Contemporary Earth Mama

a big girl bed

After six weeks of both beds in Fannie's room, she quickly made the transition all on her own, deciding, that indeed, she was a big girl.  **sniff, sniff**

She was delighted to see me bring out the allen wrench to take apart the crib and quickly ran to get her own tool box, hardly able to spit out her words she was so full of excitement!  With her screwdriver and an empty basket to collect the hardware she said over and over, "we are piecing apart my crib!", and was so stinkin' proud of herself in the process.

When I returned from hauling the pieces into the garage, she said to me, "Did you see my new room?  I have a rug, I have a changing pad ( her sheepskin), I have a 'puter (typewriter), and all my uva sings."  So with my heart running around on the floor in front of me, I held her hand as she showed me around this new space and laughed to myself that the only change that was made, literally, was the removal of her crib.

Now, to ignore my pining uterus for a bit longer as it suddenly feels as if there is no longer a baby around...

Back to the subject:  Before & After photos for you!

Before

 

After

 

I can't stand the thought of her growing up a second longer!

 

soup from my dad

I have been meaning to share this...one day last week my mom stopped over with a quart of homemade soup.  Not many things go straight to my heart like a homemade something just for me.  It was sooo good, and she delivered the recipe the other day.

My dad, like many other fifty-something's LOVES his time up north at the cabin, thus, he reads Cabin Life magazine, where this recipe came from:

Butternut Squash, Bacon & Wild Rice Soup (as I said in a class I taught last night, I do believe bacon was sent right from God and directly to me...I LOVE a good bacon)

Serves 6-10

2 medium butternut squash (peeled, seeded, cut into 1-2 inch pieces)

1/4 cup olive oil

s&p

6 cups chicken stock

2.5 cups medium diced onions

1 cup cooked wild rice

2 cups corn kernels

1 cup half/half

1/2 pound thick cut bacon

Preheat oven to 400.  Season squash with oil,s&p.  Put on baking sheet and roast for 45 min to one hour or until soft.

Cool squash then blend with 2 cups chicken broth until smooth.  Set aside. 

In large saucepan over medium heat add the bacon and fry until crispy brown.  Remove bacon, crumble and set aside.  Discard bacon grease, leaving 1 T in the pan.

Saute onions on medium low heat in the grease until they turn soft and translucent (THIS TRULY IS THE BEST PART-NHK)

Add corn and saute mixture for 5 minutes.

Add the remaining stock and squash puree mixture, bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium low,cover and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Stir in the cooked wild rice & crumbled bacon and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in half/half, s&p to taste...serve with crumbled bacon.

Super, super good.

Has your mom dropped by with anything delish for you recently?

 

when life hands you marshmallows...

When life hands you marshmallows...you make s'mores, right?

 

Who's power went out the other night with the gale force winds that blew through here all evening?  My pakistani kima had to wait because without electricity, the evening called for an impromptu picnic on the living room floor.

The menu included:

almond butter and rhubarb-strawberry jam sandwiches

pickles

carrots

apple slices

AND, s'mores....with marshmallows roasted on a fork by candlelight.

 

I was so glad to have had marshmallows on hand...not something that's always in my pantry!  When it came time for dinner and I realized it was picnic time, I sent them off to play suggesting I had a surprise, requested grass (i.e., blanket) be laid on the floor, packed up our picnic and led them on a spooky trek through the enchanted forest before landing at a grassy knoll for a moonlit picnic (this amounts to a slow, deliberate walk through our little house where we carefully looked for stinky trolls around every corner before spotting the blanket where we'd sit for our picnic).  They loved it.

Actually, the power came on over an hour later, and they requested we use as little electricity as possible and continue through the bedtime routine of pj's, teeth brushing, tinkle, reading and tuck-in's all by candlelight.  It made for a really calm and beautiful evening.

After tucking Fannie in, I caught a glimpse of Sunny sitting on her bed, brushing the hair of her doll in a shadow of candlelight from her nightstand...so beautiful!

How did you fare in the power outage?

 

another delightful breakfast

This morning, realizing I was out of milk of any kind, and steaming oatmeal was about to be served...I made a quick decision to "try" making my own almond milk.  This almond milk turned out frothy, sweet (but not too sweet), and the perfect fit for what turned into another delightful breakfast where all the flavors came together beautifully.

