Tuesday, December 23, 2008

My favorite copycat recipes

I enjoy going out to eat as much as anyone else, but it is a lot healthier and cheaper to cook at home. Which is where the internet comes in. If there is a certain dish you like from a certain restaurant, you can search for a recipe of it on google and are almost guaranteed to find something.

There is only one recipe I have never been able to find online yet, and that is for the bread that they serve as a starter at Stuart Anderson's Black Angus. My guess is that it is some sort of oat bread with lots of molasses. If you have a recipe for it, I would LOVE to get it!

Here are my other favorites:

Lemon Loaf like Starbucks


This recipe is great, and tastes just like the real thing if you manage to wait long enough for the cake to cool and the frosting to set. In our house, that has only happened once. Warm it doesn't taste exactly the same, though still absolutely delicious. Substituting whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour works great in this recipe because the oil retains the cake's moistness. Or, you could substitute part of the flour.

Chicken Enchilada Soup like Chili's

There are several different popular versions of this recipe. This is the one I liked best and thought tasted most like the real thing. I found that if you add the amount of masa that the recipe calls for, the soup will be very thick the next day if you have leftovers. I simply added some more broth and spices until it was the right consistency again. Also, I used shredded Jack and Cheddar cheese instead of the velveeta. It was a little stringy when the cheese first stared melting, but after 10 minutes of careful heating and frequent stirring, the cheese was completely dissolved and not stringy at all.

Fajitas like Chili's

A long-time staple in our house. I serve them with the flour tortillas that can be found uncooked in the cold section at the grocery store and have to be fried before serving. Sam's Club and Costco have great deals on those.

Cinnamon Rolls like Cinnabon


This recipe was not advertised to taste like Cinnabon, but I think these are THE BEST cinnamon rolls I have ever eaten. Seriously. You HAVE to try them. The only change I made was in the frosting: I left out the maple flavoring and coffee and instead added more milk. Plus, in addition to the powdered sugar frosting, I also put cream cheese frosting on these puppies. Simply beat a stick of softened butter, an 8 oz pack of room-temperature cream cheese, some vanilla and enough powdered sugar to get the right consistency and sweetness and spread on liberally. This recipe makes enough to fill about 6 or 7 disposable round baking pans, so you can spread some serious joy with this recipe if you are so inclined. Or make a half batch and eat it all yourself, but don't blame me if the scale won't be kind the next day. But then, these are SO worth it. I am getting hungry just writing this.

Now please get off the computer and bake a batch of these. Right now.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Should a Christian celebrate Christmas?

I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday of the year, no doubt about that. Naturally, a lot of the posts about our family this month will relate to the Christmas season, so I thought I would share this article which explains, as well as I ever could, why I do not think it is wrong to celebrate Christmas.
It was written by John R. Rice, and you can click here to read the article as it was posted on the website of the Sword of the Lord. While I may not agree with exactly every one of Dr. Rice's beliefs (for example, I do not consider myself a "Protestant"), I do believe he was greatly used by God in his preaching. Another reason I like Dr. Rice is because he wrote an entire book dedicated largely to explaining why birth control is wrong - but that is not the topic today! :)
Should a Christian Observe Christmas?
By Dr. John R. Rice (1895–1980)

“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

“He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.”—Rom. 14:5,6.

I love the Christmas season. I find great joy in preaching on the Christmas themes of the angels, the shepherds, the manger, the virgin birth, and the wise men. I get a great thrill when I hear Christmas carols. I love the gathering together of loved ones, the giving of gifts. And I rejoice to be remembered by those I love.

Perhaps my own feeling is colored by the fact that for many years I have been away from home most of the year, but at the Christmas season I can be with my family.

How sad that many do not enjoy Christmas! Even some devoted Christians feel sour and are cantankerous and full of objections about the season. To you I would say in the words of Scripture—if you regard the day, regard it unto the Lord. And if you do not regard the day, then be sure you act Christian about it. Let nobody judge or criticize others for an honest, worshipful, spiritual and loving attitude about Christmas.

SOME OBJECTIONS ABOUT CHRISTMAS ANSWERED

1. “December 25 Is Not Really Christ’s Birthday”

The Bible does not tell us exactly when Christ was born, and there are no other trustworthy sources from which we can learn the time. Therefore, some think it wrong to observe Christmas.

I know a little girl who was born on February 29—leap year. Now, is it wrong for her to observe her birthday on February 28 when there is no leap year? In other words, is it wrong for her or others to observe her birthday anytime except leap year? The precise date—February 29—is not the important factor, but that another year has gone by and the little girl has grown a year older; and that fact should be recognized by loved ones.

Would you say it is wrong to observe Thanksgiving on a certain Thursday in November since not all our blessings have come on that day? Or would it be wrong to set a more convenient day if all agreed on a national day of thanksgiving? Whatever the day, it is still right to have a time when we publicly thank God and as a nation officially express our gratitude to the Father of Mercies for all His bounty, for all His goodness and for all His blessings. The important thing is not the day of the calendar on which we do it, but the fact that we give praise to the One who loadeth us with benefits.

Although many scholars do not believe that Jesus was born on December 25, it could still be the date on which the angels announced His birth. We love the dear Lord Jesus. We want everyone to remember His birth. We want to teach our children about the Babe in the manger, about the wise men from the East who came to worship Him, about the angel’s announcement to Mary, about the angel chorus that told the shepherds of His birth. And December 25 is as good a day for that as any other day. It is not wrong to remember the birth of Christ on a day which is as close as we can come to His birthday.

2. “Christmas Means Only ‘Christ’s Mass’—a Catholic Holiday”

We are told that the name of Christmas comes from “Christ’s Mass,” that it was instituted by Catholics and therefore good Protestants ought not to observe it.

That objection seems a little foolish. Nearly all the names we have, we inherited from the heathen. Many cities, towns, counties and rivers in America have Indian names. But when we see the Susquehanna River or read of Shawnee, Oklahoma or Comanche, Texas, we are not thinking about the Indians. And the names have no connotation of heathendom. Names mean what they mean, no matter what the origin.

Sometimes Seventh-day Adventists make much of the fact that the name of our day “Sunday” comes from the worship of the sun. I reply that their “Saturday” is named from the god Saturn. But no one has reference to the sun when he uses the word “Sunday” or when he worships on Sunday; and no one has any reference to the god Saturn when he works or serves on Saturday.

So it seems foolish to make an artificial distinction when none exists in the minds of people who observe Christmas.

January was named for the Roman god Janus. Are Christians, therefore, wrong to call the month by that name? To every sensible person, Christmas means simply Christmas, not some kind of mass. Catholics may observe it with a mass, but Protestants do not.

It will be good to keep these things in mind.

