Reading: I haven’t FINISHED reading a full book in over a month. I’ve got a few that I have been too busy to read for myself. I’ve been reading “The Secret Garden” by Fances Hodgson Burnett with the big girls before bed. We’ve also been reading “The Horse and His Boy” by C.S. Lewis at lunch time.
Wanting: Sleep. I haven’t been able to sleep well all week, and I’m so exhausted.
Watching: Scott and I started watching Poldark after I get home from work. So far, we like it.
Listening: Frank Sinatra. I love having Frank Sinatra radio on Pandora while I’m working away in the kitchen.
Wishing: That I had a grain mill. HA! I’ve been watching so many homesteaders grinding their own grain. It looks so fluffy and yummy.
Enjoying: The cool, crisp weather. I love this time of year.
Loving: I love that I can bake again without making our air conditioner run non-stop! Bread season is here!
Hoping: That our chickens will start laying soon! They are at the youngest age that these breeds start laying. But, it’s getting cold and may be longer still.
Needing: I need to figure out where to plant our rhubarb. I need to get the last of Addi’s birthday presents purchased.
Feeling: I don’t’ even know. So many things..
Wearing: Lots of compression socks. Thrilling, I know.
I am really excited, because I get to share something fun with you today! We are all looking into ways to take better care of our bodies this year. My kids have been using Gut Connection Kids by Country Life for about a month now, and we are all loving it. It is a prebiotic, which I like to say is the red carpet being rolled out. A prebiotic helps to stimulate the growth of good bacteria in your gut. It is great to take alongside your regular probiotic, or on it’s own.
I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affiliate links.
I am a firm believer that most of our overall health is tied to the health of our gut. If you’ve been around this blog for any amount of time, you probably already know that. Study the microbiome and you will be amazed.
Gut Connection Kids has specifically formulated prebiotics to meet your needs. There is digestive balance, cognitive balance, immune balance, and sleep balance to choose from. You can focus on one area, or mix them up to focus on multiple
I am all about helping boost cognitive function in my kiddos. Hello, homeschooling! We immediately opened up that package and got to trying them out. My kids were especially excited that these prebiotics were elephant shaped. We went on a short camping trip recently, and took the immune boost prebiotic with us. While we were still incredibly cautious, we appreciated the extra boost. Every kid needs a digestive boost every now and then. I’m so thankful there are so many options. My kids have all said that they like the flavor of these. They describe them as sour. My six year old would eat them like candy if I let her. (Don’t let your kids eat them like candy..)
The sleep balance may be my favorite. Anything that helps my daughters get a good night of sleep is alright in my book. This can be blended with milk for a chocolate drink before bed. Or, you can make it into a treat as a smoothie. Here is a fun recipe for you to try!
Here are some facts about Gut Connection Kids:
•Gut Connection Kids by Country Life is a scientifically formulated range of supplements that connects the gut to individual health issues that matter.
• Gut Connection Kids by Country Life is one of the first children’s formulas containing clinically studied Epicor® Whole Food Fermentate prebiotic shown to support immune and gut health “Δ
• This whole food fermentate prebiotic is balanced with clinically researched ingredients for your overall health. • All products contain Epicor® yeast fermentate which reinforces the immune system’s first line of defense and provides FAST ACTING (within 2 hours) immune support!
Each product also includes clinically studied functional ingredients to support a growing child’s unique needs.
• These products are intended for children aged 4–12. However, adults can also take this product by following the directions for the 9–12 year old dosage.
∆Based on results from a study using a dynamic model representing GI digestion. *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
We are all huge fans of Country Life vitamins in this house, and Gut Connection Kids prebiotics are no exception!
Oh, autumn. I delight in this season. The weather turns cool. We get to pull out our cozy socks and sweaters. The leaves change colors and the trees let go. October is my favorite month.
Is anyone else just feeling worn? This year has brought out the ugliest sides of people. It has caused a feeling of hopelessness.
There is just so. much. noise. I have deleted facebook from my phone. I keep my phone charging far away from where I am. I’m just tired of it all.
People continue to scream their hate and opinions as though that is going to change someone’s mind. Has your mind ever been changed by a keyboard warrior? I sincerely doubt it.
