Team Freezer Prep

 The other night, while I was making tea I picked half a bucketful of French beans. With a quick shout to the living room two helpers appeared to help me prep them (the eldest went off to pick tomatoes). 

 

In fact I didn't do any of the French beans, instead leaving the youngest two to top and tail them, then weigh them out into freezer bags for use later in the year. 

As well as leaving us enough out to steam to have with one of our beautifully roasted Indian Game hens and rice. 

They love helping put food down for winter - good job as well otherwise it can get a bit overwhelming! 

Anyone else make use of their helpers when it comes to food prep?

Chicken Butchery - Indian Game

Obviously this post contains pictures of dead animals so please don't read if that kind of thing upsets you. 

I had planned to process a batch of Indian Game chickens for the freezer this week. I was then disappointed when I found out that the day I had planned to do it the children were going for a sleep over at my mum and dads. 

This is how far things have come with the children, it's so much easier with them that I now plan to do it so they can help. So I made sure we all got up early that morning and got cracking before they had to go!

Homestead Maths

I put this on twitter the other day so apologies if you've seen it already. 

This morning she was frustrated trying to figure out Greek gods from a poem and 16 pages of maths.

This afternoon building a chicken coop, marking up parallel lines, taking measurements &first time using the jigsaw on her own. Perfect apprentice.

I love how useful they've become and how they like to help. I can now set her to finish putting in screws or mark up timber to be cut. It's a lovely way to spend time together. Carpenters daughter. 

Growing Up Fast

 My little girl turned 9 this week. I honestly can't believe I've been a dad for 9 years now! 

She is a wonderful human being - full of kindness with a wicked streak of humour. 

Having birthdays so close to Christmas it's always tricky to know what to get them, but she is always helping or undertaking some task on her own (last year she took apart a chest of drawers all on her own as she wanted them out of her room and got fed up of waiting for me) So we thought she might like some tools of her own, she had already talked about a draw knife that she could use on the shave horse (mine is huge), so I ran with the idea and decided to make her a tool box as well. 

Of course having a carpenter as a father has some knock on effects, that's why the tool box is hand made and carved with a Victorian design on both sides! If you go over to my other blog you can see the carving process and my challenge I've set myself to carve or turn something every week this year - 52 weeks of carving!

I was a little worried when we gave them to her on the morning as it is it's not your normal set of presents for a nine year old girl, but she was really happy and pleased with them (she also got fabric for sewing and a lightsabre for fighting her siblings). 

Practical gifts for a practical girl! 

Seed Sowing

With a break in the rain and the sun trying to poke it's head out we decided to sow a good number of seeds last weekend.

It was still bitter cold though so we got out of the wind and into the greenhouse!

Workshop Helper

My younger daughter spent some time in the workshop with me this afternoon.

D: "Why do you have a radio on?"

Me- "sometimes it gets a bit boring, it helps pass the time."

D: "it won't be boring if you've got someone to talk to..."

I love that they take such an interest in things like this!

There are some serious advantages to working from home when I can.

Growing up I was always around my parents when they were working. Both would work from home most of the time and they would both also go and work at other farms as well at times. Basically one of them was always at home and it was a nice constant to be relied upon.

It also meant that we (my siblings and me) got involved with everything when we could or when we were old enough and could see what they did each time. I have great memories of this as a child and hope that our kids will have something similar.

Did you watch your parents work when you were young?

Children Imitate

Our children often imitate us, it's how they learn. 

Sometimes I worry about what they'll learn from me, it's impossible to be how you want to be around these little people all the time. When I loose my temper or shout I often wonder what they have just learnt or how I could have handled the situation better.  

Days later I might hear them use a phrase and think to myself that's not what I want them saying or thinking. 

But then there are times when I think that they see and copy something really positive.

This morning is a perfect example of that. I help run our local playgroup on a Monday, my son comes along and helps set up and pack away whilst playing with his friends. Part of the routine is we put out snack for the children and then they all sit round and whilst they're eating I read them a story that I bring along.

I love being a man in a playgroup like this, I think it's great for the kids to see a man doing this role and also I love reading children a story (I'm strict on the parents and don't allow talking either!)

But when I finished today I went to take something back to the kitchen and when I came back my son was sat on my chair, in front of all the children, with a story book that we was "reading" to them all.

I was so proud of him, my heart melted a little bit! Such a strong little character, I know he'll go far.

