Granola and Sprouts

Extreme Babywearing

2011-05-02T04:20:00.000-07:00

Just in case you ever doubted the dedication, ingenuity, and adaptability women have to care for their children and still accomplish daily tasks:

From the book "Blood, Bread, and Roses: How Menstruation Created the World“ by Judy Grahn:

"Women mold their bodies for practical purposes. African women often wanted long breasts, long enough to feed babies carried on their backs during long walks; and so beginning at puberty they used "bands and ropes to compress the base of the breast and elongate it."

I saw a thread about this on TBW and wanted to share it with some interested friends without them having to dig for the information ;)

Last week's projects

2011-02-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

I've been busy crafting, seems it goes in spurts so I'm trying to take advantage of the urge :)

Last week I made felt fortune cookies for Avery's class valentines (hate, hate, hate the store-bought cardboard made in China crap) . I used this tutorial and they turned out pretty cute! Found these teeny, tiny Valentine takeout boxes for them at Joanns. Avery got to help me and is thrilled with them, can't wait for her school party!

Then, my mom picked out some lucious Noro Silk Garden at a local yarn store in Michigan called The Needlesmith (I dragged her over there because they sell Madelinetosh IN THE STORE!!!) Anyway, she loved this yarn and wanted a cowl, so here is the finished product. Pattern is Eternity Scarf stitched on size 9 needles. I hope she loves it, if not I'll give it a good home ;)

I can't wait to show you what I've been working on this week, going to wait until I'm done to post details. My sewing calluses are returning!!!

Kombucha

2011-01-23T18:32:00.001-08:00

Here is the recipe from the Kombucha class yesterday:

Ingredients per gallon of kombucha
~ water about 3 quarts (preferably filtered/no chlorine, fluoride, etc.)
~ tea about 8 regular size tea bags ~ 4 black, 4 green (preferably organic)
~ sugar ~ about one cup (preferably raw organic cane sugar)
~ Mushroom (SCOBY)
~ starter from previous batch ~ about one cup

Place tea bags in boiling water and allow to cool to room temperature
Add sugar and mix thoroughly
Add mushroom and starter
Cover with towel and put in a dark place
Let stand undisturbed for approximately 1 week preferably at about 73 degrees F
A new mushroom will gradually form over the next few days. Don't move the jar. Each time it is moved it has to form a new mushroom.
When the kombucha is done it will:
~ taste like kombucha
~ have a pH of 3.0 to 3.5

When the kombucha is done, remove both the old and new mushrooms, save some of the kombucha for your next batch and enjoy the rest.

The finished kombucha can be:
~ consumed as is (refrigerate until it is time to drink it)
~ double fermented:
~ bottle with 1 ounce of juice and 3 raisins
~ seal tightly (leave space at the top, at least 1/4 inch) and let sit in a dark area (not refrigerated) for 1 to 4 days
~ refrigerate and enjoy

Continuous ferment
Use a fermenting container that has a spigot ~ sun tea jar
After the kombucha is ready, remove 10% to 20% daily to consume adn add an equal amount of sweetened tea to replace what was taken out.

Some notes I have from the class:

NEVER use soap on anything, vessel, pots, utensils, hands, etc. or the mushroom will feed off the soap residue and not the sugar. This is bad. Cleanse everything with the hottest water you can and vinegar.

A 2-week ferment results in a tangy, fizzy kombucha brew which is desirable.

Start off drinking 1-2 oz per day and gradually work up to 6-8 oz per day.

Will feel like crap when you start, flu-like symptoms, as your body releases toxins/cleanses.

I'll edit and add more as my poor, no-sleep mama brain thinks of them ;)

What to do with green tomatoes?

2010-10-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

I went out to pull my tomato plants from my garden yesterday and was left with 25 (!!!!) pounds of unripe green tomatoes! After looking online for inspiration I decided to use this very highly reviewed green tomato chutney recipe. It looked to have more complex flavors than the other recipes I had looked at. It was a good thing I had a postal scale that converted grams to ounces, I needed it!

I must admit that part of the draw to this recipe was the instructions to "Take the green tomatoes, shallots, and apples and bung them in a food processor." I've never bunged anything in my food processor before ;)

So, here are my ingredients. (I used my father-in-laws spicy pepper mix instead of red peppers.)

