New Years, New Traditions

Every year I try to figure out what I should do with the kids all day to ring in the New Year (not just at midnight). I want a tradition they can look back on and every year know that on a certain holiday (or day) that we will be doing this particular thing .... so I came up with a few ideas

1. Each family member make an "All About Me" book

Something like this, but with more details like what do they want to be when they grow up, favorite animal, sport, fruit, veggie, dinner, breakfast, toy, movie, book, where do you live, who do you live with (and ages), what is your typical day like........ Also include a page about what we want from this year. When finished put in a special envelope then put it in with Christmas decorations that we are putting away until next year.

2. Watch home movies that were made this year.

3. Go through all the pictures togehter and organize them, maybe back them up for once! haha!

I think we will also cruise the web for some new yummy dishes and actually try some out together. Other than that it will be another relaxed holiday together.

What traditions do you have with your children for New Years? What about other holidays? Any you would like to start?

Lactation Boosting Cookies

Big thanks to Bellies N Babies Doula Services for the recipe!
Ingredients
1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour (I use whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 c oats (thick cut)
1 c chocolate chips (or rasins)
2 tbsp Brewer's yeast (be generous)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Mix together flaxseed meal and water and set aside for 3-5 minutes. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Stir flaxseed mixture and add with vanilla to butter mixture.

Beat until blended. Sift dry ingredients together, except oats and chips. Add to butter mixture. Stir in oats then chips. Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake 8-12 minutes.

6 dozen

Becoming Green

Courtesy of "The Green Goose"

When those surrounding me realize how literally hippie I am, they tend to balk.

Majority of them are past the whole "too cool to be green" thing that was going on for a while, but no one is immune to the sticker shock! Today's major corporations are banking big on the fact that we genuinely WANT to be more conscious about how we treat the earth. The "green" products are generally priced a noticeable amount higher than the other cleaning products, and sadly, it causes many people to shy away from them.

I was a bit more stubborn than most. Growing up, I was always told I could argue with a fence post and win... and I fully intended to use that to my advantage. We definitely couldn't go completely green with the price of the products available, so we just had to find a solution. As I began researching this online, I learned quite a few interesting things. One that really made me angry, and definitely motivated me... most of these "green" products were really only normal cleaning products, with a few drops of essential oils in them, and a fancy new label... now I was really motivated! I started in the kitchen, and worked my way through the whole house.

Cleaning Products:

My absolute favorite cleaning products is Vinegar. Hands Down. I use it for EVERYTHING!

I simply reuse a spray bottle, and put 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. Safe for any and everything! Windows, Glass, Counter tops, Showers, Baths, Floors, anything you can think of :) If I want a little more sanitizing action, then a few drops of Tea Tree Oil in the mixture does the trick. The best part? Vinegar costs $2 a gallon.

When I need a little extra scrubbing power, I take a little salt, or baking soda, or both, and sprinkle them over the tough spot. Scrub a little, and voila! These 2 ingredients are probably already in your kitchen, and part of your household larder, cant get better than that!

Okay, so I know your probably a little skeptical about these, right? Surely they cant cut it all! What about soap scum? Easy peasy! I scrub my shower with lemon. Just take a lemon, cut it in half, and have at it! works like a charm!

What about paper towels? They were one of the first things we cut out. I went to the local dollar store(family dollar had the best deals for us) and bought giant packs of wash rags. I paid something like $5 for 25 cloths. $10 dollars later, our paper towel problems were solved. Make sure you buy enough that you don't have to wash on a schedule to avoid running out. My drawer was always full, and often overflowing, so I never missed not having paper towels. I kept a small laundry basket, and later a hanging wet bag in the kitchen and just tossed the dirties in there, and into the wash.

At the sink is where it gets tricky.

I have yet to try making my own dish soap, but this blog: http://frugallygreen.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-make-your-own-dishwasher.html has me inspired!

Normally for dish soap I go to our nearest health food store, and get super concentrated dishwasher soap out of the bulk bins. its $3 or so dollars a lb, and you mix 1 part of it, to 2 parts water. I usually do 1 part mix, 1 part vinegar, 1 part water. This goes in the dishwasher as well.

For the spot free rinse for the dishwasher, I simply use vinegar. I'm telling ya, this stuff is good for EVERYTHING.

In the laundry room we use soap nuts for our laundry detergent. Soapnuts are dried nuts that contain natural sopanins. They are great for sensitive skin, cloth diaper safe, and clean just about anything:) They generally sell for around $15 for 150 loads.. which isn't bad! But they tend to last me much longer, more like 200- 215. On top of being amazing for laundry, You can boil a few with water and have all purpose cleaner. When we run out, I will be trying this recipe: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/05/2011-do-it-yourself-experiment-4-homemade-powdered-laundry-soap.html Combined with a few coupons, its a super cheap option! Remember, washing on cold saves you money on your electricity bill, and helps keep the earth a little greener!

As for laundry softener.... get ready for it.. Vinegar! Seriously.. it works amazing! I know a few of you might be thinking vinegar stinks, but no worries, once it dries, the smell is gone. Needless to say, we use a lot of vinegar! and love it!

