A Birth Story

Well, I didn't anticipate having so much time in the hospital before being able to go home, or having a baby who is asleep all the time. And so, what better way to pass the time than by writing out the birth story of our son while it is still fresh in my mind.

Tennyson Scott Allen was born at 1:56 AM on October 12, 2013. He weighed 10 pounds, 7 ounces and was 21 and a half inches long.

I woke up at five on the morning of the eleventh of October, and quickly realized that I was leaking amniotic fluid in copious amounts. Although they advise you to go the hospital right away if this happens, I wanted to give myself a few hours, just in case contractions started on their own, because I really wanted to avoid being induced. I went for a walk with my husband, and tried to clean my house, but I was really distracted by the fact that my baby might be coming that day, and that kept on distracting me from doing much of anything, although I did get some dishes done.

By around noon, contractions seemed pretty regular but not very intense. So, we packed up our hospital bags and got to the hospital around one. They checked me in, and on the monitor it said my contractions were three minutes apart. The nurse did a check, and told me that I was 4 centimeters and 90% effaced. I was happy to hear that, but I still had tons of energy and wanted to go outside. We gave them our birth plan, and then we put on bracelets and went outside for a long walk. Our nurse was TOTALLY supportive of our birth plan, and monitored the first five hours of labor with a fetal doppler so that I could labor in the tub, or move or walk around. I was able to manage the pain very well by using my Hypnobirthing techniques: my husband doing massage as we watched a show together, listening to the rainbow relaxation script, and by changing positions every so often. I was even allowed to stay in my own clothes during the whole labor and recovery.

However, labor quickly escalated, and it becoming very intense. There was severe back pain, and when the midwife arrived, a quick check showed that I had progressed one centimeter, and that the baby was in posterior position, meaning that ever excruciating contraction was getting me nowhere. Still, I was determined to stay relaxed, and labored in the tub, in the shower, on the birthing ball, and listen to my positive birth affirmations. However, after another two hours or back labor, and no progression, I was starting to lose my determination, because I was feeling like all my positive concentration and preparation for natural birthing was for nothing. I decided that I would not make any choices during a contraction. However, I realized that I may hours and hours or posterior labor ahead (since the baby had little fluid left to turn in). After a prayer with my husband, and several on my own, I decided to get an epidural. I was impressed with my midwife, who was focussed on helping me to stay true to my birthing plan. She did not push medication on me at all, and allowed the decision to be entirely that or me and my birthing partner. At first I felt badly because I felt I had betrayed my birth plan and hypnobirthing training. However, I realized that I had done a substantial amount to birth without fear, and hypnobirthing helped me to focus my energy on what was best for my baby, and to listen to my body. I could make an informed decision because of my preparation, and I could relax about my decision, accepting this turn in my birth plan that I didn't expect.

The epidural was placed, and almost instantly, the back pain was relieved. However, it was clear after an hour, that the epidural hadn't been placed well, as only half my body was numb. After several more shots of progressively more aggressive pain killers, a different anesthesiologist took out the old one and put a new one in. The decision to get an epidural and to have the first one replaced turned out to be inspired. It just goes to show that all mothers have the intuition to do what is best when comes to their labor and birth, and can trust themselves and their instincts.

After the pain was relieved, I easily progressed from a five to a ten in less than three hours. But the baby was still posterior, and was not dropping because of his position. My midwife tried several natural methods to help turn the baby with body positioning, but he was stubborn and none of them were very successful. When I reached a ten, she left me alone for an hour to help the baby drop and for me to rest before pushing would begin. Finally, she contacted the OB who was on call and he came and manually turned the baby by reaching up into the uterus and turning him with his hand. Without an epidural, this procedure would not have been viable, and my baby would have been stuck and stressed by consistently stronger contractions. After he was turned, the baby instantly dropped, and I could begin pushing. By this point, the epidural was wearing off enough that I could push my baby with my contraction. I wanted to avoid tearing and an episiotomy, so I was careful. However, the epidural makes pushing more difficult, so my husband guided me to push through my contractions, while the midwife helped me to know when and how long to push.