Of course, I didn't measure a thing when making it, so I'll give you guesstimates.

Homemade Almond Milk

::5 pitted and chopped medjool dates

::maybe 3/4 cup raw almonds

::splash of vanilla extract

:: 2 cups +, filtered water

I put all of this into my Magic Bullet and it was originally pasty, so I added more water and poured half of it into another Magic Bullet container (Cuisinart Blender currently on the fritz...anyone have a food processor they don't use?) and turned it on once more.  The result has me convinced I'll never buy almond milk again...unless I'm in a hurry and completely out of almonds, but I always have almonds...they're like clean underwear-they're always in the drawer.

 Strange analogy, but I couldn't fight what was on the tip of my tongue.

So, we took the almond milk and poured it over the aforementioned steaming oatmeal, tossed in a handful of whole walnuts, a handful of chopped apple, and a few drops of maple syrup and it was as close to heaven as I've been all week.

Try it.

Then let me know how you liked it.

the garden is in

This has to be one of my favorite days of the year...the day in which we fret over who is stepping where and on what, the day where we feel perplexed and always entertain another addition to the garden ( for which there has been something added on every year for the past three years), and the day where I feel such gratitude for even having the ability to plant our own garden.

I do have a couple things on my wish list, though...one of these , because my husband gets a little tired of looking at compost through a clear Pyrex bowl, and the other is extra indoor space to start my seeds indoors.  I'd love to be pushing our own little plants into the dirt knowing they grew up in our house, but then again, I'm a sentimental kind of gal.

...and now you have to take a peek at something I have always wanted...a strawberry patch:

Ever since I was little I have always wanted my own strawberry patch.  This picture of heaven is the result of three little plants two summers ago...seriously. Last summer it was about half that size, growing enough berries for the girls to eat from while out playing, and for us to pick a small bowl to split up after dinner each evening.  But this year, this year we may each get our own bowl after dinner each evening.  Rock on.

I'll still be driving out to this joint ( my local fave) to pick enough strawberries for freezing.

Where does your family go for berry picking in the summer months? 

so I've been thinking...

What a train wreck this past week has been.  Likely this will end up being one of those best things that could ever happen to a person...but it might take me a while to get there.

I can't recall a time in my life when I felt the deep hurt I am feeling right now.  Seriously, thank God for my girls...Fannie pulling my squished cheeks in her pudgy hands to her nose for a kiss and Sunny's incessant desire to kick my butt in Go Fish, they keep me going.

I won't have any surprise good news to report that I've been planning to unleash for the past year, however, there will be something coming soon...we've already got a few things in the works, BUT...here's what I'm wondering:

I'm always getting asked questions about natural parenting, natural living, healthy eating, gluten free eating, food preparation, traditional foods, menu planning, planning for baby, and more....what are your thoughts on me teaching classes out of my teeny, tiny little home?  I think people are looking for a sense of community and a sense of belonging.  I think my cozy one sofa/one rocking chair living room can fit mama's who are willing to hang out with floor cushions and hot tea ( or iced tea if it'd ever warm up around here)...all to get tapped in to good information on healthy living for their family.

So, I ask for your thoughts, comments and questions...what do you think?

another birth center is open!

This morning I had the honor of walking through the doors of the brand new Morning Star Birth Center in St. Louis Park ( and just moments after the first Morning Star baby left the building!).  They had their first birth this morning around 5:30.

You know what, 2010 is going to be an amazing year for birthing women in the Twin Cities.  With two birth center options: Morning Star and Health Foundations, along with the myriad of home birth midwives we have here...there's no reason women can't have the births they want.

For more information on natural birth, birth centers, and for everything mama/baby, be sure to check out the MN Baby Expo April 10-11 at the Mpls Convention Center.  My Healthy Beginning will be there, among over 250 other awesome exhibitors and sponsors.  You'll find everything from green parenting to mama/baby products you need to over 75 expert speakers throughout the weekend.  With door prizes and activities throughout the weekend, there's something for every family.

Check out the great plug we got here!

weekend cook-off

This week we had some extra milk and eggs in our farm order, so though my kids and husband could eat eggs three times a day for a week, that isn't the case for me.  I do love eggs, but after a few days I need to get creative.