How about other things around the house? We have been eliminating them one by one, and its truly an adventure!

Household Items:

Believe it or not... Cooking supplies are big on my list of pet peeves. We all know non stick isn't a long term option. It seems that no matter how expensive a set you buy, they don't last long enough. Which means they go right out to the dump. Its a waste all the way. All that energy, all those resources to make them, all that plastic to package them, and then how long do they last? And if we are speaking the truth here.. they really are bad for you. The non stick coating leaches into your food, and flakes off as they get old. My family made the switch to Cast Iron and Stainless Steel. We hunted garage sales, thrift stores, and waited for them to go on sale. If properly cared for, they last forever. Literally, you can pass them on to your kids.

The same goes for Utensils! go metal! By switching to these, you are saving money in the long run. One investment, a lifetime of use.

ZipLoc bags, and Saran Wrap. Yeah, I know they are brand names, but its what we all call them(: We just recently phased these out at our house. The replacements are definitely an investment. But, they save so much money, and the earth!

As for baggies, try etsy: http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?ref=auto&q=reusable+sandwich+bag If you can sew, try making your own! remember though, PUL is not food safe, so stick to rip stop nylon, and keep the shiny side away from your foods. http://lizzylanefarm.wordpress.com/2009/05/27/cloth-snack-bags/

Plastic wrap is bad for the earth, bad for your wallet, and bad for you. We replaced ours with rip stop nylon lined covers. I love em, and they work so well! http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?search_submit&q=+bowl+cover

Now, I know this isn't for everyone, but give it a shot: Family Cloth

We switched to family cloth a while ago. Don't get me wrong, we still use toilet paper, and most certainly have it available for our guests... but we dig family cloth! Old t-shirts make great cloths, they don't fray, and are easy to cut. We keep a basket above the toilet full of cloth, and a trashcan with a lid next to it. every 2-3 days we toss it into the wash on sanitize, and they come out clean as new. Don't knock it before you try it.

Cloth Diapers are definitely the way to go for babes needs! They seriously rock! I wont spent much time here, because Christy has a post on it if you scroll down a tad(: She is absolutely right! Better for babies, better for earth, and much better for our wallets! Want a few more statistics to convince you? read here: http://thedirtyhippie.blogspot.com/2011/04/sposies-vs-cloth-diapers.html

Mama Cloth is also something to consider.

I buy mine from www.randumosity.com, but I have made a few too. Trust me ladies, you WILL save money here if you properly care for your pads. And your cramps, wallet, and the earth will thank you! Its simple, just wash every other day, and reuse. www.keepercup.com is another great option. I will spare you the details, at the sake of embarrassing anyone, but please read up on them!

And mama's.... Please use your Clothes Lines.

They save electricity, which saves your budget, and the earth! On top of that, no scented laundry soap can ever top the smell of a fresh clean breeze. Sunshine also is AMAZING at getting stains out, no elbow grease required! And if you use cloth diapers, you already know its your best friend! If you must use your dryer, use dryer balls. Wool ones tend to work best, and a handful of them can cut your drying time in half.

I'm going to end this novel now, before I find myself on a epic dialog about chickens, cars, and clothing, but I hope you found some hinters on how to make your life greener, and more affordable. Don't ever forget that corny old saying your mother probably told you growing up. Where there is a will, there is a way. You don't have to be made of money to be kind to the earth. And in fact, being green is usually the cheaper option! Have fun finding new ways, and don't let the big corporations scare you away(:

-the dirty hippie


Love what you see?? Go check out more of The Green Goose on Facebook, her blog at www.thedirtyhippie.blogspot.com, and her own handmade items in her Etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop/adbayer

Many of the things The Dirty Hippie (or The Green Goose) talks about here are things our family has tried! Cloth Diapering, mama cloth, reusable bags, vinegar for laundry (and cloth diapers) and dryer balls and I have to say I am soooo glad we switched! I have to add that as far as mama cloth goes, I thought I would be completely grossed out, but just read up on it! You will find that moms that use it experience less menstruation related symptoms and shorter cycles!

The Green Goose has many of her handmade items available for you to purchase! Head over to her Etsy store and browse the wonderful items she has at a great price!! We have used her dryer balls and reusable snack bags and LOVE them !! She also made some woolie's for our little Collie Pollie, but by the time they reached our house he had already grown out of them!!!!! While you are browsing think of celebrations coming up; green items make a wonderful gift for those you love!

You Just Never Know....

