When Your Kid Says NO To Social Media

We parents LOVE sharing the funny, adorable and irritating stuff our kids do, right?  And now we can blast their sweet little faces ALL over the Internet for the world to see.  While I have always been pretty careful of what I choose to share about my family and my child on my personal pages, I didn't hold the reigns quite so tightly on my other ones.  Meaning- I shared pretty much everything with the fans, within reason...

Recently the kiddo has asked me not to take his photo and not to post it on social media.  He's at that age where he's embarrassed or perhaps self conscious so he's been quite vocal about NOT sharing.  Which makes total sense when you really think about it....no way would I have wanted my "awkward" years to be blasted all over for the world to witness.  So I very much get it.  I do.

With that being said, this has been hard for me.  No joke, hard...because I think he's funny and adorable and that there's real value in sharing our story and our journey.  But here's the thing- I signed up for this.  He didn't.  So it's been a real eye opener for me and I'm doing my very best to respect his wishes.  If you're a fan over on the Facebook page, you might have even noticed that there's been less "kiddo" around.  Less stories about him, less pictures, less "convos in the car"- just less.

While it is my complete intention to share an HONEST and REAL glimpse of this homeschooling life- it has never been my goal to disrespect my family.  Kiddo included.  So for now, there's less.  I'm restructuring a bit what I share with you all and asking his permission a lot more before posting and sharing.  And y'all- most times he says NO.  So I just keep those adorable little kiddo moments to myself and hope that someday again he'll allow me to share and brag and get my MOMMY on.

For all of you wondering how to navigate this, here's some basic questions to ask yourself before posting anything about your children.

• Would my child be embarrassed or upset by what I'm sharing?
• Am I sharing something that would jeopardize their safety?
• Is this appropriate?
• What is my motive behind sharing this?
• Am I sharing something too private or sacred?
• Did I ask permission?

Moving forward I will do my best to remember these questions.  While I am convinced their is SO MUCH GOOD STUFF about the kiddo that is worth sharing, I am not willing to compromise my relationship and trust with him over something so trivial as social media.  It's simply not worth it.

Good luck to you as you navigate this path and please remember, listen to your children and respect their wishes.  They may be kids, but they are people too.

Vegan Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas

And other good stuff.  BWHAHAHA but there's SO much yummy goodness going on in this recipe that I promise you that your family will never even realize they are vegan.  Because as the husband has told me over and over again, VEGAN FOOD IS GROSS.

My mission as we transition to more vegan food is to turn his opinion around.  And that means I DON'T TELL HIM WHATS IN THE FOOD HE'S EATING, otherwise he would probably never eat it.  Although to be fair, he always tells me that he doesn't want to know because then he wouldn't eat it.  It's a fun little game we like to play.

In addition to learning to make delicious vegan food, I also want to make it EASY and ACCESSIBLE.  I don't know about you but years ago, way before I even thought about eating a vegan diet, I always thought vegan food was crazy weird.  I mean seriously- WHAT IS THIS STUFF?!?  But have no fear, I'm going to change all that for you mmkay!

Vegan Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas
*this is a double recipe & will make two 9 X 13 pans

2 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 can black beans
1 cup corn
1/2 red onion diced
6 cloves garlic diced
1 sweet bell pepper diced
1/2 to 1 jalapeno diced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
salt & pepper to taste
1 28 oz can red enchilada sauce
corn tortillas

Toppings:
red cabbage
lettuce/spinach
cilantro
red onion
avocado
hot sauce
vegan sour cream
vegan cheese


Step 1:  Prep and cook your sweet potatoes.  I use the orange fleshy ones which are actually considered yams but if you know your sweet potatoes, you know there's lots of different varieties.

Peel the sweet potatoes, chop them up into nice small bite sized cubes.  Put them in boiling water with a little sea salt for approximately 10 minutes or until cooked.  Then drain out the water & set them aside to add to your filling when needed.

Step 2:  While your sweet potatoes are cooking away, saute your peppers, jalapeno, onions and garlic.  For this recipe, I prefer a sweet pepper rather than a green pepper.  I typically use a combination of red, yellow and orange because that's what I have in my fridge.  Use any color you like!  I also like to use a avocado oil or coconut oil when sauteing veggies but really, it doesn't matter too much here.

