Consuming Kids

Yesterday afternoon, I ventured out of the house for the first time (by myself) since Miriam was born. A friend invited me to a showing of the film Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood at a local restaurant downtown. Click here to watch the Trailer on You Tube.

The film opened my eyes to a few things. I thought Jamey and I were pretty aware of how companies market to kids. Just a few weeks ago, he and I stopped at Target to pick up a couple things after a midwives' appointment- a rare opportunity for us to be out without the kids. One of the things we wanted to pick up was a pair of flip flops for Sam. Sadie had been handed down two pair and Sam really wanted a pair for himself. Do you know how hard it can be to find flip flops without Thomas or Power Rangers or Spiderman's image imprinted on them? Our kids only watch PBS and approved videos so they aren't exposed to commercials. Since Jamey and I don't watch kids' TV channels, I was really surprised at a lot of the commercials shown in the film.

Not only are advertisers trying to influence kids in regard to what toys, food, games, clothes, etc. they ask their parents to buy for them, they are targeting kids in an attempt to influence the purchases their parents make, too- non-kid purchases like cars, mini-vans, gas (yes, gasoline!), etc.

It may be obvious that marketers attempt to make kids brand loyal for life. There is a lot of money to be made and that is their job, of course. What really got to me was learning about the other ways that these advertisers are influencing kids.

Have you noticed that when they are trying to sell a product to a child, they don't talk much about the benefits of the product? You know, like how well it works? Instead they show how happy, cool and popular the kids are who use their toothpaste or buy their toy. It makes me really sad to think about how much this makes kids think that they will be happy if they have that product and worse yet, how they might make fun of or put down other kids who aren't "cool" because they don't have certain shoes or trading cards.

Also, if you watch closely, when they are marketing to girls, it's almost always about how great they'll look wearing something (jewelry, clothes, make-up, etc) and how they'll turn the boys' heads. For the boys, much of it is about action- often violent action- video games, action figures who fight, WWF wrestling, etc.

They also prey on kids' natural desires to be older. I remember always looking forward to my next birthday- those milestones mean new privileges and possibilities. Marketers are targeting younger and younger kids for items that most of us would agree are inappropriate for certain ages. For example, manicure and pedicure parties at salons for 6 year-olds. The film brought up the fact that these things are contributing to a loss of childhood- they're told to act, look and stomach images (when it comes to violence) in a way that only older kids/teenagers were told to in years past.

Most of my thoughts and information above have come directly from the film. What I found myself thinking about on my way home was how hard it can be for us as parents to decide where lines should be drawn when it comes to this issue and many others. In this case, at the very least, we need to be in conversation with our children (starting at a very young age) about what advertisements (in magazines, on billboards, on the internet) and commercials are all about- that they are trying to sell us something and they will do whatever they have to do to make it look good and to convince us we need it.

On the other end of the spectrum, we can take another approach. Decide what is best for our kids, and then make it happen. Even if fussing and tantrums ensue. We are ourselves the adults, right?

If you are interested in hosting a screening of this film or to find out more about how you can help speak out against this type of marketing, click here to go to the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood's website.

This concludes my public service announcement:-). Pin It

The Gift of Rhubarb

Well, our rhubarb had a slow start. Actually, it had a fine start but headed downhill because of inadequate fencing. We had too much going on and our fowl friends enjoyed getting in among the plants and kicking dirt and mulch on top of them. This caused the rhubarb to slow a bit and look pretty pitiful.

Thankfully, Jamey's parents brought us a gift of a whole cooler full of rhubarb stalks when they came to meet Miriam this past weekend. After a bit of chopping, we stashed 12 1/2 quarts of rhubarb in our newly defrosted upright freezer (they helped with this as well- thanks, mom and dad!).


Our rhubarb is starting to perk up, so we may freeze some more. I'm so glad to have the rhubarb. Our sour cherry tree produced close to zilch- we're not sure if there was a late frost or if this is just an "off" year. I must have one or the other to be able to make Rhubarb/Sour Cherry Crunch. Phew. That was a close one.

Freezing Rhubarb

When you harvest rhubarb, cut close to the ground and remove the leaves at the other end (do not eat the leaves). Wash well with water, let drip-dry a bit and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Transfer into quart bags and freeze.