My choice to get an epidural was also validated, when after an hour of pushing, the baby came out. It was such a powerful moment! As soon as it happened, I started to tear up and said, "Oh my gosh I just had a baby!" I wanted to hold him and look at him, and make sure he was okay. Clark cut the cord, and my placenta came out no problem within minutes.

I was sure my perineum was still intact. However, Tennyson was 10 and half pounds! I have a small body, and even though I was spared muscular tearing, all of the fine tissue in the vagina had been torn and shredded by the pressure of the baby's head. I was bleeding a lot, and a surgeon came and stitched up all the internal tears. I was silently grateful that I had not felt that tearing, and that he could stitch me up quickly without losing too much blood because I was already numb. The instant I saw my baby, I knew we had done the right thing. He was having trouble breathing because of fluid in his lungs, and there was meconium present. If labor had gone on much longer than it did, he might have been in trouble. We had our skin to skin moment, and after some coaxing, he began to breathe properly, coughing up mucous and fluid. Then I tried to teach him how to breast feed, which took a while. He had the instinct to suck, but would suck on his tongue instead of the nipple. But, after about half an hour, we got a good latch and he has been improving ever since.

The hospital continued to honor my birth plan, delaying bathing and letting us be present for all baby care practices. Our son was just perfect, on the large side, but worth every effort that we had put into his growth and his labor. I love my birth story, and I am grateful for all of the choices available to women when it comes to their labor and birth.

Nine Things To Think About When Talking To Pregnant People

Okay. So I am 39 and a half weeks pregnant. For those who don't know what that means, it means that I am VERY pregnant and the baby could come any day. I have a theory: God gave us pregnancy to help us cultivate the patience needed to have and raise a kid. Just a theory. However, I think it can be supported by this observation: you really have to wait. A long time. And not just to meet your bundle of joy. But to be done with sore legs and skin hurting because it is being stretched too tight, and random pains, and walking so slowly that snails outstrip you when you go out for your daily waddle. A woman who is pregnant deals with a lot. Which is fine. In fact, most days I am proud of myself. I am growing a person, for goodness' sake. But seriously, the thing that is hardest to deal with is people.

So all those who have pregnant friends, or see a pregnant person on the street, give ear. I don't know if this is true for every pregnant woman, but it is true for me.

1. Refrain from asking, "Have you had the baby yet?" Especially in person. Because, CLEARLY, I haven't. The belly is still there, and my arms are still not holding that something the size of a loaf of bread.

2. Please stop asking when I am due. Did you know that only 3-4% of women have babies on their actual "due" date? Asking me when I am due stresses me out, because I am trying not to think about it. It makes me impatient. It makes me feel like I am being put on a schedule. Women really have a due month. An exact date does nothing. False hope.

3. Talk to me about something other than my pregnancy. I am still me. I still have thoughts, hobbies, talents, and enjoy doing things with my friends. I know it is hard to ignore, but seriously, sometimes, ignore the bump and just talk to me. About life. Politics. That weird funny movie you saw last week.

4. I love it when people offer to help me out. It makes me feel like people are thinking about me, and that I can count on them. The last few weeks of pregnancy are really hard, both emotionally and physically, and sometimes, it is super difficult to function. So thank you.

5. Don't suggest or veto names. Even if the name is horrible, even if you feel like the child will be condemned to a life of shame. Because only the baby's parents' opinion really matters when it comes to choosing names. Either pretend to like the name they like, or simply nod and tell them that you are super excited for them.

6. Pregnant people are sometimes hypocrites. We want to go about life as normal, and want people to treat us just the same, because pregnancy isn't a disease. Until something DOES go wrong, and then we feel like people should just intuitively know that we can't do it, because obviously, we're pregnant.

7. Cravings are real. Not in the same way people crave chocolate, but often, there really is only one thing that sounds good. And it usually isn't saltines.

8. Emotions are real. Sure pregnancy puts you on a lovely hormonal roller-coaster, but in the moment, emotions are real. Treat them real.

9. We love our babies and will try to do the best for them. Advice is nice. Gifts are nice. Both are appreciated. But ultimately, the mom is the one who tries to do what is best for baby. Be positive. If she is breast feeding, support her. If she chooses to bottle feed, support her. If she is trying to have a natural, unmedicated birth, BE POSITIVE. Support her. If she fails, don't say "I told you so," but tell her she has a lovely son or daughter, and support her. Judgement is for judges or Jesus. If you aren't either of those, just don't do it.

