Raising Isabella

Email sign-up at Revolutionarymom.com

2013-06-14T14:52:00.000-05:00

Some of you have been asking me how to sign up for email updates whenever I post over at Revolutionarymom.com. I don't think that I have to remind you that I'm not so tech-savvy, and it shouldn't surprise you that I just figured out to do such a simple thing!

I finally figured out how to get the "subscribe" option up on my page. Simply visit Revolutionarymom.com, scroll to the bottom, and enter your email and first name and click "join the revolution". Also, you can visit my Facebook page and "like" it there. Don't forget to hover over the "liked" icon after you click it and select "show in news feed" so you can join our conversations there!

See you on the other side. :)

Happy Birthday to me!

2013-06-06T14:39:00.003-05:00

Hi guys! This is a little bit premature, but it's my birthday, so I've decided to share it with you today because I want to. :)

Raising Isabella is moving!

I have been debating over changing the name of this blog since Korban was born. After all, I'm not just raising Isabella anymore, and our family's growing fast! I found a great deal on my own domain name, so as my birthday present to myself, I'd like to introduce you to (drumroll please)

Revolutionarymom.com - a community designed to inspire moms everywhere to change their world.

It's still under construction, but now that you guys know about it, I'll have more of a fire under me to figure this whole thing out!

If you're wondering about the name, check out my new about page, but know that it's kinda under contruction, too.

All of my old posts will still be here at Raising Isabella, but they're also on my new page, too.

As always, I don't intend for my blog to be exclusive to just moms, but I know what my main audience is, and one of my main goals is empowering moms to reach beyond the role they have imagined for themselves and really impact their spere, because I don't see enough of that.

So, my faithful readers, I'd love your input. What would you like to read about and discuss with the community?

Staging our own little "mutiny against excess"

2013-06-06T13:33:00.001-05:00

I want to invite you guys along for a little journey I'm going on these next 11 weeks. A group of my friends and me are working through the Bible study "The 7 Experiment" by Jen Hatmaker. This Bible study is completely different from anything I've ever seen before, partly because it covers a topic that has gotten little press, especially until recently.

The author wrote this study as a response to the great success of her book entitled simply "7". In this book, she chronicled her journey as she realized what an entitled, indulgent, excessive lifestyle she had been living and that this was in direct contrast to so many of Christ's teachings. We probably want to read that sentence and think we can't relate to that at all, but bear with me here. As her own "mutiny against excess", she chose 7 areas of excess in her life to focus on for one month each. This study is a much less daunting version of that original experiment, and focuses on each area for just one week instead of an entire month. We will have an introductory week and a conclusion week with 2 missed weeks for other events going only. Therefore, we'll attack 7 areas of excess in 11 weeks. Got it?

Anyways, I want to invite you along for the journey. This is week one, the introductory week, and we'll start our first fast next week. (Fasting is a biblical term for cutting something out of your life in order to gain clarity and press toward a spiritual breakthrough, be that knowledge, change, or a range of other spiritual requests.) Even if you're not a Christian, fasting is an instensely useful tool for gaining self discipline and clarity.

Two things that I really love about this study:

1) There is an intense focus put on examining on our lives and how they are hurting or helping the cause of the destitute and hurting, both locally and worldwide. So many of the decisions we make affect those who need what we have to offer, be that time, prayers, money, resources or compassion.

Everything we have and every dollar we spend is a decision on what we fill our lives with and, conversely, what we don't. There will only ever be a set amount of time, energy, and money in my life and I want to use that intentionally to accomplish what God has put me here to do.

2) I knew the Bible talked about wealth, and Christ touched on it some, but I never realized just how much Jesus talked about wealth in a negative manner:

"Woe to you who are rich, for you have recieved your comfort" - Luke 6:24

As for the seed that fell among the thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life and produce no mature fruit." - Luke 8:14

(The parable of the rich young fool - a man spends his time and effort saving up extra crops for the future, and then dies without using it.) "That's how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." - Luke 12:21

"He (God) has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty." - Luke 1:53

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle that for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." - Matther 20:31

So, there's a small sampling of what the Bible says about wealth. Not too good, is it?

But here's where it all starts to fall apart for most people: What is "rich"?

Rich is kind of a relative term, and we can debate "how much is too much" until we pass out, and still never come to a conclusion.

You see, most of us decide what rich means based on looking at all the people who have more than us, or at least our peers who have the same amount. Compared to most of America, I'm not even close to rich. Compared to most of the world, I'm filthy stinkin' rich and throwing money around like crazy.

I'm sure you've heard these statistics before, but in case you haven't - if you make $35,000 a year, you are in the top 4 percent of the world in income (35 times the amount of most of the world). If you make $50,000 a year, guess what? You're the 1% (70 times that of most of the world's population).

I try to frequently remind myself what poor really means, so that I'm less likely to start thinking I'm the one living in poverty. I still complain plenty and catch myself longing for a newer car, nicer clothes or more fancy dinners, so it helps to keep me grounded.

One of my prayers for all of us is that God will help us learn to find those who need our resources in our own communities. I'm not sure why this is so hard for me, knowing my immediate neighbors in need, but I think it has something to do with my being self-absorbed.

All it takes is 10 minutes on the computer to be reminded what those far away live like. Reading some of the stories at World Vision's web site would be a great place to start.

To close, I want to share some quotes from Jen on fasting:

"Temporarily changing our routine of comfort jars us off high-center. A fast is not necessarily something we offer God, but it assists us in offering ourselves."

"God did not invite me into this fast to condemn me; it was to liberate me."

If you're interested in getting yourself a copy of the book, you can find it on Amazon.com by clicking the link below. (Click on the photo to order it for your Kindle.)

"Seven"

How about you? Have you ever fasted? Does it seem like a strange concept to you?

Shared at Simple Lives Thursday

Complete cloth diaper kit sale! ($50 discount!)

2013-06-02T22:21:00.002-05:00

*One day left to get $50 off on this great deal!*

Alright, so I'm a cloth diaper consultant Zukababy, as you know if you've read this blog for any length of time. I write a lot about cloth diapers and how much of a benefit they've been to our family. You can read about how much money my family has saved on cloth here.

Now, there's another level to the benefits of cloth to our family: all of the earnings from my cloth diaper sales are going into our adoption fund to bring home our boy from Ethiopia!

Last week, I wrote about the new cloth diaper kit that Zukababy is offering for just $381.82! (It is $30.53 more to buy the larger size for babies 16-35 pounds.) I am pretty excited about this because it has everything you need to get started cloth diapering from scratch. One of the biggest barriers I've seen for parents considering cloth has been simply getting overwhelmed. There are so many options and it's such a new idea to most people that they just don't even know where to start buying.
I've been cloth diapering for over 2 1/2 years now, and I would have totally bought this kit if it had been offered when I was getting started.

Like I said before, it's really best to try a few different styles of diaper before you commit to one. From what I've seen, if you buy all of a certain kind, you're likely setting yourself up for some frustration and maybe even failure because not all diaper styles are created equal. Things like baby's shape, mom's schedule and baby's skin sensitivities all work differently with different fabrics and diaper styles. This kit contains an amazing variety of diapers plus all of the accessories you'll want to try to make diapering work for your family. Just to recap, here's a list of what's included in the cloth diaper kit:

One dozen prefolds

1 Snappi

6 Fitted Diapers

1 Thirsties Duo Cover

1 Rumparooz Cover

1 Bummis Whisper Wrap Super Snap Cover

1 Flip One-Size Cover

Flip Stay Dry Inserts – Your choice: 3 one-size or 6 newborn

1 pack Flip Disposable Inserts (18 per pack)

2 Overnight Hemp Doublers

1 Bumgenius 4.0 One-Size Pocket Diaper

1 FuzziBunz One-Size Pocket Diaper

1 Go Green The Champ One-Size Pocket Diaper

1 Bumgenius Freetime Stay Dry All-in-One

1 Bumgenius Elemental Organic Cotton All-in-One

Planetwise Wet/Dry Bag

Pail Wetbag – Your choice: 2 pail liners or one GroVia hanging pail

12 Pack of Flannel Cloth Wipes

BabeeGreens Cleansing Set – wipe solution concentrate and spray bottle

1 pack of Flushable liners (100 per roll)

It's a great deal for just around $400! Seriously, I dare you to find this much stuff for cheaper! You are setting yourself up to succeed with a starter kit like this.