To use, let thaw completely, drain off excess water and toss into muffins, crunch or whatever tickles your fancy. Pin It

Pea-uhs

That's how Sadie says peas. She eats peas like they're candy. Whenever we're picking or shelling peas, she's right there, shelling them herself and then eating them directly out of the pod. We find it hard to believe she hasn't gotten sick from all the raw fiber she's been getting, but so far so good.

My mom and Sadie shelling peas

Peas are a lot of work for what you get. We have peas planted all the way along the perimeter of our garden fence. It's often discouraging when a bushel picked turns into just a bowl of shelled. Oh, but once they are boiled in some water with a pinch a salt, we remember why we work so hard at picking and shelling. They are fresh and delicious.


Those we don't eat go into the freezer. I haven't had to take care of the putting up of the peas yet this year. Between my mom and Jamey, they've been taking care of the peas thus far. I've been nursing and nursing and nursing and nursing. This child is hungry.


Freezing Peas

Shell peas. Rinse peas to remove any excess dirt/pod pieces. Plunge peas into boiling water for about 3 minutes. Remove and plunge directly into cold water to stop the cooking (I use a sink full of water and ice cubes). Once cooled, let them drain and come to room temperature. Store them in plastic bags (we use quart bags mostly) and freeze.

To use, simply place frozen peas into boiling water and cook as you would store bought peas, making sure to taste them as they cook to avoid over cooking them. Pin It

Time Stands Still...Almost

What my mother says is true. When you have a baby, the world seems to stop. Well, at least in the mother's mind. I forget that people are going to work, heading off on summer vacations, doing all the things people do this time of year. I'm just consumed by this new life, whether she's getting enough milk, if she has a tummy ache or if she's just tired, how Sam and Sadie are handling things. My life is in my house, my little world.

Main Garden

But, life is moving on around me. While we were in the hospital, my mom and sister picked strawberries for the last couple times. Mom and Jamey have been picking and putting up peas (I've helped a bit with the shelling). We have stopped picking asparagus and now have to do our best to restrain ourselves and let them become tall, ferny fronds. The red raspberries are ripening and the kids have picked a few black raspberries. The lettuce has gone to seed as has the spinach. We've begun using swiss chard, carrots and onions in meals.

Back garden

Jamey built a gate and a permanent fence to keep the chickens where we want them to be. No more pussy-footin' around with temporary fences that those little stinkers can wiggle their way under. Our latest (4th this spring/summer) broody hen is still setting, due to hatch chicks in a week. Jamey has garden weeds under control. He made a bunk bed for the big kids.

Red Raspberries

My mom did an incredible job taking care of all of us. She was with us for a week and a half (We miss you, Mom!). In addition to making all our meals, she weeded all (yes, ALL) my many, many flower beds which hadn't had any attention since...hmmm...last summer? She did laundry, cleaned the house, washed windows, read countless books to the kids, changed many an itty-bitty diaper and even made up scavenger hunts for the kids.

Newest broody

Me...I'm still nursing and nursing and nursing, sometimes napping, gaining strength, easing back into chores and finally blogging some again. My world is slowly getting bigger... with an emphasis on slowly. Slowly feels just right. Pin It

Miriam's Birth Story

I think everyone has expectations of what an upcoming birth will be like, even though they know that every birth is different. I think we all have hopes of what it will be anyway. My expectation for my third labor and delivery was that is was going to be very similar to Sadie’s birth. With Sadie I was induced a week early because of muscular skeletal problems. This time I was going to be induced because I was late. With Sadie, a cervix-ripening drug was placed next to my cervix to help thin it a bit and then several hours later (after much walking), my water was broken. Sadie was born four hours later. This is what I was expecting since this third baby was in utero two weeks longer than what Sadie had been.

What happened instead was that when we got to the hospital, I was already 3 cm dilated, so we skipped the cervix ripener and went right to breaking my water. We were ahead of schedule and I was envisioning having this baby by lunch time. My water didn’t gush. Miriam’s head was down low, so only a trickle came out. After walking the halls for an hour with only a few moderate contractions, I discovered that Miriam had pooped in the womb. It wasn’t dark in color and since she was past due, no one was concerned. The only thing the nurse mentioned was that once the baby’s head was out, the midwife would want to immediately suction their nose and mouth so their first breath wouldn’t mean an inhalation of poop. Good thinking.

