Progressive Pioneer

Forgive Me, I Just Really Wanted to Talk to Katherine Heigl

I know, I know, this is so un-Progressive Pioneerish of me, but I got this email about interviewing Katherine Heigl to help promote the DVD release of her new movie and, after initially erasing the email, went and dug it back out of the cyber-trash because, well, I've always been kind of interested in her.  And here's why: #1 She was raised Mormon, isn't active now, but seems to be pretty positive about the church.  And #2 She has a house here in Utah and Clay designed and built some cabinets for her!  Random, right?!

So, anyway, I got to ask a few questions and hear her responses as well as a bunch of questions and answers from other bloggers.  Truthfully, I really wanted to ask her about being raised in the church, but not practicing anymore, that's what I was most curious about (or maybe, "hey, how are those cabinets holding up?"), but I wouldn't want someone asking me about that in a public interview, so I asked her easier questions about maintaining a private self while being in the public eye, and about whether or not she'd want her daughter to get into modeling and acting.

And you know, it was kind of interesting to be on the phone with someone famous, but not really as exciting as you might think.  She seemed quite nice and pretty real.  In fact, in answer to that first question she said, "I tend to be a little too forthright or honest, I don't censor myself very well.  Who I am is pretty much what you get.  The problem with that is that I tend to work things out verbally, like in interviews; I almost need to learn how to be more private, to keep more of myself under wraps."  And, I didn't really feel like she was putting on a particular persona when she talked to us, but rather that she seemed pretty genuine.

A lot of the interview was about parenting (she adopted a little girl from Korea) and our parenting styles are pretty different, but one thing she said that I really appreciated was basically that there's this idea that women can have it all and be it all, but that's a fallacy.  There are only so many hours in the day and you only have so much energy to devote to all the various options on your plate.  So, even though we can be and do anything we want, we can't do it all at once; there are hard choices to be made.  What she said was, "I have this fantasty that I can juggle it all, the problem is when I'm working and I'm trying so hard to be invovled in every detail of Naleigh's day, I don't do either well, I have an excellent nanny who I love and can trust, and my husband is an excellent partner and my mom is my business partner.  I have this group of people I can lean on heavily, but it's the worst to leave a sick child who's crying for you.  I want to call in sick so I can take care of her.  No sick days for actors; it's a pretty sweet gig so I can't complain.  But there are times I've had to compromise my professoinalism and be late so I can be a mother, hold her for ten more minutes..."

I appreicated that because I often have so many things I want to do in addition to mothering and it's hard for me to figure out how to do them all while still putting the kids first, keeping everyone fed, maintaining a clean house, and, of course, my sanity.  I sometimes feel like I should be able to do it and then feel like I'm doing something wrong when I can't.  But the truth is, being a mom is a fulltime job and while we have the option of doing other things; writing a book, having an etsy shop, being a lawyer, running a CSA, volunteering at the library, working out at the gym, etc. etc., that doing any of those things means doing a little less mothering.  And this is okay; well-rounded, happy mothers make good mothers.  And I think it's good for kids to see that their moms have lives that don't just revolve around them.  But I think the important thing is to acknowledge to ourselves that we're not failing when the house is a mess because we spent nap time writing poetry, or that we're bad moms for leaving the kids with dad while we go to a class.  The important thing is to acknowledge our limitations and then work out our priorities within those bounds.  Hmm... didn't really see all that deep thinking coming from an interview with a celebrity, but there you have it. 

Oh, and part of the deal was that I have to post this widget-y thing (it's so large!).  So, go see her movie; it looks cute.  I actually haven't seen it yet, but it's playing at the cheap here in SLC, so I probably will, or maybe Clay and I will rent the DVD (he's very accomodating about watching chick flicks- have I ever mentioned my inability to watch dramas or anything deep or serious (mostly) since we've had kids?  I just need the world to be a happily-ever-after sort of place and can't handle movies that are sad or too close to real life anymore). 

Oh, and I almost forgot!  There's a giveaway too!  Three readers can win a copy of the DVD and the soundtrack.  Just leave your comments in the regular fashion and we'll pick three winners this weekend(ish).

To be entered to win the movie and soundtrack please leave a comment below. You can gain SIX additional entries in the following ways, but remember to leave an ADDITIONAL COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY. 1) add PP to your blog roll (1st timers only) 2) become a fan on facebook (1st timers only) 3) become a friend (1st timers) 4) add a button (1st timers) 5) mention the giveaway on your blog, or 6) on facebook.

