 The French Revolution is often remembered in America as the overthrowing of the French Monarchy, and Marie Antoinette telling the hungry people to eat cake instead of bread. Both ideas hold a semblance of truth, yet whitewash an entire historic chapter which has replayed itself across many countries failed revolutions. What first needs to be established is that France essentially went bankrupt over the idea of liberty [and to get a jab in at their enemies]. They miraculously aided the American’s in overthrowing British rule by pumping money into a cause that couldn’t even cloth or feed its soldiers, sending 6,000 soldiers to American soil to fight and die for the cause of liberty. Then, Rochambeau and Lafayette went back to France and stoked the flames of liberty in the hearts of the oppressed. These men risked their lives for freedom in America, but would eventually be considered to blasé for the radical revolutionary spirit that ensued. Let’s consider the similarities from then and now: The cause was just In France, people were genuinely hungry for change. They were hungry for bread. They were just in their cause and their cry for freedom! They united under Robespierre “the incorruptible” who became the voice of the oppressed in the third tear of the King’s Council. He pushed the boundaries of freedom, spoke up for the rights of the African population, and believed in words as power rather than brute force- even standing in opposition to the death penalty. Today, people unite over the horrid death of George Floyd, to give a voice to those who have suffered unjustly because of their race. Is there a more noble cause than speaking up for others suffering? Uniting to bring peace and heal wounds? The cause is righteous and people’s pain is genuine. Hysterical Media The French Revolution was stoked by extremist media, the “L’ami du Peuple” written by Jean-Paul Marat who stoked flames of radicalism under the guise of advocating for the lower class. It was quick to draw accusations and cared little for truth or balance. As the Revolution progressed, the media got to the point where it would list names in the paper of those against the cause, and they’d be executed the next day. We currently have a media that’s run rampant with “clickbait,” false headlines, and cares more about perpetuating an ideology than reporting the truth. The mere fact that The New York Times fired the editor after publishing an op-ed contrary to the Times bias confirms this- yet is only the precipice of a problem that plagues our media today. As hysteria increases, we see public shaming, calls to step down, and the firing of people who hold opposing views. Though I don’t foresee actual deaths of “dissenters,” they face a social death and the loss of their job over freedom protected in our Constitution. Attempted to re-write history The French wanted to be sure that they didn’t just topple the government, but established a new social order based on freedom and equality.[1] To mark their new order, they changed their calendar and started at year one, erasing the old Gregorian calendar and replacing it with the new republican calendar. As ideas progressed and radicalized into the reign of terror, anyone who used the proper French terms “Madame” or “Monsieur” rather than “citizen” was subject to execution. Currently, revisionist history runs rampant changing the narrative to what they deem politically correct. A land that was once found on freedom is not merely a vicious perpetrator of hatred and sin. The Founding Fathers, who failed to abolish slavery at America’s independence, set their sights on abolishing it after independence. Ben Franklin became the president of Philadelphia’s abolitionist society. Samuel Adams never owned a slave and went on to fight for equal rights, but revisionists seek to erase the truth to fit their narrative. Likewise, many face persecution based on “improper” use of gender pronouns, like during the French Revolution. Backlash at Law Enforcement For the French rioters to captured the King and his family, they had to first slay their guards. They cut off the guard's heads, mounted them to poles, and made them ride in the carriage with the royal family back to Paris, where the heads were again paraded as a symbol of power now resting in the people’s hands. In our current situation, police are being physically attacked, killed, and voices are rising to defund and abolish the police (a foundational cry of both Black Lives Matter and Antifa). Later in the Revolution, after Louis attempted to escape, all of his guards were massacred before the royal family was killed. When this was witnessed, all the law of the land fled Paris for fear that they’d be next, leaving a city of chaos and terror. I can only predict on the historic basis that this too will happen as police funding is lost. We reap what we sow. Leave no “traitor” alive Robespierre, “The Incorruptible,” famously touted, “Virtue without terror is powerless.” As this radicalized “freedom” spread like wildfire in France, women were raped, priests disemboweled, 1,600 left dead within days. This was the revolution for “justice and equality for all,” yet it turned to a blood savage witch hunt. Even the British scoffed, “are these the rights of men, the liberty of human nature?” [2]Jacques Mallet du Pan famously remarked, “Like Saturn, the Revolution devours its own children” Today, if your views differ from the religion of woke-ness, you’re a racist, white supremacist, beneficiary of white privilege, or suffering from white fragility, to name a few things. Yet, the radicals devour their own faster than the opposition. As the rules of the social game tighten after every player’s turn, so the objectives morph and the base of enemies widens, penalizing those who once were in the lead. .  A sans-culotte killing one of the king's guards. French Revolution, France, 18th century. Here’s what we need to learn: The French demonized their opponents, stripping them of the very freedoms they sought to bring to society. They let the fear of opposition lead to the streets flooding with blood. In America, we need to embrace differences, not villainize our opponents and respect the Constitution which protects each person’s rights. The French glorified the eventual murder of Marat (the crazy newspaper writer) as a Christ-like martyrdom, forgetting the evils he had caused and essentially worshiping a lunatic. We need to not blindly accept media narratives, do our own research, and come to our own conclusions on matters at hand  Assassination of Marat by Charlotte Corday, painted by an unknown artist. French Revolution, France, 18th century. The French united behind Robespierre “The Incorruptible,” until his radical views made his very supporters subject to the guillotine. When we empower radical ideas under the guise of a blanket statement like “equality,” we follow organizations and leadership which care nothing for us and will quickly turn on their supporters when power is achieved.
