New Year New Us

2014, wow that came up quick. This year I have to much I want to do and so much coming up to do, weddings, deciding to homeschool or not, possibly moving, deciding on having a third. I also want to get more done, be more productive. I often find when I finally sit down at 8pm I realize I can't recall much of what I have done, or it sounds like stuff that should of filled 1 to 2 hours of my day. I recently read "Eat that Frog" now I'm working on reading "Getting things Done" This also means I'm using my planner more and trying to set up goals, with a deadline on them. That was the number one idea I got from "Eat That Frog" I've been working on organizing more, so I can spend less time wandering looking and less time cleaning. Both girls have gotten new bookshelves to help with their rooms and it has already made a big difference. I'm trying to work out consistently. Get back into my old clothes. Who knew weaning would bring on weight gain? Building back up muscle that I used to have. I'm trying to find more time for prayer, for Bible reading and for church. Hoping to spend less time online and more time with real life friends. I many ways I'm trying to make my home life run better, waste less time, and find more time to be healthier and happier. Hoping this fire in my belly keeps me going. Studies show if I can make it to February I should be in the clear. I want out of my Stay at home mom rut and to feel back as my old self, which is my exercise is a top priority on my list. Mentally, physically, I need the energy and I miss feeling strong, and I miss seeing my abs. I can do it, right? Yes, 2014 the year I got my life back and balanced kids, motherhood, being a wife and being me.

Clutter Free in 2014

I hate clutter, clutter in my home clutters my mind. I don't function well in a cluttered home or environment. My brain doesn't know what to do and I can't seem to keep up on my daily chores when I see clutter through out my home. I neglect my daily cleaning because with too much clutter I don't know where to stop. With Christmas coming and the onslaught of toys I know will be home soon I wanted to tackle this sooner than later. With 2 kids we are out growing our little home. But alas it is our home and I like it neat and tidy. I made myself a list of all the rooms and areas I wanted to work on. I've made some good progress and hope to post some before and afters soon. I've give lots away, which I think is always a great first step. Hoping to be clutter free in 2014

Baking Blunder

There is an old saying "Anyone who can read can cook" and in part I do agree. I have rarely failed if I can take my time and follow directions. This is why I usually enjoy baking better than cooking, while cooking you can't really go slow. But with 2 little girls running around baking is rarely a leisurely activity these days. A few nights ago I made soup for dinner and realized I had no bread so I thought I'd whip up some of Paula Deen's Biscuits. Nice and easy, no need to wait for it to rise. During my baking a fight broke out, a common occurrence when you have a 2 year old and a 4 year old. I ran over to break it up and returned to my baking. I lost my mental place and skipped a simple step. I didn't realize it til the biscuits were done, flat and gross. I added the baking powder, I just forgot to mix the dry ingredients before I added the wet to them. I have never done this before but can't believe what a crucial step it must be. The biscuits were inedible. I've made them before, doing nothing different but not forgetting to mix and they were wonderful. Lesson learned, but who knew that each step is so carefully written out, really makes such a huge difference. This is how they are supposed to look, not like the hockey pucks I had. :)

Managing my Home

Woke up, feed children made muffins, made lunch for husband showered, dressed laundry, hang one load on line park play date picnic girls nap do another load in the washer work out video take clothes off line hang second load online clean up kitchen girls wake up go outside play garden, weed, plant lettuce and spinach, removed dying plants snack time dinner prep color through another load in the washer get garbages ready and bring to curb cook dinner read get clothes off the line, place last load in dryer give girls a bath read stories girls in bed get bills read blog rest I can not believe all I did all of this in one day. I'm beat, but I did it all. Recently a friend lent me Mangers of Their Homes by the Maxwell family (I read the Duggars use their system so it if can help of family that large it surely can give me some ideas). Reading it I was shocked how much these woman did in a day. They all homeschool, keep their homes well and still had time for crafts, reading and exercise. Seeing how they can do it I thought I must try to schedule my day better. I get off and on the scheduling since I have never been strict with it. I sat down and worked up all I want to do in a day and all I need to do and made myself and my girls a daily schedule. Its amazing how just putting it all down helps me get it all done. I'm exhausted, but I will probably sleep well and fall asleep fast, something I don't often do. It's still not all done. I have loads of clean laundry, but its not put away. That will be on tomorrows to do list. I'm not a perfect homemaker and not a perfect parent, but I'm trying to get more done and its working. I want more time to knit, to read, to read to my girls and so far I am getting more time to do this, while still getting more done. I've never been a scheduling type of person, but as I have grown up I have realized I really am the scheduling type, I just didn't know it yet.

