New Chickens and Tennis!

      Last Saturday was very hectic day! I have discovered chicken swaps!!! The new love of Tractor Supply on Saturdays!! My husband decided to go with me since it was an hour away and he wanted some white leghorns. We got up Saturday morning at 6am and I packed our little some snacks and breakfast and we headed out.
      When we got there everyone was just setting up. We found exactly what my hubby was looking for and then grabbed some feed and headed home. The chickens he purchased have a great personality and are really sweet and by that evening had laid eggs! Normally they get a little stressed and take a couple days to become accustomed.
        Here is where the hectic part of Saturday came in...... Miss J had tennis! Her first day and she was so excited! She is only 3 (almost 4 in a couple weeks) but she played at a street fest one day and fell in love with it! It started at 10:30 that morning. We got back home at 9:30 and I had to drop the hubby off and get her dressed at light speed and then load her back up and head 30 minutes away:) We made it and the kiddo had a ball and can't wait to go back this coming Saturday. I love the fact my kids will tell me things they want to do so we can make sure that they get the opportunities that will make them happy! Who knows in this house at the moment we have a musician, a 4-her and a tennis player, when they grow up we could have a composer, a veterinarian, and a coach!!!
 

Homesteading Adventure

     With our lives as stressful as they are managing the girls allergies I decided it was time to add to our flock of 6 hens. So in January I decided to jump and order a bunch of chicks from a hatchery. Yes a hatchery, I wanted them laying by summer so this was why I acquired them before most farmers would have chicks. So I did a lot of research (hours of internet reading on backyardchickens.com and tons of homsteading books!) to figure out which breeds I wanted to expand to and which hatchery to use! I went with Rhode Island Reds (we always have these), Anaconas, Cornish Rocks, and a brown egg layer special. They all arrived January 31.
     I loved them! Now came the hard part.... my coop only is built for 6! We knew when I ordered the chicks I would need a new coop, but this winter was a rough one with snow every other day. Finally in March we began with the coop and finished it within two weeks. All of my "teenagers" are in that coop at the moment because they are still a bit small to introduce my hens to.

       Then a new issue was discovered....remember the homesteading books I mentioned?....... Well they caused me to draw up plans for my hubby! I decided I wanted pigs and goats!! With the girls allergies I am hoping the more homemade (or home grown) food will help with the managing and its FUN!! So being the wonderful husband that he is he has agreed to build the pens. At the moment our goat pen is about to begin construction. I will keep you updated as we go. To me this is the most helpful thing that has come of the allergies. More education about food and being on top of what goes into our bodies!

Happy Homesteading!! 

Beginning.....

      Yesterday we took an adventure in homeschooling.... Food Science! I have always cooked with my girls since M was 4 and S was 2 and J has been with me sitting on our counter in the corner since she was born (I even put her bouncy seat in the corner so i could can LOL!).

        We made homemade sausage from chicken and pork. We also made Butter!! Pretty awesome time in my kitchen with the girls. Since we have been homeschooling because of the allergies. ( I have also meant to put this out there: We do not exclude our children from a lot of things we try to have control over the food they are around. Trust me the girls get out plenty and are around a lot of people! Homeschooling is just safer and I am happy to report they are progressing faster than in public school (just food for thought)). We have also changed the way we do things in our house. I have gone back to disinfecting with vinegar and using all natural products. We are also about to begin a venture into homesteading! My chicks should have actually been shipped today!!!! So excited... Did you know that you can have day old chickens shipped to you? I sure didn't! I can honestly not wait this is something I have had in mind for a while and we have finally decided to dive in! The girls are excited and I think that the way we already approach school will benefit from it!

