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Giveaway winners

No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

The winning comment for a Spiral Slicer from Amazing Graze General Store is:

Hannah Jane, on February 17th, 2011 at 4:59 pm Said: I would love to win this! I would very likely use this to make french fries! Yummy!

Thank you for entering, Hannah, and congratulations.  Enjoy your french fries!


The winning comment for our giveaway for a family-building webinar sponsored by Vision Forum is:

Andrea, on February 23rd, 2011 at 8:17 am Said: I have a Blue Behemoth account

Congratulations, Andrea!  Your first download should be available tomorrow!


To those who would like to hear the 20 messages and didn’t win, there’s still time to get a smokin’ hot deal on these Family Strategies.

Save $10 off the $95 price by ordering today (Feb 28), and use the coupon code SAVE25 to save another $25!  That’s $60 for 20 messages, plus (did I forget to mention this?) 2 free additional messages: Victories: Moments Small and Large Which Define Christian Parenting and How to Evaluate a Suitor.

Watch for a new giveaway this week!

4 Moms Q&A: my first audio blog on potty training and more

No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

enter our current giveaway: Family-building webinar

Welcome back to the weekly 4 Moms post, in which 4 moms with a collective total of 35 children share our knowledge, experience and and helpful tips in maintaining health, order and sanity.

This week we’re going to answer your questions again – my favorite 4 Moms topic – and I’m going to do something new.  I’m going to do my First Ever Audio Blog!  Are you with me, people?

Check out the wisdom being dispensed like cups of juice by the other 3 moms:

  • Connie at Smockity Frocks
  • Headmistress at The Common Room
  • Kimberly at Raising Olives
  • And now, the questions.  Remember when I begged you all not to ask about potty training?  If I was trying reverse psychology, it would have been a grand success.  Unfortunately, that’s not what I was trying.  C’est la vie, or something like that.  We speak more Spanish down here than French.

    Listen to the full Q&A session and let me know what you think of my first audio post.

    Q&A – Potty training and more

    Contents:

    1. Kristin, Rebecca, and JCF all asked for a post on potty training.  I guess I’m not getting out of that subject.  Specifically, we’re talking about older toddlers who know how to use the toilet but won’t do it consistently.

    2. Anna is wondering what to do when your child does wrong in a certain area that you yourself have or have had weakness in.

    3. Meg is dealing with interrupting toddlers and wants to know what to expect of a 3.5 and 5yo.

    4. SW stumps me when she asks for recommendations for some great Mom/daughter books and toys for her first daughter after 8 sons.  By the way, Perry listened and informed me that J.L.C. was in Halloween, not Psycho.

    5. Mother of five needs tips to teach her children to work diligently.

    6. Lisa wants to know what to do about dishes in a big family: paper, plastic, real, or other?

    7. Katie L wonders if I always knew I wanted a big family.  In my answer, I refer to this post about how we came to a conviction about family size.

    8. Julianne is curious about our bunk beds.  I forgot to mention that we have added safety rails which we were able to order from the manufacturer.

    9. Juliana B was wondering what’s for lunch.  We do this when we’re boring, or this when we’re in a fun mood.

    10. Erna asked how I normally spend the first week after the birth of a new child, and whether I prepare your home and family for this particular stage – especially back in the old days when I didn’t have a team of ready helpers.

    11. maryjo wants to know how rising prices are affecting our grocery budget.

    As they say in show business, that’s a wrap.  What do you think?  Is the sound quality ok?  Do you think I should do it again in the future, or do you prefer to be able to read the entire post?  If I do it again, can we call it a podcast?  Can anyone guess where my recording studio was?  Now I’m full of questions.

    Do you have a question you’d like to see or hear on Life in a Shoe?  Ask in the comments on this post and I’ll give it my best shot.


    Upcoming topics for 4 Moms 35 Kids:

    • March 1 – Secret, mainly because we haven’t decided yet.  Or if we have, we haven’t told each other.

    Recent topics:

  • February 17 – Individual time with children: scary stuff here.  Just kidding.  Let go of the guilt.
  • February 10 - Cooking with little ones without losing your sanity
  • February 3 -Teaching reading, because it’s so much easier than teaching them to use the toilet.  Do not request a 4 Moms post about potty training, do you hear me?
  • January 27 – Q&A: Must-have baby equipment and other nitty gritty stuff
  • January 20 – Top 10 Books for Preschoolers
  • January 13 – Soups and Stews
  • January 6 – Teaching Bible
  • When it rains, it pours. Microwave recommendations?

