Country Berry Cake

I woke up uber cranky today. For some reason, coffee wouldn't do it for me. The imps have been crazy since they woke up, doing crazy things, climbing things, calling me "Mom" and what have you. You'd think a morning of coffee and "When Calls the Heart" would be a goof foundation for a calm, collected woman but, alas, the imps had their diabolical plans instead.

So, what to do when your calm is taken and thrust into the chasm of "motherhood?" You turn on some Dan Gibson's Lakeside Retreat and stomp all angry-like to the pantry to toss all baking supplies onto the table, of course!

I have a bag of frozen berries. Well, had. I decided I wanted to have some berry cake today and I wanted it to be sweet and good with my coming second cup of coffee. This is an experiment and I'm letting you all in on it. So, if it doesn't work out, you can all laugh at me. I'm going to call this my "Country Berry Cake" - because everything with the word "country" in it has to be good and has to work out.

Here are the materials from my pantry:

Dry:
2 cups of flour
A tidbit less than a tablespoon of baking power
A teaspoon of salt
A tidbit less than a cup of sugar
Almost a 12 oz bag of frozen strawberries and blueberries (maybe 10oz)

Wet:
Half a half a cup of butter (4 tablespoons)
2 eggs
A teaspoon of vanilla extract
3/4 of a cup of milk
1/4 of a cup of grapeseed oil because "health"

I preheated the oven to 350 F because it seems like a good number.

I sifted the dry ingredients and added the wet, milk and butter at the same time to be specific. Then the eggs and vanilla. When the batter was nice and smooth, I folded in the berries then poured it all into a 9 x 13 baking pan. I had to spread out the berries as the blueberries are like fish and school together. (yes, bad visual for cake but take it, people. I'm cranky, remember?)

At this point, it looked like this:

I'm hopeful.

I placed it into the oven for about 30 minutes then impaled it with a toothpick to see if the innards are still wet or dry. (in real world terms, I poked it with a toothpick.) Sadly, it was still very, very wet and gutsy so I waited longer. About 45 minutes to be exact.)

And then it looked like this:

(yes, I lost my sense of patience and cut into it and ate before taking the picture. Excuse: You can see the "texture" here.)

It's PERFECT

Honestly, the cake is heavenly. Crumbly and soft and perfect for coffee.
Try it. Let the country gal out.

Expecting Too Much

My plastic sword-swinging eight year old, Merida, was always more advanced than the other kids in her class. From 18 months, I could see that she was going to be a lover of books.

She didn't care to play with other kids. She'd rather sit in her corner with her picture books and flip through them while chaos ensued all around her. I was concerned at first until I sent her off to preschool at three years old - mainly for the sake of socializing. I was surprised to find that she knew the alphabet, shapes, colors and she could count to ten while many others in her class could not. She was a smart cookie. Still is. She's had straight A's all year, every year since she started school. Her teacher's words were, "you've got an amazing daughter. She's the kind of student all of us teachers want. If we would have a class full of kids like her, there'd never be any problems."

I was proud. I still am proud. But this whole experience has caused some problems when it comes to her sister, my six year old.

I shall call her "Princess Unicorn Giggles" or Rapunzel, though the first is more fitting. Since she could sit on her own, life was all about butterfly-pooping unicorns and fuzzy rainbows. My little Rapunzel, with her super-long hair and big, round, blue eyes is - academically speaking - right where a six year old should be. Her mind is more concerned about her next game or adventure and she could really care less about math or reading. She can do it but she just doesn't care to. She's in first grade now and her grades are nothing near what her sister's were. Now, at first, I was very worried! I called in for a parent-teacher conference to see why my child was behind.(though, she really wasn't) 

"Why is she only reading small words?"
"Why can't she do subtraction?"
"Why isn't she reading chapter books like her sister was at this age?"

I was frustrated and Princess could tell...but that only made things worse. It stopped any possibility of her loving to learn. It was a job then. It was a job to try to read and it wasn't fun anymore. Numbers, letters and shapes weren't exciting like they were when she was a toddler.

