Who’s the mom here? – Page 16

Blessings of Habit, Good ol' days, Homemaking, Inspiring, Pre-schoolers, Who's the mom here?, Womanhood

You CAN Can – Help!

Posted on July 21, 2011November 25, 2013 by Katharine

Canning, Gardening, and Kids – Oh, MY!

Since we’ve been on the subject of canning all week, let’s talk about canning and children.

Children who are old enough ought to help. Little ones ought to stay away. Too much is going on for you to trust yourself to watch them carefully. All that blanching and lugging jars adds a safety factor with which they are too young to cooperate, and one act of confusion or disobedience could be disastrous.

So draw a line and make it stick. This is a time when high chairs, play pens, door gates, etc., are proper for the safety of precious little ones.

Let me tell you how we enlisted our children’s help in the garden when the days were blistering hot. We woke them at daylight, and had them dress quickly and go directly to the garden with us. Everyone had an assignment, only 30 – 45 minutes worth of work.

Each one managed his own row, which he kept weeded and proudly displayed to guests. Really, the garden looked good.

The youngest one’s work was to play nearby without walking on garden plants or eating dirt.

Then it was back to the house for our reward. On these days we would have treat-type breakfasts such as cantaloupe and ice-cream, oatmeal raisin cookies, fruit juice popsicles, strawberries on cereal, frozen chocolate-dipped bananas, cheesecake with blackberry sauce—whatever they considered rare and delightful. They loved it! They knew how hot the world would be by 10:00, and they seemed to appreciate my organizing things this way.

Then if we HAD to work in the heat, we would take quart jars of ice water with us and drink straight from the jar. They loved this, too. When such hot work was done, their daddy would throw them squealing into our large stock tank (which was kept for the children, only, and was un-licked-upon by any livestock) and they had water play in their work clothes.

These types of rewards were the heartbeat of our children’s summer gardening memories. They are adults, now, and still remember it with smiles, still do gardening, themselves.

Sometimes they fussed a little or grew competitive, but often the sweet sounds coming from the early morning garden rivaled those of the birds.

Tomorrow: recipes for the surplus!

Blessings of Habit, Good ol' days, Homemaking, Inspiring, Recipes, Who's the mom here?, Womanhood

You CAN Can – Six Tricks More!

Posted on July 20, 2011July 21, 2011 by Katharine

To continue the tricky list from yesterday’s post:

7. To rinse the spines off cucumbers without cutting your hands, use a washcloth, which protects you and is faster and gets them cleaner.

8. In an emergency, apples, bell peppers, and tomatoes may be frozen whole and raw (untreated). They must be perfectly spotless, unwashed, and in an airtight bag or container. They must be used within six months and they should be used for cooking only. Thaw tomatoes one at a time under running water for a few seconds. Skin should slip off easily, then core and pop it into your chili or whatever. For apples, thaw slightly at room temperature, peel or not, slice off of the core for pies, sauce, etc. Open, clean and chop bell peppers, frozen, or stuff and bake.

9. If you have plums galore, try freezing them whole and unwashed. Teach your children to love “plum-sicles” (and to wash them before they eat them.)

10. If you end up with more fruit juice than you have sugar or time, boil it, cool it, and freeze it in clean milk jugs, ¾ full. The jugs should have securely fitting lids. I made jelly with juice that had been frozen for a couple years and it was absolutely as wonderful as fresh. Allow about 24 hours for a gallon jug to thaw at room temperature.

11. To tell if apples and pears are ripe, cut one open. If the seeds are white, it is too early. If they are black, the fruit is ready.

12. The eensy fruits off your flowering crab apple tree make wonderful apple jelly and incredible, rosy, tart applesauce. I love it to serve with meat instead of cranberry sauce.

Tomorrow: Gardening, Canning, and Children!

Blessings of Habit, Good ol' days, Health, Homemaking, Inspiring, Who's the mom here?, Womanhood

You CAN Can!

Posted on July 18, 2011April 8, 2016 by Katharine

Rotel, carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes, beets, tomato soup, pickles, and green beans — Rotel, carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes, beets, tomato soup, pickles, green beans, and more pickles.

I remember canning.

Mama had jars, lids, rings, spoons and pans all over her huge kitchen. She let me hand her the “rings” (screw bands) which I wore like bracelets up and down my then skinny arms. The temperature in there had to be at least 100 degrees, but I do not remember that. I remember her praise when I managed to stay focused on my job and hand her the ring on time. I felt so grown up.

I also remember disappointments, especially the cherry jelly that turned out like taffy. MY we loved that. I remember our neighbor, Eula, tanned and in flip-flops, who made her own catsup. And dear old Mrs. Secrest, who always gave me hand-pumped cold drinks from the well inside her dark, quiet house.

