So here I am again, pregnant with baby number six, and even if I don't plan to write a whole blog about this baby, I am still super pregnancy brain focused. After each baby, I want to improve the pregnancy experience and figure out ways to stay healthy, fit and sane.
Over the last few years I have found it is important to focus on these things:
DIET! Women, Americans and food do not have the best relationships. Many people barely make time to eat, while others graze all day long. When one is pregnant think about nutrition as something one wants to understand better for the sake of the pregnancy and also the health of you whole family as everyone grows. Eating for comfort is modeled to your children. So is rushing through food and running off to the next activity. Sit down, have a healthy meal and even consider sitting down for small snacks. Relaxing is important. Also, consider the fact that if you eat proper food you will not feel hungry two seconds later. When you have morning sickness eat yogurt, an egg, something with good protein. If you go for a muffin, you will probably still feel sick. One does not have to cut out all sweets, but think about what is in junk food. Don't eat too much sugar. I have to say I have a sweet tooth. I love ice cream when I am pregnant and when I am not. I have learned that having a small amount is maybe not perfect, but controlled enough to not cause major harm. However, with my second child I ate what ever I wanted and I gained the most weight that pregnancy and never lost it all. When eating what one's body needs it is not impossible to shed baby weight without much effort in the year following the birth. I am still kicking myself for not being more careful with baby number two. With every other baby I have focused on eating as healthy as possible.
Then next thing is planning a workout routine. In the first month nobody wants to workout. I felt sick a lot this time around, but I still worked out. I have use Lindsey Brin's Moms Into Fitness workout portal. There is a monthly fee and and that keeps me motivated to keep working out. Miss a month, miss out on a $12 investment. (www.momsintofitness.com ) Plus, her workouts are amazing. I used her workouts to recover from baby number five, and I lost all the weight I had gained for that baby and a couple more pounds in about five months. Then I got pregnant again. My body was in such good shape I did not experience back pain, like I have in my past couple of pregnancies and I feel a lot like I did with baby number one. I am 20 weeks and 5 days and I have gained 3 1/4 pounds this entire pregnancy this far and I feel stronger than I have in years. I used to think walking would work, but after a few babies one needs to fix the core. Let's face it, if you are like me and have about 3-9 months between pregnancies, one needs to improve the body fast. I never thought I could feel like this pregnant with baby number six.
Then vitamins are very helpful. I have been working with midwife Carol Gautschi and she recommends a list of vitamins, not just a prenatal. Check out her list here http://gentlebirths.net/22/getting-started/. I am telling you it helps keep energy up, prevent illness, and much more. Plus she has all her clients take and herbal infusion http://gentlebirths.net/17/herbal-pregnancy-blend/. I have found that taking this I have less morning sickness and each herb has many more benefits. In talking with Carol at my last appointment she even said it helps prevent postpartum bleeding. I know I have not had any major bleed problems and I had retained placenta two times before working with Carol.
I have also been taking Dr Rons doc's best and calcium https://www.drrons.com/key-nutrients-formulas.htm since I was pregnant with my first baby. I take the doc's best instead of a prenatal. It has everything in it, just like a prenatal, but I know that is made from good sources.
To add to being healthy, sleep is also very important. It seems so easy, but getting into a good sleep routine is not always simple. With baby number one I rarely went to bed before 11PM and I never wanted to be up around 6 AM when my baby was up. I felt a mess all day, longing for the naps I could take when the baby was sleeping and I never really felt rested. I figured if I had to get up so much in the night, I might as well stay up until I was done with the first night feeding. Now, I just go to bed when I can. My goal is before 10 PM and closer to 9 PM. I am a much more fun mommy if I sleep. Even getting up for feedings is less stressful if I can try to aim for around seven hours of sleep total a day. Now my husband and I barely use an alarm clock. We usually get woken up by a baby, but even if we don't we wake up anyway. It is great. I hate waking up to beeping.
So pregnancy is not always easy and fun, but there are a few things one can do to make it just a bit better. Just remember, take care of you and your baby and just that alone will make you feel better.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Community: Hospitality and Family
Hospitality is a concept I thought all people viewed the same. As little kids, that spent time with other little kids from a similar class and background, I was usually treated the same way. If a person invited you over, you were fed if it was a meal time and treated like a guest no matter what age you were.
I just thought that going over people's homes and spend quality time would be a part of life. I assumed that people liked being around other people. One might say, I began to realize this was not true the second I moved off campus at my small liberal arts college.
On campus there was always something to do and lots of people around. When I moved into my first apartment, I thought life would be like it is on the show "Friends", but it was not that way. People I went to school with lived in our building. We would say "Hello" in the hallways and carry on. Drop by visits disappeared and turned into dinner invitations and meeting for coffee. We were busy college students with very little extra time.
Motherhood brought a whole new world of hospitality. When I just had one or two little ones, there were plenty of playgroups to keep my week very full. I never really felt like I was sitting around at home with just my children until around baby number 3. Most families at this point were out of stage baby and into putting their kids in preschool and activities. I was one of the few to keep having children and I did not put my oldest in preschool. My social life got smaller and smaller.
Then I got to thinking the other day. My closest friends from childhood are still my close friends now, I just do not live near any of them. These are the people I would run to without feeling like I had to simplify my problems. How can one really expect to build those kinds of friendships as an adult?
I thought having babies at the same time as other people would create lasting bonds. With my first child, I did become close friends with a couple of other ladies who were pregnant too. Having a first baby is such an unique time in life and the people around you then play such a huge role in all of it. However, I did not find that experience to be the same with other pregnancies.
Having kids gave me reasons to be places where other parents would be, but that does not automatically create friendships. Neither does just walking into a church. I would have to say I have joined group after group and one only becomes actual friends with a small number of people from those experiences. I may not feel as lonely because I have stuff to do, but in the seasons where getting out of the house is too difficult, things go quit as groups go on and you don't attend them.
Perhaps my approach to friendship is all wrong. Our number one small group is the family unit. We live in a culture where the family is constantly being split into little pieces. Every child has a life of his or her own. Both parents tend to work. Nobody spends much of the week together. The longer this continues the more effort it takes to keep up with everyone. I only have two kids in school and I currently do not work, but I still feel like I have lost a part of my kids. Yes, part of that is letting them go, but what levels of letting a child go is right? Being a close family unit is very important to me. I don't want to get lazy.
My husband and I have the same conversation over and over. "I feel so alone," I say as an extrovert trapped at home.
"Are you saying that your family is not good enough for you?" he asks.
"No, I don't mean that. I just feel like our community is lacking," I say.
Maybe my community is not lacking. I made up for the family time I did not have by spending lots of time with friends as a kid. I had a stay at home mom, but my dad traveled a lot. We went on family trips, but each family member did have secrets lives. It was very common to walk into our home and find each family member in a different room, except at dinner time. We all had dinner together. (that I am super grateful for). I would say I had more of my family's attention than most, but still felt alone.
What if my main community could be my family? How do we keep a home where were are not all doing our own activities in different rooms all the time? My kids have to mainly play in the living room because we do not have much space anywhere else. We have decided to make bedrooms for sleeping, so if one were to stop by our home, chances are all kids would be in the living room playing. This system does lead to lots more fights, but my our family is together most of the time. The older kids are involved with the little kids all the days that they are home. It is rare for them to even ask for friends to come over.
Having friends is an important part of life, but I think I have been placing it too high above other parts of life. I still wish I had time for weekly coffee dates and chatting to another adult, but I have a loving husband and five amazing kids. How could they not be the best community?
I just thought that going over people's homes and spend quality time would be a part of life. I assumed that people liked being around other people. One might say, I began to realize this was not true the second I moved off campus at my small liberal arts college.
On campus there was always something to do and lots of people around. When I moved into my first apartment, I thought life would be like it is on the show "Friends", but it was not that way. People I went to school with lived in our building. We would say "Hello" in the hallways and carry on. Drop by visits disappeared and turned into dinner invitations and meeting for coffee. We were busy college students with very little extra time.
Motherhood brought a whole new world of hospitality. When I just had one or two little ones, there were plenty of playgroups to keep my week very full. I never really felt like I was sitting around at home with just my children until around baby number 3. Most families at this point were out of stage baby and into putting their kids in preschool and activities. I was one of the few to keep having children and I did not put my oldest in preschool. My social life got smaller and smaller.
Then I got to thinking the other day. My closest friends from childhood are still my close friends now, I just do not live near any of them. These are the people I would run to without feeling like I had to simplify my problems. How can one really expect to build those kinds of friendships as an adult?
I thought having babies at the same time as other people would create lasting bonds. With my first child, I did become close friends with a couple of other ladies who were pregnant too. Having a first baby is such an unique time in life and the people around you then play such a huge role in all of it. However, I did not find that experience to be the same with other pregnancies.
Having kids gave me reasons to be places where other parents would be, but that does not automatically create friendships. Neither does just walking into a church. I would have to say I have joined group after group and one only becomes actual friends with a small number of people from those experiences. I may not feel as lonely because I have stuff to do, but in the seasons where getting out of the house is too difficult, things go quit as groups go on and you don't attend them.
Perhaps my approach to friendship is all wrong. Our number one small group is the family unit. We live in a culture where the family is constantly being split into little pieces. Every child has a life of his or her own. Both parents tend to work. Nobody spends much of the week together. The longer this continues the more effort it takes to keep up with everyone. I only have two kids in school and I currently do not work, but I still feel like I have lost a part of my kids. Yes, part of that is letting them go, but what levels of letting a child go is right? Being a close family unit is very important to me. I don't want to get lazy.
My husband and I have the same conversation over and over. "I feel so alone," I say as an extrovert trapped at home.
"Are you saying that your family is not good enough for you?" he asks.
"No, I don't mean that. I just feel like our community is lacking," I say.
Maybe my community is not lacking. I made up for the family time I did not have by spending lots of time with friends as a kid. I had a stay at home mom, but my dad traveled a lot. We went on family trips, but each family member did have secrets lives. It was very common to walk into our home and find each family member in a different room, except at dinner time. We all had dinner together. (that I am super grateful for). I would say I had more of my family's attention than most, but still felt alone.
What if my main community could be my family? How do we keep a home where were are not all doing our own activities in different rooms all the time? My kids have to mainly play in the living room because we do not have much space anywhere else. We have decided to make bedrooms for sleeping, so if one were to stop by our home, chances are all kids would be in the living room playing. This system does lead to lots more fights, but my our family is together most of the time. The older kids are involved with the little kids all the days that they are home. It is rare for them to even ask for friends to come over.
Having friends is an important part of life, but I think I have been placing it too high above other parts of life. I still wish I had time for weekly coffee dates and chatting to another adult, but I have a loving husband and five amazing kids. How could they not be the best community?
Monday, November 19, 2012
Me: Giving, Receiving, and Guilt
It is the holiday season, though I am sure Christmas decorating did not begin this early when I was a child. When I was little, Christmas was about the unknown mystery of Santa. Without being raised with spiritual faith, it was the closest to unexplained hope I ever knew.
When I was five years old, I promised my parents I had seen Santa's shadow in my room. He looked like a giant ball with a head. For years, I waited up to see this shadow again. My little brother and I built tents in the living room to try and stay awake for Santa, but always fell asleep too soon. Instead we would wake up super early on Christmas morning.
