Happy 2 B A Homekeeper

Changes

2010-05-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

Hi to everyone! I sure have missed blogging here lately, but our family has really been busy lately, leaving me absolutely no time to focus on much of anything else. Through lots of prayer, I decided that taking an extended "blogging break" was best for me and my family, but now that things are slowing down a bit, I will (slowly!) return to regular posting! I will also be changing the design of my blog, so please bear with me!! Looking forward to reconnecting with all my friends!

The Simple Woman's Daybook for March 9, 2010

2010-03-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

Outside my window it's cloudy and gloomy, about to rain.

I am thinking about revamping my daily routine to better fit our family's schedule.

I am thankful for the prayers of friends and God's promises to help me when I ask for help.

From the kitchen blackened fish, baked potatoes and salad.

I am wearing a coral-colored lounge pants and jacket duo.

I am creating some new planner pages for my homemaking binder.

I am going to the BMV to plate our new car---oh joy!!

I am reading "Nourishing Traditions", still!

I am hoping that God is going to answer some very difficult prayers!

I am hearing a gentle spring rain outside the open kitchen window.

Around the house is the smell of fresh, spring air, something we've gone too long without!

A few of my plans for the rest of the week are learning to make my own tortillas, going to the natural foods market to buy more water kefir grains to replace the ones I killed this weekend (oops--forgot the sugar water!) and working on my itenerary for cooking classes I'll be teaching later this spring.

You can find more Daybooks at The Simple Woman.

The Simple Woman's Daybook for March 2, 2010.

2010-03-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

I am now taking part in the Simple Woman's Daybook, hosted by The Simple Woman Blog. I will be posting a Daybook entry every Tuesday.

Outside my window is sunny and beautiful, but still a bit cold!
I am thinking about spring and the upcoming Easter season.
I am thankful for God's providence in my life, at no time more apparent than now, as friends and family blanket us in prayers for Henry's impending layoff.
From the learning rooms little Henry is looking at a book about wild animals.
From the kitchen crab salad wraps, potato salad and fresh water kefir cream soda.
I am wearing my pajamas! Feeling a little under the weather today.
I am creating a packing list for our impending move.
I am going absolutely nowhere today!!
I am reading "The Mission of Motherhood" by Sally Clarkson and "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon, and thouroughly enjoying both!
I am hoping we find a new home soon...house hunting is frustrating!
I am hearing two babies blissfully snoring away!
Around the house are a lot of those little ladybugs, a sure sign of spring!
A few of my plans for the rest of the week are making beef and chicken stock, packing some boxes and getting together for tea/coffee with some friends.

Fish Recipes for Lent

2010-02-25T19:05:00.000-08:00

For my contribution to Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday this week, I am sharing a few of our family's favorite fish/seafood recipes. Our family is following tradition in observing the season of Lent by foregoing meat on Fridays, instead eating only fish. To keep it interesting, I've began experimenting with different methods of preparation and recipes. Fish is not at all difficult to prepare and is one of the most nutrient-dense foods one can consume. A few of fish's benefits:

*promotes excellent growth and bone structure

*rich source of iodine and zinc, minerals that are a little difficult to get in the average person's diet.

*deep-sea oily fish (tuna, mackerel, salmon, etc...) are particularly high in omega-3's, crucial for vibrant, healthy skin and hair, as well as a proven method of treating depression, especially postpartum depression.

*good source of fat soluble vitamins A and D.

Here are some of my favorite recipes:

Terriyaki Salmon

4 salmon fillets, boned and skinned

1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger

3 garlic cloves, smashed

1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. raw honey

1/2 c. naturally fermented soy sauce

Place salmon on a broiler pan; in a glass jar with a lid, combine the rest of the ingredients. Shake vigorously. Baste each salmon fillet with the sauce; place in oven and broil under very low heat for 6-8 minutes, basting frequently. Drizzle a bit of the terriyaki sauce over the salmon before serving.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Caper Mayonaise

1 can salmon, drained and flaked with a fork

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. each dried oregano, summer savory and basil

1 tbsp. mayonaise

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

2 tbsp. bread crumbs

coconut oil for frying

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl; mix until well-combined. Form into medium-size patties and fry in coconut oil for 5 minutes on each side.

Lemon-Caper Mayo

1 c. mayonaise

juice of 1 small lemon

1/2 tbsp. capers

Combine all ingredients.

You can also check out my recipe for Shrimp Caprese here.

Frugal, Earth-Friendly Tip--Repurposing Glass Jars

2010-02-24T02:43:00.000-08:00

By now, you are probably aware of the dangers associated with using plastic containers for storing food or cups/bottles for drinking beverages. Plastics are known to leach harmful chemicals into our bodies, especially after being heated, making them particularly unsafe for food storage/serving. I am planning a more extensive post (or two!) on plastics in April, Earth Month, but I'll give you a quick run-down of some of the pitfalls of using plastics:

*increased hormone production in females, increased female hormones in males.

*altered immune response

*increase in certain cancers, especially those of the prostate and breast.

*increase in birth defects

*increase in behaviorial disorders, such as hyperactivity and aggression

And those are just a few!

Of course, some plastics are considered more safe than others. You can read more about that here in the Smart Plastics Guide, a ultra-informative resource on plastics usage. However, I am making it a goal to have pretty much all but eliminated plastic food storage from our home by the end of summer! One step I have taken in this direction is the utilization of various glass jars for food storage. I use wide-mouth canning jars to store just about anything in my pantry--popcorn, dry beans, rice, you name it! I plan on purchasing some very large glass canning jars to store flour, as I am regretably still storing it in a big plastic bin! :( Another good option for flour storage would be ceramic crocks. I use glass canning jars for cold storage, too, anything from leftovers to homeade stocks to water kefir beverages. I love using all the Santa Cruz glass juice bottles I've saved over the past year to store fresh fruit juice from my juicer! I find my glass jars the best option for all the ferments I may have brewing at any time in the kitchen--sourdough starters, fresh ginger ale, sauerkraut, etc... As you can see, they are well-used in my kitchen! I also repurpose any glass jars from ready-made products I have bought, such as jams, honey or coffee, as they make excellent food storage containers for smaller quantities.

Are you making the switch from plastic to glass in your kitchen? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Simple, Nourishing Breakfast--Baked Oatmeal and Coconut Smoothie

2010-02-22T03:30:00.000-08:00

Our family really enjoys oatmeal! Both tasty and nutritious (especially when served up with some raw cream, butter, real maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon!), oatmeal is a wonderfully frugal yet filling breakfast option.

Several months ago, I began to notice quite a few recipes on various blogs for baked oatmeal. Intrigued, I decided to give it a try. I followed a very basic recipe, adjusting the ingredients to our likings, and I must say that we were quite pleased with the results. Our baked oatmeal was something like a giant, very soft oatmeal raisin cookie! Like a regular bowl of breakfast oats, it does require a bit of preparation the night before, but requires little hands-on time to assemble in the morning, making it a time-saving breakfast option. We like to serve ours with fresh butter and real maple syrup or raw honey.

We have also been experimenting with some new smoothie recipes, and recently I paired this recipe for coconut smoothies with our baked oatmeal breakfast. Coconut milk and coconut oil are extremely beneficial to our diets, containing high ammounts of lauric acid, and according to Sally Fallon in her book Nourishing Traditions is "an essential saturated fatty acid that enhances the immune system and protects us against viruses, yeasts, parasites and other pathogens in the gut." This coconut smoothie is an easy, tasy way to get more coconut products into your diet.

Coconut Smoothie

2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 1/2 c. whole coconut milk (stay away from the ones labled "lite")

1 banana, cut into chunks

1/4 c. raw honey

1/2 c. plain or vanilla whole-milk or cream-top yogurt

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (you can omit this if you are using vanilla yogurt)

2 cubes ice, optional, but makes for a nice, cold, almost pina colada-like consistency!

Blend all ingredients in a blender until ice is completely crushed and blended with the other ingredients. Serve immediately.

Baked Oatmeal

Oatmeal is particularly high in phytates, so this recipe calls for a soaking step--plan ahead! However, I find that soaking my grain products makes for an easier preparation in the morning, as half the work is already done! If you are new to soaking, you can find some excelent resources listed at the bottom of this post. I highly suggest you take some time to read about this important step to preparing healthier whole-grains and legumes.

6 c. rolled oats

1 c. melted butter or coconut oil (personal trial and error has proven coconut oil to make a more moist product, but either is fine!)

2 c. yogurt or buttermilk

1 c. pure maple syrup or raw honey

Mix all ingredients until moistened in a large mixing bowl; cover with a clean dishtowel and let soak overnight, 12 hours or more. When ready to prepare, add:

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 c. raisins

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients until moistened; transfer to a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until top starts to crack, a sure sign it's finished.

There you have it--a quick, nourishing start to your family's day!

Further Resources on Soaking

The Value of Soaking Your Whole Grains--Lindsay delivers a very thourough post on the health benefits and how-to's of soaking, including more resources at the bottom of her post.

Weekend Reading--Link Love!

2010-02-19T09:18:00.000-08:00

Well, I've never posted a link love post before, but I have way to much work to procuce a regular post today, so I thought I'd share these great articles I've enjoyed over the week. Happy reading!

What About Some Time to Myself?--this soul-searching post by Stephanie at A High and Noble Calling blog should perhaps be required reading for all moms! If you do one thing this weekend, READ THIS!

Planning to Make Real Food Preparation Happen--Stephanie at Keeper of the Home blog has once again written an informative, detailed post on organization, this time concerning the preparations needed for ensuring your real food meals make it to the table! Preparing real, nourishing foods requires quite a bit of planning in advance, and Stephanie shares the simple yet effective system that works for her (and now me!).

Food Renegade's Fight Back Fridays--one of my favorite websites, Food Renegade, hosts this weekly blog carnival devoted to real, traditional food. Check it out--maybe you'll find a new recipe or two to try over the weekend!

"Green" Your Swiffer!--I love Emily's idea for repurposing cloth diapers into washable, reusable Swiffer pads!

Have a great weekend!

Our New Juicer! (plus some recipes!)

2010-02-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

Ever since our family has been making a change to eating a more traditional/whole foods diet, one of the biggest items on my kitchen gadget wishlist has been a juicer. We had all but given up on store-bought juices, due to artificial ingredients, dyes and high-fructose corn syrup, but save for the occassional bottle of Naked or Santa Cruz juice (expensive...yikes!), we discovered one truth about the Vega family...we really, really like juice! With no juice in our home, Henry and I both began to crave sodas, something we had not done for quite some time! So, after some careful consideration, we decided it would be a good investment to buy a good-quality juicer. We decided on the Juiceman Hero Electric Juicer from Black and Decker. The Juiceman is very basic, not too large and super-efficient! It has 2 speeds, one for softer fruits and veggies, and another for hard ones, like carrots. I particularly like the ease of disassembly for cleaning--everything disattaches from the main unit so you don't have to try to clean parts while avoiding getting the motor wet!

An added bonus to this juicer is the compartment that collects the pulp from the fruits and veggies being used. I add this pulp to a basic whole- grain muffin recipe with flavorful, moist results! After making a quart of carrot-orange juice the other morning, I used the pulp to create the recipe for Sunshine Muffins, a surprisingly big hit with little Henry.

Sunshine Muffins

*Note: a soaking step for the whole-wheat flour is reccomended, although I made these on the spur of the moment, so I skipped it.

2 c. whole-wheat pastry flour

1 c. softened butter

1 egg

1/2 c. maple syrup or honey

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. baking powder

reserved orange and carrot pulp

1 c. milk

Cream butter, pulps, egg and sweetener in a mixing bowl; add baking powder and vanilla, creaming until smooth. In a large mixing bowl, combine soft ingredients with the flour and milk, a bit at a time, stirring until well-moistened. Fill greased muffin tin cups 3/4 of the way full; bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes one dozen muffins.

Tropical Delight Juice

2 c. chunked fresh pineapple

2 mangos, quartered

2 oranges, peeled and quartered

1 c. coconut milk

Run first three ingredients through your juicer; add coconut milk, shake and serve.

Lemonade

4 lemons, peeled and halved

1 c. water

1 c. rapadura

Juice the lemons. In a saucepan, combine rapadura and water; bring to a boil, then recuce heat, stirring constantly until rapadura is dissolved, forming a simple syrup. Combine syrup with lemon juice and 2 cups of water or sparkling water for a lemonade spritzer.

Simple Beef Paprikash with Spaetzle

2010-02-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

Beef Paprikash is a simple recipe I came up with to use up lefover roast. I really enjoyed eating the traditional Chicken Paprikash in a Hungarian restraunt in Florida several years ago, but was wondering if it could be made with beef, as our family prefers beef to chicken. I experimented a couple of times before coming up with this recipe, which is actually quite good. I serve the Paprikash with this recipe for spaetzle, a Hungarian-style dumpling, simply made of egg and flour.

Beef Paprikash

2 c. leftover pot roast, slightly shredded

1/2 c. beef broth

2 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms

4 tbsp paprika

1/2 c. flour, preferably whole-wheat, but sometimes I substitute half white, half wheat

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. whole milk

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, finely chopped

In a saucepan, sautee onion, mushrooms and garlic in butter and olive oil about 2 minutes; add flour, stirring constantly, to form a roux. Add the milk, bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat, stirring until well-thickened. Add broth, paprika and salt; mix well. Remove from heat and add the roast; let sit a few minutes to heat through. Serve beef mixture on top of spaetzle.

*Note: traditionally, Paprikash is made with sour cream, so you may prefer to make it this way. (our family just doesn't like sour cream...none of us!) If you want to use the sour cream, simply omit the roux step and the milk, and just add the sour cream to the broth and the sauteed garlic onion and mushrooms; add the spices.

Yummy Valentine's Day Treats!

2010-02-10T16:32:00.000-08:00

This year, the children and I are making special treats for Daddy for Valentine's Day! Our plans are to surprise him with a breakfast of crepes covered in whipped cream and strawberries, bacon and fresh squeezed juice from our new juicer ( a tax time treat!). We are also making a yummy but healthy fudge following Lindsay's recipe, as well as this delicious recipe for cinnamon popcorn. We will celebrate Valentine's Day with the children at an all-congregation dinner at our church before Sunday evening services, then, if we are blessed with a babysitter, celebrate alone on Monday with a candlelit dinner or at a nice restraunt, haven't decided yet!

Happy Valentine's Day to the best husband ever! You are a great partner, a caring father and a wonderful provider for our family. I love you so much!

Crockpot Refried Beans

2010-02-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

Our family loves refried beans. Frugal and nourishing, refried beans can be used in a variety of dishes. Some of our favorites include in bean and rice tacos, beef and bean or just plain bean burritos, tostadas, as a side to enchilladas or in taco salad. Refried beans taste great when paired with salsa, guacamole, cheese...the list goes on and on!

I love to use beans to stretch meals, often times replacing half of the meat called for in a recipe with beans. They are a wonderful source of both protein and fiber, and at about $1.50/lb., a far more frugal option than meat!

I prefer to make my refried beans, simply because they require a lot of cooking time to make them super-soft, and I don't feel comfortable simmering on the stove that long! This way, I can just soak the beans all night, throw them in the crockpot in the morning and they're done in time for dinner. I find the flavor is a lot better with this method as well.

Crockpot Refried Beans

Soaking Step (optional): Place beans in a large glass jar with lid, or a large bowl would work as well--just cover with a towel. Add enough water to cover the beans, plus 1 inch. Add an acid medium to help release phytates in the beans. I find that apple cider vinegar or lemon juice work well with beans. Cover and leave to soak overnight or at least 10 hours. In the morning, drain and rinse before using.

Place 1 lb. dried (preferably soaked) pinto beans in crockpot along with about 6 cups of water; cover with lid and allow to cook on high about 4 hours; check to see if additional water is needed. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer another 6 hours. Remove and drain liquid; return beans to crockpot. Cover just above the beans with your choice of stock, chicken or beef. (I prefer beef, just for the rich, deep flavor.) Simmer on low, about 3 hours, or until beans mash very easily with a fork. Mash beans, in the crock, to the consistency of your choice. Season to your taste. I like to season them very simply with salt and a clove or two of minced garlic.

I freeze any leftovers in 1-cup portions in freezer bags.

Naturally Treating Three Childhood Ailments--Cradle Cap, Thrush and Teething

2010-02-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

Wow, what an experience it has been to have two children so close in age! Recently, this has presented a new set of challenges, as Henry has decided to cut about 7 teeth at once, including 2 molars (YIKES!), and Ryan has been plagued with ongoing bouts of cradle cap and thrush.

Of course, I had been through teething before with Brett (easy as pie with him, I might add) and of course Henry had already cut some teeth, but NOTHING could have prepared me for this go-round! My poor sweet baby had been reduded to a whinning, screaming, irritable, wakeful mess! Unable to sleep more than two hours at a time, my little one was cranky and in pain all day and night. I was giving him Tylenol to help relieve the pain, but it just didn't seem to be working....then, enter Hylannd's Teething tablets! I can not say enough good things about this wonderful product! The teething tablets are an all-natural, homeopathic remedy readily available in most drug stores. I like that the ingredients are simple as well as familiar (nothing I can't pronounce!) and found in nature. Here's the breakdown:

Calcium--supports dentition

Chamomille-calms irritability

Coffea Cruda--relieves wakefulness

Belladonna--relieves redness and inflammation

Since these tablets do seem to sedate Henry a bit, we have implemented a schedule in which he takes 3 tabs (the full dosage) 30 minutes prior to naptime and bedtime and only 2 tabs (if needed) 3 hours apart. Most of the time, he just gets by on a dose of Tylenol between nap and bedtime.

