Wifestyle Hustle

What's better than warm fresh sour dough bread? Well, nothing! Nothing is better. Unless you have warm fresh sour dough bread with butter slathered on it. That's better.

As you might have guessed we are discussing our love of making sour dough today. You might have heard how difficult it is to make it. All the steps, all the kneading, all the pressure! Then you have the forming and baking. Do you use a loaf pan? Or maybe a dutch oven is better. Maybe you should do a free form loaf. Worry not, faithful listener! We talked about all of it today.

The most important take away from today's episode is to realize this is not the fussy, complicated, long process it is often made to be. We did allow ourselves a few moments of bad mouthing today about some bakers who make the process too complicated. I think we have simplified it more approachable to everyone. We don't have time for 50 steps. And we know most other moms don't either.

Give this episode a listen then give it a try. Find the recipe on our website if you happen to be listening on one of our listening platforms. Or scroll down if you're on our website. We would love to see a picture of your results in the comments for this episode.

Have you heard our episode on what we call inspiration cooking? Sour dough is a great place to start with it once you get the basics down. Add ins are delicious in sour dough. Jalapeno cheddar bread, anyone? Listen to Inspiration Cooking HERE

We will be adding building up SD starter soon. Be watching for that!

Music is by Oliver Massa. It is called Weekend Chores.

It is that time of year. The holidays are over. The hubbub slowed down. Here we are in the January funk. Everyone enjoys the glow of the holidays but it can be really hard to deal with the pull back from all the hustle and bustle of having so much to do all the time. It seems every night of December is packed with something fun. From the recitals to Christmas plays to the shopping, wrapping, cooking, consuming, caroling fun and merry making, it is really busy month.

For some people it is a relief to have it over. For others it is really hard to deal with the withdrawl. Today we talked about a few of the ways we make January fun too. It can take a little more doing because you have to make your own fun instead of the constant stream of invites and parties.

I hope our tips will help our listeners find the joy in this season too. Every part of the year can be enjoyable. You just have to be able to look at little harder now.

Have you listened to our episode on One on One Time with the Kids. January is a great time to reconnect with your kids. Listen to that episode HERE

We also did an episode on some of the topics we are prepping for you guys for the new year. You can listen to that HERE. We hope you'll continue to join us this year. We try to bring great content to listen to. Please consider sharing our podcast with your friends.

Oh hi! Welcome back! We hope everyone had a restful and joyous Christmas season. We sure did!

This leads us right into our topic for today. We discussed how we handle going back to all the things in January. It is so nice to take a break and enjoy some time at home with no real commitments. Most activities stop for the week between Christmas and New Year. That frees up some time to enjoy your family in a way that really isn't possible most other times during the year.

It can be a little daunting to go back to it after so much unscheduled time. We hope we helped come with a few strategies to make the transition a little easier.

Hey! Did you notice? This is our 50th episode! One of our goals for the new year is to grow. We would love for you to help us. Please share our podcast with your friends. We try to keep our content light and fun. Who doesn't need some of that in their life.

A lot of people try to do some budgeting and money saving in the New Year. We did a few episodes on the this last year. We did saving money at the grocery store HERE and a couple on general budgeting HERE and HERE. I know I usually spend a few minutes this time of year looking at our family's finances. We hope these episodes will help you also. Starting the new year with a financial vision for the coming year is liberating in a way.

Music is by Oliver Massa. It is called Weekend Chores

Unfortunately not all pictures we took 15 years ago are amazing. Please forgive the blurriness of this one. No one knew back then we would someday need it for our podcast.

Today we discussed some of the places we've gotten to spend Christmas. Not every Christmas gets to be one you remember fondly. Unfortunately, not every Christmas do you get spend surrounded by family. Some you have just get through. We've had a few of those. It makes you cherish the good ones all the more.

Speaking of, we also talked a bit about our favorite Christmas memories.

A few of ours were hard but a few were just different. We talked about those too. Some you remember because they are so different than your normal.

We want to thank our listeners for all the support and love this year. We feel so blessed to have the following we do. Our first six months have been a whirl wind. And we're so glad to have gotten to share it with all of you.

If you want to give us a Christmas gift please share our podcast with your friends! Our goal for this next year is to bring our little slice of homesteading, gardening, homeschooling heaven to more people.

Have you listened to our episode on all the things we like to do with the kids during the month of December? Listen to that HERE.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! We'll see you back January 3rd when we'll start a whole new year of all the things we love to talk about. 

Today we discussed some of the fun stuff we have coming up after the frenzy of the holiday season is over. Right now we are in the thick of it with you all. But we know soon we will get our sanity back. When that day comes, we are going to need some new topics to discuss with you all. We teased out a few of those today.

One of the things we are going to tackle right after the holidays is coming off the holiday high. January can be so hard for a lot of people. We will discuss how we get through it and hopefully help you come up with a few strategies to deal with the funk. Be sure and check back for that. I really think it will help. I know these strategies help me.

The other day we released one of our favorite things to do with the kids. Maybe you're looking for a way to fill a day during break or a project to do with all the cousins when they're visiting over the next week. We have you covered. Check out our (Lauren's) salt dough recipe HERE. We would love to see pictures of your finished masterpieces on Social.

The very best gift you can give us for Christmas is to share our podcast with your friends. If you enjoy our conversation perhaps a friend of yours will too. Thanks so much!