What's in a Name?

We get asked all the time what we are naming our son. Sometimes I wish we had kept it a secret, but oh well. Everyone knows. And I just let myself be okay with that. One of the reasons I didn't like telling people our name choices was because you can always tell when people don't like the name or think the name is a bad idea. They nod and say (usually hesitantly) "Oh, cool." Followed by an awkward pause. Or the really outspoken people will start to tell you why you shouldn't choose that name, and start suggesting others you should use instead, as if they were the ones naming your kid, and not you. Thanks, but no thanks, well-meaners.

Anyway, as many already know, unless there is some cosmic intervention, we are naming our son Tennyson Scott Allen. Tennyson, I feel, is a unique enough name that people like it, but are unsure why I chose it. Scott is my Dad's name, and I love my dad and respect him a lot, and as I get older, I see more and more how extraordinarily good and awesome he is, and I want my son to have that connection with him.

Lord Alfred Tennyson was a british poet who, in my opinion, was nothing short of brilliant. He wrote many poems that we still read today. In one of my college English classes, I was assigned to read a long poem written by him called "In Memoriam." This poem, which is several hundred verses long, took him seventeen years to write, and deals with his feelings of despair, loss, and hope following the sudden death of his best friend. In this long poem, he addresses man's relationship with God, how people fit into nature, the power of despair and the power of faith, and, of course, the power of both Godly and human love. As a college student, I read this poem and was astounded at some of the insights, but also deeply saddened by the level of grief he expresses. But the portion of the poem that would eventually lead me to name a child after this man is this:

If e'er when faith had fall'n asleep,
         I heard a voice, "Believe no more,"
         And heard an ever-breaking shore
That tumbled in the Godless deep,

A warmth within the breast would melt
         The freezing reason's colder part,
         And like a man in wrath the heart
Stood up and answer'd, "I have felt."

No, like a child in doubt and fear:
         But that blind clamour made me wise;
         Then was I as a child that cries,
But crying, knows his father near;

And what I am beheld again
         What is, and no man understands;
         And out of darkness came the hands
That reach thro' nature, moulding men.

For those who like spark notes to help with poetic understanding, the essential message of the verses is this: There are times when our faith wavers, and we feel left alone, and we are tempted to give up believing in God. But then our feelings and our memories overcome our reason, and we can honestly say, "No, I have felt his love before, and will not turn my back on it now." We are like children, who sometimes must trust blindly, just like children who cry; they cry, but they know that their Father is near and is listening and will come to help them. We can't really understand his ways, but God, through the trials that he gives us here on earth, molds us into better men.

When I read this for the first time, I was stunned. I felt the Spirit touch my heart, and tears came to my eyes. This is exactly what it feels like to go through hard or tough times, and this is the true definition, in my mind, of faith through adversity. This is the faith that I want my son to have, and this is the the child-like trust that I hope to raise him with, that he will always love and depend on his Savior and his Father in Heaven. 

Making It Count

So, because I have been pregnant, they have been kinda worried about how much iron I have been getting. After being informed that I need to get my iron levels up and under control, we have spent the last few weeks eating more red meet and greens than I have ever eaten before. So, when we contemplated going out to eat, the obvious answer was Tucanos, the Brazilian grill where you can eat as much red meat as you want.

Tucanos also has a pretty great buffet and salad bar, if you aren't all up on the meat. Anyway, we went for lunch, and were eating steak, and our table was very close to the plate pick up at the side of the buffet triangle thing they have in the middle. There was a mom there, who was trying to help her daughter, who was probably around six, get some food.

Mom: Okay what do you want?

Kid: MUAAELAD!! (unintelligible loud growl)

Mom: (perfectly calm) I don't think I got that. What do you want?

Kid: (louder) SMUAAANELAD!!

Mom: (still calm) I have your plate right here. You can eat whatever you would like. So, what should I put on it?

Kid: SAAAALLAAAD! (still growling, and clearly irritated that Mom did not get it the first few times).

Mom: Oh, salad. Great. Okay, got some salad. Anything else?