If this all looks like Greek to you, check out this youtube video to help explain all of the diaper styles. Also, if you're new to the idea, check out this post about the benefits of cloth diapering.

So, here's how you save $50 on this already great deal -

I know this is what you were waiting to hear! I have a client friend in North Carolina who is just too far away to host a diaper show in her home, the way I normally do it. Instead, we've worked out this great deal for her to host a show and invite all of you to get involved! The diaper show will run for the rest of this week, and you can get $50 taken off of your price, making the entire kit cost just $331.82 plus tax! Shipping is free on any order through Zukababy over $99, so you don't even have to factor that in!

Even better, you're really ordering at no risk to you because Zukababy has an unbeatable return policy:
"All new and unused Items can be returned for up to 90 days from purchase or after the birth of you baby, whichever is longer, with proof of purchase!
All used and stain free cloth diapers are refundable for 30 days for full store credit with proof of purchase! (This applies to all cloth diapers, covers, inserts, doublers and training pants.)"

Ok, ok, I'm rambling. Here's how you get your $50 off on your complete diaper kit!

First of all, the discount is only gong to be available from Monday, June 3 to Thursday, June 6. Then, the discount drops down to just $20.

Now, here are a few options for getting your discount:

1. Share this post on Facebook.
2. Share this post on Pinterest.
3. Go like Raising Isabella on Facebook.
4. Sign up for Raising Isabella updates to your email. (The top right corner of this page.)
5. Share about this deal on your own blog.

You can choose 2, and then come back here and leave a comment letting me know how you shared!

Next, shoot me an email at sellzey@zukababy.consulting.com, tell me who you are and what two ways you chose to share this great deal out of your five options above! I'll respond with an email of how to proceed with your order and get your discount!

If you've already built your cloth stash or don't currently have a baby in diapers, here's a great idea -
please share this great deal anyway! You will be doing our earth and and your friends a huge favor by helping others get started cloth diapering. I would be immensely grateful, because 20% of every dollar spent through my Zukababy affiliate link goes to support our adoption.

If you'd like to shop for cloth diaper gear, Louisiana made and themed gifts, or other natural parenting supplies, click through this link to shop Zukababy to shop and benefit our Ethiopia adoption!

So, what are you waiting for? Get sharing and shopping! :)

If you already have experience with cloth diapers, what's your favorite style and why? What item from this kit have you been wanting to try out? I've actually never tried the disposable inserts, I may get some for my next road trip!

Shared @ Inspire me Monday, Homestead Barn Hop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Motivation Monday, Simple Lives Thursday,

Natural laundry kit (great for cloth diapers and everything else, too!)

2013-05-30T14:57:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I shared about Zukababy's new cloth diaper kit. It's a great deal and takes all of the guesswork out of building a cloth diaper stash from scratch.

Today I want to share about our new natural laundry kit. It's great for all of your family's laundry. It contains:

Charlies Soap and Laundry Booster OR 2 Rockin’ Green Detergents (both are all natural laundry detergents)
Oxygen Bleach (healthier alternative to chlorine bleach)
Biokleen Bac Out (natural sanitizer)
2 Dryer Balls (they fluff and soften your laundry in the dryer. These are a great alternative to toxic fabric softener. Cheaper, too.)

Here's a photo of the two detergents and the dryer balls.

If you want to order any of these products individually, click through this link to shop.

Don't forget to check back monday for a great deal on the new cloth diaper kit! If you need a reminder, sign up for my emails at the top right of this page, or find me on Facebook!

Everything you need to successfully start cloth diapering

2013-05-29T22:13:00.000-05:00

Guys, I am so very excited about this new kit we are offering at Zukababy! I'm a little jealous that there was nothing like this when I was getting started cloth diapering!

When I first began doing cloth diaper consulting, I always tried to point people toward prefolds and covers because that is what I have loved from day one. However, as I've worked with more and more cloth diaper mamas, I realize that everyone has a different lifestyle, different baby, and a different preference. Therefore, I now recommend trying out many different styles to find out what you like best. I've spent many an hour sitting with cloth newbies making a list of what to try.

Well, we've made it simple for you. Zukababy now offers a complete cloth diapering kit that contains everything you'll need to get started cloth diapering!

Isn't it beautiful?

This kit includes (as copied and pasted from the Zukababy website):

One dozen prefolds
1 Snappi
6 Fitted Diapers
1 Thirsties Duo Cover
1 Rumparooz Cover
1 Bummis Whisper Wrap Super Snap Cover
1 Flip One-Size Cover
Flip Stay Dry Inserts – Your choice: 3 one-size or 6 newborn
1 pack Flip Disposable Inserts (18 per pack)
2 Overnight Hemp Doublers
1 Bumgenius 4.0 One-Size Pocket Diaper
1 FuzziBunz One-Size Pocket Diaper
1 Go Green The Champ One-Size Pocket Diaper
1 Bumgenius Freetime Stay Dry All-in-One
1 Bumgenius Elemental Organic Cotton All-in-One
Planetwise Wet/Dry Bag
Pail Wetbag – Your choice: 2 pail liners or one GroVia hanging pail
12 Pack of Flannel Cloth Wipes
BabeeGreens Cleansing Set – wipe solution concentrate and spray bottle
1 pack of Flushable liners (100 per roll)

I checked and I just can't think of anything else you'll need. Other than soap to wash them with. But there's a kit for that, too. I'll write a short post about that tomorrow! Even if you don't purchase this particular kit, this is a great master list to go by as you build your stash.

The kit contains 26 diapers, which is plenty to cloth diaper full time. It contains all of the types of diapers, (prefolds, fitteds, pockets, all-in-ones, and hybrids) including some disposable inserts. Several major brands are represented. It's just really amazing.

About the cost: if you've done any internet research, you'll know that almost everyone says that you need to be ready to invest around $400 to get started cloth diapering. Here are the costs for the Zukababy diaper kit, by size:

Infant size kit: $381.82 plus tax (fits size 5-16lbs)

Baby size kit: $412.35 plus tax (fits size 16-30lbs)

All orders over $99 qualify for free shipping, so there is no shipping charge.

You'll be hard pressed to find or build a kit that is this inclusive for such a low price. I haven't seen one yet.

But wait, there's more! (sorry, couldn't resist)

Next week, I will be posting a special way to get $50 taken off of the cost of your cloth diaper kit. Check back on Monday to find out how! (Sign up for my email updates to ensure you get a reminder! Or go find me on Facebook!)

If you want to go ahead and order your kit, or you want to check into purchasing some of these items individually, click through this link to get to my Zukababy page!

Shared at Fat Tuesday.

Tony Campolo/Politics and the Church

2013-05-22T14:50:00.001-05:00

Do you ever find that a few of your favorite authors keep quoting the same guy over and over? I do. This guy, Tony Campolo, is always being quoted by some of my favorite authors. Dennis and I had a conversation a few months back about being students of authors and speakers we admire, and his name came up. Dennis found this video today, and we watched it together. I was really moved and wanted to share it with you guys. It may be a little controversial, but it's also incredibly convicting. I'm trusting that you will watch with open hearts and open minds.

Click the link below to watch the video.

Tony Campolo on Politics and the Church

Did you do it? Are your toes hurting from being stepped on? Mine are. Ouchies.

Thoughts?

Updated design

2013-05-21T14:59:00.001-05:00

I've recently been playing around with my layout on my blog, and today I'm publishing two new elements.

I've moved my "about" section to a tab on the top of the page, but that's not really that interesting.

I also added two other tabs to the top of the page, and these I am excited about. I think they'll prove helpful to you.

One is the "Support our Adoption" tab. It has links to all of our previous posts about our adoption process, as well as an edited version of the post I wrote a few weeks ago about fundraising. (Hint: this is a good place to start when gift shopping!)

The other is the "Recipes" tab. It contains all of the recipes I've published, both for food, housekeeping, and body care. Please put your feet up and have some fun perusing this section, especially if you are a new reader. I've been here since the beginning (obviously), but I re-found some old recipes I'd forgotten about!

I'm hoping to add some new updates soon. I hope you like the new tabs, and that it makes browsing this blog a little more enjoyable for you!

