The Urban Homemaker Blog

Category: Parenting

  • Tribute to Mom

    Tribute to Mom

    The Urban Homemaker is epitomized in my own mother.  I took it for granted, as a child, and foolishly thought most homes were like mine, with a mother who cooked supper every night, baked the best cookies and cinnamon rolls, and actually said she liked doing laundry and ironing!  I did wonder at times why some of my elementary classmates hounded me to trade my lunch for theirs.  🙂

    Mom became an urban homemaker when she and Dad married and settled in a big city out West (where her asthma was supposed to be better), far from their families, and the rural lifestyle in the East where they were both born and raised.  Despite being raised in a large family, in the country, my mom says she wasn’t much of a cook when she got married.  By the time my sisters and I came along though, as far back as my memory serves me, Mom’s food was wonderful!  My dad would take us all out “for dinner” (39 cent hamburgers and French fries) once every two weeks when he got his paycheck, so Mom had ample time and experience to hone her cooking skills.  She made food from “scratch” as it was less expensive than the boxed variety.  She did not own fancy cooking tools, or even a dishwasher (my dad said he had four dishwashers and didn’t need any more)!    After our outing at the burger joint, we would go to the grocery store – Dad would hand Mom $40 cash, and she would buy two weeks worth of groceries while the rest of us waited in the station wagon, listening to the radio and enjoying our time with Dad.

    So… times have changed, yes.  We have been liberated and don’t have to do the mundane cooking and cleaning that was once a natural, necessary task for us.  It’s become easy, acceptable, and excusable to let the restaurant chains feed us more often than we cook.  Losing the art and skills of homemaking has cost us more than just monetarily; it has deprived us of our innate ability to nurture our families, and it has led to a nation of many unhealthy people.

    In a review in Eating Well magazine of Michael Pollan’s latest book, Cooked:A Natural History of Transformation, Pollan says, “Cooking is key to changing our health and the environment.”  When asked about a person who just doesn’t have time to cook, Pollan replies, “Well, that same person has an hour for yoga or surfing the Web.  We put pressure on the kitchen to save 10 minutes to do something else.  I’m just arguing that it’s important – for your health, your family life and your sanity”.

    I am truly grateful for my mother and for her beautiful portrayal of homemaking.  We don’t all have a mother like mine, but we can all be inspired to learn and grow, and transform the way we look at the task before us of raising a healthy family.

    So…what’s for dinner?  🙂

  • Making Playdough At Home – A Recipe For FUN!

     

    Although my own children have outgrown this activity, we still get to enjoy it now and then when entertaining other young ones!  It never fails to bring smiles, and is a safe, economical remedy for those “winter doldrums”!

    This recipe, which I’ve had for years, is easily made, with simple ingredients you have in your cupboard, and keeps very well.

    Homemade Playdough

    1 cup flour

    1/2 cup salt

    2 T. vegetable oil

    2 t. cream of tartar

    1 cup water

    Few drops of food color

    Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Cook and stir until the mixture leaves the side of the pan and changes consistency.  Dump out onto plate, or counter, and let cool enough to handle.  It is fun to work with when it is warm and very soft and does not require extra flour on hands or table like some recipes do.  This playdough stays soft and fun for a long time if it is stored in a zip-top plastic bag.

  • Plastic Eggs, Little Kids and an Object Lesson


    I came up with this idea with a little help after hiding little plastic eggs in our backyard Saturday night while the house was sleeping. It has never been warm or dry enough to do a little hunt in years past and since my “Littles” are getting older, I wanted them to have this experience.

    I am one blessed Mama to have 3 young children to know and confess a relationship with Jesus. He being raised from the dead is right where our faith starts! I want them to understand so they can live in that relationship their whole lives. To have them know and understand early in life is AWESOME!

    I’ll get back to Easter morning, my children are waking, the coffee pot is brewing, and I open the blinds to find our little “Dixieland” dog carting around a yellow plastic Easter egg. The slider opens, I say “drop it,” ~ she does. The yard is covered with about 5-6 eggs and their contents. I manage to put back all but 3 emptied eggs.

    The hunt begins, then it hit me. ~ Children don’t forget the empty eggs!”

    In my mind they represent the empty tomb! There are 3, an opportunity for all 3 of my children. I hope and pray they will pick them up.

    I hear “They aren’t valuable Mom,” “Nothing of value is in them Mom,” “We’ll get them later Mom.” I reminded them a few times and then said no more.