And after the bunging and mixing.

This ended up simmering for almost 4 hours!!! I guess that's what happens when you make a quadruple batch!

And the end result with a glimpse into my pantry. (Yes, that's cream o' crap, I can't help it, I'm from the midwest and love my casseroles!) 4 batches made 18 jars of chutney. And I still have 12.5 pounds of tomatoes left!!! I'm giving them away rather than making another 18 jars ;)

Now we have the crazy-long 4-week curing wait to test it out!

Tolerance begins with a foreskin?

2010-10-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

I, like many of my other mom friends, am horrified about the recent suicide death of a gay teen after internet bullying. Here is more about it if you don't know what I'm referencing.

I am not eloquent, nor do I often get my thoughts out the way I want them to be heard.

Granted, unnecessary circumcision has been on my mind a lot lately, but it has occurred to me in the last couple of days that several of my less-granola friends are preaching tolerance, yet they genitally mutilated their sons for the sake of looking like their father or not being teased in the locker room.

If you will go so far as to perform cosmetic surgery on your precious newborn to make them "look normal," what kind of message is that sending our sons? That ridiculing each other for the appearance of their genitals is okay? No? Hmmmm... but we should circumcise anyway because it will happen anyway? What are you telling your sons about the intact boys? We didn't want you to be teased so we cut you, but don't tease the guys that are intact... their mamas didn't know any better.... sigh.

It is NOT okay to bully, tease, torture each other about ANYTHING. Not about our sexuality, not about the way any part of our body looks.

It is my hope and dream that the unnecessary genital mutilation of our infants will end, that we can love and accept each other just the way we are. That tolerance will be the norm. That tolerance will begin with the lesson of an intact foreskin.

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

2010-08-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

Inspired by all my delicious breastfeeding friends I'm taking a deep breath and going to be brave.

Kim Dusek took some nursing photos of Campbell and myself when he was about 9 months old. You can see his sleep/comfort posturing here with his hand held backwards against my chest.

Breastfeeding is a normal and beautiful part of mothering. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity and blessing of being able to nourish and nurture my three children in this way!

Brother PE-700II

2010-07-25T06:32:00.000-07:00

Never, ever did I think I would stray from the trusty Bernina brand and buy a Brother, but it turns out I couldn't afford a Bernina embroidery machine, especially when I wasn't sure if I would use it very often. Based on reviews on several sites I decided on a Brother PE-700II and I LOVE it!!!

To be honest, I was concerned about the lack of customer support by buying a machine online, but the sewing forums out there have offered more support than I could have dreamed of and provide unlimited ideas on new ways to use this machine!

This is the first project I've made to give as a gift:

Quinny modeling a chef hat and apron embroidered with a design from Urban Threads. She chose the blanks and design especially for her friend Etta! I'm going to have to do another set for her, it is such a fun addition to a play kitchen.

Reclaiming the Art in Birth

2010-07-11T08:50:00.001-07:00

From: Association of Radical Midwives

From MIDWIFERY MATTERS, Winter 1999, Issue No. 83

Reclaiming the Art in Birth

Sara Wickham

I thought it was a terrible shame to let this lovely article slip into internet oblivion... Found while trying to find out if Ina May Gaskin had a Ravelry account, LOL!

All-From-Scratch Rubens ~ Day 1 Sauerkraut

2010-06-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

The main goal is to make all-from-scratch Reuben sandwiches over the July 4th holiday. I'll be experimenting with Peter Reinhart's Rye bread recipe over the weekend, and then we'll cook the corned beef all day with Chris' favorite beer. Mmmmm, beer. I'm even going to make the mayonnaise for the Thousand-Island dressing from scratch.

Today I prepared the sauerkraut for fermentation using the recipe I had in an older issue of Saveur, but it is posted online as well. It looks so pretty all green still, yet I can't wait until it turns all brown and fermented!

Quinn's Birth Story

2010-06-13T10:00:00.001-07:00

I was going to post Quinn's story on her birthday, but didn't feel it was appropriate. I am going to save only joy for her birthday. June 14 was Quinn's estimated due date.

