Happy Mamas

End-of-Summer Desserts

2011-09-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

Ahhh....end of summer has left me with a sweet tooth. My husband and I got to get away for a night recently and we found ourselves at a u-pick farm, munching on berries, peaches, etc. We brought the blackberries and peaches home and the rest is history. Hope you enjoy some of these dessert recipes. There is life (and more of it) after refined sugar!

Graham Cracker Cake

This recipe is my husband's favorite that his mom used to make for him. We now make it without sugar...

-1 box graham crackers (Whole Foods has a healthy version - no canola oil and no sugar. Become a professional label reader!)
-6 cups rich chocolate pudding (see recipe below)
-3 cups whipping cream

Assemble this dessert the night before serving in a 9x13 pan. Start with graham crackers and layer chocolate pudding on top - usually 3 layers, but there's no law on how many. Finally, layer whipped cream on top, 1-2 hours before serving.

Chocolate Pudding

Mix in a sauce pan:

-2/3 cup plus 2tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
-1/4tsp. sea salt

Gradually stir in, making a smooth paste:

-2/3 cup warm water
-2/3 cup honey/agave nectar

Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium heat, then remove from the heat.

Stir in:

-3 1/2 cups half and half ( I highly recommend using organic dairy!!!)

Place in a bowl:

-8tbsp. organic cornstarch or arrowroot
-1/2cup half and half

Thoroughly stir into the cornstarch paste into the chocolate mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low; stirring briskly, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in:

3 tsp vanilla or brandy or rum or ???

Blackberry Peach Bourbon Pie

2 pie crusts (I use a pat in the pan butter crust, made with whole wheat or spelt. I roll it out and cut it into 4ths for the top crust.)
4 cups peaches, sliced, or chopped
1 cup blackberries
1/4 cup bourbon
1tbsp cinnamon
1 very heaping tbsp. organic cornstarch or arrowroot
1/3 cup honey/agave nectar/maple syrup

Toss the peaches, blackberries, bourbon, cinnamon, cornstarch and honey together. Set aside. Place the filling into the bottom crust and place the top crust over the filling. Ventilate the top crust a bit. Brush with a little cream or an egg yolk. For baking, I place the pie into a 400 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then, I turn the heat down to 375 for another 10 minutes. Then, I turn the heat down again to 350 degrees and lay a piece of foil over the top if it's browning too fast and the juices aren't bubbling thick and dripping yet. After another 5-10 minutes, it's usually done. We serve with vanilla ice cream. For the ice cream, use your favorite recipe and replace the sugar with honey, sugar or agave with 2/3 the amount of sugar called for.

Mango Agave Sorbet with Tequila

(I think I stole this from Cooking Light...)
Ingredients

4 cups cubed peeled ripe mango (about 3 pounds) (I used 2 bags of the Trader Joe's frozen mango - defrosted)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 3 oranges)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
1/3 cup tequila
3/4 cup light agave nectar
1/3 cup water
Preparation

1. Combine cubed mango, orange juice, lime juice, and tequila in a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl, and stir in the agave nectar and 1/3 cup water. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
2. Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 8 hours or until firm.

by Danneca

Tips for a Healthy Summer

2011-06-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

As I write, I'm looking down the barrel of a tough track workout this evening. We're waiting until the heat pulls back a bit before heading out to the track. You've heard of the importance of replacing the electrolytes your body loses in the heat. As you might imagine, I'm not a proponent of Gatorade or other "sports drinks." Can anyone say, "gut-rotting sugars and food coloring?" Okay, I'll settle down. My point is this, there are MUCH healthier ways to replace those electrolytes. Electrolytes are pretty much sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium. One thing we like to do to replenish is this: 1.) Eat half a banana. 2.) Mix a pinch of salt in with a half cup of milk. 3. Drink a half cup of water mixed with a tsp. of Peter Gillham's Calm (a splendid magnesium supplement). I KNOW you can come up with creative ways to mix up this routine. Another VERY simple way to replenish is coconut water. There are a zillion brands out there and a zillion different prices, so get what's on sale. We actually like coconut juice with the pulp. Yummy! Amazingly, this drink provides all of the electrolytes without the chemical sweeteners and other additives. Staying hydrated is important, but tons of water is actually not the best option, so mix it up a bit on hot days with iced herbal teas and honey and/or some coconut juice. You'll be surprised how rejuvenated you feel compared to drinking chemicals.

On a different note, here's an idea for a cool summer treat!

Popsicles

Ingredients: paper cups of your choice, popsicle sticks, other ingredients of your choice!

What I like to do is basically make a smoothie, pour it into paper cups, stick the popsicle stick in the middle of the smoothie and set it in the freezer to freeze. After it's frozen, you just tear off the paper and you have a yummy frozen smoothie pop! Today I put some goat yogurt, a banana and maple syrup in the blender, then added a bag of frozen blue berries. That was it. On other days, I'd be more creative, but that was all I could muster for today. We'll enjoy these after our track workout tonight! I like to do smoothie pops over frozen juice, as juice is pretty much just sugar. I was thinking that herbal tea pops would be pretty refreshing too, though! If your mixture is too liquid-y to hold a stick, let it freeze a bit before placing the stick. Enjoy!!!!!!

A Couple of Tasty Fall Recipes

2010-11-15T03:40:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, we had beautiful, chilly fall weather here in Northern California. Baking yummy fall treats was just the distraction I needed to take my mind off of my 41-week pregnant belly. Now, on this night, the windows are open at 8:30pm and it was 80+ today. Go figure. Nevertheless, several folks have asked for some recipes lately, so when there are recipes I haven't posted before, I like to make them available to all....enjoy!

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal (This from my friend Kori Hurley, via The Ungourmet.)

Ingredients:
3C. old fashioned oats
1C. pure maple syrup (Kori said she used half this with success. I used 1C. honey and loved it too.)
2tsp. cinnamon
1tsp. nutmeg
1/2tsp. ground ginger
1/2tsp. salt (I always use sea salt)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4C. dried cranberries (I might use a touch more next time. Raisins would also be tasty.)
1C. diced apple. (I had a Granny Smith. Loved this addition.)
1 & 1/2 C. milk
1C. pumpkin puree
4tbsp. melted butter (I actually doubled this.)
2 large eggs

Whisk milk, butter, maple syrup, pumpkin and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine oats, spices, baking powder, cranberries and apples. Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix just until combined. Pour into greased round casserole dish (I assume a square 8x8 would do as well). Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve immediately, topping with milk. I happened to have some leftover whipped cream. We topped the hot oatmeal with this and it was divine. MMMMM!!!!!

Peanut Butter and Carob Chip Cookies

I'm not a huge carob fan. At all. However, they go perfectly in this recipe, toning down the peanut butter and yet not taking away from it too much. Of course, you could always do chocolate chips, but I want to avoid the sugar and really, there is no compromise in taste here.

Ingredients:
1/2C. butter
1/2C. unsweetened peanut butter
2/3C honey
1 egg
1 & 1/2C. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2tsp. (heaping-ish) baking powder
1/2tsp. (heaping-ish) baking soda
1/4tsp. salt
1C. carob chips

Cream the peanut butter, honey and butter until light. Add egg to this mix and mix until almost fluffy (2-3min., occasionally scraping bottom and sides of bowl). Blend flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt - the reason we do "heaping-ish" tsp. of the baking agents, is because of a little extra flour added when using honey, thus you need just a touch more of the baking powder and soda, to make the cookie texture just right. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine. Add the carob chips. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Cool on pan for 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Danneca

a great Christmas gift if you like to plan ahead

2010-10-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Every year we like to give gifts to several different friends, coworkers, etc... Last year, I made homemade vanilla extract and it was a success! The extract was wonderful and it could not be any easier. You just have to have time - - eight weeks, to be exact. So if you like to plan ahead for your gifts, this is a great one. You can make them all now, let them sit, and pull them out close to Christmas and have a fabulous gift to give away.

Here's what to do:
-Acquire all the necessary supplies: vanilla beans; rum (or vodka); pretty, sterilized bottles; fun labels
-Sterilize the bottles
-Split three vanilla beans lengthwise and put them in the bottle (I used an 8 oz. bottle with 3 vanilla beans)
-Pour in the alcohol
-Close tightly
-Put in a dark spot to sit for the next 8 weeks, shaking once a week or so

That's it! So easy, so yummy, and useful.

