Part 3 of my series on stewardship:
What stewardships do our children have? They are responsible for intangible things such as:
Time, Talents, Testimony, Relationships, Service, Education, Life Mission...
and physical things like:
Money, Possessions, Bodies, etc.
Brigham Young said, “Temporal and spiritual things are inseparably connected, and ever will be.” Hence it follows that we must learn to take care of our temporal things here on earth in order to fulfill our stewardships and for our spiritual well-being.
How do we teach stewardship to children?
First we must acknowledge that God has given us everything. We do not own anything. We must know that the Lord is the author of this principle and have the faith to follow it. We need to study the scriptures and to learn about effective stewardships in the Lord’s way.
One thing that the Lord encourages us to do is to have a plan. In Luke 14:28, it says, “ For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”
We should prayerfully write down specific things that we must teach our children before they leave our home.
Joseph Smith said, “I teach correct principles and they govern themselves” What does that really mean? Teach them faith, repentance and listening to the Holy Ghost. Teach them love, service, and work. It doesn’t mean that you teach them something just once or tell it to them a couple of times and then let them run with it. On the flip side, it also doesn’t mean that you are a “helicopter” parent, hovering over them - making sure they choose the right. The principle of stewardship teaches us that we must allow our children agency. We hold them accountable, and we allow them to fail as the case may be. We should be very careful with bailing kids out.
How do we teach correct principles? The best way is through our own example. D&C 88:119 Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God” If we want our children to keep their stewardships, we must follow through on ours. We must live the principles of the gospel. The good news is that the Lord understands that we cannot perfectly fufill our stewardships here on earth, he only expects us to try our best. We need to keep that in mind with our children as well!
Heavenly father’s plan, of course, was perfect. The family is central to the creator’s plan, and for many good reasons. The home is a perfect training ground for teaching obedience. We are here on earth to learn to obey our Father’s will. In the home, children learn to obey their parents as a precursor obeying heavenly Father’s will. We should expect our children to obey, but allow our children to disagree appropriately. Obviously there is a difference between obeying prophets/gospel and obeying mom and dad. Children may disagree with their parents, and their parents may decide to change their request; whereas if we may choose to disagree with the prophet’s counsel but the prophet will not change God’s word. Children have agency to choose whether to obey, they also have agency to choose the attitude with which they obey.
As we are teaching children, we must set our best example of gospel living. We make our children aware of their stewardships; we can even assign stewardships as we feel prompted to do so. A steward's job is to help those under their stewardship to fulfill their stewardships in any way that they can. Russell M. Nelson said, “Every parent could say “I want you to know that I love you and want to help you in any way that I can.”" We must hold our children accountable, they should learn to “return and report.” The priesthood manual emphasizes that when we are holding our children accountable, we should evaluate their performance, offer help and encouragement, express appreciation and sincere praise for efforts made, and express love. We should never criticize or shame them. We may help them with accomplishments as it says in D&C 121:41-42 “only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile."
A parent-steward is a teacher, a good example, a facilitator, a guide, a mentor.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
"A's" of Stewardship
Part 2 of my series on stewardship:
Russell M. Nelson gave a talk entitled the five “A’s” of Stewardship in an April 1972 ensign article. And the Priesthood manual, lesson 22 has some great tips on teaching stewardship. I've combined these two resources to make a longer list of "A's":
1. Acknowledge - that God lives and provides all, nothing belongs to us
2. Author - The Lord is the author of this principle
3. Assign or Aware - Stewardship assignments may be made by those with stewardship over us, or we need awareness of what our stewardships are.
4. Agency - We all have our agency as to how we take care of our stewardships
5. Accomplishment - of an effective stewardship is through our study of scriptures, and making a plan is important as well. We work towards accomplishing our goals with help from our steward.
6. Accountability - Our steward holds us accountable. We are responsible to return and report.
7. Approbation - reward for faithful stewardship.
The principle of stewardship is a true principle and pattern. It is one that should be used in our daily lives.
