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Are You Thinking of Homeschooling?

August 4, 2018 by Jackie Ritz Leave a Comment

Our Homeschool Routine video for 2018-2019 is here!!!

Sometimes I think I am. Other people think I am. But to be honest y’all….

I, simply, am not willing to wake up at 6am every morning and be on someone else’s schedule. I’m stubborn. I’ve reached that point of no going back. 

Once you have a taste of freedom, you can’t get it out of your system. 

I can’t imagine going through the hustle of early morning routine, making lunches, and having to be home around 3pm to pick the kids up. 

Not only that, but homeschooling IS SO DANG EASY. I must be honest, it took me a good 2-3 years to really discover my own personal style of homeschooling. And, to be completely honest, I still am refining it. 

Last year we did straight unschooling. 

This year we are going to be (a wee tiny bit) more structured and I did order some curriculum. But what I’m learning is, each child of mine is so different and have their own needs and learning style. I can’t make them fit into my own little box and I must give them the freedom to explore their passions. 

Unschooling taught me to trust my kids more and to allow them to dive DEEP into their passions. 

Homeschooling has also given me the freedom to work from home and YouTube our adventures. And to help all of you who are deciding on if you should homeschool or not, or maybe you are just deciding to homeschool this year and you would love to take a sneak peak at my curriculum and routine…well then check out the video below! 

I’ll be sharing more videos on our homeschool routine, so be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you can see when I post them! 

More stuff on homeschooling: 

  • The Beginner’s Guide to Unschooling 
  • Our Homeschool Routine
  • 5 Reasons I put My Child in Public School…and then Regretted It  
  • Abeka Curriculum for Arithmetic and Cursive 
  • All other curriculum I mentioned 

Filed Under: family, Homeschooling, Natural Living

Our Decision to Sell Everything and Buy an RV

October 22, 2017 by Jackie Ritz 5 Comments

 

Selling all the things you own, taking your kids out of traditional school, and purchasing an RV to travel the world makes complete sense for several reasons; you’ll save a ton of money on things that go in and on and around the house, you’ll make so many memories traveling and connecting with your family. 

You don’t have to have a home-based job like I do to make this dream happen. You can do it on a part-time scale, living in the RV at your home-base which is near your job and just traveling on the weekends and vacations. So many people are jumping on this because minimalism is in and keeping up with the Jones’ is out. Anyways, here’s our top five reasons why we decided to sell everything and move our family of 4 into an RV. 

1. We were watching time pass us by.

You heard it time-and-time and time again. “They grow up so fast….enjoy these moments…life is so short,” however it doesn’t really mean much until you are smack dab in the middle of raising your kids. One of them might turn 9 and one day you stop and realize that they are halfway through their childhood. 

Unfortunately, my husband and I have lost several close friends and family over the years. We know the sting of death and how short it is. But one day we literally WOKE UP. We have one life to live and why not do all the crazy things that we want? Why not buy the farm of our dreams and learn how to raise our own animals? Why not put farming on hold for a year and buy an RV and travel the world? Why the hell not?

2. We were getting overwhelmed with all the stuff. 

Stuff stuff everywhere. Even as a minimalist stuff finds me. We felt like slaves to our stuff, to our house, to our farm. When you live in a house, you feel like you have to fill it up, decorate it fully, make it look nice, keep it clean, etc. We were tired of it. Marie Kondo would be ashamed of me and yes, I did finish her book. 

When we decided to travel the United States for a year in an RV, we had some major downsizing to do. After nearly 20 trips to Goodwill and other charities we donated to, multiple landfill trips, and bags of clothes, shoes, and household goods to sell, we were ready. I can’t even remember how many times my husband and I said, “Why do we have so much stuff?” 

After 3 months of living in an RV I will tell you, it is so nice to have a clean house in 5 minutes using just essential oils and vinegar! 

3. We wanted to see the world with our kids. 

I think this should be #1 because this was our number one reason why we decided to do this. How cool to be able to go to the places that most kids just study in school! We love being able to show them things like Yellowstone, The Grand Canyon, historical museums, capital cities, and different cultures. We call it “road schooling”! Our kids have learned so much in the short 3 months we have been on the road. This world is a beautiful classroom. 

4. We wanted to save money.

It’s no denying that this lifestyle is cheaper. We still haven’t sold our farm, it’s still on the market, but for most people, they sell the house and then buy the RV. You do whatever works for your family. I will tell you this, we have saved money being on the road! 

If you are interested in how much it cost to travel America in an RV, then read this post. 

5. We wanted to value experiences over belongings. 

This was the core of our decision. Many of the things we sold were really really hard. You’ll make those same decisions. But I wouldn’t trade those moments we have had, like standing in complete awe at the Grand Canyon, watching my kids fill out their Junior Ranger journals, or being able to have the freedom to pick up and move to any city that we want. 

It’s totally worth it. 

Now that you’ve read my story of selling the house and buying an RV, go out there and make your dreams happen! It doesn’t have to be as extreme as mine, but if it is, then know that there are thousands who choose to become full-time families and create a life that they truly love! 