Kid: (continues to order in unintelligible dinosaur growls)

Clark was in the restroom at this point, so I was sitting at the table eating mango sorbet by myself and watching this scene unfold. I was having such a hard time not laughing. Mostly because I am twenty two. And I still request things in dinosaur growls. What kind of mother will I be? One who growls back, probably. I guess I will always be six.

If Ye Love Me

This blog post is largely a response to the constant discussions I find on blogs and social media threads about being Christian, kind, and tolerant. The arguments that people have, and how much they parrot the virtues of not judging and accepting people for who they are inspired this response.

I think part of the problem with ideas about love, kindness, and tolerance these days are that the meanings of these words are changing. We equate tolerance with acceptance, and love with moral relativism. There is an old saying that says, “We first endure, then pity, then embrace.” For some reason, if I don’t embrace and support the actions of others, I am somehow showing hatred or bigotry toward them, especially if that person is doing something that society generally accepts as okay. People may change, but God does not change. His laws are always the same. Adultery and fornication is still wrong. Stealing is still wrong. Murder is still wrong. Cheating is still wrong. Breaking the sabbath is still wrong. But in todays world, we have somehow given ourselves the authority to “amend” these. Adultery is wrong, except for when you are truly unhappily married, and really love someone else. Fornication is wrong, unless you really love each other and have been together for a long time, unless you are responsible. Stealing is wrong, unless it is something you really want, unless it was the other person’s mistake in leaving it behind or losing it. Murder is wrong, unless that person is an unwanted, unborn baby. Cheating is wrong, unless it helps you get more money from your tax return. True Christianity, if you want to know, is all about love. But not about loving others, it is about loving God. Trusting God. Jesus said, “if ye love me, keep my commandments.” Yes, we like to parrot “judge not” as the mantra of our Savior, but he did not say, “if ye love me, keep only the commandments you want to keep, in the way you want to keep them.” Christianity is a HARD path. Yes, true Christians will show love and respect toward others, but they will also fight for righteousness. They will not allow the feeble chants of the world, which tell them they are being “unfair” or “judgmental” to deter them in following the Lord. Yes, terrible things have been done throughout history in the name of Christianity, but those people will be just as guilty for sins like murder, rape, and bigotry as anyone else, and they definitely weren’t following God. These people were as the Pharisees, doing atrocious things in name of religion, and will be accountable to God. We must seek to make and live our lives in the best possible way, showing our love for God by choosing to obey ALL his commandments, not just the ones that are convenient.

Everyone here has been quoting the bible, but I think that one of the best defenses and explanations on what is required from Christians is written by Yann Martel, in the Life of Pi:

“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if ultimate reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence, were something weak and helpless. These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy begging for a few paise, walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and they think, “Business as usual.” But if they perceive a slight against God, it is a different story. Their faces go red, their chests heave mightily, they sputter angry words. The degree of their indignation is astonishing. Their resolve is frightening.

These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart. Meanwhile, the lot of widows and homeless children is very hard, and it is to their defense, not God’s, that the self righteous should rush. To me, religion is about our dignity, not our depravity.”

People can argue all day about what is right and wrong. But God has set forth his law, and he waits to see who will take up the cross and follow. Everyone can do so, everyday striving to do what he has asked of us: we have been commanded to love God, and then to love our neighbor. We love God first. We are never excused from loving our neighbor, but that is the second commandment. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son because he loved God before his neighbor. Jesus was willing to drive the money changers from the temple because he loved and obeyed God before his neighbor. David was able to defeat Goliath because he loved God before his neighbor. Christianity means loving God, and if we love him, we will keep his commandments. Everything else comes second. We should seek, as Mr. Martel suggests, to defend God in the very way we live our lives. Name calling and fighting does not befit a true follower of the Savior. We show charity and love to others, we show brotherly kindness, but above all, we accept and obey and promote the unchanging laws of God. Not because we are hateful to those who do not follow them, but because we must obey them if we are to truly love Him. 