Russell M. Nelson gave a talk entitled the five “A’s” of Stewardship in an April 1972 ensign article. And the Priesthood manual, lesson 22 has some great tips on teaching stewardship. I've combined these two resources to make a longer list of "A's":
1. Acknowledge - that God lives and provides all, nothing belongs to us
2. Author - The Lord is the author of this principle
3. Assign or Aware - Stewardship assignments may be made by those with stewardship over us, or we need awareness of what our stewardships are.
4. Agency - We all have our agency as to how we take care of our stewardships
5. Accomplishment - of an effective stewardship is through our study of scriptures, and making a plan is important as well. We work towards accomplishing our goals with help from our steward.
6. Accountability - Our steward holds us accountable. We are responsible to return and report.
7. Approbation - reward for faithful stewardship.
The principle of stewardship is a true principle and pattern. It is one that should be used in our daily lives.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Stewardship
I'm going to be speaking on the topic, "Teaching Children Stewardship" in a mini-conference on "Building a Zion Education." I'll be posting portions of this talk in a series of posts.
As members of the LDS church, one of our responsibilities is to actively be building up Zion. One of the 6 principles of building Zion is stewardship. A stewardship is a sacred spiritual or temporal trust for which there is accountability.
In the article, “Becoming a Zion Society: Six Principles” by R. Quinn Gardner in the Feb 1979 Ensign, it says:
“The assignment of stewardship is usually thought of as growing out of the formal law of consecration. (Since the law of consecration is founded on the truth that all things belong to the Lord, under it we consecrate to the Lord all that we have. The Lord thereafter appoints each man as a steward over a portion of property sufficient for himself and his family. Each steward is accountable to the Lord for how he manages his stewardship. [See D&C 42.]) But the principle of stewardship also applies under our presently binding covenants of baptism and consecration.”
We’ve all heard this before, but often we may forget that we are to be living the principle of stewardship now. And we must teach our children this principle as well. It is not just something that we use in our church callings.
Luckily, teaching your children stewardship is not another thing to add to your to-do list, you are probably already trying to teach your children these things. However, I’ve found it very helpful to change my perspective in child-training to a “stewardship” perspective - not only that my children are my stewardship but they each have stewardship responsibilities as well. If I feel frustrated that I'm putting one kid in a time out all morning long and I am not getting anything done, it helps to have the perspective that I am teaching this child stewardship of self, the morning is not wasted.
D&C 93:40 says “But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.” and then Frederick G. Williams is chastised in verse 42 - 43. “You have not taught your children light and truth, according to the commandments; and that wicked one hath power, as yet, over you, and this is the cause of your affliction.” Not teaching our children truth is a cause of our affliction! Verse 43 says “And now a commandment I give unto you—if you will be delivered you shall set in order your own house, for there are many things that are not right in your house.” Frederick Williams needs to take his stewardships seriously, and so do we!
We know that we don’t own anything, and that everything we do have has been given to us by the Lord. He has entrusted us with our bodies, minds, time, talents, families and properties. These things are our under our stewardship. We will be accountable to the Lord as to how we have managed our stewardship.
A faithful steward is one who exercises righteous dominion, cares for his own and looks to the poor and needy. Practicing the principle of stewardship is a means for us to improve ourselves and serve others.
As members of the LDS church, one of our responsibilities is to actively be building up Zion. One of the 6 principles of building Zion is stewardship. A stewardship is a sacred spiritual or temporal trust for which there is accountability.
In the article, “Becoming a Zion Society: Six Principles” by R. Quinn Gardner in the Feb 1979 Ensign, it says:
“The assignment of stewardship is usually thought of as growing out of the formal law of consecration. (Since the law of consecration is founded on the truth that all things belong to the Lord, under it we consecrate to the Lord all that we have. The Lord thereafter appoints each man as a steward over a portion of property sufficient for himself and his family. Each steward is accountable to the Lord for how he manages his stewardship. [See D&C 42.]) But the principle of stewardship also applies under our presently binding covenants of baptism and consecration.”
