What Do You Feed Babysitters?

About once or twice a week, I have babysitters come to watch my kids. Sometimes it's because I have work that I need to do. Sometimes it's because I just need some "me" time.

These sitters are usually here over lunchtime, so I always provide something to eat. Usually I heat up a frozen pizza or some type of frozen snack-type food (like mini quesadillas, cheese sticks, mini tacos, etc). I am pretty sure my babysitters think that I am the worst cook ever. Hubby says I should feed them hotdogs (which happens to be P's favorite food), but I can't bring myself to sink that low.

So what do you feed your babysitters? Any suggestions for something that will be met with enthusiasm and not require any major cooking skills?

No Eggs, But Lots of Poop

So I've had my chickens since mid-April. It's been a decent experience so far, although I am anxiously awaiting my treasure of eggs.

Cleaning out the coop is relatively easy (thanks to the additional cost of the removable litter tray). My feeders and waterers are big enough that I basically only have to refill and clean them every 3 days or so (sometimes less). The run I have is a nice size for 5 chickens, so they have plenty of grass and bugs and such to nibble, too.

I have to go and let them out of the coop every morning, and then lock them back in at night. During dusk, they come out into the run and do a lot of scampering about. It's great fun to watch them. Hubby likes to catch crickets to feed them.

Overall, I find my chickens pretty damn satisfying.

If Only I Had Known

Before I had kids, someone should have stopped me and said:

"You know, one day you will be picking the boogers out of someone else's nose with your own finger."

That's a tidbit that should be passed along to every pregnant woman.

Ridding Myself of Roosters

Here's how my chicken life has gone so far:

1. Mid April: Arrival of 4 peeps that were supposed to be sexed. One DOA.

2. Early May: Purchase of one hen to replace DOA bird.

3. Late May: Discovery that one of the original peeps is a rooster. Rehome it to another backyard chicken farmer who will eventually turn it into dinner.

4. Early June: Purchase two new hens to replace the rooster and add to the flock.

5. Mid June: Discover one of the two newest "hens" is also a rooster! Curse my luck. Rehome rooster to my uncle who will sell it at auction.

6. Mid June: Purchase one more hen to have a complete flock of five birds.

I have had the absolute worst luck with roosters!! (In the last rooster incident, I think the farmer I bought them from was taking advantage of what he considered a noob to chickens. I would've seen it was likely a rooster right away, but I sent Hubby to complete the transaction.)

Final tally right now: Five chickens in my coop, and I am almost 100% positive they are all hens. Thank goodness.

Well, I'm KIND OF a Farmer...

Although my chickens are alive and healthy, my garden... well... let's just say my garden is probably a more accurate reflection of my farming ability.

On one hand, my zucchini blooms beautifully:



On the other hand, my lima beans have been eaten so badly that they look like green swiss cheese:

I'd say that pretty much tells my farming story: I got a 50/50 chance of success for any given venture.

I AM a Farmer, Dammit

When I first told everyone I was getting chickens, I heard a chorus of naysaying.

From Hubby: All these chickens are going to be is more work for me. You say you'll take care of them, but I'll be the one watering and feeding them every day.

From Dad: You have no idea what it's like to take care of an animal every day.

From Friend: You're not exactly... the farmer-type.

Now it's two months after the arrivals of my feather bundles, and I can say that I have, indeed, proven them all wrong.

Every morning I put on my muck boots (which are actually pink camo... Hey... I'm a girl!) and walk to the chicken coop. I open the pop door for my birds and greet them as they flutter out into their run.

Every other afternoon or so, I check their water and feed to make sure it's clean and fully stocked.

Every evening I put on my boots again. I make sure my birds are securely locked away inside their coop, safe from predators and other night nasties. I bid them goodnight and pleasant dreams. (They're so cute when they're drowsy!)

So SCREW all those people who were naysayers! I actually am the farmer type, and I'm very happy with it.

Alternative to Chain Lock on a Door?

I like chain locks on doors, because I like the idea of being able to open the door and see who's outside without totally opening the door to a potentially unwanted stranger. (Peepholes don't work for me because I can't usually see if the ringing doorbell was just the UPS man leaving me a package on the porch.)