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    That’s true for Texas weather, but apparently it’s also true when appliances start breaking.

    You probably remember that we replaced our washer recently.  Then the fridge.

    I remember joking at some point that if the stove went out, we would have replaced every major appliance in the house.  The very next day, one of the burners died a dramatic death.  It quite literally exploded in a burst of light under the glass top with a loud pop or bang, depending on the level of drama you expect and tolerate from an appliance.

    The rest still worked, so we didn’t panic.  We decided to look into repairing it ourselves, then the kids and I got used to cooking with 3 burners.  It was somewhere on my list of Things To Do.

    Then yesterday, the microwave went out.  We use our microwave a lot, but the kids and I started talking about The Old Days when I was a kid, and what it was like to live without a microwave.  We used to heat Dad’s coffee a cup at a time in a saucepan.  Leftovers were eaten cold or warmed slowly in the oven.  Cocoa was made on the stovetop, whether you were making one cup or 8.   There was no such thing as microwave popcorn, not even on Friday nights when company came over for a movie.  That’s ok, because there were no DVD players or VCRs either. (“What’s a VCR?”)

    I thought it might be fun to spend a few days researching replacements rather than having Perry pick one up on his way home.  After all, the last one was probably less than a year old (note to self: keep better track of receipts).  We could rough it without a microwave for a little while.  Fun, right?

    Late last night, I remembered that I had bread rising for tonight’s dinner.  I popped it in the oven and set a 25 minute timer.

    The window in our oven door is entirely blacked over with…something.  I run the cleaning cycle regularly, I promise.  That window has never been see-through-able.  So I was slightly alarmed when I saw light through the window.  I heard a slightly alarmed voice next to me.  ”Mom?  Something is on fire in the oven!”

    I opened the door and flames were leaping and fizzling from the lower element.  I closed the door to think for a moment.  I opened it again and watched as the fire worked its way from left to right – at least it was travelling in a sensible direction.  Perry looked curiously in my direction.  ”Is the bread done already?”

    “No, but the oven is on fire.  It’s the element.”  I took the half-cooked bread out and closed the oven again as we considered what to do.

    After a moment, Perry went to the breaker box and turned off the power to the range.  I put the bread back in, hoping the residual heat would finish cooking it.  As we headed to bed, we agreed that maybe I should expedite the microwave research.  I might also expedite the shipping on the 2 parts for my range, assuming they won’t cost more than a replacement range and we can replace the burner in a glass top range ourselves.

    Have you had your microwave for several years?  What brand is it?

    Giveaway: Family-building webinar

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    NOTE: This post as been edited to allow international readers and cutomers to enter the giveaway. Vision Forum will deliver your download – if you win or purchase -through an alternate system that BlueBehemoth.com Thanks!

    Vision Forum is producing a new product that I’m really excited about.  This time I made sure to get a copy for myself when I asked to do a giveway:

    Large Family Strategy Banner

    Just read the titles of the 20 weekly messages by Doug and Beall Philips:

    1. How to Organize Your Home to Promote Family Unity
    2. How to Cultivate a Love of Reading with Your Children
    3. How to Make Mealtime Meaningful
    4. How to Prepare for a Year of Home Education
    5. How to Take Children Safely Through an Airport
    6. How to Involve the Whole Family in Family Worship
    7. How to Address the Plague of “Jive Talk” in Your Home
    8. How to Encourage Masculinity in Sons
    9. How to Encourage Femininity in Daughters
    10. How to Handle a Social Worker Visit
    11. How to Wage War on Sibling Rivalry
    12. How to Use Household Decorations to Teach Character
    13. How to Talk to Your Children about Miscarriage
    14. How to Involve the Whole Family in Hospitality
    15. How to Build an Entrepreneurial Spirit in Your Children
    16. How to Watch a Movie As a Family
    17. How to Cultivate a Love of Meaningful Poetry with Your Children, and Why Doing So Is Important
    18. How to Prepare Your Children to Listen to a Symphony
    19. How to Take a Road Trip with Your Family
    20. How to Select the Best Locations for Family Vacations

    Can you see why I’m so excited?  It almost reads like a list of 4 Moms posts or FAQ for Families.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’m full of good intentions that fall by the wayside, but I’ve resolved that I actually will make time to listen to these, because they are so relevant to everyday life for us.

