Red Head Mama

Upgrading the Coop

2011-10-09T19:23:00.000-05:00

Our hens have either been lazy layers..

or.. there has been a critter regularly chowing down on our breakfast ,

before we can get out to collect eggs.

So, this weekend we completely emptied and cleaned out the coop, sprayed it down, scrubbed the roosts, and then began the upgrades.

We put down a cement floor and added 2 by 4 s to the walls which had holes in them.

I built a little cabinet from FREE wood we got from my sister's cast-off patio set.

And, we added a new roost.

Come on Ladies, It's time to ramp up the laying!!

The boys need their tasty eggs for breakfast!

Liam, 8 and Timmy (pictured), 3

were the big helpers in the coop remodeling project!

Way to go, boys!

I'm BACK (Again): Canning Season: Applesauce

2011-10-09T13:36:00.000-05:00

There is something really satisfying about storing up food for the winter.

I admit that I am not really excited about difficult, complicated 'storing' methods, but I thought I would share some of the "Quick and Easy" types.

Today: Applesauce.

We found an apple farm nearby that sells apples which are "seconds" (may have some spots or imperfections) for only $14 a bushel! Although I do enjoy picking apples, this year, I just wanted to go get them. So, that's what we did! Today we will pick up our 4th and 5th bushels!

My favorite tool for processing apples is called a victorio strainer. There is NO peeling or coring involved! Just wash, slice in half, cook, and put through the strainer. The result is beautiful, yummy applesauce!

Another tool I discovered this year is a large YOGURT container!

Instead of canning the applesauce, I decided to freeze it in gallon ziploc bags.

I place the bag in the yogurt container while filling it. It is an amazing trick!

That's it for today!

Be sure to let me know if you make your own applesauce.. and pass on your tips and tricks, too!

Preparing for Easter: Oh the Anticipation!

2011-04-23T20:09:00.000-05:00

No: we are not getting excited about the Easter Bunny!

We are excited about the celebration of the resurrection of our LORD!

This Easter is especially exciting... William will be receiving his First Holy Communion!

We are so Blessed! Tomorrow I can pictures of his special day. Here are pictures of Easter Egg Dyeing (Or 'killing', Liam calls it!) and the big boys heading out to the Easter Vigil. Happy Easter!

Liam's 8th Birhday

2011-02-25T20:57:00.002-05:00

William Fifelski

2^nd Grade 2-19-2011

My birthday

I had a great time on my 8th Birth-day! At chuck-cheeses there was sausage and pepperoni pizza. There were also some really cool games!

At Chuck-cheeses I got tons of tickets. We got some of my favorite pizza. And I earned some really cool prizes!! Cotton-candy was my favorite prize!!!

I got some really fun presents!!! The truck I got was super fast! The legos my Dad got me were BIG! I got $10.

There was yellow banana pudding pie. The yellow pudding pie was squashy. There was also chocolate pudding pie. The chocolate pudding pie was perfecto!

The tickets, the presents, and the pie were really good. I had a great time with my family.

The Hobbit: A book review

2011-02-25T20:43:00.000-05:00

As a homeschooling mom, one of the most daunting tasks (other than waking up every day and implementing the daily plan!!) is teaching my kids to write. My children happen to learn Math, Phonics, Reading, and Spelling quite easily. I really don't worry about those subjects. But, writing is a different story.

Well, Francis wrote this book review this week, and I thought it deserved to be published.

ENJOY!

The Hobbit: An Insider’s Look

Francis Fifelski, Grade 4

What will happen to Bilbo as he travels away from home? In The Hobbit, a small man named Bilbo Baggins is forced to leave home to help Dwarves capture their once mountain castle, but are challenged by the evil Dragon Smaug. What will happen to these travelers as they embark on a perilous journey to the mountain of gold?

In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, a peaceful Hobbit that never wants to go on an adventure, goes with Gandalf the Wizard to give a mountain castle back to the Dwarves. On the way he encounters Giant Spiders, Goblins, Eagles, and Elves, as well as a greedy Dragon. At one point Bilbo finds a ring that turns him invisible so he can stay safe. The only problem is, the enemy, the evil Dragon Smaug, is invincible; or is he?

The setting of The Hobbit is Middle Earth, a land full of imaginary creatures like Elves, Dragons, and Dwarves. Middle Earth is a very dangerous land, because of enemies that are very dangerous, like Goblins and Giant Spiders. Middle Earth is very small, but the author J. R. R. Tolkien mentions of the lands in the East, that are far away from Middle Earth.

Bilbo is a Hobbit, a species of manlike creatures that are very short and have twelve meals. Hobbits are very peaceful, especially Bilbo, who loves sitting at home enjoying his food. Bilbo is much uninvolved in the adventure, but he is son of a Tooke, and the Tooke family was the only adventurous Hobbit family. Bilbo is very smart and proves it when his riddles stump Gollum, but Bilbo gets all of Gollum’s riddles Right.

I like Gandalf because he is very powerful, wise, and tall. Gandalf is probably the wisest Wizard in the Council of Wizards, because he is always solving the answers to problems. Gandalf is very old, so he knows a lot about Middle Earth and its past. With all of these qualities, I think Gandalf is one of the most important characters in the book.