    So I run inside and collect three $1 bills and wait.  ~ “So did any of you get the empty eggs?” “No”, but then the light bulb goes on in one of our son’s face. He knows!!! Then our daughter~ she knows!  And then the other son. He knows too! YES!

    They acknowledged they all missed a “valuable” opportunityto collect something (an empty dog licked egg) that was the most valuable!  That empty egg represented an opportunity to see the message of the Risen Christ; our best gift! The reason we believe.  They also missed the $1 that each empty egg represented.  They also understood that I asked a few times and then stopped asking.

    No one got the dollars that glorious Easter morn, the empty eggs were picked up, yet they still got “it.” They got that the most valuable was maybe the least desired or not shiny. They got that the empty eggs could represent a narrow gate and only a few get them. ~ Remember they stood there with baskets filled with several intact eggs (the wide gate).   They got it as they played hide the eggs and left 1 or 2 open so an opportunity missed could be found!

    So if the dog ever gets your eggs have this idea for a teachable moment! It is exactly why there is an Easter to celebrate in the first place!

    Happy Easter folks! Kathy

     

  • Pumpkin Spiced Latte: for Free!

    I have figured out the best way to keep my house picked up and to have the occasional “Pumpkin Spiced Latte”- for free! A friend just emailed out that the wonderful fall spiced latte is back in town!

     

    Well then, I must explain, so you, Ms Urban Homemaker, may enjoy one too!

    The Jar: Plain, Simple, and brimming with items with a $.25/ea bounty on their heads.

    At the end of most days or at least an hour or so after the first and only warning I might give to the collection of nick-knack toys here and there on the floor, I go hunting! I pick up handfuls of little toys that are my eye sore or end up in my sweeping pile- OR the very toys I step on barefoot in the dark no less and I place said items into the jar.
    The jar collects many wonderful items! They gleam from the glass! They call to their owners who long ago forgot to put them in their place! The guilty party in this house happens to be a trio of 8 yr olds who can and do forget to pick up after themselves.

    Fast forward days or weeks later and a bit of the jar catches their eyes. They know the jar can’t be opened without ransom. So the prized, long, lost item is found and the $.25 ransom is paid. Often I get generous (especially when I know a Nerf gun fight is being prepped for) and hold a 5 for $1 sale. Oh my boys love this; I made, literally $5.75 last week.

    Bottom line: Yes, I occasionally reward my efforts and my cleaner home with the occasional well desired Pumpkin Spiced Latte, but it also is a nice way to return the cash back to the kids by offering them to work a chore for money. That money can and does go around and around, but man, I hold out for the latte.. especially now that I heard they are back in town and I have a long night ahead.

    ~I will warn.. The ransom payment is often painful for the guilty, so ransom cash flow happens not too often, but when it does, may you enjoy!

    Kathy

     

     

  • Potato Tradition

    Every 2nd week of a new school year we find ourselves mourning the almost gone summer months.

    Every 2nd week of a new school year it is time to break the mold and HARVEST POTATOES!

    I love harvesting potatoes and you know my kids do too. Their motivation and attitude quickly changes and we find ourselves in the almost sleeping garden full of produce which needs preserving and picking.  My little ones left their desks with Language Arts complete only to be told to head to the garden.

    What For?

    For a potato adventure!  ~ and Science for the day!

    As we dug through the dirt I tried impressing upon them the slang phrase “pay-load!” But in their sweet way I heard shouts of “Hay-load! Hay-load!” every time I forked up a clump of dirt only to find a “pay-load” of potatoes!

    I can’t say whole heartedly that I am looking forward to the next season, but boy! ~ this is truly a tradition that is in its 3rd year. It really is in the
    little things that memories are made and looked forward to the next time.

     

    So the next time:  Let’s just say that this particular son has prepared the soil for a winter harvest and he has already asked me to pick up a bale of straw. I just think we might get behind that idea and make another tradition: Winter Potato Harvest.

     

    For Now, enjoy your harvest & hope it is a potato harvest!

     

    Kathy

     

     

     

     

  • Summer Tradition- Granola Bars

    “What’s that recipe for granola bars?” – my hair stylist asked me. (She’s the best!) 

    Ok I’ll share! Enjoy…. I make these for most camping trips (whether camper camping or backpacking.) We eat them during the summer and it has become a summer tradition of sorts. I love that my family expects them and I am pleased to make them.

