How Do I Scrub those Floors?!

Question: My problem is that there’s no obvious answer to what you’re meant to do with the toddlers when you’re scrubbing the floor! Answers anyone? [or more literally, how do we entertain our kids while other chores require our attention so that we cannot directly entertain them?]

Answer: This is a great question! (and one I constantly have to work and re-evaluate as the kids change in their development and ability to help!). You may already do a lot of these things as I know Johnny is really good at cleaning up after himself and playing with one or two toys at a time.
Thus, this may or may not be helpful for you (or what you were thinking of in the question), but if we are on the same page, I have several thoughts for how I’ve personally decided to deal with this
-First, pray and ask for wisdom. The Lord gives generously without reproach and I know he wants to help you in this situation of training your children and nurturing the peacefulness of your home. Also, find some women you admire and ask their wisdom. I’ve personally asked older, more experienced women whom I admire their thoughts on this topic and I think whenever we imitate others who have already succeeded, then it wonderfully eliminates us using trial and error on our own. ☺
-Second, I think it’s good to develop a realistic perspective of cleaning house and training our children. I think i sinfully made an idol (and still do at times) of wanting my house to be perfectly clean. I wanted people to think i had it all together. However, in this season of nurturing young children, it probably isn’t the time where things will be spotless ( or to set our expectations of it to be) and people can pop in unannounced and see a sparkly clean home. That’s not realistic or helpful. I read this post this morning and think it helps to clarify our expectation as mums of young children. It is a bit more blunt, but clarifies what we have been called to serve in our role with younger children: http://www.feminagirls.com/2013/03/19/march-15-running-the-race/
-Third, Consider fun ways to get your child involved. Augustine loves running the clothes to me from the laundry basket and throwing it in the washer. We make it a game and see how fast he can do it- Jane even likes to participate. Augustine can help “wash” the windows with baby wipes while I vacuum the room in which he is working on the windows. Sometimes I let him attempt to vacuum too. The more we make the tasks fun and continue to patiently teach them how to do it, the more likely they are to do it on their own in due time. Here’s a chart that might be helpful to evaluate what age appropriate chores they can help you with:
http://pricelessgifts.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/chores-for-children/
-Fourth, Consider directing your children to play in specific fun new areas which will distract them longer and enable you to work better.
I.e. My kids both love the bath, so I give them popsicles, then at a different stage I pour oatmeal in the bathtub and ask them to make porridge with bowls and spoons, or give them raisins and watch the raisins get bigger from the water, or cups of hot cocoa. Each of these separate activities enables me more time to fold a load of clothes or tidy up in the living room while they are delightfully amused with a new area of entertainment.
This is a blogpost I wrote with more details:
http://pricelessgifts.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/how-i-do-the-dishes-and-other-thoughts/
-Fifth, know your free times- i.e. when Augustine goes to playgroup, when Jane has a naptime, or when the kids sleep in the evenings are a lot of the times that I try to utilize the tasks that are much more difficult to complete when they are awake and requiring my attention.
-Sixth, try to cut corners to make tasks easier: use the slow cooker so you don’t have to prep for dinner during the witching hour, use paper products to cut down on your dish washing time, etc.
-Seventh, during overwhelming times, pay for someone to come in and help. We’ve done this on occasion when Shaun and I both have impending deadlines. If your financial budget is tighter, try to find a student at your church who may needs some extra funds for a one-off task to help do various chores around your home or talk with your husband about household tasks you need may need him to take on for a season while you are unable to get it done.
-Eighth- continue to remind yourself of the gospel. God loves us on account of Christ’s righteousness, not our attempts to have a clean home or be perfect at our parenting. Even our best attempts at parenting are seen as filthy rags next to the righteousness of Christ. May the joy of the Lord be our strength when we face various weaknesses. He is glorified when depend on Him. Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

I know this was super long-winded, but it is a topic that I constantly have to evaluate– so I hope you can find some of these resources helpful towards your desire to glorify God in this task!

Chores for Children

A friend shared this with me and I found it to be really helpful for encouraging my little ones to share in the chores of the home. She also suggested the book, “Managers of Their Chores” by Teri Maxwell of Titus 2 Ministries- clarifying the biblical importance of chores/work starting at an early age. Has anyone read this book? I’m interested to hear about it! Any other age appropriate chores your children utilize outside of this list?

Tea Pops! (Popsicles for Bathtime fun!)

If you know me very well at all, you know I love tea. So I recently brewed some Royal Bouquet tea (can be purchased online [like here] or at MacBeans in Aberdeen) and then used the leftovers for popsicle treats for the kids. This can virtually work with any fruit tea and since fruit is naturally sweet, you don’t need to add any additional sugar to give your children a fun wholesome snack to enjoy (and utilize leftovers from your teapot!). Since it’s so cold here, having popsicles outdoors wasn’t the best option for us, so we enjoyed them in the bathtub and the kids were super siked!

