6 months old

Today my Gabriel (aka Gabe, Gabey-Babey, Gaber, Him, Little Dude) is turns 6 months old!  What a ride, and what a blessing he is.  Love you, Gabe!

in the kitchen: sourdough for a week

You may have heard that I've (*cough*) kind of gotten "into" sourdough lately.  In fact, I've described my sourdough starter as my favorite toy.  It only takes a little loving care, and it can really perform.  Sourdough is so versatile - not to mention the health benefits it provides!  I've heard it said that whole grain sourdough is the very healthiest way to consume grains, that the fermenting role of the sourdough starter does a better job of neutralizing the anti-nutients - found in all whole grains - than even soaking or sprouting.

Also, it's delicious.  I mean, sourdough bread as French toast?  To die for.

"salty" sourdough crackers

With these factors in mind, I thought it might be fun to note all the ways sourdough serves my family during the span of a week.  You know, for kicks.

Because we eat it a lot.  Just recently, I mixed up my second batch ever of No-Knead Dough (Sourdough dough.  Shall we just say for the sake of simplicity that all bread items mentioned in this post are, in fact, sourdough?).  The method is outlined in both the wonderful Sourdough A to Z ebook (a great investment if you are a newcomer to the ways of sourdough) and a great book I just bought The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fermenting Foods by Wardeh Harmon.  It's basically a sourdough version (simplicity or not, I can't stop writing sourdough!  Sourdough, sourdough, sourdough!)of THIS METHOD.  You make a big batch of dough (huge, actually), and it keeps in the refrigerator for almost a week.  When you're ready to use it, just scoop it out and shape it as you wish.  It's pretty stinking cool, actually.

So anyway, that dough I often use for things like loaves of artisan-type bread, English muffins, and cinnamon rolls.  I also have been having fun with sourdough recipes I've found on various sites.  I love gleaning from other people's experimentation!

sourdough flatbread

Here it goes: a week of sourdough. It should be noted that our meals do not consist of only bread products.  I'm only sharing what part sourdough plays in our lives during this week.

Sunday - breakfast: leftover English muffins & leftover pancakes.
                lunch dessert: brownies or cinnamon rolls

Monday - lunch:  flatbread (with egg salad) sandwich
                dessert: brownies
                snack: crackers
                dinner: artisan bread
             
Tuesday -  breakfast: waffles
                  lunch: flatbread (as a side)
                  dessert: crackers
                  snack: cinnamon rolls
             
Wednesday - breakfast: caramel apple skillet pancake
                      lunch:  flatbread sandwich
                      snack: cinnamon raisin muffins
                      dinner: English muffins

Thursday -    lunch: spelt sandwich bread
                      snack: crackers, cinnamon raisin muffins
                      dinner: pita bread

Friday -  breakfast: biscuits
                lunch: flatbread, spelt sandwich bread
                snack: crackers, cinnmaon raisin muffins

Saturday - breakfast: raspberry skillet pancake wedges
                   lunch: flatbread


There you have it.  Keep in mind that this is just seven days' time.  One of my family's favorite sourdough recipes, as pizza crust, wasn't on the menu plan this week.  My next goals are tortillas, pita bread, and noodles. In many ways, I'm just beginning my sourdough journey, but as you can probably tell I'm having fun playing with my "toy"!

peonies...

...smell like my childhood.

blessings on a too-early morning

My baby woke me up way too early this morning.  I dragged myself out of bed, trudged to his room, and found it impossible to keep my eyes open while I fed him in the rocking chair.  He ended up going back to sleep (I was so thankful) and I dragged myself back to my room for another 10 minutes or so in bed.

After that inglorious start, it's now 8 o'clock.  And the blessings of the day far outnumber the fingers of my right.  As it's been an extremely difficult week...month...season for me, I thought I'd  take a minute to share them here and now.

• The children all slept until after 7:15 AM.  Rare!
• Psalm 127 on my reading list this morning.
• Good news.
• No need to stop my morning routine to nurse Gabe, since he ate at 5:45.
• The pleasure of sourdough biscuit dough in my hands.
• My older boys' ability to get out of bed easily today.
• Their cheerful willingness to do their morning chores.
• My 6-year-old taking the initiative to efficiently set the table - without being reminded - so he could watch (one!) video with his siblings before breakfast.
• The chance said video gave me to listen to a podcast in quietness while preparing breakfast.
• Rich Mullins' music: it never fails to minister to me.
• Glancing at my needy baby, and seeing that he is completely wrapped up in entertaining himself.

May you too experience God's blessings this Friday!

because I'm nice like that

"Mommy."

"Mommy," she says, "Mommy..."

"Yes, little lady? What is it?"

She reaches her hand out for me, pulling my palm onto her cheek.  "Mommy."  She holds my hand there, then squirms a little in her seat.

I know this routine well.  "Do you have to go potty?"  I ask.  She shakes her head and squirms again.

"Mommy."

"Sweetie, do you have to use the bathroom?" I ask again, already knowing the truth, and what the answer will be.

"No.  No, Mommy."

We settle back, and I watch her closely.  It is not the first time we've had this conversation, and so I wait for the moment when she cannot deny the truth a moment more.

There are times when I feel this way too.  When I know I need something, but I'm not quite sure what.  Or perhaps I don't want to look it in the face just yet.  I find in myself a longing, and I'm looking anxiously, sometimes wistfully, around.  What do I need?  What is the source of my unrest?

