Home Life

Instead of chilling a warm meal in your fridge, or using your freezer to actually FREEZE something, use your porch when the temps are right.  You can give your fridge and freezer a break by adding already chilled or frozen items to it.  When we had the nice cold weather I cooked up a bunch of meals for my freezer.  I made 1.5 gallons of chicken stock today which is currently chilling on my back porch (I’ll end up canning/freezing it tomorrow depending on how I divide it up).  Tomorrow I’ll be making about the same in turkey and rabbit stock.

It’s live!  Finally!  I’ve gotten around to creating a resource website on the things my family and I do to ‘work with the land’ and save money.  It’s no where near done - I have a ton of articles I am still working on but felt I had enough content to put the site up.

http://www.motherhoodnaturally.com/homestead/home.htm is the link.  Bookmark it and check back often.  As I go through my day I keep getting reminded of things that might be helpful to add to there, so I add it to my list and when I have a few minutes to write it up, I will!

Let me know what you think!

The idea of keeping a gift list year-round is a great idea.  Every time you hear a friend or family member mention something they want, jot it down.  I used to do this, then take the list out when I went Christmas shopping (usually right before Christmas!)

However, if you have the space in your home, take this list with you everywhere you go and if you happen to find a good sale on something someone mentioned they wanted, buy it!  You can use it as a birthday gift or save until Christmas.  Keep the reciept though, in case you have to return it.  Also keep in mind how long a return policy is for the store you’re buying from.  Some have 30 day limits while others may offer a longer return period but only offer store credit (which may be just fine!)

A household notebook can be a great way to keep you organized.  A household notebook is a central location for phone numbers, calendars, business cards, to-do lists, chore lists, inspiration/motivation, cleaning lists, schedules, odds and ends, shopping lists, plans, and much more.  This isn’t the typical binder you’d buy in a store!  This is something every “keeper of the home” must create and personalize according to her family

Check out this fantastic link for a full “course” in creating a household notebook, plus a tour through her own.  On the left column you’ll find a long list of others who have created household notebooks and have them displayed on their website.  Excellent inspiration and ideas for creating your own!!

An article from USA Today was recently brought to my attention at http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-08-11-homemaking_N.htm

I realise the article has a religious twist to it, but I can only imagine how helpful a course like this would be.  I hear so many wives (or women in general) who want to know how to bake, sew, clean, etc. but they don’t know how, don’t know where to go to learn, and in many cases (I see this in the younger wives these days) were not brought up in a household where homemaking was just a part of life.  I am finding people around my age were raised in homes where parents worked long hours, hired house cleaners, ate out of boxes, had machines or disposable products for nearly everything, etc.  The “skills” that are a part of home making are being lost.  I’ve decided that is not an option in my home, now that I have a family of my own, I want these skills to be instilled in them. I want them to be self sufficient.  I’ve buckled down and am learning new skills one at a time, and do believe I’ve come a long way.  My kids enjoy helping me clean, garden, cook, and otherwise keep our home.  I enjoy spending that time with them.  I often laugh at life before I had kids.  My husband and I would eat boxed meals, we’d let the dishes pile up in the sink, we’d buy everything (forget about making bread from scratch!), and cleaning was something we’d do once a week because we hated it!  Then, my firstborn arrived and I developed a passion for home cooked meals.  We ate a lot of burnt meals and I had a lot of “oops” moments as I learned the basics of cooking.  Cleaning became a priority, even organization became something we needed.  Once my second was born we were well on our way in the homemaking way of life, and then I started dabbling more in the skills that would help us achieve a higher level of self sufficiency.  Now I find myself studying life on a farm, livestock management and care, solar power, composting, gardening, alternative transportation, and dreaming of one day living on a peice of land big enough that we wouldn’t need to depend on stores for our basic needs.  My dream is to grow, hunt and raise all the food we’d need through the year.  Preserve it for the winter.  Ideally not have to rely on anyone for anything except ourselves. Who knows if it will ever become a reality, but the more I learn about the elements of self sufficiency, the more I find myself realising I can do more for our family - even living in our apartment!  It’s very exciting to me.

Anyway back on track - reading this article made me wish we had more programs available for those wishing to learn more about homemaking.  Let’s bring back these lost skills!  I, for one, am in favor of this article for a few reasons but wish there was something closer.