Stacks of toys had appeared and I was always amazed as to how they got there. Even long after I knew it was my parents, I wanted to keep the mysterious part of Christmas alive.
When I became a Christian, Christmas became bigger. Now I could celebrate a baby born to take away the sins of the world. I loved going to church on Christmas Eve and celebrating through carols that honor Christ. Christmas day was the same as it always had been at home, but I loved it more because the mystery I had been reaching for was God. Now there could be hope all year round.
Then college years hit me and Christmas became more political. All the child-like joy was covered with the heavy gloom of the world. Look at all the starving children. How can we sit in our warm houses celebrating when the rest of the world is starving? Spend your money on goats, water, and feeding children. These things are so important, but works should never take the place of the miracle of Christ and they began to.
It is so easy to focus on gifts at Christmas, but it is also easy to get swept away in guilt. I know the majority of the world is focused on the gift part of things, but really we should be focused on celebrating the birth of Christ. Being together as His body is more important than anything else. Yes, we need to feed the poor. We need to be thinking about this all year long, not just at Christmas. Hooking into guilt while people are in a spending mood is not the way to give the world a Merry Christmas, or solve some of the worlds biggest problems.
If you have money to give, give...I am not saying not to give to the poor, I am mainly saying don't sit around feeling depressed (as I have) because one barely has a few extra pennies to give to the poor. We have only bought Christmas gifts for our kids two times because we really did not have enough money to do things like that. I am not saying this as a sob story. My kids got gifts from other family members, but I am saying if you have to focus on one thing, focus on Christ. Spend time together and don't get swept away in what you should be doing.
When I was five years old, I promised my parents I had seen Santa's shadow in my room. He looked like a giant ball with a head. For years, I waited up to see this shadow again. My little brother and I built tents in the living room to try and stay awake for Santa, but always fell asleep too soon. Instead we would wake up super early on Christmas morning.
Stacks of toys had appeared and I was always amazed as to how they got there. Even long after I knew it was my parents, I wanted to keep the mysterious part of Christmas alive.
When I became a Christian, Christmas became bigger. Now I could celebrate a baby born to take away the sins of the world. I loved going to church on Christmas Eve and celebrating through carols that honor Christ. Christmas day was the same as it always had been at home, but I loved it more because the mystery I had been reaching for was God. Now there could be hope all year round.
Then college years hit me and Christmas became more political. All the child-like joy was covered with the heavy gloom of the world. Look at all the starving children. How can we sit in our warm houses celebrating when the rest of the world is starving? Spend your money on goats, water, and feeding children. These things are so important, but works should never take the place of the miracle of Christ and they began to.
It is so easy to focus on gifts at Christmas, but it is also easy to get swept away in guilt. I know the majority of the world is focused on the gift part of things, but really we should be focused on celebrating the birth of Christ. Being together as His body is more important than anything else. Yes, we need to feed the poor. We need to be thinking about this all year long, not just at Christmas. Hooking into guilt while people are in a spending mood is not the way to give the world a Merry Christmas, or solve some of the worlds biggest problems.
If you have money to give, give...I am not saying not to give to the poor, I am mainly saying don't sit around feeling depressed (as I have) because one barely has a few extra pennies to give to the poor. We have only bought Christmas gifts for our kids two times because we really did not have enough money to do things like that. I am not saying this as a sob story. My kids got gifts from other family members, but I am saying if you have to focus on one thing, focus on Christ. Spend time together and don't get swept away in what you should be doing.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Projects: Becoming a WAHM
As one may have noticed, my blogging has been a little less lately. I hope this will not be the case in the upcoming weeks though. If you do not already know I am starting a home business! This is very exciting for me because I would love to be able to work from home and make things I love to make anyway. In the past year I have blogged about all the different cloth diapers I have made and now I have trained myself quite well to try and make cloth diapers for others. Introducing RubyRumps:
I have spent a lot of time picking out my favorite fabrics and making diapers that are fun to look at too. The cloth diaper world is a lot of fun and I am loving the fact the I get to be part of it. (Yes, diapers are not fun, but if you have to diaper someone, why not add color to it?)
Starting a business has made me think about so many details I never knew existed. I needed to get a business license, try and figure out how sales tax works, decide who I wanted to market to, pick shop (s) to work with, and then track my own books once things started to get going. So many loving friends have helped me along the way and I am really happy with my first month of business.
I really want to create a business that takes into account what other people want to buy. I am learning to make wet bags and wipes to go with these diapers because I for one like to get everything in one place. I have chosen to focus on the local by selling through a sweet children's shop called Seams to Last in Port Townsend and I have also realized that having an Etsy website is also a great way to sell to out of town friends and friends of friends. I just spent all of this morning finishing up my Etsy website and other than the fact that my house has terrible lighting, I am happy with the results. I would love to be a part in making quality cloth diapers and supplies for you.
Oh and like our Facebook page :)
Starting a business has made me think about so many details I never knew existed. I needed to get a business license, try and figure out how sales tax works, decide who I wanted to market to, pick shop (s) to work with, and then track my own books once things started to get going. So many loving friends have helped me along the way and I am really happy with my first month of business.
I really want to create a business that takes into account what other people want to buy. I am learning to make wet bags and wipes to go with these diapers because I for one like to get everything in one place. I have chosen to focus on the local by selling through a sweet children's shop called Seams to Last in Port Townsend and I have also realized that having an Etsy website is also a great way to sell to out of town friends and friends of friends. I just spent all of this morning finishing up my Etsy website and other than the fact that my house has terrible lighting, I am happy with the results. I would love to be a part in making quality cloth diapers and supplies for you.
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| Fun fall colors! |
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| Baby Boy colors |
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| Cute Girl Prints |
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| Mamma Cloth small wet bag |
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| Really Fun Christmas gift! |
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| Retro Cars |
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Parenting: Surprise
Plenty of people feel filled with joy the moment a baby is on the way. I always expected myself to be one of these people, but sadly I have never felt this way. Wise people would tell me that there never seems to be a perfect time to have a baby and I wish I had taken that to heart. Having kids was never really something I questioned. I always expected to have LOTs of kids, but the when and the how was a bit different in my mind.
I expected to have a full year or two with my husband before having baby number one. If I were to get pregnant, of course that would be fine, but in the picture in my head, we had about one year or so. Most families had children two or more years apart. In fact, many who had tried to have kids closer together physically could not. Maybe I thought I would start having kids around twenty five years old and end around thirty five. When I started to think being done at thirty sounded nice, I did not realize I would seriously have A LOT of kids by then.
So my first pregnancy began just three months after my wedding day. Thinking I had some time with my one and only baby, I found out baby two was on the way and these babies would only be fourteen months apart. Then there was a time where no babies came. I almost began to think maybe I would not have anymore children, when along came baby number three. Then I never got to catch my breath again before baby number four, five, and now...wait for it...baby number six! It is like my body has tuned into I want to be pregnant all the time mode! I should be thankful. Babies are such a blessing from God. I love every one of my children and could not imagine life without them, but why have I never felt like I was allowed to actually enjoy being pregnant?
Most people do not feel like they have enough money, we do not. God has always blessed us with just enough somehow. It has been miraculous all these years.
Having more than the cultural norm of children is really challenging. I am from an educated background and of course I understand how to properly use birth control, but I do not believe in using most forms of it. There are a couple things I consider to be a gray area, but those things have not worked for us the last couple of babies.
All I can say is I have pictured myself with up to six kids, but beyond that I don't really know. People ask if I'm done all the time. I wish sometimes I felt comfortable saying yes, but I don't believe that is really up to me. I believe that is in God's hands. I got pregnant this time against most odds and I just have to believe this is something where God is in control.
I am happy about having another baby, but as one can see, I am not looking forward to comments like, woops, how many children do you plan to have?, are you crazy, here's some birth control, when is your husband getting fixed....and the list goes on.
I expected to have a full year or two with my husband before having baby number one. If I were to get pregnant, of course that would be fine, but in the picture in my head, we had about one year or so. Most families had children two or more years apart. In fact, many who had tried to have kids closer together physically could not. Maybe I thought I would start having kids around twenty five years old and end around thirty five. When I started to think being done at thirty sounded nice, I did not realize I would seriously have A LOT of kids by then.
So my first pregnancy began just three months after my wedding day. Thinking I had some time with my one and only baby, I found out baby two was on the way and these babies would only be fourteen months apart. Then there was a time where no babies came. I almost began to think maybe I would not have anymore children, when along came baby number three. Then I never got to catch my breath again before baby number four, five, and now...wait for it...baby number six! It is like my body has tuned into I want to be pregnant all the time mode! I should be thankful. Babies are such a blessing from God. I love every one of my children and could not imagine life without them, but why have I never felt like I was allowed to actually enjoy being pregnant?
Most people do not feel like they have enough money, we do not. God has always blessed us with just enough somehow. It has been miraculous all these years.
Having more than the cultural norm of children is really challenging. I am from an educated background and of course I understand how to properly use birth control, but I do not believe in using most forms of it. There are a couple things I consider to be a gray area, but those things have not worked for us the last couple of babies.
All I can say is I have pictured myself with up to six kids, but beyond that I don't really know. People ask if I'm done all the time. I wish sometimes I felt comfortable saying yes, but I don't believe that is really up to me. I believe that is in God's hands. I got pregnant this time against most odds and I just have to believe this is something where God is in control.
I am happy about having another baby, but as one can see, I am not looking forward to comments like, woops, how many children do you plan to have?, are you crazy, here's some birth control, when is your husband getting fixed....and the list goes on.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Me: Adoption
As I look at my children I see so much of myself. I see my husband too. There are these facial expressions I remember seeing in photos of me at similar ages. Each child has his or her own unique look of course, but there is also a distant reflection of my husband and myself.
It is amazing to notice the different combinations in five children. Had I stopped at two kids I would have missed out. Not one baby has looked exactly like any others. Only one child was born with blue eyes. Having children is completely miraculous!
Being adopted is a different kind of miracle. I get to pretend that my eyes might look like my mother's and my nose must be from my father. Were they both the same skin tone? Am I not quite five feet because my mother was short too? There are questions I will never answer, but the mystery can be fun as well.
Every time I have a baby I think about the whole connection from pregnancy on. I must know the sound of my mother's voice. I am drawn to sounds that remind me of Bengali even though I don't know the language myself.
Certain parts of my identity might be hidden or lost. I don't know the traditions of the family I came from and I don't know the names of anyone, but my birth mother. If I had been raised in a village what parts of my personality would be the same? Would I still love the arts?
But I look at who I am now. I have seen a lot of the world. My experiences are unique to me. There is so much that takes the place of all the questions. I know a whole different family...new sets of traditions. A world I would have never explored is a part of me now.
I get to be caught in the middle of what if and now, but don't most people feel that way? It is different, but also the same. I must say that having my own children has in some way brought me back to guessing if my kids look like other people I am related too?
When my husband's family comes to visit I can see all of them in our kids. It is so fascinating to me to see how traits are passed down. In a way it is an unwritten history book of the family and somewhere in all my children are the traits of my family too.