Weekly Menu

I've been told my menu planning is cute, quaint, and very Martha Stewart like. I don't think too many New Jerseyans take pride in homemaking skills. Its all very quaint to most people I talk with. But to me menu planning is a budget saver and time saver. I look at my board, I can see if I need to defrost anything, but mostly its okay this is easy no thinking about meals for the rest of the week. I sit Sunday nights and look at the circular, I plan my dinners and lunches around sale items. It saves so much time. The specific board I use I have not seen for sale again, online or at Target where I got it. Which is a shame because its so perfect but any white board or even a piece of paper taped to the fridge works. For this week our plan was Monday- Burgers Tuesday- Eggplant parm Wed-Chicken Milanese Thursday- BLTs Friday- Meatloaf Sat- Dinner date night (girls will have pasta Sun-Chicken roaster I will use the chicken leftovers for at least one more meal the next week and possibly for lunch.

Around the Garden

Since become a SAHM and/or "radical" homemaker I have added some hobbies or other homemaking skills to my repertoire, knitting, crocheting, baking, canning and my most recent obsession, gardening. I used to garden with my parents as a child, my father owns a nursery and my mother always had a fondness for Jersey fresh produce. But this is my first garden on my own. My 2 almost 3 year old daughter helps a lot, which is why carrots are sprouting up every where. She helps me water and loves to help me harvest. She is not so big on tasting them, but I hope she will eventually cave. We so far have been enjoying cucumbers, zucchini and a few cherry tomatoes. We also have blueberry bushes that we eat as they ripen. We just can't seem to wait for a bunch, they are just too fresh and good. What I love most about this hobby is how it brings people together, people talking and bonding over food and gardening. When I knit, cook, bake or can I am limited to who I can talk with this about. Only 1 of my friends crochets, none knit, no one cans and a few bake, but not like I do. They like the back of the box or fancy food dye sugar filled cakes while I enjoy fresh breads, muffins and the occasional cake from scratch.

But with my garden I feel there is something for everyone. I greatly enjoy talking with my father about the types of plants, which grow best, which taste the best and what plants are best for which part of the season. He enjoys some of the odd plants I found, my cooking them and my organic methods which he isn't too familiar with. I also enjoy asking my mom for old favorite recipes that she would use with all the fresh produce. I think she also enjoys my new skill of canning and I know she loves trying them. My children also love trying, especially the baby. Liv is a little more picky but I get her to eat those veggies in many ways she doesn't even know. My husband also has fond memories of his mother's garden and actually enjoys helping me take care of mine. It is the only hobby that we really enjoy together other then hiking and just being out in nature. The season is just starting up by me and I am enjoying read every cook book and preserve book I can find. I went way overboard and need to preserve as much as a can to not waste it. I also love talking gardening with people, people of all ages enjoy gardening so I find young friends, old neighbors and more are more then willing to talk you up and give some great advice. Most of all I just enjoy sharing my produce or cooked and baked good with my friends and family. I feel this garden has brought me a little closer to natures, closer to creating my own homestead, close to my past and homemakers of the past and closer to being a healthier, greener and self-sufficient family.