New School Forest Garden

As many of you know I'm the sort of parent that gets roped into things, I seems to have an inability to say NO at the best of times, but when it's helping kids I'm even worse.

The school library is the perfect example of this!

Blank canvas

Somehow since the spring I've been attending some small meetings with the head mistress, Felicity - the garden designer and the teacher who runs Eco-club. We've been talking and making plans to create a new forest school and vegetable garden area that the kids can use and enjoy.

Children Working - Moving Firewood

I've been trying to clear the fallen trees and branches from the storms damage this winter. 

I'm also trying to be better with future fire wood and process it before I store it. That way it'll season better and I won't be left with huge rings of wood that harden and are far more difficult to split. 

So I've been out there a few hours at a time and when out there I've been dividing my time with half and hour on the chainsaw and half an hour on the maul splitting the wood I've just cut. I can cut far more than I can split though! 

So my plan has been to leave some of the splitting until the evenings when I've got the kids back from school or nursery. That way I can split the wood while they're either playing or helping and it's great to keep them outdoors on these nice evenings. 

 As it turns out they didn't want to play at all, they were so keen to help me it was lovely! As I was splitting the wood they were loading it onto the trailer, they worked as a team and helped each other, they didn't even moan once!

 They did the full load themselves, I couldn't quite believe it.
They loved ridding in the trailer as well, bouncing around! Something I have fond memories of as a child as well.

They then helped me unload it when we got back to the house and didn't stop until it was all in the shed. They then ran off and played outside whilst I cooked tea, making disgusting mixtures on the patio, great to see kids being kids. 

Great to have my little helpers with me today. The fact that a 2 year old, a 4 year old and a a 6 year old actually can help and saved me lots of time this evening is amazing. I'm lucky to have such helpful kids! Long may it last!

Boy Helping

The kids always seem to want to help, no matter the job.

I know this will soon change so I'll make the most of it now!

Here's the boy helping me to cable tie some more wire round the bottom of one of my chicken coops. He loved it and although it took me five minutes to pick up all the ones he'd dropped it was lovely having him "help" me for this little job! he was so dexterous with his fingers, pushing it between the wire, concentrating the whole time. 

Afterward he walks with a spring in his step, knowing he's helped daddy and babbles about it to his mum when she comes home. 

Do (or did)  your children love to help?

What age does it stop?

Children Helping Or Working

I had a playdate yesterday, where a friend came over for some cake and a chat (don't worry she brought her child as well). 

Rounding them up with granddad

We talked about lots of things but one I thought was interesting was when she asked me how I felt about children helping or working. 

Now I'm not talking about sewing Nike trainers in a sweat shop here, more helping around the house and in my case helping out on the farm and garden as well. 

Helping sort the sheep

Getting moody

I've never really questioned whether this is right or wrong, for me the children "help" and that's just how it is. Sometimes they want to, other times they don't, but they still have to pitch in, even the boy at 20 months. 

In fact yesterday was a prime example of this, as my dad had come over to help me wean the lambs and sort out a few cull ewes. I had the children all day so they had to be out there helping us, to start with they were quite happy as we rounded them up, but as we got near our second hour they were both getting bored, a little wet from the rain and obviously wanted to go inside. 

They didn't though - as I had to stay until the job was done, they found ways to amuse themselves, picking blackberries and playing on the bike, but they'd definitely had enough!

I said to dad that "I keep sheep differently to most, I normally have three kids in tow." 

He just said "Well that's how I did it as well".

We emulate our parents without even realise it sometimes. I remember so many hours of things like this, learning through osmosis. 

Done with the job for today! He just wants to go in!

The day before they put their own toys away in the sitting room while I hoovered, although I had to do much nagging to get them to do this. And yesterday they helped me bake a cake and some bread for lunch. Things like being able to send my eldest off to get herbs and veg from the garden for tea is really helpful as well. 

But don't get me wrong, them helping doesn't mean that my jobs get done any faster, in fact normally quiet the opposite! But it should make things easier when they're older and they're building skills and hopefully a work ethic which will last them a lifetime. 

But I'm glad that my children already help out, and they seem to enjoy it. The look of pride on my daughters' faces when I put them to bed and say "Thank you for helping today," says it all as they beam back at me and say "You're welcome". 

I don't want to spoil them by making their lives too easy! 

What do you think? 

Should I be making my children help me or just letting them play?