Today I made a trip to the big city. It had been six days since I left our property. I think some people's jaws may have just dropped to the floor at the fact that I just spent nearly a week at home. However that's really not all that uncommon. We live far enough out now that it is a decent undertaking to go into town. If I'm going to load up all three kids and drive 35 minutes into town, then I need a pretty good reason. Also, I'm going to make real sure that the trip into town is worthwhile. I plan my stops and try to get everything done in one trip. I think it's a little funny that the kids now know which shoes are their "town shoes" and which outfits are their "going to town clothes."
Ten years ago, if you had told me that I needed to spend six days at home, I probably would've balked. What in the world would I do at home for six days? Well, I guess what I do now could be considered monotonous. However, I really enjoy the monotony. I don't like drama. I enjoy life rolling along at a nice, even pace. Doing the mundane is a joy for me.
Living in this rural area gives me a chance to stay home and live a wonderfully monotonous life. I while back I made up a schedule that fit our family. I have it up on the refrigerator. Momma and Daddy's chores are printed in black and the children's duties are printed in red. If the kids ever fuss over doing something, I point to the list and say, "See what time it is...It's time for (whatever they're fussing about.)" It works for my kids and makes life easier for me. Anyhow, here's our daily schedule:
7:00-8:00
Children: Computer time
Momma: Bible study, then fix breakfast
8:00-9:00
Eat Breakfast at 8:00
Children: Clean off table, get dressed, brush teeth, make beds, then play with toys
Momma: Get dressed, make bed, wash dishes
9:00-10:00
Children: Movie time
Momma: Morning chores, feed chickens, start laundry, meal prep
10:00-11:00
Snack time at 10:00 then take honey medicine
School time – read books, play games, study outside
11:00-12:00
Children: Play with toys
Momma: Prepare lunch, check email
12:00-1:00
Eat lunch at 12:00
Children: Clean off table, clean up toys
Momma: Wash dishes
1:00-3:30
Children: Quiet time in bedrooms
Momma: Afternoon/outdoor chores then computer time
3:30-4:00
Snack time, then outside play time
4:00-5:30
Momma: Prepare supper
Children: Daddy time/School time
5:30-6:30
Eat supper at 5:30
Children: Clean off table then play outside
Momma: Wash dishes, sweep floor
Daddy: Put chickens to bed
6:30-7:30
Children: Bath time then play with toys
Momma: Tomorrow’s meal prep
7:30-8:00
Family time, then clean up toys
Every family's list will look different, but this one is working for us right now. It really has been helpful in keeping our monotony productive!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Living Off The Land
If you get a chance, I really recommend that you watch the video on the link below. The video is less than 7 minutes long. It's all about a family in California that grows all its food on 1/5 of an acre. ONE-FIFTH!! It's a very inspiring story and I wanted to share it with you.
Video:
http://wimp.com/livingland/
Here is the family's website:
http://urbanhomestead.org/
According to the website, their property is 1/5 of an acre, but they grow over 350 different vegetables, fruits, herbs, and berries on only 1/10 of an acre. That's over 6,000 pounds of food. WOW!
I do read that they are vegetarian, so I obviously don't agree with their entire lifestyle, but what they've managed to achieved in their garden is phenomenal.
Video:
http://wimp.com/livingland/
Here is the family's website:
http://urbanhomestead.org/
According to the website, their property is 1/5 of an acre, but they grow over 350 different vegetables, fruits, herbs, and berries on only 1/10 of an acre. That's over 6,000 pounds of food. WOW!
I do read that they are vegetarian, so I obviously don't agree with their entire lifestyle, but what they've managed to achieved in their garden is phenomenal.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Becoming A One-Income Family
(Below is our story of how we became a one-income family. It's my hope that those that are questioning whether or not they're able to do it will be able to read our story and see that it is definitely possible.)
I'm sure that I am not the only SAHM that's ever heard the phrase, "Some people just aren't as lucky as YOU are. We don't all get to stay at home like you do." I have bolded the words "get to" because those are the words that irk me the most. You see, I was not handed my life as a SAHM on a silver platter. A lot of hard work and sacrifice has gone into attaining the lifestyle we now have.
