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JEJE

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Posts posted by JEJE

  1. I soak my beans overnight with a teaspoon of baking soda. I usually cook them and freeze for future use, but I don't see why you couldn't cook everything together. Dried beans are easy to use, and much cheaper :D

     

    My chili recipe is not really a recipe. I just dump browned hamburger, beans, tomato puree (or crushed tomatoes), corn, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and seasoning salt all together in a pot and simmer until it smells good. We serve our chili with cornbread - yum!

  2. I've been told (but have no first hand experience) that alpacas do a great job. And so do llamas, and on top of that llamas will use a sort of litter box. (ok it's much bigger than a litter box, but at least their excrements are not all over the place). Both will also give you wool to card and sell. (or knit yourself)

     

    Dh is a vet and has some clients with alpacas. I wonder, how much land do these animals (sheep, goats, alpacas) need for grazing? We also have three dogs, and plan on adding chickens and a horse eventually.

  3. My kids are similar ages (12, 9, 6, 2 and a newbie who doesn't do chores yet!) We have several "chore" times a day and they rotate so no one can whine about *always* having to do a certain chore :) Here is how we break it down:

     

    1.) Morning Chores - Everyone makes their own beds. Two children unload the dishwasher (one gets the top rack, one gets the bottom). A third child sweeps up the kitchen and wipes down the counter that was used for breakfast prep (this is the child who has dishwasher duty for the week).

     

    2.) After Eating Chores - After every meal, the children clean off their own plates and take them to the sink. One child wipes off the table and helps the 2 year clean off his plate. Another child sweeps the floor, and the last child loads up the dishes into the dishwasher (they should be cleaned off pretty well). We rotate these and the morning chores each week.

     

    3.) Every afternoon we deep clean one room. I made index cards for each chore in the room (dust floor, vacuum rug etc.) Each day I take out that room's cards, turn them upside down, and let the children pick their chores. The 2 year old and I are a team :) We celebrate a job well done with an afternoon snack.

     

    4.) I taught my older ones to do their own laundry. Because they share a laundry basket with a sibling (we have a boy bedroom and a girl bedroom) they end up doing all of the children's laundry. They do their laundry when they start to run out of clothes lol! I do my and the baby's laundry, and my dh usually does his own.

     

    5.) Before dh comes home from work we have a 10 minute sprint to clean up the toys, unfolded, clean laundry etc. from the living spaces.

     

    This plan keeps our house fairly clean and neat. We definitely have a lived in feel, but it's manageable!

  4. Does anyone have suggestions for a stand alone resource for history based writing prompts? I am considering making up my own history program next year, and would like to add more writing then our normal narrations for my 8th grader. I know about the History Scholar ebooks, and the IEW theme based writing lessons. Any others I am overlooking? Thanks!

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