Kathleen | Roots & Boots, Author at Roots & Boots

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

While I am not an “animal person” (something I recently came to terms with, after growing up on a small farm), I have always been a “nature person.” As an adult, I’ve come to value the many opportunities my childhood afforded me to become personally acquainted with God’s creation. As a parent, I greatly desire…

Chunky Monkey: a frozen, sugar-free treat

This is one of Mr. Native Texan’s favorites, but we all love it here at the Yankee Homestead. We relied heavily on this recipe at the beginning of our Strange New Journey. Sometimes we’re too impatient to chill (ha!), but the chilling really does make a big difference. The ingredients and amounts are suggestions; we…

Favorite Halloween Picture Books

As I mentioned in this post about local Halloween events , we don’t make a big deal about Halloween here at the Yankee Homestead. When the kids get a bit older I’d like to explore the holiday’s history, but for now we just carve pumpkins in October and dress up on Halloween night.

Exploring Nature With Kids: The Nature Display

According to Richard Louv in his most excellent book Last Child in the Woods, [A] growing body of research links our mental, physical, and spiritual health directly to our association with nature—in positive ways. Several of these studies suggest that thoughtful exposure of youngsters to nature can even be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit…

Hamburger Helper (the Real Foods version)

This Healthy Hamburger Helper recipe came from The Nourishing Cook, a blog based on the recipes from Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions cookbook. I tweaked the recipe a bit, but you can see the original recipe here. I usually double or triple this recipe, to have lots of leftovers. This requires using two pans at the same time,…

Zand HerbaLozenges: fight colds and flu naturally!

Here at the Yankee Homestead, we’re almost completely free of all prescription drugs, as well as over-the-counter remedies. We prevent and treat our illnesses and injuries with real food, read food supplements, essential oils and other natural remedies. Here’s one of my favorites for treating and preventing colds and the flu, as well as for…

Favorite Picture Books For Fall

Celebrate apple season and autumn leaves by snuggling up to read a few favorite picture books for fall with your favorite kiddos.

DIY Hard Lotion Bars

Are your hands dry and cracked? Do you struggle with itchy rashes? Could your feet use some serious softening? What about your elbows? This hard lotion is amazing! I’ve been making it for several years now. We use it mostly on our hands and lips, but you can use it anywhere you’ve got skin. I…

Good Night, Sleep Tight: Favorite Bedtime Books for Toddlers & Preschoolers

If there are little people at your house, you probably have Goodnight Moon memorized by now. And Good Night, Gorilla. And possibly Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book. These all are wonderful books, and we do love them here at the Yankee Homestead. But sometimes, even Goodnight Moon can get old (even in Spanish). So, here are…

Roasted Veggies (and the dangers of heating olive oil)

Roasting is hands down one of the easiest and tastiest ways to prepare vegetables! Favorite veggies for roasting: carrots (Find out why I stopped buying baby carrots) cauliflower (It turns out I’m the only cauli-fan at my house, boo.) broccoli butternut squash spaghetti squash sweet potatoes