Happiness and Haribo

Sometimes I find myself strange when I take a step back and realize that I am happified by some pretty weird things. A few days ago I was having a typical pregnant girl breakdown (gulping sobs, wallowing, and not really knowing the reasons for the gulping and wallowing). My husband was trying (in vain) to comfort me, saying that I was lucky to be healthy, and that we have the things that we need, and that we had lots of reasons not be sad. As any girl might know, this logic has two effects: frustration (because we know deep down he is right, and that knowledge might foster slight resentment) and further despair (because we realize how selfish we are being in the wallowing).

What should bring me out of this mood? The arrival of the postman, bearing a package all the way from China. It was my cloth diapers from the Assunta store. I had been looking forward to them for weeks, and as I unpacked the box, I became happier and happier. I had no idea why they made me so happy, but they did. They were cheap, well-made, and soft. Most of them were made of minky fabric, which I LOVE. And, to make me even happier, they sent me a wet-dry bag for FREE with my order. I was smiling so wide. Over diapers. What is my world coming to?

I woke up this morning at three in the morning to hear my husband retching in the bathroom. He has caught a nasty stomach flu, and was up every hour after that. I felt so bad for him and I couldn't get back to sleep afterward, so I just kept busy making him toast and reading him Harry Potter (insert pat on the back for being the best wife ever here).

The doorbell rang around nine. I was pretty tired by this point, and so was he. I opened the door to another box. This on contained one small package of Haribo Pico Balla candies (they are from Germany). I couldn't find them anywhere here, and my sneaky husband has ordered them for me to make me feel better. How ironic they should arrive on a day where I am healthy and he is sick!

I guess happiness comes in the mail.

Baby Update!

How Far Along: 26 weeks, 2 Days. 

Size of Baby: 1.5 ish lbs, about the size of a cauliflower. I think. 

Maternity Clothes: I won't ever wear jeans if I can help it. While I do love my maternity jeans, I like wearing dresses more. It's just easier when you have to go to the bathroom, or when you have to go out, or when it is hot. So I still wear the same three dresses more often than any other clothes.

Gender: It's a boy! I have made some crib sheets, and have been filling up a dresser with little boy clothes that people keep on giving me. 

Movement: A lot some days, not as much on others. When I am hungry, he moves a lot, as if he knows we need to eat. After we eat, he calms down. :)

Sleep: I miss it. With my back pain and the sciatica in my leg, or my hips widening, it is hard to get comfy, and even harder to stay in one position for long. My legs will seize up in the night sometimes and I have to get up and alk around until they calm down. 

What I miss: Not being able to lay flat on my back for long. Being able to do summer activities like long hikes, bike rides, and exploring the outdoors. I would do those more, but the heat and the baby keep me inside most of the time. 

Cravings: I still crave potatoes almost every day. Whenever I am hungry or sick that is what I want to eat. I really am moving towards an aversion to sweet things, and want savory stuff a lot, like jerky or grilled meats. 

Aversions: I really don't like to eat vegetables as much, but I try to make myself eat them anyway. I have been having trouble digesting a lot of foods, especially breads. 

Symptoms: Back pain, and gall bladder pain as well. The doctor told me to cut back on the sugar and fat for the rest of my pregnancy to keep it healthy. Swimming really helps it to go away. I am thinking I will be in the pool a lot this summer.

Best Moment: Setting up our crib with my husband in our new apartment. It is so fun to see the baby's space come together. 

That's My Story

So, the other update is as follows:

I am waiting for information on my work authorization/green card, and have since graduated from college. Never have I been without tasks for an extended period of time-- where filling my time becomes my task. How does one spend the days when they have little responsibility? The list of things that I have been doing so far:

1. I made a quilt. In total days: seven. Granted those were full-time days where the DH didn't even get dinner made for him.

2. I planned a remodel for the crib. It is still in planning stage.

3. Currently re-watching episodes of Gilmore Girls. They help me have humor and perspective. And goodness. And they're just awesome. Done.

4. Planted a garden. Watched the garden grow.

5. Watered my tomato plant.

6. Become a frequent library goer.

7. Read about... 16 books since the beginning of April.

8. Made beef jerky at home twice.

9. Doubled the amount of pins I have pinned on pinterest.

10. Found more names for my baby than the amount of babies I could possibly have in life.

... and other constructive things.

Invite me over if you need something. Like a quilt or a book recommendation.

