In my life before kids, I was a gifted specialist and a science teacher trainer. I’ve spent a lot of time in workshops and developing tools to help elementary students and teachers in the science classroom. One of the most popular things I ever created was also one of the simplest.

It’s a one-page booklet that outlines the scientific method. You can fold it like a greeting card and it walks you through the entire process of doing a science experiment. The student just has to fill in the blanks. I created it about eight years ago to use with 3rd -5th graders, but it could also be used in a middle school, or even a high school classroom.

I used it in my own classroom to help prepare students for using the scientific method while doing their science fair experiments at home. I also uploaded it to my page on Teachers Pay Teachers, where I offer it for free.

It’s been downloaded more than 22,600 times and has a 4 star rating (the highest rating possible). You can read the reviews here. It baffles me a little bit because all I did was make a little greeting card in Microsoft Office, but it seems to have struck a chord with teachers and parents, so I wanted to make it available to you as well.

It prints out on just one page. Fold it in half horizontally, then again vertically, to make a small book.

Feel free to reproduce it as often as needed for personal or classroom use. I just ask that you not sell it for profit.

Click here to download the free book:

ScientificMethodMiniBook

Want to see an example of a science experiment I have done with my pre-schoolers?

Visit my post about Our Milk Experiment.

Today I am releasing my first children’s book! I can’t even believe the whirlwind of the past year that has landed me in a place where I can call myself a professional author.

This year I’ve been Featured on The Huffinton Post, the Today Show’s blog, and been part of two anthologies, both of which became number 1 best-sellers on Amazon, and one of which topped the  iTunes humor chart as well. I even saw a story I wrote about a dear friend grace the cover of a magazine.

And I signed a contract with a publisher or a book of my very own. But there is only so far you can go own your own.

It was December of 2012 when I first went into talks with Tate Publishing about my book. I chose them because I really appreciated that they let their authors retain the rights to their works and I wanted to work with a Christian publisher. Over the past thirteen months, there has been a lot of hurry up and wait and a lot of hurry up and work, all in preparation for today.

It’s here.

The Cookie Jar Parable

You can order it on Amazon or from any major retailer of books.

Each paperback copy also comes with a code for a free audio download. We are still putting the finishing touches on the audio book, so please be patient and it should be available soon.

I know this is the beginning of a very exciting journey. It marks a change in the direction of my life. I made a promise to myself earlier this year to only focus my energy on projects that I believed would expand my faith and further the kingdom. This is the first of those projects. 

It’s only been out for one day, but the response so far has been overwhelming. I have heard from families that have been blessed by my story, the one I wrote with the words that were given to me.

I know with certainty that right now behind my laptop is where I belong.

This is my story.

This is my gift.

Ours, really.

From Him to me, from me to you, from you to your children.

I’m so glad I can finally share it with you.

Thank you for taking this journey with me!

I’m sorry I haven’t posted much this week. I have been sick, and we also have my grandmother’s funeral today. I wish the reasons were more fun, unfortunately that’s just not the case for us this week. 

On to everyone’s favorite part of the week. (Except maybe mine)

It’s time for Get Skinny Saturday! This is the part where I put my weight on the internet for the whole world to see, and we watch it go down (hopefully) together.

What I did this week:

-I bumped up my exorcize a tiny bit. I still did 15-20 minute YouTube videos 6 days this week, but on Monday I found 3 separate times to do this video. (You walk the equivalent of a mile in 15 minutes, but you do it in your living room.) I did it once in the morning and twice in a row after I put Penny to bed, while Edie was out with the older kids at their activities. So, technically, I completed a 5K on Monday because I walked 3 miles, right? Just say yes.

-I really limited all drinks except water. I did have some tea with lemon and honey when I was sick and I think I had 1/2 a glass of soda once. (possibly twice) 

-I didn’t eat anything after dinner on most nights

-I ate approximately one million caramel candies while visiting my grandfather. (Actually, I think it was eight. Or ten. Or twelve. Who’s counting?)

-I snacked on walnuts and cashews during the day. (Until my kids were home for the fifth day, thanks to all the snow, in a row and ate ALL the food.)