Summer Fruit Cheesecake with Ground Almond and Oreo Crust

I adapted this recipe from the hummingbird ‘cake days’ recipe book. Honestly, though it is easy to whip together, I really struggled on the time frame of baking the durn thing (is it just me or do cheesecakes take fooooooorever to set in the oven?!). So, I’d make this again if I had all afternoon to watch and see if it has set, if you have to pop out and about from your home, make this dessert another day. Here goes:

Ingredients

• 600 grams of cream cheese
• 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 90 grams of sugar
• 3/4 cup of frozen summer fruit
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla

Crust:

• 100 grams of butter, melted.
• 100 grams (give or take depending on how it thickens with the butter) of ground almonds
• 8 or so chocolate Oreos

Method:

Preheat Oven to 160/325 degrees. To make the crust first, simply throw some butter in the microwave on low while you put your oreos in the food processor. When the butter has melted, stir in the oreo crumbles and keep adding ground almonds until the consistency is what you prefer for a cheesecake crust. Butter the edges of spring form tin and the crust to the bottom. Place in fridge. Add all other ingredients (excluding the eggs and fruit) to a bowl and mix well. Add eggs and gently fold in. Complete by gently stirring in fruit. Take crust out of the frig and add cream cheese mixture atop the crust. Place a thin layer of tin foil over the top of the tin and place on bottom rack of the oven. Let cook for 1-2 hours checking occasionally to see if it is no longer runny. Once it is almost set, take off foil for remaining 10-20 minutes in oven. Let cool in the frig for several hours or overnight.

Serve with additional fruit and home-made whipped topping.

Slow Cooker Creamy Carrot and Chicken

I made this recipe up (though heavily influenced from a similar recipe of my mum), so it isn’t precise, but here’s what I used approximately:

Ingredients

• 5 large frozen chicken breasts (put in the bottom of the cooker so they cook the best),
• 1 1/2 cups of frozen chopped onions,
• 1/4 cup of minced frozen garlic,
• two large handfuls of baby carrots,
• a normal sized container of double cream,
• a family size container of cream cheese,
• 1 Kallo brand organic French onion bouillon cubes,
• 2 Kallo brand organic mushroom bouillon cube (OR just one cube and add frozen mushrooms),
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Method

Put all ingredients in, I let mine cook on low for the whole day, or on high for a few hours. Use a large spoon to break up the chicken right before you serve it (it is really soft and pliable at that point).

We serve this in bowls for a hearty, low-carb, soup-esc texture. This recipe would also be lovely alongside a fresh spinach salad, atop some noodles or poured over brown rice. It made enough for approx. 6-8 adults.

[photo courtesy]

Rich Ground Almond Brownies

I was looking for a fun recipe which utilized ground almonds as a primary ingredient in brownies. I made a batch of these for Valentines and they were so lovely, rich, and EASY to make. It’s nice to taste something with a dose of protein in it as well. Here’s the original recipe along with my adaptions below. [Note: this is a great gluten-free recipe too!]

I added some extra chocolate, and they were fab, I think the sugar could have been reduced a bit too, pretty easy and yummy!

Ingredients

• 50g/2oz dark chocolate (Optional: I added some additional chocolate to the batter mix just before putting in the oven!)
• 100g/3½oz butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, preferably free-range, lightly whisked
• 1-2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 75g/3oz ground almonds
• 1-2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• pinch of salt
• (Optional) 110g/4oz chopped walnuts
• 20cm/8in square tin, lined with silicone paper

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water or in a low oven.
   Technique: Melting chocolate
   Watch technique1:07 mins
3. Cream the butter and sugar until pale, soft and light, then beat in the lightly whisked eggs, the vanilla extract and melted chocolate. Lastly stir in the ground almonds, gluten-free baking powder, salt and chopped nuts. Spread the mixture in the tin and bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes.
   Technique: Creaming butter by hand
   Watch technique0:50 mins
4. Leave to cool, then cut into 5cm/2in squares for serving.

Serve alongside home-made whipped cream and raspberries for a quality dessert to impress!

Baked Blue Cheese Dip

This dip is easy peasy to make and delightful to consume. It pairs well with vegetables making for a hearty and healthy savoury snack to serve to friends or as a side dish to enjoy for a fun dinner. I’ve included the recipe below with my adaptions (originally found from this website).

• 1 family size package of cream cheese
•  1/4 cup of frozen minced garlic
• 3/4 cup of frozen chopped onions
• a small package of bleu cheese, crumbled (I wanna say I used 250 grams)
• salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in an oven at 350/180 degrees until melted stirring half way in between. Enjoy!