Saturday Morning Breakfast

2010-09-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Breakfast at our house on Saturday morning . . . nothing fancy -

just eggs, toast, juice & coffee but it was a beautiful morning so I wanted to share!

Sweet Tooth Satisfied

2010-09-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

I hate it when people look at my kids like they are starving children in Africa when my children (who, by the way are total believers in the movement), tell them that we don't eat sugar. "You mean you never get treats?" HA! We have treats all the time! Like the last 2 afternoons....this fall-ish treat takes 10 minutes and is SUCH a treat. Enjoy!

Healthy Carmel Corn

8 cups popped popcorn
1 cup nuts
1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp. pure maple syrup
2tbsp. butter

Spread popcorn and nuts out on greased baking sheet or 9x13 pan.

Heat honey and maple syrup in a small saucepan on medium-high heat to boiling. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Pour mixture over popcorn and nuts, stirring until popcorn and nuts are covered evenly. Try not to let the mixture sink to the bottom of the pan while stirring.

Let cool and enjoy!

This also makes a nice homemade gift at Christmas time, when nicely wrapped.

I don't often add the nuts. I prefer the popcorn to be more heavily covered in the sweetness. Either way, this totally satisfies my afternoon sweet tooth!!!

Posted by Danneca

Dairy & Wheat Allergies

2010-09-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows someone who has food sensitivities or allergies. Chances are you have one in your household. This doesn't have to be the end of the world. Recently, I've had lots of questions on recipes, etc. for this dilemma. Here are a few suggestions and thoughts.

First of all, a short word on causes. If you are wondering why your grandparents didn't have these sorts of problems, one reason to blame are drugs and vaccines, which strip your gut of it's ability to be the healthy part of your immune system it was designed to be. Holes are created in the gut, which allow scary things to leak into the rest of your body, creating things all the way from food allergies, to AD/HD, to autism. I won't elaborate on this point further today, as I'm not a doctor and can't diagnose or treat you, but if you wish to learn more, I recommend the following books: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, and Unraveling the Mystery of Autism. The second book is not just for those dealing with autism, it goes into much, much more. A very enlightening read.

That said, I'd like to touch on how to strengthen your body to dealing with food sensitivites. Many times, those who have sensitivities to wheat don't have trouble when the wheat has been properly soaked, releasing it's natural digestive enzymes. Read up on this in Nourishing Traditions. Basically, our ancestors didn't have to do this, b/c the wheat sat in the store house, where it became damp and it's enzymes were released. You can buy sprouted wheat bread, at your health food store. This bread has like 5 grams or more of protein per slice!

Dairy sensitivities have a similar remedy sometimes. Raw cow's milk doesn't usually cause problems, because it hasn't been stripped of it's natural digestive aids, and lots of other properties that were meant to help digest and use the milk for the body's good. Without these, milk is terribly hard for anyone to digest.

It's all about enzymes. Taking digestive enzymes are essential for those with food allergies/sensitivities. I like the Whole Foods brand, "Wholezyme," but there are a million others. Just follow the package directions, and take extra when you're eating food that you know gives you trouble.

Finally, avoiding the foods you're highly allergic to is best, as your body is getting stronger. Focus on building up your immune system and especially things that will restore your gut.

In the meantime, spelt is a nice substitute to wheat, but I still recommend soaking it. Almond flour is nice too. Goat milk is marvelous and goat cheese is divine. Raw goat milk is the closest to mother's milk, full of antibodies and enzymes. Goat butter (ghee) is a very nice butter substitute.

Once again, I'm not a doctor and none of my suggestions are meant to treat, diagnose or prescribe remedies for illness or disease. You need your own doctor's advice.

Posted by Danneca

Resurrecting Our Blog (!): Don't Let Achy Joints Slow You Down

2010-07-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

Arthritis and joint pain can slow down active people of all ages. This should not be, my friends. Here's a quick and simple guide to improvement.

First of all, for pain, there's a dynamic duo that for which I have testimonials from many. Bromelain. This is an enzyme, so if you want to use it for inflammation, you have to take it on an empty stomach, and preferably 30 minutes before eating. It comes in capsules. Get it with as few other ingredients as possible. If you already take enzymes, you can use those, just take them before your meal and then after, as usual. Second: Tumeric. This is a potent herb used in yellow curry. We buy the powder from bulkherbstore.com and fill the larger gelatin capsules. You can probably get them as capsules or a tincture at a health food store. This, you want to take with food. Tumeric is also great for fevers too, by the way. Take these two daily if you have joint pain. Keep uping the dosage until your pain goes away or greatly decreases.

The second remedy is so simple, you won't believe it. I stole this one from the folks at bulkherbstore.com. Take the shells of 4 or 5 free range organic eggs and crumble them into a small pot or bowl. Pour 2 cups of hot water over the shells and mix in 1tsp. vinegar. Cover and let steep for 2 hours. Strain and store in refrigerator. Start with a couple sips a day until join pain subsides. This is good for children and adults who don't suffer from joint pain too. Those without pain should stick to 2-3 sips per day. It's LOADED with calcium and vitamin D, so you don't want to overdo it.

Third, make homemade chicken broth at least once a week. Take the bones of a free range chicken that hasn't been slow-cooked. Place the bones and everything but the kitchen sink into a large stock pot (no need to peel whatever you decide to place in the pot) - carrots, onions, garlic, celery, peppercorns, herbs, etc. I just cut the onions and garlic in half, so they can release their stuff, but don't bother peeling! The most important ingredient to this mixture is raw apple cider vinegar. Use about a 1/4 cup, if you're making a half gallon or less, more if you've got a nice, big stock pot and room to freeze extra stock. Cover your ingredients with water and boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 8 hours, preferably 12 or more. This stock is so delicious, you don't have to put much into your soup to make it tasty. I use it for making rice too.

Lastly, and for more long-term healing, eat foods that are kind to your gut and do a systemic cleanse twice per year. Toxins, metals, etc. settle in our joints and make them stiff.

Now off to the track, the trail, the garden and beyond....pain free!

Clearing Up Your Complexion

2010-02-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

My sister and I both struggled with acne big time in college. Everyone knows that this affects every area of your life. If you or your teen are struggling with this, hopefully this post will help. Here's what I'd do....

First of all, acne, like most ailments, is never caused by the same thing for every person. As always, I can only help as much as you are willing to help yourself. Sometimes this means checking out your diet. Refined foods put a stress on the body and definitely contribute to acne for many reasons, one of them being that it causes a sluggish liver. If you have acne, I'd start by doing a liver cleanse and do them every six weeks until your face is clear. For teens who are involved in sports or other physically demanding activities, you may not be able to do it as often, but, the more, the better. You can find out how to do this in my recent post on cleanses: "A Clean Start."

One nice thing about my remedies for this is that they are not expensive. I would purchase a bunch of bentonite clay or pascalite clay from either of these sources: bulkherbstore.com or pascalite.com. Immediately begin using it in these ways:

1. Use as a mask 1 or 2 times a week by making a paste like this: mix clay and pure water until a paste forms. Cover affected areas with the paste and let dry for 30min. Rinse thoroughly.

2. Wash face twice daily by using the same paste, but instead of letting the paste dry, rub it on, scrubbing and rinsing.

3. Drink it. Mix 1 to 2 tsp. of the clay with 8-10oz. pure water and drink. It doesn't dissolve, so you have to keep stirring as you drink. Do this once a day until your acne clears up. This clay acts as a sponge on the inside and sucks up toxins from all over your body. You MUST cure acne from the inside out. Drink LOADS of water while you're cleansing this way.

We all know most acne is due to hormonal surges and dips. For this, you can dry taking black cohosh (get this in a tincture from your health food store and take according to pkg. directions). Do this in ADDITION to the aforementioned remedies.

This is a start and should clear up most acne. If this doesn't help, you should take a good, hard look at your diet. Sugar is an definite enemy to your skin (and the rest of your body)! If you really want to attack fast and hard, you can also try taking chia seeds from chiaseedsdirect.com like this: mix 1/3C. chia seeds with 2C. pure water, whisk for 3min. and store in fridge for 4hrs. Take 3-5tbsp. of this mixture after EVERY meal.

Lastly, examine your conscience. Seriously.

Books Read in 2010

2010-02-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of books that I've read so far this year and a mini-review of them. Lest you think I'm reading on a third grade level, we preview most of the books that our six year- old reads and I read aloud to the kids quite a bit, so I'm including those books. I'm linking to the books on Amazon, but most of these books can be found at your local library.

