So the buzz word of the moment is the "Paleo" diet.  What does this mean and what is this diet all about?  Basically the idea is to eat like a hunter-gatherer would have, I will simplify this for you though...if it comes from nature and not from a box, you are getting healthier!  Paleo eaters typically avoid dairy, gluten (anything that comes from wheat has gluten and it shows up in weird places too like soy sauce!) and anything that isn't a whole food.  So a paleo diet may look like this...

Breakfast: mushroom & onion omlet
Lunch: Tuna & veggies 
Snack: almonds, dried fruits, an apple or maybe some sunflower seeds
Dinner:lean meats and veggies

I started eating exclusively like this just before Thanksgiving because I was trying to naturally manage some major arthritis issues that were rearing their ugly head all over the joints in my fingers and hands.  I had read a lot about changing one's diet to avoid sugar, dairy and gluten as a help to manage arthritis and inflammation symptoms. I found that by cutting out processed sugars, gluten and dairy I have seen a SIGNIFICANT improvement in my joints.  No more red and inflamed sore joints on my fingers, no more dull ache and stiffness in my hands, it is working. I am thrilled because I am not taking any medications to manage this problem, it is stemming from my diet...wanna know how I know this isn't a placebo effect?  Because when I cheated, just on Thanksgiving day, and had some pie, sweets and other things I had been avoiding for 2 weeks prior, my hands started to ache, my joints began to swell and I felt icky...I went back to avoiding these things again and BINGO, inflammation back down.

Healthy right?  Okay, but eating this way I sometimes miss my sweets.  Yes, I know that is part of the process but the other day I was in the kitchen and was wondering what could satisfy my craving for sweet and crunchy that wasn't processed and boxed from a store and would still be healthy.

Here it is...Paleo crack was born.  Watch out though, it is HIGHLY addictive and since the serving size is 1/4 cup for 158 calories you do have to watch how much you eat but it is packed full of protein, no preservatives and no weird ingredients that I can't pronounce, plus it is sweet and fits the bill for knocking out a sweet tooth without knocking me off my diet.

​

Paleo Crack

1 cup whole oats (not the quick oats)
3/4 cup cashews chopped (I pulsed in the blender)
3/4 cup walnuts chopped
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter)
1 tsp cinnamon

First, add the honey, coconut oil and peanut butter into a microwave safe dish and melt then stir.

Add in the oats, cashews, walnuts and cinnamon and mix well (it will be kind of gloppy)

Spread into a thin layer on a foil covered cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 15 minutes, turn and stir and put back in the oven until crunchy (about 5-10 more minutes).

Let cool and store in air tight container.  Makes 14 servings at 1/4 cup each for 158 calories a piece.

​Enjoy!!!

Set the stage and Christmas morning is in full swing. The kids are giggling, paper is scattered, and I have a wonderful cup of coffee in my hand.  Life can't get too much better then enjoying these moments.  I enjoy each handmade gift my children present me with, my oldest, who has been working for the last 4 months was so excited to have made a purchase for me that I was unaware of and I was feeling very loved.  Hubby and I do not typically exchange much on Christmas because we prefer to see the glee and excitement from our children so though I got my hubby a new item or two, the items are small and just about having something to open with the kids.

However, this year, hubby blew me away.  He handed me a small box and I was so excited to receive this gift, partly because I had really been wanting to try one since reading about them, and partly because he surprised me and listened when I casually mentioned once that I thought it would be really neat to have one!

So, what is this?  If you have not seen one it is called a FitBit and it is a rubber bracelet that you wear at all times (except in the shower).  It is an activity tracker and it tracks your steps for the day as well as syncing to your phone or tablet to show you all kinds of cool stuff.  The default is set to 10,000 steps per day and when you hit that goal you get a happy little buzz on your wrist and a CONGRATULATIONS on your smartphone.  It is much more then just a buzz though, you can connect to other users and compete to see who has the most steps for the day, you can log your food, weight, and it even monitors your sleep patterns.  All this is laid out in graph form on your smart phone that it can connect to via the bluetooth function.  Pretty cool, huh?

I got my fitbit, charged it up. Oh, I almost forgot you charge it for about 2 hours by plugging the little "bit" in the bracelet to your computer and the charge lasts approximately 7 days.

 So there I was, Christmas Day...it can be kind of a lazy one at our house just enjoying family, eating good food, and lounging in pajamas.  But wait...I looked at the display on my smartphone and as we neared evening and the festivities wound down I had only logged 4,000 steps for the day.  Hmmmm.  If I am supposed to have 10,000 how could I get a little closer to that number?  I decided to lace up and hit our long driveway.  Yes, on Christmas day I became motivated enough by the simple challenge of doing 10,000 steps that one of my daughters and I hit the driveway to walk for 25 minutes so I could get closer to the goal.  Oh, and the display on your smartphone also shows calories in (as you log food) compared to calories out (daily living as well as steps) so you can be very aware of where those extra pounds are coming from, or hopefully going!  I didn't hit the 10,000 that first day but I at least got my calories in vs. calories expended to be almost equal which made me feel better about the sweets I had been eating.

Since Christmas day I haven't missed the 10,000 step goal, I have exceeded it daily and even felt competitive as I compared my total daily steps to that of friends I am connected to via the fitbit app trying to be sure I am stepping just as much as they are.  I have to admit that this has even caused me to run up and down the stairs of my home for no apparent reason other then to log more steps! 