In honor of her birthiversary I'm going to post her birth story. I've never written it out for many, many reasons. It is not a positive birth story, so if you are pregnant it would probably be best to skip it for now. I also can't guarantee the accuracy as it has now been 4 years since her birth, but this is as I remember it.

It took us 15+ months to conceive Quinn, we were not sure if we were going to be blessed with a second child. I remember taking a pregnancy test, seeing one line and tossing it in the trash. My parents were in town visiting us and I was so hopeful that I would get to announce a pregnancy to them in person, again! I told Chris it was negative and went on about my day. Later on when using the bathroom I glanced into the trash and saw TWO LINES! It was great fun to get to tell them I was wrong and was indeed pregnant for the second time.

The beginning of the pregnancy was a bit rocky with violent all-day sickness and a burst cyst that mirrored a tubal pregnancy, thankfully everything worked out well. After a cascade of interventions with Avery's birth, I knew I wanted a normal, physiological birth this time around. I threw out "What to Expect" and busied myself reading several books by Ina May Gaskin, The Bradley Method, The Thinking Woman's Guide, and the like. My physician, who was a resident in the FMR clinic on base, seemed agreeable and almost enthusiastic about this. Looking back there weren't really any red flags that he wasn't supportive of our birth choices. The only thing we really disagreed about was the delayed cutting of the cord, at the time she was born there really wasn't any hard evidence to support this in his mind.

At about 37/38 weeks Chris was flying on Alert and I went in for an appointment, had a cervical check, was dilated to 3 to 4 cm and 80% effaced. Since I was at a "fingertip" dilated to almost 42 weeks and 12 hours into labor with Avery, it seemed as though birth was surely imminent. That night I began to have contractions. It turned into chaos as we made arrangements to get Chris back home and family support for Avery. I ended up sleeping well that night and woke up to no more contractions and didn't have any again until I went into labor. I couldn't believe it was possible that I could be walking around at 3 to 4 cm, 80% effaced for several weeks! We were sheepish around Chris' coworkers who had gone out of their way to get him to me on time for the birth of our daughter.

The morning of Wednesday June 14, 2006, was Quinn's estimated due date. I woke up that morning early with contractions but was skeptical that I was in labor, figuring they would peter out again. We also weren't planning on going to the hospital until I was in active labor, so we went on about our day. That morning we went and signed the final blueprints on our new house. The realtor seemed worried I was going to birth in her office! I went home with Chris and Avery and puttered around doing the last minute things to prepare. We all napped and snuggled in together that afternoon. It was really nice to be all cozied up as a family of 3, Chris on one side and Avery on the other, for the last time. Early evening I felt like I needed to go in, so we made arrangements to drop Avery off with a family friend and went to the hospital.

Once there we did the usual checking in things, got settled in, went over the birth plan with the nurses. It was rather distracting. One of the nurses said to me "I see in your birth plan that you don't want me to mention pain, but if you were in pain how would you rate it?" Ergh. I didn't have any problems with keeping the clothes I brought with me on (including pajama pants!) instead of a hospital gown. The nurse started a hep-lock and settled me in for a 30-minute strip. Baby was very active and she had to keep coming in and readjusting the belts. I'm not sure exactly how long this went on for, but I do know that I never left the bed through my labor course. My doctor showed up and checked me, I'm not sure how I was progressing. He said baby was having several dcels and he wanted me on my left side. If I could get a "clean" 30 minute strip then I could get up.

For the next hour or so people kept coming in and out of my room every 5 minutes or so to check blood pressure, check the strip, ask me more questions, and I could not get on top of the contractions and stay focused. The resident (my doctor) came and and introduced a medical student with yellow hair and yellow eyes that exactly matched his hair. I cannot remember his name. He asked if he could attend the birth as well to learn, that it would be an honor, and then he bowed to me. Why I remember this I do not know, it was just so odd and surreal. Shortly after that he came back in with his supervising physician who just happened to be on call that night for the hospital and introduced him and let me know that he was going to be supervising them both. The nurse tried very hard to get me out of bed and into the tub, she even started it at one point, but apparently they were still very concerned about her strips.

