Bueller..... Bueller........ Bueller......

Yep. It's been a while.  Like a looooong while.  And while I love to write, post recipes, put in my two cents, life has been absolutely crazy.  Here's a dose of brutal honesty and a glimpse at what I mean by crazy:

• My grandpa died...
• I was depressed for months and still feel the sting and randomly cry almost every day...
• I started and will finish grad school course work in three summers...
• My son has ADHD... 
• We tried meds - four of them actually - some with horrible results...
• We stopped medicating and now use essential oils, vitamins, and the Feingold diet - a full time job in an of itself...
• I quit my job as a band teacher...
• I don't have another "real" job lined up but do plan on teaching private music lessons and being a stay at home mom, something I have honestly wanted to do all my life but never thought I could...
• We bought cattle to start a herd...

But I digress... 

When we made the drastic switch to the Feingold Diet, which eliminates all processed foods and food additives, colors, and preservatives, I posted on FB looking for closer grocery options for organic, natural, and whole foods.  St. Paul has a ton of options, Rochester has a few.  HyVee in Austin was better than Albert Lea and I hear Mason City is even better yet...  But at any rate, one of my friends saw that I had mentioned meal planning and wanted to know how to do it.  I had a done a post a while back but have updated my format since then, learned a lot more about how to stretch my budget and food purchases, and now of course, we eat a completely different diet.  I figured my first full post back could cover two bases at once - what a week in the life of a Feingold family looks like and how to effectively and efficiently meal plan on a budget.  Furthermore, once a few meal plans have been built, and quick copy and paste moves around favorites or deletes disasters and just keeps building!  Right now, I have 3 - two week meal plans.  That should take us through the first 7 weeks of Stage 1 of Feingold, which is a 6-8 week process.  (I had the first week that we were on the diet that we were in Duluth and I made meals from what we had on hand.)  Following this first stage, we can begin to reintroduce foods to test for sensitivity and reactions and our menu choices will change again.

This isn't entirely impressive, but our monthly food budget for our family of four people ranges anywhere from $300-500 a month, or about $75-125 per week.  Sometimes I simply have to restock pantry staples and I end up spending more; sometimes I just need fresh produce and milk.  One big reason we can keep it somewhat low is because we raise our own beef.  I would love to get in on some sort of meat co-op where local farmers exchange meats - I'll give you 10 pounds of burger for 5 pounds of sausage and 3 chickens.  Wouldn't that be awesome!?!  I know I have said this before and I'll say it again, home-raised meat is healthier and most cost effective.  You will pay the same price for burger as you pay for steaks.  When was the last time you saw steaks for $2.50 a pound??  Chickens weighing 7-9 pounds usually run around $10-15 dollars, and I don't know about you, but I can get at least three meals plus bone broth and stock out of one chicken.  Yes -- even the carcass doesn't go to waste in our house!  And you know exactly where it comes from.  Remember a few weeks back about a family being treated for consuming LSD in tainted meat sold at Wal-Mart?  Try tracing that meat back to the original packing house let alone the original herd.  Buying locally means that most likely that farmer knows exactly which animal you are getting.  Now that's quality control!

After quitting my job, I did some number crunching.  I sincerely do want to live on less.  We have so much stuff and so much of it isn't even necessary.  So in an effort to see this goal through, I recently gave up paper plates, plastic utensils, and plastic cups.  It is an added expense we don't need.  I have beautiful dishes, a sink, and a dishwasher.  Soap costs a fraction of what disposable dinnerware does when all is said and done.  Not only that, but the environmental impact of plastic production and waste is a pretty hefty price.  At one point, I needed the convenience to keep me sane, but I am now on a different path towards a more crunchy lifestyle where living on less, wasting less, and wanting less is making me and my family happier and healthier.   

Apparently I like side bars tonight... Sorry about that soapbox.  But it all contributes to how I build a meal plan centered around a well stocked pantry and freezer.

So how do I build a meal plan...?  To be honest, I don't read the flyers, although I know I should.  That will be the next step to fully realizing this crazy idea of living on less.  I ask the kids and the huzzy what they want to eat and feed them accordingly.  Right now, it is more important that they are eating and enjoying it than saving a few pennies.  But if that is something your family values, building a meal plan around sales is another excellent, cost-saving method.  (Can you teach me how???)  I usually ask them on Saturday or Sunday what they want to eat for the week, start putting things in place, and then build a grocery list.

