The past few weeks have been very exciting (and maybe a little bit busy) around here. Why? Because we’ve been finishing a big project and making some big plans.
We have been putting the final touches on a book that has been in the works for over two years. I began working on it in 2011 and added to it as I had time and as more ideas came to me – usually based on questions from you. :)
Then finally, last summer, God allowed all of the pieces to come together and I began to work on the book in earnest. Now, here we are at the end of February 2013 and the book is almost complete. The goal is to launch the book the beginning of March. (Less than two weeks…is it possible?! We shall see.)
So what is this book all about? Mostly, it is all about how I always feed my family a perfectly healthy diet, every day, without fail, while maintaining a spotless house, and…
Oh, for real!
On the contrary, this book is about the real me and my real family, with our crusty dishes, picky children, and a trail of reeking compost juice that somehow managed to dribble its way out of the bucket from the kitchen all the way outside.
Oh wait. That was just yesterday. That particular bit about fermented compost didn’t actually make it into the book. But you get the point.
Over the five plus years that I’ve been writing this blog, I have received countless emails from people asking me, “How do you do it?” How do I manage to work from home full time on this website, home school my kids, invite people into our home frequently – all while feeding my family a healthy diet of real foods? How do I afford it? How do I get my kids on board with healthy eating? How do I figure out what is healthy and what isn’t? And how in the world do I find the time?
If you’ve read here long, you know that I don’t always have the time. My kids don’t always like what I make for them to eat. And if you open any number of the closet doors in our home, you will be frightened by what you’ll find inside.
Our family is real – with a real busy schedule and a real budget. But we still eat real food. (Along with the occasional Dorito.)
Eating a real food diet is possible for everyone. For real. This book answers the question of, how I do it. How I find the time. How I manage to consistently put healthy meals on the table in a simple way and without killing myself all day in the kitchen. It also talks about how much I love butter. Are you surprised?!
Coming March, 2013
Oh, For Real is more than a cookbook. It is a fun read, full of healthy food information, time saving tips, and freezer cooking ideas. Oh, For Real compiles much of the information I’ve shared over the past five years on this blog (in over 2,875 posts). Now, you can read through all of those posts, scroll through loads of recipes, and try to piece together all of the information as you work to figure out freezer cooking, getting ahead in the kitchen, buying basic real food ingredients…
Or, you can just store Oh, For Real in your kitchen, which encapsulates everything my blog is about, and organizes it into 99 pages – with over 115 of my favorite, most used recipes!
Recognize this though: I don’t have a flawless system! In fact, my system really is systemless. You will be able to take the information in this book and make it work for you in your real world and in your real season of life. Oh, For Real offers simplified information that you can learn from, then you can grab what works for you and drop kick the rest.
Watch for more information as the book comes together and is ready to launch. :)
As for the other plans we’ve been working on recently – you’re just going to have to wait a little while longer for me to share that news. We’re still working out some of the details. And trying to finish the book. And going to our son’s basketball games. And wiping up fermented compost juice.
In the meantime, I will be sharing some sneak peeks into the Oh, For Real book – just so that you can learn more about what’s inside. I can’t wait!
For today: Tell me something “real” about you! Don’t remember the last time you cleaned behind your refrigerator? Did you eat ice cream for dinner last night? Do you need to organize your closets as badly as I do? Let’s share. After all, we’re all real, right? :)
Something real about me is that my house goes from spotless and perfectly picked up to “when was the last time you cleaned?” in just a few hours. And it’s usually me that makes the mess!
I hear ya! This is, of course, right when someone will unexpectedly drop by… :)
Totally!
I don’t make bed except for company. Oh and I got into a brawl with my washer today. The house I’m renting has the drainage system for it Jerry rigged so I have to take the hose down for the spin cycle to get all the water out. Anyways not only did I was our clothes, but I got a shower in too.
I vacuumed the kitchen table today. Shhh, nobody here knows that! I also have five loads of laundry that needs folding, a ring in my tub, a fridge that needs the leftovers cleaned out of it and today I found spices in my drawer that went out of date in 2009!
