Quickie Candy Cane Project

I love a project that contains ingredients that you already have on hand.  This is a great way to remind kids that Christmas is about the birth of Christ!  

 Before we started our work in the kitchen, we read The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg.  It went over the characteristics of the candy and what they represent.

• The "J" shape that stands for Jesus
• The shape (when upright) is a shepherd's staff, the first people to find out about the birth of Jesus.
• The red representing that "by His stripes we are healed".
• The white representing how Christ can wash us clean from sin.
• How, like the candy, the story of Christ's birth and redemptive work should be shared with everyone.

We melted a 1/2 c of chocolate chips in the microwave.  (I checked their progress every 30 seconds until they were melted.)  Dip your candy in, tap off the excess chocolate, decorate, and enjoy with cocoa once the chocolate sets.

Cranberry Corn Bread

I got the general idea for this bread from a recipe on my go-to website for recipes (www.tasteofhome.com), but modified it quite a bit because I didn't want to add a cup of white sugar and a ton of butter!  The bread came out almost like a dessert.  It was very moist.  If you wanted it more "crumby" (totally not a word) I would try reducing the amount of milk by a few more tablespoons.  Remember, you need to make some other adjustments to your recipe if you're going to substitute oil for butter or agave nectar for sugar.  www.ehow.com has good guidelines for these types of substitutions.  Here's my recipe with the modifications already made for you:

Ingredients:

1/4 c butter, softened

2 1/2 Tbs oil

2/3 c agave nectar

2 eggs

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 c cornmeal

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 1/4 c buttermilk

1 c cranberries, halved

In a bowl, mix together the butter, oil and agave nectar.  Add eggs and mix well.  Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.  Add to the agave nectar mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Fold in cranberries.  Transfer to a greased 9-in square baking pan.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Serve warm.  Yield: 9-12 servings.

Decking the Halls and Other Shenanigans

 The first year decorating a new house is always a challenge.  Our house is cozier than the last, so my goal was to use many of my favorite decorations without overwhelming our space.  I'm not sure if I succeeded, but I gave it a good try : )  

This clock plays music and the train moves each hour.  My older two run into the office each time it starts.

 I treasure the old-timey ornaments from my grandma.  This funky tree helps me display some that would otherwise get lost on our over-filled Christmas tree.

 I love nativity scenes

A wintertime bird on her nest

 The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

 I thought the artwork that usually anchors the mantle was too busy with all the rest of the decorations, but I couldn't leave the wall blank b/c the previous homeowners left big holes where their tv mount had been.  I found a nativity scene online, printed it, and put it in an old frame.  It's not completely centered over the mantle, which bugs me, but it's way better than looking at holes, right?  

 Our centerpiece needs to be narrow since my boys are a bit boisterous at mealtime.

 I love a tiered stand for displaying pieces that would otherwise clutter the countertop.  The bottom bowls hold fruit, peppermint candy corn, and tea.

 An old muffin tin houses potpourri and candles.  Cranberry Chutney from Yankee Candle is my favorite holiday scent.

 My boys are forever jangling these metal ornaments as they go up and down the stairs, but oh well!  We'll say it's a "holiday sound".

 A friendly snowman graces our closet door.

 A door bucket welcomes winter guests.

 The older boys share a tree in their room.  They'd have it lit all day every day if they had their way.

Chicken and Barley Soup

I made chicken and barley soup for my mom and aunt who came for lunch the other day.  We all really enjoyed it.  I got the basic recipe from Gooseberry Patch's Quick and Easy Autumn Cookbook.  Below is the recipe with my changes.

1/2 c. onion chopped

2 c. carrot, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 t. olive oil

30 oz vegetable broth

1 c. quick cooking barley, uncooked

2 c. water

salt &  pepper to taste

2 c. cooked chicken, cubed

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, saute onion and garlic in oil for about 4 minutes.  Add garlic and continue to cook until the onion is tender.  Add broth, barley, water and seasonings.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 20-25 minutes, until the veggies are tender.  Add chicken and heat through.  (At this point, I threw the soup in my Crock Pot on the warm setting and let it warm for a few hours before my guests arrived.)  If the soup is too thick, add a bit more water.  Serve with crusty bread. Yum!