With treating Minihe's ADHD by dietary needs and not wanting to put extra pressure on caregivers, I pack all his meals every day - breakfast, lunch, and snack.  This usually means a quick, hearty breakfast with a protein punch, leftovers for lunch, and a satisfying and fun snack.  I like things that I can make ahead and reuse as needed -- whole wheat pancake bites (pancake batter baked in mini-muffin cups), any muffin or bread (we can have cinnamon, pear, streusel, banana), eggs & cheese, ham/egg/cheese cups, sausage egg tortillas (I make a bunch ahead and freeze in individual plastic wrap for a quick breakfast), fruit and veggie smoothies with a protein boost...  Anything I can make or prep the night before and reuse for a snack or other breakfast is a definite plus!

As we adjust to our new norm with foods, I am finding that we eat even better now than before.  Our options are only as limited as our creativity.  At this current stage, we can't have any tomato-based sauce..  We can't have berries.  We can't have yellow cheeses.  And the list goes on.... But looking at my menu, it's still full of flavor and nutrition.  Follow me on Pinterest to get a lot of the recipes I use as the basis to help build my meal plan and follow the Feingold structure.  

Also, if you're family is dealing with ADHD or Autism and is looking for another way to treat it without medication, you are at the right place!  I will be posting several entries over the next few days that essentially chronicles our journey.  It is most definitely not a how-to manual but rather like an online journal.  It's rudimentary, but I did not want to forget what these early days of a natural treatment method are like.  I found it so incredibly helpful to know I wasn't alone when I began researching natural methods, so if our story can help someone - anyone - I am glad. 

Peace and goodwill to you and yours...

Reeder Ranch

This is a .jpg but if you would like a Numbers or Excel version, email me and I'll ship it out to you!

Raising Beef

living in the midwest has its perks.  we seriously have some great resources!  meat is in abundance, farmer’s markets are in nearly every town from may until october, we live in place that literally feeds the world.  living in the grain belt is way of life.

minihe and browny

d and minihe doing chores

growing up on a small farm, my life revolved around the seasons of planting, county fair, harvest, and snowmobiling.  my personal favorite was county fair.  it was this experience with 4-H that truly shaped my values as a youth and into adulthood.  furthermore, i was able to, quite successfully, explore my interest in raising and showing beef cattle.  i knew i wanted to marry someone with similar values and experiences that we could ultimately share with our own children.  i found that in d.  we began our own cattle operation a few years ago, and in doing so, began setting up our children to appreciate the hard work and rewards of the farm life.  

part of the reason we began this operation was to supplement our income.  raising our own corn, oats, hay, and straw alleviates overhead costs.  selling the cattle to customers and/or nearby market helps put a little extra cash in our pocket and make the payments on the farming equipment for said overhead costs.  it is definitely a cyclical operation; one part cannot coexist without the others.  the hay and straw operation is also an income builder.  we probably could not run a successful cattle operation without having this resources so accessible.

another reason we took on this responsibility was to keep a freezer full of food.  purchasing meat is expensive.  the quality of meat at some big box and even local grocery stores stock is questionable.  moreover, as i mentioned in my post about my “nearly home-made” cooking style, i like knowing what i’m putting in my body and the bodies of my family.  so many animals are fed unnecessary antibiotics, growth hormones, and sub-par feed.  d takes pride in the fact his animals are all-natural and fed whole-foods from fields we plant and harvest.  we take pride in the fact that we are providing our customers with a product they can feel confident they are consuming without any worries.

if you haven’t considered buying a quarter or half or even a full beef, i highly recommend it.  the cost saving benefits are numerous and are more far-reaching than your own pocketbook:

• you pay a flat fee per pound; this may make hamburger seem expensive, but steaks are way cheap
• you can choose the types of cuts you want, how much burger to have made, how thick to have steaks, etc.
• it comes frozen so there is no wasting of meat that gets forgotten in the back of the fridge
• shelf life is a few years, depending on your freezer capabilities, if you don’t eat through it first!
• it is grown locally, fed from local feed sources, slaughtered by a local meat market - all supporting local businesses and limiting the carbon footprint made from transporting meat in from states away

raising or purchasing beef, or any meat for that matter, from a neighbor, friend, or relative is, oddly enough, a ‘green’ way to live.  in my opinion it’s healthier, more economic, and something to definitely consider the next time you’re standing in front of the spread of meats wanting a better option.

