Those weeks where life is just absolutely kicking you in the bum? I am having one. But it's good. I've been involved with VBS this week, an effort by 3 area churches to pool resources and talent to make a really great VBS. I took the Middle School group and have been having such a great time! The kids are really mellow and sweet. They've been game for anything I've thrown at them, and we've had a fun time and lots of meaningful discussion. Doing this well also means a lot of prep work, so I've been trying not to neglect my own family and home, with mixed results. Our only family activity this week is VBS because I don't have more in me. Tonight is the last night, and I'll miss the kids in my group, but it'll be good to have evening down time. The boys are going to the neighborhood VBS down the street next week as well.
In addition to VBS, I had a prenatal appt yesterday, and things are good. I'm gaining weight very slowly, but she's measuring right and is very strong. I've put on 11 lbs in 6 months according to the OB's office, plus a few prior to that. However, when I was expecting each of the boys I put on 13lbs the first trimester! I don't know if it's because we eat a healthier diet now or because my 3rd and 4th pregnancies were for girls, but I just haven't gained as much with the last two.
This morning I have a babywearing workshop/playdate at the church. It'll be a lot of fun and a good way to spend a morning out. I'm making a bit of fresh salsa, and I'll save some for home. I think we'll have fajitas tonight, pizza tomorrow, and tabbouleh and falafel with maybe some shish taouk on Saturday.
I am running on a sleep deficit this week and am looking forward to things calming down soon. This week may not even seem like a lot, but when you factor in my high need/ high energy kids and M constantly taking her diaper off, it's plenty! The sleep deficit is mostly my own anxiety keeping me up, but it's also this little munchkin stretching and dancing!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Adapted VBS lesson plan for Sunday - Thursday
As someone who didn't particularly like VBS as a kid (okay, I hated it), it's funny to be teaching it. I'm firm in my desire to make sure it's not lousy because faith matters a lot to me, and I hate to see spiritual things mis-handled. Here's my scope and sequence :)
Day 1- God made me
Verse Psalm 139:14
Creation story with emphasis on how God values each of us
Begin bracelet craft (beads for each day: globe, fire, fish, cross, baby or grapes)
Snack will be personally crafted trail mix because we're all different and all specially made
Game will be an outdoor hunt for symbols of the days of creation
Day 2 - God listens to me
Verse Exodus 15:11
Story of Elijah and the priests of Baal
Begin stained glass candle holder - "leading" with puffy paint
Snack - s'mores like little altars that we try to light with magnifying glasses, sterno used if necessary :)
That is also the game/outdoor portion
Day 3 - God watches over you and guides and protects you
Verse Jonah 4:2b
Story of Jonah being in the belly of a whale when he tried to run from God
Add to bracelet and decorate bags or T-shirts
Watch first portion of Jesus movie while snacking on Goldfish
Game - water balloon toss on sheets to simulate stormy sea Jonah was on
Day 4 - God loves you, no matter what
Verse- Romans 6:23
Show rest of Jesus movie
snack on resurrection rolls - crescent rolls with marshmallows that disappear
Day 5 - God gives good gifts
Verse James 1:17
Bible story of Hannah yearning for a baby, and her dedication of him to serve in the temple. He became Samuel the prophet.
Finish beaded bracelet and sign t-shirts with positive messages.
Snack of fruit salad with grapes (a big symbol from the story)
Game will be a relay to get water balloons (grapes) from one bucket to another and break them into the second bucket without losing water.
Day 1- God made me
Verse Psalm 139:14
Creation story with emphasis on how God values each of us
Begin bracelet craft (beads for each day: globe, fire, fish, cross, baby or grapes)
Snack will be personally crafted trail mix because we're all different and all specially made
Game will be an outdoor hunt for symbols of the days of creation
Day 2 - God listens to me
Verse Exodus 15:11
Story of Elijah and the priests of Baal
Begin stained glass candle holder - "leading" with puffy paint
Snack - s'mores like little altars that we try to light with magnifying glasses, sterno used if necessary :)
That is also the game/outdoor portion
Day 3 - God watches over you and guides and protects you
Verse Jonah 4:2b
Story of Jonah being in the belly of a whale when he tried to run from God
Add to bracelet and decorate bags or T-shirts
Watch first portion of Jesus movie while snacking on Goldfish
Game - water balloon toss on sheets to simulate stormy sea Jonah was on
Day 4 - God loves you, no matter what
Verse- Romans 6:23
Show rest of Jesus movie
snack on resurrection rolls - crescent rolls with marshmallows that disappear
Day 5 - God gives good gifts
Verse James 1:17
Bible story of Hannah yearning for a baby, and her dedication of him to serve in the temple. He became Samuel the prophet.
