Written by Karen @ To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer

Whether you enjoy it or hate it, gathering food and preparing it for our families is something we all have to do.

Sometimes I really enjoy it. At other times…not so much. But, with over 27 years of experience behind me, I’ve learned a few things that have helped make it a natural part of my routine.

It all starts with a plan.

Building The Menu:

Since I shop for groceries every other week, I plan our meals two weeks at a time. Meal planning this way has a few advantages:

• It corresponds with my husband’s pay schedule so I can do all of our shopping, bill paying, and errand running at once.
• When food items are on sale, I can stock up and repeat a menu twice during the menu cycle.
• Shopping every other week instead of weekly really does save on the grocery bill (we tested out the weekly shopping trips once and were stunned at how much more we spent.)

I begin with an Excel spreadsheet with blocks for 21 meals. On each row I list the menu for the first week, type a slash mark, then list the menu for that same day the second week. Often I will just type “x2” beside a meal and we’ll have it both weeks.

Filling in the Menu:

I follow a distinct routine each time I build a new menu. The very first thing I do is transfer meals. Nearly without fail, we will have a meal or two leftover from the previous menu that we never got around to preparing for one reason or another. Because I already have the ingredients on hand, I’m already lowering the next grocery bill.

Next, I shop the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. If we have leftovers or extras that can be made into new meals, I add those to the menu and note any additional items I’ll need to buy to prepare them.

The next step I take is to shop the sales ads. All of the grocery stores I shop have online ads, which makes it a breeze to browse their sales. I regularly shop 5 different stores for our groceries, snagging the best deals at three of them, and buying the rest that we need at Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart.  

I buy nearly all of our produce at one of the stores and the other two offer weekly Buy 1, Get 1 Free sales, which I use to lower our bill for the menu or to stock up on things we use frequently. Armed with sales information, I then use those items to create menu plans.  

Finally, if I still have holes in the menu, I go to my old menu folder for ideas from previous weeks that I may have forgotten about.

Making the Shopping Lists:

While checking the sales ads, I jotted down the items I planned to buy. The only remaining lists to make are those for Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart.

As much as I’d like to avoid Wal-Mart, the things that I can’t get elsewhere get purchased there, and we are still a large enough family that shopping at Sam’s Club makes sense.

I keep a master Excel worksheet for each of these stores with a list of the common things we buy.

When I realized we were often buying the same things over and over at Sam’s Club, I created a master sheet. Now, all I have to do is go down the list and decide if we need to purchase each item during the upcoming trip.

I make a list on the side of the items we need, add any additional items, copy and paste it into an email, and send it to my husband or teen son (who almost always does the Sam’s Club shopping for us).

Wal-Mart is my beast! I start with the master list, making note of the basics that we need in each department. After those are typed into my list, I go down the menu, meal by meal, noting any additional items I need to prepare them. These are added to the Wal-Mart list. Sometimes I email it to myself, but often I just print it out because nearly without fail, someone will ask me to pick up _____ while I’m at Wal-Mart and I need to add it to the list. 

My Favorite Shopping Habits:

For a couple of years, I tried the coupon game. Eventually, however, I gave it up because it was so time-intensive, and I found that we were actually changing the culture of our eating habits because of them. Now, I will occasionally use them if they are easy, a great deal, and something I would have purchased anyway.

Instead, I prefer to shop for the best deals I can find. During the summer, I visit the farmer’s market and local produce farms to get the freshest produce available and at great prices. For the rest of the year, the practice of pursuing ads and gleaning the best deals has worked much better than trying to pair coupons with my purchases. 

Buy 1, Get 1 Free deals are some of the best ways I’ve found to save, and I try to always stock up on things that we use frequently when they are offered in these sales. 

My very favorite shopping habit, however, is using shopping apps to save. SavingStar, Ibotta, MobiSave, and Checkout 51 are my favorites. Although they are slightly different, the basic principle with each is to scan the barcodes from purchased items, upload the sales receipt, and get cash back in your account! There are various payout methods for each, but my favorite are those that offer a direct transfer to my PayPal account. Over time it really adds up and is much less time-consuming than dealing with coupons. 

Finding unique ways to shop and save is as individual as each family, but with a few basic principles in hand, you’ll be well on your way to a routine that is effective, yet low-impact – even with more than a few mouths to feed.

What are some of your favorite menu planning and shopping tips?

The post Meal Planning and Shopping Tips appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by Karen @ To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer

What about your spring garden?

Even though it’s still cold outside, it’s not too early to think about and start planning! Starting now gives you a fun distraction from the chilly temperatures, lays the foundation for a more successful garden, and can save you a lot of money.

