A Pug in the Kitchen

Movin'

2011-12-22T22:31:00.001-05:00

It's official! Pug in the Kitchen has it's own domain and all posts are transferred for reading. I've posted a few recipes there for fresh reading and to include in the Farmer's Daughter's Christmas Cookie Blog Hop. Make sure you adjust your reader subscriptions so that it now reads: Puginthekitchen (dot) com. Can't wait to see you there!

Icebox

2011-12-05T23:14:00.001-05:00

When I was newly married, I realized that I had a stash of old recipes from my great grandmother. I sifted through the recipes and pulled the ones I thought had potential. And I carefully, reverently even, placed her cookbooks on my shelf where they would be safe. Every now and again, when I'm feeling nostalgic and very Mad Men-ish, I get out those recipes and look for something new. I like to think about my Great Grandmother and wonder what her life was like and if she ever baked these cookies. I'm not sure, but I hope she did, they're amazing.

My Grandmother's cookbook is copyrighted 1942, and from what I've read regarding the history of homemaking and the American cook, recipes from this time period were created so that they used the ingredients that weren't rationed. So this recipe, uses brown sugar. Essentially, it's a sugar cookie, rolled into a log and sliced. But the subtle carmel flavors from the brown sugar make them so amazingly special, you'll want to just keep them in your fridge for those spur-of-the-moment cravings.

1940 Slice and Bakes

1 stick butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda.
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream together the butter, sugar and egg. When they are fully incorporated, mix in the remaining ingredients. Dump the dough out onto a piece of wax paper and form into a roll about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in the wax paper and chill in the fridge until firm. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the cookie log into 1/8-1/4th inch rounds. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet (they don't spread, so you can place them fairly close together) and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden.

Lighter

2011-11-26T20:52:00.001-05:00

Phew! After the holiday that started for us on Saturday and the onslaught of food it brought, we needed a bit of a break. So we took a break from the leftovers and had burgers. This recipe took less than 15 minutes start to finish and even my husband enjoyed them... as long as I promised that they would never replace the meat. He declared them filling, which is something that you don't often get out of my husband regarding meatless foods. I loved them and they going on that ever-lengthening list of foods for me to eat at lunch!

Black Bean Burgers

1 15 oz can of Black Beans
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
salt and pepper
1 small carrot
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic

Peel the carrot, garlic and onion. Roughly chop and then place in the bowl of a food processor. Drain the black beans and rinse them. Add them to the food processor. Puree. Add the bread crumbs and the seasonings. Then, add the flour as needed until the puree is thick and will stick together into patties. Heat some coconut oil (or another neutral oil) in a skillet and then place each patty in the oil. Fry until the patty is crispy, about 1 minute. Turn the patties and finish frying. Serve on a bun as you would a "normal" burger, garnishing however makes you the happiest!

The day after

2011-11-25T20:47:00.001-05:00

I went Black Friday shopping. Once. Seven years ago. I can remember standing in the middle of Best Buy terrified that I was going to get crushed by the mob of people. I left with a dvd player for my dad and later that day had the discussion that led me to the altar 16 months later.

For the last 6 years, we've chosen to avoid the chaos and the rush to spend by supporting the local businesses and making it a family day. We go out at some point in the day and get our Christmas tree and then come home to decorate. I know a lot of people do this, but I've made it a point to make sure that we keep after Thanksgiving to ourselves. And to make sure we are being conscious with our money's final destination.

Liam on the wagon ridesus

The town I live in has a group that champions the slogan "Be Focal, Buy Local". I for one, am on board. We've continued with our primarily local diet and spend as much of our dollars within the borders of our own county if at all possible. When looking for our Christmas tree, I found the OurOhio.org site and promptly checked out our county's offerings. As a result, we found a wonderful little farm less than 20 minutes from our home that I never knew about. We brought our tree home and decorated it after supper. I'm typing in the glow of the lights.

Regardless of how you've planned to spend your Black Friday or where you do your shopping, I'd like to encourage you to take the time to find a local artisan, farmer, or shop and support them instead of the big box stores. If you're looking for a place to start, how about with your Christmas tree? Check out the Christmas Tree Farm Network for a listing of farms by state.

Stuffed

2011-11-23T20:54:00.001-05:00

Oh stuffing. I grew up vegetarian, so Thanksgiving was one of the those holidays that we had to make some adaptations. We always had pasta dishes to round out the menu, but those standard side dishes never altered. So I spent all my Thanksgiving holidays eating mashed potatoes, yams, pasta and stuffing. Carbs anyone? When I finally started eating meat a few years ago, I was glad to leave the stuffing off my plate.

And then, I had a little boy who loved stuffing. When your baby boy loves something, you learn to make it and then you learn to love it. For him.

In my preparation for this dish, I purchased a loaf of French bread. My aunt, who is in her mid-70s was horrified. I'm not sure what other people use, but it's French bread for me. Stale French bread is the best, but I didn't have the time to make the bread stale, so I toasted the cubed up bread in the oven. Tada!

French Bread Stuffing:

1 large loaf, stale French bread cut into 1-inch cubes
1 quart chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
salt
pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried parsley

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add in the onions, celery and garlic. When the onions are translucent, sprinkle in the flour until it's thick and bubbly. Add the seasonings and half of the broth. Then, add the bread to a buttered 9 by 13 inch casserole dish. Mix in the onion mixture from the skillet and then pour in the rest of the chicken broth until the bread is covered. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Mashed

2011-11-21T13:48:00.001-05:00

I am sucker for mashed potatoes. I try them everytime they come with meals and spend 364 days a year dreaming about Thanksgiving so that I can have huge servings of my sister-in-law's mother-in-law's mashed potatoes. I've heard a few reasons why hers are the best: brown butter, cream cheese, the Bosch mixer, but no matter what I do, I've never been able to recreate them. However, this recipe is so close it's almost a clone. I had posted on Facebook Friday night that it was going to take all my willpower to not serve them in the morning with big spoonfuls taken out and I wasn't kidding. Yesterday as I scraped out the last bits of the leftovers, I wondered if I had made a good decision in only making 2 and a half pounds.

The 2 1/2 pound measurement is taken after the potatoes are peeled and washed. Then, those potatoes are tossed into a pot of salted, boiling water. It is very important to salt your potatoes while they cook. Not only does the salt flavor them from the start, but I feel that they are less water laden when you go to mash them. After you've drained the potatoes, return them to the pan and put them on the warm stove. If you like to use a potato masher, go for it. I use an immersion blender. I have to stop and clean out the blade a few times if the cream cheese gets packed in there, but I like it better than the traditional wire beaters on a hand mixer.

Because you're keeping the potatoes warm, they don't cool as quickly as they would in a mixing bowl therefore become that strange "mealy" texture. I get the mashing process started before I add in the butter, cream cheese and milk. A little salt and pepper to taste and then my favorite: horseradish. Add as much or as little as you like, but I promise you, it brings a whole new dimension of flavor to the potatoes. It wins over even the most skeptical of dinner guests.

Mashed Potatoes:

2.5 lbs. Idaho potatoes, washed, peeled and roughly chopped
1 stick butter
8 oz. cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. milk
2 Tbsp. horseradish

Boil a large pot of salted water and add the potatoes. Cook until they are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and then return to the pan. Place over a warm burner and mash using the tool of your choice. Mix in the butter and cream cheese, streaming in the milk to help mix. Add the salt, pepper and horseradish to taste... in my opinion, the more horseradish, the better!

**I made these the night before and put them in a baking dish instead of a serving bowl and then covered them and refrigerated them for the night. The next day, while the turkey was resting and then being sliced, I put a few pats of butter on top and then put them back in the 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.**

Thankful

2011-11-20T20:37:00.001-05:00

Oh he's thankful, alright... for PIE!!

Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving with my in-laws. This story is proof positive that you can throw a dinner party 18 hours after confirming the date/time and still get a decent night's rest. I loved that part... the whole in-bed-before-1030 part. I was tired. I was still tired the next day, so there are photos missing from our adventure that which bothers me, but I guess I'll survive. I'm going to give you a little run down of how I did our day, our menu and then share the recipes throughout the week. I realized that I don't cook turkey's nearly often enough so at some point I'll do another so I can have a cooked bird photo for you!

Swoon... I just love my turkey: bacon, rum and Ohio maple syrup... it doesn't get much better!

Menu:

Maple-Rum Glazed Turkey (recipe below)

Stuffing

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

Brussel sprouts

Roasted sweet potato slices (made for Sylvia so she could participate)

Mashed Potatoes

Pumpkin Pie

Nutmeg Maple Cream Pie (Recipe from here. Go there right now and make it. You'll think you've died and gone to heaven. I promise.)

I purchased our turkey on Thursday night. I knew I wasn't scheduled to entertain this week, but I really, really wanted to cook a turkey because people like the Pioneer Woman were posting these recipes for the turkey leftovers that motivated me enough to go to the store at 830 at night to find a turkey. It was the smallest of the turkeys that didn't have anything extra (preservatives, colorants, etc.) and it still weighed 17.33 pounds. And it was frozen solid.

The pretty brine, pre-turkey

Friday afternoon, we confirmed our lunch date for noon on Saturday. I had the turkey in the fridge, but didn't get a chance to actually start thawing it until around 5. I followed instructions I found online to "emergency" thawing a turkey. Every time I changed the water over the next 5 hours, I reminded myself that this is why I like to plan ahead: so I'm not wrestling a giant, half-frozen bird to drain the sink and washing my hands up to my elbows 27 times. Once the turkey was almost completely thawed, we put it in for a last soak in the sink and I set up the brine. I've made 3 turkeys and brined all 3. I will probably never do one without one. My brine consists of: 1 cup coarse salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. ginger, 2 tsp. whole peppercorns, 1 tsp. dried thyme, 1 gallon chicken stock and water. We have a small cooler that is the perfect size to put a turkey on it's side and fill with the brine. First, I put in the chicken broth and then the bird. Then, I sprinkle in the salt, sugar and spices. Finally, I put in enough water to cover the whole bird, shifting it around so that the whole cavity is filled with the mixture. We put the lid on and then stored it in the garage. It was below freezing out over night, but since everything was in the cooler, I wasn't worried. Alton Brown did an episode on brining and just left his on the "back porch". I don't. There are too many wild animals around here to risk something like that the night before we have company. I should also note that I made the pumpkin pie and the mashed potatoes the night before while I was waiting for the turkey to thaw and had a tart pan prepped with crust for the Maple Cream pie. And I was in bed at 1015.

The pretty brine, with turkey

The next morning, I got up and made the Cream Pie and prepped the turkey while the pie was cooking. My turkey is a little different that other people's in that I swaddle it in bacon. I know. I'm all about the healthy foods and then I go and do something like that?! Just stay with me for a minute. I put the bacon slices on the body of the bird and then also on the legs. I then throw some onions, parsley, salt, pepper and any extra bacon I feel like into the cavity of the bird. The next step is to heave a roaster with the bacon covered turkey into the oven and cook it at 500 degrees for 45 minutes. Then, I take it out (rather, Matt takes it out), cover it in foil and lower the heat to 350. I put the bird in the oven at about 945, lowered the temperature around 1030 and went to take a shower.

The bacon swaddle

Around 11, I returned to the kitchen, showered, relaxed, hair and makeup done. I got the mashed potatoes out of the fridge and diced up a loaf of French bread for my stuffing. Once the bread was diced, I spread it on a baking sheet and popped it into the oven on the rack below the turkey. I spent the next 15 minutes, getting the rest of my stuffing ready (recipe tomorrow), cleaning up what I could, setting the table and prepping the glaze for the turkey. We took the turkey out of the oven at 1130 (temperature reading 168 degrees). I removed the foil and the bacon. The bacon gets set aside for the dogs... they should get to celebrate too! The turkey is almost fully cooked, but has no color. To remedy this, I spread on my glaze which consists of equal parts dark rum and maple syrup. I usually start with 1/3 a cup of each and see where that gets me. I covered the turkey with the glaze and then popped it back in the oven for 10 minutes. I glazed it again and returned it for another 10 minutes. By then the temperature was 175 degrees and considering that the internal temperature would continue to rise, I skipped the 3rd glazing in favor of not having a dry bird and took it out to rest. It was about 1150, so I put the stuffing, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese in the oven.

My little half pint post mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes and stuffing. We're big into the tactile experiences in this kitchen.

I fed Sylvia and was ready to carve the turkey by the time my in-laws got to the house. We served lunch officially around 1, but only because it took forever to carve the giant bird and get the kids set up. The turkey was amazing. The bacon and tin foil serve to keep the meat moist while flavoring it. The turkey wasn't as dark as it has been in the past, but only because it cooked a little faster than I had anticipated. We all ate until we were stuffed and yet I wasn't tired enough of the turkey a few hours later when I made myself a turkey sandwich on some leftover French bread. We had a wonderful day and was able to relax and enjoy the time with our children and my in-laws. Of course, my kitchen still looks like a bomb went off in it, but it was well worth the mess. After, it is our family and these moments we are most grateful for, isn't it?

Sloppy

2011-11-17T14:42:00.001-05:00

Recently, I started to crave the dishes my parents made as I grew up. The more I think about it, the main ingredient in most of those dishes is lentils. So down the road I headed to our new bulk foods store and bought a pound. I have been doing so reading up on how to cook lentils and other legumes and it would seem that not everyone feels you need to soak them overnight before cooking them, but I like coming in the kitchen in the morning for my coffee and seeing the bowl of soaking lentils on my stovetop. Now, all I need are those pans with the wonky handles I hated scrubbing cooked rice off of and I'd be 15 again. This recipe is an adaptation of my dad's sloppy joe sauce, but it still tastes like home.

With this meal, I also celebrated the end of the processed ketchup in our home. I had bought two HUGE bottles for making sloppy joes for Liam's birthday party last summer. I gave away one, but have been slowly chipping away at the other bottle. Really, for as much I've been wanting to get rid of the processed things in our home, I hate to waste. And even though the only time we use that ketchup is when we have cookouts, I just couldn't waste it. I may have danced a little on the way to the recycling bin.

As far as the family reviews on this meal, Matt ate it without complaint and said that he didn't notice a difference in taste, but the texture got his attention. He also said he didn't want to take it for lunch at work. No one in his office is vegetarian. I get it. Liam spit his out and declared it "yucky". He's 2, I ignored him. Sylvia didn't get anything but a bit of the bun and the roasted sweet potatoes. Currently, she's my best eater in the house. I loved it and I will be making it again to freeze for my own lunches.

Sloppy Lentils

1 c. lentils, soaked over night and cooked until tender
1 Tbsp. olive or coconut oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c. ketchup
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. Brown sugar

Heat the oil in a saute pan and add the onions, peppers and garlic. Stir in the lentils and mix thoroughly. Then, add in all the ingredients for the sauce and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve on buns. Makes 8 sandwiches.

My favorite

2011-11-15T20:00:00.001-05:00

I'm glad I got back into making my own yogurt again. Now, I have a fresh quart of plain yogurt whenever I need it to do neat things like marinate chicken. For months, I've had to make a note and a specific trip to the store if I wanted to make a lot of the dishes I'm dying to try. Sunday afternoon, while the Pear butter was simmering, I grabbed some chicken out of the fridge and coated it in a thick bath of yogurt and spices, fully intending to grill it up for supper. But then, we got company and company that doesn't like Indian food. Well, company that hasn't ever had Indian food and I'd love to challenge their opinion of it. I let it marinate overnight and we had this on Monday night and my goodness, I didn't make enough of this to share. As it was, I wept a tiny tear when I gave up the leftovers so Matt could take them to work this morning.

Chicken Tikka Masala one of my absolute favorite Indian dishes. I always order it when we go to an Indian restaurant and whenever I see the sauce jarred in the grocery, I buy it to try. I haven't had any since about a week before I had Sylvia so I was just dying to savor every bite. And this dish did not disappoint. Creamy and with just a hint of spice this is a dish that even the 7 month old licked her fingers over.

Chicken Tikka Masala

1 c. yogurt
1 c. fresh cilantro or coriander
3 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
3 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
3 Tbsp. garam masala
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb. chicken

1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (this makes a fairly mild sauce, feel free to add more if you desire)
1 small onion, diced
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
8 oz. pureed tomatoes
1 c. whole milk
Cilantro for garnish
Naan

Mix the yogurt, cilantro, ginger, garlic, garam masala, and red pepper flakes. Cover the chicken in the marinade. Allow to set for at least 4 hours, but preferably over night.

In a large saute pan, melt some ghee and saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno until tender. Sprinkle the cumin, paprika and salt. Saute until fragrant. Pour in the tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes. Add the milk and cook over low until the sauce thickens. In the meantime, grill the chicken until cooked through. Cut the chicken up into small pieces and add to the sauce. Serve over brown or basmati rice and with warm naan.

** For the Cheflets: Liam ate this just fine, but I'll admit he was more interested in the naan. I gave Sylvia the rice with a small amount of sauce on it. She got the flavor, but none of the zing.**

Chai and Pears

2011-11-13T20:45:00.001-05:00

A few months after Matt and I got married, the pear tree in our back yard bloomed and we were amazed by the sweet smell that drifted into our windows. We waited anxiously for the pears that we were sure would overload the tree. In the 4 springs we had in that home, I'd say we got a total of 10 pears that were worth using. Most of those pears came the year I tried making pear butter. I swore I'd make it every year thereafter. That was in 2008. I have not made a single spoonful since. Even the following year when Liam was starting solids and I was freezing everything in sight.