One thing I’m finding out is that homeschooling families are sort of getting back to basics.  Having the children in the home for more hours allows the family the time to learn new skills together and instill skills in the children that will last with them through their lifetime.  As we prepare to start my oldest daughter in preschool at home this fall, I am reminded that I do want homemaking to be a part of our curriculum.  I’ll be putting together our own curriculum for at least the first few years, and starting now I don’t think it’s ever too early to begin teaching these skills. However, in our home the kids learn how to help with upkeep as soon as they learn how to make messes, so it’s a process that will not change through schooling but I do see us getting a little more involved with homemaking in the coming years.  It’s not something I’m really planning on putting in the curriculum in terms of actual lesson planning, it’ll just happen as a normal part of life through our days.

If you’re interested, there are books and courses you can find on homemaking for children.  Many are used starting at about age 6 or so and if you’re lacking in the skills department this is something both mom (and dad?) and children can learn together.

I know I’ve mentioned this before - and I still really want to do it: get some homemaking meetings started.  Just something where us gals can gather and we can learn new skills, learn from one another and get back to basic, simple living.  Let life settle down a little bit  (we had our third born on Aug 14th, at home!) and I’ll start getting some ideas together for this.  It may not be a college course, but I think our community has a lot to offer and we can learn a lot from each other.

We just had a baby (see details in the “birth and babies” blog) and I’m coming to rely on the same lifesaver I’ve used with my other children: a baby sling.  My personal favorite for newborns is a Maya wrap, and then a Mei Tai as the kids get older.  The maya wrap is, I think, better than typical front carriers because the baby can lay down (and still nurse while you’re moving around), be safely contained in 5 different positions, it keeps the baby snug against your body (particularly helpful for newborns who crave the closeness), can sheild the baby from sun and other weather elements (when they lay down, the sling acts as a shell and the baby acts like a pea!  Just kind of swallows the baby and keeps them protected).  You can adjust the maya wrap style slings to make the sling deep or shallow, and adjust the side rails.  If your baby is in an upright position, the tail of the sling can also act as a cover.  The baby is completely supported in a sling, so you are free to move around without having to always hold your baby (however your baby is feeling like s/he’s still being held snug and close).

Some babies don’t take to the sling right away, especially if a sling is introduced later in their lives.  However, once a baby comes to experience the movement of being in a sling while mom or dad goes about cleaning house or whatever needs to get done, they (usually) quickly take to it and enjoy it.

You can easily make slings if you’re handy with a sewing machine.  Or you can buy them already made.  My favorite brand is the maya sling.  They are durable, safe, attractive and are eesy to use.  And, they include a free instructional DVD/VHS about how to use them.

When you learn the art of meal planning, you may very well notice your money is better spent, you spend less, you throw away less food, have less stress over what to cook, and don’t have to make multiple trips to the store during the week to get ingredients for a meal you want to make.

So how is it done?  In a variety of ways!

You can try “once a month cooking” where you spend a day or a weekend cooking a months worth of meals, then freezing them.  This works well if you have a lot of freezer space and the time to actually cook so many meals.  This cuts out the need to cook, and takes care of using all of your fresh produce within days of purchasing.  You can also do smaller batches - cooking for a week or two weeks, or just spending a day cooking whatever you can fit in, throw food in the freezer and have it available for a night that you can’t cook (just heat the food up and eat).

Another option is actually planning every meal (some people plan every breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for a week, two weeks or an entire month. Then go shopping, store food as needed to make it last as long as it’s needed, and not have to worry about the question most of us wake up with “whats for dinner?”

My personal plan works like this (and feel free to share your own!).  I keep a master list of the meals my family likes.  On thsi master list is the name of the dish, the book/pg number I found it from, and the ingredients needed.  I typically plan two weeks of meals in advance, in synch with my husbands paychecks.  I am slowly working on re-writing all of these recipes into my personal cookbook so I don’t need to dig out cookbooks for recipes, I’d just turn to my own cookbook filled with the recipes my family knows and enjoys.

