Archive for Family Stuff

When to be Soft and When to be Strong #CharminVote

Like most mothers, I want what’s best for my children, but conveying that is difficult sometimes especially when there are other factors involved and a pull from other directions. This means knowing when to be soft and when to be strong through the different situations that arise as a parent.

Life has taken me through many twists and turns. When I was young all I could think about was being grown up, but what I didn’t realize then was adulthood is so much harder than I ever thought it would be. I remember wanting to be a mother and having lots of children. Yes, you read that correctly. You see, I grew up babysitting and being around some amazing children. I was a Sunday School teacher, Nursery worker, Youth Group leader, camp counselor and I eventually “graduated” to become a teacher at the camp I attended as a kid and worked at as a teen. Those experiences helped me know I wanted to be a mother from a young age. The thing is, the parents around me never prepared me for what being a mother all entailed, after all I could leave the children that were in my charge in every situation I worked. Nothing can prepare you for being a full-time parent. While it is the hardest job I have ever tackled, it is the most rewarding job I have ever had. Especially when the fruit of our labor starts to show itself….years and years down the road. Try like 12-15 years. That’s a long time to wait after pouring your heart and soul into another person. Or multiple people. I know I spent countless hours in prayer and agony worrying about how my girls were going to turn out. I still worry, part of being a parent, I guess.

When to be Soft

As a mother, there are times when I am a big softie. I love buying my children things and seeing them delight in those things. I don’t usually go overboard, but when I have eight children to buy for a simple trip to the store can pretty expensive if I cave and get them each something they ask for. That’s why we have established a rule they are not to ask for things when we go into a store. There are exceptions of course, especially if it’s something we have been talking about getting and just never have.

I tend to be a softie when it comes to allowing my children to explore and create too. This translates into our basement being a complete mess, er, I mean a masterpiece of “creating”. Part of my philosophy of homeschooling is to give our children freedom to find out who they are and what they enjoy so they can discover their life’s work in the process. I don’t want to force my children into a square peg if they are a circle. An example of this is our older daughter, who has been given ample opportunity to write. Her goal is to become a published author. The world needs good authors and I believe she can and will become one in God’s timing.

Yet there are other times when as a parent I need to act strong and establish authority and discipline in our children’s lives.

When to be Strong

I think being the authority and disciplining is what I find most difficult about parenting. As I said, I am a huge softie, that also translates into being pretty sensitive. Yet, as a mother I want to do what is right for my children so that overrides my soft heart when it comes to making sure our children are being steered in the direction of being responsible, God-fearing citizens. For example, if Junior is screeching for his way that means I don’t give in to his demands because that would go against our goals for him as a person. It is much harder to remain strong than it is to give into him. My older daughters would say that we have grown soft over the years and while that may be true, our desire is still the same, we just may be adjusting how we reach the ultimate goal. After all the girls were our so-called guinea pigs, unfortunately.

I need to be strong when my children oppose my authority or else I am going to raise spoiled brats and they will never learn how to listen to anyone in their lives. Whether or not they work for themselves or for someone else they have to learn to take direction from people in authority. After all, don’t I obey speed limits out of fear of a speeding ticket from the police, an authority in my life? Children need boundaries and I need to be strong when establishing and enforcing them.




Soft or Strong Charmin Vote

Charmin knows about the soft and strong dilemma and invites you to cast your votes for your favorite Charmin: Ultra Soft or Ultra Strong on their Facebook page.

You may also connect with Charmin on their website:
http://www.charmin.com/

and

http://www.enjoythego.com

and

Follow @charmin on Twitter

We all have areas in our lives where we need to be soft and to be strong. The key is to determine those times in advance and stick to it through the hills and the valleys, especially as a parent.

“I am being compensated for this blog post as part of the SocialMoms and Charmin blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. For more blog posts on this topic, click here.


