My New Year's Intentions

• Give up mascara forever (It makes my eyes so uncomfortable! It's never worth the extra "prettiness," and I have thrown out three tubes this year after forgetting that).
• Continue to let my hair grow long?? 
• To only wear things that make me happy & comfortable.
• Attend church on a more regular basis and stop making excuses.
• Joyfully attend to my chores at home & continue to make our home a cozy haven.
• Play with my children daily, even if it means neglecting my chores.
• Recover from my fears and go outside more often. 
• To treat my husband as a true friend. 
• Find a way to make the community I so badly need as I cannot find it already in existence near me.
• To continue to make time for my crafts & hopefully to not have to frog any knitting this year!
• Learn more about local plants and nature. Maybe herbalism, although I am not sure I feel called to that specific study. 
• Keep up with my daily planner, my spiritual notebook, and my meal planning diary, as well as this blog.
• Write the book/zine that has been weighing on my heart for months now--to get it out there no matter if it does anything for anyone but me.
• Stretch/do yoga poses in some amount daily.
• Stay hydrated and continue to stay away from soda pop.
• "Give love" (i.e. hugs and kisses) multiple times a day to my family. 
• Make a more concrete sleep routine and boundaries.
• Use post-it notes to my advantage (Bathroom mirror reminders & mantras).
• Offer something of my unique gifts to the world without shame.
• Release things that aren't helping me...Facebook friends who post things that ramp up my anxiety...news and websites I don't need to be dwelling on..."coaches," guides, and authors who don't really speak to or inspire me...unfollow them all....to release these things with love & just realize they don't work for me. 
• Daily prayer/daily gratitude
• Go to Ludington and listen to the wind blow through the trees at the house.
• Give more/lose lack mentality/recognize my privileges
• Read to my children daily...even as a book lover sometimes it is hard to get this done.
• Accept the next stage. That life is for the living and we have to keep on...no, not that we "have" to keep on...that we GET to keep on and that it is a gift. 

What do you have planned for 2017? Can we help each other or can I encourage you on your journey? 

My Favorite Books of the Past Five Years!

2016 is the fifth year in a row I've kept track of all the books I've read (well, except cookbooks) on Goodreads! In celebration of this fact, I thought I would share a list of my utmost favorites with all of you today. These books are not in order of favoritism, but merely chronological by year.

2012


Columbine by Dave Cullen

This book still haunts me. It was an outstanding piece of journalism I read while rocking baby Orion in his bouncer all the wee hours of the morning at my parent's house.

What We Have: A Family's Inspiring Story of Love, Loss, and Survival by Amy Boesky

This was a book about a family where women all passed away from ovarian cancer. It was one of the first books dealing with cancer I read after mom's diagnoses.

2012 was also the year I read the Game of Thrones series and discovered the writing of Anne Lamott.

2013

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

I liked this one so much I gave it as a Christmas gift. How could you not love a book that contains the quote: “Instead, we'd do what we always did, the only thing we'd ever been dependably stellar at: we'd read.” 

Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater by Matthew Amster-Burton

Even now, having raised one non-adventurous eater and one borderline one, I LOVE this book. I recommended it to so many people in 2013-2014. I went bonkers when I discovered the Spilled Milk podcast with the author, Matthew, and Molly Wizenburg. I downloaded every back episode and listened to them all while walking Orion around the neighborhood. I still listen to and fan-girl hard for that podcast and this book. 

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

If I could be as bold as to recommend one book to read at this time of year from this list, it would be The Snow Child. A modern fairy tale of sorts that kept me captivated.

2014

A Good Marriage by Stephan King

SO scary. Absolutely terrifying. I loved it. This is really a small novella and a very quick but potent read. I got into reading Stephan King novels while Mike was on business trips that year...silly, right??

My Life in France by Julia Child

I absolutely love food memoirs...they are my favorite genre. Reading a book by Julia Child is as good as it gets and you can pass on that movie Julia & Julia and just read this instead for a vivid and full picture of what an amazing life she led. 

