Often people will ask me when I knew I wanted to be a foster parent. They are usually quite surprised when I respond with...never! In fact, if you had asked me 10 years ago if I could/would ever be a foster parent I would have told you, "NO WAY!" I would get too attached. Adoption [...]
Author: Kayla North
Kayla North is co-founder of One Big Happy Home and is considered an expert on childhood trauma. Along with her husband, she has developed training materials and programs for parents, churches, and schools educating them on trauma and its impacts. Kayla is also an affiliate trainer with Trauma Free World, an ETC Parent Trainer, TBRI practitioner, and the Executive Directory of Tapestry. She speaks at churches, schools, conferences, and retreats nationwide.
Homemade Granola Bars
I love to make homemade granola bars and am always adapting the recipe for what I have on hand. Recently a few people commented how good they looked, so I thought I would repost the recipe. I might add that my kids, who rarely get cereal since we started cutting processed foods, like to crumble [...]
Homemade Magic Shell
One of the many things I enjoy about summer is ice cream! Yummy, delicious Blue Bell ice cream! (I also love to make my own healthier ice cream using my Vitamix. Recipe coming soon!) And of course I have always loved that magical shell of chocolate that hardens on the ice cream, but have you [...]
Whole Wheat Banana Muffins
For years I have enjoyed my grandmother's banana nut bread. She always has a loaf waiting when we come to visit. My kids, one of whom claims to not like nuts, devour this nutty bread every time. Over the years, I have substituted a few healthier ingredients to make this recipe even better for you. [...]
Homemade Buttermilk in 4 Simple Steps
Buttermilk is one of those ingredients that I LOVE to use in baking for the moistness it brings. (In cake recipes I often substitute buttermilk for part of the milk) But I would always forget to buy it on my shopping trips. So I would inevitably use the old vinegar and milk trick, but it's just not [...]
Summer School has Started
Now that my kids have been out of school for a few weeks, we are starting to get into our summer routine. That routine includes daily reading and math fact review, and of course lots of fun and exploration. One website I have found extremely helpful in keeping me and my kids accountable for doing [...]
Paper or Laundry?
I'll be the first to admit that I hate laundry. I have complained to anyone that will listen how much I hate the close to 15 loads of laundry I do each week for our family of 8. So why would I choose to do something that adds more laundry each week? Because it just [...]
Chocolate Avocado Frosty
Looking for a sweet treat that your kids will love and you can feel good about? Here's a recipe my kids gobbled up! Chocolate Avocado Frosty 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup coconut sugar 1 large organic avocado (you can't taste it, but it makes it so creamy!) 1/4 cup cocoa powder (more or less [...]
The Healing Power of Garlic
Recently a friend said something to me that really made a lot of sense...God created us and didn't leave us with no way to treat our ailments. He created food for medicinal purpose as well as nourishment. He created natural cures for aches and pains. I remember as a child, a friend's mom who had [...]
Homemade Granola Bars
Well I've had writers block for a while now. I have a blog in the works about why we foster (and why you should too), but I can't seem to finish it! So in the mean time I found a great recipe to share as we go back to school and back to packing lunches. [...]