While Henry has been battling with teething, Baby Ryan has been dealing with his own ailments, a nasty and persistent thrush, as well as some pretty serious cradle cap! After our pediatrician diagnosed Ryan's thrush, she sent us home with the standard treatment, an oral rinse of an anti-fungal called Nystatin. Upon reading the presription information handout from the pharmacy, I discovered that one side effect of this medication is nausea/stomach upset. I noticed my sweet, happy little Ry-Ry was a bit fussy, unusual for him, but I just assumed he was tired. I continued with the medication, but with each dose, he became more and more irritable, unable to sleep and crying uncontrolably. I decided to research other, more natural methods of treating thrush. I am now treating him with a combination of Venetian violet, a bactericide/anti-fungal, and powdered probiotics mixed with a bit of water to form a paste and applied directly to the tounge. Using the VV is a bit more complicated, as preparations must be taken to prevent staining (clothes, skin, you name it!). I rub coconut oil on Ry's lips and chin before applying a 1/2 to 1/2 solution of VV and distilled water to the tounge/mouth with a clean cotton swab. It needs to sit about 15 minutes before nursing. I am happy to report that the thrush is indeed clearing up!

As for the cradle cap, I've been massaging coconut oil onto Ryan's scalp 30 min prior to his bath, letting it sit, then washing it out with Burt' Bees Grapefruit shampoo dilluted with regular baby shampoo, drying with a towel and then massaging with a super-soft toothbrush to loosen the "scales". Works great!

Goals for 2010

2010-02-01T04:08:00.000-08:00

In the midst of all the business here in the Vega home, I have completed a list of goals for our family to accomplish this year. I have been using some very helpful organizational tools from listplanit to help me get organized again, something that flew out the window when Ryan was born! God has definitely been using the experience of being mommy to two babies in less that a year to refine and humble me. I believe I was making a clean, organized, near-perfect home an idol in my life....I've had to let go of a lot of my expectations to simply focus on meeting the needs of my very young children, as well as the other members of our family, myself included.

However, God's mercies are new with each new day, and I must say things are getting a LOT easier now that Ryan is almost three months old. I am feeling much more rested and energized now that he is sleeping for longer stretches of time. We have also found a few other helpful tools in making our days a bit smoother, including the use of Hylannd's Teething Tablets for Henry! I can not say enough good things about this product. My poor, sweet little man has been fussy, drooling, restless, wakeful during the night and at times sobbing inconsolably--these little wonder tablets have really saved the day for us! I highly suggest them, as they are an all-natural homeopathic remedy that really work to eliminate teething pain. They seem to have a mild sedative effect, which makes them great around nap or bedtime, especially if your little teether has trouble settling down or staying asleep due to pain.

One other tool that has been really helpful to us has been the implementation of a morning routine. I must confess that I am not by nature much of a morning person, but I do find that a structured routine gets the day off to a smooth start for not just myself, but my children! I find that if I have breakfast ready when they wake up, there is less whining during the day. Children find solace in structure. This also allows me to get my thoughts in order and get my heart and mind where they need to be to deal with the challenges of each day. It's so nice to have uninterrupted time to prepare for breakfast, wash dishes, start a load of laundry, etc... before the family is awake. This frees up more interpersonal time for us to enjoy together.

I have also been working on my daily routine, working to make it a bit more streamlined and thus, easier on me! Why was I trying to bathe two babies and myself (and when Brett is here, although he's pretty much bathing himself, I still must stand by, so there's an extra bath!) in the evening when Henry is at work? It's very time consuming, what with trying to keep one entertained while I bathe and dress the other...there's a stroller and a Baby Einstein movie involved, a binky, a bottle....the list goes on and on :). Why was I making it so complicated for myself and so miserable for my children, simply because I think kids need a bath before bed? I had to (once again) let go of an unrealistic expectation...that simply does not work with our routine! My husband works in the evening, therefore some of our routine had to be reworked to be more practical for us! I decided to try bathing the children in the morning after breakfast, when my husband was free to entertain the other and both while I bathed, and guess what? The world did not come to an end, and the children were actually happier and more calm throughout the day. We had more time to just simply play together in the evening as well!

2010 Goals

1. Develop a better bedtime routine for Henry--bed by 8:30 (it's currently about 10...yikes!), limit bottles during the night, sleep alone the entire night in his bed. Sleep in his own bedroom by the end of the year.

2. Break Henry of the bottle and replace with sippy cup. Begin to teach him how to eat with a spoon. Work on table manners :)

3. Break Henry of pacifier. This is going to be a hard one! My original plan was to start this in the summer, but as long as we make it by the end of the year, we're good!!!

4. Begin a reading time with Henry. We just have not been reading enough to him.

5. Loose weight! Develop an exercise routine that we can enjoy as a family. Hubby and I both will benefit from this one :)

6. Reintroduce date night. This is going to be difficult, as my mother is the only person I trust to care for my children when we go out, but we need the time to relax and reconnect. Mother is getting ready to begin kidney dialysis, however, so I am not sure she will have the energy to care for the children, even though she would love to. Time to look for a babysitter, I guess!

7. Become more social! This seems to be really hard for us. We need to start spending time with other people on a regular basis. There are several couples that have expressed interest in spending time with us or have invited us to activities, but sadly, with Henry's work schedule, it's been almost impossible. We must work on this!

Those are some of our main goals for the year. How are you implementing goal-keeping in your family this year?

Healthier "Hamburger Helper"

2010-01-27T11:11:00.000-08:00

This post is my contribution to the recipe carnival that Katie at Kitchen Stewardship http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/ is hosting today. The theme is making a one-dish hamburger helper-style meal with healthy, whole-food ingredients, replacing the original boxed offering with it's long list of unhealthy ingredients. Here is the recipe my family enjoys:

Beefy-Mushroom Skillet

1 lb. ground beef, preferably grass-fed

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 c. beef bone stock

1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms, sauteed until soft

2 tbsp.butter

3 tbsp. whole-wheat flour

3 c. whole-wheat egg noodles

Brown the ground beef until well browned; add onions and garlic and cook until translucent. Drain beef and set aside. In the same pan, melt butter; add flour and stir constantly until a thick roux forms. Add the beef stock, stirring constantly until all flour lumps are gone. Add mushrooms. Add noodles and allow to simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, or until noodles are tender and gravy has thickened. Salt and pepper to taste.

Super-Simple Salad Dressings

2010-01-23T08:46:00.000-08:00

One thing I strongly encourage my family to eat is salad. I love salad, and as luck would have it, my two oldest boys do too! My hubby not so much, although he will occasionally eat an Italian-style chopped salad.

One way I keep salad interesting for my family is by using a wide variety of veggies/fruit/nuts and salad dressings. I prefer to make my own dressings, as the commercial salad dressings in the supermarket are full of undesirable ingreedients such as hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors and dyes.

I've included here a few of my favorite salad dressing recipes:

Classic Italian Salad Dressing (makes about 1/2 quart)

1 c. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 c. fresh lemon juice

3-4 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning mix

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a lid; secure lid tightly and shake vigorously until well-combined. Store in jar in fridge for up to one month.

Poppyseed Dressing (this is my personal favorite...great on sliced avacado!)

1 c. mayonaise

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, raw with the mother if possible

3 tbsp. dijon mustard

4 tbsp. poppyseeds

1 minced garlic clove

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl; whisk rapidly until well-combined. Stores in the fridge covered for up to two weeks.

Mandarin-Sesame Dressing

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1 c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves

2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

juice of 3 small mandarin oranges, roughly 1/4 cup

pinch of ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl; whisk rapidly until well-combined. Best if used immediately.

Preparing Nourishing Food During Seasons of Busyness

2010-01-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

These last 2 months have been quite an eye-opening experience for our family! Having two babies so close in age (Henry is 12 months, Ryan 2 months) has definitely been a lesson in time management....more like a crash-course!

These past two months have been a struggle for me in the meal department. I confess that we have eaten more than our fair share of pizza and more take-out than I care to admit! So what's a mom to do when she desperately wants to serve nourishing, whole food to her family, but she is absolutely STRAPPED for time? Here's what I've learned on my personal journey:

1. Let Go of the Guilt! In my perfect world, a warm, nourishing whole-foods meal would grace my table every night, but the reality is that often times I just don't have the time. I have learned to make peace with this by realizing that sometimes my family just needs my attention more than a perfectly healthy meal! I try to make the best of it by making the best of the situation--for example, if we must eat take-out, it certainly won't come from a fast food hamburger chain, but maybe the local Amish restraunt that serves home cooked meals to go. Or I may make an extremely simple meal of scrambled eggs and toast--nothing fancy, but nourishing and I know where the ingreedients came from.

2. I keep a list of quick nourishing meals on hand, as well as having the ingreedients for these quick meals stocked at all times. I start every day with good intentions to follow my meal plan, but as any mother to small children knows, plans can quickly go out the window before the day even begins! Some of my quick and easy go-to meals are breakfast for dinner, potatoes fried in coconut oil with garlic and onion and sliced nitrate-free beef sausage, shrimp or chicken fried rice made with leftover shrimp or chicken from the freezer, peanut butter and jam on sourdough bread or quesadillas with whatever veggies I have on hand, plus refried beans from the freezer and maybe even some meat from the freezer, if I have any.

3. One lifesaver for me in this busy season of my life has been "planned overs"! If I am making easily-doubled recipes such as a meatloaf, soup or casserole, I just double or triple it to make enough for the next night, saving me a night of cooking! Our family is ok with this, as we don't mind eating the same thing two nights in a row, but if your family prefers more variety, you may try saving the extra portion of your "planned overs" meal in the freezer and serving it the next week or for when you have a particularly exhausting day. I call these emergency meals! Just add some fresh bread and a veggie, and your good to go!

These are just a few of the ways I have saved my sanity in this hectic season of my life. Although I know we are not eating 100% perfectly right now, this season will pass and we can get back on track eventually. My babies will only be babies for a short while, so I prefer enjoy them rather than slave away in the kitchen all day! With a little careful planning, it is possible to serve nourishing meals to our families even when busy.

Birthday Boys!

2010-01-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

This month saw to milestones for the Vega family, one being Henry's first birthday, and the other being that Ryan turned 2 months old! I can't believe how fast my little ones are growing!

A Nourishing, Cold-Weather Meal

2010-01-10T09:51:00.000-08:00

Everyone craves comfort food in the winter season--it's warm, filling and of course, comforting! One of our family's favorite comfort food meals is pot roast. Now, before I began to study more about the benefits of a whole, traditional foods diet for my family's health, I prepared my pot roast dinner much the same way as my mother...canned mushroom-beef soup for the gravy, threw the potatoes in with the roast, canned green beans on the side, etc... While there is no doubt that that method of preparation is easy and tastes (more or less) great, I felt it was definitely time to revamp this meal. Here's what I did:

Pot Roast with Root Veggies

1 large beef roast, preferably grass-fed, well-marbled with fat, for making gravy from the drippings

Assorted root veggies, cut into large chunks and scattered around the roast. I used celery, carrots, onions and turnips with excellent results

Salt and Pepper to taste

Place roast in a large roasting pan; scatter root veggies around the roast. Season roast with salt and pepper. Add about 1 1/2 c. water; cover with aluminum foil and roast at 350 degrees for 2 hours, checking after 1 1/2 hours and adding additional water if necessary. Remove from oven; move roast and veggies to seperate serving dishes. Place roast drippings in a small saucepot; bring to a rapid boil, reduce heat and add a slurry of cornstarch/water to thicken into a nice gravy; pour over roast.

To round out our pot roast meal, I serve steamed green beans seasoned with a bit of salt and butter, as well as garlic mashed potatoes with cream, butter and a bit of salt. I feel mashed potatoes are a healthier alternative to plain 'ol potatoes cooked with the roast, as I get to add butter and cream as well as a healthy dose of raw garlic, an added bonus during the winter cold/flue season due to it's antiviral properties. A meal that's both yummy and immune-boosting!

Happy New Years!

2009-12-31T10:58:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing a Happy New Year to all my readers and their families! Hope 2010 is filled with even more blessings than 2009! I will begin with a (very) slow return to blogging, and you will notice that my blog will have a bit of a new feel to it, as I focus my blog more towards nutriton and a whole-foods lifestyle, as that is my biggest passion. Hope you will enjoy the changes!

Family Update--December

2009-12-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

Hi, everyone! I promise I will get back to regular blog posting soon--enjoying my babymoon for a few more weeks, especially with the holidays approaching!

All is going so well for the Vega family right now--we are truly blessed! Ryan could not possibly be a better baby. He is sleeping for 3-4 hour stretches at a time, rarely fusses and has the most patient personality I've ever seen in a baby! He's growing like a weed, already 1/2 lb. over his birth weight! Unfortunately, I once again was unsuccessful with breastfeeding, but the important thing is that he eats well and is growing. We just love this new little addition to our family!

Little Henry is a very confused big brother, not quite sure of his new role! He is quite angry that he is not recieving as much attention as he did before, and becomes especially miffed when mommy has to feed the baby! All of a sudden, he has lost the ability to hold his bottle. We are just trying to love on him as much as possible, as well as pray over him for patience and understanding. I feel confident that he will adjust soon. On a more positive note, Henry is quite amused with all of the Christmas lights around the town, and really enjoys listening to seasonal music. He and I are celebrating my birthday together this evening (daddy is working ) with a dinner of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli/cauliflower medley and sweet corn, as well as my favorite dessert, chocolate Cheesecake Factory cheesecake--yum!

Brett continues to excell in school, language arts and reading being his strongest subjects. We are really looking forward to his visit over the holiday break, as well as celebrating his birthday on the 23rd! He's very proud to be a big brother again.

That's pretty much it from the homefront for this month!

Welcome, Ryan Clayton Vega!

2009-11-25T12:36:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share the good news with you all--Ryan Clayton Vega was born Sunday, November 22 at 4:50 am, weighing in at 6 lbs. and 10 oz. He's doing well, as is our family as we settle in with a new baby. More details soon, and thanks for all your prayers!

Nourishing Menu Plan for Baby

2009-11-20T09:32:00.000-08:00

After recently posting on the importance of a whole-foods diet for babies and children, I thought I would share with you a typical week in my 10-month-old son Henry's diet. There is certainly a LOT of conflicting information available on how a mother should go about feeding her baby...I find a traditional, whole-foods approach the best and would love to share with you how I implement this in my home:

Breakfasts

Eggs, scrambled in butter with a bit of cream and salt

Soaked oatmeal with fruit, cinnamon, maple syrup, butter and cream

Scrapple, a cornmeal mush that is fried in coconut oil and topped with maple syrup-yum!

Waffles or pancakes, sometimes french toast, again with butter and maple syrup

These are typical breakfasts served in my home. I don't fix special breakfasts for the baby; he just eats what we eat in small pieces. I don't puree anything. Typical sides are potatoes fried in coconut oil w/onion and garlic, sausage, bacon, fresh fruits and toast.

Lunches

Chunks of cheese

Fresh fruits

Yogurt or smoothies

Peanut butter or grilled cheese sandwiches

Soup

I keep lunches pretty simple for Henry, as he usually eats a large breakfast and is not very hungy at lunch time. He drinks fresh fruit juice, water or milk with his lunch.

Dinner

Like breakfast, I do not prepare a seperate dinner for the baby, he just eats whatever we are having. Here are some of his favorites:

Avacado slices with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt

Chilli and cornbread with honey butter (yes, I give him honey, and no, it's never been a problem)

Spaghetti with meatballs

Garlic mashed potatoes

Garlic bread

Acorn Squash with maple syrup and butter

Soft beef, like roast or my braised short ribs

Chicken livers with pan gravy

The list could go on and on! My little guy is definitely not picky. I do not shy away from giving him spices...for example, he loves chilli and it does have cayenne pepper in it. We just adjust the amount of spice for his tastes. He really loves the taste of fresh garlic and onion, as he has been eating it since he turned 6 months old. We also add plenty of fresh steamed/sauteed veggies and fresh fruit to his diet, as well as the occasional sweet treat (he loves cheesecake and tirimasu!) I also ensure that Henry gets plenty of good fats in his daily diet (olive oil, coconut oil, avacado,butter), and he takes a daily dose of Cod Liver Oil as well.

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays at http://www.foodrenegade.com/

Super-Simple Handmade Hand Soaps

2009-11-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

This is my third contribution to "A Handmade Christmas" over at Abbi's blog, Proverbs 31 Living http://www.proverbs31living.blogspot.com/. Today I am sharing a very simple scented handsoap recipe. Besides the fact that it is so easy to make, I like this soap because it uses gentle, natural ingredients and is easily customized to suit the personality of the recipient--color or shape of the bottle, scent, etc...

Here is a list of things you will need to make this soap:

8 oz. soap dispensing bottle ( I have found some really nice ones at Bed Bath and Beyond)

7 oz. liquid castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Formula, since it's not scented)

4-5 drops essential oil of your choice, depending on how strong you want the scent

decoratives of your choice--find them in craft stores. Examples are small plastic flowers, sports balls, snowflakes, etc... This is a great way to really personalize the soaps!

Fill soap dispensers with decoratives first; add soap and then the essential oils. Replace cap and shake well to mix. It's that easy!!

Here are some ideas I have used in the past:

For my oldest son and nephew, both 5 years old: Tinted the soap blue with 1 drop of blue food coloring (any more would probably make for blue hands!), added assorted sports balls mini-decoratives, and didn't add any scent.

For the guest bathroom: Made a Christmas soap to put out during the holidays using plastic snowflake mini-decoratives, a pinch of white glitter and cinnamon and vanilla essential oils.

For my niece, 3 years old: Tinted water pink with a bit of red food coloring, added a pinch of gold glitter and heart-shaped mini-decoratives. Used a clear plastic soap dispenser and afixed a Barbie princess cling to the outside of the bottle.

I hope you will join me in having a handmade Christmas this year! Aren't these personalized gifts so much more fun to create?

