A traumatic crunchy experience AND oat milk

I've been gone forever! Wow, my last post was in September. I'm sorry, y'all. I'm back now. I know you missed me.

I recently made kombucha. It was probably one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. I mean, have you ever touched a SCOBY? *dry heave* They are just... gross. Almost like a mucus plug.

Yes, I went there.
Anyway, the kombucha was delicious and I'm starting my second batch tomorrow.

Moving on.

I've recently sworn off driving due to a near death experience. Which means that I'm currently refusing to drive anywhere, even the store. UNLESS my client goes into labor. In which case, I will risk it and drive to her. Long story short, we were out  of milk today. I have a preschooler, a toddler, and a baby. They all like milk. Only one still likes boobie juice.

I had recently read about rice milk and saw a DIY post about it. I'm a little on the fence about the rice milk thing so, I didn't want to try making that. As luck would have it, I was also out of almonds, coconut, and basically any other nut or seed that can be used to make a milk alternative.

*bing* That's the light bulb blinking. There's a massive sign that says I'm a genius right there above my head. Can't you see it?!

So, I dug out the oats in my pantry, a large bowl, a mesh strainer, a blender and a couple measuring cups.

First things first, measure out 3 cups of oats (steel cut or old fashioned only!) and cover them with water in your large bowl. Let them soak for 30 minutes.

Strain them (you can reserve the soaking water for a bath) and then rinse them REALLY well. If you do not rinse them enough, you'll get slimy milk. Ew. Just when you think you've rinsed all the slime off, rinse a bit longer.

Combine the oats and 9 cups of water in a blender. You may have to do this in batches. Pulse for 3-4 minutes. Now, I just strained in my mesh strainer over a bowl and then bottled in quarts & a pint jar. BUT, there is some residual pulp in my milk. So, I'd recommend using a flour sack towel or a nut bag to strain yours.

 We made chocolate and vanilla flavored oat milk today. Unsweetened and unflavored wasn't bad but, it will take some adjusting to.

To make chocolate, just add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and 1/4 of your sweetener of choice. Vanilla: Just add 2 tablespoons vanilla extract and 1/4 cup sweetener of choice. You can adjust sweetener to taste.

This is such a simple milk alternative recipe, costs so little, and you can get multiple uses out of it. Oat milk to drink, soaking water for a bath, and leftover pulp for baking! You can dehydrate the pulp and make oat flour, use it as a binder in meatloaf, add it to breads or cookies, etc. I used it as a binder in salmon patties tonight and I still have some leftover in the fridge.

Autumn Acorn Squash

So, I've been crazy busy trying to get back on track lately. Homeschooling, cleaning, ordering herbs to prep for the colder weather.. it feels like I'll never catch up. I apologize for being gone for a while! I'm slowly catching up, getting back into my groove.

Tonight, I ended up just throwing dinner together with what I had on hand. The end result was AMAZING. I'll be the first to admit that I was nervous when I was cooking. I mean, what if it tasted absolutely horrible?! Thank goodness that it didn't. 

This is my first time posting through the app so, if it looks terrible, tell me.. I'll have to fix it.

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash, sliced through the stem
2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Filling:
3 links of spicy Italian sausage
1 bell pepper, diced
2 celery hearts, diced
2 cups of croutons, seasoned to taste
1 cup of water
2 apples, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp sage
1 cup cheddar, grated

Directions:
Slice the squash, scoop out the seeds, rub with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 400° for 40-45 minutes. Once it's down, allow it to cool until you can handle it. Scoop out the inside leaving about 1/4" around the sides so it doesn't lose it's shape.

Bring the cup of water to a boil, turn off the heat and drop your croutons in. Mix until moist.

Open the links of sausage, crumble into a pan, and brown until they start to render fat. Add your veggies, apples, and seasonings. Fry those together until the sausage is no longer pink and the veggies are soft. Combine that mixture with the crouton mixture in a mixing bowl. Add cranberries and cheddar, mix to combine.

Now fill the acorn squash with the mixture and bake until the cheese is melted and the top is starting to brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Easily made vegan by swapping the butter for coconut oil, omitting the sausage, and omitting the cheddar!  Don't forget to make your croutons from my vegan bread!

Let's Talk About Babywearing: SSCs

A huge thank you to the lovely Heather Johnson for writing this for us! She's an awesome babywearing mama. 

Babywearing is AMAZING! Let me shout it from the roof tops, I love it. Wearing your baby, or even your toddler, will make your life so much easier! My daughter loves to be held, so wearing her lets me have the wonderful snuggles while still having my hands free. 