    Kathy’s Granola Bars– for 1- 9×13 (Pyrex is preferable)

    Ingredients:

    1/3 C oil- Coconut or olive is yummy

    ¾ C Brown Sugar

    2 T Honey

    1 tsp. vanilla

    2 Eggs

    1 C Flour (mill it fresh if you can! whole wheat, 6 grain works!)

    1 tsp. Cinnamon

    ½ tsp. Baking Powder

    ¼ tsp. salt

    1 ½ C 9 grain rolled (oats work well too!)

    2 C Crisp Rice Cereal

    1 C Chocolate Chips, chopped nuts, dried fruit, or seeds (or any combination you like) *pumpkin seeds and chocolate chips are YUM!

     

    In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, honey, vanilla and eggs. Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Stir in rolled grain or oats, cereal, and nuts, fruits, or chocolate chips. Spray treat or wipe oil into a 9×13 glass pan. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of pan.

    For Chewy bars: Bake 350 for 25 min.. THEN TAKE OUT!

    For Crunchy Bars: Bake at 300 for 40-50 min and top is brown.

    Cool bars completely. Cut bars into 16 pieces.  These may be frozen.

    Nutritional Info: roughly 230 calories, 10g fat, 29g Carbohydrates.. I am a Diabetic so carbs are important to know!

  • Shanty? Fort? Survival shelter?- Complete Brilliance!!!

    This last Monday my kids were free! Yes, our homeschool year is complete and I, Kathy, am working hard on the Urban Homemaker! So freedom abounds for the Marsh Trio who are full fledged 2nd grade graduates!

    This week has been full of rain, but that is not a deterrent for the kids. They set out and asked if they could build a fort. My response was “Yes!” A few days go by and the kids present their creation to us, but as I walk up to it I ask myself, “Is it a shanty? A fort? A survival shelter?” and then it dawns on me!

    It is complete and utter brilliance!

    One might want me to explain my definition of brilliance…… I am thrilled to!

    • This shelter was built by 2 brothers and 1 sister in full team work compliance from morning till night. It was their creation. This is where you would have found our children all this week, all day long.
    • Jamie used some of her strengths for decorating the interior. Yes, the brothers did help!

    • They picked up and used every scrap piece of wood, hay baling string, scrap hay, horse toys to make it.
    • They used what was in their minds and built it. They could articulate all the whys and the why nots. They used survival strategies, science, math, history and plain old life skills to make this plan a reality.
    • The structure has a name and a theme: survival. The kids are reading, bird watching, and realized what is around them is a blessing and it was made plain to them.
    • They formed an outreach. The neighbor boys meet them after they are done with school and their fort was started a few days ago.  The relationship building, imagination and thrill are so fun for all.

    • Lastly, these 8 yr olds showed daily faith! They were determined, mindful, and weren’t in a rush. The fort is still not complete and I hope this whole summer it never is.

    I am so blessed and amazed by my children and their actions. They are such a help and a blessing to both their Dad and me. When Wayne and I walked out to have the first tour of the survival fort- I was blown away. I had no idea that what we taught them all through the year was fully regurgitated with a simple building structure. This freedom experienced will be a true memory maker for them- again a privilege and a blessing. This is one memory we will treasure from our rocking chairs!

    So may you be amazed at what freedom can ignite! It may look like a shanty, but upon a closer look it just might be BRILLIANCE!!

  • Child’s Play

    Ed Note:  This article is written by my daughter Laura, a new mother and originally was posted to her blog:   thecoblecolumner. I wish I had been as resourceful as Laura when I was a young mother.  I hope this encourages young moms to enjoy their babies, because babies grow up very quickly!   Reprinted by permission.

    Now that I am no longer working at my job, and I am home with my baby, I find myself wondering “what do I do with a baby?”.  Of course, I know to change his diaper, feed him, give him naps, all the basics.  But other than that, what do you do with a baby?  Job is just about sick of his Exersaucer and there are only so many games of peekaboo that we can play….

    So I went to the library.  The library is my answer to many of life’s problems.  Or rather Amazon is my answer.  I use Amazon to find a book to answer my questions, but then I go to the library (because I’m too poor to buy the book…shhhh…don’t tell Amazon!).  Anyway, I found two books at the library that inspired me on ways to interact with Job, as well as ways to keep him occupied for when I really do to “get something done”!