Sugar Fasting Again!

2013-05-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

You may remember the series I did on sugar fasting early in 2012. Researching for it was really an eye opener for me, and the fast itself was literally life changing. I honestly didn't know how bad sugar was making me feel because I didn't know what it was like to be without it. To put it another way, I didn't know how good I could feel. It takes two weeks to a month to get past the "detox" phase and start feeling the results.

Alas, it is hard to kick old habits, and this pregnancy has taken away all self-control when it comes to food. I've been so hungry and unnecessarily concerned about not gaining enough weight that I've eaten pretty much everything that's been put in front of me. This has not been great for my energy levels or mental clarity, which are already compromised by pregnancy brain. So, I've putting our house on another sugar fast for the month of May. ~~I'm fasting from it completely, and the kids will be as far as I can help it~~ - I don't want to be a nazi when we're out and everyone's sharing some birthday cake or something, but I do try to limit it. Dennis is a grown man, I let him do what he wants. ;)

Ok, to be honest. This has been an, ahem, partial fast. I've cheated a few times. Like I said, I have no self control when I'm pregnant. I have done much, much better, and I've only cheated 4 or 5 times. I'm feeling much better, too.

So, if you, like me, need a little inspiration to pass on the sugar, here's a recap on my sugar-free series from last year:

Why sugar fasting (part 1)

Why sugar fasting (part 2)

Easy and tasty sugar free sweet treats

The end of the sugar fast (I don't follow rules well...have you guys picked up on that yet?)

Saving money on baby - baby food

2013-05-08T14:23:00.001-05:00

I'm completely outside the norm when it comes to feeding my babies. My friends are probably screaming "Don't listen to a thing she says!" I don't follow any of the rules when it comes to feeding babies.

So don't follow anything I'm about to say, 'kay?

Then again, my kids seem to have survived me. They are even pretty healthy.

So, really, this is not a "how to" as much as a "something to think about" article.

First of all, I do breastfeed as long as I can. That saves money. Lots of money. I'm going to write a post about that another day. But it's also kind of a no brainer. Not everyone is able to breastfeed, and not everyone wants to. That's ok. I'm just saying it's less expensive to breastfeed.

When I start feeding my babies solid foods, which has been at around 5 months for both, I do everything I can to avoid buying commercially produced baby food. It's overpriced and pointless, if you ask me. I have actually never bought a jar of babyfood, although I do confess that Korban ate quite a bit of it during the holiday season, when we also decided to move. It was a busy time, and the crisis pregnancy center I volunteer at tends to get overrun with donated babyfood, so I took a few jars home every time I volunteered there.

It was not great for his taste buds. I really think that it made him a more picky eater. When I stopped offering him the cooked to death, unseasoned stuff from a jar, he became a much more adventurous eater. Then again, maybe it was just that he got older. I don't know. It's hard to discuss these things with an 8 month old.

So, what do I feed my babies?
Well, with Izzy, I made a lot of homemade food for the first month or so. I would simply bake up some sweet potatoes or...something green. I don't remember what. I would cook a couple weeks worth, blend them up, and freeze them in ice cubes. Then, I would leave them on the counter to thaw for the morning. By lunch, she had homemade baby food. She also ate whatever she wanted from our plates. It's important to me that my kids eat at the table with us and that they eat what we're eating. I almost never make a separate meal for the kids. I can't remember the last time I did that. Izzy loved spaghetti, any kind of fruit, eggs, you name it. I let her have everything but peanuts, which I gave her sometime around 11 months. I didn't worry about salt, either.

Of course, this only works in families that regularly eat fresh, healthy meals. I would never expect my babies to thrive on canned soup, fast food and frozen pizza. But you can't really thrive on that, either.

Izzy did not always eat healthy, and still doesn't. For me, it is more important that my kids learn to try things and that they get to enjoy my meal with me than that they eat 100 percent healthy all the time. So, it's kind of the same standard I hold myself to. We eat healthy at home, and we eat what is put in front of us when we're out. If eating out at a restaurant, I sometimes make the right decision, sometimes I go for the fried chicken sandwich...

Yes, she ate french fries for dinner a time or two. It happens. She survived.

Anyways, back to saving money. I got sidetracked. I'm kinda fuzzy brained today.
Baby food is overpriced. Even more so if you are going for the organic. Homemade is relatively simple, and much cheaper and healthier. Even easier - and with no noticeable impact on your budget - is feeding baby what you eat.

I just remembered that has a name. It's called baby led weaning.

Korban didn't like the homemade food so much. He doesn't like eating the same thing 2 days in a row, and I wasn't going to the trouble to make something new for every meal, in addition to food for the rest of us. He made 1 year old a week and a half ago, and he's a good eater now. Not as good as his sister, but a good eater. He almost always finds something at dinner to fill up on. I definitely try to be conscious of my kids when I plan a meal. I don't expect Korban to eat a steak and salad, but he can do broccoli and potatoes.

Here's the big money saver, though - snacks and toddler food. It is a pet peeve of mine to see a tiny little can of nutritionless kid "puffs" or "melts" that cost the same as a box of cheerios, or chex, or crackers. I'm not sure why people spend so much on kids snacks. Many are loaded with sugar and have little nutritional value. What is their purpose? Then again, if I followed the rules about introducing foods to my kids, I might see a need to blow $10 a week on specially (tiny) packaged snacks specifically for children.

Here are some examples of snack foods we take when we are one the go:
These are not ideal foods, but they keep the kids full on the occasional day that we are out and about at snack time. I buy whatever's on sale that week.

Cheerios
Chex
Honeycombs (once in a while, when they get better at eating solid foods)
Cheese crackers
Goldfish crackers
Saltine crackers (whole wheat - the others have hydrogenated oils in them)
Peanut butter bread or crackers
Raisins
A banana (great, easy first food!)
An avocado (another great first food!)
An apple I've eaten the peel off of (when they get enough teeth to handle it)
Clementines or satsumas
Pretzels

You get the idea. These are "real people foods" that cost much less that the stuff marketed to your babes. None of these foods contain the junk we try to avoid, and they are easy for baby to handle. Of course, use your own judgement when it comes to what you baby can handle.

Oh, and most name brand baby cereal has some scary ingredients in it. I think regular oatmeal is fine. You can even blend it up to make it smoother. It is much cheaper.

So, as an additional disclaimer - I am not a doctor, a nutritionist, or an expert on any kids except for my own. We've had a great experience doing things this way, but I really just wrote this post to help you start thinking about the difference between the kid-foods you buy versus the other things offered at your grocery store. I say the biggest difference for a lot of these foods is slick marketing and a higher price.

So, what is your baby feeding approach? Do you think I'm crazy?

I think I need a snack. All that writing about food made me hungry, and I think I'm going to sneak the last avocado. :)

This post was shared at Simple Lives Thursdays.

Ways to improve the flavor of home brewed kombucha

2013-05-06T10:28:00.000-05:00

When I wrote my fundraising post last week, I added a little note at the end offering to sell my starters to anyone interested. I didn't expect much interest, so I was surprised when I had so many orders for kefir, water kefir, and sourdough starters! This led me to believe that there may be more interest in my odd little hobby than I originally thought! So, today a post about my dear friend kombucha.

I love kombucha. I just do. It's really good for me, I love the taste, and it makes me feel great. I've written about what it is and how to make it before, and if you're new to the idea of kombucha, I suggest you start by reading those links. Today, I want to share some great secrets to getting a consistently tasty batch, one that's more similar to what you can buy at the store, should you ever be able to afford it. It's so pricey!

I liked my homemade kombucha, but I missed the bubbly, complex flavor of what I had back when I was buying it from the health food store where I worked. Over the course of the past few years, and with much trial and error, I have learned some tricks to getting my kombucha to taste more like that expensive bottled stuff. So, in no particular order, here you go.

Do a continuous brew system
My original recipe still applies, but I always use a gallon container and, instead of using all but the last bit of kombucha each time I brew, I simply pour off a quart at a time and add a new quart of sweet tea. This is how I get a good balance of flavors. It works something like this:

Day 1: make a gallon of kombucha
Day 5 (or so): pour out a quart of still semi-sweet kombucha and bottle it (see tip below). Add another quart of sweetened tea to the brew
Day 7(ish): bottle another quart of kombucha and replace it with sweet tea
Day 9(is): repeat what you did on days 5 and 7

you get the picture. The tea will slowly develop and you will have a balanced tea that is nice and kombuchaey(huh?), but not too strong. At some point, your tea may start to brew too quickly, and you'll want to remove a scoby or two before adding more tea. Also, it does get a residue on the bottom (of the beneficial yeasts), so you may want to start over at day 1 every couple of months.