Serves 6-8

Science Fun for Rowdy Youngsters

What a big blogging slacker I've been!  We've had a bunch of life changes including a new baby, a new town, and a new home!  Whew!
  I've semi-caught my breath, and we're back to homeschooling for our second year.  Today we used aluminum foil to make molds of objects in our homes.  My 2-year-old and I worked together, and I had my almost-five-year-old go off on his own.  We each guessed what objects the other team had used.  They enjoyed playing with the foil and making guesses based on the odd shapes we came up with.

Fun with an avacado

Must-haves for Baby and Mama

Okay, so there's nothing you actually HAVE to have, but these items have been very helpful to our family during those precious early years of our boys' lives.  Most of the items have been recommended to me by other moms.  I spent hours picking their brains about all things baby.

Favorite Baby Books:

• The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp (great ideas for sleep and soothing a fussy baby)
• The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg (the basics of her technique and an overview of scheduling/baby routine)
• The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems by Tracy Hogg (if you like her techniques, this book offers very specific advice for most sleep/eating/scheduling problems)
• The Vaccine Book by Sears (we follow his alternate shot schedule)

For a Good Night's Sleep:

• Swaddling blankets - The Miracle Blanket or Aden and Anias swaddling blankets
• White Noise - You can easily use a radio tuned to static or a fan.  Our little guys liked white noise so much for sleeping that we invested in a white noise machine by Marpac similar to this one.  We now own two.

Nursing Items:

• Bamboobies - yes, an incredibly embarrassing name, but these are great breast pads that don't show through your shirt.
• Nursing Cover - like the ones from Baby au Lait or the Modest Mom

For Your Mental Health:

I've loved being involved in my local Mothers of Preschoolers group (MOPS).  It's for any mom of a newborn through preschool age.  Childcare is usually provided on-site.  It's great to be able to get out a couple of times a month and talk with other mamas.  