The benefits for both parent and baby that come with baby wearing are countless. Studies show that babies who are worn cry less and are less likely to suffer from reflux. Babywearing is good for baby's physical and mental development. Babywearing allows parents to form a strong bond with baby. It's a great way for dads to form a strong relationship with breastfed babies. 

I do not know where this meme originated. If you do, please let me know so I can give credit!

Wraps, mei tais, soft structured carriers (SSCs)... All the options out there can be overwhelming when you are getting started. I'm going to highlight SSCs since I'm that is my favorite way to babywear. SSCs are sometimes called buckle carriers and are a great way to get started babywearing. This style of carriers buckles so they are pretty easy for anyone to figure out. There are many types and they can typically be found in most box stores. Bjorns, Ergos, and Infantino are a few well known brands. When looking for a long lasting SSC, you should look for an ergonomic style carrier. These are wide based carriers that support baby's legs from knee to knee. This support means baby will be comfortable and no pressure is on baby's hips. 


What to buy? A great bargain carrier is the Infantino Union. At around $25, it will allow comfortable wearing into early toddlerhood. More expensive brands include Ergo and Tula. I have a Tula and love it! At around $150, it is a major investment but the width and height of the body panel ensures they are long lasting. I have comfortably used the same Tula with my daughter from 3 months on and with my 2 year old niece.

Mmm.. babywearing Dad!

DIY wraps from mahogany table cloths or osnaburg fabric, the Infantino mei tai, and linen ring slings are other budget friendly carriers. Regardless of how you wear your baby, you won't regret giving it a try. After all, it will leave you hands free to do other crunchy things like wash your cloth diapers, make your own cleaning products, or weed your organic garden.
 
I'll have a tutorial for homemade carriers soon!

Greek Inspired Quinoa Salad

If you're anything like me, you frequently have stragglers in your fridge. That half zucchini that's left over from the night you sauteed some to go with pork chops. The handful of cherry tomatoes your kid doesn't want to finish from the carton, tzatziki from gyro night. 

I originally only wanted to use the taztziki, because it's delicious and I didn't want to toss out 4 cups of it. Anyway, planning our dinner of Greek meatballs with tzatziki and pita led me to throwing a bunch of stuff together and topping it with feta. 

 As a side note, have you ever tried to blog first thing in the morning only to be put on pause every 5 minutes because you need to run the toddler to the potty and grab morning snacks for the kids? Things gets kind of crazy 'round here.. I should probably start doing this when I first wake up, before they do.

Okay. Anyway, sorry for getting side tracked. 

We love quinoa here at our house. And we love zucchini, onion, garlic, and feta. 

 
Don't mind the previously sauteed zucchini. By all means, use fresh if you have it. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry quinoa, cooked
• 8 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 zucchini, sliced
• 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt (or any salt)
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp Mediterranean oregano
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dill weed
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• feta, if desired

Directions:

1. After you cook your quinoa, put it to the side to cool.
2.   Heat a pan with butter or coconut oil over medium heat. Throw your veggies in to quickly heat them and slighly soften the onion and pepper. 
3. Toss it all together with your quinoa and sprinkle with feta.

This was REALLY good with pita and tzatziki. I actually plan to eat just this in a pita pocket later on for lunch. Yum!
 

It's my birthday! {Apple Raisin Butter Sauce recipe}

Even on my birthday, I still have to be mom. Being mom means that I still have to feed my family. Sigh, I'll never understand why they need to eat daily. Serious flaw right there. 

My original plan was to make apple pie pancake batter this morning & then have Husband cook them up so I could just relax. Well, yeah.. I woke this morning to discover that I'm out of flour. Oh, the horror!

I started frantically looking through the cabinets.. what to make, what to make. Wait, I have apples.. and raisins.. and bread. Oh, and those farm fresh eggs. FRENCH TOAST with some sort of sauce. 

Then, Apple Raisin Butter Sauce was born. It's not overly sweet. It's perfection. 

Of course, I did just throw it together.. so hopefully I can remember everything. Feel free to tweak it to suit your needs. 

 

Ingredients:

•  3 apples, cored and diced (I left the peel on because I'm lazy.) 
• 1/4 cup of raisins
• 1.5 TBSP flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground clove
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 2 TBSP butter
• 2 cups water
• Cornstarch slurry (to thicken, if needed) 

~Note: I did cheat and use some butter extract to give it a more buttery flavor. This is NOT necessary. If you do, add a teaspoon. 