It was getting later and I wanted to talk with Avery, she had never spent a night away from me before. I called her and she was very upset and crying, wanted to go home, wanted me to come get her. After hanging up with her I was losing control and asked for a pain medication to help me relax just a bit and received a shot of stadol. This helped and I was able to gain focus back and was really starting to vocalize and sing my labor song. This went on for about 30 minutes, then started the people in and out of the room again, I think they were concerned about my vocalization.

Just as I hit transition and my focus once again slipped away the anesthesiologist came in to introduce herself and let me know that she would be leaving for the day. She said she knew I wanted a natural birth, but this would be my last chance for an epidural. She was wearing a really busy red scrub hat. I was panicky in transition and instead of reassurance that I would be able to do this and encouragement they sent me an anesthesiologist. My resolve crumbled and I agreed to an epidural. My doctor patted me on the leg telling me he would get me feeling better real soon.

Immediately the room was busy and chaotic. Chris was shoved aside into the corner, I could see his face and he looked scared. My hep lock had blown out so they needed to start another IV. Apparently I needed a bag of fluid before administering an epidural. My doctor saw the epidural agreement as a sign of needing to break my water at 8 cm. I was having transition contractions on my back. The nurse was trying to start another IV. The anesthesiologist was at my head trying to make mundane conversation. The doctor had a hook and was trying to break my water. I kept telling him I didn't want this, to stop . Baby was still high so he had the med student push down on the top of my belly to push everything down further. I told him to stop. He caught the bag of waters with the hook and broke my water. He tore my labia with the force and trauma. I couldn't see my husband.

After all of this had happened and the epidural had been administered we were finally left in peace to labor alone. Chris came back to the bed. I was sobbing, this was not what I wanted. I had not been strong enough. We were left alone for almost an entire hour. I started shaking and knew that I was complete even though I could not feel anything below my waist. When the nurse came in I told her I was complete and she went to get the doctor to check. Sure enough, 10 cm and ready to push.

I had 3 doctors and 2 nurses in attendance plus Chris. They set up and I started the purple pushing (bearing down holding breath for 10 counts). As she descended on the first push apparently her heart rate dropped and everyone became very concerned and encouraged me to get her out of there as fast as possible. The doctor picked up the knife. I remember saying while pushing "don't cut me, don't cut me, don't cut me." I was told the baby was in danger and I needed to work harder to avoid an episiotomy. Two more pushes, crowning, but still no baby. "We need to get her out or she's going to die." I agreed to the episiotomy.

She was out and they took her to the warmer for suctioning. She was born on early Thursday morning at 1:00 a.m. June 15, 2006. He kept asking me if I could see her, that she was beautiful, and congratulating me. I couldn't see her. Chris was with the baby. I could hear her crying. Her Apgars were assigned at 9 and 9. Not dead or even in distress. They put pitocin in my IV without my permission or knowledge and pulled out my placenta.

The stitching up process began. The supervising physician was at my head trying to tell me that he uses a compounded heart medication as a cream for his elbow golf injury, that it would work just fine for an episiotomy scar and would stop the pain. After being stitched up he went to check it out, three doctors standing around looking at my vulva nodding like they had just repaired a car engine. Just a few stitches, including one to stitch to the tear in my labia from the water breaking trauma. Thankfully there was no extension of the episiotomy.

She had a bath before I even got to hold her. Her hair was so white it was a silvery gray. She was scowling with pursed lips. I assured the nurse that I didn't need to wait for a lactation consultation to initiate breastfeeding and we had our first feed. Chris left with my placenta in an ice cream bucket to take home after signing a medical waste and a waiver. He went home to pick up Avery so she could sleep at home.

It would be easy to place blame on my doctor, but the truth is I made several mistakes that caused several unwanted interventions. I didn't hire a doula. I was not assertive enough and allowed myself to play the "compliant patient" role. I did not insist and jump through hoops with our insurance to be able to seek care with a midwife. I did not seek out a group of like-minded mamas for support. I chose to read books only and not take a Bradley class or something similar that would have supported a normal physiologic birth.

Yes, I have a healthy baby. Yes, I am healthy myself. It has taken me years and the normal physiologic home water birth of my son to overcome the trauma I perceived from Quinn's birth. Yes, it is real to me. Yes, I take responsibility for it. Yes, it could have been very, very different. I am so sorry, Quinn, that I did not do the very best for you.

