Making Progress and Probiotics

I have been noticing several changes in Sissy lately. I think some of her white spots are starting to repigment, though that can be difficult to judge. More notably, though, are her food preferences. My daughter, who has been averse to most veggies (and some fruit), now enjoys eating carrots, mixed greens, tomatoes, squash, and watermelon! She also has decided that she no longer enjoys drinking grape juice, because it is "too sweet." I see this as HUGE progress. In addition to an increased intake of veggies, Sis has been taking fermented cod liver oil and probiotics. I've know how beneficial probiotics can be for awhile now, and have discovered that they are very important when it comes to gut-healing. I ordered Sis a powerful probiotic capsule (more on that later), but I've also been researching kefir (pronounced kuh-feer).

Kefir is a made from "grains"--actually a colony of good bacteria and yeasts, fermented for probiotic goodness. It also contains many vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. {Check out the list of bacterias and yeasts typically found in kefir!} Milk kefir tastes similar to sour milk or a tart plain yogurt, but water kefir has a sweet taste. In fact, water kefir can be used to make lemonade (just add lemon juice!) or even a "soda" replacement. Since I knew it would be difficult to convince my family to drink sour milk (unlike my piggies!), I opted for the water kefir. 

Dissolving the sugar

Water kefir is made by combining the "grains" (not actual grains) with sugar water, and letting it ferment for a day or two. It's really easy and quite foolproof. I ordered my water kefir grains from Cultures for Health (the most reputable source I found for cultured/fermented starters), and received them in a few days. Once they arrived, I realized I didn't have any sugar in the house to feed my kefir grains. So after my next shopping trip, I rehydrated my grains. (Grains are shipped dehydrated, and it takes a few days to get them ready to use.) Once my grains were ready, I dissolved some sugar (half a cup if you're going to make 2 quarts) in hot water, stirring with a wooden spoon (you want to avoid stainless steel with the kefir). 

Filling with Berkey water

After the sugar was dissolved, I added more water, leaving and inch or two of headspace. It is important to avoid tap water when making water kefir, as it often contains chlorine . Well or spring water is preferred, due to the high mineral content. We purchased a Berkey water filter last year (LOVE IT!), so I used my Berkey water. Berkey filters do not remove the good minerals, unlike conventional water filters. When I ordered my kefir grains, I actually purchased the starter kit, which includes a small strainer and trace mineral drops. Even though my water probably has enough good minerals in it, I add a few drops of the trace minerals in ensure we're reaping the benefits to the fullest. 

Straining the grains

Once the water is at room temperature (mine was already), you can add your grains. Simply strain the grains out of your previous batch (which is ready to drink!), and add them to your new jar. Top with a cloth or coffee filter, secure with a rubber band (or in my case a canning band), and let it hang out on the counter for awhile. The kefir takes 24-48 hours to ferment; the longer it sits, the more sugar is consumed by the yeast. At first I was using a quart jar, but I have since purchased half-gallon jars so I can let it sit for two days, but still have some everyday (4 of us are sharing this). 

Adding grains to the sugar water

I am not seeing much carbonation at this point, but apparently it can take a couple of weeks for the grains to "wake up" and start producing reliably. I am going to try using rapadura, sucanat, or turbinado sugar, as their molasses content produces more carbonation. Once my grains are working at their peak (in a month or two), they should start to multiply, and I can get a couple batches going at once (or share with a friend!).

Hanging out

Now, I know kefir is technically not paleo, or even primal, but most of the sugar used to make the kefir is consumed by the yeast, so the amount actually being ingested in negligible. Water kefir can actually be made using coconut water (with no added sugar), and I want to try that eventually. Still, that costs money beyond the initial investment, so I'll probably just use my Berkey water most of the time. For now, we are enjoying our "special lemonade" and the benefits it is providing. 

Have you tried milk or water kefir before?? Would you ever consider making your own? 

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review, or even given a free sample to try. However, if you choose to purchase kefir grains or a starter culture using any of my links, I will receive a small commission. 

Searching for Sour Milk (and our weekly menu)

We had a pretty productive weekend despite the chilly weather. We framed out half of the chicken coop, finished the rabbit hutch and their play area (don't they look happy?), and I hung a tire swing (that I scored for free at Discount Tire!). We are also excited to see some of our seeds sprouting already.

Last weekend we moved the pigs' shed out to the pasture so they have more grass to eat, and (bonus!) we don't have to deal with their excrement anymore. Everyone seems to be loving this arrangement. There's been a bit of drama with the goats head-butting the pigs, but it's mostly because Zoey (our youngest doe, at 5 months old) wants to play with them. Maybelline is growing fast, however, and soon she will be able to give Zoey a run for her money. We're confident she can stick up for herself.

