I want to buy/make shirts for my kids for when we go out that read "please don't feed my kids"
Apparently Sugar is its own food group down here....and it drives me nuts! I go to the grocery store and they get offered cookies when I pass the cake counter...which I now avoid. I go to pick up a pizza with the kids and there is a bowl of candy and they get offered candy. I find church the worst for feeding my kids sugar. Now, if those incidents were isolated or happened once in a blue moon, then I wouldn't object. A treat on occasion isn't a bad thing...but a treat every where I go, now that's a problem.
Maybe I'm hyper sensitive but I firmly believe that kids do no need to eat a lot of sugar - in fact the more it's avoided, the better. I rarely even bake with sugar. There is no candy, or chocolate in my house. I do not offer treats to my children every night after dinner.
Fruit is our dessert and anything sugar is considered a treat and must be earned. it's not a right it's a privilege. I don't even let them drink juice frequently.
I got a few funny looks in Toronto for that, but here I get looked at like I have 3 heads most of the time.
I wonder if it occurs to people to ASK before you offer my children sweets? Does it not occur to people that my kids might have allergies. Pumpkin for example is allergic to Red Food Dye - which is in a lot of things! And just in general, red food dye is HORRIBLE stuff.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
New Adventures
Last week I am doing laundry and the machine gets to a certain part in the cycle and it doesn't make it's usual noise.
"Wonderful!" I think "Maybe it fixed itself."
No such luck. I minute later I smelled a burning, hot rubber smell. I turned it off immediately. Last think I needed was a fire or something blowing up.
I proceeded to empty the washer, which was full of water, with a coffee mug with a handle on it in to a metal bowl and when the bowl was full I emptied it into the sink. Then I had to ring out all the clothes and put them in the dryer into 2 loads so I didn't over-tax the pryer too. This was the ONLY time I regretted washing in cold water. My hands were quite numb!
I bought a new washer (and got almost $200 off - sweet!) and we will pick it up later this week.
Until then, I had to wash a few essentials that couldn't wait until the weekend.
So I washed a load of clothes in the bath tub. with no wash board. Pumpkin tried to help wash, but ended up just playing with socks in the water. Then she tried to ring them out, by swinging them around in the bath tub. We both got very wet! Boo tried to help by taking the already rung-out clothes to the dryer.
the most difficult part was agitating everything with a broom handle. I must have looked quite a site!
But thankfully, my washer is ready to be picked up and on Friday it will be here!
"Wonderful!" I think "Maybe it fixed itself."
No such luck. I minute later I smelled a burning, hot rubber smell. I turned it off immediately. Last think I needed was a fire or something blowing up.
I proceeded to empty the washer, which was full of water, with a coffee mug with a handle on it in to a metal bowl and when the bowl was full I emptied it into the sink. Then I had to ring out all the clothes and put them in the dryer into 2 loads so I didn't over-tax the pryer too. This was the ONLY time I regretted washing in cold water. My hands were quite numb!
I bought a new washer (and got almost $200 off - sweet!) and we will pick it up later this week.
Until then, I had to wash a few essentials that couldn't wait until the weekend.
So I washed a load of clothes in the bath tub. with no wash board. Pumpkin tried to help wash, but ended up just playing with socks in the water. Then she tried to ring them out, by swinging them around in the bath tub. We both got very wet! Boo tried to help by taking the already rung-out clothes to the dryer.
the most difficult part was agitating everything with a broom handle. I must have looked quite a site!
But thankfully, my washer is ready to be picked up and on Friday it will be here!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Simple Life
I was watching a series on TV called Living With the Amish (a BBC program on their channel 4 I believe) and it really got my thinking about how to simplify my life. Recently we cut our cable - not literally, we cancelled it though. I still watch a few shows through the TV websites, but the temptation to sit a vegetate is no longer there. My kids at first were upset because they missed watching some of the limited stuff I did let them watch, but they quickly got over it. That got me reflecting on what else I can do to take a step back and I just make myself more in touch with life and keeping things "organic" the way God intended.
One of the things I admire about the Amish as depicted in this mini series, was their devotion to God. They would make sure to start and end their day with Him. How very very important that is. My day is almost certainly a disaster if I haven't spent some of my morning before things get going with the Lord.
So how do I keep my life simple?
We just bought a house in the summer so there wasn't an opportunity to plant a garden, but there will be this year! I'm going to plant herbs and some berries and other veggies that we eat feast on those over the summer and freeze what I can't eat or can.
Which brings me to #2. I hope to can stuff this summer - specifically produce that I either can't buy in the winter or is too expensive in the winter...plus whatever else is left, like tomatoes. Now I have time over the winter months to slowly buy what I need to for this and next year all I will need are new lids.
Laundry is another big thing - with 2 active children, how could it not be? I have been making my own laundry soap for about a year and a bit now. I love it! For 2012, I will spend a total of $6 on laundry, maybe a bit more but certainly under $10. it takes me about 20 minutes to make (plus a 24 hour resting period)one batch that will last about 3 months. And it's soooooo easy!
I also have a laundry line in my back yard and take full advantage of it as soon as it's warm enough! that also saves on energy I have to spend in the winter for my dryer. And did I mention how GOOOOOD clothes smells having been out side in the fresh ocean breeze?
I git a bread maker for Christmas and have perfected my stock making abilities and my pastry.....now to get my pizza dough down! But making those things also saves quite a bit of money as well. and did I mention how much better it tastes? Maybe I will buy a pasta maker for myself next year for Christmas......
I donno if I could wear a skirt or dress all the time, or keep my hair in a bonnet. I like some of the modern luxuries like running water and electricity - which used properly is a good thing (like for a fridge or stove or washer/dryer). I like my internet too - it helps me keep connected with friends and family that I had to leave behind.
But there is something to be said for living simply....it really makes you stop and appreciate the little things.
One of the things I admire about the Amish as depicted in this mini series, was their devotion to God. They would make sure to start and end their day with Him. How very very important that is. My day is almost certainly a disaster if I haven't spent some of my morning before things get going with the Lord.
So how do I keep my life simple?
We just bought a house in the summer so there wasn't an opportunity to plant a garden, but there will be this year! I'm going to plant herbs and some berries and other veggies that we eat feast on those over the summer and freeze what I can't eat or can.
Which brings me to #2. I hope to can stuff this summer - specifically produce that I either can't buy in the winter or is too expensive in the winter...plus whatever else is left, like tomatoes. Now I have time over the winter months to slowly buy what I need to for this and next year all I will need are new lids.
Laundry is another big thing - with 2 active children, how could it not be? I have been making my own laundry soap for about a year and a bit now. I love it! For 2012, I will spend a total of $6 on laundry, maybe a bit more but certainly under $10. it takes me about 20 minutes to make (plus a 24 hour resting period)one batch that will last about 3 months. And it's soooooo easy!
I also have a laundry line in my back yard and take full advantage of it as soon as it's warm enough! that also saves on energy I have to spend in the winter for my dryer. And did I mention how GOOOOOD clothes smells having been out side in the fresh ocean breeze?
I git a bread maker for Christmas and have perfected my stock making abilities and my pastry.....now to get my pizza dough down! But making those things also saves quite a bit of money as well. and did I mention how much better it tastes? Maybe I will buy a pasta maker for myself next year for Christmas......
I donno if I could wear a skirt or dress all the time, or keep my hair in a bonnet. I like some of the modern luxuries like running water and electricity - which used properly is a good thing (like for a fridge or stove or washer/dryer). I like my internet too - it helps me keep connected with friends and family that I had to leave behind.
But there is something to be said for living simply....it really makes you stop and appreciate the little things.
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