tips, tricks, and favorites

A friend started a blog-trend of sharing 10 tips, tricks, and faves and then tagged me. I've already tucked away several things from various others' blog posts that I think will be helpful. Such fun!

I'm feeling a bit at a loss to share anything new, but here goes nothin'. I'll do my best!


:: Lately, I've been falling in love all over again with a particular kitchen tool that I've owned as long as I've been a wife and homemaker. For a short time, it wasn't stored in the handiest of locations and so I got out of the habit of using it on the couple-times-a-week basis that I once had; about a year ago I'd had enough of "cheating" (buying pre-milled whole wheat flour!) and reorganized my kitchen in order to make it handier. (Is that a tip right there, perhaps?-- keep your valuable kitchen tools handy? Oh wait... everyone but me already knows that. Doh.)

Meet my electric grain mill, given to me as a wedding gift over 12 years ago.

We try not to eat a lot of bread around here, since I'm not convinced a lot of wheat/gluten is good for us, but when I do bake a cake or muffins or brownies, etc., I like to throw in some freshly milled prairie gold whole wheat flour.

I love this mill. It's worked great for years-- and if we are going to eat some wheat, I want it to at least have all the nutrition of a freshly milled wheat berry, which is significantly greater. It's super easy to use: just pull it off the shelf (now kept on the one right in front of my face when I'm baking, thankyouverymuch), hook it up, plug it in, and turn it on. A minute later, I've got that cup or two of freshly milled flour that I need for my recipe. No clean up necessary other than a quick wipe down and winding of the cord before popping it back on the shelf.

One of my goals this year is to begin experimenting with milling other healthier, more ancient grains and baking with them. If you've got any tips/pointers on that, please pass them along!


:: Keep things fresh, especially if you're a homemaker who spends 99.9% of your time within the same few walls! It doesn't have to be a major overhaul. Never underestimate the power of simply updating things a bit.

For example, rearrange some furniture in the house-- I find that helps re-inspire organization and thorough cleaning for me and the kids. Buy a few new-to-you books (children's, mothering, discipleship, whatever!)-- AbeBooks is a favorite of mine these days for getting something fresh on the shelves or nightstand without spending much. Switch your daily/weekly/monthly planner-- there are lots of free ones to choose from! Make a new chore chart accountability system-- even something simple, like a sheet that gets hung on the fridge for writing check marks on.

:: For Christmas, I asked Daniel for a fitbit zip. I had an inkling that despite how busy my days feel due to all the demands on my time that without a regular outdoor walk or run, I'm not nearly as active as it seems. (Much of my day is spent sitting with children working through school assignments, nursing a baby, reading aloud, etc.)

I got my Christmas wish-- and my hunch was confirmed.

Of course, initially Daniel joked that he was monitoring it to make sure I wasn't being too active, since at Christmas I was only 10 days postpartum and still needing to take it easy. Now that Oliver is a month old (today!) and I've been mostly diligent about replenishing my iron, I'm increasing my activity bit by bit. Having something to help motivate me to get outside and to make the most of opportunities for activity around the house (for example, running up those stairs myself instead of asking one of the kids to grab the diapers I need!) has already been extremely helpful, and I'm not even back to my regular old self yet.

I'm also using it to track my water intake and have already seen a profound increase in just a few short weeks.


:: My library card has become my best friend and biggest money saver in the past year! It is the homeschooling tool of a lifetime, I tell you. And with the ability to request books right from my computer and then walk over and pick them up, having 7 kids doesn't even make utilizing the library a hassle.

:: Many of you know I had to buy a new infant car seat for Oliver. Our old one was about to expire-- and the reason I realized that was because the plastic was actually deteriorating in one spot!

After reading a number of online reviews and getting some feedback from facebook friends, I settled in on a Chicco Key Fit. Up until now, I've always used a Graco seat. I was given one when Gabriel was born, and then I was able to buy another Graco from a friend who had only used hers for one baby when I needed to replace the first one.