Directions:

1. Toss your apples in the flour, brown sugar, clove, allspice, and sugar. Melt butter in a pan over medium high heat.
2. Cook the apples in the melted butter until the edges start to soften and then add everything else.
3. Cook until apples are soft, raisins plump up a bit, and the sauce is thick. Use the cornstarch slurry (or other thickener) if you want the sauce to be thicker. 

Enjoy! 

Crunchy Mamas: Let's Get This Straight

I've been seeing a lot of bloggers posting about how crunchy moms are. Frankly, I find it offensive. Most of the ones I've seen aren't crunchy in the least bit.. and they are the ones that are talking about how we're doing things because they are easy.

Uh, no. 

There are very few things that we do that are easy. So, let me tell you why crunchy mamas are awesome.

First of all, how many hippie mamas have you seen that aren't hot? I mean, seriously? We're all pretty damn attractive. After all, breastfeeding does wonders for weight loss. 

We spend countless hours researching before we make a decision for our family. Vaccines seem to be the common subject that is brought up and questioned by others. We don't take these things lightly, I promise. We've all spent hours upon hours researching adverse reactions, ingredients, vaccine schedules, detoxing methods, and so much more. And no, we do NOT get our information from Jenny McCarthy. 

My oldest, Brenna. Vaccines are yucky!

Babywearing. Oh, no.. I promise that our children will learn to walk, even though they are always in the wrap. This is probably one of those things that can be filed into the easy category. It's so much easier to wear baby than it is to unpack a stroller, set it up, strap baby in, and hope that the sun isn't glaring on their face. 

Breastfeeding, it's not easy. Period. Breastfeeding takes work. If you think we do it because we want to be better than you, that's stupid. We're often ridiculed and insulted for giving our baby the best nutrition possible. If you have something stupid to say, I'll squirt you with the boob juice. Got it? Good.

My youngest, Marlee. She loves her mum-mums.

Organic, unprocessed food.. PLEASE, tell me what is easy about that. We read labels, we cook for hours, we wash fruits and veggies, we spend more money feeding our kids something that isn't terrible for them. It would be so much easier to go to McDonald's and grab a Happy Meal. 

An organic apple is a great snack.

Baby led solids. Because, who wants to eat runny goop for dinner? I can control what my kid is being fed if I make my own. So, excuse me while I bake a sweet potato and cube it for the little human.

Dominic enjoying an organic breakfast.

Cloth diapering is awesome. Period. But, it's not easier by any means. Extra laundry, figuring out what detergent isn't full of chemicals and fillers, making sure you have the right wash routine. I mean, what is easy about that? 

Marlee with a fluff butt.

Bedsharing encourages a healthy milk supply, can reduce the risk of SIDS, regulates baby's body temperature, regulates their breathing patterns. Babies NEED to be touched. Bedsharing promotes efficient functioning of their immature organs and nervous system in general. 

Bedsharing with Dominic and Marlee the morning she was born.

Nautral birth isn't easy. Holy hell, it's not easy. It's definitely in my list of top accomplishments. I'd certainly do it all over again. Recovery from a natural birth is generally a lot faster. It's beneficial for both mama and baby. We have to deal with the criticism from SO MANY PEOPLE when we mention that we're going to have a natural birth. "Oh, you'll want that epidural for sure. It was fabulous!" Yeah, of course it was. But, it's not free of risks. Not for you and not for baby. And if you're having a home birth, be prepared for that person who knows a friend that knows a friend who has an aunt that had a complication and needed an emergency cesarean all because she tried to birth at home. I'm in NO WAY saying that complications don't arise during a home birth. They most certainly do. But, chances are slim that any emergency that arises at home wouldn't happen at the hospital. 

Our first moments with Marlee. She was born in the water at home.

I know that I didn't cover every topic out there. There are so many, if I did cover them all in one post, you'd be reading for a year. I just wanted to clear up the rumor that moms who are crunchy are following a trend and that they only do these things because they are easy. Feel free to add any additional information in the comments!
And please, share your kombucha starter. *wink*

HBA4C~ Debbie's Journey

Alright, y'all.. tonight's post is a friend's journey. A journey of self discovery & discovering that her body is not a lemon. {Warning} Grab the tissues. 

My journey to my home birth after four unnecessary c-sections.

Ahhh, where to begin?