Let’s Get Distracted:

I’m sure there are those who adore winter. I am not one of those people. While I’m grateful we have seasons and there are wonderful celebrations and beautiful scenery in each of them – even winter – I personally spend most of every winter very uncomfortable. I’m ridiculously cold-natured and if we keep the house temperature where I like it, some of my family is sweating! This is true.

I’ve learned a few ways to cope, however, and focusing on spring is one of them. If you’re a gardener, you can’t even mention spring without thinking of tender green growing plants. Getting a head start on the garden now is a great way to be distracted from the bone-chilling cold and sometimes bleak days of winter.

Lay the Foundation for Success:

As with most anything, good planning lays the foundation for a more successful gardening year. Deciding what you want to grow, learning their preferred growing conditions, finding out when to start indoors and when to move outdoors, choosing any special growing structures that may be needed, and calculating when you can expect a harvest are all things to take into consideration before spring arrives. 

Determining all of these aspects of the spring garden and pulling out your calendar will keep you on track for maximum yield by having your plants and garden ready at the optimal time.

Save some Money

Gardening in and of itself is a great way to save money on your grocery budget, but if you aren’t deliberate about how you do it, you could actually end up still spending quite a bit of money.

One of the very best ways to save money on garden plants is to start them yourself from seeds, and if you grow open-pollinated varieties of plants, you can save even more money by saving seeds from your own garden year after year. 

Planning ahead can also save money by giving you the time to find unconventional supplies. Will you need trellis supports or growing cages? If you wait until spring you probably will only have enough time to purchase whatever your home improvement store or nursery sells. Start planning in winter, and you have time to consider what you may already have (or what you can find in a thrift store now that you are thinking about gardening structures) that would work well for a fraction of the cost.

So how to start planning now?

First, consider your growing plans. Do you already have a garden area? Will you need to start one from scratch? Will you garden on a deck or patio? Will you grow some or all of your garden in containers? How much sunlight will your garden get? How will you water? Do you need to amend your soil?

The answers to these questions will shape your plans. 

Next, decide what you’ll grow. Peruse online garden suppliers or seed catalogs and choose vegetables, herbs, and flowers you want to grow based on your growing plans. Two of my favorite suppliers are:

• Seed Savers Exchange
• Botanical Interests

Both companies offer open-pollinated and organic seeds and have a large selection to choose from.

Once you have your seeds selected and purchased, get out your calendar and determine when you’ll need to move your plants outdoors. Check your seed packets for information on how long seeds take to germinate, and when they can be transplanted into the garden. 

Using the last frost date for your garden zone, count backwards on your calendar for the specific requirements of each plant. Then you’ll know when to start them.

I’ve just finished a 4-part series on starting herbs from seed and it contains detailed information on how to start with a packet of seeds and end with strong and vibrant herb plants that are ready for the spring garden.

Finally, you can go ahead and get started growing your garden! Gardening has some basic principles, but each garden is as unique as the gardener. Spend some time now planning and dreaming about your spring garden and before you know it, you’ll be enjoying the results of your efforts during the frosty days of winter!

What will you grow this spring?

The post What About Your Spring Garden? appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

Written by Karen @ To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer

Setting Goals is probably practiced in January more than in any other month of the year. It’s a new beginning, and with it, we usually want to make positive changes in our lives and homes.

That’s a good thing! But, as with most things, setting goals is a learning process. Since I began setting goals, I’ve had some successes, some bumps, and some downright failures. 

Here are 10 tips I’ve learned for setting goals for the New Year:

1.Keep it reasonable

One of the greatest culprits for goal failure is trying to do too much.

In my earliest attempts at goal setting, that’s exactly what I did. I started January excited, found February a little challenging, began slipping in March,and sometime during April, I totally lost steam. Just looking at my notebook lying on the shelf roused feelings of condemnation and failure. 

I’ve learned that it’s far better to set fewer goals, reach them, then set new goals during the year, than to have a huge list that becomes overwhelming. Keep the goal list as a servant – not a taskmaster.

2. Make Your Goals Specific, Measurable, and Time-Sensitive

When you’re first getting started with goal-setting, it’s easy to set some ambiguous goals.

Goals such as: ‘be a better mom’, ‘learn to be more patient’, ‘spend more time reading the Bible’, or ‘do more for others’ are all simply too general.

These goals are so vague that it’s impossible to know when you’ve reached them.

For your goals to work for you they need to include 3 key elements:

• They must be specific. Instead of trying to be a better mom, set a goal to have a baking session with your daughter once per week, or to read through an adventure story with your son each month. These are specific, concrete goals.
• They must be measurable. If you can’t measure your goals, you won’t know when you’ve arrived. If you want to read through the Bible this year, set a goal of reading a certain portion each day and at the end of each day, you will easily know if you’ve made it. 
• They must be time-sensitive. Without the gentle pressure of time, we can amble around, accomplishing very little toward our goals; they easily get pushed onto the “back burner”. Knowing exactly when your goals are due to be finished keeps you focused and on track.