Real Food for Mom and Baby

2009-11-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

I have just finished up reading a great new book, Real Food for Mother and Baby by Nina Planck. This book explains the benefits of feeding our children a traditonal, whole-foods diet from the time of conception and on through adulthood. Unfortunately, many children today exist on poor diets full of processed, sugar-laden and nutrient-void foods. By the age of 1, many children have already eaten a Happy Meal and are even able to identify the "golden arches" as the symbol of McDonald's!

So, what does the author suggest that children eat? Instead of that Happy Meal, how about a meal of scrambled egg with sea salt and avacado drizzled with olive oil? Your children like to snack on crackers? Replace them with good-quality cheese and fruit! The point is to replace all the over-processed, refined foods with fresh, high-quality ingredients that are as close to their natural state as possible, for example a piece of fresh fruit instead of sugar-laden fruit juices, or butter instead of man-made margarine.

The author refutes several mainstream practices for feeding babies and children, including introducing meats/proteins as on of the first foods for baby, not pureeing foods for baby (let them try small bites of what you are eating), seasoning baby's food with salt and allowing so-called "no no" foods such as fish, shellfish, citrus and honey before baby's first birthday.

She encourages moms to feed their babies lots of high-quality fats, meats, fruits and vegetables, cheeses and cultured dairy, organ meats (especially iron-rich liver!), even fish roe! She also reccomends raw milk rather than pasturized.

The book also has sections on eating a whole-foods diet to increase fertillity, eating well during pregnancy and the importance of mom's diet while breastfeeding.

This is pretty much how I am feeding Henry, and how I will feed the new baby as well. (Unfortunately, I wasn't so informed about the benefits of whole-foods nutrition when Brett was a baby!) I allow Henry to feed himself small pieces of meat, cheese, fruit, bread, etc... If he is eating something very messy or that requires utensils to eat, then I help him: for example, soup or mashed potatoes. I like that when he is self-feeding, he simply stops when he is full. A baby will often eat way more than they want or need when being spoon-fed, just opening their mouth automatically to accept the spoon! I have no reservations about feeding him a high-fat diet, because his developing brain and body need the fat, and I also know the fat he is consuming is high-quality (extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, butter, etc..) We don't use refined sugars, but instead sweeten with maple syrup, honey or rapadura. We try to avoid artificial flavorings and colorings.

I will definitely be following the author's suggestions for the breastfeeding mom with my new baby! As a first-time nursing mom, I want to make sure that my little one recieves optimum nutrition from the start.

I highly reccomend this book for any mom, be it her first baby or her fifth!

Mommy Mix

2009-11-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share with you the recipe I use for trail mix. I especially like to snack on this trail mix while pregnant and in the postpartum period, when the body desperately needs to replinish it's vitamins/mineral stores. I hope to be nursing this time, so I will be incorporating more healthy snacks into my diet due to increased calorie needs. I like this mix because it is high in healthy fats, has a bit of salt and sugar to increase electrolyte balance, is high in vitamins and minerals, and just plain tastes great! I hope you will enjoy it too:

Mommy Mix

2 c. whole almonds

1 c. dried cranberries

1 c. raisins (high in iron, crucial for pregnant mamas and recovering mamas!)

1/2 c. raw sunflower seeds(stay away from the roasted ones--use bad fats!)

1 c. dark chocolate or carob chips

dash of sea salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Store in container of your choice. I usually store it in Mason jars, and have one ready to go in my bag for the hospital--makes for great post-labor snacking, especially if the cafeteria is closed!

Preparing for Labor/Delivery--Naturally! Part 3

2009-11-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

In this third installment of my preparing for a natural labor/delivery series, I will be sharing with you a recipe I have created for "Labor-Aid", an all-natural Gatorade, if you will.

Staying well-hydrated and energized during labor is critical! Sports drinks, such as Gatorade or Powerade, will do the job, but I prefer not to use them as they are full of artificial flavors, dyes and too much sugar. So, I have created my own concoction to sip on during these final days of pregnancy and while in labor. I find the taste of this labor-aid more refreshing than any of the conventional sports drinks. It provides lots of electrolytes, potassium and a bit of glucose from the honey.

Labor-Aid

3 c. fresh-squeezed orange juice, or substitute with 1 can juice from concentrate

4-5 c. water

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tbsp. honey

powder from 3 calcium/magnesium capsules or 3 tablets, finely crushed

Place all ingredients in blender; blend on high one minute. Store in a pitcher in the refridgerator. Best served very cold.

I think you could probably make popsicles with this recipe as well, which would be great for a summertime birth!

Braised Beef Short Ribs and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2009-11-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

We had such a great, comfort-food dinner last night that I just couldn't wait to share it with you today! I had some beautiful grass-fed beef short ribs in the freezer, and was completely at a loss as to how to prepare them. I decided to just throw together some pantry staples, and ended up creating a new family favorite! I cooked the ribs in the crockpot all day, making them tender and juicy, and added some raw garlic mashed potatoes that we covered in the delicious beef drippings from the ribs! Even Henry, 10 months, ate his fair share, and will be eating more of the garlic mashed potatoes for lunch today! I am trying to incorporate both garlic and bone broths into our meals right now, as they are known to boost immunity. (lots of flu going around here in Southern Indiana!)

Braised Beef Short Ribs

2 lbs. beef short ribs, preferably grass-fed

1/4 c. organic apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. rapadura

1 tsp. ground mustard

1/4 c. worcstershire sauce

1 small tomato, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c. chopped onion

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in crockpot; cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until meat is tender. If you prefer a thicker sauce, remove about 1 c. of the drippings from crockpot and mix with enough cornstarch to make a slurry; add slurry to crockpot, stir, and cook about 20 min. more on high.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

8 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and quartered

8 cloves garlic, well-minced

1 c. butter

1/2 c. milk or cream

salt to taste

In a large stock pot, bring potatoes to a rapid boil; cook until tender. Drain the potatoes well, then add to a mixing bowl along with butter, salt, milk and raw garlic; use mixer to whip potatoes until smooth. Serve with short ribs and drippings.

I don't cook the garlic, but add it raw right before mixing--this ensures that we recieve the maximum health benefits of the garlic. Mincing it very fine keeps the potaoes smooth, not lumpy. I like that this meal contains lots of good quality fats, as well as garlic, very beneficial in the prevention of colds/flu.

This post is part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Fridays http://www.foodrenegade.com/

Handmade Christmas Thursdays!--Week 2

2009-11-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

Today I am sharing another recipe from our family's Christmas feast--empanadas, small, meat-filled pastries from Peru.

The combination of ingreedients in empanadas may sound a bit strange to our American pallete, but I assure you, these are delicious! I think I ate about one dozen of them myself last year at Christmas. To my defense, I was nine months pregnant with Henry!

Peruvian Christmas Empanadas

Dough:

5-6 c. flour (white works best--I tried with whole-wheat--BAD!)

2 sticks of butter, softened

About 1 1/2 c. hot water, enough to make a firm, pie-crust-like dough

1 tsp.salt

Pour flour onto a clean, dry working surface--I always use my table. Make a well in center of flour pile; add butter and one half of water into the well. Add salt, and began to hand-knead the dough, slowly incorporating in more water until the dough has the consistency of pie crust. Cover dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about an hour. Roll dough to about 1/4 in. thickness; use a drinking glass or a small biscuit cutter to cut out round discs of dough.

Filling:

1 lb. ground meat of your choice--we like beef, but have used chicken as well

1 anaheim chilli pepper, chopped

1 1/2 c. thinly-sliced green onion

pinch of cumin

1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

1/2 c. raisins

Brown the ground meat in a large frying pan; add chilli and cumin, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add onion, egg and raisins.

Assemble:

Place about 1 tsp. filling in each dough disc; fold in half, turnover style, and seal edges with the tines of a fork. Place empanadas on a greased baking sheet; brush with beaten egg yolk. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, or until well-browned.

This post is part of "Having A Handmade Christmas" at Proverbs 31 Living, http://www.proverbs31living.blogspot.com/

Looking For Healthy Fudge/Christmas Treats Recipes!

2009-11-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

With the holiday season quickly approaching, I have gotten the urge to start preparing my family's favorite Christmas goodies. However, this year I am in the process of revamping all of our favorites into treats with more wholesome ingredients...whole-grain flours, natural sweeteners, etc...

A few of these switches have been easy--for example, swapping out regular white flour for whole-wheat pastry flour for quick breads and cookies. It's also fairly easy to swap rapadura or honey for sugar. The one recipe I am having a particularly hard time swapping is fudge! My family loves fudge, and in preparation for the holidays, I began tinkering with my tried and true fudge recipes about three months ago. With the exception of a peanut butter-maple fudge, not one single fudge I've made has been acceptable to the family!

I am asking for my dear readers to please help me with this issue. If you have a healthier way of making fudge, please send me your recipes! I am also looking for recipes for other types of holiday goodies as well...send 'em my way!

Our family especially likes these types of fudge:

Orange cream

Old-fashioned fudge w/pecans or walnuts

Peppermint white chocolate

Peanut butter

Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated!

Take the 30-Day Gratitude Challenge!

2009-11-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

Revive Our Hearts Ministry http://www.reviveourhearts.com/ is hosting a brand-new challenge, the 30-Day Gratitude Challenge. The purpose of the challenge, according to their website, is "to cultivate a heart of gratitude and begin your journey to joy!" What better time than the holidays to focus on being gracious! It is our tendency to become so wrapped up in ourselves and what we want than express gratitude for what we already have.

Participating in the challenge is easy--simply sign up at Revive Our Hearts website, and an e-mail will be sent to you daily for the next 30 days. Each e-mail is a scripturally-based lesson on gratitude.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss has also written a book on the topic of gratitude entitled "Choosing Gratitude; Your Journey to Joy". Revive Our Hearts Ministry is offering this book all November long to anyone who makes a donation to the ministry.

Please join me in taking the 30-Day Gratitude Challenge!

Making Your Home A Haven--Muffin Tin Lunches

2009-11-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

Over at one of my favorite blogs, A High and Noble Calling, Stephanie is hosting a weekly series named Making Your Home a Haven. There you will find posts from different women bloggers about what they do to make their families feel special and how they create a warm and loving environment in their homes. I am really excited to be part of this event!

My contribution to Making Your Home A Haven today is Muffin Tin Lunches, something I like to do for my children. The concept is simple--I pull out a couple of my muffin tins and fill each well with a finger food. Sometimes we use a theme, for example, "Ocean Day", in which I made a mini-octopus out of a hot dog (I'm sure you have seen that before!), fish-shaped crackers, cookies in the shape of shells, and mac and cheese with shell pasta. (Conincidentally, we do not eat a very healthy lunch on muffin tin day...just fun!) Sometimes, we don't even use a theme, I just fill up the tins with assorted finger foods. Here's what we have used in the past:

Grapes

Rolled up slices of turkey or roast beef

Cheese cubes

Tiny triangles of grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwiches

Carrot sticks w/ dipping sauce, usually ranch

Raisins

Cheerios

Apple slices

Bannana slices

Almond or cashews (for the older one)

We are currently planning some holiday themes and even "Mexican Day" per my oldest's request--I am trying to figure out how to make tiny tacos!

It's pretty easy to adapt muffin tin lunches to fit any age of child since it's pretty much ala carte. My 10 month old enjoys muffin tin lunch day as well!

Pregnancy Update--3 Weeks Left!

2009-11-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

No, that is not my belly...wish it were! Would you believe that both our webcam and our digital cam are both broken! At least we have the camcorder.

I can't believe it's almost time for sweet blessing #3 to be born! I am definitely ready, especially with Henry's birth still fresh in my mind (it was, afterall, only 10 months ago!). I have alternately been bitten by the nesting bug and the lazy bug this last few weeks...one day very productive, the next logging a lot of time on the couch. This is a combination of what I experienced with my previous two pregnancies, having been really ran down and tired with Brett and super-spry and productive with Henry. Right now I am just finishing before baby tasks such as getting the layette washed and ready, preparing and freezing meals for the first few weeks after Ryan's arrival and moving Henry in with big brother Brett, as they will now be sharing a bedroom. We are also turning our spare bedroom into a playroom/schoolroom.

I definitely suggest preparing freezer meals to any new mom! This is going to be a lifesaver for us. Here's what I have done so far, and what I have yet to accomplish:

Pizza Dough x2--finished

Italian Sausage, browned, ready for pizza--finished

Batch of Dinner Rolls--finished

Chicken Broth--finished

Blueberry Coffee Cake--finished

Corn Tortillas--finished

Chicken Enchiladas x2--one down, one to go!

What's Left

Refried Beans

More Dinner Rolls

Cookie Dough--Snickerdoodle, Cinnamon Chip and Mint Chip (seasonal, ready for holiday)

Farmhouse Chicken (chicken and stuffing casserole)

Spaghetti/Pizza Sauce x4

Ground Beef, portioned into 1lb. dinner portions, cooked and ready to go

Pot Roast w/carrots, potatoes and onions

Italian Beef x1 for sandwiches

That's just what I have planned...I am sure I'll come up with more:)

As for my post-baby blogging plans, of course I will need ample time to rest. I'm also planning on nursing for the first time, so it will be a time of adjustment for me, as I really don't know what to expect. I plan on posting at least twice a week, and would love to have some guest posters, if any of you are interested! I will announce Ryan's birth, pictures and all, as soon as he is born!

If anyone would be interested in guest posting on my blog while I'm on break, leave a comment and let me know. You can also e-mail me at aw4735@avenuebroadband.com. Hope to hear from you!

Preparing for Labor/Delivery--Naturally! Part 2

2009-11-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

For this go-round of my Preparing for Labor/Delivery--Naturally! mini-series, I would like to introduce you to a wonder product by the name of Dr. Christopher's Pre-Natal 6 Week Formula.

During the first two trimesters of pregnancy, I use Rainbow Light prenatal vitamins. I like that they use natural ingreedients, contain red raspberry leaf and have added ginger to help with nausea. I find them much more gentle than any other prenatal I've used. However, I do not think that using a prenatal should take the place of good nutrition. I try to get the bulk of my vitamins/minerals through high-quality, whole foods. During the last six weeks of pregnancy, I switch from Rainbow Light to Dr. Christopher's Pre-Natal. These are not a prenatal vitamin, but rather a proprietary blend of herbs designed to promote optimum uterine function and prepare the uterus and cervix for delivery. It is important to note that since this is not a regular prenatal that it is important to eat well to ensure you are getting the proper vitamins/minerals that your still-growing baby needs!

Here is a list of the herbs that Dr. Christopher's contains:

Squawvine

Blessed Thistle

Black Cohosh

Pennyroyal

False Unicorn Root

Red Raspberry Leaf

Marshmallow Root

Lobelia

Used in conjunction, these herbs are said to have a powerfull effect on the uterus' and the cervix's ability to work together as a team to aid in a more productive (possibly faster!) and less painful delivery. Who wouldn't want that?:)

The recommended schedule for this product is to begin taking one capsule daily for the first week of the last six weeks of pregnancy, then two capsules daily for the second week, finishing with two capsules three times daily for each week hereafter. I personally take one capsule daily the first week, two daily the second week and four capsules daily for the rest. (Six just seems like an awful lot to me!)

I have never seen this product in a conventional pharmacy, nor at my health food store. I have seen it in various natural pharmacies on-line, and even on Amazon.com. The best deals I've found have been at http://www.vitacost.com/ and http://www.mynaturalpharmacy.com/.

Teething Problems Solved!

2009-11-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

Last week, I wrote a post imploring my readers to send me their suggestions on helping a fussy teether. I came to the conclusion that the only thing that could relieve my little guy's pain was infant Tylenol, which I am not opposed to using when necessary, but it was CONSTANT!

Yesterday, while slicing apples for an apple pie, Henry began to fuss for a snack. Well, I plopped him down in his highchair and put a slice of apple into his Munchkin mesh feeder, hoping he would munch on that while I finished the pie. Well, munch he did! I noticed that the cold apple slice was doing more than quelling his hunger, but was soothing his gums! He was much less fussy and we actually had a pretty pleasent evening. When he started to fuss again in the early evening, I put a cold slice of pear in the feeder, and it worked again! I had previously tried using frozen grapes in the mesh feeder to help with teething pain, but he didn't like it too well...maybe he just doesn't like grapes!

Our particular mesh feeder is made by Munchkin. We bought it at Babies 'R Us for about $4.00, and I think it was definitely a good little investment! I have also seen this product at Wal-Mart and Target. It's also good for letting babies new to solids get a taste of fruits and veggies that would otherwise pose a choking hazzard to them. I like to give Henry slices of tangerine or orange, as he would not be able to handle that white membrane or the seeds.

Handmade Christmas Thursdays!

2009-11-05T08:36:00.000-08:00

In honor of the first official "Having a Handmade Christmas" over at Abbi's blog, Proverbs 31 Living, I am submitting our family's favorite recipe for panettone, a Peruvian-style Christmas fruitcake. This is absolutely delicious, with a texture more like a bread than the fruitcake we eat here in America. It has a light citrus flavor and is really good when smeared with fresh butter. Peruvians traditionally celebrate their Christmas feast at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve. The menu features this cake, spiced hot chocolate, roasted pork, empanadas(meat pies) and champagne. My husband absolutely can't celebrate the holidays without panettone! He was planning on traveling to a city 2 hours away to purchase an authentic panettone this year, but fortunately, I found and tried this recipe, and it's dead-on to the original if not better. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Panettone

2 tsp. active dry yeast

1 c. hot water

2 eggs

1/4 c. melted butter

3 1/4 c. flour (does not work with whole-wheat flour)

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

zest of 1 complete orange and one complete lemon

2 tbsp. sugar(I use rapadura)

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. milk

chopped, dried mixed fruits, about 1 1/2 c., but depends on you!