Since walking didn’t produce a good rhythm of contractions, they suggested I get into the Jacuzzi for awhile. This was extremely relaxing unfortunately. It was supposed to bring on stronger contractions. Instead of that, I had about 6 moderate ones in that 40 minute period. Next, I tried the birthing ball, bouncing and rotating my hips and pelvis. Nothing.

Our midwife at this point suggested starting Pitocin. It made sense as the next logical step, but it made me sad. I was hoping I wasn’t going to need it. Not just because of the intensity that Pitocin brings to contractions (I needed Pit during Sam’s labor as well), but because it meant a less natural process. I started to doubt our decision to be induced, wondering if we should have waited longer. Pitocin was started and so did contractions. By the time they leveled off my dosage (when I was really having to work through each one), I was very discouraged. I was tired. I was disappointed. I was having strong contractions with no idea how much longer this labor was going to last. Also in the not-so back of my mind was the fact that after hours of possible labor loomed transition. I hate transition. It’s the only time I feel out of control and even though it doesn’t last very long, I dislike it immensely.

I started thinking about drugs. With Sadie, I didn’t use any. I ASKED for some, but it turned out I was about ready to push, so there was no time and once I knew how close I was I didn’t want them anymore. This time I wanted them much earlier and this, too, was discouraging to me. I told Jamey I was sad and that I didn’t think I had it in me this time and that I wanted relief. He argued with me a bit and told me I should wait until the midwife checked me to see how dilated I was, just like I had told him to (prior to labor, of course). I was checked and was 5 cm. I asked our midwife what kind of time table I could be looking at and she said that a rule of thumb is about 1 cm per hour. Five hours?! She suspected I would deliver sooner, but couldn’t promise anything. I wanted the drugs. (She was born two hours later, not five.)

I was given pain medication through my IV and within minutes felt the edge come off the contractions (although I still had to breathe through and concentrate on each one) and my mood greatly improved. I felt hope. I was able to relax in between. Before long, the contractions picked up in frequency and intensity and I was having to work really hard to keep myself together. I assumed that even with the drugs, since I was getting closer to delivery, the contractions were just getting harder. During several contractions our midwife lifted my stomach to aid the baby’s movement downward (since I carry so low and out front). After a while I asked about the intensity of the contractions and was told that the drugs had worn off awhile before. The midwife told the nurse that she had timed it well- the way she gave it avoided the baby experiencing much affect at birth. I asked for more. Again, they convinced me to be checked first (just like I had asked them to). This time I was 9 cm. Praise God! I skipped the drugs.

I hunkered down on my side like I do when I need to concentrate and worked through each one maintaining fairly good control. I could feel her moving down, but with each one I expected the familiar urge to push, but it wouldn’t come. During as especially hard one, I could feel the nurse messing with the baby’s heart rate monitor that was strapped to my belly (a requirement when Pitocin is used). It hurt like crazy when she messed with it and I was close to asking her to stop when things changed.

I was made to lie on my back. An oxygen mask was placed over my mouth and nose. I saw my midwife inserting an internal heart rate monitor into me and into the top of the baby’s head still well inside. I thought they were just having trouble finding the heart beat (hence the internal monitor). I was so consumed by the contractions and the uncomfortable position I was in that I found it hard to listen to the instructions I was being given VERY firmly by the nurses (now there were several) and my midwife. I was 10 cm and was being told to push. NOW. The problem was, I had no urge to push, so I was having trouble finding my ‘pushing place’. I tried and couldn’t. I tried to follow their instructions. I knew what they were saying, I just couldn’t make it happen. Soon one of the nurses was physically pushing the baby down by pushing/pulling on my stomach from below. That hurt. What hurt turned out to do the trick. That manual push put Miriam’s head against my cervix and I felt the urge to push.

Look out. I pushed as if I was trying to push everything out of my body- baby and all. Everyone encouraged me to push even between contractions. So for a solid five minutes, I pushed and Miriam came out. I saw the midwife working on her once her head was out and I assumed she was suctioning. She was, but she was also getting the umbilical cord off from around her neck. She breathed. She cried. They placed her on my chest, poop and all and she was (and still is) beautiful. She scored well on her APGAR tests and was (and is) doing great.

