- About
- 169 Pinoy Foodie Blogs
- Recipe Index, In Progress
- Homeschooling
- 4Real OPML File
- Paco’s Curriculum and Book List, 2007-2008
- Migi’s Curriculum and Book List, 2007-2008
- Music Schedule
- Free Flashcards for Latina Christiana I
- Aisa’s Curriculum and Book List, 2007-2008
- Online Resources
- Unschooling / Relaxed Schooling Helps
- Filipino Homeschoolers
- The Plan for Art
- How to Homeschool
- My Favorite Books on Books
- Towards *our* Philosophy of Education
- Yena’s Booklist 8/07-7/08
- Paco’s Curriculum and Booklist, 2008-2009
- Migi’s Curriculum and Book List, 2008-2009
- Yena’s Booklist 8/08-7/09
- Aisa’s Booklist ’08-’09
- Plan for High School, Paco 2010-2011
- Books We Love: Science
- The HHS Mandate and The Catholic Response, A Compilation
Currently viewing the category:
"Homemaker"
I’m bothering.
I’ve made too many excuses too many times. I’ve said “my family comes first” over and over, and yet this Lent I was painfully made aware that while I have made them priority over other projects (like online jobs and writing cookbooks), they’re still not #1. You know what was? CLUTTER. The endless rearranging and cleaning and shuffling… and it became increasingly clear that if I didn’t have so much stuff, I would NOT have to declutter. So the goal right now is SPARTAN. I have a monastery room in my head — I don’t think we’ll get there right away, but it sure is feeling more spacious around here. And my head is definitely clearer too, as is my heart.
It’s the Third Week of Lent, and we have not made much progress on our goal to PURGE, PURGE, PURGE. We have so much STUFF! We’ve been here two years, and I can’t really make the excuse anymore that we’ve been moving, this is our 9th home in 18+ years of marriage, it’s hard to organize and reorganize when you move every few years, we have a baby (hah! Our youngest one is 6!!!), we are too busy (true, but not the whole truth)… Enough of the (lame) excuses. I have to own it and own it now. I am attached to my “stuff”. And as Colleen says, it keeps me from following God completely. In my brain, I have this image of a really pared down room, with only a few nice things to give it character and personality, to celebrate beauty without placing it before the God of Beauty. I don’t have this room. I’ve had this image in my brain for YEARS, and I have yet to make it happen. I have talked and talked to my family about how we should attempt to move closer to something akin to monastic life, that we need to travel the road to asceticism — but not to extremes…. but if you could see my bedroom right now, you would know it’s been all talk. We have purged, but we haven’t purged enough. We’ve been working on this holiness thing, but our home isn’t quite a reflection of that 
.
Besides this, I have to own that “I cannot teach what I do not know.” Yes, yes, we homeschoolers are famous ( 
) for being resourceful and we can find ways to get our kids to learn chemistry when we don’t remember how to balance equations, etc. But this is different. It’s all about MY bad habits that I have not corrected and replaced with good ones. I’m 40. I’d hate to look back when I’m 50 and realize I’ve wasted 10 more years on STUFF. There is no way to give to God the time I owe Him when I’m busy giving that time to my STUFF. (That may include blogging by the way 
). And there is no way I can teach my children to put God first ALWAYS when I’m not doing that myself. I can’t ask them to limit their toys to 10, when I have 40 cookbooks in ONE bookcase. I can’t tell them to avoid forming too many worldly attachments, when it’s obvious I can do with a lot less.
It’s going back again to WANT vs. NEED. A subject of discussion periodically tackled by dh and me. Heh. Maybe if instead of talking it out and going around in circles, and telling each other what we could do and what we should do, we had just gone to the basement and boxed up stuff, we’d be done now.
I could say more, but I really must just link to the post that inspired this post: Colleen’s over at Footprints on the Fridge. I hope you are inspired in turn.
