What We Really Eat & Why

Just a over a year ago, my mother in-law passed away from cancer at the young age of 58. It was painful for her and difficult for all of us in so many ways as we cared for and watched her go. It was that experience that triggered us to get a lot more serious about taking care of our health. Of course we weren't completely ignorant to the unhealthy affects of processed foods and other junk and we were eating "balanced meals", but J took it upon himself to research this further to help our family be wise as to how we nourished ourselves.

 

As he read he found the research of Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and their findings in the correlation between animal based diets and disease. We watched Forks Over Knives (on Netflix) and decided to make some major changes in the food we prepare for our family. We now eat a plant based diet and organic non GMO whenever possible. We now for the most part (I would say 95%) only buy plant based foods. The exception is special occasions, eating out, or when we at someone else's home. All of which are a very small percentage of our meals. We never want others to feel like they have to cook special for us and will thankfully eat whatever is put in front of us whenever we eat outside of our home. We love food!
 

 

After a year of eating plant strong meals, we have faced all the challenges you would expect especially finding recipes that a family of eight would all eat. I've decided to start blogging each day for the next month what we eat for dinner, the recipes, and how everyone rated it.

 

So to begin, here's tonight's dinner, tacos and beans. Simple, filling, and everyone loved it!

 

 

So what do you put in a taco without meat and cheese? Here's what we put in ours:

 

fresh cooked pinto beans

pure refried beans (canned and 0 fat)

guacamole

TVP with taco seasoning (it gives the texture of ground beef)

lettuce

tomato

red onion

rice

freshly made salsa

 

What are some of your favorites for vegan tacos?

 

My Thoughts Exactly!

It's always been my heart's desire to teach my children to be content and Holy. Lately, I have been really meditating and pondering how God wants this for us. A friend shared this blog post, and as I read it I thought, "These are my thoughts exactly!" I just had to share it. (click on the link below to read the article)

I Don't Want My Kids to be Happy

They Can't Wait to Do Their Chores! Really!

About three times a year I re-evaluate the kids' chores, making sure they're age appropriate, see where we're lacking, and such. The kids have very regular routines (morning and night) which makes it easier on all of us when they know what's expected of them. When I evaluate, I like to do something to change it up a little and encourage the kids in their chores. I recently came across this website. It is perfect for our family! My kids love to log on, check off what they have done, earn points, redeem points, and get personal notes from my husband and I. I no longer have to remind them to look at their list of chores to see what they haven't done, because they are anxious to look at their list to see if there is anything else they can do to earn points! Now, I have always had mixed emotions about 'rewarding' children for simply being obedient. After all, they should do the right thing not because they get something for it, but because it's the right thing to do. At the same time, I want them to know that there are rewards in life when you work hard. And, I don't want them to take for granted things like screen time (t.v., computer, games, etc.) or other treats. They are privileges not a given. I always teach them that in order to "enjoy the fruits of their labor" they have to first labor! Not just enjoy the fruit of someone else's labor. ;) So while we don't pay them with money for doing their daily responsibilities, they do earn privileges. Let me know what you think of the site or what you do to motivate your children in taking care of their responsibilities.

Thinking About Home Schooling?

We are now in our 4th week of our 9th year of home schooling! I can't believe we have been doing it this long. Anyway, I get a lot of questions asked about home schooling and I thought I would answer some of those for you here.

First of all I will start with why we home school. When I had my first baby I honestly did not know for sure whether or not I wanted to home school, but as she was old enough to start kindergarten I couldn't imagine doing anything else. For us, we felt like the best way for my husband and I to raise our daughter (and others that would follow) was to educate her myself. We were concerned about issues like safety and academics but more importantly we were concerned about her spiritual growth. My desire is that my children would have a good education in a nurtured environment with God being at the very core of it all. I know that home is not the only place this can occur but we felt that it was the best place for our family. I don't think home schooling is for everyone. However, I believe that if you have a desire to do it you can make it happen.

The second question I get asked is, Where do I start? Talk to as many home schoolers as you can. You will find that there is a lot of diversity among home schoolers as to why and how they home school. This will help you focus on what is important to you and what your goals will be as you begin. You also need to check your state specific laws. For New Mexico you can find that here. Find support! There is a lot of it out there. I highly recommend CAPE-NM as a resource to get connected with other home schoolers and home school information here in New Mexico.

I don't know if I can teach. If you can read, you can teach. Who knows your child better than you? Once you have decided to homeschool and you know your state laws, the second step is to choose a curriculum. The resources and curriculum available to you are immense. You can choose from many styles of teaching. Many curriculum can be ordered in a kit with every subject provided in one package with lesson plans and daily guides all written out for you. All you have to do is go lesson by lesson. If you would rather make your own plans, you have the freedom to do that as well as many other styles that are available for you. Here is a helpful link to a list of a few of the widely used curriculum with reviews. This sight shows a limited view of your options and there are definitely a lot more great curriculum but it gives you a great place to start. I use A Beka Videos for some of my children and for some I use A Beka Book. I highly recommend A Beka. It is super organized and very thorough for both the teacher and student.

There is definitely a lot more information but I will try not overwhelm you. Hopefully this answers some questions you might have and gives you a place to start. Another resource that I want to mention is The Homeschool Lounge. I was recently referred to it and so far it seems to be a great resource for all home schoolers. It's great for online networking with other like minded moms. If you have any questions, suggestions, or sites that would be helpful, please leave a comment!