Mother's Motives

Have I Forgotten How To Socialize? Did I Ever Know How?

2012-02-08T14:10:00.001-06:00

Three things in my life have lined up, urging me to write this post. I was going to pass, but I'm itching with all of these things and need to share. Listen up, please, experienced mommies, I have some questions/advice I need help with at the end of this...

My child highly enjoys when I sing This Little Light of Mine to him while he nurses. He looks like a little chorus director as he waves his finger in the air at me until I start it. Five times in a row -- sometimes that might be enough to satisfy him. The lyrics have been stepping on my toes as I repeat them, over and over: "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine; Hide it under a bush, oh NO, I'm gonna let it shine; Don't let the Devil pffffffff! it out, I'm gonna let it shine; All around the neighborhood, I'm gonna let it shine."
One reason those lyrics have been stepping on my toes is that the theme the elders and preacher at our congregation chose for this year is telling our personal stories of what Jesus has done for us. The preacher is telling stories from the Bible, but, even better, each week, a voluntary member from the congregation is getting up in front of everyone to tell a prepared version of his or her personal spiritual story. All the mistakes they've made, all the misconceptions they've had, the victories they've experienced -- these wonderful and brave people are getting up in front of everyone and telling us how JESUS has had victory over sin in their lives. It is beautiful and so encouraging to see what faith can do! Not everyone can get up in front of a crowd and share like that, but we're all being encouraged to tell people in our lives what Jesus has done for us, the little miracles that have brought us out of sorrow and sin. It's what we should already be doing. Like so many of us, though, I like sweeping all of my past under a rug to ignore it. It shames me; it embarrasses me; some people may think badly of me or judge me. The problem with that mindset is that I haven't given those things over to Jesus, so not only am I getting pretty isolated and lonely in my pretend perfectionist world, but no one is hearing how Jesus has helped me. Even worse, it's been so long since I've thanked God for getting me through some things, that I thought my story was pretty boring. I'm not ready to share it with anybody except those who already know it, but it's had some interesting points, and I can't forget that God brought me out of Egypt, figuratively speaking.
All of this is currently a bigger deal to me than it might otherwise be because I am teaching my child how to socialize, how to interact with others. I was already awkward with other people, but now that I spend most of my time communicating with a 15-month-old, I feel like an idiot when an adult talks to me. It's like I've forgotten how to respond. We have been spending a lot of time in our unusually warm winter weeks at the city playground, and something has become strikingly clear to me: When it comes to teaching my child how to be kind and gentle and to share, I can do those things. Heck, I could teach him to hide under a bush and not bother anybody, not even be noticed! BUT -- when another kid takes one of his toys in a forceful way or throws wood chips in his face, how do I teach him to respectfully stand up for himself. I avoid people because I'm a scaredy-doormat, and I know others sense that from me so I'm afraid they'll squash me if I'm not careful. I don't want my son to be afraid of people. I want him to bless others with that bright little light God so amazingly built into him, that God will brighten and fuel through lots of ups and downs in what I pray is my son's full life.

So... how do I train my child to be an assertive and loving Christian, when it's something I'm not? Thank goodness his daddy is a good example... but that doesn't help on a weekday when Mommy is the one available to go to the park while my heroic husband is working hard for our family. I guess I have to bite the bullet and start shining my light, no matter who doesn't like it, who doesn't like me.

But, seriously, if you have good tactics or phrases for teaching my toddler to treat others well in a healthy and assertive manner, I would love to hear your wisdom.

God bless all of you!

A few simple things in 2012

2012-01-18T11:27:00.001-06:00

Just real quick, while my baby is napping, before I continue with chores and projects, I wanted to share some things that have simplified my day-to-day goings on in our home the past couple of weeks.

1) We were blessed to visit my sister and her husband on the first weekend of the new year, because while we worshiping with them, their church was beginning what they call Project 51 -- reading the New Testament and Psalms in a year on a daily basis. The great thing about this Bible-reading schedule is that you only read one to two chapters a day -- most days are only one -- and meditate on those. No overwhelming task that takes, at most, ten minutes. My husband and I have been reading on our own in the mornings, we talk about it at supper, and then before our son's bedtime, we all sit on the couch and read aloud and pray together. And get this, the last two nights, our 14.5-month-old didn't even get wriggly or cranky. I'm sure he will tonight, though, now that I've shared that. ;) If you want the schedule for your family (because there's still time to catch up), find Project 51 on Facebook, sponsored by the Campbellstreet Church of Christ. It's a super-easy way to ensure we're eating the right bread in this busy world.

2) We got one of those laundry baskets with separate pockets to use in addition to our other baskets. Now, all of our different laundry piles have designated areas. This saves me an hour and a lot of valuable floor space when it comes time for washing our clothes. And, I don't even have to do them all in one day. I can just pick up one pile when it's getting full and put it in the wash. Using all of my free-time before, it was taking me two to three days to get all the laundry done, from sorting to folding to putting clothes in closets and drawers. Simplification lifesaver! Thanks to my sweet husband for that idea that will bless me for years!

3) I won't allow myself to get on Facebook until after 8 p.m. (Well, I did just log on to participate in a slogan idea for a friend's business because I finally had an idea after three days of thinking -- I should never be in advertising. I'm tooooo wordy and literal for catchy slogans. Okay -- and to post this blog, I got on.) Anyway, it saves me time and mental energy to limit my Facebook time. Plus, it makes me feel more respectful of my family. I don't want my kids on the Internet all day when they're older, so I figured I should start setting an example. But, our world is changing quickly. I'm sure by the time our baby is a teenager he will be able to update his status by merely thinking it. Haha.

If y'all have favorite simplification ideas, feel free to toss them my way. I like not having meltdowns every day.

God bless!

Cloth Diapering Confession

2012-01-02T20:41:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas... Happy New Year... Whew! Being a mommy is difficult. Don't get me wrong, it's rewarding and filling in a soulful way, but I am drained physically and mentally and want to be STILL. Like, peaceful still, not immobile still -- I guess they can be one in the same... but you know what I mean: Be still and know that I am God. Yeah, that kind of still.

Anyway, I say all that to indicate to anyone who may still read this very neglected blog that Mommy Nicoll is worn out and trying to simplify some things so I can get through a day without a meltdown. My wonderfully helpful husband and I made a decision today that I have to confess here... since this is the place I praise cloth diapering.

Here goes:

When babies grow, so do their bladders. This means their diapers fill up more quickly. During the day, this is not a big deal. I just change the diapers like I do... and I still adore the simplicity and affordability of cloth diapering. But at night, this means the cloth pad has a difficult time successfully holding all the pee. The cloth pad and the extra cloth pad just can't handle the flow. And, then, by the weeeeeee hours of the winter mornings, my sweet baby who woke to have some mommy milk earlier in the night has pajamas soaked in cold, wet pee. AHH!!! Mommy and Baby lose precious sleep... and poor, sweet Baby must be unbearably uncomfortable.

Today we decided to use disposable diapers during the night. Only at night. We took disposables with us during our week-long holiday family travels last week, and although he did still wake to eat mommy milk in the middle of the night, he seemed to sleep more soundly. One disposable diaper gets him through a night without feeling wet and heavy... and he doesn't wake up covered in urine during a cold morning. Being wet is bad, but especially when it is cold.

I'm sure if I stripped my diapers more efficiently or spent money on some special products that I could be an absolute cloth diaperer, 24/7... but, at this point, the $13ish box of Parent's Choice diapers will get us through three months worth of nights... without discomforting my sweet baby.

How blessed we are to live in a country where we have the opportunity to keep our son clean and cozy in an easy way, with so many choices... and to help Mommy stay sane while we do it.

Anyway, 2012 is about simplifying. We were doing a great job of minimizing possessions and running smoothly before having a child, but adjustments have to be made with a healthy, active, energetic baby on the loose. Especially one who receives so many Christmas gifts. Hah! LIFE IS SO FUN!!! ...And tiring at times. :)

God bless.