Shawn and I married in 2003. He worked a full-time job. I worked a full-time job. We had no children. We had a mortgage, two vehicle payments, and credit card payments. We went to the movies at least once a week. We went out to eat at least once a day. We went away on week-long vacations. I got a pedicure once a month, fake nails put on twice a month, and highlights done about every three months. I even OWNED a tanning bed. (Yeah, I looked good back then!)
In 2004, after one year of marriage, Shawn and I moved for his job. We moved to a town that was an hour and a half away from our previous home. Even though I didn't have a job lined up yet, we purchased a home and moved in. I put in a few job applications. Two weeks after moving, I found out I was pregnant with Sam. Now, it seemed a little wrong for me to apply for jobs only to tell my possible employer that I would be taking maternity leave in nine months. So, Shawn and I made the decision that I would not be going back to work. However, we had just taken out a new mortgage expecting two incomes to be coming in. We still had two vehicle payments and credit card bills. They had to be paid somehow...SO, we had to make some changes.
Some changes were immediate and others were more gradual. We immediately had to stop all eating out and going out to the movies. We immediately cancelled everything except dial tone on our home phone..no caller ID, no call waiting, not even long distance. We purchased calling cards from Sam's Club for long-distance coverage or else I just used my cell phone. We could no longer afford for me to get all "beautified" on a regular basis. No more pedicures, no more fake nails..I was still able to keep my highlights, but I ended up going to the local cosmetology school to get those done. I had to give up the Clinique make-up and instead bought the cheaper stuff at Wal-Mart. I learned to coupon and got really, really good at it. I went for a while without health insurance. When it comes down to health insurance versus food/utilities...food and utilities win out. Shawn had always had a membership to the shooting range before our financial situation changed. He had to give that up. He was a hard-core Dr. Pepper drinker. While I still purchased soda on occasion back then, Shawn had to learn to like the generic versions of his favorite soda. When his boots got a hole in the bottom, we didn't go out and purchase a new pair for him. We found a local man that repaired boots and we got them repaired. Our clothing started coming from yard sales or Goodwill or we received them as gifts. Shawn and I stopped buying each other Christmas, birthday, and anniversary presents as well. In addition to all that, Shawn took on a part-time job teaching night classes for another college.
Some may wonder how these tiny little changes could've possibly made a difference. Well, I can tell you that they did. Not only did we manage to survive on one income by saving a penny here and a penny there, but these changes caused us to completely reevaluate the way we handled money. Suddenly I had a bright spotlight shining on our budget and I had to pay attention to it at all times. Living this lifestyle forced me to view our budget in minute detail. I had to plan out gifts and oil changes and even stamps. Everything was figured into the budget. By making these small changes not only were we able to survive on one income, we were able to survive while we paid off both vehicles and all of our credit card debt (which got up to over $11,000 at one time.) It did take several years for us to wipe out all of that debt, but we were finally able to do it. We are in a better financial situation now than we ever hoped to be while we both had jobs. Now, our only debt is our property and we are trying to get it paid off as quickly as possible.
We became a one-income family very suddenly and it has turned out to be a great blessing for our family. We find value in small things now and (I feel) have our priorities in a better place. Having to stick to a very strict budget causes you to really consider what is and is not important in your life. When you have to search to find enough money to cover food and utilities, suddenly television, movies, and the latest electronic gadgets don't seem quite so important.
What really amazes me is that Shawn and I now tend to choose the less expensive option even when we could afford a more expensive one. For instance, we could probably afford for me to start getting fake nails again. However, at this point I would feel silly wearing fake nails. Please, if you are reading this and wearing fake nails..please don't be offended. It's just that now I would rather give up a fake nails budget and put that money aside for an extra mortgage payment or to add more insulation to the house. Our financial situation has now improved but the lessons and priorities that we were forced to submit to have now become our preference.
