Got to get motivated

Christmas is coming which means I need to get working on some major projects! What to know what they are??? Well, I cannot share them all because I know for a fact many of my family members read my blog so I wouldn't want to ruin any surprises...BUT...I can share with you some gifts I am giving to the kiddos in my life...

A) PJ's. I LOVE little kids in their Christmas PJ's. So I thought, why not start a new tradition here at the Riedl house...homemade PJ's from Mommy!! Super quick...super easy! Along with the pants, I am making them shirts. At first I was going to sew on letters and the year but a friend told me I should just embroider it. We will see how it all turns out!

B) SOCKS! As a kid my grandmother made me socks all the time. I didn't value them at the time because, seriously, socks? But I still have those socks and I LOVE THEM! So for all my little people (nephews included), I will be making socks! Crocheting that is...

C) Robe. I will post my progress on this. I searched for a free robe pattern and found none so I am creating my own! Not the whole tie robe but one where she can velcro up the front. She never uses it for anything other than to stay warm in the morning anyways! So if it turns out alright, I will be making one for Cooper too!

D) Slippers...they are going to be adorable...little eyes on them and all! If you have been to my house, you know it is cold!!! We USE our slippers..A LOT!

I will post pictures as I complete all my projects!! AND..I know it's not far, but you will have to wait until after Christmas for all my adult presents!

little heartbreaker

What to do with soup bones?

We purchase a half of a cow about once every year and a half from my Brother in Law. We are super grateful for Jeff and all the hard work he puts into providing for the WHOLE family. Anyways...these cows are DELICIOUS! After eating our first piece of steak, (never frozen and freshly prepared THAT morning) we vowed to never buy store bought beef again (unless we ran out that is).

Anyways, we always get soup bones with our cow. I have always just kept them in the freezer thinking that someday I will figure out what to do with them. Well..I figured it out!

As you know, I strive to be healthy! I think it's just the way I am wired. I want to do what is best for my family nutritionally and am always looking for ways to keep us healthy. So...did you know what soup bones can do? They can treat lots and lots and LOTS of things like
inflammation, hypertension, fatigue, depression, hyper activity, and food sensitivities. You know how? Well soup bones (when they are cooked down to broth) have cartilage and collagen in them, both of which are powerful healing tools for our bodies. Cartilage supplementation stimulates immune cells while collagen is healing in coating to the stomach and digestive track in general, making it easier to digest foods! They also contain things such as, Glycine, Hyaluronic acid, Chondroitin sulfate, and minerals!

WOW! A herbal pharmacy has been waiting to be cooked in MY freezer for a few years now! Who knew?

So here is the deal! Our family needs to eat more broth...period! Here is a little recipe I found to make a delicious broth. Add in ANYTHING you want...make it a minestrone soup, bean soup, or whatever you like. JUST USE THE BROTH!

So, put your bones in your stockpot and cover with fresh cold water. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar (to help extract the minerals from the bone). Now simmer forEVER...anywhere from 2 to 24 hours. After it has simmered enough, strain out the bones ( and vegetables you have added) and divide the broth into usable potions. It will stay
good in the fridge for about 5 days (about 10 days if you boil it again after 5 days) and in the freezer for months.

Happy broth days my friends!!

I'm Famous...again

Go check out The Frugal Mama's blog today! She wrote all about...you guessed it...me! She has a pretty cool blog too and talks about all of the things I love...especially saving money! Check it out!

My beef with schools

We all know that I really thought about homeschooling Kylie. Although the idea still crosses my mind often, at this point she is still in Kindergarten and actually likes it.

But that is not the point to this post.

Today I had the privilege of eating lunch with Miss Kylie along with Coop and Addy. As soon as I sat down, a boy from her class came right up to me and sat next to me. I have seen this boy before. When I went to the pumpkin patch with Kylie, this same boy sat next to me and talked my ear off. Kylie has also made mention of this boy (we will call him "the boy") and referred to him as "the boy who gets in trouble...A LOT". I know on one occasion the class was asked who wanted to sit with the boy in art class and my sweet Miss Kylie volunteered. She even got a sticker for sitting with him (more on that later). I have watched him squirm and jump around when asked to sit still and I have heard him apologized for his impulsiveness a number of times.