“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.” 1 Thess 4: 9-12
I want to live a gentle and quiet life. I want to share the love of Jesus with others. I want to love people more than I love my opinions. I am so thankful that this world is not my home. It’s become an ugly place. What happened to loving others as Jesus did. We see time and time again in the Bible where he found a sinner and loved them right where they were. THAT transformed their lives in powerful ways.
We are no longer listening to hear and understand. We listen to respond. We don’t listen because we care. Are we even listening in any capacity anymore?
I’m not even sure where I am going with these words. I guess I’m just sharing where my heart is today… really, where it has been camped for quite some time. I’m going to evaluate myself. Am I being loving enough and gentle enough? When people interact with me, do they see Jesus? Am I different?
We’ve been busy getting things prepared for winter around here. It is a busy time, but it feels so good.
I’ve been cleaning up the shelf in the root cellar. I always try to keep a stock of food on hand. I can’t wait for the day that it is full of home-canned food more than grocery store cans. I recommend that everyone has some extra stock in their home. You never know when you may fall on hard times and be grateful for the extras. I’ve heard the advice to buy one can for now and two for later. We’ve been trying to buy a box of canned veggies each time we go to Sam’s Club when they are in stock.
The Music garlic bed is all planted. I can’t wait to harvest this next year!! If it goes well, we should have 25 heads of garlic. We realized we can fit more here, so we may do more next year. We planted 6 inches apart and 2-3 inches deep. (We got our garlic from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.) When the weather cools off, we’ll cover the bed with mulch to protect it.
Scott finished building the nesting boxes. Our oldest chickens are around 20 weeks old, and hopefully will start laying within the next month. It could be as late as 48 weeks, so I’m trying to keep my hopes low. It can also be as early as 24 weeks. We will put some cushion in them soon just in case we get lucky. I’m so anxious for that first egg! The roosters have learned to crow, which is so fun.
Speaking of cushion, this is how you pick up hay bales when you live the minivan life. HAHA! This is bedding for the chickens. It will help to keep them warm on these cold nights and in the coming months. It took me quite a while to vacuum all of this out, but it’s all clean now.
Happy Autumn!! God has blessed us so richly, and I pray that you receive blessings as well.
We are a board-game playing family. Do you play games? I feel like board games are dying out in many homes, and it makes me so sad. We have two areas that we keep our games, and they are pretty full!
UNO– obviously. Our youngest is 6, and can mostly play this without help now. We have taught our children that there is no mercy in UNO. haha! We also just bought the waterproof version for when we camp.
Clue— another classic! The kids love playing this, and so do we!!
Monopoly, Jr.— This one is fun because it is much easier for the kids to play. It’s still tons of fun, but doesn’t take one hundred years to finish a game.
Yahtzee — Our older girls can play this really well. They haven’t quite figured out the strategy, but they have tons of fun with it.
Battleship— This is one that the kids love, and that Scott and I will play by ourselves. We bough the original version off of ebay. It felt wrong to have anything but the blue and red boards.
I hope everyone dusts off an old game and plays it this weekend!
It has officially been one year since we moved into this home. I distinctly remember this day. We had been slowly moving some things in to get them set up while we waited for the carpet to get put in. I had to leave for work that evening. When I got off, I pulled up the driveway and cried. We were home. It felt like home. It felt like a hug at the end of some really hard years… and is continuing to hold me as I lost my Grandpa suddenly on Sunday.
Living on a farm has been a dream of ours for quite some time. I don’t really remember exactly when it started. In 2010, my dad had open heart surgery right after I became a mom. I remember learning all that I could about eating healthy, because I was told that heart disease was coming for me, too. (Who knew I already had it!) I remember trying to make healthier decisions for my family. I wanted to plant a garden and grow our own food. I got really into watching food documentaries.
Somehow all of this evolved into discovering homesteading. I read as many blog posts as I could about homesteading. I checked out books and watched YouTube videos. It became a dream that Scott and I wanted so badly. We would drive around the country in the states we lived in and dream. We knew it was a far, far off dream. We couldn’t afford to buy even a tiny house. We’d never be able to afford land.
But, God.
It’s amazing how tiny decisions can lead to huge results. Let that be a lesson– good or bad. The tiny decision to strike up a conversation with a library patron lead to this massive shift in our life. We get to rent this beautiful home with this beautiful land. We get to plant gardens and raise chickens. The dream has been far better than we expected.
