Shiloah Baker's Blog, page 183
October 18, 2010
Oct 18 – Clean Living Room Piano and Bench
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: Clean the living room piano and piano bench. Sort through the music books and sheet music. Store neatly.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
.Related posts:Oct 14 – Clean Living Room Walls GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: Clean the living room walls. ©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com...
Oct 13 – Clean Living Room Pictures and Mirrors GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: Clean the living room pictures and mirrors. ©Marie...
Oct 15 – Clean Living Room Ceiling and Ceiling Light Fixtures GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: Clean the living room ceiling and ceiling light...
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October 17, 2010
Inspire Learning with the Homeschool Coach
What is a closet and why does it need a coach? According to Mary Ann Johnson, "The Closet, in many cases is just that, a closet. It is most effective when it is located in the room where your family has 'family learning time' or where your family gathers to spend time 
together if you do not homeschool. Its purpose is to keep interesting and inspiring materials close at hand so that children have a magical and exciting place to learn." So, the ultimate purpose of the Closet is to INSPIRE learning.
Mary Ann is like the wind beneath the parent's wings. Let all the confusion and frustration on how to inspire learning go and allow Mary Ann Johnson to take you by the hand and lead you into a world of family inspiration and fun. She is honest and real. Through her homeschooling blog the Homeschool Coach and through private coaching sessions she inspires and shares her expertise.
I'm so thankful for the light and knowledge Mary Ann is bringing into my life by sharing her time and talents. Her wisdom is more valuable than gold. Visit the Closet Coach today and learn more about this valuable tool in family education.
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog | Homemakers | Home and Garden | Thrifty Living. All Rights Reserved.
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Harvest Festival at the Homemaking Cottage
October is a beautiful month filled with colors, bounty, and many things to do before winter approaches. Many homemakers prefer to do fall cleaning before the cold weather sets in.
The following fruits and vegetables are in season: apples, beets, blackberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chicory, cranberries, dates, figs, grapes, leeks, lettuce, okra, oranges, parsnips, pears (late season), peppers, pumpkins, quince, shallots, star fruit, sweet Potatoes, turnips, watercress, and winter squash. Plan your meals around the produce in season and save money. We share many recipes this month to enjoy these fruits and vegetables in your dinners.
Beautiful changing leaves are everywhere. If you have a nature park or canyons in your area it is a perfect time to take a field trip there with your family and a camera.
With the cooling of the weather many people tend to stay indoors more reading and doing indoor activities. Keep your eyes peeled as we share ideas for homemakers and their families during this change of seasons.
We are in the midst of a Harvest Festival for our Deluxe Magazine subscribers. Stop by and check it out. Click on the graphic to the right.
If you are not a subscriber to our Deluxe Edition, subscribe today and don't miss out on all the hundreds of articles to help inspire and uplift women. We are also gearing up for the holidays and are excited to feature our Christmas Extravaganza starting November 1st!
Whom do you Associate With?
By Shiloah Baker
We've all heard the phrase "birds of a feather flock" together a time or two. Meaning that those who we associate with tend to be the most like us.
The dregs are the unpleasant leftovers in the bottom of a cup that you don't want to drink. The dregs of society are people we don't wish to associate with unless we want to become one of them.
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Preparing Your Home For Winter
By Jamie Turner
When you see the leaves start to fall it is a good time to start planning how to winterize your home. It is important to prepare now so you save money during the coming months. Be sure to look into any programs that offer a rebate for making your home energy efficient. There are both local and state programs that help homeowners save money.
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Decorating Inside the Home for the Autumn Season
By Jamie Turner
When decorating I always refer to the five senses ~ sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste. It is nice to consider others when planning but it is really the homemaker and her family who will spend the most time inside the home. You should ask yourself what you like, what you find cozy and what makes a house a home to you.
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Decorating with Symbols of Fall
By Donna Bush
To signal the change in the season, take a few minutes to add some decoration to your home. One of the best things about fall is that we recognize its symbols so easily. The quintessential symbol of fall is the falling leaf, golden and red, scattered about our lawns. But we also recognize apples, pumpkins, and acorns as undeniable symbols of fall.
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Decorating for Fall and Preparing for Winter in the Yard
By Jamie Turner
The cooler months are just around the corner. This is a good time to prepare your lawn and garden for winter. Then you can decorate with the fruits of the harvest and add the colors of fall to your lawn and porches.
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Pumpkin and Sausage Baked Rigatoni
By Donna Bush
This is such a yummy dinner—all the tastes and aromas of fall. If you like, you can add a little nutmeg to the top. This is wonderful on a chilly evening, so comforting and delicious. The pumpkin flavor is subtle and a good foil for the spicy/salty combo of the sausage.
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Homemade Halloween Costume Ideas
By Jamie Turner
Even when the economy was not in a slump I could not imagine paying for ready made Halloween costumes. Along with the price tag what fun is there in store bought costumes that millions of others are wearing on the same night? Homemade is the way to go!
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Halloween Traditions
By Raejean Roberts
Every holiday has its own traditions – that's part of what makes them fun; that's where the memories are made. Our Halloween traditions might not be unique, but they are ours. As the years go by; they grow and become more embedded in our family identity.
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Arizona Fall Traditions
By Raejean Roberts
Here in Arizona, we chuckle at the thought of keeping our children warm while trick or treating. We just hope the temperature's not hot enough to bake our Jack O Lanterns. Despite the desert's heat, we have plenty of great fall traditions.
