tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37472921344288546242024-03-04T23:55:43.539-05:00More Green For Less GreenLiving more eco-friendly for less money-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-27562055621407502362014-02-01T22:47:00.005-05:002014-02-10T20:19:55.407-05:00How Do I Safely Bedshare With a Crawling or Rolling Baby?One question I encounter regularly about extended cosleeping (specifically, bedsharing) is what to do when baby starts rolling or crawling. Here are some of our thoughts:<br />
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<strong>Observe your baby:</strong> Is your baby able to roll or is she a roller? Will you baby wake and wait for you, or start exploring right away? V was swaddled until he was nine months old. Although he could roll, he had no interest in rolling as locomotion. E, on the other hand, was able to roll at 7 weeks old and varied on loving and hating the swaddle, so we had no idea what to expect from him. He never rolled more than one flip in his sleep, though. Neither of our boys wake alone and start crawling. They wake and call/cry out for us. Thus, we have a degree of comfort in leaving them in our bed even if we are a room away. <br />
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Once you've observed your baby, here are several approaches to cosleeping:<br />
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<strong>Camp out with your baby</strong><br />
If possible, stay in bed with your baby and take some down time. Nap or read a book. Check Facebook on your phone or play a game on a tablet, or something I am fortunate enough to be able to do: grab a laptop and hammer out some work while watching over your sweet little one.<br />
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<strong>Move a mattress to the floor</strong><br />
A floor bed is a fancy name for putting a mattress on the floor. Some families move the family bed to the floor, others put a mattress on the floor just for the child. <br />
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We weren't up for moving our queen mattress to the floor. With my chronic pain issues, I like a bed that I can stand up from easily and Dave wasn't thrilled about it aesthetically, so we set up a twin mattress floor bed for V when he turned 9 months and started crawling. With E, we didn't get around to it until he was a year, and we could only fit a crib-sized mattress in the room. For us, the best space for this was in a separate room. With the floor bed model, we lay with baby until he falls asleep, then sneak away. We repeat the cosleeping cuddles in the floor bed for each night-waking until we are ready for sleep. Once in our own bed for the night, we bring baby to join us at his next night-waking. A floor bed should follow the same rules of safe bedsharing, like 1 pillow per adult. So, if you are leaving the bed remember that no adult=no pillows, so take the pillow with you. Also, since you cannot verify that a blanket will not go higher than baby's waist, forgo blankets until baby is older as well. (18 months to 2 years, for our kids.) The room should be babyproofed in case baby wakes and starts to explore. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hblDPvR_seI/Uu25OopSY0I/AAAAAAAAE7Q/Qu6SwGJ-Btk/s1600/2012_FontanaBelly-148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hblDPvR_seI/Uu25OopSY0I/AAAAAAAAE7Q/Qu6SwGJ-Btk/s1600/2012_FontanaBelly-148.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">V's Floor Bed (pillow introduced around 18 months) <br />
Photo by Heidi Daniels</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WJmdiMNppVI/Uu25D9wtJ2I/AAAAAAAAE7I/EkXkjasFEvw/s1600/P1080256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WJmdiMNppVI/Uu25D9wtJ2I/AAAAAAAAE7I/EkXkjasFEvw/s1600/P1080256.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Room remodeled for two boys: <br />
twin mattress on the left & crib mattress of the right <br />
(no pillow or blankets until 18 months for Baby E)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3r2fgFaBNRpCie7iFLNt2g6SoG8Gf_4BwDE_fhM1-LLyW89f7yjwQUhJX0jTBqAX-bpwzqN_L1kRXWxVFchbha3zuK480taYqHn8PAOBX_UaG5BZZTn9N5JkqToP2x936zJ6gtTCM7Rg/s1600/P1080148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3r2fgFaBNRpCie7iFLNt2g6SoG8Gf_4BwDE_fhM1-LLyW89f7yjwQUhJX0jTBqAX-bpwzqN_L1kRXWxVFchbha3zuK480taYqHn8PAOBX_UaG5BZZTn9N5JkqToP2x936zJ6gtTCM7Rg/s1600/P1080148.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shared room on vacation. E is 12 months old in this picture. We didn't offer him a pillow at this age (he's 6+ inches away from it), but we did use pillows as a barrier for the headboard gaps. For a younger baby, a pillow barrier would not be safe. Try a large piece of cardboard or wood across the headboard.)</td></tr>
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<strong>Sleep on the floor</strong><br />
Your child doesn't have to sleep on a mattress. When my boys come to work with me, we do a variety of things from naps mats to putting a blanket right on the floor. My body isn't so thrilled about laying down on the hard ground with them until they fall asleep, but the kids never seem to mind having slept on the floor. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xN6UOE6sjuQ/Uu27nc8E2TI/AAAAAAAAE7o/lXQE6zD_96A/s1600/20130712_121252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xN6UOE6sjuQ/Uu27nc8E2TI/AAAAAAAAE7o/lXQE6zD_96A/s1600/20130712_121252.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nap mat & Lillebaby Eurotote (great for naps, unsafe as a baby carrier)</td></tr>
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Wearing baby down in a carrier and then placing him on the floor works, too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yIpJtnLvawg/Uu2760XyRII/AAAAAAAAE7w/qgW-FuUh4WM/s1600/PF254204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yIpJtnLvawg/Uu2760XyRII/AAAAAAAAE7w/qgW-FuUh4WM/s1600/PF254204.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Napping on a woven wrap</td></tr>
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<strong>Create a barrier for baby</strong><br />
A barrier can be something bought like a bed rail or something fabricated like a wall of pillows. I only feel comfortable with using pillows for an older baby who will easily move himself away if breathing is obstructed and putting pillows far enough from baby that he'd have to roll or crawl a distance to encounter them. Some people slide a pool noddle under a fitted sheet to create a small barrier. A favorite when we travel is pushing furniture (like high-backed chairs) against the side of the bed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pool noodle under fitted sheet</td></tr>
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<strong>Teach baby to climb off the bed safely</strong>We started to teach V the skill of sliding off the bed (feet-first, laying on his belly) at 10 months old, though he would not grasp it until a year old (and wouldn't be tall enough/confident enough to do it on his own until about 15 months). That said, teaching him and helping him do this showed him how to assess his own limitation and made us comfortable with letting him sleep on the high surface.<br />
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<strong>Pad the floor</strong><br />
On the chance baby falls off the bed, pad the floor around the bed with thick, non-fluffy blankets.<br />
You might be tempted to pad the floor with mountains of pillows, but consider that if baby silently fell into the fluffy items his face could be obstructed.<br />
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<strong>Lower your bed frame</strong>Some bed frames can adjust lower. A thinner foundation is another option (e.g. platform instead of box spring). <br />
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<strong>Stay close and be aware</strong>We rarely use a baby monitor because our house is so small, but this is one time when we plug in the monitor in because even the lightest rustle comes through if I need to be on the other side of the house. If I am working in the office adjacent to my bedroom, I keep both doors open so I can be aware of all the noises in the bedroom. As soon as I am aware of rustles, I feel out if it is time to greet my child before he fully awakens. <br />
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<em>Disclaimer: Not all of these methods will be appropriate for every child or at every age. Use your own discretion when choosing how to care for your child. Staying with your child or utilizing one of the floor options are your safest bets.</em> -Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-46069546584743505682014-01-04T07:49:00.000-05:002014-01-07T21:00:02.036-05:00V's Birth Story Part 4 -- Delivery<i>Continued from <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2014/01/vs-birth-story-part-3-labor-intensifies.html" target="_blank">Part 3: Labor Intensifies</a> (or start at <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2014/01/vs-birth-story-part-1-birth-story-for.html" target="_blank">the beginning</a>).</i><br />
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It was around 11:30 AM. Doula K and Doula J stepped out, as they were not allowed in the room while the anesthesiologist was there, per hospital policy. As it turns out, the anesthesiologist didn’t care if they were in there, but I let them stay away so they could grab some lunch. Realizing that I was selling out the vision of a med-free birth that I’d had since I was a teen, I started crying before the epidural was placed. The anesthesiologist was trying to be nice but made some sort of jerky comment about how lots of women think they can do it on their own and then he gets called in. It was so demeaning because in my heart, I felt this was a medically advantageous decision and not one that was about eliminating labor and delivery pain. I had made it through 50+ hours of labor without meds, a true ultra-marathon—triple the length of an average first-time mom’s labor—and now I was reduced in someone’s eyes to just another compromising woman who couldn’t actually hack it. It felt like just lonely me against the world to the point that I still have no recollection of Dave being there (though he assures me he was).<br />
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After that team left, I worked toward getting in the side-laying position. Dr. M had said that even with the epidural it would be uncomfortable and most women could only manage a few minutes. I was resolved to make it work, no matter how long it took. We put on relaxation music, darkened the room, Dave and the doulas were quiet, and I focused on my breathing for as long as I could bear the pressure in my belly. I made it lying on my side for an hour, much longer than Dr. M had ever had a patient do before.<br />
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Dr. M checked baby and found that he had indeed moved, but he had moved <a href="http://spinningbabies.com/baby-positions/all-positions/right-occiput-transverse" target="_blank">occiput transverse</a>, an <a href="http://www.ttuhsc.edu/elpaso/som/obgyn/obgyn101/my%20documents4/Text/Abnormal%20L&D/fetal_position.htm#Transverse Position" target="_blank">even less desirable position</a>. We tried the fluid and manual rotation of baby tactic, which was not successful. I think it was at this point that she discovered I had meconium staining. The presence of meconium didn’t stress me out, as we’d covered this as a normal variation in Bradley classes, but Dr. M again insisted that a c-section was undoubtedly the road ahead.<br />
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Yet, our little labor team kept plugging along. The environment looked very different than dreamed with me in bed with an epidural and constantly on the monitor, but it was dim, quiet, and relaxed, and eventually I reached full dilation. At some point in there, I was emotionally done and the pain was intense and for the first time I wanted pain relief for the sake of pain relief. I didn’t know that I could push the button to get more medicine, so I let the epidural wear down. By the time I brought it up to someone, it was too late to settle in for pushing. So, they offered a shot of lidocaine. I’m guessing that was at transition, but I don’t really have much recollection of that time. Medical records also are of little help.<br />
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During the considerable unmedicated portion of labor, the records talk about my mood, how I managed pain, etc. The records share lots of “breathing well through contractions” comments and some notes about me being pleasant but refusing things. After the epidural, the records are completely impersonal—just numbers from a monitor and quantities of drugs. I could talk for hours about what this implies in terms of the overall medical model of birth versus midwifery care, but that would get us off-track from an already lengthy story. Feel free to ask me about it, though.<br />
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Anyway, back on track: I started to have the urge to push, so I did some practice pushes with the nurse. Pushing was the part of labor I felt like I knew the least about, but I knew that my body would guide me. Albeit, now with an epidural I did worry a bit that my body might not be able to tell me what to do. I let the contractions guide me and I pushed to the point of comfort. At some point in this, baby’s heart started to have some decelerations. This seemed part of the deal to me: I was pushing, I’d had an epidural, it made sense. (Thank you, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Womans-Guide-Better-Birth/dp/0399525173" target="_blank">Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth</a>.) But, Dr. M came to talk to us about it. She referred to the decelerations as “dippy doos” and encouraged me that it was time to get baby out. With her small frame, girly voice and baby talk, she reminded me of the Dolores Umbridge character from Harry Potter: utterly charming on the outside with a voice as sweet as honey that was used for spewing nastiness. She left and I continued to push to the point of comfort. When Dr. M returned, she was more adamant that I get baby out. She said I had thirty minutes or I would need to get wheeled down the hall for a c-section. I continued to work on my pushing and invited nurse Lara to coach me because I had lost all urge to push on my own.<br />
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We worked for a bit on it when Dr. M returned to check on me. This time, it was pure nastiness. She asked me if I had even been trying and told me I wasn’t doing a good enough job. I invited her to coach me through some contractions herself. She encouraged pushing hard and long, to the point I thought the blood vessels in my eyes might burst. I needed oxygen to make it through. It felt so wrong, but I knew that she could call it done at any moment. We were well past the thirty minute deadline she’d set. The doulas and Dave took turns holding my hand and legs. Doula J was amazing and whispered gentle encouragement to me. Dr. M yelled at me, used sports metaphors, berated me. I think she meant well, she was genuinely concerned for my baby and was trying to find something to motivate me. But, all of those were the wrong thing for me. I had prepared for a gentle birth guided by my intuition. I thrive off of positive words. Eventually, she said something about getting mad that resonated. The idea of getting mad at a pain was something I recalled from Bradley class. I focused on that. I am not an angry person, so I tried to focus on things that make me mad. Dr. M was one of them. I was mad at her and her infuriating approach. The other things I could think of were social injustice: rape, starvation. But, those are not things to think about during birth, so I summed it up as evil, as Satan. So, that was my focus: anger at Dr. M and at Satan. If I could push harder to get her to shut up, then it was worth the anger.<br />
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At some point in there, they got the mirror in place for me to see baby’s head and I got to feel it. It didn’t mean much. I couldn’t really see in the mirror or feel much. All I knew was that focusing on those things was taking my concentration away from pushing. So, I had them remove the mirror. Later, I was sad to not have been able to see the actual delivery, though I am told that Dr. M would’ve insisted on it being moved.<br />
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Finally, after all of that it was time for V to come out. Dr. M was shocked that it was going to happen. She was still telling me that I couldn’t do it. Yet, he was coming, really coming. The final moments were faster than she’d thought since she just didn’t believe it would happen. I was told to stop pushing while the resuscitation team assembled. (I don’t think I listened to her to stop pushing—ha!) We knew by then that they would take V immediately to the table in the room because of the decelerations and the meconium. We agreed that Dave would go with him. So, when I pushed him out, I was happy and surprised that she laid him on my torso for a moment. I remember him looking wet and grey. He was silent. I wasn’t worried; I was just taking it all in. I saw the cord for a brief moment. Then they moved him to the table and he made his first cry—small with a squeak at the end.<br />
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I wanted to know how his spine looked, as we’d been concerned about a neural tube defect. It looked fine. V was born at 4:56 PM and weighed in at 6 lbs 12 oz and 20 in long. His first APGAR was a two, but by five minutes he was at a nine. The second stage of labor (pushing) had lasted 3 ½ hours.<br />
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Dave and Doula K were at the table with V. Doula J might have stepped out. During that time, Dr. M continued to work and I felt strange sensations. I felt like I was going to have bowel movement. When I asked her what was going on she laughed at me and told me it was the placenta coming out. Records indicate the placenta was delivered just three minutes after V’s birth, so I suspect she was pulling it out, despite our wishes to the contrary. I got distracted with what was going on with V and the cord and placenta were gone before I could ask about them or see them. I later learned that Dr. M has a reputation of thinking placentas are gross and disdaining patients who don’t share this sentiment. She also told me that I was facing hemorrhage and needed to have Pitocin. I asked her to wait, but very quickly she brought it up again. There is nothing in her records that indicate a hemorrhage, so I suspect it was just another case of her doing things her way. She never said anything about stitching me or if she administered medicine to do so. But, she did tell me that I had torn because not only had V been born in the very challenging OT position where the largest part of his head was coming first, but his face was to the side with his hand by his head (nuchal hand). At some point, I learned that it was a third degree tear plus a partial. Only months later would I also learn that the nerves in my pelvis had been damaged.<br />
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After a few minutes, Dave brought me our V. He was calm and very alert and I could admire his dark blond duck fluff hair and his big, round eyes. They were either hazel or very dark blue--it was hard to tell then.<br />
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He had long, scraggly fingernails and his feet were dried out and wrinkled like an old man’s. His ear was folded down from where he’d been touching it on his way out. We did the breast crawl, something I had long dreamed of seeing. Babies are born with such incredible intuition!<br />
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We were enamored by this little boy—an answer to prayers, a bringer of joy. I had long felt like a mom who just didn't have a child of her own, but now I finally did. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family Photo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A well-deserved rest</td></tr>
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-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-11403969795555845232014-01-04T07:48:00.000-05:002014-01-07T21:00:02.029-05:00V's Birth Story Part 3 -- Labor Intensifies<i><a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2014/01/vs-birth-story-part-2-hard-work-of.html" target="_blank">Continued from Part 2: The Hard Work of Progress</a></i><br />
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I went home physically and emotionally exhausted. It was at this point that fear and anxiety set in. I had always—well, from my late teen years when I heard about the Bradley Method through a family I babysat for— truly believed in my body’s ability to birth a baby of its own accord. But here I was, feeling that I’d read my body’s signs wrong, or that they had misguided me, and it was emotionally draining. The length of the labor wasn’t the bad part—I had just told nurse that we'd waited 2.5 years for this baby, we surely could wait a few more days—but the beginnings of the realization that my body might not just make this work had set it. Thankfully, I was still largely a believer, just a believer with some innocence lost. And, I kept on going. I called my Bradley instructor and she was encouraging. At about 3 PM, I started having contractions again. They continued to be painful back labor contractions. I sat in the living room on the ball and watched Netflix to pass the time.<br />
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Friend Kelly brought us California Tortilla for dinner around 6. Nachos for me! I was sitting backward on a folding chair in the living room processing through regular, intense contractions again about 5 min apart. Later she shared she could have sworn from my contractions and my reactions that baby was coming very soon, like concerned-we-were-still-at-home-soon. <br />
