Sunday, December 23, 2012

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

Only 2 more days until Christmas! Which to moms of many means one thing: only 3 more days until it's time to get started on gifts for Christmas 2013! Yay! :)

If you were relying on the world ending this past Friday to get you out of gift shopping/making, and now find yourself short a present or two, here are some simple, quick, but super impressive gifts to whip up at the last minute. 



I used this Wilton cookie pan, a gift from my mother-in-law


I'm not a coffee drinker myself, but these tasted simply fabulous.




Who know that just three ingredients could combine into the most tempting treat ever? Here, packaged in little gift bags with peppermint bark, are the white and dark chocolate varieties. 


These are scented with just eucalyptus, but of course the sky is the limit with essential oils. The boys tested some with lavender and eucalyptus and were instantly hooked. 



Three of my four suggestions are food based... hmm... but who's counting, right? :)









Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thankful for Life

Every year, like families everywhere, we like to reflect on God's blessings in our lives. There are many more than we could list, but of earthly blessings, I would have to say that children are God's greatest gift to us.

With baby Stephen being a new addition this year, we have so much more to be thankful for. Whenever we have a new child, it seems unimaginable to not have had him or her.



Some have told me, "With that sort of mentality, you would just keep going and going, and never stop!", referring to having children. Yes! Guilty as charged! My point exactly! In all honesty, I always wondered about how much parents love their children if they have this, "Thanks, but no thanks" attitude toward more babies. God's word tells us that children are a reward and a blessing. God promises to provide our needs and not give us more than we are able to bear. So why put a limit on how much we allow God to bless us?


The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. - Proverbs 10:22


Would those same people, if offered a pay raise at their job, turn it down? What if they inherited something big, like a large mansion? Nobody turns those things down, because when it comes to good things, more is always better.


Monday, November 5, 2012

Homemade Baby Wipes

You may read this and go - "Make my own baby wipes?? Forget about it!!!" 

And if that's you, I don't blame you. I know all too well how many things are pulling moms in all directions day in, day out. My goal is not to add to the never-ending list of your obligations. 



But before you completely dismiss the idea of making your own wipes, let me submit to you that making these wipes is easier, quicker, and healthier than buying wipes at the store.

Ready-made baby wipes contain many harmful chemicals, most notably questionable preservatives. Since the vast majority of body care products are absorbed through the skin, I try not to put anything on my skin I would not consider food-safe.


Saturday, October 20, 2012

"Life with Lily" book giveaway winner

My apologies for this being late, the giveaway ended on Thursday.

There were 17 qualifying comments. I used random.org to pick a random number.



Which means that the winner is...




... Heather! 

Congratulations! I am so happy for you. Please send me the address you would like your copy of the book mailed to.

Many thanks to all who participated. I will have another exciting giveaway soon.


Thursday, October 11, 2012

"Life with Lily" Book Review and Giveaway

Last month, I received a copy of "Life with Lily" from the author. Mary Ann Kinsinger was raised Amish, but as an adult realized she was not truly a Christian, and as a result, was born again and is no longer Amish. She chronicles her journey on her popular blog, A Joyful Chaos



Her book, aimed at children ages 8-10, recounts stories from her childhood through the adventures of "Lily Lapp". It is a glimpse into the life of a young girl growing up Amish in today's world. 





Friday, September 28, 2012

Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day

 
The Museum Day Live! ticket provides free admission for one person, plus one guest. 

 Map of participating museums

From their website

"In the spirit of Smithsonian Museums, who offer free admission everyday, Museum Day Live! is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian magazine in which participating museums across the country open their doors to anyone presenting a Museum Day Ticket...for free."

  • Only an official Museum Day Live! ticket is eligible for free entry. Official tickets can be found here on the Museum Day Live! Website.
  • One ticket per household, for two people.
  • A ticket will gain entry to only one of the participating museums, excluding parking and special events and exhibits.
  • If museum reaches capacity, museum has the right to limit the number of guests until space becomes available.

Friday, September 21, 2012

A Judas, not a David

Looks like his "guilty" plea for taking a minor across state lines to have an illegitimate  affair with her is going to land Jack Schaap, former pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, in federal prison for ten or more years. 


As it turns out, it is, indeed, a criminal act for a 54-year old (married father of two, no less) to carry on an intimate relationship with a 16-year old under his care and counseling. Whodathunkit!!! While she met the legal age for consent, that only applies as long as there are less than 4 years of age difference... not  ***cough, cough*** 38 years.


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Genetic Roulette - The Gamble of Our Lives

Available for free viewing online, this week only, HERE.


andyourfamilyonth
Are you and your family on the wrong side of a bet?