As much as we wanted another baby,  Scott and I were a bit worried having another baby come into the family after all these years of just the 4 of us; we were unsure how the older ones would take to a baby or if they would see him as an intruder; would they be nice to him, would they get upset easily with the disruption, would they be upset that mommy's lap would be taken over for a while? Even though they were 6 and 7, we still do a TON of snuggling. We cuddle in bed all the time. We were worried about the time issues. We could not spend the same amount of one on one time for a little while until baby gets older. I use to take one out of school (or daycare) every once a month and do a "mommy day". One kid and what ever they wanted to do. I loved the time i got to spend with them. I know this sounds stupid and naive, but as much I as tried to prepare MYSELF I was not ready for the limited amount of time I would get with them individually after baby came.
It has gotten much easier as Cole has gotten older and he has created his own routine... not as needy.
I know this is sad, but I keep waiting for it... the jealousy, the "you love him/her more than me" ... you know. What I've heard from other parents.... 10 months an not once have I heard anything like that. On their end I could not be happier with the way they have accepted him so eaily and he is really their world!
No matter what he does, they dont get mad. Cole scratched Logans face over the weekend and I thought for sure he would get mad. He looked at him with a bit of blood on his face and said "Colie, buddy that hurts" in the most sweetest loving voice.... trying to teach him how not to scratch. Then he asked him if he was okay!!! Oh my baby boy is such a love bug! If Cole starts crying he jumps up and starts singing to him and dancing for him! He tells people its HIS baby! :) I love it!
Katelyn is a little mommy to him. Tonight I was making them cookies in the kitchen and Cole was really sleepy. I was trying to soothe him from the kitchen until I could get to him and she scooped him up in her arms, stuck his paci in his mouth, cuddled him with the blanket Logan gave him (Logans favorite blanket I made for him for Christmas) and rocked him ... enough for him to calm down in her loving arms and fall asleep! I finished what I was doing really quick, rushed over to rock him and found him passed out on his sissy! My heart melted! I tell my daughter that she is going to be a great mommy and she smiled BIGGER than I have ever seen her.
The other day I ask her if we should have more babies or not. She said for sure! I told her you know that if we have more babies that means that the time I have for her alone will be less and less time for her to cuddle with me. She says "mom, I know. It was the same when Colie got here and its okay". Then she says she wants lots of babies when she grows up. I said you better marry a rich man so you can have all those babies. She tells me "nope I am marring for love mom". Wow, this child continues to amaze me. She is one smart gal!! How did my 7 (almost 8) year old get this wisdom?

Transitioning to three has been challenging at times ... but honestly, the good times are more than worth it!

Attachment Parenting Quilt ... ongoing project

Attachment Parenting has been a huge part of my life since I became a parent in 2004. Day by day it grows stronger and I become more passionate about what AP means to me.
So when I started Colie Polie Quilting, it only seemed natural that I make an attachment parenting quilt. This was going to be a little of a challenge since the only symbols out there are for genital integrity and breastfeeding.... so off to Picnik I went to design a symbol for Co-sleeping/Bed Sharing and Baby Wearing.
Here is what I came up with:

Baby Wearing

Baby Wearing - Sling

Co-Sleeping / Bed Sharing

Now I am just working on getting them cut out and onto the quilt. Its not that big of a deal that the lines are blurry or that the colors dont match since I am cutting them out. I cant wait to get it all cut out.
I have a few ideas on how I want to put them into the quilt. Here is my first:

I would move all the hearts to the center and then add the symbols around the outside of the heart


and here is my second:

This one would be more straight forward. The 4 symbols in each square.



Who knows I may just decide to do both!

Since this is an ongoing project, I will just update this post as I my quilt comes together! Please follow my progress {here}

Changing My Life ... One Day At A Time ....

Toward the end of last year I got some news that I never dreamed of getting at the VERY young age of 32! ;) I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that will only deteriorate as I age. This has been something that has been in the works for several years. It has come and gone since Iwas a teenager and no one knew what was wrong since as fast as it came on, it was gone.
After I had Cole, I had it happen again but it was out of control, worse than it had ever been. They finally started looking deeper.....
When they finally figured it out, I was told to stop breastfeeding IMMEDIATELY and start taking some really potent drugs. If you are someone who follows me, you know that for me to wean the baby before he was ready would have to come down to a life or death situation. This not being the case I asked the specialist several times to find other options for me. He refused. I switched MD's .... I have Kaiser so the only other Rheumatoligst was about 45 minutes away verses the 15 minutes for this man who obviously had no experience or education on the goodness of boob juice. My new MD is a woman who has children and 'applauded' my efforts to maintain breastfeeding ... which to me sounded like a no-brainer, but whatever. She found me an alternative treatment, but it is just not as effective. The bright side right now is it takes the edge off. I can function, just not to my maximum potential. Scares me to think of what is going to happen, but for now I am taking it one day at a time; living in the moment if you will.
Looking more into my condition I found that loosing the excess weight, people seem to slow down the progression of their symptoms. I am not the best at limiting myself, but I have had several people close to me start a Vegetarian lifestyle. Is this a sign to me? I have a habit of not paying attention to the signs given to me, but this has been something in my face a lot lately.... so here I go, trying something new.
I am going to start out just taste testing some vegan/vegetarian dishes. I know this WILL be much healthier for me! I cant remember a day ever where I did not have some sort of animal product. Scares me to think of what is going to happen with my body and health if I dont make changes, but for now I am taking it one day at a time.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to start, some great resources, recipes to share...?