So, I guess all of this is why I get a little irked when someone comments that I "get to" stay home. No...I don't "get to" stay home...I'm able to stay home because we've worked hard at it.
I'm sure that I am not the only SAHM that's ever heard the phrase, "Some people just aren't as lucky as YOU are. We don't all get to stay at home like you do." I have bolded the words "get to" because those are the words that irk me the most. You see, I was not handed my life as a SAHM on a silver platter. A lot of hard work and sacrifice has gone into attaining the lifestyle we now have.
Shawn and I married in 2003. He worked a full-time job. I worked a full-time job. We had no children. We had a mortgage, two vehicle payments, and credit card payments. We went to the movies at least once a week. We went out to eat at least once a day. We went away on week-long vacations. I got a pedicure once a month, fake nails put on twice a month, and highlights done about every three months. I even OWNED a tanning bed. (Yeah, I looked good back then!)
In 2004, after one year of marriage, Shawn and I moved for his job. We moved to a town that was an hour and a half away from our previous home. Even though I didn't have a job lined up yet, we purchased a home and moved in. I put in a few job applications. Two weeks after moving, I found out I was pregnant with Sam. Now, it seemed a little wrong for me to apply for jobs only to tell my possible employer that I would be taking maternity leave in nine months. So, Shawn and I made the decision that I would not be going back to work. However, we had just taken out a new mortgage expecting two incomes to be coming in. We still had two vehicle payments and credit card bills. They had to be paid somehow...SO, we had to make some changes.
Some changes were immediate and others were more gradual. We immediately had to stop all eating out and going out to the movies. We immediately cancelled everything except dial tone on our home phone..no caller ID, no call waiting, not even long distance. We purchased calling cards from Sam's Club for long-distance coverage or else I just used my cell phone. We could no longer afford for me to get all "beautified" on a regular basis. No more pedicures, no more fake nails..I was still able to keep my highlights, but I ended up going to the local cosmetology school to get those done. I had to give up the Clinique make-up and instead bought the cheaper stuff at Wal-Mart. I learned to coupon and got really, really good at it. I went for a while without health insurance. When it comes down to health insurance versus food/utilities...food and utilities win out. Shawn had always had a membership to the shooting range before our financial situation changed. He had to give that up. He was a hard-core Dr. Pepper drinker. While I still purchased soda on occasion back then, Shawn had to learn to like the generic versions of his favorite soda. When his boots got a hole in the bottom, we didn't go out and purchase a new pair for him. We found a local man that repaired boots and we got them repaired. Our clothing started coming from yard sales or Goodwill or we received them as gifts. Shawn and I stopped buying each other Christmas, birthday, and anniversary presents as well. In addition to all that, Shawn took on a part-time job teaching night classes for another college.
Some may wonder how these tiny little changes could've possibly made a difference. Well, I can tell you that they did. Not only did we manage to survive on one income by saving a penny here and a penny there, but these changes caused us to completely reevaluate the way we handled money. Suddenly I had a bright spotlight shining on our budget and I had to pay attention to it at all times. Living this lifestyle forced me to view our budget in minute detail. I had to plan out gifts and oil changes and even stamps. Everything was figured into the budget. By making these small changes not only were we able to survive on one income, we were able to survive while we paid off both vehicles and all of our credit card debt (which got up to over $11,000 at one time.) It did take several years for us to wipe out all of that debt, but we were finally able to do it. We are in a better financial situation now than we ever hoped to be while we both had jobs. Now, our only debt is our property and we are trying to get it paid off as quickly as possible.
We became a one-income family very suddenly and it has turned out to be a great blessing for our family. We find value in small things now and (I feel) have our priorities in a better place. Having to stick to a very strict budget causes you to really consider what is and is not important in your life. When you have to search to find enough money to cover food and utilities, suddenly television, movies, and the latest electronic gadgets don't seem quite so important.