It's 2:30 on Saturday afternoon, and already we had family snuggle time on the couch, with Fannie tucking us all in tightly, the girls and I went for a bike ride, and Sunny and I have made a mess of the kitchen.

It looks something like this:

-hardboiled eighteen eggs for egg salad and boiled eggs for lunch and snacks during the week

-a batch of keifer

-a double batch of yogurt, one for yogurt and one for yogurt cheese

-a batch of GF coconut flour brownies ( and we've already decided another batch is in order for tomorrow)...these I cut up into 1 inch sized cubes and freeze while warm and moist, and they're great little nibbles for when we'd like a sweet.

-a double batch of blueberry GF waffles for breakfast so I have a handful of extras to freeze for breakfast next week

And now, our home is quiet...one girl sleeping, the other playing quietly in her room, and I, staring blankly at the mountain of dishes in the sink, waiting for the milk to cool so I can stir in the culture for yogurt, have a few tasks to accomplish for the upcoming MN Baby Expo/MHB booth space. 

I just have to say, I love cooking on the weekends....slow and steady pace feeds us during the race of the week ahead!

What are some of your tricks for eating healthfully throughout the week?

do you ever wonder

Today I have found myself in a place of wondering...

-i wonder if Fannie will remember the conversations we have while nursing before bedtime. Though mostly one-sided, with her smiling and nodding at me with a full mouth, I do get an occasional, "yeah, mama's milky" while she nods and smiles at me with the dreamiest look in her eyes.

We talk about our morning...you called to me this morning from your crib, "Mama, you may come", and made daddy and I smile before even seeing you.  you tell me i'm siwwy, you lean over to kiss daddy, you nurse, then Sunny comes in for a quick snuggle and we get up to make breakfast.  you put your waterboots on all by yourself and came to me with rainsuit, gaitor and hat on, all set to play.  you reminded me to give you vitamins and your oils this morning, you sweet baby, you.

We talk about our day...we went for a walk, you walked solo until we got to the busy road, then up you went in the Ergo.  you sang in my ear the whole way, only stopping once to hand me your mittens so you could tuck your paws into the warm space between my back and your tummy.  you were in awe of the ice chunks on the lake, "why doing like that?", and "Annie dus fine in a ba-pack", you remind me as I say, "how's Fannie doing back there?"

We talk about our night...you helped mama make dinner, whisking in the measuring spoons, folding the napkins.  you took a bath with Sunny, swimming and kicking in the tub...in a stinky bean and out so squeaky clean...you are a site to behold, all soft and round and pink and pure.  from your woolie socks to your sleeping hat, a bundle so cozy and warm; we rock and sing and nurse and rock. i hold you and you hold me as we say goodnight to the world.

-i wonder if Sunny will remember her two tender years of kindergarten with as much warmth and gratitude as i.  her teacher told me today that Sunny inquired over dish washing on Friday about who her first grade teacher might be and how sad she was to be leaving kindergarten.

This love of Waldorf, the small class room, the nurturing, growth, security, and love given her has her in such a beautiful place.  We all wonder about life in first grade, this time of big-big growth for her, this end of early childhood looking us so closely in the eye.

-i wonder when we will welcome the next hatchling to our nest, so comfortable where we are, yet knowing there are more to come.

i, the one with the uterus...i know there are more...she (my uterus) tells me there are more.  "there is more room, there is enough money, there is enough time.  i am ready", says she.  i tell her, "wait-just one more year".  she is ready, i am not, though i do know there are more.

-and i wonder when we, mama and daddy, when we will have our time

in the midst of life with wee ones, we sneak moments, smiles, and in this day and age-text messages, and collapse at weeks end, hand in hand, sleeping before the movie is over...goals for the immediate future:  consistent ( or any, for that matter) date nights, 2 day getaways, perhaps a vacation to renew, refresh, and unwind; more moments, smiles and text messages...and definitely more collapsing at weeks end, hand in hand, sleeping before the movie is over...

 

and  you, what are some of your thoughts on this contemplative day

 

simply great

Just want to give a little shout out to my friend Maggie at simplyneutral for their donation of 6 months worth of all natural cleaning products to the Spring Hill Waldorf School.

To learn more about the importance of ridding your home of non toxic chemicals, come listen to Maggie speak at the MN Baby Expo on April 10, 2010 at 1:15.