needed then. Really? Sadly yes, the laws allow way too much. After reading some of the laws um I think I will make my food supply a priority! I know it sounds like a lot of work but is't food one of the most important health giving or taking away parts of your whole life? When you read that 80% of olive oil here in US is adulterated with rancid vegetable oil and honey is adulterated with corn syrup.... so much for switching to healthy alternatives and paying more to boot. So for us it is a big part of this abundant life we are trying to live.
You may ask how to switch to better products and get the real deal? Your best bet is to go local and go small. The smaller local companies have better control of how and what goes into their products. I love supporting my local farms. So we buy or barter for local maple syrup, honey, produce and meats we don't grow ourselves. We grow some of our own herbs, some vegetables, chickens, eggs, some fruit and some nuts. Over many years we switched to mostly homemade items like granola, dairy products, condiments, sauces, canned fruits, pantry mixes, pickles, ferments, and herb mixes. If you think you can't do this where you live I encourage you to read the book "The Urban Farmer Handbook" for inspiration. These things are learned over time not overnight, switch slowly. When we can't get local we try to buy from small companies in bulk from the source. Like olive oil in a gallon tin from Greece or California. Tip-they will print harvest date on can and not just an expiration date
So lets get down to business with this pantry stocking. First write down about 30 of the most common meals you make throughout the year. If they are from mostly processed foods then look into how to change the recipes to a homemade version to cut down on chemical preservatives and increase the quality of the meal. Tip- to make things more convenient many meals can be prepped ahead, frozen to be used on busy days or to be thrown in a crock pot. I have just made 25 meals in 5 hours this weekend that I threw in the freezer. For inspiration, recipes and grocery lists check here. As a family we will make up 6 jars each of convenient mixes like seasonings, pancake mix, cookies, cake, soup mix or trail mix. These are treats but it makes it simple to use one as a gift or have the teens make a dessert when company comes over. So after we have our meals written down we look at the list of ingredients needed. Write this up on a grocery list so you can see how much is needed of each item... like 10 onions, 5 lbs carrots, 10 lbs chicken, etc. Now you can easily see how much food your family eats in a year by multiplying this by 12! You may vary your meals with the seasons but I found that families gravitate towards similar base ingredients throughout the year. Example- our family uses jasmine rice, wild rice, rolled oats, buckwheat groats, navy beans, honey, maple syrup, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, sea salt, herbs, spices, apple cider vinegar and certain oils throughout the year. After I wrote this out for breakfast and lunches too I could start to see how many pounds of rice, oats, nuts, etc. I would use as the months rolled by. That made it easy to justify buying certain items that keep in bulk. After a year I could be pretty certain that I would use a 25 lb bag of rice and 50 lbs of oats(getting them cheaper by the pound).
Here are the categories you may use to write up a master list for your family- whole grains(rice, oats, quinoa, groats, etc.), beans/legumes(lentils, beans or peas), nuts/seeds/dried fruits, fats/oils(coconut, palm, olive oil, avocado,etc), vinegars, sweeteners(honey, maple syrup raw sugar), condiments/canned goods(mustard, relish, hot sauce, tomato products, canned fish, pickles, jam, nut butters, etc.), dried goods(baking ingredients, seasonings, cacao powder, teas, coffee, diy mixes), dairy/dairy alternative products, cold storage vegetables if you have the room or conditions(potatoes, apples, carrots, onions, garlic, winter squashes, sweet potatoes, etc.), freezer items(fruits picked in season, vegetables, meats, prepared meals, etc.), natural medicinal and cleaning product supplies(herbs, homeopathics, essential oils, butters, clays, beeswax, soaps, etc.) I make a master list that I can check or write prices on as I stock up. I shop every two weeks and try to buy one bulk items to replenish my stock. It varies as the seasons change. I buy maple syrup, olive oil and honey after it has been harvested that year.
Now for storing all those items! I have a small kitchen that I stock two cabinets with bulk items in glass jars to use on a weekly basis. The jars range from gallon, half gallon and quarts depending on how often I use that item. Seasoning are in pint jars in a drawer. Other bulk items are kept in our basement in six 5 gallon buckets with Gamma lids. If I buy a 25 or 50 pound bag items I will often break that down to 5 or 10 pound increments in mylar bags that I seal with a iron. They get stacked in the 5 gallon bucket for storage. Most bulk items get used or rotated through in a year. Some items are kept longer if it is suitable to do so. Canned items are kept on a shelving unit in basement and next to that is two upright freezers stocked with meats and prepared meals. Once or twice a year I make up cleaning products and toiletries. Medicinal items are made in the season prior to the season they are needed in so they are fresh but ready to go. Example-elderberry syrup, vapor rub and cold kicker are made in September, sunscreen, deodorant and bug spray are made in May.
