Wow, this has been quite a day! It started out with an 11:00 am orthodonist appointment, which I wanted to leave for by 9:45 (it’s about an hour away). Breakfast is normally at 8:00 in our house, but with the time change, we’re still adjusting, so it was more like 8:30, plus I had to pack two lunches (for my husband, since he was going to be in school today, and for my son, who can’t get enough to eat in any restaurant, thanks to allergies). I didn’t actually wash the dishes like I normally do–just rinsed and put them in the washer. We left about 9:50, got to my appointment 20 minutes early (traffic was lovely), to find that the first four patients had showed up late, so they were running behind! Fortunately, they have a lot of fun toys in the office, so the kids were pretty happy the whole time. Gislaine, though, decided she didn’t want to be early next time!

After that, since I wasn’t hungry yet, and the restaurant we planned to eat at was fairly close, I decided to stop at my favorite thrift store, which was pretty much on the way to the restaurant anyway. I found a lovely Eddie Bauer black turtleneck for $2! Yes, this store is much cheaper than Goodwill. I already have a black turtleneck, but it is rather faded, and this one looks practically new. So I’m going to cut my old one up to make a dickie for wearing under low-necked blouses. I found a lovely, lightweight maternity blouse/sweater, but the neck is way too low. It’s warm enough to not need another shirt under it, so I wanted something to wear under it. Now I can cut down my old black turtleneck and wear the sweater! It will be so nice to have something different to wear to church!

Then we went to Sweet Tomatoes. That is our family’s favorite place to eat out. Granted, I like some other places better, but as a family, that is our favorite place. I love how I can make the biggest salad I  want, and they always have a good variety of vegetarian options, including soups. Almost anyone can eat there–except my son, who can’t have lettuce or tomatoes or potatoes or just about anything. He ate olives and jello from there–after eating the food I had brought for him. It’s also nice that they have the salad bar right at the entrance; you get what you want there, pay, then when you are ready go to the soup/baked potato/baked goods/pasta section. So I can get my daughter to eat some veggies before she gets anything else.

We were over an hour early for my next appointment–which was only 4 miles away–so I decided to hop over to the mall and see if JC Penny’s had any maternity skirts, since I happened to have a couple of gift cards from there. They didn’t–not even in the catalog. I was very disappointed. But I did find a very cute black polka dot blouse with a high neck (almost all their shirts had low necks), cute embroidery down the chest and around the hem, and ties in the back. It was $20–much more than I would normally spend on a blouse, but of course, I wasn’t paying for it, and it probably could have cost a lot more than that. I’ll take a picture some time. Then we walked down the mall for a bit and got a Jamba Juice vegan green smoothie. It was, as Manny would put it, “Uh-wish-us”

Then we went for my first prenatal check-up. That was a very new experience. This is my third child, but I’ve always had midwives doing my prenatal care. I expected to be asked all kinds of questions about my diet and lifestyle, exercise, etc. Instead, I was simply asked about the birth history of my first two, some other routine questions, given a breast exam, pap smear, quickie ultrasound, and sent to the hospital for a blood draw to do all the lab tests that were due. No explanation was given for the labs that were being done, either–just a handout that I could read. I wasn’t told which were optional or anything. Not that I really care at this point, but it is just a different feeling. I can understand now how women going into the hospital in labor can get railroaded into having procedures done that they never wanted done–simply because they aren’t given a choice or a chance to ask questions. When I described it to my husband, he said, “They are just mechanical,” and I agree. It sure reinforced my desire to have a home birth with a midwife!

I was a little nervous mentioning my plans for a home birth, because I didn’t know what she would say. I wanted an OB that was comfortable just doing the prenatal care and letting a midwife oversee a home birth, but I had tried several OB’s, and none of them wanted to do the prenatal care if I was planning a home birth. I wanted to get the prenatal care covered by my insurance, which is why I contacted them in the first place. But when she asked about my birth history, asking if I had had an epidural with my first, I said, “No. She was born in a birth center, and my son was born at home.” She responded, “Then why are you coming here?” I explained that I wanted a home birth, but wanted to get my prenatal care covered by insurance. She was fine with it. In fact, she told me that she would rather that women got prenatal care, however they chose to deliver, than to not get it. So that made me happy. I don’t think I would have chosen her if I were planning a hospital birth, but for my prenatal care, I’m content.