Also, while I do suggest using at least a gallon sized container (bigger is fine, too), you don't have to be drinking a quart every two days. It's a flexible schedule. Otherwise, I'd never be able to keep up. It can sit for a week, or sometimes we end up drinking two quarts before I replace any at all. Kombucha is forgiving.

Use a grolsch style bottle
Odd name, I know. These are great for bottling kombucha. They allow carbonation to develop without risking explosion. The rubber stopper helps let out excess air pressure. They are pretty cheap and can be used indefinitely. (I heard once that one of the reasons people get addicted to soda is that our bodies inherently know their need for lactofermented drinks. I know I prefer a good kombucha or water kefir to a soda...most days.)

Make kombucha consistently
Kind of like kids and husbands, kombucha gets grumpy if you don't feed it regularly. The good news is, kombucha is happy to be fed roughly once a week. The kids, not so much.

Know that you are at the mercy of the season
My kombucha doesn't like winter. It tastes better to me when the temperature in our house is mid 70's. It does fine in winter, especially if I follow all of the other tips here, but I really like my spring and summer kombucha better.

Look at this great resource to learn more
Go play around on the Cultures For Health website. They have videos, tips, recipes, and an ebook all about kombucha as well as any other lacto fermentation starter you can imagine. You can also order supplies through this link. (I would like to remind you again that I have kombucha, water kefir, and sourdough starters that I'm offering to sell as part of our fundraising efforts for our adoption. Each starter is $10 plus shipping. Contact me if you're interested!)

(I am a cultures for health affiliate and I will receive a commission on any orders made through the links above.)

Have you discovered the kombucha love?

This post was shared on motivation monday

The homemaking ebundle and what I'm reading

2013-05-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

Well, I probably should have shared this with you sooner, because if you're interested in it, you're going to have to order by tomorrow. But anyways, I'm excited about this pack of e-books and other resources I found last week.

I used to read a lot of blogs, back when I started writing here on Raising Isabella. Then I had another baby and became a stay at home mom, and got waaaay busier. There are 3 blogs that I still try to catch up on every couple of weeks or so, and last week, they were all talking about this great deal on books about homemaking. These come out every few months or so, but this is the most comprehensive and discounted one I've seen.

You see, I've been in kind of a slump lately when it comes to homemaking. My attitude has been kind of stinky, to be honest. Partly due to me being pregnant, tired, and hormonal, and partly because I was just suffering from some mommy burnout. I'm fairly certain this is a normal thing for parents to go through on occasion.

We keep a special part of our budget that we call the "education fund". This money is specifically set aside and saved for us to invest in learning as a family. Some of it goes towards Dennis' seminary, some of it goes towards educational tools for the kids, and some of it goes towards books and resources for me to pursue things I want to know more about. I decided that this deal on books about homemaking might be a source of inspiration for me, and since it's only $30 for 97 books plus some other neat things, too, I decided to invest in it. A lot of the books I'd heard of and really wanted to check out anyway.

I'm not going to describe it in detail because Stacy at Stacy makes sense has done a great job of that. I really think it would be worth your time to go check it out.

I've read one of the books and I'm working through another one right now, and I definitely feel a fresh wave of inspiration and encouragement.

The first book I read was called "Honoring the Rhythm of Rest", and it's not about homemaking in a strictest sense, but it focuses on one of the hardest and most important necessities of keeping a home - preventing ourselves from getting seriously burned out. It's so important to be in tune with our own needs so that we can be available to joyfully serve our families. I recommend this book to everyone. It's a really quick read and it's only $2.99.

The one I'm working through right now is called "4 moms of 35+ kids answer your questions". This one is about large family parenting. I have no idea how many kids our family is supposed to have when all is said and done, but at the rate we're going, it may be a lot! :) This book has great information for families of all sizes about everything from getting places on time to grocery shopping with kids to nap time. I feel more able to handle my brood when I hear how these women are able to parent 8-11 kids each and enjoy it! I am also encouraged to know that it's supposed to be chaotic when you have a house full of "littles"! They are really honest about their struggles, and it makes me feel better about my parenting to hear these "supermom confessions".

So, I'll be reading through my list of ebooks for a while. Next, I hope to read some of the books on time management and a few about blogging.

I'm not an affiliate for any of these books or for the ebook sale, I just wanted to share what I've found and let you know that I'll probably be telling you all about these books as I read them (which is probably going to take a while!)

Also, in case you were curious, here is a list of the 3 blogs I try to keep up with:

Stacy makes cents (Natural parenting with realistic expectations - and lots of recipes!)

Heavenly homemakers (She is like the mother of natural parenting bloggers. So. Many. Recipes.)

Keeper of the Home (This one is great, too. Lots of home cleaning and skin care recipes as well as food and budget tips. Just a lot of great information. Right now, they are on a one year tour of the world. Also, they have their 4 children in tow, one of them is less than a year old. Awesome family. I want to be like Stephanie when I grow up.)

What are your favorite blogs?

Fundraising!

2013-04-27T13:43:00.004-05:00

Now that we are finished with the mega-paperwork phase of our adoption, we're starting to think about fundraising. I am trying to think of ways to fundraise that are mutually beneficial for us and those who choose to support us. So, here are a few things we are working on right now as a family.

Just Love Coffee

This one is a really popular and easy fundraiser for families in the adoption process. This company handles all of the work for us, and we get a check each month! Nice, huh? They have everything from mugs and travel mugs to coffee grinders and clothing. They also have great coffee, I tried some last week! The cost for the coffee is really reasonable, too. Just click on the link below and then click the "shop" tab to see what they have to offer and place an order! The commission we receive depends on the item, but we receive $5 for each 13oz bag. You can click on the "fundraising" tab to see the commission amounts for other items.

justlovecoffee.com/ellzeys

Diaper Sales

I took about a year off from my cloth diaper business, but I'm working hard to kick things back up again. One great new development is my new consultant web page. Simply click on the link below and then click "shop" to look around! I should mention that Zukababy sells way more than just cloth diapers. If you are from Louisiana you should check out our "shop Louisiana" section. We also have great feeding and nursing gear for kids of all ages and natural toys of all kinds. I could go on. It's just a great shopping resource, and I get a 20% commission if you shop through my web page!

zukababy.com/sarahellzey

Blueberries (for the locals)

Throughout blueberry season, we will have access to a blueberry farm. We've been given permission to pick all that we can at no charge. and sell them as a fundraiser for our adoption! Sales will be on a first-come first-serve basis, and we will give you a call to come pick them up at our house the day we harvest them. Let me know if you want us to put your name on the list! (Prices are pending. We will be offering them by the pint and by the gallon.)

Direct Donation

We have been asked what the best way is for a person to make a monetary donation to our adoption. There is an option through our agency, but I haven't really looked into that yet. The best way right now is to simply mail us a check. We have a separate adoption fund that all donations and fundraiser money are going into.

Side note/hobby

This one is more of an offer than a fundraiser, but I will be selling my starters (kombucha, water kefir, and sourdough) to anyone interested in ordering them. This will be as I have them available. I'll be charging $10 plus shipping. Message me if you'd like to place an order!

Another note

All of my earnings from this blog are also going into our "Adoption" account. Simply by reading this blog and clicking on ads you find interesting, you're helping us get a tiny bit closer to bringing our son home. Same goes for shopping Amazon through the link on the sidebar!

Haiti - It's a game changer

2013-04-26T14:23:00.001-05:00

I'm still waiting on the words to describe Haiti. To make up for my lack, here are some photos from our trip. Just know that there is no way these pictures, or anything I could come up with to say, can ever do it justice. You have to go. You just have to experience this country and its resilient, hope-filled people who are in the midst of a rapidly spreading revival.

A hillside

Children singing to welcome us to their orphanage

A church that's been meeting in a tent since the 2010 earthquake.

More shots of the orphanage

These kids were all precious and hungry for affection.