I will plug one organization that helps us get rid of our stuff without difficulty: Freecycle.org. Find your local Freecycle group, post what you want to get rid off, leave it on your driveway or your porch, and someone comes to pick it up. Sometimes there are people that don’t come when they said they would, but the percentage in our experience has been small.
Speaking of habits…. one thing that is REALLY helping us this Lent: Instead of each one of us reading the Bible individually, in our own time, we now gather at the breakfast table with our individual Bibles and read, quietly. At some point I think I’ll have us share something that we’ve read and the message we received today. On Sundays we will also start doing this with Dad, before Mass. This will also help prepare our hearts for receiving Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
So lose some bad habits, gain a few good ones…. we’ll keep trying….
Tonight was the Blue and Gold Banquet. Our Paco graduated from Cub Scout to Boy Scout. Their den leader made a little speech about each boy and my throat was aching with unshed tears, and that was just the first boy. She got to Paco and I was starting to tear up, esp. when she talked about Paco always giving 110%. Then she got to her own son and said “I love you” in addition to the “I believe in you and I’m proud of you” which every boy received, and it was all I could do to keep from bawling. Sniff. These boys are getting big!!! Where has the time gone?
This new adventure started over the weekend, as I searched for fountain pens for me and the kids (leaning towards Lamy Safari right now and/or Pelikano Jr.) — and a new notebook/planner/journal/not sure exactly what…. my current Moleskine is almost gone. I went back to Franklin last year after two years of Palm. The Palm was too small, too cold, too mechanical…. the Franklin too bulky, not flexible enough. I just tore out pages from 12 notebooks I’ve used off and on over the years and stuck all of them in a 3-ring binder… so when I was browsing at Levenger, Circa jumped out at me, yelling “Here I am!!!”
A bunch of Levenger Circa items are in my shopping cart right now, and as always I’m taking time to do some research first before plunking down all that money.
A video of how it works — wmv file from Levenger
Forum discussion on Circa and other systems
There’s this whole other world of GTD folks (should I be surprised I’m not the only one obsessed about these things?). I was mostly perusing their talks on combining analog/digital organizational systems, etc. which is what I’ve been trying to do for quite some time — no real success yet. It’s funny when I come across something from the periphery, it’s like the Venn diagrams of my world intersecting.
The other day I was at the Fountain Pen Network forum looking for what brand to buy for the kids. I don’t know why it surprised me to find that a large group of people can be collectively passionate about pens. Paco’s a pen lover so now I’m understanding him a bit more. I never was obsessed although I did go through a phase in college where I spent hours deciding on the perfect tech pen. It must have been Vienne’s influence — she used a tech pen to take her notes and I was impressed with the fineness of the point and how clean her notes always looked; hence my disappointment when I found “my engineer” and he doesn’t use tech pens in his daily life. Hee. Anyway, going back to planners and such…
What I don’t like about Moleskines: it’s so limiting. No calendars, no planning pages, no blanks, just lines, lines, lines….They don’t even make their Storyboard notebook in large size. What I want is one of those sketch-and-write books, but not the kiddie ones.
What I don’t like about Franklin Covey: the guilt associated with not using every page of their refills. Of course, I could just go with a customized FC, get their planning tabs and calendars and go with a bunch of blanks…. however, I’ve always gone with the Classic size, and a Monarch would be too large for me and therefore too bulky to carry everywhere I go, and I’ve tried the compact but it was too small…. I suppose a customized Monarch can work too, but that would mean another binder. I thought I’d love forever my Classic purse that can be a clutch or a shoulder bag and holds everything, but it kills my shoulder when I’m out shopping. Which is why I think the Circa is a much better system — large, small, medium, everything can fit together in the end.
Thinking that the DIY-Circa route would be the one to take here…. maybe with some Rollabind things thrown in there…
The possibilities! My to do lists, in small, my notes and project plans, in the bigger sizes, I can have everything together — the saints project, the sewing project, the room-by-room project, all in one place, and then separated out later into their own folders and rings…. small scrapbooks/lapbooks/research reports, curriculum and lesson plans, even recipes, etc….
