Winter hat still on.

I think my child missed the memo on no longer needing to use her winter hat outside (it's summer, for crying out loud!)

But we are a creature of habit, and that's what we do.

Playing bedtime.

One of Emma's favorite things to do with her baby brother is play "bedtime."

You know-- find a place to lie down on, bring a blanket, and each of their lovies. 

It can be done on the floor--

On mommy and daddy's bed--

Or anywhere else she feels fit.

So thankful these little ones have each other :)

WHY-Wednesday: Why I read through my Bible in a year, every year?

"As Christians, we should read through the Bible in a year, every year" 
--I've heard said a time or two.

"How ambitious.   How fun.  But really...?"

Reading through the Bible in a year, every year.
 Let me tell you something...

This has been one of the most powerful ways by which the Lord has been working in my life this year.

It's exhilarating. 

Yes, I do believe there is a place for quality instead of quantity in Bible-reading.

Yes, I do agree that life is busy.  We are young moms, soccer moms, homeschooling moms, working moms, sleepless moms, aching moms, stressed moms...

Life happens.  I get it, I get it.

But even so...

As our Sunday School pastor says:  "if some is good, more is better."

If a little bit of Bible-reading is good, why not drench ourselves in it?

If this Means of Grace has been gifted to us, why not rip it open every morning, every year?

I think this is what C.S. Lewis mant when he famously said:

"[we are] like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

We are far too easily pleased with convenient Bible-reading tools catered for our fast-paced and busy lives.

We are far too easily pleased with the excuse that we are too busy to take the time to read through it.

We settle for a life that is ignorant of the vast richness that comes through doing this.

We are far too easily pleased.

We simply cannot imagine the richness and the spiritual growth we will experience by aggressively reading our Bibles. 

We cannot, we cannot.

You have to do it to know it!

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"

I don't want to close this post without giving a few practical suggestions for doing this--

- Use a Bible that is meant to be read in a year.  I am currently using this one and love it (it also has a kindle edition for your tablet). If you do not have a Bible that keeps the pace for you, you will not read it as fast and will then become discouraged. 

-  Try to stay ahead.  Things happen, life happens.  But if you fall behind, just spend a day or two catching up.  No big deal.

-  Depending on what book of the Bible you are currently reading through, most readings will take an average of 15 minutes.  Fifteen minutes!!  Give or take.  This is nothing!  You can do it in the morning, during lunch break, before going to bed, while the kiddos watch Curious George, etc.  Time should not be a hindering factor.

-  If you would like to begin getting in the habit of reading through your Bible now (yay!), I would recommend starting half-way through, where the date of your read-through-your-Bible Bible tells you to.  This way, when the New Year rolls around, you'll be back on track.

The simple way of making yogurt at home

I've had a tremendous response to my WHY-Wednesday post regarding making my own yogurt at home.  

In particular, I've spent a couple mornings walking different friends through the process of straining and storing yogurt after it has set overnight.  It has been so much fun being part of their excitement as they discover for themselves the thrill and empowerment that comes with making your own yogurt.

Though I referred you to some good sites that show how to make your own yogurt, I've realized through answering some friends' questions that the sites did not do a good job walking readers through the final steps of straining and storing your home-made yogurt.

Therefore, I have decided to take your hand and walk you through this very simple process of making your own yogurt.

For starters, you can use any kind of cows milk-- whole, 2%, 1% or skim milk.  Since I strain it in the end, I have found the consistency to be the same.

I use an entire whole gallon of 2% milk.

You will also need 1-2 TBSP of starter yogurt 

(live culture yogurt found in any grocery store.  After you've made your yogurt once, you can just use your homemade yogurt as your starter for your next batch)

Pour the milk in your slowcooker.

(You can also use a pan over the stove top, or even microwave.  It really does not matter as long as you are checking the temperature.  Using the stove or microwave will make the heat-up/cool-down process go much faster than when using a slowcooker)

Cover and put on high and let it sit for about 3-4 hours until it reaches at least 180F (if it reaches over this temperature, no big deal.  It will just take longer to cool down).

Once it has reached 180F, turn off the crockpot and let it cool down to 112-114F (this does not have to be too exact, but you do want it to stay close within this range).  Depending on how quickly you need it to cool down, you can either leave the lid on or off.  This will take between 1-2 hours.  