Thorin is one of my favorite characters because he is strong, brave, and noble. Thorin is the son of Thror son of Thrain, and heir to the king under the mountain. Thorin is the fiercest of the thirteen dwarves and also the most longing for the Arkenstone, (a white jewel that beams a rainbow of colors,) and is very rude to Bilbo, as to the Elves and Humans. At the end of the battle in the end of the book Thorin is killed by the Goblins and is buried deep beneath the mountain with his Elven sword Orcrist, (which means Goblin slayer,) and the Arkenstone. Thorin is an amazing character because of his skill in battle and his warlike appearance. I also think he is cool because he is a strong and noble dwarf. Thorin is probably my favorite character in The Hobbit.

Smaug is a dragon with a heart of evil, greed, and pride. Smaug is the main enemy because he is the actual thing the dwarves are trying to fight. Smaug is a pretty dumb Dragon because he showed off his chest, that had a huge patch with no scales, and that led to his defeat. The only thing that could stop Smaug was an extremely good burglar, or a burglar that could turn invisible, like Bilbo. Smaug is important to the book because he is the main enemy. I also think that Smaug isn’t very cool because he a Dragon and they aren’t my favorite creatures.

Tolkien was born in Africa and fought in World Wars 1 and 2. As a boy Tolkien created his own languages, but all of those languages can not be found to day, because he burned them. When Tolkien was a boy, his father died, so his family moved to back to their home in England. When Tolkien was in college he started writing stories, and when he graduated from college one was published. When Tolkien was in his early twenties he fell in love with a girl, but because he was catholic, and the girl he loved was protestant, the girl’s parents had her locked up in a country house for three years! Just before Tolkien entered WWI, he married the woman he hadn’t seen in three years.

Tolkien has many other books for young adults. He has written The Lord of the Rings, a trilogy of sequels to The Hobbit, and also a series of books that tell about the history of Middle Earth, all the way up to right before The Lord of the Rings, and other books that are in Middle Earth. I want to read The Children of Hurin, and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil.

I think The Hobbit is a really good book because it has so many cool and sometimes freaky things. One of the reasons is it has magic and I like magic. The hobbit is so good I’ve read it three times in just a week. Another good thing about the Hobbit is that it lots of imaginary characters that are mostly like the ones from Norse myths.

I think anyone would like The Hobbit, but anyone who likes knights and dragons and anyone who likes myths would really enjoy The Hobbit.

If you read The Hobbit I guarantee you will love it! After I read The Hobbit I was delighted about the amazing adventure Bilbo has. If you read The Hobbit you would probably think that was an amazing story, I loved it!!!

Facebook Statuses 2010

2011-01-09T17:23:00.001-05:00

PPT Presentations- January 2011

2011-01-07T11:55:00.002-05:00

all about william

More PowerPoint presentations from Katie

PPT Presentations- January 2011

2011-01-07T11:48:00.001-05:00

Francis ppt 2010 take 2

More PowerPoint presentations from Katie

A fun homeschool Project! Power Point Presentations! January 2011

2011-01-07T11:44:00.001-05:00

all about seamus

More PowerPoint presentations from Katie

DAVID CHRISTOPHER

2010-12-10T21:58:00.000-05:00

Looking a little closer, I've realized that poor Davey was never announced on my blog!

(Now you know why I was too busy to post!)

He is a wonderful, amazing baby!

Here he is: David Christopher June 11, 2010

I'm Back?

2010-12-10T21:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I can't guarantee that I will be back regularly..

But, boy, if you could read my mind! I've composed many blog entries there!

It's just that none have made it to the keyboard yet!

As we are preparing for Christmas, we are also preparing for James to start a new business.

So, things are crazier than usual... We are excited for 2011 and very excited to celebrate another Christmas together. We are so blessed!

Stay tuned.. maybe in the near future, I will actually post something worth reading !

Katie

Beebub

2010-03-24T18:19:00.000-05:00

Just a short note about my incredibly cute 2 (almost 3) year old.
He has made up a word and he uses it ALL of the time: Beebub.

He says it means "Awesome".

The constant, I'm a 'beebub, your a beebub' chatter is so endearing.

Oh, and I guess I should mention (that it doesn't go missing in his scrapbook!), after about 2 months of potty training, he is about 90% done. He is getting to be such a big boy!!

"Green" by necessity: An interesting article!

2010-03-09T15:37:00.000-05:00

Big Families, the New Green

I just read this article linked to by an online friend. I thought you might enjoy it, too!

'Earning $100'

2010-03-08T00:34:00.000-05:00

So, this is how I save our family about $100 every 6 weeks or so.Haircuts!

These are sort of a tutorial, so, they are a bit long. But, if you are interested in how insane some tasks are around here, you might enjoy them!

Silly boys

2010-03-07T17:37:00.001-05:00

Seamus (10): Mom, Do you remember when you said that you thought you were having a girl because she was 'stealing your beauty'? Well, it looks like boys can make you look that way, too!