Proof the yeast in 1 c. hot water with a little honey or sugar for 5 minutes. Add all other ingreedients to the pan of your bread machine, if using one, or else combine in a large mixing bowl and mix until well-blended; slowly incorporate the yeast. If using the bread machine, let it run through on the normal bread cycle. If doing by hand, prepare just as you would a normal, yeasted loaf of bread. Allow to rise 2x and bake in a angelfood cake pan at 375 for 30 min.

Preparing for Labor/Delivery--Naturally!

2009-11-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

This is the first in a mini-series of posts on what I will be doing to prepare for a natural childbirth/post-partum period. I desire to give birth and heal as naturally as possible, with minimum medical intervention. I will be giving birth in the hospital, as there are not any midwives available here where I live for homebirth:(

My first preparatory herb I would like to share with you is Red Raspberry Leaf. I am currently using this herb in tea form, drinking about 3 cups daily of Traditional Medicinals Organic Pregnancy Tea. Red Raspberry Leaf has been used by pregnant women for years as an aid in toning the uterus, thus producing stronger, more effective contractions. I used this same tea during my second pregnancy and noticed a HUGE difference than with my first. Brett was much smaller at birth than Henry, but the labor was significantly more difficult with Brett. Of course, this could be because he was my first, but I was a lot younger and in better shape, so I feel like the tea had something to do with it! I definitely felt that my contractions were more productive, and a lot less painful.

Red Raspberry Leaf is also available in a supplement form. I've never tried it this way, only in tea form. I would suggest the Traditional Medicinals Organic Pregnancy Tea, as it has a lovely, herbal-sweet flavor, kind of like spearamint. I do know that you can also buy the leaves in bulk at http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/ to make your own tea. I suppose that this would be a more frugal option, though I've never tried it. I find the TM tea a bit on the pricey side (about $5 per box of 16 tea bags) but I like the taste and the results.

Aji De Gallina, aka, Chicken with Chili

2009-11-03T15:47:00.000-08:00

As promised in my meal plan post, I am featuring the recipe for Aji De Gallina, a really delicious Peruvian chicken stew. As you may know, my husband, Henry, is from Peru. The food of his country is a little different than things that we eat here in America, but I find that it's pretty good, very simple and hearty.

This particular recipe is my favorite Peruvian dish! It features a rich chicken stew served over a bed of rice (traditionaly jasmine rice) and served with steamed potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Sounds a bit strange, but I promise you it works! I feel I should add that this dish is traditionally prepared with a chili by the name of "aji amarillo", but it is impossible to find here! It is a small, orangish-yellow chili pepper that resembles the scotch bonnett chili, only much less heat! Do not try to use the scotch bonnett as a replacement. If you are fortunate to live near an ethnic market, you might try to see if they carry this chili in a paste form. The best replacement I have been able to find when I don't have the chili paste is anaheim peppers.

Aji De Gallina

2 chicken breasts, bone in and w/skin

4-5 anaheim chillis, seeded and chunked

10 slices of white bread, crusts removed

pinch of cumin

pinch of turmeric

olive oil, enough for frying

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 c. evaporated or fresh whole milk

In a large stockpot, cover chicken breasts with enough water to cover; add whatever aromatics (onion, celery, carrot, etc...) you like to make broth. Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is cooked through. Reserve 2 c. broth. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool; shred chicken and discard bones and skin; set aside. Place chunks of chili in a food processor with enough water to blend, about 1 tbsp. Blend until completely smooth. In a frying pan, fry onion and garlic in olive oil; add chili and continue to fry, about 6 minutes. Add bread and milk to the pan; cook on med-low for about 10 min. Add chicken to chili mixture and simmer on low about 10 minutes, until thickened. Add cumin and turmeric, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve over a bed of rice with halved steamed potatoes on the side. Halves of boiled eggs are traditionally served atop the chicken mixture.

There you have it! Maybe this will be the first time you have ever tried Peruvian food--I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

What Our Family is Doing to Celebrate the GIVING in Thanksgiving

2009-11-03T13:31:00.000-08:00

I LOVE Thanksgiving. I love the food, the fellowship with family, the anticipation of the approaching Christmas season and I love the opportunity to express thanks and gratitude for all the blessings my family and I have recieved over the year.

Thanksgiving is definitely a time for expressing thanks, but this year it has become clear to me that there are two words that make up this holiday's name: Thanks and Giving! So, as a family, we have decided to put a bit more focus on the giving part of the holiday this year.

Currently, we are putting together a very large box of food for the local food panty. This box just keeps growing and growing! It really saddens me that many people don't have a Thanksgiving meal each year because they just can not afford it. I hope that in some way we can contribute to a needy family's being able to enjoy a warm holiday dinner! I am also searching for a local organization or church that may be serving a free Thanksgiving meal to those in need. My hope is that we could, as a family, spend part of our day serving to those who are less fortunate than us. Of course, I am making plans loosely, as I am due to give birth on the 28th!

We are also keeping a journal of both our thanks and our giving an using it in our devotional time.

What are your Thanksgiving plans this year? How are you keeping this holiday intentional?

Winter Menu Plan

2009-11-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

The cold weather has officially arrived, and although it's not quite winter yet, we are craving classic winter comfort foods! I've decided that it's time to start with my winter meal plan. Here's a look:

Breakfasts

Eggs and Bacon or Sausage, Bread x2

Oatmeal x2--soaked, then prepared the next day w/ fruit, cream, butter and honey--yum!

Pancakes or Waffles--seasonal flavors, like pumpkin or gingerbread!

Scrapple or French Toast w/ Butter and Maple Syrup, Bacon

Coffee Cake and Hard-Boiled Eggs

Lunhes

Lunch is flexible, provided we have leftovers from the previous night's dinner. If not, we usually eat one of these:

Chicken Caeser Wraps

Baked Potato w/ Toppings

Soup

Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwiches

Dinners

Of course, we leave room for special evenings or requests, but during the colder months, our dinners alway seem to revolve around these favorites!

Chicken Enchiladas

Aji de Gallina (Chilli w/ Chicken), a spicy Peruvian Chicken Stew (recipe in a later post)

Soups--looking for new recipes, especially ones using lentils.

Beef Roast/French Dip Sandwiches--two meals, one roast!

Pizza--this is on each season's menu plan!

Hearty Pasta Dishes--Spaghetti w/ meatballs, Lasagna, Rigatoni w/ Italian Sausage

Pork Roast

Roasted Chicken

Of course, with each dinner I like to round it out with fresh bread and some sort of veggie side: our favorites are baked sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, broccoli with garlic and butter, tossed salad, braised cabbage with bacon or butter and winter squashes. We have been blessed with an abundance of bitter greens, especially kale, but we are VERY tired of it--no more kale, please :)

New Family Pictures

2009-10-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Check out my new family pics on my homepage! I promise I'll post one of myself as soon as I can get out of these sweatpants and brush my hair :)

Superfoods Your Baby Should Be Eating

2009-10-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Contrary to popular belief, those little jars of fruits and veggie baby food are not "the best start" for your baby! Most pre-packaged baby food has been cooked at very high temperatures for a long amount of time, leaving it void of important nutrients. The meat varieties are often made with low-quality meat sources and are also nutritional duds.

So, how can you ensure that baby is recieving proper nutrition? The most logical step would be to make your own baby food! Yes, it is VERY time consuming to peel, chop and puree--I know, I've done that! However, you do have other options. Did you know that not everything your baby eats has to be pureed? If you would have told me this when my oldest was starting solids, I would have thought you crazy! However, through the years, I have been fortunate enough to have met some very wise, seasoned mothers (one a pediatrician!) who showed me that it's ok to just give baby whatever you are eating. Small, mashed-up bites of course! This is the approach I have taken with Henry, and I feel very confident knowing that he has be recieving adequate nutrition from a very young age. He is 10 months old, and so far, he's not been sick even once--no cold, nothing! I chalk this up to a strong immune system, but also to our family's whole-foods diet, rich in fruits, veggies and lots of protein. And since he's accustomed to eating what we eat, he is not picky and will eat things like onion and garlic (great immunity boosters this time of year!) and ethnic foods (good since his paternal side of the family is Peruvian.)

So, what are some of the highly-nutritious foods that I feed my baby? Here is a list:

Beans and Lentils--full of fiber. Yeah, they do make him gassy, but not too much since I soak them first.

Brown Rice--I often use this as a base to a breakfast porridge, an alternative to oatmeal.

Eggs--protein powerhouses, and easier for baby to digest than meat.

Avacado--I cut it into little chunks and season with sea salt and lime--he loves it!

Broths--full of important nutrients, like magnesium and zinc. Excellent protein source.

High-quality Fats--I cook with butter, olive oil and coconut oil, and I make sure that Henry consumes these fats daily.

In addition to these foods listed above, my baby's diet consists of lots of fresh veggies and fruits and high-quality dairy. He doesn't like meat very well, but occasionaly will eat fish, especially salmon. That's why I try to increase his protein through other sources, like eggs and bone broth. One thing I do not allow him to have is sugar in excess! All the sweeteners we use in our home are natural, like rapadura, honey (not recomended for babies under 1 year of age!) and stevia. I cannot, however, control what he eats at mamaw and papaw's house! That is where he gets the occasional sweet treat.

These are some of the nutritious, whole-food items I feed my children--I'd love to hear what you do with your little ones!

We're Having A Handmade Christmas!

2009-10-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

Abbi at Proverbs 31 Living (http://www.proverbs31living.blogspot.com/) is hosting "Having A Handmade Christmas", a series encouraging others to join her in celebrating a simpler Christmas season. I am joining up with her, so you will see posts here about some of the things our family does to keep the Christmas season simple and Christ-centered. I encourage the rest of you to join Abbi in celebrating a simpler Christmas. If you have a blog, you can link your posts up with Abbi's blog each Thursday. She has a list of possible post topics on her blog that you can check out for inspiration.

Join me next Thursday, as I will be posting about one of our favorite Christmas treats, pannetone, a Peruvian-style fruit cake!

Book Review--The Christian Childbirth Handbook

2009-10-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

The book The Christian Childbirth Handbook by Jennifer Vanderlaan has been a valuable resource to me since giving birth to my second child--I wish I would have read it when I was pregnant to my oldest! Full of scripturally-based encouragement, this book thouroughly explains all the stages of pregnancy, labor, delivery and post-partum in a biblical manner. This book does not explain pregnancy with just medical terms, but encourages the reader to think about pregnancy and childbirth in spiritual terms. I especially enjoyed all of the scripture references that pepper the book--I never realized the wealth of information that the Bible contains on the subject of giving birth! I have written several of these scriptures down on index cards and plan on using them for focus while giving birth next month. There are also mini study guides at the end of each chapter, allowing for more personal introspection and a chance to delve deeper into what God's word has to say about certain aspects of childbirth.

Here is one of my favorite passages from the book:

"Your child is on loan to you from God. You are the steward of that which is entrusted to your care. This means you have some control over what happens, but it is not without responsibility. Authority always comes with responsibility. God will hold you accountable for how you have cared for his child, because he does have a stake in the outcome of your pregnancy."

(Taken from The Christian Childbirth Handbook by Jennifer Vanderlaan)

I highly suggest this well-written book to any pregnant woman, no matter if it's her first pregnancy or her tenth!

Help Needed--Teething!!

2009-10-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for a few days, and hope things return to normal soon, but I have been quite busy with a very fussy, teething little boy! Henry is cutting 8 teeth all at once, including two painfull eyeteeth! I have tried several things to aleviate his pain, but to no avail. I've tried cold washcloths for chewing, a frozen teething ring and frozen grapes in a mesh feeder--none worked!

I am asking for input from my readers....what remedies have you used to help with teething? I would prefer natural, non-medicine remedies only, please, as we prefer not to use medications unless very necessary. (A bit of Tylenol, however, was very necessary after a night of tossing and turning and no sleep for mommy, daddy or baby!) Thanks for your help!

Frugal Meal of the Week-Bacon and Green Onion Quiche

2009-10-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a recipe for Bacon and Green Onion Quiche, one of our family favorite meals. I like this recipe because it's not only delicious, but frugal, since it uses eggs for the bulk of the dish. Paired with a green salad, it makes a hearty, satisfying dinner. This recipe makes enough for 2 quiches, so we often eat the second one for breakfast. I like to prepare this dish on Saturday nights, that way there is a quiche ready for our Sunday morning breakfast (hard to prepare a breakfast when you are in a rush to get to church!).

Bacon and Green Onion Quiche

Crust:

2 c. whole-wheat pastry flour (or 1 c. whole-wheat, 1 c. white)

1 c. lard or butter, cold

2-3 tbsp. ice cold water (you may have to adjust the amount)

Cut lard or butter into the flour until crumbly; add water and knead well to form dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let sit in the refridgerator at least one hour. Remove dough from wrap; seperate into 2 halves. Roll each halve to about 1/4 in. thick; place in pie pan, preferably deep dish. Use fork to tine the edges. Trim away any excess dough.

Filling:

12 eggs

about 8 strips bacon, chopped up and fried

1 c. sliced green onion

1/2 c. milk

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. grated cheese of your choice--we like parmasean, but my mother loves it with Swiss!

Beat together the eggs, milk, cheese and salt/pepper. Place half of the bacon crumbles in the bottom of each pie pan; do the same with half of the onions. Pour egg mixture into the crust. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake about 15 min. Check frequently. This never cooks for the same ammount of time, so you may have to increase the baking time. Quich is done when top browns over slightly and the center is springy.

Simple, Natural Earache Remedy--Garlic Oil!

2009-10-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

It's that wonderful time of the year again--ear infection season! Both my niece and nephew have recently been treated for ear infections, and I noticed Henry tugging on one ear today, but he doesn't seem to be distressed and shows no signs of fever, so we'll just wait and see. However, I figured it's probably a good time to whip up some garlic oil to have on hand, just in case.

As I have mentioned before, garlic truly is a wonderful natural cure-all! Not only is there evidence that it supports cardiovascular function, but it is loaded with anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties as well, making it a must-have during cold and flu season. We use it a lot during this season, eating it in various soups and pastas, taking it as part of my cold and flu tonic, or using it to treat ear infection. Here is the recipe for garlic oil:

Garlic Earache Oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed well

1/2 c. olive oil

Heat the olive oil until very warm; add garlic and remove from heat. Let sit, about 1 hour; strain garlic. Pour cooled oil into a glass bottle or jar until needed.

To use: Drop about 3-4 drops of oil into affected ear; lay down and relax on opposite side, about 10 minutes. Plug the ear with cotton ball to prevent drainage.

Note: It can be extremely dificult to get a baby or toddler to lie down for 10 minutes! I usually just apply the oil directly behind the ear, as it will seep in through the skin. This is just a little extra insurance, as the oil I actually get in the ear usually comes right back out before I even get the cotton ball in!

Easy Chicken Caeser Wraps

2009-10-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

This is a quick and easy lunch favorite. Great with chips, fresh fruit or a bowl of soup!

Chicken Caeser Wraps (recipe for 2 wraps)

1 c. cooked, cold chicken breast meat

shredded Romaine lettuce

1 small sliced tomato

1/2 c. sliced thin red onion

honey mustard dressing*

italian dressing*

parmasean cheese

2 large wrap-size tortillas (you could try making your own, but we found a great natural brand)

Warm tortillas over med-high heat griddle; allow to cool. Assemble wraps by placing all ingreedients in the tortillas; roll up burrito-style. Cut in half before serving.

*You can certainly substitute Caeser dressing for the honey mustard/Italian combo. I use these two because we don't care for Caeser dressing, and I make my own Italian and honey mustard.

Getting Control Over Womanly Emotions

2009-10-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Blame it on pregnancy hormones, but my emotions have been out of control lately! Everything seems to be piling up on me these last few weeks--hubby is working long hours, leaving us very little time with each other as a family, baby Henry is cutting teeth like mad, making him irritable and needy, and last trimester pregnancy discomfort is allowing me about 4 hours of sleep per night, leaving me cranky and physically uncomfortable! I have lashed out in anger towards my husband and my son several times this week. I have spent plenty of time on my knees in prayer over these events, and it has convicted me of several truths:

Don't Use Hormonal Imbalance as an Excuse for Sin!

When I snap at my husband or children, my first reaction is to blame it on my hormones, be it pregnancy, post-partum, or just that lovely time of the month! Ladies, we can not blame our sinful tendencies (anger, selfishness, depression, etc...) on our hormones! Yes, hormonal imbalance is real, but we can not use it as an excuse for sin. Try to know your body, how you will feel in certain seasons of life. If you struggle monthly with your emotions, mark it on a calendar! Be ready! Make it your goal to eliminate as much stress as possible by serving simple meals, doing only basic housekeeping, etc.... That way, when you start to feel tired and irritable, your work load will be light, freeing you up to relax and just enjoy the company of your loved ones.

Rely on God!

Oh goodness, what a revelation for me! Instead of letting my emotions have complete power over me, I should turn it all over to God! Why is it so hard for us (women) to do this? Why do we have this super-woman mentality that tells us we have to do everything perfectly, every single time? I believe God specifically puts us in certain situations and seasons at certain times to reveal truths to us about ourselves. What He has revealed to me right now in this end of pregnancy melt-down that I am having is that I need to cry out to and rely on Him much, much more! I am to dependent on my own strength to get me through dificult times, and my faith is weak in this area. Thank you, Lord, for revealing to me the truth!

Rejoice in the Trials!

Sometimes we just have to step back and see the bigger picture. Sometimes what feels like the weight of the world on your shoulders isn't really that big of a deal in the long run. Is one day of a fussy, teething baby really worth all the frustration when compared to the joy of raising that child? More often than not, a trial is for our own good, teaching us and humbling us along the way. Remember, this too, shall pass!