The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and Women's Work by Kathleen Norris. If you want to appreciate the little things in life, like laundry, cleaning, and the like, this is a good book. It also offered some insight for me into how doing daily things can ward off depression (or even just a bad day) . . . getting up, praying, cooking breakfast. It's a short book and a fairly quick read.

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. Betsy lives with her overprotective aunt in the city until a situation arises that causes her to move to the country with family that she has heard of but never met. A friend suggested this book for my eldest daughter and I finally got a copy. It is the sweetest book and it's one of those books that you could read when you're young and then read it over and over and glean new things from it. I loved Betsy's willingness to learn from others. I cried three times! And I'm not a crier over books, really.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. A wonderful story of two cousins who find a secret garden that changes their lives. I'd actually never read this before (I know! The horror!). An excellent book. A classic. Our library had a copy that was illustrated by Tasha Tudor and I thought it was especially sweet.

Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes. A story about the Pye family and their newly acquired dog, Ginger. The kids loved this book. I love how the author writes the book to appeal to children, yet throws a few jokes in there every now and then that only adults or older kids will chuckle at.

Two Part Invention: the story of a Marriage by Madeleine L'Engle. This was a wonderful book about the L'Engle's marriage, but I thought of it as a wonderful love story as well. It was interesting to see how she and her husband loved each other and made their marriage endure over time. I cried at the end of this one as well. Maybe I'm am a crier over books?

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss. We're still reading this one aloud. This one, also a classic, is more entertaining for my son to listen to, although the girls have been listening almost as closely as him. It's so fun to see what the father (and the narrator of the story) will contrive next in the book in order to make the family's life better on a deserted island.

I'll be back soon with my favorite children's books. We LOVE books around here! My children probably think they live in a library. :-)

birth story: how I became a happy mama the first time

2010-01-28T10:58:00.000-08:00

*my first sweet girl

When I got married, my husband and I knew that we wanted to have children right away. I won't go into the details of our decision (okay, truthfully there aren't that many details about our decision, we just knew that's what we wanted to do). So when I found out I was pregnant 2 months after being married, we were thrilled. My first pregnancy was pretty much a breeze. Yes, I was sick and tired and all of those things that come along with a pregnancy, but nothing really out of the ordinary. I had a very normal, healthy pregnancy. We found a wonderful nurse midwife and had read a book given to me by a friend on natural birthing. I read up on all of the things that I wanted/didn't want. We wanted a natural, drug free birth without the use of any added unnecessaries. (We read this book, if you're curious, although I definitely took some things in there with a grain of salt)

So about a month before my due date, we went to a conference a couple of hours from home. We stayed at a dear couple's house while attending the conference. The second night of the conference, I had contractions for a few hours in the night. When I woke up in the morning, the contractions were gone and I had slept some of the night. The lady we stayed with commented, "I prayed for you last night! I just thought you might have a baby last night!" She knew nothing of my contractions, but it was very cool that the Lord had prompted her to pray.

Two more weeks went by. I woke up on a Sunday morning thirteen days before my due date with very light contractions. I knew they were contractions but told myself (like every other mother-to-be) that it was probably nothing. It was just my body getting ready, practicing for the real thing, blah, blah, blah. So we went to church and at church I continued to have contractions, some which I had to stop and breathe through. I consider this labor, but I still don't count this as real labor. Maybe some people do, but this was nothing to write home about. After church we had lunch with some friends, then I went home to take a nap. My husband snoozed away, but my contractions starting picking up. This was around 2:00pm. From 2:00 until around 5:00, I was in "real" labor. Hard contractions 2-3 minutes apart, at least 45 seconds long. I chose to do this laboring at home instead of go to the hospital. I was more comfortable at home and thought I'd be able to tell when I was close. Plus we lived 2 minutes from the hospital. We could make it in plenty of time. Or so we thought . .

Around 5:15 we decided that we should probably make our way to the hospital. We had gone back and forth trying to decide which stage of labor I was in. In the book we read, when describing the stages, they said, "you'll know when you are getting close to transition because you won't want to be laughing or joking around. You'll be serious, all business." (paraphrased) So my husband is cracking jokes and I'm still laughing. So I'm thinking, maybe it's going to get much worse than this. I'm still laughing at his jokes!

When we were first married, we lived in a second floor apartment. So when we decided to go to the hospital, it took awhile to get down that long flight of stairs in labor. The ride to the hospital was supposed to only take a couple of minutes, but with every bump I'd have a contraction and had to have my husband pull over. It took a little while to get there.

We made it to the hospital, got wheeled to the Womens Care center and made it to our room. They asked if I'd like to get into the whirlpool. No, thank you, I'm fine. Nurses in and out of the room, asking questions. One of the nurses checked me and said, "honey, your water is close to breaking."

So - this is the funny part. She stands at the end of the bed kind of holding something up like a water balloon is about to burst, saying "it's gonna be a gusher! it's gonna be a gusher!"

I have one contraction and out comes baby! Her head came with the water intact and then her shoulders broke the water. No pushing that I recall, although I'm sure it had to have been at least one push for baby to come out. No midwife, just the "gusher" nurse (saying, "BABY! BABY!") and my husband in the room at the time. Lest you think this is just a Kentucky thing with no qualified nurses around (;-)), I think she was just an exuberant nurse. I was actually very happy to have her there, funny comments and all.

Our first little one was just 6 and 1/2 lbs. A teeny tiny little thing. Right after she was born and they handed her to me, she did the sweetest thing: her eyes were open wide and she didn't cry; she just looked at my husband and I as if she were finally coming face to face with the voices she had been getting to know for 9 months.

A Clean Start

2010-01-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I probably should have posted this in December when you were thinking about your new year's resolutions. I'm hoping "better late than never" will be true for this post. Everyone (except pregnant and nursing mothers) needs to cleanse at least once a year, preferably twice. I'm not talking about your cupboards or baseboards here (someone else will have to post on that!). I'm talking about systemic cleansing for your body. There isn't one miracle cleanse, but there are several that will give you a clean start for 2010. I recommend doing them in this order:

Start with a parasite cleanse. This one is the easiest, but more important than any of us care to realize. If you have traveled abroad - ever - you have serious parasites. If you eat pork or have pets you have lots. If you eat meat or eat at restaurants you have some. If you are alive you have at least a few. Anyhow, these little boogers will cause some weird symptoms that almost no one will diagnose as being caused from parasites, including everything from joint pain, to nausea and dizziness. A black walnut-wormwood tincture from the health food store will do the trick. Place 10 or so drops under your tongue once or twice a day for 6 weeks. DO NOT DO THIS if you are pregnant or might become pregnant within a month of the completion of this cleanse. DO NOT DO THIS if you are nursing.

Next, time to move on to your colon. There are several ways to cleanse your colon. I like this way: Mix 2tbsp. olive oil in 8-10oz. water, with the juice of a whole fresh lemon. To this mixture, add as much good-quality cayenne as you can stand. Drink this once daily for one to four weeks. If you've never cleansed your colon, do it for the full four weeks. If you're a pro, you can do less. During this time, to make this cleanse a more systemic cleanse (cleaning out your whole body), you should mix a couple teaspoons of bentonite clay in a cup of water and drink this once daily as well. While cleansing, you should always drink LOADS of water. As your colon lets go of the yucky stuff which has attached itself to the walls of your colon over the years, the rest of your body will say, "Hey! She's cleaning up, let's get rid of our junk too!" Thus, toxins and other junk will be released from your whole body. If you don't have adequate water to take it all the way out, it will rest somewhere else in your body and cause as much or more damage as before.