-I had a physical done because we are updating our life insurance policies. I think it’s important to note that the scale the nurse weighed me on was SIX POUNDS lower than our scale here at home. Of course, I’d like to think that hers is the more accurate one, but I’m going to keep using the numbers from ours because otherwise that would be cheating.

-We still ate out for dinner twice. I had an apple walnut salad and turkey chili from Panera Bread and a burrito bowl from Chipotle with chicken and brown rice. But I did make more of an effort to cook at home.

-My biggest change this week was probably lunches. Before I started this challenge, I would sometimes not eat lunch at all, sometimes I’d eat things my kids discarded- like half-eaten PB&J and goldfish crackers, and sometimes I’d just grab fast food on the way home from pre-school drop-off. This week I ate baked potatoes for lunch a few days and I had a package of Green Giant mixed vegetables for lunch on other days. Some days I made mini “pizzas” for lunch with Triscuits, organic pasta sauce, and cheese.

-I made homemade rolls with my sourdough starter. 

-I ordered heirloom seeds for a new vegetable garden so that in a few weeks-probably the end of February or beginning of March- we can start sprouting them inside.

-I’ve been very into only using organic whole wheat flour, which I grind myself here at home, and substituting honey for white sugar.

-It’s been 3 weeks. I finally reached the point where I’m not craving sugar anymore. I will still indulge in a whole fruit popsicle or a handful of chocolate chips for dessert a couple times a week, but I no longer feel like I need  something sweet at the end of every meal.

-I realize doing it by myself helps. I’ve always started diets with my husband in the past, and then I would get frustrated because it was so much easier for him. (Why does he get to lose 5 pounds in a week when I only lose .5 and I eat better? So unfair.) You would think it would work the other way and it would help to have a buddy, but for me, it’s the opposite. I like going at my own pace and not having any competition.

-I wish I would have taken measurements of myself before I started. I feel like I am losing inches faster than weight, which is probably true, but I guess we’ll never know.

And now for the weigh-in:

176.6 pounds

That is a 1.2 pound loss from last week and a 3.6 pound loss over the past three weeks. Remember we started at 180.2 earlier this month. My goal is a 1-2 pound loss per week, so I am satisfied. My end goal is to lose 40 pounds. If I lose 1 pound a week, I should get there be the end of October. (Maybe even by my 30th birthday, which is in mid-September?) We’ll see. I’m not going to beat myself up over a time frame, but I really would like to hit that goal before my birthday. I feel like the weight will probably come off faster in the warmer months when we aren’t trapped in the house, we are eating more food from our garden, we are outside doing physical activities taking care of the property, and we can take advantage of our new pool.

 Now, what about you? Did you make any small changes this week?

I promised you a pancake recipe and pancakes you shall have.

Fair warning, sourdough pancakes, as their name would suggest, are not sweet like the kind you make from the Bisquick box. They taste like bread or a very thick crepe. They also take a tiny bit longer because you have to start the batter the night before, but my kids go crazy for these and they are about a billion times healthier than the other kind because there is no white flour or sugar and the flour soaks overnight with apple cider vinegar, which allows for easier digestion. 

This recipe was adapted from this one from King Arthur flour.

The Night Before:

In a large bowl, combine the following to make “the sponge” 

• 2 cups of whole wheat flour, sifted. (I always use hard white wheat ground on the pastry setting)
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 cup of sourdough starter. The original recipe says unfed, but I fed mine and it turned out just fine.

Stir to combine, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

The Next Morning:

Combine all of the following, lightly folding in the baking soda at the very end:

• The sponge you made the night before
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil or melted butter (next time I might try applesauce or coconut oil instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder

Cook on a or buttered griddle to make pancakes or in a waffle iron to make waffles.

Yield: 24 small to medium-sized pancakes

Extras can be frozen and reheated.

We like to serve ours with fruit, crushed walnuts, and pure maple syrup. 

*I haven’t tested this recipe in a waffle iron yet.