Anyway, I saw a recipe on Pinterest and started to drool. I had planned to follow the recipe posted, but I noticed a box of chai in my cupboard this morning and decided to tweak the recipe a tad. Here's the thing: I LOVE spices and flavors and depth. For this, I essentially took the spices for my traditional Chai recipe and added it to the pears. I was surprised how juicy my pears were, so I had to let them cook down for quite a while. While they were cooking, we went outside and started hanging the Christmas lights. Even though it's November in Ohio, the weather is quite nice and this was the perfect weekend to get the decorating underway! When we came back in the house smelled heavenly and I'm just so excited to add these little jars to my Christmas gifts this year.

Vanilla Chai Spice Pear Butter

7 lbs. Pears
1/2 c. water
1/4 C. Orange juice
3 c. granulated sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground Cardamon
1/2 tsp. ground Cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Wash and roughly chop the pears. Place them in a stock pot with the water and cook until tender. Run the pears through a food mill to remove the skins and seeds and puree the pears. Return the pear puree to the stock pot and add in the remaining ingredients. Turn the heat to a low setting and let the pear mixture simmer until it has reduced in volume and water no longer separates out. When the pear butter is thick and fragrant, pour into sterilized half pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Cap the jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

**Note: The word Chai in Hindi actually means tea. So... it's not Chai tea, it's just plain old Chai. Trust me. I drank plenty of it in June in Calcutta. Just plain Chai. **

Freezer ready Friday night

2011-11-11T20:21:00.001-05:00

Tonight while I was diving home from the butcher shop, I heard an ad on the radio about not "losing money" to fast food restaraunts during the hectic holiday season. Excited, I turned it up. I was thinking it would be a nice ad for a local business or a healthy tip. Nope. It was instead an ad for brand specific products at Walmart. I was a bit disasppointed.

However, in my freezer at home, I have my own versions of the meals suggested by the announcer. My favorite is Sweet and Sour Chicken. The recipe below is for a double recipe. I generally freeze both meals, but you could make one and freeze one. Whatever suits your schedule!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Freezer Packs

1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 cup ketchup
4 tsp. soy sauce
6 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 lbs. chicken
5-6 cups vegetables
2 cup brown rice

Thinly slice the chicken. Place it uncooked in a quart-sized freezer bag. In another freezer bag, place the vegetables. Using a large mixing cup, heat the chicken broth in the microwave until it's almost boiling. Carefully whisk in the rest of the sauce ingredients. Divide the sauce in half. (I used a tall measuring cup to hold the freezer bag upright while I added in the sauce.) Put all 3 bags in a large, gallon sized freezer bag. I also add in 1 cup of uncooked rice per bag, but it's not necessary.

When you are ready to cook, put the rice in a saucepan with 2 cups of water, a dash of salt and 1 tsp. butter. Bring the rice to a boil and allow to boil for 1 minute. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook, covered until the water is absorbed; about half an hour. In the meantime, add some oil to a large skillet and cook the chicken. Add in the vegetables (Note: I used an assortment of frozen "Asian vegetables") and stir. While it is easy to cook this with the meat and vegetables frozen, the sauce needs to be thawed out before it is added. I thawed mine in the microwaved while the chicken was cooking. Then, pour it into the pan and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables are warmed through. (I know that there will be some gripe about the cornstarch, but I've tried this recipe with various flours in an attempt to thicken the sauce and while they did thicken it, they altered the flavor. So, cornstarch won.)

Who want to eat rice cereal when Mama lets you eat off her plate?!

When the sauce has thickened and the chicken and vegetables are cooked, serve over the cooked rice. And with a side of homemade eggrolls!

Kitchen Kids

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the November Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids in the Kitchen
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how kids get involved in cooking and feeding. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

There are 2 children in my kitchen. One of them begs to bake every chance he gets and the other has recently learned to love solid food. Both of them are complete messes frequently. I love to watch Liam as he tells Sylvia that she'll "wuv" her applesauce. And I love to watch Sylvia as she drools over whatever Liam is eating. I love to watch her try as hard as she can to hold a spoon like he does and fit it into her mouth regardless of what's on it.

My kitchen is a place that we all love. My toddler lives to help me stir, fill and eat. My infant loves to watch and drool. And someday, there will be 3 of us having dance parties while we wait for the muffins to bake. 

Half Pint Pumpkin Muffins

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cups water

1 cups pumpkin purée

2 eggs

1 ½ cups flour plus 2 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all of the ingredients together and preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease a mini muffin tin and spoon in the batter. This recipe makes about 3 dozen muffins. You can add a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar to the top of the muffins before you bake. Bake for 22 minutes.

Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon November 8 with all the carnival links.)

Baking & letting go — Cooking with kids can be a mess. Nadia at Red White & GREEN Mom is learning to relax, be patient, and have fun with the process.
Family feeding in Child of Mine — Lauren at Hobo Mama reviews Ellyn Satter's suggestions for appropriate feeding and points out where her family has problems following through.
Children with Knives! (And other Kitchen Tools) — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy teaches her children how to safely use knives.
"Mommy, Can I Help?" — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment writes about how she lets her kiddos help out with cooking, despite her {sometimes} lack of patience!
Solids the Second Time Around — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes recounts her experiences introducing solids to her second child.
The Adventure of Toddler Tastebuds — The Accidental Natural Mama shares a few things that helped her daughter develop an adventurous palate.
A Tradition of Love — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy looks forward to sharing the kitchen traditions passed on from her mom and has already found several ways to involve baby in the kitchen.
The Very Best Classroom — Alicia C. at McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts reveals how her kitchen is more than a place to make food - it's a classroom!
Raising Little Chefs — Chef Mike guest posts on Natural Parents Network about how he went from a guy who couldn't cook to a chef who wanted to teach his boys to know how the food we love is made.
In the Kitchen with my kids — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine shares a delicious soup recipe that her kids love.
Papa, the Pancake Artist — Papa's making an incredible breakfast over at Our Mindful Life.
Kids won't eat salad? Try this one! — Tat at Mum in Search is sharing her children's favourite salad recipe.
Recipe For a Great Relationship — Cooking with kids is about feeding hearts as well as bellies, writes Hannah at Wild Parenting.
The Ritual of Mealtimes — Syenna at Gently Parenting Twins writes about the significance of mealtimes in her family’s daily rhythm.
Kid, Meet Food. Food, Kid. — Alburnet at What's Next? panicks about passing on her food "issues" to her offspring.
Growing Up in the Kitchen — Cassie at There's a Pickle in My Life shares how her son is growing up in the kitchen.
Harvesting Corn and History — From Kenna at School Garden Year: The kids in the school garden harvest their corn and learn how much history grows in their food.
My Guiding Principles for Teaching my Child about Food — Tree at Mom Grooves uses these guiding principles to give her daughter a love of good food and an understanding of nutrition as well as to empower her to make the best choices for her body.
Kitchen Control — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro writes about her struggles to relinquish control in the kitchen to her children.
Food — Emma at Your Fonder Heart lets her seven month old teach her how to feed a baby.
Kitchen Fun? — Adrienne at Mommying My Way questions how much fun she can have in a non-functional kitchen, while trying to remain positive about the blessings of cooking for her family.
Kitchen Adventures — Erica at ChildOrganics shares fun ways to connect with your kids in the kitchen.
Kids in the Kitchen: Finding the Right Tools — Melissa at Vibrant Wanderings shares some of her favorite child-sized kitchen gadgets and where to find them.
The Kitchen Classroom — Laura at Authentic Parenting knows that everything your kids want to learn is at the end of the ladle.
Kids in the Kitchen — Luschka from Diary of a First Child talks about the role of the kitchen in family communication and shares fun kitchen activities for the under two.
Our Kitchen is an Unschooling Classroom. — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle explores the many ways her kitchen has become a rich environment for learning.
Montessori-Inspired Food Preparation for Preschoolers — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares lots of resources for using Montessori food preparation activities for young children in the kitchen.
My Little Healthy Eater — Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares her research on what is the best first food for babies, and includes a healthy and yummy breakfast recipe.
Two Boys and Papa in the Kitchen: Recipe for Disaster? — MudpieMama shares all about her fears, joys and discoveries when the boys and handsome hubby took over the kitchen.
Food choices, Food treats — Henrietta at Angel Wings and Herb Tea shares her family's relationship with food.
learning to eat — Catherine at learner mummy reflects on little M's first adventures with food.
The Night My 7-Year-Old Made Dinner — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! shares how her 7-year-old daughter surprised everyone by turning what started as an idea to play restaurant into pulling off making supper for her family.
Cooking With a High-Needs Toddler — Sylvia at MaMammalia describes how Montessori-inspired activities and a bit of acceptance have helped her overcome hurdles in cooking while caring for a "high-needs" child.
Kids in the Kitchen – teaching healthy food choices — Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares her belief in the importance of getting kids into the kitchen using her favorite cookbook for kids to develop healthy food choices now and hopefully into the future.
Make Milk, Not War — Tamara at Tea for Three remembers the daily food fights as she struggled to feed a picky eater.
teaching baby birds about good food. — Sarah at Small Bird on Fire writes about the ways in which her family chooses to gently teach their son how to make wise food decisions.
5 Ways to Enhance Your Baby or Young Toddler's Relationship with Food — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares simple ways to give your child a healthy beginning to her lifelong relationship with food.
Toddler at the Table: 10 Creative Solutions — Moorea at Mamalady shares tips for preventing meal-time power struggles.
How My Child Takes Responsibility During His Mealtime... — Jenny @ I'm a full-time mummy shares how she teaches and encourages her 32 months old son on adopting good manners and responsibilities during his mealtimes...
megan — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings shares six tips for overcoming some of the the difficulties of cooking with multiple young sous chefs, and a recipe they all can agree on!
How BLW has made me a better parent — Zoe at Mummykins shares how baby-led weaning has changed her approach to parenting.
My Budding Chef — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom is no cook but is happy that her daughter has shown an inclination and manages to whip up yummy goodies for their family.
Kids in the Kitchen: An Activity for Every Age — Gaby from Tmuffin describes how she keeps her kids busy in the kitchen, whether they are one week old or two years old.
The Phantastically Mutlipurposed Phyllo — Ana at Pandamoly shares how Phyllo is used to create enticing dishes at home! Anything can be made into a Struedel!
Kitchen Kids — Laura from A Pug in the Kitchen shares her children's most favorite recipe to make, experience and eat.
Independence vs. Connection in the Kitchen: won't you please get yourself your own snack already? — Lisa at Organic Baby Atlanta wishes her daughter would just go make a mess in the kitchen. But her daughter only wants to do it together.
Grandma Rose's Kitchen — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter reminisces about her childhood and dreams of filling her kitchen with people, love, noise, and messes.
Healthy Food Choices for Kids — Jorje offers one way to encourage children to make their own healthy food choices at MommaJorje.com.
Cooking food to thrive rather than survive — Phoebe at Little Tinker Tales is trying to foster a lifetime of good food habits by teaching her children about the importance of avoiding junk, cooking healthy meals, and learning about the whole food process.
Evolution of a self-led eater — Sheila at A Gift Universe shares the story of how her son grew from nursing around the clock to eating everything in sight, without her having to push.
10 Ways Tiny Helps In The Kitchen — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama explores the ways in which her toddler actively participates in kitchen-related activities.
The Complexity of Feeding a Child — Feeding children a healthy diet is no straight-forward task, but Lisa at My World Edenwild shares some general guidelines to help your child thrive.
Lactation Cookies — That Mama Gretchen shares a fun recipe that will benefit both mamas and babies!
The Best Books and Websites to Inspire Kids in the Kitchen — Need inspiration to get your kids in the kitchen? Dionna at Code Name: Mama rounds up some of the best books and websites that can serve as a source for ideas, recipes, and cooking with littles fun.
A 4-year-old's smoothie recipe — Jen at Grow With Graces and her son set out to make a smoothie without the usual ingredients. She let him improvise. See how it turned out.
Independent Food Preparation (My Toddler Can Do That?) — Megan at Montessori Moments shares simple ways for children to prepare their own healthy snacks.
Follow Your Gut — Amy at Anktangle shares her philosophy about intuitive eating, and how she's trying to foster her son's trust in his own inner wisdom when he feels hungry.
A TODDLER-STYLE LUNCH + RECIPE — Manic Mrs. Stone photographs how to have messy fun during lunchtime with a helpful toddler.

Cloth beyond the Diaper

2011-11-02T23:07:00.000-04:00

We live in the kind of home where people spill something and when searching for a paper towel are confused as to why there aren't any. When I hand them a rag, they tend to blink in confusion before asking me if it's actually ok if they "ruin" my rag. Ever since my husband and I got married, there's been cloth in this house. We use cloth napkins I made from fabric scraps lying around from unrealized projects and rags that came from set of jersey sheets. Everything else that we use to clean the house is reusable cotton or microfiber. So when we chose to do cloth diapers, it made the most sense for us. I then went one step further and added cloth wipes to my laundry piles.

Last spring after almost a whole successful year of cloth diapering, I was really getting used to not throwing anything away in the house. We were able to switch to a smaller trash pickup and with the money we saved, I put that into a recycling pick up from our home so that I didn't have to haul my piles of recyclables to the next town over. Then, I made an investment in plates and cups that we could reuse for all our parties. A few months later, I found myself sewing reusable produce bags and birthday decorations. Successes from both of those endeavors inspired me to try new food preservation ideas, baking more of my foods from scratch and learning to be less wasteful by relying more on myself than on conventional products.

Cloth diapering for me has been just a continuation of a frugal lifestyle. I'm always on the look-out for new, green options for our home and I'm hoping that by keeping them in the forefront of our minds it will always be a part of our lives. I'm proud to raise my children in a home with cloth. Be it wiping up spills, covering a heiny or washing windows, cloth makes my life green and frugal. Just like I like it.

Beyond the Diaper - Inspiration and Resources for Reusables

Cloth wipes are a perfect addition to your diapering routine. I had a few extra receiving blankets that were worn to the perfect softness and in a mere 10 minutes trimmed those blankets into a pile of wipes. I kept mine super simple and just cut squares out of the fabric, but you can bind the edges with contrasting thread. Simple Organic has a wonderful tutorial on how to make and store your new wipes! Not a lot of time or spare flannel? Head on over to Etsy for a wide range of styles and fabrics.
If you're interested in making the leap to cloth wipes for the whole family, Crunchy Chicken is responsible for everything I know about reusable wipes in the bathroom.
Once I was fully invested in bringing my own bags to the grocery, I thought it was time to cut out the produce bags as well. I found good inspiration and ideas in this post from Mindful Momma, but in the end, wound up making something more like what I found on Etsy. I was able to find cotton mesh fabric and used scraps from a misguided attempt at curtains to make them stand out in my cart.
There are a lot of tutorials out there for UNpaper towels, but I'm here to tell you it's as easy as finding some absorbent fabric and cutting to the desired size. You can serge the edges if you'd like or leave them free. In my case, I had a jersey knit sheet set with a giant hole in it thanks to my dog. Instead of throwing the set away, I cut both the sheets and the pillowcases into large squares and have them stashed all over the house in baskets just waiting for a spill.
If you're looking for a way to ditch the plastic baggies as you head out on your picnics this summer, here's a great tutorial for sewing reusable wrappers that will add some fun to your lunches!

The Great Pumpkin's Newest Followers!

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

To see the rest of our Wordless Wednesday's virtual pumpkin patch, visit the Farmer's Daughter!

Pocket sized triumphs

2011-10-25T05:00:00.000-04:00

There are days when I realize that the reason why I haven't done something is simply because I was too unmotivated to get started. Case in point: pitas. For years, I've read blog posts about how simple it is to make your own and I just haven't gotten around to it. However, since doing the October Unprocessed and behaving myself so well, it just seemed silly to buy pitas for our falafels. The most challenging thing about this recipe is that I was a nervous wreck about how hot the oven was with Liam running around. I did have to employ the hubs to keep an eye on the kids while I was making the pitas, but it worked out. And I made the pitas while the falafels were frying so everything was done about the same time! Most amazing part of making pitas at home? Getting to watch the pitas puff up as they cooked! I did a dance during most of the cooking, I was so excited!

Unprocessed Pitas

3 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/4 c. warm water

* I used my kitchenaid mixer to make this recipe, but you can do all the kneading by hand if you choose.*

Put the yeast and warm water in the bowl of your mixer and allow to bloom by leaving it alone for 2-5 minutes. Then, add in the rest of the ingredients and mix with the paddle attachment. Once the dough is mixed, stop the mixer and switch to the dough hook. Put the mixer on the 3rd speed and lock the mixer so it doesn't move. Then, set your timer for 10 minutes and let the mixer knead the dough. At the end of the 10 minutes, the dough should be soft and smooth. Remove the dough hook and place the dough in a warm spot covered with a damp towel.

Allow the dough to rise for at least an hour and after that if you are not using it right away, put it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep it covered and check every hour for the first 4 to make sure it doesn't continue to rise. When you are ready to make your pitas, preheat your oven to 475 degrees and place a baking stone or a cast iron skillet in it so that as the oven heats up, so does the stone. (I used my pizza stone for the pitas. It's been used for a number of meals, so it's well seasoned.) Divide the dough into 12 balls and cover them with a damp towel while you are working on the pitas. Take each ball and roll it out until it's at most 1/4 inch thick. Keeping the dough moist is what helps them puff up in the oven while they cook.

I can fit 3 rounds on my stone at a time. Quickly open the oven and put the pitas on the stone (or skillet) and close the door. It is helpful to turn on your oven light if you have one so you don't have to keep opening the door to check the pitas. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until they have puffed up delightfully. When the pitas are done, remove them from the oven the keep them covered with a towel as you work on the others. Cut the pitas in half to use as sandwiches or into wedges to serve as dippers!

