Olivia “Papa, I want to tell you a super deduper word.”
Jason “what’s that ya?”
Olivia ” It’s going to be my bestest berday ever!”
She says the silliest things.
The young one January 28, 2012
We giggle January 27, 2012
Josephine “Papa, can we have icecream?”
Olivia “Yeah, it makes us giggle when we eat it”
Sweet shit my kid said January 26, 2012
I was sitting on the couch looking miserable, because I am. I am very pregnant, 36wks. My youngest child comes up to me and says ” I know you’re not feeling well mama but I promise it will get better.” you know what I know feel a little bit better. having compassionate children is one of my great joys.
Struggling domestic goddess January 24, 2012
Name of my blog and the name of this post because it is true; I suck at keeping a clean house. I will be the first to tell you my goals for the cleanliness of my house is to keep CPS from taking my children, should anyone be such a punk ass bitch as to call them on me. I struggle. It took me years to regularly put together a shopping list. It has taken me 6 years, two children and 5 moves to be able to make a meal plan for one week. I’m still not great about laundry, mostly my own, and forget the kitchen, I just gave that up and asked my husband to man that because it just isn’t with in my ability to be consistent about that. He does, it is a great weight off my shoulders ,one of the many reasons why he is MAGICAL to me.
Today while supervising my children cleaning there playroom, I noticed my oldest child is so like me it’s scary. She also is not good at cleaning. She just kinda stared at the mess totally overwhelmed, something I do, until I made a suggestion about where she might want to start. Meanwhile, my youngest child had no problem jumping right in and cleaning up. My youngest also picked up their bedroom all by herself today with no issue. Something that amazes me about her father, he just can look at a mess and figure out the best way to tidy up. It’s funny how children are so like their parents even when they spend more time with one then the other.
My kid said January 23, 2012
Jason” Ya! Come look at the water! I flooded the laundry room.”
Ya “Why did you pee’d?!”
I’m thinking to myself “Kid I know to you your father is one of the largest things on earth but really? You think he pee’d and flooded the laundry room?”
I would like to say that Olivia is still at home while Josephine goes to school do a lot of these will be things she says cause she is the only kid I have at home at the time.
Momfessions January 23, 2012
Inspired by one of my good friends Kelsey. I’m going to list some confessions or momfessions as I’m gonna call them and I’m gonna do 25 cause well I’m 25.
1) I hate being pregnant. I have resentfully feelings toward my child while they are gestating and I also suffer from mild depression during and after pregnancy.
2)My favorite part of my husband being deployed is having my girls to myself. I miss him but I love they are all mine all the time and I don’t have to split myself.
3)I don’t cook when my husband is deployed. I don’t feel like fighting them nor do I feel like cooking a full meal for children that eat like birds so we live off of pb&j,cereal,yogurt,carrots sticks, fruit ,grilled cheese and oatmeal. Seriously, we eat a combo of that for 4-6 months.
4)I hide from my kids.
5)I want to homeschool mostly because I miss my daughter so much.
6)sometimes I yell and I really feel bad about it.
7) I think 6 means I’m a cold mother
8)I’m convinced that my induction with epidural and supplementing with formula when I went back to work after my first has damaged my oldest for life. I feel horrible guilt about it
9)I’m lonely a lot.
10) I feel the same way about pets as people did about children in victorian times. They should be seen, never heard and always have the best manners.
11)I’m almost paralyzingly afraid of have a “bad” or “difficult” child.
12)I used to spank.
13)I feel shame that I couldn’t be more grown up then that.
14)I don’t like Lima beans. I know very five of me.
15)I never meant to fall in love and get married but I’m glad I did.
16)I have argued with a toddler. Like a true fight. At one point I had to remind myself “I’m a grown up” and walk away.
17)I’m crazy lazy. Really I’m so so very lazy it’s sad.
18)I taught me kids how to get themselves cereal so I don’t have to get up just yet.
19) I love when my kids crawl in bed with me.
20)I’m afraid of addiction so much so it might be an addiction.
21)while I want to homeschool I’m worried I won’t be good at it or the right teacher for them.
22)I’m VERY disappointed I’m having a boy. I have had some depression this pregnancy because of it.Yes I know I already have two girls but I wanted more.I still want more.
23)I’m selfish.
24)I pass judgement sometimes. I try not to. I hate that about myself.
25) I hate being wrong. It just kills me.
