A Simple Moment is a post that appears here every Friday.
A photo I want to remember of a simple moment, with a few simple words.
If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link in the comment section for all to see and read.
The perfect sun, walking into school.
A Simple Moment was inspired by SouleMama. Visit her site to see many more moments.
Thankfully my husband takes on the breakfast duties at our house on school mornings. I am VERY thankful of that!
We try to stick to fresh, wholesome breakfasts with nothing processed from a box. We were never dependent on cereal for breakfast but we did fall into a rut a few months ago where it became habit for a few weeks. It’s SO easy, and it’s an easy habit to fall into. But it’s not an easy habit to break.
Yes there are cereals that are not loaded with sugar and empty carbs, which can be healthy with good wholewheat grains, granola and whole milk. But we believe our kids need more protein for breakfast to prevent blood sugar crashes as we are sending them off to school. I just feel better when it’s homemade. Like I’m doing someone warm and fuzzy for my kids – even if they’d really be eating cereal. 
So what’s for breakfast?
1. Eggs or smoothies every morning. I don’t think our sweet six chickens will ever be able to produce enough eggs to keep up with our egg consumption. Mostly the girls eat them scrambled and sometimes boiled. I like mine fried or poached. My breakfast chef husband will eat them any way.
2. Smoothies are a huge staple for breakfast here. I buy bags of organic frozen fruit by the case at our food co-op when they are on sale and keep my freezer stocked with them. I’ve written lots about making smoothies and popsicles. In short, the smoothies include frozen fruit, homemade yogurt, protein powder (I just found a whey one made from goat milk and only five ingredients that I’m super excited to try) and orange juice or milk. This winter the smoothies have all had a bag of antioxidant berries in the them and no one has gotten sick (YET, because I’m sure it’s still coming).
3. Homemade muffins. We make blueberry from the book One Bite Won’t Kill You. Banana and pumpkin are old stand by favorites too.
4. Toast from fresh baked bread by local bakeries.
5. Bacon. There are two bacon eaters in out house and it sure is handy to stick in lunches after breakfast is done.
6. Turkey sausage. I don’t eat meat but if my kids want to, and its a from a good source then I’m okay with it. And I even made it recently on the weekend ahead of time!
7. Stovetop oatmeal. We use quick oats bought in bulk and cooked in whole milk, drizzled with honey or maple syrup.
8. Homemade biscuits. My husband is the biscuit king, having learned from his grandmother. It’s mostly a weekend breakfast but sometimes there are leftovers for school mornings.
9. Left over pancakes or french toast from the weekends heats up nicely and for school mornings when time goes quick.
10. Breakfast sandwiches. The girls are not so much a fan but I make them once in a while on the weekends as a thank you for my husband being the one willing to wake up early and have a homemade breakfast ready for the girls at 7:00.
SO, with a little team effort making a good wholesome breakfast is totally doable on school mornings.
While the kiddos eat, I start pack lunches. The girls help pack their own lunches when they are done with breakfast, if there is time.
It’s a joint effort all around.
And the goal of eating breakfast and getting dressed in a timely manor is that I help you with your hair for the day. With girls, the offer works wonders!
Maria Montessori used to say, “Many hands make light work.”
A couple weeks ago I opened the girls laundry chute that goes from the third floor (where their bedrooms are) to the basement (where the laundry gets done) and the avalanche that came out almost me buried me alive…sheets, towels and all. We needed a new system for all hands to help with the work!
I tried a similar system in the past, but it proved to be too complicated and resulted in too many individual separate loads of lights and darks between three girls.
In our third week, this more streamlined system seems to be working. 
Laundry Chores in our Montessori Home
The pink bins belong to the girls. The white traditional baskets are for grown up laundry which they are not responsible for.
1. Each girl is responsible for emptying the laundry chute one day during the week and sorting the dirty clothes into three bins – Darks, colors and lights. The bins are on the left and labeled with examples of the clothing that goes in the bins. This results in three managable loads of dirty clothes per week that the girls are responsible for doing. Sheets and towels get sorted into the big round pink bin and combined with grown up items.
2. On the weekend all girls are responsible for putting one bin of dirty clothes in the wash and dryer – then sorting, folding and putting the clean clothes in individual clean clothes bins labeled for each separate girl.
3. When all three girls are finished, each of them carry their clean clothes upstairs and put them away in drawers in closets. The bins with easy carrying handles are key for this to make it managable for even a five-year-old to carry.
There has been a definite amount of complaining from the workers about having to do their own laundry now – which is to be expected. And it’s been interesting to watch the debates about who is or is not returning the inside out clothes back to normal and when it should happen. I can happily report it is all working itself out in a natural way.
But it sure does make me appreciate the little one who still loves helping with laundry. It reminds of this toddler laundry set up I used to keep her busy while I did the real stuff. Now she helps with the real stuff and says she “loves” doing laundry. She’ll even “inside out” all the dirty clothes if you ask her. And she helps make laundry detergent too.
A Simple Moment is a post that appears here every Friday.
A photo I want to remember of a simple moment, with a few simple words.
If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link in the comment section for all to see and read.