Congratulations to Sara, who said, "I just recently started reading your blog and I just LOVE your style! I have to admit, the "make and do" Fridays are my absolute favorite, even though I usually see lots of things I want to make but will likely never take the time to! But I did make some of the Valentine bubble gum necklaces you linked to and they are soooo cute! Thanks for posting this interview of sorts as well. It is good to hear of someone in Hollywood who is trying to keep it real. I have not seen this movie yet but it looks like a cute one . . . I'd love to be able to watch the DVD at home! Hope the flu is over at your house real soon! Sarah"

And Misti, who said, "I just added you to my blogroll thanks."

And Bjahlstrom, who said, "I've wanted to see that movie since it came out. It would be amazing to own the DVD. I love all the feedback you offered from that interview; it was so interesting."

Cheesemaking!

I have a secret wish to spend a couple weeks in Vermont taking as many cheesemaking classes as possible.  Since that dream might have to be put on the back burner for a few more years I'm so excited that Gnowflgins is doing a cultured dairy and cheese course!!  We've been buying this amazing queso fresco to have with beans and rice and every time I buy it I think, "You know, this can't be that hard to make..."  Guess what?  It's on the list!  Along with creme fraiche, feta, mozzarella and even cheddar!  The course starts Tuesday.  It looks like the class is about four months, with a new cheese or cultured something-or-other each week, but you can try it out for a month and it only costs about as much as a pound of really good cheese.  You also get access to all their sourdough lessons and recipes too, which, as you know, I've loved using (just had some "bucket bread" with dinner tonight!).  I'll be sharing my forays into the world of cheesemaking and I hope you'll share your adventures too, if you try your hand at it.  I can't wait!! 

The Friday Make and Do

I hope you don't have plans this weekend, because I have a ton of great ideas of things to make and do!  I wish I could do each and every one!

Loving this sweet heart garland!  Wish someone would make me one though, as I seem to have forgotten how to crochet in all my knitting enthusiasm...

Think I'm going to make one of these for Sam's room in an octopus shape; he loves octopuses:)

Do you have snow in your neck of the woods?  We're in a bit of a thaw, but next storm I think we might try some of this maple candy- so fun and delicious!  Some other fun snowy day activities are these awesome monster track makers, and this recipe for orange creamsicle snow cream (made with snow, of course).
I love Jean's idea for an indoor playhouse.  This would be so easy to take down when you needed the space too, and perfect for the winter when so much play invariably happens indoors.
And how about making your own coconut milk?  We had the most amazing raw, homemade coconut ice cream at Clay's aunt's house last night.  I bet homemade coconut milk would be equally divine!
Hope your weekend is creative, delicious and all sorts of wonderful!

Homemade Pasta

You know that satisfying feeling that comes when you do something that you thought was going to be SO hard, but turns out it's pretty easy and you feel like a rock star for doing it?  I love that feeling.  Make some homemade pasta and you'll feel like a rockstar too.  And I promise- it's so easy!

We used an excellent whole wheat, sourdough recipe from the Gnowfglins e-course, but I imagine there are lots of good whole wheat recipes out there too.  This one was particularly delicious, much more interesting, complex flavors than your standard white, pastey pasta.  The wonderful thing (besides how delicious it was!) was that Sam was able to be really involved.  Lately he LOVES to help.  "Mom, I can do hard things," he tells me on an almost daily basis, parroting some words of encouragement that I often tell him.  And so, he always wants to be into whatever we're doing and helping us.  Turns out he's pretty great at rolling dough out paper thing and even cutting it into long strips with a pizza cutter.  We were both so proud of ourselves.

We served our pasta simply with browned butter and fresh sage.  Mmmm, I love those crispy, buttery sage leaves...  We also tried it with some butternut squash tomato sauce and that was divine as well.

Viv's Party Dress

I forgot to show you guys this sweet little Christmas dress I fixed up for Viv.  It came with some hand-me-downs and I although I wasn't all that jazzed about it (couldn't really get into that flower detail...) I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it because it was so soft and snuggly, just the kind of thing baby girls should wear.  But it hung in her closet not being worn until finally I decided I would either make it something I actually wanted to see her in or just donate it. 