So, my review?  Any product that can motivate this gal to go outside and walk on Christmas day just to hit a step goal is a hit!  The fitbit has more advanced models also that track your heart rate as well as have a display clock, those models are a bit more expensive but honestly I am very pleased with the one I got.  It is very lightweight and I do not notice it on my wrist, since I don't normally wear a watch I wondered if it would take awhile to get used to but it does not.  The band can be replaced with different color bands should you want a fashion statement or just desire a new band and they are relatively inexpensive running less then $6!

Hubby did good I must say and this gal needed some motivation, so here is to a sleek an svelte 2016...gotta get steppin!

​​

This is the time of year we are usually tending towards the "fluffy" side and giving in to cravings abound due to the overabundance of delectables found at every turn.  To combat a this I have been using a bit of a crunchy snack that is so easy to make and does make me feel better that my children and I are getting more of the green food group (no, not the one that contains mint candy canes, fruitcakes, or sprinkled crinkles).

First of all, what is Kale?
​

 Kale is reported to be one of the most nutrient dense foods naturally available, if you buy organic kale, I am not sure there is a better snack food available.  But, what about the taste?  I have to admit skepticism before trying it myself.  It really is good.  It has all the crunch of a light, flaky, thinly sliced potato chip, with none of the guilt.  Weird really that a leafy green gets crunchy when cooked (usually they wilt, think cabbage spinach, etc) I wonder who accidentally came up with the idea?  It works though!

So, how do you make Kale chips?  It is so easy it takes about 3 minutes to make them and 10-15 minutes to cook them.

STEP #1:
Tear the Kale from the stems, I just pull off small sections about the size of a silver dollar or a bit larger.

If you are on facebook, don't forget to join my "Becoming Crunchy" group for more tips and tricks on learning to live a way of life that tends towards the natural way of doing things, or as grandma would have said "just the way we used to do things"

Just search for groups and locate "Becoming Crunchy" then ask to join!

 I wanted to share that there are lots of exciting things coming up here on Incidentalfarmgirl.com.  Starting in January we will be going through "Farmgirl Favorites" reviews on some of my favorite products, There will be a number of new posts including recipes and and DIY (do it yourself) tutorials on a number of ways to get "back to the old ways" of doing things.

There will be a drawing in January for a package of "Farmgirl Goodies" given away to one of my lucky subscribers (be sure to click to your right and enter your email address so you don't ever miss when there are new things posted here!!!- no spam I promise!)  Go ahead, sign up now so you don't forget later!!!

And also the usual life around the farm posts that you normally get, that's why you come back, right? (stay tuned, there may be some new 4-legged creatures joining the farm this spring!!!)

Don't forget, I put out a call for guest bloggers some time back, that is how I started the "Missonary Mama Mondays" that I am currently working through, are you liking it?  What other types of series would you like to see?  Are you interested in trying your hand out at blogging?  Drop me a line or leave me a comment!

If you missed last week's Missionary Mom post you can read it here.

​Now for our next Missionary Mama:

If you have three children born in three different countries….you might be a missionary mama.

Haha!  Yes, that’s right, our oldest child, Olivia was born in a rural, mountain village in the country of Slovakia.  Our middle child, Mikey was born in the good old USA, and our baby boy, Joey, was born here in Romania. 

We’ve been missionaries to the Rroma (Gypsy) people of Eastern Europe for the past 10 years and it has been an incredible journey.  We left for Slovakia in the fall of 2005 expecting our first child, not having any idea what being a missionary would truly mean, let alone being parents for the first time.  God has been so good and so gracious in blessing us with three children and guiding and directing us through some really wonderful, and some really difficult times. 

Since I have no idea what being a mama to a child living in the States is like, I really have nothing to compare my life with.  I almost think it’s easier this way.  Maybe I would have struggled more bringing my children who had been born and raised in the States to a foreign country, leaving their friends and family behind, selling their belongings and starting fresh in a strange new place.  My children haven’t had these struggles.  Being born on the field, this is all they know.  We’ve been back to the States 3 times since being here in Europe and the only culture shock my kids have known was when we returned to the States. 

Don’t get me wrong, there are so many challenges to raising our children outside the land of our birth.  Often times I’m just not prepared for the question I might get or situation that I’m suddenly placed in that Stateside mamas may never be faced with.  With God’s help I will try to share a few, mostly funny moments that can give you a little insight as to what it means to be a missionary mama. : ) 

When our Olivia was about four years old, we worked in a very remote village of Gypsies and they were extremely primitive.  It wasn’t strange at all for most of the small children to go completely naked from the waist down all the time. She didn’t see the difference between them and her at all and was “best friends” with every little girl her age.  She came home from church one day and said, “Mom, I’m so happy my best friend came to church, I just wish sometimes she would wear pants.”  
​
When we were back on furlough, Olivia was about six years old and it never occurred to me that she’d not ever seen a drinking fountain.  She came home from church telling me that the Sunday School teacher made them wash their mouths out. I was horrified, thinking she’d said a bad word and then a little upset that they would punish them this way. Haha!  As I got more of the story out of her, I heard about how the teacher made them stand in a line in the hallway and then they each took a turn at the sink and rinsed out their mouths!  You can imagine how hard I laughed when I realized they were just getting a drink, but my Olivia had no idea and didn’t want to feel silly by asking, so she just went along with this strange American custom.  When we were in the States this past year, Olivia had the privilege of explaining the “drinking fountain” to our 5 year old Mikey and he had a blast for a good half an hour after church discovering how fun it was!