The first meatless Monday in our home!

2011-10-24T13:15:00.000-04:00

And the toddler ate well!

When I first met Matt, I was still largely a vegetarian. I enjoyed my vegetables and had a faint hope that I'd find someone with the same tastes to share my life. This was not the case. While Matt politely ate my parent's meals whenever we were together, he informed me that he never wanted to see sprouts or tofu in our home. So then, I actually had to learn how to cook food beyond steaming broccoli and brown rice. Anyway, this Thanksgiving marks 7 years of love and many, many extra pounds. There are days when I wish I could have my vegetarian body back... but then, I'd also be 22 years old so...

Anyway, I've been craving good, homemade falafel for a long time, but it's a lot of work (I thought) and I didn't have a recipe that was reliable. A few weeks ago though, I saw a post on a friend's Facebook page about how she had made falafel and I decided that despite Matt's aversion to meatless foods, I'd make it. I used the base recipe from Feeding the Whole Family and then did what I remembered from when I had made it at home. The only complaint that I had about this recipe is that it didn't make enough for me to have leftovers. Matt ate and enjoyed it and Liam even ate it pretty well. The chickpeas were sweet and there was just the right amount of seasoning. I made pitas to go with this and I'll be sharing the recipe tomorrow!

Falafel:

3/4 cup dry chickpeas
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 small onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. dried cilantro
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup. whole wheat flour

In a medium sized pan, place the dry beans and cover with water. Soak them 10-12 hours. Drain the chickpeas and cover with water up to 1 inch over the top of the bean. Sprinkle in about 1 tsp salt. Bring the water to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the beans to cook until they are fork tender, 30-45 minutes. When the beans are done, drain and rinse them. Set them aside to cool.

Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and chop. You can leave them in a rough chop or almost puree them. I chose to almost puree mine so that the texture would be smooth. Then, add in the beans and puree. You may need to stream in some water so that the puree doesn't become too thick and you can blend it easily. (Once the texture is what you want, add in the spices and flour. The original recipe does not call for flour, but I recall my parents using cooked millet in their recipe to give it some body and help it stick together. I was very pleased with the texture of the falafels.)

In a large skillet, heat a few Tablespoons of oil so that when you sprinkle a bit of flour in, it sizzles. Drop your falafel mixture into the oil in the shapes you'd like. My father used to form his into rounds or patties. I just scooped a full spoon's worth and flattened it out once it was in the pan. Cook until golden brown on each side. Serve in pita with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, hummus and plain yogurt. I like to put a thin schmere of mayo on one side of the pita and then load it up with hummus and veggies. Yum.

I'm posting this recipe as part of Sweet Peas and Pumpkin's Meatless Monday Challenge!

ABBA said it!

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the October Carnival of Natural Parenting: Money Matters
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how finances affect their parenting choices. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
***

As the song goes: I work all night, I work all day to pay the bills I have to pay. We live in a culture that encourages debt and overspending and when Matt and I bought our first home in 2005, we got sucked right into the sparkle of "buy now, pay later". But you know, one tiny bill easily spreads and soon you're thousands of dollars in debt. At the time, both of us were working full time and I made very good money. So we continued to buy and spend and get nowhere. In 2007, I quit my high-paying career track job in an attempt to slow down and be more healthy. I was driving an hour and a half every day and would take on overtime to the point that I was stressed out, angry and run down. So, we bought health insurance through Matt's company and decided to simplify. In the years since then, my income has dropped to a mere 10% of what I had been making when we first got married. We have eliminated as much debt as possible and don't spend needlessly. We have a strict budget and have to maintain it since we don't have tons of wiggle room. I work as a tutor in the evenings after the kids go to bed, but other than that, I don't bring in anything extra.

So since we aren't in a position to pay full price for everything, I've learned how to economize as much as possible. If it can be made from scratch, I do it. And if it isn't really worth it for me, I buy in bulk. We do eat local and organic as much as we can, so when figuring out our food budget, I prioritize based on nutritional content. I'm learning how to coupon so that I don't have to pay much, if at all for things like toilet paper and dish soap. Saving money has become a lifestyle that began as a necessity and then became a habit and now is something I do without a thought. I've blogged before about my precious laundry line and how I can like a mad woman to save in the winter. We use an all cash system to keep the budget totals as an easy reference to remember. We've planned ahead for things like birthday gifts and as morbid as it sounds, funerals. Our money system isn't perfect and there are months that we barely squeak by, somehow (mainly by the grace of God) we make it. Last year, we became owners of my grandmother's home which needed serious work. It's been a long, slow, challenging process, but we've done everything in cash. It's nice to know that as we look around the house, we only have a mortgage and not credit card bills. (We still own our starter home, but it is being used a rental property that isn't exactly a money-maker, but at least keeps us from paying 2 full mortgages.)

I want my children to grow up knowing how to manage their money. This morning, I was thinking about college... it's time to start those funds! Both Matt and I left our educations with loans and I'd like to help my children not to have those debts hanging over their heads as they start their own families. I'm hopeful that our children will learn how to weather financial storms wisely and gracefully as they watch us. And maybe someday, we'll be able to help them as they step out on their own.

***
Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon October 11 with all the carnival links.)

Money Matter$ — Jenny at I'm a full-time mummy shares her experiences on several ways to save money as a parent.
A different kind of life... — Mrs Green from Little Green Blog shares her utopian life and how it differs from her current one!
Show Me The Money! — Arpita of Up, Down & Natural shares her experience of planning for parenting costs while also balancing the financial aspect of infertility treatments.
Material v Spiritual Wealth - Living a Very Frugal Life with Kids — Amy at Peace 4 Parents shares her family's realizations about the differences between material and spiritual wealth.
If I Had a Money Tree — Sheila at A Gift Universe lists the things she would buy for her children if money were no object.
Financial Sacrifices, Budgets, and the Single Income Family — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama looks at the importance of living within your means, the basics of crafting a budget, and the "real cost" of working outside of the home.
Overcoming My Fear of All Things Financial — Christine at African Babies Don't Cry shares how she is currently overcoming her fear of money and trying to rectify her ignorance of all things financial.
Confessions of a Cheapskate — Adrienne at Mommying My Way admits that her cheapskate tendencies that were present pre-motherhood only compounded post-baby.
Money Matters — Witch Mom hates money; here's why.
Money? What Money?! — Alicia C. at McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts describes how decisions she's made have resulted in little income, yet a green lifestyle for her and her family.
What matters. — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life wishes parenting through play was her only responsibility during the day.
Making Ends Meet — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares about being a working mom and natural parent.
Poor People, Wealthy Ways — Sylvia at MaMammalia discusses how existing on very little money allows her to set an example of how to live conscientiously and with love.
The Green Stuff — Amyables at Toddler In Tow shares how natural parenting has bettered her budget - and her perspective on creating and mothering.
Jemma's Money — Take a sneak peek at That Mama Gretchen's monthly budget and how Jemma fits into it.
5 Tips for How to Save Time and Money by Eating Healthier — Family meal prep can be expensive and time-consuming without a plan! Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares five easy tips for how to make your cooking life (and budget) easier.
Belonging in the Countryside — Lack of money led Phoebe at Little Tinker Tales towards natural parenting, but it also heeds her from realizing her dream.
Total Disclosure and Total Reform — Claire at The Adventures of Lactating Girl gets down to the nitty gritty of her money problems with hopes that you all can help her get her budget under control.
Save Money by Using What You Have — Gaby at Tmuffin is only good with money because she's lazy, has trouble throwing things away, and is indecisive. Here are some money-saving tips that helped her manage to quit her job and save enough money to become a WAHM.
Two Hippos & Ten Euros: A Lesson in Budgeting — MudpieMama shares all about how her boys managed a tight budget at a recent zoo outing.
ABBA said it — Laura from A Pug in the Kitchen ponders where her family has come from, where they are now and her hopes for her children's financial future.
Money vs. Time — Momma Jorje writes about cutting back on junk, bills, and then ultimately on income as well ~ to gain something of greater value: Time.
An Unexpected Cost of Parenting — Moorea at MamaLady shares how medical crises changed how she feels about planning for parenthood.
5 Ways This Stay at Home Mom Saves Money — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares 5 self-imposed guidelines that help her spend as little money as possible.
Frugal Parenting — Lisa at My World Edenwild shares 8 ways she saves money and enriches her family's lives at the same time.
Conscious Cash Conscious — Zoie at TouchstoneZ shares her 5 money-conscious considerations that balance her family’s joy with their eco-friendly ideals.
Money, Sex and Having it All — Patti at Jazzy Mama explains how she's willing to give up one thing to get another. (And just for fun, she pretends to give advice on how to build capital in the bedroom.)
Money could buy me ... a clone? — With no local family to help out, Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama wants childcare so she can take care of her health.
Spending Intentionally — CatholicMommy loves to budget! Join her to learn what to buy, what not to buy, and, most importantly, where to buy.
New lessons from an allowance — Lauren at Hobo Mama welcomes a follow-up guest post from Sam about the latest lessons their four-year-old's learned from having an allowance.
How to Homeschool without Spending a Fortune — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares tips and links to many resources for saving money while homeschooling from preschool through high school.
It's Not a Baby Crisis. It's Not Even a Professional Crisis. — Why paid maternity leave, you may ask? Rachael at The Variegated Life has some answers.
"Making" Money — Do you like to do-it-yourself? Amy at Anktangle uses her crafty skills to save her family money and live a little greener.
Money On My Mind — Luschka at Diary of a First Child has been thinking about money and her relationship with it, specifically how it impacts on her parenting, her parenting choices, and ultimately her lifestyle.
Spending, Saving, and Finding a Balance — Melissa at The New Mommy Files discusses the various choices she and her family have made that affect their finances, and finds it all to be worth it in the end.
Accounting for Taste — Cassie at There's a Pickle in My Life shares their budget and talks about how they decided food is the most important item to budget for.
Money Matters... But Not Too Much — Mamapoekie at Authentic Parenting shares how her family approaches money without putting too much of a focus onto it.
Parenting While Owning a Home Business — In a guest post at Natural Parents Network, Lauren at Hobo Mama lays out the pros and cons of balancing parenting with working from home.
Crunchy Living is SO Expensive...Or Is It? — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy talks about her biggest objection to natural living - and her surprise at what she learned.
Mo' Money, Mo' Problems — Sarah at Parenting God's Children shares how a financial accountability partner changed her family's finances.
The Importance of Food Planning — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro discusses how food budgeting and planning has helped her, even if she doesn't always do it.
Kids & Money: Starting an Allowance for Preschoolers — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings discusses her family's approach and experiences with starting an allowance for preschoolers.

October fresh

2011-10-01T22:18:00.001-04:00

In the interest of full disclosure, I haven't been such a healthy eater these last few months. During the last weeks of my pregnancy and early weeks of Sylvia's life, other people were doing my grocery shopping and buying whole grains kind of slipped through the cracks. Little by little processed foods found their way into my cabinets and freezer and I started to feel pretty crummy. I knew every time I opened my cabinets and saw boxes and plastic containers, something really needed to change, but I didn't have the motivation to do anything about it.

I joined a Moms fitness group and as luck would have it, they are doing a weight loss challenge. My BMI is hideous so I signed right up. Part of the challenge involved writing down everything that I eat. Nothing like having to admit to a woman who runs marathons that you've had pizza twice in 72 hours to whip you into shape. I lost a pound in 3 days because I was conscious of what I was doing. Part of my issue is boredom munching. Being aware of how much I snack because I'm not doing anything else has kind of scared me.

Thankfully, I had been out a bulk food store the weekend prior to this and restocked my pantry. The flour was empty, so I replaced it with whole wheat. I didn't have a single box of pasta, so I bought semolina flour vegetable pastas. It felt good to fill my shelves with food that had value. I did my batch cooking that weekend with food that had been harvested or raised within 100 miles. For 2 weeks, I've been pulling from my freezer meals that were prepared thoughtfully and sustainably. I've not been rushed at supper and tempted to order out because I'm prepared. It took a whole day and a half to get things organized, cooked and prepped, but it's been totally worth it.

Yesterday, I saw a post about October Unprocessed. I went to the site and read through and decided this was what I needed to do to really get myself back where I belong. I had had Subway for lunch, felt guilty and told Matt we're going to start behaving again. There was only mild grumbling. For supper, I made grilled turkey and cheese and homemade tomato soup from the tomatoes I canned last month. I can't tell you how good it was. I've adapted the rules to fit what my toddler eats and what is already in my freezer for the month, but I'm not messing around any more.

After supper, I made ranch dressing and spicy remoulade. Matt had brought home some Boar's Head Spicy remoulade a few weeks ago and I totally fell in love with it. Turns out, though, I couldn't find a recipe that suited my needs, so I played around until I got what I wanted. Poor Matt got stuck with baths tonight while I tinkered around in the kitchen. However, I ran samples in to him so he could help with the process so I think that it was worth it in the end.

October Remoulade

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. minced sundried tomato
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. horseradish
1 minced garlic clove
splash Worcestershire
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 shallot, minced

Saute the shallot and garlic in a small bit of butter, until fragrant and translucent. Stir in the sundried tomato and mustard and heat through. Remove from the heat and mix in the remaining ingredients, the mayonnaise last. Spread on sandwiches, use as a dip or eat it with a spoon. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

Dance Party Parenting

2011-09-13T03:30:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the September Carnival of Natural Parenting: Parenting Through Play
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how challenging discipline situations can be met with play. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
***

The Pre-tackle Face!

I’m fairly certain there will be a fair amount of posts in this carnival that talk about how the parents have learned to diffuse toddler tantrums with play. And how play has helped in some of the most stressful times in their families. These are wonderful topics, and since that's what this carnival is about, it's wonderful these contributors stuck so closely to the theme. But I want to take this opportunity to talk about how play can be transformative for the parent.

I'm talking about myself, of course. I'm not what you would call fun. Prior to having children, I babysat a lot. I was good for potty training, bandaging skinned knees, homework help and tidying up after the kids went to bed. But I never had a reputation for being great at hopscotch or dress up. When I got pregnant with my first child, I bought every bookon pregnancy and childbirth. I wanted tobe prepared. I researched, I questionedand I made my choices. If parenting were all about statistics and theory, I’d beset. However, no matter the shearperfection of your schedule and how organized your routine, there are days thateverything is just thrown to the wind and you have to just deal. My son was colicky and grumpy. Everything he does, he takes seriously. He’s intense about life and the level itshould be lived at.

I read all my books and followed the suggestions for "playtime". I felt awkward and uncomfortable as I tried to sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider to him. I tried to teach him Pattycake and it just wasn't even remotely amusing to him or I. I had high expectations for myself as a parent, and I felt like I wasn't even connecting enough with my son to have all this fun we were supposed to be having. For several months I felt like a failure as a parent until one day I discovered the Black Eyed Peas and how much Liam enjoyed the beat of their music. I had put him in the doorway jumper to see if he could bounce at all and I was shocked at how excited he got! So there we were, in the kitchen bouncing like nuts to the music and having fun. Real fun, not scheduled, age appropriate, APA approved fun.

When my husband came home that night, I think he had thought I had gone insane. Suddenly, I realized that my parenting wasn't all about schedules and organization, it was about my son. We started to play with trucks and I learned how to make silly noises. I taught him how to splash in the bath water irregardless of the amount of mess it made. Now we have laughing contests, dance parties, and wrestle. Liam is still relatively high needs as far as his personality and what he needs from me on a daily basis. Because we can play together, I can use our physical play to deal with his toddler temper or his over-excitement towards his baby sister.

For myself, I've found that when I've been too long between play days, I'm a stressed out parent. I'm not as patient and understanding as I should be. Just as children need play to work through their stresses and learn how to deal with life, we adults still need play for the same reason. Liam and I connect far better when I can set aside my to-do list and draw with him or play soccer. Quite frequently, the answer to the tantrum is to play tag. He needs the endorphins from the run, just as much as I do! And never, ever underestimate the power of building a train track masterpiece not only for the sake of your child, but for your own mental health!