It is amazing to notice the different combinations in five children. Had I stopped at two kids I would have missed out. Not one baby has looked exactly like any others. Only one child was born with blue eyes. Having children is completely miraculous!
Being adopted is a different kind of miracle. I get to pretend that my eyes might look like my mother's and my nose must be from my father. Were they both the same skin tone? Am I not quite five feet because my mother was short too? There are questions I will never answer, but the mystery can be fun as well.
Every time I have a baby I think about the whole connection from pregnancy on. I must know the sound of my mother's voice. I am drawn to sounds that remind me of Bengali even though I don't know the language myself.
Certain parts of my identity might be hidden or lost. I don't know the traditions of the family I came from and I don't know the names of anyone, but my birth mother. If I had been raised in a village what parts of my personality would be the same? Would I still love the arts?
But I look at who I am now. I have seen a lot of the world. My experiences are unique to me. There is so much that takes the place of all the questions. I know a whole different family...new sets of traditions. A world I would have never explored is a part of me now.
I get to be caught in the middle of what if and now, but don't most people feel that way? It is different, but also the same. I must say that having my own children has in some way brought me back to guessing if my kids look like other people I am related too?
When my husband's family comes to visit I can see all of them in our kids. It is so fascinating to me to see how traits are passed down. In a way it is an unwritten history book of the family and somewhere in all my children are the traits of my family too.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
The Kitchen: Get Dinner on the Table
I have to admit, I love the kitchen, but there are plenty of days I just do not feel like making dinner. Here are my ideas for quick family friendly meals.
The latest favorite is slow cooker rice and beans. I basically make two cups of each and add 8-10 cups of water. Most of the time I even put 1/2 cup of salsa into the mix. Then later in the day I only have to think about adding to this. One can eat it like soup or burrito filling. Add cheese, sour cream, avocado, more salsa, black olives, there are many ways to change this around. Tonight I added sweet corn because we had some from our farm share.
My next go to quick family dinner is blended veggie soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. This meal always includes something the my baby can eat. She feels a part of the family meal and I know all my kids are eating their veggies. We like leek and potato soup, carrot and yam, and other mixes from our farm box.
One other idea of for dinner in an hour of less is homemade hamburgers and oven fries. I recently learned that the best oven fries are made by boiling the sliced potatoes in water for 20 minutes and added butter or oil and baking them in the oven for 30-40 minutes in a 400 degree oven. My hamburgers are bread crumbs for two slices of bread (a great way to use the heels the family does not want to eat) 1-2 eggs, and 1 pound of hamburger meat (organic, hormone free). To add a kick to these burgers I throw in some chopped spinach so my kids get to eat cool green hamburgers and vegetables without realizing it. They love these.
So if you are dreading dinner, don't feel alone. We all dread cooking dinner sometimes. If we had more money, maybe I would beg my husband for takeout more, but I am glad that quick meals can be put together at home too.
The latest favorite is slow cooker rice and beans. I basically make two cups of each and add 8-10 cups of water. Most of the time I even put 1/2 cup of salsa into the mix. Then later in the day I only have to think about adding to this. One can eat it like soup or burrito filling. Add cheese, sour cream, avocado, more salsa, black olives, there are many ways to change this around. Tonight I added sweet corn because we had some from our farm share.
My next go to quick family dinner is blended veggie soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. This meal always includes something the my baby can eat. She feels a part of the family meal and I know all my kids are eating their veggies. We like leek and potato soup, carrot and yam, and other mixes from our farm box.
One other idea of for dinner in an hour of less is homemade hamburgers and oven fries. I recently learned that the best oven fries are made by boiling the sliced potatoes in water for 20 minutes and added butter or oil and baking them in the oven for 30-40 minutes in a 400 degree oven. My hamburgers are bread crumbs for two slices of bread (a great way to use the heels the family does not want to eat) 1-2 eggs, and 1 pound of hamburger meat (organic, hormone free). To add a kick to these burgers I throw in some chopped spinach so my kids get to eat cool green hamburgers and vegetables without realizing it. They love these.
So if you are dreading dinner, don't feel alone. We all dread cooking dinner sometimes. If we had more money, maybe I would beg my husband for takeout more, but I am glad that quick meals can be put together at home too.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Me: Race, Adoption, and the Small Town
Growing up I felt like a white woman. I knew my skin was brown but my whole world was surrounded with white people. My parents are British and most of the people went to school with were white. I never thought of myself as having a possible different cultural background. Learning about Bangladesh and actually feeling Bengali were two different things to me. I owned some native clothing and a doll from India, not even Bangladesh.
My style was very much like most American girls. I liked to dress fashionable and getting a great hair cut is still something I very much enjoy. There were so many white actresses I secretly wanted to look like. Seeing Indian women in shows or movies was unheard of for the most part. I remember a teacher telling me I looked like someone from "The Young and the Restless" at one point.
All through high school the only times I felt different were when I auditioned for roles in the school musicals. I knew I would never look the part for an actual speaking role. In fact, I wanted to be an actress all through high school, but once I realized this would be difficult with my look I gave up. By the time I went to college I barely thought about auditioning for a play.
When I moved from a world of everyone knowing I was culturally a white girl, to being one of the only people on my college campus with brown skin, I still felt a part of things. My college was very skilled about making minority students feel accepted. Once in a while people dared to tell me that I probably only got into the college I went to because I was not white. This made me angry and question who I was more, but I wanted to fit in and most of the time I did.
No, I did not start to feel like an actual minority until I graduated college and left the town I went to school. Even though my family is down the road, I am no longer the brown girl who gets to be white. People who do not know me, see me as brown.
I often feel like the small brown person who does not get to have a voice or opinion. The place I feel most alone is the church. I cannot really explain it much beyond a sense that I have. When I went to church in Bangladesh on a mission trip, I felt like a normal person instead of a spectacle. We were singing "Shout to the Lord" and the English speakers sang in English and and the Bengali speakers in their native tongue. As this was happening a young woman lead the entire room in a spontaneous dance. It was like a Bollywood film. All this time I had been the weird girl in the corner dancing alone and never realizing that it was a cultural form of worship God has blessed me with. The lady leading the dance told me Bengali people are blessed in dance. In this church service I felted connected to God and the body of Christ in a way I cannot fully explain. There was freedom and also a sense of place. I understood more about who I had been created to be.
Now I struggle to keep my body still as worship music plays. I never want to offend people, but if I am ever going to be me in a church I dance without thinking about it. It is not a spectacle, but a state of who God made me to be.
There are other times one questions brownness. When years have gone by in a town, and one still feels alone, it is hard not to question if people stay away because I am not white. Most of the time I hope this is not the case, but not being white makes that question always come up. I have other qualities that might turn people away, such as having 5 children. Invitations disappear when one's family size grows. I must say that plenty of white women feel lonely in the small town too.
Overall, being adopted gave me a childhood most darker people in America dream about. Having a very English name helps too. When one leaves the nest the world is different. If one ventures to a town that does not know the family, the gap between white and brown gets larger. Now that my children are mixed race I cannot help but think, they will probably have a childhood and adulthood much like mine. They have a white dad, English names, and the advantages of probably feeling white. When and if they leave, people don't see the half white, they see the Bengali. Most people don't see Bengali, they see dark, not white. I can only hope and pray that their world will accept them and they will get to be who they are freely. People say race is invisible, but from what I can tell color is always color. Denying what is there is not helpful, accepting the other is important. I am not saying that I do not have freedom to exist, just that people will always see me as different. Is it possible for different to ever become equal?
My style was very much like most American girls. I liked to dress fashionable and getting a great hair cut is still something I very much enjoy. There were so many white actresses I secretly wanted to look like. Seeing Indian women in shows or movies was unheard of for the most part. I remember a teacher telling me I looked like someone from "The Young and the Restless" at one point.
All through high school the only times I felt different were when I auditioned for roles in the school musicals. I knew I would never look the part for an actual speaking role. In fact, I wanted to be an actress all through high school, but once I realized this would be difficult with my look I gave up. By the time I went to college I barely thought about auditioning for a play.
When I moved from a world of everyone knowing I was culturally a white girl, to being one of the only people on my college campus with brown skin, I still felt a part of things. My college was very skilled about making minority students feel accepted. Once in a while people dared to tell me that I probably only got into the college I went to because I was not white. This made me angry and question who I was more, but I wanted to fit in and most of the time I did.
No, I did not start to feel like an actual minority until I graduated college and left the town I went to school. Even though my family is down the road, I am no longer the brown girl who gets to be white. People who do not know me, see me as brown.
I often feel like the small brown person who does not get to have a voice or opinion. The place I feel most alone is the church. I cannot really explain it much beyond a sense that I have. When I went to church in Bangladesh on a mission trip, I felt like a normal person instead of a spectacle. We were singing "Shout to the Lord" and the English speakers sang in English and and the Bengali speakers in their native tongue. As this was happening a young woman lead the entire room in a spontaneous dance. It was like a Bollywood film. All this time I had been the weird girl in the corner dancing alone and never realizing that it was a cultural form of worship God has blessed me with. The lady leading the dance told me Bengali people are blessed in dance. In this church service I felted connected to God and the body of Christ in a way I cannot fully explain. There was freedom and also a sense of place. I understood more about who I had been created to be.
Now I struggle to keep my body still as worship music plays. I never want to offend people, but if I am ever going to be me in a church I dance without thinking about it. It is not a spectacle, but a state of who God made me to be.
There are other times one questions brownness. When years have gone by in a town, and one still feels alone, it is hard not to question if people stay away because I am not white. Most of the time I hope this is not the case, but not being white makes that question always come up. I have other qualities that might turn people away, such as having 5 children. Invitations disappear when one's family size grows. I must say that plenty of white women feel lonely in the small town too.
Overall, being adopted gave me a childhood most darker people in America dream about. Having a very English name helps too. When one leaves the nest the world is different. If one ventures to a town that does not know the family, the gap between white and brown gets larger. Now that my children are mixed race I cannot help but think, they will probably have a childhood and adulthood much like mine. They have a white dad, English names, and the advantages of probably feeling white. When and if they leave, people don't see the half white, they see the Bengali. Most people don't see Bengali, they see dark, not white. I can only hope and pray that their world will accept them and they will get to be who they are freely. People say race is invisible, but from what I can tell color is always color. Denying what is there is not helpful, accepting the other is important. I am not saying that I do not have freedom to exist, just that people will always see me as different. Is it possible for different to ever become equal?
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Parenting: Just a Cup of Tea
If you are a mom then you know that there is never time to sit down and sip a cup of tea. At one point I decided it was easier to drink coffee faster, but after being pregnant so much I rarely drink coffee these days. Bria also will not sleep if I have coffee. The things we start to give up grow as one becomes a parent.
Just the other day I was remembering what it was like to wake up to an alarm clock. The great thing about having infants is we do not need or use the alarm anymore. Even when the baby does not wake up before six, I do in anticipation of that first scream. I am not sure what is more annoying, a baby cry or a loud beeping sound. I do know I used to be able to hit snooze on the beeping and the crying does not go away just because I want to sleep more.