Lastly, a liver cleanse is also important. This can be done more than a couple times a year and if you want to avoid gallstones at any age, this cleanse is imperative. If you have a stretch between pregnancies where you are neither pregnant nor nursing, I highly recommend this cleanse, as pregnancy can cause gallstones to form. These cause backache, nausea and all sorts of allergies. This one is a quicky, but a little more involved. Choose a weekend when the calendar is free and you have a little help around the house. Don't do this cleanse without doing the parasite cleanse first. If you try to cleanse a liver with parasites in it, you will get very sick. It is also recommended to get any dental work done prior to this cleanse as well, so that your mouth is relatively bacteria-free. A toxic mouth can put a heavy load on the liver. If you don't see a dentist, just swish with peroxide for a couple weeks ahead and a couple weeks afterward. Here are the ingredients:
4tbsp. epsom salts
1/2C. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large or 2 small fresh pink grapefruit
4 to 8 ornithine capsules (from health food store, vita-cost, whatever)
Here's how to do it:
Take NO medicines, vitamins, or pills that you can do without. Stop the parasite program the day before too. Eat a no-fat b-fast and lunch, such as cooked cereal with fruit, juice and bread or honey, but no butter or milk...baked potato and veggies with salt only. This allows the bile to build up in the liver.
2:00pm - Do not eat or drink after 2 o'clock (not even water). If you break this rule, you'll feel icky later. Get your epsom salts ready at this time. Mix 4tbsp. in 3C. water and pour this into a jar. This makes four 3/4C. servings. Set the jar in the fridge to get nice and cold. This can make it easier to drink. The temp. is up to you.
6:00pm - Drink one serving (3/4C.) of the epsom salt mixture. You can drink a few mouthfuls of water afterward to rinse your mouth out.
8:00pm - Repeat by drinking another 3/4C. serving of the salt mixture. Timing is critical for success, so get all your bedtime routines done at this time.
9:45pm - Pour 1/2C. olive oil into the pint jar. Squeeze the grapefruit by hand into the measuring cup. Remove the pulp with a fork. You should have at least 1/2C. or more. You may top it with a little lemonade for taste. I usually don't because I just want less to get down. Add this to the olive oil and shake hard until the mixture is watery. Only fresh grapefruit juice will do this. Now visit the bathroom once more, but don't be late for your 10:00pm drink.
10:00pm - Drink this potion and take 4-8 ornithine capsules to help you sleep. Take it to your bedside to drink. Get it down within 5 minutes. Lie down immediately. You might fail to get stones out if you don't. Don't clean up the kitchen. Lie down flat on your back with your head up on the pillow. Use mind over matter here and picture what is happening in your liver: Stones are traveling along your bile ducts like marbles. It doesn't hurt because your bile ducts are open thanks to the salts. Go to sleep.
Next Morning - Take your fourth and last dose of salts. Don't do this before 6am. Go back to bed, if you want.
2 Hours Later - You may eat. Start with juice and ease your way into more as the day goes on.

Expect diarrhea. You are looking for gallstones in the toilet. They will be green from pea-sized or smaller to as big as a quarter. Only green comes from the liver and not food residue. For your first cleanse, you may only see chaff, which is good too. The stones will float because of the cholesterol inside. Feel free to count them. You will need to release 2000 before your liver is cleansed. That's why you can do this one more often. Until you are rid of all of them, you will not likely experience relief from some of the side effects, because once you move some out, the others that are being stored in your liver move down into the gallbladder. This cleanse can be done every two weeks, but not when you are sick. If you feel, for some reason, that you have very large gallstones, I personally, can't recommend this. I know some people fear them becoming stuck, rather than making them all the way out. I haven't heard of this, but you should check it out yourself. This program comes from the book: The Cure for All Diseases.

Finally, you may do the bentonite clay as a cleanse anytime as well. Again, no cleansing for pregnant or lactating women or for those who may become pregnant. And, drink lots and lots of water. Remember, I'm not a doctor, so these statements are to be judged by your own wisdom and have not been evaluated by the FDA.

posted by Danneca

Baby Naming

2010-01-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

This link is for my friends who LOVE talking about baby names, which, come to think of it, probably includes almost of you, right? Some like to talk about baby names more than others (you know who you are), but I think every woman loves a good baby name discussion.

Here it is.

And here, just so this post looks prettier, is a picture of my baby.

And no, since some of you might be wondering, I'm not pregnant.

Happy Mamas and Sick Babies CAN be Used in the Same Sentence

2010-01-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

*First of all, I'm not a doctor, and, as always, you should be wise in your decision-making and do what YOU should do.

That said, I'd like to encourage mamas who want to help their sick babies without the use of toxic drugs. Over the years I've tried lots of different things for babies (0-18mos-ish) and believe over the last year and a half or so, I've come to something that works. Most of my wisdom on this subject comes from this book: "The How-To Herb Book," and has been tested repeatedly by yours truly.

Did your Grandma ever tell you about giving enemas to her kids? Well, she was onto something. I can't stand how we abandon motherly instinct for the apparent "quick fix." Ugh. Nevertheless, if your baby is too young to take remedies through a bottle or spoon, and if you are breastfeeding, you can consume the herbs in abundance and it will pass to your baby through your milk. If this is the case, follow my advice in this post: "Navigating the Cold and Flu Season Drug-Free."

If your baby is running a fever and it won't break, an enema may do the trick. I prefer not to go into the directions for this, as babies are such fragile subjects. I have done this several times and each time have found instant success. I followed the directions for this procedure in the above-mentioned book. I purchased a child-sized Fleet enema and emptied the contents and put my own concoction in. This is another way to get the herbal remedies into your baby. Once they have completely emptied their bowels, the remedy will be absorbed by their colon and flow into their bloodstream. I almost always fill it with yarrow tea (1c. water to 1tbsp. yarrow flowers). I wouldn't do it more than once per day, unless you read-up on it somewhere else and are comfortable doing otherwise. For a baby who will drink tea through a bottle, I make the yarrow tea and sweeten it with maple syrup, since you can't do honey under 12mos. I also mix juice with it, as it's still bitter even with the maple syrup. Additionally, you can make your own glycerites, which is perfect for babies and children. Read-up on this here: bulkherbstore.com. Glycerites are herbs aged in glycerine, which is sweet. Since the herbs are aged, you only have to administer a couple teaspoons. For fever, make a tea out of turmeric and mix w/ juice or do a turmeric tincture or glycerite. Yarrow and turmeric are the very best for flu and fever.

For a congested baby, try making an onion poultice: Cook chopped onions in a little water until the onions are translucent. Place a soft towel or cloth diaper over a strainer and pour onion mixture into the cloth. Wrap this up and cool until it is a safe temp for baby's skin, but still warm. Place on baby's chest until it cools completely. Also, cook chopped garlic in water until the steam is "garlicky." Place your face and baby's face over the steam with a towel draped over the two of you, so baby can breath the garlic steam. Your face is there so you can make sure the steam isn't too hot for baby. You can also place this water in a humidifier or vaporizer.

Bulkherbstore.com sells other herbal mixtures that I make into teas, tinctures and glycerites that are helpful, but not as powerful as the above-mentioned aids. For example, their "Cough Tea" is useful, but will not combat the source of the cough, more like a temporary relief, but nice if used in conjunction with the more effective remedies. I also like their "Double E Immune Booster," but similarly, this will help, but not completely cure, as the other herbs, etc.

If you have particular questions on this subject, I'd be happy to help, of course. Finally, however, I have to tell you that I'm quite sure the most effective remedy I can apply to my children, or anyone else, is prayer. I literally thank God for the remedies as I apply them and pray and sing healing over my children as I care for them in their illness. Thanks be to Him, ALWAYS.

posted by Danneca

Grandma's Candy

2009-12-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

Every year growing up, our family spent the day after Christmas at my grandparents' home. I have wonderful memories of Christmas at my grandparents' house. The little kitschy spinning tree topper that I would sit and watch for hours, waiting to open presents. The endless games of euchre. The cold and somewhat mysterious storeroom upstairs from which everything seemed to come.

And, most of all, GRANDMA'S CANDY. The candy that had to be kept cool but wasn't kept in some boring, obvious place like the refrigerator. Grandma's candy was always kept in a secret door that led to a secret room. Okay, I think it was just the door to their storage underneath their house, but to me it felt like a big secret (Maybe it felt like a big secret because I am still unsure of what the door leads to. Why, after all these years, have I not bothered to find out?). Candy that only came out on the 26th of December. Candy that was chocolatey. Crunchy. Peanut-buttery. Divine.

Now everyone who can make the trip to my grandparents' house on the 26th of December still goes to celebrate. Things have changed a bit, but the memories and traditions are still alive and strong. And Grandma's Candy? Definitely still there. And usually kept in the same secret stash.

I say usually because once I found it in the refrigerator. In plain sight! For everyone to see! Surely this wasn't the same candy! It completely threw me for a loop.

So a few years back I couldn't make it to the celebration and asked my Grandma for the recipe. Who new that it was so easy? A few ingredients melted and mixed together, put it in the refrigerator to harden and you're done!