Step 3:  Add in your drained black beans, corn and cooked sweet potatoes to the pepper and onion mixture.  Add in spices, salt and pepper and adjust if needed.

The filling.

Step 4:  Time to roll up your enchiladas!  Start by putting a little of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of 2, glass 9 X 13 pans.

To warm your corn tortillas, simply put a small pan on your stove top burner and warm it up.  Then put your corn tortilla in the pan for just a few seconds until it is soft and steamy.  You could also microwave them in a wet paper towel but I prefer this method.

Now fill with as much filling as you can possibly manage in your corn tortilla.  Seriously, shove all the good stuff in there and roll it up!  Place "seam" side down in your pan.

Step 5:  Cover with remaining enchilada sauce then put some foil over the top and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.  All your filling is already cooked so you're just warming it all and combining the flavors here, so don't overdo it in the oven.  Trust me on this one, no one wants a crunchy enchilada!

At this point, if you are NOT cooking your second pan and are instead freezing it, just label the dish right on the foil using a Sharpie and then pop it right in the freezer.  Don't forget to date it too!

*Psst....don't want to be a vegan?  Feel free to cover with some shredded cheese once it comes out of the oven.  It's good this way too!  And of course you can also TOTALLY use vegan cheese, this is actually a really great dish to try vegan cheese out on mmkay.

Now, depending on how skilled you are at shoving all the the filling inside your tortillas, this will make approximately 8-10 enchiladas per pan.  Since I'm a BIG fan of cooking once and eating twice, there is literally NO REASON why you shouldn't just make this double batch recipe and put the other pan in the freezer.  Because really, it takes hardly any time at all and it's totally worth it!

Now....here's the truly FABULOUS part.

When serving, top your enchiladas with anything your heart desires (raw cabbage, lettuce, avocados, cilantro, onion, etc) some vegan sour cream and spicy hot sauce.  Because hot sauce is THE BUSINESS- we like Cholula!

Dude.

This recipe is seriously so good.  The husband ate three of these babies just the other night and refused to believe me when I told him the ingredients.  But then again...it's not like he really wanted to know anyway....

10 Things Not to Say to a Homeschooling Mom

I've been a homeschooling Mom for about 8 years now and you WOULD NOT BELIEVE the crap I hear from people.  Ok, well....maybe you would.  Below is my own personal list of things you should NEVER say to a homeschooling parent, period.  And yes- they've all been said to me at one time or another.



#1- But what about socialization?  Oh.  My.  Gawd.  I am beyond done with this question, I just can't.  Do your research you ignorant butt and you'll find that homeschooled kids are WAY better socialized than your precious public schoolers.  Yeah, it's true.

#2- They'll never get into college.  News flash!  College is not the be all end all and no one knows this better than a homeschooling Mom.  I want my child to pursue his passions and if he needs college to do that, then you best believe my boy is getting in.  But it is not our educational goal.  And here's a bit of truth for you, colleges are ACTIVELY recruiting homeschoolers.  If it came down to my well rounded homeschooled student and your peg square public schooler, the homeschooled kid will win it every single time.  Every.  Time.

#3- I didn't know you were a certified teacher.  I'm not but thanks for trying to make me feel stupid.  You do NOT need to be a certified teacher to teach a child, you just don't.  Think back to before you shipped your child off to school, did you never teach them a single thing?  Like ever?  However in the world did they learn to eat with a fork or tie their shoes or lip sync to Madonna?  Oh yeah- you taught them because you are more than qualified and so am I.  So suck it.

#4- Wow, I didn't know you were so religious.  Because EVERY SINGLE HOMESCHOOLER must be over the top religious to follow this path, right?  No.  Where once the homeschooling community consisted of a butt ton of religious families, just as with any demographic- we are growing.  Homeschoolers come in all shapes and sizes, from all different worlds with a crazy variety of beliefs.  Would you believe there's even some who DON'T believe in God?  Yeah, it's true.

