Not Me, Monday!

I love MckMama's Not Me! idea of therapy, so here goes:

I most certainly did not start the day at 4:30 this morning by getting my wailing 10 month old out of her crib, and into bed with me. Of course, my 3 year old certainly didn't wake up just seconds after I finally got the baby back to sleep. Oh, no, no. My babies sleep like perfect angels.
I did not allow my son to use a marker to give his legs zebra stripes. No, not me. I did not allow my daughter to shred the newspaper into bits underneath the kitchen table. Nuh-uh, no way, I always closely supervise my kids.
I absolutely did not spend way too much time on facebook connecting with old friends, or updating my blogs. No, not when the house is a mess.
I never ever thought today "Who are these kids, and why do they keep calling me Mom?" No, not me.
I surely did not cringe when my husband said he had rehearsals tonight, meaning he would be gone for a total of 18 hours today. No, not this strong supportive wife. No, not me.

Nurtured Mother is Growing

INTRODUCING: Billie Cramer, CMT and certified doula and Kristin Holt, RN and certified doula

After much begging, pleading, nagging, arm-twisting, and bribing--I somehow convinced these two amazing ladies to join forces with me to enhance Nurtured Mother's services for women in Northern Colorado. Hooray!!!

I was blessed to experience their expertise first-hand, as they were both serving as my doulas at the birth of my daughter. Kristin brings the wisdom of both mainstream medicine and alternative medicine, and is the mother of 3 beautiful children. Billie's compassionate strength is only matched by her gentle touch, and she is the mother of an adorable baby boy. (Okay, for those of you who have already put two-and-two together: Billie is also my sister-in-law, and that adorable boy is my nephew! I'm allowed to gush over that cutie anytime I want!)

They'll be writing-in from time to time here on the blog, so check back often to hear from these awesome ladies.

I'll be updating the website (www.nurtured-mother.com) with more information on Billie and Kristin, and the services they offer soon too.

We Make That Wish Everyday

Recipe Reviews

Trail Mix Granola Bars

O requires more calories than the average 3-year old boy (some days it feels like he consumes more than the average full grown hippo). So, I'm always on the look out for great recipes that are high-calorie, but also nutritious for his overall well being (and the rest of the family's).

I found a great site: www.cfnutrition4life.com with some interesting recipes. Since Matt was headed for the great outdoors last weekend, I decided that it was time to try my hand at granola bars.

Link to the recipe:http://www.cfnutrition4life.com/cfnu/readarticle.php?article_id=121

My end product (one day I'll remember to take pictures during the process):



Notes: I added a 1/2 c more oats and some dried cranberries to my first batch. I didn't have chocolate chips, so I chopped up some dark chocolate bars. I reduced the amount of honey in the second batch to 1/2 cup.

Foodie Finds: Yummy! O loves these bars. Full of great vitamins, minerals, good fats, and CHOCOLATE--what could be better? Matt said it made a great tasting back-packing snack. However, it is almost too sweet for my taste, and very sticky. Matt wanted something he could just eat with his hands on the trail, and this wouldn't even stay in "bar" form.

Bertolli Frozen Pasta: A review

When we started cutting expenses, we knew eating out would have to go. Eating out for us usually happens at two different times: 1.) Planned family or date nights or 2.) When daily chaos prevents us from getting dinner started early enough so that we're not eating at 9 p.m.
The latter was the big problem. When I was working full time we ate out a lot more often because we were too tired, or didn't have time.

The solution: *Sigh* Frozen prepared meals.
We were picky. It had to taste good, and not be full of nasty preservatives or other ingredients that we normally wouldn't eat.

The product: Bertolli frozen "Classic Dinners" and "Pasta & Sauce." I had a coupon, they were on sale, so they got first try. The ingredients were also pronounceable & recognizable, and they were things we would normally eat.

The verdict: Good--and great for a night when we just don't have time. So far, the only one we haven't enjoyed is the ravioli--the sauce was really not impressive. Tonight I enjoyed the manicotti with ricotta and spinach. Our favorite is the Mediterranean chicken and linguine. O hasn't been very impressed with any of them (especially the ravioli), but he will pick out and eat the chicken and noodles.