A Productive Child is a Happy Child

  Children need productive, hard and valuable work to do. In our current society most children spend the ages of two to eighteen just sitting around and killing time waiting to be adults. For most of them when they do hit eighteen they take off like a rocket for good and sometimes for bad trying desperately to fill this aching void inside themselves. Autism doesn't exist in the Amish community and some say it's diet, some say it's a lack of vaccines, and I'm sure those play a role but I think a lot of it is lifestyle. What our society calls mild autism, or sensory issues might just be children not living a valued life full of meaning and close to nature or the symptoms of mild autism might disappear or become lessened when one feels like they are an important member of their community.  As our modern society progresses children are not treated or seen as valuable, productive members of their community and hence they act like it. They are restless, they are bored, they are numb. We have life so easy now it seems like there is little we can find for a child to do to keep them busy and productive.  We might have them make their bed or empty the dishwasher but these things are small time and petty and the child feels that. We aren't relying on them, they aren't needed. We must convince children they are needed in order for their self worth to flourish.  Invest in it a bit. Get them work aprons, work gloves, work shoes if you can. So here are some idea for children to help out around the house.  

Boys

 

Sweeping (rooms, baseboards, porches, garages, etc)

Shoveling (snow, dirt, digging holes, etc)

Feeding animals and/or making food for animals

Move furniture for mom to clean under

Weed

Mow the lawn

Trim the hedges

Haul the garbage

Clean outside cans, tools, pots, storage areas, etc

Polish and sort tools

Simple repairs

Wash the car, vacuum it out, change the oil, check the tires

Build, mend and paint fences and gates

Fertilize and water lawns and plants

Chop wood

Break rocks either to get out of the ground or for landscaping

Polish furniture

Build small useful items like stools, benches, clothes lines, etc.

Mix soil, transplant plants, dig garden beds, lay sod, etc

Wash and wipe down appliances like the fridge, washer and dryer, etc.

Managing finances, anything from a  grocery trip to balancing the check book and paying the bills

Managing, rotating and storing dry goods in your food storage

Polishing shoes

Building and tending a fire

Trimming trees

Whittling useful objects like baby spoons, buttons, toys, etc.

 

 

Girls

 

Planning and preparing family meals

Organizing shopping lists

Baking

Mending and making family clothes

Tending to smaller children

Washing floors, walls and windows

Doing dishes

Organizing cupboards

Laundry, folding, ironing, etc

Clearing the table after a meal

Washing counter tops

Organizing service projects

Reading to younger children

Making the beds, washing and replacing the linens

Hanging the clothes on a line

Feeding and grooming the animals

Vacuuming, sweeping and shampooing floors

Cleaning furniture

Cleaning toilets, bathtubs, fixtures, sinks, etc

Gardening

Helping little ones get dressed, bathed, etc.

Polishing silverware

Dusting

Knitting useful items like potholders, scarves, blankets, etc

Decorating the home to help it look pleasant

Picking out Daddy's clothes for him to wear

Washing table tops, chairs, high chairs, etc.

Cutting up old clothes for rags

Cleaning out cupboards

Beating out rugs

Sewing pillows

Choosing nice music to play in the home

Hosting a friend or family member for tea or dinner

Helping with visit teaching

Service projects

Cleaning the stove and oven

Making dentist and doctors appointments for family members

Organizing photos, scrap books and family history

 

And my favorite chore for either gender, butter churning! You don't need a churn either. Buy a mason jar, fill it with heavy whipping cream and you're ready to shake your way to butter! Burns energy and kids LOOOOOVE making their own butter. It's often cheaper too and fresh butter is heavenly!

 



Daily and weekly rhythm is the key to kids who do their chores willingly.

If your children are young (under 10) you are most likely going to have to do these chores with them in order to get them to do them and do them correctly. Don't shy away from hard work! Your house will be cleaner and more organized and you and your children will save money, sleep better and fight less and most important your children will know they are vital to the function of your family! :)

New Town, New Meal Plan

So I've been working on getting together an easy meal plan for our new Southern Utah home. With different prices, different stores, etc. I  am still figuring out what is available here and for the best price.

I also need to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. I have waaay too much to do so crock pot cooking is a must!

Everything is real food and is gluten free, soy free, sugar free, dairy free, carrageenan free and except for the chicken soup it's also vegetarian. This menu plan costs me about $100-150 a week for my family of 6. Tip: Buy in bulk (Azure or Costco) and shop stores that put older produce on a sale rack and day old bread on sale too.