For some reason I’ve kept those memories fondly. I’ve tried to resurrect them in my own adult life. I do canning. I make jelly and catsup. We have a well. I want this for my children’s heritage. I wonder why.

It’s not just that the food is better. It’s not only that it is more healthful. And it is not simply that I grew up with it.

It is the soil–the harvest–the glorious, breath-taking heat–the oceans of perspiration replenished by oceans of teas and juices. It’s working together, sharing . . .

Oh! I know what it is! It is the fellowship with those who have gone before and those who are to come, stepping into my place in a long, long line of real people living a real life, marching to the rhythm of summer.

So all my children and I would march down to the garden to harvest God’s blessing for each day.

I hope you will join us. Then together we will all put back something for those special winter days when only that which is straight from the garden will do.

Tomorrow: Six Tricks to Get You out of the Canning Kitchen Faster!

Blessings of Habit, Health, Home School, Homemaking, Pre-schoolers, Who's the mom here?, Wisdom, Womanhood

How to Take Care of Your Eyes – Rest!

Posted on June 4, 2011May 21, 2015 by Katharine

This is my favorite treatment for every problem–just close your eyes! Maybe it will go away!

In the case of eye health, this is definitely true.

But no one tells us.

Study this set of posts. Link to them. Copy-paste them for your fridge. Someone you know needs this information!

Resting

When we do not get enough sleep, eye health breaks down. Do not let this happen to you.

1. The only time your eyes get a rest or a chance to self-heal at all is when you close them. Open your eyes and they are on the job. Just as never resting would weaken a soldier, so never sleeping could weaken the two guards you call your eyes. A good nightly amount is eight hours. If you cannot get that for some reason (sick children, etc.) then pay more attention to daily resting.

2. You may need a timer for this one, at first. Every time you work for 50 minutes, rest your eyes for ten. This includes computer work, yes, but any reading or crafting is work for your eyes, no matter how fun it is. Give them a break.

3. You know how tired eyes feel to you, When your eyes feel overly tired, try this: lie down and cover your eyelids with cool cucumber slices. Chamomile tea bags, boiled, cooled, and squeezed out, work too. Let the soothing compresses take you away!

So now you have it: Four ways to make for better eye health: nutrition, exercise, detoxify, and rest. Let’s all get going on taking care!

Okay, now comes the part we have to say in this lawsuit-happy world: This post is meant to inform and to satisfy curiosity, only, and is not a substitute for medical advice. Consult your doctor for information concerning your conditions. Much effort has been made to assure this information is accurate, however, medical research is always changing the facts, and new findings may supersede currently accepted data. I am NOT a doctor, only quoting several of them.

Blessings of Habit, Health, Home School, Inspiring, Pre-schoolers, Who's the mom here?, Wisdom, Womanhood

How to Take Care of Your Eyes – Eliminate the Toxic!

Posted on June 3, 2011March 13, 2015 by Katharine

I knew it! I just knew it! We have more eye troubles these days because more facets of our environment are bothering our eyes. I just knew it.

And, oh boy! It is politically incorrect to admit this.

Is that why this is not on billboards, nationwide?

Study this set of posts. Link to them. Copy-paste them for your fridge. Someone you know needs this information!

Poison to Your Eyes

The eyes are physical parts of our physical bodies. Since they are so sensitive that they can communicate thoughts and emotions, we might think of them as ephemeral. But they are physical, influenced by light, something Einstein would be first to tell us we do NOT fully understand. And they have a few things to communicate to us about their preferences, too.

If you are in charge of children, you hold the keys to their continued eye health. You are duty-bound to make good eye health happen for them. Teach this to them and make it a permanent part of their overall health.

Lighting. Lighting is toxic? Yes, some lighting is toxic to several parts of the body, but we will concentrate on the effects to the eye. Flourescent, computer, and TV light is totally stressing to the eye and can even lead to glaucoma. We take for granted the accuracy of our eyes, but the truth is, they have to re-focus and re-compute every time a flourescent blinks, every time the stripe goes past on a screen, even if they are not looking directly at the screen or lightbulb. For this reason, many people, and most children, do poorer work when in the presence of these types of light. Eliminate them.

The best light for working is reflected or filtered sunlight. Halogen is next, if carefully filtered. Then comes incandescent, also very workable. The rest are bad. Period.

However, never look AT the sun, and always have sunglasses ready, should you be outdoors very long, especially on overcast days, when more sunlight can beam directly into the eye. A little reflected sunlight actually can do good, adding vitamin D, but don’t overdo.

Allergens. Although you may not have a classic allergic reaction to them, the fumes from new carpet, new paint, overheated cars, etc., harm more than your lungs. If you must install these things in your home, open the windows and use a fan to draw in real air. Ditto for tobacco smoke. If your favorite shopping place installs them there, shop elsewhere, or AT LEAST leave the children behind for a while until the fumes subside.