Our Home Birth

  I'm sorry if this post is a bit foggy.  I wanted to write about our home birth before I forget the details!  Our sweet Joey is about 2 weeks old now, so it's time I got crackin', right?
  Just a little background information to start: our first two boys were born in the hospital and nurse midwives attended both births.  Our oldest son was born in a German hospital, which was an interesting and good experience.  Our second sweet boy was born here in the States.  It was also a fairly good experience, however I absolutely felt like the nurses were rushing my labor along.  I was told to walk for two hours to dilate more, otherwise I'd be sent home.  (Traveling by car to the hospital is one of the most stressful parts of the birth for me, so I took them seriously and did as I was told.)  I did indeed keep "on schedule", but I was extremely tired out by the time my son was born.
  I started out my 3rd pregnancy under the care of the same hospital and a nurse midwife, but started seriously considering a home birth about 2 months before Joey was due.  I had read a number of books about home birth, watched some great documentaries about our modern obstetrical practices, and have three friends who have had great outcomes with home births.  When I researched even more, I found out that the data does support the fact that in a low-risk pregnancy, home birth attended by an experienced midwife is just as safe and sometimes safer than a hospital birth.
  I started talking to my husband about it and showed him some of the statistics.  He told me he'd think and pray on it.  After a week or so and many conversations later, he agreed that we should attempt a home birth, even though our insurance wouldn't cover any of the cost.  We found an excellent midwife, Yolanda Visser, who runs Birth Song Midwifery in Grand Rapids.  She's attended well over 2,400 births, and she's an absolute champion as a midwife, in my opinion.
  Because I had come so far in my pregnancy under the hospital system, I continued to see the nurse midwife, so that if I needed to be transferred to the hospital or if I was told late in pregnancy that I was not a good candidate anymore for home birth, that there would be no issue of "continuity of care".  The nurse midwife knew I was considering a home birth, and she had agreed that I would be a good candidate for it.  At her request, because of hospital and insurance issues, I was never able to tell her outright that I was planning a home birth.  
  I was very pleased with my prenatal care with Yolanda.  My appointments were usually an hour long, and she spent a lot of time making sure my nutrition was on track.  She switched my prenatal vitamins to a food-based vitamin and added fish oil, evening primrose oil, and raspberry leaf tea to my daily regimen.  She treated me like a human being with a normal life situation on my hands, instead of someone who was ill.  I really appreciated that.
  When the day finally came, I was more than ready to not be pregnant anymore!  Contractions started around 4:30 am, but I didn't feel like the baby was dropping much.  I was in contact with Yolanda all day by phone, as she monitored my progress.  I had been cleaning most of the day to get ready to show our house, which is for sale.  We actually left the house and went out to dinner while I was having contractions so that the house could be shown.  (Why waste a clean house, right?!).  By the time we got home and put the older boys to bed, I thought it was time for Yolanda to start making her way to our house.  The baby was dropping and the contractions were coming faster and harder.  Around that time, we also called our moms to come and be at the house in case our boys woke up.
  By the time Yolanda arrived at 11pm, my contractions were coming one on top of another.  I attribute the brevity of my active labor time (4 hours) to the raspberry leaf tea and being on my feet all day.  Man-oh-man, I somehow thought labor at home would be easier, but it was still extremely intense.   Going through contractions on my hands and knees on the floor worked the best for me this time around.  There's no way in the world you'd ever find me on a hospital room floor, but at home I could choose to be wherever I wanted.  My husband was a huge help to me during my labor.  He was incredibly supportive and encouraging.  I asked him later if this birth was different for him than the first two, and he said he felt more involved in the process at home.  He was very pleased with the whole experience.
  By 11:30 my water had broken, and it was time to push.  At 11:47pm, Joseph took his first breath and let out a tremendous yell.  I had been praying before he was born that he'd let us know right away that he was healthy and well.  That prayer was answered!  He is by far our loudest screamer (which is a feat if you know my oldest son).
  Within a few minutes, we invited our moms into the room.  It was a really special time for both of them.  My mom has since told me that it's one of the highlights of her life.  We all saw Joey's newborn examination as Yolanda told us each factor she was looking for.  It was interesting for me to watch because for the other two births, the boys were always taken away to be weighed and checked.  Mr. Joey was 9 pounds at birth!  We were shocked at his size!  In keeping with his enthusiasm for eating, he latched on almost immediately and started nursing.
  A few minutes later, my husband got our boys up to meet their brother.  Our oldest son had been so insanely excited about the whole pregnancy; we knew it would be a great moment for him.  He said "hi" and immediately leaned over and hugged him.  Our 2-year-old son surprised us by taking delight in his new baby brother.  We attribute most of this to his meeting Joey right away and in the comfort of our home.  My husband and I didn't leave for the hospital and then come back a few days later with a new sibling, which we knew would have greatly bothered our sensitive little guy.
  Yolanda stayed with us for about an hour and then left us with our newest addition!  It was wonderful to go to sleep in our own bed, without nurses coming in and waking us up many times.  When I woke up very early in the morning, I just went downstairs and got myself a drink and some fruit.  How nice to not have to wait for the hospital's cafeteria to open!  Later on, we enjoyed a feast prepared by my mom and just hung out as a family.  It was a wonderful experience for all of us, thank God!  We had prayed earnestly for a healthy labor, deliver, and baby, and He answered all of our prayers.

Psalm 139:13-15

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ For you created my inmost being;^(A)
    you knit me together^(B) in my mother’s womb.^(C)
14 I praise you^(D) because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,^(E)
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made^(F) in the secret place,
    when I was woven together^(G) in the depths of the earth.^(H)

Welcome to the clan!

 Newborn exam

9 pounds!