#5- Don't you get sick of spending all that time with your kid?  Well, yeah- sometimes.  I'm only human of course!  But when it comes down to it, I want to be the one who teaches and guides him, not some stranger hired by a defunct educational system.  And goodness but that's why they invented outside classes, sports, and this little thing called socialization.  Sure we homeschoolers spend WAY more time with our children than most parents and no joke- it can be rough, we wouldn't have it any other way.  

#6- So what do you do all day?  Well gee...what do YOU do all day?  I certainly hope you aren't trying to imply that I'm lazy here mmkay...because the reality is anything but.  If you're doing this right, it is very much like having a FULL TIME JOB in addition to the FULL TIME JOB of being a wife and mother.  And personally, I have 2 part time jobs so let's just say I work the equivalent of 3 FULL TIME JOBS.  How many do you have again?  What is it that you do all day again?  MmmHmm....sorry but you're not gonna win this one.

#7- How come your kid is watching TV, shouldn't they be doing schoolwork right now?  Ah, you gotta love a schoolwork dictator, right?  Homeschooling is a lifestyle and as such it happens ALL THE TIME.  Even TV can be educational.  There are SO many ways and styles in which to homeschool and educate our children and most of them do NOT replicate a traditional public school setting.  So expand your mind a bit to the concept that kids learn all the time in every thing.

#8- Well I didn't realize public school wasn't good enough for your kids, it works just fine for mine.  Sigh....listen....I am truly NOT judging you.  I'm not.  It works for your family and that's great- but it didn't work for mine.  The reasons behind why people choose to homeschool are vast and most times it has nothing to do with you.  So get over yourself already and let's just agree to not judge each other mmkay...

#9- I didn't know you were allowed to homeschool, is it legal?  Wow.  The government mind control is strong in this one mmkay....listen, I do NOT need to ask permission from anyone to do what I feel is right for my child.  I just don't.  But thanks for implying that I would commit a crime in order to educate my kid.  Homeschooling is legal, in all the states.  Some have more regulations and restrictions than others which sucks balls but yes, for now we are still legally allowed to parent and educate how we want.

#10- Shouldn't your kid be in school?  THEY ARE IN SCHOOL YOU DIP SHIT.  OK, that reply might be too harsh but it is almost always right there on the tip of my tongue.  Good thing for you my parents raised me right and I just keep that little nugget to myself.  But yes, my child is in school.  Even while we are at the grocery store or walking in the park because if you've learned anything from this post I hope it's that homeschooling is a way of life.  Learning is natural and organic and it happens all the bloody time.


Well there you have it, my own personal list of things you should probably never say to a homeschooling Mom.  What would you add to this list?

When You Want to Go Veg- FIVE SIMPLE TIPS

Recently I have seen more and more folks reaching out to me with questions on food and healthy eating.  They want to eat less meat, they want to go vegetarian or full on vegan and are overwhelmed with where to start.  While I am NO expert and will NEVER claim to be, I have been travelling this path towards healthier, more plant based eating with a meat and potatoes lovin' husband and a picky child, for quite some time now and I've learned some very valuable things.

So how do you do this?  Where do you start?  Dearest Homeschooled Housewife, what advice and tips can you offer me?

Yay! I'm SO glad you've asked.  Here's the response that I've been giving to almost everyone who asks me these questions.

#1- Start small and go slow.  This is HARD and it's all about slow and steady to win this journey.  Don't feel bad if you have a day or two that didn't go as planned and seriously- don't put too much stress and pressure on this.  Focus on one night each week being completely meat free and slowly increase this over time.

#2- Eat more fruits and veggies.  Even if you ultimately decide not to give up meat- you simply need to be eating your fruits and vegetables.  Find ways to get them to your dining table and into your bodies!  Replace the junk food with sides of fruit and put the dark leafy greens in your smoothies.  Super easy! 

#3- If you want to go vegan, start by going vegetarian first.  Nothing kills good intentions quite like biting of more than you can chew.  And in case you didn't know this already- being Vegan takes WORK.  

#4- Stay away from fake foods.  So many people replace real meat with processed vegetarian or vegan foods instead of simply making it themselves.  Want to eat a burger?  Do not rush out a buy a Boca or other "meat replacement fake food" but choose to make yourself a black bean burger (these are AMAZEBALLS easy & so good!) or quinoa burger.  Better for you and cheaper too!

