Snails and Slugs and Escargot

OK so why bother with this post on a Sunday night?  Maybe I should be writing some beautiful reflective article about rainbows, flowers and chocolate cake (though we did have that tonight - chocolate cake in a mug - decadent delight) but this is not it.  Tonight I want to talk about snails and slugs.  And yes it's not symbolic of anything incredibly spiritual or deep.  It's those slimy, slippery - always-eating-my-new-vegetable-seedlings-thing-a-machigs (did you ever use that word when you were at school?)

So while my family were doing the dishes after a delicious dinner of pork, mash and salad followed by choc cake in a mug (I mentioned that didn't I?) - I headed outside with a torch and my crocs.

I don't like crocs much (that would be plastic/rubber shoes for my foreign friends - not crocodiles - because in South Africa we do not have wild life in our back yard - at least not in Cape Town - unless you would consider my children wild life).  I have a pair of crocs - pink ones - which I use: not for fashion but for crushing those slimy snails and slugs underfoot.

I can just see you scrunching your face up and considering whether you want to continue reading this but let me explain.  I am no organic-green-recycle-everything-type of girl - in fact having to recycle just irritates me but I want vegetables and I want them to be without all poisons and pesticides that you find in the store, unless you pay a fortune for the organic ones which in our current economic climate is not affordable.

So we have slugs and snails and I need to get rid of them. 

I tried  a few less gross methods of getting rid of them:
*  making beer traps (my dad thought this was sacrilege to waste it on snails and I didn't want to explain every time my friends came around, that the beer in our house was for the snails and slugs - honestly, how many of you would have believed THAT?).
* I tried putting salt on the ground but then I worried that the ground might become to salty (I mean if you put too much salt on chips or popcorn, it spoils it, so surely it will do the same with soil?).  Not sure how scientific that is but it can't be good to keep putting salt on the soil.
* I put down egg shells which are supposed to cut their slimy bits and stop them from eating your plants - but it looked awful.  It looked like we were dumping our trash in our garden and the birds started to take wide detours around our house, no doubt fearing we were egg thieves.
*  Apparently if you put wet newspaper on the ground at night, the slugs and snails like this.  The next morning all you have to do is go outside, fetch the newspaper full of all these creatures and then dispose of them. There wasn't one slug or snail in all those layers when I tried it. Maybe its because I put out the Sunday Independent rather than the Sunday Slimes.
*  I read that if you attract certain birds to your garden, they'll eat the snails, which also didn't happen - besides the horror of them seeing all the broken egg shells in our gutter garden, our cat-want-to-be-tiger, does very little to encourage confidence in any bird, that our house is a place of safety.

Then I stumbled upon a site which said that slugs and snails like to come out at night or when it rains and so if you head out at night with a torch you will find these criminals.  Which I did.  There they were - guilty, guilty, guilty -eating all my precious plants.  And so the process started of eliminating them from my garden. I just pluck them off and crush them underfoot - it's something I will never get used to and I grit my teeth and bear it, just like I did when I knew that one of my babies had delivered a special parcel in their diaper, but you just do it.

Of course anyone driving past my house at night might suspect that there is a rather suspicious criminal loitering around our house, and I am surprised that no one has yet called the police - but maybe that's just the sort of behaviour they expect from us, across the street - you know those people with those children who do that weird thing called homeschooling.

Though mind you, it could be far worse - I could be recycling the snails and eating escargot for breakfast, lunch and supper - now that would be a interesting outcome.  Anyone keen for a snack?

The most sacred of places - your home

A true home is one of the most sacred of places. It is a sanctuary into which men flee from the world's perils and alarms. It is a resting-place to which, at close of day--the weary retire to gather new strength for the battle and toils of tomorrow. It is the place . . . where love learns its lessons, where life is schooled into discipline and strength, where character is molded.

Few things we can do in this world are so well worth doing--as the making of a beautiful and happy home! He who does this--builds a sanctuary for God, and opens a fountain of blessing for men.

Far more than we know--do the strength and beauty of our lives, depend upon the home in which we dwell. He who goes forth in the morning from a happy, loving, prayerful home--into the world's strife, temptation, struggle, and duty--is strongly inspired for noble and victorious living.