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Canning and Freezing Veggies – The Labor of Love

Well, I did it! I accomplished canning and freezing veggies! My first canning season in the new place with most of my own veggies!  The other veggies that we didn’t grow I bought from a local stand.  The kitchen heats up awful fast in the middle of August, but it will be so nice in those cold months to make my family meals with vegetables from our own garden!  Here’s what I canned:  pickles, crushed tomatoes, 3 pickled beans, pickled grape tomatoes, salsa, BBQ sauce, pickled hot peppers, white peaches, and bruschetta!  In all that makes exactly 50 jars of wonderfulness!

I also blanched and froze bags of corn, cut peppers, whole red peppers, peas, beans, cucumbers, and zucchini!

I looked up most of the recipes on the internet with a few out of an old Ball Canning Book I found. I received and email from Grit Magazine awhile ago with the “Ultimate Guide to Food Preservation”, that would have been VERY handy a few weeks back!  There is a wealth of information on their site, including sweepstakes!  Go and check them out!

~ Brande


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Happy Chickens and Turkeys

I wanted to add some new photos of the chickens in their new home and of our turkeys, for those of you interested. I wish I had my phone or camera when we let all the turkeys and chickens out this morning. They loved stretching their wings, flying, puffing up and the chickens especially enjoyed foraging. While we move their coops every day or two depending, we don’t get them out enough, especially the turkeys. Electric fencing runs around $500 and we’ve been trying to hold off on that expense a bit longer…It was fun to watch the “barnyard” full of poultry. Of course we had to keep Padfoot tied up so he couldn’t cause any trouble.

Our Buff Orpington rooster went at our youngest daughter, Blondie, today because one of the hens she was holding made a noise. Blondie was more frightened than hurt. She said he pecked her on the back but there wasn’t any marks at all. He’s still alive and I am at a loss what to do because by all rights he should be on a platter, but the girls reminded me that we want to raise our own chicks and they have decided they want Buff Orpingtons. Without a rooster no baby chicks. A slight dilemma.

I was very proud of Peanut and Jumpy for catching the turkeys and getting them back into their coop. The younger children are quite adept at chicken catching too.

We have some very happy chickens and turkeys…take a look:

The turkey that is above all the rest in the photo below is our largest turkey and he’s also the one that was the hero the other night when a predator came a-callin’.

So many posts to do and so little time…


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My First Farmers Almanac

I bought my first Farmers Almanac the other day and I can’t believe I didn’t buy it sooner!

I always thought the Farmers Almanac was all about the weather.  Boy was I surprised when I found tons of fantastic information!

Yes, it does have weather information,  BUT, on page 8 I found out how to get rid of weeds with out pulling or chemicals and it’s easy!  You pour boiling water on them or use a mixture of dish washing liquid (5 tablespoons) and water (4 cups) in a spray bottle!  I also learned how to make a “Homemade Jar Opener”, “No-Mess Baking”, ways to cut energy costs, how to save on gas, even a section on comfort foods (my favorite).

I plan on buying one every year!  They are really a wealth of information!


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Catch Up Time With Motivation Monday on Tuesday

It’s been a while since I wrote a Motivation Monday post, so that’s why I titled this “Catch up Time With Motivation Monday” because it is time to catch up. So much for taking some time off from blogging this summer, this past month just seems to be so very busy. Not just for this blog, but also for my VA business. When it rains it pours, but it’s a blessing to be busy, to have work and to be healthy enough to work. It’s just stretching my time management skills that’s all. Ha!

Not to mention all the events and promotions we have coming up for our Young Living business and our fledgling farm.

More Farm News

My husband and I are still so impressed with the farmer we met on Sunday. True to his word, he sent over all the information he said he would yesterday morning. I have been working on a farm listing, called an insurance agent regarding farm insurance and have a date on the calendar to learn about chicken processing and to process our own turkeys. Oh and we now have upgraded housing for our laying hens – thanks to this new farmer friend! We have been deliberating over what we were going to do since our nesting box won’t fit in their moveable pens, which were just a short-term fix until they started laying. Our laying hens should start to lay soon so we have to pick up the larger moveable coop soon. Our moveable coops were/are for our broilers (meat chickens), which we now plan to do next year. So next year we will be able to do about 100 broilers at a time and do several batches of them, now that we have some networking happening. Funny to think that I am excited about raising chickens when I never thought we’d ever have any animals. Nevertheless, I do find it all very exciting.

