We're back in the lab! HE Experiment #35- New Ways To Start Seeds

First off, a quick note to say "Hi! I've missed you this past 10 months or so! How have you been?" I have been good, but extremely busy! We brought home a new, cuddly (code for extra-high maintenace) baby boy and started a new business while preparing for my DH's retirement from Active Duty military. We've also undergone some MAJOR dietary changes to help with my children's developmental disorders (ADD and ADHD) which you can read about here. This means that I have spent countless more hours in the kitchen and on-line looking for ideas as to what to feed my family, and how to cook with an overload of new ingredients.  And yes, we've also  continued to homeschool during all of these big changes, which I am so thankful for. However, experiments and blogging got left in the dust. I had so many ideas swirling around in my fatigued head, but alas they never made it onto my screen.  I am grateful that (I think) I am tentatively back in a state of life and mind that I can conduct a few more experiments, make an occasional post, and answer those neglected comments that are still sitting in my inbox.  

Okay, so enough about me! Let's get on with the experiments!  Today I decided to get my seeds started for my expanding garden. We are still in the same rental that we've had the past 4 years, so we still haven't found our homestead yet.  However, with some handy ideas that I've gleaned off of Pinterest, we are expanding our growing space with new, portable beds. (More on those later, for now let's get back to the seeds.)

The two experiments we began today are 1) Starting seeds in half of a broken egg shell, and 2) Using the clear plastic produce cases from Costco as mini-greenhouses to help them sprout sooner.  

Not the best picture since the sun was shining directly on the table as I snapped it.

The egg shell idea makes so much sense in light of all of the calcium and other nutrients the plants will get to absorb as they sprout. The only downside is that they are small, so I foresee having to re-plant them into either newspaper pots or peat pots again in a few weeks.  Also, they are fragile, so the kiddos didn't get to help me start the seeds today, although I placated them by telling them they can help when we move them to beds later.

The Costco trays seem to work well, but time will tell. Most of the containers already had holes in them for ventilation. The apple ones did not, though, so I just used a steak knife to poke and twist some holes for air flow.  Now they are all just sitting on a folding table in my living room in front of my sunniest windows, and I will be watching and waiting to see what happens next!

Have you gotten your garden groove on yet? If not, happy planting, and if so, I pray that you enjoy a bountiful harvest!

Blessings to you and your homestead,
Hillary At Home

H.E. #34-Cloth Diapering Take 1...and 2...

About eleven years ago, I found myself laughing at my poor god-daughter toddling around like a bowlegged cowboy with a wad of fabric layered between her legs. While the cloth diapers of that time period may have been great for infants, her mother wisely decided that maybe they weren't the best for her hip development and switched her over to a sleeker disposable.  Now here I am with baby #4, getting ready to embark on the cloth diapering journey myself. Ah, the irony. And yes, my dear friend has already commented about that irony on my Facebook page.

When newly pregnant with dumpling #4, I began to observe the Moms at our church with their stylish cloth diaper ensembles, and after interviewing them on the reality of dealing with the dipes, I approached my husband. Because he knows I tend to over commit my time, he pointed out that we were going to now have four children, and I was going to be juggling infant care with homeschooling and all of the kids' social obligations. Acknowledging his wisdom in the matter, I signed up for Amazon's Subscribe and Save cases of Pampers.  I will admit, it has been a thoughtless process. Just remove, wipe, toss, replace.  It has worked so far.  But the other day I was cleaning out my closet and ran across the bag of miscellaneous diapers and covers a friend left me when she moved. That got the whole process churning in my head again, and now that  my sweet baby is 11 weeks old, my brain feels lucid enough to tackle the idea again.  This time I convinced my hubby of the cost savings and promised I would wade in slowly and as cheaply as possible so that I could turn back at any time with minimal regret.

Since I realized that the diapers that my friend gave me were sz L and XL, I realized I would need to buy or make my own small ones. I was all set on buying some great looking designs until I saw the price! Gulp! Yes, I know we would recuperate the cost quickly versus cases of Pampers, but that's still a chunk of money to shell out at the beginning! So, I called yet another friend for a pattern for the homemade ones she just loves.  However, before hitting the fabric store to buy the PUL and velcro, I decided to swing by the consignment shop to see what they had. Lo and behold! Someone had dropped off a collection of bright white Puddle Catchers (that's really the brand name) with a few covers and pre-folds.  Hip Hip Hooray!

Now before I go any further, let me say that as frugal as I pride myself to be, I do NOT buy used underclothes or swimwear for my kids.  I just can't bring myself to do it, and thankfully I've never needed to. So, why would I buy used diapers? Well, for me, the big thing is that I can actually sterilize these diapers in a variety of ways.  Last night I went ahead and washed them in hot water with the non-crunchy taboo bleach treatment just to be sure they were clean as can be for little boy's bum.  Then we put on the micro-fleece night-time dipe with a soaker and a Bummies cover.  As you can see, he looked like a little Oompa Loompa in his crib with his disproportionate booty.  I didn't care as long as he was a dry Oompa!