From there, we went to the hospital to get my blood drawn for labs. It had been raining most of the day, sometimes more than others. At that point, almost 5:00 pm, it was getting down to a steady drizzle, the kind that makes you quite damp walking from a building to the car. And I forgot the folder with the order for the tests in the clinic–and didn’t remember it until I was just feet from the hospital entrance (that is, about to walk in). So we turned around without even reaching the shelter of the overhang at the entrance, hopped back in the van, and drove around the corner (fortunately it really was just around the corner), parked, went back up to the clinic, got the folder, went back to the van, and drove around the corner again, and walked in. Needless to say, we were rather damp by that time! But we dried out. I’m just glad the hospital was right next door (we would have walked there if it hadn’t been raining)!

By the time we finished, it was already after 6:00. What a long day! Manny had leftover lunch, so I gave him that. Didn’t have anything for Gislaine, so we stopped at McDonalds and picked up a parfait from the dollar menu. That’s the second time in a month I’ve bought from them, but I figure as healthy goes, a parfait isn’t really too bad, and I wasn’t about to get the kids out of the van again, and the drive through was very convenient!

When we got home, Manny was asleep. I left him in the van in the garage with the door to the garage cracked, and got Gislaine a bite to eat to fill her up and put her to bed. Then I warmed a little bit of hemp milk, got Manny out of the van, fed him his milk, put on PJ’s, and put him in bed. It was well after his bedtime by then, so he didn’t fuss about going to bed!

So that was my day today! I just felt like writing about it. I was going to do some prenatal yoga before hitting the sack, but I’m too sore from all the exercises I’ve done lately, and just been too disoriented since I got home, so I’m going to drink some fiber and go to bed. Tomorrow we are going to try to get the laminate floor into the house to acclimate for 3 days so we can get it installed before D-day, next week. We have to be out of here by Wednesday next week.

How did your day go?

If you use Facebook (and maybe even if you don’t), you have probably seen this picture floating on your news feed:

I have very strong opinions on Daylight Nuisance Savings Time. And I thought I’d share them.

First of all, it doesn’t save time at all. There are still 24 hours in a day. And on days like today, it actually steals an hour! Granted, it gives it back in the fall, but by that time, I’ve forgotten how annoying it was to have it taken in the first place. It’s like someone stealing the $20 bucks I planned to buy lunch with, only to bring it back a month later. By that time, I have long gotten over the loss, you know!

Where did DST originate? Well, since I don’t have time to research that (and since I’m sure you’ve already read something on that topic within the last few years), let’s just say that what I remember being told is that farmers needed more daylight at the end of the day to get their work done. But that makes no sense. I mean, farm equipment has lights, just like cars do. Why not just start an hour earlier in the morning? Or are those poor farmers supposed to skip an hour of sleep every night in the summer?

Not all states and countries have DST. Arizona doesn’t. I have a friend who dreams of moving there. Her health is very unstable and requires adherence to a very strict schedule. The time change messes with that. Although she changes the times on her schedule to adjust as though there were no DST, it makes activities like going to church difficult. Mexico has DST, but it starts later and ends earlier–as we discovered once when trying to attend a function at a church across the border. It seems that it used to start later and end earlier in the US, too, but someone keeps pushing the dates back to make it longer.

Growing up, we called DST “Man’s time” and the regular time “God’s time.” I still think of it that way.

I figure, what’s the point of changing it at all? Just pick a time and stick to it. The changing back and forth every year is annoying.

Thankfully for me, we worship on Saturday, so we don’t have to be anywhere Sunday morning. That makes it easier to adjust–we don’t need to lose the hour of sleep. Unless, of course, we stay up an hour later the night before!

So those are my thoughts. What do you think about Daylight Savings Time? Do you like it? Dislike it? Why? Please share!

Last night we had a very special evening. The Hoodview Church ***link*** had an Agape Feast and communion. It was a potluck-style supper of fruit, bread, and soup.

I wish I had taken my camera, but I didn’t think about it until later. The room was beautifully arranged by one of my friends. There were a number of rectangle tables arranged in the shape of a cross, with extra round overflow tables around it. On the tables were decorations of candles, crosses, and almost two dozen of this very beautiful resurrection garden, made by various church members. (I’ll see if my friend who took pictures can get me a picture later–otherwise follow the link.)