Our Midget White turkeys are doing well. Not having raised them before we worry sometimes if they are gaining enough. Then other days when we go out there a couple of the plumper ones make our mouths water at the thought of roasted turkey! Yummy! That’s the difference between my husband and I, and our children – we look at our livestock as food, not pets.

Townhouse Update

All the cosmetic work is finally done on our townhouse. I am hoping to get some new photos and I’ll have to post some before and afters or something. We just loose ends to tie up and we have to finish cleaning out the garage and bring our second fridge and freezers over now that they are nearly empty. Now I have to start marketing it again or we’ll need to list it with an agent to see if we can sell it. Decisions, decision, decisions.

“In every deliberation, one must consider the impact on the seventh generation”
-Great Law of the Iroquois


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Back to School ~ GUTZY GEAR ~ Review

 

GUTZY GEAR. Collect Them ~ Trade Them ~ Change Them. Gutzy Gear is a great, new way to express yourself by customizing your backback, sports duffel, messenger bag, and more! Gutzies are cool looking removable patches. Gutzies stick to a Gutzy strap cover that you put wherever you want to go Gutzy! With 56 Gutzies in a series and new Gutzies constantly being introduced, you can collect and trade a world of Gutzies. But Gutzy Gear is even more… Gutzy Gear is a lifestyle! Gutzy Gear is about showing the world who you are, taking chances and being the best YOU you can be. So wherever you are, whenever it is, whatever the plan… GO GUTZY

 

OUR REVIEW:

We received a Party Pack of Gutzy Gear.

The pack included:

~ Backpack strap covers

~ Gutzy Hat

~ Gutzy Visor

~ Gutzy Patches (Packs of 2)

~ Gutzy Games

We had a wonderful party thanks to Gutzy Gear. We had both boys and girls at our party ranging in ages from 2 years to 10 Years old! All of the children were enamored with Gutzy Gear! They were elated each to receive a pair of backpack straps which came with one Gutzy (smiley face) patch. Each child then had their name drawn (to make the picking order fair) to choose the Gutzy 2 pack of their choice.  Of course once each child had their Gutzy Gear on their straps …they began to trade. It was so nice to see the children engaged and getting along. There were enough Gutzy Gear patches to go around and all 15 guests were happy!

We also played some matching games courtesy of Gutzy Gear… the games were fun and entertaining. The young children really liked this part of the party. The game basically was like the traditional memory game only the children had to match up Gutzy halves…once they found both halves they made a “whole” and thus made a match!

Unfortunately, my battery ran out of my camera before I could get a full group shot at our party but here are some of the older children with the little ones enjoying their Gutzy Gear!

Some trading going on…

Finally… all Gutzied Up!

The children ALL had a wonderful time with their Gutzy Gear…trading and giving… it was so nice to see the children interact in such a fun and creative fashion.

Visit www.gutzygear.com for information on the product and where you can purchase your very own Gutzy Gear.

The website even has E-cards, Downloads and Virtual Gutzy Gear…this is the next step in our families Gutzy adventure …so be sure to check this out before or after you get your very own Gutzy Gear!

I even saw some additional items that may be added to our Christmas list (I saw a neat Gutzy Collectors Book and Gutzy to go strap)…so yes we will purchase these fun patches again and again!

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


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Chicago Chapter of Weston A. Price, Farm Tour and Potluck

Today we are hosting our first farm tour and potluck since having animals. A few months ago the leader of Chicago’s Weston A. Price group contacted me after having found our Local Harvest listing. It’s been a little nerve wrecking this week since I have had my normal work load to deal with, that many of the things for the farm tour – cleaning the house, making a couple of dishes to pass, getting things to look half decent in the garden and yard, etc. have all had to wait until the weekend. The yard is a challenge since Padfoot is still chewing up boxes or whatever he can find and making a mess every time he’s bored!