It’s the most snow we’ve seen here this winter, sadly. This girl wanted to show the chickens the snow.
A Simple Moment was inspired by SouleMama. Visit her site to see many more moments.
It’s the first thing I see on Friday’s when all her work comes home in her bag. She gets picked up 30 minutes before my older girls and she doesn’t waste a second showing me her work after she steps into my car from the pickup line.
If you have every wondered what the end result of what Montessori work looks like at age five, before they reach the traditional kindergarten age – here’s a few snapshots. It’s pretty amazing what kids can do at young ages when given these tools to learn.
This is a portion of her work she brought home on Friday.
This is learning to write sentences. From day one of learning to hold a pencil in Montessori school, the children learn to write in cursive.
This is some VERY big math she has been working on! There are manipulates in the class from that teach this lesson. If you ask her what 2 times 4 is, I’m not sure she can rattle off the answer just yet. But it is definitely introducing them to the concept of multiplication.
For this lesson the children are given an object, then they get the wooden letters out of a box to spell the objects by laying out the wooden letters on a large lined piece of fabric on the floor, then they write and draw the object on their paper. A lot of time before this was spent on learning sounds, writing letters and doing lessons to build up to this one.
This is a booklet on and animals of North America. When the children more up to the elementary class they call these “Field Notebooks,” which continue to teach them about land and animals from cultures around the world.
After the big work of the day is done, she still enjoys a simple coloring sheet.
She called this her Grand Finale on Friday! Once we had looked and talked about all the other work she pulled out this. We didn’t take a picture in the car that day, because we just in the moment of then.
But this day…we did a little selfie of her artwork while we sat in the car for our 30 minute wait time for sisters. Thirty minutes may seem like a lot, but I love this little one-on-one time we get together everyday. I hear ALL about her day. And when it’s nice weather, we play on the playground, tree house and forts.
When there is a break in the dreary, cold, muddy, wet, cloudy Tennessee days of winter – everyone sends their kids outside to play where we live. And we keep a mutual law with us parents that you have to stay outside. I love that have a little village of mommas around me that still believe in old fashion play, and letting kids run from house to house asking to see if friends can come over
“to play in the backyard.”
Here’s a few snapshots of simple play outside in our neighborhood full of simply natural parents.
Forts never grow old at our house. There are some kids under there somewhere. And I’m not sure what all was collected underneath there. I just know there is still a couple small piles of sticks, magnolia leaves and berry branches on the front porch.
Kids mingle to the neighbors house – because there was a fire! And they assume that means marshmallows with friends.
After stoping to visit with a friend this girl now says we need one of these in our backyard.
There are collecting something from nature and making soups….I assume. Or rather I’m guessing. They were busy.
This ONE dad headed to the park with this bunch of boys came over to use our compressor to blow up their giant ball with his TWO sons. Needless to say, he collected a few more along the way. They went to the park to roll down the giant sledding hill – inside the ball. Miraculously 911 was not necessary. 
My husband went duck hunting last week. While washing out the cars he washed out his gear – on the side of our urban neighborhood sidewalk. Good thing our neighbors didn’t have to wonder what he was doing?? Because just about any kind of playing outside is normal business around our parts. And while I don’t love the new hunting hobby, I have to cut the girl dad some slack for wanting ride ATV’s through the woods covered in mud with other grown men dressed in camouflage who think this is fun.
A Simple Moment is a post that appears here every Friday.
A photo I want to remember of a simple moment, with a few simple words.
If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link in the comment section for all to see and read.
A new quiet game that was an unexpected mail treat, a new-found (old) book being cherished, a room with a newly arranged view – are a few of my favorite things with my favorite people.
A Simple Moment was inspired by SouleMama. Visit her site to see many more moments.
I’ve been making my own laundry detergent for a couple years now. After some experimentation and finding ways to make it easier (and still work!) – I’ve got it down to a simple three step process using three ingredients all purchased at my handy Food City.
I mix and store mine in one large plastic storage bin with a click down lid.
Simple Three Step Laundry Detergent
3 boxes of Arm and Hammer washing powder
3 boxes of Arm and Hammer baking soda.
9 bars of castile soup, grated by hand using a cheese grater.
I used to dread the grating the soup. But now I just own the process, take a quiet seat on my laundry room rug and grate soap for about 30 minutes. It’s a rather mindful practice actually, with a nice sense of reward at the end.
To make detergent: grate 3 soap bars in the plastic bin, pour in one box of washing soda and baking soda. Mix all together using a big wooden spoon. Repeat two more times to make a triple batch.
I use about 1/4 of a cup per large load of laundry. The large triple bin of laundry detergent lasts about four months.
For tough to get clean loads (like kitchen dish towels) I add these items to loads when necessary: Borax, OXO Bright, Eco Cover stain remover on individual garments, Dawn dish soap (for greece), vinegar and sometimes some essential oil to make things smell nice.
I have now officially taught two yoga classes! It’s something I put off doing for years, while in the thick of mothering young children. During those days my free time was spent in places where babies in tow and toddlers on hips were welcome.
