Updates

Oh my garden is being so good to me. Yesterday I went out there for a check up and came back with patty pan squash, cucumbers and one lunar carrot. They all tasted stupidly delicious. The tomatoes are really taking their time but they taste good green so if I get antsy I just eat them anyways. I have a cute idea for bringing my herbs in when it gets cold, but it involves a ton of mason jars and I worry I should save them for canning.

I am reading so many good books. Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin is the best read I've found in a while. My friend Debbie lent it to me and now I don't know if my life will be complete without owning it. I also read the Baby Food Bible, every issue of Canadian Family & Today's Parent that I could find. I read Dr. Bradley's Husband-Coached Childbirth and BirthCentre's Baby's First Year and.. well, to be honest just about every book in the Pregnancy, Birthing, Parenting, Eco-friendly, Recipe Book & Craft sections of both Landon & Stoney Creek library. I've had so much time on my hands with being off work but being too pregnant to do anything useful. Which brings me to my next point.

I spent 2 days in Toronto with Calvin and various members of my family trying to find my little sister, Sarah, an apartment. It was really fun and a good way to get out of the house. We found a great restaurant called Just Thai, so next time you're there check it out. I think it's on Jarvis, somewhere near King if I remember.

My blog turns 1 year old on the 7th. I'd like to write a celebratory post and give away all sorts of prizes and make it miraculous but that's a day away from my Estimated Due Date and I seriously doubt I'll be thinking about blogging. Well, maybe I will :) Would anyone like if I share my birth story on here? I plan to if anyone would enjoy.

Calvin got a great hair cut from my talented friend Bethany last night. He's still asleep but I can admire it none the less. And he finally has a long weekend which is very exciting!

If I don't post much in the coming days I hope you understand but I look forward to writing up a storm once things settle down & I already having canning plans so we can be sure that I will document the heck out of that! Thanks for reading my friends.

Crisps and Crumbles and Cobblers, Oh My!

So you want to incorporate more local, seasonal foods into your diet but plain berries and stone fruits in a bowl just won't cut it? Try making a delicious dessert and before you get confused about all those crazy fruit dessert terms, here's a crash course:

Cobbler - sweetened fruit with a baked biscuit crust either dropped in pieces or spread over the whole surface

Pandowdy - the same idea as a cobbler except midway through baking the crust or biscuit pieces are broken up and pushed into the saucy fruit layer

Grunt, or slump - a steamed fruit dish typically made on the stove top with a dumpling-like pudding incorporated on top

Buckle - a sweet cake with the fruit incorporated right into the batter, topped with a strusel

Crisp - sweet fruit on bottom with a "crumble" topping usually made of butter, flour and/or oats and sometimes nuts, differs from a crumble in that the topping is crunchy; in the UK a crisp is called a crumble

Bird's nest pudding - usually made with cored and sugared apples, surrounded by a crust (like a nest)

Betty, or brown betty - fruit between layers of buttered crumbs; it's a brown betty if you use brown sugar; similar to the French charlotte

Clafouti - fruit is topped with a pudding and then baked

Sonker - deep dish version of a cobbler; popular only in the Carolinas

And lastly, in case you're interested, the difference between a tart and a torte is that a tart is a miniature pie with no topping, baked with a classic pastry crust; a torte often has little to no flour in its crust with more of a ground nut or breadcrump based dough rolled to coat the bottom.

So now you know!

Pregnancy Series: Natural Induction Methods

Whether you're already overdue or you're coming up to full term and want to prepare, there are some non-invasive ways of speeding baby along - or, more accurately, getting your body ready. As far as I know none of these methods will actually bring on early, unsafe labour, it will simply get you prepared for nature's right time, but to be safe make sure you tell your doctor or midwife of your plans and get their approval.

Don't try any of this before 36 weeks.

Red raspberry leaf tea: Drink 1 - 2 cups of the brew, made from about 1 tsp of loose herb, every day. You can have it hot or chilled. It is a uterine tonic and tells the womb: let's get going!

Homeopathic ez birth: Take 3 pellets at least twice a day, away from food and strong flavours (coffee, peppermint toothpaste). This works on many levels and even helps with post-birth bruising and pain.

Evening primrose oil: Swallow one 1000mg capsule per day, or insert it vaginally before you go to sleep to ripen the cervix. If you're well over-due I think you can up the dosage.

Sex: The oxytocin released from the pleasure and the prostagladins from the sperm are two of the greatest natural induction chemicals. It's also important to relax rather than stress about baby, so this might help.

Other methods include: acupuncture, eating spicy food, going for long walks and keeping upright. Ultimately staying stress-free will be your biggest asset. Baby will come and everything will be perfect so relax and enjoy the ride!

10 Ways to Save Money and Be More Awesome

10.
Now: When you find the time and cash you get on a plane and vacation somewhere warm and stocked with alcohol.
Better: Rent a cabin up north, or out west or east so you can discover your country and the wilderness.
Best: Plan a survivalist camping weekend with friends at a national park and spend time foraging for wild food.

9.
Now: You fork out top dollar for expensive organic baby food and formula.
Better:  Make your own food by pureeing what you're already eating.
Best: Make your own food... and breast feed!

8.
Now: You grumble every time a birthday or special event comes up because it means you'll be making a trip to Wal Mart to spend more money on some dumb gift plus a card and wrapping.
Better: Use cloth from clothes you don't want anymore to wrap up the gift. Then make a homemade card.
Best: The gift you wrap up can be homemade too - everyone loves potted plants or delicious preserves.

7.
Now: Those dang strawberries cost $5 at the grocery store and don't taste that great.
Better: Those yummy strawberries only cost $2/quart at the local U-Pick garden, in season of course.
Best: The best strawberries ever just became ripe in your backyard.

6.
Now: You drive a car everywhere you go.
Better: Sell the thing and get a motorcycle!
Best: Cycle or walk everywhere you go.

5.
Now: Friends want you to bring a snack along to their party so you run out and grab a box of frozen apps.
Better: You peruse the fresh veggie section and find a few local things that you can serve chopped up with hummus.
Best: You make the hummus from scratch (come on, it's so easy.)

4.
Now: You pay $100 to sit in a chemical-laden salon and have someone give you a fancy hair style.
Better: Get your friend to do it for cheaper and you can be honest with them about the results.
Best: Never, ever cut your hair!

3.
Now: You watch a ton of TV and it doesn't help that your cable bill is super expensive.
Better: Bike down to your local bookstore and pick up something to read at a coffeeshop.
Best: Bike down to your local library and pick up something to read in the sun.

2.
Now: You grocery shop every week or so and go out to eat once in a while too.
Better: Give up meat for money-and-planet-saving alternatives like beans.
Best: Grow your own everything.

1.
Now: You read myideaofhappiness and think it's pretty cool.
Better: You try out a few recipes and consider changing your chemical ways.
Best: You come over to my house for a canning party and finish off the day making soap and playing songs around a bon fire!