My poor children have been forced to wear hats of some kind until they were almost three years old, no matter if it was 30 degrees or 70, because if they weren’t wearing hats I would be sternly lectured by any elderly lady who saw me. Here in Europe they believe that you will get sick if a breeze or “current” enters your ear.  Especially with babies, it’s a big no-no to let a baby outside with his or her ears uncovered.   Rather than deal with the lectures, I would put on the hats or bonnets and get sweet smiles from these same ladies.  They say you have to pick your battles, and this was one I wasn’t willing to fight.  : ) ​

 (Olivia bundled up in the middle of summer at VBS)

As much as the States is not our children’s home, it’s difficult to say that the field is their “Home”. For our children, wherever their Mama and Daddy are is home.  They (and we) are always outsiders, no matter how well we learn the language and culture.  We will always be “the Americans”.  Our church people love us to death and we love them, but we aren’t one of them.  

​

Making friends in a city like Bucharest, Romania means having friends who live without running water and electricity and then making a friend at the park who has her own Iphone, a chauffeur and attends the American private school.  It’s difficult as a mama sometimes to help your children see these differences of culture and then know how to deal with it in a way that best brings glory to our Savior, the one who has so graciously allowed us to be here in the first place. 

Then going back to the States, our children never really make lasting friendships.  They make lots of friends, but not lasting friends.  What we have learned from all of this and have always strived for in our home is that Family comes before friends.  Friends are important, but they will come and go.  We cannot and will not make finding friends the most important goal.  We have five God given friends right here in this home.  We have the most fun together and enjoy being together more than anything.  We love getting to make new friends here on the field and visiting old friends while in the States, but there are always good byes waiting. 

​The best part about making your family your best friends is that you know you’re in this together, through good times and bad.  I’m not sure what it’s like raising a child in the States and I know it must come with its share of challenges, these are just a few of my every day challenges.  I wouldn’t change it for the world.

​photo courtesy of: http://beyondsundaymornings.weebly.com/home/december-to-remember-day-10

Often as we see manger scenes or read of the birth of Christ in Luke chapter 2 we have a tendency to not think beyond the images we see.  We see images and we think yes, we are celebrating the birth of a very special baby, but what do you think it was really like that night he was born?  I often like to put myself in the shoes of another to gain a better understanding of their feelings, emotions, and situations.  I was not there, I do not know but what my Bible states, I know  that Mary was just a person, a young lady, with human feelings, emotions, and sensations.  But, if we were to see this scene through her eyes, what might it have been like?  

There is a soft rustling as some of the animals reposition themselves, maybe even the occasional snort or whinney of pack animals.  The smell in the air is familiar, a natural musky smell intermingled with feed, dust, and earth.  Not what she had hoped for, not what she had planned for, not what she had expected. 

 She had just had to tell her family some months back that she was with child.  To say they were shocked, likely would have been an understatement.  She was to wed, but she was young and was not to have been in this predicament.  She may have felt that the world itself was against her, her tale was quite extraordinary…who would’ve believed it?  But there she was.  He was with her, beside her, his doubt was taken away by his own dream visitor.  

The pains had been coming off and on throughout the day now.  Was this normal?  Midwives familiar to her and her family would have been far away back home…but here she was.  Could she do this?  She may have been granted peace, but also any woman who has ever given birth to a child knows…it is not serene, it is not easy.  She begins to block out some of the distractions now as the time is nearing closer and closer.  The intensity is more and more pronounced.  How she must long for the comfort of the familiar…her home, her people, anything.  But here she is.  Would she cry out? Would she feel embarrassed to be seen in this light by the fiancé she was with, one who had not even seen her disrobed? He would see her at her most vulnerable if not during, then shortly after the birth.  She may begin to pace, or lie in the hay curled up against the pain, she may rock herself to help with the waves of pain.  But, like women for centuries, she has to do this, the pain will not go away until the birth.  No turning back once the process has begun.  Oh, to just have a soft mat, a familiar friend, a known midwife.  

Hay would have likely lined the place where she was.  She may have been crouching, kneeling, laying down.  Hay is scratchy, its ends poke and irritate the skin.  The smell of the stable may be comforting or it may be overwhelming…often sensations become much more pronounced during these final stages.  She can feel the end nearing now, it is an overwhelming pain, she blocks everything else out, she may be praying now, the sensation of intensity and heat may be consuming her entire being.  It is so very hard, she wants this part to be over now, just for the pain to cease.  She may feel some embarrassment, does anyone in this strange land know she is birthing out here?  What if something goes wrong.  What if she is not capable, what if she wasn’t the right one to choose for this miraculous task?