i'm all about giving credit where credit is due!  one of the pictures in this post came from this website:

http://www.energeticbalancing.us/what-is-meat-glue

Snow Days, Not School Days

oh how i love snow days!  seriously, i love cozying up and hunkering down, cooking, cleaning, and spending time with the munchkins.  (although, i usually do a little happy dance when naptime rolls around.)  this morning was greeted with a 5:45am one call from the school district announcing the delay, to which i happily turned off my alarm.  then again around 8 i received the coveted cancellation call.  finally around 9 we all woke up and i casually made breakfast (cinnamon raisin pancakes - see recipe to follow) around 10.  don't judge.  we are generally not in a rush on snow days.  after all, where are we going? this was the gorgeous view from our table this morning.  i absolutely love, love, love it when the snow sticks to the branches.  i can't imagine a whole lot of other nature scenes that are more beautiful...  another perk - i caught shemar moore on ellen, and all i can say is YUM!!  

today's snow day gave me an opportunity to practice more positive parenting, too.  as i revealed yesterday, i struggle with parenting two under 4.  but it has become my resolve, not just because a new year has come but because it is high time, to be a better, more patient, kinder parent.  i want to encourage my children to make good choices because of my guidance, not because i yelled loud enough to get their attention.  

anyway, when the dreaded tears and back-talking started as i attempted to serve lunch, which might i add was pretty tasty, albeit incredibly simple, i actually followed through with my threat to remove the children from the table if their refusal to eat continued.  minishe exclaimed, "i'll eat! i'll eat!" when i began to pull her chair out from the table, and shoved some sausage in her mouth faster than i could blink.  when i transitioned my attention to minihe, he asked through his tears, "how many bites do i need to take?".  i sat down in satisfaction knowing that i had just won myself a small battle in the war against my children's most annoying habits - the mealtime breakdown.

as for our unexpected breakfast at home today, the kids literally screamed "pancakes" and trampled each other in a fast scramble to help me assemble them in the kitchen.  as i've mentioned in a previous post, pancakes are literally my children's favorite food.  not only do they gobble them up, but they love to help with the prep work.  minihe loves to crack the egg, scoop out flour, stir everything around... minishe is just content to have her own [empty] bowl and spoon and pretend to get in on the action.  

the inspiration for this morning's cinnamon raisin pancakes comes from the absolutely delectable cinnamon raisin biscuit/muffin my daycare provider made last week.  i have been craving one since.  j is an expert at, well, everything!  i am truly blessed to have such a wonderful childcare provider, and i would also call her my friend.  those of you reading this with children in daycare centers or in-home providers know just how valuable it is to find someone you can trust to have your children's best interest as their number one priority day in and day out.  after all, their work is to fundamentally raise our children while we work.

at any rate, here's this morning's pancake recipe.  why i didn't think of adding these ingredients together sooner is beyond me!!

cinnamon raisin pancakes:

look at how fluffy they are fluffing up!

ingredients: enough to make 12 pancakes

• 1/2 C raisins
• 1 C bisquick mix
• 1/2 C milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1 T sugar
• 1 t baking powder (can be omitted but this simple ingredient makes the pancakes really fluff)
• dash nutmeg

preparation:

• before you start your batter, soak the raisins in warm water to plump them up a little
• add remaining ingredients to a bowl and stir to mix
• drain off water from raisins and fold into batter
• heat a titch of oil on a griddle 
• spoon batter onto griddle and flip when bubbles pop and don't fill in
• i served with syrup but i bet a cream cheese drizzle would be excellent (see below)

yes.  i use paper plates and plastic utensils. i abhor washing dishes.

cream cheese drizzle:

• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 C powdered sugar
• 1-2 T butter
• milk to thin
• warm cream cheese, butter, and milk in microwave
• mix, adding more sugar, milk, or cream cheese to desired taste and consistency

Parenting Toddlers.... Simultaneously.

i love you not...

i love you...

facebook is a definite vice of mine and i certainly enjoy reading about people's lives.  i feel empowered to share something today after reading 80-some responses about quirkiness and the weird things we do.  strangely, people weren't judging each other!  i hope in reading this, you won't judge me after you read this entry.  i think we all have our struggles in love, marriage, raising kids, work...  i am no different but just have a platform to vocalize these struggles.  parenting toddlers simultaneously is serious work and something I seriously struggle with.  this post is not about how we magically solved our problems; but rather admitting we don't have the answers, our parenting style is a work in progress, and reflecting on what we can do better.  hopefully my admission about my shortcomings as a mother helps me reflect on what i do well and, more specifically, what i can do better.  if it helps you through your parenting struggles, too, well, that's an added bonus.