3. “Christmas Was a Former Heathen Holiday”

It is true that before the birth of Christ, December 25 was a pagan holiday. The Encyclopedia Brittanica says this date was a “Mithraic feast day” to celebrate the unconquered Son of Philocalus.

Evidently many new converts were tempted to keep the pagan feast celebrated on December 25. Possibly it was to counteract this pagan influence that Christian leaders decided to observe this day as “Christmas”, which means “Christ-sent,” hoping this would help new converts resist the temptation of partaking in the pagan feast. (Following the same reasoning, many churches have a special banquet and program for high school seniors on the night of the annual senior prom.)

At any rate, the celebration of Christmas is definitely not a continuation of a pagan custom. It is a unique Christian holiday to counteract the influence of a pagan holiday. Pagans did something on every day, and we cannot do away with all the days they used, whether for worship or for ceremonies about sowing or reaping or about the solstices or the new moons. We have the same sun heathens worshiped, and we benefit from its rising and setting, but we do not have the heathen ceremonies about that.

In 1936, I held a blessed revival campaign in the Binghamton Theatre in Binghamton, New York, sponsored by eight churches. The fact that in this theatre people had seen lewd movies or burlesque shows or legitimate theatre productions did not change the fact that now the building was used for the glory of God and souls were saved.

I myself am under new management too. Once the Devil lived within; now Jesus Christ does. So if heathens used December 25 for idolatry, why should Christians not use it now to honor Jesus Christ and His birth? Whatever day we set aside to honor Christ, it will be a day somebody else has used for bad purposes.

But now all the days belong to Christ and none to heathen gods. No Christian should be grieved if we think about the birth of Christ on December 25. Is that a worse sin than working to make money on that day? Why should anybody object if we sing Christmas carols, have a happy celebration with a feast and go over the Bible story of His birth and teach it to our children on Christmas Day? We would not honor God more by having less Scripture, less singing, less of the spirit of giving and less manifestation of love for others. All the days belong to Christ, and December 25 should be used to honor Him too.

4. “Christmas Trees and Decorations Are an Abomination”

Many people believe Jeremiah 10:1–4 is talking about Christmas trees and that therefore it is a sin to put one up. Notice verses 3 and 4:

“For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

“They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.”

This is a description of an idol made of wood and covered with silver and gold. Notice that God tells Israel not to be afraid of these idols because “they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good” (vs. 5).

As a matter of fact, the Christmas tree has a distinctive Christian origin. In the eighth century an English missionary named Boniface went to Germany to preach Christ. The Germans, at that time, were heathen and worshiped idols. One of their objects of worship was the oak tree. But Boniface told them God was more like the evergreen tree which did not lose its leaves and appear to be dead in the winter.

So gradually, as people were converted to Christ, the evergreen tree became a symbol of the eternal God in whom they had learned to trust. Eventually the evergreen tree was used for decoration at the Christmas feast. Because God had shown His love to us through the gift of His Son, it became customary for Christians to give gifts to those whom they loved at Christmastime.

The decorations on a Christmas tree could not possibly be called heathen nor have any idolatrous significance. Who thinks that heathens worshiped their gods with paper chains? that popcorn on a string is a form of idolatry? that electric lights on it for the joy of little children to brighten the home are sinful?

I love Christmas and its decorations, which are but an expression of joy in my heart as I think how God became man, how the Creator became a Babe, how “though he was rich, yet for [our] sakes he became poor, that [we] through his poverty might be rich” (II Cor. 8:9).

It is sad that the world as a whole does leave Christ out of Christmas. But for those of us who love the Lord, it can be a blessed time of fun and feasting and fellowship.

5. “There Is Too Much Revelry During the Christmas Holidays”

It is true that many do not honor Jesus Christ at Christmas. Some drink more liquor during Christmastime than at any other time. That is a sin. Many business people think of Christmas only as a time to make money. In this they are wrong. Sometimes even Christians lie about Santa Claus and deceive little children with a heathen legend when they could tell about the dear Lord Jesus. That is wicked. Deceit is the poorest possible way to honor the birth of our Lord.

I do not believe in having a Santa Claus at Sunday school or in the church service. Certainly to deceive little ones with a lie is a sin. No Christian ought to condone it. The truth is so much better than a lie. We should tell them how the dear Lord came into the world to save sinners.
Yes, people often dishonor God at Christmas. I am sorry they do. I hope you will not grieve God by such a sin.

But we should not turn Christmas over to Satan and wicked people because some misuse the Christmas season.

Should we abandon Sunday because it is often misused?

On the Lord’s Day there is more drinking, more revelry, than on any other day of the week. Should Christians, therefore, count the Lord’s Day the Devil’s day and give it up? Certainly not.
A great many teach that baptism is essential to salvation. They give more honor to the water than to the blood. That is wrong. But should we, therefore, disobey Jesus Christ about baptism because some others have overstressed baptism and made it a false doctrine?

The second coming has been a greatly abused and perverted doctrine with many. False cults have greatly perverted the doctrine of Christ’s coming. People set dates. They speculate on signs. Should the rest of us Bible Christians, then, ignore the clear Bible doctrine of Christ’s imminent return because the doctrine has been abused? Certainly not.

Nor should we ignore the Bible doctrine of the fullness of the Spirit just because many associate it with talking in tongues and with sinless perfection.

Just so—we would be very foolish to turn Christmas over to Satan and worldlings. If the world has a Christmas of revelry, let us make it a day of love and a time of honoring Christ. Let us make much of the Christmas story, of Christmas carols and Christmas love and fellowship.

Do other people make giving gifts a mere form? Well, it does not need to be so for Christians. We can give gifts that really express our love. We can make gifts the response of an honest heart. We can send greetings with Scripture verses and with holy admonitions.

Is it wrong to have a day of rejoicing? Is it wrong to feast and to send portions to others? No indeed.

When, under Nehemiah, the remnant of Israel had gone back to the Land of Promise from the captivity in Babylon and the Law was read and explained, the people wept. It was not a time for weeping, but a time for rejoicing. The wall of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, the gates had been hung, the city had been restored as the city of God, and the worship had begun.

Let us listen to the plain commands of the Lord in such a case, as given in Nehemiah 8:9,10:
“And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.

“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

And we are glad to learn in verse 12:

“And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.”

If Israelites would honor God by having a day of joy and feasting and of sending portions to others because the wall was rebuilt, the gates were set up, and the worship was established, then we today do well to have a day to rejoice over the birth of the Saviour and to send portions to one another and to make merry with spiritual joy.

I feel nearer to God at Christmas than at any other time. I seem to love the Word of God more at Christmas, when we read and quote it again and again. I like the time as a good excuse to get into people’s hearts and win them to Christ. And many have been saved because I brought a Christmas message or urged sinners to accept God’s great Christmas Gift.