    The first book is Slow and Steady Get Me Ready by June R. Oberlander.  This book has one educational activity for each week of baby’s life from birth through age 5.  The activities require items that can be pretty much found around your house.  For example, a few weeks ago the activity of the week was to learn about drumming and rhythm.  The instructions were to set two or three different objects in front of the baby (I used a ceramic bowl, a tin pan, and a box), and then put a stick of some sort (I used a wooden spoon) in the baby’s hand with your hand over the baby’s hand.  Practice drumming out a 1-2, 1-2 beat on the various surfaces.  The baby can hear various sounds and feel the vibrations from the different objects being drummed upon as well as be introduced to rhythm.

    The hope is that, by repeating this activity for a few minutes each day, by the end of the week, baby can beat on the surface on his own, possibly even at a 1-2 beat.  Job learned to beat on the box, but only for a few beats and then he preferred to suck on the wooden spoon.  Nonetheless, it was an interesting activity to keep us both engaged for a while.  The book is full of weekly activities to do with your child for just a few minutes each day.

    The other book I checked out at the library was Your Child At Play-Birth to One Year by Marilyn Segal.  This book is packed with interesting and engaging activities to do with your child, or for your child to do on his own.  The book is divided into 12 sections, one for each month.  Some of the activities in the seven month section are “Light Switch Play” (When you put baby down for a nap, allow him to turn off the light and say “light’s out”), “Reflections” (set a mirror, in a safe way, in front of baby and let him interact with his mirror image), and “Yogurt Paint” (dap a little bit of yogurt in front of baby and let him play with the yogurt.  Job had a blast with this one, smearing it around on the table and then sucking on his fingers.).

    There are tons of other activities in the seven month section, as well as in all the other sections.  This books is full of fun ideas to keep baby engaged. The author has a book for age 1, age 2, and age 3-5.  I haven’t looked at these books so I don’t know if they are any good, but I love the first one in the series so hopefully the following books are just as good.

    I found a third book in a bookstore that I found quite worth while called The Complete Daily Curriculum by Pam Schiller and Pat Phipps.  The book is for older kids, so Job is not ready for the activities yet, but he will be soon!  This book is geared for kids age 3-6 and it is written from the perspective of a preschool teacher teaching a whole classroom.  But nearly all of the activities can be used with your own child at home.  The book is very easily laid out, with the first part of the book devoted to themes, such as “The Color Red” or “Teddy Bears”.

    There are six different activities as well as book suggestions to correspond with each theme.  For example, for the theme of “Forest Animals” there are six activities including an art activity to paint a picture of a forest, a dramatic play activity to make stick puppets of various animals (you can use an included pattern), and a game activity to play Forest Animal Concentration (also using an included pattern).  The second half of the book is filled with patterns, games ideas, and songs and rhymes.  While you may not be sitting down with your son or daughter and doing an organized preschool, this book is a great resource to look through for simple ideas to keep your child busy with new and different activities.

    By the way, all of these books are available on Amazon for really cheap prices if you buy a used copy.  I know because…well…I purchased them for myself (and Brandon is eating Mac N’ Cheese for the third time this week), or rather I should say I purchased them for Job;-)

    I know that it is easy to get stuck in a rut, giving your child the same activity over and over again.  But with these three books, or at least the first two for Job’s age, hopefully I can mix things up a bit, stimulate his mind, and give Job and I some fun ways to interact together!  Hope these are helpful to you as well.

    If you have some ways that you interact with your child or some fun ideas to keep your child entertained for a while, please feel free to post them in the comments!  I love new and fresh ideas.  Thanks!

    You can email Laura:   daybyday366@gmail.com

  • Tips for Avoiding and Overcoming the Flu, Naturally!

    Aunt Missy

    Mary came down with a sore throat on Sunday, right after I thought we had missed the cold and flu season.  After applying some of the below tips, she said her throat was almost better a day later.

    Here are some of my best tips for Avoiding and Overcoming the Flu Naturally that have worked for our family:

    1. First of all, drink AT LEAST two quarts of filtered water a day. Moist mucous membranes are less likely to allow those little flu bugs to get a foothold. May I suggest that you consider investing in a drinking water purifier as low cost “health insurance”? The Multipure system costs eight cents per gallon of purified water and produces much higher quality of purifie water and is much more convenient than bottled water.

    2. Frequent Hand washing for AT LEAST 20 seconds to get your hands really clean and germ free. Since hand washing is always important in avoiding colds and flus, be sure to wash and rinse for at least 20 seconds to be effective, and teach your children to do the same.

    3. Consider using the Neti Pot type of apparatus that rinses the nasal passages with a saline solution.  I did this last winter twice a day routinely and avoided colds.  I forgot about it this year, and just started in again.