Welcome to my Home

Since I had children and moved to the "boonies" I do not have many visitors. Having children and moving a 45 minute drive from most people you know really lets you know who your real friends are.
But I do love when my friends and family come take the time to come for visit. Most of my friends are working, some multiple jobs, some working and still going to school, so they have few time to spare and I love that the choose to spend it with me and my family.
Since I have 2 young children the only real preparation I can get done before people come over is cleaning up the toys and straighten up the house. I have some things I like to always do before guest come, simple things like sweep the entry way, change the linens in the bathroom, and do a quick swish and swipe to my bathrooms.
But I really like to make my guest feel at home. I love making some tea or coffee for them, the kerig is great for a nice little fresh cup for them. Another nice touch is fresh baked cookies.
While I do not have the time to make a batch from scratch I also couldn't imagine giving someone break and bake cookies either.

So a nice little tip I've learned from my latest obsession of reading cooking and baking books is how nice cookie dough freezes. So when I am making cookies with the girls instead of cooking the whole batch and watching half of them go bad before we can eat them I freeze half of them.
I roll the cookie into little balls and place them on parchment paper and place them in the freezer. Once they are a little frozen(so they won't stick together) I move them into plastic bag and write on the bag with tape the date and how to bake the cookies, temperature and time.
Then I can make a small batch for who ever comes to my house, on cold days where I want a nice hot cookie or when ever we get the craving for some baked goods.
Its just so nice for people to come over and I get to show my appreciation for them with out breaking my back to do so.
Life is always a little more complicated with a toddler and infant at home so this just eases it up a little for me.

Another Reason to Buy Local

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/08/honey-laundering/ Unsafe Honey Flooding American Super Markets

I have really gotten into the SLOW (seasonal, local, organic, whole) movement since reading Alice Waters book

It started for me as just a cook book to read from the library to get me and my family eating better, but the message stayed with me and has lead me to read many other books about the SLOW food movement and eating. I was a vegetarian for 10 years till I got pregnant the first time (cravings got the better of me, and a little anemia didn't help) so I am no stranger to animal rights, healthier food and sustainable foods, but recently I have been learning so much more.
We I read news articles like about about what horrible things get into our food it makes me more a more want to reach my dream of becoming a homesteader.
Hopefully one day I will be more of a homesteader and a radical homemaker then I am now.

Baking Vs. Cooking

Image via Wikipedia

Most people have a preference to what they enjoy, either cooking or baking, if they enjoy being in the kitchen at all.
I will right away admit I love baking. I do enjoy cooking a lot, but baking seems to be so much more relaxing and enjoyable. Kneading bread can be so peaceful. Watching cookies bake and the wonderful smell of fresh baked pie fills up my whole home.
With cooking there is a lot of multi-tasking, which I still have not mastered. Having everything taste good I can manage, but being hot and all ready at the same time is something I am still working on. That is not a problem with baking.
Many people say to me that they don't enjoy baking because its simply following a recipe. To that I say "not always." With cooking it can be very easy to change things up, which I almost always do (it is rare I will follow a recipe to a t), but baking is much harder to do so. But even with baking I often do, with very good results. After you get the hang of baking certain items you can try to experiment with different aspects of the recipe. Lots of my experimenting has come when I run out of an ingredient.
Last winter while making my favorite pumpkin cranberry bread I realized I am out of sugar. But I looked hard and found some brown sugar and said "sure why not?" Well I am never making this bread with white sugar again. I got so many complements on this bread, my mistake turned into a success.
While just earlier in the week I was making Blueberry Boy Bait Cake for a breakfast snack. I had everything mixed and put in the pan when I realized I never added the white sugar, just the brown. Since I was making a breakfast cake I didn't worry. I didn't want it to be too sweet any way. Well it came out fine, the perfect sweetness for breakfast or a snack.
I often experiment with adding different types of flour or grains to make something healthier. Adding some flaxseed meal or mixing in some whole wheat flour with the white. My husband is not a whole wheat fan, but with my blend he not once has noticed his white bread is a little brown.
Don't be afraid to experiment with your baking. You can check out several baking books and blend recipes together, or google healthy baking tips for ways to make your cakes and cookies a little healthier for you. But remember what you did and write it down! There is nothing worse then making an amazing cake and forgetting what you did to make it so yummy.

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