Nurturing Hearts, Health and Homestead
Some days are destined for failure, right from the start. Recently, life has been an exhausting freight train of cold coffee, puking kids, messy house, too much laundry, missing chickens, jam that didn’t set, and wasted time. Your days might look a little different, but perhaps you recognize the feeling of desperate, sinking overwhelm.
[Read more…] about Pivot and refocus: 5 ways to salvage a bad day
When David and I were first married, we held our plans loosely. We had plenty of free time, a little bit of disposable income and we were so young! Now, three kids later, we need to be more strategic about the way we live out our days. That’s why we recently sat down to update our family vision and mission statement, as well as our five year plan.
Forming a family vision and mission can sound daunting, but it’s not as difficult as it may seem! In fact, you probably already have some ideas about your own family’s mission and vision. Today’s post will help clarify the difference between a family vision and mission, and help you to create your own family statements.
[Read more…] about Crafting your family vision and mission statement
Right now, before the garden starts producing much, I’m cleaning out the freezer and cupboards to make room for the new, and rounding out our meals with bread and cheese. Another favorite lunch treat is sliced bread with basil and walnut pesto, frozen in August and so very welcomed in rainy April. Homemade bread is delicious and versatile! We love a slow-fermenting sourdough, but recently I rely on simple yeast breads for their speed. This recipe for whole-grain spelt bread is so tasty and easy!
Now that spring is here, we’re spending a lot of time outdoors. We average 3-4 hours of outside time each day, barring rain or high wind. Especially with weather this beautiful, it’s so much more pleasant to be outside! Inside, there are toys, laundry and dishes all over the place and the kids’ squabbling just grates on my psyche. The girls seem to argue less when they have sand in their hair and dirt under their fingernails. Or maybe I just ignore the noise better when the breeze drowns it out. Either way, I know that we’re all happier outside.
The most frequent questions I hear about all of this outside time is: “What do the kids do?” closely followed by “What do YOU do?”. Apparently, in our project-oriented world, it’s expected that moms constantly organize some kind of a learning activity or game for our sweet babes. This is just not my style. While I will occasionally bring a messy art project outside (mostly to cut down on clean up), it’s rare that I guide my children’s outdoor play.
Here are my top four tips for making outside time easier, longer lasting, and more enjoyable for everyone. [Read more…] about Getting outside with young kids: Four tips for success
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Recently, after reading books like Grain Brain, I became interested in cutting back on modern wheat products. We don’t have any gluten sensitivity in our house, so I don’t feel compelled to go gluten-free. However, I wanted to eliminate as much modern wheat as possible from our diets. I also looked for a substitute for modern wheat that would still allow me to easily make our family’s favorite sourdough bread, banana bread, and pancakes. That’s when I found the ancient grain Spelt.
