You might be a homemaker if (Day 31)

you have ever been ashamed to say that aloud that you are a homemaker

Maybe ashamed is too strong of word.  Even after 15 years of doing this gig, I pause. I chose this homemaking gig and I am not ashamed. But in the eyes of many, this makes me less than capable,  I know that I am capable beyond belief. I consider myself an Expert at nothing and everything because each and every day is a little different and has different challenges.  Where I don't have knowledge, I have flexibility and sometimes more time to figure thing out.

There are a lot of polarizing topics in the hood (parent hood).  Some of these are stay at home  parents. I think there still a common misconception that stay at home parents or homemakers don't work as hard as their counter parts. I get that.

But for right now, my family needs me to man the homefront.  I will use my talents and abilities here at home.

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**** I am linking up to the Nester's 31 Days of Blogging

You migt be a Homemaker IF (Day 30)

You believe that Home Ec skills need to be taught so everyone can conquer the world

Did you know Home Economics is mostly likely called Family and Consumer Sciences at public schools?  I took Home Ec - Sewing, Cooking, Metals, and Wood working in middle school. I had no choice. It was a required course. Most schools don't even offer those kinds of classes anymore and if they do the enrollment isn't great.   The inspiration for this post was from a post at One Hundred Dollars a Month -Should Home Economics Be a Required Class? 

I was lucky to be a daughter of a former Future Homemaker's President of Loveland High School.  So I am pretty sure I got ample instruction in the basics. Thanks MOM!

The words “home economics” likely conjure visions of future homemakers quietly whisking white sauce or stitching rickrack onto an apron. But to a handful of people thinking big about these problems, they evoke something different: A forward-thinking new kind of class that would give a generation of young people—not just women, but everyone—the skills to shop intelligently, cook healthily, manage money, and live well. ( Boston Globe - Bring Back Home Ec by Ruth Graham 10/13/13)

The Thing is that knowing the basic home ec skills can save time and money. Making your own food is often times healthier and cheaper.  Being able to balance your budget and know when to use credit is important to your financial health. 

I love the list from babble of the 10 Home EC Skills Every Kid Should Know

How to balance a check book
How to clean the floor
How to (properly) clean a toilet
how to make a bed
How to prepare a meal
How to operate basic appliances
How to identify spoiled food
How to do a load of laundry
How to iron a dress shirt
How to sew a straight line

I also like the post from PopSugar Moms about the 7 Essential Home Management Skills  to teach your kids.

How to Cook and Plan a Menu
Laundry Skills
Time Management
Teamwork
Basic Money Management
Good Cleaning Habits
How to Let Go of Perfection

The historian Helen Zoe Veit has argued that home ec has a key role to play in treating the obesity epidemic. “A beautiful way to start solving this problem would be to get more people cooking,” she said recently. “We have a blueprint of how to do this, and it’s through home economics.”
Boston Globe -Bring Back Home Ec by Ruth Graham 10/13/13

What do you think? Does Home Ec need to be a required class?

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Oh Zombies, OH MY!

We attended the GeoZombie Run a geocaching event.  We had a blast.  We were issued Zombie Hunting License.

There were a number of geocaches to find and actual zombie related activities. By completing activities and finding certain caches you received punches in your zombie permit

The Zombie related activities were a Paint Ball Zombie Shooting Gallery. I even shot a zombie in the nostril with a paint gun.

There was also a Zombie Obstacle Course at Lincoln Park in Blaine. You carried a fake brain covered in cow lube through a obstacle course. . Glad I didn't know it was lube until after.  Don't know why it grossed me out.  We kinda went the wrong way through obstacle course and ended up doing it twice.

Cody holding his fake brain demonstrating how to ward off Zombies

The actual geocaches for the event were unusual.  One had you smelling spices to determine coordinates for a puzzle cache. These were types of puzzles that were only allowed for the event.  There was one called Zombie cam that had numbers attached to camera poles along the border.  They had to get special approval from Border Patrol and Homeland Security for those.  IT was a really well done event. At the last cache of the day, we viewed a beautiful sunset.