Levenger/Rollabind comments/comparisons/ideas
Make Your Own from DIY Planner – the folks over there are definitely *my* kind of people!
This review/overview says everything!
Very thorough review here, with suggestions on DIYing, etc.
the Myndology version — hmmmm…. maybe for Aisa, or Yena… or wait…. eco-friendly wood discs! would look mighty fine with leather…
And here’s the perfect how-to for little ol’ me! Setting Up a Circa System, D*I*Y Planner Style (can actually ignore all the other links and focus on this one — it answers all my questions)
Levenger Outlet on eBay, which currently doesn’t have any of the things I need
DIYPlanner Group’s Circa photos
Peeked at CIAK. Nah.
Okay, so besides Levenger Circa, Rollabind, Myndology, there’s also ADOC.
And yet I haven’t stopped looking at Exaclair’s brands — most of which are available through The Daily Planner
I’m putting this decision off until tonight, or maybe even tomorrow. Gotta mull some more.
Been gathering this list for a while. Will update and probably make into a page at some point, once I’ve got my other homekeeping pages ready…
Equipment:
1. galvanized bucket
2. cellulose sponges from Trader Joe’s
3. washable microfiber cloths for dusting
4. Act Natural floor duster with washable microfiber heads
5. Caldrea’s scratch-free scrub brush
6. squeegee
7. Leifheit’s Mr. Mister
Supplies:
1. Ecover cream scrub for tubs, appliances, tiles, stainless steel or chrome surfaces
2. Seventh Generation’s Natural Citrus Carpet Cleaner
3. oxygen bleach
4. vinegar-water-essential oil (like lavender, peppermint, tea tree) mixture
Originally posted at NoodlesandRice.com (now BlissTree)
Ma Paw Dau Fu
1664 days ago by Stef | 1 comment |
1 pound ground pork or turkey
4 tablespoons dark soy sauce
4 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
2 teaspoons sugar
1 16-oz tofu block, diced
3 tablespoons garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes in oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot broad bean paste
1/3 cup dried tree ears, soaked in hot water, then rinsed, drained and chopped finely
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped scallions / green onions
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted and ground Szechwan peppercorns
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
at gardenweb:
Freestanding induction burner: Sunpentown or Cooktek?
Gaggenau electric or Viking induction cooktop
2 induction burners and 2 gas?
Induction Equipment: Some Answers
De Dietrich zoneless induction cooktop
induction cooktops above wall ovens
? for those with De Dietrich Induction hobs
If you have gas cooktop, what will you use induction hob for?
The Latest on Viking Induction?
Induction cooktop without a local dealer
Buying Induction Hobs and other appliances from Europe
biotech
edenpure
can’t believe people. they smoke, and then they get an air purifier.
air filters in HVAC system
airsource 3000
Friedrich C-90B
Kenmore (Sears) 83202, 83200
Whirlpool AP51030R
Look at the Whispures, then buy the equivalent Kenmore when it goes on sale at Sears.
I have a bluair. It is pricey, but it works great.
I’m with lpolk. Blueair does a wonderful job.
ionic breeze – conflicting
oreck sucks
EPA Publication on Sick Building Syndrome (SBS): http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/sbs.html
London Hazards Centre website on SBS: http://www.lhc.org.uk/members/pubs/books/sbs/sb_toc.htm
Consumer information on Air Cleaners, Purifiers, etc. : http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/
House plants that assist with indoor air pollution: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/1956/pollution.html
If you want to get really serious about solving this problem you will hire an MCS consultant, which is a specialist contractor who is expert in dealing with sick houses and who will come in, diagnose the problem, and come up with a comprehensive strategy.
There is Hope. We had a friend who recently moved out of a sick condominium into a new house that had adopted fairly strict, “almost German-level”, anti-sick house measures, and the result: the young boy, who had suffered from terrible asthma in the sick condo, recovered almost immediately and is now in robust health.