it should go without saying that i absolutely adore my children!  they are funny, smart, inquisitive, and pretty stinkin' cute.  i love being their mom.  but they are also crabby, whiny, needy, and demanding.  the later four characteristics are, unfortunately, what i normally see.  and sadly, this takes the enjoyment out of parenting for me.  while they are finally starting to play together, in the blink of an eye, they turn on each other and on me.  what's even more perplexing is that they can turn on and off this behavior for d, and the in-laws.  i think they have a fearful respect of their father and gpa, and that mil's elementary education background gives her skills that i don't use in my upper elementary/secondary teaching.  i am always amazed by how d's mom is so good with the kids, especially minihe.  there have been very few times i can recall her giving him a timeout.  pretty sure he's never gotten a spanking at their house, either.  i have always heard d's family comment on how well-behaved d and his sister were as kids.  d's mom was also a sahm (stay-at-home-mom) for their early childhood years, which is yet another reason i think she's so good with my kids - she developed strategies as a parent 27 years ago that serve her incredibly well as an elementary teacher and grandmother today.

identifying the fact i struggle with parenting takes a lot for me.  i generally only do things i'm good at, but i obviously can't discontinue parenting because it's hard -- and it's only going to get harder.  i want so desperately to have polite, quiet, well-behaved children that use their manners without being prompted, that follow directions the first time, and that are cooperative 100% of the time.  but who am i kidding?  everybody ideally wants their children to be that way.  i have great admiration for parents that have done an excellent job of raising their children, many of whom are my relatives.  perhaps that's what makes me aspire even more to be a better parent and raise better children: because i know it can be done.

their kids don't just become this way overnight.  they have established clear guidelines, expectations, consequences, and rewards.  this is not a revelation for me or probably for you, either.  the purpose these observations serve for me is to reflect on what i can do differently and how i can adapt my parenting to achieve that level of success with my own children.  from what i have seen, they remain calm, speak with care and respect, and probably most important of all - follow through.  i know what i need to do, i just don't know how to do it and make the change last when it gets hard.

i am impatient.  i raise my voice way too much.  i am not always "present" with them.  these, among others, are my major shortfalls when it comes to my parenting.  i have tried positive reinforcement; i have tried redirecting; i have tried speaking calmly; i have tried countless other strategies to manage minihe's rollercoaster-like behavior and minishe's drama-filled tantrums.  all i have found is that he'll do well for a few days and then he reverts back to old behaviors, and that she is spoiled and isn't satisfied until she gets her way.  i am somewhat of a pushover and have probably enabled these behaviors just to keep the house peaceful.  i wouldn't go so far as to say that we can't control our kids, but their behaviors are so upsetting to us that we don't take them to places where sitting still for longer than 5 minutes is required.  the different ways we parent and the results they yield has created some disagreements in our marriage.  perhaps this is partially because after we agree on a strategy we want to be effective, we both revert back to our own ineffective behaviors that contribute to this situation.  one more admission - i do this more frequently than d does...  

i will have to say that despite our different parenting philosophies, we back each other up and support the decisions we make when another parent is not present.  presenting a united front, regardless if we agree with it or not, is the most important parenting philosophy we share.  i don't want to discipline my children with fear.  i want to discipline them with love, respect, and authority.  i do not have answers for how to actually achieve this.  all i know for sure is that i will keep trying to be a better parent, and the first step for me is confessing how much i struggle in these efforts and recognizing that there are better ways to achieve a happy household.

maybe you have your own struggles.  maybe you have some effective strategies that work for you.  either way, embracing these struggles and how we overcome them is one of the greatest joys of parenting - knowing that we're not alone in our endeavor to raise a generation of kids that are caring, respectful, thoughtful, and considerate.

what have you done well in your parenting?  what do you wish you could do better at?  sound off in the comment area below this post!

60 Greatest Love Stories

if you have a few minutes and a box of kleenex nearby, check out these touching stories about some of the greatest love stories of all time.  thanks for sharing, ally-bear!

me and d

tonight d and i were laying on the couch cuddling and he says to me, "i love you. more than you know. i'm sorry i don't tell you enough just how much you mean to me."  awh.... *sigh*  (he had been drinking all afternoon, but the message was nonetheless heartfelt and sincere.)  to which i replied, "it's ok, honey.  i tell you enough for the both of us."  we chuckled and enjoyed our time together until minishe climbed on d's back and exclaimed, "gittyup horsie!"  but i have had a few hours now to reflect on his words, and i have to admit, i don't hear those words enough from him and we stopped kissing goodnight years ago. but you know what?  i never have wondered how he feels about me.  i never have and i never will.