The French revolution stomped out all religious influence, destroying churches and changing the names of streets. The Sabbath was destroyed in the French’s new ten-day week, with the hope that no one would notice. The clergy were murdered with the rebels. Our American Constitution protects the rights of Religious Freedom, rights that deeply offend radicals. The foundation of America has been that I can hold my beliefs, and you may hold yours, but the radical movements seek to destroy these freedoms and we must not let that occur. The French Revolution failed to identify a specific enemy, thus the enemy changed as people and ideas were killed. This left every citizen in danger. When movements fail to identify a specific enemy and plan of action, they can fall into the same trap. Instead of the civil rights movement of the past, which had leadership and planned objectives, mob rule movements quickly turn on their own and cause widespread destruction. The United States of America is facing the calls of revolution in its streets, in its government, and across the media waves. We must recognize the concept of liberty as defined by our Constitution and the cries of liberty which sent France into a gruesome turmoil. Learning from history is to better the future. Let us not be found ignorant. [1] Munro, Andre. 12 Months of the French Republican Calendar. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/list/the-12-months-of-the-french-republican-calendar [2] The London Times, Monday, Sept. 10, 1792 Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.  Spelling is an area that requires constant practice and repetition to master new phonics patterns and difficult words. Online games can add an element of fun to a tedious learning task. My family was excited to try out Spelling Shed so that my 8 and 5-year-old could improve their spelling. We also were able to practice math facts in a similar game format through the Math Shed program!  When we started, I created each child a student account from my teacher account and then simply let them log in and play. They enjoyed the program until the words began getting harder and harder. Then, I knew I needed to adjust the difficulty levels on my end. This presented ME with the challenge. Spelling Shed allows teachers to formulate their own spelling lists and assign them to their students, but each time I would try to assign them something, they would go to play and it wouldn’t be the assigned content. Finally, I found all the spelling lists I had assigned to my students on the student's accounts, under the “more…” tab. The ability to make custom spelling lists is really helpful for adapting this to each student in a way that complements their current learning curriculum. If you aren’t looking to assign spelling lists, you can simply select a spelling curriculum for your students to work through. I was able to assign beginner phonics for my five-year-old and I started my 8-year-old with “first 100 words.” They offer a variety of well-known spelling lists such as Dolch's, Fry's and UIL lists for grades 3-8.  The Math Shed program doesn’t require the teacher to select curricula or assign content. Instead, the level and topic is adjusted at the game level, so my students could log in and click on the topic they needed to practice. My five-year-old practiced addition from 1 to 10 on the easy level and enjoyed her work. My 8-year-old had many more options to explore. He enjoyed the multiplication and basic division and would work through the ten questions, focusing on speed and accuracy to earn more points.  Ultimately, this wasn’t a good fit for our family. My students didn’t want to play the games, and I felt the amount of stages, levels, and material made it overwhelming for me to sift through and make sense of for our family’s use. I can see how it would be beneficial to school programs or co-ops that are looking for some educational quiz games for larger amounts of students to play. If a larger group logs in at once, it seems that the children could play games against one another, which could be fun for students! Many other members of the Homeschool Review Crew tried out EdShed and you can check out their thoughts on the program below to gain additional perspective!  So, I was called a racist today for the first time because I issued a “blanket peace” statement about our current crisis in America. I shared a post on Facebook which was a quote by Elizabeth Elliot that read, “Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.” I added the comment, a similar one to what I posted on twitter, “This is so true in America right now. This country was founded upon freedom, liberty and justice for all. Don't destroy what needs reform. History tells of many times citizens destroyed what they opposed only to make way for far worse.” Apparently, I am the problem in America today. To clarify my statement further, it was in reference to all the rebellions that united people around common beliefs so that they’d over throw their government, and then become enslaved to something far worse. I was thinking of France in 1789, Cuba in 1953, Iran in 1979 and Egypt in 2011, though I'm sure there are plenty more examples. Being called a racist and part of the problem has left me with a lot of questions, ones that I’d genuinely like to hear some answers to, so I’ll pose them on my blog for an open, respectful discourse, comments that are disrespectful will be deleted.
