Saturday, January 22, 2011

baby food


It was a busy day. I ran out to get groceries while Jonah was home with Oliver. I tried hard to stick to our budget, as it's getting towards the end of the month, I always struggle to stay in our budget with groceries. Truly this is the biggest challenge in home-making (is that the right word?).
But I did okay...still have to return a couple things for a couple reasons. One I forgot to use a coupon I had for one item, and two, I went over budget and will be returning something I can get next month. Yes- it's that important to stay on our budget that we planned for.
I was able to pick up lots of produce for Oliver.
I have been making most of his food for him, with the exception of a couple jars of babyfood. I do have babyfood jars stocked in my pantry though. I actually bought these while I was pregnant. What a nerd right? I had coupons and there was a sale, and it was worth it. I bought several Earths Best organic. I also bought some Beechnut....which I will be donating to someone that would like them. Any takers?
I don't say this to sound like an organic snob. I am not all organic....actually more like a couple things organic if they are on sale, and if they fit our budget.
Well, this is kind of off track for my original post, but I opened a jar of mango's for Oliver. Added some oat cereal to it and gave him his usual two meal today using that. Later I picked it up and read what the ingredient list was and it had several ingredients, one being white grapejuice. I know it's all made for babies, but I didn't like the fact that I didn't even realize there were other things added in (rice flour as well) and I was completely unaware, until I read it. I assumed 'mangos' meant just that, period.
It would be nice to give Oliver all organic, but budgetwise, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to do that. What I can do is make food for him. He hasn't progressed to a very elaborate diet yet, just simple one item foods (with the exception of avocado + banana) with cereal mixed in twice a day. So making food was not rocket science.
Well maybe a little. I did struggle with picking the perfect individual items. I wanted them to be nutritional and offer as much as possible, even if they weren't organic. I read somewhere that babies stomachs are small, and should be filled with as much nutrients as possible. This is so true! What they eat, even if it's tiny little portions, should be brimming with what they need.
So my research led me to some online sites for baby foods. I found a site I like and will be going back to when Oliver is a little older: www.wholesomebabyfoods.com
I also checked a book out of the library (twice actually, the first time it ran overdue and I owe money... I am terrible at remembering the due date and shouldn't be allowed to check out books with my record, I'm sorry to say. I will change this!) called Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron.
I have liked a lot about it, and some of it I just ignore all together. It's kind of a take what you want out of it book. But I like that she breaks down the age, and what's appropriate for that age. This helps me in knowing if it's too soon to introduce beans or meats etc.
I like her porridge recipes too, but was skeptical about making one out of brown rice. Is this okay for Oliver to eat? Is it healthy, and not just a filling starch that his stomach will work extra hard to digest? I read that starches are hard for babies to digest due to them not having adequate enzymyes to break them down. (Que the screaming gassy baby after trying baby cereals for the first time) Now this may only be true for younger ones. I started Oliver at 5.5 months, and his first food was actually roasted butternut squash. But later I gave him cereal,  and now I mix it in with foods to get the iron from it.
Back to the rice. I received a book for Christmas (yes I really wanted this!) called 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. I'm loving it. It tells me the nutritional value for all 150 foods. So I flipped to brown rice and learned about the health benefits of it. White rice is actually stripped brown rice. It doesn't have the bran that brown rice does. Plus brown rice is a great source of fiber, and a great preventer of several cancers. I loved being able to learn more about this grain, and now I feel better about giving this to Oliver. So I'll be making that for him to eat in his morning meal. Eventually I'd like to move him into her 'super porridge' she writes about that has legumes in it, but he will have to be around 9 months for that.
So I picked up my produce spent a couple hours in the kitchen and now my freezer and fridge are cooling peas, spinach, cantaloupe, acorn squash, sweet potatoes, nectarines, pears and I previously made broccoli, carrots and butternut squash. No it wasn't hard to make these. No they aren't all organic. Some are, and I'm grateful for that. But they are fresh, and simple foods. One ingredient foods in which I know what's in them, and I know what will go in him.
Exciting? Yes indeed, it is to me!