Thanks to a little red grossgrain I had lying around the fix took all of fifteen or twenty minutes and it's now one of my favorite dresses for her!  Sometimes it's so hard to see beyond what is to what could be.  This is why I'm not the best thrifter.  Some people have such a gift for seeing what something could become, when I often only see junk.  But I'm working on my thrifting skills and this little dress fix is encouraging!

It was really the easiest project, just a matter of sewing some pretty red ribbon over the (not-so-pretty) flower pattern.  Then I added a bit at the empire waist because it was a tad wide for her, and because a sweet bow tied in the back was just so darling she gets a dozen extra squeezes every time she wears this dress. 

Some Things Can Wait

It's 11pm and I was supposed to be working on my article for the next issue of edibleWasatch that is supposed to be turned in tomorrow.  But, Vivian decided to wake up and be social around 9pm so I went and got her, stopping in Sam's room which he shares with Viv (or at least, with her stuff, since she still sleeps with us) to grab some warmer PJs for her.  I thought he was sound asleep, having gone to bed two hours earlier, but when I turned around, there he was at my side asking, "Mom, will you lay by me and tell me a story?"  It was one of those moments, the kind that could go either way.  Perhaps I should have told him no, that he was supposed to be asleep, and he's not supposed to get out of bed, etc. etc.  But, instead, I hopped in bed next to him, Vivian snuggled between us and we chatted about our day.  Vivian coo'd and kicked her chubby legs and Sam squeezed her hand and giggled when she batted his face.  She's so irresistable that Sam just has to be squeezing her at all times; he presses his lips together hard to keep from squishing her too hard. 

I'm so glad I decided to lay and snuggle them for awhile.  Eventually Vivian got hungry and so we headed out.  By then Sam was sleepy and fell into a blissful sleep, feeling loved by his mom and little sister.  It was so sweet to be wrapped in the thick night, pressed close to their soft skin and fuzzy hair, tangled up in that warm, sweet baby and little kid smell...  Sometimes I try to soak up these moments and cement them somewhere in my memory so I can go back to them when my babies are no longer downy soft and chubby.

Here's a picture from quite a few months ago when Viv was small and Sam was still taking regular naps.  There were a few weeks where I could put them down to nap at the same time.  So glad I have a picture.

Giveaway: Pure Bars and a BabyRoo Wet Bag

This weekend's giveaway is delicious, practical and cute!  A whole assortment of delicious Pure Bars and a new Baby 'Roo wet bag.  Pure Bars are made from certified organic ingredients and are gluten-free, vegan, raw, kosher, and entirely delicious.  I received a box in the mail to try, and expected them to be somewhat tasty, but honestly, after the first bite I was REALLY impressed. 

They're kind of like a Lara Bar, but a little softer and more delicious.  Sam loves them too; we took a few on a recent trip to the church history museum and they were the perfect thing to tide us over until we got home for lunch, a tasty little treat that didn't leave us with a sugar hangover. 

Pure Bar's got a couple exciting things going on right now, a giveaway of a 5-day, 4-night trip for two to Costa Rica(!) and a buy one get one free coupon (which I totally plan on using!).  To enter the giveaway for the trip they'd like to learn more about your Pure lifestyle, whether that’s your favorite healthy snack, workout regimen, recycling program or anything else that you do to stay healthy, active and Pure!  So, just submit your tip on their facebook page and they’ll choose one lucky grand prize winner on February 21st.  Over the next five weeks, they’ll also select weekly winners. If you’re a lucky weekly winner, you will receive a supply of Pure Bars, and will also choose one of three organizations for Pure to donate $100 on your behalf.

 

The mom behind Baby 'Roo slings has designed a wonderful, and very affordable, wet bag and she's giving one away!  She says, "Our one of a kind, triple pocket wet bag holds everything you need! The main pocket is lined with Procare water-resistant fabric large enough for 2-3 cloth diapers. The smaller water-resistant pocket works perfect for breast pads or cloth wipes. The outside dry pocket holds a clean diaper for your next diaper change. The snap close handle lets you connect your wet bag onto a stroller handle or around your wrist."
She's even got a little tab on the inside to put a drop of essential oil on.  Such a thoughtful, clever idea (I'm all about using tea tree oil in the diaper pail!).  You can definitely tell these were designed by a mama! This giveaway post is sponsored by Pure Bar.  To be entered to win a dozen Pure Bars and a BabyRoo wet bag please leave a comment below. You can gain SEVEN additional entries in the following ways, but remember to leave an ADDITIONAL COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY.  1) add PP to your blog roll (1st timers only) 2) become a fan on facebook (1st timers only) 3) become a friend (1st timers) 4) add a button (1st timers) 5) mention the giveaway on your blog, or 6) on facebook, AND like Pure Bar on facebook (totally worth it for the Costa Rica thing anyway!)  Good luck!