I was only a tender 19 years old in 1998 when I brought my first son into the world almost sixteen years ago. I woke around 2 am, on his due date (rare) with a pain just above my belly button that I thought was just gas due to the subway sandwich I'd eaten before bed around midnight, LOADED with jalapenos.  The pain kept coming regularly so I got out of bed and woke my sister that was living with me at the time. Funny to think about now, because even then I was drawn to being outside. I threw on some shoes and a robe to walk down the road a bit, to see if the pains continued, and they did. Off to the hospital we went.
Upon my arrival I was given a vaginal exam that revealed I was dilated to a one and effaced a bit. They hooked me up to the monitors to see how baby was doing and to measure the intensity of my contractions. I was then asked to walk around a bit. I walked for about 2 hours or so with my Mom, Dad and sister. My Husband at the time had worked night shift so he was at home sleeping. After my two hour walk that gave me some good contractions, they decided it was time to "speed things up a bit" and put Cytotec under my cervix. It's a medicine that is supposed to intensify and make contractions more frequent. My husband was called at work and told to come to the hospital at this point.  I stayed in the bed and when things got more intense I begged for the epidural. I was only dilated to a three but my doc decided that was okay. As soon as the epidural was placed, my water was manually broken. Next exam revealed I was dilated to a five, five and a half. My son started to d-cell (drop in heart rate) with each contraction. They had me get into different positions to see if that helped. It did not.  I was rushed off for an emergency c-section.
In the O.R it was discovered that the umbilical cord was over the top of his head like a head band.. so each time his head would press against my cervix during a contraction, pressure was put on the cord which would make his heart rate drop. I laid there, strapped to a table, hearing my son cry, out of my view. Could not touch him. A quick kiss on his forehead after they did all the unnecessary but usual  hospital procedures and they took him out to the nursery. I finally got to hold my son 30 minutes later after everyone else got to ooh and ahh over him first.. He was beautiful.. all 7 lbs 7 oz of him.
Bonding was not easy. I hurt so badly for the next three weeks and suffered quite a bit with postpartum depression. Nothing prepares you for the pain you feel during the recovery of that first c-section. Mine was unbearable. I only nursed him for 2 months as I didn't have much of a support system or the knowledge of how important breast feeding was. With the postpartum depression, the bottle and formula route seemed like the answer at the time. 

With my second child I had no knowledge, at 23 years old, of the importance of a vaginal birth.Opting for a routine repeat c-section,  I gave birth at 36 weeks and 3 days to a very small, very beautiful little 6 lb 3 oz girl on a hot August day in 2002.  My doctor (same one from my son's birth) said that if I could come down and give him a few good contractions on the monitor, that he would "take her out" that day. What an awful, irresponsible doctor. What a naive young woman I was to listen to and trust him. I nursed my little nugget for 3 months this time.. still, without much of a support system and my lack of maturity.
A few years go by. Two kiddos and a bitter divorce later, i met my Husband, Chris, on October 15th, 2004. I had no idea what he looked like until he picked me up for our first date. We'd met on cupid.com and I had a profile picture, but he did not. We emailed and talked on the phone only 3 days (or maybe 2?) before the initial date. My first words to him as he walked up my Mom's driveway were,"Oh my gosh, thank God you're gorgeous." lol..
We married on September 9th of 2006. Although I knew I wanted to have his babies the moment I met him, it took some convincing and time until I finally got pregnant with my 3rd baby, our first child together. 

I believed that it was once a c-section, always a c-section.. but I still decided to ask my new OB if I could VBAC. I was told no. I asked why not. I was told hospital policy, given  horror stories of uterine rupture and talked out of my desire right away.
My 3rd baby, 2nd daughter, was born on a cold December day in 2009, a scheduled c-section at 39 weeks 1 day. We had somewhat immediate skin to skin and she didn't leave my side from the moment she was born. I insisted upon that one. I got it. Funny how that works, eh? My chunky little 7 lb 14 oz purple flower was nursed until she was 23 months. :) Would have been longer if I had known a certain medication I thought i "needed" was unnecessary.  

My Husband, who had initially never wanted children, now came to me asking for a second child. He's such an amazing Dad, handsome as can be, hard worker, great to me and all our kids.. OF COURSE I wanted another baby with him! 

I hired a female OB this time, thinking she might understand my desire for a vbac. Once again, I was told no. 

My 4th baby, 3rd beautiful little girl was born at 38 weeks by c-section because I went into labor... which actually could have been labor that lasted a couple more weeks, knowing what I know now.  She was placed on my chest once they vigorously rubbed all her precious vernix off and wrapped her up. I promptly unwrapped her and put my 7 lb 15 oz baby girl skin to skin as they wheeled us to my room. There, we nursed and snuggled for the next 2 days before going home early. I got tired of being told I couldn't sleep with my baby on my chest, which i did anyway. My milk came in the day we left the hospital! Fastest time ever! She was nursed until my milk dried up at 16 weeks with my current pregnancy. We hope to tandem nurse come October!