I used to have soaps that I carefully picked out. Now our shower is filled with baby shampoo and not much else. We all just use the same stuff. I am not complaining, just remembering. I used to wash my hair everyday, but to save shampoo and time I wash it every other day. This ends up being healthier anyway.
Our living room used to be tidy most of the time, but now it is a playroom, sewing room, music room, and office. How can one possibly expect to keep it clean? Did I mention books too? We love books. They are everywhere. Yes, we have book shelves, but if one reads several books at a time then they are dotted around the room to spark conversations at all times.
Cleaning up after one meal used to take a few minutes, and now it can easily take thirty minutes. I would not even say my kitchen looks clean after all this time. One could mop every day to keep Bria's place clean. At this point to keep up with a functional home is more important.
And about that cup of tea. Most days it gets put on the counter while I take kids to the potty. Maybe I make myself wash the dishes first. See I view tea as my reward from taking care of everyone and everything. Since this takes place all day, I easily get a few sips of tea throughout the morning instead of relaxing on the couch and reading something.
Kids open up a world I never expected. There is always something going on. A lot of the day is filled with happy noises. Yes, there is fighting and crying to, but lots of joy. I don't know what I would do all day if they were not such good entertainment.
The truth is serving my family comes naturally. I may complain, but I secretly do love it all. It feels great to finally cook a meal all my kids like. Making cookies would be no fun if it did not bring smiles to other peoples faces. Cleaning would be boring if there were not toys and food crumbs everywhere.
So even if it seems like a lot of work now, it is worth enjoying it all. The return is much greater than I know at this point. Next time I am in a bad mood I need to reread this post. :)
Just the other day I was remembering what it was like to wake up to an alarm clock. The great thing about having infants is we do not need or use the alarm anymore. Even when the baby does not wake up before six, I do in anticipation of that first scream. I am not sure what is more annoying, a baby cry or a loud beeping sound. I do know I used to be able to hit snooze on the beeping and the crying does not go away just because I want to sleep more.
I used to have soaps that I carefully picked out. Now our shower is filled with baby shampoo and not much else. We all just use the same stuff. I am not complaining, just remembering. I used to wash my hair everyday, but to save shampoo and time I wash it every other day. This ends up being healthier anyway.
Our living room used to be tidy most of the time, but now it is a playroom, sewing room, music room, and office. How can one possibly expect to keep it clean? Did I mention books too? We love books. They are everywhere. Yes, we have book shelves, but if one reads several books at a time then they are dotted around the room to spark conversations at all times.
Cleaning up after one meal used to take a few minutes, and now it can easily take thirty minutes. I would not even say my kitchen looks clean after all this time. One could mop every day to keep Bria's place clean. At this point to keep up with a functional home is more important.
And about that cup of tea. Most days it gets put on the counter while I take kids to the potty. Maybe I make myself wash the dishes first. See I view tea as my reward from taking care of everyone and everything. Since this takes place all day, I easily get a few sips of tea throughout the morning instead of relaxing on the couch and reading something.
Kids open up a world I never expected. There is always something going on. A lot of the day is filled with happy noises. Yes, there is fighting and crying to, but lots of joy. I don't know what I would do all day if they were not such good entertainment.
The truth is serving my family comes naturally. I may complain, but I secretly do love it all. It feels great to finally cook a meal all my kids like. Making cookies would be no fun if it did not bring smiles to other peoples faces. Cleaning would be boring if there were not toys and food crumbs everywhere.
So even if it seems like a lot of work now, it is worth enjoying it all. The return is much greater than I know at this point. Next time I am in a bad mood I need to reread this post. :)
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Community: Christ's Child
It is strange how very little I knew about churches and church going when I became a Christian. What lead me to God was not a long winded sermon, or an intellectual debate. Nope, it took something that does not make sense to most people. All I needed was a little picture from God that made me know forever that He exists.
For me, I would not say I am in a crisis of faith, because my faith in God will never change. I have experienced God in such a way, that He has to be real. However, I do not understand why I cannot figure out how to enjoy church as a mother of small children.
When it was just me at church, worship was always the most meaningful part of a service. I loved to close my eyes and let everything else disappear. It was one of the only times I felt as if I could actually be myself and most people would not even notice. Worship was safe and comforting in a world filled with so many expectations of how people are supposed to be.
Now I have kids and worship barely happens at church. How can one close their eyes when a two year old might run around the church? If the kids are in their own programs, often my husband or I is with the little ones. I really feel like church is fine for the single, childless, and parents of older children. I imagine my experience with teenagers who do not need me to keep an eye on them. Maybe I will experience closing my eyes and really being free.
Sermons are different for me. I am more visual anyway, so unless a sermon is thirty minutes or shorter, I would rather read the notes or read a book. It is great to hear a live speaker and not completely give up on that, but one must also know how to interpret God's word without just cloning ideas from the opinions from others. Sharing stories of faith is inspirational, but by itself, not a true relationship with God. My relationship with God is between God and I. Church does not define it, other peoples' opinions also do not define it.
I used to think that if one did not attend church every week there was something seriously wrong. Now I barely go to church and when I do I am praying for it to end because I am trying to keep order or I am not in the service at all.
We will have worship at home sometimes. My husband plays piano, but when he is not home we use cd's or utube. The kids and I love to dance as a form of worship. I pick songs they learn at school, or songs I love. An hour flies by and we have just had fun. This is how church used to be for me. I want my children to know connecting with God is important, but it does not have to be through sitting around.
My husband leads worship through scripture and prayer every night. He has even been teaching the kids about kneeling during prayer. We do not believe one has to kneel, but posturing oneself before God is important. My children all know we are Christian and love Jesus. The older two talk about Jesus and sing songs constantly.
People are the church. I really believe this goes outside of the walls of churches, or denominations. I think that loving each other is a form of worship. Churches have been very loving this way. So many wonderful people have tried to help us watch our children. My older kids have been included in helping take up offering. Most churches have been supportive of us having most of our kids, if not all of them, in the service. We have been blessed with meals after the births of all of our children.
There still seems to be a need for some kind of gathering. I still love to worship with a large group of people. I miss praying for hours with friends. My kids need to meet other Christian kids. I like to hear a sermon from time to time. I miss church, but long for a way to have a family of small kids and enjoy being in a Christ focused gathering. Really what I am describing is families coming together and just spending quality time together. Let's face it, without simple community, there really is no point for larger gatherings. In high school, church was another place to gather with friends. Now a bit more isolated from day to day society beyond my own family, I long to see other families and spend time with them, much more than showing up at big gathering where our family is welcomed, but kind of in the way.
God's love can be very tangible if we let it be. We can love and serve Him from where we are at all times. Thank you Jesus for always loving us. Maybe I am not a great church attender, but I still love Jesus.
For me, I would not say I am in a crisis of faith, because my faith in God will never change. I have experienced God in such a way, that He has to be real. However, I do not understand why I cannot figure out how to enjoy church as a mother of small children.
When it was just me at church, worship was always the most meaningful part of a service. I loved to close my eyes and let everything else disappear. It was one of the only times I felt as if I could actually be myself and most people would not even notice. Worship was safe and comforting in a world filled with so many expectations of how people are supposed to be.
Now I have kids and worship barely happens at church. How can one close their eyes when a two year old might run around the church? If the kids are in their own programs, often my husband or I is with the little ones. I really feel like church is fine for the single, childless, and parents of older children. I imagine my experience with teenagers who do not need me to keep an eye on them. Maybe I will experience closing my eyes and really being free.
Sermons are different for me. I am more visual anyway, so unless a sermon is thirty minutes or shorter, I would rather read the notes or read a book. It is great to hear a live speaker and not completely give up on that, but one must also know how to interpret God's word without just cloning ideas from the opinions from others. Sharing stories of faith is inspirational, but by itself, not a true relationship with God. My relationship with God is between God and I. Church does not define it, other peoples' opinions also do not define it.
I used to think that if one did not attend church every week there was something seriously wrong. Now I barely go to church and when I do I am praying for it to end because I am trying to keep order or I am not in the service at all.
We will have worship at home sometimes. My husband plays piano, but when he is not home we use cd's or utube. The kids and I love to dance as a form of worship. I pick songs they learn at school, or songs I love. An hour flies by and we have just had fun. This is how church used to be for me. I want my children to know connecting with God is important, but it does not have to be through sitting around.
My husband leads worship through scripture and prayer every night. He has even been teaching the kids about kneeling during prayer. We do not believe one has to kneel, but posturing oneself before God is important. My children all know we are Christian and love Jesus. The older two talk about Jesus and sing songs constantly.
People are the church. I really believe this goes outside of the walls of churches, or denominations. I think that loving each other is a form of worship. Churches have been very loving this way. So many wonderful people have tried to help us watch our children. My older kids have been included in helping take up offering. Most churches have been supportive of us having most of our kids, if not all of them, in the service. We have been blessed with meals after the births of all of our children.
There still seems to be a need for some kind of gathering. I still love to worship with a large group of people. I miss praying for hours with friends. My kids need to meet other Christian kids. I like to hear a sermon from time to time. I miss church, but long for a way to have a family of small kids and enjoy being in a Christ focused gathering. Really what I am describing is families coming together and just spending quality time together. Let's face it, without simple community, there really is no point for larger gatherings. In high school, church was another place to gather with friends. Now a bit more isolated from day to day society beyond my own family, I long to see other families and spend time with them, much more than showing up at big gathering where our family is welcomed, but kind of in the way.
God's love can be very tangible if we let it be. We can love and serve Him from where we are at all times. Thank you Jesus for always loving us. Maybe I am not a great church attender, but I still love Jesus.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Me: 8 Years of Marriage
Most of my posts focus on my kids and the home, but we would have none of this without my spouse. Twelve years ago I remember coming back from a worship meeting and telling my roommate that I might have met a man I could picture marrying. I was right! I did marry him, but it took another couple of years for the romance to begin and within a year of that we were engaged and married.
People often talk about fate, destiny, and meant to be. I agree and disagree with this statement. I think that people are attracted to who they love, but there has to be a reason why people are attracted to many people. If they were not, then dating would not be such an attractive option. My husband and I met at the right place and the right time, probably. He and I both liked each other from the beginning. Our secret stories of how we liked each other correspond as if we wrote the perfect novel. However, actual love involves a choice.
I could have decided that being with this wonderful man was too challenging for me. We might have thought putting off dating, courting according to him, could have been a better solution. However, for some reason, we both felt drawn together, our senior year of college.
People thought we were crazy for getting married young. I never pictured myself a freshly graduated college student and a newly wed, but there you have it. Now I cannot picture my life any other way.
Getting married young does have its difficulties, but the positives far out weight the negatives. We have gotten to build our life together. Maybe we are not rich, but if children were more important culturally than money, we would be beyond rich. I have very much become the person I am because of my husband.
My husband has encouraged me to dream even more than a crazy idealistic person like me has already dreamed. He has supported my love for writing, cooking, making things, and much more. I know that without him I would most likely know myself less. It is as if being married is like waking around with a mirror that always tells you the truth if you are a blessed as me.
I am thankful that my husband and I have decided to love each other more every day. I am so blessed by his presence in my life. He is my best friend and a wonderful father to our children. After eight years I love my husband even more than on our wedding day.