#5- Give up the the Protein Myth.  For the love of God, Americans eat far too much protein!  The truth is that if you eat a well balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains- you are getting enough protein.  Take care to stay away from those nit picky sudden "Nutrition Experts" who want to question you about your protein and iron intake the moment you announce your move to meat free eating.

Well there you have it- my FIVE TIPS for getting started on a more humane diet.  And for those of you who are wondering, my family is completely vegetarian 5-6 days per week.  We allow for a cheat day or two every week because the truth is that we simply LOVE a real meat cheeseburger or a fabulous steak.  However we are VERY conscious of the meat we do choose to consume and I personally never buy factory farmed meat.  We go local!

In addition to our normal vegetarian diet, we are currently eating vegan dishes at least twice weekly.  I am slowly increasing this amount over time, but again- we LOVE our cheddar cheese and sour cream so this transition has been hard.  We are a normal family that has made this decision to eat a better quality, healthier, plant based diet.  We not only LOVE animals but we love ourselves enough to take the time and energy needed to ensure our bodies are healthy and whole from the inside out, just like you!

You can do this.  I promise you.

Psst...still here?  Check out my MASTER RECIPE LIST here for some easy and yummy vegan and vegetarian recipes.  Many of the vegetarian dishes can easily be converted to full on vegan by making a few simple changes.  Good stuff here y'all!  Enjoy!

Unexpected Gifts

The book- the husband found it at Barnes & Noble.

As part of my Valentine gift from the husband, he gave me this sweet "fill in the blank" book.  It's all about me and us and our love story and quite possibly one of the most thoughtful and romantic gifts he's ever given me.

This adorable little book resides in the top drawer of my nightstand and at least once a week I find myself pulling it and out reading through a few of it's sweet pages.  It's like a brand new gift each time.  

Recently I was thinking on the page where he had to fill in one thing he likes about me.  Now- ladies, I really thought I knew the answer to this one.  Seriously, I did.  And while I was probably right, the answer he gave still surprises me.

I Like Your ____________.

Style.

He said style! Gah.  I never would have guessed this one in a million, trillion years.  Mainly because the husband seems to fight my style at every turn.  He was not a fan of the colors I chose to paint the inside of our house, he doesn't like the stripes on the curtains, fiercely protested the shelving I've enlisted him to build and my clothes....well, goodness but it seems that he's always finding something he doesn't agree with.  Too short, too much skin, too much pink....you get the idea here mmkay...

So this answer was truly a BIG surprise.  He likes my style?  Say what now?!?

When I asked him about it, here was his answer- "I may not always know what your final plans are or why you do what you do, but I usually like the end result.  You have good taste in stuff"

So hmmmm.....he likes what I'm doing?  He likes the way I've decorated our home, he likes how I do things, he likes my personal style?  Wow.  I have to say that after almost 16 years of thinking he didn't really like my style but rather just tolerated it, I am FLOORED.  And so very happy because style is such a big part of who you are.  I'm glad that he sees this and he likes what he sees.  

What a wonderful gift he gave me this day.  Not just this treasure of a book but of the knowledge that he likes and appreciates so many of the bits and pieces that make me uniquely me.  It truly was such an unexpected gift in more ways than one.

A Real Food Easter Dinner

The last few years have seen a transformation in my hosting duties.  While we've been hosting family meals, holidays and birthdays for at least the past 7+ years, it's only been in the last couple of years that I have done all the cooking.

Say what?!?

I know, right?  Me?  Not do all the cooking?!?  Well the reason behind this is that my Dad is such a wonderful and skilled cook that I've just let him continue to do it all.  Ack.  I know...that's probably not very nice of me but as a busy Wife and Mom, it was simply easier and so this is how the division of holidays happened.  I hosted, decorated, baked desserts, cleaned etc and my parents schlepped over all the food.