How sad!

How sad that a little boy has to apologize for being a little boy. No, he is not always behaving properly. In fact, I would bet to say he probably doesn't "follow the rules" 80% of the time. Many of those times, he is actually just being plain old naughty and other times, he is just getting the "ants out of his pants".

As I sat with Kylie today, this boy tried to engage almost every student at the table. He would try to get eye contact and then laugh or make a funny face. If no one payed attention to him, he would sit on the floor or do something that would require a lunch monitor to come and redirect his behavior. At one point, the monitor moved another boy away from the boy (whom wasn't paying any attention to the boy) and said, "let me move you over here so 'the boy' doesn't get you in trouble too". We sat there for 25 minutes. The kids were told they couldn't move..breath for that matter. They have to sit on their little butts and talk quietly (as quietly as a 5 year old can). I could see this little boy getting more and more frustrated. His little body NEEDED to move! He tried everything to get in control..I could see it but he just couldn't sit there any longer. He got up and did something naughty and got caught pretty quickly. Guess what his "punishment" was....you guessed it...he had to sit out at recesses!

All I could think was how ridiculous that is. A) he is 5 B) he is a boy and C) HE NEEDS TO MOVE! So his punishment was actually probably going to get him into more trouble later in the day.

So the problem you ask...schools require our kids to sit for too long. Yes, they have made major modifications and I believe Kylie's teacher does a lot to get the kids moving during the day. BUT the expectations of a 5 year old are just too high. This little boy shows his behaviors in school but I know many other kids will hold it together until they get home and then blow (my Miss Kylie being one of them). It just isn't fair to make them sit and concentrate for 6.5 hours a day. Seriously...To top things off, Kylie told me that yesterday they couldn't even run at recess because someone was running and got hurt. Therefore, no one was allowed to run for the rest of the day AND they couldn't play on the playground...just the blacktop. Hmmmmmm??!!!

My heart went out to this little boy. Maybe it was the mom in me. Maybe it was the social worker in me. I don't know, but I do know something needs to change. Schools need to be more creative with teaching their students and letting them be kids. Kids need to move and they need to move often. Sitting still at lunch (free time) is just crazy. Yes, they need to stay at the table but why can't they play a clapping game or laugh for crying out loud. And adults need to realize children understand when they are labeled the "bad kid". I am sure this little boy didn't feel so great when the lunch monitor thanked me for sitting with the boy and I am sure he felt lonely when no one would sit with him in art and the teacher needed to bribe kids to sit next to him. He is only 5 and already is wearing the scarlet letter.

Just wanted to make it clear that I don't have a particular problem with the school my child attends...it is just the entire school system that has it's flaws.

Foto Friday...minus Kylie

We have already established that I am crazy.

Christmas....

I hear you all saying, "seriously??!!" BUT, I do need to get my butt in gear.

I am already getting questions about what the kids might want for Christmas this year and I know some has already been purchased. That being said, I don't want to end up with a houseful of the same toys or items they don't need. I also have some strong opinions about how much they should actually get but that is besides the point.

Creativity has been a strength of mine in the past. You know, I am always saying, "what if you did this?" and everyone says "wow..I didn't think of that" (at least that is the way it went down in my head). This year, I am lacking some major creativity. I am at a loss as to what my kids actually need or even want for that matter. Yes, I can throw magazines in front of them and tell me what they want but only a mom knows what will be used and what will be discarded within a month.

So here is where you, my fellow blog friends, come in...

I need some creative Christmas ideas to share with the family. My kids already know that Santa only brings 2 to 3 presents and they need to think long and hard about what they might REALLY want or need. But what do I tell all the others who ask what they want?? Come on friends...help me out here!

As an incentive, I may just have to send out a loaf of bread to the winner of the best idea...your choice as to what kind ;)