I thought it would be special for the boys to recite Psalm 23 for the family on Thanksgiving. That idea turned into this. Enjoy our boys’ interpretation of a beloved Psalm!
You are My Mother
When our youngest was 2 years old, his favorite book was “Are You My Mother?” It’s about a bird that hatches, doesn’t see his mom and leaves the nest to find her. The baby bird sees different farm animals and transportation and asks each one “are you my mother” until at last he finds her. He instinctively recognizes his mother when he finally sees her.
Our little guy heard this story so often, he had memorized it. One day, while I prepared dinner, he lay on the kitchen floor and said, “You are not a boat, an airplane or a bird. You’re my mother!” The way he said it melted my heart and also gave me confidence.
I AM his mother!
I can trust my gut and maternal instincts in raising him because I am his mother.
I can confidently provide education for my child because I am his mother.
I can decide his healthcare- choosing what does and does not go into his body…because I am his mother.
YOU are your child’s mother. And while we are grateful for child-rearing experts, doctors, teachers and that relative or friend who always has an opinion, they are not YOU.
Too many systems are vying to replace your role, trying to replace YOU. Confidently take your place as their mother. Your kids need you. They are looking for you. Trust yourself as their mom and stand in your role!
Black Friday, Red Saturday
Earlier this fall, while we were camping, we met a group of families from South Africa.
One 9 yr old girl had only been in the states for 3 months.
She came to our camp site while I was cutting and putting away a harvest from our garden. She was surprised that we are “allowed” to grow our own food!
As she munched on fresh veggies and fruit, I asked her what was her favorite part about being in the U.S.
Her answer? Freedom.
Not toys, gadgets or stuff. Freedom!
Can I challenge you this holiday season? Stay free! Free of debt or further debt. Stay free of stress and anxiety. Free up your time and give freely!
When Life Happens
It recently snowed at our homestead. We live in the south, so snow is a short-lived novelty.
The mention of snow sends folks in a panic, preparing for snow-magedon.
Our family was no exception- minus the panic part. We had a list of how we needed to prepare and we followed our plan. We were ready for anything except an army of zombies.
The snow fall did not disappoint. The sled that had been hanging in our garage unused for two years soon held two little squealing boys.
We paused the fun to go care for the animals. Not only did we have our favorite snacks, so did they.
The laughter stopped quickly when we looked in the poultry house. For all my preparation and lists, I had not thought about the ducks. I assumed if they got cold, they would go into either of the enclosed nesting boxes. They didn’t.
Lying on the floor of the coop were 3 dead ducks and the rest of the flock looked miserable and close to joining their 3 friends.
Instead of sitting by the fire, playing games and sipping hot tea, we found ourselves feeling like an episode of “Little House on the Prairie.” All ended well for the rest of the flock. We cared for the other animals and got some more snow fun in.
I went to bed that night disappointed that my snow day didn’t go exactly as planned. But, the next day we got a do over and made really great memories. The ducks perked up and “enjoyed the snow” from inside their warm coop.
I learned that when you’re prepared sometimes you’re not prepared. Make the list, have the plan, then understand that life still happens.
Gluten Free Mini Bundt Cakes
These mini Bundt cakes are my go to dessert for entertaining, special occasions and thank you gifts. They are easy to make and the perfect portion size…if you eat only one.
So without telling you the story about how I’ve been working to perfect these for the last year. How I’m so happy to be able to eat dessert that’s really similar to things I remember eating before we had to eliminate gluten, dairy and chicken eggs. Instead of telling you any story, here’s the recipe.
Oh, just one more thing. Gift yourself a Kitchen Aid mixer. The right tools make such a difference!
KitchenAid KSM3316XER Artisan Mini Stand Mixers, 3.5 quart, Empire Red
Here’s your recipe!
