What a great morning & yogurt directions!

:)
We had a good morning! I implemented a time requirement on my oldest's chore chart for her morning chores to get ready for school: Make the bed (something we had been neglecting on weekdays), 5 min.; Eat breakfast, 15 min.; Brush teeth, 2 min.; Get dressed, 5 min.; Fix hair, 2 min. She woke up, I started the timer for 5 min. for her bed. She got it done with time to spare and got a checkmark on that part of chore chart, etc. We had our morning done, with extra time before leaving, and a new chart for getting ready for school on time with a checkmark on it. Incentives seem to be working this time, and there was no yelling this morning. Not even once. It was fabulous! I was so proud of her, and she was so proud of herself. I hope it sticks! :)

Now for the yogurt instructions. I use this yogurt maker: Cuisipro Donvier Electronic Yogurt Maker

I use Promised Land 2% milk and Brown Cow plain yogurt or Mountain High plain yogurt as my starter (they have really good cultures) until I have my own yogurt made, then I can use my own yogurt as a starter the next time as long as it hasn't gone bad (the older it is the weaker the cultures are). Now I like my yogurt a little thicker because homemade yogurt is more runny than what you buy at the store. To fix this, I add 1/3 cup of nonfat dry milk powder to the cold milk before heating it. This really thickens it. You heat 1 quart (4 cups) of milk on the stovetop according to the directions. I just heat it on low and stir occasionally until the milk is really starting to steam but not boil. Then you put the thermometer in it until it hits the "add starter" mark. Then you follow the directions (add your starter to one of the cups, add some milk to the cup and mix it really well and then add it to the whole pan of milk and stir well). I use 2 heaping tablespoons for my starter. I pour into cups, put the lids on and set the timer for 13 hours and 35 minutes. I played around with it and sometimes do 14 hours but 13:35 seems to be perfect for my liking. I start it at night so it's done in the a.m. Then you refrigerate at least a few hours before eating it. This makes plain yogurt that you can flavor any way you want. Some of my favorites: Applesauce with cinnamon (Watkins, of course -- no other cinnamon is naturally sweet and cinnamony and yummy like theirs!); Maple syrup; Bonne Maman preserves in peach, strawberry, cherry, blueberry or blackberry. If it ever needs extra sweetening I always use maple syrup. If I put a cup of yogurt in my daughter's lunch then I add a little spoonful of instant vanilla pudding to thicken it a little more.