We are always looking for new ideas to talk about. After the new year is a time for a fresh start. If you have any ideas you'd like to hear us talk about please shoot us an email to [email protected]

We hope you guys have enjoyed these few ideas we have for ways to spend time with the kids during the month of december. If you have any ideas you would like to share. Leave them on the comments for this episode on our website, or on our social media. Until next time…

These are salt dough ornaments Lauren made with her kids the other day. Be on the look out for those tomorrow. This is another great December activity.

December is a busy month but it is also filled with an abundance of downtime. With the kids' Christmas break there is extra time in most people's schedules. We discussed some December fun you can have with the kids.

We tried to pick a few activities that you can do at home when the weather is gross outside. There's nothing quite like a movie marathon on a blustery cold day. It makes the house feel so warm and cozy to snuggle up on the couch with your favorite sticky little people. They'll be extra sticky if you decorate cookies first. Haha!

We also chose a few activities for if the walls are starting to close in. After a few days at home, it starts to feel like all the kids do is fight. And you haven't seen anyone but the people you live with for weeks and weeks and weeks. It is nice to get out of the house and see other people for a few hours.

We hope this episode will help you find ways to use this extra time with your family. Making memories that last a lifetime are what make this time of year so special.

Have you heard our episode on helping your kids feel gratitude. Listen to that HERE

Make sure and listen on Wednesday. We're going to talk about some of the topics we'll get into in the new year. As always if you have any show ideas for us please feel free to share them with us at [email protected]

Music is by Oliver Massa. It is called Weekend Chores

Today we discussed something that could go really well or disastrously wrong depending on the day and age of your kids. It is the worst when our kids behave badly out in public. We hope to help you avoid this embarrassing situation with a few tips we put together for you. Also just know that every parent has been there. Even if they are giving you the evil eye they have themselves done the walk of shame with their own kids. No one is immune.
Taking the kids out to eat isn't something either of our families do very often. So our experience is somewhat limited. We have discovered, though, that a bit of planning can go a long way in getting to have an enjoyable evening.
The other thing we did in the episode is to come up with a few money saving tips to help the money go a little farther on nights out. Our biggest tip was don't go out very often. It is easy to save money eating at home. Sometimes you're stuck and have to have a night out because of other obligations. Knowing a few money saving tips can make it a little easier.
Have you heard our episode about Cooking With Kids. Listen to that HERE
We would love to hear your tips and tricks for going out to eat with the kids. Leave us a comment under this episode on any of our social media accounts.
Music is by Oliver Massa. It is called Weekend Chores.

 

These are some of our favorite hacks for Christmas. If Christmas were an equation this would be the formula. Enjoy.

Today we discussed how we handle our different Christmas activities. Christmas is such a busy time of year. One of the biggest keys for staying sane this time of year is staying organized. It is so easy to let the season get away from you. The next thing you know it is the week before Christmas and your presents are only half bought. You don't have to tree up or have any idea who is coming for Christmas dinner. A little forethought and organization can help you avoid all of that.

There are definitely times all the organization in the world can't save you. Your kids comes home and tells you about the Secret Santa party TOMORROW at school and they need a gift. But if you have your ducks in a row in other areas, it is easier to roll with the punches in just one area.

As always, we suggest starting early so you can enjoy the season with your family. This does a few things that are so helpful. First it helps to spread our the financial strain a little. One of the hardest parts of this time of year is how costly it is. The second starting early helps with is letting you enjoy the joy of the season instead running around like a crazy person trying to get it all done.

Speaking of getting your shopping done early, here are a couple of episode we did to help you with yours.

We did one on our favorite toys through the ages HERE

and one on our favorite games HERE

and one on our favorite books HERE

Music is by Oliver Massa. It is called Weekend Chores

In the spirit of the upcoming holidays we discussed some of the favorite books we enjoyed when we were kids and also titles we've given to our kids over the years.

Books have played huge part in our lives. Some of my favorite memories were of our dad reading to us before bed. He is a gifted story teller and books in his hands always came to life. Likewise, my favorite time to spend with my kids is on the couch reading books. Over the years, we have read children's books in the every genre and I think the list we've compiled reaches across a wide range of ability and interest. We hope you'll find something you love here.

Wifestyle Hustle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising revenues by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

First Hundred words https://amzn.to/3sGcZ1g

First Hundred animals https://amzn.to/47WlGUj

The Very Hungry Caterpillar https://amzn.to/3R3uqlB

Brown Bear Brown Bear https://amzn.to/3uj0Gsa

Oh David! A Diaper David Book https://amzn.to/3sDyn7e

When Lightning Comes in a Jar https://amzn.to/3R4OpjW

Andrew Henry’s Meadow https://amzn.to/3R3RtNh

Junie B Jones https://amzn.to/46fdeOA

Horrible Harry https://amzn.to/47CV9uV

Little House on The Prairie Book Collection https://amzn.to/3R2do7A

The Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane https://amzn.to/3MPzQOV

The Chronicles Of Narnia https://amzn.to/46pFQ7M

Holes https://amzn.to/47ATiGW

Eragon series https://amzn.to/47iYZJY

The Old Man and the Afternoon Cat https://amzn.to/3R6TtEk

Elephant and Piggie https://amzn.to/40Iv5fu

The Dark Dark Night and The Bears in the Bed and the Great Big Storm By Jane Chapman. These books are available on Amazon. But we recommend you try to get them used.

Have you heard our favorite toys episode? Listen to that HERE

Music is by Oliver Massa. It is called Weekend Chores