The children who are brought up in a true home--go out trained and equipped for life's battles and tasks--carrying a secret of strength in their hearts, which will make them brave and loyal to God, and will keep them pure in the world's severest temptations!

JR Miller

Mel's Must Have #1 Le Creuset

We all have a wish list.  If it's not Amazon, then it's virtual shopping on Pinterest - you pin it so you feel like you own it.  We all have stuff that we would love to have, especially in those hypothetical situations where we win a million.  Oooh gadgets, clothes - lots of things!  I discover new a new "must have" every time I open a magazine or watch a lifestyle show. And so because I can, and because this is my blog, and because I keep a record of my life and family with this blog and ...... well, just because - I thought I would show you my latest and greatest "Must Have"

Le Creuset

Ooooh even the name sounds luxurious doesn't it?  Kind of rolls off your tongue - mmh. Well this one is all about taste!

These French (had to be with a name like that) cast iron pots are just a delight to the eyes.  Friends say they love them, I drool every time I visit.  It's truly stove art and tea art and serving art.  It just satisfies the desire for pretty things like a pretty dress or a new pair of sexy shoes.  Maybe I am exaggerating but I think I could just sit and watch my pots cook all day with equipment like this.  I wouldn't need any other entertainment (sad I know but since we disconnected the telly, I don't have much to watch these days anyway!)

Just look at these

 And doesn't food just look magnificent.  It makes the simplest meal look like a gourmet meal.

This coffee lover could just imagine the beautiful water that would come out of these babies!

Hold me back, I would drink even more coffee and that would really be dangerous!

And don't think that they just do pots, they do all sorts of other accessories too.  All those beautiful things you want to put in your kitchen, the type of a decor that will make people go "wow"!   So look at this brief glimpse of these amazing products.  And there is just so much more......

Butter dishes

 Ramekins

 Aren't these absolutely delightful ?- for that special event.

 And if you are wanting something in rose (yes there are some of us that are still very girly and still love the colour pink - don't mock us!) ..... and purple ...... and did I mention that lovely green!

And there's even a product and colour selector on their site which just could keep me busy all day - choosing which colour and which item - oh well seeing as I can't decide, I think I will just put them all on my wish list.

Please Note:  I have not been asked to write about this product.  They don't know me, they don't know my children - they don't even know my name.- I get nothing from doing this - these are some of those things that I would simply love to own. 

What is your most important role : Mom or Wife?

There is a homeschooling mother who lives just round the corner from me .... literally.  And today she wrote something that I really just wanted to share with you today.  A post that touched my heart and took me back to the place of making sure that I have my priorities in the right place.  Because though I am gifted in multi-tasking, it can also lead me to become very distracted and forget to keep the main thing the main thing.

"The most important thing is not that I am the Best Parent Ever.
Or that I am the Best Mother.
Or that I am even the Homeschooling Success Story.
Nope. The most important calling for me, first and foremost should be my calling as a wife."

Sadly there is so much truth in that.  I have yet to learn the lesson or should I say, be reminded of this core value... but why don't you head over there now and let her minister to your heart.  Her openness and honesty gave me the opportunity to truly evaluate where I am.  You can read more here

Wordless Wednesday #2

How to have a good attitude and a clean house in 10 steps

My attitude is stinky at the moment.  I detest a dirty house but I can't stand cleaning it.  I resent the fact that this is my area of responsibility.  I would much rather be reading, gardening, visiting friends and watching videos.  I get mad when I tidy and my children come in 5 minutes later and mess where I have cleaned.  I wish I could afford to have someone help, but it's just not in our budget.

There are piles of laundry to be washed and ironed, copious dishes to be cleaned and the constant cycle of the attack of the dust bunnies everywhere - they must be mutating!  This combined with the fact that I home school makes me a very sulky, feel-sorry-for-myself-mom fairly often.  I constantly feel irritated with the state of things and wish I had a fairy godmother who would visit at least once a day (preferably three or four times) and clean up the mess, wash the clothes and iron.

So what to do?   So I needed to remind myself of the things that make housework something I can do with a good attitude and sometimes enjoy.  Here are a few things that work for me.

