Stephanie

This is a fantastic thread, so glad it has been resurfaced!

I agree about the Crisco. I can also use it in making my biscuits instead of butter, and butter (unless you buy the shelf stable and expensive stuff) has to be kept cool.

The way I'm trying to compensate for the health issues is MODERATION ( a hard state to achieve).

I'm also starting to stock up on old fashioned Lard as an alternative.

Oh my!! We didn't teach our children a single thing for the whole month of July!!!

Must be so busy teaching/learning that we forgot to post about it...that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

We have been busy indeed as we increase the gardening skills, cooking skills, etc... Our latest project has been to learn to make moccasins...we're still in the process of trial and error. We bought a bunch of leather coats from the thrift store and plan to use them for our leather.

We are trying this one piece moccasin, so far we just made it out of soft fabric, but the concept really does work. here's the link

http://www.nativetech.org/clothing/moccasin/mocinstr.html

Hi Pearl! and Welcome!!

Yes, it is a great list to get you started along your way.

One of the best tools that i have found in teaching my children is to do so in varied environments and in such a casual way, that they have no idea they are being taught something. FUNSCHOOL!

We often have Pool School , going over rote memory things like math facts, etc...

Yesteday we had one of our Walk -n- Talks. We walk all around the yard, the pond, etc... and talk as we go. The subject of our discussion yesterday was the word OBSERVANT and what it means and how it is done. We'll work on this a lot more. I've been thinking about it a lot since the thread that MtRider recently started.

We played a couple of games. Everyone look all around, now close your eyes and see who can answer this question??? Then I'd say, how many bikes are laying on the ground instead of standing up ?? or such as that... Worked pretty well.

Then we talked about not just looking close around us but looking as far as our eyes could see. Another game developed from that.

I am not an observant person, so this was a good exercise for me as well. Hopefully we all learned to be more Observant.

While we were out in the goat yard sitting in the shade yesterday I taught my four youngest children the Rules of Three for survival. This led to much discussion and learning.

You can only survive

3 seconds without thinking ( discussed why panicking is counter productivein any and every emergency or crisis)

3 minutes without breathing (discussed crawling under smoke, wearing masks, etc...)

3 hours without shelter ( discussed different types of shelter - not to hide in the house during a fire for instance)

3 days without water (discussed why water was more important than food)

3 weeks without food (explained how this varies, but that food is NOT the most important prep)

We all discussed preps not on this list, like protection, stealth, hugging a tree, etc...

I found this article that also adds, 3 months without hope.

http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/sur...rule-of-threes/

I am soooo dierctionally challenged, I have to drive it myself or I have no idea where I'm going (and that doesn't always work!)

This week I've been teaching my children lots of stuff (and learning it right alon with them).

Oldest ds and I are perfecting the skill of making Dinner Rolls from scratch (not grinding the grain *yet*). He is so excited to make them for my mom when he's visiting there in a few weeks. They rival the O'charley's yeast rolls! Wow! BTW he is 14 . I should add that he is using the Bread machine to process the dough, but he knows eventually we will want to do that ourselves as well.

He still has to measure properly, follow directions carefully, clean up after himself, figure out times to know WHEN (good practice for him), work with fractions and ratios to determine how many rolls per batch and per person, be attentive and focused when dealing with the oven, patience while waiting for the rising,etc...

These are all issues that he needs improvement in and it's working like a charm. He's a child who likes to go directly from point A to point Z without all the steps in between. This has been a great challenge in math processes, I once told him that math had recipes too and some steps just have to be followed. So, I'm pleased to see that he is taking step by step to accomplish these delicious rolls.

This week we were so busy doing and learning that I didn't have time to stop and think about it!

My dh taught my two oldest (13 & 15) how to properly run the tiller when breaking up brand new ground. When the belt slipped on the tiller, they learned how to fix that.

As a family we plotted the new garden, we're trying some new things and want to make sure how to go about it. Found out that corn should be on the North side of the garden and that okra can get as tall as five feet. Plotting including all kinds of research, collecting of data, measurements (math), and good hard physical math.

I started teaching my girls to make Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, an art that every Southern girl should have!

Today, I will be continuing to train my oldest boy to do clipper cuts (his younger brothers will be his guinea pigs). We worked on that last summer when we were buzzing heads for summer cuts. He's actually got a good knack for it. I'll be right there watching and assisting, but it will save my shoulder a bit of pain (in Physical Therapy for Bone Spur).