Perhaps you want to write 4 notes of encouragement to friends by the end of the month. That goal is: specific (write notes), measurable (4), and time-sensitive (by the end of the month), and is much more concrete than “do more for others”.

3. Break Goals Down into Smaller Pieces

When you have a goal that can be broken down into smaller, bite-sized pieces, you’re much more likely to reach it. If your goals are specific, measurable, and time-sensitive, they are almost always easily broken down.

Looking at one of your annual goals, break it down into monthly bites, then weekly and daily bites. If you have a goal to declutter your house by the end of the year, you can tackle one room per month, working on books one week, clothes another week, and toys another, etc. 

Or, you may choose to set a timer and devote a certain amount each day, jumping right in and tackling everything in the room at once. What you do specifically isn’t the most crucial point – finding what works for you in small pieces is.

4. Evaluate Regularly and Make Adjustments

Setting aside time each week, or at a minimum each month, to evaluate your progress is critical.

Keeping track of how you’re doing, and where you’re going next keeps the ball rolling.

While you’re evaluating, you may find that you need to make adjustments. When something unexpected comes along, you’ll probably need to adjust your goals. Maybe you need to shift the time of day you work on a particular goal. Maybe you need to devote more or less time to one. 

Or, perhaps after giving it a fair shot, you realize your goal just isn’t a priority for you anymore and you choose to lay it down. Adjusting goals is perfectly reasonable, and I doubt very many goal setters have made it completely through a year without making adjustments. 

5. Write Them Down and Keep Them Visible

It may seem like an insignificant thing, but having your goals visible can make or break your momentum.

We are all busy! It takes constant effort to keep the schedule in check and to make choices between the unreal number of options we have to choose from when spending our time.

If your goals don’t meet your eyes frequently, you will likely forget them!

Of course, to see them, they must be written down or typed out. Goals that are simply swirling around in your head are short-lived. Recording them makes them concrete. 

6. Don’t Focus on Just One Area of Your Life

When setting goals, it’s easy to focus on a single area of life.

Just as in school, however, setting goals in a broader range of areas makes us better rounded. 

Some areas to consider setting goals in are: personal (spiritual, physical, and mental), marriage, children, family, finance, business, education, and community.

7. When You Mess Up

There have been plenty of times in my efforts toward reaching goals that I’ve messed up.

I’ve dropped the ball, lost momentum, gotten off track when unexpected things happened,; and simply despaired because it was too overwhelming.

The most important thing to remember when you mess up is DON’T GIVE UP!

Find your place, make adjustments, and begin again. Any small step, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction. Keep moving and you’ll be making progress! Over time progress adds up.

8. Don’t Fall into the “To-Do” List Trap

Another easy trap to fall into when you beginning goal-setting is to add “to-do” items to your goals list. 

While to-do’s have their place, they aren’t the same as goals and shouldn’t displace them. As a matter of fact, your goals will likely – and should – show up on your to-do lists!

There are so many things to accomplish every day and the list can get longer than we can practically manage in a hurry. Make sure you don’t set goals like weekly grocery shopping or taking the dog to the vet in February.

But, your goal of reading that book with your son can show up on Monday’s to-do list, by blocking out a specific amount of time to devote to it.

9. Forward Momentum Counts

If your goals are broken down well, it may seem that some are insignificant on a daily basis. That simply isn’t true.

If you set a goal to remove just one item that is no longer useful from your home each day, you will have removed 366 items by the end of this year!

Every step forward counts. As long as you aren’t falling backward, every step forward puts you closer to reaching your goal, even if you have to slow your pace along the way and perhaps adjust your ending date.

10. Keep Going by Setting New Goals

Reaching a goal is an exciting and exhilarating feeling! Once you reach one, however, it isn’t time to stop.

Are there other goals in the same area that you’d like to work toward? Maybe you had a very long list at the beginning that you knew was unattainable and chose to cut some items. Now you can add one of those back onto your list. 

Setting and working toward goals is a learning process, just as working through them is, but the rewards you reap and the investment you make in your life and the lives of others are worth the effort. I set goals because I don’t want to simply tick off the days of my life, missing opportunities to grow and be a blessing to others. I hope you’ll be encouraged to set some this year too.

Here are a few of my favorite goal-setting resources:

The One Quality You Must Develop to Reach Your Goals

How to Change Your Life By Setting Goals

The 2 Most Powerful Words for Reaching Your Goals

The To Work With My Hands’ Setting Goals Series

How about you? Are you setting goals for 2016? Do you have more tips to add?

The post 10 Tips for Setting Goals this New Year appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by Karen @To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer

When I was pregnant with our second son, I had a lot of time on my hands. Our oldest son was in public school at the time, my husband was at work, and I was home alone all day.