Finish beaded bracelet and sign t-shirts with positive messages.
Snack of fruit salad with grapes (a big symbol from the story)
Game will be a relay to get water balloons (grapes) from one bucket to another and break them into the second bucket without losing water.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Kefir prep - how to ferment milk. (and why!)
Find a kind soul with extra grains, which look like over-boiled cauliflower chunks. 2 big rules: don't touch them with metal and don't store them in plastic. Also, don't feed them after midnight. Wait, forget that last one; those are gremlins.
-Rinse grains with milk and drain.
-Pour milk over the grains in a glass jar and cover with a lid that will allow for expansion. I use a canning jar with a plastic bag and the ring to hold the plastic in place. I do a quart at a time.
-Leave this on the counter for 24 hours or until the culture mass rises to the top.
-Shake it to loosen grains from cultured milk
-Drain that liquid into a clean jar. That's kefir. It'll smell like yogurt with vinegar and maybe a hint of elmer's glue. Yeah.
-Put the grains back into a clean jar and pour enough milk on them just to cover. Loosely cover the top and refrigerate until next time. If it'll be a while, freeze 'em. They'll be fine.
-When you get big fat grains that ferment your kefir really fast, put an emergency supply in your freezer in case you kill yours, but that's hard to do! Or be an awesome person and pass your extra grains on!
Of course the big question is: why would I want to do this?!? Kefir helps balance out the belly, particularly beneficial bacteria and yeast, so that the gut can do its work absorbing the good stuff and fighting off or eliminating the bad stuff. I drink a few of kefir ounces every day in a smoothie with yogurt and berries.
-Rinse grains with milk and drain.
-Pour milk over the grains in a glass jar and cover with a lid that will allow for expansion. I use a canning jar with a plastic bag and the ring to hold the plastic in place. I do a quart at a time.
-Leave this on the counter for 24 hours or until the culture mass rises to the top.
-Shake it to loosen grains from cultured milk
-Drain that liquid into a clean jar. That's kefir. It'll smell like yogurt with vinegar and maybe a hint of elmer's glue. Yeah.
-Put the grains back into a clean jar and pour enough milk on them just to cover. Loosely cover the top and refrigerate until next time. If it'll be a while, freeze 'em. They'll be fine.
-When you get big fat grains that ferment your kefir really fast, put an emergency supply in your freezer in case you kill yours, but that's hard to do! Or be an awesome person and pass your extra grains on!
Of course the big question is: why would I want to do this?!? Kefir helps balance out the belly, particularly beneficial bacteria and yeast, so that the gut can do its work absorbing the good stuff and fighting off or eliminating the bad stuff. I drink a few of kefir ounces every day in a smoothie with yogurt and berries.
Simplest plain yogurt recipe for about 60 cents a quart.
Tia, a college friend and fellow blogging momma, suggested that I write about yogurt. I thought, "didn't I?". Turns out I did, but it's buried and my method wasn't set yet. So here it is. You can start with fluid milk, but I find I have to scald it, which is a pain, so I use powdered. If you are using fluid milk, you can give it a shot without scalding. Or heat it to 180, cool it to 90, add the starter and proceed to "shake it" below.
-1 quart glass jar with lid, very clean
-1 1/2 c Powdered milk, non-fat, whole, organic- all fine
-2-4 T of Stoneyfield plain yogurt for starter. (6 beneficial bacteria!) I store it flat in a freezer bag and break off chunks for starter. Very scientific.
-Enough filtered water to fill the jar after the other two ingredients go in.
Shake it.
Keep it warm (100-115-ish) for 9-18 hours. I use a soft-sided cooler with a non-auto-shutoff heating pad. It holds 2 qt jars.
Wanna make it Greek-style? It makes great tzatziki!