Check temperature has reached the 112-114F range.  If it has gone bellow this range, no big deal.  Just turn it back up until it's back to the temperature you want it to be.

** picture missing-- will post one later**

(If a layer of "skin" forms on top of milk, just remove after it has finished cooling down)

Take a blob of your starter yogurt-- about 1 - 2 TBSP of it.  If you've never done yogurt before, you'll need to buy it from the store.  Just regular ol' plain yogurt that has live culture.

Yogurt-making is very forgiving, so no need to measure.  I normally just scrape the sides of my yogurt container, and whatever is caught, that's what I use as my starter.

Place the starter in a little cup, pour some warm milk in it, gently stir it, then pour back into the slowcooker. 

**picture also missing**

Place lid on crockpot, wrap in a beach towel and place in the turned-off oven with light on (the light will help contain the heat which will allow the good bacteria to reproduce overnight)

Leave it in the closed oven overnight for about 10-12 hours.

When you wake up in the morning, this is what you'll find:

TA-DAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

The yogurt is at the bottom, your whey is on top.

At this point, your yogurt is already made.  You can go ahead and whisk it right then and there to make regular yogurt (it will be very runny.  Runnier than store-bought yogurt), or you can drain the whey to make greek yogurt.  

To drain, you'll need a large bowl to catch the whey, a colander, and a cloth.  I use a cheesecloth, but it can be anything-- a towel, rag, shirt.  Basically, a cloth large enough to comfortably fit over the colander.

Pour the freshly made yogurt over the colander and strain for about 20 minutes.

NOTE:  The thicker the cloth, the longer you'll need to drain.  A cheesecloth is very thin, so it drains pretty fast.

Before it begins draining--

After about 20 minutes of draining--

The whey--

Dump the drained greek yogurt back into the slowcooker--

And whisk until smooth--

 

You can always add some more whey back into the yogurt to adjust the consistency.  Just keep in mind that as it sits in the refrigerator it will become thicker. 

I like to save my whey and use it in my cooking, or toss it over my plants or compost pile if I already have too much of it.

Friends... I have made me some yogurt :)  

Two large containers full of it, for a little over $3.

On Little Man...

Our Little Man is 9 months old.  And such a gift to us.  

He began crawling for the first time last week.  Emma and I were at our Fancy Nancy birthday party when he took his first moves forward, while alone with Daddy.  

I can't get over him crawling.  He is so fun.  I set him down on the floor, and he goes off exploring.  He crawls into the living room where he finds a ball or two.  Then crawls down into the dining room table or finds Big Sister.  I know it sounds terrible to say, but it's like I have a little doggie just moving about.  He seems to be, for the most part, a pretty independent little fella. 

His two bottom teeth are completely in.  And loves showing them off!  He is quite the giggler, and put him next to Big Sister, and maaan, he will laugh and squeal the entire time.

He is getting better about eating.  I finally discovered that as long as I mix some applesauce with it, he'll eat just about anything.  This week he ate some spaghetti with meat sauce one day, and lentil soup another day (both mixed with some applesauce).  He also loves a good ripe pear.  I will cut him up some slices in the morning, and he'll gladly feed himself some.

He also likes mozzarella cheese, toast (he will not eat non-toasted bread), cheerios, and veggie straws.

We are starting to teach him to use a sippy cup, and has been pretty good at it.  We normally just put a little water in it.  He likes to imitate Big Sister.

He now takes a bottle and will drink both breast milk and formula.  We don't do this too often, but at least he does take a bottle now!

I plan on beginning to wean him next month when he turns 10 months.  I keep going back and forth with this, since I did nurse Emma for the full 12 months.  But due to a few personal reasons (mostly selfish, but it is what it is), he will more than likely be drinking fully out of a bottle or sippy cup by 10.5 months.

At his nine-month doctor's visit, here are his numbers:

Weight:  19 lbs 13 oz (50%)

Length:  28 inches (25%)

Head size:  18 inches (75%)

Thomas' firefighter birthday party

In case y'all haven't noticed, it's "party season" around here.  And we are loving it!  

In addition to our two last week, we had another one mid-week this past week (no pictures - sad - I know), and then a fourth one yesterday.