Oops... Long Time, No Post

2011-11-27T23:43:00.001-06:00

My Love's birthday is tomorrow. Currently, I'm waiting for the New York-Style Cheesecake I'm baking him to finish in the oven. He's a skinny guy who isn't crazy about sweets. Go figure! But the aforementioned dessert is one he fondly mentions every now and then. Let's hope Emeril Lagasse can give me some competitive juice against the Tavern on the Green dessert my husband had in high school... so many years ago.

A few weeks ago, Amazon sent me an email notification that it had been thirty days since my last blog post. Oops... where did the time go?! It's not like our baby is 1 now and keeping me on my toes all day and some of the nights or anything. Anyway, it's a deal to Amazon that I haven't posted recently because I registered my blog for purchase by Kindle readers. No one has subscribed to this blog, which doesn't surprise or disappoint me. But, since Amazon said they would cancel my blog registry for Kindle subscription for sixty days of absence, and because it has been a few weeks since the thirty-day late notice, I thought I should give a shout out to the virtual world. I don't have enough energy for my real life these days, much less the virtual one. My Facebook account has even been deactivated for more than three weeks. The three lives under our roof require all the energy I have, happily! And there are some other special people in our lives -- family, biological and church -- who get what's left over. I sure hope that me spending more talents than I have means God will double them soon. Whew! ;)

I have to admit, though, virtual friends, in this crazy world where everyone is so busy that friendship establishment becomes a serious challenge, I reeeeeeeally miss some of you. Please, give me a shout out in the Comments if you're reading this. Merry Christmas! I hope you are all well and blessed.

How To Get Back Down: A Baby's Tale

2011-09-14T20:46:00.001-05:00

Since these photos were taken (I'd guess three weeks ago), he has learned the value of the bending knees. :)

QuanDairy

2011-09-11T23:47:00.002-05:00

[After the last post I want to assure everyone that our child will consume a birthday CAKE and that it will be sweet and tasty. I was only asking for better ingredients to include in the cake I am planning to make. I love sweets. I love cake. I want my child to experience that joy. I'm just trying to avoid an abandonment to sugar addiction in a young child and make it as healthy as possible. :)]

Our baby is sensitive to dairy. We discovered this back in January or February.

Since his only food source at that time was the milk my body makes, that meant I had to stop eating dairy products. His pediatrician advised me to completely cut dairy. No more yogurt as an afternoon snack. No more cheese and sour cream smothered over my favorite Mexican dishes. I had an allergy to milk as an infant. It gave me respiratory issues (not the same issue our baby has). Because of that, I never ate cereal with milk. I used to put soy milk in cereal, but then heard that the process soy beans have to go through to become milk makes it dangerous for digestive systems. I switched to almond milk almost a year ago. YUM! This also meant I did not have to cut one of my favorite snacks while needing all the calories I can get while nursing my hungry baby boy. Phew!

Anway... Regarding the particular issue he has (and I don't want to mention it specifically), I read that children take a few months to a few years to grow out of it and that you have to slowly reintroduce dairy into their diet to know if it is still an issue. Since I am still the main source of his diet, that meant this summer I ate dairy once a week to see if the particular issue still existed. I ate a little more dairy than I should have a couple of weeks ago. The specific problem has not returned, but he does spit up more when I eat dairy... so I think I'll continue to avoid it.

NOT ONLY THAT... and I hate to admit this because I love the taste of ice cream, yogurt, cheese, sour cream... My seasonal allergies do not bother me when I don't have dairy in my system. They bother me a lot when I eat dairy. I don't know if dairy products increase mucus production, and therefore sinus pressure and whatnot, but I cannot ignore the way I feel. Sigh.

My quandary (or quan-dairy; hahaha), my dilemma, is that I do not yet know if sacrificing the taste of those things is worth it. Haha. I can easily avoid those foods for my baby's sake... but when I am no longer nursing, will I be able to keep my dairy consumption low to avoid sinus headaches?

Justin also had an interesting conversation with a man at work the other day about milk. The man, who I suppose does not drink milk, said that humans should look to nature: Animals do not continue to consume milk after their mothers have weaned them, yet humans do continue to drink milk after their mothers have weaned them. Not only that, animals don't drink the milk of other animals. He said maybe we, as in humanity, should change our behavior since so many people are lactose intolerant and have dairy allergies... ???

I don't know what I think about this, but it intrigues me. At the very least, it makes me feel better about my plans to feed our son almond milk instead of cow's milk. I also know some think that the unnatural and hormone-laden diets of cows affect dairy allergies in humans, as opposed to organic milk.

Cheese and sour cream and yogurt, though? There are so many good nutrients in cow's milk. And a lot of cows sure do produce milk if humans weren't intended to drink it.

I just think all of this is interesting. What do you think?

Let Go... with Cheerios

2011-09-09T14:39:00.000-05:00

... okay, so it's generic Cheerios, but our son had his first "not-natural" food this week. The plain old, oddly delicious, circled cereal. And since you've listened to me whine about how I only want him to eat healthy foods, I had to share it here. :)

If you haven't been able to tell by now -- well, then I'm not sure how you missed it -- but I am a worrier. I'm fairly certain after reading my posts that some of you roll your eyes. Haha. I do too! I can be pretty ridiculous. My worries manifest themselves in lots of ideals that are zealously hoped for before reality balances them into... well, a positive reality.

Honestly, Cheerios are pretty healthy. But they do have some unnatural, unpronounceable ingredients in them. Things I had hoped never to put in my child's mouth, the gateway to his body. I could not find an organic alternative for Cheerios at our grocery store, but I (think) I am okay with this decision. He enjoys them, and they help a big hungry boy fill up a quickly-emptied stomach. He still nurses seven to eight times a day, as I believe nursing calories should not begin to be replaced -- but only supplemented -- by solids until a year of age. He tried them three days ago and LOVES them! He's eating solid food about three times a day now; avocados, bananas, brown rice, and now Whole Grain Toasted Oats (as Walmart named their version of Cheerios) are his favorites!

Why is this all a big deal to me? I'm sure you're wondering. Cheerios really aren't a big deal, crazy lady.

Well, I've come to realize that my zealous ideals are a place where I channel the part of me that wishes to control the entire stupid world, when I certainly know I have no authority or perfection/place to tell This Person that he would be wiser to do THAT or That Person that she could be a lot happier if she did THIS. Like, if I do everything JUST RIGHT it will somehow compensate for all the people who are doing everything wrong. Um, how arrogant is that?! Jesus is the only One who can handle that. I also have to accept that my child is part of an impure world, and while I do have the responsibility of training him to care for himself and others, I have no power to control the choices he makes or the choices of others that will impact him... or the plans God has for him that I can't even imagine, much less control. The rational part of me knows that Cheerios are a pretty good snack for a baby and that, in this big whole world full of evil things, they have little chance of contributing to an early demise.

Simply put: Cheerios represent my acceptance that my precious child is part of an impure world and God's grace has more power over his well-being than I -- or his diet -- do.

Of course, Cheerios are not a welcoming to eat sugar and certain fats and other things that I know his little body does not need while the building blocks of his physical health are falling into place. On that note, does anyone have a trustworthy source or info. to share about healthy sugar alternatives for a birthday cake? Our little boy will be one year old (too) soon. I'm thinking honey or raw or organic sugars, but I'm clueless to how the body processes organic sugar versus raw and all that jazz.

Chill-Pill Taken

2011-09-06T16:31:00.000-05:00

Last week was "one of those weeks," and it look like this week will be too. Our sweet baby boy has two teeth that are taking FOR-EVVVV-ERRRR to come in. We have not slept through a whole night in nine nights. Naps are the enemy. Cuddling requires a lot of convincing.