Let us have, then, a happy Christmas and make Christ supreme on this day which we remember in honor of His birth!

6. “Is It Proper to Give Gifts to Others on Christ’s Birthday?”

Certainly Christ should be first. But then He wants and deserves first place on every other day also! Giving should honor Christ, and certainly we should give ourselves and all we have to Him. But giving gifts to others is also a proper way to honor the Lord, according to Bible example and teaching.

At the feast of Purim, a feast to the Lord celebrating the great deliverance God gave the Jews in answer to the prayers of Mordecai and Esther and other devout Jews when wicked Haman planned to exterminate them, Jews were taught “that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor” (Esther 9:22).

Again, when the Jewish remnant who returned from the captivity began to mourn on a holy day as they met to hear the reading of the Law, they were instructed, “Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord” (Neh. 8:10). So they returned home for feasting and sending gifts.
So giving gifts, if it be done in the right spirit and motive, honors God on special days set apart for Him.

Remember that God does not need our material things except as He wants them for other people. So under some circumstances giving to others may be as pleasing to Him as giving to pastors and missionaries. We should take care to give in Jesus’ name, remembering specially the poor at Christmas. But the right kind of giving to others is certainly fitting on Christmas.

When the rich young ruler wanted to be perfect, he was instructed to give his property to the poor, not to Jesus (Matt. 19:21); when Zacchaeus was converted, he was led to say. “The half of my goods I give to the poor” (Luke 19:8). That pleased Jesus very much.

Jesus said that He would reward everyone who gave a cup of cold water in His name. He also said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40).

So giving to others must please Christ very much, if it is done in loving thought toward Him and in His name. Certainly we should give to missions, to the poor and also to loved ones and relatives at Christmas. But be sure your motives are right.

7. “Should Christians Tell Their Children There Is a Santa Claus?”

Certainly not! Lying and deceit are wicked. Lying on Christmas is as great a sin as lying on any other day. It is shameful that Sunday schools often choose to teach a lying fable at Christmastime instead of teaching the marvelous true Christmas stories about the Baby in the manger, the shepherds in the field, the angel’s announcement of a Saviour born, the heavenly chorus and the wise men from the East. The story of the virgin-born Saviour is sweeter that any lie or fable invented by heathen people and spread by non-Christians.

I remember the sad, sad day when I, five years old, found that my father and mother and kin people had deceived me about Santa Claus—or Saint Nicholas. I was ashamed. I had been victimized. Those I trusted more than anybody else on earth, devout Christians, had lied. I wondered if other things they said were not true either. So Christmas was something of a mockery to me for years until I began to learn the sweetness of a Christmas centered about the birth of Christ.

Lying is wicked, is plainly forbidden in the Bible and is certain to have bad results. And the lie about Santa Claus is especially hurtful in that it crowds out interest in Christ Himself. The Lord Jesus, in many so-called Christian homes, is crowded out by the old, fabled gentleman who is always seen on whiskey ads at this season of the year.

Parents should always tell the truth. My own children were happier about Christmas than those children who have known Christmas as the celebration of a lie.

8. “What About ‘Xmas’?”

Many people distribute leaflets urging us to “keep Christ in Christmas.” In these tracts they sometimes attack the use of “Xmas” as an abbreviation of Christmas. X, they say, is a symbol for an unknown quantity, and this is a devious device of the Devil to remove the name of Christ from Christmas.

While I personally feel it best not to use the abbreviated word “Xmas,” it was not a deliberate attempt—at least at first—to “take Christ out of Christmas.” Actually, in the Greek language a large letter similar to an X stood for the letters CH, and thus for Christ. Originally, then, Xmas was Christmas.

Be that as it may, I am strongly in favor of putting “Christ back in Christmas,” and I never use the abbreviated “Xmas.”

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

The kids and I made gingerbread cookies this week. We make and decorate sugar cookies quite often, but I had never tried gingerbread cookies. We got the idea from a gingerbread house kit we saw at the store. In the past, we have usually bought a kit every year, but I didn't want to do that this year. For one, I didn't feel like spending even $10 when I had all the ingredients at home for a much tastier and healthier alternative than the rock-hard prepackaged stuff. Also, those kits come with WAY too much candy, more than I wanted the kids to have.

This is the recipe I used:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup molasses


1. In a medium-sized bowl, sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda. Set aside dry ingredients.
2. In a large bowl, blend the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the molasses. Slowly add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture, stirring after each addition with the wooden spoon or mixer (the dough should be stiff).
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a floured counter, roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out gingerbread men and a spatula to transfer them to a greased cookie sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart. Bake for 9 minutes, or until light brown.

Note: I did not put the dough in the refrigerator for two hours after making it. I simply rolled it out right away, transferred the cut cookies to the baking sheet, and then let each batch sit in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking.



As far as the toppings go, I used my all natural food colors to make different colors of frosting. Some colors, such as a bright red, can not be achieved with natural food colors. I thought the frosting came out in nice shades nonetheless. I also put out my all-natural sprinkles, and was excited about finally getting to use the snowflake ones. There are many more varieties out there, but because of the fact that they are not artificial, cost is a factor and I don't have the full product range.


I then let the kids talk me into letting them put some "unhealthy" candy on for decoration. Ah well, they will live.





Solomon declared this activity to be the funnest time he has ever had in his life. While I doubt that is really true, I was glad to hear he enjoyed it, as did all the other kids.

Friday, November 21, 2008

A fun way to kill some time

This website is too funny. Here's a sample:

Friday, November 7, 2008

Caffeine during pregnancy?

This is an interesting article about the effects of even small amounts of caffeine during pregnancy. Since I am not a coffee drinker at all, and only drink caffeine-free herbal teas, I have never really given this issue much thought other than wondering how caffeine could be good for a tiny baby when it has such obvious effects on me.

Of course, no pregnant woman will ever be able to live in a bubble free of all environmental hazards. But this one is a pretty easy one to reduce/eliminate/avoid, I think.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Breast milk donation

Okay, I am not talking about Ben & Jerry's here!

Before you declare me crazy, read this post, and then you have the right to call me nuts if you like. I just won't post your comments.

Like any mother of 5 young children, I have lots of spare time on my hands. NOT. Like any woman, I love using a breast pump. Very funny. Like any large family, I have lots of extra room in my freezers. Maybe once the kids leave home?

So why on earth donate breast milk?!? Honestly, because I feel bad for any baby who has to drink formula, and much more so if it's a tiny, premature baby to whom it could make the difference between life and death. My milk supply has been getting better and better with every baby, and I would love to share the abundance.

