What topics do you want to see around here?
You know, I'm just a bit stuck lately. It's not that I don't have any bloggy ideas at all, but I'm just a little bit worn out and uninspired. I think what I could really use is a good Christmas vacation (And hey, what do you know? There's one just around the corner!)
What I really need, though, is to hear from you!
If I'm not writing about topics that are interesting and relevant and helpful to you, then I might as well stop blogging now and go make those new throw pillows for my living room or organize my family room like I've been meaning to for weeks (or was that months?).
Much as those projects sound like good ideas, I'd really like to know just one thing:
What issues are burning on your minds as of late? What is it that you're really struggling with or wanting to learn more about in the areas of nutrition, nourishing cooking, natural living or healthy living (or frugality and budgeting, home educating little ones or any other of the topics that I occasionally go off on, for that matter)?
Your ideas really, truly matter to me. They will help to give me direction for the new year, ideas for new series, questions to answer, topics to research. Your input is the backbone of this blog. I couldn't do it without you! Thank you!
Stephanie,
I am a person who currently eats more typical than whole. I make most things from scratch, but I am struggling with how to eliminate or reduce sugar from our diet, what to provide for snacks for the kids besides pretzels and popcorn.
For example, I like crackers – Triscuits. I know that they are made with palm oil and I am becoming aware of the issues surrounding palm oil. So, what do I do? What can I make for snacks that are tasty AND good for us? We do have fruit, but we need to eat more than that.
I guess, from my point of view, it would be helpful to learn about a specific ingredient, see a recipe or two using it and then I can give it a try.
Truthfully, I tend to sort of get stuck between doing what I have always known/is in my routine and learning that there are alternatives, but not knowing where to find them – should it be all organic, how can I find local, etc.
I don’t know if that helps, but that is my current struggle!
I’m relatively new to this blog so disregard this if you’ve already posted on this. I think it’d be helpful if for each season you did a post on a few of the veggies that are in season and then corresponding recipes. Thanks! Love your blog!
Basic, simple cooking ideas would be a big help.
Using foods as God made them, but also enhancing their flavors without having to add 45 ingredients to do so 🙂
Sally
I always love to hear new ideas about home education for little ones. My little girl is almost four, and I’d love to hear about activities or resources that we could possibly work into our routine.
Thanks!
I would love to know about eating healthily in pregnancy. I struggle with getting healthy meals on the table during the first trimester, and now that I am nearly in the second trimester I would like to know how to focus my nutritional efforts.
Hi Stephanie: Yummy easy snack foods, freezer meals, all food is good for me, that is easy and healthy. I love all topics on health, from all sides, so then I can make the right decision for me and my family. What is dear to my heart is topics such as how to be a good help meet and what I struggle with now is the church and its community. It is good and fine when the whole family goes to church and you all volunteer and are very involved. But there are so many who do not have the whole family go, they help when and where they can, but can not 100%. A lot of souls in church do not feel they have a place there and this is one place where everyone should feel HOME. It is our Father’s house. Thanx, again for a great Blog and can’t wait to sip out of my pink water bottle:)
I agree with all of the above suggestions, but would like to add another. I struggle with time management and fitting everything into a day seems daunting when I start thinking of all the other little things I’m trying to add to the schedule (such as soaking grains and making dairy products).
I guess it would help to get off the computer, but my morning coffee and blog reading is like a lifeline 😉
By the way, I’ve been reading your blog for a few months and I really love it! You are a wealth of information, always positive and uplifting. You’re an inspiration. Thank you!!!!
Hi Stephanie-
I always appreciate the time you take to share. Thank you!
A few things I’d like to know more about are what to look for in cookware and a little more about the aluminum can issue. How can you tell if it’s in a can or not?
Thanks,
Jo Ann
I loved your post a few weeks back on making “normal” meals more healthy by using better ingredients. I’d like most along those lines — especially how to do that.
Also, you can keep talking about soaking and sprouting. You almost have me motivated to try it, but I have a hard time planning that far ahead, and my husband thinks its silly 🙂 (soaking, sprouting and other “health” things that he hasn’t heard about before).