Here's where you may need to get out some tissues because i know I will have to.
On a hot day in June, I felt sick to my stomach. I thought it was just the heat. I took a home pregnancy test and immediately, two dark pink lines. My 4th baby was only just about to turn one!! I woke my husband and bawled my head off. A surprise, but very wanted baby. That night I started spotting but thought nothing of it because I knew it could be normal. I was very tired for the next week before the morning sickness hit. Still spotting, i decided to go have my hormone levels checked. It was  a Friday. On Monday I went in and had them checked a second time and they were continuing to rise. I was sicker than a dog but then the bleeding became heavier. I went in for an ultrasound to determine where the bleeding was coming from. I went by myself because my Husband had to stay home with our girls. During the scan I chatted with the tech and glanced at the screen and said, "I see a baby!" :) She replied, "yes, i see something, too" without much emotion behind it.  Waiting in the curtained cold room in the E.R, a nurse came in and said the doctor would be right in. I was nervous but still hopeful that this wasn't what I suspected. The doctor came in and said he was sorry to inform me that I was indeed miscarrying. That my baby didn't seem to be what they thought they would see at 12 weeks 3 days gestation, and there was no heart beat. I lost it. I still can't type this without crying. I went home and walked in the door.. and tried walking straight past my husband and the girls.. I can't remember what made me mad, but I turned to my husband and said, "Excuse me for being a little emotional, but our baby is dead inside of me!!!"  I know in my heart that baby was  a boy. The Chinese Gender chart that has been right on all of my babies said the same. We named him Noah Christopher. We think about him all the time. No one as much as me though. It was the day before my 4th baby's 1st birthday that I had the D&C for possible retained placenta. I still decorated the entire kitchen, baked cupcakes and took pictures even though we didn't have people over. I wanted my baby to have a good birthday.  We thought we were all done having kids until Noah surprised us with his presence... so we decided to try just one more time.
The doctor told me I should wait 3 months before trying again. July, August, September... excruciating and painful to wait. October, November, December, still not pregnant? Why!? January... *sigh* .. February, Ground Hog Day. BAM!!  BIG FAT POSITIVE! I was so scared but hopeful! Would my body deceive me again? Dare I get excited? I did. Couldn't help myself. 

I knew this time I wanted things to be different. I just didn't know how. I met a friend online that had a free birth at home after two c-sections. Whaaaat? Really!? That's awesome!! I spoke to my Husband about it. He was not on board for the unassisted home birth. Then I happened upon a group on Facebook that was full of women that had had natural births after MANY c-sections. Some had them in hospitals, some with midwives at home. Knowing the hospital policies around here where I live, i knew a midwife was the way I needed to go. I started my research on the risks of a 5th c-section vs. a vba4c. Being under the impression that having a home birth after four c-sections was illegal, I thought I needed to be hush hush. I asked in one group I'm a part of if anyone knew of a midwife in my area. One midwife in the group put me in touch with a doula that lives a few hours from me. I messaged her and she gave me the name of a midwife just 30 minutes away. Color me excited! 

I messaged this midwife and told her my history. She said she would talk to her precessor and get back to me. She messaged me back not much longer after that and said they would love to come meet me. I actually jumped up and down and did a happy dance right there in my living room. 

My two lovely midwives talked with me and actually listened to everything I said, in detail, for over an hour. Then they said I could absolutely have a natural birth at home and they would love to help me out. I was in shock! I thought I had to sell myself and pray they'd accept me as a client! So many women I had talked to from other states had such a hard time getting their VBACs. Even with home birth midwives, they were often turned away. I was so happy!! I'm finally getting my natural birth i've always dreamed of!! OH! And I DID NOT have to keep it quiet because home birth with midwives after many c-sections is not illegal in my state.
I'm currently 31.5 weeks and anxiously (a good anxious) awaiting October. Hmmm... October. Remember the day I met my Husband? October 15th? Our very first son together, his due date is Oct 15th. Exactly ten years to the day that we met!! How awesome is that?!
I can't say that I am not scared. There have been times where I let fear and doubt creep in a little.. but I trust God and  know my body is capable, it's just never had the chance.  Really,I just can't wait. I really enjoyed the times I got to labor with my first and fourth babies.  I cannot wait until labor starts with this little man in my belly. We're naming him Christian Noah. A version of his Daddy's name and a tribute to his older brother that we lost. 


 It's going to be amazing.