I delivered the placenta soon after and was pleased to hear I wouldn’t need stitches. Then, out of nowhere I gushed blood and the midwife ordered the Pitocin back on to help stop the bleeding. I stayed on that until 11pm that night and had no further complications with my bleeding.

It was only over the course of that evening and the next when we had a chance to talk to our labor and delivery nurse did we come to find out the urgency of those last 10 minutes. Miriam’s heart beat was great- averaging in the 140s all during labor. During that tough contraction, the nurse was messing with the monitor on my belly because her heart rate had dropped to 60 and then couldn’t be found. Once the internal monitor was in, that read 60 as well. The OB from the group we go to had been called into the hospital in case I needed a c-section. The oxygen on me was an attempt to get more to Miriam. That was why they wanted me to get her out quickly. What they suspect happened is that she had the cord around her neck and a loose knot in her cord prior to labor. When she descended during those last, tough contractions, both pulled tight causing a drop in her heart rate.

Jamey was able to see more of the urgency in how everyone was working toward the end. He became weepy when Sam and Sadie were born, but when Miriam immerged, he was really crying. I was oblivious to a lot of that and was just so thankful that she was out and healthy and that those blasted contractions were over.

Miriam is a week old as I write this and a wonderful baby. It took her awhile to catch on to nursing. She expected milk after only a few sucks and didn’t have patience to wait for the milk to come. She has since learned patience and is eating well. After a couple semi-sleepless nights for Jamey and I, Miriam has fell into a wonderful sleeping pattern of only waking once or twice at night to nurse. She is starting to be awake more during the day and has even flashed us a few smiles that we are convinced were meant for us. I am trying to relish each day with this sweet newborn as she is our last. We are all in love. Pin It

An Unexpected Gift

Jamey is a full time pharmacy student, having completed his second of four years this past May. There are no summer class requirements, although there are practice hours he must complete. Once his classes were over this spring, he started working at a local pharmacy to complete this summer's hours and wrapped them up the week before Miriam was born.

For the remainder of the summer he planned on picking up work at the hospital pharmacy (as he did last summer) or at another pharmacy. As his practice hours became close to finishing, he started making contacts to set something up. The contacts were slow to respond and he began joking that maybe he would have the summer off. He mentioned this to the pharmacist who was overseeing his practice hours, a man Jamey's age with two kids very close in age to Sam and Sadie. He told Jamey to take the summer off, pointing out that he may never have a chance to do this again, especially when the kids are young.

Take the summer off? We let this stew, wondering how a family (now of five) was supposed to forgo an opportunity for work after a year with none. We weighed the pros and cons. We reviewed our finances. We prayed. Even though we knew it may be hard for some to understand our reasoning and ability to swing this, the idea really grew on us. Jamey, home for the summer? Here to help with our newborn and the kids? Here to manage the garden's weeds and help in preserving? Here to work on projects needing to be done around the house?

In a society where work is expected of most, we already feel a bit like misfits. I stay home. Jamey goes to school. No one works at our house. Opting to not pursue a few months of income seems bizarre and crazy.

But, in so many ways this makes sense. Because we in general swim against society's current- refusing to jump on many a bandwagon when it comes to possessions- we have been able to do what we've been doing- living off some savings and student loans. We don't have a cell phone plan or cable. We rarely go out to eat. We grow our own food, raise our own meat and are content to be home together instead of entertaining ourselves at the movie theater and mall. All these things save us money (and some of our spirits, I would say). This has helped us these past couple years and have made it possible for us to make the decision about Jamey's summer.

A summer at home. Together. Our values have beaten out society's expectations of us once again. We know that we are blessed to even be able to consider such a possibility. We know that many people are struggling all over the country to find work and pay bills. All more the reason we will relish this summer and the gift that it is. Pin It

To Tide You Over

I'd like to introduce you to Miriam. We're so glad she's here. We're home and I'm feeling better than I remember feeling after Sam and Sadie were born. Below you can see the surprise Miriam had for us- a true knot in her umbilical cord. She surprised us a few different ways during labor and delivery. As we process her birth day, we may be sharing some details. Until then, we will be enjoying our new family of five.