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I decided that I wanted to labor in the tub again since it had felt so good at the hospital. Dave prepared a bath for me and kept me company. It was there that he told me we could name the baby V. We’d long been debating between V and another name. Dave wanted to meet the baby before deciding, whereas I was ready to commit, as I just knew it was the right name. What a great gift to give me a labor boost! <br />
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Dave was getting tired so he asked if Jill could come over and help while he slept. She came and kept me company while I continued to labor in the tub. A mere 15 minutes after Dave went to bed, my contractions started to increase in frequency and intensity again, to the point where they were two minutes apart, lasting for almost that whole time, and too painful to talk through. Jill was adamant that it was time to go to the hospital and woke Dave, who took a more relaxed speed in calling Doula K and the Kaiser nurse’s line despite Jill’s continual prodding. We learned that Doula K would not be meeting us at the hospital due to a family issue, but could send her backup doula, who we had never met. That was a big disappointment. We had debated a hospital versus center or home birth until I was about 30 weeks pregnant, and having a doula who was a good fit was key in my agreement to a hospital birth.<br />
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We made it back to the hospital at about 10:30 PM and ended up back in the same room as before. Jill followed us in her car came up to the room with us. This time Dr. V was on call. I had seen him a few times during my pregnancy and I knew he was a fairly low-key guy, like Dr. S. We got settled in again with a monitoring strip and another painful heplock. I wanted a progress check and this one showed I was 4 cm and baby was at -1 station.<br />
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I was ready to get back into the water. But, Dr. V was against it because I had been in labor for so long. He claimed my water might break and I wouldn’t know. I felt this was a bogus rule, so I drew the bath anyway. But rule follower that I am—I just could not relax in the bath knowing that I was violating his orders. So, I got out of the water and labored on the exercise ball in the room. <br />
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Backup doula Doula J showed up and Jill headed out. Doula J didn’t know anything about us or our birth wishes, but because I was in so much pain, she just jumped right into helping me through. It took a leap of faith to throw myself emotionally and physically into the arms of an unknown person, but utilizing a doula had been the hallmark of me agreeing to a hospital birth, so I just abandoned my hesitations and went with it. We soon discovered a bit of kindred spiritedness.<br />
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Because I was no longer comfortable in the bath, I felt robbed of my most effective pain-management strategy, which was another emotional blow. Around 1:30 AM Doula J suggested that we put the exercise ball in the shower and she and Dave took turns aiming the spray at the small of my back. This gave me the benefit of the water, but without breaking the rules. It was a brilliant suggestion, and we spent most of the night like this. I would have to get out for monitoring, but then would go right back in to the shower. The shower was a lifesaver. The one big drawback was being cold. I was warm where the water hit, but not elsewhere. Dave and Doula J tried to keep me warm with towels in the shower, but it was never quite enough, and I don’t think I could even recognize that in the moment. I chose to be in the shower because it was the best pain-management choice, but it meant being cold. The in-and-out for monitoring also played into being cold and expending energy. Tradeoffs that seemed small in the moment added up.<br />
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A strong and unpleasant sensory memory I have of the labor is of being cold. I associate that with desperation and my increasing loss of control. The previous night in the hospital, I would get cold when I had to get out of the bath for monitoring and then either stay in my wet swimsuit top or put it back on while it was clammy. At home in the bath, the water just couldn’t get deep enough to cover me and it didn’t stay warm, so we draped towels on me to keep warm—but eventually they too would get wet and cold. These may seem like minor details, but I would relive being helplessly cold in my panic attacks. It took me months of processing later to understand where that was coming from, so it is a valuable detail to me. <br />
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We kept the lights off in the bathroom, which ended up having the added blessing that the staff backed off on pushing monitoring. I took it as respect for my wishes and niceness, but at one point they genuinely thought we had left the room for a long time.<br />
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I don’t remember a whole lot from these hours besides unrelenting pain, exhaustion, and the water on my back. I think a part of my brain shut off in order to keep functioning. The next few paragraphs are pieced together from my medical records, Dave, and flashes of memories that would come to me later.<br />
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During the monitoring a little after 3 AM, baby showed some “non-reassuring” heart decelerations on the monitor. Dr. Vu encouraged me to have two bags of IV hydration and extended monitoring. I also agreed to an internal. This showed dilation of 7-8 cm, baby at 0 station and bulging bag of waters. Dr. Vu expressed concern about the strain of a long labor on my body. I don’t remember any of what he said, perhaps because of my nature to trust my body to do this (and my fear of the intervention domino effect). It was obvious that my body was doing its job—ever so slowly—and my contractions were continuing every 3-4 minutes. I think I thought that delivery was nearing, and that perhaps baby would even be born in his sack.<br />
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A little before 5:30, I got out of the shower for monitoring, but brought the ball with me and sat on that during the read. While there my water broke and spread down the towel-covered ball and all over the floor. <br />
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Dr. V stopped in after my water broke and shared with us the idea that baby might be <a href="http://spinningbabies.com/baby-positions/posterior" target="_blank">occiput posterior</a> (OP). He wanted to do an internal exam to feel and tell me but I refused to avoid the chance of infection now that my water had broken and because I felt like I was now on a delivery clock. I suggested they do an ultrasound rather than an internal, since he didn’t seem to know how to feel a baby’s position by touching my belly. I got a bizarre line about how ultrasound wouldn’t show us, but a bit after 7:30 AM, Dr. V returned with a portable machine that showed baby was head-down and very likely OP.<br />
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During that night and early morning, I was much less chatty than the first days. I remember being mostly silent. Or maybe I wasn’t and I just felt silent. I felt silent and alone while in the shower for all of those hours. Not abandoned, but definitely like this was my road alone to conquer. I know that I dozed-off some on the ball. I know that scripture ran through my head a ton, as did worship songs. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” was a mantra. Verses I didn’t even know that I knew came to my mind and sustained me.<br />
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But, eventually, I know that I was miserable and begging and crying for help. I don’t know that I wanted medicine, but I wanted hope and answers. The pain was relentless and unbearable. I felt like I had been tortured for days by a body that was supposed to innately know how to do this. I was tried and sick of people getting me out of my relaxation zone for monitoring I didn’t want in the first place.<br />
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But, then something in me changed. I went from desperate to deciding that no one was going to make me do anything I didn’t want to. No more compromises. When I was told it was time for monitoring again, I talked myself into it. I no longer felt the need to rush to do it on their timeline. This was my birth and I did have choices, even beyond the details we’d put in our birth preferences. This is what I had diligently prepared for, for months, for years. <br />
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I started using lots of “I” statements out-loud to motivate myself. “I am choosing to get out of the shower.” “I am choosing to get monitored”. I got very articulate. I decided that though I couldn’t take my relaxation with me out of the shower, I could still take my intense focus. I think that it was a gift from God to prepare me for the next step in my labor: meeting Dr. M. <br />
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Dr. M started off very unlike the previous doctors. From our first encounter, on the morning of January 4, it was clear that she had her own way of doing things. She yelled into the bathroom where I was laboring in the shower and refused to come in when invited (inviting people into the bathroom rather than me coming out was part of my new assertion strategy). She insisted that she could only meet me if I was in bed and agreed to an internal exam. She didn’t care about my place in labor; she wanted me for monitoring even if I was in a middle of the contraction. She actually asked me what my problem was when I had a hard time moving because of the frequent contractions. When I motivated myself to come out, she told me that she’d talked to our reproductive endocrinologist about me and that this was a special day. I found her reference to our infertility without me first bringing it up very over-personal.<br />
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She was high-pressure about doing an internal, but I had decided that I was ready to know where I was at. I don’t remember where I was at, nor did she enter it into my medical records. She asked me my shoe size and then told me that there was no way I could deliver my baby vaginally. (It seems that my small shoe size confirmed to her that I had a small pelvis.) She also said that my pelvis was not shaped the right way, so baby couldn’t come out. This was shocking because Dr. S had told me twice in my pregnancy that my pelvis showed no contradictions for vaginal delivery, even with the pelvic separation that had developed. She told me that with her twenty years of experience with natural birth, I just wouldn’t be able to do it vaginally. Even though she was definite in her negativity, and in her position that we were moving toward a c-section, somehow we did get her to suggest that if the baby turned out of the OP position, there was a chance he could be born vaginally. I was upset by her comments, but I don’t remember believing a word of her talk about my pelvis and inability. <br />
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I was, however, motivated to get baby to move. Dr. M suggested adding fluid through my cervix and manually moving baby with her hand. She also suggested laying on my side and stomach (similar to the Bradley relaxation position). I asked for some time to think about it, as I knew to do with all interventions. I didn’t like the idea of introducing anything into my uterus and I was concerned about the relaxation pose. My pelvic separation made laying on my side unbearably painful, and with all of the pain I had already been through, I just didn’t think I could do it. <br />
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In retrospect, I find it interesting that I knew to trust the pain of labor and birth and let it guide me, but the pelvic pain was something that truly struck fear into my heart. When I lay on my side, I felt like half of my pelvis was suspended, unsupported in space and that I might actually do serious damage that way. It intrigues me to think that I felt empowered to deal with the pain of labor without meds, but not with the unnatural pelvic pain.<br />
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Doula J helped us walk through the low tech ways to move baby: namely a slow dancing move and leaning over the ball. We tried both. The extent of my physical exhaustion became apparent. Any of it was just too much for me to sustain. While I was on the ball, Doula K rejoined our group. I thought that Doula J would leave, and was bummed out by that idea since we had bonded. But, when Doula K and Doula J talked about Dr. M’s approach to me, they decided that both would stay. They both had previous experience with Dr. M that was not supportive of a natural birth or a relaxed environment.<br />
With Dave and the doulas, we talked through the pros and cons of the various options. I couldn’t bear the thought of laying on my side without some relief, let alone the doctor trying to manually turn the baby. I was so, so sad to be considering an epidural, but with my renewed mental clarity and resolve and ownership of my experience I could see that it seemed like the path most likely to avoid a c-section given my physical exhaustion and the new, hostile environment. After a decade of envisioning an unmedicated birth, meds seemed to be the sanest path to a vaginal birth. Dr. M never mentioned an epidural—the one thing I respected about her care—but I didn’t think I could get through her proposed steps without it. Even with the burst of clarity-of-mind I was having, my strength and sanity were giving out from the work of the previous days. Doula J and Doula K walked Dave and I through our options and questions, but did not offer their opinion. I later learned that they both though this was wise move and knowing Dr. M’s style feel certain she would’ve moved me to a c-section quickly had I not gone this route. (Far out from the birth, I also believe this.)<br />
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We decided that I would ask for one more internal to see if maybe I was more ready than I thought, if maybe my desperate emotions had actually been a signpost of transition followed by the resolve of getting ready to push. But if not, I would get the epidural to facilitate the interventions: side-laying first and the fluid if that didn’t work. When Dr. M came in, I forgot to ask for the internal and just said that I was ready to move forward and that I wanted an epidural to facilitate things. I beat myself up emotionally over forgetting that in the months after the birth. It’s not that an epidural is bad, it’s just that since age 16 I had felt strongly about natural birth. I felt like a sell-out, despite also recognizing the wisdom of the compromise in a hostile setting. Despite that regret, I do think that decision was wise. I’ll skip ahead and share that the epidural helped me relax enough for baby to descend and I was able to get in some rest before the most challenging part of the birth. But, we’ll get there soon enough…<br />
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<em>Concludes in <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2014/01/vs-birth-story-part-4-delivery.html" target="_blank">Part 4: Delivery</a>.</em>-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-90853124339491892792014-01-04T07:47:00.000-05:002014-01-07T21:00:02.040-05:00V's Birth Story Part 2 -- The Hard Work of Progress<i>Continued from <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2014/01/vs-birth-story-part-1-birth-story-for.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a>.</i><br />
<br />
For Baby E's half-birthday birthday, <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2013/02/birth-story-baby-e.html" target="_blank">I shared the story of his amazing, empowering birth</a> (plus gorgeous pictures). Writing big brother V's story has been harder. At first, I was afraid to face my own story, but I moved beyond that and wrote and wrote. Then, I moved into being afraid of others hearing my story, that they would judge it: <em>that was your traumatic birth? That was nothing</em> or <em>If you would've just gone along with X like everyone else does, you wouldn't have been so upset</em>. Ultimately, I decided that others judging it is ok. I'd rather share it and let a few people glean something helpful than not share it out of fear. <br />
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So, what's the deal with birth trauma anyway? Some people say ‘healthy baby, healthy mama’ is enough when it comes to a birth. For me—logical to you or not— it is not. Yes, the “destination” is imperative, but the journey matters, too. It is possible to both celebrate an amazing new life and mourn the journey it took to get there at the same time.<br />
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For example, if you completed a marathon, but got injured on the way, no one would say, “All that matters is that you crossed the finish line”. No, people would care about your twisted ankle, they’d want to hear your story, maybe they’d even commend your endurance. They would know that the medal is great, but the journey also matters. <br />
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With V’s birth, I walked away as a healthy mama with a healthy baby with a complication-free birth, but for all of those wonderful things to celebrate, the rest of the journey still mattered. So, what is it about V’s birth that was so traumatic that I had panic attacks for months after? That I would wake in the night with thoughts racing? That I learned that there is a thing called Post-Partum Traumatic Stress Disorder (PPTSD) that fit me to a T? Was the length of labor? Was it going into birth having already been in chronic pain for four months because of extreme pubis symphysis diastasis (essentially, a dislocation of the front part of my pelvis)? Was it that I chose natural birth in a medical environment that is so disconnected from what normal labor looks like that they couldn’t believe in me? I think it is all of it together, and more. As much as my trauma was about the birth, it was also about what happened in the years before and year after. Infertility and loss make the start of the journey long, hard, and sad. The physical healing my pelvis and back required after pregnancy makes the story go on for another nine months (and then years to a lesser degree). But, getting into all of that would make it a life story rather than a birth story, and frankly this birth story is long enough already, so here we go…<br />
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<em>Disclaimer: You've probably already noticed, but just to be clear: this is a birth story. It involves bodily functions. I have not shared anything here that I am not comfortable saying aloud to you face-to-face. But, if you aren’t interested in such details, stop reading now.</em> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">38 Weeks: 2 weeks before V's arrival</td></tr>
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On December 31, 2010, I noticed that I was having some contractions, but nothing with continuing frequency. The next evening, Saturday, January 1 (officially at the 40 week mark per IUI dating, which never synced with ultrasound dating) we had dinner with Dave’s parents, and I noticed the contractions were back, but I didn’t say anything. Before bed, I inserted some Evening Primrose Oil for the first time. Once I was in bed, I noticed the contractions were getting stronger and more consistent. By 1:30 AM when I finally fell asleep, they were 7 minutes apart. At 3:30 contractions woke me up. I let a few pass, and I sensed they were consistent. At 3:45 I woke up Dave to time them. They were at 5 minutes apart and surprisingly painful from the start. I was expecting intense pressure in my belly and pelvis, but I was experiencing this was pain through my back.</div>
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For the next 5 hours we did shower time, I relaxed/breathed through the contractions in bed, I listened to relaxation scripts and music, and Dave got the last of the things together when I needed alone time. I had anticipated wanting him right there with me for it all as the trusty Bradley coach. But, I discovered that I relaxed best alone. I was finding him distracting, so it was good for him to stay busy. I practiced lots of relaxation and listened to the relaxation script and music that I had downloaded from Kaiser. I was surprised to realize that vocalizing really helped me through the pain of the contractions. <br />
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The contractions kept going steadily and progressively, and after five-ish hours they were three minutes apart, lasting a good while, and I couldn’t talk through them. Around 8:30 AM, we called Doula K, and we called the nurse’s line at Kaiser and everyone agreed that it was time to start working our way in. The drive to the hospital was tough with the frequent painful contractions. Going over bumps was the worst. We got to the hospital at about 10:30 AM. I was determined to walk up to Labor and Delivery rather than go in a wheelchair, even though it was tough. I was admitted into an awesome room with a laboring tub (the hospital only has 2 such rooms), my own doctor, Dr. S, was on call (a rare occurrence--they cycle through 8 docs), and a nurse we'd met during our external cephalic version (to move baby from transverse to head-down) who we knew was med-free supportive. It seemed like that day, Sunday, January 2, was going to be the day for our baby boy to be born!<br />