People often talk about fate, destiny, and meant to be. I agree and disagree with this statement. I think that people are attracted to who they love, but there has to be a reason why people are attracted to many people. If they were not, then dating would not be such an attractive option. My husband and I met at the right place and the right time, probably. He and I both liked each other from the beginning. Our secret stories of how we liked each other correspond as if we wrote the perfect novel. However, actual love involves a choice.
I could have decided that being with this wonderful man was too challenging for me. We might have thought putting off dating, courting according to him, could have been a better solution. However, for some reason, we both felt drawn together, our senior year of college.
People thought we were crazy for getting married young. I never pictured myself a freshly graduated college student and a newly wed, but there you have it. Now I cannot picture my life any other way.
Getting married young does have its difficulties, but the positives far out weight the negatives. We have gotten to build our life together. Maybe we are not rich, but if children were more important culturally than money, we would be beyond rich. I have very much become the person I am because of my husband.
My husband has encouraged me to dream even more than a crazy idealistic person like me has already dreamed. He has supported my love for writing, cooking, making things, and much more. I know that without him I would most likely know myself less. It is as if being married is like waking around with a mirror that always tells you the truth if you are a blessed as me.
I am thankful that my husband and I have decided to love each other more every day. I am so blessed by his presence in my life. He is my best friend and a wonderful father to our children. After eight years I love my husband even more than on our wedding day.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Me: End of Summer
As I look at all my hopes for the upcoming school year, I thought I might have been purchasing home school materials and looking forward to a year with my whole family home. However, sometimes life happens and other choices are just better for now. On the plus side, my daughter has been desperate to try out school and now she will get to. My younger son will get to be the big brother instead of stuck in the middle. I will look forward to afternoons of napping kids and some time to maybe write.
It is funny to think there will be so much less work with ONLY three kids at home. Realistically I know that Joel and Ellie help me out a lot. When I am making dinner, I can ask them to sing to Bria. When I let my kids play in the backyard, I know the older two will tell me if the little ones are getting into things. I have helpers now, and my three year old is not really able to do much. So I am trading some help for about two hours of quiet a day. We'll see how that goes.
In my "free" time lately I have been sewing. I figured out a use for some old jeans and the elastic from a torn apart pair of maternity pants. By cutting my jeans right below the knees and evening out each side I have a perfect sized pencil skirt for my daughter. She is very slim and most clothing falls off her waist. I used the thick elastic as the waist band and then I sewed a ribbon over it to make it look prettier. She is quite pleased with her new skirt.
There are lists of how I want to use up old bits of fabric like this. I have an old table cloth with a couple stains on it, that I plan to turn into oven mitts. Then I have some old curtains that I look forward to turning into chair covers for my kitchen chairs. Kids and fabric seated chairs has been a real mess. I need to be able to throw something in the wash. I am also thinking of using jeans scraps to make a purse, since mine is falling apart. Reusing old clothing and fabric, might just have become my new hobby. Just think, if I had the money to go out and buy fabric, I would be missing out on these crazy creative ideas. Don't get me wrong, I would love to pick some stuff out too, but right now I am having fun getting to know my sewing machine with fabrics already taking up space in the house.
So as one can see, the creative side of me is taking over. After having a baby this tends to happen. This time it was during my pregnancy and now. I love the idea of making as much as I can and buying very little. That way I know who spent the time making a lot of the finished product. I do not see myself learning to make fabric myself, but if I had a million hours a day I would try to. Products are more fun if for me if I attempt to make them.
It is funny to think there will be so much less work with ONLY three kids at home. Realistically I know that Joel and Ellie help me out a lot. When I am making dinner, I can ask them to sing to Bria. When I let my kids play in the backyard, I know the older two will tell me if the little ones are getting into things. I have helpers now, and my three year old is not really able to do much. So I am trading some help for about two hours of quiet a day. We'll see how that goes.
In my "free" time lately I have been sewing. I figured out a use for some old jeans and the elastic from a torn apart pair of maternity pants. By cutting my jeans right below the knees and evening out each side I have a perfect sized pencil skirt for my daughter. She is very slim and most clothing falls off her waist. I used the thick elastic as the waist band and then I sewed a ribbon over it to make it look prettier. She is quite pleased with her new skirt.
There are lists of how I want to use up old bits of fabric like this. I have an old table cloth with a couple stains on it, that I plan to turn into oven mitts. Then I have some old curtains that I look forward to turning into chair covers for my kitchen chairs. Kids and fabric seated chairs has been a real mess. I need to be able to throw something in the wash. I am also thinking of using jeans scraps to make a purse, since mine is falling apart. Reusing old clothing and fabric, might just have become my new hobby. Just think, if I had the money to go out and buy fabric, I would be missing out on these crazy creative ideas. Don't get me wrong, I would love to pick some stuff out too, but right now I am having fun getting to know my sewing machine with fabrics already taking up space in the house.
So as one can see, the creative side of me is taking over. After having a baby this tends to happen. This time it was during my pregnancy and now. I love the idea of making as much as I can and buying very little. That way I know who spent the time making a lot of the finished product. I do not see myself learning to make fabric myself, but if I had a million hours a day I would try to. Products are more fun if for me if I attempt to make them.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Projects: Size Large Cloth Diapers
I also learned how to put snaps on my diapers. Only one third of my diapers have snaps because I did not realize that ordering 200 snaps means that it takes four components to actually have a functioning snap. I needed twelve sets of snaps for each diaper, so 200 hundred snaps made only five diapers. I also have some basic snap pliers, so my snaps need to be pressed again sometimes to work as well as the snaps found on professionally made diapers. The plus to buying snaps, is I am in control of the colors and in honor of watermelons, I have pink diapers with green snaps.
These diaper making days have been fun. I even made up my own pattern this time for a change. Let's see how long these diapers fit. Will this be the size that gets us to potty training?
Now onto if it is worth it to make diapers. So far my many diaper making days have added up to almost the price of one stash of store bought all in one diapers. (consider diapers that require one to buy different sizes.) Some diapers are one sized diapers, but many come in sizes. Price is different depending on what kind of diaper one wants to buy. If one wants to save money, just get prefolds and covers, but if you want something easier to use, but do not want to pay hundreds of dollars, make diapers. It is fun and it does cost less.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
In The Kitchen: Pastry Cream Creations
When we made it home with two buckets full of raspberries and one and half buckets of blueberries I felt like we would never have to buy fruit again. We had these berries on oatmeal, as snacks, in smoothies. I considered making jam, but fresh berries are just so good.
As the week went on we moved berries to the freezer, but there is something I had to make first. I love fresh berry tarts with pastry cream. Now usually I use heavy cream, but I found a recipe in my Bosch cookbook that intrigued me. I had no idea how much cream I would have by the time I finished this, but I knew it would make more than one pie. I changed up some of the ingredients based on what I had in the house. Here is what I used:
4 cups raw milk
1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 egg yolks
6 tbsp tapioca starch
1/4 cup butter
I mixed this all together starting with some milk and tapioca starch. Then whisked the egg yolks and mixed the first and the next step together with sugar. Then one mixes the rest of the ingredients over low heat, but I did not let my mixture thicken. I put it in my first set of mini pies too soon thinking it would set, but it didn't . The easy fix for this was baking the pies in the oven. It worked perfectly. I still had about six cups of this stuff left over after my first batch of pies.
Now to cut out some calories, I just baked the custard and had it with blueberries. This was a nice treat, but by the next three cups of this cream, I wanted to try something else. The best summer treat ever is ICE CREAM! I had a bunch of raspberries, about two and half cups mashed up. I cooked them a bit with about 1/2 cup of sugar and a tablespoon of sugar. Then to make it more interesting I added a tablespoon of raw cocoa. Then I thickened the pastry cream in a pan over medium heat. When this was done both the raspberries and the cream were combined and placed on the counter to cool a bit. I moved it to the fridge and waited. This process started around ten in the morning and I did not attempt to freeze the mixture until around one in the afternoon.
Make sure to use a metal bowl in the freezer, the ice cream will freeze faster. It still takes almost three hours, but it was worth it. Once in the freezer one needs to mix the ice cream every thirty minutes until it starts to look thicker, like soft serve. Then just leave it in the freezer a bit longer to actually resemble ice cream. I would say the texture of my raspberry chocolate pastry cream was more like rich gelato. It was really good. To add to the flavor, my friend Cory has this fudge sauce on her cooking website that I love. http://freshisthetaste.com/hot-fudge/ Make this sauce at least once and you will thank me.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Parenting: Finding the Perfect Baby Blanket
Each child's choice corresponds to their size and the type of weather Port Townsend is having when they start to realize they can unroll from the nice swaddle. Babies also grow out of blankets like they do anything else, unless the blanket is big enough to last until baby no longer wants to be wrapped. I must stay that Dominic stilled like to be wrapped until he was almost two. We stopped swaddling him when we moved him into his first bed.
Speaking of Dominic, Bria's favorite blanket happens to be something that was gifted to Dominic. He did not take to being swaddled in this blanket, but because it is woven with cotton, we used it as his extra layer in the car and I would shade him from the sun in late summer with it. This also made a great blanket for nursing because it was not so heavy that baby would object to public feedings being hidden under it.
However, this blanket's true calling was for Bria. Bria was born in November, but even so, the weight of this blanket was perfect for her. It is a generous size, so we folded it in half when she was really little. There is a fringe on each end that she loves to touch. It is better for her to play with this instead of ripping out all my hair, another favorite activity. Now at almost nine months old I can barely get this blanket in the wash. She will not go to sleep wrapped in anything else.
Other than the fact that Bria loves this blanket, there are other reasons why it is so special. A friend of mine makes these right here in Port Townsend. She has a weaving studio and makes all kinds of beautiful hand woven things. We also have a couple of her dish towels. Her blanket is unique. It is also not a standard baby colored item. There is so much texture in the piece for the baby to touch. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, this blanket is just the right thickness for lots of seasons.
If you are reading this and thinking, I really want one. Rebekah makes baby blankets on request. She has an Etsy website www.etsy.com/shop/3strandshandwovens, she sell some of her items at Rennaissance Rags in Port Townsend, or one could also find her at the Port Townsend farmer's market. I am pretty sure you and and baby will love your blanket too. :)
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Me: 3 Months of Discipline
When I was in high school, I was the girl who shocked everyone at the Hard Rock Cafe as I polished down an entire burger and fries. This was even more impressive when people saw me... I was 4'11 and 95 pounds. In my spare time one could find me walking around Kitchell Lake after spending an hour and half dancing or a long cross country practice. I was very much in shape and strong enough to shock the boys with my muscles. I never had to worry about eating too much and I never spent hours trying to pick out all the parts of my body I did not like, other than my mustache that I took care of in the 8th grade after to cute boy told me I had more hair on my face than him.
My next challenge was a mastectomy at age 18. Even this did not crush how I saw myself. I was able to have reconstructive surgery that allowed me to forget there was anything different when it came to getting dressed in the morning and looking like a normal woman to the outside world.