***
Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon September 13 with all the carnival links.)

On being a more playful parent — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine shares how the Playful Parenting book impacted her.
Parenting a toddler through play — Alicia at I Found My Feet lists some examples of how she uses play to parent through everyday tasks and challenges.
Splashing in Puddles — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares how she learned to get dirty and have fun with her little boy.
Say Please — Cassie at There's a Pickle in My Life explains how they taught their son manners by "play," showing that actions speak louder than words.
No Nanny Needed — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life wishes parenting through play was her only responsibility during the day.
I'll Run Away With Gypsies — Nikalee at Spotted Pandemonium maneuvers physical and emotional obstacles while spinning playful tales, jumping through hoops, and inspiring the kids to clean the living room.
A Promise To My Daughter — Lindsey at An Unschooling Adventure writes a poem for her daughter promising to use play instead of anger when facing difficult situations.
Parenting Through Play — Not Always Easy But Always Rewarding — Amy at Peace4Parents discusses how play hasn't always come easily to her, the power of appreciative observation, and how her family learns together through play.
Imagination Plays a Role in Our Parenting — Tree at Mom Grooves shares how parents can use play to set the foundation for communication and understanding.
A Box of Crayons — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction talks about how a simple box of crayons has become a wonderful parenting and teaching tool.
The Essential Art of Play — Ana at Pandamoly shares some of her favorite lessons available for young ones through play.
The Art of Distraction — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro shares a list of distracting alternatives to harsh punishments in tough parenting situations.
Grace and Courtesy Games at Home or School — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now has ideas for grace and courtesy games that help you encourage courteous behavior without reprimanding your child.
I am woman, hear me roar! — Mrs Green from Little Green Blog shares how one simple sound can diffuse an argument in an instant.
Getting Cooperation Through Play — Amyables at Toddler In Tow talks about respecting the worldview of a preschooler by using play to encourage connection and cooperation.
Playful Parenting = Extra Energy?? — Momma Jorje didn't think she had the energy for playful parenting. See what she was surprised to learn…
Dance Party Parenting — Laura from A Pug in the Kitchen learned how to be the parent her children need through play.
Wrestling Saved My Life — Wrestling is as vital to her son's well-being as babywearing once was, finds Hannah at Wild Parenting.
Parenting through play — By playing with her children, Tara from MUMmedia is given amazing opportunites to teach, train and equip her children for life.
Parenting Through Play Starts in Infancy — In a guest post at Natural Parents Network, Issa from LoveLiveGrow shares that though she only has a 3-month-old, playful parenting has already started.
Play Before Sleep — Adrienne at Mommying My Way writes about how playing and singing with her son before he falls asleep helps calm her frustrations that tend to arise at night.
Playful Parenting — Or 5 Lessons My Son Has Taught Me About Parenting Through Play — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama has learned to be a better parent by following her toddler's lead in play.
Hurry up! Hurry up! I mean it! Quack, quack, quack! — Kellie at Our Mindful Life leads a trail of ducklings
On the Road: Learning to Play — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante discovers her inner adult through a summer of playing with her children.
Preventing Tantrums Through Play — Gaby at Tmuffin explains how she keeps her household happy by not taking things too seriously.
Carnival of Natural Parenting: Parenting Through Play — Lily, aka Witch Mom, redirects unwanted behavior in a toddler using games and play.
Exaggerating for effect — Lauren at Hobo Mama has learned how to ham it up.
Handling Big Emotions with Role Playing — Zoie at TouchstoneZ plays at tempering her parental frustrations while helping her children handle some big emotions
How To Herd Toddlers by Talking Pictorially — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama demonstrates how talking in pictures is a playful way to engage your young child in transitioning from one activity to the next.
Getting a Toddler to Go Where You Want…Playfully — Sylvia at MaMammalia describes how a game of hide-and-seek can be used to steer a wandering toddler in the direction of her choosing.
Playful Parenting: Chores That Do Themselves — Remember chores when you were a kid? If chores were this fun for Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey, she wouldn't have needed any reminders!
Clown School Express: Playing away Fears — MudpieMama describes how she helped her boys confront their fears about starting kindergarten by playing with trains.
Practicing Playful Parenting — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle realizes that playfulness is the best way through the day and seeks more ways to practice it.
Today, Tomorrow and Every Day — Starr at Taking Time addresses her children in a letter sharing with them how improtant it is that they spend their childhood playing.
Learning Through Immersion — Luschka at Diary of a First Child shares how she helps her daughter develop naturally without focusing on teaching, but rather by immersing her in their family's way of life and making her an active part of her environment.
Play Here Now — Jessica at Instead of Institutions learns and relearns and tries to remember the value of play.
Play: A Wonderful Parenting Tool — Mamapoekie from Authentic Parenting offers a list of examples on how to use play in real-life parenting situations.
Playful Parenting — a Book Review — Erica at ChildOrganics shares simple yet sage advice from Dr. Cohen on how play can change your child's life.
Mock Threats: Turning Real Frustration into Playful Parenting — Threatening is not an effective discipline strategy, but Dionna at Code Name: Mama explains how parents can turn their frustration into playful moments by making "mock threats."
I'm Sick of Yelling — I Want to Play — Alicia at McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts realizes she needs to change the way she's parenting and is forming a new plan.
Sing-along, Brush-along Songs — Shana at Tales of Minor Interest shares a few songs to make brushing her three-year-old's teeth more fun.
Monster Voice — Ever have those frustrating moments with your kid(s) when you just want to scream? Amy at Anktangle shares a silly strategy for getting through those difficult times.

The end of the tomatoes!!!

2011-09-11T20:09:00.000-04:00

I had fully intended to do a lot more blogging this summer. I have a whole list of topics and several posts started. I do, however, have a wonderful excuse: canning! In between having a toddler and a newborn, I started working in May and haven't stopped. As I type this, the last 6 jars of salsa are processing in the water bath. I can't say that I'm sad. 4 bushels of tomatoes as a solo effort is rather overwhelming, but I know how much effort it will be in the years to come. I only have apples and squash to do yet this year. I have plans to do at least 4 dozen quarts of applesauce since I'll have another mouth scarffing it down here pretty soon. I want to make some apple cider jelly and lots of pumpkin butter. Then, I'll be freezing pumpkin and butternut purees. I'm thinking that I'll try to make one of Farmer's Daughter's pies for Thanksgiving this year!

Just in case you're interested, here's the Canning Tally so far this year:

30 pts. medium salsa
6 pts hot salsa
5 1/2 pts spicy ketchup
6 qts tomato puree
18 qts tomato sauce
20 pts diced tomatoes
20 qts diced tomatoes
1 qt freezer jar of roasted tomatoes (recipe below)
16 pts dill pickles
8 qts dill pickles
12 pts strawberry jam
22 1/2 pts blackberry jam
18 pts pickled peppers
20 pts corn kernels
15 pts. sliced peaches

Yesterday as I was elbow deep in tomatoes and floundering for motivation to finish, I decided I couldn't stand to dice or puree one. more. tomato. I had flagged recipe for oven roasted tomatoes in my Pinterest account and decided that I was for sure going to do it. Even if it only saved me from doing 2 dozen or so tomatoes. I woke up this morning to the amazing smell of garlic and tomatoes and was smug that I'd been productive, even in my sleep.

Oven Roasted Tomatoes:

Roma tomatoes
garlic
herbs
olive oil
salt
pepper

Wash the tomatoes, cut out the stem and slice lengthwise. In a large bowl, mix together olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and the herbs of your choice (I used herbes de Provence). Toss the tomatoes in the mixture and then place them, skin side down on a baking sheet covered in foil. Then, place the tomatoes in a 200 degree oven at night before you go to bed. The next morning, take them out of the oven and allow them to cool before putting them in a freezer safe container. Tomatoes done this way can take the place of sun-dried tomatoes in most dishes. I did 2 full baking sheets of tomatoes and will admit that I'm wondering if I should do more. All I can think of are the possibilities!

I'm a Concervative Christian and I want CLEAN AIR!!

2011-09-10T18:38:00.000-04:00

Cross Posted at Moms Clean Air Force

As a new mom, I was excited to visit play groups and momsclubs to meet other mothers. I wanted toconnect and be a part of something. Mydiaper bag was full of cloth diapers, a reusable water bottle and homemadesnacks. When asked, I was honest and toldthem my ecofriendliness isn’t a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. As always, this raised eyebrows in my circleof friends; conservative and Christian. Somehow, being environmentally conscious and possessing any religiousaffiliation has become impossible.

When I surveyed the moms in my area about the level ofimportance environmental issues played in their lives, the primary answer I wasgiven is that they just don’t consider themselves environmental. They try to teach their children not towaste, but when it comes to taking a stand for something like cleaning up theair we all breathe, they’d rather leave it to the “non-conservative leftists”.

I understand that not everyone will have the same interestsor the same convictions, but in my opinion, if anyone should be above the curvewhen it comes to protecting the Earth and our children, it should be those whoclaim to have a personal relationship with God. If God created the Earth and all that inhabit it, isn’t it beingdisrespectful to pick and choose what we are going to protect? We spend so much time focusing on humanrights and yet gloss over the conditions in our world that silently threatenthe quality of our lives.

This is my Father's world, and tomy listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought. ~ Maltbie DavenportBabcock

If you believe that God created the Earth, then you believethat when he created our human bodies, He had a reason for everything hedid. Take a moment and think aboutrespiration. The respiratory system is adelicate balance between the intakes of the air around us, the cleaning of saidair and the expiration of the CO2 our bodies don’t need. Our breathing is not only vital our survival,but also part and parcel of balance here on Earth. Living animals (including humans) must intakethe oxygen in order to survive, expelling carbon dioxide as waste. In the meantime, plants are doing the exactopposite. In doing so, we have aconstantly renewing balance in the atmosphere. Because of this balance, the oxygen is simply renewed and neverconsumed. This would lead one to theconclusion that we’re essentially breathing the same air that the Earth wascreated with, except now, through the years, it’s collected other chemicalsthat no matter how hard our lungs and the stoma on plants work, never fullygets scrubbed out.

I don’t want my children breathing air that is intentionallypolluted. I can’t imagine any motherwanting this. But if we insist oncalling ourselves conservatives who have no interest in environmentalism, weare signing away our voice by our inactivism. And when we make the decision to throw away that vote because it’s notpopular at church or the moms group or the grocery, we have no one to blame butourselves for wasting this chance we have to stand up for our children’sfuture, regardless of our creed.

The air we breathe

2011-09-04T14:19:00.000-04:00

On this holiday weekend, I know many people in my area are heading up to Lake Erie to celebrate with their families and friends. There is an air show and a few food festivals to enjoy. I can't help but wonder how much local fish will be served at those food festivals, though. Recently, I wrote a guest post for Moms Clean Air Force about how the air pollution around the lake has effected the fish I grew up eating on sandwiches throughout the summer. Even though I really do strive to eat local foods in my daily life, I make a huge exception when it comes to fish from Ohio's lake.

As election season is gearing up here in Ohio, I've decided to ask the hopefuls who knock on my door asking for my support some questions. I want to know why when I search for ways to get involved in my community, there are very few ways to be involved in cleaning up our environment. There is an outstanding lack of clean energy in my area, a few solar panels and wind turbines excepted. So when the gentleman showed up on my door a few nights ago asking for my vote in his bid to be mayor. I asked him point blank why we don't seem to care about the air quality or our carbon footprint. He didn't have an answer for me. That was the tipping point for me. Since then, I've been on the phone with the health department in my county, emailed the state's health department, the EPA and written several letters to my representatives. I want my children to be able to enjoy the air they breathe and the Earth we live on, so I'm taking a stand and fighting with mothers across the country for better EPA standards and pure air for our babies. This holiday weekend as we celebrate our troops and the freedom they fight for, I'm asking you to join us and fight for clean air for our children. Will you?

Beautifying the cash system

2011-09-01T22:20:00.000-04:00

This week, I was reading a blog that had a cute idea for making pretty cash envelopes. And then, I thought: I must do this. You see, I have the theory that no matter how badly you want to do something, if you don't like what it looks like, you won't. Seriously. Why else do you think they make cute exercise clothes or fun note cards for homework? We as humans are visual beings and if we can just tap into it, we can really use this to our advantage. I read through the instructions and then realized that I had no envelopes that were the correct size for a dollar bill, so I began "the scrounge". The scrounge consists of me rifling around in my stashes of crafting things and finding what I need so I don't have to spend any money. It makes the hubs proud. Anyway, I realized that I had a some card stock left over from a project that I just loved and also I had small plastic box that I could use to keep all of my envelopes and coupons and the check book together. I could hardly wait for naptime!

I used 12 by 12 inch papers and cut them lengthwise so that I had pieces that now measured 12 inches by 6.5 inches.

Then, I trimmed and folded the paper up so that it was now only 6.5 inches long. (I should mention here that I wanted to make sure the envelopes would also fit in my wallet and the wallet could be zipped.)

I sealed the edges with simple scotch tape and then folded the lip down so it was now in the shape of an envelope. I wanted the envelope to close, so I added the feature of photo corners so it can stay just so.

And then... well... my cricut machine was already out from a project I had worked on earlier in the week, calling my name from the far end of my craft table. I made cute little labels for the front of the envelopes with contrasting paper, you know, for a little flair. While I was at it, I made little labels for my coupon envelopes and the dividers for my box. I made the dividers out of chipboard and just taped them to the insides of the box walls. I just needed something to keep my envelopes separate, so sturdiness wasn't a huge concern.

After that, the only thing really left to do was to label the envelopes! Since my husband takes care of all the bills through our bank's online bill pay feature, I didn't have to set anything up for that. I did, however set aside envelopes for groceries, stock ups (this is for bulk foods, soap nuts, anything I'd need to purchase online), kids clothes, donations, fun money, crafting(this category includes all projects for myself, the family and my MOPs girls) and gifts. I have a few extra envelopes in case I come up with more categories, but for now, this is all I really split up my part of the budget for. I'm absurdly excited to take them out for a spin, but since I don't have my grocery list made out yet, it's going to be a few days. My next project is going to be a new check book cover. I saw an idea on etsy to applique the words "spend wisely" on it and am currently searching for the "perfect" fabric. Can't wait to see how that turns out!

Spicing up our weeknight recipes

2011-09-01T21:24:00.000-04:00

I've been looking for some new recipes that can be made in advance and have some options built in. As I've mentioned in practically ever post that includes beef, this is the easiest ingredient to ensure Liam will eat supper. Soooo... back to the drawing board with that. I came up with a mini-meatball recipe that was inspired by a fantastic Remoulade sauce that Matt brought home from the store last weekend. We shaped them with a small ice cream scoop and then fried them like you normally would. These mini-meatballs were then turned into 2 recipes: Spicy meatballs over rice and Cajun meatball subs. I loved them both ways and so did Liam! I think what really made these fun was the addition of Adobo paste to the meat mixture for an added flavor and kick. I made the full recipe and then froze half for use this week. I must say... I'm really beginning to love batch cooking!

Spicy Meatball Recipe:

2 lbs. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 egg
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp. Adobo Paste
1/4-1/3 cup flour (used to bind the meatballs together)

Mix all the ingredients together and then shape into whatever size you'd like. I chose a mini size to add to the novelty, but that was just for me. Fry them in a pan with hot oil until they are cooked through and a brown crust as formed on the outside. Serve in either of the 2 suggestions below.

Spicy Meatballs over Rice:

half a recipe of meatballs
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups tomato puree
1 Tbsp Adobo paste
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Mix together the puree, Adobo paste, garlic and onion powders and pepper flakes. Heat through. Serve the meatballs over the rice with the sauce and garnish with cilantro.

Cajun Meatball Subs

Half a recipe of meatballs
4 Hoagie buns, sliced lengthwise
Remoulade Sauce
Shredded cheese
shredded lettuce, tomato slices and diced onions (optional)

Warm the meatballs thoroughly and toss with the cheese. Remove a small amount of bread from the inside of the buns to form a small indentation. Place the meatballs and cheese in this space. Generously spread the remoulade on the bun. Top with lettuce or tomatoes or onions if desired (or just make a salad on the side).

Why yes, yes I can!

2011-08-29T02:14:00.003-04:00

I started canning the summer after I got married. I had been on a mission to learn how to really cook food and somehow, canning my garden's bounty seemed to fit into this. That first year really all I canned was salsa, tomato sauce and tomatoes. The tomato sauce was a disaster; thin as water and over seasoned. The tomatoes were so insanely time consuming and I hardly got any jars for all the work I put in. The salsa was edible, though. That salsa was what told me the next year to go back to the farm stand and get more tomatoes and try again. 2008's harvest left me with a freezer that was stocked, shelves filled with my home canned goodies and confidence.

I didn't can a darn thing in 2009 under the misconception that I wouldn't be able to do anything with a newborn. He was colicky for sure, but I just didn't know yet how to manage my time. Last year, I did everything I could, and was really proud of myself. I didn't meet my goals for the year, but I still enjoyed opening my cabinets and seeing the product of my work. This year, I made my canning goal list out before Sylvia was born and with my guide to the Ohio produce availability, marked out my plan on my calendar and made my plan. I've managed to pass my goals in everything and I even learned how to operate a pressure canner without terror. The only left for me to do is figure out how much Sylvia likes applesauce and work accordingly.

I can for several reasons, not the least of which being that I know exactly what is going in my family's bodies. I know where all my food came from since I either picked it myself or know the growers. The food is fresh when it goes in those sparkling clean jars made from glass... no chance of BPA there! Every year, I reuse what I had from prior years and add to the stash as needed. I recycle my jar lids (and the rings as needed). It would be a lie to say that I don't get sad as I watch my stash slowly dwindle through the winter and early spring. I love that my grocery bills are low through the winter because when I need diced tomatoes, just head to the basement and draw on what I've already done.

Prices around here have gone up dramatically. Even store brand canned corn is over a dollar a can and it's rarely on sale. Last week, canned tomatoes were on sale for 69 cents. Regularly, that brand of tomatoes sells for $1.19. I bought a bushel of tomatoes for 10 dollars and 36 pints of tomatoes. This breaks down to 28 cents a pint. And I didn't clip one coupon. My pickled peppers? 19 cents a pint. By taking the time and the effort over the summer to save money, I can then take that money I would have spent on canned goods and put it into buying more organic and natural products for my family.

I can because I save money. I can because I like to use a skill I possess. I can because it's healthy for my family. But most of all, I can because I feel like I get to do a little something extra for my family with each jar that I put on the shelves in the basement. I love to make peanut butter sandwiches with my own jelly. I love to know that when I feed people I actually did it all by myself, standing in the heat of my kitchen, scrounging up those precious nap times so I could be productive. Last week was hard, but I know that come January when I still have shelves full of the summer's produce, I won't begrudge one bit the tomato stained finger nails and late nights. Instead, I will open each jar and savor the moment as I remember this summer and all I learned about myself.