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I had not been doing internal progress exams during the pregnancy, but decided to do one when we arrived at the hospital. I was at 75% effaced, 1 centimeter dilated, and baby’s head was at -2 station. This minimal-progress news was surprising given the frequency and pain of the contractions. Nonetheless, Dr. S was encouraging and we prepared for labor to keep on trucking along, though the contractions had slowed from where we’d been at home.<br />
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At that point, I got a heplock put in, which I knew from previous visits to L&D was something if refused would start things off on the wrong foot with the nurses. I figured it was a small, reasonable compromise that would set a peaceful tone. <br />
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All settled in around 11:30 AM, I decided to take advantage of the labor tub because of the terrible back labor. Doula K was there by that point and devised a way to keep the heplock dry with a medical glove and medical tape. The tub felt great, but I was never able to 100% relax because I had to focus on not getting that hand too wet. Nonetheless, I was on the path to relaxation. Doula K put electric candles in the bathroom and she and Dave took turns talking with me and helping me relax. For twenty minutes of every hour, I was supposed to get out of the water and be monitored in the bed. I didn’t fully comprehend it at the time, but that was jarring to my relaxation and the move from the water to the bed expended emotional and physical energy. I felt very supported by Dave and Doula K and we passed the time with walking, relaxation, abdominal breathing, time on the ball, etc. After a few more hours things slowed more and more. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monitoring session on the ball</td></tr>
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Five hours later, around 4:30pm I asked for another internal. I was 100% effaced but only 2 cm dilated. Dr. S was still encouraging about being slow and steady. I tried to get down some food and drink. (I had no intention of following the hospital’s orders to starve myself during the marathon of labor.)<br />
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I realized that the bath was really the most comfortable place to be, so I spent much of the next few hours in the water (but getting out for monitoring, though sometimes the staff would extend my time off the monitor).<br />
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At some point in there, I realized that I needed to use bathroom. I spent a long time laboring on the toilet trying to work through the back pain as well as relieve myself. The nurses kept warning me to not push on the toilet as though the baby was going to come even though I had made no progress. My feet couldn’t touch the floor which meant my lower back was unsupported through the pain. I tried to prop my feet up on anything I could find, but nothing was quite right. It was a feeling of helplessness. By the time I was done, a baby had—of course— not come out. I did, however, lose my mucous plug. I was happy to see it, as it was a cue that my body did indeed know what it was doing and I could trust my intuition, despite the nurses who did not.<br />
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Around 7 PM, friend Jill came to visit to bring much appreciated apple cider and conversation. After she left, I wanted to walk the halls. I walked super-slowly, stopping for each painful back contraction. As I walked, I noticed that the contractions were slowing. Around 10:30, I asked for another internal. This exam found no change. <br />
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Because I had made no progress for so long, we were offered the chance to go home, but decided to sleep through the night at the hospital in hopes that being settled would gear me up again. I was nervous about losing the room with the tub after the water had been so soothing to me and I did not want to make another painful trip in the car. Plus, we’d done everything “right” in terms of when to come in the first place with contractions consistent and hard enough I couldn’t talk through them. Dave and I decided that everyone should get some rest and we sent Doula K home while we slept at the hospital.<br />
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I woke up at 1:30 am (Monday, January 3) with regular, intense contractions. Dave and I worked through them in the tub and shower but then they stared to decline and so we got some more sleep in. By the time morning rolled around, I was having no contractions and had only made 1/2 cm progress. Since I didn't want to be induced (we were told this was the normal protocol at this point), Dr. S suggested that we go home and wait it out, and we agreed. <br />
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<i>Continues in </i><a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2014/01/vs-birth-story-part-3-labor-intensifies.html" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Part 3: Labor Intensifies</a>.-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-31239078115298046832014-01-04T07:40:00.000-05:002014-01-07T21:00:02.032-05:00V's Birth Story Part 1 -- Birth Story for My Son<br />
<em>After a challenging first birth, I joined a birth trauma support group called <a href="http://mothershealingtogether.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Mothers Healing Together</a> to help me move to a place of greater peace. Our final exercise was to write a birth story for our child at his current age. V was one at the time. As he turns a big three today, this version is still how I tell it to him.</em><br />
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<strong>Birth Story for V</strong></div>
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Mama and Daddy had so much love for each other that we wanted our family to get bigger so we could share even more love. We tried for a very long time to get pregnant with you and were very lucky to finally find a doctor that helped us.<br />
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You grew big in mama’s belly and we waited patiently for you to be ready to born. Finally, one night we thought it was time and we were so excited! Mama and you worked very hard for you to come out, and daddy took good care of us both, but you just wouldn’t come. But, that was ok. We’d waited two years to meet you, so another couple or hours or days was nothing. So, we waited longer and worked even more. It was hard work, but you were worth it.<br />
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Finally, it was time for you to be born. After we’d worked hard for so long, the doctor helping us didn’t believe that it was finally going to happen. But, you and mama surprised her and out you came! Daddy was right there with us making sure that we both felt lots of love. <br />
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When you came out, you were very quiet. My first words to you were, “My baby! My baby!” The doctor rested you on my belly and I got to see you and your umbilical cord for just a moment before the doctor took you and Daddy over to a special table where some helpers made sure you were all right. I waited eagerly to hear that you were ok. With Daddy right next to you, you started crying for the first time. We were so happy to hear your voice! Your cry had a little squeak at the end, which was really cute.<br />
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After a couple of minutes, Daddy brought you over to me and we got to cuddle close. Even though you were brand new, you wiggled your way up my body so that we could look at each other even better and so you could try to nurse. You were very alert, and looking into your eyes was so amazing. It was hard to tell their color at first, but later we would see that they were blue. You had a little bit of duck fluff hair. It was too short to tell the color, but we guessed it was dark blonde. Once it grew in more as you got older, we could see that it was blonde with some red in it. <br />
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Mama and Daddy loved looking at every bit of you. One of your ears was folded down because when you came out of mama, you were holding it with your hand. As you got older you would continue to love touching your ear when tired. Your fingernails were long and scraggly and your feet were dried and wrinkled and looked like an old man’s feet. You barely had any vernix on you, a neat substance that helps babies’ skin stay healthy inside their mamas’ bellies as they float in water. These were signs that you had grown big and strong in mama’s body and had really been ready to come out. <br />
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Mama and Daddy had to have so much patience to wait to meet you, but all of that waiting was worth it! God blessed our family by putting you in it, and—as is always true, even when it is hard to see—His timing was perfect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcYM0-WLMQ4KT6gDGA7br4kxSbjVS2UNT0qzklBhxNs14e6xvRkRtYQ5KybRrvWfn5Bb6cIYEcIoAlvc6xmegaeD3s7o4ig_8-g2asDXTXIotNBwzezXBpYCCBlvrKk7QS8fV0G8K9K4/s1600/100_0860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcYM0-WLMQ4KT6gDGA7br4kxSbjVS2UNT0qzklBhxNs14e6xvRkRtYQ5KybRrvWfn5Bb6cIYEcIoAlvc6xmegaeD3s7o4ig_8-g2asDXTXIotNBwzezXBpYCCBlvrKk7QS8fV0G8K9K4/s320/100_0860.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The End (and just the beginning)<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">I'll share the full birth story in subsequent posts, but I wanted this version to lead the way. I share it because when we strip things down to a childlike, innocent level—leaving just love—the tears, fears, anger, etc. just fade away. The things that were hard are still hard, but the love becomes so much bigger than the struggles. -Pamm</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Read <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2014/01/vs-birth-story-part-2-hard-work-of.html" target="_blank">Part 2: The Hard Work of Progress</a>, the beginning of the detailed birth story.</span><br />
<br />-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-49869258891774029282014-01-01T15:36:00.000-05:002014-01-01T15:36:27.406-05:00Babywearing On Board: Two Tots on a Cruise<span style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What's better than a Caribbean cruise in December? Not much! Once again, we decided to cruise stroller-free. If this was
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Behind-the-Scenes onboard: backstage in the theatre, the galley, and the bridge<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Surviving the Airport: <br />Long security lines (not pictured)<br />Makeshift highchair
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> Portable snuggles for a teething baby (plus m<span style="font-family: inherit;">ilk on the move)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">And gratuitous fun: recreating the same shot from two years ago.</span></div>
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-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-65015984270087392792013-10-23T14:22:00.000-04:002014-02-01T21:27:46.778-05:00Babywearing Through the Seasons <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Babywearing makes loads of sense in the mild climates of fall and spring, but some parents ask if it is too hot to wear baby during the summer, and the answer is no! Babywearing can actually help you stay in more tune with baby’s temperature and hydration needs than other methods.<u></u><u></u><u></u></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJTirbebhsulATHJeTjMDeUhdb4YpnWFJLrCVJjAh186ezspl4Q0__C_y_FoYPtQuse93DprS-4c35soc1o1h-Arj1OygdsYt6jtzkLFPADgVvQh_WEfGSSFc3-L3duts1GWWDjWKySCB/s1600/20130710_180646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJTirbebhsulATHJeTjMDeUhdb4YpnWFJLrCVJjAh186ezspl4Q0__C_y_FoYPtQuse93DprS-4c35soc1o1h-Arj1OygdsYt6jtzkLFPADgVvQh_WEfGSSFc3-L3duts1GWWDjWKySCB/s320/20130710_180646.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This past summer, babywearing helped us brave the crowds during a busy<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_213048716" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">4th of July</span></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Parade, and made a cozy nap spot in the midst of a lot of stimulation.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><u></u><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyo2yhKnkp6xZ9FyXXNE144hv3zjz3WZ9n3NrySfz5CVq4e0zr-jrQPBFDL5qC6mvkl82phxIIEelHQLKNJCY-d5RSckTLbEIZRQOBvMFgeS7vRdDPVkfF6_iNi9yyGrPS9Di7stOMKcJs/s1600/P1070861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyo2yhKnkp6xZ9FyXXNE144hv3zjz3WZ9n3NrySfz5CVq4e0zr-jrQPBFDL5qC6mvkl82phxIIEelHQLKNJCY-d5RSckTLbEIZRQOBvMFgeS7vRdDPVkfF6_iNi9yyGrPS9Di7stOMKcJs/s320/P1070861.JPG" width="240" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkIppurPWYxB83pyh2ZjoHC3hxniBKf_cbWvzy_Q4B2fiCrJ_sTSJyUdkg1v3tIu5EbmJ1yi7lIIZMRJCKy13xmhOlZhf5ebWnxgFmdzia8TexYM9XgFHPWUFhWbX_uNdCkXr5tB-p9jt/s1600/P1070868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkIppurPWYxB83pyh2ZjoHC3hxniBKf_cbWvzy_Q4B2fiCrJ_sTSJyUdkg1v3tIu5EbmJ1yi7lIIZMRJCKy13xmhOlZhf5ebWnxgFmdzia8TexYM9XgFHPWUFhWbX_uNdCkXr5tB-p9jt/s320/P1070868.JPG" width="240" /></span></a><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Babywearing kept us hands-free everywhere from the public bus in Virginia Beach to flying kites on the Jockey Ridge dunes in North Carolina.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj292jVpWTqtXZpwdAy7POAfnL0nP1moEtI3VM7N4XWZt6LMsjypS7t5apyWVjk3RhNkOlMsxy7_dzaf_RlE8pqlHzkqzLMNG65Q0CxGoiCCPqX1UeHFfxoK_sVFG9g1A-ujVHY21KHq_D1/s1600/P1080086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj292jVpWTqtXZpwdAy7POAfnL0nP1moEtI3VM7N4XWZt6LMsjypS7t5apyWVjk3RhNkOlMsxy7_dzaf_RlE8pqlHzkqzLMNG65Q0CxGoiCCPqX1UeHFfxoK_sVFG9g1A-ujVHY21KHq_D1/s320/P1080086.JPG" width="240" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNS6BTi6XBvtX3DE8gBWSPb6IdYDk30P4lfe0E_ZC_gcFwxL6laFmN75KiWlw56UpK4thNmAZaKQTmM7LtWeWi4PqF0SK4iI_EG_NqCW1HXVMQzr6a7Ul4FSHRXDDCoX6lAQfMiSnbzMQ/s1600/P1080082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNS6BTi6XBvtX3DE8gBWSPb6IdYDk30P4lfe0E_ZC_gcFwxL6laFmN75KiWlw56UpK4thNmAZaKQTmM7LtWeWi4PqF0SK4iI_EG_NqCW1HXVMQzr6a7Ul4FSHRXDDCoX6lAQfMiSnbzMQ/s200/P1080082.JPG" width="200" /></span></a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the beach, the Wrapsody Water Carrier helped me get baby fed and napped without leaving the fun of the shore.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ynPPqf1ll3KeL84utPtLsaT7_Vm_6D2yWyFxxv7r0HWYo9GhDZ7T3WOmQWHHS_wtdxyNpqZzFB4waVJ1nl_gPr4-bF8d0yeZbxEHy5gPeYfVrn5roGVxXCLRW9c2nXKliljYG6E8tIeD/s1600/P1080127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ynPPqf1ll3KeL84utPtLsaT7_Vm_6D2yWyFxxv7r0HWYo9GhDZ7T3WOmQWHHS_wtdxyNpqZzFB4waVJ1nl_gPr4-bF8d0yeZbxEHy5gPeYfVrn5roGVxXCLRW9c2nXKliljYG6E8tIeD/s320/P1080127.JPG" width="240" /></span></a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><u></u><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We wrapped up our summer adventures with a morning harvesting potatoes at Great Country Farm where, once again, the ability to get one or the other (or both) of the kids up saved the day and kept the fun going.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzp6n0ROMx7uO6Zj2Ge-Db0tj6RMh5VmLzra3lB4niJsrHEb9w-DSbg9F6t7UXq5cNC-eRByst_tS9O5PlDvXvAFbzHR_JFlsPPLe6heSBP2L3tAezbtgncPdP8i9KC654crDHltLyTr7Z/s1600/P1080279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzp6n0ROMx7uO6Zj2Ge-Db0tj6RMh5VmLzra3lB4niJsrHEb9w-DSbg9F6t7UXq5cNC-eRByst_tS9O5PlDvXvAFbzHR_JFlsPPLe6heSBP2L3tAezbtgncPdP8i9KC654crDHltLyTr7Z/s320/P1080279.JPG" width="240" /></span></a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now that fall is in full swing, we love wearing our boys on evening walks, to pumpkin patches, and during yard work.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmw3CVG7zLHUC36p0e_ucoZeQwaLBpmClkmB5kZArh_B2fd8F2yGSI2etY9ecoOqIy3KwDd2Dn3q0qLuyW-1cGLENBlRi1Eh7oRRWhCeAk_Tnauje3on1Bko9houvtinPln4tF9nYjtY0/s1600/Pumpkin+Patch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmw3CVG7zLHUC36p0e_ucoZeQwaLBpmClkmB5kZArh_B2fd8F2yGSI2etY9ecoOqIy3KwDd2Dn3q0qLuyW-1cGLENBlRi1Eh7oRRWhCeAk_Tnauje3on1Bko9houvtinPln4tF9nYjtY0/s320/Pumpkin+Patch.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><u></u><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When winter hits, there is no need to stop babywearing. Wearing is a great way to keep baby warm and cozy and to closely monitor baby's temperature and needs. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When baby is in a front carry, a large winter coat or maternity coat can fit over both wearer and child.</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGLlivZAv85U7LveYdVihE08160eJw_8UyB9PScgQOMeJcZ7rZxudWp3F0SvRwhDoo6ApG0-nlQIa46N9REpYt6WIHqj7Km7bZwvERTavB3CkQ_Ador6H0pMAP4mzDrZBxWa9wYBJK7yB/s1600/PF260247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMGLlivZAv85U7LveYdVihE08160eJw_8UyB9PScgQOMeJcZ7rZxudWp3F0SvRwhDoo6ApG0-nlQIa46N9REpYt6WIHqj7Km7bZwvERTavB3CkQ_Ador6H0pMAP4mzDrZBxWa9wYBJK7yB/s320/PF260247.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><u></u></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the back or the front, each person can wear their own coat, though this can feel slippery, especially with ruck straps. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><u></u><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjvGKgwZ1dZEPwVmJTPUBvziI-KnEpjT08nd9ykwk453-CiZ3lb6QNWGfzpa4dWZEj2T_hms3Ug9swwySQ3n1P4nJGSwQSjNRPxgoPN9Yd9JNSsaKahdO2AmuMGnrF8zZFg94dK4d3CCS/s1600/SprintPhoto_bc5ju4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjvGKgwZ1dZEPwVmJTPUBvziI-KnEpjT08nd9ykwk453-CiZ3lb6QNWGfzpa4dWZEj2T_hms3Ug9swwySQ3n1P4nJGSwQSjNRPxgoPN9Yd9JNSsaKahdO2AmuMGnrF8zZFg94dK4d3CCS/s320/SprintPhoto_bc5ju4.jpg" width="240" /></span></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjvGKgwZ1dZEPwVmJTPUBvziI-KnEpjT08nd9ykwk453-CiZ3lb6QNWGfzpa4dWZEj2T_hms3Ug9swwySQ3n1P4nJGSwQSjNRPxgoPN9Yd9JNSsaKahdO2AmuMGnrF8zZFg94dK4d3CCS/s1600/SprintPhoto_bc5ju4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Or, child and wearer can share a special babywearing coat. We have a Suse's Kindercoat that I bought in an extra large so Dave and I could share it, and I could wear it while pregnant. (Albeit, it is a big tight for Dave.) Such coats are even great for spring showers, when the seasons change yet again</span>.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">A version of this post was originally published at </span></em><a href="http://beltwaybabywearers.blogspot.com/2013/10/celebrate-ibw-2013-babywearing-through.html?spref=fb"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><em>http://beltwaybabywearers.blogspot.com/2013/10/celebrate-ibw-2013-babywearing-through.html?spref=fb</em></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span>-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-41581499378724716672013-10-20T23:21:00.001-04:002014-02-21T20:58:13.172-05:00Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Bulk Cooking & Lunches<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As we continue our gluten-free (GF), dairy-free (DF) trial, we've rediscovered our love for bulk cooking. Our general approach to cooking is that Dave and I each cook one bulk meal per week. We eat some that night, keep some in the fridge, and freeze some to create a versatile freezer rotation. By combining fresh meals, leftovers, and freezer meals, we can eat all week despite only cooking twice. It's a great plan, but life with two tiny kids had made even that difficult. But, going GF/DF encouraged us to re-prioritize cooking. Our kitchen is messier now that we are back to cooking this amount, but we're enjoying some yummy, healthy foods without breaking the bank.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's what we've been doing: if we cook a whole chicken in the slow cooker, it gives enough meat for that night's dinner as well as leftovers for chicken salads (like </span><a href="http://paleomg.com/asian-chicken-salad/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Asian Chicken Salad</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">) and general lunch munching.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently, we cooked a whole ham in the oven and that gave of loads of meat for dinner, lunch leftovers, a potluck, the freezer, and ham and bean soup. Amazingly (sadly), this was the first time I've ever had ham that wasn't injected with saline. Thank you</span><a href="http://www.jlgreenfarm.com/Farm%20Products/Forested%20Pork" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> J&L Green Farm</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> for bringing us delicious, forested, unmodified pork.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aTmqD84OojI/UmSdLmRtBcI/AAAAAAAAE0o/fHesM2edJCE/s1600/1378141_10100501196809385_23067140_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aTmqD84OojI/UmSdLmRtBcI/AAAAAAAAE0o/fHesM2edJCE/s320/1378141_10100501196809385_23067140_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another week, we cooked a beef roast and utilized that in different ways through the week.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xGpgf8eDPwo/UmSX_f3Z_4I/AAAAAAAAEz0/_6Yzvhax01w/s1600/20130916_173519-2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xGpgf8eDPwo/UmSX_f3Z_4I/AAAAAAAAEz0/_6Yzvhax01w/s320/20130916_173519-2-2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Toddler's plate with <i>I-can-do-it-myself</i>-sized portions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Beef roast with potatoes and</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b>carrots, salad with cranberry vinaigrette, and a lot of mustard.