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Miriam

Miriam

Born June 10th at 5pm
7 lbs., 11 oz.
19 inches long

Miriam & Mommy are doing well

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Fanny

Poor Fanny (she's a hen if you're just tuning in). After setting on a dozen eggs for 26 days, Jamey took her off yesterday. We know 26 days is too long to wait for chicks- they usually arrive in 20 or 21 days. Fanny hatched a chick on day 23, but it died right away. It appeared that she never got off the nest to let it come out properly- it was pretty well flattened.

She was so determined to set and wait for her chicks to hatch. This makes me sad. Not just because I'm fairly emotional right now and I happen to be waiting for my chick to hatch, but because we're pretty sure it was our fault.

After Jamey took her off her clutch and we leg-banded her blue (we want to make sure she's had adequate food, drink and rest before we let her set again- if she even wants to), he opened her eggs in an attempt to figure out the problem. There were chicks inside- in varying stages of development- mostly young.

The mistake we think we made was not putting fresh eggs under her when we moved her to the broody box. We had done this with Emma. Giving them fresh eggs gives a better chance that the eggs are viable since when they are deciding whether or not to become broody, they may set on their clutch for several days (thus starting the chick development process) only to get off again for long enough to stop the process. Once they are in the broody box, they have been setting on (and sometimes off) the clutch for several days already. When we move them in, they really have nothing else to do and we can keep a better eye on them without disturbing the whole flock.

We're not sure how this explains the one chick who did hatch. Maybe Fanny or another hen laid it in with the others just before we moved her. That's our best guess. If anyone has another suggestion of what may have gone wrong, we'd love your ideas.

We're facing less of an egg yield and wondering if our two-year old layers aren't laying as often and the decision of what to do with them. I think we should provide some sort of hen retirement plan, but Jamey prefers the more practical harvest and stew option. So, while we decide about the older hens, do we order more chicks or hold out for another hen to go broody?

I have a feeling this is going to be the last time I think about these chickens for a little while. I do still feel for Fanny. All that setting and waiting and hoping. All for nothing. What keeps me from getting weepy is the fact that she has a bird brain and is probably over it by now. Pin It

Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles and Smoothies

Well, we are getting toward the end of strawberry season as far as our patch goes. We have roughly 20 quarts of crushed (plain, no sugar) strawberries chilling away in the freezer. We have eaten strawberries several different ways, including our favorite- fresh.


The one thing I have wanted to try before this season is over was to make strawberry popsicles for the kids. They love popsicles on a hot day as much as they love hot chocolate on a cold one. Popsicles win out (mom-wise) because they can be made healthy and the kids don't even notice. I use a popsicle mold and make my own. Most often I use our grape juice. Sometimes we have overnight company and they bring orange juice along. We're not used to drinking juice with breakfast- we drink water- so the leftover orange juice gets poured into the molds. Our mold makes seven popsicles, but if they aren't all eaten by the time I have more to make, I simply pop them out into freezer bags and refreeze. Wooden popsicle sticks work just as well as the fancy plastic ones.

So, I decided to try my hand at creating a strawberry popsicle recipe and below is the fruit of my labor (wow- two puns not intended). I knew what I had on hand and what I thought would taste yummy. While tasting, I discovered that this should not be just reserved for the kids and makes a fine smoothie as well. The best part? This recipe makes enough for seven popsicles and a nice tall glass of smoothie for the mommy making them.


Strawberry Yogurt Popsicles and Smoothie
Yields 14 (4-inch tall) popsicles OR 2 large glasses of smoothie OR a combination of the two

2 cups plain yogurt (I used homemade- bought will work just fine and give you a slightly thicker smoothie)
1 cup crushed strawberries
6-8 tbsp. honey
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk (evaporated, skim, whole, whatever you have)

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend away. Pour into molds to freeze and or glasses to drink.





The kids love these (we just did a final taste test). If you have crushed strawberries in the freezer, you can make these all summer long. Pin It

Stromboli, Our Version

Quick poultry update: We aren't sure what's going on with Fanny. Her "due date" came and went this past Wednesday (we may have figured wrong) and then two days ago one chick hatched and promptly died. We have some theories on why this time isn't looking successful. I'll bring those up another time.