One very productive aspect of our weekend was hitting up Market on the Move. Have you heard of MOM? It's a non-profit that salvages produce that has expired or is about to expire. For a $10 donation you walk away with about 60 pounds of produce! The best produce goes first (obviously), and since we didn't get in (there was a long line!) until about an hour after it started, there wasn't much we were interested in eating. Fortunately, our goal wasn't to feed our family--it was to feed our pigs. We came home with 2 1/2 boxes of squash, tomatoes, and a few bell peppers. Hubby and I cut them and stuffed them into 6 gallon zip baggies, 2 plastic containers (about 18"x12"x6" each), and still had about a gallon leftover that we fed the pigs over the weekend. We are weaning them off the pellets, supplementing with dairy (homemade yogurt, some milk past its "best by" date, and cottage cheese that my kids leftover), and letting them graze and root in the pasture. We believe this will save us a great deal of money, as well as resulting in healthier, tastier pork. We're hoping to find a good local source of dairy, no longer intended for human consumption.

I found that with all the work we've been doing outside, I have had a hard time fitting in meal prep. This resulted in two quick take-out (though Paleo, except Hubby's) meals, and I want to try to cut that down a bit. I planned our meals for the next week with the intent on cutting down some of that prep time. On the menu this week:

• fish tacos (I'll make similar to this recipe, adding diced jalapenos, but prepping the fish in this fashion--not "breaded")
• Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps, though I'll probably eat mine as a salad, topping with blue cheese crumbles
• turkey (didn't get to this last week; my turkey is taking forever to thaw in my garage fridge!)
• turkey burritos (I'll probably have a burrito bowl/salad, though Hubby will eat his with tortillas. He'll probably have tortillas with his fish tacos, too--gotta have some give and take, right??)
• shrimp scampi (and salmon for the Hubby who isn't a huge shrimp fan)
• Buffalo Chicken Wings
• salmon patties
• roast chicken 

I've been using my {small-ish} crockpot to make yogurt several times a week for the piggies, and this has caused me to switch up my menu a bit, since it wasn't available when I'd intended to use it. I think I'll be investing in a larger crockpot this week, big enough to accommodate a whole chicken. Planning to hit up Goodwill or Savers to see if they have any for cheap. I plan to start making yogurt for the kids and I soon, so it will be good to have two on hand. 

I'm seeing some improvement in Sissy, which I'll share later this week. For now, do you have any recommendations for my dairy quest? 

Today I'm linking to Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.com and Menu Monday!

Getting Creative {with twins!}

So late Monday evening we welcomed two new little girls into our home: Twin T and Twin E. Sissy was especially excited because the girls are only a few weeks older than she is (they will turn 6 at the end of this month). Yesterday was a bit of a blur as I shopped for school uniforms and supplies, bought groceries, picked up our ground beef (from my chicken people!), and made 3 trips to the school to enroll the girls--all with 5 children 5 & under in tow! We made it through the day with surprisingly little drama, save Sissy's meltdown because the girls didn't play with her enough throughout the day. These girls have been through quite a bit, and though we've been warned to watch for anger issues, they seem very sweet. Still, I was looking forward to the calm this morning, to spending time with my 3 youngest, schooling Sissy and Bubba, and getting some much-needed housework done. But then nothing around here tends to go as planned, so I really was not surprised when I arrived at the school to find the girls were not in fact enrolled yet.

Now, when new kids come into care, usually very little is known about them. We receive a form stating they are in our care, which also serves as proof of insurance. Theoretically, we are supposed to receive insurance cards after awhile. But we have never received a birth certificate or social security card. Twice (out of 11!) have we been given shot records. This has never been an issue before, especially since our previous three older girls were transferred from other schools who had the required documentation already. Unfortunately our school was unable to get the shot records from the twins' previous school. The shot records on file with the state showed they were not up-to-date with their vaccinations. So this morning I was told the girls could not attend school until the shot records were received, and I should go home and wait for them to call me when that happened. I should have dealt with everything right then, but I had five antsy kids on my hands and I didn't have all of my wits about me. Instead, I came home, called (& emailed!) the caseworker and then called the girls' aunt, who had previous custody. She wasn't sure if she ever had shot records, but insisted that everything that she had was given to the caseworker. She did give me the phone number (from the phone book!) of the pediatrician who she thought she'd taken them to. Unsatisfied, I called my pediatrician to see if I could get in and get them shots. No well-child appointments available for six weeks.

