Matthews Family Herald

Yesterday was a very cold, rainy day. We started out the day with steamy, creamy, blueberry oatmeal. We read a lot together,(Little House) and had fun building a tent in the living room. We made some homemade butter(yum!) We plan to obtain some raw milk from a local farm and try our hand at cheese, yogurt and keifer. My friend has some keifer grains and I discovered that our amazing nettle can be used as rennet. ( yah, we watched our homesteading dvd recently)

We also watched vol. 2 of Making Herbs Simple. I can’t wait to make salve! I might even be brave enough to try a Henna hair dye. The kids got a big kick out of that.

Jacob started reading Oliver Twist and is halfway finished. He had a lot to share and questions to ask. He is very big-hearted and would wipe the world of injustices, if he could. I can foresee a lot of great discussions later. Not on the literary aspects. For we do not praise these, but how people without God/hope deal with problems, and the sad truth of reality vs. fiction and romanticized tragedy. About how to recognize Satan’s tactics to discourage someone through his lies; that there is any good in man aside from God. And mostly how to wisely choose reading material that is lovely and pure, noble, and of Good reportand glorifying to God. I believe it is time for the Illustrated Classics to go. (Except perhaps Swiss Family Robinson, and Heidi)

Hannah realized she had missed a couple of her friends’ in the States birthdays, and made cards for them and wrote letters yesterday. She started to ask me how to spell some things and I made her do it. She was thrilled and surprised that she could! I have been so pleased to see her whole mindset shift about reading and writing (unprompted) from total disdain and aversion to joy and eagerness!

Micah spent most the day down in the woodworking shop carving a sailboat from a log he obtained in the forest as a gift for someone. It is looking pretty good! He ahs been reading a lot form How to Do Just About Anything and The Darign Book for Boys.
And of course, I am making sure he learns diligence with the clean-up and care of tools.

Nathan spent a lot of time watching his bros and playing, making butter and being my general helper. We have been doing a lot of training with him on obedience, joyfully and willingly, without asking twice or whining. Eden as well. They get lots of hugs, praise and kisses when they do it right. When they do it wrong, we redo the whole scene. He was excited and interested to learn how to load the dishwasher (!!!!!) His siblings were excited about that.

I realized that I still have some secular educational ideals to discard when I was secretly pleased that they were doing things that were more “academic” for me to blog about. Either that or I still have a fear on how others will judge/critique us. Or both. I suppose it is warranted somewhat in the fact that the government can take your kids away if you are not teaching them the way they believe is the right way. Oh well, I suppose I will have to trust in God.

Today, I am Very Thankful that not one child coughed all night( causing me to have to get them some more herbal cough tea- which works within seconds, by the way!) Nathan was running fever a little last evening, so I gave him immunity tincture( in OJ, cause I made the mistake of making it with vodka instead of glycerin last year-Hey! We’re talking a half a teaspoon in a cup of juice here- Don’t call CPS yet!!) Not too tasty. I really had no clue how bad the stuff tastes. On the bright side, I don’t think they will ever be tempted in that respect. Hee Hee Hee. I have new cough and immunity tinctures brewing in glycerin that I made yesterday- will be ready in a month or so. Then I rubbed all his lymph nodes and feet with the infused garlic oil, that I made last week, and gave him herbal tea, and he was good as new before bedtime. And I had a good night’s sleep.

My poor little guinea pigs. I wouldn’t be surprised, if they drew up a Doc. Mom comic strip, with my apron tied on as a cape. “ Is that a sniffle I heard?” ZOOM? SWOOSH!! “ Here Take this!” AAAHHH!,
“But mom, I’m not sick!” “Take it anyway! To keep you from getting sick- It is the season!”
Ah, but I digress- time to go look on line for herbal oil diffusers for my new essential oils!