Lol! I’ve never vacuumed the kitchen table, but it sooo sounds like something I would do!
Vacuuming the kitchen table is perfectly acceptable.
i vacuum the table every time the play doh comes out!
Oh yeah, I forgot to say, I have been hoping you would write a cookbook someday! Glad you have and will definitely buy it!
So excited for this project! I know you are for real. Hmm, here is something real about me. I am consistently inconsistent. Oh, it looks like I have this perfect schedule to cook, clean and teach my kids, but it’s not planned out as well as it is in my head so I’m going with the flow which is not how I want it, but how it is.
You’re supposed to clean behind your fridge???? ;) I am real, really trying to get this whole healthy eating thing together in my home. I cannot wait for your book!
Congratulations! This is so exciting and I’m very proud of you!
I bought a house just over a year ago and regret it because we are moving (thanks Army)…and secretly, I hope we go to Germany or Alaska. But shhhh, my husband doesn’t know that. I also hope we have twins next pregnancy.
Yeay, Laura! You are a great writer! (I didn’t even know you were supposed to clean behind your refrigerator….how’s that for real?)
How exciting! :)
About me…I’m not sure when I last mopped the kitchen.
Me too!
Me three!
Me four!
Real: I let my kids eat M&Ms for their snack yesterday morning. I never, ever sort my laundry before I wash it. My 6 year old can’t tie shoes because I always buy him lace-less shoes. I could go on…
If it makes you feel better…I have 2 boys that can’t their shoes. One is 8 and the other is 5. Thank goodness for lace-less shoes!
I sort- towels in a load, jeans in a load, everything else together on cold!
For Real! I still have boxes all over the place from when we moved. Not much is hung on walls. My room is a disaster zone, because: You guessed it, I still have boxes in there. Now, we have been in this house since June 2012. Sad. Yep.
Hmm.. well, I vacuumed about ten pounds of Himalayan cat hair hair out from under our entertainment center earlier this week. I know a similar fate awaits me under the fridge but I can never seem to remember to ask my husband to help me move it. I accidentally wiped my baby’s face a few days ago with a paper towel that had just been used to wipe food up off the floor (in my defense, there was a clean towel next to it, I just grabbed the wrong one). I also let him put the cat’s tail in his mouth briefly because it was entertaining him and at the time I didn’t care as long as he was quiet for two minutes (neither did the cat, apparently). Love your blog!
ok…wiping the tear out of my eye!! your mama would (IS!) be so proud!! Love you.
auntie karen
Love this! Umm, let’s see… [where to begin?] my stovetop is down right filthy and so is my microwave! My walk-in closet is a disaster. And my bedroom has 4 or 5 baskets of clean laundry setting around for a few months now (goes to show that we have WAY too much clothing, some that we don’t even miss wearing!). Thanks for being real, ladies!
I sometimes feed my 7-month old son his bottles while he’s sitting in his car seat…or even in the cart at the grocery store. He’s too small to completely hold them by himself so I prop one arm on the grocery cart with my hand on his bottle, slouch over a bit and push the cart with the other hand.
We exclusively pumped and bottle fed each of our girls till they were a year old. I have done the one handed shopping cart push. Straightaways are doable, but man how I hated corners. Thankfully, my husband got each girl holding their own bottle by about 9 months old. Gosh, was that a time saver! Hang in there :)
Also, my girls can destroy a room in about 5 minutes, so we only bother doing a complete toy pick up at night when they are in bed.
My closet is a disaster. I can’t seem to get a handle on all the papers including my son’s artwork which seems to pile up faster than the speed of light. That’s my real.
Umm… Where do I start? First of all, I’m excited about this book! Of the many “real” things I could share, one of the biggest is our love-hate relationship with horizontal surfaces. We haven’t actually eaten at our kitchen table in months. There is no horizontal surface where items (mostly paper items) do not accumulate. It would help if we could figure out a place for everything and everything in its place, but between homeschool, a 3 month old, and regular daily tasks, that seems overwhelming. Oh, and we have a 6 yr old and a 3 1/2 yr old. :)
Laura, this is so exciting for you. I’m envious. I will definitely be buying a copy of this book!