Then it hit me: kids don't NEED to be vaccinated before they can attend school. I know from my own research that they cannot force me to vaccinate my children. Now, I understand that CPS is actually the guardian in this case, and that foster children are supposed to be vaccinated, and I fully intend to have these girls vaccinated in a reasonable manner. However, they also need to be in school.

So I called the school back and asked if they could locate the vaccination waiver form, informing them that I would be bringing the girls back shortly. I may have stretched the definition of "personal belief" a bit this morning, but I believe that it is in the best interests of the twins to be in school while we sort out all of this mess. I had to get a little creative this morning. Do you think they'll question it at all? How have you needed to use your creativity lately?


73. Twins!
74. comforting Twin T after she hurt her knee last night
75. Bubba's budding sense of humor
76. Budders' singing
77. seeing our first foster son at the Christmas party on Saturday
78. hearing encouraging stories from fostering friends
79. my supportive friends and family
80. that I have a Rock that cannot be shaken

{Happy Homemaker Monday} November 21, 2011

{Happy Homemaker Monday}

The weather in my neck of the woods: Beautiful! Seems like "fall" weather is finally here!


Things that make me happy: my morning tea & blog time, kids playing nicely together, a sneak-peek of our family pics taken Saturday {thanks, Jenn!!}


Book I'm reading: God Is the Gospel by John Piper

On the menu for dinner: bean & cheese burritos


On my to do list: school with Sissy, doctor appointment for Flower Girl, cleaning out the sisters' room, and a thorough house cleaning

New recipe I tried or want to try soon: Baked Potato Soup - had this Wednesday night at life group--yum!


In the craft basket: A dress I bought on clearance that needs to be shortened & my nephew's birthday shirt {still!}--see a pattern here?!

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days: We adjust fairly quickly to the challenges handed to us. At first, 6 kids seemed really hard, but it became normal. Just having 4 in the house seems so easy & quiet!


On my mind: my brother {Happy birthday, Paul!} and his sick wife, and looking forward to this weekend!


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

 Mark 5:24-34 

 A large crowd followed and pressed around him.  And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Join in at Happy Homemaker Monday

50. a phone call from the sisters!

51. a quiet evening as a family of 6

52. seeing friends & family at my brother's birthday party

53. a sweet old friend coming to take our family pictures {for free!}

54. a relaxing Sunday afternoon 

55. pizza for Sunday dinner, courtesy of my parents {no cooking!}

56. family seeing Budders like he usually acts during the week, but on a Sunday

57. silly, innocent questions about anatomy from my 3 year old

58. my messy 12-passenger van (because it runs! & I can transport my whole family & then some!)

Goodbyes

We are preparing again to {possibly} say goodbye, this time to the two sisters. This has been a challenging placement, and at times their upcoming departure is a bit of a relief. I look forward to a break in the quarreling and lying, a break from needing to constantly be aware of the location of certain members of the family. Budders especially has taken quite a beating (unintentionally!) from {well-meaning} older sisters lugging him around.

Yet at the same time, my heart aches for these girls. I hurt knowing the abuses they've suffered. I've rejoiced at little victories: prayers at family worship time, a sibling play date, growing relationships, hurt hearts confiding in us. I know a little about where they will be going, and while I would not willingly send my biological children there, I rest in the knowledge that God is in control. He is good, and He cares for them more than I ever could.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31

42. good conversations with friends
43. watching my sweet hubby attempt to sew Barbie clothes!
44. siblings reuniting after weeks apart
45. lunch with Hubby mid-week
46. {free} bikes!
47. reading that I'm the "most important person" in Flower Girl's life
48. {hopefully} getting answers from the doctor for Sissy
49. friends & coworkers giving us clothes for the girls

I'm Baaack!

So sorry it's been awhile since I've posted. We're getting used to having 6 kids in the house & 3 big girls in school. I never imagined how much work it is having children in public school! We spend almost as much time going over their homework as I do schooling Sissy! Not to mention the time spent walking them to school and picking them up again in the afternoon. Needless to say, my days have been rearranged quite a bit, which has resulted in my lack of blog posts. (Because while I love writing, I'd much rather be reading with my kiddos!) So I am trying to find a new time to blog, and I think I'm back on track. For now I'll just leave you with some of my recent "gifts":