KEEP IT SIMPLE! Say your family doesn't often get sick then it may be silly for you to make 10 different items for cold season. Think about YOUR situation and what would be worth your time and money to invest in.
Some of our favorite mixes-
Ranch dressing mix
Copy Cat Rice-a-Roni made with gluten free pasta
vegan meals in jars
jambalaya mix(except we add the broth later instead of using bouillon)
vanilla extract
LOADS of diy mixes
gluten free baking mix
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot
It is no secret that I enjoy getting rid of stuff... to the point I am surprised my friends still love me. I think I have taught them how to saw 'NO' (refuse)better then they ever knew before. I monthly reevaluate my STUFF to see if there is anything left to get rid of before we move(someone will eventually buy our house, right?). I live in a 1100 sq ft home so managing 4 people and their stuff makes living small work. No I am not moving to a bigger house just bigger land so we can be less consumers and more producers... that is a story for another time. We love our little house and would move it to a larger piece of land if it were cost effective. The past 20 years I have really thought long and hard about the possessions I have owned... or did they own me? I have moved over 17 times in my life and after awhile you start to ask yourself why you even bothered to pack certain things instead of getting rid of them. Watch this little video on STUFF and leave me a comment of what your thoughts are.
Some things I started doing to help close the loops:
Some things I started doing to help close the loops:
- I started looking at how happy the people were in the photos from friends who had gone on mission trips... the folks weren't happy because they had STUFF... they were happy to have Jesus, food, a place to sleep, family, friends...etc.
- I seriously think about how I am voting with my dollars and do I really need to buy it at all(reduce)
- Repurposing stuff I already have.... like turning old sweaters into hats, gloves, and scarves(my favorite scarf from my favorite old sweater), old t-shirts into rugs, milk jugs into mini greenhouses, containers into storage for leftovers, etc.(reuse)
- Recycle computers, cell phones, any packaging I can... boxes, glass, plastic(recycle)
- My son has a worm farm in the basement that helps to turn some of our kitchen waste into dirt(rot)
- Before I buy a packaged item I try to think how I can keep it out of the trash after I have only spent a few minutes consuming it... hum.
- Buy used items and take care of them so they continue to be passed around or sold till they wear out. My favorite items to buy used are books, clothes, and my car(we figured by buying brand new you loose about $5,000 in a 5-10 year period... over your lifetime that is a lot of money saved)
- Buy quality useful items from local crafts people that could then be passed down to others(I love my wooden spoons!)
- Make what you can homemade and store the homemade items in glass or plastic jars you have recycled. We make tooth powder, deodorant, cleaning supplies, soup mixes, canned food, blankets, a few clothes items, bread, etc.
- Buy in bulk the food items you use most
- Buy local foods and take your own container(our local bulk store will refill my peanut butter jar with fresh ground butter)
- Lastly... when you pick an item up think about it's function... can you do that function with an item you already have in your home... I don't know about you but I love items that can be used 10 different ways so it not only saves me space but saves me money
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| My favorite scarf from my favorite old sweater |
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Our pantry
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| Spice drawer |
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| Our pantry at the moment till we move and canning season kicks into high gear... we will need to get a few more shelves for canned items. |
I have been working on our family pantry for years trying to get it to the quantity and quality for our families eating habits. It is no secret that I do not like to go to the grocery store so buying in bulk reduces the trips. It is something you have to work your way up to because I don't know to many people who can go buy all the jars and items to fill them all at once. I started with the bagged items from our local bulk store. As we changed our eating habits to a more traditional diet I started to see seasonal eating habits that helped me to figure out quantities of bulk dry items such as rice, beans, lentils and oats. I knew if the recipes changed slightly over the years I would still want to get a certain amount of healthy ingredients into my family of four. Over the years we added pastured meat, raw dairy products, more herbs, more home canned items, etc. Goal for this year is to replace all store bought condiments with homemade ones, start sour dough and more canning of seasonal foods. Also want to add a clipboard with food inventory sheets to the side of the shelves/freezer, make a snack basket with homemade items like bars, fruit leathers, crispy nuts, granola, popcorn, jerky and sesame sticks so we have take along snacks handy for walks/hikes. I also want to laminate my formula cooking recipe cards(I will share in another post in April) and put them on rings so they are easy to find. Don't get me wrong I love my cookbooks but sometimes you need a formula so you can add what you have on hand to make a meal instead of trying to find exact ingredients.
So what exactly is in my pantry...
