Strawberries and Jam!

I love strawberry season! I love to pick berries, although I haven't had time this year. A friend of mine brought us a bunch, though, so we ate lots and made JAM!

Now, I'm a fan of strawberry freezer jam. My Grandma Rosen made strawberry freezer jam and put it in little butter tubs. I could eat it by the spoonful! We did make some freezer jam this time, too, but the majority was cooked jam. I wasn't sure I had space in the freezer for a lot of jam, and this way I can give it away as gifts if the occasion arises.

If you've never made jam, it's a bit labor-intensive, but it's not difficult. And, if your family eats jam (in spite of all the sugar-haters), it's worth it to know exactly what's in it. Many jams you can purchase at the grocery store have high-fructose corn syrup in there, which we try to avoid.

I thought I'd tell you just how easy it is to make jam. First, you have to sterilize your jars and lids. I run them through the dishwasher. My mom used to boil them, and Isaac thought that sounded like all kinds of fun. Nothing says "I LOVE SUMMER!" like heating your kitchen, when it's already hot and humid, with boiling water, am I right? We boiled one batch in the canner, but the rest went in the dishwasher. Never say I'm not a fun mom. The reason you do this first is, if you forget, you will be very sad when your cooked jam is ready to be put in jars and they're not clean.

Then, you prepare the berries. First, you have to clean them. All I do is soak them in the sink with a bit of vinegar, then rinse them. (I wash all my produce in vinegar; it kills bacteria and removes pesticides.) Once they're clean, I cut off the tops and cut them into halves or quarters, depending on how big they are.

After they're cleaned and cut up, you get to squish them! I like to put them through the food grinder on my mixer. I will tell you that the instructions inside the Sure Jell (one brand of pectin) say that you should mash the berries with a potato masher, one cup at a time, because "jam should have chunks of fruit." That's personal opinion, as far as I'm concerned. I have people in my house who don't care for chunks in anything, so I grind the berries. I've never had a problem getting the jam to turn out. This is me, thumbing my nose at the person who thinks jam needs chunks. My middle child loves to use the grinder, so I had a willing volunteer for this part.

Once the berries are squished, you're ready to make the jam! First,

get your canner and lids ready. You will need enough water in the canner to cover the jars by one or two inches, and the water needs to boil to process the jam, so you want to get that started. Also, the lids for the jars are supposed to be hot, so you want to put them in a little pan with water and heat them.

Once you've got the canner and lids ready to go, you can cook the berries. For this last batch, of which I took pictures, I used liquid pectin. That was a first for me. The only difference I can tell is you add liquid pectin at a different step in the process than powdered kind. First, I put the berries in the pot, then stirred in the sugar. Then, I brought the mixture to a rolling boil, and added the pectin. It had to cook for exactly one minute, then I removed the jam from the heat and put it into jars, topped them with lids and screwed on the rings.

Once the jam is in jars, you put it in the canner. My canner is kind of special to me. It looks like any other canner, honestly, but my in-laws found it in the attic of the house on their family farm, and brought it to me, along with some beautiful old blue canning jars. It's the same speckled blue enamel that still comes on canners. You can see the jar lifter, which is what allows me to lower the jars into the hot water and get them back out without too much trouble. You just put them down into the water, boil them for ten minutes, and then take them out. You can listen for the lids to "pop," which is how you know they've sealed properly. All of mine sealed this time. Woo hoo!

That's really all there is to it! You should get 7-8 jars of jam from a single batch. Once they're done, you, too, can make a jam pyramid!

I have used both kinds of pectin, powder and liquid, and the instructions are a little different, but they both make excellent jam. With powder, you add the fruit and pectin first, bring it to a boil, and then add the sugar. With liquid, you mix the fruit and sugar, bring it to a boil, and then add the pectin. I don't know that I have a preference between them. They're both easy. The only thing is that you need to be exact with your measurements of fruit and sugar. I'm no cook, and I frequently have to backtrack and try to fix things when I'm cooking, but I follow the directions for making jam and I've never had a problem getting it to set.