When the Christmas season arrived that year, I was in the midst of the second trimester – past the yucky first, and not yet into the bulky last. I finally felt better and was eager to get my hands into something.

It was during those few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas break that I came up with these fun little crocheted wreaths. I made more than a few of them, and 22 years later, we still have some hanging around in our Christmas decor boxes. 

Now I want to share the simple tutorial with you!

This project requires only 2 basic stitches. If you don’t know how to crochet, check out this site for instructions on how to get started and for the stitches that are used in this project.

For this project you will need:

• 1 crochet hook, size G
• Dark Green Yarn (or color of your choice)
• 17″ length of 1/8″ red satin ribbon (or color of your choice)
• small bell, Christmas ball, or decorative sprig
• scissors

Instructions:

Begin by creating a slip knot and chaining 18.

Slip stitch to the beginning chain to create a loop.

Chain 3.

Make a double stitch in the first chain, and 2 double stitches in the second chain. Repeat, alternating between one and two double stitches in each chain, all the way around, weaving the end piece into the work as you go. Join with a slip stitch to the beginning double stitch: 28 double stitches.

Chain 5. 

Skip the next double stitch, and slip stitch in the top of the following double stitch.

Repeat all of the way around: 14 loops.

Chain 15.

Turn the wreath over and attach the chain to the base using a slip stitch. Clip the yarn and weave the raw edge into the back of the work.

Using the crochet hook, weave the ribbon through the double stitches, beginning and ending at the top. Tie into a bow and add a small Christmas ball, greenery sprig, or other small decoration, if you like. 

These are great for using as tree ornaments, accents to gift tags, or you could do what my kids do and put them on every doorknob in the house! I like the classic dark green for gift tags and decorating, but you might like to make them in varying colors for ornaments as the dark green tends to blend right in with the tree.

I hope you’ll enjoy making these quick and easy crocheted wreaths! They add a warm, personal touch to Christmas gifts and decor.

What’s your favorite Christmas decor to make?

The post DIY Crocheted Wreath Ornament/Gift Tag appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by Karen @ To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer

With Thanksgiving coming up soon, people usually begin thinking more about having a grateful attitude. While that’s a good thing, it shouldn’t be reserved for a single weekend each year. 

Although we may not want to admit it, our typical attitude tends toward ingratitude. Perhaps we wouldn’t label it that way, but when we find ourselves complaining, always striving for more, or being generally dissatisfied with what we have, we have ungrateful attitudes. Ouch!

Over the past few years, I’ve been working on this idea of cultivating a grateful attitude. I have to admit that I was surprised when I began having my eyes opened to my expressions of ingratitude. It wasn’t particularly easy to realize that I had been in the habit of being ungrateful.

How easy it is to wonder how in the world the children of Israel could have grumbled over anything at all after living firsthand God’s goodness toward them after they left Egypt. Yet, all the while, we walk about expressing dissatisfaction over the weather or how we can never seem to get ahead or whatever the latest less-than-perfect situation is that we may find ourselves in. I’ve been there. Sometimes I’m wallowing in it again.

Cultivating a grateful attitude is a Spirit-led, work-in-progress, and I’m grateful for what I’ve been able to learn and cultivate about, well…being grateful!

When I realized that I needed to work on cultivating gratitude in my heart, I was already familiar with many Biblical passages that address thankfulness. However, I had not given them the deeper consideration that I should have. Being grateful seemed so straightforward and as simple as saying “Thank You”.

But, as I began considering it more deeply, I realized that it is far more than just uttering a couple of automatic words. Cultivating a grateful attitude begins in the heart.

One of the most encouraging and helpful resources that I found was this book: One Thousand Gifts. You’ve probably certainly heard of it since it’s 2011 release. When I first heard about it, I was intrigued by the notion of keeping a journal to record things I’m grateful for, and wondered if it could really be that simple.

What I was thrilled to learn was, yes, it is that simple. However, through the simple act of recording a few things each day that I’m grateful for, my heart began to change shape.

Bit by bit, entry by entry, my focus began to change. And, as with many of the new habits I’ve worked on cultivating in my life, it really just opened up a door to a broader place.

One of my favorite verses about gratitude is 1 Thessalonians 5:18:

“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Through this verse, and others like it, I’ve been challenged during difficult days and circumstances to give thanks, regardless of how things seem or how I feel. It’s been a learning process, and as I’m learning to have gratitude for the hard and even ugly, as well as the easy and beautiful, I’ve realized in a fresh way that cultivating a grateful attitude is a God-honoring process and that being ungrateful is not.

I’ve also learned that when I choose to be grateful in all circumstances, my heart is changed, bit by bit, into more of the character of Christ.