Grandma's Candy

(this makes about a dozen cookie-size pieces of candy)

1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (11.5 oz)

1/2 to 1 cup of peanut butter (more or less depending on how much you like peanut butter)

1 1/2 to 2 cups of granola (again, depending on how you want the consistency of your candy) - Grandma used to always use Quaker 100% Natural cereal, but in recent years she's used the Kroger brand of Natural cereal. It's just a basic granola. Use whatever granola you like, but I wouldn't use one with a lot of added stuff in it (raisins, dried fruit, coconut, etc...). A simple oats and honey one works best.

Okay, here you go. I hope you all are reading closely because it's the easiest thing you'll ever make.

Melt chocolate chips. Take off heat. Stir in peanut butter. Stir in granola. Drop onto baking sheet covered with wax paper. Put into refrigerator to harden.

Enjoy!

Holiday Baking: an update

2009-12-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

We survived! And I even got a few pictures. Here are some gingersnaps getting ready to go into the oven:

Here are some of those cute little pretzel treats, ready to go into the oven. Things did turn out, I promise. I just forgot to take after pictures. I only have befores:

And last, but not least, here's a little one all tuckered out from the baking. The older kids helped my husband hand out treats at work while I waited with the younger ones.

Holiday Baking

2009-12-15T11:36:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I'm planning on doing some baking for my husband to take to his office. I thought I'd share what I'm planning. These are simple, no-fuss recipes. Easy peasy.

So, in case you're wondering - because I know y'all are - is she going to do all this holiday baking with five children under 6 years old? Or maybe you weren't wondering. Maybe you do it all the time and it's just me who gets in a tizzy about these things. Kudos to you. Tell me how you do it. But I was sitting here thinking about my plan for tomorrow and I had a brief thought of . . . "Really? Is this possible?"

So I'm saying now what I have to say to prepare myself before I do any sort of cooking/baking with the children. It won't be picture perfect. And it won't go as planned. I'm always lowering my expectations around here. Because baking with children can be enjoyable and fun for everyone (you too!) if your expectations are lowered a bit. Oh, and I don't know about your kids, but my kids are really only helping so that they can have tastes of everything. So if you want to stay sane, hand out tastes (and liberally).

Don't expect pictures. Or maybe I'll surprise myself and get some good ones.

Okay, here's what I'm planning . . . Don't look, Danneca. Nothing is healthy about any of these. :-)

Peanut-Butter Kisses. Everyone calls them something different. Here's a recipe.

Gingersnaps. I use a recipe that makes soft gingersnaps, which I guess wouldn't make them "snaps" but I'm not changing the name.

Oatmeal Scotchies. I found it on the back of the butterscotch chips bag. I might put chocolate chips in them too.

These. Aren't they cute? This will be the kids' favorite thing to make and I'm mostly making this for them.

Later this week I'm making my Grandma's Candy for a party. I will post the recipe to this because it is divine and so easy to make.

Advent Book

2009-12-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a book called Preparing for Jesus by Walter Wangerin. It's about - yep, you guessed it - preparing for Jesus! Y'all are so smart! Here it is. I bought it last year but didn't read much of it last year because I got it when I was looking for an Advent devotional to use with the kids. My kids are a little young for this book. But I started using it myself and I really like it.

Here's an excerpt that I thought was especially good. This is from December 8th.

Luke 1:28-30: And Gabriel came to Mary and addressed her thus: "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" Now, she was greatly troubled at what he said and wondered what such a greeting might mean. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary. for you have found favor with God."

"This, too, must absolutely be a part of our Christmas anticipations: that in the presence of divinity we are "greatly troubled." . . . . . Nevertheless, fear has been forgotten - both by the world and by Christians in general. We rush toward angels unafraid. We approach the blazing furnaces of the seraphim with no more apprehension than children who reach laughingly for fire. This fearlessness is not a sign of the character of God, as if God has changed throuh the centuries that divide us from Moses and Isaiah, from Zechariah and Mary and the shepherds. Rather, it is a sign of the character of this present age, of arrogance or of ignorance, whether or not one admits to a living God.

Mindlessly do the bells of secular celebrations jingle for Christmas. Meaninglessly do carols repeat their tinny joys in all the malls of America. No richer than soda pop is every sentimentalized Christmas special on TV. Fearless is the world at play with godly things, because Godless is its heart.

If God is a laughing Santy, why should we be afraid?

Secular arrogance says there is no God. Arrogance, in fact, assumes that humanity itself - its dreams, its talents, its visions and accomplishments - is the nearest thing to God the world will ever know. Therefore, the "true meaning of Christmas" is assumed to be the occasional human kindness which, yes, may very well be symbolized by a nice old gentleman. . . . .

Of course it is right to rejoice in tidings of great joy: that the mercy of God now crosses the gulf which our sinning opened between ourselves and our Creator. Yes, it is right to fall down in perfect trust, fearlessly, before the Christ child and to worship him. Yes, it is right to delight in the song of angels, the peace that God brings to the earth. Yes, yes, and therefore do we cry in confidence, "Fear not! Fear not! For God hath banished fear!"

Ah, friend, but arrogance assumes that we deserve this blessed state. There is neither grace nor gifts for those who deserve what they get - and no true joy at the receiving.

And ignorance forgets the sin without which mercy means nothing, without which the baby Jesus is just a baby after all.

Listen: the light of Christmas shines into darkness! We should be the walking dead. What we deserve, in fact, is the absence of God - a cold and cosmic isolation - for this is our sin, that we chose to be gods in the place of God. In the day we disobeyed we began to die. We should, therefore, be dwelling in a land of deep darkness, mistrust, hatred, hopelessness, finality, and death. . .

But even as we feared, so do we rejoice when we hear the light say, "Don't be afriad. I have not come to punish but to give you life. I am no judge. I am the Savior born for you."

Life instead of death? That is a wonder! And the wonder is all the more intense because death had been expected - because death had been right!

The mercy of God? Is not this a dazzling wonder?

And isn't Christmas wonderful after all?"

Delicious Christmas Beverages

2009-12-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

I simply love to make special drinks during the Christmas Season. It's no-mess, pretty quick, yet still delicious, nutritious and heart-warming. Here are some of my favorites:

Hot Apple Cider

1 part unsweetened cranberry juice to 2 parts apple juice; add a cinnamon stick, an orange, whole cloves or allspice, simmer an hour or so on med-low, strain, add honey to taste and keep warm. OR, buy spiced cider packets (unsweetened) and add to the juices. OR, buy Knudsen's Spiced cider and mix w/ cranberry juice.

Hot Cocoa

Follow the directions on the cocoa container, using non-homogenized milk and substituting the sugar with honey, agave nectar or maple syrup. Top with whipped cream, lightly sweetened with one of the above sweeteners.

Egg Nog

Folllow your favorite egg nog recipe, substituting the sugar with honey, agave nectar or maple syrup. You won't notice a difference! It's so yummy! Love it with rum too, of course.

Candy Cane Green/Black Tea

Use bulk herbs for this. As you know, we love the herbs from these folks: bulkherbstore.com. Pour 1c. boiling water over 1tsp. peppermint leaves and 1tsp. green or black tea. Steep for 3 min. Less if you don't like it fairly strong. Sweeten with honey to taste. Also a great gift for your tea-drinking friends - give them the bulk herbs already mixed, with directions for brewing.

This is one way to bless my family without too much hassle and guilt. Enjoy!

posted by Danneca

a picture of the advent calendar

2009-12-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick picture of the advent calendar I made after seeing it in a catalog. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I couldn't get a nice looking picture, so sorry about that. And I took it on the side where you can't really see the numbers, but they're there, on the other side. See that first one on the far left, all askew? That's after I got it all made and pretty looking and a certain child clipped the ribbon really really short. Lovely. So I had to make do.

"For to us a child is born. . . "

2009-12-01T19:59:00.000-08:00

For to us a child is born,
       to us a son is given,
       and the government will be on his shoulders.
       And he will be called
       Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
       Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

(Isaiah 9:6)

Now that the Advent season is upon us, I am faced with the challenge of conveying to my children the real meaning of all the preparations for December 25th. Actually, I should back up and say that I am faced with the blessing of conveying this to my children. It is a blessing to be able to try to convey the magnitude, the miracle, the wonder of it all! But I will say it is also a challenge. How do you celebrate Christmas with young children and not have it be all about the presents?

Well, in some ways, it is all about the presents and there's no way getting around that. When you are a little kid, the excitement of it, the anticipation, the wonder gets mixed in with presents. And that's okay, in my opinion, as long as it doesn't get out of hand. We tend to let them get excited about anticipating presents, but also reign them in when it feels like they are just selfishly wishing and hoping.

