Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Dana Manchan!!!
Dana Manchan (tevschic, #562) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner & Intermediate Level Families Forever Merit Badge!
“My children and I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling together as part of our homeschool day. Also, we started playing board games during our weekly Family Home Evenings. Some of the games included Operation, Mouse Trap, and Monopoly. Our favorite was a game called Camp which tests our knowledge of plants and wildlife as we move around the board trying to get back to the “campfire.”
This was a very fun merit badge to work on. I had forgotten how much fun our family has when we play games together. We will definitely hold on to this tradition!
I typed up a chart to keep track of our TV viewing habits for one week, did some extraordinary math to figure out what 20% less would be (the new goal was 47 hours and 40 minutes), and then tracked our habits for the next week.
I grew up on TV, so it was no surprise to me that in the first week, we had watched almost 59 hours, but seeing that number was a slap in the face. So, the next week, we spent a little more time reading or playing outside, and reduced the number to 45.5 hours. We already were careful about what types of shows we watch, so we didn’t adjust anything about what we watched; we just watched less.”
Our local Farmers’ Market started up again here in my hometown of Moscow, Idaho, and that got me to thinking, do all of you know how wonderful farmers’ markets are?
First of all, they’ve been around forever. Since ancient times, farmers have been selling their produce and other goods to people. But in the last 20 years, there has been a significant resurgence.
Secondly, you can find a farmers’ market in practically every country and every community around the world.
Seriously—mountains, beaches, deserts … anywhere there are things that grow and people who eat.
The best part is the personal touch of a farmers’ market. Here’s what my family would bring in from our garden when I was a kid.
After I grew up (and of course bought a farm) and took my crops to town to be sold, I loved seeing who my veggies were going home with. When I have my consumer hat on, I love meeting the farmer who grows my food.
Buying direct from the person who planted and harvested your food is like sharing a meal with them. And that’s kinda nice, isn’t it?
Plus, going to market is just plain fun. Many markets, ours included, have live music from local musicians, and creative local craftspeople selling all sorts of good things like yummy-smelling candles and soaps, sparkling jewelry, and funky clothes. But it’s about more than shopping, of course.
It’s about community: friends, neighbors, and families gathering in the warm sunshine of spring and summer.
(Speaking of sunshine, hopefully we’ll have more of that in Idaho soon.)
Most important, it’s about supporting your farmers … and getting piles of fresh, organic, locally grown food to feed your brood back home.
So, if you’re not already a regular at a farmers’ market, make it a point to go this summer. If you’re not sure where the closest one is, try looking online (www.localharvest.org) or calling the closest co-op or natural food store; they’re bound to know.
Get out and get local, girls. Farmers’ markets are a fantastic way for a farmgirl to get fresh!
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
