It’s 3 am right now.  This whole weekend has been a bit off kilter for us.  For one, I have been dreadfully tired since Friday, due in part, I believe, to the toll breastfeeding is taking on my body now that Jack-Evan is almost 5 months old.  Nothing I do seems to revive my energy, and I wake up just as tired (if not more) than I was before I went to sleep. 

Yesterday (Sunday afternoon), I crashed right after we came home from lunch with my parents - and the 3 hour nap, which Jack-Evan took with me, didn’t really seem to help at all.  By 8:30 we all decided to call it a night around here, and thus went to bed.  In staying true to the “off kilter” feeling we’ve had all weekend, Jack woke up at 12:30 am and refused to go back to sleep.   This is something he’s never done!  He has slept through the night (with the exception of waking halfway up to latch on for nursing a few times) since birth.  But he just simply refused to go back to sleep.  I laid there with him for an hour or so, hoping he’d fall back to sleep, but he was more interested in “talking” and playing with his feet.  Then he began getting irritable, and I knew it was time to change locations!  I brought him into the living room, partly so Kevin (who has to get up for work at 5 am) wouldn’t be disturbed by Jack’s crying, and partly in hopes that by letting Jack “play” some would work off some steam and get him to sleep.  The idea did work, although it took an hour for him to calm down enough to fall back to sleep.  It’s now 3 am, and Jack is finally sleeping on my lap.

Unfortunately, so many things are running through my mind that I’m not sure how I’m going to sleep.  It wasn’t until tonight that I got a clear picture of the “scope” of what this “bail out” I’ve been hearing about for days is all about.  I’ve been sitting here for the past hour, reading about the economy in depth - it’s the first time I’ve really paid attention to everything going on lately.  But now, I can’t avoid it.  I mean, you gotta know something’s going on when almost every blog you’ve visited this weekend mentions the looming financial crisis.

I first started hearing about things when the story about AIG hit the news.  That was terrible in itself.  But, really, I had no accounts with them, and it didn’t affect me, so I didn’t pay much attention.  Then I started hearing things about Freddie and Fannie and the terms bail out and bankruptcy and all those good financial type words.  Not being a devoted economist, all of these news bits went pretty much over my head.  They started running together so fast and furious that I was confused on the details….was AIG getting a Bail Out from Toby..uh..Freddie Mac???   I mean, c’mon.  The common, every day person probably (and sadly) hasn’t paid as much attention to this as we should.  Then last Wednesday night, President George Bush came on at 9 PM EST, preempting the finale of America’s Got Talent.  As foreboding as that was (couldn’t he have done his speech at ANY time except for when the finale of AGT was coming on??), it still didn’t occur to me to read up on everything. 

I wish I would have paid more attention to the news now.  I had no idea that the “bail out” that was being talked about was no longer confined to AIG or other sole entities.  I had NO idea that the “bail out of Wall Street” was to the tune of $700 BILLION dollars, and that the final vote on it is going to the House later today (Monday).   Am I the only one who has seemingly been under a rock the past few weeks???? 

I had no idea that a handful of banks had already failed this year - including well known WaMu and IndyMac!

I’m not sure how I feel about all of this.  I won’t even pretend to be smart enough to think I know whether this bail out move is right or wrong, but the thought of such a large amount being hefted on the shoulders of the American public scares me.  Then again, the thought of enduring a Great Depression scares me. 

Will this bail out really curtail a depression like they are saying it will?  I am highly doubtful of that!  The signs have been pointing to it for years now. 

Many of us noticed signs well over two years ago when banks were handing out loans to anyone who could sign a paper.  Shoot, my husband and I even took advantage of it - we aquired a 100% no-doc, no down payment, NO PMI loan as first time home buyers at age 23.  In essense, all we had to do was sign a paper.  We didn’t have to prove income, we didn’t have to have private mortgage insurance, we paid nothing down, and we were given 100% of our home value in credit.  We were able to do this all off of my 715 FICO score.  And it was so terribly easy that I remember it even made me uncomfortable.  We were lucky in that we knew all the “right moves” (get a fixed rate loan and buy far less than we can afford), but I remember thinking how terrible it would have been if we hadn’t have known how to properly prepare ourselves.  If we had used our “easy as pie” loan to get a more expensive house under ARM loan terms, we would probably be sitting under forclosure now as well!   Thinking about things in that perspective puts this entire economic decline much closer to home (pardon the pun) for me.