I think a big (very very big) way to help your children not focus on presents (or just "things" in general) is to limit their television watching. I know lots of people say that, but I see a very big different in my children's attitudes when they have been watching tv and when they haven't. We don't own a television. That's for another post though . . .we won't get into that now.

So having said that, some practical things we do:
+We do an advent reading every night. It's short and sweet. We light our advent candle, we read Scripture, and we sing a song. Then they get a small treat.
+We tell them the story of Christ's birth over and over and over again. We read books about it. We focus on it as much as we can while we're decorating and baking and partying.
+This year we're also doing a Jesse tree. I'm sure most of you have heard of it. There are a lot of resources out there to do this. We're using this book.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering about Santa Claus. We tell our kids about the real Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas. There are plenty of books out there to read about Saint Nicholas. I just recently found several I hadn't read at my local library. We have this book and I like it a lot too. Everyone does the Santa Claus thing differently and I tend to not want to mettle with your way of doing things when it comes to St. Nick. Do whatever you feel is right.

Lastly, I got several Christmas book suggestions from here, if you're interested. She has several along her sidebar.

So there you go. My ideas. Anyone want to share your ideas?

Advent Ideas

2009-11-20T07:23:00.000-08:00

Since the first Sunday of Advent is right after Thanksgiving, I thought I'd post some ideas I have swirling around in my head for Advent festivities.

First off we have a wonderful Advent calendar that we've used for several years now and the kids enjoy it more and more as they get older. It's the Fontanini Wooden Advent Calendar. It's a little pricey but it is really nice quality and with five little children, it's saying something that we've had it for several years. This is not really one for them to play with and touch a lot, but we just have the kids take turns every night putting a piece on.

We also have a beautiful (gorgeous!) advent calendar made by my mother-in-law. I'll take a picture of it when I get it out and post it. She made them for each of her kids a few Christmases ago and it is really special and nice. Maybe you can talk her into making you one. :-) With this one, the kids turn over a piece of the calendar every day like the other one.

It's kind of nice to have two because it gives the kids more chances to participate.

I was looking through the Garnet Hill catalog this year and found this sweet advent calendar. I decided that I could make one like it myself for about half that price. So I ordered everything and am all set to make it. I'll keep you posted on how it goes and take pictures. The buckets are so tiny and cute and I'll think they'll be fun to put candy in for each day. We always give a little piece of candy or treat after we do our advent reading and turn our calendars every evening.

Now that this post has gotten a little long, I'll save the important parts about advent for my next post. It does deserve its own post. How do you convey the real meaning of Christmas to your kids? How do you get them to anticipate Christ's birth with excitment and wonder without making it all about the presents? Well, we haven't perfected this by any means, but I'll write about some things that we do to make it meaningful and keep the focus on Christ.

A Quick Happy Post

2009-11-12T04:18:00.001-08:00

This is the silliest post you'll ever read, and in the scope of life-eternal, holds absolutely no significance, whatsoever. However, that said, I just realized today how happy hot tea makes me. I figured I can't be the only one who feels this way, nor could I be the only one to always be disappointed when I would make myself a cup of hot tea to enjoy, even while working, as I rarely "curl up" for anything....anyway and notice a couple hours later a cup of cold tea sitting on the counter top! You all are so much smarter than me, and have probably already discovered this, but I'm going to share anyway....after I broke my large tea cup, I started making my tea in my insulated travel cup, since it was the only one large enough to satisfy my love for hot green tea. THIS, my friends, has made me happy. Now, when I return to my forgotten cup of tea, IT IS STILL HOT! Literally. Like I said, this is of zero importance; I know, but boy was I happy the first time I burned my lip on my forgotten tea!

posted by Danneca

Mommy Blogs that Make Us Happy

2009-11-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

Are you getting tired of our "happy" things yet? I am, almost. I'll stop soon on the themey-ness. Yes, that's a word, even though my spellchecker is trying to say that it's not. And just so you know, it did not point out that spellchecker is not a word. Is it really a word?

Here are some links to some blogs that we are fond of (notice I didn't use happy? I'm phasing it out already). These blogs are mostly about mothering, being a wife, and homeschooling. I'll list some other favorites soon (like my favorite craft blogs, cooking blogs, etc...). Please tell me someone else enjoys reading blogs as much as I do.

Preschoolers and Peace. This has been a great resource for me and more recently for Danneca. She's got some wonderful tips and ideas. I have put her Circle Time into our homeschooling plan this year and have really loved it.

Life in a Shoe. She's funny, witty, and very down to earth. Her kids are pretty cute too.

In the Heart of My Home. I enjoy her writing style and she often makes me appreciate the little blessings of having children.

Blue Yonder. If you homeschool, she has a fun "Book of Days" that's been a nice change of pace for us when we're ready for a little break from the daily grind but don't want to take a break entirely from learning.

There you go. Go look around, if you have the time, and enjoy.

Tell us in the comments some of your favorite mommy blogs. I love reading new ones.

A Happy Snack

2009-10-28T20:04:00.001-07:00

So we're all starting to feel the urge to hibernate. Here's a snack that provides incredible nutrition, is a favorite for many, is easily transported, will keep for weeks........BUT you must follow the recipe carefully, otherwise you'll stress your body out and end up with a tummy ache.

Crispy Cashews
Place 4c. raw cashews in a bowl. Cover with pure water. Stir in 2tbsp. sea salt. Let sit at room temp. for 6hrs. - no more, no less. Strain, but don't rinse. Roast in oven at a max. of 250 degrees. I usually roast at 170. Roast until you like the texture. Store in a jar with a tight lid or ziploc bag. Mix with raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips or whatever you want!

Crispy Pecans/Walnuts
Place 4c. nuts in a bowl. Cover with pure water. Stire in 2tbsp. sea salt. Let sit at room temp. for 8hrs. or overnight. Strain, but don't rinse. Roast in oven at a max of 150 degrees. My oven only goes as low as 170, so I heat to 170, then turn it off for awhile, then repeat until I like the texture of the nuts. Mix with raisins, etc., as you like.

**Here's the deal with soaking the nuts: Nuts are made with "enzyme inhibitors." These prevent the nut from being digested in your gut, causing your pancreas to work overtime, thus causing stress on your whole body (adrenals are badly affected, as well as your insulin response). If you soak the nuts as directed, the enzyme inhibitor is broken down and digested properly, helping your body to receive the wonderful benefits of this highly nutritious food. Very important not to roast them above the temps. listed in the recipe. Overheating will kill those precious enzymes you released when you soaked the nuts! I am always hard-pressed for quick protein. Having been pregnant and nursing for the last 10yrs., my hormones are quite demanding on my body. Protein helps balance these monsters and helps keep me "happy." You MUST start your day with protein if your hormones give you any trouble at all. That's why I like these nuts. I keep them in a ziploc bag in the pantry. After I've taken all my little morning routine potions (still with my eyes half-shut), I toss small handful of the nuts into a cup and mix in a little something sweet and chomp them as I go about my morning. This has helped me tremendously in my tendancy to have hormonal panic episodes when things get cooky around here, and they always do. Anyway, this is super easy. Hope it makes you happy too!

Posted by Danneca

The photo of the yummy cashews is from flickr:

Raw Giant Cashews
Originally uploaded by Nutsinbulk

If Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy

2009-10-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ever feel blue? Unhappy? Work/Husband/Children stressing you out?

I've been there. More times than I can count.

While there have been times when my happiness depends on someone else changing their ways or other physical factors (sleep, hormone fluctuations, pregnancy, etc...), a simple way for me to change my outlook is to . . . be grateful.

That's it.

No magic potion, no secret pill.

Just gratefulness.

Thankfulness.

Contentment.

Stop comparing your house with your neighbor's. Be grateful that you have a place to live.
Quit hounding your husband to finish the (fill-in-the-blank). Be thankful that he loves you.
Don't stress about your kid fitting in. Be content with the fact that you have children to care for.

Everyone is different. You may be in between jobs. You might not have a husband who loves you. Maybe you want children but don't have any yet. But you have things to be grateful for. Everyone does.

If you're feeling down, I challenge you to list things you are thankful for. Write them down. Post them on your steering wheel. Write them on your bathroom mirror. Keep a journal. Find ways to remind yourself of God's blessings.

What are you grateful for today?

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Need to Let Go?

2009-10-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

So, ever have trouble "letting go?" I'm not a great emotional counselor. However, if letting go of toxic waste that accumulates in your bowels is your problem, then I'm your gal!