As women, it can be extremely dificult to control our emotions--I struggle with this issue quite a bit myself! We must remember that any struggles we have with this particular issue can be layed down (again and again, if necessary!) at the feet of Jesus. He doesn't want you to deal with this on your own.

Sisters, I would love to hear how you deal with womanly emotions, as I am always looking for tips in this area!

2009-10-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

One of Henry's toy baskets

My children have a very simple toy collection. I feel this in necessary for a variety of reasons--to build contentment in children, to discourage materialism, to encourage reading and imagination and keeping clutter at bay, to name a few! We try to avoid battery-operated (noisy!) toys at all costs, but my children have been gifted with a few, and that's ok. The problem with these kinds of toys is that it is costly to replace the batteries (have you priced batteries lately?) and they do not encourage a child to use his/her imagination. If my baby does have a battery-operated toy, I generally just turn it off. He really doesn't know the difference, and hapily plays with them anyways, sound or no sound! This is a bit more dificult with my older child, but I try to encourage him to do more reading or outdoor play.

So, what kind of toys do my children play with? I prefer wooden toys--they're more durable, thus able to be passed down the line to younger children, and they encourage immagination! My baby has a few plush animals, board books, wooden blocks for stacking, stacking rings, a piggy-bank with big, plastic coins (battery-operated, but we ususally turn the sound off) and a really cute wooden truck, a gift from his grandfather. He plays with them, but because his toy collection is small, he does a lot of crawling and exploring instead, developing his natural curiousity.

Brett's toy collection is a bit of a work in progress! I am currently in the process of narrowing down his toy box, getting rid of all the cheap, plastic toys from kids' meals and all of the toys he has outgrown. He really doesn't play with toys very much, and is more content to play with balls, play outdoors, read, paint and draw or play games. Brett never really even showed interest in toys when he was a baby! He does, however, have a mini John Deere motorized tractor that he loves to ride around on outside. That's the only extravagent toy he has.

Keeping the toy collection simple has an added bonus--less mess to pick up! Who really likes to see a child's room overflowing with toys? I keep each child's toys in old laundry baskets and plastic storage bins, and they are never overflowing. It's also been easier to train my children to pick up their toys because they are not overwhelmed by the task!

Further Resources

www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/waldorfinspired-real-play.html --nicely written article on incorporating the Waldorf method of real play, using simple, natural toys.

www.melissaanddoug.com --website offering a wide variety of beautifully-crafted wooden toys for all ages.

www.parentmap.com/content/view/124/433/ --article about creating an educational playroom environment.

What To Do With All Those Bitter Greens!

2009-10-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

Since I prefer to buy my produce local and in season, my kitchen is being held hostage by bitter greens right now! You name it, I have it--kale, collards, mustard greens, etc...

Although I am extremely thankful for the abundance that God provides for our family, I must say that I am a bit overwhelmed every time I open my refridgerator and see all these greens! By nature, they are a bit boring, and I really have no idea what to do with them.

While visiting All Recipes website today, I came across a decent-sounding kale recipe, and we tried it for lunch. I wasn't expecting much, but I must say this dish was quite tasty! I want to share with you the recipe:

Italian-Style Kale

1 bunch kale, stems removed and coarsley chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the kale in oil over medium-high heat until wilted; reduce volume by half then stir in additional ingreedients. Cover and let simmer 5 minutes and serve hot.

There you go--an easy way to enjoy bitter greens!

Homemade Chicken Stock

2009-10-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

What could be better on a cold and rainy day than some hot chicken soup? Considering all the abundant health benefits of consuming chicken broth, this yummy soup should grace our tables every day, especially during cold and flu season!

Chicken stock is chock full of essential nutrients and mineral, including calcium, magnesium and potassium. Adding veggies, such as onion, celery, carrot and fresh garlic increases the vitamin content substantially, as well as adding flavor. Using chicken stock is an excellent alternative to using lots of costly meat in one's diet--add it to bread stuffings, mashed potatoes and steamed veggies for extra flavor and nutrients!

So, how to make the perfect pot of chicken stock? Here is my method:

Chicken Stock

1 whole chicken, about 4 lbs. and preferably free-range (better flavor!)

enough distilled water to cover the chicken, about 8-10 cups

2 stalks celery

1 large yellow onion, halved, with skin on(makes for a lovely yellow color of stock)

2 carrots, peeled and halved, if large

5-6 cloves chopped fresh garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingreedients to a large stock pot; if your chicken comes with the liver, heart, neck and gizzard, throw those in the pot too! They will lend extra flavor and nutrients. Bring stock to a rapid boil; lower heat to about medium-low and allow to simmer for 2-3 hours, covered. When cool,strain veggies and remove the chicken. Save for a later use, or shred some up and add it back to the stockpot with some noodles for soup. I always add a little more garlic at the end of the cooking process, for it's extra antibacterial properties and because we just love garlic.

We use chicken stock all winter long, and I must say that we hardley ever get sick in the winter!

For more information on the benefits of broth, check out http://www.westonaprice.org/

Brett's First-Ever School Picture!!!

2009-10-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share my proud mama moment with you all! This is my oldest son's kindergarten picture. I was crying like a baby when I saw this for the first time. Our children grow so quickly!

Family Update--October

2009-10-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

As you can see by the photo, our family is staying on our toes right now! Baby Henry just started crawling, and he is everywhere! He's also teething with a vengance right now, cutting 8 teeth at once, so life is not always so peaceful here in the Vega family! Christmas should be fun this year, trying to keep a little one away from the tree!

Brett, my 5-year-old son, is doing very well in school. I don't think I've ever explained the situation with Brett and our unique living arrangement. Brett lives with his father in a city about 1 1/2 hours away during the school year. His father and I work well as a parenting team, and although I wanted to homeschool Brett, his father felt strongly against it. We were able to come to an agreement that pleased both of us: he will stay with his father during the school year in order to attend an outstanding Christian school, something that is not available here in the small town I live in. He comes to stay with us on all his school holiday breaks and during the summer. Occasionaly he stays on weekends, too. Although the seperation is dificult, he is excelling in his school! It is also important for boys to spend much time with their fathers, and I am thankful that his father is such an active parent! We are looking forward to Brett's visit for the winter break.

As I mentioned before, we have chosen not to celebrate a traditional Halloween, but instead will take the opportunity to share the Gospel message with any trick-or-treaters that come to our door. I am passing out Lifesaver candies with a message of salvation tract. I am going to dress Henry in costume(something cute, like a cuddly animal) and let him help me pass out the candy.

I am busy preparing for the birth of our new baby, a boy, due in 6 weeks! I am trying to fill our freezer with plenty of hearty casseroles that will be easy to just pop in the oven, add a salad and fresh bread, and voila, instant dinner! This is something I wished I would have done when my other two were babies. So far, I have put away some pizza crusts, pancakes, a blueberry crumb cake, chicken enchilladas and chicken and broccoli casserole. I am also going to put away a few portions of refried beans, taco-seasoned meat (for tacos, chili and taco pizza) and some other casseroles. Since Henry is only 9 months old, all of his baby clothes are ready for baby! That has definitely been a blessing.

Henry, my hubby, has been super-busy working, putting in some long hours of overtime. Although we miss him, I love and admire him for all the hard work he does to provide for our growing family! We do manage to get in one night a week for date nights, which allows us to relax and connect after a hectic week. Henry enjoys time with his Grandma and Grandpa while we go out to dinner.

We have high hopes for a Christ-centered Christmas season this year--can't believe how fast it's approaching! I'm trying to plan for everything now, as I know things will get hectic when the baby arrives, but this is nothing new to me, as Brett was born on December 23! I can't really explain why, but I just feel like this Christmas is going to be extraordinary for our family this year! I hope we will have the opportunity to bless many people.

I was planning a fall ladies tea for sometime this month, but alas, I've not been dilligent in planning for that--I think it will be a Christmas tea instead!

That's what's going on in our family this month--what about yours?

Suggestions Needed--Breech Birth!

2009-10-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

After meeting with my doctor on Friday, I recieved the discouraging news that my baby is presenting in a breech positon. This came as a total surprise to me, as both of my previous pregnancies were normal.

So today I'm asking my dear readers if they may have any suggestions for me as to how I can get this baby turned around! Also, in the event that the baby will not turn, is it possible to deliver a baby naturally in the breech postion? Have any of you done this? My doctor is really big on scheduling an automatic c-section for breech babies, and I really don't want to go that route!

Any info you can give me will be greatly appreciated!

Newspaper Interview with a Godly Woman

2009-10-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Just wanted to direct you to this beautiful post at Passionate Homemaking blog. Lindsay was recently interviewed by her local newspaper, and you can read the interview here at www.passionatehomemaking.com. Lindsay has an inspiring blog and a true heart for God! Please go and check out the interview and her website, as it will bless your heart. This really encouraged me in my role as wife and mother!

Comforting Fall Recipes!

2009-10-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

I love fall, and I especially love all the comfort foods that come with this cooler season! My family especially adore all the yummy treats that arrive with fall--caramel corn, hot cocoa, etc... So what's a girl to do when all of these treats are considerably unhealthy (lots of sugar, processed flour, etc..)? I've been revamping some of my family's favorite fall treats into healthier versions that we can induldge in without the guilt! Here are a few I would like to share with you:

Pumpkin Cake

2 c. pumpkin puree or solid-pack canned pumpkin

2 c. rapadura (natural sugar alternative)

1 c. olive oil or melted coconut oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp. baking soda

2 c. whole-wheat pastry flour

2 tsp.cinnamon

1 tsp. ground clove

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

dash sea salt

Frosting

4 oz cream cheese, softened

5 tbsp. melted butter

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 c. heavy whipped cream, whipped to stiff peaks

Chopped nuts to top (I use a candied pecan recipe that I found at Passionate Homemaking)

For the cake: In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingreedients; set aside. In a seperate bowl, combine all wet ingreedients; add with dry ingreedients and mix well to combine. Pour batter into a well-greased brownie pan or 2 round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool.

For the frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth; gently fold in whipped cream.

Assemble the cake: Just leave the cake in the pan (if using 2 round cake pans, take them out!) and frost the top with cream cheese frosting. Garnish with nuts.

**What I did to make it healthier: The original recipe called for white flour, which I replaced with whole-wheat pastry flour. I suppose you could also prepare it with 1 c. whole-wheat and 1 c. white flours, if you like. I also substituted rapadura for regular sugar, and coconut oil for vegetable oil (olive oil works as well). For the frosting, I pretty much stuck to the original recipe, only I substituted whipped cream for the powdered sugar the original called for, thus making a frosting with a lighter texture. I prefer the original frosting, but until I can find a better substitute for powdered sugar, this is it! Also, I tried soaking my flour for this cake mix the night before I baked it, and it just didn't turn out so well. I will continue to improve that process!

Mulled Cider

1/2 gallon fresh, unpasturized apple cider

3 cinnamon sticks

2 tbsp. whole clove

2 oranges, cut in halves

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

rapadura to taste

Combine all ingreedients in a large stock pot; simmer on low for about one hour. Strain all the solids before serving in mugs.

Caramel Corn

1/2 c. popcorn kernels

olive oil for popping

dash sea salt

4 tbsp butter

1 c. sorghum

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Pop the popcorn in olive oil in a large pot; remove from heat, add salt and set aside. In a saucepot, melt the butter; add sorghum and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, stirring continuously. Add vanilla. Pour hot syrup over the popcorn and allow to cool a bit before serving.

**What I did to make it healthier--I adapted this recipe off of my mom's caramel corn recipe. To improve it, I substituted real butter for margarine and sorghum for brown sugar, with similar- tasting results!

Cinnamon Rolls

Proof the yeast: 2 tbsp. dry active yeast, added to 1 c. hot water with 1 tbsp. honey for 5 min.

2 1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. honey

4 tsp. sea salt

8 c. whole-wheat pastry flour

While the yeast is proofing, melt butter in a large saucepan; add milk, honey and salt. In a large mixing bowl, add flour with the milk mixture; add yeast mixture, stirring until all ingredients are well-combined. Knead the dough 5-10 min.; place in a large bowl, cover and let rise about 1 hour.

Filling

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 c. rapadura

1 tbsp. cinnamon

Mix all ingreedients in a bowl and set it aside.

Assembling the Rolls: Punch dough down and knead out all the bubbles. Cut the dough in half. Roll each half of dough out into a large rectangle; use a pastry brush to brush on the cinnamon mixture. Roll dough up, jelly-roll style, and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place on a greased cookie pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Caramel Frosting

2 c. heavy cream

1 c. sorghum

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp. butter

Combine all ingreedient in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to boil and immeadiately remove from heat. Continue to stir, 1-3 minutes, or until thickened. (You may need to add a bit of cornstarch/water slurry to thicken it). Frost over cooled cinnamon rolls.

**What I did to make it healthier: I substituted whole-wheat pastry flour for white flour, butter for margarine and rapadura for sugar. Although I love traditional cream cheese frosting on cinnamon rolls, once again I ran into the powdered sugar problem. So instead, I created this ooey-gooey caramel frosting, which is a delicious alternative, using sorghum, a natural sweetener.

I hope you enjoy my healthier alternatives to some of falls finest treats. I would love to hear what fall favorites your family enjoys!

Christ-Focused Christmas

2009-10-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

My family is trying to be intentional this year in the way we approach the Christmas season. Often times, we all have a tendency to get wrapped up in the many festivities that surround the holiday season, that we forget the true meaning of Christmas. This year, we plan on being very purposeful in sharing the hope of Jesus Christ with all guests that grace our home, as well as strangers we may meet at community Christmas events.

One great resource I've found for opening up Christ-centered conversation is the "10 Questions to Ask at a Christmas Gathering" by Donald Whitney. You can visit his website at

http://www.biblicalspirituality.org/ as it contains a wealth of information on reaching out to others in Jesus' name.

1.What was the best thing that happened to you since last Christmas?

2. What was your best Christmas ever? Why?

3. What was the most meaningful Christmas gift you've ever recieved?

4. What was the most apreciated Christmas gift you ever gave?

5. What was your favorite Christmas tradition as a child?

6. What's your favorite Christmas tradition now?

7. How do you try to keep Christ in Christmas?

8. Why do you think people started celebrating the birth of Jesus?

9. Do you think the birth of Jesus deserves such a nearly world-wide celebration?

10. Why do you think Jesus came to Earth?

Christmas is such a special time, ripe with opportunities for us to share our faith and the Gospel message! Make sure to pray before all of your Christmas gatherings/events, that you will have the opportunity to share the Gospel and be an example of Christ's love.

It's not too early to start purposefuly planning for the Christmas season! Sit down with your family now to discuss how you can all be intentional in reaching out in Christ's name this holiday season.

Carob--Natural Alternative to Chocolate

2009-10-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have been experimenting for some time now with carob as a natural alternative to chocolate. Carob is a pod from a tree that is naturally sweet and has a similar flavor to chocolate, making it a great substitute, especially in baked goods and smoothies. The two ways I have used carob are in powder form ( replacing cocoa powder) and in chip form ( replacing chocolate chips for cookies and other baked goods). I have had very good results with carob, and since it contains no caffeine or added sugar, I have found it to be very beneficial with my oldest son, who has an extreme sensitivity to sugar! This has allowed him to continue enjoying baked goods with the rest of the family.

I would say you can substitute carob powder for any recipe calling for cocoa powder, and the chips for any recipe calling for chocolate chips. Please note that they don't melt like regular chocolate chips!

Here is a recipe for a great Protein Smoothie that I have adapted to use carob powder. I like to use this smoothie to get in my pregnancy protein requirements, without added sugar.

Protein Smoothie

1 cup vanilla-flavored yogurt

1 frozen banana, cut into chunks

2 tbsp. raw honey

2 tbsp. carob powder

1 tbsp. raw sunflower seeds

1 tbsp. chopped dates

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. You can add a few ice cubes if you desire a more frosty smoothie, just increase the blend time by a minute or so.

I have also used carob chips to make my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe--just sub them in for your regular chocolate chips!

I have purchased carob powder and chips both on-line and in my natural foods store. Try amazon.com or Azure Standard for on-line buying.

Middle-Eastern Hummus Plate

2009-10-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love Middle-Eastern food, especially hummus! I first tried this plate while living several years ago in Florida at a Mid-Eastern cafe, and found it quite easy to replicate at home. Although I suppose you could use store-bought hummus for convenience, I prefer to make my own, as it is easy and more nutritous (no preservatives, soaked chickpeas, etc...)

Here's the basic set-up for the plate:

Hummus

Whole Kalmatta Olives

Chopped Tomatoes

Sliced Red Onion

Sliced Cucumber, previously marinated in olive oil and a bit of apple-cider vinegar

Fresh Pita Bread or Naan

Tabbouli Salad

Here are the recipes for homemade hummus and tabbouli salad:

Hummus

2 cups chickpeas, soaked overnight, simmered until tender

1 tbsp. garlic

1 tsp. garam masala (Indian-style spice you can find in most large supermarkets)

4 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. tahinni (sesame paste)

chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste

Soaking Step--in a large bowl, cover the beans with about 4 cups water and 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Soak overnight, draining water and rinsing well in the morning. Simmer beans until tender, about 2 hours.

Puree all ingreedients until smooth in a food processor. Chill 2 hours prior to serving.

Taboulli Salad

2 c. cooked whole-wheat couscous, chilled

4 tbsp. olive oil

4 tbsp. lemon juice

diced red onion, as much as you like

1 tbsp. chopped fresh mint

1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients to combine; Serve chilled

To assemble the plate: Place a good-sized scoop of hummus on the plate; garnish with tomatoes, olives, onion, cucumber and taboulli salad. Serve with pita or naan

For a tutorial on making your own tahini paste, go to this link:

www.grouprecipes.com/41754/homemade-ta (It's easy, and a lot more frugal than store-bought!)