I’ll comment again when I think of more.
Thanks for asking, Stephanie! I would really like to hear about frugality in general and cooking frugally. I’m trying to free up more of our food budget for other items we need, so the more frugal the better.:)
Joyce
I love your blog! I’m constantly surfing here to get recipes and especially soaking/sprouting information.
I would love to hear weight-loss suggestions. I’ve heard that we should go low-carb and eliminate grains (from mercola.com). But is this still true if we’re properly preparing our grains?
Hope you have a RESTFUL Christmas!
Hugs,
~Anne
I agree with Willow Morse. That would be great!
Hi Stephanie– I really enjoy your blog and appreciate that you’d ask for feedback.
Perhaps you’ve already posted on this, but I second the request to some posts on a healthy pregnancy. I’d also be interested in posts on raising healthy children (especially from a frugal perspective), from getting them to enjoy healthy foods to fun activities to helping them grow spiritually. I also love hearing about family traditions!
Nutrition related to pregnancy. Does the pre-natal vitamin cut it, or is it even worth taking if you have a balanced diet?
Hi Stephanie. I would like to know about all of the above lol. I would like to know about homeschooling littles especially. My girls are 3 and 4 and I am going to homeschool them. I don’t have anyone around me that homeschools so…I am a little nervous.
You have a great blog and I enjoy my daily time here. Thank you for blessing me.
I do miss the pics of you and your family along with normal-basic type posts. Let us see what you guys do during the day, etc. 🙂
Hi Stephanie;
I’m with Michelle way up top.
I would also love to see some nourishing snack ideas. My husband and kids both take lunches to work and school and it is a challenge to fill their lunch box with healthy, nourishing food.
BTW, are you still planning to publish an ebook with beginner steps to nourishing eating ? You had mentioned that some time ago…. I think.
Another idea would be a few book reviews. You’ve mentioned some books here and there, but I am a little scared to buy a book that I know nothing about. (I’m too cheap for that. If they are in the library, I take it out first, but they aren’t always there.)
I am interested in almost everything you have been posting about. I also am interested in home schooling (from books and daily activities) things that you are doing. I like the other suggestions about continuing to post on healthy food choices- snacks, meals, etc. I’m also interested in the short list of topics you posted recently- boosting immunity and your top 3 particularly. Book reviews/recommendations are also a great idea.
Thanks for all the work you put into this blog and have a Merry Christmas!
I really enjoy your blog. Anything that pretains to life with small children is great. This could include time management, home education, training to obey, incorporating Bible study into the day, character building, etc.
Hi Stephanie…I think you’re going to get enough ideas to last you a long time! I look forward to reading what you write about the above suggestions. Your writing is a blessing and encouragement to so many people!
I have been struggling to not spend so much time in the kitchen. I want to make healthy meals, but I don’t want my kids to remember me as the mom who didn’t play with them because she was always in the kitchen! So any ideas on batch cooking? How can I decrease my time in the kitchen without sacrificing quality food choices. We’re gluten/casein free at our house so it makes it even more challenging! Thanks!!
I think you were already doing a really good job of covering all sorts of things. I can’t even tell you how much of a blessing reading your blog is to me. I do enjoy the odd random basic thing about your family though like when you shared your vacation pictures or about your daughter turning 4, thrown in there with the “heavier” stuff. Sometimes I find it overwhelming having so much info, every day there is something new and I often can’t keep on top of what I want to do and change and work on. Like the soaking thing. Forgive me since it was me who asked the question, but I still haven’t commented as I need to re-read that post and figure it out more…but I think it will have to wait several months now as I am overwhelmed with Christmas and the baby coming so soon. Sometimes I just save a post under my favourites and get back to it later…so I guess what I am saying is that I think you already have tons of great ideas! I would like to see more on frugal living though, especially how to do that with natural living (which usually costs more). Also more on homeschooling. I am not sure what we are doing with that- all we know now is we are going to homeschool at least until grade 1 (here they go all day every day from 31/2 or 4 to school, so we don’t want to do that). So I would love to see more of what you are doing, as my daughter is a year behind yours and is just starting to show some interest in learning things like letters and such. Maybe some ideas of what your family does for family time and building family relationships and relationships with others in the church and outside the church as it relates to homemaking would be cool too.