There are many milk banks out there who take donations. The sign-up process is lengthy, and you will need to have your blood checked for just about every communicable disease out there. The milk bank will cover all the costs for the tests, supply you with all necessary equipment, and take care of the shipping. You will not get paid for the milk you donate. If you have thought about donating milk in the past, you should definitely look into it. If you do, and you are like me, you want to make sure that 100% of the milk you donate goes to a cause you want to support, such as premature infants. There are other critically ill patients using human milk, such as cancer patients who can no longer tolerate food. There are also critically ill HIV-positive patients using it, but the last person I want my milk to go to is some old, decrepit queer. No, not all people with HIV are gay, but I wouldn't want to take my chances. With a newborn at least I can be sure of that.

I signed on with International Breast Milk Project. This particular milk bank ships 25% of their donated milk to critically ill infants in Africa, and uses the rest for premature babies in the US. I wonder what the person who commented on my daughter's birth announcement saying that I am overpopulating the earth because I "don't like brown people" has ever done to actually help children in Africa other than just feeling all fuzzy and pitiful about them.

Anyway... I think every liberal hippie would love me if it weren't for the fact that I am a Christian. I am a homebirthing, babywearing, "co-sleeping", non-circumcising, Birkenstock-wearing, granola-eating, make-up hating, natural medicine practicing and now human milk donating lactivist.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

My two cents on babies and scheduling

With five children, I would consider myself pretty organized, and more and more so as our family continues to grow. I have a basic schedule that I follow every day, and I will not go to bed until I finish up at night unless I am very ill. It's just easier for me and the kids when we know what we need to get done when, and who is responsible for it.

Having said that, let me give you my thoughts on scheduling young babies. First off, we do not practice birth control. Breastfeeding, if practiced right, naturally spaces children. So any method of scheduling babies that interferes with on-demand breastfeeding is out of the question for me. There are many books out there, such as My First 300 Babies and Babywise, that I cannot condone for that reason. These books were developed for bottle-fed babies, and the schedules were later adjusted to "fit" breastfed infants. Even if your milk supply will not suffer from feedings spaced that many hours apart, most women will not be able to hold off ovulation that way, and will find themselves pregnant within months of giving birth if breastfeeding is their only form of spacing pregnancies. Obviously, I feel strongly about not bottle-feeding babies, but that is a different post for another day.

So what are you to do as a mom if you still want to get a shower and get at least the basic housework and cooking done, while your baby wants to eat around the clock?

The first few weeks after your baby is born, you really should just focus on getting rest and holding your baby. Hopefully, your husband or other family members and friends can help you around the house during this time. Once the baby gets to be a couple of weeks old, you will usually be able to see a predictable pattern of when they sleep best (most do so in the morning), and then you can schedule your errands etc. accordingly. So you will be able to follow a simple, basic schedule, but it is one set by the baby, rather than imposed on him/her by an author of a book who probably had 2 kids themselves.

As the baby gets older, the nap times will change (they will be fewer, but longer), until most children will eventually only take one long nap per day (starting around age 1).

I think where many parents miss the boat is that they allow their children to dictate their own schedule as said child gets older and older. This will also make the child want to have their way in every other area of life, and you will soon find yourself with a brat on your hands.

My rule of thumb is that once a child is capable of understanding what I tell them to do, they are expected to do it. So while I can't explain to my 2-week old that she needs to go to sleep on her own, and that I will be in bed myself shortly, a 9-12 month old baby does have a concept of bedtime. I don't think kids should ever be left to "cry-it-out". If they are too young to understand, it is your job as a mother to comfort the child just like it is your job to feed and care for them in every other area of life. But once they get to an age (usually around age 1) where they understand that it is now bedtime, they are not allowed to throw an angry fit just because they would rather stay up and play longer.

Our kids are taught to go to sleep on their own once they only take one nap per day and are around 1 year old. To ease this transition, I start by putting said child down for their naps on their own when they are still awake, but sleepy (as opposed to feeding them until they fall asleep and then laying them down). I will then find something quiet to do in the room as they fall asleep, such as folding laundry. If they get up, I remind them to put their head back on the pillow. It has never taken me more than a week to get them to take their nap on their own. Once they have learned that, I do the same at nighttime, with the same results. Your life will become easier at this point, and your child will have learned about obeying in general, not just in regard to bedtime.

I guess what I am saying is that you can and should expect more and more from your children as they get older, but that it does not mean neglecting your babies. Just like you would not expect a young baby to go to the fridge and feed themselves a meal, you can't expect them to settle themselves down when they are upset and wanting to be held, but you can expect that as they get older, smarter, and more independent.

Just my thoughts.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

A Wasted Vote

by Chuck Baldwin
October 10, 2008
When asked why they will not vote for a third party candidate, many people will respond by saying something like, He cannot win. Or, I don't want to waste my vote. It is true: America has not elected a third party candidate since 1860. Does that automatically mean, however, that every vote cast for one of the two major party candidates is not a wasted vote? I don't think so.

In the first place, a wasted vote is a vote for someone you know does not represent your own beliefs and principles. A wasted vote is a vote for someone you know will not lead the country in the way it should go. A wasted vote is a vote for the lesser of two evils. Or, in the case of John McCain and Barack Obama, what we have is a choice between the evil of two lessers.

Albert Einstein is credited with saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. For years now, Republicans and Democrats have been leading the country in the same basic direction: toward bigger and bigger government; more and more socialism, globalism, corporatism, and foreign interventionism; and the dismantling of constitutional liberties. Yet, voters continue to think that they are voting for change when they vote for a Republican or Democrat. This is truly insane.

Take a look at the recent $700 billion Wall Street bailout: both John McCain and Barack Obama endorsed and lobbied for it. Both McCain and Obama will continue to bail out these international banksters on the backs of the American taxpayers. Both McCain and Obama support giving illegal aliens amnesty and a path to citizenship. In the debate this past Tuesday night, both McCain and Obama expressed support for sending U.S. forces around the world for peacekeeping purposes. They also expressed support for sending combat forces against foreign countries even if those countries do not pose a threat to the United States. Neither Obama nor McCain will do anything to stem the tide of a burgeoning police state or a mushrooming New World Order. Both Obama and McCain support NAFTA and similar free trade deals. Neither candidate will do anything to rid America of the Federal Reserve, or work to eliminate the personal income tax, or disband the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Both Obama and McCain support the United Nations. So, pray tell, how is a vote for either McCain or Obama not a wasted vote?

But, back to the he cannot win argument: to vote for John McCain is to vote for a man who cannot win. Yes, I am saying it here and now: John McCain cannot win this election. The handwriting is on the wall. The Fat Lady is singing. It is all over. Finished. John McCain cannot win.

With only three weeks before the election, Barack Obama is pulling away. McCain has already pulled his campaign out of Michigan. In other key battleground states, McCain is slipping fast. He was ahead in Missouri; now it is a toss-up or leaning to Obama. A couple of weeks ago, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida were all leaning towards McCain, or at least toss-up states. Now, they are all leaning to Obama. Even the longtime GOP bellwether state of Indiana is moving toward Obama. In addition, new voter registrations are at an all-time high, and few of them are registering as Republicans. In fact, the Republican Party now claims only around 25% of the electorate, and Independents are increasingly leaning toward Obama.