Simplify With Menu Planning

2009-10-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

One of the easiest ways I've found to streamline mealtime (STRESSFUL with a 9-month-old!) and grocery trips is to meal plan. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with meal planning, it is an organizational system of planning out what your family will be eating for a specific time frame (weekly, monthly, etc...).

As of now, I prefer a weekly menu plan, as being pregnant causes me to constantly change my mind about what I want to eat! To make my menu planning easier, I try to stick to certain dinner themes for each night of the week. Here's how I am doing it right now:

Monday--date night--out to eat with hubby!!!

Tuesday--stir-fry or omlettes

Wednesday--crockpot (could be anything, but for us it's usually Italian)

Thursday--chicken, fish or casserole

Friday--pizza

Saturday--main dish salad (taco salad, grilled chicken salad, etc..) or soup, depending on season

Sunday--leftovers or something very simple, like sandwiches.

I sit down on Saturday nights to make out my weekly menu and it's companion grocery list. I always ask my husband for his special requests (always pizza!) and either fit them in to one of the catergories or make an exception for his request. I do try to remain flexible with menu planning, as I always like to try new recipes, but I find that most recipes generally fit in to my plan. I prepare side dishes according to what I have and what is in season (lots of salad in the summer, root veggies in the winter, etc..). Being organized with menu planning has saved me quite a bit of time, not only in preparing meals, but with trips to the store as well! I make one trip to the grocery store (and one to the farmers' market in spring/summer) on Sundays to buy everything needed for the week.

I don't use a theme for breakfasts or lunches, just try to keep them quick and easy for simplicity's sake! Here's a typical week of breakfasts and lunches in our home:

Breakfast:

Monday--eggs, toast

Tuesday--oatmeal, fruit

Wednesday--bagels, butter, smoothies

Thursday--eggs, toast

Friday--oatmeal, fruit

Saturday--french toast, pancakes or scrapple

Sunday--something super-fast, as we are out the door to church!

Lunches are usually leftovers from dinner the night before. If there are no leftovers on hand, then I may use one of the following options:

Lunch: chicken or tuna salad, bean burritos with salsa, grilled turkey sandwiches with tomato soup, peanut butter and jam, chicken caesar wraps or hummus plate with pita bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, sliced onion and black olives.

This is what works for me! I realize this system may not be usefull to everyone, but it has definitely saved me quite a bit of time and money. I like the feeling of knowing exactly what I will make for dinner each week, saving me last-minute dinner stress!

I would love to hear from you about your meal planning systems!

All-Natural Immunity Tonic for Cold and Flu Season

2009-10-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, bear with me....this may sound a little yucky, but I have a wonderful recipe for an all-natural cold and flu tonic that really works. I dole this one out to my family any time they start to feel a bit under the weather, and symptoms just vanish! This has truly been a blessing to us.

OK, now for the yucky part: this recipe consists of a rather strange combination of ingreedients.

Immunity Tonic:

1 tbsp. fresh chopped garlic (anti-bacterial properties)

2 tbsp. honey (preferably raw, for extra healing properties)

1 c. warm water or echnaciea tea

2 tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar (anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties)

Combine all ingreedients in a coffee mug; drink fast! (as not to taste!)

It really does sound horrible, but you have my word--this stuff works!

My Favorite Warm and Frugal Fall/Winter Breakfast--Oatmeal!

2009-10-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

Although I love oatmeal and could eat it any time of the year, there is something so comforting about serving up a steaming hot bowl in the cooler seasons of fall and winter. Not only is oatmeal delicious, it's lest costly and much more nutritous than cold breakfast cereals (full of sugar, improper grain preparation, etc...), making it the ideal breakfast for families.

It is important to prepare in advance when making an oatmeal breakfast. To ensure optimum nutrition, oats must be soaked overnight to release phytates, a chemical in all whole grains that prevents nutrient absorption. To soak my oats, I place about 1 1/2 cup rolled oats in a mason jar, add enough water just to cover the top, my acid medium of choice for oats, 1 tsp. yogurt and about 3 tbsp. whole-wheat flour (not necessary, but helps break down phytates more quickly). You could also choose to use an acid medium of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or kefir (like yogurt, only more liquidy) if you like, but I prefer to use the yogurt for oatmeal and save the vinegar and lemon juice for beans or other grains as they are more sour! Shake up all the ingreedients in the jar and set on your counter to soak all night. If I am adding any kind of nuts to my oatmeal, I add them with the rest of the ingreedients to let them soak all night as well. In the morning, just dump the entire contents of the jar into a pot; add additional cooking liquid if you like, or keep it as is for a more porridge consistency. Cover and allow to simmer about 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings. My family likes dried cranberries, raisins, honey and milk, cinnamon, butter and sometimes even fried apples.

Hospitality Ideas for Fall

2009-10-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

I love any excuse to entertain people in my home! Maybe it's because my husband is away at work nine hours daily that I crave a little adult interraction, but all the same, I love having company. Before, my focus has always been on making sure the home is spotless and sweet-smelling, that I had an impressive dish to serve, etc... Not that those things are not important; when we invite guests into our home we do indeed want to offer them our best! But recently, I've become convicted that the focus of inviting people into our homes should be more on sharing the Gospel with them. Many places in Scripture state that the home, not the church, were centers for evangelism. As a culture, we've begun to move away from this practice, feeling as if our homes are our "personal space" not to be invaded. However, Scripture tells us otherwise (Mary and Martha ring a bell?).

I really get inspired to host visitors in my home during the fall; crisp, cool air, warm smells of apple pie and freshly baked bread from the oven...I could go on and on. I want to share with you some of my plans for extending hospitality during the next couple of months, including how I plan to keep entertaining Christ-focused.

Ladies' Tea

I am planning on hosting a Ladies' Tea this month for several of my female family members and friends. I will prepare some delicious treats (seperate post on this) as well as have a question and answer session with the ladies that I obtained from Girl Talk blog http://www.girltalk.com/ that has some wonderful questions designed to steer the conversation around to faith and the Gospel message. I will also pray for all the ladies before they leave my home, as I am trying to implement this practice with every person who enters my door!

Sharing the Gospel on Halloween

This year, my family and I have chosen to not celebrate a conventional Halloween, but instead use this time to share the Gospel message with any trick-or-treaters that may come to our door. I plan on passing out my fall trailmix (dried cranberries, candy corn, peanuts and mini-pretzels--not super-healthy, I know, but it's a once a year treat!!!) as well as a role of mini lifesavers candy with a tract sharing the Gospel message that I downloaded here:

www.lisargood.com/holidays/halloween.html It comes in English and Spanish!

Baking for New Moms

I plan is to bake some fresh bread, cinnamon rolls or cookies for new mommys that I know. I will be including a Biblicaly-based card with each of these care packages.

Blessing My Neighbors

I am ashamed to say that I have never met the elderly couple that lives next door to us, and we have been living here one year now! My plan is to prepare a wonderful home-cooked meal of baked chicken, dressing, sweet potatoes, rolls and broccoli and deliver it to the couple and, if they desire, share company with them. They are both pretty much confined to their home, so I am sure they could use an encouraging word!

Those are my plans for now. Of course, I would like to do more, as I have hundreds of ideas, but I am trying to take it easy in these last seven weeks of pregnancy! I would love to hear from you about how you do hospitatlity!

Dangerous Truths Behind Vaccinations

2009-10-02T15:08:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share this nine-part mini-series about some of the dangers behind common childhood vaccinations. I found this series on Youtube today, and it's very interesting. It's about one hour in length. I feel that no matter what your stand is on the whole vaccination issue, it's good to be informed! I myself am not in favor of vaccinations, as my oldest son was vaccine damaged as an infant. Henry hasn't recieved any vaccines and I plan to do the same with the new baby. Here is the link to the mini-series:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA8DLLMBGeo&feature=related

It's broken up into nine parts, so you have to click on each part to start a new one. They are numbered, making it easy to follow.

More Resources:

The Doctor Sears website--a wealth of information about the risks involved with childhood immunizations. You can also find his book, The Vaccine Book, here. http://www.drsears.com/

Vaccinations: Deceptions and Tragedy by Michael Dye--informative, well-written book discussing dangers of vaccination. I found this book at http://www.azurestandard.com/

How To Stretch a Whole Chicken

2009-10-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

Has anyone else noticed the price of chicken slowly but steadily increasing? Chicken has always been one of the more frugal sources of protein I use to feed my family, but the increase in price has inspired me to take a look at ways I can stretch one good-sized whole roaster into several meals. Through experimentation, I discovered that I can use one roaster (4 lb. roaster that I bought for six dollars!) into FIVE meals!!! Here is what I did:

Meal 1: Made a Roasted Chicken with potatoes and carrots; served with tossed green salad.

Meal 2: Picked carcass clean; shredded the breast meat and set aside; boiled the carcass for a rich, nutrient-packed bone broth. Used thigh meat and one leg for a stir-fry with veggies and some brown rice.

Meal 3: Made chicken salad with cranberries and pecans with the breast meat.

Meal 4: Served leftover chicken salad sandwiches.

Meal 5: Used the bone broth to make a hearty soup of veggies, noodles and whatever meat was left over from the carcass pickings. We actually ate this for lunch the next day, too!

I have even heard about people using all of the skin from the chicken and frying it for dinner, but I won't be trying this one soon! (I don't like chicken skin!)

I would love to hear how you frugally stretch any kind of meat!

Busy Boxes--Keeping Little Ones Busy During Your Quiet Time

2009-09-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

If you are blessed with children then you know it can be at times difficult to get into your quiet time without distraction. Without a doubt, young children (toddlers and preschoolers in particular!) require constant attention and care, and the word "quiet" means absolutely nothing to them! So how can a mom of littles still spend daily time in God's word? Enter the Busy Box:

I assembled my Busy Box by taking a medium-sized snap-top storage container and writting my son's name on it. Because Brett is school age (kindergarten), I chose not to fill his Busy Box with toys or other playthings, but materials he can use for his own quiet time, such as his Bible, Bible studies, character-building books, journal and markers, etc.. Brett will have his own quiet time in his bedroom while I have mine, and Henry (9 mos.) will watch a biblically-based video, such as the Baby Faith series, from his playpen. Our new baby (arriving in 8 weeks!!!!) will be napping or in my arms. I will make a Busy Box for Henry when he turn 1 year old, and fill it with simple toys and books. I have also burned a CD of Brett's favorite praise and worship music that he may choose to listen to while having his quiet time as well. I plan on putting different activities in his box everyday, instead of just the same thing over and over, as to prevent boredom.

Here are some of the resources I'll be using for Brett's Busy Box:

The Little Boy's Bible for Mothers and Sons--this is a great beginers bible for little boys! This book features devotions at the end of each chapter, one for mom and one for sons titled "Becoming a Man of God" (I just love that!)

Bible Studies from Hem of His Garmet--this website offers good-quality, free printable Bible studies for children of all ages. http://www.hem-of-his-garmet-bible-study.org/

A Child's Book of Character Building by Ron Coriell--beautiful book broken down into twelve chapters, each one focusing on a specific character attribute, such as thankfulness or obedience. I believe there are other books in this series; I am using book 1.

Draw to Learn the Book of Proverbs by Ray and Charlene Notgrass--this book takes children through the book of Proverbs by having them draw their own idea of how the particular Scripture they are studying should look.

These are some of the resources I am planning on using in combination with music, seasonal books (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Advent) and maybe the occasional DVD. I haven't looked into resources for other age groups since Henry is still a baby!

A Saturday Favorite--Taco Salad!

2009-09-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Our two family-favorite meals on Saturdays are pizza and taco salad. I would like to share my taco salad recipe with you:

Taco Seasoned Beef: brown meat with all ingreedients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, well-smashed

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. dried oregano

3 tbsp. tomato paste

refried beans (I make my own most of the time--more flavorful, more frugal and soaked!)

corn chips, preferably organic

shredded lettuce

chopped onion and tomato

sliced jalapeno

fresh salsa

guacamole

shredded cheddar cheese

First, place about 1 cup of crushed corn chips on each plate; top with meat and beans. Let each person top their taco salad with toppings of their choice. I set everything out buffet-style. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!

The Importance of Protein in Pregnancy

2009-09-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

I will admit, I am in no way an expert on this particular topic! The first five months of my first pregnancy, I followed a vegetarian diet. With my second pregnancy, I had an aversion to almost every kind of meat, especially chicken, and lived on pasta and bread! After coming across some information about the importance of protein in the diet of pregnant women, I changed my ways, and fast!

The recomendation for a pregnant mother is 80-100 grams of protein per day! That seems like a lot, but before you get overwhelmed, consider this method: try consuming 20 grams of protein with each meal for a total of 60 grams, making up the difference with snacks spaced throughout the day.

Some High-Protein Snack Ideas:

1. Apple, sliced and served with peanut butter

2. English Muffin spread with peanut or other nut butter (I just discovered cashew butter, and it's yummy!)

3. Whole-wheat crackers and hummus

4. Hard boiled eggs

One of the problems I have ran into in preparing meals high in protein is the cost! I would love nothing more than to have this excuse to eat a big steak everyday, but that is so expensive. With such an increase on my protein intake, I've had to come up with more frugal options. Here's what works for me:

Milk and Dairy--high in both protein and calcium, necessary for healthy bone development in baby and maintaining bone density in mom. I do not like to drink a lot of milk, but I try to drink at least two glasses per day and get the rest through yogurt or ice cream. I personally don't care much for cheese, but of course this is an excellent source of dairy-based protein as well.

Eggs--Frugal and packed with protein, eggs are a staple in my pregnancy diet. The best thing about eggs is that they are so versatile that it's hard to get bored with them! Try eating them scrambled with butter, in an omlette with veggies (my fave!) or in a quiche.

Beans--Another cheap protein powerhouse! There are a lot of ways to prepare beans beyond the standard soup beans--try making falafel out of chickpeas, Cuban-style black beans and rice or refried beans in tacos. Very simple, yet filling and nourishing.

Canned Salmon--This has been a lifesaver to me on days when I really haven't wanted to cook, but knew I had to get in my protein requirement! My husband loves it in salmon patties, but I have also served it in salmon salad (mix with mayo, onion powder, paprika, red onion and celery) to serve with crackers, or try this salmon melt recipe from Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking: www.passionatehomemaking.com/?=salmon+melts

For more information on the importance of protein in the pregnant woman's diet, I suggest you check out the Bradley Method website at www.bradleybirth.com/Main.aspx. They have a lot of good information on nutrition during pregnancy, as well as natural childbirth in general.

Blogging Break?

2009-09-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone! Just wanted to share with you that I will be taking a 1 week blogging break, due to my computer being reformatted. Can't wait to get back with you next week!

The Benefits of Butter

2009-09-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Butter is almost a bad word in today's fat and calorie-concerned society, but did you know that the health benefits of butter far outweigh the risks? Did you know that "healthy" margarine you are slathering on your children's toast has little to offer nutritionally?

According to the Weston A.Price Foundation, real butter is chock-full of key nutrients necessary for optimal health:

1. Vitamin A--needed for the health of the thyroid and adrenal glands, both playing a crucial role in heart and cardiovascular wellness. Butter is an easibly absorbed source of vitamin A.

2. Lecithin--helps metabolize cholesterol.

3. Anti-Oxidants--protects from free-radical damage to the arteries, it's found in butter in the form of vitamins A and E, as well as selenium.

4. Cholesterol--What? Cholesterol? What could be good about that? Turns out that some dietary cholesterol is necessary in actually preventing free-radical damage to the body. Butter is a pure and natural source of dietary cholesterol, unlike margarine, which is man-made and contains rancid fats and highly-processed vegetable oils.

5. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)--provides excellant protection against cancer.

It's interesting to note that many think butter is harmful due to it's ammount of saturated fat; however, what has been found to be more harmful is partially hydrogenated fats and hardened fats like those found in margarine. Fat is a necessary component to anyone's diet, as it helps to absorb various vitamins and minerals. We have been taught to fear fat, but it's more important to be aware of the type of fats you are consuming. Butter is, in a sense, a perfectly natural fat while margarines are man-made, genetically modified and lacking in key nutrients.

Of course, as with anything, moderation is the key here! No one should eat a stick of butter a day. Current recomendations for butter intake are about two pats per day, three if you are pregnant or nursing.

Children benefit greatly from butter in their diets. Research supports that the high concentration in Vitamin A is essential for a healthy immune system. Personally, I have found two pats of butter daily to be effective in the management of my son's exzema!

More Resources:

Food Renegade website--check out this great post on the importance of natural dietary fats www.foodrenegade.com/fat-is-where-its-at/ , and while you are there, check out some of the other posts! This is a great source of information on eating for optimum nutrition.

The Nourishing Gourmet--Kimi at the Nourishing Gourmet has written an excellent post on nourishing butter sources. Read it here at www.nourishinggourmet.com/2008/05/my-favorite-butter-sources.html.

Passionate Homemaking blog--Lindsay has written a great post on making your own butter, ensuring you know exactly what is going into the finished product! See it here at www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/01/making-my-own-butter.html

Resources for a Natural Pregnancy and Birth

2009-09-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

I recieved an e-mail the other day asking for a good read on the topic of natural childbirth. So, I've decided to share with you a whole list of wonderful resources on this topic. Here are some things I have found to be helpful:

The Christian Childbirth Handbook by Jennifer Vanderlaan--Wow! This book has changed so much of my thoughts on pregnancy, labor and childbirth. I can't say enough good things about this informative and inspiring book. Vanderlaan explains all the aspects one would want to know about pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum both medically and scripturally. I never really, truly understood God's perfect plan for pregnancy and motherhood until I read this book! It has made me more confident in my ability to have a natural childbirth, as well as amazed at exactly what my body is capable of doing! This book is a must-read for any pregnant woman.