I encourage you to consider a grateful attitude with me and how we can grow more toward being people who are always grateful – not just at Thanksgiving.

How do you cultivate gratitude in your heart?

The post Cultivating a Grateful Attitude appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by Karen @ To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer

Fall is here and soon the ground will be adorned with the gorgeous array of rich-colored leaves.

Every year my children collect the prettiest leaves they can find, bring them inside, and it sometimes looks as if there must be a tree growing somewhere inside our house! They simply love the beautiful, showy leaves of fall, and so do I.

Quite a few years ago, when our oldest boys were still pretty small, my husband helped me make our own leaf press. For years we’ve used it and untold numbers of leaves have been preserved in its layers.

This year, I decided it was time to add a second press to our collection. The leaves are already making their way indoors, and I want to be able to preserve as many as we can for fun fall crafts, and just for the joy of experiencing their beauty a bit longer.

The supplies are few and inexpensive, and the press will last for years – long after your leaf-collectors are grown and probably have their own little ones.
If you have easy access to a table saw and scrap lumber, you can make one even more economically. Although I do have access to both, our busy fall schedule kept me from having easy access to the people who could operate the saw :), so I chose the craft store route this time instead.

You can make your press any size you like, but keep in mind that a very large press will be more difficult to manage or take with you on nature outings. We like the size and portability of a press that is one square foot or less in size.

Make Your Own Leaf Press

Here’s what you need:

• 2 pieces of wood, 1/2-inch thick
• 4 stainless steel bolts (we used 4″)
• 4 wing nuts to fit the bolts
• 8-10 pieces of cardboard cut to fit the wood
• craft paint (optional)
• drill press or electric hand drill
• clamps
• 

Here’s what you do:

If you use lumber, such as plywood, cut two pieces in the size you want, creating a rectangle or square. Our first press was an 8-inch square and worked great for little hands.

Alternatively, you can purchase pre-cut and routed unfinished plaques at craft stores. The ones I used in this press were purchased at Michael’s for $3.49 each. (If you have their app on your phone, you can use their mobile coupons too. They typically have a 40% off any regularly-priced item every week just like Hobby Lobby does.)

Next, Cut as many pieces of cardboard as you would like for your press – I cut 8 for ours. Lay one of your pieces of wood onto an opened cardboard box and trace around it. Using a craft knife, cut the pattern out. Repeat until you have as many layers as you like.

Stack the cardboard layers between the two wood layers and clamp to hold them steady while you drill the holes. To prevent the clamps from marring the wood, slide an extra piece of cardboard between the wood and clamp before tightening.

With the layers secure, you can now drill the holes. We chose 1/4″ bolts and used a 5/16″ drill bit (This is where I was stunned by how much my 11-year old knows about using a drill press and choosing and changing bits. My husband has done a fantastic job of teaching our boys to do the shop things, and I’m so grateful!)

If you don’t have a drill press, you can also use an electric hand drill.

Once the holes are drilled, check the fit of your bolts before removing the clamps. Screw the wing nuts onto the bolts, and remove the clamps.

Your leaf press is finished!

If you want to dress your press up a bit, you can give the top and bottom a few coats of craft paint. We left our first press natural and after so many years of use, it has become quite dirty.

You could also decorate it with pressed leaves using Modge-Podge, or hand-paint a beautiful scene. Use your imagination and have fun.

Using the press:

After collecting your leaves, lay them in single layers on the bottom piece of wood, taking care not to overlap leaves even slightly.

When there’s no room left, place a piece of cardboard on top of the leaves, carefully sliding it down the bolts. Repeat until you have as many layers as you need.

Place the top piece of wood on last, and screw down the wing nuts as tightly as you can.

Check the leaves after a week. If they aren’t completely dry, screw the nuts down again and give them a few more days.

When the leaves are dry, carefully remove them from the cardboard layers. Some may be quite brittle, so take care to remove them gently.

Making your own leaf press is fun and easy and a great way to get your kids involved one step further in the process of enjoying fall leaves.

Your press isn’t just for fall, however! You can use it in the spring and summer to press beautiful grasses and flowers too. It’s a wonderful way to expand nature study and preserve specimens that are otherwise short-lived.

One of our favorite pressed leaf projects has been using this book to create nature scenes with our leaves. Look What I Did With a Leaf! is filled with inspiring and creative scenes made exclusively with pressed leaves.

Tip: It’s a good idea to put a small mark on the correct side of the top or bottom of each piece of cardboard. Likely the holes are not totally interchangeable, and unless they are in the same position as when you drilled them, you may have some binding.

Do your children collect fall leaves? How do you enjoy the beautiful, yet short-lived colors of fall?

The post Make Your Own Leaf Press appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by Karen @To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer

It was one of those Friday afternoons.

