Every Now and Then

As those who stay at home know, most days are a frantic mess... the constant "two-steps-behind" feeling that just makes you want to crawl under a desk and chew your hair in frustration... when you look around at the end of the day and wonder what on earth you have to show for all your hard work. (please tell me I'm not the only one who feels like that most days!)

HOWEVER,

there are those rare days... when everything comes together so well... that you just want to shout for joy.

This has been one of those days for me.

We started off with a good discussion on the theological and cardinal virtues, along with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. That prompted the kids to have great attitudes, so the rest of the homeschooling day went without a hitch.

My daughters both finished their rough drafts for their research reports without any help from me whatsoever, AND managed to type them all by themselves.

At lunchtime, Kathryn asked for alphabet pasta (pasta, ground beef, onions, celery, all cooked in beef broth. It's a fast and yummy lunch). Since I had the onions, celery, and beef out ANYWAY, I took a few extra minutes, chopped up the rest, and started supper for tonight (meatloaf). Since that went so fast, I figured I would just thaw out the sausage and finish the meatloaf. And, since the sausage was out ANYWAY, I put half of it in the meatloaf, quickly cooked the other half in the pan that was now empty (since the kids were eating lunch at the table), and whipped up breakfast casserole for tomorrow morning.

THREE meals in less than an hour!

Since we were all finished with homeschooling so early (thanks to great attitudes), I was able to get the little girls to help me whip up some benne wafers. The older girls, wanting to join in on the fun, decided to make a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies at the same time. SO, we were able to have tea time this afternoon with two different types of cookies... all the dishes are washed... the counters are clean... and the kids are happily playing by themselves.

I have managed to stay on top of laundry today.

All in all, I am STUNNED by all that has gone right today.

I must reiterate, this is NOT how it normally goes around here. This is a fluke... a once-in-a-blue-moon event that is meant to be savored, enjoyed, and remembered. Tomorrow the dishwasher may break, I may have several children come down with a stomach bug, and I will have forgotten even the most basic homemaking skills... but for today, just for TODAY, I will rejoice in the small successes.

Homemade

I've been interested in making food from scratch for some time now. While I'm by no means militant about it, I do try to "make it at home" whenever possible. Initially, it was simply because I couldn't trust that the restaurants... or the factories... really went out of their way to ensure that it was made in the healthiest or safest way. I used to work in food service, and while there are certain rules to be followed, there is no way to ensure that everyone is following them correctly. So, just as a matter of preference, I chose to make it at home more often than not.

Now, however, after watching Supersize Me and Food, Inc., and reading books such as the Little House series, Omnivore's Dilemma,   Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet, and Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, I have found myself wanting more and more to stretch my comfort level and make more from scratch -- not necessarily for the radical environmentalist viewpoint put forth in some of those books, but rather due to a desire to be a little more deliberate in how we eat, and to embrace a little bit more simplicity.

Although I have to laugh as I look at that last sentence, because "simplicity" sometimes seems to be the LAST thing that cooking from scratch is.

It's easy to grab a box off of a shelf, add water, and call it a meal. This is not a slam of those who find themselves doing that more often than not at mealtime. Life is stressful enough without some Martha-wannabe making us feel guilty everytime we let someone else "do the work."

But there is a joy, and a sense of satisfaction, of stepping outside the norm... even for just a brief moment... and seeing that it *is* possible to make something without the help of processed food.

For me, the defining moment (and it is rather silly) came when I read a recipe in Martha Stewart Living that showed how to make pudding from scratch. Pudding? From scratch? Not from a box? The thought NEVER even crossed my mind before. Once I made it, however, and saw how much better it tasted than the boxed variety, and how EASY it was, I was hooked. I started looking for various ways to make more from scratch: cakes, frosting, pancakes, bread, soups, stock as well as non-food items such as cleaners, dish detergent, and laundry detergent. Each time I was successful, I felt a great deal of satisfaction at a job well done.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 says: "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you."

For some it may mean cooking from scratch; for others, it may be making furniture, or crafts, or salvaging something old and turning it into something new. Whatever it is, I hope that you find joy this week in making something!

Good news, bad news

First, the bad news....

NO SNOW.

If you heard the sound of weeping and wailing this morning, that was the sound of all upstate South Carolina children as they woke up to find, not snow, but freezing rain. Oh, the disappointment in this house was pretty severe. Several children expressed a great interest in packing up and moving to North Carolina, where "at least they get snow in the wintertime."

Sigh.

But, after many tears were shed and understanding hugs were given, the kids rallied and tried to make the best of it. Kathryn made up a game on the trampolene with the little bit of ice she could scrape up...

...and Grace just wanted to dress for the season.

And, of course, after being outside for a few minutes in the freezing cold, they all asked for hot chocolate (which, truly, is part of the magic of snow anyway.... so I'd like to think they aren't too deprived.)



Now, the good news.

First, the "making-yogurt-in-a-crockpot" recipe really worked! The real test, of course, is in a few hours, when I try to add some sort of flavoring to it so that it will be palatable for my crew. I admire those who can muscle down plain yogurt, but to me that's just vile. (blech)

I do cook with plain yogurt quite often, though, so it will be helpful to have plenty of the homemade variety on hand!

Second, on a day like today, the kitchen just beckons. I'm not sure what to bake first! Will it be bread? Homemade hot pockets? or just a batch of benne wafers? (that is the state cookie of South Carolina, you know!)