Something real about me… and I will deny it if anyone asks. I will let my son and daughter buy a Lunchable occasionally. One stipulation – it has to be on sale ;) On those rare occasions, they think I’m mom of the year.
Piles . . . ev.er.y.where — or so it seems. Mostly paper, or games, or legos, or books, or . . .
Upstairs is usually presentable, with smaller piles — just don’t go downstairs! :) I was having a rough day on Monday. I went downstairs to do laundry, and the piles down there overwhelmed me. I was already crying, so I decided to stay downstairs and have a good cry and get it over with. :) I couldn’t find a place to sit, although we have a double bed, a love seat, and a couch downstairs. I sat in the floor, which only made me cry harder. The piles are still here, but I feel better today. Could have been hormones . . . :) (ya think?!?!) :)
Thanks so much for writing this book, Laura. I cannot WAIT to read it! I am so excited for you — and us! :) You have been such an amazing Godly example to me. And I know you are not perfect — which is part of the reason you are such an encouragement!:) I praise the Lord for the day I found your blog! :)
I love, love your blog! I am so happy to have encouragement in feeding my family whole foods. What a blessing. You have to be amazing to be able to cook, run a home & keep a blog not to mention your new book….just WOW! I’m a born organizer so I love doing laundry & keeping house is a breeze, but I hate to mop! I chose a flooring purposely to hide the fact that I only mop once a month…. maybe. I am currently home schooling 5 children(I have six, ones is married) and that’s where I fall down. I never seem to get to all the great “school” stuff we could do because I’m always trying to keep everything else going…..
I love that you are writing this book! All I hear from Shannen is:
“Laura is so wonderful- she should write a book.”
“Laura is so great- she should write a book.”
“Laura is the best cook- she should”…
I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Glad your house is just as hectic as mine, but love is at the center!
And since we’re getting real here: I just <3 everyone else's posts too! :D Glad I'm not the only one!
Here's my share: I haven't seen my basement (where the laundry room is) to *personally* do the laundry, because, well, isn't that what teenagers do? Poor Harrison, he sees that basement a lot! ;)
Are you suppposed to clean behind your refrigerator? LOL Can’t wait to own and read the book, Laura.
I don’t separate my laundry. It all goes in together. Love the idea of the book! Good luck :-]
Me to!! Never!!!
I hardly ever seperate my laundry, and I feed food to my kids that they dropped on the floor( 5 sec rule, ya know- or is it the 5 min rule?)
Oh I can’t wait to get your book!! Your blog is such an ispiration to me.!!!
I often announce that I’m going to declare Naked Day so that I would for once see the bottom of the laundry baskets!! I’m pretty sure that the laundry is multiplying. For Christmas I asked for the gift of throwing away the basket of mismatched socks. Well, it’s February and it seems that I almost have a new basket of mismatched socks, but it was great while it lasted!
Hilarious Erin!!!
People really don’t see your socks so if they are close why not wear them
My college aged niece never wears matching socks. Never.
Congratulations on the launching of your new book soon!!! Sounds great!
Well, yesterday I decided to rearrange our Master Bedroom. We are in a rental right now and there really was only one other choice. We are only here for about 5 more months, but I just needed something fresh and wow, I couldn’t believe the amount of dust collections I got from under everything. Boy, that felt good to clean out. Next project, trying to go through all our stuff again to see what I can get rid of before moving again.
If I could only keep mail, papers, and magazines from causing clutter I would be much better off. I have to have my bed made, the dishes done, and laundry done all the time. I am not a neat freak but some things I can’t stand. I vacuum and mop every week or every other week at the most. Now dusting….. that is a job I hate. We keep bathrooms cleaned too. My husband never leaves his clothes scattered every where so that is a blessing. However, we do not have children at home either. They have flown the coop. Even our grandkids are all almost grown. We have a little great grand daughter and when she comes it is more of a toy mess. (-:
CONGRATULATIONS on your book!!! You are one busy lady.