Even further back than the start of the housing/credit crises, all across the internet, from as early as 2004, we saw a large increase in sites helping people who were searching for ways to save money, live frugally, and be self-sufficient (homesteading) - www.HillBillyHousewife.com, www.FatWallet.com, www.SavingAdvice.com, and the entire “Homestead Blogger” blogging world.  it was as if a collective conciousness was growing in the American public, forewarning us of the need to steady ourselves for a coming downfall.

And let’s not even get started on all of the layoffs, rise in unemployment, the huge increase in groceries and gas prices, and inflation in general.

With everything that’s been going on in economy for the past couple of years, it’s hard not to want to shout “we saw it coming!”.  In all of the financial message boards I’ve visited the past few years, the question never was an “if”, it always was a “when”.  And now it seems that the “when” is suddenly hurtling towards us like a rock from a slingshot.  I just had no idea that the tensed up slingshot had finally released that rock these past few weeks.

And, now, to add to my already “off kilter” weekend, I will now re-awaken tomorrow to a new “off kilter” America where some people are working for an hour just to pay for a gallon of gas while big-wigs vote on whether they approve of a $700 BILLION dollar Wall Street bail out scheme.  It just all seems so very wrong to me. 

Anyway, I’m tired.   All of this research on the economy has my head swimming, and this post is just a very feeble attempt at putting all of those thoughts into coheasive form.  I can’t begin now to fathom what might happen with the economy now.  I know for one thing, the House will probably to say “yes” to that bail out.  Once a train like that one gets going, it’s not going to stop.  The only question left now is if it will truly help, and that remains to be seen.  My gut says “no” though.

Even though it’s been the hushed talk for a while now, the looming possibility that all of that “depression” talk is so close to “coming true” scares me. My one consolation is that we’re young and can relatively handle whatever is thrown at us.  I do fear for the older generation - those currently in their late 50s and early 60s - who were just on the brink of retirement.  Those, I feel, are the ones who will have it the toughest.

UPDATE:   Monday, 2:37 pm - Whoa!  The House said “no” to the bail out.  I can’t believe it!  I am glad, but it makes me curious as to where we’re headed next in this economic decline.  S&P is already down 6%!

(Voiced by 4 month old Jack-Evan, Typed by Mommy)

Today we went to the river.

…or..at least, that’s what Dad said it was.

It was a bit chilly, so I held onto my Pooh bear to keep him warm.

Mommy didn’t have a Pooh bear, so she held onto Daddy.

As we were strolling down the pathway, beside the river, we spied a cool flower.

Well, I think it was a flower.

Hey, pooh bear, do you think we’ll see anything else interesting?

Suddenly, an feeling of foreboding swept over us. 
Darkness engulfed us as the sun slipped silently behind a heavy cloud.
From out of nowhere, the wind began to howl.

“Holy Cow!  Look at THAT!” I heard Dad cry.

It was…..

A killer spider, as big as my Pooh Bear!

Help me!  Mommy, will you save me??!

Mommy to the rescue! 
With trusting hands, my mommy grabbed ahold of my stroller, and carried me off to safety. 

Suddenly, the sun broke free from the dark cloud. 
Birds began to sing again.
All was right in the world.

We saw many things after that, but none so terrific as the killer spider.

The End.

—————————————————-

(Note of interest: you can read about the spider we saw here!
Mommy told me later that it wasn’t really “Killer” of course….
But when you’re 4 months old, you can’t take any chances)

…I mean, I completely LOVE it.  My belly hurts quite often from all the laughter that goes on around here.

When I was pregnant, I tried to read as much as I could about pregnancy, childbirth, and babies.  And (it seemed) everyone and their brother had parenting advice to pass on.

So why didn’t anyone ever tell me how hilarious things would be?

Or am I the only one who finds baby toots unbelievably hilarious?

Ok.  Come on.  Admit it.

Someone?  Please?

I’ve even embarrassed myself over it before.  For instance, I was in Walmart the other day and Jack tooted and smiled.  Well, forgetting where I am, I smiled back at him and said “woo hoo!  what a good toot son!  You’re such a good tooter.”  

I mean, that’s what every self-respecting momma would do, right?  

Right? 

No?

Well, at least I didn’t say what Kevin says - “C’mon son, you can do better than that.”

Outside of the boyish body noise humor that is abundant around here,  Jack-Evan seems to keep me laughing at other times during the day as well.

The way he stretches (and let’s not even get started on the stetching toots!)….