The damage that's been done far surpasses burned churches and destroyed businesses, the lines in the sand have been starkly drawn. I have friends of different races, backgrounds, religious beliefs and have always felt that diversity is part of the beauty of our world, but I'll not bow for a sin that's not mine. That gives it far more power than it previously ever had, deepening wounds rather than bringing unity. There's a difference in protests and riots protesters and looters justice for all, or justice for one at the cost of many more This is a horrible time in this country, and I'm genuinely afraid for the world my children will grow up in, especially after a white friend was attacked in a target parking lot by a gang of black men seeking "justice" for George Floyd. No answers will come from more violence, name calling, burning, destroying. The peaceful leaders of the past, who had a goal and accomplished it, would be disgusted at the lawlessness in our streets today. But, I'm white, so I'm the problem? Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.  Understanding new math concepts are one of the major hurdles of elementary math. The key to success is practice, practice, practice! That’s exactly what Page a Day Math offers young students, practice developing their math abilities, one step at a time. We were able to download their Addition Starter Kit, Subtraction Starter Kit, Division Starter Kit and checked out their Amazing Adjectives handwriting practice over the last few weeks!  Each of their math kits offers a series of books, and each book is composed of 14 days of practice and 550 math problems. I’m sure that you guessed your student will be practicing a “page a day,” and that’s correct- except if you print out a day’s work, rather than purchase a physical kit, then technically they will be doing two pages a day- which my five-year-old made sure I was aware of! My kindergartener started the program with the Addition Starter Kit. She was already familiar with some addition from 1-10, so I was excited that this program would help give her some extra math practice. Book One featured plus one equation, which was too simple for her, so we started in book two with plus two equations. I was pleasantly surprised that within the first few days, her ability to write the numbers beautifully improved. This is an awesome bonus of the program, especially in a world where much learning is done online; handwriting practice often is left in the dust. Here’s her improvement: 
Now, we teach addition and subtraction simultaneously as well as multiplication and division at the same time because they’re such similar processes. So, before she cruised through the addition worksheets, we switched over book two of the Subtraction Starter Kit so that she could see that subtraction was merely going in the reverse number direction from addition. The Subtraction Starter Kit presented subtraction in a similar way as the Addition Kit. Book One features -1 equations, Book two is -2, and so on. My 8-year-old also enjoyed Page A Day Math practice. He is pretty solid on his multiplication tables, so we had him try out the Division Starter Kit. The Division Kit features 12 division books. Book one goes over each number divided by one. The second book goes over division by twos, while also reviewing each number divided by one equals itself. The repetition was really helpful for memorizing equations, and improving handwriting. I was very pleased with the results, and my kids enjoyed the worksheets!  I feel like Page A Day Math offers excellent math practice to use along side any math curricula. As we enter into the summer season, where math skills tend to simmer on the back burner, I feel that these workbooks will be extra helpful in practice and improving skills before we start the next level of math in the fall. I'd recommend this program to homeschoolers and traditional students as well as everyone can benefit from the practice! Many other members of the Homeschool Review Crew checked out Page A Day Math, be sure to check out their reviews below!  Last year, we studied universal history with Pathway to Liberty. This year, we were excited to continue our journey into the Middle Ages. My own recollection of the Middle Ages was very narrow and essentially boiled down to burning people at the stake for printing Bibles and Christopher Columbus sailing the ocean blue, so I was personally looking forward to rounding out my own viewpoint of the Middle Ages with this course as well as teaching my 7 and 5 year old about it! One thing I love about Pathway to Liberty is the unique perspective it brings to studying history. The curriculum not only offers a Biblical worldview, but also follows the “chain of liberty,” or chain links which join elements of history together, and help us learn meaningful lessons for today. When teaching on this topic, it might be beneficial to check out chapters 8 and 9 in Jayme MacCullough's book, "The Chain of Liberty." Pathway to Liberty's lessons can easily be conducted as "family style," where mom teaches one lesson and each child can do corresponding work for that lesson at their own level. This is awesome for larger families and simplifies your schooling time while allowing kids to learn together at their own pace! Though I was technically working through this with my 8 year old, my 5 year old listened to the lessons too and discussed the topics with us! We used the level one workbook for assignments, but the levels continue up to a level four for older students!  