In the WEEDS

I'm beyond behind this season. I've finished about 2 of the girls gifts, wrapped stuff from their grandparents to them, and that's it. No baking, no photos, not even a tree up yet :(

I may be slow the next few days.....or I may have a huge post to vent. We'll see :)

Wordless Wednesday - Why Moo is getting a REAL one for Christmas

Holiday Homeschooling Backpack - When We School on the GO!- MAM December 2012

It is completely unsurprising that the Holiday Season can really throw a wrench in the schedule and routine of most children. There are parties to attend, trips to take, photographs to shoot, and general schedule changes caused by longer and longer to-do lists. As a preschool homeschooling family, our school schedule has been off since the week of Thanksgiving. Travel, cooking, cleaning, and seasonal errands have made our daily safety net almost nonexistent.  I’ve come up with a plan on how to keep schooling during the holidays and it all fits nicely into Miss Moo’s backpack.

The Pack

Moo has a backpack from her preschool days and she’s still proud to put it on and wear it about town. She has become aware of our altered school schedule and now tends to ask for school when we are trying to get things done during time she’s used to doing an activity. Drawing on the idea of what I packed for our Thanksgiving journey, I’ve set up a traveling “school” on her back. She loves the notion of something to be responsible for as well as taking pride in her autonomy . We packed it together with items we both chose to include to incorporate her interests as well as the skills and concepts that we have been building and those that we need to work on.

To read what she chose, what I chose, and how we use it, head on over to Modern Alternative Mama!!

You're delivering WHERE?? - Do Your (Home) Birth Research

When we made the decision to switch from the birth center to home birth midwife, I knew we'd get some questions and apprehension from some friends and maybe even some family. Both our girls were born under the care of very capable midwives who practiced in connection to either a hospital connected birth center or in a hospital. There was "emergency" care immediately available,  MD's in the facility at all times, and countless amounts of any and all drugs under the rainbow.

Miss Moo's birth was amazing, calming, swift, and everything I had imagined first my birth to be. Miss Roo's labor was a bit forced and had interventions - my membranes were prematurely ruptured and I ended up augmented with pitocin. Her birth was lightning fast - a full 10 cm to born in 2 minutes. Both girls were health, exactly the same size, and I was fine - merely a skid mark from their fast exits.

But there's something about the mere mention of giving birth at home that makes many people uncomfortable, even a bit scared. Truly, there's no reason to be either of those things. Home birth midwives aren't scary. They don't practice witchcraft or any kinds of sacrifices. They are extremely educated, experienced, and intuitive when it comes to the pregnancy and birth. They have families, lives, and interests outside of birth. They spend copious amounts of time with their clients, treating each woman as a person with a life and a family - not just a uterus that is occupied and needs to be checked on a routine basis.

Anyone considering home birth has done their homework. There are risks associated with a home birth, just as with ANY birth, even those in a hospital. Home birth is best suited for women with normal, low or no risk pregnancies.  Any high risk factors, such as preeclampsia or placenta praevia, should be weighed heavily and discussed with your midwife to determine if you are a good candidate for home birth. Home birth means no immediate access to pain medications or emergency medical interventions. This statement does not mean that any emergency that might occur cannot be addressed and treated - midwives are certified in neonatal resuscitation, can handle a maternal hemmorage to mange, control, or transfer the problem, etc. They are also aware of signs and indications of possible problems before they become emergencies for proper discussion and transfer, if necessary, before they become emergencies. However, home birth carries with it some risk that you and your partner must assess and be comfortable with.

There are tons of wonderful resources, both online, in your area, and in book form.  You can start at the website for the American College of Nurse-Midwives , The North American Registry of Midwives, or Mothers Naturally to find out more about midwives, state laws and regulations in your area, and registries of midwives.  There are tons of  helpful websites about birth in general and home birth. Some of those to use as a resource are:
Bringing Birth Home
My Best Birth
Birth Without Fear

Most of the resource websites out there also have resource pages full of links.