Several of these nights we were up for more than two hours in the middle of them. I am NOT a nice person when I don't get my sleep, and compounding several nights of poor sleep on top of each other... I am just a horrible human being. Seriously. The sleep strike began laaaast Saturday. He woke up at 7 a.m. that morning, refused to take a nap the WHOLE day, and, are you ready for this(?!?), we could not get him to sleep until after midnight -- and he still woke up in the night. Then, on Wednesday evenings we like to attend the mid-week Bible study at church. Since our son has arrived, this just doesn't always work out with his nursing and sleeping schedule. Especially last week. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning was one of the nights our baby was awake from, roughly remembered, 3:30 a.m. to almost 6 a.m., and then he slept until about 8 a.m. Then, the child would NOT take one nap until 6 p.m., despite the hour and a half I spent rocking him over a few periods that day. You better believe Mommy took that nap with the baby too, as it was all I could think of that day, which meant the intended homemade supper of meatloaf and mashed potatoes and veggies did not happen, nor did going to mid-week Bible study. We napped for over an hour and then let the lovely folks of Sonic prepare Daddy's and Mommy's supper. Sometimes, fast food is really good for the soul, even if it's not best for the body. Ya know? And what good is a healthy body with a cranky soul inside it? ;)

And then, this past three-day weekend we ventured two-point-five hours west to visit my sister's and brother-in-law's place. We forgot to order our organic GroVia disposable inserts that fit inside our cloth shells ahead of time, and bringing the cloth diapers would have been perfectly imperfect for the timing of the trip. A nice cheap box of sposies served us well, and saved us trouble and money. I did want the Pure and Natural Huggies to be sure his sensitive skin was safe, but they were only available in one size that we could not use, so the situation humbled my neurotic tendencies and gave me the chill-pill I needed for our weekend away. We also found it amusing to see our little one without his big cloth-diapered booty that we have grown accustomed to seeing.

Trying to keep up with the theme of my new mommy blog AND figuring out just how to balance my ideals with the reality of my limited human nature, I wanted to be sure you know the side of me that lets go and allows fast food and disposable baby hygiene items take some weight off our shoulders. Life is too unpredictable -- and exceptions to rules can sometimes really shed peace on circumstances.

(*** I started this blog seven hours ago. Since, the baby has taken two naps. I took one with him. Woo-Hoo! Maybe the sleep strike is over?)

Why I Love 'Star Wars': A Story of Redemption

2011-08-31T12:45:00.001-05:00

WARNING: Major geekery lies ahead. :)

I can remember the day my parents first introduced my younger sister and me to "Star Wars." We rarely took vacations, but one weekend we went to a hot springs resort. I was probably in third or fourth grade, and it was February-ish near our Montana home, so I can still remember the steam coming up from the hot pools into the cold air that invaded the water slides. Whoever slid last had fun watching the first sliders disappear into the haze -- a portal to a different realm, we pretended.

Anyway, when we got home from our night at that resort, Dad and Mom introduced us to "A New Hope." Sigh. I remember my dad passionately sharing that his love for the films came from respect for a story that recognizes good and evil do exist and are at war with each other -- especially in a society that often blurs or ignores the boundary between.

Before I knew the back story of Darth Vader, I fell in love with George Lucas's universe of diverse planets and amusing creatures. C-3PO, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, these were my favorites. And, living in Montana, I really liked the snow on Hoth, despite the misery of the cold and Luke's unfortunate run-in with the snow monster (Sorry -- I can't remember what he was called. I know, *gasp.*). And, I cannot forget the wonderful ewoks.

Then, when Anakin's story was released into theaters, I had a new reason to love the films. I was old enough to recognize the darkness in myself and identify with Anakin's heartache for the loss of his mother and the resulting fear that his wife would also die. How perfectly the Tuskan raiders represent "the other," the way we transform foes in our minds to become ugly, heathen creatures; that way, "slaughter" (--not as literal as Anakin took it... but we do figuratively slaughter anybody, even God, with blame and slander when we're hurt) is more acceptable. My father passed away after all of the films were released (we enjoyed all of them together, as a family) and, even more, that made me love Anakin's story. The anger of loss... the fear it will happen again with my husband or our child... the resentment that sets up a plush, comfortable home for the lies that Darth Sidious -- or Satan -- whispers in your ears to make you serve his purposes. Mistakes result, horrid loss, unspeakable agony.

And, then, after years wasted in anger and shame, GOOD can still toss evil's carcass into the bottomless pit of the energy columns on the new Death Star. Darth Vader was the villain, but Anakin still brought balance to the force, he still served GOOD. It's kinda like those last verses in Job that are easy to forget... that all was restored, twofold, even after horrible things occurred. Redemption, I love it. (And, yes, I know Job did not make mistakes the way that Anakin did, but evil still affected him... and God still won!!!)

Beautiful. Have faith in God's redemption. :)

Dorcas Workshop

2011-08-15T11:34:00.001-05:00

"In Joppa there was a disciple named Dorcas; she was always doing good and helping the poor." ~Acts 9:36

Did you ever consider that one of your hobbies/talents you use to bless your family could impact people on the other side of the world?

This past week, Healing Hands International launched the Dorcas Workshop, an event demonstrating to women how their hobbies, like sewing and knitting, can make necessary physical improvements and lasting spiritual impressions in some of the world's neediest places. Women of all skill levels met last week to learn how other women have developed their skills into making items that enhance cleanliness issues and keep little bodies warm in freezing climates. Cooler still, HHI has started the Women Worth A Million fund to supply women in other countries with items and education to bless their families and others in their communities. Christians have provided funds that have purchased sewing machines for some of these women, which they use to make clothing for their own families, as well as items they can sell for much-needed income. This fund has also provided water filters for women to use and share -- They in turn educate others in their villages about the need to drink bacteria-free water. Many souls have become acquainted with Christ this way through the compassion of his bride, the church. The possibilities are endless with all of these diverse talents and the world's plethora of needs. God is good to make all of us unique -- and similar.

The Dorcas Workshop included the following lessons:

1) Turning excess T-shirts (because we all have them) into cloth diapers with soaker pads. Many people in third-world countries do not put diapers (or anything for that matter) on their babies' bottoms, which means a lot of germs escape babies and end up where they should not. A good-willer who founded the Lamia Afghan Foundation and who visits Afghanistan often also told us this results in issues with worms, since bare baby bottoms are placed on dirty floors/the ground. Education is in place to teach these cultures about the benefit of hygiene via the avenue of cloth diapering. They have done without diapers for generations, so tradition makes it easy to continue leaving babies' bottoms bare. Cloth diaper patterns can be found on the Internet. (Seriously, check out the Lamia Afghan Foundation website to learn about their awesome mission and of items they collect to distribute to people who have been ravaged by a common enemy, The Taliban.)

2) Making cloth menstrual pads for women who have no access to the disposables that we take for granted. I think this is SO COOL! Periods are inconvenient enough, even with the ease of buying packs of numerous disposables that make cleanliness easy to achieve. (Click here for a free cloth menstrual pads pattern.)

3) Making pillowcase dresses for girls in warmer climates. Every fall, HHI collects shoe boxes of Christmas gifts for Central American children whose families cannot afford all the basics, much less Christmas presents. These dresses fit into a shoe box with plenty of room to share. Many women make several of these dresses and give them to HHI to put in the boxes. Girls like feeling pretty, and more than any object, a dress excites that emotion. Imagine how excited these little girls are when they receive one of these adorable items?! These patterns can be found on the Internet.

4) Knitting hats and other items for people, especially children, in freezing climates. I was blessed to instruct an introductory lesson on knitting at the workshop. Many organizations, including the Lamia Afghan Foundation, collect knitted clothing, especially hats, to distribute to children who need to stay warm. An Afghanistan winter has temperatures below zero, and these people do not have the luxury of purchasing winter gear. So many organizations do good things (last year I mentioned Cure International's Knit Pray Love project) so keep open your eyes and ears to find one you'd like to work with.

My mom gave me a sewing machine she was not using shortly after our son's birth, and a sweet instructor taught me in about twenty minutes before the workshop began one day how to thread it and use it. I say I learned to sew, but I have LOTS of practice left to experience. I am SO EXCITED to make things for my family -- and for these other families.

Healing Hands International will host the third Women of Hope Conference in February, and they are planning the next Dorcas Workshop for some time next year. I'll keep you posted about both because I highly recommend getting involved. :)

I want to devote September to knitting hats for the Lamia Afghan Foundation. I'm thinking four, one per week. Who's with me? I need the fun and accountability of a group. Maybe you'd rather sew something for another group? If you don't have an organization you'd like to work with, then I will collect your items and bring them to HHI, who will send them to the right place. So??? Who's with me???