OverviewThis course starts with a bit of a refresher from the previous year as we discussed what history is and established a Biblical foundation for our studies. Week 2 covered the dawn of nations and principles of self-government. Week 3-6 brought us to Rome, where we studied the Roman Empire with the broader perspective of how Rome influenced the proper setting for the spread of the Gospel. Students will learn about daily life in Rome, as well as how it served as the perfect setting for the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus “in the fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4). They will also learn about the persecution and triumphs of the early church by reading the book, “Trial and Triumph” by Richard M. Hannula. I hadn’t heard of “Trial and Triumph” before starting this course, but it’s an amazing book and I highly recommend reading it in its entirety! In Week 7, the tides change and students learn about Constantine the Great and what his leadership meant to Rome. They will also understand the principal of Divine Providence behind his tole in history. Weeks 8-9 discuss the formation of the Bible through readings in “How the Bible Came to Us by Meryl Doney,” and write interesting facts they learned throughout the reading. In weeks 10-12, level 2-4 students will learn about Muhammed, Islam, and the Crusades, while level one, which was us, learn about Leif the Lucky and his expeditions. For level one students, you’ll read “Leif the Lucky by D’Aulaire” in these weeks and students will fill out their study guides in the workbook. There is also an assortment of Viking crafts for hands-on learning. My kids enjoyed cutting and pasting Viking clothes on the Viking!  Week 13-16 focuses on transforming nations. Level one students will read, “Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney,” Older students will focus on Saint Patrick and read about him in “Trials and Triumph.” Week 14 brings you to a study of Charlemagne, where students will read about him in “Story of the World” and older kids have the option of watching a short video on about the king. Week 15 continues the theme of a leader transforming a nation with Alfred the Great. I loved the scriptural principals behind the transforming nation's section, “Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful than ten rulers in a city,” (Ecc. 7:19). The teaching principal echoed from this verse is, “God brings his Kingdom into the hearts of individuals who He then uses to transform nations.” What a great message for kids to learn! Learning about these great leaders brings students to Week 16- 17, where they learn about the Magna Charta and individual rights. Here, you’ll use “The Magna Carta by James Daughtery” to dig deeper into this idea. Weeks 18-21 focused on prominent reformers and how the seed within them impacted nations and the world. Students will learn about John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Calvin, Anne Askew, John Knox, and Renee. Then, they’ll put their learning into practice by beginning to write paragraphs about each reformer. Weeks 22-26 enter into the age of exploration. Here, you’ll use “Columbus by D’Aulaire” and “The Light & the Glory for Children by Peter Marsha & David Manuel.” Students will learn more about the explorers on Biography.com and make a fun art craft! This positions learners perfectly for year three, learning about U.S. History! Books Needed for Level One:
Level One Students will need some additional books. The complete list of books needed for each level can be found in the beginning of the Teacher's Guide as well as on the Pathway to Liberty Website. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary The Bible How the Bible Came to Us by Meryl Doney Trial and Triumph by Richard M. Hannula The Magna Carta by James Daughtery The Story of the World Volume One: Ancient Times, by Susan Wise Bauer Leif the Lucky by D’Aulaire Columbus by D’Aulaire The Story of the World Volume Two: The Middle Ages by Susan Wise Bauer Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney The Light & the Glory for Children by Peter Marsha & David Manuel This curriculum is 26 weeks, which is unique when you consider most school years run for 36 weeks. I loved that it was a 26 week program because it allows for amazing learning detours! We spent extra weeks studying ancient Rome and didn’t have to worry about falling behind! Each week has 4 lessons, which could be taught in 20-30 minutes and worked perfectly with our schedule! I loved seeing the connection between Scriptural principals and actual history that occurred, and think it’s incredibly meaningful to teach our children likewise! On top of learning about history, I saw my son's writing ability improve through this curriculum. By the end, he was able to write a paragraph about each reformer, which really complemented the 2nd grade work he was doing in his English course! I feel like Pathway to Liberty is an awesome curriculum for families looking to learn about history through a Biblical Worldview. The lessons, and teaching concepts behind the historic events are unique and inspiring for the entire family! To learn more and see all that the program has to offer, check out PathwaytoLiberty.com!  