You might be a Homemaker IF... ( Day 29)

You have determined your Worth. And that works out to about $96,000 for all your services.

According to Yahoo Finance in 2012 the average homemaker provided services in the about the $96,000 range.  These tasks are listed below:

Private Chef
House Cleaner
Child Care
Driver
Laundry Service
Lawn Maintenance

I love the list that Tess Knows Best came up with. It includes Because I said NO specialist, Lego Creator, Bouncer, and Super Glue Specialist.  Read the whole list. 

Do you have something to ADD to the list?

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You might be a Homemaker IF (Day 28)

You know what to do with all those pumpkin seeds

It is pumpkin carving time again. I love to roast pumpkin seeds.  I leave the carving to my husband and kids. 

These are my husband's pumpkins. The back story is the smiling pumpkin farted
and the rest of the pumpkins are reacting.

Years of always looking up the recipe, I finally stuck what I do in my recipe binder. Below is the method I use.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Heat Oven to 250 degrees. Remove stringy fibers from seeds. Wash seeds under cold water. Blot seeds dry with paper toweling.

Spread seeds evenly in single layer on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and roast in preheated oven for 30-60 minutes. Stir seeds frequently to aid in drying. Seeds are done when dry and light brown. Cool.

Enjoy!

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***I am linking up with the Nester's 31 Days of Blogging

Booking it October

I am linking up with Life as Mom and Booking It 2013. They are reviewing Mr Penurumba's 24 Hour Book Store.  I read that several months ago and Here is my really small review.  The ladies over at Life as Mom are calling it a cross between Harry Potter and National Treasure.  I agree. Listed below are some of my reads for October

I read The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin. 

In her stunningly original and haunting debut novel, Amanda Coplin evokes a powerful sense of place, mixing tenderness and violence as she spins an engrossing tale of a solitary orchardist who provides shelter to two runaway teenage girls in the untamed American West, and the dramatic consequences of his actions.- from Amazon

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It is getting a lot of buzz in my current home state of Washington because it is set in Eastern Washington.  This book kept me reading.  I am not sure if I liked the ending.  I am not sure anything was really resolved and that left me feeling cheated out of the ending I thought it deserved.   The writing was beautiful.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline was another book I read.  I thought it was really enjoyable and not a difficult read. IT even made me cry.  The conditions orphans faced back in the day were truly awful. Orphans were treated as indentured servants and not children.
Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse...

As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both. - Amazon

The orphan trains are fascinating bit of history as well.  My book contained some historical perspective about the trains in the back of the book.This also hit near home because of the Hanna Williams case where an adopted child was starved to death. Her adopted parents are awaiting sentencing this week on Tuesday. This happened in the next county over. Have we come that far? Ophans still don't seem to have many protections.

How Children Succeed by Paul Tough - To be quite honest, I am not real sure why I picked this book to read.  The sub title is Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character.  Lots of thought provoking information in the book.  I found some of the statistics in the book interesting.  Like a high GPA is the most likely to indicate success in college rather than IQ.  That the US has the one of the highest rates of sending kids to college but one of the lowest completion rates. That a poor fit for college, as in not challenging enough, is one of the main reasons kids drop out of college. The book talked a lot about how it is important to have motivation and volition to be successful. That teaching character is challenging to kids. I do have a new quote and it applies more to me than my children - " You have to motivation and volition.  You can have all the motivation in the world but if you don't have the will power.  You won't be successful.

Making OUR 50 !

We did it !!  I keep forgetting to post this. We completed the 50 Washington State Park Geocaching Challenge.  Washington State Parks are celebrating their Centennial.  They teamed up with Washington State Geocache Association to host 100 caches or should I say 104 special centennial caches.  Each cache contained a special stamp which you stamped into your State Park Passport.  If you collected 50 state park stamps, you could turn your passport in for a silver coin.  If you collected 100 state park stamps, you could turn it in for a gold coin.