2 Duck eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
½ cup Avocado or Olive oil
½ cup Goat’s milk or Almond milk
(note: goat’s milk has a higher fat content which gives the cakes better color and helps them rise)
¾ cup Organic Cane sugar
1 ½ cups Gluten-free flour blend
½ tsp Baking soda
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla extract
Your directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In separate bowl sift gf flour blend, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In mixer, use the whisk to combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil and milk. Whisk until mixture is foamy and fluffy.
In mixer, switch out the whisk and replace with paddle.
Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
(note: overmixing gluten-free flour makes your baked item tough and dense)
Pour batter into greased mini bundt pans.
(optional: If you have time, let your batter rest for 10 mins before putting into the oven)
If you’ve gotten this far and realized you don’t have a mini bundt cake pan, snag this one below!
Nordic Ware Brownie Bundt Pan, 3.75 Cup Capacity, Graphite
When you purchase an item from this post, I get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Which basically means you and I both get to keep enjoying yummy bakes! Now where were we?
Bake for 20 mins. Remove from oven, place individual bundt cakes on cooling rack or plate.
When cakes are cool, apply icing and toppings.
Your icing, you’re welcome:
3 ½ tbsp Plain Goat cheese
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 tsp Almond milk or Goat’s milk
¾ cup Organic Powered sugar
Mi-Del gluten free graham style pie crust (crumbled up)- to taste
Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Chocolate mini chips- to taste
Vegan Chocolate Sunflower Butter Cups
Hey, Mama! A sweet friend has a birthday tomorrow. The boys and I are making up a batch of these chocolate cups to give to her and I wanted to share these yummy treats with you too!
This post contains Amazon links to the specific ingredients for this recipe. If you purchase through them Happy Homemaker Chronicles receives a small percentage of the cost at no extra expense to you.
What you’ll love about these ingredients is that they are free of the top common allergens:
- Soy
- Corn
- Peanuts
- Gluten
- Dairy
- Eggs
Vegan Chocolate Sunflower Butter Cups
1 1/2 cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Sunflower Butter
2 tbs Powdered Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract (My favorite brand is Spice Islands Pure Vanilla Extract because its corn free.)
Spray your mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Make your filling. Mix your sunflower butter, vanilla, salt and powdered sugar. Set this aside and try not to eat it.
Melt your chocolate chips over the lowest heat setting, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat.
Put a spoonful of melted chocolate in the bottom of each mini muffin cup.
Add a quarter size dollop of your sunflower butter mixture to each cup.
Put another spoonful of melted chocolate to cover the sunflower butter.
Optional garnish: Top each cup with a dab of your sunflower butter mixture.
Place your filled mini muffin tin in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
To remove cups, place a plate under your tin. Turn the tin sideways and tap the bottom of each cup with the back of a knife. The cups should fall out easily. Arrange on a serving tray and enjoy!
Okay, I’m going to wrap mine up and get them to the birthday girl. See you next time!
Chaos Free Homeschooling: My Anchor Holds
Before you read this, stop. Give yourself a pat on the back, a raise, a cookie…something, because you are doing amazing things!
Homeschooling is so rewarding. But like anything else it comes with challenges. But we’re not letting these challenges produce chaos. Nope, we’re not doing it. We’re going to grow, together!
Have you thought about why you chose to homeschool? Fear of the climate we’re raising our children in? The ability to instill your family’s values? A tailored education for your children? Flexibility?
Whatever your reason, let that be your guide, your anchor each day.
(Hint: Fear is not a long-term motivator. Replace fear with actionable goals/attributes.)
Your anchoring goal should go beyond “what do I want my child to know?”.
Think “what kind of person do I want my child to be?”.
See if this scenario sounds familiar. Your child is struggling with his work. You both begin to get a little frustrated. What happens next depends on your anchoring goal.
If your goal is just to raise smart kids, your reaction may include pushing through at all cost, impatience and you name it to get that work done (we’ve all been there)!
But if we take a moment to anchor ourselves to our child’s future purpose, we’ll respond in a different way.