Generally, I pick 14 dinner ideas and about 7 lunch ideas.  I do not plan meals for each day, but pick what sounds best for that day, or go by what ingredients need to be used first before they go bad.  Usually, leftovers are eaten for lunch the next day so I don’t usually plan a lot of lunches.  Breakfasts are pretty simple - oven pancakes made with whatever fruit I buy, oatmeal, a mix of fruit and toast, or whatever we have on hand to make a healthy breakfast.  I don’t plan these, but I do typically buy the same fruits, when in season, so I know what will last and what is used best in breakfasts.  I will also usually get some lunchmeat of some sort so we can eat a sandwich if needed, and I always pick up salad fixings.  There are certain things I don’t plan into meal planning, but I know we’ll eat and they wont’ be a waste of money.  Now, if I try a new recipe, obviously that DOES get planned so I make sure I have the ingredients on hand and I make note of what meal if might compliment best, if it’s a side dish or something. Certain staples, such as bread that I make at home, I find myself checking ingredients before I shop, and if I dont’ have two weeks worth of ingredients on hand I will buy more. 

When I make my shopping list, I have all of the ingredients i”ll need for a particular meal on the master list.  I combine all of these ingredients into a shopping list.  On my list are usual items I have to buy over and over again - milk, butter, eggs.  I keep a checklist of ingredients to check on - do I have enough sugar, flours and other pantry items to last through my meal planning and snacks?

Then, it’s time to go shopping.  I gather the kids and myself (and if I’m lucky, my husband too) and we hit 3-5 stores depending upon store deals, if I use coupons (rarely, considering most of my purchases are for produce or meats), and what I normally find at the best price.  I also like hitting the farmers markets most for locally grown produce, for whatever isn’t growing in my garden.

Then when I get home, I store everything as needed.  If I’ve bought grapes or strawberries, I wash them and store them in a container.  I like to cut up a certain amount of veggies to have as snacks.  I’ll usually go raid my garden now too, figuring I might as well while i’m packaging food. 

This year and next I expect to do a lot of experimenting with new foods, as my husband will be hunting rabbit, duck, goose and deer.  I’m also hoping to buy a side of organic beef to have on hand.  I’d love to stock my deep freezer with meat to last an entire year and just cut that expense right off our grocery bill.  We still have some venison steaks and ground venison and a few ducks in my freezer that I am going to get some recipes for.  But I’m hoping my husband will get lucky enough this year to fill our deep freezer with a decent amount of meat.

This came in my inbox this morning from the organichomesteadinggardening yahoogroup.  I’m sure we can all come up with additional uses for vinegar, but here are 60 to get us started!