School should have been finished early on that day. We worked hard all week to plan it that way – and that would have pleased me.

But, one distraction after another, and there we were, wrapping things up at nearly 4:00. Those days happen.

The swirling list of what I had hoped to accomplish during that “extra” afternoon was crashing hard against the clock and the approaching dinner hour. Clearly, my plans were not going to happen.

Just one more thing, and we’d head out the door to get at least a few of them done. 

Then there was yet another interruption. I chose to ignore my growing frustration, but it was slowly winning.

“Can you just let me finish up, okay?”

Translation: “Please don’t keep talking to me right now. Doesn’t it make sense to you that if you will give me peace for a few minutes I can get finished much quicker and that trip to the store to buy that toy that you’ve waited for all week long and have your money all gathered together for would happen sooner?”

That’s really what my curt question asked. And, she knew it. This is the ugly truth.

I looked up into the eyes thinking perhaps this wouldn’t take too long to listen to, and then I could get back to what I was trying to finish so we could go, so we could get back, so I could cook dinner…

There was anticipation in the eyes – eyes full of hope and inspiration. What was this about?

We had spent some time in our early afternoon planning which co-op classes they would each like to take this fall, and one in particular had strummed a chord in our daughter’s heart.

“Do you know what the first thing is that I’m going to learn when I go to sign language class?”

“What’s that?”

“God loves you.”

Her eyes danced with tender joy. Mine dropped with shame.

Yeah, I had pretty much blown it.

That “one more thing” to do had triumphed for the time that I should have invested fully into my daughter instead. I had made the wrong choice.

Ouch!

So, what do you do when you fairly blow it with your children? 

Apologize and ask forgiveness.

Humbling ourselves before our children when we have wronged them doesn’t make them respect us less – it encourages them to respect us more. 

When they see that their parents are real people, just as capable of sin and in just as much need of grace as they are, it increases their respect and fosters the truth that we all, regardless of our position in life, need Jesus to sanctify our hearts. 

Seek to restore or re-do if possible. 

Thankfully, in my situation, I was then able to listen fully to what my daughter had to say and to encourage her that the attitude she was trying to share with me was very good.

Sometimes, however, the moment is lost and you simply can’t go back: you missed that butterfly that has now flown away, you realize that in your haste to get the next thing done, you punished the wrong child for an offense, you missed the deadline for something your child had asked to do.

In these situations you’ll have to use them as opportunities to learn a lesson yourself.

Perhaps you could remember that butterfly the next time your toddler repeatedly pats your leg while you are busy. 

Maybe you’ll purpose to take more time to get the the bottom of a matter and determine who is really at fault, rather than just trying to take care of things and move on to the next thing.

Or, perhaps you could write down the request and make yourself a deadline, setting a reminder on your phone so that you can give them an answer in plenty of time.

Pray for forgiveness, guidance, and strength.

We’re children too, after all, and are in constant need of grace form our Heavenly Father. He knows our every weakness, our flaws, our missteps, yet loves us unconditionally and desires for us to be in fellowship with Him and in a right relationship with those around us. 

When we run to Him with our failures and needs, He is faithful to forgive us, to cleanse us, and to work in our hearts the fruit of His Spirit, making us more like Christ.

Blowing it with your children is not pleasant, but it does happen to all of us. When we fail, if we have hearts that seek to be humble before God and before our children, we can enjoy restoration and the return of joy in our relationship.

Do you have other tips for making things right when we blow it with our children?

The post What To Do When You Pretty Much Blow It With Your Children appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by Karen @ To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer

Today is the first day of our new school year.

Today the books are out again, all fresh and crisp. Everyone is excited, and everything is new – for now.

But within a few weeks – maybe even days – the newness wears off and my children will wonder how they got duped by those pretty, crisp-covered books again. Sound familiar? 

After 20 years of homeschooling, we still sometimes struggle. But along the way, I’ve learned a few ways to help minimize the struggle and keep ourselves from losing the joy of homeschooling.

1. Be Organized

Long before the first day begins, I’ve made plans. Beginning with curriculum choices and stocking up on school supplies, I also clean out our school cabinet and work areas. Some years lots of changes need to take place. Other years, just some tweaking is all that is required.

Next, I create a schedule for the year. Looking at what needs to be accomplished by each child during the year, I break those goals down into monthly, then weekly bites.

2. Clear Expectations

Just because I know where we are going, doesn’t mean that the children necessarily do. In an effort to help them own their work, I let them know what the plan is for the year.

The older boys appreciate knowing exactly what they need to accomplish for the year and can more easily plan their study hours around outside activities.

The younger children get weekly goal lists that help them stay on track with their independent work, and to know what is coming up in the subjects we study together. They can see a clear path and have an understanding of what it will take for them to finish for the week.