We are really looking forward to meeting this new group of people and allowing them to see what we are doing to provide locally grown, healthy, GMO-free, non-chemical food. They are really interested in our farm and would like to promote it during the winter months, as we have offered them significant savings if they purchase a CSA share from us for the 2013 season. (CSA means Consumer Support Agriculture). Here’s to hoping the event goes off without a hitch!

We really want the farm to be self-sustaining, which simply means profitable enough to pay for itself. That’s our first goal. Our next goal is to make enough money for the children each to earn an income from it. Let’s just say lots of thinking has been going on lately as we brainstorm and try to see what businesses we can create as off shoots to poultry, eggs and veggies.

I’ll let you know how the farm tour and potluck goes a little later….

Update: We had about 13 people out for a session of “know your farmer, know your food”, in spite of the rain. Nice group of people. Met another local farmer whom we learned a lot from, so that was a huge connection as he has some great ideas and only 45 minutes away. AND he’s willing to try processing our turkeys for us, I say try because he’s only processed broilers/meat chickens, so we don’t have to make a 4-5 hour drive to the only processing plant in Illinois! We also have the opportunity to volunteer on his chicken processing day so we can see how it’s done (up close and personal) and help him out.

I was took busy talking to get photos of the actual potluck, so the one above is a fake. Our oldest son wants to know when the next potluck is because he liked all the food….HA! ;)

I’d say our day afternoon was a success.


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Chungaboo Language Series For iPad Review

I love my apps!  My daughter and I recently got this new app from Chungaboo Language Series (formally Lingo Slingo).  The first selection is “Words” – the app will say bear and then toss about 5 cards with different pictures and your child needs to select the correct picture.  If they select the wrong picture you get an “X” at the top of the screen.  This app has a choice of 6 different languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish).  In addition, there are achievements – in this section there is “All-Time Scoring”, Beginner’s Badge by Language, and Maestro Badge by Language (50 card streak). From this app you can also purchase – Animals, Travel, and coming soon is Color Door. They have teasers to let you try before you spend the money.

This is a great app for your preschoolers!  My daughter will be 4 next month and really enjoys it.  The Chungaboo app not only helps her connect words to pictures, but it helps with her motor skills by the cards moving.  The music is not bad for parents either.  This is a wonderful learning game for road trips!  Check it out in your apps store!  Sorry, I didn’t see anything for you android users.

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

 

 

 


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Mabel’s Labels Review

Mabel’s Labels

Labels for the stuff kids loose!

 

Mable’s Labels creates top-quality, durable labeling products.

The Mabel’s Labels personalized labels feature extremely durable laundry, dishwasher and microwave safe sticky and clothing labels plus child safety products, household labels and seasonal products. All labels are UV resistant.

Prices range from $12-21 per pack, with combos priced between $ 30-55. ALL Products are backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

The Mabel’s Labels line includes:

Baby Labels

Iron-On Labels

Sticky Labels

Allergy Labels

Waterproof Labels

Clothing Labels

Shoe Labels

Uniform Labels

Mabel’s Labels also has great fundraising ideas!

 

OUR REVIEW:

We received two products from Mabel’s Labels

~ Ultimate Back to School Combo

~ Tween Pack

 

The Ultimate Back to School Combo is their bestselling combo. It has all the labels needed to identify children’s belongings and keep them out of the lost and found. This was really a great pack! There are so many labels you cannot help but label EVERYTHING! The labels come preprinted with the child’s name…so it makes labeling a breeze. I like that they are super sticky they stay where they are placed! We used the labels to mark all of my son’s school supplies, his backpack and gym shoes. After two weeks of school I can honestly say these labels stick! Any other labels would have been long gone by now…not Mabel’s! The Ultimate Back to School Combo includes the following:

40 skinny-minis ~ 50 Tag mates ~ 16 Shoe Labels ~ 2 Teeny Tags

(Choose from 4 limited edition solid color palettes or 40+ multi-colored designs.)