So what am I complaining about now? After five babies I am more insecure about my body than I was in high school or college. I have this amazing husband who loves me and constantly tells me I am beautiful. Why do I feel so insecure. No matter how amazing one's life is, it is still hard to go from being 95 pounds and never worry about a pair of jeans fitting, to being 134 pounds and praying everyday that there will be something in the closet that actually fits. I am being real here because I think this is something a lot of women face, but do not want to talk about. We all have friends who go and have a baby and three months later they look amazing. After my first child I was close to being that person. However, things have changed and I desperately want my body back. Not for vanity's sake alone, but I guess it is slightly vain. I also want to know I am the healthiest version of me possible.
About three months ago I stumbled across Lindsey Brin's website and I have not looked back. I worked on my four weeks free and ended up joining her workout portal. This experience has left me feeling like high school me all over again. In three months I have added calories to eat about 1800 a day. Learned how to balance my eating. Then paired down my calories to suit my size better, 1500. I used calorie count at about.com to assist me in this process because it tell you what specific nutrients might be lacking in one's diet. It also lets one set the diet to lactation so I do not have to be scared I will not have enough milk. I still eat a bit over my recommended amount, just to make sure I have enough fuel to breastfeed.
In three months the scale has gone from 134 pounds to 126. I started this last pregnancy at 125 so if this had been my first baby I would be almost back to my weight. I have also seen my waistline go from 33 inches to 29 inches. My clothing basically fits and I am in the best shape I have felt since my last cross country season. So even though I have quite a bit more work to do, I would say that this has really helped me out a lot.
I feel like there is tons of education revolving around pregnancy and how to eat, but there is a black hole when it comes to the following years. For one thing, it is hard to find studies on women who have babies close together and how their recovery compares to those who have one baby and then three years later have another. Then I have yet to find a good testimony of someone who has had five babies in seven years and recovered back to a normal person again. So here goes, I will be honest with my story. I look forward to hopefully being able to say that pregnancy has made me the strongest version of me ever.
My next challenge was a mastectomy at age 18. Even this did not crush how I saw myself. I was able to have reconstructive surgery that allowed me to forget there was anything different when it came to getting dressed in the morning and looking like a normal woman to the outside world.
So what am I complaining about now? After five babies I am more insecure about my body than I was in high school or college. I have this amazing husband who loves me and constantly tells me I am beautiful. Why do I feel so insecure. No matter how amazing one's life is, it is still hard to go from being 95 pounds and never worry about a pair of jeans fitting, to being 134 pounds and praying everyday that there will be something in the closet that actually fits. I am being real here because I think this is something a lot of women face, but do not want to talk about. We all have friends who go and have a baby and three months later they look amazing. After my first child I was close to being that person. However, things have changed and I desperately want my body back. Not for vanity's sake alone, but I guess it is slightly vain. I also want to know I am the healthiest version of me possible.
About three months ago I stumbled across Lindsey Brin's website and I have not looked back. I worked on my four weeks free and ended up joining her workout portal. This experience has left me feeling like high school me all over again. In three months I have added calories to eat about 1800 a day. Learned how to balance my eating. Then paired down my calories to suit my size better, 1500. I used calorie count at about.com to assist me in this process because it tell you what specific nutrients might be lacking in one's diet. It also lets one set the diet to lactation so I do not have to be scared I will not have enough milk. I still eat a bit over my recommended amount, just to make sure I have enough fuel to breastfeed.
In three months the scale has gone from 134 pounds to 126. I started this last pregnancy at 125 so if this had been my first baby I would be almost back to my weight. I have also seen my waistline go from 33 inches to 29 inches. My clothing basically fits and I am in the best shape I have felt since my last cross country season. So even though I have quite a bit more work to do, I would say that this has really helped me out a lot.
I feel like there is tons of education revolving around pregnancy and how to eat, but there is a black hole when it comes to the following years. For one thing, it is hard to find studies on women who have babies close together and how their recovery compares to those who have one baby and then three years later have another. Then I have yet to find a good testimony of someone who has had five babies in seven years and recovered back to a normal person again. So here goes, I will be honest with my story. I look forward to hopefully being able to say that pregnancy has made me the strongest version of me ever.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Parenting: The Changing Role of Mommy
When I first looked at my little 5 pound 4 once little boy, my role was to feed him. He needed to gain some weight and I was going to be a part of that. I spent hours breastfeeding my son. In fact, at first I was asked to feed him, then pump, then feed him that milk and start over again about two hours later. The first week of breastfeeding felt like a year. Do not get me wrong, I would not change this, but I did feel like I would never go out in public again, or have a meal without a baby attached to me.
If only I had known what a basic day would look like for me later in life. Now, almost seven years later I find myself rushing around. I went jogging the other day and decided to distract myself by thinking about what every hour of the day is devoted to. A large portion of the day really revolves around cooking. My husband makes breakfast, but I do spend another ten to twenty minutes cleaning up breakfast. Then there is lunch. Most days lunch is quite simple, but feeding five kids takes time. Before I know it another half an hour is gone, just by feeding them some almond butter sandwiches and carrot sticks! Can you imagine? Then there is dinner. Most days I start cooking at three to have dinner ready by four thirty. If I am roasting a chicken then I have to start cooking at two thirty and we often do not eat until closer to five.
I used to spend much more time keeping house. There were less people to clean around and more spaces to put all our stuff. Now I wish I was better at cleaning, but I am feeling like I need to figure out how to arrange all the kids stuff in a small space for no money at all. My latest idea, put some shelves up in the garage. My mom gave me some a long time ago, but I am not super handy and my husband and I are busy doing other things. So what might be motivating me to do the bare minimum amount of cleaning? Sadly, it burns some calories and I know that if I keep myself moving I will not fall asleep, when I should be watching my kids. Also, I feel less depressed if I look at tidy spaces.
A large portion of the day is devoted to mediation. My kids fight constantly. There is some biting and pinching. Some kids like to wine more than others. Sometimes I try to have them work it out. Other times I join them in the crying. Let's face it, it might be nice to sit in a quiet office sometimes. I have had a headache before eight A.M.
Next task, educating my little ones. If left to themselves all the time, they eventually get bored. We like little art projects and trying to figure out what big people do. This summer our task for the older two is reading. I have one child who loves it and one that acts like it does not matter. Some days we throw in a quick math game. Almost everyday we watch something in French and I try to talk to them about the show in French. After a few months of this, some phrases are becoming a normal part of life. I am loving this. All this is aimed at trying to figure out if I can home school my kids. Maybe it is insane to even consider this with three other kids three and under. It is fun now when I do not feel like it is all up to me.
This year I have been the most disconnected with life outside of my family than ever before. Somehow, I can almost forget there is a world outside of my house because I am actually busy. I never thought it would ever be like this, but it is. Who knew that five little kids could take over so fast.
If you have not seen or talked to me for awhile, it is because I have an hour to hour unspoken, but known schedule. That being said, I miss people, and love to chat. I always knew I wanted to be more domestic, but never thought it would be most of my world.
Basic Schedule
5 A.M. Wake up, feed Bria
5:30 A.M. Workout - works like coffee without the buzz
6:15- 6:30 A.M.Get other kids up, changed, and put on the potty
6:30 A. M. Shower
6:45 A.M. Eat breakfast
8:00 A.M. put Bria down for a nap
8:30 A.M. French and try and clean up breakfast and whatever else in 30 minutes
9:00 A.M. morning snacks
9:30 reading or math
10:30 free time
11:00 lunch
12:00 P.M. naps younger 3
12:30 figure out an art project for older kids to get some quiet time for me
2:30-3:00 start making dinner
3:00 get kids up
4:15 eat dinner
4:45 bath time every other night
5:00 clean up the living room with the kids
5:30 get kids ready for bed
6:00 the kids are in bed and I am so tired. Try to have quality time with husband
9:00 on a good day hopefully I am sleeping
If only I had known what a basic day would look like for me later in life. Now, almost seven years later I find myself rushing around. I went jogging the other day and decided to distract myself by thinking about what every hour of the day is devoted to. A large portion of the day really revolves around cooking. My husband makes breakfast, but I do spend another ten to twenty minutes cleaning up breakfast. Then there is lunch. Most days lunch is quite simple, but feeding five kids takes time. Before I know it another half an hour is gone, just by feeding them some almond butter sandwiches and carrot sticks! Can you imagine? Then there is dinner. Most days I start cooking at three to have dinner ready by four thirty. If I am roasting a chicken then I have to start cooking at two thirty and we often do not eat until closer to five.
I used to spend much more time keeping house. There were less people to clean around and more spaces to put all our stuff. Now I wish I was better at cleaning, but I am feeling like I need to figure out how to arrange all the kids stuff in a small space for no money at all. My latest idea, put some shelves up in the garage. My mom gave me some a long time ago, but I am not super handy and my husband and I are busy doing other things. So what might be motivating me to do the bare minimum amount of cleaning? Sadly, it burns some calories and I know that if I keep myself moving I will not fall asleep, when I should be watching my kids. Also, I feel less depressed if I look at tidy spaces.
A large portion of the day is devoted to mediation. My kids fight constantly. There is some biting and pinching. Some kids like to wine more than others. Sometimes I try to have them work it out. Other times I join them in the crying. Let's face it, it might be nice to sit in a quiet office sometimes. I have had a headache before eight A.M.
Next task, educating my little ones. If left to themselves all the time, they eventually get bored. We like little art projects and trying to figure out what big people do. This summer our task for the older two is reading. I have one child who loves it and one that acts like it does not matter. Some days we throw in a quick math game. Almost everyday we watch something in French and I try to talk to them about the show in French. After a few months of this, some phrases are becoming a normal part of life. I am loving this. All this is aimed at trying to figure out if I can home school my kids. Maybe it is insane to even consider this with three other kids three and under. It is fun now when I do not feel like it is all up to me.
This year I have been the most disconnected with life outside of my family than ever before. Somehow, I can almost forget there is a world outside of my house because I am actually busy. I never thought it would ever be like this, but it is. Who knew that five little kids could take over so fast.
If you have not seen or talked to me for awhile, it is because I have an hour to hour unspoken, but known schedule. That being said, I miss people, and love to chat. I always knew I wanted to be more domestic, but never thought it would be most of my world.
Basic Schedule
5 A.M. Wake up, feed Bria
5:30 A.M. Workout - works like coffee without the buzz
6:15- 6:30 A.M.Get other kids up, changed, and put on the potty
6:30 A. M. Shower
6:45 A.M. Eat breakfast
8:00 A.M. put Bria down for a nap
8:30 A.M. French and try and clean up breakfast and whatever else in 30 minutes
9:00 A.M. morning snacks
9:30 reading or math
10:30 free time
11:00 lunch
12:00 P.M. naps younger 3
12:30 figure out an art project for older kids to get some quiet time for me
2:30-3:00 start making dinner
3:00 get kids up
4:15 eat dinner
4:45 bath time every other night
5:00 clean up the living room with the kids
5:30 get kids ready for bed
6:00 the kids are in bed and I am so tired. Try to have quality time with husband
9:00 on a good day hopefully I am sleeping
Monday, June 25, 2012
The Kitchen: Sourdough Success!