Studies show that a large portion of doctor visits are to treat constipation. Over-the-counter remedies can have side effects longer term and don't treat the root of your problem, which means you may as well buy stock in the company, because you'll be their customer for life. Leaving the roots causes of constipation unresolved can be deadly - literally.

First of all, everyone should do a colon cleanse twice per year. This would include those suffering from chronic constipation and those who have no trouble with healthy elimination. There are plenty of inexpensive colon cleanses out there. I like the list found here.

Those suffering from chronic or recurring constipation should look carefully at their diet. Food sensitivities/allergies can be a cause. Try keeping a journal of your diet for a couple weeks and see if you can find a correlation between the constipation and what you've eaten. The biggest culprit is usually dairy, but there are certainly others.

You probably already know that fiber is a huge factor in proper elimination. Fiber acts as a broom to your colon walls, loosening toxins, bad bacteria, and other waste. To be frank, white flour should not be part of your diet. At all. If, and only if, you make it a point to have lots and lots of healthy fiber in your diet, the rare occasion of your favorite pastry, pizza crust or other treat can be tolerated and properly removed.

Flax is an excellent source - grind a high quality flax seed in a coffee mill and add 1/4 cup per day to your yogurt or smoothie. I don't recommend grinding it ahead ahead of time, as it immediately begins losing it's awesome health benefits, like it's healthy fats. Another great fiber source is new to me, but has shown amazing results in my own experience already! Who remembers the commercial: "Ch-ch-ch-chia!"? Chia seeds! Order chia seeds from chiaseedsdirect.com. Browse this website for info on how to use these. It's super simple and chia is seriously one of the most perfect foods on the planet. My husband and I have been using them for a couple weeks now and can already see muscle tone and are experiencing the benefits of its slow-release endurance energy. More on this later. You probably already know that fruits and and veggies are great sources of fiber and keep your bowels moving. Psyllium husks are excellent for short term use or on an occasional basis (once/week for chronic constipation or as needed). Avoid these during pregnancy, as the potential for releasing toxins into the placenta is high. Whole grains are also excellent sources and should DEFINITELY be part of your routine diet. Refined grains and sweeteners will rot in your gut, causing all sorts of problems including many cancers. Eat whole grain foods and brown rice. Period.

Drinking lots of water should be a no-brainer. If there isn't enough liquid in your bowels when the waste is formed, it will become hard and difficult to eliminate.

If you are pregnant or newly post-partum, and already have a propensity to have a slower system, you will have to be vigilant about avoiding constipation. One trick is to eat a piece of fruit that is juicy, like a peach, and as you eat it, drink an 8-10oz. glass of water. Take a bite; take a drink, until they're both gone. Do this a couple times per day after you deliver your baby or if you have skipped a day going to the bathroom. I call it "poop fright" after having a baby - who wants to push waste out after childbirth?!?!

Here's to letting go of all that's holding you back!

**I've recently read that flax is a thyroid inhibitor, so if you are pregnant or nursing, or have thyroid issues, another source of fiber is probably best. I'm not ready to jump off the flax wagon yet, as this was the first I'd heard of it and haven't looked more deeply into the finding yet.

Posted by Danneca

A Book You NEED to Read!

2009-10-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

Falling Into His Grace: The Power of a Life Laid Down

When it comes out, that is. If you don't know Rebecca Petrie's story, you really should read up on it (go here). She is an amazing woman. I'm sure her book will be wonderful as well. I'm including her last email update in this post . . .

Dear Friends,
"October 4th is a very special day. It is the 8th anniversary of my accident!" I was talking with my nurse during my regular morning bath. She was shocked that I saw this anniversary as a special day. To her it all seemed a tragedy. "Oh yes," I continued, "you see it is cause for celebration when God gives you a new life. I was going in one direction and suddenly through one cataclysmic event my world was turned upside down. But you know with God, what seems upside down really means a new plan and new direction." I hadn't planned to say any of this, but as it came out of my mouth I realized the truth of it in a new way.
Eight years ago, as you know, I fell in our stairwell and broke my neck at the second vertebrae, leaving me a quadriplegic. My life for the following several years was a swirl that we had never imagined possible. And yet I found that His providence was working to bring about His own good purpose. I believe there are several factors that have brought me to where I am today: Father's love, grace, strength and courage, the love of my family and friends, and over all the ever sustaining prayers of many.
2 Corinthians 1:11 says, "You help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted to us in answer to the prayers of many." Paul is speaking here of the help given to him by the prayers of many people. My, that's how I feel! Through these years we have been sustained and helped, and our circumstances shaped, by your prayers. It is an awesome thing to realize that our prayers make such a difference. As we come to this 8th anniversary I am humbled--and ever so grateful for you who have supported us, loved us, and prayed for us.
What is on your heart today? What is that for which you are trusting God? You keep praying, and leave with the Father what only He can do. He will bring about the answer and unfold His own good purpose.
With our love,
Rebecca
P.S. -- My account of this experience, Falling into His Grace, is nearly complete, just awaiting some minor corrections. When it is available, we'll forward the details on how to get it.

Accountable Kids

2009-10-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

As a stay-at-home/homeschool mama with "active, assertive" children, I have often felt like I was a tattle-tale at the end of the day, as I recounted to my husband all the things I thought he should know about. I had handled the situations during the day, but as I'm sure you find in your home, the kiddos often respond differently to Dad than Mom and particularly some of those boys who happen to have a strong "dominion sensor."

Anyhow, cutting to the chase here, I wanted to find a way to "report" everything we did during the day, the good, the bad and the.....rest. Being a homeschool family with lofty goals for our children, my husband has let me take the reins in teaching the kids, but likes to know what the heck we do all day. He doesn't, however, like to listen to me moan about the kids, etc.

I came up with an incredibly simple way for all of us to be accountable to him in our daily accomplishments and attitudes. I've attached the little report card that I do for each kid at the end of each day (see below). Don't be impressed with the quantity of subjects listed on the card....we don't do ALL that everyday. It's pretty self explanatory and I am quite sure that 99.9% of you are more creative and computer savvy than I, so I'm willing to bet whatever you come up with will be a lot prettier and even handier. My husband doesn't have time to read a big long list of stuff and I'm reporting on 4 kiddos at this point, so lots of verbiage, etc. on each of them is a bit much. That's how I came up with this one. Please, oh, please, let me know what you come up with. I'd love to keep improving on mine. This has rid me of my temptation to nag, complain to and lecture the kiddos. I know none of you ever do this.

By the way, I think this could be effective for non-homeschooling families as well, if Mom is the one who gets them out the door in the morning, oversees homework and chores, etc.

Happy Accounting!

(Click to enlarge)

Speaking of Manners

2009-10-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

Whole Duty of Children

by Robert Louis Stevenson

A child should always say what's true

And speak when he is spoken to

And behave mannerly at table

At least as far as he is able

So my husband and I noticed that our outgoing kids were not using social manners and being courteous with others like we thought they should. We found ourselves constantly pointing out what they had NOT done in a particular situation and wondering why they did not know what they should have done to show their appreciation for their fellow man. After thinking about this, it dawned on me that in all our teaching and training, I had somehow passed over a good intentional lesson on how to behave properly in different, everyday circumstances. I am not overly concerned with etiquette here. My main concern is that my children realize that everyone - EVERYONE - is created in the image of God and therefore has and deserves honor. This in mind, I want them to respond accordingly. I came up with a very simple (are you starting to notice a pattern with my posts....I LOVE "simple!") game to be played with the whole family. I wrote out 6 or so scenarios, that my kids encounter often, that draw on their social manners skills. I was their partner for every scenario, usually being the "other" person. My husband sat with a small dry erase marker board and marker and was the official judge. He gave the kids a score from 0-2 on their performance. He is very particular, so even after having played several rounds now, we have yet to see anyone receive a 2. Anyhow, after the revealing of the score, he gave encouragement and suggestions for improvement. We've played a couple times since and added a few scenarios each time, as well as keeping the old. We also had the opportunity to teach the kids how to encourage and appreciate each other even in competition, by applauding each person enthusiastically after their turn. Your scenarios can be tailored to your social environment, but here are a few samples from our game: "You are approaching the door to Trader Joe's at the same time as an older woman. What do you do?" or "You are standing on the risers during choir practice. The boy next to you is tugging on your shirt while you're singing. What do you do?" or "You are playing in the courtyard at church and see Mr. Wiemeyer walking to the gym with armloads of grocery bags. What do you do?" or "We have guests for dinner. The guest asks for the last ear of corn. You haven't had any yet." or "You are at someone's house for dinner. They have served dessert, but overlooked you. What do you do?" We played with the 5 older kids, ages 3-9. The 3yr. old needed lots of coaching and direction, but it has really caused her to be more socially aware even if she can't quite pay attention to all the details yet. Try it out! We've already seen major improvement!

posted by Danneca

a book that makes me happy (and a happy picture)

2009-09-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

For awhile, I searched and searched for a good book about manners. An odd search, one might think. Can't I just teach my kids to say please and thank you? Well, yes, but I also wanted something to reinforce it. I tried a couple of books and wasn't really happy with them.
Recently I found the book I was looking for. It's called "Everyday Graces: A Child's Book of Good Manners." It is exactly what I was looking for. Great, classic fairy tales with just a little commentary at the end of the stories by the author to explain which manner the story is talking about. There are several poems in there as well. The pictures are cute (but few, if you're looking for lots of illustrations).
We're on Chapter 3. We homeschool and we've been doing a little Manners lesson once a week during our Circle Time. We've been using this book and it's worked splendidly! I highly recommend it!