1. Audio Books
I find that if I am distracted and my mind is somewhere else, housekeeping becomes a pleasure, in fact I could listen to audio books all day like this.  Sean always says he can see which type of book I am busy with.  If I am reading a book, the house is a mess - but if I am listening to audio books, the house is spotless.  And of course if you are working with your children it will need to be something that you can both listen to.


 2.  Clean in the same area with your children
I often find my biggest frustration is supervising the children.  I give them different tasks to do and then let them get on with it - the result:  playing and messing about and just not finishing things as quickly.  However if I put them all in the same area and we all do our chores together, we get things done much quicker with less supervision because I am around them all the time.  Also if you are listening to an audio book, no one wants to miss out. They also seem to stay motivated for longer with team effort.

3.  Do things in small bursts of energy
Though we clean together every morning and evening, I cannot spend all morning doing housework as we need to start school promptly and get going.  And there is always so much more to be done.  Once we do the initial clean up they get busy with school.  Which I am actively involved with.  However, I take a break from the children for 5 to 10 minutes at a time every hour - to load a washing machine, hang clothes on the line, sweep a corridor.  I find I get it done quicker because I know that I have a time limit because I need to get back to the children.  Also if my children get antsy I do the same with them - I send them off to do a 10 minute chore by themselves or with me. It helps their concentration levels, as they get a chance to stretch their legs.

4.  No extra effort
I fill my sink with dishes, hot water and soap and walk away.  I clean somewhere else first and then come back to wash.  Once that batch is done, I load the sink again and leave it for 10 minutes again.  I don't want to waste precious time and effort scrubbing at something that can be cleaned quicker and more easily by just letting things soak.

When I clean my stove, I leave a wet cloth lying on the dirty area, give it about 15 minutes and it's much easier to remove.

I never dry dishes.  I love the way a kitchen looks when everything is packed away but I don't have 20 minutes in my day (x3) to dry things that can quite happily dry themselves.  We do a pack away before every wash three times a day.
The list is endless but I'll keep that for a later date ( I hope - if I remember)

5.  Lists of things to be done
Yes you guessed it, I am a list person.  But this is an especially important strategy.  The longer things are left the harder it is to clean.  So I have a "To do" list for daily, weekly, bi -weekly and monthly cleaning.  What I like about using these lists is that I can choose what I want to do and when I want to do it.  If I have energy for washing windows today, then I do it, but if today is a hard day, I might just clean the mirrors.  Even my daily chores can be done throughout the day as long as they get done.  So what if I only sweep at the end of the day? The key is to keep going and to it little by little. And NEVER become a slave to your lists!

6.  Keep them outside
The more my children are outside the less mess there is inside.  Unless it's raining - *my children eat lunch outside (we have patio furniture but they prefer sitting all over the place and we join them when they do), * drink outside (little 4 year old and not so little 11 year olds can spill a LOT of juice on the floor), * play outside (when we are not schooling the rule is you go outside to play or you stay inside to do chores - works like a charm:), * host their friends outside  (this one especially is important as when friends are there, they always seem to want to unpack everything - and if they can't resist the temptation then we meet at a spot where they can play, like the beach or park - you can come home to a clean house and happy kids)

7.  Cooking double/ triple or quad -something
You may end up with more dishes on the one night but what a pleasure on the second or third night when all you have to do is take something out of the fridge or deep freeze and warm it up.  You get a night off cooking and you get to relax.  Also choose your dishes carefully when you do. Don't make 2 or 3 elaborate meals - keep it simple.  Let your elaborate meals be the ones you prepare fresh and on the day but the frozen ones things like mac and cheese, cottage pie, meat balls etc.  And if you are especially clever use things like slow cookers / hot boxes or pressure cookers to do that extra work for you. (these are especially easy to clean if you soak them first)

8.  Avoid delay
My biggest cleaning issues happen when I leave things for later.  Procrastination is the enemy of any housekeeper or mother, it will come back to bite you and you will wish you hadn't left it.  Clean up the crumbs when you see them before they end up under feet and in every room in the house.  Do the dishes just after a meal, if you leave it till tomorrow it will take twice as long to clean.