FDR's home of Springwood, Hyde Park, New York Visiting Springwood in Hyde Park, New York has been in my bucket list for years. I have tremendous respect for Franklin D. Roosevelt and the legacy he's left on this great country, and knowing his house is a mere hours drive has meant it's been calling to me to come and visit. But, I have four small reasons I hadn't made it yet, ages 7, 5, 3, and 1. I worry about my kids breaking things when they go to my parents’ house, let alone the home of a great American president! One morning in March, we woke up to unseasonably warm temperatures and I decided today was the day we make the trip! We packed up lunches for a picnic on the grounds and hit the road! Our first stop was the visitor center to purchase tickets, pick up maps, and sign the kids up for the Junior Ranger program! Admission is $10 for the house tour and $10 for the museum, but children are FREE [including the ranger program], so I purchased a joint ticket and our whole crew had access for the day. My three older children received Junior Ranger Booklets and miniature pencils, which we all know are every child’s favorite thing! We brought our lunch out to the picnic tables in front of the museum and enjoyed our sandwiches overlooking the beautiful estate. While we ate, we checked out the Junior Ranger material to see what we should look for in the museum and home.  My kids working on the Junior Ranger Program, along with my hand sanitizer pre-pandemic! After lunch, we went to the museum. It had a lot of exhibits that offered hands-on, or at least things kids could touch exhibits, and my kids loved it. In true kid fashion, they moved from exhibit to exhibit before I had the chance to really enjoy what I was seeing, but I was happy they were having fun! The museum also housed multiple videos, which held my kid's attention for a few minutes before they ran towards the next flashing lights! At the time of my writing this, the Roosevelt’s house is closed due to coronavirus, but was intending to close for renovations and will reopen in the fall. This meant that during our visit, a lot of the artifacts had already been removed from the home. My first impression of the inside was that the house felt a bit dark, and I could see how renovations were needed, but I loved seeing FDR’s bird collection, and the great room, which was once lined with books. Knowing that this house held such significance to FDR during his childhood and throughout the rest of his life truly made it a memorable experience [and much-needed material for my next book, but shhhh, don’t tell!]  Presidential Selfie, Kinda... My kids really could care less about the house, and most of the significance I cherished was way over their heads. Plus, the tour was during my one-year old’s naptime, and I had hoped he’d fall asleep in the baby carrier…. But you know how that goes! We resulted in hanging back from the rest of the tour group as to not disturb them, and snapping filtered selfies.  I’m pretty sure Sara Roosevelt would have been frowning on us ;) After the tour, my kids finished their Junior Ranger Book’s and we returned to the visitor center to get their badges. Receiving the badges was a truly memorable part of the trip for everyone, then, we hit the bathrooms and the road home! As we were driving, I asked what everyone’s favorite part of the day was, and my three-year-old yelled, “The donuts!” No, those aren’t included in your Hyde Park Tour, but there’s a Dunkin Donuts down the road if you need to use some bribery to enjoy your day too! I’m counting the moments until we can go back, I can explore the archives, and check out the walking trail that leads from Springwood to the Vanderbilt’s estate... and maybe enjoy the view, sans the kiddos ;) 
When you are believing for a supernatural pregnancy and childbirth, it helps to fill yourself with Scripture and the encouragement of moms who have experienced God's goodness in their pregnancies and childbirths! That's one of the reasons I wrote Re:Birth back in 2017, I wanted to go through Scripture and find every record of childbirth and look at it through the redemption of the Risen King, then I paired that with miraculous testimonies from across the globe.
I've tried to keep as many of the testimonies from the book available online, in one spot, so that if you lovely mama are looking for encouragement, you know right where to look! With Re:Birth's website no longer running, this has gotten tricky! So behold, the new roundup list of Supernatural Childbirth Testimonies!
Next up, is me again! I have four kids, and three testimonies on the internet [I haven't gotten around to writing my 4th!] But, I learned so much with each birth. My first two were in hospitals and my next two were at home.
