What Else Can We Use?

By Mary Ann Halloran

I live on the Lord's Ranch which is rural living. It is not nearly as rural as it used to be. When I first moved here, there was one neighbor. Now there are a lot of neighbors. There were no buildings nearby except one truck stop. Now there are two truck stops with stores, a Dollar General, and a small grocery store, all nearby. The 3-mile road leading to the Ranch was a dirt road, now it is paved. To put it lightly-- things have changed a whole lot.

Raising my older children, I was not able to jump in a car and go get what I needed. So, often when there was something I lacked in a recipe, project, house need, etc. I would say, "What else can I use?" And wanting to teach that to my children, I would say to them, "Hmmm, what else can we use?"

With some creative thinking, we would come up with something to make it work. Even when those nearby stores came along, I still would say to my younger children, "What else can we use?" That way they would learn that the recipe or project does not have to come to a screeching halt. We can figure something else out to make it work. At times they would even make up their own recipes. I can't say it tasted delicious, but I appreciated their innovation. I think this is a wonderful trait to pass on to children. It teaches them creative thinking that will last them a lifetime.

The Covid pandemic brought back some of this creativity. There is a saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention." Suddenly we were thrown into quarantine and lockdowns. There were many things we could not get at the store and we were restricted on where we could go. Work and school were done at home. Things we needed we could not get so we said, "What else can I use?"

And lo and behold, we thought of all kinds of things we could use for this and that.

I encourage you to teach this to your children and let them come up with alternatives. I think you will be surprised at all the ideas they will come up with.

God bless,

Mary Ann / Mother Hen