Then the time comes, the severity of the end moments may not last too long.  She has sweat on her brow, she is exhausted, but…

Then she sees him, she lays eyes on him for the first time.  He is wiped clean, he looks healthy, robust even, and it is over.  She weeps tears of happiness, tears of exhaustion, tears of relief.  Her emotions may overwhelm her.  He is beautiful, magnificent.  She is sure that there has never been a babe as beautiful as he.  Every mother has this moment, but hers may have been even more pronounced.  She did it.  He is here.  She may try to cover herself as she cradles the new babe, what to wrap him in?  She wishes she had the finest silks or linens.  She wishes for so many things for him.  But, she has only a stable at her discretion, one with a manger that the animals use to forage for their hay.  She will spread the hay out as best she can and line the manger with as many garments as possible to make a soft place for the babe.  She will likely need to make herself presentable again, for him, he has stood by her through all of this.  She did it, he is here.  After a number of hours she would still be on the natural high that comes with birth, people would learn that she had given birth in the stable, probably not a common occurrence, but then again, there was no other place for her to go, and there was nothing common about this babe either.  

The Bible does not tell us what conversations took place between Mary and Joseph after this miraculous birth.  The Bible does not tell us what feelings Mary had, but I know she was a human being, and a woman. I know she had emotions and feelings just like you and I.   I just think that sometimes we don’t stop to think deeper than what we see.  Let us be reminded of the amazing gift that was given to our world the night that Jesus was born.  Let us remember that it is so much more than a manger scene lit up in someone’s yard.  These were real living people, this was an event that really did happen, this was a birth like never before in history.

  In homeschooling there are so many ways to approach education.  The bottom line for me and for our family is that I want my children to love learning.  I want them to actively seek out information and to know how to find rich sources of information.  I do not want them to detest learning about subjects (such as I did history, math and many sciences) because they view them as "boring," "dry," or "irrelevant."  I want them to know that once I have taught them the basics (reading, writing and mathematics) they can learn anything they want by simply seeking the information.

 I would say with my older children I have adapted a very eclectic style over the last several years and it works for us.  I do enforce certain subjects that like it or not, you have to learn (fractions) but I allow for wiggle room if there is a subject that the children passionately want to learn about I am not so rigid as to say we cannot look into it because we have other studies. A perfect example of this, just yesterday one of my children had lots of questions about clouds and which ones did what and why some days there were great big puffy ones and other days they were wispy.  We opted to just take a day off her regular science curriculum and now, after research, her curiosity is satisfied and she has new names for the clouds!

I am finding that with my youngest two boys I am really favoring an "unschooling" approach to pre-school.  Don't get me wrong we are still learning letters, numbers, shapes, etc. but we are following the interests of the boys to do so.  I am usually not a huge fan of the idea of un-schooling as at its core it is just allowing a child to only learn what they are interested in, my fear? What if they are never interested in multiplication tables, learning to read, history?  Therefore I feel this approach is working for my younger boys but when they get older we will likely move more towards the approach that has worked for my other three children.

So, what does this "un-schooling" look like for pre-school?   It is piquing your child's interest so that they desire to learn and then following that up with good solid information.  Case in point, we have been enjoying some unseasonably warm weather this December so it necessitated a walk outdoors for the boys who frankly needed some fresh air and a change of scenery.  One of the first things that caught my eye was an incredibly long mole hill trail that not only sectioned my property but continued for almost the length of a football field (that is one industrious little guy!)  It dawned on me that my boys probably didn't know much about moles so we began by walking the length of the mole trail and talking about what caused that protruding dirt, can you see it here?  It looks like it ends but I assure you it goes on and on and on some more!

We followed the trail into some pine trees on our property where we began collecting pinecones, we discussed the different shapes and kinds we were finding and my 4 year old then wanted to know why there were no mulberries to eat since he remembered that they grew right by the pines, we then discussed weather and winter (he was not a fan of anything that took the berries away!)  Once the excitement of finding all the pinecones waned we collected a few and then  headed indoors.

There were more questions about that little mole who lived underground and my 4 year old wanted to know what he looked like so we visited youtube channels, images, and even coloring pages.  That curiosity has since led to a desire to know more about groundhogs, hedgehogs and other rodents, youtube has been a huge help in these areas.

This all was such a natural progression from a curiosity of something that we saw outside to a desire to learn more. I believe that teaching the younger ones in this manner is setting the stage for a lifelong love of learning.  It does sometimes require creativity on my part, but often I am learning right along with them, (I did not know moles can swim but we found a youtube video of just such a thing!).  At this point I am not bothering with lesson plans or formalized learning, we are just having fun and collecting a LOT of information in the process.  We use flashcards and creative games for letters, numbers and some of the other important stuff but we also let the current carry us when there is something to learn about, and oh this world is filled with learning opportunities.

Keep in mind too that you don't have to live on a farm to do this kind of learning, there are opportunities literally EVERYWHERE!  Just think, you may have flowers in your yard so you learn about why they give off that yellow stuff on your fingers and watch as bees come by, you may decide to let your child play in a sink full of water and see what objects can float and what can sink, you may listen to different kinds of music and talk about instruments, the possibilities are literally endless.  

Think about it like this, as an adult when you want to learn something new, what do you do?  You seek out information.  It may be in the form of books, how to videos, magazine articles, you get the picture.  By teaching children at a young age that they have the power to learn about the world around them and all they have to do is seek the information, you are setting the stage for a lifetime of learning!
​-best wishes!

The other day I got a call from my hubby pleading with me to please "make something yummy" as he had a carry-in at his work the following day.  With only a few hours before dinner I had to do a quick scan of the pantry to determine what delectable baked good I could whip up...this one won and was a HUGE hit!  It reminds me of the old soft lemon cookies that a company named Archway used to sell, they were my favorites growing up!!!