Husband-Coached Childbirth by Robert Bradley, M.D.--Much more medically-based than scripturally, this book does a great job of explaining exactly what is happening with a woman's body in all the stages of pregnancy, labor and birth. Has great sections on prenatal nutrition, natural pain relief and the importance of the father's role as labor coach. This is a great read for Dad!

The Lord of Birth by Jennifer Vanderlaan--Yep, she does it again with another scripturally-solid read, this one more about the blessing of pregnancy and motherhood. Great read for when you are about nine months pregnant with heartburn, swollen ankles and Braxton-Hicks contractions and need to be reminded what exactly you are doing all this for!

Apple Tree Ministries--Informative and encouraging website devoted to providing resources to families opting for natural, scripture-based childbirth. Check them out here at http://www.appletreefamily.org/.

I also encourage you to head on over to Lindsay's website, http://www.passionatehomemaking.org/ and Stephanie's website at http://www.keeperofthehome.org/ as both of these women have written some extraordinary posts on pregnancy and childbirth, including their personal experiences with homebirths.

Our Family-Favorite Meal--Pizza!!!

2009-09-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

What's not to love about a steamy-fresh piece of pizza? My family loves it, and we eat pizza at least once a week. Although delicious, the average take-out pie is high-priced and questionable in the nutrtion department, so we prefer to make our pizza at home. I would like to share with you my favorite recipe:

Pizza Dough:

2 c. flour (I use 1 c. regular and 1 c. whole-wheat)

1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast, proofed for 5 minutes in 1 c. hot water with 1 tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. melted butter (I recomend the real stuff, not margarine!)

1 tbsp. dried oregano or savory

Combine all dry ingreedients in a large mixing bowl; incorporate wet ingreedients until doughy. Cover with a bit of olive oil; cover bowl with a clean dish towel and allow to rise about 20 minutes. Turn dough out onto a greased pizza pan, kneading to the edges.

Now you're ready to build the pizza--here's what I do:

Spread the pizza with sauce--you can make your own, which I usually do, or use a store-bought sauce. I like Newman's Own Organic Marinara Pasta Sauce for pizza, and it's great for dipping breadsticks, too!

Add your toppings--our favorite combo is sausage, pepperoni, onion and black olives, as well as adding about 1/2 tbsp. dried red chili flakes. We love it spicy!

Top with cheese--we use a 5-cheese Italian blend for traditional flavor.

Bake your pie at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes; slice and enjoy!

What are some of your family-favorite meals?

Blessing the Lord Through Ministry

2009-09-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

Many people hear the word ministry and get a bit nervous--"I don't have the time", "I'm not very creative", "I don't have the money", etc...

Ministry, first and foremost, isn't about having ample time, tons of money or a knack for creativity; it's about people! Ministry can be as simple as gifting a new neighbor with a pie and a welcome card. The goal of any effective ministry, large or small, is to connect with people to the glory of God.

One of the biggest factors that keeps women in the season of motherhood from ministering is indeed time! Of course, your primary ministry while in this season of life is your family, and what greater joy than that! However, it is important to minister, even in small ways, to others. This is a wonderful opportunity to share ministry with your children, to instill in their hearts a love for showing mercy and compassion to God's people.

So, what are a few ways a busy mom can minister to others in need? Here are a few suggestions:

Minister to New Neighbors: Maybe a new family has moved in next door, or perhaps you've never met your neighbors at all! What a wonderful opportunity to bless them, perhaps with some homebaked bread or a pie and a thoughtful "welcome to the neighborhood" card. I find this to be an easy, non-invasive way to present opportunities for more intimate get-togethers in which to share the Gospel message.

Minister to a New Mommy: After the birth of my oldest son, some lovely women from my church came to visit with me and baby, and blessed us with a beautiful knitted afghan, a homemade pie, cards with encouraging scriptures and ready-made casseroles for a quick, hot meal! These thoughtful ladies even included paper plate, napkins, plastic cups and plastic silverware, as to eliminate the need to wash dishes! What a beautiful way to minister to a tired new mom, thus allowing her to spend more time enjoying her tiny new blessing.

Food Pantry Ministry: This is a great way to involve children! Have them help you fill a large box full of food pantry staples: sugar, flour, beans, rice, canned goods, pasta, bread, etc... Don't stop there; when you drop off the food box, ask if their will be an opportunity for your family to hand out food packages to patrons. Some pantries even serve hot meals. This is how the children can feel the impact of helping others.

Pregnancy Care Center: Pregnancy care centers are Christian organizations that serve to pregnant women, often teens, who have limited financial means to support their pregnancies and a new baby. These centers offer a wide variety of services, including childbirth and basic baby care classes, counseling and guidance, ultrasounds and free clothing and baby gear. Many women arrive at these centers considering abortion, but find that there is help available to them to support baby and encouragement to mommy. Most of these centers are non-profit, donation-supported ministries. Consider volunteering time to help size, organize and put away baby clothes, or if you have old baby clothes that you are finished with, donate.

Of course, these are just a few suggestions for simple and effective ministry opportunities; the list of possibilities is endless! What does your family do for ministry? I would love to hear your ideas, as I'm planning on writing and publishing an e-book on the topic of family-based ministry. I can't wait to hear your ideas!

"Do You Work?"--The Art of Homemaking Part 1

2009-09-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, you probably get that question a lot! How does a stay-at-home mom answer that question? You know that yes, you indeed do work, but not according to the world's standards--i.e., no paycheck. But I want to encourage you, dear sisters, that you are doing the most important work of all! Scripture is clear in defining the woman's and the man's role in the home:

Titus 2: 4-5--"The older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame upon the Lord."

Proverbs 14: 1--"A wise woman builds her house."

1 Timothy 5: 8--"But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially the members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

It is God's desire, His perfect plan, that we women manage our households. There is a lot of pressure today for women to be successful in careers outside of the home. Often, women who chose to be homemakers are chastised and made to feel that they are not doing anything meaningful. (I'm sure you have all been on the recieving end of a comment that just made your jaw drop!) Ladies, I'd like to offer you some words of encouragement: What could possibly be more meaningful than fulfilling God's vision of a woman? Let us look at responsibilities of a homemaker:

1. Creating and maintaining a home environment that helps and encourages your husband to provide for his family, thus fulfilling his role as the man of the house.

2. Being available to nurture your children at all times.

3. Maintaining a clean, safe and comfortable environment for your loved ones, a safe-haven, a refuge, a place that they always want to be.

4. Providing nourishing meals for your family.

5. Staying within the limits of a budget.

6. Educating your children, if you choose to homeschool or not.

7. Instilling moral charachter into your children.

8. Modeling biblical womanhood to your children (important for both sons and daughters).

9. Training your children biblically.

This list goes on and on, but as you can see, the woman who chooses to keep her home is never at a loss for work!

Sisters, do not become discouraged with your very important position as homemakers, wives and mothers! Refuse to listen to the negative tounges of those who berate your work! Remember, although homemaking may not be the most glamorous or exciting kind of work, it is kingdom work, and you will truly be blessed through it!

This is Part 1 in a series of posts on The Art of Homemaking. Next time we will discover how to find contentment and joy in our roles as full-time wives, homemakers and mothers.

New Family Photos!

2009-09-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share some new photos of my family with you--aren't they adorable?

Our Favorite Dessert--Tiramisu

2009-09-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

My family's favorite dessert is tiramisu, an Italian dessert composed of ladyfingers soaked with expresso and a light-as-air cream cheese topping! Here's the recipe that I use:

Tiramisu

1 pkg. ladyfinger cookies (you can substiute pound cake slices if you can't find ladyfingers)

1 pkg. cream cheese (8 oz.), softened

2 cups whipped cream ( I like to whip and sweeten my own)

1 cup strong brewed expresso

cocoa powder, for garnish

Arrange ladyfingers in the bottom of a glass dish (you may need to break them to fit); soak with the expresso. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whip cream cheese and whipped cream together on high until light and airy; you may choose to add more sugar at this time if you want it really sweet. Top the ladyfingers with the cream cheese mixture; dust with cocoa powder and refridgerate at least two hours before serving.

Scriptural Encouragement for Difficult Seasons of Motherhood

2009-09-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

After eight blessedly peaceful months of baby Henry's life, the teething monster has reared it's ugly head!! These last few weeks have not been easy for me, dealing with the frustrations of a teething little guy that I can't seem to soothe, pregnancy related insomnia, aches and pains, as well as emotional outbursts against my kids and husband. Oh, Lord, how I have sinned against You and my wonderful family! With a heavily burdened heart, I have been searching for Scripture to help me through this difficult season of motherhood. This is what I would like to share with you:

Isaaiah 40:11--"He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers His lambs in His arms and hold them to His heart. He gently leads those who have young."

Proverbs 31:28--"Her children stand and bless her; her husband praises her"

Issaiah 40:31--"Yet those who wait on the Lord will gain new stregth; they will mount up on wings of the eagle, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not grow weary."

Matthew 11:28--"Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Psalm 127:3--"Children are a blessing from the Lord, the fruit of the womb, a reward."

Psalm 40:1--"I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry."

Although motherhood is a beautiful, rewarding season of a woman's life, it is not always easy!!! Nor is it something you must endure alone: remember, cry out to the Lord, and He will give you peace, stregth and a new understanding of the privellege of being a mother! Ladies, this is something we certainly can't do on our own understanding.

Is anyone else going through a difficult season of motherhood right now? What Scripture has encouraged you?

Yummy Smoothie Recipes!!

2009-09-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

Who doesen't love a refreshing smoothie? Smoothies are on heavy rotation in our home, as they are a great way to increase your fruit and veggie intake (and an easy way to sneak them into your children's diets!). I've compiled a list of my family's favorite recipes for you to enjoy:

Expectant Mama Smoothie:
1 c. vanilla yogurt
1/2 c. peanut or almond butter
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp. honey, more if you like it really sweet
1 tbsp. flax seed oil, or ground flax seed
6 ice cubes
1 banana, cut into chunks
Blend all ingreedients until smooth; serve cold. Great source of protein for pregnant mamas, and the flax is a great source of omega-3's!

Strawberry-'Nana Smoothie:
1 c. vanilla yogurt
1 banana, cut into chunks
2 c. strawberries, hulled
honey to taste
6 ice cubes
Blend all ingreedients until smooth; serve cold. This one is a big hit with the kids.

Orange Dreamsicle:
1 c. vanilla yogurt
1/2 c. cream (don't substitute!)
3 tbsp. honey
3 oranges, peeled, chunked and pith removed
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 ice cubes
Blend all ingreedients until smooth; serve very cold, as this drink is best frosty.

Pumpkin Smoothie:
1 c. vanilla yogurt
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
dash nutmeg
honey to taste
6 ice cubes
Blend all ingreedients until smooth; serve cold. Pumpkin is an often overlooked but tasty source of vitamin C.

Caramel Apple Smoothie:
1 c. vanilla yogurt
2 tbsp. apple cider
2 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. caramel ice cream syrup
6 ice cubes
Blend all ingreedient until smooth; this is a really sweet smoothie, so it's special-occasion-only! Go all-out and top it with whipped cream and chopped nuts!

Natural Pregnancy, Labor and Delivery Helps

2009-09-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

After suffering from the consequences of having a highly-medicated pregnancy and delivery with my firstborn son, I've decided that all of my subsequent children will be carried and born as naturally as possible! I did have a successful natural childbirth with my second son, even though I delivered him in the hospital (our area, unfortunately, does not have any midwives available for home birthing). I am set to do it all again in early December, so I've decided to post on what natural helps have worked for me.

Good Coaching--this is first and foremost for a successful delivery! Of course, your primary coach will be your husband, but it doesn't hurt to have a little extra support! You may choose to hire a doula, a woman trained to help you progress peacefully through labor and childbirt, or perhaps just the support of a loving family member or friend. This can be extremely beneficial as it will take some of the stress off your hubby--remember, the birth of a baby is an emotional and exhausting time for him, too!

Rainbow Light Just Once Prenatal Vitamins--these vitamins, although horse pills, are the only ones I have tried that don't make me nauseous. They contain red raspberry leaf, a uterine toner, and ginger to combat nausea.

Traditional Medicinals Pregnancy Tea--this tasty tea contains red raspberry leaf, an herb found to be beneficial in toning and preparing the uterus for labor and delivery. I usually drink this all the way through my pregnancy, switching to nettle tea around the 32 week mark, as this iron-rich herb is helpful to increase iron in the blood.

Evening Primrose--at around the 38 week mark, I begin taking evening primrose capsules(these capsules are 500 mg. per capsule, and you take about 4 per day). Evening primrose contains prostaglandins, which soften and prepare the cervix for delivery. Be sure to ask your health care provider before taking evening primrose.

Lots of Exercise--try to aim for at least one hour a day, but don't overdo it! In my opinion, walking is the best exercise you can get, especially late into pregnancy, as it is easy on your joints, which are relaxing in preparation for birth, making it very easy to have sprains and strains. Also, try doing wall or partner-supported wide-leg squats to encourage the opening of the pelvis. I also enjoy stretching/yoga (no inverted or complicated poses) and prenatal workout DVD's like Denise Austin's Fit and Firm Pregnancy Workout. Remember, take it easy and BE CAREFUL as your growing belly will make your balance off!

Labor Supplies--as stated above, my first experience with childbirt was not a great one, as I was heavily medicated--no epidural, just heavy pain medication. The effects that this had on myself and my newborn made me rethink comfort measures during labor and delivery. Labor is difficult and exhausting, but not impossible! Here are a few good things to have on hand to ease discomfort:

1. Honey straws--honey straws are just that--little straws filled with honey! These are great to suck on during labor, since the sugar in the honey can keep your energy up, and they are not so heavy as to cause nausea.

2. Emergen-C or Coconut water--drinks full of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes to combat dehydration and restore depleted energy. Emergen-C comes in little packets, so you just add the powder in water. Coconut water must be kept cold.

3. Hot sock--a good way to ease the aches and pains of labor is with a hot sock--a clean tube sock filled with rice and tied off at the opening of the sock. Simply warm the sock in the microwave fo 1-2 minutes and apply to achy areas. This is great for back labor!

4. Tennis ball--can be used by your coach to apply pressure to sore areas, especially the lower back during contractions!

5. Encouraging Scripture to meditate on--check out this website: www.ajoyfulbirth.com/Scripture (look for my post on Scripture for Childbirth soon)

Well, that's what works for me--I would love to hear what has worked for you!

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanting to wish all of you a happy and blessed Labor Day, from my family to yours!

Eating Well on a Budget Part 1

2009-09-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Becoming a mother has really convicted me of the importance of nourishing, healthy food! The consequences of eating too much refined and over-processed foods are frightening, and these types of "convenience" foods are often high-priced as well. I have personaly found it to be much more cost-effective to prepare much of my own foods from scratch rather than buying pricey frozen meals, mixes or boxed dinners. When I make my own food from scratch, I can be assured that I'm using high-quality ingreedients (whole grains, lean meats, fresh fruits and veggies) and not adding a bunch of junk(salt, too much sugar, and other nutritionally-void ingreedients).

But is it possible to maintain your family's food budget while feeding them nourishing whole foods? Some of the healthier options may appear more expensive, but consider this: it is an investment into the health of your family! With carefull planning, it is possible to maintain a budget while eating healthfully. Here's some tips:

Don't buy "healthy" pre-packaged convenience foods--often, these foods are just as bad as their mainstream counterparts, full of fat, sugar and sodium. A frozen pizza is a frozen pizza, organic or not! These items also tend to be more expensive than if you just bought the ingreedients and made your own. I can make a large pizza, making my own crust and pizza sauce, with 4-5 toppings for about $4.00 per pizza. That's quite a savings compared to a large frozen pizza at about $7.00 per pizza, or a take-out pizza at around $20.00 per large pizza! It tastes a lot better too! Some other pre-packaged foods to make yourself are waffles, pancakes, muffins, biscuits, even syrup using this recipe: www.tammysrecipes.com/brown_sugar_syrup

Try substituting beans for meat once in a while--this isn't always a welcome transition, especially for husbands or sons who love their meat, but preparing one or two meatless meals a week can cut down on food costs significantly. Try to make dishes featuring beans as flavorful as possible. I have found that if I whip up a pot of navy beans and add a generous ammount of garlic, onion and a bit of bacon grease for flavor, my die-hard meat-eating husband will devour them! You could also try baked beans, black beans and rice or falafel, a popular Middle-Eastern fried garbanzo bean patty that is loaded with lots of flavor. These are usually eaten wrapped in pita bread with a yogurt sauce. Try this recipe: www.recipezaar.com/Falafel-233306

Make your own fruit juice--store-bought juices are often pricey and loaded with sugar! Try squeezing your own oranges and lemons at home for refreshing OJ or lemonade, or better yet invest in a juicer to make your own fresh fruit/veggie blends! (I'm searching for my own juicer right now at yard sales, but no luck so far) Some juice can easily be made in a blender, such as watermelon, pinneapple or strawberry, but of course that's not going to work with hard fruits such as apples! Here's my husband's recipes for pinneaple juice:

Fresh Pinneapple Juice

1 fresh pinneapple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup water

sugar or honey to your taste(remember, no honey for babies less than 1 year!)

Blend all ingreedients in blender on high; strain into a pitcher and chill.

Prepare soups, stews and casseroles--great way to use less meats and increase veggies!

Choose hot cereals over cold--oatmeal, grits and millet can be bought in bulk for a much lower price than cold cereal. Hot cereal is also more easily digestable, provided you soak it first: learn more about soaking grains here: www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/04/whole-grains-grinding-soaking.html and try this recipe for a yummy oatmeal breakfast: www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/09/soaked-oatmeal-breakfast.html

Stay tuned for more tips in Part 2!

Prayer Needed for the Persecuted Church!