When the US government ignored repeated warnings by its own scientists and allowed untested genetically modified (GM) crops into our environment and food supply, it was a gamble of unprecedented proportions. The health of all living things and all future generations were put at risk by an infant technology.
After two decades, physicians and scientists have uncovered a grave trend. The same serious health problems found in lab animals, livestock, and pets that have been fed GM foods are now on the rise in the US population. And when people and animals stop eating genetically modified organisms (GMOs), their health improves.
This seminal documentary provides compelling evidence to help explain the deteriorating health of Americans, especially among children, and offers a recipe for protecting ourselves and our future.


Many thanks to Crystal from Canada for making me aware of this.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

In Plane Sight

This being the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I would like to share another documentary that questions the truthfulness of the official story. 

Before you get angry at me, please remember that the truth is usually solidified the more an issue is investigated. If what we were told happened on September 11, 2001 is indeed true, we need not shy away from investigations into the matter. The deeper we dig, the more proof we should find.


If you would like to see more docus along this line, I recommend "Loose Change" and "911 Road to Tyranny."

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Three is enough!

Or: I almost had her fooled into thinking my baby was cute.

So far, I have yet to take all seven kids out of the house, by myself. I think the most I have manged to go out with at one time is four, while my husband wrangles the ones staying home.

Of course, Stephen being so tiny, he is always with me. Invariably, people at the store ooh and aah all over him, especially if I am carrying him all snug in the sling. I like to make a point to tell random strangers that I have SEVEN children, even though they are not all with me, just for the sake of pushing the "pro large family" button again and again, and pushing back on the societal pressure to have few children.

Today, as I was checking out at the store with just Isaac and Stephen, the woman behind me in line was coming undone about how cute the baby was, all curled up against my chest and fast asleep, oblivious to the world around him. I'm guessing she was about 65 or 70 years old, and based on the bitter lines on her face, she hadn't exactly spent the majority of that time smiling (or even looking indifferent, for that matter). Yet here she was, happy about Stephen. 

Friday, August 3, 2012

Stephen's Birth Story

or: Why does it take a grand multipara three days to give birth??!?

Here it is, at long last! :) 

Please note: This being about BIRTH, as much as I will try to keep my wording absolutely appropriate, you may find some of the content to be TMI, gross, offensive, or all of the above. If you are that type, please stop reading now. You have been warned! 



Tuesday, July 24, 2012

He's Here!

Stephen Gilliatt Anderson was born today on his Dad's 31st birthday, measuring 21 inches and weighing 8 lbs. 


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Chocolate-raspberry poppers

Purely by accident, I "invented" the ultimate fruity, chocolaty indulgence today. I call this creation "chocolate-raspberry poppers", because you will just want to keep popping one after the other. 



Sunday, July 15, 2012

Marathon cooking day

Over the course of the last month, whenever I could, I would make a double batch of breakfast or dinner and freeze the extra food to have on hand for after baby. My goal was to have three weeks' worth of both. For lunch, we always have dinner leftovers, so this plan really would take care of most of our food needs for at least three weeks post-baby.

Up until yesterday, I had managed to freeze about a week's worth of food that way. It seemed that many times, the kids decided that a double batch of pancakes meant they should eat twice as much, so not all the extra food actually made it to the freezer. One morning this week, I literally made crepes using 2 lbs of flour, 10 eggs, a quart of milk, and a stick of butter - all to have them shovel it down their little throats faster than I was able to cook them up!

Well, yesterday had been set aside as a day dedicated to precooking and freezing as many of the remaining meals on my list as possible. To this end, I had asked three ladies from church, as well as another friend, to come over and help (my kitchen is very small and can only fit a handful of people), while my husband was going to take all six kids out of the house for the entire day so they wouldn't be underfoot.

 Full to the brim - literally!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Questions and Answers

Please read on below for the latest round of questions and answers. Thank you for your comments, I enjoy hearing from you!



I know that you don't let your children watch television, but if there were a particularly interesting event of learning value during the London Olympics, would you let them watch it on your computer or no?

In general, yes, we occasionally allow our children to watch educational, newsworthy, or otherwise important clips on the computer. Think: documentaries and the like. None of us are much into the Olympics, however (as in, not at all), so I doubt we'll be watching any of that, simply for a lack of interest. If we were to, one requirement would be not to watch half-nude athletes.



Thursday, June 28, 2012

Time-saving kitchen tip

My late grandma used to have a saying about how you can get to be as old as a cow and still learn new things. In German, the saying rhymes, so it makes more sense than in English, as cows don't get to be very old. Her point was, we are never done learning, and I often hear myself repeating her words in my head. 