 

Filed Under: family, Natural Living

“Cheater” Fire Cider Recipe

November 13, 2016 by Jackie Ritz 6 Comments

We have begun making Fire Cider as a part of our Home and Farm Apothecary.  Fire Cider is a homeopathic fermented tonic, praised for its flavors and its ability to fight off digestive bacteria and digestive problems. It’s a spicy, warming drink that usually contains horseradish, ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper.

Adding fermented foods and drinks to our eating plans is one of the top trending topics currently in health and wellness circles. I’m currently working on a blog post on “Fermented Superfoods,” which I can’t wait to share with you!

Herbalist Rosemary Gladstar created the first Fire Cider in her herbalist school kitchen in the early 1980s. She had a sincere desire to teach her students how to make herbal preparations that were as much food as they were medicines. Fire Cider was one of the early cross over recipes that came from her constant experimentation in medicinal herbalism.

I am so grateful for the contribution of herbalists like Rosemary Gladstar and my own herbalist instructor, Juliet Blankespoor of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, who are helping people like me and others who are interested in knowing better how to use the natural herbs and plants of the earth to maximize the health of our families. I will tell you more about the great Herbalism school I attend in the post below.

What Is Fire Cider?

Fire Cider is a spicy hot deliciously sweet vinegar tonic. It is an especially healthy tonic to have available during the fall and winter months when seasonal colds and flus are creating havoc with many people’s health. 

When I first heard of Fire Cider and its variety of ingredients my first thought was the same of many others, “You want me to drink THAT?” The base ingredients include:

  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Ginger
  • Horseradish
  • Hot peppers

Believe me, you would probably want to brush your teeth and rinse your mouth before you got too close to your loved ones after Fire Cider made only with those ingredients! There are plenty of other herbs that can be thrown in, with everyone opting to add in their own favorite choices. You can take Fire Cider straight—by the spoonful (or swig)—and I’ll share my favorite recipe for how to make that below.

Health Benefits of Fire Cider

The many health benefits of fire cider come from the ingredients used to make it. Let me list a few of the ingredients, showing each ingredient’s health benefits.

  • Horseradish—it has many antibacterial properties, and is used to fight bacteria. I stimulates digestion, and increases gastric secretions and appetite. It’s also a good diuretic, promoting perspiration, which is useful in treating colds, fevers, and flu. It is also an expectorant and mild antibiotic, useful with both respiratory and urinary tract infections.
  • Ginger—it helps to warm the stomach, ease vomiting and nausea, and fight off colds, chills, and cough. It is useful for all kinds of congestion in the body.
  • Garlic—it supports the immune function, and opens the pores, which helps to lower fever. It has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties that are useful in treating kidney and bladder infections, yeast infections, strep throat and ear infections.
  • Cayenne—this herb is useful for increasing circulation. It also helps to get phlegm flowing. It is often used as a digestive aid to stimulate gastric juices. Many people have even found that cayenne can give relief from migraines.[1]
  • Raw Apple Cider Vinegar—there are many benefits to apple cider vinegar. The primary ones include: it can kill many types of bacteria, preventing them from multiplying or reaching harmful levels; it lowers blood sugar levels and fights diabetes; it lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease; and it may have protective effects against cancer.[2]
  • Honey—it has been called “liquid gold” because of its numerous benefits. A simple list of some include:
    • Alleviates allergies
    • Is an excellent source of all-natural energy
    • Boosts memory
    • Is a cough suppressant
    • Aid in sleeping
    • Treats dandruff
    • Can be used to treat wounds and cuts
  • Turmeric—this is one of the world’s healthiest foods. While once focused on anti-inflammatory benefits, decreased cancer risk, and support of detoxification, studies on turmeric intake now include its potential for improving cognitive function, blood sugar balance, and kidney function, as well as lessening the degree of severity associated with certain forms of arthritis and certain digestive disorders.[3]

So it’s easy to recognize why you want to have some fire cider ready when those achy, stuffy feelings appear suddenly. As for me, I just like to enjoy a dose of fire cider for no better reason than the homey, comforting and relaxing feelings it wakes up in me whenever I drink it.

They say food is the best medicine. In some cases, that truism can be taken quite literally.

My Favorite Fire Cider Recipe

I feel very honored that my Herbalist Instructor, Juliet Blankespoor of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, has given me permission to share her Hibiscus Pomegranate Cheater Fire Cider recipe with you. I made this for my medicine making course and just LOVED it so much that I didn’t want to recreate my own or alter it in any way. Two of her main ingredients are: 

  • Hbiscus leaves (where to buy)—they help to clear harmful and unwanted toxins from your body, are a good skin cleanser, regulate hormonal balance, and boost energy. They give this fire cider the beautiful, deep red hue that makes it extra special!
  • Pomegranate—they reduce arthritis and joint pain, lower blood pressure, fight bacterial infections, and improve memory. You can use either the fruit or POM juice for this recipe. 

I have already given you (above) the health benefits for the other base ingredients used.

Image of Hibiscus taken by Juliet Blankespoor

In April, I applied for Juliet’s herbal medicine school and I have enjoyed every, single second of it. As an avid essential oil user, I debated back-and-forth about going to an aromatherapist school or an herbalist school. But since we have a farm and garden and I love growing things, I wanted to learn all about soil, plant propagation and the medicinal benefits of herbs that I can cultivate and grow in my own garden. I haven’t been disappointed one bit! This online herbalism school is even based out of my growing zone, which is helpful, but not important. Juliet is extremely detailed and her photography skills are incredible (which is very helpful when looking at parts of plants). 

