Rose off the front deck of the bunkhouse at the Western Edge |
And so, without further adieu, begins......DUN DUN DUNNNNN.....story of my transformation into the
Almost-Amish Housewife
(cue the heralding trumpets)
Where did it start?
Where does a thing like this ever start?
Ok. It all started with the trash can on the back porch…a big, unsightly, blue plastic trash can – so big that the only size trash bags to fit it were the lawn and leaf bags. When filled to capacity with our trash and garbage, that trash can was too heavy for me to lift and carry out to the dumpster in our barn lot. I could fill that thing up twice a week! To say that our family of five could generate some trash is a huge understatement!
So anyway... It was one day while dragging the cumbersome tonnage of trash through the yard (easier to drag through grass than across driveway stones) that I heard my inner-voice ask,
(I may not have heard "holy fright"--I may have made that part up).
Ok. It all started with the trash can on the back porch…a big, unsightly, blue plastic trash can – so big that the only size trash bags to fit it were the lawn and leaf bags. When filled to capacity with our trash and garbage, that trash can was too heavy for me to lift and carry out to the dumpster in our barn lot. I could fill that thing up twice a week! To say that our family of five could generate some trash is a huge understatement!
So anyway... It was one day while dragging the cumbersome tonnage of trash through the yard (easier to drag through grass than across driveway stones) that I heard my inner-voice ask,
“Holy fright!! How
in the world can 5 people make so much trash?!!”
(I may not have heard "holy fright"--I may have made that part up).
Sure, I could recycle….but that would mean that I would still
be buying stuff whose containers would have to be removed from my home. I had
to do something about how much I threw away.
So I made plan: NOTE TO
SELF: HAVE LESS TO THROW AWAY!!
But how?
I took a look at what was in the trash – milk jugs, cereal
boxes, metal cans, glass jars, plastic containers, garbage, miscellaneous other
trash – what to eliminate? Start with cereal
boxes.
What happened?!!!! When
did cereal become a staple at my house? Why
so many boxes? Easy. The answer: cereal is a way-too-easy solution to breakfast. Reality check time --> We took the kids out to breakfast from time
to time. Guess what! Every.single.restaurant had cereal on its
menu….did the kids EVER order cereal? No
{don’t be ridiculous}. So why was I
spending our $$ on cereal?
Good
question.
I decided to conduct an experiment: I would make breakfast – at home, in my
kitchen – more often. More work on my
part? Yup. Once I had a plan in place, I found ways to
make the mornings easier: prepare some
quick mixes ahead of time or make all or part of the meal the night before. I took baby steps. I replaced cereal 3 - 4 times a week with
homemade (from scratch) breakfasts.
My family’s favorites: pancakes, waffles, bacon & eggs, breakfast biscuit sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, homemade doughnuts & muffins, hot cereals like oatmeal, grits and cream of wheat.
My family’s favorites: pancakes, waffles, bacon & eggs, breakfast biscuit sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, homemade doughnuts & muffins, hot cereals like oatmeal, grits and cream of wheat.
Suddenly, the cereal wasn’t quite so popular….hmmmmm…..interesting……
At the conclusion of the experiment I looked like the most awesome mom ever, had
more space in my cabinets, and threw away less trash….and before I knew it, I was transforming into
the
Almost-Amish Housewife!
What did I tackle next? Glass jars! Stay tuned.
Dawn's light over the hayfield at the Western Edge |
Want some recipes or ideas? Message me! I'll share our favorites!
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