When he tries to eat his big toe…

The way he can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, anyplace and anyhow…

How he looks in his baby sling…

When he lifts and “holds” both his legs up so I can change his diaper…

The way he shakes his head back and forth and then “dives” into his spoon…

When he wakes up in the morning, talking non-stop gibberish, and looking at me so solemnly that you just KNOW he KNOWS what he is saying…

How he insists on doing “the motor boat” (aka raspberry) whilst gumming on a mouthful of rice cereal…

His huge, toothless grins…

His happiness in being able to “stand up” (with help from someone, of course)…

The way he loves watching Popeye the Sailor Man with my dad (oh yes, believeit…I went there…my child watches TV before he has even turned 2!)…

And when he starts laughing……..for no apparent reason.  (Does anyone have a 4 month old that does this???)

Jack was snoozing on my lap earlier this evening and he woke up suddenly and smiled at me.  I smiled back, and he broke out into the heartiest baby guffaw you’ve ever heard.  That, of course, made me laugh…hard.  And me laughing..hard…made him laugh…harder.  And that just started the whole cycle over again.

I never figured out what we were laughing at, and a few minutes later, Jack smiled lazily at me, closed his eyes, and fell back to sleep.

Sometimes I feel like I get nothing done around here because all I want to do is watch him and play with him. 

Maybe it’s just because I have a huge child in me, yearning to break out….*shrug*…but I find parenting to be a very fun adventure.  In fact, I daresay, I have found that the good times have by far outweighed any bad times I have had as a new parent.

What about you??

I’ve been reading through the book of Matthew this week, and something struck a cord with me that I thought I would share.

Ok, if you are familiar with the story of Jesus’ last days, his arrest in the garden, and how he predicted Peter’s denial, you’ll also know that part of the story ends with Peter realizing his error and “weeping bitterly”.  In every translation I’ve looked at online, the word “bitterly” is used in Matthew 26:75.

Now, I’ve always taken this pretty much at face value - Jesus was right, Hot-head Peter was wrong, and now Peter is just really sad that he betrayed his Master who is about to die.  Chalk one more boo boo up for act-first-think-later Peter. 

Right?  I mean, Peter does have a reputation for brassiness.

But oh!!  Was that the true cause for such bitter weeping?  Could Peter have had more on his mind?

I was reading Matthew 10 last night, and the story of Peter’s plight struck out at me so strongly that I reread the chapter 5 or 6 times just to be sure I was understanding correctly.

Ok, in Matthew Chapter 10, Jesus has just picked out his 12 apostles.  He proceeds with charging them with special rights to spread his message throughout the land. 

Now, if you would, put yourself in Peter’s place.  Pretend you are Peter.  Here you are, just joined in the closest fellowship circle that the human Jesus had on this earth - his 12 apostles.  It is “you” he trusts, and you want more than anything to please your Lord.

Now pretend that you, as Peter, are standing there, listening to this charge that Jesus is giving you.  He’s looking you strait in the eye as his humble, quiet voice is delivering this first apostolic message.

Here’s what you hear Jesus say.  He’s speaking of the unbelievers that the apostles will encounter….

“So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:26-32, NIV)

 That is the first apostolic charge that Peter was given.  “Do not be afraid” and “If you disown me before men, I will disown you before the Father”.  The entire time Peter worked side by side in the ministry with Jesus, this is the heart racing charge that must have reverberated through his concious thoughts daily. 

Now, flash forward if you will, to the garden.  Listen to the last remarks Jesus had made to Peter before they set out to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane….

…Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
   ” ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 

Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”….. (Matthew 26:31-35, NIV)

Oh Peter, Peter, Peter.   Can’t you just hear that first charge ringing in Peter’s ears?  “Do not be afraid…Do not disown Jesus”.  How very much he must have wanted to obey Jesus’ commands!

Can you just imagine though the heartache that Jesus felt inside himself, knowing full well what lie ahead for Peter, his rock?  Peter was one of Jesus’ closest companions!  He partook in some of the most intimate moments with our Lord on earth and would witness his transfiguration on the mountain. 

Peter wanted so much to do what was right.

 Now travel a few moments further in time.  Jesus had arrived in the garden where he knew his arrest would take place, and asked for his disciples to stay awake and in prayers.  Then Jesus went off alone to pray for strength in the coming hours.  When he returns from private prayer, he finds Peter and the disciples asleep.  Listen to his words here….

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:40-41, NIV).

The KJV utters the oft repeated line “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” here.  Notice how this line is specifically directed at Peter. 