Emma's good little friend Thomas (again, more like mama's good friend's son) turned two, and celebrated it with a fire!

We met at a fire station near our house with about half a dozen other little ones running around.

The firefighters let the kids get on the trucks, blew the horn, got a tour of the station, played with some toy firetrucks, and had one fighter dress-up for the children to see their full attire. 

WHY-Wednesday: Why I loved "Moms' Night Out"

(If you don't know what movie I am talking about, please click here for the trailer.  And just as a heads up, the trailer does not do it justice.  When I first saw it, it did not appeal to me one bit)

Have you ever watched a movie and thought to yourself:  "this would have been the perfect movie had it not been for all the (unnecessary) swearing or sex-scenes"?

Moms' Night Out is that movie!  They finally made one.  A very funny and touching movie... without the bad language or unnecessary sex-scenes.  I laughed so hard and cried so much.  Did not know those two could go so well together.

Now, before I move on, let me get something out there in the open, just so you know where I am coming from--  I am NOT a fan of Facing the Giants or Fireproof.  These are what people call "Christian movies."  They are cheesy and unrealistic (in my opinion).  The Gospel is being presented and "shoved-down" our throats in the most awkward moments.  And forget about the predictability.  Extremely predictable.  In addition to preaching (in my opinion) the "prosperity gospel."

"It's the difference between a Christian movie and a movie made by Christians" -- a friend said. 

Moms' Night Out was a movie made by Christians, not the other way around.

Also--

*  It was real.  The humor was not overly exaggerated, and was relatable.

*  I am not laughing at them, but laughing with them-- you know what I mean?

* Sean, the husband of the main character (Allie), is a wonderful man.  Played by Lord of the Rings' hobbit Sean Astin, he comes across a loving, caring, and wonderful husband and father.  A fresh take to the looser, dumb, worthless, jerk father/husband-like figure Hollywood is portraying in their movies these days.

*  The plot is very well made.  It is funny and complex, all at the same time.  A combination between Steve Carell's Date Night and Steve Martin's Father of the Bride.

*  I love how the bottom-line message of this story did not come through the "perfect" stay-at-home mom, but through a single, hard-working mother.

*  It moved me.  And I think that every mother who is still "in the trenches" with little ones will be moved as well.  It penetrated my heart in an unexpected way.

*  It encouraged me to view and love the beauty of my every-day mess.

I encourage everyone who is wanting more of these kinds of movies to go out and watch it at the "big theater" (opposed to waiting for it to come out at the Dollar Theater or Redbox).

We've got to VOTE with our wallet.

ps-- this is a movie that both mothers AND fathers of all ages will enjoy, not just something to watch with your mama-friends.

Spring 2014 family pictures

Spring 2014 photo shoot. 

Fancy Nancy party

Emma had a second birthday party yesterday afternoon.  Karis had a Fancy Nancy-themed party.  The girls dressed up and played with dolls, tea sets, had fancy little tea food, and just enjoyed themselves. 

Emma and Karis.

The girls.

Ballerina birthday party

Emma's little friend Ruth Ann (well, more like mommy's friend's daughter :p ) celebrated her fourth birthday over the weekend.  She had a CUTE little ballerina party.  About one dozen little girls took a ballet class in the living room of their home and then did a ballerina craft.  It was one of the cutest things I'd seen in a long time.  Emma was very observant the entire time, mesmerized by all the tutus and new moves.

 

Little Man looking around the corner at all the girls.

Emma did not leave RA's side.

slouch

I feel like all my children's pictures these days take place in the kitchen.  I guess that's because the camera never leaves the kitchen counter.

------------------------------------------------------

This picture does not do it justice, but this is how Byron likes to eat-- all slouched up.  Oh, and another thing-- the only thing he seems to like to eat are Veggie Straws (aka- chips).

"take picture meeeeeee"

WHY-Wednesday: Why I make my own yogurt?

Did you know that making yogurt at home is one of the most fool-proof things to do?

It's a close second only to making your own peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

And best of all, it's incredibly impressive.

"why yes, I do make my own yogurt!" -- you say.

Just think about how awesome you would sound saying those words :)  And at the cost of hardly no effort!  (or money!)