Cake:
1 cup butter (only the real stuff!) Softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk (or my fav, 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream!)
1 T grated lemon peel (or 5 drops Lemon Essential Oil)

Glaze:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 T. water
1/2 tsp lemon extract
3/4 powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Beat in extracts. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, sift and add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk.  Stir in lemon peel.

Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Mix together glaze and drizzle over cake...voila!

 I often get the question around the holidays or birthdays, "what should we get for the kids?"  Its a loaded question really, because although I love gift giving and participating in seeing my kids open gifts, I cringe at the thought of "stuff".  I don't ever mean to be ungrateful, that is not it all but moms of big families will all tell you that "stuff" multiplies and gets out of control very fast in a large household.

Let me clarify.  When you have a large family you by nature have a lot of "stuff".

 Just think about this simply, if each of us has a pair of gym shoes, a pair of dress shoes for church and a pair of boots that alone equals 42 shoes (which can usually be found on my front porch).  

I save my children's clothes to pass from child to child so that means that since I have a 10 y/o son and 4 and 1 year old sons I have 6 years worth of boy clothes saved in totes in my attic, you feeling me here?

My girls love knick knacks but since all of my children share rooms the space for keepsakes is very limited and often winds up looking cluttered.

I like to think that I have collected family over the years where most others collect keepsakes, I have living breathing ones (and all their stuff to boot).

So what does this all mean?  I asked a few other of my friends with large families what their favorite all time gifts have been and I am here to share with you in case you have a big family in your life.

1.  The gift of memories.

My parents for a number of years have given us a "family" gift.  It has varied between a side of beef for the freezer, an overnight getaway at a waterpark hotel (our all time favorite!), and a few others.  What this does is allow us to have something to look forward to.  It also allows us to make memories as a family, a priceless gift. We have cherished this for so many years.

2. Dinner out Gift Cards

What large family doesn't love to take a night off of cooking and cleaning up to go out to eat?  I can't think of one but due to the expense of it all it doesn't happen very often.  This doesn't even need to be an expensive option, just gift cards for pizza are a blessing.

3. Family Movie Night

This is also a favorite.  We have received a box full of movie candy, popcorn and a new movie to watch together, making memories again.

4. Music Lessons

A friend of mine says for years grandparents have opted to help pay for music lessons for her children and she is so thankful for that as she likely would not have been able to do so otherwise.

5. Zoo passes

Another friend mentioned her favorite was a year her family was given zoo passes for the season.  If you have a large family then just one day at a zoo about equals a year's pass price, though many passes are only good for a family of 4 so it gets tricky.

6. Fruit

Yes, you read that right.  My in laws for years have shown up at random times throughout the year with grocery bags full of fresh fruit.  When I asked about it one time my father in law said that his grandparents used to do that for his family when he was growing up (he was one of 8) and he always remembered relishing in the fruit which was so often devoured within a day or so.

7. Grocery Gift Cards

Every large family has a grocery budget, sometimes they don't always get what they desire, they get what is practical, a small gift card can often be used on something that is not a necessity but more of a luxury at the grocery.

8. Membership to Costco or Sams Club

Most large families do already shop in bulk but if not this is a fantastic option. Or a gift card to one of these locations.

9. Photos

A paid for photo shoot or a way to use photos they already have. This can be in the form of a gift card.  If you are giving to a family who loves pictures ask if they make photo books, if so then Shutterfly and Snapfish are great options.  Also gift certificates for canvas photo wraps or other photo gifts are fantastic too.

10. Household Goods

I don't know any large family that doesn't struggle with glasses, mugs and yes even plates getting broken. Just think how many hands handle those items in and out of the dishwasher and they sometimes get dropped (okay lots of times). Other items are bath towels and hand towels, these usually get worn out much faster in large families.  I was so excited last year to recieve new monogrammed bathroom hand towels that were crisp and stain free!

11. Educational materials

If they are a homeschooling family ask if there are any materials or educational games they would like the kids to have, or if not then ask if there are any lessons or extra curriculars that the kids like.

12. Furniture

If you are planning to give a large gift ask if there is a piece of furniture that needs replacing. Maybe the family is in need of a new coffee table, couch, lamps, etc. Usually in a large family there is always something that needs to be replaced.

13. Stationary & Stamps

So when there are a lot of people in the family there are a lot of thank you notes to be written, for birthdays, holidays, etc.  There are also lots of friends and family who have birthdays too.  A supply of various cards to send and stamps are a fantastic idea as well.

Hope this has been helpful for the big family in your life!  Thanks to my friends who all contributed to this list!

So, as I have mentioned before, I never intended on homeschooling my kids.  Really.  I thought homeschoolers were "weird" but now I am a part of that club of anomolies who prefer to spend all day with their kids learning the ins and outs of fractions and American government in lieu of luxuriously cleaning a house that would actually stay that way for a few hours, if the kids were all in school.

1.  I sometimes do envy the moms who have time to go out for a cup of coffee with their girlfriends after dropping the kids off to school...  I also totally envy the time they have to go grocery shopping "kid free".  

