Great list Carrie!

Kind regards,

Eleanor

Definitely stick to the protein and also the good fats (like coconut, beef fats etc). I have been repelled by meat and fat during this pregnancy which is not helping the cause! My only reliable (read: edible) sources of protein are milk and eggs.

Hope you feel better soon and are able to eat more.

So far we made homemade waffles (the kids helped)
Read a story about a badger and a farmer
Philippians 2:13
Looked up badger in the encyclopedia
Went to Women’s Bible Study
Went to the park for an hour behind the church
Came home, made lunch
Did some work-answered email wrote a post
They did some work.
Read a few stories
Nap time
Encouraging clean up,
Get library books together (due today!)

Thanks, that made me feel better.

My day sounds very similar to yours, except I have 3 (one in public school too and two at home) and are 33 weeks pregnant. Your toddler sounds very much like mine (mine will be 3yo in a few weeks time). We are also still nursing — How are you coping with the pain?

I would change places with you in a minute if it was possible. I believe you’ll look back on this post someday and wish you had it back!!

Can’t go wrong with Tasha Tudor! We were to have tea, but she died before I could get to Vermont! Wonderful lady!!

I happen to know someone that would be happy to help with the garden.

AWESOME WRITING! Your son is right. You SHOULD write a book.

Miss Lila

I have found that I have worked out a good daily routine. I do chores in the morning. He will usually play in whatever room I am in, particularly in the laundry basket. From 10-12, we get out of the house. Play dates, the store, whatever. This time for me to chat with adults and for him to play with other kids, or at least get to see different stores, is necessary for our sanity. I didn’t have a car for a long time and living in empty suburbia (yes, all the moms work), was making me depressed. Now I can drive to visit other stay at home moms with little ones, and we go to the zoo and playground, etc.

The only hard time is when I’m making dinner. My son always wants me playing in the living room with him, or at least he likes having me in there. He doesn’t like me in the kitchen. I don’t have to play with him, he just wants me sitting on the floor near him playing.

I feel guilty a lot for not teaching him everything they teach in daycare (though I would never even think of sending him to one). When I pray about what to teach him, I always feel that I should teach him the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I guess that’s the most important thing. Letting him know who he is and who God is will probably make him happier in the long run than counting to 30 or reading at this age.

2. you do NOT need to heat the milk. this is the joy of this method and what makes it so very easy!
3. set your oven to 350 while you whisk in a scoop (maybe 2 or 3 T) of plain yogurt. I like to buy a little $1 greek yogurt container, you can use whatever you want depending on what cultures you want/like. After this batch is done, just scoop up some of your homemade to start the next batch. I can keep it going for a couple months, at least, making yogurt about every 6 – 8 days.
4. turn off your oven. it’s not 350 yet, you just want to take the chill off. turn ON your oven light. The light, believe it or not, will keep the oven at around 100 which is just right for yogurt. cover your milk mix with aluminum foil. put it in the oven with the light on and WALK AWAY. Do not open, jiggle stir, investigate. I usually do this after dinner or before bed or in the morning and leave it alone all day. Remember, this stuff was made in sacs hanging from camels traveling the desert; you can’t hurt it by going too long;) [The goal is about 100degrees. I did use my probe thermometer at first to make sure my oven would hold to this temp]
5. after about 10 hours, take the bowl out and admire all that whey floating on top. You did it!
6. That whey is full of calcium and has about 20% of the protein of the yogurt too (lots of debate on that, I went with what I found in dairy/yogurt textbooks). The bacteria ate all the carbs up, too and turned them into tangy goodness. You probably know all that already:) . If you want, stir the whey in and enjoy gloopy yogurt. I don’t like that so much:) I save the whey and use it for liquid in bread baking. you can use it in anything you bake, really, as a water substitute. So I strain it the EASY WAY. Line you handy dandy generic pasta colander with a flat cloth diaper–not the prefold kind with a thick middle, but the flat birdseye kind (or 2 layers of bounty paper towels, but the diaper is much easier, and cheese cloth? BIG MESS. skip it!). Put colander over a pot or bowl it will not sink down into (I use by 4c liquid measuring cup). Pour the yogurt into the colander and let it hang out and drip. I usually let 2-3 cups whey drain out, depending on how thick I want it. It takes less than an hour. To speed it up, add a cup of water to a quart ziplock and throw it on top. it won’t stick, and it will add weight to speed things along. Sometimes I run a rubber scraper along the diaper/paper towels liner to get the thick stuff off and keep things draining. If you want a sour cream or cream cheese substitute, stick it in the fridge and let 4 c drain (the max I’ve ever seen). When done draining, take the yogurt from the diaper and pour/scrape into a container for the fridge. This can feel awkward, but you’ll get the hang of it. most of it pours off, and the rest comes off the diaper quite nicely with a rubber scraper. stir and enjoy! mix in anything you want when you serve.

Using a good amount of culture added to some raw milk in a stove top kettle, I whisk it quickly to disperse yogurt then add remaining milk. Whisking, I quickly bring the temp upto about 110.

Jar & cap and set in oven. If the house is chilly (wintertime) I may turn the oven on once more to the lowest setting, then immediately off again. Leaving the oven light on helps, too. 6 to 8 hours should do. I don’t use a waterbath. I try to keep temps as low as possible to preserve the nutrients.

Remove slightly before the whey develops, while the side of the jar is still milky with a just barely discernable gel to the yogurt.

My son can eat yogurt but can’t handle drinking anything except raw milk so this would be a GREAT way to save money and take another step at being more self-sufficient.

Mothers are indeed a Godsend. They look after their babies and their babies’ babies, all effortlessly! My mom is one of those stay at home mothers who were super organized and ‘with it’ all the time – I, on the other hand, are not. Everyday is disorganized and most of the time I like it that way, as it’s quite relaxed. I’d be lying though, if I said it wasn’t nice to have a dose of ‘organized’ air in the house every now and then. When mom’s around, I wake up and the kids are already dressed, fed, hair plaited and all.. With dishes done to boot.

Dh often jokes that the only time our house is spotless is when my mom is here!

Thanks for sharing. This is so interesting! We also do raw milk and I have been hesitant about making yoghurt with it. I don’t have a slow cooker… However I do have the slow cooking function on my oven. Any idea on how I would be doing this without a slow cooker? Any help would be appreciated.

I actually think that it’s easier now in a lot of ways than it was when we just had one or two kids. They entertain each other, for one thing. The older ones are able to be very helpful with housework and many hands make light work. If I need to toss in a load of laundry, there’s almost always someone around who can keep an eye on the youngest for a few minutes. The baby is a people watcher and his siblings love having an audience for their songs, plays and dances as much as he loves watching them.

I’ve come over from Miss Minimalist as well. It was very inspiring to read about a large family practising minimalism. I have three children and am about to have my fourth! I love children and big families and I wouldn’t trade it for a ‘simpler’ existence (even though it’s quite possible to have a minimalist lifestyle as you’ve proven). I would say I am an aspiring minimalist – Not quite there but I certainly have the motivation. I too, have always been inclined towards minimalism. We must have been separated at birth as I also dislike shopping (especially for leisure).

I’m going to add your blog to my favourites list

Thanks for sharing your story — Looking forward to hearing more!

I’m really hoping that doing this now, and eating lots of beans in the next pregnancy will nip my morning sickness.

My husband says it’s because I give people the evil eyebrow as soon as they comment on our family size.

Cheryl