Favorite Things!

Time for a few of my favorite things!

1. Lacto Fermented Saurkraut - don't let the name scare you! Do you enjoy saurkraut? I LOVE it! My mom says that when I was little she would open a can of kraut, I would follow her around and beg her to let me eat it straight out of the can. Well, I made my own saurkraut (which is so much better for you) and it's amazing. The boys can't get enough of it! If you are new to the benefits of lacto fermented foods here is a good post to read - it's super good for you! Lacto fermenting is very easy, it just takes the patience to wait a few days until it's ready.

2. Salt and vinegar almonds - We are huge fans of salt and vinegar potato chips but obviously, those are not so good for you. Aaron had the bright idea to search for a salt and vinegar almond recipe and I'm so glad he did! These are delicious and addictive! But be warned, they make your house smell when boiling them.

3. Citrus Enzyme Cleaner - when you look at statistics online, it is scary to think of the ways that chemical cleaners can destroy the health of our families. Did you know that "Women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. The 15-year study concluded it was as a direct result of the much higher exposure rate to toxic chemicals in common household products!". I began looking into alternatives and found this recipe for Citrus enzyme cleaner. I've been using it for about a year and love it. I use it on everything...the bathrooms, mirrors, glass, counters...everything! I can't recommend it enough!

My Favorite Things

I'm going to start doing random posts on a variety of current favorite things. Anything goes...as long as it's my favorite! :)

Today I have quite a few favorite things to share with you.

1. My favorite podcast for the boys: Crossroads Kids Club. If you don't do the ipad/podcast thing, you can still watch their video and listen to their music on their website: http://crossroadskidsclub.net/
I've been trying to think of a way to help Josiah and Casey to have quiet time with the Lord each morning. Since they are both pre-readers, it's a little difficult. This podcast has been the answer for us. Every morning they watch one music video and one story. We gave each of them notebooks, so after they watch it they draw a picture about what they learned. Then they show it to either Aaron or myself and we talk about what they learned and pray with them. So far, it's worked out really well...they BEG to watch a new story every morning!

2. I found this awesome website (http://kidsofintegrity.com/) that has complete lesson plans for building Godly character. We are using this as our homeschool Bible curriculum. It's really fantastic! You can tweak and change it to fit any age. There are lots of hands on activities to choose from, Bible stories, memory verses, suggested prayers and more. It's a really great (FREE!!!) resource.

3. Our favorite game: See Spot Spell. I got this for Josiah as part of his Kindergarten activities. He asks to play constantly! You start off reading 3 letter words but can go up to 5 letter words as your child's reading improves. I highly recommend it.

4. Our favorite new recipe: Garlic Lemon Chicken. The only thing I did differently is I peeled the lemon before putting it in the bottom of the pan. I love this meal because it's quick, easy, allergy free and only dirties one dish!

Let me know if you try any of our favorite things!

I always love reading your comments. :)