The herbal immersion program is 1-2 years long and you have the option of earning an “herbalist” certificate. There is a shorter program for those who just want to learn some herbal medicine making and I would recommend that to anyone who wants to learn more about salves, tonics, body butters, beginning tincturing, and so much more. 

“Cheater” Fire Cider Recipe

re-posted with permission. Original recipe posted here. 

hibiscus-fire-cider-bb2

Let’s take a look at the recipe for this fire cider.  You will notice that this is a recipe for cheater fire cider. Why?  Typically fire cider is made by using a fermenting process of placing the ingredients in a glass jar and letting it sit for six weeks. This recipe is a one-day affair and you can use the cider made with this recipe immediately (especially helpful if you are making this because you are sick). If you would rather make a stronger cider by using the traditional fermenting time, you can use this same recipe, but hold the pomegranate juice to be added right before you strain the cider. You would also skip the heating part.

Juliet’s recipe makes eight to ten 8-ounce bottles, but since I know most of you are going to be making this for just home-use, I’m going to give you the amounts to make 2 8-ounce bottles. Double, triple or quadruple the recipe if you are making it for gifts!. This milder, sweeter Hibiscus pomegranate Fire Cider is a great way to become herbally initiated to its taste. (IDEA: it would make a great Holiday gift.) 

Ingredients

  • 16 oz of raw, Apple cider vinegar
  • 2.5oz of raw (preferably local) honey
  • Half of an onion
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 ounce of fresh ginger
  • 1/2 ounce of fresh turmeric
  • 1.4 ounces of fresh horseradish (if you can find it…if not use something like this)
  • 1/2 of a fresh pomegranates (or 2 ounces of pomegranate juice)
  • 1/2 of a fresh orange
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
  • 1 tablespoon of dried hibiscus

Directions: 

  1. Peel the garlic, and coarsely chop the onions, horseradish, and turmeric. Place them in a food processor or blender, along with the cayenne, with enough apple cider vinegar to cover. Blend carefully with the lid on, and take care not to let fumes or slurry enter your eyes.
  2. Place the slurried spiciness in a double boiler. Don’t have one? Nest a smaller pot in a bigger pot or saucepan and use a couple of upside-down mason jar rings to keep the inside pot up off the outside one. Add a little water to the outside pot and voila – double boiler! Add the rest of the apple cider vinegar to the slurry and keep the heat on low, with the lid on! Let the mixture heat on low (don’t let it get above 120 degrees) for three hours, stirring once in a while. Again, careful with the fumes!!!!
  3. Meanwhile, back at the bat cave, peel your oranges and de-seed the pomegranates, sneaking off a nibble or two. Put on an old apron and mash the pomegranates and oranges with a potato masher in the sink.
  4. After a couple hours, taste the slurry. If it’s too mild for your fire cider pleasure, this is your chance to add more of the spicy herbs and cook for one more hour. After three hours of total cook time, turn off the heat and add the hibiscus and the juicy pomegranate/orange mixture. Let sit for one hour and check the color- if it’s too light in color add more hibiscus. When the cider is a beautiful red, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or potato ricer. If it’s not a deep red, then throw some more hibiscus flowers in there until you get the color you desire.
  5. You will need to squeeze out or press the slurry, or you will loose a great deal of the medicine. Add the honey and mix well, making sure all the honey is dissolved. Place in clear glass jars, label and refrigerate. 

I love this Cheater Fire Cider recipe, and I’m pretty sure you will too. The dosage is one teaspoon as needed. My husband and I take one swig a day during the fall and winter months. If one of us is sick, we will take multiple swigs a day. 

This fire cider is TOO spicy for children. I recommend giving children (over 12 months) Elderberry Syrup during the fall and winter months. You can see my Elderberry Syrup recipe here. 

Get Started

This fire cider is one more healthy addition to your conscious effort to eat (or drink) more health-filled fermented foods. Get started now on your journey to better health.

A healthy body is a guest-chamber for the soul; a sick body is a prison.

—Francis Bacon

cheater fire cider

Sources

  1. https://www.healingspiritsherbfarm.com/recipe/fire-cider
  2. https://mountainroseblog.com/fire-cider/
  3. https://modernfarmer.com/2015/12/cold-remedies-fire-cider/

[1] These first four ingredient were adapted from: https://www.healingspiritsherbfarm.com/recipe/fire-cider

[2] https://authoritynutrition.com/6-proven-health-benefits-of-apple-cider-vinegar/

[3] https://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=78

Filed Under: family, Health, Herbs, Living Sustainably, My Recipes, Natural Living, Nutrition

How to Declutter Your Life

October 25, 2016 by Jackie Ritz Leave a Comment

A year ago I read the New York Times Best Seller by Marie Kondo, titled The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Its principles really grabbed me, and I determined to clean out the clutter of my life. I started with my closet, and didn’t stop until I’d cleaned out clutter from every nook of my house. Then I worked on clearing out the clutter of my mind. It was such a valuable experience for me as I learned how to declutter my life and my mind. 