SIXTY USES OF VINEGAR
1.. Arthritis tonic and treatment; 2 spoonfuls of apple cider vinegar and honey in a glass of water several times daily.
2.. Thirst-quenching drink: apple cider vinegar mixed with cold water.
3.. Sagging cane chairs: sponge them with a hot solution of half vinegar and half water. Place the chairs out in the hot sun to dry.
4.. Skin burns: apply ice cold vinegar right away for fast relief. Will prevent burn blisters.
5.. Add a spoonful of vinegar to cooking water to make cauliflower white and clean.
6.. Storing cheese: keep it fresh longer by wrapping it in a vinegar-soaked cloth and keeping it in a sealed container.
7.. Remove stains from stainless steel and chrome with a vinegar-dampened cloth.
8.. Rinse glasses and dishes in water and vinegar to remove spots and film.
9.. Prevent grease build-up in your oven by frequently wiping it with vinegar.
10.. Wipe jars of preserves and canned food with vinegar to prevent mold-producing bacteria.
11.. To eliminate mildew, dust and odors, wipe down walls with vinegar-soaked cloth.
12.. Clean windows with vinegar and water.
13.. Hardened paint brushes: simmer in boiling vinegar and wash in hot soapy water.
14.. Clean breadbox and food containers with vinegar-dampened cloth to keep fresh-smelling and clean.
15.. Pour boiling vinegar down drains to unclog and clean them.
16.. Clean fireplace bricks with undiluted vinegar.
17.. An excellent all-purpose cleaner: vinegar mixed with salt. Cleans copper, bronze, brass, dishes, pots, pans, skillets, glasses, windows. Rinse well.
18.. Make your catsup and other condiments last long by adding vinegar.
19.. To clear up respiratory congestion, inhale a vapor mist from steaming pot containing water and several spoonfuls of vinegar.
20.. Apple cider vinegar and honey as a cure-all: use to prevent apathy, obesity, hay fever, asthma, rashes, food poisoning, heartburn, sore throat, bad eyesight, dandruff, brittle nails and bad breath.
21.. When boiling eggs, add some vinegar to the water to prevent white from leaking out of a cracked egg.
22.. When poaching eggs, add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water to prevent separation.
23.. Weight loss: vinegar helps prevent fat from accumulating in the body.
24.. Canned fish and shrimp: to give it a freshly caught taste, soak in a mixture of sherry and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.
25.. Add a spoonful of vinegar when cooking fruit to improve the flavor.
26.. Soak fish in vinegar and water before cooking for a tender, sweeter taste.
27.. Add vinegar to boiling ham to improve flavor and cut salty taste.
28.. Improve the flavor of desserts by adding a touch of vinegar.
29.. Add vinegar to your deep fryer to eliminate a greasy taste.
30.. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to fruit gelatin to hold it firm.
31.. Steep your favorite herb in vinegar until you have a pleasing taste and aroma.
32.. Use vinegar instead of lemon on fried and broiled foods.
33.. To remove lime coating on your tea kettle; add vinegar to the water and let stand overnight.
34.. To make a good liniment: beat 1 whole egg, add 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup turpentine. Blend.
35.. Apply vinegar to chapped, cracked skin for quick healing.
36.. Vinegar promotes skin health: rub on tired, sore or swollen areas.
37.. Reduce mineral deposits in pipes, radiators, kettles and tanks by adding vinegar into the system.
38.. Rub vinegar on the cut end of uncooked ham to prevent mold.
39.. Clean jars with vinegar and water to remove odor.
40.. Avoid cabbage odor by adding vinegar to the cooking water.
41.. Skunk odor: remove from pets by rubbing fur with vinegar.
42.. Paint adheres better to galvanized metal that has been wiped with vinegar.
43.. Pets’ drinking water: add vinegar to eliminate odor and encourage shiny fur.
44.. For fluffy meringue: beat 3 egg whites with a teaspoon of vinegar.
45.. Pie crust: add 1 tablespoon vinegar to your pastry recipe for an exceptional crust.
46.. Half a teaspoon per quart of patching plaster allows you more time to work the plaster before it hardens.
47.. Prevent discoloration of peeled potatoes by adding a few drops of vinegar to water. They will keep fresh for days in fridge.
48.. Poultry water: add vinegar to increase egg production and to produce tender meat.
49.. Preserve peppers: put freshly picked peppers in a sterilized jar and finish filling with boiling vinegar.
50.. Olives and pimentos will keep indefinitely if covered with vinegar and refrigerated.
51.. Add 1 tsp. vinegar to cooking water for fluffier rice.
52.. Add vinegar to laundry rinse water: removes all soap and prevents yellowing.
53.. After shampoo hair rinse: 1 ounce apple cider vinegar in 1 quart of distilled water.
54.. For a shiny crust on homemade bread and rolls: just before they have finished baking, take them out, brush crusts with vinegar, return to oven to finish baking.
55.. Homemade sour cream: blend together 1 cup cottage cheese, 1/4 cup skim milk and 1 tsp. vinegar.
56.. Boil vinegar and water in pots to remove stains.
57.. Remove berry stains from hands with vinegar.
58.. Prevent sugaring by mixing a drop of vinegar in the cake icing.
59.. Cold vinegar relieves sunburn.
60.. When boiling meat, add a spoonful of vinegar to the water to make it more tender.

I have been using the home-made detergent through several loads.  The first load I washed some clothing I had forgotten about that was wet and incredibly smelly.  I was prepared to run two loads, as I usually have to with storebought detergent to get the stench out of the clothing.  However, I didn’t have to.  Using 2 tablespoons of the home made detergent, the clothing came out clean and smelling fresh.

The real test came while washing cloth diapers.  However, I have to say the home made detergent did a better job than the storebought varieties we’ve tried.  The diapers came out brighter, cleaner, fresher smelling and softer. 

So far, I’m impressed.  Check out the very low cost and very easy to make detergent recipe in the Make Your Own category.

I finally located the ingredients i need to make homemade laundry detergent.  Look in the “make your own” category for a recipe I am using.

For anyone who can’t seem to find fels naptha soap, I found it today in the paper plate aisle at Meijers, at the end with the bulk packages of soap.  It’s on the top shelf.  The other ingredients were in the laundry detergent aisle.

I bought a few bars of soap, and intend to also make some of that nontoxic bug spray and we’ll see how that works.

I’ll give a review when I’ve had the chance to use the detergent and bug spray for a while!