Strain the whey out until the yogurt gets to your desired thickness. For example, I use a canning jar and replace the disc lid with some open weave cloth and set it at an angle over a drip-catching container. Strain it really long, and it'll be yo-cheese, which is like cream cheese.
My iPod won't let me post photos from my iPod to blogger, so I'll try to add photos when I get my hands on Dr. O's laptop.
-1 quart glass jar with lid, very clean
-1 1/2 c Powdered milk, non-fat, whole, organic- all fine
-2-4 T of Stoneyfield plain yogurt for starter. (6 beneficial bacteria!) I store it flat in a freezer bag and break off chunks for starter. Very scientific.
-Enough filtered water to fill the jar after the other two ingredients go in.
Shake it.
Keep it warm (100-115-ish) for 9-18 hours. I use a soft-sided cooler with a non-auto-shutoff heating pad. It holds 2 qt jars.
Wanna make it Greek-style? It makes great tzatziki!
Strain the whey out until the yogurt gets to your desired thickness. For example, I use a canning jar and replace the disc lid with some open weave cloth and set it at an angle over a drip-catching container. Strain it really long, and it'll be yo-cheese, which is like cream cheese.
My iPod won't let me post photos from my iPod to blogger, so I'll try to add photos when I get my hands on Dr. O's laptop.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
On Sleep, Energy, and Commitments
Last night I couldn't fall asleep until 11:30, and I was up every two hours and couldn't get back to sleep after 5:30 because of thunderstorms. I concentrated on laundry for the morning because I'd been two loads behind for a few days. The last load is headed for the dryer in a few minutes, and I do have a modest pile left to fold and put away with the boys' help. The kids played together all morning, including 45 minutes of play-doh. Sometimes on a lousy day I need to do some soothing kitchen rituals, so I prepped some kefir and 1/2 gallon of yogurt for culturing, and hopefully no play-doh contaminated it, bleck! I've been needing to get back to my smoothie routine, so culturing more dairy will make that easier. I feel much better energy all morning when I have the right breakfast!
I think we'll grill some veggies and chicken and toss them with pasta for dinner, especially now that the sun is coming back out and might dry the yard enough for some outdoor play this evening. I'm trying to eat some feel-good food that helps keep me energized and doesn't make me gain over 30lbs. Ice cream doesn't help that, BTW.
Starting Sunday we have a multi-church VBS that I'm teaching the middle schoolers for, and the boys have the neighborhood VBS the next week. And school starts in A MONTH. I'd rather not send them back to school, but I know adding homeschool right now is a bad idea. If I'm chronically not getting enough sleep, I can't try a new big project with all my kids home every day. I want to be realistic and do the right thing for each kid. Making a school change while adding a baby seems to not be the right choice. We'll give it another try this year and re-evaluate in December.
I want to commit my time to fruitful things. If I'm going to homeschool, I want it to be the best available option for the kids. If I can't do it well, there's no point in putting inflexible kids through a big change. I need to focus on getting time with Mara and getting my home ready for little sister. I want to spend time building community so that I have support through this next big change.
I think we'll grill some veggies and chicken and toss them with pasta for dinner, especially now that the sun is coming back out and might dry the yard enough for some outdoor play this evening. I'm trying to eat some feel-good food that helps keep me energized and doesn't make me gain over 30lbs. Ice cream doesn't help that, BTW.
Starting Sunday we have a multi-church VBS that I'm teaching the middle schoolers for, and the boys have the neighborhood VBS the next week. And school starts in A MONTH. I'd rather not send them back to school, but I know adding homeschool right now is a bad idea. If I'm chronically not getting enough sleep, I can't try a new big project with all my kids home every day. I want to be realistic and do the right thing for each kid. Making a school change while adding a baby seems to not be the right choice. We'll give it another try this year and re-evaluate in December.
I want to commit my time to fruitful things. If I'm going to homeschool, I want it to be the best available option for the kids. If I can't do it well, there's no point in putting inflexible kids through a big change. I need to focus on getting time with Mara and getting my home ready for little sister. I want to spend time building community so that I have support through this next big change.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Mostly peaceful Sunday
Sunday morning was an episode of The Wiggles in the back pew. I made it through the service with the support of a fellow parishioner since Dan was assisting minister today. I had to take kids out 3 times during the service but still got to hear a great sermon on Matthew 13.