For the bookworm crew, like myself, here are a few books I highly recommend:

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
Birthing from Within
Pushed: The Painful Truth about Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care
The Birth Partner
The Doula Book
How Big is a Placenta Bowl?
Homebirth: The Essential Guide to Giving Birth Outside of the Hospital

Reasearch. Ask questions. Do more research. You are your biggest advocate and ally. Choose your birth no matter where that birth is or what it looks like. And respect all the various births that are out there. We are all women who carried children and brought them from our bodies. What a miraculous thing we women can do.

Meal Plan : Week of December 17-23

Monday:
Sloppy Joe's, brussel sprouts, sweet potato wedges, cornbread

Tuesday:
Shrimp and Grits
Salad

Wednesday:
Steak
roasted red potatoes
green beans
sauteed onions and mushrooms
apple sauce

Thursday:
Cobb salad with chicken

Friday:
Catfish Nuggets
Macaroni and Cheese
Peas
Fruit Salad

Saturday and Sunday:
We will be out of town to celebrate the holidays with Drew's family.

Recipe Collection: Real Food Adapted Baked Spaghetti

I must confess, I'm addicted to spaghetti. I have been pretty much since birth; Nana can attest to that. Miss Moo has received this gene from me and would eat pasta of any variety every day if I'd let her. I've been on a quest for the perfect baked spaghetti even since this pregnancy began. I've made some that were decent, but I haven't had much luck with gluten free noodles staying, well, noodle like.

Tonight I adapted a recipe that I found on All Recipe to make it GF and full of Real Food. This dish was on our Meal Plan for Wednesday but circumstances of time, or lack there of, moved it to tonight. I was very satisfied with the end result and will make it again with the following tweaks. The recipe below is my adapted recipe from the original that I linked. (I haven't made all the changes below to this batch, so yours will look slightly different from the photo.)

Real Food Baked Spaghetti

Preparation time:
30 mins

 Cooking time:
1 hour

Total time:
1 hour 30 minutes

Allergens:
Dairy (Casein), egg

Ingredients for Sauce:

• 1 lb. grass fed, ground beef (ours is local)
• 1 organic yellow onion, diced
• 2 jars homemade OR organic tomato basil pasta sauce
• 3 tbsp organic Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Real Salt

Ingredients for the Noodles:

• 1 package (16 oz.) Trader Joe's corn spaghetti (although I am skeptical of corn, this is the ONLY noodle that comes close to holding it's texture)
• 2 eggs (ours are local, free range)
• 5 tbsp organic salted butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Additional Ingredients for Layering:

• 5 cups freshly shredded, whole milk mozzarella
• 2 cups organic, whole milk, small curd cottage cheese

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop onion, grate cheeses, and divide cottage cheese evenly.
3. Grease lasagna dish or 9 x 13 inch dish.
4. Add chopped onion, ground beef, and Italian seasoning to heated pan and cook, breaking up meat and mixing thoroughly until the onion is translucent and the beef is completely browned.
5.  Add sauce to meat and onions and stir until completely combined.  Remove from heat.
6. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with warm water to stop the cooking process.
7. Beat the eggs.
8. Melt butter over medium heat just until it has melted completely.
9. Combine butter, eggs, and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Add the noodles to the egg solution and toss until the noodles are completely covered.
10. Place 1/2 the noodles in the bottom of the greased dish. Place 1 cup of cottage cheese upon the noodles. Spread evenly.
11. Add 2 cups of Mozzarella on top of the cottage cheese.
12. Spoon 1/2 the meat sauce mixture on top of the Mozzarella.
13. Repeat the layering with the other 1/2 of the noodles, remaining cup of cottage cheese, 2 cups Mozzarella, and remaining meat sauce mixture.
14. Cover with foil and bake for 40 mins.
15. Remove foil, add remaining 1 cup of Mozzarella, and bake for 20 mins or until the cheese is browned.
16. Removed from heat and serve.

We all loved this dish. Roo ate 3 plates ;)

I served this dish along with a salad of organic: spinach, cherry tomatoes, avocado, egg, bacon, and goat cheese topped with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Festive Traditions Winner!

Thanks for checking out Festive Traditions! Our winner is Kristin S.! Congratulations!!