I made it at home myself for nothing...

Jo4

I hope I will be 1/100 of the parent you are!  I would love to try to make the things you make but I don't know how, could you please enlighten me?  When you say you get 8 hours sleep and you have a timetable, is there 48 hours in your day and 14 days in your week??   ;D

Lillibet_2

Crikey, I thougth I was doing well cooking most meals from scratch & keeping up with the housework around a full time job!
You guys really are masters of your craft ;D

Sarahsaver

I hope I will be 1/100 of the parent you are!  I would love to try to make the things you make but I don't know how, could you please enlighten me?  When you say you get 8 hours sleep and you have a timetable, is there 48 hours in your day and 14 days in your week??   ;D

I wish!
my timetable includes 2 trips to the gym and 10 hours of study, although its been thrown off course a bit by ill kids (and a poorly me) and a voluntary work training course.
Its nice people think im doing a good job ;D I dont always think so, people do insist on saying they are 'just' a mum!!! I actually hope I do not have to work full time because I know my kids will miss out, and I will miss the quiet afternoons with my 3 year old.
'Doing lunch' with him is timetabled in too!!Once a week we go into town somewhere cheap. Sounds a bit regimented, but if I have something scheduled in then I find it easier to focus. Also have 'dates' with the other 2 planned in once a week.
When you avoid spending money as much as I do you realise that life's definitely not all about money.
Must go back to the market today, looked like about 15 lemons for a quid, mmm... pickled lemons...

halloweenqueen_2

Wow - Ssaver!!
Can you pass on some of your 'recipes' the soap and things! I'm the one - or one of the people who saved money by staying at home instead of going out to work! But I haven't got around to making my own soap yet! I did try farm foods for the first time yesterday- I haven't got one exactly local as I'm in a fairly rural area but I managed to tie it in with a trip to somewhere else = the prices are good! What I find hard going is other peoples perceptions - that I must be a bit thick to not have a job and I'm somehow lacking that I don't go out to work, I find socially that the first thing you are asked is what job you do, if you don't you must be either looking for work or will only be able to talk about your kids!

Sarahsaver

[glow=red,2,300]detergent [/glow] its on the old style thread as 'laundry gloop' its a doddle
[glow=red,2,300]beer [/glow] in a kit in a big bucket in the airing cupboard. have also made wine and schnapps
[glow=red,2,300]pickles[/glow] pickled lemons or limes - rub 1tsp of a mix of black ground pepper and salt into a citrus fruit quartered but still attached at one end, shove as many as you can into a sterilised airtight jar, add 4 to 6 tbs more of lemon or lime juice, sit on a sunny windowsill and shake daily, its ready when the fruit is no longer brightly coloured, maybe a month but it improves with age (like 6 months to a year!)
[glow=red,2,300]chutney[/glow] no particular recipe, just search online depending on what fruit or veg i find
[glow=red,2,300]soup[/glow] process of trial and error really. If you use less or no salt make up for it in taste terms by adding lemon or lime juice
[glow=red,2,300]yoghurt[/glow] recipe on delia online, made in a freebie flask from viking direct
[glow=red,2,300]bread/rolls[/glow] make the dough in the bread machine, use economy plain flour(not bread flour) if its just for a pizza base
[glow=red,2,300]cakes[/glow] use up manky bananas to make banana loaf, if you have no eggs just use an extra banana, half the sugar and add dried fruit instead
[glow=red,2,300]chips [/glow] self explanatory, better after the oil in the frier has been used a few times
[glow=red,2,300]cookies[/glow] american recipes are confusing but worth persevering - half them - they are HUGE quantities!
[glow=red,2,300]cheese [/glow](indian paneer is as far as i have got so far) i use the method from madhur jaffrey, will post it of u cant find it, its SO easy!
[glow=red,2,300]soap [/glow] lots of recipes on the net. Best results using olive oil or palm oil, if u use lard u need a STRONG perfume to mask the smell of pig! American recipes online call caustic soda 'lye', i got a book called the handmade soap book by melinda coss ISBN: 1859740065 you need 2 meat or jam thermometers and no kids around. It takes about a month to cure, so if u started now it would be just about ok for xmas!
There you go, hope to help. ;D

nicki_2

What I find hard going is other peoples perceptions - that I must be a bit thick to not have a job and I'm somehow lacking that I don't go out to work, I find socially that the first thing you are asked is what job you do, if you don't you must be either looking for work or will only be able to talk about your kids!

THe answer to that is that you are a full-time cook, nurse/doctor, teacher, nursery nurse, scientist (think of all the meals you make - they're all combining certain elements to make another just as if you were mixing chemicals ), painter (if you do your own DIY - could also include plumber, carpenter, builder) psychiatrist (sp?) agony aunt, personal shopper, fiancial adviser/invester entertainer, singer, and work in a laundrette.

I gave that as an answer once and the person looked shocked, then I said "In laymans terms I'm a full-time mum" ;D

Yes, I will admit that the only thing I can talk about is my daughter/housework but I also watch TV programmes of an evening ('me' time thats currently interrupted by Christmas cards/gifts) where I learn about other things. Just last night I watched an interesting programme about Octupus! :P I often watch the news and eductational programmes and find that I can have conversations about other things if I put my mind to it. Infact I've been known to have a sociological debate with my partners friend. My partner just sat there dumb founded becuase he couldn't contribute even though he is the one who goes out to work and it better qualified (in some areas) than me ;D

Anyway, enough rambling...

16011996

thanks for that, that is brill. i do some already, such as laundry gloop, but the reast are fab.

thanks again.

Sarahsaver

I know what you mean. I met a woman recently, and she said 'i have no experience, i dont have any qualifications' BUT she HAD a 3 year old child so therefore knows all about pregnancy. birth and childrearing, running a home etc.
HOME EXECUTIVES thats what we are ;D

Galtizz

Laundry gloop and I've bumped it too!

Lillibet_2

Erm.....I'm having a dim day......what do you do with the pickled citrus fruit? I can only think of serving it with fish ???