    Beginning March 1, every Tuesday morning for twenty weeks you will receive a link to your new downloadable message from Doug or Beall, hosted at Vision Forum’s partner website BlueBehemoth.com.

    Don’t have a free BlueBehemoth account yet?  Get one so you can take advantage of daily free downloads!

    The Giveaway

    These 20 weekly messages are being sold for $95.  That’s a great deal at less than $5/message, but you can save $10 by ordering before Feb. 28.  You can save another $25 by using the coupon code SAVE25 (exp. 2/28).

    Or you just might get them free by entering our giveaway.

    For your first entry, leave a comment telling which message from the list above you think would be most helpful to your family.  You must do this to enter.

    For up to 11 additional entries, do any or all of the following and leave a separate comment for each.  Each legitimate comment will count as one entry.

    1. Post about this giveaway on facebook, twitter, and/or your blog.  Leave a separate comment here for each place you share.
    2. Share a link to your favorite product from Vision Forum on facebook, twitter, and/or your blog.  Again, leave a separate comment providing the link for each.
    3. Share your favorite Life in a Shoe post on facebook, twitter, and/or your blog.  Leave a comment telling where you shared it.
    4. Create a free account on Blue Behemoth and leave a comment here to tell me.
    5. Subscribe to Life in a Shoe and leave a comment to let me know.  If you’re already a subscriber, just leave a comment saying so.

    Don’t procrastinate: Because of the time-sensitive nature of this giveaway, we’ll take entries until midnight Sunday and announce the winner on Monday, Feb. 28.  That will give the rest of you time to take advantage of the special $85 price.


    Fidelia for sale

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    11yo Natalie has a Fidelia doll she would like sell.  As usual, this doll is new from the clearance rack at Vision Forum’s retail store.

    Natalie took the pictures herself, using Photoshop to crop them and reduce the resolution.

    As far as we can tell, Fidelia is in perfect condition and has never been played with.  Isn’t she beautiful?

    She would love to come be your little girl’s new friend.

    Fidelia retails for $75, but this one is just $45 with free shipping.  Leave a comment to claim her.

    PS. We also still have some amphibious tanks, priced at 2/$45 with free shipping. Hit the link and use the contact form you find there to order a pair – or more.

    Winner of the Homestead Drying Rack

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    And the winner selected by random.org is:

    Marci, who said:

    We do a lot of drying on racks. I have one that got taken over by the milking rags. It would be nice to have one for our clothes to put by the woodstove.

    I made a special point to remind you that winners are chosen by random.org because I think it’s worth noting that Marci is the owner of the Amazing Graze General Store, sponsor for our current giveaway.  She has agreed to give one happy LIAS reader a handy dandy Spiral Slicer! Take a moment to congratulate Marci, then click over to do Marci another good turn by entering our current giveaway.

    Thank you for the incredible number of entries – I’m sure you all were a huge encouragement to the Pioneer family as they seek to expand their business.  If you didn’t win, I hope you’ll consider ordering a rack of your own.  After all, we all know you want one now.

    Test post and a question

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    If a person was going to publish a test post using her husband’s old iPod, what tips would you offer?
    The kids bought him a new iPod Touch at Christmas to replace the older one he had inherited from his dad – trickledown technology, some call it – and he is letting me try out the old one.
    I assume I can keep it if I find myself unfortunately addicted.
    And so I ask you, dear friends, for tips. Like, “Run away screaming!”  Would that be a good one?

    To clarify, this is actually an old iPhone without phone service, which makes it an iPod Touch.  Can you recommend any apps that a game-hating internet-loving mom might love and/or find useful?

    4 Moms tackle the scary topic of individual time with children

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    enter our current giveaway: Spiral Slicer

    Welcome back to the weekly 4 Moms post, in which 4 moms with a collective total of 35 children share our knowledge, experience and and helpful tips in maintaining health, order and sanity.

    This week we’re talking about spending one-on-one time with children when you have a whole brood of them.  Are the 4 moms all on the same page?  Checking with each other ahead of time would be like comparing answers on homework.  We’d be homeschool moms caught cheating.  Oh, the scandal!

    Click over to find out how our answers compare. If you’re an early riser, you might know before we do.