 If you want to learn more about making your own sourdough starter, check out this post:

Remember how we started Get Skinny Saturdays a few weeks ago? Remember how I told you that there is no way on God’s green earth I am ever giving up carbs? Don’t worry, I’m still never giving up carbs.

But I am trying to be very careful lately about not eating white flour or white sugar.

It’s not as bad as it sounds because I have a WonderMill- magic, this thing is- and a gigantic 33 lb bucket of wheat berries in my pantry. 
I also have my trusty honey wheat bread recipe.

And now I have the best thing of all!!!

It took a while to get started, but I have my very own sourdough starter. I have done this once before about ten years ago, but I didn’t stick with it very well and eventually I forgot to feed my starter and it died. Not this time!

Look at that gorgeous, bubbly mess!

It’s magical.

I am in love with it.

I treat it like a pet.

A pet that I can use to make bread and pancakes.

The good news: All you need is flour and water and a little bit of patience. Once it is established, it will literally last you a lifetime. This is the way that people used to make bread way back when before there were grocery stores and commercial yeast available. The older it gets, the better it is, like wine.

The bad news: It takes at least a week to get started and you are going to have to throw half of it away every day during that time. If you forget to feed it, it will die.  ::sad trombone::

Getting started:

• Use a glass container. It really has to be glass so no chemicals leech in and so that you can see the sides. I started mine in a 2 cup mason jar.
• Mix 1 cup of flour  and  1 cup of very warm water in the jar. My flour was hard white wheat ground on the pastry setting in the WonderMill. I always sift my flour before using it.
• Stir it well and scrape down the sides.
• Cover it loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
• Keep it in a warm place, away from drafts. Mine just sits on the kitchen counter. Do not refrigerate it yet.

Feed It:

• Every day for the first week you are going to pour half of your starter in the trash can. It is sad, but necessary. There might be a layer of liquid on the top. That is okay. Just pour it off at this stage. We’re getting the yuckies out. (That’s the scientific term, obviously)
• After you discard half of the starter, feed it with 3/4 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of warm water. I find that it works best to bring some water to a boil, then let it cool slightly so that it is still very warm, but not hot enough to kill the starter. Sometimes I just skip that step and use hot tap water, but boiling the tap water first really does seem to benefit the starter.
• Do this every day for at least a week.
• After a week, your starter should start to double in size after each feeding. You might have to move it to a bigger container. (I now keep mine in a quart-sized measuring cup. I like keeping it in a container with markings on the side so that I can keep track of the growth.) Once it has doubled in size several days in a row, you can start to use it. 

Keep It:

• Keep it on the counter for at least a month, feeding it every day.
• Discard one cup every day and continue to feed the starter with 3/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup warm water. (Otherwise it will keep growing and get out of hand) After the first week, you no longer need to throw away the portion you discard, you can start to use it in recipes or give it to a friend so that she can start using it. The older it gets, the more flavorful your recipes will be.
• After a month, you can store it in the refrigerator and it will stay dormant. You will need to feed it at least once a week to keep it alive.
• Transfer it to a clean container weekly.

Cool Things I Learned About Sourdough:

• It is a practice that has been around for thousands of years. It is believed to have started in Ancient Egypt.
• Sourdough starter was considered to be just as important to a miner as his rifle during the Alaska Gold Rush.
• There are Amish recipes that use sugar and potato flakes to make starter. My aunt makes bread with one of these recipes and it is delicious, but since I’m avoiding white sugar right now, I’m going with the traditional route.  All you truly need is flour and water. After all, 3,500 years ago they didn’t have refined white sugar, but they could still make sourdough.
• Creating Naturally has put together a great series about sourdough.
• It is easier to digest. Many people who are gluten intolerant do not have issues digesting true sourdough bread. (Bread made the traditional way, not the kind you buy at the grocery store that has chemicals in it.)
• My kids LOVE sourdough pancakes. I wasn’t sure how they would go over because they taste more like bread, they are not as sweet as regular pancakes, but Abby ate FOUR gigantic whole wheat sourdough pancakes this morning. I’ll post that recipe soon.

 Let me know if you try it.

And if you have any sugar free sourdough recipes, please share! (Otherwise, I have just been substituting honey.)