Killdeer on our evening family walks ...

Every evening after we eat our meal, we clean up the house and then walk around our neighborhood. On our evening walks we noticed this very cool bird, the killdeer. The killdeer nests on the ground. It will start shouting at you if you get anywhere near it's nest ... and it will begin to put on a distraction display to guide you away from it's nest. We found it's nest and got a picture of the killdeer guarding it's eggs. Do you see the eggs in the picture above and below?
We look forward to seeing this bird each evening and are excited for the eggs to hatch!

I am going to try to do a little unit study for the children about this specific bird - it's fascinating to watch!

A Memorial Day Tribute - Teaching the Children

I come from a rich heritage of men who have served in the US Armed Services. I value the work that they do for us. How do I teach this abstract concept to my children? How do I make them realize the importance of what the US military does to ensure our freedom? It's not the easiest thing to get a child, who is naturally egocentric, to understand the scope and magnitude of a soldier who is giving up his life for freedom. We owe so much to the men and women who have fought and lost their lives. I grew up in a military family. The nature of a military family is sacrificial. So, I am thankful for the military families as well! At this point, I speak candidly to the children about the US military and the sacrifices. I do hope and pray that as they grow older and are able to understand more that an deep appreciation will grow in them for our US Military.

I hope that you will take time to listen to this amazing song that was just released this past weekend. I know this sibling group personally and was privileged to spend lots of time with them when I was in college. I know for a fact that these people are truly authentic, humble, and sincere. This song is a tribute to those who have lost their lives fighting for our freedom!
Row Upon Row

Look at me go!

Rosalie is getting pretty good on her little scooter!

Lots and Lots of Legos

Recently, Martin has gotten a couple of new star wars lego sets. He absolutely loves legos - especially star wars legos. After he built his new sets, he decided to pull out his older sets - take them all apart - and rebuild them. He spent every afternoon last week working on it.

Tools for making whole foods meals

We rarely to never eat out. If we do eat out, it's almost always because someone has given us a gift card, or my mom and dad are treating us! It's quite common for me to pack us a lunch if we have to be out running errands. We also make as much as we can from scratch to ensure that we have the most control over the ingredients that we consume as possible. I have been making all of our whole grain bread products (loaves, pizza crust, buns, rolls, tortillas, muffins, and other baked goods) for about 4 1/2 years now. We make grain purchases once or twice a year - usually about 150-300 pounds at a time.

The question that I get often is:
How do you do it?
I have some tools to share with you that I have picked up over the years to make it manageable.

1. Plan ahead - this one is huge!
In order to make all meals at home and not have eating out as a safety net, I have to have a plan in place. I plan out a menu 2-4 weeks in advance. This keeps me on task for buying the ingredients that I need to make the meals. It also keeps me from spending each afternoon fretting over what I will be making that evening.
2. Weekly repeats.
Almost every Saturday, I make the same meal. It's a favorite for everyone, so no one minds the repeat. Every Sunday we eat leftovers after church. (I plan the week out in order to ensure that we will have leftovers in the fridge for Sunday afternoon) Every Sunday evening, we have all fruit smoothies and organic popcorn.
Every Wednesday, I make homemade pizza.
With those repeats, it helps to menu plan knowing that those days are already planned out.
3. Keep it simple.
I have learned over the years that meals do not have to be complicated. There are some meals that I make that are very time consuming - the only reason that I keep them in the rotation is because every one loves it so much! You can even find shortcuts for those meals, however. (pre-chopping the veggies and throwing it in the freezer) I am working on getting better at that.
4. Work it into the routine.
I've also learned over the years that if you want it badly enough, you'll make the effort required to make it happen. Nutrition is very important to me, so of course, I am going to make it happen! Making our bread is just as natural as making my bed or running the vacuum, it's just something I worked into the routine.

Playground Pictures

These are some fun pictures of the children playing at the strawberry farm.

Strawberry Picking!

Last week we went strawberry picking. It was so much fun! Even Aaron said, "I had no idea it would be this much fun!" Personally, I had no idea how quickly we would pick 10 pounds of strawberries! After we picked our strawberries, the children played on a little playground near the strawberry picking area. It was a toss up on which they enjoyed more - the playground or the strawberry picking. It was a fun little field trip and I am ready to go pick some more. I made a super delicious strawberry pie with freshly made whipped cream. It was my first strawberry pie - and I am so excited at how good it turned out.