And all the while, He is there.  Knowing.  Waiting.  Perhaps even nudging me, ever so gently, in the proper direction.  Ready for me to acknowledge my need and to reach for the help He is so ready to give.  He offers it wordlessly, but until I am ready to take a step, we seem to be at an impasse.

There are times when I don't know how to pray what's in my heart.  In those moments, praise God,

...the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.   

                         ~Romans 8:26-27

There is a Helper.  And as I realize more and more just what it is that I need, I reach out for my Father.  My wise, knowing Father, the one who gives perfectly.  Who knows me inside out.  Whose attentive eyes are always upon me, knowing each need before I know it myself.  Who is ready, and more than able, to fill my empty spaces.

And as I reach out my hands, I hear myself speak the words he's been longing to hear.

"Abba. Father..."

Feeding Picky Eaters

Kids are notorious for being picky eaters.  Not all kids are, of course.  But frequently young palates tend to be a little less adventurous than adults.

Then there are seasons of  more...shall we say, selective eating?  For example, a child who has always been an enthusiastic eater may one day decide that he only wants to eat noodles.  Or bread.  But eventually (hopefully!) the phase passes, and he will again start branching out.

I have first-hand experience with picky eaters.  It's no fun for any parent to deal with, and I am no exception.  I do, however, sympathize with the choosier members in my family: you see, I too was a picky eater as a child.  This trait stayed with me into my teenage years, and even into my early twenties.  It's really only been the past ten years or so that I loosened up a bit, and in the past five years I've begun to eat things I never would've dreamed of in my more "selective" days.

So while I do sigh when one of my children turns up his nose at a new dish (without even giving it a chance
), I get it.  I understand, and I try to present new foods to them in a way that encourages my kids to experiment, but without inviting a major fight.

Dish Up the Fun
One thing I've noticed recently is that the name I give to a new food can make a big difference. My husband's alma mater is Kansas State University.  K-State's school color is royal purple, and our family wears a lot of this particular hue.  When I discovered purple cauliflower at the farmers' market, we served it as "K-State Cauliflower," much to the kids' delight.  Alternately, I love this child-friendly idea of creating Hummus Flowers.  And once, after I'd made bread,  it stuck in the pan and I was faced with a result which resembled a crumpled heap more than an actual loaf.  In an act of desperation I placed a hunk of bread on each child's plate, slathered it with almond butter and jam, and dubbed them "Open-Faced Volcano Sandwiches."  I was astounded to find that they were an instant hit!

Be creative, tailor it to your family's interests, and don't take your food too seriously.  There's so much potential for fun here.

Offer Choices
I have never been willing to do "the short-order cook thing," but I have come to believe that offering choices at mealtime can be key.  Do you have children who aren't fans of vegetables?  Offer several different varieties.  Frequently our dinner table will have sugar snap peas or carrot sticks and dip as well as another vegetable, usually a cooked one.  Even if a child doesn't care for either option, he will probably feel a little more cheerful about having a choice.

Another simple option is a bowl of apple slices or another fruit your family enjoys.  Mealtimes are apt to be happier if there's at least one item on the table which your child truly likes.

Hold Dessert Hostage
The long-time rule in our home is "feel free to enjoy dessert after you finish your dinner."  We serve each child a reasonably-sized serving of the main dish, offer a choice of vegetables if possible, and often offer a optional fruit or grain-based side dish.  Each person is free to eat or not eat as they see fit, but even if they don't want the main dish or vegetable, we still serve them a "no thank you helping."   If they choose not to eat, they may have dessert another day.  Sometimes this serves to motivate, sometimes not.  But either way: if you won't eat your dinner, you needn't concern yourself dessert.

We also use this technique when it comes to subsequent servings of other dishes.  For example, the child may have another serving of apples if he takes a few bites of his peas.

Keep Trying
You've probably heard that it can take a child many different exposures to a food before he or she finally accepts it.  It can be very frustrating to try, and try, and try only to have your offerings rejected  again and again.  Nonetheless,  I recommend that you keep making attempts. At my house we try to be cool and casual about it: Your dad and I enjoy eating this, and if you'd like to try it, that's great!  But if you'd rather not, that's okay.  When I was your age, there were a lot of things I didn't like to eat.  But now I enjoy things I didn't used to.  Maybe someday you'll change your mind too.  

Just the other night I served my family roasted asparagus at dinnertime.   My 4-year-old, long known as a boy who avoids vegetables at all costs, reluctantly decided to try a bite.  (I suspect that he was lured by the idea of ice cream I'd made that afternoon.)  But he did try it, and I was astonished to hear these words come out of his mouth: "The tip is good.  I like this part.  But only the tip..."  I suggested that if he liked the tip, he might like other parts too: my words fell on deaf ears.  He'd decided the tip was alright.  And that evening, he wasn't willing to stretch any more, not an inch more.

And that's okay, too.  As a friend of mine used to say, "different people like different things."  Even as a more open-minded adult, there are still foods which I cannot stomach.  But I keep trying new things, and I'm often delighted with the results of my experimentation.

Hopefully, as we parents enjoy trying new things, our children will notice this. As they (slowly) branch out from regular peanut butter & jelly, into the world of, say, pesto grilled cheese, they just may discover that there's a whole new world of foods at their fingertips.

Once they've learned that lesson, the possibilities are endless.

Thanks to Kristin at Bits and Pieces From My Life, Allyson at A Heart For Home and Christy at A Living Homeschool for inviting me to Guest Post this month.  It was fun, and I am honored!