My second birth went from a supernatural birth to a natural birth very quickly when I let fear into the delivery room. After I developed a rare skin reaction called pemphigoid gestationis and the doctors told me it would be too risky to have another child. I felt like I was in the pits with Job, but God is so much better than our present circumstances, and I went on to have two more miraculous babies! (More on all this in Re:Birth). After feeling bossed around by hospital staff, I resolved to take the homebirth path and had the most incredible birth where my daughter was born peacefully in a inflatable pool with only a handful of regular contractions!
Another amazing testimony comes from Natty's Journal: You can read her supernatural childbirth experience here!
Whew, are you feeling encouraged? I hope so! Re:Birth has many more testimonies, some from South Africa, Nigeria, and even Malawi! I hope to add more to my sight and would love to share your experience, or link to your sight if you've shared your testimony! Please don't hesitate to drop me an email or comment!
Also, it's my great pleasure to pray for you during your pregnancy and believe for a miraculous, supernatural childbirth. If you want to email me your due date or leave it in the comment section, I'll add it to my prayer calendar so you can be sure you are covered in prayer when your delivery time comes! Love and Blessings! Alexandra  This season has been rough. It's been rough for me, and it's been rough for the rest of the world to a greater extreme. I went back to school full time in January, while continuing to homeschool, and maintaining my writing duties and I had this great idea that I'd hire a babysitter when I needed help. This would have been the first time in years using a sitter and it was a big step for me to admit I needed help, but the Coronavirus had other plans... Instead, I've been left juggling my kids education, my own education, and maintaining my deadlines. To say I feel burned out and like I'm failing everything right now would be an understatement. Recently, I've been feeling God press my heart in the direction of maintaining a "Mary heart" in a Martha world. I'm sure you're familiar with the story. Luke records: As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Luke 10:38-42
I stay up late each night reading and studying for school, and I wakde up early each morning to do the same thing, but in my incessant demand to study theology and read about Jesus, I've neglected the simple act of spending time with him. In the business of trying to stay afloat with the demands laid upon mothers in this time, it's so important to increase our time with Jesus, not decrees it. From Him, our wellspring of life flows, and without that sacred time, emptiness ensues! If these last months have taught me anything, it's simply that the business is non-essential, but the stillness is lifegiving! How have you maintained your oil filled during the pandemic? What Scripture motivates you?
Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
I've wanted to learn how to ferment foods for years! I first read about the process and how important fermented foods are to our gut health when I was pregnant. But, other than knowing it was beneficial, I had no idea where to start. When I heard about Fermentools , I was really excited to check out their Starter Kit and get fermenting! There's obviously a learning curve with every new skill we dive into, and my first slope downwards on the curve began by not reading that a Wide Gallon Mason jar wasn't included in the starter kit. Then I ordered some on amazon but was sent regular mouth jars, and finally was able to get what seemed to be the last wide mouth mason jar in our Coronavirus laden world. But, it was a gallon jar, and starring on such a large scale is not recommended. The Fermentools Starter Kit includes a fine grain salt, which is rich in minerals and easily dissolved in water so it’s ideal for fermenting. You’ll also receive a stainless steel lid, made from surgical grade stainless steel, a glass fermenting weight, the airlock system, a rubber stopper and rubber gasket. Fermentools is also a family owned business- and all of their products are made and sourced in the USA! 
I wanted to make fermented pickles, so I found a recipe and got to work. I learned the key to making crunchy pickles comes from adding ingredients which include tannin- a substance secreted in some leaves. For pickles, it's recommended to use bay leaves or black tea leaves to maintain a crunch. I chose bay leaves and added those, dill, pickles, and the saltwater brine.
The Process: First, I heated water on the stove top to dissolve the salt, and then I allowed the brine to cool. Next, I loaded the mason jar with cleaned cucumbers, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and dill. Pour the cooled salt water brine over the veggies. After your mason jar is loaded with whatever you’re fermenting, you’ll want to place the glass slab on top of your food to keep them under the brine. Then, add the rubber gasket and stainless steel top on it. Place the rubber stopper to the top Add ½ inch of water to the airlock system Lastly, you’ll place the airlock system into the rubber stopper The benefit of the airlock system is that it allows air to escape instead of having to manually “burp” the brew to letting gases escape. This kit was ideal for beginners like myself who would be otherwise clueless on how to let the gases escape. Instead, you just load the jar and let it ferment in a dark place for about a week.
Fermentools is offering readers and friends a 15% discount on their products from now until June 30th, by using the code:
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Alexandrais an author, blogger, and homeschooling mom of four, giving her excellent credentials to run her own circus one day! 
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