Many of you are recognizing the dissatisfaction found in the excess of things, and are beginning to do some major cleaning. You are simplifying your lives, and as you do you are finding great freedom in owning less. All over the world, people are embracing simplicity as a way of life. There is even a growing trend to tiny house living, which is living in less than about 300 square feet.

One of the top trending topics in the Health and Wellness world right now is just that—learning to live with less. Part of the trend is due to Marie Kondo’s book, but there are so many other contributors to this trend. Some of them are:

  • The discovery that accumulating more stuff just doesn’t lead to more satisfaction in life.
  • The rising costs of Living Big, and the parallel rising consumer debt.
  • The ache in people’s hearts to get back to a simpler lifestyle, like we did. 
  • The clutter of stuff in our homes that just keeps us busier taking care of it all.
  • The ability to consolidate the kitchen tools needed with one power tool (such as the Instant Pot popularity).
  • The lack of storage for stuff, such as closet space, kitchen space, storage space in the garage, and rooms too-full of furniture for ease of entertaining.
  • Seeing your family closeness disintegrate as each member focuses on individual goals for getting more stuff, more technology, the latest iPhone
  • Growing old and recognizing that you have more stuff than you do friends.

So I want you to take a look at the possibility of living with less—and the benefits it brings you when you do. We’ll concentrate of three steps of how to declutter your life:

  1. Learn why and how to get rid of your stuff.
  2. Find ways to store the things you keep.
  3. Now that you are living with less, focus on things that make you love your new life.

Learn Why and How to Get Rid of Your Stuff

It is important to start with the Whys of decluttering your life. That’s where I had to start. I had to ask questions like:

  • Why did I buy all these clothes?
  • Why do I spend time looking through catalogs and online stores even though I have so much already?
  • Why do I envy the things I see others able to accumulate?

To be successful at decluttering your life, you must begin by decluttering your mind. Maybe you buy all the latest styles in clothing because as a child your mother could only afford to give you hand-me-downs from garage sales and used clothing stores. Maybe you envied the got-everything girl in your high school class, and determined that when you were leading your own life, you’d find a way to get everything you wanted. Maybe you missed out on real family closeness as a child, and as you grew you learned to satisfy the longings in your heart with stuff instead of relationships.

Asking yourself some hard questions about your reasons for having stuff isn’t easy. It makes us wonder about the true motivations that drive us to the actions we take in life. But until you recognize your cluttered thinking, and take steps to declutter those thoughts that drive you to accumulating more stuff, you won’t be successful at decluttering your home.

When you are ready to move on, you will probably discover that you really don’t know How to get the job done. How do you start? Where do you start? Marie Kondo says this:

Tidy in the right order. There are only two tasks involved—discarding and deciding where to keep things. Discarding must come first. Be sure to completely finish the first task before starting the next. Do not even think of putting your things away until you have finished the process of discarding.[1]

So how to get rid of the stuff in your home and life is a lot like how you eat an elephant—you do it one bite at a time. You might want to download the free “Konmari” APP so that you can keep track of what you have done and what you need to do next.

Let’s take a look at how you can find the right order to begin your decluttering. There are two guiding principles you can use:

  1. Think in concrete terms so that you can vividly picture what it would be like to live in a clutter-free space.[2]
  2. Take each item in your hand and ask: “Does this spark joy?” If it doesn’t dispose of it.[3]

Does this spark joy

What is the right order for you?

The right order for you is very likely to be different than the right order was for me. Maybe you start with where you have the biggest mess. Maybe it’s where you don’t have enough room? Or maybe it’s where you know in your heart that you have simply accumulated too much.

For many women the place to start is likely to be the clothes closet. Some women have clothes from every fashion trend, in every size, from every big box store’s sale of the year. So many clothes that there isn’t any room for more—and there hasn’t been room for your husband’s clothes in years. So start here, and be ruthless in your cleaning. Sort your clothes into categories: tops, bottoms, underwear, outerwear, purses and accessories. If each piece of clothing doesn’t give you joy, or it’s stained, ripped, too big or too small, or unworn for a year, decide now to either give it away or toss it.

When you have finished your ruthless assessment of your clothes closet, finish this category by finding more effective ways to store your clothes. Not everything has to hang on hangers. Fold what can be folded, and have bins in which you rotate your clothing according to the seasons. In order to stay true to your new less is more philosophy, make it a rule that every time you bring home a new piece of clothing, you discard one in the same category from out of your closet.

(Here’s a quick folding tutorial video from Marie Kondo)

 

Follow this way of ordering your decluttering for each area in your home. Probably the next biggest stuff problem is in the kitchen. The kitchen gets heavy traffic, and is often overused, overstuffed, and over dirty. You have too many dishes, too many kitchen appliances, too many pots and pans, and too many bulk items in the pantry. Start here by sorting the kitchen into categories, and then tackle each category one by one—not stopping until you are finished with this one. Get rid of items you don’t need, appliances and kitchen tool you never use, duplicate dishes and pots and pans (duplicates that are not needed), and stuff you have too much of: mugs, food containers, storage containers, pot holders, countertop clutter, and stuff stored on top of the refrigerator or on its doors (pictures, etc.). Don’t forget to clean out the fridge, freezer, and pantry. It’s likely you have items with expired dates, freezer-burned foods, and spices several years old.