more about mini-she, mini-he

as you may have noticed, the address for my blog is minisheminihe... aptly named considering our children are truly the mini-versions of us.  with one very big exception: the major parts of their demeanor.  minihe is high strung and easily angered - me.  minishe is relaxed and pretty easygoing - definitely not  me.  it is interesting to observe how these dynamics are reflected in their relationships with us and with each other.  minihe and i are like oil and water most times; yet minishe and i could spend hours upon hours together.  the same could be said of their relationship with d, except in reverse.  minihe could spend hours outside, in the bobcat, riding in the combine or tractor with d and not have one single problem.  (he is, afterall, 3 years old)  now the girl and dad, after about an hour, she's had enough...  i am curious to see how these trends will manifest themselves in the years to come.  pretty sure (as i sit here watching them fight over farm animals) that it probably won't change until they are grown adults.  wish me luck!!

UPDATE:
It is fascinating to come back to these early posts two years later and realize just how much has changed!  I am about to have a 4 year old and 6 year old very soon!  

Minihe will start kindergarten in the fall, and is still interested in everything boy!  He wants to live in Duluth and be a country singer.  He adores Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, and Hunter Hayes.  He bites his nails like there is no tomorrow and has just discovered how sarcasm works.  Although we haven't started him in any organized sports, I think he'll do really well in wrestling, track, Tae Kwon Do or karate, boxing, swim team... anything where he can channel all that energy!  I plan on buying him a guitar to take lessons on this fall and am really excited that he is excited about learning many instruments!  He is funny.  He is sensitive.  He is literal.  He loves animals.  He leaves his socks right where he takes them off - just like his dad.  :)  He loves to snuggle and tell me he loves me to Grandpa Paul and back.  It gets me every. single. time.

Minishe...  what a little princess!  Oh. My. Gosh.  She LOVES Frozen and twirls around the house in her Elsa or Anna dress with a crown and wand.  She sings.  She dances.  She floats.  She loves dresses.  She is everything girl!  But she loves digging in the garden for worms and finding the squishiest mud to throw at her brother.  She is patient and kind.  She has a smile that lights up a room and a laugh that lights up hearts.  I let her dance on the stage at school for fun one afternoon after dance class, and we have heard about it every day since!  I have no doubt she will be the lead in the school musical someday, and I really hope I will be there to coach her, teach her, and guide her to discover her passion for the performing arts.  She asks us to tell her stories about Jesus and knows He loves her more than anything or anyone.  Her faith could move mountains!

I love these two crazy kids and can't wait to come back again in two years and update what amazing young lads they have come to be.

who i am - part 1

i love to talk about my family!  no joke!  i have thee cutest kids, i have a great husband, and i have an incredibly supportive extended family.  m&m are amazing little children and i don't know how i got so lucky to be their mom.

d and i met several years back, introduced by a mutual friend.  although both of us were in relationships at the time, i was upset he didn't give me a second look after the "hey-hello's" were exchanged.  a year later we caught up at a party, but, again, nothing materialized.  only a few short months later at a montgomery gentry concert at the surf in clear lake did we finally exchange numbers.  and thus began our journey to forever...

first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage...  we were blessed in 2008 with our first child - a son.  he is energetic, enthusiastic, and entertaining.  and absolutely adorable!!  he is definitely a mini-he - looks like his dad, shares the same interests, sense of humor, and a smile that lights up a room!  my grandma always told me that she hoped i would have a girl just like me so i could know just what i put her through.  as we all know, grandmothers always speak the truth!  my mini-she is sweet and laid-back, so far, nothing like me.  but she is the spitting image of me and when she throws a fit, she really knows how to throw a fit.  that much drama can't be learned; it can only be inherited.  thanks, grandma.

i am incredibly blessed.  but it could have been a very different story for me had i not been raised by my paternal grandparents.  after their youngest had graduated from high school, i was born and they took on the challenge of raising me with open arms.  my love of music was instilled at a very young age sitting at the piano with my grandpa.  i am pretty sure i knew note names and where they were on the piano before i knew how to read. :)  my grandma taught me a lot about running a household.  although reluctant to learn as a young girl, it is amazing how much i rely on those memories to help me in my duties as a wife and mother. 

in posts to follow i am sure i will delve into the situation(s) that led to this placement and the emotions that have haunted me as an adolescent, teen, and young adult.  it is cathartic for me to write about this, and it is my hope others will benefit from hearing these stories as well.