Ladies and gentlemen, Barack Obama is headed for an electoral landslide victory over John McCain. John McCain can no more beat Barack Obama than Bob Dole could beat Bill Clinton.

I ask, therefore, Are not conservatives and Christians who vote for John McCain guilty of the same thing that they accuse people who vote for third party candidates of doing? Are they not voting for someone who cannot win? Indeed, they are. In fact, conservatives and Christians who vote for John McCain are not only voting for a man who cannot win, they are voting for a man who does not share their own beliefs and principles. If this is not insanity, nothing is.

So, why not (for once in your life, perhaps) cast a vote purely for principle Vote for someone who is truly pro-life. Someone who would quickly secure our nation's borders, and end the invasion of our country by illegal aliens. Someone who would, on his first day in office, release Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean and fire U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton. Someone who would immediately, upon assuming office, begin leading the charge to dismantle the Federal Reserve, overturn the 16th Amendment, expunge the IRS, and return America to sound money principles. Someone who would get the US out of the UN. Someone who would stop spending billions and trillions of dollars for foreign aid. Someone who would prosecute the Wall Street bankers who defrauded the American people out of billions of dollars. Someone who would work to repeal NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT, the WTO, and stop the NAFTA superhighway. Someone who would say a resounding No to the New World Order. Someone who would stop using our brave men and women in uniform as global cops for the United Nations. Someone who would stop America's global adventurism and interventionism. Someone who would steadfastly support and defend the right of the people to keep and bear arms.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

A couple of simple science gigs

Here are a couple of my favorite science experiments for the kids to do on their own while I am busy or need to sneak in a nap:

1. Fireworks in a glass

Fill a clear glass cup or jar with water. Mix about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil with 5-10 drops of several food colors (a couple of quick stirs with a fork is enough). Pour oil mixture on top of water in glass. The oil and food color don't mix, but as soon as a drop of the food color reaches the water, it burst into a streak of color, creating the fireworks effect. Here is a picture of our fireworks once they had been going for a little while:


2. Surface tension of water

Lay out various coins for your child, as well as a cup of water and a dropper (you can use one from a medicine kit, an old supplement bottle, ask for one at your local pharmacy, or buy one in the science section of any school store). Tell your child to guess how many drops of water will fit on each coin, and have them write down their guesses. Then have them try and count, writing down their results, which are VERY surprising! They can then try to see if clean coins fit more drops than dirtier coins, or if one side works better than another, etc. Be sure to provide (paper) towels. You can use this activity as an introduction to a lesson about the surface tension of water and maybe even get a couple of library books on the subject.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

A labor of love

Rebecca's birth was a planned water birth at home. As promised, here is the birth story. It is not too graphic or explicit for men or children, although I doubt any of them would be interested in reading this.

As is the case with most home births, two midwives were going to be present. The ones I had chosen were the same that had attended Miriam's birth 20 months ago, Marinah and Connie. Unfortunately, one of them, Marinah, had since moved to Mexico, so our plan was to fly her up here just for the birth. Due to scheduling conflicts, she could only come for 11 days rather than the 2 weeks that I had in mind. Still, since all of our babies had been born within a couple of days of their due dates, we felt confident that I could "make it". In case that didn't work out, there was another midwife we could fall back on as a backup.

Marinah arrived in Phoenix on the evening of the 9th, and both her and Connie came by for a prenatal that night. Nothing much happened for the next week and a half, other than me having lots of contractions at night that would go away again during the day. By the time this last weekend rolled around, I was getting pretty tired from losing so much sleep at night, and also starting to wonder if I would have the baby before Marinah had to fly home again on the morning of the 21st.

At a prenatal this past Friday, the baby had still not descended at all, but I was 60% effaced and dilated to 1 cm. On Saturday, my contractions finally didn't go away during the day, although they did space out quite a bit. They were uncomfortable, but not too much so. I started taking some herbal supplements that would either make the contractions stronger and more regular if this was in fact the "real thing", or make them go away altogether if this was another false alarm.

All Saturday night, I had very painful contractions every 3-5 minutes apart, which I usually only get when I am pretty far advanced. Since Miriam was born within a couple of hours of active labor, and only shortly after the midwives had arrived, I decided to play it safe and called Marinah at 3 AM on Sunday morning. Both her and Connie came out, but much to my dismay I was still only dilated to 1 cm, and the baby still had not engaged at all. I was very, very tired because I had not slept well in a couple of weeks and hardly at all the last two nights. The midwives left all their birth supplies at the house and went home to get some more sleep themselves, while I tried to rest between contractions. I was also very nauseated and had a bad headache at this point, and I think this is when I started throwing up.

I was feeling a little better during the early part of Sunday, although I did stay home from church because my contractions were about 5-10 minutes apart (but milder). By the afternoon, my labor picked up again, with pretty hard contractions every 3-5 minutes. After several hours of this, I called Marinah to come out again at 7 PM on Sunday night. Based on how hard the contractions were, I has hoping I would be dilated to somewhere around 5 cm, but when she checked me I was only 2 cm, almost fully effaced, and baby still not engaged.

At this point, I got extremely discouraged. I had been in what I felt like very active and painful labor for 24 hours, after two weeks of prodromal labor that had left me sleep-deprived, and I was hardly even dilating at all. Worse yet, I had hardly been able to eat anything since Saturday night, and had been throwing up pretty much the whole time since then, mostly bile because that was all I had in my stomach. Worse yet, I found out that Sunday night that Marinah was leaving for Mexico again on Monday morning, not Tuesday as I had wrongly assumed. At this point, going to the hospital and getting every pain medication available sounded like the best thing in the world. In fact, I would have been begging for a C-section because I was so tired and in so much pain, with no end in sight.