We’ve all heard this before, but often we may forget that we are to be living the principle of stewardship now. And we must teach our children this principle as well. It is not just something that we use in our church callings.
Luckily, teaching your children stewardship is not another thing to add to your to-do list, you are probably already trying to teach your children these things. However, I’ve found it very helpful to change my perspective in child-training to a “stewardship” perspective - not only that my children are my stewardship but they each have stewardship responsibilities as well. If I feel frustrated that I'm putting one kid in a time out all morning long and I am not getting anything done, it helps to have the perspective that I am teaching this child stewardship of self, the morning is not wasted.
D&C 93:40 says “But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth.” and then Frederick G. Williams is chastised in verse 42 - 43. “You have not taught your children light and truth, according to the commandments; and that wicked one hath power, as yet, over you, and this is the cause of your affliction.” Not teaching our children truth is a cause of our affliction! Verse 43 says “And now a commandment I give unto you—if you will be delivered you shall set in order your own house, for there are many things that are not right in your house.” Frederick Williams needs to take his stewardships seriously, and so do we!
We know that we don’t own anything, and that everything we do have has been given to us by the Lord. He has entrusted us with our bodies, minds, time, talents, families and properties. These things are our under our stewardship. We will be accountable to the Lord as to how we have managed our stewardship.
A faithful steward is one who exercises righteous dominion, cares for his own and looks to the poor and needy. Practicing the principle of stewardship is a means for us to improve ourselves and serve others.
Monday, January 23, 2012
How to Hate Homeschooling
Do every subject every day
Copy public school, complete with bells ringing to switch subjects
Force your children to sit still and listen while you read
No doodling allowed
Use lots of workbooks, especially those that require a lot of writing in complete sentences
Only use textbooks
Never read stories
Sit in desks and make your kids raise their hands to talk
Memorize pointless facts
Take lots of tests on those pointless facts
Worry a lot that you are messing up your kids
Never have any idea what you are going to study
Make your boys write creative stories
Ignore your children’s ideas
Spend most of your time keeping the house immaculate
Boycott homeschool co-ops and other homeschoolers cuz they're weird
Copy public school, complete with bells ringing to switch subjects
Force your children to sit still and listen while you read
No doodling allowed
Use lots of workbooks, especially those that require a lot of writing in complete sentences
Only use textbooks
Never read stories
Sit in desks and make your kids raise their hands to talk
Memorize pointless facts
Take lots of tests on those pointless facts
Worry a lot that you are messing up your kids
Never have any idea what you are going to study
Make your boys write creative stories
Ignore your children’s ideas
Spend most of your time keeping the house immaculate
Boycott homeschool co-ops and other homeschoolers cuz they're weird
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Wouldn't it be fun?
At dinner, Snickerdoodle ran up to me and randomly said "Hey Mom, wouldn't it be fun if you had another baby in your tummy?" He looked up expectantly at me with a cute little grin until I said, "Oh yeah, that would be fun, huh!" (I think he would find it more fun than I would...)
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Greena Coladas
I decided to try and do green smoothies more this year. They're so easy, delicious and the kids love them. Usually I toss in spinach or kale, berries, kefir, water, banana, 1/4 whole lemon and that is tasty. But today Oatmeal begged for a green smoothie that was actually green (10 year old boys like stuff like that), so we made greena coladas today:
In the blend tec blender put:
1 whole orange
1/3 c. coconut powder (or coconut; won't be as smooth)
1 banana
1/2 to 3/4C fresh pineapple
2-3 c spinach
1/2-1 c. shredded zucchini (Threw it in because I have lots of frozen zucchini)
2-3 c. water
1-2 C. kefir (optional of course)
a TBS or 2 of Agave, to taste if you add the kefir
Measurements are approximate, just be sure not to overfill the blender!
Blend. Makes a pleasing green color with a delicious taste.
