Groovy Smoothie

Breakfast time around here is usually pretty chaotic. The kids wake up hungry and I wake up sore and tired.  Most mornings I wished I bought store bought cereal , but that is not the way it works around here. ( except on special occasions, and when I have gone temporarily insane ) Usually I just suck it up and make scrambled eggs with fruit, or pancakes from freshly ground flour, but on those mornings when I have a hard time getting started, I turn to the trusted smoothie.  Its great, good for them, and they feel like they are getting milkshakes for breakfast, oh and super easy and quick! Here is how I make ours!

Kefir is a cultured dairy, that I make here in my kitchen I will show you how, kinda like yogurt only a little thinner and more active live cultures and bacteria ( yummy I love bacteria in the morning) Very Very good for you!

 

Here are some of the other ingredients, bananas maybe two or three. This morning two and a half, because Clara ate half of the third!  Frozen Strawberries, more kefir, and liquid stevia, a plant based sweetener, ours is vanilla cream flavor. 

 

See the strawberries. 

This is really and truly raw honey, we like it because, it has not been heated and still contains enzymes that are helpful in digestion, and its local, so its helpful with allergy issues, but that is another post. 

How pretty does that look! 

Now you see the strawberries! 

 Did I mention the kids think they are getting a treat! 

 Should I explain to my children why the heck I am taking pictures of them drinking their breakfast?

Our Farm Animals

Although we do not yet have our farm, we still have our share of animals. Not having be raised around animals myself I have always been a bit fearful around them, which I must have passed on to my children, because they freak out upon encountering Maggie, the dog belonging to their grandparents. A dog they have been around for their whole lives.  I am truly sorry for that. Because I do think Animals and Childhood go together. A boy and his dog, a girl and her pony... right. Well all is not lost!

It would seem that Kyle has taken a liking to our neighbors cat. He sat with the cat for two hours yesterday. It was so cute. This cat hangs out around our yard, although I am not sure why. Every time Ella walks out the door to play, if she sees the cat she screams and runs back in the house, or yells at it to shoo and get.
I will say it melted my heart to see Kyle enjoying one of Gods creatures. I can't wait until we have chickens and cows, oh and maybe a few barn cats!

 

Kitchen Tour

Seeing as how I will be doing a lot of baking, cooking, and general concocting in my kitchen. I thought it would be fitting to give you a tour. It's not a big fancy gourmet kitchen, but it's home to me. I tried not to tidy everything too much so you could see what it looks like most of the time.
I really enjoy looking at other people's kitchens, I'm am not sure why, I guess its like going to a car show for someone who is really into cars. I hope you enjoy looking at mine.

This is the fruit/cooking utensils/wine/sprouting/concoction/mail receptacle counter. Very versatile!

This is a stove. We use this for cooking. I'm a little tea pot short and stout. Well, I don't like to be called stout however!

We are always sprouting or fermenting something. This is a zesty sprout mix that has just sprouted. You can't really see the tiny white sprouts that just emerged in the picture, so you will just have to take my word for it.

 My bread basket is empty... but my sink full.

 

This is our coffee station.

message board/ art station / leftover containment unit

 

 Spice rack on my pantry door.

 

my pantry

More pantry

 

 This is rolling cart that sits just outside my pantry, because we needed more pantry space. 

That's it , this is where all the magic happens. I cook for a family of 6 in this space, and most days I really enjoy it.  

Cranky Baby and Sleepless Nights update

Just an update- Clara is feeling much better now, her fever broke last night, and she is cool as a cucumber.

Cranky Baby and Sleepless Nights

I was planning on posting about something totally different today, but it became apparent sometime in the middle of the night last night, that I was not going to get any rest or sleep, so that changed my plans for today. Clara Ruth our youngest has a persistent cough and low grade fever. The only way she would relax and try to rest was laying across my chest and coughing right in my face. Oh the joys of motherhood! Her coughing was non stop, and it would have been great to hop over to my medicine cabinet and pull out some herbal home remedy that would stop her misery, but there was none.
I can't of sound mind give her an over the counter drugstore cough medicine. According to the FDA ( not that I am their biggest fan ) Cough medicine should not be given to children under the age of two. Now Clara is just past the age of two, but there is a whole host of other reasons not to medicate her.  Over the counter drugstore medications work to suppress the immune system rather than work with it.
According to Jill Nienhiser who said this in an article she wrote for Wise Traditions, a quarterly magazine published by the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Home remedies work with the immune system rather than suppressing it. Acute illness—manifesting as diarrhea, runny nose, vomiting, headache, and so forth—is actually good for your child. Managed properly, acute illness can give your child more vitality and prevent chronic illness—which is not good for your child.
She goes on to say later in the article

Why do our bodies produce fever? One reason is that fevers slow down pathogens. The germ, bacteria or virus causing the child’s distress wants to replicate every few minutes and the fever slows this process down. It slows down the spread and severity of the illness. So when you bring the fever down you are giving free license to the virus or bacteria to run amuck. And don’t panic if your child’s temperature gets to 102-103 degrees—this is the ideal range for a fever.

 In conclusion 

In summary, when your child gets ill, don’t panic. Children fed a traditional diet are well able to meet the challenges of an acute illness. Children that are allowed to get sick and then recover under their own power end up infinitely stronger as adults. Can we have the compassion it takes to just let our child be sick? Our tendency is to jump on it, squash it, fix things and get them back to normal right away. Instead, take a step back, take a deep breath and ask what you can do to help your child weather the challenge? Because acute illness can be a real gift.

Jill addresses in her article when a home remedy would not be appropriate, such as trauma, extremely high fever, and trouble breathing. 

So our game plan for today... cuddle on the couch!  Just me and my little snot face. It sure is the perfect weather for it!

First Try

Well This is my first attempt at blogging. The idea behind starting a blog is three fold, I would like to share my ideas with people who are interested, I would like to keep a record of recipes and techniques, and I would like my friends and family to have a way to have a peek into our daily lives.  So join me on the adventure, and tune in for more!