Well, this is just so g-darned exciting! I’ve been following your blog for how long now? I can’t even remember! I’ve made many of your awesome recipes and am consistently inspired by your meal plans, even though I can’t seem to get myself as organized as you are (although I have half as many boys as you, so I don’t really have to be). I am so excited for you — what an accomplishment on top of all else you do for your family! Can’t wait to hear more about it! And P.S. We have been known to breed fruit flies in our compost bin that resides under the sink (not on purpose, mind you). So your stream of reeking compost juice is just right up our alley… :)
Love it! I for one, have a very scary closet that I pray someone doesn’t stumble upon. I was gazing at it just this morning wondering how in the world I was going to get to it. It has a stack of (used to be folded nicely) blankets that the boys dig through when the nights are especially cold, clothes that my husband thinks about wearing, then changes his mind (bless his heart..argh) and then leaves on top of the dresser and a bunch of other stuff (that looks vaguely familiar- like it might be my junk…;)) that I should just throw away. I have a mountain of unfolded laundry in our bedroom and do not have my brain together for school for the boys today. Praise the Lord for review work and learning games! ;)
My younger son just came in distressed because one of the bunnies water bowls is missing (how does that even happen in an enclosed cage?? We have fundraiser stuff for 4H all over the house and wood bark and wood debris strewn throughout the house as wood is hauled in then carried to the fireplace and woodstove.
Yet, through all of our chaos, it is home and it is cozy and we are happy! We almost always have hot coffee on, some baked good ready to munch on (though the kitchen looks like it almost always) and I have 3 wonderful men (2 little ones and 1 big one) who make me feel like a queen! We are so blessed!! being real is the only way to be!
thanks for embracing that, Laura, and for letting other women know that it’s o.k. to be human. :)
By the way, the missing bunny bowl was just found!
Kelly, you have blessed me with your words! I would enjoy your company and “clutter”. A clutter mom is the best friend to have :->
We are trying to sell our house and I had to take pictures of each room. I very strategically took the pictures at the perfect angle that all the clutter and mess never made it into any of the pictures. That’s talent I say!
Love it! I did that too when we were selling our house. :)
As for me, I have been battling a migraine for the last 3 days, on top of a sinus infection and dizziness. So, my house can wait. My kids are pretty much eating what they can find (last nights Subway sandwiches – soggy and all). That’s all for now, back to bed with my sunglasses on and the heating pad wrapped on my head. (and it’s 1pm here, and my kids and myself are in our pajamas- good thing it is school vacation week).
Susan
And I happened to see your post, since I love your website so much, you are my homepage. But I was logging on to google the phone number to the oral surgeon I am supposed to see tomorrow, about having my tooth pulled. As if I am doing that – with all this head pain already. (if my household binder or telephone book was in order, wouldn’t need to Google them).
Maybe my saying isn’t working so well for me (why do today, when we can put it off to tomorrow). Have to come up with something that will keep me moving forward. Thanks Laura for all your hard work, waiting on book.
I cannot wait for this new book! I’m so excited I’m going to make it a goal to actually read it!i haven’t had the pleasure of reading a book cover to cover in over 3 years. You inspire me; and many others I’m sure. Thank you and God bless!
It took me 7 years to get the kids to clean the outside windows, I washed the fridge for the first time in over a year, (the top part didn’t get done), the second fridge hasn’t been cleaned in years (where the eggs, pickles and other sundry are stored), my kitchen cupboards and pantry are full of dust and crumbs. Yikes, I don’t think I should post this. What guilt I will have to live with now!!!! Thank you all for the wonderful, truthful and inspiring posts. Thank you Lord, that you don’t look at our dust and crumbs :-)
Sounds like a great book! Can’t even count the number of printed recipes from yours that I’m collecting on top of my microwave. I’ve made a bunch, just haven’t filed them yet!