In the blend tec blender put:
1 whole orange
1/3 c. coconut powder (or coconut; won't be as smooth)
1 banana
1/2 to 3/4C fresh pineapple
2-3 c spinach
1/2-1 c. shredded zucchini (Threw it in because I have lots of frozen zucchini)
2-3 c. water
1-2 C. kefir (optional of course)
a TBS or 2 of Agave, to taste if you add the kefir
Measurements are approximate, just be sure not to overfill the blender!
Blend. Makes a pleasing green color with a delicious taste.
You may have noticed...
That there are still no pictures on this blog. And why is that, you ask?
I really hate charging things. My phone is almost never charged. And neither is my mp3 player or camera. I don’t have a good place to plug them in. So I figured for a New Year’s resolution, I’d actually set up a charging station! I got lucky because I walked into Savers and found a $30 charging station for $5.
After two weeks of the charging station sitting on the floor, I finally put it on a shelf. And noticed that someone had stepped on it and cracked the wood. Good thing I only paid $5 for it. Then I noticed that although it has four spots for holding electronics, it only has two plugs.
A week later, I bought a power strip. I hooked up the phone and plugged it in. Finally my phone has a place to charge! Next, I got my mp3 player and camera and discovered that they both have USB chargers so they can only charge while plugged into my laptop. I consider purchasing wall plug adaptors, but I didn’t get around to it yet. I plugged in the tablet I got for Christmas.
The next day, I took out the tablet and discovered that it wasn’t charged. I checked all the plugs and try it again. Either the tablet won’t hold a charge or the charger is bad. I found the maker online, but unfortunately I can’t read or speak Korean.
This afternoon, I discover that the second USB port on my laptop is broken, so now I don’t have a USB port at all. Should’ve backed it up last week when I was thinking about it. And I had called Costco to get the first USB port the first week of December, but they found no record of my purchasing it. So I called again, and guess what? They found my purchase records but my warranty ran out on December 9th. Unfortunately, they told me they couldn't do anything because I didn't call before the warranty ran out. But I actually did!
This New Year’s resolution should NOT have been this difficult! I will get it to work though. And then when I finally get my camera charged, I’ll be sure to take a picture.
This does give me a good reminder that while I don't like charging things, I do like being in charge and yet I am really not in charge of my life. It's a good thing that Heavenly Father is in charge as he is omniscient. And when I follow Him, my crazy life is so much more smooth.
I really hate charging things. My phone is almost never charged. And neither is my mp3 player or camera. I don’t have a good place to plug them in. So I figured for a New Year’s resolution, I’d actually set up a charging station! I got lucky because I walked into Savers and found a $30 charging station for $5.
After two weeks of the charging station sitting on the floor, I finally put it on a shelf. And noticed that someone had stepped on it and cracked the wood. Good thing I only paid $5 for it. Then I noticed that although it has four spots for holding electronics, it only has two plugs.
A week later, I bought a power strip. I hooked up the phone and plugged it in. Finally my phone has a place to charge! Next, I got my mp3 player and camera and discovered that they both have USB chargers so they can only charge while plugged into my laptop. I consider purchasing wall plug adaptors, but I didn’t get around to it yet. I plugged in the tablet I got for Christmas.
The next day, I took out the tablet and discovered that it wasn’t charged. I checked all the plugs and try it again. Either the tablet won’t hold a charge or the charger is bad. I found the maker online, but unfortunately I can’t read or speak Korean.
This afternoon, I discover that the second USB port on my laptop is broken, so now I don’t have a USB port at all. Should’ve backed it up last week when I was thinking about it. And I had called Costco to get the first USB port the first week of December, but they found no record of my purchasing it. So I called again, and guess what? They found my purchase records but my warranty ran out on December 9th. Unfortunately, they told me they couldn't do anything because I didn't call before the warranty ran out. But I actually did!
This New Year’s resolution should NOT have been this difficult! I will get it to work though. And then when I finally get my camera charged, I’ll be sure to take a picture.