Fluffy-Filled Saturday

2010-06-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful Summer rainy morning for the Farmer's Market, it weeded out the tourists and made a lovely morning for produce shopping, and a better chance to visit with many of the local farmers!

I also got a HUGE fluffy package in the mail today, my co-op yarn finally came in. I'm seriously contemplating starting an Etsy knit goods shop......

For the other fiber geeks out there:
Becoming Art Neverland on Falkland superwash sport
Sugarbubbie Promise Me Autumn on BFL Roving
Sugarbubbie Revolution on BFL worsted with turquoise trim skein
Sugarbubbie Mr. Roboto on Mountain Meadow Worsted with blue trim skein
Mosaic Moon Coastal Sunset on Gaia organic merino heavy worsted

YUMMMMMY!

Lavender Wands

2010-06-04T08:52:00.001-07:00

We have turned the landscaping in our front yard into a "tea garden" of sorts with chamomile, mint, hops, lavender, sage, and this year even kiwi and lemongrass! I love the idea of landscaping with herbs, fruits, and veggies that we can use. It is a great teaching tool for the kids and puts into practice the sustainable/permaculture lifestyle we would love to adopt even living in the 'burbs. Plus there is the added benefit of knowing where our food comes from, that it is 100% organic, and it is really pretty to boot!

It is the first week of June and our lavender is in full bloom already!!! Prairieland Herbs (one of my FAVORITE local soap companies. Seriously, if you haven't tried one of their shampoo bars stop reading and go buy one. Hurry, do it now!) posted on facebook last week about how they were going to use some of their blooming lavender to make lavender wands using this tutorial.

So, we started with this:

And ended up with this! It is a first attempt, but still lovely! We'll get better and it is a great craft for Avery and I to do together. Campbell toddled about outside while we were cutting, and Quinn helped us trim the leaves off the stems. It smells AMAZING!

How much does he weigh?

2010-03-07T17:26:00.000-08:00

So, we're bringing Campbell in for a well-baby tomorrow and I thought I would have a fun contest to guess what he's going to weigh in. Last time he was in was at 4 months and he weighed almost 18 pounds then.

Winner will receive a hat knit by me, a surprise custom :) Up to a child size 4-6, choose boy/girl/gender neutral, absolute hates for colors, favorites and I'll surprise you with something fun!

Post your guess by noon tomorrow and I'll come back and announce a winner.

Here's a pic from a couple days ago, booger and all, showing off the new face he makes every time I pick up a camera, LOL!

9/10 Month Pictures

2010-03-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely visit from Kim Dusek of Dusek Photography yesterday! I have never had portraits taken in our house before... What came out of it are some amazingly poignant images that I get to see on a daily basis captured forever on print as well as in my heart! She really "got" us and was able to provide such a nonthreatening, comfortable session so that we were all able to be ourselves! Here are my sneak peeks, I can't wait to see the rest in a few weeks!

Woolies on the cheap!

2010-02-28T05:18:00.000-08:00

Total cost of the latest pair of longies I just knit up for Campbell? $15. Yes, that's right, $15. It would have been waaaaaay more if I didn't know how to knit, and I didn't factor in the cost of my time to knit them because it just doesn't feel like work when you are knitting them to keep!

I used Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Bulky Hand Dyed yarn in Rolling Hills and trim in WOTA Bulky in Oregano. Size 7 needles for the waistband and 9s for the body. This yarn knit up spectacularly, it didn't pool anywhere, not even when knitting the crotch or the legs! I never had to alternate skeins. It has a thick squishy feel and softened up nicely after a wool wash bath and lanolizing. The best part? I don't have to worry about him destroying them! I may even let him wear them outside, gasp!!!

Where my mind has been

2010-02-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

In my research of gentle Christian parenting I have come across a book called To Train Up a Child. Being fortunate enough to have lived 33+ years without knowledge of this evil, it was quite disturbing and shocking to say the least. It has affected me greatly, though I was having a hard time putting into words exactly what was going on in my mind and heart.