24. 5 small prayer journals--getting used!
25. Hubby's flexible schedule (able to help out in our 2nd grader's class!)
26. cameras (to remember)
27. 3 girls thankful for their new family
28. busy case workers who communicate well
29. catching a busy case worker (who doesn't communicate so well) before she went home yesterday
30. wonderful friends who offer to photograph our family for FREE!
31. siblings reuniting by phone (hopefully in person soon!)
32. Sissy scoring 100% on a 1st grade reading test (Does anyone know of a good online reading test? I'd love to know how she's measuring up to her public school "peers")
33. God providing a great memory verse for a scared Flower Girl
32. everyone participating in family worship last night

Sanctification

On Wednesday we welcomed two sisters, ages 7 and 9, into our home, officially doubling the number of children in our house in less than a week. Sissy went from being the oldest to having 3 big sisters. Budders now has 3 girls he really doesn't know trying to lug him around (and running him to me every time he cries! Yikes!). And Bubba and Sissy are both having to adjust to older kids with different senses of humor and pet peeves. They are altogether adjusting very well, and I am proud of the love that they are showing their new sisters.

The big girls are adjusting to life in a new house, new authority figures and rules, new younger siblings who {sometimes} annoy them. They are learning new routines, attending new schools, making new friends, and missing friends and family.

I won't try to pretend that this is easy. Foster care is definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done. I am adjusting to a {much} high noise and chaos level. I am learning trying to figure out which fights to pick. I am struggling a bit watching Sissy and Bubba get exposed to things I have tried so hard to shelter them from. I hate watching them feel left out or picked on or talked down to. I am having to draw the line regarding what words, music, et cetera we will allow in this house, resulting in disappointed girls (and losing some of my fun-mom-ness). I have had moments when I miss "just us." I have thought What are we doing? But I have also watched these girls come a long way in this short time that we have had them. And I am {learning} to love like Christ. Sanctification. It's what this is all about anyway.




16. FG's first prayer!
17. family worship on a full bed
18. a hug from my 9 yr. old {this is a BIG deal!}
19. 7 yr. old's {first} prayers
20. FG asking to be baptized!
21. my awesome mother-in-law-- HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAREN!!
22. hours of giggles
23. not having to worry about dinner after school this week--thanks to my awesome MOPS friends!

A Lil' Controversy

Christians and Birth Control

Disclaimer: All opinions here are my own, and while they are my convictions, please do not assume that I judge those who have different convictions. I have come to this place over time, and have made many contrary choices in my life. 

Before we were married I got on the pill. I wanted to have an established habit before it was actually needed. I had two months worth of birth control in my possession when we married and I moved across the country to join the ranks of the military spouse. But the doctor I saw on base was a civilian and not very familiar with the military pharmacy procedures. At the time, neither was I. Due to several disagreements and mis-communications between  the doctor and myself, I ran out of pills. For 3 weeks. And in those weeks we were blessed with our daughter.

After she was born, I went on the pill again. A year and a half later I went off the pill and we received another blessing, who stretched our faith more than we could have imagined.

I went on the pill again after his birth. When he was a year old, we researched more permanent options. More than researched, actually, as Hubby had an appointment. Turns out he was too young, so they turned him down. This is about the the time the Lord started changing our hearts regarding many lifestyle choices. We began researching birth control.


 Ultimately, we have chosen to open our house to as many blessings as God sees fit to give us. Our only method of birth control is one God created: extended breastfeeding.

 Of course, most of you will not choose the same path as us regarding your family planning, and that's okay with me. Still, I would encourage you to do some research and soul-searching regarding your method of "control." I recently stumbled on this post, and Cindy approached the subject with much grace and eloquence. I ask you to prayerfully read her post and explore this controversial subject. After you've read, tell me what you think: Is it a sin to take the birth control pill?

http://comefillyourcup.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/questions-and-answers-what-about-the-use-of-birth-control-pills/

Change of plans

Do you ever think that sometimes, God just wants to see how you'd handle a certain situation? Of course He already knows how you'd handle it... Anyway, I'd like to think that's what our time with Miss P was about...

We received a call late yesterday afternoon that Miss P would be leaving to go live with her grandma. Honestly, I can't say I was too disappointed. Sissy, on the other hand.... Let's just say I want to love like my daughter does. That afternoon, Sissy sat next to Miss P in the van, and was tormented for the greater part of a 40-minute drive. She was hit, poked, scratched, and when we arrived home, I found a handful of her hair in Miss P's lap. The phone call came ten minutes later, and this is what I got:

Now, I won't say that this is pure, selfless love. She cared more about having a sister than what was truly best for Miss P. But despite how horribly she was treated, she loved her little-while sister.

So now we wait. Again. This time I think we're going to hold off until we change our license....