14 minute read
Parenting Column
10 Things to Do Inside When It’s Too Cold to Go Outside
It’s that time again! The snow (might) be falling but one thing’s for sure. It’s sure to be cold about this time of year. Gone are the days of walking out the front door and yelling for your kids to come back inside for dinner. Now the kids are inside and they’re looking for things to do. There are only so many videos to be watched in one sitting and who wants to be cooped inside all day anyway? With three kids getting older, I’ve had my fair share of brainstorming a million and one things for them to do to avoid going stir crazy. Cheers to sharing ideas! 1. Indoor pool. Check out the nearby gym and take your kids for a swim inside.
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This is a great way to sneak in some exercise during the cold months. 2. Read-a-thon. Make a pallet in the living room and grab a bunch of books to read with your friends, siblings or by yourself. 3. Crafts. You know those random crafts you have around the house? Break those open and try your hand at something new with your kids. 4. Crocheting and knitting. Has your child ever watched you knit and wanted to know how to do it? Today’s the day!
Hobby Lobby, Michael’s and Joann
Fabrics have great starter kits for kids. (Amazon does too)! 5. Bake. I bought a fun cookie book for my girls and I to ‘bake through’ during the month of December. We’ve done it every year for the past three years and have yet to get through the entire book. Bonus tip: you’ll end up making so many cookies that you can gift them to your neighbors.
By Meagan Ruffing
6. Paint your nails. Now’s a great time to paint your kids’ toenails and nails.
Try your hand at some new designs or buy the stick-on nails that are easy to apply and take off. 7. Write letters to family and friends.
One of my favorite things to do is send mail. Probably because I love receiving it! My daughter Hannah has really taken an interest in following in my footsteps, and I’m happy to oblige.
Sit down and teach your kids how to write a proper letter. Include the
Dear, body of the letter, and Sincerely.
These are things that kids won’t know how to do unless someone teaches them. Order some fun stationary online and get writing! 8. Board games. I’ll be honest. I’m not a big fan of board games. It might be because I haven’t found one that I absolutely love. But I can say that I have found two that I don’t mind playing.
Bananagrams and Apples to Apples.
Both of these games have held my interest and been something fun for my kids and I to play together. 9. Invite a friend over. My girls are still at an age where having friends over is fun. My son…not so much. Schedule a playdate and let the kids play their hearts out. They’ll be nice and tired for bed. 10. Legos. You knew I was going to say this. You can’t go wrong with Legos.
They’re the best! Make the best of the time you have inside with your kids. Remember, the days are long but the years are short. Make it a point to check things off this list and have fun while you’re doing it. Happy holidays!
Meagan Ruffing is a freelance parenting journalist and mental health counselor. She knows the importance of bonding with her kids while maintaining a peaceful home.
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Welcome to the holiday season. It’s a time for family. It’s a time for gifts. It’s a time for turkey and ham. And for many, one of the highlights is that the holiday season is eggnog season.
As luck would have it, southwest Missouri has its very own homegrown brand of eggnog available this holiday season thanks to Edgewood Creamery in Purdy.
Edgewood creamery opened at 5888 Farm Road 1090 in Purdy in 2014 under the ownership of Charlie and Melissa Fletcher. Kelli Stephens purchased the business in 2018 and has since continued the tradition of bringing locally produced milk and cheeses.
Kelli said the creamery partners with three local Purdy farms that raise Jersey and Holstein cows to produce quality milk, cream and cheese.
“It’s truly farm to table,” Kelli said. “It’s ultra fresh. We bring the milk in on our milk truck and bottle it and ship it the next day. It goes immediately from the dairy farm to here to the customer.”
While Edgewood Creamery has a reputation among many locals who seek out their milk and cheeses, the local farm-to-table creamery got into the eggnog business for the holiday season three years ago after taking some time and doing some research to provide a unique product that is just right for local families celebrating between Christmas and Thanksgiving.