Jesus didn’t simply “predict” Peter’s denial once.  It is brilliantly forshadowed throughout Matthew.  Jesus charged the 12 apostles to “not be afraid” when they first joined with him.  He warned them that if they deny them in front of men, he will deny them to the Father.  He warned Peter twice about what was in his future (Matt. 26:31-35).  Then he urged Peter to pray in the garden, so that he could avoid temptation.  Jesus knew Peter’s heart.  He knew his human frailty.  He knew that although deep down, Peter wanted very much to obey Jesus (his “spirit was willing”) - but his flesh (body) was not strong enough to overcome human frailties.  In Peter’s weaked and tired state (it’s stated in Matt. 26 that the disciples eyes were heavy and they were sleepy), the urging to obey flesh over spirit was all that much stronger.  Jesus rightly knew that only prayer and connection with the Father would get them through those tough moments ahead. 

Jesus warned Peter.  Not just once, as we sometimes think, but many times!

By the end of Matthew chapter 26, Peter has thrice denied knowing Jesus.  When the rooster crows, and dawn breaks, it also “dawns” on Peter what has happened.

Now, put yourself in Peter’s shoes again.  Can you imagine the horror that you would be feeling at that moment? 

Remember the charge Jesus set before the apostles when they first came together -

“But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”

Peter had disowned his closest companion, the Christ (Remember, Peter was the one who first confessed that he was the Messiah!), and threatened his very relationship with the Almighty Yahweh.

Poor Peter.

No wonder Peter wept bitterly.

Time:  Dinner, at our house.  6:35 pm.

Jack-Evan:  :::::::ppphhfffbb:::::: (insert grunting sounds, face turns red)

…Kevin and I look at each other…

Jack-Evan:  (insert sounds of machine gun quality baby toots)

…Kevin and I look at each other again, and burst out laughing…

…Jack looks back at us…

Me:  We better stop laughing.  He’s going to do that in public one day and expect us to laugh.

Kev:  Hey……I wonder if he gets embarrassed when we do that?

Me:  Do what?

Kev:  Laugh.  At him.  You know, when he farts like that.

Me:  I dunno.  I don’t think he knows to be embarrassed yet.

Kev:  I wonder when he’ll learn to be embarrassed?

Me:  I think he won’t know to be embarrassed over farts until we actually start teaching him that it’s not ok to do that in public.

Kev:  ::::looks at me thoughtfully:::::

Me:  I mean…well, it’s ok to fart in the house but not in public.  He doesn’t know that yet though.  Once we start telling him that it’s “wrong”, then he’ll start gettting embarrassed when he does it.

…..a few minutes of silence occurs while we chew thoughtfully on our chicken….

Kev:  I wonder if he’ll remember us laughing at his farts, and then be embarrassed?

…if you clicked on this title to gleam some expert tips on the best way to raise your kids..

Well, you’ve found the wrong place.

What you have found though, is a young, somewhat-still-inexperienced 25 year old mommy who wants more than anything to raise her kids in the best way possible.  But what does that mean, exactly?

There are so many schools of thought out there about what “raising a child” means, and each side has their critics and supporters who use their own praising or derogatory verbiage to get their points across…

Spanking (”Corporal punishment”) vs. Non-Spanking (”Spoiling”)

Dictorial (”Discipline for adulthood”) vs. Self-Freedom (”Running Wild”)

Restricted / No TV (”Too much filth”) vs. unlimited TV viewing (”"training for real world”)

Public Schools vs. Private schools vs. Homeschools

Allowance vs. No Allowance

Chore-based Allowance vs.  Free Allowance

Rules vs. No Rules

Chores vs. No Chores

Scheduling vs. No Schedules

Breastfeeding vs. Formula

Co-sleeping vs. Crib sleeping

…and so much the more.  If it crosses your mind as a parent, you can be assured that millions of other parents out there have a theory about it and you can be darned tootin’ that they fully believe their system is the only way.  In fact, some get down right angry if your don’t raise your own kids the way they say to! But how do they know? What gives one parent the right to demand that another parent bend to a specific style of parenting?  Even though I’m a card-toting member of the co-sleeping, extended breast-feeding, baby-wearing, attatchment-parenting club I don’t pretend to think this is the practice every single mother on planet earth should employ!  It’s just a style of parenting that I believe gives me, personally, the abillity to impart a good amount of love and a nice, healthy start for my son’s life.   Yet, even though I believe in these specific parenting practices, I believe that others who do not employ them can still acheive their desired level of child-rearing results.  How can we claim to know that one specific way of raising a child up is better than another?  We can’t. 

For instance, how many of you think you turned out “ok”?  (((raises hand along with the rest of you)))) Do you think you turned out “ok” because of …or inspite of ….your own parent’s child rearing techniques??  How many of you were raised in one manner, yet are raising your own children - or plan to raise your own children - in different ways and methodologies?  What makes you think that you now know better than your own parents or that your own children will turn out “better” than you did? 