Francis (8): Response when being scolded for cheating while playing a sport, "But, Dad, I want to WIN"

Mike (2): "Mom/Dad, My eyes are COLD" (ie. I want to wear goggles/glasses!)

Timmy's words 18 months old:

"oh" (Common response to almost anything we say!),

Baba (bye bye), Lela (alleluia), Titty (kitty), "boll" (bottle OR book!)

An amusing conversation:

Peter (5) and Mike (2):

Peter: You're not the boss!

Mike: You're not the boss!

Peter: Mom and dad's the boss!

Mike: I'm the boss!

Peter: The REAL dictator of words is GOD.

Frugality in our home: What it looks like.

2010-03-04T09:51:00.000-05:00

Well, we have instituted some new frugal measures in the Fifelski household.

Yes, raising a bunch of boys can be less expensive than raising girls.. when you refer to clothing and personal hygiene products. But, then, they say that boys 'eat you out of house and home". (Wouldn't our house also be our home?) Well, it's true. We only have one teen so far, but, we can see the signs. We see it coming. It won't be long before they all have monstrous appetites! Then, of course, there is the thought of our first child going to COLLEGE in a few years! So, here are some changes we have made:

-Cloth Diapering- yep, I'm back to the cloth diaper world. Yikes! Overall, it isn't going so badly. I like the concept of cloth. It's a little more work. But, 2 babies in diapers costs about $60 a month in disposable or about $200-$300 for the "diapering" life of the babies. Within 4-5 months, the switch will be completely paid off and diapering practically free.

-Raising our own meat. We will raise meat chickens again this year. We hope to raise about 50 and sell about 20-25. Selling will pay for our own meat, making our chicken free! (Other than the yucky, mucky summertime work!~) We may try to raise a couple of pigs this year too.. but, we are not sure. If not, we will buy meat in bulk again from another farmer.

-Oatmeal. We are eating more oatmeal and less cereal!

- Once a week shopping. We are doing 3 SMALL trips a month and one BIG trip. Cutting out little trips in between really helps with budgeting.

-Couponing with couponmom.com, coupons.com and smartsource.com. Doing ounce to ounce comparisons, and shopping at Aldi's!

-Hair cuts. I am trying to wait a longer time between cuts. And, I now cut everyone's hair, including James and Patrick. (I haven't cut theirs in a couple of years). See the fun video coming soon!

-Cutting the 'drive-thru' habit. This is a big one! Use the crockpot, plan ahead!

- FInancial Peace University... we are taking classes and using the envelope system. And it's working (mostly!)

Feel free to comment about your own frugal tips!

Come back to see my video in the next day or 2!!

Changing Gears... The Big Blog Changeover

2010-03-03T12:25:00.000-05:00

Hello dear friends!
For a couple of years I have used this blog as a 'scrapbook' of our family life.
It is now time to change things!

I am now hooked on digital scrapbooking, which has made my scrapabooking efforts move forward again. It is easy and quick.. and I don't have to keep putting ALL of my events on this blog.

So, I am going to go with a the Tidbits theme.

I want to share silly things my kids do/say, how we celebrate the church year in our family, ways we are trying to be frugal, big family/farm/homeschooling adventures.. and tidbits on raising boys. (lots of them)

Thanks for being a reader.. and I hope you will enjoy!

Timmy's 1st Haircut! October 21 - 14 months old!

2010-01-23T21:16:00.000-05:00

School and Extracurriculars Fall 2009

2010-01-22T22:07:00.000-05:00

James is teaching the boys Catechism.. outside!

Peter: Our Kindergartner!

Football Season: Pat played with the Washtenaw Stallions 7/8ers for the 2nd year., and loved it!

And then.. we have scouts!

Liam: Tiger, Francis: Bear Seamus: WeBeLoS II

Seamus and Scotty cooked dinners in tin foil for a scout project!

Visiting a boy scout troop for a rocket activity!

Martial Arts!

Home School Connections:

Fun classes and lots of friends!

Peter, Liam, Seamus and Francis all took Gymnastics. This is Peter's class of 3-5 yr. olds

Pat sang in the choir.

Seamus and Francis were in my Middle Ages History Class!

Liam's Favorite class: Book Cooks with Mrs. Randolph!

More September 2009 Events

2009-12-29T23:07:00.000-05:00

1. Our friend, Aggy, passed away this fall.

She was very sweet and especially loved Patrick. We will miss her!

2. and 3.While we were in GR we stopped to see our good friends, the St. Andre's. We got to meet their new baby, Dominic!

4. My new God-daughter, Josie's Baptism.

5. My sister, Melanie and her family welcome their new baby, Lucas, just after Labor Day weekend.

My cousin Mike's 1st baby! Ryan arrived in May.

2009-12-29T22:47:00.000-05:00

Little Angel's Choir 2009

2009-12-29T22:31:00.001-05:00

2009 Fifelski Family Christmas Video

2009-12-26T14:01:00.001-05:00

Enjoy video of our "Quiet" Christmas this year!

Christmas Choir 2009: Little Angels

2009-12-25T06:36:00.001-05:00

Our Summer Vacation in Alpena, Michigan

2009-12-21T15:32:00.000-05:00