A Peck of Pickled Peppers

2011-08-28T11:42:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I had some hopes to get peppers and tomatoes done in the next few weeks. That was Monday morning's ideal. By yesterday afternoon, I was just hoping to get through the next hour in one piece. Since Monday afternoon, 3 bushels of tomatoes and 2 pecks of peppers have made their way through my kitchen to either be canned or froze. Both of my kids decided to make this the week they didn't want to have any independent play time, so I did what I could during the day and wound up working until 11 or 12 every night. Eh. I only lost about a peck worth of tomatoes because I didn't get them peeled and diced soon enough. I am only 1 person, so I let it go.

As crazy as the week was, I have to say that I am finally getting to see how much fun Liam and I will be able to have next year with our garden. He was very interested in all the vegetables that came into our kitchen, going so far as to choose some of the peppers we picked up for freezing. He wanted very badly to help me, so when I did the canned peppers, I told him to get a chair and dig in. He was thrilled and actually wound up being a great help for a dozen pints. Pickled peppers turned out to be the easiest thing I've canned next to peaches. The longest part for me was the slicing of all the peppers, once that was over with, Liam and I packed the jars and I sent him off to play while I poured in the hot liquid and processed them. 18 pints of pickled peppers from 1 peck of sweet banana peppers; bring Peter Piper!

Pickled Pepper Rings

Peppers of your choice (I used sweet bananas in most of my jars, but I did throw a few hot ones in for Matt's sake.)
Minced garlic
Salt
Water
White vinegar

Boil equal parts water and white vinegar. Slice up the peppers into rings and pack them tightly into sterilized pint jars. Add 1 tsp. of minced garlic and a scant 1/2 tsp. salt to each jar. Pour the boiling liquid over the peppers, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Wipe the rims and screw the caps and rings on tightly. Process for 10 minutes. Allow jars to rest until cool and store in a cool, dark place until ready to use. Pepper rings should be refrigerated after they are opened, if you have any left in the jar, that is! We use our rings on pizzas, in pasta salads and sandwiches and just for snacking. Enjoy!

Bagels and the week in review!

2011-08-18T23:03:00.000-04:00

It's been busy around here! I learned how to make amazing chocolate pudding, a necessity in my opinion. I won't be sharing the recipe since I wrote it and a few changes on a scrap of paper, but didn't credit the original source. Just believe me when I tell you it's heavenly!

Yesterday, I canned my first batch of corn. It took me most of the day since I had to work around naps and meals and train track building. And I was nervous about using a pressure cooker all by myself. As luck would have it when I placed a paniced phone call to my friend about how to close the lid, she was a few blocks away and dropped by to walk me through the process until I got the cooker up to the right pressure. Even after her help, I was still paranoid about the steam, so I did let the cooker cool down to a far lower temperature than was strictly necessary. However, in the end, I had 20 neatly packed pints of corn to add to the shelves in my store room.

Since the pressure cooker heated up my kitchen as much as it did, I went ahead and made a batch of Michael Symon's spicy ketchup. I didn't read the directions right and wound up doubling it, so I tried canning it in a hot water bath. I'm excited to open those little jars, but need to remember to buy some reusable lids for my small jars since I only have wide mouth jar lids. The small lids will come in handy when I start cracking open my jams, too!

And while I was at it, I went ahead and made a batch of bagels. I love these bagels so much. I've played around a little with the flavors, but I just keep coming back to the plain ones. If you like a bagel with a hard crust on it, you'll want to do an egg wash before you bake them, but I don't. These are so easy for Liam to eat and we go through a batch a few days.

Simple Bread Machine Bagels

1 c. warm water
3 c. flour
2 Tbsp. white sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Combine the first 5 ingredients in the pan of your bread maker and process on the dough cycle. (If you don't have a bread maker, mix these ingredients well and knead for 10 minutes. Allow to rise for 1 hour.) Remove the dough from the pan and divide until 8-12 balls. Flatten each ball and poke a large hole in the center. Shape into the general bagel shape and place on a dry silpat. Cover and rise for 30-60 minutes.

Boil a pan of water and add the brown sugar to it. (The brown sugar can be interchanged with Malt Syrup if you'd like. It's purpose is to give the bagels that nice golden color we're all used to, so if you don't want to add the sweetener, you don't have to; the bagels will still be wonderful.) Boil each bagel for 1 minute, flipping halfway through. Drain them on a towel before placing them on a buttered baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week... if they last that long!

Blackberry Vanilla Jam

2011-08-08T21:33:00.001-04:00

In college, in my Organic Chemistry lab, I neglected to waft during an experiment and sniffed instead. It was a long time before I was able to smell again. These days, my nose is very appreciative of the scents that surround me: clean diapers dried in the sun, freshly cut cantaloupe, and the smell of my babies after a bath. This summer, I had determined to make 12 jars of jam. I passed that goal easily with the strawberries a few months ago, but when I got my hands on a flat of blackberries, I had to make more. I didn't freeze as many as I had planned to, but I'd have to say that the 22 jars of jam in my canning cellar will just open up the door for me to learn how to make scones and sweet cream biscuits. I promised Matt a batch of this jam from Crunchy Chicken's Kitchen. For some reason while I was waiting for that jam to jell, I suddenly remembered the smell of a blackberry lotion I had bought while on our honeymoon. I played around with the flavor until I found what I was looking for. Today, I used up the last drops of our store-bought jam from this past winter and I can't tell you how excited I am to crack into my neat stash the next time I make Liam and I pb&j sandwiches for lunch!

Blackberry Vanilla Jam

6 2/3 cups blackberries puree (after running them through a food mill on fine)
8 1/3 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. Vanilla extract
7 1/2 Tbsp. Ball Classic Pectin

Once the berries have been run through the food mill, put them in a medium sized non-reactive and heat through. Gradually add in the pectin and bring to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Then pour in the sugar and vanilla. Return the jam to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Then, remove from the heat and pour jam into hot half pint/pint jars and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Laundry Day

2011-08-04T13:55:00.000-04:00

I just finished folding a load of laundry and have another one in the wash and a load of diapers waiting for me to get to them to fold and put away. In a house where there are 2 small children, one of whom seems to go through clothes like water, laundry is a nearly endless task. I've tried to cut down on laundry over the years, but when it comes down to it, it's just easier to do the laundry than spend time trying to keep everyone spotless. It's not a huge deal to me as I really don't mind doing laundry and there are few things (like we talked about Abbie) that give me more pleasure than a tidy linen closet. I've noticed since adding another child in diapers to my home, though, that my water consumption has gone up. Since I don't water our plants (we don't have a garden this year and what plants we do have are a lost cause) and I've learned to take my showers in 7 minutes or less, I decided that the greater water usage is excusable considering that I'm not throwing diapers in a landfill on a daily basis.

Growing up, I don't really remember using our dryer for much, except for my father's police uniforms. As soon as the weather was pleasant in the spring all the way until it was just too cold out in the Fall, we hung our laundry outside on the line. Even in the winter, we air dried in the basement. I can remember running outside when a summer storm threatened and folding laundry straight off the line in the evenings when everything was dry. I had a small line put up at our other house, but it wasn't fantastic and I hated using it. In the end, I wasn't as committed to line drying as I thought I was. When we moved here, I realized that our backyard is large enough to hold a good sized laundry line, plus a garden and a swing set and there's still room let over to play catch or football or even badminton.

My goal for this summer was to get a line up and being used regularly for all our laundry. As each week of the summer has ticked by, I still did not have my line, until the power went out 2 weeks ago. The heat was just unbearable that week. My husband came home from work that day as his office was out and since his work is done on the computer, he was just sitting there twiddling his thumbs. Turns out, there was a breaker that blew North of town and we were out of power for almost 6 hours. Instead of sitting here, melting, we packed the kids up and headed to Amish Country where, in the irony of ironies, they had power and therefore cool homes. Once we were there, we decided to stop at Lehmans General Store. And as luck would have it, they had whole laundry line kits that would give me 7 whole lines of fresh air drying! The next day, Matt dug and cemented the holes for the poles and on Tuesday, I started doing laundry.

I just love hanging my laundry outside in the sunshine. For one thing, they smell amazing! The diapers are easily bleached out in case of random stains. And I haven't used my dryer in two weeks. Considering that our electricity bills are higher since we're trying to keep the house cool, I'm excited to see what a difference it makes. Liam prefers to spend his day running around outside, and so I just pack everything up and we head out while I'm hanging laundry and then when it's dry, I bring it all back up to the patio and fold it while he plays and Sylvia watches. I will say that with my clothes, I hang them inside out so that the sun doesn't bleach any of the colors. And I'm also not into the whole neighborhood seeing my unders, so they air dry in the basement on a rack. I'm anxious to see how little I can use the dryer and for how long. Of course, there will be days when it rains and I have to bring the laundry in. I'm also considering setting up a system in the basement, but haven't worked that out yet. But until those decisions are made, I'm enjoying the smell of sunshine on everything I wash!

30 year goals

2011-08-01T16:52:00.000-04:00

Turning 30 is one of those things that everyone seems to dread. I didn't really so much until a few weeks ago. Suddenly, our house was far too cluttered and I wasn't productive enough. I really wanted some inspiration and motivation, so I decided it was time to get some fire. A few of my friends have spent their birthdays at the spa or going on vacation or getting a new look or running a marathon. None of these things are for me considering that I've got two small children that I can't be away from and I really dislike running. Instead, I decided to give myself a new, creative challenge for the year: quilting.

I like to sew and I think it would be fair to say that the main reason why I like to sew is because I love fabric. I love the patterns and the colors and the textures. So for my birthday, we took a trip to Amish Country so I could purchase fabric for my very first quilt. I chose a simple pattern that was on display since it looked fairly forgiving and then got down to the business of choosing my materials. I could have stayed in that shop for a week and still not seen everything they had to offer, but alas, Liam was with us and not nearly as enamored as I was with the options.

In the end, I settled on a brown fabric for the focus and then 5 others to coordinate. I'm so excited about this new project! I've already cut 24 of the squares that will become part of a large patch. Today during the kids' naps I started on the other parts of the large patch. It's a simple pattern (according to the description!) and I actually feel confident that I can do this! I'll be posting some updates to the quilt and then any of my other projects if they strike me as interesting enough to post. See, I'm not all food!

Breakfast in one hand

2011-07-27T17:33:00.000-04:00

Oh goodness, it's been a week and a half since I last posted. I have a long list of topics/recipes to share, but between the heat, my undone to-do list and life with 2 little kids, I haven't had the time to settle down and think clearly. In addition to life itself, I'd have to guess that the fact that I haven't done well with my own personal nutrition lately would probably be a reason for my fatigue and lack of focus. Breakfast has been at the bottom of my daily routine. I make it, but as in today's case, I only got a few bites in before Sylvia woke up and needed fed, once she was done, I had a toddler meltdown to diffuse. Once that was done, there were visitors and cookies in the oven and suddenly, it was lunchtime and my breakfast plate was sitting on the counter, cold and sad.

This bar "cookie" is my current solution. I tripled the amount of oats in the original recipe and used whole wheat flour. Instead of raisins, I used cranberries and then threw in some dark chocolate chips. This recipe makes a 9x13 pan that can be sliced and wrapped individually. You can then freeze these bars as well if you choose to make a double batch.

Mama needs a grab-n-go breakfast bar

1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. applesauce
1 c. brown sugar
1 (scant) c. white sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 -2 1/2 cup. flour
3 cups whole oats
1 1/2 cup mix ins (cranberries, chocolate chips, peanut butter chunks, raisins, dried apricots, etc.)

Melt the butter completely and then stir in the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt. Add in the applesauce. Once the butter isn't scalding hot (adding the applesauce will bring the temperature down), whisk the 2 eggs and add them to the mix. Stir in the baking soda and powder, oats and 2 cups of flour. Add more flour if needed to make the batter slightly stiff in texture. Stir in your mix-ins and then spread across the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish (well greased). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

**You could certainly feed this bar to your cheflets as long as they are comfortable with chewing and have tried whatever extra fruit you decide to mix in. If you are nursing, oats are known for helping your milk supply, however, from personal experience, I'd suggest not eating these every day... lots of fiber can lead to lots of gas in the little ones!

Preservation: Pickles, Jelly and Sanity

2011-07-18T06:33:00.001-04:00

This post is a participant in the Green Moms Carnival. This month, the topic is Food Preservation and is hosted by my fantastic bloggy friend, Abbie of the Farmer's Daughter. There are many, many posts to read and be inspired by (I know I am!), so take time to head on over to her blog, check out the posts by other authors and go through Abbie's recipe book. I for one, can't wait to make her Cider Jelly in another month or two!

Every year, I sit down and make a list of my canning goals. I haven't been doing it for all that long, so each year as my confidence grows, so does my list. I love to open the cupboard doors and see my neatly organized jars full of the fresh foods I put up with my own hands. I thrill throughout the winter as I reach into the freezer and pull out a bag of my frozen green beans, labeled in my handwriting with the date they were blanched and sealed in those bags.

When I first began canning, I was able to set aside whole days and dedicate my energy and focus to the task. That first year, it was a great idea to spend the entire morning grilling tomatoes to be canned. The next year, I had a brand new baby and no energy or time to speak of. Last year, our son was just a year old and I was newly pregnant with our daughter. Oh. And we moved into a home we were renovating. In the midst of this, I canned when I could during the week and spent one very long 10-hour day with a friend to can a couple bushels of tomatoes. The tomato day worked out well since we were able to use an industrial kitchen and completely devote our time and energy to it. The next day, we were both exhausted and I honestly wondered how on Earth Amish women are able to do it in homes with no air-conditioning, fancy supportive mats for their feet and husbands to run errands for them at the drop of a hat. Some people are stronger than others I guess.

Last year, I managed to do the tomatoes, peaches, hot pepper jelly, applesauce and blackberry jam. The tomatoes were a success just by merit of the circumstances by which they were done. The blackberry jam was ill-fated. I just threw out the last jar a week ago... we ate none of it. Reason being I had made a poor decision to start the jam close to the end of Liam's afternoon nap. The jam got a little burnt on the bottom of pan, so I tried to salvage it and only use the top part. What resulted after it had settled was a smoky-flavored blackberry cement that you couldn't even spread on a slice of toast. On the upside, the hot pepper jelly was a total success. I started that after Liam had gone to bed so that before I myself collapsed for the night, the jelly was cooling on my countertops. Bonus: the 8 hours between when I finished and my son rising for the morning was enough for the air to clear of the sting of 7 pounds of hot pepper fumes.

This year, I've already canned 22 jars of pickles and a dozen jars of strawberry jam. I have a toddler and a 3 month old who need me to still be Mama and not super canning woman locked in the kitchen for hours on end. Through trial and error these last 2 years, I've come up with a few tips to hopefully help myself and others sail through this season smoothly and come out on top. On top of a good stash of canned goods to be proud of!

First and foremost, know your children! If your baby is more demanding in the morning, this isn't the time to start a bushel of peaches that need to be peeled, packed and processed before they turn colors. If you have older children who can entertain themselves, use that time to get your work done. For me, I know I have about an hour in the afternoon when both kiddos are sleeping that if I have things started before I can use to do anything that needs to be timed, like say, watching for jelling points. The rest of my work needs to be done in the evening after my husband comes home. He can entertain our son while our daughter and I hang out in the kitchen, working and nursing as we can until she goes to sleep for the night.
Work in small batches. Yes, it seems like it'll take longer that way, but I promise you, it will be worth your while. Trust me when I say this because I was really upset about throwing away 42 dollars worth of inedible blackberry jam.
Since I've already mentioned the Amish, let's talk about them again. There's a real merit to their canning bees. As the saying goes, "many hands make light work", and if you can find another person to work with it makes the day more manageable not only because you have someone to chat with, but also if you need to change a diaper, you don't have to worry about that finicky point between perfectly jelled and totally scorched.
Get organized! The way to having a successful canning experience to know what you have, what supplies you'll need and the length of processing times. Don't waste precious naptimes by starting those peaches and discover that you don't have any sugar to make your syrup.
Clean all your vegetables/fruits in advance if you can. The remaining prep work really flies by when everything is already washed.
Ask for help. This is a big one. I ask my husband to watch our son while I'm working and if I have to stop and nurse, I have him on call to take jars out of the canner or peel peaches or shock the green beans. The best part of this is that in time, he'll be a valuable asset to me in the kitchen every year until our kids are old enough to really get involved and we can make food preservation a family affair!
And finally, bribe if necessary. While doing the pickles a few weeks ago, I did have to offer an extra snack and movie to keep Liam occupied so that I could finish the last few batches in the canner. I don't want him in the kitchen right now since he's too young to really help beyond the initial cleaning of the vegetable/fruit and I don't want him to get burnt. Maybe next year, he can help me pack pickles into the jars, but for this year it needed to be just Sylvia and I in the kitchen singing and working in between her feedings and naps.

With these tips in mind, head on out to your local farmer's market, produce stand or (if you're lucky) backyard garden and get excited about what you can do with little ones and a little advance planning. Keep it up, because in years to come, you'll have eager little helpers in your kitchen to make these days even more worthwhile!

Philosophy in Practice

2011-07-12T09:57:00.012-04:00

Reading together hours after Sylvia's birth

I'm a new parent. Well, newer. My son has been 2 for a few days at the publication of this post and my daughter will be 3 months old in a few days. I haven't experienced the drama of dating or the excitement of competitive sports. Gosh, we haven't even succeeded with potty training! I've dealt with tons of tantrums both public and private. I'm handing the new sibling rivalry. We have our share of excitement in any given day, even though both kids are still in need of a great deal of Mama cuddles and kisses to soothe the hurts.