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler

I know...another food book, but I mentioned this one in my last post and it really is a game changer. 

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Haunting. Disturbing. Beautiful. 

The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan

I actually disliked this book after I read it. But then I kept thinking about it. And thinking about it. And then I realized it was a really great book because of it's ability to stay stuck in my mind. It's an intense read & very explicit, so be warned if that isn't something you are okay with in a novel. Now looking back, I would not only recommend it, but read it again. I love Amy Tan. 

2015

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I had no idea they had made this into a TV show when I found my copy at the library used bookstore. In fact, my first thought was "Hey! It's that really large and elegant looking book that always used to stand out to me when I worked at the library but I never opened it" (thank goodness, I was in high school then). 

Since I love HUGE novels that take me forever to go through...I decided to buy and read it...and now here I am, seven HUGE novels later, reading the 8th and final book she has out in the series for the moment. 

This book has everything. My least favorite genre is historical fiction because I usually feel like they don't have enough time to capture everything. Well, this series certainly does. There is time travel for folks who that matters to, sex, death, war, love, many medical procedures described that will make you glad you live in modern times...etc...

I'm also very glad that I've been lucky enough to share my experience reading this series with my friend, Kristen. It's the kind of book you definitely want to share opinions on, make fun of, and have someone you can text at all sorts of weird hours to say "OMG!!" about.

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken

When I was in college, I went to go see Elizabeth McCracken speak one night, because I had read and enjoyed her novel The Giant's House. She talked about writing a book about a circus family, but I believe that that never came to fruition, because this was the next book she wrote, after that talk. It's terrible and so very sad, but beautiful and something everyone should read, regardless if you are a parent or not. 


2016

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O'Toole 

I haven't enjoyed a book as much as I enjoyed this one in at least the last five years. It was the perfect thing to read in the current political climate. I studied English in college and postmodern literature and searching for hidden meanings/enjoying subtleties was one of my favorite parts of my classes. This classic delivered in spades. I actually laughed out loud multiple times, something that no author except maybe P.G. Wodehouse has had me do before.

Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hahn

I've read a lot of spiritual books in the past five years, but this is the one that stuck. Quotes from it bubble up in my head nearly every day and remind me to be more mindful and present. I'm very grateful for books like Hands Free Mama, The Saint's Guide to Happiness, Woman Who Run with the Wolves, etc...but this book is presented so simply and effectively that it was hard to top:

• “We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive.” 
•  “Each time you look at a tangerine, you can see deeply into it. You can see everything in the universe in one tangerine. When you peel it and smell it, it’s wonderful. You can take your time eating a tangerine and be very happy.” 
• “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” 

There you have it! My (hopefully) exciting book recommendations. I would love to hear what your favorite read of the past year was if you'd like to leave a comment! Maybe I will read it in 2017 :)

If we aren't already friends on Goodreads, I would love to connect there too!

Update with No Photos

1. I'm taking another social media break. I'm a terrible regulator so it works better for me to just not use it at all instead of trying to spend less time on it and I realized I need to be more present for my kids and for my own sanity. It's so nice not seeing all the political stuff on Facebook! Or reading things that make me anxious every day by browsing news sites or parenting pages.

I've been reading to the boys some, reading my kindle more, and I deleted a bunch of apps off my phone...but I kept one game to play (Disney Blitz...what is wrong with me?!) while I am nursing Luna because she's so fast that I barely get to read at all if I try to get into my book.

I really wish I could delete Facebook forever and even being off Instagram has been nice because I am not constantly comparing my life to others or worrying about if I am posting often enough. It's scary how often I was reaching for my phone for no real reason during the day!