I have used the same dough to make baguettes, sandwich loaves, and it does not matter what shape, it still turns out nicely. I like making sandwich loaves because there is a smaller amount of crust and my kids prefer it. This bread is mostly hand milled flour, but to get a nice texture I do add a little bit of all purpose flour. I could probably make it all hand milled flour, but my littler kids would not be able to chew it, so it is a small compromise, but worth it.
Use 3/4 cup sourdough
1 3/4 cup water
4 cups hand milled wheat berries
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Mix ingredients, knead, shape, and set in the oven (turned off) overnight about 12 hours. Then wake up and bake bread in 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack ( so you get a nice crust). Volia, fantastic sourdough bread! I plan on making more tonight.
To add to the fun, one can use sourdough for much more. Our Friday night pizza is now made with my sourdough crust (recipe also found in this blog). The whole family gets to be a part of this. So really having a batch of sourdough is really not that much work, and the rewards are many. I do not have to wait 10 days to add it to pancakes, cinnamon rolls, burger buns, and so much more.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Me: 30 Years Old
Here I am enjoying a Birthday cupcake that I made for myself. Before judging why I do not have someone else making me cake, remember that I love baking. One of my favorite things to do is make birthday cakes for everyone in my family. My mom is making Charis and I small birthday cakes on Sunday, but my kids expected a cake for me today. So as I thought about cake, I started to crave it more.
Now for my readers who have been following my postpartum weight loss journey, one knows I am really trying to have more discipline over things like this. I have promised myself I never want to go to a party and say no to cake or food, but I also want to make sure I do not have too much. Life is about balance and yes, sugar is not so great, but once in a while, eat some. So I set out to make the cupcakes slightly better (they are still basically cake, but oh well).
For the cake (makes 8 cupcakes)
1/3 cup of organic butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup of organic unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup organic whole cane sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup of milk
Mix everything but milk and flour. Then alternate adding flour then milk until you have a creamy batter.
Place in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Fudge Icing
1 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp organic whole cane sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 tbsp milk
1 cup of powdered sugar
mix all but powdered sugar together in a small sauce pan over a low heat burner. Then use a whisk and add powdered sugar. This will make a stiff dough like icing. One can even shape into in to fudge, but I just tried to smooth it over the cooled cupcake. Yum, this stuff melts in your mouth.
This cake is 358 calories a cupcake (yes I am counting my calories still to stay on track). The organic whole cane sugar adds a slight caramel flavor.
I enjoyed every bite of my cupcake this morning with a nice cup of decaf coffee. What a lovely morning treat. Making the cake was almost more fun than eating it.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Me: Month Two, No Pounds Lost
So after my wonderful one month of what felt like a nice victory, I have worked so hard and lost nothing. What could possibly be happening? My baby started to eat solid food. Yes, that could be part of it, but there must be more. I am learning so much more about postpartum this time around. This is the longest I have gone without getting pregnant in three years.
My newest lesson is, when one loses some weight, then it is time to revise the diet again. Lindsey Brin's diet is in three phases for a reason, you BMR changes. I just did not focus on the meals because I do not eat things like shrimp and pork. When all of last month's work was complete, I did still lose an inch around my waist and hips, but the scale and I are no longer friends.
What am I going to change? I have had to be really honest with myself. Dominic's birthday cake was the beginning of many cheat days. One cheat day a week is not as big of a deal, but every other day does not work so well. I started to miss chocolate and sugar. I do not even eat that much sugar, but that seemed to be all I wanted. Oh and salt. I basically hate salt, but that craving kicked in too.
Routines of similar snacks and meals put me in a food rut. Now I am adding more to my life. What foods do I almost never cook, but wish I could come up with something fun to do make? My latest discovery. Sweet potato. I love it now. This has helped my sweet cravings. A couple of days ago our dinner was baked sweet potatoes, with ground turkey, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, chives, garlic, and feta. I am already thinking about making it again. The kids even liked it because it was fun to scoop the sweet potato out of the skin.
Then there are calories, a word I hate to talk about. If anyone has ever tracked calories then one knows that something like a glass of milk adds quite a few calories. I kept a journal during month one of everything I ate and looked up all the calories, but by month two I just figured my tummy had some idea of what it would be like to be full. It was not so good at this. This month I am holding myself accountable using caloriecount.about.com. This website allows you to sign up, count calories of foods, add your recipes to find out calories, add your workout routine, and then there is a complete analysis of everything. One can even see what key nutrients are missing from a days worth of food. It is great. I have added around 200 calories from what is expected of me to account for breastfeeding. These calories need to include protein.
All I can say is my calorie bank adds up faster than I would like. I must of been eating a little too much last month. There is actual hunger and then desire to eat because I am bored, tired, sad, and often lonely.
My newest lesson is, when one loses some weight, then it is time to revise the diet again. Lindsey Brin's diet is in three phases for a reason, you BMR changes. I just did not focus on the meals because I do not eat things like shrimp and pork. When all of last month's work was complete, I did still lose an inch around my waist and hips, but the scale and I are no longer friends.
What am I going to change? I have had to be really honest with myself. Dominic's birthday cake was the beginning of many cheat days. One cheat day a week is not as big of a deal, but every other day does not work so well. I started to miss chocolate and sugar. I do not even eat that much sugar, but that seemed to be all I wanted. Oh and salt. I basically hate salt, but that craving kicked in too.
Routines of similar snacks and meals put me in a food rut. Now I am adding more to my life. What foods do I almost never cook, but wish I could come up with something fun to do make? My latest discovery. Sweet potato. I love it now. This has helped my sweet cravings. A couple of days ago our dinner was baked sweet potatoes, with ground turkey, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, chives, garlic, and feta. I am already thinking about making it again. The kids even liked it because it was fun to scoop the sweet potato out of the skin.
Then there are calories, a word I hate to talk about. If anyone has ever tracked calories then one knows that something like a glass of milk adds quite a few calories. I kept a journal during month one of everything I ate and looked up all the calories, but by month two I just figured my tummy had some idea of what it would be like to be full. It was not so good at this. This month I am holding myself accountable using caloriecount.about.com. This website allows you to sign up, count calories of foods, add your recipes to find out calories, add your workout routine, and then there is a complete analysis of everything. One can even see what key nutrients are missing from a days worth of food. It is great. I have added around 200 calories from what is expected of me to account for breastfeeding. These calories need to include protein.
All I can say is my calorie bank adds up faster than I would like. I must of been eating a little too much last month. There is actual hunger and then desire to eat because I am bored, tired, sad, and often lonely.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
The Kitchen: Baby Food
I must be spending most of my time in the kitchen these days as my posts seem to all revolve around food. Yes, I must say the kitchen is probably my favorite room in the house and I do spend a little over half the day in there. All of our meals are made from scratch, or as close to scratch as possible. I have not fully gotten into making my own pasta yet, but I have attempted it a couple of times. Even though I am so snobby about cooking fresh food there has been a big gap when it comes to homemade baby food.
When I set out to make baby food for my first child I had no idea how much an infant can actually consume. It was more than I ever expected. My first challenge was keeping up with the child. I was already cooking for my husband and I and my son needed his own "special" meals. When I found out I was pregnant with baby number two, I gradually gave up on my homemade baby food adventures.
We have been huge fans of Earth's Best baby food. All of my kids have loved the stuff and I have seen them polish down two to three jars in one sitting. It is an expensive, but easy way to feed a baby. I also went out more with my baby and this made it easier to take food on the go to coffee dates and such.
I did not have the pregnancy excuse with baby number two, but I still could not work up the energy to make baby food. Someone gave us a food mill, so on nights when I made things the baby could eat I would mill some food, but we still bought jars of baby food.
Just like everything in life, making baby food needs to become a part of one's routine. I have heard parents who just steam veggies for baby next to the meal one is preparing for everyone else. Then there are the super prepared moms (I wish I could get this good) who manage to make a week worth of baby food ahead of time and store it in the fridge. I have managed to make jam, why not baby food?
My routine so far with baby food goes as follows: we are out of bananas today, I guess I need to steam some pears and maybe I will throw in some blueberries. Start out with easy foods, bananas and avocado. All one needs to do is mash these foods up. Then consider making more things. I tried sweet potato mixed with applesauce and my baby loves it!
Figuring out a texture that is acceptable for the baby can be a challenge. In the past I have used the little food mill and even a food processor. My latest discovery is the blender. Babies like smoothie texture. Do not be afraid to add a little more water to the mix. It is more like a thicker blended soup.
Now baby Bria does not want to go back to baby food in the jars. This is a little sad for me when I might want to take a break. She still eats a few things, but mostly, she is waiting for mommy's creations.
When I set out to make baby food for my first child I had no idea how much an infant can actually consume. It was more than I ever expected. My first challenge was keeping up with the child. I was already cooking for my husband and I and my son needed his own "special" meals. When I found out I was pregnant with baby number two, I gradually gave up on my homemade baby food adventures.
We have been huge fans of Earth's Best baby food. All of my kids have loved the stuff and I have seen them polish down two to three jars in one sitting. It is an expensive, but easy way to feed a baby. I also went out more with my baby and this made it easier to take food on the go to coffee dates and such.
I did not have the pregnancy excuse with baby number two, but I still could not work up the energy to make baby food. Someone gave us a food mill, so on nights when I made things the baby could eat I would mill some food, but we still bought jars of baby food.
Just like everything in life, making baby food needs to become a part of one's routine. I have heard parents who just steam veggies for baby next to the meal one is preparing for everyone else. Then there are the super prepared moms (I wish I could get this good) who manage to make a week worth of baby food ahead of time and store it in the fridge. I have managed to make jam, why not baby food?
My routine so far with baby food goes as follows: we are out of bananas today, I guess I need to steam some pears and maybe I will throw in some blueberries. Start out with easy foods, bananas and avocado. All one needs to do is mash these foods up. Then consider making more things. I tried sweet potato mixed with applesauce and my baby loves it!
Figuring out a texture that is acceptable for the baby can be a challenge. In the past I have used the little food mill and even a food processor. My latest discovery is the blender. Babies like smoothie texture. Do not be afraid to add a little more water to the mix. It is more like a thicker blended soup.
Now baby Bria does not want to go back to baby food in the jars. This is a little sad for me when I might want to take a break. She still eats a few things, but mostly, she is waiting for mommy's creations.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The Kitchen: Sourdough Pizza Crust
After one week of making the sourdough starter, I had so much fermented dough, I did not know where to start. Making bread is great, but one does not want to eat bread for every meal, at least I do not. So there are some great recipes for different ways to use sourdough. After practicing I wanted to try an make up one myself.
Pizza Fridays is a staple in our house now. I have tried so many toppings and about three different crust recipes. Now I wanted to add sourdough and skip the brewer's yeast. So this it what I did.
1/2 cup of sourdough starter (Mine is 1 cup rye to one cup water and it took about 10 days thought it should only take 7)
4 cups of freshly milled hard red winter wheat berries
1 cup of water
pinch of sea salt
about 1/2 cup unbleached white flour (for dusting when shaping dough)
Mix all but the last ingredient in a bowl/ mixer
then remove and finish by hand. Place dough on a flat floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. I put my dough in the fridge and then took it out about 4 hours before making the pizza. One can just shape pizzas. ( I like to use parchment paper under each crust) Heat up the oven to 450 with pizza stones. Then bake each crust for about 10 minutes. Put on sauce and toppings and bake for 10-15 more minutes. This recipe made 3 crusts.