I don't have plenty of experience to shape my philosophy, but I do have my heart. My husband and I have determined to raise our children in a gentle, peaceful, loving home. A home where our children can feel safe being themselves. In an effort to make this a reality for our children, we've realized that we'll need to tweak our philosophy on a never ending basis. What worked for behavioral guidance last week might not work this week. And it might not work from child to child. Already I see very pointed differences in my children's personalities and I want to respect those differences.

To put it most simply, my (and my husband's) parenting philosophy is respect. No matter who I am as a parent and how I was raised, I want above all to respect my children. Part of respecting them is to shower them with the love and affection they need to grow. But just like a prize rose, another facet of respect is to trim and prune as necessary for growth. Discipline and guidance that is gentle and peaceful is able to help a child become who they naturally are without forcing them into a mold. Parenting is a huge responsibility. In my hands, I hold the lives and hearts of 2 precious little ones. I firmly believe that if I treat them with the respect each one deserves (and craves deep down), I will be able to parent them in a manner that will help each one grow up with the tools to be all that they were created to be. And eventually, raise their own children with that same respect.

Between Love and Fear: On Raising our Children Sensibly — Mamma Earthly at Give an Earthly discusses the fear factor in parenting and how she overcame it, despite societal pressures.
really, when do i get my cape? — Sarah at small bird on fire is a working city mama trying to learn how to set aside her expectations of perfection and embrace the reality of modern parenting.
Baby, Infant, and Toddler Wearing — Child wearing is part of Sarah at Nourished and Nurtured's parenting philosophy. In this post, Sarah describes benefits of child-wearing and gives tips for wearing babies, infants, and toddlers (even while pregnant).
First Year Reflections — As her daughter's first birthday approaches, Holly at First Year Reflections reflects on how she and her husband settled into attachment parenting after initially doing what they thought everyone else did.
Making an allowance — Lauren at Hobo Mama welcomes a guest post from Sam about the unexpected lessons giving a four-year-old an allowance teaches the child — and the parent.
How to be a Lazy Parent and Still Raise Great Kids — Lisa at Granola Catholic talks about how being a Lazy Parent has helped her to raise Great Kids.
Philosophy in Practice — Laura at A Pug in the Kitchen shares how her heart shaped the parenting philosophy in her home.
What is Attachment Parenting Anyway? — Gaby at Tmuffin describes the challenges of putting a label on her parenting philosophy.
Of Parenting Styles — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom talks about how she and her husband tailored various parenting styles to fit their own preferred parenting philosophy.
Moment by Moment Parenting — Amy at Peace 4 Parents encourages those who care for children (including herself) to explore and appreciate parenting moment-by-moment with clarity, intention, trust, and action.
Maintaining Spirituality in the Midst of Everyday Parenting, Marriage, and Life — Sarah at Nourished and Nurtured shares her perspective on finding opportunities for spiritual growth in every day life.
Parenting Philosophy — Lily, aka Witch Mom's parenting philosophy is to raise child(ren) to be compassionate, loving, inquisitive, and questioning adults who can be trusted to make decisions for themselves in a way that avoids harming others.
Long Term — Rosemary at Rosmarinus Officinalis thinks about who she would like to see her daughter become — and what she can do now to lay a strong foundation for those hopes.
Connection, Communication, Compassion — She's come a long way, baby! After dropping her career in favour of motherhood, Patti at Jazzy Mama discovered that building solid relationships was going to be her only parenting priority.
My Parenting Inspirations - Part 4 — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama looks at her biggest parenting inspiration and how that translates into her long-term parenting philosophy.
A Parenting Philosophy in One Word: Respect — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction summarizes her parenting and relationship philosophy in one word: respect.
Knowledge and Instinct — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment believes that knowledge and instinct are super important … as are love, encouragement and respect. It's the ideal combo needed to raise happy and healthy children and in turn create meaningful relationships with them.
THRIVE! — The Sparkle Mama wants to set a tone of confidence, abundance, and happiness in her home that will be the foundation for the rest of her daughter's life.
On Children — "Your children are not your children," say Kahlil Gibran and Hannah at Wild Parenting.
This One Life Together — Ariadne aka Mudpiemama shares her philosophy of parenting: living fully in the here and now and building the foundation for a happy and healthy life.
Enjoying life and planning for a bright future — Olivia at Write About Birth shares her most important parenting dilemmas and pours out her heart about past trauma and how healing made her a better parent.
My Parenting Philosophy: Unconditional and Natural Love — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares what she has learned about her parenting philosophy from a year of following her instincts as a mama.
An open letter to my children — Isil at Smiling Like Sunshine writes an open letter to her children.
My Starter Kit for Unconditional Parenting — Sylvia at MaMammalia discusses her wish to raise a good person and summarizes some of the nontraditional practices she's using with her toddler son in order to fulfill that wish.
Responsiveness — Sheila at A Gift Universe has many philosophies and goals, but what it all boils down to is responsiveness: listening to what her son wants and providing what he needs.
Tools for Creating Your Parenting Philosophy — Have you ever really thought about your parenting purpose? Knowing your long-term goals can help you parent with more intent in your daily interactions. Dionna at Code Name: Mama offers exercises and ideas to help you create your own parenting philosophy.
Be a Daisy — Becky at Old New Legacy philosophizes about individuality and how she thinks it's important for her daughter's growth.
What's a Mama to Do? — Amyables at Toddler in Tow hopes that her dedication to compassionate parenting will keep her children from becoming too self-critical as adults.
grown-up anxieties. — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life explains her lone worry concerning her babies growing up.
Why I Used Montessori Principles in My Parenting Philosophy — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now tells why she chose Montessori principles to help her now-adult children develop qualities she wanted to see in them as children and adults.
Parenting Philosophies & Planning for the Future — Momma Jorje considers that the future is maybe just a fringe benefit of doing what feels right now.
Not Just Getting Through — Rachael at The Variegated Life asks what truths she hopes to express even in the most commonplace interactions with her son.
Parenting Philosophy? Eh... — Ana at Pandamoly shares the philosophy (or lack thereof) being employed to (hopefully) raise a respectful, loving, and responsible child.
Parenting Philosophy: Being Present — Shannon at The Artful Mama discusses the changes her family has made to accommodate their parenting philosophy and to reflect their ideals as working parents.
Who They Will Be — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro shares a short list of some qualities she hopes she is instilling in her children at this very moment.
Short Term vs. Long Term — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes recounts how long term parenting goals often get lost in the details of everyday life with two kids.
Parenting Philosophy: Practicing and Nurturing Peace — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle sets personal goals for developing greater peace.
Yama Niyama & the Red Pajama Mama — Part 1: The Yamas — In part 1 of a set of posts by Zoie at TouchstoneZ, Zoie guest posts at Natural Parents Network about how the Yoga Sutras provide a framework for her parenting philosophy.
Yama Niyama & the Red Pajama Mama — Part 2: The Niyamas — In part 2 of a set of posts by Zoie at TouchstoneZ, Zoie explores how the Niyamas (one of the eight limbs in traditional Yoga) help her maintain her parenting and life focus.
Our Sample Parenting Plan — Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey shares hopes of who her children will become and parenting strategies she employs to get them there.
Philosophical Parenting: Letting Go — Jona at Life, Intertwined ponders the notion that there's no right answer when it comes to parenting.
Unphilosophizing? — jessica at instead of institutions wonders about the usefulness of navel gazing.
Parenting Sensitively — Amy at Anktangle uses her sensitivity to mother her child in ways that both nurture and affirm.
how to nurture your relationships — Mrs Green at Little Green Blog believes that sometimes all kids need is a jolly good listening to …
Philosophy Of An Unnatural Parent — Dr. Sarah at Good Enough Mum sees parenting as a process of guiding her children to develop the skills they'll need.
Life with a Challenging Kid: Hidden Blessings — Wendy at High Needs Attachment shares the challenges and joys of raising a high needs child.
Flying by the Seat of My Pants — Heather at Very Nearly Hippy has realized that she has no idea what she's doing.

2 years of changes

2011-07-07T06:36:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the First Annual Freedom of Cloth Carnival

This post was written for inclusion in the Freedom of Cloth Carnival hosted at Natural Parents Network by Melissa of The New Mommy Files and Shannon of The Artful Mama. This year’s carnival will run from Sunday, July 3rd through Saturday, July 9th. Participants are sharing everything they know and love about cloth diapering, including how cloth has inspired them.

There are few things I like more than diapering a teeny little newborn heiny. I just love to wrap them up and then admire the cuteness, even if the clean diaper lasts only a few moments. With my son, I used the Bum Genius diapers exclusively until about 4 months ago when I added the Econobums into our stash. He was a big baby from birth, so he never looked like he was drowning in his diapers. My daughter in contrast, is rather petite. I was grateful to borrow some Kissaluvs that fit my daughter like they had been custom made for her. Once she was big enough, we started the BG diapers back on the newborn size and I marvel at how small Liam had once been. Putting her diapers next to his is just another way for me to realize how my baby has changed.

After 2 months of having both children in cloth diapers, I've decided to start potty training. This Independence Day weekend, I'm making a bid for my son's independence and we'll be pulling out the cloth trainers and underpants. We had started training back in the Fall and he was really starting to catch on and like wearing his truck printed underpants. Sadly, just when he was really "getting" it, we had a family tragedy and I needed to stop so I could be available to others. I'm looking forward to teaching him how to listen to his body and give him the independence he naturally craves. I will say that I've liked that he is so used to frequent diaper changes because I'm not taking any chances on diaper rash from being in a wet diaper, that the continual trips to the bathroom during this early stage of pottying aren't a big deal. He loves the feel of the cloth against his skin in contrast to the scratchy pull-ups, so we don't have a fight over putting them on. And, when he has an accident, he actually gets to see what happens in contrast to the traditional method where the pull-ups act like a diaper still.

I love that cloth has served our family so well. I love that my cloth diapers are lasting through multiple children and that there is no waste. These products grow with us and adapt to our needs without a hassle. And it doesn't hurt that their darling bottoms look cute the whole time, too!

***

Visit
Natural Parents Network for the most up-to-date news on the Freedom of Cloth Carnival!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants on the following themes. Articles will go live on the scheduled theme day:

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011: Cloth Related Recipes — Writers share their best cloth-related recipes and tutorials.
Monday, July 4th, 2011: Choosing Your Cloth Style — Today’s posts discuss parents' individual journeys to finding the cloth diapering "style" that best suits their families.
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011: Cloth Diapering Must Haves — Parents talk about the most important items in their diapering “stash” and why they love them.
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011: Wordless Wednesday, Inspired by Cloth — We asked parents to share their favorite cloth-related photo with us and turned them into a fluffy Wordless Wednesday photo montage on Natural Parents Network. Link up your own Wordless Wednesday post there!
Thursday, July 7th, 2011: Cloth Through the Stages: From Infancy to Potty Independence — Today’s participants explain how cloth diapering has served their families throughout one or more stages of their children’s lives.
Friday, July 8th, 2011: Cloth Troubleshooting and Laundry Day — Seasoned cloth diapering parents share their best tips and tricks for handling common cloth problems and tackling the diaper laundry.
Saturday, July 9th, 2011: Inspired by Cloth — For today’s theme, we’ve asked writers to explore the ways cloth diapering has inspired them to become "greener" overall.

Wordless Wednesday: Cloth Diapers as Fashion

2011-07-06T09:52:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite ways to introduce people to cloth diapers is by playing with the colors and showing off the cuteness. For instance, Sylvia's little green diaper coordinates perfectly with her top, a choice that prompted a few conversations and lots of interest while we were grocery shopping that day. Little by little, as mother and daughter we get to educate others about the joys of cloth... and the fun of color!

Visit
Natural Parents Network for the most up-to-date news on the Freedom of Cloth Carnival!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants on the following themes. Articles will go live on the scheduled theme day:

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011: Cloth Related Recipes — Writers share their best cloth-related recipes and tutorials.
Monday, July 4th, 2011: Choosing Your Cloth Style — Today’s posts discuss parents' individual journeys to finding the cloth diapering "style" that best suits their families.
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011: Cloth Diapering Must Haves — Parents talk about the most important items in their diapering “stash” and why they love them.
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011: Wordless Wednesday, Inspired by Cloth — We asked parents to share their favorite cloth-related photo with us and turned them into a fluffy Wordless Wednesday photo montage on Natural Parents Network. Link up your own Wordless Wednesday post there!
Thursday, July 7th, 2011: Cloth Through the Stages: From Infancy to Potty Independence — Today’s participants explain how cloth diapering has served their families throughout one or more stages of their children’s lives.
Friday, July 8th, 2011: Cloth Troubleshooting and Laundry Day — Seasoned cloth diapering parents share their best tips and tricks for handling common cloth problems and tackling the diaper laundry.
Saturday, July 9th, 2011: Inspired by Cloth — For today’s theme, we’ve asked writers to explore the ways cloth diapering has inspired them to become "greener" overall.

Simple Needs

2011-07-05T06:06:00.001-04:00

I'm a pretty simple person in general, so my needs go along with that. When it comes to cloth diapering, I only need to have a few things in my possession to make my days easy.

I am a big fan of the Magic Stick diaper cream. It's like a giant, pleasant smelling glue stick that prevents your baby's heiny from getting irritated by the the contents of their diapers. I love it because it's cloth diaper safe so it doesn't effect the absorbancy of the diapers as commercial diaper creams will. It's not messy and I've never opened my son's door after a nap and found it smeared all over the place!

I have tried every single suggestion for laundry detergent for my diapers. I started out with the homemade detergents that were Borax based. I tried Soap Nuts. I used all-natural liquid detergents. They were all nice, but nothing has compared to the success I've experienced with Rockin' Green. For me, when my babies are nursing, diapers don't stink. With Liam, I had to switch to formula around 4 months of age and that's when the trouble started. Formula poo is vile. Add in the solids he devoured a few months later and boy howdy did I have a problem. Once he was officially eating like an adult, I never really felt like I could quite get the stink out. One cold, snowy night in February, I ordered the Rockin' Green detergent and a package of the Ammonia buster. Since that time, I've only used the buster once and even with mixing diapers used by a toddler and a newborn, everything comes out of the wash smelling... clean. That my friends, is all I really want.

Since I plan to be cloth diapering for the next several years as we add more children, Lord willing, I also have a few things that I'd really love to have. We moved last year and still haven't put up a laundry line. We have a neighbor who also cloth diapers her son and every time I see her diapers hanging out, I make a mental note to nag the husband again about a line. Someday soon, I hope. Otherwise, I might start pinning them to the shrubs to dry! Another thing I'd really like to get is a sprayer. I have plans for how we can modify the sink in my laundry room to also deal with the diaper waste that doesn't let go when I flip them into the toilet. I have plans, but again, they include nagging the husband. He tells me that I need to remind him to the point of nagging for him to remember a to-do request. Perhaps I should just put him on diaper care duty! But no, I won't. Why? Because for all the extra steps it adds to my week to tend to the diapers, I find it one of the most cathartic chores in my household. I love to look over the stack of diapers at the end of the day and know that I've got everything I need to diaper my children for years to come in a simple, natural way.

***
Visit Natural Parents Network for the most up-to-date news on the Freedom of Cloth Carnival!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants on the following themes. Articles will go live on the scheduled theme day:

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011: Cloth Related Recipes — Writers share their best cloth-related recipes and tutorials.
Monday, July 4th, 2011: Choosing Your Cloth Style — Today’s posts discuss parents' individual journeys to finding the cloth diapering "style" that best suits their families.
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011: Cloth Diapering Must Haves — Parents talk about the most important items in their diapering “stash” and why they love them.
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011: Wordless Wednesday, Inspired by Cloth — We asked parents to share their favorite cloth-related photo with us and turned them into a fluffy Wordless Wednesday photo montage on Natural Parents Network. Link up your own Wordless Wednesday post there!
Thursday, July 7th, 2011: Cloth Through the Stages: From Infancy to Potty Independence — Today’s participants explain how cloth diapering has served their families throughout one or more stages of their children’s lives.
Friday, July 8th, 2011: Cloth Troubleshooting and Laundry Day — Seasoned cloth diapering parents share their best tips and tricks for handling common cloth problems and tackling the diaper laundry.
Saturday, July 9th, 2011: Inspired by Cloth — For today’s theme, we’ve asked writers to explore the ways cloth diapering has inspired them to become "greener" overall.

Decisions, decisions

2011-07-04T08:31:00.039-04:00

Just waiting to be used!

When Matt and I realized we were expecting Liam, I had a good feeling that this baby was the one. We had had 2 early losses up to this point and I was so anxious for a baby. After that first ultrasound where we both swooned at the sight of our little bean and the sound of his heartbeat, I came home and started shopping. Not for clothes, not for books and not for toys. I shopped for diapers! At the time, I didn't really know very much about cloth diapers. There were so many choices and I only knew 2 people who had experience with them. My cousin who lives in Canada loved her Bum Genius diapers and a friend in town used the traditional pre-folds with the sized covers.

Liam spent a lot of his first days hanging out in just a diaper.

Some people will tell you that they researched all the different types or bought a sample pack with a variety of styles to try before making a commitment. Not me. I chose the Bum Genius 3.0 brand because my cousin was so in love with them, it's true, but really, I chose those diapers because they were colorful. I was completely in love with the Clementine color and I just knew I'd love to see the darling little heiny of my baby swaddled in it. I opted to use the BG diapers also because at the time, they only had Velcro closures and I was intimidated by the snaps on some brands. I also made the decision to use the one-size diapers instead of the size specific All-In-Ones. Between my mother-in-law and my purchases from a few locations, I managed to have a stash of 20 diapers washed and ready for the birth of my son and 6 more still in the packaging, just in case.