Of course, if you are not a yogurt-eating person, then there is no point to it.  But if you're like me and use it in your morning smoothies in order to benefit from its probiotics, then this is a no-brainer.  You've gotta do it!

Okay, okay... so it really isn't that easy.  There is a bit of a learning curve, and different people do it differently.  But once you have found your style for doing it, it truly, truly, truly is incredibly easy!  I pinky promise :)

For example, all you need are two ingredients:  milk and live culture (which is just a fancy word people use for leftover yogurt).

This is not a how-to blog, so I'll spare you from the countless pictures that go along with a how-to post.  What I'll do instead is point you in the direction of my college-friend Marilee.

Take a few minutes to take a look at Marilee's post here if you want to learn more about making your own yogurt.

This post was mostly inspirational and a rough guide for me.  I actually do it quite differently than Marilee.  If this is something that interests you, I would encourage you to watch a few YouTube how-to videos and maybe a blog post or two on it.  My process for making yogurt is actually more like this one.

I use a whole gallon of 2% milk and use a cheese cloth to strain it at the end for about 20 minutes (save the whey!).  I also whisk it until smooth at the very end and store it in two large store-bought yogurt containers.

Anyway, for what it's worth... I love making my yogurt!  And you will too :)

**** Update Sunday, May 25, 2014****
My how-to post on how to make homemade yogurt.

8 and 9-month old pictures

I finally got around to BB's 8-month old Johnny Bear pictures four days before his 9-month old birthday :(  So I am just lumping them together.

He finally got a bottom tooth pop out on Easter Sunday (we called it the "resurrection tooth"), and his second bottom tooth is making it's way through.  I tried to picture his teeth in this picture, but was not very successful at it.

Yup, this picture pretty much captures his sweet little personality.

Emma's 8-month and 9-month JB picture.

WHY-Wednesday: Why I wake before my kids do?

Yes, I really, really, really do wake up before my kids do.

Every.Single.Day.

Monday through Sunday.

At 6 AM.

No exceptions.

And will continue to do so until the day I die.

Best thing I do all day.  PERIOD.

Emma does not get out of bed until her light clock turns green at 7:15 AM, and Baby Byron can normally stay in his crib until that time on most mornings.  He may need some intervention every now and then-- nurse, turn on his mobile, change his diaper, etc.  But most often than not, I can get him to stay in his crib until 7:15 AM as well.

But why, why, whyyyy do I do this?

Let me take you back in time a little--

Eight+ months ago, our sweet little second-born blessed our lives with his presence.  Baby Byron turned my (what seemed to me to be) perfect world upside down.  I was now constantly tired and unable to sleep when I wanted to, had no guaranteed down time, I was resentful towards my children and my life in general, I could never do anything in peace, my house was always a mess, etc etc etc.

One Friday, while having lunch with some friends, I asked one of my mama friends, who is the mother of three young boys and whose husband is a medical resident (aka-- she is a single mother), if things ever got easier.  

She said:  "No, I still feel like I am constantly sucking for air."

Me:  (great!)

Friend:  "I've just have had to come to terms with that fact, and I better just learn to be good at it.  You know?  Something that has helped me a lot is to wake up before my kids do."

And that was that.  No explanation, no reason why.  She just said it and that was that.

In desperation, I decided to try it the following day.  

Alarm went off at 6:05 AM, got out of bed, did my own thing until 7:15 AM, and have never once looked back.

The thing with waking up before the kids do, is that it gives you control over one thing in your life-- your wake up time.  There is absolutely nothing worse (for me) than being woken up by someone else.  I can tolerate the alarm clock better than a child simply because they at least have a snooze button.

It also gives you time in the morning to lunge around in your slippers, drink a cup of coffee, read, plan your day, send some emails, write some letters, have your quiet time, journal, etc.  The sky is the limit.

Think I'm crazy?  Give it a try.  I dare you to :)  And let me know how it goes... :)

Outdoors

Emma loves to carry around her little bucket, her shovel and a glove.  What she is basically doing is imitating her daddy (minus the nakedness-- Byron does in fact work outside with his clothes on, FYI).

She collects the dirt...

Baby Byron likes to supervise.

Then she goes and dumps it behind the bushes.

Oh, and we also love to pick flowers.