This does give me a good reminder that while I don't like charging things, I do like being in charge and yet I am really not in charge of my life. It's a good thing that Heavenly Father is in charge as he is omniscient. And when I follow Him, my crazy life is so much more smooth.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Homeschool musings
I really didn't want to homeschool. When my oldest son was 4 and kindergarten was coming up, I kept feeling like I should homeschool him. But I thought that was such a dumb idea. How could someone as unorganized as me and has so little experience with education homeschool their child? Not to mention everyone thinks homeschoolers are just weird and mostly unsocialized. So I sent him off to kindergarten. I figured I could just volunteer and be really involved in his education.
I volunteered in the classroom weekly. Most of the time I wasn't helping my own son. I got really good at cutting out stuff. I discovered that this wasn't rocket science. I was fairly intelligent, surely I could do this at home. So I took the leap of faith and started homeschooling my oldest son at the age of 6 for first grade.
We both hated it. Many times we were both literally in tears over Saxon math. And writing? Sheer misery. We had to get through all these topics or else he was going to get behind! And we never could slog through the required stuff to get to the fun part of reading aloud!
Luckily, I made a switch. I decided to do the fun stuff first. We STARTED the day with a read aloud book. And then I stopped making him do all the school work he hated to do. We found other ways to learn that he liked better. I stopped worrying about making him write three sentences to describe a pencil (which truthfully is incredibly borrrrring.)
I realized I'd been copying public school for lack of a better method. That simply doesn't work in homeschool, it's the fast road to burnout. My job is to help my children learn to love learning, and then they will learn anything they need to. I don’t have to kill myself trying to teach everything. But what about knowledge gaps? It’s not a problem, it happens in public school too (how did I graduate and not know hardly anything about history?) My other main job is to inspire them to become life-long learners, as learning opens the door to opportunities and fulfilling their purpose in life. Since I figured this out, I have not experienced burnout.
Fast forward 12 years. We stuck with homeschooling, and we almost always enjoy it. The oldest son has turned out just fine, even with the rough start and my imperfections in my example over the years. He's got an excellent character, he loves learning and is a disciplined self-studier. He performs in musicals and competes in mock trial and speech & debate tournaments for fun. He’s not strange (although I must admit he does enjoy mock sword fighting) and he can thrive in any social situation. The rest of the kids are going to be fine too!
I volunteered in the classroom weekly. Most of the time I wasn't helping my own son. I got really good at cutting out stuff. I discovered that this wasn't rocket science. I was fairly intelligent, surely I could do this at home. So I took the leap of faith and started homeschooling my oldest son at the age of 6 for first grade.
We both hated it. Many times we were both literally in tears over Saxon math. And writing? Sheer misery. We had to get through all these topics or else he was going to get behind! And we never could slog through the required stuff to get to the fun part of reading aloud!
Luckily, I made a switch. I decided to do the fun stuff first. We STARTED the day with a read aloud book. And then I stopped making him do all the school work he hated to do. We found other ways to learn that he liked better. I stopped worrying about making him write three sentences to describe a pencil (which truthfully is incredibly borrrrring.)
I realized I'd been copying public school for lack of a better method. That simply doesn't work in homeschool, it's the fast road to burnout. My job is to help my children learn to love learning, and then they will learn anything they need to. I don’t have to kill myself trying to teach everything. But what about knowledge gaps? It’s not a problem, it happens in public school too (how did I graduate and not know hardly anything about history?) My other main job is to inspire them to become life-long learners, as learning opens the door to opportunities and fulfilling their purpose in life. Since I figured this out, I have not experienced burnout.
Fast forward 12 years. We stuck with homeschooling, and we almost always enjoy it. The oldest son has turned out just fine, even with the rough start and my imperfections in my example over the years. He's got an excellent character, he loves learning and is a disciplined self-studier. He performs in musicals and competes in mock trial and speech & debate tournaments for fun. He’s not strange (although I must admit he does enjoy mock sword fighting) and he can thrive in any social situation. The rest of the kids are going to be fine too!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Sometimes it's all about what you're not gonna do
3 year olds are waaaay too much fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snickerdoodle: Mom, I reawwy want my stick.
Mom: What are you going to do with your stick?