3. Rewards

Through the years we have sometimes used rewards. At other times, we haven’t. Our children known that schoolwork is simply a part of their lives, and we don’t give prizes for getting it done. However, there have been times that we found it helpful for them and for us to positively encourage them along.

When we have a particularly trying subject, hit a difficult time in personal motivation with one child or another, or even have family events that compromise our normal school schedule, we have used incentives to help make the work more rewarding.

Let’s face it. If you’re 7 years old, it’s hard to see the long-term benefit of learning math facts day after day, especially when the going gets tough.

Since our younger children struggled last year with getting their independent work finished without lots of pushing, this year we’re giving them the opportunity to earn a point each week when it’s finished early. Work finished on time is expected, but finishing before it’s expected will be rewarded.

Following the idea our library uses each summer during the summer reading program (which my children just completed and thrived in this point-earning system), the children will be able to save up earned points and cash them in for special activities that they enjoy.

4. Shake Things Up

I’m a routine/schedule/stay-on-track kind of mom, but realize that although routine provides stability, know that it can also produce boredom – especially in children who are wired differently.

Having a solid routine in place works well for most days, but I’ve found that when I throw in a change of pace every now and then, they’re better energized for the more typical days.

Packing up the books and spending a day at the park, enjoying a field trip without the books, taking a day to watch DVD’s on our current science or history topics, or just taking a day off on that first crisp morning after a scorching summer to take a hike or bike ride can all be ways to recharge the batteries by getting out of the routine for a day.

5. Margin

If there’s one thing that I continually struggle with – even after so many years of homeschooling – its margin.

There’s so many wonderful things to do, so many exciting things to study, so much to learn. It’s way too easy to over schedule, over plan, and overdo.

Learning to shorten my personal to-do list each day is also spilling over into the school to-do list. There simply isn’t enough time to do everything and when I try to cram it all in, we lose margin. When the unexpected happens – and it will – the whole cart gets upturned.

The answer is to under schedule. If we can accomplish 5 days of science each week, I’ll only plan for 3. If we get the extra 2 days in, that’s great. If we don’t, that’s okay and we aren’t falling behind.

Leaving room for the unplanned and for just having breathing room is essential for making it through the year without hitting the February slump and getting burned out or feeling like we didn’t quite make it.

If your homeschool runs anything like ours, the first week can be pretty exhausting. Even after all of these years, and relatively short summer breaks, I still marvel at how much change is generated when we get back to school.

But with a few tactics in place, it can be a rewarding week that is just the first step toward a productive and enjoyable year. And when we look back at all that we will have accomplished next spring, I’ll be armed with knowledge to make the next years even better.

What are your tips for a successful homeschool year?

The post 5 Tips For a Successful Homeschool Year appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by Karen @ To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer

One of the many reasons to love summertime is the wide array of fresh fruits that are available.

Enjoying them fresh is so wonderful, but the season seems to be too short, so the next best thing is to get them preserved for enjoying throughout the year. My very favorite way to preserve summer fruits is freezing.

Here’s 5 yummy summer fruits that freeze easily and well, and some delicious ways to enjoy them:

1. Strawberries

To freeze strawberries, just rinse and gently pat dry. Cut off the leaves and slice berries into rounds or quarters – whatever works best for your recipes.

Lay pieces onto baking sheets, making sure they don’t overlap, and put into the freezer. Allow the pieces to freeze for a few hours – enough to be solidly frozen. Transfer to a freezer bag and label. Put back into the freezer and you’re done!

Frozen strawberries are a favorite for smoothies. There’s no need to thaw – just put a handful  into the blender with the rest of your ingredients and blend. One of my favorites is kefir, strawberries, bananas, and a bit of apple juice concentrate – Delicious!

Strawberry jam is my family’s favorite homemade jam flavor. By using Pomona’s Pectin, I can easily control the amount of sugar, or other sweetener, that I use without compromising the quality or setting performance. 

2. Peaches

Peaches freeze best when peeled and cut into chunks. There’s a quick and simple way to perfectly remove the skin from peaches without wasting a single bit of the fruit: Drop a few peaches at a time into a pot of boiling water. After 15 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water.

When the peaches are cool enough to handle, the skin will slip right off. If your peaches aren’t extremely ripe, it may take a little longer. Just add more boiling water time, or you can always repeat the process if needed. 

Once the skin is off, remove the pit and chop your peaches into chunks or slices. Put pieces on a baking tray and finish the same as strawberries.

*Note: If you have a choice, always choose freestone, rather than clingstone, peaches. It will make the job much easier, and you won’t lose any of the fruit that clings to the pit.

Peaches are great in smoothies too. We also love them warmed with some natural sweetener and served over fresh homemade pancakes or waffles with freshly whipped cream. For a refreshing summer treat, make this yummy homemade peach sorbet. 