Find new and better ways to store things

Then tackle the second step of organizing and finding storage solutions for what you keep. I love using mason jars for storage, and other large, glass storage containers. Because plastic containers have been proven to leach chemicals into our food and drink, I do not use plastic in our kitchen. Glass and stainless steel are much safer options.

Determine that you will continue through the categories of items in your home that need to be considered for discard. Don’t stop until you have finished with everything. Years ago my mother told me the story of the woman who was given one white rose. She sat that rose on her kitchen table, and immediately thought, “I can’t leave it there with all those dirty dishes and things,” so she proceeded to clean her kitchen table, then her stove, then her sink, and finally her entire kitchen. Then she took that one white rose in to sit on the living room side table beside her favorite chair. The same thing happened, and she proceeded to clean up her entire living room. Then she continued until her entire home had been dejunked, cleaned, and was sparkling clean. Visualize your home without any distracting clutter. What would it look like?

Now that you are living with less, focus on
things that make you love your new life.

The magic of decluttering lies in the newfound joy of discovering all the stuff you really can live without! You will find greater contentment in your life, and in the growing relationships you now have time to build upon. I believe there are at least four important principles for learning to be contented with less. They are:

  1. Live beyond the temporary—I like the verse in Matthew 6:20 (niv): “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”
  2. Learn to give—Giving expands our heart and helps to keep our hands open to receive gratefully and to give cheerfully.
  3. Grow a thankful heart—Change your focus from what you don’t have to what you do have. Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have.
  4. Live within your means—That is a practice that Frank and I are attempting to incorporate into every day of our life. For example:
  • Our farm pickup is years old, rusty, dirty, but perfectly suited for what we use it for.
  • I still buy the majority of my clothes from second-hand stores.
  • We try to live sustainably, using the things we raise and grow instead of shopping at the high-priced and unhealthy big box food stores.
  • We love to furnish our home with gently used or repurposed furniture, loving the look of what I call our shabby chic home.

If you put your house in order now, you will be able to pour your time and passion into what brings you the most joy, your mission in life. Life truly begins after you have put your house in order.[4]

How to Declutter

[1] Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2014), 35.

[2] Ibid., 36.

[3] Ibid., 41

[4] Ibid., 204

Filed Under: Budget, Budget Shopping, DIY, family, Living Sustainably, Natural Living

4 Reasons to Pay Your Kids and Stop Giving Allowances

June 10, 2016 by Jackie Ritz 1 Comment

If you have young children, I’m sure you have discovered, as we have, that they aren’t necessarily born with an active, self-governing work ethic. We have tried several different methods to get our kids to do the simple things like pick up their clothes, make their beds, so simple household chores for us, and even the basic things like brush their teeth and comb their hair. Most of these methods have been appallingly ineffective, and left both the parents (us) and the kids (them) frustrated, grouchy, and vindictive. Then we discovered these 4 reasons to pay your kids and stop giving allowances. 

I want to give you a glimpse of the method that works for us in this blog post, and tell you how it has been a real game changer for us. Our kids’ attitudes have greatly improved, and they are learning the value of reward for work (AKA the value of the dollar). We have started giving our kids $1 when they complete their preassigned morning chores, and $1 for completing their preassigned evening chores.

The method I want to introduce to you was developed by Dave Ramsey and his daughter, Rachel Cruze. I heard Rachel speak in Orlando a few months ago at the doTERRA Leaders Convention and was so intrigued by what she shared. Rachel and her father, Dave Ramsey, have prepared a Smart Money Smart Kids teaching series that include their Smart Money Smart Kids book , a Smart Money Smart Kids workbook, and six practical, video-based lessons that give parents a step-by-step approach to teaching their kids about working spending, saving, giving, debt and contentment. They believe that this teaching tool will help their kids learn to make wise money choices and build character qualities so they will win not only with money, but also in life.

Because this method has been so successful in our parenting experience, I want to share a brief glimpse at each of these principles. I’m sure there are some of you who are struggling, as we did, with nearly daily arguments and frustrations as we tried to get our kids to learn to be responsible for the simple chores they needed to accomplish to share in the responsibility for our balanced, thriving, and happy home environment.

Dave Ramsey gives his own personal experience in these words:

 

While we have never perfectly executed the money-smart principles we teach in this book, we have succeeded in raising money-smart kids. Of all the successes, accolades, and fame I have been blessed with, what I am most proud of are my children. Sharon and I have three competent, confident, poised, and wonderful adult children. They are winning at their spiritual walks, their marriages, and their careers, and all of them handle money well.

The basic principles used in this method include:

  1. Work—It’s NOT a four-letter word
  2. Spend—When it’s gone, it’s gone
  3. Save—Wait for it
  4. Give—It’s not yours anyway
  5. Budgeting—Tell it what to do
  6. Debt—It IS a four-letter work
  7. College—Don’t graduate from I.O.U.
  8. Contentment—The war for your child’s heart
  9. Family—Put the FUN in Dysfunctional
  10. Generational Handoff—Blessings or Curses

Because we have younger children that we are teaching right now, we are not focusing on all of these principles right now. But I do want to highlight the four that are most important for us right now:

Work—It’s NOT a Four-letter Word

One of the most important lessons we can teach our children is to be hard workers. Teaching our children to work helps them to learn early that work creates discipline, and when you have discipline in your life, you are a healthier person.