Sylvia's first cloth diaper: Size small Kissaluvs

A few months ago, I added some Econobums to my stash and a few of the Bum Genius 4.0 snapped diapers. A friend of mine also loaned me some Kissaluvs to try on Sylvia's teeny, tiny newborn heiny. I like all my diapers, but I'm still very partial to the initial 26. I've used them regularly for 2 years this July and they are still in wonderful condition (minus the chocolate stain on one blue diaper and the laundry tabs having been put to serious use). I don't have trouble with leaks or blowouts and I'm not afraid of my baby's tender skin experiencing chemical burns from disposable diapers. I have a variety of colors in my stash and it was great fun to shop for some sweet, feminine colors prior to the birth of my daughter in April. I'm so thrilled to be passing along these diapers from my son to my daughter and to see that even though they were different birth weights and sizes they still work wonderfully. I love to know that my investment was a wise one and I'm very interested to see how many children these diapers still hold up through!

***
Visit Natural Parents Network for the most up-to-date news on the Freedom of Cloth Carnival!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants on the following themes. Articles will go live on the scheduled theme day:

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011: Cloth Related Recipes — Writers share their best cloth-related recipes and tutorials.
Monday, July 4th, 2011: Choosing Your Cloth Style — Today’s posts discuss parents' individual journeys to finding the cloth diapering "style" that best suits their families.
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011: Cloth Diapering Must Haves — Parents talk about the most important items in their diapering “stash” and why they love them.
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011: Wordless Wednesday, Inspired by Cloth — We asked parents to share their favorite cloth-related photo with us and turned them into a fluffy Wordless Wednesday photo montage on Natural Parents Network. Link up your own Wordless Wednesday post there!
Thursday, July 7th, 2011: Cloth Through the Stages: From Infancy to Potty Independence — Today’s participants explain how cloth diapering has served their families throughout one or more stages of their children’s lives.
Friday, July 8th, 2011: Cloth Troubleshooting and Laundry Day — Seasoned cloth diapering parents share their best tips and tricks for handling common cloth problems and tackling the diaper laundry.
Saturday, July 9th, 2011: Inspired by Cloth — For today’s theme, we’ve asked writers to explore the ways cloth diapering has inspired them to become "greener" overall.

The Freedom of Cloth Blog Carnival

2011-07-03T14:11:00.001-04:00

I'd say it's fairly well know among those I spend time with that this is a cloth home. Cloth diapers, wipes, napkins, UNpaper towels, produce bags, grocery bags, rags, even the training pants for Liam are cloth. I'm completely in love with this simple, frugal and natural method for our family. This week, Natural Parents Network is sponsoring a Blog carnival. The participants are going to be discussing a variety of topics that range from their style of diaper to how cloth diapers have influenced other changes in their lives. I participated, so this week you get a chance of pace with what you have to read on my blog! Be sure to check back every day for the new posts, enter the giveaways and maybe even get inspired if you aren't already!

Summer Steak Salad

2011-07-01T14:37:00.000-04:00

I struggle every summer. On one hand, I really enjoy the sun and fresh fruit and the outdoor fun we get to have and on the other, I can't stand the heat. Last week, we had a few cooler days, so I did as much meal prep as I could and in process, found myself reminiscing about my childhood summers. I can remember sitting in the kitchen while my mother, putting plates of spaghetti in front of us, announced that it was the last warm meal we'd eat until Fall. During the summers growing up, we ate meals that were cold or required very little cooking until the weather settled down and we wouldn't sweat through supper. I find myself digging deep into my memories every summer trying to come up with meals that my mother served us.

I'm certain my mother would have never fed us this meal, though. We were vegetarians, so steak wasn't in the meal rotation, but I'm thinking that this salad is going to be a regular on our menu. It takes a whole pint of hot pepper jelly to do justice to the marinade, so I'm already making big plans for my canning list to include lots of the jelly. The cut of meat is one that when I asked out butcher what he would use, he picked out for me. I marinaded it in the jelly for 24 hours before grilling and the result is amazing. The meat is tender and sweet from the peppers and smoky from the grill. We grill a large steak on the weekend and then keep the leftovers for a quick salad during the week. This recipe is basically a formula that you can add to as you see fit... I'm working on a salad dressing recipe that I think will be perfect for a hearty salad like this, but so far it's only been an idea.

Summer Steak Salad

2lbs London Broil
1 pint hot pepper jelly
1/2 cup cheese, crumbled or cubed
2 heads Romaine lettuce, washed and shredded
1 cup vegetables
croutons
Salad dressing

Marinate the meat in the jelly for 8 - 24 hours in the refrigerator. Grill until the doneness you desire is achieved. Arrange on the shredded lettuce and add the cheese (I used Feta), vegetables (I used cucumbers), croutons and Dressing (I used Italian). This recipe feeds 6-8 people or can be made into additional meals for the week as long as you keep the ingredients separate during storage.

Stocking the larder 2011

2011-06-23T06:51:00.000-04:00

Last night, I used the very last pint of my home-canned diced tomatoes. I honestly stood at the counter and wondered if I was really ready to see them go. It was a sad, sad moment, but they tasted as wonderful as they did the day we put them in the jars. I love that about canning. I love that all the fruits, jams, jellies and pickles that I can are there in the dead of winter to cheer me up. As one friend said recently, opening a jar of home canned peaches is like eating CANDY!!!

In this house, we have a canning cellar like before, but this time it's almost 3 times as large! I had Matt move some shelving into the room around the edges and I'm currently storing my party wear, random holiday items and wrapping paper while I'm waiting to see how much food I manage to store up this summer and fall. I've set my canning/freezing goal fairly low so that I know I can make it. I had had high hopes for last year, but with a toddler, morning sickness and moving, not much really got done. This year, I have a toddler still and a little one who needs a lot of attention. I'm figuring that I'll be canning mostly while the kids sleep or on the weekends while Matt is home. 2 weeks ago, I canned 14 jars of strawberry jam. My Sister-in-Law picked them for me from her garden patch, Matt helped me clean and crush them and I did all the filling and timing for the jar processing. In past years, I wouldn't have done it like that as I would have seen the whole project through picking to jar cooling, but times have changed and I have adaptations to make. With that being said, here's my list for food preservation goals!

Canning:

1 dozen pints fruit jam/jelly (this goal is already met, but I plan to do more once the raspberries and blackberries are in season)
1/2 pk of peaches
2 dozen pints Applesauce (minimum)
1 dozen pints Apple Cider Jelly
6 pints Hot Pepper Jelly
1 dozen pints Carmel Pear Butter
2-3 dozen pints diced tomatoes
1 dozen pints Salsa
1 dozen pints Pizza sauce

Freezing

10-12 pint bags of blanched peppers and onions
Berries
Broccoli
Pumpkin puree
Squash puree

I'm also planning that once the canning and freezing is done, I'm going to make a trip to the Planktown Market and stock up on bulk pastas,oats, flour, sugar, etc. I don't foresee wanting to make trips to Shiloh with 2 littles right before Christmas because I ran out of flour. I still need to figure out a storage solution to keep the extra bulk items airtight. Matt and I have also been talking about doing some of the Once a Month Cooking so that as the school year picks up and I have more students and less time in the evenings things still remain as relaxed and fun as they do in the summer!

Just in time for the weekend!

2011-06-10T10:13:00.007-04:00

Summer weekends are for adventuring in our house. Ever the list maker, I made a cute project for our family so we can not only our usual summer activities, but also remind me of all the things I've been anxious to get to do as a family now that Liam is old enough to enjoy them. One of the big things we like to do is take little afternoon trips and picnic. With picnicking comes quick and easy meals that sometimes need variety.

Since it's summer, produce is in it's glory and now is the time to enjoy a fresh, crisp BLT. BLTs don't work so well for a packed lunch in my opinion, so I created this pasta salad. It's hearty enough to be eaten alone, but can very easily compliment a sandwich. You can make this in advance, but I do recommend not adding the lettuce until right before you serve it, just so you have a good crunch!

BLT Pasta Salad

1 lb pasta, cooked and drained
1 c. Ranch Dressing
4 tomatoes, diced
8-10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
Half a large head of Iceberg Lettuce, diced
8 ounces Colby cheese, cut into small cubes

Once the pasta is cooked, it should set long enough to be cool to the touch. Combine the rest of the ingredients, stirring so that they are evenly distributed. Serve cold.

Butter!!!!!

2011-06-09T09:20:00.002-04:00

My uncle bought me a cookbook for Christmas a few years ago entitled Fat. Right on the cover it proclaimed itself as "an appreciation of a misunderstood ingredient, with recipes".I couldn't have asked for more. The book is broken up into 4 parts: butter, pork fat, poultry fat and lamb/beef fats. There are a number of recipes that I am anxious to try, especially since I rarely find anything that calls for the fat to stay in the recipe.

Photo Credit: AGlugofOil.com

For this meal, I chose from the chapter on butter. I took some liberties with the actual cooking process since I was hungry and wanted to eat sooner. The book's version takes a smidge longer and is slightly more authentic to the traditional dish. Either way, this delightful dish is simple and accessible for any weeknight meal. This recipe calls for both ghee and butter, so we get to really experience the full range of flavors. Matt isn't a fan of the smell of ghee when it is heated, but I love it. One whiff and I am standing in the streets of Calcutta again.

Murgh Makhani (butter chicken)
- 2 onions, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- 1/4 cup peeled and coarsely chopped ginger
- 8 cardamom pods
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 2 tsp. toasted cumin seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 green chiles
- 1 dried red chile
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 lb of chicken pieces
- salt
- 2-3 Tbsp. Ghee
- 14 oz. canned tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced
- 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro or parsley
- 1 lime

Place the first 10 ingredients in a food processor and whirl until a smooth, soupy sauce. Heat the ghee in a skillet and brown each of the pieces of chicken. (Add more ghee if necessary.) When the chicken is sufficiently browned, remove it from the pan and salt. Pour the chili sauce into the skillet and heat to a quick bubble. Stir in the tomatoes and paste. Add in the cream a little bit at a time, stirring to incorporate. Put the chicken in a casserole dish and dot the tops with butter. Pour the sauce over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for half an hour. Serve over rice or orzo and squeeze some lime juice over each plate. Finally, sprinkle the chopped herbs and enjoy!

Dippin'

2011-06-08T21:17:00.000-04:00

Whenever I've mentioned that Liam is turning into a rather picky eater, people always suggest that I give him things to dip. As in, dip things into ketchup or ranch or honey mustard. Well, he isn't a big fan of the ranch dressing, save the occasional finger painting, he won't even try mustard and as far as ketchup goes... he won't eat anything that has been in contact with it. Not kidding. I can't say I'm all that heart broken over this, but it does rule out any of the "tricks" that are always suggested for getting kids to eat.

I made this dish with the intent to use it as a dip for Matt and I and then to offer Liam the chips as a side so he could eat it with a spoon. He was content to eat like this for a while until he noticed I wasn't using a spoon, but a chip to feed myself. He asked for a "tate" and was hooked. Not only was he devouring this meal, I diced the chicken so finely he didn't even notice it was there (we're currently on a strike against any meat that isn't ground beef) and he was so proud of his new skill that he kept showing Daddy how he could take a bite with a chip. This recipe just found it's way onto my standby list for menus. Finally. Something other than meatloaf for supper.

Dippin' Chicken Tacos

1 recipe Mexican Rice
1 pint salsa
1/2 half an onion, diced
1 cup shredded chicken (I had cooked my chicken in the crockpot, shredded it and then diced it to be close in size to the rice.)
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable puree (I used squash in mine)

Saute the onion until tender and then add in the chicken to heat through. Mix the puree and the sour cream together and pour into the pan, reducing the heat if necessary to keep from bubbling. Add the salsa and the rice and stir until combined. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 8 baking dish and top with the shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, depending on how dark you like your cheese to be. Serve as a dip with small tortilla chips.

It's Menu Monday!!!

2011-05-16T13:46:00.000-04:00

My littlest is now a month old, the hubs has been back to work for almost 3 weeks and the toddler and I are adjusting as well as can be expected. That said, it's time to get back in the swing of things. We've been surviving on meals brought to us from the sweet people at church and my MOPs group and a LOT of sandwiches. It's bee great for me, but Liam has started to refuse to eat meals and insists on only cookies. Anyway, so we are now back to the regular schedule of meals and as anxious as I am to make sure this goes smoothly and Liam starts eating normally again, I'm glad to be back in the kitchen. About half of the meals I have lined up for this week are ones that I prepared and froze in advance. The others are there to remind me why I adore cooking and the hope I have to pass on that love to my kids!

Monday: Raspberry Chicken, Salad and Cheese Bread

Tuesday: Stirfry and Eggrolls

Wednesday: Tacos

Thursday: Ravioli Bake

Friday: Burgers on the grill!!!

Saturday: Murgh Makhini

Sunday: Grilled Marinated Chicken

Toddlers in the Garden

2011-05-10T09:44:00.008-04:00

Welcome to the May Carnival of Natural Parenting: Growing in the Outdoors
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how they encourage their children to connect with nature and dig in the dirt. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
***

I grew up in the garden with my parents. Every year what we weren't able to grow in our own garden, we picked at local co-ops or bought from farm stands. I dreamed of being able to do this with my own children someday and last summer, when Liam was finally old enough to care about spending the day outside, we did just that. He was just barely 1, but he certainly enjoyed sitting in the middle of my plants and getting his chubby little hands dirty.

This year, Liam is really into "helping". He has his own little spade and rake to use in the dirt. We moved in the Fall, so our yard is still a blank canvas. This year, we'll be doing mostly container gardening while we prep the ground for a real planting next year. Those containers will be just his height to help water every night before bed. We have strawberries and raspberries waiting to be put in the ground this weekend and I'm excited to let him help dig the holes for the canes.

One of my favorite things about toddlers is their contagious enthusiasm. He loves to grocery shop with me because I let him pick out the carrots or the asparagus. We practice our color identification and we count apples. Because I love food so much, he loves to grocery shop and cook with me. This year, I'm excited to teach him about tomatoes and show him the plant before during and after the tomatoes sprout. I can't wait to put that first garden-fresh tomato in his hands and let him taste it. And I can't wait to hear him say "mmmmmm!" as the juice drips down his chin.

**Of course, our littlest family member will also be along for the ride, but her first real introduction to our gardening life won't be until this Fall when we begin Baby Led Weaning as a way to introduce her to solid foods.

***
Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon May 10 with all the carnival links.)

Get Out! — Momma Jorje gives reasons she doesn't think she gets outside enough and asks for your suggestions on making time for the outdoors.

How Does Your Garden Grow? — The ArtsyMama shares her love of nature photography.

We Go Outside — Amy at Peace 4 Parents describes her family's simple, experiential approach to encouraging appreciation of nature.

My Not-So-Green Thumb — Wolfmother confesses to her lack of gardening skills but expresses hope in learning alongside her son at Fabulous Mama Chronicles.

Enjoying Outdoors — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine describes how her children enjoy the nature.

Five Ideas to Encourage the Reluctant Junior Gardener — For the rare little ones who don't like to get their hands dirty, Dionna at Code Name: Mama offers tips for encouraging an early love of dirt (despite the mess).

Connecting to Nature — Mamapoekie shares how growing your own vegetable patch connects your child to nature and urges them to not take anything for granted.

The Farmer's Market Classroom — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction shares how the Farmer's Market has become her son's classroom.

Seeds — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment's hubby Ken shares his perspective on why gardening with their kiddos is so important . . . and enjoyable!

Toddlers in the Garden — Laura at A Pug in the Kitchen shares her excitement as she continues to introduce her toddler and new baby to the joys of fresh veggies, straight from the garden.

Nature's Weave — MJ at Wander Wonder Discover explains how nature weaves its way into our lives naturally, magnetically, experientially, and spiritually.

Becoming Green — Kristina at Hey Red celebrates and nurtures her daughter's blossoming love of the outdoors.

Little Gardener — Rosemary at Rosmarinus Officinalis looks forward to introducing her baby girl to gardening and exploring home grown foods for the first time.

Cultivating Abundance — You can never be poor if you have a garden! Lucy at Dreaming Aloud reflects on what she cultivates in her garden . . . and finds it's a lot more than seeds!

Growing in the Outdoors: Plants and People — Luschka at Diary of a First Child reflects on how she is growing while teaching her daughter to appreciate nature, the origins of food, and the many benefits of eating home-grown.

How Not to Grow — Anna at Wild Parenting discusses why growing vegetables fills her with fear.

A Garden Made of Straw — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy shares tips on making a straw bale garden.

The Tradition of Gardening — Carrie at Love Notes Mama reflects on the gifts that come with the tradition of gardening.

Gardening Smells Like Home — Bethy at Bounce Me to the Moon hopes that her son will associate home grown food and lovely flowers with home.

The New Normal — Patti at Jazzy Mama writes about how she hopes that growing vegetables in a big city will become totally normal for her children's generation.

Outside, With You — Amy at Anktangle writes a letter to her son, a snapshot of a moment in the garden together.

Farmer Boy — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares how her son Joshua helps to grow and raise their family's food.

Growing Kids in the Garden — Lisa at Granola Catholic shares easy ways to get your kids involved in the garden.

Growing Food Without a Garden — Don't have a garden? "You can still grow food!" says Mrs Green of Little Green Blog. Whatever the size of your plot, she shows you how.

Growing Things — Liz at Garden Variety Mama shares her reasons for gardening with her kids, even though she has no idea what she's doing.

Moments — UK Mummy Blogger explains how the great outdoors provides a backdrop for her family to reconnect.