Monday

B - Ogre porridge
L - Every lunch is the same, all week. Left overs from the night before served with a side salad. I also have the makings for PB and J on hand for when we have to run an errand or have a field trip during lunch time.
D - Chicken soup, slice of toast
S - Cauliflower "popcorn"
Ds - Warm cup of Pero with raw honey

Tuesday

B - Oatmeal for the kiddos, Nutmeal for mom
L - Left overs and salad
D - Pinto beans, salsa, sprinkled with lemon juice served with organic corn chips
S - Apples and peanut butter
Ds - Fried, mashed bananas with maple syrup

Wednesday

B - Southwest scramble (eggs, beans, salsa)
L - Left overs and salad
D - Chickpea, lentil, and veggie stew spiced with tumeric
S - Carrot sticks
Ds - Warm cup of Pero with raw honey

Thursday

B - Ogre porridge
L - Left overs and salad
D - Rice noodle lasagna layered with grated squash, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, tomato sauce, and nut meal left over from making almond milk topped with nutritional yeast
S - Celery and peanut butter
Ds - Chocolate almond milk (sweetened with maple syrup)

Friday

B - Cabbage and potato hash browns
L - Left overs and salad
D - Free night (serve left overs or switch out for a meal found on sale or a meal otherwise skipped this week)
S - Apples and peanut butter
Ds - Pecans with almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt (tastes like pecan pie)

Saturday

B - Peanut butter pancakes
L - Left overs and salad
D - Split pea soup
S - Oranges
Ds - Warm cup of Pero and maple syrup

Sunday

B - Oatmeal for the kiddos, Nutmeal for mom
L - Left overs and salad
D -  Baked beans (coconut oil, pinto beans, ketchup, mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper) over rice
S - Organic corn chips
Ds - Chocolate almond milk

**Note: All my dinners are served with a side of home made sauerkraut for vital probiotics.

Shopping List

Organic, Short grain, Brown Rice
Grass fed Butter or butter alternative
Kale
Lemon juice
Maple Syrup
Almonds
Sea or Himalayan Salt
Gluten free bread
Peanut butter
All fruit Jam
Free range Chicken with bone
Cauliflower
Pero
Raw Honey
Oatmeal
Organic Raisins
Salad greens
Dressing
Bananas
Organic Apples
Pinto beans
Salsa (preservative free, not canned)
Organic corn chips
Free range Eggs
Chickpeas
Lentils
turmeric
Carrots
Rice noodles
Squash (summer or winter)
Cabbage
Organic Potatoes
Organic Tomato sauce (jarred not canned)
nutritional yeast
Organic Celery
Fair trade Chocolate powder
Coconut or olive Oil
Pecans
Vanilla extract
Split peas
Oranges
All natural Ketchup
Pepper
Mustard
Onion
Garlic
Organic Red Peppers
All natural Bullion cubes

What Preschool Should Really Look Like

We are a culture OBESSED with more, bigger, better faster. So obsessed that we forget how to live and how to blossom. One of the sad aspects of our modern lives is how we thrust our goals, our ambitions on our children before they are ready and thus we quite literally rob them of not only their childhood but also their most crucial, natural, mental development.

We see the commercials about teaching your baby to read and more often we compare our children to those of our neighbors, friends and family. We wonder why our three year old isn't talking at the same level, why our four year old can't spell their name like little Johnny can. We contrast and we judge our children and other children by adult standards of "excellence." Probably more disturbing is that we fear other adults are judging our children and in the case of insensitive friends or family, sometimes they really are.

This can be a special issue for stay at home mothers. Often we allow our children a more natural development. Without preschool attendance they aren't drilled every day into memorizing their ABCs at the age of two. We don't force crayons into their small fingers and make them write their names over and over again. Our children sometimes seem "behind" their preschooling peers but nothing could be further from the truth!

When you see a two year old singing their ABCs, or a three year old writing their name or any other sign of "academic" progress remember this one thing....

That child has not LEARNED anything, they are COPYING something.

We have to get this straight right away. Children under the age of 6 mimic. That's all they can do. They do not have the mental development to strictly "learn" and then apply that learning the way adults or even older children do. They are born with an instinct to copy and whether they are copying their mom, dad, brother, TV or a teacher, before the age of six, they are only COPYING.

 I remember the first time I "came out" as having a five year old who didn't know his ABCs. Intellectually speaking I knew he couldn't really learn symbolic language and processes it yet, his mind was too young. I wanted him to actually learn his ABCs thus improving his cognitive skills, not simply copy his ABCs but I fell pray to social norms that would have said my child was "behind" so I down played it.

One day I thought, to heck with this nonsense, my child is developing appropriately and I am going to be proud! I'm proud that I waited to teach my children until they were mentally ready to really learn and absorb a topic rather then teach them to parrot and mimic like a monkey.