Our Silver Coin

As part of Centennial Celebration, we visited over 50 Washington State Parks.  Starting in June we began our quest at Birch Bay State Park on the west coast of Washington and ended at Olmstead Place in central Washington in October.   

We finished our push for the 50 by visiting Lake Sammamish, Oallie, Iron Horse Hyak, Lake Easton, Iron Horse Cle Elum, and Olmstead Place. 

Lake Easton

 

Iron Horse Cle Elum

School House at Olmstead Place
not original to site



Olmstead Place
1000th Cache milestone
and 50th State Park

It has been one wild ride.  We met cachers in the middle of the woods.  That was a little surreal to be pretty far into the woods and run into a cacher you know. We saw a tree down on a mini van at Schafer State Park. Went on a lot of amazing hikes including one to a train tunnel and one called the hobbit trail. This has been a family affair even including extended family and our dog . Our dog met it's first horse. We invested a lot of our free time on our quest for the 50. We didn't let lost stamps, weather, and getting turned around stand in our way.  We cached in the driving rain and in the blazing heat. We were constantly amazed by the diversity of the Washington State Park system. We can't say enough nice and wonderful things about WSGA, Washington State Geocaching Association, and Washington State Parks for putting this together.

All I can say is KEEP CALM and CACHE ON!

Us with our list of 50+ caches at the
50 Park Challenge Cache
October 22
 

You might be a Homemaker IF ( Day 27)

the laundry is a dirty word

It seems like laundry is an endless task at my house.  I try to do all my laundry on Sunday.  That way everyone is good to go for the week at my house. I think most homemakers have a system.  My main problem isn't getting it clean but actually getting it to it's final destination.

 My friend's husband asked for a reunion with his socks.  Sometimes laundry is like that.

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You might be a homemaker if(Day 26)

Your heroes are Bloggers
 



I know some of my heros are Bloggers.  These are the blogs I pretty much read daily.  They inspire me to be a better person and housewife.

Nester - Top of the List. Best summed up," it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful"

Teacher Tom - I am a HUGE Teacher Tom fan.  IF you have young preschool kids, read his blog.  If you have older kids in public school read his blog. He really understands play.  He got into the teaching gig because he was the parent who brought his daughter to COOP Preschool. Now he is a COOP preschool teacher.

Princess Lasertron - She is a bridal bouquet designer, small online clothing business, and a MOM. I love her honesty.  I love that she goes after things. 

Carol - Carol is friend from REAL LIFE.  She is a writer to the core.  She is also a truth teller too.

Confessions of an Asperger's Mom - I am Mom to a teenager with Asperger's.  There are not a lot of resources out there.  Karen has 2 teens with Asperger's who tells it like it is. 

Mavis at 100dollarsamonth - I like this blog.  She has a lot of resources for growing food in the Pacific Northwest.  She is inspiring to me.

Enjoy It - by Elise - This is a new one I have been reading.  Elise is a scrapbooker, new Mom, and online business owner.  I love her fresh perspective.

Check out the rest of my series " You might be a Homemaker IF..."
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You might be a homemaker if (Day 25)

you have referred to yourself as a Modern Day June Cleaver or said My Super Power is I make People

Have you referred to yourself as a domestic engineer, domestic goddess, sidelined home executive, housewife, Suzy Homemaker etc.? I myself often call myself a Modern Day June Cleaver.  I have two boys - Wally and the Beav and I stay at home while my kids go to school. I don't know if my husband is Ward or not. We are pretty much Leave it to Beaver. We do eat dinner together pretty much every night when my husband doesn't work during dinner.

Call it what you want, a homemaker by any other name is still a homemaker.

What do you call yourself?

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A Little Squirrelly

I forced my son to draw a squirrel and then color it in. I am such a mean Mom. We got the drawing instructions from the Art Projects for Kids.

 

the squirrel is holding a geocache

We decided that this was a mutant squirrel as large as the tree.