Olivia said this January 23, 2012
I was in my seeing room making the girls heat packs they asked for when Olivia comes in and says to me “mama you making me a warm fing?” me “yes” “oh that’s so kind of you”
Shit my kids say January 22, 2012
I have two children both female they are five and soon to be four. I’m a stay at home mom if y’all didn’t know and by virtue of that I hear them say some crazy stuff. Some of it funny, some of it insightful, some of it makes me ask “who told you that!” but almost all of it brings me joy. I have decided to share some of these tidbits with you in the new segment ‘shit my kids say’. Here is some thing that made me laugh today.
Context: My youngest child barged in to the bathroom while I was using it, nothing unusual there, and started to whine about her little person issues and eventually got around to asking me for help. At the end of my walking her through the solutions she exclaimed
“Wow! You’re communicating!”
Thanks kid! Way to make me feel like this is the first time you have understood me in the nearly four years you have been on this earth.
And that concludes our first installment of ‘Shit my kids say’
Yogurt made easy! January 2, 2012
I talk a lot on my Facebook about my homemade yogurt and how it is a total win in my house. We use it for everything from yogurt to sour cream substitute and even faux buttermilk in baking. Many of my friends have asked me about it but I don’t know if they have tried so I’m put together a quick walk through for you with pictures and you can go here and here to see where I learned to make my own yogurt. The yogurt I make is thicker like greek yogurt. On some yogurt pages it is called yogurt cheese because it is strained. This is an extra step, one that you do not have to do. However, if you don’t your yogurt will be thinner like most store bought yogurts but still 20 times tastier if you ask me.
Equipment
crock-pot
milk-1gallon(2%-Wholemilk. Your choice, I have done both. I like the extra richness of whole milk)
instant read probe thermometer ( nice but not totally required)
boiling water(I use my electric kettle but you can use whatever you have to boil water)
2 cup liquid measuring cup
Starter culture( I used organic greek yogurt with live and active cultures for the store. It MUST be plain yogurt but use what ever thickness you like you can also get freeze dried culture flakes here and follow package instructions.)
whisks large and small
ladle
colander( for use with the dish towels)
very clean lint free dish towels or yogurt straining bags or straining tub
place to catch the whey( large bowl or 9×13 dish what ever you have really)
containers to store final product( I use those because of bpa concerns in plastic but the zip lock semi disposables also work great)
way to label the day made
old blankets
Method
A word of caution, I have had a “bad bug” get in my yogurt before. I’m not sure from what but now I am extra careful. This isn’t very expensive but it does take time. I don’t like to have my time wasted which is what happens when a “bed bug” gets in the mix. No one got sick. I could tell it was off from the consistency and threw out the batch. I suggest you do the same if you have any doubts about the texture.
First step: Wash your hands VERY well.Get out crock pot large enough to hold 1 gallon of milk. Use kettle or whatever you use to boil water and fill with boiling water. 
Let stand for 5 min to sterilize the pot. Pour out the water and pour in the milk. 
Turn crop pot to high for 3 hours or if you have a way to keep your probe thermometer suspended in the milk not touching the bottom or side of the ceramic until the milks temp reaches 180-190. See easy right? I told you not hard just takes time.
Crock pot turned off and cooling
Second step:Wash your hands. Turn off crock pot and reset thermometer to go off when the milk reaches 110-118 degrees(I forgot to picture the temp taking but I trust you can figure it out). If it is any hotter then that it will kill the good bacteria and the bad and your yogurt will never set up. If it is colder them that the good bacteria will stay asleep and your milk will never set up. If you don’t have a thermometer leave the milk covered. Turn off your crock pot and let sit for 3-5 hours or until you can hold your VERY clean finger in the milk for about 10 seconds. It is hot but not boiling your skin off. I have a thermometer and I only use it for this step. It is not one that can sit in the milk so at three hours I start to check the temp. For me 3 hours is all the cooling the milk needs but, we don’t all keep our house the same temp and we don’t all have the same crock pots so I’m giving you a window but start check at 3 hours.