Don't get me wrong, I do get my morning cup of fully leaded coffee, but more often than not it ends up being re-heated 2-3 times throughout the day because I don't ever get a chance to finish it piping hot, and never in the presence of a girlfriend while we laugh and chat about our lives over lattes.

2.  I don't have any idea what it is like to go to the bathroom without being interrupted a minimum of 4 times with questions such as "I need help! I'm finished with math! Can I go outside?  Can I have a snack?

Sometimes I would like to go into the bathroom and hide, but alas, they find me.

3. I have been known to have freak out moments over math problems.

when we are working on the same math problem for the third time because my child can't focus on the math but rather has his mind wandering with questions such as "how can I make a robot from a battery? What comes after a zillion? Do you like my favorite Pokemon?"

​4. I have a perpetual basket of mismatched socks.

Yup, I admitted it.  Its out there now.  I HATE matching socks and there is a basket full of nothing but mismatched socks, so if you are looking for a pair, go check the basket.  How is this part of homeschooling?  Well, I think its because I always feel too busy to sit down and match socks...or maybe just because I hate that chore so much.

5. Sometimes I get creative and turn cooking dinner into math and home ec all tied into one.
   
Afterall it is helpful to see that fractions really do serve a purpose and I want all my kids to know their way around a kitchen.

6. We sometimes take random "days off"

We do this for things like a trip to great-grandma's house, or a massive outdoor chore day, an all out gingerbread house making extravaganza with friends, or just because we want to.  I figure we can do this because there is no rule that says we cannot do math on Saturday or that my kids are not learning invaluable lessons visiting with relatives or working hard outdoors.

7. I have switched curriculum, more than once.

If there is one thing that homeschooling has taught me, it is that there is no "one size fits all" for learning.  I often wonder just how much harder some subjects would be for my children if they were not homeschooled.  I have the freedom to mix and match, speed up and slow down, and get very creative in my teaching techniques.

8. I have never figured out where all the pencils in the house go, seriously, where do they go?  

I can start the school year with 50 pencils and by October they are all missing.

9. I have learned way more schooling my kids then I ever did in public school.

Who knew that history could actually be interesting?  I have been able to teach my children in a way I wish I could have learned, I think I would have retained so much more than I did from my schooling.

10.  I hate hearing non homeschooling moms say "I could never do that" (homeschool)

Guess what? Me either.  It is by God's grace and leading that we are on this journey, it certainly wasn't my idea.  But, you know what?  I wouldn't trade the time I have with these kids for the world now, I could never get back what I have gained from being with them if I hadn't started this journey.  I am better for it and the way I see our public education system going, I know my kids are better for it too.

Awhile ago I shared with you all my friend's picture carrying her beautiful baby boy in a baby wrap that I sent halfway around the world (post here and follow up here).  Being that I know a number of missionary moms and I marvel at their strengths in the face of obstacles I thought it might be fun to do a few guest posts from these mamas about life mothering away from the states where they are from.

The parameters I shared with these mamas was "write about how life raising children on the mission field is different, better, worse, etc then raising little ones here in the US"  I told them it could be funny, serious, whatever came to mind but to just give us a good glimpse into some of the differences.
 

From the Mouths of Babes: MK Life Summed Up in Toddler Quotes

Though our family life is much like “normal American” family life in many ways, in others it’s just…not. And though my babies, age (almost) 4 and 1 (barely) are small, there are some things that come out of their sweet little mouths that just reveal how strange our life really is!

“Mom, where is the poop shower?”

Here in Nepal, TP is a luxury not afforded in most washrooms, public or private (for that matter, neither is a Western toilet). In its stead is a small hose with an attachment similar to a shower head with which you spray your privatest parts. When we visited a friend, my inquisitive gal didn’t see this contraption right upon entrance and immediately inquired, “Mom, where’s the poop shower?” I’m not sure what the actual name is, but I appreciate her candor and creativity.

 “Where’s my bathtub?”

At any given time, the ugly blue plastic tub could be anywhere in the house. In our small tiled-in bathrooms which hold a toilet, shower head, drain, “poop shower” and sink, there just isn’t room to keep the eyesore. If I leave it and forget to drain the water, a film forms that reveals the filth in which I bathe my children. It generally sits on my bedroom floor which doesn’t exactly fit my design plan and tends to trip me on my midnight bathroom visits.

 In the spirit of inclusion, I will share with you my son’s first word:​
​
“Buwaa” (boo-wuh) which, much to my dismay, means “Daddy!” I wish we could all be like that little guy who is nearly native already! Though some of these things that inspire quotes laced in confusion can trip us up like the ugly blue bath tub, we wouldn’t trade our strange life for anyone’s normal, perfect, or even slightly less weird life! And in the same way my toddler ends EVERY prayer, we just say, “Lord, thank you for AAAAALLL you give us!” because this crazy, weird, messy missionary-family life is truly a gift that is best described from the mouths of babes. And these days, my baby thinks everything is “amazing!”
​

If you are the owner of a smartphone, and I am just as guilty, stop to think about how much idle time we fill scrolling, searching and clicking.  Think about how dependent we have become on our mobile devices, on Siri, on Google, what if we re-directed that time into where the real answers are?  This thought occurred to me today as at 6am I was up getting my husband his breakfast before work and I had to make a trip back upstairs to get my phone, afterall it is with me 24/7. Yet I forgot to take my bible with me to church last night in the rush to get out the door with all kids in tow.  See what I mean?  I didn't forget my phone last night.