This was a fun jam-making session for me. My berry-squishing volunteer was interested in making jam, so she made an entire batch all on her own. I'm so proud! I felt a little guilty that we weren't doing something related to school work, but you know, now she can make her own jam, and that's important too. She's really proud of herself, and I know she will feel a real sense of accomplishment when she sees us eating her fabulous jam.

Life Skills at Co-Op

At our little Charlotte Mason co-op, we have a time slot for handicrafts and life skills. The first thing we did this semester was make some pillow cases to donate to children who have cancer. That was fun! They were easy to make, and it was a good feeling to think we were sending a small touch of love to children who are so very ill.

Since we finished our pillow cases, we've all been learning CPR. I've taken CPR before, but my certification has lapsed, so I'm grateful for the refresher. What's so neat about this is that she was able to get two kits for us to use at home, with DVD instructions and inflatable manikins to practice on! One is called Mini Anne, for practicing adult/child CPR, and the other is called Mini Baby, for practicing infant CPR.

Both of these kits are available from the American Heart Association, and they are only $34.95 each. You can sometimes purchase them through Amazon, but I couldn't find any consistent links to share. I'm not an affiliate for these kits, or anything like that. As we were practicing, I remembered why it's so important to learn CPR - you never know when you might be the only person who can save someone's life. What a great skill for kids to learn!

I was able to sign my girls up for a CPR certification class last week, and they will be getting their books and cards in the mail. They were both nervous, because they didn't know many of the other kids taking the class, but I think they had a good time. I'm proud of them for completing it, anyway.

REVIEW: PeopleKeys Student Binder

My girls have reached an age when they've begun to wonder what they might like to do with their lives. I don't remember this weighing on my heart as heavily as it seems to on theirs, but I probably went through stages when it did. I was glad to have the opportunity to review the StudentKeys Student Binder from PeopleKeys, as a step in the process of understanding their learning styles and what kinds of careers might suit them in the future.  

The Student Binder in intended for children ages 13 and up, and includes the following workbooks:

• The Personality Style Workbook
• The Perceptual Learning Style Workbook
• The Cognitive Thinking Style Workbook
• The Values Style Workbook
• The Career Style Workbook
• The Goal Setting Workbook

I gave the binder to my 13 year old daughter, Emma, and let her fill it out on her own. I thought she might come to me with questions, but she didn't. I should have known; she's very independent and loves to learn things through reading. Here is Emma's review of the StudentKeys binder:

"What I liked about StudentKeys was how it helps you identify yourself. It showed me how I think, and how I learn. It gave me tips on ways I could change my work style to suit my learning style.

The workbooks give you questions that make you think. They really help you learn about yourself.

My favorite part is reading about the different learning styles. Everything starts to click when you start reading.

It also shows you what jobs are out there in the "Career Choice Workbook." I have looked at the list, and I'm sure you will find something."

When Emma was younger, we took her to a Sylvan Learning Center for an evaluation of her learning style. She told me she liked to "see things and hear things, but not do things." So, she is a visual and auditory learner, but not so much kinesthetic. Those characteristics showed up again in the results from the workbooks as she worked through them. I had to laugh when she told me there is only ONE occupation listed that combines both of her dominant learning styles. 

I lean heavily toward being an auditory learner, and I've only learned that about myself in the last few years. I've had several conversations with friends who knew they were auditory learners when they attended college, and they were able to do several things that made it easier for them to retain information, even when it wasn't presented to their learning styles. One friend had a small tape recorder, and recorded all her lectures. She would then listen to them as she typed up her notes in the evenings. Another friend used to walk up and down the halls of her dorm and read her textbooks out loud to herself. I can't tell you how many nights I fell asleep at the library, trying to read textbooks. These ideas are brilliant! I wish I had known then.

In one of the workbooks, Emma was asked which relationship in her life she'd most like to improve. She chose her sister, and identified some of her personality characteristics as well. She let Abbie take some of the tests, too, and I know Abbie would like her own binder. I'd like to get her one, as well. Emma talks a lot, but Abbie doesn't, so if she works through her own binder, we could go through the results together and I think that would be great information for both of us.