I am in the middle of a nine-month-long, 200-hour yoga certification program. Before I had kids I knew I wanted to teach yoga – some day. I was living in Atlanta and studying at a Stillwater Yoga Studio, under the Southeast’s highest certified Iyengar teacher. I was pregnant and dreaming of doing yoga in India one day.
Then I had a baby, and another and another. None of them took bottles and I never left any them long enough to do any big weekend training courses, much less just a class during some of those phases.
When the girls went back to school in August it hit me – I needed a project for myself. I took a leap of faith and signed up for this intense training program. It was foreign to me to commit to something that was so much time just for me, including 12 weekends where I spend 15 hours doing yoga – all by myself!
It’s been amazing. Our teacher is also a certified Iyengar instructor, familiar with where I got my yoga start 13 years ago.
It’s been a journey for myself like none other.
And I’m teaching yoga!
There’s a part of me that always needed to give back to others. That’s why became a writer, that’s why I joined Americore after September 11th, and that’s why I served on the board of directors at a birth center for five years.
Now the back of my van is a traveling yoga studio, loaded with mats, blocks, straps, music, homemade mat cleaner and even my oil diffuser.
It’s where I’m at right now. It’s a good place. It’s a journey of the heart, that I hope to share more with others through practice on the mat and by living my days with more peace, mindfulness and presence. Because all those things help us see the joy in our days. And we can all use more joy while navigating the hectic days parenting.
For me, I find it on my yoga mat. One breathe at a time.
Then when I open the girls’ laundry chute for the first time in two weeks, I am able to laugh at myself for forgetting. Then I think of constructive ways I can get the girls to help next time. And a new idea for a post I can share with you is born (look for it next week)!
I am very thankful, for my amazing husband who takes care the girls on these weekends, juggling birthday parties, sleepovers, putting laundry away and even taking the girls of town – sometimes to my family, without me! He is the best partner. And he is now learning to do yoga.
I’m also thankful for my friend who offered to arrange a lunch hour class at her work building so I can have a place to teach yoga. I knew I just needed to take the leap. And it felt good to do it.
What’s for dinner? Pork chops, baked sweet potato wedges, frozen green beans (from our summer CSA) and organic alfredo risotto. And it made everyone happy!
It’s a lot of work to please everyone at dinner, with different tastes preferences. Some are meat eaters and some are (semi) vegetarians. Nearly every night I use every burner on the stove, dirtying lots of pots and bake ware. I dream of making one-pot dinners that makes everyone happy.
I’m not a short order chef and there is nothing else to eat after dinner. If you don’t like something on the table, oh well – Except I’m not really that tough. So I always put out a block of cheese, beans and enough vegetables that I know someone will eat something that came from a plant, and something with protein in it.
Then I realized the kids only choose what’s familiar and they are are less willing to try new foods. I was making two dinners – entrees for the adults with things mixed together, and a buffet for the kids ala carte.
Yesterday I went French on the kids and said no snacking when we got home from school (they had snack in the car). At 5:00 one was whining for a banana. When one got home at 6:00 she was “starving.” Without snacks sometimes my kids act as if they really could starve to death. Snacking is the American way. In France there is no snacking. And kids eat a proper French meal.
To my pleasant surprise, when we sat down to dinner at 7:00, they all ate pork chops, baked sweet potato wedges, frozen green beans (from our summer CSA) and organic alfredo risotto.
After nearly 20 years of being a vegetarian, I’ve started eating a little meat. I feel okay eating meat is small amounts when it’s from local farms, using organic practices. I only buy meat from our food co-op which supports farms with humane standards. It’s the same farmers selling at the farmer’s markets that I know my carnivore friends trust.
I don’t like that my oldest uses being a vegetarian as an excuse to be picky. So I feel something had to change. She at least tried the pork chops with a decent attitude. Which is the most I can ask.
To make dinner….
*Pork Chops – line a baking dish with unbleached parchment paper and set pork chops in it. Pour over a few tablespoons of olive oil and soy sauce. Sprinkle with a basic seasoning salt. Drizzle with honey and fresh lemon juice. Chop 1-2 fresh garlic cloves and place on top.
*Sweet potatoes – cut into wedges and line the sides of the baking dish with pork chops. Drizzle with olive oil and dash with salt and pepper. – Bake dish for 30-45 minutes depending on size of pork chops.
*Fresh (frozen) Green Beans from our summer CSA – place in boiling water with two tablespoons of butter and a generous amount of salt. Cook on medium-high until soft.
*Organic Alfredo Risotto – was from Lundberg, out of a box. But next time I’ll research making my own because one box was barely enough.
I started making dinner at 6:00. We all sat down to eat at 7:00 and there were only one dish and two pots to clean. Everyone happily ate.
In my book that was a success. Therefore I wanted to share it with you, hoping it can provide some relief at dinner for your family too.
As a reward for good attitudes and willingness to try everything (where they actually ate it) they had their favorite raw carrots and cheese as desert.
Tonight’s dinner is the weekly favorite: taco night.
Feel free to share a link and tell us what you had for dinner. We can all use fresh, new ideas!