I am also still using my phone for music and podcasts though. I don't like a lot of "noise" in my days, but I couldn't make it doing the stay at home mom thing without podcasts...they satisfy my need to learn and listen to some rational adults during the day hours ;)

2. Orion turns FOUR on Friday! That's as long as I was in collage or high school. But I think raising him has taught me more than either of those experiences! Ha. I cannot believe what a special guy he is turning out to be.

He's very articulate, social, and a natural artist. He spends lots of time creating elaborate drawings and telling us all about them--I have a hard time throwing out any of his art because it is so awesome! I'm happy he gets so much joy out of artistic pursuits.

He's also a very good builder and thinks of new creative ways to use his train tracks and other toys like Magnaformers and connectors regularly.

He loves his brother and especially loves Luna. He tells her she's "sooo cay-oot" all the time. He also still loves to snuggle us and cheer any of his family members up if they are feeling sad.

Recently we've been taking on more responsibility and doing chores on a chore chart. I bought him a three-section bank like I had when I was a kid. We started out with an allowance for set chores a few weeks ago because he wanted to use the sticker machine at school (whose idea was it to put in a sticker machine?!) and I told him he needed to save his own money for that. So far he has made over 3 dollars in allowance, but he hasn't bought a single sticker! Instead he took the "share" section of his bank to church and put that money in the offering. He was so excited to do that. The "spend" section has yet to be touched.

Emotions are still really big and lately he's been having a rough time with concepts like being a good sport if we don't win a game or not melting down if someone doesn't share (which previously was never an issue)...It might be all the extra sugar from Halloween (which I don't think helped) but we've had a lot of crying and outbursts here lately. He also tells me he misses his Ama and I am trying my best to answer that appropriately and not dismiss his feelings. Of course I miss her too. It makes my heart happy that since I've started singing them "Ama's song" that he will request it at bedtime and sing it to himself.

All in all, Orion is a real joy and I am so glad he is able to go to school for a few mornings. He loves his teacher, his friends, and making art. I'm very excited to see him continue to grow and surprise us with his creativity, wit, and kindness.

3. I am either growing older or wiser (or both) because I am now a steel oats convert. Oatmeal every morning! Forever! So many topping combinations and quick enough of a re-heat that I am not depriving myself of breakfast any longer. A real win in my book :)

4. The other kids are doing well too.

Luna is sleeping about 6 hours straight at night now, thank the heavens!! She sleeps next to my bed and nursing chair in the rock and play. I love having her so close. We didn't do that with the other boys. I am trying to get her used to the swaddle so I can eventually move her to the crib. Right now she wakes up about 2:30-3:30 am sometime to eat and then goes back to sleep. Around 5am she's up for a bit again and I have been getting up for the day then because I love alone time before being asked for breakfast and other things in the morning. zzz.

Otto is a funny, sweet two year old. I love this age. Everything he says is so cute and endearing to me...he still has soft skin and loves to snuggle me, especially before bed and after nap time...and he loves playing "I Spy" and a made-up game called "High Seas" (formerly known as "Whoa!") where he stands on my legs and holds my hands as I rock him back and forth (sometimes we "capsize" and I tip him over). I think he has been enjoying the special time we spend while Orion is at school and he is my big kid. Last week I even took him and Luna to the big library!

5. Life is good. It's always changing and there are always challenges, but it's so rich and full right now for us and I'm grateful for that. Even though I have a cold...even though there are repair woes...even though sometimes (okay, every day) things don't go as planned...it's going so well.

Prayers for those We've Lost This Year

For my precious mom, Susan Freyer
For all those lost to cancer and other horrible sicknesses
For Mike's grandmother and my children's great-grandmother, Lucille Spliedt
For those deaths that affected those my husband works with
For Philando Castile
For Alton Sterling
For Jason Harrison
For all those who were killed by police officers
For all the police officers who were killed in the line of duty
For all those who were killed at the Pulse night club
For anyone lost to gun violence
For children lost to miscarriage
For children lost to illnesses and accidents
For those killed by national disasters
For those who lost their lives to acts of terrorism
For any women lost to domestic violence or violence at the hand of men
For any person who died for their sexual orientation, color, or religious belief
For our service people we lost
For those cultural icons we lost, such as David Bowie, Alan Rickman, and Gene Wilder
For any other person who has died that we hold space and love for in our heart...