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg1215134328702.html – new house allergy syndrome — lots of advice and info here
http://www.epinions.com/Air_Purifiers–~all/sort_~rating/pp_~1/sort_dir_~des –
irlpool Whispure 510 Air Purifier
510 Sq. Ft. Coverage, HEPA Filter, Replace Filter Indicator, Quiet Operation
Product Rating: 5.0
4 consumer reviews $299-$300
Compare Prices
from 2 stores
Compare Oreck AIR4000 Air Purifier Oreck AIR4000 Air Purifier
Quiet Operation
Product Rating: 5.0
4 consumer reviews
Compare Honeywell Enviracaire 17400 Air Purifier Honeywell Enviracaire 17400 Air Purifier
285 Sq. Ft. Coverage, HEPA Filter, Replace Filter Indicator, Quiet Operation
Product Rating: 5.0
3 consumer reviews $76-$186
Compare Prices
from 2 stores
Compare Mitsubishi PlasmaPure MA-EF503HS-U Air Purifier Mitsubishi PlasmaPure MA-EF503HS-U Air Purifier
233 Sq. Ft. Coverage, HEPA Filter, Quiet Operation
Product Rating: 5.0
3 consumer reviews
Compare Aller Air 5000 Exec Air Purifier Aller Air 5000 Exec Air Purifier
1500 Sq. Ft. Coverage, HEPA Filter, Quiet Operation
Product Rating: 5.0
2 consumer reviews $380-$500
Compare Prices
from 7 stores
Compare Hunter QuietFlo 398 Air Purifier Hunter QuietFlo 398 Air Purifier
400 Sq. Ft. Coverage, HEPA Filter, Replace Filter Indicator, Quiet Operation
Product Rating: 5.0
2 consumer reviews $170-$275
Compare Prices
from 4 stores
Compare DeLonghi FreshZone DAP130 Air Purifier DeLonghi FreshZone DAP130 Air Purifier
200 Sq. Ft. Coverage, HEPA Filter, Replace Filter Indicator
Product Rating: 5.0
1 consumer review
http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/EnergyRecoveryVent.html – energy recovery ventilator
http://www.fantech.net/hrv_erv.htm – fantech – hrv and erv
http://www.nsc.org/ehc/indoor/sbs.htm – sick building syndrome
http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA301401/ – best way to clear air
http://www.allergyescape.com/air-purifiers.html
http://www.aham.org/consumer/ht/d/sp/i/1074/pid/1074
http://www.allergyescape.com/consumer-report-air-purifiers.html
http://www.cleanair4life.com/index_detail.php?idproduct=39&idcategory=3&PHPSESSID=ba135d0319cf835a3215472802e47c6d
http://allergybuyersclub.com/
http://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA44841/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096371564X/qid=1135687381/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-6708224-2094242?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/airpurifiers.html
http://www.epa.gov/
Originally posted at NoodlesandRice.com (now BlissTree)
Vietnamese Fried Bean Curd in Tomato Sauce: Tua Hu Sot Cha
1899 days ago by Stef
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1-lb. block extra-firm tofu, cut in half lengthwise, then in half again crosswise
For the sauce:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup water
4 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Fresh coriander for garnishing
Prepare sauce: Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and stir-fry until just beginning to turn golden. Add tomatoes and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add water, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, tomato paste, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for about 3 minutes. Keep warm.
In a frying pan heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add bean curd and fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Turn gently and brown on the other side. Drain on paper towels.
Transfer to serving dish, napped with the tomato sauce. Garnish with coriander.
Based on Wendy Hutton’s recipe in Green Mangoes and Lemon Grass: Southeast Asia’s Best Recipes from Bangkok to Bali
http://www.homedepot.com/HDUS/EN_US/energy/en_learn_fluorbulbs.html
http://www.mcmaster.com/ – search for “maple” and click on “Maple Workbench Tops”
http://www.mapleblock.com/detail/kitchen-counter-distributors-71/ – does not sell to end-user — will have to go through “Tamarack” in Southwest Ohio
And of course, John Boos….