We had no screen time today after naughty church behavior, and the kids were mostly pretty great for the rest of the day. The kids plaued out back a lot and enjoyed each other's company, which is beautiful. Dr. O' vacuumed the downstairs and put meals on the table today, and he got a nap and a haircut. I bathed the dog pre-emptively because I'm really alarmed about what in the heck is going on with the neighbors' dogs.
This week I have to get my VBS thoughts to congeal before I go teach the 5-7th grade group. We'll have to keep things active and moving so they don't get bored and so they make a connection with the stories. I'm looking forward to it and am also nervous since I feel like the 3rd trimester just hit like a freight train full of sleeping pills. The boys will also be part of VBS that our church does and the one at the little church 3 blocks away in a few weeks. They enjoyed the neighborhood one very much last year, and I'd like to keep that connection for them. It's bizarre to think that M will be old enough for VBS next summer and possibly preschool that fall!
Her stomach trouble has returned, and I suspect she has diarrhea from teething. Too much saliva swallowed into a sensitive tummy might be the culprit. We'll start some probiotics and see what kind of progress we make. Her lower canines are the only teeth that haven't emerged yet, and they've been hard on all my kids. I think it's messing with her sleep as well, so hopefully they'll emerge soon.
My 25-week belly has a certain basketball-like quality, but with internal movement. She's active and strong, like all my little monkeys! I think we may be getting somewhere on names as well.
We had no screen time today after naughty church behavior, and the kids were mostly pretty great for the rest of the day. The kids plaued out back a lot and enjoyed each other's company, which is beautiful. Dr. O' vacuumed the downstairs and put meals on the table today, and he got a nap and a haircut. I bathed the dog pre-emptively because I'm really alarmed about what in the heck is going on with the neighbors' dogs.
This week I have to get my VBS thoughts to congeal before I go teach the 5-7th grade group. We'll have to keep things active and moving so they don't get bored and so they make a connection with the stories. I'm looking forward to it and am also nervous since I feel like the 3rd trimester just hit like a freight train full of sleeping pills. The boys will also be part of VBS that our church does and the one at the little church 3 blocks away in a few weeks. They enjoyed the neighborhood one very much last year, and I'd like to keep that connection for them. It's bizarre to think that M will be old enough for VBS next summer and possibly preschool that fall!
Her stomach trouble has returned, and I suspect she has diarrhea from teething. Too much saliva swallowed into a sensitive tummy might be the culprit. We'll start some probiotics and see what kind of progress we make. Her lower canines are the only teeth that haven't emerged yet, and they've been hard on all my kids. I think it's messing with her sleep as well, so hopefully they'll emerge soon.
My 25-week belly has a certain basketball-like quality, but with internal movement. She's active and strong, like all my little monkeys! I think we may be getting somewhere on names as well.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Wheeling Mountain Sprouts
There is nothing like being in a group of like-minded moms who are all comfortable in their own skin and cool enough not to get all competitive or threatened. I love being part of a group where everyone has something to share and each is willing to elaborate on her successes and failures. I'm all about finding solutions instead of dispensing momma advice. I'm also thrilled to be forming a community of mothers who want to do the best they can for their families and the planet. Finding people who are de-emphasizing material wealth and focusing on meaningful intra-family and inter-family socializing and support is what I've been looking for this past year. I couldn't care less what someone's faith background or education level is if we can have an easy chat about parenting that isn't processed, that isn't a system and a series of products, but rather one that is a series of careful choices based on the needs of each family. My children are remarkable and are individuals, so the one-size methods of child-raising will never be a fit here, and I suspect they're often a poor fit for many other remarkable little people, which I believe they all are!
Wheeling friends, if you are a momma of young kids and are looking for this kind of community, I invite you to Wheeling Mountain Sprouts. We are just forming right now, but I see great promise for this group. We're "natural" but not monolithic. I leave feeling so uplifted and supported as a momma. Plus, no one will make you sit at the same table every time ;).
Wheeling friends, if you are a momma of young kids and are looking for this kind of community, I invite you to Wheeling Mountain Sprouts. We are just forming right now, but I see great promise for this group. We're "natural" but not monolithic. I leave feeling so uplifted and supported as a momma. Plus, no one will make you sit at the same table every time ;).
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