Grains/Beans
rice(Jasmine, Basmati, wild, etc.)
rolled oats
quinoa(red and regular)
high quality pasta
spelt/rye
dried corn
lentils(different kinds)
beans(cannellini, kidney, black and fava)
slit peas
Nuts/Seeds/Fruit
nuts(walnuts, pecans, hazel, almonds)
seeds(sesame, flax, hemp, sunflower, pumpkin)
dried fruits(cranberries, blueberries, apricots, raisins, apples, coconut flakes and lots of dates)
Oils/Vinegar/Condiments/Sweeteners
Oils(extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, walnut oil and lard)
vinegars(apple cider, balsamic, and rice)
Condiments(ketchup, BBQ sauce, chili paste, tamari, mustard, relish, sauerkraut, mayo, worcestershire sauce, pickles, diced chilies, and artichoke hearts)
sweeteners(honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, raw sugar, stevia and Rapadura)
Other dried and canned items
tomato paste and tomato sauce
broths
canned fish
cocoa powder
jams and nut butters
gelatin
baking soda and powder
dried vegetable mix
tapioca
sprouted flour and gluten free mix
Spices/Seasonings
garlic powder, parsley, sea salt, pepper, cinnamon(powder and sticks), nutmeg, cloves, paprika, celery flakes/seeds, ginger powder, cilantro, cumin, chives, caraway, sage, thyme, oregano, basil, mustard, bay, rosemary, lavender, coriander
Mixes I make up- italian, mexican, chili powder, Herbs de Provence, pickling spice and few others from MaryJane's Farm book Outpost
extracts- vanilla, peppermint and almond
I also keep white vinegar for making homemade cleaning supplies(I will share in another post), some paper towels, toilet paper, batteries, etc.
Freezer
assorted cuts from a 1/4 steer, whole lamb, chickens, venison, 1/2 pig, freezer jam, cream, assorted vegetables and fruit
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| I keep jars above my sink on a shelf of most frequently used items. |
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| I also keep a supply of medicinal herbs that I use most often in my kitchen. |
Monday, March 12, 2012
Spring
I am also enjoying the virtual cork boards if you will of pinterest.com. Being a visual person I need these ideas to keep me going. So please share in comments.... have you caught the spring clean-out bug yet? What areas are you working on organizing?
Monday, March 5, 2012
Herbal Inventory
Tis the time for some spring cleaning and inventory of what is on the pantry shelves. My pantry is in my basement because I don't have a kitchen large enough to handle all my pantry items. So I started with my herbs for making teas, remedies and balms.
So what I typically keep on hand are:
Astragalus/Burdock/Dandelion roots to add to bone broth
Chamomile(we use this for pink eye and bladder infections)
Calendula/St. John's Wort/Plantain/Comfrey(for salve)
Children's Composition(from www.morethanalive.com) for glycerite
Yarrow
Rose Hips
Lavender
Catnip
Lemon Balm
Nettle Leaf
Red Raspberry
Oatstraw
Echinacea root
Rosemary
Eucalyptus
Peppermint
Spearmint
Red Clover
Mullein
Elder flower/berry(for Elder flower tea and Elder berry syrup)
Marshmallow
Slippery Elm
Myrrh powder
Beeswax/Shea Butter/Olive Oil/coconut oil/assorted essential oils
Most of my supplies if I don't grow them myself come from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Remember I am not a medical doctor so this is for educational purposes only and not meant as information to treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
I keep my roots, bark, and berries for 3-4 years and leaves/flowers for 1-3 years. We make salves, chest balm, lip balm, toothpowder, deodorant, hard lotion bars, teas, glycerites, tinctures, lozenges, poultices, infusions, and cough syrup. Sometime this year we will try our hand at face lotion, flower waters, and soap making.
My favorite beginners site is www.learningherbs.com where they offer free ecourses, a newsletter, and kits to get started. My kids also love their board game about herbs. If you want more in depth studies try the link on my page to Vintage Remedies School. Try your hand at a recipe from one of the links above or try growing a few new herbs in your garden this summer. In a later post I will share my plans for a new medicinal herb garden that I hope to plant this summer. Growing and using herbs has been such a joy for me and my family that I have a hard time not sharing it with others. I hope you find something in this post that is helpful... let me know in the comments.