One of my favorite things my parents (my mom and dad almost always worked together to make this) made for dinner while I was growing up was stromboli. It was their version of stromboli. Similar and yet quite different from most Italian restaurants' versions. I think the main difference was that theirs was and is never a greasy coronary nightmare like some stromboli I've had when I've been out to eat. You know how that is. You see something on the menu and you immediately think back to another time you've had that particular dish (when it was so very good) that you just have to order it, not even stopping to imagine how it likely will be very different. This has happened to me several times with stromboli. I don't think I have ever had a restaurant version that lived up to my memories. I just don't like the grease.

Jamey and I were still vegetarians during the first few years of our marriage. I remember thinking I was pretty adventurous to try making my parents' stromboli vegetarian (they almost always made it with venison or beef). It turned out just fine when we used steamed broccoli and carrots. We weren't very adventurous when it came to vegetables yet. Over the years, we have made it again and again using all kinds of fillings. I really don't think you can mess this up.

What I'm about to give you is less of a recipe and more of a guideline. Stick to the basics of it and use your creativity or some of our suggestions when it comes to the fillings.

Stromboli, Our Version
These instructions look rather lenghty. I just went into a lot of detail. Skim these over and you'll come away with the gist.

1) Start with bread dough. Your options are homemade dough (I would suggest a French bread recipe that makes two small/medium size loaves) or two store-bought frozen white (it just works better) bread loaves. If you make homemade, let is rise to the stage in the recipe before rolling it out into loaves. If you use the store-bought (we did this time), set two frozen loaves out on the counter in a greased, covered bowl the morning you want to make stromboli for dinner, giving it a chance to rise until tripled. If you use the dough before it's risen enough, you will just get a flatter, less puffy stromboli. We like ours puffy.

2) Choose and make your filling. I often make my filling ahead of time. This way, all you will have to do before baking the stomboli is assemble it. What works well is a combination of steamed vegetables and meat, or just meat or just vegetables that are coated with some type of sauce. The key is to not allow the filling to get too wet- it will just leak out during baking. Some ideas of fillings are:

~ 1/2 pound ground venison or beef, browned, with sauteed peppers, onions, fresh spinach, coated in tomato sauce (this is what we used this time)

~ cooked, shredded chicken, sauteed onions, spinach or chard, coated in barbecue or sweet and sour sauce

~ your choice of steamed vegetables, coated in salsa or tomato sauce

~ think of your favorite pizza toppings and use those

Set your filling aside, making sure to drain off any excess liquid.

3) Roll out your dough (both loaves worth) onto a floured surface in the shape of one large rectangle, roughly 1 1/2- 2 feet long and 1 foot wide.

4) Choose your first cheese. Cheese slices (of any kind) work best. They make a nice liquid-proof platter for your filling to sit on. You can use american, swiss, monteray jack, etc. A cheese that melts nicely works best. Lay the cheese slices down the center of your dough (length-wise), from one edge to the other, overlapping them about 1/2 inch. You are going for a solid stripe of cheese.

5) Spread your prepared filling on the cheese stripe (if you will). Sprinkle the top of the filling with another cheese, this time shredded or crumbled. We often use mozzarella, but you could use any kind.

6) To finish the assembly, lay 1/3 of the dough rectangle (length-wise) over the filling third. Then, lay the other dough third over the filling third, tucking that third under the far side of the filling third. I really should have taken pictures here- I'm sorry. Basically, you want to end up with a long roll about the size of your initial cheese stripe. Seal each end by pinching them closed, using a bit of water to help make a seal. We use a pastry brush to dampen the top of the stromboli and then sprinkle Lawry's seasoned salt on top. Transfer it to a large, greased cookie sheet, bending it into a "J" if it's too long to lay straight.

7) Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned on top.

Do you make stromboli or something similar? If so, I would love to hear what you fill yours with. Pin It

Recipes by Ingredient

My favorite way to find recipes is by ingredient. It's the easiest way for me to cook and bake since we use what is in season. There I sit, staring at a huge basket of basil or a counter full of Swiss chard. My favorite cookbooks are those divided by season and ingredient so I don't have to go flipping to the index in the back.