We’ll model empathy, show patience, teach how to break a hard task down into manageable parts, lovingly teach stick-to-it-ness, give grace, take a nap or eat a snack, use wisdom and build your child’s character even as you build his brain.
Listen, friend, we’re learning and growing right along with our littles. Give yourself and them lots of grace. On those hard days remember why you chose homeschooling. Hold fast to that goal, especially on the tough days and watch chaos leave your home.
#happyhomemakerchronicles
Chaos Free Homeschooling: Say What?
Have you described your homeschooling time as controlled chaos? Me too! In fact, I said it all the time to anyone and everyone. And that’s exactly what I got…chaos minus the control.
Words have power! The Bible says it, science says it, psychologists say it. Words have power! Positive words build up, negative words tear down.
The words we speak and allow our children to speak about their schooling will influence their thoughts and feelings. I have watched my words override my child’s actually ability based on my negativity. I have also watched them make incredible strides with a little encouragement.
So, on our first day of homeschooling, I took my little boys by the hand and said this prayer:
“Chaos, you have no place here. You have to leave, by the authority of Jesus and the power of His blood. Go, now! Lord, we invite peace, joy and love in our home. Help us to learn and grow and love each other well. Amen.”
We say this prayer everyday before we start our work. Taking this step along with the others I’ll share later has dramatically changed the atmosphere during our homeschooling time.
I don’t get it right every time, you won’t either. But I will say, that when our formal homeschooling time starts to feel “off” and frustration is building, my 4 year old will remind me that we need to pray again and change our words. These boys teach me as much as I teach them.
Choose your words. Choose your words purposefully to build. Then, watch your littles thrive! Next time we’ll chat about keeping it chaos free even on (and especially on) challenging days. Happy homeschooling!
STEAM Activity at Home
Is this water play or a lesson in engineering? Both!
The objective was to create enough pressure to get the water to flow up and through the various pipes to fill the buckets. Goal accomplished!
To do this activity you’ll need:
🤓 Pvc pipes of various sizes w/connecting pieces
🤓 Something to force the flow of water (Father and son experimented with an old plastic lid and duct tape)
🤓 Water hose
🤓 Buckets
🤓 Table or elevated surface
Enjoy! ❤️
4 Pitfalls New Moms Should Avoid
This was the life I prayed for. A wonderful, loving husband. A beautiful, healthy baby boy. So, why wasn’t I happy?
I imagined my life as a stay-at-home mom would be a little like June Clever mixed with Mary Poppins. I would meet life’s challenges with a smile and a song…while wearing pearls. In reality, I was a hot mess.
I did a lot of things wrong back in the early days of first time motherhood (don’t worry, I still do). If I could go back in time, I would lovingly and gently tell myself to CHILL OUT! But you, dear Mama, you will bask in the joy of motherhood! You will avoid these pitfalls.
Set realistic expectations for yourself, your newborn and your household. Sis, it’s okay if your life doesn’t look like a beautifully filtered Instagram post.
You can’t do it all. You are not superwoman. That lady isn’t even real! Say no, set boundaries and ask for help.
Take care of yourself! Let me say this again.
Take care of yourself! Your body created, developed and birthed a whole life. Give it rest, proper nutrients and time to heal.
Drop kick doubt and worry! Seriously, karate chop those bad boys in the throat. You will make mistakes, there will be tears (yours, not the baby’s), and problems will arise.
But don’t you dare doubt your ability as a mother! God gave this child to YOU! He will give you wisdom and provide for your family’s needs- spiritually, physically and emotionally.
Moms of grown children say, “The days are long, but the years are short.” They are right! These days I’m feeling a little bit more like Mary Poppins. Still no pearls. But, I’ve learned to enjoy and cherish these moments. And yes, to meet life’s challenges with a smile and a song! Welcome to motherhood!
#happyhomemakerchronicles
Happy HomeMaker Chronicles 