Training Our Daughters To Be Keepers At Home

I am starting to go through the Training Our Daughters to be Keepers At Home CD. I was able to get a copy of the book through ILL and took notes while I waited for the CD. Even though the book is now back in print, it costs $75, and that is not including shipping. The CD allows you to print out only what you want (so some of the stuff that is no longer relevant, you can replace with more relevant stuff, or things more suited towards your family). You can also print out one year at a time (saving a little bit of money rather than doing it all at once). ALSO, the benefit of buying the CD over the book is that you are given permission to print out a copy for each of your children! With three daughters (and a son who will prayerfully bring us a daughter-in-law one day), that is at least 5 copies right there (including my own).

So I have decided that I will be going through the book year by year in order to train up myself so I can train up my children. Of course, because we follow a lot of the unschooling philosophies, they are learning right along with me. And I also am going through it what I feel is relevant first, rather than what the book says to do first. So instead of Godly Womanhood, I began with Gardening.

I HIGHLY suggest the ALL NEW Square Foot Gardening book (compared to the older version of the book). I looked at the older version a long time ago when I heard wonderful things about it. It didn't really excite me or grab my attention. HOWEVER, this new version makes it so easy (no weeding, no fertilization, no pH level testing etc.) that I am so excited about gardening. You can read about the difference between the two books on his site. I have been reading the book, and my 6yr has been listening with KEEN interest. She is so excited about gardening! Even the math part about cubic feet and volume and such, she did not look away or play with her toys!

Now of course, I had planned on starting the garden this year, but after reading how to do it, my husband feels it would be better to start this type of gardening NEXT year (after we move). We are planning on moving to a homestead (Lord willing) sometime this year. We had tried to move earlier, but I got pregnant (Due May 3, thank you for asking ) and so that was put on hold. But we are still actively looking and have started praying again about when and where to move. If you feel so led, we would appreciate your prayers for us in this matter.

So back to Training. I figured of course that if I learned it, I would be able to teach it to my children. But I am sure that they are going to be learning along with me. And I have a LOT to learn.

I am also concerned about the cooking part. I never learned how to cook. I jokingly say that if my FIL had not gotten cancer and we became vegetarian, I never would have learned to cook or bake. Our first year of marriage was spent eating out a lot or eating spaghetti or hot dogs. Our first Thanksgiving was spent at Golden Coral.

I came across an article that talks about how simplistic cooking has become. There is a test there with cooking/baking terms. I got 100% coorect! So thankful for that. How sad though that most people don't know what those terms mean. Cream does not mean hit by a truck and smooshed to smithereens!

But the book suggests using Sue Greggs cookbooks. I am really wanting something a bit older (so they have those terms like "cream" and "fold"). Does anyone have any idea where I can get a hold of some great cooking/baking books that don't have boxes or cans of stuff used to make things? Ones that actually have those terms (and maybe even a definition of those terms)?

Don't forget to check out the link on the left hand side about DAUGHTERS. This link is going to be updated by me (and hopefully others) who have great articles for daughters about being a lady and keeper at home.

So this blog is changing directions, just a bit. It is still about my journey from mess maker to home maker, but now it is going to include my going through the Training Our Daughters book and what my girls and I are doing IN ADDITION to all that I am learning and doing (like the decluttering and simplifying that I am still going through).

I hope you will be encouraged and I pray that you will share so that we can all learn from each other.