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another great bulk meal was shepherd's pie. Dave made this one up using ground beef, whatever veggies we had on hand, and a topping of mashed squash and chipotle peppers. The kids alternated thinking it was too spicy and shoveling it in.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vvskp3DGGwA/UmSX84DVe2I/AAAAAAAAEzY/s6FxXIpTC1E/s1600/20130908_170908-2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vvskp3DGGwA/UmSX84DVe2I/AAAAAAAAEzY/s6FxXIpTC1E/s320/20130908_170908-2-2.jpg" width="255" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For pizza night or easy lunches, it is easy to whip up a large batch of </span><a href="http://paleoparents.com/2011/mini-egg-pizzas/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mini Egg Pizzas</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (this was our first baked item with the frozen eggs.)</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DtSyz1lToXA/UmSYAzDw0ZI/AAAAAAAAE0E/k883AoRMIXg/s1600/P1080327-2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DtSyz1lToXA/UmSYAzDw0ZI/AAAAAAAAE0E/k883AoRMIXg/s320/P1080327-2-2.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With all of these leftovers, coming up with GF/DF lunches isn't as overwhelming as I expected. Here are several ways we've combined things to create yummy bento lunches: </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkE97vy8FQQGG4btbQPgOvShqnK208pXs_wZ334QzWA4afcS-4R7JlDqo9OpmbZqPdHfkh-v1mK8-1J6hwwdcSHipkIMLSSEX6GA7dzQFPiqjCaMj5xucVnW5qKDjdXh7QuJzXlxoHog/s1600/20130911_081957-2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkE97vy8FQQGG4btbQPgOvShqnK208pXs_wZ334QzWA4afcS-4R7JlDqo9OpmbZqPdHfkh-v1mK8-1J6hwwdcSHipkIMLSSEX6GA7dzQFPiqjCaMj5xucVnW5qKDjdXh7QuJzXlxoHog/s400/20130911_081957-2-2.jpg" width="318" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Bento Lunch 1 </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">squash shepherd’s pie</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">chicken</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">kiwi</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">corn</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">celery</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qE9EJdT0IXk/UmSX-p44_ZI/AAAAAAAAEzs/dNUYLRd6q7o/s1600/20130923_082727-2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qE9EJdT0IXk/UmSX-p44_ZI/AAAAAAAAEzs/dNUYLRd6q7o/s400/20130923_082727-2-2.jpg" width="306" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Bento Lunch 2</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">corn chips (one processed food I am not ready to give up)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">blueberries (the one berry we are not restricted on)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">dried apricot</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">sprouted spicy thai trail mix</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">hummus</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">thin-sliced turkey</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iMAOcSLzgPk/UmSYApyJEhI/AAAAAAAAE0A/IgYYB8LOPfM/s1600/20130923_223711-2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iMAOcSLzgPk/UmSYApyJEhI/AAAAAAAAE0A/IgYYB8LOPfM/s400/20130923_223711-2-2.jpg" width="307" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Bento Lunch 3</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">squash pancakes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">pine nuts</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">blueberries</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">bell pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">homemade cornbread with apricot preserves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">beef roast with potatoes and carrots</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What do GF/DF things do you eat for lunches on the go (or for other meals)? We are hungry for ideas, as this is all very new to us.</span></div>
-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-71166669877172189932013-10-20T22:29:00.000-04:002014-02-21T20:58:13.203-05:0010 Ideas for Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free Meals<span style="font-family: inherit;">
We are six weeks into doing a gluten-free (GF),
dairy-free diet with hopes of it addressing health concerns for three out of the four of us in the family. Several doctors had recommended this to me as part of an anti-inflammatory diet after V was born and my pelvic instability was so intense that walking, sleeping, moving, really anything and everything was difficult. I had enough going on between new baby, work, and extreme pain, and many medical appointments that overhauling our family's eating seemed impossible. So, we shelved the idea. Fast-forward to now. As we've been looking at ways to address V's eczema, both our </span>holistically-p<span style="font-family: inherit;">racticing medical doctor and our </span>chiropractor<span style="font-family: inherit;"> suggested that V cut gluten, dairy (or at least pasteurized dairy), melon, oranges, berries, and juices. </span>After a month of planning time, we were finally ready to do it.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first week was the hardest, as 2.5 year old V had some
major behavior and sleep disturbances that might have been some sort of
withdrawal or might have been normal 2-year-old stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also had the most dramatic benefit—his
eczema cleared up rapidly, at least until we stupidly tried a new soap that
caused a major flare-up. His healing from the flare has been much quicker than normal, though. But, he still does get new patches of dry, itchy skin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My chronic pain has been better in some ways and
unchanged in others. For the past year-and-a-half, I've been waking up every morning with knee pain. This has mostly cleared up since the diet change. While I do have pain related to certain activities, the chronic inflammation went down. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also have less day-to-day pain in my lower back with the changes. That said, the real test is the surge of relaxin that happens each month based on my cycle. This time, I ended up with lightly sprained
ankle along with the normal pelvic instability and low-back pain. But, it did heal in one lightning-fast week. Four weeks later, I ended up re-spraining the same ankle. Ugh! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What else? Losing weight was not a goal for the diet change, but I did notice that my body dropped a few pounds and slid me under my pre-kids weight. Hooray for a chance to bust out some of those old favorite clothes I'd lodged in the attic. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dave has not
noticed any changes with his contact </span>dermatitis<span style="font-family: inherit;"> or gut. Baby E is just along for the
ride. His biggest health issues have been reflux, which he has aged beyond, and </span>cradle<span style="font-family: inherit;"> cap which remains. But, we know that sometimes the benefit of this kind of diet change can take 2-3 months. If nothing else, V and I appreciate the solidarity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The biggest surprise to me was that we were able to do this without living in misery or resorting to loads of expensive packaged specialty foods. The kids have adapted well, and Dave even learned to make GF bread with our long-favorite <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Bread-Five-Minutes-Day/dp/0312545525" target="_blank">Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day</a> method.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here’s the shakedown of what </span>we've<span style="font-family: inherit;"> been eating.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Breakfast:</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://www.happychomp.com/post/50706096826/paleo-granola-bars-its-pretty-hard-to-find-sweet" target="_blank">Paleo Granola Bars<o:p></o:p></a> </b>These are hearty, amazing, and smell like pumpkin pie</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ar7ukgQJGxM/UmSPm2dq9QI/AAAAAAAAEzI/DqB9fQaTgSE/s1600/20130908_170920-2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ar7ukgQJGxM/UmSPm2dq9QI/AAAAAAAAEzI/DqB9fQaTgSE/s320/20130908_170920-2-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Chttp://onceamonthmeals.com/paleo-sweet-potato-and-sausage-egg-scramble/" target="_blank">Potato and Sausage Egg Scramble</a></b> We aren't doing Paleo, so potatoes are still in for us. We used potatoes we harvested ourselves from our community supported agriculural (CSA) farm. They are so fresh and delicious! As I've<a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2013/09/using-frozen-eggs-scrambled-eggs-egg.html" target="_blank"> shared previously</a>, we used our frozen eggs for this.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d6qO6LWUIaM/Ui4bA149vOI/AAAAAAAAExY/SzGYFJo0bL4/s1600/20130909_145918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d6qO6LWUIaM/Ui4bA149vOI/AAAAAAAAExY/SzGYFJo0bL4/s320/20130909_145918.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_fNsvKnqY8E/UmSPchaRCNI/AAAAAAAAEzA/Y3qecmemwH8/s1600/P1080281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_fNsvKnqY8E/UmSPchaRCNI/AAAAAAAAEzA/Y3qecmemwH8/s320/P1080281.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<b><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gluten-Free Oatmea</span>l </b>I like mine with some maple syrup, vanilla, and dairy-free chocolate chips. The boys like theirs mixed with applesauce and raisins or frozen pineapple.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Chttp://eatdrinkpaleo.com.au/15-paleo-shakes-recipes/" target="_blank">Apple Pie Cinnamon Smoothie</a> </b>What can I say besides <i>yum</i>?<br />
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<u>Dinner:</u><br />
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<b style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://paleomg.com/buffalo-chicken-pasta/" target="_blank">Buffalo Chicken “Pasta”</a> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">We'll save </span>ourselves<span style="font-family: inherit;"> $10 and make the mayo with a mild olive oil next time rather than </span>avocado<span style="font-family: inherit;"> oil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/39744/old-world-recipe---squash-latkes.html" target="_blank">Squash Latkes</a> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">We used almond flour in place of the wheat flour and topped these yummies with aoli. Our kids love these every single time!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://mylittlecornerkitchen.blogspot.com/2013/02/leek-potato-soup-paleo.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Leek Potato Soup</a> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was so creamy, I didn't even miss the cream.<br /></span><br />
<b><a href="http://paleopot.com/2013/02/slow-cooker-tacos-al-pastor-pineapple-chile-pork/" target="_blank">Slow Cooker Tacos Al Pasto</a>r </b>These tasted great in a wrap made of lettuce</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="http://www.lifeasaplate.com/2011/10/19/texmex-crockpot-carnitas/" target="_blank">TexMex Crockpot Carnitas</a> </b>We tried some GF-tortillas, but ended up preferring lettuce wraps. We also made "nachos" with corn chips, carnitas, beans, hummus, and guacamole<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://paleomg.com/artichoke-lemon-pesto-chicken-pasta/" target="_blank"><b>Artichoke Lemon Pesto Chicken Pasta</b></a> We elected GF pasta instead of spaghetti squash that night.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We look forward to seeing what another month or so of this diet brings, though Dave and I are beginning to struggle with missing some of our favorite foods and coping at gatherings that have our old favorites.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> The most </span>humorous<span style="font-family: inherit;"> moment is probably when my employer generously provided a pizza lunch from Dominoes and thoughtfully ordered some gluten free pies. I took several pieces into a quiet room, removed the pepperoni, peeled off the cheese and trashed it, put the the pepperoni back down on the saucy crust, and then rejoined my coworkers to chow down. The slices were manhandled but delicious.</span><br />
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</span>-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-76404520776947755952013-09-09T15:06:00.000-04:002014-02-21T20:58:13.207-05:00Using Thawed Eggs: Scrambled Eggs & Egg HashAwhile back, <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2013/05/freezing-whole-eggs.html" target="_blank">I wrote about</a> how we got a great deal on farm fresh eggs and decided to freeze some for later. Well, we finally made it through the remaining fresh eggs on-hand and needed to dip into our freezer stash.<br />
<br />
The first thing we noticed about the freezer eggs is that they defrost looking different than a fresh-cracked egg--the yolk is firmer and drier. The first time we defrosted some, we did it in a in an open bowl in the fridge overnight. We awoke to still-frozen eggs. We let them be for a few more days, by which point they were rather dry. They were usable, but not appealing. The second time, we used a non-air-tight container and let the eggs sit in the fridge for a couple of days. The were more moist this time, but still a bit off. The third time, we used an air-tight Pyrex bowl and transferred the eggs to the refrigerator mid-day. Ding, ding, ding! They ended up looking different than a fresh egg, but not unappealing. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5dlic15cHQ8/Ui4YHd8sipI/AAAAAAAAExI/YKXW7eW_cuM/s1600/PF288167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5dlic15cHQ8/Ui4YHd8sipI/AAAAAAAAExI/YKXW7eW_cuM/s320/PF288167.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Defrosted</td></tr>
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I decided to scramble these, which seemed like a good choice for the texture. The whites cooked up like a fresh egg. The yolks held together, unlike the wiggly, breakable quality of a fresh yolk.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G772MLnOwJY/Ui4X9HjzCGI/AAAAAAAAExE/XO58UUckWlg/s1600/20130828_135610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G772MLnOwJY/Ui4X9HjzCGI/AAAAAAAAExE/XO58UUckWlg/s320/20130828_135610.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whites are cooking nicely, yolks remain firm</td></tr>
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I pressed down gently with a spoon to break the yolks up. It didn't ooze like a fresh yolk; it did something drier than a squish but moister than a crumble. The difference didn't matter through, as the yolk bits scrambled in with the white bits, the whole thing cooked up just like the fresh-gg scrambled eggs I'm familiar with. It was delicious!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-csoj26lnNN0/Ui4X5YgxYsI/AAAAAAAAEw8/pHCZFXmFhLA/s1600/20130828_135922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-csoj26lnNN0/Ui4X5YgxYsI/AAAAAAAAEw8/pHCZFXmFhLA/s320/20130828_135922.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scrambled eggs, just like normal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We just started a dairy-free, gluten-free, berry-free trial at our house to help with various issues, namely V's eczema, and having the eggs on hand helped us kick off our first GF/DF breakfast wonderfully. We made a potato, egg, spinach, sausage hash with ten defrosted eggs (our recipe was inspired by <a href="http://onceamonthmeals.com/paleo-sweet-potato-and-sausage-egg-scramble/" target="_blank">this one</a>). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d6qO6LWUIaM/Ui4bA149vOI/AAAAAAAAExY/SzGYFJo0bL4/s1600/20130909_145918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d6qO6LWUIaM/Ui4bA149vOI/AAAAAAAAExY/SzGYFJo0bL4/s320/20130909_145918.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg Hash</td></tr>
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It was yummy, used up some of the massive amounts of potatoes we recently dug up at our community supported agriculture (CSA) farm, and made enough that we can reheat it for mornings later this week. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IzGGt0ts6ck/Ui4bZVKmVWI/AAAAAAAAExc/362BiIZ8I0Q/s1600/P1080279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IzGGt0ts6ck/Ui4bZVKmVWI/AAAAAAAAExc/362BiIZ8I0Q/s320/P1080279.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging for potatoes</td></tr>
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<br />
Later this week, we'll give defrosted eggs a try again when we make <a href="http://paleoparents.com/2011/mini-egg-pizzas/" target="_blank">Mini Egg Pizzas</a>. We are curious to see how they do when baked.<br />
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-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-33126707009850323182013-08-12T07:30:00.000-04:002013-08-12T15:28:30.627-04:00Me Versus the YellowjacketsOur front garden is a haven for pollinators this summer, and we are thrilled! In early July, though, we noticed an influx of yellow jackets. I wasn't too fazed until one day I noticed dozens of them clustered near the path to our front door. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Th2xUjGSINw/Uf_puAPPKDI/AAAAAAAAEs8/jZb53o_x5gE/s1600/PF148088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Th2xUjGSINw/Uf_puAPPKDI/AAAAAAAAEs8/jZb53o_x5gE/s320/PF148088.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Upon closer inspection, I realized that they were zipping in and out of a hole in the ground. As I searched for information, I learned that yellow jackets have underground hives (sometimes huge ones), they can sting victims repeatedly, and they get more aggressive as the summer wanes. In other words--we were in trouble. How could we get rid of these creatures without spending loads of money and keeping green? <br />
<br />
On the internet, the most popular suggestion was to pour gasoline into the hole. No way! Keeping our lawn a chemical-free play zone was key. This method is illegal, dangerous, and can have long-term consequences for the ground and its inhabitants. Rigging hornet spray on to a pole and putting that into the hole was another common suggestion. That seemed complicated, dangerous, and we were worried about what that would do to our lovely organic veggies. <br />
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Ultimately, we decided that capping the hole with a glass vessel would be the easiest, safest, and cheapest tactic. The theory is that no wasps get in our out so the colony starves plus the glass creates a killer hotbox. But, would it work? Since the yellow jackets were able to dig a hole to make the nest in the first place, wouldn't they just dig new holes and ditch the capped one? We had nothing to lose, so it was worth a try.<br />
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I waited until after dark one night to put a mason jar cap over the hole. Since yellow jackets go in the ground for the night, I could get close without much fear of being stung. The next day, yellow jackets emerged from the hole but couldn't get out. They flew around inside the jar, contained.<br />
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By the second day, though, they dug their hole wider than the jar and a few managed to get in and out through the gap. I needed a bigger jar. In the dark, once again, I swapped out my containers. A thick, glass flower vase fit the bill.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uVK2aOMlBAc/Uf_rQrTOhrI/AAAAAAAAEtU/HrLxCYDtXy4/s1600/PF148072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uVK2aOMlBAc/Uf_rQrTOhrI/AAAAAAAAEtU/HrLxCYDtXy4/s320/PF148072.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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As I worked, I noticed several new holes had popped up in the yard. Interestingly, it looked like the escapees were digging down versus the trapped yellow jackets digging out. I put some jars on top of those, too.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tyQeP0eFw7U/UgAIFQBsFiI/AAAAAAAAEts/ReAJKekB-Zc/s1600/20130805_150546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tyQeP0eFw7U/UgAIFQBsFiI/AAAAAAAAEts/ReAJKekB-Zc/s320/20130805_150546.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The next day, scores of yellow jackets tried to leave the confines of the glass at the main hole, but they could not. Dead bodies piled up as the day wore on. I left everything alone it for several days. A few wasps still emerged and buzzed in the vase, but there were no escapees. The other holes stayed firm with no change. We were victorious...temporarily.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s5hIZF1t-nU/Uf_rODsMehI/AAAAAAAAEtM/iVfqQvMUtlQ/s1600/PF148073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s5hIZF1t-nU/Uf_rODsMehI/AAAAAAAAEtM/iVfqQvMUtlQ/s320/PF148073.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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After about a week of nothing, more yellow jackets emerged. We suspect that the adults died out the first week and the second wave was babies that survived the famine as egg. With the vase still in place, they were all gone again after a day or two.<br />
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It has now been two weeks with no sightings. At one point, we talked about going out after dark one night, covered head-to-toe in thick clothing, to dump boiling water down the hole to eliminate any remaining life, but we think we are in the clear now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u_ayYzNV_jo/UgAIEyYIAsI/AAAAAAAAEtk/MsO5emu_BCQ/s1600/20130805_150633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u_ayYzNV_jo/UgAIEyYIAsI/AAAAAAAAEtk/MsO5emu_BCQ/s320/20130805_150633.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remnants of the yellow jacket hole</td></tr>