For real for us…5 kids, all sick. The 11 yr old to the 5 month old. Day 8, we have bronchitis, 5 infected ears, 3 with pink eye, lots of coughing and crying. The good and merciful Lord is holding me tight. I do usually care about managing lots, but right now we are barely functioning. My sweet hubby took yesterday off, but is leaving soon. So, for now I walk by faith and not by sight. No sickness in heaven is a bit sweeter to the ear this week. :)
Dearest Annie, my thoughts are with you! We had a horrible case of pink eye that went round and round and round. We were using a useless antibiotic; then I had the brilliant idea to call the eye doctor. He prescribed a drop they use for catarac surgery. We kept our hands spotless, no sharing of hugs, cloths, hand shakes and the pink eye went away in days.
Congratulations on the book!!! Being real, I haven’t cleaned in gawd knows how long and that includes my dog who has been looking at me with a pitiful please wash me look on her face. :O) Thank you ladies, it was great to know we’re all human.
I can’t wait for your book to come out! I’ve only been reading your blog for a couple of months, but I love so much of what you’re saying. I even ordered the Organic Whole Cane Sugar from Amazon that you were advertising. Thank you!!
I don’t have to go far to be real about my house: my bedroom is coated in dust (and the kids outgrown clothes, my son’s nursery curtains that came down last fall – he’s almost 10 – including the curtain rod. In 12 years, we’ve moved the fridge once. It’s the only way to remove the drawers. Something recently spilled under the bottom fruit drawer & will probably stay there for quite a while. I mop once a month but always sort my laundry!!
Thanks for being real everyone. It helps us all to know that we’re not alone.
I’m pretty sure you just described my bedroom perfectly… from the dust to the outgrown children’s clotes. And more.
Congratulations, Laura!! I so need this book. I need to figure out when to do what and how to keep the real cooking for more than just a couple of meals. It seems like we never have real snacks or breakfasts or lunches at the ready so we have to reach for the quick thing. I can’t wait!!
I cleaned my oven yesterday for the first time…EVER! we have had it 8 years. I only did it because it was smoking.
LOl! My oven is 4 years old. I tried to clean it once without chemical cleaners, and it didn’t work very well. It smokes once in a while, but I just turn up my ceiling fan, throw open the kitchen window, and let it burn off. Works for me. :)
I love to organize but hate to clean. I would rather bake muffins than clean the toilet. I have a family of dust bunnies under each piece of furniture. Oh, well.
I gave up sorting laundry a long time ago. Mostly I just toss everything in and wash it in cold water, unless I’ve got some nasty stains to deal with. And I think our iron has been used perhaps once a year on average….
My windows are full of cat’s noseprints, and the poor cat died almost a year ago.
Laura, I am so thrilled for you! This post brought a smile to my face, for real.
Something real about me…my baby is crawling on a kitchen floor that is not mopped regularly. She loves to pull towels out of the bottom drawer and rub them on the floor, and I am seriously considering spraying some natural, safe cleaner on them so the floor will get kinda clean. The cat vomited in the living room yesterday and the dog cleaned it up before we did. (I know, gross.) Our office is a shambles – piles, dust, and more piles, including on the piano, which is a shame. The nursery is cluttered and I can’t exactly make our 9 month old clean up her room, so we have to figure out how to organize and store everything better.
Real enough? ;-)
I just love your website. I have been busy trying all of the recipes to see which ones the family will eat. My goal is to get back to the simple life. Do you happen to have a pattern for reusable shopping bags? The ones I bought are all falling apart.
Is this an actual book, or e-book? I am really hoping it’s an actual book. I have been trying some of your recipes and LOVE them!
We will offer a downloadable option for those who want it, but it will be in actual book form, because we really feel that it is best to hold this one in your hands and to be able to reference it quickly in the kitchen! :)
Laura, I know your busy but maybe a future project could be a menu planning service. I have subscribed to various ones over the years. They are either to ridiculous in what they suggest for meals or they suggest things like spaghetti for dinner. I don’t want to ferment things and I don’t want to pay someone to suggest I feed my family chili dogs. True story on both accounts. Just something to ponder I guess.