    4. Did you know that many herbalists are now recommending a maintenance dose of Elderberry to gently stimulate the immune system from catching those nasty bugs instead of echinacea?

    5.  In addition, I always start taking extra Vitamin C or Emergen-C – the fizzy flavored Vitamin C/mineral packets mixed in water.

    6. If you find yourself coming down with the flu symptoms, such as achiness or overwhelming fatigue, increase your choice of Echinacea/Elderberry combination product to at least 6 times a day or as often as every two hours since the immune system stimulation lasts for about 2 hours, plus the hot baths, and drinking extra water and tea.

    7. If you try all of the above strategies and still find yourself or children coming down with a full case of a cold or flu I have found eating very lightly, or fasting from solid foods (not liquids) and using a combination of Ginger, Capsicum, Echinacea,Peppermint, Lemon, Garlic or Golden Seal in a tea form coupled with extra rest is very effective.  The herbs can also be encapsulated, but I like to make a tea of fresh ginger and or peppermint and a little cayenne, plus lemon and honey and drink lots of it.

    8. Spicy foods like jalapeno’s, salsa, or homemade Chicken Soup with a little cayenne are great natural remedies often known as Jewish Penicillin but it works! My recipe for Chicken Soup for Colds and flus contains homemade chicken stock loaded with trace minerals, plus ginger, garlic, and  cayenne.

    9.  Try the wet sock home remedy. I learned this from my neighbor Linda who has been using this method to avoid illness for years.  So I tried it last night when I thought I was getting a sore throat.  This morning I don’t have a sore throat!  Simply put cotton socks in warm water and wring them out thoroughly and put the damp socks on your feet, and then put a pair of wool socks over the damp cotton socks.  Go to bed.  Your feet will feel cool for awhile but the wetness/coolness draws blood and toxins to the feet while you sleep and you will wake up with dry socks and possibly avoid that cold altogether.  I love home remedies that are virtually free and work!

    10. For more information about how to ferment any type of foods and how they benefit our immune system, join our phone seminar on Friday, February 18, 2011 at 12:00 noon Mountain Time. Jenny McGruther, of Nourished Kitchen will be my guest.

  • Get Those Dirty Dishes out of the Sink!

    Kitchen Cabinet Installation is Completed
    Kitchen Cabinet Installation is Completed

    Ed Note: I’ll confess up front, I’m not always diligent about keeping up with the dishes and there are only two of us living here right now.  But I so love a tidy kitchen, especially my beautiful remodeled kitchen with its beautiful cabinets and count tops.  I assure you, my kitchen now has a lived in look but this picture is a good reminder of what I need to aspire to daily.

    Dirty Dishes Cause Debt! by Jill Cooper (guest post)
    www.livingonadime.com

    The other day I was asked one of the most common questions that people ask me: “Where do I start if I want to get out of debt?” After telling me of her huge credit card debt and how they eat out almost every night, the lady took a deep breath and said, “How do I save on laundry detergent and cleaning supplies?” Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees.

    Even though saving money on cleaning supplies does help and should be part of your plan, that usually isn’t where the biggest problem with the debt lies. This woman never once thought to ask me how to stop eating out so much. Most people don’t want to face the real causes of their debt because their biggest problems are the things they like the most. Going out to eat is one of the top five causes of debt.

    Get those dirty dishes out of the sink!!

    We go out to eat because we can’t face a dirty kitchen. Keeping your kitchen empty of dirty dishes is the key to saving money. This is probably the #1 way to start getting out of debt. Most people are so overwhelmed with piled counter tops and dirty dishes that they would rather go out to eat than face a dirty kitchen.

    Do the dishes after every meal and keep hot soapy water in the sink while you are baking or cooking. Clean as you go. If your sink is empty and the dishes are washed, your kitchen always looks good. This helps you save money because you have the time and space to cook.

    To get in and out of the kitchen quickly, try these easy steps:

    1. Put all dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Fill the sink with hot soapy water and put the hand washables in it to soak.
    2. Wipe off counter tops and tables with hot soapy water. (This way, if you have unexpected company, at least your table and counters will be clean.)
    3. Sweep the floor and shake throw rugs if needed.
    4. Wash the dishes that have been soaking.
    5. Wipe down the faucets and dry with a towel. (Be sure to wipe any sticky appliances, too.)
    6. Put out a clean dish rag and towel.
    7. Take out the trash.

    These simple steps can help you start climbing your way out of debt. You will be amazed how much better you will feel just having the kitchen clean.

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