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-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-20356102209652978792013-08-07T07:00:00.000-04:002013-08-07T07:00:13.268-04:00No More Cleaner ClumpsIn green cleaning, I use several different powders: borax, baking soda, washing soda, oxygen cleaner (sodium percarbonate), citric acid. Some of these clump up in the humidity of our basement and are unusable. So, what's a green cleaning family supposed to do? Don't throw these products away! Instead, pull out your food processor and prepare for magic.<br />
<br />
Step 1: <br />Dump the clumps in to a food processor fitted with the normal blade. <br />
Some of the powder will get very fine and billow out of the machine. You may want to cover it with a towel.<br />
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Step 2: <br />Whir away<br />
Let the dust settle<br />
Open the lid.<br />
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Step 3: </div>
Transfer the powder into an air-tight container. <br />
Also, you could pop in a packet of silica gel if you have one leftover from something else. <br />
Those terracotta brown sugar bears (and other shapes) work, too.<br />
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-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-36727639030961164792013-08-06T12:59:00.000-04:002013-08-06T12:59:48.558-04:00Nursing In A Woven WrapHappy World Breastfeeding Week! <br />
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I am grateful to have nursed V for 18 months, at which point my milk turned fully to colostrum (at 37 weeks of pregnancy with baby E) and he gently weaned. E is now one year old (today!) and still going strong. I credit babywearing with making on-cue nursing possible with both my boys through vacations, work, and everyday life. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10-month-old V is ready to touch a lizard and then get rehydrated in the hot Caribbean sun</td></tr>
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As a Volunteer Babywearing Educator for <a href="http://www.babywearinginternational.org/" target="_blank">Babywearing International</a> (BWI), I am frequently asked about nursing in a carrier. Here's a bit about my story...<br />
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When V was born, we had trouble latching which meant feeding was slow and frequent. I felt like I was nursing every hour of every 1.5 hours. Intense! I searched You Tube for videos on how to nurse a newborn in a wrap, but everything I came across used a cradle carry, which just didn't work for my anatomy, V's latching issues, or my back issues. <br />
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When V was five weeks old, I decided it was time to get some help. I attempted to take him to the <a href="http://beltwaybabywearers.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">local BWI meeting</a>, but I drove us to the wrong location. When I realized that I had missed by chance for help, I got back in my car and totally lost it. I was the crazy lady crying and screaming in my car. Yeah, the nursing intensity and back pain was that bad (plus the post-partum traumatic stress disorder that I didn't yet know I had). Once I calmed down, I made it to the correct location where several understanding moms welcomed me though I was late. They cheered me on and showed me some tricks. What I learned that day was gold and it has stuck with me as my favorite nursing carry.<br />
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What is this magic? The front wrap cross carry (FWCC). It is a great carry for nursing because baby sits in a pocket that can be easily lowed to get to the proper height for nursing and then heightened back to the proper, "head is high enough to kiss" position when finished. This so revolutionized my life that I made a video when V was six months old, and I was still a novice, so I could pass on the love to others who might be feeling just as desperate.<br />
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Getting baby in a FWCC:</div>
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<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/ZRrl-L_B19A/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/ZRrl-L_B19A&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/ZRrl-L_B19A&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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Nursing while in a FWCC:</div>
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Recently, I did a new version with tying the carry and nursing the baby all together:<br />
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These days, I can nurse in a wrap hands-free and do just about anything, but the day I learned it, I used my hands to go home and eat my lunch while my baby had sipped at his is lunch. I actually cried tears of joy at that accomplishment. Hands for eating was a big, big deal!<br />
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Breastfeeding can be hard work and require incredible determination, but--for me--after the rough newborn days (ok, ten weeks of blisters and struggles with my first baby), it led to being able to feed baby anywhere and anytime. Plus, when baby E came along, we were able to get to nursing in a carrier from day 1. It is a joy to pass the magic on to other mamas, now.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby E naps after nursing on his birth day. <br />
(Disclaimer: a wrap should not have this much slack while standing)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you looking for information on breastfeeding and babywearing and local to Northern Virginia? If so, join me at <a href="http://www.greatbeginningsonline.com/" target="_blank">Great Beginnings in Chantilly</a> on Saturday, August 10. I'll be part of the panel on Supporting the Breastfeeding Mom from 12:30-1:15. Learn more about the event </span><a href="http://www.eat-sleep-love.com/p/world-breastfeeding-week.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-67091372864447162422013-07-31T21:32:00.001-04:002013-07-31T22:31:55.768-04:00The Wonder of the Ground Cherry<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first year we started our </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-New-Square-Foot-Gardening/dp/1591862027" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">square foot garden</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, I poured through every page of the </span><a href="http://www.southernexposure.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Southern Exposure Seed Exchange</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> catalogue, which specializes in heirloom and organic varieties that thrive in the Mid Atlantic region. As I read, I discovered something called a ground cherry that I never heard of before. The variety called Cossack Pineapple sounded especially delicious. How tantalizing is this? </span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2" diameter berries have a delicious flavor reminiscent of pineapple. Bite-sized berries are so tasty that they may never make it into the kitchen, especially if you have children. Excellent for preserves, hot dessert toppings, salads or mock pineapple yogurt. Plants are short (12"-18") but with bushy spreading lateral branches which choke out weeds. Fruits ripen to a pineapple yellow.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone describes the flavor differently. My best description is a mix of chocolate and pineapple.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, what are these tiny treasures? Ground cherries are native American variety of husk tomato and look like a tiny tomatillo while they are growing.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Tomatillo</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Ground Cherry</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbc-Qt8cHKK8UO8wT79o7_c6ptvMC-c37o9COsV-1tqY_rdenIUQgQqEtBXM-1fGSyfPC5j9VLcENF-FpGICFehwJGrmACW9eheM6eN6MkmqfkWX_oEDRuaOMywzU9RhHAk85cU40xIs/s1600/PF148083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></a><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Young tomatillos are on the top. Full-size cossacks are on the bottom. The tomatillo plant and fruit will grow to be much larger than the cossack as the season progresses. The tomatillo fruit remains green and often becomes sticky under the husk; the husk of the cossack will dry and turn brown and the fruit will fall to the ground.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ground cherries are a nightshade and should only be eaten when the husk has dried from green to brown and the fruit falls to the ground. However, if you are feeling impatient, it is ok to give the plant a gentle shake to encourage the brown pods to fall to the ground.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Green and on the plant = not ready</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwX7EWBTV3_1kkvw1KQDVsXKDW91njqu3xt0mSAVT8jKr9qlhpbJXfyOSY3jdxBpaHJfnGi4U8iB47dKWA3pSQF8c-sI7SpixotqH2MZjEbgfsUvDgqd2CQn6XBP7xw1Hw2Bfb5q4LTok/s1600/PF148080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwX7EWBTV3_1kkvw1KQDVsXKDW91njqu3xt0mSAVT8jKr9qlhpbJXfyOSY3jdxBpaHJfnGi4U8iB47dKWA3pSQF8c-sI7SpixotqH2MZjEbgfsUvDgqd2CQn6XBP7xw1Hw2Bfb5q4LTok/s320/PF148080.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Brown and on the ground = ready</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Harvesting these little yummies is great fun for 2.5 year-old V who can gather them on his own and even pop few in his mouth straight from the garden since the husk keeps the fruit clean enough to eat right away. When they actually make it inside the house, it is fun to rinse and husk them.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4jnd5E3yuFI/UfmtaJbdf6I/AAAAAAAAEqU/Yc21yQq3Q5M/s1600/PF148055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4jnd5E3yuFI/UfmtaJbdf6I/AAAAAAAAEqU/Yc21yQq3Q5M/s320/PF148055.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sd-VkP6QYHw/UfmsOhViYII/AAAAAAAAEps/jPfevmEbTWc/s1600/PF148067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sd-VkP6QYHw/UfmsOhViYII/AAAAAAAAEps/jPfevmEbTWc/s320/PF148067.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Normally we just snack on these raw. But, I've also made them into jam and mixed them into chocolate frosting. The jam was yummy, though made a tiny yield. The frosting was a bust in that the chocolate overwhelmed the cossack flavor. </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-weyGoIeg_NI/Ufl4mtaIzxI/AAAAAAAAEpU/ObVpxUe6Ibo/s1600/Cossack+Jam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-weyGoIeg_NI/Ufl4mtaIzxI/AAAAAAAAEpU/ObVpxUe6Ibo/s320/Cossack+Jam.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Because ground cherries are a native species, they grow very easily. The seeds we started indoors flopped, but the ones we direct sowed did wonderfully. Over the years, they have self-sowed and survived our various transgressions like forgetting to water or fertilize.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Our front garden is having a very good tomato, tomatillo, ground cherry year (along with some radishes to help with pests). The ground cherry plants are in the front row, left side.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, what do you think? Will you give ground cherries a try?</span></div>
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-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-3722264693301599762013-07-03T07:30:00.000-04:002014-02-21T21:03:57.234-05:00Brewing Kombucha: Step-by-Step<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now that you've <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2013/06/preparing-to-brew-kombucha.html">gathered all of the supplies</a> to make kombucha, now it's time to brew!<br />
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<i>(If you are wondering what kombucha is, start <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2013/05/kombucha-homebrewing-kick-off.html">here</a>.)</i><br />
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<u><strong>Day 1: Brew</strong></u><br />
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Today, you will need<br />
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 gallon water</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">3-4 bags or 2-4 tablespoons loose leaf tea</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 cup sugar <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> and fermented liquid </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pot</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spoon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Large glass brewing jar (mine is an old pickle jar)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sieve (if using loose leaf tea)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Piece of cloth large enough to cover the jar opening</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rubber band or twine</span><i style="font-family: inherit;">(Additional details about these items are <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2013/06/preparing-to-brew-kombucha.html">here</a><span id="goog_2017661981"></span><span id="goog_2017661982"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a>.)</i></li>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5FwJMl8Jtc/UcycqReTwAI/AAAAAAAAEiY/qzNUMVhlQF8/s1600/PF037753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5FwJMl8Jtc/UcycqReTwAI/AAAAAAAAEiY/qzNUMVhlQF8/s320/PF037753.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li>Boil water in the pot.</li>
<li>Remove from heat and stir in tea leaves and sugar.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</li>
<li>Let the sweet tea cool to room temperature. (I go about my day and then come back to it when I have time.)</li>
<li>Pour the room-temperature sweet tea into the glass container/fermenting jar </li>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SmRIWWTW8SU/UdBuE3hC4cI/AAAAAAAAEk0/kTZLuq_JuKk/s1600/PF037783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SmRIWWTW8SU/UdBuE3hC4cI/AAAAAAAAEk0/kTZLuq_JuKk/s320/PF037783.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>Strain while pouring if using loose-leaf tea.</li>
<li>If your SCOBY came in fermented liquid, be sure to add this to the jar. Alternatively, you could add a bit of store-bought kombucha. If you do not have any already-fermented liquid, plan for your first batch to take a minimum of ten days rather than seven. If you are maintaining a <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2013/06/preparing-to-brew-kombucha.html">SCOBY hotel</a>, refresh your backup jar with any remaining tea.<br /><br />
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</li>
</ul>
<li>Cover the jar with cloth and secure with rubber band or twine.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RnhegqNjuYg/UdBt_CcKA7I/AAAAAAAAEm8/PWj7YM5VaC8/s1600/PF037747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RnhegqNjuYg/UdBt_CcKA7I/AAAAAAAAEm8/PWj7YM5VaC8/s320/PF037747.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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</li>
<li>Leave in an out-of-the-way, warm place out of direct sunlight (indirect light is fine).</li>
</ol>
<strong><u>Day 6+: Prepare to Bottle</u></strong>
<br />
<ol>
<li>Clean the Day 7+ bottling and brewing equipment (see <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2013/06/preparing-to-brew-kombucha.html">preparation instructions</a>). </li>
</ol>
<strong><u>Day 7-10+: Bottle and Brew</u></strong><br />
<br />
Today, you will need<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>3-5 glass bottles</li>
<li>Something to label storage bottles with </li>
<li>Funnel</li>
<li>Sieve</li>
<li>Flavoring agents</li>
<li>All Day 1 supplies, if starting another batch<br /><i style="font-family: inherit;">(Additional details about these items are <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2013/06/preparing-to-brew-kombucha.html">here</a><span id="goog_2017661981"></span><span id="goog_2017661982"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a>.)</i></li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>One to two-ish weeks after you've brewed, it is time to bottle. The longer you wait, the less sugar will remain and the benefits of fermentation will be stronger. However, the taste will be more vinegary. Each family will have their opinion on when the brew is ready. We like 7-10 days. We did three weeks once, and it was not palatable.</li>
<li>Inspect your SCOBY and the brew. Mold is bad. Colors in the realm of cream and brown are normal variations for a SCOBY. Bubbles also are normal, but not required.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nz8YDoj4H7k/UdBuN2nLgxI/AAAAAAAAEls/Dpr7UaqdHaU/s1600/PF107812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nz8YDoj4H7k/UdBuN2nLgxI/AAAAAAAAEls/Dpr7UaqdHaU/s320/PF107812.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YqM9SGQksVo/UdBuCBp9hhI/AAAAAAAAEkY/q2x92H4X6fA/s1600/PF037771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YqM9SGQksVo/UdBuCBp9hhI/AAAAAAAAEkY/q2x92H4X6fA/s320/PF037771.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bottom picture shows the various colors and textures that a healthy SCOBY can have. You do no need to remove the SCOBY from the jar (though you can, if you'd like to rinse off the stringy and chunky bits)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
<li>If you are doing the continuous brew method, boil water and add tea and sugar. Let sit in the pot to cool. (See Day 1 for a review, if needed)</li>
<li>In the meanwhile, bottle last week’s batch. The dishwasher door is a great place to do this and contain any spills.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jJjqymGyKU/UdBuOo6RSoI/AAAAAAAAEl4/Wt2M1TWhm1o/s1600/PF107823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jJjqymGyKU/UdBuOo6RSoI/AAAAAAAAEl4/Wt2M1TWhm1o/s320/PF107823.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IoqBuuTFK9M/UdBuPgK_isI/AAAAAAAAEmA/c8i5gqEc_ks/s1600/PF107826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IoqBuuTFK9M/UdBuPgK_isI/AAAAAAAAEmA/c8i5gqEc_ks/s320/PF107826.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E is not amused at being left out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</li>
<li>Pour the kombucha into glass bottles using a funnel and sieve (to strain out debris).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ElWVIfXiTjg/UdBuDbS51II/AAAAAAAAEko/wJ19GX9I3Ac/s1600/PF037778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ElWVIfXiTjg/UdBuDbS51II/AAAAAAAAEko/wJ19GX9I3Ac/s320/PF037778.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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</li>
<li>If you would like carbonation, leave a good amount of head room.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y8io9vwA5tA/UdBt7Ye0adI/AAAAAAAAEnE/uC_ZVzzc67w/s1600/PF037723-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y8io9vwA5tA/UdBt7Ye0adI/AAAAAAAAEnE/uC_ZVzzc67w/s320/PF037723-2.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The red is the kombucha. You can see I've left several inches of headroom on this narrow-necked bottle. I'd leave less with a wide-necked jar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
<li>Leave some of the brew in the fermenting jar for the next batch (or to feed your SCOBY if you are not brewing again right away).<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2AlTjlM59E/UdBuELM6dII/AAAAAAAAEks/y9KWviROFBE/s1600/PF037780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2AlTjlM59E/UdBuELM6dII/AAAAAAAAEks/y9KWviROFBE/s320/PF037780.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.33px;">The SCOBY remains covered with old kombucha in preparation for a new batch.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
<li>You can drink your kombucha now, or you can flavor it and then do secondary fermentation. Flavor the drink by adding pieces of fruit, herbs, or juice into the bottles. A post just on this is forthcoming, but I'll share that my favorite is freshly squeezed orange juice plus the rind.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bwQ9XEK91JY/UdBuQdrFRsI/AAAAAAAAEmI/DVLeBWsUiAU/s1600/PF107829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bwQ9XEK91JY/UdBuQdrFRsI/AAAAAAAAEmI/DVLeBWsUiAU/s320/PF107829.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy organic oranges.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMWaWCmclGc/UdBt8BdIDrI/AAAAAAAAEjY/lzsT33ZYok0/s1600/PF037735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMWaWCmclGc/UdBt8BdIDrI/AAAAAAAAEjY/lzsT33ZYok0/s320/PF037735.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cranberry, mango, and plain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</li>
<li>Label the bottles with the date and flavors.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5_5fkrfzzKA/UdBuRG2nXmI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/uT82wx1k0rk/s1600/PF107837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5_5fkrfzzKA/UdBuRG2nXmI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/uT82wx1k0rk/s320/PF107837.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A grease pencil works well for labeling.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
<li>Let the filled bottles sit at room temperature for a few days to carbonate and undergo secondary fermentation (if desired).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dprBK75GPUg/UdBuRoHCqBI/AAAAAAAAEmU/eyvI8tbnq0E/s1600/PF107842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dprBK75GPUg/UdBuRoHCqBI/AAAAAAAAEmU/eyvI8tbnq0E/s320/PF107842.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top of the refrigerator is a good storage space in our small kitchen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
<li>If you are doing the continuous brew method, start your next batch by adding the cooled sweet tea from step 2 into the fermenting jar (along with the reserved fermented kombucha).