Slowly I've been cooking more of the food as our diet has evolved and it's now become my duty to properly host.  Meaning doing almost all the cooking in addition to traditional hosting duties.  But here's the thing- while I LOVE and feel at home in the kitchen, I also am a big fan of EASY.  Yeah, easy meals are my JAM.    I like dishes that I can prep a day or so ahead of time, simple food that I can pop in the oven and let it do all the work for me or items that simmer away on the stove and allow me to socialize and visit with my guests.  Each year our menu changes just a bit but the basics remain the same.  Here's how I tackle a REAL food Easter dinner complete with MEAT (yeah, that is a rare sighting at my house indeed), apps and dessert.

The Basic Menu:

• Ham
• 2 veggie side dishes
• Potato
• Deviled Eggs
• Savory dessert
• Fruit/Appetizer

Let's begin with the ham.  This is LITERALLY THE ONE TIME PER YEAR THAT I COOK PORK.  Did you realize the significance of this through my use of capital letters?  But seriously- no joke, I do not cook pork (with the exception of Easter dinner) and I personally have not eaten pork in well over 20 years.  Well shit, I can't believe it's really been that long!  While I will occasionally buy the kiddo some Applegate Farms ham lunch meat, this is the only pork that enters my home and maybe just a handful of times each year at that!  The truth is that I simply don't buy much meat anymore and if we do want some bacon or sausage or I need it for a dish I'm cooking- then I will always buy turkey.  So let's just take a moment and appreciate the sacred rarity of the Ham gracing our dinner table mmkay....

With that being said, any meat that I purchase MUST always be raised humanely.  In addition, I prefer to find local meat so that I can better learn how it was treated and raised, what it ate, any chemicals it has ingested and so forth.  I typically place my holiday meat order a few weeks prior and arrange to pickup or have it delivered.  This year I was really contemplating NOT cooking a ham at all but the kiddo insisted that it simply wasn't Easter without one.  So I picked up a ham from our local PCC grocery store from Beeler's at the last minute.  If you can't find a local ham, this is the ham to buy.  A family owned company that truly cares about it's farm and it's animals- these pigs are raised on vegetarian diets with NO antibiotics, NO growth hormones and NO artificial preservatives.  This means your ham has been minimally processed, ate the very best diet (in fact they are in the process of converting to GMO free grain), is nitrate free and was raised ethically by a family of farmers who cares about it's animals and it's consumers.  WIN WIN y'all.

A simple glaze of brown sugar, OJ & cloves.

If you are going to eat meat, eat the very best you can.  Always.

Moving on, each year I do two simple vegetable side dishes.  This year I'm keeping it super easy and making one of them a big green salad.  Dude.  It does NOT get any easier and this is a cost effective crowd pleaser!  The other veg is a new recipe that I'm trying out this year, Smothered Green Beans.  Pretty much any vegetable dish will work here but I recommend finding something you can prep 'n pull.  Meaning, prep it ahead of time so there is LITERALLY nothing required from you other that pulling it out of the fridge, perhaps putting in the oven and then putting it on the table.  Prep 'N Pull folks, PREP 'N PULL.

You cannot have an Easter meal without having deviled eggs.  I'm pretty sure it's the law and since your kids have already helped you out by dying all those hard boiled eggs, you've got plenty available to fix yourself a big ole platter of deviled eggs.  Yum!

In addition to the two vegetable sides, I always do a potato dish of some sort.  Easter naturally lends itself to scalloped potatoes- which ROCK for an easy holiday side dish.  You can also do a simple pot of boiled Yukon Gold potatoes with butter, mashed potatoes or the like.  This year I will be making a favorite in my house, the Pioneer Woman's Potato Au Gratin.  It is ridiculously easy and then you can simply pop it in the oven with your ham.  A tip on this dish though- it takes twice as long to bake as it says it does.  Shame on you Ree, you could have messed up my meal timing all sorts of wrong!  Don't say I didn't warn you folks!

And because it's Easter and a holiday and a meal that should be SPECIAL, I always try to do something fun and themed around the holiday.  Many times, I will do this for the appetizer (if we have one) or for the dessert because well...it's just easier that way mmkay.  Just surf the Pinterest for some truly adorable Easter themed ideas! This year I am making a fruit platter in the shape of a bunny head.  Yeah, a bunny's mother truckin' head.  I guarantee you that it will be an instant hit with all the party people and it's a great way to get kids to eat something healthy.  Works well with veggies too!