Then I saw the video embedded below (a must see for anyone who relies on chain locks). (Forgive me for not crediting where I saw it... It was definitely a prepper/survivalist blog. If it was yours, let me know so I can give credit where credit is due.) So does anyone have an alternative to chain locks on an exterior door?

Watching Bread Rise

I recently had some family over for dinner, and my 14-year-old niece was hanging around the kitchen. A new addition to my regular recipes is food processor bread. I don't have a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook, so I've been using my food processor to simplify the making of homemade bread. So far it's worked out pretty good.

Anyway, she asked what I was making just as I turned the bread dough onto a floured wood cutting board to rise. I said, "I'm making homemade bread. I'm putting this out to rise."

Her eyes got really wide and she stared intently at the resting dough. "You mean it's rising right now?" she asked. She continued to stare at it, clearly waiting to see it rise.

I admit that I chuckled. I explained that dough rising was a long process and she probably wouldn't want to spend her time watching it rise.

I understand people live busy lifestyles these days, and not every family has the time or skills necessary to make homemade bread. (Hell, I'm a SAHM and I still only make homemade bread about once or twice a month, so I'm not about to judge anybody in the kitchen.) But I did find it just a teeny bit disturbing that people can be so far removed from the basic cooking/baking process.

Of course, I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a mom who taught me kitchen basics from a very young age, and always encouraged me to cook my own food. Funny though, I am still a pretty crappy cook.

Guess knowing the basics of baking and cooking doesn't mean you're going to be a success in the kitchen.

Better Late Than Never

I started this spring with a very small garden plot. VERY small. It measures approximately 5' x 14', which is not much space. Currently growing I have:

• 3 zucchini plants
• 1 lima bean plant
• 3 sugar pea plants
• 3 green bean plants
• 4 watermelon plants
• 3 tomato plants

Not exactly a bountiful harvest, you know?

In addition, on my patio in containers, I have:

• 1 tomato plant
• 2 strawberry plants
• 2 basil plants
• 2 stevia plants
• 1 dwarf pea plant
• 1 bush bean plant

Again, not exactly the kind of crop that's going to feed my family more than a meal or two.

Of course, this is only what is currently growing. I planted more lima bean seeds than just one, and I also have a few more patio pots of herbs, peas and beans that have yet to actually produce even the smallest of sprouts. They are just pots of dirt right now. But there's still hope, right?

Despite the massive harvest I expect to get from my current plants, I felt a little...well...sad that a few little beans and a couple of tomatoes were likely to be the only food I produced this year. So this morning I started digging up a new spot in my yard for another garden plot.

Yes, I know I'm a little late.

I spent about four hours turning over the ground in a space that measures about 7' x 12'. It was pretty good exercise, although I got a little sunburned, too. I still need to really break up the earth (lots of clay soil here) and till it deeper, but today I made a good start. I'm going to plant either corn (my dad says I got another month yet to safely get corn in the ground) or wait and do some fall plants like pumpkins or garlic.

So yeah, I know it's a little late to be prepping a new garden spot. But hey... better late than never, right?

A New Appreciation for Food Storage

I'm trying to drop the baby weight on a pretty restrictive diet (in terms of calories). Basically, I'm eating about 1,300 calories a day, which isn't much compared to the previous 2,000+ I was eating most days.

I have found myself dealing with pinching hunger pains quite frequently, actually. Moreover, there are times when food is foremost on my mind, and I watch Hubby eat with previously unknown interest.

I've come to one conclusion: Hunger sucks.

Aside from increasing my desire to write a check to local food banks and other food-related charities, this weight loss diet of mine has also given me a new appreciation for food storage. It would be bad enough to be on a rationed diet myself due to a food shortage. It would be worse for my children to endure the same.

Hubby and I have been hemorrhaging money this spring and summer. We poured a concrete patio. Screened in our back porch. Bought patio furniture. Seeded the lawn and did some light landscaping. I have had no extra money at all to put into food storage or preps. Hopefully, that will change soon so I can funnel cash into a few canned goods.