I love that the StudentKeys binder has taught Emma more about herself, and we will talk about her learning and personality styles, and how we can use them to her advantage, but also how to strengthen those areas in which she is weaker. I've taken personality tests before, and so has my husband (we are exact opposites, which makes me giggle sometimes). The information is one piece of the relationship puzzle that helps us understand each other better and so strengthens our relationship. This is great information for anyone, and especially our children as they seek their paths in this world.

The Student Binder is available from PeopleKeys for $49.00.

Click here to read more reviews on this product and several others from the Schoolhouse Crew!

REVIEW: 25 Truths book from Ed Douglas Publications

As I raise my children, I try to set a good example for them as one who claims to be a follower of Christ. I am more successful in some areas than in others, of course. Because we homeschool, they have walked with me through nearly every day, good and bad, and have seen how I've dealt with difficult situations and people. Sometimes we talk about what has happened, because I want them to understand why I handled a particular scenario as I did, or how I could have done better. I tend to lecture, to talk too much, in an effort to illustrate my point, particularly if I feel passionately about an issue. I was recently given the opportunity to review the book 25 Truths from Ed Douglas Publications through the Schoolhouse Crew, and was pleased to find some assistance in keeping the lectures short, along with ways to engage my children in discussion.

Ed Douglas retired in 2006 from being Chairman and CEO of Citizens Bancshare Bank, and now owns Ed Douglas Certified Financial Planning/Consulting. 25 Truths is his 3rd book. He gives financial seminars for adults and also speaks to students on financial issues. He's been appointed to statewide positions in the state of Missouri. He serves on boards and would be considered Important. He's the kind of guy who has the credentials to speak about how to be successful. (You can read his bio here.) He is also married, the father of three grown children, and a Christian. He has made his faith and his family priorities in his life, which means he's made some very different choices than many of the "successful" people you see on the news.

This book, 25 Truths, began as a list of life principles Mr. Douglas had put together and would share with family and friends. The list evolved into this book. Each truth is presented with a corresponding Bible verse or quote, along with a short reading, usually including a story from Mr. Douglas's experiences. Following each one is a summary, in which the chapter's principle is reworded and perhaps clarified a bit, and then the Workshop, which includes questions to encourage thoughtfulness and discussion.

When my girls and I went through this book together, we read one principle each day. Their responses were so interesting! From the very first truth - "Protect Your Reputation" - we had great discussions. They didn't think they had reputations at this stage of their lives (they are 12 and 13). As we talked about it, though, they were able to see that even as young as they are, they have reputations within our extended family, our church, and the groups in which they participate (choir, ballet, gymnastics, etc.). They could also see how easy it is to lose a good reputation, and how important it is to protect one's good name.

This book provides great material to spark conversation. Mr. Douglas has put a great deal of thought into articulating these principles in a clear, succinct way, making them easy to share and discuss. I enjoyed talking with my girls over the different points. There are some that were great reminders for me:

#11 - Take one step at a time

#13 - Make every day your best day

#14 - See the glass as half full

My very favorite? This one:

#21 - Get as much education as possible

Charlotte Mason put it like this: "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life." In other words, we should all strive to be lifelong learners. (There is a great post on Charlotte Mason and the idea of character training here - in case you're interested.)

It's suggested that this book is best for grades 6-12, and I think that's pretty accurate. As I went through the book with my girls, I saw them making connections with the principles - in many cases, these were things they already knew on some level, but the simple phrases allowed us to bring them to the forefront for more careful consideration. This book would be a great tool for a youth group or college Bible study, or any group, really. Mr. Douglas mentioned using it with the high school tennis team he coached, and I thought that sounded like a perfect venue.

If the book were to be reprinted, I'd love to see more careful editing - I noticed several typos throughout, and thought the writing could be smoothed out in some places. Overall, though, this is an excellent way to spark conversation on some basic life principles with people at almost any stage of life, whether they are learning what it means to live life to the fullest, or perhaps need to be reminded.

You can purchase 25 Truths for $12.50 from the 25 Truths website.

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