There’s no real way to answer those questions.  They’re just things that I myself ponder.  For example… my firstborn, my little wonderful Jack-Evan, is now almost 5 months old.  As I’m sure many mothers out there do, I’ve had a picture in my mind for a while now of how I want to raise my children.  Through various readings of books and other such things, I find sometimes my mind latching onto other schools of thought saying “Hey, I agree with that!  I need to incorporate that into my parenting style”.  

Then the thought will hit me:  My own parents never used that method to raise me.  Then my mind wanders to my own childhood and how I would have felt if such various childrearing techniques suggested in many parenting manuals would have been used on me.  Many of them I truly would have hated living through.  I also remember various people I grew up with and different parenting styles I saw enforced.  More often than not, the more “stricter” the parents were with outer rules and regulations, the more “wild” their child would tend to become - right behind their parent’s backs.  

This type of self-reflecting back on our own childhood, I believe, helps give us good “checks and balances” when it comes to raising our own children.  I know it does for me.  It helps me gleam the best parts of how my parents dealt with me, and also shows me what could have been done differently so that I may have been prepared more for adulthood.

Now, in saying that, I’ve come to the conclusion that the best style of parenting anyone can have is not one of “extremes” - but one that allows your child to be prepared for the life you believe he will be leading 20…30…40 years from now.  As parents, it’s our job to look at our station in life, look at the possible (realistic) future that exists for our child, and then guide him into the skills he needs to live successfully. 

Therefore, regardless of the style we choose to employ, I believe that our first ”commandment” in child-rearing should be based on the old proverb,

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it”.

Let’s google the definition of “train” to get a better glimpse of what that little word proposes.

Train: “create by training and teaching;”

Teaching.  Hrm.  Teaching… that’s an interesting word.  What does it mean in regards to parenting? 

Let’s googlethe definition of teach.

Teach: “impart skills or knowledge to”

But what does impart mean?

Impart: “To give a part or share; To hold a conference or consultation; To communicate the knowledge of; to make known; to show by words or tokens; to tell; to disclose ”

Ah ha.  Here we go now…

We’ve come to the core of parenting it seems.  Communication.

We can discipline, spank, threaten, enforce, and “parent” all we want to.  But unless communication is involved, the reason behind the action does not sink into the child. 

Now what is communication??

Communication: a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.

Between.  That little word right there might just be the key. 

Between.  Hrm.  Between.

Information is exchanged between individuals.  Do parents always do this?  Or do we sometimes find ourselves simply “giving” information to our child’s face without seeking to find out what’s going on inside their heads?  When we do that (with anyone, not just our children!) are we truly “communicating”?!  No!  Communication involves exchanging information between individuals…plural.  Do we seek to find out what lies behind what motivates our child to do or act or behave in a certain way?  I believe we should. 

Now, when I say you should communicate with your child, I don’t mean just mearly talking.  Commmunication is done through symbols, signs and behaviors (everyone has heard, I’m sure, about how something like 90% of communication is in our body language).  To fully communicate with your child, you must do more than talk.  You must pay attention to their actions and listen to what they’re “not” saying as well.  As a mother of an infant, I can’t rely on verbal communication to understand what my baby needs.  I must spend time with him and pay close attention to subtle details - and change my actions accordingly.  The process does not change much as our children age.  We still need to keep in close fellowship with them so we can see their needs written in their behavior.

Growing up as part of a very conservative circle of people, one of the sayings amongst us was that the “Preacher’s kid was always the worst”.   It wasn’t the case with every preacher we knew, but it was definately a statement we were familiar with.  Could the underlying cause of this stereotyped family have stemmed from a lack of communication? Perhaps in those families…and many others with “strict” rules…children may have been talked “to” more than they were talked “with”.  Communication may have been sorely lacking due to the time the ministry took the father away from the home.  That’s just my theory…but it seems plausible, no?

In my own home, I was raised by parents who didn’t seem to have ever heard the word “strict”.  Oh, I knew what they expected of me in terms of behavior, but I never had any rules hung over my head.  Lest you think we were a bunch of wild hobble gobblins, I must say we were a fairly conservative chuch-going family.  Discipline, for me, came in the form of knowing when I had dissappointed my parents (something I tried hard never to do!).  There were no restrictions on TV viewing, no behavior charts, and certainly no spankings.  I was never even required to do “chores”.  They never acted “above” me.  They never demanded obedience.  Yet I turned out ok… i think. :)  In other situations, this style of parenting could have produced a terribly wasted, immoral, laggard individual.  But in my case, despite my parent’s seemingly lack of authoritarian traditional parenting, everything worked out fine.  Why is that?  I believe it goes back to the key ingredient - “communication”.  In our family, there was never any doubt in my mind that my parents respected and loved me, and I always felt free to discuss things with them.