There are so many tags that if by chance (very slim) you happen t have to replace a tag you will have extras to replace the missing tag. I honestly am not worried about having to replace any tags… except for maybe a shoe tag. But…with 16 shoe tags I can easily replace a tag if it goes missing (which I doubt it will). This is such a GREAT combo…can I say AWESOME!!!

 

 

 

The second product we received was the Tween pack. This is a new product to the Mabel’s Label family and it is a must stay! This label pack helps your child identify ~ with style! These beautifully personalized, shaped labels are designed especially for big kids ~ whatever their ages! These labels are perfect for lunch, camp gear, water bottles, school supplies, journals, electronics, sports equipment and more! My daughter has adhered these labels to her water bottle, backpack and notebooks. I was a bit leery about sticking them to her water bottle and backpack thinking they would not last more than a day…boy was I wrong… now two weeks into school we have not see any wear on the labels! This is amazing! The water bottle label has even sustained through a dish washing cycle or two!  The Tween Pack includes the following:

25 personalized labels & graphic labels

(Choice of 2 multi-colored designs)

Overall, we are ecstatic about Mabel’s Labels! This is such a resilient product…that will LAST! Not only are the products hardy but they are kid friendly and have such nice designs to choose from…you cannot go wrong with Mabel’s labels for your labeling needs!

I am definitely a fan of Mabel’s labels and will be back to order more products for my labeling needs!

You can find this product and many more at mabelslabels.com. I would recommend this site to ANYONE who needs to label products! They are so versatile!

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


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U by Kotex Tween Talkable Moments #KotexMom

Over the past few months I have been sharing my experience and thoughts about talkable moments with my daughters about their menstrual cycles, the facts of life and using U by Kotex Tween products and their website.

While I have always strived to discuss these all important topics naturally, inside I have struggled a little bit with knowing the right words to say. After all these are the facts of life we are talking about, not just random information and I want to be sure that I explain things in such a way that my girls “get it”, not to mention digest the correct information – from me, not anyone else.

Preparing for the Talkable Moments

Lots of talkable moments at our house seem to occur either when I have the girls one on one in the car or one, two or all of them sprawled all over my bed or in the living room late at night. These moments seem to happen naturally for us. It’s rare that I deliberately set a time aside, though I must say I probably should do more of that with my busy work schedule. I certainly want my girls to know that I am accessible.

Breaking the ice for “big talks” never has been an issue for us. For the most part my girls come to me and ask me any questions that come up while they are on their period and the one who has yet to start asks me some questions but tends to ask her “twin” (they are 14.5 months apart) and her “twin” directs her to me.

I gave the girls each a little sack recently for them to carry extra pads and personal items in. They really liked this little gift. I think this is one way to break the ice on talks. I did at one point give one daughter a starter kit of sorts and remember her asking what each thing was for, but I don’t think she completely understood until she started her cycle, which is understandable.

I think bonding moments can occur when we deliberately set aside time to talk about questions our girls might have or to share resources and tools they can read and explore with you. Take Kotex.com/Tween for example, just taking my girls to this site and showing them how to navigate different topics and discussions opened up the door for us to have a very open talk and for me to find out where they are at with their understanding of the different issues we have already covered in other conversations. See Hello Period for specific topics.

Bonding Moments

Bonding with my daughters has become more challenging the older they grow or at least that’s how I find it as I am working part-time to full-time hours. It takes more effort on my part to concentrate and be focused on them when my mind is going in a million different directions. As I said before those moments come in the car or on our bed when we are just shooting the breeze. It’s amazing what children can come out with once the realize they have your full attention.

Sensitive Topics and Comfort Level

Most of my girls will tell me like it is. If they think something is gross, they’ll say just that or if I’ve talked too much, I’ll be told, “Too much information, Mom.” Then I know to stop or let it be for another time when they are ready. I hate to come across as having a perfect relationship with my girls because we are far from perfect, but for the most part, depending on the day we do have really good relationships. I do worry sometimes and hope I am giving them the information they need to transition into womanhood successfully.

What are your talkable, bonding moments with your daughter(s)?

“I wrote this review while participating in a Brand Ambassador Campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of U by Kotex Tween and received products to facilitate my post and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”


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