What really amazes me is that Shawn and I now tend to choose the less expensive option even when we could afford a more expensive one. For instance, we could probably afford for me to start getting fake nails again. However, at this point I would feel silly wearing fake nails. Please, if you are reading this and wearing fake nails..please don't be offended. It's just that now I would rather give up a fake nails budget and put that money aside for an extra mortgage payment or to add more insulation to the house. Our financial situation has now improved but the lessons and priorities that we were forced to submit to have now become our preference.
So, I guess all of this is why I get a little irked when someone comments that I "get to" stay home. No...I don't "get to" stay home...I'm able to stay home because we've worked hard at it.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Shawn's Favorite Meal
Last night I made Shawn's favorite meal for supper. I figured I'd share it with you all today since it's such a big hit at our house. I enjoy serving this to my family since it employs so many aspects of a healthy, traditional diet: grassfed beef, animal fat, soaked rice, soaked beans, organic vegetables, etc.
Shawn's favorite meal consists of Spanish rice, refried beans, and guacamole with tortilla chips. A disclaimer on the Guacamole recipe though...I don't use a recipe to make the dip. I just throw everything into a bowl, so my measurements on the recipe are just estimates where I "eyeballed" what I seemed to be putting in the bowl.
Spanish Rice
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. acidic medium (whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk)
2 Tbsp. lard or tallow
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 cup frozen corn
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
2-3/4 cups water
Chili powder, salt, pepper, and cumin to taste
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Place rice, 2 cups warm water, and acidic medium in covered dish and leave in warm place for at least 7 hours.
Later, after soaking time has finished:
In large skillet over medium heat, heat fat until melted and hot. Strain rice from acidic water. Add rice, onion, green pepper, and garlic to hot fat. Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are tender. Add the ground beef and cook until browned.
Add corn, tomatoes, and water. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 50 minutes or until rice is cooked. Season with chili powder, salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. Add freshly chopped cilantro and stir.
Crockpot Refried Beans
3 cups pinto beans
8-1/2 cups water
1 onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
The night before, place 3 cups dry pinto beans in a pot. Cover beans with warm water and allow to soak 12-24 hours. After soaking, drain water, rinse, and place in crockpot. Add all other ingredients and cook on high for 8 hours. Drain out most of the water. Mash beans, adding some liquid back in if needed. Can be portioned out and frozen for later use.
Guacamole
4 ripe avocados
1 lemon or lime, juiced
1 tsp. sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. onion, minced
1 Tbsp. cumin
1/3 c. fresh cilantro, minced
Combine avocados, lemon/lime juice, and sea salt. Mash together with potato masher. Add other ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate one hour for flavors to blend.
We add good, pastured, raw cheddar cheese to the crockpot refried beans. We do eat our guacamole with tortilla chips purchased from the store. The best that we are able to find are organic, non-GMO chips that are fried in sunflower, safflower and/or canola oil. I'm not to the point of making my own tortilla chips yet, so this is what we use now!
I hope you enjoy this meal as much as my family does!
This post is proud to be a part of Real Food Wednesday with Kelly the Kitchen Kop
http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/09/real-food-wednesday-9810.html
Shawn's favorite meal consists of Spanish rice, refried beans, and guacamole with tortilla chips. A disclaimer on the Guacamole recipe though...I don't use a recipe to make the dip. I just throw everything into a bowl, so my measurements on the recipe are just estimates where I "eyeballed" what I seemed to be putting in the bowl.
Spanish Rice
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. acidic medium (whey, yogurt, kefir or buttermilk)
2 Tbsp. lard or tallow
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 cup frozen corn
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
2-3/4 cups water
Chili powder, salt, pepper, and cumin to taste
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Place rice, 2 cups warm water, and acidic medium in covered dish and leave in warm place for at least 7 hours.
Later, after soaking time has finished:
In large skillet over medium heat, heat fat until melted and hot. Strain rice from acidic water. Add rice, onion, green pepper, and garlic to hot fat. Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are tender. Add the ground beef and cook until browned.
Add corn, tomatoes, and water. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 50 minutes or until rice is cooked. Season with chili powder, salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. Add freshly chopped cilantro and stir.