   Before I confuse anyone with that last statement.... My approach to homeschooling is pretty simple..... I want these girls to have a butt kicking education where they can begin college and excel to their fullest potential but also have a common sense education along with it! By saying common sense education I really mean I want my girls to be able to survive if they happen to end up on a farm with the love of their life no matter how much education they have:) So basically book smarts and the ability to make any and everything they may need to especially with the allergies they have! Pretty simple right??? Well maybe it is more complicated than I initially thought BUT it is working great they can tell you all about crystals and rocks and in the next breath teach you how to make butter! LOVE IT

Homeschooling Plunge

We began homeschooling this year! It has honestly been the most amazing time I have spent with my three girls!

    Most people ask why we decided to home school..... Well first off my oldest had her allergies diagnosed while in Kindergarten with tree nuts and peanuts. It was a trip! I was at school ALL the time. To no avail did the teacher listen!! Then 1st grade and she had an awesome teacher who understood and kept me aware of all the activities in which she would need a snack provided. Fast forward to 2nd grade and it was again awful! The teacher and I had many and I mean many heated issues! 3rd grade her teacher was a good teacher but awful at making sure I was aware of what was going on so M could be accommodated.
   

    After all this when I went and got the J tested and she had 17 foods (the 2 dyes were added later) I looked at my husband and informed him that J would be home schooled! Unfortunately I had little say (even though the M and S are with me the majority of the time they are still my stepdaughters). I began talking to their birth mom about it and she said "I really could careless as long as they don't fall behind and still can see their friends". Okay so that was one hurdle or so I thought! M went and got retested and had 30 foods this time! I went straight from the allergist and had a meeting with her teacher and the school nurse. To my disappointment they both looked at me and basically said there was really nothing they could do to guarantee me that she wouldn't get exposed to the 30 things. Which I somewhat understand but they really didn't even seem willing! I specifically asked the teacher to make sure I was aware of any activity that was going to have food and he told me that was the class parents responsibility and he would get her into contact with me. Lets just say between that conversation and our decision the class parent never contacted me and there was a party M was completely left out of because she couldn't eat!  

 So my husband and I talked it over and decided. That is when birth mom had an issue. Ultimately we let the girls in on the decision. They chose home school and they tell me all the time they are so glad they did!

     We do hands on Science, hands on Math and a lot of research for English. We love our History field trips and french.  We love it and they are doing so great!!
 
  S(7) is almost into a 3rd grade math book! M(9) is writing small children books and having NO issues with math even long division! J(3) can tell you how to spell her name, trace her letters and recognize all her numbers.

   I am not anti-public school I promise but when it comes down to the school basically looking at you and telling you that they really can't guarantee you that they can keep your child safe then its time to try something else!
 

Snowed In!!

       Its been almost a week since our snow storm! While we can get out and about its still COLD!! I have decided it is the perfect time to pull out a new recipe to try:) My cousin loves to talk about the bean soup she makes all the time with leftover chopped ham..... Well beans are really a no-go for the 9 year old! But that's where fore-thinking comes into play.

       In October (I only know this because i labeled it! lol) I made some awesome beanless chili!! I also froze the last bowl of it for occasions like this. M's Favorite cold day recipe is my chili!! So since I can pull that out and heat it up for her I decided to try a recipe for leftover ham soup!

I had a quart bag full of cubed up spiral ham from Christmas dinner in our freezer. I have added that to one small bag of carrots chopped up and 4 small red potatoes. About 6 cups of water and 2 cans of white beans. A little salt, pepper and garlic powder and BAM boil it and you have soup about an hour later!
You can leave out or substitute if there are allergies! This is an awesome recipe to play with!


Ham Soup

3or 4 cups chopped ham pieces
1 small bag of carrots chopped or one regular can of sliced carrots
4 small red potatoes (any potatoes really!)
2 cans White Beans
Garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
Throw all ingredients in pot or crockpot and let it boil til desired thickness. Enjoy!!

Quick Allergen Free Pork Chop Meal!

Tonight I had an incredible craving for some pork chops! My girls have all these allergies so sauteing them and throwing them in some of the good tasting sauces they now make is out of the question so whats a mom to do? Develop her own recipe!!