(Forgive me if I have left off any one I should have remembered. These were the people that I personally feel compelled to pray for and of course there are so many others...)

Little Things 10-17-16

1.

Help! I have too many knitting projects started and no stamina to finish any of them...

Also, I have recently become aware of the existence of the most perfect yarn shop I've ever set foot in (GarenHuis --downtown Holland) and I am very itchy to get back to browse as my trip was cut short by a fussy infant (whom I don't blame. She probably saved me from spending over $50. I spent a conservative $20 so I could grab a ball of yarn for her hat and some needle point covers).

Buying yarn is interesting and I try not to do it as I have a lot of unused yarn...but I have started only buying when I have a project and yardage in mind. I have tons of yarn that I'd like to ideally sell, but I haven't found anyone interested yet. I wonder if there are places you can donate yarn to (like all the cotton yarn I bought for knitting washcloths...it turns out I LOATHE knitting washcloths)?


2.

I'm back on the "no dairy" diet. I actually really like doing this, it makes me feel better (and hopefully will help Luna feel better too), but watching other people eat pizza kind of blows. I don't even particularly crave pizza, especially greasy delivery pizza, but when I'm on a dairy free diet it really is a sad state of affairs when we have pizza night and I'm eating just crust and sauce.

And then I had to pass up cannoli on Saturday at a restaurant. That was hard. Another almost-oops happened at Starbucks when I ordered a chocolate croissant because I went shopping without eating breakfast first...didn't eat the croissant after I realized it was laden with milk (I brought it home and my sister ate it). Pfftt. Did you know that Pumpkin Spice Latte SYRUP has milk in it? So even if you order soy or coconut milk there will still be dairy in the drink. Meh.


3.

I've heard it said that in some cultures there is a 40 day rest period after you give birth to a baby. Well, Luna's one month old birthday is in two days & ten more days after that is almost the end of the month...so I'm giving myself 42 days of rest and then I'm jumping back into cutting down on screen time and being a more involved mom for the boys. We were doing so well before I gave birth!

But, everything is a phase...I have noticed that since they've been watching more TV lately that they've had a little bit more of an attitude. Probably from lack of attention from me. I've been so busy learning Luna and keeping her fed that I haven't been the best at giving anyone else undivided attention. Anyway, no more beating myself up about it. Just thinking about starting to fix it. I especially want to get back to reading to them for extended periods of time each day. We were having at least two 20-30 minute story times a day (not including bedtime stories) when the screen time was limited. I have been stocking up on arts and craft supplies, which I think will help coax them back to self-entertaining and we will be using a lot of those this week :)

I also am realizing the need for a shift in discipline for Orion as he is maturing--time outs aren't really working anymore. I think a chore chart to earn his screen time may be my next big project. He does well with incentives. How do you discipline or encourage good behavior in your 4-5 year olds??


4.

(exploring new teas--I bought this because many years ago there was a berry tea from Teavana I liked quite a bit)

I'd like to start drinking more tea. The only teas I really enjoy are peppermint and Sleepytime, however. I do not like floral teas of any sort. What other sort of tea should I try? Black tea is alright, but sort of boring. I don't put milk or sugar in my tea. It just gets cold in here starting the time of year and I like a warm drink around 3pm and around bedtime...


5. I cried quietly for the first time yesterday while holding Luna, because when she sleeps and her eyes flutter, she looks like my mom. Or at least it reminds me of my mom. It's very interesting how the first few weeks of life and the period of nearing the end of life are similar in so many ways.