So what I typically keep on hand are:
Astragalus/Burdock/Dandelion roots to add to bone broth
Chamomile(we use this for pink eye and bladder infections)
Calendula/St. John's Wort/Plantain/Comfrey(for salve)
Children's Composition(from www.morethanalive.com) for glycerite
Yarrow
Rose Hips
Lavender
Catnip
Lemon Balm
Nettle Leaf
Red Raspberry
Oatstraw
Echinacea root
Rosemary
Eucalyptus
Peppermint
Spearmint
Red Clover
Mullein
Elder flower/berry(for Elder flower tea and Elder berry syrup)
Marshmallow
Slippery Elm
Myrrh powder
Beeswax/Shea Butter/Olive Oil/coconut oil/assorted essential oils
Most of my supplies if I don't grow them myself come from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Remember I am not a medical doctor so this is for educational purposes only and not meant as information to treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
I keep my roots, bark, and berries for 3-4 years and leaves/flowers for 1-3 years. We make salves, chest balm, lip balm, toothpowder, deodorant, hard lotion bars, teas, glycerites, tinctures, lozenges, poultices, infusions, and cough syrup. Sometime this year we will try our hand at face lotion, flower waters, and soap making.
My favorite beginners site is www.learningherbs.com where they offer free ecourses, a newsletter, and kits to get started. My kids also love their board game about herbs. If you want more in depth studies try the link on my page to Vintage Remedies School. Try your hand at a recipe from one of the links above or try growing a few new herbs in your garden this summer. In a later post I will share my plans for a new medicinal herb garden that I hope to plant this summer. Growing and using herbs has been such a joy for me and my family that I have a hard time not sharing it with others. I hope you find something in this post that is helpful... let me know in the comments.
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| Making herbal chest rub. If your wondering about the wooden tool it is called a spurtle that I use just for stirring things I make with beeswax. |
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| Finished chest rub. |
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| Making sniff jars for Christmas presents. |
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| Homemade tooth powder and deodorant. |
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Doing little by little to get a job done...
So as the rhythm of life flows different seasons hold different work. Homeschooling is one of those that we try to do different tasks throughout the school year so the load is spread out. That concept can be applied to many areas of life. The one task for homeschooling that we do this with is their portfolios. Our state requires it and our school district wants to see it every year. So we start at the beginning of the year setting up their binders, making dividers and adding their first samples. As the year goes on we can pull a few samples to add so by the end of the year we have a nearly completed portfolio. This would be great to use with a journal you build over time or an area you are learning about that will grow as you gather information. We have used this idea to set-up pretty binders(clear pocket binders that we add scrapbook paper to) to collect patterns, recipes, herbal information sheets, craft instructions and ideas. Spreading the work out over the year(or years) makes a task more doable. Notebookingpages.com has some wonderful downloads to make your job easier for homeschooling. If you join their Treasury you get beautiful dividers, themed notebook pages for history, geography, nature study, art, composers, science, etc. A wealth of work already done at your fingertips. They also have a a lot of freebies to check out if you have never used their pages before.
"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world." - Joel Barker
"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world." - Joel Barker
Friday, March 25, 2011
Spring cleanout
Ah, the air is warming, the sun shines more, the smell of things turning green, SPRING! I find this the best time to clean out everything. My closets, my herbs, old seeds, my pantry, the cobwebs hanging in my living room, the bathroom, etc. This is a great time to take a weekend to clean out all those expired products. I make my family a full breakfast and then we get to work checking labels and cleaning out anything we know we won't use or that looks funny. If it is natural we empty, rinse, and recycle.
Herbs... well I try to only buy what I think I will use in a year. Leaves and flowers are really most potent their first year. Roots and bark are good for two to three years. Tinctures made and kept in a cool place can keep for many years. I store my herbs in tightly lidded glass jars away from direct sunlight. If I purchased them for a blend then I make sure I mix it up and label it well as soon I get them. Make sure you date anything you make at home... even culinary herbs. A helpful tip that I am finding invaluable is to write recipes for items I know I use often on index cards or recipe cards, laminate them, and put on a ring. This way I don't have to go searching through a bunch of books for the recipes that really worked for our family. The same can go for food recipes, culinary mixes you like, cleaning supplies, beauty recipes, crafts directions, cleaning lists, stain removal ideas, anything with a shorter list that needs to be kept on hand. I find it saves a lot of time.
Happy Spring cleaning!
Herbs... well I try to only buy what I think I will use in a year. Leaves and flowers are really most potent their first year. Roots and bark are good for two to three years. Tinctures made and kept in a cool place can keep for many years. I store my herbs in tightly lidded glass jars away from direct sunlight. If I purchased them for a blend then I make sure I mix it up and label it well as soon I get them. Make sure you date anything you make at home... even culinary herbs. A helpful tip that I am finding invaluable is to write recipes for items I know I use often on index cards or recipe cards, laminate them, and put on a ring. This way I don't have to go searching through a bunch of books for the recipes that really worked for our family. The same can go for food recipes, culinary mixes you like, cleaning supplies, beauty recipes, crafts directions, cleaning lists, stain removal ideas, anything with a shorter list that needs to be kept on hand. I find it saves a lot of time.
Happy Spring cleaning!
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