  • Connie at Smockity Frocks
  • Headmistress at The Common Room
  • Kimberly at Raising Olive
  • I didn’t consult with the other moms ahead of time, but I did ask my lifeline: hubby.  He knew me well enough to know that I often feel guilty about this area.  He also knew me well enough to assuage my ovarian guilt.  He reassured me that although I don’t always plan for one-on-one time with my children, it happens in the course of our day.

    Individual time, aka quality time, comes when I give a reading lesson to the preschooler, when I read a picture book to the toddler, when somebody helps me make my bed, when we cook together, when I help somebody with her hair or get my own hair styled.

    Individual time might be when I help an older child with math, when we sit together in my room to read our Bibles, when 2 of us squeeze together in front of the monitor for a secret youtube viewing with the volume down low, or I take somebody on an errand.

    It might be a quiet cup of coffee or cocoa with an early riser, a bedtime hug that stretches into a 5 minute review of the day’s highlights, or a middle of the night snuggle before somebody gets sent back to their own bed.

    It can even be a short, sweet chat with the toddler while I change her diaper or wash her face.

    Individual time, aka quality time, does not have to be over ice cream at the local fast food restaurant, though that certainly qualifies.  Much like Bible time, school time, and other important parts of our life, we think individual time can be planned, but often works best when tightly woven into the fabric of our daily lives.


    Upcoming topics for 4 Moms 35 Kids:

  • February  24 – Q&A -  Got a question?  Leave it in the comments on my last Q&A post.  Or you can email me, but I promise you right now I will lose your email and forget to answer your question for 15 months.  By then, you probably will have found your own answer.
  • Recent topics:

  • February 3 -Teaching reading, because it’s so much easier than teaching them to use the toilet.  Do not request a 4 Moms post about potty training, do you hear me?
  • February 10Cooking with little ones without losing your sanity
  • January 27 – Q&A: Must-have baby equipment and other nitty gritty stuff
  • January 20 – Top 10 Books for Preschoolers
  • January 13 – Soups and Stews
  • January 6 – Teaching Bible
  • My crazy boy

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    PerryBoy makes me laugh, he makes me cry, he makes me crazy like him.  I like to emphasize the laughter, because those are the parts we want to remember.

    On Monday we started using our new copy of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  I had that book ages ago and decided it wasn’t for me, but after the other 3 moms recommended it in our recent posts about teaching little ones to read, I decided to give it another try.  Maybe it will work better for me in this season of life.  I’m a very different person than I was 10 years ago, and my circumstances are very different as well.

    We sat down on my bed together and did the first lesson.  It was sweet time together and it went very well.  When it came time to practice writing “mmmm” – the book stresses that we ought to use the letter’s sound rather than its name – Perry gave it his best shot, but he wasn’t happy with the results.  He sighed heavily, laid down his pencil, and frowned at the paper.

    “Mine just looks like an M!”


    Yesterday I spent the day grocery shopping, and I took Kaitlyn and Parker with me.  Kaitlyn stayed in town with my sister, keeping her company while her husband worked late.  Today, she’s helping my sister run errands with her 3 little ones.

    When I came home last night without Kaitlyn, PerryBoy immediately asked about her.  Feigning forgetfulness (it wasn’t hard, believe me) I confessed that I had left her somewhere and couldn’t remember where.  I was waiting for her to call so I would know where to pick her up.

    He was unfazed.  He shook his head and walked away, muttering  as he went.  ”You’re so weird.”

    Giveaway: Spiral Slicer

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    When Marci asked me to host a giveaway for a Spiral Slicer from her general store back in December, I quickly agreed – right after asking my girls if they would agree to do the review.

    Then they all got very, very busy.  Silly me.  This happens when your husband works in retail and has a job where children are welcome. I did a review and giveaway myself with the help of a couple of the younger girls, but I still wanted the big ones to try it out once life slowed down a bit.

    Life is slower now.  I won’t say it’s slow.  That just doesn’t happen, but the pace is more relaxed than it has been for the past 3 months, so I fixed the girls with a steely look and told them, “It is time.  You must use the Spiral Slicer to make curly fries, and you must take pictures.”

    They didn’t even try to escape.  They knew it was hopeless.  Or maybe they weren’t so bothered by the thought of making curly fries.  As my husband would say, “Ya think?!”

    Before I knew it, there was a party in my kitchen.  Four happy teens were slicing, singing, snapping photos, and wondering how to chip the coconut oil out of the bucket.