When The Moon Hits Your Eye

I figure that the few people who follow my blog are entitled to three things:

1. A New Post.
2. A Baby Update.
3. Some other sort of update.

and so without further ado, I will dutifully fulfill those responsibilities.

How Far Along: 21 weeks. 

Size of Baby: 1 pound. I think. 

Maternity Clothes: I have a few, and wear pretty much the same two dresses over and over until they are dirty. :) I think when the baby comes, it will be like having a whole closet of new clothes when I unpack my pre-pregnant clothes.

Gender: It's a boy! We found out yesterday, and I am still a little bit shocked.I don't know anything about boys!

Movement: A little. Mostly when I am lying down, or sitting still, as if the boy is telling me he still wants to be up and moving.

Sleep: Right now is pretty elusive. I have had terrible back pain, and the only position where it doesn't hurt is flat on my back, which you can't sleep that way when you're pregnant. I wake up all the time to change position, and am constantly tired from lack of sleep. 

What I miss: Not being able to lay flat on my back for long. Being able to go running like I did before. And I miss doing interval cardio. 

Cravings: Not so bad anymore, but in the 1st tri they were really bad-- and they were for really bad food. Things I usually never eat or buy: dill pickle chips, doritos, hamburgers, and toaster strudels were a few really bad ones. But it has tapered off. I still want potatoes all the time. 

Aversions: in the first tri, I really couldn't stand eating meat, and the only thing I really wanted was potatoes. I also was averted to veggies, mostly because I used to eat green smoothies for breakfast, but after throwing them up a lot, I didn't want anything green and growing for a while. A few days ago, I made a slice of toast, took thee bites, and simply could not eat it anymore. 

Symptoms: Just the back pain. Swimming really helps it to go away. I am thinking I will be in the pool a lot this summer. I also have really intense itching on the soles of my feet at night.

Best Moment: Finding out we were having a boy. It makes it more real that way. :)

Saving Money While Eating Healthy

The answer is actually simpler than you think.

The basic "pyramid" for healthy eating leaves the Standard American Diet (SAD) pyramid in the dust, wallowing in chronic disease and obesity.

The pyramid is as follows:

1. LEAFY GREENS
2. Colorful vegetables
3. Fruits and Starchy Vegetables
4. Legumes and Grains
5. Nuts and seeds

That's all there is folks.

Do the things that you can do to save yourself money (some of these things come easily):

1. Buy less meat. You don't need it, and after a while, you won't want it. BUT WAIT! you wonder "where do I get enough protein?"... the answer is: plants. Plants have plenty of protein, especially legumes (peas and lentils) and grains (wheat, buckwheat, quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WAH). And nuts have protein in spades.

2. Don't buy most canned or processed food. The exceptions to this, obviously, are things like canned tomatoes and other essentials that are great for things like FOOD STORAGE. Some canned things are great assets to those on low budgets, BUT! keep in mind that buying fresh or frozen is usually cheaper and is much better for you. Processed foods like microwave burritos, frozen pizza, ice-cream, and other non-essentials (and, I may argue, non-food substances-- really, what is a cheeto anyway?) are actually budget breakers. It is cheaper to make your own burritos with homemade tortillas and dry cooked beans than it is to buy those pre-packaged (and chemical filled) types of food.

3. Shop sales and freeze what you can. If spinach is on sale for 80 cents a bag, buy five or six and freeze it! it still blends nicely in smoothie, or cooked well into a pasta sauce. If oranges are 20 cents a pound, buy a bunch, and peel them and freeze them to put in smoothies. If tomatoes are on sale, chop them up and freeze them to turn into pasta sauce or other delights later (this is good to do during the summer when produce is cheap. AND it helps you store food for times of disaster, and provides you with produce in December.

4. Soup and salad your way through life. When my husband and I are not eating soup, we are usually eating salad. Or stir-fry. Good "S" foods. These are FULL of plants. Almost anything can be turned into a salad. And, if it can't be a salad, then it can be a soup. Or a stir-fry. One of the reasons why people who try to eat more plants find it pricey is because they don't know what to do with the plants they buy and they rot in the fridge until someone throws them away.