How wonderful to be launching a book! Congrats, Laura! Something real about me….hmmm. I struggle daily with keeping a clean and neat house. I’m not sure I’ll ever win that battle, but I try. : )
Congratulations! I will be one of the first in line for your book! Something real….last night my son and I enjoyed a bowl of popcorn (it was organic with coconut oil, have to celebrate your wins) for dinner and didn’t feel any guilt….well maybe a little, but the smile on my son’s face erased it all:)
Something real about me: I have not cleaned my children’s rooms in about 6 months, you can barley walk in my sons room. I know he should be able to clean his own room (he will be 8 in a month). I want to get rid of all the clutter but hate the fight I have to put up with when I try. Congrats on your new book.
Congratulations Laura! I’ve been reading here for about 4 years, I think, but I’m sure I’ve missed a post or two. :) Can’t wait for the book!
For real, I have a 2 year old who is a real piece of work (what 2 year old isn’t?). Of course I can no longer keep anything on the shelves of his changing table, after numerous bouts of diapers and wipes strewn about the room in my absence. So the other day I heard strange sounds coming from his room, and I called from the kitchen, “What’s going on in there”? My 5 year old son replied, “Baby Aiden got on his changing table and got all dirty”. It turns out empty shelves are also attractive to 2 year olds. Sure enough, he had climbed onto the middle shelf (under the top changing agrea), way back against the wall. As I dragged him out, laughing and giggling the whole way, I could see that the black pants I had just dressed him in were coated with an assortment of dust bunnies and cat hair. I briefly tried to brush him off. Then I changed his pants. I still need to clean the shelves on the changing table. :)
Oh thank you all for being soooo real. You have NO idea how much better you have made me feel. My house gets cleaned every day/week! But with a 5 and 3 year old and 2 puppies (WHAT were we thinking???) it just won’t stay clean! I’m trying sooo hard to cook real food but sometimes pizza or convenience food wins. I feel better now that that is off my chest. ha!
If you’re cleaning every day/week, you’re doing better than most moms, I think. Be encouraged! :) My standards for cleanliness in the home have come down… waaaaay down, since I had children!
I sometimes put my cookie sheets away without cleaning them. I mean, I’m going to use them again tomorrow, right? ;)
Me too! Glad I can finally admit that to someone. ;)
Love the book cover! Looking forward to adding this to my cookbook collection.
Sometimes I let my kiddos eat cereal–boxed, no less!–for supper when Hubby is out of town!
I too, like Debbie, sometimes let my kids eat cereal for supper. It’s usually honey nut cheerios, if that counts for anything!
Looking forward to reading the book.
My kids love “breakfast for dinner” night — and sometimes it IS cereal! It’s so freeing as a mom — no messy pans to clean!
Laura is this going to be an ebook or hard copy?? Can I print it I dont have a kindle or any thing like that so would have to print it
Thanks
We will be offering them for download, but we are in the process of getting them printed because we feel this book is best to have a hard copy!
I am so glad this is going to be a hard copy. I LOVE having REAL books! :)
We had a snow day yesterday and today….and we are all all still wearing the pajamas we woke up in yesterday morning. We were comfy and warm, and with 7 people in the house, it’s one less load of laundry!
I love reading and laughing along with your blog posts and recipes and feel somewhat connected knowing my Nephew and Niece-in-law worshiped with you and your family when they were attending college in your neck of the woods. I’m so looking forward to your book and hope to pass along some copies to some of my family. I’m trying to cook healthier for my family especially since my bariatric surgery in 2009. I do use Splenda but I’m also using the less refined sugars and honey. – My confession is that we moved into our rental almost 2 years ago and we still have things in boxes- including some boxes that are sitting in the hall by the linen closet. With our busy schedule, an almost 5-yr old, 9yr old and two married, adult children with a recent grandbaby we just don’t have enough time to get everything done. After-all, what’s more important? Making a quilt for granddaughter and now- expecting Nephew and Niece? or unpacking boxes?!