Remember that barn demolition we did earlier in the fall?  (post here) You wouldn't believe the number of people who were clamoring for my barn wood, all wanted to know what I was going to do with "all that wood."  Well true to my re-purposing spirit we are planning to use the wood for a new pigeon coop, chicken coop and hopefully someday a new horse stall, but I also wanted to snag some pieces for a few craft projects.  I am waiting on hubby to teach me to use his miter saw so I can craft with ease (while not cutting off any of my own limbs) but in the mean time I saw something on pinterest that caught my eye...

It looked easy enough and I sure did like it.  I often see ideas on pinterest or other sites and I don't necessarily copy them exactly but I do like to get ideas.  Here is the one I saw on Pinterest, here is my rendition:

It cost me a whopping $7.25 to make (it would have been less but I had to buy a whole bottle of wood glue since I was all out).  The letters were 40% off at Hobby Lobby so they ran about .75 each and I already had some black craft paint and leftover lacquer from some of the other DIY projects I've been into lately (post here).

It was a super easy project as I just painted the storebought letters and used the wood glue to put them in place...voila!

I recently wrote about how we obtained a miniature version of our full sized John Deere Gator for the two little boys (see post here).  My now 4 y/o's wish was to "ride my gator all over like we do the big gator."  So the adventure begins!  I decided it would be best to follow along in the full sized gator so that if the boys got stuck, or the battery ran dead I could at least "tow" them home.  So off we went into the sunset, the boys thought they were grown I'm sure as they independently took off down a fence row into the great wild unknown (otherwise known as our neighbor's field).  I followed along a safe distance behind letting them maneuver the mud, fence lines and other wiley dangers.  I laughed along the entire ride watching these two.

Along the way there was a rut or two that got them stuck (mom to the rescue) but for the most part they did quite well.  My 4 y/o could be heard showing his almost 2 year old brother the ropes, "This is how you go REALLY FAST" and "WATCH OUT FOR THE BRANCHES!" Because we had spent so much time over the summer cruising around in our "Big Gator" as the boys call it, they knew where to go and what to do.

As I coasted along ever so slowly a few measures behind it struck me that this was a sample of what life would likely continue to be.  Mom and Dad teaching them about things along the way, learning to let go and hang back so that they could practice the skills they had been taught, and watching it all unfold...the laughs from their antics, the ruts that get them stuck (mom and dad to the rescue), the whole beautiful mess.  

Its funny, I never started out wanting a "large" family, I figured I just wanted 1 or 2 children.  But, oh the joy they bring.  It is moments like these that I think what I would have missed out on if I let the world's view of the perfect family size dictate how many children we had, these  two are a hoot!

Here are a few of my favorite things...(cue sound of music song).  When you are budget minded at Christmas you get creative and often make gifts.  I like to personalize gifts by making ornaments and I often stick these (or some other goody) to the Christmas cards we hand out at church.  My thinking is that when you give someone a card it often barely gets glanced at and then it gets tossed, I certainly can't afford gifts for all those people so I get creative and make many of them, I figure even if the card gets tossed maybe it will have at least brought a smile for a moment because there was something inside the card besides an inscription (and who doesn't like to open a bulky card with a goody inside?)

Here are a few of my favorite decorations, I have made the cinnamon ones as well as a few of the others, the more 3 dimensional ones obviously would not fit into a card but they make great gift toppers for that personalized touch.  For the ones that are not my own, I have included links under the pictures to the original how-to posts.  Happy Crafting!

http://www.hometalk.com/692459/twine-wreath-ornaments-mason-jar-lids-repurposed
​

/http://stowandtellu.com/rustic-twig-christmas-tree-ornaments/

​http://www.hgtv.com/design/make-and-celebrate/handmade/20-easy-handmade-holiday-ornaments-and-decorations-pictures?soc=pinterest

​http://www.ehow.com/how_4549722_make-wirewrapped-star-ornament.html

(T I recently shared our big family monthly grocery run recently  (click here to read) and I mentioned some of my family's purchases. I also promised to share what I do with all that food besides try unsuccessfully to shove it in my too small refrigerator.  This last Costco run I purchased 2 rotisserie chickens ($4.95 each), a very large pork loin, and hamburger.  I usually spend the day or two after coming home from a big grocery shop just repackaging and repurposing what I have purchased.  The rotisserie chicken gets shredded off the bone and put into freezer bags.  From this I make meals of chicken soup, chicken enchiladas, quesadillas, chicken salad, bbq chicken sandwiches, you get the picture...For us it is a quick go-to answer for when I have neglected my meal planning and dinner time comes up faster than planned.

The pork loin came home and was re-packaged into 3 meals worth of pork chops and a roast for some Sunday dinner.  if you are in to numbers that translates into an $18 slab of pork loin creating 4 meals at $4.50 a meal for a family of 7.

The burger was packed into patties, then some of it was browned and seasoned with taco seasoning, and more still was browned and mixed with sausage for lasagna.  I then freeze the pre-browned meat for later use as it is one less thing for me to have to worry about when preparing a meal.​​  (thanks to grandma for that awesome idea!) The burger winds up costing me about $4.75 per meal by the time we divvy it up into 4 different packages.  The nice thing about the Costco burger is that it is parted into 1/3 lb chunks so I can figure how many pounds per package I am putting up.