I'm continuing to share what I learn at the Puppy Training classes, hoping they will have a good solid start with that. My ds who is 9 has attended every week with me and actually has decided he wants to do this as an adult (could change his mind a million times, but he's very interested and learning).

Today we learned how to properly plant a Magnolia Tree and a fig tree.(that I got for my birthday)

This led to several discussions/lessons/learning opportunities....

Math was part of it, as we had to measure the holes, discuss diameter, doubling that and etc.

Tools were chosen, Square shovel vs Angled Shovel? or post hole digger?

We recycled!!! As we found worms the little ones ran and fed them to the delighted baby chicks!

Science was a big part as we studied the parts of the tree from roots to blossoms to fruits...did you read about how a fig is fertilized?? amazing!!

We also identified different soil types, fertilizers, and soil conditioners. Very good day, in every way!

We've payed for (for the first time ever) Puppy Training Classes, I am taking Aslan every week. I'm learning so much! So is he!

I'm taking my 9 yr old ds with me each week, he is crazy about animals of all kinds and I imagine he'll work with them in some way one day when he chooses a career.

Soooooo....naturally I'm sharing the wealth of info with ALL of the family *including dh. We might as well get our money's worth!

This could be invaluable info later as I believe that animals will be a much more viable part of our future than we can imagine.

::::maybe I should stock up on those training clickers::::

Seriously, I do think this could be a very viable skill to have in days to come.

Jingles, Writing lines is one of many tools we use to reinforce proper behavior.

It's according to the child and their age, personality etc... Once I tried to use this method with my 2 girls. They were thrilled. They happily collected their papers and pencils and wrote the assigned lines cheerfully.

Sufficeth to say, it didn't teach them much ... as they enjoyed it tremendously.

Surprisingly, I will often use a similar method with my oldest son, 14 years old. Sounds odd, but it works well because... I let him choose a passage from the Bible that he would like to write (gives him a bit of control) and then I say, I think you need a little handwriting practice (he does) and then I remind him that choosing a great scripture and writing neatly will bring the whole thing to an end quickly (once again, in his control) or he can drag it out for a while by presenting me with a sloppy paper.

What happens is, he calms down while he writes (maybe 10 minutes) and gives us a time out from each other ( a good thing) and he has accomplished hand writing for the day (part of homeschooling). Plus, he's been exposed to a scripture of his choice.

In other words, I don't really do it as a punishment, but more as a distraction for him and it really works well for the two of us.

So, I guess what I'm saying is...does it accomplish what you're setting out to accomplish? Does it make them stop and think and consider their actions? If so, then that's a good thing. Does it only cause them to feel more angry and frustrated without giving any thought to what they did wrong? Probably, not serving a good purpose.

Today we tackled something new for all of us. While everyone watched, only dh and I along with the two oldest boys participated.

A while back I bought this....

http://www.bizrate.com/foodslicers/rival-1...pareprices.html

But, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I've yet to try out many of my treasures that I've been gathering....do today was the day.

We had this humongous Bonelss Pork Loin that I had intentions of canning. We discussed the need for uniform sizes of meat and why the density was an issue. Then we each took a turn, after much instruction about safety. We examined the grain of the meat, removed excess fat (wasn't much) and the boys had a hands on lesson in meat processing. Ofcourse we worked in what it means to be an one inch cube, a little measurement/geometry/math skills review as well.

Later today, dh and they will hone their knife sharpening skills (pun intended)

I am so thrilled to be able to introduce my children to things I'm just now learning in my 40's. I know that they will choose their own path in life, but these experiences and skills will always be with them no matter where they go!

BTW, now the pressure canner is filled with 7 quarts of lean cubed pork loin, waiting for the pressure to build now.... and I'm a bit tired, been a busy morning. Homeschool is cool!

I knew my great grandparents (two sets of them) very well.

My grandmother is still living now (89) and I just finished writing her a long letter...she doesn't care for these new fangled ways of communicating, although we do enjoy phone calls. She is one of my best friends! She helped raise me and has been a wonderful Godly influence in my life to this day.