 

You might be a Homemaker IF (Day 24)

you have ever engaged in make it or buy it debate over pancake mix

I never realized when I became a homemaker how heated a debate pancakes could be.  There are some of us who stand firmly in the mix side and those who stand on the make it from scratch.  I stand on the scratch side because of my Mother.  Pancake mix isn't complicated and generally can be made from staples on hand.  However after a little research, I have found that most people can't tell the difference from a box mix of pancake mix and homemade. Check out this article at Chick Advisor and their test of frozen, homemade, and from a box.

Here is my from scratch which I usually double but have tripled before.

Favorite Pancakes
1 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
1 cup of milk
2 tablespoons oil

Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, and alt. Combine egg, milk, and oil; add to dry ingredients, stirring just till flour is moistened ( Batter will be lumpy)

Bake on hot griddle. Makes about 12 dollar size or eight 4 inch pancakes.

I recently started a book called Make the Bread, Buy the Butter - What you should and shouldn't cook from scratch by Jennifer Reese who also is a blogger at tipsybaker.com   So if you are ever going down the rabbit hole of whether or not you should attempt making something from scratch ,she has pretty much researched it. By the way, she thinks that you should make it from scratch over frozen pancakes.  She even does the cost comparison and hassle factor.

Please check out the rest of my series " You might be a Homemaker IF.."
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You Might be a Homemaker IF (Day 23)

you are adept at dealing with various bio hazards

This is the dirty side of homemaking. It took me a while to flush this post out.  (bad, really, bad)  I have seen it all poop both human and animal and upchuck (human and animal).  I don't however really do blood.  IT makes me queasy. I have some friends who the running joke is which of their kids would pee or puke on me.  We since have moved far far away from them.  Still like them despite having my foot peed on and being upchucked on.  I don't have any magic solution to deal with any bodily fluids other than clean them up.

Check out the rest of my series " You might be a Homemaker IF..."
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Project Life Tuesday - Week 39 cont. and Week 40

I am linking up with Tuesday Project Life at The Mom Creative. The first page I am sharing is actually a continuation of week 39.  Nonna babysat for Kevin and I for our 18th anniversary present. We went geocaching.  We were working on getting our goal of 50 Centennial State Park Caches. It was an extremely rainy day but it was so much fun hanging out together we just kept caching. We had quite the adventure. The journaling is the actual blog entry.

We 40 had us completing our 50 state park geocaching challenge.  We also found our 1000th geocache.  It was a record day.   The top picture of someone in the Duck Dynasty Value Village cut out is me.  Only a true friend would take such a picture. 

The journaling on the red card says:
We did it!
We finished
the 50th
State Park
Challenge
AND
found our
100th Cache

Supplies
Project Life: Cobalt Edition
Photo Protector G

Celebrating Fall

Took some fall pictures this week.  IT has been so foggy up our way.  I feel like Scooby and Mystery Machine will arrive any moment. These were taken at Camano Island State Park.

Charlie Throwing Leaves

Brothers

Cody

You might be a homemaker if (Day 22)

You have ever referred to your appliances as your servants

I actually heard appliances being to referred to servants at MOPS, mothers of preschoolers, during a talk on Proverbs 31. I like to start my servants early by making coffee, running the dishwasher, and washing machine.

I definitely have some appliances, servants,  I CAN'T live without.  I have actually thought about the concept, "Am I using this appliance to it's fullest capacity. "  I find that these tools/appliances help me do a better job

1. Heavy Duty Can Opener - If you have used a sub par can opener, get yourself to a Cash and Carry and buy a heavy duty one.  Mine is called a swing a way. There is NOTHING worse than using a rickety cheap can opener.

2. Kitchen Aid Mixer - I am spoiled and I got a Kitchen Aid Mixer one Christmas.  AND the following Christmas I got an extra bowl.  I use this bad boy a lot.  Did you know you can shred cook chicken with it too. Check it out at 100 Dollars a Month

3.Silpat Mat - I love my silicon mat.  I love that cookies don't stick to the pan. It is genius.