Also, when you turn on the tap, first thing in the morning, does it smell to the skies of chlorine? It quite likely is chlorine gas. Time for the fan and the open window, again. Let the water run and leave the room until it smells like–water.

Swimming pools and spas. Usually these either have chlorine, bromine, or bacteria in them. Wearing goggles is a good solution for those who have to swim in chemicals and bacteria, although removing them and doing yesterday’s massages every half hour is a good idea.

Heating and air conditioning. Dry air is not really a toxin, but harms the eyes as if it were. Use a humidifier and saline drops made for the eye when you are in these environments. Spend more time outdoors: you were made for it.

Dim lighting. Doing visual work without proper lighting is like moving bricks without gloves, or hiking barefoot. Body parts wear out, and unlike a cut hand or foot, the eye does not self-repair well. Always use a good light when you work. When you are reading or writing, the light should fall over your less dominant shoulder. (Left for righties; right for lefties.) Require this of your children, too.

Rubbing the eyes. A little goes a long way with this habit. Unlike the eye massage from yesterday’s post, rubbing the eye squashes the eyeball. Not so good. It also can introduce bacteria. Not so good. And, horrors!, if you have a foreign object in the eye, rubbing can worsen your plight. Just don’t go there and don’t allow the children to, either.

Use a warm wash cloth to remove crust or mattering, not a fingernail. Use a folded corner of tissue and/or sterile eye drops to remove foreign objects from the eye. Or go to a doctor, WITHOUT RUBBING, PLEASE.

Coming tomorrow, Lord willing: Resting–Resting–1,2,3, Resting!

Believe it or not!, Blessings of Habit, Health, Home School, Homemaking, Inspiring, Who's the mom here?, Wisdom

How to Take Care of Your Eyes – Nutrition

Posted on June 1, 2011May 21, 2015 by Katharine

Since I’ve been seeing things, all SORTS of things besides what is really there to see, I have studied a bit about eye health and visited quite a few doctors. So much knowledge floats around in space, these days, and so many preventive and curative measures exist for boosting eye health, waiting for someone to take advantage of them.

Why isn’t this on billboards, nationwide?

Study the next few posts. Link to them. Copy-paste them for your fridge. Someone you know needs this information!

Nutrition for Your Eyes

We know our bodies have various nutritional needs and we know all the old wives tales about carrots, but listen to this: The eyes desperately need the right nutrients to work, and to last a long time.

If you are in charge of several children, though, you hold in your hands the keys to their continued excellent eye health. You are duty-bound to make good eye nutrition happen.

Vitamins: The eyes must have adequate A, C, and E. They simply must have them. Eat foods like carrots (yes!), strawberries, and wheat germ. Look up these vitamins and build your menus around foods that provide good eye health.

Minerals: Copper and zinc are good for eyes. Add beans and red meat.

Antioxidants: Try whole eggs, spinach, pumpkin, and . . . guess what . . . CARROTS! Your grandmother was SO RIGHT–they help prevent macular degeneration.

Sulfur, cysteine, and lecithin: These come from the onion and garlic family. They put the brakes on cataracts, among other health problems throughout the body.

Anthocyanins: Blueberries and grapes contain these and help night vision, according to WWII pilots, and much further research.

DHA: Sorry, all you catfish lovers, this one is found in cold-water fish like salmon and sardines. You’ll have to try grilled salmon, though–it is marvelous!

Water: While not exactly a nutrient, pure water is totally necessary for the eyes. And, yes, it is 8 glasses a day, and it should be filtered if you use it from the tap. Anything created as wet as an eye would obviously need water, right? Think of the eye as an under-water camera that doesn’t work without the water.

Coming tomorrow, Lord willing: Eye Exercises! Who’d have thought!

Believe it or not!, Health, Who's the mom here?, Womanhood

There’s Killing; And then there’s KILLING.

Posted on May 31, 2011May 30, 2011 by Katharine

Number killed or missing in action in all wars in U.S. history: 1,343,812. Adding the wounded: 2,489,335.

Number killed or missing in action in U.S. wars since 1973: 12,387. Adding the wounded: 96,680.

Number of executions in U.S. history dating back to 1608: 15,269.

Number killed in the September 11 attacks: 2,977.

Number of detainees waterboarded by the CIA under President Bush: 3.

Number of abortions in the U.S. since 1973: 53,310,843 through 2010.

Number of abortions per year in the U.S. since 1973: 1,402,917.

Number of abortions per month in the U.S. since 1973: 116,910.

Number of abortions per week in the U.S. since 1973: 26,979.

Number of abortions per day in the U.S. since 1973: 3,841.

Number of abortions by Planned Parenthood in the U.S. in 2009: 332,278, more than 900 per day, or 27.6% of all abortions in the U.S.