After supper, we sang two songs, “At the Cross” and “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross.” Then we had a short homily by a young man that I assume is a pastor-in-training (we haven’t been to this church for a long time, so we are a little out-of-touch with what is happening there). Then we broke up for footwashing preparatory to communion, at which point we went home. It was almost 8:00 by this time, and Manny was what I like to call “tired wired”–you know, when toddlers get hyper because they are actually tired.

Before leaving, I asked if we could take a little communion bread and grape juice home. I hadn’t participated in communion for a while, and I didn’t want to be cheated of the experience on account of the kids!

Once we were home and the kids were in bed, my husband crashed on the couch and searched for a Bible passage to read, while I set out the communion meal and prepared a basin, water, and towel. Then we shared communion together.

By this time, we were both tired, so we went to bed. However, I woke early this morning. I remembered how the last time we participated in an Agape Feast at Hoodview, the pastor had walked around the cross, meditating out loud on the various wounds of Christ and His sacrifice for us. So in the wee hours before sunrise this morning, I lay quietly and did the same in my own mind. It moved me to tears. What love Jesus has for each of us!

Today we go back to celebrate his resurrection. Sure, it’s a day early, but since we don’t worship on Sunday, it is more convenient to do it today. There will be a potluck brunch, ministry booths in the foyer, followed by a musical, dramatized reenactment of Jesus’ death and resurrection. I am looking forward to it!

How are you celebrating Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection this weekend?

I just saw an announcement that the book True Christian Motherhood is available for $1 today, Wednesday, March 7. I’m going to pick up a copy sometime today, but I wanted to let you know about it. At that price, anyone can afford it, and I’m sure it’s packed full of wonderful encouragement and counsel. So go pick up a copy!

I have been invaded. Or maybe I should say, my kitchen has been invaded. The invaders come in swarms, too numerous to count. They make trails, devour anything tasty, and generally make a nuisance of themselves.

In case you haven’t figured out what they are yet, I’m referring to ants.

Click Image for Source

Specifically, honey or sugar ants. These little critters love anything sweet, and seem to smell it from wherever their home is and come after it. Leave an empty but unrinsed bowl of cereal in the counter, and in an hour or two it will be teaming with the little critters. Spill a drop of juice or honey on the counter and fail to wipe it up, and soon there will be a trail of ants going to and fro, the drop itself obscured by their little bodies.

Lately, with my diligence to get the dishes done right after meals and leaving the sink spotless before bed, the tiny ants have not had much motivation to come into my kitchen. However, one night recently I was just too tired. I didn’t shine my sink and I didn’t wash all the dishes. When I walked into the kitchen, they were everywhere. Climbing in and out of dirty bowls by the sink, making trails on the walls and counters, and in general making a royal mess. But I had to get breakfast ready, and I was too hungry to wait until I had cleaned up the kitchen to begin. So I cleared an area near the stove to work on and began, trying to ignore the devastation going on behind me.

I took a package of tofu out of the refrigerator and drained it in the sink. I noticed that an edge piece was loose and decided to have a nibble (I love raw tofu). I have no idea how it got there, but suddenly the flavor of honey ant filled my mouth. If you have never tasted it, you have no idea how awful it is. It’s not the kind of taste that makes you gag, but it is extremely unpleasant, and totally unexpected.

Well, I just lost it. Somehow that taste in my mouth–which doesn’t just rinse out, by the way–was the last straw. I was tired, my husband had yet to come into the kitchen yet (I don’t know if he was up yet–probably, but just hadn’t come out yet), and the kids were already up, and ants were crawling all over me, and I just couldn’t take it. I called him to come help. I knew if the kitchen were cleaned up, the ants would disappear, but I had already started breakfast and couldn’t just stop and clean for 15 minutes. I did take a minute to spray a cleaner on the ants (which has a soap in it, smothering them and killing them instantly). My dear husband came in and washed up the dirty dishes and wiped down the dead ants and any other ones he found wandering around the walls or wherever.

I know I had been tired the night before, but honestly, 10 minutes to right the kitchen would have been much less traumatic than eating an ant the next morning! So lesson learned: Make sure the kitchen is clean the night before; and if I don’t really have the energy to wash the supper dishes, at least rinse anything sweet out of them! And take a minute to wipe the counters!