A Successful Woman

2011-07-28T23:41:00.005-05:00

What makes a woman successful? This was a question the adults pondered during VBS a few weeks ago. Opinions were given as to the world's answer to this question, and then we compared and contrasted it with God's response before taking personal reflection and application to the betterment of our family's spiritual well-being.

Most women suffer from a tendency to compare ourselves to every other woman in the world -- not just one woman, all women. We take the best aspect(s) of every single woman and pile it into a big delusional conglomeration of what the perfect woman should be. And we aren't happy because we aren't her. And you all know the saying: "If Mama ain't happy..."

The world says a successful woman is self-sufficient. She has (at least) a 40-hour-per-week career (and it only counts if a time clock punched it), with a hefty salary. Her waist fits easily into size -2 skinny jeans because she wakes with ease at 4 a.m. every morning to run ten miles before the day's demands. No one has ever spied a speck or crumb on the floors of her spotless home. Homemade meals are steaming on the table at 6 p.m. sharp every evening. She can sew, bake, create artwork -- all while caring for the multiple children she can successfully love through all the aforementioned successful areas. Every day.

Yeah. Right.

God's Word has a lot to say about successful women. My baby-eaten brain and time do not allow for me to cover each and her talents, so I'll just skip to the woman we all think of first: Mrs. Proverbs Chapter 31.

Before you roll yours eyes at this woman who causes many of us to loathe ourselves for being unable to accomplish all those tasks, before you rush to disqualify her blessedness by saying, "BUT she had servant girls...," consider this:

Whenever ladies throw out disgruntled remarks about Mrs. Proverbs 31, who lives at 777 Stepford Lane, an older lady in the Bible class at the congregation I attend gets a look in her eyes like she knows more than we do (because she does), like she wishes we understood that woman is not there for our chagrin. During VBS, while the class was throwing out remarks about why it is difficult to be a successful woman, much less wife AND mother AND employee in this modern world, the 80-year-old lady quietly said, in regards to The Woman of Proverbs 31, "It's about finding the balance. She didn't do all of those things every day. She balanced them over her week to get them done."

It took a couple of weeks for the truth of that to set in... until a friend had a Facebook status regarding this woman, something to the effect of "The woman in Proverbs 31 isn't there because she is someone you ARE; she is there because she is the GOAL you are working to become."

Well, duh! Something so simple, yet it was something I had never grasped.

Okay... well, so where does that leave us?

What makes a woman successful?

My answer: A successful woman is one who continues to discover the specific talents and desires God gave to her as an individual. Some of us thrive when we're juggling a full-time job AND taking care of our families; others of us (me) function much better by being able to focus full-time in the home. Seriously, some women would go stir-crazy working as homemakers; others of us would implode if we tried to juggle work and home responsibilities. It's about finding out who YOU are and what YOU want to become, all in the light of who God made YOU to be.

"Well, I have to work because we can't get by without two paychecks," some of you say, who wish you could focus only on the home.

In many cases, I believe that is true. Mortgages and bills pile up quickly. However, in our world of GO-GO-GO, make $$$$$, so you can own every new piece of technological equipment, go out to eat five days a week, and take a Caribbean vacation every year, I wonder how many people would be blessed by cutting off the excess work and the excess possessions.

Jesus, the one for whom and by whom all of us are here, promised us, PROMISED, that if we put him first -- if we put the spiritual well-being of our families as the top priority -- then all of our necessities would be provided. Food need not be a concern, nor clothing, nor shelter. We do not live on bread alone, Christian siblings.

Kids don't need Nintendos, or whatever the newest thing is. They don't need to eat at Olive Garden every Friday night, or see every new movie in the theater. What they do need are healthy mothers, who "laugh at the times to come." Husbands don't need you to wear size-0 dresses or have the house spotless EVERY day. They need you to enjoy the people with whom God has blessed you. Your church and your community, the world, doesn't need you to exhaust yourself in pursuit of the best car, computer, television, clothes -- people need your service, whatever talents you have been given that serve whoever that talent can serve.

Now, I am only 26 years old, and I realize I may sound like a young, ignorant buffoon who knows not the sorrows and woes of the world. It is true that I have much left to learn and muuuuuch maturing left to gain. Very true. But don't we all? Isn't that the point of the example we have of Mrs. Proverbs 31. We aren't going to wake up one day and be the best we will ever be. (Well, yes, we will -- in Glory!!! :) ) While we're in this world, though, striving to learn more of our Father's love, we can (and should) constantly be trying to figure out what SPECIFIC talents God gave to each of us as individuals. And, yes, some of us have less than others (Matthew 25:14-30); some of us have talents that receive more Earthly praise than others. One thing is for sure, though, the way we receive more talents is by using the ones we have already been given... by finding that balance the lovely silver-haired lady from my Bible class mentioned.

Mary and Martha, remember them (Luke 10)? Martha was a hostess (something our WORLD praises). Mary was an eager student of Christ. What did Christ praise? He said only ONE THING IS NECESSARY. And it wasn't worrying over the house.

I have a lot to learn regarding this. How many days do I beat myself up that the house is a wreck and the cinnamon rolls ended up being store-bought because time and energy did not allow for me to creatively output swirly sweet dough?

Let's encourage each other, sisters. You say, "Pot-A-to." I say, "Po-Tah-To." :)

Let us glorify the Lord in the way which he made us -- you and me -- to please Him.

Garden Update

2011-07-20T10:59:00.002-05:00

Here is a watermelon. It's barely the size of a cherry tomato!

Here's an update on our first vegetable garden with photos. My husband is an attentive and affectionate gardener. He waters it every morning and looks forward to harvesting and picking crummy leaves throughout the day. We are using no (synthetic or toxic) chemicals on our garden, so he has been researching how to handle pest and bacterial problems naturally. He is wonderful!

Our squash and zucchini plants have been hit by what my husband thinks are borers... bugs that have infiltrated the inside of the stalks. Some have died, but we have plenty of squash and zucchini. Zucchini bread... mmm. :)

The green peppers have FINALLY blossomed. We have a couple, and they are a little bigger than cherry tomatoes at this point. YUMMY! We wondered if they would produce anything because it has taken so long. :)

Our beefsteak tomatoes are huge. They have been growing for three or more weeks. Maybe they'll ripen soon.


Cherry tomatoes are so cute. They look like Christmas tree ornaments. We have had a few ripen, and soon many more will be ready to eat.

This is our first garden, and it isn't perfect -- but it's enjoyable! We have been thankful for the fruit God has produced and keep reminding ourselves that the best fruit from this year's harvest will be all the things we have learned for future gardens. It really is amazing that God can grow vegetables, flowers, animals... human beings with a seed and the right nourishment. Wow -- better than magic!

My Mom Haircut

2011-07-19T15:14:00.001-05:00

We have been so busy that I am behind on reading blogs, even more on the writing of posts. The slack is so bad that I doubt I'll read everything I missed from loved ones and feel bad blabbing in cyberspace when I haven't been able to share the reading love.

I've been learning a lot this summer about relaxing and having fun, lessons that are difficult for me to learn. I must apologize if any of my previous posts about breastfeeding or cloth diapering or anything have left anyone feeling judged by me. My neurotic nature is bound only on ME, not others, so please understand that in the blowing of my hot air, I intend to scorch no one with the steam but myself... or anyone who would be trying to harm my family. But that isn't common. :) A mentor reminded me when I was freaking out about areas where I'm insecure about mothering that there is NOT only one right way to care for a child. This helped me relax and is very evident in the many mothers I love dearly who do things differently than I. If others do the same as I, then hopefully this blog can be informative and fun, and if some do things another way, then hopefully this blog will simply be informative... and maybe fun.

OK... on to the topic at hand. I got my hair seriously chopped off about seven weeks ago:

From this:

(That's my husband beside me. He is as wonderful as he is adorable. Sigh. :) )

To this:

This is the shortest my hair has ever been. Before this, up to my chin was the shortest cute 'do I'd ever had. The motivation for cutting my hair to "masculine" proportions was ease. I was sick of hurriedly taking a shower and then putting it up in a wet ponytail every morning in between the baby's frequent need for me. Why have long hair if I pull it back and up all the time? I thought. My hair is wavy and requires hairdrying and straightening to look somewhat decent when worn down. Too much maintenance for this stage of my life, mm-hmm.