</li>
</ol>
<strong><u>3 Days Later</u></strong>
<br />
<ol>
<li>Put the bottles in the fridge to end fermentation (so it doesn't become alcoholic).</li>
<li>Drink as desired. (Take it slow if you are new to kombucha. The benefits to your gut health can be a little too good if you start with too much, too soon.)<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2mlxtgMRQrM/UdBuTmRRdxI/AAAAAAAAEmk/tvy8RyJHENQ/s1600/PF137861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2mlxtgMRQrM/UdBuTmRRdxI/AAAAAAAAEmk/tvy8RyJHENQ/s320/PF137861.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berry Kombucha</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
</ol>
<br />-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-90355063853801550732013-06-29T21:28:00.000-04:002014-02-21T21:20:27.431-05:00Guest Post--Book Review of Beyond Bacon: Paleo Recipes that Respect the Whole Hog<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Over the past two years, I’ve grown increasingly aware of where my food comes from. My stance on organic produce used to be that, save for the </span><a href="http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">dirty dozen</span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, conventional produce didn’t faze me; local trumped shipped-in organic as the greener choice. But, I’ve come to realize that those chemicals not only impact the people who consume the food but also those who grow it. I want better for those people as well as the rest of the natural order around them. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My journey with meat has also progressed. After a period of being so consumed with the ethics of meat that it was difficult for me to eat, our family made the decision last fall to segue into buying </span><a href="http://www.jlgreenfarm.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">locally and humanely raised meat</span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">One way to make this switch more affordable is to purchase whole animals or bundles. While I had my first experience grinding a beef heart this year (to mix in with ground beef), my guest poster today, Alexa, has been ordering whole </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;">and cooking whole animals for about a year. Using a whole pig piece-by-piece just got a lot easier thanks to the new book<u> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1936608235/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1936608235&linkCode=as2&tag=bellaonlinepr-20"><span style="color: windowtext;">Beyond Bacon: Paleo Recipes that Respect the Whole Hog</span></a></u> by Matthew McCarry and Stacy Toth, known in the blogosphere as </span><a href="http://paleoparents.com/"><span style="color: black;">Paleo Parents</span></a><span style="color: black;">. Here is her review of the book.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hwV-M_jIDEU/Uc8_rPh6r0I/AAAAAAAA40o/vLO3BwCtokc/s512/Beyond-Bacon-by-Stacy-Toth-and-Matt-McCarry-the-Paleo-Parents-740px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hwV-M_jIDEU/Uc8_rPh6r0I/AAAAAAAA40o/vLO3BwCtokc/s320/Beyond-Bacon-by-Stacy-Toth-and-Matt-McCarry-the-Paleo-Parents-740px.jpg" width="256" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">There are a few things you should know about me before reading on:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I cook a whole lot. I often wonder if I spend more time in the kitchen than I do doing everything else combined.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I am not what you would call a “reader.” I very rarely read non-fiction books for pleasure. It is hard to engage me long enough to get really interested in something unless it has a great story line. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I don’t like cookbooks much. I think this goes back to #1. I am not the kind of person who looks up a great recipe, goes out and gets everything I need for it & comes home to cook it up. I am more the kind who opens the fridge, freezer, and/or pantry and uses whatever I have to whip up a meal. Cookbooks just don’t usually fit into that. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Enter <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Beyond Bacon</span></u>...</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I ordered a whole pig from my favorite </span><a href="http://www.whiffletreefarmva.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">local farm</span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> last year and have been cooking my way through it, so when Stacy and Matt from Paleo Parents announced that they were working on a new cookbook called <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Beyond Bacon</span></u>, I was excited to have some new ideas to add into my family’s menu rotation. I saved several of the more uncommon cuts so that I could try them using recipes in the book. When I was lucky enough to get a preview copy, I flipped through it and was immediately drawn in by the amazing photographs by </span><a href="http://aimeebuxtonphotography.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Aimee Buxton</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. The food looked incredible. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I got it home and hoped to get some time to check it out. Then it got lost in the shuffle of life with kids. When I finally got a moment of quiet, I decided to reach for it. That was it. It had me at Bacon. I sat and read the entire thing. For several hours. I thought everything looked and sounded amazing, but still wasn’t sure about using a cookbook for my family’s meals, so I decided to look for recipes that I could make using just with what I currently had in the house. I hoped to find maybe one or two. I started writing them down and once I got to fifteen recipes I stopped writing. That’s right, over fifteen recipes with no special grocery shopping needed! Finally a book that just used wonderful real food ingredients that I buy anyway. Amazing! </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Things I love about <u><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Beyond Bacon</span></u>:</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Wonderful information at beginning</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Layout of the pages was very easy to navigate</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Mouth-watering pictures of every recipe</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Notes” or “Tips” listed on many recipes were extremely helpful</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Engaging story and/or information in the intro paragraph to each recipe</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Division of the recipe sections by preparation</span></span></div>
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<!--[endif]--><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Farm house aesthetic</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Recipes with real, whole foods without too many hard to find ingredients</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Focus on pastured meats from sustainable, local sources</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Encouragement and ideas for nose to tail eating</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Great index listing both recipes and ingredients</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Easy to follow instructions (even on more difficult preparations)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Things I would’ve loved to see:</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Full recipe list in one place (They are listed in the front of each section.)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sample menus/combinations (There are some suggestions at the bottom of several recipes, but it left me wanting even more.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A few more green vegetable recipes. (My family eats a whole lot of green veggies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <span style="color: #0c343d;">I set out to start testing and wanted to start with a cut I had been saving for months, the jowls. I set myself to work on this one recipe and I worked my way through it (with lots of help from my little kitchen helpers). </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Once I was done with the recipe, I had a lovely pot of broth just asking to be used and some extra fat that I had trimmed from the jowls. I flipped through again and found the egg-drop soup, lard and crispy lardons. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I got four recipes out of my one jowl recipe! I love it when nothing goes to waste and we all eat well because of it. I had planned on only making that recipe before writing this, but then I just couldn’t help myself. I had to try more, so off I went to cook. We are still eating our way through all the wonderful food!</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Recipes I’ve tried so far:</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<strong style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lard</strong><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Was incredibly easy to do following the instructions in the book. I have only ever done it in the crock pot before and mine has often been dark. It was a beautiful snowy white this time!</span></div>
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<strong style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://paleoparents.com/featured/asian-short-ribs-a-beyond-bacon-recipe/">Asian Short Ribs</a></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These were incredible! I’m still thinking about how </span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">good they are. </span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Darn. Now I have to go order some more short ribs.</span></div>
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<strong style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Egg Drop Soup</strong><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I loved this! W</span></span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hat a wonderful way </span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">to have some protein with your healing bone broths. </span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This will likely become a staple for me.</span></div>
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<strong style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ham Pot Roast with Horseradish Mustard Glaze</strong><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The meat was so tender and delicious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span> </span></div>
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<strong style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hawaiian Pork Roast</strong><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The sweetness of the pineapple was delicious with </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the </span></span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">flavor of the meat and spices in the marinade.</span></div>
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<strong style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Perfect Pork Chops</strong><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just like Stacy says in the book, </span></span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think steak and me have </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">officially broken up. </span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pork chops are my new one and only.</span></div>
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<strong style="color: #0c343d;"> </strong><strong style="color: #0c343d;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong style="color: #0c343d;"></strong></span><br />
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<strong style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Crispy Lardons</strong><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My kids ate these for an evening snack. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">With a spoon. </span></span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enough said.</span><br />
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<strong style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Green Papaya Salad with Poached Jowl</strong><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Amazing flavors in this one! Will definitely be making again!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><strong style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mashed Cauliflower</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The creaminess was delicious. </span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I added some fresh herbs and loved it!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Faux-Tato Salad</strong></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The only one that got mixed reviews, but we were never big potato salad people anyway. </span><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was intrigued by cooking jicama as I have always eaten it raw. </span></span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It does cook up to a </span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> potato-like consistency, but I think I still prefer it raw.</span></div>
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<strong style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sautéed Green Beans</strong><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A huge crowd pleaser. </span><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Will enter dinner rotations immediately. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mS1Filk4IBM/Uc0DsTqpRuI/AAAAAAAA4vQ/Xc8di09Eyt8/s720/IMG_1151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mS1Filk4IBM/Uc0DsTqpRuI/AAAAAAAA4vQ/Xc8di09Eyt8/s320/IMG_1151.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div>
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<strong style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rosemary Carrot Mash</strong><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">Another huge pleaser! We make carrots all the time but have never mashed them. So yummy!</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span> <br />
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<strong style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Baconnaise</strong><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am a huge fan of mayonnaise but hate all the junk that is usually in store bought versions. I’ve made my own many times, but this one is going to be my new favorite, for sure.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Ones I plan to try soon:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Corn Dogs</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sautéed Cabbage</span></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Triple Chocolate Freezer Fudge</span></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Scrapple</span></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Mexican Chorizo</span></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Lengua Carnitas</span></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">•<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sweet Potato Drop Biscuits</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...Who am I kidding? I want to try them all <br />
<br />
-Alexa</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">------</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I am getting to ready to order a pork bundle that includes backbone, and I can't wait to see what the Paleo Parents have to say about preparing this. Beyond Bacon comes out July 2, 2013. It is available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">About today’s guest poster: Alexa is a stay-at-home mother of two and co-leader of the <a href="http://hmnofnova.blogspot.com/">Northern Virginia</a> chapter of the <a href="http://www.holisticmoms.org/">Holistic Moms Network</a>. Growing up in a “crunchy-hippie” household, she has created the same for her own family. She believes that what you eat directly impacts overall health and well-being. This belief was further reinforced when giving up wheat in 2005 put a stop to the daily migraines she was having.<br />
<br />
Today, Alexa concentrates on feeding her family real, whole foods sourced mostly from local and sustainable farms. She spends her days homeschooling her children, cooking delicious meals for the family, and continuing to nourish her local Holistic Moms community who has given her so much.</span></em>-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-63268568818311984542013-06-27T16:28:00.001-04:002014-02-21T21:03:57.253-05:00Preparing to Brew Kombucha<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
This is part of a series on brewing kombucha. You can view all of the kombucha entries </span><a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/search/label/Kombucha"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">here</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">. </span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">It takes some time get all of the items needed to brew kombucha. But, this part is probably the hardest step, as the brewing is easy. Here is how to prepare:</span></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><u>Gather Ingredients</u></span></strong></span></div>
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<strong>Water-<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1
gallon<br />
</strong>I estimate by using a large pot. Precise quantity is not important. If
using tap water, you do not need to prepare this ahead of time.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><strong>Tea (black tea works well) - 3-4 bags/2-4 tablespoons loose leaf<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
</strong>Quantity varies based on quality and type of tea. I have had success with
Wegman’s decaf orange pekoe (bags), and Frontier’s Organic Black Decaf (loose).
Herbal tea and chai turned out vile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong>Sugar<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>-
1 cup<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
</strong>I mostly raw cane sugar because that is what we have, but the cheap white
stuff works just as well. You can use honey or other natural sweeteners, but
it can produce an off taste. Note that the sugar feeds the SCOBY, and little sugar
will remain in the fermented product (the longer is brews, the less sugar remains). </div>
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<strong>Symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast
(SCOBY)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br />
</strong>Reserve the liquid the SCOBY comes in. Obtain from a friend, online, or
even Craigslist.<o:p></o:p></div>
</span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><u>Gather supplies</u></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><em><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Needed for Day 1</span></i></em><em><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Pot</span></span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Spoon</span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Large glass brewing jar (mine is an old pickle jar)</span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Sieve (if using loose leaf tea)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Piece of cloth large enough to cover the jar opening</span></span></li>
<li><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Rubber band or twine <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Optional: small glass jar, extra fabric, extra twine (for backup SCOBY)</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5FwJMl8Jtc/UcycqReTwAI/AAAAAAAAEiY/qzNUMVhlQF8/s1600/PF037753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h5FwJMl8Jtc/UcycqReTwAI/AAAAAAAAEiY/qzNUMVhlQF8/s320/PF037753.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Day 1 Supplies</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><em><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Needed for Day 7+</span></i></em><em><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">3-5 <!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Storage/drinking bottles, glass</span> </span>(Old glass jars with lids work just as well as beer brewing bottles. If using jars with metal lids, place a piece of parchment paper in between the jar and lid.)</span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Something to label storage bottles with (grease pencil, masking tape, post-it, Sharpie, etc.)</span></span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Funnel<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Flavoring agents (fruit, juice, herbs, etc.)</span></span><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r8TirbedYj8/Ucycree6qnI/AAAAAAAAEig/ogAn2wJZBvk/s1600/PF037778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r8TirbedYj8/Ucycree6qnI/AAAAAAAAEig/ogAn2wJZBvk/s320/PF037778.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Day 7+ Bottling Day Supplies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p> </span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><u>Clean Your Equipment<o:p></o:p></u></span></span></strong></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">
<!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Using a dishwasher on heat dry is an easy way to sanitize (even if you
don’t have a sanitize cycle). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Alternatively, boil water and then submerge small items in the water
(provided they are heat-safe). For your brewing vessel, pour some of the water
inside, cap, and swish around, being mindful that the glass will get very hot.