Here's something I just figured out this week.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Prenatal update

As of today, I am 35 weeks pregnant. For those of you who are wondering, here are some random pregnancy updates in no particular order:

- We have a name! I think. Unless my husband changes his mind at the last minute and vetoes it, or unless we look at the baby and the name seems entirely unfitting. In any case, we won't tell until after baby is born and it's official. Hints: It's a Bible name, and it does not appear in the list of 100 or even 1000 most popular baby boy names. 

- Speaking of baby names: I refuse to reuse any first initial. Labeling items with one letter only is crucial to my sanity. With 26 letters in the alphabet, we should be okay for a lifetime of reproduction. :)

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Questions and comments

Though I do not get to respond to them as often as I would like to, I truly do love getting comments (well, most anyway), and answering questions. 

Of course, being a busy mother to six children, combined with my need for extra sleep while pregnant, I rarely have the time to thank everyone individually for their kindness, or respond to certain questions. But rest assured, your comments are much appreciated, and usually put a smile on my face! 

I will try, maybe once a week or so, to answer questions that pop up throughout the week in a separate post. For some reason, my "Q&A" label is not working correctly at the moment, but hopefully I can figure out why. (edited to add: I was able to get the issue resolved, and the new tag is now working)

Also, my apologies to those of you who have left (unpublished) comments with your email addresses, and specific questions you would like me to answer. You are not forgotten, I promise! 


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Natural skin care and cleaning products

Sometimes I get comments asking what type of skin care products we use, or what we do in the way of cleaning products.

The transition to more natural, non-toxic products has taken us years, and the choices below came after much trial and error. A couple of areas, I am still not entirely satisfied with. The list below is not intended as a recommendation, but simply as information on what we use.

I highly recommend the EWG's website for checking the toxicity of any personal care product, and for comparing it to other brands.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

AhaHaHaHa! Parenting

Bad parenting is nothing new. Humanistic philosophies that go against the Bible are as old as time itself. So what appears to be a new trend by the name of "attachment parenting" (AP) is nothing but horrible parenting by a new, cute name.

In fact, the name implies that these parents are going above and beyond, when in truth they are conducting a dangerous social experiment on their own children, and those of others. An experiment that is sure to fail, because it goes 100% against the Bible.

You know you have fallen for the attachment parenting style if you can say any of the following, and mean it:

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Chocolate-dipped ice cream cones

Ah, summer... when it's not strawberry shortcakes for breakfast, it's ice-cream for snack time. Every afternoon. I think our kids don't even know it is possible to go out to the pool without a popsicle or ice cream cone in their hand.

I am literally never tempted to buy fast food, or conventional junk food, when out and about. Not even if the kids are all hungry, and I am tired. Just the thought grosses me out. BUT: I have one major weakness. That weakness is chocolate dipped cones from Dairy Queen. 


Friday, May 4, 2012

Recipe for Strawberry Shortcakes

This recipe is not only quick enough to pull off as an impromptu dessert or quick breakfast (yes! - beats boxed cereal any day), it also uses only honey, and whole wheat flour.




Sunday, April 29, 2012

Church Nurseries, revisited

Over three years ago, I wrote a blog post titled "Why I hate church nurseries". Here and there, I still get comments on it, because the subject really strikes a nerve with many people. 


To date, our church neither offers, nor has any plans of ever offering, a "church nursery". To some (especially pastors), this means one of two things: that we either have few families with babies and young children attending our services, or that our church services are a complete pandemonium of screaming kids running up and down the aisle, while a flustered preacher is trying to keep his train of thought. 

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Some thoughts on Miscarriage

A reader from Ohio left a comment asking for my thoughts on miscarriage. She had asked for the comment not to be published, but did not include an email address to which I could respond. 

Not wanting to ignore her questions, I decided to write a general post on this topic.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Easy recipe for breadsticks

This is a recipe I learned from - are you ready for this? - my husband! Yes, you read that right! He may not be much of a pro in the kitchen (cough, cough), but that just goes to show that we can learn something from just about anyone. :)


Saturday, March 31, 2012

Secrets to making great pizza

If you are like most people (including me and my family), you probably love pizza. But - anything less than a perfect pizza is just really not that great. For me, the most important deciding factor is the crust. It has to be thin and crunchy, while still slightly chewy, with zero sogginess. The sauce is the second most important factor.



For years, my homemade pizzas did not quite fit the bill, and I truly preferred the ones from an actual pizzeria. However, I have now arrived at making what I consider a perfect pizza, one that tastes better then any pizza shop can make (if I do say so myself).