Fast-forward a few months later when I went inside her class to explain to her teacher that an accident on the highway is the reason that there are only six kids in her class.
"I had to take a different road," I explained. "I'd have been in traffic for two hours if I didn't."
"Yeah," a sweet, high-pitched voice said behind me.
I turned and saw this little blonde girl only two desks away from Princess.
Her eyes widened in wonder as she went on saying, "but there was no slug in the woad so I don't know where the twaffic is coming fwom."

The teacher chuckled and looked at me with this, "oh, kids are silly" look and it hit me. I looked to Princess who was giggling away at a boy making funny faces and my stomach hit the floor. I'd been expecting way too much from my little girl. Her sister was more advanced and mature than the average kid at that age, but Princess? She was right where the rest of them were. She was where she's supposed to be and I was pushing her and stressing her out. I felt horrible. My heart broke for her and on my way home, I decided I'd chill out. Ever since then, I've been a lot more understanding of who she is and what she finds interesting. We've made math and reading fun and...at her own pace. She enjoys me "quizzing" her now and she just seems like a more relaxed kid.

I'm far from being the perfect mom and I'm learning about this parenthood thing on a daily basis. Yes, I have four kids, but not one will be the same, nor will the experiences be with each one of them. There is no limit to what can be learned as a parent and there is no level you can reach to be able to say, "hey, I'm a pro. I know exactly what I'm doing and I'm the best at it." We can do our best but by doing, we're still learning.

Protective Wear When...Washing Dishes?

Honestly, I'm really just talking about gloves. You know, those yellow, rubber gloves that Dexter's mom always wears?






Yeah, those are the ones.


Lately, my fingers have been shriveling like a prune every time I do housework, but mostly the dishes. And not only do they shrivel, but they feel like styrofoam which gives me that nails-on-a-chalkboard feeling. Believe it or not, this is not the main reason I've been wearing gloves.
Let me tell you the story.

A few days ago, I was at Walmart with the smaller 2 goblins of mine. My son, who is now two, decided that this day would be the grand entrance into terribleness. You know, the terrible twos? I thought he was early in the game but turns out, it's only just beginning.
We were walking through the candles and frames section where he got a hold of a candle and - surprise, surprise - dropped it. Instinctively, I tried to catch it but, alas, was too late. It shattered on the floor. So I kneel down to pick up the pieces and find my finger on my right hand dripping with blood. I'm talking literally dripping. I didn't even know how I cut myself or when!

Hold on...pause for a second...before I go on with the story, let me give a little aside here: when we reached the register, he pulled more stuff off the shelves. You know those shelves strategically placed there with their cursed temptations of Snickers and Twix and Hot Cheetos, where you pull out your wallet so you can count your money and realize at the last minute that you cannot go another moment without inhaling that junk? Yeah, those shelves. Ty decided to play Geronimo and toss things from there. Then, when we got to the car, I bent down to grab something from the bottom of the cart when he grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls like he's having a tug'o'war with Hercules. So, yeah...that day was frustrating and overall terrible.

Moving on with the story...
I get home and start trying to get to work but the gash on my finger stiiiiings every time it comes in contact with water.
"Oh!" I said, and hurried to my utility closet where I keep my gloves. After one-handedly digging through all the sponges and towels and light bulbs and stuff, I find the gloves and get to work. When I finished the dishes, I realized, HUZZAH! No styrofoam feeling! Well, dur-hurr, Ma, why didna' thinko' this before!

Reasons for wearing protective gloves while washing dishes? Check.
But let's be real about this. There are quite a few more reasons.

1. No more shriveling fingers.
2. Safety from knives. Whether the water in your sink is full of bubbles or murky from all the stuff you've washed so far in that session, there are knives at the bottom and if your luck is anywhere as bad as mine is, you'll grab them by the blade. It's kind of like bread landing on the buttered side...it just happens. All. The. Time.
3. The quality and health of your nails. Water and soap matters. Your nails will soften/weaken over time and they'll easily crack, peel, bend, etc. My nails are paper-thin already so the last thing I need is any additional damage to them.
4. Washing with hot water. Everyone knows that washing with soap and hot water kills the most yuckiness. Of course, burning yourself is never a fun thing to do and if you wash with water half as hot as I do, burns are a promise.
5. Save yourself the shuddering and gags. There is often yucky stuff floating around the sink and touching it gives me the heebie-jeebies. Soft, slimy noodles. Clumps of grease from your buttered pan. All those ooey, gooey not-so-yummies.