Marinah stayed at the house and supported me during this time. At 9:30 PM, she checked me again and I was about 3.5 cm dilated. Though still not much, I started feeling better because I felt that I was at least making some progress. She said she would go out for dinner and be back in one hour to see how things were going. Well, she didn't get back until about 11:30 PM because she had gone all the way to Connie's house to pick her up. When they finally got back, she checked me and I was at 5 cm. This whole time, the contractions had been about the same strength and frequency - every 3-5 minutes and very painful, but manageable because they peaked for only about 10-15 seconds, which I would be counting down. I had been in and out of the birth tub until this point, but stayed there for the rest of this labor from there on out (except to use the bathroom, which I had to do about every 10 minutes). My attitude improved, even though I was still very very nauseated and so tired I was sometimes shaking uncontrollably. I would have a contraction, then throw up violently, and doze off for a couple of minutes before the next one. By around 12:45 am, I was dilated to 7 cm, with the contractions still the same that they had been for about 30 hours at this point. I was fully dilated just 20 minutes later (shortly after 1 am) and felt like pushing, but baby had not had a chance to change its position as quickly as I had dilated. While still painful, the next 20 minutes or so were a sort of "calm before the storm" as I was waiting for the baby to rotate and descend. My bag of waters was still intact at this point. All of a sudden, baby turned during a contraction, and slipped into the birth canal. I could feel the huge difference in position, and started pushing. It only took about 5 minutes (maybe 2 or 3 contractions) until the baby's head was crowning. With one more push, the head was born and the bag of waters broke at the same time. The rest of the baby slipped out moments later with the next contractions. Marinah immediately scooped her up and put her on my abdomen, but the cord was a little short so I had to sit back on my husband's legs (who I had asked to get into the tub to support me during the pushing stage) to be able to hold the baby high enough so the water wasn't covering her face. She gave a couple of little squeaks, and then just started looking around with bright, curious eyes. I was just overwhelmed with gratitude that it was all over, and in a bit of shock because everything had suddenly happened so fast.

The kids had all gone to sleep around 8 PM on Sunday, but Miriam woke up just minutes before the birth. Connie got her from her bed and sat her on my bed next to the birth tub, from where she watched the last few minutes of the birth. She was fascinated and started laughing and pointing when she saw her little sister being pulled out of the water. A few minutes later, Connie woke the three boys and they got to meet their new little sister as well before being tucked back into bed.

During my pregnancy, I was so convinced that this was a girl that I didn't even bother to check for about 10 minutes or so after she was born. Sure enough, it was a girl.

I got out of the tub and got all cleaned up and into bed while Marinah and Connie checked the baby over. Then the midwives fixed some food for me, because I felt absolutely famished and not nauseated any more at all. About an hour after the birth, I cut the baby's cord - a first for me, because my husband had done that with all the other babies. The midwives then cleaned up the house, started the washer, and made sure we were all well and taken care of. They left the house around 4 am, just in time for Marinah to take Connie back home, then go by her parents' house (which is where she had been staying) to grab her bags and have them drive her to the airport, where she had to be by 7 am. It really was a very close call, but she made it onto her flight in time and arrived home safely (and no doubt tired) on Monday evening.

Connie came by for the 1-day checkup on Monday evening and found us both in perfect condition. Other than still being a little tired, I don't feel like I just gave birth at all. I am not sore whatsoever, and even the afterpains and bleeding have been very minimal, which I attribute to the herbs I took in early labor. Of course, I am still going to take it very easy on myself and the baby, and not leave the house at all for at least the next week. My husband and the kids are taking care of all the housework, and thanks to the meals I precooked I won't have to cook for at least 2 weeks, so I pretty much just spend all day in bed resting.

Rebecca is a very alert and content baby. She is awake for hours at a time, but never cries. She loves to look around at all the faces, and as soon as she hears her Daddy's voice she tries to turn her head in that direction. She nurses like a pro, and my milk is already coming in so she is getting plenty of dirty diapers.

All in all, this was a very long and tiring labor, but that was made up for by the fact that the contractions never really got so painful that I could no longer manage them, probably due to the fact that I labored in water (HUGE difference!).

Here are some pictures from the big night:

Connie holding Rebecca, who is meeting Miriam up close for the first time


My husband holding Rebecca


Me cutting her cord


Marinah weighing the baby


Marinah and Connie with Rebecca


Johnny, Rebecca and I in bed together shortly after the birth

Monday, October 20, 2008

Birth Announcement

It's a ...

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GIRL!

Rebecca Helen Anderson was born today, October 20, at 1:38 AM. She weighed 7 lbs 11 ounces, but has not yet been measured to see how long she is. She was named in honor of my husband's great-grandmother and grandmother.

Rebecca is very alert and curious. She was born knowing how to smile, and loves starting at her older siblings while they chat with her. She is very mellow and content, and hardly even cried after being born.

As planned, Rebecca was born at home after a long but manageable labor. I will post the full birth story on here as soon as I get a chance to write it. Thank you to all who prayed for a safe and easy delivery!

Update: At the 1-day checkup tonight, Rebecca measured 20 inches!





Thursday, September 25, 2008

SIDS, daycare, and church nurseries

What do the three have in common, you may wonder? Let me explain.

After a recent order from a baby-related website, I received a notification in the mail telling me that my order came with a complimentary, one-year subscription to the magazine "Parenting". This magazine could more aptly be called "Lack of Parenting" or "Parenting Failures", but nonetheless, reading it makes for cheap comic relief after a hard day of real parenting.

Back to the subject at hand, though. The September issue featured an article called "Lost Babies", which deals with the subject of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is the diagnosis anytime an apparently healthy baby suddenly dies in their sleep of unknown causes during the first year of life (most deaths occur between 2 and 4 months).

First off, let me make it clear that I do think SIDS is real, that it is not entirely preventable, and that parents should never be blamed in the death of their child regardless of the circumstances.

Having said that, I think there are many factors that could reduce the incidence of SIDS. Some of the more well-known are putting babies on their back to sleep, keeping away cigarette-smoke, not using soft bedding, and breastfeeding exclusively. Personally, I am also convinced that sleeping next to Mom and Dad is infinitely important, and I am not talking about a bassinet by the bedside. SIDS is thought to be caused largely by an immature breathing reflex. If healthy babies do not get enough oxygen in their sleep, this reflex will kick in and make them yawn or turn their head to get more air. This reflex is also responsible for making sure baby doesn't "forget" to breathe once they go into a deeper sleep phase. By being tucked into bed next to its parent(s), the baby has a sort of "breathing pacemaker" by its side. Babies that sleep like that automatically fall into the same breathing pattern as the parent that they are snuggled up to, and thus do not forget to breathe. Also, babies have a reflex that causes them to take a deep breath anytime someone blows in their face, which Mom does all night long when she is breathing next to the baby cradled in her arms, face to face. Of course, there are safe sleeping practices that must be observed when sleeping next to a young baby, but I will not discuss those here.

Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has also started recommending that all babies should be using a pacifier, which has been shown to reduce the incidence of SIDS by as much as 90%. To me, this further supports my theory that sleeping next to Mom is very healthy, because babies that do so spend their night using Mom for their nursing comfort rather than a binky. This has many benefits for mom and baby: Mom will have a good milk supply, and will have lots of endorphins in her system from the extra feedings, which will create a strong bond between her and the baby. She will also sleep better and never wake up groggy and sleep-deprived from having to get up for midnight feedings. The baby will grow faster, have a close bond to its mother, and will not be sucking on a plastic binky that may contain dangerous chemicals or be recalled for being otherwise dangerous. Baby will also not be taught to find comfort in material objects rather than in his real, human Mom.