In the past year, we have baked countless loaves of bread. We watched the leaves change colors and fall to the ground. We’ve gathered around the threshing table for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. We’ve squealed with delight over waking up to snow on the ground. We watched the world come back to life in the spring. We put our blood, sweat, and tears into creating our garden. We worked hard to expand the chicken run and make sure that they had a safe coop to be in. We’ve lost animals that we love.
It’s harvest time! We are so thankful that most of our plants have done well. We were gifted a huge box of tomatoes, so I canned those yesterday. Canning is such an awesome skill to have learned, but it also feel so stressful because I don’t want to mess it up!
It feels so good to go to the garden to pick vegetables and herbs to cook with. I also FINALLY made some candles out of beeswax! Traditional candles are so harmful to burn, but I love the warm light that they offer. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for years! Learning these new skills has been incredible. It feels good to use the gifts that God has given me. There are so many skills that are disappearing because they aren’t used anymore. I don’t want to lose them! I want to pass them on to my daughters.
One year in, and I’d say that we are official homesteaders of the renting sort. (I just reached for my coffee, and there is a gnat floating in it. So, that’s a definite yes.)
The school year is starting for many people. This is always a great time to start stocking up on immune boosting products. Cold and flu season is coming. We won’t even talk about the C-word.
It should go without saying that I am not a doctor. I am simply sharing what our family does to give us a boost through the year. Consult your physician if you have questions.
Obviously, the most important is to eat a healthy and balanced diet. Try to eat REAL foods and less packaged/processed. Spend plenty of time outdoors and getting exercise.
Multi-Vitamin— Scott and I take the Thrive Market brand of multi-vitamins. I subscribe and save to these on Amazon for the kids. This helps to fill in the gaps that we may be missing with our diet.
Probiotic— I am such a huge believer in gut health. So much of our overall health stems from our gut! We do tend to switch up with probiotics we take, just so we make sure that we are getting a good variety. Currently, the kids take this one and I take this one. It’s time to switch it up again.
Elderberry— Sambucol is our go-to brand. I trust it. The kids love it. I love it. We’ve used the syrup, the gummies, the pastilles, and more. (Start buying it now, because it always sells out in November/December!) I also make my own elderberry syrup with these dried berries.
Zinc— I’ve recently added this to my supplements. I work in a public place, and even with current restrictions in place, I want an extra boost.
Vitamin C— I mix this into our drinks. It is tasteless and easier for our bodies to absorb than a lot of Vitamin C supplements.
Congaplex— If I feel like I’m starting to come down with something, I will take this. It is available for a better price from your naturopath or if you know someone with an account.
Water— Drink water!! Sugar feeds the bad bacteria and can cause you to get sick easier. If it takes getting a cute water bottle to carry to get you to drink more, do it. It’s worth it.
It is an investment in your health. On the occasions that our kids do get sick, they bounce back so quickly. I fully believe that’s because we are proactive when it comes to their health and wellness.
While some products on this blog may be gifted (noted with a c/o), posts may be sponsored, or a small commission may be made via affiliate links, all opinions are my own & products are ONLY endorsed if they are truly things we love or would buy.
I LOVE the weekends that Scott has off. We always try to make the most of having two full days in a row together.
Addi had written a letter to Scott asking if we could go camping this weekend. (She likes to write letters to us and put them in various places through the house.) We checked the weather forecast, and it was going to be hot days with really cool nights. Since it cools off fairly quickly in the evenings, we decided to go for it.
I set the tent up by myself while Scott was at work– not bragging, just a testament to how wonderful this tent is. Since we didn’t have rain in the forecast, we left the cover off. It was so nice to look up and see the stars above us.
We like to play games in the tent before bed. Spot It, UNO, and go fish have been our go-to’s so far. I’m a huge fan of waterproof games. It is much less frustrating when a drink spills on them or a mother accidentally sprays a garden hose on them. You know, the normal stuff.
We went for a hike, but mostly got distracted with playing in the river. We tracked down the big sunflower field that everyone locally has been talking about. We roasted s’mores and ate burgers and hot dogs. We read stories and snuggled in for the cool nights.
Adventures don’t require a lot of planning, or even any extra money. Just decide that it’s going to be done and do it. These kids are growing at a lightening fast rate, and I don’t want to miss it. I’m exhausted and my back aches from two nights on an air mattress. But, my heart is so very full.