Dump out the water.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Let all items cool to room temperature before using.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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</span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><u>Prepare a SCOBY hotel (optional)</u></span></strong><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>
</strong>Sometimes SCOBYs go bad. Other times, you might make a really vile batch
of kombucha and you want to have clean starter liquid on reserve for your next
batch rather than perpetuating the nastiness. To make a SCOBY hotel, assemble a
jar containing a small bit of SCOBY (perhaps one layer of your large SCOBY) and
a small amount of kombucha. Top with cloth and rubber band or twine. Leave in
an out-of-the-way, warm place out of direct sunlight (indirect light is fine).</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span> </div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wzW-EJaYHjw/Ucycqq1OquI/AAAAAAAAEiQ/trJPNN1Grk0/s1600/PF037745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wzW-EJaYHjw/Ucycqq1OquI/AAAAAAAAEiQ/trJPNN1Grk0/s320/PF037745.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing the SCOBY Hotel and Fermenting Jar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<o:p><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Coming soon...brewing instructions.</span></o:p></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span></div>
-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-74727642171778905902013-06-18T16:51:00.000-04:002013-06-18T16:51:44.392-04:00Why Green Inside & Out? All of This Fun!Cost and environmental impact are among the reasons why I switched to green greening our house inside and out, but as a parent I've discovered an added benefit: even the tiniest tot can get in on the action!<br />
<br />
Inside, I feel comfortable with the kids being around our cleaners.. At 2.5, V is eager to spray and wipe everything he possibly can. While sometimes we just go with plain water, it is nice to really benefit from his eagerness. Baby E is still too oral to help that way (even green cleaners shouldn't be eaten), but I can tote him around on my back while I work without worrying about dangerous fumes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hH3fisuxbHE/UcC8FO-0K_I/AAAAAAAAEKo/uA3p66f1dYU/s1600/20130617_115112.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hH3fisuxbHE/UcC8FO-0K_I/AAAAAAAAEKo/uA3p66f1dYU/s320/20130617_115112.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scrubbing the tub with green cleaners</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The same holds true outside of the house. With a
pesticide-free yard, our kids can go free-range: Baby E can explore on his own and
eat a handful—or three—of clover or chickweed. Toddler V can play dump truck with grass clippings with his bare
hands for an hour while I use the quiet reel-push mower right next to him.</div>
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ww8b4th1P3Q/UcDBIlHUESI/AAAAAAAAEa8/8CR9Cn4Ji8M/s1600/20130610_120523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ww8b4th1P3Q/UcDBIlHUESI/AAAAAAAAEa8/8CR9Cn4Ji8M/s320/20130610_120523.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mowing Helper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e1UBIvj3eas/UcC_HYdvHpI/AAAAAAAAEO0/bBVEN6AWM-A/s1600/phone+backup_0505_0088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e1UBIvj3eas/UcC_HYdvHpI/AAAAAAAAEO0/bBVEN6AWM-A/s200/phone+backup_0505_0088.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting used to the feel of grass</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mZczxxxcSyY/UcC_WU7QnjI/AAAAAAAAEQA/T5a0owOmk-4/s1600/phone+backup_0421_0111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mZczxxxcSyY/UcC_WU7QnjI/AAAAAAAAEQA/T5a0owOmk-4/s320/phone+backup_0421_0111.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digging in the dirt pile in the backyard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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With organic gardening, we get the fun of watering, digging, catching slugs, and eating veggies together. Everyone can lend a hand!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dQA8WvMdC68/UcC_KJfba0I/AAAAAAAAEPE/jYQUlEeNitA/s1600/phone+backup_0505_0089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dQA8WvMdC68/UcC_KJfba0I/AAAAAAAAEPE/jYQUlEeNitA/s320/phone+backup_0505_0089.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Square Foot Gardeners</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LDDtTuVFt1k/UcC_KJl9KgI/AAAAAAAAEPA/3C9pGZ_MiZc/s1600/phone+backup_0508_0081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LDDtTuVFt1k/UcC_KJl9KgI/AAAAAAAAEPA/3C9pGZ_MiZc/s320/phone+backup_0508_0081.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Helper</td></tr>
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Green cleaning looks different: things are clean, but not
perfectly spotless. Green yards look different: we have more clover, plantain, dandelions,
and chickweed than actual grass. But, the payoff is that we can enjoy them as a
whole family more fully. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LorgT-z6d7I/UcDE_CEQi8I/AAAAAAAAEbA/L12wBgeL3U8/s1600/PF015114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LorgT-z6d7I/UcDE_CEQi8I/AAAAAAAAEbA/L12wBgeL3U8/s320/PF015114.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">V & Dave 2012</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jq6StBaOGyg/UcDFO9iHMPI/AAAAAAAAEbI/Zkx_QGkFhGg/s1600/phone+backup_0421_0108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jq6StBaOGyg/UcDFO9iHMPI/AAAAAAAAEbI/Zkx_QGkFhGg/s320/phone+backup_0421_0108.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E & Dave, 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KYSLXzkIpow/UZ_yAWsaUzI/AAAAAAAAEFQ/MH71YqFj_Zc/s1600/20130523_175300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KYSLXzkIpow/UZ_yAWsaUzI/AAAAAAAAEFQ/MH71YqFj_Zc/s320/20130523_175300.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Babywearing helps keep baby in on the outdoor action</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-85890018471493211922013-06-03T08:13:00.000-04:002014-02-21T21:31:13.819-05:005 Ideas for Using Spray Paint in Home Improvement<br />
Let's get this out of the way first: spray paint itself isn't eco-friendly. There, I said it. Now that we've agreed on that, let's move on to the idea that spray paint does have green value in that it can impart new life to things that otherwise might just get dumped into a landfill. Here are five ways that we have used spray paint for home improvements:<br />
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<strong>1.</strong> Our <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2010/01/refinishing-fireplace.html" target="_blank"><strong>old fireplace doors</strong></a> went from smoke-stained and outdated to simple and lovely.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_V7ncWtZFNI/S1UCxfkeLNI/AAAAAAAAC5w/Q7qYACzSkV4/s1600/PF186532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_V7ncWtZFNI/S1UCxfkeLNI/AAAAAAAAC5w/Q7qYACzSkV4/s200/PF186532.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NEmG1zgBOg/S1utOvRO-fI/AAAAAAAAC6o/zwA1VWtPTKI/s576/PF236565e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3NEmG1zgBOg/S1utOvRO-fI/AAAAAAAAC6o/zwA1VWtPTKI/s200/PF236565e.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
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<strong>2</strong>. Our retro<strong> kitchen cabinet doors</strong> had layers of chipping paint and lacquer, loads of decorative trim, and possibly lead paint on them, meaning that sanding was out of the question. Textured spray paint was an easy way give them a new lease on life until we have a more defined plan for the kitchen.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iw7ZM8X4e8E/UaAJS_sr7QI/AAAAAAAAEGs/uS21iPCnXNs/s1600/PF096644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Iw7ZM8X4e8E/UaAJS_sr7QI/AAAAAAAAEGs/uS21iPCnXNs/s320/PF096644.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hgEQaRRFP7w/UaAFZbpOliI/AAAAAAAAEF0/LxFDAm45aPs/s1600/PF016624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hgEQaRRFP7w/UaAFZbpOliI/AAAAAAAAEF0/LxFDAm45aPs/s320/PF016624.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lwb4QuKTKRI/UaAJSwbPc9I/AAAAAAAAEGw/qbAY501muqM/s1600/PF096650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lwb4QuKTKRI/UaAJSwbPc9I/AAAAAAAAEGw/qbAY501muqM/s320/PF096650.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<strong>3</strong>. When we bought our house, we had to refinish every single thing (as everything was covered in filth and roach droppings). To minimize cost and waste, we decided to wash and spray paint <strong>hinges and hardware</strong> rather than buying a whole-house's worth of new ones.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mGAhmYffkCE/UaAHYMhUoBI/AAAAAAAAEGA/uk7fgnyuUJI/s1600/PF206445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mGAhmYffkCE/UaAHYMhUoBI/AAAAAAAAEGA/uk7fgnyuUJI/s320/PF206445.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leftover floral foam works well for holding screws.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<strong>4</strong>. For the basement remodel, we freshened up old <strong>door handles</strong> purchased at <a href="http://www.restorenova.org/" target="_blank">ReStore</a> so they would match our oil-rubbed bronze vibe. (We would have been wise to add a coat of lacquer.) (Painting helpers: a shipping pallet and the same trusty piece of floral foam, three years later.)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1SkHUvGI-zI/UaAIMU5DE2I/AAAAAAAAEGM/wOgQJRsrYik/s1600/Image01302013132319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1SkHUvGI-zI/UaAIMU5DE2I/AAAAAAAAEGM/wOgQJRsrYik/s320/Image01302013132319.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwy7PzV5OgUKovEPShnoaPVWpaH2-gmThBu0f5Zts7CLJ0d_i07Ee2MQcSsB0VvewnZ670zrl11I7wNN0UMuHAbINmCyBLDvVvKCBXLRg0dGQ-typV5P3CfGMGNEpmkZyGQMY1gtvb88/s1600/Image01302013132836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwy7PzV5OgUKovEPShnoaPVWpaH2-gmThBu0f5Zts7CLJ0d_i07Ee2MQcSsB0VvewnZ670zrl11I7wNN0UMuHAbINmCyBLDvVvKCBXLRg0dGQ-typV5P3CfGMGNEpmkZyGQMY1gtvb88/s320/Image01302013132836.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSturM2ZWuPTwRmA5b9YuaqFhsAr9vbWV59UOQQrwLuQmongOUTBpzXgUbrFqMB8dWx_cNENTlf2J4bXHdlILn1EJPYOT0blOnXRf5gEs7L5WzUYe_W4JQ8d5VEY6jJdnB4pnpB9y33xA/s1600/PF167279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSturM2ZWuPTwRmA5b9YuaqFhsAr9vbWV59UOQQrwLuQmongOUTBpzXgUbrFqMB8dWx_cNENTlf2J4bXHdlILn1EJPYOT0blOnXRf5gEs7L5WzUYe_W4JQ8d5VEY6jJdnB4pnpB9y33xA/s320/PF167279.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>5.</strong> Going with <strong>flush-mount lights</strong> rather than recessed was one way we could save money on the basement remodel. Finding six matching, attractive, amply-bright lights for cheap was tough, though. Enter Craigslist. We found a lot of lights with a nice motif for a mere $35, but they were a terracotta orange-ish. Once again, spray paint came to the rescue.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I4t0XXt_X7I/UaAKzzWKR5I/AAAAAAAAEHA/mK4GfjZgL5s/s1600/3Kf3Gb3Id5I25P65J9d134f55602191501235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I4t0XXt_X7I/UaAKzzWKR5I/AAAAAAAAEHA/mK4GfjZgL5s/s320/3Kf3Gb3Id5I25P65J9d134f55602191501235.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h4Yqhen07M8/UaAK0zqRLHI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/Mr9CXJZB3Sg/s1600/Image01302013131310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h4Yqhen07M8/UaAK0zqRLHI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/Mr9CXJZB3Sg/s320/Image01302013131310.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0HGXXkJ6KTM/UaAK0SlHcVI/AAAAAAAAEHI/9ZYQ3txcZXw/s1600/Image01302013131321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0HGXXkJ6KTM/UaAK0SlHcVI/AAAAAAAAEHI/9ZYQ3txcZXw/s320/Image01302013131321.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gfh3Owrd9hQ/UaALgcWBEeI/AAAAAAAAEHo/8VCYMKdHHT0/s320/PF147160.JPG" width="240" /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cZWwNLR_LPo/UaALEzsXMnI/AAAAAAAAEHg/N214chh9fn4/s1600/PF167307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cZWwNLR_LPo/UaALEzsXMnI/AAAAAAAAEHg/N214chh9fn4/s320/PF167307.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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There you have it: five ideas from our home. But, there are tons of other possibilities. What is something you saved with spray paint?</div>
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-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-82710303722963533482013-05-29T07:30:00.000-04:002014-02-21T21:18:38.800-05:00Using Glass For Expressed MilkWe have a minimal-plastic home, so when it came to pumping milk for our little ones, I wanted to find a minimal-plastic option. Ultimately, we decided to go with Ball's quilted canning jars in the 4 ounce size. These are also called jelly jars.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-upA-0TZNIGA/UaAcaHyBi5I/AAAAAAAAEI4/VV-ADmXPXV0/s1600/jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-upA-0TZNIGA/UaAcaHyBi5I/AAAAAAAAEI4/VV-ADmXPXV0/s320/jars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Quilted jars are different than other glass because they are designed to be freezer-safe. Other glass can get microscopic cracks through freezing and defrosting or even completely shatter. Many folks are fine with freezing food or drink any kind of glass jars, but I wasn't comfortable with that for breast milk, especially.<br />
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I pump into the plastic bottles that came with my Ameda Purely Yours pump and then immediately transfer the milk to a quilted canning jar. (I do have some small glass bottles that fit on my pump, but it makes it too heavy for my super-amazing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Made-by-Moms-Pumping-Band/dp/B004X8M86O" target="_blank">Made By Moms Pumping Band</a> to support comfortably.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vilFmr0QTWtMQHFvuDpJoJNIuUgN3eI0g4vsWsHsPbT_awPbQZ-FflPmj8nUFPckvKM0GH8SU7yVRURuT_WrF-Sh6OG11kSbXqPMtpKW0rBh6FcZtXA2J5fv8M0v88DoRfhvXIUKJM0/s1600/Made+By+Moms+Pumping+Band.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8vilFmr0QTWtMQHFvuDpJoJNIuUgN3eI0g4vsWsHsPbT_awPbQZ-FflPmj8nUFPckvKM0GH8SU7yVRURuT_WrF-Sh6OG11kSbXqPMtpKW0rBh6FcZtXA2J5fv8M0v88DoRfhvXIUKJM0/s1600/Made+By+Moms+Pumping+Band.jpg" /></a></div>
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Once the milk is in the jar, I top it with the typical canning band and lid paired with a piece of unbleached parchment paper or a BPA-free plastic lid, also made by Ball. (Yes, it is plastic. Yes, they are worth it.)<br />
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With either kind of lid, it is easy to write the date on the top with a grease pencil or put the date on a piece of tape.<br />
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The milk defrosts at a reasonable speed in the fridge or quite quickly when placed in a bowl of hot water.<br />
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Best of all, when our nursing days our over, we're left with something perfectly usable. These little jars are great for packing dry snacks (like nuts or trail mix) or something wet, like yogurt dip for raw veggies.<br />
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While you can find canning jars online, I've found that hardware and grocery stores have better prices. In Northern Virginia, check at Ace Hardware and Wegmans year-round. <br />
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-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-22434878571670296612013-05-27T07:30:00.000-04:002014-02-21T21:18:38.777-05:00Babywearing > Allergy Test<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">I recently took V (2 years, 4 months) to an allergist for a skin prick test as we navigate the cause for his persistent eczema. While this test isn't supposed to be painful, it is definitely unpleasant to have 30+ needle pokes on the back followed by 15 minutes where you can't touch the itchy poke sites. </span><br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">The possibility of getting a two-year-old through this without a major tears and a huge temper tantrum seemed small. But, I hoped that babywearing might just save the day. </span><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">I had already taken V in for muscle testing/applied kinesiology with alternative medicine practitioners and found that wearing him made the sessions more pleasant than holding him (albeit, it is a gentle form of testing). </span><br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">When I asked the allergist if I could wear V on my back during this test, he didn't know what to make of it. He said that most parents just hold their kids down face-down on the exam table. I balked. That mentality is exactly why we'd ruled this test out for a year. </span><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">A battle-of-the-wills or making my child feel voiceless is the opposite of what I work for everyday in my relationship with him. I said that if it came to that, we would skip the test. Then he suggested I hold V on my lap. I liked that idea better, but my intuition was that wrapping V was going to be best for everyone. Doc admitted that a calm child is the best kind, so I should work it out with the nurse.</span><br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">When the nurse came in to administer the test, she was willing to give it a try. As the mama of a two-year-old herself, she got it. I chose a double-hammock carry because I could keep the fabric low on V's torso. She watched as I wrapped him on my back and shared that in her country, women use a short wrap (rebozo) to wear babies, carry groceries, etc., but she'd never learned how. </span><br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">V was very calm for the first 10 pokes; he started to cry for the next 10; and for the final 10 he whimpered. So, it wasn't tear free. But, it was an atmosphere of awareness and instant comfort. </span><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Because he was at adult-height, V was able to look in the mirror (his choice) and understand what was happening. I could reach around and pat his bum in comfort. To help manage pain, I started doing deep, rhythmic breaths which V could feel through his whole body via our bodily contact and so he started doing them, too.</span><br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">As soon as the pokes were done, I reached back and handed him a toy and started walking around. Had he not been wrapped, it would've been tough to pick him up without touching any of his poke spots, let along trying to manage that for the whole waiting period. For the next fifteen minutes we paced, talked, looked in the mirror, and watched the construction site across the road. With hands and mind occupied, he never once tried to scratch his back.</span><br />