Step three: Wash your hands!( I know, I’m sure it is over kill by now but like I said I had a batch ruined once). Boil some water fill the 2 cup liquid measuring cup with water place small whisk, ladle( if it fits if not place that in a container with boiling water that it will fit in) along with large whisk. let stand for 5 min or so to sanitize. Get out your starter be it the powder or the pre made yogurt of your choice. If you are using the powder follow package instructions. If you are using the pre made store purchased open the yogurt them pour the water out of the measuring cup , using the small whisk scoop out the yogurt, if youneed to, get the ladle and pour some of the hot milk in to the measuring cup. Whisk until well combined. Pour starter mixture in to the rest of the milk and use larger whisk to mix well cover and wrap in 4-6,I use older baby blankets, or place in a oven that has been warmed to the lowest setting for mine that is 170 degrees( if your goes lower great 120 is ideal) and then turned off. Leave over night or for 8-12 hours. I start the process around lunch time and by bed time it is ready to do it’s sitting.
Step four: Wash your hands. Boil water and place large whisk, ladle, kitchen towels /straining bag( or wash the staring tub) and 2 cup measuring cup in water. Let stand. Unwrap your crock-pot or take it out of the oven. Use the large whisk to break up the solid mass. This allows for more whey to be drained if you are straining and if you are not it homogenizes the whole thing you could also use a stick blender at this point to do the same thing. Be sure to wash well or place in boiling water the portion of the blender that will be in contact with the yogurt. Now you can ladle or scoop with your measuring cup the well blended yogurt in to your strainer of choice or the storage containers of choice. If you are staining, this step takes a while it takes about 3 hours for me to hang the bags and strain out enough liquid to have the thickness of yogurt I want.
I have used both the kitchen towel lined colander method. I place in a bowl the boiled kitchen towel lined colander and let drain every our or so pouring out the excess liquid from the bowl and the staining bag I hang from twine I have suspend in the corner of my kitchen with a bowl below to catch the whey. They both work well. After straining, wash your hands and using a spoon or whatever place yogurt in container of your choice date and eat with in 10-12 days. If you save 1 cup of yogurt you can use that for the culture for your next batch.
Just be sure to always wash your hands before serving and to ALWAYS use a clean utensil as to avoid getting a “bad bug” in your finished product. You can make your own fruit yogurts. Just mix in fruit of your choice or fruit spread add a little honey to sweeten if needed I do this per serving I have no idea how it will hold up if you pre mixed a batch of fruit in to the finished yogurt. I hope you enjoy this, please let me know here or on Facebook how you like it and WASH YOUR HANDS!
Why I’m having my baby at home August 25, 2011
It takes less than 20 min for me to get to my nearest hospital. I’m going to take my chances at home. I’m not crazy, I’m not a masochist, I’m not a hippie or afraid of the government. I am an informed, powerful, women; who trusts myself, my husband, my baby, and my body to know how to birth. All of us are going to have a baby the biological normal way, in the historically normal place of our home.
I am excited to give birth in the exact way I want to! Having had both a normal birth( what I call drug free birthing) and medical one( a birth with interventions vaginal delivery or other wise) I know the difference between two. The power, joy and connectedness I had with my body and my baby after my normal birth was AWESOME. My first birth ,the medical one, I didn’t know what the other was like so I didn’t know what I was missing and I was very happy connected and in love holding my new child but I will never have a medical birth again unless I or the baby is about to die. First of all induction are PAINFUL, there is something wrong ,you might be dying painful. Secondly, I hated how helpless I felt before and after my epidural. I felt helpless for 36 hours of labor. 18 hours of it in the most body rocking pain I have ever had in my whole life. My normal birth I didn’t feel like I was dying. Was there pain? Sure. At home I dealt with it a lot better. I was able to give myself over to the process and release in to the sensation. At the time I didn’t even know home birth was an option but after having my youngest, I thought to myself “I wish I could have stayed home” and that is what got the ball rolling for me. I didn’t have bad birth experiences. I actually like my last hospital birth. My midwife was awesome and it was at a military hospital no less. But, I knew it just wasn’t the right fit for me it still wasn’t quite what I wanted.
I’m still looking for a midwife because my husband asked me too and I hope to find one soon. We are paying for the whole thing out-of-pocket because our insurance(TriCare) won’t pay for a home birth. I’m not sure why they are less expensive than a hospital birth. on average a hospital birth that is normal is around $7,500 with insurance most couples pay $1,500-$2,300 out-of-pocket. A home birth with a midwife is on average $2000-$3000 and this covers everything your prenatal check ups, ultra sound, the birth and postpartum care and your insurance may cover a portion if not all of the home birth except of course you are military/DOD like me and they won’t cover anything at all. You would think that since they are business they would want to do things that keep their cost low but I guess not because they just won’t cover home birth or chiropractic care.