It's so hard to know that I'm nice and comfy at home, and they're still there.

This is the backyard of the orphanage

This is one of the bedrooms. I'm pretty certain they don't have enough beds.

You see that boy in the orange shirt? He's forever in my heart. I wish he could have come home with me. Unfortunately, we don't meet Haiti's standards for adoption, or he might have!

Busy, busy city

Top view of the tent/church. Service was beautiful. (Sorry these got out of order.)

They are working on a new building, but funds are short and so are hands that have time to work.

Here is another church. The pastor is hoping to bring a well to this village, so the families do not have to walk so far for water.

This is a different orphanage, it has recently expanded.

Outside view of the building

These kids are fortunate to have a playground.

There are some beautiful views in Haiti.

Here is one of the largest churches in Haiti.

Another scenic shot.

This is the school we stayed at while we were in Haiti.

This is a bedroom in a house we were welcomed into by a local woman. This house was built with help from an American church partnered with the mission agency we traveled with, as well as the church being built above. They hope to fund the well for the village I mentioned before, as well. So much need...

So, Haiti is such a difficult place to describe. It's dirty. There's trash everywhere. That's what I noticed first. After a few days, though, I didn't notice these things so much anymore. Instead, all I saw was the people. Haiti has a lot of people, and I can't speak for everyone, but those we worked with were just remarkable. They did not match their surroundings. They made so much from so little. They worked so hard and were so grateful. They have a faith I don't think we'll ever know from our over-privileged vantage point. They sang a hymn in their beautiful creole language that made me want to have a faith like theirs. They sang, right next to the rubble of their former church building. They sang, most of them having lost someone dear to them in the earthquake. They sang, with barely a place to call home and clothes to wear and food to eat. They sang:

"Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father

Morning by morning new mercies I see

All I have needed thy hand hath provided

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me."

I am still humbled by that memory. I, who balance my checkbook and grumble that the numbers aren't high enough. I, who whine at the grocery store because I can't have everything I want and stay in budget. I, who have a pantry full of food and a closet full of clothes and 2 cars to drive.

I want to know what it's like to have little more than my daily bread and still call God's faithfulness great.

Then again, I guess that's easy for me to say from my place of abundance. I just hope that if I ever find myself in a situation of having little, I will prove myself to have the beautiful, bountiful faith of the Haitians I was blessed to meet.

Happy Earth Day!

2013-04-22T13:50:00.002-05:00

Sometime last month, I had the idea of planning a day of educational and fun activities to celebrate earth day with the kids. Then I forgot about it. So never mind about that.

We used to be much more conscious about the impact that our actions have on the environment but, to be honest, that's taken a back seat to a lot of other things lately. We still do better than the average family, I'd guess, when it comes to "reduce, reuse, recycle", but I'd like to try harder. I have learned that a lot of "green" habits also save us money, and those are the ones we tend to stick with. (I'm trying to avoid making a pun about "saving some green").

So, in order to encourage and inspire myself, a list of 5 things we currently do that are good for our environment, and a list of 5 things I'd like to improve on.

Things we already do:
1. We use cloth diapers. (the diaper show was a lot of fun Saturday, by the way! I'm working on scheduling another one nearby for May!)
2. We use cloth napkins.
3. We use environmentally friendly cleaners and skin care products (except for chlorine bleach on occasion. I just can't get away from that stuff when it comes to sanitizing toilets and laundry...)
4. We recycle. I can't really take credit for that one though, the city has a pick up service, so all we have to do is set our recycling aside each week.
5. We try to avoid spraying toxic things in our yard and garden. It just seems selfish and short-sighted to spray terrible stuff all over our yard to make it look healthier, when it's actually damaging to, well, just about everything. I haven't found a good solution for the fire ants yet, though.

Well, I feel better. We're still doing good things for our planet.

Things we could do better:
1. We drive too much. I would do better to consolidate errands and walk more. Where we live now, we are close to everything, so I could really handle some errands on foot. The kids enjoy that more, anyway.
2. I don't pay enough attention to our energy usage. I leave things plugged in and on, and I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to the thermostat. I'd like to hang our laundry more. It saves energy and keeps our clothes looking nicer longer.
3. Ditto with the water. I just can't seem to make myself take a short shower, and I get lazy and run the dishwasher more than I should.
4. We waste food. Especially now that I'm pregnant, I tend to let leftovers go to waste because I don't feel like eating the same food again. Or I don't use fresh produce fast enough.
5. In reference to the bleach above, I'd really like to find an affordable alternative for sanitizing. That's all I really use it for. When I don't use it for a while, our diapers and dish towels get kind of funky. I also use it to clean the toilets every month or two.

Nature, it just feeds the soul, doesn't it?

None of my goals are really lofty, they just take a little extra effort.

What about you? What do you do that's good for mother earth?

Do you have any good (inexpensive) alternatives to chlorine bleach for me?

Cloth diaper show details

2013-04-17T14:20:00.000-05:00

I mentioned it, so I wanted to share some of the details of my upcoming diaper show for you local readers who might be interested in coming. Even if you're not interested in cloth diapering, I love to chat with other like-minded natural parenting moms about all kinds of things! :)

The show is at Doodlebugs Consignment boutique located at 160 W. Pine Street in Ponchatoula, Louisiana.

I will be there with my diaper show kit from 11-2. I will be answering questions, giving out info, and scheduling future consults and parties. I recommend that anyone who is currently or soon will have a child in diapers, as cloth diapering is so much easier than most people expect, I've had some really skeptical people convert and love it!

I'd also like to add that my cloth diaper sales is going to serve as one of our big fundraisers for our adoption, which is why I'm hoping this show will really kick off my business!

Here are the links to the store hosting the party and the store I work for, Zukababy.

zukababy.com

doodlebugsconsignment.com

Hope to see you there!

Saving money on baby - cloth diapering

2013-04-17T14:15:00.001-05:00

I have written about this plenty before, so I'll mostly be linking to other posts here, but I wanted to touch on this topic first because I'm gearing up for a big cloth diaper show on Saturday, so any of you local readers with more questions can come ask me in person!

Cutie Booty!

Cloth diapering has been the single biggest money saver in our home these past 2 1/2 years. I confess that I do buy disposables for trips longer than one night, and every time I do, I'm so thankful that I don't have to add that to my budget each week! Initially, it was all about doing what was right for the environment, but now I am equally if not more motivated by the financial return.

Because I do not use disposable diapers full time, I don't know firsthand what it costs. I know some mom's who find good deals online or use coupons, and they do save a great deal. I can tell you about how much I've spent cloth diapering, though.

When Izzy was born, I had $150 dollar limit to spend on cloth diapers, so I went with the cheapest diapers available - prefolds and covers. I bought 18 prefolds, 8 covers, a diaper pail liner and some wipes with that budget. As time went buy, I splurged and got a few fancier diapers and some more covers. When she got too big for those diapers, I bought some more and overall I may have spent $300-$400 total.

When Korban was born, I could have easily used what I had plus a few new covers (they start to lose their water-proof liner eventually), but I had just started as a consultant so I used my discount and some of my income to try out several types of diapers, so I spent a hundred or so there.

Now that we're getting ready to diaper baby number three, I know that I love the prefolds and covers I initially bought, but after two kids, my covers have pretty much had it. I'll be replacing the covers, but the prefold diapers themselves are still fine. I've only had two of those wear out on me.

I don't have an exact number for you, so I'm going to estimate way high here. After having cloth diapered 3 kids to potty training, I expect to have spent less than $1000 dollars. And that's including the cost to launder them, which is a couple bucks a week for water, soap and electricity.

The last estimates I saw for diapering a child in standard (not the natural brand, which costs more) disposable diapers showed a cost of $1500-$2000 per child. So, for three kids, that's $4500-$6000.

Why yes, I'm quite proud of my savings of $3500-$5000 dollars.

Here is a link to the Zukababy cloth diaper info page. I love their advice, and I'm a consultant for them.

Also, here are links to the prefolds and covers I ordered, if you are new to cloth diapers and need a visual.

And, here is a link to my past posts about how I cloth diaper, for your reading enjoyment.

Look for another post with more details about the diaper show!

The end!

We have an announcement to make!

2013-04-15T14:17:00.003-05:00

Well, I think it's about time that we made it "internet official"! Dennis and I are expecting baby number three this October!