And…therefore…because we had open communication, coupled with love, the style of parenting employed worked.  Not because the style of parenting, in and of itself was “good”, but because I knew the motivation behind it. 

These are the types of thing I muse over when thinking about how to best raise Jack.  It also gives me a reality check when I find myself gravitating towards any particular extreme style of parenting.  I’m reminded that no one style fits for all people at all times in all situations.  Parenting is a give and take…an ebb and flow… a dance that we make up as we go along.  What suits our family and child’s needs one day, may not be suitable later on down the road.

 So, reader… what about you?  Have you ever considered why you choose to “parent” like you do?  Do you find yourself drawing upon your own parent’s style of parenting? Or do you avoid it?  If so, and you turned out “ok”, why?  Do you work carefully at trying to truly communicate with your child?  Does your child fully understand why you employ various rules or activities around the home?  When is the last time you examined the reasons behind your parenting style, and is there any way it can be improved upon?

…my sweet lil’ hubby is snorrrrrrring.

Ok, well, maybe not, but he is sleeping on the couch.  It’s 8:26 pm and a storm has just started outside.  I am curled up in our brown recliner by the window and Jack-Evan is asleep on my lap.  Pup Pup is laying at my foot dozing.  So all the males in my life are fast asleep.

The rain outside sounds so lovely.  It’s nights like this that I wish we had a tin roof.  You know, that wonderful pitter pattering on a tin roof is enough to make even the most crazed insomniacs turn into Rip Van Rinkle. :)  A huge lightning strike just flashed outside.  The lightning seems to be more sheet lightning than anything, but the thunder sure is loud.

The only lights we have on is ……………

::::::::::::::BAAAAANNNGGG::::::::::::::::::::::

Holy Cow!!!  That strike was right on top of us. 

I believe it struck something outside.  It sure did sound like it, and the lightning was very bright, followed by an instantaneous (and HUGE) thunder bang. 

…It scared my so bad that I just screamed and woke Kevin up.  Jack-Evan was startled too, so now he’s awake, looking at me with eyes that seem to be questioning his current safety level.

…..Whew….

Anyway.. as I was saying….

The only lights we have on is our dining room light and utility room light.  There is no noise (no TV, no radio) right now, ‘cept for the sounds of the storm outside.  And actually, that’s even beginning to let up.  Storms never last long around here - 15 minutes usally at the most then they’re gone.  The heaviness of the rain has now dissipated and the time between the lightning flashes and sound of thunder is lengthening too, which shows the storm is moving away from us. 

Today went well.  In between feeding and caring for the baby, I spent the day cooking and experimenting in the kitchen.  I made pinto beans with rice, and homemade cornbread muffins for supper.  I also made some more homemade yogurt for this week, as well as indian cheese / rasgulla and indian flatbread for a snack (which Kevin helped gobble down right after work!).  It was the first time I made anything from another culture….I was quite excited with it. :)  Jack-Evan spent his day in his high chair watching me cook.  I love talking to him and explaining what I’m doing.  Even though he can’t understand me now, it helps expose him to language, and introduces him to sequencing and thought progression.  He gets an especially huge kick out of it when I smell the ground coffee jar.  He think’s it’s quite hilarious. 

And being the nutty mommy that I am, I smell the coffee quite a number of times because I absolutely adore hearing my baby giggle with delight. 

Well, Jack is getting anxious for one-on-one attention now, so I better go ahead and post this.  By the way, it’s now 8:48 pm and the storm is completely gone.  I don’t even think it’s drizzling anymore.  That’s the way mid-SC storms are….here one minute, gone the next.

Goodnight!

I don’t know about you, but I love yogurt!  I’m not a big fan of plain yogurt, but I do adore any kind of flavored yogurt dessert or drink.

However, I rarely buy the big tubs of yogurt at the store, because they tend to go bad before I remember to eat it all - and then when I buy 4 or 5 of the 50 cent fruit variety (such as Dannon or whoever), I eat them so quickly, I feel guilty because of the money seems wasted on such a small dessert. Also, I never cook with yogurt because when something (like bread) calls for 1-2 cups of yogurt, and yogurt costs $1 - $2 at the store, it makes the “homemade” part of it more expensive than the store bought counterpart!

Now…I’ve discovered a way to have yogurt til’ my heart’s content.  Yesterday, while browsing www.RecipeZaar.com, I stumbled upon a recipe for homemade yogurt.  It had never occured to me that making yogurt at home might be easy to do!  The only thing you need is some milk and yogurt starter.  Now, yogurt starter is anything with live active yogurt cultures in it - preferably a tub of plain yogurt from the store.  I had powdered milk to use, but no yogurt….so, Kevin headed out to do a quick store run for me (what a nice hubby he is!). 