Are there any reasons not listed here that you wear gloves while doing the dishes? None shall be judged.

Until another day.

Gunk Removal

If you have picky kids, you've had the unfortunate experience of cooking something they won't touch. So, of course, that meal is stuck in a pot that's been pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten for a couple of days. No? Just me?

Yikes.

Well then, I'm sure there's been other situations where you ended up with old food stuck to your cookware and you just can't seem to get it off. Yes? Yes! I win!

Well, I've been in this situation quite a few times. I'm not gonna lie. I have picky kids so I've lost a few meals to the back of the fridge a number of times. I cringe when I find them and realize I'm the mom and will be doing the cleaning, so I looked into some methods of gunk-removal. This seemed the most promising and...actually works!

• 1/4 cup of baking soda.
• Enough hydrogen peroxide to form a paste.

This consistency worked fine for me but thicker will work even more wonders!

VIOLA! A perfect paste for scrubbing your cookware!

OOOOoooo! Shiny!

(a picture would usually go here but I've only so much time when the baby doesn't take real naps! Next time. I pinky promise.)

Here Comes Fall

My favorite season!

Colors abound and warmth welcomes you home every day...or welcomes you to the store...or the library.

Heat is on everywhere when it gets chilly out and I love it! Everywhere becomes cozy and, usually, smells of nutmeg and cinnamon.

But the best part? It's my favorite season to get outdoorsy with the kids!

This is the season. This is the time. This is the perfect weather! 

 Baby gets bundled, the stroller tires get pumped, boots are on and the adventure begins!
Of course, with four kids, nothing is just that easy. There are preparations to be made!

Snacks are packed alongside the camera - usually some Nature Made bars, dried fruit or home-mixed trail mix with apple juice and water. Diapers, baby wipes (for messes as well as surprise diaper changes), boots and socks, spare pants and an extra shirt for everyone - and, of course, plastic jars for collecting.

A lot, huh?

It is, but it is so worth it. The kids behave differently after our adventures, but during? Well, they're full of questions which is the perfect time for mom to teach the important lessons in life. That's one of my main reasons for doing this. I'm not thinking about the dishes or laundry or picking up toys. It's me, them and God-created nature. I'm able to see myself in a different light as a mother. I always realize where it is I'm slacking when it comes to my kids. How much do they know? How much should they know? I typically find my answers on our trail walks and that's one thing that's immensely important to me.

The kids seems more enlightened, too. They're curious and walking through the woods is one of the best ways I can think of to get their inner scientists - as well as energy - out. They gather, collect and study.

They become my little biologists...well, except for my 6 year old who becomes my little daydreamer.
"Mommy, what if there was a bear on a unicorn swimming in the lake?" *tee hee* <3

Don't get me wrong, summer is fun in it's own right, but, to me, nothing compares to the fresh, woodsy adventures of fall. For my sanity, for our health and our over-all wellness.

Nothing compares to nature.

A Little Something About Life

It's been a while since I've written anything.
Those who know me personally know that I love to write. It's my first method of relaxation. But, I've just been so busy!
Baby number 4 was born 3 months ago.

She's an angel! - and what I believe and pray will be the completion of my family. If more come, then so be it. I'll be more than happy.

So, yes, I've been super busy. Running after 2 kids and a toddler during the day, nursing at night. My sleep level is pretty low and so it seems is my patience. (I should go back and read my own post about patience as a parent, I think)

As I take a moment today to breathe - while the 2 little ones are sleeping and the 2 older ones are swimming with friends - I turn on some Dan Gibson and sit down on the sofa, taking in what mess the kids made in the living room. I take a deep breath and remind myself that "hey, this is my kids' memories here. They're living. They're being happy and having fun at home while others are begging their parents to drag them here and there all day, every day."

And that thought brings a smile to my face. I feel like I'm doing something right for once. Yes, my house is cluttered with toys and diapers and snacks. But my kids are happy. They'll remember their home and all the fun they had - the fun they're still having.