The following information, however, was new and shocking to me. According to the article, "In the most recent AAP analysis, about 20 percent of all SIDS deaths occurred while the baby was in the care of someone other than a parent. One third of the infants died during the first week of childcare, and half of those deaths occurred on the very first day." Such was the case of the couple that was introduced in the article, whose 4-month old died of SIDS during an afternoon nap on his first day in childcare. The study suggested that being in an unfamiliar (which to a baby equals hostile) environment might interfere with the baby's sleep cycle, "so that when he finally does fall asleep, he sleeps too deeply". Going back to the binky theory, this would now make more sense because the baby is fooled into thinking Mom is near when she isn't.

So please, do not put your young baby in a childcare facility, and you might save his/her life.

What does that have to do with church nurseries? A lot. Many churches are now making nursery care mandatory for all babies in an effort to eliminate all distractions from the service. For one, I don't know what young baby is ever a distraction when all they do is eat and sleep, both of which are silent activities and can be done during a service.

It has always amused me that it is perfectly fine to whip out a bottle and pop it in baby's mouth in front of everyone, but that discretely breastfeeding under a shawl or blanket is considered obscene, when a bottle that is made to look and feel like the "real thing" is much more graphic than a mom who is completely covered. Here is a shock: everyone is naked underneath their clothes. GASP! So covering up with a blouse or dress is fine, but a (much more modest) shawl is insufficient? That doesn't make any sense. Of course, these squeamish people will be quick to point out that it is the ACT of breastfeeding that is offensive, even if no skin is ever visible. In fact, I have heard one pastor compare breastfeeding to the marriage act, which I can only call perverted. Other people say that there is nothing indecent about nursing a baby if Mom is covered, but it is still inappropriate in mixed company because it reminds men of the fact that women have breasts. To me, that is just as laughable. You mean there are men who DON'T know that?!? Those same people must not read their Bible very much, because it talks a lot about those subjects.

Breastfeeding is vital to a baby. It has become optional in our freak society with science supposedly making life "easier and better", but God never intended for that. He designed for Moms to feed their children, not Nestle. To me, giving a baby formula on a physical level is like reading to him out of a false Bible on a spiritual level. The Bible is called the "sincere milk of the word", and babies should be fed with sincere milk both physically and spiritually. If exclusively breastfeeding Moms should only do so in the privacy of their home, than they would never ever be able to go anywhere, including church, because most young babies need to eat at least once per hour.

Back to the church nursery. Young babies are not allowed in the service because they like to nurse, the thought of which sends most independent Baptist pastors into convulsions. Older babies are not allowed because they might coo, or look at other people in the room and distract them by smiling at them. Young toddlers might drop a toy, say something, or need to go to the bathroom. On and on the list goes.

Nobody seems to care that Jesus said "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 19:14) and "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." (Luke 18:16). They seem to never have read that "when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:14). I wonder why all three times Jesus used the word "suffer" - could it be because babies and young children can, in fact, be distracting at times, but we are still supposed to put up with it?!? What a strange thought. My kids were very distracting to me throughout the day today, but the thought that I should just leave them at a daycare center instead never crossed my mind. You just learn to put up with it. I find adults just as distracting at times. They have coughing fits, whisper during the service, dig through their purse, and are not just allowed but actually encouraged to yell out during the service ("Amen!" "Preach it, brother!" "That's right!" etc.). So an adult yelling out loud is not distracting, but a baby is? Why are children not allowed in church (which is not the building, but the general assembly)? Don't they need to learn more than anyone else, and aren't they the most likely to believe what is taught from the Bible?

If anyone who reads this thinks that our services must be a pandemonium because all children of all ages are in the services, they should listen to the sermons. Outbursts from children are very, very rare, and always very brief. We do have a "mother-baby room" at the back of the auditorium that has a rocker, a swing, toys etc. where Moms can step out while still being able to see and hear the service without being heard themselves. That being said, nobody is ever expected to use it, and the room is empty at most of the services.

In spite of claims of how clean, nice, and loving church nurseries are, I have to yet see one that is. Nursery workers are "hirelings", and a hireling is just that - a hireling and not a loving parent. Back when we were going to a big church in Indiana I heard of several young babies that had died in their newborn nursery, some while we were there. In fact, 3 more died in the year after we left. While some of the ladies in the older nurseries were sincerely friendly, such was not the case with the newborns. The Nazi in charge of the nurseries had picked the meanest, oldest matrons to care for these babies. The routine was the same for each baby at each service: feed, change diaper, put down in crib or swing to sleep. Crying babies were left to soothe themselves and were not carried, rocked, or otherwise comforted, and is it any wonder that the babies who had died were found lying dead in their crib after crying themselves to sleep. Just the thought makes me shudder. This same church issued photo ID cards (they looked much like a driver's license) for babies who due to medical reasons could not be in the nursery (such as a permanent, contagious disease). These babies and their parent(s) were then confined to a glass-enclosed extension of the main auditorium that was soundproof but had the service transmitted via speakers. I think we were the only parents to hold this precious card, other than the family whose daughter was born with a heart defect. She was not allowed to cry much because it could have strained her weak heart to the point of death, which made her ineligible for the loveless nurseries. This same little girl died shortly after she was finally put in the nursery at age 1 - but of course, there is no connection, right?!?

Another argument against telling people where they or their kids have to be during church is found in James 2:3: "And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:" I am well aware of the fact that gay in the Bible has a different meaning than it does today, but isn't it ironic that most churches will in fact allow homosexuals in their service and treat them kindly and respectfully, but ban the babies from church? "Stand thou there in the hallway outside the auditorium" and "Sit here under my footstool in this back office" (or worse yet, the closet behind the restrooms) are all places where I have found myself with my babies.

There are other arguments against nurseries, such as the perverts and pedophiles who are always quick to volunteer to watch the kids, or the never-ending cycle of diseases being passed around.

Why is it acceptable to drop your child off four times a week for Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night services and for soul-winning, but it is wrong to put him/her in daycare five times a week to go work a job? If leaving your child in the nursery means risking him/her dying, being molested by a worker or hurt by another bratty child, and at best coming home with (sometimes very serious) diseases, why does everyone do it even though the Bible says it is wrong?

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Great recipe

A reader of my blog sent me the following recipe for a German Plum Cake. Having grown up in Germany, I have tried many different versions of plum cake, and I honestly have to say this is the best I have ever had. Although I have not tried it with any other fruit yet, I have been told this recipe works equally well with apples or cherries. It really is worth a try! Here is a picture of my cake fresh out of the oven:


PFLAUMEN KUCHEN

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Italian prune plums*

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream sugar and butter until smooth and creamy; add egg and vanilla, beating until creamy. Add flour and milk alternately until well blended. Spread batter in a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Cut plums in quarters, removing pits. Lay fruit in rows, skin side down on batter. Make rows crowded with fruit.