​

These ideas and way of doing a big shopping run once a month (with some additional quick trips to the store for milk and fresh fruit) work best with a deep freeze.  It doesn't have to be new or even huge (though at this point I have 2 deep freezes, one for when we purchase a side of beef and a hog and the other for everything else!)  You can often find a deep freeze on Craig's list pretty cheap, they don't have to be pretty as mine are out in my garage and no one even sees them.  I prefer the stand up kind because it helps me be organized, but I have to admit that we have had food loss due to the door not getting completely closed (that is why kids are no longer allowed to get popsicles in the summer)

This way of doing a big shopping trip once a month saves me a ton of time and my sanity (because taking 5 kids grocery shopping is not my idea of a good time- nope I am not that mom).  It is a BIG undertaking but it is only once a month that I am doing this, 3-4 hours of shopping for a month of knowing that I have most of what I need is a huge time and sanity saver for me.  I know it will not always be like this but I have joked with my husband that I will have to learn how to re-cook all over again when the kids are grown because I don't think I could prepare a meal for just two people at this point, I have become a queen of making it stretch and cooking for a crowd.

How do you avoid too many trips to the store?  Like what you see? (subscribe to my blog in the top right corner of the screen to avoid missing a post!)

The holidays have always been a special time to me, Christmas especially.  When we first had children I wondered what kinds of traditions we should create and over the years some have stuck and others, not so much.  But the important thing to me is to create memories and traditions that my children will fondly look back upon, some of these were accidental and others were ideas borrowed from friends.  Some traditions are older, some newer, but all are a part of the memories I hope my children carry for a lifetime.

Tradition #1- we go to a local tree farm and methodically scour the hundreds of trees for that "perfect" tree.  Every year we inevitably say the same thing "this has to be the most perfect tree EVER" and it always is.  Some years it rains, some years it snows, and some it is beautiful out. We always make this tradition happen as close to Thanksgiving as possible and we always reminisce about "last year" and how we found the "perfect tree".  This year we were in and out of the Christmas tree farm in under 30 minutes, I think we are becoming professionals at this tree hunting thing!

Tradition #2- pajamas.  Years ago when I had just 2 children a dear friend of mine at work told me that she always bought her children a new pair of pajamas that she gave them on Christmas Eve so that had new pajamas for Christmas morning. I loved that.  Initially when we started that tradition my kids would eagerly get on their new pj's and wear them to the home of their aunt whom we get together with, as the years have gone on they have decided they are too old to do that (mom became sad that they are growing up) but they all still eagerly await the "squishy" package they know will be under the tree on Christmas eve with something new to wear to bed.

Tradition #3- The children each get a new ornament for the tree every year.  I remember when I got married and my husband was not a big fan of Christmas.  The only thing I had was a borrowed fake tree from a friend and a slew of ornaments that I had collected since I was a child.  I made a trip that year to a dollar store and picked up some lights and a few things to decorate the tree with, including a $1 cheap plastic gold star for the top of the tree.  Funny what makes a tradition, that star may be the most coveted thing in my house as each year a different child gets to set it atop the tree. A few years back my husband devised a way to tell who put it on the tree last and he wrote initials on the points on the back of the star, that way we write what year each set of initials put up the star so there are no more arguments.  Honestly this star is so ugly and even has a chip missing but it will be the one thing I know that the kids would fight for if something happened to my husband and I and our things were divvied up.

Tradition #4- Egg Nog on Christmas eve (not spiked) and it has to be UDF brand Egg Nog.  Every year we argue over whether it was the "Holiday Nog" we liked best or the "Egg Nog" and to tell you the truth I still can't remember which it was.

Tradition #5- This one is possibly the newest tradition.  Last year a friend shared with me that she makes a small gingerbread house for each of her children and they spend a day decorating, we tried it and each of the children invited a friend, we were hooked (I blogged about it here)​​​ we have already scheduled this one for 2015 as it is a definite keeper of a tradition!

Those are just a few of our family's favorite traditions.  If you are looking to make traditions and your family is still young let it be fun.  It doesn't have to be spending money, in fact that $1 star is the best tradition we have and also the cheapest.  So go out and make those memories, if you have a favorite, share it in the comments!​

-I have watched the numbers on my stats growing so I know that someone is reading what I write in my blog musings.  I am interested to know if any of you are wanna-be writers as well?  I have a few areas that I wanted to see if people were interested in writing about, comment below and you could earn a spotlight post on this blog!  

Here are the categories I have in mind:

-Life in a BIG family (budgets, meal prep, organization, musings, anything really)

-Farm living lessons (what have you learned or what helpful tip from the past would help us modern farmgirls?)

-Homeschool helps (things you have learned that you want to share)

-Days gone by (I approached grandma about this one, remember the posts I used to do entitled "How Grandma Used to?")  If anyone else wants to jump in, especially if you have memories of how things were a long time ago please share!

​-Favorite homemade recipes using real ingredients (think from scratch)

-Organic gardening

-My Missionary friends overseas, what is being a mom like away from the comforts of the USA? funny or serious totally up to you!

You don't have to be a professional writer, I sure am not.  Just comment below with your email address and I will be in touch to see if you want to draft up something for a post on my blog!