This is when I realize my true moment of relaxation. With my music playing softly through the house, the green trees waving in the breeze out my windows beside the squeaking of the porch swing, the quiet tinkling of the baby's toys as she happily bats them above her. This is heaven on earth! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, with anyone else.

I love my family. I have a handsome husband who works hard and loves his family. Four healthy kids who are growing and teaching me things I never would have known if not for them.
And a wonderful taste in music if I do say so myself ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6innnZRfl0

I'm not living in a millionaire's home. I don't have some fancy car or eat the most expensive foods...but life is good. Days roll by in a home full of laughter and smiles and stories from the most innocent of minds. It's the memories and experiences in life that create happiness. That's something more people need to stop and think about.

We need to learn to look at what we have - not what we lack - and only then will true happiness shine through.

The Wonderful World of Bone Broth!

Bone broth! Mmm mm mmmmm! Don't it sound tasty? What wouldn't be tasty about a soup stock boiling some good 'ol fashioned chicken for five or eight hours?

Ok, so it sounds kind of funky, but it is gaining some major attention and being dubbed a super-food. Why? Where do I begin?

You know how grandma was always making you to eat chicken soup when you got a cold? Well, she was on to something there. But we're not talking about the sodium-filled soups that come in a can. No, we're talkin' some honest to goodness, homemade chicken soup that's simmering some warmth straight into your home.

If every household would have some bone broth on hand to use in cooking or to take in just like a soup, there wouldn't be so much illness going around. This broth has been proven to fight anything from the common cold to auto-immune diseases right alongside cancer! And guess what, it doesn't taste bad so your kids will be more than willing to take it in. 

Now, it's important to know what in the world bone broth is in the first place!

Bone broth is a mineral-rich broth made with healthy animal bones and organic vegetables, herbs and spices. Also known as a stock. The main difference between regular broth and "bone broth" is the cooking of the bones and veggies anywhere from 5 to 24 hours! (the longer, the better!) The time spent simmering infuses the soup with calcium (for healthy bones and joints), magnesium (bones again and teeth), phosphorus(digestion, protein formation, cellular repair) and collagen! Reduced appearance of cellulite, anyone?

Amino acids are also included in the list of goodies that come with this soup! These amino acids can help level your blood sugar levels, reduce stress and anxiety levels. There is so much more but, can you see where I'm going with this?

Healthy food, healthy brood, I always say!

It's important to know that the bones used in bone broth need to be bones from healthy, pasture-raised animals. No hormones, no antibiotics, no junk like that, otherwise, you'll infuse the toxins into the broth as well and that'll be a help to no one.

Now, let's get cookin'!
Since there are so many different ways to make this soup, I will share the five hour recipe my mom gave me.

This makes about 12 servings.

Whole Organic Chicken, Skinned & fat trimmed off 

5 fresh Rosemary twigs tied with twine

1/2 bunch organic parsley tied with twine

1 med organic onion quartered 

6 org. celery stalks cut in large pieces

4 org. carrots cut in large pieces

4 whole garlic cloves

1 org red bell pepper quartered

(ALL the herbs and vegetables will be discarded when broth is done. That

is the reason for leaving in big pieces)

Celtic Sea, EC, Salt & cracked pepper to taste.

Put all the above in a large stock pot and fill with cold water about 4 inches 

from top of pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 4 hrs with lid slightly askew,

leaving about an inch for steam to escape.

Let cool for about an hour then remove the chicken and put in a bowl then

discard ALL other ingredients.

While it's cooling, cut up a variety of vegetables ..... However, avoid potatoes,

corn, pasta and rice as they turn to sugar in the body.

1/2 bunch parsley chopped

1 medium onion chopped in small pieces

6 celery stalks, cut in bite size 

2 zucchini cut bite size

1 each yellow & red bell pepper

1 bunch spinach or kale, chopped

Your favorite organic herbs.

Put all your vegetables in the broth. Simmer vegetables until they

are tender, then add the chicken you cut up into bite size peices during

the last 5 min.

Enjoy! And keep in mind that this broth is NEVER, EVER TO BE MICROWAVED.