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Congratulations to laurel Sauls who said, "I added PP to my google reader."

The Friday Make and Do

We've been loving this quinoa chili during these cold winter nights.  We discovered that little (about 1/4") cubes of sweet potato are also delicious in it.  You could make these crackers to go with it.
Loving this grownup twist on candy necklaces from One Charming Party.  A little idea to tuck into the back of your hat for Valentine's Day...
Try this fresh sage hair rinse (and let me know how it turns out; I have a ton in my yard!)

Make your own board book, like this adorable one (here's one I made to help Sam when he was learning to sign).
And, I know, this is totally out of season, but if I wait until spring I'll forget to mention it.  So save this fun project for the first warm, sunny day.
Hope your weekend is full of wonderful things!!

Totally Worth the Price of a Spool of Thread

We're all missing the easy days of summer here when I could just send Sam out into the backyard for hours on end.  His outdoor time has shortened considerably; it's about equal to the time it takes me to bundle him up and get him ready to head out!  Before long he's chilly and back inside, ready for some indoor play.  We've had to get a little creative with our indoor activities.  Yesterday's was a big hit though.  It involved using an entire spool of thread, but it was so worth it.  And the clean up wasn't nearly as bad as it looks.  After snipping in a few crucial places all the thread easily gathered into a ball. 

Sam's been in a spider phase and has been wearing the costume his dad made each and every day and only taking it off for bed and meals (the extra legs get in the way of eating).  I suggested that he might like to spin a web like a real spider and he immediately lit up at the idea.

It was so great because it didn't require him to follow any particular pattern or anything to make it look awesome.  We just set up some chairs opposite the piano and the leg of a plant stand and he wove back and forth, over and under, back and forth until, before long, he had himself a very impressive web.  So effective, in fact, that he tangled himself in it several times.  I loved watching him concentrate and  seeing him learn as he went, trying first one way, then another.

A few hapless plastic bugs met their fate among its strands.

Once the web was complete Sam donned the costume again (he did have to remove it while making the web as he kept getting his own legs tangled in it!) and spent the afternoon trapping bugs and dreaming about being a spider.

The Friday Make and Do

Here's a quick idea for a sweet and simple dress (and a great way to upcycle a t-shirt).

What this video; it will charm your socks off (and now I'm off to make a rag doll for Vivi...)

I love this little sweater mouse (and, of course, all things having to do with felted wool!); there's so much character in that face!

Here's a simple and classy toy you could make; wouldn't this make a thoughtful new baby gift?
Have a great weekend!

Ten Favorite Books for New Parents

There are certain books I find myself lending out over and over, or recommending to new parents as a "must-read."  Here they are all together:

Three in a Bed

This is one of my favorite books about co-sleeping.  It's a wonderful combination of scientific argument, personal stories and cultural anecdotes.  It covers more attachment parenting topics than just sleep and is an enjoyable, interesting read.

How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way

This one is a recent addition to my list, but I just really loved how accessible the information was and how easy to incorporate.  Whether or not you want to go all gung ho with Montessori it just has some really wonderful ideas about practical things you can do to create a more peaceful, enjoyable environment for your little people.

Free Range Kids

This is a good one to just get a little perspective.  I often find myself feeling a bit panicky about all the scary things that could happen to my kids.  And while I'm no an extremist about just letting my kids loose, I think it's good practice to give as much freedom as you feel comfortable with and trust your gut when you feel you need to keep them closer. While you may not agree with everything in the book, like most parenting books, you can take what applies and leave what doesn't.

Last Child in the Woods

Most of what Richard Louve talks about will not be new or surprising to you, but rather will resonate with an inherent knowledge that you already have.  But sometimes those instinctual things need to be stirred up and remembered and that's what I love his book for.  It's a call to arms to not forget the critical role the natural world plays in human development and happiness.  It's an inspiring book.

Parenting with Love and Logic

There are a few good parenting books, and this is one of them.  I think the key with these sorts of books is to read a few and extract what will work for your family and ignore what won't.  But it's good to have a game plan, to at least have thought about how you'll respond the first time your child lets loose full lung capacity in the grocery store.