I came upon a lovely blog today, a woman named Carla wrote exactly what I was feeling:

My interactions with others, even my own husband, was very negatively affected by the experience of reading chapters of their book, "To Train Up A Child," and I had a very visceral reaction to such severe blasphemy and heresy. To be perfectly honest, I was literally tainted by what I feel to be the work of two people who are being operated as tools by Satan himself.

So if you have a moment I would love to be surrounded by the energy of my like-minded mamas and pray that this lifts from me and I can start to sleep again.

Base Cooking

2010-02-25T08:30:00.000-08:00

I have had many of my frugalista mama friends ask me about base cooking.

My version of base cooking has developed from my strong dislike of the "leftovers" taste of Once A Month Cooking (OAMC) and my desire to still serve my family whole foods while saving time and money. I define it as cooking large amounts of "base" ingredients and then freezing them individually for use later in my recipes.

So if I need a pound of ground meat for a recipe (we use bison) instead of cooking one pound I will cook say 20 pounds and then refreeze in 2-cup packages. The next time I need ground meat for tacos or, I need just pull it out the night before or in the morning and heat it up with some taco seasoning. When I brown ground meat I usually add in a chopped onion and minced garlic as they go in pretty much everything I cook.

I usually do this on a Friday when I'm off from work. One day I'll cook 4 packages of dried beans and then freeze in 2-cup packages. Or I'll boil 5 chickens and then pick apart the meat and freeze them in 2-cup packages and then do the same with the chicken broth I have left over.

What bases do I make for base cooking?
Ground bison
Boiled chicken
Chicken stock
Grilled chicken breasts
Marinara sauce
Pumpkin puree
Beans
Various doughs for bread, cinnamon rolls, pizza, buns, etc.
Shredded pork and roasts

I'm sure there are more, but those are the only ones I can come up with off the top of my head.

What do I make with them?
Chili ~ a package of meat and a package of beans base
Tacos ~ a package of meat base
Chicken pot pie ~ chicken and stock bases
Pumpkin pasta ~ ground sausage, stock, and pumpkin
Curry chicken salad/sandwich ~ chicken and rolls dough base
BBQ sandwiches ~ meat and roll dough base

You get the picture! Basically you are cutting out a couple of steps of your favorite recipes by having the basics already prepared. It doesn't take much more time or effort to cook extra of things you use often and are going to prepare anyway. I always brag that I can make tacos or chili in less time than it takes most people to go through a drive-thru.

We do still use a version of OAMC for some items like pancakes, waffles, breads and muffins, etc. that reheat well and that we would be tempted to purchase a convenience item if they weren't in the house. I also make other convenience items like my own "instant" oatmeal packets, hot cocoa, ketchup, cornbread mix, spice mixes, etc. in bulk.

On my list of things soon to start making myself are tortillas and crackers.

Over the last few years we have gradually added a thing or two at a time so it wasn't too overwhelming. It gets to the point where it will take you less time than purchasing a convenience item. Soooo much less expensive and better for you and your family as well!

Fluffy Day!

2010-02-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

As a bright note in my otherwise crappy day (and 13th wedding anniversary with hubby flying), I got some lovely fluff today! My two hippie skirts from Thailand for this summer came... not taking pics of those yet.

My fabric.com order. Sigh. Love, love, love! The Rowan purelife revive in basalt. Soon to be cast on for my summer shrug Botanica Medallion Cardigan .

Also with my order came some long longed for Tomato Wonderland by Moda to be turned into a Favorite Things hip skirt for the summer.

Best of all my SugarBubbie Cestari Superfine Revolution yarn is here and I can start shopping for trim for C's birthday longies!!! It is even more beautiful than the pictures! I wish you all could smell and pet this gorgeous yarn!

I have a couple hat/longies sets almost completed and ready for blocking that I'll put up this week. Finally had a chance to knit some bigger wool for my chunk-a-monk!

Christian Peaceful Parenting?

2010-02-20T20:51:00.001-08:00

I have had several disturbing conversations this weekend that have led me to do some research. Most of my Christian friends parent peacefully. A few do not. I have never felt called by my faith, led by God, or directed by scripture to spank. My personal belief is that my God would never ask me to parent in such a violent way, to harm the ones I hold so dear. There is a better way. I have found several sites that explain it much better than I ever could. One of the ones I really liked: http://aolff.org/

Birthday Inspiration!

