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This is a post by my husband and avid coffee lover, AA. He learned a few years back from a dear friend (and philosophy professor) all about roasting coffee beans and now has his own style to do so. After J was born, my appreciation for coffee took on a new form. Sure, caffeine can be a plus, particularly when you’re taking care of a newborn. But there is a goodness to coffee that is unique. Cradling a warm cup of java in the wee hours of the morning can lead to epiphanies previously unknown. In an attempt to economize, I purchased some cheap coffee. It tasted like sawdust. I wasn’t thrilled with the alternative of opting for (settling for) purchasing coffee beans from one of the mega-chain coffee shops, so I decided to go it my own. Roast my own beans. Why not? There’s something invigorating about slurping your own brew. For those of you who are coffee drinkers and are looking for the perfect cup of coffee, you should try roasting your own beans. Like many things, it can be as complicated as you’d like it to be, but it’s simple if you don’t overthink it. It’s a gritty form of art. 1) Materials. A. Something to roast the beans. Strangely enough, popcorn makers do the trick nicely. What you’re looking for is something that can distribute heat evenly while not overheating. I’ve had great luck with my handy dandy Toastmaster, which you can find almost anywhere for…
Read MoreTwo articles came out recently discussing the need for women to prepare more for childbirth. One article in the L.A. Times discusses a recent study’s finding that fewer than 30% of expecting mothers attended a prenatal birth class with their first pregnancy. Whew! The article and research point out that women receive less information from OBs instead of midwives about their options. Additionally, it demonstrated that younger OBs considered epidurals routine and expressed more concern about vaginal birth than older OBs. A scary trend! The second article is on Babble.com and it’s an interview with one of my heros, Erica Lyon. She is the author of “The Big Book of Birth” and founder of Realbirth Center in NYC and a veteran of 20 years in childbirth education. She talks about how education opens up choices for women, including the option of a more natural birth. She also emphasizes that women should feel safe, loved, and respected during the vulnerable time of childbirth. 1) Read these articles. L.A. Times Babble. 2) Encourage your friends to make a birth plan. People hear “birth plan” and think it necessitates medicine-free birthing. Not true! It just means sorting through you and your partner’s desires as to how your birth center will handle your labor, delivery, and post-birth. If you know you want an epidural, write that down. If you know you want your mother present, write that down. If you know you want skin-to-skin contact with the baby right away, write that down. The healthcare…
Read MoreWe have a family tradition of homemade pizzas on Fridays. The dough is so easy to make in the mid-afternoon and the toppings take no time at all to prep. The recipe we go off is from Farmgirl Fare (Susan runs an AWESOME blog!) with a little variation based on my sister’s significant other’s kitchen genius. Here’s photos from what we made this past week. 1) Dough. 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon yeast 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt 1 1/3 cup water, about 90 degrees Blend the flour, salt, and yeast. Then add water. 2) Prepping. Knead the dough for a few minutes and then place it in the a clean bowl, lightly oiled. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it sit for two hours. Anytime between two and three hours is sufficient to let it rise. This recipe yields three medium sized pizzas, two large, and four small. I usually double the recipe if I’m cooking for another family as well. 3) Make your own tomato sauce in the meanwhile. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare and then you leave it on the stove for an hour or two. Can add meatballs, but it’s really just amazing on its own. The secret to it? BUTTER! Ingredients: 4 large cans whole peeled tomatoes; about ¼ pound hunk of parmesan or pecorino romano, salt, pepper, olive oil, butter, fresh basil Directions: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a large stock pot on the stove. Prep the…
Read MoreThere is composting, and then there is vermiculture. Composting for us means a large pile down below our house in our hilly backyard that is a) fenced in, b) a menagerie of veggie & fruit & other compostables + yard cuttings, and c) free to compost at its own rate with periodic turning. Vermiculture is using a container + worms to get that rich, wonderful black dirt. Two of my sisters do it this way as they have smaller space considerations than we do. It goes to show that you can compost regardless of your home/yard size! 1) Getting started. Brush up on composting basics. The internet is your playground and guidebook. The EPA’s info: here. How To Compost: here. The Green Man on Home Composting: here. First off, determine how much space you have, and how much time and material you want to devote to composting. Is this a large project to feed your large garden? Is this to cut down on garbage? Is this to fulfill your “green” conscience guidelines? Do you want a garbage can out back? Do you want an entire fenced-off area? Do you want to build a container? Do you want a fancy composter? 2) Gather your supplies. Whether it be a self-built container, a fenced-off area (like us), or a store-bought container, set up your compost area. Don’t forget you also need a designated compost trash bin in your kitchen space. Something with holes is nice so the stuff can breathe indoors and not smell terribly…
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From my sister in New York, boxing trainer & mommy-to-be, Molly W: My experience as a boxer (both as a practitioner and a trainer) never prepared me for prenatal exercise. When I began feeling sluggish during my workouts about 6 months ago, I thought it was on account of all the holiday goodies I had indulged in. But when I discovered I was going to become a mommy, I turned all my energy on discovering how to build on my knowledge of fitness in the prenatal realm. I read everything I could find, talked to my doctor, consulted with my own trainer, watched videos, and began to try things out for myself. 1) Conflicting information. First of all, there’s a ton of conflicting information out there…people trying to sell products, self-proclaimed experts, systems that only work for certain individuals, etc. The field of prenatal fitness is relatively new. Up until 2002, the pros recommended keeping your heart rate under 140bpm. In my book, that’s a brisk walk. Now all the research shows that it’s not a matter of heart rate, but instead your own perceived rate of exertion. Some people can get a work out keeping their heart rate down, but if you are an athlete, or at least exercise on a regular basis, you may not even break a sweat at that level. The best guide is how you are feeling. You should be able to carry on a conversation while you are working out, but you should be…
Read MoreThe world of sleep changed for SuperBoy as soon as he could crawl, sit up by himself, and (eeeek) stand up in his crib. So at 9 months we faced teething-related night waking, sitting-up-crying while-asleep, and many sleepless nights. A few thoughts on toddler night sleep problems & potential solutions. 1) Be forgiving. To yourself, for moments of frustration, and to your baby, for his inability to express what’s preventing sleep. Be realistic that no solution is a one-size fits all. Be realistic that your own child may respond differently to the same night parenting technique. Be realistic that anyone who says their child sleeps perfectly is probably deluding themselves or embarrassed to admit to normalcy. 2) Reasons for awakening. Try process of elimination: a) Habit? b) Hunger? c) Diaper? d) Fear/Noise? e) Poor sleep during the day (bad sleep begets bad sleep)? f) Stress/Changes at home? g) Sick/Teething? 3) Habit. Sleep training works, sleep awakening at night training works too, unintended though it may be. What time is bed time? What are your bed time rituals? If you don’t have consistency in how you get your child to sleep, it doesn’t make sense to expect him to maintain consistent sleep patterns. Bed time for the first few months was arbitrarily throughout the evening. He’d fall asleep from 8 to midnight, nurse, and then sleep from midnight to 3 or 4am, nurse, then sleep til 7 or 8am. I hated getting up multiple times so I’d stay up until midnight so…
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