By allowing the academics to wait I allowed more important lessons to be taught. Lessons that can only be taught as a child takes his natural place along side his or her mother in her daily activities within the home and family.

What lessons were my children learning between the ages of two and six?

Cooperation Within a Family Unit

They were learning how to get along with siblings both older and younger. How to take care of younger children and babies as well as how to respect their older siblings and take direction from authority.

Kindness

By my side they helped others both within our family and in our community. They learned the value and importance of giving and serving others the way the Savior would. They developed a heart of compassion and kindness for others.

Strength of Character

They learned who they really were in the absence of peer pressure. They were allowed to follow their strengths and develop their weakness in a supportive environment. Free from the burdens of bullies and trends they reached the age of six with confidence and a sense of self love and appropriate pride.

Polite and Confident Interactions With Others

Instead of sitting in a classroom hearing stories about going to the post office, going fishing, celebrating cultural events, etc. my children were actually out with me doing those things! They learned how to buy a stamp, how to post a letter, how to fish, how to plan and help with events, how to speak to others, etc. in a real world setting.

Responsibility

At the age of two my children are given chores. They learn along side their siblings how to cook, clean, take care of animals, garden, etc. As I type this blog post my ten-year-old and three-year-old are putting clean sheets on the beds and my six-year-old is putting the wash into the dryer.

Managing Stress and Difficult Situations

Under loving family guidance all day my young children learn early how to manage tough times, work out strife and settle arguments.

Listening to the Guidance of the Holy Spirit

One of the most important things I can teach my children is to listen to that still small voice inside of them that will guide them well their whole life. That listening skill starts early and grows strong in a loving family relationship.


So then I pose this question, what is more important? What skill set will serve my children better in the real world and at their future profession? Is it the skill set that allows them to learn cooperation, kindness, character, politeness, confidence, cleanliness, responsibility, stress and conflict management, and listening to the Holy Spirit? Or is it the skill set that teaches them to mimic adult standards of academic success when their brains are too young for it?

Still some moms may be at a loss to know what to "do" with their preschooler at home and want to feel like the activities they are planning are going to nurture the child authentically. So here is a list of ideas....

Cooking
Singing
Visiting friends and family
Dishes
Bathing
Dusting
Sweeping
Polishing
Organizing
Washing windows
Laundry
Pretend Ironing
Tending to baby dolls
Building (blocks, sticks, trains, roads, etc)
Sorting
Yard work
Story telling
Playing in water
Nature walks
Prayer time
Parties / Birthdays
Church or Worship Services
Making and giving gifts
Dramatic play
Painting
Coloring
Reciting poems
Puppets
Games
Decorating
But most important just plain old fashion PLAYING!

5 Inside Summer Boredom Busters

 

Some things our family has been doing...

1. Table Top Air Hockey

On a flat, smooth surface such as a table or wood floor, create an 'air hockey' game using a bottle cap as a puck and cups to push the cap back and forth.

2. Big Chess

Save old cardboard rolls from toilet paper or paper towels. Draw chess pieces in them. Create a chess board outside with chalk or use the tiles in a kitchen or bathroom. Also works for checkers so long as you have two different objects to use for each team. Try nature things for checkers too such as stones, river rocks, or pinecones.

3. Big Tic-Tac-Toe

Using painters tape create a tic-tac-toe board on the floor or table. Use bottle caps, old cans, paper plates, pinecones, rocks, pieces of paper, or whatever, for the Xs on Os by taking a permanent marker and drawing "X" and "O" on them.

4. Baking Day.

Have a baking day. Collect three new recipes. Buy the ingredients and have your children help out in the kitchen. (The mess will be worth it!) Kids are more likely to try new things if they make them themselves. It's a great chance to add healthy food to your child's diet. Tell the children they are your tasters and have them review the food.

5. Parlor Games!

Our family is LOVING parlor games. We've been researching them and trying them out. They are so much fun, we often collapse into heaps of giggles! Try a parlor game!

Wee Baby Girl Turns One

We held a fairy princess tea party today in honor of wee baby girl who isn't so very wee anymore...

1st birthdays are tender and special

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drank peppermint tea among the rose bushes. The boys played badminton and blew bubbles. We ate coconut flour banana bread cake with coconut cream and strawberry icing. We collected canned goods for the food bank in lieu of gifts. We laughed, we chased the sun with our cheeks. We listen to Celtic music at the Tabernacle. We rode the carousel and we played all....day....long.

Momma's so proud of you wee baby girl! You are such an amazing little one. Thank you for blessing our family :)