Exercise Can Make You Happy . . . Really!

2009-09-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

In case being trapped in the house with your kids is your excuse for not exercising....

I have a free, comprehensive workout you can do any time of year! This is a perfect way to just keep moving everyday. You can get your kids involved and if they're 6yrs. old and up, you can set goals and earn accolades from the President for achieving them! Want me to hook you up? Thought so.

Do you remember doing the Presidential Fitness test in school? If you're competitive, you remember not being able to sleep the night before. That's me. Nevertheless, this is something the whole family can do together. My family got started a few years ago, because we homeschool and wanted our kids to value physical fitness. The program is available to anyone online at www.presidentschallenge.org. We started by testing everyone (even Dad and Mom) in each criteria. Set up your DAILY workouts however you like. This is perfect if you're a homeschool family looking for daily P.E. You can spend as little or long as you like on it. We do 30min./day focusing on improving in one standard or another. (I should note that we are overall pretty "into" physical fitness, so this is not our only daily workout, but can be if you're focusing your energy in other directions). Today's 30min. session today consisted of working on the "V-Stretch" and "curl-ups" or "sit-ups." We didn't take measurements today, but did both exercises, along with several others that worked our abs and stretched our legs, to fill the 30min. time slot. Anyhow, you should move some way, some how everyday. I promise this will give you more energy and make you feel better overall, no matter how tired you think you are.

You can even order certificates, t-shirts, etc. when your kids reach their goals. Browse the website and enjoy getting moving!

Posted by Danneca

Pretty Peppers

2009-09-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

On the vegetable theme, some friends gave us some of their abundance from their garden. I'm drying the peppers - summer vegetables look so pretty in the kitchen!

Pretty Tomatoes

2009-09-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

The last of the summer tomatoes. . . We're having them tonight with some fresh basil on homemade pizza. I've tried several pizza crusts lately. My favorite the last few times I've made pizza is from the book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day." A great book, by the way. I got it for Christmas last year and have tried several of the bread dough recipes in it. They've all been really yummy!

The Chore Chart

2009-09-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

Recently I was over at a friend's house who had this great chore chart. It had two pockets for each child - one pocket for chores to do and the other pocket for chores that are done. I loved it and she said the only thing she didn't like about it was that it was getting torn up pretty quickly, it being posterboard and contact paper (I think).

So I went home and thought about how great her idea was. It seems that children (mine, at least) appreciate being able to visibly see what needs to be done. In turn, they also get really excited when they can have a way to say they've done it!

So I've recreated her idea using some fabric scraps, a large piece of material (mine was a long table runner), a curtain rod and some ribbon. This was very easy and didn't take too long, which is what all of my crafting projects usually are - quick and simple!

I have note cards for each child with each chore on a separate note card. I wrote out details for my 6 yr. old (who can read details) and drew pictures of everything for the non-readers.

It has worked beautifully so far. The kids like doing it and they get excited about putting their cards from the "do" pocket to the "done" pocket. And I like seeing pretty fabric hanging up in my hallway.

P.S. The beautiful fabric scraps came from Amoretti. They also make something called The Skirty, which is a wardrobe essential for our fun loving, tree climbing girls. I have them in a number of sizes and love them!

P.S.S. No, my almost 1 year old does not do any chores. Neither does the 2 year old for that matter. But they still have to have little pockets!

Navigating the Cold & Flu Season Drug Free

2009-09-03T19:19:00.001-07:00

Eeeewwwww! It's here! Cold and flu season has already greeted my household. My clothes from yesterday and today display the signs. The 3 youngest (ages 4mos., 22mos. and 3yrs.) have a cold. They each had slight fevers for less than a day. I'm not worried though. I am so thankful for the arsenal for this season that God has given me through years of research. I can't keep it all to myself. Here's hoping you can have some success and not have to trapse off to the doctor's office too often this year. Wouldn't it be marvelous if you could navigate this year's onslaught without the use of antibiotics and instead actually have your whole family come out of a cold/flu healthier than before? This can really happen if you learn a few simple but highly effective tricks that will kill the virus/bacteria and boost immune systems for the better, instead of weaken them, the way antibiotics do. Here are a few things I've found incredibly successful.

First, for overall health, you HAVE to cut back on refined sugar. Sugar perpetuates all sorts of things you don't want to deal with, but especially at this time of year, it collects mucus, making it tougher to keep the toxins out of your system. Cow milk also does this. At first sign of a cold, say bye-bye to the milk jug until you're past it. I could write post after post on milk, but that's for another day.

Second, yarrow. This is an amazing flu-stopping, fever-reducing herb. It is very bitter, but well worth it. My older kids will chug it all by itself, but they're used to concoctions of this sort. For the younger kids I make it with equal parts of peppermint and add lots of raw honey (babies under 1 yr., add maple syrup or molasses). I get my supply from The Bulk Herb Store. To make the tea, cover 1 heaping tsp. of yarrow with 8oz. boiling water. Steep for 10-20min. I add about a tsp. of raw honey to each cup, or to taste. Research on this herb shows that the tincture of this mixture was not as effective against flu and fever as the tea, so unfortunately, we have to drink it. The key to making this really potent against sickness is to catch it early!

Third, garlic. I get garlic powder from the same source, The Bulk Herb Store. I love this site. My sister turned me onto it a couple years ago and I have found it invaluable. I also by capsules from them and fill them with the garlic. Take as many of these as you like. My kids will take them. If yours won't, you can mix the garlic into their uncooked food. I also sprinkle a good green drink powder into the baby's uncooked food (usually plain goat yogurt) when he/she is sick. I like Garden of Life's Perfect Food for many reasons.

Fourth, cayenne. It is rare to need this, but for serious sicknesses, I have found it very useful. I get the powder and fill capsules for this as well. It heats up your gut and causes a great immune reaction and kills all kinds of bad guys.

These are my main go-to's in this season. I rely on The Bulk Herb Store for lots of other herbal teas, etc., which you can take a look at for yourself, but what I have posted today is what I have found to be the most successful, hands down. All of these are safe for pregnant and nursing mamas. Remember, the key with herbal remedies is to use them early and in abundance. You cannot simply take one capsule and a cup of tea and hope that will do it. We're talking 4 or more cups of yarrow and at least 3 garlic capsules. In the future I will post on how to help babies in cold and flu season. To your health!

Book Recommendations: Herbal Antibiotics, The How To Herb Book

2009-08-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our happy mamas blog. We're so glad you've found us and have stopped by to visit. Chances are very high that we know you and love you already!

We are two sisters from the cornfields of Indiana. Okay, so we never actually lived near cornfields because we lived in a small city growing up, but that city is surrounded by cornfields, so it counts. After getting married, we moved across the country from one another. Well, one of us moved across the country. The other moved to the next state over.

We have twelve beautiful children between us. Yes, twelve! Five boys and seven girls. Between the two of us, we have been pregnant every year for the last ten years! We are two blessed mamas!

We've decided to start a blog. We'll be talking about healthy eating, crafting, homeschooling, mothering and whatever else strikes our fancy. What would you like to talk about?

We are happy mamas, but we are not always happy (I can think of several times in the last week, in fact!). While we might write about a struggle here and there, we probably won't be blogging much about the negative things because frankly, who wants to read about those?

We are living our dream by mothering wonderful children who are gifts from God. And that makes us very happy.