I have not regretted my decision yet, especially with Tennessee summer temperatures and humidity. Whew!

The Benefits:

Easier; I used to stress about the timing of showers to accommodate the time it requires to dry and straighten my hair. Now, I know I can be pretty in less than thirty minutes, shower included. It makes getting ready when traveling and for public outings stress-free. The accommodation of practicality is also no longer an issue; most of the things I do in life do not require my hair to be flowing and beautiful... but a practical girl gets sick of wearing her hair up everywhere she goes in life when all the pretty girls with naturally straight hair who never seem to sweat are out-and-about at the same time. :)
Cooler (as in temperature); I don't sweat like a freaky frizzy-haired woman when I... walk to the mailbox or take a two-mile walk with baby -- sweat happens, no matter how long one is outdoors in the South during summertime.
Cooler (as in looks better); Personally, I feel more feminine with this man-esque 'do than I ever have with my long hair.

The Disadvantages:

Frequent Haircuts; I have to get it cut once a month to keep it looking nice. Neither time nor money allow for a trip to the hairdresser that often. I am actually pretty neurotic about this and it may be the reason I attempt to grow out the hair again.
On date nights it would be fun to have long hair to curl and primp and twirl through my fingers to feel "pretty." My husband did mention that he misses my long hair.

Conclusion:
For this stage in my life, this hairdo is a blessing. I will most likely grow it out again at some point in the future. I have not yet decided if I will do that soon, though, but the photos I just posted make me lean heavily toward keeping it short. I also dread growing it out because an unhelpable (I know that is not a "real" word) freaky phase will occur before it reaches a decent girly length again.

If any of you have been contemplating shorter hair, then maybe this can add to the multiple indecisive thoughts you have about it.

From Kitchen Container to Educational Baby Toy

2011-07-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

Hello, friends! I have returned -- and 50,220 words closer to completing my first novel than I was one month ago. Whew! That was difficult... but soooo satisfying. Considering that most of those words were written between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., not to mention the story will require at least as many more words to be complete, I will probably have to make revisions for 120 months before it can be considered readable by eyes other than mine. But I am proud and can now get back to life and reality. Pause: Actually I can get to the beach with my husband's family tomorrow after today's list of laundry and baking and packing... then I can get back to reality. No rush, right?! ;)

Over the past month I had to purchase a set of containers (like Tupperware, but not the brand) because some of ours have been misplaced. I found a set of 30 containers with lids at Ross for less than ten dollars. Many of them are small and cute, so I gave a few to our son so he could play with them. A friend of my mother suggested I keep things like these in a lower kitchen cabinet so he can safely play nearby while I am working -- and not have to be told "No" about exploring every inch of that room. Why does he insist on licking the floor? :)

Right now, the containers serve as chew toys and "musical" instruments... but over the next several months they will also serve as efficient tools for teaching colors and shapes.

See:

-- A great way to teach him to match the square with the square or the circle with the circle and the difference between blue, red, and green.

I'm all for saving money and getting creative with items already possessed.

Money-Saving Baby Wipes Idea

2011-05-31T08:52:00.000-05:00

[Hiatus announcement: Tomorrow my husband and I will embark on a writing project that will last the entire month of June. My priorities for the month will be loving and feeding my husband and child and writing 50,000 words toward a novel in 30 days. This is something I want to do with all my heart and feel is part of the journey God intends for my life. Needless to say, blogging will be on hold. But I'll return with vigor, friends, in July!]

This isn't a novel idea, or even an extraordinary one. But it is a good idea that will save you money if you are currently a diaper-changing momma.

Many wonderful people showered us with gifts upon our baby's arrival. Among those gifts were nearly two-months worth of disposable wipes. Also with the lovely gifts were an abundance of baby washcloths. We had so many extra we didn't use at bath time that when it dawned on my sometimes-dim brain to use cloth wipes instead of buying more disposable wipes, I transferred a stack of washcloths from the closet drawer to the changing table.

What to dip them in, I wondered.

My mom shared with me that she used cloth wipes when my little sister and I were babies. She had success using solely water as a wipes solution.

This may work for you, too, which is cheap and easy, so try it out first.

Our son's skin is sensitive; I attempted using only water, but his skin dried out quickly. I searched for a homemade alternative that would be cheap, easy, and soothing. I found a site that had many recipes for cloth wipes solutions. The site led me to make a mixture of water with his baby soap and baby oil. Unfortunately, his sensitive skin did not respond well to this.

Since his bottom is easily irritated by the other experimental solutions I tried, I finally decided to keep the solution itself simple with some additional tender, lovin' cream after wiping.

So this is my "homemade" wipes ROUTINE:

In one of the used (and washed) plastic tubs we used with disposable wipes, I combine 4 cups of water with a few drops of tea tree oil (natural topical warrior against bacteria). The water remains warm for less than an hour, but I continue to use it for about 24 hours, after which I empty the tub, rinse, wipe it, and begin again.

After I clean his bottom with a wet baby washcloth, I generously apply both the Gro Via Magic Stick AND coconut oil to his skin. Neither works alone, but they do a great job together. His bottom retains its baby comfort and smoothness.

WASHING:

I store the used cloth wipes with our used cloth diapers in their pail liner and just throw them in the wash with the diapers. They aren't stained and clean easily.

TO GO:

When studying different solutions recipes, one source suggested putting your homemade solution in a spray bottle for when you are out in town. I tried this and disliked it. Instead, another source said she wets the washcloths and stores them in the diaper bag. Since we also have a couple of unused traveling disposable wipes containers, I wet a few cloths, fold them, and carry them with us.

I store the used ones with the diaper inserts in their wet bag. A plastic Walmart bag would work if you do not use cloth diapers; just don't forget to empty it as soon as you get home or the contents may stick to the plastic when dried.

*Remember, the GroVia site link at the top right of this blog will take you to GroVia's site where you can search and purchase products.

GroVia Affiliate with Share-A-Sale --->

2011-05-25T18:36:00.001-05:00

--Our son's newest cloth diaper shell. Owls are at the top of my favorite animals list presently. Cute!

By now, you know that I'm a fan of The Natural Baby Company at GroVia, their cloth diapers and accessories. GroVia recently joined with Share-A-Sale, an online sales company which allows users and fans of GroVia to promote sales on personal sites and earn 10% of the proceeds.

One of the incentives to join this program was a free diaper shell of my color choice. The owl prints were not available until after we already had our child's stash, but they are my favorite print, so I jumped at a chance to receive one free. Although that is a grand reward, I also really like my son's cloth diapers and want to share my cd'ing joy with the world. I am happy to promote their sales!

Anyway...

Did you see the GroVia banner with the cute cloth-diapered baby at the top of the page to the right of the post's title directly above the "About Me" section? You'll see the words "Click to Access GroVia's Official Site Through Share-A-Sale."

You will be directed to GroVia's official site and the link will retain a connection to my blog/personal account. Ten percent of anything you purchase through that link will go to our family--but you have to make the purchase from GroVia's site THROUGH THAT LINK.

Feel free to ask me questions. And please let your cloth-diapering friends know about the link on this page.

God bless!

Rusks: Adult Treat or Baby Teething Biscuit

2011-05-20T20:53:00.003-05:00

Funny boy--he moved the rusk to the perfect face-blocking position to make this photo blog-friendly.

A friend, whose daughter is a couple of weeks younger than our son, told me this week about rusks. Her family did mission work in Zimbabwe several years ago when she was a little one. Rusks are a Dutch/Afrikaans tradition from South Africa. With the consistency of biscotti, they are a tasty coffee-accompaniment AND they serve as teething biscuits for babies. My friend teethed on them in her infancy, and now she shares the tradition with her baby girl... and her mommy friends.

Before I share the lengthy recipe, I'll share with you the results so you know if you want to continue. This recipe takes a lot of time, but not a lot of work. Rusks are baked one time for 25 minutes and then a second time for 12 hours in order to achieve the hard, dry consistency of biscotti. The hard texture of a rusk is delightful; the tweaked recipe of my own creation is bland to the taste, but honey compliments it well. Next time, I may brush honey over them before their second baking period (not for Baby, though). From a baby's point of view, our son enjoyed sucking on it for several minutes. He is not teething yet (other than drooling and chewing on EVERYTHING), and he even got frustrated that he couldn't do more with the twice-baked biscuit than suck; I think he wanted to chew. It is an edible toy.