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October Out and About
By Donna Bush
As the air gets crisp, it's time to pull out our woolen sweaters from under the bed and head out for some family fun. One of our favorite autumn activities is a visit to our local corn maze and pumpkin farm, Linder Farms in Meridian, Idaho. We make a full day of it, enjoying our favorite pumpkin chocolate chip muffins in the morning and maybe watching a little college football. Before we leave, I put some apple cider in my small crock pot so we can have something warm to drink when we get home.
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Spooky Treats
By Donna Bush
Halloween is right around the corner and one way to guarantee a fun, festive party is to set out a table of creepy, crawly snacks and drinks. You're sure to be overloaded with sweet treats like candy and cupcakes. And although those things taste good and look cute, too much of a good, cute thing can leave you with an upset tummy.
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Freezing Your Bounty of Acorn Squash
By Shiloah Baker
So you have a bumper crop of acorn squash and you wish to preserve it? The quickest way is to freeze it. With a little bit of time and effort you can easily freeze your squash to use in many recipes throughout the next year.
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Toscana Soup
By Raejean Roberts
This hearty crock-pot meal has a healthy dose of kale and quite a kick to it. I wouldn't recommend this soup for the faint of heart.
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©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog. All Rights Reserved.
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October 15, 2010
Oct 15 – Clean Living Room Ceiling and Ceiling Light Fixtures
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: Clean the living room ceiling and ceiling light fixture.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog. All Rights Reserved.
.Related posts:July 26 – Clean Master Bedroom Ceiling Light Fixtures GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: Clean the Master Bedroom ceiling light fixtures ©Marie...
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October 14, 2010
Oct 14 – Clean Living Room Walls
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: Clean the living room walls.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog. All Rights Reserved.
.Related posts:Oct 13 – Clean Living Room Pictures and Mirrors GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: Clean the living room pictures and mirrors. ©Marie...
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October 13, 2010
Oct 13 – Clean Living Room Pictures and Mirrors
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: Clean the living room pictures and mirrors.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog. All Rights Reserved.
.Related posts:Oct 11 – Purge Living Room Extras GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: Purge the living room of unnecessary items. ©Marie...
Oct 12 – Organize Living Room Trinkets GET.be.STAY.organized. Today: Organize and clean the living room trinkets and...
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October 12, 2010
Oct 12 – Organize Living Room Trinkets
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: Organize and clean the living room trinkets and treasures.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog. All Rights Reserved.
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October 11, 2010
Taming Tantrums with Baby Sign Language
By Misty Weaver
Chief Editor, Baby Sign Language
My son was a biter. He would bite his sister, he would bite me, he would bite his father … and once, I caught him biting the dog. That child went from laid-back to furious in less than a second.
I got all kinds of advice. I tried time outs. I tried ignoring him. One of my friends suggested I bite him back – I didn't try that.
We had dabbled in Baby Sign Language but I had never taken it too seriously, but now that he was drawing blood, I decided I had better amp up my efforts.
He was about a year old at that time, and I had tried to teach him the signs for "milk," "more," "please," and "hungry." That's about it. But he wasn't using them much.
So, I channeled the spirit of my own mother and I got a little — shall we say — stern. When he was hungry, he would point at the cupboard that contained the cereal bars. If I did not instantly produce a cereal bar, he would begin to scream.
I had to ask myself, "Self, what would my mother do?" and when he pointed at the food cupboard, I pretended I didn't know what he wanted. And he screamed. Keeping my distance, I asked, "Are you hungry?" and made the sign for hungry. He screamed. I asked again, seemingly perplexed, "Are you hungry?" and made the sign. He screamed. I said, "Do you want a book?" and after making the sign for book, I handed him a book, which he quickly knocked to the floor. I said, "Well honey, if you don't tell me what you want, then I can't help you," and I tried to ignore him. This went on for quite some time – me acting dumb and him acting angry. I'm embarrassed to say just how long it went on, but then, miracle of all miracles, he made the sign for "please." It wasn't the sign for hungry, but I found it good enough. I asked him again, "Are you hungry" and then gave him the cereal bar.
From that moment, I decided that I was not a patient enough mom to deal with tantrums, or violent little baby teeth. I began to introduce new signs to him: hurt, help, blanket, book, bed, down, bath, dog, and tractor. (I know, that one's weird, but the kid really loves tractors.)
Only a few days later, we had the fruit bar episode again, only this time, with his blanket. He threw his blanket out of the crib and then without missing a beat, started screaming and gnawing on the crib rail. I waited it out. I continued to demonstrate the sign for blanket. It took several minutes (though not as long as with the fruit bar) and then finally, exhausted, lo and behold, he begrudgingly made the sign for blanket. And I gave him his blanket and showered him with kisses.
Today, my son is almost two and though he is still a bit of a hothead, thank God he doesn't bite anyone anymore. He uses his signs faithfully and only has tantrums when I have my back turned and don't see him signing. My life is definitely better thanks to baby sign language. Take it from me, a mom with very little patience and several bite scars, Baby Sign Language really does help prevent tantrums. Check out our list of Baby Sign Language Flash Cards for more help .
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog. All Rights Reserved.
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Oct 11 – Purge Living Room Extras
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: Purge the living room of unnecessary items.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog. All Rights Reserved.
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October 8, 2010
Oct 8 – Clean Entry and Floor Coverings
GET.be.STAY.organized.
Today: Clean the entry floor, rugs, and/or carpet.
©Marie Calder Ricks/www.houseoforder.com
©2010 Homemaking Cottage Blog. All Rights Reserved.
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