“For our eggnog, we worked with a company out of St. Louis that did the R&D for our own recipe,” Kelli said. “It took a while and we went through quiet a few recipes before we got it exactly how I wanted it. I think we came up with the best eggnog ever.”
And coming from Kelli, that’s saying something. She explained that she doesn’t like most eggnogs. She has long been a fan of Braum’s brand, and used that as a baseline. Once she was able to find a recipe that was up to par with that brand, she went about refining and improving it to ensure Edgewood would have an edge on the competition.
And the care and attention didn’t stop with the development of the recipe. As a small-batch, locally owned and operated bottling plant, Edgewood takes pride in its quality control from start to finish.
And, as anyone who has made eggnog knows, the first ingredient is the most important. By starting with the finest quality cream line, non-homogenized and gently pasteurized milk available in the region, the creamery likewise produces some of the finest eggnog available on the market.
Cream line milk is one of the most natural forms of milk. It is pasteurized, just like most milk found on store shelves, but the biggest difference is that the milk is not homogenized.
Homogenization is, briefly, the process after pasteurization where the milk is mixed and the cream line (or fat content) is permanently mixed into the body of the milk. Homogenization uses very high pressure to break down the fat molecules in milk into very small particles so that they can dissolve into the rest of the milk.
Community members have an opportunity to see what is happing at Edgewood during a holdiay open house scheduled for 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11 at 5888 Farm Road 1090 in Purdy.
Edgewood Creamery of Purdy produces high quality, local products
Some believe that many of the health benefits of milk are lost during this process. Most importantly, many believe that milk loses its flavor during this process.
Edgewood Creamery’s milk is made through a traditional practice with a minimal amount of processing. Resulting in a healthier non-homogenized milk, retaining the proverbial “cream line.”
The result is a fresher, more natural product, both for the milk and the eggnog.
Kelli also pointed out that due to its processing procedure, when customers purchase Edgewood milk or eggnog, they must give the carton a little shake before pouring to mix the milk and cream together because cream will naturally rise to the surface of the jug.
Over the past three years, Edgewood’s eggnog has gained a reputation throughout the region. It is stocked with other Edgewood products in grocery stores throughout the region, including in Monett, Cassville, Pierce City and northwest Arkansas.
However, it is only produced for a few short weeks from mid November through December, so when shoppers see it in stock, they should grab a carton before it flies off the shelf. Edgewood Creamery in Purdy will be offering eggnog once again this year, providing a fresh, locally produced option for holiday get-togethers from Thanksgiving to New Year’s.
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Edgewood Creamery is a small, locally owned farm-to-table operation.
“I have a hard time keeping it,” Kelli said. “Once it hits the shelves, it’s gone. I’ve had people ask me to make more, so we are doing more this year.”
But Edgewood’s quality and attention to detail comes with a cost. To be sure everything is up to her standards, Kelli employs eight people and produces small batches, only bottling 198 half-gallons of eggnog (or milk) at a time.
And just because the creamery is producing its annual holiday treat doesn’t mean Edgewood is putting its other products on hold. The creamery will continue to produce its regular cream line milk, an A2A2 Milk for those who are sensitive to milk products, two varieties of cheddar cheese, blue cheese, cheese curds, Fromage blanc, chocolate milk and other products.
“Everything we do is so delicious because all of the ingredients we use are really good,” she said.
Anyone who has not been to Edgewood has an opportunity to see what goes on at a small-scale creamery during a Christmas open house scheduled for 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11 where staff will be handing out samples and “all sorts of goodies,” for community members. n
Cruising Through to 92
As a mother of five kids, Monett resident Janice Beshears wasn’t thrilled when her teen sons Dennis and Dale began riding motorcycles, and she definitely didn’t expect that hopping onto the back of a hog would be a highlight of her birthday in her 90s.