5. Use cheap "get-full" foods. These are: whole grain brown rice (stir-fry), whole wheat pasta (buy the generic brand, it is better for you), lentils (seriously, the greatest thing ever... stay tuned for a recipe on lentil tacos), beans, almonds, sweet potatoes, and sunflower seeds. They all pair great with veggies and almost all have protein and carbs to keep you full.

6. Plan your weekly menu before you shop. If your meals consist of veggies pizza with whole wheat crust, whole wheat pasta with spinach and parmesan, stir-fry and rice, taco salad (my fave whole food salad ever!), burritos, and butternut squash soup, you will know what veggies to buy.

7. If you can, plant a garden and freeze the excess produce. You can have nutritious food in January for free!

Two notes: consider investing in a high power blender (400-600 dollars)-- seriously, it saves my life everyday (you can make everything with it). Not cheap from the get-go, but they last forever (seven year warranty on an appliance), and they will save you time and money in the kitchen. And, if you can, consider buying a small, cheap deep freeze (150-200 dollars). Blender first, freezer next.

And, price matching. If you have a Walmart, they will price match the prices of other stores. You may consider planning your menus on what produce they have on sale.

As a final aside, you will find that initially, your grocery bill may be more, and even continue to be a bit higher than it used to be. However, this is health insurance. There is nothing worth more than you and your family's health. And extra dollars for whole foods is nothing compared to the costs of cancer, high blood pressure, colitis, heart disease, and other ailments that almost entirely prevented by dietary choices.

To your health!

Reinventing the Wheel

I was going to write a nice long post about entry level habit changes you can make to move closer to whole foods, but somebody beat me to it.

http://madmim.com/what-i-learned-from-6-weeks-as-a-vegan-and-other-revelations/

It's fabulous, and right what I would suggest. I actually don't recommend being vegan or vegetarian forever, unless you LOVE it, and are committed, but having been both for exactly the same reason as this lady, it kind of forces you to learn how to use vegetables in new ways.

Happy reading.

How To Cook Lentils

Okay, lentils are one of things that everyone should be eating because they cost so little, and can go in almost anything. I make tacos from lentils (just putting taco seasoning and some olive oil with the lentils, instead of using ground beef), I put them in soups to give them substance, and you can throw cooked lentils onto a salad to add some much needed fiber and protein. :) Yay lentils!

And, they are super easy to cook.

To make lentils:

Put 1 cup of dry lentils into a pot with 2 cups of water (this ratio is great for any amount of lentils).

DO NOT SALT THE WATER. The lentils won't get soft that way.

Bring the water and lentils to boil. Stir once or twice, and then turn the heat down to low and cover with a lid. After about fifteen minutes, the lentils should be soft and the water absorbed. Lentils can be eaten at different levels of softness. Experiment with cooking them with a little less or more water to get different levels of softness. For soups, lentils should be very soft, because people usually don't like to chew their soup. :)

So, go eat some lentils!

Not Always As They Seem

As an introduction: Winter is lame.

Now, with that out of the way, I would like to share some thoughts that I have had recently. Life has been life as usual-- which is how I always see it. If I call home, there is nothing really "newsy" that I have to say.

I teach seventh grade. It's different everyday. And just because it is different everyday, it ends up being the same. Seventh graders are strange. Really.

They will ask you questions that they already know the answer to just to ask them-- I don't know what motivates that. maybe it is just to prove that they will no longer robotically accept what the teacher says as law.

They will comment on everything-- and tell you stories that have no logical beginning or conclusion. We could be talking about racism and they will raise their hands and say how their older brother really likes to listen to country music, and that they hate it. And all you can say is... huh? Oh cool. Now, about racism...

They are bouncy. Some are preppy-bouncy: high on life or friends. Some are sport-bouncy. Some are school-bouncy-- like nothing would thrill them more than to read and write and do math. Some are anxious-bouncy. Some are I-just-can't-ever-sit-still bouncy.

And back to questions-- if you do ANYTHING, expect it to be questioned. Why are you handing out this paper? Do we have to put our name on this? Is this for points? Can I work with a partner? Do we have to write this down? Wait, what are we supposed to be doing? (Usually all of these questions have already been answered-- three times).

I have a hard believing I was like that when I was twelve.