**I also should note that our kids aren’t always cheery and excited for hikes and things like that. One of the days, I could tell everyone was grumpy. I shouted “TODAY IS GOING TO BE A GREAT DAY!!!” and one of my sweet children mumbled under her breath “no, it’s not”. But, guess who had fun anyway. Drag them along and bring a snack.
I was given the immense pleasure of being on the launch team for Sally Clarkson’s newest book “Awaking Wonder”. For years, I’ve hoped she would write a book about homeschooling. Sally has this gentle, motherly voice that brings instant comfort. Reading her books is like cozying up with a warm cup of coffee and a comfy blanket.
Being on the launch team, I was given an advanced copy of the book to read so that I could share about it leading up to the big launch day. My hard copy finally arrived yesterday, and I’m so excited. I’m going to admit that I fully judge books by their cover. Look at how beautiful this one is! The words contained within completely match the beauty of the outside.
Sally shares so much valuable advice for us. It’s not fussy or overcomplicated. It is as though she has taken me by the hand to guide me through this journey. She worked tirelessly and put her whole heart into this book.
While this book chronicles Sally’s heart and journey through homeschooling, it would be a great book for any caregiver or teacher to read! Children see the world in such a beautiful way, and we can help them awaken that wonder within themselves.
I also wanted to get this written today because there is a REALLY incredible opportunity for a free online conference. These videos are only available for free for a short time, so be sure to start watching and absorb the wealth of information and encouragement!
If you are a weary mama looking for some encouragement through these times, be sure to watch these videos. Buy the book or check it out from your library. (Truly, any of her books will be so encouraging for you.)
When everything went crazy back in March, I decided that I was going to use the time as a gift. I determined that I was going to make the most of the slower pace of life and soak it all in. Having a terrible attitude about it all wasn’t going to change a thing. If only more people would realize that fact..
2020 has been far from our worst year ever. That is not to say that this year has been all smooth sailing and easy for Scott and me. It hasn’t. We have faced hard questions and struggles. But, we have faced far worse in our years of marriage.
In this quiet time, I’ve asked myself a lot of questions. I realized that I have said yes to SO MANY THINGS just because I felt like I had to say yes. Since the world crashed to a grinding hault, I started thinking “What would I do if I didn’t care what PEOPLE thought of it?” Would I volunteer to do so much when all it does is drain me? Would I go back to that?
Let me clarify something. I care a great deal of what God thinks of me and my choices. We have been praying a lot seeking guidance from the Lord in all of these things. But, PEOPLE… People are judgemental and like to apply pressure if they don’t like what you are doing. This year has shown the true colors of many people, and if I’m honest, my heart is broken by it. But, that is a completely different topic.
When we moved into the country, we were really excited to start living a more simple life. Our goal is to be more self sufficient– to not rely on a grocery store so much. I’ve always cooked most of our food from scratch, but it was still ingredients from a store. Our garden is producing, and it has been so delightful to step outside and grab some cucumbers from the vine. I made marinara sauce last week, and picked the tomatoes and herbs from our garden. We had garlic and onions from a farmer’s market.
The simple life isn’t really simple. It’s a lot of work. It takes a lot of effort and a constant willingness to learn. I laugh when people think that we don’t have anything to do. We have plenty to do. Plenty that brings us immense amounts of joy!
I learned how to water bath can a few years ago, and it’s CANNING SEASON. It’s a lot of work, but rewarding. In the middle of writing this blog post, our landlord (AKA “the farmer”) showed up to reinstall our dishwasher that needed some work. He was showing me the water valves are, and we discovered that some of the jars in the root cellar still had jam and grapes (?) inside. These are from 1988! He said that there used to be a good vineyard around here many years ago.
Just imagining his wife working tirelessly in the kitchen to provide food for her family through the winter months is so special. I love this life. I love the care and thought that go into every decision. I love that we’ve been able to share some with others.. We’ve had others bring us MANY vegetables.
You can’t waste time with a homestead, and I love that. I love being more intentional with how my time is spent. Shaye wrote a really great post that describes exactly how I’ve been feeling lately, so I’m just going to link you to it here. I’m so tired of the over-connectedness of our society. Do you really think we can listen to the Lord’s leading with all of the NOISE around us?
I encourage you to step away today. Find some quiet. Put your phone away and love the people right in front of you!