9.  Use products you like
This is a particularly challenging one when you are on a tight budget but if you like the products you are using, you will be more inclined to use them.  I like things sparkly and smelling nice but a lot of these products can be very expensive and so I also don't buy them all at the same time. I try and buy them at different times so that they don't all run out at the same time.  I also look out for specials.  If I see a special on the product I normally use then I buy 2.( I would love to buy a whole box but 2 is normally all I can afford).  I also add water to the products that my children use frequently because they love squirting lots and lots of all sorts of cleaning products.

10.  Worship
Saul had a stinky attitude and I am often reminded of how he only found peace when David played on the harp.  Get some worship going on your cell, CD Player or your iPod.  It's very difficult to have a stinky attitude when your space is being filled with uplifting music.

So there you have it, 10 steps to perfect housekeeping - now that would be a miracle!

Leave a comment, I would love to hear about your strategies on what you do to make housekeeping easier, while keeping your attitude in check. 

Linking up with Big Family Fridays

Blog Fast

There may be some of you that would have noticed that I have been absent from my blog for the last 3 weeks.  Shocking I know - how dare I do that to my followers, readers, friends, acquaintances, strangers, dogs, cats and anybody else who I haven't included in that list. 

But I had a question

Why was I doing this?

You may have read my post about how all of this started because I wanted a Kindle.  But then that changed and I just loved just being part of your lives.  

But I did wonder to myself why? 

I often sat up till late at night..... writing, thinking, looking, reading and researching. Who would have thought that blog writing demanded so much time.  But it does. 

So back to the question..... Why?

And while I was considering the answer to this question, I realised that though I love being part of your lives I need to be careful of neglecting mine. Neglecting to sleep and get enough sleep to wake up refreshed.  Making time to read at night or to catch up with my administration.  I found that everything was about stats - what others were writing about - who was reading my articles.  

AND SO I STOPPED!

And you know what?  Though I have had so many thoughts about topics I would like to write, I have loved not working at night, I have loved going to bed early.  I have loved not feeling driven by a self induced external force (not sure if that's possible but basically feeling like I have to write because of everyone who reads my articles)

What I have been doing online is tweeting on Twitter, pinning on Pinterest, faking on Facebook (kidding - but couldn't think of a catchy rhyme) catching up with my friends and trying to catch up with my Mandarin which has been sadly neglected.  

And as for the question of why I am doing this - when you know the answer - please let me know - because I simply love it and cannot think of any other more meaningful reason than that.

I realised that (surprise surprise) the world did not stop turning when I stopped posting

That life is worth more by living, it than writing about it.

None of you will be in any way harmed if I go missing in action now and again.  

Its good to keep perspective, and its good to fast the things that seem to grab a hold of your life.

The Winners of the Yummy Sweet Candy Potatoes Giveaway

And so it only took me up to now to realise that I had still not announced the winners of the coupon giveaways! Silly me - so here they are.
Well done to Wendy, Vanessa, Karina and Jenny!  Look out in your post box for those coupons.  

Now you know that I don't review things I don't love.  Often I am the one to approach companies.  They are not knocking down my door, more like the other way around and in fact I prefer it that way because I only go to those I love.

So here's my new love! My sweet love - sweet potato fries.

The only reason I initially picked these up was because they were on special (of course) for a cool R9 which is a real bargain for ready made, ready cut, pop into the oven type of chips.  And with children who LOVE chips - this looked like a healthier option than regular fries.

Ruthie is a real chip girl.  In fact she is so in love with chips (fried, crisps, chips, roast potatoes) that she can barely think straight when they are in the same room. She can hear the rustle of a chip packet within a half a mile radius (that might be a slight exaggeration but then again I have never tested her on this and it wouldn't surprise me if she has chip-supersonic-hearing).

And in fact her obsession with chips has become an issue of much laughter in our house.  We often tell her that her nickname is Nick Nack and that one days she's going to marry a Simba Chippie.  (My South African readers are the only ones who will probably understand this reference.  For my other readers, these are just 2 chip brands in SA).  I digress.

So I tried these chips out and loved them.  Its like eating candy.  They are sweet, crunchy and absolutely delicious!  If your children are not fans of sweet potatoes, you might convert them yet with this variety. 