There may be a little confusion because we were already expecting baby #3, as we are working on an adoption, but it looks like this little surprise is going to arrive first! I'm 14 weeks pregnant!

This kind of explains my silence on my blog these past few months, as I usually let everything slide during my first trimester. Do you remember that old song where the guys lists all of the things he was going to do, "but then he got high"? Well, for me it's like that, only replace the word "high" with "pregnant". "But then I got pregnant, but then I got pregnant, then I got preeegnant..." I smell a viral video coming on.

but I digress...

Can I tell you what a roller coaster of emotions this is, being unexpectedly expecting? I got rid of all of my maternity and baby clothes in January, not knowing that I was pregnant at that time! In my plans, we were going to take some time off from having babies until after the adoption was completed and then have another one, but it looks like God had other plans! Really, I do think that this is better because we are in a waiting period right now in the adoption, and Dennis and I have always said that we want to have our children close together so that we can get the "baby crazies" phase finished all at once.

Of course, it's easy to say that until it's actually happening. This has been a hard adjustment for me, thinking of doing it all over again so soon. I look at Korban sometimes and think "You're still a baby, why am I having another baby?" Some days, I feel like little more than a nose and booty wiper, with some mealtimes messes thrown in to mix things up a bit. In short, we're tired, and being first trimester pregnant tired on top of regular mommy tired has made for some emotional battles,. I love my children, and I am amazed at the idea of having another little person in my life to love so much. That doesn't make it any less exhausting, though...

One thing I haven't been concerned about, surprisingly, is the financial strain of having another baby. To be honest, I have not found that Izzy and Korban have increased our monthly budget much at all. We don't buy diapers, formula, or baby food, and we've gotten almost all of their things either handed down to us or we bought them used. There are a lot of little "necessities" it turns out that we don't need at all. I know this will change as they get older, especially as their appetites grow, but for right now, it's not a problem. I'm always a little befuddled when people talk about how expensive babies are, and I love to share how we've been able to cut that cost in our family. I'm going to do a series of posts on saving money on baby, so be watching for that soon.

Please tell me you remember that stupid '80s song. Who sang that, anyway? Wonder what he's doing now...

Oh, and Dennis and I returned from Haiti almost a week ago. I'm not avoiding or forgetting to tell you about it. I will most definitely share more about that, as soon as I've had some time to process what we saw there!

Applying for adoption - what I wish I had known

2013-04-03T15:47:00.002-05:00

We are seeing the light at the end of our paperwork tunnel right now! We mailed our dossier today, and I am so relieved to finally be able to say it!

I've decided to write this post because I couldn't find anything like it when we first started the process, and I hope to help other families who are just starting on their journeys. I know that most of my readers are not currently in the adoption process, but maybe sometime in the future you will be. Or maybe you stumbled across this post while you were searching the internet trying to make sense of the overseas adoption process. (I know I spent many a late night doing just that when we were first starting out seven months ago!)

If we were to adopt again, I feel like I could get through the paperwork more easily, simply because the mountain of paperwork makes sense to me now. When we first received our zillion page handbook back in August, I didn't know what to fill out when and how or who needed it.

Of course, my advice applies to international adoption and the process as it is now. Hopefully, it will be simplified sometime in the future, although I'm not holding my breath. Also, we are adopting from Ethiopia, and each country is different in how they do adoptions. There are many similarities between the countries, though, and the U.S. legal side of it is pretty much the same.

Here is what I wish I'd known when we first started all of this:

Focus on your home study first
I was trying to get my dossier and home study done at the same time. As a result, it took me longer to get our paperwork together for the home study. I didn't realize that it would take a few months after we finished our final visit with our social worker for the home study to be finalized. I could have used that time for our dossier. Also, it will take a few months for your USCIS approval to go through and, at least for the country of Ethiopia, that has to be completed before your dossier can be sent. Speaking of USCIS approval...

Have your I-600A form ready when your home study gets to you. That way, you can send it ASAP.
Once your home study is complete, you can send off your I-600 application to the U.S. Department of Immigration. This process takes a few months, and you have to get fingerprinted yet again. I didn't understand the process or how long it would take, so I held on to our home study for a week before I had our I-600A application ready. Again, once you've finished your I-600 and are waiting to hear from the government, this is another good time to work on your dossier.

Get help if you have small children (especially if they do not nap)
The paperwork process was especially frustrating for me because Izzy just does not sleep well, and you really need a couple of uninterrupted hours a week to get all your papers out, spread them out, figure them out, and then file them all away in the proper place when you're done. If you can afford it, hire help. If not, find someone to trade with - maybe they can watch your kids a few hours a week and you can watch theirs.

Use your "waiting time" to fundraise and learn
I keep hearing about how hard the period between finishing your paperwork and receiving you referral can be. It's a helpless feeling. We are just entering that phase, and I am going to use these months (and more realistically, years) to do the fundraising we need and also to learn more about some of the special concerns that come with adopting. My social worker says there is something known as "post homestudy blues" where women get depressed after they finish all of their paperwork and there is nothing left to do but wait. I really can't imagine being sad about finishing all of that paperwork! I'm already dreading having to do it all again in two years. (Yeah, unfortunately, it all expires and you basically have to start over in two years if the adoption has not been completed by then. Major bummer.)

In summary...
Take that paperwork mountain range in chunks, and attack them (mostly) one at a time -
1. Home study
(while you're waiting for your homestudy to be finalized, work on your dossier)
2. I-600A
(while you're waiting to hear from the good ole U.S. government, work on your dossier some more)
3. Send off that dossier. You do want to have it completed by the time your USCIS approval comes through.
4. Fundraise and read some books!

Oh, yes, and if you're like us and you wait until the last minute to get your life insurance, be prepared to wait 2 months to be approved! We waited and waited for that little piece of paper, and it luckily came in last week, 2 days before our USCIS approval

Lastly and most importantly, don't forget THE ONE who adopted you into his Heavenly family, the One who called you to this journey. He has a perfect plan and he will not abandon you. Twice we have come upon a very expensive portion of our application, and God has chosen to provide, almost to the dollar, what we needed the very month we needed it. Just today, as I was in the middle of writing a ginormous check and working myself into an anxiety fit (even though God has already provided the money for that check), I had a knock at the door and the UPS man delivered me a package containing 3 books about Ethiopia, the country our beloved child calls home. I took it as a confirmation that we are indeed on a worthy journey and it helped me, leafing through those books, to remember that this is worth all of the money and time we've invested in it.

If you're reading all of this and you haven't already jumped into the crazy world of adoption paperwork, don't be frightened off! It will all make sense as you get to that point in the adoption process, and if your agency is like ours, you will have a great family coordinator to help you sort through it all and make sure you get it all done correctly!

Those of you currently in the process, or who have been through it, what would you like to add?

If you are just starting out, do you have any questions for me? I would be so excited to help someone else out in this process!

This is the agency we used, and
we have loved them!

"But my brain is dying!"

2013-04-01T13:51:00.000-05:00

Photo Credit

These are the words that have been running through my mind lately. Many of you don't know this about me, but I used to know stuff. I got a hefty college scholarship. I read books for fun, watched the news, and had intelligent conversations. Even after having one child, I still had time to feed my appetite for learning. Now, we have two children (with two on the way), I have a husband who works and goes to school full time(ish), and I don't have time between handling the day to day needs of my family and meeting my own basic needs (like sleeping and eating) to spend much time tending to my "dying brain." I find that, those few times a week that I "crash" and can no longer be productive, my brain is definitely not interested in reading classic literature, honing a new skill or catching up on what my favorite authors have been up to lately.

Yes, you can call me whiny. I recognize that. I do have a point, I promise.

You see, I think I have fallen into a common trap. As a wife and mother, I feel guilty when I do these things, when I have "me-time." After all, my family needs me to provide food to eat, clean clothes to wear, and a decently clean place to live. My children also need to be taught (by example) what it means to be a well rounded individual. My husband deserves a wife who stays interesting and has something to talk about than her to-do list or what's for dinner tonight. I want to teach my children to love learning, to be excited by life, and to never stop growing. Lately, I haven't been a good example of any of these things.