Favorite Things to Make with Common Leftovers

Image from: Rachel Levit

Reducing food waste is a really crucial step in managing a grocery budget and helping to better care for our resources and planet. Below, I've listed some recipes and ways we use common leftovers up in our house. Thanks to Stephanie for the post idea :)



Spaghetti- Store leftover spaghetti or noodles in a separate container from any leftover sauce. Sauce can be used for english muffin pizzas for lunch, regular pizza for dinner, or an easy dish of eggs baked in tomato sauce for breakfast or a quick lunch. Use leftover noodles/spaghetti to make a  delicious pasta fritatta. The best thing about a fritatta is that it is the perfect vehicle for using up really any small bit of ingredients--feel free to add leftover cheese bits, chopped veggies, or meat.

Rice- I personally try not to keep leftover rice in the fridge for more than a night, as I once read somewhere it is a food that spoils quickly...so usually, the next day after having rice, I make one of two things. If we didn't have the rice with an Asian themed dish the night before, either Mike or I will make fried rice. If fried rice doesn't sound good or was too close to the previous meal, I'll usually add the rice to a soup OR I will make crispy rice cakes. Somehow, I always think the kids will like these for lunch. Somehow, I always end up eating tons of rice cakes that they won't touch. A kid friendly thing my mom used to serve us was leftover rice heated up with a bunch of shredded cheese stirred in. Comforting and easy.

Fruit (especially bruised or slightly mushy fruits)- I freeze bananas after peeling them for use in smoothies. Same with other fruit after it is washed and cut, like berries or nectarines/peaches. I also like to take imperfect fruit and use it to make a simple sauce to put over pancakes or waffles. You can hide bruised fruit in muffins or a cobbler/crisp as well.

Herbs- use leftover herbs to make a green sauce, add to a marinade for meat, use in your juicer (parsley especially), or blend them with olive oil and freeze in ice cube trays. Once they are frozen you can pop them out and store in a Ziploc for later use in meals. Also, don't forget, with lots of herbs, the stems are perfectly edible! Don't waste them!!

Leftover Chicken- I absolutely love roasting chicken and if I need some shredded chicken quick for a recipe, I'll buy a whole rotisserie chicken instead of chicken parts (it is cheaper around here). This always results in leftover chicken. Some of my favorite things to do with leftover chicken are: make chicken salad, chicken packets (an old Once a Month Cooking Meal my mom used to make...so you can freeze them! And kids love them! We never used croutons on them growing up, but I have made them that way, as well as using crushed Ritz crackers instead. Both were tasty), making soup in the winter, and throwing it into quick chicken quesadillas.

If this was helpful at all, I'd be more than happy to write up a "Round Two" with some more common leftover ingredients. These were just the top items that came into my head as things we are good about re-purposing.



Oh...and before I sign off:

An AMAZING book that talks about using what you have to make delicious meals & figure out what to do with "scraps" is An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler. I would highly recommend buying or renting a copy. The book isn't your typical cookbook, but more of a helpful navigation tool and is beautifully written (the link here is NOT an affiliate link. I don't have any idea how to even do those).

Because Everyone Needs More Internet Blogs and Articles to Read

I just have to interject with some of my favorites lately:

THIS blog post just knocked the breath right out of me. If you don't want to read the whole thing, start with the paragraph: "The most radical discipline for me right now is to live in the love of Christ. To abide there, not just in the quiet of my bedroom before the day begins (though, oh how I love that) or in the stillness before bed, but in each moment" and read through to the end.

Someone either needs to stop me from making this or come over, preferably with some brie cheese in tow, and make it together with me (we could make homemade crackers to go with it! I'm odd like that)!

It sure sounds like Amanda Watters over at Homesong blog has a healthy grasp on the balance of providing herself with some valuable learning time during her busy days as a parent. I could definitely learn from this model (see: three blog posts ago).

I'm a Kondo fan, but I definitely admit that it can seem like she lives in a fantasy world at times. This New York Times article was a thoughtful look at the women who brought the "spark joy" mantra to the organizing/de-cluttering scene.