Pizza Fridays is a staple in our house now. I have tried so many toppings and about three different crust recipes. Now I wanted to add sourdough and skip the brewer's yeast. So this it what I did.
1/2 cup of sourdough starter (Mine is 1 cup rye to one cup water and it took about 10 days thought it should only take 7)
4 cups of freshly milled hard red winter wheat berries
1 cup of water
pinch of sea salt
about 1/2 cup unbleached white flour (for dusting when shaping dough)
Mix all but the last ingredient in a bowl/ mixer
then remove and finish by hand. Place dough on a flat floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. I put my dough in the fridge and then took it out about 4 hours before making the pizza. One can just shape pizzas. ( I like to use parchment paper under each crust) Heat up the oven to 450 with pizza stones. Then bake each crust for about 10 minutes. Put on sauce and toppings and bake for 10-15 more minutes. This recipe made 3 crusts.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
The Kitchen: Sourdough Week
Right before I found I was pregnant with Bria I had a brilliant batch of sourdough on my counter. I was feeding it and baking bread all the time. Our family had just purchased a grain mill and bread had never tasted better. Then I started to feel queasy when I walked into the kitchen, so I used up the rest of the starter and gave up. It has taken me until last week to start another batch of sourdough. Bria is almost 6 and half months old. Wow, I lost over a year of sourdough bread making, but now I am making up for it.
I just have a basic rye starter: 1 cup of water and 1 cup of rye. It was only supposed to take seven days to work, but I am convinced it is just starting to seem ready to work today (10 days later). I made some bread over last weekend, but it did not really rise the way I thought it would. Today I am making that same bread, so we will see what happens. It looks better after just a few hours.
Sourdough bread is a lesson in patience. One has to wait 12-15 hours in most climates to see if the bread is rising. Then one bakes it. On the plus side, one can go out all day and come home and bake fresh bread, or let the bread rise overnight and have fresh bread in the morning.
Other than bread, I am beginning to explore new recipes. We had some sourdough English muffins over the weekend. http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/3241/sourdough-english-muffins These muffins were fantastic and really easy to make. We had them with scrambled eggs and fruit. It took about the same amount of time as pancakes.
Today, in an attempt to use more starter, I am making sourdough cinnamon rolls. http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/SourCinnRolls.htm Right now they are rising, so I will be baking them in about and hour. I have been craving cinnamon rolls for week, so I hope they taste as good as they look on the website. My kids loved tasting the filling. I added walnuts to ours instead of raisins.
Now there should be some room for me to feed my starter again. My husband has begun calling the starter a beast. It is very much like having a pet that needs to eat once a day. I must have about three quarts of the stuff now, so there is a lot of bread and other goodies to make. Maybe we will try bagels and add sourdough to our pizza crust one Friday. Anyone know any good recipes?
I just have a basic rye starter: 1 cup of water and 1 cup of rye. It was only supposed to take seven days to work, but I am convinced it is just starting to seem ready to work today (10 days later). I made some bread over last weekend, but it did not really rise the way I thought it would. Today I am making that same bread, so we will see what happens. It looks better after just a few hours.
Sourdough bread is a lesson in patience. One has to wait 12-15 hours in most climates to see if the bread is rising. Then one bakes it. On the plus side, one can go out all day and come home and bake fresh bread, or let the bread rise overnight and have fresh bread in the morning.
Other than bread, I am beginning to explore new recipes. We had some sourdough English muffins over the weekend. http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/3241/sourdough-english-muffins These muffins were fantastic and really easy to make. We had them with scrambled eggs and fruit. It took about the same amount of time as pancakes.
Today, in an attempt to use more starter, I am making sourdough cinnamon rolls. http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/SourCinnRolls.htm Right now they are rising, so I will be baking them in about and hour. I have been craving cinnamon rolls for week, so I hope they taste as good as they look on the website. My kids loved tasting the filling. I added walnuts to ours instead of raisins.
Now there should be some room for me to feed my starter again. My husband has begun calling the starter a beast. It is very much like having a pet that needs to eat once a day. I must have about three quarts of the stuff now, so there is a lot of bread and other goodies to make. Maybe we will try bagels and add sourdough to our pizza crust one Friday. Anyone know any good recipes?
Monday, May 21, 2012
Looking Back On My 20's: Manuscripts
Even with the craziness of having a couple of really small kids, I decided I would dedicate some time to writing every single day. My first project was more for me. I am not sure I should ever pursue publishing that manuscript because I wrote it as fiction, but it is mostly creative nonfiction with a twist. After writing it, I realized I wanted to write one of my real stories. I set out to write my mastectomy story. I even sent out a few letters to agents, nobody wanting to publish yet.
Then I had Dominic, and a few more babies and that brings me to today. Where do I stand as a writer and when will I ever find time to write again? I write this blog and that is about it for now. We will see. I am thinking about some fiction. I figure I will write when I can and maybe self publish, or write more queries later. I love the writing part, like less the rewriting part, and look forward least to the idea of trying to convince someone my work is worth reading.
Just for fun, I want to post a section of My Mastectomy Tale: One Breast Less.
Drinking orange goo, while staring at a rather intimidating tunnel I was about to enter, was just the beginning of my MRI introduction. I sat gulping the orange soda flavored stuff (orange soda flavor seriously gone wrong), feeling queasy with each sip. I never really liked soda much to begin with, but this tasted much worse.
The room was beige, even the machine I was about to spend a fair amount of time in was beige. This was a nice change from all the dazzling white doctor’s offices I had spent so much time in. I sat in the room wishing the warmth of the wall coloring would help me feel better, but I was overcome by the same sensations I experienced in just about every doctor’s office. I felt hollow and empty.
“I have a selection of CDs for you to choose from. The procedure will last roughly forty-five minutes,” the technician informed me.
The stack of CDs was filled with people I had never heard of until I reached for a cover that looked slightly familiar. It was a white cover with glamorous Celine Dion on the front.
“This one,” I pointed at it feeling deeply embarrassed.
Telling people what music I liked was like unlocking one of my most treasured secrets. I am not sure why, but I have always felt as if nobody understood my taste in music, so I always tried to keep it to myself. Celine Dion brought back a lot of memories for me. She was the person I listened to when I was painting my nails odd colors of purple, blue, and magenta in junior high. My first prank calls to cute boys included me playing “My Heart Will Go On” for their answering machines. In any case, Celine Dion was the perfect distraction for a rather lengthy MRI. I had no idea eliciting past memories would save my sanity.
My whole body was encompassed in a tube, one breast in a hole. I felt as if the hole might suck up my entire body if I was not careful. Song after song played and it is a CD I am so acquainted with I knew what was about to play next. I could even judge how long it might take until the entire CD was finished. Around such a time, I would no longer have to lie in the tube.
My stomach felt queasy. My entire body limp. It was probably a good thing that nobody explained what an MRI was like prior to my experience. I wanted to jump out several times. Forget my trip down memory lane through Celine Dion’s amazing voice. If I did not get out soon, I might puke. What would happen if I did? Was there some kind of button to press for assistance?
The music had stopped a few minutes ago and my brain ran away with the nauseous sensation. Where was the nice MRI technician? I NEEDED to get out of this thing.
Just as I felt like I could not stand one more minute of the tube, I heard footsteps and the technician was ready to let me out. Thankfully, I never puked and the feeling left me the instant I left the tube.
Moments like the MRI experience reminded me of the reality of my situation. The lump could be serious and the MRI was merely a machine that allowed the doctor to make a more accurate assessment of my situation.
So there I was reliving a difficult time in my life, but I must say writing was a great way to process everything I went through. As I live more, there are even more topics to write about. I must say I really enjoy thinking about new topics to explore. Not only are there more things to write about, but there are different ways to write. Fiction, plays, creative nonfiction, poetry. . . my favorite writer, Victor Hugo, explored all genres of writing, and I hope to as well.
Then I had Dominic, and a few more babies and that brings me to today. Where do I stand as a writer and when will I ever find time to write again? I write this blog and that is about it for now. We will see. I am thinking about some fiction. I figure I will write when I can and maybe self publish, or write more queries later. I love the writing part, like less the rewriting part, and look forward least to the idea of trying to convince someone my work is worth reading.
Just for fun, I want to post a section of My Mastectomy Tale: One Breast Less.
Drinking orange goo, while staring at a rather intimidating tunnel I was about to enter, was just the beginning of my MRI introduction. I sat gulping the orange soda flavored stuff (orange soda flavor seriously gone wrong), feeling queasy with each sip. I never really liked soda much to begin with, but this tasted much worse.
The room was beige, even the machine I was about to spend a fair amount of time in was beige. This was a nice change from all the dazzling white doctor’s offices I had spent so much time in. I sat in the room wishing the warmth of the wall coloring would help me feel better, but I was overcome by the same sensations I experienced in just about every doctor’s office. I felt hollow and empty.
“I have a selection of CDs for you to choose from. The procedure will last roughly forty-five minutes,” the technician informed me.
The stack of CDs was filled with people I had never heard of until I reached for a cover that looked slightly familiar. It was a white cover with glamorous Celine Dion on the front.
“This one,” I pointed at it feeling deeply embarrassed.
Telling people what music I liked was like unlocking one of my most treasured secrets. I am not sure why, but I have always felt as if nobody understood my taste in music, so I always tried to keep it to myself. Celine Dion brought back a lot of memories for me. She was the person I listened to when I was painting my nails odd colors of purple, blue, and magenta in junior high. My first prank calls to cute boys included me playing “My Heart Will Go On” for their answering machines. In any case, Celine Dion was the perfect distraction for a rather lengthy MRI. I had no idea eliciting past memories would save my sanity.
My whole body was encompassed in a tube, one breast in a hole. I felt as if the hole might suck up my entire body if I was not careful. Song after song played and it is a CD I am so acquainted with I knew what was about to play next. I could even judge how long it might take until the entire CD was finished. Around such a time, I would no longer have to lie in the tube.
My stomach felt queasy. My entire body limp. It was probably a good thing that nobody explained what an MRI was like prior to my experience. I wanted to jump out several times. Forget my trip down memory lane through Celine Dion’s amazing voice. If I did not get out soon, I might puke. What would happen if I did? Was there some kind of button to press for assistance?
The music had stopped a few minutes ago and my brain ran away with the nauseous sensation. Where was the nice MRI technician? I NEEDED to get out of this thing.
Just as I felt like I could not stand one more minute of the tube, I heard footsteps and the technician was ready to let me out. Thankfully, I never puked and the feeling left me the instant I left the tube.
Moments like the MRI experience reminded me of the reality of my situation. The lump could be serious and the MRI was merely a machine that allowed the doctor to make a more accurate assessment of my situation.
So there I was reliving a difficult time in my life, but I must say writing was a great way to process everything I went through. As I live more, there are even more topics to write about. I must say I really enjoy thinking about new topics to explore. Not only are there more things to write about, but there are different ways to write. Fiction, plays, creative nonfiction, poetry. . . my favorite writer, Victor Hugo, explored all genres of writing, and I hope to as well.
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