[In post-published status, a loved one who is a much more experienced cook than I shared that I may want to be careful baking brushed honey for 12 hours, as it may caramelize and burn. She suggested I test one rusk at a time per separate spurts to know how much heat the honey can take.]

The recipe she shared is very easy. It is also a lot of fun to experiment with substitute-ingredients that are baby-health friendly. Click here to view the original recipe.

Below are the tweaks I made. I want to keep sugar out of our son's body as long as possible--until he understands how to treat it with moderation--so I substituted a mushed baked sweet potato for the sugar. I call these

Sweet Potato Rusks:

--Before you do anything, bake a sweet potato at 375 degrees for about an hour--

Mix these dry ingredients in a bowl:
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup of white whole wheat flour (It's not processed white flour; it is made from a lighter-colored whole wheat)
1 cup of Quaker (or generic) traditional rolled oats
1/2 tsp. of salt
2 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine these wet ingredients in a separate bowl:
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk*
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tsp. almond extract

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together until dough is the consistency of biscuit dough.

Scoop about a 1/2 cup of the baked sweet potato into a separate bowl and mush with a fork. Then add the sweet potato to the batter and mix it in well.

Pat the dough to about 1/2 an inch thick on a floured surface. The recipe link says to cut out rectangles (2-inch x 4-inch), which I did, but I am sure using a circular biscuit cutter or glass will work well. I baked mine on a ungreased baking stone.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
Then, decrease oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake for 12 hours to dry the rusks.

Happy rusking!

*If you don't have buttermilk, try mixing a small amount (approximately 1 Tbs. per cup) of white vinegar or lemon juice with milk. I am not a closet cooking genius; someone showed me how to do this and the amounts are estimates.

My Day As a Zoo Exhibit

2011-05-18T16:47:00.003-05:00

Back-story 1: My husband got our little family a zoo membership for my birthday. We are allowed to bring a guest with us when we see a day fit for fun.

Back-story 2: My mother is currently a part-time nanny for a little boy who is 3 weeks older than our son. They accompanied us today.

Back-story 3: My child does not drink from a bottle, and he still breastfeeds exclusively, save the teensy bites of food you have read about the past couple of weeks.

Back-story 4: Ten buses of elementary-aged students were at the zoo today.

Back-story 5: No creatures on Earth scare me more than bluntly honest, innocently oblivious, and unashamedly curious 10-year-oldish children. (Hopefully, I'll get over this within the next decade.)

The baby got hungry. Our zoo has tents in the savanna region of the park. One tent has a bench under it. Being the shyly modest woman I am, I turned the bench to face away from the path. I donned my Udder Cover and began feeding Baby. Thirty seconds of relief passed as the easily distracted and sleepily/hungrily cranky baby fed well and we seemed to go unnoticed.

Then...

...five of the scariest beings on Earth descended upon us.

They sat on each side of me and stood over me, firing questions at me as I blushed, internally and visibly:

"Is there a baby under there?"

"What is he doing?"

"Can he get out?"

"What is he eating?"

This evening, one little girl will be asking her mom if human mommies have milk.

I was mortified but can laugh it off now.

Thanks to my mom for creating a barrier between the curious zoo visitors and the Human Mommy and Baby Exhibit during feeding time.

Complicated Relationship with FB Takes a Positive Turn

2011-05-17T12:55:00.004-05:00

The baby is taking an unusually long morning nap today. I was tip-toeing around the house, cleaning, but I am so clumsy that I get very frustrated when I drop a plate or bump into furniture. Making the unintended noise of a klutz happens often here, especially when I am trying too hard to be silent. Our little one sleeps pretty hard, and we try not to let him adapt to sleeping only in silence, since silence is not always available during needed rest periods, but I really enjoy the moments I have to myself for cleaning... or writing. And I don't feel like risking it today. Typing is safer... although I did make quite a fuss with the computer's cord when getting settled.

If you have been keeping up with this blog for a while, then you also know that I have a wishy-washy relationship with Facebook. There is at least one post from last year about my issues with the social network, and maybe even another if you look further back in time. I deactivated for six months at some point in the past two years, and for about four at the beginning of this year.

The complaints I have with it are the typical ones: It isn't "real" communication; People try too hard to seek validation in wrong places; Some share way too much personal information; Aren't there better things to do with my time?

Those arguments have their place and do require some personal attention. All of those issues are things I struggle with. Now that we have a little one, I am thoughtful about his safety and privacy; that is my most recent concern.

Enough of the concerns, though. Now that I am wearing a new pair of shoes--ruby red Stay-At-Home-Mom Shoes covered in spit up, to be precise--I have a new appreciation of Facebook for several reasons.

1) Although one may write several statuses per day or comment on several posts, this does not necessarily mean one spent consecutive minutes or hours sitting at his or her computer staring at Facebook. Having a sweet, dependent human life in the house requires a lot of frequently random attention. Reading, writing, knitting--these favorite pastimes of mine require more solid, lengthy bouts of time than our baby will allow me. Facebook, on the other hand, like my chores (minus dish-washing), can be an activity that happens here-and-there in short catch-my-breath spurts. Well, the chores cause the figurative loss of breath, and the Internet provides the figurative inhale. Also, this boy eats at least eight times a day. Switching back-and-forth between reading, FBing, and simply enjoying the feel of my precious son, keeps me alert. Facebook helps me stay awake on particularly sleepy days... and nights. :)

2) Staying at home with a little one, although it suits my introverted personality perfectly, does leave me hungry for interacting with persons who, at least, speak--er, type--English.

---The baby is awake; this is where I get distracted and hurriedly race to the Publish button.

3) As a writer, precision in the use of language has become important to me, an attempt to truly think about the accuracy of my statements to the last letter. Facebook statuses, comments, messages, all of these teach me which words I should have used in which order to effectively communicate my thoughts with many people... typically after I hit Enter. I have much left to learn and apply in this area. Much.

4) Until I am placed in a situation with individuals I do not know, I forget how shy I am. My awkwardness hovers over me like a force-field, and until I know that friends will treat my awkward moments with grace, I tend to keep my treasure chest--or junk drawer--of personality locked tightly. Facebook truly instructs me in human interaction. And, seeing photos and updates of "new" friends, say from church or play groups, gives me fodder for conversation when running and hiding alone in a room seems more attractive.

5) For the last two years, you wonderful Facebook friends have helped Healing Hands International raise money to build clean water wells in Central American and African countries. That's God using Facebook as an instrument of peace, and that is awesome!

Since I whine about Facebook's downfalls, I thought I should at least hail its good points.

Thanks for humoring this shy, stay-at-home woman, FB friends of mine.

Second Solid: Oatmeal

2011-05-16T21:11:00.000-05:00

It looks like Cookie Monster may now be Oatmeal Monster.

Well, the baby was asleep, but I hear some waking noises. I would rather be cuddling with my husband than updating you, but my husband had to get some ink for his work. The printer ran out at the wrong time.

Tonight, our sweet baby fed himself a very tiny amount of oatmeal. Not baby oatmeal.

I bought one of those cardboard cylindrical containers of traditional whole grain oats and mixed it with boiling water on the stove. After it cooled, I placed it on the baby's tray. A natural and inexpensive alternative to fortified, processed baby cereals seems like a good idea to me.

When feeding our child, I am operating largely under the knowledge that for most of human history--more like all of it, save the past few decades--there were no pre-made baby cereals that were intended to be a baby's first food. Also, from things I have read and heard about "baby-led" feeding and weaning (and I am only loosely acquainted with it, by no means an expert), I want him to be the one to put foods in his mouth and decide if he is ready for solids.

That is why we have been putting food on his tray and letting him play with it. If he wants to put it in his mouth and continue eating, okie-dokie; if he wants to taste it and decide it's not yet for him to eat solids, fine.