    The verdict:

    Curly fries: failure. Next time, we’ll try a real recipe instead of assuming we know what to do.  Cajun seasoning was perfect, but our fries took a long, long time to cook, and came out chewy instead of crisp.  Apparently there’s more to curly fry success than just slicing, seasoning and frying your potatoes.

    We learned a few things, and I’m sure the next ones will be much better.  Even so, these disappeared as fast as they came out of the oil, which wasn’t very fast but still means they weren’t a complete failure.

    Spiral Slicer: success! Far easier to use than our beloved apple peeler/corer/slicer.  They had a huge pile of spiral-cut potatoes in nothing flat, and no one had to consult a manual or ask Mom how to use it.  They also whipped out a nice little pile of paper-thin sliced potatoes to make chips, which turned out delicious.

    This little contraption would be great for making veggie soup with a million curly bites of carrots and potatoes.  I’ll bet it would make slicing vegetables for stir-fry absolutely painless.   It would probably make coleslaw 90% faster.  If I had read the manual, I would know for sure and could give you a much longer list.  I guess that’s the downside of a zero learning curve: no one looks at the manual.

    Spiral Slicer

    The Giveaway

    Amazing Graze General Store would like to give one Life in a Shoe reader a free Spiral Slicer valued at $35.99!

    For your first entry, leave a comment telling what you would make if you had a spiral slicer or any other kitchen item on the Amazing Graze website.  You must do this to enter.

    For up to 8 additional entries, do any or all of the following:

    1. Post about this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter.  Leave a separate comment here for each place you share.
    2. Share a link to your favorite product from Amazing Graze General Store on facebook and/or twitter.  Again, leave a separate comment for each.
    3. Subscribe to Life in a Shoe.
    4. Share your favorite Life in a Shoe post on facebook.  Which one is it?
    5. Give us your best tip for making homemade french fries.  We have some ideas, but I want to hear where you think we went wrong.

    We’ll take entries for one week then choose a random winner.

    Cheap Blog Tweaks

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    I’ve helped quite a few friends with a variety of blog issues, and it occurred to me that others might have similar needs.  I can’t offer free unlimited help, but I’d like to offer my time and knowledge for a modest price.

    Do you have a WordPress blog but need a little help getting it to act or look the way you want?  Maybe we can help.  We’re not talking about designing a custom template for you, but help with the small stuff – stuff you could probably figure out but really don’t have the time or want to expend the brain energy.

    • Resizing an image in your sidebar
    • Making your sidebar a little wider/narrower
    • Moving that thing in your sidebar a hair to the right so your eye will quit twitching every time you read your own blog
    • Getting a cool feature like you saw on __’s blog
    • Changing the size/color of the headings in your sidebar or your post titles
    • Change the background of your blog
    • Creating and adding a “grab this code” box
    • Adding a banner for your favorite affiliate program [Read more...]

    Winner of the Apple Valley triple soap stack

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    The winner of last week’s giveaway for a triple soap stack from Apple Valley Natural Soap is Crystal Mohr, who won by posting about the giveaway on her blog.

    Didn’t win this time?  Don’t forget to enter our current giveaway for Pioneer size drying rack from Homestead Drying Racks, and watch for more giveaways in the weeks to come!

    How to do an egg shampoo

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    Is it just me, or does that title sound a little pompous?  As if my way were the only way, or the best way.  Well, maybe it is, but you and I don’t know that for sure.  Maybe I should have said, “How I do an egg shampoo.”  But then it sounds as if I don’t know what I’m doing and that could damage my reputation because we all know that I know it all.

    That’s why you read my blog, right?  So you can be more like me?  I’m just kidding.  I know the truth.  When you’re having a bad day, you know you can always pop over here and read about my own days gone awry.  Poop, vomit, car trouble, water woes, kids you want to flush down the toilet: whatever your problem du jour is, there’s a fair chance we’ve had it worse.  Then you’ll feel better.  You know it’s true.

    Anyway, I wanted to give you an update on my shampoo-free adventure.  I still can’t bring myself to say no-poo with a straight face, but you knew what I meant.

    Parker was born during my baking soda and vinegar period.  After he was born, my hair seemed to change.  It got more and more oily, and the baking soda – even when added to boiled water - just didn’t seem to get it as clean as it used to.  I experimented with the amount of vinegar in my rinse, but just couldn’t get my hair to feel the way I wanted.