4. Rubbermaid Mop - Here is my post extolling the virtues of this mop.  If you got this route, get two washable pads

5. Mini chopper - I had this before I got a food processor.  For little chopping jobs, this is great.

I receive no endorsements from the above links. Darn!

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*** I am linking up with the Nester's 31 Days of Blogging

You might be a homemaker if (Day 21 )

you have a side gig

Staying home is not cheap and many of us only do this very part time.  For us full timers, we usually have a side gig. A side gig is usually a very very part time job or task.

For many years, I watched kids in the morning before school.   Some of us sell Avon, Mary Kay, or various other things. A lot of us do surveys on the computer to earn extra money such a Pinecone.  I do Pinecone and Swag Bucks. Some blog and earn income from this. 

My friend Mars has turned a hobby into a side business - Pacific Scents which sells soaps, lotions. She turned her hobby into a home business.

I also had a friend who was quite successful at Mystery Shopping.  There is another blogger doing a 31 days series on Mystery Shopping - Stay at Home (Made) Mom.

Money Saving Mom had a great list of side gigs.  Check it out.

Anybody have an interesting side gig?

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You might be a homemaker if (Day 20)

You get by with a little help from your friends

 

Homemaking is a not intended to be a solitary sport or pursuit.  This job is bearable because my co-workers are my family and my friends keep me sane.  I couldn't do this job without my friends.  They pretty much bail me out of all kinds of situations mostly of my own making.  IT seems like I am on a verge of a crisis at least once a day. My best friend, Mrs. Epi, we are sisters from another mother called Carol.  Both our Mom's are named Carol.  Hi Moms!

 

Here are some of most famous or infamous adventures

 

102 Matches and other Tales- basically how we are not cut out to be arsonists. 

Squires Lake - This is how I broke my camera taking pictures of bear scat

Cherry Coke Warning - I think the title speaks for itself

What Would You Do - crazy parking lot tales

 

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You might be a homemaker IF (Day 19)

sometimes you feel a little like MacGyver or

 you believe Google is a homemaker's best friend.

I was first introduced to this by my friend Mrs Respiratory Therapist.  She is the Queen of Googling appliance repairs.  I learned from the best.  Check out me googling and fixing my washing machine. I have saved quite a bit of money googling appliance repairs.  The caveat being that just because you can Google it doesn't mean you will be able to fix it.

Can't find a recipe Google it
Can't find a person Google it
Can't find a business Google it

Here is a good link for using Google search more effectively.

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You might be a Homemaker IF (Day18)

You got SPIRIT!

You know Halloween Spirit, Christmas Spirit and Team Spirit, we got it.  I thought I would give you a little glimpse of my Halloween Spirit and show you my shelves next to my fireplace.

I got a crafting wild hair a few nights back and my shelf nest to the fireplace needed SOMETHING. I pretty much have it decorated the same as last year. I was in a decorating rut.

BEFORE -2011
Just so-so

The something is that spider web in the embroidery hoop.  It is a spider web I traced in sharpie on a piece of white fabric and then embellished with sequins.  I hung it from a standing ornament holder.

Everyone should have rats in their display!

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Everything is Coming Up Donuts

If you first don't succeed, make donuts.  I broke my own thrift rules yesterday and did not buy the plant stand when I saw it.  I went back today and it was gone.  So I browsed and found a mini donut pan crying out to me.  Well, it didn't really cry " buy me" but you get my drift.  Once in my hot hands, I headed home to make mini donuts and mini muffins.  They have to have less calories if they are miniature, right. I made baked mini pumpkin muffins.  Despite their miniature size they were addicting. I use a Baked Pumpkin Donut recipe from King Arthur Flour

You might be a homemaker if (Day 17)

You are EVERYONE'S emergency contact

As domestic engineers or homemakers were are generally the ones at home in our neighborhood.  So it feels like we are EVERYONE'S emergency contact.  I have actually wondered on how many forms at local schools my name has appeared. I have to admit I have been called on more than one occasion. Only one time actually resulted in me picking up the child. 