Sorry, longwinded as usual. 🙂
Time management…. balancing home, marriage, parenting, community activities, and work (if applicable, which it’s not to me!). What things should you focus efforts on, what things should you let go of if it interferes with your marriage, etc.
Also, incorporating Bible study into your kids’ days. My daughter is 17 months old, and I’d like to start her off young, but I don’t have any idea how to go about this! I am also fairly clueless on discipline. I know different things work for different kids, but for my daughter, I sometimes resort to yelling. 🙁 I would love to see your theory on discipline, some alternatives to yelling, etc.
When kids are young, their needs are immediate, so maybe some helpful ways to take care of your kids and still put your husband first. I try, but struggle most of the time, so any ideas on that would be fantastic.
I love your blog, by the way!
I’m not sure I have any specific suggestions… just wanted to say that I appreciate how you present the whole “case” on why you choose to do things the way you do. I don’t always agree with you… and I mean that respectfully… but I enjoy reading and learning from your blog. 🙂
As I read through the comments, I keep thinking, oh yes, that too.
Personally I’m trying to go back to basics, focusing on drinking water, (thinking about how I should) get some rest — all those things that I know to do but still don’t always do. So even if it’s simple, I’d like to hear from others the ways that they drink that much water, remember to take their daily vitamins, get sunshine even though it’s freezing outside.
I’d also like to learn about teaching small children about spiritual matters.
I thought of something else to add- I would like to know more about how you clean. I clean using all natural products but I am finding that it isn’t working as well as I would like it to. So what do you use to clean, what do you find effective for different situations, etc.
I would like some ideas on what to do about children who are picky eaters. Also, some ideas on what to feed babies who are too old for baby food but too young to eat everything the rest of the family eats.
You know, I would really love toddler preschool ideas. How do you do it? How do you keep them interested and not go crazy with preparation???
Thank you for all the work you put into your posts. I LOVE reading them and find them very encouraging. I’m going to ditto several things mentioned above…homeschooling especially teaching spiritual topics, safety of canned food, effective natural cleaners, and definitely eating healthy yet frugally. You inspired me to try couponing which I had always blown off because I figured it was all packaged foods, but I think it might be helpful.
All of the above 🙂
Not sure if someone else mentioned this, but I would love for you to do a post or a series on how to “win over” your husband and the rest of your family…that sounds tricky, of course that isn’t what I mean…but how to convince your spouse and rest of your family of the importance of living naturally and more healthfully and mindfully.
Your blog has been very helpful and informative, thank you. 🙂
OK, now I have more to add: SNACKS! and any ideas on how to win over my family and move them to more healthy eating – ugh.
You know, I could use another baby steps series. I started reading your blog toward the end of the last one, and all the steps seemed way too huge for me to just jump on. Maybe if I started at the beginning of a series, I could do it all with you. (Something geared toward people wanting to move from “normal” to a bit more healthy slowly enough for the whole family to enjoy the move).
I also would love more healthy/natural stuff for babies and kids…
I know you already talked about toiletries some but I would love to know what you use. I’m am having a hard time finding a deoderant that works well, and also shampoos, soaps and lotions that I can afford for us and the kids. Most of the products will say natural or organic but they still seem to have a lot of weird ingredients.
What to replace Canola oil with. Should I just use butter and coconut oil. I haven’t been able to find sunflower oil for mayo and I’m not sure what to use for it. I know vegetable oil isn’t good but would it be better than canola oil?
Thanks for all the wonderful info you share with us every week you are truly a blessing!!
I agree with everyone. I’ve been having trouble keeping us all organized with in a “smaller” house– 6 people in an 1800 sq. ft house. Organizing school, activities, cooking, cleanig etc has become a challenge for me as this year. Love your blog! Thanks for all that you do!
Kara
any and all ideas on how to manage more than one kid. I was a GREAT mom before I had a second child. Now I often just end up feeling overloaded by all I want to do and all I have to do. Light at the end of the tunnel is coming, but not soon enough.