Snickerdoodle: (Pauses to think) I'm not gonna mack (smack) people with it.
(He got his stick.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This morning I just about tripped over a laundry basket turtle in the middle of the doorway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today I was peeling an orange and was informed by Snickerdoodle that I have big baby hands. I'm not really sure what that means.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snickerdoodle: Mom, I reawwy want my stick.
Mom: What are you going to do with your stick?
Snickerdoodle: (Pauses to think) I'm not gonna mack (smack) people with it.
(He got his stick.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This morning I just about tripped over a laundry basket turtle in the middle of the doorway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today I was peeling an orange and was informed by Snickerdoodle that I have big baby hands. I'm not really sure what that means.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
I have culture
I thought I'd write about a strange thing: Kefir. Kefir is like a drinkable yogurt that seems so very "granola-ish" or hippie-health-foody. I don't really think I qualify as either, but I think it's really fascinating stuff!
A friend gave me some milk kefir and water kefir grains a few months back. Basically you put the grains in a glass jar, add milk or water & sugar and let it sit on the counter for a day or so to culture, or ferment. Then you strain the milk or water so that you have the finished product and the grains to start a new batch (grains can live indefinitely to produce more kefir if you don't kill them.) Sounds kind of creepy in our world of refrigeration, but yogurt is essentially the same process and we don't think that is weird. I have to admit that I didn't culture any kefir during the busy month of December, but I put in the fridge and when I tried again, it still works fine!
Making kefir is waaaay easier than yogurt, and it's really good for you. It's a good probiotic (it has different strains of bacteria than yogurt does) and it's said that it's great for your immune system so you should drink it every day.
Some interesting things I've learned about kefir and kefir making:
Detailed directions - www.culturesforhealth.com has great directions and tips (I got many of these things I've learned at that site.)
Free Kefir- all you have to do is find someone who makes kefir and ask for a starter. Kefir grains multiply, so kefir makers are always happy to share.
Ratios - You need 1 TBS grains for 1 quart of liquid. If making water kefir, you need 1/4 c sugar to 1 qt liquid. You can remove extra grains.
Preventing Death - You can kill kefir grains if you don't feed them. They feed on sugar. You can take a break from making kefir by putting in grains in with the liquid (& sugar, if water kefir) and putting them in the fridge for several weeks. Also, don't let kefir ferment on the counter for much more than 48 hours, the grains will starve, plus the kefir will be gross.
Dehydration - You can save grains for future use or "just in case" by rinsing them off and then putting them on parchment paper and letting them dry out for several days. Then store in a cool dry place for 6 months (or longer)
Permanent Markers - You know how annoying it is when you write on something with a permanent marker and it isn't really? Well, you can use that to your benefit. Use a permanent marker to write contents and date on a glass jar and then it's easy to clean it off later.
Separation - If your milk separates and it looks like curds and whey, you've over-cultured it. (Oops, been there - done that a few times...) You can still drink it, but milk kefir is done when the milk has gotten thick.
Separation, again - If you're culturing more than one product, you have to keep them separated by several feet or else they could cross-contaminate.
Metal - Don't touch the kefir with metal. I don't know why. However, I've read that if you do touch it with stainless steel, it should be ok.
Straining - You can strain it with cotton muslin or a plastic strainer, but I find it easy to use the plastic sprouting lids that just screw onto the jar. Fine mesh for water kefir and wide mesh for milk kefir works well.
Tipsy - Kefir can have a small alcohol content (less than 1%). But watch out because if you culture you too long, the alcohol content increases.
Sweet!- You can make water kefir with almost any sweetener. You can use white sugar, organic cane juice, sucanat/rapadura, or agave. You can't use honey, though. Honey has antibacterial properties, so it fights against the kefir grains and will kill them.
Swimming around - Don't use tap water, chlorine isn't so good for kefir.
Hard rock - Water kefir grains need minerals to grow. Filtered water may have the minerals filtered out, so you may need to add minerals unless the sugar has minerals in it (like sucanat or rapadura.) You can add 1/4 egg shell, a few drops of concentrace or a small pinch of RealSalt (unrefined with the minerals still in it.)