Finally, we've reached my personal favorite for any meal- DESSERT.  Oh how I love me some dessert!  In our house, "desserting" is actually considered a hobby and holidays are where I get to really pull out all the stops.  Now, if you've followed me over on my Facebook page, you might remember that I made a carrot cake for the very first time this year per the husband's birthday dessert request.  And it was so AMAZEBALLS that I'm doing it again for Easter.  Just makes sense right?  Carrot cake for Easter? Perfection!

Well there you have it.  Not one single pre packaged, canned, boxed, frozen, chemical laden disaster will be gracing my Easter table this year.  Real food- it really is this simple.

From our family to yours we wish you a blessed Easter.

Ack! Holy Sore Throat Batman!

The kiddo has been spending more and more time socializing (see- homeschoolers DO know how to socialize mmkay...) and as a result, he's been exposed to more nasty germs.  After an entire day spent hanging with a friend, he developed a sore throat that evening.

Well crap.

You all should know that the kiddo has NEVER been really sick.  Like- actual sick sick.  I'm talking full blown week long cold, fever, chills, flu etc- yeah, he's never experienced this unpleasantness.  So he was quite miserable with his sore throat.  I immediately began him on a homeopathic regime, not to worry, I will outline it below.  It burned out of his system by day 2 and never fully developed.  So I guess one could say that the sick free streak continues....although I suppose it comes down to how you define "sick".

However, just as the nasty germs were vacating his body, they latched onto mine.  Oh yes...the glamour and prestige of being called Mom means you are fortunate enough to catch any and everything currently befalling the people inside your home.  Lucky for me, I knew it was probably heading my way and I had been taking precautions and then immediately began my own homeopathic regiment.  I am happy to say that I'm currently on day 3 and while it's held me in it's grasp just a bit longer than the kiddo, I am almost completely over whatever THIS was and it hasn't developed into anything major.  Hallelujah!

So how did we do this?  How have we been able to effectively STOP cold and flu like symptoms from developing?  Don't fret- I'm sharing it below!

Step 1:

• Immediately begin diffusing essential oils.  Like non-stop.  
• I always add some Thieves oil to anything I am diffusing during the cold and flu season.  Thieves is a great anti bacterial and helps combat these nasty germs.
• To the Thieves oil, I added my Breathe Easier blend from Eden's Garden.
• If you don't have Breathe Easier, simply mix lemon, peppermint, rosemary and eucalyptus.
• I had the diffuser on any time we were inside the house- especially at night!
  

Step 2:

•  Mix up a sore throat remedy using your essential oils.   
• Combine your carrier oil (I use organic coconut oil) with sage, peppermint, lemon, rosemary and thyme.
• Apply constantly to your throat, behind ears and if desired, to the side of your nostrils so you can breathe it in more easily.

Step 3:

• Make a batch of my Honey, Lemon and Ginger tea.  Drink it often.  

Step 4: 

• Whenever your throat feels especially sore, take a spoonful of honey to help soothe it.
• Your honey NEEDS to be local and raw.  Dude- it just does.  You most likely won't be able to buy this honey from your local grocery store.  And no- organic honey is NOT good enough!

Step 5:

• Pop the Zinc.
• Lots of ways to do this but for us we like these Elderberry and Zinc "cough" drops.  Although you don't need to wait to be actually coughing before you use them.
• Adults you might also try Zicam brand zinc melts.  They do make a kid's version but I've found it's not needed and the kiddo prefers the cough drops.   
  

Well that's it.  Just five easy steps to STOP the cold and flu symptoms in their tracks.  I can promise you that if you do these steps at the FIRST sign of illness, you will recover faster.  I truthfully haven't had a full blown cold in years and the last time I had the flu was easily seven years ago.  No joke.  It also goes without saying that your diet and overall lifestyle plays a big part in your health.  When you put good food in your body, REAL FOOD, you will be amazed at how much better you feel! 

Want to read more?

• Cold & Flu Season Survival Kit
• 10 Alternatives to the Flu Shot