2009-09-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

One of the the biggest problems facing Christians today is the plight of the Persecuted Church. Thousands and thousands of people around the world are persecuted, even to the death, daily for their Christian beliefs. What can we do as individuals to help these oppressed people? Here are some ideas:

Pray--make a commitment to pray daily for the Persecuted Church. I recieve weekly prayer bulletins from both the Voice of the Martyrs and the International Christian Concern. Voice of the Martyrs also has a program that helps concerned Christians write letters of encouragement to those who have been imprisoned for their faith. Go to http://www.persecution.com/ and http://www.persecutedchurch.org/ for more resources. Voice of the Martyrs also provides some beautiful resources and downloads for children at their website http://www.kidsofcourage.com/

Get the Word Out--sadly enough, many Christians aren't even aware of the needs of the Persecuted Church. November 8 is the date for the 2009 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. This would be a good time to organize a time of group prayer on the church or community level, or if you wanted to really host an all-out event, Voice of the Martyrs has a Church Resource Kit available from their website to help you get started. The website is http://www.vombooks.com/.

Won't you join me in making a commitment to pray daily for our suffering brothers and sisters in the Persecuted Church?

Natural Helps--Garlic!

2009-09-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

I love garlic and eat it in everything! But did you know that aside from garlic's amazing flavor it can also be used as a natural cure to many ailments? Neither did I, but upon further research I was pleasantly surprised to find that something I always have in my kitchen could be used in such a variety of ways!

Garlic, by nature, is an effective antibiotic and can even fight off scary infections like staph, e-coli and tuberculosis! That's some healing power! Some cultures, particularly in India, Africa and parts of South America, where refridgeration is a rarity, add garlic to their food as an antiparasitic. It has also been effective in maintaining proper circulation and blood pressure, preventing flu severity and against the common cold.

Practical Ways to Use Garlic

Eat It--this is no problem for me, as I love the taste of garlic and can happily eat a whole clove! For those who find the flavor of garlic too strong, try chopping up a clove and mixing with 1 tbsp. of honey or chocolate or caramel ice cream topping (this sounds worse than eating it straight!) Note: garlic is most effective when consumed raw ( sorry, no garlic bread won't work)

Garlic Essential Oil--works best for ear and throat infections and athlete's foot. You will have to use a carrier oil, such as sweet almond or even olive oil. Warm the oil and add one clove of crushed garlic; let sit about half an hour and then strain the oil. You can use a medicine dropper to put about three drops in the ear (make sure it's warm but not too hot!). Place cotton balls in your ear to keep it from draining out and let sit in ear for at least ten minutes. For athlete's foot, apply directly to affected area--it's smelly, but let it sit until your next shower!

Other Helpful Tips

Don't apply fresh garlic directly to skin, as it can burn. Use carrier oils.

For a baby, try crushing garlic to make a salve of sorts. Apply it to the soles of the feet, as the skin will allow the garlic's medicinal properties to absorb into the bloodstream. Works well for kids who don't like the taste of garlic, too!

Use your garlic oil, salve or fresh garlic immediately, and make a new one each time.

It's most effective to use garlic the MINUTE you feel cold or flu symptoms coming on. Don't wait until you have a full-blown infection.

Resources

http://www.simplykristen.com/ --a wealth of information on natural remedies, including some on garlic

www.herbcompanion.com/healing/garlic-natures-gift-for-life.aspx --good source of information on the specific healing powers of garlic.

The Power of Prayer

2009-09-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

"Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it..." John 14: 13-14

One of my biggest goals for 2009 is to become a woman of prayer. Women underestimate the influence they can have in the world simply by being prayer warriors. As wives and mothers, the best place to start being a prayer warrior is at home, going to our knees at every opportunity to pray over our husbands and children. The enemy is constantly at work attacking your loved ones, just as he attacks you! Wouldn't it feel so much better knowing that you are constantly bathing your husband and children in prayer?

Helpful Resources

I have found the following resources helpful in my quest to bless my family with prayer:

"The Power of a Praying Wife" and "The Power of a Praying Parent" by Stormie Omartian-- two very helpful books full of ideas for praying for your husband and your marriage, and for your children and motherhood. Dad's can read the latter as well, as it is geared to both moms and dads.

31 Days of Praying for your Husband--a free download at http://www.reviveourhearts.com/.

31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for your Children--another free download from Revive Our Hearts that uses Scripturally-based daily prayer for your little ones.

"A Mom After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George--a wonderful resource on bringing up children Biblically, that emphasizes lots and lots of prayer!

Ladies, I encourage you to join me in becoming a prayer warrior, especially in your own homes! Bathe your loved ones in prayer daily, and remember that praying for your family is never ever a waste of time, but the single most important thing you can do for them! We must always find time to pray for our husbands and children, just as we find time to cook them a meal or change a diaper. As a matter of fact, these would be good opportunities to sneak in a little prayer, as with other daily tasks. I encourage each of you to become women of prayer.

Pasta Salad--Fast and Frugal Summer Meal

2009-09-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

Pasta Salad is so light and refreshing on a summer day! Not only is it quick and easy to prepare, but, with minimal ingreedients, it's frugal as well! Here is the Vega family's favorite recipe:

Summer Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Olives and Salami

1 lb. garden rotini pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained, and set aside

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 c. sliced ripe black olives

1 c. italian salad dressing (we use Kraft Tuscan Italian, or make our own--both are good)

hard deli salami, cut into chunks (use as much or as little as you like)

sprinkling of grated parmasean cheese

Combine all ingreedients in a large serving bowl; refridgerate for at least two hours prior to serving.

***Variations: you can replace the salami with cold, grilled chicken breast, white cannelini beans, garbanzo beans or grilled shrimp or scallops.

The Priceless Wife

2009-09-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

"An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is like rotteness in his bones..." (Proverbs 12:4)

I have been following the True Woman 30-day makeover challenge over at http://www.truewoman.com/ , a thirty day journey through Proverbs 31 with Nancy Leigh DeMoss, and have discovered some amazing truths about the kind of wives we are called by God to be. Modern-day society would have us to believe just the opposite of the Biblical call to womanhood, but God does indeed have a concise plan for us to follow as women, wives and mothers.

As described in Proverbs 31, a wife does not bring shame upon her husband; she instead encourages him, building him up to his full potential. She is the behind the scenes cheerleader. She keeps everything running smoothly so he can focus on his God-given role of family provider. She doesn't nag or complain, but keeps communication open and gentle. She enriches his life, thus increasing HIS virtue.

Building up our husbands helps them to be more successful in their careers, their roles as husbands and fathers and ultimately, their roles as Godly men, heads of the household. You, as a Godly wife, wield much influence over your husband.

So how can we lift up our husbands? The first step is to examine ourselves! Before you begin to criticize your husband, first take a look at yourself: are there some things that you could change to be more of a helpmeet to your husband? Are you considering how some of your own actions may be causing your husband to act in ways that you find displeasing? We must remind ourselves that one of our most important roles is that of a submissive wife, and ultimately we are submissive to our husbands out of reverence for Christ. This is an important key to remember if you find yourself in a marriage relationship that makes it difficult to submit to your husband. Submission is really about pleasing God.

Ladies, I encourage you to bless your husbands! Help them to become men of virtue, men of honor and integrity. Help them be successful in everything they do. Don't forget to go to your knees daily to pray, to intervene for them! Remember to evaluate your own heart before you nag or complain. With your help, your husband can be the exact man you want him to be.

Further Resources

http://www.aboverubies.org/

www.proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/2007/07/she-beautifies-his-life.html

www.reviveourhearts.com/topics/downloads/index.php?id=9469

How can I encourage my husband today?

Insomnia and Pregnancy

2009-09-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

Insomnia plagues a lot of pregnant women, myself included. It seems as if the further I progress through my pregnancy, the worse it gets, and this comes as no surprise considering that weight gain, heartburn, muscle cramps and more pregnacy discomforts make it next to impossible to sleep! I've been researching methods for improving my sleep quality, and here are a few suggestions that I would like to share:

Natural Helps

Chamomile Tea-chamomile is a naturally relaxing flowering herb that can often be found in tea form. I have found a steaming hot cup of chamomile tea with honey taken right before bedtime to be quite soothing. My favorite brand is Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea, which has a very mild, minty flavor.

Lavendar-lavendar is well-known for it's sedative effect and is commonly used for aromatherapy purposes. Try taking a warm pre-bed soak in the tub with 5-6 drops of lavendar essential oil, or try adding 2-3 drops of the oil to a washcloth and toss it in the dryer when drying bed sheets.

Light Yoga/Stretching-relaxes tight muscles, encouraging a more restful sleep. Yoga is also beneficial to stress: easing the mind before sleep keeps thoughts from racing all night, thus inducing deeper sleep. NOTE:avoid strenuous exercise at least two hours before bedtime, as it can make it more dificult to wind down and iterrupts sleep.

Choose the Right Snack!-pregnant ladies love to snack! (well, at least this one does!) Eating a light snack in the evening is ok, but be choosy about what you eat, and avoid eating too close to bedtime, as this can cause heartburn, a BIG cause of insomnia! Some snacks to try:

Turkey and crackers--turkey contains a sleep-inducing compound called tryptophan, and of course the protien is good for pregnant women. Whole-wheat crackers are best, as they are a complex carbohydrate.

Cheese or Yogurt--calcium prevents muscle cramps and promotes relaxations. Pregnant women need to consume a fairly high level of calcium daily. Another good option is a warm glass of milk, sweetened with honey, and perhaps flavored with vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg.

Almonds or Cashews--Tree nuts are high in magnesium, which pregnant women need to consume in high levels along with calcium. Promotes tension relief. Nut butters are a good source of magnesium as well; try smearing a little on crackers or an English muffin.

A Small Bowl of Bran Flakes--high in fiber, another necessary nutrient, and of course, the milk is rich in calcium. Try topping the cerel with a sliced banana for a potassium boost, another natural muscle cramp reliever.

Other Tips

Don't dwell on it!-if you go to bed thinking that you won't be able to sleep, then you probably won't! Try to stay relaxed.

Don't get up!-this is a hard one for me! Its better to just stay in bed than get up and get busy, which will make you be more awake. If you absolutely can't stay in bed, do a quiet activity, such as reading, in a dimly-lit room. And if you watch TV, be mindful of what you watch--to much action can cause those endorphins to get revved up, making it nearly impossible to get back to sleep!

Pray!-use this time to commune with God. Sometimes when I pray and give all my cares and concerns over to God, I find it relaxes me enough to sleep better.

Write it Down!-writing down everything that you have to do the next day on your to-do list can ease your mind and keep you from dwelling on all the tasks you must do the following day.

What works for you to relieve insomnia? What natural remedies have helped you?

Building The Family WITHOUT Busting the Budget

2009-08-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

Although it's not the very popular in today's culture, my dream is to have a large family! So far, we've been blessed with two beautiful boys and a third on the way. We've prayerfully decided that the best option for us as a family is for me to stay home with the children, reducing us to one income. This has been quite a challenge for us at times, figuring out how to stretch our modest salary while meeting the needs of a growing family, but I believe that with faith in God and plenty of prayer and wise decision-making it can be done! In many ways I feel my family has been blessed more since I began to stay home, even though we may not have all the latest "stuff". Children are a beautiful inheritence from the Lord, and if we put all our trust in Him, He will surely provide. Still, we need to be wise in building and maintaining a budget. Here are some ideas:

Hit the Yard Sales!

We have saved a significant amount of money on kids' clothes by going to yard sales! Just today I found about seven outfits for Henry and a basketball warm-up outfit, pair of cowboy boots(don't ask!) and pricey ski gloves for Brett! I think we spent about twelve dollars. Another good option is consignment or thrift shops, or you could always try http://www.craigslist.com/ , a great website that features classified adds in your area for amazing deals. I'm currently looking for a good, used playpen, so if anyone has one in the southern Indiana area, let me know!

Avoid the Pink or Blue Trap!

The only blue items Henry has were gifts from other people. If you are planning on having other children it doesn't make much sense to by gender-specific clothing/items! Try neutral colors like cream, green or yellow. We recieved some beautiful baby quilts in a rainbow of all the pastel colors, making them not only beautiful but funcional for subsequent babies. For bedding, we chose a Noah's Ark pattern and solid color sheet sets, although he did end up with some football sheets as a gift. Also, choose solid white onsies/tees and socks--they work well for boy or girl.

Stick to Basics (or why you don't need a changing table)

The variety of baby gear available is overwhelming! Do you really need a wipes warmer? What about that diaper genie? Here's a list of what I've found to be necessary, and ones that are not so essential:

--Swing: Great for soothing a fussy, tired baby. This goes for bouncer, too.

--Sling, or front carrier: Babies love to be snug against their mommies, and you are hands-free

do housework.

--Bibs: Seriously, buy lots of these! Don't waste money with those cute little ones; go ahead

and buy the larger-size feeder bibs. This will help you keep clothing in good condition

for the next time around.

--Portable changing pad: It's a really good idea to have one of these for diaper changes in public

restrooms! Purchase (or make) one covered in vinyl so it can be

easily sanitized for the next time.

--Baby-sized nail clippers: Too easy to cut baby's tiny fingers with adult ones!

--Sturdy, large diaper bag in gender-neutral color

--Car Seat and Stroller

Save your cash on...

--Changing table: I never used mine with Brett and found it to be quite in the way!

--Wipes warmer: A complete waste of twenty dollars! Dried out the wipes. Use warm

washclothes instead.

--Mobile: These are really unnecessary, as baby really just wants to see you.

--Baby washclothes/towels: You can use your own towels and washclothes (although those

hoods on the towel are nice!). Chances are good you will recieve

some as gifts anyways.

--Little Mittens: They are always too big and will fall off; use socks!

--Baby powder(bad for the lungs) or oil(overheats the skin): stick with a mild lotion.

--Tons of toys: blocks, stuffed animals and books are great for both boys and girls, and too

many battery-operated toys don't allow children to play creatively, as well

as drive mom and dad crazy!

As you can see, it IS possible to build your family without busting your budget!

What frugal options do you have for raising kids? I would love to hear from you!

Date Nights!

2009-08-28T10:07:00.001-07:00

What better a way to bless your husband (and yourself!) than by planning regular date nights? This is a great opportunity to nurture your #1 human relationship and to communicate without interuption with the man you love! Maybe you've had one of those days at home--you burned the childrens' lunch, broke your favorite piece of tableware and listened to your baby scream at the top of his lungs for 2 hours straight (teething). Think about how blessed and relaxed it will feel to spend a couple of hours away with the man you love so much (and who probably had an equaly taxing day)!

How to Make it a Priority...

Schedule in regular date nights on your calendar, just like you would a doctor's appointment! Right now, my husband and I are having 2 date nights a month, every other Monday. I've already made babysitting arrangements with my parents, and they are thrilled to be spending time with their grandchildren, so they are being blessed too! If you schedule your date nights in, you will have not only no excuses to cancel but also something to look forward to. Be very cautious about what you would cancel your date night for...remember, this is a worthwhile investment in your marriage! Stick to it!

If you are like most wives, including me, you may be tempted to worry about the cost of date night...please, remember it's an INVESTMENT! Relax and enjoy your hubby's company! So what if he wants to order the steak, a glass of wine AND dessert? Plan date night into your budget, and if you spend a bit more than you like, try to go a little more frugal the next time!

Some Ideas...

Date night doesn't have to be fancy or expensive...there are plenty of things to do on a shoestring budget. Here are some ideas:

Candelight Dinner--cook up one of your hubby's favorite meals and enjoy together in the romantic glow of candelight--go all out and use your special china or serve drinks in wineglasses.

Community Attractions--consider all of the free or low-cost attractions and events available in your community. Does your town have a zoo, museum or water park? Is there a seasonal festival or fair? Date night doesn't always have to be at night!

Go on a Picnic--relax and enjoy a healthy meal by a waterfront or in a beautiful park

Any other ideas for date night? Let me know what works for you!

Easy Italian--Shrimp Caprese!

2009-08-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

This is one of my family's favorite meals! We probably eat this two or three times a month, partly because it's delicious and partly because it's so quick and easy to prepare! You'll need:

1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp ( being frugal, I cut them in half!)

6-8 Roma tomatoes, chopped

2 Tbsp. Oregano or Savory

5 cloves smashed garlic

1 1/2 c. olive oil

pinch of salt and pepper

1 lb. box of angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions

1 cup heavy cream

Chop tomatoes and marinate them for at least one hour in the oil, garlic and oregano. Place the shrimp in a colander and drain your hot pasta onto the shrimp--the hot water will instantly turn them nice and pink! Return shrimp and pasta to pasta pot and set aside. Heat the tomato/oil mixture to boiling in a seperate pot--remove from heat and add heavy cream, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper and add tomato mixture to pasta and shrimp. Toss to combine.

I like to serve this with a big green salad and fresh breadsticks. I hope your family enjoys this meal as much as mine does!

2009-08-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my new blog, Happy 2 B A Homekeeper! I pray that this blog will bless you in many ways. I plan on covering such topics as homekeeping, children, marriage, biblical womanhood and much more. I look forward to any suggestions for blog topics that may be of interest to you as readers, so let me know.

I guess this would be the best time to tell you a bit about myself...my name is Alexis, and my family consists of my wonderful hubby Henry, my sons Brett, 4 1/2, and Henry, 8 months. We will be blessed with the arrival of another boy in early December. I love the Lord, and have devoted my life to serving His kingdom, starting first at home with my family. I am getting ready to start with ministry outside of the home as I co-chair a new MOPS (mothers of preshoolers) group at out home church. My family and I feel that missions are really important, and this is going to be something we really begin to focus on as a family. I also love to read, and as you may imagine, I don't get alot of reading done with a baby! I also love to cook and travel, even if it's just to the nearest city! I take my job as a homekeeper seriously and consider it a blessing! I can't wait to start talking with other like-minded ladies. Alexis