Mothering Magazine (not a book, but definitely a deep well of parenting wisdom) (click here and use code CDMDC for a free digital subscription!)

This is my all time favorite parenting magazine, none other even comes close.  It's my go-to shower and new baby gift.  It's just such a fantastic resource and point of validation.  Their articles are generally very well researched and never sensational or taking cheap digs at opposing viewpoints.  I really respect the creators and contributors of the magazine and am so grateful it exists!

Off Limits

This one is a bummer to include, but important, I think.  The book gives parents some very practical ways to protect their children from sexual abuse and includes ways to talk to your kids about it without freaking them out.  I like the approach because it's empowering rather than scary.  And while it's something that we as parents never want to think about, it's better to think about it now so we can help prevent it.

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth

I always recommend this book when anyone asks for advice about birth.  It covers so much area and in a nearly unbiased way (she admits her bias in the introduction).  It's the best book, in my opinion, to arm yourself with scientific facts about birth and the differences between all the different choices out there.  It's also a great source of comeback material for people that think homebirth is less safe or that you're a nut for not wanting an epidural.

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has always come really easily to me, for which I've been so grateful.  But a lot of women struggle with it from getting a newborn to latch on correctly to mastitis and milk supply issues.  Reading this before baby arrives is a great idea so you can be armed with ideas ahead of time (because time for reading will be a thing of the past once your little one arrives!).

Prescription for Nutritional Healing

There are tons of great books about natural health; this one is just a good, basic resource to have handy on your shelf.  It gives broad, though not deep coverage of all sorts of complaints and remedies and is a good palce to start when your kid has some weird rash or some other mysterious ailment. 

What are your must have books?

Namaste's Shelf

We have some Nepali neighbors and one in particular has become quite a good friend, though a friend with whom we don't share a single word in common.  He speaks no English and we speak no Nepalese (except "goodbye" and "thank you" which we can both say in English and Nepalese).  Sam refers to him Namaste because that's what we have taught him to say, while putting his hands together to greet this gentleman.

In the summer he comes by to admire the garden and we often give him produce.  He talks to Sam and loves to pick him up and to hold and talk to hold Vivian.  He often makes gestures as if he's blessing the kids.  He's like a sweet grandpa and Sam really likes him.  Some days he sits and watches Clay at work in his shop.  One day he asked Clay, in gestures only, to build him a little shrine, just a simple shelf really. 

Weeks went by and Clay just never had time to devote to the project (still waiting on those benches...  *ahem*), but it was always on the back of his mind, and Namaste (as we call him) stopped by often and asked about the bench.  Finally, one Saturday before Christmas he built this sweet shelf and delivered it to Namaste's house.  They were overjoyed!  Some younger girls helped translate, which was a treat as it was the first time they'd really conversed.
Although there wasn't a lot of diversity in Maine, my parents always cultivated a love of, respect for and curiosity about other cultures.  We were lucky enough to travel a bit (my dad even visited Nepal!) and have interesting friends from interesting places.  One of my mom's dearest friends is from what was then the Belgian Congo.  Her mother was the queen of a tribe there and her father a Belgian army officer!  She was raised in an orphanage with her "sisters," daughters of Belgian fathers and African mothers.  She is one of the most Christ-like, beautiful, sweet women I have ever met.  Anyway, that wasn't really the point of the story, that was just an interesting tangent.  Where I was headed, was that once one of her sister's was visiting with her little son and it was his 8th birthday.  They hadn't planned anything special, but my mom who adores feeding people (I think it's her Swedish heritage) decided to throw him a little party and make a birthday cake and just go all out.  This always stuck with me as being such a great example of how to treat people visiting our country, whether tourists on vacation, or refugees here for the long haul. 

It's amazing how food can be such a bridge between cultures.  While we don't understand most of what the other person is saying, when we share food with Namaste, we connect.  Once he brought us a paper plate of food from a celebration with his family and we were so touched.  Equally, he has always recieved food from our garden with such gratitude and enthusiasm. 

PS This is kind of what I wrote about in my last edibleWasatch article (zoom in to read).

Giveaway: a Handmade Onesie, a Selection of Children's Books, and an iPad!!!