3. Blueberries

There’s varying opinions on how to best freezer blueberries. After checking with a local grower, I confirmed that they are best frozen without rinsing. Rinsing blueberries before freezing will greatly compromise quality.

Simply place them into freezer bags, label, and freeze! Since they’re whole and dry, you don’t even have to freeze them on baking sheets first. Can it get any easier than this?

Do plan to rinse them just before using. I keep a small colander handy for blueberries, and it’s a snap to rinse them just before using.

This year I made a delicious blueberry sauce to top our pancakes, yogurt, ice cream, cheesecake, and even to add to smoothie recipes. It was also yummy mixed into plain cream cheese as a topping for bagels or toast.

And before you freeze them all, do mix in some fresh blueberries into yogurt and granola. 

4. Figs

Figs are so wonderful fresh, but they have such an incredibly short season. In the past I’ve canned and dried them, but a couple of years ago I decided to try freezing them. It worked perfectly.

Just rinse, gently dry, remove stems and cut in half. Spread in a single layer on baking sheet and freeze until very firm. Transfer to a freezer bags, label, and freeze. 

I’ve tossed frozen figs into smoothies for a delicious new flavor. They blend well with bananas. You can also stew them over low heat with a natural sweetener and use as a pie filling.

5. Blackberries

We’ve been blessed over the past four years to live in a house that has thousands of wild blackberries growing along the field fencerows behind us each spring.

Freezing has always been my preferred method for preserving them. Rinse and gently pat try. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag, label, and freeze.

One of my favorite smoothie flavors includes blackberries. They also make a wonderful homemade salad dressing recipe, and who could forget the iconic blackberry cobbler?

Be sure to get a few fresh summer fruits and berries into your freezer now, and enjoy the fresh and delicious flavor all year long.

What other fruits would you add to this list? Do you have any other delicious ways to enjoy them?

The post 5 Summer Fruits to Get Into Your Freezer NOW appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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Written by Karen @ To Work With My Hands, Contributing Writer

Father’s Day is just around the corner. Have you made plans yet?

When you have several young children, it can sometimes be a challenge to pull together a big celebration. Thankfully, celebrating special days doesn’t have to be big or complicated. Just putting a little “heart’ into them can make even the simplest plans memorable.

If you still have small children who need lots of help with Father’s Day, you’ll likely be focusing most of your efforts on your husband. Have you considered lately just how incredible he is?

As a single-income family, my husband has, by God’s grace, gone out nearly every weekday for almost 3 decades to provide a living for our family. There have been seasons of long hours, pressures of project deadlines, and at times, extended travel that put him in a lonely hotel room while the rest of us were still together at home.

Day in and day out, he has persevered, endured numerous difficult work-related situations, and stayed the course – all for us.

He’s also been a strong and faithful father. Raising a house full of boys isn’t easy, and I know I certainly couldn’t have navigated some of the most difficult times without his wisdom, strength, and leadership. You might just say he’s my hero.

I’m sure you have your own special hero too! What better way to celebrate them this Father’s Day than with a big, delicious hero sandwich? Gather a few ingredients and create a lunch or dinner that will make him feel just as special as he is.

You can make your own fresh homemade buns or rolls, or choose from the wide variety of breads in the bakery of your grocery store.

Here’s some ideas:

• Flour tortillas or flatbread
• Pita pockets
• Sub rolls
• Ciabata rolls
• Kaiser rolls
• French baguettes
• Sourdough rolls
• Bagels
• Whole grain sandwich bread

And here’s some filling ideas to get you started:

• Deli meat (we love Hormel’s Natural Choice, which are free of added nitrates.)
• Sliced cheese – try muenster, baby swiss, provolone, cheddar, or mozzarella
• Sandwich-sliced pickles
• Sliced tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Pickled jalapeño peppers
• Sliced red or yellow onions
• Green or ripe olives
• Sliced sweet bell peppers in various colors
• Condiments such as mayonnaise, flavored mustards, oil and vinegar, salt, and pepper

Serve your sandwiches with a simple fresh fruit salad, his favorite crackers or chips and dip, or a big dill pickle. Round it out with his favorite dessert (it will be something including chocolate here!), and you’ll have a meal fit for a hero.

Be sure to get your children involved too:

• Enlist their help assembling the ingredients for your sandwiches.
• Help them write notes of gratitude to their Daddy before Father’s Day.
• If you have children old enough, let them serve their Daddy by taking his plate to him at the table.
• Make sure he knows he’s everyone’s hero.

By investing just a little time and effort, you can keep things simple and still make it a very special and memorable Father’s Day for your hero.

Do you have more ideas for making Father’s Day special? 

The post How to Pull Off a Simple – Yet Special – Father’s Day appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

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