Her daddy, was a big gentle man who always wore Liberty overalls. Grandma loved him dearly, so did my mom (her daughter) and so did I. He told me lots of stories about driving mule teams and taught me how to shuffle cards. He faced lots of hardship in his life, lost three children in one disastrous moment when the school explosion occurred in 1937 in New London Texas.

His wife, my great grandmother, was a frail petite woman who sufferred from epilectic seizures in a time when they were not completely understood. She made huge 'cats head biscuits' and filled them with real molasses.

My grandfathers parents are also vivid parts of my childhood memories. Especially my great grandmother who actually gave me a wedding gift of a gorgeous crocheted rose afghan, that I naturally cherish to this day. I remember this HUMONGOUS moose head mounted that my great grandfather had killed...it always creeped me out as a kid.

Building a chicken coop together is a great hands on learning project. It's a great way to study fractions, measurements, angles, etc... Good job!

(((Cecilia))) , glad you're enjoying our tales....believe me, I could go on and on and on and on...

Pioneer studies are some of my favorites! Did you know you can make a balloon out of a butchered pig's bladder?

We're going to making a project this summer out of converting a wagon for our two wethers (goats) to pull....have to find them a job to make them earn their keep. Later we're going to convert a red ryder style wagon into one that Aslan can pull! If you have a dog the size of a horse...

Last weekend my dh replaced a ceiling fan, any type of repair work like that, car, electrical, fencing, etc... he has my two oldest right at his elbows teaching and letting them participate. He's such a good daddy!

Hey y'all, I would love to hear how you are training your children up to be tomorrow's preppers!

What are you doing to increase their ability to be self sufficient, frugal, wise and enabled?

Yesterday, I taught my two teenage boys (13 and 14) to pressure can pinto beans. I took them through every step. They were studying legumes in science (plant cycles), so it fit in really well. They were very interested and although I supervised, they did it themselves.

I also taught my 9 year old son to boil eggs and peel them properly. This may seem like a small thing, but he was very proud of himself. He worked very diligently to peel a dozen eggs and then we stuffed them and had them with dinner.

I taught my 9 year old daughter to make peanut butter cookies from the Powdered Peanut Butter in our storage. They were surprisingly easy and tasted good too! She was so happy to pass them out and see them gobbled up.

Last weekend we had all seven kiddos in the garden, digging, planting, etc... Each child has a container or small bed for their own flowers and herbs, etc...

Today we will be reviewing gun safety and hopefully be able to do some target practice. The older boys will help with the cleaning afterwards as well.

Wel, that's a few things, and I hope you'll add more. I'd like this to be an on going thread where we keep sharing how we are training up our children. BTW, this does not have to only apply to homeschoolers.

originally posted by posqually

Have you ever tried http://www.Honeyvillegrain.com ? I'm new, so please be patient and let me know if there is a reason not to shop there, prices, quality....

Thanks, P...

Hi and welcome to MrsSurvival!

Many of us order from Honeyville and I've never heard any complaints. I will tell you that apparently they have a backorder situation going on when some things right now. I usually get my order really quickly and it's been several weeks. My mom got a couple of things from her order and the rest is backordered.

I hope that helps a bit.

Wow!!! That is such a great youtube series, Thanks!!!

I'm so glad you are here Karelle! You must be a special lady to have raised such a special lady!

And a BUMP from me too!

I'm sorry i don't know anything about this but, I did run some searches. Will any of these help?

http://www.herbalremedies.com/hairregrowth.html

http://www.ayurvedictalk.com/herbal-remedi...r-alopecia/149/

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitam.../a/Alopecia.htm

Here's a recipe for Blender Recipes that's really similar to yours Arby.

http://cookeatshare.com/recipes/blender-tortillas-18581

I did it!! I made a huge batch, we ate it for lunch after I put four quarts in my new smaller size canner, I just love that thing!!

Trying my hand at this today....hopefully we'll have enough left to actually can!

lovinit, I forgot to answer your question about the favorite foods. They like my homecooked stuff of course

Cornbread dressing is a big favorite, Candied Sweet Potatoes, Spaghetti, Venison Stew, Chicken Casserole, Eggs and Bacon, etc...

My experiment was trying to see what would happen if we were limited on our ability to gain foods that we were used to picking up weekly. In other words, live on our preps. I guess I was thinking about how to prevent food fatigue. The kids did great...what I found was it was me who struggled with "Cooking Food Fatigue".