Crockpot Refried Beans
3 cups pinto beans
8-1/2 cups water
1 onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
The night before, place 3 cups dry pinto beans in a pot. Cover beans with warm water and allow to soak 12-24 hours. After soaking, drain water, rinse, and place in crockpot. Add all other ingredients and cook on high for 8 hours. Drain out most of the water. Mash beans, adding some liquid back in if needed. Can be portioned out and frozen for later use.
Guacamole
4 ripe avocados
1 lemon or lime, juiced
1 tsp. sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. onion, minced
1 Tbsp. cumin
1/3 c. fresh cilantro, minced
Combine avocados, lemon/lime juice, and sea salt. Mash together with potato masher. Add other ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate one hour for flavors to blend.
We add good, pastured, raw cheddar cheese to the crockpot refried beans. We do eat our guacamole with tortilla chips purchased from the store. The best that we are able to find are organic, non-GMO chips that are fried in sunflower, safflower and/or canola oil. I'm not to the point of making my own tortilla chips yet, so this is what we use now!
I hope you enjoy this meal as much as my family does!
This post is proud to be a part of Real Food Wednesday with Kelly the Kitchen Kop
http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/09/real-food-wednesday-9810.html
Summer Recap: Part 2
I had so many photos of our trip this Summer to Oklahoma that I thought I'd just give it a post in and of itself. We had such a fun time visiting Grandma Colette and Shawn's grandparents.
Summer Recap: Part 1
Since I officially feel like Fall is here, I guess I ought to go back and post the Summer photos that I never got around to. Grandma Colette should really enjoy this one!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Fall Is Here!
We had such a wonderful, productive day yesterday. The weather was cool enough that we were able to go the whole day with the doors and windows open on the house. We worked hard around the property trying to get things ready for winter. Shawn collected some firewood, we cleaned up trees, and then ended the day with a walk around the property.
We made our way over to the Mule Pond, which is a small little pond that is filled by one of our springs. It has been so dry this summer that the Mule Pond finally dried up.
Here is Shawn standing in the hole that is usually filled with water.
Here you can see the dried-up Mule Pond a bit better. We'd really like to find out exactly where the spring bubbles up from the ground.
There's still a lot of beautiful wildflowers to be seen.
Then we made our way back to the second spring. We call it the Deep Spring because it basically looks like a deep well. We love the way it looks.
It's also nice that it retains water even when there's very, very little rain.
Cute grandbabies for Grandma Colette to see.
The pond was down really low, so it was easy to see the tracks of the animals that have been coming to get a drink. Here you can see tracks from deer, turkey, and raccoon.
I also ended up washing the fleece blankets yesterday that Aunt Angie made for us. I always keep these in the vehicle during the Fall/Winter in case of an emergency or just if the kids get cold. The kids had a lot of fun playing in the "tent" that was made from the blankets hanging on the line.
Anyhow, that was our day. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I'd share. I hope you enjoyed it too!
We made our way over to the Mule Pond, which is a small little pond that is filled by one of our springs. It has been so dry this summer that the Mule Pond finally dried up.
Here is Shawn standing in the hole that is usually filled with water.
Here you can see the dried-up Mule Pond a bit better. We'd really like to find out exactly where the spring bubbles up from the ground.
There's still a lot of beautiful wildflowers to be seen.
Then we made our way back to the second spring. We call it the Deep Spring because it basically looks like a deep well. We love the way it looks.
It's also nice that it retains water even when there's very, very little rain.
Cute grandbabies for Grandma Colette to see.
The pond was down really low, so it was easy to see the tracks of the animals that have been coming to get a drink. Here you can see tracks from deer, turkey, and raccoon.
I also ended up washing the fleece blankets yesterday that Aunt Angie made for us. I always keep these in the vehicle during the Fall/Winter in case of an emergency or just if the kids get cold. The kids had a lot of fun playing in the "tent" that was made from the blankets hanging on the line.
Anyhow, that was our day. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I'd share. I hope you enjoyed it too!
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