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">When time was up, the nurse was able to read the results and clean V's back all while he was in the wrap. </span><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">When the doctor came back to finish things ups, he said that they have never had a child be so calm during the test. He said he'd never seen a "contraption" like our wrap, but now he was a believer. Babywearing for the win!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHe1FtzGr9w-jcxtoKHWFTpMuqZZ82Mdf5ChRTRRlrQbhC6e0psqtQHiy2rAR2gcavtJdz2FMwdh6VdbKC5VkEx4VWKHTSdSN2oKWjiXT37Tc4nE5C0tUyC0DPw9XIWJuKMtRoitNXy8/s1600/20130522_120101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHe1FtzGr9w-jcxtoKHWFTpMuqZZ82Mdf5ChRTRRlrQbhC6e0psqtQHiy2rAR2gcavtJdz2FMwdh6VdbKC5VkEx4VWKHTSdSN2oKWjiXT37Tc4nE5C0tUyC0DPw9XIWJuKMtRoitNXy8/s320/20130522_120101.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">As for the allergies and eczema, we didn't learn anything revolutionary. Everything was in-line with my observations, intuition, and the muscle testing. That said, the experience gave me the confidence to continue on the holistic path we'd been on. I guess I'd better get my wrap ready for our next appointment...</span>-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-19863061476129285742013-05-21T22:19:00.002-04:002014-02-21T21:18:38.772-05:00Freezing Whole EggsWe switched to buying local, pastured meat via monthly pick-up earlier this year. While we are very happy with this choice ethically, we are still navigating keeping costs down. One way we do so is by taking advantage of sales. Each month, <a href="http://www.jlgreenfarm.com/" target="_blank">the farm</a> runs a different seasonal special. This month's special was discounted eggs, but only with a minimum order of six dozen. Our refrigerator is only so big, but with the power of a chest freezer, we decided to go ahead and place the order knowing that we could freeze the eggs. <br />
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OK, it was only theoretical knowledge. I'd heard that it could be done, but not tried it myself. What I discovered is that it was quite easy, once I figured out our setup.<br />
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I decided to wrangle one dozen at a time. I cracked a single egg into each silicone muffin liner. <br />(I used the edge of a bowl to get a good crack, the silicone is too squishy.)Once all dozen were cracked, I covered the eggs with wrap and then laid it flat in the chest freezer. (I'd previously prepared a flat spot for the tray.) <br />
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After a few hours, the eggs were frozen. <br />
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It was easy to flip the silicone liner inside out and pop the egg pucks out into a container. At first, I put the egg pucks in Pyrex, but there a lot of wasted space in each container. (More on that in a moment.)<br />
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Rather than cleaning the liners, I started with the next dozen and got everything back into the freezer quickly. V was eager to help, so I put him in charge of putting the empty shells into a compost bowl. he liked getting "juicy" from the tendrils of egg white. Ah, two-year-olds. I love it!<br />
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Anyway, back to the storage issue. I decided to move the egg pucks into a plastic bag. We rarely use bags, but sometimes they really do fit the bill. Ultimately, I got three dozen eggs into a one gallon bag.<br />
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Next up, we need to decide how we'll use them and see how easily they defrost.<br />
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-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-40166507296825295432013-05-06T06:30:00.000-04:002013-06-19T01:46:20.031-04:00Using a Baby Carrier To Support the Belly During PregnancyAs much as I love using baby carriers to wear my boys, I also appreciate that they can be used for other things. For example, when a wiggly toddler doesn't want to be worn and every cart has broken safety straps, I can tie him in.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wrap as a shopping cart strap</td></tr>
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Or, when you go to a fancy anniversary brunch and it turns out the restaurant doesn't actually have high-chairs, you can create a baby-safe seat, instantly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mei Tai as a high chair </td></tr>
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I also discovered that carriers can help support the belly during pregnancy. With baby E., I wrapped my belly starting at 20 weeks to help with <a href="http://moregreenforlessgreen.blogspot.com/2011/09/babywearing-through-chronic-back-pain.html" target="_blank">my chronic pelvic instability</a>. (Pregnant women may also know this as symphysis pubis dysfunction or pelvic girdle pain. The difference with mine is that it may never go away). I decided to use a woven wrap to lift and support it and give some compression to my back. I wore the wrap for half the day and a Prenatal Cradle Plus, leftover from my pregnancy with V., for the other half of the day.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HgluBnT83o8/UYcV6_Q31SI/AAAAAAAAECk/1ILH0FkRfYE/s1600/Penatal+Cradle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HgluBnT83o8/UYcV6_Q31SI/AAAAAAAAECk/1ILH0FkRfYE/s1600/Penatal+Cradle.jpg" /></a></div>
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A woven wrap is like the sophisticated older brother of the Moby. They both are long pieces of fabric designed to wear a baby, but a woven wrap only stretches on the diagonal which means it gives a much more supportive fit than a stretchy Moby can. Woven wraps are often made by hand or with intricate designs. They have a higher price point, but also have a longer, more versatile life.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 week belly--KoKaDi Forest Birds, 4.2m</td></tr>
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Verdict: the wrap was more breathable and comfortable than the Prenatal Cradle Plus. Sometimes I felt rather bold wearing my support outside of my clothes rather than underneath, but it was worth it! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ap0k1SiZT9QGkNG_4BGjKCxPxihJM1Aiy6ymLe46oeuO850BzFiySMVWZ9Zxp_oUh3xIjD0QZMSjsMgWjl7vZPw1LiyxipfN4uSVPuwwqzWx_DmCTKxyEqC59sOxBu1M1KmFfLfOIgM/s1600/PF255014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ap0k1SiZT9QGkNG_4BGjKCxPxihJM1Aiy6ymLe46oeuO850BzFiySMVWZ9Zxp_oUh3xIjD0QZMSjsMgWjl7vZPw1LiyxipfN4uSVPuwwqzWx_DmCTKxyEqC59sOxBu1M1KmFfLfOIgM/s320/PF255014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zara Black, 4.6m</td></tr>
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After this Zara picture, I decided to get the tail around me one more time. Since Zara has long tapers, the top layer ended up creating a panel of farbic that I just pulled down to cover the rest. It lost the pretty, intricate look, but it look more like part of my shirt. <br />
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Want to see how I do this? Here I am 38.5 weeks pregnant, using a Neobulle Simon 4.6m.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OpgsaPj9n0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OpgsaPj9n0</a></div>
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Some women like to do the same kind of thing with a ring sling. Personally, I found that the ring sling could not actually lift the belly or stabilize my pelvis and hips, but it could give some compression to the belly. At the end of my pregnancy, I wanted to coax baby to flip face-down, and out of that pesky occiput posterior position, so I used a ring sling to apply gentle-but-firm pressure my belly. It didn't persuade my little guy to turn, but maybe it will work for some other mama out there.
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc48d6NE7wY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc48d6NE7wY</a>
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-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-61978083614121724322013-05-03T22:28:00.000-04:002014-02-21T21:03:57.249-05:00Kombucha Homebrewing Kick Off<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">I was at a </span><a href="http://www.holisticmoms.org/"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Holistic<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moms Network</span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (HMN) when I first drank
kombucha. I had no idea what kombucha was, but the bottle said it was ginger
and lemon flavored, so I gave it a try. Surprising! Zingy! Yum! It had some effervescence
to it and a light sweetness but also a slight vinegar taste (a good thing in my
book). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I found out what kombucha
is: fermented tea.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jviTOMMGQqw/UYRvnf3S4fI/AAAAAAAAEBg/n8TjPFq7S88/s1600/GTC+Gingerade.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jviTOMMGQqw/UYRvnf3S4fI/AAAAAAAAEBg/n8TjPFq7S88/s320/GTC+Gingerade.gif" width="126" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KApVkY5QTtw/UYRvuJ5N-gI/AAAAAAAAEBo/oefIfiIEn6A/s1600/GTC+Citrus.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KApVkY5QTtw/UYRvuJ5N-gI/AAAAAAAAEBo/oefIfiIEn6A/s320/GTC+Citrus.gif" width="126" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the one hand, that freaked me out. It makes it sound like
I am going to get food poisoning. On the other hand, fermented foods (e.g. kimchi)
and drinks (e.g. wine) have long been a healthy part of many traditional diets.
I actually had been looking to add fermented foods to my diet to help with acid
reflux and it seemed that kombucha could fit the bill in a delicious way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">I bought a couple of bottles at the store but at nearly $4 a
pop, that could only be a special treat. Inspired by some </span><a href="http://www.greenandgrateful.com/2011/05/kombucha/#comment-2690" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">fellow HMN members</span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, I
decide to try brewing my own. I got a one-gallon glass pickle jar off
Freecycle to be my brewing vessel. A new friend from the group gave me a SCOBY
(the living part of the kombucha) along with a crash course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SCOBY is short for <span><em>symbiotic colony of bacteria
and yeast</em>. The SCOBY digests the sugar from the sweetened starter tea and turns it
into the fermented kombucha. The SCOBY looks really slimy, flimsy and disgusting
in pictures. I find it less gross in person. It looks wet, but is fairly dry to
the touch and it sturdier than I expected it to be. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWzpfHvSrdOl3VBPlrkrJ-EIceiwx1mQIhXIxXp7jzEbARLdHemgMy8OUhZT8gXkzMTXhUBLA-0xfWkiL28I6GXvI-wrxx-nrx8SyrZKI2Iw75y0h663ZrOYdVHZCPRcLyRbH_z8kpkk/s1600/Scoby+Baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWzpfHvSrdOl3VBPlrkrJ-EIceiwx1mQIhXIxXp7jzEbARLdHemgMy8OUhZT8gXkzMTXhUBLA-0xfWkiL28I6GXvI-wrxx-nrx8SyrZKI2Iw75y0h663ZrOYdVHZCPRcLyRbH_z8kpkk/s320/Scoby+Baby.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span> <span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Armed with tea, SCOBY, bottles, and some courage—I gave it a go and am
now on my fourth batch. I am shocked at how easy brewing it is. I spend just 20
minutes per week of active time with the brewing, flavoring, and bottling. That
said, I just ended up with my first truly yummy bottle today. Needless to say, I
need to work out some more of my kinks before I do a full tutorial.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9bD0NciRVR4/UYRwRP-vGFI/AAAAAAAAEB8/GMb1ZRNDWFc/s1600/SCOBY+%2526+Bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9bD0NciRVR4/UYRwRP-vGFI/AAAAAAAAEB8/GMb1ZRNDWFc/s320/SCOBY+%2526+Bottles.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> In the
meanwhile you can learn from some of my early mistakes...</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em>·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></em></span>Starting off with a good non-herbal tea really is key. Believe the
internet on this: herbal tea can lead to funky kombucha. Getting so excited about brewing kombucha that you grab the
remainders of a box of a coconut chai, red tea/herbal tea blend and just go for
it gives instant satisfaction. But you pay for it when the kombucha is ready 10 days later and tastes utterly vile. In this case, water your compost pile with it or
offer it to a non-discerning two-year-old who will (shockingly) ask for more. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><em>·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></em></span>In the case of bad starter tea, do not retain 1/3 gallon of the vile
kombucha to help ferment the next batch with a superior tea, as it will make
the next batch taste gross, too. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>Do not freak and think your SCOBY has gone moldy when really all you are
seeing is the new baby SCOBY growing on top.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">
</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PgrRDwfu844/UYRwQ_peEzI/AAAAAAAAEBw/ZJxBIMO3Edc/s1600/20130412_233313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PgrRDwfu844/UYRwQ_peEzI/AAAAAAAAEBw/ZJxBIMO3Edc/s320/20130412_233313.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Healthy Baby SCOBY</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3747292134428854624.post-77459409176112269562013-02-19T07:02:00.000-05:002014-02-21T21:31:13.809-05:00Happy Final Inspection Day! -- Finished Basement PicturesNormally I have a lot to say, and over time I'll come back to some details I haven't covered yet. But, for today I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zTskiFSO-04/USL3ebDmN8I/AAAAAAAAEAA/0W85Ft83IFg/s1600/IMG_20130218_222023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zTskiFSO-04/USL3ebDmN8I/AAAAAAAAEAA/0W85Ft83IFg/s320/IMG_20130218_222023.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cards and Brownies for Final Inspection Day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YYR3mtXTD1c/USL3wttYKEI/AAAAAAAAEAA/FvLMfLTsqcw/s1600/PF167268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YYR3mtXTD1c/USL3wttYKEI/AAAAAAAAEAA/FvLMfLTsqcw/s320/PF167268.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stairs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZaFNLyKte1A/USL352gGY8I/AAAAAAAAEAA/oM4y7WPJ2Xo/s1600/PF167276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZaFNLyKte1A/USL352gGY8I/AAAAAAAAEAA/oM4y7WPJ2Xo/s320/PF167276.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craft Closet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H3jlzROLW_g/USL4E17XxZI/AAAAAAAAEAA/dxZRLJdy0dc/s1600/PF167302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H3jlzROLW_g/USL4E17XxZI/AAAAAAAAEAA/dxZRLJdy0dc/s320/PF167302.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e-D_kpsa68M/USL4EhAHNWI/AAAAAAAAEAA/ACrzmlWvIcs/s1600/PF167304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e-D_kpsa68M/USL4EhAHNWI/AAAAAAAAEAA/ACrzmlWvIcs/s320/PF167304.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Around the Bend</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5rF1AI-dwz0/USL5O-6C_FI/AAAAAAAAEAg/6xqjyoN4w9A/s1600/IMG_20130218_224346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5rF1AI-dwz0/USL5O-6C_FI/AAAAAAAAEAg/6xqjyoN4w9A/s320/IMG_20130218_224346.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walk-In Closet (color is off)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ACVr5LI810k/USL4Fi3lJcI/AAAAAAAAEAA/GfxUf465VxM/s1600/PF167306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ACVr5LI810k/USL4Fi3lJcI/AAAAAAAAEAA/GfxUf465VxM/s320/PF167306.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathroom Door</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cmROgpJZJ9E/USL3xCKHAOI/AAAAAAAAEAA/gIQwyEl0wWo/s1600/PF167242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cmROgpJZJ9E/USL3xCKHAOI/AAAAAAAAEAA/gIQwyEl0wWo/s320/PF167242.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathroom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70u3s7dMpVE/USL3jRbr4SI/AAAAAAAAEAA/VyGdfuIVDX4/s1600/PF167238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70u3s7dMpVE/USL3jRbr4SI/AAAAAAAAEAA/VyGdfuIVDX4/s320/PF167238.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tub & Shower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ikp0Q5rYo6Q/USL4KheRWJI/AAAAAAAAEAA/llG4RkIOP0k/s1600/PF167307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ikp0Q5rYo6Q/USL4KheRWJI/AAAAAAAAEAA/llG4RkIOP0k/s320/PF167307.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Other Direction in Main Room (and playing baby)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvQBUQ-LR5FyEz9oUI0q4zYAmyb2udR5X2zeChs-94uE-CbImv5mkWlXTX8tGHH60bV0ouI-BjhrE9870eOxvMXN1fyZRf2LES9qRfET1e1WCddpMgCRyug8eWEW2iq22GQeVAImA9J4/s1600/PF167270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvQBUQ-LR5FyEz9oUI0q4zYAmyb2udR5X2zeChs-94uE-CbImv5mkWlXTX8tGHH60bV0ouI-BjhrE9870eOxvMXN1fyZRf2LES9qRfET1e1WCddpMgCRyug8eWEW2iq22GQeVAImA9J4/s320/PF167270.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floor Shot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
What a difference six weeks makes!-Pammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10413194582908263196noreply@blogger.com0