To save you, my readers, some of the frustrating mistakes I battled for years, I thought I would share the secrets I learned through much trial and error.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Does that baby still sleep in your bed?

(Because inquiring minds want to know)

No, she doesn't. In fact, she never has. Anna, like all of our babies, has had her own bed, in her own room, from the first night after she was born, and has spent every single night in it.

True, it is not a crib. Rather, she sleeps in a her own, queen-size bed (how appropriate for a little girl like her). Some time before the new baby comes, we will move her to a toddler bed in her sisters' room, to free up the "big bed" for the new baby. 

 Miriam as a newborn

Saturday, March 17, 2012

The Luck of the Irish?

This morning, as usual, I made my Saturday run to the produce house for some great deals on organic fruits and veggies. For $21, we got:

8 cucumbers
1 lb strawberries
1 bag + 3 extra kiwis
1/2 lb bag of snow peas
3 heads heirloom lettuce
about 2 lbs on the vine tomatoes
1 large pineapple
3 bunches green onions
2 bunches carrots 
1 box of mushrooms

If you think that is a good deal, you are right. But wait until you hear this: as I was getting ready to leave, one of the guys there told me that they had put the flats of organic pineapple on sale for $2 per flat!!! 



Friday, March 16, 2012

Breakfast Greens

This is a great side dish any time of day, but I love to eat it with some toast and eggs for breakfast. Getting leafy greens first thing in the morning seems to give me that much needed energy boost for the day, and it's a nice change of pace from green smoothies.
 


Friday, January 20, 2012

Kids and allowance

From time to time I get asked about if we give our kids allowance money, or how we go about it. To be honest, this is an area that I myself often wonder what the best approach is. 

For starters, I do not think our kids should ever be given "free money" on a regular basis (i.e. outside a birthday gift or something similar). 

But on the other hand, I also realize that kids' earning power and opportunities are limited to non-existent, while they need to learn how to handle money correctly from a young age. And it would get very tiresome to constantly have them asking me for stuff they want, because they have no money of their own to spend. 

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Home birth "as safe as" hospital birth?

An older article from the USA Today reporting on a major medical study in Canada has been making the rounds on Facebook. The title sounds like it proves the point home birth supporters have been trying to make for years: Home birth with midwife as safe as hospital birth

But - this article irks me. Because the title is NOT accurate. Home birth, according to the study it quotes, is NOT as safe as hospital birth. In fact, the numbers given in the article show home birth to be ALMOST TWICE AS SAFE as hospital birth:
The mortality rate per 1,000 births was 0.35 in the home birth group, 0.57 in hospital births attended by midwives, and 0.64 among those attended by physicians, according to the study.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Affording organic - Part II - money-saving tips

Please click here to read Part I

In an effort to improve one's diet, one of two goals should be to replace unhealthy foods with all natural, whole foods alternatives. Instead of buying cookies at the store, for example, they can be made at home with whole grains, honey, and real butter for a very wholesome and tasty alternative that is usually also cheaper. Depending on individual tastes and habits, and your family's compliance in this matter, this process can take years. As with most things, it is a lot easier to start out right than to change later on.

Changing over to healthy products includes all areas of life, such as cleaning products, cooking utensils (non-stick, plastic, etc.), clothing (think toxic, but fire-retardant PJs for kids, new cotton  and/or dyed clothes, etc.), body care products, furniture (again, think of mattresses, curtains, etc. that are drenched in fire retardant) etc. but for sake of time this post is only dealing with the food aspect of it.

The other of the two goals should be switching over to all organic foods/ingredients. Cost can often be a seemingly prohibiting factor. Below, I list some of the things I have learned in order to provide our family with all organic foods without being a millionaire, or even remotely "rich". 


Monday, January 2, 2012

Affording Organic - Part I - PRIORITIES

This is a blog post I first started in October 2009. When I was almost done writing it, Blogger had a glitch and deleted the entire post without saving it! In June of 2010, I once again sat down and started writing this post, which I am finally finishing up now in honor of the new year. Maybe someone will make it their goal to switch their family to a more wholesome diet this year after reading this.


I think my great aversion to writing on this subject is due to the fact that there is no easy answer. I would love to give you tips on how to switch to eating 100% organic on your existing grocery budget, but for most people, that is simply not the case. Unless you are currently spending a fortune on eating out and buying processed foods and snacks/sweets/sodas, and are willing to stop all that cold-turkey and start making everything from scratch, you likely will need to increase the amount of money you spend on food if you want to switch to eating all organic. I think that most of my readers already cook many/most things from scratch, and live frugally in general. For these families, short of switching to eating rice and beans, eating organically will mean spending more money. That's the bad news.