New things

I have been gone awhile. Well, not gone really, but focused on other things. It's been a fabulous year so far, and I give all credit of this to God. My God, my faithful, loving, HOLY God!
To read more of what's been going on in my life please visit here:
http://pouredforth.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/filled/
I have been spending time reading. So much reading. And praying and studying. This along with hanging out with two wonderful men in my life. Life has been full like never before!
I am spending my time differently this year. Not on purpose. I didn't set out with resolutions to change what I did with my time each day. Since January 3 (that Monday night I mentioned in my post I linked you to) I have felt the need, desire, urgency...to just dive into my Bible reading. I am following a wonderful through the Bible plan (and that was a 'resolution') with a passion. I am awed by who God has used in throughout the Bible. Scripture is so real, and I am again wondering why I didn't obtain all I was reading all my life in the Bible. Suddenly it's alive and I'm so interested.
Along with my Bible reading, I re-read Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. It was my second time reading this book, and this time around it was the perfect season in my life to read it again. I found myself nodding along with it in agreement on so many paragraphs. I have notes and notes scribbled in my journal, of certain statements I don't want to forget, things I need to remember. I underlined my way through the book this time too. Something I didn't do last time. I guess I get afraid of 'marking' up a book, trying to keep it as pristine as possible. I guess that has changed. I need to underline, to help me remember what I'm reading.
I've done this in my Bible as well.
I finished Crazy Love and I've moved onto a new book.
Can you guess what is not in my life right now?
T.V.
Not intentionally. I'm not saying this to state that I've given it up. I haven't.
I am just enjoying this time of soaking in all I'm learning. I was afraid in the first couple weeks to turn it on, for fear of not feeling the closeness I have with Jesus. Feeling His presence has been like a balm on my soul. It's been healing, loving and comforting. I know He is with me and I'm eager to listen to Him. The T.V. has a way of dulling down my conscience, and wasting away much time.
Right now all I know is I'm needing this in my life.
T.V. will be there.

Monday, January 10, 2011

365

I decided to jump on the 365 bandwagon. If you are interested you can follow my photo blog here:
http://photojournalofcarrie.blogspot.com/

I'm excited about doing it, and it's been fun so far!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

and today...

my heart sings:

The splendor of a King,
clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice,
all the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light,
and darkness tries to hide
it trembles at his voice,
trembles at his voice

How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great
How great is our God

And age to age He stands
and time is in His Hands
Beginning and the End,
Beginning and the End
The Godhead, three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
the Lion and the Lamb,
the Lion and the Lamb

How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great,
How great is our God

Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
how great is our God
Name above all names
you are worthy of all praise
and my heart will sing
how great is our God


How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great,
How great is our God


How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great,
How great is our God
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great,
How great is our God

How truly GREAT He is.

Monday, January 3, 2011

seven

Happy seven months sweet boy!
I know I don't have to say it, but time has really flown. I can hardly believe this little man has been in our lives for 7+ (counting gestation) months. What a true joy it's been.
I've been home on holiday break with him the past two weeks plus today, because he has a cold and is so congested. I have really loved loved loved it. My heart is full, and I know that if I were home with him full time, it would be wonderful! Working towards that goal!
Meanwhile, Jonah has been gone for a couple days. He is at Passion 2011, and he is a 'chaperone' for a large group of teens. I'm excited to hear about all he's learned while listening to speakers like Lois Giglio and Francis Chan. I know he is having a great time, and I miss my sweet wonderful husband, but I know it's a great learning/growing experience for him. I was able to watch some sessions live and I loved what I heard. It was challenging to me, and I only saw a small portion of what he is experiencing.
So Oliver and I have been having quality time together and since he's sick there's been extra cuddling nedeed!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

It's a New Year!

Happy New Year!
As I write it is not quite yet the new year....the grand year of 2011. Wow! I can't believe this year is coming to an end already. I can look back and see sooo many blessings poured out from God and I'm so grateful. The biggest one is our son. Our sweet boy. Life has taken on a new sweetness to it from having a baby in our home.  We have so much and are truly rich in spirit.
I have never really liked to make new years resolutions. Well...except for that one year when I was around 12 or 13 and me and my best friend at the time decided to get ambitious and make as long a list as we possibly could. I think mine was like 12 pages....page after page of who knows what? Some things I did as a kid were so pointless, really I don't even know why I did what I did!
But other than that, I've never been good at sticking to what's on my list, so I didn't make resolutions.
This new year I've decided not to make a list of resolutions, but of words.
I have chosen to use simple words for those things that are most important to me this year, and use them as a reminder of what I want to focus on:
Spiritual walk
Romance
Journaling/Cataloging
Sewing
Photography
Strength
Nutrition
Budget
Discipline


It's sure to be an exciting year for us. Looking back at last years big moment- giving birth to our son, moving into a house, changing my work hours. These were all things we spent many hours praying over and anticipating and now the year is past. We are looking ahead to this year and don't have such big items ahead of us, but know we are excited about what God will do, how He will lead.
The focus this year will be on new endeavors, one being the pursuit of me being home with Oliver. One way to help with this will be the startup of our business. But I'll have to post on that another day.
For now, Happy New Year! Happy 2011!