I don't think he is ready quite yet. He took a few tiny bites of avocado last week and a few microscopic bites of oatmeal this evening, but he ended up playing with it, and then ignoring it while amusing himself with everything else in his environment.

I am still reading about a breastfed baby's "need" for iron supplementation. Breastfed babies do not need it, unless there are extenuating circumstances. In fact, man-made iron supplements can interfere with the iron in breast milk and decrease absorption. I have to read more in order to share more. Plus, my now-awake child is occupying one arm... which makes it difficult to type. :)

Whole(Wheat)ness

2011-05-12T10:06:00.000-05:00

If you've been reading this blog, then you know that one of my "things" is healthy eating. Our baby's body is purer and closer to the way it was designed than many of our processed-foods-adulterated bodies are, and I am determined to train him to keep it as pure and natural as possible. This means that Daddy and I have been redirecting our eating habits. Actions many times speak louder than words to little ones; plus, now that our society is more educated about healthy eating, we want our bodies to be as healthy as possible, too!

A vehicle running on the fuel intended for its engine will run more efficiently and longer than one whose engine is clogged with gunk that was never supposed to run through its pipes.

From time to time, I will share some of the new foods I've discovered--either through second-party direction or my own study. If you're a fan of peanut butter, read The Culprit in My Peanut Butter to find a healthier, trans fat-free option.

Whole wheat (and the "whole"--100%--is important) is easier for our bodies to digest because it is closer to grain's natural state than processed white flours. A tool I have been advised to remember is that the less processed a food is the easier it is for your body to digest and therefore the better it is for your body. Makes sense!

Two of the best discoveries for our family's wellness are whole wheat pastas and whole wheat flour.

Before I started cooking with whole wheat pasta, my favorite delicious Italian dishes left me feeling heavy, sleepy, and gross. My tummy cramped and gurgled in unfriendly ways afterward. Those creamy-white noodles may be soft and gentle on the outside, but they are packed with slow-moving carbs that clog up my insides. The fiber in whole wheat pasta does not leave me feeling heavy, and it really aids digestive processes. (Sorry if that's TMI; it's simply a fact of life.) We do most of our shopping at Walmart because it saves a lot of time and money. Their whole wheat pastas are $1.00. Brand name food manufacturers also make reasonably priced whole wheat pastas. Personally, I can taste no difference between typical pasta and the whole wheat alternative. But I can tell a huge difference in the way I feel! Justin and I have been eating whole wheat pastas for nearly two years now.

Another discovery I am thankful to have been pointed to by some college friends and my seester-in-law (you can view her neat blog here.), is whole wheat flour for baking. I suppose my head was under the sand, but I had NO IDEA I could purchase whole wheat flour alongside all-purpose flour for baking. When baking biscuits, other breads, pizza crusts, pancakes, and waffles, this makes them every little bit healthier. My dad was a huge proponent of the healthier whole wheat sandwich bread over the typically kid-friendly white sandwich bread, so I've eaten whole wheat in that way my entire life; however, in homemade goods it takes a little getting used to. We discovered it was better to start out with a 50%/50% ratio of whole wheat flour to all-purpose flour. The taste isn't different, but whole wheat flour is denser and a little weird in foods one is used to having made with white flour. Now we're at 60%/40% and maybe one day we can try it the whole way. Who knows. I have not had tasty success using it in desserts. If you have, please share your experience with me. :)

We still have a lot of habits to redirect with new knowledge and application for ourselves, but our baby will have a firm foundation on God's foods, not Little Debbie's.

Sigh: First Experience with Solids

2011-05-10T23:17:00.000-05:00

Our baby had his first solid food tonight. Sigh. Aren't his little hands precious? Sigh.

If you didn't read the forerunner to this post, click here to read about my "Solid Anxieties."

We let him play with an avocado two nights ago. Although he had it all over his hands, he did not make a move to get it in his mouth. The plate and the highchair straps were more appealing.

Tonight, immediately after a hearty meal of Mommy's milk to be sure he's still getting that good nutrition, he did purposefully put some of the green, buttery fruit in his mouth, and he didn't seem to mind the taste.

The straps on the highchair again won his affection after a few bites.

Thankfully, this is a slow process. I am still very uneasy. My ideal hopes are to only allow fresh or frozen fruits and veggies in his body, and eventually meats and whole grains. The high temperatures of canning deplete a vegetable of nutrients, and I don't trust the preservatives. He will not taste sugar for a long time. Others will not be welcome to feed him yet or treat him with unhealthy goodies until he has a solid foundation with healthy foods and knows how to make wise choices regarding the moderation of treats. I want him to live a full life. I could go on and on, you know by now. I am so nervous about other people trying to break my rules, which are a big deal for good reasons. Sigh.

And, as I covered in the post about my anxieties regarding solid food, he will breastfeed until he is 2 or 3 years old, and he will eat as much breast milk until after he is a year old as he has been eating. Solid foods are additional calories, not replacement calories. It is the best thing for long-term physical health and emotional comfort.

We will probably try the avocado a few more times this week and another exciting food next week when we're sure his body can handle the alligator pear. (My brother told me that is an old nickname for avocados. Very appropriate.)

Sigh.

Stripping... Cloth Diapers, That Is

2011-05-05T15:30:00.001-05:00

My best friend, Dolly, took this photo. That's why it's cute! She's a photographer.

Before this story begins, you need to know that our home (which we have been in for one year and a few days now) came with a high-efficiency (HE) washer. These washers are designed to only get the clothes as wet as they need be in order to be cleaned. There is never a soaking tub of water with floating clothes--just heavy, wet, spinning garments. The idea is to not use more water than necessary.

A couple of weekends ago, I smelled one of the most pungent odors to ever grace my olfactory senses. Bending over to pick my child up out of his Pack N' Play early one morning, I thought, Do I really smell like a soured teenage boy's sports jersey. Ugh. To my delight--and continued disgust--I discovered my child's soiled diaper was the offensive villain. Never before had his dirty diapers smelled even remotely this gross, something I brushed off, blaming an upset tummy.

As I got to remembering, a friend who also uses cloth diapers had asked--a few days prior--in a Facebook status if anyone knew how to strip cloth diapers with an HE washer. She has been using cloth diapers for two years and just recently purchased an HE washing machine. Never before had she had the need to strip cloth diapers.

The first question I had and immediately took to Google was, What is stripping cloth diapers?

Answer: If your cloth diaper inserts start smelling bad when they are wet, then gunk has built up over several washes and needs to be removed--or stripped.

Second question: How does one strip a cloth diaper? It sounds like a big task.

Answer: Using very warm or hot water, repeatedly wash cloth diapers a few times. The first wash should be with double detergent, and the following washes should be with water only. Also, many sources I perused said vinegar, ammonia, or special cleaning agents may be necessary. : / Annoying.

Since I never smelled a problem by the time I saw this question, I told her I didn't have a problem and used "this" detergent on "that" setting.

Well... as the days passed after my son's diaper smelled like his soccer clothes of the future are supposed to smell, I noticed all of his used diapers were smelling worse than they should.

To add, one of the cloth diaper sites I "Like" on Facebook said a symptom of diapers that need stripping is diaper rash... something I have been battling on my son's tooshie for weeks without success.

Turns out, because HE machines use way less water than typical machines, cloth diapers may need a little extra washing than they otherwise would. : /

My stubborn, prideful self--who wouldn't admit that my "energy/money-saving" washing machine needed help washing my "energy/money-saving" diapers--conceded two days ago that the diapers needed to be stripped.

The HE-washer-owning and cloth-diaper-using friend told me that one wash with double the detergent and four following washes solved her issue. Now, she just washes the diapers with an extra wash every time to avoid the problem.

I followed the instructions--setting the machine to deep clean AND pre-soak AND extra rinse--and my baby is no longer unnecessarily stinky nor does he have diaper rash.

Perhaps we need to tell high-efficiency washing machine manufacturers that a lot of environmentally and financially conscious women need a cloth-diaper setting on their machines.

I am thankful I am no longer ignorant of the occasional need cloth diapers may have of being stripped. And I am thankful that all I have to do is hit some buttons on a machine and get clean, fresh diapers for my sweet baby's bum.

Hmph!