There is another lesson, however. Sometimes we allow things into our lives that seem harmless, or maybe it’s just a little neglect of duty, such as really taking the time to spend quality time with God. It wasn’t some big rebellion, saying “God, I don’t need You. I can do it on my own.” Just little neglect. But suddenly, life becomes overwhelming and we just can’t take it anymore. Everything is out of control, and we realize that we just can’t do it on our own after all. Then we must cry out to our Heavenly Husband to come help us. He will clean up the sin and the mess, and bring peace and harmony back into our lives.

Oh, that I may not neglect those little things!

So it’s been over a week since I posted on this topic. No, I haven’t forgotten… just that blogging has gotten me into thinking of things to blog about, and some of them I didn’t want to wait to share. But now I have some time and I wanted to share about my Before Lunch Routine.

This one is fairly simple. The only thing is actually starting it on time. You see, I have struggled with schedules for a long time. I’ll make one up, but I can’t make it work. Too many details, or not enough of them, or I get tired of it. With a routine, I don’t actually schedule the times. For instance, I don’t have a time that I have to be finished with the breakfast dishes, but I try to do them quickly right after breakfast. However, I have found that my Before Lunch Routine works best if I start it around 11:30. The idea is to have lunch ready by 1:00 on an average day, and makes sure I have enough time to cook it–especially if it’s something like split pea soup that takes a lot of time to cook (an hour, not including the time it takes to come to a boil).

First, I check the laundry. Depending on when I started it in the morning, the first load may or may not be in the dryer. Either way, I do the next step in the laundry process, except folding (unless lunch is super easy, like sandwiches–then I might fold a load). With the laundry room out in the garage, it’s easy to forget, especially if I miss the timer or forget that I heard it while doing something changing a diaper–we moms can forget things so quickly when we have so many pressing, urgent must-do-nows!

After rebooting the laundry, I pause to consider what is for lunch. I have a menu, but this consideration is more to think about how long it will take to prepare. Half an hour? An hour and 15 minutes? When do I need to start to be sure it’s finished by 1:00? Or did we eat breakfast late and need to eat a bit later lunch as a result? This step takes all of about 15 seconds, and often I do it while rebooting the laundry.

Then I empty the dishwasher. If I do it now, I will be more motivated to wash up the dishes right after lunch. I also want to try to wash prep dishes as I go. It’s hard for me, because I’m working alone and I never learned to wash as I go. If I do that, I tend to get distracted and forget what’s cooking… but I want to try, anyhow. Or maybe sometimes I can use the time while the food is cooking to clean up, depending on what the meal is and how much I have to watch it. I mean, if I’m making a stir-fry, I can only leave it for 10-15 seconds at a time (since I stir fry hot like they do in restaurants); but if I’m making soup, once all the ingredients are in, I can clean up while it cooks.

Next step is to drink water. This might mean to finish the water I started earlier in the morning, or perhaps to drink a little bit while the food is cooking. Just a reminder to make sure I get enough.

The last one is to set the table. Since I already thought about what is for lunch, I know what plates or bowls or silverware are needed, what hot pads or whatever.

So that’s my Before Lunch Routine. Let’s recap:

• Check laundry
• What’s for lunch?
• Empty Dishwasher
• Drink water
• Set Table

All together, that whole routine shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes (unless I have lots of time and decide to fold a basket of laundry).

Granted, I am still struggling to make this work. But 90% of my problem is delaying until I absolutely must start lunch instead of stopping whatever I was doing at 11:30 and starting the routine. But I’m working on it.

Do you have a before lunch routine? If so, I’d love to hear it!

I don’t ever remember my mom doing a proper spring cleaning, so I haven’t ever done one either. However, the ideas here could be spaced out over several weeks (to keep it from being overwhelming), and I think I want to try some of the ideas here! –Lisa

A clean home gives you many benefits, the best one being a great stress reliever. After a long day at work, wouldn’t it be nice to go home to a clean and organized house where everything you need is at the right place?

Spring is the perfect time to clear your home of all the clutter and chaos. This doesn’t mean you have to throw out everything, though. Here are some green solutions you can try during your spring clean this year.

Be open to change

The best way to go about spring cleaning is to dispose items that you no longer use. These can be empty lotion and shampoo containers, clothes that no longer fit, or maybe the really old toys that you loved as a child. In order to do this, you must have the heart to let go of the stuff you’ve been keeping for a long time. Springtime is a season of growth and change, so allow yourself to move on and let go.

Organize and Segregate

Go through all your belongings and sort out the ones you want to donate, recycle, and discard. Bring out the items that you know you will be able to use often and keep the things that you only use once in a while in a box. Label each box accordingly. By doing so, you will be making your life a lot easier.

