6 years and 3 kids later… Reflections on what it takes be a modern mother of several

 

Hi there! Do you remember me? Don’t worry, I won’t blame you if you don’t. I just discovered that my last post was almost a year ago, but life has been busy and I’m certain you’ve had plenty of good writers to keep you satisfied. You know what else? WordPress notified me that about a week ago was the 6 year anniversary of my blog. What was life even like 6 years ago?!? I didn’t have any children then and as it sits today, I have been the mother of three children 5 years and below for almost 10 weeks.

In Defense of Iceberg

Now that I’ve broken the news to the world that my kiddo can only have 10 net carbohydrates per day, I’m guessing that many of you were left wondering, “What on earth do you feed him?”

His diet consists mostly of fat and protein, but I work diligently to make sure that he eats as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Prior to beginning this diet, he preferred produce to meat and it was really difficult for me to start saying, “No, you can’t have more carrots/apples/whatever.” Really, who says that? Well, I do. Do you know what I say yes to and NEVER thought I would: diet soda and pork rinds. The longer I write this post the deeper and deeper I dig myself into the redneck stereotype I’ve tried to squash all my life. Hahaha. I do have to continue to say no to Hostess Snack Cakes, so we are safe on that front.

Did you miss me?!? Well, I didn’t die…

Hello faithful followers,

I have neglected you. After July 26, 2014, I just vanished.  If you follow me on any other social media sites, you probably have somewhat of an idea about what my life has been like the past three months.  It has been this incredible blur of doctors, hospitals, dietary changes, therapy appointments, new medications, excrement and emesis, and a taste of normalcy thrown in here and there.  I took a quick look at my calendar and, literally, the day following my last post is when the ‘S’ hit the fan. If you could see my calendar, you might actually cry. But the good news is: we survived!

Of Course I Can! Blog Hop: Failure.

This is my most recent installment of the Of Course I Can! Blog Hop. Next month I will publish a post reviewing whatever it is that I end up canning first.  That is the post that I want everyone to link up to.  Can up something fantastic (or otherwise), take some photos, write a post, and link back to my post.  Let’s get this canning season rolling!

Of Course I Can! Blog Hop

I’m getting excited! This should be my last post before I post about my first canning of the season! I have already put up some zucchini and cauliflower, but that I froze so its not really as interesting.

OK, onward and upward!

Failure.  That is a scary word, but I want you to get ready to embrace it.  In the cooking world (and in most instances, really), failure is not wholly bad.  Every time I fail in the kitchen, although it damages my pride a tad, I always come away with a lesson learned.  Even when it is simply a lesson in humility.  Lately, my baking prowess has been challenged by the adversary of gluten-free bread.  However, that is another topic for another day.

Of Course I Can! Blog Hop: Blackberries!

Disclaimer: I am not an expert nor a professional in the field of food preservation.  My expertise comes from personal experience that has been passed down generationally.  Always refer to published, up-to-date guides for cooking times.  If you need help finding a resource for your area, please let me know.  My favorite book on all things food preservation: Putting Food By.

 

Seriously. Turn your back for a MINUTE.

Living here in the PNW, blackberries are a fact of life. People that aren’t from here have this overly romanticized idea of the blackberry and that it is the quintessential Oregonian foodstuff.  I even have one set of distant cousins that have gone so far as to try to get them to grow in Iowa. All I can do is shake my head and wonder why they would want to inflict such pain on the rest of their unsuspecting state.  I love the taste blackberries, but if any plant can be accused of being sent straight from Hell, this is the one.  My family has been battling blackberries since the original homestead and it is never ending. If you turn your back for a minute, you’ve lost your house underneath a mountain of thick, sinister, sticker bushes. We Oregonians are a crafty bunch, so we fight, but we also learn to find the silver lining, so-to-speak. Making food with the fruit of this evil is like flipping the bird to the Devil.

Blessed Aroma

I’ve long been a die-hard Fall reveler and, conversely, vehemently opposed to Summer, but today, Summer started to grow on me.

Of Course I Can! Blog Hop: What do I need?

Of Course I Can! Blog Hop

If you have never done any canning before, you might be wondering what you need, other than food and a canner. Well, I am here to help!  I thought for this post I might just give you a little run-down, list style.  Here we go!

Of Course I Can! Bog Hop: Pressure or Boiling-Water Bath?

As promised, here is an installment for the Of Course I Can! Blog Hop.  Please note that I am not an expert nor a professional in the field of food preservation.  My expertise comes from personal experience that has been passed down generationally.  Always refer to published, up-to-date guides for cooking times.  If you need help finding a resource for your area, please let me know.  Also, this is meant to pique the interest of the novice and assuage fears and insecurities.  I won’t be going into much of the science behind food preservation methods.

Now that we have taken care of the disclaimer, let’s get down to the question of the day: pressure canning or boiling-water bath canning?  I say: both!  There are many people out there, possibly you, who are deathly afraid of meth lab-like explosions happening in their kitchen thanks to those intimidating-looking pressure canners, but let me assure you, this is very nearly impossible.  Do you feel better?  I hope so.  In all seriousness, the pressure canner is essential.  If you don’t have one you can kiss your dreams of home-canned green beans and tuna fish goodbye.  Why you say? Because you would have to boil quarts of green beans for 4 hours, that’s why.  My maternal grandmother was one such anti-pressure canner and she, in all actuality, boiled batches of green bean for 4 hours at a time.  No thanks.

Canning in 2012: How the heck did I do that?!?

Here is another recycled post from my old business blog.  It was originally posted on October 15, 2012 so please don’t get the impression that this happened recently!  With having a baby and two kiddos with medical problems, last canning season was a little dismal.  We did beets, banana peppers, green beans, sauerkraut, and frozen corn.  Not too bad, considering, but not really up to my standards.  We are hoping for a better year and our family is getting excited about the growing season! I hope to also post a practical skills/information post this month as we move toward our Of Course I Can! Blog Hop.

Canning.  A topic that is near and dear to my heart.  I am so very close to being done with this season’s round of canning: just 400 pounds of tuna and a few more pints of tomatoes to go. 

Food: Our Sacred Duty

If you haven’t seen it yet, I am planning to host a blog hop this coming August.  The idea is to encourage more home canning!  I am not going to pretend to be an expert, but I do come from a long line of home canning enthusiasts and think this is such an important skill to cultivate.  Each month leading up to the blog hop, I intend to share a post to help the novice embark on this new adventure.  I will start that in March.  Right now, I have a couple posts from my old nutrition coaching site that I want to share to help provide inspiration before we get down to the nuts and bolts of the thing.  I have re-worked a few parts of this post, but if you want the original, un-edited version, please see the original post.

Borrowed from flikeflu.com

Back when I was pregnant with Teddy Bear and didn’t know it, I received the most incredible gift: my great-grandmother’s canning book from 1942.  I knew that my aunt would be sending it to me and I was so excited to forge a relationship with the great-grandmother I never knew by following the same recipes that she had used so many years ago.  What is even more wonderful about this gift is that each generation since the original purchase has followed this book.  I have a direct line to the women who came before me through this book.  For me, that is powerful.