[photo courtesy]

Creamy Leek and Potato Soup

A friend graciously shared some of this soup and I want to document the recipe (taken from this website with my adaptions) before I forget how to make this yummy meal!

Ingredients

• 4 leeks, chopped
• 4 large potatoes, cubed
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 800ml chicken or vegetable stock (or use your own by putting a chicken carcass in a crock pot overnight!)
• 300ml single cream
• Pinch of grated nutmeg

• Directions

  1. Sweat 4 chopped leeks and 4 large cubed potatoes in 1tbsp olive oil for 10 mins, stirring occasionally until softened but not browned.
  2. Add 800ml chicken or vegetable stock, cover and simmer for 15 mins. Season to taste and leave to cool slightly.
  3. Liquidise soup until smooth. Return to pan, stir through 300ml single cream and pinch of grated nutmeg. Reheat gently. Garnish with a swirl of natural yogurt, chopped parsley and some crunchy croutons.

Amazing! Jane even enjoyed hers slurping it through a straw! Delicious on a cold day.

[photo courtesy]

 

 

Thai Red Curry Cashew Chicken

Another recipe which really hit the spot for our family. The recipe doesn’t have to be precise, which is what I love about it. I originally discovered it from this website and added in some suggestions from the reviews and our personal preferences. Essentially, add more or less of particular spices based on what’s in the your kitchen and preferred by your palate. A nice touch of Indian and a healthy serving of vegetables and protein. Sooo good! We served ours in bowls for a hearty soup texture (however, you could easily serve with naan or rice if you fancy some extra carbs!).

One person adequately described the dish:

“This is a quick and easy curry stir-fry made with chicken, zucchini, red bell pepper and carrot. Coconut milk and curry paste make an irresistible sauce. No need to go out to eat, as this dish is ready in about 20 minutes!”

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into thin strips
• 4 tablespoons of medium curry powder
• 2 cups sliced zucchini (I used some that were frozen and tossed them right in!)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced (I used about a cup’s worth from a frozen bag of yellow, green and red peppers)
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• 1 onion, quartered then halved (I used this from a frozen bag)
• 1 (14 ounce) can of coconut milk
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I used dried and it worked fine!)
• 1/4 cup of minced frozen garlic
• 3 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter (I used an all natural version that just contained peanuts)
• 1/4 cup of cashews
• salt and pepper to taste ( I added quite a bit of salt til it tasted like I liked it).

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces; cook and stir for about 3 minutes. Mix in the vegetables and seasonings. Cook and stir for a few minutes until juices are nearly evaporated if using frozen ones.
2. Add the coconut milk and cashews pouring directly into the skillet. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 4 minutes. Right before serving, stir in the peanut butter and garlic and stir well.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Let me know how you enjoy it!

[photo courtesy]

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

I’ve been in a mood to make something easy peasy for the kids to eat for breakfast which would also double as a healthy source for them to start the day. Va la! Here’s the recipe from Brooke at The Flour Sack. You can freeze the leftover muffins and heat in the microwave for a quick breakfast any day!

I’ve included her recipe below with my changes included (p.s. check out her various toppings at the bottom!!). I doubled this recipe and it made 24 muffins. They don’t come out clean from the muffin liner, but who really cares when they taste so good and are super-y healthy?!

1 1/4 cups of spelt flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly-ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (or melted coconut oil)
1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup)
2 eggs, room temperature

(optional: add a tablespoon of vanilla)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease a 8 1/2 x 5-inch loaf pan with olive oil. OR line muffin pan with muffin liners. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, olive oil, honey, and eggs until well-combined. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and whisk for 10 seconds, just until the flour disappears and the batter is mostly smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with desired toppings (see below) and bake for 20-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

Let the bread sit in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, then remove bread and finish cooling on the wire rack. Slice the bread once it has cooled for at least 1 hour.

Yield: one loaf/12 muffins

:: Variations ::

Crunchy Pepita Topping
Pour pumpkin bread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with 2 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds), then 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Bake as directed above.

Cinnamon-Oat Streusel Topping
In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, 1/4 cup rolled oats, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and a pinch of sea salt. To the mixture, add 4
tablespoons of chilled unsalted butter that has been cut into cubes. Rub the butter between your
fingers, breaking it into smaller bits. Continue rubbing until the mixture feels coarse like cornmeal, with some larger chunks of streusel as well. Add in 1/4 cup chopped pecans. Pour pumpkin bread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with streusel. Bake as directed above.

Bittersweet Chocolate-Chunk – (I used this option and used dark chocolate chips!)
Fold 6 ounces of coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate into batter after combining flour and pumpkin mixtures. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with an additional 2 ounces of coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate, then 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Bake as directed above.

yum!

[photo courtesy]