Frank and I have certainly learned that lesson. Managing a very successful home-based business while caring for our farm with its nearly one hundred animals, gardens and homesteading lifestyle, plus blogging, writing books, and, most importantly, raising self-governed, happy children is certainly hard work.

But there’s no better feeling that completing all the various work that goes into just one day on the farm and in the business, and falling down on the sofa with my feet up, or soaking in a tub of hot water, and feeling completely exhausted—yet completely fulfilled.

We want our children to learn to recognize that same wonderful feeling of fulfillment for hard work done. They certainly won’t feel that way after sitting in front of the TV or PlayStation all day in the middle of a room littered with dirty dishes, thrown off clothes, and toys all over the place.

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But completing some preassigned chores like making their beds, picking up their rooms, completing some simple farm chores, and helping with the dishes will create a sense of accomplishment, something they can feel good about. It’s that feeling of accomplishment that will give them the confidence that they can go out and win at whatever they tackle.

Teaching our children to work is a necessary skill for life. It is setting them up to succeed, not setting them up to fail. It’s a habit that will stick to them for life.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. – Proverbs 22:6

This method does not incorporate the “allowance system.” Due to widespread use of the allowance system, there’s a whole generation that has grown up thinking money is free. They expect their parents to keep paying the bills until they are adults, and then often believe the government exists to take care of them as adults.

We are trying to teach our children this general rule: Work, get paid; don’t work, don’t get paid. Once your kids understand that money comes from work, they won’t be able to spend money on a toy without considering how much work went into actually making that money. We recently were able to observe how our two young children are learning this principle when we took them on a business trip to Savannah and Orlando with us. They each had several dollars of earnings with them, and we watched as they carefully assessed each thing they were tempted to buy by looking at their money and realizing how much less they would have if they spent some foolishly.

When it comes to the work chores you give to your children, start them young, but be sure you are giving them age-appropriate chores. I recommend you review my post on “Household Chores for Kids Under Seven.” Remember that kids are not born with the work ethic. Character traits of tolerance, perseverance and self-discipline are learned—and must be taught by us parents. It’s up to us to teach our kids the difference between wanting and getting, and how to postpone gratification in order to accomplish and succeed later as an adult.

When you are teaching your children that completing a work chore equals pay it is important to pay them soon after they complete the chores. That is why we pay our children for their work both morning and evening. Younger children cannot understand the concept of delayed payment. Older children might be able to wait to “payday” at the end of the week. Choose an amount of payment that works for your family. Our family is able to pay $1 at a time, but if this is too much for you, or you have too many children to afford $1 each, help them to understand that you are paying them according to your ability. Learning that will make them more responsible family members.

Spend—When It’s Gone, It’s Gone

This principle is one that my little ones learned very quickly. They had a couple of pretty anxious, frustrating experiences where they spent their money on foolishness, and then when they wanted something else desperately they tried begging: “Please, Mom, I really neeed this!” They even tried, “I’ll pay you back, I promise!”

Learning not to waste money on impulse is a very important lesson, and one that even very young kids can learn. Dave Ramsey says parents will learn quickly that, “it takes tremendous strength and resolve to suffer the consequences of their decision.”

To help your children learn that money has limits, Ramsey suggests teaching your children to use the envelope system. As parents we use that system for our own budgeting purposes—we label envelopes for each monthly expense, such as mortgage, food, tithing, entertainment, etc., and put a budgeted amount in each envelope. Once that envelope is empty, there’s no more for that particular expenditure until the next month.

We have taught our children to do the same thing. They have envelopes (mason jars) for giving, toys, saving, and a couple other things they like to use their money for. With younger children it’s important for them to SEE their money, which is why we use mason jars instead of envelopes at the time. As they learn to use this system, we have discovered that one of them is a natural spender, and the other is a natural saver. There’s nothing wrong with either characteristic, but it is very important for your children to learn to recognize which category fits them, and to learn how to be wise spenders or savers, and to spend their money wisely. You can greatly encourage your children in this by letting them watch your wise example.

Save—Wait for It

Learning to spend wisely is just the first step—if we want to raise our children to be successful with money, we’ve got to teach them to save.  Americans are certainly not a nation of savers. Research shows that adults are failing with money because of the money habits they developed as children. Saving is a behavior that comes from experience, not knowledge. Ramsey says:

 

After decades of coaching adults who have messed up financially, as well as those who have become wealthy, I am more convinced than ever that behavior is the primary indicator of successful wealth building. If you want to know if someone will win with money, all you have to do is look at his behavior and the character that drives that behavior. An adult’s ability to work well with people, have extreme integrity, and display emotional and spiritual maturity are key to building wealth and keeping it. Great talent might cause someone to get rich, but it usually flames out if he doesn’t know how to behave like a grown-up.

You are teaching behaviors that become character traits when you teach your children wise spending, saving, and giving behaviors. These character traits will teach them how to win at life.