But that’s exactly the case for the nonagenarian who hopped onto Dale’s motorcycle once again Nov. 11 in celebration of her 92nd birthday.
Janice moved with her family to Monett in 1958 to raise her five children, Dennis, Debbie (Buchanan), Dale, Donna (Beckett) and Diane (Dupre.)
In addition to her five children, Janice also helped raise dozens of local children through her daycare on Sycamore street over the years.
“She tried to retire a couple of times,” Diane said, “But the house was too quiet and she couldn’t do it.”
These days, Janice lives a quiet life in Monett, enjoying the company of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And once a year, around her Nov. 11 birthday, Dale is sure to pull up on one of his six Harley Davidson motorcycles to take his mother for a birthday joyride around Monett, including Freedom Bank where daughter Donna works, and Diane’s home. The kids, grandkids and great-grandkids always get a kick out of seeing grandma on the hog, and it’s become a tradition she anticipates each year.
“This year I knew the weather was going to be nice, so I actually called him and asked when he was coming over,” Janice said.
For Dale, sharing time on the road with his mom is more than just a bonding experience. While she once worried about her sons on their two-wheelers, the fact that the tradition has grown to mean so much to Janice and the rest of the family is a point of pride.
“I knew she was missing out,” Dale said of his mother’s fear for her sons during their motorcycle rides. “That first time, I showed up on Mother’s Day in 1995 with a picnic lunch and a blanket, and we rode out to Jolly Mill for a picnic. I knew she couldn’t say no because I was doing it for Mother’s Day.”
The way Janice tells it, she had just arrived home from church when Dale roared up to the yard on his hog and said, “Mom, go get your blue jeans on, we’re going for a ride.”
“I was worried about my hair,” Janice said.
The tradition of the birthday ride began when Janice turned 70 years old in 1999. That year, she was visiting Dale, who lived in Colorado at the time. The two hopped on Dale’s 1973 Harley Sportster and rode 50 miles to Loveland Pass high in the Rockies.
“That first one in Colorado, with the blue skies and the mountains is my favorite,” Janice said. “I remember thinking, ‘gosh, this is the way to see the sights. You’re in it.’”
Since then, Dale makes it a point to take his mom for a cruise each year for her birthday, always on a day with nice weather, and often surrounded by the fall colors.
Janice Beshears has been hopping on the back of her son Dale’s motorcycle for a birthday ride since she turned 70 years old in 1999. This year, for her 92nd birthday, Dale took her for a ride around Monett before heading to Aurora for a birthday ice cream.
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And for the rest of the family, there was always the question of which of Dale’s six Harleys the mother and son would ride up on.
Dale said the past few years he’s used his wife’s 2003 Ultra Classic Harley Davidson trike – named Elvira – for the annual ride to give his mom a little more comfort.
This past year, Dale and Janice made their traditional circuit around Monett, stopping to see Donna at Freedom Bank and Diane, before taking a ride to Braum’s in Aurora for ice cream.
Having spent so much time riding with Dale, she said she doesn’t worry as much about him riding as she did when he was younger. And to say Dale is an enthusiast might be an understatement. He owns six motorcycles and has logged literally hundreds of thousands of miles on two wheels. He said he even had his three sons-in-law each take motorcycle safety classes and get their licenses so he can one day pass his beloved bikes on to them.
And while the annual birthday ride has become a tradition for Janice’s family, her extended family is always happy to hear she’s doing well.
“I babysat for 32, and I’ve had a bunch of kids,” she said. “I still hear from some of them.”
Janice said she’s also very proud of her tight knit family, which includes five children, 13 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.
“My kids have always been here for me,” she said. “I do really well by myself, but I need a lot of help. They don’t let me cook for myself much anymore, so they come over with dinner. They’re a bunch of good kids. I’m very proud of all of them.”
With her 92nd birthday ride under her belt, Janice said she’s already looking forward to next year, and is hoping the weather will be just as nice as it was this year. n