There is a most exciting giveaway this weekend!  First we have a $25 gift certificate from Erin at oliver.handmade.  I would totally get that onesie above, but you could apply the GC to anything in her shop.  ALSO Progressive Pioneer readers can get 15% off through February 15th with the coupon code PROGRESSIVEPIONEER (a little Valentine present for your tiniest valentine, perhaps?) I think you'll really appreciate the sentiment behind her work.  Her words are below:

My first child, my daughter Olivia, was born in 2008.  I am a Montessori teacher, and though I love teaching and hope to return to the classroom one day, my dream has always been to stay home with my children, at least during the early years. My husband helps run a non-profit local food distrubution center, so although we both have rewarding jobs, finances can be tight.  So in an effort to make a little extra cash, and also as a creative outlet for myself, shortly after Olivia was born I created  oliver.handmade- thoughtfully made clothing and accessories for babies, toddlers, and beyond.
I chose to hand appliqué and embroider, rather than use a sewing machine, partly because it is more meditative for me, and can easily be done while my children are playing on the floor, but it was also
inspired by the Montessori teaching philosophy.  Montessori emphasises traditional methods of performing tasks - for example, we have activities such as washing clothes with a washboard and washing hands with a pitcher and basin.  Montessori classrooms also have very thoughtful, handmade materials and I wanted to direct that towards babies and toddlers. 

We now have a second baby, Henry, born this past summer.  Though it's still a struggle, I'm thankful to be living my dream of spending my days playing, dancing, laughing with my children - and getting to create at the same time!  I consider this a gift to us all. 
Now, for the second part of our giveaway, Target's Read With Me program is giving away a 16 GB iPad with Wi-Fi for reading books online, along with a selection of age-appropriate books!!  The Read With Me Program is pretty great; by the end of 2015 they hope to donate more than $500 million to support education! You can read more about their committment to reading here.

I know you all know the magic of reading to your little ones.  It really takes so little time, but the rewards are so huge.  I often have to stop and remind myself when Sam asks me in the middle of something to stop and read to him, that it will only take a moment, but that it will be so worth it.  I used to work at a literacy center and ever since have been such an advocate for parents reading to their kids.  Did you know just reading in front of your kids makes a difference?  Kids that see their parent with their nose in a book are more likely to be avid readers themselves.

To win all of the goodies described above, just share a comment about your favorite children's book and/or your favorite time and place to read to your kiddos.  Good luck! 

This sweepstakes, sponsored by Target, is only open to U.S. residents 18 years or older. A winning commenter will be drawn at random, using Random.org, after the sweepstakes closes on Thursday, Jan. 20 at 12:00am EST. The winner will receive a 16GB Wi-Fi enabled iPad and a selection of children’s books, a prize package valued up to $599. After the winner is notified, he or she has 48 hours to respond with their mailing address, phone number and ages of their children, so that Target can ship the prize and select books appropriate for their children. If the winner does not reply in that time frame, he or she forfeits the prize and another winner will be drawn at random. Please note that we cannot ship product to a P.O. Box.

Congratulations to Mary, who said, "Since my son was born two and a half weeks ago, I've been reading a ton of books to my daughter. Every time she see's me sitting down to nurse the baby, she brings a book over. It works great! My favorites are the whimsical new Dr. Seuss books she got for Christmas."

The Friday Make and Do

Here's a pdf to print out to make toys with; a perfect cold weather activity.  I'd totally make the bowling pin set, only find some permanent way to adhere the images to actual, wooden pins...
Make your own pretty stationary with this easy marbled paper tutorial.
Make this lazy man's caramel popcorn.  I bet you could mess around with the sweeteners and substitute cane sugar, sucanat, honey, molasses, rice syrup etc.
Have a wonderful weekend!

PS There's a BIG giveaway tomorrow (like, ipad big!) so come check it out!!

Lotions and Potions

The cold and flu pills I made really were a piece of cake.  It was slightly time consuming to fill all the little pills, but that was outweighed by how much I just love that little capsule-making gadget.  But making a tincture was even easier!  I used the same combination of herbs (goldenseal, echinacea, licorice root, and ginger) and put them to soak in glycerin and water for a few weeks, shaking the jar a few times a day.  I kept it where I'd see it regularly so the herbs could get a good toss every once in a awhile. Once it was done I just strained it into jars and it was ready to go!

Clay swears by this stuff.  There's been a cold knocking at our door the past week or two and we've mostly kept it at bay by dosing ourselves with this mixture and some lobelia tinctured in apple cider vinegar from Clay's mom.