I do know what's for lunch, though... Greek Lemon Chicken Soup!!! (I am not free to share the recipe here, since it's copyrighted, but if you click on the Amazon link above, and scroll through the pages they let you see, you can see the recipe for Greek Orzo, Chicken, and Lemon soup. You will be doing yourself a HUGE favor if you try this recipe! Of course, buying the book would be great, too... ) As a huge testimony to this soup, I can say that even my younger kids, who are NOT soup eaters, beg for this soup. In fact, when I told Thomas that I would be cooking it today, he grabbed my legs, gave me a huge hug, and said, "this weekend is going to be the best weekend EVER!"

Such is the power of soup.

Coupled with a warm slice of colonial bread (h/t Margaret in Minnesota), my kids will feel like they can conquer the world!

Who's with me?

Wow... turns out that Faith & Family also had a post yesterday about making things from scratch! Great minds think alike, huh? *grin*

Anyway, in that post she links to A Year of Slow Cooking, which takes us all step-by-step through making yogurt in the crockpot!

I guess I have no excuse now... I'm going to have to give it a shot. I'm thinking this is going to be a weekend project (barring major sicknesses... typhoons... or me forgetting to buy whole milk at the grocery store)

I'm not turning anti-social!

I just can't figure out WHY blogger decided to stop notifying me of comments posted on my blog. So, in an effort to make sure that no comment gets unnoticed... and no one feels unappreciated when they graciously took the time to stop by and write something.... I am putting comments on "waiting for moderator approval." Hopefully THEN at least I'll know that someone left a comment, and I can respond quickly!

So, please be patient while I try to figure this out. In the meantime, I'll try to check FREQUENTLY for comments.


In the meantime, please continue to leave any and all great ideas for homemade food!

In our house, I make a lot of our own bread, and I do grind my own wheat. (Suburban Cowgirl, you'd love it!) That one change alone made me want to cook more from scratch for my family!

I also make salsa and pico de gallo... my own spaghetti sauce... granola... cookies... brownies... hot chocolate mix... and other things like that. I haven't made a huge lifestyle change, but I do try to make more things from scratch than not. I have not, however, crossed the line and made my own yogurt or pasta (hey there, Malia!), and I have not wandered into that sacred zone of "making my own crescent rolls," as she does on a regular basis. (they take SIX HOURS to make!!!)

I also make my own laundry detergent and cleaning products. Vinegar, baking soda, and tea tree oil truly do work wonders when you're cleaning up around the house.

But, I'm still buying crackers... and cereal... and too many things to mention that are filled with high-fructose corn syrup and a whole host of other ingredients that I'd probably rather not be feeding my children. We eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and don't ever buy soda, but sadly I can't say that we "eat healthy."


I do have to share one funny story: I was reading Martha Stewart Living and stumbled across a recipe for pudding. I was flabbergasted... I had no idea anyone could make pudding from scratch! (sad, I know...) So, I whipped up my first batch and was so pleased with myself that I called my mom and proudly announced, "Mom! Guess what I just did!!! I made pudding! Look what mine hands hath wrought!" Needless to say, she was less than amazed. I tried to explain that no, this wasn't BOXED pudding, it was REAL pudding... still, the amazement just wasn't there.

Oh well. If I'm ever on a deserted island and have no access to a grocery store (and yet miraculously have all the fixins' on hand), never you fret. This chick can whip up a batch of pudding.

OK, I *think* I'm back...

... but, the way things are going around here, you just never know!

The kids have all had the same "bad-cold-with-REALLY-high-fever-can't-get-off-the-couch-and-can't-stop-coughing" thing going, which (of course) turned into a raging ear infection for several of them. Yippee!

I hope... HOPE... that we've seen the last of this, and we can all get back to normal.

Grace, of course, was NOT a good patient. She spent most of every day either crying, telling me she had a fever, or sleeping on me. The others, however, were amazing. Truly amazing. Marie (my 4-yr old), who had an awfully high fever, never once complained or cried... AND got up and got her own drink whenever she was thirsty, and then climbed right back on the couch and snuggled under the quilts.

Is that not amazing???

I wish I could say that *I* was that mature when I was 4... or heck, even now at 42! No, I tend to be a lot more like Grace. If I'm suffering, the world will KNOW that I am suffering. I am such a whiner.

Still, we had our funny moments during our latest illness.

One particularly trying afternoon I had two very sick little girls on my lap, snuggled under a quilt, trying to take naps. They were both coughing NON-STOP and both of them... well,... both of them were coughing right in each other's faces. Gross. I told them to either turn their heads or cough into their hands or elbows. Grace looked at me like I had sprouted a third eye but, in a valiant attempt to actually obey Mommy, she dutifully turned her arm around in a ridiculously awkward pose and coughed on the outside of her elbow. I had to try to stop laughing long enough to show her that I actually meant the inner crook of her arm....


In other news....


I actually got a chance to watch Food Inc. and Supersize Me. Ugh. I tend to avoid documentaries (seeing as they are usually mighty one-sided) but still, I watched because I knew that it would accomplish one big thing: give me the kick start that I needed to make more food homemade. Whether or not these documentaries accurately portrayed everything or not, the fact still remains that... let's face it... processed food really isn't good for you.

None of that is a surprise to anyone.

So, with that extra bit of motivation, I bought more ingredients and less "end result" food at the grocery store. I didn't get to use many coupons, but still managed to come out at $170 -- and that includes EVERYTHING, including pet food and light bulbs. For some families that may be astronomical, but feeding a family of 9? I'm feeding each person for less than $20 a WEEK!

Still, I know that there are so many ways I can improve how we eat around here, so that's why I'm tossing this question out to you:

What are the normal "store bought" things that you make from scratch? Bread? Granola? Yogurt? How has making more things homemade improved the way your family eats?

Let me know! I'm eager to hear any and all responses!