However, as the night progressed I learned a few valuable lessons:

1. Snap the little diapers as tight as you can without hurting the babe. I left it too loose, and so the diaper felt pretty dry but the onesie around his waist was wet. Fail.

2. At night, don't try to just change out the soaker pad. Change the whole thing or you will end up with a drenched cover. Fail.

3. I hate snaps, and have already decided that I will probably like my homemade, velcro version better.

4. The previous owner had told the shopkeeper that her favorite covers were just the plastic gerber training pants. So I had immediately stopped and bought a pack of the smallest size on my way home. Those may be good for M or L sized bottoms, but they are too big for S sized-especially over the smaller daytime diapers. Now I am at a stand still and my baby is back in Pampers while I either order, make, or otherwise scrounged up some diaper covers.  Then I guess we'll "Try, try, again" and of course, I'll blog about the results. ;)

Until then, blessings to you and your homestead!
Hillary At Home

"Living Like The Impoverished"?!! LOLOL

Hello from the land of newborn cuddles and all-night feedings! Yes, I haven't blogged in FOREVER, but with the introduction of our newest bundle into this crazy family, the blog had to be put aside for awhile.  I was planning to gradually wade back into it since I have mentally composed countless entries during those 3 a.m. feedings, but after coming across the following tidbit, I decided to rush back into the blogging world full tilt.

Here is what has motivated me to pick up my virtual pen again. One of the local homeschool groups has a yahoo board for communicating among the local HS community.   The following text is the post that graced my inbox last night:

Our family is tossing around the idea that for the entire upcoming school year we will live as if we are impoverished. Exactly what that that means we haven't nailed down, but some examples might be:

1. Purchase only what is absolutely necessary
2. Purchase used clothing
3. Turn off our cable, maybe even the TV.
4. No cell phones for a year, only the land line
5. Ride bikes whenever possible

It would be great for other families to join us. Perhaps spend the year learning about other impoverished countries and cultures.

Maybe a weekly/bi-weekly get together. Sort of a support group.

Then, as a reward, at least for us, we are going to go to Europe for two weeks.

What in the world??  This person really thinks those 5 bullet points are impoverishment?! 

Okay, in an effort to maintain the positive attitude that I want this blog to exude, let me just tackle two of the many (I feel)  misguided items in this entry.  First off, I am going to re-paste the bullet list below with a comparison of our current lifestyle after each item.

1. Purchase only what is absolutely necessary  (That's what we do for the most part-especially when we have a specific savings goal in mind, i.e. paying off debt, saving to buy a house, retire, etc.)
 

2. Purchase used clothing (YES! The mark-up for new clothing is between 40-700%!  We buy used or heavily discounted.)
 

3. Turn off our cable, maybe even the TV.  (We have Netflix and Hulu for the Fall/Winter, but turn if off for Spring/Summer.)
 

4. No cell phones for a year, only the land line (Well, we do have pre-paid cell phones for those twice a week calls...)

 
5. Ride bikes whenever possible (Okay, you got me there. We live up the side of a mountain next to a busy highway, so we have opted not to send our kids careening downhill into traffic.)

Now I am not sure what the benchmark is for impoverishment according to these criteria, but since we pretty much qualify for 4 out of 5, I'm assuming this woman would consider us to be so -along with the majority of one-income homeschooling families for that matter!  

At one point in our life, I would agree that we were poor. We were so indebted and underwater financially, that we were seriously struggling. We were slaves to many lenders.  Thankfully, we are now free of those chains by choosing to live with such restrictions as listed above. The ironic thing is, that while we could now easily afford to go back to a more luxurious standard of living, we have chosen to keep our modest ways.  We have seen the numerous benefits of restraining our purchases, buying/receiving used goods, spending our time away from the TV screen, and not being assaulted by a constant barrage of phone beeps and rings. And yes, when we can, we like to load up the bikes, head to a bike path or side road, and pedal our hearts out.

Item #2:  "Then, as a reward, at least for us, we are going to go to Europe for two weeks."

This seems so wrong in so many ways! First off, does the family behind this post really see these changes as true impoverishment? Are they so out of touch with what real poverty looks like that they feel they deserve an exotic vacation as a reward for their self-imposed martyrdom? It's no wonder, then, that many peoples in the world view Americans as jaded, greedy pigs.

Since I firmly believe that how a person spends their money is simply a matter of what their financial priorities are, I can understand that a person's impression of wealth/poverty stems from a personal perspective. That being said, here is my own list of what words I would substitute for the word "impoverishment" based on my family's experiences and beliefs:

"Living within one's means"

"Living on a budget"

"Living simply"

"Being a wise steward" (Luke 12: 42)

"Not being a slave to a lender" (Proverbs 22:7)

"Being faithful with little to earn responsibility over more" (Luke 16:10, Matthew 25:23)

"Storing up treasure in Heaven" (Matthew 6:19-21)

"Freeing ourselves from the strongholds of materialism" (Mark 10: 17-27)

Rather than feeling impoverished and trapped, we are much more free and flexible than we ever were before. In fact, I would highly encourage this family to take on their project! I have a feeling they would benefit in many more ways than simply a trip to the Eurozone when it was over.

Blessings to you and your homestead,

Hillary At Home