Kevin bought the only plain yogurt he could find at our local grocery store, Food Lion. It’s Dannon brand. And, it has live, active yogurt cultures in it….

Once you have your main ingredients - this is how much you need of them:

2 Quarts of milk
1/2 cup of yogurt (I used 1/2, but you can use less…the recipe calls for 1/3-1/4)

I used powdered non-fat milk, because that’s usually the only milk I keep on hand at all times. The ratio of water to milk that I use is 3 parts water to 1 part milk (3:1). In other words, I fill whatever container I’m using 1/3 of the way with powdered milk and then fill it up the rest of the way with cold water.

Setting your yogurt aside, pour your milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Be very careful though, because milk will scorch easily. I used medium heat and (almost) constantly stirred it with a whisk. It never did fully bubble, but I think the main point is to get the milk up to a high temperature.

After heating your milk, pour into a pitcher or bowl and let it cool to 120 F. I didn’t have a thermometer to test it, but other yogurt making advice I read says that this means “cool to where you can’t feel the bite of the hotness”. I just let mine cool down while sitting on the table during dinner, and a while afterwards - about an hour I think. The recipe also says to pour it in a glass or pyrex bowl, but I used a plastic pitcher because that was all I had. I’m not sure if it calls for glass for health reasons or something - but I can say that mine worked perfectly fine in my 2 quart plastic pitcher.

After your milk has cooled down to about 120 F, slowly pour in your half cup of yogurt and stir. Then wrap the container in a towel, all around (top and bottom) so that heat stays even throughout. Place it in an area where it will not be disturbed and let it sit for 4-6 hours. I placed mine in our pantry.

When the time is up, remove the towel and place the container in the refrigerator for at least 8 more hours. Be careful not to shake or jiggle it, as this will prevent the yogurt from “setting” up correctly. You may notice some yellowish liquid at the top. This is called the “whey” and is perfectly fine. Leave it alone for now.

I left our’s in the refridgerator for 12 hours before checking on it today. And when I did….It was perfect! I can’t believe how easy it was to make the yogurt.

Now I have a huge 2 quart jug of homemade yogurt.  The yellowish liquid throughout, and collected on top, is the whey.  Whey is a good health food substance that can be used in a variety of other old fashioned and modern recipes (such as protein drinks). 

I just poured it off the top as much as I could into a tupperware container, then I labled it and set it in the fridge.

Here is my fresh, homemade yogurt ready to eat!   I added some vanilla extract to my hubby’s bowl.  He doesn’t care for plain yogurt, but was a doll and ate mine just because I was good enough to make it.

This yogurt is self perpetuating - whenever I start to run out of this, all I have to do is boil another 2 quarts of milk and add 1/2 cup of this homemade yogurt to it, and let it set up.  Now I’ll always have yogurt - and lots of it!!  There’s so much I can do with this…. breads, drinks, smoothies, dips.  Right now, I’m also making some “yogurt cheese” out of the homemade yogurt.  It should be great on our bagels!  I’ll post about that later if it works. 

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THE EASY RECIPE

(Here’s a summary of homemade yogurt!)

Ingredients:
2 quarts milk
1/2 cup yogurt

Boil milk, being careful not to scorch it.  Pour into a container and let cool to 120F.  Once cooled, stir in a half cup of plain yogurt.  Wrap in towels top to bottom and set in a warm, dry place.  Let it sit undisturbed for at least 4-6 hours.  Then, being careful not to jiggle it, remove towels and set container in fridge for another 8 hours.  Remove from fridge, pour liquid whey off, scoop into a bowl - eat and enjoy

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Good morning everyone!  It’s 9:40 am here in mid-South Carolina and what a happy, cozy day it is.  Around here, Friday’s are the start of our weekend since Kevin works four 10 hour shifts.  I absolutely adore getting to sleep in with my hubby beside me on these days. 

We slept in til around 8 am this morning.  Jack-Evan woke up for a while and we played and giggled with him for a bit, and we all had some wonderful family time.  Now we’re up and beginning our day.  Kevin tends the lawn at our church, so he’s outside right now hooking up his trailer and mower.  I’m in the living room sipping some fresh brewed coffee.  My laptop resides in a basket beside our brown recliner, so it’s pretty handy to just sit back and type away.  In the background, I hear the pitter patter of little feet…. not Jack’s… our dog Pup Pup is walking down the hallway. :)  A load of laundry has already been put to wash, and another one is drying.  Jack-Evan is in his swing, taking his first nap of the day.  As you can see, I’ve already begun decorating for fall!  It’s exciting to think of all the pretty colors coming our way soon. (Notice, I didn’t say “cool weather”.  South Carolina is not known for cool weather until around late December). 