Today is Great Washington Shakeout Day or Earthquake Preparedness Day here in Washington State. This where you stop, drop and cover. This kicks off at 10:17am on 10-17.  That is pretty catchy.

So at 10:17am, you will be finding me under my desk assuming the position.

Are you a prepared Emergency Contact?

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You might be a homemaker if (Day 16)

You are familiar with all the homemaking BUZZ words and phrases

examples below

Season of Life - I usually feel this is the more accurately know as the politically correct way to say what a crappy place you are in your life.  I know that is a little blunt.  There is GOT to be a better way to say this " phase will pass".

Blessed-  I never heard this so much until I became a Mom.  Yeah I am lucky to stay home with my kids but it is the kind of blessed that is also cursed sometimes.  Motherhood is both the best and worst job. It feels less than lucky at times.  THIS IS SO TOTALLY OVERUSED

Now on to the more offensive ones!!!!

You must sit around eating bon-bons- First off I don't know what a bon bon is?  Secondly, I sit around and eat donuts.  Get it correct!  (just kidding)

So you don't have a career You know they call homemaking an art and artists have careers, right. They are usually poor paying careers but they are careers. Usually I just stare at these people. 

What do you do all day?   The Matt Walsh Blog answered this perfectly.

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You might be a Homemaker IF (Day 15/Project Life Wk38)

You are a Memory Maker or Memory Keeper

I think the best advice or statement I heard when I first became a Mom was I should help my child make memories.  I was talking to a Mom at our Las Madres Group(Moms Group) and she explained that she felt her main job besides basic childcare was making memories with her child.  It stuck with me. (Thanks Corinna)  One thing I know is that making memories doesn't have to be an over the top type of thing .  IT is a conscious effort to include the individuals that reside in your home  in activities that create a sense of belonging though.

I am a scrapbooker.  I know a lot of people aren't.  I think making memories with the people you share your life with is far more important than the documentation.  I like documenting the fun times and my family likes looking at these photo albums so that it why I scrapbook. In recent years I have been doing Project Life which is a scrapbooking system by Becky Higgins .


I love it because it isn't time intensive and is pretty much slip your photos into the slots and move on. 

Here is one of my latest weeks of Project Life. This is week 38.

Tigger with the CONE OF SHAME waiting with  Cody for the Bus

The journaling says
September 15-21
Fall has arrived. Pappy turned 93 on the 18th. We (Kevin and Heather) took pictures of the waning fall moon. On Saturday, we got the climbing rope installed on the swingset. The kids had fun trying to climb it.

Materials
Project Life : Cobalt Edition Journal Cards
Photo Protector G

I am linking up with Project Life Tuesday with Life as Mom and Nester's 31 days of Blogging.
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You might be a homemaker if (Day 14)

you hate the dreaded "What is for Dinner?" conversation.

I have what I call a "desperation dinner" plan.  Something to serve when you forgot to plan dinner or the cupboard is low.  Some individuals in my family claim that all my dinner's are desperation dinners.  Funny thing is they aren't starving. I know that I am going to fail so I have a plan.

These are my go to's.

canned soup - I know lame but it feeds. When paired with rolls, cornbread or crackers and cheese, it can make a meal

eggs - I usually have eggs.  The whole family is big fans of the breakfast sandwich.  This can be turned into breakfast for dinner.

Pasta - with red sauce, pasta salad, pasta mixed with a protein. This pasta from Trader Joe's has saved my butt numerous times. I have mixed it with sausage, had it with red sauce, turned it into a yummy pasta salad with mixed veggies and cheese.

Ways to Not Find Yourself in "Desperation Dinner" Mode

1. Menu Plan
Life as Mom has a Some ideas on How to Become a Meal Plan Ninja

2. Bulk Cook-I already had written about some ideas here.

3. Reservations (seriously - sometimes defeat is delicious) I don't think this a routine most of us can indulge in regularly but some times it solves what is for dinner.

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******I am linking up with the Nester's 31 Days of Blogging