Give—It’s Not Yours Anyway

One of the most important lessons we can teach our children is that money is not theirs. We believe that God owns everything, and He asks us to manage it for Him. Our children will be less selfish as adults if we teach them to view wealth as a responsibility, not a meal ticket. Their futures will be brighter if they learn to live with a spirit of abundance, rather than a spirit of lack. Teach them that they don’t own money—they are simply managers or stewards of it.

Our kids are growing up in a me, me, me culture. The antidote for selfishness isn’t a theory; it’s an action, and that action is giving. Teach your children giving by example. Because our children have seen us put an envelope with a check in the offering at church every time we are there, consistent giving has become much easier for them. It’s easier for adults to do their giving online in many instances, but your children will see the principle of giving reinforced much better by watching you write out that check, put it in that envelope, and put the envelope in the offering bag.

Our little ones watched as Frank and I went through the process of eliminating debt. They learned the lesson of waiting and saving through that process, and they also learned that it was important of us to learn to be givers, not takers. They have assisted us in our essential oil business by stuffing the envelopes with the giveaways we send to our team members, and are growing up in a family that values giving.

We have enjoyed creating opportunities for us to give as a family. We’ve taken part in “Angel Tree” programs at Christmas time when we give gifts to needy people. Teaching our children to understand that giving really matters is helping us to raise children who get great joy from giving money as well as getting it.

If you are not religious and do not give to your church, consider giving to a charity that your child can chooses!

Get Started NOW

We encourage you to get started now on this important parenting opportunity of teaching your children to be wise managers of money. It takes time, hard work and discipline to teach your kids to manage money wisely, but you’ll get the reward of watching as your grown kids go out on their own—confident, money-smart, and ready to take on the world.

Snag the book to guide you through all this here. 

Filed Under: essential oils, family

Our Homeschool Routine

October 7, 2015 by Jackie Ritz 17 Comments

It’s been over a year since I’ve been homeschooling. I am, by far, not an expert at this yet, but I’ve had so many of you ask me about what our homeschool routine and curriculum that we use are, so here it all is! 

I had always planned on homeschooling my little ones. My mother homeschooled me in my early years, and it is some of the most memorable times of my life. I remember doing so much with my older brother and younger sister during my homeschooled years and I had always hoped to do give the same memories to my children. 

There was a month where I had a moment of freak out. I didn’t think I would be able to do this and felt so much self-doubt. I actually ended up putting my daughter in public school during this panic and regretted it so much. She wasn’t even in public school a month before we pulled her out. It just wasn’t a good fit for our laid back, farm life. 

Our Style of Homeschooling: 

There are many different approaches to homeschooling, but here are the top 5: 

  1. Traditional – this is probably the that most of us grew up with. You have separate textbooks and workbooks for each subject and usually the workbooks contain multiple choice answers and fill-in-the blanks. 
  2. Classical – this style of education teaches children according to the Trivium (3 stages): the Grammar Stage, the Dialectic stage, and the Rhetoric Stage. 
  3. Unschooling  – also called “Child-Led Learning” this follows the interest and pace of the child and has no set curriculum. 
  4. Unit Studies – Unit studies take a theme or topic and incorporate all the school subjects (language arts, history, science, music, art, etc.) into that topic.
  5. Charlotte Mason – this style of education uses rich literature, also called “living books”, rather than textbooks. This approach uses a generous curriculum, rich in nature, art, music, and narration, that “spreads the feasts” throughout the week, leaving lots of room to digest what the child is learning. 

Want to find out which type of homeschooler you are? TAKE THIS QUIZ! It’s fun and you might want to see what fits your family’s personality before you go spending money on an expensive curriculum. 

Our family is Charlotte Mason through-and-through! We have a deep love and appreciation for good books, art, and leaving lots of room for thought and processing. We don’t like to rush ideas, thoughts, or check things off the list. We appreciate good books, known as living books. These are books that come alive! I’m sure you all can think of a childhood book you love. Most likely it is a “living book”! Oh and, we really do not like textbooks. We would rather learn from nature, or from stories, than a textbook. So, this philosophy fits us perfectly! 

Our Curriculum & Routine: 

We have a first grader and a 4 year old who participates in our school day. Our 4 year old takes part in the morning basket (I’ll explain later) and the literature reading we do. Other than that, he mostly plays outdoors or does artwork during our formal hour of school. 

It’s important to remember that we believe that learning takes place all throughout the day, not just during “formal school hours”. With our first grader, it takes us about an hour in the morning to finish the daily studies, and the rest is done throughout the day whenever learning opportunities spring up. 

A few things today that prompted learning:

  • Retrieving the hen’s eggs and counting them
  • Learning from a local farm about proper horsemanship and respect of animals
  • We watched a documentary on the most dangerous animals and an Australian crocodile was one of them. We got out the air-dry clay (best stuff in the world!) and made alligators.
  • We spelled out new words from our reading on our refrigerator during dinner prep. 
  • We put up a new vinyl wall decal with 73 different stickers. Little farm girl did it all herself, counting and making sure she staying in order.
  • We listened to Bach in the car and talked about how he used to teach piano

We use some of the Simply Charlotte Mason materials, along with using a lot of the recommendations on Ambleside Online. So make sure you check out those two amazing websites! Ambleside Online links to MANY online books, so you could homeschool for pretty much free! I prefer books I can hold in my hand, and find lots of the recommended reading books at thrift stores and used on Amazon for a good price. 