Decide which ones need to make their way to the garbage and which ones you can still use. Group the other items into things you can reuse or recycle and stuff you can donate to charity. Find clothes you haven’t used in months and give it to someone you know will benefit from it more. Remember that the lighter your home feels, the better your life will be.

Find another use for your old items

There will always be stuff that you’d be too embarrassed to donate, like tattered clothing and lone socks. Instead of throwing these out, use them as cleaning rags. Old shirts and towels make good cleaning cloths so don’t waste your money buying new rags when you already have good ones at home.

Your old toothbrush is also another item you can recycle. Use it to clean your faucet and bathroom sink as well as your shower and toilet. If you are going to use one brush for everything, make the toilet its last destination to avoid contamination.

Detoxify your home

Houses may be home to the most toxic products that could compromise human health in the long run. Now that you’re in the mood for cleaning, check areas that need extra attention such as medicine cabinets and the refrigerator. Collect all your medicines and throw out the expired ones. You can also bring them to your local pharmacy and they’ll take care of the disposal.

If you’ve accumulated lawn care products and pesticides that haven’t been used in years, it’s definitely time to get rid of them. These types of wastes are labelled as Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and most states require that they’re properly discarded. Find facilities in your locality where you can drop off hazardous for proper disposal.

Clean your garden

Spring cleaning is not just about de-cluttering your home but also renewing your connection with nature. Freshen up your home by including the garden in your clean-up. If you don’t have a garden, now is the best time to start one! Being eco-friendly means being one with nature as well as taking care of it.

It can be a small plot in your backyard or a container garden for your kitchen. Use old ceramic pots or empty mason jars to plan herbs and spices. Meanwhile, you can use expired food items and vegetable or fruit peelings as fertilizer.

Gardening offers you lots of benefits like having your very own source of flowers, fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, you actually burn calories from 45 minutes of gardening as with a 30-minute aerobic workout. All that fresh air and nature’s scent will do wonders for your health and well-being.

With these eco-friendly ideas in mind, you’re well on your way to reaping the benefits of a healthy earth and home. Happy (green) spring cleaning!

Jessica Phan is a designer for Balsamhill.com a purveyor of high-end artificial Christmas Trees. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area is perfect for her because she has a wide range of interests, including Art & Design, Fashion, Photography, Painting and Thrift Store Shopping.

Lately, my son has gotten tired of the same-ol’ beans and cereal day in and day out. I don’t blame him. That’s nearly all he has eaten for 2 solid years. Add to that the fact that he seems moderately allergic to beans, as well as the facts that we are a vegetarian family, and that he is allergic to eggs and dairy and nuts, and, well, you have a problem.

That is, a protein problem. Granted, grains like quinoa and amaranth are complete proteins, as is hemp, which he drinks every day (but not a lot, because it’s expensive). But he doesn’t get quinoa and amaranth every day. And I don’t want to give him the same foods every day, because that will just make him more susceptible to sensitivities to them.

So I’ve been working on new ways to fix his food. Of course, cooking a batch of cream of rice or amaranth or millet cereal in the morning and adding several cubes of pre-cooked and frozen beans is very simple and easy, but I always knew I would eventually have to start actually cooking and baking for him. Well, the time has come.

The first grain to get changed into something other than cereal was Teff. I invented a recipe for teff pancakes. I’m sharing that recipe on my eczema blog.

We also decided, after much deliberation, to add a little meat to his diet. Right now, that looks like chicken once a week added to shredded yuca (cassava). I am also sharing that recipe on my eczema blog.

However, there are several recipes that I have found that he likes. I love the simplicity of some of  them!

This Baked Amaranth Cracker/Flatbread is made from the grain, not amaranth flour, and is very simple to make. I mean, very simple. I added a little basil to the mix, since he can’t have the topping (I’ve never tried pumpkin seeds, but I’m really afraid to). I still need to come up with some kind of topping for them. That is hard, since nuts and avocado are all out, and those make the best creamy vegan sauces. But he will eat these, and he likes them. I served it with some slices of cucumber, and he enjoyed the meal very much.