It’s very peaceful in here.  The first thing I do each morning when I get up is open all of the blinds in the house.  I do so very much hate being cooped up in a dark house.  Opening the blinds and letting the daylight stream in is so refreshing!  Also, even though we live in the city, we’re situated where we only have one neighbor on the side of us.  Looking out of our front, back and other side windows, all we see is dense growth of pine trees. :)  I absolutely love having such wonderful privacy!  Right now, the sky out of my living room window is very over-cast.  It’s one of those skies that is a dull, light grey as far as the eye can see.  The wind is gently blowing the tall pine trees across the road.  Rain looks like it could start drizzling any moment!   Kevin is hoping it will stay dry for the next couple of hours at least, so he can get some of the church yard mowed.  If not, he’ll be able to do it tomorrow.

I’m not quite sure what I’ll be doing today.  The house is pretty clean, although I guess I could always work at organizing something.  I don’t cook on Fridays - we usually go out to eat with my parents or just heat up some leftovers that I store in the freezer throughout the week (In fact, I’m about to go heat up some homemade chicken noodle soup).  I do have some clothes that I would like to take to the consignment shop…. 3 huge basketfuls actually.  They were going to go on Ebay, but when I thought about having to take photos of them all and prepare a listing, I backed out of that idea.  I’ve never actually taken anything to a consignment shop though, so that might be more trouble than it’s worth as well.  I dunno…. have any of you even taken something to a consignment shop?

Anyway, I think I’ll go heat up that soup now.  Plus, Jack just woke up and he’s hollerin’.  Hope you all have a great day!

Monday evening was the first time we put Jack in his high chair. We got it out of storage a few minutes before dinner, and we were so excited that we didn’t even think to adjust the straps before putting him in it. Poor son. At least it kept his head from bobbing to the side.

He’s been a regular table guest since he was born. For the past few months, he has sat on my lap and watched us eat, or just nursed contentedly while we dined. He has also sat on my lap numerous times at restaurants, although I haven’t quite gotten up the nerve to breastfeed in public. I find nothing wrong with it….I’m just shy like that. By the time we have our 2nd or 3rd child though, I’ll probably “plop it out” anywhere. Anyway, back to meal times….We feel that including him in every meal gets him accustomed to adult eating styles and habits. Lately, however, he has increased in the use of his “reaching” and “grabbing” skills, and it’s becoming a little too haphazard to have him so close to a hot plate of food. He’s at the point right now where his biggest goal in life seems to be pulling the plate I’m eating from down upon himself. Luckily that hasn’t happened yet though as I’ve been pretty vigilant in stopping any potential accidents.

So, since Jack was introduced to rice cereal this past weekend, we thought it was the perfect time to introduce him to his high chair as well. He seemed to enjoy having his own special spot during dinner time! He also took to eating with a spoon fairly easy - much easier than I expected. Dinner proceeded with me feeding Jack-Evan a spoonful or two of his food (with me and daddy making a HUGE amount of proud-parent praise, of course), then with me eating some of my own food. Conversation took place as usual, with Jack being included as if he were an adult as well. Family meal time is very important to us, and we hope to instill this into him as well. No TV viewing is allowed, candles are always burning, we eat off of “real” plates (pretty blue willow ones), and sometimes I have soft classical music playing. It’s very relaxing for all of us.

As our (adult) meal was winding down, Jack had already finished off his portion of rice cereal and he was just sitting there happily watching us chit chat. At one point, I picked up a toy that I had set on his tray for him - it’s this bright colored clicking thing that has three triangles that twist. It’s really fun actually (little things amuse me). In fact, I think mommy has more fun with it than Jack does (shhhhhhh… don’t tell). But anyway, I had picked it up to show Kevin how cool it was, as I had just gotten it out of storage earlier that day. I didn’t realize at that point that Jack was paying attention to me. Upon finishing showing the toy to Kevin though, I turned around to give it back to Jack and he was watching me with the most curious expression on his face - then he burst out laughing. HARD. Of course that made me laugh, and, realizing the toy is what caused the outburst, I started playing with it and this made Jack laugh even harder. All three of us then spent the next 30 minutes laughing our tushies off. Up until this time, Jack had never shown any interest in engaging playfully with a toy!

Here’s a glimpse into just a few seconds of what life was like at our home Monday evening….