2010-02-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to figure out what I wanted to do for Campbell's first birthday. Maybe hippos? Or dogs? Nothing inspired me. Then today on Hyena Cart a post came up for some gorgeous Ooga Booga fabric:

Then, I was stalking Spots for yarn and stumbled across this amazing cestari superfine named Revolution from Sugarbubbie!

So, an Ooga Booga birthday it is! I'm hoping to find someone to embroider some tees for me with the Ooga embroidery, and then I'll double-sleeve them with the fabric. Now all I have left to do is find some matching trim yarns, decide if I want to stripe the longies, and see if my friend Jessica will be willing to barter for some banner and cake goodies for the big day!

Squishy baby knitting

2010-02-16T06:49:00.000-08:00

My birth attendant put me in touch with another local mama who is an AMAZING photographer who was looking for some knit props for her newborn shoots. We worked out a barter (my favorite thing to do) and she posted some pictures from her first newborn shoot using them. I have to admit that I was terribly nervous as I did not have a newborn to size measurements with or experiment with. She seemed pleased with how they worked out for her, so I am very relieved.

I am considering opening an Etsy or Hyena Cart selling photography props but need to do a bit more research and examination of my schedule to see if I have time to knit in a business arena.

Here is her blog: http://www.apricephotography.blogspot.com/

And some of the pictures from the shoot! Enjoy!

Crunchier than thou ~ The birth edition

2010-02-14T16:31:00.000-08:00

It is rather difficult for me to complete a thought lately, and I tend to do a lot of rambling. Three kids, a full time job, being a SAHM and an active duty military wife with a hubby who is gone half the year will do that to you.

I've given myself a time-out from the internet ~ mainly Facebook and my mom groups. Turns out that giving birth to a baby in a fishy pool in my living room will cause quite a stir, especially if you are as proud and liberated by it as I am. It is very frustrating to not be able to share your feelings and your life with many of those that you love the most, especially if they feel that you sharing your accomplishment makes them feel as though you are discounting theirs. It is tiring and anxiety inducing to have to "uh-huh," "yep," "wow," "that's great" through conversations that include C-sections, inductions, epidurals, episiotomies, the baby would have died, I would have died, the hospital has nap time and cookie conversations. Bite your tongue. And never get to talk about what a great experience you had. Because that will cause that person to think you are attacking their birth experience.

I'm all for informed choices. And I support medically-necessitated cesarean sections. My bias towards the medical establishment comes from MY experiences of my first two births, the uneducated decisions that I made to cause them, and the research that led me to make a choice to birth my son the way I wanted to.

The worst thing is this. In Nebraska you can choose to have an elective cesarean section. Even if it is not the safest option for your baby. You can choose to have an elective induction. Even if it is not in the best interest for your baby. You CAN NOT choose to have a Certified Nurse Midwife attend your birth in your house. Even if it is in the best interest of you and your baby.

When I promote Nebraska Friends of Midwives, the legislative bills that they are trying to pass, try to raise funds for a direct entry midwife that needed support for an unfair witchhunt of a legal battle, invite other mamas to ICAN meetings, and otherwise raise awareness for causes that I passionately believe in, I am not doing it to say that mamas who make choices other than my own are wrong. Honestly, I would have given my left arm to have this knowledge and a support group 10 years ago.

I guess I fall in between. I make alternative parenting and life choices that are not crunchy enough to gain approval from many of my whackboard peers. However, I am also waaaay above that comfort zone for most of my mainstream parent friends to be okay with. I'm okay with that. It does prove to be rather lonely though, to not measure up on one end and to be stereotyped as judgemental by the other.

It is not all lonely, though. I have carved a very special niche and have a lovely group of friends who get it, who are not judgemental, who love me despite or because of my earthy-birthy enthusiasm. So, thank you. I love being able to have a soft place to land with my momtourage.

2010-01-24T14:35:00.000-08:00

Slowly figuring out how to piece this blog together.... while knitting, working, mothering, nursing, going to bootcamp, and much more. I'll be with you shortly, or I'll be talking to myself :)