Wielding Your Sword

2011-05-04T13:40:00.001-05:00

I am as girlie-girl as a woman can be, BUT...

I adore stories with battles of good versus evil. Lord of the Rings and Star Wars and The Matrix will always be at the top of my favorite movies list.

Amazingly, my story with God, as well as all of ours, involves a battle between good and evil--those unseen forces that manifest tangible presences in this world.

Even though the thought of being a pretty princess with a long-flowing dress and gorgeous curled locks excites my imagination, I more often--in that childlike-imagination area of my brain--pretend I am a warrior in battle, courageously and honorably making wise decisions as I wield my sword against the forces of darkness and destroy evil creatures.

I like the thought of wearing armor and marching with my fellow men and women, standing on the front line to heavily dent the Enemy's battalions of soldiers. The visual is flesh and blood against flesh and blood, but the reality is against forces that cannot be harmed by sword nor fist.

God, in his creative way of doing so, gave us a tangible visual design with which to gird our bodies with His good and unseen powers.

Belt--Truth
Breastplate--Righteousness
Feet--Readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace (I need to understand this better.)
Shield--Faith (And it can extinguish ALL the flaming arrows of the evil one)
Helmet--Salvation
Sword--the Spirit, which is the word of God

A mentor recently pointed out something that I had never concluded on my own: All of the items in that list of armor are defensive, able to protect us from incoming weaponry, SAVE ONE: The Sword of the Spirit. The sword is the only item we have that can inflict damage upon the Enemy, that can destroy the minions of the Evil One.

We all know how important Bible study is, but when this mentor pointed out to me the singularity of our offensive weapon and that it IS the word of God, I more clearly understood how significant Bible study is for my existence, my participation, in a realm divided by forces of good and evil.

Admittedly, personal Bible study is one of the areas I struggle with most. I read over words futilely as visions of my dancing, very un-sugar-plum-like worries cloud comprehension.

I found a CURE for this, though, and I want to share it with all of you!

A CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE!

I inherited The One Year Chronological Bible (NIV), published by Tindale, that someone gave my dad years ago. If you don't own a Bible or can't afford one, here is a link to a one-year chronological reading of the Bible: http://www.westnewbury.org/Bible/Bible-chronological.pdf

When all of the events are placed in the order they actually occurred, OH MY!, the Bible reads as well as a novel. I am already ahead for the year and I only began reading mid-February. And I look forward to seeing what happens next. Even though I've heard these stories in out-of-context episodes my whole life, I think, Ah nuts, he ruined the rest of the story, when I tell Justin what I read for the day and he reminds me what comes next. Hahaha!

The beauty of God's relationship with humanity is breathtaking. God is love. He is inexplicably patient and kind with us very stubborn people.

As my new favorite verse says: "Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him." ~ 2 Samuel 14:14

God hasn't given up on us stubborn people yet.

One of my favorite Rob Bell quotes, from Velvet Elvis, says "Jesus is God's way of refusing to give up on his dream for the world."

God lets us choose--as Bell zealously agrees for those of you who heard otherwise regarding Love Wins. God does his part--he has gone out of his way, and he continues to go out of his way--to be sure we understand his love to the best of our human ability.

God's love is much different than our world's "Whatever Makes You Happy" slogan.

Read the Bible. It is woven with God's faithful and undeserved love for us. You will grow in confidence for the worth he sees in you, and you will more easily share that love with others.

Let's pick up our swords and start practicing for battle. We have to stand together, and our line will be a lot tougher with master swordsmen who aren't clumsily lugging something heavy that we don't understand all over the field.

Hebrew children had several books of the Bible memorized by a young age. The Bible isn't something we read once and understand totally, and it most certainly isn't something we understand by hearing disjointed bits and pieces at Bible school; no, it must be read and re-read and then re-read dozens and hundreds of more times. We serve a big God, and we are incapable of learning everything he has to share, but it's awesome that we can learn illimitable amounts with each separate reading. It is a big task, but not overwhelming or fruitless.

Anybody have a good plan for getting American children to memorize books of the Bible?

Solid Anxieties

2011-05-02T17:06:00.001-05:00

[If you are insecure about your breastfeeding experience, please do not read this post. I have snobbish feelings about breastfeeding that I don't intend to bind on anyone but myself, and I don't want to be the cause of unnecessary discouragement.]

Our son recently hit the six-month mark, the time when most health professionals believe is the best to begin an introduction to solid foods. His mouth and digestive abilities should be well enough developed that he can handle swallowing soft, baby-safe foods and passing them through his stomach and intestines without irritation.

One day this week, when I muster the courage, my husband and I will let our baby play with a food (a very exciting food; hint--it is green and amazing!) and let him decide if he is ready to do more than chew on it. This is a bittersweet milestone for a mother who has been exclusively breastfeeding for six months and some days.

The sweetness is that our son is a healthy growing boy, who is well on his way to living a full life. Food is fantastic, and I am thankful he will get to discover it and receive more mature nutrition.

The bitterness comes in where others are concerned for a variety of obsessive reasons.

By "others" I mean every single human being who is not his mother or father. Every single person.

No one may take his introduction to solid foods as an invitation to feed him. Due to some illnesses in his gene pool (including Multiple Sclerosis, diabetes, and some others), his father and I have become neurotic about his nutrition. We are praying to figure out the balance between health and fun, as our culture provides a lot of unhealthy but very delicious and celebratory foods. People like giving babies treats (candy, sweets, fast foods, junk foods), but until we can teach our son to make wise decisions about the moderation of those treats, I pray no one will put anything in his hands or mouth. Food so greatly affects our health, and I don't want my baby to live a less than full life because he wasn't taught that certain foods, at the very least, shorten fullness of life, and, at the very worst, end life itself. (And may I add how blessed we are to live in a society that has to worry about TOO MUCH going into our children's bodies, as opposed to not enough. We don't have to worry about diphtheria, so we worry about what's in the dip--I read that in a Reader's Digest article some time ago. Good point.)

Do you breastfeeding women wish we could live in a commune where people who have never breastfed can't give us the wrong advice or make us feel like we're doing something wrong? From all the research I've heard and the desires I have for his health, if my son wants to breastfeed into toddlerhood, I will be THAT woman who is breastfeeding a two- to three-year-old. This is a link to a really cool article about the history of breastfeeding and how our modern culture has suppressed it: Not Just for Babies: 10 Good Reasons to Breastfeed Your Toddler. It is a wonderful read; please click it if you have time.

Just because our baby will be adding solids to his diet does not mean he is supposed to receive any less breast milk than he has been receiving. Until he is a year old, breast milk should be the most significant part of his diet for optimal development. And after that year, it is best for him to continue at a decreased amount until year two or three... but we'll see what his wishes for weaning are. When I visit someone's home or go to worship service, I will still be in the nursing room as often as I have been and there is no other place I would rather be, even if I am starved for adult interaction.

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International says in the chapter "The Scoop on Solids" that a woman's milk supply won't usually decrease until well after the first year of her child's life. A mother will breastfeed her baby along with solids, and the solids won't replace caloric intake, but simply add to it. The book also suggests that a woman breastfeed her baby BEFORE giving him the solid food to ensure he'll get as much breast milk as he needs. I can already hear it now: He can just eat a carrot; you don't have to take him back there for 20 minutes. I am very anxious about this because, in my opinion, it is not healthy for him to replace any of his milk intake with solids until after his first birthday, and a lot of people think that it's OK for this to occur and so advise me. (Again I'm saying this assuming he won't have the desire to wean earlier; I know every child is different and unpredictable.) I seriously have it in my head that breastfeeding will prevent a lot of health issues, and I am not going to sacrifice his future for seeming convenience or adult peer pressure. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to be with my child full-time to ensure breastfeeding is a success, a very rare blessing in this career-driven culture. Motherhood is teaching me more than any other event in life how to disagree kindly with people, but that doesn't mean I am yet comfortable with it. I feel a lot of pressure from others, something I will have to continue to mature to deal with. I understand people want to help, and I appreciate it, so I don't want to staunch it. My prayer is that I can make the best decision possible regarding my maternal responsibility of feeding my child, despite seemingly helpful pressure.

I suppose the next post will be an update on his first introduction to solids.