Well, since I seem to be mostly sitting around these days, I put together a Recipes by Ingredient link for myself and for you. It's in the right hand margin. Just click on the picture of the red raspberries and you'll be transported to the new index. Enjoy! Pin It

D-Day (a.k.a. Due Date)

Well, today is the blessed day. The estimated due date for our baby. Each day that passes beyond today is a day that I am late. I have been imagining that I have been "cooking" this baby (don't visualize an oven, visualize my uterus, ok?). For each day I am late, I prefer to imagine the child being "pickled" versus over-cooked. But, that's not quite right either. Oh, my, are these words actually coming out of my head?

I am so very thankful. I didn't even get this far with Sadie because I was so miserable. For a good month before I was induced at 39 weeks, when the sweet midwives would ask how I was doing, I would burst into tears. All my joints hurt and I had a lot of difficulty walking as well as extreme ligament pain. This time around, I am just the normal end-of-pregnancy uncomfortable and for that I am so thankful. I credit a lot of this to this Belly Bra I have been wearing for months. I carry very low and this has provided great support.

I'm ready. At least as ready as I can be. Cradle is made up. Changing station set up. Plenty of diapers. Notes on Sam and Sadie's routine on the fridge. Maternity clothes that don't fit anymore (this is most of them) packed in bins. Nursing tops in my drawers. Hospital bag and infant car seat in the van. Visualized (almost, I think) every possible birth scenario just to prepare myself. Extra meals in freezer. Pads (of several sorts) on hand. Kids aware of the plan for their care while we are at the hospital.

Now I just need this baby to show it's face. Well, preferably the top of his/her head. Pin It

Spinach Strawberry Salad

We are enjoying strawberries so much. I finally got around to making a this-time-of-year favorite- Spinach Strawberry Salad. You may very well have your own version of this salad or have made the recipe in the Simply in Season cookbook. The recipe below is the recipe my mom has always used, so it's the one I use. It's really wonderful and celebrates the season perfectly.



Spinach Strawberry Salad (my mom's recipe)

1 large bowl full of cleaned, dried and torn spinach
1 quart strawberries, washed and sliced

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid combine:
1/2 cup sugar (or 1/3 cup if you like things less sweet)
2 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
2 tsp. minced onion (optional)
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Just before serving, place strawberries into your spinach bowl, pour well-shaken jar of dressing over the top and toss gently until all spinach is well coated.


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This Week

Well, friends, I am still here cooking my baby. This Thursday is my due date. My feeling is that this baby is going to come late. I'll just be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't this way.

Jamey keeps picking and bringing in strawberries. He picks every other day. We've found that if we pick less often, we lose some to rot since we only pick the really ripe ones. Those have the best flavor and when you have the luxury of your own patch, why not wait to pick until they are at their peak?

On Sunday, Jamey picked 16 quarts. We've been setting aside large bowls to eat fresh and then crushing and freezing the rest (without sugar). The crushed can be thawed and later made into jam, pies, etc.


We are eating strawberry everything. Here are some strawberry pancakes we made the other night. They are nothing fancy- just whole wheat pancakes with a cooked crushed strawberry sauce made with a little brown sugar and cornstarch to thicken it.


No, you're not seeing double. On the right we have Fanny (I finally named our second-ever broody hen. I named her in honor of what my fanny is about to have to do). Fanny is due to hatch her chicks tomorrow- I was SO hoping I would beat her- I guess there is a slim chance of that, but I doubt it.

On the left is a NEW broody that we just moved over the other day. Whose idea was it to name all these broody hens, anyway? I guess it was mine. We'll see how I'm feeling when her eggs get close to hatching- maybe she'll be named "Sleepy" or something of the sort.


We're still eating lettuce, spinach and asparagus. Sadie is still in love with worms. I must tell you a little Sadie story. The other night, Jamey and I went to small group (occasionally we meet without kids). My brother and his wife babysat Sam and Sadie. When we got home, they told us that Sadie had found worms and had buckled them into the swing, gave them swing rides and sent them rolling and flopping down the sliding board. Such a little momma already.

That's all the news for now, I suppose. Enjoy this beautiful day!! Pin It