I find sweet potatoes are normally a lot more expensive than regular potatoes.  So I was really surprised that these were such a good price.  So I don't know about you but this is a sweet deal for a convenience food! 

Of course I wanted to share the goodness and wanted you all to taste them because they're gooooood.    

And because I love these chips, and I love my readers and I know that McCain would love our readers to love them too - we have some coupons for you to buy some of these snacky, candy, sweet potatoes!  

 I will be giving away 12 coupons for a R5 discount on every packet of sweet potato chips you buy.  

4 readers will win 3 coupons each valued at R15!  All you have to do is post a comment and tell me what your favourite type of oven chip is - crinkle cut or straight cut? 

(Remember that if you don't have a blog, leave your email address when you comment, so that I can contact you, otherwise you might not get your prize!)

This giveaway is only available to our South African readers AND you can enter even if you have won one of the Giveaways before.  Its open to anyone whether you live across the ocean or next door.

The Winners will be announced on Friday 2 March 2012.  

Simple and Easy Breakfast Ideas for Children

Oh if only there were a chef in our house!  They would be the most appreciated and revered individual in the Grant household - esteemed and adored.  

 But there's not.

Just me. 

And so breakfast is breakfast in our house, like everybody else and I have to face the dilemma weekly to think up original and tasty breakfast ideas.  Cereals?  Yep I do those but I know that they are not the best I can give my children and I want to give them the best and even cereal gets boring after a while. My children love variety and love surprises.

I normally rotate these ideas after a two week period and the choice I make for breakfast is based on how much time I have, what we are having to eat for the rest of the day, my budget and just plain ol' "if I feel like it".

What is a healthy breakfast?
I am of the opinion that breakfast needs to be:
*  an easy breakfast (no grinding wheat or milking cows- not that we have any, but just saying)
*  needs to be long lasting (as long as possible in fact before I need to drag myself back to the kitchen to prepare round two)
*  a healthy breakfast (this one is fairly debatable - but let's just say as healthy as possible, and if you aren't doing healthy, then start doing healthy one step at a time)
*  they need to be able to eat it (now this may seem obvious, but don't go mad and start preparing odd things that are not even recognisable all for the sake of some kind of health benefit - they must like what they are eating)
*  breakfast should be based on size/ age/ activity level (I have boys who are very active and need lots of energy, and I have a little girl who spends her days being a princess, their food needs are going to be VERY different)

Time is always a challenge especially for mom's who need to get their children up really early to head off to school.  I know it's really busy already with lunches that need to be packed, books to be found, uniforms to be put on - and all of this before your first cup of coffee (another reason I chose homeschooling - surely coffee is a good reason?).  However a lot of these ideas can be prepared the night before.

Breakfast Ideas

Here is what we eat on any given day (weekends included)

1.  French toast 

2.  Porridge - oats, mielie meal, maltabella, rice porridge 

3.  Scrambled eggs on toast

4.  Boiled eggs with toasty finger things (I forget their name)

5.  Muffins 

6.  Pancakes

7.  Cereal (yep it's there too)

8.  Home made rusks and tea.  (they simply LOVE dipping)

9.  Fruit and yoghurt and toast 

10.  Homemade muesli and yoghurt with banana or apple (in fact any fruit will work if they will eat it)

11.  Left Overs 

12.  Smoothies (this only works as an add on for us - my children never seem to believe that this could possibly be all they are getting)

13.  Scones (so many varieties to choose from and flexible and tasty like muffins)

And to make breakfasts even easier let your children do the preparation and cooking!  Who knows maybe you could even get some breakfast in bed and give up cooking permanently!  

I have decided to work on the most important meal of the day, do some research and try some new recipes for my children.  I will let you know what I find and what works.  What is my motivation?  Well I have a list of 13 breakfast ideas.  I have about another 40 to 50 years of living to do (conservatively speaking) which means that I have too-many-days-to-work-out-on-my-calculator-breakfasts to eat and prepare and I definitely do not want to eat these 13 things for the rest of my life.  Anyone else feel the same? 

What do you find is a winner for breakfast?  What works for you and your family.  I would love to hear your thoughts on preparing a healthy breakfast for kids, why not leave a comment or share a recipe?

Just the two of us

 

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