 Here are the ingredients:
      1 pound Pork Chops
      1 small yellow onion
      Salt
      Pepper
      Garlic Powder
      2 tablespoons Cornstarch (or your thickening agent )
      Milk or your milk substitute (hemp milk, oat milk, rice milk,or coconut milk)

      First start heating some oil (I use canola because it does not contain any allergens). While it is heating up begin to chop your onion. You can dice it if you would rather have small pieces, personally I left them in medium size slices because they will break down while cooking. Cook them until they are almost clear. Then add the Pork Chops directly on top! I put a top on my pan so they would steam while they cooked and get really tender!

       Cook your chops thoroughly. When they are done go ahead and put them on a plate and stick them in the microwave or oven to keep them warm! Then add a little extra oil to your pan (leave your onions in), add your cornstarch or flour (whichever kind your allergies allow!). Once it is all incorporated with the oil add milk and whisk..... make sure you add your milk slowly and whisk vigorously.  When you have about 2 cups of milk added let the gravy thicken while you still continue to whisk. Season it as you whisk it garlic and a little more salt and pepper.

 You can POP your pork chops back into the gravy to warm them back up and serve them with a side of broccoli.

      For the broccoli i took two crowns and chopped them up and sauteed them in a pan with a small amount of oil. Just long enough to get them a little soft! After I pulled them off the heat I added about 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast. You can always use a kind of shredded cheese that will work for you. In my house that wouldn't work because two of my girls are allergic to each others cheese! Go figure LOL!!
   That is how this Momma made a nice dinner that she was craving and made it allergen friendly!!!
ENJOY!!!

Update:)

       Life sure knows how to go very fast and knock you on your tail! I just realized i haven't written in months..... Wow i feel like it was just yesterday that i had written and that I was going to write tomorrow and tomorrow hasn't come:(
        Tonight I am going to catch you up! I have a new inspirational hero in my life i have begun looking up to....(this says alot because i don't really look up to television personalities!). Ree, The Pioneer Woman, I have begun to look up to and aspiring to be more like. She has this amazing power to make me feel like i can aspire and accomplish to be like her because my life is somewhat similar. I feel like getting my life more in order and organized is realistic.
       As you know my baby was just diagnosed with multiple food allergies YIKES....17 in all. You would think i would feel overwhelmed, well you are right! I did feel very overwhelmed but then i took a breath and took a positive approach to it.

Fast Forward  one month down the road.....
   
        My oldest step-daughter (as i am reminded by numerous people that she is not my biological daughter) has her latest round of allergy test..... YIKES with this child!! We now have 30 more food allergies! The baby has Tree Nut, Peanut, Soy, Milk, Eggs, Barley, Buckwheat, Catfish and Codfish (the nuts are what i count individually). The Oldest has now been diagnosed with Grains, Soy, Shellfish, Chocolate (cocoa) all in addition to her current Peanuts and Tree Nuts. Her reaction was so volatile that we ended up at the doctor the majority of the day.

Back to Today....

      We are learning how to take this one day at a time and the only real "issue" is with M going back and forth to her mothers because in this world some people just do not understand that when a doctor states that "this child is highly sensitive" and "will be the one to end up in the hospital" that I am highly nervous when she has food made around allergens or lotions that contain allergens..... If your child has allergies please listen to the allergist they are wonderful! 

     I will be blogging soon some of the kiddies favorite recipes and about our new venture HOMESCHOOLING! If anyone has any pointers about homeschooling or allergies feel free to leave it in the comments! I always love to hear other peoples input about things I am going through and about the ventures I am about to undertake!

     Speaking of homeschooling, the more research I have been doing i ended up running across The Pioneer Woman's blog and realized she home schools her kids. My new aspiration has become to be small percentage of what she is. A writer, a blogger, a cookbook writer, a home schooling mom, a ranch wife (i am a farm wife;)) and so much more. I will let you know how this goes:):)