I like the Chicco a great deal more. It is much lighter than the Graco, is much more level/stable in the vehicle, has better padding/fabric, and the safety rating is higher. The jury is out on whether or not it will wear better, but it's hard to imagine it won't be at least as good-- I haven't been impressed by Graco seats in that department.

:: Maybe this one is old-hat and another "doh!" thing to mention, but I love Pinterest. I really, really do. It is so handy to me to have all my favorite links, images, and ideas all nicely organized in one place online. I can't say that I have much (any, actually) time for browsing the Pinterest community at large, but I have a number of people that I follow whose pins are generally very helpful to me and I often will add my own pins for articles, homeschooling resources, recipes, health tips, etc.

At first, I couldn't figure it out so I understand that it might seem strange or hard to get initially, but don't knock it 'til you try it!


:: A practice we began years ago that has been tremendously helpful in keeping our belongings streamlined and our [full of people] house organized is that whenever the children get something new, they must get rid of something old. This year, we sorted toys and books a good bit before Christmas, since I was due with Oliver in December and doubtful that an overhaul of belongings would take place after, and we always end up with a number of things that are broken/used up to throw away and a number of things that they no longer use/play with to give to someone else.

For example, Jackson realized that he opts to play with Legos 9 times out of 10 while he rarely pulled out his dinosaurs (once the played-with-daily item). The dinosaurs were packed up and gifted to another little boy and-- what do you know?-- Jackson got more Legos for Christmas!

Perhaps this seems like a rather rigid rule of thumb, but with 9 of us sleeping, eating, working, playing, schooling, and more in a 2300 square foot house, we have to be vigilant about not letting our things get out of control. And besides, the longer I'm a mom, the more convinced I am that less is more and that children actually enjoy what they do have more when it's not hard to manage and keep organized/tidy.


:: What can I say? Some of my very favorite things are the things in my home that have come to me second- (or third- or fourth-?) hand. This includes clothing and shoes and blankets and table linens and knickknacks, but especially furniture.

I went around the house and took pictures of only a handful of the many things that have been passed on to me, purchased at auctions, or found at thrift shops and flea markets: my dearly-loved "bird chairs," the piano and old-fashioned stool, the wobbly-but-still-working highchair my children have all used, wardrobes and cupboards, rocking chairs and side chairs, most everything in the girls' room-- including their 4-poster bed, chests of drawers, and more.

It's not so much that I love the economical savings these pieces represent (though the price performance is pretty remarkable!) or that I love how well made furniture was in years past (though the craftsmanship is definitely remarkable!) as it is that I love the history behind them. For example, my late piano tuner and I often talked about the piano that was given to us, one made in the late 1800s, and wondered where it may have been, who may have played it and what kinds of music they might have enjoyed, etc.


:: For about a year now, I've used the YouVersion app for my daily Bible reading plan. Although there's nothing like a physical Bible in my hands-- leather cover and thin pages and familiar places-- I do love the convenience and always-with-me aspect of the Bible app. I can nurse a baby, wait in the dentist's office, forget my Bible when I go to church, and still have the Scriptures at my fingertips.

This year, I've got the added bonus of being part of a facebook group that is reading through a plan together. I am loving how much more I am getting out of my Bible reading. I finish my own reading, with different verses and passages standing out to me, and then I see others' comments and thoughts and it brings even more to life. There is so much depth in the Word, and this has been an unexpected and delightful way to share in others' experience and revelation.


:: Our school morning always begins with breakfast together at 7:30am (or thereabouts... we are known to run late quite often!), devotions at 8, and then everybody doing their daily chores until 9:30. Then? Then comes my favorite part of the day.

Read aloud time.

We have enjoyed many wonderful books throughout these times, and we have enjoyed them together. If none of these other tips, tricks, or favorites of mine inspire or interest you, I hope this one does. Reading and exploring through books on one's own is a privilege; reading and exploring through books together shapes us.


I tag Michelle, Katelyn, Rochelle, and Heather!