Condo Kid Turns Composter and Plastic Police — Jessica from Cloth Diapering Mama has discovered that her young son is a true earth lover despite living in a condo with no land to call their own.

Gardening with Baby — Sheila at A Gift Universe shows us how her garden and her son are growing.

Why to Choose Your Local Farmer's Market — Naturally Nena shares why she believes it's important to teach our children the value of local farmers.

Unfolding into Nature — At Crunchy-Chewy Mama, Jessica Claire shares her desire to cultivate a reverence for nature through gardening, buying local food, and just looking out the window.

Urban Gardening with Kids — Lauren at Hobo Mama shares her strategies for urban gardening with kids — without a yard but with a whole lot of enthusiasm.

Mama Doesn't Garden — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life is glad her husband is there to instill the joys of gardening in their children, while all she has to do is sit back and eat homegrown tomato sandwiches.

Why We Make this Organic Garden Grow — Brenna at Almost All The Truth shares her reasons for gardening with her three small children.

5 Ways to Help Your Baby Develop a Love of the Natural World — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama believes it's never too early to foster a love of the natural world in your little one.

April Showers Bring May PRODUCE — Erika at NaMammaSte discusses her plans for raising a little gardener.

Growing Outside — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante discovers how to get her kids outside after weeks of spring rain.

Eating Healthier — Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey talks about how she learns to eat healthier and encourages her children to do the same.

The Beauty of Earth and Heavens — Inspired by Charlotte Mason, Erica at ChildOrganics discovers nature in her own front yard.

Seeing the Garden Through the Weeds — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro talks about the challenges of gardening with two small children.

Creating a Living Playhouse: Our Bean Teepee! — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings shares how her family creates a living playhouse "bean teepee" and includes tips of how to involve kids in gardening projects.

Grooming a Tree-Hugger: Introducing the Outdoors — Ana at Pandamoly shares some of her planned strategies for making this spring and summer memorable and productive for her pre-toddler in the Outdoors.

Sowing Seeds of Life and Love — Suzannah at ShoutLaughLove celebrates the simple joys of baby chicks, community gardening, and a semi-charmed country life.

Experiencing Nature and Growing Plants Outdoors Without a Garden — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares some of her favorite ways her family discovered to fully experience nature wherever they lived.

Garden Day — Melissa at The New Mommy Files is thankful to be part of community of families, some of whom can even garden!

Teaching Garden Ettiquette to the Locusts — Tashmica from Mother Flippin' (guest posting at Natural Parents Network) allows her children to ravage her garden every year in the hopes of teaching them a greater lesson about how to treat the world.

Why I Play with Worms. — Megan of Megadoula, Megamom and Megatired shares why growing a garden and raising her children go hand in hand.

The Dirty Truth

2011-05-09T08:11:00.000-04:00

Photo taken from the Official Publisher Page for Ms. Kimball

This past Christmas, my husband bought me a Nook. As an avid reader and one who has a nasty habit of having 4 books going at the same time, I was thrilled to have everything in the same place. And instead of purchasing a hard copy of the book and it taking up space, it's right there on the hard drive waiting for me. The first book I read on my Nook was the The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball. I'll admit that I picked the book simply because I liked the cover and upon reading the synopsis, I was convinced that this would be another book that would fuel my desire for my urban homestead.

In actuality, I'd have to say that this book did just the opposite. In this book, Kristin chronicles her life as she met a farmer in Pennsylvania and then moved with him to Upstate New York to start a farm that would provide a full-diet CSA. At the time that she and her farmer where doing this, the CSA culture wasn't really as trendy as it is now and they were starting from total scratch on a muddy, run-down piece of property that only her farmer could see the true value of. As I read, I was struck with the realization that farm life is real. If one is to be truly self-sustaining, then you have to fully participate in the circle of life. I personally, am not strong enough to do that. I can grow things, but I suppose the livestock will have to be left to the professionals.

Throughout the book, as Kristin talks of their life and the changes that they made to the farm, including returning to the roots and using horse power to plow their fields behind an old Amish plow, I was amazed. Here were two people who set a goal and really did it. She is beyond candid as she speaks of the volumes of work, of the fatigue and the fear as they struggled through that first year. As aware of my own weaknesses as I was, I also became a bit jealous of this life. There is no other greater pride, I think, that working with your hands to accomplish something and succeeding. To wake up every morning and see the land stretch before you, to hear the chicken clucking in your yard, to see the cellar fill with your hard-won produce neatly preserved, this is the success that the corporate ladder climbers can only dream of.

Shortly after I finished this book, I learned that my cousin and his wife have started their own CSA in Ontario, Canada. Having read the story of how Kristin and her farmer started their own, I am all the more proud of my cousins. I know this means I won't get to see them until after the harvest, but I that they are richer for it. This year, my own garden isn't prepped at all and anything that's grown in my yard will have to be in a pot on the porch to protect it from the deer. Instead, I'm living my own version of the Dirty Life vicariously through the blog and photos that my cousin is sweet enough to post. And dreaming of the day when my kids are old enough for a trip to visit and work on the farm.

Our latest recipe success!

2011-04-29T21:39:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago today, my tiny little peanut made her grand appearance! So it's time to start dipping into all my carefully prepared and labeled freezer meals. Thankfully, I think I have about 3 weeks worth stock-piled to help me get through the hectic week nights until we all adjust.

So while I'm taking a break from cooking, I'm doing a lot of reading and snuggling. I'm looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the books with you. I started The Bucolic Plague last night and must say... I love it!

If you're interested in the story of her home-grown, organic, all-natural birth, visit our family blog for all the details!

The Helpful Hamburger

2011-04-14T08:49:00.005-04:00

Did you grow up eating Hamburger Helper? Or Tuna Helper? Or anything along those lines? I hadn't had anything like that until I went to college and while I thought it was a nifty concept, I couldn't ever get that odd chemically altered taste out of my mouth. I've tried the "natural" versions of these meal helpers and had much the same opinion. So really, I don't do meals like this... until one day I was online and noticed that one of the moms had posted that she had found the solution to this problem on another blog. I was anxious to try the variations out since a meal that cooks as quickly as this one could be beneficial post baby, right? I've tried a few of the recipes and my husband, who grew up eating the "real" Hamburger Helper said that the flavors were spot on. In light of that, this woman really spent some time working on the measurements and recipes and I'm impressed. In fact, I liked the concept so much, that when I went to the butcher to stock up on meats and things a few weeks ago, I had them package up 1lb portions of ground beef so that I could make freezer bags that included the meat, pasta, cheese and spice mixes. Everything is together and supper is so fast!

In addition to being able to use all my own spices, real cheese and good pasta, I have been adding shredded vegetables into the meat as it cooks. Just like with my taco recipe, I've added carrots on a regular basis. This weekend, after a long day working outside, my aunt stopped over right at supper time, so I asked her stay. I made the meal when she wasn't inside with me, so she had no idea what was going into the pan. I added a heaping cup of shredded carrots and about a cup of shredded zucchini and didn't say a word to anyone at the table. Not only were plates cleared, every one had seconds. So while I totally neglected to take a photo of any of the times I've made this meal, I've learned that I can add in even more good stuff and walk away feeling like I really did a good job with supper. (Note: if you are going to add in the vegetables, you'll need to add an additional 1/2 cup of water to the recipe to keep the consistency right.)

For the original recipe, head on over to Chickens in the Road and check it out! Have fun making this recipe (and all the variations!) for the die-hard processed food lovers in your family and watching their faces light up when they realize that fast doesn't have to have a bunch of unpronounceable ingredients in the recipe.

Gentle is as gentle does

2011-04-12T10:42:00.006-04:00

Welcome to the April Carnival of Natural Parenting: Compassionate Advocacy
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how they advocate for healthy, gentle parenting choices compassionately. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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I have certain convictions in my life. I believe that we should eat whole, natural, healthy food. I believe in natural childbirth; not planned interventions masquerading as "natural." I believe that we are a family and that as one, we should live and treat each other with love and respect. My husband and I cloth diaper our son, and at the typing of this post have a stash of sweetly colored diapers awaiting the birth of our daughter. Our daughter, whom we plan to welcome into the world in the security of our home sometime this week, or next. I'm looking forward to the return of breastfeeding and co-sleeping.

My first experience with childbirth and parenting had a steep learning curve. I had to give up certain aspects of my dreams due to a nasty bout with postpartum depression, but in doing so, I was able to focus more of my energy on training myself to be a Compassionate Parent. Because of the choices my husband and I made, we were able to really foster a gentle parenting atmosphere in our home. To be specific, we do not use any version of the "cry-it-out" method.

Bedtimes are a peaceful event in our home. Our son loves to sleep by himself. He does not sleep with us anymore unless he is sick, because he loves to curl up in his bed, with his pillows and snuggle with his lovies. I will admit to wishing that he still wanted to be in bed with us, but he's happy. It took several months of loving on him at bedtimes and naptimes to teach him that regardless of where he chooses to sleep, we aren't shutting him in his room and deserting him. When he calls out for us, we answer. It doesn't matter what time of night it is, we always answer his call with love and a cuddle. As a result, we rarely have nights where he's up several times to be comforted.

I can't count the number of times we've had people tell us we're spoiling our son. The number of people who told us we needed to shut the door in the beginning and walk away is phenomenal! Or the number of offers of copies of Babywise. It took longer for us to fall into a rhythm with sleep times than those I've talked to who use a harsher method. But there isn't crying in our house (either from parent or child). And I'm encouraged every time I get an email from a new mom asking me what to do for sleep. Despite being very firm in our beliefs, neither my husband nor I are particularly outspoken about them. If someone wants to know how we do something, I figure they will either read our family blog and look for the answer themselves or they'll talk to me. Respect is a trait that I want my children to learn in all aspects of life and I believe that it begins with how we treat others whose beliefs may not be the same as ours.

I am always here and always a shoulder to cry on if anyone needs me. Gentle Parenting takes time, effort and a great deal of self-control (depending on your personality). There are days when I have to search message boards and talk to my support group of friends before I can say that I've found my answers for the crisis at hand. By showing my weaknesses and my own personal frustrations but my determination to parent in this manner, I feel that I'm able to reach more people that I would be able to if I weren't willing to be vulnerable. No one thinks I'm perfect and that's ok. I'm honest. I struggle. And I'm willing to listen to you while you cry.

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

Natural Parenting Advocacy by Example — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction uses her blog, Twitter and Facebook as her natural parenting soapbox.
You Catch More Flies With Honey — When it comes to natural parenting advice, Kate of The Guavalicious Life believes you catch more flies with honey.
From the Heart — Patti at Jazzy Mama searches her heart for an appropriate response when she learns that someone she respects wants his baby to cry-it-out.
I Offer the Truth — Amy at Innate Wholeness shares the hard truths to inspire parents in making changes and fully appreciating the parenting experience.
Advocating or Just Opinionated? — Momma Jorje discusses how to draw the line between advocating compassionately and being just plain opinionated. It can be quite a fine line.
Compassionate Advocacy — Mamapoekie of Authentic Parenting writes about how to discuss topics you are passionate about with people who don't share your views.
Heiny Helpers: Sharing Cloth Love — Heiny Helpers is guest posting on Natural Parents Network to share how they are providing cloth diapers and cloth diapering support to low income families.
Struggling with Advocacy — April of McApril still struggles to determine how strongly she should advocate for her causes, but still loves to show her love for her parenting choices to those who would like to listen.
Compassionate Advocacy Through Blogging (AKA –Why I Blog) — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares how both blogging and day-to-day life give her opportunities to compassionately advocate for natural parenting practices.
A Letter to *Those* Parents — Zoie at TouchstoneZ shares how to write an informed yet respectful reply to those parents — you know, the ones who don't parent the way you do.
Why I Am Not A Homebirth Advocate — Olivia at Write About Birth is coming out: she is a homebirth mom, but not a homebirth advocate. One size does not fit all – but choice is something we can all advocate for!
Why I Open My Big Mouth — Wolfmother from Fabulous Mama Chronicles reflects on why she is passionate about sharing parenting resources.
Watching and Wearing — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life advocates the joys of babywearing simply by living life in a small college town.
Compassionate Advocacy . . . That's The Way I Do It — Amyables at Toddler in Tow describes how she's learned to forsake judgment and channel her social energy to spread the "good news" of natural parenting through interaction and shared experiences.
Compelling without repelling — Lauren at Hobo Mama cringes when she thinks of the obnoxious way she used to berate people into seeing her point of view.
I Am the Change — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro describes a recent awakening where she realized exactly how to advocate for natural parenting.
Public Displays of Compassion — The Accidental Natural Mama recounts an emotional trip to the grocery store and the importance of staying calm and compassionate in the storm of toddler emotions.
I will not hide behind my persona — Suzi Leigh at Attached at the Boob discusses the benefits of being honest and compassionate on the internet.
Choosing My Words — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom shares why she started her blog and why she continues to blog despite an increasingly hectic schedule.
Honour the Child :: Compassionate Advocacy in the Classroom — Lori at Beneath the Rowan Tree shares her experience of being a gentle and compassionate parent — with other people's children — as a classroom volunteer in her daughter's senior kindergarten room.
Inspired by the Great Divide (and Hoping to Inspire) — Rosemary at Rosmarinus Officinalis shares her thoughts on navigating the "great divide" through gently teaching and being teachable.
Introverted Advocacy — CatholicMommy at Working to be Worthy shares how she advocates for gentle parenting, even though she is about as introverted as one can be.
The Three R's of Effective and Gentle Advocacy — Ana at Pandamoly explains how "The Three R's" can yield consistent results and endless inspiration to those in need of some change.
Passionate and Compassionate: How do We do It? — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy shares the importance of understanding your motivation for advocacy.
Sharing the love — Isil at Smiling Like Sunshine talks about how she shares the love and spreads the word.
What Frank Said — Nada at miniMOMist has a good friend named Frank. She uses his famous saying to demonstrate how much natural parenting has benefited her and her family.
Baby Sling Carriers Make Great Compassionate Advocacy Tools — Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey shared her babywearing knowledge — and her sling — with a new mom.
Everyday Superheroes — Who needs Superman when we have a community of compassionate advocates?! Dionna at Code Name: Mama believes that our community of gentle bloggers are the true superheroes.
Words of advice: compassionately advocating for my parenting choices — MrsH at Fleeting Moments waits to give advice until she's been asked, resulting in fewer advocacy moments but very high responsiveness from parents all over the spectrum of parenting approaches.
Peaceful Parenting — Peaceful parenting shows at Living Peacefully with Children with an atypical comment from a stranger.
Speaking for birth — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud soul-searches about how she can advocate for natural birth without causing offense.
Gentle is as Gentle Does — Laura at A Pug in the Kitchen shares how she is gently advocating her parenting style.
Walking on Air — Rachael at The Variegated Life wants you to know that she has no idea what she's doing — and it's a gift.
Parenting with my head, my heart, and my gut — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares her thoughts on being a compassionate advocate of natural parenting as a blogger.
At Peace With the World — Megan at Ichigo Means Strawberry talks about being an advocate for peaceful parenting at 10,000 feet.
Putting a public face on "holistic" — Being public about her convictions is a must for Jessica at Crunchy-Chewy Mama, but it takes some delicacy.
Just Be; Just Do. — Amy at Anktangle believes strongly about her parenting methods, and also that the way to get people to take notice is to simply live her life and parent the best she knows how.
One Parent at a Time... — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment believes that advocating for Natural Parenting is best accomplished by walking the walk.
Self-compassion — We're great at caring for and supporting others —from our kiddos to other mamas — but Lisa at Gems of Delight shares a post about treating ourselves with that same sense of compassion.
Using Montessori Principles to Advocate Natural Parenting — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now tells how she uses Montessori principles to be a compassionate advocate for natural parenting.
Advocacy? Me? — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante discovers that by "just doing her thing," she may be advocating for natural parenting.
Feeding by Example — Mama Mo at Attached at the Nip shares her experience of being the first one of her generation to parent.
Compassionate Consumerism — Erica at ChildOrganics encourages her children to be compassionate consumers and discusses the benefits of buying local and fair trade products.
The Importance of Advocating Compassionately — Kristen at Adventures in Mommyhood acts as a compassionate advocate by sharing information with many in the hopes of reaching a few.
Some Thoughts on Gentle Discipline — Darcel at The Mahogany Way shares her thoughts and some tips on Gentle Discipline.
Compassionate Advocacy: Sharing Resources, Spreading the Love — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle shares how her passion for making natural choices in pregnancy, birth, and parenting have supported others in Dominica and beyond.
A journey to compassion and connection — Jessica at Instead of Institutions shares her journey from know-it-all to authentic advocacy.
Advocacy Through Openness, Respect, and Understanding — Melissa at The New Mommy Files describes her view on belief, and how it has shaped the way she advocates for gentle parenting choices.
Why I'm not an advocate for Natural Parenting — Mrs Green at Little Green Blog delivers the shocking news that, after 10 years of being a mum, she is NOT an advocate for natural parenting!
Natural Love Creates Natural Happiness — A picture is worth a thousand words, but how about a smile, or a giggle, or a gaze? Jessica at Cloth Diapering Mama’s kids are extremely social and their natural happiness is very obvious.
Carnival of Natural Parenting: Compassionate Advocacy — Even in the progressive SF Bay Area, Lily at Witch Mom finds she must defend some of her parenting choices.
A Tale of Four Milky Mamas — In this post The ArtsyMama shares how she has found ways to repay her childhood friend for the gift of milk.
don't tell me what to do — Pecky at benny and bex demonstrates compassionate advocacy through leading by example.