    I didn’t want to go back to my old hair: flaky all the time and visibly oily within 24 hours of shampooing.  I started shampooing again, but this time I used just a dab on the crown every 3 days or so.  My hair never really felt clean, but I never let it get too oily either.  It was a delicate balance and I wasn’t entirely satisfied but it was the best I could think of.

    After a month or two, I remembered my egg shampoo and switched back to that.  Back when I was trying to get my scalp to adjust to life without shampoo, I had worried that using an egg shampoo would be a setback.  This time, I looked forward to the results.

    An egg with a bit of vinegar every 3 days left my hair soft and clean and kept my scalp healthy.  The only downside was that it was difficult to rinse thoroughly enough, especially if you like your shower nice and hot like I do.  Invariably, I found bits of egg white left in my hair.  They combed out easily enough, but still it was a little unsettling to say the least.

    I finally stumbled across  the answer to that little problems in an email forwarded by a friend.  It was one of those “how times have changed” emails, contrasting everyday life today with that of 100 years ago.  One item in the list: women used to wash their hair once a month with egg yolk and borax.

    I’m not ready for once a month washing and I know nothing about borax so I’m not about to put it in my hair.  But egg yolk?  No white, just yolk?  As Homer Simpson used to say, “Doh!”  Maybe he still says it.  Homer and I parted ways years ago, though I can’t help but remember him with some fondness.

    Egg shampoo may not be frugal if you have to buy your eggs, but the feathered members of our family are producing well so that’s not a problem here.  I love my hair now.  Here’s what I do every 3 or 4 days:

    Egg shampoo

    1. Crack one or two eggs, separating the yolk(s) into a cup.  Save the white for baking, breakfast, or a deserving dog.
    2. Add 1-2 tsp. of vinegar or lemon juice.  Add a bit of water if desired for a thinner mixture.  Mix with a fork.
    3. Wet hair thoroughly.
    4. Work egg mixture into scalp, massaging gently and thoroughly with fingertips.
    5. Wait a minute or two for the egg yolk to “capture” the oils, then rinse completely.

    You shouldn’t need additional conditioner, as the vinegar accomplishes this.  In fact, I have found that even in dry winter weather this leaves my hair better conditioned and less static-y than the high dollar shampoos/conditioners that some of my daughters insist on buying for their personal use.  I only snitch those when the girls leave them in the shower and I forgot to prepare my egg yolk.  It’s ok.  I don’t think they read my blog.

    4 Moms: Cooking with little ones without losing your sanity

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    enter our current giveaway: Homestead Drying Racks

    Welcome back to the weekly 4 Moms post, in which 4 moms with a collective total of 35 children share our knowledge, experience and and helpful tips in maintaining health, order and sanity.

    This week we’re talking about cooking with little ones.  We don’t mean that in the same sense as when you cook with butter or onions.  At least that’s not how I understood it when we agreed on the subject.  Maybe you and I should visit the other 3 moms to make sure we’re all on the same page.

  • Connie at Smockity Frocks
  • Headmistress at The Common Room
  • Kimberly at Raising Olive
  • Oh, good.  Now that’s settled, let’s move on.

    I’ll just be upfront about something: I am a clean cook and a control freak.  God has used my children to soften some of my rough edges, but I have also learned to work within my boundaries.  When I cook with little ones, if we want to end the experience on a pleasant note and with happy memories, we have to follow a few ground rules.

    Really, just one rule goes a long, long way:  One helper at a time.  There are a few events and recipes which lend themselves well to multiple participants, but in general this works best for us.  The others can watch quietly, or they can wander off until I call them for their turn.  I cannot abide a free-for-all shouting/squealing/shoving match in my kitchen with 4 or 5 short people jockeying for the stool closest to the mixing bowl.  We all have more fun when we do it my way.

    See?  Isn’t she sweet and happy? Nobody has pushed her off the stool yet because I’m the only one in the kitchen with her.

    “I’m stirring it with a spoon, Mom.”

    The photographer insisted that we get the classic shot of big hand/little hand together on the spoon.

    The photographer specified it must be a wooden spoon.

    I’m actually not the only one in the kitchen, but you got the point didn’t you?  Besides Bethany, the photographer and me, we also have an eager young cook.  I don’t classify Becca with the little ones because she can cook on her own.  She was either dying to help Bethany, or to get in the photos.  She brushed her hair first, which seems like a good clue.