Soda Pop - water kefir is a bit effervescent and can be flavored as a healthy pop alternative. Just strain the water kefir after 24 hours, then add flavoring such as 1/2 TBS vanilla for cream soda. Then let it sit for another 24 hrs on the counter or 24-48 hrs in the fridge. Tighten the lid for more fizz.
A friend gave me some milk kefir and water kefir grains a few months back. Basically you put the grains in a glass jar, add milk or water & sugar and let it sit on the counter for a day or so to culture, or ferment. Then you strain the milk or water so that you have the finished product and the grains to start a new batch (grains can live indefinitely to produce more kefir if you don't kill them.) Sounds kind of creepy in our world of refrigeration, but yogurt is essentially the same process and we don't think that is weird. I have to admit that I didn't culture any kefir during the busy month of December, but I put in the fridge and when I tried again, it still works fine!
Making kefir is waaaay easier than yogurt, and it's really good for you. It's a good probiotic (it has different strains of bacteria than yogurt does) and it's said that it's great for your immune system so you should drink it every day.
Some interesting things I've learned about kefir and kefir making:
Detailed directions - www.culturesforhealth.com has great directions and tips (I got many of these things I've learned at that site.)
Free Kefir- all you have to do is find someone who makes kefir and ask for a starter. Kefir grains multiply, so kefir makers are always happy to share.
Ratios - You need 1 TBS grains for 1 quart of liquid. If making water kefir, you need 1/4 c sugar to 1 qt liquid. You can remove extra grains.
Preventing Death - You can kill kefir grains if you don't feed them. They feed on sugar. You can take a break from making kefir by putting in grains in with the liquid (& sugar, if water kefir) and putting them in the fridge for several weeks. Also, don't let kefir ferment on the counter for much more than 48 hours, the grains will starve, plus the kefir will be gross.
Dehydration - You can save grains for future use or "just in case" by rinsing them off and then putting them on parchment paper and letting them dry out for several days. Then store in a cool dry place for 6 months (or longer)
Permanent Markers - You know how annoying it is when you write on something with a permanent marker and it isn't really? Well, you can use that to your benefit. Use a permanent marker to write contents and date on a glass jar and then it's easy to clean it off later.
Separation - If your milk separates and it looks like curds and whey, you've over-cultured it. (Oops, been there - done that a few times...) You can still drink it, but milk kefir is done when the milk has gotten thick.
Separation, again - If you're culturing more than one product, you have to keep them separated by several feet or else they could cross-contaminate.
Metal - Don't touch the kefir with metal. I don't know why. However, I've read that if you do touch it with stainless steel, it should be ok.
Straining - You can strain it with cotton muslin or a plastic strainer, but I find it easy to use the plastic sprouting lids that just screw onto the jar. Fine mesh for water kefir and wide mesh for milk kefir works well.
Tipsy - Kefir can have a small alcohol content (less than 1%). But watch out because if you culture you too long, the alcohol content increases.
Sweet!- You can make water kefir with almost any sweetener. You can use white sugar, organic cane juice, sucanat/rapadura, or agave. You can't use honey, though. Honey has antibacterial properties, so it fights against the kefir grains and will kill them.
Swimming around - Don't use tap water, chlorine isn't so good for kefir.
Hard rock - Water kefir grains need minerals to grow. Filtered water may have the minerals filtered out, so you may need to add minerals unless the sugar has minerals in it (like sucanat or rapadura.) You can add 1/4 egg shell, a few drops of concentrace or a small pinch of RealSalt (unrefined with the minerals still in it.)
Soda Pop - water kefir is a bit effervescent and can be flavored as a healthy pop alternative. Just strain the water kefir after 24 hours, then add flavoring such as 1/2 TBS vanilla for cream soda. Then let it sit for another 24 hrs on the counter or 24-48 hrs in the fridge. Tighten the lid for more fizz.
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