Tried something new

[goatlady]

Important point, bearman. Soy fed regularly to infants (as soy milk formula) and toddlers is being seriously studies as being a direct cause of early, much earlier puberty in children which can cause more problems when these kids become adults. Soy was developed as a livestock feed additive to increase the growth and maturity of beef cows to make raising them more cost effective, i.e. not having to feed them as long as before when not using soy feed. Cut a month or 2 off the feed bill = increased profit for the rancher/feedlot owner.

[Janet]

I am so glad to have read these posts, this has been my primary way of prepping so far. Knowledge. The adage about give a man a fish feed him for a night, teach a man to fish feed him for life, has never been more true, IMO. So not only am I learning to do everything from the ground up; I am also teaching my younger (still living at home) children to do it as well...they look at it as time spent with mom, I look at it as an investment in their future.

So far my 13 year old son and 10 year old daughter are learning to garden (container right now, because we cant have a regular garden in an apartment), they both know the rudimentary skills of making bread, pasta, how to cook some very simple meals...spaghetti w/meatballs and homemade garlic bread, egg salad, and pancakes are their favorites. They are also learning to do things like make laundry detergent, candles (melt and pour right now), and even some cheese. With summer coming up, I am planning some other new skills, like sewing disguised as creating quilts with matching curtains for their rooms.

The trick is getting them involved and letting them learn to do these things right along with me. Knowledge is power and in a SHTF scenario, knowledge will also mean survival.

[Bearman202]

Janet, you're probably teaching them a lot more than you know. When I was a kid, my mother taught us how to sew, knit, and do other similar stuff. Now, fifty years later, I'm not much of a seamstress, but the idea of picking up needle an thread doesn't scare me. I just started doing basic knitting, and while I'm no threat to some of the masters, I can produce a scarf. I'm thinking if I make one long enough, I can wrap it around several times as an extra layer under a shirt. I get looks now and then when people find out that I knit, but I look right back at them. I figure if it's okay to build a shed, it's also okay to build a sweater. I'm not there yet, but I can see it in the future. It all comes from when I was young and my mother thought it might be a fun thing for us to do when it was 20 degrees and blowing snow outside and nobody wanted to go out. What is interesting is that sewing is sewing, whether it's cotton or leather. Slightly different technique, and the tools are a bit different, but the concept is the same. One of the biggest aspects of all that was that we had to finish what we started. When a sewing project went south on us, we had to figure out SOMETHING we could make with what we had started. I think that went a long way to developing creativity. Okay, you can't make what you started out to make, (cut it three times and it's still too short) but there is something you can make out of it. We didn't throw much away. I think that was one of my most valuable life lessons.

[Pop_45]

Professional football player Rosey Grier was very good at needle point. He even wrote a book on needle point

http://www.answers.com/topic/roosevelt-grier

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69799427@N00/sets/491625/

[PJaster]

The other thing to keep in mind is that soy mimics estrogen. SNIPPED...

One of the worst food products to give Young Boys!!!! but I could not convince my daughter of that..... She who breast fed until each child was Four.... thought nothing of Soy ~Milk~ for my grandson....

I pray his male growth starts to happen at the right time.... my Grand Daughters are ~women~ in growth already, youngest 12, yes I know that is typical in today's culture....

But I still disrespect All feeding of SOY products, GMO or not, to boys.

philip

[mesquite]

I agree with the warnings about soy beans. I once thought they were healthy and overdid on them - trashed my thyroid so now I'm on meds for lifetime. Bummer! However, if you want to stretch your hamburger meat further, use chick peas (garbanzo beans - hubby calls them Gonzos). They are easy to grow and cook, have a more neutral flavor so they take the added flavors you include to make great meals. Even straight Gonzo burgers turn out great - and don't forget the tahini - yummm.