Our Morning Basket:

This is a basket of books I keep on the dining room table and do with the kids during breakfast or “morning tea” (morning snack). It includes our poem book, our Bible, a stack of famous art from an artist (we are doing Constable right now), and a few CD’s. We read a poem everyday, talk about our Bible lesson for the week (this week it’s the ladder that reached heaven), play a folksong or hymn, and just take advantage of the early morning opportunity to learn (while the kids are sitting still eating!). 

If you want to see exactly what is in our morning basket, feel free to take a peak at my weekly schedule HERE. This is where I keep track of what we are doing and making sure we are getting through our materials. 

We don’t do all of these every, single day. We kind of rotate through different books, finding our own pace, and making sure the kids are understanding what we are reading. I go at their pace.

What exactly is in our morning basket? 

  • A Child’s Book of Verses
  • The Child’s Story Bible 
  • Bach Music Study
  • Shakespeare for Young Readers
  • Jeremy: The Honest Bunny (our current literature book) 

Everyday Work: 

After we finish breakfast we head to our homeschooling room and do the “formal” stuff. These are the materials that I make sure we do everyday. And just a note, we don’t spend more than 10-15 minutes on each of these subjects. Less is more!  The everyday subjects include reading/phonics, copywork (handwriting practice), math and history. I’ve pieced together materials that work for us and these include: 

Math Curriculum: Math-U-See – we LOVE this math curriculum and the simplicity of it. We have tried 2 other curriculums that didn’t work for us and fell in love with Math-U-See. 

Copywork: this is handwriting activity is essential to the early years. We use various poems or folksongs that we are learning and write a few lines from them. We do this everyday. I believe that less is more in this and I make sure that my first grader is taking her time and writing neat. Right now we are writing the lines from a folksong we are loving called, “The Bold Grenadier“. Here’s a short part of it: 

“As I was a-walking one morning in May 
I spied a young couple a-making of hay. 
Oh, one was a fair maid, and her beauty shone clear, 
And the other was a soldier, a bold grenadier.”
 
Phonics: We love the phonics curriculum from Easy Peasy. Easy Peasy is a free, online curriculum and uses much of the Charlotte Mason method. We have almost completed the phonic lessons from “Getting Ready 2“, which will complete our phonics. 
 
Reading: My first grader is reading through the Pathway Readers. I HIGHLY recommend this series, but make sure you start at the first book. These readers are so delightful and help so much with sight words…plus they are the cutest stories ever! When we come upon a new word, we talk about it, build it with her letters, and move on. 

History: You can take a peak at our schedule HERE and see all the great books we are reading for history. Paddle to the Sea is the main one we are reading; making sure to track Paddle’s journey on our map as he journeys from the Great Lakes to the St. Lawrence River, and finally the Atlantic Ocean. It’s full of geography, nature, drama, and adventure that all children (even us adults) love reading! 

Literature: We make sure to read various fairy tales and great literature books everyday. We don’t read all these every, single day. We pick one book a day for mandatory reading and then the kids usually beg for more. Our 4 year old enjoys sitting in and listening to most of these. Right now we are reading a wide variety, including Aesop’s Fables for Children (the kids ADORE these) , Jeremy, The Honest Bunny, Blue Fairies, and a few others. You can see them all HERE on our schedule. We follow the reading lists on Ambleside Online for most of these. 

Weekly Work: 

This is the part I love about the Charlotte Mason approach. You spread out a lot of the work throughout the week, making sure that the child is retaining it all. We do most of this stuff once a week. We do art everyday, but I’m putting it in this section because it’s encouraged to do at least once a week. 

Picture Study: Each term (3 terms in a year) we focus on a new artist. Right now we are studying the masterpieces of Constable. I use a picture-study portfolio from HERE and we pick a new picture to study each week. WE talk about it and then hang it up on our classroom wall. 

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Nature Study: Though encouraged to do at least once a week, this is a daily thing we do. We live on a farm and the kids enjoy so much time outdoors. We use the Handbook of Nature Study and try to study things in season. We will rotate the various animals and things of nature in this book for the next five years! This book is a beautiful investment! 

Geography: We usually cover geography in our history reading of Paddle to the Sea, however, our first grader LOVES maps and learning about location. We are taking “Visits to Africa” using THIS BOOK and diving into the culture of Africa. We are enjoying reading about what they eat in Africa and the various countries using this Hungry Plant book. 

Some days are better than others when you are homeschooling, but overall, we are so in love with being able to share our day with our children. I, personally, am enjoying the fact that I am going through school again! I love all the books my children are reading, and I love the special moments and conversations that develop because of our time together! 

Our Homeschool Routine and Curriculum

Filed Under: family, Homeschooling, Natural Living

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Hi, I'm Jackie Ritz and welcome to The Paleo Mama! I'm a published author, certified herbalist, and voracious researcher of natural medicine and nutrition. I'm glad you're here and I hope you stick around for awhile!

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