Streusel

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon**

Mix all ingredients together, and crumble through fingers. Sprinkle evenly over batter and fruit.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

*The only store in my area that carried this kind of plums was Whole Foods. The conventionally grown kind were on sale for only $.99/lb. These plums are only in season for a couple of weeks each year, so if you want to try this cake you would need to make it right around now. Here is a picture of Italian prune plums to give you an idea of what to look for:


**My plums were pretty tart, so I omitted the cinnamon from the streusels and instead sprinkled the plums generously with cinnamon-sugar before crumbling the streusel topping on top of them.

The cake tastes great by itself, but you can also add some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and sprinkle with more cinnamon-sugar.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Important safety recall

Infants Strangled to Death in Simplicity Bassinets: CPSC Urges Consumers To Stop Using Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible “Close-Sleeper” Models

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents and caregivers to stop using convertible “close-sleeper/bedside sleeper” bassinets manufactured by Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa. CPSC has learned that on August 21, 2008, a 5-month-old girl from Shawnee, Kan. was strangled to death when she became entrapped between the bassinet’s metal bars. This is the second strangulation death CPSC has learned of in the close-sleeper bassinets. On September 29, 2007, a 4-month-old girl from Noel, Mo. became entrapped in the metal bars of the bassinet and died.

CPSC is issuing this safety alert because SFCA Inc., the company which purchased all of Simplicity Inc.’s assets at public auction in April 2008, has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products. SFCA maintains that it is not responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity Inc.

The Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets contain metal bars spaced farther apart than 2 3/8 inches, which is the maximum distance allowed under the federal crib safety standard. The metal bars are covered by an adjustable fabric flap which is attached by velcro. The fabric is folded down when the bassinet is converted into a bed-side co-sleeping position. If the velcro is not properly re-secured when the flap is adjusted, an infant can slip through the opening and become entrapped in the metal bars and suffocate. This warning does not cover bassinets produced in recent months that have fabric permanently attached over the lower bar.

Due to the serious hazard these bassinets pose to babies, CPSC urges all consumers to share this safety warning with day care centers, consignment stores, family and friends to ensure that no child is placed to sleep in a Simplicity convertible bassinet covered by this warning.

The Commission voted, using its new authorities in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, to release this warning upon making a finding that the health and safety of the public require immediate notice.



Friday, September 12, 2008

All-natural baking

This is an adjunct to yesterday's post on all-natural cake decorating. Of course, you have to have something to decorate, which is what this post is about.

Sure, you could just use ready cake mix and frosting out of a tub. But I would not recommend any of the main stream brands such as Betty Crocker or similar ones. They have a long list of unhealthy ingredients and don't even taste good at all. In 8 years of marriage, I have never bought ready cake mix or frosting, and don't intend to ever do so.

The best and cheapest option is to make your own cake and frosting from scratch, which doesn't take that much more time. With four young children and highly pregnant, I still manage to bake something from scratch almost every single day (cakes, pies, cookies, pizza, bread, etc.). Skip that TV show you just HAVE to watch and use that time to make a healthy dessert for your family instead.

Alternatively, you can also find ready mixes for cakes and frosting at the health food store. My favorites are the ones made by Dr Oetger, but these are quite more expensive than making your own.

Here are some additional ideas to increase the nutritional value of your favorite recipes:

- You can substitute the flour in just about any recipe with whole wheat pastry flour without anyone noticing.

- You can use canola oil instead of butter in most cake recipes without having to make changes such as adding more flour or less liquid. Your cake will be a lot moister, too, which makes it even less obvious that you used whole wheat pastry flour. Oil is also cheaper than butter.

- Use butter instead of shortening in all your pie crusts. Shortening should not be an item stocked in your kitchen if you are health-conscious.

- Never use margarine for anything. Even the ones labeled as healthy are not.

- You can substitute up to half of the butter/oil called for in a recipe with all-natural apple sauce or mashed banana to cut down on the fat calories. The texture will be more gummy and chewy, though.

- You can reduce the sugar in most recipes by 1/3 to 1/2 without much noticeable difference.

- Never use sugar substitutes, including Splenda, none of which are safe or healthy.

- You can substitute honey for sugar in many recipes. Because honey has twice the sweetening power of sugar, you will only need to use about half as much (or one fourth as much if you were planning on cutting the sugar content in half anyway). This works especially well in cookies, which will stay very moist and chewy.

- Do not use non-stick baking pans or the new silicone dishes, all of which break down their unhealthy coating into your food. Instead, buy glass or ceramic bakeware, or the old-fashioned metal pans without non-stick coating. Another option is cast iron.

- Instead of using parchment paper (which is lined with unhealthy chemicals to make it non-stick), spray your baking pans with oil or rub them with butter.

There is a place for sweet treats even for the health conscious if you adopt a few of these minor changes, and make more changes over time.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

All-natural cake decorating

All-natural food colors are hard to find, as are sprinkles without artificial colors. Some brands of liquid food coloring I have tried yield radically different colors than the bottle promises (such as pink instead of blue, brown instead of yellow, etc.). In addition, a lot of natural liquid colors cost upward of $8 per bottle, and about half a bottle is needed to color one batch of frosting.

This post is not about the negative effects of artificial food additives/colors, but you can do a google search on the subject if you are curious. In Germany, where I come from, most artificial food colors are not labeled safe for human consumption, and are thus not allowed to be used in food items. Yet, there are many cake decorating items available in all sorts of colors, based on all-natural food extracts. For years, I have been searching to find something similar here in the United States, and I think I may just have found it.

India Tree makes a line of all natural food colorings and sprinkles called "Nature's Colors". Here is a picture of the shades of frosting that can be made with their liquid food colors, which are made from the following ingredients: BLUE: glycerin, deionized water, red cabbage. RED: beet juice, citric acid. YELLOW: glycerin, deionized water, turmeric, sodium hydroxide.

You can see from the picture that some colors, such as a bright red or a dark green or blue cannot be achieved with these natural colors, because they are based on real foods.

Decorating sugars are available in the following colors:


This is a picture of their other all-natural decorating items. The only thing not shown here are the all-natural snowflake sprinkles.


This company does not sell to the public, though. Some specialty and health food stores carry some of their products, but your best chances of finding the full assortment are online. ChefTools carries the full product line at very reasonable prices. Please note that not all of India Tree's decorating items are all natural, but only the ones labeled as such (all of which I listed above). ChefTools lists the ingredients in each of the individual products, so you can check before purchasing.

I am going to order from them later today, and will write another post to update you on how I liked their products.