This GF Biscuit recipe was a real hit. Since he can’t have eggs or egg replacer, I used quarter mashed banana, because I only made a half a recipe. You can use 1/2 a banana plus 1/8 tsp of extra baking powder for egg in baking, but I didn’t think 1/16 of baking powder was really necessary! I wanted to use a little less starch, so I replaced 1/4 of the starch with sorghum flour (doubling the sorghum called for). They turned out better than the last batch did (where I put in too much banana and otherwise followed the recipe, and now have more whole grains in them. I also threw in a scant tablespoon each of chia seeds and hemp protein for extra protein, and he didn’t even notice. Chia seeds are a complete protein and really a powerhouse. Research them sometime. I am very excited to discover that my local WinCo carries them! Manny will eat chia seeds by the spoonful (2 or 3 baby spoonfuls), and they have very little flavor. I think they actually improved the texture as well (since they tend to gel, kind of like flax seeds).

When you can’t have wheat or corn, tortillas become almost impossible. Rice tortillas leave much to be desired, as do most GF tortillas you can buy. But these millet tortillas are so easy, especially if you have a tortilla press. I do, but it’s in storage, so I improvised with a flat-bottomed skillet. It worked almost as well. Unfortunately, Manny only liked the first two, and then he didn’t want more. If there was something I could dip them in or roll inside of them… maybe beans? I’ll have to experiment. But he’s not very good at eating stuff with toppings… he just licks off the topping! We might make them once in a while for ourselves, though, and they are perfect for those who can’t have gluten or corn!

And for dessert, well, this Blueberry Crumb Cake was the bomb! My husband said he couldn’t tell it was gluten free! I used the banana/baking powder trick in place of eggs, and it rose beautifully. I made two batches: one as a cake, and one as muffins (which of course cooked in about half the time as the cake). It’s good with and without the topping. This site also has many GF cooking and baking tips (it’s where I learned about the banana-instead-of-egg idea). I highly recommend browsing it if you are on a GF diet. Many of the recipes are vegan (because the author cannot tolerate casein), though some do include meat (usually with vegetarian variations). She makes GF look so easy! Indeed, this cake was my first attempt at GF baking without a boxed recipe (Betty Crocker has about 3 GF mixes that you can buy at most grocery stores, and I made a couple at a friend’s house once), and I really expected it to flop. Instead, it turned out lovely, and my son had a delicious cake for his birthday, and muffins for dessert once a week since!

Lastly, there are these delicious GF Molasses Cookies. Manny wasn’t terribly fond of them, and I think it was mostly because of the ginger (which he can’t seem to tolerate in the quantity that is in the cookies). They turned out perfectly, though, and I took a dozen to a friend whose son has a lot of allergies. The whole family tried them, and she informed me they are better than store-bought cookies. I totally agree. Granted, they aren’t super healthy. I mean, 3/4 cup of shortening (palm oil, not hydrogenated oils) is quite a bit of fat. Maybe I could cut it down by increasing the applesauce. But I usually like to do a recipe the way it says the first time–especially baked goods. Then experiment later. I think Manny would like them better without the ginger. He loves molasses, after all.

I tried split pea soup on him, but he seemed to react to the peas. I had suspected that he would, being legume and all. But he enjoyed it a lot. I think I could make a veggie soup with quinoa using the same seasonings I used in the pea soup (garlic, sweet basil, marjoram, bay leaf, salt). I’ve been avoiding onions, because touching them and then rubbing his face made him break out. Whether that was an allergic reaction, or simply sensitive skin, I don’t know. But for now, I don’t feed them to him directly. Though he did eat some carrots I had cooked in a stock made of scraps of veggies used to make dinner (I put 3 baby carrots in the stock for variety), and he loved them, as well as the bits of zucchini my husband didn’t eat from his salad. They were cooked with onion, and he seems fine with it. So maybe he is okay. I’m going to play it by ear at this point!

What simple GF recipes do you use? I’d love for you to share them!

Lately I have been on a bit of a health kick. A couple of my friends on Facebook have inspired me. Also, I figure I can’t eat too healthy with a baby growing inside of me, so why not? And since juicing is one of the easiest ways to get good nutrition, and since we have a juicer, I’m juicing.

After the morning sickness went away, I suddenly couldn’t eat as much as I had been. If I ate anything solid in the evenings–even a smoothie–I would crawl into bed with a heavy feeling in my stomach and sometimes even a sensation a little like heartburn.

I quickly realized that my body just couldn’t handle food in the evening. At least, not as late as I was eating–and since we were not eating breakfast early, there was no way to get a third meal early enough.

Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem. I maintain my weight much better on two meals than on three. However, I am pregnant, and I don’t want to deprive the baby of calories or nutrition. Granted, the baby is only about 5 inches long right now and doesn’t need a whole lot of calories right now, but I want to make sure I am giving it all the best nutrition possible.

I recently bought a jar of wheat grass from Whole Foods, and sometimes I would mix that in with a glass of juice, but I don’t want to buy juice all the time, since those juices aren’t really all that good for you. Not that 100% juice is bad, but I like variety, too.

Then I thought of juicing. I bought a 5 lb bag of organic carrots at Whole Foods and juiced them. This I could mix with the wheat grass, and it was very satisfying. I also started mixing in Melaleuca’s fiber with this juice (adding extra water), and I found this very tasty and good for my digestion, too.

Sometimes I juice other things with the carrots. Last night I juiced carrots, kale, and apples, all organic. And I took pictures. My kids were helping me.

Organic Carrots, Red Kale, and Apples

I had made kale chips with half a bunch of red kale, so I used the rest for this batch of juice, I had almost 5 pounds of carrots, because I had used 3 or 4 in recipes during the week. And the 3 apples that had been on sale the last time I went to Whole Foods.

So I washed them and started juicing. As soon as he saw the juicer, Manny wanted to come watch. He likes to nibble  the carrot fiber as it comes out of the juicer.

He was trying to help, but the carrots were too hard for him to push down. He put some of them in, though.

After juicing most of the carrots and all the kale, I started on the apples. Since apples are much softer than carrots, he was able to do it all by himself.

When it was all done, I let Manny and Gislaine have a little bit of the apple juice (it had 2 or 3 carrots in it, since juicing a carrot with the slender end up last leaves less unjuiced food than a chunk of apple), and then I mixed the juices together. I added the extra water and fiber to mine, left one for my husband, and froze the rest. Here is the result (before adding fiber to mine):

So now when I feel a little bit of hunger in the evening, I mix up a liquid drink. Since my husband drank one, there are a total of 4 servings per week for me. I mixed fiber with one, and drank it down. I stored the extra ones in the freezer. I get one out the night before I want to drink it. On days that I don’t drink one of these juices, I will add a bit of whatever reconstituted frozen juice I have in the fridge (right now I think it’s apple raspberry) to my fiber drink and throw in some wheat grass. With the kale in this, I don’t think I really need the wheat grass with my organic juice.

So that’s what I do for supper most nights. It digests very quickly, so there is nothing to make my stomach upset when I crawl into bed, and tastes delicious. Granted, there are some evenings when lunch was light and I’m hungry early; then I’ll eat a little something. And I’m sure in the last trimester I will be very hungry and will need more calories than I do now. But for now, I’m content that I am giving my baby the best nutrition I can while still listening to my body.

This post is participating in the Modest Monday link-up on The Modest Mom blog.

Well, the title really says it all. But I thought I would just make a brief post to remind any mothers reading this that the car seat really does need to be cleaned once in a while. Especially if you’re like me and just don’t think about it.

We just got a new van, and I thought it would be good to clean the car seats out–even though they’ve been in it already for a few days. So just a few minutes ago I got them out and took them apart, taking off covers, straps, buckles, and all, and throwing them in the washer. Then I dumped the crumbs into the trash and wiped the hard surfaces with a damp rag.

So I thought my son’s seat would be the worst, because I think he threw up in it once (not a lot, but still…). However, most of that had been wiped off the surface. My daughter’s was really the worst, with tons of crumbs in the removable base.

Now I just need to remember how to put them back together again. My son’s seat is a backward/forward facing car seat that goes up to 40 lb. My daughter’s seat is a backward/forward facing car seat/booster seat that goes up to 80 lb and has a whole lot more gadgets than my son’s seat. But I did manage to get everything taken apart that can be taken apart. Too bad my manuals are in storage somewhere in Estacada… when I find them, I’m going to put them into the slots in the seats that say “put manual here”. But I think I can remember how to get them back together. It’s not the first time I’ve done it.

So, in summary, if you haven’t cleaned your car seats for at least six months, then pick a day when you are not going anywhere and take them apart and clean them up. And pay attention to how they came apart so that you can put them back together again. And don’t be afraid to wash the buckles and straps in the washer too.

Now if only I could take the seat belts out of our “new” van and wash them too….