For our handmade sibling gift exchange this year I drew Clay's little sister Molly's name.  I made her a kit of all sorts of herbal remedies, salves, lotions and potions with a cute rice bag tucked in (I wish I had a picture; somehow I didn't take pictures of any of the rad gifts this year!).  It was really fun to try some new recipes and learn as I went.  I feel so much more capable now and the whole process seems more straightforward and less like mystical wizard science.  Herbal remedy making is one of those things you just have to jump into and get your hands a little messy before you can feel confident.  But once you do it's like a whole new world of possibilities opens up.  I'm much less intimidated now and feel like I can experiment and improvise a bit. 

PS If you're local, Industrial Container is the place to go for little glass jars and droppers and all sorts of things.  They're prices change daily, so just go there and browse around.  It's really inexpensive, as in  pennies per jar.  If you're not local, Mountain Rose Herbs has lots of great, reasonably priced containers too.

Sam's New Year Goal: Learn Spanish

Sam didn't exactly set his own goal for 2011, but I'd been wanting to try out that Rosetta Stone software for quite some time and we finally got it.  I noticed that Sam picked up the Spanish words in this book I was reading him (an English picture book with a few Spanish words) and I would catch him repeating them throughout the day.  I've often lamented that we don't have bilingual friends or a Spanish playgroup for him to go to or something like that because his little brain is so wired for language acquisition right now.  Our library offers a language learning course, but the style seems too "teach-y" and not enough like the way we naturally learn.  Of all the programs I checked out, I like this one the best because it seems similar to the way babies learn language.  There's no English instruction, everything is in Spanish and is very visual.  You see pictures, hear the words in Spanish, then you hear the word and pick the right picture.  As you go along you build on what you know, just the way little kids learn their native language.  The program isn't designed for little kids, but when Sam and I do it together it works really well.  You can choose what emphasis you want (grammar, vocab, speaking etc.) and I've set ours to speaking and listening for Sam.  He sits on my lap and wears the headphones with the microphone.  I can see the words on the screen and hear his headphones a bit so I operate the mouse and he repeats everything he hears; it works great. It's so interesting to watch him learn.  He started out kind of butchering the Spanish sounds that we don't use in English, but already he's smoother and learning the new sounds and rhythms of a different languge.  Sometimes we go back and do the pronunciation part again.  Our appraoch is pretty loosey-goosey and low pressure so it's fun for him.  He enjoys just sitting on my lap and and having some mama time, and I think if we do it regularly, even if it's only a few minutes at a time, that he'll really pick it up.  It's pretty exciting to watch.  I've had fun brushing up on my Spanish too.  Some day, when the kids are older, I'd love to set a goal as a family to learn a language to a certain level of proficiency and then reward ourselves with a trip somewhere we could speak the new language.

Two Simple Goals

I used to get all gung-ho about New Year's resolutions, making long, ambitious lists, aiming to completely revolutionize my life.  But, as you can imagine, those goals fizzled out pretty quickly.  And this meant that since I wasn't succeeding at all of them, I just let them all slide.  Now I only set one or two goals at the start of the new year and find that much more manageable, and it's much more likely that I'll actually accomplish the goals and see real, lasting change in my habits and life. 

So, this year I have two simple goals.  The first, inspired by a friend, is to have morning devotionals with my kids.  Nothing fancy, long or planned ahead of time.  Just while we're at the table, eating our breakfast we'll sing a few songs, read our family mission statement and each read one verse of scripture.  Sam repeats his verse after me and I read Viv's for her:)  We started a few days before the new year and so far it's going well.  I'm finding it sets a nice tone for the day and Sam is really enjoying it, especially the singing songs part.  It's simple enough that I'm hoping it will weave its way permanently into our routine and can change and adapt as our kids grow. My second goal is to have people over for dinner more often.  Every Sunday Clay and I get home from church and inevitably one of us says something along the lines of, "You know, we should really have the so-and-sos over for dinner some time..."  And we really do want to, and so we wait for the perfect opportunity, a time when we don't have to catch up on yardwork, and nobody has a cold, and we're not exhausted from one of the kids waking us up all night long, and I've got the house spotless...  Needless to say, we haven't had many people over.  So, my goal is to simply make a point of having people over on a regular basis whether or not the house is put together and our lives are perfectly organized, because that's never really going to happen (those are New Year's goals for another year!), and in the meantime we really want to enjoy some good company! How's your new year shaping up?  Are you feeling good and optimistic?  Excited about a fresh year, full of possibilities?  I hope so!