As a stay at home mom, this is a particularly easy trap to fall into because we don't have the natural community or mental challenge that many careers offer. Even when I worked simple jobs like waitressing or secretary work, I felt less isolated and more mentally stretched than I do now. I mean, you can only cook, clean, and hang out with babies so many days in a row before you start to lose your ability to function in a "grown up world."

Still, I think we can all relate to this problem, whether we are parents or working or not.

So, I resolve to resuscitate my poor brain, for the good of my kids and husband. Having a hot dinner on the table or getting the laundry folded before it wrinkles will no longer take precedence over me studying the things I'm passionate about and investing in goals that I want to pursue. Hopefully, you'll be hearing from me more on here, although I'm not making any promises. I do see this blog as something that helps me focus on my goals and helps me build community, so it is a useful tool as I start this journey.

I have a lot of plans in mind. I'd like to study up on working from home, and this is something I've been interested in for quite some time. I also want to study a few languages and brush up on my current events knowledge. I have ordered a few books about Ethiopian history and orphan ministry there. I'm excited to learn more about the country that is becoming more dear to me.

Sorry, kids, dinner's going to be late tonight. Mom's got to study up on her Chinese! It's for your own good! :)

this post was shared at titus2tuesday

We've got company and we're going on a trip!

2013-02-16T10:42:00.001-06:00

I hope you all had a fun valentine's day. My husband surprised me with a sushi lunch, chocolate and flowers!

It's been a busy week, and I totally forgot to post yesterday, but we've got some news, so I want to update you. More about that later.

My parents, sister, and a friend are in town visiting with us this weekend, so we spent the day cleaning house and getting some food ready yesterday. I made this quick baking mix so that we could whip up some quick bisquits and muffins. I really like the convenience of Bisquick, but I'm not a fan of the ingredients, so this is an easy alternative and I can make all of the same recipes I would use commercial baking mix for. It's inexpensive, too! I followed the recipe exactly, and my muffins and biscuits are nice and fluffy. Sorry, no pictures, I'm distracted with my company right now...

Here's the muffin recipe I used. I used butter and fair trade sugar to make this recipe to make it work with our preferences!

Well, now that I think of it, I made one change, because I'm incapable of following a recipe completely and I get distracted cooking with little ones underfoot. I accidentally used bread flour instead of all purpose. They still turned out nice and soft and fluffy. I was a little worried because biscuits and muffins don't need the extra gluten. Then again, most people aren't bread nerds like me and probably don't know the difference anyway....

Now, for the big news:

We're going to Haiti!

Dennis was invited to do a "vision trip" to scope out a possible trip with the church in the future. He decided to invite me, and I thought that was a good idea. :) We'll be visiting orphanages and learning about orphan ministry in Haiti. I haven't traveled overseas since Izzy was born, so I'm very excited, but also nervous about leaving my babies. They'll be staying with Grandma, and it's only a 5 day trip, so I'm sure we'll all be fine. The trip is in April, so we have a few months to prepare ourselves.

I've heard from friends that have traveled to Haiti that it's a life changing trip, and I can't wait to see for myself!

An update on our adoption

2013-02-08T17:53:00.000-06:00

When we started on this adoption journey, I had no idea how long this process would take! Originally, I had hoped to have our dossier sent off by the beginning of the year. We're well into February and we're looking at another couple of months before we're even on the waiting list!

Oh yeah, and our wait time got extended to 26-30 months! Sheesh!

As of right now, we are still pursuing Ethiopia, and we're just settling ourselves in for a long wait. We'll see what God has in store for us!

Here's a brief outline of the process, for those of you who might be curious:

1. Choose an agency - we are using America World Adoption and have had a great experience.
2. Send in an application with your agency
3. Begin your homestudy and your dossier paperwork (I recommend the Louisiana Baptist Children's home and Family Ministries for your homestudy if you live in Louisiana! We love our social worker, Ashley!)
4. Once the Homestudy is complete, send in your USCIS application (to get approved by the U.S. government to adopt a child)
5. Send off you dossier (finally!)
6. Wait a loooong time (After 2 years, parts of the homestudy and dossier have to be updated)
7. The next step seems so far away that I'm not even sure. I know we'll travel to Ethiopia twice and get our child on the second trip.

We're on step 4, and also completing a few more things for our dossier.

It is kind of overwhelming, but we're simply taking it a step at a time. It's also somewhat of a relief to know that, although adoption is expensive, we have a couple of years to save up the money for it.

Frequently asked questions about our adoption:

Do you get to choose the sex/age of your child?
Yes, we do! Our request right now is for a male child aged 0-4 years old.

Do you have to go to Ethiopia?
Yes, we will travel twice, once to handle "official" stuff, and then we'll come home and wait for it all to be "officialized" before we can go get our sweet child. Izzy and Korban will not travel with us.

Why is the wait so long, if there are so many orphans?
GRRR! We are asking ourselves that same question! It's not because there is a lack of need, that is certain. Our social worker explained it to us this way - it's kind of a funnel effect at the paperwork end of it. Ethiopia is working to become Hague certified, which means they follow a strict series of steps to ensure that these children are truly orphans and have not been kidnapped or their families coerced to give up their children in exchange for money. In taking all of these extra steps, the process is slowed down considerably, but it's actually a good thing, I guess. Same thing on the U.S. end of it. They want to make sure that we are fit parents genuinely seeking to build our family. That said, I know that the process could be simplified, on our end at least. We have filled out the same information so many times, and a lot of our dossier simply duplicates what has already been done in our home study. There is a lot of red tape to get through, state certifications, notarizations, and in two years we have to redo it all, because my birth certificate will apparently be obsolete in two years, as well as my marriage license. None of those official documents can be more than 2 years old. How much sense does that make?

The thing I have to remind myself is that our life is not on hold during this time. We can even pursue other adoptions or have more biological children during this wait time, should the mood strike us. :) It's all for a very worthwhile cause, and I suppose if I can spend 4 years pursuing a college degree I don't use, I can spend three years waiting and working toward our precious Ethiopian child.

I hope I haven't discouraged any of you who are thinking about pursuing adoption! Please let me know if you have any questions!

Kale Chips!

2013-02-01T15:54:00.001-06:00

I think I remember eating kale chips once before. I was at a restaurant and in junior high, maybe. I thought it was fried spinach and was proud that I had a leafy green vegetable that I liked. I don't know how it ended up on my plate, because I sure wouldn't have ordered it. My how times have changed... Maybe it was fried spinach, but after I made these kale chips they looked and tasted just like what I remembered.

They are not fried. Nor are they spinach. Although, I wonder if it would work with spinach or any other green, as kale is not that easy to find around here.

I was perusing Whole Foods last week and I decided to buy some kale. I don't know why. I guess it was mentioned on that special diet I was trying. The one where I didn't get to eat meat.

Oh yes, an update on that. I didn't last very long because, just as I suspected, I need lots more protein and calories than that diet provides. I did feel good for the first few days, and I do think it was a nice, light break from our usual heavy eating. After about 4 days, though, I started feeling constantly hungry and even a little weak. It would take an astronomical amount of food to keep me fed on a basically vegan diet. So, now I can say I tried. :) I did remember that I do actually like tofu and soymilk, though. It's too bad that I'm hearing so much negative about them lately...

Anyways, back to the kale. I used this recipe and followed it exactly.

It's not much of a recipe. You tear up some kale, make sure it's really dry so it can get crispy (I did this in a 200 degree oven for 5 minutes), rub it with oil and sprinkle it with salt. Then, bake it for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees. When the edges start to get brown, it's done!

I do recommend tearing into smallish pieces, to help with even crunchiness. They really are the texture of a thin, crispy, chip. Very addicting, and Izzy even asked for more! (I always consider it a mommy win when Izzy likes a green veggie.)

Smallish pieces

Sorry it's blurry, but do you see the browned edges, indicating doneness?

So, there you have it. Now, if you'll excuse me, we have a Mardi Gras parade to get ready for.

Oh, maybe I should explain for some of you. :) It's a family parade. Mardi Gras parades happen all over the place in the weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday, many of them family friendly. I think the school behind our house did a mini parade this afternoon. I saw little floats going by. Cute.

Anyway, send me some warm wishes, it's cold out there!

What's your favorite atypical way to prepare a veggie?