    Bethany helped with the dry ingredients, then it was Perry’s turn.  He specializes in cracking eggs.  Just look at the level of concentration he puts into his egg-cracking assignments.

    CRUNCH!

    Now we’re stirring.  Look: intense.

    “Salt?  Salt is gross!  Why do you put salt in a cake?”

    Rachael came on board once the batter was mixed.

    She’s stirring too.  I think the photographer was distracted by this point, because there are no photos of Rachael cutting up butter, chopping nuts, or licking the spatula.

    She mixed up a streusel topping.  Not everything we do is fancy, but when you’re inviting 3 separate helpers for the same recipe, having several distinct steps can help preserve the peace.

    And here’s our streusel topped batter, ready to go in the oven.

    We forgot to take another photo when it came out, but we’ll be enjoying the fruits of our labor for breakfast.

    Want the recipe?

    Apple Streusel Cake

    • 3 cups flour
    • 2 cups sugar
    • 3 tsp. baking powder (we use 1 tsp baking soda plus a little vinegar in the milk)
    • 1/4 tsp. salt
    • 1 1/2 cups milk
    • 1/2 cup butter, melted
    • 2 tsp. vanilla
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 large can apple pie filling (we used a quart of homemade)

    Streusel topping:

    • 1/4 cup flour
    • 2 tsp. cinnamon
    • 2 Tbs. brown sugar
    • 2 Tbs. butter
    • 1 cup chopped walnuts

    Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add milk, butter, vanilla and eggs.  Mix thoroughly.  Spread half of batter in a buttered 9×13.  Carefully spoon on apple pie filling, spreading as evenly as possible.  Top with remaining batter.

    For topping, combine 1/4 cup flour, cinnamon and brown sugar.  Cut in butter, then stir in nuts.  Sprinkle over batter.

    Bake 45-60 minutes at 350.

    Did you notice that this post is mostly photos?  That’s the biggest point I want to make about cooking with little ones.  It’s not so much about what you make, as it is about working together and making memories.  If everyone is smiling in the end, it’s a job well done.  If it tastes good and your kitchen is clean, so much the better.


    Upcoming topics for 4 Moms 35 Kids:

    • February 17 – Spending individual time with your children: isn’t the very topic enough to make you feel guilty?
    • February  24 – Q & A.  Got a question?  Leave it in the comments on my last Q&A post.  Or you can email me, but I promise you right now I will lose your email and forget to answer your question for 15 months.  By then, you probably will have found your own answer.

    Giveaway: Homestead Drying Racks

    No current giveaway. Shocking, right?

    We dried our laundry exclusively on racks for nearly 2 years.  When our washer died a few weeks ago, we bought a used pair from friends so we have an electric dryer again, but much to my children’s chagrin we seldom use it.

    It costs a lot to use an electric dryer for a big family, so I have rules and a jar.

    1. Want to use the dryer just because you don’t feel like hanging a load of laundry on the rack?  Get approval and put 50 cents in the jar.
    2. Ask first with a good reason – a sweater prone to lint, or a cotton article of clothing that has stretched – and it might be free.
    3. Use the dryer without permission?  The fee doubles to $1.

    When you use your drying rack as much as we do, it’s important to have one that fits your needs and stands up to daily use.  A good design can be the difference between a money-saving piece of equipment and just another guilt-inducing piece of clutter.

    I think the Homestead Drying Racks fit that description.  These beautiful handcrafted hardwood drying racks, created by a homesteading family of 7, are made to last a lifetime.

    Shipping and insurance is included in the price of all their products.  I love having shipping included on big items like this: you don’t have to wonder and calculate how shipping will affect the total cost, because you know exactly what your cost will be.

    The Giveaway

    Homestead Drying Racks would like to give one Life in a Shoe reader a free Pioneer Drying Rack valued at $85!

    For your first entry, leave a comment telling why you need one of these racks.  You must do this to enter.

    For up to 7 additional entries, do any or all of the following:

    1. Post about this giveaway on your blog, facebook, or twitter.  Leave a separate comment here for each place you share.
    2. Share a link to Homestead Drying Racks on facebook and/or twitter.  Again, leave a separate comment for each.
    3. Subscribe to Life in a Shoe.
    4. Share your favorite Life in a Shoe post on facebook.  Which one is it?

    We’ll take entries for one week then choose a random winner.