"Half the Sky" book response

2013-01-26T09:17:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm proud of myself. I finished a book this month! It's hard for me to find time to read these days. Or maybe I should say I don't make time to read. I'm a firm believer that you have all the time you need to do what's important to you - although I often have to remind myself.

Anyways, this is not a soapbox post, so I'll step down now. :)

I'm especially proud because I finished reading Half the Sky and I'm halfway through Half the Church. I'm so glad, too, because it deals with such a new subject for me and I'd like to read through it twice. More about that later on.

Half the sky was a really informative read. It's no news that women are often the most oppressed demographic in developing countries. Half the Sky discusses issues like maternal mortality rates, honor killings, child brides, and many others. I've been reading so much about suffering and oppression over the last several months that I didn't think this book had much new to offer in the way of eye-opening information.

In the latter chapters, though, my mindset was really challenged. The books I've read previously (Not for Sale and Orphanology) were written by Christians, with a Christian worldview. Half the Sky is, as far as I could tell, not written by professing Christians. They are very fair, pointing out situations where religion is helpful, but also places where it is used to oppress women. A few times I found that they used Biblical scripture out of context, trying to show how Christianity is oppressive to women. Then again, at times in history, others have misread scripture and Christians have oppressed womens. It does still happen today, but I know that the heart of the gospel message is not oppressive to anyone and there is no biblical basis for oppressing women.

There is a whole chapter that seems to be advocating providing abortions for women in poverty stricken areas, which I don't find to be the best answer, especially for women who find good health care hard to find in the case of complications. I'm sure these authors have never heard of post abortion stress, a form of post traumatic stress disorder affecting at least 80% of women who've had an abortion.

Don't get lost in the sections you disagree with, though. There is so much more to be gained, particularly, I think, from the passages I found somewhat uncomfortable.

This book definitely has a feminist tilt to it. (Keep reading please, even if you're offended! Hopefully you'll feel better by the end!)

You see, I am a somewhat stereotypical old fashioned kind of woman. The idea of being barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen sounds like a good day to me.

I might even make my husband a "sammich" while I'm in there.

*Gasp*

I am fortunate to have a husband that respects me and believes in me, and I'm part of a church that respects women and what they have to offer in ministry. I'm never made to feel like I'm less competent than a man or that it's my job to be at home serving my family. It's just what I find fulfilling; it's what I want to do. So, I am a stay at home mom. I'm thankful to have such an opportunity.

To be honest, I've always gotten the message that a good christian wife does those things, but I never really spent a lot of time questioning it because it was where I wanted to be anyway. When the discussion came up, I always said that each woman had to decide what was best for her situation.

I never really admitted (to myself or others) that I thought that 99% of women should probably be stay at home moms, and that men are almost always better at leadership/in the workplace than women.

Ohmygoodness, I sound so backwards right now. I'm still thinking through all of this, so bear with me if I come of as offensive or unclear.

Half the Sky makes so many points that made me pause. Ideas such as -

- women are statistically much more likely to spend their income to benefit their families, whereas men are more likely to spend it on personal items like alcohol (This information comes from cultures in which women are not only kept from working, but also aren't valued for their opinions on how income is spent)
- a government in which women are allowed positions of leadership is more balanced in perspective than one that is 100% male. Men and women often bring different strengths to the table.
- educated women are more likely to stay close to home and benefit their area, whereas men are more likely to move to a better area with more opportunities
- educated women raise educated children
- a society that values its women is usually much less violent than one dominated by male thought

Not that I was ever against women in politics or the workplace, and goodness knows I'm all for educating women, but I just never thought that putting women in leadership and/or the workplace was the answer to any problems. I felt that they should be in the home investing in the family.

While I was pondering all of these new ideas, one question kept running through my mind, though.

"Who is taking care of the children?"

Yes, children go to school and Dad can help out with the kids, but many of these stories involve women with demanding careers who travel abroad to complete their education, or women who run very busy ministries and aid organizations.

I haven't quite worked out how it all gets done.

I'm so glad that my friend recommended Half the Church, because it not only helps me wrap my brain around all of this, but it's written from not only a Biblical perspective and with lots of evidence of women in leadership in the Bible. It also brings to my attention that the average woman spends less than half of her life with children living at home, and some women never get married or have children at all. What of those women, if we believe that a woman's place is in her home, and that the workplace, ministry, and leadership is primarily a "man's world"? I have to confess here - I've been pretty shortsighted on this one.

What is our identity to be, and how do we play that out to best benefit society, our families, and ourselves?

I don't like admitting that I had such a narrow perspective of women, and even myself. I don't like that some of you may think that I'm now a bra-burning feminist. I do, however, want to share this with you as I work my way through it. I want to hear what you think, even if we disagree.

Then again, I'm not sure what my opinion is, so it's hard to disagree with. Huh?

The post I don't want to write...

2013-01-18T17:32:00.000-06:00

Well, I never thought I'd say it, but I think we're giving up dairy at our house and cutting out wheat. For a while, at least.

I love my butter, raw whole milk, milk kefir, cheese and homemade bread. :(

I still think that these things can be good for you if you eat balanced diet and are sure to stick with all "real food" ingredients, but I seem to have developed an intolerance to them so....I don't know.

It's kind of a long story, so get settled...

I've noticed over the past year to year and a half that I have been catching an increasing amount of colds, whereas I rarely struggled with that before. I've also had 2 brutal sinus infections (the last one was when I discovered colloidal silver). The real wake up call for me, though, was last week when I suffered some kind of allergic reaction that scared both Dennis and me.

I broke out in hives like crazy, which is really unheard of for me. On the second night, my mouth even started to swell up, which was enough for me to drive to the emergency room at 10:30 at night. Once I got there and sat in the waiting room for a couple of hours, the swelling began to go down, so I decided to come back home. I was fairly certain that I knew what the doctor was going to do - give me some sort of steroid shot- and I especially wanted to avoid anything that drastic because I am still breast feeding. (I did keep a box of antihistamines at my side, though, just to be safe.) I told Dennis that I didn't want to get take any medicine unless I felt like my life was in danger. Yes, you can poke fun at me now if you want to...I will understand. :)

The next day, I went to our local Whole Health Market and talked to the wholistic specialist there. (I'm not sure what his official title is.) He sent me home with some enzymes to help my body process whatever allergen was in my system and to block the allergic reaction. I also got a comfrey tincture to put in my bath water.

I'm so thankful to have a place like this to go to locally.

The comfrey provided some immediate, temporary comfort. I could tell it worked because there was a distinct line where the "angry redness" stopped right at my neck, where the water in the tub started. I know it could be a coincidence, but the first day I took the enzymes in the morning, my hives went away until early evening. This happened for two days, until I started taking them twice a day - once in the morning and once early afternoon. The day I started that, the hives went away and have stayed gone.

I still don't know what caused the reaction, I hadn't really been around anything new. I also stopped using all skin care products, except for castile soap, on the first day I broke out. I'm slowly reintroducing them all now that I'm better. My theory is that my immune system was just compromised and something just "tipped it over the edge."

So, short story long, I did a consultation with the specialist at the health store, and he has a very different approach than I've had previously and, while I have a healthy sense of skepticism, I'm going to do as he recommended and give it ten days - starting on Monday.

He recommended a special "healing diet" based on my blood type and other observations. I will be practically vegan for those 10 days, loading up on beneficial fruits and veggies with very little grains. I'll get my protein from fish and (organic) soy. Yep, it's kind of the opposite of what we usually go for because we have such fast metabolisms that we usually go for calorie and fat rich foods.

Maybe my system just needs a break from processing all that rich food. I don't know. Dennis did a consultation, too, and he'll be doing a diet specially prescribed for him. He gets to eat mean, though. Lucky dog.

So, what do you think? I have a lot of healthy friends who eat like this all the time. I usually consider soy to be the devil...

There are so many opinions out there. Have you ever been surprised by something you thought was healthy and wasn't (at least for you)? Or vice versa?

I guess we are all so different, and our bodies all need different things to thrive.

Oh, by the way. I just finished reading "Half the Sky", and it's been an eye opener for me. I'll write more about that next week. My book for February is meant to accompany "Half the Sky". It's called "Half the Church." So challenging to my mindset about the role of women in society and the church! (Click the picture to learn more and order a copy! - It's linked up to my affiliate code.)">

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat some pizza, because it's not Monday yet. ;)